Physiological Psychology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physiological Psychology - Assignment Example It answers to stress by augmenting the heart rate and flow of blood to the muscles. It encompasses quick response and hence concerned with â€Å"fight or flight†. Parasympathetic nervous system, encompass cranial nerves (nerves of brain) and also the lower spinal nerves i.e. nerves of sacral region. Action of this system counteracts the sympathetic actions by increasing digestive secretions and decreasing the heartbeat. It is concerned with â€Å"rest and digest†. It is evident that ANS encompass afferent pathways that includes information from the viscera and brain and hence maintains the homeostasis. It has both sensory and motor neurons to carry the information to and from the brain and spinal cord. An action potential along the axon is dependent on influx of sodium ions and efflux of potassium ions. The phases of action potential are: rising phase- In the resting state the inside of the neuronal cell is polarized (-70mv) as compared to its outside charge. Therefore, it is polarized. Excitatory neurotransmitters like aspartate and glutamate released from their pre-synaptic neurons attach to post-synaptic dendrites, sodium channels open up leading to influx of positively charged sodium ion gradually more and more sodium ion channel open up resulting in positive charge inside the cell (+40mv inside cell) and the cell is said to be depolarized. Falling phase- sodium ion channels are closed and potassium ion channels open up as a result potassium being an intracellular ion moves out through these channels and by this process there is a net loss of positive charge as potassium is positively charged ion. Myelinated axons prevent the back diffusion of ions to outer space and ensure a fast and rapid conduction of action potentials. Myelinated neurons contains nodes of Ranvier, through this action potential jumps, this is called salutatory conduction. The

Multicutural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multicutural Communication - Essay Example Ethnocentrism is one problem that can adversely impact communication between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Lack of knowledge on cultural differences when communicating presents a problem especially with globalisation of the business environment. Cultural determinants such as traditions, communication practices and thought process are important in multicultural communication. Clinging to manner of conducting business that is ethnocentric for instance can cause a major problem of communication between individuals. Language differences present a very critical barrier to effective cross-cultural communication; translation difficulties, failure of conveying subtle language distinctions and cultural variations between people speaking the same language inform language problems business communication (Mathews and Thakkar, 2012). Environment is a source of problems in multicultural communication. Manners in which people utilize available resources differ markedly between cultures and as such cultural biases with regard to the technological and natural environment cause communication conflicts. Most of us are culturally accustomed perceive the environment in certain ways and as such the usage of technology. Variations in social values across cultures can also present major communication conflicts. As such it is therefore important to consider the social valued held by others on issues such as education, nepotism, class structures and religion etc in order to achieve effective communications. Nonverbal behaves and temporal conception also communication conflicts with significant impact especially in the international business settings. Use of nonverbal signs of communications and understanding of time may differ on cultural lines and thus present problems when individuals from different cultures interact (Prat t-Johnson, 2006). To

Effective Leadership And Management Styles

Effective Leadership And Management Styles According to Ward S (2010) Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act in a specific way towards achievement of a common goal. A leader therefore is a person who has a combination of skills and personality that will make people want to follow his or her direction. The leader should have the ability to manage all the resources under his or her disposal. Successful leadership as a discipline involves communicating, supervising and inspiring people under his or her leadership. On the other hand, Management is the organization and co-ordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and achievement of certain pre-defined objectives. As a discipline, it involves formulation of policies, organizing, planning, controlling and directing firms resources towards achievement of the policy objectives. According to Reh .J. (2010) a manager is a person who plans and directs the work of other individuals by monitoring their work and taking corrective action when necessary. Skills are the capacities and abilities obtained through deliberate and sustained efforts to carry out complex activities or job functions. It involves use of ideas (cognitive skills), interacting with people (interpersonal skills) and doing things (technical skills). Qualities are the attributes that define the degree of excellence. Something of quality is that which is free from deficiencies and ineffectiveness. Knowledge is the expertise acquired by a person through education or practice. Ability is the acquired or natural capacity, competence or talent that enables an individual to perform a particular job or task successfully any time. This paper will analyze the specific