Assignment: Leadership and Cost Company Essay

COST Company tried their best to grasp the sophisticated technology, thus the COST Company used highly to training the professionals, like the geologists, geophysicists, and the engineers. The COST Company also trained the skilled and semiskilled labor that run the company’s field operations. On the other hand the professional labor and the skilled labor, the two groups always occurs the clashed. As Martin Bouchard as the present and CEO in the COST Company, and his top goals was to introduce teams as a way of solving the morale and productivity problems at the company’s Alberta field operations site. According to those problems the COST Company hired Algoma Howard, who is a First Nations descendant, to be success in solving teamwork. Howard invited Carlos Debrito as the leader worked for the Alberta pilot program, and Debrito is a long-time employee in the COST Company who was highly respect by the employees in the Alberta Office, and Debrito was looking for one final challenging project before his retiring. There are three functional groups at the Alberta site; they are â€Å"operations† group, the â€Å"below ground† group, and the â€Å"maintenance† group. The â€Å"operation† group included the hourly workers who operated and maintained the equipment; the â€Å"below ground† group, which are the professionals include the engineers, geologists and geophysicists; the â€Å"maintenance† group who are the employees always on call. As the Howard and Debrito were the leaders in the COST Company, they tried their best to solving the morale and productivity problems for the Alberta field operations site. The first step was the â€Å"fireside chats† which is to get the employees together, ask them to give several ideas to solve the problems. As many people join the â€Å"fireside chats† and almost every session came to fisticuffs until Debrito announced someone needed to go out. Moreover, during the next session, Debrito and Howard established the â€Å"rules of engagement† which is better for them to organize. The next step for the Howard and Debrito is to introduce the official â€Å"problem busting† teams, which is the temporary team, and the team members are coming from each of the three functional areas and from various hierarchical levels, and each was assigned a team leader. Their aims are to help the COST Company solving the problems, and after they finishing the work, the team disbanded. Moreover, the problems what they addressed, which within certain cost guidelines and without the management approval. After this the COST Company identified the Colorado office as their next facility, Howard want to introduce her leadership of the cross-functional teams that was successful in the Alberta, however, the employees are all stressful in the Colorado. On the following paragraph, I will focus on what the Howard and Debrito did in the COST Company. 2. 0 Team development stages The role of Algoma Howard and Carlos Debrito in Alberta As we can see from the case, the COST Company hired Algoma Howard, who was the First Nations descendant. He tried his best to develop the teamwork program which is better for the COST Company to improve the productivity as well as the morale at the Calgary facility. Howard was success before by using the teams, he tried his best to bring the people together, and tried his best to coordinate the employees and everything, to let them understand one another’s problems and challenges, and coordinate their effort to achieve the organizational goals. Furthermore, his teamwork idea was success and was implementing at other COST locations after the pilot project. As we can see from the case, Carlos Debrito, he was a long-time COST employee who was highly respected by the other employees in the Alberta office. As he was a skilled and experienced employee, he was looking for a big final project before his retiring. Debrito has served in every possible line and staff position at the COST in his 26 years career timing. He is an experienced leader who knows the problems workers faced on both technical and business, thus Howard invited Debrito as a leader, who served for the Alberta pilot program. Therefore, as we can see the relationship from the Algoma Howard and Carlos Debrito in Alberta sites, Howard as the president in the Alberta pilot program, and Debrito as the leaders who served in every possible line and staff position at the Alberta pilot program. Thus we can say that Algoma Howard and Carlos Debrito are the leaders in the Alberta pilot program, who want to develop the teamwork in the Alberta sites. â€Å"Fireside chats† The first step what the Howard and Debrito decided was to get these different groups talking to each other and share the ideas together; this was the main purpose of the â€Å"fireside chats†. The chats were held in the cafeteria during the late afternoon, and the people who show up the chats have the free coffee/tea and some snake which were all bought by Howard and Debrito. Furthermore, the idea was to give the employees a chance to share the difficulties and unresolved problems in such relaxing time and relaxing places, if the employees get together and share the difficulties and the unresolved problems together, maybe they can solve the difficulties, or share the creativity ideas with the unresolved parts. Initially, there are only two people who attend the â€Å"fireside chats†, gradually, more and more people attended the meetings. At first, the early session was focused on the employees saw their needs, as well as the problems in working with other group. The disadvantage of the early session was that the sessions came to fisticuffs until Debrito announced that somebody had to go out, however, after this session, Howard and Debrito established the guidelines which are the rules of the engagement. Within the six months development, the â€Å"fireside chats† had involved lively problem-solving discussions focus on the three important groups. â€Å"Problem busting† The nest step for Howard and Debrito to introduce was the â€Å"problem busting† teams, which was the temporary team. The temporary team included the members who from each three functional areas as well as from various hierarchical levels, and which were assigned by the team leaders. The training by the team leader was including in team-building, shared-leadership, as well as the creative problems-solving techniques. The team was established for the solving the problems which from the â€Å"fireside chat†, after solving the problems, the teams were disbanded, furthermore, the CEO in the COST announced that the problems addressing by the â€Å"problem busting† team within the certain cost guidelines without seeking management approval. After a year and a half into the team-building program, the entire workforces in the Alberta were empowering to make their owner decisions as well as to select their own leaders. Team development â€Å"Team development creates a captivating atmosphere by encouraging co-operation, teamwork, interdependence and by building trust among team members. † (Motivating, Bonding & Aligning team, 2012) Actually the team goes through five stages of the team development, the each stage present its own challenge and in each stage, the leaders should adapt the challenging and developing the needs of the group. The team development has five stages, which are the forming stage, storming stage, norming stage, performing stage and adjourning stage. On the following paragraph I will talk about each stage, and I will combine the case together to analysis the each stage