Auditory System Essay Example for Free

Auditory System Essay The world contains all kinds of energy that translates into information about what we see, hear, smell, touch and taste. A sensory system is a part of the nervous system responsible for processing specific sensory information. The components of a sensory system include sensory receptors, neural pathways, and parts of the brain involved in sensory perception. To begin, energy from the environment stimulates the receptor cells in whichever sense organ is being used. If this information were auditory, the ear would convert sound waves in the air into electrical impulses that would further be interpreted by the brain as sound. A sound wave first enters the pinna, the fleshy part of the ear on the outside of the body. It then travels through the external auditory canal where it then meets the eardrum, a thin membrane in the outer ear. The eardrum then vibrates in response to the sound wave. What we hear will depend on the wavelength and frequency of the wave. The eardrum is connected to a group of three small bones call â€Å"the ossicles† in the middle ear. This group includes the malleus, incus and the stapes. These three bones, the smallest in the human body, protect the eardrum from more intense sounds and also deliver the vibrations to the base of the stapes. The stapes then sends the vibrations into the inner ear and interacts with the round window. The round window, a small membrane that allows liquid inside the inner ear to be displaced and receive the vibration. The vibration travels through the spiral structure of the inner ear called the cochlea and ends at the round window. Inside the cochlea there are three canals: the scala vestibuli, the scala media and the scala tympani. The scala vestibule leads up to the apex of the cochlea, the scala tympani leads down to the round window and the scala media sits in between the other two canals. All of these canals are filled with fluid and are separated by two different membranes; Reissner’s membrane and the Basilar membrane. Both of these membranes are flexible and respond to the vibrations traveling through the scala vestibuli. The movements of the membranes then send the vibrations down the scala tympani. A structure called the Organ of Corti, which is situated on the basilar membrane, becomes stimulated as the membrane vibrates and sends nerve impulses to the brain. Within the Organ of Corti are a group of specialized cells called hair cells, which are covered by the tectorial membrane. As the basilar membrane vibrates, the hair cells are bents and push up against the tectorial membrane. This causes the hair cells to fire and send nerve impulses to the auditory cortex on each of the brains hemispheres through the cochlear nerve. How we determine pitch can be explained with two different theories. The Place Theory states that the entire basilar membrane does not vibrate at once so different parts of the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies of sound. Lower frequency sounds vibrate the basilar membrane near the apex of the cochlea while higher frequency sounds produce vibrations closer to the base. The Frequency Theory states that the frequency of firing matches the frequency of the sound wave. Hearing loss can occur for a number of reasons. Damage to the eardrum due to age and prolonged exposure to loud noise may cause the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea to wear out and become less effective. A buildup of earwax can block the ear canal and prevent of sound waves from entering the eardrum. Otosclerosis, a genetic form of hearing loss in which the stapes is fixed in place so sound cannot enter the inner ear.

Road Safety Essay Essay Example for Free

Road Safety Essay Essay Driving age young people under 25 make up around one-tenth of the population in OECD countries, but represent more than a quarter of car drivers killed on the road (See Figure 1). And they are not only a danger to themselves. Studies in the US and the Netherlands show that for every 10 young drivers killed, 13 passengers or other road users also die in the same crashes. Worldwide, road crashes are the single greatest cause of death for men aged 15-29, and the second greatest for 15-29-year-olds overall, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures. Even in countries with a good overall road safety record, large numbers of young lives are being lost on the roads – more than 8 500 young car drivers die in OECD countries every year, and death rates for young drivers are typically about double those of older drivers. Although overall road safety is improving, the ratio between young and older driver death rates has not improved in many countries, so there is clearly a need for specific measures to tackle the problem of young people’s safety on the roads (See Figure 2). see more:short article on road safety Young men are particularly at risk, with death rates up to three times higher than those for young women. To make matters worse, the risk for young male drivers compared to older drivers has actually risen in a number of countries over the past decade. In the UK, for example, in 1994 a young male driver’s risk of being in a fatal crash was a little over 4.5 times that of a driver aged 30-59; by 2002 this had risen to 7 times greater. Young drivers have high numbers of crashes when driving at night and on weekends, and when carrying young passengers. Many crashes are the result of speeding and while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Failure to use seatbelts is also a key factor in death and injuries. Young people are over-represented in single-car and loss-of-control crashes, and crashes where the driver is turning across oncoming traffic. Apart from the enormous social costs, these highway tragedies impose a huge economic cost burden.