skills, knowledge, qualities and abilities that an individual will need to develop to become an effective leader and manager. MAIN BODY There is an argument that there is a difference between a leader and a manager. Indeed it is true that all leaders must be managers first but not all managers are leaders. There are several theories put forward to distinguish between leaders and followers. According to Cherry K (2010) there are several leadership theories. These include: Great man theory: It postulates that great leaders are born and not made. Leaders in this group are heroic, mythic and their destiny is to rise to leadership whenever needed. Trait theory: This theory assumes that people inherit certain traits and qualities that enable them to be best suited for leadership. The theory identifies particular personality and behavioral characteristics which are common for all leaders. Contingency theories: This theory focuses on variables related to the environment that determine the leadership style to be used in different situations. Thus leadership styles will have to be changed according to the situation. Success therefore depends on various variables like the situation in question, the qualities of followers, number of variables and leadership style. Situational theories: Leaders will choose leadership styles depending on the situation. Different leadership styles may be more appropriate for certain decision making than others. Behavioral theory: This theory is based on the belief that great leaders are made and not born. According to the theory people can learn to be leaders through observing and learning. Participative theory: In this style the output of others is taken into account in decision .Leaders will therefore encourage participation and contribution of the group members and make the members to feel more relevant and committed to the decision making process. Management theory: This theory is based on the system of reward and punishment. In this case, when employees succeed, they are rewarded and when they fail they are punished. The role of the manager is thought to be focused on supervision, organization and group performance. Relationship theory: This theory focuses on the connection between followers and leaders. Leaders motivate and inspire followers by helping the group members to see the importance of the task. Leaders in this group will have high moral standards because they are focused on performance of group members and they want everyone to fulfill his or her potential. Effective leadership An effective leader must have followers because the essence of leadership is to convince people to act the way you want. Therefore, a leader must have the ability to convince people to pull people towards his direction. This will entail good communication in order to explain goals clearly to the followers. This will bring about better results because the followers understand the goals to be achieved well. According to Walker .C.A. (2005) effective leadership must be built on a solid foundation which is in turn dependent on the qualities of integrity and humility. He goes further and defines integrity as firmness of character, honesty, uprightness, sincerity and good moral character. Integrity not only influences the goals that leaders chose but also the type of followers that they get. It means therefore that, high integrity builds trust, honor, respect and loyalty among followers. Humility on the other hand, has the effect of avoiding arrogance in the work place and also allows you to share glory and celebrate success with followers. Thus, to be successful as a leader, you should build your personal and organizational code of conduct on humility and integrity. According to White B. (2010), a good leader has several qualities that characterize him or her. These qualities can be summarized as: Availability: A leader should be available and in touch with the people he leads. This means that he should be sensitive to the needs of people and respond in time. Maintaining good relationship: Successful business leaders know the importance of good relationships. They will therefore prioritize on minimizing conflict and lack of harmony. Self motivation and development: Successful leaders will do anything acceptable to ensure that their skills and knowledge base is kept on track because they know the importance of personal and professional development. They therefore set and use goals for motivating themselves and others. Appropriate use of authority: Good leaders use their authority with wisdom and sensitivity to different circumstances. Authority should therefore not be used in gratifying or promoting oneself or even controlling or dominating others. Understanding of group dynamics: Successful leaders are good at using both the strengths and weaknesses of a group to achieve the best results. They also have the ability of bringing groups together by leading them without conflict and minimizing harmony. Having incentives and building team spirit: A result orientated leader will give his juniors incentives in order to improve their performance and maintain quality results. According to Burger (2004), there are certain abilities that a good leader should have several vital abilities. According to him, leaders are born leaders and develop according to their environment and education. Management on the other hand, can be learnt and obtained by sufficient training, education and acquiring additional skills. Leaders are necessary to drive the vision home and making sure that the drive stays alive in the hearts of the staff, members and contributors. The abilities which are very critical for leaders are: Encouraging workers to be creative and contribute: This is achieved by