Felkris Alumni Tracer Essay

Situation Analysis Every year students were graduating in Felkris Academy. As they graduate, they leave their school; others might have no longer updates regarding their school for they are now in abroad for their work. As students, they still want to keep in touch with their alma mater. It is really difficult for the school to search for their graduates for they are scattered to the different parts of the world. That is why we have what we call alumni association. Alumni Association was founded to promote fellowship among graduates, former students, faculty and staff members of Felkris Academy for its development and well being as an educational institution. It is founded to provide support service to the school, and one thing more is that the alumni will be a great source for fund raising of the school for the benefit of the students in the form of scholarship funds. So tracking of the graduates is important. Tracking can provide concrete evidence that will enable the boards and the wider public to evaluate a school’s most important product–its graduates–in important ways. For easy access to the graduates of the school, the researchers are to study a web-based tracking system for Felkris Academy. It is web-based so that it is easy for the graduates and the school to have communication with each other anytime and everywhere in the world. Every graduate can still be updated to what is happening to their school, how far did the developments have undergone after they left the school, the academic status and many more by accessing the system through the web. The reasons for maintaining contact with alumni include networking for current students to obtain internships and professional positions, meeting requirements for accrediting agencies, and determining how well the program prepared the graduates for their professional careers. In order to strengthen graduates’ ability to move theory into practice, graduate programs need to stay current on professional practices. To determine what current practices are and to aid in evaluation and planning, documented information should be obtained from both alumni and professional organizations. Conceptual/Theoretical Framework In this era, where advancement is become the part of the each and every field of life and time become the one of the important element of the success we want to do things or everyday jobs with more fatly as ever. Here role of information system can’t be ignored doing things faster, doing things better, and doing thinks smarter these all traits are possible just because of two words, Information system. Alumni Tracking System is one of the examples of information system. To get contact with the old students and to provide the assistance to this old student for their future progress in all field of life and maintain the record of the passing out students. Alumni Tracking System helps to do what is mention above. According to Quimbita, Grace,1989-09-00 from ERIC Clearinghouse for Junior Colleges Los Angeles CA. Student tracking systems enable increasing numbers of community colleges to respond to external demands for accountability with tangible measurements of student progress and institutional outcomes. Several recent trends have prompted interest in monitoring student progress throughout college and into their professional lives. Bers (1989) argues that increasing emphasis on marketing, accountability, communication with students, and internal competition for students all serve as catalysts for the development of tracking systems. Bers identifies six stages in the student flow process that should be monitored by a student tracking system. Awareness–In this stage, the prospective student learns about the college for the first time. Mass mailings to homes or businesses, advertisements in the media, and public information sessions are useful in making potential students aware of the college. Inquiry–Mechanisms for maintaining personalized contact with prospective students should go into effect as soon as the individual makes the first inquiry about the college. The individual’s name, social security number, and program interests should now be on record. Entry–This stage involves formal application, admission, first-time registration and enrollment, and increasingly, assessment tests, orientations, and advisement. Experience–Most tracking efforts currently concentrate on this stage, gathering information on students as they take courses, fulfill prerequisites, pass, fail, or withdraw from courses, take advantage of support services, and work toward their goals. Completion–At this stage, students leave the college with or without achieving their educational goals. Follow-Up–Because community college students commonly stop in and out, alumni can also be considered an important pool of prospective students. Maintaining contact with alumni after they have left the college is important in evaluating educational outcomes in terms of employment or transfer experiences, and attracting former students back to the college. Tracking systems can be developed for practically any stage in the student flow process. Cochise College in Arizona has a tracking system within its admissions office that monitors the awareness, inquiry and entry stages (Barrett, 1989). The Los Angeles Community College District in California and Arapahoe Community College in Colorado each have tracking systems which focus on basic skills assessment and monitor the entry, experience, and completion stages (Voorhees and Hart, 1989). Additionally, tracking designs are possible for underprepared students (Smittle, LaVallee, and Carman, 1989) and other special groups, such as displaced homemakers, single parents, learning disabled, and hearing impaired (Gay and Boukouvalas, 1989). Research Paradigm Input ProcessOutput I. ICT Resources of Felkris Academy a. The researchers intended to develop a web-based system in tracing the graduates. Particularly, this study will be significant for the graduates of Felkris Academy. It helps the graduates to be still connected with their graduate school for long term mutual benefits then to their fellow graduates as well and to remain the part of their school even after the study likewise with the teachers. Moreover, this study will help the graduates to still notify or be updated to the some important events of the school and also can participate in the seminars, academic and extra curriculum activities so that alumni knowledge remains up to date. Statement of the Problem This study aims to answer these questions: 1. What can be done to make alumni participation/involvement easier? 2. How can we keep a current database of the alumni? 3. How to maintain continuous contact with alumni? Definition of Terms Beta Testing – the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries the product out. Hardware – is a general term for the physical artifacts of a technology. It may also mean the physical components of a computer system, in the form of computer hardware. Software – refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. System Implementation – The installation of a computer system or an information system. The use of software on a particular computer system. Tracking System – is generally a system capable of rendering virtual space to a human observer while tracking the observer’s body coordinates. Web-based – refers to those applications or services that are resident on a server that is accessible using a Web browser and is therefore accessible from anywhere in the world via the Web.

