Transcendentalism Essays (807 words) - Transcendentalism, Lecturers

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was a literary movement in the first half of the 19th century. The philosophical theory contained such aspects as self-examination, the celebration of individualism, and the belief that the fundamental truths existed outside of human experience. Fulfillment of this search for knowledge came when one gained an acute awareness of beauty and truth, and communicated with nature to find union with the Over-Soul. When this occurred, one was cleansed of materialistic aims, and was left with a sense of self-reliance and purity. Two authors who were among the leaders of the movement were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, whose works Nature, Self-Reliance, and Walden brought America to the forefront of the transcendentalist movement. Their ideas opposed the popular materialist views of life and voiced a desire for freedom of the individual from artificial restraints. They felt that if they explored nature thoroughly, they would come to know themselves and the universal truths better. The concept of transcendentalism is clearly expressed in the essay Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was a leader in the movement of transcendentalism and the first American author to influence European thought. His essay Nature tells of how one can gain insight and spiritual cleansing simply from experiencing nature. Emerson tells of how in the woods is perpetual youth and in the woods we return to reason and faith. These lines exemplify the very ideals of transcendentalism. They show the deep roots a person has in nature and how one can receive knowledge of their Over-Soul by honestly enjoying the outdoors and freeing oneself of previous evils. In the following lines, Emerson remarks: Standing on the bare ground- my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball: I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God. These lines display the transcendentalist belief that purity and knowledge can be obtained from a union with and understanding of nature. Emerson also relates the concept of transcendentalism to human life in his essay, Self-Reliance. In this aptly named essay, Emerson grapples with another part of transcendentalism, the issue of self-reliance. He sees mankind as somewhat of a coward; that people never express their true selves. Emerson claims that humans are afraid to fail; they are pleased if successful, but are never happy with where and what they are. He expresses transcendentalist ideals by saying that a true person would be a non-conformist. Emerson puts this belief into words in the following lines: There is a time in every mans education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion.no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil. These words are the epitome of the ideals of transcendentalism- that one must celebrate the individual in order to find himself one with the universe. Another significant glimpse into the core ideals of transcendentalism was made by the distinguished author Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau lived in the home of essayist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. His most honored and enjoyed work was the story, Walden, which gives a forthright statement of his reasons for embracing a contemplative and decidedly transcendentalist life living on the shore of Walden Pond. In Walden, Thoreau explains why he chose the woods: I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. Thoreau himself was quoted as saying, In wilderness is the preservation of the world. In Walden, the author describes the cardinal importance of nature in ones search of their soul. Thoreau chose to live in seclusion because he believed solitude was the best companion in order to know ones own self. In the essay, he felt that mankind cared too deeply for material possessions; simplify! he implored. Thoreau claimed that humans were ruined by luxury and heedless expense and that success is gained when one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams. Thoreau stressed the importance of the individual, saying If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. His ideas were the foundation of transcendentalism- individualism, knowledge of nature, and the disposal of material belongings. Transcendentalism

