Contribution ancient great thinkers to the growth and development of psychology

Contribution ancient great thinkers to the growth and development of psychology Introduction Psychology evolved from ancient civilization of Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, and Arabs among other ancient great thinkers who made significant contribution to the development of psychology over the centuries. Psychology developed from various fields of knowledge such as philosophy, sociology, biology, physiology, anthropology, and other related disciplines because it interfaces widely with diverse disciplines.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contribution ancient great thinkers to the growth and development of psychology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Until 1879, psychology was a dependent discipline, which formed part of ancient philosophy and it evolved to due to emergence of empirical scientific skills that enhanced research and validation of psychological theories. Since psychology is the study of mental processes and human behaviors, it was very difficult and complex for the ancient psychol ogists to design experiments that would empirically demonstrate psychology of human beings. Hunt admits that, â€Å"studying the behaviors of humans is more complicated because of the influence of extraneous variables that are difficult to control. Oftentimes it requires researchers to make inferences or interpretation because the data is comparatively less clear-cut† (2006, p.12). The emergence of scientific skills and their application in various fields of knowledge led to the development of psychology as an independent field from philosophy. To explore history of psychology, this essay examines personalistic and naturalistic contributions of different theorists who represent various phases of psychological history such as philosophical antecedent, early physiological experiment, applied behaviorism, psychoanalytic movement, and contemporary movement, and ultimately evaluate personalistic and naturalistic views of psychological history. Philosophical Antecedents to Psycholo gy Before the development of empirical scientific skills in the late 19th century, psychology was an integral part of philosophy since great philosophers used rational introspective of human behaviors to understand the nature of human beings. Since philosophical ideologies questioned human mind and behavior, it provided a basis for the psychologists and physiologists to elucidate human mind and behavior according to their respective perceptions. Ancient great thinkers employed philosophy and physiology in the study of human mind and behaviors.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Griffiths, philosophy entails introspection of mental processes because â€Å"through a process of self-questioning and asking others questions, philosophers have attempted to unravel how we think, how we learn, how we gain knowledge and how we use our experiences† (2007, p.5). On th e other hand, physiology involved the study of human body to unravel complex processes of the body relative to health. Then, the relationship between the mind and the body perplexed ancient philosophers and this led to the development of psychology as an independent field of knowledge that considers both philosophy of the mind and physiology of the body. Hippocrates (460-377 B.C), an ancient philosopher, examined human life and argued that the mind and the body have intricate connection because the mind has the ability to control the body. Plato (427-347B.C.) argued that the mind and the body are two distinct components of a person that interact effectively in bringing about human behavior. Plato believed that human beings gain knowledge through introspection rather than through observation; hence, he formed the foundation for rationalism. Aristotle (348-322 B.C.), a student of Plato contested that the mind and the body are not different entities of a human being, as he believed tha t physiological study of the body through observation is critical in understanding how the mind functions, thus his argument formed foundation for empiricism. Based on philosophical work of Plato and Aristotle, rationalism and empiricism are respective two approaches of psychology that emerged. Nadel (2008) argues that, â€Å"a rationalist believes that the route to knowledge is through logical analysis while an empiricist believes that we acquire knowledge via empirical evidence, that is, we obtain evidence through experience and observation† (p.54). Thus, rationalism and empiricism are major approaches of modern psychology that originated from philosophical ideologies of human nature.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contribution ancient great thinkers to the growth and development of psychology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During 16th and 17th, rationalism and empiricism became prominent when more philo sophers formulated psychological theories that explain human mind and behavior. Rene Descartes (1596-1550), a great thinker of this period supported rationalism arguing that the mind and the body are distinct components of a human being that mutually interact and determine the behavior of a person. He believed that human beings have cognitive abilities that differentiate them from animals. On the other hand, John Locke believed that the mind and the body are one and that they interact equally. He perceived that mutual coexistence of the body and mind is imperative for the development of human behavior because the body can sense various stimuli from the environment and the mind too process sensed information for the body to respond appropriately to diverse environmental conditions. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), agreed with both rationalism and empiricism views arguing that they are essential in psychological study of mind and human behaviors. The philosophical issue of the mind and the body complicated philosophical studies of the nature of human beings that resulted in formulation of diverse theories. Hunt argues that, â€Å"the issues confronted by philosophers, physicians, and psychologists are so intertwined that when psychology was starting out as a field of study in the late 1800s it was viewed by some as a branch of philosophy† (2006, p.18). Ultimately, psychology emerged and became independent from philosophy as the science of mind and human behavior. During the earliest period of psychological evolution, philosophers differed in defining the relationship between the mind and the body. Rationalists believed that the mind and the body are separate and distinct components of a human being and thus psychological study should have its basis through introspection of the mind by rational analysis. However, Rene Desecrates resolved the philosophical problem of the mind and body by arguing that they are distinct components of a person, hence rationalism for med the basis of ancient psychology and is equally central to modern psychology (Watson, 2008, p.9).