Effective Team & Performance Management Assignment

Effective Team & Performance Management - Assignment Example However, effective team management is not at all a simple and easy task. Whenever a group of individuals with different approaches and mindsets work in collaboration towards common and shared goals, effective team management is the consequence (Cokins, 2010, pp. 81). In relation to the effective team and performance management, this thesis report intends to surface the key issues, experiences, and effective solutions to the problems encountered during the group tasks performed in the seminar activities. This is imperative to comprehend because the models and experiences would enable the development of the wisdom of how the learning experiences from participating in group-activities facilitates in developing personal reflection. Seminar is one of the methods that brings together numerous people under one roof to perform various activities and tasks that can bring forth the hidden skills and abilities of an individual. Several theories and models come under application that reflects th e effective team and performance management during the seminar activities. ... to the Goleman Emotional Intelligence, which is a behavioral model that helps understand the learned abilities including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management (Salovey, Brackett & Mayer, 2004, pp. 90). Reflection Reflection upon Seminar Activities Seminar activities involve a number of people who work in amalgamation as a team that can lead to successful completion of the group activities and tasks. In any tasks, the group members come across quite a few issues and discrepancies due to having different approach, mindsets, perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, personalities, mental ability, motivation, and prior experiences. However, the effective team and performance management comes as a result when all the members resolve the issues and internal inconsistencies (Cecil & Rothwell, 2006, pp. 375-376). While taking into account the first seminar tasks, it was about 'lost on the moon', where my team members and me were supposed to rank few items wi th reference to their significance for survival. According to this assignment, our spaceship had a crash-landing on the moon and it destroyed all equipments on board except for the few items due to which the scheduling of the meeting with the mother ship could not happen. The saved items included matchbox, food concentrate, nylon rope, parachute silk, portable heating unit, pistols, dehydrated milk, oxygen tanks, stellar map, life raft, magnetic compass, water, first-aid kit, and FM receiver transmitter. We had to select the most critical items that can help save the crew until the mother ship reaches us. While looking at the model of the Belbin team roles, the way in which an individual behaves and intermingles with other members of the team that lead to the effective movement of the team

Con side of John McCain's healthcare plan for Economic class Essay

Con side of John McCain's healthcare plan for Economic class - Essay Example This sounds like pie in the sky rhetoric to many economists. Insurance companies are driven by competition; therefore they act in their own self-interest. The interest of the insurance company is to insure as many healthy people as possible so they dont need to respond to insurance claims from the insured. Covering someone with a pre-existing condition, such as cancer is not in the best interest of the insurance company, no matter how much competition is introduced into the industry (Krugman). Also troubling is McCains ideological methodology for implementing increased competition, namely, decreased regulation. During the height of the campaign to be elected president, John McCain published an article in a magazine called Contingencies, which is published by the American Academy of Actuaries. McCain actually writes in the article that he would follow a similar course in deregulating the health care sector of the economy in much the same manner as we have deregulated the financial sector. Having the article published in the midst of the Wall Street meltdown makes McCains anti-regulation ideology seem dated and out of touch (Balz). After the Wall Street meltdown and the catastrophic failure of the market to regulate itself, proposing a free market solution to health care simply because it introduces competition sounds naà ¯ve, economically

