World mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World mythology - Essay Example Thesis statement: The origin stories, major gods/heroes, and stories related to culture within Cherokee mythology prove that the same is symbolic of the origin, growth and development of the cultural aspects of Cherokee Tribe in North America (special references to the origin, gods/heroes, and stories related to Cherokee mythology). Cherokee mythology: an overview The core elements of Cherokee mythology reveal the relationship between indigenous culture and nature. For instance, the Green Corn Ceremony is a ritualistic preface of Cherokees who considered that their rituals can influence nature. Thomas E. Mails stated that, â€Å"The climate factor of Cherokee country had a rhythmic or cyclical nature that was a strong influence on Cherokee culture and led to a complex mythology and ritual performance† (21). On the other side, Cherokee mythology does not provide importance to omnipotent evil spirits. The spirits that can be seen in Cherokee mythology are less powerful. For inst ance, Kalona Ayeliski is a less powerful spirit which preys human souls. Another belief among the Cherokee people is that killing animals for no use or purpose leads human beings to suffering. Besides, the Cherokee people believe that mortal (physical) life is interconnected with immortal (the world of spirits) world. In short, Cherokee mythology provides ample importance to the peaceful co-existence of all the living things in the physical world. Origin stories in Cherokee mythology Origin stories in Cherokee mythology on creation is interesting because the same portrays the earth not as mere land, but as a as a floating mass of land. Besides, the land is hanging and some chords support the same from falling down. According to the Cherokee mythology, the Beaver's Grandchild tried to find out the hidden secret beneath water. He tried his level best, but for vain. Then, he came to know the fact that there is nothing to take rest. So, he began to collect mud from the bottom. This mud gradually expanded and became the earth, surrounded by water body. At the same time, the other animals and birds were eagerly waiting for the Beaver's Grandchild. First of all, the birds decided to visit the earth. Buzzard was selected to examine Beaver's Grandchild’s deeds on earth. After visiting the earth, Buzzard went back and made clear that the earth is still soft. When the earth became dry, all the animals came down. But there was no light on the earth. All the living things were aware of the fact that the sun can help them to solve this problem. In the end, the animals and birds carried the sun to the earth. But the sun was too hot. So they reduced the sun’s heat by putting the same high in the sky. David Adams Leeming stated that, â€Å"The Cherokee tell several creation stories, usually dominated by a female sun† (80). Another story within Cherokee mythology related to creation myth is the story of a brother and sister. In this story, the sister was hi t with a fist by her brother. Then, he told her to produce babies. So, she gave birth to a number of children, within a short period. So, one can see that the origin story/creation myth in Cherokee mythology sheds light on the rich heritage of storytelling among the Cherokees. Major gods or heroes in Cherokee mythology The major gods and heroes in Cherokee mythology include gods in the heaven, on the earth, under the earth, and animals. James Mooney made clear that, â€Å"Their pantheon includes gods in the heaven above, on the earth beneath, and in the waters under the earth, but of these the animal gods constitute by far the most numerous class, although the elemental gods are more important†

Slaughterhouse Essay Example for Free

Slaughterhouse Essay In the novel Slaughterhouse 5 written by Kurt Vonnegut, it can be perceived that the overall plot structure does not follow the expected chronological order of most other novels. Normally, the life of Billy Pilgrim would be represented as a linear story. This means that it would show the order of events as they happened in time. The lack of chronological order in the novel and the abrupt and random changes in time are used by the author to represent how the life of a soldier is affected after the war. Throughout the novel, Vonnegut implements this structure also to define Billy’s personality and characteristics. Vonnegut uses the ideals and beliefs of the Tralfamadorians to influence the structure of the novel. The Tralfamadorians believe that â€Å"there is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time†. The author represents this idea in the structure by alternating between stories and times, telling the story as Billy lives it, to show what he thinks of life and death after war. Vonnegut successfully writes the novel in this style to allow the readers to consider these ideals in their own lives. This is portrayed in the novel when Billy says repeatedly â€Å"so it goes† when someone dies; meaning that he doesn’t look at death like an end, it just look at it like another part of life. Vonnegut succeeds in showing the readers the elements of the novel all at once using random changes and skipping from one event to another abruptly. The author also gave this particular structure to the plot of the novel because it represented the bombing of Dresden as an event that kept going forever. The fact that the bombing of Dresden didn’t have much historic attention, although it was a real massacre, encouraged Vonnegut to describe it as Billy Pilgrim sees it: endless. As Billy went over his life more than once, the author wants the reader to know how hard and devastating was for Billy to live war more than once. The harshness and the uselessness of war are represented with this method. Another structural technique implemented by Vonnegut is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is when a warning or an indication of a future event is given before the actual event occurs. This is clearly seen throughout the entire novel but especially in the first chapter. â€Å"It begins like this: Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. It ends like this: Poo-tee-weet? (p. 31). Here Vonnegut deliberately breaks the concept of time as well as the concept of tension. The most important events in this novel are foreshadowed by the author before, to relieve this negative tension that the whole theme of war creates. A clear example is seen in page 56: Billy sat down in the waiting room. He wasnt a widower yet. This technique allows the plot of the novel to be much more relaxed as well as giving the readers a sense of tranquility and fluidity. An effect of the novel’s plot structure in the overall meaning of the book is the fact that Billy’s life is replicated by the structure; producing a metaphor of the damage warfare creates. An example of this is when Billy jumps in time to his death repeatedly. He knows exactly how, when and where he dies. He knows that he will be killed by Paul Lazzaro after he delivers a speech in a stadium filled with people, about everything he learnt on tralfamadore in 1976. This helps the audience to understand the damage war causes to the minds of soldiers. The fact that the storyline is incoherent to the reader shows exactly how Billy has lived his life every day since the war. Also the disjointed characteristic of the structure portrays how the events in Billy’s life are all disassociated. To conclude, the author uses a non-chronological plot structure for reasons such as, to represent a soldier’s life after war and the ongoing massacre of Dresden. Vonnegut achieves, with the use of extended metaphors and careful descriptions, to convey the reader a sense of discontinuity in the novel and therefore an overall â€Å"image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep†.

Gap Exploitation Essay -- essays research papers

Gap Inc. was founded in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher in San Francisco, California, with a single store and a handful of employees. Today, they’re one of the world's largest specialty retailers with three of the most recognized and respected brands in the apparel industry - Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. Gap Inc. has more than 153,000 employees supporting over 4,200 stores in more than 3,100 locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan and Germany. Their 2004 Sales were well over $15 billion, bringing in a net income of $1.03 billion, a 115.7% income growth from previous year. Gap Inc contracts factories in 64 Countries, allegedly also making clothes within the US . And by â€Å"Made in the USA,† they mean, â€Å"Made in the indigenous countries that, out of desperation, joined the United States in hopes of gaining more stable government regulations, yet remain excluded from basic employment rights and minimum wage laws.† The â€Å"guest workers† from countries like Saipan, who joined the United States in 1975 to be citizens of the â€Å"land of the free,â€Å" commit themselves to conditions that are simply shameful to basic human rights. Once committed, workers who toil for 12 hours daily behind barbed-wire fences, eat infested food, sleep on cots in dormitories that they are forced to pay more "fees" for, and work "off the clock" hours that they aren't paid for, can’t escape from the madness, unless they can pay a mandatory $10 thousand dollar fee for this â€Å"privilege.† Despite over 1,000 citations over a mere 5 years in Saipan, GAP remains stern on their refusal to pay a settlement with exploited workers. One worker was quoted: â€Å"Before 1997, we called for the strike because we were forced to work overtime with no opportunity to take a holiday, we wanted to go home for the holiday. But now we have so many holidays, and we have no money to go home. There is nothing in balance†¦ I have no question why people commit suicide.† Of course, not all of the factories that GAP contracts could possibly conduct themselves like that, right? They have model factories like the Shin Won factory in Guatemala, acclaimed by industry reps and retailers, as well as winning several exporting awards in recent years. From afar, Shin Won is just an average factory ... ...other loan for $20 from a loan shark.† To think that these are just individual problems or â€Å"special cases† is outright foolish. 24 of 27 factory workers in Lesotho said that they owed money to loan sharks. Even more shocking, many loan sharks are supervisors at the factories in which these people make a living. This means that the supervisors can deduct money from the checks of people who borrowed the money. What does this mean to the workers? Weeks of work without pay, and the need to, you guessed it, borrow more money. How could so much corruption ensue in these factories when the Gap’s 90 inspectors are paid to keep tabs on violations of their Code of Conduct? One Lesotho worker had this to say: â€Å"In our factory we have this policy that we have two separate time sheets, one for the buyer and for the owner. Whenever the buyer comes, they show that person a sheet which does not have our actual salary. The management does not show the buyer our original time sheet, the one which shows what we are actually paid. We have two time sheets, and we have to sign both sheets. If I don’t then I will get fired. I have no other option but to sign both sheets.†