Piaget’s Cognitive development theory Essay

Jean Piaget and his theory of the stages of cognitive development have made significant contributions to a wide cross-section of disciplines including educational psychology and applied developmental psychology. Though his original theory has undergone some amount of changes, the basic tenets are still applicable in understanding how humans develop progressively from birth to adulthood. Several theorists have criticized Piaget’s theory and have proposed alternative approaches to explaining human development. Other theorists have espoused Piaget’s theory with few modifications or additions to the original theory. Nevertheless his theory of cognitive development has had a tremendous impact on developmental psychology and will continue to represent a valid theory in helping to understand the nature and stages of human development. The field of applied developmental psychology has and will continue to benefit from the views put forward by Piaget. Biography of Jean Piaget Jean Piaget was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland on August 9, 1896 to what he described as a ‘tumultuous family environment. From an early age Piaget showed signs of having superior intelligence and acquired an interest in several fields of study including psychoanalytic theory, philosophy, mechanics and natural history. At the very young age of ten he published a study on mollusks (malacology). Several years later, in 1917 he published a philosophical novel. His intellectual and research accomplishments thereafter are numerous. In 1918, at only 21 years of age he obtained his doctoral degree in Biology from the University of Neuchatel continuing his study of mollusks in his thesis. His interest in philosophy and psychology led him to Zurich where he worked with mental patients while studying psychoanalytic theory. His interest in child developmental psychology began in Paris with his work in a laboratory at a grade school. Here he worked along with Alfred Binet, who headed the laboratory, in standardizing reasoning tests for Paris children. He became curious about the thought processes of children that influenced them producing either the correct or incorrect answers. Piaget published a number of articles discussing the research he conducted here. In 1921 Piaget was made director of studies at the Institut J. J. Rousseau in Geneva. In 1923 he married Valentine Chatenay with whom he had three children. He continued his study of child psychology and later published five books on the topic. His background in Biology had a significant amount of influence in his research (Slavin, 2000). These publications subsequently distinguished him in this field of study. His academic and administrative appointments saw him working at the University of Geneva, the Sorbonne, the Institut des Sciences de l’Education, and the Bureau International de l’Education. He is also noted to have founded and directed a center for philosophers and psychologists called the Centre d’Epistemologie Genetique. He worked along with several other researchers including Alina Szeminska, Barbel Inhelder, and Marcel Lambercier. Among the research topics that he conducted extensive studies on have been noted the notions of number, physical quantity, and space; manipulation of objects; and the development of perception. These areas collaboratively contributed to his theory of cognitive development. His platform of study was both at the professional and personal level. It is widely known that he conducted detailed observations of his three children Jacqueline, Lucienne and Laurent throughout their infant and language development years. His wife, herself a psychologist, also worked along with him during his observations, recording the behaviors of their children (Fischer & Hencke, 1996). Piaget’s contributions to the field of developmental psychological are indeed considerable and have been widely acknowledged. He was awarded the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award in 1969 by the American Psychological Association for his contributions. At his death in Geneva on September 16, 1980, Piaget had written and published more than 40 books and over 100 articles or chapters dealing with the topic of child psychology. His earliest works include The Origins of Intelligence in Children (1936/1952), The Construction of Reality in the Child (1937/1954) and Play, Dreams, and Imitation in Childhood (1945/1951) (Fischer & Hencke, 1996). To date his research is believed to have made the single most important contribution to developmental psychology (Slavin, 2000; Beilin, 1992) and to a large extent the field of cognitive development psychology was founded primarily on his work (Goswami, 2001, p. 259). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development Piaget sought to describe how development occurs from the moment of birth unto adulthood and the cognitive changes that occur as physical development takes place. Using his background in Biology and his knowledge of the way organisms behave relative to their environment, Piaget sought to explain how children think along these lines. Piaget’s position that children construct knowledge based on these processes was in antithesis to behaviorist orientation which suggested that behavior was molded exclusively by external environmental forces. Piaget’s theory was more constructivist in nature proposing that each child is actively involved in constructing his own reality. Construction of knowledge, Piaget argued, was facilitated via the interaction of the processes of adaptation, accommodation, assimilation and equilibration. Piaget commenced by proposing that children are born with a natural inclination to interact with and a need to understand their environment (Slavin, 2000). From the earliest stage children develop mental patterns that guide their behavior, what Piaget calls schemes. Schemes are used to â€Å"find out about and act in the world† (Slavin, 2000, p. 30). The goal of intellectual development, according to Piaget, was towards adaptation where existing schemes are adjusted in response to modifications in the environment. As new situations arise children either incorporate new objects or events into existing schemes through assimilation or they adjust existing schemes when new objects and events do not fit into those existing schemes in the process of accommodation. When unfamiliar situations arise a state of disequilibrium ensues and the processes of accommodation and assimilation facilitate the return to equilibrium where balance is restored between existing understanding and new experiences – the process of equilibration (Slavin, 2000). The dimensions of the theory Piaget believed that children passed through four different stages of development that are defined by different characteristic features from birth to adulthood. Piaget proposed that each child moves progressively through each of the stages of cognitive development as they mature physically. The four distinct stages of cognitive development that Piaget has specified are the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational periods. He also gives an estimate as to the age at which each child will enter either stage. Wakefield (1996) points out, though, that â€Å"the age range for each stage is only an average† a child may enter a specific stage earlier or later than that estimated by Piaget. However, each child, Piaget argues, must pass through each of these stages of development in the specified order and no child can skip a particular stage. It must also be noted here that his theory is necessarily universal as it examines only how all children will progress and does not seek to analyze individual differences among children. The sensorimotor period represents a child zero (0) to two (2) years old. The main aspects of this stage Slavin (2000) summarizes as where â€Å"infants learn about their surroundings by using their senses and motor skills†. Piaget believes that each child is born with some built in mechanisms and tendencies and these he labels as reflexes. Because a newborn child has not yet developed a concept of his environment, his initial response to this environment up to one month old is instinctive. These reflexes, however, soon become the basis through which the child acquires new perspectives and behaviors (schemes) in an attempt to learn about and understand his environment. From birth to one month children begin to establish schemes as they commence the processing of interacting with and understanding their environment. Initially displaying behaviors by simple reflex children soon begin to modify these reflexes. From one to four months children attempt to reproduce recurring themes in their schemas. Children later begin to establish repetitive patterns in behavior and to associate different behaviors with different schemes. Examples include an infant crying when hungry and laughing when happy. The period two to four months Fischer and Silvern (1985) notes as when the child is developing the ability to intelligently adapt individual actions such as grasping a rattle (p. 634). Between four and eight months children are more object-oriented paying more attention to objects in their external environment, becoming more observant and less preoccupied with issues related to themselves such as hunger and sleep. Children begin to display more coordination in their schemes. From eight to 12 months children become aware of what they want and begin to construct their own schemas in order to achieve their goals. Behaviors are now more deliberate, carried out with a particular purpose in view. From 12 to 18 months children they are exploring new possibilities with objects in their environment. A child’s action at this stage is very experimental using trial and error to discover new schemas. From 18 to 24 months children begin to transition from this stage to the second preoperational stage. They are developing the ability to function using symbolic representations. Of course a child at the sensorimotor stage may not necessarily be able to fully understand every new thing that he perceives in his environment. Wakefield (1996) comments that, even though a child is unable to perform some amount of logical thinking at this stage, there is still some attempt to understand his environment through the use of his sense perceptions and motor skills. The preoperational stage is between ages two and seven years approximately. At this second stage children begin to be able to use symbols to represent things mentally by associating those new things with objects they are familiar with. While they are a little more developed cognitively than the earlier stage they still have a very narrow view of their environment. Within this stage, from age two to four years a child is relatively egocentric believing that everyone else sees things from their perspective. They also possess some amount of animism, believing that objects have characteristics similar to living things such as the ability to move. From age four to seven children further develop their reasoning capacities even though their thought processes are not completely logical. They have difficulty, however, with the concepts of centration and conservation. Slavin (2000) explains these concepts by illustrating that in this stage a child does not understand that the amount of milk in a tall glass is the same when it is poured into a shallower container nor are they able to realize that an object painted a different color is still the same object. The third stage of cognitive development is the concrete operational stage which covers children aged seven to eleven. At this stage children, while experiencing difficult thinking in abstract, are able to form concepts and solve problems. Of course they must be able to relate such operations to already familiar objects or situations in order for them to function properly. They are now able to understand and apply the principles of conservation and centration. Their reasoning is also considerably more logical and can show interrelations between different objects and classes of objects. They are still limited, however, in that they are unable to reason in abstract terms but need concrete circumstances and examples as guides. A child in the final formal operational stage, lasting from age eleven (11) to adulthood, is now able to reason in abstract and to conceptualize situations beyond what they can see and touch. They have now developed the capacity to perform reasoning about events, actions or objects that they cannot see or that are strictly hypothetical and they are also able to use deductive reasoning. They begin to devise plans to solve problems and test their hypothesis against a variety of options. Piaget’s stratification of cognitive development into different stages has considerable implications particularly for educational goals. Because children are able only after having moved through certain stages, to manipulate certain tasks and to be effective in certain cognitive activities, learning situations must be structured so that they match the developmental stages. Education must therefore be developmentally appropriate to the abilities of the child and attempts should be made to help children, as they progress from one stage to the next, to manipulate the operations inherent at each stage. Piaget’s view of cognitive development has been quite formidable and influential in helping researchers understand the processes at work at different stages and ages. There have, however, been several criticisms of the model. One of the major criticisms has focused on the presumed universality of the stages that Piaget describes. He supposes that every child, irrespective of situational context, will go through these stages at a prescribed time and that the principles are therefore applicable to all children everywhere. Some researchers have noted, however, that the rate and stage of development is not at all universal. The ages that Piaget initially suggested as delineating each stage are therefore thought of as rough estimates and children can enter and exit each stage either earlier or later than initially prescribed. Another concern that was raised with regards to Piaget’s theory was that it suggested that as the child progressed through the stages that the abilities at the lower stage no longer become useful or necessary. Piaget later clarified, however, that the concrete thinking and other abilities at the lower stage are not only essential before a child is able to progress to more complex thinking but they are also persistent over time and that a child never loses the lower abilities. He suggests that over time certain tasks become automatic, almost instinctive, but they are still essential even in the later stages of development. Further Piaget’s original theory had not considered the potential impact that the environment may have in impacting behavior. His initial argument much to anti-behaviorist and thus the power of environmental factors to shape behavior was almost ignored. Even though he accounted for these influences in his explanations of the process of adaptation and equilibration, he did not focus much on this aspect. Researchers have found that various social and environmental factors can have a considerable impact on a child’s development. They propose that a child can enter a stage earlier and progress through that stage much quicker than others based on the stimuli available in his environment. Similarly a child’s development may be significantly retarded if adequate stimuli are not provided in the environment. A child would therefore progress through stages later and at a slower pace. The behaviorist position that the environment matters is therefore not completely invalid and their view of the potential influence of the external environment in shaping behavior has some merit. Despite this failure to fully acknowledge and explain the relevance and impact of environmental factors in facilitating knowledge construction based on reality and even though the theory seems to emphasize universal stages of development, Fischer and Hencke (1996) believe that Piaget with his cognitive development theory is notably still the most influential researcher and theorist on developmental that the twentieth century has seen (Fischer & Hencke, 1996, p. 09). Current research Several theorists have arisen in more recent times to expand on Piaget’s original theory, to propose modifications on the areas of weakness or to suggest a complete new approach to understanding cognitive development. Among those worthy of mention are Robbie Case, Kurt Fischer, Michael Shayer and Juan Pascual-Leone. Robbie Case is a neo-Piagetian who agrees with Piaget’s general position that children go through developmental stages. Case also agrees with Piaget that each stage is delineated based on age and is representative of the changing ways that children are able to mentally represent reality and how they process information in their brains. Case also supports that cognitive development occurs in four stages commencing from when a child is around one month old until the period of adulthood. Within each stage he also recognizes substages of development postulating, like Piaget that each successive stage is a continuation or a building on to the former (Sternberg, 1987, p. 08). Beginning in the mid-nineteen seventies Case began to propose alternative interpretations of the stage development theory. He has developed some characteristics in his new theory that are not in complete alignment with original Piagetian thought. His first area of departure is with relation to the way that information is processed in the brain throughout the stages.

