Criticism: Critic and People Essay

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Criticism: Critic and People

Nobody likes being criticised but, unfortunately it is a fact of life. To be able to respond to criticism with nobility and detachment is an important life skill, which few people have. If we respond to criticism without careful consideration, it can easily lead to unnecessary suffering.

1. What Can I Learn from Criticism?

Most criticism is probably based, at least in part, on some truths. Criticism may appear negative. But, through criticism we have the opportunity to learn and improve from their suggestions. 2. Respond to the suggestions not the tone of the criticism. The problem is that people may make valuable critical suggestions. However, there tone and style of criticism means that we respond not to the suggestions but remember there confrontational manner. In this respect we need to separate the criticism from the style of criticism. Even if people speak in a tone of anger, we should try to detach their emotion from the useful suggestions which lie underneath.

3. Value criticism.

The problems is that quite often, we only value praise. When people speak kind words we feel happy. When people criticise we feel miserable. However, if we only received insincere praise and false flattery, how would we ever make progress? If we wish to improve and develop we should invite constructive criticism and appreciate their suggestions.

4. Don’t take it personally.

This is often the biggest problem which occurs with regard to criticism. If I criticise my Mother’s cooking, she feels personally offended. But, it is a mistake to identify ourselves with an apple pie. Somebody may find good reasons why our cooking is bad; but, this does not mean they are criticising ourselves. When people criticise us directly, we should feel they are not criticising our real self; but, just an unillumined aspect of ourselves. When we criticise others, we are perhaps criticising their pride or jealousy; but, the jealousy is a mere passing emotion, it is not the real person.

5. Ignore False Criticism.

Sometimes we are criticised with no justification. This is a painful experience. But, potentially we can deal with it more easily than criticism which is justified. One option is to remain aloof and ignore it completely. We should feel that false criticism is as insignificant as an ant trying to harm an elephant. If we remain silent and detached the criticism is given no energy. If we feel the necessity of fighting it – in a way, we give it more importance than it deserves. By remaining silent we maintain a dignity that others will come to respect.

6. Don’t Respond Immediately

It is best to wait a little before responding. If we respond with feelings of anger or injured pride we will soon regret it. If we wait patiently it can enable us to reflect in a calmer way.

7. Smile

Smiling, even a false smile, can helps us to relax more. It creates a more positive vibration and smoothes the situation. It will definitely help psychologically. Smiling will motivate the other person to moderate their approach.

How to Deal with Criticism Well: 25 Reasons to Embrace It “Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” ~Aristotle At the end of the day, when I feel completely exhausted, it often has nothing to do with all the things I’ve done. It’s not a consequence of juggling multiple responsibilities and projects. It’s not my body’s way of punishing me for becoming a late-life jogger after a period of laziness. It’s not even about getting too little sleep. When I’m exhausted, you can be sure I’ve bent over backward trying to win everyone’s approval. I’ve obsessed over what people think of me, I’ve assigned speculative and usually inaccurate meanings to feedback I’ve received, and I’ve lost myself in negative thoughts about criticism and its merit.

I work at minimizing this type of behavior—and I’ve had success for the most part—but admittedly, it’s not easy. I remember back in college, taking a summer acting class, when I actually made the people around me uncomfortable with my defensiveness. This one time, the teacher was giving me feedback after a scene in front of the whole class. She couldn’t get through a single sentence without me offering some type of argument. After a couple minutes of verbal sparring, one of my peers actually said, “Stop talking. You’re embarrassing yourself.” Looking back, I cut myself a little slack. You’re vulnerable in the spotlight and the student’s reaction was kind of harsh.

But I know I needed to hear it. Because I was desperately afraid of being judged, I took everything, from everyone, as condemnation. I realize criticism doesn’t always come gently from someone legitimately trying to help. A lot of the feedback we receive is unsolicited and doesn’t come from teachers—or maybe all of it does. We can’t control what other people will say to us, whether they’ll approve or form opinions and share them. But we can control how we internalize it, respond to it, and learn from it, and when we release it and move on. If you’ve been having a hard time dealing with criticism lately, it may help to remember the following:

The Benefits of Criticism

Personal Growth
1. Looking for seeds of truth in criticism encourages humility. It’s not easy to take an honest look at yourself and your weaknesses, but you can only grow if you’re willing to try. 2. Learning from criticism allows you to improve. Almost every critique gives you a tool to more effectively create the tomorrow you visualize. 3. Criticism opens you up to new perspectives and ideas that you may not have considered. Whenever someone challenges you, they help expand your thinking. 4. Your critics give you an opportunity to practice active listening. This means you resist the urge to analyze in your head, planning your rebuttal, and simply consider what the other person is saying. 5. You have the chance to practice forgiveness when you come up against harsh critics. Most of us carry around stress and frustration that we unintentionally misdirect from time to time.

Emotional Benefits

6. It’s helpful to learn how to sit with the discomfort of an initial emotional reaction instead of immediately acting or retaliating. All too often we want to do something with our feelings—generally not a great idea!
7. Criticism gives you the chance to foster problem solving skills, which isn’t always easy when you’re feeling sensitive, self-critical, or annoyed with your critic.
8. Receiving criticism that hits a sensitive spot helps you explore unresolved issues. Maybe you’re sensitive about your intelligence because you’re holding onto something someone said to you years ago, something you need to release.
9. Interpreting someone else’s feedback is an opportunity for rational thinking—sometimes, despite a negative tone, criticism is incredibly useful.
10. Criticism encourages you to question your instinctive associations and feelings; praise is good, criticism is bad. If we recondition ourselves to see things in less black and white terms, there’s no stop to how far we can go!

Improved Relationships

11. Criticism presents an opportunity to choose peace over conflict. When criticized. our instinct may be to fight, creating unnecessary drama. The people around us generally want to help us, not judge us. 12. Fielding criticism well helps you mitigate the need to be right. Nothing closes an open mind like ego—bad for your personal growth and damaging for relationships. 13. Your critics give you an opportunity to challenge any people-pleasing tendencies.Relationships based on a constant need for approval can be draining for everyone involved. It’s liberating to let people think whatever they want—they’re going to do it anyway.

14. Criticism gives you the chance to teach people how to treat you. If someone delivers it poorly, you can take this opportunity to tell them, “I think you make some valid points, but I would receive them better if you didn’t raise your voice.” 15. Certain pieces of criticism teach you not to sweat the small stuff. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that your boyfriend thinks you load the dishwasher “wrong.”

Time Efficiency

16. The more time you spend dwelling about what someone said, the less time you have to do something with it. 17. If you improve how you operate after receiving criticism, this will save time and energy in the future. When you think about from that perspective—criticism as a time saver—it’s hard not to appreciate it! 18. Fostering the ability to let go of your feelings and thoughts about being critiqued can help you let go in other areas of your life. Letting go of worries, regrets, stresses, fears, and even positive feelings helps you root yourself in the present moment.

Mindfulness is always the most efficient use of time. 19. Criticism reinforces the power of personal space. Taking ten minutes to process your emotions, perhaps by writing in a journal, will ensure you respond well. And responding the well the first time prevents one critical comment from dominating your day. 20. In some cases, criticism teaches you how to interact with a person, if they’re negative or hostile, for example. Knowing this can save you a lot of time and stress in the future.

21. Learning to receive false criticism—feedback that has no constructive value—without losing your confidence is a must if you want to do big things in life. The more attention your work receives, the more criticism you’ll have to field. 22. When someone criticizes you, it shines a light on your own insecurities. If you secretly agree that you’re lazy, you should get to the root of that. Why do you believe that, and what can you do about it? 23. Learning to move forward after criticism, even if you don’t feel incredibly confident, ensures no isolated comment prevents you from seizing your dreams. Think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff; takes what’s useful, leave the rest, and keep going!

24. When someone else appraises your harshly, you have an opportunity to monitor your internal self-talk. Research indicates up to 80 percent of our thoughts are negative. Take this opportunity to monitor and change your thought processes so you don’t drain and sabotage yourself! 25. Receiving feedback well reminds you it’s okay to have flaws—imperfection is part of being human. If you can admit weakness and work on them without getting down on yourself, you’ll experience far more happiness, peace, enjoyment, and success. We are all perfectly imperfect, and other people may notice that from time to time. We may even notice in it each other. Somehow accepting that is a huge weight off my mind.

The psychology of criticism[edit]

In general, the psychology of criticism studies the cognitive and emotional effects of criticism, the behavioral characteristics of criticism, and its influence on how people are reacting.

