My Theory of Personality

Theory of Personality: Introducing Myself as a Theorist Kaila Stevens Bethel College Personality Theory: Introducing Myself as a Theorist BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH During high school I excelled at all aspects of her life. Bright student who was on the board for the National Honor Society. Leader of Student Athletes for PACT. Academics was not the only thing I excellent at; sports was a big part of my life. I was 3rd team all state in basketball by the time I got to my senior year. I placed 8th in state in the 400, and was top ten ranked all of my junior and senior years.I was offered countless scholarships spread across the board in terms of divisions of schools and for more than one sport. I was a well rounded individual ready for college. I moved into Grace College in the fall of 2008 on a full track scholarship and my life took a turn for the negative. School and sports were no longer important to me. I was so dependent on my parents I did not know how to make my own choices. I spend th e next three years rebelling against the authority of Grace College, because I did not know how to handle myself.In 2011, I realized my rebellion was due to all the attention my brother was receiving for being autistic, and I wanted â€Å"something wrong with me too† so my parents could worry about me. Also, around this time of insight, I volunteered at the Crossing, an alternative middle school where I developed relationships with some amazing kids stuck in horrible situations. My life outlook changed from needing attention to wanting to give all my attention to others. THE BASIC NATURE OF HUMAN BEINGS My theory takes a humanistic approach in almost all aspects. I agree with Horney and Adler that our inherent nature is constructive. We strive to develop our healthy potential and pathological behavior occurs if this innate force toward positive growth is blocked by external social forces† (Introduction to theories of personality, 2010). However, unlike Horney and Adler I believe these social forces are of a sin nature. God's will for our lives is for us to spread his word and impact others with his teachings of love and truth. My definition of sinful nature is the inherited and deeply ingrained drive to rule our own lives by rebelling against God by meeting our own needs and our own wants apart from God.Our sinful nature is how we please ourselves and where our drive for superiority starts. Striving for superiority in my theory is established during the making of our sinful nature. We want to control ourselves and control others around us, we do this in sin by not following God's orders. My striving for superiority definition is not as complex as the sinful nature theory, because it is only a small part to our sinful nature. Our internal sinful nature mixes with our external actions to create blocked social forces. My opinions have come from my own understanding of Mark 7:21-23. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornication, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, all these evil things proceed from within and defile the man† (Bible, ). Since people are born inherently good, their behavior becomes blocked by our sinful nature, we spend our life driving towards self-actualization. My definition of self-actualization is the ongoing process of establishing oneself as a whole person and gaining the abilities to understand oneself. When we understand our sinful nature and we realize how deeply sinful we are we can reach self-actualization.My time spent with teens at the Crossing seeded this concept. The Crossing is an alternative Christian Middle School that specializes in transforming teens' hearts and minds as well has teaching the Indiana State requirements of education. All the teens attending the Crossing have been expelled from their precious schools because of fighting, foul language towards other students and teachers, or for drug use. Most of the teens come f rom broken homes and many do not live with their actual parents due to custody battles. Along with these factors many of the teens come from homes that place a low value on education.Sadly most do not reach their goals in the classroom because of many reasons due to family troubles. Most of the children have a blocked self-actualization because of the negative society they live in but they initially set out to do well for themselves by working towards good grades. The sinful nature of wickedness and evil things, as spoken about from Mark 7:21-23, block their will to establishing their whole self. Honrey states, â€Å"man has the capacity as well as desire to develop his potential and become a decent human being, and due to relationships with others disturbers growth† (Horney, 1942).My theory, like Honrey's passage, states people can try to do well for themselves but if this is done within a sinful nature, they cannot reach their full potential. Since I believe self-actualizat ion is blocked by social forces, another aspect of my basic nature is that individuals are always trying to compensate and overcome. In my theory as people strive to become superior they do so in two ways; compensation and overcoming. The term overcoming is defined as conquering a fear or challenge presented in an individuals mind.While the term compensate is borrowed from Adler. Compensation is a strategy where a person covers up frustrations, desires or feelings in one aspect of their life to excel in another. Since people are striving for self-actualization, â€Å"if a child faces weakness with optimism and courage, and strives for superiority by making the necessary effort satisfactory to feel less superior† (Adler, 1933). I interpreted Adler and used his words to form my own opinion of compensation and related it to my own personal experience.I have had a stuttering problem all of my life. I went to many speech pathologist from prekindergarten all the way to my senior ye ar of high school. In high school I overcompensated my stuttering by being number one on the sports field. On the field no words were needed, I expressed my true self without words by being the best and showing everyone I could do something above and beyond others. I used sports to compensate for my lack of verbal skills. My faith and my theory have an explanation for compensation and why as humans we feel the need to compensate.Christianity tell us to love ourselves because God made us in his image. As part of our sinful nature, I believe we compensate because we do not fully believe yet that we are made perfectly in his image. As people we find tiny imperfections within us and on our bodies all the time. We believe if we were perfect we would not have our imperfections. We compensate to hide our imperfections from ourselves. This is a good example within my theory regarding our sinful nature and how we need to first discover our sinful nature to reach our self-actualization.THE ST RUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY I believe our unconscious is extremely important to the development of our personality within society. The unconscious consists of the processes in the mind that occur automatically and are not available for the conscious to digest; that is it is outside of our understanding. My theory also states that a person does not wish to understand their unconscious because it holds their deepest darkest secrets they would not like shared with the social world in fear of being rejected. These deepest darkest secrets are called shades.Instead of using the term shadow like Jung I decided to make my own. Shade is an appropriate name for deepest darkest secrets, because shading is the blocking of the secrets and the shadows it has created. Shade is also consisted of the colors gray, black and white. These colors represent the blur of what we do not understand in our unconscious and the dark place it is. A person will use a number of defense mechanism like; r epression, projection and rationalization to cover up their sinful nature and to strive for superiority.A person does not want to face reality of their sins because they realize how much more deeply sinful they are than what they initially realized. I believe a person strives to be superiority in other aspects of their life to make up for their sinful nature and use defense mechanism to cope with the things that are unconscious. A persons shade is dark that a person must use defense mechanism to protect themselves. My definition of repression is a mental process of suppressing memories into the unconscious.My experience with stuttering at a young age was a traumatic experience and in order to protect myself I needed to repress those experiences. Elementary children do not understand why someone has a disability and making jokes about it is considered cool because at that age the understanding is not there. By repressing the memories I could move past the negative experience and try to have healthy relationships. Repression in my theory is not always a negative trait, sometimes a person needs to repress experiences to move on in their life to reach self actualization.A person uses projection has a means of an outlet to protect their unconscious emotions. My theory blends from Alders' definition of repression which is, â€Å"attributing one's feelings, shortcomings, or unacceptable impulses to others† (Adler, 1957). I interpreted this into my theory by stating projection is releasing tension without letting the conscious understand what is happening and my experiences at the Crossing furthermore proved my theory. The children at the Crossing would cuss and attempt to start physical fights with teachers because they were releasing their tension onto the teachers.A normal conversation could start a fight, because that's all it took for the projection to be triggered. The students would release their shortcomings in their lives onto others as a defense mecha nism. My theory realizes that a person does not comprehend they are even using projection. My theories last defensive mechanism is rationalization. This is the easiest defense to understand. A person unconsciously gives themselves a false explanation of their own behavior. Freud states, â€Å"rationalization was supposed to be an