Understanding the Big Five Personality Traits

Todays psychologists agree that personality can be described by five broad traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Together, these traits make up the five-factor model of personality known as the Big Five. Key Takeaways: Big Five Personality Traits The Big Five personality traits are openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.Each trait represents a continuum. Individuals can fall anywhere on the continuum for each trait.Evidence suggests that personality is highly stable during adulthood, although small changes may be possible. Origin of the Big Five Model The Big Five, as well as other models that specify human personality traits, arises from the lexical hypothesis, which was first proposed by Francis Galton in the 1800s. The lexical hypothesis states that every natural language contains all the personality descriptions that are relevant and important to the speakers of that language. In 1936, pioneering psychologist Gordon Allport and his colleague Henry Odbert explored this hypothesis by going through an unabridged English dictionary and creating a list of 18,000 words related to individual differences. Approximately 4,500 of those terms reflected personality traits. This sprawling set of terms gave psychologists interested in the lexical hypothesis a place to start, but it wasnt useful for research, so other scholars attempted to narrow the set of words down. Eventually, in the 1940s, Raymond Cattell and his colleagues used statistical methods to reduce the list to a set of only 16 traits. Several additional scholars analyzed Cattell’s work, including Donald Fiske in 1949, and they all came to a similar conclusion: the data contained a strong, stable set of five traits. However, it wasnt until the 1980s that the Big Five began to receive wider scholarly attention. Today, the Big Five is a ubiquitous part of psychology research, and psychologists largely agree that personality can be grouped into the five basic traits specified by the Big Five. The Big Five Traits Each Big Five trait represents a continuum. For example, the trait of extraversion’s opposite is introversion. Together, extraversion and introversion make up opposing ends of a spectrum for that Big Five trait. People can be very extraverted or very introverted, but most people will fall somewhere in between the extremes of the spectrum.   Its also important to remember that each trait of the Big Five is very broad, representing a cluster of many personality characteristics. These characteristics are more specific and granular than each of the five traits as a whole. Thus, each trait can be defined in general and also broken down into several facets. Openness to Experience If you possess high openness to experience, you are open to all the original and complex things life has to offer, both experientially and mentally. The opposite of openness to experience is close-mindedness. Individuals with this trait are usually: CuriousImaginativeArtisticInterested in many thingsExcitableUnconventional Conscientiousness Conscientiousness means having good impulse control, which enables individuals to fulfill tasks and meet goals. Conscientious behavior includes planning and organization, delaying gratification, avoiding compulsive action, and following cultural norms. The opposite of conscientiousness is lack of direction. Key facets of conscientiousness include: CompetenceOrder, or organizational skillsDutifulness, or a lack of carelessnessAchievement through hard workSelf-disciplineBeing deliberate and controlled Extraversion Extraverted individuals who draws their energy from their interactions with the social world. Extraverts are sociable, talkative, and outgoing. The opposite of extraversion is introversion. Extraverts are typically: GregariousAssertiveActiveExcitement-seekingEmotionally positive and enthusiasticWarm and outgoing Agreeableness The trait of agreeableness refers to a positive and altruistic orientation. This trait enables individuals to see the best in others, trust others, and behave prosocially. The opposite of agreeableness is antagonism. Agreeable people are often: Trusting and forgivingStraightforward and undemandingAltruisticAffable and amenableModestSympathetic to others Neuroticism Neuroticism refers to a tendency towards negative emotions and includes experiences like feeling anxious and depressed. The opposite of neuroticism is emotional stability. Key facets of neuroticism include: Anxiety and tensionAngry hostility and irritability,Depression,Self-consciousness and shyness,Being impulsive and moodyLack of self-confidence The acronym OCEAN is a handy device for the traits specified by the Big Five. Can Personality Be Changed? Personality traits tend to be highly stable during adulthood. While some gradual shifts in personality traits may be possible, these shifts are generally not drastic. In other words, if an individual is low on the trait of extraversion (meaning they are more introverted than extraverted), they are likely to stay that way, though they may become slightly more or less extraverted over time. This consistency is partially explained by genetics, which plays a significant role in the traits one develops. For example, one twin study showed that when the Big Five personality traits of identical and fraternal twins were assessed, the influence of genetics was 61% for openness to experience, 44% for conscientiousness, 53% for extraversion, and 41% for both agreeableness and neuroticism. Environment may indirectly reinforce inherited traits as well. For instance, in creating an environment that works with their