Saturday, September 14, 2019
Advantages Disadvantages of Game Development Essay
?Advantages: Great community support Amazing third party solutions for Audio and Physics Build to multiple platforms is easy Easy to find C# programmers Loads of high quality plugins and scripts available very cheap Large audience for selling scripts and content through the store Disadvantages: Itââ¬â¢s not free, although it is cheap iPhone app size Unity 3D Game Development: Advantages & Disadvantages Posted by Edouard Ombredane on September 15th, 2014 It isnââ¬â¢t the first time weââ¬â¢ve written about Unity 3D in the blog. In fact, we recently published an extensive comparison article on game development between Cocos2D and Unity (Spanish blog). Within this article we will aim to cover all pros and cons when developing using Unity3D. We thought the best way to achieve this would be to get some expert advice on the matter, so weââ¬â¢ve enlisted the help of two expert mobile game developers who also have extensive knowledge of the video games market. On the one hand we have, Ivan Garcia Suber, Trinitcoordinator, Association of Zaragoza Computer and video game developer; on the other Aitor Roman Ibanez Androtiyas game developer. Between them they have done several collaborations that have appeared as apps within the Android Market, there more famous one being Dragon Pet. We interviewed them both on their Unity 3D user experience and they shared their knowledge with us. As industry experts and connoisseurs of the tool, they explained that one of the biggest beneficiaries of using Unity 3D is Android. Being, in the market with more users and more devices in circulation has many advantages. This is especially reflected when analyzed from a social point of view. Aitor Roman explains: ââ¬Å"We can say that Unity3D has devoted more time to prepare and to develop apps on the Android platform and it shows when its benefits.â⬠These benefits are also taken advantage of by Google when developing games with Unity3D Unity3D Limitations Like any tool, it has strengths but also some limitations. The expert Ivan Garcia helps us discover more about the latter. The most obvious is that it doesnââ¬â¢t allow us to start from a foundation, or a template, but in some other way, and you must implement details. If you donââ¬â¢t youââ¬â¢ll have to start from scratch with each game. ââ¬Å"As a general-purpose motor, it gives you nothing to work with. Some people develop games and expect it to be all ââ¬Å"drag and dropâ⬠but it is not like that. In fact Iââ¬â¢ve always thought it would take a bad motor to allow it to work well, ââ¬Å"explains Ivan Garcia. From a graphical point of view, it is also lagging behind compared to other engines like UDK. While in contrast, Unity 3D allows programming ââ¬Ëshadersââ¬â¢, yes, from scratch. However, Ivan Garcia admitted to us to that the moment of truth for small developers of the world is the graphic design for smartphones A level physics engine, despite using N Vidia PhysX, does not offer as many features as other tools such as UDK or CryEngine. Unity 5 is expected to update the 3.3 PhysX, especially the performance issues and is expected to add other functionalities. The fact that there are more expensive licenses can be a limitation for freelance developers and small development groups. The most expensive licenses provide mainly graphical and performance improvements, but only worth it if you have a medium or large equipment, and an ambitious project. Also ââ¬Å"the developer itself, it depends on whether the developer will exploit these resources,â⬠adds Roman Aitor. As for developing games with Unity specifically for smartphones, we find some obstacles. However, you do not have to pay expensive licenses. For example, Unity free allows you to publish on Android, iPhone and Windows Phone, the most popular platforms from the last couple of years. In conclusion, we can say that Unity 3D is a solid tool for beginners and also for users who do not have many resources at their disposal to hire people for game development. It is also this group of freelance developers and small businesses which benefit the most by using Unity.