Usefulness Of Symbiotic Relationships In Marketing Marketing Essay

Usefulness Of Symbiotic Relationships In Marketing Marketing Essay Symbiotic Marketing, also known as Co-Marketing Alliances and Joint Marketing Activities, has remained sporadic, especially in Indian Small Scale Sector. The studies focusing on the applicability of these Symbiotic Marketing strategies in the Indian context are conspicuously absent. The existing literature, conveniently assuming that the Indian Small Scale entrepreneurs possess the knowledge of the operationalities of the concept, has suggested this as a valid alternative system to their marketing problems. The present study is aimed at comprehending the perceptions of the Small Scale entrepreneurs towards Symbiotic Marketing strategies. The analysis is useful in developing programs aimed at facilitating these inter-organizational cooperative marketing strategies. In marketing channel strategy literature, a number of channel alternatives have been identified which firms utilize in distributing their products and services. These alternatives include the traditional marketing channel, the vertical marketing system, vertical integration, strategic alliances, network organizations, and the horizontal marketing system. These channel forms have been studied by market researchers relatively thoroughly and from a number of perspectives. However, one other strategic alternative has been identified and discussed by a few authors but has yet to receive the same level of attention as other forms of marketing and distribution. This cited strategy is the more holistic concept of symbiotic marketing, originally defined as an alliance of resources or programs between two or more independent organizations designed to increase the market potential of each (Adler, 1966). The concept was first introduced in 1960s, but has rarely been discussed by the market resea rchers and is generally dispatched as a synonym for horizontal marketing system (Kotler, 1991). However, the concept is much more powerful and comprehensive, than conceived by the lack of research in the area. The symbiotic marketing is comprehensive in the sense that firstly, it provides a strategic direction to channel considerations. Rather than develop strategically important core competencies and resources internally, firms which practice symbiotic marketing are actively and continually scanning both the external and the competitive environments for likely partners with such resources. This shifts the firm from being primarily internally- oriented to externally oriented. Secondly, the modes of symbiotic marketing comprise virtually all of the various forms of distribution identified in extent marketing and management literature. Modes of symbiosis include strategic alliances, joint ventures, co-marketing agreements, vertical marketing systems, horizontal marketing systems, and traditional buyer-seller marketing channels. However, distribution strategy employing mergers and acquisition as a tool, violate the spirit of symbiotic marketing, since the firms are integrated and are no longe r independent organizations, which is a requisite for symbiotic marketing. Thus all forms of distribution strategy other than vertical integration lie within the scope of symbiotic marketing. Since, not enough research has been done on the subject, extent literatures existing on strategic alliances and organizational networks has been used for the analysis since virtually all modes of symbiotic marketing is based on some form of organizational collaborations. Once the basis for symbiotic marketing has been established network analysis will be proposed as a tool for symbiotic partner selection and market selection. The underlying framework for this research is that the use of symbiotic marketing can return to a firm superior market success, if applied in a strategic manner, via such measures as first mover advantage, superior profit returns, and the ability to overcome barriers of entry into market niches dominated by well-entrenched competitors. Hypotheses will be proposed to test these assumptions. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The usefulness of Symbiotic Relationships in Marketing for firms to compete successfully in the local global markets and its acceptance by small business units in India. TOPIC JUSTIFICATION OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The primary objective of this paper is to address an apparent gap in the strategic or purposeful use of symbiotic marketing as a delivery system for a firms product or service in the current stream of marketing literature. Only recently has the market researchers focused on an attempt to understand the vertical marketing systems (VMS) and horizontal marketing systems(HMS), of which HMSs such as joint ventures, strategic alliances and partnerships have been studied most heavily. However, the researchers of these strategies have focused only on a single mode of HMS, whereas Symbiotic Marketing provides a broader framework for the researchers, to apply their desired analysis tool. Apart from the handful of extant literature existing on HMS, much of the research on channel strategy has focused on vertically-oriented channels such as VMS and vertical integration. This focus on Vertically-oriented Structures has discounted the emergence of horizontal strategies such as strategic alliances, partnerships and co-marketing agreements. The rationale behind vertically- oriented alliances or integration primarily gravitates around reducing transaction costs or achieving economies of scale (Heide,1994). On the other hand Symbiotic Relationships allow the firm to achieve significant leverage in the marketplace by not only accessing external resources but also identifying and exploiting market voids at reduced capital outlays. Furthermore, as the market segment boundaries are becoming increasingly undistinguishable, the firms focus is shifting from market share to designing strategic distribution programs that provides some degree of isolation from competition (Day, 1991), which is achievable through the use of Symbiotic Marketing strategies in niche markets, or using external resources for competing successfully in the global marketplace. Once the foundation for Symbiotic Marketing has been established and justified, network analysis can be used to explain how and why the firms will achieve superior markets via Symbiotic Marketing, providing a method for identifying potentially profitable market niches and guidance for selecting symbiotic partner firms for penetrating these market segments. Moreover, understanding the formation of Symbiotic Marketing in the network analysis framework is important because, firstly no adequate framework for understanding the Symbiotic relationships exists in the marketing literature; secondly business competition is increasingly between distinct networks or groups of independent firms operating as a single competitive entity; finally, there is a lack of marketing literature, focusing on the specific conceptualization of Symbiotic relations which need to be addressed. Thus an integrative framework needs to be developed to understand why and how firms enter into these types of partnership s, which will be useful to both academicians and practitioners. To achieve these goals, this paper will first, introduce and review the extant literature available on the subject matter which will provide the basis for developing the framework. The framework will be developed which builds on that introduced by prior researchers and will focus on developing a typology of possible modes of symbiosis available to businesses and their symbiotic opportunities. Secondly, the general concept of market segmentation discussed which is applicable to our study presented. Thirdly, the powerful concept of network analysis will be introduced. However, the focus will be on the qualitative, managerial implications and applications of network analysis, not on its usefulness as a quantitative structural analysis tool. Finally, a model of Symbiotic Marketings usefulness as a strategic tool will be presented and justified. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW Recent research has pointed the importance of nurturing relationships for effective marketing. There is a paradigm shift in marketing from transaction marketing to relationship marketing. Firms are also considering relationship marketing as crucial for sustaining competitive advantage. The center has provided impetus for an in-depth look at relationship marketing from the perspective of both theory and practice. The term relationship marketing encompasses some of the constructs suggested by past research. These constructs are relational contracting, internal marketing, symbiotic marketing, relationship marketing, strategic alliances, working partnerships, co-marketing alliances, and long-term orientation. Morgan and Hunt emphasize the process and their definition states relationship marketing refers to all marketing activities directed toward establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges.We suggest that relationships lead to value creation that has become an area of interest to researchers. Firms realize that both customers and suppliers create value. The value can manifest itself into access to technology, access to markets, and access to information. Firms realize that customers and suppliers provide access to value creation that will provide them with sustainable competitive advantage. Value creation can be divided into three domains. The first domain is value creation through supplier partnering that forms the first set of articles for this special issue. Value creation through alliance partnering form the second set of articles. Finally, value creation through customer partnering form the third set of articles. The issue of value creation through relationships with suppliers is examined by the first four articles. The first paper is Supplier Relationships: Emerging Issues and Challenges, written by the co-editors of the special issue. The paper proposes that effective relationship with suppliers will provide firms with next-generational competitive advantage. We suggest that this shift toward supplier relationships will change the role, processes, and strategies of firms and, therefore, new areas of inquiry will emerge. These include understanding suppliers as customers; cross-functional supplier teaming; economic value of supplier equity; supply experience curves; hub and spoke organization; bonding with suppliers; global sourcing processes; cross-cultural values in purchasing; cross-national rules and regulations; and service procurement. The second article also addresses the issue of the importance of supplier relationships and discusses the use of portfolio approaches to examine supplie r relationships. In previous papers, authors suggest that firms should examine supplier performance to classify suppliers into groups. This classification will aid firms in designing strategies to enhance relationship with firms. The next two articles discuss the effect of JIT and information technology on supplier relationships. In The Effect of JIT Purchasing Relationships on Organizational Design Purchasing Department Configuration, and Firm Performance, by Richard Germain and Cornelia Droge, the authors suggest that JIT relationships involve close supplier collaboration on product development and specifications, product, and information flows. Based on a survey of 200 US firms, the article suggests that JIT increases