Profile of Logical Mathematical Intelligence

Profile of Logical Mathematical Intelligence Logical-mathematical intelligence, one of Howard Gardners nine multiple intelligences, involves the ability to analyze problems and issues logically, excel at mathematical operations and carry out scientific investigations. This can include the ability to use formal and informal reasoning skills such as deductive reasoning and to detect patterns. Scientists, mathematicians, computer programmers, and inventors are among those that Gardner sees as having high logical-mathematical intelligence. Background Barbara McClintock, a noted microbiologist and the 1983 Nobel Prize winner in medicine or physiology, is Gardners example of a person with high logical-mathematical intelligence. When McLintock was a researcher at Cornell in the 1920s,  she was faced one day with a problem involving sterility rates in corn, a major issue in the agriculture industry, Gardner, a professor at Harvard Universitys Graduate School of Education, explains  in his 2006 book,  Multiple  Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice. Researchers were finding that corn plants were sterile only about half as often as scientific theory predicted, and no one could figure out why. McClintock left the cornfield, where the research was being conducted,  went back to her office and just sat and thought for a while. She did not write anything on paper. Suddenly I jumped up and ran back to the (corn) field. ... I shouted Eureka, I have it! McClintock recalled. The other researchers asked McClintock to prove it. She did. McClintock sat down in the middle of that cornfield with a pencil and paper and quickly showed how she had solved a mathematical problem that had been vexing researchers for months. Now, why did I know without having done it on paper? Why was I so sure? Gardner knows: He says McClintocks brilliance was logical-mathematical intelligence. Famous People With Logical-Mathematical Intelligence There are plenty of other examples of well-known scientists, inventors, and mathematicians who have displayed logical-mathematical intelligence: Thomas Edison: Americas greatest inventor, the Wizard of Menlo Park is credited with inventing the light bulb, phonograph and motion the picture camera.Albert Einstein: Arguably historys greatest scientist, Einstein created the theory of relativity, a major step in explaining how the universe works.Bill Gates: A Harvard University dropout, Gates founded Microsoft, a company that brought to the market an operating system that powers 90 percent of the worlds personal computers.Warren Buffet: The Wizard of Omaha became a multibillionaire  through his shrewd ability to invest in the stock market.Stephen Hawking: Considered the worlds greatest  cosmologist, Hawking explained the workings of the universe to millions, through such books as A Brief History of Time, despite being confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak due to his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  Ã‚   Enhancing Logical-Mathematical Intelligence Those with high logical-mathematical intelligence like to work on math problems, excel at strategy games, look for rational explanations and like to categorize. As a teacher, you can help students enhance and strengthen their logical-mathematical intelligence by having them: Organize a collectionFigure out different ways to answer a math problemLook for patterns in poetryCome up with a hypothesis and then prove itWork out logic puzzlesCount to 100 or 1,000 by 2s, 3s, 4s, etc. Any opportunity you can give students to answer math and logic problems, look for patterns, organize items and solve even simple science problems can help them boost their logical-mathematical intelligence.

Globalization and Its Impact on Global Business Practices Essay

Globalization and Its Impact on Global Business Practices - Essay Example IGOs are organizations consisting of at least three states as members linked together through an agreement called intergovernmental agreement. Examples of IGOs are WTO, North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), OPEC, World Bank, IMF, UNO etc (Hart, 2008,p15).States create IGOs and are the main actors in the decision making process. Now the main power among the states in the USA. USA, Europe, and Japan called the triad economies have been traditionally dominating the global business and the decision making process in the IGOs (Accenture, 2007). In addition to these, globalization has resulted in the emergence of new political actors ie the Non-Governmental Organizations, which have close links with these international government organizations. The main influences on the boundaries of the nation-state due to globalization according to various definitions can be classified as economic, political and cultural. The rise in liberalization and deregulation and the rapidly declining transportation and communication costs, as well as the reduction in barriers to good and services, have resulted in a high rise in the trade, FDI, and transfer of technical knowledge (Frankel, 2000). The rise in FDI has outweighed the rise in exports all over the world (UNCTAD, 2000). Moreover, as a consequence of the internationalization of production, there has been a shift in the production from goods to services all over the world with the services sector contributing to about two-thirds of the world GDP compared to only half of the world GDP in the 1980s(World Bank,2009). The globalization process has changed the traditional home country determinants of FDI.  

Ethical consumerism Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethical consumerism - Coursework Example This report describes various meaning of consumerism and describes various approaches adopted by Cooperative group of companies in carrying out its social activities. The report concludes by providing the gap that exist the current study of consumerism. Ethical consumerism (also known as ethical purchasing, ethical consumption, ethical sourcing or ethical shopping) is a type of consumer activism that is based on dollar voting. This concept is practiced through positive buying where ethical products are given first priority. Ethical consumerism was first popularized by a UK magazine published in 1989 so as to produce rating tables which was inspired by criteria-based approach of the ethical investments movement. Ethical consumerism also means that several customers are willing to buy ethically sourced goods that are ethically made and distributed. On the other hand, an ethical consumer is someone who buys things that are ethically produced. Depending on the context used, ethical production means producing a product that is recycled, use of labor that is produced in facilities without using child labor and slavery, or producing food that is free range or organic raised. Therefore the whole idea of ethical consumerism movement is that you know what you are purchasing and that you buy products that are ethically produced since not knowing results to abuse and exploitation. Consumerism is used by other stakeholders as a tool for social change, basing on the theory that organizations make decisions basing on consumer demand. This idea is evidently limited by the massive power of large organizations which influence, if not create, consumer demand through branding and advertisement. Nevertheless, consumer power may be utilized to ensuring that companies are made accountable to the society; where common citizens in their consumer role can make companies to be accountable. Some authors (Ayglon 2009) regard consumerism as a tool for social change while others (Lang & Tahc