Private Prisons in Texas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Private Prisons in Texas - Research Paper Example The aim of the creation of private prisons has been for the purpose of making a profit by private entities through the taking over the tasks of convict rehabilitation that were conducted by the government. While this has been the case, the fact remains that there has been a lot of concern about the shifting of legal punishment from the public to the private sector, the logic being that governments, being accountable to the public, are more concerned about the welfare of those imprisoned than private institutions, which have no real interests in the inmates except for the economic benefits that they receive. Therefore, the concerns raised are based on the fact that private prisons may be lax in their establishment of a corrections system that is effective as compared to government held prisons, which have such guarantees. Private prisons in the state of Texas have been criticized to be business institutions whose main aim is to ensure that they maximize their profits, since their driv ing incentive is to make as much money as possible. Plenty of skepticism in such prisons have been raised because of the fact that prisons have now become profit yielding institutions through the imprisoning of individuals caught committing crimes and sentenced. Despite the concerns that have been raised above about the establishment of private prisons, the government of Texas has continued to be adamant that private corporations can run prisons as well as the government itself and that there is no need to worry about these institutions’ doing a bad job. The state of Texas has attempted to delegate the functions of punishment to private companies with the intention of relieving itself of the burden, but also ensuring that these companies remain accountable to the public. While this has been the case, there has developed the need to ensure that these private entities are indeed performing the functions that have been delegated to them with as much diligence as would have the g overnment.1 This has created a situation where studies have to be conducted so that it can be established how the contractual relationship between private prisons and the government, relating to how the formation, maintenance and other aspects of the prisons are worked out between them. When dealing with the formation, the expectations of the private institution as well as those of the government concerning what the prison’s management will require are considered so that it is known how the prison will be developed as well as how it will be staffed. The maintenance of the prison has been outlined as the affairs which will be involved in the daily running of the prison as well as the establishment of the definitions of how the prisoners will relate to each other as well as how they will relate with the members of the prison staff.2 When one considers liability in private prisons, it basically deals with the failure of the parties involved, either the government or the private entity, to fulfill their obligations as stated in the contract between them and the consequences that are likely to follow. Through the insistence of these obligations, it becomes an obligation for both the government and the private entities running the prison to ensure that there is accountability to the public in the process. Thus, accountability can be enforced, whereby there is the protection of the various social groups within the

The advanced practice of strength and conditioning Essay - 1

The advanced practice of strength and conditioning - Essay Example But how he ended up with a new 9.58 seconds and 19.30 seconds in both individual sprints is one big story to reckon with for a long time. Let us keep pace with some of the salient points of this one of the most stimulating, motivational stories of man and his unbroken pursuit of excelling in the field by a mere breath or few-seconds hairline. One of the focal points of the discussion in a myriad of ideas in strength and conditioning is Usain Bolt himself and how and why many were awed by his performance at one of the world’s greatest sporting events. More interestingly, Bolt himself is a man just like us. Keywords: Bolt and man, poor mechanics, velocity, excitement USAIN BOLT, THE MAIN MAN HIMSELF 3 Usain Bolt, The Main Man Himself And Will Remain Every Athlete’s Model Of Success For Years To Come Let’s begin with an explosive starting gun. This is the very foundation of all winning strides in the 100-meter dash. Energy burst with the first burst. Analysis in Cis sik (89), categorically states the need, first and foremost, of the sprinter responding without delay to the starting gun and zoom out of the starting blocks at the most preferred reaction time of 0.12 seconds. Faster reaction naturally leads to an advantage faster than the opponents. Many can take a chance in the field where Bolt is now. It was inspiring to note that Bolt himself started from scratch with his own imperfections but individually endowed with certain physical qualities just the same as any man can be. Karp (52) explicitly mentioned that a person with a lot of talent almost always outperforms a person with little talent and a lot of training. The success of Mills and Bolt supported this theory with Mills (30 ) institutionalizing the 2008 Beijing phenomena of his own admission saying Bolt is an extremely gifted athlete despite the fact that he had to recreate certain aspects of Bolt’s biomechanical deficiencies and maximise use of functional training to bolster h is bid for a new world record. The arena of world excitement and velocity was the inevitable route, with just a bit of luck, talent and perseverance and a mentor who believes without a doubt that Bolt can take off. Coach Glen Mills said so succinctly in the NSA interview (30) that when he started working with Bolt, one of the things that stood out like a sore thumb was his poor mechanics. USAIN BOLT, THE MAIN MAN HIMSELF 4 The NSA interview dug deep into the core of the molding of Usain as an athlete with such inquiry as to how Mills had weighed up his athlete’s own methods. It had gain new insights to patient mentoring and methodical training as the interview reveals that Bolt then was running behind the center of balance, thus, his forward drive negates the compelling vigor and thrust. His pose leaves a strain on his posterior notably the lower back, there was a continual pull on his hamstring, so on and so forth. But the main recipe of the preparation was developing the at hlete to accomplish all the training regimens correctly, discarding the bad habits and adapt new and effective techniques. Body position, according to Seagrave, et al (21), is distinctively three-pronged as core stabilization, postural repositioning and control and vertical alignment. Perfect execution of all three vital elements are necessary to establish the best cruising pattern. One without

Antigone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Antigone - Essay Example The unity of action limits it to a single set of incidents which are related as cause and effect, "having a beginning, middle, and an end." Antigone, a play by Sophocles, is based on the story starting with two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, who died fighting a war against each other. Creon, the new king of thebes decided not to bury Polyneices as he considered him to be the rebel. Antigone, his sister thought that it was wrong and decided to carry out the deed herself. She called ismene outside the palace for her help but she refused. Meanwhile Creon went to the chorus of theban elders and asked them to support his verdict and they vowed allegiance to him. Then, a sentry came and told Creon that Polyneices has been buried by Antigone. Angry, Creon summoned the sisters and temporarily imprisoned them. Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiance went to his father and tried to persuade him to release Antigone, but it only resulted in a quarrel. Creon then decided to sp are Ismene and to imprison Antigone in a cave. Then a blind prophet teiresias told Creon that the gods were siding Antigone and that he must spare her or face the wrath. The chorus and Creon decided to bury Polyneices.

South Garden Chinese Restaurant - Company Analysis Research Paper

South Garden Chinese Restaurant - Company Analysis - Research Paper Example It could be noted that the stabilization and the further growth of the company could be achieved under the following terms: the measures suggested should be supported both by the management team and the employees. Cooperation across the organization should be improved; in this way, the resistance to the suggested changes could be controlled, a fact that could increase the chances for successful implementation of the relevant plans. In general, the current business structure and operational rules can be characterized as satisfactory (as also described in the business website). However, the declining popularity of the business is a problem, which should be, resolved the soonest possible – before leading to severe loss of profits. The quality of food is a key criterion for the competitiveness of the organization. Currently, the business offers a menu, which is rather common – among restaurants of this type; however, it is clear that a gap exists in the menu: the needs of p eople who prefer organic meals are not addressed. The introduction of recipes based on organic ingredients would increase the restaurant’s customer base; also, long-term customers would also appreciate the specific initiative – an increase in orders from existing customers could be also achieved (Liu and Jang 338). The realization of such plan would require the training of the restaurant’s chefs, a plan that could be easily developed though taking into consideration the level of expansion of such initiatives in the restaurant sector worldwide. It should be noted that the above plan would also require an accurate cost management plan, meaning that the profits generated – or those expected – from these meals would be higher compared to the cost of the ingredients used for their preparation. Because of the increase of organic farms across USA, a balance between cost and profit could be easily achieved, especially if appropriate arrangements are made w ith the firm’s existing suppliers. Another business sector, which would be reviewed, trying to improve organizational performance, would be the workplace. Reference is made to the firm’s employees who are, in the their high majority Chinese. This practice should be changed; Americans should be also hired trying to show the lack of discrimination in the organization; another benefit of such initiative would be the following one: the number of Americans visiting the restaurant would be increased – preferring to being served by people of the same nationality. At the same time, the firm’s existing employees should be offered appropriate training, aiming to improve their communication with customers. Moreover, the use of innovative features for improving the image of the restaurant – as a competitive business in Miami – could be proved particularly helpful towards the increase of the firm’s competitiveness: the provision to the customers o f a unique Chinese cooking show on a regular basis, for instance once a week or every month, could be a successful strategy of such type. One of the business sectors, which should be thoroughly reviewed for improving organizational performance, would be marketing. Currently, the business uses a common method of marketing, leaflets with the restaurant’s menu and its offers are distributed locally, to residents and businesses of Miami. Moreover, a delivery service is used for reaching customers who do not have the time to visit the restaurant. However,

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Art - Essay Example Terre Haute, Indiana is a goldmine for such historical architectural creations. In these regards, the city contains such seminal buildings as the Condit House, the Terminal Arcade, and the Paul Dresser birthplace. Still, perhaps the most historic of Terre Haute buildings is the State Bank of Indiana. This essay examines this building’s Greek Revival architectural style through an examination of its historical, architectural, and aesthetic elements. Analysis While the Terre Haute branch of the State Bank of Indiana officially ended operation in 1859, the bank has remained a prominent piece of local architecture. The branch itself was first formed in 1834. Fig. 1 contains a current image of the bank. As the image depicts, the bank is Fig. 1 State Bank of Indiana currently occupied by Kesler & Kesler law offices. The bank implements Greek revival architecture. One considers that this form of architecture was also prominently implemented in the construction of Federal banking stru ctures at the time. This architectural style was not only reminiscent of the Terre Haute bank, but also thematic among much 19th century American and European architecture. The Greek Revival movement was a significant movement in both the United States and Europe. In large part this movement emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries following a rediscovery of many of the architectural and cultural elements that pervaded ancient Greek society. Prior to this period relatively little was known about this Greek culture, outside of what was known from literary sources. In the mid-1750s, however, serious archeological expeditions began into ancient Greece. Perhaps the most prominent of these expeditions were those conducted by James Stuart. Following many of Stuart’s discoveries European elite society assumed a new interest in Greek culture. It was not long before many architectural projects were undertaken, all of them working to emulate the Greek style. Within European so ciety the construction of these building was interpreted as a cultural shift towards a new level of sobriety and restraint and eventually as a means of asserting a new level of nationalism. It was not long before such design principles moved from European society to the United States. In this way Thomas Jefferson was one of the most seminal figures, as he is noted for owning a copy of the book Antiquities of Athens. While Jefferson himself was not an architect he perhaps made the greatest contribution to popularizing the style within the United States, as he hired Benjamin Henry Latrobe as the official surveyor for the country. Latrobe would go on to design a number of buildings in the Greek Revival school of architecture. Among the most prominent of these constructions are the Bank of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court interior. Towards the 1830s a second Greek Revival movement emerged in the United States. During this period the Latrobe designed the Second Bank of the United State s. There is the recognition then that this bank not only held a conceptual linkage to the Terre Haute building, but also a structural similarity. While a branch of the State Bank of Indiana is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, there were additionally a number of state banks created during the same time. In