Area of study[edit]

The psychology of criticism is primarily concerned with: the motivation, purpose or intent which people have for making criticisms – healthy or unhealthy. the meaning of criticism for the self, and for others – positive or negative. the effect which criticism has on other people – good or bad. how people respond to criticisms, or cope with them – negatively or positively. the quantity and quality of criticism required to achieve the desired effect or outcome. the form in which criticisms are delivered – effective or ineffective. how people learn to give and receive criticism successfully. the sublimation, repression or denial of criticism.

Parents, teachers, lawyers, managers and politicians are often concerned with these issues, because it can make a great deal of difference to how problems are tackled and resolved. The motivation as well as the effect of criticism may be rational, or it may be non-rational or arbitrary; it may be healthy or unhealthy. When psychologists study criticism as a type of human behavior, they do not usually study it “in general” – such a general study is often considered to be more a philosophicalconcern. Psychologists usually study it in specific contexts and situations. The reason is partly technical (it is difficult to construct and prove universal generalizations about criticism as a human behavior) and partly practical (it is more useful to understand particular behaviors which are of direct practical concern).

The most basic rule[edit]

The most basic “rule-of-thumb” of criticism which psychologists usually recommend is: “Respect the individual, focus the criticism on the behavior that needs changing – on what people actually do or actually say.”

The thought behind this basic norm for criticism is:

If individuals are attacked for their personal characteristics (for “being who they are”) it may be impossible for them to change, therefore making the criticism useless. If it is not actually clear what the person does, or what he is really saying, the criticism may miss the mark. By concentrating clearly and only on observation of what the individual as a matter of fact does or says, it is less likely, that the criticism will be misplaced, confused or misinterpreted; it is less likely, that the person being criticized is being misunderstood. It would be unfair and unjust, not to say irrelevant, to criticize people for something they have not actually done. It would be a false accusation. Inversely, if the individuals are respected with a bit of humor, and due credit is given to their positive intentions as human beings, it is vastly more likely that the criticism will be understood, and taken seriously.

And if the criticism is clearly directed only to “what people actually do” that is wrong, instead of “who they are”, it creates possibilities, options and choices for doing something different and better. They can’t change who they are, but they can change their actions. Because people’s sense of dignity is secure in this case, they are better able to respond to the criticism, and indeed do something about it. Of course, the critics may just want to provoke or vent a bit of hostility, but it might backfire, because the people criticized may make a nasty response. The nasty response may “prove” to the critics, that the criticism was justified, but the critics have brought this on themselves, they have produced their own nastiness.

It is easy to do, but may be difficult to live with. In the process, the whole point of the criticism may be lost – all that happens is, that there is a quarrel between people who just ve nt their hostility. This is very unlikely to produce any solution that all concerned can live with. The basic psychological rule of criticism assumes that people want to use criticism to achieve an improvement, usually “in good faith” (bona fide). It assumes the critic has a positive intention in making the criticism. The rule may not make much sense if there is an all-out war going on, where the opposition is just trying to destroy and discredit the target as much as possible, using almost any means they can find. Nevertheless, psychologists recommend to respond by attacking what the opponents actually do, not who they are. That way, the critic cannot be accused of unfair or prejudiced treatment of others.

The basic rule is not always easy to apply. It may be difficult to have respect for somebody who is the target of criticism, especially if there is a history of grievances. It may be that it seems as though people are being respected, but in reality (if you understand the full meaning) they are being disrespected. It might look formally like they are treated as equals, but in reality (informally speaking, practically and substantively) they are being denigrated. It may be difficult to consider the action which is being criticized, in its own right, separately from the person (“only you could do something awful like this to me”). Consequently, psychologists often recommend that before a criticism is being stated to a person, the critic should try to get into rapport with the person being criticized (“get in sync” with the other person, “on the same wavelength”). If that is not possible (because they are enemies), the best thing may be not to express the criticism at all, or get a mediator. It may take considerable strategy in order to find a way of making a criticism, so that it “really hits home”.

Rather than “shooting their mouth off”, it may be wise if people say nothing, until the right time and place arrives to make the criticism. One problem at the receiving end is that a criticism may be taken more seriously than it really merits, or that it is taken “too personally”, even though that was not the intention of the critic. Criticisms are often voiced without knowing exactly what the response will be. It may be that this problem cannot be entirely removed; the best one can do, is to judge, on the basis of experience, what would be the most likely effect of the criticism, and communicate the criticism as well as one can.

Another sort of problem is the limited attention span of individuals. To express a criticism may require detailed explanation or clarification; it presupposes that the knowledge exists to understand what it is about, and that people are willing to listen. That takes time, and the time may not be available, or people are reluctant to take the time. This can get in the way of the mutual respect required. It may be possible to overcome this problem only by formulating the criticism as briefly as possible, and communicate it in a form which takes the least time to understand it. Failing that, people must “make time” to discuss the criticism. It can take considerable effort to create the situation in which the criticism will be “heard”.

Exception to the rule[edit]

The exception to the basic psychological rule consists of cases where, it is argued, the individuals and their behaviors cannot be distinguished. This would be the case, for example, if the criticism itself consisted of “being there” (intruding, trespassing, causing property damage), or “not being there” (non-response). In some cases people deliberately seek “loopholes” in the ordinary rules and channels for criticism, in order to make a criticism which, although strictly not illegal, may have a malicious intention, or offends the target of the criticism. That can cause the ordinary consideration which people have for others to be abandoned. What is legitimate and illegitimate criticism is not always easy to establish, and there may be “grey areas” in the law. It is rarely possible to make rules for every detail of what people may or may not do. The law itself can also be contested with criticism, if it is perceived as unfair. Nevertheless the courts usually draw the line somewhere[citation needed].

Learning to criticize[edit]

The ability to criticize is something which rarely occurs naturally; it must be learnt. Good critics exhibit several kinds of qualities: Insight: critics should clearly understand why they are criticizing. Attitude: critics should be emotionally confident and morally comfortable, both about making a criticism, and about dealing with the response to criticism. Inquiry: critics should be willing to question authority, popular opinion, and assumptions. Knowledge: critics should research the subject of their criticism to maintain the factual integrity of their criticism. Skills: critics should choose and apply the correct kind of criticism to an issue, so that the criticism will be balanced, complete and persuasive.

Critics require adequate skills in reasoning, research, and communication. Integrity: critics should remain consistent and honest before, during, and after a criticism is expressed. These qualities are learned through practical experience in which people have a dialogue or debate and give each other feedback. Often, teachers can design assignments specifically to stimulate students to acquire these qualities. But the facility for critical thought usually requires some personal initiative. There are plenty of “lazy critics”, but one must work hard to be a good critic. The lazy critic is soon forgotten, but a good critic is remembered for years.

With criticism it is always important to keep things in proportion, neither overdoing things, nor being too timid. People can be too critical, but they can also be insufficiently critical. It is important to strike a good balance: to be neither excessively critical nor completely uncritical. People who are too critical and focus only on the downside or limitation of things run into the problem that others perceive them as being “too negative”, and lacking a “constructive attitude”. If there is too much criticism, it gets in the way of getting anything done – people are just “anti”, but “it does not lead anywhere”. People who are uncritical, however, are often regarded as naive and superficial (“suckers”); they lack discernment, they are prone to being deceived and tricked, because they readily believe all kinds of things, which they should not accept just like that, for their own good.

If they thought more critically, they would not give in so easily to what others say or do. The idea here is that “one should not be so open-minded that one’s brains fall out.” An important reason why balanced criticism is desirable is, that if things get totally out of proportion, the critics or their targets can lose their balance themselves. Criticism can wreak havoc, and therefore people have to know how to handle it from both ends. If the criticism is balanced, it is more likely to be successful.

Effect on others[edit]

When psychologists analyze the effect of criticism on others, they are concerned with how people respond to criticism (cognitively and emotionally), and how criticism influences the recipient’s behavior.

Positive and negative effects[edit]

When people criticize, it can have a fruitful, enriching and constructive effect on the recipient, because new ideas and viewpoints may be generated in trying to solve a problem. People can also be hurt by criticisms, when they experience the criticism as a personal attack. Psychologists concerned with human communication, such as therapists, therefore often recommend that people should choose the right words to express their criticism. The same criticism can be raised in different ways, some more successful than others.

If people formulate their criticism in the right way, it is more likely that other people will accept it. If the criticism is badly expressed, people might reject it, not because it is wrong in itself, but because they do not like being talked to in that way. Even if the content of a criticism is quite valid, the form in which it is expressed may be so counter-productive, that the criticism is not accepted. The content may be something that people can work out on their own, but the form concerns the social relationship between people.

Feedback fallacy[edit]

Main article: Feedback § Social_sciences

The term “feedback” is often used instead of criticism, because “feedback” may sound more neutral, while criticism may seem to be about “finding fault”. A more polite language may be used when there are issues of authority and obedience (“who has to follow whom”), as well as the need for cooperative teamwork to get a job done (“constructive collegial attitude”). The question is often “who controls the feedback”, “who is allowed to criticize”, “who owns the problem” and “who is to do something about the problem”. It may be that managers educate employees to employ a more positive and professional language, in order to get them to see things in a way that is more productive for the enterprise.

