Personal Managerial Effectiveness - Assignments Essay

Personal Managerial Effectiveness - Assignments - Essay Example urring of boundaries between nations, immigration reforms and the likes, there is a sudden influx of socio-culturally diverse population in the UK, resulting in a highly diverse workplace (Allard, 2002). These changes in the demographic profile of the country have played a key role in the increased significance of workplace diversity and the need for reforms in workplace related laws. Globalization has opened the gates for firms to compete on a global scale. Organizations today are, hence, not only competing on a local or national level but on a much wider global platform. The markets and the demography of a typical consumer have also changed simultaneously. Hence it is imperative for organizations to ensure increased awareness about the need and significance of workplace diversity (Deborah & Smith, 2003). Positive work environment is one of the most coveted aspects of a workplace that promises to foster harmonious working relationships among the employees and greater individual dignity. Considering the benefits offered by a positive and diverse workplace, organisations today are embracing the concept and reaping the benefits offered by a skilled workforce, hired purely on the basis of talent and skills rather than socio-cultural factors. This report on workplace diversity aims to discuss, analyse and explore the concept of workplace diversity, its application, benefits and implications within workplaces in the UK, and the recommendations for improving workplace diversity. The term diversity with regard to workplace refers to differences among employees with regard to a range of factors including age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and /or disability. It is also used with regard to acceptance and respect for the individual differences (Hankin, 2005: p. 67). Daft (2007) defines workplace diversity as "a workforce made of people with different human qualities or who belong to various cultural groups". It is also defined as "differences among people

Romantic poem Essay Example for Free

Romantic poem Essay The famous poet John Keats wrote The Eve of St Agnes in 1819. Keats was born in 1795 in London, but contracted tuberculosis in his early years and died at the young age of twenty-six. Keats was the youngest of the Great Romantics. The Romantics were a group of poets who rebelled against the change in social, moral, political and religious aspects of life in their time. They used the beauty of nature and imagination of the time to help create their poetry. The title of Keats poem The Eve of St Agnes tells the reader what the poem is about. St Agnes was a nun, who wanted to protect her virginity and refused to be married. She was beheaded on the first 21st of January. Traditionally if a young girl went to bed, clothes less, without eating and only looking forward and upward on St Agnes Eve she would see the man she was to marry in her dream. This suspicion is what Keats has based his narrative romantic poem on. His poem is the story of a young girl who believes in the Eve of St Agnes suspicion and dreams of her love. However a young Knight comes to see her while she sleeping. The girl wakes up, they fall in love, consummate, and in the morning leave. Keats has used the Romantic theme of Williams Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet in his poem. There is a feud between the young girls family and the Knights family. Just as in Romeo and Juliet. The introduction to Keatss poem sets the scene. St Agnes Eve, Ah bitter chill it was! The owl for all his feathers was a cold. Keats describes how cold it its outside on the winter night, and uses the animals to emphasise the freezing weather. The owl is supposed to survive the winter yet it is cold. The hare limpd trembling through the frozen grass. Again the use of the hare emphasises the bitter winter outside, so cold, the hare limps. Keats then continues his description of the setting and atmosphere by describing the inside. Where a Beadsman is praying in a small chapel. The emphasis on the bleak night is continued. Numb were the Beadsman fingers and his frosted breath show that the inside is almost frozen reinforcing the winter time at which this poem is set. Keats develops the introduction by describing the Beadsman and his actions. Then takes his lamp, and riseth from his knees, And back, returneth, meagre, barefoot and wan, The Beadsman is poor; he has no shoes, and he is thin, ill and old. Already has the his death bell rung. Throughout Keats poem certain words are slightly changed to make the poem sound medieval. Riseth, and Sayeth give and archaic impression. Keats develops his story by describing the castle and the events taking place inside. He creates a word picture describing the entire guests beautifully dressed, With plume, tiara, and all rich array. This sets the scene of the ball. Furthermore Keats sets a happy scene, with triumphs gay. This shows laughter and people enjoying themselves.

