...Critical Thinking Application Guillermo Avila University Of Phoenix Jose Rodriguez August 29, 2011 Critical Thinking Application A question is always present from the beginning of modern age: How do I adapt? Mankind activities have been centered in technology, life improving, marketplace, environmental protection, business and global economy, international politics, and a variety of situations with a background impossible to define because of the constant changes in the everyday life. This instability brings difficulties to make decisions in a long run, affecting people as individuals and as part of the community. Making decisions based on emotions or intuitions seems the fastest and easiest way rather than gathering the information from different sources, making analysis, and reach the right conclusions. The right process, the main purpose of this paper intends to define: The critical thinking, including an example where critical thinking can be applied, and remarking the importance and the benefits of critical thinking in de decision-making process. By definition, critical thinking is a process of examination of one’s thinking taking control of thoughts and tracing a way to assess any situation and create objective decisions. Studying and practicing critical thinking develop the ability to think more effectively, more rational, and more objective, and through the proper analysis exercises reaching clarity, relevance, accuracy, depth, logicalness, and breadth (Paul...
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...definite, clear, practical ideal-a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends-wisdom, money, materials and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end” (qtd in Forbes.com). The thoughts of Aristotle, although simplistic provide a sound basis for modern project management processes. The modern definition of planning has not changed significantly throughout time. Author Timothy J. Kloppenborg describes planning as a process that “Defines and refines objectives and plans and actions to achieve objectives. The importance of establishing a solid plan cannot be understated. In an article titled 100 Years of Project Planning authors illustrates the benefit of good planning when the state that “Planning allows us to make all kinds of mistakes or errors before we spend the money, time or effort to do something” (Muther, Richard, and Gerald Nadler 42). A well-defined plan is one that minimizes rework, scope change, schedule inefficiencies. Furthermore a well laid plan will have well defined measures to monitor and control the project. A key consideration when developing a plan is the project’s critical path. Which is defined by the Project Management Institute as “The sequence of activities that represent the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible duration” (536). The critical path is important because it determines the projects end date. The critical path method involves conducting two passes over the activity...
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...Faith Holloway Dr Justin Sytsma PHIL 105 May 5 2014 Critical Analysis of Psychological Egoism Psychological egoism, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (2010), entails that each person has but one ultimate aim: her own welfare. This essay will explore the meaning of psychological egoism, how arguments can be justifiably presented and why this theory is commonly appealing to philosophers. Often supporters of psychological egoism will present arguments through theories such as Darwinism and Desire Satisfaction. This essay essentially aims to critically assess the substantiality of these arguments. In order to correctly assess the arguments in favour of psychological egoism, firstly it must be stated what is implied by these arguments. Psychological egoism has many differences to other egoist theories such as ethical egoism, which state we should be selfish. Psychological egoism however states that all human actions are uncontrollably selfish, and that this is part of our human nature. It should be noted before continuing that this essay will be assessing this more radical form of psychological egoism , which identifies that ‘selfishness is’ the only way one can possibly performs actions, disregarding any consideration of others unless this aids their selfish action in some way. Psychological egoism can seem plausible to its supporters for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common include the concept that desires are entirely our own and therefore pursuing...
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... 1 II. Table Index Table 1. Market Segmentation………………………………………………………………..6 Table 2. PESTL Analysis……………………………………………………………………...7,8 Table 3 Benchmarking ……………………………………………………………………...12 III. Image Index Figure 1. Porter Analysis Diagram …………………………………………………………...9 Figure 2. Porter’s generic Value Chain………………………………………………………10 Figure 3. SWOT analysis……………………………………………………………………...13 2 IV. Index 0. Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………....4 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………...5 2. Definition of the Market – Market Segment………………………………………………..5,6 2.1. Geographic segmentation…………………………………………………………….....5 2.2. Demographics………………………………………………………………………….....5 2.3. Psychographic…………………………………………………………………………….5 2.4. Behavioural………………………………………………………………………………..6 3. Analysis of the External Environment…………………………………………...…………....6 3.1. PESTL Analysis…………………………………………………………………………..7 3.2. Porter Analysis………………………………………………………………..……..…8,9 4. Analysis of the Internal Environment…………………………………………………….10,11 5.Analysis of the Competitive Position of the Organization…………………………..….11,12 5.1. Critical Success Factors………………………………………………………...….11,12 5.2. Benchmarking……………………………………………………………………….…..12 6. SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………………...…….13,14 7. Recommendations……………………………………………………………………….…...15 8.Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………………...