of the team development, and what the leaders need to do in the stage. First of all, I will show the graph, as we can see: Performing: Cooperation, problem solving Leaders: facilitates task accomplishment Performing: Cooperation, problem solving Leaders: facilitates task accomplishment Storming: Conflict, disagreement Leaders: encourage participation, surfaces differences Storming: Conflict, disagreement Leaders: encourage participation, surfaces differences Norming: Establishment of order and cohesion Leader: helps clarify team roles, norm, and values Norming: Establishment of order and cohesion Leader: helps clarify team roles, norm, and values Adjourning: Task completion Leaders: brings closure, signifies completion Adjourning: Task completion Leaders: brings closure, signifies completion Team development: Forming: Orientation, break the ice. Leaders: facilitates social interchanges Forming: Orientation, break the ice. Leaders: facilitates social interchanges The first stage is the forming stage, â€Å"during this stage, group members maybe anxious and adopt wait-and see attitude, they will be formal towards each other. There would be no clear idea of goals or expectations. Besides, they may not be sure why they are there† (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) as we can see from the forming stage which is the orientation stage and the members in teams tried their best to getting the acquainted. The members in the team tried their best to know each other and for the friendship possibilities as well as the task orientation. In the forming stage, the team leaders provide time and place for the members to understand each other, to encourage them for the social discussions. The second stage which is storming stage, â€Å"during this stage, team members are eager to get going, conflict can arise as people tend to different ideas of how to accomplish goals. At this time, they notice differences rather than similarities. This leads to some members dropping out mentally physically. (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) During the storming stage, the members in the team become more assertive in clarifying their roles, thus in this stage, there exist a lot of conflict and disagreement. The members in the team maybe disagree with teams’ goals; maybe disagree with the partners and so on. What the leaders need to do in this stage is to encourage the participation by each member. â€Å"Mem bers should propose ideas, dis agree with one another, and work through the uncertainties and conflicting perceptions about team tasks and goals† (Richard L. Daft, 2012) The third stage is norming stage, â€Å"this stage is when people begin to recognize ways in which they are alike. They realize that they are in this together. Hence, they tend to get more social and may forget their focus in favor of having a good time. This is the time to help with training if applicable. It becomes important to encourage them in order to feel comfortable with each other and with systems. Also, the group needs to stay focus on goal† (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) As we can see from the norming stage, in this stage the conflict is resolved and the tem is getting harmony and unity emerge, and what the leaders need to do is to help clarifying the teams’ values and norms. The fourth stage is the performance stage, â€Å"this stage is when tea members are trained, competent, as well as able to do their own problem-solving. At this time, ways need to be looked t in order to challenge then as well as develop them. The team is mature now. The members understand their roles and responsibilities. † (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) during this stage, it is emphasis on solving the problems and accomplishing the assigned task. Members are all committed to the teams’ mission, the members are coordinated with each other for the problems solving. During this stage, the leader should concentrate on the higher task performances. The last stage is the adjourning stage, in this stage we can see that the team has limited task to perform and disbanded eventually. In this stage, it is emphasis on the wrapping up and gearing down. The members in this stage feel heighted emotionality, strong cohesiveness and regret for the teams’ disbandment. During this stage, the leaders should signify the team has disbanded. Combine the COST Company’s case According to the case we can see that the Howard and the Debrito are the leaders in the Alberta pilot program. As we can see that the Howard and Debrito established the â€Å"fireside chats† which is open for the employees, and it is the optional meetings provide for the employees and to getting the acquainted, and to get the different groups together to share the ideas, this is the idea for the â€Å"fireside chats†, and the fireside chats was established in the cafeteria which provide the free coffee, tea and snake for the employees. First of all, the only people who showed up the meeting were the couple of engineers. Thus Debrito and Howards go to a small talk with the couple of the engineers, thus we can see that the first day of meeting was the forming stage of the team development. After the first meeting, the words spread, and gradually, many people attended the meetings, thus the early sessions focused on talking about the each group’s needs, and the problems in other groups. This is also the forming stage in the team development, however, during the one session, there exist the fisticuffs during the meeting, the fisticuffs stopped until the Debrito announced that someone need to get out, therefore, we can see that the â€Å"fireside chat† became the storming stage in the team development which the team occurring the conflict for each other. Furthermore, during the next session, Debrito and Howard establish the â€Å"rules of engagement† which is the guidelines to avoid such conflicts happened in the meeting again, thus we can see that the stage is the norming stage, which is for the leaders to solve the conflict and let them form the norms as well as the values in the company. As we can see that the next step for the Howard and Debrito is to establish the â€Å"problem busting† team which is the temporary teams for solving the problems which was unsolved in the â€Å"fireside chats†, thus we can see that the team was in the performance stage, which is the cooperation, and for the problems solving. Finally, the operation workers suggested that the team members should get rid of the weekly sessions and they could focus on their job, and limited problems for solving. Thus we can see the program already in the last stage which is adjourning stage; the team is facing the disbanded. 3. 