Relationship between Learning and Grading

To understand the relationship between evaluation and learning, we need to understand the evaluation pattern currently in use. Level 1, shows superficial concern on the work done by students. It takes for granted that the work done by students must be graded. Level 2 asks if traditional assessment or ‘authentic’ evaluation, which would delve deeper into students achievements? Level 3 enquires the need of evaluating students. The idea of wanting to know about the student performance itself is objectionable. Labeling students on the basis of performance often misjudges them. Student performance does not show any improvement on strict assessment. On the other hand, when it is easier to score, the learners do not put inferior work. Often the same teacher may put different grades to the same work when assessed at two different times. Thus the variation in score indicates subjective assessment .It makes learning incompatible. Motivation is an important aspect of assessment. If the motivation is inherent, then the student learns for his own sake, on the other hand, when the motivation is external, learning is for a purpose, the purpose being escaping a punishment or expecting a reward. Both are conflicting in nature. The findings reveal that student’s performance suffers and they exhibit lesser interest and focus on the task, if they know that they will be graded. Rote learning falls apart when the students know that they will be graded. Japanese students exhibit less interest in the subject and willingness to answer difficult questions, when they know they would be examined. Thus using grades to evaluate students made them lower interest, instill the fear of failure and disheartened their learning and creativity. (Butler and Nissan 1986, P.215). Some educators believe that providing feedback in form of grades is inadequate. It does not tell the student, where he or she went wrong, and the scope for improvement. Eric Schaps (1993) designed the ‘demand’ and ‘support’ models. The demand model highlights the student’s performance as ‘chosen’ and ‘earned’ making education an investment and preparation of a future worker. The ‘support ‘model is learner oriented making students responsible in the tasks they have chosen. It teaches that supportive and engaging environment is wanted more than improvement. The 5 main principles of assessment are – 1.In no way should evaluation stop curiosity or instill fear. 2. Interest sparked in students can be read by observation by experienced teachers. 3. School can become a caring place, making students feel free to discuss problems and seek help. 4. Assessment should be directly related to quality of curriculum. It is important to know if the student has received anything worthwhile from the curriculum.5 Students to play a decisive role in evaluation, to know that it is a learning experience. In case Grades are a must, it is important that they are supplemented by adequate comments. Gradation should not be done, while the students are still learning. A teacher should not mark students on a curve, saying only few are eligible for top marks. It is destructive to the self esteem of the student. Grades should never be given for effort, for it creates an opposite effect. Teachers need to keep an eye on the interest level of the curriculum too.

Bluetooth Technology

Technology already tracks or monitors animals, people, vehicles and other objects to eliminate the need for constant human observation. These technologies need to be small, economical and consume a minimal amount of power. Bluetooth technology is being used extensively in hand-held devices and wireless computing [Pico Communications] because of its characteristics mentioned above. This project aims to use Bluetooth technology to monitor and track animals in the wild. More specifically, this project deals with the off-loading of data from a device situated on an animal. The aim of this literature survey is to investigate the Bluetooth technology, focusing on routing in Bluetooth networks, as well as current animal tracking and monitoring technologies. Current technologies used in tracking and monitoring Many of these projects make use of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global System for Mobile (GSM) or directional radio transmission tracking. One of them is described in â€Å"Save the Elephants† GSM tracking project, sponsored by Safari. com in Kenya, which makes use of the GPS system to gather locational information of tags placed on elephants [Douglas-Hamilton, I. t al (February 2004)]. These tags also have GSM modules that allow the locational data to be downloaded periodically. Objectives of this project are to develop small tags that have a long battery life, are cheap and light. Before the safari. com project, VHF (Very High Frequency) radio was used to download the GPS data from the animals about every 3 months. Sending data using VHF requires a large amount of power consumption, hence downloads were only done every three months. GSM technology lowers this power consumption enabling more regular data retrieval. Data, such as that elephants usually travel about 10km a day but can walk 30km or more, was collected using this technology. The Kenya wildlife service use this knowledge to plan things like human-animal interaction and fence positioning. A company called Digital Angle has developed a chip that is embedded into animals [Hostetter, J (April 2003)]. While these chips do not produce locational information, they enable a person to electronically identify an animal as well as get its current body temperature. The company is looking at using these â€Å"bio chips† to track an animal's blood pressure and hormonal changes [Hostetter, J (April 2003)]. The bio chips are very small and light but data can only be collected with a hand held reader which provides the chip with power via magnetic induction, similar to RFID technology. Most animal tracking projects are interested in the movements of animals. We are interested in the interaction of animals and possibly data concerning individual animals using the technology being developed by Digital Angle. Because we aim to only use Bluetooth technology (and not GPS), an animal's location could be roughly plotted by tagging physical positions, for example watering holes and trees. The tracking and monitoring systems above use VHF or GSM technologies to download data from animals. We want to look at the feasibility of using Bluetooth networks to download this data. Bluetooth is suited to this application because it is small, light and uses a minimal amount of power, whereas GSM and GPS devices have a short battery life and are large and heavy. In an application that does not involve animals, Ron Alterovitz from the computer science department at Caltech University in California has done a research project involving message routing over a Bluetooth scatternet. Alterovitz, R (2001)] His aim was to make wireless-enabled vehicles communicate while in motion. The ad-hoc properties of piconets and scatternets enable the vehicles to pass messages between them while they are in motion. The vehicles were linked up to a positioning system and set to run around in a 1000Ãâ€"1000 cm room. Each vehicle was able to transmit up to a distance of 250cm. The vehicles were left to move around the room randomly while the positioning system and vehicles passed messages amongst each other to stop them crashing. The routing tables, used to pass messages, were only allowed to be updated at set intervals. It was found that message packets were lost if the speed of the vehicles was increased while the routing interval was kept the same [Alterovitz, R (June 2001)]. Although Bluetooth has been used for tracking small autonomous vehicles, there is no evidence of the use of this technology to track animals. However, wireless devices, for example Bluetooth enabled cell phones, could be used to track human beings. This raises ethical and privacy issues [Potter, B (November 2003)]. Bluetooth as the Underlying Technology The above technologies aim to provide a means of tracking or message-passing through the use of devices that are physically small, use minimal amounts of power and support an ad-hoc type of communication. Bluetooth supports realistic data rates of up to 600Kbps and claims to make a battery last from 50% to 300% longer than other wireless technologies [PicoCommunications, (November 2002)]. There are two classes of Bluetooth device. The class 2 radio allows a range of ten meters while class 1 radios allow for transmission over 100 meters. Bluetooth operates in the license-free 2. 4GHz band making use of frequency hopping at a rate of 1600 hops per second. Although Bluetooth has limitations in its transfer speed and communication distance, its market share is rising while 802. 11 (WiFi) has slowed down in its growth [Dursch, A. et all (December 2003)]. The rising interest in Bluetooth will increase production, causing the already cheap technology to become easily obtainable. The Bluetooth stack Illustration 1The Bluetooth Stack Each Bluetooth packet has a fixed format that starts with a 72-bit access code. This is followed by a 54-bit header containing error correction, retransmission and control information. Finally the packet contains a payload of 0 to 2745 bits. Three methods, Forward Error Correction (FEC), Automatic Repeated Request (ARQ) and Cyclic Redundancy Checks (CRC) are used for error correction during Bluetooth communication [Forum Nokia (April 2003)]. This project is interested in the following Bluetooth stack layers: The Link Manager Protocol (LPM) layer is responsible for setting up the links between Bluetooth devices and deals with master/slave switching, low power modes, clock offsets and packet size negotiation. This layer, although not critical to this project, also handles the exchange of authentication and encryption information. The Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (L2CAP) enables multiplexing of the protocols above it by segmenting and reassembling packets [Pico Communications inc]. The Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) enables Bluetooth devices to advertise and discover services. SDP passes bitmasks, representing advertised services, to all backbone nodes. This allows other devices to discover the type and location of a service on a Bluetooth network quickly [Nordbotten, N, A. et al (2004)]. RFCOMM is a serial port emulation protocol enabling RS232 control and data signaling over Bluetooth. It allows services such as the Point to Point Protocol (PPP) to be used over Bluetooth. IP is the standard protocol used on the Internet [Pico Communications inc]. Bluetooth profiles Bluetooth profiles describe the main usage models of Bluetooth. The current Bluetooth specification contains four general profiles. [Forum Nokia (April 2003)] The Generic Access Profile defines the discovery of other Bluetooth devices, link management and connectivity, security levels and common format requirements for user interfaces. All Bluetooth devices have to support this profile and all other profiles require and use it. The Service Discovery Application Profile defines procedures for a Bluetooth application to discover services advertised by another Bluetooth device, and should be followed should this project make use of services during implementation. The Serial Port Profile defines the Bluetooth requirements for setting up emulated serial cable connections. This profile is also an option should this project transfer data over RS232 connections. The Generic Object Exchange Profile is used by applications that need object exchange capabilities. This profile is also an option should we want to model our data as objects and pass these objects from device to device and then finally to a data sink [Forum Nokia (April 2003)]. Ad-Hoc Bluetooth Networks Bluetooth enabled devices form ad-hoc networks when they come into contact with one another. These networks are built using scatternet and piconet formation algorithms as described by [Law, C. et al (2001)]. Between 1 and 7 devices can form a piconet. One device is designated to be the master. This decision is made by each device generating a random number determining whether the device will assume to be the master and seek slaves or assume to be a slave and scan for the master. Because only 7 nodes are allowed to participate in a piconet, scatternets are formed by linking many piconets together via shared slave nodes. The number of piconets to which a device belongs is termed its degree. A master node in a piconet may only have a degree of one, meaning a master node may not be shared between two piconets. The shared slaves are time multiplexed between the piconets to which it belongs and data sent between the piconets must be sent via the shared slave [Law, C. et al, (2001)]. The time it takes for data to be passed through a shared slave is dependent on the manner in which the shared slave switches between piconets. Shared slaves need to have timed rendezvous points with piconet masters in order to exchange data [Misic, J. et al (February 2004)]. The masters and shared slaves are collectively referred to as back bone nodes of the formed scatternet. The piconet and scatternet formation algorithms allow nodes to move and migrate between piconets and allow small piconets to be merged [Law, C. et al (2001)]. These ad-hoc properties of piconets and scatternets enable data to be exchanged between many Bluetooth devices while those devices are moving between piconets within a scatternet, effectively enabling the devices to physically move around while data is being exchanged amongst them. Conclusion This literature search has found no evidence that Bluetooth has been used to track or monitor animals in the wild. It has however found many applications where Bluetooth networks have been used for mobile devices needing to exchange data. The literature shows that there is a need for small, inexpensive animal tracking devices that consume a minimal amount of power. It is also shown that Bluetooth is already being used for hand-held and mobile computing applications for these same reasons. Our aim is to build upon the device and network technologies surveyed in this paper, to determine the feasibility of a Bluetooth-based animal tracking and monitoring system, which has a low degree of human probe effect.