automatic self-protection reaction† (Feud). I agree with Freud but I explore the rationalization theory in more detail.Adler had another name for rationalization and that was private logic. â€Å"In the kind of erroneous and self-centered reasoning that supports what we want to do rather than what's good for us or for others† (Adler, 1957). My theory combines both definitions to create my own. A person thinks they understand what is good for them so they realization to self protect themselves only because they do not understand their potential. They rationalize because their self actualization is blocked by social forces therefore they only th ink something is good for them because they do not understand their potential.Therefore, a health person does not need to self rationalization their behavior because their self actualization is being meet and is not blocked. DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY Erik Erikson had the epigenetic psycho-sexual stages of man in his personality theory. My theory has a similar stages of man but mine does not focus on the psycho-sexual but rather the development of personality through stages of life. A person on one side of the spectrum could stay in one stage their whole life or move progressively through, a person can only move through the stages after mastering the crisis at that stage.My theory is designed this way because I always have considered myself a late bloomer compared to others. Every person is different and finding their niche in a stage is up to the development of that person and their state of self actualization. My first stage starts at the beginning at birth and ends in an individu als thirty's. My first stage is labeled the environment stage. This is the first stage after a child is born and ends around 18 months. A baby cannot speak or communicate in any way except for cry. In this stage a baby first becomes aware of their environment.Since they can do nothing for themselves, a baby learns early on if their environment is a positive or negative environment. Hence, the start of self actualization within their environment. In this stage a child also chooses to be a positive or negative contribution to society. My second stage is the trusting stage, similar to Erikson's oral-sensory stage. This builds after the environment stage because a baby learns to trust their environment or mistrust it. Erikson backs up my claim with, â€Å"the amount of trust is derived from earlier infantile experience depends on the quality of the maternal relationship† (Erikson,1964 ).The caregiver is the child's main environment. If caregiver does not feed children or hold whi le child is crying mistrust is created. If the child has more mistrust over trust self actualization has already been blocked. Social forces have already showed the child their environment is flawed. Proving rising above hard. The third stage is the power stage. This is usually the potty training stage and starts around 18 months and last till around age three. A child wishes to express their needs and wants and pushes their environment anyway they can.This is where a child begins to want to achieve and rise about their negative environment. They want to express their power over their caregivers who have provided for them. A child wants to show they can do things themselves. This is the beginnings of a child thinking of being superior over others. Superior in that this stage is the start of the striving for superiority. A child understands their limitations and tries to gain power in other ways. This idea of superior is a new concept and a child does not understand how to express it yet.The fourth stage is the curiosity stage and starts at age three and last till the child is about five years old. A child is becoming more involved within their environment. They want to contribute but since they have no knowledge base to contribute they explore the options presented in their environment. They learn and this is the beginning of understanding what is acceptable in society and what is not. A sense of pride when mastering a learned activity is a common trait in this stage. The four stages listed above happen early on in life, usually between 0 and 5 years.Most hit the stages when their peers do but some do fly through them while others take longer in some areas. My theory does not put set ages on stages because each person is different. My theory on developing personality does not put a set age on a stage because I know people can still be healthy and be slow in some stages and master others quickly. The fifth stage is labeled the character stage, like Erikson's st age of identity vs confusion and becomes around age five and seven. This is where the child needs to be a heard and an appreciated connection in their environment. Their self esteem is built and destroyed in this stage.I based this part of my theory on my interpretation of Erikson's passage of, â€Å"Like a trapeze artist, the young person in the middle of vigorous motion must let go of his safe hold on childhood and reach out for for a firm gasp on adulthood† (Erikson, 1964). The sinful nature of people can negatively affect self actualization and blocked a persons growth. This is also the stage a person picks what they want to try to excel in and go for their fit, triggering their beginning introduction to adulthood. The sixth stage is closely following the character stage and sometimes can happen at the same time.Usually this stage starts around seven years and lasts till around age 12. No matter if self actualization is happening or not this stage is where a person learns they cannot excel at everything better than everyone else. This is where compensation is developed. A person tried to compensate what they lack into something they are good at so they feel a sense of superiority. This is a very important stage for the developed of a person. When a person realizes their sinful nature is much more than what they original thought a child will try to make up for it by being superior in another area.A person driven by a sinful nature always has to feel superior over someone else in some aspect of their life. This stage is considered the compensation stage. A person cannot become fully self actualized t unless they realize they cannot be the best at everything and their sinful nature will always be present. If a person does not overcome this stage they cannot have developed lasting relationships with others. The later stages are harder to achieve if defense mechanisms are in place due to prior experiences. A person must work through some of their repress ion, projection, and realization to achieve the later stages of life.Not every shade has to be revealed but some has to come into light so a person can understand themselves well enough to grow into the next stages. The seventh stage is the acquaintance stage and starts around age twelve and lasts till early twenties. This stage resembles Erik's intimacy vs isolation stage. After the sixth stage a person begins to develop deeper feelings for others around them. Since they have felt superior over others a person feels they can gain recognition and support from significant others. This is where a person finally feels it is okay to be them because they have felt superior.My theory is important to understand that a person cannot maturely love another without feeling a sense of superiority over someone. The reason being because they have to first appreciate themselves before they can let others appreciate them. A person struggling at this stage can cause problems in their relationships f rom past broken relationships they watched as a child. The eighth stage involves another person and has an age around between twenty to thirty years. Intimacy is where two people have enough trust in each other to put aside their superiority complex.The two people enter into mature love. This is the stage people consider getting married and sharing their future with someone else. They realize their partner is going to be better at things then them and that is okay because they have trust that their significant other likes them for who they are in God's image. Signs of divorces happens in this stage due to the lack of putting aside their superior attitude and letting their own will dominate. Divorce can happen in any later stage but in this stage if superior attitudes are not put aside, the marriage could be marked for divorce.A person still believe they are better than their partner and nothing their partner does is ever good enough. This thinking can lead to fights, problems and bu ilt up of negative emotions. This is the result in lack of trust. This is where moving on from the trust stage correctly is key. If a person mistrust others they cannot fully give themselves to their partner. The mistrust leads to fear. Fear that the other person sees their true self and that self is not good enough. The Bible tells us in John 4:18, â€Å"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment.He that that fearth is not made prefect love† (Bible). The Bible points to mature love and fear as being opposites. When a person is confident in themselves they do not fear their partner loving them for their true self's. My theory states above that a better cannot become confident in themselves with feeling superior to someone. Thus stage seven and eight follow each other. The ninth stage in my theory is the stage of asserting themselves into their world and begins after marriage. This is a stage where that person is ready to accept full responsible of themselves and their significant other.Usually a person strives for a profession not just simply a job. They want to assert themselves and use their superiority to expand into their work. In this stage a person establishes themselves in the adult world. This is the largest stage in my theory because a person is always growing and changing to become who they wish to become. If self actualization is blocked a person cannot reach their full potential and they underachieve. A person will compensate in this stage to make their dreams come true. My last stage is the mature adult stage and is found somewhere in middle adult life.This stage is defined has understanding that as an adult taking care of significant others you will have to do unpleasant tasks that they know will have to be achieved. In this stage a person takes responsibility for their own life, even the parts they do not like or didn't particular choose to live. I believe in this stage a person understands their sinful nature and understand how they have been been made in God's perfect image. Everyone has heard of a midlife adult crisis, and my theory explains how a person can go through it.A midlife crisis is defined has an identity and self-confidence that can occur in the middle of life because a person is struggling to find who they are in God's image. Life stated above I believe we are all different and will all hit the stages at different times. I believe a person must complete all stages to achieve self-actualization. If a stage is not overcame correctly, it will affect the next stage. My theory is different in that I believe a person can fix previous stages while being in a different stage. I believe this because we can realize our past mistakes and correct them. God has made it clear that we are his sinful people.FUTHER APPLICATIONS Unlike most psychologists, I do not believe our dreams have much stock in our unconscious or our shades we store within it. I believe we are merely hu man and do not have all the answers but we try to pretend that we do. We try to base a decision largely on a piece of information only because we saw it pop up in our dream or we rationalize that we are supposed to do something but we dreamed about it. I believe dreams are only created from the last things we think about before we drift into sleep. The things we think about right before sleep are fresh in our minds so our brain continues to process them.I have come to this conclusion because of how I study. I study normal during day but right before going to sleep I can read over my notes and drift off to sleep rereading them to myself. Most likely than not I will dream about something I have studied. My theory is the opposite of Freud and his followers regarding dream interpretation. His dream interpretation is defined has the assigning of meaning to dreams. He has concepts of manifest content, latent dream-thoughts and dream work. He is also under the impression we remember our dr eams upon waking and dreams are supposed to be fulling.The only aspect of his theory that my theory agrees with is the symbolic nature of dreams. I cannot possible begin to describe every dream I have ever had. Nobody can remember each dream so his term of manifest content does not hold truth in my theory. I disagree with latent dream-thoughts concept as well, as stated above, psychologists cannot interpret symbols within dreams. But, my theory agrees somewhat with the symbolic nature of dreams. Like I said dreams are only the last thoughts we have before sleep. If a person has a thought of someone they do not like they could dream of punching that person in their dream.The act of negatively hurting the person shows how they dislike them. My theory does agree with the symbolic nature of dreams. With this being stated, symbolic dreams are defined has the dreams representing an action or thought you have hidden within a person's shade. The neurosis of a person is their sinful nature a nd how society alters a person from God's image. A Christian can only be free of the burden of their sinful nature by believing and understanding Christ sent his only son to the cross for us. A person has a negative neurosis when they have an excessive tension because of lack in trust of God's plan for them on this world.Tension is built when a persons sinful nature is overpowering and a person knows their nature is wrong. A person is only fulfilling their needs, not God's plan for them. Isiah 61:1-3 shows us what God planned to do with each of our lives. He knows we have problems but since he is God we can only overcome our sinful nature. To fix a persons neurosis they must obey God above their sinful nature and discipline themselves to read his word and understand our personal struggles have already been overcome by our Lord. My psychotherapy approach understands fixing a persons' neurosis is not always has simple has following God's words.If it was that easy everyone would live a life without sin; which is not possible. This is where a trained psychologists can have a positive impact in your life. Like many humanistic approaches, my theory called for a personal relationship between patient and therapist. A therapist can use their own life and experiences as an example of how a Christian life should be lived. A Christian is not perfect nor do they not make mistakes. By developing a personal relationship the therapist can show examples of their past mistakes and how with God's grace they have moved past that aspect of their sinful nature.The therapist can help a patient work through their sinful nature to come to self-actualization. If a person is not a Christian and they go to a therapist using my theory the therapist must bring the person to Christ or at least have the understanding of where my theory is based on. Without understanding how they can never really out live their sinful nature, but God loves us for who we are. EVALUTION There are strengths and weakness involved when dissusing any theory but for mine specifically s

Religion 111: Introduction to the Old Testament Essay

Course: Religion 111: Introduction to the Old Testament Instructor: Email: Department Chair: Division Chair: Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences: Credit Hours: 3sh Course Expectations: Outside of class- 20 hours per week REL 111 Introduction to the Old Testament: This course is an examination of the writings of the Old Testament, using an historical and interpretive approach to these writings. GER REL and Humanities Student Learning Outcomes Student Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to: Means of Assessment This outcome will be indicated by successful: –Trace the chronology of Israel’s history from the patriarchal period through the end of the prophetic era emphasizing its significant events, personalities, and cultural settings. –Performance on graded exams/quizzes. — Study questions — Questions of the Week –Identify the various literary genres present in the Old Testament. –Performance on graded exams/quizzes. — Study questions –Identify aspects of the different moral, ethical, and theological messages of the Old Testament. –Completion of research project. –Performance on graded exams/quizzes. — Study Questions — Questions of the Week –Develop an interpretive framework through the use of scholarly research tools and methods. –Completion of research project. Textbooks Meeks, Wayne A. Gen. ed. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Version. New York: HarperOne Inc., 1996. Coogan, Michael D. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its Context. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. The book can be purchased online through the MOC Bookstore at: http://moc.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBHomePage?storeId=53551&catalogId=10001&langId=-1 Course Requirements 1. Careful study of each unit in the textbook, along with parallel reading in the Old Testament itself, is expected. The ability to respond to questions concerning the content of each chapter in the textbook as well as content material in the Old Testament which is related to it is essential. 2. The student is to submit written responses to four sets of study questions found at the end of each chapter in the Coogan text. A list of questions to answer for each week can be found under the assignments for each week on Moodle and in the Course Outline and Assignments at the end of the syllabus. These must be submitted via Moodle by 8:00 p.m. (EST) on the following dates: [Fridays: Oct. 4; Oct. 11; Oct. 18; Oct. 25]. Each assignment is worth up to 10 points. Late assignments (i.e., assignments turned in after 8:00 p.m. on the day due, even if one minute late) will be penalized 1 point per day for the first three days late. Assignments more than three days late (i.e., after Wednesday following the original due date at 8:00 p.m.) will receive a grade  of zero. Please note: 1 point is a big penalty; it roughly equals one and a half letter grades. All assignments must be formatted as follows: 12-point Times New Roman Font, 1-inch margins, single-spaced. In addition, you must type out each question along with its corresponding number, with your answer to the question below. You must use complete sentences and proper grammar and syntax in your answers. Failure to do so will result in grade deductions. When answering these questions keep these guidelines in mind: â€Å"Essay† means at least 300 words; â€Å"Discuss† means 125-200 words; â€Å"Identify† means two or three sentences; â€Å"List† means simply list the things asked for. All assignments must be saved in MS-Word format as a .doc or .docx file and uploaded as an attachment each week in Moodle. This is the only acceptable method to submit assignments. The file name on each assignment should follow this format: studentname-assignment#.doc (e.g., phelps-questionsweek1.doc). Failure to follow these guidelines may result in a reduced grade for the assignment. If you are unable to save and send your file as a .doc file, then you can do so as an .rtf or .txt file. Please note, however, that if you choose this latter option, you may be unable to view my comments, since I use the editing function in MS-Word to grade your assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that all sent files are in a readable format. Answers to all questions can be found in your textbook or in the Bible. There is absolutely no reason to consult other sources for the answers to the questions. Answers from the Internet or other sources will not be accepted. In addition, all answers must be written in your own words. Direct copying or cutting and pasting from the Coogan text or from any other source constitutes plagiarism and will result in a grade of zero. Be sure to cite your text and notes properly when you use them to answer questions; if you do not you are plagiarizing and will receive a zero. 3. Old Testament Research Project — in 3 parts. You will need to go into a  college or university library for research. (Your local public library will probably not have these sources.) DO NOT RELY UPON INTERNET RESOURCES FOR THIS PROJECT. A GREAT DEAL OF ONLINE CONTENT RELATED TO BIBLICAL STUDIES IS NEITHER SCHOLARLY NOR CORRECT (ESPECIALLY USER-GENERATED SITES SUCH AS WIKIPEDIA). The research project is due on Saturday November 2nd at 11:55pm, Week 5. For seated classes, they are due four days after the last day the class meets. The purpose of this project is to familiarize the student with resources that will enable them to study the Bible from a scholarly perspective. Your assignment will be graded for each section listed in this syllabus. You must use sources that are on this approved list. Please do not email me requesting to use sources not listed in each of the following sections. The sources listed represent the highest levels of scholarship and as such you will need to use one approved source from each section. Finding them will require visiting a college or university library. â€Å"I live hours from a college or university library† only means you will have to plan ahead so you can travel to one. You will need to plan, over the next 5 weeks, to go to a college or university library to find these sources. The MOC library has plenty of these sources on the shelf and they are ready to be used. Any other college- or university-level library will have some of them as well. If the college is religiously affiliated, the better chance you will have finding an increased number of approved sources. Public libraries are not the same as college- or university-level libraries. You do not need to buy these sources, which are often expensive, since you can find them in college libraries. Please note that many of these resources are reference works, and are not available for use outside the library. In other words, you cannot check out many of them. A. Scholarly Journals – Go to NCLive and access one full-text article from one of the religion journals listed below. Do not use a book review for your article. If you do not have the required password for NCLive, contact  the library. It is your responsibility to contact the library in a timely manner and understand how to access NCLive so that you can complete this portion of the assignment. Do not wait until the weekend before it is due. You need to plan ahead in order to have time to properly complete this part of the assignment. Remember you will need to have the current password for NCLive. In 2 – 3 pages: 1. Summarize the article. 2. Provide a brief biography of the author/s (one paragraph). 3. Identify three (3) things you learned about the OT or OT study from reading the article. Approved Journals available at NCLive are: Interpretation, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Journal of Biblical Literature, Near Eastern Archeology, and Commentary. B. Bible Dictionary – Familiarize yourself with the dictionary. In a 2 – 3 page paper: 1. Describe the contents of the dictionary (how it is organized, what kind of articles are included, who is the author/editor, whether each article is authored by a different person, etc.). 2. Choose three (3) entries related to the study of the OT. Entries should be at least one column in length. a. Summarize the entry. b. Identify the author with a brief biography (1-2 sentences). c. Share at least one thing you learned from the article. Approved Bible Dictionaries: The Dictionary of Bible and Religion, William H. Gentz, ed. Dictionary of the Bible, James Hastings, ed Mercer Dictionary of the Bible, Waston E. Mills, gen. ed. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, David Noel Freedman, ed. The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, John David The Zondervan Pictoral Bible Dictionary, Merrill C. Tenny, gen. ed. Harper’s Bible Dictionary, Madeleine S. Miller and J. Lane Miller The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Keith Crim, gen. ed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, gen. ed. Anchor Bible Dictionary, David Noel Freedman, ed. C. Commentary–Choose one volume from a multi-volume Bible Commentary series. Do not use a one-volume commentary. The volume chosen should be on one of the books of the Old Testament. Familiarize yourself with the Commentary. In a 2 – 3 page paper: 1. Describe the contents of the commentary (how it is organized, what kind of information is included about each book, who is the editor of the series, what translation(s) the commentary uses, who is the author of the commentary on the book of the Bible in the volume you chose, etc.). 2. Choose a scripture passage and read what the commentary says about that passage (e.g. Genesis 1:1-2:4a; 2 Samuel 18:8-18; Psalm 1; Joel 2:28-29, etc.). Summarize what the commentary says about the passage and share at least two things you learned from reading about the passage in the commentary. Approved Commentaries: The Anchor Bible Series, The Old Testament Library, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, The Cambridge Bible Commentary, Interpreter’s Bible, The New Interpreter’s Bible (note this is an updated version from The Interpreter’s Bible), Broadman Bible Commentary, Interpretation Note: The New Interpreter’s Study Bible is not an acceptable source, since it is not a multi-volume commentary. Please do not confuse this book with The New Interpreter’s Bible, which is acceptable, mentioned above. The research project must be formatted as follows: 12-point Times New Roman Font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced. All sources must be documented using proper documentation (MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian). Note: If you use APA, you  must still provide the page number in your documentation. In addition, although each part of this research project is self-contained, a short paper in its own right, the final product should be one document (i.e., do not send three separate documents). Each section of the final project should be delineated clearly with the start of a new page; there is no need to include a separate title page for each section, however. There is also no need to provide a bibliography after each section; simply include one bibliography at the end of the paper as a whole, which should include all sources used in each of the three sections of the project. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in a grade deduction. It is very important that you include every section as explained. Failure to use approved sources or to include each specified section will result in points that are available NOT being earned. The project is due on Saturday _Nov. 2 @ midnight_ via attachment in MS-Word in Moodle. Again, the file name on the assignment should follow this format: studentname-assignment.doc (e.g., williams-finalproject.doc) No late assignments will be accepted. This project is worth up to 20 points. 4. Learning Forum Discussion Board. There is a â€Å"question of the week† to provide opportunity for critical thinking and response to the thinking of others in your class. Each student must enter a response to the question of the week in the Course Forum for that week by Thursday at 8:00 p.m. of weeks one through four (starting right now!). The initial response must be a minimum of 400 words. The student must also respond to the comments of at least two fellow students by Sunday at 8:00 p.m. of each week. There will be no points for late work. Each week’s responses are worth up to 5 points. To receive full credit, responses must show evidence of critical analysis and that you have read the course materials. Your response to other students must be more than â€Å"I really like your idea.† Instead, tell why you liked or did not like what the other student stated? These questions are not asking for your opinion. You must interact with the textbook, Biblical readings, and other course materials as well as your  classmates. Be sure to substantiate your thoughts with cited scholarly proof. This is not the place to pronounce judgment on other religious perspectives or the perspectives of your classmates. If you disagree with something you read, then support your position with scholarly proof (e.g. â€Å"Sunday School† answers will not be accepted). Any comment deemed out-of-bounds will be flagged and no points will be rewarded. In addition to your responses, you may post any thoughts, questions, new ideas, challenges to what you have always thought that you have gained from your reading and class discussion. Be sure to check the Forum throughout the week. I may post responses to your posts from time to time. I will indicate if you did not receive credit for a post so that you may make sure you have enough posts for that week. Sometimes I may ask you to elaborate on a comment. In order to receive full credit for that post, you will need to do so. It is recommended that you read all posts by the instructor and be familiar with all material raised during the discussion. Please note that posting all responses in one day or in a short period of time is equivalent to showing up to a seated class for a brief period. If you do not actively participate in the Forum, then by definition you are not meeting the minimum requirements and you will be graded accordingly. Actively participating means checking the Forum often and responding with in-depth answers which show mastery of course material. Minimum participation will yield minimum grades (that means a â€Å"C†). In order to fully discuss your topic, you will want to state what your thoughts were before doing your reading, what you learned from your reading (being sure to cite with proper citation course material in your response) and most importantly how your reading has affected your understanding of the topic. The questions for each week are as follows: Remember, answer using a minimum of 400 words: Week One: Initial post Sept. 26 by 8:00 p.m. Responses due by Sun. Sept. 29 at 8:00 p.m. Prior to taking this course, had you ever noticed that Genesis has two creation stories (1:1-2:4a and 2:4b- 2:25)? Based on your current study, what is the purpose of these stories? What are the major themes in these stories? Compare and contrast what they reveal about God. Compare and contrast what they reveal about what it means to be human. Compare and contrast the order of creation in each story. Week Two: Initial post Oct. 3 by 8:00 p.m. Responses due by Sun. Oct. 6 at 8:00 p.m. â€Å"The Ten Commandments† are found in the Old Testament in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Compare and contrast the versions of the Ten Commandments found in these two scripture passages. How do scholars account for their differences? What does the relationship between the Ten Commandments and Hammurabi’s Code reveal about the role of apodictic law in the Ancient Near East? Week Three: Initial post Oct. 10 by 8:00 p.m. Responses due by Sun. Oct. 13 at 8:00 p.m. Discuss the differences you have found in your studies between how judges were selected and their method of ruling, and how Kings David and Solomon were selected and how they ruled. How did the change from tribal confederacy under the judges to the monarchial society under a king impact the lives of the people? Week Four: Initial post Oct. 17 by 8:00 p.m. Responses due by Sun. Oct. 20 at 8:00 p.m. How does Coogan define Old Testament prophecy? Based on Coogan’s definition, how is the term prophecy often misunderstood today? Based on your readings in Coogan, to whom were the prophecies addressed and when were they expected to be fulfilled? What were several themes or concerns of the prophets of the Old Testament? Pay particular attention to Amos, Ezekiel, and Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-66)? 5. There will be a final exam which must be taken before 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, ___Nov. 7____. The final exam will be available beginning Saturday, _Nov. 2__. You may take the exam at your convenience during the last week of class. It is a timed exam and you will have 2 hours to complete  it. The exam may only be taken once, so once you begin the exam you must finish it. Once your time has expired, the exam is officially over. The best way to prepare for this exam is to review the text, your responses to the study questions, and your instructor’s feedback to your study question response. Please note: the student is responsible for having a reliable internet connection and a browser that are compatible with the format for the online test. Please Take Note of the Following Concerning All Assignments: If you are in an Online course: By signing up to take an online course, the student accepts all responsibility for having properly functioning computer equipment and for understanding how to navigate the online course—including but not limited to complete understanding of Moodle, the MOC email system, and how to submit assignments. In addition, students are responsible for turning all assignments in on time. In the event of an emergency that may hinder the ability to turn something in on time, students should contact the instructor before the assignment is due. If you do not contact the professor before the deadline, it is too late—not contacting me ahead of time means that you have chosen to miss the due date. Determining what constitutes an emergency and whether to accept late assignments is left solely to the instructor’s discretion. Grading System The student’s performance in this course will be evaluated as follows: Study Questions40 points (10 points per week) Discussion Board/Question of the Week responses20 points (5 points per week) Research Project20 points Final examination20 points Total Points100 points Grades will be awarded as follows (please note that the Department of Religion uses a 7-point scale): A=93-100 ptsExcellent, well above minimum requirements, superior work and subject mastery (In papers, little to no grammatical, spelling or formatting errors. Work contains clear evidence of superior levels of scholarly analysis, synthesis, and relevant application. In discussion board posts there is evidence of superior critical thinking and analysis of course material.) B=85-92 ptsAbove Average, above minimum requirements, excellent work and subject mastery (In papers, little to no grammatical, spelling or formatting errors. Work contains clear evidence of excellent levels of scholarly analysis, synthesis, and relevant application. In discussion board posts there is evidence of strong critical thinking and analysis of course material.) C=77-84 ptsAverage, minimum requirements completed, satisfactory understanding of subject (In papers, some grammatical, spelling or formatting errors. Work contains little to no evidence of scholarly analysis, synthesis and relevant application. Majority of work consists of recalling facts, making general summary statements and restating the thoughts of others. In discussion board posts there is evidence of understanding course material but little to no critical thinking or analysis.) D=70-76 ptsPoor, minimum requirements not met, poor work and understanding of subject (In papers, unsatisfactory amount of grammatical, spelling and formatting errors. No evidence of scholarly analysis, synthesis and relevant application. In discussion board posts there is no evidence of understanding, critical thinking or analysis of course material.) F=below 70 pts Failing, minimum requirements not met, failing work and understanding of subject. (In papers, below poor amount of grammatical, spelling and formatting error. No evidence of scholarly analysis, synthesis and relevant application.) Please note: I only give out the grade that you have earned. You are responsible for your grade. Communication The only acceptable form of e-mail communication for students is the MOC email account. Students may expect messages from me on this account. Failure to check your MOC e-mail account is not an acceptable excuse for missing messages. You are responsible for checking your e-mail on a regular basis (i.e., daily) for messages concerning this course. Failing to check your email on a regular basis is not an excuse for missing important information. If you have difficulties accessing Moodle or your e-mail account, contact Information Technology at pcsupport@moc.edu or call 919.658.2502 ext. 3022. Academic Questions, Comments or Complaints All academic issues must be first brought to your instructor. Your instructor’s contact information is at the top of this syllabus. In the event that you and your instructor cannot resolve an issue, the next step is to contact the Division Chair. The Division Chair’s contact information is also at the top of this syllabus. To access the Honor Policy and information about Student Success Center Resources and Moye library, please refer to Moodle or the following website: http://www.moc.edu/index.php/academic-honor-policy-and-info-resource Course Outline and Assignments Week One: 1. Email me to introduce yourself and to indicate that you have understood the syllabus. Note: this is the time to ask questions if you have them. If you do not have any questions at this time, I will assume that you understand the syllabus. Saying later on in the course that you have misunderstood something is not an excuse. Include the following statement: I have fully read the course syllabus and understand the assignments and  method of grading. I also fully understand what plagiarism is in relation to each assignment, study questions, forum, and project. You must type your name at the end of the email. If you do not fully understand the syllabus or the honor policy, make sure to ask any questions you may have before sending this email. 2.Read Coogan, Chapters 1-5. 3.Read related passages in the Old Testament. 4. Answer the following study questions, submitting your answers by [Friday __Oct. 4_____ ] at 8:00 p.m. (EST): Chapter 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Chapter 4: 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 5.Don’t forget to post your initial Forum posts to the question of the week by Thursday. Week One Initial post due Thursday Sept. 26 by 8:00 p.m. Follow up responses by Sun. Sept. 29 at 8:00 p.m. 6. Begin working on research project. Week Two: 1.Read Coogan, Chapters 6-10 2.Read related passages in the Old Testament. 3.Answer the following study questions, submitting your answers by [Friday __Oct. 11_____] at 8:00 p.m. (EST): Chapter 6: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 Chapter 7: 1, 2, 3 Chapter 8: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Chapter 9: 1, 2 Chapter 10: 1, 2, 3 4.Don’t forget to post your initial Forum posts to the question of the week by Thursday. Week Two initial posts due by Thursday Oct. 3 at 8:00 p.m. Follow up responses by Sun. Oct. 6 at 8:00 p.m. 5.Continue working on research projects. Week Three: 1.Read Coogan, Chapters 11-15 2.Read related passages in the Old Testament. 3.Answer the following study questions, submitting your answers by [Friday __Oct. 18____] at 8:00 p.m. (EST): Chapter 11: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 Chapter 12: 1, 2, 3 Chapter 13: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Chapter 14: 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 15: 1, 2, 3 4.Don’t forget to post your initial Forum posts to the question of the week by Thursday. Week Three initial posts due by Thursday Oct. 10 by 8:00 p.m. Follow up responses by Sun. Oct 13 at 8:00 p.m. 5. Continue working on research projects. Week Four: 1.Read Coogan, Chapters 16-22 2. Answer the following study questions, submitting your answers by [Friday __Oct. 25____] at 8:00 p.m. (EST): Chapter 16: 1, 2, 3 Chapter 17: 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 18: 1, 2, 3 Chapter 19: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Chapter 20: 1, 2, 3 Chapter 21: 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 22: 2, 4 3.Read related passages in the Old Testament. 4. Continue working on your research projects. 5. Don’t forget to post your initial Forum posts to the question of the week by Thursday. Week Four initial posts due by Thursday Oct. 17 at 8:00 p.m. Follow up responses by Sun. Oct. 20 at 8:00 p.m. Week Five 1. Read Coogan, Chapters 23-24 and Appendix 2.Research Project must be submitted by Saturday, [__Nov. 2____] at 11:55 p.m. (EST). 2.Take the Final Exam by Thursday, [__Nov. 7____] at 11:55 p.m. (EST). NOTE: Late week 5 work will not be accepted. Non-negotiable.

