Eastern Religious Philosopher Quotations

CheckPoint: Eastern Religious Philosopher Quotations Siddhartha Gautama Buddha – â€Å"Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. † oI chose this quote because Siddhartha devoted his life to find balance and clarification. He grew up with wealth and being shielded from human suffering, and wanted to search for something deeper. This quote shows that he found something deeper from the materialistic life he led early on (s9. com, 2009). Lao Tzu – â€Å"To know that you do not know is the best. To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease. o Tzu believed that even the wisest of humans is still ignorant, and this quote reflects that thought process. He was very interested in how we should live and different ways that a good society is governed. This quote reminds us that we can always be open to learning and discovering even when we think we have mastered something (Axia College, 2008). Chuang Tzu â€⠀œÃ¢â‚¬ Do the clouds make rain? Or is it the rain that makes the clouds? What makes it descend so copiously? oTzu believed that life was temporary and that pursuing wealth was acting in vein and foolish. He felt that this pursuit distracted a person from truly seeing the world and its meaning. Tzu wanted to look at nature from a different perspective, and by asking the questions in his quote enabled a deeper look into this idea (Chebucto, n. d. ). Confucious – â€Å"What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others† oConfucious taught that to establish one’s own humane character was important and could be done by following positive role models from the past. People can always better themselves through learning and servicing others. It makes sense that a man who believes these principles would quote such a simplistic, yet profound statement (Axia College, 2008). Mencius -â€Å"With proper nourishment and care, everything grows, whereas without proper nourishment and care, everything decay† oI chose this quote for Mencius because he felt that if people wanted to become a better person, they would have to make the choice to transform their life. He thought that anything can thrive if given the proper care, and was optimistic about humans and their potential (Axia College, 2008). Hsun Tzu – â€Å"If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement. oTzu took portions of Taoism with Confucianism and added his own beliefs which are known to be a bit more pessimistic. Tzu founded a school and some of his students were philosophers and the future prime minister of Ch’in. It is no wonder that he would emphasize that effort is needed to attain achievements (Bookrags, 20 05-2006). Hui Neng – â€Å"If we are treading on the path of enlightenment we need not be worried by stumbling blocks. Provided we keep a constant eye on our own faults we cannot go astray from the right path† oHui Neng’s quote reminds me of the underdog winning a game. Considering he was illiterate and yet can have impressed his patriarch to be his successor is unbelievable. This quote exemplifies that although there will be difficulties in our lives we should continue to improve ourselves and recognize our faults (Bookrags, 2005-2006). Dugan Kigen – â€Å"Rejoice in your birth in the world. † oI like this quote from Dogen because he believed in practicing to achieve a â€Å"joyful life†. Even though there will be pain and suffering in the world, if you are to live life according to the Tao, life can still be joyful (Axia College, 2008). Murasaki Shikibu – â€Å"To be pleasant, gentle, calm and self-possessed: this is the basis of good taste and charm in a woman† oMurasaki was a female author that inspired many with her writings. This quote best represents her ideas feelings that although women were looked upon as non-equals to men, they can still pursue philosophical enlightenment (Axia College, 2008). Yamaoto Tsunetomo – â€Å"There is nothing so painful as regret† oYamaoto followed a Samurai tradition and believed we live in a world with change that is unpredictable and constant. Being prepared for these changes and anticipate problems will help to lessen pain and regret. References Axia College. (2008). Eastern Influences. Retrieved from Axia College, PHI105 – Introduction to Philosophy website. Bookrags. (2005-2006). Hsun-tzu Biography. Retrieved from http://www. bookrags. com/biography/hsun-tzu/ Chebucto. (n. d. ). Chuang Tzu: The Next Voice. Retrieved from http://www. chebucto. ns. ca/Philosophy/Taichi/chuang. html s9. com. (2009). Siddhartha Gautama. Retrieved from http://www. s9. com/Biography/Buddha

