City Of Manila.Background of a Smart Designed City Essay

The City of Manila has a population of 1.7 million people and is considered as one of the most polluted cities in the world with notorious traffic congestions. The city of Adelaide is on the other hand one of the most liveable cities in the world, with a population of 1.2 million and practically no traffic jams at all. This paper compares these two cities in order to establish what manila can learn from Adelaide. The City of Manila is a relatively small city with a population of about 1.7 million people and an area of around 40 square kilometres. The city can thus be categorized amongst the overpopulated cities of the world (Townsend, 2013). Consequently, Manila has a very high level of pollution and other challenges including traffic and poor drainage system that makes the sanitation very problematic. Background of a Smart Designed City Adelaide is a south Australian city with a population that is close to that of Manila at 1.3 million people. Initially, this city suffered from high levels of pollution owing to its large population and the energy sources being used across the city. First, the transport means today are highly effective reducing the traffic jams by 100% and the city is now considered as a ‘twenty minute city’ owing to the ability to move from one place to another easily (Fajardo, 2011). The reduced traffic jams translate to reduced gas emissions, as do the number of trees planted around schools, churches, parks, reserves, coastlines and transport corridors. These trees have managed to reduce the carbon emissions getting into the atmosphere thus making the city even cleaner. The city is planned very effectively in such a way that the transport systems are effective and diverse comprising of a South Eastern Freeway, Southern Express Way, the Port River Expressway and the Northern Expressway . This arrangement allows for effective transport across the metropolitan area thus making the city accessible without unnecessary congestions. The roads are also mostly very wide with multiple lanes to accommodate the growing number of vehicles in the city. The city has also cut down its use of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy with a great inclination on solar energy. They have undertaken numerous campaigns to encourage the citizens to install solar panels on their rooftops, with over 200 schools having to depend on this clean energy for their power needs. As such, the city is slowly turning to solar energy to sustain its energy needs (Henderson, 2002). From its initial planning in the days of the first settlers, the city was designed to have two green rings around the city square thus implementing the green city initiative right from its birth. As a result, they have over 3 million trees within the city and a few parks and squares with a lot of trees as well. The green belt here is so extensive that it is rumoured that one can actually feel the fresh air in the city especially if they are from another part of the country or the world. These trees play a big role in keeping the city free of pollution as they mitigate from the effects of the unavoidable carbon emissions. Suggestions for Future Development and Lose Cost Estimates In order to reach up to Adelaide’s standards, the city of Milan has to undergo a number of transformations within its layout. First, the city’s roads must be reconstructed to accommodate the traffic and reduce the traffic jams. This may cost as much as $100 billion seeing as there is a need for a complete overhaul in the city’s transport system. For efficiency, subways may also be found necessary especially seeing as Manila is in a developing country and thus the urban population is likely to keep growing. The green technology in terms of shifting to solar power as a main source of energy must also be considered seeing as the country currently depends on fossil fuels for their energy. This shift should cost the government about $20 million in equipment and education programs about how to use them as well as their maintenance (Townsend, 2013). In doing this, the city will have cut down on pollution seeing as the dependence on fossil fuels is by far the most hazardous human tendency. As for planting trees and creating a green city, it should be noted that the best trees in Manila can be sourced locally and should thus be relatively cheap. The challenge however would be the sensitization of the masses in order to gain their support and cooperation for maintenance of the trees. It can thus be estimated that the local government will need about $5 million for this project and with the cooperation of the citizens and the private sector the city should qualify for a smart city categorization within approximately 30 years from the implementation date (Townsend, 2013). For this to happen however, the city’s administration will have to obtain the support and cooperation of the general public and the private sector. References Fajardo, B.K. (2011). Filipino crosscurrents. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, MN. Henderson, V. (2002). Urbanization in developing countries. The World Bank Research Observer, 17(1), 89-112. Townsend, M.A. (2013). Smart cities: big data, civic hackers, and the quest for a new utopia. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Source document

Analysis of Theoretical Framework

Analysis of Theoretical Framework EDUC 701: Theories and Research in Educational Psychology February 24, 2013 ? Introduction Teachers are required to teach reading and comprehension skills to students and help them be able to read and comprehend materials from the past and present. Dr. Constance L. Pearson (1990) writes a dissertation entitled â€Å"The Comparison of the Effects of Three Prereading Advance Organizers on the Literal Comprehension of Fifth-Grade Social Studies Materials† in this paper he is trying to see if the use of a prereading advanced organizer would help build the fifth grade students comprehension and knowledge skills.During this stage of students learning development it is very important to start working on their reading and comprehension skills. Analysis The theoretical framework for this dissertation is using fifth-grade social studies materials and having a prereading strategy of an advanced organizer to see if it would increase comprehension and know ledge in the children while they read their textbooks. The advanced organizers that are being used are visual, graphic and problematic situation approach. The advanced organizers are being used to help the students with any concepts that they are not familiar with.By using these organizers strategies would be developed to help assist in learning the material. There were two research questions to validate the theory that is being used. The first question related to reading comprehension and how it affects students when they are given a prereading activity while using one of the advanced organizers. The second research question relates to the reading comprehension of the other two advanced organizer approaches when they are given a preading activity. It is believed that students reading comprehension can be increased from the use of the advanced organizers for their particular subject area.The purpose of this research was to determine if one of the prereading advance organizer strateg ies would carry distinction from the other two approaches. During the research many factors had to be considered and one such factor were students not being able to derive meaning from what they read in content area textbooks. One reason that the reader may have a problem with content text is that the material is written on a higher reading level then the intended reader. As a result the writers have tried to simplify the terminology and shortened the sentences.They did not take into consideration factors that inherent in the reader such motivation, reading ability and interest. There is one human factor that has the most influence on comprehension and that is schemata. Comprehension of the material is being determined by the knowledge that the reader brings to the selection. The more schemata the reader has for the topic the more they will understand the topic. Content materials especially in the area of social studies seek to develop many concepts; students often do not have the f ramework to attach new knowledge.Students must have an understanding of the concepts in order to comprehend the material they are reading. In chapter two of the dissertation Pearson explains how the research and literature that relate to the relationship of advance organizers to reading comprehension. He discusses the history of the study of reading comprehension and advance organizers. The schema theory is discussed as it relates to the study of advance organizers. Before 1970 reading comprehension was viewed as a process solely activated by the text itself.The views on reading comprehension have since changed and now text has been determined to be only the framework for meaning. The reader must be able to construct an internal conceptual representation of what is being read. Conclusion Therefore, through research it was determined the usage of advance organizers before the materials were read, did bring about some remembering by activating important concepts that were already pres ent in the children’s cognitive structure. The usage of advanced organizers should reinforce the importance of the new materials by providing the framework of previous learning materials.To determine if the usage of advanced organizers remain effective you should upon its ability to support new ideas from the student’s previous ideas. The prereading strategy of advanced organizers introduces how students can attach concepts to new learning materials Reference Pearson, C. L. P. (1990). The comparison of the effects of three prereading advance organizers on the literal comprehension of fifth-grade social studies materials. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

Inclusion Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Inclusion - Term Paper Example The irrevocable truths about nature are only two; diversity and dynamicity.Everything else is ephemeral. Both of these attributes in any setting provide opportunities as well as resources for developing new concepts and strategies The concept of inclusion has gathered impetus from this diversity or from being differently-abled rather than social, cultural and even scientific biases categorizing them as â€Å"disabled†. However, the issue involves the intricacies of human brain; of the differently-abled as well as of those who are responsible for facilitating their learning. Hence, the problem is much more complex. The ongoing inclusion vs. non-inclusion debate stems from the concerns of educationists, researchers, parents and policymakers for the appropriate learning and development of these differently-abled children, efforts to make them a part of the real world, recognize their potentials and help develop skills enabling an earning, and in the process avoiding any incident that may lower their self esteem, or lead to their further exclusion. Another aspect of the debate is the uniqueness of these individuals, rendering generalizations unfair. History of Inclusion A society is judged by the way it treats its members who are different, weak, disabled and poor. Following this line of judgment, history of human civilization has abundant evidences of society being highly intolerant and unaccommodating. It has failed to provide for the ‘different’ in general; one example of which is its treatment of the differently-abled learners such as the physically, intellectually or behaviorally disabled for long; making amendments only recently. For a long period extending up to the beginning of 18th century, individuals different from the ‘normal’ exhibiting social, political, behavioral, intellectual and physical deviance were rarely tolerated, and usually ostracized. It was only in the middle of 18th century that first reports of education being systematically imparted to the disabled in European countries are recorded; the process accepted as a specific branch of education by the close of 18th century (Winzer, 1993). In USA, prior to 1970, legal provisions allowed educational institutions to deny admission to the disabled considering them unfit for learning (Murdick, Gartin, & Crabtree, 2006). There was also either no provision for special needs students who were allowed in regular schools or they received an excluded education in a segregated classroom or school with a curriculum completely different from the regular classrooms i.e. non-inclusive education. It was only in between the 1960s and 75 that a collaborative effort of parents, disabled individuals and professionals lead to formation of advocacy groups promoting ‘equal opportunity for education’. The enactment of the 1970 education act in 1971 ended the prejudices against disabled children allowing them to be categorized as uneducable. Section 504 of the rehabilitation act passed on September 26, 1973 aimed to overcome the discrimination against individuals with handicap for federal funding (Zirkel & Kincaid, 1995). However with lack of funding and monitoring the legislation was ignored by educational institutions. The landmark Warnock report (1978) in England, Wales and Scotland proved to be turning point in developing public and professional opinion about disabled children. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), (earlier known as the Education for all Handicapped Children Act) or Public law 94-142, passed in 1975 and amended in 1983 and again in 1990; lay down specific eligibilities regarding special education, parental rights and individualized educational programs (IEP). The three conditions that were to be fulfilled for special education drives were stipulated to be: Education of disabled children

To what Extend can a Measure of National Income (GDP) Give an Coursework

To what Extend can a Measure of National Income (GDP) Give an Indication on How Well a Population is Doing - Coursework Example These assumptions and suggestions from both sides will be analyzed as to which side is actually more capable to justify their stance. David Cameron, the British prime minister, stated at near the end of 2010 that happiness cannot be measured by money and that it was time when the humans gained some maturity and realize that money is not the most important thing in life and there are other factors such as family, culture and relationships which influence the happiness of a person (Stratton, 2010). What Mr. David Cameron and his advisors suggest here that rather than GDP, the Gross National Happiness (GNP) is a more accurate measure of the people’s happiness. The concept of GNH or Gross National Happiness was first introduced in 1972 by the Bhutanese King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who coined this term in an effort to ensure that the society was truly happy from inside and not just motivated by money. Research then started on this topic and there were several suggestions which com bined to form the satisfaction and happiness in a person’s life. ... forums, it has been argued that money is not the only contributing factor to wellness and happiness, but they admit that it is one of the most important factors. The argument, that there are more important things in life that contributes to the true development of humans, is based upon the simple observation that the richest countries in the world are not necessarily the happiest. Philippines is not a very rich country and their gross domestic product per capita is considered at around $3500 which makes it clear that there are economies and nations who have much higher GDP per capita than that of Philippines. If GDP would really have been the only contributor in the wellness and happiness of a person, then there would have been much happier nations around than Philippines. However, this is not true because the Filipinos are considered to be one of the happiest nations in the world and they are always smiling around very much satisfied with their life. The main reason of the happiness and satisfaction of their life despite their low GDP is the culture and the presence of their families. Philippines have a very collectivist lifestyle and they like to live with their families and prefer their own culture rather than adopting it from outside their community. When they get this culture, it is only fitting that they are happy in what they have. (Cassandra, 2010) Figure 1: United Kingdom GDP Growth Rate (Trading Economics, n.d.) The figure above, Figure 1, shows the changes in the gross domestic product in United Kingdom in the year 2011. The graph shows that the there were fluctuations in the GDP growth rate throughout the different quarters of financial year 2011-12. However, this does not necessarily means that the happiness and well being of the UK population was also

Quality tools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Quality tools - Research Paper Example To begin with, this model is a self-assessment framework (Benjamin, 2006). It is mainly used for evaluating strengths in an organization and it is used for assessing or measuring areas for improvement in an organization. This process cuts across every activity that the organization engages in. Excellence is a term used to emphasize on the focal point of the model. This model mainly targets to analyze the things that an organization does. These activities are the efforts that an organization in question may employ to provide excellent services and products to the market or to its customers. It originated from the private sector, but it is a model that all organizations; public, voluntary and every other organization can apply to improve its performance in terms of products and services. Studies designate that this classical is non-prescriptive; this means there are no strict rules set out to be followed in order to achieve quality results. It employees broad and coherent set of assump tions that reveals what the organization and the management needs to do to make up a good and reputable organization. Because of its simplicity, every organization can use its own methods to manage and create improvements. This calls for internal use of methods in assumptions rather than the use of external evaluators. The excellence model starts with the customer, outcomes, people outcomes, and society outcomes, it is suggested that his important results are achieved through leadership driven policy strategy. It is revealed that people, resource leading and partnership form the key to excellence in terms of performance and results. The figure above shows the various criteria and their interrelation. It also gives the two broad categories: the enabler and the results. The model is used on nine important criteria to achieve results. This are used to cover all actions of the society and the ideas are in two types; enabler and results. Through the enabler standards, this is alarmed wit h how the organization demeanors itself: how it manages its capitals and its employees. This also gives information about how the organization lays out its strategies by reviewing its key process (Hansen, 2010). The key process is people, leadership, procedures, companies, incomes and every model aims to accomplish outcomes. The results are revealed after employing this model are the results of the quality tool use. The results involve the level of gratification among the employees, clients, and the impact on the larger community, while touching on the functioning signs. The organization more often begins by gathering evidence or relevant information about every criterion. For instance, questions may be direct to ask how good the organization is and the variation goes from one organization to another. There many benefits realized when EFQM is employed in an organization to improve quality. Firstly, excellent model provides a clear analysis of an organization`s activities, which beco mes useful for planning through links between the results and what the organization does. Through this model, it is possible to instill an organizational culture of continuous improvement. In addition, the model is a holistic framework addresses a wide range of organizational quality issues in a thorough manner

The effect of the community sports leaders award on coaching efficacy Essay

The effect of the community sports leaders award on coaching efficacy - Essay Example The relevance of the work is displayed through the fact that there can hardly be found any profound researches which confirm the relationship of the coach training and the achievements of the athletes. The fact, that coaches should understand the role of the education efficacy as well as the main measurements and requirements towards this efficacy, which will ultimately lead to the higher indices of sport achievements among students and youth athletes. Coaching efficacy is measured through the extent, to which the coaches believe their efforts will provide positive results of their training for the athletes. Thus, it is necessary to provide the basic research in the area of possible connections between the self confidence of the coaches and the achievements of their athletes, thus giving the ground for further research in the similar areas. Youth sport coaches are expected to develop knowledge in a wide range of disciplines including anatomy, physiology, sport psychology and pedagogy (Martens, 1997), they traditionally received little formal training through coach education programmes. The effectiveness of these programmes has been questioned (Douge & Hastie, 1993; Woodman, 1993) and large scale coach education programmes have been criticised for their low ecological validity (Gilbert & Trudel, 1999; Houseworth, Davis & Dobbs, 1990). More recently the importance of coaching to athlete development and national sporting success has been recognised (Sports Coach UK, 2002,) and as a result it has been identified that effective instruction is crucial to the pursuit of optimal sporting performance (Hodges & Franks, 2002). The more effective the instruction, the more fully the instructors role will benefit the athlete. Such instruction requires expert knowledge and a range of skills such as planning and organising in order to facilitate learning experiences and athlete performance. Coaches must also develop a repertoire of sport specific techniques and tactics,

File Systems, Remote Access, and Monitoring Essay - 1

File Systems, Remote Access, and Monitoring - Essay Example This essay stresses that VPN connections allow users working at home or on the road to connect in a secure fashion to a remote organization server using the routing infrastructure provided by a public internetwork (such as the Internet). From the user’s perspective, the VPN connection is a point-to-point connection between the user’s computer and an organization server. This paper declares that the particular policy settings available under Security Options are determined by the security template file, that was imported into the Group Policy object (GPO). These security templates are .inf files stored in your computer's %windir%\security\templates folder, and by default Windows Server 2003 includes a number of standard templates. The securedc.inf template can be used to harden the security settings on your Windows Server 2003 domain controller, while hisecdc.inf can be used to harden these settings to an even greater degree. Windows Server 2003 offers two MMC snap-ins dedicated to security templates: The Security Templates snap-in and the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in. The Security Templates snap-in is used for creating security templates; and the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in is used to see what's in a template. Windows Server 2003 doesn't come with a preconfigured console for the snap-ins, so you must open the MMC and a dd them yourself. Each template configures settings in seven areas: Account Policies, Local Policies, Event Log, Restricted Groups, System Services, Registry and File System.

Strong and weak states Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strong and weak states - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the presentation and the explanation of the differences between strong and weak states – as these differences are highlighted in the relevant literature. Emphasis is given on both the characteristics of strong and weak states and the reasons for the existing differences between the above types of states. The understanding of the criteria and the reasons for the categorization of states to strong and weak could help to explain the format of relationships among states in the context of international community. More specifically, strong states are most likely to show their power in influencing key international policies by intervening in the political, social and economic decisions of the weak states (Nelson et al. 2002). Moreover, the presentation of the causes for the differences between strong and weak states would help to identify the strategies that would help inequality in the global politics to be effectively controlled. 2. Strong and weak states à ¢â‚¬â€œ characteristics and differences In the context of the international community, two different major types of states can be identified: a) the states which are strongly centralized and where the social needs are effectively addressed using appropriate economic (for instance, the industrialization) and political schemes; these states can be characterized as strong (Migdal 2001), b) on the other hand, there are those states where the government is not able to monitor the social and the economic changes developed across the national territory; these are the weak states where changes in society and economy are inevitable under the pressure of ‘uncontrollable forces coming from large powers and the world economy’ (Migdal 2001, p.58). In practice, a series of different criteria can be used in order to decide whether a particular state should be characterized as a strong or weak. For instance, in the study of Kopstein et al (2005) it is noted that the autonomy of a state in developing its own decisions on issues that are key for its existence and development should be considered as the key criterion for characterizing the specific state as strong. In other words, strong states are characterized by the ability of their leaders to make clear their preferences on the state’s priorities and initiatives – both in the short and the long term (Kopstein et al 2005). Moreover, capacity should be regarded as another key criterion for characterizing a state as strong; capacity in this case, as the term is used in the study of Kopstein et al (2005), is related to the existence of adequate resources for the development of the various plans of the state. Reference is made not just to financial resources, i.e. the funds available for the realization of the governmental plans, but also to the social resources, i.e. the people who are willing and capable of supporting the relevant initiatives (Kopstein et al. 2005). As for the weak states, it can be c oncluded – referring to the issues highlighted in the study of Kopstein et al. (2005) – that these states are expected to have limited autonomy and capacity, as these two terms were explained above. However, at this point, the following issue should be highlighted: the level of autonomy and capacity of a state cannot be always clearly identified. Even if many indications exist that show a high

ECONOMICS OF POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION Research Paper

ECONOMICS OF POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION - Research Paper Example This makes an exploration of this idea complicated by the idea of the life of the person at immanent risk of homelessness as something that is expressive of the perspective of those who define them, and therefore may, wittingly or not, make class-struggle dynamics more a part of the equation than a lot of people may realize. That is, to define those who are at risk and be so explicitly brought down by them, or rather by those who oppress them, suggests a position that is far from an objective experience of the actual life of the homeless, who may or may not be aware of the rituals of definition which make their experience so singularly bitter. From this perspective, the poverty of the individual seems like more of a forced choice than a willing obligation. To avoid confusion, then, those who are immanently homeless still have their basic needs met, which are shelter food and water and clothes. But those who are homeless are beginning to lose these basic needs and lose touch with the society that provides them. This is the main difference in terms of the distinctions of immanent and real homelessness. This sets up a classification system of the poor and homeless, so that it is at least clear exactly about whom someone is speaking when they name the actual and immanent homeless. The definitions which can be provided in terms of this difference are largely classical and do not have the same attenuation that is placed in other sections of experience on modern equivalencies of the welfare state as it exists today; nonetheless, perhaps the classical definitional structure of immanence versus actuality in referring to the poor and homeless is made more clear by its presentation as a set of unchanging categories that includes the poor, the al most-homeless, and the homeless. It seems that this set of categories could be expanded, and that we could expand this definition by adding that although these are specific categories into which the poor and homeless can be

1984 by George Orwell Essay Example for Free

1984 by George Orwell Essay Winston made up his mind, he would defiantly come back to this place after a suitable interval. He would take the risk of visiting the shop again. He would look around more, find other interesting things from the mysterious past. He was even considering of renting that nice little room above the shop. And he would definitely drag the rest of that song out of Mr. Charringtons memory. Almost cheerfully and while humming the rhyme to an improvised tune, he left the shop. After reading through the extract I must come to the conclusion that Winston must have had a nice, if not great experience visiting the shop. The objects in the shop and especially in the living room upstairs made Winston long to the mysterious past, the very thing he desperately wants to discover more about. The atmosphere in the extract reflects this in the mysterious way that it is written by George Orwell. The reader can actually share the impression of the cozy room with its sweet fire place and go through the same emotions as Winston, due to the detailed description by the author. In this passage we deal with something that is called a time-delay. The actions in this passage are described more detailed than in the passage that comes before it. There is also a lot of thinking and reflection involved. To make an end to this essay I would like to discuss one more thing. In this extract Mr.Charrington appears as a nice old grandfather kind of man that obviously has experienced a lot during his live and fortunately is somehow preserved from the bad influence Big Brothers regime. We get the impression that Mr. Charrington could know things about the past of great value to Winston. We want to read ahead and find out if our impressions will be realized. We also want to know how Winston will develop through this obtained knowledge, what his opinion will be on the present government when he finds out the truth about the past.

The Social And Cultural Messages In Apocalypto Film Studies Essay

The Social And Cultural Messages In Apocalypto Film Studies Essay When one decides to put history on film, one must be prepared for substantial tradeoffs (Rosenstone 16). Films cannot convey historical events with pinpoint accuracy or with exact detail because films like this do not sell or are not financially practical. As a result, historical films are usually laden with historical inaccuracies that are on one hand emotionally and visually compelling and on the other hand, a distortion of a sense of history for many others. As historical films surrender accuracy for dramatic effect and brevity, historical truths become laced with political or cultural messages advertently or inadvertently placed by the producers of the movie (Christen and Haas viii). So what we have are exciting films backdropped against a real past but projecting a largely imagined one on the screen. Films such as Mel Gibsons Apocalyto have captured significant attention for being both a cultural success and failure at the same time (Grandia). A modern depiction of the great Mayan civilization, Gibson assimilated cinematographic elements to create a chase film that is not a historical document as he said, but a social critique of government tyranny and abuse. The cultural preoccupations reflected in the film was heightened with the Iraq War, which divided American public opinion into camps which supported the war in the name of civilizing Iraqis through the restoration of democracy and those that fought the war because it was an illegitimate war waged against a sovereign people. On a personal level, Gibson was conscious in the film being a critique of the Bush administrations megalomaniac tendencies. However, all throughout the film, Gibsons personal religious convictions and political persuasions were perhaps inadvertently reinforced, causing critics to accuse him of racism and bigotry (Grandia). For all its historical inaccuracies (which Gibson admitted), the film projects American social and cultural realities as it struggles internally to deal with migration, terrorism, and the economic crisis factors that threaten its status in the global hierarchy. Upon a closer look at the film, it is hypothesized that the film reflects Americas struggle with its own national identity in relation to its history of imperialism and militarist culture, race and multiculturalism, and conservative theological roots. This paper addresses how these social and cultural preoccupations are portrayed in the film. Synopsis The story is set at the peak of the Mayan civilization when the nation, suffering from drought and disease, pillaged the surrounding tribes in search of slaves and human sacrifices to the gods. The central character, Jaguar Paw, is a hunter and family man, who along with many others of his tribe were taken captive. He protects his family by hiding them deep in a secluded hole and is subsequently saved from having his heart removed by the coming of a solar eclipse. What further ensues is a dramatic chase for survival as Jaguar Paw and his fellow tribe members were hunted down. He succeeds in killing off his enemies and returns to save his wife and child. However, his survival comes at a time when his tribe is decimated and his life changed forever. Social and Cultural Messages in the Film As earlier hypothesized, while Gibson may not have intentionally done so, several social and cultural messages were reflected in his film. Justifying Colonialism Cultural sensitivity is not a strong feature in Apocalypto. As critics have noted, Apocalyptos inaccurate portrayal of ancient Mayan civilization justifies colonialism on two grounds 1) in order to subdue an extremely barbaric and inhumane culture that sacrifices its population en masse and 2) that the inherent barbarity of Mayan culture itself was enough to see to its destruction, making colonialism a benign historical contribution. Americas preoccupation with empire and national prestige is reflected in this film in strong and subtle terms. The strong reference toward imperialism is illustrated by the brutal subjugation of a peaceful tribe by the strong armed force of the Mayan political center. Jaguar Paws tribe, harmonious and self-sufficient, found its very survival threatened because of the imperialistic ambitions of a more powerful tribe. However, we see that this once-glorious civilization was eventually destroyed. Given Gibsons public declaration of opposition to the Iraq War and how he detested it, his own view may be that the film should embody how perilous the imperialistic ambitions of the U.S. are (Grandia). The eventual annihilation of the Mayan Civilization then was used as a testament and a reminder to Bush and to all of the dangers of bloodthirsty power. Colonialism in this movie was underscored with the arrival of Spanish missionaries off the coast toward the end of the film. The cultural messa ge that could be inferred from this scene is that it was Christianity that actually saved and civilized the bloodthirsty Mayan civilization. This is analogous with Americas own brutal history of subjugating the Native American Indian tribes who were the original settlers of the American continent. Other cultural and political analogies could also be inferred. For instance, Americas preoccupation with policing the whole world and teaching democracy to so-called rogue states to the extent of military occupation is one. Another is Americas preoccupation with exporting the free market ideology to the entire world as the only viable economic system at the expense of developing nations unable to compete with industrialized nations in the world market. The most recent analogy would be the Iraq War, a war not sanctioned by the United Nations but crucial in advancing Americas petroleum interests in the Middle East. Race and Multiculturalism Gibson originally hoped to address Americas insatiable hunger for power by using the downfall of the Mayan civilization as analogy. The problem with this decision is that it reinforced racist epithets and cultural insensitivity. Advocates of multiculturalism strongly disagreed with how racist the film was (Schmidt). When you view the film, with its compelling imagery and graphic detail, one may be bound to conclude that the ancient Mayans were an inherently savage population. Gibsons use of the Yucatec Maya language in telling his version of the demise of the Mayan civilization was effective in giving historical authenticity to the film. Gibsons version of ritual sacrifice in the Maya has been lambasted by more than one historian. The Mayan civilization did not practice mass human sacrifices and when they do practice single human sacrifice, it was not random killing as suggested by the film (Grandia). Hence, the theme that came out of the film was not the critique of empire as Gibson had envisioned, but the emphasis on the barbarity of others, and the need to homogenize culture to conform to a Eurocentric standard (emphasized in the film with the coming of European missionaries). Multiculturalism has taken a hit in the heart of America with the immigration debate. In a bid for greater profits, corporatist interests have banked on tapping cheap immigrant labor, to the discontent of many Americans. A growing number of Americans have protested against the rising tide of immigrants in the country who are out to take their jobs, depress their wages, and contribute to uncontrollable population growth. Greater border security and more stringent immigration regulations have been hotly debated (Honey and Bass 14). Gibsons purported anti-Semitism has made racism an immediate accusation in Apocalypto. He created uproar among the Jewish community in his critically-acclaimed film Passion of the Christ which portrayed graphically how the Jews were the persecutors of Jesus Christ. Having a father who denies the existence of the Holocaust did not help to ease racist accusations in Apocalyto as well. Unfortunately, racism is not only Gibsons cultural preoccupation, but Americas. Despite the triumphs gained by Americas civil rights movement, racism is still very existent today. The global war on terror has heightened racial tensions and fueled Islamophobia and intolerance for other cultures. The most notable public example is fundamentalist pastor Terry Jones who threatened to burn the Koran and proclaimed Islam and the devils religion, despite pressure from top officials and pleas from the White House (Stacy). Moreover, despite having elected the very first Black president in Barack Obama, racism is a ghost that America still confronts. There still remain a substantial number of racially-motivated white groups in America who opposed Obamas election because he is black and who protest against his policies not for their lack of soundness but because is black. Racist Americans are very active in lobbying against legislation promoting racial equality and are unforgiving in their position. Media is populated by right-wing advocates against multiculturalism who are against affirmative action and other civil rights laws (Wallis). Christian conservatism Prominent in the film is the glorification of Christianity at the end of the film. After the viewer undergoes almost two hours of violence and gore nonstop, Spanish missionaries miraculously appear during the last minutes as if to rescue Jaguar Paw and his unfortunate tribe. Although subtle and short in appearance, the message of these scenes is powerful and undeniable. After all, why waste a few minutes of a film on a visually unappealing scene if it does not strike a core message to viewers? The final scene depicts Spaniards aboard the galleons crossing the waters off the coast, bearing crosses. After being convinced of the savagery and barbarity of the Mayans and relishing on how Jaguar Paw saved his wife and child, the sight of Spanish Christian missionaries allow the audience to be relieved. The message is: At last, help has come. God-fearing Christians have come to us. Out of the chaos and destruction of the Mayan civilization, the European missionaries have somehow arrived to make things right and restore peace. That the film ends there does not account for the equally brutal nature of subjugation the Natives endured under colonial rule. Colonialism by the Europeans was portrayed as benign while the internal colonization within the Mayan colonization was tantamount to genocide. The fact that the Spanish decimated almost 95% of the Mayans during their rule was left out (Grandia). The Christian conservatism Gibson injected in the film embodies his own religious convictions. Being a professed devout Catholic, Gibsons view was that the Mayan civilization was annihilated because of their bloodthirstiness and ungodliness. Religion, particularly Christianity, serves as a check against the excesses of power and departure from is perilous. Essentially, Gibson tows the line of religious fundamentalists that all social ills of America today are because it has forgotten its core spirituality. Morality has faded and replacing it has been decadence and wickedness. The film aims to remind America that the social problems it faces now is intertwined with its spiritual and moral struggle. Conclusion Apocalypto aimed to remind that a civilization unable to preserve its long-held traditions, beliefs, and spirituality will face destruction. Gibson inadvertently or advertently drew in Americas issues related to national identity imperialism, race, and Christian morality to serve this purpose. As a historical document, Apocalypto does not meet the accepted standards of accuracy and verifiability (Rosenstone 7). However, it depicts social and cultural preoccupations that America is currently faced with and as a result, triumphs in being a film that inspires and cultivates debate and discussion.

lung cancer Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lung cancer is the most common cancer-related cause of death among men and women. Lung cancer can be undetected for many years causing it to become more dangerous and possibly fatal. There is not cure for lung cancer or any cancer, but if detected in an early stage the lung cancer can be detected, treated, and hopefully terminated. There are many new and developing treatments being tested now that may save lives in the future. Through understanding what the lung cancer is, doctors can easily diagnose and assess cancer patients. Lung cancer takes many years to develop. The characteristics of lung cancer the same as any type of cancer but it effects the lungs. Lung cancer is caused by expose to carcinogens or cancer causing materials. After the carcinogens get into you lungs through breathing, the lining of your lungs will develop microscopic usual cells. If the exposure of the carcinogens to the cells increases, the cells will become more cancerous and will start to spread. Each infected cell will not do what it is suppose to do. This can limit the amount of air coming and going into your lungs, preventing the amount of oxygen that gets to your blood. Smoking is leading cause of lung cancer. Smoking causes more than 80% of lung cancer cases. When you smoke you are taking in more that 4,000 different chemicals, which are all proven to be cancerous. Even if you do not smoke you are still at risk for getting lung cancer. Second hand smoke is just as bad as smoking itself. Each of the harmful chemicals can still enter into non-smokers lungs when they are around smokers. Radon is also a leading cause of cancer. Radon is a radioactive gas that is invisible and odorless. Radon can be found in the surface of the earth. When people come in contact with radon it cause the same results as smoking, the cells be come usual. Thus leads to lung cancer. People can also come in contact with carcinogens while they are at work. Many cancer-causing chemicals can be found in the work place such as asbestos, uranium, arsenic, and petroleum. If you are exposed to these carcinogens for long periods of time, just like smoking or radon, you will develop lu ng cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early stages of lung cancer it is hard to detect the cancer. The cancer is silent and can grow and develop for years undetected. When the few symptoms... ...t must be careful not to get too much exposure to bright light like sunlight. Many people develop temporary skin darkening, much like having a suntan. Pain is another side effect of PDT. As the diseased tissue breaks down, it causes inflammation, which can cause pain. Fortunately, the pain of PDT is usually mild and is easily controlled with a painkiller. Another side effect of PDT for lung cancer is shortness of breath. This is from the fluid buildup in the lungs after the treatment. It is also caused by the inflammation when the cancer is broken down and removed from the body. The good news about the side effects of PDT is that they are usually temporary. Although lung cancer is the most common form of cancer many new treatments, as well as old treatments, give lung cancer patients a chance at survival. There are many causes of cancer, mainly by being exposed to carcinogens. Most of these causes can be avoided. By understanding what causes lung cancer or even simply not smoking you can lower the chance of developing lung cancer. Through understanding what lung cancer is, what causes it, and how it is treated, patients can make the process of fighting lung caner an easier task.

Comparing Henry IV and King Lear :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing Henry IV and King Lear  Ã‚      Shakespeare's play, King Lear details the tragic consequences of the decisions of the fictitious character Lear, King of England. King Lear is a man of great power but he surrenders all of this power to his daughters as a reward for their demonstration of love towards him. Lear’s rash decision results in a chain reaction of events that send him through a journey of hell. King Lear is a metaphorical description of one man's journey through hell in order to expiate his sin.      As the play opens one can almost immediately see that Lear begins to make mistakes that will eventually result in his downfall. (Neher) This is the first and most significant of the many sins that he makes in this play. By abdicating his throne to fuel his ego he is disrupts the great chain of being which states that the King must not challenge the position that God has given him. This undermining of God's authority results in chaos that tears apart Lear's world. (Williams) Leaving him, in the end, with nothing. Following this Lear begins to banish those around him that genuinely care for him as at this stage he cannot see beyond the mask that the evil wear. He banishes Kent, a loyal servant to Lear, and his youngest and previously most loved daughter Cordelia. (Nixon) This results in Lear surrounding himself with people who only wish to use him which leaves him very vulnerable attack. This is precisely what happens and it is through this that he discovers his wrongs and amends t hem.      Following the committing of his sins, Lear becomes abandoned and estranged from his kingdom which causes him to loose sanity. While lost in his grief and self-pity the fool is introduced to guide Lear back to the sane world and to help find the lear that was ounce lost behind a hundred Knights but now is out in the open and scared like a little child. (Bradley) The fact that Lear has now been pushed out from behind his Knights is dramatically represented by him actually being out on the lawns of his castle. The terrified little child that is now unsheltered is dramatically portrayed by Lear's sudden insanity and his rage and anger is seen through the thunderous weather that is being experienced. All of this contributes to the suffering of Lear due to the gross sins that he has committed.

The Daval Snuff Project :: essays research papers

Two summers ago I started working at this gun shop. Its not a great job but its money I didn't have before. While working there, I met a guy by the name of Daval Snuff. He's real smart(even though he dropped out of highschool) funny, nice, and knows a lot about guns. Two of Daval's best friends, BoodaSac and Feebus, told that he had a little crush on me. The problem was, I already had a boyfriend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I told Daval about Bobbio, my boyfriend, he threatened to kill him.He said he would literally kill him over me. It may sound weird but, I was flattered.I didn't know if he was serious about it or not, so I took a vacation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While on vacation I went to church and had a good prayer with Pastor Mickey. He simply told me not to believe him. On the fourth coming day of her vacation the guys at work told me that Bobbio had stopped by the store. They also mentioned that he met Daval...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I called Bobbio no one answered, I got suspious. Little did I know that Daval had invited him to go hunting. What Bobbio didn't know was that Daval was hunting for HIM...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Little did Daval know, Bobbio was a trained asassign for the MM(Mexican Mafia). Bobbio knew something was up when Daval shot him with a tranquilizer dart, but Bobbio being the trained assasign that he is took the dart out and sucked the poison out and spit it in Daval's eye.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The deadly poison from the dart severly wounded Daval's eyes leaving him blind and alone.With Bobbio gone, Daval was left to fend for himself.