0 member roles and leadership approach Member roles In the team there are two types of roles one is task specialist and the other is the socio- emotional, the two roles are different, they focus on different part. First of all we can see that the specialist role in the team which is focus on the task accomplishment by the human needs. On the other hand, we can see that socio-emotional role in a team which is focus on the people’s emotion needs. Task specialist is an employee who is assigned to the development of valid and reliable tasks for other people working for one and the same organization. † (Glossary, 2012) as we can see that the task specialist who focus on the task accomplishment over the people’s needs, thus the â€Å"task specialist knows and understand task management standard, performance measure, and assessment practices required for identifying and developing tasks descriptions and for use by dedicated human resources† (Glossary, 2012) there are several behaviors which display the task specialist. First of all, the task specialists are the persons who always propose the new solutions for solving the team problems, which is so called initiate ideas. Secondly, the task specialists are the persons who provide the opinions on the task accomplishment, also give the fair chances to others’ suggestions. Thirdly, the task specialists are the persons who always seeking the information which is asking for the task-reverent facts. Fourthly, the task specialists are the persons who get a various ideas of the problems at hand, and summary them together, that is so called summarize. Last but not at least, the task specialists are the persons who encourage the team into action when the teams’ interest dropped. â€Å"Socio-emotional is a process that consists of variations that occur in an individual’s personality, emotions and relationships with others during one’s lifetime; Socio-emotional role team members devote their time and nergy to supporting the emotional needs of team members and to maintaining the team as a social unit† (Santrock, 2007) the people who adopt the socio-emotional role are the person who support the team members’ needs over the task accomplishment. There are several behaviors which are for the socio-emotional display. First of all, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who are warm and well to receipt the others’ ideas, and also forth others to m ake the contribution for the team. Secondly, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who are well for harmonize the groups’ conflict, as well as help the teams to achieve the agreement. Thirdly, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who help the team reduce the tension; they help the team to reduce the tensional environment, like telling the jokes. Fourthly, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who always go along with the team, and always agree the team members’ ideas, that’s we called follow. Last but not at least, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who always shift their own opinions which are better for maintain the teams’ harmony. In the COST Company’s case (Carlos Debrito) As we can see from the COST Company’s case, Carlos Debrito who is a long-time COST employee who is highly respected by the employees in the Alberta office and he was also looking for the final project before his retiring and Algoma Howard invited the Debrito as a leader for the Alberta pilot program. Debrito did a lot of things to help the Howard to achieve the goals, as far as I am concerned, Carlos Debrito displays the task specialist as well as the socio-emotional roles. As we can see from the case, that Debrito tried his best to help the Howard to achieve the goals which is to solving the morale as well as the problems of productivity. Thus Debrito established the â€Å"fireside chats† and also established the â€Å"problem busting† team, which helped the Company to achieve its goals, according to this situation; we can see that Debrito is the task specialist, who help the team to realize the task accomplishment, and he always proposed the solutions which is â€Å"fireside chats† and â€Å"problem busting† team, to help the team solve the problems. Furthermore, he always was seeking the information for the relevant task which is better for the team to solving the problems, and Debrito always encourage his members when their interests are dropped. Moreover, we can see that after the â€Å"fireside chats†, we can see that Debrito always helped the team to summarize the relevant ideas and summarize the perspectives for the organization. On the other hand, we can see form the case that, Debrito displays the socio-emotional roles in the team, and he supports the team members’ emotional needs. As we can see from the case, that Debrito find several ways for the team to solve the conflict between the labor and the professionals, moreover, Debrito tried his best to make the compromise which shift his opinions to maintain the harmony of the team. Thus we can say that Debrito display both task specialist roles as well as the socio-emotional roles, Debrito not only achieve the organizational goals, but also do a lot of things to consider the team members’ emotional needs. Leadership approach â€Å"participative leadership is a style of leadership that involves all members of a team in identifying essential goals and developing procedures or strategies for reach those goals† (wiseGEEK, 2012)as we can see that the participative leadership which is the leadership approach required all the members join the team to solving the problems as well as making the decisions together. As we can see from the COST Company’s case, which the Algoma Howard and the Carlos Debrito tried their best to achieve their goals. The goals of the COST Company are to solving the morale as well as to solving the productivity problems. Thus Howard and Debrito established the â€Å"fireside chats†, which is for the optimal meeting provided for the employees to understand them each other. At the first time, there are only two people join the meeting, Howard and Debrito established a small chatting with them and talk to them. After the first meeting finished many people know the meeting and want to join the meeting, thus gradually many people join the meeting, and the meeting becoming very important in a team. As we can see that the meetings are very important in the organization, and many people join the meetings. Furthermore, we can see that during the meeting many team members share the ideas each other, and talk to each other with the departments’ needs, making the decisions together, and solving the problems together. During this process we can see that the leaders using the participative leadership approach to help the organization to achieve their goals. Situational leadership is a leadership style that has been developed and studied by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey. The situational leadership refers to when the leader or manager of an organization must adjust his style to fit the development level of the followers he is trying to influence. † (Small Business, 2012)As we can see th at the situational leadership approach is the leadership style which depends on the situation, it is focus on the situations as well as the development of the company and the members in the company As we can see from the COST Company case, in this case we can see that the Howard and Debrito using the â€Å"fireside chat† to help the employees understand each other as well as share the ideas for each other, however, when the â€Å"fireside chat† are famous in the organization, there exist some conflicts between the member, thus according to this situation, Debrito establishes the â€Å"rules of the engagement† which include the guidelines that to let the employees obey the rules for the meeting. Furthermore, during the â€Å"fireside chat† developing, Debrito established another team which is â€Å"problem busting† team. This team is established for solving the problems which discovered the in â€Å"fireside chat†, thus according to this situation we can see that leaders who is according to the situations of the organizational development. Furthermore, as we can see that, as the â€Å"fireside chat† developed, and after this the members find the information is limited to share and the employees have limited problems to share, according to this situation, the leaders reduce the frequency of the â€Å"fireside