The Truth in Art Vincent Van Goghs Work of Art Essay

Throughout his argument against aesthetics, Heidegger strongly states he believes in the true â€Å"work of art† and believes that this aesthetic approach goes against this. One artist that Heidegger particularly discusses is Vincent Van Gogh. He uses works of art by Van Gogh in order to give more power to his argument. Through works of art such as Van Gogh’s A Pair of Shoes, Heidegger makes his a distinction between artwork and things. In order to truly analyze the culture of another, he explains how it is essential for the viewer to question what is being depicted in the work and what the purpose may be. Heidegger describes art as a whole through the philosophies of existence and truth. To truly interpret Heidegger’s critic of aesthetics,†¦show more content†¦Through this quote, Heidegger is stating that influential works of art have a great role in instituting principles in a way that is beneficial to the community around it as it guides their underst anding and their beliefs of the world around them. Because Heidegger does not agree with the creations of modern times, he does not agree with the term aesthetics. He mentions how Kant used the term aesthetics in Critique of Judgment. Heidegger explains how the Greeks first generated the word. Aesthetics deals with the senses and does not deal with the mind and knowledge. It is the opposite of what a truth would be. Heidegger explains how this is an issue as it is not a way to search for the truth in something. Our minds, unlike our senses, search to understand and find truth. As he continues his argument against aesthetics, Heidegger brings up Hegels Vorlesungen fiber die Astheti. Art no longer counts for us as the highest manner in which truth obtains existence for itself†¦in all these relationships art is and remains for us, on the side of its highest vocation, something past† (78). He wants to believe that someday the distinctive truth manifest in art could return. Heidegger hopes that what has been lost in today’s society will return in a powerful way that could impact history once more. Although he agrees with most of what Hegel has said, Heidegger does disagree with Hegel on a main aspect. Heidegger believes that a perfect work of art could comeShow MoreRelated Vincent Van Gogh Essay1593 Words   |  7 Pages Most casual art lovers see Van Gogh as a troubled but successful artist. This is far from the actual truth of his chaotic life which was filled with failure in every occupational pursuit he attempted including painting, and was marked by episodes of depression, violence, and abnormal behavior. Thanks to the preservation of thousands of letters Van Gogh had written to friends and family, especially to his brother Theo, we have a nearly complete understanding of his feelings, experiments, andRead MoreAre There Visions and Ghosts in Van Gogh Paintings?1142 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"There are no ghosts in the paintings of Van Gogh, no visions, no hallucinations. This is the torrid truth of the sun at two o’clock in the afternoon.† This quote that Antonin Artraud, stated from, Van Gogh, the Man Suicided by Society, explains the way in which Van Gogh approached his artwork. He believed in the dry truth and as a result his work was remarkably straightforward in the messages that he portrayed. While visiting Paris, France this past April, I was fortunate enough to have visitedRead More vincent van gogh Essay examples1404 Words   |  6 Pages Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter, whose work represents the archetype of expressionism, the idea of emotional spontaneity in painting. Van Gogh was born March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, son of a Dutch Protestant pastor. Van Goghs birth came one year to the day after his mother gave birth to a first, stillborn child; also named Vincent. There has been much speculation about Vincent van Gogh suffering later psychological trauma as a result of being a quot;replacement childquot;Read MoreVincent Van Gogh Essay example1437 Words   |  6 PagesVincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter, whose work represents the archetype of expressionism, the idea of emotional spontaneity in painting. Van Gogh was born March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, son of a Dutch Protestant pastor. Van Goghs birth came one year to the day after his mother gave birth to a first, stillborn child; also named Vincent. There has been much speculation about Vincent van Gogh suffering later psychological trauma as a result of being a replacement child andRead MoreVincent Van Gogh And Paul Gauguin Analys is1261 Words   |  6 Pagesmore influential painters from this movement were Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, both of whom aimed to connect with viewers on a deeper level by accessing Nature’s mystery and meaning beyond the superficial, observable level. Close examination of Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait (Dedicated to Paul Gauguin) and Paul Gauguin’s Self-Portrait with Portrait of Émile Bernard (Les misà ©rables) reveals two contrasting and unique styles on display. Van Gogh based his paintings on the Natural and observableRead MoreComparing Picasso And Van Gogh1472 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting artists Pablo Picasso and Van Gogh, considering their intentions with their artwork. Van Gogh and Picasso two of the most famous artists out there and still are to this day. Uncountable books have been published and dedicated to them and their lives and careers of being true artist. Their art has changed the way people view things and the world around them. Vincent van Gogh was one of many artists who self taught himself, who transformed the appearanceRead MoreComparing Matisse Picasso And Van Gogh1463 Words   |  6 PagesPicasso and Van Gogh, and to consider their intentions with their artwork. In this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting artists Pablo Picasso and Van Gogh, considering their intentions with their artwork. Van Gogh and Picasso two of the most famous artists out there and still are to this day. Uncountable books have been published and dedicated to them and their lives and careers of being true artist. Their art has changed the way people view things and the world around them. Vincent van Gogh wasRead More Vincent Van Gogh Essay1579 Words   |  7 PagesVincent Van Gogh The people back in the 19th century really didn’t accept Van Gaogh’s truthful and emotionally morbid way of expressing the way of art is to himself. It finally was seen as art through the people’s eyes. This set a stage of art that is now known as Expressionism. It is best characterized by the use of symbols and a style that expresses the artist’s inner feelings about his subject. His style of painting is exemplified by a projection of the painter’s inner experience onto theRead Morestarry night analysis954 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork ‘starry night’ is a classic example of the post impressionism movement. Post-impressionist were artist who rebelled against the limitations of impressionism. They developed person styles that focus on emotional, structural, symbolic and spiritual elements they felt were missing from impressionism. ‘Starry Night’ was created in 1889, earlier that year Van Gogh decided to enter the asylum at Saint-Rà ©my. ‘Starry night’ was inspired by the view from his window in the asylumRead MoreArt Analysis : Vincent Van Gogh1240 Words   |  5 PagesArt by definition is something created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings. By definition one would assume that art is directly related to the artist’s emotional state or point of view. That assumption would be correct in relation to the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh and numerous other artist. Vincent Van Gogh a 19th century painter was widely misunderstood for the greater part of ten years. His style of art within itself

The Effects Of Misinformation And Its Effects On Memory...

Previous research has shown that people often rely on invalidated information (de Vega, Urrutia, Riffo, 2007). Ecker, Lewandowsky and Tang (2010) explained that this is due to people holding preference to incorrect information over incomplete information. Rapp and Kendeou (2007) expanded on this, explaining how the continued influence of misinformation is lessened where a causal alternative is provided i.e. another explanation is given. Ecker et al. goes on to explain the ways in which emotion can affect memory and memory updating, providing evidence for claims of both improved and impaired memory due to emotionality. As a result of the prior research Ecker et al. (2010) aimed to â€Å"investigate the influence of initial misinformation in moderately negative emotive material† and wanted to see whether emotionality had an effect on people’s ability to discount misinformation. The researchers thus produced three experiments in order to test these ideas. All of the experiments involved the presentation of one of two fictitious plane crash reports. The high emotionality report held themes of intentional violence (a terrorist attack) with the low emotionality report holding themes of unintentional violence (bad weather). Two of the experimental conditions consisted solely of the initial information, with no retraction (high or low emotionality with no-retraction). In another two of the six experimental conditions this initial information was retracted with no additionalShow MoreRelatedSuggestibility and Human Memory Essay616 Words   |  3 PagesSuggestibility in human memory is considered as the phenomenon called the misinformation effect. The misinformation effect occurs when the misleading information influence a person’s memory of the witnessed event and change how that person describes that event later. Moreover, the misleading information in this effect is referred to as misleading postevent information (MPI) (Goldstein, 2008). Loftus and her colleagues contribute a lot to the early studies of misinformation effect. In one of the classicalRead MoreIs Our Justice System Fair?1157 Words   |  5 Pagesjustice system truly set out to do what it was meant to do? Or are there social factors and memory errors that come into play that can change a conviction outcome. In today’s court rooms we have, Defense attorneys, Prosecutors, judges, juries, evidence, forensics experts, witness testimonies, and of course the human memory. What better type of evidence than the human memory, right? Unfortunately, human memory is subject to the power of suggestion and unable to truly recall an event when told to recallRead MoreAn Article Review Of â€Å"Memory Blindness: Altered Memory1205 Words   |  5 PagesAn Article Review of â€Å"Memory blindness: Altered memory reports lead to distortion in eyewitness memory† by Cochran et al. (2016) Introduction: Cochran et al (2016) provide a case study analysis of the temporal nature of memory in suspect lineups and crimes being investigated by law enforcement. The study involves a longitudinal evaluation of participants that are given evidence of a crime (through slideshows) that allows them to ascertain the criminal act or to choose a suspect in a lineup. AtRead MoreMisinformation and False Memory Essay624 Words   |  3 PagesIn class this week we saw cases where our memory fails when recalling information in the past and even seeing changes in real time in front of our eyes. Misinformation is when someone gives information that is incorrect without the intent of giving the incorrect information. This is more likely to happen in situations where the new information would fit someone’s schema of the situation. In a crime example, we can say that a robber has a knife in his hand and pointed it at someone, someone in theRead MoreStudies on Memories1097 Words   |  4 PagesHuman beings usually depend on memory to accurately recall or describe the past events that have happened. However, many researchers have shown that human memories can be imperfect and fallible (Lilienfeld et al., 2012). This essay will argue that human memory for the details of past events is not reliably accurate. The evidence for this argument can be seen in two empirical studies which will be reviewed. Schmolck, Buffalo Squire (2000), found that percentage memory distortions and mistaken recollectionsRead MoreEssay on Eyewitness Error1177 Words   |  5 PagesMemory is a cognitive function of the brain that is often taken for granted. Memory may have many purposes, but most importantly it is essentially a record of an entire life span. From this perspective memory is the most important aspect of consciousness. Unfortunately, through formal experimentation it has been shown that memory is fairly inaccurate, inconsistent, and often influenced by our own experiences as well as the bia s of others. Memory is not only affected during an observed event, butRead MoreSleep Deprivation And False Memories1559 Words   |  7 PagesFrenda, Patihis, Loftus, Lewis and Fenn’s (2014) article titled â€Å"Sleep Deprivation and False Memories sought out to explanation how sleep deprivation can have a role in an individual’s cognitive function. One-way researchers went about unraveling this particular question was to uncover the invisible knowledge relating the formation of false memories with sleep deprivation. Two experiments were executed diving into the many ways that sleep deprivation can affect a person’s thoughts and general decisionsRead MoreThe Security of Our Memory1201 Words   |  5 PagesMemory seems to be less secure and reliable than is popularly thought. Bartlett and other social scientists have tested the security of our memory and have accumulated significant results showing the limitations of our memory and the extent to which our abili ties of recall often play us up. Bartlett, for instance, discovered that people formed memories in line with their cultural indoctrination and schemas. Following Bartletts publicized results, researchers have been interested in finding determinantsRead MoreSleep Deprivation And False Memories Essay1403 Words   |  6 Pagesfalse memories reported two studies, but only study one will be summarized here. The study done here is to see if amount of sleep is associated to false memories. This study is a correlational study because it is looking for the association of natural occurring variables (i.e. the amount of sleep one gets). The independent variable of this study is the amount of sleep the participants had, either they were sleep deprived or not. The dependent variable is whether or not they had false memories. TheRead MoreThe Effects Of False Memory On Word Association1255 Words   |  6 Pages False Memory Cammie Wires George Mason University False Memory Introduction Multiple studies have been conducted that investigate false memory in humans focusing on word recall, processing and retention interval, and auditory imaging. Roediger and McDermott (1995) suggest that individuals who participated in their study are more likely to recall the critical words and lures if the list of words presented were closely associated to them. Critical lures are the tendency to recall words

