Industry analysis & competitor analysis Essay Example for Free

Industry analysis competitor analysis Essay At present, the U. S. market is dominated by several major companies marketing weight loss products, such as NutriSystem, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. All of these companies sell pre-packaged diet food and offer additional services, such as weigh loss advice and counseling. NutriSystem specializes in comprehensive monthly food packages with a 28-day supply of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts. Its primary markets are the United States and Canada. A peculiar feature of NutriSystem is that the company does not distribute its products to the retail network but relies on direct sales instead: it sells its products through the Internet, telephone, and QVC, a television shopping network (Yahoo! Finance 2010). Jenny Craig mainly operates in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico and offers a range of entrees and snacks together with support in counseling at Jenny Craig Centers, over the phone, and online (Jenny Craig 2010). In 2006, it was acquired by Nestle, the largest food and drink company in the world. It also sells most of its product through direct sales. Weight Watchers is a global company that markets a wide variety of foods and snacks as well as online tools for weight loss. Its best known innovation is the point system: every food is assigned value in points, based on its calories, fat and fiber, which helps people to keep track of how what they eat (Weight Watcher 2010). Weight Watchers sells its products though a variety of channels, including retail. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that the segment in which all of the aforementioned companies compete is food and beverage market, the second largest segment of the market for weigh loss products which is projected to overtake the devices, accessories and services segment, the largest at present, by 2014 (MarketsandMarkets 2009). Lifewave belongs to the devices, accessories and services segment; here its direct competitors are Dermathol, Hoodia, Bell Lifestyle Products, The Pink Patch and a number of smaller companies.

Stereotyping Muslim Women in TV and Film

Stereotyping Muslim Women in TV and Film Countless stereotypes and misrepresentation about Arab Muslim women have been dominating the Western media. It all started with the theory of Clash of Civilization that was written by Samuel P. Huntington in 1997. In his theory, Huntington stressed that Islam has visible conflicting vision and action to the Western ideas of liberty and democracy, and that Islam is the main enemy to the West. In other words, Islam and Arabs has different ideologies than the west has. And that the ideologies the west have about democracy and liberty conflict about the Islam understanding of the democracy and liberation. This was the start of the stereotyping of Arabs in general. The problem of stereotyping of Arabs in general has been on the increase since the incident of 9/11. Arabs have been subjected to discrimination and violence since 9/11, a Muslim girl for example that works in a rental car company was simply fired because she was told that she cannot wear her veil, also a hotel employee stated that he was cursed many times and that people called him Taliban and Osama. After September 9/11 attack on the USA, the stereotyping began at its fullest load, that the Islam and Arabs are terrorists, cruel, robbers, heartless, religious fanatics, brutal murderers, and abusers of women. It resulted in the start of o the portrayal of Arab women that they are abused by men, and that they are sex object, belly dancers and gold diggers, and that they have no self esteem, and they are beaten by men and they are only do what men wishes and want without having any opinion about it. Following 9/11, the world started attack Islam and they accused Islam of being a religion of terrorism, however, among those attackers there were many who wanted to know the truth about that religion in order to know whether it is really a religion of terrorism or not. The media exaggerated in reporting the incident of 9/11 which resulted in making a lot of people believe that Arabs and Muslims are terrorists. Also Hollywood is a big part of exaggerating this issue. Cinema Producers and Film Makers keep on making movies that stereotype Arabs as terrorists and killers. They also stereotype them with the five Bs, which are Billionaires, Bombers, Belly dancers, Bedouins, and Barbarians. Jack shaheen in his movie Reel Bad Arabs showed that the western movies are obsessed with portraying of Arab women in their movies, but they portray them from their point of views. They didnt change anything during years of portrayals. Jack Shaheen said that the portray of Arab women mostly as slave girls, a woman wearing a transparent veil that shows her body, and that they are belly dancers and barbarian gold diggers that they are able to do anything in the sake of their well being, Shaheen in his this part about the portray of Arab women as gypsies and gold diggers is right and I agree with him that is mostly the case in western movies that portray Arab women. Moreover, in the Disney movie remake of around the world in 80 days, they represent that Arnold Schwarzenegger an Arab Sheikh, that have more than 100 wives slaves just for sex, which shows that the Arab men are not satisfied by one woman only and they want lot of everything even the wives, and this part also talk about El shariaa that the man has the right to marry 4 wives. Which the West refuses its concept from the first place, but they dont even understand the Law of Islam to talk about this issue or to misrepresent it in this way. But although they portrayed Arab women in different images the gold digger, the sex slave, mischievous, but after the attacks of September 11 the image of terrorists is the dominate image in the mind and the movies of the West. The TV influences the