chat† times. Thus we can say that the leaders who is Howard and Debrito are using the situational leadership approach as well as the participative leadership approach, which ask the members to join the â€Å"fireside chat† and share the ideas each other, and the leaders also adjust the leadership style according to the development of the â€Å"fireside chat† as well as the members’ emotions. Do you agree the project will succeed or not? As far as I am concerned I disagree with Algoma Howard that just has a Carlos Debrito in the Colorado project. As we can see from the case, Carlos Debrito is the employee who worked in the Alberta office in the COST Company, and he is respected by the employees in the COST Company, as we can see from the case he served in every possible line and staff position at COST Company, thus he know the COST Company well, for the each possible line and the staff’s position. Furthermore, as we can see from the case, that he understand the problems what the staffs facing now, and the technical problems that the company facing now, thus he is an skilled as well as the experienced employees in the Alberta office in the COST Company. Furthermore, he worked 26 years old in the Alberta office in the COST Company, and he knows the COST Company well. Moreover, as we can see from the case, Howard invited Debrito as the leaders in the Alberta project, and during the project, he point many methods to help the organization to achieve the goals, as well as to help them solving the conflict between the labors and the professionals. Although Debrito know how to solve the problems during the Alberta offices, Debrito know how to solve the conflict between labors and professions, and he has ability, he has knowledge and he a skilled as well as experienced employees and leaders. When happened in the Colorado the situations are different, as Debrito worked just in the Alberta office, and he do many researches on the Alberta office, and although he understand the problems of the employees, but he do not know the details in the Colorado office, thus if Howard just has Debrito in the Colorado project, as far as I am concerned it is not enough. The best way for the Howard is to invite the leaders who understand the Colorado project well, and combine the leader with Debrito together to solving the problems and help the COST Company solving the problems as well as achieving the goals. . 0 Conclusion: work team effectiveness What is team effectiveness? â€Å"Team effectiveness refers to the system of getting people in a company or institution to work together effectively. The idea behind team effectiveness is that a group of people working together can achieve much more than if the individuals of the team were working on their own. † (WiseGEEK, 2012) As we ca n see that it is better for the company to achieve the team working effectiveness, if the companies make the team effectiveness, they can solve the problems effectively and they can achieve the goals effectively as well. There are several ways for the organization to testing their team effectiveness, on the following paragraph I will focus on the methods what to testing the team effectiveness as well as give some recommendations for the COST Company to develop their team effectiveness. First of all, is the right mix skill, â€Å"team effectiveness depends in part on bringing together people who have different skills that somehow complement each other. † (WiseGEEK, 2012) as we can see that it is important for the company to bringing all the skilled, experienced together in a team to help the company solving to problems as well as to help them achieving the goals. Thus as we can see from the COST Company, when the Howard became the CEO in the Alberta office, he invited Debrito as a leader in the Alterta’s project, and Alberta is the employee who respect by the employees and he is the skilled people and experienced people. Moreover, as far as I am concerned, the COST Company should invite more skilled and experienced people, who can help the COST Company solving the problems as well as to help them achieve the goals. The second is the right motivation, â€Å"team effectiveness is directly linked to the interest that the group has on the project. If the job is too easy or too difficult, or if the rewards for achieving the end result do not seem worth the effort, the team may end up working half-heartedly in the project. † (WiseGEEK, 2012) As we can see that the motivations are very important to the team, if the team leaders always do the motivations for the employees, the employees will worked well and will help the organization solving the problems as well as to achieving the goals. Thus in the CSOT Company, the leaders in the organization should do a lot of things to do the motivations for the employees, make sure every employees are happy working in the organization, and to improve their working effectively. Last but not at least, â€Å"is the ability to solve conflicts without compromising the quality of the project, the team work has one major downfall. Sometimes groups end up making decisions they know are not in the best interest of the project, just so they can keep the process moving. Conflict is innate to any work done in group, and should be taken as part of the challenge rather than as something to be avoided by compromising. †(WiseGEEK, 2012) as we can see that if want make the team effectiveness, the organization has to solving the problems of conflict, as we can see from the COST Company, in Alberta project, the leaders tried their best to solving the conflict between the labors and the professionals. Moreover, as far as I am concerned, the team has to solve more conflict between the labors. All in all, the organization want to make the team effectiveness, they must organize the skilled person together, and to provide the motivation for the employees, moreover, to solve the conflict in the organization. If the organization establishes the effectiveness team, they can solve the problems as well as to achieving the organization goals. Bibliography 1. Susan M. Heathfield (2012) what are the stages of team development [Online] Available at: http://humanresources. about. com/od/teambuilding/f/team_stages. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 2. MSG (2012) Team Development- meaning, stages and forming an effective team [Online] Available at: http://www. managementstudyguide. com/team-development. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 3. Center for Management & Organization effectiveness (2012) Team Development & Team Building [Online] Available at: http://www. cmoe. com/team-development. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 4. Harvard Business Review (2012) Choose the right leadership approach [Online] available at: http://business. time. com/2012/07/27/choose-the-right-leadership-approach/ (Accessed date: 15th, 2012) . JoomlArt (2012) Five Approaches to Leadership [Online] Available at: http://www. roxburghmissionalnet. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=139:five-approaches&catid=45:leadership&Itemid=89 (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 6. WISEGEEK (2012) what is Team Effectiveness? [Online] Available at: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-team-effectiveness. htm#lbss (Accessed date: 15th N ov, 2012) 7. Mind Tool Ltd (2012) Team Effectiveness Assessment [Online] Available at: http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newTMM_84. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012)

What Are Some Techniques

