Managing Organizational Culture for Improved Performance Essay

Managing Organizational Culture for Improved Performance - Essay Example 93) indicates that organisational culture has been described as a set of norms, beliefs, principles and ways of behaving that gives organisations a distinctive character. This is the same definition that many writers have used and so there is a general understanding of what it means. Norms are established patterns of behaviour which most writers agree to. 1.3 Culture Management Culture management refers to the refreshment of the existing culture within an organisation or the change of a culture that has become obsolete (Grigoruta et al 2005). 2.0 Culture and organisational performance According to Deal and Kennedy (2000) every business has a culture.’ However, sometimes it is reduced to bits and pieces and is therefore difficult to read from the outside. Some employees are loyal to their bosses while some are loyal to the union and still there are others who only care about their fellow employees. Even though there are those who only work because they need money there are time s when the culture of an organisation is strong and cohesive with everyone having knowledge of the goals and therefore working towards it. Deal and Kennedy (2000) further points out that culture has a very powerful influence whether it is weak or strong. It affects almost everything including who gets promoted, how employees dress and the spots they play. This impact suggests that ‘culture has a major impact on the success of the business.’ Deal and Kennedy (2000) provides examples of early leaders of American businesses including Harley Procter of Procter & Gamble and Thomas Watson of IBM who believed that strong culture played a role in the success of their organisations. These leaders believed that the organisation in which persons were employed helped to shape their lives and productivity. They saw their role as creating an environment which was effectively a culture within their organisations; one in which employees felt secure and thereby carry out the work necess ary to make the organisation successful. They had no magical formula but through trial and error. The cultures that these leaders built and nourished have helped to sustain their organisations through very difficult times. The organisations that they led continue to be successful as they still have strong cultures and still continue to be leaders in their industry. What Deal and Kennedy (2000) suggests is that there is no formula – they just did it by trial and error which is much like trying something until it works. This cannot be a prescription for organisations that want to improve their performance and is far from the truth. It is clear that these leaders of whom Deal and Kennedy (2000) spoke used various means which resulted in highly motivated employees who were willing to go the extra mile to ensure that these organisations achieved there goals. Motivating people and letting them feel as if they are a very important part of the organisation is an important aspect of l eadership. It is the things that are done to motivate employees that have led to successful companies. Deal and Kennedy

The Crusader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Crusader - Essay Example ians but as the time passed, popes and Christian kings used it for their own political benefit2 and this benefit was based on blood shedding of thousands of Christians and Muslims. Modern exploration of crusades is commenced by Erdmann’s work, Die Entstehung des Kreuzzugsgedankens3 in the year 1935. According to him crusades were the product of the eleventh century. They were a means of transmitting the active military towards another place. They can be regarded as products of the reform movement which were used to purify the church and the Christian society as a whole. In Erdmann’s opinion the apparent aim of the crusades was Jerusalem. The rescue of the Holy City was the motivation that made Pope call the First Crusade or it was according to Erdmann’s view, in the defense of Eastern Christians. The actual words of Urban II are still unknown but according to Cowdrey, the pope was worried about the holy city i.e. Jerusalem and that was when the first crusade was given birth. There is little criticism received to Erdmann’s work but Cowdrey criticized it. In his opinion, the crusades are linked to the Cluniac reform4. George VII (1073-85), Victor III (1086-7) and Urban II (1088-99) are examples in this context. Historians also believed that the medieval men could not take up the religious words uttered by them. They believed that the post Enlightenment era was full of people who talked about profiting the world hereafter but actually they were into profiting the existing world for themselves. The modern investigations led by Jonathan Riley Smith have proved it to the world that the number of men and women who participated in the crusades is larger than known to history. The crusade army was a mix of rich, poor, saints, sinners and all of them had some kind of motivation to do so. Pope Urban’s preaching motivated the people for the First Crusade which was successful for them as well because the drive for it was â€Å"spiritual†5. Muslims were not