setting guidelines and encouraging them to participate at their level. People are individuals: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the members of your group, listen to their fears and encourage them to achieve their aspirations. Lead by example: A leader should have the ability to build up a team to support him or her and this means that the leader should first volunteer. Therefore the example that is set by the individual is followed by the rest of the team. Effective Management According to Francis M (2007) the quality of a manager and effective management styles determine the culture of the organization, productivity of its staff and the ultimate success of the organization. As such a manager should striver to use the best Management styles. A manager should have the ability to direct supervise, encourage, inspire and co-ordinate and as a result facilitate action and guide change. In doing this the manager should develop his qualities and those of others. Managers use planning, Organizational and communication skills. There are certain other skills which must be possessed by effective managers. These skills are: Creative problem solving skills-A good manager should have the ability to describe and analyze a problem critically. During the analysis, there is need for a good manager to identify the causes of the problems in question and identify the best options and the best courses of action to take. The manager should then implement and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of his actions. Communication Skills-A good manager should be able to listen to the juniors and any other ideas from that may be of importance to the organization. He should also be able to make good presentations, give feedback on issues relating to running of the business and be able to write good reports. Conflict management skills.-The manager should have the ability to identify the sources of conflict in the organization and understand the personal style of conflict resolution. He should also develop the best strategy of dealing with the conflict and promote positive conflict in the organization. Negotiation Skills -The ideal manager should develop rational thinking in negotiation. By doing so, he will avoid various mistakes in negotiation and develop an effective skill in negotiation that assists both parties. Self-awareness and improvement-The manager should understand the importance of emotions in work and self-development. In addition, the manager should attempt to understand the importance of self-motivation and how to effectively manage self-learning and change. Successful managers must have certain qualities which should be able to define them. They should therefore be: Enthusiastic: This means that the manager should always be positive about everything because it helps to motivate those under them. Enthusiastic managers are committed to their goals because they express this through their optimism. Good communicator: The best managers who have good communication skills support individual and team achievements by creating guidelines for accomplishing tasks and career advancement for team members. Competence: Managers should have the ability to successfully lead others by having a past winning track record. A competent manager has expertise in management skills which enables him to inspire encourage, challenge and model. Ability to delegate: The way a manager checks and controls the work of others demonstrates his ability to delegate. A good manager should leave the other team members to participate in the work actively. Help employees set goals: Talking to employees assists in enabling them to understand the overall goals of the business. The manager should then help them to set individual goals which are geared towards achieving the long term business goals. Positively talking with employees and allowing them to participate in goal setting will motivate the workers to work harder. Effective management styles Managers are those people who can make the most out of their employees through their inspiration. According to the tutor2u business site (2010) Managers use different types of management styles according to the preference of the individual manager. These management styles are discussed below: Autocratic management style: There is close supervision and control of employees and all decisions are made by the manager. Workers are not trusted. They are just given orders which they are expected to follow to the latter. It means that in this style communication is one way. This style is very important when dealing with large number of semi-skilled workers who can not make certain decisions on their own. It may also be appropriate in time of crisis when fast decisions must be made. Paternalistic management style: Managers using this style give more importance to the social needs and view of workers. Decisions are therefore made in the best interests of workers. In addition, managers consult employees over issues and they listen to their feedback and opinions. Democratic Management style: Managers using this style trust their employees and will delegate to them some of the duties and encourage them to make some decisions. This requires two way communication and listening to employees advice. This means that the managers should encourage democratic discussion groups which form the basis of useful ideas. This style is only effective when decisions are made based on the major views of most workers. According to Vercillo K. (2010), there are ten traits that an effective business manager should have. These are: Self motivation: The manager should understand the goals of the business and develop individual strategies for achieving the goals. As such, he