P4 Use Marketing Research

Task 1 (P4 use marketing research for marketing planning) Results -75% want more children’s sandwiches -82% want the shop to be open longer -65% said the staff was unfriendly -50% said the contents of the sandwiches could be fresher -80% said they would prefer more wraps SWOT Analysis Strengths – Because Mr. Khan has carried out the market research on his competitors his can adjust his own store make sure it meets the requirements that the customers need such as making sure his staff are friendly and help when serving customers.Weaknesses -The weaknesses of Mr. Khan’s sandwich shop is that there is already a shop in the area with a minimum of 200 customers which may make it harder for him to start getting customers especially if the store has a large amount of loyal customers. Also if there is one shop there may more which could mean he has set up his business in a bad area. Opportunities To widen the range of sandwiches available in his shop, more childrenâ€⠄¢s sandwiches will bring more customers in with young children also to start making more types of wraps so that there is a larger selection of food available in store bringing more customers through the door therefore increasing sales and profits. – By keeping his store open longer than other stores in the area he can potentially gain more customers from other store and perhaps find new customers who use his store nearer to closing time. -If Mr.Khan was able to source all of the contents of his sandwiches locally and use that as promotion so that he has the freshest ingredients because it can bring more customers. Threats – Any new shops that are opening can be a potential threat and steal customers from his store because they may give better service, products or their prices may be lower. – Also if there are any supermarkets around the area that sell sandwiches because they sell them at much lower prices than he can so there is threat of the supermarkets steal ing customers Smart Objectives 0% said they would prefer more wraps -To develop a new line of wrap based product to sell in store Perhaps look into other stores to do some market research to see what type’s food sells and whether wraps are selling or not. Then on the research that he has carried out create a new menu of sandwiches that include a selection of wraps, also Mr. Khan could introduce the wrap with a special offer like a meal deal, half price or buy one get free. Mr. Khan could also do a festive menu on the way up to Christmas 82% want the shop to be open longer Keep the store open from 7:00am until 4:00pm for lunch and breakfast also perhaps open it for a two hours in the evening to increase and make a minimum of 60 sales per day Increase the amount of sales he makes in a day by doing a meal deal that would draw more people into his store daily also if he was to keep the store open for longer than he could get more sales in the later hours of the afternoon when did n’t use to be open. Mr. Khan could also open it for a few hours in the evening to see if he could get any sales then. 5% said the staff was unfriendly -Gain 30 regulars that use the store 3-5 times week in the first two months By employing more friendly staff that interact with customers so his store becomes a more friendly place with better atmosphere, this may mean that customer could his shop more often and regularly in their work place so that Mr. Khan knows he has got at least 30 guarantied sales every day. 50% said the contents of the sandwiches could be fresher -Source all ingredients that are used in sandwiches locally e. g. local farms and butchers. By Mr.Khan sourcing all of the contents of his sandwiches and ingredients locally from local farms, grocers and butchers also perhaps use organic fruit and vegetables. Then promoting in his store and on the menu that he uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients in his food may bring in more customers. 75% want more children ’s sandwiches -Open new line of child based sandwich products and meal deal that contain a drink a toy also a wider variety sandwiches. By starting to make a children’s menu with a range of products from sandwiches to drinks and toys.This will bring more people with children into his sandwich store and mean that the parents will stay longer and spent more money in his shop because their children are happy and entertained with the meal they have. PESTEL Analysis Political -Political factors are Laws passed by the government that affect the business and to what degree. These political factors include areas such as tax policy, labor law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability.Political factors can also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or be provided and those that the government doesn’t want to be provided such as tobacco and cigarettes which the governments allow to be sold sell but puts heavy tax on . The smoking ban had a big effect on all business when it was put in place however it was a positive for shops and business like Mr. Khans sandwich shop because it prevents smokers from smoking in business and public places which allowed more people and a wider range to use the business such mothers and children to use his store that wouldn’t have used it before because of the smokers.Economical -Economic factors include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate which affect business in the way of stock prices, rent and taxation these factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. For example, interest rates affect a company like Mr. Khan’s profits, revenue and debts because his business loans will become more expensive affecting how much his company makes and what it worth. This can affect how much his sandwich grows and expands, possible new store he could open and how quick it does so.Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods in an economy this affects Mr. Khan Business because it could import some of the ingredients used in his product and the exchange rates can differ and tax on importing and exporting goods can increase. Inflation affects all business because it affects prices of goods and services and taxes on business like Mr. Khan’s sandwich shop because the prices of his ingredients can increase, the tax on his business may increase and the rent for the premise of his business especially with inflation increasing.Social Social factors include the cultural aspects that affect businesses which can include population growth rate, age, career attitudes and different cultures. Age is has a big affect such as if Mr. Khan started to make his business more child friendly and offer coloring and play areas for children. Making the inside of his store more comfortable by using sofa seating instead of plastic chairs. Technological Tech nological factors include the ways in which technology has changed the way business operate and the rate of technological change.Examples of this would be business offering free Wi-Fi when you use the business this is something that Mr. Khan’s sandwich shop could think about offering to the customer because it can increase the range of customer that use it such students and business men that buy the lunch and use the Wi-Fi on their laptop to do work. Another technological factor would be for Mr. Khan to start using chip pin allowing his customers to pay with card because their lots of potential customer that may not have cash with them but have a card so don’t use his sandwich shop.Any more advance technology that he could use in his business such as new fridges, cooking and the equipment he uses to make the sandwiches which could all potentially increase the quality of his products. Environmental These are factors which can relate to the social, political and legal as pects affecting a business. Some examples of this would be Mr. Khan adapting a new outlook to how his business gives back to the environment, by the packaging he uses to wrap his sandwiches in perhaps using bio degradable packaging.Reducing the amount of packaging he uses so that he has less waste. Another thing Mr. Khan could consider is reducing the amount of waste his business generates overall; by reducing it he would not only save money himself on the waste packaging that is not used and it would reduce cost of rubbish removal because he will then have less non recyclable waste. These moves would also improve the image of his business in that it will become more environmentally friendly. LegalLegal issues involve the development that goes on within the business it includes various laws such as discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products. Be cause Mr. Khan’s business is relatively new and a lot of the current laws have already passed however law such as the smoking ban for example could have affect Mr. Khan’s business because when the law passed it was good news for mothers and children but bad for any smokers that before would have been able to smoke in the cafe.

Home video game Essay

1: Why the rapid growth of Atari? Why the 1982-85 collapse? How did Nintendo rebuild the industry? What was its strategy? After Bushnell settled on Atari, his first built was the simplest game, which people knew the rules immediately, and this game could be played with only one hand. Then, Bushnell talked his way into a $ 50000 line of credit from a local bank to start his business. By 1974, 100,000 Pong-like games were sold worldwide, and although Atari manufactured only 10 percent of the game, the company still made $3. 2 million that year. Atari had a rapid growth because it is a new industry, and Atari does not have any competitor at that time. So, Atari is the only company in this home video game industry, and it has a huge power of supplier with no competitors and substitutes. After 1976, about twenty different companies were crowding into the home videogame market, Atari still has more than 50% market share in the industry. Until 1978, Atari estimated that total demand would reach 2 million units. In 1982, Atari lost $500 in the first nine months of the year. Part of the blame for the collapse was laid at the feet of an enormous inventory overhang of unsold games. With more and more new games hit the market, the average price would goes down and the profits goes down as well. Nintendo established a commanding worldwide position by the end of the decade. The first step of Nintendo was to license video game technology from Magnavox. Then, Nintendo tried to develop its own video game machine (Famicom) that combined superior graphics processing capabilities and low cost. In the US, Nintendo established a subsidiary named as Nintendo of America (NOA) by 1980, and Nintendo repositioned the market in U. S. NOA spent about 2% of sales budget for advertising and also sought out promotion partner, and it practiced careful inventory management in releasing its new games. In conclusion, Nintendo made an innovative new game system which had some competitive advantages such as cheaper, superior image quality, faster hardware processing and a connector that can be used for future addition of a modem and keyboard. 2: How was Nintendo able to capture value from the home video game business? First of all, with the video game industry’s collapse, none of the company seems to have anything to do with the with the home video business except Nintendo. So, it was a big chance for Nintendo to monopolize the video game business, and it was a good chance to negotiate and license other companies to develop games for its system. Secondly, Nintendo has good market position and distribution in United Stated. Thirdly, Nintendo has good game designing and technology, and it uses the regulation, contract and patent license to limit the market share of other game companies. 3: How was Sega able to gain market share from Nintendo? With Sega’s first game Periscope, Sega built up a respectable export business. Then, Sega realized that great games drove sales and more powerful technology gave game developers the tools to develop more appealing games. Sega also licensed other companies to develop games for the Genesis platform, but asked for lower royalty rates than Nintendo. Despite aggressive marketing in the 80s, it wasn’t until the introduction of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 as a direct competitor to Nintendo’s Mario character that Sega was able to capture a meaningful amount of the market with its Genesis console. The key point was Genesis does what Nintendo don’t, and Sega version out sold Nintendo’s two to one. 4: Evaluate the competitive strategy of 3DO. What flaws can you see in 3DO’s approach? The vision for 3DO was to shift the home video game business away from the existing cartridge-based format and toward a CD-ROM-based platform. The belief at 3DO is that the superior storage and graphics processing capabilities of the 3DO system would prove very attractive to game developers, allowing them to be far more creative. In turn, better games would attract customers away from Nintendo and Sega. The 3DO’s strategy was to license its hardware technology for free. However, only a few 3DO titles were available by the Christmas period where reports suggested 150 titles, and sales of the hardware were slow. As can be seen, 3DO did good at its software, but bad at its hardware. As a result, 3DO announced that it would either sell its hardware system or move into joint venture. 5: How come the Sony Play Station has succeeded where 3DO failed? Sony set up a retail channel separate from its consumer electronics sales force, and Sony has a good communication with retailers before the launch to find out how it could help them sell the play station. Sony targets its advertising for PlayStation at specific generation and age range. So, Sony focused on it retailers and customers, and it has a good market position. On the other side, 3DO only focused on its products but lack of the communication with its retailers and customers. 6: What drove Microsoft’s decision to enter the industry with its X-box offering? Because before Microsoft entered the home video game industry, it was no stranger to games. Microsoft had long participated in the PC gaming industry and was one of the largest publishers of PC games. X-box was based on Microsoft’s PC technology, and it would be much easier for software developers to write game for. Microsoft enter the industry because with annual revenues in excess of $20 billion worldwide, the home video game industry is huge and an important source of potential growth for Microsoft. 7: What lessons can be learned from the history of the home video game industry that has been used to help launch the Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box? Do Microsoft and Sony appear to have learned and applied these lessons? The lesson can be learned from the history of the home video industry was to focus on R&D, market positioning, cost leadership, innovation, technology and communications. Sony PlayStation II has consumed about 1. 3 billion in R&D, and Sony actually loses money on Sony PlayStation machine but gain from game CDs. On the other side, Microsoft’s X-Box cut X-box price over time but guaranteed a profit margin. There are three technical factors determined the quality of a video game: data width (in bits), clock speed (in MHz), and the amount of RAM (in bytes). Both Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box have their own competitive advantage in these technologies, and they also both are good game designers.

Free Essays on Politics And Race In The Caribbean

What I learnt about the techniques of economic organization and development† The assignment allowed me to identify the role of the most effective strategy called Empire Building during the late 1500’s- 1900’s through the use of capitalism. I also obtain some knowledge of how hard it is in a political sense to work with different individuals that represent a single empire within itself. Capitalist Empire building was the technique based on the development of the Hispaniola economy. These developments included England, France and colonial America. The integration of several different countries of different resources became the way in expressing â€Å"one economy†. These countries achieved a great deal of economic development through conquest and slavery. The discovery of gold began the dominant economical role in the 14th century according to my research. The scarcity of gold enhanced interest in sugar mills plantation, which lead to the importation of African slaves. Even before the exploitation of slaves, the natives Indians were subjected to the same treatment. They worked under horrible conditions with minimal pay. The role of that government was to gain control through military and economic advancement. They created a society where laborers had no choice, but to produce the needs of the sovereignty. This meant fighting the countries wars and working till the death. Conquest in a capitalist society plays a big part. Global trade became the social economy outside the country. The triangular trade contributed to a development of â€Å"shipping and shipbuilding†. Ships were employed to different colonies providing them with different resources. Commerce doubled due to the capitalistic tactics of expanding their resources through the seas in order to get what they needed â€Å"Money†. The way this was constructed in an economical sense lead to the division of the industry. England-France and colonial America equally supp... Free Essays on Politics And Race In The Caribbean Free Essays on Politics And Race In The Caribbean What I learnt about the techniques of economic organization and development† The assignment allowed me to identify the role of the most effective strategy called Empire Building during the late 1500’s- 1900’s through the use of capitalism. I also obtain some knowledge of how hard it is in a political sense to work with different individuals that represent a single empire within itself. Capitalist Empire building was the technique based on the development of the Hispaniola economy. These developments included England, France and colonial America. The integration of several different countries of different resources became the way in expressing â€Å"one economy†. These countries achieved a great deal of economic development through conquest and slavery. The discovery of gold began the dominant economical role in the 14th century according to my research. The scarcity of gold enhanced interest in sugar mills plantation, which lead to the importation of African slaves. Even before the exploitation of slaves, the natives Indians were subjected to the same treatment. They worked under horrible conditions with minimal pay. The role of that government was to gain control through military and economic advancement. They created a society where laborers had no choice, but to produce the needs of the sovereignty. This meant fighting the countries wars and working till the death. Conquest in a capitalist society plays a big part. Global trade became the social economy outside the country. The triangular trade contributed to a development of â€Å"shipping and shipbuilding†. Ships were employed to different colonies providing them with different resources. Commerce doubled due to the capitalistic tactics of expanding their resources through the seas in order to get what they needed â€Å"Money†. The way this was constructed in an economical sense lead to the division of the industry. England-France and colonial America equally supp...

