Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Blogs seem to be helping reorganize political debate along more Essay

Blogs seem to be helping reorganize political debate along more partisan lines - Essay Example Today, not only do those central to the leadership of America participate in the practice, including politicians like Howard Dean and Wesley Clark, but the mainstream media in an attempt to grow stronger connections with its audience, and give the news a seemingly interactive feel. Blogs allow individuals who otherwise would not have a voice to express their opinions and provide more effective feedback to their leaders. However, blogs, with their phenomenal success, have also created a situation where Americans are becoming more aware of their political views, and thus are becoming more polarized. In America’s liberal democracy, this may not be the best course proceeding forward into uncertain times. Ultimately, blogs which focus expressly on political matters have a greater power to polemicize and polarize than to unify and unite—making it questionable whether the benefits that blogs bring to political discourse are really worth the costs of such influence in the long run. Bloggers are regularly courted by politicians for endorsements for their ability to shape election news (Sappenfield). But given the enormous rise in the popularity of blogs, until recently there was surprisingly little information on those who actually use them. Lately, a study found that roughly thirty-four percent of Americans read blogs, with fourteen percent of those respondents saying that they have particular interest in political blogs. The study found the following facts about that subset of the population: that they (1) are more likely to have a college degree, (2) are more likely to identify with one side of the political spectrum, (3) are more likely to vote, and (4) are more likely to support candidates either monetarily or in conversing with others. Of that subset, almost nine-tenths of them read fewer than five blogs, and almost ninety-four read only blogs that come from one side of the political

Monday, October 28, 2019

Hans Arp Essay Example for Free

Hans Arp Essay We have already studied different artists from different fields throughout this course. By studying those artists, we have known their life and influences within the people around them, their followers, and also to the society. By knowing other artists from different fields and genre, this paper had come up into a new path of knowing one of the French painters during early 19th century. By knowing this artist, another knowledge and learning will be shared within the course. This paper will focus of Hans Arp’s life and influences. The main purpose of the paper is to show the works of Hans Arp throughout his career and how his influences influenced him and other artists by his sense of creativity and passion. Jean Arp also known as Hans Arp was born on September 16, 1887 in Strasbourg. He went through different places and countries in the world to find his self and sense. As the age of 17, Hans Arp went to Paris to explore his sense of art. Through his journey, he started to acquire the goodness of modern art. At this time, he started painting different artifacts during his inspired moments. At the age of 18 in 1905, he attended some courses of painting to Professor Ludwig von Huffman. After two years, he tried to enter Julian Academy to attend some other courses. After three years of obtaining knowledge, he went to Switzerland to start his journey as a painter. He met different painters whom he became part of. He founded the organization, which he named as â€Å"Moderner Bund† or the Modern League. Along with other painters, Arp went through different exhibits from 1911 to 1913 in different places of Switzerland and other countries. He met Apollinaire, Arthur Cravan, Max Jacob, Picasso, and Mondigliani whom became his colleagues and friends for many years. They all met in Paris. In 1911 he was influenced by the abstractions of Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) and participated in his Der Blaue Reiter exhibitions in Munich; later Cubism greatly impressed him. Then he was interested by the idea of spontaneous creativity of the human subconscious mind and this idea became dominant in his art. He created collages with torn paper, letting the pieces fall freely on a surface and then gluing them to the places where they fell down. Because of many influences coming from different painters during his younger years, his work of arts became patterns of those painters though pertaining to his own attack to his arts. He had gone through different painters that he thought would give him better knowledge and great impression of his future paintings and other creations. As he created different forms of canvass and other painting strategies, he was introduced to many other famous artists that gave him the courage to create more intensive art works that manifested within his paintings and other artworks. From 1915 to 1919, he became a well-known painter having different exhibits of his paintings in Zurich. Despite of the declaration of war during those years, he remained firm from all his works from different genres and ideologies. After many years of fulfilling his talents and skills, he married Sophie Teuber in 1922 who became his collaborator aside from being his wife. On the outbreak of the WWI, Jean Arp settled in Zurich, Switzerland, where he was involved in the emerging Dada movement. During the 1920s he produced many abstract reliefs in wood, but after 1928 he worked increasingly in three dimensions, making sculptures in the round. These sculptures are simple, abstract shapes suggestive of organic forms found in nature. Arps sculptures impressed the Surrealists, especially Joan Miro, and his influence is also evident in the work of Henry Moore. However, painting was not his only talent that many people have witnessed. He was also a sculpture and a poet. He sculptured the famous â€Å"Human Concretion† in 1935. He also wrote different poems that can be connected to his paintings and sculptures. Creating his poems was his way of creating an abstract of his paintings and sculptures. That is why along with the abundance of his paintings and sculptures are his free-verse poems. Based on his historical accounts, Hans Arp was not just a simple painter having simple dreams and purpose in life. He also showed his way of striving hard to perform changes within his environment. He was involved in the Surrealism – a movement showing their advocacy regarding the issues and conflicts within their society. It brought further idea of Arp’s identity as he put a new trend of liberalism through paintings, sculpture, and poetry. Finally settling in Paris, Arp became involved in the Surrealist movement. He joined the Cercle et Carre group in 1930 and helped to found the Abstraction-Creation group a year later. During World War II, Arp fled to Switzerland, returning to Meudon, outside of Paris after the war. He won the International Sculpture Prize at the Venice Biennale in 1954 and created a relied for the Unesco building in Paris in 1958. After a long journey of success, Hans Arp died at the age of 79 in Solduno, Switzerland on June 7, 1966. However, before he died, he was not just a painter, sculpture, and poet with amazing thinking and ideas but also a speaker of UNESCO through his paintings. He speaks for UNESCO’s building by painting it in a mural relief. Because of his creations coming from his own thoughts and ideas, he has influenced many other painters and sculptures during and after his generation until this present generation. He had opened a new way to convey the message of paintings and sculptures as well as poems. Because he had grown through other’s influences to his works and life, he also became one of the influences of many artists today because of his magnificent contribution in the world of art. It can be said that his paintings, sculptures, and poems are simple in a literal sense, but if we tend to analyze its meaning and essence, we could obtain further knowledge and learning from his work of arts due to its big impact especially to those who really know how to describe the meanings of his paintings and other creations. As a whole, Hans Arp’s life does not contain many struggles and pains. He was just a contented painter, sculpture, and poet during his time. Despite of his success, he remained firm to what he wanted and purpose in life. In contradiction from his paintings, sculptures, and poems, his life was not a complex situation. Though he had married two times, it was not became a problem on how he managed his life. Therefore, he knows how to create a line and path to what he wants to pursue with his life like the way he draw and mould his creations. Works Cited Abcgallery. com. Jean (Hans) Arp. (n. d. ) 1 December 2007. http://www.abcgallery.com/A/arp/arpbio.html

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Ancient City :: essays research papers

The Ancient City Pompeii 'How democratic was Pompeian politics?'; In order to answer the above question, it is first necessary to consider the exact meaning of the term 'democracy';. Whilst it is difficult to give an exact definition of the word, it is certainly possible to create a list of the implications of democratic government for a society and its citizens. Perhaps the most obvious of these implications, certainly when considered from a modern standpoint, would be that every full member of a society would be considered as being equal, and thus would have an equal say in the running and appointing of a government. Secondly, truly democratic government would also imply that every member of society would have an equal opportunity to be elected to a governmental position. Such an opportunity should at least, in theory anyway, not be reliant on social class or position, nor financial support. Finally, the existence of a truly democratic system of government would also imply that governments be periodically elected, and during any given term of gov ernment, politicians would be fully employed by the state in the running of the country. Given such implications of democracy, Pompeian politics would appear at first appraisal to hardly be democratic at all. Certainly, it can be said that the politics of Pompeii in particular and by extension the politics of Roman society as a whole do not meet the modern, Western ideas of a relatively liberal, democratic society. However, such a modern, Western idea of democracy was one that was entirely alien to the citizens of Pompeii and to the citizens of many ancient civilizations. Therefore, the nature of Pompeian politics must be considered not only from a modern political standpoint, but also from a standpoint more relative to the political ideals of Pompeian society and the Roman Empire, where a very different form of democracy was in existence. Whilst such a form of democracy is very different to that of today, it is certainly accurate to say that there was at least some element of democracy in Pompeian politics. Without such an