should be capable of doing the job with minimum supervision. Great customer service skills: An effective manager should be effective in dealing with customers and /or clients. He should thus be effective in handling problems which may occur with the customers. This means that the manager should be capable of making even the difficult customers happy in order to retain the customer and ensure business growth. Be a team player: The manager should be interested in making the business to grow. This means he should be ready to work with a team of people for the improvement of the overall business. Conflict resolution abilities: The manager should serve as a middleman between the lower employees and the company. He should therefore make an effort to solve any disputes that may arise between employees themselves or employees and the management. Knowledge of the industry: The manager should be able to answer all questions asked by customers, clients and even staff members. The manager should not only have advanced or specialized experience in the fields but should also have a thirst for more knowledge about the industry. CONCLUSION Although there are some people who still argue that leaders are the same as managers, there are some differences between the two concepts which can not be ignored. Managers have subordinates unless the title is honorary. This means that managers are paid to get things done and can therefore be said to be subordinates of other people. On the other hand, leaders have followers and it therefore means that when somebody is leading, he or she has to give up formal authoritative control because leading is majorly about voluntary work. There are however some attributes that must be possessed by both managers and leaders. For instance both the leader and the manager must have good communication skills to be able to clarify issues for attainment of overall best results. According to Clemmer J (1996), both management and leadership are important for a high performing organization. It is therefore important to understand the similarities and differences between the two concepts. This will help us to balance and improve the two roles. It is for instance important to understand that you can only lead people and manage people. According to Kotelnikov V (2001), leaders strive to seize opportunities and amplify strengths while managers avert threats and reduce weaknesses. As the old proverb says, leadership is doing the right thing while management is doing things right. However you should not dwell so much on the differences because both roles are required for corporate growth since the risk of leadership creates opportunities while the strictness of management turns them into tangible results. It means therefore, to be successful in business one must be both a good leader and manager because you will have to get followers who can easily listen to you and put the set goals into action .Proper management of organizational resources will minimize losses and in the long run maximize the value of the firm. Excessive use of managerial authority may deter the workers from doing their work well because they will be executing their duties with fear. The managers should thus device good communication mechanisms that will ensure that they are able to understand the fears of the workers and in turn help solve their problems in time. In conclusion, good management and leadership skills should be used effectively for the betterment of the organization because the two are inseparable and in most organizations leaders are the managers.

Character of Athena in Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey womody

Character of Athena in Homer's Odyssey The "gray eyed" Athena is one of the most special characters in The Odyssey. First off, how many gray eyed people do you know? That makes her pretty special right there, adding to the fact that she is an Olympian goddess. As all goddesses are pictured, she has a thin figure (not skinny), great brown curling hair which flows from the head gently down to her slender waist, perfect toned peach (in Greek and Roman myths) skin, and, of course, the big blue shiny eyes which can mesmorize any mortal at first sight. That's one special person. And she doesn't fail to keep those aspects while helping out ol' Odysseus. In addition to her outstanding looks, she has a kind heart. Unlike her brother, Poseidon, she wants Odysseus to get back home to Ithaka. She also wants Telemahkos to meet his father for the first time in decades. She does this very cleverly. To help Telemakhos grow out of his cowardly childhood, she comes to him as a good friend, encouraging the young boy to do what he must and seek out news about his father. But when she leaves, she gives a little hint to him that she's actually a goddess by turning into a bird. I think this was a weakness of Athena. The fact that she constantly showed off to many people that she was indeed a goddess shows that she wants to be praised by all and showing a slight immature and soft side on her part. This can also be interpreted as a good action in some cases. When Telemakhos knows Athena, a goddess, is on his side, this gives him extra confidence. She also shows a caring side when she turns into many different figures to guide Odysseus through his journey. This shows determination on her part, saying that she really wants Odysseus, a brave soldier who fought for good in the Trojan War, to get home to his loving family. The way she changes form to try and trick Odysseus from thinking that he was indeed back home was a test. But he obviously saw through the charade and went to claim his rights back in his palace. This isn't the only way she helps Odysseus and Telemakhos.

