Discover Ideas Through Brainstorming

In composition, brainstorming is an invention and discovery strategy in which the writer collaborates with others to explore topics, develop ideas, and/or propose solutions to a problem.  Business Dictionary  says that brainstorming is the process for generating creative ideas and solutions through intensive and freewheeling group discussion. Every participant is encouraged to think aloud and suggest as many ideas as possible, no matter how seemingly outlandish or bizarre. The purpose of a brainstorming session is to work as a group to define a problem and find a plan of action to solve it. In writing, brainstorming aims not just to think of topics to write about but to allow a group to problem-solve when a writer in the group is, essentially, suffering from writers block. Theory and Rules of Brainstorming Alex Osborn, an early proponent of brainstorming, explained the process in his 1953 book Applied Imagination: Principles and Practices of Creative Thinking as a stop-and-go, catch-as-catch-can operation—one which can never be exact enough to rate as scientific. The process, he said, includes some or all of these phases: Orientation: pointing up the problemPreparation: gathering pertinent dataAnalysis: breaking down the relevant materialHypothesis: piling up alternatives by way of ideasIncubation: letting up, to invite illuminationSynthesis: putting the pieces togetherVerification: judging the resultant ideas Osborne established four basic rules for brainstorming: Criticism is ruled out.  Adverse  judgment of ideas must  be withheld until later.Freewheeling is encouraged. The wilder the idea, the better.Quantity is the goal. The greater the number of ideas, the more likely it is that useful ideas will result.Combination and improvement are sought. In addition to contributing ideas of their own, participants should suggest how ideas of others can be turned into better ideas or how two or more ideas can be joined into still another idea. Analysis, discussion, or criticism of the aired ideas is allowed only when the brainstorming session is over and evaluation session begins. Whether in a   classroom, business meeting, or composition brainstorming session, you seek ideas—no matter how wild. Only after the brainstorming session is over, or perhaps at the end of it, do you start to cull the good (and workable) ideas from the bad. Brainstorming Strategies Brainstorming strategies are many and varied, but they can be grouped into the following basic areas, as described by  The Writing Center  at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Cubing:  This strategy enables you to consider your topic from six different directions, just as in a cube, which is six-sided. In cubing, you take an idea and describe it, compare it, associate it, analyze it, apply it, and argue for and against it.Freewriting:  When you freewrite, you let your thoughts flow freely, putting pen to paper (or dry erase pen on a whiteboard) and writing down whatever comes to your mind, or to the group members  minds.Listing: In this technique, also called bulleting, you jot down lists of words or phrases under a particular topic.Mapping: With mapping, you list a lot of different terms and phrases that jut out from the main topic. This method is also called webbing because you end up with something that looks like a spider web with your brainstormed ideas branching out from the main topic in the center.Researching: Also called the journalistic method, with this technique, you use the â€Å"big six† questions that journalists rely on to rese arch a story: who, what, when, where, why, and how. You and your group then take a few minutes to research the answers to these questions if needed or simply discuss the answers if group members know the information.   Methods and Observations Some theorists say that brainstorming does not work. Debate and criticism, far from impeding the search for ideas or efforts to solve a problem, actually stimulate discussion and problem-solving, says Jonah Lehrer, in a 2012 article Groupthink: The Brainstorming Myth published in the New Yorker. Lehrer notes: Dissent stimulates new ideas because it encourages us to engage more fully with the work of others and to reassess our viewpoints. But thats where the teacher or facilitator plays an important role. While she doesnt criticize ideas, and discourages others from doing so, the teacher or facilitator  does  prompt and probe, as Dana Ferris and John Hedgcock write in their book, Teaching ESL Composition: Purpose, Process. The facilitator asks questions such as What do you mean? Can you give an example? or How are these ideas related?—recording these ideas on the board, an overhead transparency, or an electronic display. Far from sitting back and simply writing thin, feel-good ideas on the board or paper, the facilitator nudges participants to think about and enhance their thoughts so that they will be more useful. Its also important to note that brainstorming is just a first step in generating an interesting and well-thought-out essay, with ideas that go beyond the superficial, says Irene L. Clark in Concepts in Composition: Theory and Practice in the Teaching of Writing. Clark says that a useful invention strategy that follows brainstorming and precedes the drafting of an essay is the points-to-make list, which enables a writer to sort and narrow ideas.   Although different writers do this in individual ways, most good writers will take time to write down, examine, and revise their ideas in an informal list that is not as rigid as an outline. So think of brainstorming as a first step to help get your creative juices flowing, either on your own or preferably with the help of a group of collaborators. Then revise the ideas from a list or web to create an outline for a powerful and well-thought-out paper.