own traits, parents also create an environment that works with their children’s traits. Similarly, as adults, people choose environments that reinforce and support their traits. The Big Five in Childhood Research on the Big Five has been criticized in the past for focusing primarily on adult personality development and ignoring the development of these traits in children. Yet, recent research has shown that children as young as five have the ability to describe their personality and that by six, children begin to show consistency and stability in the traits of conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. Two other studies showed that while the Big Five seems to manifest in children, childrens personalities may also include additional traits. One study of American adolescent boys found that in addition to the Big Five traits, participants also displayed two additional traits. The researchers labeled these as irritability  (negative affect that led to developmentally inappropriate behaviors like whining and tantrums) and activity (energy and physical activity). Another study of Dutch children of both sexes between the ages of 3 and 16 also found two additional personality traits. While one was similar to the activity trait found in the previously discussed study, the other, dependency (relying on others), was different. Age Differences in Personality Traits Research has suggested the Big Five traits evolve with age over the life span. In an analysis of 92 longitudinal studies that examined changes in personality traits from youth to old age, scholars found that people became more conscientious, less neurotic, and increase in social dominance, a facet of extraversion, as they get older. People also became more agreeable in old age. And while adolescents were more open to experience and demonstrated greater social vitality, another facet of extraversion, especially during the college years, people decreased in these traits during old age. Sources Allport, Gordon W. and Henry S. Odbert. â€Å"Trait-Names: A Psycho-Lexical Study.† Psychological Monographs, vol. 47, no. 1, 1936, pp. i-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0093360Cattell, Raymond B. â€Å"The description of Personality: Basic Traits Resolved Into Clusters.† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 38, vol. 4, 1943, pp. 476-506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0054116Costa, Paul T., and Robert R. McCrae. â€Å"The NEO-PI-R: Professional Manual.† Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992. http://www.sjdm.org/dmidi/NEO_PI-R.htmlDigman, John M. â€Å"Personality Structure: Emergence of the Five-Factor Model.† Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 41, 1990, pp. 417-440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.41.020190.002221Fiske, Donald W. â€Å"Consistency of the Factorial Structures of Personality Ratings from Difference Sources.† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 44, 1949, pp. 329-344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0057198Jang, K erry J., John Livesley, and Philip A. Vernon. â€Å"Heritability of the Big Five Personality Dimensions and Their Facets: A Twin Study.† Journal of Personality, vol. 64, no. 3, 1996, pp. 577-592. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00522.xJohn, Oliver P., Avshalom Caspi, Richard W. Robins, Terrie E. Moffitt, and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber. â€Å"The ‘Little Five’: Exploring The Nomological Network of the Five-Factor Model of Personality in Adolescent Boys. Child Development, vol. 65, 1994, pp. 160-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00742.xJohn, Oliver P., Laura P. Naumann, and Christopher J. Soto. â€Å"Paradigm Shift to the Integrative Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Conceptual Issues.† Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 3rd ed., edited by Oliver P. John, Richard W. Robins, and Lawrence A. Pervin, The Guilford Press, 2008, pp. 114-158.John, Oliver P. and Sanjay Srivastava. â€Å"The Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Theoretical Perspectives.† Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 2nd ed., edited by Lawrence A. Pervin, and Oliver P. John, The Guilford Press, 1999, pp. 102-138.McAdams, Dan P. â€Å"Can Personality Change? Levels of Stability and Growth In Personality Across the Life Span.† Can Personality Change? edited by Todd F. Heatherton and Joel L. Weinberger, American Psychological Association, 1994, pp. 299-313. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/10143-027McAdams, Dan. The Person: An Introduction to the Science of Personality Psychology. 5th ed., Wiley, 2008.Measelle, Jeffrey R., Oliver P. John, Jennifer C. Ablow, Philip A. Cowan, and Carolyn P. Cowan. â€Å"Can Children Provide Coherent, Stable, and Valid Self-Reports on the Big Five Dimensions? A Longitudinal Study from Ages 5 to 7. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 89, 2005, pp. 90-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.89.1.90Roberts, Brent W., Kate E. Walton, and Wolfgang Viec htbauer. â€Å"Patterns of Mean-Level Change in Personality Traits Across the Life Course: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.† Psychological Bulletin, vol. 132. No. 1, 2006, pp. 1-35.  Van Lieshout, Cornelis F. M. and Gerbert J. T. Haselager. â€Å"The Big Five Personality Factors in Q-Sort Descriptions of Children and Adolescents.† The Developing Structure of Temperament and Personality From Infancy to Adulthood, edited by Charles F. Halverson, Gedolph A. Kohnstamm, and Roy P. Martin, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1994, pp. 293-318.

