Apple Research Project Essay

To help Apple figure out what can be done to maintain and/or surpass its current level of success within the smartphone market Team D created and administered a ten question survey. The purpose of the survey is to gain knowledge on what consumers think about the iPhone and determine any desired changes to ensure Apple’s top rating within the smartphone market. The results of the survey will be analyzed to identify any trends or similarities between all of the different respondents. Sampling Process and Data Collection The survey was distributed via Facebook to current and future smartphone owners. It was not a requirement for respondents to be previous or current iPhone users. Each team member was instructed to post a link to the survey using her personal social media account along with a brief description of the survey’s goal. The website www.surveymonkey.com is a free way to collect the necessary data. Survey Monkey collected and grouped the data from the responses. Most statistical studies are based on samples of relevant data with the main criteria ensuring that the sample provides a faithful representation of the totality from which it is selected, and to know as precisely as possible the probability that a sample is reliable (Sociology Guide, 2014). There are several types of sampling methods that can be used. The sampling method that is used for this survey is random sampling. This type of sampling includes choosing subjects from a population through unpredictable means. All subjects have an equal chance of being selected out of the population being researched. This type of sampling is beneficial because a survey is the best way to show unbiased results. It is also a faster, less expensive, more efficient way to obtain results (Random Sampling, 2014). Types of Data Collected The first step to collecting the data was figuring out the sample population for the survey. The target population was current and future smartphone users. The second step to collecting data was to use survey questions that showed interval and ratio data. The results from the questions obtained some good data that could help Apple make some good decisions to better their product. The third step to collecting the data was to conduct the survey, via social networking, and analyze the results that were collected through the Survey Monkey website. Data Analysis The majority of the survey respondents, 61.54%, has owned or used an iPhone for 2-4 years. Most of the respondents seem to be pleased with the iPhone giving between a 7 or 8 ranking on a scale of 1 (Least favorable) to 10 (Most favorable). There was a great demand for a larger storage capacity with features/camera/apps coming in a close second. Other suggestions were free access to iCloud, Apple’s digital storage hub, improved GPS/navigation, and multi-tasking capabilities. Most of the respondents (73.08%) agreed that improvements would persuade them to keep their current iPhone or purchase a new one. A few respondents suggested that Apple offer features comparable to that of other smartphone manufacturers. Over 60% of respondents agreed that the iPhone is in jeopardy of not being the most popular cellular device in the future. The comments ranged from Apple having strong brand awareness to the necessity of improvements and adjustments for the smartphone to remain competitive. A price increase proved to be a determining factor for future sales. The majority of respondents said they would not purchase an iPhone if the price were raised. On the contrary, most respondents said that they would still use the phone if Apple performed software upgrades instead of rolling out a new phone. 73% would recommend the iPhone to family and friends. Conclusion Overall, consumers were pleased with the iPhone as it is but most agree that the smartphone could benefit from additional storage. The survey  successfully identified points for improvement while providing insight into consumers’ thoughts on the iPhone. The consensus is that Apple should aim to be more competitive within the market. The responses show that without adjustments the iPhone may become less popular among consumers. Team, There were 10 questions in your survey. I am having trouble finding the results for these 10 questions. Map your analysis and graphical representations to the questions. Any question on a survey should be providing needed information for decision making or it should not be on the survey. Only one question collected interval data – question 1 of your survey. How would you rate your device on a scale of 1 to 10. This question produces interval data – your results should include calculations such as the mean and standard deviation. Such calculations are important to business decision making. The survey should include at least two such questions. Include an additional question so that further analysis can be done. Review the McClave text chapter two for methods to analyze interval and ratio data. Consider mapping to the survey questions – 1. How would you rate your device on a scale of 1 to 10? 2. Would you suggest the iPhone to your friends and/or family? 3. What features would you like to see improved and/or offered on the next version of the iPhone that is currently available on other smartphones? 4. What changes if any would you like made to the iPhone? 5. What do you consider its best feature? 6. What does the main use of your iPhone consist? (school function) (work related activities) (social media and personal contact) 7. Is your iPhone black or white? 8. Are you male or female? 9. Which age range do you fit? (16-18) (19-25) (26-35) (36-45) (46+) 10. Have you owned a cell phone besides the iPhone? If yes, what phone was it? Group_______ References Random Sampling. 2014. What is Random Sampling? Retrieved from: http://www.randomsampling.org/ Sociology Guide. 2014. Sampling. Retrieved from: http://www.sociologyguide.com/research-methods&statistics/sampling.php SurveyMonkey. 1999-2014. Analyze results. Retrieved from https://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/hHbfL6HljUGg73j7C6aWevOJJJrKp6glQfbrCAUt9_2Bg_3D Content 70 Percent Pts. Earned /Pts. Possible Comments: Identifies sampling process by sampling contact, distribution and collection methods Include a description of the sampling method (i.e. random, systematic, convenience,†¦) Includes complete administrators of surveys and data collection deliverables Review concludes students have used correct organization, analysis, and interpretation of the data attained during research Includes visual representation of data collected using tables and figures with descriptive elements to discern categorization See embedded comments. Review the sampling methods to determine and support the method being used in your study. Review the visualization and presentation of the 10 questions in your survey and how to best communicate the results. A table or additional graphics to clearly indicate the results of the 10 questions. Include analysis of two questions that produce interval/ratio data. Information can be found in the McClave text chapter 2 for the calculations of such values as the mean and standard deviation. 15/20 Writing Guidelines 30 Percent Comments: Tables or figures should include all the appropriate labeling, can be easily understood, even in the event of administration difficulty. Participants’  names and identifiable data should remain anonymous to avoid perceived bias towards the sampling. Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page. APA guidelines followed. Consider the research design flow to communicate the data collected from your survey. I could not follow from your week 4 project. 7/10 Assignment Total 22/30 Additional comments:

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in the Country

The advantages and disadvantages of living in the country Living in the countryside has a lot of advantages, but also many disadvantages. As the advantage we can consider the fact that the country is less polluted and the traffic isn't so heavy. You are fit and you don't need to worry about your health condition, because in the countryside the air and water are so clean. In the country there are many plant species. There aren't any huge blocks of flats, modern skyscrapers or bothersome traffic jams.In the country you are free to admire the breathtaking landscapes such as huge meadows, peaceful hills or forests. You can enjoy walking in the forest and picking mushrooms or hunting. Another advantage is that you may easily build a big house and the garden, because charges for ground are much lower than in the suburbs. Moreover, living in the countryside is cheaper than it is in the city, so you probably may afford many other things, because the prices are lower. What is more, you can in vite your friends to the barbecue organized in your garden.It would be great! The other positive side is the safety. In the rural area the crime rate is much lower. There aren't a lot of housebreaks and the possibility of burglary is also lower. In the countryside people usually and keep eyes on neighbour's estates. They always react when something strange is happening. Country life is very peaceful and silent. You will enjoy the feeling of peace. However, there are a lot of positive aspects of living in the country side, there are also some disadvantages.Living in the country is slower. People don't need to hurry and have a lot of time. People in the country don't have to work so many hours as they do in the city. On the other hand, they don't earn so much money. Moreover, there aren't such interesting things to do during free time. The unemployment rate is also much higher than in the city. The problem may be also the communication. If you don't have your own car, you may have pro blem how to commute to work.The same problem concerns the access to the hospitals, schools, police stations and shops, which are usually located far from the village. Last of all, there are some dangers connected with country life such as heavy snowfall or rainfall. To sum up, I think that living in the country may have a lot of advantages such as fresh air, breathtaking landscapes and comfort, but a lot of people decide to stay in the city, due to the fact that the life in the town is easier. The easy access to shops and other institutions are the great advantage.

Pieta by Michelangelo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Pieta by Michelangelo - Essay Example The Pieta is also the only work ever signed by Michelangelo Buonarroti. The Pieta was created during the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a cultural movement that lasted between the 14th and 17th century. It started in Italy in the final period of Middle Ages and consequently spread to the remaining parts of Europe. Socially, the period included creative flowering of vernacular and Latin literature, starting with the 14th century revival of learning found on the basis of classical sources, which contemporaries attributed to Petrarch, the establishment of linear perspective and other methods of portraying a more natural veracity in painting, and steady but extensive educational reform. During this period, the states were made up of four social classes. The nobles were in possession of much of the land. They also stayed on sizeable estates outside the city. They disdained the merchants and lived according to the regulations of gallantry. The merchants were the newly rich. They got thei r wealth from sectors, for example, banking, boat making and wool processing. They tried to safeguard their property by marrying into the noble family and controlling the government. They also became supporters of talented artists so as to acquire public favor. The workers occupied the lowest position. They were extremely dependent on their employers and did not have job security. Those who went against the rules could be dismissed from their occupations or have their wages withheld (Wallace 72). Nonetheless, the workers had better lives than peasants who were situated in the rural areas. Politically, this period played a significant part in the development of the standards of diplomacy. It is often argued that the intellectual change acted as a bridge between the Modern era and the Middle Ages. Even though this period was marked by revolutions in a number of intellectual activities, as well as political concerns, it is conceivably best recognized for its artistic creations. The dis tinctive political structures of this period have made some people to hypothesize that its remarkable social climate permitted the surfacing of an exceptional cultural efflorescence. Also, a large number of the cities during this time were developed among the wrecks of ancient Roman structures. It appears likely that the nature of this period was connected to its basis in the heartland of the Roman Empire (Wallace 74). Economically, there was the surfacing of successful merchants and cities. These merchants got considerable income from foreign customers and their urban subjects. The trade kept the cities functioning. Also, the thoughts were taken to the cities, and capital was amassed. In addition, cities were areas of creative mind and production of wealth. Merchants offered a ready market for goods, and it was only in the city, with the assistance of talented individuals that the development of magnificent goods and the complicated technology of producing books were probable. The social, political, and economic factors contributed Michelangelo Buonarroti’s approach to the creation of the Pieta. Artists of this period required new benefactors to finance their work, and the rich merchants of cities were the ones reasonable to pay the expenditures. The Pieta was one of the works which was supported by the wealthy merchants (Wallace 98).

Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ecology - Essay Example Poor and rich nations both have impacts over the other income range also but the poor nations only affect about a third of the shock as related to the rich nations. 1. To see maps of the pattern of acid rain deposition in parts of Europe and in the U.S., respectively, read the articles, Acid Rain (noting the map in the section "How Big a Problem Is It") and What Is Acid Rain A. The most advanced region in terms of environmental control has the lowest amount of acid rain deposition and the direction of the wind also plays an important part in determining the natural balance of gases in a country's atmosphere. Although global warming is a universal problem, U.S. and UK has much more control over it because there industrial areas are situated in specific regions and they have the power to reduce their acid rain causing agents. A. China's ennvironmental capacity for the pollutants of coal burning have far exceeded the safe level. Hence, the countires having problems due to China's coal burning can exceed to as far as Japan, Philipines as sulfur dioxide, a major acid rain causing pollutant, has the capability to travel far distances before settling into the earth.

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 25

Research - Essay Example Many clients find solace in the fact that the facility is Christian based so they trust that that the care they receive will not clash with their beliefs. However, regardless of their religious beliefs, clients receive equal quality care and respect in a safe setting. The treatment team is made up of a psychiatrist, a dietician, a nurse, psychologists and master level counsellors who cooperate in providing medication management, educational, life skills and problem solving groups, private counselling sessions, and other treatment interventions as required. Since 1987 the clinic has been providing outpatient counselling in Wheaton and has satellite facilities in Northbrook, Geneva and Chicago. The clinic works with clients of all ages, families and couples who want help for different mental health and relational problems. The staff blends Christian principles with good psychological treatment in developing and providing a treatment plan appropriate for each person, couple or family (Medicine Inc. 21). The workforce includes psychologists, doctoral interns/students, neuropsychologists, adult psychiatrists, licensed master level counsellors, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and licensed clinical social workers. The facility provides a broad spectrum of care including medication management and neuropsychological/psychological testing in addition to general counselling services. Individuals, families and couples who are struggling with life issues are highly encouraged to contact the facility because â€Å"that’s the first step to finding aid and healing required to enjoy the fullness of life once again (Medicine, Inc. 29). There is a dedicated and professional intake staff available to talk to clients on phone from Monday-Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. to offer short phone assessments and establish whether outpatient counselling or another program is more

Olympus corporation scandal 2011 and corporate governance failures Coursework

Olympus corporation scandal 2011 and corporate governance failures - Coursework Example counting standards for accounting investments , poor play by institutional investors , non-existence of strong take-over codes and the role of statutory auditors to certify the accuracy of company accounts (Tricker & Tricker 2014:176). This research essay will examine how Olympus Corporation was organised , will discuss in-detail about the prevention of such scams in future in Japan by suggesting suitable measures by strengthening the existing corporate governance codes of Japan. The Olympus Corporation (hereinafter will be referred as OC) scandal was related to financial reporting, which offers an opportunity to throw some light how both practical and theoretical issues were the causes for the reform in the Japanese corporate governance model. Japan’s continuous reluctance to appoint independent directors- the concept which was introduced in the U.S. on the pressures from global institutional investors in the 1990s was one of the reasons for the failure of corporate governance in Japan. The main aim of the corporate governance should address risk management and conflicts of interest instead of concentrating mainly on enhancing performance of the business (Schreck 2009:57). In the absence of independent monitors to make any probable monitoring of management, it is really not practical to make corporate governance more vibrant. A good operating environment would include updated information disseminations, strong implementation, especially through priva te litigations and entrusting active roles to external auditors (Woodford 2012:2). OC establi shed a tobashi scheme to transform its losses off the balance sheet of Olympus. A A tobashi scheme is a financial scam where the losses incurred by a company are camouflouged by an investment firm by transfering them between other fake or genuine clients or the portfolios. Cayman based companies were acquired by paying abnormal acquisition and management fees. When Michael Woodford, a British, who was appointed CEO of

Basic Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Basic Statistics - Essay Example A negative correlation implies that the likelihood of depression reduces with an increase in age. A positive correlation would have been indicated by straight line implying that as a person ages there is an increase in the likelihood of individuals being depressed according to the data provided in book 5 (Weiss, 2006). In essence, an analysis of the data using SYSTAT implies that there is no significant correlation between age and depression. Age should therefore not be a factor when predicting the likelihood of an individual becoming depressed. Therefore, one can conclude that biological factors related to ageing do not affect the capacity of individuals to deal effectively and healthily with depression. In fact, the weak correlation implies that as one gets older perhaps due to experience and hardening they become less prone to depression. Analysis using SYSTAT indicates that the correlation between work and depression work and depression is actually -0.113. A correlation with a figure less that 1 indicates that there is no correlation between the two variables or the correlation could be very weak to be of any statistical significance. In this case one can comfortably conclude that there is no significant relationship between work and depression. The independent variable in this case was work and the dependent variable was depression. The correlation value in this case assumes a negative integer. The positive integer implies that there is a negative correlation between work and depression according to the data provided in book 5 (Weiss, 2006). This implies that if the value of the integer was 1 then it would have been expected that the people without work were more likely to be depressed that the people who were working. In essence, the data may be implying that although work is not a significant determinant with reg ard to the prevalence of depression according to the data, it

Automation Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Automation Tools - Essay Example However your data might change making your recorded macro unusable. Using a Do - Loop Until function will solve your problem as you are now able to instruct the macro how many times a particular set of instructions need to be completed. Using Variables - You are not able to use a variable to store data using the record macro function. You will have to resort to use the VB editor once again. Apart from the fact that you are able to store information in these variables, a fuction called Evaluate in VBA will let you use MS Excel commands like concatenate etc within VBA. You need not use Excel to do calculations. Even referencing conplicated fuctions such as DSUM varies according to your data. Using properties of a Cell selection - Lets say you need the cell address of every cell containing the word "Penguin" and have that on a separate sheet. Record Macro will not be able to give you the solution whatsoever. Using VB Editor, you can use the Cell.Find function to search for the word "Penguin" along with the selection.address function and enter the cell address into a variable. A message box can then be called using the Msgbox fuction to display the value stored in the variable. This example contains three different offings (variable, Selection.Address and Msgbox) which the record macro function is unable to offer. 1.(b) The are many ways of accessing the library. ... Others are by clicking the object library button on the toolbar or by clicking the Object Browser button in the view menu. The information provided by the library is quite large and in depth. It will provide the below information: Various Classes available Objects member available in a particular class The type of the object (Function, Property etc) The argument a function accepts along with the type of arguments Also the value type returned (Range, Long etc) As an example, if you search for "Offset" in the search box, you will find the following information in the display area: Property Offset([RowOffset], [ColumnOffset]) As Range read-only Member of Excel.Range This means that the function "Offset" is member of Class Range and Library Excel. The function accepts arguments in the form of the row number followed by column number and will treat it as a range. It is read only which means it can be used only to retrieve information but to enter any into the cell. 1.(c) VBA offers a number of debugging facilities. These are: Jump over: VBA will overlook a piece of code which has a single quotation mark in front of it. This way you can skip a particular line of code that you find to be causing an error. Run and Wait: VBA will allow you to select a line of coding by clicking the margin in front of it and highlighting it in red. It will run all the commands before the highlighted one and wait for you to check the highlighted one. You can then hover your mouse pointer over the highlighted code and the value of the result will be displayed. This is very useful while using variable. This method can be used for an entire selection of codes. 1.(d) Function mean(rng As Range) As Double Dim freq, total As Integer Dim r As