Rocky Mountain Case

2009 ROCKY MOUNTAIN MUTUAL JOESPH MIROLA Rocky Mountain Mutual: Promoting Fun or Fitness? Date of Submission: 27th July 2009 Submitted to: Submitted by: Sanjay Kumar Gupta Rajiv Agarwal WAC instructor Roll: 20091034 To: Zachery Evans (Vice President) From: Joesph Mirola Date: 27 July 2009 Please find the detailed analysis of the fitness center in our organization with all the relevant data. Kindly inform me if some more information is required of the same. Regards Joseph Mirola ? CONTENTS: Sr. noTopicsPAGE NO: 1EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 2SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS 6 3PROBLEM STATEMENT 6 4STATEMENT OF OPTIONS 7 5CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION 7 6EVALUATION OF OPTIONS 8 7RECOMMENDATIONS 10 8PLAN OF ACTION 10 LIST OF TABLES 9TABLE 16 ? EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Rocky Mountain Mutual is a growing insurance company which has recently opened a branch office in a remote area of Utah. The unique feature of this branch is its fitness center which boasts of facilities such as swimming pool and track for walking and running. According to company records users of fitness center have shown reduction in their medical expense but the cost of operating is too high and also less than 50% of employees are using it. Zachery Evans, the vice president of the operations wants to close it as it is an expensive affair and also utilizing lots of space. The analysis shows that the best option available is to continue using fitness center but reduce it space area by eliminating some of the unnecessary facilities and also using it as an discussion room in the off hours. No of words:140 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS: Ours is a growing insurance company and has recently built a headquarter in remote area of Utah with a work strength of 250 employee, which features an fitness center in the campus which was started with an investment of 1 million dollar. Mr. Joe Mirola consider this fitness center as an added advantage to the company. Table: 1 Non usersUsers Absentism:12 days a yearAbsentism:6 days a year Medical cost Visiting center once or twice Visiting center thrice No of Emp. Cost/Emp. Total costNo of Emp. Cost/Emp. Total costNo of Emp. Cost/Emp. lTotal cost 2505001250006230018600251002500 As seen from the above table the medical expense of employee has reduced considerably with the use of fitness center however one more thing can be noticed that fitness center has not been used by its entire employee. The possible reason for this can be due to various facts such as: †¢Crowding during the peak hours †¢Employee need to come early to use the fitness center †¢Lack of awareness Zachary Evans the vice president of the operations believes that this center is too expensive to run and farther consuming up lot of the company valuable space. He is of the view that this center poses a great hindrance in the expansion of the company and wants it to be shut down unless of course he is convince that fitness center is worth the amount incurred in it PROBLEM STATEMENT The fitness center as shown by company records results in reduction of medical cost of an employee and also cause less absenteeism, but the cost incurred in maintenance is too high considering the fact that only 35% of the employee are making use of it, so problem lies with Mr. joe Mirola as to how to convince vice president Zachery Evans to continue fitness center or should he close it. STATEMENT OF OPTIONS 1. Fitness center should be continued and more and more employees should be encouraged to join it and some nominal fee must be charged. 2. Fitness center can be discontinued and space might be utilized for expansion of the company. 3. It can be used for commercial purpose by opening it for non-employees also and generate revenue. CRITERIA OF EVALUATION 1. Cost to company 2. Assets Utilization 3. Productivity 4. Competition 5. Risk factor EVALUATION OF OPTIONS: OPTION 1: OPTION 2: . Option3: RECOMMENDATION: From the above analysis it can be seen that option 3 gives us many advantage over the other and it looks to be the most viable option available. PLAN OF ACTION: 1. The first thing we must do is to run awareness program within the company. 2. Conduct an survey and take the feedback of the people as in what can be done to make center more useful 3. Proper management should be there so as avoid chaos during peak hours 4. Timings should be such that the everybody can easily make use of center 5. Proper marketing should be done so as to attract the non employees. 6. The fees charged must be nominal and give people value for money. Total words:1030

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Life Span - Research Paper Example He cherished the time they were able to spend together; because before he became ill, his father was too busy to spend much time with him. Mr. Asad said that he was definitely close to his mother, a stay-at-home mother who took care of household, the children and sometimes helped with her husband’s business. Mr. Asad admitted that still misses his mother very much. Mr. Asad was born and raised in Egypt. When he was a teenager, his father got sick and he was sent abroad to live with relatives. At first, he did not really know why his parents sent him to England but he realized they only want him to get a good education. So on he went to study high school and college there and then went on to become an English professor. Asked what he would like to do if he had the chance to be young again, he said he wanted to have enjoyed his youth. He was forced to grow up too fast because that he had to take care of the family business. He had to stand in for his father, because he was the o nly son. However, he has no regrets. He just missed his adolescence and laughingly admitted that he had not had enough opportunities to meet girls back then. Mr. Asad speaks 4 languages: Arabic, Spanish, French and English. That is why he was able to become an English teacher. He taught English to other Egyptians. He told me that he really loved teaching English and missed his work as a teacher. As a young adult, he worked as an archeologist at the British Broadcasting Company, Ltd. (BBC) and he produced a television show about Egypt but he did not mention the title or year. For Mr. Asad, it was the most memorable and enjoyable job he has ever had. At time that he met a special lady but her family did not approve of their relationship so he had to let go of their chance to be together. Even now, he says he does not understand why her family did not like him. It was difficult because she was so special to him. A few years later he met and married someone else. Soon he realized that h e had married the wrong woman. However, due to his religious beliefs, he did not divorce her. He worked very hard and supported his family and raised two children with her. In 1980 he lost his father. Four years later 1984 he lost his mother; thirteen years ago he lost his wife. Shortly after his wife passed away, his Parkinson’s disease became worse. He said he missed his parents, especially his mother. He did not talk much about his wife and he told me that before she passed away, he found out that she had saved money behind without his knowledge and had given all of it to her church instead of to their children. He seemed to still be upset about that. He talked much about his daughter but less about his son. He also talks about his grandchildren, especially his daughter’s daughter. When asked why he did not talk about his son, he said that his son reminded him so much of his wife, who had been so attached to money. He believes it is okay to save money but at the sam e time, his son needs to know how to enjoy spending money too. In contrast, he his daughter are very close, and every chance he gets, he sees her and her family because they always have fun together. Because of his Parkinson’s disease, he does not have much mobility so he has a live-in caregiver all who takes care of his everyday needs. They seem to get along well together, as they joke and laugh all the time. Although there have been advances in the study of Parkinson’

IT Conversion Strategies Essay Example for Free

IT Conversion Strategies Essay IT conversion takes place when the system has error or to improve functionalities or to expand the capacity of the system considering database, facilities , modules etc. for the conversion of system five components of system should be considered namely, hardware, software, data, procedure and people. While conversion of system any of these components should not be affected or the system conversion is not successful. There are four ways to system conversion, they are: * Direct cutover method: in this method a complete new system is introduced cutting off the old system. Â  This is the riskiest method to follow for system conversion. * Pilot conversion: in this method a part of an organization uses the new system while the rest of it continues to use the old method. In this method interface problem may prevail when the system needs to share data. * Phase conversion: In this method the part of the new system is introduced while the rest of the old one remains in use. In this method as well interface problem may prevail when the system needs to share data. * Parallel conversion: In this method, the whole new system is introduced while the old one is still in use. Both systems process all activity and the results are compared. Once there is confidence that the new one operates properly, the old one is shut down. For the proposed system the Phase conversion method is suggested as the system needs to operate for 24/7 and any kind of delay to run the application is occurred huge loss is to be suffered by the business as the overall business is relied on the web application. As the phase conversion method just add the new module to the system without affecting the old system, so the system can run continuously even when the change is taking place in the system.