Die Welle Essay

In the film â€Å"Die Welle†, directed by Dennis Gansel is about a teacher that is assigned to teach autocracy instead of anarchy. In the German setting, where the movie takes place, everybody knows that fascism and the Nazis sucked, they got that. Getting relegated to teaching autocracy was a real bummer since the students were filled with arrogance and laziness. Rainer Wegner constructs an unorthodox experiment, making an autocracy group of their own called â€Å"The Wave† or â€Å"Die Welle†. The real question is to what extent is an Autocratic government superior to all other governments or the counterpart the democratic government? For those who don’t know the difference between autocracy and democracy is that democracy is the form of government ruled by a group of leaders and a president elected by the people of the country. The leadership is chosen by the majority of the people. The epitome of a democratic government that is most known to us is the United States of America. On the other hand, an autocracy is basically a dictatorship is when one person rules the country without any say from the public. The people don’t have any saying at all in how the nation is run. An incredibly good example is Nazi Germany. Die Welle can be considered an allegory to modern day neo-nazism or old nazi Germany. The wave is just like hitler and the nazi group. It can make us reflect if a way of knowing, which is history, can be indeed true. How can we know something is right if we didn’t observe it first-handedly? We can think of it like this way, we can know that modern history is usually accurate since we were present at the times these events happened, and we concur that the events did indeed take place in that certain time frame. History is like police work, you piece together what one thinks happened based on the evidence available, like eye-witnesses or crime scene evidence. Historians can acknowledge these evidence and can say what happened during that time frame based on the evidence provided to us, like the police work. Nazis are basically the same thing since we study the evidence provided to us, like the video and artifacts of Nazism. In the movie, Die Welle, we can allegorize the events that occurred in the movie since after the autocracy nded, the students had many different perspectives about what happened. The events that occured in the movie can be seen in many different ways, it can be seen as very unorthodox since the experiment caused chaos and ultimately a student to get shot. Much like the Nazi-soldiers when their reign was over, many just panicked and killed themselves because they could not handle, the truth, that it was over. Much like when the wave ended and the kid took out his gun. George orwell said: â€Å"Who controls the past controls the future†. Does this relate to historical knowledge? To what extent can we trust historical â€Å"knowledge† since we didn’t experience it first-hand? This is a question we should all ask ourselves since this knowledge issue applies in a colossal way to the movie. We saw autocracy as a bad thing since it caused so much damage in the community, and even one youngster getting shot. Can we think of a way of governing a body of people as good or bad since it has been seen to be proven effective throughout history? As the movie quotes, â€Å"autocracy provides discipline†. It’s like an opiate for the masses since an ideology can rule them all. In conclusion, the movie can be seen as a knowledge issue in historical facts since we weren’t there to experience the allegory between Nazi Germany and the Wave autocratical group. It also relates to, is all knowledge historical knowledge? Since we have history, we should learn from our mistakes. A good quote that shows why the wave is so representative of national socialism is: â€Å"You’re pissed off just because The Wave does not follow your rule! †.