New Product Introduction (NPI) and The Technology and Application of Essay

New Product Introduction (NPI) and The Technology and Application of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) - Essay Example When a given company realizes that their products are comprehending competitions from other emerging opponents, the entire corporation within an institution raises awareness of its members and departments which may be out of the business cycle, unites them together and decides to provide another product that goes parallel with what they are doing for the purpose of harmonizing the company reputation. However, new product introduction is a process that needs time management; thus, while the entire team realizes competition, they work promptly to avoid resilience in marketing with an aim of producing a synchronized, qualified and timely fashionable product (Bernstein, 2001). Computer aided engineering in regard to its design, analysis and manufacture creates competence when included in the new product introduction process. As we consider technology globally, many companies worldwide use specialized computer aided software that helps various investors and entrepreneurs to scrutinize the growth of their business, manipulates customers’ feedback and competition within a given region; hence, the essence of effectiveness and time is addressed when technology is instituted within this process (Bernstein, 2001). Computer aided engineering is a process that encompasses the design work of given special software by specific manufacturers with an aim of creating substantial programs that can solve a given problem that people are facing globally. A manufacturer includes, at times, a single company or a group of companies that comes up with a given idea arising from their research, thus, creating software that can be run in a computer based operating system, and this program should meet both their design policies and computer requirements (Russell, 1985). Computer aided engineering professionals are capable of creating sensitive programs using special software. This software is designed in a special manner that can make various analyses within the shortest

Logon Identification and Password System Essay Example for Free

Logon Identification and Password System Essay This is with reference to the management’s approval to upgrade our Information Technology (IT) system or the structure of our computer processor in order to expedite the hospital’s operational processing. As the Information System Director of this hospital, I highly recommend the introduction and/or implementation of a Logon Identification and Password System or what we may technically refer to as the LIPS. The LIPS, which will be applied and carried out in our central processing unit, will require that once a user enters into the system, the computer unit prompts or requires for a user’s name and password. The said details should have been previously registered in the system so that it will be recognized because if not, the user will be unable to use any computer unit of the hospital such as our desktop computers and laptops or notebooks. Once this recommendation is considered, the system will work in such a way that it will speed up the computer processing which concerns all the possible information of each patient particularly his or her medical records in the hospital. Additionally, the LIPS aims to lessen the workload of concerned hospital personnel because the processor or mainframe will simplify the works which need to be done such as the computer processing of patients’ admission, laboratory results, billings and other related matters. Most importantly, the rationale behind this LIPS recommendation is the hospital’s objective to adapt and keep abreast with the technological demands and necessities of today’s modern setting. In doing so, we will be able to provide our public with an exceptional hospital service. For your information and approval.

Importance Of Geography To International Relations Politics Essay

Importance Of Geography To International Relations Politics Essay At first, it is necessary to identify the important issues that are going to be developed, I rather to start with the international relations which is the study of human interactions through national borders and the factors that affect those interactions. This definition briefly gives a globalized approach that makes people understand that nations are not the unique actor involve in the developed of the international relations but now there are many other institutions that actually affect those relationships and in some cases can change its complete direction. Those new actors can be intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, international nongovernmental organizations and multinational corporations. On the other hand, there is the geography that would be explained based on this quote: Geography is the study of the patterns and processes of human (built) and environmental (natural) landscapes, where landscapes comprise real (objective) and perceived (subjective) space.  [1]  , in a simple way the previous definition immediately reminds us to the key problem to treat. The most important relation between the geography and the international relations appeared when countries realize the differences they had with their neighboring countries, in culture, thinking and the last but the relevant one, the resources. In the final years of the XIX century began the study of the geopolitics  [2]  that appears as consequences of three important situations that occurred in the international level. The first one is the consolidation of nation-state that is a territory with a population whose has sovereignty and the power to manage that territory, when this word was defined, the head of the states was concern about having the bigger territory as it was possible, also appears terms related with the national interest. The second event that marked the study of geopolitics is the II industrial revolution where the main resource demanded was the economic capital and in a secondary instance, the natural resources; with the revolution, states become aware of the nee d of the resources that they did not have so they had to get it from other nation-states. The third thing is related to the liberalism and the socialism that in few words, are expansionist ideologies. The socialism that says that the best government is the one that guarantees the equality between the members of the society people under this believe thinks that the socialism is possible just if it is in a global scale, and the liberalism is the ideology of the believe that the democracy is the best polity and every single country must have it, these theory arises and develop the idea of the universal rights. The factors already named, are the causes of the emergence of the interrelation between the geography and the international relations because the strategic countries started to look in the non strategic countries a sources to get everything they needed to increase their economies and guarantee a successful development of their society, so they began invading other territories already delimited (randomly) and tried to impose their authority everywhere they arrive, this caused a drastically changed in the international relation because every single country realized that they were not alone and that now had to fight to keep the current state they had, also states were seeing each other as a treat, because of this there were continues fights. A significant example of this, is what happened in Europe in the final years of the XIX centuries, the time know as the age of imperialism. Having occurred a list of situations that changed the image that Europe had of themselves. European countries saw Africans as defenseless people that needed to be defended. They sent people to study the behavior of the people living in the black continent, after a period the powerful European countries were completely inside of Africa and had a control over it. The imperial that used strategies to get the richest (resources) places in Africa was Great Britain who developed important naval and military power to fight not just with Africans but also to defeat the other European countries such as Portugal, France and Germany that were also trying to expand their territory and sovereignty in the dominated country. Finally Great Britain got the power from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and from Cabo to Cairo. This has many consequences for the world order and organization, in this moment began the overseas trade of slaves and caused the emergence of African countries as nations whose h as their power based on guns. There some important authors that consider that without the age of imperialism do not hear were possible things like the spread of European languages in the hold world, also were an absence of institutions that makes the international relations what it is today. The previous paragraph shows how the application of the geography in the decisions to make in the international level (that affect another nations and their relation) can produce a lot of consequences, those would be positive or negative but the history shows that most of them has been positives and those that were negative, evolved while the time was running and now we live in a organized world that obviously is not perfect but at least spite of that are many potential fights, this can be and are controlled with the tools that international institutions has to keep the world order and the peaceful relations between nations. Another example that can be explained to prove the affirmation at the beginning is what is happening in the Antarctic, the polar caps are being thawed. But what happens with this situation? At first, it is known that many countries have their economy based in the freight transport or activities related to, some countries are Malaysia, Netherlands Panama and Singapore. The way how they are affected is because this important geographic change, caused because of an environmental issue, makes that the ports that are placed in those countries are not going to be as crowed as they used to be. All this because of the National geography showed a documental about how a group of Fishers in a big fishing boat decided to explore the Antarctic and see how difficult would be to cross from the Atlantic to the pacific to arrive to China, avoidant passed by the Indian Ocean. Second consequences is that now exist (for some countries) the possibility to distributed the last part of the world (the only one that has not being distributed) experts in geography and geopolitics affirms that it could (and most likely) leads to a struggle for having control over that zone. The third issue related to this change is about Netherlands, some projections demonstrate that if the polar caps continue thawing, this country ,that is place under the sea level and that has survive with the develop of very specific engineering, would be partially awash. Again it was prove, the international relations is considerably affected by the geography, this example is just a supposition of what would happen, but there consequences (positive or negative) may be much deeper of what it has been explained. Not to go too far, there is perfect example happening inside of Colombia and involve United States on one hand and on another hand is Venezuela and Ecuador. This is related to the military bases that United States has and use in Colombia. The interest of the US on having a close relation with Colombia is not exactly to help the country, but is for the geographical position. It is known that allied countries on Venezuela ´s side are facing the consequences of having a revolutionary government and in the case of Venezuela; they are having many structural changes to become a socialist country. Because of this, Venezuela and Ecuador are seen as potential threats. So, what US want is to somehow have a control over the region or at least being constantly reported about what is happening in those neighboring countries. The example shows how a geographical position of one country could become this attractive, for another country that is a world power, and leads to create and maintain a rel ation just to explore around him. Nowadays it still being important the geography in the international relations but, for many people, has took a secondary position in order of relevance, this is because of the globalization, with developing of technology, the media communication and the many cheap and fast means of transport, the hold world is constantly connected and easily what happens in one place has consequences in another extreme of the world. So, is not necessary to being neighboring countries to attack or to have influence over a region or country. Can be said that the affirmation made in the last paragraph is truth but has a critic and is that spite that the economies are highly developed, somewhere almost everything can be produce or invented and the transportation is not a problem anymore; there are some resources that are vital for a society to exist but that are scarce resources and the real fight will come when countries begin to use the force or the military force to obtain those scarce resources. Those are water and oil, but the last one is the one about the countries are already concern, everywhere there is people trying to find a complete substitute of this and there are many advances on it but oil continue having its key importance. Everybody would think that maybe the coming war is going to be in Europe again or maybe Asia but it is not, this war will be in the Middle East exactly where are placed Iraq, Iran and Syria. All this is because between those countries they have the 55% of the world ´Ã‚  [3]  s oil res erves. Finally, can be said that the geography is not a physical study but also gets involves in the human activities and interactions, also is related to the international relations being more specific, is related to the foreign policy of a country, this is because when an issue about distribution (resources, land, space, sea) emergence every single country need to establish their position and an idea of how are they going to act when facing the issue. When the geopolitics appeared, there were some events that mark the way it was going to be studied and how would be that study based on. Those events are the definition of nations-states (territory, population and sovereignty), the II industrial revolution that made countries to see the need of interdependence they should create and have, to develop the production and the new definition in that time, the economies of scale. The third factor that influence the study of the geopolitics is the liberalism and the socialism that are theories about the best polities to be applied on a state. Another important argument that supports the affirmation was the historical approach, because there plenty of evidence that shows that we are not alone and is needed to interact with other countries and organizations in order to get an improvement or to decrease a threat. Well, States are interconnected, and is important to keep a peaceful relation to maintain a world order and stability in the international level. When a problem is being studied, it is vital to go to a Geographic map to understand which could be the geographical factors that influence in the develop of the problem or also doing this, can be conclude that the problem is a totally about a geographical factor. Also many people involve in the geopolitics believes that the international relation just talks about who can do what to whom  [4]   and this would not to be answer without taking into account many other science but from all of it, the most determinant is the geography.