The Health Care System Within The United States - 2541 Words

Although the health care system within the United States has operated on a fee-for-service system in which a provider benefits by being paid per treatment or procedure given to a patient, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has influenced us to look into alternative forms of provider reimbursement. One form of reimbursement that has recently been highlighted as a potential means to lower health care expenditures are bundled payments, which are also known as episode-based payment. Bundled payments are being touted as a means to reduce national health expenditures, increase coordination of care, and improve quality of care; however like any other form of provider reimbursement there are advantages as well as disadvantages that need to be analyzed. A bundled payment provides a physician with a set amount of money upfront in order to efficiently treat a patient’s condition; the amount of money is determined on the basis of a specific condition. A bundled payment provides an estimated reimbursement for all in-patient and outpatient services needed for an episode of care. For instance if a patient fractures their hip and needs hip replacement surgery, a bundled payment will provide reimbursement for all hospital services, surgical implants, all costs of physician services provided and will cover costs related to the episode within ninety days after being discharged from the hospital. The majority of bundled payment programs offered are for episodes of care such asShow MoreRelatedThe Health Care System Within The United States1516 Words   |  7 Pages The health care system within the United States is facing numerous problems. Even after the passing of the Affordable Care Act many Americans remain uninsured or underinsur ed. This results in citizens facing financial blockades in receiving care at a primary level and often waiting till the health issue has escalated to the point of needing hospitalization before seeking care. 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Business Intelligence Regression and Multilevel Models - Free Sample

Question: Discuss abouit the Business Intelligence for Regression and Multilevel Models. Answer: Significance of the project The methodology of data mining is mainly consisted of searching of huge data stores that have been prepared on the basis of discovering the various types of trends and patterns. It has been found that the mathematical algorithms are mainly used as here the data segment is sent and evaluated on the basis of the events in the future. In addition to this, it has been noted that the properties are associated with a special type of pattern called automatic discovery pattern where the predictions are implemented. These said predictions are implemented on the basis of the development of the actionable information. It has been found that Gelman et al. (2006) stated that the larger sets of the databases and the data along with the automatic discovery pattern have been mainly highlighted. This has been set by the models buildings. From the detailed analysis, it has been highlighted that the set of the data is only for the data mining execution that can be used for the development of the genera lizable model in order to create the new data. According to the research study, it has been identified that there are various predictive forms for the data mining and these are quite capable for handling the methodology of predicting and working on the basis of the related probability system. In addition to these, there are many rules and regulations that are related to the various supportive forms of data mining. This particular model is created on the basis of the identification of the various segments along with the record of driving for the information regarding actions. Detailed analysis has indicated that there are various types of data mining and statistics and here various technologies are implemented for setting up the statistical framework. Additionally, this statistical framework has been developed on the basis of handling the validations along with the correctness of model. These patterns are prepared on the basis of the larger data sets that can work on the automation m odel along with the handling factor of the patterns of data mining and the OLAP. It has been found that the OLAP mainly works on different activities like allocation of the costs, analysis of the time series and the summarization of the data and database. However, this is created on the basis of the process of inference that is mainly useful for handling the various workings on different features of data mining and indicative inference. According to Crawley (2002) the OLAP mainly works on the included hierarchies that are fully supportive and these views are able to analyze the firms and the works that are directed towards the integration of various ways. The OLAP is defined as a multidimensional view that involves the analysis and support of the business of an organization that have several concepts regarding dimensions along with various patterns. It has been found that there are various ways through which data mining can be used for the development of new values, different types of cube and the dimensions. However, if the analysis of the results is done through predictive data, then it could be used for the customization of the aggregation process and the measures. Data Transformations Whenever the data has been completely formatted and when there is a proper set up of the data, this process is used for handling such types of system. The information capturing process would be handled by the destination