Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Growth Mindset Professor Ramos Blog

Growth Mindset Introduction Have you ever met someone who said something like, Im simply bad at math? Did you know that this is a preconceived limitation that is simply not true? Its called a fixed mindset. While its common for people to get discouraged when they fail at something too often human beings are quick to wage war on themselves. Someone who would say theyre bad at something is actually just bad at having this thing called a growth mindset. Often individuals accept these preconceived limitations, but the reality is human beings are really just terrible at estimating their abilities. Its true that every individual has their initial talents, aptitudes, interests, and temperaments, (24) but these natural inherent qualities are not fixed and subject to change. We like to put ourselves and others into boxes saying things like, smart or dumb, hes good at this but not at that. Theyre good or bad. Degenerate or prodigy. Labels are important and necessary but they should not be used to define an individual. We humans are not one-dimensional. Judgments are inevitable but they prevent us from learning and ultimately from growing. To summarize psychologist Carol Dweck, author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success and creator of this concept, when our minds are fixed we spend our time documenting our intelligence or talent instead of developing them (42). In my report I will first Define what a growth mindset is and who came up with it, explain the difference between a fixed and growth mindset, simplify how to obtain it, show its effectiveness through a personal story and explain why its important. What is a Growth Mindset? Simply put a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed. Its a belief that construes intelligence as malleable and improvable (Ng). Its opposite counterpart, a fixed mindset, is the belief that abilities are fixed. Whether we are aware or not we all have beliefs, or non-beliefs, that strongly affect what we want and whether we succeed in getting it. Carol Dweck focuses on beliefs you have about yourself and how it has profound effects. She says these beliefs guide a large part of your life. In fact, it permeates every part (Dweck). The Difference Between a Fixed and Growth Mindset A fixed mindset is the belief that your qualities are carved in stone. Dweck says this creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character, well then youd better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldnt do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics (11). Its a defense mechanism against feeling inadequate. Dweck says shes seen so many people with this one consuming goal of proving themselves in a learning setting, their careers, and in their relationships. Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character. Every situation is elevated: will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart or dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I feel like a winner or a loser (16)? On the other hand is the growth mindset, based on the belief that your basic qualities are thing s you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies and help from others. Although people may differ in every which way with their initial talents, aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience (7). The difference between the two is in the following expressions. Someone with a growth mindset might say nothing ventured, nothing gained and if at first you dont succeed, try, try again or Rome wasnt built in a day. To summarize Dweck she says, what is truly amazing is that people with a fixed mindset would not agree. For them, its nothing ventured, nothing lost. if at first you dont succeed, you probably dont have the ability. If Rome wasnt built in a day, maybe it wasnt meant to be. In other words, risk and effort are two things that might Reveal your inadequacies and show that you are not up to the task. Those with a fixed mindset do not believe in putting in effort or getting help. They can do it on their own. Humans are the only species that believe they can do everything on their own. Every other species socializes and depends upon each other but human beings are self-made individuals that can and have relied solely on them self. It sounds nice, independent and confident but this way of thinking can actually be insecure and limiting. How to Obtain a Growth Mindset We need each other to learn and to grow. This is one thing the growth mindset teaches. Dont be afraid to raise your hand and ask someone if dont know something. That fear makes you a nonlearner. Not knowing something makes you human. Dweck quotes Benjamin Barber, an eminent political theorists saying I dont divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures I divide the world into the Learners and nonlearners. If youd like to cultivate a growth mindset and be a learner you can. Saga Briggs breaks down 25 ways to develop a growth mindset, Ill list the ones that resonate with me: Use the word yet. Whenever you see a student struggling with a task, just tell them they havent mastered it yet. Not yet. Acknowledge and embrace imperfections. Hiding from your weaknesses means youll never overcome them. Follow the research on brain plasticity. The brain isnt fixed; the Mind shouldnt be either. Replace the word failing with the word learning. When you make a mistake or fall short of a goal, you havent failed; youve learned. Now what did you learn? Cultivate a sense of purpose. Dwecks research also showed that students with a growth