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Comparing Dishonesty in The Physicians a

Dishonesty and Hypocrisy in The Physician's and Pardoner's Tales      Ã‚   Chaucer presents characters in the Physician's and Pardoner's Tales who are very similar to each other in one important way. Although the characters seem on the surface to be mirror images of each other, they have an important underlying similarity: both the physician and the pardoner are not what they appear to be to most people. Both are hypocritical, although they show this hypocrisy in different ways.    One way of seeing this hypocrisy, in the case of the physician's tale, is to examine the way the similarities and differences between the knight Virginius and the physician himself in terms of what he sees as moral actions. It seems fairly clear that the physician identifies himself with Virginius during the telling of the tale. One of the main ways in which the physician identifies with Virginius is by sharing his concern for Virginia's future state of virtue. He shows his concern with Virginia's future by speculating on whether she will continue to be "a thousand foold moore vertuous" than she is beautiful -- as she is at the beginning of the tale -- when she "woxen is a wyf" (VI.40; VI.71). Virginius shows his concern for his daughter's virtue by killing her rather than allowing her chastity to be compromised; the physician shows that he believes it necessary for a father to guard his daughter's virtue in a long comment (VI.71-104) describing a father's duty to have his daughter w atched over by governesses, or "maistresses" (VI.71).    The most important way in which Virginius differs from the physician -- and the physician clearly does not see this -- is in the moral application of the tale. The physician clearly intends for the ta... ...uthority or to skim beneath the surface of the tale, as is shown by the hostility of the host. Harry Bailly does not respond to the pardoner's accusation that he is "moost envoluped in synne," but merely appeals to force in threatening the pardoner.    Neither achieves the result that he wants, and the reason for this failure in each case is his general failure to be honest, either with others (in the case of the pardoner) or with himself (in the case of the physician). For this reason, Chaucer pokes fun at both of them in subtle ways throughout their tales.    References Benson, C. David. Explanatory Notes to "The Physician's Tale" in The Riverside Chaucer. General Ed. Benson, Larry D. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales in The Riverside Chaucer. General Ed. Benson, Larry D. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

celebrity worship :: essays research papers

Everyone has an entertainer that we follow and like, but when does that like of a person become more than that. Is it possible for a person to become obsessed with an individual you don’t even know? Unfortunately it is, according to an article entitled: A cognitive profile of individuals who tend to worship celebrities, celebrity worship is a form of parasocial interaction in which individuals become obsessed with 1 or more celebrities. This obsession is similar to an erotomanic type of delusional disorder in which the individual believes that another person is passionately in love with them. A group of psychologist wanted to determine if this obsession/worship of celebrities had any common characteristics amongst the individuals. They conducted several test: celebrity attitude scale, intense-personal, and 6 cognitive measures. At the end of these tests they found that people with higher cognitive functioning are better at realizing reality then those with lower functioning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I thought that this group of psychologist that conducted this study did a very good job of randomizing the test to minimize the probability of a systematic order effect. As well as making sure that the groups were well divided and used several measures to arrive to their conclusion. Although a sample size of 102 people was used for the testing the group wasn’t chosen by random selection. Also the group itself wasn’t evenly distributed; it contained 81 men with only 21 women. I don’t really understand how they concluded with there test that lower cognitive function was a common trait of celerity worshipers. This statement is too generalized for me; it covers a very large range of people of which not all show obsessive behaviors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This study was executed in a good manner but I believe that if they would have increased their selection group (not just a particular group of students) and also balanced out the group sexually them more accurate results.

West Side Story :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie takes place in the West Side of New York, in the late 1950s.The Jets are a teenage gang of American boys determined not only to check but to destroy the growth of Puerto Rican population and influence on their block. They are opposed by a Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, led by Bernardo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the entirely dance sene, the members of the two rival gangs provoke each other. A fight breaks out between them, but it's broken up by the arrival of two cops. After the police has got rid of the Puerto Ricans, Riff, the leader of the Jets, informs his gang that he will challenge Bernardo to a decisive rumble that night at a dance. The Jets are convinced of their invincibility, they sing the Jet song.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Riff tries to talk his friend Tony into being his lieutenant for the challenge. Tony, who is the co-founder of the Jets, has been growing away from the gang and is now working at Doc's, the neighborhood's drugstore. Tony reluctantly agrees to meet Riff at the dance and sings about his feelings the song he sings is called something's comming i think. The Jets, led by Riff and Graziella, and the Sharks, led by Bernardo and his girl Anita, meet at the dance in the neighborhoood gym, where in choreography their violent hostility to each other is reflected when they dance at the gym.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the frenzied dancing, Tony meets the lovely Maria. She is Bernardo's sister who has just arrived from Puerto Rico to marry Chino. To both Tony and Maria, it's love at first sight. But Bernardo stops them from dancing together and insists that Chino takes Maria home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later the challenge is made for a war council to decide on weapons for the rumble. Meanwhile, Tony walks through the streets, thinking only of his new love, Maria . On a tenement rooftop, Bernardo, his girlfriend Anita and their friends joyfully sing about the relative quality of life among Puerto Ricans in New York. At midnight, the Sharks boys go off to the war council, much to Anita's annoyance at Bernardo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meanwhile, Tony finds the building where Maria lives and he climbs up her fire escape to meet her. They sing of their lovetonight. They plan to meet in the bridal shop where Maria is employed the next day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At Doc's drugstore, Riff and the Jets are warned by Krupke, a cop, no to cause any trouble on the block.

Whirlpool: Maintaining a Sustainable Competition in the Industry

The U.S. appliance market was completely saturated in 1986. Increased pressure from other companies like GE who implemented a $1 billion restructuring project on its appliance division, and Electrolux, a company that just inherited WCI and hence became a huge presence within the U.S., gave the Whirlpool top management concern on how to stay competitive. Whirlpool knew that the three main markets for home appliance were in the U.S., Europe and Japan. The U.S. market, as previously stated was saturated. Most U.S. appliance purchases were replacement purchases, which did not allow for much add-ons. This made the U.S. a battleground for intense marketing and increased pressures to cut costs dramatically. The unsaturated European market had more potential in 1986. Europe had a large market share in 1986 that analysts suspected would last well into 1993. Europe also had more potential for innovation and add-ons as opposed to simply replacement appliances like those of the United States. One concern over Europe, however, was that it was extremely fragmented and hence not easy to achieve economies of scale. Japan, the last player was also a site for potential growth. It was a smaller market than Europe, however, and there was already a strong presence of Japanese appliance manufacturers there. Whirlpool considered pursuing a joint venture with Phillips, an internationally established company. Phillips has an established appliance department, but Phillips wanted to concentrate its efforts on other projects like welding, energy cable and furniture. Phillips was willing to spin-off its appliance division and to give Whirlpool a certain percentage of the new company. Based on the fact that Whirlpool wants to remain a competitive player in the appliance industry, it should pursue international expansion and clench the first mover advantage over GE while increasing pressure on Electrolux. Whirlpool should go along with the Phillips joint venture due to Phillip†s strong international presence and its strong appliance division. Whirlpool should consider concentrating on expansion in Europe. The countries may be fragmented, but there is evidence that there is increased future collaboration amongst the countries and their purchasing decisions. Furthermore, Whirlpool can cut costs by vertically integrating its components and changing only the exterior of the appliances if need be.

What Role Does Language and Language Diversity Play in the Critical Thinking Process?