source and it is set by them itself. The transformation of the complete program works on the code generation. The complex transformation having many to one pattern and one to one pattern is provided with the element sing this particular system. The mapping of the code generation is issued to handle the executable program that helps in maintaining the different language with ease while running on the computer program. Provided this, the recasting of the transformation is worked by the usage of master data. This is where the data base concerning different values is working on the data extractions. There is a network of the foreign key patterns which forms a part of the well designed pattern (Liang et al., 1986). The pattern of the original cost index would be able to a ssess the different costs and such types of pattern would be handled by the unique database index. The languages, which are mainly responsible for the transformation of the data into documents, are comprised of language of template, AWK and perl. The transformation of the data and the source of code are provided by the patterns. The useful information are able to achieve with the help of using the transformational language and the useful informations include text pad and tax editors such as emacs. The ext pad is used to support the use of regular expressions in a different way and the support would include the complete argument structure. There has been working on the handling of invocation with the use of different functions and this would replace the use of the single functions. The regular expression need not be performed if the test could not be performed and when there is no adequate performance on the data (Agresti et al., 2011). Data Cleansing The data cleansing also popularly known as scrubbing data indicates the process of detection as well as correction of the corrupt or else incorrect data from a specified dataset. As rightly put forward by Hair (2010), data cleansing refers to the process of the operating appropriately for uncovering and at the same time rectification of the tarnished records. The data cleansing refers to the different large data set that are presented in tables, charts and other statistical tools. The dataset can thereby be utilized for detecting different unfinished and at the same time incorrect data. However, data cleansing also help in the process of modification of the entire data with the assimilation of different tools and batch processing by way of scripting. (Hair, 2010). As such, the data cleansing can also help in the handling different data set in a system. The particular procedure also helps in removal of different types of inconsistencies and at the same time, errors that are primarily committed due to the entry errors (Gelman Hill, 2006). Again, there is diverse process based on the validation of data in which the data can be rejected right at the entry level. However, the procedures of data cleansing mainly involve removal of diverse errors and validation of data along with correction of different values. As rightly indicated by Crawley (2002), different patterns of cleansing the data refers to the need for scrutinizing the validated set of data together with the addition of the information. This process of data cleansing also depends of actions such as the harmonization as well as standardization. Methods for Analysis The applicable method is that of the regression analysis that in turn can be used for approximation of the associations. The current procedure comprises of different techniques that is essentially based on management of different types of associations between diverse variables (Gelman Hill, 2006). However, several techniques can be used for modelling as well as evaluation of the nature of association in the regression analysis. The regression analysis is primarily founded on the different dependent and at the same time independent interpreter. Therefore, the regression analysis also calls for the need of concentrating on different criteria in which the analysis is mainly based on the management of conditional anticipations (Crawley, 2002). Again, the regression analysis also has the need for enumeration of the mean value with the identified fixed variable. Furthermore, the parameters are also set for the purpose of distribution that is entirely dependent on different functions that can target for regression analysis. In addition to this, different patterns can also characterize the differences in the variables that are founded on probability distribution. Again, in regression analysis, there is a wide possibility of future forecast and forecasting procedures (Hair, 2010). As such, the regression analysis, is therefore, based on management of the ground of machine learning. The understanding of the regression analysis is fundamentally based on exploration of different types of association by different independent variables. The present type of analysis thereby includes the causal firm of association. The techniques mainly relates to the ordinary read square method and linear progression method, which are completely parametric. If there is a need to relate the approach which have been used , the performance is made on the basis of the process of data generating. This would enable the system to work on the responsive variables and on the responses of the effects of the observations. There is a need to continue the research in that area, as the patterns are metric regressions. The basis of regression is on the parameters, which include different types of non-parametric regressions and different types of missing data (Gelman et al, 2006). The different underlying operations that are working on the measurement of the model pattern with no errors would be included in this. The variable covariance and the error seem to be uncorrelated. The setup is done on the basis of the parameters which seems to be efficient, consistent and completely unbiased. The data, which is used for anaklysis a nd work on the assumption, is not required. However, the assumptions used needs to based on the usefulness of the model and the methodology and it has to be of the statistical analysis. The variable has been identified with the trend of spatial autocorrelation. Data Set The dataset has some missing values, which has been filtered out using Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts in Excel. The missing values has been found in the following columns of the data set: 1. First Seen Clinician Date 2. First Seen Clinician Time 3. First Seen Nurse Time 4. First Seen Nurse Date These values has been cleansed using Pivot Chart. The cells with blanks have been omitted from data analysis. The final data so obtained has been exported into another Excel sheet, on which the analysis can be performed. The pivot chart of obtained is: Reference Gelman, A., Hill, J. (2006).Data analysis using regression and multilevel/hierarchical models. Cambridge University Press. Crawley, M. J. (2002). Statistical computing: An introduction to data analysis using. Liang, K. Y., Zeger, S. L. (1986). Longitudinal data analysis using generalized linear models.Biometrika,73(1), 13-22. Hair, J. F. (2010).Multivariate data analysis. Pearson College Division. Agresti, A., Kateri, M. (2011).Categorical data analysis(pp. 206-208). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Memory Improvement Strategies free essay sample

Memory Improvement strategies are split into two main groups which are organisation and mnemonics. Organisation this is when you categorise things into groups to aid memory recall. One method of organisation could be to construct a mind map. Research showing that organisation aids memory recall†¦ * Shuell two groups of participants were presented with a list of words. For one group the words were in a random order, whereas for the other group they were arranged under categories. After looking at the list, paticipants were asked to recall as many words as they could remember. * Participants who had the organised lists recalled significantly more words than participants who had random lists. * Mandler participants were given 52 cards with a randomly selected word on each card, they were then asked to sort the cards into between 2 – 7 categories of their choice. They were then asked to recall as many words as they could remember. The more categories the participants had used, the higher their recall of words. We will write a custom essay sample on Memory Improvement Strategies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Research showing that organisation does not aid memory recall†¦ * Deese participants were presented with lists of associated words for example: thread, pin, eye, thimble, sewing, sharp. The participants were then asked to recall the words. * Deese found that a non-presented word such as needle was recalled by a large proportion of participants because they had organised it into a group with the words that had been presented. Mnemonic Techniques artificial methods used to enhance people’s memory involving providing a structure so that even random material can be organised effectively at the time of learning and can then be easily recalled. The following are some mnemonic techniques†¦ Method of Loci used to help remember a list of unrelated words. * You would think of a route you take regularly and you would then associate the words to locations on the route. * For example, one word might be eagle and on your route you may see a post box. You could imagine the eagle sitting on the post box. Research showing that the method of loci aids memory recall was carried out by†¦ * Bower asked participants to recall five lists of 20 nouns, one group used the method of loci and one did not. * The group using the method of loci recalled 72% of the nouns compared with only 28% in the group that did not use the method of loci. Story Method used to remember a list of unrelated words by linking them together within the context of a story.Research showing that the story method aids memory recall was carried out by†¦ * Bower and Clark they gave participants 12 lists of 10 nouns to recall, one group used the story method whereas the other group did not. * The group who used the story method recalled 93% of the nouns compared to only 13% in the other group. Face-name System helps to remember names. * You have to think of an image linked to the name of the person and link this image to a prominent feature on the person’s face. * For example – if someone was called Rachel Egginton you could imagine her with an egg on her head. Evaluation Strength all the strategies are effective in improving memory because they capitalise on our previous knowledge. Strength – organisation aids memory recall because it helps to chunk information together into categories and we cannot remember more than 7 chunks of information at any one time. Strength the face-name system has an application to the real world in that teachers often have to remember the names of many pupils. Weakness it is not clear which previous knowledge is used and why that particular knowledge is used. Weakness the methods often lack ecological validity – people do not have to remember a list of unrelated words in real life. Weakness – the techniques cannot be applied to more complex learning, for example understanding explanations of schizophrenia.