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Descartes’ beliefs did set the stage for the development of empirical psychology. Since the problem of mind and body dominated the minds of many great philosophers, naturalistic approach best explains contribution of Rene Desecrates in the ancient period. Philosophers like Hippocrates, Aristotle, Plato, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant contributed to the emergence and evolution of psychology during the ancient times. The philosophers discovered that the mind and the body are entities that interact in the body, which resulted into rationalism and empiricism study of psychology. Early Physiological and Experimental psychology Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920), a German philosopher and psychologist, came up with early physiological and experimental psychology that has become the basis of modern empirical study of psychology. He dedicated his studies to carrying out physiological experiments for he intended to unravel the mystery behind structure of the mind. Wundt believed in the structura l perception of human mind, hence his studies focused on structuralism theory in contrast with functionalism theory that elucidates human mind from functional point of view. According to Marr, â€Å"Structuralism seeks to understand the structure and configuration of elements of the mind and its perceptions by analyzing those perceptions into their constituent components† (2008, p.56). Wundt assumed that physiological and psychological processes of a person interact in the body resulting into development of behavior. He became the father of experimental psychology since he established scientific laboratory where he conducted psychological experiments. He further designed various models of experiments so that he would detect how human senses coordinate with mental structures bringing out certain responses. Wilhelm Wundt revolutionized psychology because he was the first to apply empirical scientific skills in the study of psychology. Due to his experiments, psychology gained e nough footing and became independent field of knowledge with significant empirical evidences to support its theories that was earlier incredible. Wilhelm Wundt believed that behavior of a person depends on the interaction of physiological and psychological elements. â€Å"Physiological psychology was concerned with the process of excitations from stimulation of the sense organs, through sensory neurons to the lower and higher brain centers, and from these centers to the muscles† (Nadel, 2008, p.58). The physiological psychology provided an empirical perspective of studying psychology since earlier studies viewed psychology from philosophical point of view and applied philosophical ideologies and theories in the understanding of human mind and behaviors. According to the physiological and experimental psychology, Wilhelm Wundt assumed that physiological processes of senses could give significant information concerning the functioning of the brain. He designed novel experiments in the laboratory, which focused in establishing the relationship between the mind and the body through physiological actions of nerves. The experiment gave robust findings that led to the development of structural theory of psychology that posits that mental and physiological structures interact effectively in the body and are responsible for the development of human behavior. Wilhelm Wundt employed introspection as one of the method of analyzing the relationship between the mind and the body through physiological mechanism of the body. â€Å"Although Wundts method of introspection did not remain a fundamental tool of psychological experimentation past the early 1920s, his greatest contribution was to show that psychology could be a valid experimental science,† (Wilson Keil, 2007, p.60). Thus, Wilhelm Wundt did not only prove that psychology is an experimental science, but also did contribute to the independence of psychology in the 20th century. Based on the empirical ide ology of philosophy, Wilhelm Wundt formulated the first scientific experiment in a laboratory for he assumed that the relationship between the mind and the body lies in their interaction through physiological mechanism. He conducted experiments where he determined effects of varied stimuli on the mind and responses (Marr, 2008, p.72). His work led to the independence of psychology as science of the mind and behavior for empirical studies enhanced validation of many psychological theories that relied on philosophical ideologies. Personalistic approach concerning the history of psychology best accounts for his contribution to the evolution of psychology. He was the first psychologist to conduct laboratory experiment to test the relationship between the body and the mind by using varied environmental stimuli. His experimental efforts and findings revolutionized the study of psychology from rational perspective to empirical perspective. Physiological and experimental psychology of Wilhe lm Wundt did prove that psychology is an experiential science that needs scientific skills to validate its theories. Due to great work of Wilhelm Wundt, psychology has become the science of mind and behavior in the modern society. Applied psychology and Behaviorism John Broadus Watson (1878-1958) was a great proponent of behavioral theory of psychology that explains human mind and behavior. Watson did study physiological and experimental psychology of Wilhelm Wundt and found that physiology alone could not explain the nature of human mind. He extended experimental physiology to include animal models in his experiments because he could easily manipulate their behavior as compared to human beings. Watson assumed that behavior of a person reflects psychological status in that, studying human behaviors could tell a lot about their minds. Behavioral theory assumes that human behaviors are a reflection of the mental conditions and thus should form central basis of studying psychology. In his experiments, Watson used animal models because he assumed that he could effectively extrapolate the results and apply them to human behaviors. â€Å"Using the conclusions drawn from animal research, Watson did much to enlighten educators about the complexities of learning, motivation, response generation, and problem solving,† (Hart Kritsonis, 2006, p.8). Although his view of psychology differed with the introspection ideology of Wilhelm Wundt, he employed physiological experiment in determining stimuli-based behaviors of animals. The behavioral theory of psychology made significant contribution to the empirical study of psychology and led to the evolution of other fields of psychology such as behavioral psychology and social psychology, which are important in explaining human behavior in the society. Watson disputed psychological views of structuralism and functionalism for he perceived that they lacked sufficient empirical applications and extrapolation to diverse huma n behaviors in the society. Many psychologists â€Å"credits Watson for having brought credence to some of the psychoanalytic concepts such as the role of early childhood experiences, trauma and relationships with significant social agents, primarily maternal figures, in the formation a child’s personality, capabilities and propensities† (Hart Kritsonis, 2006, p.9). Therefore, behaviorism has become an important aspect of modern psychology for it has expanded empirical application and study of human mind and behaviors. After analyzing the work of physiological and experimental psychology of Wilhelm Wundt, John Watson formulated behavioral theory of psychology. He assumed that there is correlation between the mind and behaviors of individuals and thus, studying human behaviors could unravel the mystery behind the functioning of the mind. Since John Watson based his behavioral studies on earlier work of experimental psychology, naturalistic approach appropriately accoun ts for his contribution to the history of psychology. Behavioral theory has become very important in modern psychology, as it is applicable in the diagnosis of varied mental disorders. Psychoanalytic Movement Sigmund Freud was a great psychologist of the 20th century who came up with psychoanalytic theory to elucidate how human mind functions and how it influences human behavior. He was a neurologist and thus his knowledge concerning the functioning of the brain inspired him to formulate psychoanalytic theory. Examining mental disorders of the children, Sigmund Freud discovered that some disorders such as necrosis and hysteria affect mental functions while organic matter in the mind remains intact. Through neurological examination, he singled the cause of hysterical disorders as repressed memories of traumatic experiences since organic matter remained intact. Sigmund Freud formulated psychotherapy procedure that helped the patients to recall traumatic experiences so that he could gu ide them in resolving psychological crises arising from repressed memories. Sigmund Freud explains that, â€Å"we guided the patient’s attention directly to the traumatic scene during which the symptom had arisen, tried to find therein the psychic conflict and to free the repressed affect †¦ discovered the procedure characteristic of the psychic processes of the neuroses† (Strachey, 2007, p.7). From the experience as a neurologist, Sigmund Freud discovered that mental disorders do not require physiotherapy but psychotherapy and thus he applied regression analysis of life experiences to awaken and resolve repressed memories of patients. Realizing that necroses relate with the sexual drives of children, Sigmund Freud formulated psychosexual theory after exploring sexual development from a psychological point of view. He argued that sexual development intricately links with the mind and determines the behaviour of an individual. Freud changed the perception of sex wh en he proposed that sexuality forms an integral part of childhood development because sexual drives mediates between the body and the mind. He noted that sexual instincts are major driving forces in personality development. Sigmund Freud redefined the ordinary physical perspective of sexual development by incorporating the psychological aspects of psyche. In his psychoanalysis theory, Freud proposed that the psyche has three components, namely, the ego, the super-ego, and the ID (Strachey, 2007, p.84). Super-ego is the conscious component of the psyche that imposes and regulates cultural sexual constraints while the ID is the unconscious component that determines the sexual instincts of pleasure and is important in socialization. The ego is the component of the psyche that interfaces and coordinates the super-ego and the ID in the harmonization of the conflicting sexual instincts and cultural sexual constraints in the process of psychosexual development. Thus, Sigmund Freud modeled psychosexual development into five stages: â€Å"oral phase, anal phase, phallic phase, latency phase and genital phase† (Strachey, 2007, p.83) depending on the source of the sexual instinct. Contrary to the behavioral theory, Sigmund Freud came up with psychoanalytic theory, which postulates that mental disorders such as necroses and hysteria are due repressed memories of past traumatic experiences. In addition, he formulated psychosexual theory where he explained how the three elements of psyche viz. super ego, ego, and ID interact effectively in resolution of psychosexual crises (Wilson Keil, 2007, p.44). Since Sigmund Freud came up with the psychoanalytic theory together with his friends, personalistic and naturalistic approaches best account for his contribution to the history of psychology His psychoanalytic principles are central to modern psychotherapy Contemporary Movement Social constructivism is a contemporary school of thought in psychology whose proponents argue that scientific and psychological ideologies are all constructs of humanity and that they did not exist in their own. The social construction theory shifted from self-psychology and incorporated the influence of social environment to the mind and subsequent development of behaviors. Kenneth Gergen is a modern proponent of construction theory who argues that science and philosophy are human constructs that cannot fully explain psychological and behavioral development in the society with many social factors that confounds inquiry in psychology. â€Å"What we take to be experience of the world does not in itself dictate the terms by which the world is understood. What we take to be knowledge of the world is not a product of induction, or of the building and testing of general hypotheses† (Gergen, 2009, p.266). He criticizes empiricists for over reliance on observation as basis of scientific knowledge for he holds that observers have bias when making their empirical observations . Since some aspects of psychology such as emotions are very abstract for empirical analyses, empirical studies of human thoughts and behavioral are not sufficient in validation and elucidation of psychological theories. According to the social construction theory, interaction of human beings in the universe has played significant role in shaping their thoughts and behaviors. Human beings have made diverse social constructs in the society that have shaped human behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. Constructionists believe that understanding of the world, human behavior and thoughts lies in mutual interaction of people, and their systems in the society. Boghossian argues that the study of culture, personality, emotions and memories â€Å"direct our attention to the social, moral, political and economic institutions that sustain and are supported by current assumptions about human activity† (2010, p.32). In modern society, social psychology is applicable in political spheres, in management levels, and in various interactions of people where mobilization is necessary. Kenneth Gergen is a contemporary proponent of social construction theory that critics empirical psychology as insufficient in elucidating human behavior and mental functions. He added social aspect as a determinant of human behavior and mental functions for he believed that social forces are integral part of the psychology because they influence interaction of human beings in the society. Given that many of his contemporaries contributed to the formulation of the social construction theory, naturalistic approach appropriately explains his contribution to the history of psychology Summary Naturalistic and personalistic perspectives are two approaches that help in understanding the history and evolution of psychology. While naturalistic perspective of psychological history emphasizes collective intellectual contribution by the great thinkers, personalistic perspective of psychological history emp hasizes on individual contribution to the growth and evolution of psychology. According to naturalistic perception, history of psychology is collection of great ideologies from many thinkers who contributed to the development and evolution of psychology during various intellectual and historical periods into the modern psychology. Personalistic approach to the study of psychological history emphasizes individual contributions and regards them as heroic intellectuals. Watson argues that, â€Å"the history of what man has accomplished in this world is at bottom the history of the great men who have worked here† (2009, p.12). Personalistic theory assumes that the history of psychology is just but a history of great persons who made significant contributions, which changed the course of psychology throughout the history. Conclusion Ancient great thinkers made significant contribution to the growth and development of psychology. During the ancient times, psychology was part of phi losophy because it lacked empirical validation of its theories. Psychology was dependent on philosophical ideologies of rationalism in the study of human thoughts and behaviors. In the late 19th century, Wilhelm Wundt came up with empirical view of psychology for he conducted first laboratory experiment to find out the relationship between the mind and the body via physiological actions of nerves. His experiments revolutionized psychology to become an independent field of knowledge, which could validate its theories using scientific principles of research. Thus, empirical psychology formed the foundation for the emergence of behavioral theory, psychoanalytic theory and contemporary social construction theory, which are integral part of modern psychology. References Boghossian, P. (2010). Contemporary Construction Theory. The Institute of  Psychological studies, 1-45. Gergen, K. (2009). The Social Constructionist Movement in Modern Psychology.  American Psychologist, 40(3), 266-2 81. Griffiths, P. (2007). Evolutionary Psychology: History, and Current Status.  The Philosophy of Science, 1-14. Hart, K., Kritsonis, W. (2006). A Critical Analysis of John B. Watson’s Original Writing: Behaviorisms as a Behaviorist Views It. National Forum of Applied Educational Research Journal, 20(3), 1-21. Hunt, M. (2006). The History of Psychology. London: Prentice Hall. Marr, D. (2008). Origin and History of Psychology. New York: Cambridge Press. Nadel, L. (2008). Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. London: Nature Publishing Group. Strachey, J. (2007). The History of Psychoanalytic Movement: Sigmund Freud.  Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 24(7), 1-134. Watson, R. (2008). Introduction to Psychology’s History. The American Psychological  Association, 1-44. Wilson, R., Keil, F. (2007). Evolution of Psychology: Ancient and Modern Perception.  The Journal of Psychology, 45(9), 23-67.