Asian American Stereotypes in Film Essay -- essays research papers

Asian Americans only make up a small percent of the American population. Even more significant is that this percentage live mostly on the west and east coasts of mainland United States and Hawaii; leaving the rest of the American population to most likely get their exposures to Asians through television and movies. However the exposure they have receive throughout the history of cinematography has been hardly flattering. Throughout the course of history Asians in film have been portrayed as evil or the "yellow peril" as described by others. If Asians are not being classified as evil in this picture then they are most likely the comic relief, with their lack of coordination or grasp of the English language. With these common stereotypes in place, it gives a white American viewer a sense or need to destroy this Asian villain or superiority over the comedic character portrayed in the film. In the film Gung Ho filmed in the year 1986, the story is told of the plight of the people working in the region known as the Rust Belt. The group that is the focal point of this story is the relation between Asian men in an American town and the differences they share are played out in this movie. The stereotypes enlisted in this movie are both that of a villainous nature and a comedic relief with some of the characters. Throughout the film it is how the clever, white working class people of this hard working town have to overcome the maniacal working environment these Asian men have. Common stereotypes of the Asian man lay throughout the entire course of the movie, stereotypes that have been portrayed by the film industry of Asian men since its inception. The main stereotype in this movie is that Asian men only care about their jobs and their careers and little else. That the Asian man will go through great sacrifice to get to the top of the business that they work for. From beginning to end, many white families are portrayed in the movie showing that the American people have family values. Yet absent through the whole course of the picture is any Asian man with his family. This signifies that the Asian group does not have time, nor wants to make time to have a family life because they are trying to succeed in business. The Asian boss in the film wanted the results to his li... ...en in this film have any strong masculine qualities. They cannot take charge, they are easily intimidated, and they are never assertive with their beliefs and restrictions giving the impression to the movie viewers that Asian Americans are docile beings and Asian Americans are obstacles easily overcame. Overall, the object of this movie is to entertain the audience sitting at home watching it, laughing at the mishaps and situations that happen along the way. The question is, however, at who’s expense does the laughter come? Perpetuating this stereotype only goes to further damage the way Asian Americans are seen by the American public. Also during the time the movie was being made, the yen and the dollar were in competition over which had more value. This movie in a subtle way suggests that American workers can overcome any adversity, while the Asian cast is lucky to have such determined Americans to help them out of their problems. The movie serves to inspire Americans by relying on a stereotype of Asians to show that Asian are weak and Americans are strong, and that they can overcome any challenge they rally behind.

