Gender Bias Essay

The concept of equality is regarded as an inalienable human right that should be enjoyed by all individuals regardless of their gender, race, religion, and other differential factors (United Nations, 2009). However, it is clearly seen that this is not practiced in the society that exists today. Discrimination still persists and this is greatly exemplified by the inequality that is based on gender differences. It is undeniable that women are still placed in a disadvantageous or inferior position as compared with their male counterparts. There are indeed substantial changes that have taken place in the past that made the situation of women better than before. Nevertheless, it is still obvious that there are still many changes that should be made before women can achieve the real essence of equality that they rightfully deserve. The discriminatory practices against women can be rooted back in the early history of the world wherein philosophers are still trying to make sense in the world that human beings live in. Even in the past, women have already been seen as inferior to men and this is evidently proven in the development of language. According to Becky Michele Mulvaney, the author of the article entitled â€Å"Gender Differences in Communication: An Intercultural Experience,† gender is both an influence of and a product of communication. In line with this, she pointed out how the idea of gender is first learned by an individual through talking with other people. A person could see the difference between the language that is used by girls and is often characterized by qualifiers and fillers to soften their message. There are words that are acceptable if used by a boy but not by a girl. Moreover, famous philosophers also focused on the image of an active male that makes a female as mere a supporting character. This is exemplified by Plato who defined women as â€Å"lesser men† and Aristotle who said that women are â€Å"a deformity, a misbegotten male;† as well as St Thomas Aquinas who argues that women should not have been created by God (Mulvaney, 2004). In the same manner, discriminatory practices against women still continue up to this present time. The patriarchal influences of key personalities in history and the general perspective of the people before, that women are inferior to men established a societal thinking that further propagated this view. Despite the improvements in the status of women in the society, it is evident that they are still perceived as second class citizens. This is proven in the professional lives of women wherein there are still biases and discrimination practiced against them because of their gender. Even though there are women that are already working in industries that are previously dominated by males, there is still an observable discrepancy that shows that a large number of men are in the working force. Furthermore, women are also having difficulties climbing the professional ladder of success because they are not given a fair consideration because of their gender even if they have the same capabilities sometimes even better skills than their male contenders (Farough, 2005). Being the case, it can be said that the inequality experienced by women is often not in terms of their age, race, or religion even though these factors are often intertwined. The inequality that they have to go through especially in their jobs is brought about by the social construct that women are inferior to men. The society, the one that is responsible for creating this concept, should also be the one responsible to deconstruct the notion of gender inequality. In order to do so, it entails using approach that deals with the cooperation and collaboration of people regardless of their genders. The Feminist/Sociological approach entails that people should work toward deconstructing this gender bias especially the males, and should realize that there are more disadvantageous effects if this inequality persists as compared with the privilege that they get from it (Farough, n. d. ). Furthermore, gender inequality could also be addressed through the proper use of language and communication. People should realize that language and communication are also intercultural factors wherein diversity should be accepted because there of the inherent differences between males and females (Mulvaney, 2004). However, it should be remembered that these differences should not render one gender inferior than the other. References Farough, S. (2005). The Negative Consequences of Male Privilege. In Understanding and anaging Diversity: Readings, Cases, & Exercises. 3rd edition. (Chapter 21). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mulvaney, B. M. (2004) Gender Differences in Communication: An Intercultural Experience. In International Communication: A Global Reader. (pp. 221-229). United States: SAGE Publications. United Nations. (2009). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from http://www. un. org/Overview/rights. html.

Physiognomy Theory Essay

Physiognomy also known as the Arts and Sciences of the face, dates back to Aristotle’s era. This philosophy was first used by the Greek and spread to places as far as Asia and the Middle East within a short period of time. It became very popular especially in Asia, where people would use this to determine people’s suitability for jobs and important government positions. The number of important people such as Emperors, successful professionals and government officials that believed in this theory also helped the rapid spread of physiognomy throughout the continents. Back then, most people were convinced that this so called science could not only determine their personality as well as their fate but also help them make better choices in life. Physiognomy claims that an individual’s character, destiny and the ability to perform certain tasks in life, can be defined by studying his facial features. Studies done throughout time have failed to back up this theory, conf irming that physiognomy is just another pseudoscience. Physiognomy and its uses and definition have changed overtime according to people’s needs. Figuring out the traits and behavioral trends of people was not enough; so physiognomy experts then argued that people’s characteristics had a connection with the signs of the zodiac. As the numbers of followers of Physiognomy grew, so did the demand for physiognomists, or face readers as they were called, turning this philosophy into a profitable worldwide business. After many years, physiognomy was revived and it is now used and believed to work efficiently to determine criminal tendencies in people. Physiognomy became more credible to people, when a U.S. judge backed up the theory after observing the facial features of those that appeared in his court. Physiognomy, is the study of facial features that allows philosophers to determine an individual’s traits and flaws. This theory supposedly ascertains different factors in someone’s life, such as moral values, self control, social and criminal tendencies. People’s abilities are also things that are supposedly defined by reading the facial aspects of an individual. It is also believed that this theory predicts the fate of people by studying certain parts of the face as the eyes, mouth and nose . Skin color, hair type, voice, forehead lines and certain body parts are considered when evaluating an individual. The shape of someone’s skull, or the way that the soft tissue sits on it, can also say something about the character and true identity of the person being evaluated. The theory of physiognomy has been tested many times since its discovery, thousands of years ago. However, none of the experiments done to prove it have been successful. The deficiency of scientific evidence to verify the theory, is the reason why physiognomy is considered a philosophy rather than science. Most studies done by advocates of this philosophy, have and still do lack an explanation of how and why the theory works. Supporters of physiognomy have taken advantage of certain circumstances in which someone’s facial traits help determine a condition. Some genetic diseases for example have specific facial features which help diagnose the illness. Down’s syndrome and DeLange syndrome are good examples of these diseases. Supporters of this theory often compare these diseases to physiognomy as a way to prove the theory. Just like Down’s syndrome and Delange syndrome are used as evidence of this pseudo- science, so are many other similar conditions. The studies done by non-advocates of this theory have proved that a person’s character and behavior cannot be defined by examining the facial features. Studies have shown that a relation between facial traits and someone’s personality does not exist. There are many factors that are scientifically proven to have influence over the development of an individual’s personality and temperament during their lifetime. Several studies with people of all ages and from different backgrounds have stated various reasons that in the long run shape someone’s character. The way that a child is raised, his parents’ traits and flaws and the people that he is surrounded by have an impact on personality. Culture and different ethnic backgrounds are also factors that have an effect on someone’s personality and the person that they grow up to be later on in life. Personal experiences and certain events with emotional value for a person are among the causes that influence an individual’s character, mentality, social and emotional life. Bibliography â€Å"Physiognomy – LoveToKnow 1911.† 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica – Free Online. 6 Oct. 2006. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. . â€Å"Introduction to Physiognomy – Face Reading the Facial Features.† A Human Face. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .

Babes in Bollywood

This paper is an effort to explore issues related to presentation of a woman in Hindi Cinema with the reference of movie â€Å"Mother India† directed by Mehboob Khan. This movie was nominated for Academy Awards for Best foreign Language film in the same year. This movie was remake of â€Å"Aurat† released in 1940 directed by Mehboob Khan. â€Å"Mother India† is one of the best Hindi movies. It is an excellent presentation of Indian woman in all her roles. Significance of movie increases exponentially, if one compares this movie with the socio-cultural perspective of the time of its release.It was a period of post independence in India. People on one hand were taking up developmental issues whereas rural India was facing the similar problems of moneylenders, Jamindari, caste, social status and pride. Differences of caste, social status, culture, gender, language, interests and several others were common. In such scenario, thinking of overall growth of a community needed to bring everyone together irrespective of their differences. Socio-cultural Perspectives Covered in the Movie Movie presents social environment of village where men and women have their predefined roles and responsibilities.Most of the women in the movie will be doing works like fetching water, grinding grains, working on fields along with their family members, cooking and other household works. They are expected to behave in certain manner. The famous actress Nargis Dutt portrayed what is perhaps the ultimate politically correct sacrificial heroine in the 1957 release Mother India (a remake of the 1940 Aurat [Woman]). Persevering against corrupt moneylenders, abandonment, betrayal, monsoons, isolation, and death, Dutt's character, Radha, provides the inspiration for her son and her village to survive (Booth, 1995).Radha as a Bride: As a young bride, Radha takes up all the responsibilities of households silently. She has shy and romantic relationship with her husband and res pecting behaviour towards her mother-in-law. She does not let her mother-in-law do any household work, once the marriage ceremony is over. Radha is concerned about the family reputation and well-being and does not want family to be under any loan so she wants to pay off loan with her jewellery. On the other hand, expectations of a husband (Shamu) to see his wife pretty and asking her reasons of not wearing jewelleries and telling her to wear jewelleries.Radha has expectation from her husband to get his attention. These factors are beautifully presented in the movie. This movie presents expectations of society from a young bride and expectations of a young bride for her family and husband in a beautiful manner. Radha as a Wife Indian society expect wife to be devoted for all traditional duties and support her husband in all thick and thin. Radha in this movie has done the same. Radha’s husband leaves her at young age due to his inability to take care of his family after the ac cident where he loses both his hands.Radha goes here and there searching for him and expects him to come back until the end of the movie. Radha sees his glimpse on her elder son and remembers him all the time whether it is festival or when she becomes grandmother. Radha’s devotion towards her husband is presentation of expectation of Indian society from the Hindu wives. Radha as a Mother Radha as a mother is brave mother. She adores her children, feed them and bring them up. Her children give her due respect. In the movie, it is shown that Radha shots â€Å"Birju† her younger son.This is something contradictory to the social norm and image of mother in society. Mother is expected to ignore all bad about her children and remember only one thing of her motherly love. Radha goes through hardships for the survival of her children. Wealthy â€Å"Sukhilala† the moneylender offers Radha money and food during flood and crisis in the exchange of her beauty, Radha for a m oment becomes ready to feed her dying children but as soon as she regains her conscious, she beats him up, comes back, struggles to find food, and survives.In this movie, various scenes have been presented in the way that the motherly love or the social depiction of mother is protected. As soon as Birju is shot, Radha throws the rifle and runs to hold him and Birju is surprised. This scene presents the unexpected behaviour in a manner that audience would accept and appreciate it. Radha as a Villager Radha as a member of a community holds certain responsibility for the land and her village. During flood when people start leaving village, she requests them and urges them to stay.She thinks about welfare of her village. She beats up and even kills her son when she finds him doing something against honour of village. Her younger son tries to take away moneylender’s daughter forcefully; she refers the term â€Å"Gaon ki beti (daughter of the whole village)† for her. This wa s despite of the fact that the moneylender was root of all the problems in her life. RaConclusion There are very less woman centred movies are made in Bollywood. Number of movies with the theme where woman has been able to bring change in the society is very less.In most of the movies, woman has less significant roles as compared to male characters. The subject of the movie Mother India is not just bold but also it is though provoking. The movie was released in year 1957. This was a period of post independence. Women in the society had to follow very strict social norms and guidelines. The tolerance zone for behaviour of a woman outside these social norms was narrow. The character of Radha has not just followed these norms beautifully but also posed several questions about the women in the society. Radha made a choice for good by killing her son.The starting of movie indicates the progressing India with the Water Canal inauguration by Radha, who is referred as Mother India. This mov ie has given food of thought to people. Radha was not just a character but also an agent to bring change. She was devoted wife like Goddess Sita and fierce Mother Goddess Kali twice first when she dealt with â€Å"Sukhilala† and second when she killed her son. Probably justifying Radha’s character was the most challenging aspect for the filmmaker, which he has done successfully. Radha did not leave her land even in the worst condition.Not just that she was able to convince other villagers to stay for the good of all. Radha talked about welfare of land and the village. She was determined and proved her concerns of welfare of society. The most appealing factor of the movie was the representation of characters in contradictory modes. Character of Radha became more appealing and powerful with the contradictory representations. Mehboob Khan represented rural India and a rural woman in a manner that it not just offered entertainment values to the audience but also gave a str ong social message to the society.Reference: Booth, G. D, Traditional Content and Narrative Structure in the Hindi Commercial Cinema, Journal: Asian Folklore Studies, 54:2. (1995) Pg 169 Rosie Thomas, â€Å"Sanctity and Scandal: The Mythologization of Mother India,† Quarterly Review of Film and Video 11:3 (1989): 11-30 Images retrieved on 29 Oct 2007 from †¢ www. tribuneindia. com/2005/20050526/main1. htm †¢ www. oscarguy. com/Resources/Annual/30th. html †¢ www. afc. gov. au/†¦ /archives/2006/04_oct. aspx †¢ www. afc. gov. au/images/puffs/motherindia1puff.jpg †¢ http://www. boloji. com/cinema/062a. jpg †¢ http://hcl. harvard. edu/hfa/films/2006fall/melodrama. html dha as an Individual At each stage of her life, Radha has proven herself a strong woman. She has maintained her self-respect and courage. She did things that were socially right. She was right of selling off her jewellery and paying off as much debt as possible to avoid the consequ ences of loans and interest in the future life but as a female and youngest member of the family, she could not take decisions.She had taken up all the responsibilities with courage. Her character in every form reveals the purity which society expects from a woman. GANDHY and THOMAS comment on Radha , â€Å"It is important to recognize that, throughout the film, Radha's ‘power' or ‘strength' is integrally bound up with her respect for ‘traditional values' . . . it is as a paragon of wifely devotion and chastity . . . that she is accorded respect and authority† (1991, 118 as cited by Booth 1995).

Use of Phrasal Verbs by Arab Writers in English Essay

Use of Phrasal Verbs by Arab Writers in English - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Arab learners of English avoid using the phrasal verbs because of the level of difficulty as well as to associated with comprehending the tricky complicated idiomatic meanings of phrasal verbs. Many Several researchers such as Klienmann, Chiang, Dagut, and Laufer supported the claims by made by Schachter that second language learners avoid using phrasal verbs because the difficulty that learners encounter when using the phrasal verbs. Since this paper investigates whether Arab learners of English use fewer phrasal verbs than English writers, the researcher decided to compare to two sets of texts from two different writers. The researcher had difficulty collecting these texts because he wanted to find recent articles. The author went over some American and Saudi newspapers such as Saudi Gazette, Arab news, Asharq Alawsat, Yew New York Post, the Daily Time and the CNN. The researcher finally decided to choose two writers from a Saudi newspaper and another on e from the CNN. The first writer is a Saudi writer, named Mshari Al-Zaydi who writes political articles in Asharq Alawsat Saudi newspaper and the other writer is an American writer, named Peter Hamby, who also writes political articles in the CNN. The researcher collected 10 articles written by Mshari Al-Zaydi and other 10 written by Peter Hamby. The length of the chosen articles length varied from 400 to 800 words which were later on edited to an approximate 300 words article.

The Scottish Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Scottish Enlightenment - Essay Example This paper is therefore divided into two parts. The first part of this paper analyses and explains the philosophical explanations of human nature and the development of the mental process and how those ideas reflected concepts and ideas during the Scottish Enlightenment. The second part of this paper analyses how the decision in Knight v Wedderburn reflects an expression of these philosophical underpinnings. I. The Scottish Enlightenment Moral philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment were strong advocates of natural law and morality. Lord Kames in particular expressed the view that man was governed not only by the laws of the land but also by the â€Å"laws of nature† both morally and physically.6 Essentially it was predicted that the natural progression of man was based on an empirical analysis of the mental processes which was developed over time. This natural progression was predicated on the belief that man was by nature a rational being with the ability to pursue what h e or she desired in a moral way.7 By taking this approach to nature and morality, moral philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment

Computer Networking and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Computer Networking and Management - Essay Example However, this is a rare event. The following illustration shows the routing and remote access procedure of the NAT service. You can see that the NAT router sits in the middle of a conversation between the public and the private machine. The packets are translated and then sent to the destination computer at the public end of the equation. The response of the turns, and the route also translates from the public network and returns the response back to the requesting client at the local end. The workstations obtain their IP addresses in the range allowed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). IANA is responsible for allocating public addresses that are guaranteed to be globally unique on the Internet. However, there is an ever decreasing availability of Ipv4 addresses available as thousands and thousands of additional IP addresses are required daily. In the longer term the development of IPv6 16 byte addresses should resolve this problem. Another factor about IPv6 addresses is that they are expressed in hexadecimal notation with ':' as separators, rather than the current '.' notation of the IPv4 addressing system. The workaround available at the moment on small networks is to reuse IPv4 addresses. Workstations obtain their reusable (i.e. dynamic) IP addresses using a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server (DHCP). The DHCP automatically configures the IP address for every host on the network, thus ensuring that each host has a valid, unique IP address. The DHCP automatically reconfigures IP addresses on the fly, i.e. as and when hosts may or may not be present. One of the major advantages of DHCP is that it can save a network administrator many hours of tedious configuration work. DHCP allows individual computers on a TCP/IP network to obtain their configuration information. Specifically, this is their IP address from the server. The DHCP server keeps track of which IP addresses of already been assigned so that when a computer requests an IP address, the DHCP server will offer it an IP address that is not already in use. One of the advantages of an NAT is that firewalls use this method to hide the actual IP address of a host from outside world. In this situation the NAT device must use of a globally unique IP address to represent itself to the Internet. It obtains its global address for communicating with the outside world from the firewall. This firewall address is the address to which forwarded and received packet travel to and from the Internet. Because NAT uses a global IP address for its local network machines, it assists with the general problem of IPv4 addresses being allocated exponentially. The NAT device keeps track of the requesting hosts IP address. It hides this host address and provides its own firewall address to the Internet. The response is received back to the firewall address, and then the NAT router looks of this information about the original request and forwards the information back to the correct host on the internal network. Task3: A) There