Amex Hungary free essay sample

He is faced with a variety of challenges such as high employee turnover, high percentage of unemployment with a large number of unmotivated burned out workers and bureaucracy in the public sector. He underestimated the challenges and was overconfident on his abilities and now it seems like the issues are mountains that needs to be moved. Analysis The issue with staffing is really obvious due to the fact that he has hired sixteen employees, four quit within three days and six were let go after the trial period due to absenteeism (Larson, E. W. , amp; Gray, 2011). His existing staff were no where to be found and will not even call him and let him know personally why they are not at work. This shows lack of respect, professionalism, structure and discipline on the part of his staff. It is also a reflection and indication of his leadership and management skills. We will write a custom essay sample on Amex Hungary or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On his main job of establishing 10-14 stations he met with a prospect that he met from a reception sponsored by the US Embassy and Hungarian business people. Zoltan Kodaly owns three gas stations. Instead of trying to get to know the Kodaly who brought in a young daughter to translate he went straight to discussing how much AMEX is willing to pay for two of his stations. And went on to tell them about franchising that it is similar to McDonalds you pay a franchise fee, share profits with AMEX, and adhere to AMEX procedures and practices. I n exchange, AMEX would provide petroleum and funds to renovate the stations to meet AMEX standards (Larson, amp; Gray, 2011 p. 562). When he was asked what will happen to his employees Thomas said that they were overstaffed by 70% and must eliminate at least 15 people to make a profit. He knew from the reaction of Kodaly and his daughter that his focus is only for AMEX to take over the business and not to help them. Another interesting subject is the bureaucracy that is plaguing the public sector. They were expecting new tanks that they ordered from Vienna. It took several phone calls to find out that it didnt arrive because it is being held at customs. He was promised by local officials that everything is taken care of. This is another waste of time and resources because the workers didnt have anything to do that day. Thomas should have anticipated these types of problems prior to him arriving in Hungary. Understanding the culture especially the way the public sector operates is crucial in being a project manager abroad. Solution Thomas should review his entire project from beginning to end. He needs to involve, train and motivate his current staff and lay down his new vision and mission. He needs to empower each and every single staff to be responsible and accountable for their own projects. Conduct regular meeting updates and practice effective communication all across the board. Thorough research needs to be done prior to setting up a meeting with a prospect. A concise plan needs to be prepared and presented to a prospect with a complete detail of what option is best for their situation. They need to know what the major challenges are and present it that emphasize value that by partnering with AMEX their business will be better and become more profitable. His best resources are his staff when it comes to learning the ropes on how to deal with the local authorities so as to avoid frustration and delay. He needs to learn more about the current job market situation by talking to his staff and local establishments to help him align his recruitment activities and attract the right people for his staff. Thomas needs to lead by example keep focus on the goals and objectives of the project he is set out to accomplish. Justification * The first thing that Michael Thomas needs to do is to go back and review the vision and mission of this project. Once he has a clear plan it might be a good idea to put in a visual format such a flowchart with time frame and names of people involved in each project stage. Present this idea with his staff with enthusiasm and get everyone excited about the new vision. He needs to reiterate that respect, discipline, professionalism, responsibility and accountability are expected from everyone. * Employee training is very important. It will improve skills, improve motivation and generate individual leaders and contributors to the project. Communications should flow effortlessly from amongst peers and other departments or division. This can also be improved through regular meetings updates or lunch and learn activities and make it fun for everyone. Prospecting can also be improved and at the same improve understanding the culture by venturing out and participate in worthwhile programs out in the community. This can be done by sponsorship with the Embassy, the local business groups and schools. By establishing and nurturing relationship in the community AMEX will have a positive impact and perception on local business owners and these would be improve the c hances of attracting prospects tremendously. Research should be done on each individual prospect and find out what they biggest challenges are and customize his presentation based on this data. By focusing on how they can help business owners better manage their business and maximize profits is a winning