Continuous Personal Development In Hospitality

Continuous Personal Development In Hospitality INTRODUCTION In the following report, to be submitted to the restaurant manager I was instructed to find the gap between the staffs current capabilities and the skills requirement that is needed to be developed in order to meet the restaurants further plan. I was also to determine the training objectives for the staff to increase their current set of skills. For the current report I had to do the skills audit. I also had do the secondary and primary research for internal and external environment. For this purpose I have used a number of web sites and books. About the restaurant: Chutney Mary- Londons most fashionable and highly acclaimed Indian restaurant and twice received the award of Best Indian Restaurant in the UK from the authoritative Good Curry Guide. Restaurant opened its door to customers in 1990 Chelsea, London. The new romantic interior combines Indian richness and sparkle sepia etchings of Indian life. Restaurant reflects mix of the finest Indian craftsmanship in a stylish setting. Chutney Mary welcome guest by a comfortable lounge area leading to a dramatic stairway, featuring an enormous Moghul style mirror work mural. Impact Analysis Skill Areas:  Communication skills Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  No Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  No Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  3 Skill level desired:  2 Skill Areas:  Knowledge of the product Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  Yes Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  No Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  4 Skill level desired:  2 Skill Areas:  Up selling skills Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  Yes Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  No Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  3 Skill level desired:  2 Skill Areas:  New Technology Do you have the skills? (yes/no):  Yes Are the skills at a satisfactory level?(yes/no):  Yes Skill level 1-5 (1 is highest, 5 is lowest):  4 Skill level desired:  1 The above table shows the current set of skills. The skills required by the staff to accomplish the companys future plans are shown in the fifth column. The chart gives a synopsis to the manger of the areas that need to be develop, in order to reach the companys goal. One of the ways to solve the problem is by gap analysis or impact analysis. It is technique use to pin point the correct gaps between expected levels of service and the actual level of service provided. Gap analysis has played a crucial role in planning asset within public sector and private sectors as well. This analysis also gives a summary of the impacts of the set qualities to the management. This analysis helps the management to recruit new staff in the future. The management can cross reference it to check if the candidate has met the requirement, so that they can achieve their future plans. The analysis is generally used at the macro level. It identifies the key performance area of the organisation. It is necessary to close the gaps in desired and current levels of skills by every organisation in order to be successful in market. Identified Gaps in Chutney Mary: Up-selling: Up-selling guides restaurant to achieve the target set by the management. In Chutney Mary the management had always given the target revenue for every month. From this employees will be aware of their their target market for their product and what exactly they have to up-sell. There is quite a big gap in up-selling. The gap can be closed by giving training to the employees. This to have a good knowledge about the product and will also help in up-selling the brand image of the restaurant. Time management: It is an important tool in the hospitality sector. Time is one of the factors that cannot be wasted by the management. Skill audit the employees are lacking in time management. It sis a new restaurant managers must plan and manage the time. Inability to this will lead to a greater loss of revenue and reputation of the restaurant. For closing this gap special training must be given to the employees regarding time management. Communication skills: Being a hospitality sector it is very important to know that communication skills plays a vital role. In Chutney Mary many of the employees are Asians and Europeans and they are lacking in English so management must be well aware of it. As Chutney Mary is a new restaurant and which serve dietary food so there will plenty of reviews from the customers so staff should be able to explain the concept. For closing this gap management should arrange special English classes for those employees who are not fluent in English. Product knowledge: Product knowledge is one the gaps identified in Chutney Mary. Every staff must aware of the product and brand standards. It can be close by undergoing proper training to the staff which enhance the employees to explain the customers about their product with ease and confidence which will result in up selling. The restaurant must focus on shortage of skills and their impacts on Chutney Mary. From the given skills audit we can find out what skills are the employees lacking in: Lacking in efficiency and effective communication skills. Product knowledge. Lacking in time management. Up selling skills and its techniques of the employees are not up to the mark. Impact of the gaps to the business and achievement of future plans and objectives of the organisation: Due to lack of skills within the staff the restaurant will not be able to achieve future targets. This may have an effect on the productivity and can lead to negative comments and perceptions of the customers. Poor product knowledge may create lower revenue even when the staffs are doing through up selling. This can lead to the down fall of the gross revenue. Thus making lower profit on the sales volume. Less knowledge about the product makes the staff aware of the highlights of the products. It may lead tension and lower self confidence while they are dealing with customers. Lack of skills development results in less productivity of the organisation and poor and unacceptable performance. Lack of communication skills results in higher guest complaints. It increases the number of unsatisfied guest, and thus to bad word of mouth publicity. Because of this the management fails to achieve their future