CRITICAL DESCRIPTION OF LITERATURE CHOSEN INCLUDING RATIONALE FOR Lab Report

CRITICAL DESCRIPTION OF LITERATURE CHOSEN INCLUDING RATIONALE FOR CHOICE - Lab Report Example This article is a critical discussion and evaluation of this write-up dealing with the question, whether it is ethical for counsellors to have sexual relations with their ex-clients or not, as laid down by the statutory authority. In the write-up, the writer, Paul Wilkins talks about various psychological concepts and aspects like transference, love, power play, the importance of time and critically analysis if this clause is required and if it is ethical for counsellors to maintain sexual relations with their e x-clients. The rationale behind choosing this write-up, is to highlight the high rate of these occurrences and to critically appraise the clauses laid down. With the number of individuals approaching counsellors increasing by the day, such cases are being more commonly reported and are being accepted as a part of the set-up. The analysis of this write-up can help us come to a conclusion upon the ethical detailing of the clause. This can help implement better codes of ethics in our practical lives. ANALYSIS As already mentioned, the BAC, in its general annual meeting, upheld the clause that sexual relations between counsellors and their ex-clients is unethical and it must take place only after about twelve weeks after the completion of the sessions. A special clause was added that under certain circumstances, a special lifetime ban can also be imposed on such occurrences. This was a debatable issue, since it was not unanimously agreed upon, whether such a ban or such a clause is required. Was it really unethical for a counsellor to carry no sexual relations with his ex-client In order to form the best possible opinion, the writer, Paul Wilkins, has brought about numerous references and psychology-connected theories, besides quotes of eminent authorities. As an initiation, the writer talks about the psychological concept of transference and the relation it bears with the emotion of love. According to psychology, the relation between a counsellor and the client, is that of a student-mentor relationship, wherein the client looks up to the counsellor for guidance and understanding. This relation is called transference.Due to the presence of transference, love between the counsellor and the client, cannot be forged. According to Freud, sexual relations between counsellors and their patients are not possible. However, he is not very vocal about the post-counselling phase, when transference is reduced. The mentor-mentee relation disappears after a period of time and on the completion of this period, sexual relation can be called ethical, it appears! Therefore, this period of transference is impermanent and not an long-standing one. However, this is also criticised on various grounds, the

Personal narrative Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Narrative - Personal Statement Example A male doctor approached my bed and gave me a quick examination. That is when reality struck me, the pain I was under was not just from the stitches in my face, but every part of my body was aching. The events that led to the state I was in are still fresh in my mind, even though they doo not haunt me nor make me regret, they act as a stern reminder on the need to follow parental orders and doing things at the right time. Writing down my reflections of that horrific Friday that left me in a vegetative state for a year, I would like to plead with my young colleagues at college and in high school to take control of their lives. The events of that fateful Friday night had been seamlessly planned for a month and my friends, and I, were revved up for a mind-blowing night. The mind-blowing aspect amuses me, as at times I tend to think that it did indubitably happen, but on a lighter note as my mind was almost literally blown off. It was during the beginning of March when my friends I decid ed to plan for a house party at the end of the month to be held at John’s, my classmate, place. His parents would be travelling to the countryside for a week, providing the opportune moment for executing our plans. The house party idea was initially meant to be for twenty friends, but word got round so fast that majority of the teenagers at school wanted to attend. This was supposed to be the usual party held by a group of teenagers, but it had escalated into the party of the year way before it had happened. As the schemers of the idea, we decided to charge selected people who were to attend, and use the amount collected for provision of food and drinks. The idea seemed brilliant as we collected five thousand dollars, a huge sum, considering that a hundred individuals would attend the party. The night for the awaited event finally came and we all decided to grace the occasion in style using our parents’ vehicles. I had actually lied to my parents that I was going to Jo hn’s place to give him some company as we finished on some class work. At the back of my mind, I was impressed that I could lie to my parents with a straight face and get away with it, without the knowledge of the events that were to unfold. I could hardly concentrate on anything, and my mind was poised for the night’s events. The anticipation as it appeared was not a unique thing as people turned up early and all psyched up. We had purchased a lot of alcoholic beverages mixing them up with punch to be drunk during the whole night. It was a deception to think that the party would be a secret affair especially with the alcohol around. I had decided to take it slow on the alcohol and only took small pints at a time not knowing the cumulative effect that it would have by the end of the night. Everyone at the party indulged in the drink with several of my friends passing out at the early stages of the party. Things intensified as the night wore on, and everyone was highly intoxicated to think straight. To spur things up we decided to engage in a random game of â€Å"truth or dare† by spinning a bottle. The game is synonymous with majority of the parties that take place around the country, but the night’s tragedy were a direct result of the game and the alcohol. It was my turn and asked for the option between truth or dare I opted for a dare seemingly courageous enough to do anything asked of me by my challenger. The dare involved me driving with a

Condom Use and its Myths Essay Example for Free

Condom Use and its Myths Essay In the first summary of a peer reviewed article, an article was found called Sexual Coercion, Verbal Aggression, and Condom Use Consistency among College Students. The journal in which this article was found is Journal of American College Health, Vol. 59, No. 4 pp.273-280. The greater hypothesis of this article was the staggering coalition of sexual coercion, which is the forcefulness of people to use peer pressure, alcohol, or other measures to get their sexual desires met. The intent of the article was also very strong with the condom use numbers amongst its research group. Which, this author finds to be the important statistic and what the final draft will be based upon. The research that was conducted in the article was from a mid-sized college in the south eastern United Sates. The authors and researchers got together 600 undergraduate students and asked them questions based on the relative research. Questions like, I insulted or swore at my partner?, I used insults to make my partner have sex, I know that if my partner is drunk enough they won’t make me use a condom, etc. A large number of questions and evidence were conducted; however the staggering number was the condom use numbers from freshman-senior. The number declined at a rapid rate. Proving what I was trying to hypothesize†¦The older you get, the less condoms are used. As previously stated 600 people were chosen at random, 150 freshmen, 150 sophomores, 150 juniors, and 150 seniors. They were all emailed the survey, and only 148, roughly 24.7 completed them. This makes the research style survey or questionnaire. The staggering result from the research was that 30.4% of the surveyed students used condoms all the time, where 26.7% reported never using any means of protection. The authors of the article offer a few hypotheses about their research, which are â€Å"Sexually Active Students Who Report Being Victims of Sexual Coercion Will Be Less Likely to Use Condoms Consistently† (Fair, Vanyur, 2011). â€Å"Sexually Active Students Who Report Being Victims of Verbal Aggression Will Be Less Likely to Use Condoms Consistently† (Fair, Vanyur, 2011). â€Å" Alcohol Use Will Be Associated With Episodes of Sexual Coercion and Verbal Aggression† (Fair, Vanyur, 2011). â€Å"Sexually Active Students Who Report Using Alcohol Before or During Abusive Episodes Will Be Less Likely to Use Condoms Consistently† (Fair, Vanyur, 2011). The second of our articles if from the world of the â€Å"Google leavened† media, and the source for our article is Reuters. In this article author Julie Steenhuysen describes the current numbers of sexually active teens to their adult counterparts, and their condom use statistics. When the article starts with, â€Å"U.S. teens are not as reckless as some people might think when it comes to sex, and they are much more likely to use condoms than people over 40, according to a survey released on Monday that could help guide public health policy† ( Steenheysun, J. 2006). it has to be good. The research used in this article is from sex researchers at Indiana University and paid for by Trojan condom maker Church Dwight Co. At first glance this author didn’t see anything staggering wrong with their choice in researcher, but after some examination and the article lack of tables, or any other information made this author think. Is this data accurate, and who were the constants in the survey pool. Some of the evidence this article gives us is, â€Å"Condom use is higher among black and Hispanic Americans than among whites, and is lowest among people over 40, the nationally representative Internet survey of 5,865 Americans aged 14 to 94 found† (Steenheysun, J. 2006). â€Å"Only 14 percent of 14-year-old boys reported any kind of sexual interaction with a partner in the prior three months, but almost 40 percent of 17-year-old males did†(Steenheysun, J. 2006). â€Å"In this study, somewhere between 70 and 80 percent of adolescents reported condom use at their most recent vaginal intercourse† (Steenheysun, J. 2006). There were other statistics pertaining to our topic but we will leave that at that for now. In this article there were no conclusions or hypothesis about the data, but it is clear that the data (as un researchable as it is) did speak for itself. Indeed there is a correlation between adolescent condom use and that of adults. Scholarly Articles vs. Popular Media In the world of the internet and all other forms of media blasphemy the facts and lack thereof can be very twisted and exposed in ways that make them seem more legitimate. While in reality most of the articles and sources found in popular media are just words with no backing vocals. Both of the articles had similar information; however the articles differ immensely on how they present there evidence and the facts themselves.