Language is one of the greatest tools for people. Through languages we are able to communicate with other people through our sadness, joy, anger and confusion. When there are two people, it is inevitable that our lines will cross and how it resolves depends on communication. Language helps us organize what we wish to tell the other person. When we don’t know the language well enough, we experience difficulty in understanding each other. Furthermore, it is widely held that knowing more language widens our understanding of our experiences. Part of the reason is because when you learn new languages, you learn the culture that comes with it. For example, we cannot fully learn the Korean language without know in the culture. In the learning process, we must learn the culture within the language itself. We also need to be aware that some words do not translate to other language. In that case, we have to think critically on how we could describe in the best way to communicate. As we do that, we acquire more skill in communicating to another, such as considering what the other person might be experiencing. Language and language diversity play a big part in organizing, summarizing, and most importantly responding to the whole process of critical thinking. In critical thinking, communication is the outcome and language obviously is a big part of communication. Communication requires understanding. As I introduced, language is designed so that we can communicate for understanding what and how we feel. Using visual language such as gestures, signs, and pictures also helps with the process of understanding. Interestingly, words have ambiguous meanings based on the different contexts. It is very important to be able to recognize the context in which the word is used in order that there will be clear critical thinking. I believe that language empowers or limits the expression of our thoughts, however I also know that we have emotions that are very difficult to describe. With a lack of vocabulary, we can have a very difficult time in expressing our true thoughts and feelings. Language is made so that we can communicate our emotions within ourselves, and if it is difficult to deliver that precise message, it has the power to enhance or limit the expression of our thoughts. For instance, if I was to speak with a person who speaks a different language, it will be difficult to deliver the a clear message because of the language barrier. The only thing that could help in the situation is the personal knowledge of the language. If we know the multiple meanings of words and the background of the person you are speaking to, we probably could define terms carefully and position our words correctly. Critical thinking could be the most important role in process of persuasion. First, we have to examine and evaluate the situation from several different points of view in order to establish our opinion. This is very similar to the step of selection in critical thinking. Then, we need to collect the source that supports the opinion. This will help greatly when summarizing the conclusion. In the next step, critical thinking will be used again as we need to realize the importance of understanding the issues. One of the most important aspects that we need to be aware of in persuasion is to understand what the other person is thinking for the purpose of better persuasion. Lastly, we need to summarize the game plan, in other words, how you will present according to the opinion and logical analysis with relevant sources. As I describe this step by step, I am convinced that critical thinking holds a crucial role in persuasion. It is essential to be aware of the power of language. It allows us to communicate and understand to advance in our society. Knowledge will also be passed on through language, and when you combine that knowledge with critical thinking, it will widen your understanding to be able to communicate with different people. When language empowers or limits the expression of our thoughts, we need to think critically to seek for the words that might be able to tell the other person what you really feel. Lastly, persuasion can be interfered by the emotions. We need to maintain within critical thinking to be able to analyze logically. If we do not use the language properly, it will cause misunderstanding, hurt, and damages through communications. However, if we know how to use it right and have the better knowledge and understanding, it will help to make this world to a better place.

Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1934?

The S. A. was, essentially, the private army of the NSDAP. During the years of endemic violence in Germany after its defeat in the First World War until 1925, and again after 1930, after the prosperity brought by the Young plan evaporated with the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, such private armies were commonplace, and indeed necessary. Many members of the S. A. had come out of the defeated German army, and were in effect mercenary thugs. The principal attraction of the S. A. to many of its members was not the political ideology of the party for which it worked (although a great many of them were probably Nazi sympathizers), but rather its pomp, regalia and display (the S. A. wore the uniform of the defeated German army, evoking patriotic spirit among both its members and the general public), which were used to great effect to boost party membership (indeed, this was one of the main aims of the S. A.) and to attract new sympathizers. The main job of the S. A. was to provide security for the Nazi party, particularly at its rallies, which could easily have been ruined with the presence of a few hardcore opposition supporters intent on causing damage to their political enemies; equally, the S. A. was designed to disrupt the meetings of opposition parties, and to attack (physically, rather than verbally) their politicians, and, particularly when the Nazis were in power, the Jews. The S. A. offered stability to its members, in a time at which unemployment was astronomically high; it also gave a sense of purpose to its more politically motivated members, who may well have felt that they were fighting for the good of the Fatherland. Indeed, the ideologies of members of the S. A. varied widely, from the nationalist conservatives in the army whose views verged on the fascist, to those with strong socialist sympathies, such as Rohm, the leader of the S. A. until the ‘Night of the Long Knives' in June 1934. b. Explain the reasons why the Wall Street Crash was important to the success of the Nazis after 1929. The main effect of the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 on the politics of Germany was the polarization of political opinion that it caused. The Crash caused the United States to recall the loans that it had made to Germany (and to other European powers, although they were less badly affected than Germany because they owed less money to the US, as Germany was being rebuilt almost entirely with US money after the war), thus causing economic chaos. A banking crisis led to a sharp drop in spending, causing businesses to go bankrupt, and thus causing mass unemployment. The people that lost out the most were the middle classes, as the very rich had enough money that they could get by easily, and the poor were mostly agricultural workers, who could survive by subsistence farming and selling their goods, which were essential to everyone. Almost all of the more enthusiastic supporters of the democratic Weimar republic also came from the middle classes, and with the collapse in their way of life caused by the Wall Street Crash and subsequent financial crisis in Germany, the government inevitably shouldered much of the blame. With most of the government's support having evaporated, people inevitably looked to alternative systems of rule – principally those at almost diametrically opposite ends of the spectrum: the nationalist ultra-conservative Nazi party, who promised to sort out the country, and the Communists and Socialists (Russia had been unaffected by the Wall Street Crash, owing to the fact that private ownership of land – and thus the mortgages upon which people in Germany had to default – was forbidden). It is worth remembering that the Nazi party was not the only party to which people turned in the times of hardship after the Wall Street Crash. While the support for Weimar universally collapsed, both the Communists and Nazis gained seats in the September 1930 Reichstag elections (although the Nazis did so in far greater quantity – their number of seats rose by 983% in the elections, as opposed to the Communists' relatively meagre forty-three percent rise). However, it is certain that this huge rise in popularity was caused, for the most part, by the middle classes deserting Weimar, and giving their support to the Nazi Party, which was, after all, far more respectable than the Communist Party. So convinced were many industrialists (notably the Thyssen and Schnitzler families) by Hitler's anti-communist promises that they gave large sums of money to the Nazi party, a fact which demonstrates the respect given to the Nazi Party by many people held in high regard. While the Wall Street Crash was a principal factor in the rise of the Nazi party, it was by no means the only one. The death in October 1929 of Gustav Stresemann, the extremely able Chancellor, struck another blow to the Weimar government, contributing to its loss of popular confidence. He was succeeded by Brunning, who imposed a rigorous economic policy of cuts, enforced by presidential decree from the aging von Hindenburg, which, although they may have been a possible solution to the economic problems of Germany, were deeply unpopular, and meant that still fewer middle class people supported the democratic system of government. His foreign policy, however, was remarkably similar to Hitler's – he talked of remilitarizing the Rhineland, and even of Anschluss with Austria. The blaming of the Communists and consequent elimination of opposition in the next elections after the Reichstag fire was also an extremely important factor in the NSDAP's gaining a majority in the Reichstag and thus eventual power, with Hitler as Chancellor. The Wall Street Crash was thus important to the rise of the Nazi party after 1929 because it resulted in an economic crisis in Germany, which precipitated a loss of confidence in the Weimar government from the middle classes. The hard times in Germany led to political polarization, and, while the Nazis were not the only beneficiaries of this, they certainly received a boost in their levels of support. However, it was not the only reason for their rise to power – the Reichstag fire and thus the elimination of opposition to the Nazi party, and before that, the death of Stresemann, both contributed to the NSDAP's rise to power.