Integrating Sources Techniques for Paraphrasing When you write a paraphrase, you restate other's ideas in your own words. That is, y oh write the meaning of the author's ideas. You use some of the author's key terms, but you use many of your own words and sentence structures. You include in- text citation, including the author's last name and year of publication. Following are some techniques you can use to help you paraphrase. An effective par phrase includes more Han one of these techniques.If you use only one of these techniques when paraphrase aging, you have not paraphrased effectively. 1 . Change a word from one part of speech to another Original: Medical professor John Swanson says that global changes are influencing t he spread of disease. Paraphrase: According to John Swanson, a professor of medicine, changes across the globe are causing diseases to spread dames, 2004). 2. Use Synonyms Original: The U. S. Government declared that the AIDS crisis poses a national security thr eat.The announcement followed an intelligence report that found high rates of HIVE infection c could lead to widespread political desalination. Paraphrase: The government of the United States announced that AIDS could harm t he nation's security. The government warned the population after an important governmental study conch dude that political problems could result from large numbers of people infected with HIVE (Snell, 2005). 3. Change numbers and percentages to different forms Original: Minority groups in the United States have been hit hardest by the epidemic.African Americans, who make up 13 percent of the U. S. Population, accounted for 46 percent of the AIDS cases diagnosed in 1998. Paraphrase: The AIDS epidemic has mostly affected minorities in the United States. F or example, in 1998, less than 15 percent of the total population was African, but almost half of the people diagnosed with AIDS

Destruction of Nature by Humans essays

Destruction of Nature by Humans essays We as human beings are very fortunate to be living on this planet that we call Earth. We toil over the land, and in return we receive provisions off of which we live. Even though we get all that we need from this bountiful land, we still for some reason feel like we need to alter it. In doing so we also end up ruining the land that we thrive on. We reshape the world to fit our individual needs, and the earth just doesnt work that way. Everything on this planet has a purpose, from the largest animal to the microscopic bacteria, and without it, it is impossible to live in harmony. In Arizona and New Mexico, a text written by Aldo Leopold, he talks about how man has developed the untouched land in the White Mountains of Arizona and killed animals in New Mexico, and now the lands are trodden on and it is not at all the way it used to be. In A Very Warm Mountain, a text written by Ursula K. Le Guin, she writes about how the earth is destroying itself because of what the human s have already done to the land, by the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens and there is nothing that we as humans can do about it. The Earth is being destroyed everyday whether it is by humans or the earth itself. There are both devastating and dramatic affects that come about when the Earth is changed in such a tremendous way. I believe that the common element in Le Guin and Leopolds text would be the theme of the destruction of Earth. The destruction Le Guin wrote about came about naturally because it was the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens. Although the eruption was a natural event, Le Guin blamed it on the fact that the mountain was angry because we abused the land with our human hands. The farmers took it especially hard, with six inches of ash falling on their crops during this natural disaster. Everybody takes it personally. Some get mad. Damn stupid mountain went and dumped all that dirty gritty glassy gray ...

The 6 Scientific Method Steps and How to Use Them

The 6 Scientific Method Steps and How to Use Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When you’re faced with a scientific problem, solving it can seem like an impossible prospect. There are so many possible explanations for everything we see and experience- how can you possibly make sense of them all? Science has a simple answer: the scientific method. The scientific method is a method of asking and answering questions about the world. These guiding principles give scientists a model to work through when trying to understand the world, but where did that model come from, and how does it work? In this article, we’ll define the scientific method, discuss its long history, and cover each of the scientific method steps in detail. What Is the Scientific Method? At its most basic, the scientific method is a procedure for conducting scientific experiments. It’s a set model that scientists in a variety of fields can follow, going from initial observation to conclusion in a loose but concrete format. The number of steps varies, but the process begins with an observation, progresses through an experiment, and concludes with analysis and sharing data. One of the most important pieces to the scientific method is skepticism- the goal is to find truth, not to confirm a particular thought. That requires reevaluation and repeated experimentation, as well as examining your thinking through rigorous study. There are in fact multiple scientific methods, as the basic structure can be easily modified.The one we typically learn about in school isthe basic method, based inlogic and problem solving, typically used in â€Å"hard† science fields like biology, chemistry, and physics. It may vary in other fields, such as psychology, but the basic premise of making observations, testing, and continuing to improve a theory from the results remain the same. The History of the Scientific Method The scientific method as we know it today is based on thousands of years of scientific study. Its development goes all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and India. The Ancient World In ancient Greece, Aristotle devised an inductive-deductive process, which weighs broad generalizations from data against conclusions reached by narrowing down possibilities from a general statement. However, he favored deductive reasoning, as it identifies causes, which he saw as more important. Aristotle wrote a great deal about logic and many of his ideas about reasoning echo those found in the modern scientific method, such as ignoring circular evidence and limiting the number of middle terms between the beginning of an experiment and the end. Though his model isn’t the one that we use today, the reliance on logic and thorough testing are still key parts of science today. The Middle Ages The next big step toward the development of the modern scientific method came in the Middle Ages, particularly in the Islamic world. Ibn al-Haytham, a physicist from what we now know as Iraq, developed a method of testing, observing, and deducing for his research on vision. al-Haytham was critical of Aristotle’s lack of inductive reasoning, which played an important role in his own research. Other scientists, including AbÃ… « RayhÄ n al-BÄ «rÃ… «nÄ «, Ibn Sina, and Robert Grosseteste also developed models of scientific reasoning to test their own theories. Though they frequently disagreed with one another and Aristotle, those disagreements and refinements of their methods led to the scientific method we have today. Following those major developments, particularly Grosseteste’s work, Roger Bacon developed his own cycle of