Titians altarpieces in the church of the Frari Venice essays

Titians altarpieces in the church of the Frari Venice essays Titians Pesaro and Assunta. Altarpieces in the church of the Frari, Venice. What was the importance of these two altarpieces for the development of painting in Venice, both from a stylistic and iconographic point of view? It has been said that Titians Assunta, which adorns the high altar, and Pesaro (on the left aisle of the chapel of the Immaculate Conception) stand mid-way between the past and the future of Venetian painting. This infers that Titian drew on established traditions learnt from his masters Bellini and Giorgione, and imbued his works with a freshness and inspiration not seen before. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that his sensitive construction of the works considering the authority of his patrons facilitate a depth of interpretation which highlight both the sacred and civic concerns of the time. To illustrate Titians progressive role in Venetian art history, I will draw on Renaissance documentation, and contemporary research that notes the stylistic and iconographic elements of these altarpieces. In 1568 the Florentine chronicler Vasari wrote of Titian, Titian...who has adorned with great pictures the City of Venice...deserves the love and respect of all craftsmen, who ought to admire and imitate him in many things. For he is a painter who has produced...work which...will live as long as the memory of illustrious men endures . This is a useful starting point for such an investigation: this representation is valid, since Vasari had met and spoken to him while writing the book, and being a Florentine he wasnt so susceptible to employing the Venetian rhetoric which could tend to be biased The contemporary chronicler Ludovico Dolce recorded the shock and criticism the Assunta attracted when it was first unveiled. Such controversy points to its radicalism and supports assertions that it was influential for developing artists: For all [the panels gr...

Learn how to write a perfect paper

Learn how to write a perfect paper Little Known Ways to Write a Perfect Paper There may not really be such a thing as the â€Å"perfect paper,† but if you can write one and get an â€Å"A,† that is pretty darn close. Most professors do not give â€Å"A’s,† unless a paper is truly superior, especially when compared to the others that have been submitted. Most students, including you, know the process for writing paper assignments – choosing a topic, coming up with a thesis (the point you are making), doing the research, making an outline, writing the rough draft, getting all of the citations in, revising, and writing the final draft. All of these steps are absolutely necessary if your paper is to have sound structure and read well. The other really important part of producing an â€Å"A† paper is the ability to write well – to use proper sentence structure, grammar and punctuation, as well as style and vocabulary that is appropriate for your academic level. Now, here are some things you may not have thought of that will improve the chances for an â€Å"A,† and chances are teacher or professor ever gave you these â€Å"specific† pointers. Talk to your professor about your topic. Chances are, you will have a content field from you can choose options for writing a paper. And chances are, your professor has given a range of pages, perhaps 8-10. Once you have decided on your topic, email your professor, or better, stop by during his/her office hours and get his/her thoughts on your chosen topic. If that topic is too broad or too narrow, s/he will tell you so and perhaps make suggestions for refining it further. You have accomplished two things here: 1) your professor is a bit flattered that you have come to seek advice, and 2) you have refined your topic to meet his/her length requirements. You have also saved yourself the grief that can come from choosing a topic that is too broad and having too much written on it, or, worse, choosing one that is too narrow and not being able to find enough resources to meet the minimum page length. Don’t choose your thesis until you have completed your research. You may already have one in mind, and that is fine, but once you have finished the research, one of two things may have happened: 1) you may find a thesis that works better for the topic and/or 2) you may have changed your perspective on your original thoughts and now have a much better thesis with which to work. Don’t forget, you get a thesis by asking very specific questions: Why is this topic even important? If there are differing opinions, which ones do I find most valid and with which one do I agree most Which theses are other authors using on the topic, and will one of them work as a thesis for me? Sometimes re-wording the thesis of a respected authority on a subject, as long as you agree with it, works really well. Organizing your research into sub-topics can be a laborious, because you have to match stuff from several authors on each sub-topic. The traditional method has always been to use note cards and to use a different notecard from each author for each sub-topic addressed (and to be certain that the information for in-text citations is on that card).   You then compose your outline from the stacks of cards you have collated. Here are two other approaches that some students find more helpful: Once you have finished the research, sit back and think about the major points that most or all of the authors made. These then become your sub-topics. What you can then do is this: Put each sub-topic into a separate Word document, and then go through your notes, topic by topic and insert the information you intend to use with the citation information with it into each of the related Word documents. Print those out, and use those instead of an outline. If you have read one piece of research in which sub-topics have been extremely well organized and include all of the sub-topics you actually want to include, then by all means, model your sub-topics after those of that author. You do not have to â€Å"re-invent a wheel† that someone else has already invented! No professor will ever suggest that you do this, but it is a great option, as long as you do not plagiarize. Paper writing requires good command of the English language and the ability to translate information, concepts and thoughts into scholarly writing. If you have difficulty with this, you have several options: Go to your campus writing lab and get some help. This is a feasible solution if you have the time and if someone is available to really help you with paragraph and sentence structure, as well as grammar. You can write your rough draft and take it in for editing and polishing. Write your rough draft and find a friend who is a really good writer. S/he may have time to review and edit for you. Consider using a custom writing paper service that is able to provide all levels of help, from editing and proofreading your rough draft to actually producing an original, custom paper for you. There is no huge mystique about writing a great paper. It takes commitment and hard work. Using a few of these tips, however, may â€Å"ease your pain† somewhat.

Personal Musical Soundscape and Its Role in my Life Essay

Personal Musical Soundscape and Its Role in my Life - Essay Example It is said that music is sometimes food for the soul. It soothes the heart and gives the mind a line for meditation. This is because it sometimes triggers a string of thoughts and reflections about different aspects of an individual’s life. This is no exception for me when I listen to shidaiqu music. I was born and raised in China, therefore I am Chinese. I was born in Daqing, which is located in the North Eastern part of China. Known for its large petroleum deposits and high production of petroleum, Daqing is highly cosmopolitan and hosts very many tourists during peak tourism seasons of the year. This is because of some its tourist attractions such as Lianhuanhu area and Linhua Lake. This has caused some of the tourists to settle in the area and thus make it cosmopolitan and brought significant western influences. I attended school in Daqing area and went to Daqing Tieren High School. The system of education here allowed students to study art subjects and thus I decided to s tudy music. Here, I was exposed to different other types of music and was able to understand the history and development of my favorite music.