The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance

THE ROLE OF DELIBERATE PRACTICE IN THE ACQUISITION OF EXPERT PERFORMANCE Motivational Constraint A premise of our theoretical framework is that deliberate practice is not inherently enjoyable and that individuals are motivated to engage in it by its instrumental value in improving performance. Hence, interested individuals need to be engaging in the activity and motivated to improve performance before they begin deliberate practice. Bloom (1985b) found evidence supporting this implication.His interviews with international-level performers showed that parents typically initiated deliberate practice after allowing their children several months of playful engagement in the domain and after noticing that their children expressed interest and showed signs of promise. The social reactions of parents and other individuals in the immediate environment must be very important in establishing this original motivation. At the start of deliberate practice, parents help their child keep a regular daily practice schedule and point out the instrumental value of practice for improved performance (Bloom, 1985b).With increased experience and the aid of teachers and coaches, the developing individual is able to internalize methods for assessing improvement and can thus concurrently monitor the effects of practice. As individuals get more involved in the activities of a domain, competitions and public performances provide short-term goals for specific improvements. At this point the motivation to practice becomes so closely connected to the goal of becoming an expert performer and so integrated with the individual's daily life that motivation to practice, per se, cannot be easily assessed.Certain naturally occurring events and changes illuminate the relation between practice and performance. Activities in many domains, especially sports, are seasonal because most scheduled competitions occur during a single season of the year. If individuals enjoyed deliberate practice, they ought to practice at a uniformly high level all year. Instead, athletes train much harder during the preseason period and during the season itself; during the off season they often reduce the level of training dramatically (Reilly, 1990a; Reilly ; Secher, 1990).Many individuals who have practiced for a long period of time give up their aspirations to compete and excel in an activity. Without the goal of improving performance, the motivation to engage in practice vanishes. Kaminski, Mayer, and Ruoff (1984) found that many elite adolescents who decided to stop competing remained active in the domain but virtually stopped engaging in practice. Some individuals have had to terminate their professional careers for reasons unrelated to their ability to perform.In a longitudinal study of visual artists, Getzels and Csikszentmihalyi (1976) found that most artists were drawn to painting because it allowed social isolation. However, aspiring painters have to promote social relations with art dealer s, art critics, and buyers to gain notoriety, increase the demand for their art, and generate sufficient sales for full-time artistic activity. Failure to do so forced many of the best artists to take another job unrelated to painting.Once these artists could no longer commit sufficient time and energy to maintain and improve their performance they stopped painting completely because they could not accept performing at a lower level. This finding shows that the activity of painting as such is not inherently motivating but rather the act of producing art that satisfies the artists' subjective criteria for quality. DANCE Abstracts 1. Fink, A. & Woschnjak, S. (2011). Creativity and personality in professional dancers. Personality and Individual Differences, 51 (6), 754-758. AbstractIn this study three different groups of professional dancers (ballet, modern/contemporary and jazz/musical), which considerably vary with respect to the creativity-related demands involved in the respective dancing style, are compared with respect to psychometrically determined creativity, general mental ability and different facets of personality. Results indicate that modern/contemporary dancers, who are often required to freely improvise on stage, exhibited relatively high levels of verbal and figural creativity (as it was measured by means of psychometric creativity tests), followed by jazz/musical and finally by ballet dancers.With respect to personality, modern/contemporary dancers can be characterized as being less conscientious, higher on psychoticism and more open to experiences than the remaining experimental groups. In line with relevant research in this field, this study reveals some central personality characteristics of highly creative individuals which may be considered as important ingredients in the acquisition or actualization of exceptional creative potential. Highlights: > Dancers of different professions differ with respect to creativity and personality. > Modern d ancers score high on openness and psychoticism. Modern dancers show high levels of psychometrically determined creativity. Keywords: Creativity, Personality, Psychoticism, Openness, Dance 2. Martyn-Stevens, B. E. , Brown, L. E. , Beam, W. C. & Wiersma, L. D. (2012). Effects of a dance season on the physiological profile of collegiate female modern dancers. Med Sport, 16 (1), 1-5. Abstract Introduction: A collegiate modern dancer is a unique athlete because in addition to the physical demands of dance, she also has the artistic demands of creating and performing for a season of showcases, or in some cases, multiple showcases.In preparing for her dance season in addition to her academic schedule, a collegiate modern dancer’s training includes rigorous daily technique classes and rehearsals which may alter her fitness level across time. Objective: To determine the effects of a dance season on the physiological profile of collegiate female modern dancers. Methods: Eighteen colleg iate female modern dancers were measured for relative anaerobic power, fatigue index, upper body and lower body strength, aerobic capacity and body composition at both pre and post dance season.Results: At post season, there were significant improvements in relative anaerobic power (pre 7. 43 + 1. 01 W/kg, post 8. 00 + 0. 78 W/kg), body weight (pre 57. 80 + 5. 10, post 58. 72 + 5. 08), and body composition (pre 18. 60 + 2. 03%, post 17. 78 + 2. 49%), and a significant increase in fatigue index (pre 33. 38 + 9. 72%, post 38. 91 + 7. 49%). There were no significant changes in relative upper and lower body strength or aerobic capacity. Conclusions: The demands of a collegiate dance season resulted in improved power and lean mass but greater anaerobic fatigue in these female modern dancers