Ebonics & Education Essay

The Ebonics controversy in America has developed into a major conflict over the years. It has become a more serious concern within the public school system. The complex where the nation’s school systems lower their expectations of black youth to coincide with the patterns of Ebonics, the word used to refer to African American Vernacular English, has resulted in an epidemic where blacks graduate from High School reading three grade levels below their white counterparts. For the multiple number of theories that attempt to explain this phenomenon, very few have been able to counter the adverse culture that has developed in America as a product of Ebonics being considered a valid dialect. A wide range of theorists and politicians have used the American educational system as a platform on which to gain civil approval. There is a popular consensus that income designates the quality of one’s education in America. This state of socioeconomic prejudice has a detrimental effect on the face of our society. It can be argued that a single standard curriculum should be equally implemented and taught throughout the nation, and that this curriculum should be similar to the elite executive curriculum, which Jean Anyon identifies as the best education our country has to offer in her article Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work. She identifies how many believe that private and public sector schools should be merged together, along with their curriculums (2006). She breaks down education into two curriculums, upper class and lower class, or working and executive class. Equalizing the differences between these two forms of education has always been the job of standardized testing. Initially standardized testing in America was used to asses one’s calculative ability. It is now being replaced, starting at the middle school level, with a format that revolves around authentic assessment (Wiggins, 1990). Authentic assessment is the direct evaluation of student performance through tasks that exercise their intellect. The tests are also known to evaluate creativity, listening and comprehension skills, experimental research in science, speaking and discussion skills and historical inquiry. It has been designed to replace traditional standardized testing, which means it eventually will be used in all schools across the nation to identify the intellectual elite. This is considered to be a major advent in education that will counter act the nation’s stigma of low expectations ushered in by the validation of Ebonics. A major cause of the low expectations placed on black youth in schools can partly be credited to those doing the research, as Kimberly Griffin points out in her article Striving for Success: A Qualitative Exploration of Competing Theories of High-Achieving Black College Students’ Academic Motivation, when she says, research on the academic performance of Black students has focused on low-achievers, framing their academic motivation as maladaptive and driven by externally (e. g. , competition or compliance) rather than internally (e. g. love of learning) generated forces (Griffin, 2006). This heavy focus on those blacks who have low quality achievement, has led to a neglect in the understanding of what drives the higher achieving students to be successful. Findings show that self-determination theory, socio-cognitive theory, and attribution theory cannot individually explain the motivation of these Black high-achievers. Instead, a multidimensional framework that incorporates all three models and that highlights internal and external sources of motivation best accounts for these students’ experiences (Griffin, 2006). Griffin goes on to cite an interview with a young black student that was less affluent than others. The dialogue reveals that the pressure of stereotypes and low expectations has a weighing effect on the level of effort and achievement that black students have in the class room. This is a stigma that is present whether the student is of a lower or higher class, but the lower the class of the student the even heavier the stereotypes are that weigh on them. I think probably intrinsically I might have felt at one point that I needed to try harder, because I was Black, to not be a stereotype . . . not just chill, you know, talk with Ebonics or stuff like—the stereotype that people have of Black people. I purposely try to steer away from that. I think that’s certainly definitely, in a certain respect, that’s true (Griffin, 2006). This pressure that stems from the inherent stereotypes perpetuated through the use of Ebonics is even further enhanced by a misunderstanding of this complex between the students and their teachers. Griffin points this out as well when she says, the fact that many [teacher education] students do not share the same ethnic, social, racial and linguistic backgrounds as their students may lead to cultural incongruencies in the classroom which can mediate against educational effectiveness( Griffin, 2006). It is Griffin’s belief that these incompatibilities between the black students and their predominantly white teachers results in a complex to be maladaptive, in a way that is very evident. These incompatibilities are evident in value orientation, behavioral norms and expectations and styles, social interactions, self presentation, communication and cognitive processing (Griffin, 2006). Griffin’s article proves that even the system through which these students are studied for the purpose of better improving their achievement is a vicious cycle itself filled with misunderstandings and blatant neglect of the methods that may actually be successful, specifically teaching methods like andragogy and reflective learning. Androgogy and reflective learning are two educational forms that have become very prevalent at the collegiate level. They are considered to be the two best teaching methods in educating adults. This has been found to be specifically true for pre-med and science majors in college, due to andragogy’s focus on authentic assessment (Kolb 2001, p. 1975). Authentic assessment is the direct evaluation of student performance through tasks that exercise their intellect. These evaluations tend to exercise their: creativity, listening and comprehension skills, experimental research in science, speaking and discussion skills and historical inquiry. It largely corresponds with standardized testing (Kolb 2001, p. 1975). Authentic assessment asks that students acquire knowledge and be able to practice logic as apposed to just being able to regurgitate pre-fed facts. The main characteristics of these evaluations, is that they apply standardized test curriculum to real life circumstances. Authentic assessment is the product of a reform in education. This shift is to make standardized testing less drill oriented and applicable to what is expected will be necessary in the students’ adult life. These tests hold students to higher standards as well as create a growing body of accurate awareness pertaining to student learning. This way the teacher learns from the student as well. The key argument these test pose is that for the traditional testing method, the right answers are not rationales. This basically acknowledges that the level of logic required for traditional standardized tests is lacking. This is due to a relationship that involves test takers who simply cram for their tests, and instructors who feel the tests have no relevance to their teaching ability. This is a common occurrence that has resulted in resentment for traditional standardized testing on the behalf of both parties involved. Authentic assessment is a genuine push towards the implementation of more authentic tasks. Instructors find it easier to apply these tasks to their curriculum and students find it easier to assess what is expected of them. It is considered a form of improving overall performance, in a testing system traditionally structured solely to monitor it. This fault in western education is the main catalyst for shifts in standardized testing that focus more on authentic assessment and experiential learning. Medical students and students pursuing the sciences, like psychology or sociology, are expected to have certain skills appropriate for the practice of their profession. This requires a form of learning that can assesses curriculum and then apply it to real life situations. As well as the medical and science field, andragogy and reflective learning is being used to enhance the productivity of multimillion dollar corporations. Experiential learning thus involves a, ‘direct encounter with the phenomena being studied rather than merely thinking about the encounter, or only considering the possibility of doing something about it. (Borzak 1981: 9 quoted in Brookfield 1983). This sort of learning is sponsored by an institution and might be used on training programmes for professions such as social work and teaching or in field study programmes such as those for social administration or geography courses. Kolb, David A. , ‘david a. kolb on experiential learning’ Kolb breaks down understanding of experiential learning into an understanding of the American educational systems use of the field trip and project based learning (Kolb 2001, p. 1975). While project based learning is considered to be one of the best methods of learning for all individuals because it promotes authentic assessment, and thus provides young black students especially to expand their understanding of the Western culture from which they have been systematically alienated, it is also very expensive to organize. Anyon discovers that the majority of contemporary textbook instruction is designed for the working class. PBL programs are usually not supported in public schools because of the amount of funding they require. This discrepancy is usually applicable to public schools and whether one is located near high income housing or low income housing. Jonathan Kozol describes the discrepancies between these two types of schooling in his interview with Marge Scherer. In the interview titled, On Savage Inequalities: A Conversation with Jonathan Kozol, he talks about his experience in St. Louis and how the schools in low income areas, which are predominantly black, barely have money for water, while the schools near by in the wealthier districts could buy advanced school supplies as well as carryout project based learning, such as field trips. Kozol credits this problem to the use of property tax to fund schools in low income areas. He states: we ought to finance the education of every child in America equitably, with adjustments made only for the greater or lesser needs of certain children. And that funding should all come from the collective wealth of our society, mainly from a steeply graduated progressive income tax. (Kozol) This particular tax could make project based learning more affordable, which would be the most influential step to improving classroom education. The most common contemporary example of PBL is dissecting insects and animals. It has become an American tradition and almost a right of passage in high school. Project Based Management has a very beneficial influence on the education of our country. One might wonder why it’s not the only curriculum used. The use of chaperones, instructional tools, and methods of transportation are often required and considered expensive. The benefit is that people tend to remember more from their field trips than textbook lessons and many of these labs require authentic assessment, which is good considering the new shift in standardized testing. The downfall is in the fact that authentic assessment is dependent on the student’s past experiences. This allows for some projects to result in the isolation of certain students. The inner city children are deprived because their school systems can’t afford implementing PBL curriculums. Chairperson of the Department of Education at Rutgers University, in her essay From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work Jean Anyon analyzes the nature of underprivileged education. Anyon argues that depending on their social class, different levels of educations are available to young people. This mostly applies to schools in different districts and social communities and it can particularly be seen in the difference between private and public schooling. To make the concept clear, she further applies this to a description of a kind of mental segregation happening within the classroom; in which, students sitting next to one another are rewarded differently solely based on their socioeconomic standing in the community. She does this by pointing out that, students in different social-class backgrounds are rewarded for classroom behaviors that correspond to personality traits allegedly rewarded in the different occupational strata – the working classes for docility and obedience, the managerial classes for initiative and personal assertiveness. (Anyon) This is the key ideal of Anyon’s theory. An example of the theory at work can be seen in research that finds project based learning prepares students for more abstract assessment, and prepares them to handle real world situations, as opposed to those in the textbook. PBL is most prevalent in private and high income community public schools. This creates a system where the students taught in the private schools are taught to think independently in a rational but unconfined way, while the lower income children are only taught to follow instructions. These differing perspectives on education have had a controversial and conflicting history in America. Gary Colombo based much of his research on this conflict. Gary Colombo argues that the majority of the Founding Fathers were wealthy conservatives who were honestly opposed to democracy. This signifies them as an elitist class constructing laws that will better maintain their control of the government. Their initial goal was to keep power in the hands of the wealthy, and prevent the majority from realizing their strength. One major modern day justifications for this elitist view is that, these framers were the same men who risked their lives for the good of others by signing the declaration of independence, and they are getting what is owed to them. It is Garry Colombo’s view that these patriots did not intend to revolutionize democracy, but that their sole intention was to gain independence from Britain in order to get the country out of their pockets. Aware that the Constitution would be opposed by the working class, who made up the majority of the people, the construction of the deceleration and its signing were held in private. The media was used conceal the constitution’s actual goal, while at the same time to persuade people in its favor. Along with a literate media Colombo points out that the American government found it necessary, particularly during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, to promote and finance a literate working class. It is Colombo’s view that the sole purpose of their education was to develop individuals who would maintain the nation. These educated individuals were viewed as secondary to their task. This is the first sign in American history of education being used to exploit people for the benefit of the government. By identifying the failure of Thomas Jefferson to educate the Native American people, Colombo shows that American education was initially designed with absolutely no regard for the people. He best displays this conflict when he cites a letter written by a Native American to the President. our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same with yours†¦several of our young people were formerly brought up at the college of the northern provinces they were instructed in all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad runners; ignorant of every means of living in the woods; unable to bear either cold or hunger; knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy†¦they were totally good for nothing. (Colombo) Here Colombo identifies that, quality in education is deemed only as good as its ability to assimilate one into the culture in which they live. This assimilation is not one that produces equal opportunity for its participants. As previously proven by Anyon, socioeconomic conditions impede this dream dramatically from coming into fruition. In sum, Anyon argues that today’s working class curriculums center more on teaching black students to follow instructions rather than teaching them how to authentically assess problems. She undeniably proves that the children of higher income families are not taught in this fashion, and they are steered more towards developing skills in problem solving and decision making. Ebonics only further expands this gap between classes, considering the level of stereotypes that come along with its practice and the powerfully influential stigma that blacks are subject to as a result. If students are subject to the exact same nationwide testing, it would only be just that they receive the same educational curriculums. By using Ebonics in the school system, the nation is alienating blacks from the main stream through both class and race. Lower income students are being herded into remedial work, while the upper class students are being prepared for executive positions. This is an immoral practice, but there are risks that can occur if Anyon’s elitist curriculum is equally distributed throughout the country. Everyone can not manage the corporation some have to toil for the sake of the company. The working class may potentially have a better understanding of executive duties, if Anyon’s curriculum is implemented. With a greater appreciation for the business structure, working class employees may be educated enough to demand more benefits from their companies. The end result of implementing Anyon’s theory is that there will be a more diverse group of qualified candidates from which corporations select. This makes the face of corporate America as cultured as the nation it’s in, and it eliminates much of the disadvantaging prejudice that comes with elitism. This is proof that it is wise to utilize Anyon’s elite curriculum throughout all school systems. Every income scale should be accessible among all races and nationalities, but to assume that the children of high income families will work remedial jobs so the poor can be executives is irrational. Anyon’s curriculum must be set into action with the hope that it levels the playing field, and Ebonics needs to be abolished as a credible English vernacular.