Free Essays on Teen Behavior

There are many different problems that teens face in today’s society. Some of these problems are great like drugs and alcohol, while some are minor like pimples. But among these problems teen pregnancy is a major one. Teenage girls that get pregnant in our community become overwhelmed with the pressures of supporting their children financially while trying to instill morals and ethics in their lives. If I had the power to make a difference, I would decrease the number of pregnancies among teens. We as a community need to come together with the government and help these mothers out. The problems of a teenage mother and her children eventually become the problem of all of society. Children come first because they are our future. Every child in the country should be given an equal opportunity to succeed no matter his or her family, racial, or financial background. Supporting teen mothers and their families and educating people about the responsibilities and the risks of having se x can do this. Teen pregnancy is a controversial issue because it effects society as a whole. Teenage mothers often raise children who never learn how to live productive lifestyles. Negative elements like drug addiction and crime seem to be the only outlets that are available to lonely, confused children who live in poverty-stricken cities. For many of these children there are only the options of dead-end jobs, jail, or early death. Many of these children end up having their own children at an early age; therefore, perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty, poor education, joblessness, and lack of hope for the future. This is a startling statistic considering the fact that crime and poverty is directly related to children who are raised by teenage parents. People who are faced with the harsh reality of raising children are usually not prepared to handle the responsibility. A lot of men try to run away from the problem. They then reject their children and negl... Free Essays on Teen Behavior Free Essays on Teen Behavior There are many different problems that teens face in today’s society. Some of these problems are great like drugs and alcohol, while some are minor like pimples. But among these problems teen pregnancy is a major one. Teenage girls that get pregnant in our community become overwhelmed with the pressures of supporting their children financially while trying to instill morals and ethics in their lives. If I had the power to make a difference, I would decrease the number of pregnancies among teens. We as a community need to come together with the government and help these mothers out. The problems of a teenage mother and her children eventually become the problem of all of society. Children come first because they are our future. Every child in the country should be given an equal opportunity to succeed no matter his or her family, racial, or financial background. Supporting teen mothers and their families and educating people about the responsibilities and the risks of having se x can do this. Teen pregnancy is a controversial issue because it effects society as a whole. Teenage mothers often raise children who never learn how to live productive lifestyles. Negative elements like drug addiction and crime seem to be the only outlets that are available to lonely, confused children who live in poverty-stricken cities. For many of these children there are only the options of dead-end jobs, jail, or early death. Many of these children end up having their own children at an early age; therefore, perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty, poor education, joblessness, and lack of hope for the future. This is a startling statistic considering the fact that crime and poverty is directly related to children who are raised by teenage parents. People who are faced with the harsh reality of raising children are usually not prepared to handle the responsibility. A lot of men try to run away from the problem. They then reject their children and negl...

How To Conjugate Conducir and Other -ducir Spanish Verbs

How To Conjugate Conducir and Other -ducir Spanish Verbs Conducir, a verb that means to drive and also has meanings related to conduct of persons and things, and other verbs ending in -ducir are highly irregular. The most common of those other verbs are introducir, producir, reducir, reproducir, seducir, and traducir. Their conjugation is shown below with conducir as an example. Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life may vary with context. Infinitive of Conducir conducir (to drive) Gerund of Conducir conduciendo (driving) Participle of Conducir conducido (driven) Present Indicative of Conducir yo conduzco, tà º conduces, usted/à ©l/ella conduce, nosotros/as conducimos, vosotros/as conducà ­s, ustedes/ellos/ellas conducen (I drive, you drive, he drives, etc.) Preterite of Conducir yo conduje, tà º condujiste, usted/à ©l/ella condujo, nosotros/as condujimos, vosotros/as condujisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas condujeron (I drove, you drove, she drove, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Conducir yo conducà ­a, tà º conducà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella conducà ­a, nosotros/as conducà ­amos, vosotros/as conducà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas conducà ­an (I used to drive, you used to drive, he used to drive, etc.) Future Indicative of Conducir yo conducirà ©, tà º conducirs, usted/à ©l/ella conducir, nosotros/as conduciremos, vosotros/as conducirà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas conducirn (I will drive, you will drive, he will drive, etc.) Conditional of Conducir yo conducirà ­a, tà º conducirà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella conducirà ­a, nosotros/as conducirà ­amos, vosotros/as conducirà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas conducirà ­an (I would drive, you would drive, she would drive, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Conducir que yo conduzca, que tà º conduzcas, que usted/à ©l/ella conduzca, que nosotros/as conduzcamos, que vosotros/as conduzcis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas conduzcan (that I drive, that you drive, that she drive, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Conducir que yo condujera (condujese), que tà º condujeras (condujeses), que usted/à ©l/ella condujera (condujese), que nosotros/as condujà ©ramos (condujà ©semos), que vosotros/as condujerais (condujeseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas condujeran (condujesen) (that I drove, that you drove, that he drove, etc.) Imperative of Conducir conduce (tà º), no conduzcas (tà º), conduzca (usted), conduzcamos (nosotros/as), conducid (vosotros/as), no conduzcis (vosotros/as), conduzcan (ustedes drive, dont drive, drive, lets drive, etc.) Compound Tenses of Conducir The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, conducido. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, conduciendo. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Verbs Ending in -ducir No quiero conducir porque hay demasiados locos al volante estos dà ­as. (I dont want to drive because there are so many crazy people at the wheel these days. Infinitive.) Perà º es el à ºnico paà ­s latinoamericano que ha introducido una ley de divorcio rpido. (Peru is the only Latin American country that has introduced a law providing for quick divorce. Present perfect.) Los britnicos, al comienzo de la guerra, estaban escandalizados por la violencia que se estaba produciendo en la Espaà ±a republicana. The British, at the beginning of the war, were scandalized by the violence that was occurring in Republican Spain. Gerund.) Existen ms de mil laboratorios que producen estas sustancias en China hoy en dà ­a. (There are more than 1,000 laboratories that produce these substances in China these days. Present indicative.) Tradujeron el libro al francà ©s y lo distribuyeron en Ginebra en 1882. (They translated the book to French and distributed it in Geneva in 1882. Preterite.) La corrupcià ³n reducà ­a la inversià ³n y el crecimiento econà ³mico. (The corruption diminished investment and economic growth. Imperfect.) Al à ºltimo nos reproduciremos por clonacià ³n. (Ultimately we will reproduce by cloning. Future.) A mà ­ mismo me seducirà ­a si no fuera quien soy. (Even I myself would be tempted if I werent who I am. Conditional.) Le dio 10 dà ­as calendario para que produzca los documentos requeridos. (She gave him 10 calendar days to produce the required documents. Present subjunctive.) Un profesor de lengua rabe pidià ³ a sus alumnos que tradujeran el libro. (An Arabic-language teacher asked his students to translate the book. Imperfect subjunctive.) No conduzcas sin cinturà ³n. (Dont drive without wearing a seatbelt. Imperative.)

Brazilian Drought and Coffee Harvest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Brazilian Drought and Coffee Harvest - Essay Example This occurrence immediately became major news to the market economy and the consumers, because of the change that would occur in the marketing system. What actually occurred during this circumstance was a surge of heavy rains which lashed Brazil for several days, causing a major drought, and isolating hundreds of people and destroying crops. "Farmers reported that 40 percent of their tobacco, bean and corn crops had been destroyed by the floodwaters that inundated fields in the western half of the state." (Associated Press, 2000). The October 2000 drought was an incredibly serious and devastating event in many different ways for Brazil. In order to understand these reasons and to come to a clearer and more knowledgeable viewpoint on the subject matter, certain matters in regards to the drought itself, how it affected Brazil, and what plans are for the future must all be thoroughly discussed. The aim of this paper is to focus on all of these elements, while answering questions such as why, how, when, and will come in the future due to this situation. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Coffee is the second most commonly traded commodity in the world, trailing second only to petroleum. The first coffee plantation in the world was in fact established in Brazil in 1727, and Brazil cultivates coffee as a commercial commodity. They relied heavily on slave labor from Africa for its viability until abolition in 1888. For many decades in the 19th and 20th centuries, Brazil was the biggest producer and virtual monopolist in the coffee trade, and remained that way, until a policy of maintaining high prices soon opened opportunities to other growers, like Colombia, Guatemala and Indonesia. Brazil is located in East Central North America and occupies approximately 50% of the South American continent. Brazil is bound by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay to the west, Argentina to the southwest, Uruguay to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Brazil has a tropical and subtropical climate characterized by high temperatures and anywhere from moderate to heavy rainfall. Rainfall is usually evenly distributed throughout the year, and the nationwide average annual precipitation varies between 1,010 mm (40 inches) and 2,030 mm (80 inches). There is an interior of Brazil's northeastern region which is known as the 'Drought Polygon'. It is "an irregular shaped region where people live under recurring threat of severe drought." ("Brazil", n.d.). This drought polygon is the driest part of the country, and it encompasses roughly 10 percent of the entire country's territory. "In this region, rainfall is undependable and the evaporation rate is very high, making it difficult to raise crops." ("Land", n.d.). Brazil is the world's biggest producer of green coffee beans with an approximate market share of 30 percent. Depending highly on weather conditions, Brazil produces and exports about 30 million bags of coffee beans annually. Approximately 85% of Brazilian coffee exports are Arabica coffee, which is also considered to be one of the highest quality; even more so than Robusta coffee - which demands higher prices. Brazilian coffee is characterized by the diversity in tastes depending upon geographic regions of the coffee's origin. The United States and Germany are the world's largest