Mckinsey Mind Paper

| The McKinsey Mind| Personal Paper 1| ENTR 668| Philip Thoms| 4/13/2012| Executive Overview The summary of The McKinsey Mind: Understanding and Implementing the Problem Solving Tools and Management Techniques of the World’s Top Strategic Consulting Firm by Rasiel and Friga does exactly what the title indicates. As stated in the summary it will show one how to: 1. Follow McKinsey’s MECE line of attack 2. Frame business problems to make them susceptible to rigorous, fact-based analysis 3. Use that same fact-based analysis, along with gut instinct, to make strategic decisions. 4. Conduct meaningful interviews. . Analyze the data to find the â€Å"So what. † 6. Clearly communicate fact-based solutions to decision-makers Key Insights and Implications 1. Insight: MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) is separating problems into distinct, non-overlapping issues while making sure that no relevant issues have been overlooked. Implication: Recently, there wer e failures with the Code Blue team arriving to one of our clinics, I believe currently the team I am working with to strengthen up the process is not dividing up the issues distinctively enough and that some relevant issues are being overlooked. . Insight: Issue tree which is a type of logic tree in which each branch is an issue or question. Implication: While working with our client, I believe we would have been in a better place if we would have written down all the issues and formed them into an issue tree in order to better attack and solve the issues that arose instead of going rouge on each issue. 3. Insight: Develop a rapid response culture in that all employees must quickly respond to data request from fellow employees and all phone calls are returned within 24 hours (unwritten rule). Implication:Our consulting engagement has (had) a very tight timeline in that certain aspects needed to be completed in a very short time period. Also, with work if my institution had this cult ure, questions would be able to be answered sooner allowing for more productivity. Recently, I had a simple question that when through 3 departments which took a little under 2 months. Personal Strengths 1. Personable: Being personable is a valuable resource which would directly benefit in managing a team and client. People like to work and do business with people they like. . Altruistic: A consultant cannot be wholly concerned with their own personal welfare, but it is important that they are looking out for others on their team, their project, and the company as a whole (both their firm and the company they are consulting with). 3. Not a Cowboy: I do not enjoy reinventing the wheel. My opinion is if someone else has an answer for a problem, I do not have to come up with the solution myself. I will search the web or whatever database is available for information on a particular problem.Developmental Opportunities 1. Presenting Your Ideas: I need to become more articulate at present ing my ideas. Practice and preparation are the two primary ways that will help me to be better in this aspect. I naturally wait till the last minute to complete tasks that I know must be completed by a certain deadline which inhibits me from practicing the actual presentation part of the task/project. In order to do better, I need to create schedules of when certain aspects of a task need to be completed by and hold myself accountable.I typically have always been able to â€Å"swing it†, but due to this mindset the work that I presented/completed has not been up to the level that I could deliver on. Improving in this area would help me with as an individual with personal projects that I want to complete and it would benefit my organization(work) in my deliverables would be of a higher quality. 2. Forget about absolute precision: I am a finance guy a number guy therefore when I think about business I think about the bottom line and typically I am fixated on worse case scenario ’s based upon numbers only and not the x factor.I need to remember that business is not math or physics and remember sometimes there is more than just the numbers and if Instagram can sell for a billion dollars, anything can happen. 3. Team Selection: I feel that I am not the greatest at team selection. Perhaps, I typically am but I feel that this time during this class our team did not ever quite mesh. We did good work but I don’t feel that we ever great work. Though, it is different in the business world.I definitely think it is something I need to improve on. Final Comments The McKinsey Mind makes it look like if you follow the systems outlined the consulting will go smoothly and it the project will be successful. But from talking to my good friend who is a consultant for Accenture more often than not the customer is very hard to work with. It seems that the bulk of the issue is the customer not listening to the consulting firm which is odd since it was the customer who brought in the consultant firm in to begin.