a firms formalization, integration, and specialization. Also firms that use JIT have enhanced performance. Employing Information Technology in Purchasing: An Empirical Study of the Impact on Buyer-Supplier Relationships and Size of the Supplier Base, by Rodney L. St ump Ven Sriram, and Earl G. Graves, discusses the role of information technology on relationships. They find that information technology investments enhance buyer-seller relationships and the degree of information technology used in transaction processing affects this relationship. Interestingly, they also find that information technology investments reduce the supplier base. The next set of two articles discuss value creation through alliance partnering, an emerging area of interest to marketers. The fifth article in the special issue is Scope and Intensity of Logistics Based Strategic Alliances: A Conceptual Framework and Managerial Implications, authored by Walter Zinn and A. Parasuraman. The article examines logistics based strategic alliances and proposes a typology to classify these alliances along the dimensions of scope and intensity. They also offer strategies for firms involved in strategic alliances as well as areas for future research. The next article, Selling Alliances : Issues and Rights, by Brock Smith, examines the issues of selling alliances, an emerging area of interest in personal selling. The issues of selling alliances at both the organizational as well as the personal level are discussed. A sample of 175 salespeople who are in sales partnerships is used to validate the expectations. The final set of articles discuss value creation through customer partnering. Customer Value Change in Industrial Marketing RelationshipsA Call for New Strategies and Research, by Daniel J. Flint, Robert Woodruff, and Sarah F. Gardial, addresses the issue of customer perceptions of value. The authors suggest that suppliers perceptions of value are changing. To design strategies that give business marketers a strategic advantage, firms need to understand customers present value needs, marketers ability to deliver value, and change in perceptions of value. The next article discusses the issue of customer perceptions of the marketer and value provided by the mark eter. As firms survey their customers to determine their performance, the issue of the validity of customer evaluations comes into question. What Information Can Relationship Marketers Obtain from Customer Evaluations of Salespeople? by Douglas M. Lambert, Arun Sharma, and Michael Levy, addresses this issue. The results of a survey from business customers in the health care industry suggest that buying firms that give higher evaluations to business salespeople also give higher performance ratings to the selling organization. Also, salespeople who are evaluated as being better and more credible by customers also receive superior evaluations from their managers. The final three papers in the special issue discuss case studies in value creation through customer partnering. The first paper, Managing Business Relationships and Positions in Industrial Networks by Brian Low, examines the issues of industrial networks. The article views networks as providing access to resources and activiti es and examines a network in the context of a dealer for office equipment. The second article, Building Supplier-Customer Relationships: Using Joint New Product Development, by James Comer and B. J. Zirger, examines the evolution of a supplier-customer relationship. The paper examines a relationship in the case of an automobile project. The final paper by Pierre Filiatrault and Jozee Lapierre, Managing Business-to-Business Marketing Relationships in Consulting Engineering Firms, (accepted by Peter LaPlaca) examines relationships in the context of business services. In conclusion, we feel that the papers provide a broad look at the academic research in the area of business relationship marketing. The articles in this special issue address value creation through supplier relationships, alliances, and customer relationships. The papers make an important contribution to relationship marketing thinking in the domain of business markets. The research is both useful to managers and serves as an impetus to future research in this area. We hope that you find the articles as exciting and interesting as we have. CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY DATA SOURCES UNIT OF ANALYSIS SAMPLE SELECTION The present investigation is prescription type of study undertaken to estimate the effectiveness of the Symbiotic Relationship in the Indian Marketing Scenario in various business units and its impact on the Partnered Business profits, Market Share, Level of Competition and Customer Loyalty and Retention. The present study identifies the views of people engaged in different businesses, generally small-scale, about their interpretation, importance and understanding of the advantages of developing a Symbiotic Relationships with different aspects of their supply chain or competitor base in order to cater to new market segments, or expanding their resource base and thereby improving their productivity, profitability and survivability in the highly competitive and rapidly expanding Indian Markets. Moreover, due to lack of availability of enough time, the scope of research has been restricted to the local area markets in the Mumbai region covering the areas of Andheri, Vile-Parle, Kandivali, Santacruz, which are small scale businesses such as shop-owners or factory outlet managers and marketing and operations team-members of some large scale firms. Considering the time criteria in which the report had to be prepared, we considered small scale businesses as the population with the size of 68. However, 24 participants did not fill the questionnaires provided to them completely, a requisite when using the likerts scale, and about 8 people were not willing to fill such questionnaires, the number of actually completed forms was drastically reduced to 36. Considering the fact that, for conducting a Z-Test for the analysis, the minimum size should be 30, the sample size of 35 was considered appropriate for the analysis and was carried forward for the purpose of research. TOOLS TECHNIQUES The tool used for conducting the research was administering the questionnaires to the business owners and conducting interviews, so as to determine whether their response in the questionnaire and on-face does not contradict. The questionnaire consists of open-ended questions which need to be answered on Likerts 5 Point Scale. For the analysis of the responses of the respondents, a 2-tailed Z-test will be used and the feasibility of the Symbiotic Marketing in the Indian Context will be determined based on the mind-set of the people involved in the analysis. Although, the sample size is 35, but it will be indicative of the entire population in the local areas considered for this study. Also random sampling (and in some cases systematic sampling) has been used to distribute the questionnaires and collect the responses for conducting the analysis. DATA SOURCES Market research requires two types of data i.e. secondary data and primary data. Primary data has been used abundantly for the study. Well-structured questionnaires were prepared the survey was undertaken. Feedback for the display has been taken by asking questions observation has also done to gather primary information. There is also a use of secondary data, collected from the extant literature available on the subject matter in various journals, books, and websites from various marketers and business owners. PRIMARY DATA The primary data to be selected was based upon the response of the respondents to the questionnaire designed. The questionnaire consists of open ended questions. The Questionnaire was targeted to know about the views of the business owners and planning and marketing department people towards the adoption of symbiotic relationship in the long term opportunities for the businesses especially in the Indian Context. SECONDARY DATA The secondary data was collected by referring through various companys marketing strategies in online manuals, Reports, journals and research papers, web sites, and the final data was analyzed systematically to accomplish the objectives of this research paper. CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY PROPOSED FRAMEWORK RATIONALE OF FRAMEWORK VARIABLES HYPOTHESIS Symbiotic Marketing increases the competitive Advantage of the participating firms over their respective competitors companies with complementary products or services can also achieve symbiotic marketing by carrying out lateral cooperative marketing Growth Oriented firms prefer bigger firms for Marketing Symbiosis. Survival Oriented firms prefer equal sized or smaller firms for Marketing Symbiosis. Sharing of operational resources and mutually-complementary advantages among interrelated companies, will increase their production efficiency. CHAPTER V DATA ANALYSIS INFERENCE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS INTERPRETATIONS CHAPTER VI SUMMARY CONCLUSION SUMMARY OF FINDINGS CONCLUSION SCOPE RECOMMENDATIONS LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY CHAPTER VII REFERENCES [1] Kotler, P., Fernando, T. D.(2005).Lateral Marketing. Beijing: China Citic Press,25. [2] Lee, A. (1966). Symbiotic Marketing. Harvard Business Review,44(9-10):59-71. [3] Rajan, P. Rajaratnam, D. (1986). Symbiotic Marketing Revisited. Journal of Marketing, 50(1):7-17. [4] Andy, L., Ian, B. (2001). Strategies for Building a Customer Base on the Internet: Symbiotic Marketing. Journal of Strategic Marketing, (9):47-68. [5] KaZuo, A. (2002). Sociological Principle. Beijing: Huaxia Publishing Co., Ltd., 50-52. [6] Shiroshi, T. (2000). How Will the Market Strategy Change in the Future?. ToKyo: Diamond Inc.,90. [7] Kazuhisa, T.(2000). Social Psychology of Consumption Behavior. ToKyo: Kitaoji Publisher,52-62. [8] Xavier, M. J., Krishnan, R., Borin, N.(2005). An Integrated Model of Collaborative Value Creation for Strategic Innovation: The Case of Retail Automation in India. IIMB Management Review,(6): 29-39. [9] Yokozawa, T. (1998).Customer Value Management. ToKyo: Productivity Publisher,71-80. [10]Mohr, J., Fisher, R., Nevin, J. (1996). Collaborative communication in interfirm relationships: moderating effects of integration and control, Journal of Marketing, 60(July) [11]Osborn, R. Baughn, C. (1990). Forms of interorganizational governance for multinational alliances, Academy of Management Journal, 33(3), 503-19. [12]Rangan, V., Menezes, M., Maier, E. (1992). Channel selection for new industrial products: framework, method, and application, Journal of Marketing, July, 69-82. [13]Shaw, A. (1912). Some Problems in Market Distribution, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 26 (4): 703-765. [14]Street, P. (1975). Animal Partners and Parasites, London: David and Charles. [15]Snyder, G. (1991). Alliance theory: a neoralist first cut, in The Evolution of Theory in International [16]Relations (pp. 83-110), Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. [17] The Effect of JIT Purchasing Relationships on Organizational Design Purchasing Department Configuration, and Firm Performance, by Richard Germain and Cornelia Droge. [18] Scope and Intensity of Logistics Based Strategic Alliances: A Conceptual Framework and Managerial Implications, authored by Walter Zinn and A. Parasuraman. CHAPTER VIII APPENDIX Insert the questionnaire hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦

College Admissions Essays - Something Daring and New -- College Admiss

College Admissions Essays - Something Daring and New Think about something you never did in high school but wish you had done. Now imagine your time at college. Propose taking up something daring and new, and describe how it might affect your life. For years I have harbored a secret desire to become a cheese aficionado. This is not entirely arbitrary. Cheese, as an independent entity outside of any broader alimentary context, is at once worldly and whimsical. It provides the ideal complement to that side of my personality which has historically been dominant. My experiences have been largely rooted in the world of the abstract and the intellectual. Mathematics, music, writing, and the like have given me a certain sense of detachment from reality. While I have historically enjoyed this detachment, there is always a desire to diversify. Eating cheese is a direct immersion in the world of the senses, where things are taken at face value. You don’t analyze cheese, you just eat it — a refreshingly simple outlook on life. At the same time, cheese offers the oppo...

Looking Glass Essay

Socialization is a sociological approach that attempts to explain how people learn cultural morals and the responses and emotions that differentiate us from animals that are driven merely by the drive to survive and reproduce. Socialization starts from the assumption that humans are more than animals that do whatever it takes to survive. Instead humans recognize that they are part of a group, and they observe other humans for guiding cues on how they should respond. When a baby is born it observes its mother to learn how emotions work and what the proper response to different events should be. Gradually as the child learns that it is a separate being from its mother and other humans it learns to think about its own reactions and responses and how they differ from those of other people. In this stage the child may deliberately test things out by trying a different response than the one approved by other people. Eventually, the child settles into a pattern of being able to regulate their own responses and empathize with what others want and how they respond. In this way socialization is a careful dance in which the developing human learns to balance their own independent desires and responses with those of t he people around them. George Herbet Mead Mead contributed to the concept of socialization by exploring how significant other people around a person affect that person. He showed socialization as a dialectical, or reasoning, process in which the human may have to decide between their own personal desires and those of the group around them. Mead also contributed greatly to the method of studying socialization by showing that verbal communication isn’t the only way people socialize each other. Instead nonverbal, symbolic communication is even more important. Mead’s work in showing the importance of nonverbal, symbolic communication has tremendous application for sociologists and psychologists. Also once a person is conscience of the nonverbal communication that people use they are able to notice a lot of things that other people don’t. This can lead to them being better managers, leaders, etc. Charles Cooley Cooley contributed to the concept of socialization by developing the â€Å"looking glass self† theory. This theory explains socialization as a reflection process in which a person develops a self-image that is constructed based on how other people view him/her. In this way a person is socialized by trying to adjust their self-image. Cooley’s work was probably the basis for labeling theory. It helps explain why in some cases people develop a negative self image that causes them to become worse, not better. Some people can’t reconcile their self-image with the desired self-image and once they label themselves as criminals, or drug users, etc they find it even harder to leave those patterns. The â€Å"looking glass self† theory could be used to help rehabilitate convicted felons and criminals by developing a better socialization process for such ones. John Bowlby Bowlby contributed greatly to the concept of socialization by exploring the manner in which children learn from their mothers. He described the early stages of socialization by analyzing the way mothers and babies communicated symbolically with eye dilations and facial expressions. The mother uses this symbolic communication to teach her child how to respond to threats and stresses by showing the emotion that the baby should and does imitate. Bowlby’s work has practical application in showing why children should spend as much time as possible with their mothers or with a mother figure during their early years. It explains why orphaned babies often don’t do as well emotionally if they don’t have someone to pick them up and teach them these responses through interaction. Bowlby’s work is also important because it suggests that single parent families where the mother must go off to work are a major disadvantage for the children as they don’t get as much of a chance to interact with their mother and learn those responses as they  should. Symbolic interaction and the looking-glass self In hypothesizing the framework for the looking glass self, Cooley said, â€Å"the mind is mental† because â€Å"the human mind is social.† Beginning as children, humans begin to define themselves within the context of their socializations. The child learns that the symbol of his/her crying will elicit a response from his/her parents, not only when they are in need of necessities such as food, but also as a symbol to receive their attention. Schubert references in Cooley’s On Self and Social Organization, â€Å"a growing solidarity between mother and child parallels the child’s increasing competence in using significant symbols. This simultaneous development is itself a necessary prerequisite for the child’s ability to adopt the perspectives of other participants in social relationships and, thus, for the child’s capacity to develop a social self.† The words â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad† only hold relevance after one learns th e connotation and societal meaning of the words. George Herbert Mead described self as â€Å"taking the role of the other,† the premise for which the self is actualized. Through interaction with others, we begin to develop an identity about who we are, as well as empathy for others. This is the notion of, ‘Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.’ In respect to this Cooley said, â€Å"The thing that moves us to pride or shame is not the mere mechanical reflection of ourselves, but an imputed sentiment, the imagined effect of this reflection upon another’s mind.† (Cooley 1964) [edit] Three main components of the looking-glass self.  There are three main components of the looking-glass self (Yeung, et al. 2003). 1. We imagine how we must appear to others. 2. We imagine the judgement of that appearance. 3. We develop our self through the judgments of others. Studies of the looking-glass self The term â€Å"looking-glass self† was coined by Cooley after extensive psychological testing in 1902, although more recent studies have been published. In 1976 Arthur L Beaman, Edward Diener, and Soren Svanum (1979) performed an experiment on the Looking-Glass Self’s effect on children.  Another study in the Journal of Family Psychology in 1998, measured the validity of the looking glass self and symbolic interaction in the context of familial relationships. Self reflection study On Halloween night, 363 children trick-or-treated at 18 different homes in Seattle, Washington. Each of these 18 homes was selected to take part in the experiment and was in turn arranged in similar ways. In a room near the entry way there was a low table and on it was a large bowl full of bite sized candy. A festive backdrop was also placed in sight of the candy bowl with a small hole for viewing; behind the backdrop was an observer who would record the results of the experiment. The experiment was conducted in the same way at each of the 18 different homes, with each home conducting two different conditions of the experiment, self-awareness manipulation and individuation manipulation. All of the homes conducted both conditions; half of the homes conducting self-awareness manipulation while the other half conducted individuation manipulation. In each of the conditions a woman would answer the door commenting on the children’s costumes and inviting them in. She would then inst ruct the children to take only one piece of candy from the bowl and excuse herself to another room. Self-awareness manipulation Self-awareness manipulation was the first of 2 conditions performed in Beaman, Diener, and Svanum’s experiment. The self-awareness manipulation condition was performed with a mirror placed at a ninety degree angle directly behind the entry-way table fifty percent of the time. The mirror was placed in such a way that the children could always see their reflection in the mirror when taking candy from the bowl; the other half of the time there was no mirror in place and the children were left anonymous. Individuation manipulation There was some concern that the children involved in the study would only see their Halloween costumes and not their own self reflections, so a second condition was performed in Beaman, Diener, and Svanum’s experiment. This second condition was called individuation manipulation. The individuation manipulation condition was performed in the same way as the self-awareness  manipulation. After greeting the children the woman at the door would ask each of the children their name and where he or she lived. These questions were asked in such a way that the children would think nothing of it because many other homes asked the children their names on Halloween night; however, no effort was made to identify the children involved. Just as in the first condition, a mirror was used half of the time and was removed for the other half of the experiment. Results The children involved in the experiment were split into several different categories based on the results of the experiment. The criteria consisted of age, group size, and gender. Out of the 363 children involved in the study, 70 children transgressed when instructed not to. Children who arrived in groups were more likely to transgress than those children who arrived alone; 20.4% to 10.3% respectively. Children arriving with adults were not included in the study. Gender The genders of those who participated in the study were recorded by the unobtrusive viewer from behind the festive backdrop. Out of the 363 children, only 326 children’s genders could be determined because they were wearing Halloween costumes. Of those children whose genders could be determined there were 190 boys and 136 girls. While Cooley suggests that girls have a far higher impressionable social sensibility it was not the case in this study, as boys transgressed more often than girls. More boys transgressed with the mirror present, than without; 35.8% to 15.6%. This was the same for girls; 13.2% to 8.4%. Age While the exact age of each child could not be determined due to the children’s anonymity, approximate ages were given to each child by the unobtrusive observer. The average age of the children was eight years old. The results of the study were split up into different categories based on the approximate age given to each child. The age groups were as follows: ages 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13 or older. The rate of transgression rose with the age of the child; the 1-4 year olds had a rate of transgression of only 6.5% while the 5-8 year olds transgressed 9.7% of the time. The two older age groups transgressed far more often than the younger groups; children aged 9-12 transgressed 23.6% of the time while the children aged 13 and older had a rate of transgression of 41.9%. Family study of the looking glass self The research article was included in the Journal of Family Psychology in 1998. The researchers, Cook and Douglas, measured the validity of the looking glass self and symbolic interaction in the context of familial relationships. The study analyzed the accuracy of a college student’s and an adolescent’s perceptions of how they are perceived by their parents. The 51 participants of this study included four family members (mother, father, college student and adolescent) who returned surveys. The families were primarily white and middle class. The college student and adolescent were paid ten dollars each, if each family member completed the survey. Three areas were investigated: assertiveness, firmness, and cooperation. In reference to the three areas respondents were asked the following: how they behave toward the target, how the target behaves toward them, and how they think they are viewed by the target. The study identified the looking glass self as a â€Å"metapercept ion† because it involves â€Å"perception of perceptions.† One of the hypotheses tested in the study was: If â€Å"metaperceptions† cause self-perceptions they will necessarily be coordinated. The hypothesis was tested at the individual and relationship levels of analysis. Findings of the familial study The study determined that the hypothesis is strongly supported at the individual level for cooperation for both college students and adolescents, but is only partially supported for assertiveness for college students. Also for college students, at the relationship level with their mothers the study supported assertiveness. There was an irregular finding regarding firmness in the mother-adolescent relationship that indicated that the firmer adolescents were perceived by their mothers, the less firm they rated themselves in the relationship. While there was not strong support of the hypothesis on the relationship level, on the individual level the findings suggest that how college students and adolescents think about themselves is directly correlated to how they think they are perceived by their parents. Looking glass self in contemporary society Using computer technology, people can create an avatar, a customized symbol which represents the computer user. For example, in the virtual world Second Life the computer-user can create a humanlike avatar that reflects the user in regard to race, age, physical makeup, status and the like. By selecting certain physical characteristics or symbols, the avatar reflects how the creator seeks to be perceived in the virtual world and how the symbols used in the creation of the avatar influence others’ actions toward the computer-user. See also Symbolic interactionism Notes 1. ^ The term is sometimes hyphenated in the literature, sometimes not. Compare, for example, the titles of Shaffer (2005) and Yeung & Martin (2003), below. 2. ^ From Charles Horton Cooley, Human Nature and the Social Order, New York: Scribner’s, 1902, pp. 152: â€Å"In a very large and interesting class of cases the social reference takes the form of a somewhat definite imagination of how one’s self–that is any idea he appropriates–appears in a particular mind, and the kind of self-feeling one has is determined by the attitude toward this attributed to that other mind. A social self of this sort might be called the reflected or looking glass self: ‘Each to each a looking-glass Reflects the other that doth pass.’ As we see our face, figure, and dress in the glass, and are interested in them because they are ours, and pleased or otherwise with them according as they do or do not answer to what we should like them to be; so in imagination we pe rceive in another’s mind some thought of our appearance, manners, aims, deeds, character, friends, and so on, and are variously affected by it.† References Beaman, Arthur L., Diener, Edward, and Klentz, Bonnel. â€Å"Self-Awareness and Transgression in Children: Two Field Studies.† Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 37 (1979): 1835-1846. Cooley, Charles H. Human Nature and the Social Order. New York: Scribner’s, 1902. Confer pp. 183-184 for first use of the term â€Å"looking glass self†. Cooley, Charles H. On Self and Social Organization. Ed. Schubert Hans-Joachim. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. ISBN 0226115097. (pp. 20-22) Cook, William L., and Douglas, Emily M. â€Å"The Looking Glass Self in Family Context: A Social Relations Analysis.† Journal of Family Psychology 12, no. 3 (1998): 299-309. Coser, Lewis A., Masters of Sociological Thought : Ideas in Historical and Social Context, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971. ISB N0155551280. He has a http://web.archive.org/web/20070814013608/www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/Cooley/COOLWRK.HTML chapter] on Cooley and the Looking Glass Self. Hensley, Wayne. â€Å"A Theory of the Valenced Other: The Intersection of the Looking-Glass-Self and Social Penetration.† Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal 24, no. 3 (1996): 293-308. McIntyre, Lisa. The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. ISBN 0072885246. Shaffer, Leigh. â€Å"From Mirror Self-Recognition to the Looking-Glass Self: Exploring the Justification Hypothesis.† Journal of Cl inical Psychology 61 (January 2005): 47-65. Starks, Rodney. Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. ISBN 0495093440. (pp. 73-75) Yeung, King-To, and Martin, John Levi. â€Å"The Looking Glass Self: An Empirical Test and Elaboration.† Social Forces 81, no. 3 (2003): 843-879. Sociology – Cooley’s â€Å"The Looking Glass Self† Symbolic Interactionism, Sociological Theory, Charles Cooley Share Article | Jul 9, 2009 Nicholas Morine The looking-glass self is a popular theory within the sociological field known as symbolic interactionism. It explains a formation of self-image via reflection. Amongst prominent symbolic interaction sociologists, Charles Cooley stands out as an historic contributor to the field in the sense that he coined one of the largest theories applicable within it – the theory of â€Å"the looking glass self.† What is meant by this statement is a notion that, even as infants, human beings form their very selves from the reflections and responses gained by their earliest behaviours visited upon the â€Å"other,† or any participant in one’s earliest socialization. Three Main Components of The Looking Glass Self The rudiments of Cooley’s sociological theory can be reduced to three facets. One imagines how they appear to others.One imagines the judgment that others may be making regarding that appearance. One develops a self-image via their reflection; that is, the judgments or critique of others. There are not many among the general population who do not imagine how they must look to others, how their actions must look to those observing, and finally – changing themselves or perhaps rebelling against change due to the judgments of others they interact with. A large portion of personalities are determined by the reactions to appearance, speech, beliefs, actions, and so on. The reflections, or impressions, that people gain from other people in society are formative in nature – from the look on a doting mother’s face to that of a stern father when one has stolen a cookie from the jar – human beings are influenced by the exchange of symbols, and from the reacti ons one gains from those exchanges, from early infancy. Ads by Google Careers In Sociology Get your degree online faster than you think. Financial Aid Available. www.University-College.com Sociology Major College Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from American Public University. www.APUS.edu Understanding â€Å"The Looking Glass Self†, Symbolic Interactionism The looking glass self is directly related to self-awareness; indeed, self-awareness may be said to be formed via the process of undergoing the process coined by Cooley. The concept is somewhat related to the psychological concept of projection; human beings interpret the reactions of others that they socialize with in regards to appearance, speech, mannerisms (all symbols) and project these interpretations unto themselves. One’s self-awareness is thus heavily influenced by these social responses, and to some degree persons become reflections of what they see projected unto them by others – a summation of the symbolic interactions and exchanges between their selves and â€Å"the other.† When people receive a negative or condescending response to  their appearance from a variety of persons they might socialize with, they might begin to view themselves as less physically attractive or app ealing. When they receive a positive or encouraging response to jokes or comedy, they become more apt to engage in these social behaviours or to take pride in their verbal skills. In this way, people are directly moulded, influenced, and in some cases entirely built up around the reflections of themselves that they see in others. The medium used to express these feelings, especially in the earliest stages of development, is the realm of symbolic interaction. Not all cues are verbal, but a simple frown, snort of disdain, or look of amusement are all symbols which bear greater social meanings. Consider Cooley’s Words and Theory, â€Å"On Self and Social Organization† In order to understand this more deeply, one might lastly consider the following statement from Cooley’s On Self and Social Organization : â€Å"The thing that moves us to pride or shame is not the mere mechanical reflection of ourselves, but an imputed sentiment, the imagined effect of this reflecti on upon another’s mind.† Read more at Suite101: Sociology – Cooley’s â€Å"The Looking Glass Self†: Symbolic Interactionism, Sociological Theory, Charles Cooley http://political-philosophy.suite101.com/article.cfm/sociology_cooleys_the_looking_glass_self#ixzz0lW6kCgkr From Charles Horton Cooley, Human Nature and the SocialOrder. New York: Scribner’s, 1902, pp. 179-185. Charles Horton Cooley The Looking-Glass Self The social self is simply any idea, or system of ideas, drawn fromthe communicative life, that the mind cherishes as its own.Self-feeling has its chief scope within the general life, notoutside of it; the special endeavor or tendency of which it is theemotional aspect finds its principal field of exercise in a world ofpersonal forces, reflected in the mind by a world of personalimpressions. As connected with the thought of other persons the self idea isalways a consciousness of the peculiar or differentiated aspect  ofone’s life, because that is the aspect that has to be sustained bypurpose and endeavor, and its more aggressive forms tend to attachthemselves to whatever one finds to be at once congenial to one’s owntendencies and at variance with those of others with whom one is inmental contact. It is here that they are most needed to serve theirfunction of stimulating characteristic activity, of fostering thosepersonal variations which the general plan of life seems to require.Heaven, says Shakespeare, doth divide â€Å"The state of man in divers functions,  betting endeavor in continual motion,†Ã‚  and self-feeling is one of the means by which this diversity isachieved. Agreeably to this view we find that the aggressive self manifestsitself most conspicuously in an appropriativeness of objects ofcommon desire, corresponding to the individuals need of power oversuch objects to secure his own peculiar development, and to thedanger of opposition from others who also need them. And this extendsfrom material objects to lay hold, in the same spirit, of theattentions and affections of other people, of all sorts of plans andambitions, including the noblest special purposes the mind canentertain, and indeed of any conceivable idea which may come to seema part of one’s life and in need of assertion against some one else.The attempt to limit the word self and its derivatives to the loweraims of personality is quite arbitrary; at variance with common senseas expressed by the emphatic use of â€Å"I† in connection with the senseof duty and other high motives, and unphilosophical as ignoring thefunction of the self as the organ of specialized endeavor of higheras well as lower kinds. That the â€Å"I† of common speech has a meaning which includes somesort of reference to other persons is involved in the very fact thatthe word and the ideas it stands for are phenomena of language andthe communicative life. It is doubtful whether it is possible to uselanguage at all without thinking more or less distinctly of some oneelse, and certainly the things to which we give names and which havea large place in reflective thought are almost always those which areimpressed upon us by our contact with other people. Where there is nocommunication there can be no nomenclature and no developed thought.What we call â€Å"me,† â€Å"mine,† or â€Å"myself† is, then, not somethingseparate from the genera l life, but the most interesting part of it,a part whose interest  arises from the very fact that it is bothgeneral and individual. That is, we care for it just because it isthat phase of the mind that is living and striving in the commonlife, trying to impress itself upon the minds of others. â€Å"I† is amilitant social tendency, working to hold and enlarge its place inthe general current of tendencies. So far as it can it waxes, as alllife does. To think of it as apart from society is a palpableabsurdity of which no one could be guilty who really saw it as a factof life. â€Å"Der Mensch erkennt sich nur im Menschen, nur  Das Leben lehret jedem was er sei.† * If a thing has no relation to others of which one is conscious heis unlikely to think of it at all, and if he does think of it hecannot, it seems to me, regard it as emphatically his. Theappropriative sense is always the shadow, as it were, of the commonlife, and when we have it we have a sense of the latter in connectionwith it. Thus, if we think of a secluded part of the woods as â€Å"ours,†it is because we think, also, that others do not go there. As regardsthe body I doubt if we have a vivid my-feeling about any part of itwhich is not thought of, however vaguely, as having some actual orpossible reference to some one else. Intense self-consciousnessregarding it arises along with instincts or experiences which connectit with the thought of others. Internal organs, like the liver, arenot thought of as peculiarly ours unless we are trying to communicatesomething regarding them, as, for instance, when they are giving ustrouble and we are trying to get sympathy. â€Å"I,† then, is not all of the mind, but a peculiarly central,vigorous, and well-knit portion of it, not separate from the rest butgradually merging into it, and yet having a certain practicaldistinctness, so that a man generally shows clearly enough by hislanguage and behavior what his â€Å"I† is as distinguished from thoughtshe does not appropriate. It may be thought of, as already suggested,under the analogy of a central colored area on a lighted wall. Itmight also, and perhaps more justly, be compared to the nucleus of aliving cell, not altogether separate from the surrounding matter, outof which indeed it is formed, but more active and definitelyorganized. The reference to other persons involved in the sense of self maybe distinct and particular, as when a boy is ashamed to have hismother catch him at something she has forbidden, or it may be vagueand  general, as when one is ashamed to do something which only hisconscience, expressing his sense of social responsibility, detectsand disapproves; but it is always there. There is no sense of â€Å"I,† asin pride or shame, without its correlative sense of you, or he, orthey. Even the miser gloating over his hidden gold can feel the†mine† only as he is aware of the world of men over whom he hassecret power; and the case is very similar with all kinds of hidtreasure. Many painters, sculptors, and writers have loved towithhold their work from the world, fondling it in seclusion untilthey were quite done with it; but the delight in this, as in allsecrets, depends upon a sense of the value of what is concealed. I remarked above that we think of the body as â€Å"I† when it comes tohave social function or significance, as when we say â€Å"I am lookingwell to-day,† or â€Å"I am taller than you are.† We bring it into thesocial world, for the time being, and for that reason put ourself-consciousness into it. Now it is curious, though natural, thatin precisely the same wa y we may call any inanimate object â€Å"I† withwhich we are identifying our will and purpose. This is notable ingames, like golf or croquet, where the ball is the embodiment of theplayer’s fortunes. You will hear a man say, â€Å"I am in the long grassdown by the third tee,† or â€Å"I am in position for the middle arch.† Soa boy flying a kite will say â€Å"I am higher than you,† or one shootingat a mark will declare that he is just below the bullseye. In a very large and interesting class of cases the socialreference takes the form of a somewhat definite imagination of howone’s self–that is any idea he appropriates–appears in a particularmind, and the kind of self-feeling one has is determined by theattitude toward this attributed to that other mind. A social self ofthis sort might be called the reflected or looking glass self: â€Å"Each to each a looking-glass  Reflects the other that doth pass.† As we see our face, figure, and dress in the glass, and areinterested in them because they are ours, and pleased or otherwisewith them according as they do or do not answer to what we shouldlike them to be; so in imagination we perceive in another’s mind somethought of our appearance, manners, aims, deeds, character, friends,and so on, and are variously affected by it. A self-idea of this sort seems to have three principal element:the imagination of our appearance to the other person; theimagination of his judgment of  that appearance, and some sort ofself-feeling, such as pride or mortification. The comparison with alooking-glass hardly suggests the second element, the imaginedjudgment, which is quite essential. The thing that moves us to prideor shame is not the mere mechanical reflection of ourselves, but animputed sentiment, the imagined effect of this reflection uponanother’s mind. This is evident from the fact that the character andfreight of that other, in whos e mind we see ourselves, makes all thedifference with our feeling. We are ashamed to seem evasive in thepresence of a straightforward man, cowardly in the presence of abrave one, gross in the eyes of a refined one, and so on. We alwaysimagine, and in imagining share, the judgments of the other mind. Aman will boast to one person of an action–say some sharp transactionin trade–which he would be ashamed to own to another. It should be evident that the ideas that are associated withself-feeling and form the intellectual content of the self cannot becovered by any simple description, as by saying that the body hassuch a part in it, friends such a part, plans so much, etc., but willvary indefinitely with particular temperaments and environments. Thetendency of the self, like every aspect of personality, is expressiveof far-reaching hereditary and social factors, and is not to beunderstood or predicted except in connection with the general life.Although special, it is in no way separate–speciality andseparateness are not only different but contradictory, since theformer implies connection with a whole. The object of self-feeling isaffected by the general course of history, by the particulardevelopment of nations, classes, and professions, and otherconditions of this sort. * â€Å"Only in man does man know himself; life alone teaches each onewhat he is.