The forgotten group member Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The forgotten group member - Case Study Example For any group to form and establish itself, it must undergo different developmental stages. The first stage is the forming stage. This is the ‘ice-breaking’ stage of the group. This mainly involves membership of the group, as members are accepted into the group.At this stage, members do not know their roles, and mutual trust among them is low, as they attempt to know one another. The second stage is the storming stage. This is the most challenging stage in group formation. In fact, most groups will be stuck at this stage for quite a long period. At this stage, a lot of testing is experienced in the group. The members might test the policies of their group leaders. Members also know what their membership entails, as well as their roles in the group. These might also try to determine their position and relevance in the group power structure. Nonetheless, this is a problematic stage, which requires strong leadership for the group to succeed. The third stage is the norming s tage. This stage is the first where the group will exhibit considerable integration, after the chaotic storming stage. Members will exhibit commitment to the success of the group. Here, members believe to have their roles spelt out clearly, while the question of power in the group is addressed in an organized way, without any emotions involved. The performing stage is fourth, and here, the group is considered mature and functional. Most activity is based on looking for solutions to problems in the group. Generally, communication in the group is effective, and members perform their roles responsibly, without getting in the way of others. The fifth stage is the adjourning stage. Here, the group is considered to have served its purpose successfully, therefore, is disbanded. In this case, Christine’s group is still at the storming stage. This group is chaotic, and the members lack cooperation. They lag behind on the task they were assigned. Mike is stubborn and skips most group m eetings. Although the rest of the group members are potentially competent, they are not dedicated to the group. Members such as Mike are also giving Christine, their leader, a hard time managing the group. If Christine would understand the development stages of a group, she would have utilized the knowledge to push her group forward. She would have understood that her group was at the second stage, therefore, employed relevant strategies, which would minimize the problems at this stage. For instance, she would have enforced rules in her group. These rules were to have disciplinary measures for anyone who failed to adhere to them. This would have been a form of control in the group, as this stage is characterized by emotionality among members, which requires rules to control. Problem Identification The primary problem in this group is unequal group commitment and involvement of group members. This problem will cost the whole group. The secondary problem faced by this group is the que stionable knowledge and skill of individual team members. In this case, from Mike’s behavior, his skill and knowledge is questionable. This problem also affects the whole group. On the other hand, Christine faces a challenge in coordinating the group members. In these cases, one member presents the most problems in the group. Mike is problematic, as he fails to attend most team meetings because of petty excuses. In addition, he fails to complete his role in the team assignment on time, like the other members. In order to have prevented this, Christine ought to have initially considered the aspect of individual membership. For team effectiveness to be guaranteed, leaders have to put the right members on the team. This is with regard to their skills, personal attributes, and those who show interest in group work. Mike does not meet this criterion. Therefore, if Christine had evaluated him prior to granting him membership into the team, she would have known his weaknesses and

Nature, Nurture and Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nature, Nurture and Personality - Essay Example I believe that it is this base personality that is genetically determined and is the most important factor in determining the true nature of personality. While there remains a number of external factors that contribute to the development and change of an individual’s personality, my personal understanding is that ultimately personality is most closely linked to these genetic factors that are affected upon in a variety of ways by external cultural and environmental factors. Personality is related to culture in a number of prominent ways. Indeed, this question can be considered on a micro and macro level. On a micro level, immediate social relations affect personality as individuals must tailor their personality and demeanor to fit into a variety of social situations. While this is not directly considered an element of culture, it is culture that determines the social structures in which human beings interact. As culture is a learned phenomenon and has evolved over the centuries there are many such elements that influence personality. It’s important in these regards to consider what constitutes personality. While the outward expression of an individual’s actions has become the accepted definition of personality, can one more accurately identify personality as an entity that is more highly personal? In terms of the first definition, culture greatly determines how a person acts in nearly all situations. In this understanding, personality is also an evolving thing that is directly connected to the evolution of culture. As social mores and appropriateness change with the progression of time, or even with the change of one’s culture surroundings (poor New Orleans vs the Hamptons, for instance) personality continues to be strongly linked to culture. While psychoanalytic thinkers believed that personality was greatly affected by early childhood events that become rooted in unconscious desires and impulses (some of which can be