The importance of the theory of Keynesian Economics

The importance of the theory of Keynesian Economics The theory of economics called Keynesian Economics, or Keynesianism, is named after the British economist John Maynard Keynes. Keynes lived from 1883 1946, and was considered the greatest and most influential economist of the 20th century. (Kangas, 1996). It was the use of the Keynesian Theory of economics by the government that was a strong influence of the Great Depression coming to an end. Because of this, he is known as the father of modern economics. (Kangas, 1996). When Keynes first suggested the use of his theory to help solve the problems of the Great Depression, he was not met with the same enthusiasm. Because of the incredible size and widespread effects of the Great Depression, many felt that any cause of such devastation must be as complicated as the results. Keynes, however, had a simple explanation of the cause of the Great Depression. In fact, upon sharing his theory with President Franklin Roosevelt, the President dismissed his words by saying that such a theory is too easy. (Kangas, 1996). The theory for which was considered too easy (Kangas, 1996) by President Roosevelt was actually fairly simple. In regards to the explanation of slumps in the economy, Keynes had a simple reasoning. Keynes explained that in any normal economy, the level of employment is high, and therefore the earnings of the people are spent as usual, meaning there is a circular flow of money in the economy. With this circular flow, the money spent by one person becomes the income of another person, and those earnings are spent and become the earnings of the previous person. However, when something happens in the economy to worry consumers and shake their confidence, those consumers will then decide to save their money instead of spending it to prepare for whatever lies ahead. Unfortunately the saving of that consumer will affect other people because the money saved instead of spent is no longer given to the intended person. When people save instead of spend, it affects others that are no longer gett ing the expected income, and they will then start saving themselves. It becomes a viscous circle which makes the times and economy more difficult. (Kangas, 1996). With the obviously negative effects that a slump would cause within an economy, Keynes devised a cure for the problem. The cure for this problem, which is also considered to be quite simple, is for banks to increase or expand the supply of money. By doing so, the people would have more money, which would increase confidence in the economy by the consumer now having more earnings. With the increased confidence, people would begin to spend, which would re-establish the circular flow of money. (Kangas, 1996). The larger problem of the Great Depression, however, was much larger than that of a recession, or slump. Keynes belief of the depression was that it was actually a recession that had fallen into something called a liquidity trap. (Kangas, 1996). A liquidity trap is due to those people that choose to save their money rather than spend, and will continue to do so regardless of how much the supply of money is increased by the government. Due to the lack of consumer spending, Keynes believed that the government should then be the one doing the spending, since the consumers were not. This idea of increasing government spending was considered a final effort by the government to reestablish the circular flow of money. (Kangas, 1996). In Keynes own words, he called this last-ditch effort by the government, priming the pump. (Kangas, 1996). Although in the end Keynes theories were used to end the Great Depression, they were at first rejected. To many economists, the end of the Great Depression was caused by World War II, in which the United States started spending massive amounts of money on defense. Because of this, many say that wars are good for the economy. (Kangas, 1996). Wars are considered to cause an economic boom due to the massive amounts of spending during the war, which is in extent the definition of Keynesian spending. With Keynesian spending, the U.S. went to the greatest economic boom ever, from the greatest depression ever, all due to the theory of Keynesian Economics. The use of Keynesian Economics during this time was so successful that President Nixon declared, We are all Keynesians now. (Kangas, 1996). This view of Keynesian Economics was dominant from the 1940s to the 1970s, until others began to challenge this theory. (Boyes Melvin, 2008, p.347). In an explanation of Keynesian Economics by Alan S. Blinder (2008), he defines Keynesian Economics as a theory of total spending in the economy (called aggregate demand) and its effects on output and inflation. Upon researching Keynesian Economics, there appear to be many principal ideas to the theory. The first idea, or belief, is that aggregate demand is influenced by a host of economic decisions both public and private and sometimes behaves erratically. (Blinder, 2008). These economic decisions are based on things like spending and taxes. Many economists believe that both taxes and spending affect aggregate demand. (Blinder, 2008) Another belief of Keynesian Economics is that changes in aggregate demand, whether anticipated or unanticipated, have their greatest short-run effect on real output and employment, not on prices. (Blinder, 2008). This idea is shown when inflation slowly rises as unemployment falls. This belief of Keynesians is that what can be seen in the short run is not necessarily the same as the long run. Also, due to the rigidity of prices, any changes or fluctuations in spending, whether by government spending, investment, or consumption, will cause a change or fluctuation of output. For example, if there is an increase in government spending, then an increase in output should occur, as long as the other areas of spending are constant. (Blinder, 2008). In addition, this model of Keynesian economics also has a multiplier effect. With this multiplier effect, output increases by a multiple of the original change in spending that caused it. (Blinder, 2008). For this multiplier to work, however, it must not be less than zero. Also, in yet another belief of Keynesians is that prices, and especially wages, respond slowly to changes in supply and demand, resulting in periodic shortages and surpluses, especially of labor. (Blinder, 2008). In this belief, it is stated that flexibility is limited in terms of wages and prices, no matter the arrangements. (Blinder, 2008) These beliefs are all included in the theory of Keynesian Economics. Although this theory was greatly used during the 1940s to the 1970s, it became much less commonly used, and was replaced with other economic theories. Since then, however, the theory of Keynesian Economics had made a comeback. The main reason for this comeback was due to the ability of this theory to explain the events that have happen since the end of the Great Depression better than many other economic theories. (Blinder, 2008). In conclusion, the theory of Keynesian Economics was an extremely important part of the history of the economy. This theory was an enormous part of the end of the Great Depression. It also was a key in giving an explanation to the various changes in the economy, such as slumps and recessions. While not all economists may agree that this theory is the way to correct problems in the economy, it was very obviously the correct theory needed for its time. Because of the importance of this theory, the creator of the theory, John Maynard Keyes, is considered the father of modern economics. (Kangas, 1996).

A World Unknown (my Trip To Europe) Essay -- essays research papers

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed about traveling overseas. Strange lands, exciting places, and new cultures have always fascinated me. I've always wondered what it would be like to speak another language, to grow up learning different customs, or to live in a completely different way than I do now. This past summer my dream finally came true. I got to travel to England, France, Switzerland, and Germany with Mme. Kelly and five other girls, and suddenly the world was at my fingertips. England's green hills and city life is unforgettable. Kensington, Westminster Abby, and Piccadelli Circus are just a few parts of London full of historic cathedrals, quaint little cafes, and amazing shopping places. Harrods, where the royal family shops, supposedly sales any and everything. My favorite experience in London was riding The Underground to see the broadway play Fosse and watching the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. England overall isn't too different from the States. The same language is spoken and their currency, the pound, is very similar to an U.S. dollar. However, driving on the left side of the road is hard to get use to. The Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, The Lourve, The obelisk, La Place de la Concorde, and Notre Dame are all located in the heart of Paris, France. Paris with its French cuisine, romantic atmosphere and historical self-being fills you with a sense of complete contentment. I'll never forget sitting at a French cafe, eating a baguette, ...

Information Management Essay -- essays research papers

Executive Summary The report aims to address the issue of information management within Lanway. Information, may feel is the most important resource any firm has, yet many firms have no appreciation of the cost, value or importance of the information they hold. By first outlining the steps and findings of an information audit carried out within the firm, conclusions are then drawn as to what measures should be taken in order to increase the effectiveness of Lanways information usage. The measures suggested are outlined in detail, with recommendations of both hardware and software. The report also establishes the need for information and for a company information strategy – highlighting the importance of aligning such a strategy with the overall business plan. Background Lanway Corporate Business Systems began trading in 1985 from a small market stall on Burnley market. Selling games only for the Spectrum range of computers (the most popular at that time) it began to build up a regular customer base. The firm continued in this way, until 1991 where the introduction of the personal computer led to a change in product and business activity. With the introduction of both new hardware and software, Lanway was now in a position to manufacture and sell its own PC’s. By moving into its own premises, the firm was now able to make substantial profit margins by building and pre-configuring a small range of machines. Lanway began to trade with other firms in 1994, at which point they were forced to expand both their existing premises and staff. They also began to diversify, moving into new areas such as networking technologies, the internet and more specialised hardware and software. Lanway currently has a turnover of approximately 5 million and over 40 staff, both of which are expected to continue in growth. They manufacture around 200 PC’s per week, each different in model, make and specification. The company classes itself in the batch manufacturing bracket. At present, the firm can be split into 5 departments. Sales, Accounts, Networking, Repairs and finally Production or Workshop. The firm is completely networked using a mixture of Microsoftâ„ ¢ and Novellâ„ ¢ technologies. Individual internet access and email is available to all employees. All hardware and software configuration work is carried out in-house. Because the firm has grown in the manner that it... ...use of the nature of the business and the products sold, it is vital that the information stored within the internal systems is accurate, relevant and accessible by all employees. By implementing the steps outlined above, many of these issues should be addressed. However it is up-to the company as how successfully they are implemented. Employees will need to be made aware how important the new systems and the new policies that have been introduced are. Only then will the firm begin to see benefits. The costs incurred in this project are minimal, simply because all work can be carried out in house and all products purchased at almost cost, although formal training is certainly recommended – something which will need to be outsourced. The new intranet should help to increase the distribution of information and the consistent manner in which employees are able to access the information should in the long term help the new systems to be used effectively. In order to ensure that Lanway obtains the required results, an information audit should be carried out on a yearly basis – thereby identifying any problems that have risen from implementation of were overlooked on previous audits.