The Role of Leadership in Organisational Change
In discussing the role of leadership in organisational change, one must first understand the rudiments of leadership and theories that surround it, understand what change is and the essential qualities that a leader must possess to bring about change.Defining LeadershipThere is much literature and research in the areas of leadership and management with many writers differentiating the two. A common conclusion is that a good manager may not be a good leader. So what is the difference between them? French, R., et al, (2011) says that while managers engage in solving problems and supervising work, leaders do not just instruct people on what to do. Leaders inspire and motivate the people who follow and support them thereby creating opportunities for the long-term. An environment where leadership is mentioned a lot and developed is the military. However, the command-and-control ââ¬Å"leadershipâ⬠where an officer barks orders to his troops is not leadership because he is legally aut horised to do it (Cohen, 2010).In support of this, Buchanan and Huczynski (1985) say that it is a ââ¬Å"social processâ⬠where one person influences otherââ¬â¢s behaviours without using threats of violence. By the latter definition, we can surmise that what goes on in the army is certainly far from leadership as threats are a way of life in the military! In the case of the military officer, he is said to be endowed with Formal Leadership, giving him formal authority over his men. When a staff has access to resources, information or has specialised skills, he may be viewed as an Informal Leader as he exerts influence over others who may not be their subordinates nor even be in the same department as them (French, et al, 2011).So, while managers make things happen because the company says they are authorised to do so, leaders achieve the companyââ¬â¢s objectives by influencing their colleagues or subordinates to co-operate (Rosen Bach & Taylor, 1993). Lussier & Achua (2007 ) say that mutual influence between a leader and those he leads reach their organisational goals by making changes together. According to Fielder (1967), the acid test of a leader is his ability to achieve greater performance for his organisation. Hence, studies of leadership must be related to how the leader improves management control strategies and how he regulates work place behaviour (Thomson & McHugh,à 2002).According to Cohen (2010), there are 8 laws that he termed ââ¬Å"universal lawsâ⬠which forms the heart of leadership. Though these 8 things that leaders must do are simple, the absence of one can make a difference between success and failure. Although success cannot be guaranteed, abiding by these 8 laws, one can increase the chances of success: 1.Maintaining absolute integrity2.Being technically competent 3.Communicating expectations 4.Show exemplary commitment 5.Expect positive results 6.Looking after the interest of your people 7.Putting duty before self 8.Lead ing from the frontSECTION 2 : Theories on LeadershipAccording to Bass (1990), the three basic theories of leadership are the Trait Theory, Great Event Theory and Transformation Theory. Robbins (1996) had a different view and wrote that the three theories important to leadership development are Trait Theory, Behaviour Theory and Situational Theory. French, et al, (2011) summarised and divided the theories on leadership into 2 categories: Traditional Theories and New Theories. Traditional Theories are further grouped into Theories on leader traits and behaviours and situational leadership. New theories refer to Charismatic Leadership and Transformational Leadership. See diagram below.Trait theories on leadership were developed from research which tried to identify attributes that great leaders were born with which differentiates them from non-leaders. How effective these leaders are depends on the influence the leader wields over his subordinateââ¬â¢s performance, satisfaction and overall effectiveness (Derue, et al, 2011). Galtonââ¬â¢s (1869) view that these immutable traits are only found in leaders born with them and they cannot be developed has been challenged and criticized by many for over a hundred years. However, research has continued on linking personality traits on effectiveness of leaders and showed that successful leaders possessà personality traits that impact their success.This helps organisations in their selection, training and development of potential leaders (Derue et al., 2011). In Bassââ¬â¢s (1990) Great Event Theory, leaders are created when great changes or crisis happen driving certain characteristics to be forged in individuals, enhancing their performance. This theory predisposes that leadership creation is still involuntary and not proactive unlike the Transformational Leadership Theory where anyone can learn skills on how to lead. It would appear that leaders are not ââ¬Ëbornââ¬â¢ but they are shaped by their environm ent, including upbringing and career. (French, et al, 2011)Criticisms of the trait theories led to the development of behaviour theories theorizing that actions and behaviour exhibited by a leader and not his personality is what identifies him as one. In late 1940s, University of Michigan conducted studies concluding that there are 2 types of leadership; Worker-oriented leadership and