The Topic Of Applied Management Project Education Essay

The Topic Of Applied Management Project Education Essay Reflection is the key that opens the door to understanding ourselves in relation to core ethical values (Beland, 2003, p.15). Indeed, reflective thinking is very important since it helps us to critically evaluate our own behaviour and behaviour of others. Being able to critically think and reflect on our work enables us to gain self-knowledge, to demonstrate our understanding of learning progress and take on the perspective of others. However, reflective thinking is most important in identifying the ways of problem-solving. By stepping back and reflecting on our experiences, we are able to think how to solve the problems, choose apropriate strategies and consider consequences of actions. The process of writing the Applied Management Project (AMP) has also incorporated various components to prompt my reflective thinking. It provided me with an opportunity to gain further insights from my own work through deeper reflection on my research and writing experiences. Thus, the following paper is structured to produce the critical evaluation of my own learning. It is a recollection of my own experiences during the process which I was engaged in producing AMP towards the completion of MSc. This major piece of individual work was structured to address appropriate strategies for corporate managers that would guide them on how to sell to the developing countries while at the same time reducing poverty rate. For this purpose, I was required to conduct, analyse and present.. by employing sound research methods to generate a 12,000 word research project report. Thus, the following report looks back on my thoughts and feelings, including mistakes and achievements. It also identifies successful aspects of the experience that might be usefully applied in the future and points out the lessons I should adopt in the long run. By the end of this report, I hope to be able to improve my future performance as an individual or as a member of the group. Recollection of Experiences Since the aim of AMP was structured to explore how multinational companies can become involved in the pursuit of poverty reduction while selling to the poor, it was necessarry to obtain a strong understanding about the issue at hand. For this purpose, an in depth review of the literature was undertaken to present a thorough analysis of the key elements involved in serving the poor. As such, the following section of the report recalls the development and key stages in search for the in-depth literature. Development of Literature Review One of the most important and crucial things that proceeded writing a report was to precisely define the problem I wished to address. Thus, I started off by establishing a mission statement that guided me throughout the whole process. Having a purpose for my literature review helped me narrow the scope of what I needed to look out for when I was researching. Once the problem was defined, my literature review involved two stages: the research process and writing process. 2.1.1.Research Process: I started my research process by brainstorming ideas for my subject at hand. I determined the questions I was attempting to answer and scanned the articles which helped me refine the topic. Using keywords from abstracts and descriptors, I performed a broad and general survey to orient myself to the field, to find out the main theories, the key scholars, and their principal publications. This pointed me to the key studies I should read. Thus, a more detailed, selective list of books, journals and articles was narrowed down as most relevant. Secondary Research Only secondary research was employed in the AMP which involved processing data from previous studies and findings in order to come to conclusion. The secondary research was undertaken through to focus on a deeper and more insightful level of investigation of certain areas, such as BOP proposition, buyer behaviour, marketing strategies and others. It was important to conduct secondary data as it played a substantial role in the exploratory phase of the research when the task at hand is to provide recommendations for improvement. The assembly and analysis of secondary data almost invariably improved my understanding of the topic problem. Note Taking Note taking was essential with a long assignment of this nature.  In order to concentrate on and understanding the information I was reading, summarising the ideas and arguments were necessarry. Thus, I used a sytem of grouping notes in categories such as theories, findings, opposing views and other aspects of the topic. This approach allowed me to focus on the points relevant to my purpose. A track of notes of all the references I wanted to use, including a detailed bibliography, was also kept. Such well-organised notes made the writing process much more efficient. It made it easier to analyse and evaluate the information and to synthesize it to find patterns, connections and trends. Note taking was essential to provide me with the necessary evidence to inform and develop the argument. Thus, I tried to manage my notes from the start of my research to the editing of the final version of the project. Evaluation of Literature Review The sources used in my report were carefully chosen based on their relevancy. Indeed, it was very important to focus on the relevancy of the relevant material used otherwise this could decrease the credibility of the paper. As such, evaluation of literature was essential thus, authors credentials, expertise, date of publication, reputation of the publisher and other evaluating material points were taken into consideration. The literature review spanned the body of journals, abstracts, books, websites and references from articles across the works of business approach towards poverty alleviation. Peer-reviewed journals served as the main adequate sopport material for my report. These articles reviewed by experts in the field provided me with more in-depth studies and explorations. The availability of journals online helped me greatly with my report, as they were easily searchable.  Ã‚  However, it was quite difficult to select the most reliable ones as a great deal of irrelevant and incorrect material can be found online. Thus, the advice from library staff was taken on how to access relevant material in a variety of formats.  They advised me to avoid using particular websites where the information provided was not based on the reliable and veracious sources.  I also tried to avoid newspapers, magazines and non-peer reviewed journals. 2.1.2. Writing Process Writing process included couple of stages. Brainstorming was the first stage to get me started. Using notes I noted down the ideas, wrote sub-topics I wanted to include in my report. I then wrote down these ideas without concern for conventions. Drafting was the preliminary stage of my written work where I did not think about word-count, grammar or spelling; some of the sentences did not even fit too well. At this stage I also organized the layers of subheadings. I selected notes to each section, arranged them according to themes, types of literature, main findings, contrasting perspectives. Using subheads to guide the organization made it easier to write and to follow. Revision was another important step in the process of writing where I reviewed, altered and amended the information from the draft. At the editing stage I removed sections, rewrote paragraphs and added in information. When adding, I tried to take into account what the reader would want to hear and presented only points directly relevant to the reviews focus. In many cases, I needed to rearrange my sections for the report to flow better. Finally, I produced the final report. Throughout the whole report I tried to use clear topic sentences and transitions to help the reader follow ideas. I also used summary sentences in each section that underscores the significance of what I had synthesized. Finally, I summarized main points for the topic, by pointing out existing gaps and directions for future research and practice. Time Management In order to boost my performance and to deliver the report on time, management of my time was of a great importance. Thus, a number of activities needed to be set. These included strategies such as planning, allocating, setting goals, analysis of my time spent, organising and prioritizing. I started off by making a list of everything I wanted to do regarding report writing. Such list included things like background reading, additional research, samples of other dissertations and other key elements that helped me to enhance my report sufficiency. I reviewed the list and prioritised the work that needed to be done first. Using a calendar, I then tried to ensure that   my research effort is aligned with the way in which my dissertation would be structured. To do this, I drew a typical weeks timetable on a large sheet of paper, on which I  wrote down my activities and other regular commitments such as part-time work and regular social events. When drawing timetable, I took into accou nt of the time and place I was best to get on with my work. I also mapped out a timetable of sub-tasks and assignment deadlines. Personal Feelings and Learning from Experience The Applied Management Project has demonstrated my abilities to use the knowledge and skills that I learned during the course. I was contsantly required to combine knowledge and increase my understanding in a variety of ways. In particular, in search for literature allowed me to gain appreciation for the practical applications of knowledge. By stepping outside my classroom, I was able to learn about the theories, tools, resources, and ethical issues that scholars and professionals encounter on a daily basis. In addition, I learned how to formulate questions, design plans to find answers, collect and analyze data, produce creative solutions, and share my findings with others. Most importantly, it made me an informed consumer, so that now I will be able to evaluate the information presented and make informed decisions about business approach towards poverty reduction. Nevertheless, since there was an abundance of literature available, it was hard to select which information to use. I felt confused and was not sure which direction to take. I felt demotivated and was not interested in continuing with the report. Fortunately, I received a great support from group members. They gave me a friendly advise on the issue at hand which clarified my doubts and confusion. I also felt quite anxious at times working effectively in time constrained situation like this. For such a major undertaking, it was essential that I manage my time well throghout the whole process of writing. Thus, organizing my activities in a sequence that best utilized my time was critical. With the help of previously mentioned calendar, I managed to meet the deadline. I also tried to make sure that I got a reasonable number of study sessions in each week however at times, it was quite dificult to study accordingly to my plan. Unexpected social events made it à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However, I tried to use every trick ro persuade myself to stay committed to my plan. Group Dynamics and Learning from Experience Not only did the Applied Mangement Project enabled my adaptation of appropriate methods for the unique focus of this project and enhanced my individual creativity, but it also gave me an advantage of working in a diverse group. Throughout the year of the Masters course I experienced many benefits the multi-cultural group can bring, thus, I was extremely happy to work as part of a group this time. Our group started off using what we learned of core values and creating the main goal to help guide us through the project. We established a set of values and mission statement during our first meeting. This helped us to remain motivated and stay on task. Group discussions involed everyones active participation which was a very effective learning method for all of us. All of us shared experiences and feedback, pooled ideas, generated insights, and developed an arena for analysis of experiences. This approach allowed for the utilization of the different skills, knowledge and experiences that team members had. As such, a great diversity of ideas were developed and I found the energy of the group participation made me feel even more energetic about contributing to a team. Thus, I tried to share all the relevant information I found about the project. My input was well aknowledged by others and I felt appreciated. In fact, each of us kept updated each other about the changes thruoghout th e whole process, which led to a greater understanding of the topic about poverty reduction. Since we were working together for a week only, we did not encounter any big arguments or problems. Some debates however occured whenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. We worked all together to clearly defined the problem, tried to thoroughly explore and understand what is expected from us. Some of us collected additional information and analyzed it to understand what to do further. Such group dynamics helped in clarifying doubts, confusions and misconceptions. In particular, this task gave us an opportunity to connect with the staff at the University of Bedfordshire. They were very helpful in directing us what we should include in our reports. It was amazing the amount of friendship was created in our team. Many times team members went extreme lengths to help each other. Everyone knew they can rely on each others support and encouragement. Such mutual trust facilitated through open, honest and collaborative environment.All in all, working together was extremely important to the success of my indivdual work. I received so much advice, support, new ideas that helped to enhance my report and improve effectiveness. Lessons for Future The skills and knowledge gained during the Applied Management Project can be usefully applied on my future projects. Research skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦along with group work will make me achieve my future goals. Nevertheless, I have not sufficiently learned how to manage my time. Thus, develop good study habits and time management skills without procratinating would be my next step to improving my performance. During this assignment I learned that I need to make more careful and effective use of my time than ever before. I was responsible for planning and organising my work and therefore responsible for managing my own time. And even though it offered me a good opportunity for developing this skill as well as providing a new challenge, I found myself distracted from it many times. Therefore, in future I will try to concentrate on the important elements of my tasks and stop working frantically with no accomplishments. I believe that finishing my essential tasks as they arise can prevent a tremendous loss of time and help me to stop procrastinating. Next time, I would also start preparing as soon as I receive the task. When I give myself enough time to plan effectively, I will save time and avoid stress. Therefore, proper scheduling, planning, deciding on objectives, looking at the components of the task and sorting out the different skills will be key elements of report writing. Finally, even though I achieved a successful outcome, but to improve my achievement for future, I perhaps would need a supervisor or mentor to help encourage and advice me. Conclusion The Applied Management Project gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my knowledge and constantly stimulated the environment where I was able to use my understanding in different areas. During its process I went through many thoughts and feelings which this reflective report was aimed to explore. It looked back at my experiences of mistakes as well as successful aspects that migh be usefully applied in the future. Indeed, reflecting on and learning from this experience, including my mistakes, will help me to avoid repeated mistakes and, at the same time, identify successful aspects of an experience and principles which might usefully be applied to other situations. Reflection has provided the opportunity to make sense of and learn from any experience and handle similar situations appropriately another time. For instance, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It gave me the chance to explore thoughts and feelings, work through difficult or painful experiences, develop self awareness and fresh insights. Indeed, reflection on my own experience help you to make links between theory and practice, integrate new knowledge with previous knowledge and develop your understanding. I believe that It  prepared me for the world beyond university by honing my independent thinking and creativity, time-management and budget skills, and confidence in my academic and career goals. This knowledge is fundamental to my future, which I attempt to continually develop and reflect.

Challenges to Governance and Leadership in Africa

Challenges to Governance and Leadership in Africa It is undeniable the fact that governance and its progeny, leadership, pervades every aspect of human life and existence. In nations, organizations, families and wherever human life is found, these two variables exist in one form or the other. It is also a truism, that there exists a huge governance and leadership gap in many countries in the world, especially, in Africa. The slow pace of Africa’s development is concomitant to this governance and leadership predicament. A 1989 World Bank report on the topic â€Å"SubSaharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth: A Long-Term Perspective Study† affirms this position by stating that â€Å"underlying the litany of Africa’s development problems is a crisis of governance† (p60). In a similar way, Walumba et al posited that â€Å"while African countries are richly endowed with all manner of natural resources, their economic performance since independence has been generally abysmal with a few exceptions† (426). They further argued that â€Å"ultimately a country’s economic performance is contingent on the effectiveness of its leadership† (425). These assertions, dispassionately underscores the governance and leadership predicament in Africa. Consequently, this essay seeks to discuss some of the reasons why governance and leadership still remain a big challenge in Africa, and also proffer ways to alleviate these bottlenecks, respectively. To begin with, this essay would want to point out that several reasons contribute to why governance is impoverished in Africa, especially in the Sub-Saharan region. These reasons include the wrong form of governance the continent practises as a result of colonialism, selfish leadership, weak institutions, and too much foreign interference on the continent. First and foremost, it is not a ruse that the governance and leadership challenge Africa faces is an upshot of the wrong form of governance the continent is practising or being coerced to practise. Historical evidence have shown that, many years ago, before Africa was colonised by the Europeans, Africans governed themselves through the chiefs, clan and family heads, etc and the form of government they practised was gerontocracy and monarchy. These systems of governance as practised by these pre-colonial Africans had its root in their cultural and religious beliefs. Thus, governance and religion/culture were intricately interwoven. Yet, after being colonised, the Europeans forced their form of government on the indigenous people. These forms of government, which are the different forms of democracy we see around the world nowadays, had obstructive and damaging consequences on the religio-cultural orientation of the indigenous people. However, the colonial masters turned a blind eye on these developments. Decades after Africa gained independence, these colonial forms of governance are still being practised in Africa, with much complicatedness. This is simply because, the cultural and religious underpinnings of the African orientation of what governance is, and should be is different from those of the colonial masters. As Africans, our cultural upbringing upholds, fundamentally, communalism which is expressed in our proverbs, religion, folklores, songs, and mythology. In a sharp contrast, the colonial masters’ form of governance had as its foundation, capitalism. Hence, putting the square peg in the round hole has led to the current governance and leadership challenge in Africa. African leaders are thorn between satisfying their people based on tradition and pleasing their colonial masters because of the carrot and stick model of diplomacy they (colonial masters) employ. This complexity is the basis of the governance and leadership predicament in Africa. Moreover, selfish leadership is a major setback to good governance in Africa, and the underdevelopment of the continent. Post-independent Africa has seen the rise of selfish, stomach-driven and inconsiderate leaders. Some came to power through coup d’à ©tats, amidst shedding of innocent bloods, destruction of infrastructure left for the continent by the colonial masters, and looting of the wealth of these African nations. These leaders used the power they ceased to amass as much wealth as they could for themselves, their families and cohorts at the detriment of their nation’s development. Obviously, these leaders had no expertise or knowledge about governance or effective management, hence the worsening of the socio-economic lives of their country, and countrymen. Principles of fundamental human rights were not honoured, while individual, ideological, partisan or even labour dissent were strongly stamped out. The result was regimes’ collapse either internally or externally engineered between 1963 and 1966, and which attracted international outcry against the governance style of post independence Africa- Leaders. The other set of leaders, who supposedly were elected to lead their countries, were of no significant difference from their predecessors. Most of these leaders only have as their aim, the comfort and satisfaction of themselves and their families at the disadvantage of the populace. They had no clear vision for their countries. Democratic rule, in their various countries, witnessed horrible governance style, mismanagement of resources and propagation of self-aggrandizement. Undoubtedly, the leaders Africa has had after independence, under the guise of liberating their people, have rather contributed to the free-fall/underdevelopment of their countries. This they did by their profligate spending, inept management of state resources and infrastructure, and visionless governance. Furthermore, weak institutions since independence have contributed significantly to the governance and leadership predicament in Africa. After most African countries gained independence, instead of the leadership to focus on building strong institutions, where in their absence, those institutions could work to achieve the development they sought for which reason they fought of independence, they rather built strong personalities and empire around themselves. This phenomenon has continued perpetually till now. In Africa today, there is the practise of â€Å"rule by law† not â€Å"rule of law†. This is because, people in authority (government) use their power, position and influence to tweak institutions in their favour when it comes to matters of the law. Institutions cannot hunt certain individuals in society nowadays because those people are above the law. This phenomenon which is brought about by the partisan politics we practise, have corrupted majority of the state institutions in Africa. It has made justice, accountability, transparency and fairness a fairy tale, simply untenable. Institutions in Africa are simply weak and frivolous. Adding to the non-functional institutions is a collection of skewed and corrupt civil society organizations. Instead of these civil societies to be a watchdog of the populace to strengthen state and institutional efficiency, most of them are pursuing partisan agenda. Even more, too much interference of foreign nations on the continent is worrying and highly destructive. This phenomenon is as a result of globalization. Virtually every decision and every action that most African leaders make, is contingent on the approval of their pay masters, the foreign nations. These foreign nations come into the continent in de guise of helping develop it, but with the mindset of draining the natural and human resource of the continent. They determine for us almost everything, from economic policies, to education, to religion, to who should lead the country etc. The ordinary African has a limited stake in deciding for himself and in helping build his country or continent. The Constitutions’ in most African countries rarely exists due to rule by foreign powers. The ordinary African is not consulted on any issue as power is in the hands of these overlords while our leaders only serve as errand agents to ensure compliance of their subjects.