people in a tremendous way; it affects their attitudes and behavior, and affects their minds and believes. The media personnel take advantage of this point that the western people are ignorant about anything that relates to Arabs and they just know them from movies and TV shows, and they mostly are in the image of terrorist so they take of this point and represent Arabs and Arab women without studying them or understanding them and they stereotype them as the way they want the people to think of them. They succeed in this point that most of the Westerns when they come to think about Arabs or Arab women, the first thing that comes to their minds is Arabs being terrorists ,barbarians, cruel, robbers, monsters, beater of women, take women as slaves, women are just for their own pleasure. Everyone knows from western media and western image what image Arab women have in general, images that started by the orientalists about Arab Harim, Arab dancing, Arab women set as objects in the Arab world locked in doors, having no function in public affairs, Muslim women being inferior to men. These are the concepts in western media, in western films and in western cartoons, unfortunately. Most Arabs are submissive to being stereotyped by western media, but for Arab women the problem is particularly sensitive. It seems that the Western media is obsessed by the way a Muslim woman dresses; the veil in particular. Most of the Arab Muslim women are portrayed as fat, shapeless women in their loose dress and ugly veiled shape; they even do them as a caricature in some magazines and programs. In fact, the concept of veiled woman is always perceived in the west as shes having a life, shes always seen as a victim, poor, isolated creature politically, culturally and she is so isolated. According to Gwinn (1997), he said that the veiled woman is always reflected by the western to be the most popular way of representing the problem of Islam. In fact, Longtime ago pre Islam veils were customs among Greeks, Romans and Jews, but when Islam started and the Muslim women took the veils as a way to cover their hair as God said, the West started to identify the veiled women as the Muslim terrorist one. The veil that the Muslim women wear is seen as a symbol of threatening and alien status as mentioned by Posetty (2008) in his article. Images of Islamic dress are increasingly used in the Western media as a symbol of extremism. As a result, Muslims all over Europe and the West in general, are suffering from the consequences of such associations. The main problem as Ahmed (1992) pointed out in his article, has been that the act of veiling among Muslim women is associated with the lack of traditionalism and backwardness that does not fit into the modern society and among Western women. This reflects the theory of Orientalism that was stated by Said 1978, which asserts that the East and its inhabitants are considered backward, barbaric and outsiders to Western society. As mentioned by Edward Said in this Orientalist framework, the Muslim Arab women have always been thought as others; they are always considered as different from the Western women and the Western culture. The Western imaginary, Othered portrayed women as sexual objects, weak, and that they are marginalized in their own society. The Orientalism focused on Arabic, history, and philosophy, but failed to truly convey the lives and feelings of Muslims, their voices remained mute. Muslims, as portrayed in western media, illustrate two Orientalist assumptions that arouse concern and fear in Western societies. The fisrt as mentiond by Posetty (2008), Muslim women are oppressed and in need of liberation and the second is that Muslim men are a violent force that creates a threat to Western society. In an agreement with Mishra (2007), who has been studying the misrepresentation constructed by the Western media about the Muslim Arab women since the 9/11 incident. She has examined the articles published by The New York Times and other newspapers and magazines after the 9/11 incident, particularly, between September 11, 2001 and September 11, 2003. Through her study she found that issues such as rape, torture, and patriarchal oppression were all topics that related to Muslim women in non-Western countries. Additionally, the discussion of women in Islam tends to be centered around the burqu, hijab, or as it is called in the Western societies as the veil. Muslims women living abroad are facing a bigger problem than just a misunderstanding or negative image, unfortunately they are facing a huge discrimination between them and the westernized women. The Arab Muslim immigrant women are facing gender-based media representations as well. As stated by Morin (2009), the immigrant Muslim Arab women are subjected to cultural misconceptions and the recent political conflicts that have spoiled Arab-Western relations. These misconceptions that are created by the Western media make it hard for those women to live abroad without being discriminated and thought as others. In the West, clearly, negative Arab images rooted in history are providing a base for the stereotyping of Arab women in the media. In addition to the misconception about the veil, words such as the circumcision, polygamy, the sharia (Islamic) law, the harem, forced marriages, etc, are just a few issues that are associated with the Arab Muslim women, which resulted in fitting women into the absolute, homogenous oppressed Muslim woman category. News on Muslim women is dominated by the culturalist presentation and interpretation of Islam. In fact, the discrimination of these women, which attracts media attention, tends to be explained almost exclusively according to theories on Islamic culture. For example, when referring to the rights of Muslim women, the news discourse tends to focus on symbolic and religious issues such as the veil or Islam, and they tend to avoid more important issues that are related to the equality of these women, such as