Evaluating Models of Executive-Legislative Relations Term Paper

Evaluating Models of Executive-Legislative Relations - Term Paper Example The reason for this is because, the structure of a democracy, has an influence on the democracy’s effectiveness and performance. The effectiveness of these three democratic systems can as well be evaluated using different criteria. This paper evaluates the democratic systems of the presidential democracy, majoritarian parliamentary democracy, and consensual parliamentary democracy, using the criteria of accountability, representativeness, and effectiveness. Accountability is an important aspect in a democratic system, as it acts as a cornerstone in good government. This term might lack a definite definition because of its vast applications. However, in a democratic system, accountability presents itself, when there is a relationship, and an individual or organization is answerable to the other for their actions and decisions. This way, one party is subject to the oversight and direction of the other. Therefore, answerability and enforcement is core of accountability. In a demo cratic system therefore, the government is answerable to the citizens. ... Representativeness in a democratic system is whereby a few individuals are selected from the majority, mainly through elections, to represent the majority in government. These therefore, have to listen to the concerns of the public and represent them in government. Additionally, the elected few have to listen to the opinions and views of the public and other political actors, and present these in government, for action to be taken, where necessary. Therefore, in representativeness, the elected minority are the voice of the public. Effectiveness in a democratic system involves the level of performance of the system. In an effective democratic system, the government performs its responsibilities appropriately. This ensures that the citizens are comfortable, with basic needs, employment, and secure in all ways. Effectiveness of the government is also reflected in its policies, if they are successful or not, the nature of rights of people, freedom, and liberties of the citizens. An effec tive government therefore, registers positive performance in all these aspects. The aspect of representativeness is best utilized by parliamentary democracies, specifically the majoritarian parliamentary democracy. Gallager, Laver and Mair note that most European countries are characterized by the parliamentary democracies, except a few (47). The reason why the majoritarian parliamentary democracies are in a better position to represent the public appropriately is because; the majority people in the constituencies elect their members of parliament, who will represent them in the parliament. Therefore, the parliamentarian serves as the voice of the people of their constituency. This way, it is easier for the wishes of the majority people

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 75

Discussion - Essay Example The next step is identifying the tasks required to accomplish these objectives. A typical WBS takes the structure of a flow chart or a tree diagram. The primary objective is shown at the top the main objectives and then below increasingly specific details. This makes it easier for an observer to reads down. Below is a simple example of a work breakdown structure which a manager used to manage a team of programmers. No business can operate without risk. Often the bigger the risk the better the reward, any business or project manager must ensure that the business has a sound risk reward strategy and proper money management. Below are two examples of risks assumed by a manager in charge of managing traders at an Investment Bank and how the manager tackles these risks. In financial markets volatility is the variation of price of an instrument within a given duration of time. Adverse movement in price could course serious loses. The manager can tackle this by ensuring that traders trade commodities with zero correlation. In the financial markets, the lot size of a trade can determine the size of potential loss/ profit. In the event a trader makes a wrong trade the loss can be substantial. The manager can tackle this risk by ensuring that on any given trade only a specific dollar value is risked and stop loss orders placed at the opening of a

Criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Criminal law - Essay Example (Lord Diplock in R v Miller)2 The actus reus and mens rea need to coincide, however the requirement is interpreted broadly. (Fagan v. Commissioner of Police3) In certain circumstances omissions can count as sufficient actus reus. One of the situation is where the conduct of the defendant created a situation of danger. (R v. Miller)4 The acts of Dot attract s.1(1) the actus reus of which requires a person destroying or damaging any property which belongs to another. The actus reus must be voluntary. (Woolmington v. DPP)5 The destruction or damage of the property must impair the value or usefulness of the property. (A v R)6. Such destruction or damaged must be without lawful excuse that is there is no honest belief on the part of the defendant that the owner consented to such destruction or damage. (Denton)7 In the current situation the actus reus of Dot was by way of an omission as he was the one who created the situation of danger. The next element in actus reus is that he of destruction or damage, clearly the fire had led to damage being caused to the shed. Clearly Dot did not have any lawful excuse to cause such destruction as he merely wanted such destruction so as to further the value of his property. Dot acquired the intention of such destruction when he refrained to constrain the damage by letting the fire to grow and destruct the shed and therefore the mens rea of the offence would be proved. (Cunliffe v Goodman)9 Since the elements of actus reus and mens rea are proved it is pertinent to point to s.1(3) which states that destruction by fire would be charged as arson which, if proved, carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Furthermore such an offence is to be treated separately from criminal damage.(R v. Booth)10. It is clear that the destruction caused was by fire and therefore Dot would be charged under arson. He clearly does not have any defence to

Publics Fear of Crime and Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Publics Fear of Crime and Media - Essay Example Common media refer televisions, radios, telephones and newspapers. The media are powerful way of getting messages across to citizens, and some 95% of it is reportedly the prime source for all types of information ("Fear of Crime, " John Howard Society, 1999). Media are always involved with audience participation, hence they have various effects on the public viewers (Krippendorff, 1986). Channels and forms. Media are regarded as channels of communication through which messages flow. They are a form of communication produced by a few people for the consumption of many people (Mass Literacy, 1996). In mass media, there are two main categories: print media and electronic media. Their content may overlap, but they differ in their delivery method and the subject area they cover (Krippendorff, 1986). Print media disseminate printed matter. Examples are newspapers, periodicals, magazines, books, newsletters, advertising, memos, and business forms ("Print media," APT, 2007). Public press are the ones responsible for the gathering and publishing in newspaper forms or magazines ("Print media," Farlex, 2007). Electronic media, on the other hand, include television, radio, internet, CD-ROMs, DVD, and other mediums of information transmission not printed in papers. They are most found in the data management, communication networks, Internet and World Wide Web subjects ("Electronic media," Business Dictionary.Com, 2007). Comparing these two media, print media are more likely to be described as factual, while electronic media are more on visual aids to convey information. One of the forms where people get direct news information in electronic media is through television and radio news reporting. In print media, the news information is readily made available () Newsreporting and its Nature News is often reported by various mediums, such as newspapers, television, radio programs, and now in modern practice, in wires services and the websites (Stephens, 2007). Commonly these days, people get their information about crime from the major source which is the media, particularly more on news reporting. Carole Rich, author of Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method (2000) cited five traditional categories generally employed for news reporting. These are: understanding the news, collecting information, constructing stories, understanding media issues, and applying the techniques. Without any of these, a failure to convey news information might take place. Societies seemingly revolve around news information. This is usually what set people's mood upon their daily routine, as means of awareness to the happenings around them for their security (Stephens, 2007). Commonly, news must contain the answers for who, what, when, where, why, and how question of a certain news that people rely on media people to provide them updates on issues within their area, even to international concerns (Fuller, 1996). This suggests that for any possible perception of the viewers to the news information, media people inevitably partake in it. Evidences Shaping Public's Fear of Crime Media companies' interest comes first before viewers' security. Some psychological studies conducted had formulated the theory that mass media affect how their audiences think and behave (Potter 1999). This is because

Individual Argument Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Argument Assignment - Research Paper Example The argument shows that God is responsible for allowing evil to exist. God has the power to stop evil by stopping the evil persons from that since there is evil in the world (Lavery & Hughes, 2008). Further, Einstein’s argument Evil is the absence of God, who exists shows a logical argumentation. Einstein uses the logic of the darkness and light to prove his argument. Einstein insists that cold and darkness was invented by people to explain the absence of heat and light. However, God did not create darkness and cold. Similarly, evil is the absence of God in the lives of the evil persons. Consequently, God did not create evil but some individuals chose to exercise their free will to be evil by making God from their daily lives (Asheim, 2006). Furthermore, there are weaknesses in the arguments between the professor and the student, Einstein. In every rule there is always an exemption. Just because God created everything does not literally include creating evil. On the other hand, individuals commit evil by refusing to obey God’s laws to be good citizens. In the Einstein statement Evil is the absence of God, who exists may not be all true. In the story of Noah’s Ark, God flooded the entire earth to kill the evil people of the world (Tucker, 2005). God can do something to remove the evil individuals from society. God can lend a hand to stop the evil persons’ acts. The use of a better premise will translate an argument to a more effective one. If the premise is erroneous, the conclusion is questionable. If the premise is logically persuasive, the conclusion is tenable (Louw, 1998). Further, the professor and Einstein could have done a better job at improving their concepts. The professor could have stated: God did not create everything in this world. The revised statement shows that persons exercise their free will to do evil acts by refusing to obey God’s laws. The professor is using wrong logical reasoning. Using the same argument, God

Publics Fear of Crime and Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Publics Fear of Crime and Media - Essay Example Common media refer televisions, radios, telephones and newspapers. The media are powerful way of getting messages across to citizens, and some 95% of it is reportedly the prime source for all types of information ("Fear of Crime, " John Howard Society, 1999). Media are always involved with audience participation, hence they have various effects on the public viewers (Krippendorff, 1986). Channels and forms. Media are regarded as channels of communication through which messages flow. They are a form of communication produced by a few people for the consumption of many people (Mass Literacy, 1996). In mass media, there are two main categories: print media and electronic media. Their content may overlap, but they differ in their delivery method and the subject area they cover (Krippendorff, 1986). Print media disseminate printed matter. Examples are newspapers, periodicals, magazines, books, newsletters, advertising, memos, and business forms ("Print media," APT, 2007). Public press are the ones responsible for the gathering and publishing in newspaper forms or magazines ("Print media," Farlex, 2007). Electronic media, on the other hand, include television, radio, internet, CD-ROMs, DVD, and other mediums of information transmission not printed in papers. They are most found in the data management, communication networks, Internet and World Wide Web subjects ("Electronic media," Business Dictionary.Com, 2007). Comparing these two media, print media are more likely to be described as factual, while electronic media are more on visual aids to convey information. One of the forms where people get direct news information in electronic media is through television and radio news reporting. In print media, the news information is readily made available () Newsreporting and its Nature News is often reported by various mediums, such as newspapers, television, radio programs, and now in modern practice, in wires services and the websites (Stephens, 2007). Commonly these days, people get their information about crime from the major source which is the media, particularly more on news reporting. Carole Rich, author of Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method (2000) cited five traditional categories generally employed for news reporting. These are: understanding the news, collecting information, constructing stories, understanding media issues, and applying the techniques. Without any of these, a failure to convey news information might take place. Societies seemingly revolve around news information. This is usually what set people's mood upon their daily routine, as means of awareness to the happenings around them for their security (Stephens, 2007). Commonly, news must contain the answers for who, what, when, where, why, and how question of a certain news that people rely on media people to provide them updates on issues within their area, even to international concerns (Fuller, 1996). This suggests that for any possible perception of the viewers to the news information, media people inevitably partake in it. Evidences Shaping Public's Fear of Crime Media companies' interest comes first before viewers' security. Some psychological studies conducted had formulated the theory that mass media affect how their audiences think and behave (Potter 1999). This is because

Communication and Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Communication and Motivation - Research Paper Example mmunication and motivation is widely considered to be one of the most effective leadership styles in the contemporary real world organizational management. Many recent empirical researches have revealed that employees normally feel disengaged from their organizations or work when they do not have feelings of emotional connection. On the other hand, proper communication and motivation of the workers and subordinates not only allow them to effectively carry out their day to day activities but also inspire them to challenge themselves and each other to greater performance. According to Yukl (2002), leaders and managers are increasingly incorporating communication and management in their leadership styles to enable them develops conditions in their workplaces that generate commitment, excitement and energy. For example, in most cases, managers, supervisors and top executives normally spend a significant amount of their time communicating to others in their day to day activities. . Some of the key potential benefits of this leadership style include allowing followers to work while informed of the organizational goals thus making them work better; making employees feel more appreciated thus resulting into increased productivity and providing leaders with an avenue to exert influence over their subjects. In addition, it is widely believed that employees tend to respond more enthusiastically to the leadership when they feel motivated, respected and inspired. Contrary to just giving orders, managers should develop tactics of helping their teams and the company to achieve its strategic goals. Generally, through communication, executives can easily build employee confidence in their leadership, enable them understand the general strategy of the company and identify their areas of contribution to the organization. However, different organizational cultures require different leadership styles in order to effectively communicate and motivate their workforce. This paper