Operation Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operation Management - Research Paper Example Firstly, for sustainability, efficiency and to improve infrastructural access throughout all the branches and the teller machines, the NBAD has deployed sophisticated technological system meant to monitor all the data centers. This system has been integrated in a way such that, it helps in power planning, management and distribution by giving warnings about power availability while ensuring consistent customers service for maximum returns output. Moreover, this organization having been ranked amongst the safest banks in the world has opened up numerous branches within the United Arab Emirates as a strategy of gaining competitive advantage. Additionally, the bank has implemented the use of automatic teller machines (ATM) to aid accessibility of transactions with 24 house online customer support. Through telephone calls and online banking categorically termed as Nbadonline or Nbaddirect customers are assured the safest money transactions which, eliminates the threat of physical transac tions of money and chances of robbery (Suwaidi, 1994). National Bank of Abu Dhabi has implemented into its operation, finacle management systems with treasury as well as capital market business. This system helps in minimizing risks associated with trading in securities while offering financial assistance in relevance to office operations. NBAD has had sustainable operations by focusing on service delivery to the customers through the deployment of finacle system which, helps in the reduction of cost through effective and non faulted operations as one way of achieving the objectives and visions of the organization (Suwaidi, 1994). National Bank of Abu Dhabi believes in a centralized of financial process in where adequate funds can be dispatched in support of other operations within the organization while prioritizing for higher returns with very minimal anticipating of risks. Besides this idea, NBAD has invested in financial management systems that enables the customers to have accu rate execution of the transactions focusing on cash optimization efficiency through a round the clock automation systems. Moreover, the organization is equipped with an enterprise resource programs where the treasury, management board and the other industries are involved in to the in integration of automated systems that sees transactions from one organization to the other. National Bank of Abu Dhabi has succeeded in the integration of optimized transaction system with the development and Tourism Company to enable cash management efficiency and other likeminded organizations with the treasury (Peng, 2012). NBAD is also practices divergent transparency when it to the relationship with the investors, this has been made through availing of timely financial information and reports which, are basically aided by financial fact sheet and other reports which can be acceded easily through the decision support systems linked to the investors portals. Through such systems, stakeholders are ab le to make timely decision about the appropriate time to sell or make purchases of investment securities (Peng, 2012). . Operation management and qualities of Emirates Airlines Company Despite the fact that emirates Airline Company is wholly owned by the government of Dubai, it has revolutionized into a global

Total Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Total Quality Management - Essay Example Various ways of improvements that can lead to its success and development of the company in a more holistic way has also been discussed in this study. Total Quality Management (TQM) at Toyota Japanese organisations were the first to adopt quality management principles during the early 1950s (Ho, 2011, p. 12). The fundamental concepts behind TQM which include methods like Just-in-Time (JIT) and "jidoka" meaning in-station quality were not originally developed by Toyota. However the production followed by Toyota are widely studied and followed by many organisations operating their businesses worldwide. Kaizen or continuous quality forms the basis of Toyota Production System (TPS). Kaizen is found to be enforced at almost every levels of the company. It helps in increasing the commitment levels of the employees of the organization, thereby helping it to reduce its costs and increase in its performance levels. The total quality management system followed by Toyota is commonly known as To yota Production System (TPS). ... The organisation needs to have a top-down approach towards implementing TQM to have any kind of meaningful effects generating out of it. Hence the TQM strategy needs to be initiated by the top management of the organisation and from there it would percolate down to all the management levels of the organisation. 2) The Scope: The scope of TQM within an organisation is not limited to certain people or departments. To implement TQM in the organisational system it is necessary to involve each and every individual working for the company and it also needs to include all the business processes carried on within the organisation. There must be some pre-defined goals or objectives of the organisation and each of the departments of the company would be working together for the fulfilment of the goals of the organisation as a whole. 3) The Scale: Each and every person working for an organisation are meant to have some responsibilities at the personal levels for the improvement and maintenance of quality of the products or services offered by the company and ensuring the satisfaction of its customers. Along with the external customers associated with a business organisation, the internal customers who are mainly the employees of the organisation are also required to be satisfied with the working environment within the company. Proper communication levels and teamwork must be ensured through concerted efforts by all the internal customers of the organisation. 4) The Philosophy: The philosophy behind the concept of TQM is that it does not aim for detection of any kinds of defects or errors but is aimed at the prevention of occurrence of such defects or errors. Hence in

Estimation Importance In Project Management Information Technology Essay

Estimation Importance In Project Management Information Technology Essay Objective of the report: The objective of this report is to investigate the use of Estimation of project parameters like project cost and time, in Project Management. The report starts with the definition of the estimation and its use for a successful project management. A brief description of project estimation process is explained in the report, along with the basic classification of the types of estimates that can be performed for a successful project management. The issues involved in estimating the project parameters in real-time are investigated in a detailed manner. Then critical evaluation of various estimation methods is performed. A complete analysis of the methods evaluated in the report is performed. Finally, the report is concluded with the suggestions on selecting a particular Project Estimation process for a successful Project Management. Importance of Estimation in project management: The four major parameters that control the software projects are time, requirements, resources (people, infrastructure/materials and money), and risks. This is one of the reasons why making good estimates of these variables like time and resources required for a project is very critical. But if the estimation is lower than the project needs it will affect the progress of the project due to the lack of enough time, money, infrastructure/materials, or people. At the same time even if the estimation is over estimated then the company will have to face losses due to the extra expenses or even if the project is sanctioned other projects dont go on since there is less to go around. For any successful project management, estimation is a vital part of project methodology. Estimation has numerous applications like justification of project which has to be applied in the initial stages of the project where in we need to anticipate the benefits which is compared with the costs incurred as well as to decipher comparisons and conclusions that has to be made with technical and functional teams involved in the project. The other additional applications of the estimation are to implement the disciplines required, to protect the resources required to deliver the project successfully, to ensure the support impact of the project is fully understood, to inform and improve the software development process. This document describes the techniques used to produce reliable estimates for the work required to complete projects and tasks. Estimation process: Definition: Project estimation is a process of forecasting or approximating the project parameters like cost, time, effort etc., for a successful completion of the project deliverables. Overview of the Estimation Process: The first point to be remembered about estimation is that it does not finish until the completion of project and is a process of a slow and gradual refinement. For many software projects a project manager can assist the team to create successful estimates by using sound techniques and understanding about what makes estimate more accurate. The team chosen to produce an estimate are typically drawn from IS, customers and/or service partners who have relevant experience of similar previous projects or tasks in the business area. When we want to start a project we need to know basic parameters required in advance like how long it will take, how many people it will require, how much effort it will require. In such cases it is hard to estimate because in many cases projects overrun or project go over budget. Always a good estimation practices keep the project on track and even can earn some time for the tricky, interesting areas. Our estimation process is based on three components: Expert judgement, Consultation with qualified experts from within business and service partners. This is supplemented, where required, by expert input  from software suppliers and consultants.   Experience,  i.e. comparison of the proposed project or task with previously completed work. Task Decomposition, i.e. decomposing the project into components, i.e. a Work Breakdown Structure, and estimating each component individually to produce an overall estimate. This will also reduce the chances of error occurrence. When to estimate: A rough estimate is needed at the initial stage of the project or probably even before the actual project starts. This is because, the final negotiations should be made with the customer, which needs the rough estimate of the cost, time and quality of the project. Also, Estimation is a process of gradual refinement. It should be performed in parallel with the project development, in several phases. Each estimate will be refined to give a converged estimate towards the end of the project. Estimation should be carried out until the completion of project deliverables. There are basically two approaches for estimating project parameters. They are; Top-down estimation approach Bottom-up estimation approach Top-down estimation approach: Top-down estimation approach is usually used at the initial stages of the project. This estimation is usually carried out by the top managers who have little knowledge of the processes involved in the completion of the project. The input to this estimation is either information or the experience of the manager carrying out the estimation. These top-down estimation methods are often used to evaluate the project proposal. In most cases, the best results can be achieved in estimation only when one used both top-down and bottom-up estimation methods. However, it is practically not possible to carry out bottom-up methods until the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) are clearly defined. In such cases, top-down estimates are used until the WBS becomes available. There are many methods in top-down approach listed below: Consensus methods: This estimation method uses experience of a group of people to estimate the project parameters. This method involves project meetings, a place where these people can discuss, argue and finally come to a conclusion from their best guess estimate. The Delphi method comes under this category. Ratio methods: These estimation methods use ratios to estimate project times and costs. For example, in a construction work, the total cost of the project can be estimated by knowing the number of square feet. Likewise, a software project is estimated by its complexity and its features. Approximation methods: This estimation method is very useful when the project to be estimated is closely related to any of the previous projects in terms of its features and costs. By using the historical data of the estimates, good estimates can be approximated with very little effort. Function point methods: Many software projects are usually estimated using weighted macro variables called function points. Function points can be number of inputs, number of outputs, number of inquiries, number of data files, and number of interfaces. These function points are weighted again with a complexity level and summed up to get the total cost or duration estimates of the project. Bottom-up estimation approach: Top-down estimation approach can usually be put in practice once the project is defined or once there is some progress in the project. This means, this estimation is more into work package level, which are responsible for low-cost estimates and efficient methods. It is often recommended that this estimation is usually carried out by people most knowledgeable about the estimate needed. The cost, time, resource estimates from the work packages can be checked with the associated accounts to major deliverables. Also, these estimates in later stages can be consolidated into phased networks, resource schedules, and budgets that used for control. Additionally, customer will get an opportunity to compare the low-cost, efficient method with any imposed restrictions, using bottom-up approach. There are many methods in top-down approach listed below: Template methods: If the project to be estimated is similar to any of the past projects, then estimates of the past projects can be used as starting point estimates for the new project. This is similar to approximation estimation in top-down approach. Parametric procedures: These parametric procedures are same like ratio methods in top-down approach. However, here the parametric procedures are applied on specific tasks. Detailed estimates for WBS work packages: This is usually most reliable method of all estimation methods. The reason for this is that here the estimates are performed by people responsible for the work packages in Work Breakdown Structure. These people have prior knowledge or experience upon the tasks they perform specified in WBS, because of which the estimates are usually most reliable. In addition to the top-down and bottom-up approaches, there is another kind of estimating which is a hybrid of the above two approaches. This is called as Phase Estimating. When there is unusual amount of uncertainty is surrounded by the project, people go for phase estimating. In this approach, two-estimate system is used over the life-cycle of the project. The whole project is initially divided into phases. Then a detailed estimate is developed for the immediate phase, and a macro-estimate is mode for the remaining phases of the project. Difficulties in Estimation: There are two major cases where Estimation problems almost always boil down to estimates that are either too high or too low. Padded estimates, where the team members intentionally over estimates in order to give themselves extra time to work, are a chronic source of estimates that are too high. Other case arises when senior managers give unrealistic deadlines that are a chronic source of estimates that are too low. Both the cases can lead to morale problems. Estimation Tools: Software tools are very important for estimation. Estimation tools are the software packages implemented using any of the estimation methods as its algorithm, to make project managers life easy. These estimation tools help from skipping important tasks in a method. These tools are useful to organise, update and store the results of the estimates. Also, Estimation Tools are useful to: Estimate project size using Function Points or other metrics. Derive effort and schedule from the project estimates using various algorithms and techniques. Perform analysis with staffing, duration etc. and appreciate how realistic they are. Produce and update results like Gantt charts and other tables easily. Maintain and exploit a database of historic data. Import data from other projects run in organisations with which you have no connection. However, one should very carefully select the estimation tools for a particular project. Principle: Required functional capabilities of estimation tools should match the needs and desired capabilities specific to the project. In selecting an estimation tool, one should match the available tools with the overall requirements of the project. In general, estimation tools should: Be very adaptive to any projects development environment, so that one can customize the tool according to the project needs. Be comparatively easy to understand, learn and use. Be able to produce some early project estimates without waiting for the whole project to be completely defined designed. Be able to provide estimates for different phases and activities in the project, if it is classified so. Understand and support wide range of languages and applications, as it is really important for a tool to provide estimates specific to the applications. Be able to provide accurate schedule estimates, whose purpose is not only to predict task completion given task sequence and available resources, but also to establish starting and ending dates for the associated work packages and life-cycle phases. Be able to provide maintenance estimates separately, which includes correcting errors, modifying the software to accommodate changes in requirements, and extending and enhancing software performance. Critical evaluation of the estimation tools: There are many tools in the market for project estimation. However, I am investigating a few and very efficient tools in the current market. PROBE: The name PROBE is derived from Proxy Based Estimating, introduced by Watts Humphrey (of the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University). Principle: If a component being built is similar to one built previously, then the effort it takes would be about the same as it did in the past. It mainly helps individual software engineers monitor, test, and improve their own work. Each component in the database is assigned a type (calculation, data, logic, etc.) and a size (from very small to very large). Also, a database is used to store history of size and effort details of these individual components. Later on, when a new project must be estimated, it is broken down into tasks that correspond to these types and sizes. A formula based on linear regression is used to calculate the estimate for each task. Additional information on PROBE can be found in A Discipline for Software Engineering by Watts Humphrey (Addison Wesley, 1994). COCOMO: The COCOMO is the most used estimation tool in the market for cost and schedule estimating. The COCOMO is derived from Constructive Cost Model, developed by Barry Boehm in the early 1980s. Principle: The model developed empirically by running a study of many software development projects and statistically analyzing their results. There by developing a database of the analysed details. Boehm developed COCOMO empirically by running a study of 63 software development projects and statistically analyzing their results. COCOMO II was developed in the 1990s as an updated version for modern development life cycles, and it is based on a broader set of data. The COCOMO calculation incorporates 15 cost drivers, variables that must be provided as input for a model that is based on the results of those studied projects. These variables cover software, computer, personnel, and project attributes. The output of the model is a set of size and effort estimates that can be developed into a project schedule. Additional information on COCOMO can be found in Software Cost Estimation with Cocomo II by Barry Boehm et al. (Prentice Hall PTR, 2000). The Planning Game: The Planning Game is the software project planning method from Extreme Programming (XP), a lightweight development methodology developed by Kent Beck in the 1990s at Chrysler. It is a method used to manage the negotiation between the engineering team (Development) and the stakeholders (Business). It gains some emotional distance from the planning process by treating it as a game, where the playing pieces are user stories written on index cards and the goal is to assign value to stories and put them into production over time. Unlike PROBE, COCOMO and Delphi, the Planning Game does not require a documented description of the scope of the project to be estimated. Rather, it is a full planning process that combines estimation with identifying the scope of the project and the tasks required to complete the software. Like much of XP, the planning process is highly iterative. The scope is established by having Development and Business work together to interactively write the stories. Then, each story is given an estimate of 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Stories that are larger than that are split up into multiple iterations. Business is given an opportunity to steer the project between iterations. The estimates themselves are created by the programmers, based on the stories that are created. Finally, commitments are agreed upon. This is repeated until the next iteration of the project is planned. Additional information on the Planning Game can be found in Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck (Addison Wesley, 2000). Critical analysis: In order to have the best estimates of a project, make some rough top-down estimates initially, develop the WBS, using which make bottom-up estimates, and develop schedules and estimates and finally, reconcile the differences between top-down and bottom-up approaches. Also for ideal results, the project manager should allow some time to carry out top-down and bottom-up estimates, there by reliable estimates can be offered to the customer. This will in turn reduce the false expectations for stakeholders. Phase estimation approach is much useful in the projects, whose final nature (shape, size, features) is highly uncertain. COCOMO II can be used for the following major decision situations Making investment or other financial decisions involving a software development effort Setting project budgets and schedules as a basis for planning and control Deciding on or negotiating tradeoffs among software cost, schedule, functionality, performance or quality factors Making software cost and schedule risk management decisions Deciding which parts of a software system to develop, reuse, lease, or purchase Making legacy software inventory decisions: what parts to modify, phase out, outsource, etc Setting mixed investment strategies to improve organizations software capability, via reuse, tools, process maturity, outsourcing, etc Deciding how to implement a process improvement strategy, such as that provided in the SEI CMM Conclusion:

The Psychology of Serial Killers Essay -- Psychological Murder murdere

The Psychology of Serial Killers Many things today confuse, yet enthrall the masses. War, murder, medical science, incredible rescues, all things you would see on The History Channel. There is another topic that is also made into documentaries however, serial killers. Dark twisted people that commit multiple murders are of interest to the population, but what caused them to be this way. What horrible tragic set of events could twist a man to murder one or many people. Could Schizophrenia, psychopathy, or sociopathy? Many people have researched this topic and believe that childhood trauma, heavy drugs during the growing phase of life, as well as many other things have twisted the minds of men such as Jeffery Dahmer, Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy, and David Berkowitz. Many say that their actions were preventable but many other believe that the warning signs were present and that their behavior could have been modified long before the murders began.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The triad is the name given to the set of characteristic that serials killers are evident of in their youth. The ?typical? serial killer is a sociopath or psychopath that during childhood was subject to three diagnoses: fire starting (pyromania), prolonged bed-wetting, and animal torture. All of these things correlate to a phase in life in which the young person is curious of certain things new to them. Most children grow out of their interest in fire starting when they first get burnt and bed-wetting when they progress out of the same phase. Animal torture is slightly different. Many children enjoy pulling the wings off a fly, or the legs off of other insects however grow up into quite productive members of society. Some children are enthused by larger animals. Jeffrey Dahmer was enthused originally by fish. He would gut them and inspect their organs to examined how they worked. Curiosity being the main reason for his actions, he would also nail frogs to trees an d collect animals that had been run over by cars. Dahmer was less than characteristic in his choice of animals, the most popular victim being cats. Be it throwing felines from high elevations to watch them ?splat? as explained by Ian Brady the Moors Murderer, gutting them and watching how far they can run after, or burying them alive cats have become the general choice among serial killers-to-be. The A to Z encyclopedia of Serial Killers men... ...for these people should be higher. If that cannot be done then in modern day with all the screening at schools for eye sight problems and back problems could psychological tests also be run to screen for the triad or other such symptoms that lead to murder. Can serial killers be medicated and dissuaded from their future murders before they occur? What can be done in order to dissuade murder in modern society? That is what the world needs now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. New York: Checkmark Books, 2000. Schechter, Harold, and David Everitt. The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. New York: Pocket Books, 1997. Douglas, John, and Mark Olshaker; Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. New York, Pocket Books, 1997.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What Makes Serial Killers Tick?. Shirley Lynn Scott. From http://www.crimelibrary.com/about/authors/scott/index.html?sect=1 Angels of Mercy; The Dark Side. Rick Hampton Dec. 2003 Antisocial Personality Disorder: Treatment. Phillip W. Long M.D. Jan 1990. Psychopathic Sexual Sadists The Psychology and Psychodynamics of Serial Killers. Vernon J. Gerberth. April 1995.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Physical Security Essay

INTRODUCTION. Physical security starts with a rather simple basic premise; those who do not belong on your institution’s property should be excluded from your institution. This may happen in three often interrelated ways: when those who do not belong are identified, stopped and denied admission, when those who do not belong are denied admission by a physical device, such as a locked door. When those who do not belong are denied admission because they decide that your institution is too difficult to enter and thus they do note entry. This section will consider the various methods of excluding those who do not belong: access control, key control and locks, protective devices and alarms, windows and doors, fencing and gates, protective lighting, general deterrence. PHYSICAL SECURITY AND CRIME PREVENTION AND CONTROL Access Control Access control means that, when your facility is open, no visitor, delivery service person or unknown individual is able to enter your facility without being both observed directly or indirectly. Several techniques to accomplish that goal may include any or all of the following. Security Desk A security desk should be setup in them in lobby of each building which has an open-access or open-door policy. A sign-in and outlet supervised by an employee who validates identification prior to allowing visitors to proceed into the building, is highly advisable. Most supermarkets, five star hotels, foreign embassies, parliament buildings and major organizations have this measure in place in order to monitor the staff and clients as they come in and out to ascertain no harmful contrabands are sneaked in or pilferage of equipments and other relevant materials from the organization. When entering a building like I&M where Standard Group have offices or Nation Centre where NTV is housed you have to produce your National ID, register your name, office and purpose of your visit then insured with a visitors pass in order to gain access to the premises. Monitored Entrances Ideally, an institution should have a single entrance only, monitored by staff personnel and equipped with an intercom system for communicating with anyone who comes to the door. Simply, an open door policy does not mean that every door need be left open and unlocked. You realize that hospitals, police headquarters, military barracks among others have personnel who are assigned on daily basis to check and verify individuals and motor vehicles that come in or leave the premises. Its purpose is to deter criminals and take note of every visitor for purposes of accountability when things go amiss. When entering the Times Tower where the Kenya Revenue Authority is housed, the security guards at the gate verifies visitors by their National Identity cards and or travelers passport and then a separate group of guards checks for any harmful materials by use of metal detectors. Visitors At no time should visitors be allowed to roam freely through your property unescorted or without being observed. That is especially true for individuals who expect to work on your most sensitive systems such as burglar alarms, fire alarms, communication systems or computers. Special diligence should be applied to those individuals when they visit your institution even if they are legitimate. For larger institutions, certain areas should be considered off-limits to all but authorized personnel. Allowing visitors free access to your facility does not mean that they should be allowed to go anywhere e.g. into restricted areas such as office spaces or that they should be given a sense that their actions are entirely unnoticed by the institution’s personnel. Some premises require having out of bound locations i.e. military barracks, production factories railway stations, air and seaports for purposes of security. Thus visitor should only be directed to designated zones only. Military barracks have their armories protected while airports have garages and main control rooms protected for security purposes. Employee Photo Identification Cards and Badges All employees should have and wear identification. Such badges make identification of non-employees immediate. Moreover, such cards will not only enable visitors to immediately identify those who work in an institution but will psychologically help employees understand that they are part of their agency’s security team. Photo identification should only be provided with accompanying education regarding their care, the procedure to be followed if they are lost, as well as the manner in which employees should approach unknown individuals. Creating ID badges requires thought. Cards should have clear pictures along with the employee’s name. The institution’s name should not necessarily be placed on the card. In any event, employees should be instructed that their card should be prominently worn while in the building and, for their own safety, kept from view when away from the building. In major hospitals like Nairobi hospital, Matter hospital among others every employee has a job ID which enables them access to all areas and distinguish them from patients, this reduces the chances of an admitted patient running away from the premise without paying the medical bill. Perimeter wall The perimeter wall, culverts and drainage units, lighting and other essential physical security areas. The drainage system and culverts can conceal entry and exit points for potential criminals. Culverts should be grilled to make it difficult for Criminals activities to occur. Parking lot Here the security personnel should be in a position to see how vehicles entering the premise or exiting are inspected. In some organizations parking badges are issued while in many more identification from drivers is not produced. In some organizations it is indicated cars parked at owner’s risk which injects confidence to car vandals and absorbs security responsibility. Parking should be offered to personnel with previous security background. The adjacent buildings and windows. The buildings and windows near a facility should not serve as a spring board for criminals to gain entry. The windows should be well and adequately secured to deny criminals an opportunity to access the facility under surveillance. Key Control and Locks Knowing who has which keys to which locks at all times is a vitally important issue. Failure to maintain such control may defeat the entire purpose of creating a security system. Institutions often simply assume that no one leaving their service either an employee or volunteer will subsequently break into their building or office. A sound key-control policy is essential to an effective security program. There should be a central key control location where masters are kept and access to which is strictly controlled. Registry. A central key control registry should be established for all key sand combinations. Employees and leadership should be required to sign for keys when they are received and the return of keys should be an important part of an exit process. Issuance. Supervisory approval should be required for the issuance of all keys and locks. Spare keys and locks should be kept in a centrally located cabinet, locked under the supervision of a designated employee. Master keys should be issued to a very restricted number of employees and these should be inventoried at least twice each year. Re-keying. When key control is lost, it may be worthwhile to have an institution’s locks Re-keyed or key should be surrendered incase employee is terminated or retired. Combination Locks and Codes. Where combination locks and coded locks are used, those combinations and codes should be changed at least every six months or when employees or leadership leave your premise. Combinations should also be kept under strict control of management. Computer systems and access. The computer system has become a concern in computer industry today. The security of electronic gadgets is pivotal in the growth of organizations, sabotage and shrinkage. The system should be protected from intruders or unauthorized access. The surveyor should include know who uses which computer, which services would be jeopardized by failure of a certain computer. Fires Are unpredictable hazards to organizations, homes and industries. The degree of vulnerability varies from one organization to another. The surveyor should check on the existing fire hazards, verify a match between hazards existing and fire suppression devices. Safes The area containing valuables is of paramount importance to a security survey. The protection of valuables should be consistent with security physical measures and criticality of a potential loss occurs. Safes and valuable storage areas should be fitted with adequate alarm systems. Surveillance Surveillance devices, CCTV’s and motion picture cameras are key to criminal activities detection, apprehension and deterrence. The surveyor should know their existence, location, protection and who monitors them. The security survey should capture the various departments in the organization, their operations and internal controls. Protective Lighting The value of adequate lighting as a deterrent to crime cannot be overemphasized. Adequate lighting is a cost-effective line of defense in preventing crime. Some Considerations on Lighting Lighting, both inside and outside, is most helpful and can be installed without becoming overly intrusive to neighbors. All entrances should be well lit. Fences should also be illuminated. For outside lighting, the rule of thumb is to create light equal to that of full daylight. The light should be directed downward away from the building or area to be protected and away from any security personnel you might have patrolling the facility. Where fencing is used, the lighting should be inside and above the fencing to illuminate as much of the fence as possible. Lighting should be placed to reduce contrast between shadows and illuminated areas. It should be uniform on walkways, entrances, exits, and especially in parking areas. Perimeter lights should be installed so the cones of illumination overlap, eliminating areas of total darkness if any one light malfunctions. Fixtures should be vandal-resistant. It is vital that repair of defects and replacement of worn-out bulbs be immediate. In addition, prevent trees or bushes from blocking lighting fixtures. You may wish to use timers and/or automatic photoelectric cells. Such devices provide protection against human error and ensure operation during inclement weather or when the building is unoccupied. A security professional should be contacted to help you with decisions on location and the best type of lighting for your individual institution. REFERENCE James K. Broder (200), Risk Analysis And The Security Survey 2rd Ed. Butterworth-Heinemann. USA. Lawrence J. Fennely (2003), Physical Security 3rd Edition. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Burlington, UK. Marc Weber Tobias (200), Locks Safes and Security, An International Police Reference 2nd Ed. Illinois USA.

Ionic Radius Trends in the Periodic Table

The ionic radius of the elements exhibits trends in the periodic table. In general: Ionic radius increases as you move from top to bottom on the periodic table.Ionic radius decreases as you move across the periodic table, from left to right. Although ionic radius and atomic radius do not mean exactly the same thing, the trend applies to the atomic radius as well as to the ionic radius. Key Takeaways: Ionic Radius Trend on Periodic Table The ionic radius is half the distance between atomic ions in a crystal lattice. To find the value, ions are treated as if they were hard spheres.The size of an elements ionic radius follows a predictable trend on the periodic table.As you move down a column or group, the ionic radius increases. This is because each row adds a new electron shell.Ionic radius decreases moving from left to right across a row or period. More protons are added, but the outer valence shell remains the same, so the positively charged nucleus draws in the electrons more tightly. But for the nonmetallic elements, the ionic radius increases because there are more electrons than protons.While the atomic radius follows a similar trend, ions may be larger or smaller than neutral atoms. Ionic Radius and Group Why does radius increase with higher atomic numbers in a group? As you move down a group in the periodic table, additional layers of electrons are being added, which naturally causes the ionic radius to increase as you move down the periodic table. Ionic Radius and Period It might seem counterintuitive that the size of an ion would decrease as you add more protons, neutrons, and electrons in a period, yet, theres an explanation for this. As you move across a row of the periodic table, the ionic radius decreases for metals forming cations, as the metals lose their outer electron orbitals. The ionic radius increases for nonmetals as the effective nuclear charge decreases due to the number of electrons exceeding the number of protons. Ionic Radius and Atomic Radius The ionic radius is different from the atomic radius of an element. Positive ions are smaller than their uncharged atoms. Negative ions are larger than their neutral atoms. Sources Pauling, L. The Nature of the Chemical Bond. 3rd ed. Cornell University Press, 1960.Wasastjerna, J. A. On the radii of ions.  Comm. Phys.-Math., Soc. Sci. Fenn.  vol. 1, no. 38, pp. 1–25, 1923.