Final Project Essay Example for Free

Final Project Essay Brandt, V., England, W., Ward, S.. (2011). Virtual Teams. Research Technology Management, 54(6), 62-63 In this article Brandt, England, and Ward define what virtual teams are, they state â€Å"virtual teams are individuals working together who have never met each other in person and probably will not meet face-to-face during the assigned project (Brandt, England, Ward 2011).† The next part of the article is used to define what virtual teams consist of. Virtual teams mainly consist of members from different locations working together on a specific project. Although some members of the team may meet each other at some point, they will never see each other on a frequent basis. In the main body of the article Brandt, England, and Ward give 6 common dimensions of successful virtual teams, they are as follows: 1. Trust-Trust generally develops from a history of interpersonal interactions through which people come to know one another. In virtual teams, trust must be established through other means since team members may have no past experience to draw on and no future to reference (2011). 2. Cultural Differences-Cultural and language differences become magnified in virtual teams because it is much easier to hide errors and problems and make wrong assumptions. Unintended non-inclusive behaviors based on cultural norms can be interpreted as rudeness or intimidation. Fostering cultural understanding breaks down the barriers that can hamper success and leads to more effective virtual teams (2011). 3. Communication-Communication issues for virtual teams include both the tools or technologies for communication and the rules of engagement. Both are critical for virtual team success and what works well for co-located teams is generally not effective for virtual teams. Shared electronic workspaces such as shared websites on an intranet are preferred communication tools for virtual teams (2011). 4. Social Skills-Use caution when assembling virtual teams solely on the basis of people’s expertise and availability. Social skills should be considered as a major prerequisite for good teamwork within the virtual team. If the team is unable to establish a basis for the effective exchange of know-how, performance will suffer (2011). 5. Mission and Goal Clarity-While all teams need clear missions and goals to be effective, virtual teams have more opportunities for diverse assumptions about the team’s mission and goal to take root. Clarity comes from discussion among all team members to reach a common understanding of the team’s deliverables. Another key requirement for the virtual team is the need to highlight the expertise of each member of the team and how that expertise relates to the team’s goals (2011). 6. Rewards and Recognition-Finding appropriate ways to compensate virtual teams with global membership require creativity. The diversity of the individuals on the team along with local rules and regulations makes a common reward for all approach difficult to execute. Incentives for both project and personal performance need to take into account the diversity of the team (2011). While all of these dimensions of virtual teams are important to their success, it is also noted that all virtual teams are not the same. The importance of each dimension can vary from team to team and each separate component should be emphasized more or less depending on the team make up, assigned task, and time permitted. Wally Bock. (2003). Some rules for virtual teams. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 26(3), 43. In this article Wally Bock describes what the best uses for virtual teams are. Virtual teams are best used for problem solving, quality assurance, product development, information sharing, and a variety of other team related activities. Within the concept of virtual teams it is important understand how the team is going to work together to accomplish the activities that are assigned. In today’s modern company virtual teams are interacting in different ways tan with traditional physical teams. Bock lists three ways virtual teams are getting their assigned activities accomplished, and what the company must provide for them to be successful. 1. Meetings-Virtual meetings will be the primary way to handle specific, narrowly focused issues quickly on these types of teams; however, virtual teams that are working on long-term projects will benefit from occasional physical meetings-especially in the early stages of their work (Bock, 2003) 2. Virtual Conferences-These interactive discussions offer an effective way to bring in an expert or to allow one team member to make a presentation to others without having to gather all participants in the same place (2003). 3. E-mail Groups-A team leader or manager can use the grouping, nickname, or list making feature on a company’s email software to increase the effectiveness of a virtual team. This ensures that when any member of the team sends any communication about the project, all of the other members receive it. For most virtual teams email is the primary means of communication (2003). The essence of this article is noting the fact that virtual teams are only going to be effective when technology is involved. When virtual teams first started, there wasn’t much effective meeting technology available, but now there is. New technology allows virtual teams to be on the same page, stay in constant communication with one another, can keep the team organized, increase the ability of each member to make contributions, and can also decrease the expenses associated with physical meetings. Bock also notes that â€Å"using the available technology allows virtual teams to be more innovative, and more successful than their physical counterparts. (2003).† Dobson, Sarah. Canadian HR Reporter. Toronto: Oct 10, 2011. Vol. 24, Issue. 