observation (seeing that something occurs), hypothesis (making a guess about why that thing occurs), experimentation (testing that the thing occurs), and verification (an outside person ensuring that the result of the experiment is consistent). After joining the Franciscan Order, Bacon was granted a special commission to write about science; typically, Friars were not allowed to write books or pamphlets. With this commission, Bacon outlined important tenets of the scientific method, including causes of error, methods of knowledge, and the differences between speculative and experimental science. He also used his own principles to investigate the causes of a rainbow, demonstrating the method’s effectiveness. Scientific Revolution Throughout the Renaissance, more great thinkers became involved in devising a thorough, rigorous method of scientific study. Francis Bacon brought inductive reasoning further into the method, whereas Descartes argued that the laws of the universe meant that deductive reasoning was sufficient. Galileo’s research was also inductive reasoning-heavy, as he believed that researchers could not account for every possible variable; therefore, repetition was necessary to eliminate faulty hypotheses and experiments. All of this led to the birth of the Scientific Revolution, which took place during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1660, a group of philosophers and physicians joined together to work on scientific advancement. After approval from England’s crown, the group became known as the Royal Society, which helped create a thriving scientific community and an early academic journal to help introduce rigorous study and peer review. Previous generations of scientists had touched on the importance of induction and deduction, but Sir Isaac Newton proposed that both were equally important. This contribution helped establish the importance of multiple kinds of reasoning, leading to more rigorous study. As science began to splinter into separate areas of study, it became necessary to define different methods for different fields. Karl Popper was a leader in this area- he established that science could be subject to error, sometimes intentionally. This was particularly tricky for â€Å"soft† sciences like psychology and social sciences, which require different methods. Popper’s theories furthered the divide between sciences like psychology and â€Å"hard† sciences like chemistry or physics. Paul Feyerabend argued that Popper’s methods were too restrictive for certain fields, and followed a less restrictive method hinged on â€Å"anything goes,† as great scientists had made discoveries without the Scientific Method. Feyerabend suggested that throughout history scientists had adapted their methods as necessary, and that sometimes it would be necessary to break the rules. This approach suited social and behavioral scientists particularly well, leading to a more diverse range of models for scientists in multiple fields to use. The Scientific Method Steps Though different fields may have variations on the model, the basic scientific method is as follows: #1: Make Observations Notice something, such as the air temperature during the winter, what happens when ice cream melts, or how your plants behave when you forget to water them. #2: Ask a Question Turn your observation into a question. Why is the temperature lower during the winter? Why does my ice cream melt? Why does my toast always fall butter-side down? This step can also include doing some research. You may be able to find answers to these questions already, but you can still test them! #3: Make a Hypothesis A hypothesis is an educated guess of the answer to your question. Why does your toast always fall butter-side down? Maybe it’s because the butter makes that side of the bread heavier. A good hypothesis leads to a prediction that you can test, phrased as an if/then statement. In this case, we can pick something like, â€Å"If toast is buttered, then it will hit the ground butter-first.† #4: Experiment Your experiment is designed to test whether your predication about what will happen is true. A good experiment will test one variable at a time- for example, we’re trying to test whether butter weighs down one side of toast, making it more likely to hit the ground first. The unbuttered toast is our control variable. If we determine the chance that a slice of unbuttered toast, marked with a dot, will hit the ground on a particular side, we can compare those results to our buttered toast to see if there’s a correlation between the presence of butter and which way the toast falls. If we decided not to toast the bread, that would be introducing a new question- whether or not toasting the bread has any impact on how it falls. Since that’s not part of our test, we’ll stick with determining whether the presence of butter has any impact on which side hits the ground first. #5: Analyze Data After our experiment, we discover that both buttered toast and unbuttered toast have a 50/50 chance of hitting the ground on the buttered or marked side when dropped from a consistent height, straight down. It looks like our hypothesis was incorrect- it’s not the butter that makes the toast hit the ground in a particular way, so it must be something else. Since we didn’t get the desired result, it’s back to the drawing board. Our hypothesis wasn’t correct, so we’ll need to start fresh. Now that you think about it, your toast seems to hit the ground butter-first when it slides off your plate, not when you drop it from a consistent height. That can be the basis for your new experiment. #6: Communicate Your Results Good science needs verification. Your experiment should be replicable by other people, so you can put together a report about how you ran your experiment to see if other peoples’ findings are consistent with yours. This may be useful for class or a science fair. Professional scientists may publish their findings in scientific journals, where other scientists can read and attempt their own versions of the same experiments. Being part of a scientific community helps your experiments be stronger because other people can see if there are flaws in your approach- such as if you tested with different kinds of bread, or sometimes used peanut butter instead of butter- that can lead you closer to a good answer. A Scientific Method Example: Falling Toast We’ve run through a quick recap of the scientific method steps, but let’s look a little deeper by trying again to figure out why toast so often falls butter side down. #1: Make Observations At the end of our last experiment, where we learned that butter doesn’t actually make toast more likely to hit the ground on that side, we remembered that the times when our toast hits the ground butter side first are usually when it’s falling off a plate. #2: Ask a Question The easiest question we can ask is, â€Å"Why is that?† We can actually search this online and find a pretty detailed answer as to why this is true. But we’re budding scientists- we want to see it in action and verify it for ourselves! After all, good science should be replicable, and we have all the tools we need to test out what’s really going on. #3: Make a Hypothesis Why do we think that buttered toast hits the ground butter-first? We know it’s not because it’s heavier, so we can strike that out. Maybe it’s because of the shape of our plate? That’s something we can test. We’ll phrase our hypothesis as, â€Å"If my toast slides off my plate, then it will fall butter-side down.