goals. Lack of up-selling technique will result in loss of potential revenue that the company can make. Organisation may lose its business in the market sector. They also have a fear of losing their market position. Explanation of staff development plan: As per the results from the above staff development plan I have explain it in details the summary of these plan: Up selling skills training: Up-selling plays an important role in the organisation since it helps to provide the value of the product than the price verified for it. Up-selling sales report is put on the board for every month to know the whether the restaurant has gain more revenue or not. The restaurant has a target of doing up-selling of  £20,000/- and above within a month time. This will help to increase the sales by 30%. Various up-selling techniques are used by the trainer who are invited from outside. From the above calculation there was  £206 per hour of average increase in the productivity rate. Menu knowledge: having accurate Menu knowledge has a good impact on the employees. By giving the training about the menu, restaurant is hoping to achieve the target of 45% on sale within 3-4 months and from the above calculation it was observed that there was 10% increase in sales. Time management: Time management is done in order to maintain the standards and consistency of the quality of work. Employees must be aware of the importance of time. The organisation has to keep the prospective of events like Olympics 2012. Communication skills: Communication skills are important in any service industry. Customer should know the concept and is easier when the staff has good communication skill. From the above chart 70% of employees who lacked in the communication skill left the job. Training wise restaurant is improvising on training the staff regarding with their English language. Increase in staff retention: In Chutney Mary Staff retention program is not effective. From the above plan it was found that 70% of staff has left the job. Creating a friendly atmosphere and providing regular staff training the restaurant is seeking to cut down the employment cost by 34% by the year end. Summary of this plan: What has to be done: From the above development plan the restaurant is planning to train all the employees within the department. For achieving this, restaurant must follow the objectives which had prioritised in the staff development plan. Special training must be given to the following issues menu knowledge, time management, and communication skills and staff retention. Employees should be trained on the brand standards so as to achieve the objectives. For that restaurant must arrange staff meeting once in a week. And have feedback from the employees and must discuss about what has to be done in order to achieve the goals. Who is going to do it: the objectives are for all level of staff within the organisation. It is the managements responsibility for arranging the trainings and evaluating the staff progress. Performance appraisal or staff performance check can be useful for this purpose. If the employees are successfully trained and are able to achieve this objective they should be rewarded by the manager of the restaurant. When it is going to be done: November 2009 the restaurant starts the evaluating employees recruitment, whether the employees are happy with their job through employees feedback form. December 2009 the restaurant will start with their up-selling training program and it will be finish by the end of 3 months. These programs will be held on Fridays and Saturday for every 1 hour. Brand standards training will be held in November 2009 on every weekend for 1 hour. Time management training will be held on January 2010 and communication skills training will be held in February November 2010. The time duration for all the training is of 3-4 months making them aware of time period. The employees who are lack in communication skills in English will be trained throughout the duration of the program. All this training will be done at management level and at the lower level as well. How it is going to be done: In Chutney Mary management puts training session on the notice board and gives the reminder of the session on the contact number of the employee. Websites resources like brand awareness, customer recommendation helps the employee to grow. Why it is going to be done: It is done to develop the personnel skills of the employees. The restaurant will have efficient staff to provide quality service after completion of the training session. This will result in increase in productivity of the restaurant and customer satisfaction and will improve. The restaurant will have a new face in the market sector, and within the competitors. This will be helpful to achieve the competitive edge against the competitors. How much will it cost: Approximately  £200-300/- quotation has been allocated to achieve these objectives. A total expenditure of the training session which consists of staff expenses, trainer expenses, training room charges etc. will be approximately around  £1000 to  £1500/-. How will the plan benefit the business? Training on up-selling helps to improve the skills of the staff while up-selling the product to the customers and gain more profit. Knowledge of the menu is key tool for the staff so that they can recommend the needs to the guest. This will help the staff to improve their skills and knowledge. Through time management staff will become more efficient and productive and they can become focussed in their work. By using communication skill the staff is expected to interact with the guest and top level management with effective communication. The staff retention will help to identify whether the employees are satisfied with their job. It also creates friendly atmosphere and as a result in smooth running of the operation. It also ensures that employee cost will be reduced. This plan will help the business in getting more customers. It will also help to achieve competitive edge over the competitors and helps to creating a reputation within the market sector. How staff development will be measured: Recommendation by the customers: In Chutney Mary they follow guest recommendation. They also follow the comment cards policy. While presenting the bill folder the comment cards are also presented and through comment cards we receive the customers feedback. For that we have mention certain ratings from 1 to 5. If