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Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient

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Dina matematik, sarta dina sabagéan statistik, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) is a méasure of how well a linear equation describes the relation between two variables X and Y méasured on the same object or organism. It is defined as the sum of the products of the skor standard of the two méasures divided by the degrees of freedom:

Y = a score on a random variable Y
= mean of Y

The correlation coefficient adds a sign to show the direction of the relationship. The formula for the Péarson coefficient conforms to this definition, and applies when the relationship is linéar.

The coefficient ranges from -1 to 1. A value of 1 shows that a linéar equation describes the relationship perfectly and positively, with all data points lying on the same line and with Y incréasing with X. A score of -1 shows that all data points lie on a single line but that Y incréases as X decréases. A value of 0 shows that a linéar modél is inappropriate – that there is no linéar relationship between the variables.

The Péarson coefficient is a statistic which estimates the correlation of the two given random variables.

The linéar equation that best describes the relationship between X and Y can be found by linear regression. If X and Y are both normally distributed, this can be used to "predict" the value of one méasurement from knowledge of the other. That is, for éach value of X the equation calculates a value which is the best estimate of the values of Y corresponding the specific value of X. We denote this predicted variable by Y.

The square of r is conventionally used as a méasure of the strength of the association between X and Y. For example, if the coefficient is .90, then 81% of the variance of Y is said to be explained by the changes in X and the linéar relation between X and Y.


Prony analysis [Technical report]

Consider the following system of signals:

\[S = \{ (a_j, x_j) \}, \quad j = 1, \ldots , N\]

where \(a_j\) are signal amplitudes and \(x_j\) are signal positions. \(\{a_j\}\) and \(\{x_j\}\) may be represent by real or complex numbers.

Define the Prony map as a map \(\{ (a_j, x_j) \} \mapsto \{m_k\}\) of the following form: \[\label{eq:prony} m_k = \sum_{j=1}^N a_j x_j^k.\]

Numbers \(\{m_k\}\) are moments of the system, equation \eqref{eq:prony} is the Prony equation system.

There is a special case of the Prony system:

\[S_t = \{ (a_j, \mu_j) \}; \quad m_k = \sum_{j=1}^N a_j e^{-2\pi i \mu_j k \delta}\]

where \(\delta \in \mathbb{R}_+\) is a parameter. We say that it is the trigonometric Prony map. If \(|x_j| = 1\), we can reduce general Prony map to the trigonometric case by \(x_j = e^{-2\pi i \mu_j \delta}\).

In the practical application, we usually know only moments of a source system and we want to reconstruct original amplitudes and positions of signals. This means that we should build the inverse Prony map. Unfortunately, measurements of moments frequently include some noise. A feature of the inverse Prony map is the following: even small noise can produce a significant reconstruction error. Therefore, it is very important to understand geometry of the Prony map and the inverse Prony map.

In this technical report, we consider some examples of the direct and inverse Prony map and build corresponding plots. You can also view the source code on the R language for each plot.

See also: (Akinshin 2015), (Azaïs in press), (Batenkov 2014), (Batenkov 2014a), (Batenkov 2014b), (Batenkov 2014c), (Batenkov 2013), (Batenkov 2013a), (Candès 2014), (Candès 2013), (Demanet 2013), (Donoho 1992), (Donoho 1989), (Duval 2013), (Fernandez-Granda 2013), (Heckel 2014), (Levy 1981), (Liao 2014), (McCutchen 1967), (Minami 1985), (Moitra 2014), (Odendaal 1994), (Slepian 1978), (Yomdin 2010), (Yomdin 2005), (Demanet 2014), (Morgenshtern 2014).

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I am often faced with an internal “ideological battle” about my instruction in my World History class especially towards the end of the semester.  Coincidentally enough, this ideological battle seems to “heat up” around Unit 8, the Cold War. Do I rely on direct instruction to make sure I “cover” the final content (Cold War to present) before the North Carolina Final Exam? Or should I continue to facilitate engaging, student led learning activities for the remainder of the semester?

Direct instruction, just like the Soviet Union’s command economy, has some advantages. For example, the teacher can quickly make decisions about content and control all aspects of learning. The teacher controls the pace, scope, and what content is delivered. Essentially, the teacher dictates the classroom. Additionally, students often receive equal instruction regardless of skill or ability.

The Inquiry Design Model (IDM), on the other hand, has advantages that are comparable to the advantages the U.S. capitalist system had at the close of the Cold War. Over time, the inquiry model leads to increased motivation, engagement, and student learning. IDM encourages teachers to take on the role of the facilitator which is a paradigm shift. The teacher sets up some regulations for the inquiry, but is relatively laissez faire allowing students to construct their own learning. This gives students freedom to draw their own conclusions. A key component of an inquiry is the compelling question which leads to healthy competition between students. Just like in the capitalist system, competition can be a major motivator and can foster innovation!

At the end of the semester, I was feeling wiped out and exhausted much like an allied power after World War II. However, I had some supports in place to motivate me to utilize best instructional strategies like inquiry. This past summer, I served on a district committee focused on inquiry and had just designed an inquiry on the Cold War. Prepping inquiries in advance is essential as they require lots of design time and effort. Just like a western European country who received Marshall Plan money to resist Communism, I was not going to fall to merely using direct instruction at the end of the semester since I had supports in place.

This last month, I facilitated my inquiry: Was the Cold War Avoidable? The inquiry is available on the North Carolina C3 Hub and directly HERE.

Through the analysis of primary and secondary source documents, my students constructed arguments responding to the compelling question: Was the Cold War avoidable? Students analyzed the complex relationship between the United States and Soviet Union leading up the Cold War, compared the fundamental differences between the two superpowers, and evaluated the importance and intensity of a variety of Cold War events. Students annotated and read closely excerpts from the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NSC-68, the Long Telegram as well as relevant interviews, speeches political cartoons, and maps. They used textual evidence to support their positions.

In my opinion, the inquiry model won and it will ALWAYS win because it is a better system of teaching. Inquiries allow students to construct their own meaning out of primary source documents which makes history more relevant and engaging. My students took ownership of their learning and understanding of the Cold War. I cannot “contain” my excitement for this method!


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PADI Deep Diver Specialty Training

It’s a rare diver who hasn’t felt the urge to dive deep. Deep diving opens the door to many new exciting dive sites like deeper wrecks, reefs and walls. As a rule, divers tend to be adventurous people, and deep diving – whether to visit a wreck or take photos – can certainly be called adventurous. It’s only natural that like most divers, you have some interest in deep diving.

Deep diving adds a whole new dimension to the underwater experience. The water is bluer. The fish are bigger. I can't describe the feeling but you'll know what I mean when you get there. Take a look at a thirteen-story building. Imagine scuba diving from the roof to the street. Knowing how to handle the descents, assents, stops and limitations depth imposes on the diver are critical. Knowing how to deal with the, sometimes euphoric, feeling that comes over the deep diver is knowledge needed. You can handle it. You will love it.


Theories of Motivation: Vroom’s Valence-Expectancy Theory

Motivation = Valence*Expectancy*instrumentality

Motivation is the product of valance, expectancy and instrumentality. These three factors in the expectancy model may exist in an infinite number of combinations depending upon the range of valence and the degrees of expectancy and instrumentality. The combination that produces the strongest motivation is high positive valence, high expectancy and high instrumentality. If all the three are low, the resulting motivation will be weak. In other cases, motivation will be moderate. Similarly, the strength of avoidance behaviour will be determined by the negative valence and expectancy and instrumental factors.

As said above, the motivational force will be highest when expectancy, instrumentality and valence are all high. The management must recognize factors for behavioural modification, so that these three elements achieve the highest value individually.

A worker may exhibit a poor behaviour due to:

(i) Low effort-performance expectancy: the worker may lack the necessary skills and training to believe that his extra efforts will lead to better performance. The management could provide the relationship between efforts and performance.

(ii) Low performance-reward instrumentality relationship: similar performance may not lead to similar rewards. The reward policy may be inconsistent and may depend upon factor other than performance, which the worker may not be aware of or may not consider fair. The management must re-evaluate the appraisal techniques and formulate policies that strengthen performance-reward relationship as just and equitable.