E-Business Paper Essay Example for Free

E-Business Paper Essay Businesses today operates under intense competition and are under pressure to provide a product/ service that is customized, of high quality, and delivered in time at lowest possible cost. The growth and development of electronic and communication technology has been a key environmental factor that has revolutionized business in recent times. Many successful business organizations have harnessed electronic and information technology, especially internet to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their business processes to gain competitive advantage. E-business involves business communications and transmissions over networks and through computers, specifically the buying and selling of goods and services, and the transfer of funds through digital communications. (Hutt Speh, 2004) Dell Computers is a classic example of an organization that has used internet technology to successfully refocus its business from a traditional business model to an e-business model. It has used Internet to improve the efficiency of many of its business processes and enhanced customer focus, responsiveness and relationships in all its customer segments including individual consumers, small businesses and large corporations. Dell is now able to align with its customers through the internet, on order management, product configuration, design and customization. This has resulted in better service and more satisfied customers for Dell. The Dell website allows the company to provide low-cost access to both order entry and order tracking 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This has reduced personal selling efforts and driven down the transactions costs massively both for Dell and its customers. The advent of globalization has resulted in supply chain of any organization becoming a key cost driver. Dell has used Internet to electronically link customers, suppliers, intermediaries and alliance partners in spite of organizational, geographical and functional boundaries. It has helped the company to drastically reduce the lead times as vital data with respect to sales forecasts, production plans, delivery schedules, shipments through distribution network and inventory levels at various stock points is shared amongst the participants of the supply chain on a real time basis. The unauthorized use of such competition critical information is a major risk facing Dell. Effective communication has always been a major challenge to any business. Dell has used Internet to expand its communication capabilities with its customers. Internet leverages the advantages of both, advertising which is paid form of non personal mass communication and personal selling which is face to face communication. Dell provides real time, up-to-date, low cost and fairly customized information to its potential customers in different segments. This has reduced the company’s expenses on communication mix to a great extent. The major limitation of Internet as a communication tool is that it is impersonal, though information can be customized to a large extent. The purchase of computers is associated with a fairly complex buying behavior, especially for individual consumers. The over emphasis of Dell on Internet technology may drive many of the customers, who are more comfortable with face to face communication for their information needs, to its competitors. Dell has used Internet technology very effectively to penetrate far-flung global markets. It has exploited the technology to expand its customer base all over the globe by implementing order and procurement management systems as well as sales, marketing and customer support functionality. Its website has provided it the necessary coverage freeing it from investment in sales force or â€Å"bricks mortar† assets in every potential market. The company also uses the internet to provide a wealth of marketing information with respect to the segments, the customers and their charging needs. Such information can be used for better responsiveness. Dell’s e-business success has resulted in the risk of delineating with members of its distributor channel who perform vital marketing activities. The major risk Dell may face in future is that it may not receive co-operation from its channel members when a future unforeseen situation may call for their support. So also most of the company’s strategic data is also available to its competitors who can easily respond to its strategic moves. The confidence and the security involved in electronic payments still remains a challenge to Dell. References Hutt, Michael, D Speh, Thomas, W (2004), Business Marketing Management, Thomas Southwestern pp. 117 – 144