the ratings are more than 5 staffs are rewarded. It also helps in checking the performance of the restaurant. Sales tracking system: Management keeps track on the sale through this system. In the system they compare the present and past sales and even do the break even analysis. Employees feedback and reviews: In Chutney Mary performance appraisal are given to the employees and this is done on every month. Risk assessment: The introduction of risk assessment. PLANS FACTORS WHICH CAN AFFECT TO CHUTNEY MARY PLANS TO REDUCE THIS RISK High profits Customers wants Wastages Product knowledge Staff must be aware of product knowledge and must reduced the wastages and management must undergo research on their whether their likes and dislikes. Knowledge of the menu Various styles and trends Based on climatic conditions. Allergic situations Staff must know the trends and styles to overcome the place in the market. They must be aware of the seasonal foods so that they can explain them to the customers. Staff must very well tackle with the allergic guest for that the menu knowledge is important. Time management Staffs that are not aware of this skill will not be able to able to meet and keep the time for future events. Staff needs to focus and must always be on time so as to achieve these targets so as to avoid conflicts within the department. Communication skills Many of staff are not aware of English language will not be able to interact with the customers and colleagues. English classes must be appointed for the staff and must be made compulsory and other languages must be banned within the restaurant. Increase in staff retention High staff turnover rate will lead to high employment cost. Friendly working environment for the employees. Executive summary From this assignment we were suppose to find out the medium terms plans of Chutney Mary and their objectives and what are the changes must be undertaken to achieve the objectives. Than we have to find out the skills audit for analysing the skills and goals of staff within the organisation. On the basis of skill audit we have to identify the gaps between current capabilities and the capabilities required in future plans. Than we have to find out the impact and what are the plans and objectives of this gap on Chutney Mary In the second task we carried out staff development plan so that the organisation can achieve certain targets and identified the risks which were inhibiting the organisational goals. Appendix 2 From the above development plan the restaurant is striving to achieve the Medium term objectives. Staff development plan is measured and achieved in every month and in result it will show the figures in the report regarding the restaurant success. NAME OF THE STAFF TRAINING PROGRAMMES TRAINING HOURS TRAINING PERIOD COSTS Mr Gaurav Raje (manager  ) and Mr. Sachin malhotra (trainer) Communication skills     For every 2 hrs Monday to Wednesday Approximately 250  £    Mr Oliver (wine trainer and supplier) Up selling    For every 1hr     Friday to Saturday Approximately 200  £Ã‚     Mr. Gaurav Raje (manager)   Time management For every 1hr   Thursday to Friday   Approximately 250 £Ã‚     Mr. Sachin Malhotra (trainer) Brand awareness   For every 1-2 hrs   Every weekends or during briefing   Approximately 150-200 £Ã‚   Mr. Rohit Shelatkar (director) Staff retention For every 10-15 minutes During staff meeting Approximately 300 £ Appendix 3 SALES REPORT OF Chutney Mary OF DATE 30TH OCTOBER 2009(FRIDAY): Chutney Mary Current Last year Last week Covers 121 103 110 Food per head 35.47 31.45 33.78 Beverage per head 21.01 23.36 17.13 Total per head 62.78 54.76 58.99 Revenue net of VAT 6,789 4,943 5,767 Dinner analysis Before 7pm Main After 10 pm Covers 05 181 15 Revenue net of VAT 0 6,389 0 Calculation of average sales per hour: Output = average number of covers in a day average price per cover Input no of people working on the day number of hours worked = 120 55 4 8 hrs = 6600 32 = 206  £. Average turnover rate of the employees: No of people leaving premises 100 No of people working in premises = 7 100 = 70%. 10 Menu knowledge and cost: food cost + maintenance + employees cost = 1500 + 1000 + 7 employees in a shift 8 per hour = 2500 + 56 =2556. = cost per day = 2556 = 21.3% No of covers per day 120 Sales per labour hour: Total sales Labour hour = 6,389 40 = 160  £ sales per labour hour. Appendix 4 Continuous professional development determines latest trends in the organisation so as to raise the capability of delivering professional service. It helps to maintain the high standards and quality within the organisation. It promotes the general welfare of the public. It helps to increase the competitiveness within the organisation Appendix 5 What is a skill audit? Skill audit is defined as a performance indicator which helps to identifies employees performance and skills and it is done at management perspective. The purpose for arranging skill audit is to find out the skills and knowledge that the organisation requires as well as they presently possess. It helps in understanding employees strength and weaknesses and identifies and measures the functional skills of the organisation. These are done through training, job design, out sourcing etc. Appendix 6 The steps for performing staff development plan: To determine the needs and development of the staff. This can be done with the manager of various departments that interact with the staff members. For the improvement of staff development plan the organisation must measure the improvement for each development it must be specific such has production rate must be specific for every organisation. For performing staff development plan organisation provides specific training courses, cross training to the employees so that the organisation can addressed and improve the development plan for the staff. There are two types of staff development plan they are generic plan which are used for specific jobs, positions for every employee. Source: Author unknown (2008) Staff development plan identify the potential resources of the employees to meet the needs. Staff development plan helps employees to update their skills and knowledge in various areas of the department. These plans are generally made at management level. The objectives of the plans to make the employees aware of the brand standards and to make to sell the product and to get positive feedback from the customers and to improve the performance.