rights to education or public freedoms. These visions are removed from reality because they fail to take into account bond of millions of women to their Islamic identity. The Western newspaper articles mainly present Muslims women in three ways: as passive women, as victims and as veiled women. They are portrayed as observers rather than as active participants in their community. Their role as victims is reflected through the publishing of news stories describing conflicts such as the Afghan or Algerian conflicts in which women are clearly victims. Muslim-Arab women have increasingly been on the face covers of magazines and front pages of newspapers since 9/11 and all the events that followed; among the major topics covered were the war in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led Iraqi invasion, as well as the elections in both countries. For example, on the covers of National Geographic and various other magazines, veiled women demonstrate the western urge to discover what lies underneath the veil. Since the invasion of Afghanistan, the Western media began to focus on the unveiling of women as a sign of their liberation, which we totally disagree with. Images of women removing the veil serve as justification to many individuals for the war. Time Magazine published an article in December 2001 that told the story of 200 women who gathered together to remove their veils together in a post-Taliban Afghanistan. (Macdonald, 2003). As stated by Ayish (2010), news media has made it a point to document the lives of millions of women that are in need of saving from an oppressive religion. The news media, specifically The New York Times and Time Magazine, have employed divisive methods founded in Orientalist assumptions that provide justification for Western intervention in the Middle East. And as stated by Mishra (2007), the media portrayals of Muslim men and women in The New York Times reinforced the need for Western intervention in Muslim societies and communities, to whether help liberate Muslim women or to keep Muslim men under surveillance as they are considered as a threat and violence. In advertising, they are being misrepresented as well. The Western advertisement also used the Arab Muslim women in their advertisement and they didnt want to risk by changing the image that the west already have for the Arab Muslim women, so they used the stereotyped and typical image of the veiled woman harem, the mysterious veiled woman that is under the control of an oppressive man, to appeal to their customers of the west. They didnt want to risk changing the image in an advertisement and that this image is strong in the mind of the Western people, and they might lose money or even customers and they might accuse them with treason because they put the Arabs in a good image. They use the veil of the Muslim Arab women as a sex symbol to sell for sex. They think when they put a woman in a veil they will get the consumers to buy the product. And when they do, they will buy the mystery behind the veil. The Westerns are usually buying a false and imaginary image of the Others which are the Arab or Arab women. The continuous and repetitive of these images in the different types of media will make these images real in the mind of the Western people, and this will enlarge the gap between the East and the West The oppressed veiled Muslim woman in the ads may also be connected to the escalating intolerance and disputes surrounding Muslim women and the veil in the Western world. Media people should be careful with what they put in the different types of media so as not to spread false and imaginary images or believes about another culture or other people traditions, and make them in the worst image that could be, and make them by these images increase the hatred between countries and increase hate crimes and wars. Media people should see the sensitivity in the materials they publish, and consider these images will hurt or damage someone or not, they should study the Arab and study their traditions and their believes Shariaa before talking falsely about it in different ways and different types of media. Western fascination with the veiling of Muslim women as a symbol of oppression is often contradictory to reality. The west are portraying Arab women in this way because they inherited this stereotyping, and they didnt try to do research or study of Arabs and Arab women to see if they are right about what they are showing in their movies or what they are writing. They just took what they have watched in the movies and read in papers, and they started to portray or actually kept on the same way of this negative portrayal and stereotyping of Arab women, without the right knowledge about the Arab culture, religion, and mostly people. Conclusion In the West, Arab women are often portrayed through stereotypical representations and discourses in which they have no voice. The Western popular imagination, nurtured by a media which commonly lacks sensitivity to complex realities, is quick to associate Arab women with oppression and subordination. Arab women are limited to a debate between tradition and modernity in which they are alternatively perceived as model of a mythical cultural authenticity, of a drift towards extremism or of radical modernization. Therefore, they find themselves at the heart of the ambiguous relations between the Eastern and Western worlds, which was analyzed by Edward SaÃÆ'Â ¯d. They are, however, essential actors in the development of the Arab region, and it is indispensable that their position at the heart of all contemporary social, political, economic and cultural matters be recognized in both the East and West. Basically the media is the main reason of enlarging the gap between the West and the East, it keeps on pressing and pressing on the west and filling their minds with pictures, movies, and news against Muslims and Islam that arent true. Since September 11 until now Hollywood keeps on making