Saturday, August 31, 2019

Fahrenheit 451 Ignorance

Rational ignorance is very similar to apathy, and by reading, we can rid ourselves of the urge to Just not care. Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 attempts to warn readers of the price that comes with rational ignorance by creating an example society much like our own. This society has given up all intellectual thought and sharing of ideas. By â€Å"paying the price† characters like Mildred give up the human experience and become void due to lack of independent thoughts. Characters like Clarisse pay a much higher toll: life and dignity.Characters like Guy Montag and Granger pay the price by being surrounded with nothings but Mildreds. In F451 , society believes that limiting education and sharing of ideas actually enhances life by excluding bad thoughts. In Ray Bradburys dystopian future, every character pays the price for ignorance. Most characters, though, willingly and unknowingly do so. In the novel, life is not valued the way it should be; living is not meaningful anymore. In the very beginning of the book, Mildred tries to kill herself for, what seems like, no reason. This happens so often that technicians are sent to speedily fix he problem rather than doctors.After the technicians do their duty to Mildred, her parlor â€Å"uncle† states mvyell, after all, this is the age of disposable tissue. