Produce a reflective report on your skills as a researcher Essay

Produce a reflective report on your skills as a researcher - Essay Example 42). Hence, the business environment today is more than ever in the need for astute researchers who could churn out new ideas and solutions governing the production, supply and marketing of services and goods. In that context I believe that though I am in the possession of some of the salient research skill, still there are areas where I need to work on to graduate to being a researcher with the apt skills and integrity. Before delving on my research skills, I do intend to profess my ardent belief that in the coming times, the managers who have the greater capacity and skills to engage in research and who have the capacity to come out with required information associated with business problems, do stand to have a better chance to secure a beneficial and meaningful career (Dugarm 2009, p. 17). I believe that in the contemporary information age, the ranks of the middle level managers will positively shrink in the institutions and organizations in the favour of those professionals who h appen to be good researchers (Abram 2012, p. 30). In the light of this conviction I intend to work hard on my research skills. When it comes to the purpose backing any research endeavour, I believe that it is primarily about the advancement of knowledge (Bell 2005, p. 100). So it is my belief that as a research scholar I believe in using research procedures and logic to come out with answers and conclusions in a most organized and methodical manner. Certainly, one can facilitate answers through trial and error; however such an approach eventually turns out to be erroneous and costly (Daymon & Holloway 2002, p. 128). In that sense I think I do have the capacity to put together the different concepts and to logically and methodically interpret them in the light of the new findings, in a manner that is very organized and effective. In any research initiative, it is imperative to place the ongoing research in the context of the situations and circumstances governing it. Since, I am a st udent of business, I feel comfortable to say that courtesy my academic background, and I have developed a fair idea as to the paradigms governing the research in the field of business. I believe that research in business is mostly applied in the sense that it aims to solve the practical problems (Rugman & Brewer 2007). Besides, business research is bound by cost constraints, as it is conducted for profit aims (Rugman & Brewer 2007). Also, business research is bound by deadlines as it is conducted to solve problems in real time (Rugman & Brewer 2007). Above all, business research is most of the times subject to an environment in which the situations, circumstances and preferences change very fast (Rugman & Brewer 2007). So, I intend to evaluate and gain on my research skills in the light of the above mentioned characteristics of business research. As a research scholar I have spent considerable time honing my secondary research skills. To put it in a few words, secondary research is primarily about seeking solutions in already existent publications (Rugg & Petre 2007, p. 32). I give so much relevance and importance to secondary research because it not only helps the duplication of ideas and efforts, but also helps mould the salient research questions in a manner that supports further primary research (Rugg & Petre 2007). Hence, to me secondary and primary research is the two sides of

Stalins manipulation of the central organs of the Communist Party Essay Example for Free

Stalins manipulation of the central organs of the Communist Party Essay Stalins manipulation of the central organs of the Communist Party was they key reason for his rise to power by 1929. How far do you agree with this statement? Use the sources and your own knowledge to answer the question. The rise of Stalin to his position of extreme power is a result of a number of factors varying from Stalins personal characteristics and political skills to the situation of Russia in the years 1924.29. The argument that Stalin came to power as a result of his control of the central organs is strong. However, it is vital that the other factors are not dismissed as they all play an importance in Stalins rise to power. Source A strongly supports the argument that it was his control of the party that resulted in his rise to power by explaining how Stalin had total control over the party and was able to allows his supporters to move up to the higher levels of the party, in which his main rivals were replaced with. Stalins control and organisation of the Secretariat was a key factor that helped him to gradually replace his opponents with his supporters, therefore allowing him to maximise his support of the whole party. This source explains how it was not only the control of the central organs but also Stalins political cunning that was key to his rise in power. Stalins Source B supports this argument to a certain extent but explores other factors that were vital to his rise in power. This includes Stalins policies and in particular Socialism in one country which urged for modernisation through industrialisation without the help of those outside. This policy carried undertones of nationalism and patriotism, appealing to the masses despite it clearly going against the Marxist theory. Socialism in one country proved far more popular than Permanent Revolution as it gave the Russians historic roles. However, it was not just this one policy that contributed to his popularity. His positions on the NEP and his decision to go for rapid industrialisation at the end of the 1920s were supported by the majority of the party. It can also be inferred from the source that Stalins political skill played a major role as he was responsive to the mood of the times and exploited this to his benefit. An alternative explanation is found in source C where a modern historians intentionalist interpretation of Stalins rise to power informs of Stalins ruthlessness being of great benefit to him. Furthermore, during the 1920s Stalin would often speak last at Politburo (The key decision making body) and would float in and out of alliances. His lack of loyalty to any of his colleagues was extremely beneficial to him, as he would cunningly float in and out of alliances as a way of gaining popularity. This was the case with Stalins change of policy on the NEP when he turned and attacked the right wing of the party and adopted the very policies of which he had smashed with the left of the party. Stalins cunning and intelligent political attributes are key in his rise to power. Furthermore, the source offers the idea that his own personal characteristics, being a disloyal and ruthless, played a dominant part in his climb to supreme power. However, there are a number of arguments that have not been presented in the sources. Stalins political skills, personal characteristics, policies and his control of the party organs have all been contested in the sources but there are many other factors that must be considered. Firstly is Stalins position in 1924 before Lenins death. Stalin had began to lay the foundations for his rise to power before Lenin was dead by exploiting the weakness of the central organs due to Lenins ill health. As a result of Stalin laying the foundations when Lenin was still in power he was able to become General Secretary in 1924. This came about due to Stalin being the link between the leader Lenin and the Politburo. The position of Stalin before Lenins death is a factor that must not be ignored, as it was when Stalin began to lay the foundations of what became his rise to power. His role of the General Secretary was key to him becoming more powerful within the party and being able to have his supporters entered into the party at the higher levels. Secondly, Lenins funeral played an important part in Stalins rise, as he was able to show how he could manipulate events. Stalin played a crucial part in Lenins funeral promoting his intention of continuing Lenins work. Trotsky failure to attend the funeral just further added to Stalins growing popularity and raised questions about Trotskys respect towards Lenin. Another crucial factor that added to Stalins success was the weakness of his opponents and in particular, Trotsky. Trotsky attacked the policies of the party and believed that it was becoming far too bureaucratic. These comments were only to increase his unpopularity as the bureaucracy had grown in size during Lenins reign as leader; therefore Trotsky was criticising Lenins leadership. This was not a good idea as Lenin was a cult figure in Russia and a much respected past leader by the party members. He also came under particular pressure when faced against the Triumvirate (Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev). By this time Trotskys support was absolutely minimal and he made little effort to gain support or even organise the support he had. By 1926 Trotskys weakness was finally exploited as Stalin was in the position to expel him. By 1929 Trotsky was neither in the party or the country as Stalin had expelled him from the party and country. Finally, there is an element of luck that contributed to Stalins rise. For example, Lenins testament was not read out which was lucky for Stalin as he said that Stalin was too rude and even went as far as to say that he should be removed from his current post of General Secretary. Moreover, for most of the struggle for power, Trotsky, whom was possibly his closest challenge, was ill. Trotskys illness was the reason he was not in Russia for Lenins funeral and relied purely on Stalin for the date of the funeral.

Comparing Forgiveness and Marriage in Much Ado, Alls Well, and Measure

Forgiveness and Marriage in Much Ado about Nothing, All's Well That Ends Well, and Measure for Measure      Ã‚   Shakespeare never does manage to make the journey to the end of his comic plays an easy one for his characters or his audience, and as his comedies evolve, the journey becomes even more difficult. Tragic elements and more psychologically complex characters increase the intensity of the ending and often make a reader or viewer question if there will be a happy ending at all. Specific male characters in three plays act as impediments to this comic ending, often prompted by a villainous character and sometimes by their own doing. These men: Claudio in Much Ado about Nothing, Bertram in All's Well That Ends Well, and Angelo in Measure for Measure for various reasons are not ready for marriage or love. Living in a patriarchal society, they are often more concerned with fighting in a war or preserving male bonds than they are with being in love or being married. The problems that occur between the couples about to be married or just recently married are essential because these men need to grow up and become responsible. The only way to change them is to let them commit these harmful acts and realize the consequence. The women: Hero, Helena, and Mariana must be strong enough to forgive them for the hurtful acts these men have committed against them in order for some semblance of a happy ending to take place.    The "crimes" committed by Claudio in Much definitely requires a great act of forgiveness but Hunter feels that forgiveness is the essential element in this play. He point out that "the love of man for woman (but not of woman for man) is seen too frail an emotion to sustain the pressures that are frequently put... ...nter, "Forgiving Claudio"    Works Cited Dash, Irene G. "When Women Choose: All's Well That Ends Well." Women's Worlds in Shakespeare. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1997. Friedman, Michael. "Male Bonds and Marriage in All's Well and Much Ado." Studies in English Literature 35 (1995): 231-248. ---. "'O, let him marry her!': Matrimony and Recompense in Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Quarterly. 46 (1995): 454-464. Hays, Janice. "Those 'soft and delicate desires' Much Ado and the Distrust of Women." The Woman's Part: Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed. Carolyn Ruth Swift Lenz, Gayle Greene, and Carol Thomas Neely. Chicago, Urbana, London: University of Illinois Press, 1980. Hunter, Robert Grams. "Forgiving Claudio." Twentieth Century Interpretations of Much Ado about Nothing. Ed. Walter Davis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1969   

Affirmative Action: Executive Order 11246

The Webster†s New World Dictionary defines affirmative action as â€Å"a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups. † President Lyndon Johnson issued executive Order 11246. This required federal contractors to take â€Å"affirmative action† to increase the number of minorities that they employed. President Johnson†s order he put in place has since been twisted and turned around to what it is today. Such twists and turns include the hiring of unqualified workers, the causing of problems for groups it originally set out to help, and the reverse discrimination that results in unfair standards into higher education and the work force. Affirmative action creates an equal opportunity for people in the work force and for students seeking higher education. However, while affirmative action creates equal opportunity to for some individuals, it discriminates against others, primarily white males. Take for example some police forces. If a member of a minority group is hired over a more qualified person and they are forced to be in a situation they cannot handle then that is a major problem of affirmative action. Therefore, affirmative action uses reverse discrimination to solve the problem of discrimination. In â€Å"Assessing Affirmative Action†, an article by Harry Holtzer and David Neumark , says that â€Å"many firms where more likely to hire women and minorities with lesser qualifications, but also to give them remedial training, thus erasing the differences†(Holtzer1). In many cases you see that affirmative action helps most minorities and women but has its obvious drawbacks. In another article by George Gurin, â€Å"Sizing Up Affirmative Action†, he say†s that â€Å"To many colleges and businesses are being almost to open on who they let in and who they don†t only because they are trying too hard†(Gurin3). In my opinion I think that affirmative action is a great thing to have in today†s society, our nations development is credited to many different cultures coming together to form one great one. We will forever have the fight of discrimination, but there is not in my opinion one-way to satisfy everyone. As mentioned earlier affirmative action does hurt some of the people it set out to help. Consider an employer who hires a member of a certain minority group on the basis of skills alone. Many of the employees may automatically assume that the individuals appointment to that job is resulted from affirmative action. Therefore, an employee who does benefit from affirmative action may bear the brand of â€Å"not being the best pick, but the best pick of a limited group(Pasour). † Another part of affirmative action that is commonly brought up is women in the government. In earlier times people wouldn†t even consider having a woman in positions where they would be making decisions for men. In this day they were almost treated like the slaves that they owned. One of the only jobs that women did was to work in factories and low income jobs. Today women hold the top positions in some jobs. Companies are hiring and promoting women the same is they do men. Is this a result of affirmative action? When women were given their rights it was. Today it is easy to see that women are just as qualified as men at what they do. The question of having a woman president is still up for grabs. I think that it will still be a long time before society feels comfortable with a woman controlling their nation. That in it†s self would be another consideration. Would other countries take us seriously and treat us with the same respect they do now. In time affirmative action may be the winner in that a woman president is closer than everyone may think. Another heated issue with affirmative action is the issue of African Americans. America has been a racist country from the start. But as time has passed and people have accepted other races as their own. This was not until recently when people thought like this. In the case of the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), a special admission program setting aside 16 places in the medical school class for disadvantaged students, chiefly racial minorities, violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and title VI of the civil rights act of 1964(Regents2). All in all today†s society is growing towards the acceptance of different races and minorities. And one stepping-stone to that acceptance is the issue of affirmative action.

Environmental and Ecological Issues in Robyn Eckersley’s Perspective Essay

Robyn Eckersley, a renowned environmentalist believes that ecocentric theorists do not claim that anthropocentrism is the sole or original cause of the ecological crisis. She also reflects that environmental crisis is the outcome of humanity’s joyful and spontaneous instincts due to repressive social and psychic division of labor. As a matter of fact, she contends to the idea that it is the rise of material paradigms that people are in need of reconciliation with nature. She notes that utilitarianism in its very state undermined the essence of the environment which is why the veil of knowledge worn by the society is covering them thus colonizing the life-world. Eckersley examined the deontology of ethics inclined with the aim of making the recent topographical shifts within the field that are less â€Å"unknown to us (Eckersley). † To note, she states â€Å"utilitarian and eudaimonistic or therefore theological moral philosophy derives difference between good and evil from the effects which actions and attributes by nature have for the form of life of the actor and his environment (Louden). † In further illustration, she meant that the good deeds can conveyed as those that are considerably favorable effects for human welfare, while those that bring about the opposite are otherwise. Hence, this connotation also falls on the deliberative state of intuitive and formalistic ethics. Although Eckersley favors a rights discourse as a way to include the natural world in a liberal system, she admits that, â€Å"†¦the rights discourse becomes considerably strained (in all its dimensions) when we come to consider ecological entities (Eckersley). † She defines multiple human activities to be the cumulative result of the ecosystem’s components and that today’s approach towards this epidemic will not ensure sustainability. In essence, she is not against any form human-driven doings; however, she is not favor of the manner that it handles the resources that in the light provides for the very existence of human beings. The harvesting of the planet’s resources is seen to be detrimental to the future of the ecosystem and if such is prolonged, survival will be provided only for the few. Socialist critique of liberalism in comparison with the ecological state will differ in terms of morality and the deontology of ethics. It is apparent that not all deeds are the same when it comes to utilitarianism, sometimes, the ecosystem, being unable to air its share of sentiments, id reprimanded and oftentimes taken for granted (Rice). Humans are subject to care for those of its kind and the environment is not considered to be a part of it. In consequence, such is an irony, given that the human beings live and survive with the help of a healthy ecosystem—without the ecosystem, the members of the society will not be able to live. Policies, regulations and management may have changed over time. If compared to the previous century where not all are aware of the threat and the challenge of sustainability, the contemporary era now gives regard to narrowing the problems and eradicate or at least moderate in the utilization of resources provided that there is a massive chance that it may no longer be available in the next 100 years. The signs of climate change is a proof that laws would need to focus on combining good deeds not only for the people that it serves but also to detain the precautionary measures that may possibly harm the humanity.Accordingly guidance is considered necessary on the position of ecosystem mechanism that may be at risk (Rice). Works Cited Eckersley, Robyn. â€Å"Liberal Democracy and the Rights of Nature: The Struggle for Inclusion. † Environmental Politics 4. 4 (1995). Louden, Robert B. â€Å"Toward a Genealogy of Deontology. † Journal of the History of Philosophy 34. 4 (1996). Rice, Jake. â€Å"Can We Manage Ecosystems in a Sustainable Way? † A symposium on Sustainable Management of Marine Living Resources 60. 1-2 (2008). .