17 In this article Sarah Dobson gives reasons and facts why many companies are increasing their virtual team workforce. In today’s tough economy companies’ are focusing a lot of attention to cost cutting. In a survey conducted by Dobson she found that â€Å"over 50% (56%) of companies are planning on using more virtual teams, as a direct relation to cost cutting (Dobson 2011).† Another reason for the spike in virtual teams is the widespread downsizing that has been seen globally. By hiring workers in less costly markets and managing these new employees as virtual teams, companies have seen a drop across the board in expenses related to labor, travel, real-estate, and taxes. Dobson goes on to talk about the advantages of virtual teams. â€Å"One of the advantages is having the ability to move in quickly and work with people from almost any location, having a broad pool of people to pull from allows a company to get terrific team members no matter where they were located (2011). The notion of being able to pull employees from any part of the world is one of the key success factors of virtual teams. There are many multinational organizations growing rapidly in emerging markets such as China and Brazil fueling, the abundance of talent, demand for new skill sets, and a more distributed and diverse workforce. Although this article is heavy on the importance and advantages of virtual teams in today modern workplace, Dobson also points out that a virtual team can pose many challenges to other parts of a corporation. As a result of her survey Dobson found â€Å"66% of HR professionals need to do more work with virtual teams with the top three challenges being additional training, communication issues, and time zone or distance issues (2011). HR’s role in building and supporting virtual teams is extensive, this includes selecting the right people, understanding the skills and capabilities required, enabling policies over great distances, and getting separate departments such as IT working together. It’s a balancing act for HR in managing budgets and ensuring the sustainability and growth of their companies, said Dobson (2011). Mancini, Dale J. (2010). Building organizational trust in virtual teams. Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business, 2, 1-5. This article contends that trust is the root of any team’s success and states that cross-cultural understanding and communication play significant roles in building organizational trust. People’s sense of trust is developed between every interaction with each other. Trust cannot be forced into an organization or group. A virtual team, brought together to complete a major task, does not already have a foundation upon which trust already lies and therefore starts its project without established trust. Organizational trust can be hampered by cultural and communication difficulties. When team members originate from different cultures, the cultural differences in communication can create major obstacles that need to be overcome. To help foster communication in a virtual team that consists of members from different cultures there must be knowledge of each member’s national culture, which can help with understanding expected behavior in a variety of situations. If an understanding is not apparent within the team there may be a lot of unintended miscommunication which can derail a project from the start. Mancini notes that â€Å"protocols, appropriateness, mon itoring, and feedback mechanisms must all be dynamically adjusted in this unique communication environment (Mancini, 2010).† Trust is defined as reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behavior. When dealing with a multitude of cultures in a virtual group it is important to understand that each culture has its own unique characteristics that function as a moral compass guiding the way they meet the challenges of life. Each group member must not judge but understand each of the beliefs of their fellow group members to help establish clear goals, a commitment to open communication, and trust and accept the rules and procedures of the virtual team. Only when all parties involved in the virtual team â€Å"seek not to judge but to understand (2011),† can real success begin. Naish, Richard. (2009, October). Take the virtual lead. E. learning Age. This article talks about being an effective leader in a virtual team. Nash notes a 2001 study among students by Kayworth Leider that found the most effective leaders demonstrate mentoring skills, understanding for others and empathy (Naish 2009). This is import to note as being a leader in a virtual team requires a different leadership technique than the traditional command and control style utilized in many co-location teams. Leaders must use trust over control in these virtual team environments because in many cases with the team members being in separate locations it will be difficult for a leader to oversee what is going on with the group at all times. The second part of this article is used to define the different stages of trust that develop in a virtual team. Initial trust comes from team members personal characteristics, this type of trust can be re-enforced by team members sharing information about them. Naish notes a 1999 research study that found â€Å"high-performing virtual teams spend up to half their time in the first two weeks exchanging social information (2009).† Over time initial trust can erode in a virtual team, the next phase of trust in a virtual team is cognitive trust which will take the place of the eroding initial trust. Cognitive trust is based on people’s experience with each other. It is a kind of trust that is earned not given. In a virtual team cognitive trust can be earned by prompt replies to emails, sticking to deadlines, attending virtual meeting on time, and following up on all of the promises that are made in a group. Neish concludes his article by giving three tips for being a successful leader on an effective virtual team. â€Å"A leader must develop awareness of similarities and differences in the team members (2009). Virtual leaders need to encourage team members to share information. This allows members to see how similar they are even though they are working far apart. â€Å"A leader must watch out for misunderstandings (2009).