ICT Meeting Special Needs Free Essays

The person that I am going to be studying is Mr. C Aziz a man who lost his eyes when he was at the age of 32, due to an accident with a group of hooligans assaulting Mr Aziz on his way home one evening. Now Mohammed is currently 32 years of age and he and his wife live with their two sons. We will write a custom essay sample on ICT Meeting Special Needs or any similar topic only for you Order Now Mohammed Aziz is a musician, who aspires to one day be able to play as well as his idol Stevie Wonder. The topic blindness is often stereotyped to the thought of sight being gone forever, however in some cases of Blindness there is a chance of seeing again, however sadly in Mr Aziz’s case, this is not a possibility. Blindness is the inability to see anything. Some people are called blind, even though they can see a vaguely. This is because they cannot see clearly, but can only see fuzzy shapes or colours. In modern countries, few young people are blind. Blindness is mostly caused by diseases of old people, like cataracts and trachoma. Sometimes, though, people are born blind. Some people are colour blind, which means they can see, however cannot tell certain colours apart. When people are blind they use such things as the alphabet in Braille and guard dogs to do every day things. Although again in Mohammed’s case sadly he is not colour blind but fully blind. Technology 1 Braille Watch Braille watches have raised dots that allow a blind person to tell the time. Simply flip up the cover and feel the dots on the dial. There are different types of Braille Watches like the voice one that tells you the time when you need it and it is in digital and normally time. In Braille watches you can save appointments and notes and you can save birthdays and you can record voice and in also can tell you the temperature. Advantages o It’s is small and the right size to fit a hand and says it in voice the time and date o Help people with appointments and helps them to not forget time and date and if they got anything information o Tell you everything in English, 99 different languages o It is like a person that is standing next to the blind person and helping Disadvantages o Not waterproof o Easily breaks o Something’s very disturbing o Gets lost o One of the bad thing about Braille Watches is that it only reminds you once and that’s bad because maybe the person is fast a sleep and can’t hear it so they will mess the alarm How the technology meets their personal needs The Braille watch is particularly important in the life of Mr Aziz as it fits directly into his daily schedule. Mohammed, a devout Muslim, needs to wake up at 6am on a daily basis so he may do his daily prayers. The Braille watch is good for this as it allows him for one to be able to actually know the time, to know the right time in which he must pray, it also helps him as some Braille watches also have alarm clocks on them, this however may not be an option for Mr Aziz as, he has a very low budget, as a musician living off benefits from the government and disability benefits he does not have much money to be spending on luxury items, nevertheless Mohammed believes that religion is a very vital aspect of his life, and must uphold all traditions so an alarm is a must (Mohammed believes that if he devotes his life to his religion then one day his eyes may be healed by a miracle. The Braille watch also helps Mr Aziz as it allows him to keep track of when to take his eye medication. Even though Mr Aziz’s eyes are now permanently obsolete, he must still use his droplets to prevent any infections in his eyes that may cause him discomfort, and with the help of the Braille watch he is able to know the time at all times and keep track with his medical schedule. Finally although Mr Aziz is sadly blind, he is still a very joyful individual person overall and likes to enjoy himself, with the help of the Braille watch, Mr Aziz he is able to watch all his favourite TV programmes on time without missing a single moment of the show. I believe that the Braille watch is an excellent technology in helping the blind or visually impaired to keep good track of the time. With the compact designs that house the Braille watch, and the voice helper, with over 99 languages built in, as well as a tonne of other gadgets, including I believe that the Braille watch is the ultimate timepiece of the 21st century when thinking of how to help the visually impaired with timekeeping. However with the Braille watch, the problem may arise that if the watch is broken, or needs repairing in any manner then getting the watch repaired is a very tricky matter, firstly it may be very costly as there are not many shops that repair Braille watches, and secondly as I just said there are not many stores that sell Braille watches so finding a shop which would repair the watch would be a strenuous task in itself. How the technology meets their social needs The Braille watch is pretty hand when it comes to Mr Aziz’s social needs. As the Aziz family is quite lazy, Mr Aziz relies on his watch to wake up in the morning and to wake up his fellow family members for both work and school. As was said before Mr Aziz is over a very cheery man, he does not allow his sight to bring him down in life, this is why he has many friends in his local area, the element of kindness and happiness is very strong in the heart of Mr Aziz, so attracts the friendship of many of his peers. The Braille watch allows him to keep up to track with his friends on a daily basis. Another branch of Mohammed’s daily routine consists of him going to one of his neighbours house daily to discuss topics such as football and their married lives, however Mohammed must wait until 10:15 every day to attend his friends home as he must wait for the children to be sent to school and the missus to go to work, this is where the Braille watch comes in, it allows Mohammed to keep track of the right time him to make his daily visit to his acquaintances’ home. Everyday Mohammed rings his home town of Afghanistan to check on his brothers, sisters and parents and see how their lives are going. The time zones however are very different in these two regions of the world, so Mohammed has to use his watch to know the right time, so he does not call at an inconvenient time when his parents are sleeping. His wife is not able to help him with this as well as she works a very tight shift to try support her family (however she does not do it very well, working as a shop assistant on minimum wage makes it very difficult) so she does not have the time to call Mohammed and tell him the time in Kabul, this is why the Braille watch is very vital in his social life. Moreover, everyday at lunchtime Mr Aziz goes to his local school, Wembley Manor Primary School and recites compositions on his piano for children during their lunch break, as part of a good citizenship programme he set up a year ago. The Braille watch is very important as he only plays the piano during the children’s lunch time which only lasts 1 hour, so Mr Aziz cannot be late, obviously there will be no penalty for coming late to this job, as it is all voluntary work, however the children enjoy his piano playing very much and would be terribly disappointed if he did not make a session, this is why Mr Aziz needs to hold on to his Braille watch and know the right time to get to the school. As was said before, if the watch does in fact get ruined or needs repairing, then on top of trying to find a store that restores Braille watches, he would need to get one of his friends or wife to escort him to the store, as he cannot see himself, this may bother his friends if they are busy and do not have time to take him. How the technology meets their needs in employment Mohammed Aziz is a composer and composes melodies for himself and for retail; she can make a living, although at the time being he has not been selling much. Mohammed needs to be able to have certain times of the day where he dedicates it to his music, so as not neglect his music, this is where the Braille watch fits in, Mr Aziz sets it on reminder everyday at 9pm so it rings and reminds him that he needs to finish his composing, this may be done without the use of his watch, by his wife reminding him if he forgets, however his wife is not at home at all times, she sometimes goes over to her neighbours house for their book club, and Mr Aziz forgets also at times so using the Braille watch is the most efficient way to remind him of the tasks he needs to do. I think that even though the Braille watch does an adequate job in helping Mohammed keep up with his work schedule by reminding him of the time he needs write his compositions, there may be a better technology such as a handheld PC with Braille keys that could assist him around the day. This however is very pricey and probably not in Mr Aziz’s price range, so must be reconsidered, also if it is bought, the issue of thieves must also be thought, a Handheld PC specially made for blind people is very pricey and if a thief is to take advantage of Mr Aziz’s disability and rob him of his Handheld PC, then the financial implications should be thought about, does Mr Aziz have enough money to replace something so expensive, will it impact his family financially leaving them in debt? These are just some questions that would be thought of when buying something so expensive for Mr Aziz. If the watch breaks down before Mohammed is due to go to work (his voluntary work) then he may not be aware of the time and miss his normal music session at Wembley Manor, upsetting the children because they did not see their favourite musician playing during their lunch hour. Technology 2 Braille Notetaker The Iris kb line offers portable and compact personal data assistants equipped with Braille keyboards and refreshable Braille displays of 20 or 40 cells. This line is part of a range of new generation Braille devices by Euro Braille. These devices incorporate a broad range of applications and are available with either a 128 MB internal storage capacity 256 MB capacity. The series of four keys on both sides of the keyboard, used for navigation, have been placed as closely as possible to the keyboard to minimise hand movements. This helps achieve a more ergonomic design aimed at reducing your risk of repetitive motion injuries. Spreadsheet applications allow you to work with data and formulas in cells that are identified by line and column, Calculator applications allow you to make basic calculations, File Explorer application facilitate handling files and folders in a tree structure, Calendar application pages to organise your appointments and tasks, Contacts pages to easily store and retrieve all your contact information when you need it and more. Advantages o Braille Display with 20 or 40 characters o QWERTY Keyboard o 8-Key command keyboard o Lithium-ion battery for fast recharge: 10 hours of