Racism in America Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Racism in America Today - Essay Example Americans still  display  racism, which indicates how deep racism  still  is in the American society. Indeed, Americans have a  big  move  to  make  before they can eliminate this problem from their social  fabric. Racism, as a societal vice within the fabric of the American society, can be traced to the humble beginnings of the United States, when the people organized a  perpetual  hierarchy of  oppressive  efforts. These oppressive constructions  were meant  to  keep  each American – both first comers and new comers like the slaves – subservient to the authority of another above them. This  oppressive  hierarchy can be traced to the demands of the King of England for  goods  from the Jamestown elite, who  entirely  manipulated the  white  frontiersman. ... ps, the ruling class resolved to end the alliance.  This was the case, as they felt that it would eventually  grow  strong  to  the level  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ that it would be able to  overthrow  the  rule  of the King and the elite group. As a  move  to  break  the alliance, the ruling class moved to  separate  the whites from everyone else – which they did – through giving more opportunities in the form of better treatment and land resources to the white servants.  The move worked; therefore,  the working whites abandoned the  rebellious  movements for the favorable treatment.  As a result, the two groupings have had problems working together up to date (Zinn  37). Coming to the incidence of Racism in the American  society  in modern times, it should be noted that Racist moves and behaviors are still as prevalent as they were ages ago, but are more subtle.  At present, people are clearly – more aware and less  apt  to be overtly racist, when there are laws against such acts.  For instance, hate crimes  are considered  as inhumane and punishable by the law, as other racist conducts. Instead, racists have become more organized. For example, in the year 2011, there was a  tremendous  increase  in new memberships to white supremacist associations. This is according to the ‘Southern Poverty law Center,’ which assumes the role of tracking the operations of supremacist organizations in the U.S. They have documented that the number of members by up to 48% since the year 2000. Further, the  principal  white supremacist group operating in America, by name,  Stormfront, runs a racist forum. Through the forum, white supremacists  post  systematic  attacks on the whites of Jewish origin. In such forums, they use the name  Ã¢â‚¬ËœJew’ as a term of race. For example, on a discussion

Freud vs Rogers Essay Example for Free

Freud vs Rogers Essay Freud’s theory of psychopathology begins with an analysis of the development of a person. Part of Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis looks at the growth and development of erogenous zones or parts of the body that are the sources of tension or excitation. These erogenous zones include the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and gential stages. Freud believed that at any of these developmental stages a person could deal with a failure in the instinct development or a fixation. Fixation occurs if an individual has a fear of going to the next stage because they receive too little or too much fulfillment in their current stage. Moreover, there are three different personality styles that may come about due to a fixation. In oral personality, a fixation at the oral stage causes a person to be narcissistic and only interested in themselves. The anal personality shows a tendency to show orderliness and cleanliness. Finally the phallic personality has men attempting to reach masculinity complex and women to be exhibitionistic and flirtatious. Consequently, a phenomenon associated with fixation is regression which is an individuals desire to regress back to an earlier point of development. Stress is an optimal condition that triggers regression. On the other hand, Rogers had a different way of understanding what the causes psychopathology. Rogers believed in the self-actualizing tendency which is a move towards completion or fulfillment of potentials. He understood this to be a primary motivating drive to reach one’s full potential and come to realize actual self. He believed that incongruence between the real self, the self â€Å"I† believe to be and the ideal self, the self â€Å"I† want to be, differ significantly. This lack of balance causes anxiety.

Television : Candy For The Mind :: essays research papers

A man once said, "Televevision is candy for the mind." He was right. Making an analogy to candy is ideal ; either, if taken in excess can have a negative affect on the human. At one point or another you watched too much TV. And at one point or another you ate too much candy. Maybe it was on Halloween or Christmas...it doesn't matter. The point is that both are a treat if taken in moderation. The problem is , nowadays, too many kids are watching too much tv, and too many people are eating too much fattening items like candy. THere's more fat people waddling around and more kids believe the stereotypes that the media has provided for the ever stable database of memory in their heads. When a child is born in a society so motivated by technology and television, what other choice do they have but to watch television? The babysitters use it as a means to make their job easier (though I could not agree more in that case) parents so they can calm their kids down, and adolecsents because they want to watch something or are bored. Most of the time, people my age will watch TV because they are bored. When in doubt watch TV. The problem with the excessive viewing of TV is that it is decreasing the amount of thinking done by people ; children especially. This scares me seeing as children are easy targets ; vulnerable , impressionable, and naive, they are the ideal targets. Watching mindless shows like Power Rangers and Beavis and Butthead, children are becoming more and more unlikely to really think. Books and complicated plays make people think. Poems make people think. Television, on most occasions, does not. The reason for this being because our society is a lazy one, and a corrupt one at that.

Interpersonal Relationships Paper

There is evidence that a motivation for helping is feeling empathy for the other person. Researchers hypothesize that people are altruistic as long as the result is reducing another's stress. Unfortunately, some researchers believe that altruistic helping is instrumental egoistic response. Providing evidence of this is difficult as egoism and altruism are motivational concepts, and they cannot be directly observed, (Nier, 2010). Summary of Issues The arguments in contention deal with altruism and whether people feel motivation for pure altruism or empathy. C. Daniel Batson and his colleagues believe that people have a motivation to help not for what they can receive but for pure altruistic reasons. Nier (2010) states that people who are altruistically motivated to help do so with the goal of increasing the welfare of others, (Nier, 2010, p. 379). Batson, Duncan, Ackerman, Cuckley, and Birch performed an experiment using similarity information to manipulate another's empathy. With 44 female introductory psychology students as the subjects the women are randomly selected to fill out a personal and interest questionnaire. The subjects were assigned to four conditions of easy versus difficult escape and similar versus dissimilar victim design through a random block procedure with 11 people in each cell. One participant from each cell is excluded because that person can suspect Elaine was not receiving shocks. They participants are told to wait for a second subject, Elaine, who is a conspirator of the experiment, and given an introduction while waiting. Drawing roles after signing a consent form is next with the 2 drawing rigged. They measure the level of arousal on a monitor to determine accurately the worker’s emotional response as well as help to form an impression. They manipulate the difficulty to escape a situation by letting every subject know that Elaine will complete all 10 trials. This gives the subjects a chance to help her by trading places with her after the second trial. They use similarity manipulation and need situation to determine the subject’s level of empathy. The experimenters give the subjects a chance to trade places with Elaine if they so choose to do so. The results suggest to researchers that suggesting that empathic motivation to help can be altruistic. Batson et. al. conclude that the easy-escape-dissimilar-victim condition is lower than the other three conditions. The difficulty to escape from the situation has a big effect on helping. Robert Cialdini and his colleagues believe that people have a motivation to help others so that they can feel better themselves rather than empathy. Those egoistically motivated to help others help so that they can increase their own welfare and personal gain. The idea is that those with low empathy should help less but when a person’s empathy is high, the sense of escape minimizes by the person’s primary altruistic motive to help the victim. Cialdini and his colleagues sought to test alternative explanations separating subjects’ feelings from empathic orientation. They replicate the Batson et. al. procedure presenting a gratifying event, allowing the subjects a chance to help a victim or escape the situation, finally assessing the subjects’ helpful tendencies against Batson’s measure of empathic concern. The results find that subjects with a high-empathy-set had elevated helping scores except when they got a sadness-canceling reward. This shows that they are no more helpful than those with low- 3 empathy. It seems that it was personal sadness that causes a person to have an increase helping motivation. Evaluation of Arguments Each argument proposes hypotheses about altruism and if it exists or not and how much altruism plays in motivating others to help another. Empirical research with a basis of self-interest provides limited and often insufficient explanations for some helping behaviors meaning that altruism can be another separate construct, (Burns, et. al, 2006, p. 83). It is not necessarily just altruism that encouraged the participants to help but a sense of sadness over the victim’s plight. By relieving the sadness of the victim, the subject’s sadness can disappear. Helping can have rewards for most adults it can restore mood. Rather than helping for altruistic reasons, people help others for their own reasons such as personal mood management. Batson and his colleagues identify an empathy-altruism model, which involves one person witnessing another’s distress elicits personal distress and empathic concern from the witness. Personal distress can promotes an egoistic need to help another’s distress and empathic concern develops an altruistic desire to reduce the other person’s distress, (Dovidio, Schroeder, & Allen, 1990, 249). The other determination of some researchers is that people who have high levels of empathy have high levels of helpfulness. Empathy can enhance prosocial behavior. Selfishness and egalitarianism are important for interpersonal settings, whereas the outcomes for another, or altruism, are important for enhancing joint outcomes, (Van Lange, 2008, p. 767). The 4 participants saw Elaine’s distress and wanted to eliminate it as their need to escape the situation decreased. Support of a Concept After analyzing both arguments and evaluating them, it seems that the most plausible argument is that altruism does exist, but it is not the biggest motivator for helping others. Some researchers believe that there are several volunteering activities where altruism is not a particular motivator, (Burns et. al. , 2006, p. 82). Involuntary volunteering is one. A person can have a court order to volunteer for example. People can start out with altruistic reasons for helping but altruism is not always the main motivator. In some ways helping another when they feel a sense of connection cannot be selfless because by helping another would be helping the helper, (Maner et. l, 2002, p. 1602). Some studies have evidence that suggest that when people appear altruistic that the motivations are ultimately egoistic by nature. Conclusion Altruism is about doing the greater good without any expectations back. Unfortunately, whereas altruism does exist many researchers determine that helping others is not for purely altruistic reason as people help others for many reasons. People can start out with altruistic motivations but they do not always stay altruistic.

Developing Thesis Statement

Work from the General to the Specific in the Introductory Paragraph of a Five-Paragraph Essay In the standard introduction to a five-paragraph essay, the writer works from general to specific. There should be a broad, non-controversial introductory sentence that puts the reader in the ballpark of the essay. This can easily be accomplished by mentioning the name of the book, the author, the time period, or some other piece of relevant, factual information. The next two or three sentences develop on the first sentence adding increasingly more specific information leading up to the thesis.The Thesis Statement Must State a Controversial Point The formulaic thesis statement unequivocally states the main controversial point of the essay and provides â€Å"a roadmap† or outline for the rest of the essay. A disproportionate amount of time should be spent crafting the thesis statement. When the thesis statement is complete, the essay is essentially written. Every thesis statement must have a controversial point, and it needs to be stated succinctly. For example: †¢ â€Å"More than anything else, The Scarlet Letter provides a criticism of nineteenth century America. †The Thesis Statement Should Include a Roadmap for the Three Body Paragraphs in a Five-Paragraph Essay Once the controversial point is written, the writer must determine how he or she will prove it. This is â€Å"the roadmap† and, when combined with the controversial point, completes the thesis statement. Because this is a five paragraph essay, there will be three main points supporting the controversial point. These three points will each be dealt with in turn in the three body paragraphs of the essay. For the controversial point above, three points that will prove it may be: Nathanial Hawthorne’s biography clearly showing his disillusionment with the United States †¢ The hypocrisy of America as demonstrated through slavery and genocide of Native Americans †¢ The al legorical nature of the novel itself—using a seventeenth century setting to illuminate nineteenth century America Constructing â€Å"the Roadmap† Part of the Thesis Statement Using Common Phrases Now that the writer has a controversial point and three pieces of evidence to support it, it is simply a matter of putting the thesis statement together. Having a list of â€Å"go-to† phrases at one’s disposal will help in constructing the actual statement.These phrases will introduce each piece of evidence in the thesis statement. They might include phrases like: By looking at†¦ , In analyzing†¦ , Through understanding†¦ ; In appreciating†¦ ; By examining†¦, Through evaluating†¦ These phrases can be used almost interchangeably to craft the first part of the final thesis statement. For example: †¢ â€Å"Through understanding Hawthorne’s personal disillusionment with the United States, by examining the hypocrisy of ninete enth century America as evidenced by the institutions of slavery and genocide, and, finally, in analyzing the allegorical nature of the novel itself†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Add the Controversial Point to the Roadmap to Complete the Thesis Statement All that is left is to add a phrase such as â€Å"one will come to appreciate† before the controversial point. As such, a formulaic thesis statement might read something like this: †¢ â€Å"Through understanding Hawthorne’s personal disillusionment with the United States, by examining the hypocrisy of nineteenth century America as evidenced by the institutions of slavery and genocide, and finally, in analyzing the allegorical nature of the novel itself, one will come to appreciate that The Scarlet Letter is really a criticism of the country in which the author lived. Forming a Thesis Statement Adapted from: Research Papers for Dummies You've got a subject (â€Å"human-bear interactions†) and a topic (â€Å"the relationshi p between Goldilocks and the three bears†). Now it's time to come up with a thesis statement — the point that you want to make about Goldie and the furry guys. A couple of possibilities occur to you — â€Å"bears that hang around people end up eating porridge and sleeping in beds,† â€Å"both blonds and baby bears like medium-firm mattresses,† and â€Å"humans and bears share forest resources. As you tease out a few more ideas, you search for the middle ground, avoiding a thesis statement that is too broad or too narrow. You want one that, like Goldilocks's porridge, is â€Å"just right. † As soon as you've got a chunk of research, a deck of index cards, or a few files on the computer, take a few moments to reread your material. Think about what you might prove with all those facts and quotations. A couple of techniques will help you decide. Ask questions As you review your notes, do any questions occur to you? Is your curiosity piqued by an ything you've written?If not, check out the next sections, â€Å"If only,† â€Å"I recommend,† and â€Å"Relationships,† or go back to note taking and try again later. Any questions that pop into your mind arise from issues that are relevant to your topic, and issues are the breeding ground for theses. For example, suppose you're doing a psych paper on parental influence — specifically, how parental discipline affects children's behavior. You've read a ton of studies that attempt to describe the relationship between parents' actions and children's reactions.As you review your notes, you may find