Remains of Egyptian Kings and Myth by by Robert Morkot Essays

â€Å"Divine of Body: The Remains of Egyptian Kings† was written by Robert Morkot, a lecturer in Archeology at the University of Exeter, and was published in Past and Present in 2010. In this article, Morkot argues that the Egyptian practice of mummification was not related to the western principle of relic-collection and that the remains of rulers werent worshiped or put on display. Instead, the Egyptian obsession with the preservation of bodies was linked to their view of a complete body being essential as a place for the soul to reside after death. Current mummies are a controversial issue due to how, or if, they should be displayed to the public because the Egyptian Kings wouldnt have wanted to be put on display. The way in which they are†¦show more content†¦In this tradition, people would be mummified after death. Once this threshold had been crossed, a persons spirit or ba could be manifested in many places at once. After judgment, which could be cheated with m agic, a persons ba could travel with Ra or rest with Osiris in the underworld (Egyptian 119). There were many different dangers to the dead and having a complete body with which to return to for rest was very important for the Egyptians. Human remains were not the objects of reverence and worship as Christian saints are these days. After covering the differences between western society and Egyptian preservation of the body, Morkot argues that ancient Egyptian myth influenced the reasoning behind these actions. Each Egyptian was made up of the ka (guardian angel of sorts), ba (spirit released after death), akh (total aspect of a person/divine spirit), name (identifier of a person), body (made up of different elements), heart (seat of reason), and shadow (indicator of divine presence). The ka protected a person during life and reunited with them after death (42). Everyone had the potential to become an akh, which would then go about helping people that were still living (Egyptian 12 0). The ba could get offerings of sustenance or partake in scenes of art from people who provided them at designated places, indicated by the name of the dead person. The importance of having a name is shown here

Security Online Loan Application Service Provider Policy free essay sample

McBride Financial Security Online Loan Application Service Provider Policy University of Phoenix CMGT 441 * Introduction: McBride financial services is a mortgage lender in Boise, Idaho. This company is specialize in conventional, FHA, and VA loans for home purchasing and refinancing. The company is planning to develop and expand into Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota (Apollo Group, 2003). * Mission: McBride Financial Services main mission is to be the top provider of mortgage services in a low cost in the its region and all branches Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Also McBride intends to offer mortgages to first time buyers and problem credit clients. The company will control its cost by having a small staff rather than large staff of brokers to sell the financing packages. Also they intends to make the customers enter their own mortgage applications online, and getting the approvals or denials electronically. (Apollo Group, 2003 ) * Concern: McBride Financial services’ main concern is to ensure security for its customers’ financial online application services, and making sure that the online information is protected. We will write a custom essay sample on Security Online Loan Application Service Provider Policy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In order not to involve into a lawsuit from clients because of identity stolen, McBride Financial will implement a kind of internal security system so every employee can access the clients’ information. McBride Financial is also concerned with physical security of the computer system, and other security issues as the company’s success is based on client’s understanding of how their personal information is safe. (Apollo Group, 2003 ) * The desired plan for McBride financial is: â€Å"To have a company website that can be accessed either from the in office or online†( Apollo Group, 2003 ) so the customer be able to log into it and take a look even before it can be seen by the employee. Customers will be able to access to the latest interest rate, financial calculators and other information (Apollo Group, 2003 ) * Connect each office network to home office, to be able to monitor and access the provided information so the location does not matter in this case. * Having a strong and a secure back up in each office, in order not to have any problem if any equipment failed or a disaster occurred. Safe Data base that is too fast and connected to a website, so if people fill up application online from any public internet cafe, this information are safe and protected, so no one who uses the public computer can get any information. The online application contains personal information about the lender and the borrowers also information about borrowers income information, assets information, job history and all transactions. After filling the application, McBride financial will evaluate the borrowers qualification for loan. By making sure of personal information accuracy, it prevents the borrowers from loan denial. All the information entered by customers in online application will be protected and secure. * Providing security needs some recommendations: 1. Making data security protection for all company branches. 2. Putting some policies to monitor weaknesses in data security. 3. For security purposes each employee must have security card for entering and exiting the company. 4. Each employee will have a special code to log in the computer system 5. Adapting anti-virus to be used in all of the systems and it will be automatic update. In conclusion, McBride Financial Services is a mortgage company that provides load for first time buyer, also bad credit customers. The company’s main concern is to ensure security for its customers’ financial online application services, and making sure that the online information is protected, in order to meet that desires McBride financial will Ensure Privacy and Security for its online application customers, will provide security procedures for data transfer on the Internet, also The information provided to McBride Financial Services online will be protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. References: * https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Smith/Projects/McBride/NetworkTranscript. pdf * https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/McBride/McBrideHome002. htm

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Example

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as SOX or Sarbox, was put into law by the United States federal government on July 30, 2002.   This act was created as a reaction to a plethora of corporate and accounting controversies, such as that associated with Enron, Tyco International and WorldCom.   These controversies involved corporate frauds during the years 2000 to 2002 and these were related to the conflict between the interest rates and compensation measures used by these companies.   These fraudulent corporate cases resulted in a total loss of approximately $500 billion which then significantly lowered the United States’ market value (Farrell, 2005).   More importantly, these corporate controversies significantly decreased the public’s confidence in the traditional measures taken by companies with regards to accounting and reporting of assets and incomes.   The Sarbox Act, identified as Pub. L. No. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, was tagged as such, based on th e Act’s sponsors, namely Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Representative Michael G. Oxley (R-OH).   The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has been described as the most comprehensive reform in American business procedures since the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act covers a broad spectrum of business practices and describes an improved protocol that should be implemented in all United States public company boards and sects.   It also identifies the responsibilities of the Corporate Board with regards with criminal acts and their associated penalties.   The Act also states that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is responsible for executing rules so that all companies follow this Act (Hevesi, 2006).   It is believed that this Act is essential to the stability of the United States’ economy.   However, there are also comments that the Act will result in more confusion with regards to standards in corporate practices, resulting in damage than correction or prevention of wrong business practices. We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Sarbanes-Oxley Act also created a new agency, named as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), which is mandated to supervise, regulate, inspect and control all accounting firms.   Essentially, the PCAOB plays a major role as the general auditor of public companies across the United States.   The Sarbox Act is also responsible for providing independence, governance, assessment and disclosure of corporate auditing processes among companies across the United States. The establishment of the Sarbox Act has facilitated the relocation of the business center of the world from New York’s Wall Street to London, where the Financial Services Authority is known to control the financial processes with a less rigorous method.   Also, other companies from other countries around the world have benefited from the Sarbox Act because these companies now have better options to gain higher credit ratings within the United States (Neil, 2006).   In addition, companies also get a better chance of obtaining better credit scores with the London Stock Exchange.   Such changes are mainly due to the implementation that lower interest rates be used by companies across the United States (Schumer and Bloomberg, 2006). The Sarbox Act also indicates in its Section 404 that every company should be managed and auditor both by internal and external auditors so that future financial frauds will be avoided.   This provision may be costly because it will take routine documentation and testing, yet it saves a significant amount of money, in case another fraudulent case happens in the future. Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Example Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Sarbanes-Oxley Act, signed into law by President George Bush on June 30, 2002, was crafted in order to improve securities legislature and to strengthen the requirements of audit checks. The act appeared in response to a string of corporate scandals and was meant as a reaction to these scandals. The article â€Å"Private Companies Feel Effects of Sarbanes-Oxley† by Thomas Hoffman concentrates on the effect the implementation of the act had on private companies. In essence, the law was meant to address issues of corporate fraud at publicly traded companies, but now the private companies are beginning to feel the impact as well. This is true in particular with reference to the so-called whistle-blowing provision that requires that â€Å"employees must be given the means to anonymously notify federal regulators or corporate audit committees of any potential wrongdoing within their companies† (Hoffman, 2003). The companies will have to adapt their internal computer systems to the need to provide confidential information. In addition, private companies considering incorporation will then have to meet all the requirements for public companies, including the costly compliance with Section 404 that requires companies to improve their internal controls and to report their adequacy in an annual report confirmed by auditors. Some private companies have already begun to update their internal controls in accordance with Sarbanes-Oxley. Thus, Fred Pauls, corporate records manager at J.R. Simplot Co. in Boise, Idaho, reports that their company â€Å"last year began indexing its purchase-order system so the application meets Sarbanes-Oxleys record-keeping requirements† (Hoffman, 2003). Besides, the prospect of an acquisition motivates a private company to strengthen internal controls to meet the requirements of the acquiring public company, states Jocelyn Arel, a partner in Testa, Hurwitz Thibeault LLP (Hoffman, 2003). We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hoffman, T. (2003, August 4). Private Companies Feel Effects of Sarbanes-Oxley: Financial reporting law could force IT changes even at nonpublic businesses. Computerworld. Retrieved January 14, 2006 from http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2003/0,4814,83672,00.html. Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Example Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Sarbanes-Oxley Act, signed into law by President George Bush on June 30, 2002, was crafted in order to improve securities legislature and to strengthen the requirements of audit checks. The act appeared in response to a string of corporate scandals and was meant as a reaction to these scandals. The article â€Å"Private Companies Feel Effects of Sarbanes-Oxley† by Thomas Hoffman concentrates on the effect the implementation of the act had on private companies. In essence, the law was meant to address issues of corporate fraud at publicly traded companies, but now the private companies are beginning to feel the impact as well. This is true in particular with reference to the so-called whistle-blowing provision that requires that â€Å"employees must be given the means to anonymously notify federal regulators or corporate audit committees of any potential wrongdoing within their companies† (Hoffman, 2003). The companies will have to adapt their internal computer systems to the need to provide confidential information. In addition, private companies considering incorporation will then have to meet all the requirements for public companies, including the costly compliance with Section 404 that requires companies to improve their internal controls and to report their adequacy in an annual report confirmed by auditors. Some private companies have already begun to update their internal controls in accordance with Sarbanes-Oxley. Thus, Fred Pauls, corporate records manager at J.R. Simplot Co. in Boise, Idaho, reports that their company â€Å"last year began indexing its purchase-order system so the application meets Sarbanes-Oxleys record-keeping requirements† (Hoffman, 2003). Besides, the prospect of an acquisition motivates a private company to strengthen internal controls to meet the requirements of the acquiring public company, states Jocelyn Arel, a partner in Testa, Hurwitz Thibeault LLP (Hoffman, 2003). We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hoffman, T. (2003, August 4). Private Companies Feel Effects of Sarbanes-Oxley: Financial reporting law could force IT changes even at nonpublic businesses. Computerworld. Retrieved January 14, 2006 from http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2003/0,4814,83672,00.html.