A View From the Bridge in Act One Essay Example for Free

A View From the Bridge in Act One Essay A View from the Bridge is a play written by Arthur Miller. This play is set in America in the 1950s, in an Italian American neighbourhood under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The area Eddie Carbone and his family live in is called Red Hook, a tightly knit community where neighbours are almost like family and everyone knows everything about each other. Red Hook is a poor area where all the families are in the same situation; men work at the docks and the women stay at home cooking, cleaning and caring for the children. Most of Millers work is set in America and portrays realistic characters and events. He deals with political and moral issues and weaves in ideas from Greek Tragedy. He is interested in how personal relationships dictate the way one leads ones life and about peoples struggles to do what is right. In this play, Eddie is the tragic hero; he mirrors the hubris characteristic. This will foreshadow to the audience that he will be the reason for his own downfall. The Hubris character, mentioned in one of Alfieris speeches, would tell the audience that Eddie would always thing that hes right and no one would be strong enough to stand up and prove him wrong. Miller gives us clues about the play through dramatic irony (audience will begin to understand that Eddies feelings towards his niece arent right), symbolism (the characters on stage use a lot of words that have several meanings, and one of those popular words in this play is sugar, which was mostly used to represent Catherine), foreshadowing (Miller gives us a straight introduction to the lawyer of this play who foreshadows a blood-shed ending. Eddie also foreshadows his own future actions by telling his family about Vinny Bolzano) and by using stage directions (the audience gets a better understanding of the play by looking at the positions of the different characters, for example, throughout this play Eddie slowly becomes separated from his family, he becomes isolated, this is represented through the different arrangements on scene, towards the end of act one, Eddies mostly found sitting or standing by himself). This can also be seen through Eddies language towards his niece (I dont like the looks they are giving you in the candy store), the names he calls her Kate, the way he behaves to her and also through Beatrices and Alfieris actions and conversations to Eddie to try and stop what Eddies doing. Each of the dramatic functions shows us that theres something wrong with Eddie and his relationship with his niece and this could also possibly cause his own downfall. This play mirrors a Greek tragedy where the outcome is known. In this Greek tragedy, the hubris character is represented as Eddie. Our narrator, Alfieri, whos also an unlucky lawyer, guides us throughout the play and he sometimes gives the audience hints and clues about whatll happen next. Hes the one who introduces the play at the beginning. He says In some Caesar year another lawyer heard the same complaint and sat there as powerless as I and watched run its bloody course. His speech tells us that what is going to happen is inevitable. It happens again and again and no one can stop it. The word bloody tells us that this play will end with blood, perhaps a death. Another lawyer backs up one of my previous point, which shows that this happens again and again. Caesar also shows us that this started years ago. These words also give us a basic idea of the settings. Miller wanted to retell this story with an ordinary family; this is foreshadowing the inevitable tragic ending. In this play our hero is Eddie, Eddie Carbone. He is a flawed-hero who doesnt recognise his feelings towards Catherine, whom he also calls Kate. However, hes not only a flaw-hero; hes also a real hero. His actions show us this, for example he welcomes the idea of the illegal immigrants. Eddie tells Beatrice that its an honour, B. I mean it. Hes benevolent as well as generous. Eddie has supported his family and has also brought up Catherine. So in this section, Miller uses foreshadowing and Greek characters to make the audience aware of the tragic ending. Through foreshadowing, he makes the audience conscious that he is a real-hero because he helps Catherine, looked after her for all these years and accepted the immigrants into his house without any trouble. But the audience will also be familiar with the fact that he is a flawed-hero, this is because of Alfieris speech, which is right at the beginning of the play. Alfieri mentions Hubris and that is the type of character that Eddie is mirroring. This will give a hint to the audience that his downfall would probably be caused by his own thoughts that others arent able to prove wrong, even if they do prove it wrong; Eddie ends up finding something wrong in there too. The whole man that Alfieri describes in Eddie is the self-interested man. Eddies actions within the play are completely motivated by his own desires at the expense of others. Hints about Eddies obsession with Catherine were given right at the beginning. This will also make the audience aware of a tragic ending, his incorrect kind of obsession will obviously cause his downfall, and furthermore the audience will also start to wonder the extremes that he will go to, to keep his niece safe from men. Eddies obsession has one way or another extended, this has also led him to more acts. The audience starts to realise this when he says you are walking wavy. This is not a usual relationship between an uncle and a niece. The audience will start to understand that something is wrong there. Wavy also emphasises the point that she does it on purpose, like moving her hips, its a natural thing to do, some people might suggest that shes also attention seeking. However other people might suggest that it suggests a sexual manner which Eddie accuses Catherine of having just in her walk. Eddie doesnt seem to know that hes over-protecting Catherine. He doesnt like her dressing-up herself, which could be seen as something that young girls usually do in the eyes of the audience. But others might also argue that hes just doing the job of a good uncle. However when he says Whats the high heels for garbo? , the way he says might again make the audience take their sides. Though the word garbo, the audience will realise that again his feelings are wrong, this is because he compares a beautiful actress to his niece. High heels also shows that he doesnt like other people seeing her in the way he does, she can look pretty in the house but in front of other men, she has to look simple. This will also the make the audience aware of his own downfall, his feelings towards Catherine arent right, he tries to lead and control the situation, and this also makes the audience anticipate whats going on between Eddie and Catherine. He also doesnt want her to have a job. The audience understands this when he says I know that neighbourhood B, I dont like it. Eddies again showing his over protectiveness by not allowing Catherine to go to work. This quote again can have lots of meanings, for example, some people might think that Eddie doesnt seem to like Kate to be working with other men, but others might suggest that its just Eddie looking at Catherine like a child, like a kid. Eddie definitely doesnt want Catherine to get mixed up with men. We see that when Catherine waves at Louis, Eddie seems to not like it even though Louis is just a well-known family friend. This might also be because he doesnt like her socialising with men. He tells her that he knows stuff about Louis that she doesnt know. Miller also foreshadows Eddies end by introducing the story of Vinnie. This is the story of a young boy who snitches on his own immigrant uncle. Eddie lectures Beatrice and Catherine in Act one, he says Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away. This means that he know what the impacts will be if anyone found people at their house. This can also be seen as ironic because he ends up doing it himself just like the little boy so the audience might compare these two characters and decide that Eddie has the heart and brain of a kid when he phones them so he doesnt really know what he is doing. This quote also reveals that Eddie knows his own fate- he knows what will happen to him but cannot escape his fate. Much like Alfieri, Eddie watches himself make decisions he knows will not only ruin his reputation in the community, but also kill him. Eddie may know the consequences of what he does, but remains powerless or too mad to stop it. Miller sets up Eddie so vehemently against betrayal that his transition on the betrayer seems illogical, so this is another way in which Miller makes the audience aware of the tragic ending, he makes Eddie go to his extremes and the audience will just have to watch the consequences.

NIC: The Unsung Hero :: essays research papers fc

NIC: The Unsung Hero The Network Interface Card, or NIC for short, is the most important peripheral when it comes to operating on a network. Many people think the most important item in a network is the cabling, or maybe the network software, or even the computer or server being used. While each of these items is important they are worthless without a Network Interface Card, for successful network operation. The NIC has taken most of the legwork out of the way we do business. No more does Bob, in the Production Department, have to save a file on a floppy disk just to hand carry it two floors up to Sue, in the Accounting Department. The NIC makes it possible to send the file across the network, saving precious production time, so Bob can work on other matters. The importance of the NIC can be described in terms of what it is, what types there are, and system compatibility. So, what is a NIC? Simply put it is the physical interface between the computer and the network cable. The NIC performs many vital functions that are transparent to the user, in order to send and receive data. 1) It prepares data to be sent over the network by converting the computer, parallel data into serial data. 2) It advertises its address to the rest of the network, to distinguish itself from other cards on the network. 3) It carries on an electronic dialog with the receiving NIC about such things as the maximum size of the data to be sent, the time intervals between data chunks, and how much data each card can hold before it overflows, to name a few (Microsoft 76). All NICs operate pretty much the same way, but it is important to know about the different types of NICs. NICs come in two basic varieties: those designated for servers and those designated for desktops (Harvey 104). The application of the network being used will dictate what type of NIC to use. Server NICs generally come with onboard processors and memory. For a heavily trafficked server, multiple port cards allow for additional connections to a server, saving expansion slot space (Harvey 105). The desktop NIC is more of a bare bones type of card. It does not require an onboard processor and memory, unless it is for a user that moves a lot of data (i.

Internet as a Research Tool Essay -- Expository Web Internet Essays

Internet as a Research Tool Because of its speed and convenience, the Internet has quickly become one of the most-used resources for gathering information. The Internet allows people to have access to a lot of information in one place, and in the convenience of their own homes. However, many problems arise when students use the Internet as a research source for school assignments. Many students are typically under the false assumption that everything on the Internet is valid; if it’s written it must be true. Problems that emerge from using the Internet as a research tool are the quantity of information, the quality of the information, issues of plagiarism, and additional problems with general Internet usage. The issues discussed in this paper are mostly referring to the information found on the Internet when students used it to do research. Most of these problems mentioned often do not apply to publications that are found in both the print form and in an online form. A misconception many students often have is the belief that everything can be found on the Internet if provided with the right tools to find it. In reality, however, Marylaine Block asserts in her article entitled â€Å"Getting Students Beyond The Net†, that â€Å"the Net represents, at most, perhaps 12% of the world’s accumulated store of information† (Block, 2003, What’s Not on the Net section, para. 1). Because of various circumstances, such as â€Å"the prohibitive cost of digitizing, lack of interest, and copyright issues†, the majority of this information is not and will not ever appear on the Internet (The Second Largest Source: Books section, para. 1). Very few periodicals earlier than 1980 have been digitized for these reasons. Therefore, most of the peri... ... March 2, 2004 from Academic Search Premier database. Mash, S. D. (2003). Libraries, Books, and Academic Freedom. Academe, (89)3, 50-54. Retrieved March 1, 2004 from Academic Search Premier database. Matthew, K. I., Varagoor, G. (2001). Student Responses to Online Course Materials. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, (33)5. Retrieved March 4, 2004 from ERIC database. Minkel, W. (2002). Web of Deceit. School Library Journal, (48)4, 50-53. Retrieved March 4, 2004 from ERIC database. Sidler, M. (2002). Web Research and Genres in Online Databases: When the Glossy Page Disappears. Computers and Composition, (19)1, 57-70. Retrieved March 4, 2004 from ERIC database. Towson University Infotutor. Retrieved March 4, 2004 from http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/infotutor/www/web7b.cfm.

