The ability to think critically has long been considered the most important trait any student or individual can possess to analyze information and reach unbiased conclusions. Critical thinking is therefore an important subject with educators of all disciplines trying to incorporate this skill in learning methodologies. But in order for someone who understand the concept and to incorporate it effectively, it is important to know what exactly is critical thinking. However this is not an easy task. It has been noticed that despite numerous the best efforts of thinkers, educators, and researchers, critical thinking has more or less remained an elusive asset and for this reason, there is no widely accepted definition of the concept. However since the beginning of 20th century, tremendous work has been done in this field and thinkers have developed some important definitions of the concepts. These definitions may not explain what precisely is critical thinking but they offer a

Human beings are naturally burdened with character imperfections that, to a great extent, define who they are as people. The idiosyncrasies, character flaws, actions, and turns of phrase characteristic of every individual are personifications of the "not so perfect" world. In literature, the acknowledgment of character flaws allows the reader a glimpse into the human psyche of the characters of a particular story, and, as such, a glimpse into the human psyche of the authors themselves, as well as the specific cultural milieu in which they write. Indeed, literary works of all kinds can give the reader greater insight into the eternal question of "why people do the things they do." Perhaps this is especially true for the American reader of the short stories, Lady with the Pet Dog, Barn Burning, Hills Like White Elephants and Horse Dealer's Daughter, for, within these works, the reader can not only glimpse, but gain a real internal understanding of some of the pivota

This is a paper about the concept of organization. There are two references used for this paper. There have been changes in the concept of organization and the role of manager over the years. It is important to explore these changes, as well as the major theories of organization.

Evaluative research is conducted in more or less the same manner as traditional research however it can be distinguished from other social researches on the basis of the fact that evaluative research is usually carried out mainly to evaluate or assess the effectiveness of a certain program or product. Thus evaluative research is "a special kind of social research, in which the dependent variables are by definition normative. In some cases the "desired outcomes" of a program are well known in advance, but in other cases the full range of outcomes (desired and perhaps not so desired) of interventions is not fully known at the outset." (Sofaer, 1999) Like other researches, evaluative research also requires appropriate source of funding and this source is usually single since one organizational or political group initiates the research. Professional researches are hired by the sponsors to conduct evaluative research of a certain product or program to find out about such t

Many things and many people in my life have mattered to me, and many of these same things and people have also affected me in some profound, meaningful, and permanent way. Regardless of this, however, there is one person in my life who has done more for me than anyone else my mother. It seems that almost everyone thinks that their particular mother is the best one, and they cite thousands of wonderful reasons that make them feel this way. It is undoubtedly true that there are many wonderful mothers out there, and they are all very important to the people that love and care for them. Even though I believe that my mother is great, I never mean to imply that she is better than other mothers. She is, however, better for me because we are so compatible. As long as I can remember, my mother has been there for me. She took care of me when I was little like all good mothers do, but the relationship that we had as I got older was actually more important to me. As a child, I took the fact that my mother was there completely for granted. Most children do. Growing up was made easier by her love and concern,

Just a week ago, we loaded onto the buses and headed to football camp. I was sure I was going to kill one of these white boys. The way they looked at me, like I was less than they were . . . The way they treated us as we lined up to load the buses, I was looking forward to the first days of live drills, looking forward to taking the head off of one of those arrogant whities. I was all pro line backer last year in our all black school, and I sure didn't feel like I had to prove myself again to some dumb, third string scrub just because his skin was white, and mine was dark. But before we even got on the bus, Coach let us know that he wouldn't tolerate the bigotry that was so much a part of southern life in the 1960's. He lined us up, and paired us off, black and white, big and small. I was team captain last year, and when I started to protest, coach put me next to the most cocky, ugly white boy I had ever met. I didn't what to get to know' this whitie. I wanted my black team mates back, and an all black team back. At least then I would know where I

This is a paper on The Great Gatsby. There are six references used for this paper.

If one considers that the prime mission of management is to ensure the continuation and success of the company, then it is very easy to see how British Admiral Horatio Nelson's once-unique method of getting his captains to wage his kind of battle is applicable to the modern corporation. Vincent writes: †Nelson knew that it was the prime responsibility of the commander himself to invent the strategy€. Nelson would not be out of place in the company of the most sophisticated of modern managers. He could probably teach most of them a thing or two about strategic vision, communication and collaboration, trust, delegation and empowerment, all underlying ideas of mission command, all relevant to all organizations (cq), and all part of Nelson's actual management style. [1] Vincent makes the point that this is all essential modern management theory, but he is ver

"The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience", says J.F Clarke. In this paper we prove the validity and accuracy of this statement with respect to two important fictional works, namely Beowulf (anonymous) and William Golding's Lord of the Flies. The paper seeks to prove that conscience is the only beacon of hope for man when surrounded by evil forces.

John Stuart Mill theorized the 'principle of utility' or 'the greatest happiness principle'; which sought for the systematic coherency of ethical philosophy through the consequences of actions. He believed that this principle was the primary consideration determining social morality, presupposed by the acquisition of happiness as opposed to the avoidance of pain. For Mill, morality is an externalized process that is dependent on action and reaction to behaviors and, or, consequences. The shared beliefs of society determine the "rightness' or 'wrongness' of the action in order to set the laws and the ethical standards of society. In the second chapter of Utilitarianism, Mill describes the motivation for moral behavior as "The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness" (Intern

One event that surrounds great literature is the presence of critics, and interpreters. When a writer hits a chord within men's hearts, one which has lain dormant for decades, everyone wants to talk about it. Scholars want to determine why a piece of literature is so popular, and to add their voice, and maybe their name, to the cacophony of praise. Critics look for their own recognition by leveling silly charges against the work. The reader, well the reader knows he has been affected by a work, and in some way takes away a view of himself, and the world that has been subtly shaped by words on a page. Tolkien's Middle Earth, and the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy is this kind of work. The object of criticism and praise, through the voices of hobbits, elves and rangers, he was able to tell us a bit about our selves. I find that as a leader, and as one who wishes to make an impact on my world, the lives two of the characters outline two paths, and my life will ul

Introduction: The organization considered for this project is a engineering consulting company performing for non-destructive testing (NDT). The company's role is to inspect refineries, petroleum storage facilities and petroleum processing facilities (pipelines). It is assumed that the company will be established in Texas where the requirements for these services are in high demand. During the initial stages, the organization will concentrate its efforts in the contiguous geographical regions of the U.S. Once the company has established itself and has generated a stable client base in the U.S., the company may consider operations globally. The time line set for the global operation will be approximately 5-8 years after the company's initial launch. An organization of this nature requires highly skilled labor and expert workers. The range and complexity of the tasks involved require that the company employ a wide

The case considered for this report is a department "Dept-1" in a civil service based organization. Dept-1 uses two classifications for its staff: the professional qualified staff and the non-professional qualified staff. Both grades of staff work fulltime in Dept-1. The professional staff however, belongs to another department, "Dept-2." This staff is on "loan" to Dept-1. Dept-1 and Dept-2 have different rules and regulation by which they expect their workers to perform. Dept-2 expects greater involvement from its staff (the professionally qualified workers) and the expectations do not change even thought the workers might be working in a different environment. The non-professional workers however, work under different employee-expectations. The department operates under two different operating principles. There are many additional variables that affect this department. These factors have not been analyzed and rev

As international instruments proliferate, the remedies available to states for breach of international obligations and the number of institutions offering for a granting of such remedies have expanded. Today, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is no longer alone in providing a forum for the granting of remedies. Different trade, environmental, or law of the sea regimes, for example, has expanded the range of options available to aggrieved states. Yet, with this expansion come new problems, tensions and questions. For example, will a given institutional option actually be effective' Is the proliferation of procedures and mechanisms necessarily a good thing' What happens if different institutions offer diverging jurisprudence' Which factors determine the choice of one forum over another' Evolving out of the papers and presentations given at the Fourth EC/International Law Forum hosted by the Law Department at Bristol University in May 1997, Remedie

Moments of realization are important themes in the short stories "Everyday Use" and "Two Kinds." Both stories describe characters that undergo a change when they gain a broader understanding of life. By creating situations that allow their characters to discover something important about themselves, Alice Walker and Amy Tan help us understand how life sometimes operates. Both stories focus on mother and daughter relationships. In "Everyday Use," Walker demonstrates how a mother discovers the truth about her two daughters and herself as well. For instance, in the beginning of the story, the narrat

Los Angeles is a city in southwestern California, and is located on the Pacific Ocean. In the United States, Los Angeles ranks as the second most populous city in the country, second only after New York City. The city's climate has two seasons only, which are summer and winter. The extreme climate conditions in the city make it ideal for both industrial and agricultural industries to proliferate and succeed in the city. Demographic information about the city includes a multitude of immigr

INTRODUCTION Employee safety is a serious issue in most companies. They hold fire drills, examine safety equipment, appoint safety officers and provide safety instruction for the workers. However, workplace violence -- the second most common cause of death at work -- often gets little or no attention (Speer, 1998a). Since the 1990's, incidents of violence have increased in the work place, especially those involving angry employees or ex-employees (Johnson, 2000). Beyond murders, the workplace can be a site for fights that can include kicking as well as fists as well as verbal threats, generally bullying, harassment, and intimidation (Atkinson, 2000). With so many possible incidents considered "workplace violence," some definitions will help. OSHA and the Department of Justice have classified workplace violence into three groups. The first type has no business connection to the company, and the motive for violence is typically robbery. Such crime

James Joyce's Eveline was originally published in his short story collection called Dubliners. As the name suggests the story revolves around a young woman named Eveline who is torn between her past and her potential future life not knowing which to choose. The themes of sexuality and gender dominate the story as Eveline is shown trapped in a patriarchic society and the only hope for escape is marriage. This sheds light on the general thinking of men and women in modernist society. Women were usually mistreated or accorded less respect than they deserved and this is what happens to Eveline. Every young woman then grew up believing that marriage would save her from all her troubles. James Joyce explores this issue carefully to illu

The globalization process of the world has produced the ability to share and discuss many aspects of society and life among world nations. One of the biggest areas that the globalization process is affecting is the area of business. Business is one of the most important aspects of the free world. It not only provides the company with profits it also provides foundational avenues of success for shareholders who purchases pieces of those companies. One of the most interesting aspects of business is the ability of shareholders to own parts of the businesses of their choice. Shareholders are presumably privileged with the ability to help make decisions in the way the company is run. Shareholders have been known to close a company, build a company and change the general direction that a company is headed. Shareholders can play a vital role in the success or failure of a company. They can be as

The Mississippi River divides America and has long been seen as the separation point between East and West. It is well-known in songs, stories, and folklore. It was central in the life of Mark Twain, celebrated in his book Life on the Mississippi, and the history of the river parallels the history of the nation, of which only the early history will be discussed here.

Europe will never be like America. Europe is a product of history. America is a product of philosophy. Margaret Thatcher (1925 - ) In the year nineteen hundred, the center of world power inarguably resided in Europe. In fact, for many centuries, many European countries were the heads of vast empires, spanning the globe (and reaping her spoils)â€"for, although spread to the ends of the earth, European nations held firm control of their colonial territories (and the wealth they acquired through them), and enjoyed an influence over the majority of the world's population. World War II changed all of that, and would go on to impact the future of the Western world. What took the nations of Europe centuries to acquire through war, conquest, and treaty, proved to topple exponentially faster than its rise, and the close of the Second World War heralded the end of, not only "t

Overview: Why India Given that the demand for Piedmont Pagers has grown so rapidly in the past few years, and also given the explosion in the need and demand for faster and more efficient forms of communication, the next logical step for the Piedmont Company seems to expand its reach into the international market through a direct investment initiative to establish assembly and company operations in a key developmental market. Although numerous countries have been considered, including Brazil, China, Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Malawi, Mexico, Philippines, United Kingdom, India is the most logical choice. India offers many unique advantages. It boasts a highly educated workforce, particularly on a technical level. However, this labor force is also relatively inexpensive and located in concentrated areas. India has strong ties with the European world, because of its previous colonial status with England. Its native language is English, although many la

It seems unimaginable that over half a century after World War II, when the world learned of the horrors that took place in the German Nazi concentration camps, that this mind-set still exists. Not only does it still exist, it thrives within the crevices of society under various names. However, no matter what name it goes under, it is a belief system whose foundation is based on hate and is passed down from generation to generation. Neo-Nazism is refers to any social or political movement founded on the ideology and symbolism of Nazism (Neo pg). These groups are generally anti-Semitic, racist, and xenophobic and draw membership from people who blame society's ills and problems on immigrants and a presumed Jewish conspiracy (Neo pg). Most espouse violence and believe the Holocaust of World War II never happened (Neo pg). Within the United States, these White supremacist groups go under go under several names, including, Buchanan Brigade, The Ku Klux Klan,

Born in 1908, Louis L'Amour was to become on of the most prolific storyteller of the 20th century. His narrative style, easy to understand, as if actually telling the story, as well as his captivating stories of the west and the frontier days and ability to relate fiction with personal experience, made him a beloved writer. The Californios is no exception. The story in itself is quote simple: in order to pay a debt and save their ranch, the Mulkerin Brothers need to find a treasure. With the help o

Gertrude Stein, American writer of the 20th century American literature, is considered one of the proponents of the modernist tradition. Modernism is an ideological movement that pervaded literature of the 20th century, asserting expressionism and individualism in works of art. One of Stein's famous works, the experimental prose Tender Buttons, centered on random thoughts about the emergence of new American life, particularly those affecting the women's sector. Stein's prose work, which is composed of three sections, namely,