The important contribution of Vroom’s model is that it explains how the goals of individuals influence their efforts and that the behaviour individuals select depends upon their assessment of the probability that the behaviour will successfully lead to the goal. For instance, all people in an organisation may not place the same value on such job factors as promotion, high pay, job security and working conditions. In other words, they may rank them differently. Broom is of the opinion that what is important is the perception and value the individual places, high value on salary increase and perceives superior performance as instrumental in reaching that goal. According to broom, this individual will strive towards superior performance in order to achieve the salary increase. One the other hand, another individual may highly value promotion and perceive political behaviour as instrumental in achieving it. This individual is not likely to emphasize superior performance to achieve the goal.

In essence, vroom emphasizes the importance of individual perception and assessment to organisational behaviour. What is important here is that what the individual perceives as the consequence of a particular behaviour is far more important than what the manager believes the individual should perceive. Thus, Vroom’s model attempts to explain how individual’s goals influence his efforts and like need-based models reveal that individual’s behaviour is goal-oriented.

The merits of Vroom theory are:

(i) Basic framework: the Vroom’s model provides a basic framework for interpreting work motivation as Keith Davis put it. According to Fred Luthans, “the expectancy model is like marginal analysis in economics. Business people do not actually calculate the point where marginal ost equals marginal revenue, but it is still a useful concept for the theory of the firm. The expectancy model attempts to mirror the complex motivational process. From the theoretical standpoint it seems to be a step in the right direction. It is of value in understanding organisational behaviour.

(ii) Appreciation of individual differences: it serves as a pathfinder because for the first time in a systematic way it draws attention to individual differences in motivation. As Koontz, O. Donnell and Weihrich pointed out: “one of the great attractions of the Vroom model is that it recognizes the importance of various individual needs and motivations. It does seem more realistic”.

(iii) Clue to harmonization of individual and organisation goals: it clarifies the relationship between individual goals and organisational objectives and thus points to the way how the two can be harmonized. It is thus a step further from management by objectives. Instead of assuming that satisfaction of a specific need is likely to influence organisational objectives in a certain way we can find out how important to the employee are: the various first-level outcomes (organisational objectives) for their attainment, and the expectancies that are held with respect to the employees ability to influence the first-level outcome. For instance, suppose the organisation sets a certain standard for production (first-level outcome of organisational goal) for the purpose of incentive pay, promotion, etc. (second-level outcome). If the workers do not put forth adequate efforts to achieve the organisational goal, it may be assumed that either (a) they do not place much value on the second-level outcomes (incentive, promotion); (b) they feel that their efforts will not lead to the production standard; and (c) they may not believe that if they achieve the standard, it will be instrumental in getting them higher remuneration or promotion.

(iv) Contingency approach: indirectly, Broom draws attention to an all-important fact that there is no one set formula for the motivation of individuals. He looked at effective motivation not in terms of either a fixed set of human needs or as a uniform configuration of external motivations. His is the contingency approach, so to speak. In other words, if any method of motivation is found to be productive, managers should continue it, on the other hand, if it does not produce the desired results, it should be given up for something better. By measuring and analyzing the workers’ output managers can get clues to their motivation, identify some of the important variables and formulate their reward plans accordingly.

(v) Practical utility: according to R.J. House and M.A. Wahba, the Broom model has been used to predict a wide variety of work-related variables in a number of studies. These include job effort and performance, organisational practices, managerial motivation, occupational choice, importance of pay and pay effectiveness, leadership behaviour and leadership effectiveness.

In the opinion of Leon Reinharth and M.A. Wahba, “the expectancy theory has served as the basis for research in such diverse areas such as decision-making, learning theory, verbal conditioning, attitudes and organisational behaviour. All these impart a certain amount of generality and practical utility to the model.

(vi) Popular support: it is said that since the model had been proposed, at least one issue of every journal in organisational behaviour reported some result on its application in practice. Alan C. Filley, Robert J. House and Steven Kerr analyzed the numerous studies, more than 32, from 1962 to 1974 and came to the general conclusion that there was empirical support to the expectancy theory. Similarly, some of its propositions were confirmed by studies made by T.R. Mitchell and A. Biglan, who reviewed six cases in the area of industrial psychology; H. G. Heinemann, III and D. P. Schwab who investigated nine field enquiries in managerial settings and further M. Wahba and R. House who apprised fourteen investigations also confirmed the propositions. However, most researchers suggested the need for further study to test some of the principal variables, on which the model is based.

The demerits of Vroom’s theory:

(i) Lack of concreteness: the generality of the model constitutes its principal weakness. As Luthans pointed out, “it does not attempt to describe what the content (of motivation) is or what the individual differences are. Ti indicates only the conceptual determinants of motivation and how they are related.”

Further, it does not provide specific suggestions on what motivates organisation members as the Maslow, Harzberg and Alderfer models do.

(ii) Neglect of values: even as a general theory it has been condemned in some quarters as ‘nothing more than a theory of cognitive hedonism which propose that the individual cognitively chooses the course of action that leads to the greatest degree of pleasure or the smallest degree of pain’. “Hedonistic cognitions are insufficient to determine a person’s value system.”

(iii) Little impact on management: apart from the fact that it is a highly complex model and difficult to understand, its practicability is also open to question. As Lyman Porter, Edward E. Lawler, III and J. Richard Heckman pointed out; the expectancy model is just a model and no more. People rarely actually sit down and list their expected outcomes for a contemplated behaviour, estimate expectancies and valences, multiply and add up the total, unless of course they are asked to do so by a researcher. That is why its impact on job-settings has been negligible and influence on managerial action, not much. It has been rightly remarked by Hamner and organ “the predictive potential of this theory is still largely untested.” A fully developed test incorporating force, expectancy and instrumentality measures as well as ability assessment has not yet been offered.

(iv) Weak empirical support: the empirical support for the Vroom model is insignificant and lacks consistency.

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Recursos de colección

RiuNet. Repositorio institucional de la Universitat de Valencia (73.332 recursos)

Mostrando recursos 1 - 7 de 7

  1. Utilización de herramientas de cálculo complejas en el aula: desarrollo de LPRES Library

    Tizón Pulido, Juan Manuel; Sierra, Pablo; Navarro, Emilio
    [EN] Normally, classroom problems are solved using over-simplified models which allow to obtain the solution manually. However, these problems are addressed in the industry with very sophisticated software packages that have long learning curves. For obvious reasons of time and space, this professional software cannot be used in the classroom activities. In this work, it is built LPRES Library that emulates the elements of the professional ESPSS Library and it is possible to simulate liquid rocket engines using EcosimPro package. LPRES library employs simple models that the student manages to solve classroom problems but now they can address the simulation of real systems with many elements.

  2. Modelización de crecimientos microbianos en medios heterogéneos y de movilidad reducida

    Font Marques, Meritxell; Ginovart Gisbert, Marta
    [EN] In this paper we have analysed various computer models published in scientific journals dealing with the study of microbial growth in semi-solid and heterogeneous environments on surface, to assess the interest and usefulness that these models could have in an academic context. We have chosen two of the analysed models as fundamental references and specific sources of information for the design and configuration of a new individual-based model that can be handled in the study of microbial systems. The new model developed, called INDISIM-Plate-NL, can deal with non-planktonic growth of the bacterium Escherichia coli on a surface, and it has been implemented in the free...

  3. Diseño físico-matemático de un espectrómetro óptico

    Ferrando Martín, Vicente; Remón Martín, Laura; Furlan, Walter D.; Monsoriu Serra, Juan A.
    [EN] This work presents the design and construction of a spectrometer made in the laboratory and the development of mathematical models needed to process and analyze the acquired spectrum. For modeling functions it has been used LabVIEW program. The aim is to bring this type of instrumentation to engineering students from both, physical and mathematical point of view. The application has been successfully integrated in the learning strategies of the course Sensores Fisicos, Master Universitario en Sensores Para Aplicaciones Industriales at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. As an example, we have characterized different light sources emitting in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

  4. Didáctica de las matemáticas y arquitectura: la razón áurea en la Lonja de Valencia

    Donat, Paula; Rueda, Pilar; Sánchez-Pérez, Enrique Alfonso
    [EN] This paper has a twofold purpose. First, to structure and relate a teaching experience on the tutoring of a graduation work in Mathematics made in the University of Valencia. The main property of the didactic purpose involved in the project is that it deals with the geometric properties of a landmark building of the city of Valencia. Our aim is to analyze the process of formulation, firming up, documentation and elaboration of the work that was followed during this experience. Second, to analyze the methodology used to obtain and valuate the results that come from one of the fundamental parts of this work: the harmonic decomposition...

  5. Correlación entre las propiedades macro, micro y nanomecánicas en polímeros termoplásticos biodegradables

    Arrieta, Marina Patricia; López Martínez, Juan; Ferrándiz Bou, Santiago; Rayón Encinas, Emilio
    [EN] In this work a study of the mechanical properties of a biodegradable polymer, poly(lactic acid) (PLA), and its variation due to the addition of 25 wt % of another biodegradable polymer, poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is presented. The PLA sample and the PLA-PHB (75:25) blend were characterized in terms of their mechanical properties by means of tensile test measurements, microhardness and nanoindentation with the aim of providing a comprehensive approach of the mechanical properties of these materials to facilitate the students of material science understanding the mechanical properties of biodegradable polymers.