† #4: Experiment Just seeing that toast falls off a plate butter-side down isn’t enough for us. We want to know why, so we’re going to take things a step further- we’ll set up a slow-motion camera to capture what happens as the toast slides off the plate. We’ll run the test ten times, each time tilting the same plate until the toast slides off. We’ll make note of each time the butter side lands first and see what’s happening on the video so we can see what’s going on. #5: Analyze Data When we review the footage, we’ll likely notice that the bread starts to flip when it slides off the edge, changing how it falls in a way that didn’t happen when we dropped it ourselves. That answers our question, but it’s not the complete picture- how do other plates affect how often toast hits the ground butter-first? What if the toast is already butter-side down when it falls? These are things we can test in further experiments with new hypotheses! #6: Communicate Your Results Now that we have results, we can share them with others who can verify our results. As mentioned above, being part of the scientific community can lead to better results. If your results were wildly different from the established thinking about buttered toast, that might be cause for reevaluation. If they’re the same, they might lead others to make new discoveries about buttered toast. At the very least, you have a cool experiment you can share with your friends! Key Scientific Method Tips Though science can be complex, the benefit of the scientific method is that it gives you an easy-to-follow means of thinking about why and how things happen. To use it effectively, keep these things in mind! Don’t Worry About Proving Your Hypothesis One of the important things to remember about the scientific method is that it’s not necessarily meant to prove your hypothesis right. It’s great if you do manage to guess the reason for something right the first time, but the ultimate goal of an experiment is to find the true reason for your observation to occur, not to prove your hypothesis right. Good science sometimes means that you’re wrong. That’s not a bad thing- a well-designed experiment with an unanticipated result can be just as revealing, if not more, than an experiment that confirms your hypothesis. Be Prepared to Try Again If the data from your experiment doesn’t match your hypothesis, that’s not a bad thing. You’ve eliminated one possible explanation, which brings you one step closer to discovering the truth. The scientific method isn’t something you’re meant to do exactly once to prove a point. It’s meant to be repeated and adapted to bring you closer to a solution. Even if you can demonstrate truth in your hypothesis, a good scientist will run an experiment again to be sure that the results are replicable. You can even tweak a successful hypothesis to test another factor, such as if we redid our buttered toast experiment to find out whether different kinds of plates affect whether or not the toast falls butter-first. The more we test our hypothesis, the stronger it becomes! What’s Next? Want to learn more about the scientific method? These important high school science classes will no doubt cover it in a variety of different contexts. Test your ability to follow the scientific method using these at-home science experiments for kids! Need some proof that science is fun? Try making slime!

North American River Otter Facts

North American River Otter Facts The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal in the weasel family. While it may simply be called the river otter in North America (to distinguish it from the sea otter) there are other river otter species throughout the world. Despite its common name, the North American river otter is equally comfortable in either coastal marine or freshwater habitats. Fast Facts: North American River Otter Scientific Name: Lontra canadensisCommon Names: North American river otter, northern river otter, common otterBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 26-42 inches plus a 12-20 inch tailWeight: 11-31 poundsLifespan: 8-9 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Watersheds of North AmericaPopulation: AbundantConservation Status: Least Concern Description The North American river otters body is built for streamlined swimming. It has a stocky body, short legs, webbed feet, and a long tail. In contrast to the European otter, the North American river otter has a longer neck and narrower face. The otter closes its nostrils and small ears when submerged. It uses its long vibrissae (whiskers) to find prey in murky water. North American river otters weigh 11 to 31 pounds and range from 26 to 42 inches long plus a 12 to 20 inch tail. Otters are sexually dimorphic, with males about 5% larger than females. Otter fur is short and ranges in color from light brown to black. White-tipped hairs are common in older otters. River otters use their tails as rudder while swimming. Hailshadow / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution North American river otters live near permanent watersheds throughout North America, from Alaska and northern Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico. Typical habitats include lakes, rivers, marshes, and coastal shorelines. Although largely exterminated in the Midwest, reintroduction programs are helping river otters reclaim part of their original range. Diet River otters are carnivores that hunt fish, crustaceans, frogs, salamanders, waterfowl and their eggs, aquatic insects, reptiles, mollusks, and small mammals. They sometimes eat fruit, but avoid carrion. During winter, otters are active during the daytime. In warmer months, they are most active between dusk and dawn. Behavior North American river otters are social animals. Their basic social unit consists of an adult female and her offspring. Males also group together. Otters communicate by vocalization and scent marking. Young otters play to learn survival skills. River otters are excellent swimmers. On land they walk, run, or slide across surfaces. They may travel as much as 26 miles in a single day. Reproduction and Offspring North American river otters breed between December and April. Embryo implantation is delayed. Gestation lasts 61 to 63 days, but young are born 10 to 12 months after mating, between February and April. Females seek dens made by other animals for giving birth and raising young. Females give birth and raise their pups without aid from their mates. A typical litter ranges from one to three pups, but as many as five pups may be born. Otter pups are born with fur, but are blind and toothless. Each pup weighs about 5 ounces. Weaning occurs at 12 weeks. Offspring venture out on their own before their mother gives birth to her next litter. North American river otters reach sexual maturity at two years of age. Wild otters typically live 8 or 9 years, but may live 13 years. River otters live 21 to 25 years in captivity. Baby river otter. ArendTrent / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies North American river otter conservation status as least concern. For the most part, the species population is stable and otters are being reintroduced into areas from which they vanished. However, river otters are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) because the species may become endangered if trade is not closely regulated. Threats River otters are subject to predators and disease, but human activities are their greatest threat. Otters are highly susceptible to water pollution, including oil spills. Other important threats include habitat loss and degradation, illegal hunting, vehicle accidents, trapping, and entanglement in fishnets and lines. River Otters and Humans River otters are hunted and trapped for their fur. Otters pose no threat to humans, but in rare cases they have been known to attack dogs. Sources Kruuk, Hans. Otters: ecology, behaviour and conservation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-856586-0.Reid, D.G.; T.E. Code; A.C.H. Reid; S.M. Herrero  Food habits of the river otter in a boreal ecosystem. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 72 (7): 1306–1313, 1994. doi:10.1139/z94-174Serfass, T., Evans, S.S. Polechla, P. Lontra canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T12302A21936349. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T12302A21936349.enToweill, D.E. and J.E. Tabor. The Northern River Otter Lutra canadensis (Schreber). Wild mammals of North America (J.A. Chapman and G.A. Feldhamer ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