Gaming Addiction study Essay

According to Daria J Kuss in the 2000s, online games became popular, while studies of Internet gaming addiction emerged, outlining the negative consequences of excessive gaming, its prevalence, and associated risk factors. Internet gaming is a booming market. In 2012, more than one billion individuals played computer games, which fuelled the 8% growth of the computer gaming industry in the same year. A recent report by the market research company Niko Partners has estimated the People’s Republic of China’s online gaming market at $12 billion in 2013. In her research she stated that Internet gaming addiction has increased both in quantity as well as in quality. Research on gaming addiction dates back to 1983, when the first report emerged suggesting that video gaming addiction is a problem for students. Shortly thereafter, the first empirical study on gaming addiction was published by Shotton, based on self-reports of young male players who claimed they were â€Å"hooke d† on their games. The early studies suffered from a lack of standardized psychometric instruments used for assessing gaming addiction. Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), on the other hand, appear of particular interest to players because they offer a variety of incentives for play relative to other game genres. Of all online gamers, 46% play MMORPGs,3 confirming their position as the most popular online games. MMORPGs are game universes inhabited by thousands of players at the same time (massively multiplayer) with no spatial or temporal boundaries because they are played online, and they allow players to adopt various virtual personas in their avatars (role playing). In South-East Asian countries, the negative impacts of Internet gaming  addiction have led governments and health care providers to take the problem seriously and to develop a series of initiatives to curb and alleviate the problem. In South Korea, Internet gaming addiction is viewed as a significant concern for public health, and up to 24% of children who have been diagnosed with Internet addiction are hospitalized. In Japan, the government has recognized the problem following a study by the Ministry of Education, which has led to the development of â€Å"fasting camps† where individuals suffering from Internet and gaming addiction are helped by being cut off from technology completely. It has been stated that the higher the Internet penetration and social acceptance of gaming, the higher the prevalence of gaming problems, partially explaining the higher prevalence rates reported in South-East Asian countries. In addition to this, there is good reason to think that the lower acceptance of excessive gaming in a culture, the more distress (not less) gamers experience in engaging in the activity, potentially fuelling problem perception. Therefore, a lack of acceptance of excessive gaming and thus stigmatization of the behavior might contribute to higher rates of addiction and problematic play in some way. Following growing concern, specialized treatment centers and programs have been established in Europe (including the outpatient clinic for behavioral addictions in Mainz, Germany, and the Capio Nightingale Hospital in London, UK) and the US (including the inpatient centers RESTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Seattle and the recently opened digital detoxification and recovery center in Pennsylvania), reflecting the growing need for professional help. Internet gaming addiction is a behavioral problem that has been classified and explained in numerous ways. According to Griffiths,13 biopsychosocial processes lead to the development of addictions, such as Internet gaming addiction, which include the following components. First, the behavior is salient (the individual is preoccupied with gaming). Second, the individual uses the behavior in order to modify their mood (ie, gaming is used to escape reality or create the feeling of euphoria). Third, tolerance develops (the individual needs increasingly more time to feel the same effect). Fourth, withdrawal symptoms occur upon discontinuation of the behavior (the individual feels anxious, depressed, and irritable if they are prevented  from playing). Fifth, interpersonal and intra-personal conflict develops as a consequence of the behavior (the individual has problems with their relationship, job, and hobbies, and lack of success in abstinence). Finally, upon discontinuation of the beha vior, the individual experiences relapse (they reinitiate gaming). Although the core criteria appear to be established, the etiology of Internet gaming addiction has yet to be studied in detail. Research15 indicates that a number of risk factors are associated with Internet gaming addiction. These risk factors include certain personality traits, gaming motivations, and structural game characteristics. The personality traits most commonly associated with Internet addiction include neuroticism,37,50 aggression and hostility,43,50–52 and sensation-seeking.43,50 Factors that appear to protect frequent online gamers from developing problems with their gaming were found to be conscientiousness and extraversion,53 suggesting that for different individuals the same behavior can have different psychological repercussions. In addition to this, the following gaming motivations were found to be most commonly associated with gaming addiction: coping with daily stressors and escapism, online relationships, and mastery, control, recognition, completion, excitement, and challenge. This indicates that the reasons for game play may be an important indicator of potential risk for Internet gaming addiction. Specifically, in comparison with non-MMORPG players, MMORPG players preferred their online friends over their real-life friends. Similarly, significantly more dependent gamers were found to prefer spending time with their online friends than their offline friends relative to nondependent gamers and felt their social needs were met better online than offline. Moreover, while online games provide nonaddicted players with satisfaction, addicted players play to avoid dissatisfaction, which can be an indication of withdrawal symptoms they want to overcome by engaging in gaming compulsively. The motivational differences to play games between dependent and nondependent as well as MMORPG and other gamers appear to be useful clinical information because these motivations can be specifically targeted in treatment sessions. For instance, elements of exposure therapy  may be used for the socially fearful in order to decrease discomfort and reintroduce clients to real-life social environments. Also, alternative pastime activities that are perceived as satisfying can be encouraged specifically in group therapy sessions. Encouraging engagement in group sports might satisfy both the need to engage in competitive and satisfying activities and the need to interact with peers in real life. Moreover, a number of structural game characteristics have been found to increase the risk for developing Internet gaming addiction, namely online relative to offline gaming,61 positive reinforcement,62 the enjoyment of particular game features, such as adult content, finding rare in-game items, and watching game cut scenes,63 and viewing one’s virtual persona as better than oneself.64 These characteristics indicate that particular games can be more addictive than others,15 which appears important for game developers and public prevention campaigns that focus on decreasing risk and raising awareness of potential problems. Prevention campaigns could target school-aged children, teachers, and parents in education settings. They could be based on the principles of providing information and a discussion platform concerning Internet and gaming use and possible negative consequences via psychoeducation, with the ultimate goal of encouraging healthy media use. Success could be determ ined over the long term using triangulation of data and reports obtained from the targeted populations.