  6. Càlcul de coordenades geogràfiques a partir de les estrelles: una proposta didàctica entre les matemàtiques i l'astronomia

    Ferrando Palomares, Irene; Pedro Ferrer, María Luisa
    [EN] This paper presents a didactical proposal for 11th grade students. The purpose of the activities is to show the relationship between astronomy and mathematics, specifically with the calculation of both geographic coordinates: latitude and longitude. The methodology used encourages independent work of students by using interactive digital applications and manipulative materials. These ressources allow students to work more easily with threedimensional geometry concepts that, otherwise, are abstract for them. The proposal is based on a classic problem: find the exact geographic position of any point on the Earth.

  7. Algunos secretos del documento nacional de identidad español: una aplicación de la aritmética modular a códigos detectores de errores

    Esteban Romero, Ramon
    [EN] We present some control characters and digits present in the Spanish national identity document as an example of the application of modular arithmetics to the design of error correcting codes. This activity has been developed inside the ESTALMAT programme for the stimulation of mathematical talent and in the summer scientific campuses organised by VLC/Campus


Home: Scrying: Leaving the waves to walk on land

Leaving the waves to walk on land

April 06, 2006

Creationists who deny evolution by pointing out the lack of transitional forms in the fossil record can kindly put their feet in their respective mouths. Tiktaalik roseae, model and fossilFirst, we had Ambulocetus, the land-loving whale, then Archaeopteryx, the dinosaur-bird, and now, Tiktaalik, the walking fish. (Someone needs to start a series of bean-filled stuffed animals of these!)

Several fossil skeletons of the species were found in sedimentary rock formed in the Devonian age. When formed, the site was centered near the equator, providing a nice swampy habitat for Tiktaalik—today, the site is situated on Ellesmere Island, in the Canadian Arctic.

The creature had a number of features that placed it in between fish and land animals, including a neck that could swivel, and primitive versions of arms and hands:Tiktaalik: the missing link

Embedded in the pectoral fins were bones that compare to the upper arm, forearm and primitive parts of the hand of land-living animals. The joints of the fins appeared to be capable of functioning for movement on land, a case of a fish improvising with its evolved anatomy. In all likelihood, the scientists said, Tiktaalik flexed its proto-limbs mainly on the floor of streams and might have pulled itself up on the shore for brief stretches.

Since discovery, Tiktaalik has found his place on the evolutionary ladder:

Tiktaalik, Dr. Shubin said, is “both fish and tetrapod, which we sometimes call a fishapod.”

For more on this fishapod, check out John Noble Winford’s article in the New York Times, which includes the full size originals of the images above, plus some unintelligible statements from creationists.


Civil Definitions

Complaint - In a Civil action, a complaint is the first pleading by a plaintiff stating the various names of parties to civil action, and the remedy requested.

Foreclosure - See Writ of Execution

Injunction - is a court order which requires a party to refrain from doing a particular act or activity.

Levy - is a seizure of real property through lawful process. The land or property seized may be sold to satisfy a judgment. The levy may be against personal property such as bank accounts, cash, vehicles, etc.

Return - an affidavit is sent to the plaintiff's attorney notifying him/her as to the result of service.

Summons - This is a mandate requiring the answer of a defendant and specifying the time in which the defendant must answer the complaint. A summons enables the court to acquire jurisdiction of the defendant.

Wage Execution (Garnishment) - is the process in which the Sheriff may levy money or salary which is in the hands of a third person but which is due a defendant. For example, a percentage of the salary due an employee (defendant debtor) which is controlled by a third party ( employer) is issued to repay the debt due the plaintiff (lender).

Writ of Attachment - This prevents the disposal of an item prior to a final judgment and is used to enforce obedience to an order of judgment.

Writ of Execution - This orders the enforcement of a judgment by commanding the Sheriff to levy or seize and sell the personal and real property of the judgment debtor.

Writ of Execution against Goods and Lands - see Writ of Execution

Writ of Possession - This is a writ of execution which allows the sheriff to take possession of real or personal property and give it to the person entitled to it under the judgment.

Writ of Replevin - This writ requires or provides for the recovery of goods which the owner believes were unlawfully taken.

This page last updated on 05/18/2009


Thanksgiving at EcoVillage Ithaca

Our co-created Thanksgiving community dinner is an EcoVillage Ithaca tradition. This year’s was especially lovely as new TREE residents joined in. Tag football, singing, a reading of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, and board games added to the celebration.

Planning and preparations for the harvest meal began well before the event, as people signed up in the Common House to prepare different side dishes and desserts.  Free Range Organic turkey and a Tofurky turkey (for vegans) were ordered and cooking started early on Thursday.

Meanwhile Doug Shire led a pre-dinner game of tag football (another tradition), and volunteers set up the Frog Common House dining room so that the usually individual tables formed a connected U-shape, creating a more communal dining experience.

At 4:30 residents, along with their families, friends and their contributions to the meal, started to arrive from all three neighborhoods. Dinner began at 5:00 with a pre-dinner song, “Satisfied Mind,” performed by resident Joe Crookston. Susan Wolfe read the Native American Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. Tables were given numbers and diners were called up according to their numbers, the children’s table having the first choice of the feast. A lavish dessert spread followed the dinner.

Residents and friends lingered for conversation and board games well into the evening. Much gratitude was expressed for one another,  and the shared life of the community.


Ancient Histria or Istros (Ιστριη, Thracian river god, Danube), was a Greek colony or polis (πολις, city) on the Black Sea coast, established by Milesian settlers to trade with the native Getae. It became the first Greek town on the present day Romanian territory. Scymnus of Chios (ca 110 BC), the Greek geographer and poet, dated it to 630 BC. Eusebius of Caesarea, some centuries later, dated its founding to 657 – 656 BC, at the time of the 33rd Olympic Games. The earliest documented currency on Romanian territory was an 8-gram silver drachma, issued in Histria in the year 480 BC.

Archaeological evidence seems to confirm that all trade with the interior followed the foundation of Histria. Traders reached the interior via Histria and the Danube valley, demonstrated by finds of Attic black-figure pottery, coins, ornamental objects, an Ionian lebes and many fragments of amphoras. Amphoras have been found in great quantity at Histria, some imported but some local. Local pottery was produced following establishment of the colony and certainly before mid-6th century. During the archaic and classical periods, when Histria flourished, it was situated near fertile arable land. It served as a port of trade soon after its establishment, with fishing and agriculture as additional sources of income. By 100 AD, however, fishing was almost the sole remaining source of Istrian revenue.

Around 30 AD, Histria became a Roman town. During the Roman period from the 1st to 3rd centuries AD, temples were built for the Roman gods, besides a public bath and houses for the wealthy. Altogether, it was in continuous existence for some 14 centuries, starting with the Greek period up to the Roman-Byzantine period. The Halmyris bay where was the city founded was closed by sand deposits and access to the Black Sea gradually was cut. Trade continued until the 6th century AD. The invasion of the Avars and the Slavs in the 7th century AD almost entirely destroyed the fortress, and the Istrians dispersed; the name and the city disappeared.

Ancient Histria was situated on a peninsula, about 5 km east of the modern Romanian commune of Istria, on the Dobruja coast. The ancient seashore has since been transformed into the western shore of Sinoe Lake, as the Danube's silt deposits formed a shoal which closed off the ancient coastline. The current Sinoe Lake was at the time the open northern bay, while another bay on the southern shore served as the port. The acropolis with sanctuaries was established on the highest point of the coastal plain. The settlement itself, erected in the 6th century, was 800 m to the west of the acropolis. The settlement had stone paved streets and was protected by strong wall. Water was collected along 20 km long aqueducts. The ruins of the settlement were first identified in 1868 by French archaeologist Ernest Desjardins. Archaeological excavations were started by Vasile Pârvan in 1914, and continued after his death in 1927 by teams of archaeologists led successively by Scarlat and Marcelle Lambrino (1928–1943), Emil Condurachi (1949–1970), Dionisie Pippidi, Petre Alexandrescu and Alexandru Suceveanu. The Histria Museum, founded in 1982, exhibits some of these finds. The excavation project and site also features prominently in the film The Ister.


World's Largest Sheet Music Selection

Contemplation (score only)

By Elena Roussanova Lucas

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Orchestra String Orchestra - 3.5 (grade 3.5)
Composed by Elena Roussanova Lucas. String Orchestra. Belwin Concert String Orchestra. Score. 8 pages. Published by Belwin Music (AP.29687S).