proposition for both parties. * Recruitment and staffing also need to be improved by partnering with social media, on-line job posting sites and local universities and colleges. By offering good employment package, training and promotion this should attract the right kind of staff he is looking for. * Bureaucracy in the public sector can be resolved by understanding the inner workings of each department that you are dealing with. Its best to understand by doing your homework and research. Listening, learning the jargon and showing respect to the local authorities is very important but at the same you need to show that you have deliverables that are time sensitive and you need their help to achieve that goal. By establishing good relationship and focusing on how you are helping the community will melt the red tape barriers. Summary Differences within and among countries and cultures are numerous and complex. Project managers need to accept these differences and treat them as real or live with the consequence (Larson, , amp; Gray, 2011 p. 558). Leading a project internationally can be really exciting and daunting at the same time if you dont do your homework. Project manager often face obvious and unexpected challenges. But with careful planning and preparation this experience can propel you to extraordinary opportunities. There are two important set of skills a project need to have to lead a successful project overseas are organization skills which include ability to prioritize work with the appropriate timelines. The second skill is interpersonal the ability to establish good relationship with different authority figures that will influence the success or failure of your project. . What are the issues confronting Thomas in this case? Michael Thomas is confronted by a lot of issues in this case. His job was to established 10-14 gas stations in the region by purchasing existing stations, building new ones, or negotiating franchise arrangements with existing owners of stations (Larson, amp; Gray, 2011 p. 560). Aside from thi s tall order he is challenged by trying to find the right people for his staff, the frustrating bureaucratic system that plagues government offices. 2. How well is Thomas dealing with these issues? Thomas does not have a good handle of the issues he has on hand. I believe he overestimated his abilities. If he had planned, researched and prepared prior to accepting this project he would have been in a less stressful situation. It is evident that he does not know how to deal with all the problems he is facing by ignoring the email asking for status. He took some aspirin for his headache prior to his meeting with Kodaly. 3. What suggestions would you have for Thomas in managing this project? At this point I am optimistic that Thomas can still turn things around. He is actually doing the right thing by reading up on the current events and getting honest feedback from expats like him. Now, the next step for him is formulate a better deal so station owners such as Zoltan Kodaly will be more excited to convert his station as a franchise and focus on all the benefits of having all the sales, marketing and infrastructure covered by AMEX which will make three stations state of the art and modern. He need to focus on all the other benefits and privileges Kodaly will get by agreeing to becoming a franchisee. These will include less stress as a business owner because it will be easier for him to run his 2 stations backed with 100% support from AMEX. This includes training, accounting, sales, advertising, marketing and merchandising. Another advantage is they can help in negotiation better rates from a financial institution. Define territories of operations with the Franchise can help Franchisee from the competition. They can speak with the franchisor to discuss their business challenges or problems something a non-franchised business can almost never do (â€Å"MMamp;A,† n. . ) . On the current challenge of staff turnover and unmotivated workers, Thomas needs to do an extensive research and find out how to attack the right workers for his staff. It would probably help to consider applicants past the 30 age range and see if that will work. Motivation and positive energy should come from him and radiate that to everyone he deals with. Check the status of social media in Hungary, on-li ne job posting and create partnership with Universities and Colleges and use this as a recruiting tool for him. He needs to be creative and sweeten the deal to be able to attract the right people for his staff. And finally, he needs to research more on the culture and figure out how to cooperate with the bureaucracy in all the government agencies that they need to deal with. He should have a never ending supply of first hand information from his friends, staff and local paper which he is already doing. Instead of being bogged down by the negative reports he should turn them into challenges because this is what project management is all about. It is the ability to adapt and conduct business in a totally different environment and culture. This is the main reason why he signed up for this job anyway. This is a very challenging but the rewards are unlimited once he managed to break down all the barriers. References Larson, E. W. , amp; Gray, C. F. (2011). Project management: The Managerial Process (5th ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. MMamp;A. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. franchiseconsulting. net. au/Advantages-of-the-Franchise-System/Advantages-of-the-Franchising-System/Advantages-of-the-Franchise-System. asp