Task-oriented leadership. While the former is focussed on employee welfare, the latter concentrates on achievement of organisational objectives. Behavioural theory explains leadership vis-à -vis the behaviour of leaders but does not consider the situation or the environment that the leader is operating in. The criticism is that given different situations, the same leadership behaviours may not be observed.Shortcomings of the behaviour theories led to Situational Contingency Theories of Fiedler (1967), House (1974), Hersey and Blanchard (1988) and Kerr and Jermier (1978). Horner (1997), a situational theorist, says that an effective leader should be able to adapt his leadership style according to the work situation he is in. The leadership styles identified by Houseââ¬â¢s (1974) Path-Goal theory are Directive, Supportive, Participative and Achievement-oriented styles. Contemporary leadership theorists like House (1974) and Conger and Kanungo (1998) researched on Charismatic Leadership.They wrote that certain attitudes and attributes can be bundled together to determine charisma in a leader. What they do and how they do it to influence the desired actions from their followers is how charismatic leaders are successful as leaders (French, et al, 2011). Charisma is a key component of transformational leadership and as such, many of its characteristics are also found in successful transformational leaders. So while charismatic leaders may not be transformational leaders, transformational leaders need to be charismatic to achieve their mission of change (DuBrin, 2010).DuBrinà (20 10) wrote that transformational leaders display attributes that distinguish them from others. Some attributes include charisma, high emotional intelligence, visioning skills, communication skills, give feedback, recognize subordinateââ¬â¢s achievements, practice empowerment, innovative and high moral reasoning. Bass (1990) distinguished between Transactional and Transformational leadership saying that the former has to do with daily communications and exchanges between a leader and his subordinates. This is usually task-based and routine. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, enables subordinates to broaden their goals and elevate performance beyond expectations with the use of charisma, inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individualised consideration.SECTION 3 : Organisational ChangeThe mother of all clichà ©s, ââ¬Å"The only constant in life is changeâ⬠, sums up rather neatly that all organisations, large or small, simple or complex, will face changes wi thin itself and in its environment. Writers have consensus that at this day and age, change is a much larger issue than decades past as the rate of change, especially for technological change, is increasing at an exponential rate (Balogun and Hope Hailey, 2004; Burnes, 2004; Senior, 2002). Being omni-present in organisations at all levels, the importance of the leaderââ¬â¢s ability to assess its present stage, evaluate it against its desired state, define its performance gaps and plan organisational changes to reach the desired end cannot be emphasized more (Burnes, 2004).Burnes (2004) goes on to say that organisational strategy and change are inseparable. According to Moran and Brightman (2001), because of the continually changing needs of stakeholders internally and externally, a good leader will also be continuously planning the organisationââ¬â¢s direction, its capabilities and structure to meet those changes. Because organisational change is of paramount importance, the s kills that a leader must have to effect changes successfully are highly sought after (Senior, 2002). In fact, managers today may find that their primary task in an environment of globalisation, technological innovation, constantly changing demographics, deregulation and knowledge explosion, is to provide leadership for organisational change (Graetz, 2000)Organisational change can be planned or unplanned. Unplanned changes occurà spontaneously without any conscious effort on the part of the manager to effect change (French, et al, 2011). It is usually due to changes in the conditions of the environment and is reactive in nature. Planned change happens when the manager takes proactive measures to address a performance gap to get to desired outcomes that meet organisational goals and objectives. Although it is generally accepted that in a highly competitive environment, change is a necessity to survive, Balogun and Hope Hailey (2004) found that about 70 per cent of all plans for orga nisational change fail. According to Dunphy and Stace (1993), there are 4 characteristics in the scale of the change. They are Fine Tuning, Incremental Adjustment, Modular Transformation and Corporate Transformation.In Fine Tuning, the leader makes very small changes to processes, human capital, structure and strategy so they work coherently to reach the organisational goal. It is usually done within the divisional or departmental level and is referred to as convergent change (Nelson, 2003) Similar to fine tuning, Incremental Adjustment involves making slightly more changes to managerial processes, corporate strategies and structures but not to the extent of radical change (Senior, 2002). The difference is that the changes are bigger here. In Modular Transformation, the