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Art Analysis: Claude Monet

Painting Description Essay Humanities 110 There are many paintings in the world and as a modern society that is everyday evolving; we must be able to describe the paintings we see. In doing so we can extract the culture and value it represents and only then can we fully understand these different cultures and human values that are presented throughout history in the many arts that are created. In my eyes any type of emotional expression can be appreciated. Recently I came upon a painting by the Painter Claude Monet who was the basis for impressionism.This painting was awe inspiring and brought my mind to deeply fathom the pursuit of knowledge and power. In order to fully describe this painting I will use the formal elements of paint; texture, color, line and lastly composition. Let's start with composition: the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the eleme nts of art according to the principles of art. The composition of the painting was very unique and helps to rate an image that burns in your mind.The shapes of the painting are not very structured. It's impossible to look over that objects in the paining were close to real- life scale through eye perception thus being somewhat realistic. Another factor that made the painting close to realistic was the movement shown in the painting made by brush strokes to give an impression of wind through the field of grass that also went through the bushes and the tree. There is depth in the painting that is created by shadowing and balance of lighter areas.The bushes are asymmetrical and the tree is off to one side more specifically the middle right. There is big open space of green field to the middle left , top middle and bottom right and on the bottom of the middle left is where the bushes reside, furthermore the top left is where the blurred castle is placed and horizontal to that is what se ems to be a Classified that drifts to the ocean. Throughout the painting there is green everywhere which unifies the painting. It more predominately is unified with color in juxtaposition with shapes.Furthermore the red saturation that is presented in the shrubbery or bushes provides variety Another element to the painting is the texture which is very sloppy but it is an impressionist painting so that is expected which doesn't mean it's a beautiful and high skilled painting. The Sense provided leaves for the paint to be blended but also has many brush strokes which gives uniqueness to the texture. Most objects are barely visible but can be somewhat recognized. Other areas of the painting are smooth in order to provide rest to the eyes. Paintings Anton exist without color whether there is any color or none at all.In this painting we see more warm and complimentary colors. The very limited analogous colors helped to created subtlety in the painting which played off the complimentary c olors very well. Some of the colors used most included : red, orange, blue, and purple, green, yellow. The colors were also very natural and consistent with being realistic. The colors blended very well and contrasted making a very alive background that made you feel as if you were there in this big field and wind blowing in your face and he ocean being close off of the Classified.Lastly one element that brings in the painting together is line which provides many things to help create peace, action, and variety. In the painting the balance of having visible and implied lines help to truly evoke the emotion of the painting and as well as the representation that this is semi realistic but Just an impression and not a duplicate of the exact scene seen. The painting is not only painted but created by shapes that tie in the picture in that all at oneness a painting possesses. There are diagonal lines leading to the saturated red shrubbery creating action.The vertical line that the tree p resents counteracts the horizontal line of the Classified and horizon. This creates for an amazing painting that is pleasant to ones eye. The painting contains numerous amounts of blurred lines. The horizontal line helps to create the horizon which further creates depth and evokes the gradation presented which is the dark yellow sun setting and playing of the white of the sky and the sun disappearing . This also creates the distinctive path room the castle to the ocean and a depth perception that there is a beach off of the Classified.The horizontal lines in the ocean portray its mistiness. Open lines all blended in together. Lastly though we must consider line plays an important role in paintings, because this is a impressionist painting, color is placed in a higher role. All in all we must take in the culture of the world through art and history and anything else that helps understand each other and further evolve society maybe one day we will create or further improve the tools t hat help us describe paintings or anything else.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

A happy farm life, tragic heart break, traitorous family, and of course dogs: the marvelous components that make The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski a true classic. Within this brilliant novel there are of course many memorable moments that leave the reader filled with shock, sympathy and deep sadness. The most intense moment in the novel to me, though, was the death of Edgar’s father, Gar.The strong relationship between father and son as well as Edgar’s muteness makes this moment a pivotal point in the novel, and the sympathy felt by the reader brands this part of the novel as the most memorable and influential moment in the book. First, Gar’s death is by far the most memorable moment in the novel because of how it affects Edgar. In the moment, Edgar is alone and finds his father lying motionless on the ground. He frantically tries to sign to him but there is no reply so he quickly runs into the house.There, he makes a very unsuccessful phone call to try and save his father, and while on the phone he tries to â€Å"force the sound from his mouth† (Wroblewski 123) by hitting himself repeatedly in the stomach. He finds there is nothing he can do and frustratingly smashes the phone to pieces and pounds furiously with his fists on the barn walls to get someone’s attention. During this part of the novel the initial reaction of the reader is pure shock and sympathy, the audience knows that his efforts are useless.It is by far the most important and memorable section of the book because Edgar now has to deal with life feeling that his flaw of being mute is the only reason his father died, and he is constantly feeling guilty and responsible for Gar’s death for the rest of the book. The scene is also very well written by the author, Wroblewski, and the descriptions of Edgar’s attempts at talking are completely impossible to read without feeling empathetic towards Edgar’s situation and wanting to help. Second, the scene of Gar’s death is a pivotal moment in the plot during this novel.Gar is a very influential character in the novel. He represents a strong, stable, life for his family, a role model for Edgar, and the good hero who keeps any evil forces, like Claude, out of their family’s lives. Also, his death is the beginning of a tumultuous fall of the farm and Edgar’s life. Once Gar’s protection is gone, it is just Edgar and his mother left, both broken and trying to figure out how to keep the farm running. Gar was in charge of paperwork and the business of raising the Sawtelle dogs, so without him not only the household, but the business slowly starts to crumble.This also sets off the need for Claude to come in to the story, whose presence causes many problems including ultimately the death of Edgar. Third, Gar’s death haunts Edgar throughout the novel. He always replaying the memory and feeling terrible that he couldn’t save his father , even though it was out of his control. Also, later Claude tries to blame Edgar for Gar’s death, saying it was â€Å"strange, the way [Edgar] just†¦found him† (Wroblewski 435). Gar’s death in the book has a great relationship to the novel because of how it affects the plot and characters throughout the rest of the story.This scene is very effective when being read because of its strong influence on the rest of the novel. First, there is a great amount of sympathy felt by the audience while Edgar makes his discovery and phone call. All the reader wants to do is reach out with their voice to help out this poor boy who can’t speak into the phone. Also, to watch such a traumatic experience unfold as an outside party is absolutely heart wrenching. Second, Edgar’s character flaw comes into play in this moment. This is the main part in the book where the fact that he is mute is a big factor to the novel’s plot.The whole center to the conflict of his father’s death is that he is alone and is left in a situation where his voice was the only hope of saving Gar’s life. Knowing this as a reader makes the scene so much more powerful and meaningful, as well as influential to the rest of the book. This scene is necessary to the plot, because without the conflict between Claude and Gar and Gar’s sudden death, there would be no reason for several other big moments in the novel. For example, Edgar later sees his father as a â€Å"figure in the rain† (Wroblewski 235).This is a major plot twist, because this is when he finds out that Claude is responsible for the murder of Gar. Also, Claude’s relationship with Trudy would not have kindled without the death of Gar. These other moments help to connect the main plot with the plot of Hamlet, a very important connection that Wroblewski wanted to make clear, as well as add the general conflict of the plot of the novel. The death of Gar is the most memora ble part of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It is the most pivotal part of the novel, the part where everything shifts and begins to go downhill.His death increases conflict in the novel and is necessary in order for other main parts to play a part in the plot. Edgar’s character development is also based on this death scene, and the moment ties his character flaw of being mute into the plot. When the actual moment in the book is being read, the audience is left in utter shock and sympathy for Edgar and the position the situation throws him in. The descriptive work of Wroblewski is powerful, and a permanent image of Edgar hitting himself in the stomach with the Sawtelle’s shattered phone lying on the kitchen counter will be forever embedded into any reader’s mind.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Write a Reflective Essay on Communication