Item Number: AP.29687S

A beautifully fluid ballad encouraging your young band's highest musical attributes. Distinctive dissonances will bring out a most musical performance reinforcing balance, blend, and tone color. An awe inspiring sound, Contemplation has a place on every program. (2:00).

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The Momentous Nature of the Opportunity Cost Concept

Globalization: A Constant Throughout the Ages

globalizationGlobalization has been the ever present means of mankind’s evolution. A constant throughout the ages.

There is a need to understand how globalization is not only this intangible phenomenon we are all participants in –whether we are aware of it or not, but an extremely powerful tool we can use as a mold for our future. And by we, I mean, every person and every nation. There is a permanent need to learn the correct application of this ever-present phenomenon.

The world has always fascinated me. Even when I was a child, understanding how the world works and its interactions has been my passion. And in my life-long journey of learning, I’ve not only had court-side seats to, but have also been a player in, two very different arenas: business/economic/financial and social entrepreneurship.

On the topic of globalization, curiously enough, no well-known book to date has set together the who is who, the whats, and the whys in an integrated, comprehensive manner. We can all identify these factors separately, but it is key to place and analyze them alongside, in order to  connect the dots.

Likewise, curiously enough, no well-known book to date on the subject has sufficiently focused on History, Leadership, Governance, and Social Entrepreneurship as four fundamental pillars of globalization. A strong and consistent emphasis on human values is indeed indispensable to appropriately approach globalization. At the end of the day, globalization is about human beings, human values, and human needs.

My book, GLOBALIZATION, is an easy-to-understand compendium of the subject, presenting a rich and very valuable content, with multiple practical examples from all over the world.

GLOBALIZATION. Opportunities and Implications. The ABCs to a Global Social Revolution will be released on February 1st.

Understanding Historic Economic Theory

History cannot be properly understood without an adequate comprehension of basic economics.

Human knowledge is holistic, a big piece of integrated, well-structured experiences. Specialization in learning is a good thing, but it should not be carried away too far, since doing so creates all kinds of misunderstandings due to partial comprehension of how things work. The study of and daily practice in specialized fields of human knowledge is indeed a very useful approach to learning and solving situations, provided that the overall context is not lost within that specialization process.

One of the areas of human knowledge where the lack of a particular know-how proves very costly is in the economics/history binomial.  Economic principles and practices, among many other elements from different disciplines, are truly indispensable to gain the proper perspective in human history. Otherwise, the knowledge of history is mutilated at best and highly distorted at worst.

Metrics are an indispensable tool to measure and understand many key historic phenomena. Economics provide those metrics. Without adequate metrics, the understanding of many historic events can be seriously distorted.

The same logic can be applied to a proper understanding of globalization. That is why in my book, Globalization, economics plays a large role as an indispensable ingredient to an adequate understanding of such a complex phenomena. Economics, however, should only be visualized as a means toward greater accomplishments, not as an end in itself.

Why History Defines Our Future

Anticipating the future is always extremely difficult, and most of the time it proves to be highly inaccurate. Nonetheless, making intelligent inferences about the most likely future outcomes is a crucial task for individuals, society and businesses in general. Planning could not exist without it.

There are two elements of utmost importance, as an indispensable foundation for the future:

  • Where do we come from and
  • How we got to where we are now

In short, know the past. The present globalization stage makes knowledge of the past and the trajectory we all have had in arriving to where we currently are more evident than ever.

Granted, knowing the past, in itself, cannot guarantee anything. Not knowing the past, however, is a great drawback, a most potentially harmful and risky circumstance. Knowledge of history is important at all levels: individual, family, corporate, country and mankind in general.

The lessons that can be learned from an appropriate analysis of the past are as abundant as useful. Which is why so many great thinkers have wisely admonished mankind about it. George Santayana, used to say with irony: “Those that do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

In my book, Globalization, this factor has been thoughtfully considered. Humanity has this never-ending cycle, also applicable to any given country. We all come from the most simplest roots: cavemen. We then grossly evolved into many other barbaric stages: the Huns with torturous practices, the Vikings with their unstoppable aggressions, and the Aztecs with their human sacrifices, and contemporary mankind with two great world wars, among many others.

Naturally, mankind has also displayed abundant positive traits and contributions along the way. As centuries have passed by, humanity has gradually been evolving intellectually (and even morally), as we should. Our ancestors began to seek a standing place for their revolutionary ideals: La Fête Nationale (French Revolution), the American Civil War, and the Indian Independence movement, among others. Currentlly, according to Gideon Rachman (Financial Times columnist), we are in the midst of the age of mounting indignation”: riots in London, the Arab Spring, and the Occupy-Wall Street movement, among others. In a parallel, simultaneous, very encouraging development, mankind has been highly focusing on the voice of the single individual, and its  inseparable collective entity version.

We shouldn’t only learn from humanity’s history at large, but from our own family’s and the company we work for as well. The never-ending cycle does not only apply to the clumps of society which happen to form a country, but it also applies to each person which is a part of that clump. We need to take advantage of the fact that we have begun to act more effectively as this greater individual and hop on the tracks that is leading us towards the next stage of human development within the never-ending cycle.

The vast accumulated knowledge and experiences of humanity to this date lend themselves handsomely for truly great improvements in the near future.  And based on our previous cycles, it looks like this new stage of development promises to be a fantastic opportunity for society to raise the human cause to new heights, through a Revolutionary Evolution. We owe it to our ancestors, to the world and to ourselves.

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Janaina Tschape

About Artist: Janaina Tschäpe shares her forename with a Brazilian water goddess, and, not coincidentally, her photographs and performances-to-video feature sumptuously organic, watery, distorted female figures," writes Frieze. Her use of organic lines and ethereal forms in her paintings create a network of relationships, linking the process of artistic practice to lifecycles found in nature. In Brazil, nature is overwhelming. Everything is growing on top of something else - there is always a plant breaking through a wall or a tree shooting out of the ground. When she returns to the city, she paints with these memories. Her paintings exist in a state of their own becoming. They are systems of palimpsests; each brushstroke, a materially emphatic note, partially occludes a previous mark. In this way, forms are built and colors orchestrated through layers of accumulation. Their physically sensuous surfaces give way to topologies of finely calibrated hues. They create the sensation of being under water or wrapped up in diaphanous cloaks. Tschäpe was born on 1973 in Munich, Germany and was raised in Sao Paolo, Brazil. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Hochschule fur Bilende Kuenste, Hamburg and her Master in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts, New York. Tschäpe’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions throughout the world including New York, Tokyo, Saõ Paolo, London, Madrid, Paris, Switzerland and Berlin. Recent projects include:

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Enron versus Bombay

In 1995, the Maharashtra state government of India abruptly canceled Enron's 2.9 billion projects. This came as a huge blow to Enron's international power unit. Upon the news release, Enron's share price fell immediately about 10% to 33 and half. Rebecca Mark, the CEO sprang to action to resuscitate the deal promising concessions. This effort was met with scorn from BJP politicians. Enron Dabhol debacle cast a serious doubt on the company's aggressive global expansion strategy, involving some $10 billion in projects in power plants and pipelines spanning across Asia, South America and Middle East.
Enron became involved in the project in 1992 when the new government was keen on attracting foreign investment in infrastructure. After meeting with the Indian government officials, Enron dispatched executives to India to hammer out a "memorandum of understanding" in just 10 days to build a massive 2,015-megawatt Dabhol power complex. New Delhi placed the project on a fast track and awarded it to Enron without competitive bidding. The Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) agreed to buy 90% of the power Dabhol produces. Two US companies, GE and Bechtel Group, agreed to join Enron as partners for the Dabhol project.
In the process of structuring deal, Enron made profound political miscalculations. It did not seriously take into consideration a rising backlash against foreign investments by an opposition coalition led by the BJP. During the state election campaign in early 1995, the BJP called for reevaluation of the Enron project. Jay Dubashi, the BJP's economic advisor, said that the BJP would review all foreign investments already in India, and "If it turns out that we have to ask them to go, then we'll ask them to go". Instead of waiting for the election results, Enron rushed to close the deal and began construction, apparently believing that a new government would find it difficult to unwind the deal when construction was already under way. Enron was not very concerned with local political sentiments. Enron fought to keep the contract details confidential, but a successful lawsuit by a Bombay consumer group forced the company to reveal the details. Enron would receive 7.4 cents per kilowatt-hour from MSEB and Enron's rate of return would be 23%, far higher than 16% over the capital cost that the Indian government guaranteed to others. Critics cited the disclosure as proof that Enron had exaggerated project costs to begin with and that the deal might have involved corruption.
The BJP won the 1995 election in Maharashtra state and unfilled its promise, Manohar Joshi, the newly elected chief minister of Maharashtra, promptly canceled the project, citing inflated project costs and too high electricity rates. This pledge played well with Indian voters with visceral distrust of foreign companies since the British colonial era. By the time the project was canceled. Enron already had invested some $300 million. Officials of the Congress party did not come to the rescue of the project. The BJP criticized the Congress Party for being too corrupt to reform the economy and too cozy with business interests. In an effort to pressure Maharashtra to reverse its decision, Enron pushed like hell the US Energy Department to make a statement in June 1995 to the effect that cancelling the Enron deal could adversely affect other power projects. The statement only compounded the situation. The BJP politicians criticized the statement as an attempt by Washington to bully India.
After months of nasty exchanges and lawsuits, Enron and Maharashtra negotiators agreed to revive the Dabhol project. The new deal requires that Enron cut the project's cost from 2.9 billion to 2.5 billion, lower the proposed electricity rates, and make a state-owned utility a new 30% partner of the project. A satisfied Joshi stated Maharashtra has gained tremendously by this decision. Enron needed to make a major concession to demonstrate that its global power project is still on track. The new deal led Enron to withdraw a lawsuit seeking $500 million in damages from Maharashtra for the cancellation of the Dabhol project.