scale of change has move from being intra-departmental to departmental-wide or division-wide alignments.However, change in this category has not reached organisation-wide, which is discussed next. Major changes to ke y executives, restructuring of a division and downsizing a department are examples (Dunphy & Stace, 1993). Finally, Corporate Transformation which encompasses radical changes in mission, vision and core values, major strategic direction shifts, organisational restructuring and changes in top management and key appointments, is the largest of the 4 types of change (Dunphy & Stace, 1993). The key difference between corporate and modular transformations is that the former is organisation-wide, which means that every person in the organisation is affected. SECTION 4 : The Process of Change Beckhard & Gleicher (1969) wrote on a formula for change. This formula is sometimes referred to as Gleicherââ¬â¢s Formula. The formula shows the forcesà that drive change and the aims to predict when change will be successful.This formula explains that leaders in an organisation need to be firstly, unhappy with how things are going and must know where they want to head towards. If D is absent, th en the organisation may be complacent and may not want to move from their position. D without V will mean that the organisation has no direction for change. Even if D and V are present, without taking the first positive step, change will just be an idea; hence, action must be taken.Therefore the product of D, V and F cannot be zero which means that any of the 3 values cannot be zero. If any of the 3 is absent, the drive to change will not overcome resistance. The other factor to consider is the magnitude of D, V and F against the magnitude of R. The product of D, V and F must be greater than R for there to be change. The greater the product, the greater the probability that change will happen. However, this formula does not guarantee that the change will be successful. For change to be successful, change leaders or change agents must have attributes to lead change.There are many reasons why people resist change and it usually has to do with the fear of the unknown. As a result, they will find ways to slow change down or sabotage it so it does not happen (Lines, 2004). Instead of trying to overcome resistance, leaders should take it as a form of feedback and understand why the employee perceives threats to win them over and achieve change objectives (French, et al, 2011).SECTION 5 : Phases of ChangeThe work of Kurt Lewin on phases of planned change is oft quoted and still very relevant today. He says that the 3 phases are ââ¬Å"Unfreezingâ⬠, ââ¬Å"Changingâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Refreezingâ⬠and the leader should be sensitive in each of these phases (Lewin, 1952). ââ¬Å"Unfreezingâ⬠or preparation phase prepares the ground for change. Leaders will have convinced themselves of a need for change using the Formula for Change. What they have to do now is to enable his followers to feel the same need and reduce resistance to change.French, et al, (2011) referred to this phase as similar to ââ¬Å"generating energy for transformationâ⬠in Milesâ⬠⢠(1997) framework for planned organizational change leadership. Lewinââ¬â¢s unfreezing phase also includes what Miles refers to as ââ¬Å"Developing a vision of the futureâ⬠. The leader needs to communicate thisà vision effectively to his followers and ensure buy-in for his changes to succeed. The 8-stage process of change by Kotter (1996) lists the first 4 stages as : â⬠¢Establishing a Sense of Urgencyâ⬠¢Creating a Guiding Coalition â⬠¢Developing a Vision and Strategy â⬠¢Communicating the Change VisionKotter refers to these 4 stages as ââ¬Å"defrostingâ⬠which essentially means unfreezing. He says that managers sometimes skip these 4 stages and go headlong into restructuring or downsizing and eventually face insurmountable roadblocks or change that is not sustainable, that is, change that will not stick. The next phase of change, ââ¬Å"Changingâ⬠, according to Lewin (1952), refers to the nitty-gritty nuts and bolts of change like re-structur ing, re-organisation, reshaping culture, training and development to build competencies required to fulfil the new vision. According to Miles (1997), this is referred to as ââ¬Å"aligning the internal contextâ⬠. Kotter (1996), on the other hand, splits this phase into 3 more stages in his 8-stage process of creating major change: â⬠¢Empowering Broad-based Actionâ⬠¢Generating Short-term Wins â⬠¢Consolidating Gains and Producing more ChangeLewinââ¬â¢s (1952) final phase, ââ¬Å"Refreezingâ⬠, is where leaders evaluate results and either makes modifications to improve results from the change or reinforce outcomes for achieving change objectives. The purpose of refreezing is so that change can be permanent and will ââ¬Å"stickâ⬠. Miles refers to this as ââ¬Å"Creating a transformation process architectureâ⬠which involves having feedback and communication mechanisms, support, education mechanisms and coordination mechanisms. This stage coincides with Kotterââ¬â¢s final stage in his 8-stage process called ââ¬Å"Anchoring New Approaches in the Cultureâ⬠.SECTION 6 : Leadership and Organisational ChangeSetting direction, giving inspiration and ensuring that lasting change is implemented organisation-wide is a key role