A Study of Product Quality, Pricing, and Labeling & Packaging Essays

Businesses are responsible for the product they manufacture and distribute. This perspective will examine the ethical implications of product manufacturing concerning Product Quality, Pricing, and Labeling & Packaging. In this paper, we will discuss each of these topics and show how each aspect of manufacturing has it’s own set of factors. One of the first major aspects of product manufacturing is Product Quality. The responsibilities of a business are simple. Develop a low cost, high quality product that withstands the normal limitations of its use. Quality can be defined as doing the right thing, the right way, the first time, and every time. It is important this is understood from both the consumer and the business perspective. In short, the product will meet customer expectations, priced appropriately, and delivered as advertised. Within the business, producing a product the right way is the most effective, efficient, lowest cost, and most valuable way to produce quality results, the first, and every time. Product quality implies all standards are met, with minimal repercussions of poor quality, reducing the amount of rework and waste. Businesses developing products of poor quality are failing to do the right thing, or doing the right thing, the wrong way. In the case study I researched, H.B. Fullers, a St. Paul, Minnesota corporation, produces a shoemaker’s glue, called Resistol, which contains the neurotoxin called toluene . In South America, Fuller’s company makes a huge profit off this product, in large part due to the millions of street kids, called resitoleros , who sniff this glue daily. This poses a huge ethical dilemma. Does one continue to develop a product that is being used the incorrect and potentially unsa... ...roduct development to product placement, ethics plays an important role in the decision making process of a company. Ethics plays a large role in such a small aspect of a company’s product. Safety and Security, beginning with the packaging itself, is a moral obligation of any company. References Bauerlein, M. (n.d.). HB Fuller's Social Responsibility. Pangaea Publishing and Design for Nature & Peoples of the Earth. Retrieved from http://pangaea.org/street_children/latin/citypg1.htm DeColle, S. (2008). Why Wine is not Glue? The Unresolved Problem of Negative Screening in Socially Responsible Investing. Journal of Business Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 5(1), 121. Shaw, W. H. (2005). Business ethics (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Velasquez, M. G. (2002). Business ethics: concepts and cases (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentiss Hall

Putting a Face on Freedom :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Putting a Face on Freedom What is Freedom? Freedom in and of itself defies definition since its very essence and parameters can be shown only with its constraints and limitations. If one state of being is unable to stand on its own merits and must rely on another to have structure, can it never truly be â€Å"free.† Therein lies the irony: freedom is forever encapsulated by its limitations, regardless of its range. Without evident barriers, it could not exist. If it is within barriers, can it truly exist? This paper will discuss the existence of freedom and several of its forms. Although much sought after, gaining freedom usually involves strife and war. With the splitting of the Catholic Church in the Reformation, many restraints on science, religion and education vanish, causing a rebirth of knowledge and philosophical thought. Although fragmented, the Catholic Church is by no means vanquished, so inevitable conflicts arise. The conflicts are not confined to the battlefield, though, they occur more often than not in the form of books and documents. With wars, famine and social upheaval accompanying the Reformation, men sometimes lament the passing of the former system (a unified Church) which, though imperfect, at least provides some stability. Thomas More, a critic of King Henry VIII, cleverly disguises his criticisms in his literature. He writes about a tightly regulated society, Utopia, where there are no social strata and people of all religious persuasions can live harmoniously with one another, to freely practice their religions without fear of reproach. Though there seems to be an abundance of freedom, including religious, there are a few hitches—such as having to obtain permission from your father and wife before exploring the countryside, wearing the same clothing as everyone else, having no possibility for social advancement and compulsory theism (your choice of deities, however): â€Å"†¦he (Utopus) made a solemn and severe law against such as should†¦think that our souls died with our bodies, o r that the world was governed by chance, without a wise overruling Providence† (More, p. 747). More’s Utopia offers freedoms some might cherish, but others would find it unbearably restrictive. Even those of a religious bent might have looked askance at Utopia’s forced theism policy. Is it freedom? Some might think so if they believed freedom of religion didn’t include freedom from religion.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Essay -- CAM

It is impossible to deny the fact that living creatures in general and human beings in particular have an extraordinary ability to heal their wounds in the shortest amount of time. In other words, the overall system of a person naturally promotes self-cleansing, self-repair, and accordingly, self-healing. Scientists have been proving that paying attention to the nine fundamental systems in the body including circulation, digestion, respiration, intestine, urine, gland, neuron, structure, and immune, plays a key role in enhancing this healing process (Balcu 209). Once these constitutional systems are put under control, patients will have fewer difficulties in curing disease as well as healing illness. In general, obtaining and remaining biological balance is the answer to anyone who desires to have a healthy internal system. And complementary and alternative medicine, which is regarded as the most productive approach in the humanistic history of medicine, can help humans to attain th at balance. Understanding the non-medical philosophy of self-healing and well being mentioned above, complementary and alternative medicine has developed its holistic approach to human body, a method in which a cure for a specific disease condition is applied on the whole body rather than on just a certain separated symptom. For instance, naturopathy, a specific branch of CAM, takes into accounts a patient’s biomechanics and even emotional predispositions in order to help him or her rebuild the original balance. Instead of prohibiting therapies and other medical implementation like conventional medicine usually does, this alternative holistic medicine does assist a healthy lifestyle by setting up certain rules which allow bodies to utilize their he... ...hysicians. 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. Siegenthaler, Danny. "Herbal Medicines Are Effective." Alternative Medicine. Ed. David M. Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "What Pharmaceutical Companies Don't Want You to Know about Herbal Medicine!" OfSpirit.com Magazine. 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. Ullman, Dana. "Homeopathic Medicine Is Effective." Alternative Medicine. Ed. David M. Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Why Homeopathy Makes Sense and Works." www.homeopathic.com. 2005. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. Watson, T, and V Mock. "Exercise As An Intervention For Cancer-Related Fatigue." Physical Therapy 84.8 (2004): 736-743. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Restoring the Character Ethic

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Restoring The Character Ethic By Stephen R. Covey While I was reading ‘The 7 habits of highly effective people’ by Stephen R. Convey, many things were running through my mind. Stephen R. Convey’s words encourages us to live our life by some specific â€Å"principles† which can represent our overall effectiveness as a human in individual or social context. This book helps us to know â€Å" How our habits can affect our character† and â€Å" How our character can affect our destiny†. I am completely agree with Steven R. Convey’s The 7 habits of highly effective people’s principles and will try to evaluate their significance in general life. There are 7 habits mentioned by Steven R. Convey in his book by adopting them in our everyday life we can become highly effective people. He defined Habits as the combination of Knowledge, skills and desire. By adopting all these habits in our everyday life, mentioned in his book, we can move through the maturity continuum day by day. Initially, according to first three habits of Convey, we move from dependence to Independence (private victory) and later by four habits we move from Independence to Interdependence (public victory). In his words, â€Å" How we apply a principle will vary greatly and will be determined by our unique strengths, talents, and creativity, but, ultimately, success in any endeavour is always derived from acting in harmony with the principles to which the success is tied. † I like the Convey’s style of writing and the way he structured his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The words he used and the forms in which they are used are very simple and different from what we are used to seeing today’s literature. I think, this is one of the main reason why Stephen R. Convey is on the bestseller lists having sold more than fifteen Millon copies. Every single people in the world, who want to be a leader in personal and professional level want to know more about Stephen R. Convey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. PARADIGM The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People begins with the notion that every people perceive the world differently. They have their own unique â€Å"lens† to view the world, so; it’s nearly impossible to separate observation from the observer. In Convey view, all of us have our own paradigm. In general sense, paradigm is a way we see the world around us in terms of perceiving, understanding and interpreting, not in terms of visual sense of sight. Convey writes, â€Å" Depend on our way to see things, our behaviour and attitude change. The way we perceive things is the main source of the way we think and act toward that situation. † These paradigms are the main source for defining our behaviour and attitude towards any particular situation. I quite agree with his statement, that we cannot act and think outside of the paradigm in which we find ourself. It’s true that we cannot talk and walk differently than what we seeing and perceiving in any moment. We can try to change our outward behaviour and attitude for very little time but finally we have to find out actual paradigms from which those behaviour and attitude flows, because in the long run we can’t sustained same attitude and behaviour for paradigm different than the one where these attitude and behaviour actually belong. PARADIGM SHIFT Thomas Kuhn was very highly influential author who introduced ‘Paradigm Shift’ words first time into his own book: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Kuhn mentioned in this book that for every breakthrough in any field of human endeavour is start by breaking old and traditional paradigms. Convey tell this paradigm Shift as an â€Å"Aha† experience, when someone sees the picture from another view or angle. It has been observed that if a person is more bound to his initial perception, this ‘Aha’ experience is more intensive in his case. Its true in my case as well, I often felt this Aha’ experience many times in my life. Whenever my paradigm shifts, I see things differently, and because I see differently, I feel differently, and because I feel differently I behave differently. During this paradigm shift process, I don’t have to worry about controlling my behaviour and attitude; they change by themselves. According to convey, sometime s just a little knowledge is quite enough to examine our paradigm shift and sometimes people need life threatening experiences or complete role change in a their life to realise paradigm shift. As we know, many people want to be successful and effective in their respected lives. They have some desires, goals and dreams to full fill but they are reluctant to honestly examine our own paradigm. They are unwilling to look at the things in the way they supposed to look. This can be easily understood by the story of the manager, who was taking management training classes and seminars. Although, he was very friendly with his employees but he never seen any sign of loyalty and responsibility from his employees toward him. He knew, that if he took a day off from his work, his employees would spend all day by walking and talking around water cooler. Convey suggest the manager to ask some question to himself before asking anything to employees like, â€Å" Despite, having friendly behaviour of my, are they disloyal employees so bold to ask me why I am treating them like a mechanical objects? † Having Knowledge of our own paradigm is good in many ways. By knowing our paradigm can help us to understand how we can interact with others, and that will help us to know how they interact with us. So, Convey suggests, we must examine own paradigm, motives and character. In my opinion, Convey is right. In our life, sometimes we have to examine our own paradigm first, and then put feet on someone else shoes. INSIDE-OUT APPROACH There is one ‘Inside-out’ approach mentioned by Stephen R. Convey. This Inside-out approach says that, â€Å" Every self-help program should begin with the Inside of man. Which mean if you want to have happy marriage relationship; we must start from ourself to cherish our relation. We shouldn’t expect or wait for our partner to do something for our relationship. SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People suggest us to implement all 7 habits into our life for being an effective people. First three habits mentioned by R. Convey are habits of independence. They will help us to achieve private victory or self-mastery. The remaining habits mentioned by Convey are habits of interdependence or public victory. These remaining four habits help us to effectively work with others. And I think its quite true, an any individual person who might be very good independently, but he is not good enough to think and act interdependently could be good individual producer but he can’t be good team member or team leader. HABITS OF INDEPENDENCE Habit 1: Be Proactive Convey says, each person has two circles around him, first circle is circle of influence and second circle is circle of concern. He says, if you worry endlessly about outside of your circle of influence then you never be proactive. If we work within our circle of influence than we will be very proactive. Moreover, the more effective we become, the more our circle of influence will expand. He tells us to be proactive in every situation. We should take the full responsibility of our actions. We are fully responsible for whatever happens to us in our life. We should believe in ourself to shape up our future. We are the only one who knows our strengths and weakness. We can understand our abilities only in difficult problems because this problem makes us solve it by different-different approaches. And during this time we know more about our own physical and mental abilities and skills. I can elaborate this proactive-ness by giving my latest life experience. I enrolled in Leadership and Responsibility subject, for which I am writing this response paper. Our teacher Tom Anderson have told us before that, we have to one write 3000 words response paper after reading Stephen R. Convey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Although, I bought this book at the beginning of my semester but I never read it. I was thinking that I have plenty of time to read it. I started reading this book just before 3 week from my final date. And I knew, that my actual job was not to prepare this response paper of 3000 words. But, I had to read Convey’s 7 habits and applied them in my daily behaviour (Which I will do later on my summer vacations). Anyway, I was telling you about proactive-ness by my example. As you can see if I start reading this novel after few more days I won’t be able to submit my assignment on time. And, I might fail this subject. No one going to be responsible for failing this subject because I had my books on time and I had plenty of time. Just because I didn’t take my action on right time I could failed that subject. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind â€Å"Begin with the end in mind† habits mean that whatever we do in our life, we should have clear picture about our goal. Convey says that some people start climbing the ladder of success and finally when they reach at the top they find that ladder was leaning against the wrong wall. As we all want to be very efficient and effective in our task. We can be very efficient but we can truly effective when we begin with the end in mind. And for setting ‘end in mind’ Convey suggests a process ‘Visualization’. Visualization is a process in which we visualize achieving our final goal like any athletic, performer and sales representative. Doing this process of visualization we create an internal â€Å"comfort zone† and when we find our self in final situation, we not find it completely foreign. It doesn’t scare us. In our daily life, mostly we all apply this habit of visualization in some extend. This visualization helps us to plan and schedule in advance