How to Write a Reflective Essay on Communication Reflective Essay on Communication How to start off How to write the introduction How to compose body paragraphs How to finish the essay: Conclusion writing Essay revision Outline sample A reflective essay on communication (Sample) A reflective essay on communication revolves around the writer’s reflection on communication per se, how they perceive it with regard to their personal experience and viewpoint. Hence, its main purpose is to inform the audience about perspectives, attitude, and impression towards the topic at hand. One important objective behind such an essay is to shed light on the widely-varied angles of communication and how they all contribute to shape our life and harmonize it in a way that makes understandability and intelligibility omnipresent. How to start off What do I know about this topic? Before you start writing a perfect essay, it would be useful to ask yourself about your knowledge about the topic. In this context, I might ask myself: â€Å"What is communication? How can I define it? Does it have only one definition? How does it relate to my personal experience? In few words, I should ask myself the following question: Does this concept apply to my life experience and skills? Does it have anything to do with my actual behaviors? Be mindful not to ignore those instant answers that come to your mind once your ask the very simple questions because they will be needed later on. What could the educational purpose behind this topic be? One could think about the communicative skills they have acquired from different social contexts so as to help the reader benefit from valuable and authentic tips. How to write introduction and thesis statement The following are useful tips on how to master the writing of a full introduction on communication: Relevance It’s true that we should start from the general to the specific, yet this does not mean that we should start with how delicious Italian ice-cream is without showing any relevance to our topic- communication. Thus, start from the relevant general to reach the relevant specific. Respect the commitment Writing a thesis statement is a sort of engagement or commitment. Upon writing it, the essay writer should be committed to the explanation and illustration of the focal points mentioned at a later stage. Mention your focal points In the thesis statement, I should announce that I am going to tackle the means of communication in the first part, communication from a social perspective in the second, and insight into the optimal ways for the acquisition of communicative skills useful for various life tasks in the third. How to compose body paragraphs Body paragraphs in a reflective essay on communication should be based on the following tips: Format When the reader skims the essay before reading, they have to notice that the paragraphs are well-balanced, no one should be too long or too short than the other. Coherent content All body paragraphs should be explained equally; ideas have to be illustrated thoroughly. That is to say, no paragraph should be given more focus than the others. Congruity and applicability Make sure not to leave out information about how the topic applies to your experience. The balance in the reflection on the topic using personal experience would add to the congruity of the essay. How to finish the essay: Conclusion writing In order to finish a reflective essay in a correct way, one has to observe these three rules: Look back . Have a look at what you have already written in each body paragraph to make sure that nothing important is missing. Summarize . The writer should provide a brief summary that puts together all the main points dealt with in the body without having to fall into details and examples. Link the topic to your personal development. In the conclusion, you should mention how the communication means you have used have honed your communicative skills and shaped your personal development. Essay revision Another pair of eyes is useful to have a look at your work. Thus, it could be a good idea to ask one of your classmates to verify if it contains any spelling or grammar mistakes. Re-read the whole essay so that you make sure that you did not miss the crux of the matter. Give yourself a break, and read the essay a second time with a fresh pair of eyes; you might want to edit some structures consequently. Outline sample I.Introduction General introduction Thesis statement II. Body Paragraph 1: means of communication Paragraph 2: communication from a social perspective Paragraph 3: insight into the optimal ways for acquiring communicative skills III. Conclusion Brief summary that links all three body elements. A reflective essay on communication (Sample) Communication is the transmission of messages. It could manifest itself in various fashions; it could be verbal, non-verbal, or written. That said, the present essay is going to focus on the means of communication, communication from a social perspective, as it will give insight into the optimal ways for the acquisition of communicative skills. The means of communication have evolved to a great extent recently. In this line of thought, one could not turn a blind eye to language as a body of complex linguistic systems wired in the human brain or in database management systems enabling comprehensible interaction. Languages could be natural or constructed; they all allow the transmission of ideas for different purposes. The development of technology and the dying out of some natural languages have given rise to many technological devices that corroborated the human-human interaction and the human-machine interface. Nowadays, computers, smartphones, and tablets have reached their zenith, as the flow of communication has become smoother and easier. The modern means of communication, mainly the wide array of applications such as Facebook and Skype have grown into most useful tools that help us keep up with the pace of the 21st century. Communication is the means by which interactants manage to voice their ideas and articulate their concerns within a social context. Once socialization is brought to the scene, language seems to be called into play, eventually. People, as social members, tend to communicate face-to-face, verbally, non-verbally, or through writing. Thus, in a real social context, ideas could also be shared through paralinguistic cues such as silence, pitch, tone, gestures, postures, and facial expressions. I have once told my friend that her brother’s fiancà ©e is beautiful. Her response was as follows: â€Å"Yeah, she is!†; once you read this answer, it might seem like a confirmation on her part. But, digging down into the social, linguistic, and human mechanisms of communication, with the consideration of the context, one could understand that it was a sarcastic answer thanks to the paralinguistic features used. So, communication as a social instrument helps us uncover the real meaning intended. Communication skills could be acquired. Personally, I have learned a lot from classroom presentations. When the teacher used to ask us who would like to take the next Powerpoint presentation, I have always had the courage to accept. I noticed that many of my classmates avoided those presentations because they did not possess conversational skills that would allow them to communicate their ideas in an informative way. What I am driving at is the idea that if you do not communicate more often in different social contexts, you will never sharpen your communicative skills. If you do not train yourself to adapt to different conversational situations, you will not overcome your shyness and embarrassment. I also used to ask questions in international conferences, which fortified my self-esteem and made me improve my academic communicative abilities. To wrap up, today’s world has brought to life numerous means of communication that are all related to language as the backbone of communication. It is also worth mentioning that communication as a social tool could be performed differently in various contexts. However, honing one’s social communication skills could only be done through continuous practice in various speech events, such as conferences and workshops.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Chinese Legal System essays

Chinese Legal System essays One of the most interesting forces in modern world trade and globalization is China. Indeed, while its presence in the world market is not a recent phenomenon, the globalization effect has necessitated recent changes in Chinas trade system, specifically in the private enterprise sector. In this, the greatest challenge China faces is realizing its goal of encouraging enterprise and trade while at the same time retaining the centuries-old traditions on which the country has historically thrived. China appears to be thriving on several arenas of the global trade paradigm. In terms of imports, the countrys membership in the World Trade Organization since 2003. In the same year, it was listed as the third largest commodities importer. This, along with the countrys willingness to open its policies to create a more friendly environment for foreign traders, has rapidly expanded the countrys total foreign trade volume. However, the country also faces several challenges in terms of its WTO membership commitments. One of these is its non-market economy status. This means that within the first 15 years of its membership, China is obliged to calculate its product prices in reference to other countries, rather than on the basis of its own production costs. This could mean significant losses in the countrys exports. Another challenge is the safeguard mechanism for specific products. This means that any member country could request a consultation with China if one of its export product prices increased dramatically. In terms of its domestic products, China also appears to experience a period of great prosperity. Several factors are responsible for this. These include political, cultural and economic factors that affect domestic product manufacture. A political and cultural factor relates to the improvement of private enterprise climate via offering membership in the Communist Party of China to ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

English Learning Tips for ESL Learners and Classes

English Learning Tips for ESL Learners and Classes Here are a number of English learning tips to help you or your class improve your English. Choose a few English learning tips to get started today! Ask yourself weekly: What do I want to learn this week? Asking yourself this question every week will help you stop and think for a moment about what is most important to you. It is easy to focus only on the current unit, grammar exercise, etc. If you take a moment to stop and set a goal for yourself every week, you will notice the progress you are making and, in turn, become more inspired by how quickly you are learning English! You will be surprised at how this feeling of success will motivate you to learn even more English. More on how to improve your general approach to learning English. Quickly review important new information shortly before going to bed. Research has shown that our brains process information that is fresh in our brains while we sleep. By shortly (this means very quickly - just a glance at what you are working on at the moment) going over some exercise, reading, etc. before you go to sleep, your brain will work away on this information while you sleep! Other ideas on how your brain works While doing exercises and alone at home or in your room, speak English aloud. Connect the muscles of your face to the information in your head. Just as understanding the basics of tennis does not make you a great tennis player, understanding grammar rules do not mean you can automatically speak English well. You need to practice the act of speaking often. Speaking of yourself at home and reading the exercises you are doing will help connect your brain to your facial muscles and improve pronunciation and make your knowledge active. Do five to ten minutes of listening at least four times a week. In the past, I decided I needed to get fit and went jogging - usually three or four miles. Well, after not having done anything for many months, those three or four miles really hurt! Needless to say, I did not go jogging for another few months! Learning to understand spoken English well is very similar. If you decide that you going to work hard and listen for two hours, chances are that you will not do extra listening exercises any time soon. If on the other hand, you start off slowly and listen often, it will be easier to develop the habit of listening to English on a regular basis. Look for situations in which you must speak/read/listen to English This is probably the most important tip. You need to use English in a real world situation. Learning English in a classroom is important, but putting your English knowledge into practice in real situations will improve your fluency in speaking English. If you do not know of any real life situation, create new ones for yourself by using the Internet to listen to the news, write English responses in forums, exchange emails in English with email pals, etc.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Impact of the Internet on Thinking by Alan Greenblatt Essay

Impact of the Internet on Thinking by Alan Greenblatt - Essay Example This paper illustrates that researchers have studied and expressed views on social, psychological, intellectual and physiological perspectives that are summarised and quoted in this report. Greenblatt begins his survey giving examples of instances of the impact of Internet use as a pervasive and addictive influence on people’s lives. Although the compulsive use of electronic media is quite unlike an addiction to chemical substances, China and South Korea already recognize it as a public health concern. Greenblatt quotes Nicholas Carr as expressing concern that the Internet can have ‘bad effects on our brains’. Jonah Lehrer argues that such ‘concerns are overstated.’ Research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found the majority of technology experts disagreeing with Carr, who held varied opinions on the merits of the Internet. One interesting finding was that some believed that it helped create a â€Å"hive brain† enabling ‘peopl e to share thoughts and come to collective solutions to complex problems’. Robert Thompson is concerned that the ‘flood of information’ leaves people no ‘time for contemplation’ and ‘deeper reflection’. Paul Saffo says that video games ‘stimulates and strengthens parts of the brain’, but worries that such technology ‘causes ... people to... concentrate on the immediate at the expense of the long-term’... Elias Aboujaoude cites an increase in attention deficit disorder, though this may not be directly related to Internet use. However, he is certain that ‘those who spend a lot of time online have shorter attention spans’. The conclusion to this section is that with increasing availability of electronic media, the responsibility is on the individual to choose wisely as to how much time to spend on the Internet. Greenblatt points to historical resistance to new inventions leading to improved communicati on from the time of Socrates. The 15th-century invention of printing, and more recently the telegraph, the telephone and the postal service, all raised concerns, but the world has embraced and accommodated to such changes. Greenblatt explores the current situation and says that the Internet has ‘not finished evolving yet’, and forecasts that in the future people would learn to ‘disconnect’ from the Web. He concludes by quoting Aboujaoude as pessimistic about our capacity to understand the effects of the Internet ‘on our brains’, while Levy postulates two possible scenarios for the future. Either ‘we slow down and better modulate all this’ or ‘we adapt to these changes’ adding that we may not be ‘at the limit’ yet. The three basic questions that intellectuals and social critics have posed are: 1) Is the Internet making us smarter or stupid? 2) Is it addictive? 3) Does it affect our attention span? These que stions are dealt with above. 1) Carr (for) vs. Lehrer (against); 2) Aboujaoude (for) vs. Rainie (Pew Internet & American Life Project) (against); 3) Gentile (for) vs. O’Reilly (against).