† Face-to-face meetings are important at the beginning of the project and at points during; this allows a mutual understanding to develop and allows team members to build relationships with others. â€Å"A leader must give appropriate skills and support (2009).† Virtual leaders need to ensure all team members have essential virtual team skills: self-management, communication skills, and inner-personal awareness. Leaders must also monitor performance, reward team outcomes, and make sure team member have the resources they need to be successful. It is a ba lance of all of these skills that make for an effective virtual leader. Stephen Morris. (2008). How to get real results from virtual teams: Recognize that people, tasks and technology are different but equal. Human Resource Management International Digest, 16(4), 33-35. This article is all about making sure each member of a virtual group has the proper training with the technology used to make a virtual team successful. Stephen Morris first notes that while technology is very important it is not an end all solution to having a functional virtual team. Technology can only work properly when it is put to proper use by the people using it; Morris says â€Å"people who have had no formal telephone or e-mail training can find themselves in a world where they spend hours dealing with the issues of technology and not focusing on the project at hand (Morris 2008).† It is important for group members to have the proper training on the technology they are using to help the virtual team function. In many instances virtual teams are put in pressure situations, in these types of conditions, if a group leader has made the assumption that all members have had proper training the affect can be detrimental to the group. When team members are physical present with one another, especially in high pressure situations, they tend to monitor the impact of communication. In the fast-speed communication of the new digital age, people often transmit communication without taking into consideration the impact it may have. Morris next talks about intent versus impact, his definition of intent is as follows, â€Å"Most virtual teams probably have an urgent need–intent. We are surrounded by technology, feeling under pressure and often isolated. If no thought is applied, off go the e-mails like rockets–we are under pressure to deliver, right? There is little time for small talk here. Telephone calls are to the point. ‘‘They have to understand that I am in a hurry.’’ But if we treat virtual-team members as ‘‘human doings’’ and not ‘‘human beings,’’ they often delay the work flow (2009). The important thing to understand here is even thought technology is driving the work that is being done in a virtual team situation leaders can’t view the people using the technology as technological pieces themselves. A successful virtual leader assures that all participants have the proper training in all of the technology used; they can then balance the people, tasks, and technology usage, and recognize they are all different but not equal. While technology may not be the savior it is thought by some, it is not the demon seen by others, it simply is what it is. The human element brings it to life and defines its use and impact on the world. With a little care it can be turned into the most amazing enabler for co-creation and collaboration. With a very little carelessness, it can create total disconnect.

Study On Exxon Mobil Corporation Management Essay

Study On Exxon Mobil Corporation Management Essay Exxon Mobil Corporation is a multinational oil and gas company that is based in America. Its a descendant at of the Rockefellers standard oil company and it was formed in 1999 from the merger of the Exxon and Mobil companies. Its headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company is one of the worlds largest publicly traded companies and has been ranked the number one or number two for the last five years. By the end of the year 2007 the companys reserves stood at 72 million oil equivalent barrels while its production rates were expected to last for more than 14 years. The company has 37 oil refineries in more than 21 countries constituting a combined daily refinery of approximately 66.3 million barrels. Exxon Mobil is recognized as the worlds largest refineries and this title has been associated with the former standard oil since the in corporation in the 1870s. In addition to that the company is largest of the six recognized oil super majors. Exxon Mobil owns hundreds of other similar subsidiaries including the imperial oil limited in Canada and the sea river maritime which is a petroleum shipping company. Functionally the company is organized into several global operating categories including the upstream, down stream, chemical Exxon Mobil global services company, XTO and finally the imperial oil Core Business Exxon Mobil petroleum industry continue to operate as a major brand name of the Exxon Mobil and most of its products features the Mobils symbol of winged red rose, the Pegasus companys brand name since it got affiliated with the Magnolia petroleum company in 1930s. The company Mobil brands include the Mobil service station and fuel (diesel, gasoline, kerosene, heating oil, marine and aviation divisions. The Mobils brand covers a wider range of lubricants which include industrial, commercial aviation as well as marine. Another brand of the company is the Mobil 1 which is a brand Exxon Mobil which was introduced in 1974 and is includes, oil filters, multi-grade motor oils, transmission fluid, synthetic grease and finally the gear lubricants. In addition to that Mobil delvac is a brand consisting of range of heavy duty lubricants that include drive train lubricants, engine