Why World War II Broke out in 1939 Essay -- essays research papers

Hitler’s Aims Hitler was never secretive about his plans for Germany. His aims were explained in detail in his book Mein Kampf, of what he would do to make Germany a great nation again. His main aims were to: Abolish the Treaty of Versailles Like many Germans, Hitler believed that the Treaty of Versailles was unjust. He hated the Treaty and the German politicians were in his view, â€Å"November Criminals†. The worst aspect of the Treaty was that it was a reminder to the Germans of their defeat in the First World War and their humiliation by the Allies. His promise to the German people was that if he was the leader of Germany he would reverse this. By the time Hitler came to power, some of these terms had already been changed. The largest if these was Germany no longer had to pay reparations. However, most of the conditions were still in place. Expand German Territory Another term of the Treaty was that land was taken away from Germany. Hitler wanted this territory back. He also wanted an Anschluss with Austria, and with any other German minorities in other countries such as Czechoslovakia. As well as regaining old land, he also desired to make an empire in the east, for the Germans to have Lebensraum, or living space. Destroy Communism A German empire in the Soviet Union would also help Hitler with one his other objectives, which was to defeat communism. Hitler was anti-communist. He also believed that Bolsheviks had contributed to Germany losing the World War. This aim was accepted in the West, due to the growing fear of communism. Therefore, people were lenient towards his other aims. Rearmament As soon as Hitler came to power in 1933, one of his first steps was to increase Germany’s armed forces. Consequent... ... take over the border districts of Czechoslovakia. 3. Britain and Germany would never go to war. On 1 October German troops marched into the Sudetenland with no resistance. Although the British people welcomed the Munich Agreement, they did not trust Hitler. In March 1939 they were proved right. On 15 March, with Czechoslovakia in chaos, German troops took over the rest of the country. There was no resistance from the Czechs. Nor did Britain and France do anything about the situation. However, it was now clear that Hitler could not be trusted. For Chamberlain, this was a step too far. Unlike the Sudeten Germans, the Czechs were not separated from their homeland by the Treaty of Versailles. This was an invasion. Britain and France told Hitler that if he invaded Poland they would declare war on Germany. The policy of Appeasement was ended.

Abolition of the Death Penalty

Jeremy Brooks Suzanne Gerbasi Coms 101-37 10/30/12 Persuasive Speech Topic: Abolition of the Death Penalty General Purpose: To Persuade Specific purpose: To persuade my audience that we should abolish the death penalty in California. Central Idea: The death penalty should be abolished because of the inefficiency of the legal system, its high economic cost, and its moral implications. I. Introduction When I joined the current debate team in high school, I knew I would have to learn to respect and accept points of view different than my own.Arguing both sides of a hot topic taught me to value the merit of my opposition’s points. With much research and an open-mind, I even came to change my opinions on many issues—including my support of California’s death penalty. After getting down to brass tacks and really looking at the facts, I concluded that the negatives far outweigh any positives of the death penalty. Along with the extremely high costs, it uses up countless hours of court time and often discriminates against certain groups of people.While other countries have moved forward and outlawed this practice, we remain clinging to an idea that is no longer practical or ethical in today’s world. California needs to abolish the death penalty and save our time, tax dollars, and innocent people’s lives. You would think that keeping someone alive for the rest of their life would be a greater financial burden then simply condemning them to their death, right? Wrong. In this counter-intuitive situation, executing a person is a much more complicated process than it seems.When you add up the costs of pre-trial legalities, the actual trials themselves, appeal court cases, and the necessary incarceration of convicts in maximum-security prisons, the total has robbed Californians of an exorbitant amount of money. Exactly how much is that? Well, a study by Judge Arthur Alarcon and Prof. Paula Mitchell  concluded that the death penalty in Cal ifornia has cost us more than $4 billion since 1978. Furthermore, according to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, the death penalty policy is currently costing our state at least $137 million each year.Now compare this to the cost of a life without parole system-which would only cost the state $11. 5 million a year. Do the math; a switch to this kind of system would save more than $125 million dollars annually- that isn’t mere pocket change. Now let’s take a look at how well the death penalty works in practice. To give you a picture of how inefficient California’s death penalty system is, according to the Death Penalty Information Center- 86% of inmates die from other causes before they can be executed.This is because inmates spend their time appealing, finding expert witnesses, and looking for loopholes in the system to drag out the court process. This takes up the valuable time of our limited resources of qualified judges and lawy ers. By switching to a system that gives convicted felons life without parole, we would bring inmates to a similar standard of other prisoners convicted of serious felonies. This would restore valuable court time to judges and lawyers while still making sure that the lawbreakers are given the punishment they deserve.So what happens when it actually comes to executing people? The death penalty has proven to be unfairly biased in many ways by the human rights organization Amnesty International. First of all, it is racially biased. Amnesty International’s research has found that, â€Å"Since 1977, the overwhelming majority of death row defendants (77%) have been executed for killing white victims, even though African-Americans make up about half of all homicide victims. † Secondly, the death penalty doesn’t take mental illness into account. Therefore, dozens of prisoners have been executed despite their disabilities.Third, most people sentenced to death cannot affo rd to hire their own attorney. This means the state has to provide them with an unmotivated lawyer who will not likely present his best case possible. In addition, political factors, chance, and location can all decide whether a person lives or dies. Do we really want to make such an important decision- condemning a person to death- when such arbitrary conditions are present? Take into account that I have not even mentioned up to now the many times we have gotten it wrong and executed or had to release innocent victims.Amnesty reports that more than 140 people have been cleared from crimes after being sentenced to die. I certainly don’t want that hanging over my conscience. To be fair, since I have said why we should abolish the death penalty I suppose it is fair to give the two main arguments in favor of the death penalty a chance. One main reason I hear people say they support the death penalty is because it is a deterrent that scares people into cooperating. However, there is no evidence to suggest that this is true. In fact, there is evidence to support that opposite.FBI data shows that the states without a death penalty have lower homicide rates on average. Also, most homicides happen on a whim- meaning the killer probably isn’t clearly thinking through the consequences of his or her actions at the time of the crime. The other argument I hear is that it is cheaper to kill someone than take care of him or her until they die. Based on the data I provided earlier we know this is false. With a strong case for the abolition of the death penalty in California, it is time to let you know what you can do to make this happen.Besides educating your friends, protesting the death penalty, and joining nonprofit organizations like Amnesty International, the most effective step you can take today to stop the death penalty is mark a yes on your ballot next to Proposition 34. Prop 34 would change our flawed policy to the life without parole option I mentione d. This would save valuable court time, taxpayers’ dollars, and ensure that we aren’t being racially biased or murdering innocent people. Any way you look at it, the death penalty needs to die.

Becoming Gendered Essay

Davies argues that the sex role socialization theory does not adequately explain how we understand and become man and woman (p282). She concedes that the social structure with which man is entrenched; influence the conception of gender but the individual is as much a part of that process as the social environment. Davies says that man is an agent in his/her gendered identity, we choose to be masculine or feminine in the context of our social realities and that it is not tied to biology. In the movie Sabrina (1995), after being sent to Paris and transformed into a sophisticated woman of the world, David became enamored with her. David responded to her charms when she became feminine and did not notice her when she was boyish and ugly. Sabrina was masculine because she did not have a female figure to emulate, but within the same environment she was able to recognize the attraction she felt for the opposite sex and although it was depicted as a coming of age realization, socialization does not fully demonstrate the shift in gender roles (Rakow, 1986; 12). Davies was correct when she said that the individual is an active and engaged participant in becoming gendered (p284), Sabrina may have become feminine in her ways, but she was independent, headstrong and speaks her mind, all of which are masculine traits which she had imbibed while she was growing up. Davies (p289) suggested that we become gendered because it is what society expects, Sabrina has to be feminine because she was female and the world responds to that reality based on their conception of what is feminine and masculine. References Pollack, S. (Director). (1995, December 15). Sabrina, Constellation Entertainment. Davies, B. (2001). Becoming male or female. In S. Jackson & S. Scott (Eds.), Gender (pp. 280-290). London: Routledge . Rakow, L. (1986) â€Å"Rethinking Gender Research in Communication,† Journal of Communication, Volume 36, No. 4, pp.11-26.