What is a Theoretical Approach Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What is a Theoretical Approach - Coursework Example However, even if the philosophical topic is a changeable topic that cannot be sufficed by the formation of theories that try to explain such broad and complex concepts, formation of a comprehensive and all inclusive theoretical framework can give us an explicit way to aid in tracing and identifying any territory of philosophy. This would further increase our understanding of philosophical concepts, which are purported to be beyond human understanding (Costa, 2002). A theoretical approach refers to an organized set of principles put forward by an interested party in the study of a topic of interest put bring forth their conceptualization of a matter of importance. This theoretical approach must follow a given methodological approach to put it in the required context to further understanding. A prescriptive theoretical approach aims at explaining what a concept under study should be. It outlines definitions in order to give concept under study meaning that can be used to further unders tanding. This approach is not concerned about past events but focuses on the future to guide an analysis. A descriptive theoretical approach aims at explaining what philosophy has been by looking at the past.... Aristotle can indeed, be considered a theorist given the numerous contributions in philosophy through theories highlighted in his book, Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle contributed greatly in the explanation of concepts of human lives jointly with other theorists such as Plato (Ackrill, 1981). The theorist presented ideas on matters that pertains happiness sequentially to bring comprehension of the origin and other dynamics of happiness. According to Aristotle, happiness was reliant on individuals instead of other people around humans. Aristotle presented critical thinking concerning the pursuit of happiness in the world. Aristotle modified and incorporated observations concerning happiness thus presenting the intricate and reasonable theory concerning happiness. Aristotle utilized or presented intricate situation in his works as a theorist using skill and comprehension of concepts in order to develop ideas that were applied in formulating theories (Ackrill, 1981). The situation that Ar istotle structured in order to come up with the theories in philosophy and other fields were meant to serve a clear purpose within the contexts of the structured theories. In various works presented in the book, Nicomachean Ethics, certain ideas or concepts offered by Aristotle were never immediately important although other relevant ideas got presented by other theorist in response to either add on or deduct irrelevant ideas. Aristotle developed ideas that he presented in his works, through stepwise methodology, to ensure that the problems that were presented go solved perfectly although it is not certain that the ideas were facts or fiction. Aristotle can

Friday, October 18, 2019

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT - Project Plan Assignment

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT - Project Plan - Assignment Example It contains the project plan developed for Anglia Tower, a proposed commercial tower on the 125,000 square metres Southwark plot. The report lists the responsibilities of the project manager of Project Anglia Tower; the structure of the organisation; the stakeholders involved; the project life cycle; the possible work scheduling and cost budgeting methods; and quality, risk and communication management plans. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 2 Project manager’s responsibilities 5 Project Overview 6 Objectives of the project 7 Project organisation 8 Organisation Chart 8 Stakeholders 8 Work to be performed 10 Start-up 10 Planning 11 Executing 12 Terminating 12 Schedule Information 12 Budgeting 14 Project management support tools 15 Monitoring plans 17 Quality management plan 17 Risk management plan 18 Communication management plan 19 Reference List 21 Project manager’s responsibilities A project manager would be chosen to head the construction proje ct. The project manager would be in charge of overall management of the construction as well as for other aspects such as co-operation between teams, timely completion and positive work environment. The detailed responsibilities of the project manager are (University of Glasgow, 2013; Project Smart, 2013): 1. Facilitate co-ordination between different arms of the project and ensure smooth transition from one process to another 2. Regularly evaluate project progress and team productivity to make sure the work goes as per specifications 3. Manage conflicts among team members to make sure the project is prioritised higher than personal problems 4. Provide leadership and guidance to the entire project team 5. Manage relations with the stakeholders and keep them duly informed of work progress 6. Provide clear directions to team members and ensure there is no ambiguity in interpreting what is to be done 7. Motivate team members to deliver their best performance 8. Discuss clearly with mem bers whenever there is an issue, a change in plan or a difference between stakeholder’s expectations and results 9. Anticipate, control and mitigate risks that arise during carrying out the project 10. Ensure that work is going on as per project schedule and there is no delay in completion 11. Manage project costs to ensure that it does not exceed the budget 12. Utilise the allocated resources in a planned manner to make sure all the desired achievable are met 13. Procure raw materials and equipments as per need and routinely conduct quality inspection to ensure there are no compromises made on the quality of the project 14. Conduct meetings with stakeholders if there are instances of cost overruns or time delay 15. Ensure the safety of all the workers and other members of the team 16. Maintain a record of all equipments and materials procured, used, in use and in inventory 17. Manage logistics inflow and outflow to and from the project site Project Overview British Construct ion Works is one of the medium-sized construction companies in the British Isles, having presence in housing and commercial space construction and road works. Since its inception in 1991, it has completed over 100 projects in just 22 years. Recently, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has issued a tender for the construction of a new tower slated for commercial usage. Situated in Southwark, the 125,000 square metre plot earmarked for the project occupies a prominent location within London and is in close proximity with

Campus issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Campus issue - Essay Example This assignment therefore discusses the problems that exists in Pepperdine University’s dining places and provides solutions to these problems. One day I had an interesting conversation with my friend Steve Wang who loved sports very much. He said to me, â€Å"After playing basketball with my friends, I become too tired to go upstairs to the Cafe or HAWC. Even though there is a food stand at the FF, the foods served there have lots of calories and students have to queue for long.† Another friend, Yu Duan, says â€Å"After a long sporting activity I need a nearby place to relax. The new cafe offers some nutritious foods such as chicken salad, fruits, and yogurt. However, these foods are high in calories and for sportspeople like us they are detrimental for our health.† From the sentiments of my two friends, it is clear that the University does not have enough food outlets to cater for the variant needs of students. A solution to this would be to build more food joints that would meet the need of different students especially the sportspeople. Breakfast offered in the Cafe has never changed. Omelets, sandwiches and chicken rolls have always been the order of the day. Most students have no interests in such unvaried breakfast menus offered every morning. As a result, most of the students forgo breakfast in the morning. I at one time overheard a student say, â€Å"Breakfast meals in these places are too monotonous. I am automatically full when I think of having breakfast here.† Therefore, I strongly suggest that the administration should direct the personnel in charge to vary the meals and have different meals for every morning. Although some students do not have meals in campus during the weekends, some of us who eat in school during weekends find the meals awful. Freshmen who do not have cars find it particularly difficult to drive downtown and enjoy the delicious foods in restaurants. My friend, Yu Duan, once made an interesting comment. He said, â€Å"The

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Roman History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Roman History - Essay Example He opposed against Terentilius to draw laws and codes for the plebeians and aristocracy to benefit the plebeians. Therefore the agrarian question represents the basis of Roman history. When the Romans started to expand their territory, due to the greed of the land, the Romans were at war with neighbors. They built more new settlements on the captured land because the Senate was anxious about it. The agrarian law was a sore point for the republican and imperial Rome, for them the profession of the land surveyor (agrimeusor) was a national science. OR WAS WHAT THEY DIT BEST Thanks to allotment of public land colonies were turning into cities. The number of the Roman citizens was constantly growing and Rome was getting larger and stronger. Around 150 BC the empire was at the height of its power. Before the land property was undermined in Rome since the most ancient times. As well as in Greece, by a dangerous disaster namely debts. We can judge about the enormous value of promissory notes but not by means of historians, who used it to describe as dramatic scenes. The basis of Leges duodecim tabularum (The Law of the Twelve Tables), the most archaic fragments, defines the destiny of the poor debtor. The law Leges Liciniae Sextiae (the law of Gaius Licinius Stolo and Lucius Sextius Lateranus) limited the size of land ownership in the public land fund that could be owned by patricians. These actions expanded access of plebeians to land funds. The law lex Poetelia Papiria that passed in 326 B.C. cancelled the debt servitude, as stated in The Law of the Twelve Tables. The Roman wars with the barbarians to expand the territory undermined the basis of the Roman peasantry even more directly. Assuming more and more to increase the scale of Rome, the soldiers where moving away from Rome due to long wars, to fight and tore the soldier off from his land near Rome. The known balance between a decrease from war and gain of the settled country population was sustained when Romans had the possibility to make allotments in Northern Italy. By the middle of the 2nd century the stock of the free public land was exhausted and therefor the dispossession of land among the Roman citizens went even faster. This period in Roman history witnessed the changes in the Roman agriculture which had a fatal importance for small land ownership. Under Roman power, owing to expand territory, the trading intercourses of the Mediterranean Sea changed drastically. Bread for example began to be brought not only from Sicily, but also from Numidia and Egypt. The competition in agriculture with Italy destroyed the income and forced land owners to forget arable land and get cattle. We know most about these changes by the words of Marcus Porcius Cato, an excellent farmer who was asked: what is the most favorable way of economy. His answer was - bene pascere (good cattle breeding), bad cattle breeding, and then arable farming (arare). The peasants who were not able to find earnings at landowners and without having the possibility to change to cattle breeding due to insignificance of land suffered the first of all. They had to sell their lots, and that turned out as source of latifundia. Pliny the Younger explains this as that it has ruined Italy. In the

Organizational Behavior Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational Behavior Analysis - Assignment Example Understanding and appreciating the organizational behaviour thus helps a manager in an organisation to understand the behaviour of others in the same organization. For example, in some organizations, the managers are directly responsible for the behaviour of some of the employees, such as their immediate subordinates. Some of the usual activities of managers include motivating the employees, designing the job roles properly, resolving any kind of conflict in the workplace, evaluating the performance of the employees and helping the employees to achieve the set goals and objectives. The managers can also make use of the knowledge that they have to understand, in a better way, the behaviour, needs, feelings and thus motivate and help employees in the decision making processes and other aspects (Griffin & Moorhead, 2011, p. 6). Therefore, in order to effectively analyze various behavioral components within an organization, the following features are analyzed and discussed in detail. Typ e of culture Organizational culture can be defined as a system of beliefs and shared values which tend to develop within the organization and thus guide the behavior of the members and employees. The importance of the organizational culture along with its contribution is well established. A sound organizational culture is one of the most critical factors that are required in order to determine the attitude for survival in the long run and also towards creating a brand image and it is said to have profound negative as well as positive implications. Organizations tend to contain both informal and formal groups where the formal groups form the structure of the organization by establishing job designs and work responsibilities. The behavior of the individual in the formal group is thus intended and predetermined for achieving the organizational goals. On the other hand, informal groups tend to be coalitions which are neither established within the organization nor structured officially (Loughran, 2007, p. 16). Cultures are broadly divided into various classifications but this paper deals primarily with three forms of culture that are Pluralism, Dualism and Salad Bowl. Cultural Pluralism is of two types: descriptive and participative; out of which the first type of cultural Pluralism is conceptualized as the co-existence of various cultures within the same society and only a little interaction tends to occur among the separate elements. Each of the elements thus concentrates on maintaining their own culture and language in order to imbibe its own heritage in the future generations. The form of cultural pluralism tends to assume that the society is culturally pluralistic, but, at the same time, the individuals are not pluralistic. Therefore, the descriptive form of cultural pluralism tends to imply the coexistence of religious, political, ethnic and racial groups which live together and allow each of the groups to maintain and function itself. Cultural pluralism is another perspective that can be conceptualized not just for the society but also for the individual members. In the second case of cultural pluralism it tends to carry out the description provided by Pratte, as â€Å"positive of hurrah connotation.† As cultural pluralis

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Roman History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Roman History - Essay Example He opposed against Terentilius to draw laws and codes for the plebeians and aristocracy to benefit the plebeians. Therefore the agrarian question represents the basis of Roman history. When the Romans started to expand their territory, due to the greed of the land, the Romans were at war with neighbors. They built more new settlements on the captured land because the Senate was anxious about it. The agrarian law was a sore point for the republican and imperial Rome, for them the profession of the land surveyor (agrimeusor) was a national science. OR WAS WHAT THEY DIT BEST Thanks to allotment of public land colonies were turning into cities. The number of the Roman citizens was constantly growing and Rome was getting larger and stronger. Around 150 BC the empire was at the height of its power. Before the land property was undermined in Rome since the most ancient times. As well as in Greece, by a dangerous disaster namely debts. We can judge about the enormous value of promissory notes but not by means of historians, who used it to describe as dramatic scenes. The basis of Leges duodecim tabularum (The Law of the Twelve Tables), the most archaic fragments, defines the destiny of the poor debtor. The law Leges Liciniae Sextiae (the law of Gaius Licinius Stolo and Lucius Sextius Lateranus) limited the size of land ownership in the public land fund that could be owned by patricians. These actions expanded access of plebeians to land funds. The law lex Poetelia Papiria that passed in 326 B.C. cancelled the debt servitude, as stated in The Law of the Twelve Tables. The Roman wars with the barbarians to expand the territory undermined the basis of the Roman peasantry even more directly. Assuming more and more to increase the scale of Rome, the soldiers where moving away from Rome due to long wars, to fight and tore the soldier off from his land near Rome. The known balance between a decrease from war and gain of the settled country population was sustained when Romans had the possibility to make allotments in Northern Italy. By the middle of the 2nd century the stock of the free public land was exhausted and therefor the dispossession of land among the Roman citizens went even faster. This period in Roman history witnessed the changes in the Roman agriculture which had a fatal importance for small land ownership. Under Roman power, owing to expand territory, the trading intercourses of the Mediterranean Sea changed drastically. Bread for example began to be brought not only from Sicily, but also from Numidia and Egypt. The competition in agriculture with Italy destroyed the income and forced land owners to forget arable land and get cattle. We know most about these changes by the words of Marcus Porcius Cato, an excellent farmer who was asked: what is the most favorable way of economy. His answer was - bene pascere (good cattle breeding), bad cattle breeding, and then arable farming (arare). The peasants who were not able to find earnings at landowners and without having the possibility to change to cattle breeding due to insignificance of land suffered the first of all. They had to sell their lots, and that turned out as source of latifundia. Pliny the Younger explains this as that it has ruined Italy. In the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Health Care - a Look into the Career Path of the Industry Essay

Health Care - a Look into the Career Path of the Industry - Essay Example Upon consideration on the extent of his responsibilities, Chris has discovered that the ground rules of the medical service are its ability to provide such under a sincere and qualified personnel who is expected to extend its full support over the patient and his family. At the same time, such responsibilities extend and uphold the interest of the company that works in collaboration with other insurance companies. Costs of services are then considered to be in conjunction with a pre-approved limit that carries an effective balance of duties and responsibilities. Similarly, certain conflicts arise when the balance is distorted and medical errors in the clinical institution attract a situation in stark comparison to the ethics and laws that the company stakeholders believed in while protecting their best interests. Conflict of laws certainly worked against the achievement of a certain purpose, especially where reduction results in decreased quality of service against a continuum of care provided for the patient. The question of, sacrificing and allowing cost to impede the quality of service provides as the main considerable conflict in the case. Superficially, we can identify the surface conflict within the principles of business ethics that Chris is tasked to investigate and create certain essential components and probable solutions within the scope of his study. It is a proven fact that the highly technical gadgets in the health industry costs formed a considerable amount of money as an investment. Stakeholders expect to maintain appropriate cost control factors against an affordable health program commonly available for all. Yet, every labour force knows the hardships encountered just to maintain a scenario that best creates a win-win solution for the patient and family and the health provider. It is but difficult to consider such factors especially when cost drivers associate the prescription drugs cost, current medical; device, government mandates an litigation and risk management and the future  of the health industry and its day-to-day operations.  

Monday, October 14, 2019

Circuit Switching and Packet Switching Essay Example for Free

Circuit Switching and Packet Switching Essay Circuit switching, although more reliable than packet-switching because it is able to get your message across without any hiccups, is old and expensive. Circuit switching is based on having a dedicated line or session between two stations and thus, you are able to get the full message across without congestion or interruptions. An example of circuit switching hardware is PBX. In addition, with circuit switching, a path to the destination is already decided upon before the transmission starts and it only terminates once the session is complete and sends its message through. A disadvantage of circuit switching is that you are only able to use the line or transmit one session at a time because of its dedicated circuit. Another disadvantage is its cost. Packet switching is more modern and transmits voice data. Although, as compared to circuit switching, the quality may be lower because of the ability to use lines or sessions at the same time and thus, creating congestion or even data loss. With packet switching there is no circuit dedication like circuit switching. However, unlike circuit switching where the path to the destination is already decided upon before transmission, with packet switching, each packet has to find its own route to the destination. The disadvantage of packet switching is the potential for low quality transmissions and even data loss. In my opinion, these days, packet switching is more commonly used because it is used in LAN technologies or set ups. I would think that circuit switching is used for analog lines and networks, but during these days where most organizations are changing to digital and especially VoIP, packet switching would be more common.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Needs- Food In Schools. Essay -- Business and Management Studies

Needs- Food In Schools. The food provided in the school canteen has become a growing concern for a very long time. For my coursework I will be designing and making a healthier version of a savoury main meal to be eaten at lunchtime for students who eat in Plashet School’s canteen. Many people have began to advertise the quality of food provided in some schools, which has made a big impact on the way students look at the food provided. The issue is a growing as it affects the health of many young people. Foods such as chips, pizzas, burgers, cheese foods- pasta, flans- have a very high fat content, and more fat equals obesity. People as young as 12 have been found with blocked arteries. Also because of the lack of breakfast, people tend to eat junk food in school, which is no...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Comparison of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov in Crime and Punishment Essa

Comparison of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov in Crime and Punishment In his book Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky explores the paths of two men, Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov. These two men encompass many similar problems and obstacles throughout their lives. Both commit murders and are faced with the long and mentally excruciating journey of seeking redemption. They also share many characteristics of their personalities. The reason that the outcomes of their lives are so drastically different is due to the fact that they have completely different perspectives on life. Raskolnikov is obsessed with his â€Å"superman theory†. He is constantly trying to prove that he is part of the 10% of extraordinary people in the world. He wants to become an eminent figure such as Napoleon. At first he believed that the murders he committed would make him part of this elite class. Once he realized that he had made mistakes during the crime he began to question his theory. After much frustration he decided to go to the scene of the crime. This gave him a rush that made him feel invincible. He believed that this would prove if, or if not he was â€Å"super†. Once he realized that he wasn’t part of this class, he suffered a mental breakdown. This pushed him to confess his crime to Sonya. She helped him rationalize his crime and admit his guilt. The outcome of this conversation was that it helped him admit his fate. Svidrigailov contains many similar traits of that of a â€Å"superman†. Due to his egoc...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Affirmative Action: Executive Order 11246