that all leaders play. Good leadership and management of change is a critical ingredient in organisational change because it is essentially a people issue and human nature is such that its first instinct is to resist change (Coburn, 2006). Lack of effort, too great a change over too short a time and emphasis on top management rather than engaging lower levels are key reasons for failure to execute change programmes (Manikandan, 2010).It is critical to understand that organizations consist of complex human interactions such that all intended change needs to be handled with sensitivity. Change initiatives fail not because of the lack of intelligent leaders or noble causes but due to the lack of emotional buy-in from stakeholders. So leaders of change need to have skills and competencies to ensure successful change initiatives. Buchanan & Boddy (1992) grouped 15 core competencies and skills into 5 clusters:Diagram 1 : Buchanan & Boddââ¬â¢s Clustering of Skills and Competencies Buchanan & Boddy (1992) grouped the skills and competencies into clusters of activities. However, upon analysis, they can be grouped into 2 broad categories; Competencies & Attributes of good leaders and Communication & EQ Skills of good leaders. This is illustrated in the diagram below.Diagram 2 : Grouping Skills into Competencies and Skills Competencies & AttributesA successful leader must be sensitive to his environment, including but not limited to being aware of market conditions, intra-company politics, conflicting goals of different departments, how the sum of parts in an organisation works together to achieve its goals (helicopter viewpoint) and who the power brokers are within the organisation. Having thi s competency will enable the change leader to appraise the status quo and determine the gap that needs to be closed in order to reach the new vision. Hence, the leaderââ¬â¢s comprehension and clarity of his vision will be enhanced. ââ¬Å"Flexibilityâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Tolerance of ambiguityâ⬠might well be two sides of the same coin. Not all changes will go according to plan nor all reactions to change, especially resistance, are predictable.Hence, a good leader will have a fair amount of tolerance of the unknown and in exhibiting this, be flexible enough to modify his change plans to reach his objectives and to minimise resistance to change. Finally, the leader must have enthusiasm as he is the change agent. He is the champion of that change and if he cannotà show that he believes in it and is behind it 100%, he will not be able to get buy-in for it. Communication & EQ SkillsThe skills listed in this box are all related to skills in effective communications but tempered w ith a good measure of emotional quotient (EQ). As discussed above, the challenges in change management are mainly found in the management of people. Hence, EQ in communication is key to success. Effective communication where the message is conveyed accurately from the sender to the receiver is a basic requirement of any leader. However for a change leader, communicating while exercising EQ will make the message more acceptable to the recipient and hence enhance successful change.This is especially true when a leader wants to ââ¬Ësellââ¬â¢ the idea of change or when he ââ¬Ënegotiatesââ¬â¢ for a win-win solution to effect changes. He has to use all his ââ¬Ëinfluenceââ¬â¢ and exhibit charismatic leadership to win the support of his colleagues and subordinates. How he does this may be through the use of ââ¬Ëmotivationââ¬â¢. Using his EQ, the leader will be able to empathise with his subordinates and understand their fears and concerns know what motivates them and use this in his effort to garner support or reduce resistance.The leader needs to use his ââ¬Ënetworkingââ¬â¢ skills to access resources within and outside the company in order to implement his change plan. One must not forget that in transformational change, everyone and every department in an organisation will be affected. Hence the leader cannot work in isolation. Finally, using ââ¬Ëteambuildingââ¬â¢ skills, the leader can build a cohesive force to successfully implement all the changes that the organisation wants to put in place and make those changes stick or in the words of Lewin (1983), ââ¬Å"Refreezeâ⬠.SECTION 7 : ConclusionFor over a century, behavioural scientists, psychologists and even sociologists have studied leadership, trying to define, explain and even predict situations when leadership qualities and attributes will be displayed. They have tried to explain if leadership is inborn or a result of the external environment. Whether it is inherent in p ersonality or whether it can be learnt and developed. Contemporary theorists conclude that although certain traits that are inborn are those found in greatà leaders, other attributes of good leadership can indeed be developed.Organisational change, inescapable as it were, is a challenge for leaders. Leaders need to prepare the ground and communicate the changes needed to move the organisation forward (Unfreeze), make the changes with sensitivity and exercise EQ (Change) and get buy-in and support for the changes to make them stick (Refreeze). To execute change plans, leaders need to have the communication skills, EQ, competencies and attributes required for transformational change.
Friday, September 13, 2019
THE DECISION TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI Essay
THE DECISION TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI - Essay Example he loss is the result of the use of mass destruction nuclear means for just two days, then the question of the expediency and necessity of such a step of the US military operation rises. Taking into account the USA commandââ¬â¢s belief of the Japanese capitulation being fostered by the threat of possible continuing of atomic bombing, can the fact of mass civiliansââ¬â¢ killing be justified or not? The question of the appropriateness of the atomic bombings of Japan and their role for the end of World War II as well as their ethical validity is still the subject of scientific and public debates. There are numerous for and against arguments in this respect, and the followers of every version have particular data for support their ideas. First of all, letââ¬â¢s see what facts may prove the justification of dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The main reason for such a decision is the desire to stop the bloody war by Japanese capitulation as quickly as possible, for preventing the massive casualties on both sides during the invasion on the territory of the belligerent powers. It was assumed that there would be great losses among the armed forces and civilian population in any case, reasoning in the military offensive or the continuation of the food blockade of Japan by overlapping not only sea routes of import but land ones as well. Feeling the whole responsibility for the consequences of his words lay on his shoulders the American President Truman says: The opponents of dropping of atomic bombs see no military necessity in their usage for Japan was suffering from bombing every day and was almost ready to capitulate. Another reason not to justify the decision of the US command, soul touching one, is the immoral nature of such a way of killing people which is perceived as a war crime against humanity and the genocide. According to the words of admiral William D. Leahy, President Trumanââ¬â¢s Chief of Staff, the nuclear means like atomic bombs are not
Thursday, September 12, 2019
English as an Academic Language in the UAE Research Paper
English as an Academic Language in the UAE - Research Paper Example Language education in such states is largely governed by Anglo-American undergraduate academic structures and language books. The general term employed to refer to the teaching of English language as a foreign language is ELT or English Language Teaching. Since the 1950s, ELT has expanded exponentially in order to provide quality English language education not only in Europe but in Asian countries as well. Today, English is a ââ¬Ëworld languageââ¬â¢ and therefore the primary concern of ELT professionalism is to not only concentrate on the provision of world class linguistic skills but also to promote other pedagogical aspects of English language. Unfortunately, ELT has a number of political, cultural and social ramifications, some of which pose serious obstacles in the continuation of English language education in some of the prominent Asian countries such as the United Arab Emirates. (Wodak, R., & Corson, D.1997). The research paper concentrates on some of the major political, social and cultural issues surrounding the teaching of English at undergraduate level. Development of ELT: ELT professionalism evolved on the basis of diverse sources. One such source was the development of educational programs focusing on adult foreign language learning throughout the European countries and UAE. Another valuable source in the development of ELT was the exponential growth of anthropological and structural linguistics in the United States of America. Moreover, the influence of anthropological and structural linguistics development has not only been limited to the territorial boundaries of the United States but has also permeated and influenced the educational system of United Arab Emirates. The third most important source in the development of ELT professionalism was the education in British colonial states. An important aspect of ELT development in colonial states was: first, the development was a perfect reflection of the events that happened in the metropolis, an d second, it simply failed to address the cultural, political and social educational needs of the inhabitants of the vast British Empire. Thus, the colonized people were more or less treated as puppets loyal to the British officials. However, certain factors posed obstacles in the development of ELT professionalism. One such factor was the development of other European languages such as French. (Wodak, R., & Corson, D.1997). During the time the cold war broke out, Americans used English as an efficient and non-armed way to spread their influence. The federal government allocated a substantial amount of funds to be utilized in the development of English education around the world. The extent of American involvement in the development of English education can be analyzed by the fact that by 1949, more than 40 American agencies were dedicated to spread English education worldwide. Furthermore, US Information Agency together with many foundations such as Ford and Rockefeller played a de cisive role in the establishment of TESOL worldwide and also to include diverse resources in the profession of ELT. By the mid 1960ââ¬â¢s, Ford and Rockefeller were involved in more than 38 countries to incorporate TESOL as an academic discipline. ELT professionalism basically involves traditional classroom activities including curriculum development, testing methods and teacher training programs.(Wodak, R., & Cors