Questions on Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Questions on Law - Essay Example The Court reasoned that there was a binding obligation on the Member State to take measure so as to achieve the desired result in the directive and this was clearly stipulated within Article 189 of the Treaty. Furthermore, the duty was on all authorities which included courts of the Member States. The Court also relied upon Article 191 and stated that directives had legal effect from the time of notification to the Member State. As for directive 91/156 the court stated that the time provided was to allow Member States to take measures to achieve the prescribed result. The Court cited that according to Article 5, Article 189 and the directive measures which would seriously compromise upon the prescribed result should be refrained from. The Court finally went on to give what the national court had to consider, for example the implementation of the directive in stages, certain provisions not transposed and its effect on the overall result. b)i) The name of the Advocate General was J.Kok ott (ii) The employer was Ellinikos Organismos Galaktos   (iii) The Court in this question considered what would happen if a directive is transposed belatedly and the relevant provisions do not have direct effect. The first reasoning that was provided was that when the national courts were interpreting domestic law they should take into account the directive and its conformity exclusive of the adoption of the directive. The courts did consides the rules of legal certainty and non retroactivity but went on to say that that interpretation should be in a manner so as to give effect to objectives of the directive. The court cited authorities which included Frankovich wherein the requirement of making good damage to individuals and the criteria within was dealt with. The Court considered Article 10 and 249 EC and stated when it applies that is lack of direct effect. The court went on to consider the fact that expiry of time allows the interpretation and conformity requirements. The Cou rt reasoned that after expiry of time limit if transposition had not been done then the courts of Member States should refrain from interpreting domestic law so as to compromise on the prescribed objective. Thus the court stated that belated transposition means that the domestic court are bound to interpret domestic law in line with the directive so as to achieve the results prescribed therein. (iv) The Court in respect of the case at hand went at length about the details of indirect effect. Furthermore the conditions of non retroactivity and legal certainty were also discussed. The important aspect in respect of this case was the fact that even though in indirect effect there has been the long standing phenomena that case that came under its head were where the time limit for bringing such an action had passed, in the case it was stated that the national courts were under a duty to take into account of the directive even when the time for the directive had not passed and the time l imit had not expired. Thus the courts took a new approach in respect of indirect effect whereupon the courts of the member states have been placed under and obligation to interpret

Argument essay about fast food Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argument about fast food - Essay Example Behind them lies a simple explanation for why eating a hamburger can now make you seriously ill: There is shit in the meat.†    (Schlosser, p.196) No successful business, rather union, in this world would ever give away its most prized secrets in the name of benefit for humanity. Yet the consumers choose to ignore the bitter truth for a sweet taste. Their secret ingredients are full of not-so-secret health toxins that promote obesity, increased deposition of cholesterol promoting arteriosclerosis, hypertension, insulin resistance, diabetes and other fatal cardiac disorders. A more sedentary lifestyle contributes to an increase in these rates. An office job has you hooked to a desk and a chair with a flat Liquid Crystal Display right in front of your eyes. Which means a highly sedentary life style; this when triggered with intake of only fast foods can build up toxin pressure inside the body and slow atrophy. â€Å"The war on foodborne pathogens deserves the sort of national attention and resources that has been devoted to the war on drugs. Far more Americans are severely harmed every year by food poisoning than by illegal drug use. And the harms caused by food poisoning are usually inadvertent and unanticipated. People who smoke crack know the potential dangers; most people who eat hamburgers don’t. Eating in the United States should no longer be a form of high-risk behavior.† (Schlosser, p.264) Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent each year in health care facilities, if a small portion of this percentage is allocated to restore health guaranteeing meat and other raw materials in the fast food or even if these fast foods are banned altogether a significant decline in mortality rate can be observed. Moreover consumption of fast food as a daily habit helps in generating a disabled world. Yes I completely agree

Administrative office management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Administrative office management - Essay Example Advances in telecommunication have changed managerial and administrative duties in the office environment.Leadership styles adopted are largely due to these pressures. Administrators no longer handle conflict management and group dynamics the way thy used to Career development, legal issues and ethics have also taken a shift from the conventional approaches. These changes will be examined in detail below. (Scholtes, 1988)There are three main schools of thought that determine leadership styles adopted. Some researchers claim that certain people are simply born with it. They have the ability to influence other people naturally. On the other hand, other experts suggest that leadership styles are dictated by the given situation facing a group. Groups will change their leadership styles to fit into these ideals. Lastly some people believe that strategies will define the leadership path taken in relation to the leadership traits present within the group.Depending on the three factors discu ssed, supervisors have the option of choosing one of four leadership styles. An autocratic leadership style is one characterized by leaders who utilize their positions to affect decision making processes. On the other hand, there are also Democratic leadership styles where members of a group or those being led have a say in leadership decisions; authority is not exclusive to one individual but is shared equally among all other stakeholders in the group. In 'Laissez faire' type of leadership, the group largely determines decisions made. Specific leaders play little or no role in the decision making process; tasks and objectives lay in the hands of the people. Lastly, there is the abdacratic leadership style. Here, no single individual takes up the role of a leadership and the group does not also bother with authority. Consequently, such a leadership style has been deemed as the most ineffective because it eventually leads to the breakdown of the group. However, because of the pressures exerted by the up rise in telecommunication and the effect that this has on office work, there is a need to adopt a more proactive approach to leadership. This was brought forward by MacGregor (1978). He asserts that true leadership is achieved through transformational leadership. The latter term means uniting members of an organization through a common vision. It also means applying the following processes; Value Integrity Trust The concept of transformational leadership became very relevant to the office environment due to advances in telecommunications. The latter changed people's role in the office from being mere tools to becoming part of the organizational strategy. Changes in telecommunications brought about shift from the conventional transactional leaders. These are leaders who focus only on making other people follow their strategic will. Such leaders are bale to make large numbers of employees follow them but lack the ability to yield quality results. Transformational leaders are those ones who focus on quality of work even when they do not have many numbers rallying behind them. Bass (1990) and Avolio (1995) developed a method of quantifying the extent of transformational leadership within nay one organization. It was achieved through five dimensions: intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, idealized influence in both the behavioral and attributes realms. Telecommunications have also created more emphasis on the issue of employee satisfaction. This is because many workers now have access to vast amounts of resources about their rights through the internet. Consequently, employers have to ensure that they satisfy those needs. On the other hand advanced telecommunications have assisted leaders in the process of satisfying their staff. They now place a lot of emphasis on the path-goal model of leadership. In this approach, leaders aim at achieving organizational goals by eliminating all the

Human Development Index - Ethiopia, Russia, and Switzerland Assignment

Human Development Index - Ethiopia, Russia, and Switzerland - Assignment Example This index was introduced to account for the effects of disadvantages facing females in labour markets, education and health, increasing inequality on the gender basis and reducing the actual IHDI and HDI. Finally, the human development report also includes the multi-poverty index since 2010, which complements the HDI and IHDI measures by considering how multiple deprivations overlap in income, education, and life expectancy (Vander 64). This paper will discuss human development trends in Ethiopia, Russia, and Switzerland using these indices, as well as examine how international capital and trade flows affect development in the three countries. Ethiopia, Russia, and Switzerland have stark differences with regards to the life expectancy index, despite the fact that they have all been rising consistently. Ethiopia’s life expectancy has risen from 43.9 in 1980 to 59.7 in 2013 with the most significant increasing happening between 2000 and 2013 (Ethiopia: HDR 2013 2). Russia’s life expectancy fluctuated during the 90s, unlike Ethiopia’s, although this improved from 2000 to the present. However, the rates of increase have been minimal with only a rise of 1.6 in the last two decades, compared to Ethiopia’s that has increased by 15.8 years in the same period. Switzerland’s life expectancy has increased moderately compared to the other two countries by 6.8 years (Switzerland: HDR 2013 2). With regards to education, which is calculated by the expected years of schooling, Ethiopia again has the highest increase in trend since 1980 with the expected years of schooling increasing by 6.3 years (Ethiopi a: HDR 2013 2). This is in comparison to Russia that has seen an increase of 2.1 years and Switzerland with a rise of 3.3 years. However, Russia has the highest mean years of schooling rate at 4.6 years, compared to Ethiopia at 0.7 years and Switzerland at 1 year. With regards to the income index, calculated as GNI per capita, Ethiopia’s trend shows the highest increase of 102% in the last 18 years (Ethiopia: HDR 2013 2), followed by Switzerland at 36% and Russia at 15%.  Ã‚  

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 25

Case study - Essay Example It is also proposed that the company should run a customer reward system that will reward loyal members who have retained their membership till they are adults and loyal customers through discounts and giveaways and competitions. Since scouting is entirely an adventure experience, Scouts Canada should focus on trying to increase membership not only among boys but also girls, women and men too who are stressed and need to learn essential life skills. Because of the changing nature of the contemporary people, it is proposed that Scouts Canada should come up with new badge programs such as mountain biking, street sports, healthy eating and other issues that affect the country. The target membership of Scouts Canada is anticipated to increase by 30% with an increase in adult membership by 30%. This will allow the marketing team to know the success of the recommendations and offer feedback on which areas the company can improve on. Scouts Canada is a scouting organization in Canada known for its merit badges. The organization offers programs to the young people between the age of 5 and 25. The organization has the highest membership in Canada making it the largest youth organization in the country (Scouts Canada, 2014). The organization realized that its image was a bit worn because of the decline in membership and volunteer support. Because of the numerous cases of image tarnishing, Scouts Canada have to come up with a marketing strategy in order to reposition itself. Since Scouts Canadian membership goes at a high price of $205 for beaver to venture scouts and $180 for the first child, it is recommended that the membership price be discounted to $160 and $100 charged for the second and third child from a single parent. A reduction of the prices will encourage more parents to get involved in their child’s life and increase