† Goethe, Tasso, act 2, sc. 3. Charles Horton Cooley The Work â€Å"Self and society,† wrote Cooley, â€Å"are twin-born.† This emphasis onthe organic link and the indissoluble connection between self and society isthe theme of most of Cooley’s writings and remains the crucial contributionhe made to modern social psychology and sociology. The Looking Glass Self  Building upon the work of William James, Cooley opposed the Cartesiantradition that posited a sharp disjunction between the knowing, thinking sub-ject and the external world. The objects of the social world, Cooley taught, areconstitutive parts of the subject’s mind and the self. Cooley wished to removethe conceptual barrier that Cartesian thought had erected between the indi-vidual and his society and to stress, instead, their interpenetration. â€Å"A separateindividual,† he wrote, is an abstraction unknown to experience, and so likewise is society when re-garded as something apart from individuals. . . .† Society† and â€Å"individual s†do not denote separable phenomena but are simply collective and distributiveaspects of the same thing. . . When we speak of society, or use any othercollective term, we fix our minds upon some general view of the people con-cerned, while when we speak of individuals we disregard the general aspectand think of them as if they were separate Cooley argued that a person’s self grows out of a person’s commerce withothers. â€Å"The social origin of his life comes by the pathway of intercourse withother persons.† The self, to Cooley, is not first individual and then social; itarises dialectically through communication. One’s consciousness of himself isa reflection of the ideas about himself that he attributes to other minds; thus,there can be no isolated selves. â€Å"There is no sense of ‘I’ without its cor-relative sense of you, or he, or they. † In his attempt to illustrate the reflected character of the self, Cooleycompared it to a looking glass: Each to each a looking-glass  Reflects the other that doth pass. â€Å"As we see our face, figure, and dress in the glass, and are interested in thembecause they are ours, and pleased or otherwise with them according as theydo or do not answer to what we should like them to be, so in imagination weperceive in another’s mind some thought of our appearance, manners, aims,deeds, character, friends, and so on, and are variously affected by it.† The notion of the looking-glass self is composed of three principal ele-ments: â€Å"The imagination of our appearance to the other person, the imagina-tion of his judgment of that appearance, and some sort of self-feeling, such aspride or mortification.† The self arises in a social process of communicativeinterchange as it is reflected in a person’s  consciousness. As George H. Meadput it when discussing Cooley’s contribution, â€Å"By placing both phases of thissocial process in the same consciousness, by regarding the self as the ideasentertained by others of the self, a nd the other as the ideas entertained of himby the self, the action of the others upon the self and of the self upon theothers becomes simply the interaction of ideas upon each other within mind.† This somewhat abstract notion can be illustrated by a delightful examplewhich Cooley gave himself when he imagined an encounter between Alice,who has a new hat, and Angela, who just bought a new dress. He argues thatwe then have, I) The real Alice, known only to her maker. 2) Her idea of herself; e.g. â€Å"I[Alice] look well in this hat.† 3) Her idea of Angela’s idea of her; e.g.†Angela thinks I look well in this hat.† 4) Her idea of what Angela thinksshe thinks of herself: e.g. â€Å"Angela thinks I am proud of my looks in thishat.† 5) Angela’s idea of what Alice thinks of herself; e.g. â€Å"Alice thinks sheis stunning in that hat.† And of course six analogous phases of Angela andher dress. â€Å"Society,† Cooley adds, â€Å"i s an interweaving and interworking of mental selves.I imagine your mind, and especially what your mind thinks about my mind,and what your mind thinks about what my mind thinks about your mind. Idress my mind before yours and expect that you will dress yours before mine.Whoever cannot or will not perform these feats is not properly in the game.†Multiple perspectives are brought into congruence through continued multi-lateral exchanges of impressions and evaluations between our minds and thoseof others. Society is internalized in the individual psyche; it becomes part ofthe individual self through the interaction of many; individuals, which linksand fuses them into an organic whole. From Coser, 1977:305-307. Looking good, feeling fit: the relationship between body image and self-esteem This is a coursework site which you can investigate yourself but before you do, you need to be clear about some of the ideas around this topic. Some good links in left-hand margin, to help with the research for your coursework and hints for fieldwork here. Self image – some exercises and suggestions for fieldwork, for your coursework Self esteem Self Presentation Hints for Unit 2 Coursework Try the exercises below and keep your notes for your coursework. Self image In order to gain an idea of your own self image, ask yourself the following questions: What do you do well? What do you do badly? What is your strongest feeling? What is your strongest belief? What is your strongest desire? What is your oldest memory? What is your most shameful lie? What has been your greatest triumph? What has been your most wretched disaster? Who do you love? Who do you hate? Who do you like? Who do you dislike? Are you too tall or too short? Are you too thin or too fat? Are you too clever or too stupid? Who would you like to be? You will find that the responses to these questions fall into certain categories or aspects – emotional, physical and intellectual attributes (qualities or characteristics). These are the things that make up our self image. BACK TO THE TOP Ideal Self Look at your answers to the questions again. Depending on how truthfully you have answered, you may have a picture of your self which is realistic or possibly, your ideal self. Your ideal self is the perfect version of you, physically, intellectually and emotionally. We usually have three versions of ourselves in our heads at any one time, a realistic view of ourselves, an  ideal version which we try to live up to and a looking glass self (Cooley) – this is a version of ourselves that we have reflected back at us by other people, in the way they react to us. For example, we could have an ideal self where we are very kind people but the way people react to us suggests that that is not how other people see us. ACTIVITY Choose a recent digital photograph of yourself – a full length one, preferably. Use your picture editor to distort the picture as I have done below. Which one do you prefer? The third image is the true image. My ideal self would be picture three with slightly slimmer thighs! I have been all of these shapes but was a teenager when the very thin picture 2 – this was my natural shape then. Where do we get our mental image of what our ideal body shape should be? Listen to Sarah talking about the negative comments she gets about being naturally thin. Sources range from our parents, our peers and the media. Here are some possible role models for males and females. Females Males BACK TO THE TOP Suggestions for fieldwork Collect some images of different people with different body shapes – both male and female. Show them to an equal number of males and females, in three different age brackets. 1. Ask them to choose an occupation for each person – give them a selection of high status occupations, middle-ranking occuptions and low status occupations e.g pop star, film star, surgeon, politician, teacher, shop assistant, student, housewife etc. 2. Ask them to match a set of personality characteristics to each picture – give them a range such as out-going, cheerful, mean, bad-tempered, boring etc. 3. Ask them to rank the pictures in order starting with the image they would most like to be like and ending with the one they would least like to be like themselves. Self Esteem Self esteem is how we value ourselves or judge ourselves. Try this exercise to see how you rate yourself. Give yourself a score out of 10 for the following qualities: Patience Honesty Generosity Attractiveness Intelligence Kindness Popularity Creativity Wisdom Maturity Add up your scores and work out the average by dividing your total by 10. Compare your average score with other people in the group. Any surprises? Try this Internet on-line self esteem quiz http://www.queendom.com/cgi-bin/tests/transfer.cgi BACK TO THE TOP Can we recognise people with high or low self-esteem? Make a table of possible outward signs or characteristics of levels of self esteem e.g not making eye-contact etc. Make a role play in a small group and have people take on characters with various levels of self esteem. Use the table of characteristics you have gathered to help you. Let other people in the class watch your role play and guess which characters in your role play have high and low self esteem. Feedback from others Our self esteem can be affected in various ways by other people. Some groups of people have more effect on us than others. Three groups who are especially important are: Significant Others Reference Group Role Models Read this article about role models/heroes and listen to the radio programme/podcast. Self Presentation Our self image and level of self esteem will affect the way we present ourselves to others. Erving Goffman, in his book â€Å"The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life† discusses how we play ‘roles’ to manage the impression other people have of us. He uses the analogy of the theatre, ‘roles’ are like a series of parts we play in life. Think of some of the parts you play – I’ll get you started: Hints for Unit 2 Coursework Some ideas you might explore for your coursework are: Would you be a Size Zero? (Looking good, feeling fit) How does being thin affect your self-identity and self-esteem? (look at the fieldwork examples above) How do we interpret the images we see in the press of fashionable young men and women? Do we identify with them? See them as role models? What do we do with the feedback of others (looking glass self)? (read this article in the Daily Mail) What are the self-maintenance strategies we use to maintain our sense of self-image? Do men and women react the same way to feedback and role models about body image? Pretty in Punk: Can you be a ‘girl’ in a subculture? Traditional ideas of femininity – self image and feedback about being a ‘normal’ female? If you are not ‘pretty’ in the socially accepted definition – long hair, make-up, feminine clothing are you still attractive? Does it matter? How this is expressed in self-presentation through clothing, use of hairstyle, make-up, body shape etc. Good book by Laurain Leblanc Metrosexual Man: Are you one? Is the term ‘metrosexual’ just a fashion statement or is it more of a lifestyle choice or ideology? How do you define your male identity? Is about your personality characteristics? Your attributes? Through the way you present yourself – in clothing, hair or possessions or body shape – muscular, slender? Look at a series of men who ‘appear’ to define their maleness in less stereotypical ways than in the past. Read the article Men in Skirts Metrosexual man is over! Just what is it about moobs? The number of men having breast reduction operations in the UK is rising dramatically, but is this really the result of the media spotlighting the physical flaws of male celebrities? BACK TO THE TOP Sociology/Psychology 530 Lecture 1: DeLamater Exercise 1: Who am I? We have talked in class about how everyone is a â€Å"social object† for everyone else, and that each of us is also a social object to ourselves. In this exercise, we would like you first to take yourself as a social object and, looking at that object, to answer the question â€Å"Who am I?† ten times. That is, ask the question ten times and give ten discrete answers to it. Do it quickly, writing down words and phrases as they come into your mind without censoring them, until you have ten statements. Please do this without considering the other parts of the exercise. After you have done that, â€Å"take the role of the other†, with that other being one of your parents (choose one), and repeat the task. In other words, taking yourself as a social object from your parent’s perspective, list how your parent would answer the question, â€Å"Who is your name here?† Again, assume that your parent was asked to do this task quickly, listing the words and phrases as they come to his or her mind, without censorship, he or she had completed a list of ten answers. Finally, take the role of your best friend and do the same. The Extra Mile Ask one of the significant others themselves to answer the question â€Å"Who is your name here?† Compare his or her list to the list you made when you tried the same task while taking his or her role. Before You Write: Begin by examining your data (the lists you have generated). Consider some of the following: -How are the three lists similar? What words and phrases do all three people (in your opinion, of course) use to describe you? How might you explain the similarities? -How are the three lists different? How do you see yourself in ways that are different from the way you think these significant others see you? Again, how do you explain this? To what extent do you think the differences lie in how you may act differently with them? To what extent is it their needs that lead them to see you differently from the way you see yourself, or from the ways different significant others see you? To what extent might the differences artifacts of your, and your significant others’, places in larger social structures and institutions? Consider the data in light of available theoretical constructs and explanations: -How do theories of the self discussed in Chapter 4 of the textbook and in lecture help you to understand the image of yourself that you hold? To what extent do you believe that your self-image is the result of direct personal experience? To what extent is it a â€Å"looking glass self,† as symbolic interaction would explain it? With how much of it were you born? The Write-Up Draw some conclusions about the relationship of your data to the explanations offered in the course material. Select one central point around which to write your essay. The essay should make references to specific points or concepts from the course material, as well as specific references to relevant points of data.

Philosophy of life Essay

In the process of growing up, I have learned that there are an infinite ways to look at how you want to live life and how others live it. When I was young I allowed for my parents to control and greatly influence my beliefs and throughout the years I even allowed my friends to do so as well. Now that I am older I have very different views of life and am only influenced by one source. I’m sure that just like me others around the world also believe the same thing. Nowadays people can even get a degree in philosophy and interpret many ways on how humans should interpret the way we live and life itself and how it came about. Regarding what I have mentioned above, I think that now as a grown up I have lived many experiences in order to form my own philosophy of life. About 3 years ago I was introduced to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. I did research on everything I was being told and history itself proved the bible’s words to be true. I learned many things from the bible and I believe they have made me a better person because of the guidance it has taught me. I strongly believe that most of what is taught by the SDA church I can trust and apply it to my life. Most of it comes the word of God and that is why I feel I can trust it. God is the main source of the philosophy of life I have. The main thing I take from God is his commandments. I base the 10 main commandments he has given this world to my life every single day. I live by them and I like that they always help me out in feeling good about myself and just being good. In my life I have always felt the desire of spiritual growth but I could never find it especially not while I was in a church where the truth was hidden. Finally when I learned about God the way the SDA church taught it I knew I was ready to begin my spiritual growth. see more:personal philosophy of life I feel that by taking the values presented to me by God, I can be sure to live by them every single day of my life until I die. Many things have become clear to me and I’m not scared of what lies ahead in the future for me. I have learned to respect all cultures, religions, and beliefs. Although I may not accept them to be completely and entirely true, just as they would to me, I know that because of my own beliefs they also have the right to be free and believe what they want. I think free will is one of the main aspects of this philosophy and I analyze it every day I live by viewing the people around me. Since the beginning of time people have always had a choice whether to things one way or the other way. Even though there have been people trying to control that freedom, there could have been ways to prevent it merely by just choosing to go against them. I think that by understanding free will is why I am able to cope with others and be able to relate to them much more. Now that I go to a very diverse university I have realized that it is not so hard to live in harmony. I am okay with all these cultures and backgrounds that are found here at the university. Many of my friends here at Cal State are Muslim and follow Islam, a religion very different from mine and yet very similar in some ways. My Muslim friends have seen the way I view on how to live and before they knew I was a Christian believer, they assumed I was Muslim because of the way I lived my life. I think that because I base my life to live it the way God put it down to me is the philosophy most religions also want to follow. I’m glad that people can relate it to them and actually think my philosophy of life is very similar to them. Even though I don’t base my philosophical views on the peers around me I still feel I can easily relate to them. My values are solely based of God’s word and I do not mind the people who think I am obscured for doing that. This goes back to the concept of free will, they can either choose to accept it for good reasons or reject it for bad reasons. The future that I want with this philosophy is so that I can create a peaceful environment for me and those who also value the same philosophical views as me. So far I think I have been able to accomplish that with the peers around me. My friends also notice that because of my views I am able to be a better person. I think that this is the most important thing I could ever accomplish. With the believe that every person is prone to do evil in this world, being able to show people that I am a good person is amazing. The reason that I live a very good life right now encourages me to share the same philosophy to those of my friends who do not follow it. I understand that they can reject it and not want to even consider it. It is a tough thing to do but because we are all free to choose how to live our lives I am just satisfied that I can share the way I can live my life. I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity to live the way he wanted me to live. Every day that I live this way, I am sure that I am pleasing the only important being in my life which is God and is the one who gave it to me. God is the only important subject in my life and I wouldn’t want that to change at all. I love the way I live life and although I am not sure how long I will live, until its end I wish to live it this way. My philosophy of life lies within in the commandments of God and no one can ever change that, no matter how hard they try.

Love and Forgiveness essays

Love and Forgiveness essays Loving others, while difficult, is not always a thankless task; love creates compassion, whereas compassion generates love. In Les Miserables, Hugo affirms that love and compassion are the most essential gifts one individual can give another and that always displaying these characteristics ought to be the most momentous goal in life. You could almost say that love and compassion are virtually contagious, passed on from one character to another in this novel. Jean Val Jeans transformation from a hate-filled and hard-edged criminal into a well-respected humanitarian reassures readers of Hugo's emphasis on love. For it is only by learning to love others that Val Jean is able to improve himself. Readers cannot help but feel a sense of annoyance in realizing from the very start that the crime of Val Jean was so menial. He did nothing truly worthy of censure under any reasonable law, but the mistreatment he undergoes in prison causes him to feel an overwhelming sense of bitterness, which then makes him capable of doing the exact things he has been accused for. This is intended to receive a great deal of forgiveness from society towards this ex-con. While Val Jean's efforts on behalf of others unavoidably cause him troubles, they also give him a sense of contentment and fulfillment that he has never before felt. Val Jean's love for others, in particular for his daughter Cosette, is what keeps him going and what rescues him in times of nee d. Another strong influence on Val Jeans love for humanity is that of the Bishop. In giving Val Jean the silver, Myriel has purchased his soul for God, though Val Jean does not realize what is happening to him. It is obvious that he is basically a good person to start with, and that once the years of torment surpass him, the saintly man will emerge. Throughout this novel readers will find the religious value that Hugo is trying to come across. ...

Explain, Analyze and Critique Critical Aspect of Film Writing in Amadeus

Explain, Analyze and Critique Critical Aspect of Film Writing in Amadeus 1. The American feature film â€Å"Amadeus† directed by Milos Forman, released in 1984, inspired this essay. The film was so successful that it was rewarded with eight Oscars.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Explain, Analyze and Critique Critical Aspect of Film: Writing in â€Å"Amadeus† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aim of this paper is to explain, analyze and critique critical aspect of this film: writing. In the end of the essay, one can easily understand that there are certain differences between film and literature. As â€Å"Amadeus† has the features of a literary adaptation, it gives an opportunity to compare the mediums. What are the peculiarities in the writing of the mentioned film from the critical point of view? It seems to be extremely important to achieve the aim of the essay to reveal the film through the other light. 2. The structure of the essay is similar to Giannetti†™s chapter of the book about understanding films in the area of writing; being the author of a book in cinema theory, he masterfully described all the necessary components of film writing (Gianntti, 2010). Any details concerning the writing of feature films provide people â€Å"with a new way of looking at familiar films† (Giannetti, 2010, back cover). â€Å"Amadeus† is a drama biopic, based on the stage play by Peter Shaffer, British screenwriter. In 1979, under the impression of Pushkin’s tragedy â€Å"Mozart and Salieri†, Shaffer wrote the play that can be described as free interpretation of the composers’ biographies. Thus, Shaffer can be considered the principal screenwriter of the film â€Å"Amadeus†. Of course, Milos Forman and actors saturated the scenario with their own words. Nevertheless, the collaborative screenwriting in this film is evident. 3. The screenplay is based on a quite famous plot. Many people may consider that â₠¬Å"Amadeus† is Mozart’s biography, but this opinion is wrong. Actually, this is a tragic story of Antonio Salieri, who is talented but not a genius composer, as Mozart. The screenplay reveals his desperate struggle with God by means of Mozart. In spite of the noticeable difference between Mozart’s music gift and Salieri’s mediocrity, evil Salieri’s plan, and Mozart’s death, Salieri realizes that Mozart was with a God-given talent. In the final scene, where Salieri spends his last days in the asylum, annoying and childish Mozart’s laugh shows that God always has the last laugh. Thus, the screenplay reveals the main theme of â€Å"Amadeus†: God gives people a strong wish to achieve something (in this case, to become a prominent and perfect composer), but he does not give them equivalent abilities (Forman, 1984).Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Being the blueprint of the finished product, the scenario has exceptionally literate language. Naturally, the screenplays are often modified by the actors who play the characters, and this film is not an exception. Good acting and beautiful music of the prominent composers (Salieri and Mozart) make a valuable contribution in realizing of the scenario in the film. However, non-verbal figurative techniques play an essential role in the cinema. In â€Å"Amadeus†, one can see the traces of motifs, symbols and metaphors. Owing to them, people can catch the main film’s massage, and understand its profound essence. 4. The principal motif of the film is based on Salieri’s and Mozart’s biographical facts in Shaffer’s stage play. For example, the director successfully shows the legend about Mozart’s death: in the episode, when Solieri forces Mozart to compose the requiem. Also, the spread opinion about Salieri’s envy and negative attitude to the talented figure of Mozart is presented through detailed Salieri’s character. Besides the motifs, the film is saturated with symbols. Mozart can be compared with God. According to Salieri’s opinion it is God who helps the genius Mozart to compose such brilliant pieces of music art. Mozart’s genius suggests the mediocrity of his music â€Å"rival†. Mozart’s composed requiem symbolizes his death, and the idea that Mozart’s talented music works can not be stolen by either Solieri or anyone else. One more symbol in the film is thought provoking. When Solieri is transported past madmen in the asylum, he sees in them the symbol of human mediocrity. Slieri’s bitter experience shows that he is one of the most untalented and mediocre men in the world. The brightest metaphor in the film is Mozart’s embodiment of God, who is cursed by Solieri. As the film is based on the play with the famous plot, â€Å"Amadeu s† is full of allusions. An allusion helps to imply the reference to a well-known personality, event, or historic fact. In this case, the film depicts Solieri’s tragic story, where real facts are described: the Solieri’s and Mozart’s characteristic features as personalities and composers, Solieri’s suicide attempt, his relationships with Mozart, Mozart’s music works (especially, â€Å"Requiem† and â€Å"The magic flute†), the circumstances of his death, etc. 5. Point of view in literary fiction generally concerns the narrator, through whose words the events of a story are understood. The ideas and incidents are sifted through the consciousness and language of the storyteller. In â€Å"Amadeus†, Solieri is the participant in the action, and may be a reliable guide for readers to follow.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Explain, Analyze and Critique Critical Aspect of Film: Writing in â€Å"Amadeus † specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He is the first-person narrator: he tells the priest his story, and events of the film, that happened thirty years ago, bring the viewers to Vienna, when Solieri was a successful and popular court composer. One can see his character’s evolution, his tragedy that in the end led him to the asylum. 6. As it was mentioned, â€Å"Amadeus† is the film adaptation of the literary source. In some respects, adapting a novel or play requires more skill and discipline than working with an original screenplay. Moreover, a good literary work is difficult to be adapted. The real problem of the adapter is centered not in the content of a literary work (in this case, the stage play), but in the subject matter. The film may be considered as faithful adaptation. Its degree of fidelity is rooted in recreation of a true story with real characters; the director keeps the spirit of the original, as close as po ssible. The base for the film, together with all modifications, introduced by the director and actors, and creative work of the film crew created the unique piece of cinema art called â€Å"Amadeus†. 7. In spite of the majority of critical opinions concerning this film (the director is critics for subjective views of real facts that can not be distorted), Milos Forman masterfully presents to the public the cinema, based on the play and real events. The aim of the essay is surely achieved: the critical aspect of writing in â€Å"Amadeus† is explained, analyzed and criticized. Both literary and film work are pieces of art; in contrast to the literature, the film adaptation has the right to modify the content, keeping the subject matter. Nevertheless, one thing is evident: â€Å"Amadeus† is a good example of faithful adaptation of Shaffer’s stage play about Mozart and Solieri. References Forman, M. (Dir.) (1984). â€Å"Amadeus†. Videocassette. MGM/UA Home Video. Giannetti, L. (2010). Understanding Movies (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon, Incorporated.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Holocaust Genealogy - Researching Holocaust Ancestors