The Webster†s New World Dictionary defines affirmative action as â€Å"a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups. † President Lyndon Johnson issued executive Order 11246. This required federal contractors to take â€Å"affirmative action† to increase the number of minorities that they employed. President Johnson†s order he put in place has since been twisted and turned around to what it is today. Such twists and turns include the hiring of unqualified workers, the causing of problems for groups it originally set out to help, and the reverse discrimination that results in unfair standards into higher education and the work force. Affirmative action creates an equal opportunity for people in the work force and for students seeking higher education. However, while affirmative action creates equal opportunity to for some individuals, it discriminates against others, primarily white males. Take for example some police forces. If a member of a minority group is hired over a more qualified person and they are forced to be in a situation they cannot handle then that is a major problem of affirmative action. Therefore, affirmative action uses reverse discrimination to solve the problem of discrimination. In â€Å"Assessing Affirmative Action†, an article by Harry Holtzer and David Neumark , says that â€Å"many firms where more likely to hire women and minorities with lesser qualifications, but also to give them remedial training, thus erasing the differences†(Holtzer1). In many cases you see that affirmative action helps most minorities and women but has its obvious drawbacks. In another article by George Gurin, â€Å"Sizing Up Affirmative Action†, he say†s that â€Å"To many colleges and businesses are being almost to open on who they let in and who they don†t only because they are trying too hard†(Gurin3). In my opinion I think that affirmative action is a great thing to have in today†s society, our nations development is credited to many different cultures coming together to form one great one. We will forever have the fight of discrimination, but there is not in my opinion one-way to satisfy everyone. As mentioned earlier affirmative action does hurt some of the people it set out to help. Consider an employer who hires a member of a certain minority group on the basis of skills alone. Many of the employees may automatically assume that the individuals appointment to that job is resulted from affirmative action. Therefore, an employee who does benefit from affirmative action may bear the brand of â€Å"not being the best pick, but the best pick of a limited group(Pasour). † Another part of affirmative action that is commonly brought up is women in the government. In earlier times people wouldn†t even consider having a woman in positions where they would be making decisions for men. In this day they were almost treated like the slaves that they owned. One of the only jobs that women did was to work in factories and low income jobs. Today women hold the top positions in some jobs. Companies are hiring and promoting women the same is they do men. Is this a result of affirmative action? When women were given their rights it was. Today it is easy to see that women are just as qualified as men at what they do. The question of having a woman president is still up for grabs. I think that it will still be a long time before society feels comfortable with a woman controlling their nation. That in it†s self would be another consideration. Would other countries take us seriously and treat us with the same respect they do now. In time affirmative action may be the winner in that a woman president is closer than everyone may think. Another heated issue with affirmative action is the issue of African Americans. America has been a racist country from the start. But as time has passed and people have accepted other races as their own. This was not until recently when people thought like this. In the case of the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), a special admission program setting aside 16 places in the medical school class for disadvantaged students, chiefly racial minorities, violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and title VI of the civil rights act of 1964(Regents2). All in all today†s society is growing towards the acceptance of different races and minorities. And one stepping-stone to that acceptance is the issue of affirmative action.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Armed Conflict

War is often said to be rooted in multiple sources located at various levels of analysis (individual, state, or global) and compare the contributions that theories at each level have made to our understanding of the causes of war.Oxford Dictionary defines war as â€Å"any active hostility or struggle between living beings; a conflict between opposing forces or principles† (qtd. in â€Å"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy† para. 8). Since the etiology of war is grasped from many sub-disciplines, it is but wise to learn about it based on three groupings namely: those who seek war's causation in man's biology (individual), those that seek it in his culture (global), and those who seek it in his faculty of reason.These determinants of war could give a better understanding as why it happens despite the detrimental effects it does to mankind particularly in terms of individual and global analysis.Individually, â€Å"Some claim war to be a product of man's inherited biology, with disagreements raging on the ensuing determinist implications† (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy para. 18). According to the â€Å"International Encyclopedia of Philosophy,†Example theories include those that claim man to be naturally aggressive or naturally territorial, more complex analyses incorporate game theory and genetic evolution to explain the occurrence of violence and war (cf. Richard Dawkins for interesting comments on this area).Within this broad school of thought, some accept that man's belligerent drives can be channeled into more peaceful pursuits (William James), some worry about man's lack of inherited inhibitions to fight with increasingly dangerous weapons (Konrad Lorenz), and others claim the natural process of evolution will sustain peaceful modes of behavior over violent (Richard Dawkins) (para. 18).Rejecting biological determinism, culturalists seek to explain war's causation in terms of particular cultural institutions (Internet Encyclop edia of Philosophy para.

Competitiveness of Philippines in global map Essay

0.5% of world-wide GDP share implies Philippines is really an insignificant player in world economy in terms of economic output, and 95 millions population, about 1.5% of ~7 billion world population, means current productivity level is only one third of world average. This is a typical characteristic of developing Asian countries, i.e., high population but low economic production output. However, even if only comparing with average of developing Asian countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the growth of Philippines’ GDP per capita is still significantly lagging behind in the past 20 years, and the gap is continuously widen since 2006. Philippines is at the stage of transitioning from factor driven economy to efficiency driven economy. What is promising for Philippines is that the global ranking of competitiveness among 144 countries is improving for the last three year, 85 – 75 – 65, and indices â€Å"Macroeconomic environment†, â€Å"Market size† are even among the top 40. The indices show â€Å"Labor market efficiency†, â€Å"Infrastructure†, â€Å"Health and primary education†, â€Å"Institution† and â€Å"Innovation† are area lagging behind. From the survey data of â€Å"The most problematic factors for doing business† in Philippines show government corruption, bureaucracy and policy instability are the most problematic issues businessmen are facing, other than inadequate infrastructure such as road, stable supply of electricity etc. I. Trade and Foreign Direct Investment in the Philippines Historically, the Philippines have been an important centre for commerce for centuries for its important location in south east Asia. Since 1980s, the Philippines have opened their economy to foreign markets, and established a network of free trade agreements with several countries. Some Philippines’ Import and Export Indicators and Statistics are list below: – Total value of exports: US$50.72 billion – Primary exports – commodities: semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, fruits – Primary exports partners: US (17.6 percent of total exports), Japan (16.2 percent), Netherlands (9.8 percent), Hong Kong (8.6 percent), China (7.7 percent), Germany (6.5 percent), Singapore (6.2 percent), South Korea (4.8 percent) – Total value of imports: US$59.9 billion – Primary imports – commodities: electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, plastic – Primary imports partners: Japan (12.5 percent of total imports), US (12 percent), China (8.8 percent), Singapore (8.7 percent), South Korea (7.9 percent), Taiwan (7.1 percent), Thailand (5.7 percent) The United States is one of the Philippines top trading partners. In 2010, according to US Department of Commerce data, trade between the Philippines and US amounts to US$15.4 billion. US is also the Philippines largest foreign investor, with foreign direct investment close to US$6 billion at the end of 2009. As of 21st century, the country is member in several international trade organizations including the APEC, ASEAN and WTO, under the new Aquino administration, the government plans to open up the country to more foreign investment in industries such as business processing operations, mining and tourism. However, this move may be hindered by restrictions such a prohibition of foreign ownership of land and public utilities. Also foreign investment was also impact by the financial crisis in 2008-2009 period, historical foreign investment data, breakdown by industry and country are listed below: Net inflows of foreign direct investments (FDI) to the Philippines for the first two months of 2012 were $850 million, three times higher than the $335 million during the same period in 2011, showing a strong recovery of the foreign investment in Philippines. II. Basic Education System The former basic education system of the Philippines is composed of: 6 years of elementary education starting at the age of 6 or 7, and 4 years of high school education starting at the age of 12 or 13. In this system, high school education is not compulsory. A formal public education system structure is show below: Participation rate for elementary school in 2009 is 89.43%, go up to 89.89% in 2010. As for secondary school, 2009 is 59.86%, go up to 61.26% in 2010. For Kindergarten, 1.65 million children enrolled in 2010, participation rate of 75.72%, grow to 2.04 million, participation rate of 91.67%, in 2011. These numbers are not impressive even compared to Asian developing countries. As the country need to improve overall productivity, higher quality human resource is a must pre-requisite, more resource allocation to education is in top priority list of Philippines government. Since June 4, 2012, Department of Education started to implement the new K-12 basic educational system, which includes the new curricula for all schools including one year of kindergarten(for 5 years old), 6 years of primary education, 4 years of junior high school and 2 years of senior high school. In this system, basic education is now compulsory. Program implementation in public schools is being done in phases starting SY 2012–2013. Grade 1 entrants in SY 2012–2013 are the first batch to fully undergo the program, and current 1st year Junior High School students (or Grade 7) are the first to undergo the enhanced secondary education program. First cohort of K to 12 grade 6 and Grade 12 will graduate in 2018. III. Population and Workforce Population – 103,775,002 (July 2011 est.) Age group – 0-14 years: 34.6% (male 17,999,279/female 17,285,040) 15-64 years: 61.1% (male 31,103,967/female 31,097,203) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 1,876,805/female2,471,644) (2011 est.) Population growth rate – 1.873% (2011 est.) Birth rate – 24.98 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) Death rate – 4.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) Urbanization – urban population: 49% of total population (2010) Major cities – population – MANILA (capital) 11.449 million Relatively young population, due to high birth rate, is one of the key force that push Philippines economic growth. This means sufficient young labor force supply to industries and also a big consumer market demand for young people. It is estimated that between 9.5 million to 12.5 million Filipinos work or reside abroad, these Overseas Filipino Workers, or OFWs, constitute 11% of the total population. In 2012, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, expects official remittances from OFWs coursed through banks and agents to grow 5% over 2011 to US$21 billion, but official remittances are only a fraction of all remittances. Remittances by unofficial, including illegal, channels are estimated by to be 30 to 40% higher than the official BSP figure. OFW remittances represent 13.5% of the country’s GDP, the largest in proportion to the domestic economy. Philippines is considered having a highly skilled labor force, proficiency in English, and a constant stream of college-educated graduates entering the workforce. This attracts many foreign companies to set up operation here. Take one of the fastest growing industries in the country, Call center, as example, Call centers began in the Philippines as plain providers of email response and managing services, these have industrial capabilities for almost all types of customer relations, ranging from travel services, technical support, education, customer care, financial services, and online business-to-customer support, online business-to-business support. Due to its less expensive operational and labor costs, highly skilled labor force, the Philippines is overtaking India as the largest call center hub in the world. Reference 1. World Economic Forum. 2012. Global Competitiveness Report_2012-2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.weforum.org/reports. [Accessed 25 November 12]. 2. Economy Watch. 2012. Philippines Trade, Exports and Imports. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/philippines/export-import.html. [Accessed 25 November 12]. 3. Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines. 2012. Total Approved Foreign Direct Investments 1996-2009. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dti.gov.ph/dti/index.php?p=3. [Accessed 25 November 12]. 4. Slideshare. 2012. The State of Basic education. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/arangkadaph/state-of-education-in-the-philippines-2012. [Accessed 26 November 12]. 5. Department of Education, Philippines. 2012. The K to 12 Basic Education Program. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.deped.gov.ph/default.asp. [Accessed 26 November 12]. 6. World Bank, Human Development Department, 2010. â€Å"Philippines Skills Report, Skills for Labor Market in the Philippines†, Report No. 50096-PH, March 2010. 7. Youtube video: Population in the Philippines, 2012. [Accessed 26 November 12]. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YatkDHzahWw&feature=relmfu. Filipinos Working abroad, 2012. [Accessed 26 November 12]. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1OVpefZus&feature=relmfu. World Call Center Capital, 2012. [Accessed 26 November 12]. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=kFBgauGCOEQ&NR=1,