Racial Discrimination Essay

Racism and Discrimination are represented in the short story â€Å"Country Lovers† and the poem â€Å"What It’s like to be a Black Girl†. Both the short story and this poem have a main character which is protagonist black female. Both of the women deal with discrimination because of their race. Racism is something that we see, hear and experience in our everyday lives. Racism is something that people don’t speak about or address the issue, for example in the short story â€Å"Country Lovers†. The short story â€Å"Country Lovers† was written by Nadine Gordimer in 1975(Clugston, 2010). This short story is about a love between a black girl named Thebedi and white boy named Paulus Eysendyek taken place in Africa. The two of them played together much of their childhood days. Eventually time passed and they began growing up and distance themselves from one another. Paulus was the son of the farm owner and Thebedi’s father worked for Paulus’s father. They both knew that their friendship wasn’t accepted in the public. Throughout this short story there are examples of dramatic effects. The first examples is when the narrator talks about Paulus going away to school† This usefully coincides with the age of twelve or thirteen; so that by time early adolescence, is reached, the black children are making along with the bodily changes common to all, an easy transition to adult forms of address, beginning to call their old playmates missus and baasie little = master† (Clugston, 2010). The friendship created between them during their childhood still remains. Paulus’ and Thebedi’s parents never told them, they couldn’t see each other but yet, there was always this unspoken knowledge that Paulus and Thebedi couldn’t be friends publicly. An example of the unspoken racism Paulus came home from school and brought Thebedi a gift. She told her father the missus had given them her reward for some works she had done at the farmhouse. She  told the girls in the kraal that she had a sweetheart nobody knew about tat away, away on another farm, they giggled, teased, and admire her. (Clugston,2010). The loss of innocence and love that shouldn’t be was described when Paulus watches Thebedi play in the water. â€Å" The school girls he went swimming in the dams or pools on neighboring farms wore bikinis but the sight of their dazzling bellies and thighs in the sunlight had never made him feel what he felt now when the girl came up the bank and sat beside him, the drops of water beading off her dark legs the only points of light in the earth-smelling deep shade. They were not afraid of one another, they had known one another always, and he did with her what he had done that time in the store room at the wedding, and this time it was so lovely, so lovely, he was surprised and she was surprised by it, he could see in her dark face that was part of the shade, with her big dark eyes, shiny as soft water, watching him attentively: as she had when they used to huddle over their teams of mud oxen, as she had when he told her about detention weekends at school.† (Clugston 201 0) At the end of this short story when Paulus arrived home from veterinary college for the holidays. The racism is very real throughout the city. Paulos finds out that the young black girl Thebedi had given birth to a baby. He goes to Thebedi’s hut to see for himself. When her reaches the hut and see’s the baby. He struggled for a moment with tears, anger and self-pity. He asked,† You haven’t been near the house with it?† (Clugston, 2010) His reaction showed that he knew their relationship could never be public knowledge. He was ashamed of her and the baby. As the story comes to an end Paulus returned to the hut where Thebedi and the baby lived: â€Å"She thought she heard small grunts from the hut, the kind of infant grunt that indicates a full stomach, a deep sleep. After a time short or long she didn’t know that he came out and walked away plodding stride (his father’s gait) out of sight, towards his father’s house† (Clugston, 2010). The realization that Paulus killed the infant child that day when returned to Thebedi’s hut. â€Å"The baby was not fed during the night and although she kept telling Najabulo it was sleeping, he saw for himself in the morning that the baby was dead. He comforted her with words and caresses. She did not cry but simply sat, staring at the door (Clugston, 2010). Reading this story showed racial discrimination in the community. It showed a community divided because of race. And because of racism, it cause a sad tragedy between two people that was madly in love. The poem â€Å"What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl† (For those of you who aren’t)† (Clugston, 2010), which was written by Patricia Smith in 1991. An explanation in its purest form of â€Å"What It’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t) by Patricia Smith, the explanation from the first three syllables† First of all,† the author gives a sense of a story being told. She uses sentence structure and language to show the reader the seriousness of her topic Smith’s poem. Smith’s poem gives reader’s an insider’s view into a young black girl’s transition to a woman at a time when being black was hard for society to deal with color of black people. Puberty is defined by biological changes a young girl’s body experiences starting around age 9 to age 15. â€Å"It’s being 9 year old and feeling like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong.† (Smith, 4). The puberty transformation for a young girl has to be difficult. The poem† What’s it’s like to be a Black Girl†, is a look into the mind of a black girl growing in a society that promotes racism and discrimination, both of race and gender. Not knowing where you fit into society being a young black girl and also trying to accept your body going through puberty changes. As a black girl, taught to be ashamed of who you are, how you look and where you come from. This black girl wanted society to accept her or she would rather be white in order to be accepted in society. Nadine Gordimer was born in 1923,† She has lived in South Africa since birth except for a year she spent in college has devoted all her adult life to  writing-13 novels and 10 short stories collections, her work have been published in 40 different languages. The socioeconomic system is a dominant theme in her writing, later her works reflect challenges accompanying the changing attitudes in the country toward racism. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1991† (Clugston, 2010). Patricia Smith who was born in 1955, was an African American poet and performance artist has won the National Poetry slam four times. The hardship that black women suffered in the poem and the short story is still being suffered by black women and black men growing up being discriminating against created a dramatic story. While reading this poem, I could understand being a black man and raise by a black woman in Tuskegee, Alabama the discrimination she was feeling even though it was a different time and place. At times, the story and poem showed emotions of happiness and sadness. In conclusion, I feel both authors was feeling the same way about racism and discrimination. The views of racism and discrimination was demonstrated in Nadine Gordimer’s†Country Lovers† and Patricia Smith’s† What It’s like to be a Black Girl† (For those of you who aren’t). In both readings, as a reader you could see the hardship that each character faced because of racism and discrimination of black people especially black women. References Clugston, R.W.(2010). Country Lovers, Nadine Gordimer. In Journey into Literature (chapter3) Clugston, R.W. (2010). Poems For Reflection, In Journey into Literature( chapter 2 section 2)

Puritan society Essay

So far the audience is aware that Hale can be a pragmatic character because it is clear that he does not believe some of the accusations can be true, which is why he is on his rounds. The puritan theology that he relies on has brought him to be a stern character, believing that ‘theology†¦ is a fortress,’ that the audiences have to decide is congenial or disagreeable.  The arrival of Cheever causes a mass silence in the room. This is done to give the audience a chance to put events into perspective and allows the tension floating tirelessly around in the room to build up. Cheever approaches the household with bad news. The audience must be feeling sorry for him, as the men seem to be friends. Giles says to Cheever, † it’s a pity†¦ that such an honest tailor might have gone to Heaven must burn in Hell.† Cheever is sympathetic but he says that he is doing what he is told. This shows differences between some of Giles friends. Proctor is willing to ‘darken’ his name in order to revert the charges to Giles’s wife but Cheever is two faced, willing to throw away his friendship with Giles for money that he earns on his rounds. The suspense is built up even more as the audience is now eager to know what Cheever is doing in the house and what business of the court he is addressing. The audience is then stunned on the note that Cheever’s arrival is because he holds the warrant for the arrest of Elizabeth. Proctor, whom has had an overt hate for Hale since his entry, is enraged as he said that Elizabeth was not charged just, ‘somewhat mentioned.’ Hale, however, is just as shocked and proceeds by asking, â€Å"when were she charged.† The audience is really interested by this point; Miller has timed and written this section linking almost everything to a previous scene. We learn from Cheever that sixteen people had been charged that evening and all to be arrested. Cheever then begins to look around the room for any ‘poppets’. Miller has timed this to perfection as the audience is queued to remember the one that Mary Warren had given Elizabeth earlier that evening. Of course Elizabeth will not remember this after all the commotion. The audience are shown this when Elizabeth claims she ‘has kept poppets’ since she was a girl. Cheever persists in his search, as her word is not reliable in court. Cheever finds the one that Mary gave to Elizabeth earlier and refuses to believe that it is Mary’s. This adds to the tension and also is a ploy for an even more terrible consequence. Elizabeth then goes to get Mary Warren in an attempt to prove her innocence, whilst she is away a most unimaginable discovery is made. There is a needle stuck in the belly of the poppet. Miller makes Proctor struggle to find out the significance of the needle. Whereas the audience is well aware of the significance that the needle has as this will be misinterpreted for a link to Abigail Williams being stabbed and are eager as to what Proctor will say or do. Proctor claims that ‘she done it herself.’ But Cheever does not believe this statement because Abigail had accused Elizabeth’s ‘familiar spirit’ of doing the deed. In such a puritan, god-fearing biblically run society accusing somebody’s familiar spirit will mean they are telling the truth and the accused was a witch. The audience does not know this it what it means but they are able to catch on. At this point tension is at a titillating peak and the plot is steady. Hale is struck by the proof and is incapable of believing Proctor’s suggestion. Mary is brought down and is questioned consecutively. Her bewildered attitude as well as disagreeing opposition questioning her allows the questioners to manipulate her words and stutters to their own liking. After gathering the basic outline in all the conflicting opinions she clearly says, â€Å"†¦ I made it.†Ã‚  Her admittance to the ownership and the placing of the needle in the poppet but this does not dissuade Cheever. He is convinced †Tis hard proof!’ Miller has an excellent perception of the thoughts and moments that the audience are not anticipating, his pauses and hesitation in Mary’s dialogue give the audience an idea of how she is feeling and why she is stuttering so much. When Elizabeth finds out that Abigail is the one who has accused her, she loses her temper and says something that guaranteed her a one way ticket to jail. â€Å"She must be ripped out of the world.† Elizabeth, by saying this, has virtually condemned herself, and the chances of her leaving innocent get slimmer. Proctor then gets a chance to protect his wife; this appeals to the audience, as they know he is sincere and trying to forget Abigail. Proctor in a fit of rage tears Cheever’s warrant and attempts to get rid of the uninvited company. Miller has opted for Hale to stay quiet throughout this confrontation to show his cowardly characteristics to the audience, as he has not said anything that he had said to the Proctors to Cheever. Proctor also knows this and his hate for Hale is again shown when he himself calls him a ‘coward.’ This also shows how everyone who is a sceptic of the goings on in Salem does not want to publicise their queries in case the girls, for being too close to the truth, accuse them. Proctor keeps backing up his wife, whom knows there is no point because she will have to go whatever he does. Elizabeth is scared and the audience has now adopted a serious hate for Hale whose words are ineffective and does nothing to stop Giles, Francis’s and Proctor’s three wives from being arrested, he is frowned upon by everyone as a fake. Before she leaves Elizabeth tells Proctor to continue as normal. The audience may be sympathetic towards Hale because they know his religious status restricts his opinion. There are a few main points when hale enters that form the rest of the play; when Proctor claims that the goings on in Salem had naught to do with witchcraft and the arrest of Mrs. Proctor. This scene is flooded with instruments that create drama, suspense and emotion provoking feeling. The character description is appropriate and lets the audience differentiate good from evil. Miller employs splendid literary skills that keep the tempo and tension levels at unbearable highs. The language is elementary and a lot of it is biblically surrounded reflecting the puritan society. His repressed feelings about the freedom of thought and speech in 1956 are all expressed without regret in the story and gives the Crucible a tailor made, captivating essence for the reader and audience.

Template for Purpose Statement

University of Phoenix Material Problem and Purpose Statement Templates Templates for Purpose Statements Below are the criteria from the checklist that show the parts required in the problem statement. Samples of a qualitative, quantitative, and mixed study problem statement are provided as examples. |Problem Statement | |1.General problem identifying need for study: The problem is ______ | |2. Specific problem proposed for research: 3 out of 5 chief executive officers are overweight and at risk for heart attack | |3. Introductory words describing methodological approach given and appropriate to the specific problem; â€Å"This qualitative or quantitative case | |study will explore or examine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  | |4.General population group identified: Chief executive officers from Fortune 500 organizations will be surveyed to determine †¦.. | Qualitative Problem Statement African American females remain drastically underrepresented in community college president positions (problem), despite the increase of African American community college presidents over the last ten years (Phelps & Taber, 1997). Only 5% of 1,220 community colleges (specific problem: encourage numbers, as that helps illustrate specific problem) have African American presidents (Phelps & Taber, 1997).African American women occupy a small percentage of Phelps’ figure of 5%. This qualitative case study (study type) will describe personal and professional perceptions experienced by 20 African American women who have achieved the role as a United States community college president. (population) The data will provide leaders information related to leadership development, mentoring, and accession strategies for  African American females interested in  community college presidential roles. Quantitative Problem StatementDepartment of the Army civilian managers and supervisors, who hold leadership positions, are perceived as not having the same leadership training and competencies as their military counterparts (problem) (Viall, 2003). A study conducted by the Army Chief of Staff reported, â€Å"There is no well developed and executed, integrated, systemic approach for civilian leader development for the Army† (Viall, 2003). The Department of the Army, however, does have equal and required civilian and officer institutional leadership training, education, and development policies in place (specific problem) (Army, 1999, para. -6-3). These policies are outlined and explained in United States Army Training and Doctrine Command Regulation 351-10, and implemented for use by civilians through the Army Civilian Training, Education and Development System. The system was implemented to provide a sequential, progressive leadership development plan that provides civilians with a career leadership-learning path equal to leadership training provided in the Officer Education System (Army, 1999, p. 22).This quantitative study (methodological approach) will utilize quantifiab le and qualifiable research methods to compare the leadership training, education, and development regulations and programs of United States Army officers to that of civilians in a large federal laboratory located in the southeastern United States, (population being studied) to determine why civilians are perceived as not having the same leadership competencies as military counterparts. Mixed Methods Problem Statement Virtual employees are becoming more prevalent in business environments.There are approximately 24 million virtual workers in the U. S. , representing 18% of the total workforce (The Dieringer Research Group, 2004), up from 19 million in 1999 (Pratt, 1999). By 2010, there may be over 40 million virtual workers in the U. S. (Jala International, Inc. , 2004). In 2001, 51% of North American companies had virtual employee programs (Wiesenfeld, 2001). In some areas, the use of virtual employees and teams â€Å"has outpaced our understanding of the dynamics and unique charac teristics† (Pauleen & Young, 2002, p. 205). general problem) Whereas virtual environments require the same basic management and leadership responsibilities, they may encumber managers when conducting individual performance feedback and employee developmental activities (Bell & Kozlowski, 2002). (specific problem) This mixed method study (type of study) will use a modification of Morrill’s (1997) Likert-type instrument with several open-ended questions to explore the patterns of perceived feedback effectiveness and best practices for communicating feedback to virtual employees.The study will electronically survey all employees in _____ division, who have been in their position for at least one year and are located throughout the continental U. S. (geographic location) to describe the degree of correlation between the virtualness of the employee and the perceived level of performance feedback, developmental feedback, trust, and leaders member exchange. The survey will col lect data to identify best practices for communicating performance and developmental feedback to virtual employees. Templates for Purpose Statements.