yourself wondering: †¢ Do children of very strict parents behave better? †¢ Does a child's reaction to strict parental rules change as the child grows older? †¢ Does spanking affect children's self-esteem? †¢ Does inconsistent discipline have a negative effect on children's behavior? Not one of these questions is a thesis, but each is a possibl e starting point. Possible because you can't cover them all in one paper. You have to choose. Right now, suppose that you select the second sample question.If the question of age interests you the most, read your notes again with question two in mind. Look closely at every note concerned with discipline, age, and rules. Put little check marks next to information about children's behavior — the behavior of those children identified as having trouble in school or with the law, perhaps. If necessary, go back to the library or the Internet for more research on the relationship between discipline techniques, age, and children's behavior.If you can, do some statistical analysis to see which factors matter and which are simply coincidence. After you've finished those tasks, you're probably ready to take a stand. Express that stand in a single sentence, perhaps this one: Children of very strict parents follow the rules diligently until adolescence, but not during the teen years. Now you've got the basis for your paper: the thesis statement. (By the way, the preceding paragraphs are just an example, not necessarily a psychological truth! ) If onlyAnother way to hunt for a thesis is to consider the â€Å"if only† spots in your paper. This method is particularly helpful for history projects. Again, start by rereading your notes. Look for moments when the entire course of historical events might have changed, if only one decision or one detail had been different. For example, suppose you're writing about a famous incident involving Humpty Dumpty. You've read eyewitness accounts, historians' analysis of the events, and doctors' descriptions of the injuries Mr. Dumpty suffered. Now you're ready to make a thesis statement.For those of you who aren't familiar with the story, here are the â€Å"facts† of the case: Victim: Humpty Dumpty, male egg Physical description: Round but delicate build, oval face, pale complexion Age: Fresh Date of incident: Nineteen th century Place: King's walled courtyard Description of incident: Victim had a great fall from a wall approximately ten feet high. Bystanders called 911 immediately. King's horses and king's men arrived within ten minutes. Entire battalion of horses and men worked on the victim for 45 minutes, but could not put him back together again.After reviewing all your material, you think †¢ If only the top of the wall had been shaped like an egg crate, giving Humpty Dumpty more stability †¢ If only Humpty Dumpty had eaten a calcium-rich, shell-strengthening diet †¢ If only the king's men had had more training in re-gluing than in military maneuvers The last â€Å"if only† in the preceding list gives you an idea for a thesis, which you turn into a sentence: The emphasis on militarism in the training of the king's men led to the tragic demise of Humpty Dumpty. I recommendDepending upon your topic, another road to a thesis statement comes from the phrase â€Å"I recommen d. † This road is especially helpful if you're writing about science, social science, technology, or any area that looks toward the future. Review your notes and ask yourself what improvements you'd like to see in the situation or conditions. Then ask yourself what should be changed to bring about those improvements. Here's this method in action. Suppose you're writing about fatal accidents. One of your sources is the Humpty Dumpty incident, described in the preceding section, â€Å"If only. As you scan your notes, think about the improvements that you would like to see — perhaps the prevention of shattering injuries caused by falls. What should be changed to bring about that improvement? The addition of calcium supplements to the water supply, a change in the design of palace architecture, additional training in egg gluing for emergency medical personnel, or something else? One of those ideas becomes your thesis statement: To prevent serious injury, architects should design safer walls. RelationshipsAnother thesis catcher is the relationship question, especially helpful when you're writing about literature. As you're poring over your notes, look for events or ideas that belong together in one of these ways: cause and effect, contrast, or similarity. For example, suppose you're writing about the murder of the king in a modern drama, Macbeth Revisited (not a real play). You delve into English politics during the Thatcher era and decide that the factions portrayed in the play reflect the conflict between contemporary English political parties.Now you've got a â€Å"relationship† thesis. The strife between the Googrubs and the McAgues in Macbeth Revisited mirrors the conflict between the Labor and Tory parties in the late twentieth century. Or, suppose you're writing about energy and pollution. You contrast fossil fuels with solar power, deciding on this thesis statement: Solar energy is less harmful to the environment than fossil fuels. â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Here is a very structured approach to starting a paper. Adapted from Suite101. com A bit more on finding a thesis statement within your topic†¦ Developing Thesis Statement Work from the General to the Specific in the Introductory Paragraph of a Five-Paragraph Essay In the standard introduction to a five-paragraph essay, the writer works from general to specific. There should be a broad, non-controversial introductory sentence that puts the reader in the ballpark of the essay. This can easily be accomplished by mentioning the name of the book, the author, the time period, or some other piece of relevant, factual information. The next two or three sentences develop on the first sentence adding increasingly more specific information leading up to the thesis.The Thesis Statement Must State a Controversial Point The formulaic thesis statement unequivocally states the main controversial point of the essay and provides â€Å"a roadmap† or outline for the rest of the essay. A disproportionate amount of time should be spent crafting the thesis statement. When the thesis statement is complete, the essay is essentially written. Every thesis statement must have a controversial point, and it needs to be stated succinctly. For example: †¢ â€Å"More than anything else, The Scarlet Letter provides a criticism of nineteenth century America. †The Thesis Statement Should Include a Roadmap for the Three Body Paragraphs in a Five-Paragraph Essay Once the controversial point is written, the writer must determine how he or she will prove it. This is â€Å"the roadmap† and, when combined with the controversial point, completes the thesis statement. Because this is a five paragraph essay, there will be three main points supporting the controversial point. These three points will each be dealt with in turn in the three body paragraphs of the essay. For the controversial point above, three points that will prove it may be: Nathanial Hawthorne’s biography clearly showing his disillusionment with the United States †¢ The hypocrisy of America as demonstrated through slavery and genocide of Native Americans †¢ The al legorical nature of the novel itself—using a seventeenth century setting to illuminate nineteenth century America Constructing â€Å"the Roadmap† Part of the Thesis Statement Using Common Phrases Now that the writer has a controversial point and three pieces of evidence to support it, it is simply a matter of putting the thesis statement together. Having a list of â€Å"go-to† phrases at one’s disposal will help in constructing the actual statement.These phrases will introduce each piece of evidence in the thesis statement. They might include phrases like: By looking at†¦ , In analyzing†¦ , Through understanding†¦ ; In appreciating†¦ ; By examining†¦, Through evaluating†¦ These phrases can be used almost interchangeably to craft the first part of the final thesis statement. For example: †¢ â€Å"Through understanding Hawthorne’s personal disillusionment with the United States, by examining the hypocrisy of ninete enth century America as evidenced by the institutions of slavery and genocide, and, finally, in analyzing the allegorical nature of the novel itself†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Add the Controversial Point to the Roadmap to Complete the Thesis Statement All that is left is to add a phrase such as â€Å"one will come to appreciate† before the controversial point. As such, a formulaic thesis statement might read something like this: †¢ â€Å"Through understanding Hawthorne’s personal disillusionment with the United States, by examining the hypocrisy of nineteenth century America as evidenced by the institutions of slavery and genocide, and finally, in analyzing the allegorical nature of the novel itself, one will come to appreciate that The Scarlet Letter is really a criticism of the country in which the author lived. Forming a Thesis Statement Adapted from: Research Papers for Dummies You've got a subject (â€Å"human-bear interactions†) and a topic (â€Å"the relationshi p between Goldilocks and the three bears†). Now it's time to come up with a thesis statement — the point that you want to make about Goldie and the furry guys. A couple of possibilities occur to you — â€Å"bears that hang around people end up eating porridge and sleeping in beds,† â€Å"both blonds and baby bears like medium-firm mattresses,† and â€Å"humans and bears share forest resources. As you tease out a few more ideas, you search for the middle ground, avoiding a thesis statement that is too broad or too narrow. You want one that, like Goldilocks's porridge, is â€Å"just right. † As soon as you've got a chunk of research, a deck of index cards, or a few files on the computer, take a few moments to reread your material. Think about what you might prove with all those facts and quotations. A couple of techniques will help you decide. Ask questions As you review your notes, do any questions occur to you? Is your curiosity piqued by an ything you've written?If not, check out the next sections, â€Å"If only,† â€Å"I recommend,† and â€Å"Relationships,† or go back to note taking and try again later. Any questions that pop into your mind arise from issues that are relevant to your topic, and issues are the breeding ground for theses. For example, suppose you're doing a psych paper on parental influence — specifically, how parental discipline affects children's behavior. You've read a ton of studies that attempt to describe the relationship between parents' actions and children's reactions.As you review your notes, you may find