Learning Team Presentation Data Collection Essay Example for Free

Learning Team Presentation Data Collection Essay This pack of QNT 351 Week 2 Learning Team Paper Data Collection shows the solutions to the following problems: Use either the data one of your Learning Team members retained from RES/351 or the data from University of Phoenix Material: Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc., Part 1. Discuss with your team whether you have data from RES/351, and if your team would like to use one team member Deadline: ( ), Business General Business I need tutorials from week 1-5 with all assignments!!! Please help me Learn to budget. No matter where you get your money as a college student, you need to make sure your money lasts as long as you need it. Make a list of your expenses and think of how you can cut corners so that you can do what you need to do without going broke. This pack of QNT 351 Week 2 Learning Team Paper Data Collection shows the solutions to the following problems: Use either the data one of your Learning Team members retained from RES/351 or the data from University of Phoenix Material: Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc., Part 1. Discuss with your team whether you have data from RES/351, and if your team would like to use one team member Deadline: ( ), Business General Business I need tutorials from week 1-5 with all assignments!!! Please help me Learn to budget. No matter where you get your money as a college student, you need to make sure your money lasts as long as you need it. Make a list of your expenses and think of how you can cut corners so that you can do what you need to do without going broke. This pack of QNT 351 Week 2 Learning Team Paper Data Collection shows the solutions to the following problems: Use either the data one of your Learning Team members retained from RES/351 or the data from University of Phoenix Material: Ballard Integrated Manage Complete course guide available here https://bitly.com/1xptjLj Learn how to write an essay using the 5 Paragraph Essay format. This is a simple essay format that is often taught in elementary or middle school. Although it is simple to learn, it is invaluable in college. This format will help you easily get through most essay assignments. Deadline: ( ), Business General Business

The Negative Human Effects On Marine Resources Environmental Sciences Essay

The Negative Human Effects On Marine Resources Environmental Sciences Essay What negative effects do human activities have on Marine and Coastal resources from Addington Beach to Aliwal Shoal? The coastline of South Africa stretches for 3000km of which 80% consists of sandy beaches backed by low sand dunes. The focused areas of Addington Beach through to Aliwal Shoal, which contain diversity of fish and other species (including whales, seabirds and tunas), provide opportunities for economic and social activities including development opportunities, fishing, agriculture and recreation. These resources are important as they make up a rich asset to the Southern Coastal areas of South Africa. However, Marine and Coastal resources such as these areas all along the South African coast are being affected negatively due to driving forces mostly caused by various human activities. Pressures affecting these resources include population growth and coastal human settlements, emissions to sea by shipping and sewage and the extracting of natural resources such as fishing or sea bed mining. General pressures and effects of human influences: Population growth is the biggest driving force for environmental changes of marine and coastal resources in South Africa. The increasing population is strongly dependant on production activities to increase service and manufacturing industries and therefore is increasingly dependant on ports such as Durban Harbour for the import and export of products. Demands for food, recreation and land for housing all increase the pressures on the coastal resources. Statistics state that 30% of the South African population lives along the coastline due to in-migration of those seeking jobs, people retiring and those seeking a life of better quality. Because of this increase of dependency the coastal cities have developed rapidly and are as a result having negative influences on the marine and coastal resources. Irreversible changes are occurring due to these influences such as overexploitation of resources, destruction of natural habitats and an increase of wastes and pollution which smother and kill organisms and lead to water quality deterioration. POPULATION GROWTH GRAPH/TABLE. Emissions to sea by sewage and shipping are also a huge cause of the negative effects of marine and coastal resources. Daily industrial effluents and sewage are released into the sea via discharge pipelines near Durban Harbour and by sewage pipes all alone the south coast. These emissions are not only harmful to human health but also have a devastating effect on water quality and may contaminate many organisms. FIGURE 4.8 (effluent pipelines off the South African coast after Cloete 1979) Shipping is also a serious contributor to the degrading of marine and coastal resources. South Africa is situated on one of the biggest ship transport routes of the world and Durban Harbour is one of the few ports often stopped at. Due to weather and sea conditions and the wait to be docked in the port, major marine pollution incidents take place as oil spills and waste dumping takes place. Waters are thus polluted and these wastes and pollutions are transported along the south coast, by the Aguhlus current, and infect and destroy resources along the coastlines of South Africa. The extracting of natural resources such as fishing too affects the marine and coastal resources. Both commercial and recreational fishing are primary economic activities which together can generate more than 158 000 people and R3 billion annually (CMPP, 2005). The improvement of fishing methods results in a greater number and variety of fish being caught and as a consequence of this, fish stocks are decreasing in size and several species are facing possible extinction. Other human recreational activities, besides fishing, that may negatively affect marine and coastal resources include scuba diving or yachting. TABLE OF DATA FOR FISH NUMBERS: Durban Harbour and Addington Beach: IMAGE OF POLLUTION IN DURBAN HARBOUR: Both the Durban Harbour and Addington Beach are sound examples of coastal areas that have been urbanized and as a result are polluted and negatively effected by human activity. Shipping and the wastes excreted by the industrial companies in the Durban harbour area are a huge cost to the marine and coastal resources in the area. Fish and other animals are being killed or having their habitats affected or destroyed and the general water pollution in the area has increased drastically over the past few years and as a result the water quality has rapidly decreased. FIGURE 4.10 (Isogram depicting classification of the surf-zone at 28 sampling stations) The harbour pollution caused by oil and chemical spills, organic waste dumping and general excretions by the ships docking at the harbour or waiting out at sea to be docked in port. This pollution be the harbour is affecting the resources of surrounding beaches as well, such as North Beach, South Beach, Bay of Plenty and Addington Beach who as a result of the pollution have each lost their Blue Flag status after failing water quality tests. These losses of our Blue Flag status has also had negative effects on the tourism industry but most importantly reinforces the fact that the water quality and pollution is at an unacceptable level and the surrounding litter and destruction of the coasts have too become a state of disaster. Reports about heavily polluted water flowing into the Durban Harbour via the Umhlatuzana River for periods of nine months have also surfaced in recent years. Illegal discharges of wastes and sewage are being flooded into the Durban areas and are too polluting the water badly and destroying species and habitats and are decreasing fish stocks. (Raven, 2008). A great concern about these pollutions and wastes entering the sea near the Durban harbour and other areas is that these wastes are being transported all along the coast of South Africa via the Aguhlus current right down to areas such as Aliwal Shoal. Aliwal Shoal is not only an area being affected by wastes from human urbanization but also by recreational activities and tourism sites. IMAGE OF ALGUHLAS CURRENT Aliwal Shoal: DIAGRAM OF ALIWAL SHOAL: Aliwal Shoal is 50km south of Durban, was formed by a sand dune almost 80 000 years ago and is the home of many different species of fish and other marine organisms such as sea turtles, humpback whales, dolphins and the tiger shark. Recently there has been a hard battle to preserve Aliwal Shoal and many have taken a stand to fight for the protection of the area and marine life from pollution and tourists. Due to the research that was started over 10 years ago by the Natal Sharks Board, the region of Aliwal Shoal has been threatened by environmental pollution. Divers would report on the behaviour of sand tiger sharks at monthly meetings after observing them during dives and collecting data. During the early years of research destruction of Aliwal Shoal became a large concern as the Saiccor cellulose plant, being dumped into the ocean at Umkomaas, was untreated and was polluting the waters. The matter reduced visibility and formed foam that made beaches unusable. However, a solution to this was found by the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“South Coast Marine Pipeline Forum (SCMPLF)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . The Saiccor pipelines were extended to a water treatment plant and the water quality in Aliwal started to improve. The next problem is rooted in this sudden improvement to clear water as diving tourism became very appealing to many. At certain times 20 boats can be seen on the Aliwal Shoal and some even equipped with spears for the sharks and other marine life. In 2009, a huge movement to receive the necessary protection of Aliwal Shoal from pollution and excessive diving is being driven. This unique marine region is in need of laws and regulations that protect it from any more damages to the environment that may be caused by detrimental human activities such as dumping, shipping, pollution transported from Durban Harbour and diving. (Andrew C.R, 2009).

Reflection of Independent Learning in the Classroom

Reflection of Independent Learning in the Classroom Reflecting on the approaches around the development of pupils independent learning and evidence and evaluate application in the classroom. Independent learning is when pupils set goals, monitor and evaluate their own academic development, so they can manage their own motivation towards learning (Mullings 2015). After looking into the research, one of the determining factors when it comes to independent learning, is getting a child to work on their own, with minimal direction and confidence. As I want my pupils to be able to manage their own learning and make independent decisions, I need to take a back seat and critically think about whether or not I need to intervene. Depending on the circumstances and the appropriateness of the situation, I will need to judge the relevance of my scaffolding, give students options and choices to encourage independency, and allow them to take responsibility for their own learning by also offering effective formative feedback. However, this cannot be done until I establish where they already are in their learning and how they actually learn. Knowing a childs zone of proximal development, will enable me to intervene at the most appropriate and effective stage. As Vygotskys theory implies, it is what a child can achieve by themselves and what they can achieve in collaboration with others (Vygotsky, 1978). According to Haring and Eastons instructional hierarchy (Fig 1), there are four phases of learning (Haring et al., 1978).   Ã‚   Fig 1. Most of the children I get to support are either at the acquisition stage or at the halting fluency stage, which determines the type of intervention they receive. Even if the intervention is set in line with the pupils ZPD, there is no guarantee that their work is appropriately differentiated back in the classroom, leading to a zone of anxiety. When I deliver Mind-the-Gap tutoring, the pupils I work with are at the acquisition stage and lack confidence. With sessions of repetitive practice and instructional techniques I am able to build upon their accuracy. I then focus on training the pupils to become more fluent. This is supported via precision teaching (e.g. times-tables) constant encouragement and instructional feedback to aid their self-motivation. Once the fluency is achieved and being maintained, I need to ensure it is being applied back in the classroom. The focus is then teaching them how to either apply the skill into meaningful contexts or not to confuse it with other similar skills. Finally, pupils can then be scaffolded on how to know how to adapt the target skill to and apply it to new challenges and situations. Communication is paramount and teamwork essential to ensure work is set at the right level by the teacher and that the newly acquired skills are being uitilised. the teacher should work closely with th e TA to planinterventions to how they can be linked to classroom teaching (SEN Code-of-Practice 6.52). I have started to introduce additional resources, such as a math mat and progressive success criteria to help promote independency. If successful, I will suggest it to other support staff within my year group, with the view to it being rolled out to all. I will need the full support of the SENCo and SLT to make sure this is consistently implemented. Carol Dweck deals with the theory that people view their intelligence in one of two ways; fixed and growths mindsets (Fig 2). Her findings also show that, rather than focusing on intelligence and innate achievement, it is far more important to reward effort, creative strategies, and perseverance. Becoming is better than being (Dweck 2006).    Fig 2. Upon reflection, I observed two children from the perspective of determining what type of learner each child was (Appendix 1). Initiating the change of learned helplessness to that of self-scaffolding with the SEN child will not happen overnight. I always aim to support pupils to become more independent. Van de Pol implies a key principle of scaffolding on which a TAs role should be based, is fading to develop the independence of the learner by reducing support and hand over responsibility to the child (Van de Pol et al., 2010). This is a strategy I have started to use with the pupils I work with, alongside roaming and roving around the classroom. My intention is purely to divorce myself from their learned attachment and their needing constant reassurance. I want them to adopt the concept of being able to assess what they can do independently first, before I intervene at the appropriate level (Fig 3). Blatchford defines the heuristic role as using a method of teaching that encourages learners to discover solutions for themselves (Blatchford et al., 2012). Fig 3. If there is any uncertainty, I encourage my pupils to ask a partner, throw their question out to the rest of the table or see what resources are available to help, before even thinking about asking an adult. Even then, I need to be aware of my questioning techniques. The more open ended questions that are asked, then the more emphasis is redirected back onto the pupil to provoke their own critical thinking skills. The cognitive domain involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills (Bloom, 1956). Fig 4. Using Blooms Taxonomy questioning for critical thinking as a bench mark (Fig 4), I have tailored a more child friendly set of questioning cards as a pupil resource, helping to build upon their dialogic talk. I plan to share these with other support staff, with SLTs approval. Additionally, my school has implemented Talk 4 Learning strategies, which although at the early stages, have started to have a positive effect. Within one year group I observed, children were only provided with a learning objective and modelled WAGOLL. This seemed to be just enough to get by on with a majority of the class, but the lower attainers had no differentiated input, with the hope that the TA would offer that much needed support. The lower attainers had been given very little direction, so straight away looked to the TA for guidance. The TA aimed to guide the pupils through a series of open ended questions, praising when giving a correct answer. Some were prompted further with the aim of trying to refer back to previous lessons, but without the correct scaffolding and feedback little progress was made. John Hattie, famously analysed the effects of various educational innovations and methods and determined that feedback ranked highest, with an effect size of 1.13, whereas most innovations in schools sit around 0.4. Feedback needs to be formative to identify what pupils have achieved, what has been preventing them from achieving their learning goals and what they can do to improve further. It also needs to be progressive, done whilst pupils are still able to reflect upon the decisions they made. This can be effectively delivered when roaming and roving or fading in and out during a lesson, but after realising my own lack of informative feedback (appendix 2), I intend to ask SLT about CPD on feedback for TAs, as I see this as a needed area of improvement for us all. It has become quite apparent that processed success criteria is a much needed determiner when it comes to initiating the first stages of independent learning for the SEN child. I have recently been given a small group of lower attaining students to support with their maths work. After observing how these children were faltering when working their way to achieving the learning intention (appendix 3), I have now started to use process success criteria to help plug the gaps within their learning, which has been hindering achieving their overall objective. I not only aim to help break down their steps to success in written format but also where applicable, visually (Fig 5). Fig 5. So far, this has proved a successful strategy and has been fully embraced by the pupils, as they are now actively making progress independently, albeit resource supported. I will be trialing this as part of their assessment for learning, as success criteria should be linked to the learning, not the activity. Introducing AFL sheets will allow teachers to close the gap between current knowledge and new learning. Not only do they help clarify the learning objective and promote self-evaluation, they also act as a form of feedback. I have already liaised with an SLT member regarding the introduction of processed success criteria as a pre-requisite for all our lower attainers, to which he was in full agreement. Ironically, not long after our conversation, it was announced that as part of our high focus for this term that the school will be addressing how success criteria will be differentiated, so that they are appropriate for all children, and so that all groups make improved progress. It has been said that some people think that we have created a nanny state thats contributed to promoting fear of failure. John Cridland states that the education system must better prepare young people for life beyond the school gates. We need to take a step back to see the big picture and create a system that better reflects how well a schools culture nurtures the behaviours and attitudes young people need. This cannot be judged by exam results alone (Cridland 2014). I do agree, however, my concern is, given the expanding national curriculum and the focus on increased testing as a way to measure both teaching ability and pupil progression, how can time be found for the implementation of such productive concepts. Schools need to build a stronger foundation and utilise their support staff appropriately. I gave a copy of my first assignment on the role of the TA, to a member of SLT. The feedback I received initially was that it was very informative and provoked food for thought, so mu ch so, he planned to take it along to the next SLT meeting. I eagerly await further comment. Appendix 1 A always relies on the support of an adult to supply her with the answers. The first thing that she does is to look directly to the supporting adult in the room to come and work with her, without even attempting any independent work. A will always try to copy from whoever sits next to her, lacks confidence and fears making mistakes. She has a firm fixed mindset of learned helplessness which has resulted in her reliance on being spoon-fed. Z is self-initiated and not afraid to make any mistakes. He can work independently or collaboratively within a group. Z draws upon prior learning His growth mindset allows him the confidence to persevere, seeing any setbacks as a mini hurdle he needs to overcome, choosing which learner disposition he takes on board to aid his learning. His positive attitude feeds his hunger for knowledge. Appendix 2 Recorded Conversation After a basic skills assessment of using visual arrays, mastery questions on applying the written grid method were required for their next steps in multiplication. E:Miss, Im not sure how to do the grid method. TA:So, written method. Same scenario, but we are not going to draw the arrays. What is the calculation? E:13 x 9. TA:OK. What do you need to do first? E:Break the 13? TA:How? E:Into place value. TA:Correct. Show me how youll do that. E:One 10 and three 1s. TA:Good. Now what? E:First you times 3 by 9, then 10 x 9. TA:OK, off you go. E:(writes) 3 x 9 = 27 and 10 x 9 = 90. TA:Good, now what do I do with those two answers? E:Add them together. TA:See. You know what to do. What do we need to remember when we use column addition? E:Make sure everything is in line. TA:Yes. We need to make sure our place value is aligned correctly. Well done! Reflection: Upon evaluation, I believe that I succeeded when it came to asking the appropriate open questions to provoke their own thinking, which helped them achieve their learning objective but evidently lacked the necessary more informative feedback the child deserved to understand their next target. I hope that I will be able to address this better after some directed CPD training. Appendix 3 Child Y LO: To use the grid method to solve multiplication word problems. SC: R U C S A C CAN DO CANT DO Understood what had to be done for step 1 of question. Chose correct operation. Partitioned numbers correctly on the grid. Did not know all of 4x table. Used times table grid in classroom. Aware that all the answers had to be added together. Addition calculation was written incorrectly. (pv not aligned) Able to calculate once prompted to use correct pv alignment. References Blatchford, P., Russell, A., Webster, R. (2012) Reassessing the impact of teaching assistants: How research changes practice and policy. Oxon, UK: Routledge. Blooms Taxonomy Available at: http://www.bloomstaxonomy.org/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20questions.pdf Accessed: 1 January 2017. Cridland, J. (2014) Available at: http://31.222.129.40/media-centre/the-point/2014/07/jcs-education-blog/ Accessed: 07 December, 2016. Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: the new psychology of success New York: Random House, 2006. Haring, N.G., Lovitt, T.C., Eaton, M.D., Hansen, C.L. (1978). The fourth R: Research in the classroom (pg 23-40). Columbus, OH: Merrill. Hattie, J., Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of feedback. Review of Educational Research Mullings, C. (2015) Available at: http://blog.irisconnect.co.uk/9-tips-for-encouraging-students-to-become-independent-learners/ Accessed: 12 December, 2016. SEND Code of Practice (2015) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf Accessed: 26 December, 2016. Van de Pol, J., Volman, M., Beishuizen, J. (2010) Scaffolding in teacher-student interaction: a decade of research. Educational Psychology Review, 22, 382-296. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in society: The development of the higher psychological process. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Homeless Children in America :: essays research papers

Children have never been on out nation’s streets in significant numbers. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1.2 million children are homeless on any given night. homelessness makes children sick, wounds young children, & homeless children often struggle in school. Homeless children are in fair or poor health twice as often as other children. They have higher rates of low birth weighted need special care right after birth for times as often as other children. Also have very high rates of acute illness, with half suffering from two or more symtoms during a single month. Such as ear infections, and stomach problems. Are more likely to suffer from speech and stammering problems, as well more likely to be asthmatic. They also go hungry at more then twice the rate of other children. Each and every day, homeless children are confronted with stressful, often traumatic events. They worry they will have no place to live, have no place to sleep or worry that something bad will happen to their family. Mostly all homeless children move up to three times in a single year. Almost 25% of children have witnessed acts of violence within their family. Homeless children between the ages of 6 and 17years struggle with very high rates of mental health. Homeless babies show significantly slower development than other children . These children are particularly at a hirer risk for viewing placed in foster care. Despite state and federal efforts to provide homeless children with improved access to public school, at least one-fifth of homeless children don’t attend school. This is because they either have no transportation from the shelters to school or lack of school and medical records makes registration harder. Daily demands of finding food and shelter push childrens educational needs aside. If they are able to get to school most face delayed development and have more educational problems then other children.

Marina Warners The Dragon Empress Essay -- Marina Warner The Dragon E

Marina Warner's The Dragon Empress At the age of sixteen, the beautiful and elegant T’zu-hsi entered the Forbidden City in Peking. The daunting walls, enormous buildings and massive pillars loomed around her as she walked deeper and deeper into its confines. She entered the palace as a timid young girl, but it was from within these walls that she would keep her claws around all of China. Marina Warner describes the life of this ruthless enchantress in The Dragon Empress, an essential read for understanding Chinese culture during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Tz’u-hsi, also known as the empress dowager, ruled all of China from 1861 to 1908. It is amazing that a woman ruled over 400 million people during this time. She began as a courtesan in the emperor’s court, but after bearing a male heir she quickly gained power. After the death of the emperor and the death of her son, Tz’u-hsi appointed her nephew to the throne. She quickly became dissatisfied with him, however, and took all the power for herself. Tz’u-hsi hated the outside powers who were carving up China for themselves, so she encouraged the Boxer Rebellion. The Boxers attacked foreigners in an attempt to get them to leave. Tz’u-hsi also tried to keep China traditional and hated modernization. She was a very powerful and cunning woman who manipulated those around her. The book begins with the birth of Tz’u-hsi in 1835 and goes on to explain her family situation. It describes her path to power and how she manipulated the eunuchs in the palace to act as her spies and personal confidants. From the circumstances of her birth to her fatal fight with dysentery, Tz’u-hsi’s life is described in great detail within the... ...cited, so it is a great tool in understanding Tz’u-hsi. However, I would have believed Marina more if she cited personal accounts of Chinese people who lived during Tz’u-hsi’s time. I would like to know how the people of China really felt, and if it is how Marina describes it. Despite any inherent weaknesses in the book, Marina Warner has done an incredible job bringing the story of Tz’u-hsi and a vivid image of China to the world. The photographs that she placed in this book depict court life and compliment the book well. Marina’s mastery of words allows her to paint the scenes of Tz’u-hsi’s life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in discovering the intimate details of Tz’u-hsi’s life, her road to power, and China at the turn of the century. Works Cited Warner, Marina. The Dragon Empress. New York: Atheneum, 1986.

Human Resource Is the Most Important Asset of an Organization

Nowadays many organizations like to emphasize on gaining a competitive advantage in the market. The advance equipments, new technology, good marketing strategic, excellent customer services and many other elements can be the factors to build up for the advantages. However, human resource is still the most important element to determining the success or failure of an organization. Without their support, the organization daily business function will not be done well and ready. Human resource is always related to one organization profitability and their ability cannot be replaced by machines. As is discussed by Hargreaves and Jarvis (1998: 3) The skills, knowledge and experience of each individual contribute to the growth of organizations, communities and nations. Such valuable human talent can be thought of in terms of human capital and is one of the primary requirements for national economic development. 138 Strategic human resource management is playing an important role as organization development in today’s competitive market. Organizations recognise the importance of focusing on the human factor to contribute ideas in order to improve the productivity. They design the recruiting plan to approach talent peoples, training and develop them in order to perform those competencies. The organization put in affords to meet the expectation of the employees so that create a workplace atmosphere among the employees (Upson, 2011). Ironically, while human resources are the most important asset in an organization, they are also the cost involved during the training activity. As is stated by Outlow (1998), the organization suffers the cost if they employed the wrong candidate for the job. Such costs can be calculated in direct and hidden cost. Direct cost can be considered as recruitment advertisement, conduct new training for new staffs, medical check up and so on. Also, the company will found the hidden cost in such that way of lower morale among old employees. Some of the organization will try to approach the peoples which are lack of working experience and not qualified enough as required for the job, here may cause some of the clients lost their loyalty towards the organization due to the poor customer services. Therefore, the organization must be smart to engage, select and retain the talented employees in order to maintain the organization productivity. 228 Human resource development programs always contribute a lot of benefits to the organization. George and Singh (2000 :14) defines The role of human resource development is provide the individual with the learning experience necessary to fill the gap in an employee’s knowledge and skill, to ensure his continued ability to perform efficiently and effectively in his job, and thereby contribute to the productivity of the organization. Since it has been note the major factor affecting the organization productivity is the human factor, many organizations willingness to invest human resources development program in the areas of communication skills, problem solving ability, leadership qualities, creativity and others related skills. Employees are able to obtained new skills and knowledge in the training programs in order to contribute to the organisational development such as productivity improvement, preparation for organization’s growth, developing the learning culture and so on. The effectiveness of the training programs can evaluate and monitor regularly in order to increase the employee performance and thereby increase the productivity. Therefore, trainer who has to decide how to choose and manage the trainees, assist them in learning new skills and also develop their personality by change the trainee’s behaviour. 160 Organizations always encounter many challenges to retain those valuable employees. They always spent plenty of times to deal with employees who have intention to leave their job position. In fact, management should find out the causes what makes the employees feel satisfied about their job. The result is not only reduces employee turnover, but also greater commitment to the organization and the job they are doing. Every employee have different goals and motivation for work, the organizations must understand what employees really needs and wants and implement the strategies in order to retain the resources. Sirota et al (2005) mentioned the employees have their basic human needs that management should work for it. Creating an environment in which all requires are met not only can satisfied the employees but also enthusiastic them. Also, creating a financial package with good remuneration can attracts and motivates the employees is essential for stable workforce. A happy and healthy workplace makes the employee satisfaction increased and come out the high productivity. Always keep them happy and engaging them, allow them growing in the organization. Another key point to retain the talents which is maintains the good relationship with employee by communication. This theory holds that always create an opportunity to open and begin the conversation with the employees. This will helps to promote the proactive solutions to the problems before it reach a critical level cause an employee to consider leaving Sirota et al (2005). From the proper conversation between management and the employees, the organization in-house policies and regulations can comprehensively understand by the employees to ensure their compliance. These practices benefit both the organization and also employees. Phoenix(2010) noted that organization enjoys best performances of their employees while the employees enjoy the great benefits received from the company. 240 Every business begins from sales to customer service, it is all depends on employees to functional. Marcus (2010) mentioned, employee empower the business to keep running as usual even though the management is away. The organization can become more productivity and effectiveness if the employees have been sufficiently motivated and well trained (Rouda and Jr, 1995). Human resources really give a great impact to the contribution of an organization performance. They are the one who make things happen, that is the reason stated that human resource is the most important assets in an organization as they are the competitive weapon for a growing business in current competitive market.