oils and greases. Some of the Exxon Mobil businesses that generate most of its revenue are the upstream division basically dealing with oil exploration, oil extraction, shipping as well as wholesale of its operations and headquartered in Houston Texas. The business operation dominates the companys cash flow and accounts for a whooping seventy percent of the total revenue. The upstream business division includes the Exxon Mobil exploration company, Development Company, Production Company, gas and power, marketing company, research marketing and finally the upstream ventures. Exxon Mobil has been successful for decades after the merger and this is attributed to its strategic plane to immensely reduce its costs which worked quite well making it one of the worlds leaders in business enterprises. Thee company has realised a continued growth and success in its operations partly because of its two century experiences in the industry and party to increased efficiency in all of its operations in more than 200 countries globally. Success of Exxon Mobil has been witnessed from the year 2007 which the company recorded an income of 40.62 billion dollars or revenue and this increase is mainly attributed to the escalating oil prices while at same time decreased actual oil equivalent by 1% mainly due to expropriation. In the year 2008 Exxon Mobil; recoded profits of $45.22 billion therefore becoming one of the profitable company of the year and fortune magazine ranks it the second of the 500 companies. Its profits in the year 2008 increased by 11.4 percent over the previous year 2007 making able to pull $443 billion in revenues. As of the year 2010 Exxon Mobil the company had already occupied five slots of the possible ten slots on the largest corporate annual earning. In addition to that it claimed eight slots of ten slots for the largest corporate quarterly earnings of all time. Corporate responsibility When it comes to issues regarding corporate responsibility Exxon Mobil oil industry has been a main contributor as it regards to environmental causes. For instance in the year 2007 the company donated more than $6.6 million to be utilized in social groups as well as the environmental management and conservation. The company has in the recent past come under heavily critism especial regarding its contribution to global warming and its has been often attacked by environmental lobby groups like the Greenpeace and other institutional investor who disagree with the companys attention on the issues of global warming. The company has been ranked by the political research institute as the sixth among other cooperation who emit air pollutants in United States and such tanking was based on quantity as well as the toxicity of such emission. In the year 2005 Exxon Mobil was found to have committed less than one percent of its profits in project targeted towards research for alternative sources o f energy a value which is less as compared to other leading oil companies in the world (Larson Wiggins, 1959). Crisis management Many companies have in one way or the other faced crises beyond their control but few fall under the corporate irresponsibility and Exxon Mobil has not in the recent past been spared either. In 1989 one of the companys Exxon Valdez oil tankers ran aground and spilled oil on the Prince William Sound and in short time it had spilled significant amounts of oil and is cause was blamed on intoxicated crew staff members. In reaction to that the company was blamed for being slow in curbing the crises and accused of refusing to communicate openly and effectively. In addition to that the showed no effective strategic measure in case of worst scenarios like the oil spill. The disaster led to massive oils spill resulting to greater environmental consequences. Mechanisms of the company in handling of the disaster were a failure mainly because of disastrous communications, poorer leadership after the events and ineffective systems in place to deal with such crises. Such dater led to damaged reput ation and slipped from the largest oil company in the world to the third position (Exxon Corporation, 1982). In addition to that the company has also face several other crises including the Exxons Brooklyn oil spill and the increasing environmental concerns of the Sakhalin-I oil and gas project located in Russian far east which is operated by one the Exxon Mobil subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas Limited. Threats to environment includes the endearment of the critical populations of the already endangered western Gray whale which the scientist have blamed the company for failing to corporate with the scientific panel which certainly play critical role in impeding the cause of western whale conservation (Larson Popple, 1971). Exxon Mobil has also been accused for funding sceptic organizations of the anthropogenic global warming as well as organization critical of the Kyoto protocol which are very sceptical of the scientific opinion regarding the cause of global warming by burning of fuels. The company however has in the recent years reputed his former opinion regarding the effects of global warming and stated appreciation to the seriousness of the issues. The companys commitment was evident when it withdrew from funding of sceptic groups in the year 2007 as revealed by the Greenpeace. In addition to that Exxon Mobil CEO Tillerson in February 3rd 2007 also acknowledged the warming of the earth and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide. Contrary to the companys initial adamant response to research on alliterative fuels the year 2010 saw a ray of light on the issue when the company unveiled plans to invest funds amounting to $600 million in the next ten years in the production of bio fuels from algae and one year on reports from the company indicate that the project is successfully underway (McIntyre, 1998). Strategy Exxon Mobil industry has been focusing its strategic plans to reach the merging markets attributed to increasing energy demand in the world for instance in Indian and china. In addition to that the company has also been focusing in penetrating into the increased energy demands in developing economies like the ones in south eats Asia as well as south east Asian regions like Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam (Gibb, Knowlton, 1956). Core strengths Exxon Mobil has several core strengths which has enabled it reaming a successful leader in the oils and gas industry for quite consistently. One of its strengths is its established name which is attributed to its long existence in the industry for mote than a decade hence giving its customers a since of security when they are dealing with the organization. The fact that the company has diversified in to many countries globally coupled with strong brands under its main umbrella group in the oil industry is one of its core strength sin successful operation of its business activities. In addition to the company has a global presence which has enabled it to have a large customer base and larger market as compared to other companies in the oil and gas industry. Final core strength that Exxon Mobil company posses in the industry is its ability to extend to newer emerging markets like India and china as a result of exponentially increasing demand for energy thus the company has greatly prof ited from the higher rates as compared to other companies. Company innovativeness Exxon Mobil Company ha sin the recent past been very innovative especially on the side of allocating funds on research and development projects aimed at coming up with more effective as well as efficient ways of managing the energy resources as well as reducing the negative effects of its operations to the environment. The company has also been very innovative on formulation and implantation of its strategic plans especially those geared towards adoption of new technology as well as improving its corporate citizenship through appropriate crisis management as well as communication management strategies which have served to alleviate past negative public image (Hidy Muriel, 1955). Vision, Mission, Goals Exxon Mobil Corporation is very committed to becoming the worlds premier petroleum and petrochemical company hence its continuous objectives of achieving superior and operating results while at same time being able to adhere to the high ethical standards. The stated principles are used by the company to guide its relationships with its shareholders, customers, communities and employees (Bender Tammy, 1999) The company is focusing on delivering reliable supply of high quality lubricants and to provide technical application expertise to its customers around the globe. In addition to that the company ahs always been dedicated to delivering of outstanding products and services to its customers and it has been able to achieve that through excellent practices and procedure that have helped in protection of the companys quality and world class brands across all the lines of its businesses. Employee motivation Exxon Mobil motivates its LS representatives by engaging them in numerous industry activities that are related to product performance standards and testing thus motivating them to strive from an industry level playing field with products integrity principles that are always consistent with the companys standards. Another way in which the company has been able to motivate its employees is by hiring competent and experience employees especially those who help further the company commitment to technology leadership in the industry. Employees include vast array of technical degree holders in science, engineering as well as in mathematics. Finally the company motivate its employees by conducting training and development to maximize on their opportunities while at same time maintaining a safe work environment which is enriched with diversity characterized by open communication, fair treatment and trust. Employer desirability: Given an opportunity I will be more than willing to work in the Exxon Mobil Corporation because their work staffs is well experienced and skilled personnel who are highly motivated in what they do thus reduced level of tress at work place. In addition to that the company has employee motivating activities like training that enable each an employee to advance in his career while becoming satisfied at work place.

the tempest Essay -- essays research papers

Through the use of his magic, Prospero seeks to surpass worldly values and create a utopia, or ideal society. This becomes evident in how Shakespeare portrays the innocence of Ferdinand and Miranda. He insists that Ferdinand not â€Å"Break her virgin knot before All sanctimonious ceremonies may.†(Act 4, Scene 1) Prospero’s seeking to create an ideal society also becomes evident in his attempts at making his usurping brother and his court to repent. Thus, he is trying to make right of what has gone wrong in the world. He does this by working with his faithful spirit Ariel and using his magical knowledge to create a world in which he can create his own future and reconcile with his past. When his opportunity arrives to make his enemies repent, Prospero seizes the opportunity and sets out to reverse the events that occurred twelve year previously. â€Å"Hell is empty and all the devils are here,†(Act 1, Scene 1) Ferdinand yelled as he leapt from the burning ship during the tempest. The great tempest that Prospero bade Ariel to create was made by magic. The ship burned but it did not split, break, or sink. The ship was brought safely into the harbor and her crew was magically charmed to sleep. The occurrence of a mighty storm is a pivotal plot-mover, as well as a symbol for transformation. In The Tempest, the storm provides for the arrival of the King of Naples, the usurping Duke of Milan, Gonzalo, and the rest of their party, including Stephano and Trinculo. While the latter two do not...