A Balanced Scorecard Model For Project Management Information Technology Essay

A Balanced Scorecard Model For Project Management Information Technology Essay For a long time organizations are have been trying to use performance measurement methods in their system due to the fact that most time of managers is consumed by gathering, controlling, analyzing or reporting out data. Over time, it has been recognized that a valid performance measurement system can help organization to define its expectations and priorities, set strategies with goals and finally planning and decision making. Project Management Office, managers, program managers and project managers, as well as other organizations can use performance measurement benefits to evaluate project team performance, process effectiveness, client perception, resource management and leveling in a single or multiple project organization. By adding performance measurement to the project managers’ skills, they can accurately evaluate project performance against the mission and vision of organizations. Moreover, it helps project managers to find and assess risks and determine the value l evel creating for stakeholders. These papers will focus the issues of the performance of a project, and integrity of performance measurement and project management. The research objectives for this research study are identifying performance metrics for project management integrated to balances scorecard system; development of a balanced scorecard system with perspectives of project management; studying of use of created balanced scorecard system to evaluate projects. Any previous work in the area of project and project management, and performance measurement will be illustrated in literature review. The approach of how the balanced scorecard and project management methodologies will be integrated is shown in methodology section. Literature Review Project and Project Management Project A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service with a definite start time and end (PMBOK @ 2004). This uniqueness is a consequence of the difference in some way from the â€Å"normal† product delivered by an organization. Furthermore, every project is constrained in different ways by scope, time and cost and is defined by discrete activities which are related to each other and linked together over the project lifecycle. Figure 1 shows the constraints of a typical project. Moreover, a project consumes limited resources such as human, time, money, machines, facilities, and materials and requires specific skills to manage and execute and finally produces tangible deliverables according to stakeholder’s requirements. Figure 1 – Project Constrains Source: James Norrie,  Ã‚  Derek H T Walker., â€Å"A Balanced Scorecard Approach to Project Management Leadership†,  Ã‚  Project Management Journal.   Sylva: Dec 2004.   Vol. 35,   Iss. 4,   p.  47-56  (10  pp.) Project Stakeholders The project stakeholders are the parties who have positive or negative impacts on project performance and outcomes. The major sta keholders have direct authority to change the elements of the triple constraint. The Figure 2 illustrates the major stakeholders of a typical project. The figure also shows that, an internal part of an organization can recognized as stakeholders. Figure 2 – Project Main Stakeholders Source: Adopted from: PMI, (2004), PMBOK @ 2004 Project Management Keeping projects on-time, within budget and achieving a high level of quality of scope is difficult. Problems are due to poorly conducted analysis and design, but many also suffer from poor leadership and management. Project management is the planning, execution and controlling of project activities to achieve project objectives. Objectives include time, cost and scope or managing the triple constraints. Based on PMBOK @ 2004 definition, project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs or expectations from a project.

This is a n Accounting principle subject. The assessment and case Study

This is a n Accounting principle subject. The assessment and will be send by file .pdf - Case Study Example Professional Competence and Due Care A professional accountant is expected to demonstrate diligence when executing his duties and should abide by professional standards when executing his professional duties. Considering whether it is within the mandate of the accountant to counter-sign checks and ensuring that the hotel receives professional services in line with the underlying regulations of the accounting profession would translate to the observation of professional competence and due care. Confidentiality A professional accountant must observe confidentiality of information under his care and should not in any way disclose such information to unauthorized third party. Not disclosing the findings about the whole scenario to any third party and not taking advantage of the findings for personal gain would amount to maintaining the principle of confidentiality. Professional Behavior A professional accountant should act within applicable laws and regulations and shun any act that like ly to discredit professionalism. Ensuring that services remain within the law and avoiding any action that would put the profession into questions amount to professional behavior. Q2. a. The parties involved in the case include the company’s directors (husband and wife), the staff of the boutique hotel, the financial institution that mortgaged the hotel, and the community as a whole. For the company’s directors, especially that wife, the transactions are happening in her absence. Therefore, there is a possibility that taking no action would result into huge financial losses on her side through continuous check withdrawals of the recently acquired mortgage for the hotel. For the mortgaging firm, there is a likelihood that the hotel will not be able to pay back its mortgage leading to a huge financial loss. However, if the loan is secured, the mortgaging firm would recover the amount through seizure of the company’s principal asset, a boutique hotel. All the staff of the company would lose their job in the near future because the company would not be in a position to pay them. Moreover, there is likelihood that the company may be declared bankrupt. The closure of the company would have negative impact on the community where it is located because it would cut down job opportunities and disengage those who are currently employed courtesy of the company. b. If I decided to take action, I would consult the audit committee of the company, if there is any and summon the board of directors to shed light on the harmful effects of such fraudulent dealings. I would give my stand to the company’s directors by stating pointblank that I am not ready to be party to the fraudulent deal. First, I would ensure that I act within the fundamental principles of the accounting profession. I would then identify specific factors relevant to the conflict resolution process, which in this case is the unauthorized check withdrawals made by one of the directors of the company. I would then decide the best course of action by weighing the likely consequence of each alternative course action. I would then document the discussions held and decisions arrived at during my discussion with the directors and the audit committee. If the practice persists, I would then contact relevant professional body and legal advisors. A professional