Acer Group

The Acer Group Acer global mission statement â€Å"fresh technology enjoyed by everyone, everywhere†. The Acer group allied with other companies is globally one of the largest Manufacturers for PC, computer parts. Mobile computers, network server components etc†¦ Starting in Taiwan, Acer was the market leader in thirteen countries around the world and ranked top five in thirty countries globally.With more than 120 enterprises in 44 countries, supporting dealers and distributers over 100 countries, 23,000plus employees around the world excl Taiwan, , US$500million operation in OEM manufacturing, Concentrating on the 3E market- education, entertainment, e-commerce with all its abilities Acer truly made itself a Global Organization, in 1997. Working with Acer Operating independently, yet working together was one of the features of the Acer Group. Decentralization in organization allowed the Acer employees to become responsible in decision making process.The senior management however tried to preserve the concept of â€Å"Symbiotic common interest†, assuaging any difference of opinion and consolidating them, and keeping up the centralized core. The Acer group had a long term vision to transform as a high-tech global corporation, hence taking a smart step to enter foreign markets by allying with the local distributors, retailers, suppliers, Managers, labor etc. Every region has its own need in case of electronics; Acer kept up to the local needs and customized their products accordingly.A local touch was achieved by Acer with every person associated with be it the customer or supplier or its own employee. The Acer aimed at expanding its manufacturing globally, by setting 17 plants in different countries. However it faced the difficulty in transportation of the materials or assembled parts due to various custom restrictions in each region. Different countries applied ISO regulations independently. Certain times these made it difficult for the Acer to continue the traditional way of working as they had planned.The most affected area was the inventory at the global level. It was difficult to predict the inventory level in the market with rapid changes happening around, moreover the product supply was far away. It was now necessary to set up a centralized kitchen to each production unit to reduce the freight and material handling costs. Hence it adopted the ‘Fast Food Model’, wherein the perishable and non-perishable goods were handled and transported separately as per their need. The inventory turnover was however now reduced to half once the fast food was implemented.Each production unit now had its assembly plant, developed R&D, which helped them in shortening the time and cost of component production to delivery. The quality of service they provided was of the foremost importance. Exploring Chinese Mainland Acer wanted to secure a firm footing in the niche market. After suffering the losses in 1996-97, Acer real ized that to win over the large markets it has first capture the smaller surrounding the larger ones. The big markets like Japan and USA had so many competitors trying to find its place that it was impossible for Acer to step in or sustain.However Acer tried entering USA, facing a big time loss. This Failure motivated the Acer to apply the â€Å"Go† Game philosophy of the WAR. Capture the villages to win over the cities. Hence seeing immense scope in the mainland Acer had plans to set up the unit in the Mainland. The Acer Group assumed that being aware of the Chinese culture and ethics would make them easy to establish in the mainland, however the reality was not very pleasing. Initially the political issues between china and Taiwan since the World War II were the major concern.Neither did Taiwan Govt. allowed the invasion of Acer in China mainland, nor was China willing to welcome the setting of Acer in the mainland. However, later after few years in 1998, Taiwan opened its port for Chinese materials; china was still reluctant to do so. Every exchange of goods happened via the south port of china which increased the freight cost. The manager at Acer still thinks moving to china is a good decision as the political issues seemed to be sorting out to some extent as well the WTO granting them membership.Moreover he assumes to see immense resources which could ascend them to their destination. Yet again, there stood another problem the human resources. Though Taiwan and China are closely related traditionally both share complete different work cultures and ethics. The labor in china though was cheap; no guarantee was given about the reliability. No family bonding, no tax incentives, nothing worked. Moreover, the Taiwanese workforce, whether the manager or labor was reluctant to relocate; reason- safety issues, status and standard of living, higher level of education in Taiwan, ocial living which were genuine! Finding reliable, efficient, skilled work force another major issue Acer has to deal with. Discussion China is emerging country in manufacturing. It possesses abundant resources that could catalyze the success of any growing manufacturing industry. The case study indicates about the plans of Acer as well the problem they are facing implementing it. The sales exhibit shows the drop downs of the company during 1996-97. Reason: move to bigger markets in its first step rather taking smaller ones.Hence capturing the niche is surely a wise decision. China has immense resources in terms of land, workforce, etc. Major PC manufacturers now realized the advantages of moving the plants to china, being among the first ones and nearest ones, Acer should not leave the opportunity of growing, for some hurdles across their way. †¢The Acer groups seems to lack with the international expertise from the previous experiences, networking is important in supply chain;they should associate with the locals to understand work culture of the Chinese labors, the incentive policy.Acer has been hiring the locals, and should follow the same and not force the Taiwanese to relocate. †¢However the senior management will have to relocate, in need of a skilled employee who can centralize the autonomy within each plant. The Taiwanese managers however can be provided with better social living facilities, relocation incentives that could maintain their standards. †¢Setting a plant in sparsely industrialized region, closer to east coast. More employment for the locals- cheap labor plus ready to learn. Maximize information flow; minimize material flow between Taiwan and China to avoid Political conflicts and custom issues by utilizing resources within. †¢Not many major PC manufacturers have their units in China, Setting a unit in China will help Acer to invade Asian and European countries. Reducing operation and transportation efforts and cost. To overcome the past loses, Changes in organizational working is necessary, hence r isk is inevitable! Acer to manufacture in China?! (Review)

Etruscan Women

Etruscan Women: An Analysis of Larissa Bofante’s Article The comparisons between the Etruscan, Greek, and Roman way of life are similar in many respects and each contributes to the other, however, each civilization has its differences. The Etruscan society in the 5th to 7th c. BCE was one of luxury, lust, innovation, and they are thought to have been very skilled technicians: these attributes made them stand out among the rest.Larissa Bofante’s article, Daily Life and After Life, points out these distinguishing factors of the Etruscan society that left everyone else envious to what they had, even though most thought them to live barbarically. In Bofante’s article she discusses all aspects of the Etruscan life, from architecture, jewelry, art, religion, sex, wealth, festivities, and more in all great detail. An important aspect that Bofante chooses to discuss in her article is the role of women in the Etruscan society, and this is very important to know when learn ing about their culture.In this analysis, I plan to maintain, as Bofante points out, that women were of much greater importance in the Etruscan culture than in Greece and Rome. Larissa Bofante’s article Daily Life and After Life highlights many points about the Etruscan way of life, and the part that I found to be the most interesting was about Etruscan women. There is substantial evidence to show that they were held at high regard and were considered equal to men.Bofante points out a few passages written from Greek writers and historians who depict scenes of the Etruscan life, she argues that while these may be â€Å"cliche†, the information may have come from eye witness accounts of Greeks who travelled to Etruria: of these scholars there was Theopompus, a Greek Historian of the 4th century BCE and Athenaeus, a Greek writer in 200 AD. Atheneus has a passage written in his book titled, Brilliant Dinner Party Conversation, about women and men dining together and sharin g in multiple sex partners.Women would always dine with their husbands and be seen together in many other aspects of daily life, this was seen as distasteful to the Greeks and was in contrast to the way Greek women acted; the mingling of sexes in this way was not respected in Greek society. Besides the written text, we can see this â€Å"mingling of the sexes† in the art that was coming out of Etruria at that time. Tombs and sarcophagi depicted scenes of festivities and events; Bofante mentions the Sarcophagus of Ramtha Visnai Vulci, with married couple in bed 300 c.BCE. This sarcophagus shows a husband and wife lying with one another, which is a common scene for Etruscan artwork. One of the more famous tomb drawings (not mentioned by Bofante) is the Tomb of the Leopards 480 c. BCE. In this scene, elite men and women are joined together for a banquet, and the woman are not slave girls as in the Greek depictions of similar scenes, they are instead eating alongside the men and celebrating as equals. Etruscan women also had luxurious items like jewels, clothes and toiletries such as mirrors.These mirrors depicted similar scenes on them, all with men and women being displayed together, often married couples together at banquet, and also at home such as the Engraved Mirror with couple standing before a double bed 500 c. BCE. This life style, as stated by Bofante, was seen as â€Å"breach of Greek culture and good taste†, which just further shows the different society that Etruscans had and the role of women in it. Another element in Bofante’s article regarding the high rank of women in the Etruscan culture was that of giving names.A Roman woman for example had no name of her own but was known by her father’s name, this was not the way it was for the Etruscan women however. Bofante mentions that Etruscan funerary inscriptions had the mothers name as well as the father’s name of the deceased on them, and some tomb facades even had w omen’s names alone, which indicates that Etruscan women could own property. All of this shows the â€Å"legal and social importance of Etruscan women. † Larissa Bofante’s article Daily Life and Afterlife, mentions many elements of what we believe the Etruscan society was like.Her article was very factual and listed many aspects of Etruscan life such as architecture, artifacts, mirrors, jewelry, daily activities and more. From depictions and imagery on tombs, mirrors, vases, and written text we can put the pieces together about how they lived. One conclusion that Bofante comes to, as well as many others including myself, is that women of the elite group were thought of as equals to men, or at least they were treated as such.Women attended many events with men and sat alongside them during festivities and banquets, and the husband and wife were shown together in a variety of scenes. Women may have even owned property, and their name was of importance. All of these aspects of Etruscan women highly contrast with what we know about Roman and Greek women. While Bofante discussed many interesting aspects of Etruscan life, the role of women was very important and was a crucial element in her article.