Morris :: essays research papers

Of French and English descent, Morris was born at Morrisania estate, in Westchester (present Bronx) County, NY, in 1752. His family was wealthy and enjoyed a long record of public service. His elder half-brother, Lewis, signed the Declaration of Independence. Gouverneur was educated by private tutors and at a Huguenot school in New Rochelle. In early life, he lost a leg in a carriage accident. He attended King's College (later Columbia College and University) in New York City, graduating in 1768 at the age of 16. Three years later, after reading law in the city, he gained admission to the bar. When the Revolution loomed on the horizon, Morris became interested in political affairs. Because of his conservatism, however, he at first feared the movement, which he believed would bring mob rule. Furthermore, some of his family and many of his friends were Loyalists. But, beginning in 1775, for some reason he sided with the Whigs. That same year, representing Westchester County, he took a seat in New York's Revolutionary provincial congress (1775-77). In 1776, when he also served in the militia, along with John Jay and Robert R. Livingston he drafted the first constitution of the state. Subsequently he joined its council of safety (1777). In 1777-78 Morris sat in the legislature and in 1778-79 in the Continental Congress, where he numbered among the youngest and most brilliant members. During this period, he signed the Articles of Confederation and drafted instructions for Benjamin Franklin, in Paris, as well as those that provided a partial basis for the treaty ending the War for Independence. Morris was also a close friend of Washington and one of his strongest congressional supporters. Defeated in his bid for reelection to Congress in 1779 because of the opposition of Gov. George Clinton's faction, Morris relocated to Philadelphia and resumed the practice of law. This temporarily removed him from the political scene, but in 1781 he resumed his public career when he became the principal assistant to Robert Morris, Superintendent of Finance for the United States, to whom he was unrelated. Gouverneur held this position for 4 years. Morris emerged as one of the leading figures at the Constitutional Convention. His speeches, more frequent than those by anyone else, numbered 173. Although sometimes presented in a light vein, they were usually substantive. A strong advocate of nationalism and aristocratic rule, he served on many committees, including those on postponed matters and style, and stood in the thick of the decisionmaking process.

Prisons Essays -- Social Issues, Rates of Violence

Introduction Longitudinal research has been conducted comparing the rate of violence in male and female prisons. It is important to do research on this topic because it does not only lead to the conclusion of where is violence prevalent, but focuses on other aspects as well. It focuses on the psychological, social, and sexual side of the inmate. This topic does not only focus on who has the highest rates of violence, but why does that sex have a higher rate. This topic looks deeper at the differences between male and female inmates and what causes them to have high rates of violence. Most people would say that male prisons have a higher rate of violence due to biological reasons. People tend to think that males are more aggressive therefore violence is prevalent in male prisons, yet there is a lot more to this idea. The focus of this paper is to inform if the rates of violence are higher in male or in female prisons and why that is the case. Various key factors have been addressed in relation to this topic. These four factors would not only help in answering the research questions, but open opportunities for similar research to be conducted. This research paper will explore if violence is higher in male or female prisons and why is it high. In order to answer these two research questions, the following factors will be discussed: relational violence in women’s prison, a comparison of sexual coercion experiences reported by men and women in prison, prisoner confrontations and the search for respect, and the rates of victimization. Theoretical Framework The most important factor regarding the topic on rates of violence in male and female prisons is relational violence in women’s prison. This factor is ver... ...ul and relevant. Every single study contributed in finding an answer to the research question. The studies showed the factors of why? How? and when? do inmates (males and females) engage in violence and how does this raise the rates of violence. Although all this data was very helpful more research should be performed. There should be more studies focusing on female inmates in order to give a better understanding of female prisons. Furthermore the studies that do use females as part of the study should increase the sample size. Authors usually examine large male sample size and only a few female sample sizes. This leaves people with the question of why is there a huge difference between the sample sizes. In conclusion if experimenters would focus on females like they do with males maybe more data can be presented.