Cross Cultural Issues Essay

With hot topics like globalization and cross-cultural opportunities in the Asia Pacific rim, one might think it would be easy to research the implications of cross cultural issues. Rather, what the writer found was a significant discussion all around the periphery but little in-depth analysis. Discussion prevailed on the socio-economic and technological ramifications. Others resources focused on the language issues but little work was intuitively available on the subtleties of cross cultural issues one may encounter. Based on experience working in the Asia Pacific rim for two years as a PMO Manager, and training PM’s in many European countries, I decided that understanding international socio-cultural issues encountered in business is essentially at the heart of the issues companies will encounter in globalizing operations. Therefore, the writer will approach the crosscultural issues from a personalized understanding based on his many months of first hand mistakes in understanding cultural issues encountered in Asia Pacific. I will base my observations of cross-cultural issues on my experiences in working most closely with individuals from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and India. Naturally there are more countries in the Pacific Rim but these mentioned provided the most opportunity for interaction. I want to also acknowledge the contributions of my wife, Helena Shiu Leung Chow Ballow, whom I initially met in Asia. Her wisdom, coaching, and meaningful insights on the many differences between Western and Eastern business and cultural practices were, and remain till this day, illuminating, helpful and daunting. Introduction Clearly we all understand to some degree the impact of cultural issues in communications. If nothing else, we have encountered situations where language was the barrier. But language may be the smallest of the issues when dealing with other cultures. Even when we pull out our Translation Guides or employ translators we may get pass some of the language difficulties. But from the writer’s experience, language is the least of the issues. Ingrained and systemic patterns of cultural behaviours can be so subtle as to completely deny meaningful communications. I found a really good example of just how easily cultural variances can cause communications problems. In this case the issues was â€Å"psychological filtering† of appearance or gesture. I would think is would also be easy for the reader to extrapolate this example into some experiences that may have encountered even in the West. Timofeev (2002), in an article in National Concepts and Globalization, provided the following example: â€Å"The idea or rather the hypothesis that underlies this paper was stimulated by a trivial chat with a friend of mine. Being a linguist by trade, Russian by origin and living in Finland, she is well aware of cross-cultural discrepancies and provided me with a curious example. It was a TV commercial of an international brand of Persil washing powder. Two young ladies were shown sitting in a crowded place, some restaurant or a cafe. One of the ladies notices quite a peculiar manner her friend has chosen to wear her wristwatch. It was placed above the cuff of her blouse. It turned out in a second that the only reason for placing her watch there was to cover some stain that regular detergents failed to deal with. Oh dear, you should use Persil instead! † So everything was straight and simple. But before that, when the attentive and thoughtful lady was describing her version of her friend’s peculiar manner of wearing her watch in Finnish (and I guess that the German, French and English versions were quite similar to that in Finnish), she said: â€Å"You are such a busy person. You have to wear your watch so that it can always be seen. † While in Russian the same lady made quite a different guess: â€Å"Your watch must be terribly expensive since you wear it so that everyone can notice it. † †¦ The Russian version, when translated into English, seems to be full of irony; it describes the lady’s manner as showing off. It would definitely undermine the main purpose of the ad, which was to provide a friend and those watching the commercial with thoughtful advice about using detergents. (p. 1)† To understand the issues we must start with a framework definition of culture. There are just too many definitions of culture, and even speaking the same language, we might get off tract pretty quickly. So, the writer did some research and decided on the following foundational definition of culture upon which to proceed. This is summarized by Kim (1999): â€Å"As the author himself confesses that there are 160 different definitions of the term ‘culture’ and picks up the definition of scholar Clyde Kluckhohn. According to him, â€Å"Culture consists of patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiment in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i. e. historically derived and selected) ideas and attached values. † continued  © 2004, 2005 Dennis G. Ballow, Sr. , PMKT, Inc. , All Rights Reserved Globalization and Cross-Cultural Issues in Project Management, page 2 Another scholar, Triandis, presents a psychological perspective to the description. â€Å"Culture is a subjective perception of the human – made part of the environment. And this includes the categorization of social stimuli, associations, beliefs, attitudes, roles, and values individuals share. † Culture thus is a melting pot consisting of many things gathered over a period of time in which religion and language play a great role. (p. 228)† Now, with a definition of culture in hand, and a real life example to back up the idea, we will look at some relatively common cultural issues that impact communication, and thus, also have implications for Western corporations working in the Asia Pacific Rim. Cross-Cultural Issues and Implications I will present the materials in a table format such that it may be easier to digest. A simple summary provided by Bhagat et al (2002 provides a good stepping-stone for analysis of the cross-cultural issues: Cross-border transfer of organizational knowledge is most effective in terms of both velocity and viscosity when the type of knowledge (i. . , human, social, or structured) being transferred is simple, explicit, and independent and when such transfers involve similar cultural contexts. In contrast, transfer is least effective when the type of knowledge being transferred is complex, tacit, and systemic and involves dissimilar cultural contexts. (p. 204) Table 1: Cross-cultural Implications – Asian (China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan) and the West Cross-culture Dimension Language Implications Asian Perspective Not that complicated to the Asian. Foreigners should have more respect and learn the language. American Perspective English is the international business language so everyone should use it. Implications It is generally good practice to â€Å"localize† materials when feasible. Local words and expressions sometime just do not properly translate for English and may actually be offensive. A focus on team activities and collaboration vs. individual competitive activities is preferred. Individualism vs. Collectivism Strong Collectivism – The Asians depend more on groups or institutions to determine what they should do and emphasize loyalty to the group. They are more likely to cooperate with others to avoid risks and reduce responsibilities. Their value systems appreciate duty to the group and harmony among its members while pursuing personal goals is viewed rather negatively in Asia. The Asian person does not consider contracts as seriously as the Americans. They think there will always be changes and the contracts can be reasonably modified according to changes. Instead, they tend to pay more attention to relationships than contracts. Strong Individualism – They rely on their own view to determine what they should do. They tend to work alone and are reluctant to cooperate because their individualism and masculine culture view cooperation in general as a sign of weakness and place a high value on independence and control. Americans place greater importance on contractual safeguards than the Asian. They believe that contracts can ensure that their partners’ tendencies to focus on individual goals and aspirations do not interfere with their own individual goals and aspirations. Cooperation Nothing is cast in stone for the Asians. Authority is seldom, if ever, challenged. But when encouraged and trust is gained by the instructor, students will interact better, and challenge each other in a negotiative manner as not to create a †save face† problem. This takes much longer that you will ever plan – so take time to let the process work itself through. Asian employees seldom have the chance to really participate in the decision-making process. So activities requiring decisions may well take longer. continued

Oodgeroo Noonucal Speech Essay

Good morning 10.06. Oodgeroo Noonuccal, an Australian poet, uses her work to convey aspects of Australian experience. Noonuccal’s poems are mainly focused on her own perspective of the culture and beliefs of both the aboriginal people and white Australians, the racial discrimination that the Aborigines suffered and their peoples spirituality. Oodgeroo uses language and poetic techniques repetition, colloquial language, metaphors etc. to portray this. No more boomerang compares the differences between the two unlikely cultures of the Aborigines and the white Australians. The composer uses colloquial language along with many Aboriginal terms and slang, for example, no more corroboree, gay dance and din, are used to create a closer relationship with the reader to allow them to relate to the aboriginals. The reader can distinguish the difference between the two cultures with the repetition of the following phrases, no more boomerang, no more spear, now all civilised, in which emphasizes the aboriginal traditions and cultures being ruled out by the white Australians culture rising. And work like a nigger, for a white mans meal uses enjambment. And work like a nigga conveys the low standard living for an Aboriginal using colloquial language, for a white mans meal portrays the high standard of living of a white Australian. Black hunted wallaby is a form of imagery, which is used to give the reader a better sense of the Australian fauna, and created a picture. Metaphors such as white-fella bunyip are used to further explain and add emphasis to the mellow feeling the poet is trying to evoke. We are going conveys the spirituality of the aborigines. The poem lists the many belongings of the aboriginal culture that makes up who they are. We are the old sacred memories, the law of the elders, and we are the wonder tales of dream time, the tribal legends told, are the metaphors used, it compares the Aborigines to the sacred things that define them, this conveys the strong connection between the Aboriginal people and their spirituality. The repetition of we are emphasis all the objects listed and further creates the identity of the Aborigines.The phrase also includes inclusive language making the reader feel connected to the text. The repetition of the word gone highlights the aborigines identity being taken away from them.

