Mental mindset paper Essay

Assume you work in Human Resources as a part of the management team for AAA Transportation in Waukegan, WI, which has recently been acquired. AAA Transportation is an interstate trucking company that specializes in transporting wholesale produce in refrigerated trailers throughout the Midwest. The new owners want to make some sweeping changes in the services offered. One of the things that they would like to do is add delivery of nonperishable products, such as canned foods, to their delivery routes, allowing AAA to expand the area they cover and to provide expanded service to their existing customers. They think that, because many of the routes do not require a full load on the trucks, there is room to add the nonperishable goods and provide delivery at a lower rate than the customers are now paying. Two of your coworkers, Vernon and Bud, are resistant to the changes proposed by the new owners. Vernon supervises the company’s drivers and Bud works in the corporate offices. Vernon does not think that it is a good idea to expand out of their core business, while Bud thinks that AAA is not strong enough to compete with existing companies that service the nonperishable foods market (several of whom AAA has had a long history of mutually respecting each others customers and routes); they risk alienating long-term customers; and transporting nonperishable goods in refrigerated trailers is inefficient. Both employees have been with the company for more than 20 years and have much influence among the rest of the employees. Management does not want to terminate such long-term and  influential employees but need for Vernon and Bud to join the effort to make the company successful  Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you define and discuss mental model/mindsets and their impact on you and your two  coworkers. Identify the four steps to changing mental models/mind sets and how you could use them to bring Vernon and Bud onto the team.  Identify the five forces that influence those mental model/mindsets of your coworkers and discuss how those forces might affect your coworkers’ mindsets. Include examples of what mental models/mindsets are possibly affecting Vernon and Bud’s decision-making processes and affecting their relationship with the company. Analyze your most commonly used mental models/mindsets that  guide your decision making in the workplace. How do these models influence your decision making?  Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines and how  Identify the four steps to changing mental models/mind sets and how you could use them to bring Vernon and Bud onto the team The first step is to recognize the power and limits of the models. The second step is to test the relevance of the mental models against changing environment and to generate new models. The third step is to overcome inhibitors such as lack of information, lack of trust, desire to hold on to old patterns, and the expectations of the others. The final step is to implement the model, assess the model and continuously strengthen the model (Crook, Wind, Gunther, 2005, p. xxiv). Identify the five forces that influence those mental model/mindsets of your coworkers and discuss how those forces might affect your coworkers’ mindsets The Porter Five Forces model helps to simplify the business decision-making process by breaking down business situations into five key areas, which include Supplier Power, Buyer Power, Competitive Rivalry, Threat of Substitution and Threat of New Entry (Mind Tools, 2011). By using this model to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a business and its competitors, aspects of risk, planning and decisions for a course of action can be clarified. However, an incorrect perception in any of the five areas could create a mindset that limits decision-making process (Malone-Kline, 2008). For example, a known weakness in the areas of Buyer Power, Supplier Power or Threat of Substitution could create the mindset of vulnerability to a Threat of New Entry without recognizing that an extremely high cost of entry (hence high risk) places any new entry in a more vulnerable position (Mind Tools, 2011). A large number of suppliers can result in a mindset of relative strength in the area of supplier power, a mental model that could prove disastrous if a sudden shortage occurred (such as was the case when Japanese  silicon chip manufacturers closed down after the recent earthquakes, causing a worldwide shortage of certain high quality chips). The inverse could also be true as was the case for Buyer Power in the U.S. housing market when the low buyer power mindset for many was not in line with the sudden drop in housing prices. For many computer manufacturers, a Threat of Substitution position of power mindset resulted in their demise because they did not recognize the fact that the market was oversaturated. A mindset or mental model of weakness in the area of Competitive Rivalry has resulted in many new inventions not being introduced to market when in fact the invention technology was superior to rivals. Apple is a great example of a company that has recently been successful through a change in mindset in a market where their Competitive Rivalry position and mindset was not favorable only thirteen years ago (Business Insider, 2010). Include examples of what mental models/mindsets are possibly affecting Vernon and Bud’s decision-making processes and affecting their relationship with the company Analyze your most commonly used mental models/mindsets that  guide your decision making in the workplace. How do these models influence your decision making How might mental models and mindsets limit the decision making process. Education, training, influence from others, rewards or incentives and personal experience all help to create our mental model and mindset of the world around us. These factors can shape our expectations such that we make decisions based upon our mental model rather than based upon the information presented to us. For example, if we have a high level of faith in the truth of the information learned through the education process and information to the contrary is presented as a decision factor, because the information is contrary to the mental model created through our education, the new but contrary information is set aside as invalid and decisions are made based upon the mental model. Another example would be making the decision to enter a market where competition is high and so it the power of substitution. If your mental model shaped by personal experience leads you to believe that substitution is less of a factor than it really is, you may opt to take the  risk and enter that market, ignoring the substitution factor entirely, resulting in a failed venture.

Looking Into Alzheimers Disease to Better Underst Essays

Looking Into Alzheimer's Disease to Better Underst Essays Looking Into Alzheimer's Disease to Better Understand Vasant Patel Burlington County Community College Author's Note This paper was prepared for Psychology 101, Section 600, taught by Professor Jeffrey Dean. Abstract This essay gives an insight on the world's most common epidemic discovered by a German psychiatrist, Alois Alzheimer: Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a form of dementia where brain disorders impact lives. Alzheimer's disease brings forth many symptoms that can shake up people's lifestyles and cause disruptions between the victims' families. It affects memory loss, difficulty in concentration and thinking, and decision-making. It is caused by plaques that can damage and destroy brain cells. This essay goes more in depth in the cause and treatment of Alzheimer's disease as well as medications involved and the different ways to cope with Alzheimer's disease. Is it common for people to misplace their possessions? Since childhood, people have the tendency to forget their homework or lose track of answers when given a test or exam because of pressure and nervousness. As age progresses, people begin to have days where they misplace their belongings or leave things behind. Everyone knows that as people get older, their memories lose its sharpness that was once visible at a younger age. Many people think that leaving things behind or forgetting something is common as age progresses. However, this may not be the case. Frequent occurrences of forgetting things may be just the beginning of Alzheimer's disease. People may confuse Alzheimer's to not be dementia. However, Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia that results in memory loss and proper cognition. Walker, Salek, and Bayer (1998) in "A Review of Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease" state that "Dementia is the global impairment of higher cortical function including memory, the cap acity to solve the problems of day-to-day living, the performance of learned perceptuo-motor skills, the correct use of social skills, and control of emotion reactions, in the absence of gross clouding of consciousness" (Walker, Salek, and Bayer, 1998, p. 500). Similarly, Alzheimer's disease deals with impairment of memory, cognition, and motor and social skills. The disease brings forth many symptoms that can make lives difficult for many victims. In addition, the disease has no cure at all. People have to live with it for the rest of their lives and undergo constant tests and observations so that their doctors can record their progression of the disease. Although the cause of Alzheimer's disease is unknown, there are a few factors that play part in the development of the disease. Alzheimer's disease causes changes in the brain years before the symptoms even occur. Family history, age, and genes are few of the many factors that begin the Alzheimer's disease. There are three known types of Alzheimer's disease: early-onset, familial, and late-onset. Early-onset disease is rare and occurs in people between the ages 30 and 50. Although this form of disease is uncommon, it worsens quickly. Familial Alzheimer's is inherited and in Yaso Shan's (2013) "Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, she says, "in affected families, members of at least two generations have had AD," (Shan, 2013, p.34). Late-onset Alzheimer's disease occurs after the age of 60 and is more common than early-onset Alzheimer's disease. It is rarely runs in families but if family history of Alzheimer's disease is found, then there is more risk that people may develop the disea se. Right now, only one gene, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) has been linked with this type of disease. However, the percentage for people to carry this gene is quite low. Although the cause of Alzheimer's disease is still unclear, its effect on the brain is not. The disease slowly damages brain cells leading to brain and cell shrinkage. Plaques and tangles are two abnormalities that are considered to play part in the cause of the Alzheimer's disease. In "Living Longer, Often with Dementia, McFadden (2013) further explains, "As plaques and tangles accumulate, nerve cells in the brain die, especially in parts of the brain responsible for memory and problem-solving an decision-making" (McFadden, 2013, p. 6). Plaques, also known as beta-amyloid, are protein clumps that damage and destroy brain cells. Although the actual effect of plaques on Alzheimer's is unknown, it is a possibility. Lastly, brain cells need internal support for nutrients to

Owen Surname Meaning and Family History

Owen Surname Meaning and Family History Derived from the Welsh first name Owain, the surname Owen is generally thought to mean well born or noble, from the Latin eugenius. As a Scottish or Irish surname, Owen may be a shortened Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Eoghain (McEwan), meaning son of Eoghan. Surname Origin:  Welsh Alternate Surname Spellings:  OWENS, OWIN, OWINS, OEN, OWING, OWINGS, OWENSON, MACOWEN, HOWEN, OEN, OENE, ONN Famous People with the OWEN  Surname Daniel Owen  -  Welsh novelist; well-known for writing in the Welsh languageEvelyn Owen  -  Australian designer of the Owen machine gunJohn Owen  - early 19th century governor of North CarolinaWilliam Fitzwilliam Owen  - British naval officer and explorerRobert Owen - Welsh social reformer Where Is the OWEN  Surname Most Common? The Owen surname is most prevalent in the United States  according to  Forebears, ranking among the top 500 most common surnames in the country. Owen is found in the greatest density, however, in Wales, where it is the 16th most common surname.  Ã‚  It is also fairly common in England, where it ranks just outside of the 100 most common last names, and Australia (ranked 256th). WorldNames PublicProfiler  shows that the Owen surname in 1881 was found most frequently in Wales, especially in the area around Llandudno in northern Wales. According to Forebears, the Owen surname at that time ranked 5th in Anglesey and Montgomeryshire and 7th in  Caernarfonshire and  Merionethshire. Genealogy Resources for the Surname OWEN Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as an Owen  family crest or coat of arms for the Owen surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Owen/Owens/Owing  DNA Project: Individuals with the Owen  surname, and variants such as Owens or Owing, are invited to participate in this group DNA project in an attempt to learn more about Owen family origins. The website includes information on the project, the research done to date, and instructions on how to participate.OWEN  Family Genealogy Forum: This free message board is focused on descendants of Owen  ancestors around the world.FamilySearch - OWEN  Genealogy: Explore over 4.8  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Owen surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.GeneaNet - Owen  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Owen  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. Resources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Disaster Recovery & Humanitarian Assistance Essay

Disaster Recovery & Humanitarian Assistance - Essay Example Out of all the classes I took this semester, I really enjoyed taking this one. While I originally thought it would be extremely easy, I soon found it was much more challenging, and that was good because it helps me to challenge myself and learn more. I was able to develop better habits, simply because I knew I wanted to do my best in this class and I was going to do everything I could to do that. That being said, I still think there were some things I could have done better on. There were several assignments I did not put one hundred percent into, and some tests I most certainly could have prepared more for. But that in itself is also a learning experience, and it shows me that if I want to achieve my goals, I need to put everything I have into the classes I am taking. And there were several topics that gave me a tough time. The first one to come to mind is the chapters on direct preparedness for disaster relief. I never know the plans had to be so thought out and complicated, and at first I hade a difficult time grasping those ideas. However, I soon found that by looking at them carefully and really going over them, they soon became almost a second nature for me. Looking forward, I really feel that this class help prepared me for a future in helping people.

Market Analysis of a specific commodity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Market Analysis of a specific commodity - Essay Example The class of commodity goods includes products with high market demand, but that are supplied to the market without qualitative differentiation e.g. from the taste of coffee, one cannot easily differentiate that it is from Brazil or Ethiopian highlands or if the coffee is a product of Nestle or Sara Lee companies without careful study of the brand. However, even though the commodity products are considered equal to one another, they are not exchangeable if they do not meet the market standards. For example, sugar as a commodity product, there is no company that has a higher chance of controlling its market supply or price level than other companies since to a consumer it is difficult to differentiate the taste of sugar (Holihan 2008). Based on the economic perspectives and arguments of commodity markets and commodity products, this research paper aims to analyze the market of coffee (as a commodity product): and the players in the coffee market. The analysis will encompass descriptio n of the coffee market structure, companies or players involved, market share, market size, major players, coffee demand and supply, competition and market dominance. Commodity market: Coffee Market The product coffee Often, people depict coffee as a homogenous product. However, this is not right because there are different types and forms of coffee in the market. According to ICO (2002), the two main types of coffee are Robusta and Arabic: Arabica is the largest, covers almost over 70% of the worldwide coffee trade, and exports while Robusta constitutes the remaining percentage of lower than 30% of the world market. ICO (1995) listed 70 coffee producing countries worldwide with Brazil and Colombia leading in coffee production. The Coffee Market Coverage In reference to Fridell (2007), coffee is not just a drink to enjoy; it is a global commodity and influences world economy. The commodity coffee has a global market and occupies a higher position in the world commodity markets. Frid ell (2007) explains that the product has been an important international commodity for trade since 1800s. Coffee is the world’s most widely traded agricultural commodity. Research shows that many, including the world’s renowned historian Mark Pendergrast, have describe coffee as the second most legally traded world commodity after oil. Coffee has cemented its position in most world stock and securities exchange as an essential exchange commodity (Kirsten 2009). As a global product, Fridell (2007) notes that coffee follows a long market chain before its final consumption. On one, hand, the market of coffee constitutes net producers and net consumers while, on the other hand; there are net exporters and net importers in the world. Research shows that most producer countries are net exporters and not net consumers (Kirsten 2009). In addition, large multinational corporations that roast and retail the coffee to final consumers dominate the coffee market. Holihan (2008) say s that the international trade has essential significance in global marketing and distribution of coffee. In the global market, international dealers, traders or international trade houses purchase coffee from the exporting countries. Roasters in Europe tend to purchase their coffee from international trade houses or specialized import agents with contracts of exporters in producing countries. While large roasters-corporations prefer ex-doxy purchase of coffee, small roasters prefer purchase of small lots

Paper Cash vs. Accrual Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper Cash vs. Accrual Accounting - Essay Example Only cash payments and cash receipts are recorded. The two methods are similar in the sense that their balance sheets include both liabilities and assets. The cash accounting is common among small business owners. For businesses that record annual sales of more than five million dollars or keep an inventory of items they to sell to the public, the accrual method is prescribed (Pinson, 2007). It is easier to grasp the principles of cash accounting as compared to accruals accounting. It is also cheaper to hire accountants for cash accounting as opposed to the accruals method. In planning tax, the cash accounting is preferable by businesses because they are taxed basing on their present cash flow and not accounts receivables (Pinson, 2007). Question Two The benefit of the accrual method is that it is good at matching expenses and revenues. This method also presents a more accurate status of a company’s financial position since its financial statements are more detailed (Bragg, 20 10). The balance sheets also contain more entries because they list non cash entries too. However, the disadvantage is that it is poor at keeping track of cash. Since revenues are recorded when a business transaction takes place, the business statement will indicate that revenue is generated even without the bank account having money. The situation is more made complex by slow paying clients. The accruals method is tedious in the amount of work needed to acquire data. It also needs more resources to operate (Bragg, 2010). Conversely, the benefit of the cash accounting method is that it is good at tracking cash flow. It is also easier to work on data and produce statements in the cash accounting. However, its disadvantage is that it is poor at matching money put out for expenses with earned revenues (Bragg, 2010). This situation poses a difficulty when a company buys items in one month and sells them in a different month. For example, a business buys an item in January intending to s ell it then later pay USD 100 in cash. However, it is sold in February at USD 150 and the cash is also received in February. At the end of January when the books were closed, the USD 100 had to be reflected, although there was no revenue to match it, hence, indicating a loss. February will, therefore, indicate USD 150 as profit, yet the true profit is USD 50. Question Three Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) prescribe the accruals method as opposed to the cash method because accruals method conforms to recognition of revenue, cost and match principles (Pinson, 2007). The accruals method is also practical because it captures financial implications of economic activities in the accounting periods they occur, whether cash is received or not. Accruals method is also the method of choice for GAAP because of the accuracy of its financial reporting in complex business transactions. The accruals method acknowledges that projects and credit sales impact a business’ financ ial status at their time of occurrence, hence the need to reflect such transactions on the financial statements of same period within which they take place. The accruals method recognizes a sale when a client takes up ownership of a product or a service is delivered and increases the company’s revenue at that time even if cash is not yet the account (Pinson, 2007). Question Four The United States Federal

Detente Was Caused By Political And Economic Motivations History Essay

Detente Was Caused By Political And Economic Motivations History Essay In the context of the Cold War, dà ©tente (the French word for relaxation) was an easing of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. It lasted through the 1970s, starting with the Nixon administration and ending with the Carter administration. Dà ©tente was mainly caused by political and economic motivations. The Sino-Soviet Split strained relations between the Soviet Union and China, the two largest Communist countries at the time. As China began to form a more diplomatic relationship with the United States, evidenced by President Nixons visit to China in 1972, the USSR feared that an alliance between the two countries would undermine its power, prompting it to seek amicable relations with the United States as well. Economic motivations were also a factor. Before dà ©tente, both the US and the USSR stockpiled weapons to keep on par with the other it was believed that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) could be averted only if both countries had the same nuclear capability. However, nuclear arms buildup was proving to be more and more unfeasible for both countries. In the United States, a combination of arms buildup and the Vietnam War strained the federal budget and stifled President Johnson and Nixons domestic policy of the expanding social welfare. Naturally, dà ©tente led to greater cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Probably the most significant act of cooperation between the two countries was the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (dubbed SALT I) of 1972, an agreement that limited nuclear arms production for both countries. During the same year, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty limited systems that defended against Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The Apollo-Soyuz project in July 1975 was a space flight cooperative between the two countries, where American astronauts worked collaboratively alongside Russian cosmonauts on scientific experiments. The project eased Space Race tensions and provided a foundation for future space cooperatives such as the International Space Station. Cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union also extended economically, as the US shipped grain to the USSR after the failure of its collectivized agriculture program, where the state controlled large conglomerate farms. Unfortunately, however, dà ©tente was abandoned by the 1980s. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan forced President Jimmy Carter to abandon the SALT II talks that were in progress and to increase US military spending. President Reagan continued the increase of Cold War tensions throughout his presidency, until the collapse of the Soviet Union by the end of the 1980s. Diogenes -412 BCE to 323 BCE -Greek Philosopher, co-founder of Cynic philosophy -Life -Born in Sinope, a Greek colony -Worked with father as a banker, exiled for defacing currency -Traveled to Greece and made a personal goal of challenging the status quo -Became the pupil of the ascetic Antisthenes, who was a pupil of Socrates -Captured by pirates on his way to Aegina; sold to the Corinthian Xeniades; tutored Xeniades sons and lived in Corinth for the rest of his life -Divergent stories of his death: held his breath, infection from a dog bite, complications from eating a raw octopus; supposedly, he left instructions to be cast outside the wall of the city after he died so that animals could eat his carcass -Philosophy -None of his written works survive; anecdotes about his life provide the source for his philosophy -Protested against the artificial material comforts of society and called for a return to a simplistic life in harmony with nature -Obscene: urinated and defecated and masturbated in public -Called himself a citizen of the world, a cosmopolite, at an era where ones social standing was intimately tied with ones city-state. -Diogenes the Dog: -The word cynic is derived from the Greek word meaning dog -Living shamelessly -Extolled the dogs honest simple living and mocked the artifice and hypocrisy of civilized living -Anecdotes -Threw away his wooden bowl as a child so he could drink from his hands -Said to have lived in a tub -Walked with a lamp in broad daylight, as he was looking for humans -When Alexander asked him if there was a favor he wanted, he told Alexander to stand out of his sunlight Diogenes Diogenes was a Greek philosopher who lived from 412 BCE to 323 BCE. As a co-founder of the Cynic philosophy, he is famous for anecdotes of his asceticism and disregard for social conventions. Born in Sinope, a Greek colony, in his youth Diogenes worked with his father as a banker. He was exiled from the city after he was found complicit in a controversy surrounding the defacement of currency. After being exiled, he settled in Athens and made a personal commitment to challenge the status quo there. He subscribed to the ascetic philosophy of Antisthenes, who was a pupil of Socrates, and became his only pupil. At some point in time, he was captured by pirates on his way to visit the Greek city of Aegina. The pirates then sold him to a Corinthian man named Xeniades. Diogenes tutored Xeniades sons and lived in Corinth for the rest of his life. There are multiple accounts of his death: he either died by holding his breath, by an infection from a dog bite, or from complications after eating raw octopus. Supposedly, he left instructions to be cast outside the wall of the city after he died so that animals could eat his carcass. While it is believed that Diogenes had a respectable body of written work, none survive today; only anecdotes about his life provide the source for his philosophy. As a Cynic, he protested against the artificial material comforts of society and called for a return to a simplistic life in harmony with nature. In perhaps the most famous anecdote about Diogenes, Alexander the Great, awed by the great philosopher, asked him what favor could he do for him. Diogenes only asked Alexander to step away, for he was blocking the sunlight. During a time when success was measured in material gains, he lived in destitute poverty. It was said that, as a young boy, he cast away his wooden bowl so that he could drink from his hands. During a time when ones social standing was intimately tied with ones city-state, he called himself a citizen of the world a cosmopolite. As Diogenes lampooned the follies of man, he praised the virtues of the dog indeed, the word cynic is derived from the Greek word me aning dog. He himself was comparable to a dog, as he lived shamelessly he often defecated and urinated in public, much to the chagrin of the people around him. Because of his radical break from the traditions of his time, Diogenes is still well-remembered today. He is often seen as a symbol of truth and honesty an image of candid, if eccentric, simplicity against corrupt artificiality.