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Management Research Individual assignment Proposal

Management Individual assignment - Research Proposal Example According to Byrne (2003) and Harry (2000), Six Sigma can be classified as proven technique to improve quality of manufacturing process or reduce errors in manufacturing sector. Cho et al. (2011) found that people have common misconception regarding Six Sigma because most of the people believe Six Sigma can only be implemented in manufacturing sector but in real case, key ingredients of Six Sigma decide context of its applicability. Theoretically, it can be said from the argument of Cho et al. (2011) is that Six Sigma as part of Process Control (SPC) can be used in service industries like restaurants & hospitality sector, hospitality sector, banking services etc. However, in real business world scenario, use of Six Sigma in service sector is pretty scarce and even scholars like Crom (2000) argued that Six Sigma model is only developed for product driven sector. So, what is the actual problem in using Six Sigma in service sector? To answer this question, one has to understand the conj ectural and intangible nature of quality in case of service organizations. Gronroos (1984, p. 37) defined service quality as â€Å"The consumer compares his expectations with the service he perceives he has received, i.e. he puts the perceived service against the expected service. The result of this process will be the perceived quality of service.† It is evident from the mentioned line that service quality is being judged as par the expectation of customers and magnitude of service gap might be influenced by perception of a customer. Ladhari (2009) rightly argued that service quality cannot be easily measured due to four characteristics of services such as intangibility, heterogeneity, perishability and inseparability. According to Markovic (2006), in most of the service sectors like Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), banks, hospitals etc, customers has to consume the offering at the place of production. In case of production system, faults in output can be quantified but is p ossible to quantify service output which is intangible in nature? For Chakrabarty and Tan (2007), the answer to the question is no while Sulek (2004) stated that it is possible to implement Statistical Process Control (SPC) in order to improve quality of services. Consideration of research works of Cho et al. (2011) reveals the fact that one can measure service quality by identifying Six Sigma Key Ingredients (KIs). It is evident from the above discussion that significant amount of confusion exist regarding the use of Statistical Process Control (SPC) to measure service quality. Such level of arguments and existing confusion among scholars has influenced the researcher to take up this study and select the research topic named as â€Å"Identifying Six Sigma Key Ingredients (KIs) for Improving Customer Service in Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) in China.† Fact is that, apart from research work of Zhen (2011), very few research scholars ever tried to identify Six Sigma Key Ingre dients (KIs) as part of Statistical Process Control (SPC) in case of food service industry. According to limited knowledge of the

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Basel II Compliance on Ghanaian Banks Dissertation

Basel II Compliance on Ghanaian Banks - Dissertation Example Thus the Basel II compliance regulations have already successfully shifted the Ghanaian Banks' strategy and policy direction away from their common sphere to a higher level of operational risk management. This study has specifically found out a higher level of positive correlation between customer credit related variables and Basel II compliance regulations. For instance a poor level of customer credit control at major Ghanaian Banks is basically related to the Lukewarm support for the Basel II compliance regulations. Thus this study proves that a higher level of Basle compliance adoption would definitely lead to better operational risk management and thus better customer credit control measures. 1. Introduction Background to the study Structural constraints that affect efficient operational risk management systems being implemented at the individual bank level and the industry level in Ghana. Structural constraints in the Ghanaian Commercial Banking Sector in particular and the whole domestic banking sector in general have been considered to be substantial in scope and effects in preventing the effective implementation of some of the Basel II compliance criteria in Ghana. However at the same time this research effort has identified the existence of some significant structural constraints such as Ghanaian banks' staffs, operational overheads, poor customer satisfaction metrics and significant integration related negative synergies, e.g. technology deficiencies. Thus the Ghanaian Bank requires restructuring of its operational management structures and a reevaluation of its current strengths. The subsequent efforts by the top management to carry out business process remodeling on the lines of strategic operational... Structural constraints that affect efficient operational risk management systems being implemented at the individual bank level and the industry level in Ghana. Structural constraints in the Ghanaian Commercial Banking Sector in particular and the whole domestic banking sector in general have been considered to be substantial in scope and effects in preventing the effective implementation of some of the Basel II compliance criteria in Ghana. However at the same time this research effort has identified the existence of some significant structural constraints such as Ghanaian banks’ staffs, operational overheads, poor customer satisfaction metrics and significant integration related negative synergies, e.g. technology deficiencies. Thus the Ghanaian Bank requires restructuring of its operational management structures and a reevaluation of its current strengths. The subsequent efforts by the top management to carry out business process remodeling on the lines of strategic operational reorientation have produced mixed results though there aren’t known metrics to measure the success rate. Structural constraints apart a number of ot her drawbacks have bedeviled the outcomes to a certain extent though. Domestic banking industry in the international arena in general and Ghanaian Banking sector in particular has been experiencing an upsurge in demand and supply over the past years due to a variety of reasons, including the strategic ones affecting fundamental industry-centric structures and policy related outcomes.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Environmental Ruin in Nigeria by Foreign Oil Corparations Essay

Environmental Ruin in Nigeria by Foreign Oil Corparations - Essay Example It causes disruption of human, animal and plant populations. Pollution caused by dumping of oil waste is a major threat to biodiversity. The effect of oil spillage on the marine life cannot be ignored. Both the physical properties and chemical properties of the oil have caused the death of many marine flora and fauna (Agyeman, 424). Introduction Nigeria, being a major oil producer, has not escaped these predicaments. The case is abundantly evident in the Niger delta region of Nigeria where oil mining is mostly practiced. Farmers have watched their source of livelihood taken away by oil pollution. Many of the tribes around are traditionally anglers, but the oil spillage has caused considerable reduction in number of fish in the river Niger. Nigeria is the land that has been endowed with both fertile agricultural lands and a rich oil resource. Major oil companies, including Shell, established mines in this country in 1950s. Since then, the oil mining activities have slowly damaged the natural habitats of the country through pollution of water, land and air. The effects have been this extensive that the livelihood of the Ogoni people who have lived in the Niger Delta for over 500 years is threatened. This paper focuses on how failure of the government to enact policies guarding the degradation of the environment has contributed to the state of environment in the Niger delta. ... Ground water has become contaminated and the people cannot dig up wells to get drinking water. Rainwater is also not safe to drink, as it falls in the form of acidic rain. This acidic rain greatly reduces the fertility of the soil, making it inviable for agricultural production. It is unfortunate that there is no piped water for people living in the region. Human right activists say that the foreign oil company has taken the people’s right to access to safe water. The government has instituted legislations that require mud drilled from mines to be confined in wells or landfills, avoiding seepage in developed countries. The Nigerian government lacks such legislation, and the foreign corporation dumps its drilling wastes directly into the rivers. Air pollution Oil mining has largely contributed to the air pollution in the area around the Niger delta. Flaring of natural gas methane is conducted near people’s homes, producing carbon dioxide fumes and soot. The release of th is gas causes a lot of pollution associated with diseases, such as asthma and lung cancer. This flaring has also caused stunted growth of crops in nearby farms. This is because the soot settles on the leaves of plant inhibiting photosynthesis and transpiration, and this has caused reduced crop yields from nearby farms. Oil spills and wastelands The most evident type of pollution is land pollution that is caused by oil spills. Oil spills causes degradation of the top soil by leaching of nutrients and adding toxic chemicals in the soil, making them unsuitable for plant growth. This oil spills cause destruction of vegetation and pollutes water, if released in the water bodies. There are several