A Report Into Consumer Behavioural Theory

Understanding consumer behaviour allows us to engage more effectively with our target market and increase sales * It is vital we understand the needs of our target market and their motivation for purchasing Benecol or alternative products. * Giving Value to a product after we understand our consumers’ needs and motivation for purchase can increase positive interaction with our market. * When marketing a product, it is advised that the advertisement attaches itself best to the needs and value of consumers with relevant and engaging information. Creating a psychological struggle for customers as well as curing it can be vital to increase market share and customer satisfaction. * Overcoming pre-purchase alternatives to Benecol is a great challenge due to the highly saturated market the brand finds itself in, although this is not impossible as promotion of the products health benefits can lift it. * Consumers can be conditioned to relate to Benecol both consciously and unconsciously through various marketing and production techniques. Marketing strategies can be put in place which are directly or indirectly linked to the purchase or use of the product that gain short or long term boosts in sales or customer satisfaction such as sales promotions or school giveaways to promote health in children which improves brand reputation. * Taking advantage of every point of interaction between the product and the consumer can greatly increase the likelihood that a customer will become loyal to the brand and perhaps even aid the increase of market share. Introduction Consumer behavioural theory gives marketing departments the opportunity to gain a more effective understanding of the customers they have or wish to attain. The theories attached to this subject emotional, cognitive and psychological reaction to marketing and brand management. The following is a report on consumer behaviour related to the Benecol brand with the intention to gain a better organisational understanding of marketing theories and methods relevant to the specific brand. Due to the market segmentation of Benecol, the report largely aims to focus on consumer behaviour closely linked to health and food products, as well as applying more general consumer behavioural theory where relevant. As the relevant theories to consumer behaviour in the case of Benecol are outlined, recommendations will be made in order to aid the company in customer acquisition, retention and satisfaction. Motivation and Need Recognition In assembling this report it was understood that many theories of behavioural aspects of marketing are derived from an organisation’s awareness and understand of its target markets’ needs and desires and those who utilise this most effectively are often the most successful brands. For instance, Coca-Cola has no health benefits, therefore it is marketed as hedonistic product and the more its target market become increasingly health-conscious the more Coke will play on its slogan ‘enjoy’, whilst also increasing its market share in other ways, i. e. hrough the purchase of shares in drinks companies that promote health (Macalister & Teather, 2010). The need or desire that is recognised by Benecol’s products is clearly the reduction of cholesterol, the motivation for this is increased health as well as Benecol’s ease of use. The motivation for buying a product that increases the health of the consumer is self-evident in many ways. Value Theory Many researchers have suggested that consumers are ‘value driven’ and find that the enjoyment of a product is balanced between what is given and what is received (Torben, 2005). In short, this theory argues the following factors are counted when a future purchase is considered: From this, it could be argued that Benecol’s price and quality are subjective to the customer as the benefits from use of said product are only noticeable long-term and the economic cost of the range are noticeably, although not unreasonably, higher than alternatives. However, the value the product gives to the consumer from a marketing perspective will be discussed in greater details through other behavioural theories as the above chart is too rudimentary to give explicit argument to Benecol’s potential without more exploration. Information Processing Something highly intrinsic to the product value of Benecol is the emphasis on being ‘the only range of foods to contain Plant Stanol Ester, a unique cholesterol lowering ingredient. ’ (Rasio Plc. , 2011). Getting this information to the public through advertising happens through the brand website, but on television the advertising is focused on basic prompts that will motivate the audience into believing in the benefits of using the product. One example is the latest UK advert which places stress on the convenience of the product with a line in fairly small print about the plant stanol ester underneath the visual of how easy it can be to help lower cholesterol. The information of stanols is considered secondary in marketing the convenience product and therefore is only likely absorbed by those already interested in the product or the advertising. Dissonance This theory is based on a consumer’s cognitive struggle where two beliefs that are reasoned to be true are not consistent. This process of a cognitive clash brings about a motivation to come to a positive conclusion where a psychological compromise can occur to bring an end to the inconsistency, therefore ending the dissonance (Torben, 2005). By advertising the negative effects rival products can have on a consumer’s health, Benecol creates a struggle within the consumer’s mind that whilst they enjoy their regular food and dairy products, they are damaging to their health by creating large amounts of cholesterol. Benecol is then introduced as an alternative to health-damaging products that bridges the psychological inconsistencies in the consumer’s mind by offering a products that helps prevent cholesterol whilst not taking enjoyment away from eating. By offering advertisement reinforced with clinically proven information, the customer is also limited in averting the dissonance caused by Benecol’s initial information about rival product. Benecol therefore markets by initiating dissonance and then promoting a solution to end the consumer’s self-conflict. Balance Theory and Modelling This motivational theory argues that ‘people desire cognitive consistency in their drive to achieve psychological balance in their thoughts, feelings and social relationships’ (Dacko, 2008). In relation to marketing, consumer can be attracted or put off of a product due to a linked influencer even if it is not directly linked to the product, also known as modelling. For example, a woman could be attracted to an anti-wrinkle cream if she sees it endorsed by Dame Helen Mirren because she is a fan of the actress’ work and beauty. Similarly, if an organisation were thinking of using Accenture, a deal could have been negatively affected due to the unrelated infidelities of Tiger Woods, had the latter not ceased to sponsor him when they did. The theory promoted by Benecol is the trifecta of a person balancing convenience, taste and health. Ergo, Benecol is promoted as a product that does not impede on the consumer’s convenience from daily routine in preparing food, manages to taste as good as unhealthy products whilst being a product that promotes good health. Although it has done in the past with Carol Vorderman, Benecol currently does not market its product using celebrity endorsement, something that its rivals, Activia and Actimel do in the UK. Although these products are not exactly the same as Benecol, they produce many products in the same market advertising similar benefits, such as yoghurts and mini-drinks that aid well-being. Pre-purchase Alternative Evaluation This theory bases its argument on the focus that a customer makes a cognitive and emotional decision on the alternatives to the product in question before a purchase is made. Through judging the price, quality and branding of the products in question cognitively, a consumer will then make their decision based on the positive or negative effects that the previous factors will have on their life. As Benecol is marketed as an alternative to unhealthy dairy staples such as yoghurts and spreads, it is undeniable that the market that Benecol is placed in is highly competitive. Benecol spread is nearly twice as expensive as similar products including own brand olive spreads that cost under half the price for twice the weight of product (Ocado, 2011). The following is a statement from international brand analysts Datamonitor in a report for the UK dairy industry: ‘From the consumer's point of view, dairy products may be used directly as food or beverages, or ingredients for other home-made foods. There are a wide range of foods and drinks that can be used in similar ways to dairy products, so if dairy prices raise too high, it is easy for consumers to replace them with alternatives. This reduces the pricing freedom of retailers and market players. Some of the alternatives may have advantages for retailers, such as cheaper storage or higher margins. The threat of substitutes is assessed here as strong, although dairy products are important parts of most peoples' diet and are unlikely to be completely replaced’ (Datamonitor, 2008). From this we see that Benecol has the challenge to promote the positive effects it can have on a consumer’s life rather than any economic benefits it may possess, unless it was marketed in a way that suggested it could save customers money in the long-term as a prevention of high spending due to ill-health. This however is playing on consumer fear and would not be recommended as a means of increasing customer acquisition, retention or satisfaction. Classical Conditioning This theory refers to an argument that consumers can be programmed into acting without being conscious of their conditioning. Through classical conditioning it is argued that by stimulating different emotional states in a consumer through the use of marketing, product placement, packaging or use, the consumer’s approach to the product becomes altered to act immediately with a certain approach to a product that is involuntary (East, Wright, & Vanhuele, 2008). With Benecol, it could be argued that consumers are conditioned into both positive and negative emotional reactions through our marketing. The deep mint green logo surrounded by a heart blended with soft, sky blue backgrounds in our packaging and advertising is warming and few products in the same or similar markets share the same colour scheme so not only are we unique in our packaging so when customers do see similar colours, they are quickly linked back to Benecol which aids them to buy more. As mentioned in relation to other theories of consumer behaviour, fear plays a large part in motivating one to purchase an item which promotes health. Although as a company it would not be ethical to play on fear to boost sales, there is no denying the very real possibility that consumers are motivated to purchase goods when they are conditioned to understand that not doing so could lead them to health problems down the line.

Country study (China) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Country study (China) - Term Paper Example The rate of the population is faster in undeveloped countryside areas, where it is very hard to find work (Zeng, 2008). However, there is a decline in the population growth, which is realized with a reduced birth rate. This growth is considered to be below replacement level; hence, the current population growth is expected to increase life; expectance. Chinese person now lives an average of 74 years. Life expectance has reduced drastically with measures that are being taken by the federal government. There are several population control programs which have resulted in reduced families. These programs advocate for one-child households, and many Chinese citizens are adapting to this norm. Creation of an enormous hole in the social safety system of China is expected as a result of fewer male children being born. On the other hand, the Chinese population is slowly embracing the one-child policy to try and reduce the population growth. This policy is expected to save the government millio ns of dollars and thus improve the economy of the country. Measures to restrict couples from having many children are increasingly developing; for instance, education is increasingly becoming expensive. According to Zeng (2008), there are also increasingly expensive healthcare and poorly placed social security systems. It is of note for any organization to research the culture, value, religion, manner, and language used by the members of the community where they wish to start a new branch of business. However, it is essential to note that the findings are not meant to stereotype all the Chinese, but instead they are meant to help the company gain an impression of whom they are trading with. The population of Chinese is estimated to be over 1.2 billion people. These people belong to a family of mutually intelligible and close-related languages. Sino-Tibetan family of languages includes all the varieties of Chinese. However, these languages have their own dialect or sub-dialects. In a ddition, the languages are more or less mutually intelligible (Mente, 2008). For Victoria State Bank to function smoothly in China, they will have to understand the language used and make sure that their employees are fluent in these languages so as to serve the Chinese community well. In addition, if there is any written material, it should be ready for use in both English as well as Chinese, and the interpretation must be correct to avoid any misinterpretation. Before venturing into the banking industry in China, Victoria State Bank management should note that the Chinese have a culture through which they do not start business with organizations that they do not know. What the bank needs to do is look for an organization or an individual in China who will act as an intermediary. This will make the Chinese people gain your trust as this individual or organization will make sure that the Chinese community understands the reliability of the bank. After the Chinese have clearly known the intentions of the bank and its history, they will now be willing to work with the bank. According to Hofstede’s dimension, all individuals in the society are not equal. The idea of power distance is something that has been practiced in China for decades, and everyone has come to embrace that culture (Hofstede, 2012). The Chinese believe that inequality among the people is justifiable. Therefore, when conducting

Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Argument - Essay Example Although many prefer to practice premarital cohabitation, some sectors who are conservative within the society view premarital cohabitation as abominable. This is because of the consequences it brings. To them cohabitation causes confusion among younger generations and other people. They find the value of marriage and marriage certificate for granted. Marriage becomes a matter of ceremony without importance because they do not exactly know what constitutes marriage. However, some people find marriage as not the sole criterion of confusion among younger groups when considering the relationship of couples. In fact, youth who comes from a family whose parents are married but quarrel most of the time are more confused. Younger generations who understand the goal of premarital cohabitation may find it not confusing and may consider it a better option of marriage. This idea is supported in the article of Budinski & Trovato (72) where they made it clear that cohabitation is a viable alterna tive for marriage especially to those who do not have the confidence in entering a long term marriage just yet. They further stated that when couples cohabit, components of marriage are present like sharing of home, sexual intimacy, childbearing, and economic resources. With this, the couple may live like husband and wife just the same where they can enjoy playing their role as partners and parents. Individuals of any age who understand this purpose may consider premarital cohabitation as a springboard to marriage. Thus this does not post confusion. People who are against living together before marriage or premarital cohabitation claim that entering such situation may result in habitually changing their partners and are observed to be having difficulty finding a lifelong partner. This practice gives a belief that repeated cohabitation would be a predictor for future marriage failures as a result of weeding out process. Through selection, the person may change partner every now and t hen. However, observation shows that cohabiters and non cohabiters experience divorce at almost the same rate. In the study of Bruderl and company (1), they explained that it is not the cohabitation that increases the chance of couple’s separation but rather mismatches of some psychological traits. Once the mismatch traits are detected, it is likely that the person is going to weed out those incompatible traits resulting in an improved experience which makes the next relationship a success. This is evident among couples who were recently questioned in their answers that they are improving their chances of success in their marital relationship with their experience thus the prevalence of separation or divorce is reduced in the subsequent relationship. A large number of people especially Muslims believe that the practice of premarital cohabitation is better because it ensures stronger compatibility and commitment of couples. To be compatible needs adjustment to each other. Perh aps the way couples do this would be to live together. Couples have to be close together to really observe the way each lives. Doing this could help couples find out if they could bear each other without too much tension, quarrels and other problems. If they find out that they are comfortable with each other’s lifestyle, then they may consider marriage. However, if they are not, then it would be easy for them to just break apart because of the absence of legal paper works and commitment. Taxes would be easier to handle

Moral Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Moral Development - Essay Example Kohlberg modified an earlier theory by psychologist Jean Piaget by expounding on it to form a theory that illustrates the development of moral reasoning. Gilligan on the other hand, advanced a theory that was an improvement in Kohlberg’s work, but her focus was on moral development in girls (Duska & Whelan 25). Kohlberg’s theory This theory was based on research and interviews that Kohlberg conducted with many groups of privileged young children. The children were presented with various dilemmas, and each child’s reasoning behind the judgment made in response to the dilemma was analyzed (Duska & Whelan 56). From responses that the children gave, Kohlberg managed to classify responses into 3 stages of reasoning. These stages are; pre-conventional morality, conventional morality and post conventional morality. The stages are further classified into sub-stages, two in each case. This forms the basis for the theory of Kohlberg on moral development. The stage of Pre-c onventional Morality is between birth and 9 years comprises of obedience and individualism. By young children being obedient to rules and ideas, it enables them to avoid punishment. The children also are individualistic by only caring about themselves. They make judgment basing their reasoning on factors that favor their individual needs (Duska & Whelan 58). The stage of Conventional Morality is between 9 and 20 years... Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory and the Defense Just like with other theories, Kohlberg’s theory of reasoning in moral development has been faced with criticisms from other psychologists. For one, there is the assertion that Kohlberg’s theory discusses about moral thinking ignoring the fact that moral reasoning does not necessarily lead to moral behavior. This assertion is misplaced because moral thinking always leads to moral deeds. We all perform deeds based on our thinking. It is, therefore, rare to find an individual who thinks wickedly doing well to others. Because of this, Kohlberg’s theory is accurate. Other critics have highlighted that Kohlberg’s theory overemphasizes on justice when making moral decisions and choices. They argue that this may be inaccurate because other factors like compassion and other interpersonal feelings may play a part in making moral decisions and reasoning. Therefore, this shows that justice is not the only aspect of moral reasoning that should be considered. However, this assertion is also not true. All individuals who know and understand dictates of the law make decisions based on justice. As much as other factors come into play, Justice is the greatest factor to consider when making decisions because an individual may be willing to do something but because it does not conform to justice, the individual may abandon the idea. Furthermore, many critics argue that Kohlberg’s theory overemphasizes on western philosophy. This makes the theory inaccurate because Eastern cultures may have different outlooks and perceptions on moral reasoning that Kohlberg’s theory does not discuss at all. Kohlberg is right in the use of western philosophy because, one always bases a theory on the surrounding conditions. Kohlberg studies the

A letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal Essay - 7

A letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal - Essay Example Critics have it that the increment can lead to the companies laying off some workers or even resort to the use of machines ,so as to counteract the increased labor cost. Production and manufacturing companies may also increase the prices of their commodities; a step that might lead to a gradual decrease in demand of the goods. These facts sound detrimental to the ears that choose to listen. However, the profits of raising wages supersede the conceptual losses to the economy of any nation in the world. According to a latest report tabled by the Congressional Budget Office, pay raise from $ 10.10 per hour will definitely give the working population much money to spend on the purchases and thus elevating the economy. Higher wages also attract more skilled personnel for a company hence increasing the productivity. Besides, higher earnings give the workers the power and confidence to buy the products from the very company in which they work. This is another hidden way of increasing the

Conflict Management in Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Conflict Management in Organisations - Essay Example There are different levels of which conflict occur in organizations: within the individual (role conflict where, for example, the individual feels a clash between his role as an executive and parent); between two immediate individuals; between persons when they are working in a group or in teams; between different groups within organisations (out of rivalry arising out of variety of reasons like resource allocation, mergers); and finally between the organization and the society when there is a mismatch between organizational goals and societal goals (e.g. environment). Given this situation, it is in the interest of the organization to see that conflict does not harm or injure the organizational process in achieving its goals. With the individual differences, of people who comprise the organization, it will be a futile to think of developing a group which will be free of conflict with members completely aligned and harmonious. The issue would be as to how to manage conflict in an orga nization so that it actually benefits out of it. Experts see potential positive benefits to the organization when conflict is constructively managed, not avoided. It is even recommended that conflict is stimulated by a better group performance. What this paper is about: In this paper, the attempt is to understand the general nature of conflict how it arises and why and how it should be managed by organizations. In order to have some focus on this huge and highly researched topic, the paper confines itself only to issues relating to the topic of conflict and its management process in a group/teams and the role of group leadership in successfully managing conflict. Group effectiveness is one of the key determinants of success of an organization. Groups in organizations are very often formal (departments and divisions) but increasingly their working is seen to be informal, where there is a large delegation of responsibility and where the group is allowed to choose its process and task breakups. "The ability of groups to benefit from cognitive conflict (that is, differences in information, knowledge, and opinions) can be a critical source of competitive advantage."(Philips and Thomas-Hunt, p 37)

Pacific Norh West History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pacific Norh West History - Essay Example After the USA purchased Louisiana they were interested in expanding to the West Coast, but as there was uncertainty about what exactly they would be buying, President Thomas Jefferson decided to fund and expedition. The president had first heard about plans of an expedition to explore the Pacific North West whilst he was in France, but he had not believed it possible and because of bad weather, the expedition was called off. Captain Meriwether Lewis was chosen to lead the expedition and he in turn chose William Clark as his partner. The purpose of the expedition was to study the Indian tribes, botany, geology and the types of wildlife that existed in the Western Region as well as see what kind of interference the Canadian, French and British hunters, who were already established in the area, would hold for them. The Lewis and Clark expedition left from Pittsburg with eleven men; seven of which were soldiers and one a pilot. All of the men had volunteered to go with Lewis and Clark on their expedition and so they set out to the Pacific Ocean. On May 14, 1804 the Lewis and Clark expedition set off up to the Missouri River and on July 4, 1804 Lewis and Clark named a river located near the city of Atchinson Independence Creek and this day is now known in America as Independence day. It was on October 24, 1804 that the Lewis and Clark expedition reached its first goal where they spent the winter at the Mandan-Hidatsa villages which is now known as North Dakota. American Indian Villages were located at this location and on the Northern Plains they were the main trading centers. The Indian tribes allowed for the explorers to build a small fort, which they named Fort Mandan and they lived there for five months through a terribly cold winter. This allowed for Lewis and Clark to explore the area and learn about the wildlife and geography form their

Ethical Issues in Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Issues in Research - Essay Example It studies the principles about how we should do things right. We study ethics in order to improve our lives, and therefore its principal concern is the nature of human well-being. (Aristotles Ethics, 2007) Despite all these supposed advantages, there are still numerous ethical issues. This is because people interpret ethics differently. I might think of something as ethical while it may be totally unethical for another person. This is what leads to ethical problems and concerns. In the context of research, let's say, that a scientist feels that it is perfectly moral to test medicine on animals. He thinks so because his priority is benefit of science. An environmentalist, on the other hand, may feel apprehended at the thought of animals being made test subjects because his utmost priority is to protect the environment. What can we say about ethics here Both parties, in their places, are entirely reasonable. However, an ethical issue arises because both have different conventions for distinguishing between right and wrong. These issues are faced everyone everyday. Everybody comes to a point where they have to decide between what's right and what's not. This dilemma becomes especially apparent when carrying out research. There are specific norms for everything; in case of ethics of research, they are the aims or goals to be applied to people who conduct research in a systematic and scientific manner or other scholarly or creative activities, and there is a specific discipline, research ethics, on which these norms are based (Resnik, 2007). Ethical Issues Like mentioned above, these norms serve the goals of research. What are these goals The most important goal of research clearly is to find out whatever is possible about what is being studied. How does sticking to these ethical norms achieve this aim The answer is in the following section. While we get to that, we will study about the conflict of research and ethics.The biggest problem with carrying out ethical research is that it doesn't give perfectly naturalistic results. Either you can have an absolutely ecologically valid study or you can be absolutely moralistic and adhere to every ethical norm. Ecological validity is when the study is true to life. One may think, what has that got to do with ethics To carry out an ecologically valid research, it is important that subjects don't know about a lot of things that could cause demand bias characteristics or results that are affected by preconceived notions. And if subjects don't know a lot of things, this means that they haven't bee n told by the researchers and this is unethical. Researchers, on the other hand, may say that it was ethical as they kept things private for the benefit of science. Nevertheless, for an average person, it is unethical to keep things from the subjects of the study. This ethical issue is an honesty issue. Apart from honesty, another concern is confidentiality. When researchers carry out research and find amazing results, they feel obliged to share it with the rest if the world even if it means breaching of the initial agreement. Information about participants is leaked out and this too for them is for the good of science. Sharing results is one thing, while breaking a contact is another. The