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Religion and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Religion and Society - Essay Example This led to the conclusion that Protestantism in Europe helped to shape capitalism thereby having a profound effect on economic systems across Europe. I hold the opinion that religion and economy are closely linked and both have a major contribution in the society. Religion affects how people relate with each other and themselves, thereby having a huge impact on the views, opinions and beliefs of individuals with regard to other activities that they are engaged in within their societies. These opinions, worldviews and beliefs are then transferred in business where people exchange goods and services using recognized media of exchange. Religious values such as love, respect, trust hard work and other doctrines such as salvation, sin and predestination also shape how people view ownership, use and disposal of property (Johnstone, 2007). Religion encourages people to be diligent and take care of the surroundings in a way that pleases the Supreme Being, through hard work. Max Weber, realizing the influence of religion on individuals sought to analyze how such influence affected how individuals perceived the economy and business in general. In his theory, Max Weber attempts to elucidate the emergence of Europe and its uniqueness as a dominant economic force globally. Protestantism forms the core of his theory on the origins of capitalism as a major economic model. Capitalism emerged in the 17th century; concurrently with the Protestant reformation, that was taking place in Europe (Johnstone, 2007). During this time, religion was very important to most people and had a lot of influence in their actions and ways of thinking. According to Weber, capitalism began from religion and not from any technological developments that had started springing in the society at the time. Calvinist religions in Germany in particular were very fundamental in shaping the economic system in Germany and across Europe. Weber believed that the work ethic of
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Prcis of journal article Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Prcis of journal article - Term Paper Example From the onset, this article is setting the tone for change as a challenging form of opposition related to achieving corporate goals so that the ready fully understands the nature of change in a dynamic organization. The authors refute the pre-existing notion that change can be classified under logical characterization perceptions and even indicate that resistance may be caused by the change agents themselves through their own actions or misguided principles in use for change practices. Change is proposed to be a reaction to the relationship between the change recipients and the agent based on the quality of the relationship dynamics between the two (or lack thereof). The authors are suggesting that when change agents automatically believe that all resistance to change objectives are negative, they miss out on opportunities to halt resistance in a more positive method. The article is challenging the notion that change is a predictable situation occurring of phenomena that is removed from the presence of the change agent, with the agent taking a role as that of a metaphorical umpire that simply dictates compliance using structured methods to combat change. Rather, the article imposes on the reader that change resistance is invariably linked to the attitudes or behavior of the change agent and cannot be separated in all instances where resistance is present. This is an interesting notion considering that most researchers define change resistance from a sort of orderly and predictable pattern of behavior, usually psychologically-based, that has defined and structured methods of combating it. Instead, this article takes a more realistic viewpoint about resistance by defining it as being ambiguous and somewhat unique to the organizational culture that resides at the business or organization. ANALYSIS RELATED TO CHANGE RESISTANCE The article describes the phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy which is essentially when beliefs or attitudes about a situation or em ployee population have a direct form of bias on behavior or method in management or in reducing resistance to change. A self-fulfilling prophecy is one where an individual believes that a certain outcome is going to occur and, through their own actions, bring this consequence to reality. When someone carries these attitudes, expecting automatically to find resistance in a new change effort, resistance will likely be the outcome (Ford, et al.). There is a danger in this type of thinking as pre-set, biased, and false beliefs that resistance will absolutely be a product of change agent efforts will lead the change agent to act somewhat deceptively in the process of creating new change policies. The article indicates they might hide concepts or build irrational systems to combat change, based solely on their perceptions, thus leading to resistance through these efforts. This is an interesting point of view and it makes sense considering that such attitudes can have a direct impact on be havioral approaches. Pre-established and false notions related to resistance expectations would have a broader impact on psychology and the social dynamics associated with new change principles, and thus the notion of the self-fulfilling prophecy would seem to be supported by most psychologically-based literature on human behavior. Further, the article
Monday, September 9, 2019
What is meant by conservative vs. non-conservative amino acid Essay
What is meant by conservative vs. non-conservative amino acid substitutions in a protein, what are the possible implications of each, including a possible impact upon nutrition - Essay Example On the other hand a non conservative amino acid substitution brings about a change in the protein. There is a remarkable change in the position, shape and other attributes of the amino acid arrangement. Non Conservative amino acid substitutions result in changes in the protein which can be described as mutations. Occurrence of mutations may cause malfunctioning of the protein (Krawczak, 48). Many chemical changes cause damage to the DNA. There are different mutations that affect the functioning of the gene in different ways. Because of this abnormalities in body and blood function such as sickle cell anemia can be witnessed. Mutations can block protein synthesis, disrupt transcription and splicing, produce protein products that are truncated, and generally disrupt the functioning of proteins (Krawczak, 47). Mutations affect the functioning of red blood cells so that transportation of oxygen to the cell becomes very difficult. Body nutrition is therefore adversely affected (Chasman, 6 90). Chasman Dennis. and Adams Ramney. Predicting the functional consequences of non- synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms: structure-based assessment of amino acid variation.à J. Mol. Biol.,307, 2001, 683ââ¬â706. Krawczak Mariam., Ball Egler. Fenton Insar., Stenson Pardy, Abeysinghe Sam., Thomas Nick. and Cooper Dick. Human gene mutation database-a biomedical information and research resource.à Hum. Mutat.,à 15, 2000,
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