Criminal Investigation: Electronic Evidence Collection

Criminal Investigation: Electronic Evidence Collection According to the U.S. Department of Justice defines digital evidence as information and data stored on, received, or transmitted by an electronic device and determined to be of value to an investigation. Digital evidence can be latent, time-sensitive, easily changed, damaged, or destroyed, and can transverse jurisdictional borders (National Institute of Justice, 2008). As with any evidence, to be useful in proving or disproving criminal actions, the evidence and how it is obtained and analyzed must be reliable. Therefore, the processes used to obtain, handle, and analyze digital evidence should conform to accepted practices and utilize industry recognized and accepted tools. Additionally, persons responsible for identifying, collecting, transporting, storing, and analyzing digital evidence must be knowledgeable and properly trained in this field as well as having a good understanding of the legal requirements for search and seizure of electronic evidence. Digital evidence is found on a variety of electronic devices and many of these are utilized daily in almost all societies and enable people to interact with each other both near and far. This form of instant communications and e-mail provides a means for criminals to communicate with each other as well as with their victims (U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Secret Service, 2007). When used in the planning and commission of a crime, the digital evidence stored on computers, network servers, storage devices and media, digital cameras, and other such digital devices can be valuable in solving crimes. Digital forensic investigators must also be cognizant that additional digital evidence may exist away from the scene, such on network servers used by email providers or social media sites or stored in online storage For digital evidence to be useful in solving crimes, it must be relevant and its reliability must be maintained throughout the process of search, seizure, examination, and analysis. First, and foremost, the search and seizure of any evidence must be conducted using a legal means, by either executing a search warrant or by one of the exceptions to a search warrant (National Institute of Justice, 2008). Once it is determined or suspected that digital evidence is involved in the commission of a crime, it is paramount that the scene is controlled and any digital devices and electronic storage media at the scene be secured to prevent potential damage, corruption, or destruction of any digital evidence. The scene should be fully documented to create an official record of the scene for later use by investigators and to aid in reconnecting any computers or devices seized. Care should be taken when documenting the scene to ensure running computers are not powered down or any evidence moved un til the entire scene is documented. Once the scene has been documented by either sketch, photograph or video, any devices to be seized should be either powered off or left with power on, according to departmental or agency procedures. This will best ensure any digital evidence contained on these devices is left intact and not damaged, corrupted, or destroyed by improperly powering off a device. Any electronic device seized should be properly labeled and packaged before transporting to preserve any digital evidence. If it is determined that computers in a powered-on state be powered down, then power must be removed by unplugging the power connector at the back of the computers power supply or by removing the battery on laptop computers. Packaging must include using the proper materials, such as cardboard boxes, paper bags, and anti-static bags to prevent the creation of static electricity or the buildup of humidity and moisture that could damage sensitive electronic components. Devices such as cell phones should be left in a powered-on state if found that way and should be transported in specialized packaging that prevents the reception of any signals (National Institute of Justice, 2008). A complete inventory of all items seized must be completed and each item must be entered on a chain of custody form. Personnel should also take care to preserve any traditional evidence th at may exist on these devices such as fingerprints or body fluids (National Institute of Justice, 2008). Once seized items have been properly packaged and transported, only persons trained and qualified in digital forensics procedures should conduct examinations and analysis of digital evidence. Anytime evidence is transferred to another person, the release and receipt of the evidence must be annotated on a chain of custody log. Additionally, forensic tools used to discover and recover any digital evidence should be court-approved or recognized by the forensic community and any examination or analysis of digital evidence must be performed on a copy of the original digital image. (National Institute of Justice, 2007). Electronic devices, especially those used to communicate with others, are in widespread use and often times, crimes are committed with these electronic devices. Digital evidence is not limited to cyber or computer crimes. Digital evidence can exist in a variety of instances where criminals, and sometimes victims, communicate using computers, social media, and cellular phones, as well as someone simply posting a criminal act on social media. The existence of digital evidence can be overwhelming in some cases, however, for evidence to be useful, it must be relevant, admissible, and reliable. To ensure digital evidence meets these requirements, agencies and department must ensure persons collecting, handling, transporting, and analyzing digital evidence follow department or agency procedures and that they are properly trained and utilize industry and court accepted procedures and tools. References National Institute of Justice. (2007, January). Digital Evidence in the Courtroom: A Guide for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors. Retrieved from National Criminal Justice Reference Service: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/211314.pdf National Institute of Justice. (2008, April). Electronic Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for First Responders, Second Edition. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from National Institute of Justice: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/219941.pdf U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Secret Service. (2007). Best Practices for Seizing Electronic Evidence v.3: A Pocket Guide for First Responders. Washington D.C., USA.

The Notebook critique Essay -- essays research papers

The Notebook By Nicholas Sparks â€Å"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life... but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough. -Noah Calhoun   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we were assinged to do a book critique, I knew right away I was going to do a Nicholas Sparks novel. I have read all of his books, cried many tears and felt many emotions as I pictured the people falling in love, people doing heroic events and people living their normal life. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to do, but I had to go with the book that affected me the most, The Notebook. The Notebook was the first novel written by Sparks and personally it is my favorite. He is a wonderful author who possesses the ability to have that deep heart felt emotion and love that many women search for in life. He wrote the book in such a way, that I as a female related to. I have felt the emotions Allie felt, I have been through the heart break, so relating and picturing events from The Notebook was never an issue for me, or maybe any other woman either.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Notebook is a book written about a forbidden love from the south in the 1940's. The main characters, Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton come from two very different backgrounds. Noah is a poor boy who works hard for everything he has, and Allie is a rich girl who is determined to go to a great co...

dark side :: essays research papers

â€Å"THE DARK SIDE†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sara was a 15 year old girl who had just moved into new town with her mom. Her parents got divorced and she was taking it very hard. She missed all her friends and family she left back home and she felt out of place. All she wanted is her old life back and be happy like she used to be. But that was impossible and she just had to deal with the situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She started her first year of high school and she hated it. She didn’t fit in with the crowd, the teachers picked on her, and her grades were poor. She gave up on her hobbies, like sports, and drawing; things that she enjoyed doing. In other words, she became depressed. Spending all her time daydreaming of a better life, during the night, she stayed up and cried. She felt so lonely, wanting to escape to a far off place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As those terrifying days passed, she met this group of kids. Others didn’t like them because of their gothic ways. Kids were scared of them, and became known as the outcasts. Sara became acquainted with them fast. They started to hang out more, she felt comfortable around their presence. She also started to like the activities they did like spells, witchcraft, rituals, and ceremonies that took place at the cemetery. She was fascinated and glad that she found her spiritual side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She automatically changed. She became this unknown person. Her mother and the people around her noticed that she became weird. But she enjoyed what she did, because it gave her a sense of power and control over her life. Although, what she didn’t know was that the witchcraft became her obsession. She stared to get more involved in it. Now not only did she did spells, Voo Doo Dolls, and rituals but she started â€Å"Black Magic†. Which is very dangerous, and it might even cause disaster. Her habits got so out of hand that even the crowd didn’t want to hang around with her, because they were afraid to mess with Black Magic. Sara believed so strongly in the evil powers that she decided to invoke the evil spirit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At midnight, she went to the cemetery all by herself. She made a fire and drew the devil stars around it with human blood. She kneeled down in front of the burning fire, holding the black book in her hands, she said the following words â€Å"EVIL SPIRIT COME TO ME, I INVOKE THEE†, and she threw a mixture into the flames.

