Tuesday, January 28, 2020
The effect of birth order on personality
The effect of birth order on personality The overarching tenet of this research is the effect of birth order on the personality of individuals in a family. This research recognizes the fact that the development needs of a first born differs from the last child in a family. In order for children to gain access to the resources of the family, they have different developmental strategies by establishing their own niche and these strategies are manifested by behavioral and personality differences between siblings. This proposal will highlight the origin à  ¾f personality differences between siblings. This will be followed by relevant theories that will explain the forces that are at play in shaping the development of an individual which will shed light on the possible reasons that drive sibling interactions. After the evolutionary niche model of Alfred Alders (1996) in this chapter, key issues and research goals and the application of the results will be laid out. In the field of behavioral genetics, numerous research have been published that explored the genetic influence of personality citing that it accounts approximately 40% of variances in individual personalities while environmental factors contribute only to 35% for non-shared and 5% for shared environments while the remainder or 20% is attributed to sampling and measurement errors (à  lderц¢, 1999, 2001; à  là  ¾min Dà  °nielц¢, 1987; Turkheimer Wà  °ldrà  ¾n, 2000). Most notable of these results is the small influence of shared experience on personality development. It was observed that a fair proportion of personality transpired early in a persons lifetime. Thus, a brief, shared family experience seemed to exert little effect on the person of an individuals personality (Turkheimer Wà  °ldrà  ¾n, 2000). This small influence of shared family experiences in personality formation has led to criticism and subsequent refinements in the methods employed in behavioral genetics (Mà  ¾ffitt, 2005). For instance, recent reviews have suggested that estimates on variance contributed by shared environment should be increased in order for the significant gene-envirà  ¾nment interà  °Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ tià  ¾nц¢ become apparent (Mà  ¾ffitt, 2005), and the concept of shared environment has been shown to be simple and straightforward. When this last feature is taken which is the concept of shared family environment, it has been argued by à  lderц¢ (2001) that the within-family environment in which siblings live together does not necessarily result in shared sibling experiences. In other words, the experiences that two or more siblings have in common, which are termed shared experiences, have numerous differentiating factors. This is illustrated by this example. Siblings are likely to differ in age and gender leading to variations in size, strength, and cognitive maturity. These differences in cognitive maturity result in dissimilar interpretations of experiences and shared events leading to differing effects on development. Morales (1994) believed that position of the child in the family has an effect on the behavior of the child inside and outside of the confines of the home. He pointed out in his studies that it is the first born who is more responsible, more self-confident, and shows higher self- esteem. He added that older children in the family were provided more opportunities to teach their younger siblings thus encouraging them to become leaders and more intelligent. According to Zajonc and Markus (as cited in Bianchi Robinson, 1997) birth order had an inversely relationship with academic performance which theorizes that more children result in lower intellectual stimulation in the family. Moreover, as there are differences in the specific needs and wants of individual siblings, so should their interpretation of the shared environment. Indeed, varying responses to shared is beneficial to siblings within the same family environment. This is apparent in the competition among siblings in their access to family resources. At an early age, majority of resources that an individual sibling wants are in the form of parental attention and care. While it is encouraged in modern societies to distribute resources equally within the family, the unequal allocation of resources in the family can be traced in history and contemporary tribal societies. It is the practice of investing heavily on the eldest and youngest. The parental allocation of resources to children is determined by the availability of the resources at any given time and gaining access to these resources is the predicament all the siblings face. Romeo (1994) asserted that a childs position in the family is a great influence in shaping the personality of the individual. He added, The influence of the family constellation is so strong that the lifestyles of the youngest children of two different families are more similar than those of the youngest and middle child of the same family. According to Travis and Kohli (1995) said that the intellectual ability of siblings depends on birth order. Olszewski-Kubilius (2000) asserted that birth order is not merely a superficial variable but one that is instrumental and crucial that can affect how families behave and provide resources to their child. The proponent of this research is interested in establishing the effect of birth order on the personality of Grade 9 students at a middle school in the area. In this study, personality will be classified using two of five personality dimensions in the Big Five. When the personality of the respondent is evaluated using the Big Five it is consistent with the predictions of family dynamics. For this study, the convenience sampling will be used and therefore conclusion could not be generalized to reflect the overall view of Grade Nine students in the nearby middle school. Another assumption will be that the respondents will truthfully answer the items in the questionnaire ensuring a high external validity. One limitation is that the data will be based on the self-report of the respondents based on their perceptions towards how their position in the family affected their personality and conformity in family communication. Only the perceptions of the middle school students will be determined and only the variables conscientiousness, openness to experience, and conformity in family communication will be studied. Therefore views of their teachers, parents, or siblings are beyond the scope of this study. Although self-reports obtained from self-administered questionnaires serves its advantage since scoring could be done with relative ease, validity and reliability must first be established. Another possibility is that some students might not fully understand the items in the questionnaire considering that the respondent pool will be composed of different racial backgrounds whose English facility is not excellent. To remedy the language barrier, the questionnaire will be translated into thei r native tongue. To allay any anxiety during test administration, the investigator will emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers. Problem statement The main question this research hopes to answer is Does birth order have any kind of effect on personality? The roles of family members in the family govern the responsibilities and expectations placed on children by parents and siblings. How children perceive their place in the family affects their feelings and perceptions about themselves and the quality of their interaction with others (Kottman Johnson, 1993 as cited in Nims, 1998). During the childs formative certain elements in the family structure which reflect affiliation and emotional security greatly affect the coping and relationship styles and the psychological status of mature individuals (Fullerton et al. 1989). Despite the influence of genetics and the environment, behavioral differences of siblings could be due to birth order (Claxton, 1994), defined as the childs rank in the family according to age (Steelman, 1985 as cited in Claxton, 1994). An individuals status in the family which is the first social structure the child is exposed to is implicated as one of the major factors that contribute in shaping personality (Gould, 1997), and subsequent social relationships outside the family. Though there is wide acceptance on the belief that birth order is the single most important factor of development across a persons lifetime, the individuals birth order could potentially influence the quality of child-parental and sibling-sibling interaction affecting personality and social behavior (Buckley, 1998). Differences on the experiences of socialization among individuals by virtue of birth order result in explicit variations in personality and behavior. When there are no siblings, those who were first born are likely to be socialized by adults while those who were later born become exposed to the socialization of their older siblings (Claxton, 1994). Thus it was theorized that the first born or the oldest child in the family is more leaned towards achievement while the rest of the siblings tend to be more sociable and gain more satisfying and pleasurable experiences (Claxton, 1994). However, these observations are generalized and imprecise (Claxton, 1994). Research questions With the birth of a child, the individual enters into a world different from the child born before him or her. Since parents have learned a great deal from nurturing the first child, the coming of the second child will be easier to deal with, however the second child must compete with the first child to gain access of family resources such as food, clothing, attention, love and many others (Zanjonc 2001). The 2004 US census revealed that the average size of the family is 3.18. In other words, the typical American family is composed of an three children- the eldest or first born, middle child, and the youngest or last born. Differences in the type of environment the children are exposed to may have a significant effect on them. Various methodologies have looked primarily on the influence of family size and birth order on child development. Stereotypes surrounding the personality of the eldest versus the middle child and the last born are ever present in society. The study of Herrera and Zonjanc (2003) established the beliefs underlying the various personalities associated with the first born, middle child, and so forth. Their research revealed that those who were born first showed both positive and negative traits. They were regarded to be most successful in their academic performance, very responsible, exhibit conformist attitudes, enjoy greater stability while not being in touch with ones emotions and not imaginative. In addition, middle children are stereotyped to be the most envious while the youngest is isually the most innovative, expressive, demonstrative, defiant, negligent and conversational. The only child is most often considered to display unpleasant behaviors. Differences were also noted as to the type of occupation study participants perceived among children varying in birth orders. They had the belief th at the first born pursue courses like Accountacy, Aeronautics, Architechture, Education, Law or Medicine among others. Conversely, last borns are likely to take Visual Arts, Music, Performing Arts, Photography and many others. This qualitative study is aimed to determine the effect of birth order on the personality of ninth grade students in the area. Specifically, it will provide answers to the following questions: Whà  °t iц¢ the effeÑ t à  ¾f birth à  ¾rder à  ¾n Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ  ¾nà  °lity? Whà  °t Ñ à  ¾ntributeц¢ tà  ¾ Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ  ¾nà  °lity differenÑ eц¢ among siblings? Dà  ¾ dynà  °miѠц¢ à  ¾f the fà  °mily à  °nd the influenÑ e à  ¾f birth à  ¾rder à  ¾n Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ  ¾nà  °lity Ñ hà  °nge à  °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ fà  °mily ц¢ize inÑ reà  °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢eц¢? Iц¢ there à  ° demà  ¾nц¢trà  °ted relà  °tià  ¾nц¢hiÑâ‚ ¬ between birth à  ¾rder à  °nd Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ  ¾nà  °lity in là  °rge fà  °milieц¢ à  °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ well? Application of results The results that will be obtained in the proposed study will be beneficial to field of counselling. Research has proven that the hypotheses of counsellors regarding their clients are considerably affected by the birth order of the client in his or her family (Stewart, 2004). Thus it is relevant to educate counsellors on the significance of discriminating two concepts of birth order, psychological and ordinal. It is also necessary for counsellors to have a good understanding on the relationship between psychological and ordinal birth orders on the relationships the clients have established whether in their respective families or outside the confines of the home. With this information in hand, clinicians are able to come up with strageties in treating any dysfunctional behavior that may surface during counselling. In addition, it is an important step for clinicians to support that in a successful social relationship, there should be optimism. Likewise, clinicians should also take into account other variables or factors in their assessment of the clients quality of human interaction. If for instance, birth order emerged to affect personality and relationship quality, then it should be utilized during the assessment of clients in the clinical setting. Are the earlier cited stereotypes founded in research? How does an individuals birth order affect the personality and behavior of the individual? Understanding the influence of birth order on the personality of a child can aid in making the family particularly parents and the community to be more responsive to the uniqueness of situations and circumstances every child is exposed to during and after birth. It would also provide helpful information that will be utilized by parents in molding and improving their care giving strategies tailor fit to satisify the needs of the child. Theoretical framework During the là  °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢t 150 years, Alfred Adler became prominently known in the field of psychology by exploring the relationship between birth order and personality. In the book entitled, Bà  ¾rn tà  ¾ Rebel: Birth à Å ¾rder, Fà  °mily Dynà  °miѠц¢ à  °nd à  ¡reà  °tive Liveц¢, Adler examined prominent names in history, their birth order, and views towards scientific innovation. He mentioned that first borns who have significantly etched their mark in history are more defiant to change compared to their siblings who are more welcoming towards radicalism. Utilizing evidence from clinical observations and verbal testimonies, à  lder (1928) implied that various personality patterns should be related to the individuals birth order. As suggested by Alder, it is the firц¢tbà  ¾rn that would receive most of familial nurturance, attention and love until the second sibling arrives leaving the former becoming resentful for the loss of his or her special place in the family circle. There is in a sense of feeling of dethronement on the part of the first born which he predicted would be more neurotic, likely to be institutionalized, and abuse drugs and other elicit substances. Adler added that the youngest child is likely to be spoiled and overindulged rendering him or her emotionally ill-prepared for human interactions outside of the home. Since the middle child or children has not experienced the negative effects of dethronement and parental overindulging, they are the most successful, secure, and functional. The weakness in Adlers perspectives is his failure to test his assumptions therefore regarded in the scientific community as mere speculations. Birth à  ¾rder implies differences in size, à  °ge, and power distribution in the family unit. Essentially, a siblings birth order is considered à  ° Ñâ‚ ¬rà  ¾xy variable representing the factors affecting competition and the amount of strategies the sibling can explore or adopt to gain access of family resources. Those siblings, who have not successfully adopted strategies in the face of stiff competition especially when other siblings have grown stronger and bigger, will more likely unable to survive crucial developmental stages. This implies that siblings should apply strategies that enable them to increase their access to family resources without resulting to sibling misunderstanding or rivalry (à  lderц¢, 1996, 1999, 2006). Fà  ¾r the first born, there is no direÑ t Ñ à  ¾mÑâ‚ ¬etitià  ¾n because there are no siblings to compete against and only the parents will decide whether or not to give the child access to family resources. This would be an opportune time for the first born to please his or her parents. However most parents interviewed admitted that they do not deprive their only child access to attention, clothing or food despite his or her failure to please the parents. Thus, this situation suggests that the only child needs to submit to his or her parents demands to easily access resources in the family. Regà  °rdleц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ à  ¾f whether the parents, particularly the mother asks the child to behave properly in school, get good grades, or cleans the bedroom, conformity to the expectations of the parents would mean that any available resources will be provided without hesitation. Thuц¢ one would observe that the first born execute ц¢trà  °tegieц¢ that warrant approval of parents by completing assigned tasks and conforming to the demands of parents (à  lderц¢, 2007). Theц¢e ц¢trà  °tegieц¢ which are à  °Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ quired by virtue of the birth order is made manifest as personalities leading to the conclusion that first borns are conformists (à  lderц¢, 1996, 2007). The situation becomes different in the case of the second born. From the time a child is born after the eldest child, he or she has à  ° rivà  °l fà  ¾r the attention of the parents and access to available resources in the famly. The rival is older, has more physical strength, and secured an early advantage on the family resources. In this situation, what Adler called conditional adaptive strategies come into play. If the second born will mimic the first borns strategy, it would bring disadvantage to both. It would result in intense rivalry and competition and because the first born is stronger and older, more often than not, it is the second born who will be defeated. What the second born can do as an adaptive strategy is to Ñ à  °rve hiц¢ à  ¾r her à  ¾wn niÑ he. When the second born is faced with the older sibling, the former should make use of low power ц¢trà  °tegieц¢ which is appealing to the parents who wa nt justice and impartiality in the home or which inhibit competition and rivalry among siblings. Therefore one would find that the second born will employ alternative strategies and methods to acquire family resources. Consequently, the second born is regarded as rebellious, unconventional and a personality style that scores high in the openness to experience subscale of the Big Five Personal Factor if compared to the eldest sibling (Heà  °ley Elliц¢, 2007). Differences between siblings result from the variety of the roles they play in the family due in part to genetic variability, gender, and birth order. Because of these inherent differences among siblings, family roles become diversified which is in conjuction with Charles Darwins divergence principle. Nature offers competition among species and similar to that, roles among siblings in the family are specialized reducing competition and work responsibilities are equitably distributed. With specialization, parents find it difficult to compare their childrens abilities from one birth order to another. The Darwinian divergence principle is one of the significant scientific landmarks in evolutionary biology since it provides the explanation for adaptive radiation which is the diversity of species that are closely related as illustrated by the Galapagos finches (Winkler, Sulloway 2006). The birth order of an individual in the family is directly linked to age and the chances of engaging ta sks that are age appropriate or age specific. Since the first borns are the oldest among the siblings, they take on the role of a surrogate parent which enable them to be more responsible and mimic adult behavioral patterns. Building on previous studies on personality, Sulloway (1996) organized characteristics of personality into five: Openness, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, (Goldberg, 1982; Norman, 1963). The hypothesis of Sulloway (1996) stated that first born siblings score high in Surgency which means they are highly sociable and dominant owing to the fact that first born individuals tend to lessen diversion of the investment of parents by exercising their dominance over his or her other siblings. Sulloway also hypothesized that first born individuals are less agreeable which indicate higher flexibility, warmth, and selflessness. Since the eldest sibling is the most dominant in the family, those who were born after the eldest child more likely use less confrontive strategies by becoming more agreeable. Sulloway (1996) also said that first borns are more conscientious therefore are more cautious, well organized, and reliable because it is the position of the first born to promote status quo within the family structure. Since the first borns have an earlier benefit over their younger siblings due to enjoyment of parental attention and family resources. Thus the coming of another sibling may cause him or her to be anxious about the likelihood that parental resources will be diverted to the new child. In line with that, Sulloway concluded that first borns may be less emotionally stable. Lastly, Sulloway assumed that being a first born result in scoring low in Openness which would imply that he or she may be less embracing towards the new. Sulloway added that when individuals exhibit high openness it signifies they are more open towards soliciting parental resources using alternative means. Definition of terms The following terms will be defined in order to have a better understanding of the problems this research aims to address: Birth order. This variable refers to the ordinal position of the individual in the family which could classified into first born, second born, third born or last born. Personality. This variable refers to the type of personality based on the instrument of John focusing on Conscientiousness and Openness to New Experience subscales. Conscientiousness. This variable refers to the degree that the individual is well organized or follows planned daily activities. Openness to Experience. This variable refers to the extent that the individuals exhibit traits such as insightfulness, creativity, or wide interests. Conformity. This variable refers to the level in which the individuals follow norms in family communication. Outline of remaining chapters Explained in the next pages are related literature and studies that centrally focus on the effect of birth order and personality among children. The theories that underpin this study will also be cited in the second chapter of this dissertation. The contents of Chapter 3 include problem statement, objectives and their rationale, research plan, participants, instrumentation, data processing, ethical assurances, and summary. Chapter 4 will present the results of the study as well as a thorogh and detailed discussion of results. Data will be presented appropriately to ensure that readers have firm grasp of the nature of the results. This will be followed by Chapter 5 which presents the summary of findings, conclusion, and recommendations.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports Essay -- Sports Steroids Drugs E
Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports In all areas of sports, professional, college, and even high school, there is widespread illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. Although there are many reasons for athletes to choose to use these drugs, the cost of such use, both to the athlete and to society can be extraordinarily high. It is important to understand why performance-enhancing drugs are used and what are the consequences of their use to the athlete and society. One of the reason athletes choose to use performance-enhancing drugs is to bulk up. Athletes have guidelines pertaining to size that must be met. If one wants to be a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL), one cannot weigh 175 pounds; so some athletes will use performance-enhancing drugs to make themselves gain weight. Another reason athletes will choose to use illegal drugs is to get more oxygen to their muscles. When blood and muscles are full of oxygen, one?s body can perform better. An athlete who has used a performance-enhancing drug to get more oxygen to his or her muscles can perform for longer periods of time. A third reason an athlete would choose to use an illegal drug is to stimulate the body. The reasons an athlete would need to keep his or her body stimulated are to reduce tiredness, to stay alert, and maintain aggressiveness. It is the same as when a person drinks coffee in the morning to perk him or herself up. One final reason an athlete would use performance-enhancing drugs is to mask an injury. For example, if a quarterback breaks his toe during the South Eastern Conference Championship game, there are two options: one, the quarterback can be taken out of the game or two, the trainer can give the quarterback an injection to take the pain away, allowing the quarterback to return to the game. In this instance the quarterback most likely would choose the injection due to the magnitude of the game and he would most likely feel an unconscious pressure from the fans, his teammates, and the coaches to do so. Often the decision to use is made without considering the risk. Athletes who make the decision to use performance-enhancing drugs do not focus on the side effects. They do not realize that gaining weight quickly and unnaturally is not healthy. They are risking having mood swings, aggressive behavior, or even life t... ...use performance-enhancing drugs for many reasons, justifying the benefits while ignoring the risks. We as a society do not condone drug use in sports, but at the same time we look the other way for the star athlete giving him a slap on the hand and warning him not to do it again. I believe as long as society puts the idea that being the best player and having the best team is the # 1 priority, the use of performance-enhancing drugs will only get worse. We will get the upper hand on the use of illegal drugs in sports only when we as society look at sports for exactly what they are, just games. Works Cited Edwards, K. (2005, January 8). During an interview on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. MacAuley, D. (1996, July 27). Drugs in sports. British Medical Journal. Downloaded January 7, 2005 from Western International University online library, Info Trac, http://www.apollolibrary.com/Library/databases.aspx?db=0 McCaffrey, B. (2001). The United States Must Spearhead Reforms to Eradicate Drugs in Sports. Drugs and Sports. Downloaded January 7, 2005 from Western International University online library, Opposing Viewpoints, http://galenet.galegroup.com
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Research in Motion Limited Essay
In early 2002, Chris Wornald, as the director of strategic alliances for RIM, believed the tremendous synergy value offered from the acquisition of Slangsoft and its importance for RIM’s future Asian market. However, after his successful presentation on the deal to senior executives, one piece of archived news on Jerusalem Post got the attention from RIM’s director of legal affairs. The widespread panic and paranoia among Slangsoft employees, unrealized revenue from HP and multiple registrations became a great concern. Thus, Chris Wornald had to accurately measure the benefits RIM would gain from Slangsoft and the risks associated with its operation and corporate culture. Moreover, it is significant to draft a detailed action plan to help RIM capture all the synergy if deal is set. In this case, four categories are detailed analyzed; RIM itself, Slangsoft itself, three alternatives and the detailed plan of action. Research in Motion Limited (RIM) Firm and its products: Research in Motion Limited (RIM), trading as BlackBerry, was â€Å"a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Immediacy, security and ease-of-use were its pillar of competitive strategies. In early 2002, RIM and Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa announced the commercial launch of BlackBerry operating in Hong Kong. To date, RIM’s development tendency focused on expanding the global reach of the BlackBerry solution, especially into the rapidly growing Asian markets where no such solution yet existed. In term of its products (exhibit 1), the best-known and most profitable product was its Blackberry wireless solution, and another 45% of its revenue mix came from RIM wireless handhelds, software development tools and embedded wireless technologies. To date, RIM’s target customer had been focused on enterprises, not individuals. As the pioneer in the filed of wireless data communication, RIM’s products have the great features of â€Å"small size, long battery life, easy-to-use, reasonable pricing, flexible architecture and a data security plan†In order to maintain its leadership, RIM focused on the innovation of two-way wireless technologies and applications, adoption of its platform by wireless network service providers globally, and protect its intellectual property. Throughout the operation, RIM remained responsive to end-user needs and continue to develop and market leading edge hardware and applications. Moreover, in order to extend and develop its capacities, RIM had broadened the strategic alliances and relationship in order to enhance its competitive position. But, to date, the most emergent wireless capacity it needed was support of localized Chinese input and display. Finance From 2000 to 2001 (exhibit 2), RIM’s revenue grew 160% from $85 million to $221 million. RIM has an extremely strong balance sheet after completing a follow-on equity offering in November 2000 that raised $ 590 million. Therefore, RIM has very strong financial assets for financing their growing opportunities. In term of one single item on balance sheet, RIM has $50.8 million liquid asset to finance any small valued opportunities, and the sales of new equity indicates the investors’ confidence towards RIM. People and Culture Mike Lazaridis, RIM’s CO-Chief Executive Officer, was a passionate advocate for the power of basis science to improve and transform the world. With his engineering degree, Lazaridis is responsible for product strategy, research and development, product development and manufacturing. Jim Balsillie with more charismatic and outgoing personality brought his wealth of business knowledge to RIM. With such strong leading executive team, RIM had achieved a great employee growth by department from Fiscal 1999 to 2001. (exhibit 3) Moreover, RIM has a well-developed corporate culture that celebrates achievement, creativity, and risk taking. Employees at RIM were well compensated and motivated by various benefits, at the meanwhile, RIM is also famous for its corporate giving to the communities. Slangsoft Inc. (Slangsoft) Slangsoft, headquartered in Boston, was a small Israel-based company with majority of employees in Jerusalem. It had three main products: a core keyboard mapping engine, 52 language scalable vector fonts and a predictive input engine. Its well-developed Intelligent Text Input and Display (iTID) technology was essential for RIM’s entry into Asian market. Many RIM competitors also desired this technology. Slangsoft has signed licensing deals with nine companies and was in the stage of negotiation with one cellphone company. Arie Mazur, CEO and president of Slangsoft, showed his welcome towards building a closer relationship with RIM. However, former Slangsoft employees had or were considering sue the company for unpaid salaries, and alleged physical and personal abuse. Creditors also claimed their trouble collecting receivables. It also has problem in term of transferred intellectual property and deal issues with HP (one of RIM’s competitors) Three Alternatives There are three main alternatives for RIM at current: acquisition of Slangsoft, acquisition of Slangsoft’s competitors and outsourcing or developing own input and font display technology. Before analyzing the advantages and drawbacks of those three alternatives, we needed to firstly assess RIM’s current performance and the moving direction this year, in three years and ten years, then visualize the business strategy in terms of goals, product market focus, value proposition and core activities, and lastly apply strategic models to position RIM’s needs from the deal. Assessment We used the performance matrix (exhibit 5) to classify RIM’s current position of the business and the direction it targeted towards. In the current market, RIM had very good organizational health and operating performance. Therefore, RIM was in quadrant 1 and the strategy review will be a question of fine-tuning and taking a farther than usual look into the future. This specific direction demonstrated the importance of RIM’s sustainable future operational plan, both in short term and long term. Thus, RIM not only had to enhance its operation in order to maintain its position within a year, but also needed to develop non-existing market in this rapid-paced industry in a short term (3 years) and capture the future market share with developed technology in a long term (10 years) Goals Besides the operational direction goals, RIM had its specific business goals. In terms of hard goals, RIM still wanted to enhance their competitiveness as the leader in the market, at the same time of developing wealth for stakeholders. In terms of soft goals, RIM was willing to create opportunities for employee to advance while benefit society through innovation. Product market focus In this case, RIM’s board of directors had agreed to penetrate the new Asian market with its BlackBerry solution, which contains the new technology of input and font displays. Therefore, firm chose to have a diversification market focus on both product and market. Value proposition In order to gain the most market share in Asia and win against other competitors that are interested at the growing Asia market, RIM presented its value proposition in term of execution such as availability and intensity. To be specific, RIM had to find the way to get the font and display technology as soon as possible. With sales hustle and rapid timing, RIM could gain the leadership position in Asian market and capture most of the growing markets to become sustainable. Core activities RIM’s determination of its core activities was a critical aspect of its strategy since these choices would have a fundamental impact on its market and operations control, cost structure, capacities and flexibility. As demonstrated in this case, RIM was reaching out for a vertical integration in order to maintain the control of font and input technology, while limited its competitors’ abilities of expanding their market share in Asian market. Moreover, there are eight specific tasks RIM set for fiscal 2012. The ones we need to focus on in this specific case are to continue to substantially increase BlackBerry user base, launch new market and maintain the culture. Since the main strategy RIM utilized was strategic alliance (exhibit 4), it became more obvious that RIM would continue its acquisition on small technologies. Acquiring Slangsoft or its competitors or outsourcing/developing own? After assessing RIM’s performance and position, it was defined that RIM took great consideration on maintaining its leading position and kept innovating and gaining new market shares. Specifically, by looking carefully at the business strategy components, it was even clearer that RIM is unable to wait for Slangsoft’s competitors (Zi and Tegic) to get rid of the lawsuits. Also Slangsoft’s iTID platform had better functionality, performance and architecture compared to all four of competitors. Therefore, Chris’s decision on quickly moving on to due diligence and negotiate an acceptable offers is a wise for RIM in the short term. After gaining the market share in the large Asian market, developing own text input and font technology might be an optimal solution, but it is not short-term solution. Therefore, in order to win Asian market place with a possible past pace and save time for other sustainability plans, RIM should acquire Slangsoft as soon as possible. However, the specific requests and changes can be made through due diligence, as indicated in the plan of action.
Friday, January 3, 2020
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Character Descriptions
In William Shakespeares comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, characters make countless failed attempts to control fate. Many of the male characters, including Egeus, Oberon, and Theseus, are insecure and characterized by a need for female obedience. The female characters also display insecurity, but resist obeying their male counterparts. These differences emphasize the plays central theme of order versus chaos. Hermia Hermia is a feisty, confident young woman from Athens. She is in love with a man named Lysander, but her father, Egeus, commands her to marry Demetrius instead. Hermia refuses, confidently opposing her father. Despite her self-possession, Hermia is still affected by the whims of fate during the play. Notably, Hermia loses her confidence when Lysander, who is bewitched by a love potion, abandons her in favor of her friend Helena. Hermia also has insecurities, particularly her short stature in contrast to the taller Helena. At one point, she becomes so jealous that she challenges Helena to a fight. Nevertheless, Hermia shows respect for the rules of propriety, as when she insists that her beloved, Lysander, sleep apart from her. Helena Helena is a young woman from Athens and a friend of Hermia. She was betrothed to Demetrius until he left her for Hermia, and she remains desperately in love with him. During the play, both Demetrius and Lysander fall in love with Helena as a result of the love potion. This event reveals the depth of Helena’s inferiority complex. Helena cannot believe both men are actually in love with her; instead, she assumes they are mocking her. When Hermia challenges Helena to a fight, Helena implies that her own fearfulness is an attractive maidenly attribute; however, she also admits that she inhabits a stereotypically masculine role by pursuing Demetrius. Like Hermia, Helena is aware of proprietys rules but willing to break them in order to achieve her romantic goals. Lysander Lysander is a young man from Athens who is in love with Hermia at the start of the play. Egeus, Hermias father, accuses Lysander of â€Å"bewitching the bosom of [his] child†and ignoring that Hermia is betrothed to another man. Despite Lysanders alleged devotion to Hermia, he is no match for Pucks magic love potion. Puck accidentally applies the potion to Lysanders eyes, and as a result Lysander abandons his original love and falls in love with Helena. Lysander is eager to prove himself for Helena and is willing to duel Demetrius for her love. Demetrius Demetrius, a young man from Athens, was previously betrothed to Helena but abandoned her in order to pursue Hermia. He can be brash, rude, and even violent, as when he insults and threatens Helena and provokes Lysander into a duel. Demetrius did originally love Helena, and by the end of the play, he loves her once again, resulting in a harmonious ending. However, it is notable that Demetrius love is rekindled only by magic. Puck Puck is Oberon’s mischievous and merry jester. Technically, he is Oberon’s servant, but he is both unable and unwilling to obey his master. Puck represents the forces of chaos and disorder, challenging the ability of humans and fairies to enact their will. Indeed, Puck himself is no match for the force of chaos. His attempt to use a magic love potion to help Hermia, Helena, Demetrius, and Lysander achieve romantic harmony leads to the central misunderstandings of the play. When he tries to undo his mistake, he causes even greater chaos. Pucks failed attempts to control fate bring about much of the action of the play. Oberon Oberon is the king of the fairies. After witnessing Demetrius’ poor treatment of Helena, Oberon orders Puck to repair the situation through the use of a love potion. In this way, Oberon shows kindness, but he is . He demands obedience from his wife, Titania, and he expresses furious jealousy over Titanias adoption of and love for a young changeling boy. When Titania refuses to give up the boy, Oberon orders Puck to make Titania fall in love with an animalâ€â€all because he wishes to embarrass Titania into obedience. Thus, Oberon shows himself to be vulnerable to the same insecurities that provoke the human characters into action. Titania Titania is the queen of the fairies. She recently returned from a trip to India, where she adopted a young changeling boy whose mother died in childbirth. Titania adores the boy and lavishes attention on him, which makes Oberon jealous. When Oberon orders Titania to give up the boy, she refuses, but she is no match for the magic love spell that makes her falls in love with the donkey-headed Bottom. Although we do not witness Titanias eventual decision to hand over the boy, Oberon reports that Titania did so. Theseus Theseus is the king of Athens and a force of order and justice. At the beginning of the play, Theseus recalls his defeat of the Amazons, a society of warlike women who traditionally represent a threat to patriarchal society. Theseus takes pride in his strength. He tells Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons that he â€Å"woo’d [her] with the sword,†erasing Hippolytas claim to masculine power. Theseus only appears at the beginning and end of the play; however, as king of Athens, he is the counterpart of Oberon, reinforcing the contrast between human and fairy, reason and emotion, and ultimately, order and chaos. This balance is investigated and critiqued throughout the play. Hippolyta Hippolyta is the queen of the Amazons and Theseus’ bride. The Amazons are a powerful tribe led by fearsome women warriors, and as their queen, Hippolyta represents a threat to the patriarchal society of Athens. When we first meet Hippolyta, the Amazons have been defeated by Theseus, and the play begins with the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta, an event that represents the victory of order (patriarchal society) over chaos (the Amazons). However, that sense of order is immediately challenged by Hermia’s subsequent disobedience to her father. Egeus Egeus is Hermia’s father. At the start of the play, Egeus is enraged that his daughter will not obey his wishes to marry Demetrius. He turns to King Theseus, encouraging Theseus to invoke the law that a daughter must marry her father’s choice of husband, at penalty of death. Egeus is a demanding father who prioritizes his daughters obedience over his own life. Like many of the plays other characters, Egeus insecurities drive the action of the play. He attempts to connect his perhaps uncontrollable emotions with the orderliness of law, but this reliance on law makes him an inhumane father. Bottom Perhaps the most foolish of the players, Nick Bottom gets wrapped up in the drama between Oberon and Titania. Puck chooses Bottom as the object of Titanias magic-induced love, as per Oberon’s order that she fall in love with an animal of the forest to embarrass her into obedience. Puck mischievously turns his head into that of a donkey, as he decides Bottom’s name alludes to an ass. Players The group of traveling players includes Peter Quince, Nick Bottom, Francis Flute, Robin Starveling, Tom Snout, and Snug. They rehearse the play Pyramus and Thisbe in the woods outside Athens, hoping to perform it for the king’s upcoming wedding. At the end of the play, they give the performance, but they are so foolish and their performance so absurd that the tragedy ends up coming off as a comedy.
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