mindset had a greater sense of purpose. Keep the big picture in mind. Value the process over the end result. Intelligent people enjoy the learning process, and dont mind when it continues beyond an expected time frame. Personal Story: Mengyuan Wu Mengyuan Wu came from a traditional Chinese culture where she was taught some people are naturally talented and that this was the only way she could be truly good at something. When she was young her mother strived to discover her talents and so she was sent to a variety of classes. None of the classes pique her interest and so she was labeled as being without flexibility, artistic sense or any talent. With the belief that the goal of Education was to achieve excellent academic performance Mengyuan consequently felt a lot of pressure. Later she was introduced to the growth mindset concept and remembered a quote that goes like this: What matters is what you learn and get out of it, not how high your score is. With this in mind pressure slid off her shoulders and she started learning for the sake of learning instead of validation. She felt less stressed and thus could perform better. She applied the growth mindset beyond academics and took up a passion in fencing. Her parents never let her fence when she was younger because they didnt think she had the talent. As an adult her parents still had their doubts about their daughters passion but the growth mindset gave her a renewed confidence. She pushed her physical limits and persevered winning a bronze medal. When deciding on a college and whether to take up fencing the growth mindset altered her perspective on the fear of not being good enough and being rejected. She remembered what mattered; what you learn and get out of it and not how high your score is. Mengyuan’s choice in college didnt come from a place of proving herself. She came to understand that the best university for her was not the university on the top of the list but rather one that best matched her. She enrolled herself in a school and a sport that she enjoyed and when she failed she persevered and learned from it because it was what she wanted to do. Why is a Growth Mindset Important? This mindset is important because its natural consequence is success. Empirical Studies have revealed that growth mindset has positive effects on student motivation and academic performance of all ages (Ng). According to Dweck, teaching growth mindset to Junior High School students resulted in increased motivation and better academic achievement, especially in particular subjects such as science and mathematics. Furthermore mindsets play a significant role in student success. The development of growth mindsets allows children to exercise autonomy over their learning thus producing higher success (Boylan et al). In order to understand why this mindset is important you need to know that this mindset feeds intrinsic motivation. When people experience an inherent satisfaction of an activity itself they are intrinsically motivated. If a person is doing the activity in order to attain some reward, such as a grade or social recognition they are extrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation is much more powerful. When you have a growth mindset you are acting out of intrinsic motivation and when your actions are motivated by your individual interests and choices you foster a sense of purpose and meaning. In other words youre not just doing or learning something because you have to but because you want to.So if you have no purpose in life but you cultivate a growth mindset and act out of autonomy you will feed intrinsic motivation and therefore foster a sense of purpose. A growth mindset is important because it could potentially be the cure for depression and because of the positive impact it has on students. Theres a reason teachers dont call you stupid when you ask a stupid question because theyve cultivated this mindset. This concept is in our school systems because its more than important, its effective. Conclusion To summarize Carol Dweck, the passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when its not going well, is the Hallmark of the growth mindset. This is a mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives. By this concept nobody and nothing can hold us back. No matter who you are, where you come from or what youve been through your capabilities are limitless with infinite possibilities to choose from. In other words, no matter what life throws at us we can do anything we set our minds to, man.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Wind in the Willows Questions for Discussions

'The Wind in the Willows' Questions for Discussions The Wind in the Willows is a famous book about animals, by Kenneth Grahame. Here are a few questions for study and discussion. What is significant about the title?What are the conflicts in The Wind in the Willows? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) do you see?How does Kenneth Grahame reveal character in The Wind in the Willows?What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?What are some symbols in The Wind in the Willows? How do they relate to the plot and characters?Is Badger (Mr. Badger) consistent in his actions? Is he a fully developed character? How? Why?Does Badger change and/or develop as a character?How does Badger relate to other characters in the book?Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters creatures you would want to meet?Does the story end the way you expected? How? Why?What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?How does the past figure into the novel?How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?Would you recommend this book to a friend?​

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Marketing Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Marketing Concept - Essay Example The paper tells that the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has defined the concept of marketing in a different way. It suggests that marketing is a type of management process where the customer requirements are identified, anticipated and finally supplied in an efficient and profitable manner. Hence marketing can be considered to be consisting of a wide range of activities starting from market research to the development of a new product. Marketing is supposed to have evolved through five different phases over the past many years. They are the: a) era of trading, b) era of production, c) era of sales, d) era of the marketing department, and e) era of a marketing company. The marketing company era, which is the most recent and current phase of marketing evolved as a result of the realisation of the need of different business organisations to be focused on their customers to achieve their goals and objectives. Hence, in this modern era, customer is given the highest priority in an y of the marketing activities followed by the organisations. The concept related to marketing orientation is believed to have been developed at the Harvard University and in a few of the proactive and forward looking organisations during the period of the end of 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s. It has actually replaced the concept of sales orientation that was prevalent prior to this period. There is a substantial difference between the sales and market orientation. According to Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel these two types of orientations have been compared with each other based on five different characteristics. They are the focus of the organisations, the business activities followed by the firms, people to whom the products are being directed, primary goals of the firms, and various tools that are utilised to achieve those objectives and goals. Personnel of organisations that are sales oriented have their focus on selling the products to the customers that are already manufacture d by the firms. However, in recent times most of the organisations are observed to gain competitive advantage by focussing on the external market environment. Various organisations like Dell, Inc., Southwest Airlines, and the Royal Bank of Canada have succeeded in outperforming their competitors through the market orientation approach. A marketing oriented company can be considered as a business organisation which has its focus on the customers and their needs and wants. Companies try to identify various solutions to meet the satisfaction levels of the customers and in order to achieve this objective the organisations get involved in activities related to gaining an insight about the customers’ needs and wants through various means that includes both secondary and primary research. Most often people are found to misunderstand the concept of marketing and they associate it with advertising. However, marketing consists of various other aspects which the organisations need to be concerned with in order to have its sustainable growth and development in future. The thinking process of customers is volatile in nature and their needs and wants change in a short period of time. Hence organisations are required to be aware of those changing needs and wants of the customers and this fact makes marketing a useful concept for the companies.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Corporate governance and ownership reforms in Japan Essay

Corporate governance and ownership reforms in Japan - Essay Example The paper will review recent shareholder activism, board structure, the latest corporate scandal, and reforms in the regulative environment of Japanese corporate governance as well as judicial system reformation conducted in the past few years. The paper will also present an analysis of data collected from previous research on the effects of foreign investment in Japanese firms and the introduction and assimilation of U.S. boardroom structures to Japanese corporations. The paper will further examine the attitudes of Japanese managers, legal practitioners, and acceptance and resistance to traditional governance methods vis-a-vis the new U.S.-style forms of governance and ownership structures. Also, the paper will delve into the conflicts and tensions created by the adoption of U.S.-style shareholder activism or board structures in the corporate world among the Japanese business legal practices, and provide analysis of some of the factors involved in such frictions. Introduction The li nkage between corporate ownership and governance has been studied for many decades from various angles. While this area of scholarship had largely emphasized the widely-held type of ownership2 and agency problems that arose out of it,3 corporate ownership and governance issues continue to differ worldwide even after economies or business practices have largely converged.4 As corporate activity spread across the world, scholarship has gradually started to focus on institutional and functional differences.5 Broadly speaking, the analysis of this divergence has been conducted through how corporate governance converted and persisted. While convergence optimists claim dominance toward the U.S.-type shareholder-centered model,6 the ownership structure and unique characteristics of corporate ownership and governance still remain significant. The persistence of this divergence is analyzed through the theory of complementarity in each corporate governance system.7 It is true that the global corporate governance system certainly seems to be unified both functionally and formally, despite persisting differences.8 However, as seen in the example of Japan in this paper, corporate ownership and governance are shaped by historical path-dependence, and the social norms of each country still plays an important role in corporate governance. The reformation of corporate ownership and governance in Japan after the collapse of so-called bubble economy in 1990 is a prime example of corporate governance convergence and persistence. Corporate ownership in Japan had been characterized by reciprocal cross-shareholdings among corporation and banks. Also, corporate governance in Japan has a unique character where the main bank and employee interests play a central role with insider-oriented boards. As we will see in the following chapter, this structure experienced significant change after the 1990s through dissolving cross-ownership and adopting some shareholder-oriented, Anglo-American rules of governance. While these reformations can be considered as a corporate conversion caused by globalization, many Japanese corporations still retain unique governance characteristics and adopt U.S-style rules and practices, causing conflict and tension among Japanese businesses and legal practitioners. This paper attempts to address the issue derived from corporate conversion and persistence that occurred very recently in Japan. I: Dissolution of Cross

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Explain How Each Sector of Industry Essay Example for Free

Explain How Each Sector of Industry Essay Explain how each sector of industry is linked together within a supply chain? In todays world, supply chain management (SCM) is a key strategic factor for increasing organizational effectiveness and for better realization of organizational goals such as enhanced competitiveness, better customer care and increased profitability. Today, most of the enterprises of a supply chain operate independently. For example, marketing, distribution, production planning, manufacturing, and the purchasing organizations have their own objectives and these objectives are often conflicting. This way of functioning prevents the enterprises from providing the right products to the right customers at the right time. All these organizations are individually efficient enterprises, but they lack coordination to produce required end results. A supply chain can be described as a network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities, and suppliers that participate in the production, delivery, and sale of a product to the consumer. The supply chain is typically made up of multiple companies who coordinate activities to set themselves apart from the competition. Supply chains are all about linkages. A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Whenever a chain breaks, it usually does at the weakest link. In a supply chain there are many interfaces (links), and problems develop at these interfaces. The best way to overcome these problems is to, manage the supply chain efficiently. This helps the organizations to act and not react to the unexpected changes in the market situations. In the case of IKEA, the supply chain involves a flow of production and processes through each of the three industrial sectors: primary, secondary and tertiary. Specifically, the various stages of the process are raw materials in the primary stage, manufacturing in the secondary stage, distribution and retailing services in the tertiary stage. In the primary stage, IKEA works closely with its primary sector suppliers to ensure that it is receiving sustainable and environmentally friendly raw materials. IKEA designs its own products and throughout this process makes sure that the impact on the environment is minimised. The firm uses a tool called the â€Å"e-wheel† to measure the environmental impact of products. This looks at resources, production, use and recycling for each product. Around half of IKEA? s products are made of wood. This is a good source of material as it is recyclable and renewable. Other production processes which help support sustainability include tables made from recycled plastic, rugs made from off-cuts, products made to stack for more efficient transportation. IKEA works with suppliers to reduce waste or use waste products in further manufacture. To help it has a Code of Conduct called the IKEA Way (IWAY). In the secondary stage, IKEA creates its products from raw materials. During this stage, IKEA also created added value for its products with the utilization of the smallest amount of resources. The IWAY Code also helps manufacturers by making sure that they apply sustainable principles. It also insists that they follow laws, health and safety requirements and do not employ child labour. It states that materials from non-sustainable sources should not be used. The Code raises standards for all concerned. IKEA also works with other organisations to support the Code. These include children’s charity UNICEF and the World Wildlife Fund. In the tertiary stage, IKEA does not use raw materials nor create its products. IKEA’s retail stores add value to manufactured goods by providing a form of shopping different to the usual high-street experience. IKEA has more than 260 shops in 36 countries set up to provide a retail experience that meets consumer needs. Stores are large and customers can pick their own purchases. Further services are provided through