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...Virgin Australia is a well known Industry Airline all through the world. In this report I will explain about an analysis of Virgin's present position and to focus the conduct of the industry regarding whether it is performing above or beneath desire. On the foundation of this analysis, suggestions are suggested to help the organization with answers for help to avoid failure if such circumstance was to happen. The report is structure as takes after: In the first area I will give a short foundation of the organization and how it got to be so outstanding. At that point the analysis of Virgin's macro-environment and current strategy and circumstance will be given to support with giving the perfect suggestions to the organization. The objective of this report is to furnish Virgin with important proposals that can help or enhance their current circumstance so they can perform above desire. Introduction Strategic management Strategic management comprises of the examination, choices, and activities an association embraces keeping in mind the end goal to make and support preferences. This definition catches principle component that go to main field of strategic management. The strategic management of an association involves three progressing procedures: analysis, choices, and activities. In order that strategic management is an interest with the analysis of strategic objectives (vision, mission, and goals) alongside the examination of the inside and outside environment...
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...Human Resource Information Systems: Implementation in Taiwan Carol Yeh-Yun Lin Abstract Approaching the new century, human resource information systems (HRIS) capitalize on the synergy between the two precious assets, human resources and information technology. This study examines the content and context of HRIS in Taiwan. Research shows that higher HRIS level (DSS>MIS>EDP), usage by top managers, usage by HR staff, and HRIS experience contribute to greater organizational support and HRIS effectiveness. Training, support of the information systems department, involvement of human resource leaders, and computer literacy of HR staff are the most significant contributors to the effectiveness of HRIS. In addition, more emphases on support for decision making, timeliness, comprehensiveness, and accuracy can also enhance systems effectiveness. Introduction In an era striving for excellence, human resources become a crucial source of competitiveness (e.g., Porter, 1985; Ulrich, 1987). Pfeffer(1995) reported that the five best performing firms from 1972 to 1992 in the USA rely not on technology, patents, or strategic position, but on the management of their work force for sustained advantages in the marketplace. The business community also realizes that after people, information is its most important asset (Jenkins and Lloyd, 1985). During the past decade, information technology has greatly impacted the way businesses are managed. Reports on how information...
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...frozen yogurt, frozen fruit, fresh yogurt. The store will be located at Preston Crossing at the mini mall strip, opposite Walmart. The shop will be incorporated with one manager, four part-time and two full time employees. The manager will be on salary and will oversee all operations. Two supervisors will oversee day to-day operations of the shop and the four part-time employees will be responsible for customer services. Both full time and part-time employees will be paid hourly wages. Initial requirements for all furniture, fixture, computer software and hardware and equipment will be supplied by Booster Juice Inc as part of the turnkey operation. All other supplies will be purchased from Booster Juice Inc. Our shop will be incorporated. Richard Azinwi, Nadia Maqbool and Ravi Brar will be the equity owners. We will have a total of seven employees comprising of one manager, two full time supervisors and four part-time employees. As part of our franchise deal, Booster Juice Inc will offer continuous training and support to our employees. Marketing for the Booster Juice is done by the franchisee and franchisor. The franchisor will do large scale marketing for all of the franchisees, as per the royalty agreement. Our Booster Juice will concentrate on local advertising. We will be doing an aggressive advertising in the first year to create store awareness. First, we will send out flyers to everyone in the S7N postal code area through Canada Post. We will also promote our location...