Pressing Environmental Issues in Manitoba Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pressing Environmental Issues in Manitoba - Essay Example Manitoba’s mining industry is currently worth over $2.5 billion with peat, zinc, silver, gold, copper, platinum, cobalt and nickel being the major metal products of this sector. Mining has however been a major threat to terrestrial biodiversity in Manitoba through land conversions and pollution (Wellington, 1997). A key environmental concern in mining has always centered on the rehabilitation of old, orphaned mines which consist of steep excavations, shafts and exploration trenches. Despite mining being a key revenue generator for Manitoba’s government, public safety has been compromised after abandoned mines are left unattended since such mines pose a threat to local communities living nearby. The Mine Closure Regulation which was approved in 1999 led to the establishment of The Orphaned and Abandoned Mines Program (OAMS) mandated to deal with such mines by sealing them using Otto Bayer’s Polyurethane foam (PUF) technology (Priscu et al, 2009). Many of these aba ndoned sites are situated within the Precambrian Shield which has massive gold deposits. Provincial Parks, aquatic life and areas with dense vegetation have not been spared due to discovery of more valuable metal deposits under them which eventually results in encroachment by the mining industry. Industry plays a major part in Manitoba’s development. However, hazardous waste mainly originates from Manitoba’s industries and exhibit a variety of harmful radiological, corrosive, bio hazardous, explosive and toxic properties.

Chevrolet Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Chevrolet Case Analysis Essay Then: ​ In the beginning, Chevrolet positioned itself strongly as a theme of â€Å"quality vehicle with deep roots in America’s past. Priding themselves on the traditional representation of the sporty car brand, Chevrolet has made great strides over the years. Firmly entrenching the brand as a key part of the American culture, Chevrolet has made many attempts to associate with American sporting events. For example, Chevrolet sponsored the All ­American Soap Box Derby for a decade. In addition to sponsoring events, Chevrolet also sponsored drivers with their vehicles for racing circuits such as NASCAR. Another subcategory Chevrolet used along with the American theme was patriotism in its promotional aspects. Taglines with the phrases â€Å"America’s Best Seller,† â€Å"America’s Best Buy,† and â€Å"Like a Rock,† were all famous for reminding consumers about Chevy’s great history as an American leader for automaking. This was perhaps the biggest aspect of Chevrolet’s branding as a company in the United States. However, when it came to Chevrolet as a leading automaker overseas, four values represented the company to their foreign consumers: durability, value, practicability, and friendliness. Many of their various taglines surrounding these values create  strong brand cohesiveness. Although Chevrolet has adopted more of a global brand strategy, it still customizes its branding to appeal to certain markets. Now: ​ Currently, Chevrolet is making plans to launch new vehicles and continue advertising and promoting their brand to consumers. Despite the recall at the beginning of the 2014 year, according to Chevrolet’s marketing leaders,â€Å"the automaker is not spending more on advertising or incentives than previously   budgeted and isnt likely to change that strategy† (â€Å"GM Stick with Marketing Plan Despite Recall†Ã‚ ­ USA Today). The plan is to focus on the product and not the publicity of trying to defend themselves as a company. Therefore, there will not be a recall ad and instead there will be just ads showing new products introduced recently. As stated before, Chevrolet is looking to spend more marketing money and energy on its full ­size pickups and SUVs this year. On the other side, Chevrolet is using the NFL Superbowl in hopes to boost not only national but global awareness with its ads. Chevrolet continues to also sponsor sports with â€Å"​  Chevrolets jersey sponsorship with English soccer club Manchester Unitedwill put the Chevrolet bowtie logo in front of the clubs worldwide fan base of some 700 million people..† (â€Å"Audi, Chevy and Lincoln Plan to Boost Ad Spending in 2015†  ­ AdAge)​ . Chevrolet’s current marketing innovations regarding technology with 4G LTE in its vehicles also proves that Chevrolet plans to remain relevant with consumer wants and needs. The GMC Problem Chevrolet’s biggest problem is in fact it’s biggest company supporter, GMC. GM is the starting point for Chevrolet, yet it has been not once but twice in a position that jeopardizes the equity of the Chevrolet brand. GMC is the problem for Chevrolet because of their bad publicity regarding the 2008 bailout and 2014 recall crisis thus far. As mentioned before, Chevrolet’s association and alliance with GMC causes them to have a bad reputation at times, even with Chevrolet’s freedom to stand on   its own as a brand. In the case of GM, the company’s bankruptcy and subsequent bailout had the ability to contaminate its four brands of vehicles, in spite of their individual merits. Therefore, Chevrolet has to figure out how they are going to deal with the bad publicity domino effect that falls upon them every time GM fails. Recommendations Even with a company as successful as Chevrolet, there is always room for improvement. Tactical modifications that can be made to enhance the Chevrolet brand’s equity to remain substantial while in alliance with GM could be examples of: brand decisions to enhance self ­image and product loyalty, increasing brand value from recognition and preference to brand  insistence for their products, and focusing slightly on marketing strategies for ethical and social responsibility if they continue to be a part of GM. Chevrolet is a high quality brand nonetheless, however, they focus on American vehicle tradition where they could take a step back and focus on the consumer. If Chevrolet would reposition a few of their vehicles to show how it would enhance the self ­image of the consumer driving a sporty yet luxurious car, there is a possibility they will get great feedback in sales. Consumers currently are looking for mass customization products that can be used on every level of purchasing decisions. Therefore, it would a smart move for Chevrolet to focus on the consumer even more as the â€Å"person behind the car† (â€Å"man behind the mask†), while still including valuable information about the car itself.

Computer Technology :: essays research papers

A computer is an electronic device that can receive a set of instructions or program and the carry out this program by performing calculations on numerical data or by compiling and correlating other forms of information. ("Computer" Encarta). It also performs calculations and processes information with astonishing speed and precision. Computer Technology has improved our lives. It will continue to affect our future which will lead to an easier, less complicated lifestyle, with more job opportunities and their benefits. ("Computer." America On-line).The modern world of high technology could not have come about except for the development of the computer. (Astle 1). Different types and sizes of computers find uses throughout society in the storage and handling of data, from secret government files to banking transactions to private household accounts.("Computer" Encarta). Research and development in the computer world moves simultaneously along two-paths hardware designs and software innovations work in each are alternately influences the other.("The Future Of Computers" America On-line)Computers help people in many different ways, but many people prefer to use paper and pencil to write and to use folders and file cabinets to organize there papers. ("The Future of Computers." America On-line.) Many people in the world use computers to make their lives easier. Such advances computer technology will benefit us all. People use computers for research, organization, writing, communication for personal or business matters and even to look up stock updates. (Astle 786). Whether it is personal or business, computers can help make our daily life easier. Typing is quicker and easier and its also a lot neater than hand writing. When you type on a computer you can look at them and open them a lot faster than having a folder of papers you have to carry around where ever you go. (Masters 654). Computers can also help with editing a paper, they can even check spelling and grammar. Typing on a computer today is probably the most common way people write there research papers, reports and other documents for school and business.("How Computers Make Your Life Easier" America On-line).Families can use computers to keep in touch with each other through E-mail.They help people talk with others all around the world, using different services and methods. ("Information Superhighway." America On-line). Since computers are used all over the world for research, almost all libraries and museums are based on computers. ("How Computers Make Your Life Easier" America On-line).

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay

It was the morning of Aug 6 1945. It was a very beautiful rosy sky. You heard the birds chirping and yet it was so peaceful and calm. All of a sudden there was a thud. Then suddenly everything went quite and nothing was left of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Then three days later the same incident was repeated again where 70,000 and 40,000 people instantly lost their lives. This was the United States first step towards technology when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The impact of this bomb had killed about 70,000 innocent civilians instantly. Even though the US knew the devastating effects of their weapons, they chose to drop it anyway. Three days later another bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. This had demolished about two square miles of the city and had taken about forty-thousand innocent lives. This was the end of the World War II. This all had started when President Harry Truman wanted to test out the Manhattan project. The Manhattan Project was a codename for a project that that was being done in the World War II to create the first atomic bomb. The â€Å"little boy† the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima was made with uranium-235. The bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki was made with plutonium-239 and called the â€Å"fat man†. The choice of target was recommended by the Target Committee at Los Amos and was led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. He has recommended the Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kokura as the targets. There were several requirements in choosing the location to drop the fat man and little boy. The blast had to create an effective damage. The target was larger than three miles and was close to the urban area. And it was untouched from any attacks. â€Å"Hiroshima was described as â€Å"an important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial area. It is a good radar target and it is such a size that a large part of the city could be extensively damaged. There are adjacent hills which are likely to produce a focusing effect which would considerably increase the blast damage. Due to rivers it is not a good incendiary target† (Wikipedia). Hiroshima also had a major army base that had headquarters to the 5th and the 2nd army headquarters. Also, Hiroshima had mountains that surrounded it so the damage could be more effective. When the planes that carried the bombs to Hiroshima they were picked up by the Japanese air raid and had send out an alarm. But when the Japanese saw that it was only three planes they had lifted the alarm thinking that they might be just the regular visitors the US was sending over. When the bomb was thrown the â€Å"Tibbets recalled: A bright light filled the plane. The first shockwave hit us. We were eleven and a half miles slant range from the atomic explosion but the whole airplane cracked and crinkled from the blast†¦. We turned back to look at Hiroshima. The city was hidden by that awful cloud†¦ mushrooming, terrible and incredibly tall† (WWII database). Many of those who had survived had it far worse than the ones that died instantly. They had been badly and severely burned that they looked like living charcoal pieces. Many of the ones that survived all of this died of radiation poisoning and some even had started to vomit their insides out and had died. Majority of the areas hospitals were in a part of Hiroshima that was destroyed and over 90 percent of the doctors were killed. People that escaped unbruised or hurt would suffered balding and nosebleeds, because days after the explosion the radiation levels were dangerously high. And by the end of 1945 the Hiroshima victims had increased from 90,000 to 150,000. Majority of the people that were killed were Koreans. Because the communication process was delayed due to the devastation president Truman said â€Å"If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the likes of which has never been seen on this earth†, he said, He later gave the go-ahead to drop the second atomic weapon on Japan† (WWII database). The Second bomb was intended for the city of Kokura. But due to the bad weather that was moving in the schedule had moved up two days. The city of Nagasaki was a very important sea port in Southern Japan. The results of the Fat man was much greater than the one produced by little boy. Around 75,000 people were immediately killed. The day after the attack Japan’s emperor had over ruled the military leaders of Japan and had forced them to give into the surrender unconditionally (doe. gov). This had ended the World War II. Soon after the city was starting to be built again but the devastation area was preserved. Today both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are doing really well. They have a large automobile industry that includes brands like mazda, and Mitsubishi. There still are people who suffer the effects of the radition but very few of them are left. The population went from null to almost 1 million people in each city. In Nagasaki there are hotels on the mountainside with houses, and shops around the neighborhood. Some people had thought that because of the high radiation levels nothing would grow here for decades. But people were shocked when the plants started to grow from under the debris. People had built themselves temporary huts to avoid bad weather. But three months later aide had come from the American-Directed occupation government and the construction had began. Today the city of Nagasaki has a population of about 440,000 people. And Hiroshima today has a population of about 1. 12 million people. In todays world there major industry there is machinery, automotive which produced the Mazda car, and food processing. They have malls, and major department stores. Even though there were two big bombs dropped on the Japans two of the industrial cities, Japan had gone into a total economic and traditional decline. The Japan’s economy was devastated. America had to step in and to help the Japanese economy to get back up, so therefore most of the American values and traditions were incorporated into the Japanese culture. I think it was morally wrong for the Americans to use the atomic bombs and take so many of the innocent lives. After all as always America is the only one that wants to be in power and that was the result of that.

Personal Development Plan as A Leader Essay

1.0 IntroductionThis report concerns the general framework of my professional and personal leadership development. The details I will be presenting are what I consider to be in my current or future role for my clients, my team, my organization and my self. It is followed by the narratives of what I look like at my best with the understanding of my previous experiences. Then employ literature to review why those two tasks are important for leadership development. This report will reflect how I perform in current role with others and also the skills and strengths I have developed and discovered. 2.0 An effective organizational leaderThe success of an organization depends on people working together and sharing a common purpose. The leaders need to focus on the workforce to identify their individual human needs. Leaders are affected by the constantly changing environment in which globalization plays a key role. Accordingly, the workforce is in the trend of diversification. Hence, an effective leader is an individual who displays transactional and transformational leadership. To be an effective organizational leader, we must know the dimensions of two leadership styles. In a study by Zhu, Chew and Spangler (2005) and Daft (1999), a transactional leader is an individual who clarifies subordinates role and task requirements, initiates structure, provides rewards, and displays consideration for subordinates. To meet these requirements within the business, the leader must be able to adjust the style of leadership to satisfy the subordinates. When subordinates demonstrate a low readiness level to achieve tasks, leaders need to adopt a directive style of leading that gives employees explicit directions on how tasks should be accomplished. However, when the readiness level increases, leaders should be able to adjust to a more delegating style of leadership that gives subordinates the responsibility for making and implementing decisions. A transformational leadership goes beyond transactional leadership techniques. Tickle, Brownlee and Nailon (2005) state that a transformational leader has the ability to inspire and motivate people to do more than the  call of duty, in addition, innovative by bringing changes within the business such as upsizing the business entity. Daft (1999) claims a transformational leader has the ability to get people to embrace a common purpose and to implement a visionary idea that will excite, stimulate, and drive other people to work hard. This involves the leader being able to listen, in order to learn what moves people. Leaders who motivate are able to communicate in a way that inspires people. There is often an aesthetic element to their visions. They not only communicate information, but also a sense of meaning that inspires people to follow, even if it may lead to sacrifice in terms of hard work, long hours and deferred rewards. Anyone can be a leader, but a successful leader is an individual whose behavior more reflects the transformational leadership style with the use of personal power to influence people to achieve the goals of the business. According to Mastrangelo, Eddy and Lorenzet (2004) the combination of professional and personal leadership will create willing to cooperate environment within the organization which make the leaders succeed. 3.0 How I need to be in my current (or future) role?I need to beI am currently ?/10For my clients:ResponsiveCordialRespectfulTactful8896For my teamAble to adapt my leadership styleAble to effectively manage performance issuesClear about the team’s mission and visionContributing to positive emotionsAble to convey the key lessons of organizational effectiveness through stories of my own workplace experiencesTeam work collaboration356546For my organizationReliableInnovativeContributiveActing in ways that are clearly aligned with the vision, values, and strategyAble to get a lot done65546For my self Cultivating the virtues of:EnergyOptimismCalmnessBuoyancyAssertivenessCouragePassionateTrustworthy75554467Table 1: how I need to beDepending on the profile mentioned above, to be a developing transformational business leader, I need to identify â€Å"how I need to be† in my current and future role. The left column of the table above is the four areas that I will focus on to develop my leadership skills. For each area, there are several criteria to assess my current personal skills. The items listed in the â€Å"I need to be† column are my goals and criteria for monitoring process of my leadership development. In the box of â€Å"for my clients†, I have put higher scores for my current role because from my previous education consultant experiences, clients are very important for business sustain. Therefore, in order to maintain an on-going maturing relationship with clients, I need to treat them with courtesy, respect and responsive, for difficult clients I need to be tactful. In the area of â€Å"for my team†, I assessed myself at a lower medium level for my current role. I don’t have much group work experience from previous job. Therefore, this will be the most important area where I need to develop, because in current business organizations, team works and synergy are vital for completing multiple tasks. It is very important to learn how to convey the key lessons of organizational effectiveness through the stories of my own workplace experiences. And I currently lack of this skill. In a study by Tichy (2002), this is known as the narrative teachable point of view, which is the best communicated through engaging stories about who the company is and about what it can be. In the area of â€Å"for my organization†, I regard â€Å"reliable† as the primary element, because to be an effective leader of organization, I need to be reliable to obtain trusts from the company and team members in order to perform tasks effectively and work with others by sharing the same objectives. Also, creative strategies and innovation skills are very important for company growth and expansion. The area of â€Å"for my self† is designed to develop my personal leadership skills. The listed items are essentials to enhance my effectiveness. According to the evaluation, my assertiveness and courage are poor because of the lack of communication skills. I need to enhance my communication competency to be a confident professional leader. Other aspects such as optimism, calmness and buoyancy are the secondary area where I need to improve because those attributes are important to demonstrate a good personal leadership. All the elements listed in the table are essential for developing a transformational leader and keeping the process on the right track. From the table above I will be clear about my weaknesses and resolve them. 4.0 Gaps between my worst self and the idealI think that lifelong learning is very important and we all have personal worst self and ideal self. Knowing my own strengths and weaknesses can be helpful for me to become an effective transformational leader. Discovering my worst self along with having the yearning to improve is a talent that I maintain. Everybody has exceptional traits which distinguish the individual. Hence, I need to identify my ideal self in order to overcome my worst self. I believe that my ideal self has always made me be successful in projects I have attempted in my life. Therefore, recognizing ideal and worst self is a key point to bring success. For instance, when I come across a limitation in an area of necessity, I am able to improve that weak point. I deem that this characteristic is a strength that I have. I implement my personal strengths in my job. They are problem solving, goal oriented and so on. I feel that these strengths have helped me go ahead in my career. For instance, it is easy for me to analyze a problem and come up with an effective resolution in a short period of time. Focusing on the whole outlook but not the problem itself enabled me to resolve many problems in the past. It seems that if one narrows the situation into smaller workable areas, the problem is solved more quickly. I believe that the work that I produce is an indication of what kind of person I am. I like to make high values for my occupation and myself. I have found that my employer has always been satisfied with my work. For instance, I am able to work with colleagues to obtain the best outcomes in projects and problems solving in the workplace. I consider myself as a goal-oriented person. I enjoy setting goals for myself and I like to work with my colleagues in setting these goals. I feel that  once a goal has been achieved, we can rejoice our accomplishment as a team. For example, we have twenty students’ visas approved from immigration and we had a cocktail party to celebrate. One area of worst self is that it is difficult for me to be an effective leader. Because I feel that it’s very hard to lead a team efficiently and I had some difficulties to work with unfamiliar people. My overall goal is that I can be an effective transformational leader. I know how to learn, along with the understanding of how to learn the best, which is an important part in learning the goals that I have set for myself. As a student of RMIT University, from this course I learned how to improve my effective leadership skills so that I can improve that weakness. This is my second semester at RMIT University and I will overcome the new challenges that I will face. I hope that the experience I will gain while obtaining my degree will continue to strengthen all my personal and professional skills as well as challenging me in the areas of weaknesses. 5.0 My best self narrativeMy best self narrative was when I overcome the nervous and dilemma and encourage myself to finish the tasks. I had a lot of presentations in this MBA course and still remembered the scene of my first presentation. I was standing in front of all colleagues and lecture. My hands started dithering and I could not remember what I prepared for the topic. Luckily, I had my keynotes. I started the PowerPoint slides, reading the topic and facing to all audiences. Suddenly, all the information was back to my mind and I talked to myself that I can do this. Finally the presentation was really good and I gained an upper distinction grade from this assignment. Another best-self narrative is when I gained recognitions from my family and relatives. I have been studying overseas for 6 years and still remembered the first time when I returned to my home country. All my relatives went to my parents’ house and praised my abilities and talent for completing my IT bachelor degree and easily gaining the permanent resident visa. Because they  thought that it was very hard to finish all the tasks by myself while I am very far away from family and without any support. From that moment, I felt that I had done something valuable, gaining recognitions from my family and relatives. I believe that the successes of my best-self experiences were from the supports and encouragements of my family and friends, which constitute me a â€Å"can do† attitude. The recognition obtained from relatives gives me more confidence and ambitious dreams about what I want to do in my future. Also, my personal experiences of failing make me learn how to face frustration. Based on these experiences, I gained courage and fortitude for further problem resolution and kept my self at the best. 6.0 Best reflected self exerciseI have asked about 10 people from my friends and colleagues to conduct a best reflected self exercise and discover my strengths from their point of view. I have formed those views into a feedbacks table described below:Common themeExamplesMy interpretationInitiative to do my best.Made video for group presentation and spent hours on it despite having a lot of other work to do and took the initiative to do more than what was required to make it best.I like to contribute my best work to group by using my personal skillsWillingness to provide a helping hand whenever I can. Made PowerPoint slides for one group and took the time to provide ideas and taught the group how to create new PowerPoint slides.I like to help others especially when they are getting into a hobble and don’t know how to do it. Take care of othersOne of my friends was drunk from a pub, he phoned me and asked me to pick him up and send him home. Another friend had a final exam; I went to his house the day before exam and cooked for him which gives him more time to study. I like to take care of my friends because I believe friendship is very important in my life. Also, good friendship will help me to make a better performance and synergy with others. Creative,Aspiration,Sense of humor, Analytical abilityFind different ways to approach the tasks and provide ideas to give people a different image. Bringing fun and joy to class, my jokes are always funny, bring a closer relationshipI like to find new ways to deal with different tasks and I have a personal belief to make everyone happy around me. Doing that will create a harmonious environment to work together. Table 2: commonality of feedbacks tableThis feedbacks table will give me an idea of how the people around me think about me, which will help me pay more attention to the content mentioned above and keep developing more strength. When I am at my best I tend to be creative. I am enthusiastic about new ideas and new ways of thinking. At the meantime, I ensure that I follow those ideas with appropriate executions. With the aspiration and analytical abilities, I perform tasks much easier. Friends think that I am willing to do the best with empathy, which brings my reliabilities and performing attitude to friends. One of my best strengths is willingness to provide a helping hand whenever I can; I believe that everyone does need help from others including my self. Therefore, helping others will gain help from others. Colleagues think that I am able to take care of others and act as an older brother, which can show that I am a potential leader with a set of leadership skills when I am at my best. And they believe that I am able to identify the goals of tasks and allocate those tasks to group members rationally. So they feel more confident to work with me. Also, they mentioned that my leadership style is towards to transformational leadership that leaders encourage and motivate members by sharing the same goal and achieve the success. I believe that those strengths mentioned above will enhance my understanding of the work situations that can bring out the best from me. Also, by acknowledging those strengths, I will be more confident to do my tasks and  work with other people. 7.0 Leadership narrative This section will discuss what event makes me realized that I want to be a leader and shows the shift to leadership. I remembered when I worked as an education agent for a consultant company. The company has 7 employees including myself. Ken, the manager of the company, normally have a 7-week business trip to China every 8 months. Since I was the oldest employee in this firm and had been working in the company for over 3 years, he talked to me privately and asked me to manage the company and make sure everyone started working on time. The first day after Ken left, some of the employees were very happy, starting coming to work a little bit late and taking a longer morning tea break. Gradually, they were getting even worse, the deadline of tasks delayed and they disappeared one hour early before company closed. I talked to them, and asked them to complete the tasks and come to work on time, but they told me that you were actually not in charge here and we were on the same level. Then I explained what Ken told me to manage the company and monitor the attendance. Also, I displayed my self as an example to work hard on tasks and keep coming to work on time. Eventually, they started turning back to the normal attitude as before, and we had a good time to collaborate with each other. When Ken came back, the performance was increased and he appreciated my excellent job while he was away. The work mission and my manager’s trust are the key elements to drive me to get the opportunity to be a substitute leader and solve problems occurred in the company. According to this experience, I found that I had the potential skills and abilities to lead a group. From that moment, I started thinking about my future role in the company. I wish to be a good business leader. 8.0 Literature Review The two tasks, completing how I need to be in my current (or future) role and re-authoring my understanding of my own key experiences at my best, help me to evaluate myself. And also I could see my self from others’ view. Most importantly, those two tasks inform me where I am right  now, who I want to be and the approaches that I can take to step forward. The literature review has been conducted in this section to explain why undertaking those two tasks increase the likelihood of experiencing the buoyant, positive emotions that support the effective leadership. Tickle, Brownlee and Nailon (2005) believe that underlying and enabling transformational behaviors, is a set of core beliefs about knowing and learning which can be called â€Å"epistemological beliefs† means what knowledge is and how learning and development occurs. Tichy (2002) supports their point of view based on his experience with many outstanding business leaders at GE and states every successful business leader must have a teachable point of view, the ideas they have to improve the business, the values that will make those ideas work and the ability to energize employees. In addition, Tichy (2002) mentioned the leader’s teachable point of view is best communicated through engaging stories of who the company is and of what it can be. Jack Welch is a good example to illustrate this point, he created a story for the future of the GE based on the elements of his own ‘who I am’ story, and employees shared the view from him and execute base on this view. In a study by Morgan et al (2005), they define four steps to take in order to go through RBS exercise. Those steps are identifying respondents and ask for feedback, recognize patterns, compose your self-portrait and redesign your job. To have a better understanding of RBS exercise, Morgan et al (2005) suggest the first step is to collect feedback from a variety of people inside and outside work. The second step is to search for common themes among the feedbacks. The third step is to write a description of individual that summarizes and distills the accumulated information. The final step is to redesign personal job description to build on what is good at. Also, Morgan et al. (2005) state â€Å"the RBS exercise can help you tap into unrecognized and unexplored areas of potential. It armed with a constructive, systematic process for gathering and analyzing data about your best self, you can burnish your performance at work†. Wright (1996) indicates transformational leadership involves a highly positive emotional and optimistic thinking response towards the leader. The values of those two attributes are very important for effective transformational leader. The optimistic thinking requires turning negative thoughts into positive, which will influence other employees, feel more comfortable and confident to work for the organization. Also it helps individuals to have a great level of energy with reduced stress and tension in organization when approach to any tasks. The positive emotions provide the confidence to leaders and reflect on the best self evaluation which is what you are like when you are at your best, similar to an â€Å"ideal self†. It focuses on increasing the advantage instead of concerning to improve the disadvantages. An article written by Botaris (2003) discusses emerging key trends, such as leadership development of effective judgment. Effective judgment in the future will continue to change because people will change. Leadership effective judgment will have to become more strategic, more proactive, and more involved in the overall business (Bates, 2002). Transformational leadership style will be the best suited to those trends. Leadership development of effective judgment is a crucial function of management in order to facilitate the vision required for an organization to be successful. Effective judgment is the process of reducing employees’ resistance to change. Management directs employees’ efforts towards the accomplishment of the organizational goals and objectives. Ibrarra and lineback (2005, p 66) states that â€Å"To know someone well is to know their story†. A successful leader needs ability to go on to point out that at times of change in the professional direction. The leader needs tell the story that makes sense of personal motives, character and the capacity to reach new goals. In other words, this is called narrative abilities, the narrative will make an enormous difference in how well the company will cope with change, how high is the level of motivation of employees, how devoted employees to organization. Having effective narrative style helps leaders become more assertive and influence in convincing other people to do the tasks. It is important to understand that â€Å"creating a story that resonates  also helps up to believe in ourselves† (Ibrarra & Lineback, 2005, p.66). To make a smooth construction of narrative, Gibson (2004) discusses some examples and analysis for understanding who you have been and for identify ing where you might need to go next. He argues that taking a narrative approach to career counseling is both theoretically and practically justified. In a study by Cervone, Shadel, Smith, and Fiori (2006), they propose a model of intra-individual personality architecture called as KAPA: A Knowledge and Appraisal Personality Architecture. This model helps individuals to appraise themselves and situations based upon beliefs that they have come to experience as knowledge. The KAPA model will guide individuals to set goals and improve them. The KAPA model has three conceptual principles, notion of intentionality, distinguishes between two aspects of cognition and differentiates among alternative forms of knowledge and appraisal. I have used the KAPA model to appraise myself to test my personalities, skills and beliefs, please refer to Appendix 1 for my KAPA analysis. In conclusion, I have identified my current (or future) role and evaluated myself at this stage. And my own experiences in the narrative stories show the constitution of my identity and the turning point to be a business leader. Then, the literature review explains the benefit to do those two tasks and importance to support effective leadership. From this paper, I have found out my strengths from others’ point of view and I have identified the gap between my best and worst self. The KAPA model has designed to help me improve my personal and professional leadership. 9.0 Appendix 1 What might be standing in my way Steps I can take to move forward Ways that I can measure and monitor my progress Goals for the next 6 monthsLack of clarity about my organizational story in terms of what constitutes success and what that will look like and what that will look like and why it matterImprove communication skills and attending relevant seminars or courses and business leader forums to gain the knowledge and abilities. Feedbacks from friends, family members and colleagues to see how effectively I influenced them through my ability of story telling Understand the concepts to make my organizational story, and tell the story to my friends and family members. Lack ofAssertivenessOptimismCalmnessBuoyancycourageBy taking relevant exercises or courses to practice and adjust myself. Feedbacks from friends and family members, monitoring diary.Complete at least one course on each of those elements and practice those learnings with people all the time. Lack of collaboration with unfamiliar people.Talk to people I do not know, and try to get them close and familiar with their behavior and personality. After those approaches, I will fell more confident and comfortable to work with them as a team.Self evaluation with feedbacks from friends and colleagues, Team work performance.Understand unfamiliar people in the organization and try to work with them. My personal KAPA analysis10.0 ReferencesBates, S 2002, Facing the future, HR Magazine, Viewed 9 February, 2007, . Botaris, E 2003, Looking back at 2003: key trends in management development, Viewed 9 February, 2007, . Cervone, D, Shadel, W, Smith, R & Fiori, M 2006, â€Å"Self-Regulation: Reminders and Suggestions from Personality Science† Applied Psychology† an International Review, 55 (3), pp.333-385. Daft, RL 1999, Leadership Theory and Practice, Harcourt, Inc., USA. Gibson, P 2004, â€Å"Where to from here? A narrative approach to career counseling†, Career Development International, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 176-189. Ibarra, H and Lineback, K 2005, â€Å"What’s Your Story?†, Harvard Business Review, January, Vol. 83, Issue 1, pp. 65-71. Mastrangelo, A, Eddy, E & Lorenzet S 2004, â€Å"The importance of personal and professional leadership† The Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Vol. 25 No.5, pp.435. Morgan, L, Spreitzer, G, Dutton, J, Quinn, R, Heapy, E & Barker, B 2005, â€Å"How to Play to Your Strengths† Harvard Business Review, January, pp 75-80. Tichy, N 2002, The leadership Engine, Harper Business Essentials, New York. Tickle, E, Brownlee, J & Nailon, D 2005, â€Å"Personal epistemological beliefs and transformational leadership behaviours†, Journal of Management Development, Vol.24 No.8, pp. 706-719. Wright, P 1996, â€Å"What Leaders Read1: Managerial Leadership†, National College for School Leadership, 2003 edition, Prentice Hall, UK. Zhu, W, Chew, I & Spangler, W 2005, â€Å"CEO transformational leadership and organizational outcomes: the mediating role of human-capital-enhancing human resource management†, The Leadership Quarterly, 16, pp. 39-52.