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Dancom in Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dancom in Russia - Essay Example If they had been equals, administration would not have been easy. MNCs carefully avoid behaving like overlords and expect cooperation from native workers. Western countries, who were impressively successful in imperialism, had been unable to attain same level of achievement here while dealing with cultural syndromes. The provided case study of Dancom operating from Russia is an eye-opener, a situation in crying need of cross-cultural management. Study gives importance to the Russian voices of dissent heard in a Danish company. Russian workers, especially middle managers, who are 'united against headquarters in Denmark,' do not feel loyal for their company belonging to Danes. Problem of languages, lack of frequent/meaningful communication, poor and misguided interpretation, and isolated decision making with very little trust on the integrity and cleverness of Russians are the issues nagging this company. Another complex question is of insiders and outsiders, hosting insiders and hosting outsiders. Looking from Danish angle as the company belonged to them, Russians are workers from another dense culture, that too, ex-communists. From Russian point of view, overbearing Danish company is operating from Russian soil, and this should make Russians main players. There is a major difference in planning between Danish (long term activity, hence, important) and Russians (a short immediate task, not much to be bothered about), while Russians feel that Danes should have more trust in the knowledge and experience of Russian middle managers. What brings the differences other than culture, language and working pattern and natural bias How to reduce cross-cultural conflicts It had been a major challenge to Dancom. Russians are more tuned to the 'one authority' ordering, being under Communist rule for decades and Danes, being capitalistic in their approach, are more decentralised in their handling, even though they depend mainly on themselves. Years of mutual mistrust and prejudice about the other's capability (mainly due to political propaganda fed during days of Cold War) cannot be wiped out at one go. It takes time to develop trust, respect and mutual understanding and such an effort could be made through cross-cultural management. As a solution, cross-cultural relationships should be trusted and developed. Communication and co-ordination have to be developed. It is imperative to find out how Russians perceive themselves and this might be the key to many stagnating questions. Lamenting on not having research results, Jonson and Cullen argue: "Research on trust and its role in exchange has proliferated since the 1990s. However despite the insights offered by scholars, we do not yet have a generalizable and comprehensive model of trust in exchange," Jonson and Cullen in Gannon (2002, p.335). They hope to have much more research on the dynamics of trust, culture's role in the bases and evolution of trust and on business ethics across cultures. There are issues which showcase Danish approach being different from

Friday, October 4, 2019

Medical Marijuana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Medical Marijuana - Research Paper Example It was marred with political motives and manipulations. Not all facts were presented. The long-proven therapeutic use of marijuana was not made known to the public. Rather, it was consciously and systematically put aside by emphasizing and worse exaggerating the harmful effects of marijuana. In short, marijuana was demonized driven by political and economic reasons. Since then, the criminalization of drug abuse has become not only legally but also morally right and the war on drugs has become not only a civic but also a moral duty. As a consequence, small drug offenders filled correctional facilities, causing not only human rights abuses in and outside corrections but also causing the Federal State coffer to bleed unnecessarily; urban violence between drug users/pushers and law enforcers heightened, entailing greater police visibility, capability, and sophistication which means bigger budget allocation for efficient law enforcement; and drug operations went underground, not only making law enforcement more difficult but also denying the government millions of potential taxes while enriching drug cartels and crooked law enforcers and legislators. Other than this, the criminalization of marijuana has also deprived patients of a potent alternative medicine that could be less expensive than those being produced by profit-oriented pharmaceutical com panies. Within this context, this paper argues for the legalization of medical marijuana because it is more economically beneficial than it is socially costly. Marijuana is a Spanish-American term originally used to refer specifically to tobacco, but was used later in South and North America to refer generally to cannabis (Iversen 26). This reference change must have been due to the fact that marijuana comes from the Cannabis or hemp plant, named scientifically as Cannabis sativa in 1735 by the well-known Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, making it an officially classified species (5). Marijuana was

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Athletics In MacGregors Sporting Landscape Essay Example for Free

Athletics In MacGregors Sporting Landscape Essay However, using tactics which corroborate teamwork and competitive factors which in theory will motivate students to strive and increase their participation levels. 1. 0 Introduction This report will provide a detailed analysis of the participation of athletics in Macgregor’s microcosm as the societal norm believe that the status quo is â€Å"uncool†, it is known that the position of Australia’s porting landscape is very weak as there is a lack of participation within Australia as a whole This can be answered by a simple formula created to find the reason why some sports have a lack in participation in mainstream society today, Figueroa’s framework, this formula is divided into Levels listed in the following Cultural, Structural, Institutional, interpersonal and individual levels, nonetheless, it Is concluded that it is up to the individual of whether they decide to participate in Athletics or not. 2. 0 Figueroa’s Framework The social factors that influence an individual’s decision to participate in Athletics may indirectly or directly impact them by shaping their values, attitudes and beliefs. Knowing this the individual may find themselves being subjective to the people and also the certain factors they face in society ranging from cultural differences to peers to themselves. Sociologist, Peter Figueroa, develop a framework that analyses the equity of social resources that can also be implemented into the participation of athletics. . 1 Individual Level It can be argued that when it comes to equity and access issues, the individual level is the most important. This is because, while all levels of Figueroa’s Framework can identify how equity and sporting opportunities are presented to an individual, in the end it is the individual’s choice that will determine his or her access and level of participation in physical education. Kiss, 2012) This level is specific to Macgregor’s sporting landscape as it highlights the lack of participation in students; nonetheless, these decisions about sport and physical activity are ultimately made by the individuals Genes, values, attitudes and personalities which are specific to each individual. 3. 0 Action plan In Macgregor’s deteriorating athletics program, the lack of participation in the carnivals can link to many reasons why they don’t compete in such events. Study shows that the majority of students would prefer to sit and chat with their friends instead of competing in athletics, however, to allow students to participate, an action plan was developed to; in theory create a more fun and enjoyable carnival thus increasing participation levels, using successful methods utilized in Australian sports such as Cricket, NRL, AFL, etc. The ideologies used within these sports can be integrated within the society of Macgregor’s microcosm shaping the status quo of Macgregor’s Athletics program in a more positive, enjoyable way. . 1 Justification of Action plan Throughout sporting history there are various techniques to strive for in order to have a successful carnival, the majority of successful sports share many similar techniques to better improve the participation of athletes in Australia such as making it more interactive for the audience thus improving their participation rates; for example, in tennis they implement a board that measures the speed of the serve for each game as well as the Olympics which show the world record for each event. nowing this; a supposed board that lists all the records of each event is shown publically pre-athletics carnival and during for students to observe and in theory become more motivated and strive to train and compete in the events believing they are able to break that record thus improving participation rates. Secondly, the appearance of famous sporting athletes have known to improve the participation of sports for example, NBA players frequently appear in many occasions of street basketball games as it obviously creates publicity, however, also improves the participation due to the fact that this allows the ‘average basketball fanatic’ who normally would watch their idol from the comfort of their own television, but in fact they are able to play side by side with their idol increasing their moral and motivation to play. This can also be implemented in the athletics carnival by having the famous athlete participate and motivate the students to join in and also create a slight sense of competition. Finally, it is a fact that Australians love to play team based sports as listed, AFL, Cricket, Football, NRL, Soccer, Basketball, Rugby League are in the top 10 Australian sports; this is 7 of the 10 sports that are shown. With this in mind, Students would be required to form groups of 3 and compete in the athletics carnival, with a twist; each event would hold a certain amount of points varying on the position the student places, 10points for 1st, 7points for 2nd, 5point for 3rd and participation will be worth 2 points. The team that scores the highest points will be rewarded with a prize, such as vouchers, etc. 4. 2 Links to survey results The action plan created was based on a census of the whole school to observe whether they would participate in athletics and their reasons to not. To justify the particular choices created in the action plan by showing the statistics which have guided the development as the spikes in the statistics assist in improving the participation by surveying the trend. The reason a record chart was implemented as it adds a competitive flair and students receive social rewards within the athletics carnival as 19% of students feel that there is no reward for students if they win the events, this will help students strive for the record instead of just trying to win. A massive 27% of students feel that they are not good enough for the athletics carnival and believe there is no point to participate and simply just socialize with their peers, with the appearance of a famous athlete; students would be motivated to part take in the events as the special guest can provide moral support and advice to improve their technique, etc. during the carnival as they can join in with the students. By creating team based events the 80% of students that prefer team sports are able to participate and at the same time fill the social void according to the 25% as they strive to motivate fellow teammates and allow each other perform better overall, also considering the 66% that would participate in the carnival if their peers were to join in. (Buckley, et al, 2013) 4. Links to research material including the individual level of the framework The research gathered of Figueroa’s framework on the individual level, it is realised that students values and beliefs are to strive for competition and rewards, as these factors have been fulfilled it will allow students to participate in a more enjoyable way, due to the fact that an individual’s values and beliefs reflect directly upon their parents, siblings and peers, however, it is proven that the individual learns to behave through the experience they have accumulated from mainly their peers, also the fact that students view the sports society in a ‘boring’ manner, they often assume they cannot socialise with their peers which majorly affect their participation rates. 5. 0 Conclusion