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...Executive Summary Southeast Health Plans, Inc. is a service company that will provide health plan administrative services to self-insured employers. The company will concentrate on employers with 50 to 500 employees. Many of these employers have current HMO, PPO, or major national insurance carrier health plans. While the majority of employers with 500 or more employees have at least some element of self-insurance incorporated into their health care programs, our target market is often ignored by the major national insurance companies. While more than 80% of companies with 500 or more employees are self-insured, the management of Southeast Health Plans has identified that less than 25% of Atlanta area companies with 50 to 500 employees have self-insured plans. The market for self-insured and administrative services consist of those companies that are currently self-insured and companies that have other types of health plans that will be encouraged to shift to self-insurance. One factor in the transition to self-insurance is the availability of quality administrative and consultative services. Southeast Health Plans, Inc. is led by experienced management and has formed a strategic alliance with Blair Mill Administrator, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Pennsylvania, for the purpose of providing first class benefits management services to its target market. The key to success for Southeast Health Plans, Inc. will be the ability to attract the initial capital...
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...or life style, one should look no further and admire Sir Richard Branson’s. He is a financially well of individual thanks to his entrepreneurship, an adventurous rock star that seems to just party and have fun every single time one sees him in the media. In order to live such a fabulous lifestyle, an individual should be able to have access to a lot of financial assets, such as credit cards, checks, and more importantly cash. In Sir Richard Branson’s case he has all that and more because of ways he created businesses and critical decisions he made since a young age and throughout his life. Born in July 18 1950, in the outskirts of London, Richard Charles Nicolas Branson was the oldest of Edward Branson and Eve Huntley Branson’s three kids. Because of a severe Dyslexia Richard had a very painful time in elementary, he barely knew how to read at eight years old and was completely lost when it came to numbers. “School was painful; I’d look at a blackboard and could not understand anything that was going on…Interestingly, if you look at the history of dyslexics, they often exceed quite exceptionally because they concentrate on the area where they are good at…” (Nr, 2013) Richard Branson’s created his first business when he was fifteen years old, this business was a magazine called Student. With a circulation of fifty thousand, the magazine was an instant hit. In 1970, because of need of money for the magazine, Richard Branson being the entrepreneur that he is created a record...
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...Suggested Reading List This section wouldn’t be complete without a list of some great books to read. Reading about reading and answering test questions is fine, but the best way to improve your reading ability is to read.This list is compiled by category.Help yourself. Choose one from the list, pick it up at a local bookstore or library, open the cover, and enjoy. Autobiography/Memoir Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X Black Boy by Richard Wright The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank Having Our Say by Sarah L. and Elizabeth Delany The Heroic Slave by Frederick Douglass I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing by Maya Angelou Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi Coming of Age The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros A Separate Peace by John Knowles Detective/Thriller Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries The “A is for…” series by Sue Grafton The Client by John Grisham Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Shining by Stephen King Watcher by Dean R. Koontz Fantasy The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony Any Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling Historical/Social Issues The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Lord of the Flies by William Golding ...
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...|Summary of Changes/Comments | |0.2 |2 Dec 04 |Initial Draft provided to Richard Priestly for comment. | |0.3 |6 Dec. 04 |Updated version with comments from Richard. | |0.4 |7 Dec. 04 |Updated version with comments from Susan. | |1.0 |10 Dec 04 |Updated with comments from Michael and released for approval. | Table 1: Version History Author David Worthington, PMO Consultant Introduction Stakeholder identification and management is a key skill for all project managers, program managers and executives (collectively called project manager for the purpose of this paper). Stakeholders are individuals who represent specific interest groups served by the outcomes and performance of a project or program. Project managers are accountable for the end-to-end management of their projects, including performance and expectation management of individuals who may be outside their direct control. Project managers must give due consideration to the people issues surrounding projects and recognise that the appropriate involvement and management of stakeholders is almost always a critical success factor. Project managers should therefore have a formal stakeholder management process that is appropriate for the circumstances of...
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...that can condition this learning process; one of them is the mother tongue of everyone. We can notice the difference in time for learning depends on the native language spoken in each country, what is called linguistic distance. The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines this term as “the relative degree of similarity between the two languages” and it’s related to the linguistic consequences of second language acquisition. In this paper, first, I try to explain these linguistic consequences throughout the analysis of the main differences between first language and second language acquisition. The second part of the paper is based on the analysis of the role played by vocabulary during the second language acquisition, and more specifically by cognates what is known as the cognate facilitation effect. Finally, the last part is devoted to explaining the impact of L1 on L2, by means of the analysis of its linguistic and sociocultural consequences. Although some theories blame teaching strategies for the success or not in second language acquisition, the mother tongue (L1) is more at fault because it is the first linguistic system acquired by children. Before explaining some of the main differences that exist between the acquisition processes of L1 and L2, it is necessary to define what the terms L1 and L2 mean exactly. The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines L1 as “a person's mother tongue or the language acquired...
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...Gustavsen Center of Gravity Analysis – an Actual or Perceived Problem? Abstract Centers of Gravity (CoGs) analyses deliver vital input to the operational design. However, there are a great number of theories regarding the phenomenon which can create a certain degree of confusion. The diversity in theories may lead to misdirected mental energy where the focus is to discuss theories instead of using the theories at hand efficiently. The question is if the diversity in theory is an actual problem or if it just perceived as such? This research identifies the similarities and differences in the theories of Milan Vego and Joseph Strange & Richard Iron regarding CoGs, their sub elements and methods for analysis. The impact of the differences on the practical result is then surveyed by implementing the theories on adelimitated phase of the Falklands War, in order to conclude if the differences have a decisive impact on the product of the CoG analysis. The result of this thesis indicates that the diversity in theory is a perceived problem. The identified divergence does not reflect crucially on the CoG analysis and the variation of the input provided to the operational design is minor. The CoGs and the critical vulnerabilities identified are the same or at least similar, no matter which of the two theories was used in this research. Key words: Centers of Gravity, Military Theory, Operational Art, Operational Design, Milan Vego, Joseph Strange, Richard Iron, Falklands War Swedish...
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...days when he would have been able to audit the doctors’ office. Today, however, an agent can look at only taxpayers’ files that they are auditing. The plot begins when Jeff received a call from Nick Anderson, an elite Special Agent and a longtime friend, who works for the Treasury Inspector General for the Tax Administration Division (TIGTA). Nick had suspicions that there was a crooked IRS agent in a critical position. Nick had started out his career as a strike-force Agent; their basic function was to uncover possible criminal activities. Their duties often consisted of undercover work. The book explains some terms used in the industry along with some statistics, and IRS history. For example, in 1998 Congress prohibited financial status or economic reality techniques to determine the existence of unreported income unless an agent has a reasonable indication that there is a likelihood of unreported income. The targets of Special Agents who work for TIGTA are dishonest Treasury Department employees, as well as government officials and employees. In this book, the main target is Richard Onner, who is a computer expert working in the IRS National Computer Center. An anonymous tip had been received a couple years ago that...
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...Module 1: Digital Photography Critical Analysis Digital Photography 1. Introduction A sailor planting a wet one on a nurse, Man walking on the moon, a student standing up to a line of tanks, and the horrifying moment a plane crashed into a skyscraper. Figure 1 –"V-J Day, Times Square, 1945", a.k.a. "The Kiss" “Man on the Moon, Apollo 11, 1969” "Tiananmen Square, China, 1989" “9/11 Attacks, New York City, 2001” All of these iconic images from history would be nothing but memories without the invention of photography. The power of photography has allowed us to see distant places, events before our lifetime, people from foreign lands and tragedies including war; all through the view of a lens. In just under 200 years, photography has transformed the world we live in enabling us to see not only beyond the boundaries of time and location but also beyond the range of human vision through macro, infrared and high-speed photography. Figure 2 – High Speed Photography, Bullet shot through an apple 1 Module 1: Digital Photography Critical Analysis Photography has changed a lot since its inception, what once was a painstakingly slow process involving specialized equipment and chemicals has become a revolutionary digital medium accessible by virtually anyone. 2. A Brief History of Cameras While the founding ideas behind what would become photography date back as far as the ancient Romans, the real history of cameras starts in the 17th century. Photography’s...
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