before start our journey. As you can see in my previous example, I started reading this The7 Habits of Highly Effective People, just 3 weeks ago my paper submission due date. Otherwise, I have to request my lecturer to extend my submission date. I have visualised my plan and schedule in my mind before start reading my Stephen R. Convey’s book. Habit 3: Put First Things First After Habits 2 ‘Begin with the end in mind’ comes habit 3 ‘Put First Things first’. Perhaps after applying habit 2 or visualisation process we can have many things to do at same time. They all can be significant and can have positive impact on our life. But, probably we don’t do them because they aren’t urgent for us. We should know how & when we have to organise our priorities according to our needs. Sometimes we aren’t good in prioritising things and we realised the importance of it unless we end up in trouble paying for them. It’s really important for us to practice this habit as much as we can in our life. For example, my friends were calling me for going to night club with them on this coming Saturday, but going to night club is not so much important for me as much as I have to finish this response paper before its due date. So, finishing my Assignment on time is at the top of my priorities list. HABITS OF INTERDEPENDENCE Habit 4: Think Win/Win Convey points out that there are two kinds of people some are those who think Win/Win and other are those who think Win/Loss. The people who think Win/Win are those who are not selfish, they seeking mutually benefits for all. And people who think Win/Loss are those who are selfish. They always think about their own benefits, they don’t care about others. They believe that, ‘if I win, you lose’. People who think Win/Lose can be extremely effective, but they have trouble making good relationship. They people mainly focus on power and credentials, and sometimes these things drive other people away from them. To be successful, we should know, how to utilize strengths of others and how you can be benefits for them. We must find the Win/Win situation every time. Lets take an example of any organisation, in which business owner don’t share his profit with his employees. He enjoys all the profits generated by his employees’ hard work and dedication. He is thinking Win/Lose. So, what do you think, after sometime will his employees feel dedicative and cooperative towards him? I am sure he will not succeed in his business in long run, if he continuously being selfish. He should realised soon that overall performance will always good than individual performance. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood In this habit ‘Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood’ convey suggests that, if we really want to think in Win/Win way than we should be very good listener. If we will not listen to anyone then how we will discover Win/Win deals. Most of the time we just pretend to be listening, actually we are busy in preparing our next sentence. In any communication we shouldn’t pretend to be active listener. In experts view, only 10% communication based on verbal, 30% by tones of our sound and rest 60% by our body language. In empathic listening, we usually use our ears with our eyes and heart. We can take an example of a Doctor, in his profession he should be very good listener. If any patient comes to meet him, he should have to listen him very carefully to know his problem and pain. If he won’t listen him carefully than this doctor can’t diagnose his patient properly. Habit 6: Synergize In Collins Dictionary, Synergy means the potential ability for individuals or groups to be more successful working together than on their own. This habit enclosed all the above habits mentioned above. After listening carefully to others we can combine and can work together for common goals. Convey says that we human have our own mental, emotional and psychological difference. And, for working together we should understand each other values completely so that no conflict will generate. When we work as a team member during any group assignment, we must ignore someone’s weakness and should strengthen his strength. Every group member has his or her different habit, values, behaviour and culture. So it’s common to have conflicts. By applying all the above habits (specially Synergize) we can resolve all the conflicts and work toward achieving our final assignment. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw This is the last and most important Habit mentioned by Stephen R. Coney in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. As we have seen in Habit 3: Put First Things First, we must maintain Productivity (P) with future Product Capability (PC). â€Å"Sharpen the Saw,† means self –renewal. We must take out some time to harness our skills. Just like a machine, we will wear out very soon if we continuously work, so, we must take out some time to relax and learn new skills. It will improve us to be more productive in later stages. Convey defined four dimensions for personal renewal: Physical Renewal (do exercise, good food and control stress) Mental Renewal (Read, Visualize and Plan) Social or Emotional Renewal (Communicate with others) Spiritual Renewal (Religion, kindness, altruistic) CONCLUSION The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a magnum opus written by Stephen R. Convey. The language of this book is very simple and easy to understand. I would recommend this book to everyone whether he is a man or woman, boy or girl and young or old. Convey has provided numerous life-based examples, which make this book easier to understand. In my view, he has done an outstanding job in trying to improve individual’s life. This book: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a real source for empowering individuals, families, society and business. REFERENCES (1) Stephen R. Convey (2004), The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.