Romeo and Juliet, Last Scene

Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare’s most well known plays and loved by many. It is a tragedy, where two feuding family’s conflict is reconciled with the loss of their children, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, the â€Å"two star crossed lovers† that take their lives. In this essay I will analyze the given passage in Act 5 Scene 3 (143) relating my discussion to the play as a whole. In the given passage, Juliet awakens from her drug induced ‘death† and finds Romeo dead along with Paris.Juliet cannot leave the tomb or even live without Romeo and decides to take her own life with his dagger. This does not come as a surprise to the viewer as they were told at the beginning of the play that â€Å"A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. † (1:1 3) Shakespeare not only tells the viewer right from the beginning that the lovers will die but he a lso demonstrates that fate is against them. In Act 5 Scene 5 Juliet foresees Romeo’s death in a vision, adding to the drama.She says â€Å"†¦Methinks I see thee, now thou art below, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb: Either my eyesight fails, or thou looe'st pale. † (3:5 109) Romeo replies that she too looks pale; furthermore saying that â€Å"Dry sorrow drinks [their] blood† (3:5 109). He even dreams of his own fate, â€Å"I dreamt my lady came and found me dead† (5:1 132. ) This dream of Romeo’s seals his fate and forewarns him of his death which is depicted in the given passage Act 5 Scene 3 (143). Lady Capulet also unknowingly condemns Juliet to her death.When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Lady Capulet says â€Å"I wish the fool were married to her grave† (3:5 112). She even ironically foretells how Romeo will die when she tells Juliet that she will find someone to â€Å"give him such an unaccustomed dram That he shall soon keep Tybalt company† (3:5 110) seeking revenge for Tybalt’s death. Even Juliet brings upon the image of her own death and of Romeos on separate occasions. When she finds out she has to marry Paris she asks her mother to â€Å"Delay this marriage for a month, a week; or, if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt ies† (3:5 114). Upon finding out about her arranged marriage to Paris, and knowing that she is already married to Romeo, she says to the nurse â€Å"My husband is on earth, my faith in heaven. How shall that faith return again to earth, Unless that husband send it to me from heaven B +y leaving earth? † (3:5 114) As seen in the examples above, the images of death and marriage often intertwine emphasizing Romeo and Juliet’s fate which was foretold and wished upon. There was one person, however, who tried to alter it- Friar Laurence.He marries Romeo and Juliet hoping that their marriage would end the feud between the fami lies. He says, â€Å"In one respect I'll thy assistant be-; For this alliance may so happy prove To turn your household's rancour to pure love. † (2:4 63) This shows the viewer that he is good intentioned yet naive and can not foresee the consequences of this clandestine marriage. In the given extract the Friar only recognizes the consequences of his plans and unexpected outcome when he finds Romeo and Paris dead.When Juliet awakens he offers to take her to the nunnery and then flees as he hears noises abandoning Juliet as he does not want to be associated with their death. Many Christians believe that the Friar tries to play God and even believe that Juliet’s death is made to resemble Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus died for the sins of humankind and Juliet dies for the sins of the two feuding families. Furthermore, gradesaver. com mentions another biblical reference, when Benvolio attempts to halt the fight in the first scene, he remarks, â€Å"†¦pu t up your swords; you know not what you do† (1. . 8). This same phrase is used by Jesus when he stops his apostles from fighting the Roman guards during his arrest. Shakespeare also contradicts these religious elements with erotic elements. To commit suicide, Romeo drinks the poison from a chalice which by its rounded shape symbolizes a woman’s torso. In turn Juliet kills herself with Romeo’s â€Å"happy dagger†, a phallic symbol. In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet die as a result of the poisonous feud between their families. With their death Shakespeare resolves the major conflict of the play as the families choose to reconcile.Fate and time is against the lovers. Romeo never receives the letter sent to him by Friar Lawrence informing him of the plans, Juliet awakes just after Romeo commits suicide and the families reconcile only after their death. Even though the audience knows right from the beginning that the lovers will die and are constantly reminded th roughout the play, they can’t help but feel heartbroken. There is however a glimmer of hope, as the night has always brought Romeo and Juliet together and on this tragic night the lovers will reunite in death, defying the stars.