movies about Arabs and Muslims portraying them as terrorists and killers who attack innocent people without any reason, while they dont make any movies about Israeli. The mass media not only exclude modern Islamist women but also, in general, the socially and culturally diverse communities of Muslim women living in either the Arab world or in Western world. These women are not only housewives, mothers and Muslims as portrayed by the media, but also students, researchers, entrepreneurs, domestic workers, artists, politicians, volunteers, activists, etc. In this respect, it is also not accidental that the media do not report on the evolution of pro human rights movements (including womens rights and freedoms movements) that exist in some Arab countries, such as Egypt and Morocco. Misconceptions by the media have resulted in misunderstanding Arab women. As Gwinn (1997) stated, ideas about the Muslim world have managed to deform much of our understandings toward Muslim women. Words such as the veil, the harem, female circumcision, etc. have managed to give an impression to some of the images associated with the oppressed Muslim woman. The problem now is how to convey knowledge to public opinion so that they know truly whats going on in the Middle East. Unfortunately theyre trying to build on peoples ignorance, or on peoples busy time as nobody has the time to read a lot. It is time to build on information or on knowledge that the Arabs are descendents of great civilization, Arab women have the right to live like any other woman in the world with their children and to have their childrens future away from humiliation, away from occupation. The western media is the one who damaged the image of the Muslims specially the veiled women, so they must take step and start to do campaigns, movies, or documentaries to correct the image of the Arab Muslim woman and start to treat her normally or even correct the negative images.

The Hogan Personality Inventory Commerce Essay

The Hogan Personality Inventory Commerce Essay The Hogan Personality Inventory is a personality test which is a measure of normal personality and is used to predict job performance (http://www.hoganassessments.com/hogan-personality-inventory). This tool has many uses and is used by both organisations and individuals. The HPI was specifically designed to aid business and commercial use and can be used throughout the recruitment process and to identify areas of a person which could be developed. The HPI was the first personality inventory to be based on the Five-Factor Models; openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. These factors are generally accepted by psychologists as the distinct personality factors (http://www.advancedpeoplestrategies.co.uk/Hogan-Personality-Inventory-HPI.asp), although other models have been identified. These five personality traits were defined by Costa and McCrae in 1992 and they are used for understanding the relationship between personality and the behaviours of people. The HPI uses the seven primary scales to help assess personality. The HPI analyses these scales which are believed to influence managerial performance. The seven primary scales are: Adjustment. This is necessary for managers to be able to react well under pressure, remain calm in tense situations and not take problems or criticism to heart. Ambition. Managers also need to display this as this shows how decisive a person is and how they would cope with taking the lead. Managers with high ambition scores know how to communicate effectively as well as encouraging team work and leading teams well. Sociability. This reflects a managers ability to communicate with their staff, how warm, outgoing and talkative they are. Likeability. A managers ability to charm and use their communication and interpersonal skills to talk to clients and their staff. This will improve a managers skill at building teams and maintaining trust between colleagues. Prudence. Managers need to display this attribute to be dependable, conscientious and hard working. This means the leader will be loyal to their company and will treat their team members fairly. Inquisitive. This is necessary for managers to be practical and imaginative while thinking strategically about the businesses plans and goals in the long term. Learning Approach. This includes a managers desire to learn and their aptitude in their training and their school work. It can be shown that School Success is steadily and moderately correlated with measures of cognitive ability (http://www.drbobhurley.com/pdf/HPIManual.pdf). The HPI originates from a man called Robert Hogan and is sold by his company Hogan Assessments. Robert Hogan is a well known expert and international authority in psychology. According to his own website he is widely credited with demonstrating how personality factors influence organisational effectiveness in a variety of areas (http://www.hoganassessments.com/executive-team). He has a Ph.D from the University of California and is a fellow of many different universities. Robert Hogan has quoted that between 50-75% of managers are bad managers and this is due to the fact that they can interview well based on technical knowledge but they have bad leadership skills. Therefore he believes his personality test can help to differentiate the good leaders from the good interviewees. Figure 1 shows an example output report generated by the HPI. According to the Hogan Personality Inventory Brochure the reports give the following information; how a candidate may react in various circumstances, the characteristics of participants and summarises the recommendation for job fit and potential hiring (http://www.hoganassessments.com/sites/default/files/assessments/pdf/HPI_Brochure.pdf). The graph in figure 1 shows how the person taking the test scores on each of the seven scales and shows whether the score is in the high, low or average percentile. Figure 1: An example HPI output report http://www.linkageinc.com/pdfs/Assessments/LFR_Potential.pdf%20HPI.pdf The report goes on to explain each of the scales in more detail, giving examples of characteristics of leaders with similar scores. For example in this sample report the person has a score of 72 for adjustment which is in the high percentile meaning this person can handle pressure well, not take criticism personally, expect to succed, be hard to coach and may overlook their mistakes. The report gives some of the implications of this type of leadership and for this example it is: compared to other leaders, your scores suggest that you usually maintain a positive attitude, stay in a good mood, remain patient with staff errors and mistakes, and persist in the face of challenges, frustration, and reversals. On the other hand, you may not realize when others are stressed, and may be reluctant to listen to negative feedback. (http://www.linkageinc.com/pdfs/Assessments/LFR_Potential.pdf%20HPI.pdf). There are 4 report formats which can be generated from the HPI. These are: a data report does not interpret the data in any way, career builder which gives the applicants strengths and weaknesses as well as improvement tips, management builder which gives suggestions on how the individual may be managed and the leadership forecast challenge report which analyses how an individuals scores are likely to affect their work and their leadership style (http://www.pantesting.com/pro ducts/Hogan/HPI.asp#). The HPI test consists of 206 true and false questions and one of the main features which the HPI boasts is that its questions are non-intrusive or invasive (http://www.hoganassessments.com/sites/default/files/assessments/pdf/HPI_Brochure.pdf). The HPI was created along the lines of the socio-analytic theory. The test therefore assumes that getting along with and getting ahead of others become the dominant themes in social life (http://www.psychpress.com.au/psychometric/talent-psychometric-testing.asp?hogan-HPI) Uses of the Hogan Personality Inventory Personnel Selection Finding the right person for the job Organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of finding a person who fits with their values, ideals and ways of working. Organisations are able to identify what skills a person has by looking at their qualifications and past experience but personality tests such as the HPI are able to help identify whether an applicant has the right personality to suit their organisation. Individual Assessment Individuals may use the HPI to help decide whether they are suited to a specific occupation or to decide whether they should consider further education (http://www.workreview.co.uk/whatis/whatisthehpi.asp). It can also be used to assess personal strengths and weaknesses determine the best method to develop careers by focusing on which skills need to be developed. Management Development Management could use the HPI to assess where their staffs skills could be developed to create a better and more productive work force. It can also be used to place people in teams, perhaps with one person more suited to leadership and the others with complimentary skill sets. Strengths of Using Personality Tests Personality tests are becoming more popular for selecting good employees. Rodney Warrenfeltz of Hogan Assessment Centres said hiring practices are commonly neglected as a key aspect of professional facility maintenance. Many now believe that the selection of the right employees is of key importance and the personality test industry is now worth $400 million-a-year as employers have begun to realise the value of good employees and costs of bad employees, one company estimated the cost of one bad employee as being an astounding $2.5M (http://www.csi-executivesearch.com/executive-search/cost-of-a-bad-hire.html). Personality tests can also withstand legal challenges meaning organisations can use this method to reject people without the risk of being sued for discrimination. Weaknesses of Using Personality Tests The validity and reliability of personality tests is often called into disrepute and some job seekers complain that having their whole personality judged on a couple of questions, does not show potential employers the scope of their whole personality. Personality tests are very costly to run and if the validity is dubious then organisations need to consider whether the results are worth the expense. A flaw affecting the validity of personality test results is that respondents may alter their answers to reflect what they believe the company is looking for. For example if a company an employee is applying for a job at has a reputation for having an autocratic leadership style then the applicant may alter their answers to a personality test to say they follow instructions well even if they dont. This would make the results of the test inaccurate and may end in the wrong employee being accepted. Detection of such inaccuracies is difficult as there is no way for an applicant to explain the reasoning behind their answers meaning that the organisation will not get the full picture of an employee. Strengths of the HPI The Hogan Personality Inventory is a popular test used by recruiters and in 1980, the HPI was the first instrument designed to measure personality and predict resulting behaviours in the workplace. A strength of the HPI is that it predicts the reputation and the opinions others have of a persons leadership style, not what the applicant thinks of their own management style. The HPI is very practical and according to the Hogan Assessment website the tests have a relatively short 15-20 minute completion time (http://www.hoganassessments.com/sites/default/files/assessments/pdf/HPI_Brochure.pdf). Other practical advantages include its online platform making it cost and time effective. The multiple choice format enables automated marking, making human interaction minimal. The test is available in a number of languages so the same test can be completed world-wide. This helps