yourself wondering: †¢ Do children of very strict parents behave better? †¢ Does a child's reaction to strict parental rules change as the child grows older? †¢ Does spanking affect children's self-esteem? †¢ Does inconsistent discipline have a negative effect on children's behavior? Not one of these questions is a thesis, but each is a possibl e starting point. Possible because you can't cover them all in one paper. You have to choose. Right now, suppose that you select the second sample question.If the question of age interests you the most, read your notes again with question two in mind. Look closely at every note concerned with discipline, age, and rules. Put little check marks next to information about children's behavior — the behavior of those children identified as having trouble in school or with the law, perhaps. If necessary, go back to the library or the Internet for more research on the relationship between discipline techniques, age, and children's behavior.If you can, do some statistical analysis to see which factors matter and which are simply coincidence. After you've finished those tasks, you're probably ready to take a stand. Express that stand in a single sentence, perhaps this one: Children of very strict parents follow the rules diligently until adolescence, but not during the teen years. Now you've got the basis for your paper: the thesis statement. (By the way, the preceding paragraphs are just an example, not necessarily a psychological truth! ) If onlyAnother way to hunt for a thesis is to consider the â€Å"if only† spots in your paper. This method is particularly helpful for history projects. Again, start by rereading your notes. Look for moments when the entire course of historical events might have changed, if only one decision or one detail had been different. For example, suppose you're writing about a famous incident involving Humpty Dumpty. You've read eyewitness accounts, historians' analysis of the events, and doctors' descriptions of the injuries Mr. Dumpty suffered. Now you're ready to make a thesis statement.For those of you who aren't familiar with the story, here are the â€Å"facts† of the case: Victim: Humpty Dumpty, male egg Physical description: Round but delicate build, oval face, pale complexion Age: Fresh Date of incident: Nineteen th century Place: King's walled courtyard Description of incident: Victim had a great fall from a wall approximately ten feet high. Bystanders called 911 immediately. King's horses and king's men arrived within ten minutes. Entire battalion of horses and men worked on the victim for 45 minutes, but could not put him back together again.After reviewing all your material, you think †¢ If only the top of the wall had been shaped like an egg crate, giving Humpty Dumpty more stability †¢ If only Humpty Dumpty had eaten a calcium-rich, shell-strengthening diet †¢ If only the king's men had had more training in re-gluing than in military maneuvers The last â€Å"if only† in the preceding list gives you an idea for a thesis, which you turn into a sentence: The emphasis on militarism in the training of the king's men led to the tragic demise of Humpty Dumpty. I recommendDepending upon your topic, another road to a thesis statement comes from the phrase â€Å"I recommen d. † This road is especially helpful if you're writing about science, social science, technology, or any area that looks toward the future. Review your notes and ask yourself what improvements you'd like to see in the situation or conditions. Then ask yourself what should be changed to bring about those improvements. Here's this method in action. Suppose you're writing about fatal accidents. One of your sources is the Humpty Dumpty incident, described in the preceding section, â€Å"If only. As you scan your notes, think about the improvements that you would like to see — perhaps the prevention of shattering injuries caused by falls. What should be changed to bring about that improvement? The addition of calcium supplements to the water supply, a change in the design of palace architecture, additional training in egg gluing for emergency medical personnel, or something else? One of those ideas becomes your thesis statement: To prevent serious injury, architects should design safer walls. RelationshipsAnother thesis catcher is the relationship question, especially helpful when you're writing about literature. As you're poring over your notes, look for events or ideas that belong together in one of these ways: cause and effect, contrast, or similarity. For example, suppose you're writing about the murder of the king in a modern drama, Macbeth Revisited (not a real play). You delve into English politics during the Thatcher era and decide that the factions portrayed in the play reflect the conflict between contemporary English political parties.Now you've got a â€Å"relationship† thesis. The strife between the Googrubs and the McAgues in Macbeth Revisited mirrors the conflict between the Labor and Tory parties in the late twentieth century. Or, suppose you're writing about energy and pollution. You contrast fossil fuels with solar power, deciding on this thesis statement: Solar energy is less harmful to the environment than fossil fuels. â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Here is a very structured approach to starting a paper. Adapted from Suite101. com A bit more on finding a thesis statement within your topic†¦