Emphasis of Evolution in Texas Science Curriculum Essay

Evolution is known to be the change of the inherited behaviors to a given crowd of living organisms from one given characteristic to the other (Futuyma, 2005). Scientifically, these changes are believed to be caused by the mixture of three significant progressions; of which includes the variation process, the reproduction together with the selection. The behavioral characteristics of a given item vary according to the given population in a location. Biologically, the process is known to be that of the change in the behavioral characteristic of an individual and it is believed that whenever an organism reproduce its young one, they new organism either posses new characteristic or an altered characteristic of the individual (Maynard, & Szathmary, 1997). Thus, we can say that, evolution may occur whenever the original behavioral characteristic of a given item is traced in the new produced item or organism. Literature Review Evolution occurs when these heritable differences become more common or rare in a population. With this idea, may process in the today world have also been under going evolution so as to obtain the best to serve their people. Thus, in this particular paper, we are going to see on the emphasis of the evolution in the Texas science curriculum and see on the way they have affected the system in the region. To be able to understand this idea better, we have to look at the theories that have been formulated for the sake of the evolution in our science world. Darwin’s, have been one of the scientist who have majored in the formulation of the evolution theories that do exist to date. First, there is the theory of evolution basing on the premise, of which he imagines that, improvements of the life from the non-life and pressures a entirely naturalistic in this he suggests that the change in the way of doing things tend to be more of natural than that of trained effort (Denton, 1996). With this, he also assumes that the evolution process the recurrent characteristic of the individual tend to select the good ones only and fade off the negative attribute from the society, and with this, the process has been presumed to be that of slow but sure and thus no one should speed t up as might end up adapting the negative attributes from the past. Darwin’s hypothesis has been also the one for the calamity in the brightness of the tremendous advances that they have made in most of the science subjects in the education system. In the Texas science curriculum, this have been used to advocate for the ignorant in the country and because of this, the scientists tend to think that they have to do something in the nation so as to enlighten the education system in the country. With this, the country have been able to come up with three evolution critics of which they are put in place so that they can be bale to evaluate on the anticipated curriculum customary for the sciences courses in Texas schools (Stutz, 2008). With these critics in places, they have aimed at discussing on the Darwin’s theory that talks about the evolvement of the humans and other living organisms. The group have also been established so that they have to come together to facilitate the discussion on the theories that they exist concerning the evolution process in life (Stutz, 2008). With this, they are targeting to be able to eradicate the limitation together with the present necessities of the theories so as to enable the correct theories to be taught in the curriculum in the schools. This has brought contradiction in the country as there are some of the people who need the evolution to be taught in the school just as it is but not to modify it as they tend to think that, whenever the theory will be altered by the organization, it will be more of a religious theory and not a scientific theory to be taught in the schools (Stutz, 2008). For the process that the country is intending to undertake, the citizens tend to think that the public school students in the locality will drop behind their colleague peers if the country go ahead and evaluate the problems in the evolutional theory, this was protested by the member at the board of the education when the citizen insisted that they needed the original evolution and not the one that have been modified to be taught in the schools. Other than this, the nation is also experiencing the moment that the evolution I the school has to be taught to the student with the emphasizes on the advantages as well as their disadvantages as this will let the students be more logical in the world system other than being taught only the relevant part of it only. The president of the Texas freedom network who is Miller, K. said that the subject has to be taught in the institution as one of the basic science in the system and thus by no mean should it be modified as this will tend to reduce its relevancy to the student in the country (McCaffrey, 2008). To add on that, he also said that the subject of evolution has to be emphasized to all of the students without watering it down in whichever manner with the addition of the intelligent design or its removal of its weakness as all this tend to have meaning and a reason to the theory sated by Darwin’s. The country has continually emphasized on the original teaching of the theory of evolution as being stated by one of the biology professor in the country, he says that the modification of the theories in the education system in the country will harm the education for their students in which he continue to say that this will add more weakness to the evolution and thus weakening the whole understanding together with the passion for the study of science in their coming generation (McCaffrey, 2008). Thus, we can say that, as much as the Texas sciences curriculum tend to think that the y have to modify the evolution theories, some of the scientists in the region still believe in the first theory stated by Darwin’s and thus, they have ended up clinging to the theory of which have helped them in becoming the most recognized country in the science subject. Conclusion In the finale, we can say that, as much as some of the people in the education board in the county see the evolution as being old, they have disapproved by the scientists who have all the reasons as to why the theories should be retained as before.

Advertising Makes You Buy Things You Do Not Need!

Aim of this paper is to discuss the question whether advertising manipulates us to buy things we don't actually need. In other words, we would like to debate the issue of the impact of marketing and advertisement on our rational thinking and decision making process. Based on various examples, we would like to show that the statement can be proven to be true. We believe the statement can be denied only by either using different definition (understanding of advertising) or by argument that advertising manipulates only several groups of people that are vulnerable to be manipulated.Nevertheless, the previous statement only supports the validity of the statement. Man can argue that the behavior of the people depends on the individual personality, economic condition and the way a company advertises their product Ana ten Locknut offers given to ten product. Our point Is, Tanat tenure are various advertising techniques with various targets. Another big question is how can we Judge what kind of goods and services are necessary, and which good is bought only to show-off among their friends and relatives?What is a need, and what is Just a will? This paper will argue the manipulation via marketing exists and the advertisement is making us to buy things we do not actually need. We want to support the statement by using real examples, that are divided based on the common psychological effect or methods used to manipulate people's mind. We would like to stress the importance of psychology which is seen as a main tool used by advertising companies. Only via careful use of psychology are marketers able to create touching advertisements.

Concepts of leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Concepts of leadership - Essay Example Management, on the other hand, is a delegated authority. Managers are given formal roles by other people. In essence, they represent the interests of others. Management roles have goals that act as performance indicators. Managers have specific duties and roles such as planning, organizing and making decisions. Nursing managers have roles such as administration, financial management, and personnel management to meet the health objectives. In essence, management roles require managers to act in the best interest of the organization they lead. Leadership and management roles overlap in several aspects. Overlapping is especially common for nurses who fit to be both leaders and managers. Both leaders and managers try to strike a balance between the needs of the institution, patients and other employees. Thus, both leadership and management require critical skills such as interpersonal skills, critical thinking and coping. Such skills are essential in ensuring success. As a nurse leader, I would take advantage of the overlap to influence the welfare of nurses by seeking a management role. Leaders are influential especially if they have the management

The Current Status of Literacy in Mathematics Research Paper

The Current Status of Literacy in Mathematics - Research Paper Example Despite the application of the important factor in education, knowledge remains to be a fundamental part as it provides the foundation for people to practice their own calling or profession. It means that a significant portion of profession gives importance to literacy. People can only function to the extent of what they know. It also shows that research on education is very important. Research is done to improve the literacy and education globally. It has also recognized the recent developments in technology that allows the information to be disseminated in a wider scope using the internet. It has bloomed the concept of interconnectedness which has significantly improved the business, work and overall living of people worldwide. In short, it can also be used to improve the education system. The same interconnectedness has also been known across fields of specializations and body of knowledge. Science can be used in music which means systematic ways of doing things in making songs ma y entail the use of both science and music. Some may even use music in learning the subject matter like in language. Singing can be used to easily remember the important concepts like a song on nouns for a language class.Literacy has been connected with learning and education although its roots can be traced back to the concept of language. In the present, it has been synonymous with the level of understanding in certain subject areas like science, math and much more.  Since literacy has been connected to language, it can be applied to the content of mathematics. For example, a branch of mathematics called geometry may need the language and literacy to improve its standards. Its content may deal with the geometrical terms. Having the shapes and concepts in geometry may be hard to deal with for some students. To improve it, the use of songs may be used to understand the terms and connect them with their respective elements. Some literacy games may also be done to connect the right terms to the right elements. Another goal would be the analysis of the characteristics of shapes in two dimensions and three dimensions which can be done through the use of technology-based applications or software. The same goes with the content of the shapes when they are needed to be compared like understanding how two shape are the same or different. They can also be classified with the aid of the software like computer games and shape-modeling software (Brozo 160). It shows how important to improve the content through literacy like words and terms and even use the technology for learning. Content plays the key role in learning certain subject matter so it is very important to focus on it. It contributes greatly in comprehension of the learners about particular subject matter (Conley 5). Learning is really affected by the quality of the content and how it is delivered. It is really applicable to mathematics. For instance,

Men & Women viewed differently Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Men & Women viewed differently - Essay Example You lookin' good in them shorts but they look better on the floo'1. It took me about three or four attempts to get the lyrics down, because partly it was heavy slang but part of it was, it was hard for me to believe that what was being said was actually being said. I thought to myself, well, it is a prostitute obviously to whom these lyrics are being addressed to, so perhaps there is some justification there. But in order to be fair to this project. I decided to get the country music video to view as well. I thought perhaps to be fair to the project, I should get a country music video which had a depiction of prostitute, but unfortunately I was not able to get any. I was able to get a Music Video by Shania Twain called "Any Man of mine". I must say if I was expecting a toned down conservative video where there is just singing interspersed with romance, I certainly did not get that. The music video was extremely sensual. The lyrics were most interesting. "This is what a woman wants ,A ny man of mine better be proud of me Even when I'm ugly he still better love me And I can be late for a date that's fine But he better be on time Any man of mine'll say it fits just right When last year's dress is just a little too tight And anything I do or say better be okay When I have a bad hair day And if I change my mind A million times I wanna hear him say Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way"2 . I thought to myself, if more men followed this advice they would not have a problem with relationships at all. However this was a music video. The sensual depiction of Shania Twain, dancing in her famed midriff did not suggest that she was dancing for just her guy. However it was interesting the contrast the implied usage of ugly. Now in Nelly's music video, the women were fairly decent looking and Shania is also very beautiful. But in the Hip Hop video, it was Ok to be treated badly, because you were ugly, while in the Country music Video. It did not matter if you were ha ving a bad hair day or did not look as pretty or cook as good; you were going to be treated like a princess. The difference between depiction of Woman in Country videos and Hip Hop Music videos was of a very deep nature. Now the Country music video also had a very sensual depiction of a woman. But this was a woman in control of her sensuality. There is here a woman's right to sexual self determination.3 There is no doubt in anybody watching this video that the person in this music video is somebody who is proud to be a woman and considers her sexuality an integral part of her. On the other hand, watching the Hip Hop videos, I did not get that feeling. It almost looked like that the women's appearance and existence on the video depended on what men thought of them. Even if the Women were insulted and apparently portrayed in what I would consider very demeaning. I thought I might do some research in who these women were who were in this video. It turns out most of these women in these videos are general junior artistes who are very often unpaid4. Now I would imagine if you were to be insulted and depicted so badly, you at least would want to be compensated for that. There is no question that a person watching Shania Twain's music video would have some difficulty of male responsibility and monogamy with her sensual