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 6

Business Economics - Essay Example Britain’s main manufactured export products are fuels, chemicals, food and beverages, tobacco, and aerospace products among others. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Britain’s purchasing power parities (PPPs) has declined tremendously for the last few years (OECD, 2007). Accordingly Yahoo! Finance quoting UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), asserts the economy has shrunk by 0.3 percent within the year, much lower than that of Unite Sates and the regional European average (Yahoo! Finance, 2009) [Figure:1]. However the weak Sterling-pound has nonetheless seen a rebounding of the manufacturing sector as exports grew cheaper yet analysts predict a depressed future as Britain’s GDP fell to 2.9 percent by November 2009 which was the heaviest since July 1985s 4.0 percent turndown when UK’s manufacturing sector was heavily deindustrialization (ONS, 2009). Davis (2002) attributes this deindustrialisation to the prevalent lethargy in growth, escalating labour costs, out-sourcing production to lower labour cost centres, globalisation and the impact of imports infiltration. According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, the manufacturing industry accounted for just 16 percent of GDP output and only 13 percent in employment while the service industry controlled 83 percent of exports by 2003 (ONS, 2009). Although Britain is sixth world industrialised country, its manufacturing industry as in the US has been rapidly overtaken by the services industry. During the 1970s and 80s, the sector lost approximately 3.5 million jobs while the services industry created a similar number of jobs in the 1990s particularly in the financial sector the country’s largest employer [see Figure: 2]. The change in momentum from the manufacturing to services has been reflected in the geographical spread shifting from the northern regions to

Marks And Spencers Business Strategy Assignment

Marks And Spencers Business Strategy - Assignment Example The company has a very humble beginning but it has grown significantly over time to become a leader within the business industry of its operations. The company has dominated the British market for a long time. Its dominance is attributed to the value and quality of the clothing products that it offers its customers with a view of gaining their loyalty to its products. Marketing Week, (2005, p. 9) reveals that it is through the value that Marks and Spencer has for the needs of the customers that shoppers have been obliged to desire its products as opposed to those of the competitors. With time, the company has grown and diversified its products significantly and in addition to clothing, the company provides its customers with furniture, food and loan services. This paper gives a critical discussion and analysis of the business strategy of Marks and Spencer Plc with a view of analyzing and evaluating the company’s strategy using Porters Generic Strategy Framework. Moreover, the company is assessed in terms of acceptability, feasibility and suitability toward all of its stakeholders. Analyzing Marks and Spencer’s Strategy Business Strategy In 1999, the glory that Marks and Spencer had in the market started to crumble. This was illustrated by the fall in profits. As a result of the failure that the company experienced, it has endeavored to apply the most suitable business strategy so that it would remain competitive within the market and maintain its glory. Davies (1999, p. 60) points out that Marks and Spencer adopted a Competitive Strategy Model and Value Chain so that it would recover from the previous failures and challenges and thus maintain its competitive advantage while remaining as the market leader of the industry of its operation.... Davies (1999, p. 60) points out that Marks and Spencer adopted a Competitive Strategy Model and Value Chain so that it would recover from the previous failures and challenges and thus maintain its competitive advantage while remaining as the market leader of the industry of its operation. Kenny (2009) adds that it is through the Competitive Strategy Model and Value Chain that Marks and Spencer has regained its glory which is revealed by its current success and competitiveness in the market. The SWO analysis of the company which reflects its competitiveness is presented in Appendix 1. Business Environment and Strategy Datamonitor (2007, p. 1) demonstrates that the five forces of generic Strategies as postulated by Porter have been proved to be the most effective aids for businesses in the attainment of a competitive edge within the business environment. The key areas under which Porters Generic Strategy Framework analyzes businesses the power of suppliers, the power of buyers, the thr eat of substitutes, the threat of entry and the competitive rivalry. Grundy (2005, p. 195) explains that the business environment involves various forces which determine the success of a company and these include competition and economic, social, legal and cultural forces. The ability of a company to survive the challenges which the environment presents it with is determined by the implementation of a suitable business strategy which ensures that a competitive advantage is gained and attained. Beaver (1999, p. 325) recommends a Competitive Strategy Model as a way of allowing a company to overcome the environmental forces and thus become a market leader and the most competitive business in the market. Therefore the implementation of the Competitive Strategy Model by Marks and Spencer

The Results of Safety Training at the Moline Plant and Recommendations Essay

The Results of Safety Training at the Moline Plant and Recommendations for Future Trainings - Essay Example As the research discovers the tendency of decrease of safety incidents was slowed down in the middle of the evaluation period, which corresponds to our pre-training expectations. In this regard, one of the most important factors that contributed to the mentioned positive trend from the very beginning of the evaluation period was the high level of employee`s motivation in relation to observance of safety rules, confirmed by the questionnaires distributed in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end of the evaluation period. The decline in the level of employee`s motivation in relation to observance of safety rules was marked in the middle of the evaluation period, which correlates with the slowed decrease of safety incidents. In this regard, the important conclusion can be drawn that for safety trainings to remain maximally effective for prolonged periods of time, they should be integrally incorporated into the work process at the Moline plant in the future. This paper stresses that building on the above-mentioned considerations, some relevant recommendations can be made as to the ways to achieve the most effective inclusion of regular safety trainings, and safety culture as such as well, to the work process at the Moline plant. Firstly, the practice of involvement of contract trainers has had mixed results and should be reevaluated. As a matter of fact, two of the four trainers received relatively low ratings from the students.