The Ultimate Guide to Applying to Emory

One of the 50 oldest private universities in the United States, Emory University was founded in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia, originally as Emory College. Today its main campus is located in historic Atlanta. A liberal arts research university, Emory offers more than 70 majors and 50 minors . One distinctive feature of its academic program is the First-Year Seminar requirement, in which freshman participate in small classes run by faculty members to discuss meaningful topics, fostering interaction, critical thinking, and communication skills. The undergraduate program consists of four schools: Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College, Goizueta Business School, and Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Students begin their studies at either Emory College or Oxford and may complete Bachelor’s degrees at Emory or apply to finish their undergraduate studies at the Business or Nursing Schools after completing at least one and more commonly two years. Students may apply to Emory, Oxford, or both. Oxford is a two-year college located on the original campus in Oxford, Georgia, specializing in liberal arts education for freshmen and sophomores. Oxford has a much smaller campus, and offers early opportunities for leadership. After their sophomore years, Oxford students automatically enter Emory College, or may apply to complete their studies at the Business School or School of Nursing. Emory is a competitive school, with an acceptance rate of 25.2%. 3,809 students were offered a spot on the waitlist, and of these, 45 students were offered admission. After accepting a position on the waitlist, these candidates with be notified of their final decisions by June 1 st . Emory offers two Early Decision plans, both of which are binding, meaning students must matriculate at Emory and withdraw applications from other schools if accepted. For both plans, applicants may apply to Emory College, Oxford College, or both. If accepted to one of the campuses but not the other, you will pay your deposit to that school; if you are accepted to both campuses, you will have until the enrollment deposit date to choose. The application deadline for Early Decision I is November 1 st , and you will receive your admissions decision by December 15 th . If accepted, your enrollment deposit is due by January 15 th . Students who are not admitted may be deferred to the Regular Decision pool of candidates or denied admission. The application deadline for Early Decision II is January 1 st , and you will be notified by February 15 th . If accepted under this plan, your enrollment deposit is due March 15 th . As with Regular Decision, students applying under this plan may be d enied admission or waitlisted. The Regular Decision application deadline is January 1 st , and you will be notified of your admissions decision by April 1 st . Your enrollment deposit is due May 1 st . Emory offers an Early Admission plan for academically exceptional high school juniors. These students may apply by the above deadlines in their eleventh grade year, as long as they have exhausted their high schools’ most advanced course offerings. Tuition costs $47,300, with a total cost of $65,080 (including food, housing, and other expenses) at Emory College, and $42,600, with a total cost of $58,900, at Oxford annually. Emory offers both merit and need-based aid. Financial aid forms are due December 5 th for Early Decision I and February 15 th for Early Decision II and Regular Decision. Visit the Net Price Calculator   available through Emory’s website to estimate your cost of tuition. Merit-based scholarships include the Emory University Scholars Programs in conjunction with Emory College, Oxford, and the Business School. Candidates must complete application materials for the programs by November 15 th , and finalist will be notified, along with their admissions acceptances, by February 15 th . Roughly 175-200 finalists are chosen, and scholarships are awarded in mid-April. Students may apply to be Emory, Oxford, or Goizueta Scholars, and those chosen as Goizueta Scholars are automatically admitted to the Business School in their junior year of college. Emory accepts either the Common Application or the Coalition Application . You must also complete the Emory supplement. There is an application fee of $75. The Emory supplement has five sections: General, Academic, Contacts, Family, and Writing. In this section, you will indicate whether you are applying to Emory College, Oxford, or both. You will also indicate under what plan you are applying: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision. Additionally, you will be asked if you are applying for financial aid, if you have been given an application fee waiver, and if you are a QuestBridge applicant. The academic section is intended to give the admissions committee an idea of your future academic pursuits. First, you will indicate your primary area of interest from the following options: Business; Humanities, Arts, and Performance; Natural Sciences and Engineering; Nursing; and Social Sciences. Next, you will select your preferred major or program within that field. You will also indicate your secondary area of interest and preferred major or program within that field, if applicable. You may select undecided for any of these if you are not sure what you want to study yet. Keep in mind that you are not declaring a major here; Emory simply wants to know more about your current interests. You will also indicate whether or not your school or school district adjusts grades for AP, IB, or Honors courses. Some schools adjust grades for courses at these levels to compensate for their rigor. Check with your guidance counselor if you aren’t sure what your high school’s policy is. Finally, you will indicate if you plan on applying for one of the Emory Scholars programs. There are additional application requirements if you do intend to be considered. In this section, you will indicate whether or not you have previously applied to Emory. If you answer yes, you will be prompted for the month and year you applied. Here, you will list any parents, siblings, or other relatives who have attended or are currently attending Emory. You will list their relationship to you, names, degrees (if awarded), and year of graduation. You will also be asked if you have any parents or other relatives who are currently employed by Emory University or Emory Healthcare, and indicate their names, relationship to you, affiliations or departments, and whether or not they are still employed by Emory. In addition to the Common Application’s Personal Statement, please choose two (2) of the short answer prompts below. Be thoughtful in your responses, but don’t stress about what the right answer might be — we just want to get to know you a bit better. Each response should be no more than 150 words. There are five prompts. For a more detailed look at how to write each of these prompts, check out out   Emory University Essay Breakdown . -In your opinion, what is an important challenge facing your generation in the next 50 years? -What are you most excited about or looking forward to in your college experience? -What is your favorite fiction or non-fiction work (film / book / television show / album / poem / play)? Why? -Please describe your ideal college campus/academic environment and what you hope to gain from it. These questions are meant to give the admissions committee of who you are as a person. They are not necessarily related to your academic achievements or intellectual pursuits; instead, you should discuss what drives you and what your personality is like. Some of the questions, particularly the final two, do relate to your academic motivations, but they focus more on your particular drives, rather than past achievements. Even though some of these questions may seem less intellectual than other college essays, remember that it is as much a part of your application as any other requirement, and be sure to come across as professional and mature. Still, make sure your personality comes through, as this will allow you to differentiate yourself from other applicants. Given the limited amount of space, use plenty of examples and be as specific as possible.    Students must submit scores from either the SAT or ACT. SAT II subject tests are encouraged, but not required. Some applicants may be invited to interview   with an Emory alum off-campus. Whether or not a candidate receives an invitation depends on location and timing, and does not have any bearing on the likelihood of acceptance to Emory. Students who do receive invitations are encouraged to accept them, however, since this provides the admissions committee with an opportunity to learn more about the student, and the student with a chance to learn more about the school. Applicants and prospective students may not request interviews. Applicants should also send two teacher recommendations, as well as a guidance counselor recommendation and school report. Need help applying to Emory and other colleges on your list? Contact us to learn more about our College Application Guidance Program today!  

Comparitive Report Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparitive Report - Research Proposal Example As human beings are evolving into a very technologically advanced being, the fields of Engineering are getting more and more specialized. The most popular choice however remains the fields of Electrical and Mechanical engineering. The students who wish to pursue their career in either of these fields however, remain confused as to which fields to choose solely because they do not have the required knowledge to make such an important decision. As a result, many students end up taking the wrong decision and by the time they realize it, it is too late and their future becomes dark. In this report, this question has been discussed at length. A through research has been undertaken to find out just what exactly the two fields require from a person, and crucially, how the two differ in terms of coursework and future career opportunities. This section covers the two fields from three different perspectives. Firstly how these two fields differ and what they focus on will be discussed. Then in terms of education and knowledge required of the field will be discussed. Lastly both fields will be analyzed to find the future career opportunities. As the term suggests, the mechanical engineering program focuses highly in mechanics and motion of objects. It applies the principles of Physics in a very constructive way to bring about new equipment and technology to help make our lives easier. (Johnson & Sherwi, 1996) Mechanical Engineering involves the analysis of design, manufacture, and the maintenance of all types of mechanical systems. These can be automobiles, aircraft, and miscellaneous systems, manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery. (Johnson & Sherwi, 1996) Being such a wide and very broad field, a student is required to study all sorts of courses relating to all types of scientific phenomenon. The general courses that students have to take up are the following: (Johnson & Sherwi, 1996) The courses specified above mean that the student will be

Analetical paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analetical paper - Essay Example Additionally, this analytical essay aims at weighing both the strengths and faultiness of such policies in terms of ensuring that immigrants are under a proper health care from the government. In this aspect, the paper intends to analyze the various techniques the government is using to serve such persons. For example, the use of appropriate language in addressing the immigrants i.e. by using translators, equality of service in all health care facilities to enhance both race relations and patriotism. Furthermore, these health care services should aim at upholding the respective culture of immigrants. The government should also seek the opinion of immigrants about the health care services they offer and respond timely to their feedbacks (Simich, 2009). In as much as the government is investing significantly in the health care system thus positively affecting the lives of its citizens, their efforts often end up unnoticed in certain groups within the country’s population, especially among the marginalized. Marginalized groups consist of individuals who are underprivileged in the society such as African-Americans and immigrants. Marginalization, therefore, is the process of exclusion, prevention, or even ignoring certain persons from attaining equal education, finding a job, enjoying social services such as housing and health care privileges, and integrating as equal members of the society. This discrimination is always done on an economic or political perspective to render such persons powerless before the state (Barusch, 2008). On this aspect, marginalized groups are people affected by the marginalization situation, in terms services and unequal representation in the society. Thus, in our case, I have decided to critically, analyze immigrants, in America and the health care services they receive from the government. Several reasons lie behind the situation faced by immigrants. For instance,

Examine Child Protection with a view to analysing and evaluating it in Essay

Examine Child Protection with a view to analysing and evaluating it in relation to Every Child Matters - Essay Example The program also intends to place the responsibility of child protection across all involved agencies. Finally, to prime the involved institutions to come up with solutions tailored to suit the unique circumstances of each case. Viewing this comprehensive child development program from a historical perspective gives us a better understanding of some of these objectives. For example, weak accountability and poor integration had for long been the bane of the support systems of yesteryears. Poor co-ordination and low standards of accountability had led to public distrust with these institutions. The various component agencies were not properly integrated which resulted in inefficiency and redundancy. For instance, â€Å"some children are assessed many times by different agencies and despite this may get no services. Children may experience a range of professionals involved in their lives but little continuity and consistency of support.† (Youth Justice: The Next Steps) Another area of concern with the older system was the general sense of apathy on part of child health-care professional. Unless health-care professionals approach their work with dedication and compassion, their effectiveness is always going to be sub-standard. Hence, the Every Child Matters program proposes ways in which a career in child-care is seen as attractive by the professionals. The cultural norms of the English society is as much to blame for this situation; as the roles assumed by child-care workers largely goes unappreciated and undervalued. This is reflected in the fact that for long the national vacancy rate in these services had hovered around the 10 percent mark, which is one of the highest in the industrial world. The relation between socio-economic background and child delinquency is an acknowledged fact. Hence, the government had realised that child protection should consider this important aspect of a child’s life as well. The

Masco Corporations Strategic Planning Case Study

Masco Corporations Strategic Planning - Case Study Example The company has successfully developed its product lines for faucets by establishing faucet manufacturing units with advanced business model. In 1986, Masco Corporation developed its vision statement, which reflected its desire to become "Procter & Gamble of consumer durables" (Harvard Business School, 1998). The very vision statement has propelled the company to diversify its business into other consumer durable goods. Alongside, the company has also extended its tentacles to enter the market of oil-field equipments, drilling tools and transport related products like gear shift levers, engine exhaust system etc. The company has even restructured its organizational structure and implemented other methods to reduce its overall cost of production. However, the primary obligation of the company is to enhance its research & development, and manufacturing ability so that the above stated concerns are addressed to. For acquiring technological breakthrough, the company has entered into contracts with research firms like MTI. For optimising the productivity of each manufacturing division, the company has developed formal organiza tional chart aimed at facilitating communication and exchange. In order to reduce the cost associated with its R&D various cost reduction programs were undertaken. This coupled with innovative working procedures and methodologies have helped the company to produce high quality innovative products at a lower cost. Masco's resources The resources of Masco Corporation can be categorized into two types i.e. tangible and intangible. Since its inception, the company has been constructing its manufacturing units in numerous locations that produce a wide range of consumer durable products. This attest the fact that the company is well equipped with necessary plants, machineries, inventories etc. Its intangible resources include its expertise in metalworking. The company has a sound experience in technology, driven by proficient technicians that constantly strive to design and create new products. With its existing resources, Masco can easily enter the $14 billion household furniture industry. The company has already curved out a niche in the mind of its customers by virtue of its quality products. Hence it is expected that the products manufactured by the company will find a ready acceptance. Another vital resource of the company is its high profitability. The company can use its retain-earnings for investments purposes in the furniture industry. Masco's Strategy for entering the furniture industry Before entering the furniture industry, Masco Corporation must implement only those strategies that match with the organizational structure and compatibility. It is of paramount importance for the company to analyze the internal and external factors. The internal factors include the strength and weaknesses of the country whereas the external factors include Porter's five forces of competition and macro-environmental factors like economy, demography, legal etc. Only when the company has successfully scanned these factors, it will develop its strategy focusing on particular areas.

Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Questions - Essay Example QUESTION TWO In his poem, ‘Puerto Rican obituary,’ Pedro Pietri urges the New York Puerto Rican community to switch to their own imaginations instead of turning to the televisions that are only filled with American influence. As reflected from the tone in the twenty third stanzas, the author makes several suggestions to the New York Puerto Ricans. He argues that the Puerto Ricans should solely rely on Latina souls as the sole religious background for their race, and not on the bibles. The New York Puerto Ricans ought to have learnt from the manner in which their fellow citizens were buried shamefully; â€Å"without underwear’s† as he claims. Pedro concludes his poem by stating that, living the Puerto Rican mode of life; where beautiful people work, sing and dance together is way much better. The weather conditions are favorable and they do a need a dictionary to communicate to each other. QUESTION THREE Most Puerto Ricans in the poem went to America with dr eams of living a luxurious life, and earning hefty pay, only to end up as well trained janitors who were laughed at. Those from the island spent their last days working as porters, maids, factory workers, stock and shipping clerks, messenger boys, and mailroom assistants. They only ended up in their island cemetery after all the hard work. The situation is no different from the case in ‘Chango fire’ by Quinonez. ... The seller gave her instructions on how to perform a ritual as she was supplied with the required items. Despite her attack by some boys in the park she was able to get home and perform her ritual. The ritual revealed that she should go back to Santeria with her mother. Lourdes also some magical encounters; as she was an auxiliary policeman she would encounters her father’s spirit on a regular basis. Felicia suffers physical abuse from her husband Hugo Villaverde. Hugo constantly vanishes from her life; he later on infects her with syphilis. Felicia attempts to kill him in his sleep by dropping a torched rag on his face; Hugo decides to disappear completely. At an early age Felicia befriended the high priest daughter; Herminia Delgado. She helps guide Felicia into their religion. Felicia constantly descends into madness: During her second pregnancy, after the death of Ernestro, of which she had to leave Santeria. She did not know her identity and she suffered memory lose for m onths. After the death of her third husband, Felicia returned to Santeria and embraces priesthood. QUESTION FIVE In relation to revolutionary affiliations; Celia portrays an unwavering support for El Lider and the revolution. She uses her role as the Santeria judge in the peoples court, to suppress creative work. She only gathers support from her son Javier. Her perception distances her from Lourdes, Felicia and Pillar of whom she was close to. Lourdes is also distant from her own daughter Pillar due to her anxiety for the pro U.S. patriotism. However Lourdes defends her daughter when she painted a punk statue of liberty for those that were not veiling. The impact of this political division was so significant that

Argument of Scientific Realism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Argument of Scientific Realism - Essay Example Hilary Putnam claims that â€Å"The positive argument for realism is that it is the only philosophy that does not make the success of science a miracle† as quoted in Curd and Cover. A great number of scientific realists have opposed his view by presenting their arguments. Among different scientific realists, Bas van Fraassen and Larry Laudan are scientific realists who have debated against the claim of Hilary Putnam more accurately. The argument presented by Hilary Putnam is known as no-miracle argument that elaborates the scientific realism to be no-miracle because of the theoretical features of scientific theories. The argument of scientific realism had been forwarded because the scientific theories could only be possible and accurate when the approximate truth will be concluded. This is the biggest limitation of scientific theories that dents the scientific realism or scientific success. The no-miracle claim by Hilary Putnam further explains the theory on the basis of abduc tion. The no-miracle claim could also be understood in terms of a hypothetical situation where an entity â€Å"A† is a fact that is known surprisingly and through premise â€Å"P† the fact â€Å"A† can be elaborated. Furthermore, if this premise is not challenged by any other hypothesis then P and A both will be true. This explains that scientific theories are always approximate showing approximate truth. Thus no-miracle argument is considered to be the strongest argument in the ongoing debate of realism (Howson, 2003). In a simpler expression, no-miracle argument can be elaborated as an argument stressing on the fact that scientific theories proposed by different scientists are just matter of approximate truth. The use of word no-miracle is associated with this argument in a way that it shows that scientific realism is just another philosophy stating the theoretical aspect of scientific success (Moran, 2004).

Types of Advertising Media Essay Example for Free

Types of Advertising Media Essay As we noted in Managing the Advertising Campaign tutorial, selection of the media outlet through which an ad will be presented has important implications for the success of a promotion. Each outlet possesses unique characteristics though not all outlet are equally effective for all advertisers. Thus, choosing the right media can be a time consuming process requiring the marketer to balance the pros and cons of each option. While just a few years ago marketers needed to be aware of only a few media outlets, today’s marketers must be well-versed in a wide range of media options. The reason for the growing number of media outlets lies with advances in communication technology, in particular, the Internet. In this tutorial we provide an overview of the following advertising media: 1. Television 2. Radio 3. Print Publications 4. Internet 5. Direct Mail 6. Signage 7. Product Placement 8. Mobile Devices 9. Sponsorships 10. Other Media Outlets As we discussed in the Advertising Trends section in the Advertisingtutorial, the number of media outlets will continue to grow as new technologies emerge. Thus, marketers are well advised to continually monitor changes occuring within each media outlet. Television Advertising Television advertising offers the benefit of reaching large numbers in a single exposure. Yet because it is a mass medium capable of being seen by nearly anyone, television lacks the ability to deliver an advertisement to highly targeted customers compared to other media outlets. Television networks are attempting to improve their targeting efforts. In particular, networks operating in the pay-to-access arena, such as those with channels  on cable and satellite television, are introducing more narrowly themed programming (i.e., TV shows geared to specific interest groups) designed to appeal to selective audiences. However, television remains an option that is best for products that targeted to a broad market. The geographic scope of television advertising ranges from advertising within a localized geographic area using fee-based services, such as cable and fiber optic services, to national coverage using broadcast programming. Television advertising, once viewed as the pillar of advertising media outlets, is facing numerous challenges from alternative media (e.g., Internet) and the invasion of technology devices, such as digital video recorders (see more in the Advertising Trends section in theAdvertising) tutorial, that have empowered customers to be more selective on the advertisements they view. Additionally, television lacks effective response tracking which has led many marketers to investigate other media that offer stronger tracking options.

Nursery School Business Plan

Nursery School Business Plan This business plan is about opening a nursery school in Madinat Bin Mohammad Zayed in Abu Dhabi. A business plan shows the compatibility of the business with various positive and negative points. There is a need for opening a kids nursery school. As far as the need for this business to set up is concerned, the population of the city is increasing at a very high rate. The reason behind this is the high per capita income of this city. A huge development is taking place in the city in all the terms. People from all over the world are trying to shift their job or their business to this city. Hence there has to more and more nursery schools for providing them the best early education to build their future. The biggest concern for any one living in Abu Dhabi is the education because usually the Muslim countries do not give that much an importance to educational system. This concern of the people living in the city should be knocked out of their mind by providing them the best nursing educa tion. Little Angel Kids Nursery School will provide all that is required. 1.1 OBJECTIVES The main goals and objectives of Little Angel Kids Nursery School are as follows: To maintain friendly, secure and motivating surroundings that excites and gives confidence to the charm of knowledge. To care for every child in the School society as a personality, appealing their assistance and activities. To build up a nice atmosphere of interaction among all the kids and jointly advance the excellence of knowledge. 1.2 MISSION Our mission is to make every child live with a confidence and with a kind self respect in him or her and make them very well prepared for the long term race of life which will provide a proper self satisfaction to the parents as well to us. 1.3 KEY to Sucess Critical success factors for any company are the factors which make the company succeed in a long term race. Critical success factors for Little Angel Kids Nursery School are as follows: Success factor 1: A concerned and associated educational society. Success factor 2: A capable and attractive curriculum-based study Success factor 3: A supple and sustainable educational surroundings. 2.0 COMPANY Summary ABC group is a company which will soon be in the market of Abu Dhabi with its first launch as Little Angel Kids Nursery School. At Little Angel Kids Nursery School, we will ensure a sense of laughter and creativity among the kids along with the best studies possible which will build these small kids for the future in a best possible way. Little Angel Kids Nursery School will provide them the best possible services to the kids to make them perform very well in the their educational prospects as well as in their co- curricular. 2.1 COMPANY ownership The Company is being solely owned by the owner Mr. X. But for starting up the business or opening a nursery school in Abu Dhabi, one or more venture capitalists are needed who will invest money in the project. Hence the school will be owned by Mr. X, Mr. Y and Mr. Z. where all will own an equal amount of share of 33% each. This means that this is a joint proprietor ownership. The reason for enrapturing this form of ownership is that Abu Dhabi is a city which involves huge investment if any business is to be started. For such a huge amount of money there should have somebody who can have the capability to invest in the business. As the city is highly expensive it requires lots of money to purchase or take a land on rent. As we have decided to purchase the land, hence any bank will not obviously give money for entire requirements to be fulfilled. Hence we need venture capitalists in our business. 2.3 Location and Facilities We have planned to open up our school in Madinat Bin Zayed. This is a very popular place of Abu Dhabi. We will have to take up a building in this place which can fulfill our desired requirements. There will be some physical requirements of the location for the opening the school: Amount of space: amount of space needed for the fulfillment of our requirements would be such that we need the followings: For school Six class rooms One staff room One principal room One meeting room One Dean room One small swimming pool for kids Two big halls for playing One auditorium 4 toilets For hostel/ day boarding Two big halls 4 toilets 1 mess Type of building: type of building should be such that if in the future we want to extend our nursery section then we should have some space for our future plans as well. Building or land to be taken should not be at all residential because we are going to use it for the commercial purpose. A good parking lot should also be there. A good facility of power should be there. 3.0 Services Little Angel Kids Nursery School is a mixed curriculum school for children between the age group of 1 year to 4 years. Here by mixed curriculum, we can depict that there is no particular curriculum that is followed in the school. It will be a nursery school with features of the entire curriculum in one, be it a British Curriculum, Arab curriculum or Indian curriculum. We are a quality service provider. Hence the main aim of the school is to satisfy the parents of the small kids by a stream lined flow of education provided to the kids. 3.2 Competitive Comparison Core competencies explain the types of competition that we will be facing in the market. Basically there is only one type of competition that we will be facing in the market. There will not be much of indirect competition but there will be only direct competition among several nursery schools in Abu Dhabi. There are some very good schools those will give us a solid fight. They are Stepping Stones Preschool, Humpty Dumpty and first step Nursery. 3.3. Fullfillment There are very less number of kids nurseries in Abu Dhabi. The government is not supporting the opening of public schools in the city.  [1]   There are more and more expats that are coming from all over the world. The credit goes to high development of the city that leads to the huge outsourcing of the high level employees. 4.0. Market Summary Analysis Demographic profile of Abu Dhabi According to the demographic profile of the city, there are more than 120,000 children which are below the age group of 10 years. This is around 14 per cent of the whole population. With the arrival of more and more people coming to work in the city or setting up a business in the city, there is an increment in the requirement for more and more nursery schools in the city. 4.1. MARKET Segmentation Report 1 We have just depicted that there are only around sixteen good nursery schools in the city. And more over there is an arrival of more and more foreign families to this city. This has led to an increase of the overflow of the nursery students in a school. Obviously, if there is more student than the seats available then it would be a problem for both management and for the parents as well. The situation is that the students overflow has seen a record length. This has made the parents make their children sit at home. This is really a matter of frustration for the parents as there are really less number of nursery schools in the city. This makes the parents as well as the government of Abu Dhabi worried.  [2]  If the owners of these nursery schools are asked, then they have a view that it is really difficult to open new nurseries by them or to extend the existing nurseries as it would not help the situation improve. According to the owners of several schools, this is the worst year i n the history of their lives as far as the admission for the nursery students are concerned. This report suggests that there is a huge requirement of the nursery schools in the city and as far as the facilities are concerned in the school, it is obvious far better to have extra ordinary facilities in the school so as to attract the parents towards the school. 4.2. SERVICE Business Analysis Report 2 The rush of the students admitting for nursery schools are that much high that there are large numbers of waiting lists for intake of the students and still schools are ignoring their admissions because they do not have the seats available with them. Following is the list of some highly reputed schools with their waiting list for admitting the students. Because of the above effects, several parents have decided to make their children stay at home and learn at their place only till they are not eligible for the primary schools. There is a huge fight for getting the admissions in the nursery schools in Abu Dhabi. This report easily suggests that there is a big requirement for nursery schools in the city and we can also take the fact that parents are dying to admit their children in the nursery schools and they are not getting the chance. So this can be kept in mind and several advantages can be drilled out of that. Report 3 Abu Dhabi is the most expensive city of UAE as far as owning the land or taking it at rent is concerned. 3 Various schools are unable to expand their institution or build up a new branch of the existing school because the rents of the building are really high that according to them opening a new branch or expanding the school would be non profitable. We can see from the above graph that there is a remarkable increase in the rates of both rents and owning a property in Abu Dhabi. Ms Shaban, head mistress of Bright Beginnings thinks that it would be better to buy the plot and built it to run the school. That would be a deal that can make them give profit. But after some time she realized that it is a difficult task as there are several government complications that would come in between. But there is a different perspective of owner of Humpty Dumpty Nursery school. According to him renting is no longer a long term process and hence he is keen interested in opening a new branch of Humpty Dumpty in the city. The above report shows us a negative factor for opening up a nursery school in the city. The only problem that will come is the money because there will be a huge initial investment in this business as the rents of buildings are really high and owning a building is not at all an easy task. 4.2.1. BUSINESS Participants As far as the present scenario is concerned, size of the market is very much restricted. There are very low numbers of nursery schools in the city as compared with the population of children of age group 2 to 4 years. With the reference to the size of the market, we mean two things, the population of the kids in the city and the number of nursery schools to admit them. The population of the kids are around or more than 100,000 and there are very less number of nursery schools in the city. Demand for more nursery schools in the city is directly proportional to the more and more increase in the expats coming to the city. Abu Dhabi is a city which is developing at a very high rate. More and more people from all around the world are coming to get settled in this city. This has been increasing the demands for more number of nursery schools. The fact that there are large numbers of expatriates is making several countries believe that there is a need for more international schools in the city so as to fulfill the needs of these expats (Business Times, 2007). 4.2.2. DISTRIBUTING a Service All the services described in the service description will be distributed to the little kids. 4.2.3. MAIN Competitors ABC Nursery Asian International Nursery and Kindergarten Bright Beginnings Nursery and Pre-school Eduscan Nursery and Day care First step Nursery Future Nursery 5.0. STRATEGY and Implementation Summary As we have formulated our niche as well, now we will have to outline a marketing strategy that will be suited for our marketing plan and will be according to our niche. On the basis of the trends we have seen from the above marketing, we can derive several marketing strategies. They are as follows: 5.1. MARKETING Strategy There are different types of marketing strategies needed, like Pricing strategies Promotional strategies 5.1.1. Pricing Strategy Method of setting up the prices or in our case fees of the students is obviously a determining factor for the customers. Though we have depicted in the marketing analysis that the competition in the market for the nursery schools in Abu Dhabi is really low, still we can say that pricing is an important factor for the customer. In our case the main reason for it to be significant is the financial crisis of 2008. This is biggest reason that we now have to very carefully take care of the pricing strategy. Our school will have a maximum capacity of 150 students in all. This is not at all a big number. Hence we can say that our pricing that we have depicted in the marketing analysis is absolutely correct because ours is not a big business. We are just starting with a low scale business hence a very small price will obviously affect the business and incur huge amount of losses. Hence we have kept a pricing strategy of the average price or a bit low than the competitors. Pricing includes very less fees amount of the kids that will be studying in the afternoon shift. Basically, kids from lower middle class will come to this place. 5.1.2. Promotional Strategy Promotion means that how can we make the kids know that we are coming to the market with some product for them. Here, in case of Little Angel Kids Nursery School, we will need to promote our school before we open up our school in order to realize the parents know that some excellent nursery is coming in the market so that they can wait for us before putting their kids to some other nursery. There can be several techniques by which we can promote Little Angel Kids Nursery School. These are as follows: Advertisements: Advertisements are very much necessary to start up a new project. The main reason for the advertisement is that when ever a new business is to be started like in our case opening up of Little Angel Kids Nursery School, it is very much necessary to gather attention of the local population. This could only be possible when they will know about us and the only way to make them know about us is the advertisements. We can have advertisement in the following ways: Television Newspapers Electronic advertisements Public Relations Several promoting Events Alliances NEWSLETTERS CATALOGS 5.2. SALES Strategy Sales forecast is determined under sales strategy 6.0. Management Summary 6.2. MANAGEMENT Team Management and organization will describe about whom all will be there in the business. This means that what will be the human resource structure of the school which means that who will be the employees in the school. As far as the main position of the school is concerned, there will be a dean of the school who will the chair person of the school and under whom all the day to day management of the school would be held. Obviously, the dean of the school is going to be one or all among the three main partners of the business, Mr. X, Mr. Y and Mr. Z. In case of the incapacitation of the dean, there would be a signing authority but most of the major decisions would be taken in presence of the dean. 6.3. MANAGEMENT Team Gaps There are several gaps between the team members: Language barrier Income 7.1. GENERAL Assumptions Sales of the Nursery school is kept constant for the entire year Effect of recession is not taken into account 7.2. Key Financial Indicators There are mainly four key financial indicators: Break even analysis Profit and loss statement Cash flow statement Balance sheet

Lazy Lady :: Free Essay Writer

Lazy Lady It seems that the lazier people are, the more I can't stand them. One thing is for sure; I can't stand my mom. "Maxme or MOM" is how I would address her, or should I say have to address her. I would have preferred boss or master. Yes sir, she's the queen of them all. She could probably write a book titled What it Takes to be Lazy. In her case, I guess you could consider it a lifestyle but try not to compare her to Martha Stewart or anyone like that. My mom is lazy from the hairs on her head to the toes on her feet. Let me give you a little insight into this lazy, lazy, lazy lady. An average weekday morning for her consists of normally getting up to go to work. It's true that not very many people in today's society aren't morning people, but supposedly she's to be at work by 8:00am, but doesn't get out of bed till 7:30am. It seems to be a routine for her not to go to bed till about one o'clock that night, doing nothing out of the ordinary except for moping around the television surrounded with junk food. I believe this is what accounts for her not waking up on time. I wait and wait for what seems like hours as the time rolls by until she's all ready to go. Every day she makes up the same excuse that she's too scared to drive. She's had a license for about twelve years, as for me only one, yet she still requires me to drive her to work. When you compare our experience behind the wheel, it should be me shaking in my pants. Due to her laziness, I wind up being late to work or school each day. Upon arriving at work, Mom takes her sweet time getting to her desk, about as fast as a slug could cross a sidewalk. There's not much she does at work, or if you could even call it work, considering she is so damn lazy. She sure loves to call up relatives everyday. She chats with them for hours, very aware she is at work. She practically talks longer on the phone at work than at home. Amazingly, none of her fellow co-workers seem to care.

hollywood on trial :: essays papers

hollywood on trial The world is full of injustice. Of programs that want to accomplish the right things but get twisted by the people that run them. This essay will deal with the reasons and Birth of the Hays Commission, the ludicrous steps they took to add "morality" to the motion picture industry, and some other sensors of the time. All things said in this essay are true and taken from the Hays correspondence its self. It is a known fact that sex sells. It is used by advertisers to get us to by there product, and likewise it is used by producers and directors to get us to see their films. During he Depression, no one had enough money to buy dinner much less go see a movie. So, there was a increase in the sex that was on the screen to pull in people. Not that there was any rules or guidelines of the studios to follow. It was just they didn't care. There was a outcry by the catholic church and in April, 1934 a committee of bishops were set up named The Legion of Decency. These Bishops would tell all the priests, and they in turn would in turn tell the parishioners what movies were proper to see and what was not. This thought scared the Hollywood studios. A boycott of that size in the middle of a depression would crush them. The heads of all the major studios got together to solve this problem. They knew that they didn't want to lose the Catholics, and they didn't want government intervention. Their solution was to have a board to censor all the movies coming from the major studios (at that time it was legal for studios to own their own theaters so independent films weren't generally seen by the public at large). To head this committee was William Hays. "William Hays was a Republican politician from Indiana with the impatient look a mailman whose paycheck was being sent by mail. Actually he was the Postmaster General in one of the most corrupt administrations of the century, Warren G. Harding"(Gardner, xvii). Because of this, he had friends on high places in the movie industry. Even though his name was on the committee all he was responsible for was making the set of rules.

Foucault and the Theories of Power and Identity Essay example -- Fouca

Foucault and the Theories of Power and Identity Foucault believed that power is never in any one person?s hands, it does not show itself in any obvious manner but rather as something that works its way into our imaginations and serves to constrain how we act. For example in the setting of a workplace the power does not pass from the top down; instead it circulates through their organizational practices. Such practices act like a grid, provoking and inciting certain courses of action and denying others. Foucault considers this as no straightforward matter and believes that it rests on how far individuals interpret what is being laid down as 'obvious' or 'self evident', institutional power works best when all parties accept it willingly. Foucault's notion of power is a difficult notion to grasp principally because it is never entirely clear on who has the power in the first place, once the idea is removed that power must be vested in someone at the top of the ladder e.g. the company director, it becomes much more difficult to ident ify what power is or where and whom it lies with. Foucault believes that we are so used to thinking about power as an identifiable and overt force and that this view is simply not the case, because it is taken for granted that the above statement is true then it is much more complicated to comprehend power as a guiding force that does not show itself in an obvious manner. According to Foucault we take it upon ourselves to regulate our own conduct, even though we are free to do and say as we please we choose to constrain our behaviour and the reason for us doing so it that we know what is expected of us, we do not need someone in a position of ?authority? to do this for us, we all take responsibility for our own lives. It is in this sense that power works as an anonymous force, provoking free agents to act in ways that make it difficult for them to do otherwise. Foucault?s theory of power ?revolves around indirect techniques of self-regulation which induce appropriate forms of behaviour.?1, we are free to govern ourselves. In the absence of an authority figure we will automatically restrain our behaviour, there is no ?hand? of power that pushes us all into line, only an acknowledgement that we all work within a framework of choices, that are ultimately subjected to influence and direction, but that we ourselves have the fina... ...ogist Kathy Woodward, she also points out that our identity would need to change depending on whom it is we were interacting with and the situation that we were in, ?subtle and not so subtle variations of identity may well be called upon for each of these roles.?8 Butler describes modern notions of identity as ?being made up of regulatory ideals?9, these regulatory ideals provide ?idealised and reified norms which people are expected to live up to.?10 These types of regulatory ideals are sustained or undermined through performance. Performativity is not a singular act, ?it is always the reiteration of a norm or a set of norms, and to the extent that it acquires an act like status in the present, it conceals or dissimulates the conventions of which it is a repitition.?11It is through this repeated action that that these norms are created and lived up to. This idea can also be related to discourse; Butler argues that performative acts are statements that also produce that which they say. Discourse promotes specific kinds of power relations, in other words to know is to participate in complicated webs of power. Thus perfomative acts are a domain in which discourse acts as power.

Child Beauty Pageants Essay

Sparkling tiaras, beautiful gowns, glamorous hair and make-up; One would believe that this would be every little girl’s dream. Unfortunately this dream often turns into a horrible nightmare. The popularity of child beauty pageants seems to be rising every year causing more and more controversy. There are many different views and concerns that people seem to have on these types of pageants. Many of them do not agree with children being forced to fulfill their parents dream by taking place in a beauty pageant. The history of beauty pageants became part of the American society around the 1920’s. They originated as a marketing tool in 1921 by an Atlantic City hotel owner who was trying to attract tourist. Since then, pageants have become a major event in the lives of Americans. The online article written by Kareen Nussbaum exclaims that it wasn’t until the 1960’s when child beauty pageants really began. Back then, child pageants consist of modeling sportswear, evening attire, dance, and talent. The judging was based on the individual’s looks, talent, poise, perfection, and level of confidence. Pageants were conducted at political, educational, and entertainment venues. Many were scholarships were being offered through pageants, and beneficial programs were being facilitated. The pageantry world helped introduced a face to the faceless troubles of racism, handicaps, and illnesses. Since that time, a lot in the pageant industry has changed. Nowadays, they are anything buy conservative. Beauty pageants, like the ones on the show Toddlers and Tiaras, are not about natural looks but are based on such superficial things such as who has the most make up and best tan. Parents have a major role in most child beauty pageants. There are very few children who participate in pageantry without their parents. They are the ones who provide the money and connection into the pageant world. Several families who start their child in beauty pageants have generations of competitors that include grandmas, mothers, kids, and grandkids. Many believe that the mothers of children that are involved in beauty pageants live vicariously through their children. Too often, pageant moms have only one thing on their mind and that is for their child to win! Having their own mother/parent as their role model, the child will most likely have that same kind of attitude causing many problems throughout their life. There are many other reasons why child beauty pageants are unnecessary in today’s society. As children, they are most likely forced into the beauty pageants. Being too young to say no, the parents take control. Beauty pageants also sexualize young girls too early. They are exposed and become familiar with â€Å"womanly† items such as padded bras, high heels, and make-up. Instead of acting like their own age, the little girls believe to think they are older than they really are. High heels aren’t made for small feet. They needlessly push the child’s weight forward causing lower back pain and hindering proper development of their feet. Sometimes younger girls are forced to wear heels outside of pageants, because their feet have grown in a way that makes wearing other shoes uncomfortable. Hairspray is the most common widely used product in child pageants. Unfortunately, too much hairspray can actually stunt growth. The Psychology Corner claims that it contains certain chemicals that act as hormone disruptors that could be harmful to the body, and is linked to stunted growth and even lung cancer! If child beauty pageants weren’t allowed, these kinds of troubles wouldn’t be so prevalent. Cognitive and emotional problems are probably the most dangerous problems that beauty pageants can cause. They are capable to leading to many different kinds of disorders that could ruin a child’s life. A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association found that the hypersexualization of young girls is strongly associated with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Psychologists and psychiatrists largely agree that pageants reinforce negative female body image issues that result in eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Beauty competitions emphasize the â€Å"barbie doll† image of what a beauty queen should look like. The problem with having that image is that there is no way for a person to be able to look like that. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less according to the Oprah Winfrey Network. Although Zinzi Williams states that many of the beauty pageants take part in community service, delivering a social message and help in bringing up funds for charity, numerous of them are exaggerated and mess with a young child’s mind. For about fifty years, beauty pageants have been teaching children to behave as young adults rather than acting their own age. Rather than focusing primarily on the idea of competition, pageants for younger children should be created to concentrate on the child’s talent, intelligence, poise, and confidence. While there can be some positive aspects of children beauty pageants, the physical and mental health of the participants will only continue to exacerbate. Works Cited â€Å"5 Facts about Beauty Pageants.† Oprah Winfrey Network. Harpo Productions, 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. Nussbaum, Kareen. â€Å"Children and Beauty Pagaents.† Beauty Pagaents. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Toddlers and children beauty pageants – Risk factors for severe psychological turmoils.† Psychology Corner. Psychology Corner, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. Williams, Zinzi. â€Å"Beauty Pageants and its Effects on Children.† Purduecal. N.p., 6 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.

Face-to-Face Communication Is a Better Way of Communication Essay

Imagine that your sweetheart keeps talking to you through telephone, the Internet or letters and refuses to meet you face to face even for a meal, what will you do? If I were you, I must be getting crazy! But things like this often happen in nowadays’ society. With the development of communication industry, people are getting used to various so-called fast ways of communication. Personally, however, no matter how fast and convenient those other communication modes can be, I think we should never abandon the most original way of communication—face-to-face communication, which is more vivid, interactive and easier for us to promote relationships with others. Face-to-face communication can make it more fun and vivid to talk to others, because it contains much more nonverbal languages than other ways of communication. When you talk to a person face to face, you make eye contacts with each other, by which both of you can exchange your inside emotions. Furthermore, by observing the person’s gestures, you can also dope out his personalities and decide what kind of person he is. And maybe the least important one is that, as the old saying goes,† all men search for beauty†, you can view the appearance of the person you are talking to, which might cause you rub out the birth of love if both of you are satisfied with each other’s appearance. All of these make it attachable for us to feel the person we are talking to is a real and touchable individual. There are times when you have to deliver exact information to other people, and at such times face-to-face communication will be your first choice, because it creates an interactive and efficient conversation. Firstly, when you are talking to a person face to face, both of you can raise questions about anything you can’t understand, so that the other person involved can explain it clearly in time, which contributes a lot to eliminate the misunderstandings and barriers of your communication. Secondly, a person’s tone and voice can suggest his present mood, which can make it easier for you to perceive his subtle changes of emotion. Finally, in face to face communication, you can tell whether the words the person spoke are authentic through observing his facial expression , which can also ensure that the person you are talking to is a faithful one. All of these can make your talking more successful and efficient especially when you are negotiating with someone. Maybe the biggest advantage of face-to-face communication s that it can deepen your relationship with others, because it can kill the distance among people. When communicating face to face, you can see the smile on the person’s face, which will make you feel warm and kind; you can hug each other when you’re getting excited; and even a handshake can make you feel the respect from the other person. All that can make you get closer to each other, which may be hardly made attachable by communicating through telephone or e-mail. For instance, we are far away from home as college students, even if we call our parents almost everyday, we still feel homesick and lonely. Why? Because telephone can never make us feel as close as meeting each other face to face. And so does it among friends, if we don’t meet each other face to face as often as possible, we will soon feel that our relationships are getting cold. In conclusion, with all factors taken into consideration, I totally agree that face to face communication is better than any other type of communication. Now, try to communicate with people face to face and you will find it more colorful and efficient than calling others through telephone or greeting each other just by sending an e-mail!

Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan Essay

Strategic managers have responsibility to both the employees and stakeholders of the organization. Engaging in strategic management decisions should include ethics and social responsibilities. The expectation of such responsibilities from stakeholders is to fulfill legal and ethical economic decisions. Satisfying the purpose of the strategic planning process for Riordan Manufacturing, the management team has taken into consideration the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities. According to Wheelen and Hunger (2010), the ethical and discretionary responsibilities are also known as social responsibilities. Ethical responsibilities require decision-makers to follow expected behaviors of society and the community. Riordan may take substantial risk by upsetting customers by failing to meet existing ethical values. Understanding the existing ethical values and standards of Riordan, the management team will assist senior leaders in planning and committing to social respo nsibilities. Why a Strategic Plan? A strategic management plan will focus Riordan’s objectives, goals, and efforts on long-term performance and sustainability. Managing short-term goals and successes is relatively uncomplicated and easily attainable, yet longevity is much more difficult to accomplish. Strategic management lays the framework for lasting success. Corporations can no longer sustain profitable business activities by simply maintaining a business as usual or status quo strategy. As the world and economic markets continue to evolve, companies must also transform to accommodate an ever-changing environment. During such transformations, managers should be careful to implement change that is consistent with the company’s core mission and objectives. Strategic planning assists in effectively accomplishing these changes and provides business owners and managers the opportunity to induce innovative thinking to preserve competitive advantages. Riordan, like other companies, needs a strategic plan. The plastic injection molding company uses modern design capabilities to provide innovative plastic products to national and international customers. Riordan advertises that â€Å"attention to detail, extreme precision and enthusiastic quality controls are the hallmarks of  Riordan Manufacturing† (Apollo Group, Inc., 2004, Internet). By setting such high standards in a lucrative and competitive industry, it is imperative to Riordan’s success that they implement a strategic plan to manage long-term profitability and sustained growth. Ethical and Social Responsibility To understand the role that ethical and social responsibility considerations occupy in the development of Riordan’s strategic organizational planning, one must first recognize what these concepts mean. According to Merriam-Webster (2011), ethics is â€Å"the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation† (para. 1). Outside of this general definition that ethics are standards for morality, researchers and philosophers have actively sought for many years for a comprehensive and all-encompassing explanation of what is and is not ethical. Many factors contribute to the meaning of ethics and corresponding behaviors, including but not limited to culture, religion, societal influences and pressures, and various stages of moral development. Though social responsibility works hand in hand with ethics, it does possess unique implications. Wheelen and Hunger (2010) describe that â€Å"the concept of social responsibility proposes that a private c orporation has responsibilities to society that extend beyond making a profit† (p. 72). This notion exists because the decisions and actions of a business or organization often are far reaching and affect many others beyond the boarders of the company’s facilities and operations. Management has a responsibility to balance that which is good for the business and for the surrounding communities and affected parties while formulating strategic plans. Experts in the fields of corporate ethics and social responsibility argue that profitability is not the only duty to be satisfied by a business. For example, William J. Byron believes that â€Å"profits are merely a means to an end, not an end in itself,† and Archie Carroll suggests that corporations â€Å"have four responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010, p. 72-73). Riordan is much more likely to experience success and provide greater returns to stakeholders if a well-rounded business approach is adopted, as opposed to a strictly profit-oriented method. An ex tensive internal and external environmental scan will help Riordan determine what ethical and social concerns to incorporate in the company’s strategic plan. For  instance, considering present concerns with environmental pollution, including the over-use of plastics and the toxic air pollution created by manufacturing facilities, Riordan should take a proactive stance in environmental sustainability efforts. Riordan operates in a changing world, and if the company chooses not to pay attention to and participate in the vigorous worldwide environmental conservation activities, they may find themselves out of business and in financial ruin. The ethical and socially responsible role of Riordan affects customers, employees, stakeholders, local and international communities, and future generations. If these parties are not satisfied with the company’s efforts and actions, Riordan may be at risk for potential failure. Competitive Advantages and Strategies Riordan presently utilizes an industry standard Six Sigma competitive strategy, along with their customization of innovative products and sale of quality items to a select market of specialized buyers. The manufacturer also takes advantage of high-volume production methods to generate elevated profits. They provide plastic products, including bottles, fans, heart valves, medical stents, and custom parts, to customers in bulk amounts at affordable prices to sustain the company’s revenue stream. Riordan also has a revolving product line, which creates value and sustainability because the products are recycled. These competitive advantages helped Riordan become an industry leader, yet the integration of a differentiation strategy and a lower cost strategy will work to enhance organizational growth. Riordan can improve innovation and sustainability of business operations in the United States and in the global market by implementing a blend of differentiation and lower cost busines s strategies. This arrangement is ideal for Riordan because it caters to the purpose of the manufacturing business, which is to provide valuable products at reasonable costs. Wheelen and Hunger (2010) explain that â€Å"differentiation strategy is the ability of a company to provide unique and superior value to the buyer in terms of product quality, special features, or after-sale service† and â€Å"lower cost strategy is the ability of a company or a business unit to design, produce, and market a comparable product more efficiently than its competitors† (p. 185). The combination of these two exceedingly effective competitive strategies allows Riordan to introduce innovative and distinct plastic products to the  marketplace, creating greater value to customers, in a more efficient and cost-effective manner than competitors. To further guarantee organizational longevity, Riordan should continue to use existing quality improvement processes such as Six Sigma and Total Quality Management, which focus on cost reduction, quality improvement, customer satisfaction, performance improvement, and continual renewal. Measurement Guidelines Using a combination of differentiation and lower cost strategies in the Riordan strategic planning process will help the organization maximize profits through two avenues. The first way the company will adjust the organizational strategy is by using differentiation to sell specialty products to organizations that are willing to pay higher prices for specialty orders. New innovation will increase the sales of the organization. Riordan will use a return on investment (ROI) measurement as a guideline to verify the effectiveness of the innovation strategy. The ROI measurement will look at the profitability of each specialty order and determine if the products are creating enough revenue for the organization. If the products are not meeting a set revenue target goal, then the organization will increase the customers’ cost. The second way Riordan will stabilize the organization’s growth and maximize profits is by using a lower cost strategy. The organization will maintain the existing customer base by selling common plastic products at lower rates. The primary plastic products in this category are beverage bottles, food containers, and common automobile parts. The organization will use a balanced scorecard approach to verify strategic effectiveness of the lower cost strategy. The balanced scorecard will focus on four main strategic goals to determine effectiveness. The first goal is customer satisfaction. Satisfying the customer’s needs will keep profits growing. The second goal is financial stability and profitability. Financial stability will show stakeholders the company is strong and dependable. This encourages more business from other organizations in the future. The third goal in the balanced scorecard approach is internal perspective. Management will look at successes and failures within the organization and determine corrective actions to improve the organization. The fourth step is innovation and learning within the organization. Managers will look at areas that are not meeting the strategic  goals and determine improvements to the strategic plan. The management team will also evaluate ways to improve value of products and ways to cut cost of production. By using the ROI and balanced scorecard guidelines, Riordan’s managers can effectively evaluate the effectiveness of the organizational strategy. This will allow managers to determine if the strategies are successful in their current form or if adjustments are needed to improve production or profitability standards. Internal Dynamics For Riordan to implement the new business strategies, the internal dynamics of the organization must change. These changes will affect the culture and structural leadership of the company. Riordan’s current management structure is a matrix structure using the old method management. This means that longevity in the organization is a stipulation for management placement. Each level of manager is put in a position and the job is made to fit the candidate. The company will keep the current matrix structure in place with one major difference. In the new internal dynamics of the company, the requirements of the job determine the eligibility of candidates. New job placement processes will cause the cultural environment to change within the organization. Employees, whom may be waiting for older workers to leave the company, will find it easier to move into new positions without the wait. The most qualified candidate will be eligible for the positions, instead of employees relying on l ongevity. This type of organizational movement will promote innovation through education by placing fresh candidates in leadership positions. This will also help the company avoid downturns in innovation and growth. Organizational managers must determine if the new business strategy will fit the current culture. If the strategy does not fit, managers must decide how to implement the strategy by making changes in the structure. According to Wheelen and Hunger (2010), the management team can try one of four methods to adjust the culture. â€Å"The strategy makers can take a chance and ignore the culture, manage around the culture by changing the plan, change the culture to fit the plan, or change the strategy to fit the culture† (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010, p. 256). The new organizational business strategy must have the support of the stakeholders to which the changes will affect because a failure to plan and adjust the business strategy effectively could result in failure of the implementa tion process. Business Continuity Business continuity are the activities performed by an organization to ensure that the business functions will be available when needed by customers, suppliers, regulators, and others of Riordan that must have access to those particular functions. Business continuity is performed by members of the company such as management, employees, and its stakeholders. The business functions and continuity at Riordan consist of project management, system backups, change controls, and the help desk. These functions help Riordan maintain service, consistency, and recoverability within the organization. Riordan influences business continuity by supporting items in their mission statement. The influences are geared by Six Sigma and R&D, which is the industry leader in identification of industry trends. Riordan’s business is also influenced by ISO 9000 standards that define the company’s attitude and abilities. Long-term customer relationships and team oriented working environments are significant businesses influences of this company. With a continual focus on achievement and maintaining profitability to ensure sustained growth, financial and human capital availability are identified as ongoing strategic goals and objectives. Assessment and Feedback Controls Riordan provides its employees with well informed and properly supported information that focuses on the long-term viability of the company. The assessment and feedback controls that should be acknowledged in determining the direction for Riordan in the proposed strategic plan are as follows. The assessments will ensure that Riordan examines employee motivation and empowerment, manufacturing and marketing areas, and the structure of performance reviews. Once these areas are assessed, then the feedback process will begin. The management feedback process consists of making sure employees are still being recognized as team players as Riordan is changing the strategy of the company. Providing employees coaching sessions to identify problem areas, implementation of career development opportunities, and instituting a pay rewards system for good performance that supports the company’s vision will provide direct feedback to the company. At Riordan, product quality and quantity is a major focus. Establishing an evaluation, control, and assessment process will provide timely feedback to leadership  in anticipation of results or areas of concern. Areas of assessment include employee and customer satisfaction, environmental presence, and environmental scanning for external locations of the manufacturing facilities. Instituting assessment and feedback to determine the profitability and feasibility of the company is established through the strategic process. Management will determine and specify what measurements are necessary, establish standards of performance through specific implementations, measure performance by predetermined controls, and compare desired performance within a tolerance range. Should the performance fall outside of the predetermined tolerance range, leadership will have the ability to take immediate corrective action. Companies may experience fluctuation or desired standards not being achieved. Thi s provides the company with an opportunity to take corrective action and re-evaluate the strategic plan. Should Riordan’s strategic plan fluctuate or not achieve predetermined goals as according to plan, management would consider altering the specific strategy. Some of the changes to be considered are based on the feedback, but may include the competitive strategies, measurement guidelines, and internal dynamics. These areas provide opportunities for improvement but could also reflect similarities to the original plan with minor adjustments and still provide successful outcomes. Alterations of the strategic plan would be evaluation of: Competitive Strategies – In the area of competitive strategies, we will limit the high-volume production methods and not add any new innovation. Measurement Guidelines – In the area of measurement guidelines, we will eliminate the differentiation to sell specialty products to organizations for a higher price which leads to return on investment. Riordan will focus on maintaining the product line that already exists. Internal Dynamics – In the area of internal dynamics, Riordan could not go forward with the new changes to the company culture and job placement process. Only a few minor adjustments are needed for this particular area. Job placement should be considered upon experience and the company culture should remain the same. If Riordan fails to make these corrections prior to implementation of the new strategic plan, the company could be at risk of losing market share, not having the ability of expanding globally, jeopardizing the relationship with stakeholders, and lose of profitability. Conclusion Companies are respected and rated by their ethical and social responsibilities to the stakeholders and employees. These responsibilities are as important as the ROI. The purpose of business is to make a return on investment, and this factor is used to evaluate the performance of management and offers a market comparison to similar firms and industries. Key performance measures are essential for achieving the desired strategic outcome. A comprehensive plan that includes environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and evaluation and control processes will provide assurance of a well-developed strategic approach to business strategies and growth initiatives. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2004). Virtual Organization: Riordan Manufacturing. Retrieved from Apollo Group, Inc., Simulation, MGT498 – Strategic Management website. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (2011). Ethic. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethics. Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2010). Concepts in strategic management and business policy: Achieving sustainability (12th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Frankenstein Analysis