Education and Skills Bill Essay

The Education and Skills Bill introduces a new duty on young people in England to participate in education or training until the age of 18. The Bill follows the green paper Raising Expectations: staying in education and training, which described the perceived benefits to individuals, the economy and society of young people staying in education or training for longer. Responsibility for support services currently carried out by the Connexions service will be transferred to local education authorities (LEAs). The Bill makes changes relating to adult skills. The Bill also provides for the transfer of the regulatory regime for independent schools in England from the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (the new Ofsted) There are miscellaneous provisions in relation to pupil behaviour, external qualifications, inspection of teacher training, and Schools Forums. Also a framework power is provided for the National Assembly for Wales to legislate in relation to the inspection of pre-16 education and training. The territorial extent of the Bill varies according to the scope of the different provisions. The Bill contains provisions that trigger the Sewel Convention. Christine Gillie Social Policy Section Contributions: Ed Beale, Paul Bolton, Grahame Danby, Susan Hubble, Vincent Keter House of Commons Library. Recent Library Research Papers include: 07/72 07/73 The ‘Governance of Britain’ Green Paper Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill Committee Stage Report 07/74 07/75 07/76 07/77 07/78 07/79 07/80 Economic Indicators, November 2007 Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Supplementary Provisions) Bill Unemployment by Constituency, October 2007 The European Communities (Finance) Bill [Bill 2 of 2007-08] Sale of Student Loans Bill Housing and Regeneration Bill [Bill 8 of 2007-08] The EU Reform. Treaty: amendments to the ‘Treaty on European Union’ 07/81 07/82 07/83 07/84 07/85 07/86 Health and Social Care Bill House of Lords – developments since January 2004 Economic Indicators, December 2007 Planning Bill [Bill 11 of 2007-08] Crossrail Bill: Committee Stage Report The Treaty of Lisbon: amendments to the Treaty establishing the European Community 22. 11. 07 03. 12. 07 04. 12. 07 06. 12. 07 06. 12. 07 06. 12. 07 06. 11. 07 09. 11. 07 14. 11. 07 15. 11. 07 15. 11. 07 22. 11. 07 22. 11. 07 26. 10. 07 02. 11. 07 Research Papers are available as PDF files: †¢ to members of the general public on the Parliamentary web site, URL: http://www. parliament. uk †¢ within Parliament to users of the Parliamentary Intranet, URL: http://hcl1. hclibrary. parliament. uk Library Research Papers are compiled for the benefit of Members of Parliament and their personal staff. Authors are available to discuss the contents of these papers with Members and their staff but cannot advise members of the general public. We welcome comments on our papers; these should be sent to the Research Publications Officer, Room 407, 1 Derby Gate, London, SW1A 2DG or e-mailed to PAPERS@parliament. uk ISSN 1368-8456 Summary The Education and Skills Bill was presented in the House of Commons on 28 November 2007. At the same time Explanatory Notes, an Impact Assessment and a Memorandum of Delegated Powers were also published. The Bill, as presented, is in five parts. Some of the provisions are linked to the Government’s policies for reforming 14 to 19 education and improving the learning and skills of young people and adults. Other parts of the Bill are on separate matters particularly relating to the regulation and inspection of independent schools and colleges. Part 1 introduces a new duty on young people in England to participate in education or training until the age of 18, and creates a statutory framework to support and enforce it with new duties on local education authorities (LEAs ), educational providers and employers. The raising of the participation age will be introduced in two stages: to 17 by 2013 and to 18 by 2015. Provision is made for LEAs to enforce the participation duty, if necessary. They may issue attendance notices to young people who refuse to participate. New attendance panels will be created to hear appeals and to monitor the enforcement process. LEAs may also issue parenting contracts or parenting orders to parents of young people who are failing to fulfil the duty to participate. The proposals follow the green paper Raising Expectations: staying in education and training (March 2007), which described the perceived benefits to individuals and society of young people staying in education and training for longer. While there has been wide acceptance of the principle that young people will benefit from participating until they are 18, concern has been expressed about making it compulsory. Part 2 makes provision for the transfer to LEAs of the information, advice and support services for young people currently provided by the Connexions service. This follows proposals in the Youth Matters green paper (July 2005). The funding for the Connexions service will be transferred to LEAs in April 2008. It is intended that LEAs will continue to maintain the Connexions database so as to help them provide the right support services to young people and promote the new duty on young people to participate in education or training. Part 2 also places a duty on LEAs to arrange for the assessment of the education and training needs of a person with a statement of special educational needs (SEN) during their last year of schooling. This takes account of the change in the Bill to raise the participation age. Other provisions in Part 2 include: a requirement for secondary schools to present careers information in an impartial way and to provide careers advice that is in the best interests of the child; an explicit duty on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide proper facilities for apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds, and to make reasonable provision for apprenticeships for those aged 19 and over; a requirement for LEAs to have regard to journey times in preparing their transport policies for students of sixth-form age attending educational establishments; and a requirement for LEAs to co-operate with partners who are responsible for 14 to 19 education and training. Part 3 contains provisions in relation to adult skills. The issue of maintaining a sufficiently skilled workforce to meet the economy’s needs in the face of growing global competition has become increasing prominent, particularly since the publication of the Leitch Review of Skills in 2006. In its response to the review, the Government set out a range of goals relating to workforce skills for 2020 and outlined how it intended to achieve them. This Bill places duties on the LSC to provide a free entitlement to training for all adults in England aged over 19 up to their first full Level 2 qualification, with a similar entitlement up to Level 3 for those aged 19-25. Provision is also made to enable the sharing of data between relevant departments and the devolved administrations in order to assist in the effective assessment and provision of education and training for those aged 19 and over. Part 4 creates a wider definition of an independent educational institution in England, which includes certain part-time educational provision, to which the regulatory regime for independent schools in England will apply. That regime, currently contained in the Education Act 2002, is restated in Chapter 1 of Part 4. The regulatory framework for ‘independent educational institutions’ is changed so that the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (the new Ofsted) and not the Secretary of State is the registration authority. The function of approving non-maintained special schools is also transferred from the Secretary of State to the Chief Inspector. Sixth-form pupils in nonmaintained special schools are given a right to opt out of religious worship. (Pupils in mainstream maintained schools already have this right under the Education and Inspections Act 2006. ) The Bill also seeks to amend section 347 of the Education Act 1996 to remove in England the category of approved independent school for the placement of a child with a statement of SEN, and to remove the requirement for LEAs in England to seek consent to place pupils with statements of SEN in non-approved independent schools. Other changes in Part 4 include the introduction of a new management standard for independent educational institutions, and changes relating to fees for registration and inspection. Part 5 includes miscellaneous provisions in relation to pupil behaviour, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the approval of external qualifications, the inspection of teacher training, and the constitution of Schools Forums. Also Part 5 creates a framework power for the National A ssembly for Wales to legislate in relation to the inspection of pre-16 education and training. The Bill extends to England and Wales. Many of the provisions apply to England only. A number of new or expanded powers are conferred on Welsh Ministers. (These are set out in table 1 of the Explanatory Notes to the Bill. ) Five clauses that relate to sharing information extend to Scotland and trigger the Sewel Convention. Two clauses relating to the remit of the QCA extend to Northern Ireland. This research paper outlines the key provisions of the Bill, and provides background on them. It is not intended to be a comprehensive account of the clauses. A detailed clause by clause account is given in the Explanatory Notes to the Bill. Library contacts: Christine Gillie : raising the participation age, Connexions service, special educational needs, post-16 transport, regulation and inspection of independent schools, pupil behaviour and attendance and Schools Forums Paul Bolton: statistics on the above Ed Beale : apprenticeships, training and adult skills Grahame Danby: data processing Susan Hubble: financial support for students and external qualifications Vincent Keter: employers and business CONTENTS I Part 1 of the Bill: duty to participate in education or training (England). A. B. Introduction Background 1. History 2. Participation of 16 and 17 year olds in education, employment and training 3. The green paper and the case for change 4. Responses to the green paper C. D. Overview of the proposed system for raising participation 7 7 8 8 8 12 15 20 Suitable provision and enabling young people to participate: the ‘four building blocks’ 23 The Bill 1. Key provisions 2. Comment 31 31 35 38 38 38 40 41 42 43 43 E. II Part 2 of the Bill: Support for participation in education or training: young adults with learning difficulties and young people in England A. Provision of support services (Connexions Service) 1. Background 2. The Bill B. C. D. E. F. Assessments relating to learning difficulties Careers education Apprenticeships Provision of transport for persons of sixth form age: journey times Co-operation as regards provision of 14 to 19 education and training 44 45 45 47 49 III Part 3 of the Bill: Adult Skills A. Background 1. The Leitch Review of Skills 2. Current measures to address adult skills 3. House of Commons Education and Skills Committee report: Post-16 Skills 51 B. The Bill 1. Reaction IV Part 4 of the Bill: regulation and inspection of independent educational provision in England A. Current arrangements for regulation and inspection of independent schools Consultation proposals Response The Bill 53 54 55 55 57 61 63 64 64 65 66 68 69 69 70 B. C. D. V Part 5 of the Bill: miscellaneous provisions A. B. C. D. E. F. Pre-16 education and training: Wales Maintained schools in England: behaviour and attendance External qualifications Inspections of teacher training in England Schools Forums General provisions VI VII Data processing Appendix I: Reaction from specific organisations to the green paper, Raising expectations: staying in education and training 73 Appendix II: relevant documents 85 VIII. RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 I A. Part 1 of the Bill: duty to participate in education or training (England) Introduction In March 2007 the Government’s green paper Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, proposed that the minimum age at w hich young people should leave education or training should be raised to 18. 1 The participation age would be increased in two stages: to age 17 from September 2013, and to 18 from September 2015. The green paper set out a detailed package of measures for consultation. Alongside the green paper the Government published an Initial Regulatory Impact Assessment on the estimated cost of the proposals. 2 (These projections have been reviewed and revised and are now published in the Impact Assessment that accom panies the Education and Skills Bill – see below). In July 2007 the Government published a report of the consultation on the green paper’s proposals. While it noted that there had been wide acceptance of the principle that young people would benefit from continuing to develop their skills formally until they were 18, it also noted that there was concern about making participation compulsory. 3 Also in July 2007, the Government published World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England. 4 This set out the Government’s plans to improve the skills of young people and adults. The Government’s Draft Legislative Programme, published on 11 July 2007, announced that a bill would be introduced to ensure that young people stay in education or training until age 18, and to provide new rights to skills training for adults. 5 In his Fabian Society lecture on 5 November 2007, Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, described the Government’s proposals, and published a further document – From policy to legislation. This explained how the Government intended to proceed, and what aspects of the policy required legislation. 6 Also on 5 November 2007, the Government published its strategy for reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training. 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, Cm 7065, March 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/6965-DfESRaising%20Expectations%20Green%20Paper. pdf Initial Regulatory Impact Assessment for Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post16, DfES, March 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/RIA%20[FINAL]%20word%20version. pdf Raising Expectations: Consultation Report, DCSF, July 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Raising%20Expectations%20Consultation%20R eport. pdf http://www. dfes. gov. uk/skillsstrategy/uploads/documents/World%20Class%20Skills%20FINAL. pdf http://www. cabinetoffice. gov.uk/reports/governance. aspx Raising Expectations: Staying in education and training post 16: From policy to legislation, DCSF, November 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/14-19/documents/Raising%20Expectations. pdf Reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) by 2013, DCSF, 5 November 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/14-19/documents/NEET%20%20Strategy. pdf 7 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 The Education and Skills Bill was presented in the House of Commons on 28 November 2007. 8 Explanatory Notes9, an Impact Assessment10, a Memorandum of Delegated Powers11 and a Short Guide 12 were also published. B. 1. Background History The Education Act 1918 raised the compulsory school leaving age from 12 to 14. It also made provision for all young people to participate in at least part-time education until they were 18 but this provision was not implemented. The end of the First World War was followed by a period of austerity; public expenditure cuts dubbed the ‘Geddes axe’ 13 meant that the aspiration of increasing participation was not achieved. The Education Act 1944 made provision to raise the school leaving age to 16 but this was not implemented until 1972. 14 The 1944 Act also re-enacted the 1918 provision to extend participation at least part-time until the age of 18 but again this was not implemented. The school leaving age has remained at 16 since 1972, although the leaving date was amended in 1997. 