autonomy o Serial port for PC connection; Parallel port for Braille and black printing o VGA port to visualise iris documents on a computer monitor o RJ45 port for connection to Ethernet network RJ11 port for connection to a telephone network o 2 USB ports (type A) Loudspeaker + Audio – in (microphone) and Audio-out (headphones) o 12V supply o It is very light 1,7 kg o Dimensions: 24 cm x 20 cm x 3,8 cm o 12-volt main charger o it is like an computer with everything like USB reader/writer that is WinCE compatible (Floppy disk, memory, USB Key, etc) o Disadvantages o Cost’s to much = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,382 o slow writing o The charge run out quickly o It takes lots of time to charge up How the technology meets their personal needs The Braille note taker meets Mohammed’s personal needs adequately as it allows him to make notes and write his compositions, this is especially good as Mohammed is not able to write his compositions with a pen and paper as he is blind, so he needs an alternative method which is user friendly to the visually impaired, hence the note taker. The note taker is also very light which allows Mohammed to keep it in his pocket without weighing him down, or sticking out of his pockets bringing any unnecessary attention for muggers or anyone with the intention to steal the note taker. Furthermore the note taker is actually very expensive, with a price ranging over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3000 it is no way in Mohammed’s budget, however if he does receive one some way, perhaps from the government free of charge, to help his disability, then the small size will matter as it does not attract unwanted attention. The Note taker also meets Mr Aziz’s personal needs as it has a 128mb or 258mb internal hard drive, which will allow him to store his music on. As Mohammed is a musician he has a strong passion for music, so being able to listen to his music frequently will bring great joy to him. The note taker will also allow Mr Aziz to keep a track of all special occasions through the use of the built in calendar that comes with most note taker, now Mr Aziz will never forget any special occasions or important dates. How the technology meets their social needs The Braille note taker is quite good in terms of Mr Aziz’s personal needs. The note taker allows Mr Aziz to keep in constant contact with his friends who travel regularly, due to their jobs. The note taker allows him to do this by letting him send and receive emails. The note taker also allows Mohammed to exchange music with his friends via USB, this is a great advantage as he does not have to go out and buy the songs to listen to them, he can just get them off his friends if they have the songs on their PCs. As I said before, Mohammed’s friends travel a lot due to demanding jobs, sometimes they are allowed to take a guest with them to the different locations of the world that they must go, so to feel Mohammed feel better about his eyes, they take him with them as their guests. However sometimes during their travels they sometimes get lost as they are in a foreign country and do not know their way around, this is where the note taker comes in, Mohammed can go on a website such as Google maps to then find the route to their destination. If unfortunately Mr Aziz’s note taker was to be accidently damaged, lost or stolen, this could bring problems for not only himself but for his friends also. As Mr Aziz does not make a lot of money in his profession, he may need rely on his friends financially to fund for another note taker, or for the repair to his current note taker, this may be awkward for his friends as they must help him as they are his friends, but at the same time need the money so are then in a moral dilemma, to help their blind friend, or to keep the money and use it for themselves. This could also resolve in disputes amongst the friends if some help out Mohammed and others don’t, some of the friends get be angered as to why they did not help him out. How the technology meets their needs in employment The Braille note taker helps Mr Aziz in his profession, as it allows him to message his record manager to tell him when his new compositions are ready; it also allows him to receive messages from his record manager to know times of important meetings, and times for his studio recordings. The note take also helps him in his work as it allows him to write his compositions, which needs to sell and make his living, without the compositions there would be no way for his music to succeed. Again the problem arises that if he loses the note taker, or it gets stolen, then he would have a very big problem on his hands, for one it would cost a lot of money to either replace the note taker (money which he does not have) or repair, but the other great problem would be that all of his appointment times and record dates would be gone, not only that but also all of Mr Aziz’s compositions are saved on his note taker, so if he loses it then his songs would be lost as well, making him working as a musician obsolete as he does not have the tools for his success, his songs. Technology 3 Talking Typer for Windows Computer keyboarding and typing training software that speaks and displays lessons on screen. Includes drills, practice, and typing games. Adjustable to the student’s level of skill and sight impairment. Recommended ages: 6 and older. Built from the ground up with blind and visually impaired students in mind, Talking Typing Teacher features digitized human speech, which is used everywhere in the program. This means that whether you’re navigating menus, changing options, managing dozens of student accounts, or visiting the Help Desk, you’ll enjoy listening to Eager Eddie read the screen. What makes TTT so special, however, is that each and every typing lesson or practice session is read aloud with clear, concise pre-recorded dialog. Put quite simply, you won’t need to worry about trying to understand synthetic speech when you’re learning to type with TTT. The only thing Text-To-Speech is really used for is to read your name and play back text you type into Workbook, a fully-functional talking word processor that ships with Talking Typing Teacher. Advantages o Built-in human speech (in the form MarvelTalk) that narrates the entire program o Complete interaction with both sound and full-colour animations o Detailed lesson curriculum designed with three levels of instruction o Full support for multiple student use. This means that you can have more than one student set up with the program, and TTT will pull up each student’s record when he or she logs in. o Three levels of instruction that not only change the number of keys that are taught, but also how the instructions are worded and presented o Lessons that teach and reinforce typing, with careful emphasis on posture and correct typing habits o Lessons consisting of spoken and displayed instructions, practice drills, and final reminders o CD-ROM Drive o Intel Pentium @400 MHz Equivalent or Higher o Keyboard o Sound Card o 96MB RAM Disadvantages o Very old How the technology meets their personal needs This meets Mohammed’s needs very well, as he is blind and needs to write using the Braille keyboard, it wastes a lot of time, however with the help of the talking typer Mohammed is able to quickly and efficiently type things on applications such as Microsoft word, all he has to do is say the sentence and the talking typer will automatically type the sentence out for him. It also helps Mr Aziz because as he is blind, he cannot navigate the mouse around the PC to find certain applications he is looking for, however with the help of the talking typer he can quickly and easily open applications by saying a couple of simple words, such as â€Å"open Microsoft Word† and then the application will be opened. The technology is very good for Mohammed Aziz as now he may be able to use the PC without the help of others, as he does not now need to rely on others for help, it now makes Mr Aziz feel happy about himself and not so useless and at a disadvantage due to his disability (even though he is, no one wishes to feel like they are worthless). The talking typer however does have a few faults to it, firstly it is a needs the hardware to operate, a microphone. This is a disadvantage as microphones can be easily broken due to their small flimsy fatigues; additionally it is much easier to be broken by a blind man as he cannot not see what he is doing. Furthermore the there are a very vast variety of applications and documents which exist in PCs, it is very hard for Mr Aziz to remember the names of all of these applications so that he can open them through voice commands, this is the extent which the technology meets his needs. How the technology meets their social needs The talking typer is fulfils his social needs to a great extent. As Mr Aziz is quite a popular guy thanks to his cheery attitude, he has plenty of friends, and likes to regularly socialise with them. He does this by meeting up with them, speaking to them on the phone, and emailing them or talking to them through an instant messaging service such as MSN Messenger. The talking typer allows him to make quick responses through the email service by just quickly saying everything that he wishes to be in his email, whereas before he had to wait for his wife to come home and type it all out for him (as he does not like using the Braille keyboard, it inflicts a slight pain in his fingers keeping them in the same positions typing constantly) Mr Aziz also uses the internet to buy clothes and his shopping through websites such as www.Asda.co.uk and www.Littlewoods.co.uk. With the help of the talking typer he can quickly order the goods through voice commands. How the technology meets their needs in employment The Talking typer does not help Mr Aziz is his profession very much. This is because he does not need to use the PC in his profession, and even if he does he may use his note taker instead, it is much more compact and can be used at any time or place, when he is inspired for a song he can quickly note down the ideas he has for his song rather than going home, wasting time and losing his inspiration. The talking typer is however good in some ways, it allows Mr Aziz to quickly memorise his lyrics, by inputting his lyrics through the talking typer he can then make the computer reply the lyrics and listen and memorise the words. Overall I do not think that there could be a better technology than the talking typer, perhaps a technology that connects directly to your mind and allows you to see computer images in your mind, would really benefit blind people, as it gives them the opportunity to actually see and use the computer efficiently, however this sort of technology has not yet been invented, but could be the hope for the future for the visually impaired. How to cite ICT Meeting Special Needs, Papers

Evaluation of Current IHRM Practices for Amazon Free-Samples

Question: Discuss about the an Evaluation of the Current IHRM Policies and Practices. Answer: Introduction There was a time HRM (Human Resource Management) was considered as a support function in the organization. With time HRM has emerged as a critical function. The emphasis on HRM has further increased as the organizations have started to expand in the international market. In todays competitive business world, companies are largely seeking for ways to secure their competitive position as most of the rivals easily copy competitive advantages (i.e. low cost or differentiation) within a very short period of time. Having identified this, most of the firms focus on developing sustainable HR strategies, which can be hardly replicated by industry competition. For most of the firms, human capital has been the critical success factor, which helped them to reach greater heights. Google, Facebook, Microsoft etc. provide fine examples within this context. Thus, spending on employee recruitment and development should be considered as an investment, which accelerate business growth and sustainabilit y (Bansal, 2015). When it comes to recruitment, there are different strategies followed by different firms and these are highly context dependent. Firms need to consider the nature of the business, type of the vacancy, recruitment costs, quality of the expected recruits, relative importance of the vacant position, etc. before taking any recruitment decisions. With the difficulty in the recruitment process in international environment and the difficulty to manage the resources in global environment, there has been a push to the concept of international human resource management. By definition, international Human resource management is the process of procuring allocating and effectively utilizing the human resources in a multinational corporation (Conway Monks, 2017). The objective of this paper is to discuss the concept of International Human Resource Management for Amazon Inc. The paper would discuss the two IHRM concepts of international recruitment and performance management. A brief organizational background can be discussed as: Organizational background Amazon is a known brand of e-commerce in different companies. It is a multinational company that operates in different parts of the world. The company has close to 3,41,000 employees. These employees are spread over more than 100 countries. This scale in itself speaks about the importance of international human resource management for Amazon. The management of Amazon believes that Employees are the most valuable resource in a business and they should be recruited with a great responsibility using well-streamlined and globally accepted procedures (Podsiadlowski Groschke, 2013). Blindly benchmarking competitor recruitment strategies can be detrimental for the growth of the business as organizational culture can be significantly different among firms. Thus, recruitment strategies followed by competitors may work within their organizational climate, but can generate poor results if you used by some other firms. The paper would analyze the international recruitment strategy and performan ce management system for Amazon. It is important to mention that Amazon has a strong human resource management system in place. The evaluation of current international human resource management practices of Amazon can be discussed as: Evaluation of current IHRM practices for Amazon Nowadays, recruitment is the first process, which makes the relationship with employers and employees in the company, and it helps organizations to understand candidates and give them training in specific time to achieve the goal. The biggest issue of workforce composition for Amazon is cultural challenges. It is not easy for new generation workers to work with the people from different culture. The leaders and management of Amazon realizes the importance of human resource management function. The company has a central HRM team that manages the local HR operations across its various locations. The two key functions of international human resource management of Amazon can be discussed as: International recruitment If organizations follow the same dull recruitment process chances are that they might not be able to attract the right candidates. For example, there could be many talented candidates in other firms who are happy with their jobs and may not even look at job adverts published on various recruitment sites. The management of Amazon has realized that they need to draft the job descriptions and specifications appropriately in order to identify theright capabilitiesand recruit the right fit to achieve their ultimate objectives. However, it need to keep in mind that the potential employees are a resource to Amazon and the company can grasp the most out of them to achieve higher revenue and profits. Thus, Amazon need to change the traditional methods of shortlisting candidates based on resumes only and takes a different approach other than job adverts to attracting the talent in the market. Alternatively, for the senior positions, Amazon can look at internal recruitment as evidence shows it is less costly to retain employees rather than recruit externally. Plus the existing employees are well aware of Amazons culture and work practices, which mean the company, can save time and cost on training (Deadrick Stone, 2015). As the company grown, Amazon has more focused on cost competitiveness. There is a shortage of qualified engineers in the e-commerce industry. Every engineer needs skills and competencies to do work in Amazon. Job description for each vacancy has four parameters such as skills, knowledge, behaviors and expectations. The internal recruitment process would have more attention on the practicality of the candidate. It must focused on evidence-based. Performance Management Arguinis (2013) defines the process of performance management as the encouraging relationship between a trainer/coach/tutor and an employee, working jointly with the aim of achieving optimal performance. The performance management process can be used to communicate the objectives and goals of an organization, to reiterate the accountability of the employees to meeting these goals and to evaluate and track the performance of the employees and organization as a whole. It portrays the relationship in which the team leader or manager avails employees with the opportunity to contribute to the organization. Performance management process is a well-defined process for managing employees, which results to success for the employees and the organization as well (Cadwell, 2000). As effective as the process of performance management is, it also has some of its limitations/challenges it encounters. One of the challenges that can be encountered is having a wrong design (Cadwell, 2000). The performance management system and process has to align with the specific needs of the organization in order to plan effectively. There ought to be a consultation between the stakeholders (employees and managers) of how the processes will be executed. The management of Amazon believes in one on one and personal interaction to measure the performance of employees. There are clear tensions between trying to use one interview to make decisions on reward whilst also trying to identify areas of weakness. This is of course because employees are very unlikely to have an open conversation about their weaknesses when they are anxious to highlight their strengths to pursue a bigger bonus. Roberts, (2002) contends that participating employee in performance appraisal can enhance work-related independent, an essential prerequisite for employee growth. Intrinsic motivational approaches have evidently maintained communication trust and confidence in employees performance. One of the key aspects of performance management system for Amazon is documentation. Regarding this, Latham (2014) explain that employee performance problems are often caused by failings and shortcomings by the manager which (i) do not strictly follow the procedure; (ii) do not provide proper orientation and training to the employee; and (iii) left the employees to resolve work related issues alone or with teammates guidance. For this particular case of a dismissal based on a performance problem, documentation would include copies of counseling sessions and other discussions as well as copies of any performance improvement plans and subsequent follow-up activities (Pudelko Reiche, 2015). As stated by Pudelko Reiche (2015),"if it is not documented, it never happened". What is observed nowadays is many shortcuts are being done; other contexts rationalize the use of e-mails as source of documentation. However, there are sensitive views about the excessive documentation and email excha nge which can also be viewed as intimidation for the employees as it would be used as a fact in the future. The documentation of the performance review and assessment can provide the managers with a tool to remember the important positive and negative feedback and use it for administration decision such as salary increment, bonus, incentives, training and development, promotion, dismissal and corrective action. Documentation of performance review can save organization thousands of dollars and headaches when it comes to disciplining employees (Lyster and Arthur, 2007). The effectiveness that Amazon has experienced through Performance Management derives in the approach as a result of interactions not limited to process steps but instead is ongoing. Before the change, employees reported that the PMS was disconnected to their daily work, that feedback was rather seen as a must-do and that the whole PM was seen as an administrative drill. One year after the change 85% reported that there were continuous discussions between employees and managers and that useful feedback was provided when it was helpful. It might be a good idea to overthink the concept of PM as a process and see it rather see it an attitude that must be implemented in corporate life. Conclusion The above paper discusses the international human resource management function for Amazon. The paper discusses the functions of international recruitment and performance management for Amazon. Generally, in business, production and marketing are considered as the primary business functions and HR is just a supportive function. In the presence of a great leadership, HR is just common sense and if rightly monitored, any firm could generate excellent results with their workforce. When the companies grow in size, a formal HR department should be there to facilitate administrative procedures, but HR has a lesser strategic relevance in the business of engineering consultancy, as it does not directly contribute for the profitability of the business or ROI. Having identified this, all costs associated to HR should be carefully decided and competitor benchmarking is a great way of doing that. Benchmarking the recruitment strategies used by key competitors will deliberately reduce the risk of attracting wrong candidates and it will reduce the recruitment costs in a great deal. If we want to try some different recruitment strategies, it has to be well justified and theres a huge risk involved, as no one has ever tried that before. The key recommendation for Amazon is that Recruitment process should be non-identical so as to segregate our organisation from others. As a result, this recruiting process may become useful for all and can achieve satisfactory level with ethics and norms. This is how recruiting process should be owned at Amazon. It can be said that it is not a sensible method to follow our competitors approaches in recruitment. When we look at the growth of Amazon and the numbers, we forget sometimes, that the important factor behind those numbers are the employees, the employees work hard to achieve these numbers and the success of our company will depend on how we look at recruitment. It is also recommended that Amazon should also have strong strategy in place for change management. The industry is a dynamic industry and the focus on change management would help Amazon to have a tight control over its human resource management strategies References Aguinis, H. (2013).Performance management. 3rdEdition. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall. Bansal, A.A., 2015. 21st Century Workforce: Challenges for human resource.International Journal of Research in IT and Management,5(6), pp.30-35. Conway, E. and Monks, K., 2017. Designing a HR System for Managing an Age-Diverse Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities. InThe Palgrave Handbook of Age Diversity and Work(pp. 585-606). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Cadwell, C. (2000).Performance management. New York: American Management Association. Lyster, S. and Arthur, A. (2007)199 Pre-written Employee Performance Appraisals: The Complete Guide to Successful Employee Evaluations and Documentation?: with Companion CD-ROM. Atlantic Publishing Company. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=MCERIRkajXUCpgis=1 (Accessed: 25th April 2015). Latham, J.R., 2014. Leadership for quality and innovation: Challenges, theories, and a framework for future research.Quality Management Journal, 21 (1),5. Podsiadlowski, A., Groschke, D., Kogler, M., Springer, C. and Van Der Zee, K., 2013. Managing a culturally diverse workforce: Diversity perspectives in organizations.International Journal of Intercultural Relations,37(2), pp.159-175. Pudelko, M., Reiche, B.S. and Carr, C., 2015. Recent developments and emerging challenges in international human resource management. Roberts, G.E.(2002)Employee Performance Appraisal System Participation: A Technique That Works,Public Personnel Management.Vol.31 (3), pp.333-342. Stone, D.L. and Deadrick, D.L., 2015. Challenges and opportunities affecting the future of human resource management.Human Resource Management Review,25(2), pp.139-145.