When a life is created, whoever has created such life would cherish it, care for it, teach it right from wrong, and nurture it for its life. A parent or guardian of a child would be held responsible for the acts their child commits, no matter if it be great or small. Victor Frankenstein took life into his own hands, moulded it, sculpted it, and formed a living creature from pieces of already deceased humans. Frankenstein, after successfully creating life, rejected his own creation, did not give any second thought as he abandoned his own Creature. From this rejection the Creature feels only rejection, he is not able to find acceptance where he goes and is filled with depression, turmoil, and great anger at his creator. From then on, the Creature goes down a destructive path, not knowing any better. As the creator, Victor Frankenstein should be responsible for the Creatures faults, rather than playing God and abandoning his creation within the first few moments of its life. From the Creatures first moments of life, it has suffered rejection of its own creator, and by every other person who comes into contact with it. Frankenstein deemed his creation and â€Å"his features as beautiful. Beautiful! †(43), yet when the creature first arouse, as life filled its once deceased body, Frankenstein wanted nothing more than to escape from the room that held his creation, and put everything he had done behind him, he had â€Å"rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing [his] bed-chamber, unable to compose [his] mind to sleep†(44). Victor did nothing more than put it behind him, after months upon months of preparation and work. As the creator, Victor had some obligation to his creature; they were bound through this act of God. The Creature’s appearance threw off all whom he tried to get close to, all those who came into contact with him believed him to be a monster, nothing more. The Creature was believed to be evil, as if he were born evil, that the misery he suffers from was not what had caused him to become destructive, and vengeful. The rejection of all cause the Creature to become the evil Monster people believe him to be, he believes a small innocent hild can accept him for the way he looks and too is rejected, along with the rejection of the DeLacey’s from whom he learned how to live a human life. The constant rejection is what leads to the Creatures change from innocent new life, to a destructive monster, which could have been changed if Victor had taken responsibility for his own creation. If Victor had welcomes his creation with open arms, all events could have been avoided, there wo uld be no deaths and the Creature could have been a marvel to the world. Life is precious, to abandon a life is simple, Victor Frankenstein took the simple route out of his mistake, he did not take responsibility for anything his own creation did and only tried to put it behind him in his life, to ensure his own safety. The creature wandered aimlessly through his new life, becoming corrupt as his time passed. If Frankenstein had taken the time to realize what he had been doing while playing God he could’ve put an end to it all before any mistakes were made. A life, even as horrendous in appearance as the Creature, should be cherished.

Cause and effect for the popularity of fast food restaurants, And how Essay - 1

Cause and effect for the popularity of fast food restaurants, And how it is effecting us - Essay Example Direct links can be observed between the habitual use of fast food, the portion sizes, and the soaring increases of the proliferation of these types of restaurants. The hurried pace of life within the United States and the high profitability of fast food has caused the streets to be filled with these types of restaurants and has consequently contributed significantly to the increases that can be observed in the rates of obesity. The leading competitor in the fast food industry is McDonalds with 19% of all sales in the fast food industry going to this restaurant chain. The second corporation is Doctor’s Associates, Inc. which owns Subway at 10% of the revenue, with Yum Brands, which owns KFC, A&W, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Yum Restaurants coming in third. The top seven competing fast food restaurants only hold 45% of the market, with McDonald’s holding 19% of that share making them the most powerful fast food restaurant in the United States (McDonald’s MCD). Therefore, looking at McDonalds has the best value in assessing the position of fast food for the American public The profitability of fast food restaurants in balance with the quick resource of food has created a large industry of fast food within the United States. With the ease of drive-through windows, the speed of food delivery, and the high levels of advertising engaging the viewers with the value of fast, high calorie fatty foods, the American public is up against a difficult temptation. In 2007, the McDonald’s corporation made 22.8 billion dollars, with Doctor’s Associates, Inc bringing in 11.3 billion dollars (McDonald’s MCD). McDonald’s stays on top by actively pursuing areas of marketing development, market penetration, product development, and diversification. In the 2007 annual report, McDonald’s discussed the advantages and marketing purposes of adding healthy choices to their menu, however despite these changes 75%

The effectiveness of Hong Kong Law on antipirate relating to Essay

The effectiveness of Hong Kong Law on antipirate relating to Information technology - Essay Example In the 1990s, Hong Kong was the piracy capital of Asia, if not even the world. Compared to literature, music and movies, computer software is a comparatively new type of intellectual property. It is universally accepted that information technology piracy is protected by patent, trademarks and copyright laws, therefore the relevant legislation are to be studied to determine if there are any shortcomings, and also the other underlying factors which contribute to this phenomenon of piracy in Hong Kong are investigated before any conclusions are to be drawn. However, software is protected under the very similar legislations that administer music, literature, movies and other copyrighted content. Copying software illegally is not any different than illegally copying any of these forms of intellectual property - and the punishments for doing so are equally harsh (Anti-Piracy). Pirated software could be bought openly, cheaply and safely everywhere from the Golden Shopping Arcade (GSA) and Computer 33 Plaza in Shumshuipo to the "Internet Zone" at Whampoa Gardens and the Sinoplaza in the Mong Kok section of Kowloon (Wong, 2005). Hong Kong retail information technology and computer software piracy was also found in cyberspace. In August of 1996, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), working closely with the Alliance Against CD-ROM Theft (AACT), closed down an Internet site called Sammy Game Center, which offered illegal CD-ROM products for sale and export to the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada, via the net. Over the past several years, advances in computer software have brought us time-saving business programs, educational software that teaches basic skills and sophisticated subjects, graphics programs that have revolutionized the design industry, Internet applications that help connect us with other computer users, and an increasingly compl ex variety of computer games to entertain us (Pramog). As the software industry grows, everyone stands to benefit (Anti-Piracy). The areas of the law which specifically applies to information technology and computer software are closely looked into, and the types of legal remedies on offer are mentioned. The various other factors which affect information technology and software piracy are also discussed. It is noted that the various areas which affects the efficient enforcement of the legislation and explores the reasons why policing of anti-piracy laws are so problematic are also elaborately identified. It is attempts to provide solutions to tackling this problem of information technology related piracy. The purpose of this research paper is to examine the various factors which affect different kinds piracy related to the information technology in Hong Kong, with the aim of hoping to understand the reasons behind such activities, and attempts to suggest ways of tackling the problem. Generally speaking, a piracy in IT dector is someone who copies a program that is normally sold for a price but without paying f or using it. There are different existing piracy scales which been mainly used for examination the effectiveness of anti-pirate