High School vs College Essay Example for Free

High School vs College Essay We all can’t wait to get to college so we party and live it up. The thing is college is a lot different than high schools were as in high school you had to follow rules and in college it is your choice to be responsible for yourself. In September of 2006, I enter the doors of Clifton high school as a freshmen only being my second year in public school so this was all new to me. I got to home room and the handed out our agendas with all the rules in the back of the book. As time went on we all got use to the rules not many listened, but those who did not were punished for whatever the person did. Some of the rules that we had to abide were that we could not wear shorts above our finger tips we also could not wear flip flops because of an incident that happened to a girl a couple years earlier that was not good. Ripped jeans also were not allowed the principle said it showed too much skin. Those were just some of the rules. Once I got to college I realized rules no longer applied. Since I was so use to the rules in high school it took me awhile to remember that I could wear whatever I pleased without getting in trouble in anyway. Another difference between high school and college rules are in high school you can count on your parent’s and teachers remind you of your responsibilities and your priorities. For example if you have an essay due they help get through what you need to write the essay. They also remind you day by day when your essay is due along with your homework and other things. In college you have to balance your responsibilities and priorities which will be hard for many people seeing that they always had help. Your college professors will give a syllabus with step by step instructions on what is due and when. If they tell you an essay is due a week from now it is your responsibility to get your work done, because they will not remind you as time goes on. To professors you are now an adult and are responsible for your own time and priorities. They will not baby you throughout your time in college. Lastly in high school when you were absent from school you had to bring in a note as to why you were absent. Whether it was a parent/doctor or hospital note. We had five days to bring in a note you teacher would remind you every day and if you didn’t it would be marked as an unexcused absents. If you were to receive three unexcused absents it would get you a cut. Once you get to college that changes your professor does not really care if you are absent because it is your grade that is being affected not theirs. As long as you show responsibility in getting your work in then your grade shouldn’t be affected that much and it shows that you care about what you’ve missed and have to make up along with caring for the class. In conclusion the differences between high school and college are major things though many people may not think that, but it shows who can be responsible with their priorities in college appose to high school. I have learned to manage my time a lot better since high school were everything was done for me. Though it was a little of a struggle to make the transaction it was extremely necessary or things would not get done on time or at all. I’m glad that college teaches you these traits because it helps you in the long run when you enter the real world as a family person, employee and or employer.

No Due Process :: essays research papers

Not long ago the Korea Herald published a letter extolling the virtues of American justice as applied in the case of the two American soldiers who drove a military track vehicle over two Korean middle school girls, killing them. In comparing the American and Korean systems of justice, the writer suggested circumspectly that the American system, being more objective due to its emphasis on process, is superior. The premise of the argument was that if the judicial processes developed over time through planning and trial and error are followed, Americans see justice as having been done, without particular regard to the outcome, whereas Koreans first posit that damage has occurred and base their judgment of whether or not justice has been done on whether or not some reparation has been made. While not stated explicitly, the upshot of this is that Americans presume innocence and Koreans presume guilt. I agreed in many ways with the writer’s take on the American system, since it app eared to emphasize the role of the constitution and the rule of law but, having almost no knowledge the Korean legal system, I was skeptical of his conclusions, especially given the letter’s evident nationalist tinges, so it was with interest that I read another writer’s well-written and thoughtful, though overly emotional response which the paper published not long afterward. Now, a few months later, the original, presumably American writer’s letter seems almost laughable in the face American policy. Where is the supposed regard for process, or, if you like, ‘due process’? I, an American (surprise!), have read some things that scare the Orwell out of me. Using a predator drone, the United States military launched a missile that destroyed a carload of terrorists in Afghanistan. Fine. War on terrorism, etc. Maybe, if we try really hard, we can overlook the fact that we, the general public, have no way of knowing whether the people (PEOPLE) in the car were terrorists or wedding party-goers. It turns out, though, that an American citizen was killed in that very same car. In the same article in which I read of this high-tech car bombing, information cited as coming from the Bush administration stated that there was no constitutional issue surrounding the murder of this American. Why not? Because he was an enemy combatant. Therefore, apparently, he was not eligible for, did not deserve, the constitutional protection, the presumption of innocence, guaranteed by the United States Constitution—the same presumption of innocence afforded the American soldiers who ran over two Korean girls on a country road.

Developing Managers in Business Essay

â€Å"Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves, their strengths, their values, and how they best perform† (Peter Drucker) The main aim of this report is to focus on a particular management development programme and by identifying how it works to determine whether it has been effective in developing the manager for its business. The report looks at how certain management development programmes have been used to become shift/duty manager for a particular organisation. It identifies a range of formal and informal approaches that have been used to ensure effective outcomes. It also includes examining the main external and internal factors that have influenced management development. Furthermore the report identifies any shortcomings and changes that are required to improve the process of developmental management. The main method used to conduct this report was obtaining first hand information from a shift/duty manager at a local food industry; however, relevant literature resources have also been used to support views, evaluations and recommendations made. Rosemary Stewart who has been noted for studies of organisations and managers in action. Based on: Managers and their Jobs, (1967/1987) identified four approaches to defining the term management. Theses are as follows: 1. Theoretical approach: – this is based on the development of theories of management, using approaches focused on political, economical, sociological, psychological or anthropological theory and philosophy. 2. Descriptive approach: – has been given a very simple definition, ‘the job that managers and supervisors do’. 3. Comparative approach: – based on the hierarchical organisation and structure within an organisation, also focused on comparison and evaluation methods: 4. Action-based approach: – this focuses more on the way that those defined as managers spend their time: management as the activities carried out by managers What is management development? According to Lessem, R (1990) â€Å"developmental management is humanistic in essence† in other words the developmental manager values the whole team and values them for their inter-dependence. In order to fully understand the concept of management development it is essential to know of its historical roots. In the workplace individuals and managers unaware of certain behaviour patterns will unintentionally damage their personal effectiveness. When a manager understands the unique differences between individuals then they are in a more powerful position. They are better able to manage, understand, and lead people towards higher level of productivity, lower frustration, higher morale, and better retention rates. The type of management development programme focused on in this report is ‘basic management training from shift/duty managers’. The course itself was split into residential and in-store training with a mentor. The total residential training lasted for eight days at a national training centre and head office. The time limit given to complete the modules specified for this particular programme was twelve weeks, in-store with a mentor. However, twelve weeks being a rough guide as some required more time and candidates regularly completed the modules outside this limit. The course was tailored not only for people with experience but also for example graduates who would have had little or no experience in managing a shift. However, as this particular programme was centred towards the duty manager level its main focus was around people management, whereby it would deal with; staff motivation levels, training, receiving and giving feed back, appraisals etc, rather than actual business management i.e. managing a profit and loss account. There were seventeen modules that needed to be completed, below is a table explaining briefly what these modules were: Modules: Programme: 1-3 Orientation and Getting Started. (was completed during residential) 4-5 Cleanliness, Sanitation and Food Safety. Begins by basic training as would be for all members of staff within the organisation, then becomes more involved in how to effectively manage a team to ensure food safety and cleanliness standards are high as they are constantly observed and monitored. 6-7 Safety, Security and Crisis Management. How to ensure the safety of staff and customers on shift, including health and safety. Basically teaches the manager how to deal with anything from a power cut to an armed robbery. 8-9 Product Excellence. Begins quite basic as to how to identify an out of date product, then becomes more in depth regarding basic stock control, ordering procedures etc. 10-12 Basic Human Resource and Labour Management. Dealt with how to effectively manage a team, including exercises on legal responsibilities of a manager with regards to discrimination, grievance procedures and disciplinary action as well as staff training issues, coaching, how to motivate a team and managing cost of labour on a shift-to-shift basis. 13 Service Recovery. How to prevent, anticipate and deal with customer complaints and how to effectively observe and analyse team member performance to reduce the risk of a complaint. 14 Opening the Restaurant. 15 Shift Change. 16 Closing the Restaurant. The above three points (14-16) are self explanatory. Trainee managers were expected to work through these whilst observing the mentor complete the tasks in order to see how the aspect of previous modules were put into practice for example; stock control, security, cost of labour etc. 17 Floor Management. Dealing with problems prior to them becoming formal complaints or even accidents. This included the ‘figure of eight walk’, prioritising new unexpected tasks and team member recognition. The modules were very general, however, before putting theory into practice observation played a vital role, whereby trainees were to observe their mentors completing certain tasks in order to learn how to tailor tasks to suit the environment. Upon completing the training there was a test followed by an interview with the Area Manager in which the test results were discussed and the standards of completed modules were assessed. The informal approaches used whilst completing the management development programme was the mentor advising best practices for within the restaurant. The formal approaches used were the completion of modules and work books as well as observations where both candidates were observing the mentor and the mentor observing the candidate. The programme in itself prepared the trainees for a position as duty manager. The programme was learner centred and in some cases lack of motivation or resources meant that it lasted longer than the original given deadline of twelve weeks. There were both external and internal factors that influenced the development of duty/shift managers working. The main external factors were that being a food preparation industry, there were many laws and government regulations pertaining to food, safety and obviously regulations for health and safety and employment laws that needed to be learned and put into practice. The main internal factors that influenced management development were the standards set by the company which every manager and team member were expected to have extensive knowledge of. This covered every aspect of the business from the way tables were set to uniform standards to dealing with complaints in a professional manner, which involved more in depth training for management trainees. Although the training provided to trainee managers was quite extensive, practical experience gained via mentors seemed more knowledgeable, as stated quite clearly in the quote below from a previous trainee manager: â€Å"I feel that I learned a lot from the course, the modules and the work books as it introduced me to a lot of legal aspects of the food industry which I would not have learned otherwise, but I found that I learned more from the time spent with my mentor about how to be a manager that team members respected†. As recognised by A.Mumford (1993) there are five stages in the ‘evolution of thought about what managers do’; these are [1] The generalisation stage [2] The scientific stage [3] The management by objective stage [4] The contingency/ realistic stage [5] The competency stage †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Many organizations are turning to behaviour assessments and personality trait testing for both hourly workers and managers. Back in the late ’90s, only 5 percent of 500 companies used some type of assessment. Today, that figure is climbing to 65 percent. A year 2000 study by American Management Association showed nearly half of 1,085 employers polled use at least one assessment in their interviewing process. Assessments can help: * Individuals identify their strengths, know which jobs they are best suited for, and design a development plan to overcome shortcomings. * HR managers predict a job applicant’s success before they are hired. * Business owners understand the temperament and work style of individual employees and managers. * Supervisors can give performance feedback to people in a style they understand and accept for improving performance and accelerating professional development. * People enhance communication, understanding, and improve personal relationships. * Sales managers select, hire, develop, and motivate super sales people. For example a company would use the assessment process to improving their hiring and recruitment process. If for instance, previously they made decisions based on the candidates resume and then hired the person based on their ‘gut’ reaction. Once hired, many of these new people created friction, had bad work ethics, and their attitudes had a negative impact on their co-workers. Conclusion: Developing people is less expensive than firing them. By understanding behaviour differences an organization can align an employee’s motivations with the company’s mission. Assessments also help individuals reduce conflict and get along better. Furthermore, co-workers appreciate each person’s unique strengths and abilities. With this knowledge organizations and managers can maximize the abilities of their workforce in ways to help make all employees star performers. References: > Lessem, R. (1990) Developmental Management: principles of holistic business Oxford, Basil Blackwell > Managers and their Jobs (Penguin, 1977, new edition 1988); > The Reality of Organisation (Penguin, 1972, new edition 1986); > The Diversity of Management 1994.