multi-national companies as applicants can be tested using the same platform increasing the validity of results as applicants can complete the test in their native tongue. The HPI is based on the Five-Factor Model. According to Costa and McCraes Theory when an individual is scored on these factors they will produce a complete picture of that persons personality (http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13139/1/What-Is-the-Five-Factor-Model-of-Personality.html). Extensive research has been carried out on these factors and statistical evidence demonstrates that the Five Factor Model is high in validity and useful as a predictive tool (http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13139/1/What-Is-the-Five-Factor-Model-of-Personality.html). The HPI has been based on over 500000 working adults, this is a fairly large base for the inventory to be normed on making the results more valid as these people have been tested from over 200 of the main industries. The validity of the tests is further proved with retest reliabilities ranging from .74 to .86. HPI archives have been kept since 1970 and it continues to be ones of the most widely accepted and used inventories for resear ch on personality (http://www.psychpress.com.au/psychometric/talent-psychometric-testing.asp?hogan-HPI). Weaknesses of the HPI The Hogan Personality Inventory is based on a series of true and false questions which doesnt allow people any allowance for expressing other opinions. In other words the answers that the people give when they are taking the test are very constricted. This means that the potential employees are unable to express their true feelings or explain their answers. As the Hogan Personality Inventory is validated on over 200 industries it could be argued that this is a key weakness of these personality tests. These assessments were designed to be general, apply to a wide range of situations (most were not specifically created for workplace application), and are not amenable to customisation. This approach means that the tests are to general to create a valid overview of a persons leadership capability for a specific role. Such measures employ a one size fits all approach, which (similar to clothing) does not provide a very good fit in most cases (http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3147/Trouble-with-Personality-Tests.html) Another weakness of the Hogan Personality Inventory is that it is based on the Five Factor Model which has been reviewed as not explaining the whole of the human personality. Some argue that models such as the Cattells 16 Personality Factors (1946)Â  are more reflective of the humans personality as they take into account more aspects of a persons personality. These extra traits could involve religion, political views and other environmental factors. It could be argued that the Five Factor Model only provides a snapshot of a persons personality not a full picture (http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13139/1/What-Is-the-Five-Factor-Model-of-Personality.html). Findings and Conclusions When researching the Hogan Personality Inventory it is very important to remember that it is a commercial entity and a lot of articles which I have read have been very biased and aimed at making the reader buy the product. Following on from this, there is very little literature outlining the weaknesses of the HPI, although there is a fair amount about the disadvantages of personality tests based on the Five Factor Model. Table 1 shows the British Psychological Societys review into the major psychometric tests, comparing them on their main ratings and their cost information. From this table the HPI scores highest against the other tests with a score of 19 while the only other test to come close to this is the Personality Inventory which scored 17 stars. Tech Overall quality of technical information, Valid Validity, Rely Reliability, Norms Normative Information, Cover Overall clarity and coverage of content. Table 1: The British Psychological Society (BPS) Review of Personality Instruments 2nd Edition Personality tests can have huge benefits for both organisations and the individuals. It can help management with employee selection and employee development and they can help individuals to identify areas of themselves which need improving. The practical nature of these tests can help to weed out unsuitable candidates quickly and easily and it is also a form of selection which can stand up in court. The HPI itself is a well known and trusted brand of test, due to the model which it is based on and the amount of working adults it is normed on. On the other hand, many individuals disagree with the use of personality tests in the selection process. The lack of ability to express reasoning behind answers means that many applicants feel constrained when answering the tests and many people are prone to faking their answers although Robert Hogan believes he has solved this problem with the HPI as he states that the data are quite clear-even when motivated to fake, peoples scores on the HPI dont change. (http://www.hoganassessments.com/blog/robert-hogan-phd/how-faking-impacts-personality-assessment-results). Instead he claims that instead of faking, people are engaging in a form of impression management and these results are more valid given the fact that they are gauging a persons reputation as a manager not their opinions of their own leadership styles. After evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of people using personality tests I can see organisations continuing to use them for the foreseeable future, especially as unemployment continues to rise and the ratio of people applying to the number of roles increases. It is a quick way to reject potentially unsuitable people and reduce an applications list easily. I would also conclude that the Hogan Personality Inventory is a valid test to use especially when used in conjunction with the other Hogan Assessments.