Business Law Cases Essay

The case presented here falls under the doctrine of Contract Act, 1872 and especially under the provisions regarding breach and remedies for breach of a contract. When the rights and responsibilities arising out of a contract are extinguished, the contract is said to be dissolved or terminated. A contract may be dissolved in any of the following ways: 1. By Agreement: A contract can be terminated by an agreement between the same parties who entered into the contract with mutual agreement. 2. By Performance: As the parties into the contract complete performance of their shares of promises a contract in terminated. 3. By Frustration: A contract can be terminated by the impossibility in the fulfillment of the purpose of the parties in entering into a contract. 4. By Breach: When a contract is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party’s performance. 5. By Operation on Law: Discharge of a contract by operation of law may occur by merger, by insolvency or by alteration of the written document. In the case in concern, Nike (BD) Ltd. enters into a contract with Sunshine Fabrics for supply of 50,000 pcs of T-shirt as per sample and design. One of the provision/ stipulation of the said contract was that-â€Å"the Sunshine Fabrics would not sell to his other customers for a period of 2 years any T-shirt of the same design and description†. Eventually the said design T-shirt (of Nike) became very popular in Bangladesh and, many retail shops show keen interest to buy them at higher price and as such, Sunshine Fabrics started selling them to different shops ignoring their contract with Nike (BD) Ltd. This is a clear case of breach of contract. A breach of contract is failure to perform as stated in the contract. When a contract is broken the party who suffers on account of it has one or other of the following remedies: 1. Damage: Damages are moneytary compensation allowed to the injured party for the loss or injury suffered by him as a result of the brach of contract. 2. Specific Performance: Specific performance means the actual carrying out of the contract as agreed. 3. Injunction : Injunction is an order of a court restraining a person from doing a particular act. It is a mode of securing the specific performance of the negetive terms of a contrct. 4. Cancellation of the instrument: When there is a breach of contract by one party, the other party may rescind the contract and need not perform his part of obligations under the contract. 5. Rectification of the instrument: When through fraud or mutual mistake of the parties a contract or other instrument in writing does not truly express their intention; either party or his representative in interest may institute a suit to have the instrument rectified. In the case personated Nike (BD) Ltd. s the party who is the sufferer of the breach of contract. Along with damage, Nike (BD) Ltd. can also file a suit for injunction and cancellation of the instrument. The fundamental principle underlying damages is not punishment but compensation. By awarding damages the court aims to put the injured party into the position in which he would have been, had there been performance and not breach, and not to punish the defaulter party. As a general rule, â€Å"compensation must be commensurate with the injury or loss sustained, arising naturally from the breach. Where the party has suffered no damage on account of the breach, the court may still award him nominal damages in recognition of his right. In this case, Nike (BD) Ltd. has suffered an actual loss which arose in the usual course of things from the breach. Thus Nike can claim substantial damage to compensate its suffering. Injunction is a discretionary remedy of the Court. An injunction may be temporary or perpetual. Where a party is in breach of negative term of a contract, the court may, by issuing an injunction, restrain him from doing from what it is promised not to do. Thus injunction is a preventive relief. Since in this case, Sunshine Fabrics is doing an act (selling T-shirts of the particular design) which it promised not to do Nike (BD) Ltd. can file a suit claiming injunction. Along with claiming damages and injunction Nike (BD) Ltd. can also apply for cancellation of the instrument. If one or more of the major provisions of a contract is broken the party suffering from it can apply for cancellation of the instrument. If one or more of the minor provisions is broken the sufferer party can apply for damages but not cancellation of the instrument. In this case Sunshine Fabrics has broken a major provision of the contract. So, Nike (BD) Ltd. can apply for cancellation of the instrument. In reply of Nike (BD) Ltd. ’s legal notice Sunshine Fabrics asserts that the contract which they signed with Nike (BD) Ltd. is, in fact, void, in as much as, the same is in restraint of trade. Sunshine Fabric’s assertion is however unjustified. The agreement stating -â€Å"the Sunshine Fabrics would not sell to his other customers for a period of 2 years any T-shirt of the same design and description† is not in restraint of trade rather merely â€Å"restraining freedom of action†. Thus we can conclude that, every thing else being equal, the case is in very much favor of Nike (BD) Ltd. Sunshine Fabric’s claim of the contract’s being â€Å"void† has no legal grounds. However, if Sunshine Fabrics can anyway prove that its agreement of not selling any T-shirt of the same description to its other customers for a period of 2 years was a minor provision of the contract, Nike (BD) would not be able to cancel the contract but still would be awarded damage and, on the Court’s discretion, injunction.