Columbia Capital Structure

Some other risk factors include substantial cyclical fluctuation, the effects of unseasonable weather conditions, and the popularity of the outdoor activities. In order to minimize the negative impacts on this business, the company started a series Of strategic initiatives, such as product innovation program, new multi-channel and multi-country direct-to-consumer platform, information management and their enhanced marketing efforts. All those improvement and implementation involve significant investment in SO&A expenses and its fixed cost.Thus it is essential to look back and evaluate their current capital structure and payout policies to exam whether the company would start on carrying debt or whether they have residual cash return to their investors. Despite Columbians regular dividend payouts and stock repurchases, they does not maintain a healthy cash and short-term investment balance. According to the financial data provided in Annual Report, the major financing needs include ca pital expenditures, working capital expenses, stock buybacks, and dividend payouts. In 201 1 , Columbia spent $78 million in capital expenditure and $92. Million in working capital investments; which was increased from $29 million and $78. 9 million from last year. Even though the company's net income increases over time, they have generated negative free cash flow for both fiscal year of 2011 and 2010 with around $14. 6 million and $53 million respectively. Currently, the company sales short-term investments to finance those capital expenditures which should not be a long term strategy as the company only has $2. 9 million short-term investments sitting on the balance sheet at the end of 2011.If the company maintains its profitability and its capital structure as the end of Fiscal year 2010, Columbia will have significant financial difficulties to meet capital expenditure requirement and will have emitted resources for distribution to investors in the form of a cash dividend and st ock repurchases with current payout rate. In conclusion, Columbia may need to seek additional funding. Even though, historically the company have limited their reliance on debt to finance their working capital, capital expenditures and investing activity requirements.We suggest that the company need to revise their capital structure policy by increasing debt to finance the business activities. Debt not only can provide coverage for any general costs and unforeseen expenses, it also serves as a tax shield allowing more capital to be available to investors. The assumption here is that the company can earn more in tax savings from borrowed funds than it pays in interest expenses and fees on these funds. As shown in Exhibit X, Columbians WAC hit a minimum of 6. 6% at 30% debt ratio, or debt to equity ratio of 0. 3. As the graph illustrates below, less than 30% debt or debt beyond 40% cause WAC to increase. Also, the PEPS and ROE increase compared to the current 100% equity model. In a b usiness, debt is a two-edged sword. Aggressive use of leverage increases the amount of financial resources available for growth, expansion, and payout for investors. But if Columbia adopts a highly leveraged capital structure policy, it may find its freedom of action restricted by its creditors and its profitability may hurt as a result of paying high interest expenses.It may also affect the company's profitability and liquidity when the business has trouble meeting Operating and debt liabilities during unfavorable economic conditions. Additionally, too much debt versus equity would potentially affects business' credit rating, which is the evaluation of a company's ability to repay principle and interest on debt obligations. Since the company do not have much experience on carrying debt on their lance sheet, we recommend the company to start the process slow.

Is the constitution effective? Essay

The United States Constitution is questioned all of the time. Disagreements about the powers of national government and the rights of states have been frequent. Combined with the separation of powers, the protection of civil liberties, and the ability to create a national identity, the Constitution cannot be considered anything else but effective. The Constitution has lasted the nation this long, and many things concerning the Constitution have been debated. But, the Constitutions effectiveness cannot be questioned. At the Philadelphia Conference, where the constitution was signed and put the final touches on, the men who created the document wanted to make sure that monarchy would never rule over anyone of the U.S. again. The founding fathers did this by creating a separation of powers, with 3 branches of government; Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. With powers separated between these branches, it would ensure that the country would never fall under tyranny, and it never has. State and federal powers were also separated, giving state governments a little freedom to make their own laws, but still abide by all of the national laws as well. The founding fathers of the Constitution tried their best to create an effective part of the government where certain powers were separated, and they did just that. Read more: How did the constitution guard against tyranny essay Civil liberties are basic rights guaranteed by laws or by a constitution. Usually when an American thinks of civil liberties, they think of the Bill of Rights, but the Constitution itself protects itself from tyranny. Many articles and amendments in the Constitution were put there for the only reason but of the people, and to protect their rights. These articles and amendments cover everything from religious freedom to the right to a fair trail, the Framers really thought of everything the people needed to be protected from at that time. Some would argue that the Constitution was written for the society back in 1787, and not for a modern society, but a person’s basic needs to live are the same as they were in that time. Perhaps it is because of all of these rights Americans are given that they are taken for granted of. After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. needed to break away from England, and create and image and identity for itself. The U.S needed to show that they  weren’t Britain’s little colony anymore, it was a country with a strong government. The Constitution gave the United States the identity it needed. It is a strong document, giving the federal government power, while at the same time letting the individual states keep some of their sovereignty. After the Constitution was signed, the economy grew, the nation slowly came out of debt, and the United States earned respect, while showing how effective their new government was. The Constitution is a very effective document that helped the United States in many ways. The Framers never wanted to have tyranny rule over the nation, and it hasn’t because of this document. The Constitution protects the rights of the people, as well as maintains a strong central government the people can rely on. The Constitution has lasted the United States this long with great success, so who is anyone to question it’s effectiveness?

Social contract theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social contract theory - Essay Example This means the citizens have political powers unless they decide to transfer the power to the government. The past philosophers agreed that the government originated from the people’s contract in the society. They believed that people pledge loyalty and compliance with the government so that it protects them and their belongings in return (Dye & Schubert 29). There are various aspects of the American social contract highlighted in the Preamble and declaration. The county’s social contract is derived from the preamble that states that people have to collaborate with government to promote justice and protection of individuals’ liberty. This means that the main aspects of the country’s social aspects reflected in the preamble are the partnership between the people and the government, and the people’s freedom. The Declaration also serves as the constitutional foundation of the American social contact. One of the aspects of the country’s social contract in the Declaration is the commitment to people’s natural rights. Pursuit to happiness was another aspect of the Declaration reflected in the county’s social contact (Billias

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Human Resource - Essay Example With the help of the human resource management practice, HR mangers around the world measure performances of individual employees. It helps the organization to reach their goal. Human resource is the most important, valuable and complex resource to manage. Measuring their performances with the help of appraisal is also very difficult. Performance appraisal and performance management has very deep rooted relationship between them. According to the article, the term performance appraisal may be a modern terminology but the concept is very old. Over the years, this Human resource management practice has evolved a lot. Like many other human resource management practices this practice is not free from criticism. It is often being noticed that performance appraisal are not proper. There are certain intangible things related with performance which cannot be measured with performance appraisals. The authors state that sometimes performance appraisals are very orthodox. Performance appraisals can create unnecessary mental pressure in the mind of employees. Often performance appraisals are done by human beings. Often human beings are bias in nature. In spite of all these limitations performance appraisal is a very widely used HRM practice for performance management. The above mentioned article will contribute in measuring the performances presented by group members in case of group presentations. Performance management is all about identifying different dimensions related with employee performance. All these dimensions are scrutinized very strictly. It is a very important practice of human resource manager. According to this article, every organization wants good performances from their employees. Here comes the important of performance management. There are many tools for managing performances. The article discusses that performance appraisal is a very competent performance management tool. Modern day business is full of cut throat competitions.

Hydraulics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hydraulics - Essay Example Most of the ancient towns and cities in United Kingdom are close to the river always experiencing damages from flooding over time. SuDS are small scale source control measures which are useful in draining surface water in a more natural way through infiltration, retention and storage devices in urban areas. They employ methods that mimic natural drainage systems by passively removing contaminants in surface water and naturalizing flow rate (JEFFERIES, 2011 p 189-221). After reducing the water volumes and pollutants near the water source, a corresponding reduction in the rate of flow downstream and flood discharges are evident. Reducing rate of downstream flow and flood discharges contribute in improving the quality of water. Further improvements are realizable due to reduced storm water into sewers because little surface water spills over into the sewer system, this spillage if often allowed force raw sewer discharge into the water courses. Certain infiltration based systems such as permeable pavements, swale and detention ponds are always important in controlling the effect of storm water in built-up areas. Permeable pavements are alternative grounds that allow storm water to filter through the voids into the underlying stone reservoirs for temporarily storage (KING, & WISLER, 2008 p 117-131). Permeable pavements consist of permeable surface layer, bedding a layer, underlying stone aggregate reservoir and a filtration layer laid at the bottom. Swales are shallow channels for collecting, and removing pollutants from water (KING, & WISLER, 2008 p 207-231). Swales have shallow side slopes and a flat bottom. They usually have grass covers and mostly water flows in a thin layer through the grass. Detention ponds are for improving the quality of urban runoff and reducing the rates at which the peak storm flows this is possible by providing temporary storage during large storms. Slow sand Filters have a filtration rate of 0.15 m3/m2†¢h, the

Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Reaction Paper - Essay Example Children are the party who suffer most when parents go through a divorce and have to share the children much like other assets in a marriage. There seems to be a link between divorce and delinquency and it is easy to connect the two although there may be deeper causes as well. Even in cases where divorce does not break up a family, a married couple can live with children in a hostile environment which continually causes stress to all those living in it. In such situations parents may show less control over their children and even show a lessened interest in their activities. Such situations are reported to lower the self esteem of the children involved and an increase in delinquent behavior. Interestingly enough, and it is possible to this with common experience, children who are treated positively with humor, support, physical and verbal affection react better than children who are treated with negative actions such as hostility, defensiveness, abuse, threats and maltreatment. The link between violence towards children e.g. spankings was seen to be established as further violence acted out by the children on others. It is interesting to note that physical punishment might be used if it is balanced with positive support for the children when they need it. This certainly makes sense because without the positive support and recognition, simple physical punishment for being ‘naughty’ would be nothing more than physical abuse of the child which certainly scars a child and could even prevent future normal functioning as an adult. This also creates a direct link to the level of supervisions that a child has from the parents as well as other concerned parties in the family. In a family where the child receives supervision and help from elders, the child can be assured of having a positive relationship with the parents. Common wisdom often states that working mothers

