Barriers To Supply Chain Management

Becoming an integrated value partner requires tight integration between the supply chain and customer relationship activities. There are many visible and invisible barriers that check smooth supply chain management. To illustrate, a company that customizes its offerings to delight a customer with high potential lifetime value must also ensure that its supply chain management processes seamlessly feed into its CRM process for that customer.This forms the basis of an integrated demand and supply chain management system free from any kind of barriers.Research proves that companies that do integrate demand and supply chain management systems are more successful than their counterparts. Those that have successfully integrated their CRM and SCM activities tend to perform better than their competitors. Specifically, these companies gain a competitive advantage by (1) collaborating both internally and externally with supply chain partners, such as suppliers, distributors/retailers, and custo mers having no or less barriers, and (2) measuring and exceeding their goals for customer loyalty and retention for each customer and segment.They often are aided by new Internet technologies, which help them, improve supply chain collaboration and build relationships across a network of suppliers and customers. This, in turn, allows them to differentiate the way they create value for every customer and segment. With these emerging e-business technologies that can seamlessly link manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and customers, companies, in theory, can swiftly orchestrate resources to respond to each customer's needs. But in reality, this is virtually impossible to do.Companies simply do not have the resources to simultaneously respond in real time, reduce manufacturing costs, keep zero inventories, and provide excellent service for each and every customer. So instead of trying to satisfy every customer perfectly, they need to learn how to dynamically balance customer value a nd supply chain costs to build the right customer relationships. Companies can achieve this balance by leveraging Internet technologies to create digitally integrated demand and supply systems in which there is no chance of any barrier.Such systems would provide real-time, differentiated responses to customers according to their loyalty, lifetime value, requirements, and servicing costs. By focusing on maximizing the entire value creation process, rather than on just specific CRM or SCM activities, companies will begin to reap the real benefits of the new digital economy. Heineken and Cisco Systems are examples of companies that are leveraging the Internet to enhance collaboration with customers, distributors, and suppliers and hence an effective tool to remove various barriers of supply chain management.Heineken has focused on CRM, while Cisco has emphasized SCM. Heineken has developed a Web-based system to share information with distributors on forecasts, marketing and promotions, and order fulfillment. The system has doubled Heineken's customer satisfaction ratings. Cisco, a leader in networking equipment for telecommunications and the Internet, has created electronic links with key suppliers across its entire product line to give it unprecedented supply chain flexibility. The links enable suppliers to ship more than 65 percent of Cisco's orders directly to the final customer without physical intervention from Cisco.The result is a significant reduction in the time it takes to ramp up production of new products. Although both of these companies are innovators, neither one has developed a truly integrated demand-supply chain that depends on simultaneous excellence in both SCM and CRM. Other leaders are leveraging the Web in different ways. Companies like Herman Miller and Dell Computer, for example, have discovered that excellence in products, service, and production alone is not enough to compete in the future.They recognize that they must become integrated value providers and they also leant that this is only possible by removing visible and invisible barriers from supply chain management. Herman Miller, a leading furniture manufacturer, is creating tailored Web pages that will not only streamline manufacturing, inventory, and order information flows to and from its 500-plus suppliers around the world but also sell to and service its most important customers. Leveraging the Internet in this way will help Herman Miller differentiate products, service, and delivery for customers according to the value they bring to the company.(Siems, 2005) Similarly, Dell continually resegments its customer base and measures the lifetime value of customers. The computer maker then manages its interaction with customers through tailored Web pages that offer each customer the most profitable customer service level. Dell also has an online supplier portal that handles 90 percent of purchases from the 33 most important suppliers. This feature helps Dell a nd its suppliers share key data and measurements on shipment accuracy, quality, and demand forecasts.As companies like Dell succeed in integrating customer and supply chain systems, they can further reduce inventories; improve customer responsiveness, decrease barriers and increase customer loyalty and shareholder value. Just by taking the early steps toward achieving excellence in CRM and SCM, companies can begin to boost their business performance while erecting formidable barriers to the competition. Competitors will find it increasingly difficult to mimic the value offered by these â€Å"integrated value providers.† (Shankar, 2004) Creating new value propositions is the second approach to integrating demand and supply. This entails modifying the demand-supply chain design to create a mutually beneficial supply chain system for both the company and the customer and it also helps in removing various barriers in the way of supply chain management. To do this, companies must change the point in the supply chain at which they allocate goods while simultaneously altering the point at which they fulfill demand.The idea that suppliers should work much more closely with customers to give them better value is not new as far as the removal of barriers is concerned. Yet close partnerships are still not common largely because, until recently, integrating the information systems of two or more companies was a lengthy, expensive, and technically difficult process. The recent widespread adoption of Web-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and the rise of the Internet, however, have made it much easier and cheaper for customers and suppliers to integrate and exchange data.