Women And Writing Essays (1635 words) - Edwidge Danticat

Women And Writing Midterm Assignment : Women and writing Since the beginning of times, human beings have found various ways to express themselves and more specifically how to declare their feelings and emotions. We all know that art (in a general term) is supposed to be the tool used for expression. People from different communities, cultural backgrounds, and religions, have been appealed to manifest and share their uniqueness through art. Art, whether it was music, painting, sculpting or writing has been highly censured through time because of its contents of truth. The majorities of a society did not allow minorities to fully express themselves with fear of manifestations and revolts . Women, as a minority have fought to tell the truth. In order to understand better the meaning of Women's writing, we will first analyze the factors that pushed women to write, then we will go over the obstacles that women encountered and finally, we will discuss what the writers wanted to achieve through their writing. Factors that pushed women to write There are writers who need to make sense of the world they live(Dorothy Allison, Trash, p.19.) This sentence shows that the writer needed to write to see and understand herself through writing. This young white woman was living a life filled with alcohol and drug addiction, she tried to escape that trap by fooling herself and by rebuilding a total new idealistic image of her person (working as a social worker.) However, throughout her progression, she has been writing everything about herself on a yellow pad, whatever she would do, wherever she would be, those yellow pads were there, as a representation of her truth. She could fool herself, but not her yellow pads, her truth was written there. Allison as many women in the world has been trying to hide her suffering. Constantly fooling herself, she still had to yell out her truth, this, by spreading her pain on paper. However, the papers were taboo, just like someone would litter an embarrassing amount of trash. Allison had to take ou t her story and anger, even if they were full of shame. She could not live without writing, it was a matter of survival. This urge to write was shared by some other women writers. The search of an understanding was the factor that pushed Bell Hooks to write I began to feel uncertain, displaced, estranged even, this was the condition of my spirit when I decided to be a writer, to seek for that light in words (Bell Hooks, remembered ruptures, p.15) after that she declares Searching for a space were writing could be understood, I asked for a diary (Bell Hooks, remembered ruptures, p.15.) Writing was a way to understand herself a little like Dorothy Allison, a way to look at one's own person in a global manner, from a different angle, in other words, a way to be objective about oneself ?situation. Not only do women write for themselves with the thought that nobody can understand them, but they also write for others, a way to make a declaration to the world, a way to change the truth by saying it . In her writings, Sandra Cisneros implies that she wants to change the world. In her book The House on Mango Street she declares that she wants to leave the unpleasant neighborhood of Mango street, however, she says that she will come back, probably not physically, but at least trough her book. Coming back might mean that she wanted to do something to change Mango street, and that is trough her book, that's why she wrote it. Edwidge Danticat tells us how her desire to write was consuming her in a society where Women's writing was absolutely forbidden, something to do in the corner. Danticat learned how her female ancestors have been expressing themselves through nothing else than cooking, hair braiding or even carving potatoes. But she wanted to perpetuate the creativity of her ancestors, she just needed to do it through writing. It was their whispers that pushed you, their murmurs over pots sizzling in your head. A thousand women urging you to speak through the blunt tip of your pencil. (Edwidge Danticat, Kirk? Krak! p.8.) By writing, she

Free Essays on Mauthausen

Immediately after Austria's "anschluss" to the German Reich in March 1938, Heinrich Himmler (Reichsfà ¼hrer-SS and chief of the German Police) and Oswald Pohl (chief of the SS-Administration Office, later SS-Main Administration Office for Economic Affairs) set off for Mauthausen and Gusen in order to inspect the quarries there. On April 29, 1938, the "Deutsche Erd- und Steinwerke GmbH" (DEST) was founded in Berlin, and Oswald Pohl was assigned the task of organizing, financing and managing the company. End of May 1938, Oswald Pohl inspected the site for a second time with a view to setting up the concentration camp there. On June 30, 1938, first negotiations for the supply of building material for a period of ten years were started between Albert Speer, the "Fà ¼hrer's Architect" and "General Buildings Inspector for the Remodeling of the Capital of the German Reich, Berlin", and DEST-company (Deutsche Erd- und Steinwerke GmbH). Albert Speer granted an interest-free loan of RM 9.5 million to DEST. Subsequently, DEST leased Quarries named "Wiener Graben", "Marbacher Bruch", and "Bettelberg" owned by the City of Vienna. It later purchased the first two quarries leased. On the hill overlooking the "Wiener Graben", construction began on the main camp, requiring tons of granite for its stone buildings and walls. The first prisoners, 300 Austrians and Germans came to Mauthausen on August 8, 1938 from the Dachau concentration camp, accompanied by 80 members of the SS "Death's-Head Detachment". Additional prisoners from Dachau arrived on October 5 and 18, 1938. Arrival at the camp was a shock for every prisoner: Disinfection, registration, and clothing issuance were accompanied by beatings and intimidations by the SS. On August 18, 1938, the first prisoner committed suicide. On November 15, 1938, the first prisoner was shot dead "while trying to escape".... Free Essays on Mauthausen Free Essays on Mauthausen Immediately after Austria's "anschluss" to the German Reich in March 1938, Heinrich Himmler (Reichsfà ¼hrer-SS and chief of the German Police) and Oswald Pohl (chief of the SS-Administration Office, later SS-Main Administration Office for Economic Affairs) set off for Mauthausen and Gusen in order to inspect the quarries there. On April 29, 1938, the "Deutsche Erd- und Steinwerke GmbH" (DEST) was founded in Berlin, and Oswald Pohl was assigned the task of organizing, financing and managing the company. End of May 1938, Oswald Pohl inspected the site for a second time with a view to setting up the concentration camp there. On June 30, 1938, first negotiations for the supply of building material for a period of ten years were started between Albert Speer, the "Fà ¼hrer's Architect" and "General Buildings Inspector for the Remodeling of the Capital of the German Reich, Berlin", and DEST-company (Deutsche Erd- und Steinwerke GmbH). Albert Speer granted an interest-free loan of RM 9.5 million to DEST. Subsequently, DEST leased Quarries named "Wiener Graben", "Marbacher Bruch", and "Bettelberg" owned by the City of Vienna. It later purchased the first two quarries leased. On the hill overlooking the "Wiener Graben", construction began on the main camp, requiring tons of granite for its stone buildings and walls. The first prisoners, 300 Austrians and Germans came to Mauthausen on August 8, 1938 from the Dachau concentration camp, accompanied by 80 members of the SS "Death's-Head Detachment". Additional prisoners from Dachau arrived on October 5 and 18, 1938. Arrival at the camp was a shock for every prisoner: Disinfection, registration, and clothing issuance were accompanied by beatings and intimidations by the SS. On August 18, 1938, the first prisoner committed suicide. On November 15, 1938, the first prisoner was shot dead "while trying to escape"....

Article Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article Summaries - Essay Example Although different nations have varying prices, measuring their GDPs require the use of same prices (Charles and Klenow 7-9). The authors used Rawls prowess in economics calculate life expectancy, inequality, and other welfare components (Charles and Klenow 10-11). In constructing welfare over time, Charles and Klenow compared how Rawls valued living in the same country but in different years. Using figure 4 and table 3, they correlated welfare and income growth, as well as, displaying a summary of statistics of the same. Between 1980 and 2000, the US has registered an income average growth of 2.04% (Charles and Klenow 23-25). The researchers had to make a number of a number of assumptions from the Rawls utility functions. They checked the robustness of their calculations using alternative specifications of utility and welfare measures. The alternatives they used held up well to account for the differences between income and welfare (Charles and Klenow 29-34) They used various sources of data to perform their calculations. Consumption, as well as, income data for macro calculations was sourced from the Penn World Tables and life expectancy data from the World Bank’s HNPStats database. In addition, the inequality data was sourced from the UNU-WIDER World Income Database (Charles and Klenow 12-15). The micro data was of immense importance because it analyzed working hours and consumption rate for adults and older children in households. The data collected from the Household Survey enabled the researchers to calculate consumption inequality rather than creating assumptions from the income inequality (Charles and Klenow 38-41). The researchers, in particular, found out that the living standards of Western European were 71% for income and 90% for welfare compared to the U.S. This is because people in these countries live long, have equal consumption

Concept of terrorism by state Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Concept of terrorism by state - Essay Example Terrorism refers to the acts of violence that are aimed at causing terror, fear, and instability in a given population, country or state. The acts may include bombing, shooting, kidnapping people and asking for ransom and destruction of property of some selected people. Through the terror attacks the people who are involved aim at undermining a certain group maybe a government and show that it’s not credible as it has failed to offer security to its population. According to Comb, terror attacks may have diverse aims ranging from political, religion, economic and social differences. Those people who feel they are alienated e.g. some groups of Muslims in Somalia, Africa and who feel that they are being oppressed may turn to terrorism as a revenge mechanism to solve the differences with their enemies. In some countries where some people lose in elections he or she may recruit terror gangs that will bring instability and hence making the person who won not to rule in peace. Social differences have also led to increase in terrorism as some communities feel they have been alienated and so they find terrorism as a good way to show their existence. This has been facilitated by the rise and advancement in technology especially with the use of nuclear and atomic energy which can lead to making of weapons of mass destruction (Cynthia C. Combs, Terrorism in the 21st Century). Economic struggles have also led to acts of terrorism. Pilates hijack ships on the ocean and then ask for huge sums of money to let the ship free. This makes them to get so much cash which they use to fund their criminal activities. In the modern word terrorism has become so common, suicide bombers are everywhere especially in the Jewish countries like Israel. This has been caused by political religion and social dif ferences. The Muslim countries like Iraq have been against the USA the climax being the

The Significance of World Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 11

The Significance of World Religions - Essay Example Religion is one such issue that is much misunderstood and raises passions to unexpected limits. Given the two sides of a coin, religion can be used constructively for the betterment of society or to serve the vested interests of a few. It is intriguing that intolerance in the name of religion has grown in spite of increased literacy and education on the one hand, and a better standard of living on the other. The fanaticism of today has its parallels in man’s hoary past. It is this past that communities repeatedly invoke to settle scores with those with a different outlook. It is in this backdrop that religious leaders the world over are endeavoring to facilitate dialogue not only among religions but also among the adherents of various religions. One such leader is His Holiness The Dalai Lama of Tibet who is a vocal advocate of religious harmony besides being a role model for Buddhists everywhere. Fisher opines that there is an inexplicable reality experienced by all cultures. The material world fails to provide answers to all our questions. It is this void that religion tries to fill. The man has overcome nature and is in a commanding position vis a vis nature many a time. It is questions that defy logic or are beyond his comprehension for which he turns to religion (12-13). Fisher mentions a set of human needs that religion fulfills. One of these is the question of the afterlife. Rational thinking cannot explain the journey of the self after death. Similarly, the aspect of perfection beyond the five senses is alien to human experience. Man strives to find the answer to perfection beyond sensory perception (14-15). Likewise, religion can give the true reason behind personal problems and how man overcomes these when there is no hope left. Apart from the physical self, man can also discover his true self, the soul, which cannot be easily described in a material setting.

Causes and Effect Diagrams in Quality Management

Causes and Effect Diagrams in Quality Management CAUSE EFFECT DIAGRM IN INDUSTRY Definition of Cause Effect Diagram The cause effect diagram is the brainchild of Kaoru Ishikawa, who pioneered quality management processes in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the founding fathers of modern management. The cause and effect diagram is used to explore all the potential or real causes (or inputs) that result in a single effect (or output). Causes are arranged according to their level of importance or detail, resulting in a depiction of relationships and hierarchy of events. This can help you search for root causes, identify areas where there may be problems, and compare the relative importance of different causes. Causes in a cause effect diagram are frequently arranged into four major categories. While these categories can be anything, you will often see: manpower, methods, materials, and machinery (recommended for manufacturing) equipment, policies, procedures, and people (recommended for administration and service). These guidelines can be helpful but should not be used if they limit the diagram or are inappropriate. The categories you use should suit your needs. At SkyMark, we often create the branches of the cause and effect tree from the titles of the affinity sets in a preceding affinity diagram. The CE diagram is also known as the fishbone diagram because it was drawn to resemble the skeleton of a fish, with the main causal categories drawn as bones attached to the spine of the fish, as shown below. The fishbone diagram, as originally drawn by Kaoru Ishikawa, is the classic way of displaying root causes of an observed effect Cause effect diagrams can also be drawn as tree diagrams, resembling a tree turned on its side. From a single outcome or trunk, branches extend that represent major categories of inputs or causes that create that single outcome. These large branches then lead to smaller and smaller branches of causes all the way down to twigs at the ends. The tree structure has an advantage over the fishbone-style diagram. As a fishbone diagram becomes more and more complex, it becomes difficult to find and compare items that are the same distance from the effect because they are dispersed over the diagram. With the tree structure, all items on the same causal level are aligned vertically. History Ishikawa diagram, in fishbone shape, showing factors of Equipment, Process, People, Materials, Environment and Management, all affecting the overall problem. Smaller arrows connect the sub-causes to major causes. Ishikawa diagrams were proposed by Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960s, who pioneered quality management processes in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the founding fathers of modern management. It was first used in the 1960s, and is considered one of the seven basic tools of quality control. It is known as a fishbone diagram because of its shape, similar to the side view of a fish skeleton. Mazda Motors famously used an Ishikawa diagram in the development of the Miata sports car, where the required result was Jinba Ittai or Horse and Rider as One. The main causes included such aspects as touch and braking with the lesser causes including highly granular factors such as 50/50 weight distribution and able to rest elbow on top of drivers door. Every factor identified in the diagram was included in the final design. The Cause Effect (CE) diagram, also sometimes called the ‘fishbone diagram, is a tool for discovering all the possible causes for a particular effect. The effect being examined is normally some troublesome aspect of product or service quality, such as a machined part not to specification, delivery times varying too widely, excessive number of bugs in software under development, and so on, but the effect may also relate to internal processes such as high rate of team failures. The major purpose of the CE Diagram is to act as a first step in problem solving by generating a comprehensive list of possible causes. It can lead to immediate identification of major causes and point to the potential remedial actions or, failing this, it may indicate the best potential areas for further exploration and analysis. At a minimum, preparing a CE Diagram will lead to greater The CE Diagram was invented by Professor Kaoru Ishikawa of Tokyo University, a highly regarded Japanese expert in quality management. He first used it in 1943 to help explain to a group of engineers at Kawasaki Steel Works how a complex set of factors could be related to help understand a problem. CE Diagrams have since become a standard tool of analysis in Japan and in the West in conjunction with other analytical and problem-solving tools and techniques. CE Diagrams are also often called Ishikawa Diagrams, after their inventor, or Fishbone Diagrams because the diagram itself can look like the skeleton of a fish. Typical categories are: The 4 Ms (used in manufacturing) understanding of the problem. Machine (Technology) Method (Process/Inspection) Material (Raw, Consumables etc.) Man Power (physical work)/Mind Power (Brain Work): Kaizens, Suggestions The 8 Ps (used in service industry) Product=Service Price Place Promotion People Process Physical Evidence Productivity Quality The 4 Ss (used in service industry) Surroundings Suppliers Systems Skills More Ms Mother Nature (Environment) Measurement (Inspection) Maintenance Money Power Management Why Use a Cause Effect Diagram? A cause effect diagram helps to determine the causes of a problem or quality characteristic using a structured approach. It encourages group participation and utilizes team knowledge of the process. It uses an orderly, easy-to-read format to diagram cause-and-effect relationships. It increases knowledge of the process by helping everyone to learn more about the factors at work and how they relate. It indicates possible causes of variation in a process and identifies areas where data should be collected for further study. Example of cause effect diagram How to draw CE diagram in industries This is a three step process. Step 1 Write down the effect to be investigated and draw the backbone arrow to it. In the example shown below the effect is Incorrect deliveries. Step 2 Identify all the broad areas of enquiry in which the causes of the effect being investigated may lie. For incorrect deliveries the diagram may then become: For manufacturing processes, the broad areas of enquiry which are most often used are Materials (raw materials), Equipment (machines and tools), Workers (methods of work), and Inspection (measuring method). Step 3 This step requires the greatest amount of work and imagination because it requires you (or you and your team) to write in all the detailed possible causes in each of the broad areas of enquiry. Each cause identified should be fully explored for further more specific causes which, in turn, contribute to them. You continue this process of branching off into more and more directions until every possible cause has been identified. The final result will represent a sort of a mind dump of all the factors relating to the effect being explored and the relationships between them. Different types of CE Diagram There are three different types of CE Diagram. The basic type explained above is called the Dispersion analysis type. The other two are the Production process classification type and the Cause enumeration type. Production classification type This type differs from the basic type above in that each discrete stage in the production process leading up to the effect being examined is shown along the main arrow or backbone of the diagram. Possible causes are then shown as branches off these as shown in the illustration overleaf. This type of CE Diagram is often easier to construct and understand because those involved are already familiar with each of the production steps identified. Cause enumeration type This is not so much a different type of diagram but a different method of constructing a diagram. Instead of building up a chart gradually (starting with the backbone, deciding broad areas, then adding more and more branches), you postpone drawing the chart and simply list all the possible causes first. Then draw the chart in order to relate the causes to each other. This method has the advantage that the list of possible causes will be more comprehensive because the process has a more free-form nature. The disadvantage is that it is more difficult to draw the diagram from this list rather than from scratch. This method of drawing a CE Diagram can be used in conjunction with Brainstorming by using it to distil the brainstorm output down into a logical and useable set of information. Good and bad CE diagrams A good CE diagram is one which explores all possibilities so it is likely to be large and complex-looking as twig after twig sprouts for each new related idea noted down. Be suspicious of CE Diagrams with few factors, or which are neat and well ordered. These may reflect a lack of knowledge of the situation, or show that the effort to draw the diagram was not creative and exhaustive enough. The cause and effect diagram can also be drawn with right angles, which makes it less tangled, and easier to see what layer of causality is being considered at any given time. How to Use the Tool in cause and effect diagram : Follow these steps to solve a problem with a Cause and Effect Diagram: 1. Identify the problem: Write down the exact problem you face in detail. Where appropriate identify who is involved, what the problem is, and when and where it occurs. Write the problem in a box on the left hand side of a large sheet of paper. Draw a line across the paper horizontally from the box. This arrangement, looking like the head and spine of a fish, gives you space to develop ideas. 2. Work out the major factors involved: Next identify the factors that may contribute to the problem. Draw lines off the spine for each factor, and label it. These may be people involved with the problem, systems, equipment, materials, external forces, etc. Try to draw out as many possible factors as possible. If you are trying to solve the problem as part of a group, then this may be a good time for some brainstorming. Using the Fish bone analogy, the factors you find can be thought of as the bones of the fish. 3. Identify possible causes: For each of the factors you considered in stage 2, brainstorm possible causes of the problem that may be related to the factor. Show these as smaller lines coming off the bones of the fish. Where a cause is large or complex, then it may be best to break the it down into sub-causes. Show these as lines coming off each cause line. 4. Analyze your diagram: By this stage you should have a diagram showing all the possible causes of your problem that you can think of. Depending on the complexity and importance of the problem, you can now investigate the most likely causes further. This may involve setting up investigations, carrying out surveys, etc. These will be designed to test whether your assessments are correct. There are three main applications of cause-and-effect diagrams in industries: 1. Cause enumeration is one of the most widely used graphical techniques for quality control and improvement. Sometime it may be very difficult to determine the primary causes to be included in the diagram. If that is the case, after we have determined the characteristic or effect we are examining, we follow these steps: †¢ Use brainstorming to create a list of all the possible causes. The list will contain a mixture of primary, secondary and tertiary (or big bone, middle sized bone and small bone) causes. †¢ Sort the list by grouping causes that are related. †¢ Identify or name each major grouping and make your cause-and-effect diagram. (Thus cause enumeration facilitates the identification of root causes because all conceivable causes are listed.) †¢ Machine, Manpower, Material, Measurement, Method and Environment are frequently used major causes that can apply to many processes. 2. In Dispersion analysis, each major cause is thoroughly analyzed by investigating the sub-causes and their impact on the quality characteristics (or effect) in question. The key to this diagrams effectiveness lies in the reiteration of the question, Why does this dispersion (cause) occur? This diagram helps us outlining the reasons for any variability, or dispersion. Unlike cause enumeration where smaller causes that are considered insignificant are still listed, in dispersion analysis, causes that dont fit the selected categories are not listed. In other words, sometimes small causes are not isolated or observed. Consequently, it is possible that some root causes will not be identified in dispersion analysis. 3. When cause-and-effect diagrams are constructed for process analysis, the emphasis is on listing the causes in the sequence in which the operations are actually conducted. The advantage of this diagram is that, since it follows the sequence of the production process, it is easy to assemble and understand. The disadvantage is that similar causes appear again and again, and causes due to a combination of more than one factor are difficult to illustrate. Fishbone diagram Uses of cause effect diagram in industries:- Use your diagram to develop a common understanding of the factors potentially influencing or causing a quality problem. Use your diagram as a road map for collecting data to verify the causal relationship of various factors to the characteristic. Continue to annotate and modify your diagram as you verify relationships and learn more. Using a cause-and-effect diagram this way will help you to see which factors in your process need to be checked, modified or eliminated Example The example below shows a Cause Effect diagram drawn by a manager who is having trouble getting cooperation from a branch office If the manager had not thought the problem through, he might have dealt with the problem by assuming that people were being difficult. Instead he might think that the best approach is to arrange a meeting with the Branch Manager. This would allow him to brief the manager fully, and talk through any problems that he may be facing. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES ADVANTAGES Fishbone diagrams permit a thoughtful analysis that avoids overlooking any possible root causes for a need. The fishbone technique is easy to implement and creates an easy†to†understand visual representation of the causes, categories of causes, and the need. By using a fishbone diagram, you are able to focus the group on the Ê ºbig pictureÊ º as to possible causes or factors influencing the problem/need. Even after the need has been addressed, the fishbone diagram shows areas of weakness that † once exposed † can be rectified before causing more sustained difficulties. DISADVANTAGES The simplicity of a fishbone diagram can be both its strength and its weakness. As a weakness, the  simplicity of the fishbone diagram may make it difficult to represent the truly interrelated nature of problems and causes in some very complex situations. Unless you have an extremely large space on which to draw and develop the fishbone diagram, you may find that you are not able to explore the cause and effect relationships in as much detail as you would like to.

Medieval Piety Essay -- essays research papers

Religion in the Middle Ages takes on a character all of its own as it is lived out differently in the lives of medieval men and women spanning from ordinary laity to vehement devotees. Though it is difficult to identify what the average faith consists of in the Middle Ages, the life told of a radical devotee in The Book of Margery Kempe provides insight to the highly intense version of medieval paths of approaching Christ. Another medieval religious text, The Cloud of Unknowing, provides a record of approaching the same Christ. I will explore the consistencies and inconsistencies of both ways to approach Christ and religious fulfillment during the Middle Ages combined with the motivations to do so on the basis of both texts. A central component of medieval religion that is evident in even the slightest dissection of the life of Margery Kempe or the directed discipline from the author advising contemplation is an unmistakable desire for religious experience. Even among married men and women who are occupied with family responsibilities, lay people during this time such as we see in the life of Margery herself are seeking more intense religious ways of living. Margery, as the example, lived with her husband with whom she had fourteen children. Growing up influenced by the church, her spirituality came to a heightened level when she and her Jesus began having actual communication with one another. While the church was catalyzing religious experience in medieval communities, upon the realization of direct mystical connection with Christ in the lives of people such as Margery, the desire for the inward search for spiritual satisfaction spread. Another tendency of those practicing religion in the Middle Ages is to take Jesus' words from the Bible to a new literal level affecting medieval lifestyles across the board. Where monks and nuns had typically been the only observers of chastity, fasting, and poverty, laity began to observe these life practices as well. In Margery Kempe's life, this apodictic understanding of Jesus' biblically recorded or spoken words is evident among her commitment to make vows of chastity, her desire to embark on long pilgrimages, and her steps of unquestionable obedience as she advances on her spiritual journey. The absolute submission of Margery and the dedication to perfect contemplation in The Cloud of Unknowing which warns, â€Å"†¦y... ...Jesus commands to Margery the contrary saying on one occasion â€Å"†¦go again to her husband and pray him to grant her what she desired† (Windeatt, 59). Margery lived well aware of her desires and, though they often caused temporary conflict such as her chastity, did not neglect herself to such extremes as hiding the desires of her heart or the absence of knowledge. Similarly of the two texts, the practice of contemplation suggests that one comes to know God on the basis of both intellect and emotions. Margery clearly understands this emotional tie to the divine in her relation to the passion of both Christ and Mary and her sufferings on the behalf of them both. Though most probably did not practice their faith as devoutly as Margery Kempe, the central concerns of her life coupled with the practices taught in The Cloud of Unknowing reveal a faith that is defining of Medieval Christianity. Both texts act as a mirror reflecting the Middle Ages and come down to a same key ingredient: desire. Never has there been a time like the Middle Ages where the prevalent desire to physically and emotionally experience the truths of religion was so widespread and evident in the lives of Christians.

Claudius, hateful villain or good king? Essay

â€Å"Claudius makes a good king. He is a careful ruler and a loving husband, providing stability for both his country and wife. † â€Å"Murderer of the rightful king, Claudius is the play’s hateful, lying villain. † What justification is there in the text to support these two views? What is your opinion of the way Shakespeare presents Claudius? Claudius is capable of becoming an effective king. However his choice to exploit his newly found power for personal gain contradicts the good he attempts to accomplish. An effective king has to be an honest king. Unfortunately Claudius seems unable to be honest to any person through the course of the play. His act of murder and his claim to the throne reflects a self promoting character for the audience. Claudius however is able to be honest with God. Through his act of repent Claudius shows to the audience that he is able to be truthful and it also shows that he is able to distinguish right from wrong. Claudius details, in Act Three Scene Three, that his â€Å"offence is rank† and he wishes it to be pardoned in order for him to progress as an effective king. This honest act shows that Claudius is willing to admit when he is wrong, he may also be afraid of the afterlife and what awaits him. This unknown becomes apart of the larger theme of uncertainty. Claudius is capable of telling the truth, but only when it is to his advantage. In act four scene five, when Laertes blames Claudius for the death of his father, Claudius manipulates the situation by telling Laertes that he will help to exact his revenge. Claudius is therefore able to get rid of both Laertes and Hamlet who both pose a threat to the power that Claudius has gained. Claudius’ ability to resolve the threatening situation and rework it to his advantage, stands him in good stead for the leadership a king exerts on his country when faced with difficult situations. In this scene Claudius outrageously refers to the â€Å"divinity doth hedge a king,† this is ironic considering he was able to so easily murder his own brother, yet this white lie sows a seed in Laertes mind that attempting to kill Claudius would be bad judgement on his part. The continuing conversation allows Laertes to find a person to take the revenge he seeks to deliver. Claudius, already plotting to murder Hamlet, is able to give the task to Laertes, thus relieving Claudius of spilling anymore blood onto his own hands, yet still dealing with the situation he finds threatening to the stability of his crown. His use of manipulation through his use of language mimics the idea of pouring poison into his brother’s ears, by talking people into his way of thinking Claudius is metaphorically pouring poison into people’s ears. In this scene we can see the talent that Claudius harbours that would make him a good stable king; conversely we also see that he puts these talents to bad use causing him to be the play’s hateful, lying villain. Hamlet believes that Claudius is the murderer of the rightful king. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, Hamlet refers to his father â€Å"so excellent a king, that was to this. † His belief that Claudius is not the rightful king that should provide benefit for the state, before his father’s ghost informs him of his murderous attributes, allows the audience to see that in the eyes of those that loved the late King Hamlet, Claudius is no comparison to the leadership that was shown by his predecessor. The late King Hamlet was a man who charged into battle â€Å"armed at point, exactly cap-a-pie† as described by Horatio in act one scene two. However it can be argued that this works in Claudius’ favour. The previous king used violence to bring order; through battle he would have put other people’s lives at risk for his reputation and ego. Claudius uses communication between countries to resolve any problems that exist. We see this in (I can’t find it but I am quite sure it happens somewhere, hopefully I would have found it by the time we meet. In the section I’m looking for some people is discussing the coming battle or something like that, but it makes out that Claudius is talking to the other country. ) Hamlet’s view can be a result of anger for his mother’s remarriage, or the death and replacement of his father. If his view stems from this then the audience is asked to decide whether they believe Claudius is doing a better job at protecting his country, and providing stability for it. Claudius provides stability for his country and wife only for the short term. His record of underhandedness leaves him vulnerable to attack if anyone were to find out. Through this attack Claudius would be left vulnerable for the public and other countries to remove his crown. From Claudius’ bad decision to remove his brother from power he has created a corrupt character that is leading the state. Through one action Claudius is forced to cover his tracks, by covering his tracks of one foul deed he must commit another. He attempts to right what is wrong and in doing so he allows the stakes to be raised significantly. If he does not hide his mistakes then he will surely be found out, by attempting to hide them, he runs the risk of being found out but can ultimately get away with it. We see that Claudius is upset with his actions when he pleads for religion to cure him of his life at the alter, he asks for forgiveness. Claudius is not the legitimate king, and therefore automatically takes the place of the play’s hateful, lying villain. The addition of his murderous attributes makes it hard for any audience member to connect with the thought behind Claudius’ actions. He’s seen as a cold murderer that only acts for himself. Contrary to popular belief I believe that Claudius is a man who tempted one day made, a very bad decision. Through his human instinct for survival he has become a corrupt king that originally wanted well for his country. We see his remorse when he kneels at the alter for forgiveness. He provides stability for the short term but not ultimately. Claudius has the ability to become a great king, but has tainted his chances with the murder of his brother, causing him to become the corrupt villain that audiences see him as.

Macro Logic in ACT English Sentence and Paragraph Order

Macro Logic in ACT English Sentence and Paragraph Order SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Macro logic questions on ACT English ask you to determine where to properly place sentences within a paragraph and where to properly place paragraphs within a passage. These rhetorical skills questions test your ability to analyze sentences and determine how to most logically organize a passage. Knowing how to recognize and using my top ACT English strategies to approach these questions will enable you to correctly answer them in an efficient manner. How to Identify a Macro Logic Question The first step in solving any ACT question is determining whattype of question itis. Before learning how to solve macro logic questions, we need to figure out how to spot them. Once you identify a macro logic question, you can use the methods we'll discuss later in the article to determinethe right answer. Macro logic questions are easily identifiable. Bracketed numbers at the beginnings of sentences signal that a sentence order question will appear: Also, bracketed letters in different paragraphs signal an impending sentence order question: Similarly, bracketed numbers at the top of each paragraph signal that there may be a paragraph order question: Whenever you see bracketed numbers or letters within a passage, you know you'll encounter a macro logic question. Check out how these questions are constructed. Macro Logic Example Questions Most macro logic questions tend to be constructed in similar ways, so let's take a look at some example questions. Sentence Order Question Macro logic questions are among the most easily identifiable. All sentence order questions will ask you where a sentence should be placed. The answer choices will all be various locations within the passage. Paragraph Order Question The other category of macro logic question is paragraph order. Let's take a look at a paragraph order question: Like sentence order questions, paragraph order questions are fairly straightforward. You'll be asked where a paragraph should be placed. Again, the answer choices will all be various locations within the passage. I'll start by going over the types of and strategies for sentence order questions before moving onto paragraph order questions! Types of Sentence Order Questions Let's break down the threetypes of sentence order questions. Each question type requires a slightly different approach, even though all macro logic questions test the same general skills. Type #1: Accomplishing a Goal The question will ask you where to place a sentence for the author to fulfill some stated purpose. Our sentence order example question from above is representative of this type of question. For this type of question, you have to identify the intended goal. Then, you have to determine where the sentence should be placed in order to achieve that goal. Type #2: Determine the Most Logical Placement Within a Paragraph These questions will ask you where a sentence should be placed within a paragraph to maintain logic and coherence. You simply have to determine where the sentence should be placed for it to make the most sense. The sentence should logically proceed from the previous sentence and connect to the following sentence. Type #3: Determine in Which Paragraph Would Be the Most Logical Placement Most sentence order questions I've seen focus on a single paragraph. However, there are sentence order questions that ask you to determine in which paragraph a sentence should be placed to maintain logic and coherence. Here's an example: The letters in the answer choices are bracketed and placed at specific points in the various paragraphs. This type of question requires the same approach and skill set as the previous type. You'll just be looking at locations in different paragraphs as opposed to focusing on a single paragraph. It's good to be familiar with all of the basic constructions of these questions so that nothing shocks you on test day. Now let's go through the process of answering sentence order questions. Strategies for Answering Sentence Order Questions I'll go through the step-by-step process for how to answer a sentence order question. We'll use the first type as an example, but you should use the same approach for the other two types as well. #1: Determine What the Question is Asking This question is asking where the sentence be placed to emphasize previously expressed uncertainty.Focus on the key words or phrases in the question. In this question, the words "emphasize" and "amplify" are important. Therefore, the previous sentence should somehow suggest uncertainty. The sentence "I still have doubts" should be placed somewhere in which it would emphasize uncertainty that's already present. #2: Go Through the Answer Choices Plug in â€Å"I still have doubts† after each option to determine where it logically fits and will satisfy the requirement that it emphasize previously expressed uncertainty. Here are all of our options: [1] Our son has started playing organized T-ball, a beginner’s version of baseball. [2] â€Å"Organized† is what parents call it, anyway. [3] Joe is seven, living in those two or three years when they can manage to throw a baseball a few feet but when what they’re really interested in are things closer at hand, bugs, butterflies, dirt (if they’re in the infield), grass (if they’re in the outfield). [4] Children of that age still think nothing of doing little dances in the outfield, often with their backs to home plate and, consequently, the batter. #3: Eliminate Wrong Choices As we go through the choices, we’re looking for a sentence that somehow expresses uncertainty and would make sense preceding â€Å"I still have doubts." We can eliminate sentence 1 because that is a statement of fact and there is no expression of uncertainty. The narrator wouldn’t have doubts that his son has started playing T-ball. Similarly, in sentence 3, there is no implied uncertainty and these are just stated observations made by the narrator. He's commenting on the behavior of seven-year-olds. Finally, sentence 4 is also another observation that the narrator states about children of that age. There's nothing that implies or expresses uncertainty. We are left with B, â€Å"after sentence 2." #4: The Right Choice Should Logically Follow the Sentence Before and Connect to the Following Sentence The quotation marks in sentence two suggest uncertainty. The narrator is saying that parents call T-ball â€Å"organized," implying that he does not. That logically connects to him saying, â€Å"I still have doubts," meaning that he still doubts that there is organization in T-ball. The following sentence provides evidence that there is little organization in "organized" T-ball. Everything fits and the answer is B. Now let's focus on paragraph order questions. Types of Paragraph Order Questions There are two basic types of paragraph order questions. Type #1: Determine the Most Logical Paragraph Order These questions ask you where a paragraph should be placed for the passage to maintain logic and coherence. You have to figure out the main ideas of the various paragraphs to determine where a certain paragraph most logically fits. Type #2: Dividing a Paragraph Into Two These questions ask you where a paragraph could be split into two to fulfill a stated purpose. These questions are relatively straightforward. For this example, you just have to determine where the explanation of one type of kayak ends and where the explanation of the other type of kayak begins. Todetermine where a paragraph should be divided, you just have to identify where the topic shifts. Here's the process for figuring out paragraph order questions. Strategies for Answering Paragraph Order Questions We're going to focus on the first type of paragraph order question. These questions are more involved and require you to look at the passage as a whole as opposed to looking at a single paragraph. Again, here's our example question: #1: Determine What the Question is Asking Basically, the question is asking where paragraph 5 should be placed for the passage to be most logical and easily understandable. For these questions, make sure you identify the key word in the answer choice. The question is asking you to determine which paragraphparagraph 5 should be placed AFTER. #2: Determine the Main Idea of the Paragraph Use topic and concluding sentences to determine main ideas of paragraphs. Here are the topic and concluding sentences for paragraph 5: Topic: In 1788, a neighbor loaned Banneker some astronomical instruments and four books on mathematics and astronomy. Concluding: He also began to calculate annual tables of yearly sets of astronomical data, which became the basis for almanacs published under his name from 1792 through 1797. From these two sentences, we can determine that this paragraph is about the history of Banneker’s work in the field of astronomy. #3: Go Through the Answer Choices Use the main ideas of the other paragraphs and the general structure of the passage to determine if it would be logical to place paragraph 5 after a certain paragraph. Based on topic and concluding sentences, here are the main ideas of the paragraphs in the answer choices: A. where it is now (after paragraph 4): Paragraph 4 starts with a statement that Banneker lived and worked on the family farm, but it concludes with a statement about how he pursued scientific studies and taught himself the flute and violin. B. Paragraph 1 is a general introductory paragraph about Banneker. The topic and concluding sentences state that he was an African American inventor who grew up on his family’s farm and had a keen interest in acquiring knowledge. C. Paragraph 2 starts with a statement about Banneker’s grandmother: she was an indentured servant who bought some land and married a freed slave. It concludes by stating that his grandmother taught him to read and he attended a Quaker school when the farm work slowed down in the winter. D. Paragraph 3 is about how Banneker constructed a clock that kept time for over 40 years. #4: Eliminate Wrong Choices The concluding sentence of the preceding paragraph should logically transition to the paragraph about Banneker’s work in astronomy. Paragraphs 2 and 3 have nothing to do with astronomy and do not logically transition to Banneker’s work with astronomy; therefore, we can eliminate those choices. While the first paragraph mentions Banneker’s â€Å"keen interest in acquiring knowledge," the rest of the passage is in roughly chronological order. It makes more sense for the second paragraph to be about Banneker’s family history and his childhood. Consequently, we can get rid of B, C, and D. We are left with answer choice A. #5: The Right Choice Should Logically Follow the Paragraph Before and Connect to the Paragraph After Paragraph 4 concludes with a statement that Banneker pursued scientific studies. That logically transitions into the paragraph about his work in astronomy. Paragraph 6 is the concluding paragraph and mentions how Banneker liked to study astronomy. Paragraph 5 fits where it is currently placed. The answer is A. Follow this path to the right answer. General Tips for Macro Logic Questions Here are some tips for any macro logic question you may encounter on the ACT English section. Determine What the Question Is Asking Beforeanswering the question, identify the type of question that is being asked. Is it a sentence order question? Is it a paragraph order question? Which type of sentence order or paragraph order question is it? Look for the key words within the question. Make sure you know what you should be looking for before you attempt to answer the question. Go Through the Answer Choices For macro logic questions, you need to look at the various options you're given for where to place a sentence or paragraph. Look at the placement options and determine the function of the sentence or paragraph in the answer choice. For paragraph order questions, identify the main idea of the paragraphs. Eliminate Wrong Choices For sentence order questions, the wrong choices will not fulfill the intended goal or will not logically connect one sentence to the next. For paragraph order questions, the wrong choices will cause the passage to have less of a logical flow from one paragraph to the next. If an answer choice would make the passage confusing or hard to follow, then you should be able to eliminate it. Use Chronological Order or Order of Events When Applicable Often, paragraphs are ordered chronologically. In our paragraph order example, the paragraphs were ordered chronologically. For passages that have paragraphs in chronological order, the order of the paragraphs should coincide with the order in whichthe events that they're referencing happened. The things that happened first should go atthe beginning of the passage and the things that happened last should be placed at the end of the passage. Similarly, order of events can help determine sentence order within a paragraph. Order of events refers to the logical order of events. For example, you have to fall down before you can get up. Keeping in mind chronological order and order of events can enable you to more easily answer macro logic questions. Make Sure That the Answer Choice You Pick Logically Follows What Comes Before and Connects to What Comes After For all types of sentence and paragraph order questions, the placement of the sentence or paragraph has to make logical sense. Look at the sentences before and after to determine if the placement is logical and understandable. What's Next? I highly recommend that you read this article about how toapproach ACT English passages. For articles on other types of ACT rhetorical skills questions, check out these posts on author technique and author main goal. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: