Write a feature article about Travel, great places to go to in the Essay

Write a feature article about Travel, great places to go to in the world, Muslim woman in different countries, comparing different cultures to Saudi - Essay Example Today, global economic organisations and institutions have come up with several laws and regulations that have made the cross-border transfer of people from one place to another, which used to be very difficult in the time past very easy and simple now. Because of this, a lot more people are now able to travel easily to other places regardless of cultural or religious differences. Having established the point that cross-border traveling has now been made simple, the next aspect of discussion to look at is the choice of place to visit. Without any doubt, there are several excellent places a person may choose to visit for whatever leisured intentions the person may have. Most of these places are major cities of the world and they offer almost everything that makes a person’s stay away from home a memorable one. Talk of natural land sites, sports events and infrastructure, education and academic excellence, cultural integration, economic enhancement, historical symbolism, architectural innovations and technological advancements: there are countless number of cities to visit to have a feel of all these. Happily, each continent in this world can boast of a number of cities and countries that will readily give a person all of such travel expectations. The freedom to travel and abundance of choice notwithstanding, there are a number of factors that really aff ect the conduct of a particular traveller to and from different places of the world. One of such factors is religious and moral differences. A typical case can be given with Muslim women who may want to travel to some of the world’s most renowned destination. Making Europe the first point of call, one place that cannot be left out as an exquisite destination is Madrid. Sabina (2011) notes that ‘’the city of Madrid is located in the Community of Madrid (La Comunidad de Madrid). Â   The Community of Madrid is located almost exactly in the centre of Spain.’’ This is a

Theory of Conceptual Change

Theory of Conceptual Change Introduction What is conceptual change? Conceptual change is a process that changes or replaces an existing conception with a new conception. It could be an idea, a belief or a way of thinking [1]. The shift or restructuring of knowledge and beliefs are what distinguishes conceptual change learning from other types of learning. In conceptual change learning, an existing conception might be fundamentally changed, replaced or assimilate by the new knowledge. The change forms a conceptual framework that is useful to solve future problems and explain the knowledge [2]. The theory of conceptual change was developed by a group of science education researchers and philosophers in Cornell University in the early 80s [2]. The theory was based on both Piagets notion of disequilibration and accommodation and Thomas Kuhns description of scientific revolution [1]. Conceptual Change from the epistemological perspective The term epistemological belief is defined as philosophical nature of knowledge and the process of knowing [3]. The influence of epistemological beliefs in classroom instruction in different domain and the way student perceive or manage their knowledge, is an interesting point of research [4], [5], [6]. Epistemological beliefs research proves that the naivety of students beliefs regarding the nature of learning and knowledge are strongly resulted from their less-sophisticated learning strategies, their lower level of cognitive functioning and flexibility of their cognition process [7]. The best known conceptual change model in science education is based on students epistemologies which is derived and refined by Posner, Strike, Hewson and Gertzog in 1982 [2] and applied to classroom instruction. Posner et.al. [2] suggests that classical conceptual change is similar to the Kuhns [1] notion of a paradigm shift and Piagets notion of assimilation, accommodation and disequilibrium. Classical conceptual change shows that dissatisfaction or cognitive conflict of the students occur when their belief and conception in the existing conception framework fail to meet the new conception. Therefore, the students must find intelligent, plausible and fruitful concepts to explain new concepts that may replace or assimilate with the old conceptions. The duration of productive conception in the students is too difficult to detect. The learning models use of constructs such as conceptual ecology, assimilation and accommodation suggests a constructivist notion based on Piagets research. Wandersee, Mintzes and Novak reported in 1994 [8] that these methods are more effective than traditional methods. However, it is rather difficult to compare the effectiveness of conceptual change approaches and other approaches. Different approaches to the teaching and learning process have different aims; hence evaluation should be set to meet specific goals. The aim in conceptual change depends on the way the approaches are used in classroom practice and whether the potential to achieve goals. According to Posner et al. and Hewson [2], it is the student who determines conceptual status and conceptual changes that associates with the constructivist learning theory and the highly personal nature of conceptions, viewed as mental models. The ability to select intelligible, plausible and fruitful representations or conceptions for a specific context is a measure of expertise [9]. However, researchers need to be aware that apparent conceptual changes may in fact be context-driven choices. The use of conceptual profiles proposed by Mortimer [10] in learning settings help to differentiate conceptual changes from contextual choices. Finally, the relation between epistemological beliefs and conceptual change learning needs to be highlighted for further research. Conceptual Change from the ontological perspective Students knowledge is represented by some researchers as an ontology, that is, as a representation of what is apparent for them based on what they know. A model called phenomenological primitives (p-prim) by DiSessa [11] interprets how students think about particular situations. Some believe that p-prim are additional aspects important to conceptual change. It is necessary to find effective representations of such information to be successful in inducing conceptual change. Some researches focus on conceptual change processes in terms of mental models. The pre-existing knowledge of children about how the world works involves the spontaneous changes and instruction-based changes at the mental model level [12]. Similarly, [13] argues that even very young children develop their own theories and speculate about phenomena. They believe based on the instruction, observations and experience from their daily life due to their ontological and epistemological commitments with the lack of scientific theories. A childs perception is constrained by their naive framework of presuppositions [14]. Chi [15] argues that conceptual change requires an ontological shift. The conceptual change process is hard because the lack of appropriate strategy to assign concept to a different ontological category. Mindful students can assign the concept into the correct category by revising their ontological commitments, categories, and presuppositions. Posner et al.,[2] primarily use epistemology to elaborate on conceptual changes and also research on the way that students view reality. Other researchers use specific ontological terms to explain changes to the way students conceptualize science entities [16], [17], [14]. Carey [18] reasons that sound knowledge restructuring during childhood shows that some of the childrens concepts cannot be compared with adults. Vosniadou [14] called for similarly radical changes in restructuring and also explains that revisions to central framework theories involve ontological and epistemological changes. There are many other concepts in which the scientists process views are incomparable with students material conceptions. The desired changes to ontology are not often achieved in school science. Despite this pessimistic view, change of school students material is possible. However, scientific concepts are highly complicated and the view of optimizing school science is different with scientific v iew. Consistent with ontological position is the research of Chiu, Chou and Liu [19] who adopted Chis [15] ontological categories of scientific concepts to investigate how students perceive the concept of chemical equilibrium. Because science concepts are not presented by teachers or in textbooks with any ontological differentiation, the desired changes to student ontology are not usually achieved in school science. Chiu et al. [19] argues that Posners [2] theory does not accurately represent the nature of scientific concepts which makes learning the concept difficult. Duit Sinatra [9], [20] utilization of Chis [15] theory has constraint based features which includes randomness, simultaneous action, and uniform activities. These features prevent students from deeply understanding the nature of this concept. Students in the cognitive apprentice group were more able to develop the microscopic concepts compared to the non-cognitive apprentice group. They were able to comprehend that the added compounds are eliminated by the reaction that they themselves caused as well as the macroscopic phenomenon of equilibrium evidenced in the reaction. The research also showed that matter concepts were relatively easily understood in a scientific context but students had more difficulty understanding dynamic and random activities of particles in an equilibrium state. Conceptual change from the affective perspective There are limited attention involving interest and motivation in conceptual change of the affective domain. This needs to be developed in science teaching because they play an important role in supporting conceptual change on the level of scientific knowledge. The classical conceptual change approach involves the affective by implicitly pointing to student dissatisfaction with prior knowledge. To support these issues, Pintrich et al. [21] articulated that a hot conceptual change is as evident as cold cognition. He emphasized that students self-efficacy and control beliefs, the classroom social context along with his goals, intentions, purposes, expectations and needs are as important cognitive strategies in concept learning. Students theories, beliefs and models are influenced by personal, motivational, social, historical factors and situational beliefs. Their background knowledge is often the constraint of knowledge restructuring. Individual goals, purposes and intentions promote co nceptual change in students. Educators who disregard the social and motivational factors in learning and teaching activities will cause limitation in the students change in knowledge [ 20]. Emotions and motivation are crucial to the possibility of change [23]. Although such models can reengineer human conceptual change in some instances, they fail to recognize emotional attachment to an idea. Conceptual change from the intentional perspective Intentional learning [22], [23] as a purposeful goal-directed type of learning process is internally initiated instead of environmentally initiated. Therefore it is totally controlled in the conscience of the student. The intentional student knows and believes in internal initiation and goal oriented actions in the process of absorbing knowledge. Intentional learning interrelates to educational psychology with the constructs of higher level of learning and reasoning, self-regulation, engagement, and critical thinking. The students must be purposeful to monitor and regulate their learning in a metacognitive manner. The lack of intentional learning in conceptual change may result in students assimilating new knowledge into existing ones without conceptual change. Gale Sinatra [24] argues that students conception have evolved from being a passive receiver of information to an active constructor of knowledge. From then on, students progress from being an active constructor to an intentional student as well. Intentional learning is an achievement and not an automatic consequence of human intelligence that develops spontaneously with age. It is not even promoted in schools. Bereiter and Scardamalia [25] argue that students meet the short-term goals of school tasks with their own strategies instead of taking the effort to intentionally learn. Although the learning process can be intentional, students do not take initiative to learn. Thus, intentional learning is considered as a non-automatic characteristic but something that develops with age. Students metaconceptual awareness can be improved by allowing them to visualize and express their ideas and beliefs verbally in group discussions. Collaborative learning, class discussions, observations, experiments and design of model, symbolic representation are significant for the growth of metaconceptual awareness and intentional learning. As a conclusion, intentional, motivated students are in control of their learning process [25]. Conceptual change from the social cultural perspective The overall culture and social conceptions also influences the conceptual change process. Solomon [26] states that socio cultural factors are significant in the learning process in achieving certain tasks. Solomon goes on to debate that if a students idea no longer exists, it will gradually be excluded from common interaction that might affect conceptual change process in students. The main outcome is to reform the social culture and to achieve understanding. As a whole, social culture is a huge influence in fostering conceptual change in students. Hatano and Inagaki [27], who studied socio cultural environments that induced instructional change in schools, found out that social interaction and classroom group activities results in considerable progress in knowledge restructuring. However, more research is needed to investigate different methods in which conceptual change can be effectively applied by combining cognitive and socio cultural factors [27]. Conceptual change from the multidimensional perspective The learning and teaching development is in need of pluralistic frameworks [28] to appropriately include the many perspectives from different views of learning. In science and scientific education, conceptual change in the multidimensional perspective appear to be promising to improve understanding of science teaching and learning [9]. In a nutshell, conceptual changes must consider epistemological, ontological and affective perspective ought to sufficiently manipulate the complex teaching and learning processes [29]. Future researches will merge ideas of conceptual change and theories on the significance of affective factors. In contrast, Venville and Treagust [30] used four different perspectives which employs Posner, et al.s [2] conceptual change model, Vosniadous [14] framework theory and mental model perspective, Chi et al.s [16] ontological categories and Pintrich et al.s [31] motivation perspective, to research on various learning situations in which analogies were used. Venville and Treagust [30] state that each of them contributed to different theoretical perspectives and has different roles played in the classroom situations. The importance of conceptual change in science education In the conceptual change model, students use their existing knowledge, which is their conceptual ecology, to determine whether the different conditions are met. The new conception must be intelligible (the meaning is understood), plausible (the concept is true), and fruitful (the concept is useful). If the new conception fulfils all three conditions, conceptual change occurs and learning proceeds without difficulty [32]. It is safe to assume that students do not come into science instruction class without any prior knowledge of the subject. [9]. As a matter of fact, students already have rich and robust misconceptions, or naive conceptions that contrasted with the scientific world. Their misconception and the accompanying commonsense form the basis of the conceptual framework which the students rely on to interpret and make sense of new instructions. The student conceptions, despite being a stubborn source to influence by instruction, are also the foundation of scientific conceptions. In traditional teaching method, procedural competence is emphasized [33] more than conceptual understanding. Teaching methods are geared towards delivering facts that are passively absorbed by students in class. Students do not challenge their existing beliefs without the stimuli of new conception, but instead accept the knowledge as it is. Therefore, conceptual change in education, which encourages problem solving and open discussion is conducive in constructing an accurate and lasting conceptual framework in students which will be useful for future knowledge acquisition. Challenges in Conceptual Change Research Despite decades of research and discussion in the field of science and education, answers to questions such as what exactly misconceptions are, what constitutes conceptual change and why is it so difficult remained unclear. These questions are the challenges that most conceptual change researchers face in their work. In order to promote deeper understanding, all naive knowledge needs to be repaired. However, naive knowledge is very resistant to change. According to Chi [34], because conceptual change is defined as the process of removing misconception, the definition is an infinite loop unless what constitute a misconception is established. While some naive conceptions or misconceptions are very difficult to change, other preconceptions are easier to change. Some of the reasons why misconceptions are hard to repair is due to the fact that they involve difficult to understand principles and concepts. Aside from that [34], because misconceptions are embedded in naive theories, and naive theories are difficult to separate with correct theories, the conceptual shift across both category is a difficult process. Lacks of awareness among students in their learning process often result in the inability to realize that their understanding is flawed. Students may not be aware of their own misconception and is unaware of their incorrect understanding. Similarly, in the context of miscategorization of concept, students may not aware if systematic interpretations can be generated using their miscategorized concept. Role of Computer in conceptual change research In the advent of computer architecture, computers evolved into a versatile tool capable of performing many tasks otherwise impossible for human being. Computers are not only useful as a tool in presentation and production, but recent studies aimed at using computers as learning enhancement tool successfully developed computer as a cognitive tool to facilitate the teaching and learning process. Consequently, this give rise to studies and development of using modern computer technologies to foster conceptual development and conceptual change assistance tools in classrooms [35]. We would like to focus on two major roles of computer as cognitive tools in enhancing conceptual change education and discuss in detail in the later: Computer simulations Agent technology Intelligent System as Assessment Method These cognitive tools were designed to provide effective and intelligible tools to provoke reasoning and comprehension skills. Together with the aid of educators, these cognitive tools act as a catalyst to promote and enhance learning experience and students conceptual change. Theories and models of conceptual change According to Piaget [36], the students knowledge changing process is identified by assimilations and accommodations and incorporates with equilibrium to foster conceptual change. Assimilation is the recognition process of fitting an event into an existing conception [37]. Accommodation, on the other hand, enables new conception to replace the previous conception by changing fundamental belief about how the world works. For accommodation to occur, we believe that a student must be involved in a state of cognitive equilibrium by becoming motivated. When the students expectations are not met, equilibrium occurs. If the words, ideas and experiences presented can be assimilated by the student, then there is no equilibrium and subsequently no conceptual change. Conceptual change does not depend on contradiction, but on equilibrium. In Kuhns [1] opinion, scientific revolution is consistent and follows a pattern. The basic way of perceiving, thinking, valuing and doing things is considered as a â€Å"state of crisis† due to its failure to solve or explain significant problems [1] within the scientific community. This situation, which is termed as a dominant scientific paradigm, gave conception to an alternative paradigm with the potential to solve the initial problem. The two conditions, between solving and not solving the scientific problem, increased a third probability situation in between, which is what known as â€Å"paradigm shift†, giving the world a whole new framework of thinking. Starting with a group of science education researchers and philosophers in Cornell University in the early 80s [2] , contemporary research and development of conceptual change theory was based on both Piagets notion of disequilibration and accommodation and Thomas Kuhns description of scientific revolution [1]. In an attempt to clarify the concept of conceptual change, many researchers have proposed different opinions of the theory. Bereiter and Scardamalia [25] postulated the ideas of the intentional learner and Pintrich, Marx Boyle [31] emphasized that conceptual change is more than conceptual. The emphasis for change is within the learners control and the notion of intentional conceptual change is in certain aspect similar to that of mindfulness [38]. It is assumed that learners are in full awareness and the state of change in mind is voluntarily, with the aid of motivation, cognition and learning. Hewsons [39] approach towards conceptual change is in favour of the constructivists idea [40]. The constructivism philosophy is founded on the basis that we construct our own understanding of the surroundings by using our existing knowledge. Since the construction process is influenced by social experiences, individually constructed knowledge is usually not idiosyncratic nor personal and Hewson [39] believed that individually constructed knowledge is rational [41]. However, the existing knowledge and socially accepted beliefs act as a hindrance to the interpretation of new experiences and influences the perception of new knowledge in any situation. Therefore, depending on individual knowledge foundation and beliefs, and the influences of social interaction, two individuals exposed to the same events may perceive and interpret them in very different ways. According to Vosniadou [42], the process of conceptual change in learning is a constructivist approach with the assumption that knowledge is gained in domain specific and theory-like structures. Knowledge acquisition is characterized by theory changes [42] and is continuous and progressive. According to Chi and Roscoe [43], conceptual change is the process of repairing misconceptions. According to Hatano and Inagaki [44], naive conception is formed in order to make sense and predict unfamiliar entities of the surrounding. Usually, very young children formulate their own explanations and predictions of the world around them. The formed naive conception is continually repaired and replaced by new, plausible ideas. Chi and Roscoe [43] also viewed these misconceptions as incorrect categorization of concepts, and therefore conceptual change is the reassignment of concept to correctly categorize the concepts. According to diSessa [44] conceptual change is the reorganization of the various kinds of knowledge into a complication system in the learners mind. According to this view, conceptual change is the process of cognitive reorganization of fragmented naive knowledge. In contrast, Ivarsson, Schoultz and Saljo, [45] regards that naive conception does not serve any purpose in conceptual change, since conceptual change is the appropriation of intellectual tools. In this context, conceptual change is the result of change in the usage of these intellectual tools, and occurs at the societal level. Conceptual Change Models The earliest model of conceptual change, termed as the classical conceptual change model is postulated by Posner et al. [2]. The classical conceptual change model was modeled from the epistemological perspective, and according to this model, there are four conditions before conceptual change could occur. The conditions are: dissatisfaction with existing conception, intelligibility, plausibility and fruitfulness of the new concept. The four conditions will be explored in detail in the next few paragraphs. In order for conceptual change to occur, there must be dissatisfaction with existing conceptions. Scientists and students will only make major changes in their concepts if they believe that less radical changes does not work. Thus, before an accommodation occur, that particular individual must have in mind unsolved puzzles or anomalies, and is dissatisfied with the ability of his current concept capacity to solve these problems. The new concept must be intelligible. This means, the new experience encountered by the student must be sufficient in order for a new concept to be structured from it. It is worth noting that researchers often emphasize on the importance of analogies and metaphors in aiding initial meaning and intelligibility to the new concepts [46], [47]. The new concept must also sound plausible in order to be acceptable. The new concept must at least seem to be able to solve problems generated by the prior concept; otherwise the new concept will not seem like a plausible choice. In fact, plausibility is resulted by the consistency of the concepts with other new knowledge. For example, a new idea in astronomy may less likely be accepted if it is inconsistent with the current knowledge of the subject matter. Prior to the 20th century, physical scientist were reluctant to accept the geologists claim for the age of the world, since theory regarding the sum to provide energy for the period of time was not founded yet. Lastly, the possibility of a new concept to provide further fruitful research program is also important. A new concept should have the potential to provide extensive and new areas for inquiry. Researchers and students alike, estimates the fruitfulness of an alternative conception by evaluating whether the concept opens to something interesting, worthwhile to explore. However, classical conceptual change was criticized for its overly rational approach. Vosniadous [48] framework theory approach attempts to meet the criticisms against the conceptual change theory. In framework theory approach, misconceptions are not considered as unitary nor faulty conception. The knowledge system consists of various different elements in a complex organization. [48] Taking into consideration the evolutionary factors as well as learners interaction with their physical and social environment and their availability of cultural tools, the formation of the learners initial theory is distinctive from the misconceptions produced after systematic instructions. The constructivist approach of framework theory approach assumes that new conception is built on existing knowledge structures [48]. The constructivist perspective provides a comprehensive framework for meaningful and detailed prediction of the process of knowledge acquisition. Lets look at conceptual change from the point of view of the educators. It is the responsibility of the educators to teach students in the way that students conception difference could be facilitated. In fact, latest education related studies tried to include the students conceptions in the process of learning, in which a concept called â€Å"conceptual change teaching† is formed [32]. In this concept, several stages of conceptual teaching are identified. These stages includes; firstly, the diagnostic or elicitation stage, where the educators uses diagnostic techniques to find out the students existing conceptual ideas and the reasoning behind the idea; secondly, the status change stage, in which educators uses designated methods to aid students lower the level of the existing incorrect knowledge and increase the level of the correct ideas; and lastly, the evidence of the outcome, whether the outcome of the learning process is partly based on the consideration of the prior exi sting knowledge. During the different stages aforementioned, there are different contributing factors, or variable that affects the teaching of conceptual change. These variables include metacognition, classroom climate, role of teacher and the role of learner. Metacognition refers awareness of thought processes, and is related to cognitive functions such as perception and attention [49]. Educators should encourage students to look at the ideas in a third persons perspective, stepping back to evaluate both the new and old ideas, and express their opinions. Classroom climate refers to the atmosphere where the learning process is conducted, and the relationship between the educators and the students. There must be a mutual respect of ideas in order to foster a positive climate for learning. As a teacher, or educator, the role of teacher is to ensure that the students are provided ample opportunities for self expression without being judged. An educators role is to deliver knowledge and the educator themselves must be aware that the knowledge that transpires in the lessons ought to be shared and discussed, rather than dispelling ideas that are different from their own. As a student, or learner, the role of learner is to be responsible of their own learning, to take interest in ideas different from their own and to synthesis new ideas from different sources, rather than expecting to memorize knowledge delivered by the educator. These variables to facilitate teaching have been successfully implemented in different levels of education and subjects [50], [51]. Lets look at the alternative conception. In the alternative conception survey, there are many misconceptions that affect conceptual change, but the variables are inferential and hard to distinguish, especially for perceptions that are reported by subjects themselves [52]. Three of the most general evidences stemmed from experience and perceptions, a wide variety of cultural values and ideas, and language factors. According to Hawkins and Pea [53], young childrens scientific knowledge structure is constructed on a â€Å"domain by domain† basis† before they receive formal education. Therefore, children are active constructors of their own knowledge framework. By interacting with the physical world and cultural environment, young children actively ask questions and give reasons about things in their point of view to gain â€Å"more predictive control† over their surroundings. The child learns about expectation of his own actions by the action of others, as well as the reaction of the physical world, and construct non-scientific framework of their encounters, which form the basis of their interpretation of natural and social events. Growing up children in all societies discover a many phenomena that facilitates learning, but not all discoveries are automatically interpreted, explicated and causally related in their mind. Prior to formal education or instruction, the childrens understanding is sufficient in interpreting and guiding them in their daily life [54] but this pre-conception of idea may drastically hinder formal scientific learning in classroom. The origin of conception is also heavily influence by the culture where the students grow up in. The social scene is highly critical in influencing the perception of a particular task in the learning environment [55]. Radical viewpoint differences from the accepted notions within the social scene will not survive for long as they will generally be excluded from social intercourse. Many young children do not have the ability to withstand the pressure, and the desire to be accepted will cause many ideas to be abandoned. Therefore, the strong influences of the overall culture on students perception and understanding cannot be ignored by the educators. Quoting the example of Lopez [56], the Itzaj (a people native to the Americas) and the North American college students are observed in the folkbiological taxonomies. It is observed that the Itzaj subjects have a unique way of categorizing bats. While the American group categorized bats with insectivores and rodents (scientifically correct to a certain degree), the Itzaj left them ungrouped and in a general category, or they classified the bats as birds. While formal interview revealed that the Itzaj agree that the bats is more like shrews and small rodents, they refuse to classify bat as mammals because they â€Å"knew† bats are birds. The influences of their culture caused the Itzaj subjects to ignore the relationship of bats to mammals. On the other hand, scientific understanding influences in the culture of the American college students, however, enable the North American college students to have misconceptions such as the Itzaj. The language, being the medium on interaction, is an influential variable in conception. Word meanings and usage may differ from individuals, and the correct term used by educators might be different from what the students perceive in their naive knowledge. Especially in scientific learning, concepts and definitions ma

Custom Written Essays: Contrasting Gertrude and Ophelia of Shakespeare

Contrasting the Ladies in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   How can anyone view or read the Shakespearean tragedy of Hamlet without observing an obvious differentiation between the characters of the two female characters? And yet, not all critics agree on even the most salient features of this contrast.    Quite opposite the criminality of the king’s wife is the innocence of Ophelia – this view is generally expressed among Shakespearean critics. Jessie F. O’Donnell expresses the total innocence of the hero’s girlfriend in â€Å"Ophelia,† originally appearing in The American Shakespeare Magazine:    O broken lily! how shall one rightly treat of her loveliness, her gentleness and the awful pathos of her fate? Who shall dare to hint that she was not altogether faultless? One feels as if wantonly crushing some frail blossom in criticising so beautiful a creation, yet such is my thankless task. To my mind, Ophelia has been much over-rated by writers on this play of Hamlet, and when stripped of the glamor of Shakespeare’s magic verse and the lenient tenderness we give always to the dead . . .   she will be found a simple, shallow girl, pure and delicate as a snowflake [. . .] . (241)    Contradicting O’Donnell’s view is some evidence that Ophelia is not innocent in her relationship with the protagonist (West 107). Moral concerns are in the forefront of any discussion about dissimilarities between the queen and the lord chamberlain’s daughter. John Dover Wilson highlights moral differences in What Happens in Hamlet:    His [Hamlet’s] mother is a criminal, has been guilty of a sin which blots out the stars for him, makes life a bestial thing, and even infects his very blood. She has committed incest. Modern readers, living i... ...nd Notes on Shakspere and Other English Poets. London : George Bell and Sons, 1904. p. 342-368. http://ds.dial.pipex.com/thomas_larque/ham1-col.htm O’Donnell, Jessie F. â€Å"Ophelia.† The American Shakespeare Magazine, 3 (March 1897), 70-76. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ed. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts. New York: Manchester University Press, 1997. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos. West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957. Wilson, John Dover. What Happens in Hamlet. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Olympia Sanctuary Essay

The sanctuary of Olympia lies in the alluvial valley formed by the confluence of the rivers Kladeos and Adelpheos, bounded to the north by the wooded hill of Kronos. The sanctuary of Zeus is located in the northwest part of the Peloponnese. Olympia can be identified as a non-urban sanctuary, and consequently, as a Panhellenic sanctuary. The use of the term Panhellenic, in present purposes, indicates a major shrine in a Greek territory that is not dominated by a major polis or ethos. Zeus’ sanctuary was under the government of Elis, and, in the early period, Elis was considered a weak government. In the Greek world, all communities were religious, and, worshipping the gods, as well as taking part in religious festivals, were occasions for different groups to meet together. The location of the sanctuary of Olympia, makes it a good place for meeting and competitions between rival individuals and states. H.A Shapiro (2007) has stated that ‘a truly Panhellenic shrine was, in Pindar’s phrase a pandokos naos, an â€Å"all welcoming temple† (Pindar Pythian 8.61-2): it was open, in theory at least, to everyone.’ From this sentence we can deduct that, the Panhellenic shrine is the literal antithesis of a polis: it is Greek, civilised, but it stands in the place where the polis is not. Franà §ois de Polignac (1995) has argued that ‘the sanctuary, the place where two worlds meet, is accordingly seen as the stable point where a controlled passage from a world to the other is possible’ ; so, non-urban sanctuaries ‘manifest the integration of deities who from being potentially hostile, become beneficent for the communities that makes room for them within its religious life’. In ancient greek, the words used to define a sanctuary were: hieron (sacred), and temenos (from the verb temno which means ‘to cut off’ , in other words it suggested the idea of a place set aside). The greek words for defining a sanctuary underlined the idea of a sanctuary as a sacred area, a place away from the world of humans in which the gods were venerated. 3. Plan of the Sanctuary of Zeus, Olympia (http://shelton.berkeley.edu/175c/OlympiaPlan.JPG) * The early years and the votive objects During the eight century we assist to a gradual transformation of the sanctuary from a rural shrine, into a Panhellenic sanctuary. Catherine Morgan identifies this fundamental transformation in two main reasons. The first one was considering Olympia as a good location ‘for conspicuous consumption by aristocrats, via athletics and votive offerings’ . The second one, was that, shrines like this one, ’helped to resolve internal conflicts in the emergent states by means of their oracles’. However, the presence of votive deposits datable around 800 BC ca, suggests that Olympia was originally used as a meeting place for chiefs from Arcadia and Messenia, to make offers to the gods in order to have success in battle, to celebrate victories, and to give thanks for good fortune. During the eight and the seventh century, we can see a consistent increase in the number of votive objects. According to Franà §ois de Polignac (1995) the quantity and the quality of the offerings dating from the eight and the seventh century is an index of the popularity of religious acts in intra-urban sanctuaries. Among the most popular offers, we can identify: figures of animals and mythological beasts (such as: griffins, sphinxes, birds and bulls), figures of warriors (probably as a symbol of the victories of their donors), pieces of armours, and terra-cotta and metal figurines of horses and chariots. The use of metal and terra-cotta, indicates the presence of wealthy citizens, because the sanctuary lies in a landscape dominated by cliffs and rocks. On the other hand, offers of sheep and cattle, indicate activities of the lower classes. There is also the presence of bronze tripod cauldrons (Fig. 4), that were probably made in the home communities of their donors. Tripod cauldrons, indicate the religious activities of population that were living far away from the place of the sanctuary, and, most likely, these objects were an index of their wealth. Morgan (1990) has argued that ‘in the eight century costly dedications at Olympia served a domestic political purpose by reinforcing the position of the elite within the emerging state’. 4. Reconstruction of a large tripod in bronze, with horse handle attachments. Original fragments from the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia, later eight century BC. Olympia, Archeological Museum. Photo: A. Loxà ¬as During the eighth century, surprisingly there is no presence of pottery. This suggests that, probably, in the early years, the sanctuary was more related to individual purposes, than communal values. However, in the seventh century communal activities became important, in fact, plates, jugs and cups were used, whilst dedications of tripod cauldrons diminished. The temple of Hera, or Heraion, (Fig.3 ) is located in the north of the Altis (the sacred precinct). The Heraion is the oldest peripteral temple in the sanctuary: it was built around 590 BC. The architecture of the temple falls in the category of the early Doric style. The temple is a rectangular chamber with a peripteros of six by sixteen columns. (Fig. 6) These columns were originally made of wood, but throughout the years, were replaced by columns made of stone. This temple is considered significant, because it marks the transition from the construction with mud brick and wood, to the use of the stone. To the east of this temple stood a row of eleven (possibly twelve) thesauroi, overlooking the Archaic stadium, and built mostly in the sixth century. (Fig.3) ‘A treasure house, or thesaurus’ is a ‘small temple like building, built by individual states to hold the offerings of their wealthy citizens’. However, a thesaurus, cannot be considered just as a strongbox to hold gifts for the gods. The thesauroi were a way for the elite to bring a little bit of the polis into the Panhellenic shrine throughout costly dedications, and, also a way to show their economical power, and, at the same time, a religious interest. H.A Shapiro stated that ‘these buildings transform upper-class extravagance into civic pride’. The oldest treasury at Olympia, not surprisingly, was built in 640 BC. by a tyrant: Myron of Sicyon, probably in order to commemorate a chariot-victory. This treasury contained two thalamoi mad of bronze, and in these chambers there were inscriptions that, according to Pausanias (6.19) ‘had been dedicated by Myron and the demos, or commons of Sicyon’. The bronze was probably brought from Tartessos in far-off Spain, and it probably represented a way for Myron, to boast the maritime power of his city. The lower classes and the tyrant were collaborating together in order to accomplish the dedicatory practices of the wealthy. The history of this thesaurus, furnishes evidences to display in our mind a picture of the workings of the archaic tyranny. * Olympic games The Olympic games are traditionally dated to 776 BC. , but we cannot identify it as a precise date. They were a festival held every four years at the same time of the year, to commemorate Zeus. The games were not just an athletic event, but, they were deeply related to religion, and open only to Greek males. The actual prize for Olympic games, was just a wreath to be worn around the head, dedicated to a favoured god. In case of victory, winners were allowed to erect statues representing a replica of themselves in the shrine. This tradition is datable around the 544 BC., but, most likely, it may go back much more earlier. The prestige obtained after and athletic victory was a great source of power for athletes, that , back in their hometown, were celebrated with poems, free meals, cash, choice seats at city functions. This was happening because, with their victory, they were bringing glory to their hometown. However, some lyric poets, such as Xenophanes (fr. 2.1-22), believed that the society was giving excessive rewards to athletes, whilst the wisdom of poets was not really considered. Xenophanes claimed that, even wise poets, should receive recognitions from the society as well as athletes. In the end, we cannot deny that Olympic games, were an occasion to gather athletes, as well as citizens from all over the Greek world. The cycle of games, represented ‘a means by which the ideology of Panhellenism was spread’. * Conclusions An answer in why we investigate Greek sanctuaries, may be found in the fact that they constituted the main ‘physical manifestation of the belief system of the ancient Greeks.’ Religion during the Archaic period , as evidenced by the literary sources, was a consistent element in the everyday life of Greeks. ‘The â€Å"establishment of a state-framework for pilgrimage† was a political and ideological process’, and, ‘dedications, inscriptions, buildings, stones, statues, anecdotes, and poems are the material traces of this process’. Analysing religion, helps us to understand also social and economical aspects of the greek culture. Therefore, studying sanctuaries is a good way to clarify our understanding of how greek religion was practiced. Bibliography * S. E. Alcock and R. G. Osborne (eds.), Classical Archaeology, (Chichester, 2012) * John Pedley, Sanctuaries and the Sacred in the Ancient Greek World (Cambridge, 2005) * H.A. Shapiro (ed.), The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece, (Cambridge University Press, 2007) * Franà §ois de Polignac, Cults, territory, and the origins of the Greek cirty-state, (University of Chicago Press,1995) * M. L. West (tr.), Greek Lyric Poetry (Oxford, 1999) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. H.A Shapiro, The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece Cambridge University Press, 2007, (p. 226) [ 2 ]. Franà §ois de Polignac, Cults, territory, and the origins of the Greek city-stat, University of Chicago press,1995 (p.36) [ 3 ]. H.A Shapiro, The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece, Cambridge University Press, 2007 (p. 226) The author quotes Catherine Morgan. [ 4 ]. H.A Shapiro, The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece, Cambridge University Press, 2007 (p. 228) Morgan 1990, 102 [ 5 ]. A Peripteros is a temple surrounded by a portico with columns. [ 6 ]. H.A Shapiro, The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece, Cambridge University Press, 2007 (p.240) [ 7 ]. H.A Shapiro, The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece, Cambridge University Press 2007 (p.241) [ 8 ]. H.A Shapiro, The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece, Cambridge University Press 2007 (p.244) [ 9 ]. M. L. West (tr.), Greek Lyric Poetry, Oxford, 1999 (p.p.157-158) [ 10 ]. John Pedley, Sanctuaries and the sacred in the Ancient Greek world, Cambridge University Press, 2005 (p.134) [ 11 ]. John Pedley, Sanctuaries and the sacred in the Ancient Greek world, Cambridge University Press, 2005 (p.1) [ 12 ]. H.A Shapiro, The Cambridge companion to Archaic Greece, Cambridge University Press 2007 (p.251)

I.T. solution for Castle Couriers Essay

Analysis 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.1.1 Introduction For this project I will be constructing an I.T. solution for Castle Couriers. Castle Couriers is a company, which provides a number of courier services, mainly for car showrooms. Their main service is the transportation of vehicle registrations to the V.R.O. (Vehicle Registration Office) and their return, and also the transportation of tax related forms to the tax office, also from car showrooms. It is currently a company with a small number of employees, approximately 4, and a very local customer base. However they plan to expand in the near future and do not believe their current system will be effective with much more data. The current system, Lotus SmartSuite, is not designed with their company in mind and is therefore complicated to operate and the addition of data is often laborious. I hope to improve their situation by creating an automated database, so that creating documents and modifying data is a very simple task. 1.1.2 User Requirements The owners of Castle Couriers have a number of requirements: -Reduce time spent on inputting data -This will aid the expansion process because an increase in data will not lead to a further increase in time spent processing. -Increase ease of finding data -Again a time saving requirement, useful during the complicated period of expansion. -Producing a sufficiently high quality document range -Now that the production of documents is virtually automatic, the end users are keen to see that the quality does not decline. -Must be user friendly due to lack of computer literacy of end user -There must be very few complicated procedures, as having to increase the end users I.T. skills will take time and possibly money. 1.1.3 Current system At the present moment Castle Couriers uses a generic program called Lotus Smartsuite. My knowledge of Smartsuite is minimal but the program has not been specifically designed for this company. I have been informed that it is similar to Microsoft office, which I have good experience in. It is very popular with many businesses because of the amount of very professional tools available. However, in the case of Castle Couriers, these tools are not linked together effectively, allowing for a minimal amount of automation. They store data in both spreadsheets and databases, with certain functions allowing a limited level of automation. 1.1.4 Data Flow diagram of current system The following diagram illustrates the current processes involved in dealing with an order 1.1.5 Problems with the current system Castle Couriers’ main problem with their current system is its complexity, which is leading to an increase in the amount of time they spend producing documents and organising orders. Adding new customers, as they are planning to do, should they decide to continue with expansion, is very difficult and is adding to the already complicated and overloaded system. Modifying data is also a time consuming problem as it takes time to navigate through the procedures necessary. 1.1.6 Objectives of the new system The new system should meet a series of criteria, firstly the time spent inputting data and the ease with which this is done should be improved. Making the system less complex than Lotus Smartsuite should solve both of these objectives. Secondly they would like to be able to search for details of customers and services easily. Very importantly, this program must maintain the high quality of documents such as invoices and memorandums. Finally none of the staff who will be using the system have very much experience in IT, so the system must be easy to operate and difficult to corrupt. 1.1.7 Performance indicators The following performance indicators will be used: – It should take less than 1 minute to construct and print invoices – Data entry should be made simple enough for all queries to be 100% accurate – The system must be able to cater for any number of staff/customers/services to be added without improvements as the company expands – It must be impossible to erase any fields or tables – The system should be simple enough for users with only a basic I.T. knowledge to operate 1.1.8 Volume of data The level of data that will be stored in the database is likely to be quite small at first, but this should increase as Castle Couriers continues expanding. Initially there are likely to be about 40 customers, with a choice of 3 services and 5 members of staff. Details of each customer will need to be stored and will cover name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail, contacts within the firm and their history with Castle Couriers. 1.1.9 Hardware and Software The majority of the design will be carried out on my school’s computer network with the equivalent to a 1.6Ghz Pentium processor, 128MB of RAM and an easily sufficient sized hard drive. My home PC and the computers of Castle Couriers are of a similar specification. Therefore there should not be any problems in compatibility. However, at home, where some aspects of the design will be carried out, I have a newer version of Microsoft Office, and therefore a newer version of Access. This should not cause any problems, however should I wish to incorporate functions not available in the school’s version, I will have to do this last. All of the designing will be done in Microsoft Access, with some links to Word, for better quality documents, and Excel, for data interpretation. This is available on all three of the concerned systems. 1.1.10 End user skill level None of the people who will be using the system have any formal I.T. qualifications. Their only previous I.T. experience is based around the use of Lotus SmartSuite. This will be a problem for me because the system I will be designing for them will be entirely based within three programs, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. It will therefore be necessary to make the project very simple to use with automatic functions. 2 Design 2.1 Consideration of solutions 2.1.1 Manual System This would be based around data being processed, stored and filed in the form of paperwork, with calculations being manual and documents handmade. -Easily the slowest -Higher risk of loss/damage to data -Complicated and tedious -Lower quality documents -High risk of mis-calculations We have therefore judged that this system would not be suitable for Castle Couriers, as it is far too slow and complicated and will not be better than the current system. 2.1.2 Spreadsheet System A spreadsheet system would be designed and operated in a program such as Microsoft Excel. -Easy to design -Little chance of damage/loss -Simple functions A spreadsheet system would not allow for the necessary functions and operations to improve on Lotus Smartsuite. 2.1.3 A specifically designed courier system A package, which has been specially designed for this type of business, could be obtained from certain software companies -Best program -Expensive -All necessary functions present This is probably the best option as it is designed only for use in this type of company, however due to the expense of this program Castle Couriers have allowed me to attempt a database before deciding. 2.1.4 Access database This is the option they have allowed me to attempt and this will be designed and implemented by me -Very cheap and easy to design -Inter-personal interaction during design -Easier to train users Using this system has the advantage of allowing Castle Couriers to have an influence in the design of the system. 2.2 Database Design 2.2.1 Entity-relationship diagram There are six entities, or tables, within this database. They are basically split into two separate functioning databases, however I will keep them in one for ease of use and because the ‘services/tasks’ table will be used by both systems. The first system, outlined in red, will concern the receiving and payments of orders, whereas the second, outlined in blue, will allow allocation of tasks for employees.

Value Of Pi essays

Value Of Pi essays And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other; it was round all about, and his height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it about. This line from the bible demonstrates the ancient nature of the irrational number pi. From the excerpt from the bible it can be concluded that pi equals three. However, today with the advent of the computer many people have calculated pi to billions of digits. With pi calculated to so many digits, the value of three for pi today would be considered nonsense. This is not so. The value of three for pi makes sense in day-to-day life. Suppose you need to make a quick, rough estimate about the area of a circle you certainly cannot multiply a number with billions of digits in your head. For a quick estimate you can use the value of three for pi. Society in general accepts the value of pi to be 3.14. This is taught to us in that boring Geometry since we were in high school. These calculations work well when the problem is a simple textbook problem. However, using pi as 3.14 would cause serious complications when used to figure out complex calculations that require precision such as NASA experiments and fine detailed physics experiments. These calculations require pi to have at least twenty or more digits and are solved with the use of supercomputers, which are able to do over millions of calculations per second. Another way pi can be expressed is the idea of using the complete value of pi every time that the value was used, using the symbol and learning to think in terms other than numbers. This would make calculations very quick and would allow students to understand the concept of pi rather than just using a calculator to find an answer. In the end, you must choose a different value of pi for each situation in which it is used. For day-to-day, practical purposes, the value of three for pi could work. For understanding the concept of pi ...

Namus in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Example

Namus in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Example Namus in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Namus in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Essay Topic: Chronicle Of a Death foretold ?Namus is an Arabic word which means law, custom, and honor. Namus is a fundamental concept, which defines the role of men and women in society, and when violated, it could have severe consequences. Namus plays a significant role in Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. It not only defines clear roles for the men and women in the society, but it also is the dominant reason leading to the assassination of Santiago Nasar. The concept of Namus in women is rooted in faithfulness, modesty, and obedience, and in men, it requires protecting the integrity of the women in the house and the society. ‘The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married’. Especially the virginity of the women plays a significant role in showing the clear role of Namus in defining the life of women in the Columbian society. Angela Vicario was â€Å"reared† by the Vicario family to be â€Å"perfect,† she was â€Å"raised to suffer.† Angela Vicario thus was prepared to be dominated and suppressed by the traditional elements in the society. This is emphasized when Bayardo San Roman, a man of influence, wealth and power chooses to marry Angela Vicario. It is a deal which â€Å"a family dignified by modest means had no right to disdain that price of destiny.† She does not have the option to accept or reject the proposal. The women too are conscious of Namus. When Angela Vicario confides her fears to two of her most trustworthy female confidantes, they say nonchalantly, â€Å"all women† lose â€Å"their virginity in childhood incidents.† They convince her to pretend to be a virgin so that the Namus can be honored. She had to â€Å"put on the veil and the orange blossoms† so that she could pretend she’s a virgin. Angela Vicario’s supposed lack of virginity plays a major role in the events in the novel. The split between Bayardo San Roman and Angela Vicario over the issue of virginity clearly means that Namus has been violated, and

Fishy Expressions

Fishy Expressions Fishy Expressions Fishy Expressions By Maeve Maddox The Venerable Bede (c.672-735) tells this story about Bishop Wilfrid’s conversion of the South Saxons in the 680s: When the Bishop first came into the kingdom and saw the suffering and famine there, he taught them how to get their food by fishing: for both the sea and the rivers abounded in fish but the people had no knowledge of fishing except for eels alone. So the bishop’s men collected eel-nets from every quarter and cast them into the sea so that, with the help of divine grace, they quickly captured 300 fish of all kinds. As the sea and rivers of Bede’s description abounded in fish, the English language abounds in expressions related to fish and fishing. Here are just a few. 1. to drink like a fish: to drink to excess. 2. to feed the fishes: to die by drowning. 3. to feel like a fish out of water: to feel out of one’s comfort zone. 4. to fish for compliments: do or say things to elicit praise from others. 5. to sound fishy: to seem dubious or suspicious. 6. All is fish that comes to his net: He makes use of everything that comes his way. 7. Fish or cut bait!: Make a decision one way or another. 8. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime: a proverb meaning that it’s more useful to a person to teach him how to do something for himself than to give him a hand-out. 9. There are plenty of other fish in the sea: a comforting remark made to someone who has broken up with a sweetheart. 10. a pretty kettle of fish: an awkward situation or state of things. 11. big fish in a small pond: someone important in a small community 12. cold fish: an unemotional person 13. Fisher King: in Grail legend, the Fisher King is the uncle of Sir Perceval. He suffers a grievous wound that cannot heal until he is asked the right question. 14. Fisherman’s ring: a seal ring presented to a pope upon taking office. The ring is used to seal official documents; when the pope dies, the ring is broken. The apostle Peter, who was a fisherman, is regarded by the Catholic Church as having been the first pope. 15. fishing expedition: an attempt to elicit information by asking random questions. 16. fishwife: literally, a woman who sells fish; figuratively, a loud vulgar woman who shouts abuse 17. queer fish: an eccentric person I’ll leave fish-related expressions involving mackerels, herrings, sardines, and gills for another time. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:English Grammar 101: All You Need to KnowEmpathy "With" or Empathy "For"?Few vs. Several

Social Networks are affecting negatively on relationships Essay

Social Networks are affecting negatively on relationships - Essay Example At the same time, many of the couples find that digital apparatus facilitate interaction and support. A majority of those in relationships maintain they operate separate email and social media accounts though a small number indicate that they share accounts. This paper looks to discuss the negative influence of the social networks on relationships. It is significant to note that social networks have negative effects that influence relationships negatively in a great way. One of the negative effects of the social networks on relationship is that it gives a false sense of association. Social networks make its hard to differentiate between the significant relations that couples foster in the actual globe, and the numerous casual relationships developed through social networks. By focusing so much of their time, resources and energy on the less important associations weaken their actual relationships in the real world. The real relations will weaken because of the less time, effort, and energy that they get. Less attention on the real relations and much attention on the casual relation across the social media in most cases have resulted in the death of many relations. Another negative influence of the social media on relationships concerns the issue of privacy. Social network sites inspire people to be more public concerning their private existence. The inspiration leads to many of the couples posting about their intimate details since it is simple to post them. What is more is that the issues they post remain accessible indefinitely. The details, in most case, have been found to prompt a negative backlash depending on the details that the couples posts. In return, the couples end up quarreling and fighting affecting their relations detrimentally. Social media affects the privacy of the relations, and it has brought many hurtful experiences to many couples across the globe. In addition, social networks have led to decreased

Computer crimes and fraud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer crimes and fraud - Essay Example One example of an ethical dilemma is seen when employees conduct their own errands, hobbies, and businesses during working hours. In many occasion, employees can be found accessing social networking sites, checking personal emails, and shopping on the organization’s computers. This may seem harmless when employees use the organization’s facilities for personal benefit after they have finished their work for the day. However, if these habits continue, the trend will be spread to more employees who will assume that it is okay to start doing this. This will deny the owner or the owners of the organization their right to make profits. When employees are being employed, they agree to work for the benefit of the organization. They are expected to use the time allocated to them to work on the tasks given to them to the best of their ability and in the timeliest manner. The employee is given the responsibility to act in the best interest of the company. When employees are doing their personal things using the resources of the organization, they are making unethical decisions as opposed to what is expected from them. This can negatively affect the performance of the organization. It is crucial for employees to act ethically because integrity forms a big part in building and maintaining relationships with employers. This also helps an individual to create a personal brand. It is also evident that investors like dealing with organizations that are seen to be ethical.

Analysis of news article in relation to macroeconomic concepts Term Paper

Analysis of news article in relation to macroeconomic concepts - Term Paper Example It is important to strengthen the Canadian economic vision that is built on innovation and knowledge, which is driven by a diverse and successful university sector (Yusuf & Nabeshima, 2012). Using this approach, the Canadian government can fully realize the contributions made by universities, especially those that are business-engaged. This paper aims to discuss the role that universities can play in growing the country’s GDP and in decreasing the rate of unemployment. Universities at the Center of GDP Growth A permanent hike in university funding, for instance, by use of taxpayers’ money, could emerge, as a cornerstone for the government to increase Canada’s GDP. A report by the Universities of New Zealand and NZIER concluded that an increase of government investment in universities would lead to a permanent and significant increase in the country’s GDP. In illustrating how increased funding would affect the economy, they modeled an additional $200 millio n in university research and funding over the next five years (Yusuf & Nabeshima, 2012). ... The Canadian government, at present, invests just more than $1 billion every year in universities with a similar amount supporting university students financially (Yusuf & Nabeshima, 2012). The Canadian government increased investment levels significantly in education following a report by KPMG Econ Tech in 2009. The report called, for increased university funding, to boost the Canadian productivity levels nationally by 4.6% by the year 2040. The same report also estimated that the implementation of these recommendations could also add up to 6.4% to the GDP. It is important for the government to increase university learning and teaching base funding by 10% by 2020 and ensure that they maintain internationally competitive funding levels (Yusuf & Nabeshima, 2012). It could be expected that implementation would do more for living standards and GDP than any single reform that is publicly identified and costed. Boosting university investment could lead to a more skilled and smarter, work force and improve wealth distribution that would reduce the two-speed economy problem where there is a boom in some sectors while others continue to struggle. The cumulative benefit to the treasury from these reforms taken over the period between 2010 and 2040 is projected at $325 billion, which is the public funding that is required for Canada’s major future needs (Yusuf & Nabeshima, 2012). This information also confirms that investment in universities from the government will continue to provide a dividend in productivity for many years to come. Expanding university reach in Canada is central to the productivity agenda fronted by the Canadian government. In this century, the

Who Moved My Cheese by Johnson Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Who Moved My Cheese by Johnson Spencer - Essay Example This prevents the change from getting an individual by surprise. Quick adaption to the change is necessary. This calls for the release of the old cheese to enjoy a new one. It is advisable to move before the change. As in the case of the mice in the book, the move fast in search of new food supply and have quick instincts to adapt upon depletion of the existing supply. It is also very significant to accept a change in order to move ahead. In case someone faces change, do not waste precious time blaming others. Quickly move with the cheese. It is also advisable to enjoy a new cheese but does not create a comfort zone in the new cheese. Try to take the positive bit of a change and seize the opportunity to learn new ideas. To keep up with the pace some changes are of need. This calls the rearrangement of the staffs to face a new change for managers. People can also stay at one point for a long time since most of them are not ready to change for another cheese. Management purposes that i f one does not change become extinct. Most people wait until the environment presents no any other option but only a change. This is the worst management practice. People should practice counteracting the fear of the new cheese. People should also practice movement in the right direction. The application of the lesson learned in this book can help in both personal profession and management. This would prompt an individual to be keen to details and welcome a reason for a change. Always have the confidence of unknown to bury the fear.

Parental Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Parental Responsibility - Essay Example The Children Act of 1989 provides for guidelines as to the responsibilities, rights and duties that parents have over and to their children. Parental responsibility refers these duties, in the context of family and in the spirit of ensuring that the child is taken care of. It also helps in outlining how certain situations can and should be handled in cases where the difference sources of authorities may be in disagreement or where there is a disagreement between the child and the parent. In the United Kingdom, the majority age is 18. This means that before this age, there is always a need to make sure that the parent can protect them. Responsibilities come with rights and vice versa (Hendrick, 2011). One of the historic issues with regard to the parental responsibility is the Gillick case where Mrs. Gillick had sued to stop doctors from prescribing contraception and offering contraction advice to people below the age of sixteen. After a long battle that ended in the House of Lords, G illick lost because the house of lord voted in favor of giving people under sixteen the choice when it comes to such issues. However, this was to be done within the Gillick competence guidelines that would be use to determine when a teenager can decide regardless of the parent’s decision, when to take such treatment. The issue of Gillick covers the problems of the fact that although there are some age limits that are kept to define who is an adult and who is a child, people mature at very different rates regardless of the chronological

The Developing Manager Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Developing Manager - Assignment Example This essay discusses that delegation involves assigning duties to workers so that they can complete them on behalf of the manager. Delegation enables managers to assign duties to employees who have the right skills; this enables companies to achieve their targets because workers complete numerous duties simultaneously. The author of the report has the skills of determining the workers who are suitable to complete certain tasks because he matches their skills with those required to carry out certain duties. If the organization lacks workers who can complete certain tasks efficiently, he organizes for them on the job trainings that fill their skills gaps.From the report it is clear that  leadership involves showing individuals the right way to follow when they are completing their tasks. Managers should possess this skill because they cannot manage successfully if they are not efficient leaders.  Problem-solving skills enable managers to solve conflicts that arise in their organiza tions successfully. The author uses his problem-solving skills to resolve conflicts among workers and departmental managers in the organization. He finds solutions that end the conflicts in a way that satisfies all the parties who are involved in the problem. This increases the satisfaction of workers and it motivates them to work hard for the organization.  Team management is a skill that enables leaders to organize various players in a company so that they can work in union. The author manages teams by first determining the workers who should work in a team.

Parental Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Parental Responsibility - Essay Example The Children Act of 1989 provides for guidelines as to the responsibilities, rights and duties that parents have over and to their children. Parental responsibility refers these duties, in the context of family and in the spirit of ensuring that the child is taken care of. It also helps in outlining how certain situations can and should be handled in cases where the difference sources of authorities may be in disagreement or where there is a disagreement between the child and the parent. In the United Kingdom, the majority age is 18. This means that before this age, there is always a need to make sure that the parent can protect them. Responsibilities come with rights and vice versa (Hendrick, 2011). One of the historic issues with regard to the parental responsibility is the Gillick case where Mrs. Gillick had sued to stop doctors from prescribing contraception and offering contraction advice to people below the age of sixteen. After a long battle that ended in the House of Lords, G illick lost because the house of lord voted in favor of giving people under sixteen the choice when it comes to such issues. However, this was to be done within the Gillick competence guidelines that would be use to determine when a teenager can decide regardless of the parent’s decision, when to take such treatment. The issue of Gillick covers the problems of the fact that although there are some age limits that are kept to define who is an adult and who is a child, people mature at very different rates regardless of the chronological

It is up to you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

It is up to you - Essay Example Cultural relativism is defined as a principle by which an individual’s beliefs and activities are only subject to judgment based on that particular individual’s culture. In fact, it holds the view that no culture is superior to any other culture with respect to morality standards, politics, law and any other considerable aspects unique to individual cultures. Cultural relativism and moral relativism share a lot of similarities and it is widely believed that after World War II, following the popularization of the principle of cultural relativism, the term â€Å"cultural relativism† was commonly mistakenly used to mean â€Å"moral relativism†. Moral relativism undermines the rule of law. The formation of laws is based on a fixed standard stand on a moral issue that has to be adhered to; otherwise one may have to face consequences. Moral relativism on the hand is based on the belief of non-existence of absolute morals. Rights and wrongs are purely dependent on a person’s preferences and opinions on the matter. Take for example rape, a person accused of rape might claim innocence and absolve from any wrongdoing on the basis of moral relativism. The rapist might argue that rape is right within his personal beliefs and culture. However brutal this sounds, a moral relativist finds it logical. Rape in this case cannot be seen as wrong, and probably the strongest opinion that can be made out of it is â€Å"I don’t like it.† This contradiction of the law may result in a chaotic situation where everyone does anything anywhere and at any time as long it suits their preferences (Shumacher). Christians and other religions alike believe that there exists a supreme being who is the standard authority for morals by which they abide by. Rights and wrongs are, therefore, based on God’s moral law. For moral relativists, God is nonexistent. Their disregard of a

The role of family power structure

The role of family power structure Family Power structure plays a critical role in family health functioning. Power has been defined as the ability to control, influence or change another persons behavior (Friedman, 1998). Power is related to resources. Control over resources (eg. money) infers power. In most families, parents control these resources. There are three types of family power namely chaotic power, symmetrical power and complementary power (Hanson, 2001). The power structure in my family is complementary power. It is defined as requiring dominion-submission dynamic within the family structure. In this family-power type, healthy families are characterized by parents having a clear family advantage that their children recognize and accept. Although my father brings home the bacon every month, power is mainly shared between my parents. The decision-making in my family is highly dependent on my parents. Although my sister and I are involved in the decision-making, my parents are mainly responsible for making all sorts of decisions in the family from purchasing household furniture to deciding on a holiday destination to the meals we have together. Family power structure is not fixed. As I turned 18 this year, my parents recognize me as an adult and would listen to more to what I have to say and how I feel. My parents are not as power-dominant as they were 10 years ago. 1.2 Subsystems All families develop networks of co-existing subsystems formed on the basis of gender, interest, generation or function that must be performed for the familys survival. Each member of a family may belong to several subsystems. Each subsystem can be thought of as a natural coalition between participating members. Subsystems in a family relate to one another according to rules and patterns. There are three types of subsystems in my family namely spousal, parental and sibling subsystems. For example, the spousal subsystem educates children about male-female intimacy and commitment by providing a model of marital interaction. Ways of accommodating one anothers needs, making decisions together and managing conflict etc. Another example, my parents define the boundary of a parental subsystem by telling me as the oldest child to not interfere when they are reprimanding my younger sister. Parental subsystem also includes child guidance, nurturing, limit-setting and discipline. 1.3 Boundaries Boundaries are invisible barriers that keep subsystems separate and distinct from other subsystems. They are maintained by rules that differentiate the particular subsystems tasks from those of other subsystems. Boundaries may either be rigid, diffuse or clear. Disengaged families have rigid boundaries which leads to low levels of effective communication and support among family members. Enmeshed families have diffuse boundaries which make it difficult for individuals to achieve individualization from family. Clear boundaries are more of a balance as they do not fall on either extreme ends of rigid or diffuse. Clear boundaries are firm yet flexible, permitting maximum adaptation to change. The boundary in my family is clear. For example, my parents temporarily redefine the boundaries of the parental subsystem when she tells me to be in-charge of the house when they are away from home. Many years ago, my parents would ask my aunt to come over to care for my sister and I while they are away. This shows that the parental subsystem is flexible enough to include other people temporarily. 1.4 Triangulation Triangulation is used to describe a situation in which one family member will not communicate with another family member unless a third family member is present, forcing the third family member to then be part of the triangle. In this triangulation, the third person will either be used as a messenger to carry the communication to the main party or as a substitute for the direct communication. Usually this communication is an expressed dissatisfaction with the main party. For instance, my family used to be very united until a year ago when my sister who was one of the top PSLE students in her primary school dropped out from secondary school at secondary two suddenly. She stopped attending lessons and was extremely rebellious towards my parents and me. My parents having high expectations from my sister were absolutely furious and upset when she decided to quit school. Numerous attempts to persuade her to attend school failed again and again until a point when my parents gave up convincing her. However, they still talk about my sister to me all the time, mentioning how stubborn/ignorant she is and that she would regret her decision later in life. 2. Communication patterns McLeod and Chaffee (1972) came out with a scheme to analyze family communication patterns (FCP) to examine the role of family communication. In this model, the family communication environment is characterized by the extent to which the family emphasizes on socio-orientation and concept-orientation. Socio-orientation stresses the importance of harmony in the family and avoidance of conflicts. Concept-orientation encourages children to think about and discuss political and social issues. In a highly socio-oriented family, children should not argue with parents and should not express opinions different from other family members so as to maintain social harmony. On the other hand, in a highly concept-oriented family, parents believe that children should look at both sides of issues and talk freely about these issues. Using these two dimensions, McLeod and Chaffee (1972) introduced a four-fold typology of family communication patterns as seen in Figure 1. Figure 1 High on both dimensions of socio-orientation and concept-orientation, the communication pattern in my family is consensual. Consensual families emphasize both relational harmony and free communication exchange. Every member in my family is able to express our ideas freely as long as internal harmony in the family is maintained. Since young, my parents have encouraged both my sister and I to voice out displeasures in the family openly but stresses the importance of logical reasoning behind it. Like most traditional Asian families, my family tends not to express affectionate behaviors in the form of hugging or kissing towards or saying mushy words to one another. Instead, my parents would constantly ask me questions regarding about my school life, the friends that I go out with, among many others that revolve around my daily life. I suppose these are ways of displaying affectionate behaviors in my family. There are few conflicts in my family. Nevertheless, whenever one arises, we tend to face each other openly and voice out our concerns. My father would always play the middle-man whenever I had an argument with my sister and he would always ensure both parties are treated fairly and just. 3. Family environment Based on Olson, Russell and Sprenkles (1979) Circumplex Model, the Circumplex Model assumes that the difference between functional and dysfunctional families is determined by two interrelated dimensions: cohesion and adaptability. Cohesion is defined as the degree of attachment and emotional bonding among family members. There are four various degrees to the cohesion dimension namely disengaged, separated, connected, and enmeshed. Families that are disengaged lack family bond and loyalty, and are characterized by high independence. On the other hand, families identified as enmeshed are characterized by high levels of closeness, loyalty, and/or dependency. Adaptability is the ability of the family to change power structure, roles, and relationships in order to adapt to various situational stressors. It too has four degrees namely rigid, structured, flexible, and chaotic. Families with low levels of adaptability are considered inflexible or rigid. Rigid family types are characterized by authoritarian leadership, infrequent role modification, strict negotiation, and lack of change. Families with high levels of adaptability are considered chaotic as it is changing too frequently. Chaotic family types result from a lack of leadership, dramatic role shifts, erratic negotiation, and are characterized by frequent change. Based on the Circumplex Model, my family environment is balanced. It has moderate level of both adaptability and cohesion. Power structure is not fixed and there are times when there is a temporary shift in power to adapt to various situations. For example, I am responsible for taking care of my sister when my parents are out. Another example is when an deciding on a holiday getaway, power is shared among each family members to be involved in decision making. 4. Family Rules Family rules help family members to get along better, and make family life more peaceful. Effective rules are positive statements about how family members want to look after and treat one another. I have become so accustomed with my own family rules that sometimes I do not even realize that some of my daily activities are actually in fact, family rules. Dos and donts rules regarding family members safety, manners and daily routines were set up in my family since I was young. Of course these rules are constantly changing as my sister and I grew older with more responsibility in our hands. Rules such as be home by 10pm and do not lock the doors at home are a thing of the past when I was much younger. Today, the rules are much more flexible. For instance, if I were to return home late or spend the night at a friends house, all I have to do is to call home to inform my parents. There are also fewer family rules as my sister and I are expected to be able to care for ourselves. Moreover, rules set when we were young are already deep-rooted in our daily life. 5. Family values and attitudes Family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family (parents and children) to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. 5.1 Money From a very young age, my parents have taught me the importance of saving up money and spending them wisely. Every week, I was to slot in leftover coins in a piggy bank. Years passed by and today I still have the habit of keeping all my loose change in a piggy bank and when it became full, I would then deposit the money into the bank. My parents are prudent in spending money; they only buy what is deemed necessary and seldom splurge on luxury goods. However, there are times when my parents think that it is worthwhile to spend more money such as holding birthday celebrations or Chinese new year celebrations at home. 5.2 Religion My family is a little religious. My parents are Buddhists and they made an effort to pay their respects to the deities at temples annually. However, my sister and I do not have a religion but our parents do not force us to join a religion too. There are no altars at home and my parents do not carry religious charms either like a pendent or a talisman with them. 5.3 Education Like most parents in Singapore, my parents take education very seriously. My father stresses that education is the key to survival in Singapore and this is especially more true since Singapore has been ranked the most competitive country in the world in 2010 by Time. Although my parents view education as important, they also know that each individual has their own limitations towards studying. My parents want my sister and me to have a positive mindset towards studying but yet at the same time not to overwork ourselves. The ideal model is to strike a balance between work and recreation. 5.4 Success/failure My parents are rather reasonable and they know that success and failure are part and parcel of life. My parents view success as achieving ones goals. For instance, one of my goals in secondary school was to get into Singapore Polytechnic (SP) and I did well enough during my O levels to enroll in SP. My parents were very happy and proud of me. On the other hand, I did not get into the course of my choice so I felt disappointed because it felt like I had succeeded and failed at the same time. My parents told me that one couldnt always get what we have aimed for and as long as I have tried my best, thats all that counts. 6. What I have learnt from my parents relationship What I learnt about marriage from my parents relationship is to treat your partner as a friend. Marriage is a lifelong process full of ups and downs. My parents are both committed to overcome obstacles and being the best spouse and friend to each other. My parents are always joking around. My mother loves my fathers sense of humor and they always laugh at the silliest things. This taught me that being playful is a crucial part of marriage and nothing should be taken too seriously in a family. My parents also speak kindly of each other. My mother always told me that my father was a good father and a hardworking man. In addition, they also give each other nicknames as some term of endearment. I learnt the significance of having interests/hobbies different from your spouses too. My father and mother have different interests. My father enjoys watching detective crime television programs while my mother loves watching Korean Dramas serials. My mother would never last an episode of detective crime programs but that seems okay because they respect each others alone time as well. This also taught me that it is fine to have a degree of independence in a marriage too. 7. Attitude towards authority I have a positive attitude towards institutional authority (parents, teachers, police, and the law). I tend to respect the rules and abide by it. I held many student leader positions in schools too. Positions such as class monitor in primary school, student counselor and National Police Cadet Corp (NPCC) non-commissioned officer (NCO) in secondary school and class chairperson in my polytechnic life. This is mainly due to my strict upbringing from early childhood. My father was a very strict man. I still remember the times when my father would cane me whenever I got into trouble in primary school. Furthermore, I would have to write a reflection about my wrongful actions. I used to be very afraid of my father when I was very young. However looking back in time, I realized that my father just wanted me to grow up to be a good person and I am grateful for what my father had done to make me the person I am today. 8. Attitude towards sibling My relationship with my sister has definitely seen better days. We used to be very close and play with each other a lot. However in recent months, my sisters attitude has grown worst. She became very temperament and gets annoyed very easily. We had a lot of quarrels with each other and soon grew distant. Nowadays, we seldom speak to one another. 9. Level of differentiation from family Level of differentiation refers to the degree of ones ability to distinguish his own thoughts and emotions from that of his own family. Individuals with low level of differentiation are more probably to become reliant on others approval and acceptance. They either conform themselves to others in order to please them, or attempt to force others to conform to themselves. Thus, they are more vulnerable to stress and they struggle more to adapt to life changes. Individuals with high levels of differentiation recognize that they need others, but they rely less on others acceptance and approval. They do not only adopt the attitude of those around them but take into account their principles thoughtfully. These enable them decide significant family and social issues, and resist the feelings of the moment. Thus, despite conflict, criticism, and rejection they can stay calm and clear-headed to differentiate thinking rooted in a careful assessment of the facts from thinking clouded by emotion. Well differentiated individuals choose thoughtfully and act in the best interests of the group. I think my level of differentiation from my family is balanced. I have my own thinking and my own point of view. I am not afraid to have a different mindset from my family members. My parents also encouraged my sister and I to become more independent, to be ourselves and not conform for the sake of pleasing others. 10. Family strengths 10.1 Caring and Appreciation I think I am very fortunate to have a family who is caring and appreciative. Even if a family member makes mistakes, other members would to encourage and support one another. My parents notice and share positive qualities of each other. For example, they pay attention to another persons polite behavior or something nice he or she did or said. They notice the characteristics, skills, achievements and special qualities that make the other person unique. My father would write encouragement messages on his red packet during Chinese New Year. These messages are inspirational and reassured me that my family members do care about me. 10.2 Good Communication Furthermore, there is communication between me and my parents. We talk and share our feelings, hopes, dreams, joys, sorrows, and experiences. I would tell the daily happenings in school or with my friends just to update my parents about whats going on in my life. My parents take the time to listen and respond to what I have to say. 10.3 Openess to change There is a set of family rules in my family. These rules are ways to deal with daily life. Some of the more obvious rules consist of who does the cooking, who washes the dishes, who does the laundry or who clean the toilet. Other less obvious forms include: Who has the authority to make what decisions? How are differences of opinion handled? How are anger, affection, or other emotions expressed at home? 10.4 Working together Most of the time, my family make decisions, solve family problems, and do family work together. Everyone participates. Parents may be in charge of the decision-making at home but the childrens opinions and efforts are invited, encouraged, and appreciated. For example, whenever my parents decided to buy a new television set, they would always ask for opinions about which television is suitable for the family. It makes my sister and I involved in the shopping as well and let us know that what we say counts. I learnt that if parents allow their children to make real decisions, it enables children to grow up to be responsible adults. Children need opportunities to make decisions, to be involved in family decisions, and to observe the parents decision-making process and outcomes. Children are more motivated to carry out their responsibilities if they have some say as to what those responsibilities are and can see how these particular activities help the family. Teenagers are keener to go along on a family vacation if they help decide the destination and itinerary. 11. How has my family affected my personality? What are the weaknesses you want to improve and what are the strengths you want to maintain in yourself. Based on a study on more than 100 children conducted by psychologist Diana Baumrind, she identified four important dimensions of parenting which affects the childs personality. They are disciplinary strategies, warmth and nurturance, communication styles and expectations of maturity and control. Based on these dimensions, Baumrind suggested that the majority of parents display one of three different parenting styles. Further research by also suggested the addition of a fourth parenting style (Maccoby Martin, 1983). The four parenting styles include authoritarian parenting, authoritative parenting, permissive parenting and uninvolved parenting. My parents parenting style suit authoritarian the most. My parents establish house rules and guidelines and expect my sister and I to follow them. However, my sister and I were also involved in the rules setting so we were able to find them realistic. This parenting style is much democratic. When children fail to meet the expectations, authoritative parents are more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing. Although my father punished me whenever I broke the house rules; he would always end it off with nurturing and kind words. My parents are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. I think I grew up to be a socially responsible and cooperative person. I tend to avoid conflicts with people and adopt the make more friends than enemies mindset. I lean more towards the extrovert scale as I enjoy the company of my friends. My friends told me that I am a good-tempered person too. They dont see me get angry because I am not bothered by the slightest issues. Another strength that I have is being persistent and committed. Once I set my mind on a target or a goal. I would thrive to achieve it. My parents have been teaching me the importance of goal-setting since young. I also gain a huge sense of pride and satisfaction whenever I accomplished my goals. One weakness that I have is being perfectionist. I am very attentive to details and would not be satisfied unless I get the exact results that I wanted. Most of the time striving for perfection is tiring and time consuming. My project members would sometimes find me a pain in the neck when I was not satisfied with their research work. Another weakness I have is laziness. I think I have been too pampered from young. I seldom do household chores because my mother is a housewife and she does all the housework. Well, almost all, my father did his part too. As such I became reliant on my parents to do my own laundry, to wash my dishes etc. I have been trying to increase my contribution to my family by doing some household chores but its hard to do so especially since I have done almost no housework since young but Im not giving up easily. In summary, family relationships are one of the longest relationships we would ever have in our life. We should never take our family members for granted but should cherish them instead.