Myths About Spanish and the People Who Speak It

Myths About Spanish and the People Who Speak It When many people, especially those in the United States, think of Spanish, they tend to think of mariachis, their favorite Mexican actor and Mexican immigrants. But the Spanish language and its people are far more diverse than the stereotypes suggest. Here we debunk 10 myths about Spanish and the people who speak it: More People Grow up Speaking English Than Speaking Spanish Because English has become a worldwide lingua franca for science, tourism, and business, its easy to forget that English is far surpassed by two other languages in terms of numbers of native speakers. Easily ranking No. 1 is Mandarin Chinese with 897 million native speakers, according to the Ethnologue database. Spanish comes in a distant second with 427 million, but thats well ahead of English with 339 million. One reason English seems more prominent is that its regularly spoken in 106 countries, compared with just 31 countries for Spanish. And English does rank ahead of Spanish when non-native speakers are counted as it is the worlds most common second language. Spanish Is the Language of Latin America The term Latin America traditionally is applied to any of the countries of the Americas where a Romance language is the dominant language. So the most populous country of Latin America - Brazil with more than 200 million residents - has Portuguese, not Spanish, as its official language. Even French-and Creole-speaking Haiti is considered part of Latin American, as is French Guiana. But countries such as Belize (formerly British Honduras, where English is the national language) and Suriname (Dutch) are not. Neither is French-speaking Canada. Even in countries where Spanish is the official language, other languages are common. Indigenous languages such as Quechua and Guarani are widely used in large swaths of South America, and the latter is co-official in Paraguay, where it is spoken even by many who arent of Amerindian heritage. Nearly two dozen languages are spoken in Guatemala, and in Mexico, about 6 percent of people dont speak Spanish as their first language. Native Spanish Speakers Talk Like Speedy Gonzales The Spanish of the cartoon character Speedy Gonzales is an exaggeration of Mexican Spanish, of course, but the truth is that a minority of Spanish speakers have a Mexican accent. The Spanish of Spain and Argentina, to take two examples, doesnt sound like Mexican Spanish- just as U.S. English speakers dont sound like their counterparts in Great Britain or South Africa. Although much of the regional variations in English tend to be with the vowels, in Spanish the variation is in the consonants: In the Caribbean, for example, speakers may tend to distinguish little between the r and the l. In Spain, most people pronounce the soft c with the tongue against the upper teeth rather than the front of the palate. There are substantial variations as well in the rhythm of speech from region to region. The Spanish 'R' Is Difficult to Pronounce Yes, it does take practice to get the trilled r to come naturally, but millions learn it every year. But not all Rs are trilled: You can pronounce the common word pero close to correctly just by sounding out peddo, and mero sounds very much like meadow. In any case, its undoubtedly easier for native English speakers to pronounce the Spanish r than for native Spanish speakers to pronounce the English r. People Who Speak Spanish Are Spanish As a nationality, Spanish refers to people from Spain and only Spain. People who are from Mexico are, well, Mexican; people from Guatemala are Guatemalan; and so on. I wont try to settle here any controversy over how to use terms such as Hispanic and Latino. Suffice it to say that traditionally in Spanish, hispano is used to refer to someone from the Iberian Peninsula, while latino can refer to anyone from a country that speaks a Latin-derived language - and sometimes specifically to people from the Lazio region of Italy. Native Spanish Speakers Have Brown Skin, Brown Eyes and Black Hair In their totality, Spain and the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America are every bit the melting pot of races and ethnicities that the United States is. The societies of Spanish-speaking Latin America descend not only from Spaniards and indigenous Amerindians but also from peoples of Africa, Asia, and non-Spanish Europe. Most of the Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas have a population that is majority mestizo (mixed race). Four countries (Argentina, Chile, Cuba, and Paraguay) are majority white. In Central America, many blacks, usually descendants of slaves, live along the Atlantic coast. Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, and Nicaragua each have a black population of around 10 percent. Peru especially has a large population of Asian ancestry. About 1 million are of Chinese heritage, and thus the abundance of chifas, as Chinese restaurants are known there. One of the former presidents of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, is of Japanese heritage. You Can Form Spanish Nouns Just by Adding 'O' to the English Word This works sometimes: A car in much of Latin America is a carro, a telephone is a telà ©fono, an insect is an insecto, and a secret is a secreto. But try this often and most of the time youll just end up with gibberish. Besides, an a works sometimes too: A jar is a jarra, music is mà ºsica, a family is a familia, and a pirate is a pirata. And, please, dont say No problemo for No problem. Its No hay problema. People Who Speak Spanish Eat Tacos (or Maybe Paella) Yes, tacos are common in Mexico, although it should tell you something that Taco Bell markets itself as U.S.-style fast food in Mexico, not as a Mexican-style chain. And paella is indeed eaten in Spain, although even there its considered something of a regional dish. But these foods arent found everywhere that Spanish is spoken. The fact is every region of the Spanish-speaking world has its own culinary favorites, and not all have crossed international boundaries. Not even the names are the same: Ask for a tortilla in Mexico or Central America, and youre likely to get a sort of pancake or bread made from cornmeal, while in Spain youre likelier to receive an egg omelet, possibly prepared with potatoes and onions. Go to Costa Rica and ask for a casado, and youll get a simple if tasty four-course meal. Ask for the same in Chile, and theyll just wonder why youd want a married man. Spanish Will Take Over English in the United States While the number of native Spanish speakers in the United States is projected to increase to around 40 million by 2020 - up from 10 million in 1980 - studies consistently show that their children will grow up bilingual and that their grandchildren are likely to speak English exclusively. In other words, the level of Spanish speaking is tied more closely to current immigration rates than it is to use of Spanish by those born in the U.S. The descendants of Spanish speakers switch to English as they assimilate just as did those who came to America speaking German, Italian and Chinese. Spanish Is an Official Language in Just Spain and Latin America Of the African territories that were once part of the Spanish Empire, one independent country still uses Spanish. Thats Equatorial Guinea, which gained independence in 1968. One of the smallest countries in Africa, it has around 750,000 residents. About two-thirds of them speak Spanish, while French, Portuguese and indigenous languages also are used.