Power politics and the interaction among states Essay

Power politics and the interaction among states - Essay Example E-government has become a reality in most leading economies around the world including the USA, UK and most of the members of the European Union. Realism Realism is the school of thought that favors power politics and came up in the aftermath of World War II. Foreign policy makers and scholars rely on realism to provide a platform for analyzing and understanding the political climate of the world. The role of power in world politics came to the forefront after the conquest of the world by Nazism. The Second World War was believed to have been caused by various premises of idealism including ideas of collective security. Idealism may have had a great hand in world politics, especially in formation of the UN, but it was superseded by realism. Countries of the world held the idea that the only way to attain peace was through military action and war. Realism is based on several basic assumptions. These include that states are primary and most important entities in politics of the world. The other assumption is that states are unitary rational factors in world politics. The last assumption is that states seek power as their primary means and end. The assumptions are important in settling various international relations problems in the world. Some schools of thoughts hold that politics is a non-violent struggle for power. According to them, all policies enacted by politicians seek to gain, retain or increase power. Naturally, states are at the most advantageous position to exercise power and therefore, they are the most important entities in power. Military capability of a country is one of the most important measures of power. Analysts and realists hold the principles that since states are the most important entities in international relations, their power can be exercised through interstate relations. States act through their governments which act in a rational manner pursing national interests in an environment characterized by anarchy. Governments have a set of p rinciples and goals that they strive to achieve through various policies. In the ‘70s, various scholars challenged the concept of realism. Multinational corporations are non-state actors in international relations and during this era, they emerged as strong influences on international policies of various states. International organized groups such as the UN came up during this period. The scholars found that states cannot be held as the central most important players in politics. MNC have a great influence on politics. There were important changes in the structure of international systems in the second half of the twentieth century. Changes in technology used in transport and communication had an important impact on global politics. Increased independence of states led to a greater level of interstate relations. New issues emerged in the economic, social and political arenas of most countries. The state-centric assumption of realism came under criticism in the 1971 essay by Ro bert Keohane and Joseph Nye. Their essay recognized the importance of transnational interaction. According to them, nongovernmental actors have a great role to play in interactions between states. Their conclusion invalidated the claim that the state was the single most important player in politics. They suggested further research into various actors in politics (Keohane & Nye, 1971). Richard Mansbach and John Vasquez also advanced the theory of non-state actors. Their study concentrated on

Macro Environment Pepsi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Macro Environment Pepsi - Essay Example The major factors of social and political organization within the vastly diverse population are language, religion and caste. The economy of India is the fourth-largest in the world as gauged by purchasing power parity (PPP), with a GDP of US $3.36 trillion. When measured in USD exchange-rate terms, it is the tenth largest in the world, with a GDP of US $692 billion (2004). (Kapoor, pp 3-5) India was the second fastest emergent major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 8.1% by the end of the first quarter of 2005-2006. Nevertheless, India's massive population results in a comparatively low per capita income of $3,100 at PPP and is classified as a developing nation. For most of its independent history India has adhered to a socialist-inspired approach, with stringent government control over private sector participation, foreign trade, and foreign direct investment. Since the late 1980s, India has slowly opened up its markets through economic reforms by decreasing government controls on foreign trade and investment. Privatization of public-owned industries and opening up of certain sectors to private and foreign players has advanced slowly in the midst of political debate. India has a work force of 496.4 million of which agriculture forms 61% of it, industry 18%, and services 22%. The unemployment rate is at 9%. Agricultural produce include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry and fish. Major industries include textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum and machinery. Over the last 10 or so years, India has also capitalized on its huge number of highly educated people who are fluent in the English language to become a vital location for global companies outsourcing customer service and technical support call centers. It is also a main exporter of skillful workers in software services, financial services, and software engineers. India's key trading partners are the United States, the European Union, Japan, China, and the United Arab Emirates. The standard of living in India is continuously improving and beverages play very important role in the lives of Indians. Consuming soft drinks with fast food meal is a common practice in the country. The single most common factor which is used to measure standard of living is the per capita purchasing power parity (PPP) adjusted gross domestic product (GDP). In 2003, the per capita PPP allocated GDP for India was US$ 3100. These statistics can be compared to $32,000 for the USA, $4,800 for China and roughly $26,000 for most western European countries. With one of the most rapidly growing economies in the world, clocked at an average growth rate of 7% between 2000-2003, India is swift on way to becoming a large and globally important consumer economy. (Kapoor, p -4) The Indian middle class, touted to be anywhere between 100 and 300 million depending on the data used, is rapidly getting used to the Western consumer lifestyle. Despite massive inequalities, the standard of living of the average Indian is gradually but certainly rising and, if existing trends continue, will grow to be around one third that of the developed world (in PPP dollars) by the middle of the 21st century. The living standard in India can range in

Measurement and Instrumentation LVDT sheet Lab Report

Measurement and Instrumentation LVDT sheet - Lab Report Example The device consists of a primary winding (P) and two secondary windings named S1 and S2. Both of them are wound on one cylindrical former, side by side, and they have equal number of turns. Their arrangement is such that they maintain symmetry with either side of the primary winding (P). A movable soft iron core is placed parallel to the axis of the cylindrical former. An arm is connected to the other end of the soft iron core and it moves according to the displacement produced. The LVDT is also used as a secondary transducer in various measurement systems. A primary transducer is used to convert the measurand into a displacement (Scholey et al.,1995). The LVDT is then used to measure that displacement. Examples are: The graph above shows the plot between the resulting voltage or voltage difference and displacement. The graph clearly shows that a linear function is obtained between the output voltage and core movement from the null position within a limited range of 4 millimeter. The results showed that there is linear relationship between displacement and voltage and this relationship continues till the maximum displacement of 40 mm, after that output voltage was decreased drastically towards negative side. The results revealed that there is very strong repeatability in LVTD as show in fig. (2). There is almost no difference in output voltage when the experiment was replicated second time. These results are supported by the findings of other researchers who reported the similar results. (Tariq et al., 2002 ; Wu et al., 2008 and Drumea et al., 2006). It is evident from the data that the instrument has high sensitivity, resolution and repeatability. Maintains a linear relationship between the voltage difference output and displacement from each position of the core for a displacement of up to 40 millimeter. Scholey, G. K., Frost, J. D., Lo Presti, D. C. F., & Jamiolkowski, M. (1995). A review of instrumentation

Pharmacology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Pharmacology - Assignment Example Add up to shirking of pharmacological medicine in pregnancy is not conceivable and may be unsafe in light of the fact that some ladies enter pregnancy with medicinal conditions that oblige progressing and long winded medication. (Patel, 2009) Likewise throughout pregnancy new therapeutic issues can improve and old ones might be obliging pharmacological treatment. The way that certain pills given throughout pregnancy might demonstrate destructive to the unborn kid is one of the traditional issues in medicinal medication. In 1979, Food and Drug Administration advanced a framework that figures out the teratogenic danger of medications by recognizing the nature of information from creature and human studies. FDA orders different pills utilized as a part of pregnancy into five classes, classifications A, B, C, D and X. Classification An is recognized the most secure class and class X is completely contraindicated in pregnancy. This furnishes remedial direction for the clinician. (Patel, 2 009) Current FDA Categories for Drug Use in Pregnancy (Meadows, 2001) Category Description A Satisfactory, generally regulated studies in pregnant ladies have not demonstrated an expanded danger of fetal irregularities. B Creature studies have uncovered no confirmation of mischief to the embryo, nonetheless, there are no sufficient and generally regulated studies in pregnant ladies. Or Creature studies have demonstrated an unfavorable impact, yet satisfactory and overall regulated studies in pregnant ladies have neglected to show a danger to the embryo. C Creature studies have demonstrated an unfriendly impact and there are no satisfactory and generally regulated studies in pregnant ladies. Or No creature studies have been directed and there are no satisfactory and decently regulated studies in pregnant ladies. D Studies, sufficient overall regulated or observational, in pregnant ladies have showed a danger to the embryo. On the other hand, the profits of help may exceed the potenti al danger. X Studies, sufficient overall regulated or observational, in creatures or pregnant ladies have showed positive confirmation of fetal variations from the norm. The utilization of the item is contraindicated in ladies who are or might get pregnant. 2. Explain why very young children are considered "highly" sensitive to drugs. Be sure to include the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics factors that can affect this sensitivity. Answer Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are altogether different in junior youngsters. For the dominant part of pills, in youngsters and also mature people, a relationship exists between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The pharmacokinetics of numerous medications differ with age (Keams, 1998). Case in point, in view of the quick changes in size, form organization, and organ capacity that happen throughout the first year of life, clinicians and additionally pharmacokineticists and toxicologists are exhibited with tests in recommending safe a nd viable measurements of helpful operators (Milsap and Jusko, 1994). The restorative esteem of comprehension distinctions in pharmacokinetics on account of developmental variables therefore depends on a capability to comprehend better the measurements versus fixation versus impact profile for a

Middle School Speech Essay Example for Free

Middle School Speech Essay I have been at Englewood School for four years. I am pleased to say that during these years I have created new friends and lived many exciting experiences. As a new student in third grade, my classmates and teachers made me feel as if I was among my family. From class time discussions to Christmas plays, we have enjoyed every single day within this community. Days filled with joy, laughter, and even sometimes sorrows have been our foundation to move to our next step. Our teachers have completed their mission and successfully prepared us for middle school. Our future experiences will be influenced from the exciting and moving moments that we cherish from the elementary years. Although we cannot go back to relive the moments we have spent together, we will remember them forever. During the upcoming years we will encounter difficult tasks but those will only make us stronger. We have to look forward to this new beginning. We must work hard, enjoy and above all, we must always stand together and united as we are today. The change we will face is not an easy one. As every other class before us we have been the oldest and the roles models for the little ones. Now, we will enter a new stage in which we will be the youngest and the new kids on the block. As we live new experiences, we must be prepared to win or lose. As long as we make the best of it, we will not regret it when looked back. Today we close a chapter of our school life. Tomorrow we begin writing another. Let us make that writing on our new chapter an interesting one. Thank you for being part of this class and let’s enjoy our future together.