The Murder Farm At The End Of Mcclung Rd - 1634 Words

â€Å"Come prepared to stay forever.† Belle Gunness was a serial killer, between the years 1884-1908, that killed more than 40 people, men, women, and children, on her farm in La Porte, ID. She was known as The La Porte Black Widow, or The Mistress of Murder Farm. Many people in La Porte, ID grew up hearing the horror story of the Murder Farm at the end of McClung Rd. and its killer mistress. Belle Gunness was labeled â€Å"one of America’s most prolific serial killers†. A serial killer is a person who kills three or more people within a month. Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Stà ¸rseth in Selbu, Norway on November 22, 1859, Gunness was the daughter of a stonemason and the youngest of eight. The family was poor, so Belle had to work as a servant for three†¦show more content†¦She was probably so brutal with her murders because she stilled harnessed a deep-sated anger to the people that harmed her, and the poisoning may be mimicked the pain she felt during her miscarriage. Did Belle Gunness have a conscious? Belle appeared to be a â€Å"cold† woman who was indifferent to taking the money and lives of suitor, children, and others. Belle immigrated to Chicago, IL in 1881 (age 21) â€Å"in search of wealth†. As an adult, she was described as a large woman who stood at six feet tall and 200 pounds. Three years later, 1884, she married Mads Albert Sorenson. Belle and Mads owned an unsuccessful candy shop and home that mysteriously burned down a year later, on which they collected the insurance money from. The couple had five children before Mads died on July 30, 1900. Of the five children that Belle and Mads had four were their biological children (Myrtle, Lucy, Caroline, and Axel) and a foster child, Jennie Olsen. Caroline and Axel died in infancy of what was allegedly acute colitis, the symptoms of which are associated with many forms of poisoning. Both of the children had life insurance that company payed to the family. Coincidentally, on the same day that Mads died, his two life policies overlapped. The doctor that examined Mads’s body and his family believed the cause of death being strychnine p oisoning, but the Sorensons’ family doctor said that he had been treating Mads for an enlarged heart and declared the cause of

The Effects Of Violent Media On Individuals - 3350 Words

The current study is a replication attempt to test the hypothesis that listening to music with violent lyrics would cause aggressive thoughts and feelings. Previous research showed that violent media influences thoughts and feelings in participants, causing increased feelings of aggression. Within this study, 80 participants were collected, 40 were female and 40 were male, with an average age of 21.29. Forty-five percent of the participants self-identified as Caucasian. Participants were exposed to either a song with violent lyrics or a song with non-violent lyrics. Participants were then asked to provide ratings of state hostility. The results indicated that participants who listened to songs with violent or non-violent lyrics reported similar ratings of hostility. This implies that further research should be done on the effects of violent media on individuals. Violent Song Lyrics Affect Aggressive Thoughts Feelings â€Å"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent† (Victor Hugo). Victor Hugo was right in the sense that when listening to music, humans may develop specific thoughts or feelings. All types of media have the power to control thoughts and emotions. Listening to songs with violent lyrics has the potential of making a person extremely upset, uncomfortable, or aggressive. How does listening to a song have the power to control a person’s mind and change the way one thinks and feels? This is the bigShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Violent Media On Aggressive Behavior1590 Words   |  7 Pagescorrlation between violent media and aggressive behaviors in individuals. This paper represents an effort to provide a source for individuals who are interested to gain information on the effect of violent media on aggressive behaviors. Most of the peer-reviewed and scholary articles used in this paper provided conclusions that violent media have multiply harmful affects on individuals especially children. Krahà © and Mà ¶ller (2011) discussed the relationship between usage of violent media and aggressiveRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children And Youth990 Words   |  4 PagesEssentially since media is more violent than ever, and children and youth are getting more attracted to violent media. Studies on violent media shows a clear evidence that violence on media rises the possibility of aggressive behaviors in both short-term and long-term situations (Rowell Huesmann, Moise, Podolski, Eron, 2003). Most researchers agree that aggressive behaviors are more disposed to the harmful impact of violence on media. The negative effect is much larger for younger children becauseRead MoreMedia Violence May Increase Behavioral Violence923 Words   |  4 PagesMedia Violence May Increase Behavioral Violence The Virginia Tech School Shooting in 2007 resulted in thirty-two fatalities and seventeen injuries. During the event’s aftermath, a video of Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter, was released to the public. In the video, Cho discusses a previous school shooting at Columbine High School. His reference to another school shooting led the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to conclude that media coverage of the Columbine shooting could have influenced Cho toRead MoreViolent Behavior : The Contributors1706 Words   |  7 PagesTriggering Violent Behavior: the Contributors Violence can be everywhere but what may actually trigger violent behaviors is difficult to figure out. Many believe violent behavior is triggered by a certain outcome. Although this may be true, violent behavior can be triggered by a combination of factors. Media, Chemicals, and even society are all known as factors that can influence one to become violent. Forms of violent behavior include aggression, aggravation, and/or frustration. Aggression isRead MoreMedia Violence And The Effect It Has On Actual Behavior1500 Words   |  6 Pagesessay Title: Media Violence And The Effect It Has On Actual Behaviour. While many argue that film violence has little or no influence on actual behaviour, this essay will argue that media violence has a direct influence on actual behaviour in adolescence and adults. The main ideas I will put forward are. How Media Violence Increases Children’s tolerance of Real-Life Aggression, Violence Exposure in real-life, Violent Film Characters and their portrayal of violent acts, the effects of violence inRead MoreAggressive Behavior And Video Games860 Words   |  4 Pageschanges among individuals. It is being demonstrated by research that violent television and media have a cause and effect on children and youth that watch them. Because video games use the same repetitiveness mechanism as television and media it is expected by social science professionals that video games cause an even greater impact. Many factors have been cases of study for researchers to support the thesis of behavioral changes as a consequence of exposure to violent video games and media. Among theseRead MoreThe Influence of Exposure to Violence627 Words   |  3 Pagescommitted, violent acts from individuals whom are motivated by influence lead us to question western culture’s addiction to violent coverage and its enablers. Exposure to violence is not only limited to real-life experience, exposure can be extended through media outlets, enablers, who may increase the harmful effects of exposure to such violent acts. The media exploits society’s increasing dependence on technology to further supply western culture’s lust for violence. Violence in the media and itsRead MoreMedia s Influence On The Youth Of America1454 Words   |  6 PagesMedia in the United States has a prominent role on the youth of America. A majority of children and young adults have access to internet, television, rad io, newspapers, and video games practically any time they want. The violence in media, along with the availability of media are increasing, however the most predominant form of media for children is video games. Because of this, many are concerned with the effects on the youth. The violence in video games is a cause for aggressive emotions, thoughtsRead MoreIs Media Violence Pernicious?983 Words   |  4 PagesIs Media Violence Pernicious? In recent decades, the emergence of television and the internet have made information and entertainment alike more accessible than ever before. By extension, this increased availability encompasses violent entertainment as well. As access has risen, media violence has become a rather contentious issue. There is currently a stark division surrounding the topic between those who believe that violent media is pernicious, and those who believe it is harmless, or even catharticRead MoreGeneral Aggression Model Of Human Aggression1280 Words   |  6 Pagesbehavior, aggressive effect (i.e., physiological stimulation), aggressive cognition, (i.e., thoughts), reduced pro-social behavior, and reduced empathy (i.e., emotional facets) (Anderson and Bushman, 2001; Barlett and Anderson 2013). As a process model, GAM can be divided into two explanatory mechanisms; a) proximate and distal GAM (Anderson Carnagey, 2004) or b) proximate GAM as single-episode GAM and multiple-episode GAM (see. Anders on Bushman, 2001) as (long-term) effects of repetitive violence

NEA announces new slate of grants Essay Example For Students

NEA announces new slate of grants Essay The National Endowment for the arts announced in July a total of $7.2 million in grants to 231 professional theatre companies for the 1993-94 performance season. The grants, awarded under the Theater Programs Professional Theater Companies category, represent a decrease from the previous year, when 236 grants totaling $7.5 million were awarded. The grants, ranging in size from $5,000 to $268,000, include first-time or reinstated support to 26 theatres and increases to 84 theatres who received support last year. A $268,000 grant to the Guthrie Theater of Minneapolis was the largest grant awarded, and the average was $31,050. In comparison, in 1986 the top grant reached a high of $315,000 and the average was $40,962, reflecting a nearly 25 percent drop in average support to professional theatre companies in the past eight years, without taking inflation into account. The NEA Theater Overview Panel convened June 23-24 in Washington for the yearly review of guidelines and funding categories. Program director Keryl McCord opened the meeting by underscoring the need for panelists to reconcile how to support bold new thinking in the face of diminishing funds. She urged the panel to think about the full spectrum of theatre, including movement theatres, childrens theatres and culturally specific theatres. During the course of the two-day meeting, the panel recommended no major changes, but they discussed a number of issues, including the possibility of reducing slightly the percentage of the budget presently allocated to the Professional Theater Companies category to create a pool of funds that could be rechanneled to playwright fellowships or solo artists. Also discussed was the question of changing the grant cycle to biennial funding, which has been under consideration for several years. Although the 1992 panel had pressed for a staff study of multi-year funding to be presented to his years panel for a final recommendation, the study had not yet taken place and the issue of biennial funding was tabled once again. The panel followed by several weeks the first in a series of special think-tank meetings, convened by the Theater Program with a separate group of participants, but the results of the first meeting were not discussed by the Overview Panel. Panelists attending this years Overview meeting were John Paul Batiste, executive director, Texas Commission on the Arts; Eve Brune, managing director, INTAR, New York; Carol North Evans, producing director, Metro Theater Company, St. Louis, Mo.; Tom Hall, managing director, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego (chairman); Paul Carter Harrison, playwright; Gregory Hicks, board member, Intiman Theatre, Seattle. Also, Jim Lewis, dramaturg, Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis; Susan Medak, managing director, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Jon Nakagawa, managing director, Vineyard Theatre, New York; Mary Robinson, artistic director, Philadelphia Drama Guild; Starling Sutton, real estate developer, Atlanta, Ga.; Lynette Turner, producing director, Perseverance Theatre, Douglas, Alaska; and Roberta Uno, artistic director, New World Theatre, Amherst, Mass. The NEA also announced the latest Advancement Grant recipients in Julyarts 42 groups that will participate in the first phase of the program, designed to provide technical assistance and develop long-term strategic plans. The 1994 Advancement participants include the Alice B. Theatre of Seattle, Philadelphias Arden Theatre Company, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, En Garde Arts in New York City, Horse Cave Theatre of Horse Cave, Ky., Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Detroits Theatre Grottesco North America, Underground Railway Theater of Arlington, Mass., Washington, D.C.s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and the Zachary Scott Theatre Center of Austin, Tex.

Innovation Problem in Organization-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Describe what the innovation problem is that you are faced with in your Chosen company. Answer Introduction The report is prepared to assess the innovation problem faced within the business organization in Saudi Arabia and how it has managed to deal with that for ensuring successful business functioning. The innovation problem faced within Carrefour, which is selected as the case study here can create an impact on the establishment of a good culture as well. Due to innovation problem, the business performance may deteriorate as well as hinder the successful accomplishment of business objectives. The report will discuss about the innovation problem that Carrefour Saudi Arabia is facing and ways to resolve those issues too. Carrefour has 12 franchise-operated hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia, with five of those being in the capital Riyadh itself (carrefouruae.com, 2018). The innovation of the company includes opening a new store that provides digital solutions including m-commerce services to make the shopping experiences of the customers more convenient and flexible. Innovation problem faced with in the company There are various problems faced while enabling innovation within the business organization and due to this the organizational structure and way of managing the business operations also change. Due to this the workers of the company find it difficult to adapt to the changes and the business functioning also deteriorates. Few problems related to the innovation include lack of ability of employees to innovate due to improper leadership skills and poor support by the managers of the organization. The leaders also fail to keep the staffs motivated, because of which, the innovation outcomes may be inappropriate as well. With the innovation, changes were made and this had resulted in developing an app to make customers purchase products and services online (Katzy et al., 2013). One of the major problems was that the app was not working properly sometime, which not only created difficulties to purchase the products and the online app does not show all the available products that could be fo und at the stores of Carrefour. Another problem with innovation is that innovation is centralized to a particular functional group only, and due to this, the innovation procedures are time consuming. Having more functional groups can prevent any hindrance to the innovation pace and provide unique solutions to the problems faced by the customers. Lack of coordination and diversity also creates innovation problem and this can make the organization face risks while offering the new and innovative products in the market (Subramaniam, 2012). Innovation, if not measured or benchmarked could create difficulty to evaluate the key performable indicators and even generate new ideas required to generate greater value of innovation related approaches. With the appointment of a new CEO, certain approaches were undertaken to innovate the business operations and processes, though it brought some major problems for Carrefour. The new CEO tried to innovate by converting some of the hypermarkets of the company into franchises and even introducing some of the Sunday openings as well. The shares of the company reduced to more than thirty percent due to lesser revenue generation as well (Lorenz, 2015). Due to lack of leadership skills, the staffs were not empowered and kept motivated to perform efficiently by embracing the changes achieved through innovation within the organization. The employees were not motivated and encouraged properly to adapt to the changes, because of which they felt less motivated to innovate. Though innovation has been done like changes in organizational structure and culture, still the employees have been unable to access the necessary resources and even faced issues to cooperate with others within the workplace. The staffs were not trained, because of which, they were unable to create an app that could provide all the necessary services properly for improving the shopping experience of the clients. Carrefour operates over 12 franchise hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia and five of these are located at Riyadh (Kang, 2016). Innovation is something not similar to the invention and creativity; because the creativity and inventions are focused are solution centric whereas he innovations managed within the organization are considered as problem centric. Same has happened for Carrefour, where a new CEO is appointed who can enable changes and mange innovation with the focus on solving problems (carrefouruae.com, 2018). The innovators are focused on the issue with the own proposed solutions, because of which they may not create own ideas and concepts. Due to lack of proper leadership and managerial skills, there were conflicts and misunderstandings, which reduced the group thinking abilities and skills as well (Sloep, Berlanga Retalis, 2014). There was not a proper working condition as well, which created difficulties for the individuals to express themselves and deliver their ideas and opinions too. The innovation at Carrefour changed the organizational structure and a different culture was created, which ma ny of the staffs felt quite difficult to cope up with. The organizational policies were not in place too, which further resulted in forming an inappropriate culture where people could work. Innovation at Carrefour was managed by undertaking sustainable approaches, which increased the prices of certain products and services and left the customers unsatisfied (Urbancova, 2013). Relation between organizational culture and innovation Carrefour experienced a significant loss in business due to the recent changes made through innovation. Due to the innovation, a different organizational culture and structure was enabled, which created difficulties for many of the staffs to adjust with. Carrefour decided to create a diverse workforce consisting of people from different backgrounds and cultures, which resulted in improper communication process, which was furthermore facilitated by change in leadership and strategies. Many of the staffs even failed to accept the need for changes, which created insecurity and varied ambitions of people within the workplace (Lorenz, 2013). Due to the implementation of a new organizational structure, other problems faced were lack of communication, poor organizational hierarchy, due to which, the managers, employers and employees were confused regarding their new roles and responsibilities. The roles and responsibilities were not delegated properly to certain staffs and the cost incurred due to the innovation of organizational structure was huge as well. The company faced innovation problem because the shopping app developed to improve the online shopping experiences of the customers was not always working properly. It was due to the lack of skills and knowledge of the workers, due to which, they failed to cooperate with each other (OSullivan Dooley, 2012). Due to this, the organizational culture was not effective, which hindered the successful management of innovation at Carrefour. By maintaining a good culture within the organization, it could have been easier to OCAI instrument The Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument or OCAI is utilized by Carrefour, Saudi Arabia to assess the organizational culture and make sure that the staffs perform to their potential for enabling innovation all throughout. This would not only make them adjust with the changes but would also allow them to work in coordination and as an unit through the establishment of a good culture within the workplace. The OCAI tool is used as an effective assessment tool for evaluating the organizational culture and desire for changes implemented through the various innovation procedures. The Competing Values framework and different culture types are used as important aspects related to the OCAI assessment tool (Camisn Villar-Lpez, 2014). Competing values framework The competing values framework consists of the four major quadrants including the collaborate, create, control and compete. The assessment tool is used for enabling flexibility and adaptability and furthermore allows the employees to consider the innovation as a positive outcome. The Collaborate quadrant could enable the staffs and employees of Carrefour to work in coordination and prioritize on the shared values. This would promote good communication between the workers and develop a positive work culture within the workplace. The Create quadrant would allow them to show their creative skills and foster innovation by aligning with the vision and objectives of Carrefour. The individuals working for Carrefour must be flexible to consider the changes and this could be supported by a positive culture for moving towards the future (Eeckelaert et al., 2012). The create quadrant would also allow the staffs to become creative and emphasize on the accomplishment of outcomes with ease. This c ould have facilitated the development of the online shopping app through the development of a compelling vision and generating new ideas for the future as well. The Compete quadrant focuses on the individuals who are concerned with the competition and achievement of goals and objectives by competing against each other (Ikramullah et al., 2016). The Compete quadrant would allow the individuals to speed up the management of business processes and obtain higher market share and ensure brand equity too. The control quadrant could enable clarification of roles and responsibilities of the worker at Carrefour, furthermore conduct researches and feasibility study to understand whether the innovation procedures would be beneficial or not (Vila, Perez Morillas, 2012). To improve the organizational effectiveness, the competing values framework helped in providing better stability, control and flexibility. It was also ensured that the employees work together in coordination to create a good culture and at the same time, achieved the positive results within quick time. There are different organizational culture types that are adopted by different organizations to create good working conditions and communication between the staffs to improve the business operations efficiency. Four quadrants are associated with the different cultures and values needed to be maintained within the organization (Vila, Prez Coll-Serrano, 2014). Figure: OCAI framework values related to culture (Vila, Prez Coll-Serrano, 2014) Organizational culture Because there were problems related to the innovation, so, the company wanted to focus on the major values including the flexibility, discretion, stability and control for assisting the employees to embrace the changes with ease. This could make the employees perform their roles and responsibilities together and furthermore discuss about the issues faced by communicating with each other. The organization desired for flexibility, better stability and control and to maintain these values, Carrefour should create a market culture or clan culture (Ovseiko Buchan, 2012). The clan culture was absent previously and if the company wants to maintain the values, then the development of a clan culture can create a good working environment and address the needs of the clients by promoting participation of employees, team working and consensus. The market culture should be created for gaining reputation and success by reaching the objectives fruitfully. Market penetration and stock management could be important aspects managed through the setting of proper prices and understanding how to make the online shopping experience more convenient and easy for the customers. However, for that, a proper app should be developed that could be assessed through revaluation of requirements of the customers and creating a platform where the employees could discuss about these matters properly (Belasen Rufer, 2013). This would overcome the innovation problems as well as make Carrefour less susceptible to changes, furthermore maintain flexibility, stability and control all t hroughout. Recommendations It is recommended conduct a feasibility study of the innovation procedures at first, because innovation itself is an effective way to overcome issues with ease. Carrefour should maintain a positive culture to create good working conditions and at the same time, facilitate team working and communication between the employees. Assessment of the performances of the workers is recommended for evaluating the areas of weaknesses and trains them to improve their skills, knowledge and expertise. To deal with the innovation problems, it would be important for the leaders and manager of Carrefour to keep the employees motivated by providing them with benefits and rewards It is also recommended to create a proper organizational structure where decentralization is possible for enhancing the efficiency of the business operations and ensure gaining the best outcomes from the innovation procedures. Conclusion The report explained the innovation issue faced by Carrefour in Saudi Arabia due to the lack of proper culture, poor communication and team working between the employees. The problem analyzed here was the implementation of the online shopping app to provide the customers with a better shopping experience. It was a major step to innovation undertaken by the organization, though the app was found to be not working at certain situations along with unavailability of all the products and services that were actually available at the stores. This was due to the lack of communication between the staffs and poor coordination among them, which deteriorated the culture and even hindered the successful management of business operations. This affected the innovation negatively, due to which, the OCAI framework was utilized to determine the culture that should be the most suitable for ensuring flexibility, stability and control at the company. The market and clan cultures were found to be effectiv e and it was also recommended to provide the organizational staffs with proper training sessions so that they could understand the importance of teamwork and create new ideas for innovating the products and services of Carrefour. References Belasen, A., Rufer, R. (2013). Innovation communication and inter-functional collaboration: a view from the competing values framework for corporate communication. InStrategy and Communication for Innovation(pp. 227-240). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Camisn, C., Villar-Lpez, A. (2014). Organizational innovation as an enabler of technological innovation capabilities and firm performance.Journal of business research,67(1), 2891-2902. carrefouruae.com. (2018). Carrefouruae.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.carrefouruae.com/ Eeckelaert, L., Dhondt, S., Oeij, P., Pot, F. D., Nicolescu, G. I., Webster, J., Elsler, D. (2012).Review of workplace innovation and its relation with occupational safety and health. Bilbao: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Ikramullah, M., Van Prooijen, J. W., Iqbal, M. Z., Ul-Hassan, F. S. (2016). Effectiveness of performance appraisal: Developing a conceptual framework using competing values approach.Personnel Review,45(2), 334-352. Kang, S. W. (2016). Knowledge withholding: psychological hindrance to the innovation diffusion within an organisation.Knowledge Management Research Practice,14(1), 144-149. Katzy, B., Turgut, E., Holzmann, T., Sailer, K. (2013). Innovation intermediaries: a process view on open innovation coordination.Technology Analysis Strategic Management,25(3), 295-309. Lorenz, E. (2013). Innovation, work organisation and systems of social protection. Lorenz, E. (2015). Work organisation, forms of employee learning and labour market structure: accounting for international differences in workplace innovation.Journal of the Knowledge Economy,6(2), 437-466. OSullivan, D., Dooley, L. (2012). Collaborative innovation for the management of information technology resources. InProfessional Advancements and Management Trends in the IT Sector(pp. 207-222). IGI Global. Ovseiko, P. V., Buchan, A. M. (2012). Organizational culture in an academic health center: an exploratory study using a Competing Values Framework.Academic Medicine,87(6), 709-718. Sloep, P., Berlanga, A., Retalis, S. (2014). Introduction to the special issue on Web-2.0 technologies in support of team-based learning for innovation. Subramaniam, I. D. (2012). Determinant of innovative behavior in the workplace: A case study of a Malaysian public sector organisation.American Journal of Social Issues and Humanities,2(6). Urbancova, H. (2013). Competitive advantage achievement through innovation and knowledge.Journal of Competitiveness,5(1). Vila, L. E., Prez, P. J., Coll-Serrano, V. (2014). Innovation at the workplace: Do professional competencies matter?.Journal of Business Research,67(5), 752-757. Vila, L. E., Perez, P. J., Morillas, F. G. (2012). Higher education and the development of competencies for innovation in the workplace.Management Decision,50(9), 1634-1648.