(Holmstrom, 2001) And yet, disconnects still occur. In reality, most of the changes that suppliers implement do not add much value from the customer's point of view and this also proves to be a barrier. A supplier, for example, might typically cut its inventory by reducing product varie ty–which is not very helpful for the customer or for the customer's customer. By tweaking the demand-supply chain, however, suppliers can design mutually beneficial supply chain systems for particular customers.These systems will offer customers completely new value propositions while improving the supplier's own operations. To affect a mutually beneficial supply chain design, companies must focus on the customer's demand chain, which transfers demand from the market to the supplier. A retailer's demand chain, for example, would consist of assortment planning, inventory management, and procurement. This demand chain joins with the supply chain to form the demand-supply chain. The chains link together in two places–the supply-fulfillment point (SFP) and the demand-offering point (DOP).Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) is an approach to avert barriers in supply chain management which originated in the US and gained support from major European retailers. It is a manageria l approach that starts with consumer demand and then gears the whole of the supply chain to responding to that demand. It is a customer-driven, demand-pull product management system: a seamless interface from consumer purchase to manufacturing schedules; it is different to a supply-push or buying-led approach, which is based on the principles of sales forecasting, with products supplied in preparation for estimated demand.References Holmstrom, J. , W. E. Hoover Jr. , P. Louhiluoto, and A. Vasara. â€Å"The Other End of the Supply Chain,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 2001, 1, 62-71. Shankar, V. â€Å"e-Marketplaces: Evolution and Future,† Working Paper, University of Maryland, 2004. Siems, Thomas F. 2005. â€Å"Supply Chain Management: The Science of Better, Faster, Cheaper. † Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Southwest Economy. Issue 2, March/April, pp. 1, 7-12.

Organ Donating… Good or Bad?

Organ Donation What is going to happen to your body when you die? Will you be buried, cremated, or will you use it for the benefit of others? Organ donations can save lives and be used for research. Organ donation is not solely restricted to people who have passed. Donating is also possible when you are alive. Every American needs to become an organ donor because millions of lives could be saved. Saving lives after death is one of the major motivating factors for organ donations. One organ can save up to eight lives (â€Å"Organ Donation Facts†).There are over 114,000 people waiting for organ transplants (â€Å"Organ Donation Facts†). There was a case of a woman’s husband dying from a car crash and he donated his organs. A few months after his death she got letters in the mail that his organs saved the lives of five people, one of which was a single mother of two small children. On average, eighteen people die a day from being on the waiting list for organ transp lants (â€Å"Organ Donations†). Every ten minutes someone is added to the waiting list (â€Å"The Need Is Real†). These tragic facts are just some of the reasons why people need to become organ donors.It is also possible to donate certain organs while still being alive. While this is more difficult, there is an excellent success rate for the surgeries (CNN Health). Most of these situations involve donating to a family member, saving the life of someone cared for by the donator. Also, by donating to a family member it makes you closer to that person. After you donate you will be contacted by the person that got your donated organ, in case you want to talk to them ( Living Donors Online). In 2010 more than eighteen thousand kidneys were donated by live donors (â€Å"Save A Life†).If a person needs a new kidney they are on dialysis, but if you would donate a kidney to them it would double there life span (â€Å"Benefits Of Living Donation†). Donating an orga n while being alive is an incredibly generous thing to do and every American should consider. Yet another option is whole body donations for science and research. There is a significant shortage of human tissue, the tissue that they have are being used to find cures for cancer and neurological disorders (Fox News). Tissue is also needed to give surgeons operating experience (Fox News).If surgeons do not get the experience they need then when they go into surgery on someone they are not prepared and are more likely to make a mistake. Also firefighters and EMT's need experience with tissue because of burns and emergency medical treatment (Iiam). Also when you donate your entire body it can be used in museums for educational purposes. This educates people on how the body works and why we should be organ donors (Iiam). Donating for science is a very useful way to donate organs after you die. While donating your body and organs is obviously a selfless and beneficial act, there are some p eople who are opposed to organ donation.There are some who argue that if one is in a situation that requires serious medical attention, doctors will not try as hard to save you because you are a donor and could save others. However, doctors will put just as much effort into saving you because only the transplant team knows if you are an organ donor. Some also believe that old people cannot donate organs, making it impossible for people who die of natural causes to donate. There is no defined age limit for a donor; organs have been successfully transplanted from people in their seventies and eighties.Every American needs to become an organ donor to save and help many lives. Your body has no use to you after you have died. Also you could save up to eight peoples lives. Donating organs while you are alive is also an option when donating and it could save the life of someone very important to you. Research is a very important part of organ donating because it trains medical personnel to be better prepared so that they can save lives when they are working. When you get your license or renew your license, be sure to answer yes to being an organ donor.

Reflection on the History & Systems of Psychology Essay

Pre-modern, modern and postmodern frames of reference have all helped shape important, contemporary psychological theories and issues. In this paper I will attempt, in a reflective manner, to walk through and revisit the areas we covered in course, the end aim being to gain a measure of insight into where the field of psychology stands today, particularly with regard to oppressive forms of ethnocentric monoculturalism. In terms of pre-modern perspectives, in the course we first discussed historical issues concerning the mind-body problem. I stated the nature of the relationship between body and mind and whether they are one and the same or two distinct substances, which is the center of the debate between monists and dualist. Descartes, the most well known dualist, argued for a separation of mind from soul and body. Also an interactionist, Descartes held the mind influenced the body as much as the body impacted the mind (Goodwin, 2009). Plato, his predecessor from antiquity, was also a dualist and an interactionist arguably, and believed the body and soul/mind were temporarily at one during life; each came from a completely different place, the body from the material world and the soul from the world of ideas. At the moment of death, the body withered away in time and space, the soul or mind returning to the world of forms and there realizing universal truths (Wozniak, 1992). Delving deeper into pre-modern views of the mind-body problem I touched upon Spinoza. Spinoza, a contemporary of Descartes, dismissed Descartes’ two-substance view in favor of what is called double-aspect theory (Wozniak, 1992). Double-aspect theories hold the view that the mental and the physical realms are varying aspects of the same substance. For Spinoza, that single substance is God, perceived as the universal essence or nature of everything in existence. In Spinoza’s view, there is no partition of mind and body, therefore. Instead they are of a single substance, in a pre-established coordination, reflecting the divine essence. In reflection, I continue to side with Spinoza and double-aspect theory in terms of pre-modern perspectives. I do believe that there is a pre-established coordination between mind and body that is reflective of the divine creation. â€Å"I am therefore I think† is my continued response to Descartes. In terms of modern perspectives in the course we examined the origins of psychology as a subject discipline. During the course I stated that psychology first appeared as a subject discipline in 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt started a psychology lab in Germany at the University of Leipzig. The laboratory devoted itself to the analysis of conscious thought in its basic elements and structures, which was uncovered through a process of introspection (Gross, 1996). What differentiated this ‘new psychology’ at the time from philosophy was its use of measurement and control as well as its emphasis on the scientific method to study mental processes relevant to human consciousness. Due to his influence on Edward B. Titchener, Wundt’s frame of reference arguably helped give birth to structuralism. Indeed Wundt’s disciple, Titchener, is credited with developing and labeling structuralism in an 1898 paper called â€Å"The Postulates of a Structural Psychology (Goodwin, 2009). In the paper he compared and contrasted structuralism with functionalism, which he claimed infested most US universities, save Cornell where he was cultivating what would come to be  called the â€Å"the Cornell school of psychology.† Notwithstanding, Goodwin (2009) has stated that Titchener and the Cornell view of psychology was extremely narrow largely because of its insistence on introspection and due to Titchener’s attitude that his way was the only way, a position that often does not bode well in academia. In this vein and perhaps arrogantly so, Titchener, likened structuralism to anatomy, its purpose being analysis he surmised — whereas functionalism he likened to physiology, stating that functionalists examine how the mind is able to adapt one to his or her said environ ment, which to Titchener was a waste of time without a deep understanding of structure. As one needs to know the ins and outs of human anatomy before being able to fully delve into physiology, so thus was the  functionalist at a loss, in his view, without the ability to outline the structures of human consciousness via a highly difficult process of systematic, experimental introspection as stipulated by him in almost cult like exclusivity, which spawned criticism. Accordingly, his movement never gained the momentum it needed to win American hearts and minds, falling into the dustbin of history in favor of functionalism. Nevertheless, in spite of Titchener’s unpopularity in the US, his enduring contribution is that he helped create a place for the lab and experimental psychology in all colleges and universities with programs in psychology. While functionalists were also interested in looking at mental processes such as consciousness in so far as assessing human behavior in terms of how it aided people in adapting to ever-changing environments, they did not, unlike followers of Titchener, emphasize introspection (Goodwin, 2009). Psychologist James R. Angell, a follower of John Dewey, the founder of functionalism in America, became its most outspoken spokesperson, criticizing Titchener and drawing a sharp contrast to him in a 1907 popular paper called â€Å"The Province of Functional Psychology.† It was a damning response to Titchener’s 1898 paper. For Angell, the structuralist was  interested in the â€Å"what?† of conscious thought, whereas the functionalist psychologist wished to know the â€Å"how?† and â€Å"why?† of it, asking what is consciousness for? (Goodwin, 2009). This way of viewing psychology in terms of its practical applications, became an important influence in modern times, because it led to the study of topics such as developmental and abnormal psychology, in addition to examining the individual differences of mind, (which Titchener and the Cornell school remarkably had no interest in). When asking how psychology can be used to solve everyday problems in a practical way, we are taking from the functionalists and their movement. Perhaps the most prominent movement in the field of modern 20th century psychology was behaviorism. Behaviorism began essentially due to the work of Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov who did not consider himself a psychologist, but, rather a physiologist interested in the process of digestion in dogs, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1904 (the year B. F. Skinner was born) in Physiology and Medicine. In the course of his research, Pavlov observed that the dogs would often start salivating before any food being given to them, when they would see the food or the food’s container, or when they heard the footsteps of the lab assistant who was on his way to feed them. His observations led to the study to what we now call classical conditioning (Gross, 1996). The first attempt to apply Pavlov’s findings on conditioning to humans was made by John B. Watson in a dubious and arguably unethical experiment on a small boy named Albert, showing that the fear of rats can be deliberately induced (Watson and Rayer, 1920). The experiment served to popularize a new behavioral approach to psychology that would within a decade become the dominant force in America, Watson its founder, propagator and publicist (Goodwin, 2008). To the modernist Watson (1913), psychology is an objective natural science,  its theoretical goal the prediction and control of behavior. Wundt and Titchener’s view on introspection has no place in its methods, nor is consciousness addressed or studied. There is no marked borderline between people and animals. Due to Watson’s input and influence cats, dogs, rats, and pigeons became the major source of psychological data. As ‘psychological’ now meant ‘behavior’ rather than ‘consciousness,’ animals that were easier to study and whose environments could be more readily controlled could replace people as experimental subjects (Gross, 1966). B. F. Skinner, also a behaviorist and modernist, went steps further than Pavlov and Watson, casting behavior in a more interactive light. He made a distinction between respondent and operant behavior and argued that most animal and human behavior is not brought about in the way Pavlov and Watson indicated and surmised. Skinner, like Edward Thorndike before him, was interested in how animals operate on their environment and how this operant behavior brings about particular consequences that can determine the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. In experiments he used a variation of Thordike’s puzzle-box, a Skinner box, which was made for a rat or a pigeon to do things in, rather than escape from. Fundamentally, Skinner saw the learner as much more actively involved than did Pavlov or Watson, for whom behavior was due to stimuli, unconditioned stimuli before learning and conditioned stimuli after learning. In addition to behaviorism, modern views of psychology took twists and turns. As a reaction to both Titchener’s structuralism and Watson’s behaviorism, the Gestalt psychologists of the 1920s and 1930s in Germany and Austria were primarily concerned with perception and held that perceptions could not be deconstructed in the way that Wundt and Titchener wanted to do with thought, and that behaviorists had sought for with behavior. Their belief could be  succinctly stated as follows: ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ (Gross, 1996, p.3). The whole is essentially destroyed when you break down perception and behavior into parts, the Gestalt psychologists held. There are organizing principles of perceptual organization which were voiced by Gestalt’s founder Max Wertheimer. These principles are frequently highlighted in units on perception in general psychology textbooks and are as follows: the principle of proximity, the principle of similarity, the principle of continuation. All of the organizing principles have in common what is called the law of simplicity or what Gestaltists term Prà ¤gnanz. This refers to the tendency for perceptions to mirror reality as closely as possible (Goodwin, 2009). In the course I gave an example of gestalt thinking, which in reflection I would like to return to as it clearly remains in mind. I used the example of a bus stopping at a bus stop in one’s neighborhood. On a given day the bus stops at the same corner the person is accustomed to, and is recognized to be that bus. The person gets on, but has made a mistake. She did not realize that there was a route change that morning and the bus she took was numbered differently. What gives? Is it only a matter of not paying attention? In Gestalt inspired, top-down conceptually driven processing, we begin with one’s prior knowledge, motivations, expectations and beliefs. In the bus example, the inability to see and decipher or register a different number on the bus and get on it, means it was recognized it to be the customary bus due to top-down processing (Danner, 2009). If one were to notice the different bus number, however, that would entail bottom-up processing, because such processing is data driven. The different number is perceived in terms of information in the sensory input, in conjunction with top-down processing, revealing to the person that it is not the customary bus. Perhaps after realizing her mistake, the person in  the example will be more careful next time, thereby exercising more bottom-up processing. If Austria was home to some of Gestalt’s most prominent members and adherents, it was also home to Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. Freudian psychoanalytic theory was the first to state the significance of innate drives and define abnormal and normal behavior in relationship to the role of the unconscious mind. Its importance is that the theory of personality popularized contextualizing human behavior in terms of the id, ego, and superego, notating development in five psychosexual stages. Each stage was marked by shifts in what Freud believed were the underlying modes of gratification: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital (Glassman, 2000). In reflection, I continue to find merit in Freud’s concept of stages for sure. I would still prefer to call them development stages, however, and not necessarily put a sexual meaning on them, as Freud and his supporters have done and continue to do. There is no need to detail the well-known limitations and criticisms of Freudian theory, which according to Glassman (2000) are its falsifiability, the great deal of emphasis put on case studies, and its cultural bias towards women. Regardless of such naysaying, his supporters would passionately argue for and be adamant about such a sexual narrative of the human person, which if not fodder, certainly has entertainment value. In fact, Freudian theory is fascinating to me largely due to the dramatic (almost cinematic) conflicts and challenges that mark each psychosexual stage. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the Oedipal conflict (which occurs in the so-called phallic stage). It was interesting to read that some analysts calle d the female variant, the Electra conflict, but Freud himself did not use the term (see Freud 1924). Perhaps the most attractive modern theory of personality, in my view, would belong to Carl Rogers. In Carl Roger’s theory, a person is the source of his  or her basic needs such as food and water. He or she is also the source of a growth motive which he called an actualizing tendency, which is an innate drive that is reflective of the desire to grow, to develop and to develop one’s capabilities (Glassman, 2000). It is the actualizing tendency that stimulates creativity, causing a person to seek out new challenges and skills that motivate healthy growth in one’s lifetime (Gross, 1996). According to Rogers (1961, but originally proposed in 1947): Whether one calls it a growth tendency, a drive towards self-actualization, or a forward moving direction tendency, it is the mainspring in life†¦ It is the urge which is evident in all organic and human life – to expand, extend, become autonomous, mature and develop. In reflection, I continue to feel that Roger’s influence and continuing popularity in the psychotherapeutic community give his theories merit. APA members have been asked which psychotherapist they believe to me the most influential figure in the field (Smith, 1982). In 2006, this survey repeated in the Psychotherapy Networker. In both surveys, Carl Rogers was the â€Å"landslide† choice. While this does not prove Rogers to be correct, certainly it gives his theory of motivation more credence than not, increasing its believability. Certainly, I feel influenced by Rogers as I move forward in my career. While Roger’s theory of an actualizing tendency and the overall nature of the client-centered approach may be controversial due to its allowance to let the client call the shots and as stated by Goodwin (2009) for its overemphasis on the the self at the expense of the importance of the community, in addition to being clearer what it was against than what it was for, it is nevertheless, a credible postulation in terms of its application in therapy and remains my preference over Freud. Accordingly, I continue to feel that all clients  innately wish to be successful in life and to be praised as contributors to their own selfactualization. They wish to expand their knowledge and achieve  higher levels of success beneath all the guises that seem otherwise. When clients are not performing to their fullest potential, praise and support can help ignite the actualizing tendency in a manner that would otherwise have remained dormant. When exploring postmodern views of psychology we have to inherently speak about cultural narratives and meta-narratives. What is psychology today and who defines it? What is psychology’s story, who told that story historically, and who gets to tell it today? When we look at psychology as a practice, historically and today, is important to bring to the fore the ethnocentric monocultural aspects that were oppressive to women and continue to be to minority groups in reinforcing white male Euro-American culture as the normative and desirable culture. Indeed, therapists and helping professionals should try to help deconstruct and unveil monoculturalism whenever it rears its despicable head. When oppressive forms such as heterosexism, ageism, gender and sexism come to the fore in therapy, for example, therapists should not reinforce them but try to encourage reflection on such prejudices with the aim being for the client to indentify for what it is – and to grow accordingly. The field of psychology itself is not immune but remains at risk to the debacle of monoculturalism. According to Yutrzenka, Todd-Bazemore and Caraway (1999) even though the data forecast that by 2050, ethnic minorities will make up over 50% of the US population, this quickly changing demographic has minimal effect on the number of ethnic minority psychologists. This is particularly true for Native Americans, who are far more underrepresented than any other ethnic body. Though the APA as stated by Goodwin (2009), is vigorously addressing this entire issue at present, with such efforts to be praised, still the legacy of ethnocentric monoculturalism is a stain on the profession, and will remain so until  significant numbers of minority psychologists abound. In spite of the barriers confronting them, women and minorities have made many notable, valuable and vital contributions to the field of psychology. During the course I discussed Eleanor Gibson who received the National Medal of Science in 1992 for a lifetime of research on topics dealing with the development of depth perception to the fundamentals involved in reading, faced discrimination while at Yale from psychologist Robert Yerkes who wanted no females in his lab (Goodwin, 2009). While she was able to get her PhD there under the guidance of the neobehaviorist Clark Hull, she unfortunately went on to experience difficulties at Cornell (where her husband had gained a position) forced into an unpaid research associate position in spite of winning competitive and prestigious research grants. As a result of these grants, however, she was able to carry out pioneering studies on depth perception with Richard Walk. When Cornell, home to Titchener’s legacy, removed its nepotism rules in 1966, only then did she become a full professor. Furthermore, as discussed in the course, African-Americans have also made outstanding contributions to psychology. Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark again come to mind in terms of their best known research titled Racial identification and preference in Negro children (Goodwin, 2009). In this research it was shown that black children showed a preference for white dolls over black ones when asked which they would like to play with and looked more like. The Clarks concluded, according to Goodwin (2009) that one insidious effect of racial segregation was its negative influence on African-American self-esteem. As a result of this research, in part, the Supreme Court was compelled to do the right thing and reverse the racist separate but equal doctrine in Brown v. Board of Education. The Clarks’ contribution to psychology and the contributions of other AfricanAmericans preceding them were not without struggle. Their mentor at Howard University, Francis Sumner faced huge obstacles when attempting to get a graduate degree and gain employment in academia. African-Americans have often had their basic intellectual abilities questioned (Goodwin, 2009). The legacy of white racism and of the field of psychology’s complicity by not taking a firmer stand until only recently is without question a significant reason why African-Americans remain heavily underrepresented in the profession, in spite of the gains made for women. 60 percent of doctorates in psychology are awarded to women today, while Native Americans as we discussed and African-Americans continue to be awarded a paltry percentage in turn. Such dismal figures have nothing to do with intelligence. We know that early intelligence tests were normed on just Caucasian, middle-class populations and only recently has such bias been addressed and perhaps abated. This also was the case for the MMPI personality tests as well. In the case of the MMPI, many of the original items became dated and according to Kassin (2008), to bring the test up to the 21st century and more postmodern views, new items were written in, and a more diverse cross-section of the US was sampled. The result of that updating is the newer 567-item version called the MMPI-2. In reflection, my guess is that similar advances have been made or are being considered in IQ testing as well; otherwise we would have to call into question whether biased IQ tests are valid for minority groups. Accordingly, great care should be taken when formulating test questions as well as interpreting the results of test-takers from different cultural groups and urban tribes. Fundamentally, it is crucial that test makers be made aware of cultural differences when putting together IQ test questions, as recommended for the MMPI (Church 2001). Exercising caution does not mean  minority groups are treated with kid gloves, but rather that a lens of understanding is in place — and that can come about as a result of the test makers and assessors informing themselves. Otherwise an IQ test’s validity for minority groups is at issue. Pre-modern, modern and postmodern frames of reference have all helped shape important, contemporary psychological theories and issues. Accordingly, I have attempted in a reflective manner to revisit the areas of psychology’s history we covered in course. If psychology as a profession is to continue to grow and develop, it will occur through a similar process of reflection, followed by action. It is important for psychology to know its origins, its history and respective story. However, in realization of the depth of ethnocentric monoculturalism, its leadership, particularly in the APA, must act on the call to bring about the inclusion of more minorities. Otherwise, the oppressive stain of monoculturalism shall abound and continue to blemish the profession we hold dear. References Angell, J.R. (1904). Psychology. New York: Holt. Church, A.T. (2001). Personality measurement in cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Personality, 69, 979-1006. Danner, N. (2011). Psychology: ORG5001 survey of psychology I. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions. Freud, S. (1924) A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. New York: Washington Square Press (reprinted 1952). Glassman, W (Ed.). (2000) Approaches to psychology. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Goodwin, C.J. (2009) A history of modern psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Gross, R. (Ed.). (1996) Psychology, the study of mind and behavior. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Kassin, S., (2008). Psychology in Modules: ORG 5002 Survey of psychology II. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing. Rogers, C.R. (1961) On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Smith, D. (1982) Trends in counseling and psychology. American Psychologist, 37, 802–809. Watson, J.B. (1913) Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review, 20, 15877. Watson, J.B. & Rayneer, R. (1920) Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3, 1-14. Wozniak,R. (1992) Mind and body: Renà © Descartes to William James. Retrieved from http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialsciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%206%20MindBody/DUALISM.htm. Yutrzenka, B.A., Todd-Bazemore, E., & Caraway, S.J. (1999). Four winds: The evolution of culturally inclusive clinical psychology training for Native Americans. International Review of Psychiatry, 11, 129- 135. ProQuest: 43479524.

Discuss the risks associated with the flow of water below dams and Essay

Discuss the risks associated with the flow of water below dams and define the critical hydraulic gradient - Essay Example When the downward force on such soil particles equals the upward force, the soil particles are at zero stress. This allows a free movement of dam subsurface soil particles which serves to enhance already existing seepage. The afore mentioned seepage leads in turn to the creation of channels that catalyze dam sub surface flows in a process known better as piping (Rogers, 2010). A number of different environmental failures have occurred on account of flows below dams that eventually lead to compromised embankments and a sudden discharge of water after dam failure. The sudden release of water from such dam failures tends to devastate the ecosystems downstream of the failed dam. A relevant concept in such failures is the critical hydraulic gradient () that allows a calculation of when piping failures are most likely. In itself, the critical hydraulic gradient depends on the composition of the dam sub surface soil, the available head at the dam’s bottom wall and the void ratio of the soil mass. The critical hydraulic gradient is seen as the hydraulic gradient that occurs when the vertical stress becomes zero (Vijayendra, 2012). Mathematically, the critical hydraulic gradient can be expressed as shown below (Vijayendra, 2012): As mentioned earlier, any loopholes in the calculation for the critical hydraulic gradient can mean the difference between dam failure and safe dam operation. There have been instances where dams have failed with only little warning due to the development of piping failures in the dam’s sub surface soil. It is worth mentioning here that such dam failures are often rapid and provide little warning before hand of impending doom. One such case in point is the Baldwin Hills Reservoir failure where the embankment failed only after 9 years of service. There were essentially no major warnings before the failure

Mid-Term Reflection on Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mid-Term Reflection on Anthropology - Essay Example In this regard, Albert defined civilization as: â€Å"It is the sum total of all progress made by man in every sphere of action and from every point of view in so far as the progress helps towards the spiritual perfecting of individuals as the progress of all progress† (Gat, 14). Civilization determines the culture of a complex society. It has more intricate cultures such as professional art, literature, organized religion and complex customs associated with the elite. The increased complexities in our societies today are directly related to changes in the structure and dynamics of human civilization (Hodder, 11). In addition, the complex socio-economic environment is consistent with identifying global human civilization as an organism that is able to offer protection to its components that are human beings (Peet, 41). The convoluted culture linked with civilization is characterized by the spread to and influence other cultures sometimes espousing them into civilization. Example includes assimilation of Korean, Japan and Vietnam who were assimilated into the Chinese civilization (Gat, 77). The interdependence of human civilization on a global perspective is revealed in numerous ways that local action in one part of the world affect global behaviors (Cremo, 116). For instance, the effects of oil embargo and OPEC in the 1970s revealed the impact of oil supply from Middle East and the ever global concerns in that region; the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990 illustrated global response despite the fact that the crisis originally involved some small population (Hodder, 91). Archeology is the scientific study of past human culture and behavior, from the time of origin to the present time (Hodder, 77). Just like civilization, archeology is a vital field of anthropology, which is the broad study of human culture and biology. Through the study of human evolution, archeology enables the appreciation of our common

Venture capital( Researching Contemporary Management Issues),business Essay

Venture capital( Researching Contemporary Management Issues),business - Essay Example The learning shows that near exists immense heterogeneity in finance specialism. Finance size, proxy for VCs' threat hatred, and proxies for the risk connected with the excess returns of the fund all have unenthusiastic effects on specialization. It mainly constitutes two events differentiating VCs’ focused aptitude from their universal talent. I locate that it is VCs’ particular talent that actually matters in shaping interest. There is also verification demonstrating a constructive connection connecting specialty and fund presentation. Additionally, particular ability and common ability are both absolutely interrelated to concert. The many of the researches do not advance inspect how particular VC finances are. Certainly, little study in business has tried to calculate the specialty patterns of VC funds by means of real asset data or to expand a prescribed replica elucidating the occupation choice of scheme capitalists. In this learning, it is demonstrated that a huge number of US project resources are not specific. There survive immense heterogeneity in finance area. Some are barely paying awareness, some are more comprehensive, and others are well expanding over dissimilar industries, phase, or geographic regions. Additionally, significant the area preferences of business enterprise capitalist can assist entrepreneurs aim the accurate finance while looking for VC funding. Introduction: â€Å"Venture capital is a huge amount of money provided by the investors to a company in exchange of equities or shares† (Venture Capital, 2011). Venture Capital is a form of "risk capital". Venture capital raises their funds from several sources. Most UK venture capital firms raise their funds for investment from external sources, mainly institutional investors, such as pension funds and insurance companies. The major factors that are considered by a venture capitalist before investment are: 1. Quality of management team 2. Size of the company’s market 3. Proprietary, uniqueness or brand strength of the company’s product 4. Return on investment and companies’ potential for growth. Aims of the study: The main aim of this research is to examine the scope, working and limitations of ‘venture capital’. Objectives: The main objectives of the study are: 1. To assess the fund allotment of venture capital 2. To evaluate the viability of the long term relationship 3. To examine the degree of risk involved in investment 4. To evaluate the possibility of active participation of venture capital in management 5. To evaluate the problems faced by the venture capitalist Methodology: The purpose of research methodology is to describe the method of conduction of the study. Redman and Mory define research as a â€Å"systematized effort to gain new knowledge† (Research Methodology: an Introduction, 2011). The primary and secondary research helps in its way to analyse the working and success of venture capital . â€Å"Secondary research occurs when a project requires a summary or collection of existing data† (Secondary Research, n.d). â€Å"Primary research involves getting original data directly about the product and the market. Primary research data is data that did not exist before† (Market research - primary research, 2010). To analyze the working and to assess the limitations of venture capital, a strict analysis of primary and secondary data are necessary. The methods like surveys, questionnaires and interviews are the part of primary research. â€Å"

Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Linguistics - Essay Example How do word-deaf patients cope and how they understand and comprehend important ideas and concepts. â€Å"Pure word deafness (PWD) is a rare auditory disorder that is characterized by a selective deficit in comprehending spoken words, while the identification of nonverbal sounds remains intact.† (Zhu, et al., 2010, p. 843). This is a form of brain damage that makes it challenging for a person to comprehend words that are spoken to him or her. Pure word deafness is characterised by a selective problem of accessing language sound patterns and word forms (Rickheit & Strohne, 2012). This means that the sound patterns and variety of words presented to a person suffering from this condition are not understood by such an individual. This is distinguished from cortical auditory deficit by the fact that pure word deaf persons can hear and comprehend music and environmental sounds (Kaga, 2013). Thus, by implication, pure word deaf patients can hear and understand music as well as environmental sounds around them. However, they cannot hear words spoken to them by a third party. Pure deafness is scientifically known as Auditory Agnosia for speech and verbal communication (Feinberg & Farah, 2012). This expresses the difference and inconsistency in comprehension of verbal discourse and the lack thereof of verbal auditory recognition. â€Å"The underlying problem of a person with word-sound deafness is at the stage of extracting the phonetic features from the speech input such that the patient has problems discriminating between widely variant words (the severe form) or between similar sounding words† (Ingram, 2014, p. 166). This means that the person with word deafness has some challenges in decoding the phonetic and sound elements of speech and cannot sort it out for onward interpretation and understanding. Pure Word Deafness is caused by a brainstem lesion which is a complication that often comes with