Volver Conjugation

Volver Conjugation Volver is a common Spanish verb that usually means to return, to come back or something similar; in the reflexive form, volverse, it also can mean to become. Volver is a stem-changing verb; to conjugate volver, change the -o- to -ue- when stressed. Volver also has an irregular past participle. Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life may vary with context. Verbs that follow the conjugation pattern of volver include absolver, devolver, disolver, desenvolver, resolver and revolver. Infinitive of Volver volver (to return) Gerund of Volver volviendo (returning) Participle of Volver vuelto (returned) Present Indicative of Volver yo vuelvo, tà º vuelves, usted/à ©l/ella vuelve, nosotros/as volvemos, vosotros/as volvà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas vuelven (I return, you return, he returns, etc.) Preterite of Volver yo volvà ­, tà º volviste, usted/à ©l/ella volvià ³, nosotros/as volvimos, vosotros/as volvisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas volvieron (I returned, you returned, she returned, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Volver yo volvà ­a, tà º volvà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella volvà ­a, nosotros/as volvà ­amos, vosotros/as volvà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas volvà ­an (I used to return, you used to return, he returned, etc.) Future Indicative of Volver yo volverà ©, tà º volvers, usted/à ©l/ella volver, nosotros/as volveremos, vosotros/as volverà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas volvern (I will return, you will return, he will return, etc.) Conditional of Volver yo volverà ­a, tà º volverà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella volverà ­a, nosotros/as volverà ­amos, vosotros/as volverà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas volverà ­an (I would return, you would return, she would return, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Volver que yo vuelva, que tà º vuelvas, que usted/à ©l/ella vuelva, que nosotros/as volvamos, que vosotros/as volvis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas vuelvan (that I return, that you return, that she return, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Volver que yo volviera (volviese), que tà º volvieras (volvieses), que usted/à ©l/ella volviera (volviese), que nosotros/as volvià ©ramos (volvià ©semos), que vosotros/as volvierais (volvieseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas volvieran (volviesen) (that I return, that you return, that he return, etc.) Imperative of Volver vuelve (tà º), no vuelvas (tà º), vuelva (usted), volvamos (nosotros/as), volved (vosotros/as), no volvis (vosotros/as), vuelvan (ustedes) (return, dont return, return, lets return, etc.) Compound Tenses of Volver The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, vuelto. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, volviendo. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Volver and Similarly Conjugated Verbs Hay cosas que nunca no van a volver. (There are things that are never coming back. Infinitive.) Se ha resuelto el problema. (The problem has resolved itself. Present perfect.) El viento vuelve a complicar los aterrizajes en el aeropuerto. (The wind is complicating landings at the airport again. Present indicative.) Se prepara una solucià ³n de bromuro de sodio disolviendo 4 gramos de la sal en 50 gramos de agua. (A solution of sodium bromide is prepared by dissolving 4 grams of the salt in 50 grams of water. Gerund.) Revolvià ³ en su mente todo lo que sabà ­a. (Everything he knew stirred around in his mind. Preterite.) Algunas veces volvà ­an a ponerse las mismas ropas sin lavarlas. (Sometimes they would put on the same clothes again without washing them. Imperfect.) Sà © que volvers muy pronto. (I know you are coming back very soon. Future.) Mi amiga me dijo que le devolverà ­a el dinero a Harry. (My friend told me she would return the money to Harry. Conditional.) La comisià ³n pidià ³ hoy la intervencià ³n del Ministerio de Trabajo para que resuelva el conflicto laboral. (The commission today asked for the intervention of the Labor Department in order to resolve the labor conflict. Present subjunctive.) Mi presencia era suficiente para que me absolviera de los cargos. (My presence was enough for me to be absolved of the charges. Imperfect subjunctive.) No vuelvas nunca ms. (Dont ever come back again. Imperative.)

Research Proposal Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Research Proposal - Outline Example This will further help in reducing such activities since the core of the issue lies in the activities conducted while engaging in truant. The Wisconsin Statutes in its Section 188.16(1) (c) defines truancy as ‘any absence of part or all of a school day for which a pupil’s parent or guardian has not provided a valid excuse’ (Wisconsin, 2000). The reason for choosing this particular topic is that education has somewhere lost its importance in today’s world. There has been a remarkable increase in dropout and truancy rates which means that the education sector is failing somewhere. Students no longer consider education as their basic right. They believe in this world where retail giants and fast food franchises would hire them at good pay, they do not need education to survive. As the concept of single working parent is slowly disintegrating and parents no longer have the time to concentrate on their child’s educational development, children find it easier to play truant and get away with it. A recent study conducted on the subject of truant reveal that more than 50 percent of the parents are aware that their children are playing truant and yet they do not seem to care (Abrams, 2011). The report further revealed that the reasons for committing truant are not properly understood by the authorities. The authorities though impose punishments on the students, fail to realize the core reason behind the act. Most students said that the actions taken against truancy do not bother them and they still continue to commit truant because they have lost interest in school. Since education is the main pillar the supports the economy of every nation, the increasing number of truant activities should raise a red flag and it is time that the education sector focused on this issue also. Right now, authorities are not concerned with increasing dropout rates and they fail to acknowledge the fact that truancy subsequently leads to dropping off from school and if