the IKEA catalogue and home delivery. IKEA also has set up initiatives to support sustainability within the company by aiming to recycle up to 90% of its waste, removing carrier bags from its stores, subsidising public transport and encouraging cycling (with a new bike given to each employee), giving low-energy light bulbs for employees, using only hybrid vehicles as company cars. Within a supply chain, every sector must be well connected. It means that the upstream and the downstream can not be separated in order to meet the market demand in any situation. The three sectors mentioned earlier within IKEA supply chain are well connected. IKEA uses excellent supply chain concepts, reducing and eliminating wastes at every stage and hence can offer good value to customers. The IKEA’s supply chain is a complete process that can match together the suppliers, the manufacturer and the customers. With the support of the primary sector, IKEA can sustainably produce high quality products and sufficient quantities to meet the market demand at the lowest cost. The tertiary sector helps IKEA go further to create added value for customers, bringing about a close and sustainable relationship with the customers. IKEA’s supply chain strategy to connect the three sectors closely proves that it aims to act out and become a global giant in the industry.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Evacuation Of Children in WW2 :: World War II History

Evacuation Of Children in WW2 During World War 2, many children were moved from areas that were at risk from bombing. The children had to leave their families and go to live with strangers in less dangerous parts of the country. This was called "evacuation". Foster parents usually took their children. However, many discovered that life away from home was no picnic. Some thought it would be fun and exciting, like an adventure. All the younger boys thought it was a holiday, but not sure why the women and girls were crying. The first school children were evacuated on the 1st September, 1939 - the day Germany invaded Poland. In the first three days of September 1939, nearly 3,000,000 people were transported to the countryside, these were mostly children. They thought that they would be home before Christmas. It was usually the poorer children were not used to travelling. The wealthier family children were not upset on a average compared to the others. This was because they were used to travelling and being long distances away. Some parents even visited their children at weekends! Within a week, a quarter of the population of Britain would have a new addresses. At the start of the war schools were moved together. The children wore identity labels, gasmasks hanging from their necks and a small suitcase full of clothes and food for the day. They left in the early hours of the morning when it was dark. The majority were schoolchildren, who had been sent away were labelled like pieces of luggage, separated from their parents and accompanied by new people and teachers. They were just numbers in older peoples view! Most parents tried not to cry, some parents couldn't let go. Parents gave instructions to their children these were to not complain, Grin and smile however you feel, look after your brother or sister...... and not forgetting to write home. The teachers or supervisors kept the children happy and told them not to worry. Kids were in good moods....... That was before they left. Children were transported by trains. These trains were more often than not dirty. The children were all packed together. Most of the kids weren't used to long distances and by the time they got out they were hot, bothered, tired and dirty. After they had arrived they were promptly sent to village or church hall. The village or town, officers lined the children up against a wall or on a stage in the village hall, and invited people in to take their pick.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Why Tobacco Advertising Should Be Made Illigal

Tobacco advertising should be made illegal. First of all it is correspondent with growing death rate. In average, over 400  000 people die from tobacco usage every year. We should not support tobacco advertising when it is harmful to everyone. The only kind of advertising that has to deal with tobacco should be associated with stop smoking.Such advertising should help people to bring up smoking or should inform people about risks of smoking and about consequences that are involved. Comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising and promoting can result in a considerable reduction of tobacco consumption on a national level. Tobacco advertising should be banned from television, billboards, magazines, the internet and other places where one might find the advertising.Tobacco advertising is one of the worst kinds of advertising because it is pretty much telling everyone that it is okay to smoke because others are doing it also. Furthermore, tobacco advertising must be forbidden because it w ould be the most effective among teenagers, the easiest to be influenced by bad examples, fashions and emulation because of their psychological immaturity that lead them to adopt smoking as a mask to appear and feel themselves more adult.Tobacco advertising must be banned forever only thinking to how much the cures against cancer, too frequently useless, are expensive for the sanitary systems of all the world; these very high costs have surely never been paid by tobacco multinationals, except for the damages paid, after recent long trials, to a minimum part of the victims of this â€Å"trendy† and â€Å"safe† vice.