Holocaust Genealogy - Researching Holocaust Ancestors It is a sad reality that most Jews researching their families will eventually discover relatives who were victims of the Holocaust. Whether youre searching for information about relatives who disappeared or were killed during the Holocaust, or want to learn whether any relatives survived the Holocaust and may have living descendants there are a number of resources available to you. Begin your venture into Holocaust research by interviewing your living family members. Try to learn the names, ages, birthplaces, and last known whereabouts of the people you would like to trace. The more information you have, the easier your search. Search the Yad Vashem Database The major archive center for the Holocaust is Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel. They are a good first step for anyone looking for information on the fate of a Holocaust victim. They maintain a Central Database of Shoah Victims Names and are also attempting to document every one of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. These Pages of Testimony document the name, place and circumstances of death, occupation, names of family members and other information. In addition, they include information on the informations submitter, including his/her name, address and relationship to the deceased. Over three million Jewish Holocaust victims have been documented to date. These Pages of Testimony are also available online as part of the Central Database of Shoah Victims Names. The International Tracing Service As millions of Holocaust refugees scattered throughout Europe following World War II, a common collection point was created for information about Holocaust victims and survivors. This information repository evolved into the International Tracing Service (ITS). To this day, information on Holocaust victims and survivors is still collected and disseminated by this organization, now a part of the Red Cross. They maintain an index of information relating to more than 14 people affected by the Holocaust. The best way to request information through this service is to contact the Red Cross in your country. In the United States, the Red Cross maintains the Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center as a service for U.S. residents. Yizkor Books Groups of Holocaust survivors and friends and relatives of Holocaust victims created Yiskor books, or Holocaust memorial books, to memorialize the community in which they once lived. These groups of individuals, known as landsmanshaftn, were generally comprised of former residents of a particular town. Yizkor books are written and compiled by these ordinary people to convey the culture and feeling of their life before the Holocaust, and to remember the families and individuals of their hometown. The usefulness of the content for family history research varies, but most Yizkor books contain information on the history of the town, along with names and family relationships. You may also find lists of Holocaust victims, personal narratives, photographs, maps and drawings. Almost all include a separate Yizkor section, with memorial notices remembering and commemorating individuals and families lost during the war. Most Yizkor books are written in Hebrew or Yiddish. Online resources for Yizkor books include: JewishGen Yizkor Book Project - A database of Yizkor books with information on the library that holds each book, a searchable necrology index, and translations submitted by volunteers. NY Public Library - Yizkor Books Online - includes full digital images of 650 of the 700 postwar yizkor books in the collection of The York Public Library. Connect with Living Survivors A variety of registries can be found online which help connect Holocaust survivors and the descendants of Holocaust survivors. JewishGen Holocaust Global Registry - This registry provides a central place for anyone searching Holocaust survivors, and includes the names of survivors and their family members from all over the globe. Dont miss the heartwarming success stories submitted by users of the registry! Registry of Holocaust Survivors - The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. maintains an updated, computerized Registry of survivors. Holocaust Testimonies The Holocaust is one of the most documented events in world history, and much can be learned from reading the stories of the survivors. A number of Web sites include stories, videos and other first-hand accounts of the Holocaust. Voices of the Holocaust -This documentary project by the Illinois Institute of Technology includes first-hand accounts of the Holocaust collected by Dr. David Boder in 1946. Testimonies of the Holocaust - The USC Shoah Foundation Institute interviewed and collected testimonies from nearly 52,000 Holocaust survivors and other witnesses. The Testimony Catalog is available online and on CD-ROM, although names are omitted from the online version for privacy reasons. The catalog includes basic biographical info only, including city and country of birth, religious identity and wartime experiences. The actual videos and other data are maintained in the archives.Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies - A collection of over 4,300 videotaped interviews with witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust. Part of Yale Universitys department of Manuscripts and Archives. The video interviews are not available online, but you can view several brief testimony excerpts. For further, more detailed information on researching the people of the Holocaust, I highly recommend the book How to Document Victims and Locate Survivors of the Holocaust by Gary Mokotoff. Many of the essential how to portions of the book have been placed online by the publisher, Avotaynu, and the full book can also be ordered through them.

Nursing Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing Leadership - Essay Example To practically calculate the cost of nursing care, I referred to an orthopedic unit, which had 12 patients who were at different situations and had different acuity levels. PCS would be calculated on the following:  To practically calculate the cost of nursing care, I referred to an orthopedic unit, which had 12 patients who were at different situations and had different acuity levels. PCS would be calculated on the following:  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ 4 patients were in a condition to be discharged and had acuity level 1: 4 X 1= 4.†¢ 4 patients were under therapy and had acuity level 4: 4 X 4= 16.†¢ 4 patients were under regular had acuity level 2: 4 X 2= 8.This total of 28 hours would be expanded by adding further 48 hours of an 8-hour shift for 8 patients who did not discharge in 8 hours which makes a total of 76 hours. This grand total of 76 hours can be used to determine Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) for a unit.However, this formula does not give an accurate value because it does not have space for variances made according to situations. For instance, if a patient was acquiring 2 hours and later demands 3 hours due to some uncertainty in patient’s condition. The cost is still being evaluated for 2 hours and thus giving 3 hours till the patient get stable. To neutralize these differences, Relative Value Unit as an index number is given to each unit based on the amount of resources which can be managed to produce nursing care.  For instance, $1,250,000 is given to a unit which has total RVUs of 5,196.50.... 4 patients were under therapy and had acuity level 4: 4 X 4= 16. 4 patients were under regular had acuity level 2: 4 X 2= 8. This total of 28 hours would be expanded by adding further 48 hours of an 8 hour shift for 8 patients who did not discharge in 8 hours which makes a total of 76 hours. This grand total of 76 hours can be used to determine Full Time Equivalent (FTE) for a unit. However, this formula does not give an accurate value because it does not have space for variances made according to situations. For instance if a patient was acquiring 2 hours and later demands 3 hours due to some uncertainty in patient’s condition. The cost is still being evaluated for 2 hours and thus giving 3 hours till the patient get stable. To neutralize these differences, Relative Value Unit as an index number is given to each unit based on amount of resources (labor and capital) which can be managed to produce nursing care (Kelly, 2008). For instance $1,250,000 is given to a unit which has total RVUs of 5,196.50. The amount will be divided by RVU’s to bring out the cost per RVU. For instance $1,250,000/ 5,196.50 = $ 240.55 per RVU. Thus the cost of one patient of level 4 acuity will be $ 240.55 X 4= $962.2 for one day. This formula of calculating the nursing cost does not either gives an exact cost because situations can vary and can demand excess resources. Thus there is no accurate calculation system to recognize exact nursing cost. It all depends on the acuity level which itself is not certain but varies according to patients conditions. These results can help outline the nursing care budget which is helpful to envision all pro’s and con’s to later deal with the finances affectively (Kelly, 2008). Dq2#2)