Compare and Contrast the Way Two Cinderella Texts Explore the Values and Attitudes of the Cultures Reflected in Each

Compare and Contrast the way the two texts explore the values and attitudes of the cultures reflected in each. The two versions of Cinderella provide readers with insight into the values and attitudes of the cultures represented within each. The insight is obtained through the qualities the heroine's possess, the nature of the consequence for the evil character, and the overall moral and purpose of each text. These features are excellent tools for audiences of both the Ancient Chinese culture and a more contemporary, Western style. The two heroine's, Yeh Hsien and Cinderella, each posses different qualities which reflect their culture and values. The earliest version of Cinderella focuses on the talents and values of the characters, where the Western version is more materialistic and focuses more on beauty. The heroine of the Chinese version, Yeh Hsien, is described in the text as intelligent and good at pottery, we also find later in the text that she is kind and gentle- â€Å"She howled with grief in the open countryside†¦ When the fish died she was extremely upset, and when given the fish bones that granted her wishes Yeh Hsien gave herself food, dresses, pearls and gold, only when needed. This shows that she wasn't foolish or greedy and didn't abuse her power. This gives the responder insight into the values and attitudes of the Chinese Culture. We learn that the Ancient Chinese value the personality and talents of people rather than the way they look, and that we should wait for good to happen. Cinde rella, heroine of the Western version, is nice, compliant, hardworking and beautiful. This text is a lot more materialistic than the first version and is very focused on beauty. It is constantly reinforced in the text and beauty is used to depict good from evil. For example, â€Å"Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl called Cinderella and she had two ugly sisters. † This gives the responders the idea that Cinderella is the good character in the story and the ugly sisters are the evil characters. This tells the responder a lot about the Western society's culture and values, that they value beauty and the way people look over things like personality and intelligence. This also portrays a very materialistic society and culture. In each of the texts the evil character(s) are faced with some form of punishment, one more severe than the other. The early version has a harsh, fatal ending for those characters, and the Western version has a less brutal punishment. The Chinese version ends when the two step-sisters and the step-mother are struck by flying stones, resulting in their death. This particularly gruesome act demonstrates the Chinese Culture and is reinforced again by the burying of these characters. â€Å"The cave people were sorry for them and buried them in a stone-pit, which was called the tomb of distressed women. The men of the cave made mating-offerings there; any girl they prayed for there, they got. † The burial is similar to the idea used earlier with the fish Yeh Hsien found, as they both granted wishes to those who deserved it. The evil characters in this version were not forgiven for their wrong-doings and suffered for these actions. The responder learns that the Ancient Chinese people are not forgiving, and they felt that the bad characters should be punished for their evil acts towards the heroine, Yeh Hsien. The Western version of Cinderella ends with a less severe punishment for the evil characters than the earliest version. The ugly sisters and evil step-mother learnt their lesson and no longer had Cinderella to do their housework and chores, they were left to fend for themselves. They were, however forgiven and allowed to attend the wedding to celebrate the happy ending for Cinderella and the Prince. â€Å"Everyone who had gone to the ball was invited, even the ugly sisters. † This punishment reflects the values and attitudes of the Western culture. The responder learns that in modern society people are more forgiving and understanding of acts such as the evil act presented in the Western text, and is it more common than it is in the Ancient Chinese Culture. The Chinese version teaches the responder about the Ancient Chinese purpose and moral. Children can learn from this text, they learn to be good or terrible things will happen to them, it also teaches young children to take the good with the bad and that beauty lies within a person. The step sisters and step mother of Yeh Hsien were evil and because of that were struck by stones and died. The responder learns to take the good with the bad, just like Yeh Hsien did. When her fish died she was rewarded by having all her wishes granted and she eventually got to marry the King. We finally learn that beauty lies within a person. Yeh Hsien wasn't beautiful or pretty, she was hard working and intelligent, in the end she got away from her evil family and lived with the King as his chief wife. From this the responder learns that the Chinese don't care about beauty, but about the traits and values people possess, and that good will come for those who wait. The Western version has a similar purpose and moral to that of the Chinese version. The responder learns that good will come for those who wait, dreams will come true if you keep believing, and if you have faith, good will come. As in the original version, good will come for those who wait. Both heroine's worked hard, never complained and eventually got away from their dreadful life and lived happily ever after. Cinderella always kept believing that some good would come one day, she kept dreaming and her dream came true, she married the man of her dreams. Also if you have faith, good will come. Cinderella had faith that she'd get away from her evil step sisters and step mother, and the prince searched the whole land for a girl like Cinderella. All the good characters got what they wanted in the end because they kept believing and never lost faith. This reflects the culture of Western society, that people don't give up. These two texts provide readers with an understanding of the Chinese and Western culture's, as well as the values and attitudes of those cultures. We learn that the Chinese are not very forgiving, they offer severe punishments and they value people's traits, beliefs and don't care how they look. The responder learns that the Western culture are very materialistic, forgiving and always keep faith in their dreams. Through the heroine's qualities, the consequences given to the evil characters, and the primary purpose and moral of each text, the responder is able to compare the texts and the cultures represented in each.