A. Discuss the chief mistakes that Enron made in India.
B. Discuss what Enron might have done differently to avoid its predicament in India.

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Question A
One of the miscalculations of Enron in establishing its presence in the Indian subcontinent, which I believe had the most significant impact on the failure of the project which led to a drastic cut in the total contract price, was its lack of understanding of the political factors in India. Like any developing country, in 1995, India's political system heavily ...

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The expert examines an aggressive glabal expansion strategy for Enron versus Bombay.


Even the most efficient business travelers may find themselves forgetting something or running out of time to take care of a personal errand before a flight. Airports, particularly those in Europe and Asia, are responding by offering an increasing array of services like hair salons, medical clinics and dry cleaners.

Whether with hair salons, spas, pharmacies or other services, airports are likely to expand their offerings in the coming years based on what passengers want, said Mr. Massey, of the airport design firm Corgan. “Social media has played a big role in airports’ being able to better understand passenger desires and capture customer feedback on a nearly real-time basis,” via airport Twitter feeds and Facebook pages.


The MacArthur Memorial Museum
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"Duty, Honor, Country"
General MacArthur's final resting place is an unexpectedly vibrant location. The MacArthur Memorial Museum is a great tribute to his life, as well as a fascinating collection of artifacts from our nation's mid-20th century. It's a must for any American history buff or family (admission and tours are free).

"Duty, Honor, Country," was the credo of Army General Douglas MacArthur. One of only five men to rise to the rank of five star general, MacArthur was arguably one of the most influential Americans of his era. General MacArthur was pivotal in the success of military operations in the Pacific theater in both WWII and the Korean War.
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7 Proven Benefits of Edamame

Some of the health benefits of edamame include a stronger immune system, improved bone health, boosted cardiovascular health, weight management, and a healthy digestive system. It has the potential to inhibit tumor growth and may improve lung function in patients suffering from asthma. It also helps in managing age-related skin changes in postmenopausal women. Edamame is a good source of proteins, fiber, and other nutrients that are essential for the human body.

The use of soy beans is common in the preparation of food for vegetarians. Apart from the beans itself, there are different products that can be generated from this beans. Edamame is prepared by boiling immature soy beans with their pods and it is commonly served as a side dish. It is a popular dish in Japanese cuisine and history suggests that it was first prepared in Japan.  Although this type of soy bean was originally common in Japan, it is slowly gaining fame in different parts of the world, including the United States. This is due to the fact that it has been proven to have properties that are beneficial to the body.

Edamame, just like soybean, is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, and minerals.

Nutritional Value of Edamame

Edamame contains energy, protein, fiber, carbohydrate, various amino acids and low levels of fat and sugar. It is a good source of various minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Vitamin C, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin E, and tocopherol are some of the vitamins that are present in edamame.

These nutrients help in maintaining a healthy life and preventing various health risks. Some of the health benefits are listed below.

Health Benefits of Edamame

Healthy Skin: Skin is one of the body’s organs that is susceptible to damage due to external conditions, such as weather and medication, among others, so it needs proper care. The intake of edamame, which contains antioxidants, helps in maintaining healthy skin and repairing damaged skin. Edamame contains isoflavones that may be beneficial in managing age-related skin changes in postmenopausal women.

Stronger Immune System: Edamame, with its nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants help in strengthening the immune system. A healthy immune system is necessary for the body to protect itself against microorganisms that may cause various health ailments.

EdamameBone Health: Edamame contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin E, and other nutrients that are required for maintaining healthy bones. Consumption of edamame and other soy products may provide the necessary nutrients and help in strengthening bones and maintaining bone density. As per a research study, edamame may reduce the risk of bone fractures, especially in postmenopausal women.  Osteoporosis is another bone-related ailment that occurs in old age. Regular intake of edamame, which contains isoflavones and other nutrients, may help in preventing osteoporosis as well. It is also important to lead a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent any other bone-related diseases.

Better Lung Function: Research studies suggest that the intake of genistein may improve lung function in patients with asthma. Edamame also contains genistein and thus may help in improving lung function.

Weight Management: Consumption of edamame may also be beneficial in managing weight. The intake of proper food plays a very important role in weight management. Edamame has high protein content and less calories, which makes it an ideal snack for weight conscious people.

Digestion: The health benefits of edamame include healthy digestive system. It is a good source of fiber which facilitates digestion. The constipation and bloating that you are experiencing may also be prevented or reduced by consuming edamame. Apart from the benefits of the digestive system, fiber also plays an important role of ensuring that cholesterol is maintained at the right levels, thereby reducing the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Anti-Tumor Properties: Soy products, such as edamame, have gained importance due their various health benefits. Research studies have also been conducted to ascertain the potential health benefits, such as anti-cancer properties. One such study suggests that soy extract may significantly reduce tumor growth and has potential to inhibit tumor growth.

Cardiovascular Health: Soy foods like edamame may be beneficial in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. A study conducted in 2006 suggests that the consumption of soy foods may improve the control of insulin and blood glucose levels.

How to Select and Store – Edamame

Edamame is readily available in stores in many countries across the world. Fresh or frozen edamame can be picked and stored in cool places. One can also go to Japanese and Chinese restaurants that serve edamame.

edamameinfoPreparing a Delicious Edamame Dish

This is one of the easiest meals to prepare as long as all the ingredients are available. To begin with, soy beans are not usually mature, making it easy to cook within a short period of time, unlike mature beans. It is better when boiled with the pods to ensure that all the nutrients remain intact, because this is the main reason for consuming it.

You can opt for a recipe that works well for you; among those that are common include that which incorporates the use of oil, onions, and other ingredients and spices of your choice. If the boiled version works better for you, then that is still fine.

Since the pods are tender, their removal is not necessary. After proper boiling, the beans are then removed by gently squeezing the pods. This is a better method than tearing the pods apart. Instead of the whole pod removal process, there are those who choose to have the beans together with the pods, which are tender after boiling.

For a fulfilling and delicious meal, the edamame can be fried first together with the spices for a few minutes before serving it as a main dish or salad. Make sure you do not overcook the beans.

If you enjoy cooking, try a combination of various ingredients with edamame. You never know, you could generate an edamame recipe from your imagination that everyone might want to try.

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How To Be A Good And Efficient Leader Management Essay

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A leader is defined as one who guides or is in authority or one in a position of influence or importance according to the Webster Dictionary (2001). But, what is a good and efficient leader? What are the characteristic of a good and efficient leader? Leaders are recognized to contain their own leadership style and can be said to be different from any other leader. Although this is thought to be true, studies have shown that people in leadership positions are thought to be or characterize more as men over women.

To be a good leader it means that you can motivate everyone to follow your example, willingly and gladly. A good leader will both inspire confidence and give a strong example of what we should aim for. Among several characteristics of a good leader are; positive approaches towards problem solving, effective communication, new ideas, keeping commitments, share expertise and knowledge, immediate appreciation, decisions taking attitude, and delegate responsibility and authority.

The purpose of this study is to discover how to be a good and efficient leader. In order to do that, I would be looking into the different characteristics of a leader. Furthermore, I will be talking about one leader in particular and describe his qualities.

Characteristics of being a good & efficient leader

A good and efficient leader has a positive approach towards the decisions and has a positive approach to the things happening around him. He also has the ability to keep the environment fresh & healthy. He should be a perfect guide to his subordinates, and should be able to convince people about the decisions he is making.

A good and efficient leader should know how to solve problems. He has the right techniques to solve the various problems. He should always see the problems will be solved and people should be satisfied with the techniques and methods used by him. He also must have effective communication skills. He must be good at convincing people. He should be confident enough in approaching any issue.

