The Aspect of Change - Human Resource Management Assignment - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2996 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Executive Summary The paper discusses the change aspect of Human resource management in general and in accordance with the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. The 7 aspects of Human resource management is discussed thoroughly reflecting those variables which are globally changed in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s era. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Aspect of Change Human Resource Management Assignment" essay for you Create order Moreover, it also discusses as to how the company trains newly hired workers and make them an effective part of their company. The paper further discusses as to how formal institutions are set up for the assessment of senior managers. On the other hand, the other important aspects of HRM related to the benefits of workers, and how incentives are set up by the managers for their workers. Apart from this, the main purpose behind the creation of a labor union is also discussed and how they play a pivotal role in the process of certain regulations of the organization. Along with Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd, other companies are also referred so as to get some insight the patterns that are trending in accordance with the Human resource management. In the same way, it should be noted that human capital is the main asset of the organization and according to me, such resource is the only resource that will create success and effectiveness for any particular company in the future. Conten ts Executive Summary Introduction Background and Context Scope Aims and Objectives Methodology Achievements Overview of the Dissertation Literature Review Research in HR Management Training and its Purpose Introduction It is an obvious fact that the human resource management is the coherent and strategic approach for managing the most valued assets of an organization, i.e. the people, who collectively contributes to the accomplishments and attainments of the aims and objectives of the organization. There is no doubt that the competitive advantage of any particular organization is achieved through the people. On the other hand, there are other resources which provide a route to competency in any industry. Such resources are named as Finance, plants, raw materials, software and hardware are an important perspective of an organization but they are solely operated by the people. Therefore, in an explicit and implicit way, all strategies of an organization will incorporate a great human resource aspect. And, that is a great debate as to the process of human resource has any contribution in the strategy making process. There are several companies which are still operating under the traditional hu man resource management approach, theories and practices, but the role of HR in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s businesses is considerably changing. The Human resource department is known to deal with the policy and administrative issues, but in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s era, the HRM aspect needs a more interactive approach than before. Background and Context The human resource management is the most significant aspect and asset of an organization. This is because, the Human resource management approach empowers the training, selection, recruitment and incentive process. On the other hand, it is a certain fact that the company would always be in a need to hire a new talent when it has already expanded globally. And, that is the case of the company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. In order to seek the performance management of the company, Geely has been the victim of shortage of talents reserve. As the company expands globally, it becomes a very complicated process. Due to the continuous expansion of international markets, the demand for Geelyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s talent become more and more diversified. Their current training model is such that the staff is trained in the native country and then sent to foreign branches to proceed with the work. However, if there is an international market of any company, there should a hiring proce ss from that country and training should be done there so that the candidate can be available for the international perspectives of the organization. Scope The paper aims to focus on the changes in the aspects of the HR management in Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. But in order to understand the changing patterns of the human resource management in this particular company, it is necessary to learn the general changing patterns of human resource management that further provide us a good insight for its global importance as well. Moreover, along with this particular company, many evidences are also secured from other companies for reference purposes so that the changing aspects of human resource management can be compared and assessed against Geely holdings Pvt Ltd. Aims and Objectives The primary aim is to explore the changing trends in the HR management of Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group Co. Ltd. Some of the more changed aspects of the HR department may include employee training, both in the realm of selecting whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s needed and providing for the delivery of content, as well as evaluating the results. These aspects have certainly changed in the 21st century from the late 20th century. The reason behind this is that the business environment has become too much complicated and challenging. There are several situations where employees and workers cannot meet the complexities of the business environment. In order to meet such requirements, it is very much necessary to learn about the changing aspects of the human resource management and how it has affected the company Geely Holdings Group. The research will provide us the following details throughout the paper: How recruiting of new talents is done on local and international level? What is the exact purpose of training? What are the formal institutions for assessment of the senior managers? What are the incentives and benefits provided to the workers? What is the relevance of the delegation of authority? How and why labor unions are formed? Methodology The paper will use Geely holding company as a tool to learn the changing aspects of the human resource management and the researcher will also follow other research articles in order to have a great understanding as to how the patterns of the human resource management have changed within the 21st century. Most importantly, the HR practices in terms of training and recruitment have definitely changed. The most important fact behind this is that the business situations are totally different now and in order to deal with such work and situation, employees and workers should be greatly trained so that they are competent enough to meet challenges in the work environment and contribute to the performance of the company. Moreover, other companies are also referred so as to get some insight the patterns that are trending in accordance with the Human resource management. In the same way, it should be noted that human capital is the main asset of the organization and according to me, such re source is the only resource that will create success and effectiveness for any particular company in the future. The key aspect of the performance management is the emphasis on a moral criteria like diligence, work attitudes and the teamwork approach which are significant in improving an organization in terms of performance and growth. Achievements Through the discussion on the changing aspects of Human resource management in Geely holdings group Co. Ltd, the paper would give a complete picture of emerging trends and significance of Human resource management in the 21st century. This is the most important fact that human resource management should be given its due importance because this department is concerned with the candidates and applicants that would further contribute towards the performance of a company. In this paper, the Geely holdings group will be analyzed to get a complete understanding as if there occurred any changes during the process of development of Geely Holdings group Co. Ltd. And the paper will thoroughly provide us the details of the way workers are recruited in Geely Holdings and how they are provided with incentives in accordance with their performance. The paper will also describe the applicability of labor unions in this particular company. Overview of the Dissertation Chapter 1 deals with the introduction of the paper. It briefly describes the importance of Geely holdings group and a brief overview of the changing aspects of the concerned department. It further entails that the management of a human resource or capital is the most significant department of the organization as there is no doubt that the competitive advantage of any particular organization is achieved through the people. On the other hand, there are other resources which provide a route to competency in any industry. Such resources are named as Finance, plants, raw materials, software and hardware are an important perspective of an organization but they are solely operated by the people. It also describes that Human Resource Management, is an approach in managing the people in an organization to enhance the return on an investment from the utilization of human capital, and that is only possible through a proper workforce planning, selection, recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and incentives. Therefore, the importance of HRM lies in the fact that it enhances the knowledge of employees along with his skills and capabilities Chapter 2 deals with the literature review on the way the aspects of Human resource management are changed in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s era. It further explains us changes in such aspects come as a result of managing a change in focus, going from a distinct hierarchy where top level managers are the only ones whose voices matter, to a team approach to organizational management that recognizes the importance of every team member. It also encourages employees to strengthen all of their abilities and competencies so that they can contribute to the companys performance and that the organizational structure and culture should be set up in order to empower employees for doing so. Literature Review It is particularly known that the Human Resource Department tries to work closely with the employees which is further followed by their training and, this helps the workers to meet the business and corporate goals. There is one thing for sure that not only the economic issues drive the department, but behavioral issues are also responsible for this. Generally, HR is being closer to the team than it was before. Instead of being the people who sit in their closed work places and interview candidates, then permit divisional administrators and executives to manage day to day operations, HR is presently getting included in choice making, and making a commitment to the organization all in all, instead of being restricted to just the HR office. Many of these changes come as a result of managing a change in focus, going from a distinct hierarchy where top level managers are the only ones whose voices matter, to a team approach to organizational management that recognizes the importance of every team member. Some of the more involved aspects of the HR department may include employee training, both in the realm of selecting whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s needed and providing for the delivery of content, as well as evaluating the results. In addition, a closer relationship with managers at all levels in the company is making it easier for the HR department to take part in other aspects of business operations, including aiding in the implementation of many of the policies they once only created. There are activities likewise to spread the information inside the company, down to the most customary members. The most ideal approach to enable them is to give forth Human Resources programming that gives a direction and complete explanation of hierarchical approaches. With the progressions in the laws of HR, the division has additionally got to be more proficient at giving the standard procedures for contracting, terminating, control and associated with employees, and recomp ense and profits, a zone theyve dealt with from the beginning. And, as laws keep on evolving and change, the HR Department is required to wind up progressively vital in the management and approaches needed to stay in the consistence of every one. Research in HR Management Traditionally, Human resources has been known as a personnel management. This was replaced with the Human resources as more emphasis was laid on the sourcing of the capacity of a workforce which is relevantly a factor of production in the economic theory. Specifically, Human Resource Management, is an approach in managing the people in an organization to enhance the return on an investment from the utilization of human capital, and that is only possible through a proper workforce planning, selection, recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and incentives. Therefore, the importance of HRM lies in the fact that it enhances the knowledge of employees along with his skills and capabilities. It also encourages its employees to strengthen all such characteristics so that they can contribute to the companys performance and that the organizational structure and culture should be set up in order to empower employees for doing so. The advancement of the human resource management is always evolving. This follows the HR evolution in 4 stages from the Western point of view. The first stage is Pre industrial; the second one is Paternalistic; the third one is Bureaucratic and the fourth one is High Performance and there is a great link of the high performance stage with the Bureaucratic stage within the aspects of job analysis and evaluation, development and training, employee selection tools and techniques and other systemic setting for rewards along with other reachable goals. This was introduced by Taylorism to enhance the HR efficiency and formality. The initiation of the high performance stage was done by the study of Hawthorne in early 1920 and came into effect in the 20th century. This stage analyses as to how the psychological and human factors influence the organizations and its performance, which the central point of this particular stage. Specific topics like team motivation and goal actualization of individuals within the companies are essential in emphasizing the pivotal role of leadership, commitment, cohesion and loyalty in the success of an organization. Performance management is an important in every enterprise with the essential purpose that links it to the compensation so that incentive could be given to the workers to enhance the productivity. Therefore, it can be said that training and development has to be changed from the traditional approach so that the organizational competency can be greatly emphasized. On a global level, the key aspect of the performance management is the emphasis on a moral criteria like diligence, work attitudes and the teamwork approach which are significant in improving an organization in terms of performance and growth. Training and its Purpose The significance of training is known to everyone. There is a real improvement in the development of training, i.e. the refinement between training pertinent to a wider integration of tasks and training which is more particular to the employment and organizations general training and particular training. The training, in general, raises the future productivity of a laborer in different firms in the work market. This further entails that specialists as opposed to firms should pay the expense of general training on the grounds that the employer would not have the capacity to capture any future profit from their investment. Accordingly, general training may be orchestrated in a formal bunch of an instruction in light of the fact that it is significant to an extensive variety of employers and could be attained in different ways than training in the organizations. The firm ought to pay for the firm particular component related to training which does not help the laborer get higher wa ges somewhere else. Conversely, particularly, specific training raises the laborers benefit just in the firm giving it either in light of the fact that they have very special techniques or in light of the fact that they utilize equipment with which the laborers must get to be familiar. The profits from particular training may be lost when the association between manager and employee breaks down. In this way, specific training is obviously connected with turnover. At the point when managements anticipate that workers will be with the firm for quite a while, they will offer training for laborers since there is a more drawn out period in which the firm can get returns from their venture. The learning and aptitudes of employees and workers obtained through training have ended up essential notwithstanding the inexorably quick changes in products, technology, and frameworks. Most companies put resources into training in light of the fact that they accept that there would be a display o f a better performance. On the other hand, the hypothetical structure for the relationship in the middle of training and performance of the firm has been liable to an impressive debate. There was a model which underscores the entomb relatedness and cognizance of the human resource management (HRM) performance and policies. As per this model, training and other activities of HRM plan to build an individual performance, which is accepted to prompt higher performance of the firm. Firm assets incorporate organizational capital, human capital and physical capital that empowers the firm to enhance its effectiveness and adequacy. Its assets focus on the quality of a firm in the long haul. For the firm assets to provide an effective competitive advantage, they must have four characteristics: 1) important, 2) uncommon, 3) not imitable, and 4) cant be supplanted with an alternate asset by contending organizations. Along these lines, human capital is the most important asset for a firm and from the above characteristics criteria, it cant be copied or purchased in the business by contenders. Applying the asset based perspective on training recommends that training can give learning and aptitudes to workers and employees and thus, this may prompt high firm execution. Therefore, it can be said that training and development has to be changed from the traditional approach so that the organizational competency can be greatly emphasized. On a global level, the key aspect of the performance management is the emphasis on a moral criteria like diligence, work attitudes and the teamwork approach which are significant in improving an organization in terms of performance and growth.

The Joy Luck Club And Amy Chuas Why Chinese Mothers Are...

To many Westerners, the parenting of a Chinese figure would largely be considered as tiger parenting because of it’s growing fame in the media. This style of parenting is generally defined as a child having absolute obedience while being forced to excel in any field of the parent’s choosing. Many would think that tiger parenting is a common practice in Chinese households because of the seemingly successful Asian community. However, not all Chinese homes are centered primarily around academics and instruments. Large works that attribute to giving the Chinese community this dreadful connotation are Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Amy Chua’s â€Å"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior†. Both the novel and article damages the reputation of Chinese†¦show more content†¦My grandparents never forced my mom to do any extracurriculars, given they couldn’t afford it, but they also never tried to control how she lived (Woo). In my father’s ca se, he was given complete freedom with the only exception being he was asked to help at the family store (Au-Yeung). Because my grandparents were preoccupied with their jobs to make ends meet, they did not have the time or luxury to devote their daily lives solely on their children like Suyuan and Lindo. This did not mean that they were dismissive of their children, however. Even though their parents weren’t present at times, their kids still understood that they cared deeply for them and that they’d be there when it mattered (Woo). In Amy Chua’s piece â€Å"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior†, Chua talks about the effect of tiger parenting in a more modern setting. In her article, Chua goes in depth on how she raises her own daughters. Under her parenting, Chua’s daughters are not allowed to â€Å"watch TV or play computer games, attend a sleepover, play any instrument other than the piano or violin, and not play the piano or violin† (Chua). Not only is her parenting style excessive, but she also makes it a point to say that her way is the standard Chinese way. According to a 2015 research produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, modern Chinese parents are more concerned about their child’s well-being rather than solely their academic standing (Kang). In all of my years of attending a

Training plan for employees Free Essays

Recruitment, selection, training and evaluating employees Section A I have been hired by Laurent Bank of Canada, as a consultant to assist in hiring employees for the Commercial Banking Branch located In Montreal, Quebec. Laurent Bank Is a Quebec regional bank that has been In operation since 1846 and their head office Is located In downtown Montreal. The bank offers retail and commercial financial services. We will write a custom essay sample on Training plan for employees or any similar topic only for you Order Now I will be consulting for the hilling of employees working at a new commercial branch located next to Concordia University, in Montreal. These employees will be working as Commercial Account Managers in the banking industry. The Laurent Bank Commercial Banking sector offers different types of loans for small business owners such as Credit Lines, Term Loans and Business VISAS. The Bank makes a profit by collecting the interest they have charged on each of their loans. The Bank is looking to hire 3 employees who have had previous experience working in the banking Industry as well as an educational background in Finance or Accounting, preferably at a University level (I. E. Bachelor’s Degree). The newly hired employees will be responsible for managing a portfolio of existing business clients. They will also be required to bring In new clients to the Bank. Section B I will conduct the following job analysis to obtain Information on the skills, knowledge and ablest required for the Job: Identify and Isolate the component tasks Involved Examine how the tasks are performed Identify the main areas of responsibility Identify the working conditions I will use the 3 following methods to gather data from existing employees or sources to conduct my Job analysis: 1 . Interviewing existing Account Managers: I would meet with a few current employees working in Commercial Banking and ask them specific questions about their Job. 2. Perform an online search: I would search inline on Commercial Account Managers in order to gain knowledge on the field and specific requirements. 3. I would obtain access to the weekly activity logs: All Account Managers are required to submit a weekly actively log to their superiors. This log contains detailed Information on the work that was done during the week. Job Description: The Account Manager is responsible for structuring credits and addressing perceived risk. This includes completing necessary due diligence, establishing pricing and terms of credit, and also producing ongoing credit reviews and risk ratings that fleet knowledge of Bank policies and procedures. With respect to business development The Account Manager continually develops and broadens relationships with existing customers by cross-selling relevant and value added financial products and services. It is also a priority to build new relationships through referrals from customers and other sources. Section C I will recruit prospective employees by posting the Job description on Social Networking sites such as Linked and Faceable. I will also use job search websites also post the available position in the careers section of the corporate website of Laurent Bank. Social Networking sites are good way to attract Job seekers since almost everyone use Linked and Faceable. The majority of the population is using a smart phone nowadays with these applications already installed. Faceable would help me do a background check on applicants by having access to their network of friends, activities and hobbies. It would not, however give me much information on their education, skills or work experience. Linked is a more useful application for recruiters because its main use is to connect professionals through their work experience. Linked is an excellent calibration tool to help me assess the depth of the potential talent pool. The following 3 selections techniques will be used: I will compare the credentials from each candidate’s profile or posted resume; I will personally message those who I have selected and inform them on my decision to pursue an interview; I will also perform background reference checks on the candidates. Comparing profiles between candidates will enable me to narrow down my search; however there is the possibility that I choose one candidate over another strictly based on the presentation of their online profile or resume. Sending a personal message to chosen candidates is good ways of letting the applicant know that we are interested. However, this method can also backfire when the applicant refuses to respond to the message in a timely manner, resulting in wastage of time. Background checks are always a good source for gaining insight on the applicant’s past work experience. However, it is important to make sure you are speaking with the right person. It is not always easy to contact a candidate’s previous boss due to availability. Old Boss’ are not always eager to take the time out and speak about a past employee. Section D Once hired, the employees’ performance will be evaluated on a weekly basis. The Mentor or personal in charge of training the employee will be required to fill out a performance form. The form will contain several sections about the different tasks required for the role of an Account Manager. The Mentor will grade each section with the following: A (achieved), F (failed), AN (non-applicable) and IP (in progress). This weekly evaluation will serve as an indicator of the employee’s progress. It will also clearly indicate the areas where the employee needs improvement. The following training methods will be used: 1 . Job Shadowing with an existing Account Manager. This will enable the new employee to gain insight on the day-to-day activities of an account manager. It will also give the employee to ask questions on specific tasks. However, it can slow down the efficiency of Account Managers if they spend too much time answering questions. 2. Helping Account Managers with their portfolios. This will be both beneficial to the new and existing employees. New employees will gain experience by analyzing credit applications and financial statements. While the existing Account Manager will have more time work on other tasks and duties. However, the work submitted by the new employees will have to be revised by the Account Manager before submission. Section E The following 3 training programs will be used: 1 . Moody Analytics Account Manager. New employees will be required to complete the Commercial Lending program that involves online lessons on the specific skills needed for this role. Financial statement analysis, risk management and business development are the three topics covered in the lessons. After every lesson, employees are required to complete an examination testing their skills learned. The scores from these exams ill be sent directly to the Mentor. This will teach the employee on the three most important skills needed for an Account Manager. However, employees must be trusted to not consult other employees when answering the exam questions. 2. Financial Statement Analysis New employees will be given financial statements from new and existing clients to analyze. They will be required to calculate key ratios in order to determine the performance of the company in the current and past year. Financial statement analysis is a skill that must be mastered in order to be a successful Account Manager ND this is a good way to practice. The employee, however, might feel discouraged at first since all financial statements are different and can be very confusing at first. . Case Discussion New employees will be given the opportunity to discuss the risk associated with lending to the clients they have analyzed through financial statement analysis and job shadowing with an Account Manager. This will give a chance to new employees to express themselves and share their ideas. Some new employees, however, might feel too intimidated or shy to fully express their opinion. PART 2: Company Culture Section F I will advise leaders to help employees reach personal and organizational goals by pointing out the paths they should follow and by providing them with the means to do so. They would need to show concern and support for subordinates. The leader should use a transactional leadership style, where they can clearly identify the needs of their followers and give rewards in exchange for performance. They can set goals and expectations, reward effort and provide feedback. Section G Commercial Account Managers often work out of the office, visiting clients, checking out loan applications, and soliciting new business. Account Managers may be required to travel if a client is out of town, or to work evenings if that is the only time at which a client can meet. Employees in this role have the flexibility to work from home as well. Normal business banking hours are Monday to Friday from mamma to pm. An Account Manager manages his/her portfolio; therefore they usually manage least 37. 5 hours per week. Employees will be eligible for 4 weeks of vacation annually, however weeks must be reserved in advance to avoid too much vacancy at once. The office will be well located in central downtown Montreal. This will give employees the opportunity to take public transportation instead of driving their vehicles. It will also enable Account Managers to easily penetrate the commercial market. The office building will be connected to an underground metro station, which will facilitate travel during winter. All account managers will be provided with their own work space in the form of an open concept cubicle. This will encourage teamwork and also enable employees to interact with each other more frequently. There will be private rooms that can be reserved for client meetings. Upper Management will have private closed offices. There will also be a board room for meetings and presentations. The thermostat will be electronically adjusted to provide ideal temperatures for winter and summer. The lighting will be sufficient for desk work and each workstation will have its own computer, printer and telephone. There will also be a cafeteria open to all employees with a fridge and microwave. This will encourage employees to interact during lunch hour. I would be aware of the following psychological and social concerns: Job Autonomy and Harassment. I would assess the degree of satisfaction an employee has with their current role because it will be reflected in their reference. If the employee is not fully satisfied, they will feel exhausted with their role and eventually would not care to perform. This could eventually lead to the employee leaving their Job. Harassment is very serious and must be handled severely. Employees who face harassment might be too intimidated to report it. If it is not handled immediately, it can lead to serious lawsuits towards the organization. The policies on harassment will be clearly explained to all employees upon Joining the organization. Section H Stress in the workplace often coincides with the following behaviors in employees: rower productivity, reduced motivation, increased errors, and increased turnover. The role of an Account Manager often results in the following stresses: Role Overload. Employees feel there are too many tasks in too short time period. I would attempt to minimize stress using the following 3 programs: Improve communication 0 Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their Jobs and futures. Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities. 0 Make communication friendly and efficient, not mean-spirited or petty. Consult Employees 0 Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their Jobs. Consult employees about scheduling and work rules. Be sure the workload is suitable to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic deadlines. 0 Show that individual workers are valued. 0 Offer rewards and incentives. As Employee of the Month. 0 Provide opportunities for career development. 0 Promote an â€Å"entrepreneurial† work climate that gives employees more control over their work. Cultivate a friendly social climate 0 Provide opportunities for social interaction among employees. 0 Establish a zero- tolerance policy for harassment. 0 Make management actions consistent with organizational values. How to cite Training plan for employees, Papers

Principle Of Management Of The Company Fonterra Ventures - Samples

Question: Discuss about the Management of Fonterra Ventures. Answer: The main topic of this text is to analyse the principle of management of the company Fonterra Ventures of New Zealand, the change management aspects of this company. The control and demand methods, which the company policies accepts to abide. In addition, the motivation factor that works for this organisation of New Zealand. Moreover, there is also discussion of change management theory and different motivational theories that applies for it. The cultural and environmental influences and venturing, collaboration planning process that the company goes and development of different change managerial theory (Tedeschi, 2013). Arguments from the Harvard business review article are also there to evidence the side that other arguments are also discussed. Company background - Fonterra is multinational conglomerate of New Zealand. It mainly operates in the dairy nutrient products. The 10,500 dairy farmers of New Zealand own this co-operative. The organisations production itself is responsible for 30% of the dairy products of worlds market of dairy. Fonterra was established with the merger of worlds Two largest co-operative New Zealand Dairy group, Kiwi Co-operative of dairies and New Zealand Dairy Boards ("Fonterra launches new platform to back innovative game-changers", 2017). Managing change: First stage of change in Kotters model Kotters model of change management theory is an 8-step model that is useful for organisation. This 8 overlapping steps are discussed below. The first stage is creating the climate for change and this stage consists of three different steps(Sharma Jain, 2013). Increasing urgency, building team and formulating the right strategy are the first step to creating change (Baum, 2015). As Fonterra ventures has changed their capital structure according the need. The first step was to communicate the new vision of the companys capital structure. In 2007, they have announced the consultation program and restructuring the business operation program of the co-operative. The capital structure change received lot of support from the farmers, because the new structure provided the farmers greater incentives and increased their investment in Fonterra shares (Pomerol, Barba-Romero, 2012). The sufficiency of the capital programmed ensured the higher payout of the farmers. This new process also ensured the trading among the farmers have to be done and this would ensure the greater flexibility of the share price. Second stage of change in Kotters model Kotters second stage of change is all about engaging and enabling the whole organisation in terms of change management. The first step he analyses is to communicate the buy in. The crucial information about the new process and other additional info for change needs to be made understand by the all stakeholders. The idea will be resisted if the beneficial side of change is not communicated properly. Transformational change process will need over-communicating, data or information transfer should be honest and in an ideal way and walking the talk (Hatch Cunliffe, 2013). The last will require consistency between the vision and behaviour. Next step is empowering action. Then creating short-term wins among the employees (Sharma Jain, 2013). Enabling trading among the farmers will ensure the incentive will rise and circulate among the farmers. The additional setup of change will ensure the confidence among the farmers and independent valuation process with the shareholding of the company will ensure the increase and decrease of production in the company (Northouse, 2015). The details of restructuring were shared among the shareholding farmers (Pomerol, Barba-Romero, 2012). This has given the farmers support and confidence of the public and the favourable voting system has ensured the participation of all the shareholders investment opportunities. There was also a special fund accommodated for the farmers to help them in the change process of capitalisation system. This dairy farm initiated methods for the environmental change in the water pollution system for the sake of water pollution system. The effectiveness and credibility of this system ensured the increase in sustainability factor in the dairying system (Sharma Jain, 2013). The last stage of change in Kotters Model The last stage is implementing and sustaining change. This stage is to circulate the change factor among the whole company. This is also helpful in freezing the change and builds the whole organisation around that change factor. In this stage, the whole point is to stick to the new change and building the guiding team for that matter. With change comes the culture factor, which must be embedded if that needs to be stickled (Ulrich Probst, 2012). Behaviour of the people will ensure that the change continues to stick to people. The leaders must lead the staff to new winning behaviour and continues despite the change. The farmers themselves own the co-operation of the company. Therefore, the change will directly affect them. Fonterra was repeatedly accused for deforestation and hence increasing the greenhouse gas emission (Hatch Cunliffe, 2013). There have been implementation of process in the company and they have launched a new online platform to get new ideas from people to incorpo rating any kind of new and innovative technologies in the company (Baum, 2015). This step suggests that they are open to get new disruptive innovative ideas to model the process flow of the company. The venturing need of the company and value of milk to the farmers are more than the accelerating income of the individuals. The open mindedness and increase in innovative ways is evidence to the welcome change in the collaborative companies. The Fonterra Ventures Co-lab is innovation oriented, believes in winning together, and believes they can do it by change. Control management there are many characteristics of business that integrates the functions of management. The structure of organisation is dependent upon the kind and nature of business management. There are two kinds of business based on legislative nature. One is, where the owner of the business is the sole Proprietor. Another is the partnership (Northouse, 2015). The discussion of the mentioned company is based on partnership model. The farmers are the partners that thoroughly share the profits and dividend of Fonterra Ventures. This has some characteristics, like agreement, number of partnership, conduct of business, entity, liability matters, profit motive, investment decision, and transferability of shares, positional decision, mutual confidence and free operational regulation (Pomerol, Barba-Romero, 2012). Therefore, there no control factors working in the company domain. Fonterra Ventures goes by the principle of co-operatives. The main features are in the following statements. Voluntary membership everyone is at liberty to leave and enter the co-operative society. This also gives them freedom to take and share decision regarding the change matter. Political and religious Neutrality membership of co-operative society is favoured as discrimination is out of question and no place for peoples cast and co-operatives (Geisler, Wickramasinghe, 2015). Democratic management the farmers buy in and buy back facility among them ensures the power of the company remains within themselves. The management is alleviated through the one-man one vote system(Bratton Gold, 2012). Service motive - The initial objectives of the co-operative and their members earn profits and gather expenses of management. Incorporating the innovative and management ideas of disruption innovation is delivered to the management and producer co-operatives. Producers co-operatives - These type of co-operative society are formed to assist the producers. The setting up of milk producing units and members procuring the necessary materials and for the production is a beneficial process in terms of production process. There is certain advantage of having farming co-operatives in place. The open membership facility is to ensure the reachability of every person. The supply of goods and at cheaper rates is also an aim for the organisation (Simon, Canacari, 2012). The low management cost in this kind of engagement is beneficial for the company to extend the surplus money for investment purpose. The transferability of shares is restricted to producers in Fonterra Ventures. This organisations legal structure is combination of partners association and joint stock association (Ifinedo, 2012). Objective of this chapter is to realise the change and motivation factor of the company named Fonterra Ventures. This is a collaborative co-operation of dairy producing farmers and what is the change factors, that have made them successful. They are the major exporters in the dairy producing farms and these company supplies 30% of the dairy product in other markets. Further, another objective of the essay is to analyse the control method and other motivational factors that works for this company (Tedeschi, 2013). The data management has always been needed for getting more perspective of market orientation of any product. The more the usage of historical data more usage of effective perspective of products (Bratton Gold, 2012). Harvard business review article have gathered some information regarding change and what motivation factor works for people in change management that is also reviewed in this article (Simon, Canacari,2012). Discussion and judgements motivation theories and factors. - Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs theory, which depicts the motivation factor, comes from needs and they are divided into certain factors. The security, social and psychological needs are divided into five factors of human need (Tedeschi, 2013). According to Maslow, these basic needs are extremely valuable and challenging for workplace behaviour. For example, the company should allow bathroom breaks and refreshment breaks to avoid the conflict, that arises from exhaustion in workplace. Herzbergs two-factor theory predicts that there are two factors that is related to workplace environment. They are Hygiene and satisfiers. The hygiene factors are related to job security, salary, organisational policies, workplace conditions and other hygiene factors (Simon, Canacari, 2012). The satisfiers are improvement measurement of performance and factors related to growth, opportunities recognition and responsibility the transparency of standard procedures and development plans (Tedeschi, 2013). For example, the existence of non-smoking area, employee development plans and transparency in decision and award related recognition helps lift the satisfiers factors in employee. McClellands Acquired needs theory is known as the most effective motivational theory implemented in a workplace (Alexander, 2013). This explains the each individual has different needs and they prioritize their needs differently. The needs of human are not hereditary and can be based on the acquired need in life. The higher achiever has more need for power and achievement in life (Shafritz, Ott Jang, 2015). They are more driven by responsibility. His probable risk and feedback will differ. A team player in a group will need affiliation and will avoid the social conflict in co-operative environment. The competitive work environment is where they thrive for better achievement (Alexander, 2013). Alderfers ERG theory is based on the existence, re latedness and growth perspective of Maslows theory. The individual needs are material and is driven by physical and social needs that enhances the interpersonal ability of people. The relationship and development of psychological factors in life is dependent upon the growth in life. The existence and growth are proportional in relation with each other. The employees must be able to perform the key operations (Ifinedo, 2012).. The article in Harvard business review is based the data cravenness of organisation and how this change and the influence of social media is changing the current scenario of business among the world. The judgement based on human intuition is no longer the background of any decision taken. The retailers combine the data, do predictive modelling for the company, and develop merchandising plan. The investment decision is what is taken carefully in companies like Fonterra Ventures. The change management is not a problem to solve, as change is a part of process in an organisation (Bratton Gold, 2012). The predictive analytics gives qualitative information relevant to change. The intangible factor like leadership and motivation is interventional change in an organisation. Most of the models of change must be favourable and communicated thoroughly to the employees as discussed in the above change model (Hayes, 2014). The change practitioners struggle to justify and influence change in an o rganisation. Converting change management practises is unlocking the solution to a problem. Therefore, from the above text we can conclude that Fonterra Ventures is one of the effective co-operations of New Zealand. The logical change management practises are efficiently incorporated and implemented in the capital structure. The motivational theories are also discussed in the text and recommendations are given accordingly. The effective organisational structure for joint stock or associative co-operating is the key to transformational effort applied in an organisation. References Alexander, K. (Ed.). (2013).Facilities management: theory and practice. Routledge. Baum, T. (2015). Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change?A 2015 reprise.Tourism Management,50, 204-212. Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2012).Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. Geisler, E., Wickramasinghe, N. (2015).Principles of knowledge management: Theory, practice, and cases. Routledge. Hatch, M. J., Cunliffe, A. L. (2013).Organization theory: modern, symbolic and postmodern perspectives. Oxford university press. Hayes, J. (2014).The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Ifinedo, P. (2012). Understanding information systems security policy compliance: An integration of the theory of planned behavior and the protection motivation theory.Computers Security,31(1), 83-95. Northouse, P. G. (2015).Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications. Pomerol, J. C., Barba-Romero, S. (2012).Multicriterion decision in management: principles and practice(Vol. 25). Springer Science Business Media. Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., Jang, Y. S. (2015).Classics of organization theory. Cengage Learning. Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., Jang, Y. S. (2015).Classics of organization theory. Cengage Learning. Sharma, M. K., Jain, S. (2013). Leadership management: Principles, models and theories.Global Journal of Management and Business Studies,3(3), 309-318. Simon, R. W., Canacari, E. G. (2012). A practical guide to applying lean tools and management principles to health care improvement projects.AORN journal,95(1), 85-103. Tedeschi, J. T. (Ed.). (2013).Impression management theory and social psychological research. Academic Press. Ulrich, H., Probst, G. (Eds.). (2012).Self-organization and management of social systems: Insights, promises, doubts, and questions(Vol. 26). Springer Science Business Media. Fonterra launches new platform to back innovative game-changers. (2017).Fonterra.com. Retrieved 5 September 2017, from https://www.fonterra.com/nz/en/news-and-media/media-releases/Fonterra-launches-new-platform-to-back-innovative-game-changers.html

An investigation into the effect definite and indefinite articles have on memory Essay Example

An investigation into the effect definite and indefinite articles have on memory Paper This experiment is based on an experiment carried out by Loftus and Zanni. In this experiment they showed participants a video of a car crash and asked them to remember the things on it. They then asked the participants questions using indefinite and definite articles. The aim of this experiment was to see how the use of a definite or indefinite article can affect the answers that participants give when asked about what they have seen in a selection of pictures. The alternative hypothesis was that the use of a definite article would in fact produce a different answer from the participants than the use of an indefinite article. It was predicted that the use of a definite article is more likely to return a positive answer from the participant, whereas an indefinite article is least likely to return a positive answer from the participant. The null hypothesis was that the use of a definite or indefinite article would in fact have no difference on the answers given by the participants. We will write a custom essay sample on An investigation into the effect definite and indefinite articles have on memory specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on An investigation into the effect definite and indefinite articles have on memory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on An investigation into the effect definite and indefinite articles have on memory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This was an experiment. It used repeated measures. The target population was students over the age of 16 at King Edward VI sixth form in Morpeth in the North East of England. The sampling method was non random opportunity sampling and seven participants were chosen. The mean for a definite article is as follows: Yes = 4.4 No = 2.6 The mean for an indefinite article is as follows Yes = 1.6 No = 5.4 In this experiment the alternative hypothesis was accepted and the null hypothesis was rejected as the results showed that that people make more mistakes is asked did you see the than if asked did you see a therefore this suggests that whether a definite or indefinite article is used in a question can affect the answer given. Introduction Loftus and Zanni (1975) looked at the way in which the psychology of memory and language can be manipulated. Their goal was to find out if there was a difference in the participants response when a definite or indefinite article was used. They selected one hundred participants and showed them a film of a car accident. The participants were then asked to fill out a 22 item questionnaire which contained six critical questions. For half of the participants the six critical questions started with did you see a while for the other half of the students the questions began with did you see the. The a being indefinite and the the being definite. The results showed that 15% of the participants answered yes when the definite article was used and with the indefinite article 7% answered no. This experiment shows that you can change the way that people react to questions just by using definite or indefinite articles in the question. When using a definite article you are misleading the participant as it suggests that what you are saying is actually true. This is unethical as this technique could be used in the court room to make witnesses say they saw something that they in fact did not see. Aim: The aim of this experiment is to see how the use of a definite or indefinite article can affect the answers that participants give when asked about what they have seen in a selection of pictures. Alternative hypothesis: The use of a definite article would in fact produce a different answer from the participants than the use of an indefinite article. It is predicted that the use of a definite article is more likely to return a positive answer from the participant, whereas an indefinite article is least likely to return a positive answer from the participant. Null hypothesis: The use of a definite or indefinite article will in fact have no difference on the answers given by the participants. Design The independent variable in this experiment was whether or not a definite or indefinite article was used. In this case the definite article was the word the and the indefinite article was the word a. The dependant variable was the number of participants that said they saw something that was not actually there just because the question was asked using a definite article rather than an indefinite article. An extraneous variable is something that could affect the results of the experiment. An extraneous variable for this experiment could have been if there was a window in the room then the participant may have been distracted by what was going on outside the room and therefore not be able to concentrate fully on the experiment and therefore having a negative effect on the DV. This was controlled by closing the blinds and doors in the room in which the experiment took place to keep all distractions to a minimum. An ethical issue in this study was informed consent. Informed consent is where the researcher gets the signature of the participants to say that they are willing to take part in the experiment and that they understand what is going to happen in the experiment. The participants were asked for their consent in the brief of the experiment and were asked for their signature therefore making the experiment more ethical as they have given informed consent. Participants: The target population was students over the age of 16 at King Edward VI sixth form in Morpeth in the North East of England. The sampling method used is known as non random opportunity sampling Non opportunity sampling is where the researcher takes advantage of having some participants available to include in the research. This is simply made up of people that are available and willing. The reason that this method of sampling was used is that it is quick, easy and free. It is straight forward as it takes no preparation as the researcher can just pick who they want straight away without having to go through any sort of process. Seven participants were selected using this sampling method. Apparatus and Materials: In this experiment 5 different pictures were used so that questions could be asked about them using the indefinite and definite articles mentioned earlier. Procedure Brief: By taking part in this investigation you are agreeing to partake in an investigation into how the use of definite or indefinite articles in a question affects the answer a participant gives. You will not be deceived in any way during this experiment and it is completely anonymous. You will not be emotionally or physically harmed by taking part in this investigation and you have the right to withdraw yourself and your results at any time. A signature is required for proof of consent however your name will not be used in any way to keep anonymity. Method: The participants were sat down one by one at a table with nothing but a piece of paper and a pen on it. Before the experiment began the participants were given the brief. In the brief it was explained what would be happening in the experiment and since there was no deception involved there was no need for the issue to be addressed. The participants were asked to sign a piece of paper and print their name next to it to say that they gave their consent to participate in the experiment. All blinds in the room were closed and any computer screens were turned off to get rid of any distractions. After this 5 different pictures were shown one after the other (each being held up for 5 seconds) to the participants. Once all of the pictures had been shown the same process was repeated to make sure that the participants had seen all the pictures well. After this the participant was asked five questions containing a definite article and 5 questions containing an indefinite article by the researc her who recorded the answers on the piece of paper. Each question was about whether or not they could recall a certain thing in the set of pictures.

Various Subsections of Anthropology

Various Subsections of Anthropology Studying humanity journey Introduction Anthropology is the study of human beings in time and space. The central theme of anthropology is to trace the development that has occurred to the human race from the past to the present in different geographical locations. In fact, it uses both scientific and humanistic means for its data analysis that is gotten from various studies and researches that are conducted on the human race and its close relatives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Various Subsections of Anthropology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Anthropology explores various issues that pertain to the existence of life for humans and the physical, biological as well as geographical differences exhibited by the human race. From time in memorial, humans have evolved to display the differences that they have among themselves and other animals which share the same ancestral origin. For ease of study, anthropology as a discipline is divided into various study categories such as physical or biological anthropology, cultural anthropology and forensic anthropology among other sub-sections. Each of these sectors studies a certain aspect of human life aimed at bringing a clear and concise understanding of the human race. This paper aims at explaining the various subsections of anthropology and the role they play in enhancing the understanding of the value of anthropology. The value of studying human evolutionary sequence Of interest to anthropology is the idea of evolution which is pivotal to the explanation of emergence of different forms of life. Evolution theory can be traced back to the work of Charles Darwin who introduced it to modern biological and evolutionary thought. Physical anthropology as a branch deals with evolution of biological characteristics observed in human beings. Evolution can be described as the process by which living organisms have developed mostly through adaptation, natural selection and survival for the fittest to be what they are today. This theory uses genetical adaptation and inheritance to explain why some organisms have survived while others have become extinct (Thompson 1). The study of anthropology has helped in many ways both in understanding human beings and solving various problems that persistently arise. Physical anthropology understanding is crucial in the field of medicine.Advertising Looking for essay on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Most scientists believe that biological evolution can help in preventing and inventing cures as well as getting the local population to change their attitude towards medication. It is evident that many problematic diseases have their roots from the genetical inheritance that has occurred from the past. Medical researchers in this field need to study evolutionary biology to trace and get the cure of these early diseases. Evolu tion has played a key role in shaping the current anatomy, physiology and behavior that either exposes us to diseases or provides an immune system against the infections. Natural selection has acted through nature to eliminate mal-adapted organisms through diseases and other natural calamities. In the process, various organisms might have either survived or passed on defective genes. Major emphasis is laid on diseases and conditions that are passed through genes, from parents to offsprings which may need inference from biological evolution (Downie 3). Through studying humankind journey via evolution, we are able to understand the position of man in the current world of organisms. It sheds light on why humans are more developed than other organisms although origin of life seems to have been at similar interval. Past human activities that are recorded by archaeological undertakings help to explain the current changes in both humans and the environment we live. It is apparent that thro ugh beings evolution, archeologists have had great impacts on the natural environment by altering it to suit them (Brunet et al 146). Archaeology brings forth information from the ancient life and helps to reconstruct the extent to which human beings have changed. Adaptation to environment is a major tool used by human beings to survive and propagate. Humans globally exhibit different characteristics and behavior as per their geographical regions. These perceived differences are due to the influence of the geographical regions and cultural differences. Human variation (HV) studies the various differences exhibited by human beings namely behavior, color, genetical differences and adaptation measures. HV has evolved from the past through adaptive means to what is currently perceived. Through it, scientists are able to deduce whether humans have the ability to continue adapting successfully to the fluctuating environmental conditions or not. From this kind of data obtained from genetic pools of various past and present humans, scientists are able to advise human beings on potential dangers (Becks et al 989).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Various Subsections of Anthropology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Further, HV helps to explain disease prevalence in certain communities or geographical regions as opposed to others. For example, where the malarial disease has high prevalence, certain genetic traits are also prevalent. The study of HV shows that it is important in maintaining adaptive populations, biological variance for the functioning individual communities and ecological systems. Loss of HV may cause instability in human communities, negative effects in innate systems and genus viability (Becks et al 995). Archaeology is an anthropological discipline that is concerned with the history of people and their extinct cultures. It relies on the remains of left objects and materials called artif acts for the study and analysis. Archaeology is devoted to the search and excavation of the material remains to reveal the history of people and reconstruct their early life. It produces visible evidence to support the evolution theory. Historical archeology also relies on material culture and its exploitation but combines it with perspectives in anthropological field to bring an understanding of early lives of various groups of people whose material culture has been excavated (Paynter 169). Archaeology provides vital information on various issues that pertain to the extinct population. Information on diseases, cultural way of life, eating habits and other important aspects of human life can be gotten from archaeological analysis. Importance of understanding anthropological sub-fields Understanding the various sub-fields of anthropology has great importance in the life of individuals and that of the complete society. It is a common phenomenon for people to have a biased approach on others due to their differences in culture, color, eating, dressing habits and various aspects of community life. Countless conflicts occur due to the misunderstanding generated by difference in cultures (Brunet et al 148). Through understanding various topics, the prevention of such conflicts is possible. Besides, it prepares an individual for any occurrences that require great understanding of human dynamics.Advertising Looking for essay on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion Anthropology offers important scientific and humanistic knowledge on human beings. Anthropological information traces the descent of mankind from primitive forms to the developed forms that offers insight into the unobserved and observable characteristics which are helpful in a wide-range of scientific and humanistic application. Despite curricula importance, anthropological knowledge has wide individual application in real life. Archaeology and Palaeo-anthropology Introduction Archaeology is the humanistic and scientific study of ancient form of human beings through the use of material culture obtained via recovery and analysis. Material culture are the remains of environmental objects left by the ancient form of human beings including artifacts, building remains, biological remains namely plants, bones, ashes and other archaeological records. Archaeology traces human descent from the first primitive form of human life up the evolution ladder to the present form of human life which takes several million years ago. From paleolithic era to the development of complex human life, archaeology provides information on human evolutionary journey (Renfrew and Bahn 13). Palaeo-anthropology is the study of human fossils in support of evolutionary theory of human beings. However, fossil are the hardened parts of a human body that have been preserved for a long time through the action of nature such as in snow, burrows and in caves. It incorporates intelligible cultural practices like burial practices that man acquired in the process of evolution. Palaeo-anthropology uses both paleontology and physical anthropology to study human fossils. Indeed, physical anthropology is concerned with evolution based on biological inherited characteristics that are essential in the maintenance of human evolution path. Paleontology conversely studies the prehistoric life to determine the evolution and the interactions that occurred among early human beings which might have resu lted into the exchange of cultural practices evident in excavated human remains. Paleontology provides an extensive evolution view of the primary forms of life which are found within the context of early human life (Laudan 58). Human evolution Existing human beings are as a result of a long chain of evolutionary processes that has seen them develop from primitive forms to complex form. The study of their evolution is attributed to palaeo-anthropological studies that get their raw data from archaeological excavations. In the evolution sequence, human beings have adapted biologically to changing environmental conditions. Humans are believed to share a common ancestry with the apes but developed and adapted differently resulting to the differences observed between the ape family and human beings. Mutually, these species share various common and similar characteristics both genetically and cultural although apes display primitive form of human behavior (Laudan 59). The earliest form of human life is traced back to the appearance on the face of earth of an upright walking ape, approximately 6 million years ago. The human species were named hominid and was differentiated from that of the close human like apes named the chimpanzee on traits of uprightness and the use of opposable thumb. This difference is attributed to the use of tools that required the big finger to move constantly to allow for the gripping of the tool. These fossils are dated 7 million years ago. Further excavations yielded other fossils closer to human beings and were classified under the genera Australopithecus and Homo (Renfrew and Bahn 16). Through biological evolution initiated largely from the effects of environmental fluctuations, the general homo developed to Homo sapiens which are associated with the current day human beings. Fossils have been excavated all over the world bearing characteristics that have enabled archaeologists and palaeo-anthropologists to rank them accordingly in the hum an evolution sequence. From the earliest sahelanthropus species, humans have evolved through various stages each with different adaptations that have helped it to survive the torrid natural environment which has been changing from time to time. Natural selection in these species has determined which species were to prosper and propagate while others perished. Through nature, environment chose the best adapted forms of species to pass on to the next level to human evolution. The earliest fossils that had resemblance to human beings were discovered at Taung, near Kimberley in South Africa and were assigned to the genus Australopithecus (Dart 196). This hominid form was more like a chimpanzee and lacked the ability to create tools. Recent discoveries of Kenyanthropus hominid in Kenya that date 3.5 to 7 million years ago reinstated the idea of accepting a separate genera and species for the human beings. Palaeo-anthropologists cite that the separation between the chimpanzee family and t he human family ideally took place nearly 3.5-7 million years ago but each family developed on its own (Dart 197). Biological differences such as teeth pattern and bi-pedalism have been used extensively by palaeo-anthropologists to differentiate human beings forms and other close relatives. The evolution of hominid family was later followed by the excavation of the hominid ardipithecus from the Middle awash region in Ethiopia. This hominid displayed characteristics of terrestrial bi-pedalism which was linked to early human forms. This fossil similarly contained dental system that was close to hominids. The excavation of further hominid forms in Rift Valley also strengthened the argument of evolution (Brunet et al 147). Dentition was used to differentiate the extent of hominid resemblance. The following summary provides a detailed evolutionary sequence of man. The first fossils attributed to the genus Homo was the Australopithecine found in 1924 at Taung in South Africa by Raymond Da rt. The hominid walked erect, lived on the ground and probably used stones as weapons to hunt small animals. It was dated to be 3.5-7 million years old. The first evidence of the Homo species believed to have walked upright was discovered in Java in 1891. It was named Pithecanthropus Erectus meaning the erect ape man. Another kind of identical hominid was made in China; south-west of Peking called Peking man. The hominid had larger cranial capacity than Australopithecus yet lived in communal existence and used fire. The Acheulean tool making era is associated with this hominid. These tools were made of stone, wood and bone. The hominid is also said to have hunted big games in a communal way and lived in caves. The Home erectus gradually evolved into the Neanderthal man. This primitive man used stone flakes as tools, spears for hunting and is seen to have lived in cave (Renfrew and Bahn 15). The Neanderthals were capable of big game hunting including elephants, rhino et cetera. The f inal stage of man evolution is the appearance of the Homo sapiens hominid that represents the modern day man with all the capabilities to live complex lifestyles. It is to be noted that the evolution of man has taken millions of years and various reshaping of man by natural occurrences. Numerous factors have contributed to this evolutionary sequence. Evolution has been marred by struggle for survival. It included where only the fit survived, variations in both biological and physical traits, survival for the fittest which eliminated the mal-adapted organisms and denied them the chance to pass on their defective genes, hence natural selection (Dart, 198). Through natural selection, nature chooses organisms to propagate based on their ability to adapt to the changing natural conditions. Biological adaptation through genetic variance, mutation and propagation has played a key role in the evolution of man. Genes have enabled organisms that are better adapted to evolve further and deny t hose which are not the chance to evolve and therefore die away. Conclusion The emergence of current day man has been as a result of a long series of evolutionary stages that has been documented by palaeo-anthropologists using archaeological evidence of material remains left by early life forms. This trend has passed through several stages each characterized by different traits that brought closer the emergence of modern day man. Biological evolution through the role played by genetic inheritance has been pivotal in this sequence. Becks, Lutz, Ellner Stephen, Jones Laura and Hairston Nelson. â€Å"Reduction of adaptive genetic diversity radically alters eco-evolutionary community dynamics†. Ecology letters 13(2010). Brunet, Michel, et al. A new hominid from the Upper Miocene of Chad, Central Africa. Nature 418.6894 (2002): 145–151. Dart, Raymond. â€Å"Australopithecus africanus: The Man-Ape of South Africa†. Nature 115.2884 (1925):195-199. Downie, John, R. Evol ution in health and disease: The role of evolutionary biological in the medical curriculum, May 1994. Web. Laudan, Ronald. (1992). â€Å"Whats so Special about the Past?† Nitecki, Harman and Nitecki, David. History and Evolution, 2010. Paynter, Ray. â€Å"Historical Archaeology and the Post-Columbian World of North America†. Journal of Archaeological Research 8.3 (2000). Renfrew, Colin and Bahn, Paul. Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice. High Holborn, London: Thames Hudson Ltd, 2004. Print. Thompson, Paul. Biological evolution. Montgomery, AL. Apologetics Press Inc, 1994.

Urban wildlife management in arizona Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Urban wildlife management in arizona - Essay Example This is something that makes the wild animals insecure and can be used in explaining the fact that they have been attacking human beings without being provoked. The fact that their natural habitat has been invaded is already enough provocation to them (Luniak, 2004). This leads to the solemn point that the government should also make sure that in the bid of expanding citys wildlife should always be considered. There are a number of ways in which wildlife can be considered in such a case. This is because in this case they as just as endangered by the situation just like human beings are. There can be made plans that will see to it that their inhabitants are fortified in such a way that they will not be easily found in the areas that are inhabited by human being (p. 67). The wild animals that cannot be easily put away from human beings habitat could also undergo scientific gene modification to make sure that the hostility that they have towards human beings is moderated. Some people would argue that this would be endangering the wild animals, but industrialization and urban growth are already putting them and human being in danger with each side fighting for survival at any cost (p.

Summary on the following 3 readings Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary on the following 3 readings - Assignment Example The speculation about the society of states that tends to shape the international law according to Wright explains the scene of theories of IR prior to 1914. The international law was the most vital of the reminiscences of theory of IR during that period (Wight 16) Secondly, Wright opines that theories of international relations are marked by not only paucity but rather with intellectual and moral poverty. Wright highlights the unique poverty pertaining the imposition of the autonomous state and the notion of progress. The imposition of sovereign state argument is explainable via the state explanation and jurisdiction. As such, the balance of power cannot be a precise tool due to its ambiguity. Wright further provides that such hegemonic thoughts developed in the 20th C as a result of theoretical vacuum. Nevertheless, the theories could not establish themselves due to the lack of feasible situations that could cause them to happen. As such, the three determining phenomena to the international system cannot be described by an international thought, rather through domestic viewpoints. He provides that the nature of theories of IR coupled with the intellectual and political roles performed by the IR schools of thought are very similar to the natu re of typical political theory. Of interest to the theorist is the recent bias to explicit theoretical reflection about IR being a definite measure of the importance of IR. As such, he provides the ultimate theoretical and political justification of the increased interest in IR. He argues that the threats stemming from the unresolved political challenges, people have come to think more in terms of a supranational community, a global government and political structures that culminate to the nation-state. Consequently, he provides an exemplary reflection of the political challenges whose solutions need functioning structures and

Analysis of the Film Inception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of the Film Inception - Essay Example Cobb who is a character that is played by Leonardo DiCaprio is a business raider of the highest order and is in the business of invading the minds of targets to steal the ideas that they might have. An influential billionaire goes on to hire him so that he can do the opposite of what he actually does which will mean that he has to plant an idea into the mind of a rival. He is supposed to do it in perfectly in such a manner that the target will not have any clue that it has happened and will also think that it was his own idea. The task that he has been given has never been attempted prior to this time since he considers that â€Å"our minds are as alert to foreign ideas as our immune system is to pathogens† which makes it a task that is difficult and almost impossible. The wealthy man that has hired Cobb for the job makes him an offer that is difficult to turn down. This offer by Saito, who is the wealthy man, is so good that it would enable Cobb to return to his home and family since he was in forced exile. Cobb brings a team together and in this part, the movie depends on the procedures that are well established in all the movies that involve heists. The accomplices that he chooses to work together with are introduced in different scenes to the viewers. Arthur, who is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has been Cobb’s associate for a long time; Earnes, played by Tom Hardy is an extremely good at deception; Yusuf, played by Dileep Rao is a reputable chemist.

Presentism Eternalism And Special Relativity Philosophy Essay

Presentism Eternalism And Special Relativity Philosophy Essay In this essay I hope to show that it is not necessarily true that Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity refutes presentism. It is not my aim to show that presentism is correct, nor is it my aim to show that eternalism is incorrect. I aim to show that it is naÃÆ' ¯ve for eternalists to assume that STR favours the eternalists view on time over the presentists view. I will start this essay by explaining and defining the views of the presentist and eternalist. For any valuable work to be done in defending presentism against the claims of STR, I believe a sound understanding of what both presentism and eternalism entails is needed. I will make it clear how presentism and eternalism differ and make it clear what is meant when they say something exists. I will then move onto discussing STR. I hope to explain STR in as clear a manner as possible, although I will not be explaining it in the depth found in physics papers. I will consider the postulates that make up STR and consider the imp ortant paradoxes these lead to. In particular, I will discuss the paradox of the speed of light and the paradox of simultaneity, as these are a concern to the presentists view. With STR adequately explained (in enough detail that I may hope to defend Presentism against its claims) I will move onto considering the arguments Philosophers have brought forward in an attempt that STR supports a 4D model of the universe, and as a result refutes Presentism. I will consider the Rietdijk-Putnam argument, and Penroses version of this argument, The Andromeda Paradox. By explaining these arguments I hope to show clearly the problem that STR poses for presentism. Finally, I will consider two defenses  [1]  of Presentism against the claims of STR. The first defense is brought forward by Hinchliff (2000), and the second defense is brought forward by Markosian (2004). I find the latter defense to be the more compelling, and I will explain why I think this. I will conclude by offering my reasoni ng for thinking that STR does not necessarily refute presentism. I start this essay by defining the terms presentism and eternalism, and by discussing what they mean when they say something exists. Section 1- Defining Presentism and Eternalism I start this section by considering presentism. To show what presentism actually entails, I think its important to first consider where the view comes from. Presentism can be traced back to McTaggarts famous 1908 paper The Unreality of Time. In this paper, McTaggart highlights two ways in which we experience time. These ways form what he calls the A-series and B-series. The A-series is a tensed series where events are arranged using tensed properties such as past, present or future. The B-series is a tenseless series where events are arranged relationally using terms such as before or after. McTaggart claims that the A-series is essential to time as events only change with respect to their tensed properties, and time must involve change (p26, McTaggart, 1927). No change occurs in the B-series. If event A is before event B, then event A will forever be before event B. Those who claim that we should talk about time using tenses, and claim that the A-series is essential to time are know n as A-theorists. Those who think tensed expressions are reducible to tenseless expressions, and claim that the B-series is essential to time are known as B-theorists. Some A-theorists advocate presentism, and some B-theorists advocate eternalism. Of course, it is not always the case that A-theorists are presentists, and not always the case that B-theorists are eternalists. Zimmerman notes two other views that the A-theorist could hold; the growing-block theory and the moving spotlight theory (Marcus, 2012). These will not be considered in this essay. Now that Ive explained where eternalism and presentism come from, I will move onto actually defining presentism. There are a number of ways in which presentism has been defined. In this essay, I will take presentism as the view that only things in the present exist or as Markosian (2004) defines it: Necessarily, it is always true that only present objects exist (p1, Markosian, 2004) The presentist distinguishes the present as being special over the past or the future, in that it is only objects in the present exist. The presentist believes in an absolute (universal) present, where all events happening now, exist. No events (or objects) that exist, exist in the past or future. We can see why the presentist will claim that the A-series is essential to time and why the B-series is not. Only in the A-series can objects or events be located (temporally) in a present moment. The B-series does not treat the present as being any more real than the past or future. Its hard to see what would count as the present in the B-series, as all events are arranged relationally as either before or after other events. Its important to note here that necessarily, it is always true that only present objects exist is not the same as saying only the present exists as some have interrupted it (e.g. Davidson, 2003).The presentist may say that the past and future exist (in some sense of the word exist), but no objects exist in the past or future. Nor does presentism equal the tautology that is only present objects exist at present (Vallicella, 2003). Nor is it the claim that all objects that have existed, and that will ever exist, exist in the present now. Its easy to see the difference between these statements when the flow of time is taking into account (the presentist view accounts for the flow of time, whereas the externalist view does not). The diagram below shows the presentists view. In diagram (a), the present moment (now) happens to be a moment in 1967. The presentist would say that only things (or objects) in this moment in 1967 exist. Nothing exists in the past or future. In diagram (b), the present moment (now) happens to be a moment in 2013. The presentist would say that only things (or objects) in this moment in 2013 exist. No objects exist in the past (which now includes 1967) or future. Now that I have defined presentism and made it clear how I will be referring to it in this essay, I will move onto defining eternalism and in the process, contrast it with presentism. Eternalism can be thought of as the main rival to presentism. As mentioned previously, the eternalist sees the B series as being essential to time and denies the existence of the A-series. Eternalism is the view that objects in the past and future are equally as real as objects in the present. objects from both the past and the future exist just as much as present objects (Markosian, 2010) Others have said that Eternalism is the view that all times are real (p326, Ladyman, 2007), but I see this is open to further interpretation. I will be interpreting all times are real as meaning objects can equally exist in the past or future. Its not hard to see how this contrasts with the presentists view, nor is it hard to see why eternalists accept the B-series. All times in the B-series are treated equally. Theres no special property given to a present moment. Eternalism is sometimes referred to as the block universe view, as the past, present and future all exist in a closed 4-dimensional Space-time block (p2, Peterson Silberstein, 2009). Presentism, on the other hand, may be thought of as endorsing a 3D view of the universe. As Valente (2012) puts it in The Relativity of Simultaneity and Presentism: For an eternalist (four-dimensionalist) a 3D object is just a slice of a four-dimensional (4D) worldline of a timelessly existing 4D world (or block universe) in which all the slices (i.e. the 3D objects) are actually all given at once. For a presentist, the 3D world consists of all 3D objects and fields existing simultaneously at the moment now or present. (p4, Valente, 2012) Presentism and Eternalism can be visually imagined as in the diagram below. Presentism features a present moving with the flow of time. Time to the eternalist can be imagined as a block  [2]  which contains the past, present and future, along will all objects and events. (Savitt, 2008) The differences between presentism and eternalism can be further shown by using an example. I will consider the example used by Lombard (2009) in his paper Time for a Change: A polemic against the Presentism Eternalism Debate. Lets take the statement Dinosaurs exist. Dinosaurs are not included on the presentists list of things or objects that exist. Dinosaurs are however included on the eternalists list of things or objects that exist. Of course, as Lombard points out, the eternalist is not saying that there are dinosaurs, that is, right now (p58, Lombard, 2009). As the eternalist believes that objects exist in the past, in the same way as they exist in the present, they must insist that dinosaurs nevertheless exist (p58, Lombard, 2009). This is point that can lead to confusion. Its important to understand what we mean by the word exist in the statement Dinosaurs exist. Markosian (2004) gives a brilliant explanation of what we should mean by exist in his paper A Defense of Presentis m. In what follows, I will consider this explanation and make it clear what exist means. Markosian highlights two ways in which we may think about the word exist. The first sense in which we may think of the statement Dinosaurs exist is what Markosian calls the temporal location sense. Under this interpretation, Dinosaurs exist is synonymous with Dinosaurs are present. Under the temporal location sense of the word, the eternalist will agree that no non-present objects exist right now i.e. Dinosaurs do not exist right now. However, this is not what we will be taking the eternalist to mean when they say Dinosaurs exist. Markosian calls the other sense of exist, the ontological sense. Under this interpretation Dinosaurs exist is synonymous with dinosaurs are now in the domain of our most unrestricted quantifiers, whether it happens to be presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦or non-presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p2, Markosian, 2004). The eternalist will agree with this. The presentist will argue that dinosaurs are not now in the domain of our most unrestricted quantifiers, as dinosaurs do not exi st in the present (now), and only things that exist in the present will be included in the domain of our most unrestricted quantifiers. Under this interpretation of exist the disagreement between the presentist and the eternalist becomes clear. According to presentism, dinosaurs do not exist i.e. dinosaurs are not included in the things that our most unrestricted quantifiers range over. According to eternalism, dinosaurs do exist i.e. dinosaurs are included in the things that our most unrestricted quantifiers range over. For the Presentist what objects our most unrestricted quantifiers range over is a changing matter of fact (p13, Kehler, 2011). This is because the objects of the present are forever changing as time passes (in line with change in the A-series, as discussed earlier in this essay). The opposite is true for the eternalist. What objects our most unrestricted quantifiers range over never changes (in line with the unchanging B-series as discussed earlier). With presentism and eternalism defined and discussed, and the difference between the two made clear by discussing the meaning of exist, I will move onto the next section of this essay. In the next section, I will be considering Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity (STR). I will be considering the postulates that make up Einsteins theory and discussing some of the paradoxical consequences of these. I will then discuss the arguments Philosophers have come up with in an attempt to show that STR implies a 4D view (eternalism). These arguments will be the Rieldik-Putnam argument, and I will construct my own version of Penroses Andromeda Paradox. Once STR is made clear, I will conclude the section by considering what these arguments mean for both presentism and eternalism. Section 2 The Special Theory of Relativity: the Thorn in Presentisms Side As this is a Philosophy essay, and not a Physics paper, I will not be going into any great detail in explaining Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity (STR), and Im unlikely to do it justice. I will, however, explain the theory in enough detail so to allow me to adequately discuss the arguments in support of the 4D model and against presentism. This will also help me in defending presentism in the final section of this essay. Without adequate knowledge of STR and its paradoxical nature, its unlikely I, or any other philosophers, would be able to even start defending presentism against its claims. I start by considering the postulates behind STR. In 1905, Albert Einstein presented STR in his paper On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies. The theory itself is derived from a number of postulates, of which two can be said to form the heart of Special Relativity (Hamilton, 1998). The first postulate is the Principle of Relativity: There is no absolute rest frame of reference (p1, Lee, 2012) The second postulate is the Principle of Constancy of the Speed of Light: The speed of light c is a universal constant, the same in any inertial frame (Hamilton, 1998) Together, these postulates open up paradoxes which lead Philosophers to the thought that STR implies 4D view of time (eternalism). Inertial frame (or inertial reference frame) here will be defined as frames of reference in which Newtons first law of motion is observed. Newtons first law of motion is that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force (Benson, 2010). Before Special Relativity, the speed of light was thought to depend on the speed of the person observing and the speed of the source from which the light came (Lawerence, 2002). An experiment was conducted in the late 1800s by Michelson and Marley in the hope that this was correct (Carlip, 1996). As the earth orbits around the sun at .01% the speed of light (Lawerence ,2002), Michelson and Marely hoped they would be able to show that a light beam moving along with the orbit of the earth would be .01% slower than a light beam going perpendicular to the orbit of the earth. To their surprise, this was not the case. Every attempt to find a difference in the speed of light failed. The light always took exactly the same amount of time to travel down either leg (Lawerence, 2002) Since light always travelled at the same speed in the experiments  [3]  , Einstein took the constancy of the speed of light to be a fact of nature, and from it, formed the second postulate of STR. Now that the history behind STR has been discussed, and the postulates of STR have been explained, I will move onto discuss how these postulates lead to some interesting paradoxes. The second postulate leads to an interesting paradox. In order to understand the problems that STR poses for presentism, its important to understand what this paradox entails. I will construct this paradox by way of example, based on the example used by Hamilton (1998). Lets pretend Im standing on the surface of the Earth  [4]  . Im wearing a helmet on my head. The helmet has the ability to emit a powerful flash of light. My friend Bob has a super car which just so happens to be capable of moving at a constant half the speed of light (1/2c). Bob is moving in a straight line from my right to my left. At the very point that Bob passes me, my helmet lets out a flash of light. This light expands at the same speed (c) in all directions. According to the second postulate of STR, the speed of light is constant for both of us. This means that from my frame of reference, the light expands at the same speed in all directions, and that from Bobs frame of reference the light expands at the s ame speed in all directions (even though he is moving at half the speed of light away from the light source). The paradox here is that, from our own frame of reference, we both believe we are at the centre of the flash of light. Its not possible that we are both at the centre of the flash of light. Before considering the solution to this paradox, I will discuss the example of this paradox as shown by Penroses (1989) Andromeda Paradox. Using his Andromeda Paradox argument, Penrose attempts to show that the Universe is a pre-determined 4D Space-time block, which causes problems for presentism. Penrose (1999) asks us to consider two people (Jack and Jill) walking past each other on the street. Jack is walking towards the Andromeda Galaxy  [5]  and Jill is walking away from the Andromeda. From STR it can be said that Jack and Jill have different ideas about what events are presently happening in the Andromeda Galaxy. It would take light from the Andromeda Galaxy 2.5 million years to reach either person, and as such, they dont know what events are happening, but whether or not they know of the events happening is of no importance here. An event on Andromeda that Jack thinks is present (from his frame of reference), is an event that Jill still thinks is yet to happen (from her frame of reference). To Jill, the event is in the future. Penrose calculates the event is 5  ¾ days behind in time for Jill. One can calculate that their planes (or spaces) of simultaneity at the instant at which they pass each other on Earth intersects the history of the world line of Andromeda about 5  ¾ days apart (Savitt, 2008) Our planes of simultaneity  [6]  are different. The diagram below shows this: (modified from BobC_03, 2012) With the paradoxes explained, I can consider what they mean for both Presentism and Eternalism, and show how the minowski Universe appears to favour Eternalism. Its possible that an event in Andromeda is in the present (and according to Presentism does exist) for Jack, but the same event is in the future (and according to Presentism does not exist) for Jill. Here lies the problem that STR its paradoxical nature poses for Presentism. As can be seen, the problem has at the heart of it the second postulate of STR. No matter what speed they walk past each other in opposite directions, if Jack and Jill were to measure the speed of light (in their own frames of reference), they would get the same result. no matter at what speed or in which direction they or the source of the light are moving, must come to the same result when they measure the speed of light (Savitt, 2008) If its not known whether an event is present or past, then how can presentists hold the view that only things in the present exist? What things are in the present are both different for Jack and Jill. In an attempt to solve this, the presentist might try to say that the event is taken to be present or future depending on whether it is present or future in the absolute rest frame (p5, Eichman, 2007). However, according to STR there is no absolute rest frame, or absolute simultaneity, and therefore, there can be no absolute present. If we assume that STR is true, the following argument against Presentism can be constructed: (1) STR is true. (2) STR entails that there is no such relation as absolute simultaneity. (3) If there is no such relation as absolute simultaneity, then there is no such property as absolute presentness. (4) Presentism entails that there is such a property as absolute presentness. (5) Presentism is false. (p29, Markosian, 2004) Now that STR has been discussed adequately and that the trouble it poses for Presentism has been highlighted, I can move onto the final section of this essay. In the final section, I will consider two ways in which philosophers have tried to defend presentism against the seeming threat posed by STR. The first defense is brought forward by Mark Hinchliff (2000) in his paper A Defense of Presentism in a Relativistic Setting. The second defense, and the defense which I find more compelling, is brought forward by Ned Markosian (2004) in his paper A Defense of Presentism. I will explain why I find this defense more compelling, and why I think Hinchliffs defense doesnt work. Section 3 Defending Presentism The first defense against STR that I will consider is what Hinchliff calls The Point Model. In the point model, Hinchliff claims that in STR the present is to be identified with the here-now (pS579, Hinchliff, 2000). In other words, a presentist can argue that in STR, only a single space-time point exists; the here-now. Hinchliff does not hold this view himself and says that he knows of no one who actually holds this view (S579, Hinchliff, 2000). Nevertheless he feels its worthy enough to discuss. A standard objection against this model is to say that its lonely, in that nothing but the here-now exists. This objection is easily refuted however. Saying its lonely is akin to rejecting solipisism because theres no other people. Something stronger is needed in order to reject either the Point Model or solipsism. Putnam (1967) offers a better objection against the view however. Putnam says that anything that is past must have previously been present (p246, Putnam, 1967). Under Point prese ntism however, there are events in the past which have never been present. Therefore, Point Presentism violates the conceptual truth that what is past was present (S579, Hinchliff) This can be shown by way of example. Lets pretend an event occurs which is space-like separated from my here-now. It is therefore not in the present from my frame of reference. When time moves on, the event is however included in my past here-now, without ever being in the present, and therefore violated a conceptual truth. A presentist may try to argue that point presentism does not violate a conceptual truth, but this would lead them to trouble when trying to explain how certain objects of the present (objects that exists) cease to exist (fade into the past). I do not think this is a suitable defense of presentism against STR. I think if a presentist is to hold their view, then they must look for a way of fitting the outcomes of STR into that view. Point presentism attempts to change presentism in such a way that makes it compatible with STR, and fails to do so. Presentists should rather attempt to change STR in such a way that makes it compatible with presentism. I believe this is what Markosian (2004) attempts to do in his defense of presentism. I will now consider this defense and explain why I find it more compelling than Point Presentism. In his defense of presentism, Markosian (2004) considers whether STR contains enough philosophical baggage built into it to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ entail the proposition that there is no such relation as absolute simultaneity (p31, Markosian, 2004). If this is not the case, then there is no reason to assume that STR poses problems for presentism. Marksoian asks us to consider two different types of STR (p31, Markosian, 2004): STR+ : This version of STR does have enough philosophical baggage built into it to entail that there is no such thing as absolute simultaneity. STR-: This version of STR does not have enough philosophical baggage built into it to entail that there is no such thing as absolute simultaneity. Markosian rejects STR+ and accepts STR-. I believe the reasons for why he thinks this is key to any presentist wishing to defend their view against STR. All empirical evidence which suggests that STR+ is true, equally supports STR- (p31, Markosian 2004). Just because it is not physically possible to determine whether two objects or events are absolutely simultaneous (p31, Markosian) does not entail that there is no such thing as absolute simultaneity, and no absolute present. Consider the Andromeda Paradox as explained earlier. From their own frame of reference (or plain of simultaneity) their idea of what event is present is different  [7]  . The presentist is able to agree with this view. Agreeing with this, does not mean they must reject their view on absolute simultaneity or their view that an absolute present exists. It may be the case that an absolute rest frame is not accessible to us. The presentist can reject the first postulate of STR. With this said, it seems the etern alist is unable to refute presentism by appealing to STR, and it looks likely that any such argument will end in a stalemate. The eternalist and presentist view with regards to STR can be summed up as follows: Eternalist STR is true and entails there is no absolute simultaneity or absolute present. Therefore, presentism is incorrect. Presentist STR being true does not entail there is no absolute simultaneity or absolute present. It entails that these are not accessible to us, but nonetheless may still exist. According to me, they do exist. Its impossible to say whether either view is true or false (How would one prove that there is or isnt an absolute rest frame?), resulting in a stalemate. Its certainly seems that its not necessarily true that STR refutes presentism. Conclusion In this essay, I have achieved what I had set out to do. I have defined and explained what both presentism and eternalism entail. Ive made it clear what the differences between the two are and Ive shown that its important to understand what the word exists mean when discussing both views. I have also explained and discussed the Special Theory of Relativity. In doing so, I have shown how the paradoxes it leads to, causes problems for presentism, and have shown why the eternalist might try to attack presentism using STR. Finally, I considered ways in which the presentist may try to defend their position against STR and the eternalist. I have shown that any attempt by the eternalist to use STR against presentism will result in a stalement. The empirical evidence which supports STR+ equally supports STR-, and the presentist only needs to reject STR+ and accept STR-. The problem with using STR to attack presentism is that STR+ must be assumed to be true. It is not necessarily the case tha t STR+ is true, and the presentist may use this point in defending their position. STR+ (or a theory with the same consequences) may be shown to be true someday, but until that day comes, the eternalist should make use of some other weapon in trying to attack presentism. Word Count 4629 Student ID 1818201