Give Science A Chance Essay -- Stem Cell Research

It’s no secret that stem cell research is a highly controversial topic that could potentially lead to big steps in the advancement of modern medicine. There are many factors that need to be considered when making an argument for or against stem cell research. Not just the physical, tangible factors (types of stem cells, possible uses and benefits, and funding) but the emotional ones (ethics and morals) as well. While understanding the reasons opposing stem cell research is simple, understanding the reasons supporting it may be even simpler. Stem cell research should continue because stem cell research has the potential to advance modern medicine and better our world. Technically, there is no defined function for stem cells within the human body and, in theory, can form into almost any kind of cell within the body. There are two types of stem cells in the body known as either adult or embryonic. Adult stem cells are defined as multipotent, which are cells limited on the many types of cells it could become. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, which are cells that can be developed into any type of cell. Stem cells can be collected from various areas in the body. Bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, placenta, brain, liver, and skin fibers are all examples of where adult stem cells are found. Obtaining these quality stem cells is thought to be the key to potentially finding cures for many dreaded diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and even paralysis. It is the powerful possibilities of stem cell research that make it such a valuable asset to the advancement of modern medicine. Possibly the most highly debated issues of stem cell research is the use of embryonic stem cells and whether their use is et... ... Ideas. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. 632-39. Print. 2. Gyatso, Tenzin. "Our Faith In Science." The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. 527-29. Print. 3. Winslow, Ron, and Gautam Naik. "Obama Overturns Bush Policy on Stem Cell Research Funding." Online.wsj.com. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 10 Mar. 2009. Web. 19 May 2012. . 4. "Stem Cell Basics - Types of Stem Cells." Stem Cells at the National Academies. 2009. Web. 22 May 2012. . 5. New York Times. "Stem Cells." Stem Cells. New York Times, 11 May 2011. Web. 22 May 2012. .

Kent State :: essays research papers

Thirty Years Later- Kent State Thirty years later, just after noon, the Victory Bell again rings through the green grass of Kent State University's Commons. The bell rings twenty-seven times; one toll for each of the four students killed and nine wounded by the Ohio National Guard May 4, 1970, and 14 times in solidarity for the two students murdered and twelve wounded by Mississippi Highway Patrol at Jackson State University May 15, 1970 Kent State University officials stopped holding Commemoration ceremonies in 1975, but dedicated students have kept the ideals represented by the Kent State shootings alive. For the past twenty-five years, the students of the May 4th Task Force have organized the annual May 4th Commemoration ceremonies, bringing such speakers as Jane Fonda, William Kuntzler, Dr. Hellen Caldicot and performers including Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Co-chair of the May 4th Task Force from 1995-98, and still considered the backbone of the organization by many students, Kent State senior Wendy Semon believes that continued student activism is the true remembrance of May 4, 1970. "The living legacy of those four students is activism," Semon states. "The only appropriate way students of today can keep that legacy alive is to promote activism and educate others." This year, the Task Force brought some of America s most prominent leaders of social and political change to embody all facets of the current movement. These speakers include; the American Indian Movement's Vernon Bellecourt, environmental and social justice advocate Julia Butterfly Hill, Phi ladelphia's MOVE member Ramona Africa, Global Exchange's Julliette Beck, political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal and world-renowned political theorist Noam Chomsky. Kent State junior Jeff Ritter, and current co-chair of the May 4th Task Force feels that this year's Commemoration reflects the unification of the current national movement. "So many movements are represented here today, the American Indian Movement, the environmental movement, anti-globalization, the MOVE organization. It's a real symbol of solidarity, of all the things that are going on today." Kent graduate student Kabir Syed, a ten-year member of the May 4th Task Force sees the Commemoration as a place for political activists to gather and connect with one another. "The wide variety of issues speaks to the growth of the social-political movement which exists in the U.S. We see a range, and yet, an integration of ideology here today. Though there are differences between us, we are growing aware that these differences need not separate us from accomplishing our tasks.