A good leader always has new ideas having the perfect idea for any problem that they are facing so that the people under him will have a challenging attitude and be satisfied with his guidance.

He should be good at keeping commitments knowing the depths of the given responsibility and act accordingly. He should also be a good motivator as well as an anticipator.

A good leader shares expertise and knowledge. He has a lot experiences and knowledge to build good applications and successful projects. He is keen to appreciate immediately when someone does a good job. However, if someone has not done his job according to the expectations, he should discuss with him in person and ask what the problem is and teach on how to tackle or solve it. He has a good decision taking attitude. He should be a balanced person and a guide to his team, and does not easily lose his calmness on minor issues. He should be a team builder & efficient leader. A good and efficient leader delegates responsibilities and authorities. He should delegate responsibility and authority to his members and this will help to build their confidence.

President Barack Obama, a good and efficient leader?

With the world watching his every move, President Obama continues to carry himself in a self-assured and confident manner for which he is known. He has displayed the quality and conduct of a leader since day one of his campaign, and has shown powerful lessons on leadership which have been commendable.

The presidential election was won based on the passionate expression of a vision which is relevant to all of the Americans' lives and their children's lives. He knew that the people has lost trust in the country's leadership, President Obama reassures all the people to gain hope. He assured them social stability and confidence.

Faced with a never ending list of tasks, the President expressed early on the importance of not only hiring, but empowering the right and most qualified people. He knew that his brilliance must reflect on others, who in turn will reflect their brilliance upon him. This is said to be the best collection of minds ever assembled for a White House administration.

Another characteristic that the President has is a good personal relationship towards the people. He made sure that he addresses the Americans whenever he has the opportunity to do so.

After looking into the possible characteristics of a good and efficient leader, I conclude that the most important leadership quality is to gain confidence and trust of your subordinates or those whom you are leading. Without this trust, no one would want to listen to you let alone follow you.

I believe that every person is a leader in one way or another. In the family for example, our fathers are the natural leaders. They are not just the decision makers but, they are also the building block of the family. They keep all the members tightly bound together.

In the school, our teachers are also considered as our leaders. They are the pillars of our learning and a big influence in our education and future.

In the community, we have different leaders to ensure the safety of all the people living in the vicinity. We have the policemen, the government officials, the firemen, the law enforcers and many more. They serve as the building blocks of the community.

Question No. 2

Every person strives to be successful in so many ways. A child struggles to be the best in every game and competition with his peers. Every student strives so hard to gain high marks. Every adult strives hard to earn a living. But how do we define success? Do we gain success if we have a lot of money and fortune? Do we say we are successful because we earned a Bachelor's degree or a Master's Degree or a PhD? Are we considered successful when we have a career and has a high salary? Is having a happy Family a success?

Every individual has his own criteria for success. Be it career and high paying jobs, family and relationships, good education and happiness, success is a personal thing.

The main objective of this assignment is to describe the qualities or achievement that I feel justified in calling an individual successful.

Some said that to have a successful life one must have a Career; to get a job and earn high salary to support their families and to get what we want and what we need in their life. Like me, I want to have a good education first so that I can have a good job and build a stable career because I want to support my family specially my sister. She is finishing her high school in two years time and she wants to take up medicine. She wants to be a Doctor and this course would be very expensive so I must strive hard to get a job and perform well in my work to get a high position and high pay at work.

My Dad claims that to be successful, you should have a good education first. He got this from his parents. They told him that education is the only treasure that they can leave with them and the only treasure that could not be taken away from them. He also said that with great effort, one would definitely succeed.

My dad comes from a family of two children. They live in a small village in the southern part of the Philippines. His mother is a teacher and his father is unemployed. They have a small farm with cows and goats. Every morning before going to school, he has to feed the farm animals and take them out to the fields. He did this every morning until the animals are ready to be sold. Although with difficulty, he persevered and strived hard to finish his studies. Even if he had to work in order to sustain his life as a student, he never complained. He had a goal in mind which is to finish his studies and he worked really hard to do it well. Today, he has a stable and a good paying job which sustains us. I definitely see my father as a successful individual.

Achievement, simply put, is accomplishing whatever goals you've set for yourself, not necessarily earning a lot of money. Achievement is doing what you want to do within the bounds of the law. It is the pursuit of dreams. It is liberty from the chains of fear and unbelief. It is a recognition of what makes you unique and what you have to offer to others. It is the realization, the substance, and the tangibility of a dream fulfilled. However, it is important to know that accomplishing your goal is done through the fire of your will.

Without a strong will, you will not believe. Therefore, you will not achieve. Yes, you will want to achieve but there's much more achievement than simply wanting to. Achievement requires drive and, in many cases, single-mindedness. Once you've truly made up your mind, once you have a vision of where you're going and how you're going to get there, you must speak and act as if it's already done. In spite of what you see, in spite of what you hear, you must continue to speak and act on your vision. Why? It is because we believe what we hear and we act on what we believe. Fear and unbelief are the main ingredients of failure. They reveal the internal struggle that causes so many to quit before they see the fruit of their labour and experience the joy of accomplishment.

Personally, I believe that success is quite simple. It is achieving everything I wish in life in full harmony with my love/relationships, work, health and spirit.

To be a successful does not need big accomplishment. One just have to set a goal for himself and once that goal is achieved, he is deemed successful. For me, a successful individual is someone who is happy, content with his life and is continually improving. A person who has achieved his dreams and is living his dreams is successful.


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Countries Vote Firmly Against Proposal to Open Legal Ivory Trade

Today CITES countries decided against proposals from Namibia and Zimbabwe to open legal ivory trade from their countries. In response, WWF issued the following statement from Ginette Hemley, head of delegation to CITES CoP17:

“African elephants are in steep decline across much of the continent due to poaching for their ivory, and opening up any legal trade in ivory would complicate efforts to conserve them. It could offer criminal syndicates new avenues to launder poached ivory, undermining law enforcement, and would undercut efforts to reduce the consumer demand that is driving the mass poaching.

“Countries here at CITES rightly chose to prioritize closing domestic ivory markets and strengthening national plans to combat illegal ivory trade as the best way forward to save elephants.

“It is imperative that countries now turn these decisions into strong action. Otherwise, the future of one of the world’s most iconic animals will fall further into doubt.”


Norwegian chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen, nicknamed ‘the Mozart of chess’, became a grandmaster at age 13 and the youngest ever world champion just 10 years later. This remarkable and entertaining documentary willhave you enthralled, whether you are an avid chess player or not.
Following Magnus from child prodigy through all the trials and tribulations to finally reaching the world final in India, the film is an engaging study of genius and a glimpse into a unique mind that works unlike anyone else’s. It is impossible not to like Magnus and root for him as he competes to achieve the single thing he has dreamed about for his entire life.


(redirected from Muscle cramps)
Related to Muscle cramps: Muscle spasms, Muscle pain, Leg cramps
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For the study, the researchers used an electrical neurostimulator to induce muscle cramps in the feet of 37 healthy people.
3) Although most muscle cramps are harmless, some may be related to an underlying medical condition, such as inadequate blood supply and narrowing of the arteries that deliver blood to your legs and can produce cramp-like pain in your legs and feet while you're exercising.
Muscle cramps begin with fasciculations or muscle twitches and are felt to be related to nerve conduction rather than the muscles themselves (Holley, 2011).
Assessment: symptomatic treatment for muscle cramps (an evidence-based review): report of the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology (Neurology 2010;74:691-6).
And there are other reasons for having low sodium levels in the bloodstream--a condition called hyponatremia, which can cause nausea, fatigue, and muscle cramps.
Body fluid lost as sweat can be replaced by water, but sports drinks also replenish electrolytes like sodium and potassium--which are important for preventing muscle cramps," says Ashley Doyle-Lucas, a nutritionist who works with dancers.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include: nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, headache, muscle cramps and aches, and dizziness.
THERE are reports that long term use of creatine can lead to kidney problems, hypertension, stomach cramps, and muscle cramps, but research on the matter is still inconclusive.
FROM THE 18 MILLION SENIORS WHO SUFFER WITH DAILY MUSCLE CRAMPS to the estimated 30 million weekend warriors, aches and pains are a part of life.
Although mild side effects such as muscle cramps or headache can occur in some cases, WHO has said that the vaccine is safe.
The second section addresses common complaints such as muscle cramps, and provides guidance on how to address to needs of athletes who are vegetarians, diabetic, hypoglycemic, allergic, and those who must fast for religious reasons.
But Kadeer's effort - he had to bat with a runner after suffering muscle cramps - proved in vain as Gloucestershire failed to beat Hampshire.