15 2. Participation of 16 and 17 year olds in education, employment and training At the end of 2006 around six out of every seven 16 and 17 year olds were provisionally estimated to be in some form of education or training. The large majority were in fulltime education, others were in Government supported Work Based Learning (WBL)16, Employer Funded Training 17 or other types of education and training including part-time courses. The latest data are summarised below: 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Education and Skills Bill, Bill 12, Session 2007-08: http://www.publications. parliament. uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/012/08012. i-v. html Education and Skills Bill Explanatory Notes: http://www. publications. parliament. uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/012/en/index_012. htm Impact Assessment of the Education and Skills Bill, DCSF, 29 November 2009: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/publications/educationandskills/docs/impact_assessment. pdf Memorandum of Delegated Powers, DCSF, 28 November 2007 (an electronic copy was not available at time of writing but a hardcopy was available from the Vote Office) DCSF, Short Guide to the Education and Skills Bill: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/publications/educationandskills/docs/BillNarrative. doc after Sir Eric Geddes who chaired a committee set up to suggest economies SI 1972 No 444 The 1997 change introduced a single school leaving date – the last Friday in June in the school year in which a young person reaches age 16: DfES Circular 11/97, School Leaving Date for 16 Year Olds, September 1997 http://www. teachernet. gov. uk/management/atoz/S/schoolleavingdate/index. cfm? code=furt Includes Advanced Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships, Entry to Employment and NVQ Learning. Young people who received training in the previous four weeks, includes non-WBL apprenticeships. 8 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 Education, employment and training status of 16 and 17 year olds in England, 2006 16 year olds  number % of population 17 year olds number % of population 16 and 17 year olds number % of population Full-time education Work Based Learning Of which also in full-time education Employer Funded Training Other education and training Total education and training Not in any education or training Of which also not in employment Source: 516,900 37,700 1,300 15,000 25,600 593,800 68,400 42,800 78. 1% 5. 7% 0. 2% 2. 3% 3. 9% 89. 7% 10. 4% 6. 5% 428,600 51,600 1,200 26,700 32,000 537,600 122,000 62,700 65. 0% 7. 8% 0. 2% 4. 0% 4. 9% 81. 5% 18. 5% 9. 5% 945,500 89,300 2,500 41,600 57,600 1,131,400 190,400 105,500 71. 5% 6. 8% 0. 2% 3. 1% 4. 4% 85. 6% 14. 4% 8. 0%. Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005, DCSF Overall participation rates were higher for 16/17 year old females at 88% compared to 83% for males. The gap was nearly 10 percentage points for full-time education participation, but young men were more likely to be in one of the training categories. These figures are based on the academic year age of young people, i. e. their age at the start of the academic year. Therefore 16 year olds are in their first year after the end of compulsory education. The data are estimated as at the end of the calendar year, hence some of these young people will have had their 17th/18th birthdays. Among the one million 16 and 17 year olds in full or part time education in 2006, 426,000 were in further education/specialist colleges, 366,000 were in maintained schools, 130,000 in sixth form colleges and 82,000 in independent schools. The overall number in full-time education has increased by 14% over the last decade; the largest proportionate increases were at sixth form colleges (22%) and at maintained schools (19%). There was relatively little difference in the type of education attended by 16 and 17 year olds. A slightly higher proportion of 17 year olds attended further education colleges at the expense of maintained schools. 18 Trends in participation by broad status are summarised in the table at the end of this section. In the early 1950s (when the school leaving age was 15) fewer than one in five 16 year olds and fewer than one in ten 17 year olds were in full time education in England and Wales. Immediately before the leaving age was increased to 16 (1972) these figures had increased to around one in three 16 year olds and one in six 17 year olds. The 16 year olds’ participation rate reached 50% in the mid 1970s; the 17 year olds’ rate reached this level in the early 1990s. 19 At the end of 2006 78% of 16 year olds and 65% of 17 year olds were in full time education in England. 20 Both were record highs. 18 19 20. DCSF SFR 22/2007, Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005 Statistics of Education 1962 part one, Ministry of Education; Education and training statistics for the United Kingdom 2006 and earlier, DfES DCSF SFR 22/2007F 9 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87. a. 16 and 17 year olds not in education or training The earlier table showed that there were an estimated 190,000 16 and 17 year olds not in any education or training (NET), 106,000 of whom were not in work and hence not in any education, employment or training (NEET). The NEET rate among 16 and 17 year old males was 9. 5% compared to 6. 4% for females. 16 year olds had a lower NEET rate than 17 year olds (6. 5% v 9. 5%). Around 60% of those in the NEET category were classed as unemployed21, the rest were economically inactive. 22 While there is a particular focus of attention on young people who are not in education, employment or training (the ‘NEETs’), the Bill proposes a duty on those in employment to participate in some training or education – hence it is also relevant for the ‘NETs’. The latest similar sub-national data collected is for the end of 2005. This only looked at education and Work Based Learning (WBL) and showed that the total proportion of 16 and 17 year olds not in either category was lowest in London (16%), the South East (18%) and the South West (18%) and highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (23%) and the East Midlands (21%). 23 More recent data from Connexions, which is not directly comparable, gives NEET rates at the end of 2006 which vary from 5. 6% in the South East and 6. 0% in the South West to 10. 5% in the North East and 9. 2% in Yorkshire and the Humber. 24 b. Trends The table at the end this section summarises trends in NET and NEET rates. These are also illustrated in the charts below. 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1985 NET NEET 16 year olds 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1985 17 year olds NET NEET 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 There was a break in the series in 1994 and there have been some recent more minor inconsistencies. However, some trends are clear. The NEET rate among 16 year olds fell in the early 1990s and increased steadily for much of the last decade to a high of 8. 1% in 2005. The provisional fall to 6. 5% in 2006 takes it to its lowest level for almost a decade. The NET rate for 16 year olds fell by a larger amount in the late 1980s and 21 22 23 24 ILO definition of unemployment DCSF SFR 22/2007 ibid. NEET Statistics – Quarterly Brief, DCSF 10 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 early 1990s as there was a general shift from employment and WBL to full-time education. This rate increased from 9. 2% in 1994 to 14. 3% in 2001, but has since fallen to 10. 3% in 2006. The NEET rate among 17 year olds fell by around half between 1984 and 1994 to 7. 7%. This rate has increased more recently to 10. 9% in 2005 before dropping back to 9. 5% in 2006. The NET rate fell from 44% in 1984 to below 20% in 1993 as there was a major shift from employment to full-time education. The scale of this was even greater than that seen among 16 year olds. The level of this rate increased from the late 1990s onwards to almost 22% before falling back to below 18% in 2006. Trends in education, employment and training status of 16 and 17 year olds in England Percentages (a)(b) 1985 Full-time education Work Based Learning Employer Funded Training (c) Other Education and Training Total Education and training Total Not in any education or training Of which also not in employment Notes: 1990 51. 1 19. 1 7. 5 3. 5 79. 7 20. 3 8. 0 1995 65. 6 11. 6 4. 0 4. 3 84. 7 15. 3 6. 7 2000 65. 6 9. 5 3. 7 4. 9 83. 5 16. 5 7. 1 2001 64. 8 8. 4 3. 9 5. 2 82. 1 17. 9 8. 4 2002 65. 4 7. 9 4. 0 5. 2 82. 4 17. 6 8. 2 2003 66. 0 8. 1 4. 1 5. 2 83. 2 16. 8 7. 7 2004 67. 2 7. 9 3. 8 4. 9 83. 6 16. 4 8. 3 2005 2006p 69. 2 7. 4 3. 5 4. 5 84. 5 15. 5 9. 5 71. 5 6. 8 3. 1 4. 4 85. 6 14. 4 8. 0 39. 7 16. 1 9. 2 4. 5 68. 2 31. 8 11. 0 There was a break in the series in 1994 due to changes in the source of further and higher education data. (a) Participation estimates may be slightly underestimated for 16 year olds between 1999 and 2000 and 17 year olds between 2000 and 2001. (b) There is a discontinuity from 2002 onwards whereby participation in additional institutions are included for the first time. This increases the full-time education rate by around 0. 1 points and the any education or training rate by around 0. 4 points (c) Includes other part-time education not included elsewhere and full- or part-time education in independent further or higher education institutions. Source: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005, DCSF c. International comparison of enrolment in education 16 year old enrolment rate in secondary education, 2005  100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% FRA GRE AUS SWE NOR KOR OST LUX IRE BEL ICE SWI 0% US POL SLO JAP UK ITA POR OECD MEX ESP CZ FIN NED DEN NZ TUR OECD data on enrolment by age look at the actual age of pupils/students, the rates calculated are different from those given earlier. In 2005 94% of 16 year olds and 80% of 17 year olds were in ‘secondary’ 25 education in the UK. The 16 year olds’ rate was three percentage points above the OECD average, the 17 year olds’ rate three points below. The UK’s relative position is shown opposite. Source: Education at a Glance 2007, OECD. Table C2. 3 25 This is based on the assessed academic level using international classification which at their highest level split education into primary, secondary and tertiary. It does not mean these pupils are in secondary schools. 11 GER HUN RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 Although the UK’s participation rate for 16 year olds was above the OECD average it was still below that of most other countries as the average was skewed downwards by much lower levels in Turkey and Mexico. The UK ranked 18th out of 29 states included in the 16 year olds measure and 20th on the 17 year olds rate. 17 year old enrolment rate in secondary education, 2005 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% SLO 0% KOR HUN NOR CZ GER SWE BEL POL FIN JAP OST OECD POR GRE MEX DEN NED TUR AUS ICE SWI ESP FRA LUX IRE NZ US UK Some of the countries ranked Source: Education at a Glance 2007, OECD. Table C2. 3 below the UK have relatively high enrolment rates in non-secondary education, 26 but direct comparisons cannot be made due to a lack of comparable data on enrolment on these types of education in the UK. 27 3. The green paper and the case for change The green paper, Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, described the perceived benefits to individuals and society of young people staying in education and training for longer. 28 It proposed a detailed package of measures for consultation. These were summarised in the DfES press notice launching the green paper: †¢ From 2013, young people should remain in education or training after 16 – this means the first pupils to be affected would be those entering secondary school in September next year. Young people would be required to work towards accredited qualifications at school, in a college, or in â€Å"on the job† training or day release; Apprenticeships will be significantly expanded so that they are available to any qualified young person who wants one; Participation should be full time for young people not in employment for a significant part of the week and part time for those working more than 20 hours a week; Better advice and guidance for young people to enable them to access the provision that’s right for them; A high quality, accurate registration system to keep track of the education options a young person has chosen and to make sure they don’t drop out; Building on the Education Maintenance Allowance we will consider new financial support measures to ensure young people from low income †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 26 27 28 Tertiary and post-secondary non-tertiary Education at a Glance 2007, OECD. Table C2. 3 Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, Cm 7065, March 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/6965-DfESRaising%20Expectations%20Green%20Paper. pdf 12 ITA RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 backgrounds get the support they need to overcome any barriers to participation. To make sure the right provision is in place the new requirement would not be implemented until 2013 by which time the new Diplomas will be a National Entitlement. This will give young people a choice of A levels, GCSEs, the International Baccalaureate, the new Diplomas, Apprenticeships, and accredited in work training. Young people would be supported to re-engage if they drop out through integrated Youth Support Services. Any enforcement process would be used only as a last resort if a young person refused to re-engage. 29 Chapter 2 of the green paper set out the evidential basis for raising the education and training participation age. This referred to research showing that young people who stay on in education and training after 16 are more likely to gain further qualifications by 18 than those who go into employment without training or drop out altogether. Individuals with qualifications earn more than those without. In addition to higher wages, betterqualified individuals have improved employment prospects and an increased likelihood of receiving workplace training. There are also wider benefits associated with higher qualification levels, such as improved health and better social skills. The green paper noted evidence on the relationship between higher levels of skills and qualifications and economic performance and productivity. It highlighted evidence suggesting that up to one fifth of the UK’s output per hour productivity gap with Germany and an eighth of the gap with France results from the UK’s relatively poor skills. The green paper also noted the wider benefits to society from increased participation. It stated that those who participate are less likely to experience teenage pregnancy, be involved in crime or behave anti-socially. The green paper refers to a study that looked at Offender Index data between 1984 and 2001 which showed that an additional year of compulsory schooling decreases conviction rates for property crime, and that it has also been estimated that compulsory schooling lowers the likelihood of committing crime or going to prison. 30 The green paper went on to outline t e combination of measures taken so far to h encourage increased participation. These include changes to the 14 to 19 curriculum and the introduction of new specialist diplomas with an emphasis on applied and practical learning; changes to the curriculum for 11 to 14 year olds to allow greater flexibility and personalisation of learning; an expansion of work-based learning; from September 2007 a ‘September Guarantee’ of an offer of an appropriate learning place for every young person leaving school at 16; improvements in information, advice and guidance for young people to help them make choices; and financial support through educational maintenance allowances.