Compare Apocalypse Now to Conrads novella Heart of Darkn essays

Compare Apocalypse Now to Conrads novella Heart of Darkn essays The film Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Coppola, is loosely based upon Joseph Conrads novella Heart of Darkness in which both works share similar themes and motifs. Both are accounts of Mans journey into his self, and the discoveries to be made there. They are also about Man confronting his fears of failure, insanity, death, and cultural contamination. Symbols such as the river and the boat preside in both as do the key personas of Kurtz and Willard/ Marlow. Francis Coppola skillfully developed the visually beautiful, ground-breaking "Apocalypse Now with the surrealistic and symbolic sequences detailing the confusion, violence, fear, and nightmarish madness of the Vietnam War. The deterioration of the culturally accustomed man in exposure to foreign cultures and savagery play key roles in the way of portraying the human psyche. All America contributed to the making of Colonel Kurtz, just as all Europe produced Mr. Kurtz. What is reflected by the Kurtzs is the threat of loss of self, loss of centrality and the displacement of Western culture from the perceived supreme center of history. The evil side of both Kurtzes was brought out by the fear of new cultures different from their own, and their inability to deal with this fear. This is indicated by the disconnection between the opening words of Kurtzs report By the simple exercise of our will, we can exert a power for good practically unbounded and the closing sentence Exterminate all the brutes. This fear of other cultures is emphasized by the condescending attitude of the Imperialist way. Coppola makes a point to show this with the shocked expression on Captain Willards eyes when whilst on a navy boat armed to the teeth, one of his crew is killed by a spear thrown by a native in the bush. The Americans bombing a Vietnam village just to gain access to a surf beach further develops the ideas o ...

Ethnography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethnography - Essay Example An understanding of the Kabre is necessary because it enlightens and opens up new and different perspectives that will aid in the determination of what shaped their culture. The villages of modern Kabre in West Africa appear to be very remote. They are based in northern Togo and possess all of the classic notions an individual has about a remote village of African culture. Remote in the sense they exist on subsistence farming have straw roofs on their houses and perform rituals to the spirits. They appear to be very simple people living very simple lives. Piot's argument is that this village life is in fact and effect of the modern and the global. Piot's tenets require further contemplation and support and that will be the basis for this discussion. In his ethnography, Piot proposes, "Kabre culture is shaped as much by colonial and postcolonial history as by anything "indigenous" or local." (1999) He supports his premise by analyzing the daily practices of the Kabre villagers. These daily practices encompassed both their social; and ceremonial activities. He used this analysis to compare modernity with traditional activities of the Kabre villagers. In his observations and analysis, Piot shows how the Kabre villagers have blended tradition with moderninity. ... To iterate his point Piot gives the example using the president of Togo's Kabre. The president regularly uses a helicopter to fly to this region to witness male initiation ceremonies. This is clearly an example of a traditional ceremony of male ritual and the president's use of a helicopter for transportation is clearly an indication of moderninity. Piot's example describes the appropriation of tradition at the state level and describes many other examples similar to this to add credence to his premise. Piot profoundly illustrates how Kabre is a culture shaped by both a modern world and one of tradition. His tenets at some points confuse anthropological theorizations and the State Department's stereotyped images of African village life, However by doing this he reiterates what he postulates about the Kabre because they are a perplexing combination of all of these. Piot's objective was to show how "Euroamerican theories that fail to come to terms with the fluidity of everyday relations in a society where persons and things are forever in motion." (The University of Chicago Press 2004) Tradition and Modernity: It could be argued that Piot's observations occur in every culture across the globe. An example of this would be the Roman Catholic Religion. The religion dates back for centuries and the ceremonies practiced by the Roman Catholics are very true to tradition. This same premise could include Orthodox Jews and a plethora of other religions and the ceremonies performed by the worshippers. However, although moderninity is very a part of a Roman Catholic's life they are not viewed as rural or indigenous people that simply adhere to tradition when they practice their religion. Whereas Piot's observation saw these people as a more complex