Baroque Music: Speech And Debate

Speech and Debate 8. October 2009 Baroque Music Hello, my name is and thank you for listening to my speech. Have you ever thought about how music got to the way it is today? Baroque music may seem boring or useless, but is a very important part of music history. Today I am going to talk about the basics of baroque music, the main instruments used during the baroque period, and the influences on baroque composers. So, to give you some background of baroque music, here are the six eras of music. As you can see, baroque is towards the middle, from 1600-1750. Baroque music is easily recognizable from different eras of music because of its distinct qualities. According to essentialsofmusic. com, the baroque era produced very dramatic music. In a baroque piece, there are many switches in dynamics, which means that the music would be soft then all of a sudden loud, or vice versa. This is because the instruments at the time weren’t capable of medium volume. There are also many switches between solos and ensembles, so there would be one person playing, then suddenly the whole group would join. According to baroque. com, baroque music was also very repetitive. The same rhythms were repeated multiple times throughout the piece. Also, the mood was kept the same throughout the piece. For example, when a song began sadly, it ended sadly. The instruments used in a piece of music have a lot of impact on the sound. There were many different types of instruments used during the baroque era. According to thinkquest. com, there were about thirteen main instruments used. The first three, the clavichord, harpsichord, and organ are keyboard-like instruments. The harpsichord is the most popular out of the three and is a factor that makes baroque music unique. The three main string instruments used were the violin, double bass, and lute. The violin was the most popular in the Baroque period whereas the lute and double bass were used more in the Renaissance. The three main wind instruments used were the bassoon, oboe, and flute. The trumpet, trombone, and horn were used in larger groups but not for solos. The only percussion, or drums, used was the timpani, which is a set of five drums that can be tuned to different notes. When a composer is writing music, they are influenced by the things going on around them in the world. During the baroque period, there were many major events occurring. According to Catherine Schmidt-Jones’ article â€Å"Music of the Baroque Period† on cnx. org, the Age of Reason was going on during the baroque period. This meant that many brilliant scientists like Galileo ad Henry Bacon were making discoveries. Also during the Age of Reason, churches had less power than they did in the Middle Ages or Renaissance. So, musicians didn’t rely on them as much to buy their music which led to more diverse and creative styles. According to eh. net, the Age of Crisis was also occurring during the baroque period. This consisted of a very long recession and a war between France, England, and several other small countries, which controlled two of Europe’s biggest economies. Now that you know more about baroque music, here are a few composers from this time. Bach is the one that will be familiar to most of you. Now I am going to play a selection of Baroque music. At the very beginning, you can hear the string instruments, mostly violin, playing very softly. If you listen closely you will hear the counterpoint as many different parts are played at the same time. Then, suddenly the music gets very loud and forceful but still keeps the same mood. The brass instruments are playing in the background but are not the main part. This song is called â€Å"Water Music† and is by George Frideric Handel. In closing, I hope that you can see that baroque music is an important part of musical history. The basics of baroque music, instruments used during the baroque period, and influences on baroque composers are all an important part of what makes up baroque music. So, the next time you hear some older music, instead of tuning it out, listen for the different parts of the piece. Thank you again for listening and I hope you enjoyed my speech.