Single Parenting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Single Parenting - Essay Example Parenthood has now taken a sharp turn and cases of children being brought up in single families have increased significantly. This has been as a result of divorce cases or children born out of wedlock. In other cases children are born by parents who are just cohabitating and are not legally married. Such children face a lot of challenges both at family level and society level. Such children are usually considered by societies to be illegitimate and thus highly condemnable. These children are therefore born with illegitimacy stigma and are therefore faced by several problems and negative altitudes. Thus, the school counselors should consider such children as a special group when dealing with them so that they can better address their problems (Katz, Dunham & Zimmerman, 1997). Research has revealed that there is a relationship between the changing family structures and children in respect to examination performance, the research shows that children who are brought up by both parents perform better are more resistant to peer pressure influence whereas students from single families... They also have a higher rate of dropping out of school as compared to those children brought up in a family structure consisting of both parents; they also have greater psychological and social problems. Variation of deviant behavior among the children from single families depends on what caused the single family structure. Studies have shown that those as a result of divorce are more likely to be more deviant as compared to the children raised in single families where one of the parents may have died or born of single mothers. The worst case of deviant behavior is when a child is raised by either a step mother or a step father who mistreat them in their early development stages. Such children develop very negative altitudes in life which often accompany them throughout their lives. While dealing with such children, the school teachers and counselors should consider their plight, so as to be able to assist them in an attempt to prevent them from engaging in deviant behavior (Shih, 20 08). Single parents are faced with numerous problems in raising their children, they sped a lot of energy and time in practicing parenting and yet their results usually have numerous shortcomings. With out help from the other spouse and society single parents try to raise their children effectively. However, monitoring discipline among their children is quite difficult since the burden is laid on one person who is also expected to provide for the entire family with all their needs. The children can therefore take advantage of their parents and engage in practices that are considered to be defiant. It might not be possible for the parent to monitor each child closely and therefore the children who have a propensity of misbehaving have an opportunity to do

Does Violent Video Gaming Have an Effect on Children Research Paper

Does Violent Video Gaming Have an Effect on Children - Research Paper Example Kim et al (2010) have mentioned that â€Å"excessive playing of video games may result in impaired academic performance (Kim et al, 2010). It is an accepted fact that most of the modern videogames are thought provoking and hence it can improve children’s skills such as numerical ability, problem solving, decision making, synthesis, analysis etc. At the same time, it should be noted that spending too much time for playing videogames may have detrimental effect on children as far as the academic achievements of the children are concerned. The increased influence of video games will force the children to decrease the time spent for learning academic topics. In other words, children who spent more time for playing videogames may spent little time for doing their home works, assignments or project works. Failure in doing home works may result in poor academic performances of the children in schools. Poor academic performances of the children may generate criticism from family and teachers which may generate frustration in the minds of children. Increased frustration may often come out in the form of violent behaviors. In other words, even nonviolent videogames can generate violent behavior indirectly among children. Children may discuss the themes of the violent videogames they played even at schools and they may try to implement it in their real life also. For example, Grand Theft Auto is one of the most popular videogames among children at present. The theme of this videogame is a motor vehicle theft as the name indicates. Same way Mortal Kombat is another videogame in which the major theme is fighting. Such videogames will definitely encourage children to do the same activities in their real life as they... Children of current generation are not much keen in playing physically hardworking sports and games; they are more interested in spending as much time in front of the computers, mobile phones or television sets for playing videogames. According to Gouzouasis et al (n. d), â€Å"the type of extra-curricular activities like playing an instrument versus playing video games has differential effects on the person’s skill acquisition and personality development†. The themes of majority of the videogames currently available are violence. Many people believe that violent videogames play a vital role in the personality development of children. Moreover, many of the school violence incidents are happening as a result of the increasing influence of violent videogames upon children. Children who engaged in playing violent videogames may try to practice violence in their real life also. At the same time many other people believe that violence in videogames may not affect childrenâ⠂¬â„¢s attitude or character very much. Videogames playing may have some utility as far as the mental development of the children are concerned. However, playing violent videogames may always affect the children negatively. Unknowingly children may develop violent behaviors as a result of continuous playing of violent videogames. Since children have less awareness in segregating good and evil, they may often try to practice the themes they observed in the violent videogames in their real life. Many of the school violence incidents are taking place as a result of the increasing influence of violent videogames upon children. In short, videogame playing, especially the violent videogame playing should be restricted among children. Parents and teachers should focus more on student activities and they should assist the children in the selection of videogames for playing.