T205A_TMA01 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

T205A_TMA01 - Essay Example The hospital does not provide any information to the patients about the delivery of their scans and about the period of wait. In the long wait, much confusion is developed by the patients and some patients become worried and the others become more optimistic about the condition of their health. A mess cannot be further divided into simpler components to solve it. However, in the issue that we are dealing with, the problems can be subdivided and further decomposed into simpler components. The property of mess is that it is unbounded. Hence it does not follow the attributes of a mess and is a difficulty. The patients suffer because of unavailable information. They make up their own judgments resulting from the environment and the hints from their GP. Some patients get too worried and others develop a more optimistic thought. All the patients agree that receiving information on time will solve many of their difficulties. Systemic thinking indicates that everything is interrelated and all the events in the world can only be understood if they are seen as a whole. It considers the system to be a mix of interactions and actions and a structured unit with a function. On the other hand, systematic thinking is the belief that the things can be better understood if they are broken down into simpler components. Systematic thinking states that if things are studied in isolation, without interdependencies, the things become less complex. Once the wholes are broken into smaller, more manageable parts, understanding becomes pretty much possible. Whereas systemic thinking argues that if wholes are broken down, the understanding of the whole is not possible anymore because of the absence of interrelation. The focus of systemic thinking is more on the linkages and the interactions among the elements of a system. By taking a holistic view of the entire system, the system can be understood and the problems can be addresses. The focus of the

Shakespeares Use of Subplots in King Lear Essay

Shakespeares Use of Subplots in King Lear - Essay Example The author has rightly presented that King Lear main plot revolves around Lear’s bad decision making that sees him disowning his own daughter Cordelia who is faithful to him and awarding his two treacherous daughters Goneril and Regan with a portion of his immense wealth. The subplot kicks in when Earl Gloucester and his two controversial sons get introduced into the story of the play, the illegitimate Edmund and Edgar the loyal one. A clear relationship is seen between the main plot and the subplot by two characters who assume the leadership and fatherly role, King Lear and Earl of Gloucester, they are both deceived by their children. Characters that constitute the subplot in Earl of Gloucester, Edmund and Edgar touch on the reflection on the major acts such as betrayal and madness hence highlight major themes. In William Shakespeare’s King Lear subplot development elaborated by Earl Gloucester, Edmund and Edgar's characters has been influential in giving a strong sens e of resonance, contradiction and complication to the major themes of father-child relationship, reconciliation and good versus evil hence strengthening the fact that subplot as a literature tool is an important asset in plays or stories plot development and helps to boldly portray the important message intended. Resonance as a subplot aspect in ‘King Lear’ resonates or binds the subplot and main plot and helps in bringing out the major theme the play was intended to portray. Father-child relationship is seen to be twisted in both positive and negative way.

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 29

Art - Essay Example It should of course be understood by the reader that although proceeding analysis is indicative of this author’s interpretation, it cannot be viewed as the only correct interpretation. The first of these is of course the most important fact that the figures within the context of the sculpture are indicative of dance; appropriate to the arena in which they are displayed. However, more importantly than merely dance, the figures do not represent gender, age, race, or any other factors that would engage the viewer with any level of bias. Instead, the artist chose to represent them as faceless and genderless as a means of engaging with the widest audience possible and drawing a level of thought and contemplation to the emotions and feelings that the dancers themselves represent. The level of emotion and feeling that is displayed within the sculpture is also an item of considerable importance due to the fact that the dancers are not only engaged in mid stride for a particular dance that is un-described; they are also in a clearly celebratory stage of this dance. The viewer is left to imagine whether the action that is captured is indeed part of the dance itself or is instead the exemplification of the completed action and the final movements that the dancers make as a way of engaging the audience and their approval of the performance that has just been presented. It is the belief of this particular reviewer that the latter is most likely the case as the upraised arms on the part of both dancers helps to engage the imagination with a celebratory movement that is being performed as the final part of a well received performance. Moreover, the position of the feet, upturned on the part of the character in the foreground and flat/running on the part of the charac ter in the background is indicative of a type of victory stance and celebratory lap that is usually engaged within the final

On Dumpster Diving Essay Example for Free

On Dumpster Diving Essay Quite by accident, I found the essay On Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner on the pages of Seagull magazine. The first lines of it captured my interest considerably, for as I had never read about dumpster diving or scavenging before. On Dumpster Diving is a piece of large Eighner’s work called Travels with Lizbeth (1993), which was based on his own experience of homelessness. The author engages me by telling the origin and meaning of the term Dumpster Diver, presenting his survival guide with specified rules and regulations. Dumpster is a trademark of garbage loading onto trucks system. Dumpster diving involves persons voluntarily climbing into rubbish bins (dumpsters) to find valuables or simply useful items, including food and used clothing. Eighner writes that the life of a beggar traveling without any money opened his eyes to the fact that all those containers with waste are real â€Å"supermarkets† for the poor, and they are not only a source of survival, but also a depositary of high-quality and diverse food. Anyhow, there is a risk in eating such findings. According to Eighner’s experience, taking food out of dumpsters should involve three simple principles: â€Å"using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the Dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly, and seeking always to answer the question, â€Å"Why was this discarded?† Narrator advises to avoid such foods as game, poultry, pork, and egg-based meals. Soft drinks testing should be based on their fizzing vigorously. Being a scavenger, one has to notice the least signs of visible contaminates. Notwithstanding the scavenger has no indemnity of self- intoxication. Later on Lars tells about â€Å"a predictable series of stages a person goes through in learning to scavenge,† in which disgust at the beginning gives way to indiscriminate acquiring of the things. The story also includes information about the â€Å"can-divers† and their way of diving featured as unethical and impudent. The plot of it is neither compound nor rich in events and characters. However, it is thought provoking. The author gives us detailed guidance how to survive being a dumpster diver. Reading the essay, I asked myself right along whether it was the only aim of Eighner to teach us those rules. As the story progressed, I picked up the writer’s conception gradually. His essay exemplifies the wasteful nature of American society and implies that it is the result of materialistic values but also ignorance and lack of understanding. People unreasonably throw out even food that is appropriate for using: â€Å"Students throw out many good things including foodthe item was thrown out through carelessness, ignorance, or wastefulness.†(Eighner) The scavenger can acquire â€Å"boom boxes, candles, bedding, toilet paper, medicine, books, a typewriter, a virgin male love doll, change sometimes amounting to many dollars† in the dumpsters. I suppose the purpose of the article is also to show how immoral is to throw out good food and things, knowing that thousands are starving and suffering from poverty. However, exactly that garbage helps him to survive at difficult times. Eighner’s reasoning for why people are materialistic derives from the concept that they are lost and unsure of what they want. In a way, his short essay On Dumpster Diving, suggests to his readers that to achieve the state of satisfaction, they need to know what they want. He states, â€Å"Almost everything I have now has already been cast at least once, proving that what I own is valueless to someone.† The author himself collects only things that are of benefit to him and leaves the rest for the benefit of others. The article shows that the writer being homeless still keeps his intelligent, clever, and sentimental way of thinking. He emphasises the transience of material being and says, â€Å"Once I was the sort of person who invests material objects with sentimental value. Now I no longer have those things, but I have the sentiments yet.†(Eighner) I think, describing all the rules of dumpster diving Lars Eighner represents us the necessity of keeping the etiquette even in adversity. The breakers of that common law are the â€Å"can-divers.† They, as contrasted with the true scavengers, look only for the money there and mix the contents of the dumpster making it more difficult to find the truly good things, the author explains. The worst in can scroungers’ actions is their audacity to go through individual containers in front of peoples homes, something a true diver would never do. Doing that the can diver finds different prescriptions, diaries and things the owner throws out. It is clear that privacy disclosing would embarrass us. Eighner exclaims against private invasion, thus demonstrating his culture and humanism. The last paragraph where Lars compares himself to ultra-wealthy is the most interesting point of the essay, to my mind. The rich people can acquire anything they like and the money does not stand in the way of doing that. The dumpster diver gets the things from dumpsters free too. Author’s analysis is that the truly rich or the truly poor are those who do not want or need. In his comparison, Lars means that he and the super-rich do not need the items the rest of us do. He can just go out and find them. The narrator tries to show the positives of his profession, but does not overlook the negatives as well, following it with the words: â€Å"Dumpster diving has serious drawbacks as a way of life.† The main idea of Lars Eighner in his essay is to assure us that any hopeless situation has its way out. The life goes on even if you meet difficulties†¦ He calls us for keeping our cultural and ethical talents even when being in the lowest state of life. We may not forget that having materialistic values over moral ones destroys and vitiates us from inside. In the unique voice dry, disciplined, poignant, comic- Eighner celebrates the triumph of the artistic spirit in the face of enormous adversity, thus, inspiring me for true respect.