The Marketing Strategies of Mall of America Coursework

The Marketing Strategies of Mall of America - Coursework Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the target markets for the Mall of America comprised of locals and visitors. Different marketing strategies will be used so as to reach these target markets. The locals include the local families and population residing near the Mall of America. The local target market can be placing the product in strategic positions where the people can easily access. Close range marketing can be used using technologies, such as Wifi and Bluetooth for the customers at close proximity. About promotion, the enterprise can use advertising as its core source of increasing local consumer awareness. Mainly, it can post numerous advertisements both in print and electronic media. Price is the main competing factor in business. The business can use discount and allowance pricing. The firm can provide allowances and discounts on their basic price so as to reward the consumers’ specific response. On the other hand, the visitors include tourists from the Up per Midwest, across the nation, and from other nations. The products and services being offered at the Mall of America can be posted on the internet so as to reach a wider global audience. The other strategy which the Mall of America can use to reach the visitors include telemarketing. The clients can be convinced via mobile phones to come and visit Mall of America. The venture may also use promotional pricing as a strategy to attract national and international visitors. The promotional pricing will assist the Mall of America to attract more customers in a very short time. The other strategy which the firm can use is diversity marketing since visitors come from diverse backgrounds.

Business in Bangladesh Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business in Bangladesh - Research Paper Example Businessmen may also be faced with the problem of looking for employees who are skilled enough to do the work needed. These are just examples of what businessmen should take into consideration before even attempting to tap into a developing country. I have chosen Bangladesh as the subject developing country for this research paper. As a developing country, it may seem, on its face, that Bangladesh is not usually considered as a profitable country to do business in. However, if we were to omit the financial condition of the Bangladeshis and focus instead on the resources of the country, the situation would be different. Bangladesh is home to an abundant source of agricultural products, particularly coal and gas, as well as other raw materials such as â€Å"lime stone, silicone sand and hard rock,† all of which are used in a variety of industries. At the moment, the country is focused on the garments and textile industry, particularly in the export of cotton materials. Other ind ustries that Bangladesh is involved in include the â€Å"tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizers, sugar and light engineering† (Bangladesh.com). ... The country is, at the moment, already heavily competing with other garments producers such as China, because aside from the cheap labor available, the production of garments do not require the worker to be literate, let alone with an academic degree (Bajaj). Findings In the previous paragraph, pointed out that Bangladesh is already engaged in quite a number of business industries and the country is also rich in natural and agricultural resources. What with all their resource wealth, the country would have been a developed country by now. However, this is obviously not the case because the Bangladeshis fail to utilize what they have properly. Because of the lack of technology and communication systems available, utilization of resources is indeed a challenge. This fact also triggers in an investment drought, where businessmen are afraid to invest in such a country, because they may end up spending more than what they get in return. Before embarking on a business project, businessmen have to first determine the â€Å"core competencies and strengths† of the area where they plan to do business in. To do this, there is a need for companies to seek help from government agencies and other organizations or groups in their target area so they can learn more about the people who live in the same (Engel). Indeed, a smart business move would be to first conduct a thorough study of the business location, the people who are expected to work in the company and the target consumers. In the following sections, I shall point out the factors that contribute to the business environment of a place, and how these factors affect the success of a business. Culture