Do people success by emphasizing their difference from other people? Essay

Born to be different, individuals should emphasize and completely take advantage of their uniqueness in order to succeed. It is those differences that launch those who emphasize distinctness of things, into success. Through the stories of amusement parks, the theme has been manifested to be true for several times. Randy Guthrie, the ex-CEO of the ocean park, constructed Ocean Park by imitating Western amusement parks such as Disney, and finally launched Ocean Park into serious ‘financial crises’. Noticing that several amusement parks became popular, Randy built Ocean Park in Hong Kong after observing different styles of other counterparts, and imitated their instruments and cartoon characters in 1979.In the year of 2003, as more and more amusement parks appeared, as well as the attack of SARS,the outdated Ocean Park suffered from bankruptcy-threatening loss, 4100000HKD. Have no way to go, the then-Chief Executive of Hong Kong Tung Chee-hwa invited another innovative man, Zeman to be the head of Ocean Park. Allen Zeman, an ingenious entrepreneur, found out and explored uniqueness of Ocean Park, and eventually gave rebirth to the park. Considering closing Ocean Park as a pity, Zeman tried his best to save it. Wandering around in the park, Zeman noticed that the management and equipm ents of Ocean Park were seriously outdated and beyond ‘repaired’. After thinking for long time, he realized Ocean Park should emphasize its own peculiarity—its distinctive location, and should no longer imitate other amusement parks. The breath-taking beautiful seaside of Ocean Park is a fantastic vantage point compared to other parks. Zeman defined the parkas a theme park about animals, ocean, environment, education and conservation, and invited 15 designers from the United States to transform the draw-up blueprint into a cutting-edge aquatic animal-centric theme park. These efforts finally born fruitin2005,when the park made a profit of 95700000HKD.Also as all the change he exerted in the ocean park began to work out, in 2006; a record of 4.38 million visitors came to Ocean Park, giving it ticket sales of $539 million Hong Kong dollar. Emphasizing and taking advantages of differences, not only enable Ocean Park to be one of the most popular theme parks in the w orld today, but also launched Zeman to great success. Had Allan Zeman not focused on Ocean Park’s uniqueness just like Randy, neither Ocean Park nor he would be as successful as today. Nothing will be same in the world. Every individual should emphasize his or her own difference in order to success.

Introduction to Information Security Essay

Security Domains and Strategies Safety of data and information is a real important aspect of a company. Before we can create an outline for general security solutions we must first define what is needed. I recommend that we use a multi-layered security plan. There are a total of seven domains of an IT infrastructure including user domain, workstation domain, LAN domain, LAN-to-WAN domain, WAN domain, remote access domain, and system/application domain. User domain is essentially the people who access the information system. User domains tend to receive risk due to the user’s carelessness due to lack of awareness, not caring for policies, and security violations. These can easily be rectified with training. Conduct security awareness training, display security posters around the office, and send email reminders to keep the policies fresh in the employee’s mind. Another common threat is caused by employee misuse of the system. Employees might insert USB drives, or download photos music and videos. These items might contain virus’s which in turn damages the system. The USB ports should be disabled and content filtering and antivirus scanning should be enabled. Workstation domain is any device that connects to the network. A few threats might be encountered are unauthorized access to the workstation and unauthorized access to applications and data. These issues can be mitigated simply by enabling password protection on workstations and by defining strict access control policies. LAN domains are a collection of computers connected to one another. Threats for LAN domains include unauthorized access to the LAN, and unauthorized access to systems applications and data. The solutions for these threats are similar to that of the workstation domain. Another major threat are confidentiality of data transmissions via WLAN connections is compromised. Implementation of encryption between workstation and WAP is crucial. LAN-to-WAN domain is where the infrastructure links to a wide area network and internet. A few issues include unauthorized network probing and port scanning. To resolve this issue disable ping, probing and port scanning on all exterior IPÂ  devices within the domain. Another major issue is unauthorized access through the LAN-to-WAN domain. Simply applying strict security monitoring controls for intrusion and detection and preventing would solve this problem. WAN domains connect remote locations. For these types of domains it is easy for open, public and accessible to anyone that wants to connect. Create new laws regarding unauthorized access to the systems, malicious attacks on the infrastructures and financial loss due to malicious outages. Another issue is that most internet traffic is sent in clear text. To prevent this prohibit using the internet for private communications without encryption and VPN tunnels. Re mote access domain connects remote users to the infrastructure. Threats for this type of infrastructure are brute force user id and password attacks, multiple logon retries and access control attacks. To stop this from occurring creates user id and password policies requiring periodic changes. Set up automatic blocking for attempted logon retries. System/application domain holds all the critical systems, applications and data. Unauthorized access to data centers, computer rooms and wiring closets is a major issue for this domain. Apply policies, standards and procedures for staff and visitors. The servers must sometimes be shut down to perform maintenance. Create a system that brings together servers, storage and networking. These are a couple things that I have outlined that would make this multi-layered security plan a success. We must know the various threats for each layer and how to resolve each layer. This plan will greatly save the company money as well as lawsuits due to inf ormation leakage.