Classification of Computer Users

Steven Cespedes Egan College Writing January 9th, 2012 Classification of Computer Users The sound of the keyboard typing away and the clicking of the mouse throughout the night has become a normal occurrence in  every  American household. Staying up until two or three in the morning browsing the web has become a characteristic of many computer users today. Since the personal computer has been invented life, work, and pleasure have changed drastically. With the creation of the internet, the possibilities with computers are all but endless. People now have the ability to communicate with others from all over the world. With both of these technologies  working together, computers have become a necessity for homes and businesses everywhere. Although the majority of computers are similar in concept, different people use them in different ways. Some use their computers for work and others as a source of entertainment. As long as the world exists, there will be several different types of computer users. The hacker is one type of computer user, they spend most of  their  time electronically breaking into other computer’s. The word hacker is synonymous with internet crimes, however hackers are highly intelligent individuals with a vast knowledge of computers. They spend their time trying to break through security systems of various networks connected to the internet. Hackers are infamous for infiltrating CIA databases, credit card companies, or more recently the PlayStation Network and wreaking havoc. These people stay up for hours looking for codes and passwords for various systems on the internet in the hopes of obtaining some sort of valuable information. There are many websites and forums dedicated to this past time which educates the general public as well as new hackers to their game. They know how the computers operate and are usually very familiar with programming languages, so they can create their own programs to break passwords. Half of the time hackers are not hurting anybody by the activities they perform, they just do it for the experience and for bragging rights within the hacker community. [pic] The gamers are the people who spend their time playing games online. These are the people who stay up to till dawn raiding, shooting, and racing with other people on the internet. There are many games which incorporate the online play such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty to name a couple. However there are many other games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Half Life 2 that offer offline play that is just as popular. The first thing that gamers do when they get on the computer is to check if their friends are playing online. Most of these gamers even add special accessories to enhance their online gaming experience such as a microphone to talk to other players or a joystick that can be used instead of a keyboard. These types of computer users are easily identified, as they often wear licensed game t-shirts around town. The main purpose of the computer for a gamer is to play various games and learn everything they can about each game. These individuals are addicted to playing games online, and can be found staring at their computer screen until the sun comes up. The shoppers are the people who are constantly surfing the internet searching for the newest clothes or gadgets. These are the people who watch Ebay auctions for days, waiting until the last second to outbid everyone else. They will browse hundreds of websites looking for the best bargain. Instead of going to the malls and doing their shopping, they will sit in their chair for hours on end, visiting various websites on the internet. They use the internet to research the newest fashion rather than spending that time to work or study. Internet shoppers are addicted to purchasing goods online because of the ease of having it shipped straight to their door. This use of the computer usually serves to be the most expensive because of all of the money involved in purchases. Downloaders are the people who use the computer mainly for the purpose of downloading anything that is free. These are the people who leave their computers on all day and throughout the night downloading music, movies, and anything else that is available. Torrents are very popular due to the ease of access to the mass amounts of data made accessible to anyone with internet access. The legality of these acts is questionable, but torrent sites somehow manage to get around copyright infringements. Downloaders are constantly working under the radar to get their hands on the newest software for no charge. Downloaders are usually interested in computers with lots of hard drive space to store their data on. [pic] The workers are the people who use their computer for no other purpose than making money. These are the people who are constantly checking if a client has emailed them back, or making corrections to tomorrow's sales report. Workers usually prefer to use laptop computers for the ease of transporting their data from home to work. Many workers may actually own two computers, one for business and one for pleasure. They usually have the newest and fastest computers, since they can afford them. These people have no problem sitting in a chair typing for eight hours a day if they are paid well to do so. Workers may be the most proficient with a computer due to the fact that they are professionals. [pic] The Social Networkers are the people who spend most of their time socializing over the internet. These are the people who spend may spend more time on Facebook and Twitter than they do talking to real people. They are constantly updating their status and sharing links on their friend's walls. They spend hours typing away, meeting new people, and making new friends in this online community. Social Networkers enjoy posting about their everyday life, letting every one of their friends (or followers) know exactly what they're doing around the clock. They will â€Å"like† pages to notify others of their interests, and seek others with similar interests. Social Networks have turned into a competition of who can get the most friends or followers, which draws attention whores by the dozen. These are the people who you can see online Facebook chat half of the day even when they are at work or in school. Each type of user is similar in the way that they spend many hours in front of their computer screen typing away the day and into the night. Computers have made life much easier for some people and have opened numerous doors to many others. The computer has had a major impact on life as we know it, creating jobs everywhere, giving us entertainment when we are bored, and connecting everyone no matter their location in the world. No matter what lifestyle you live, the computer can cater to each one.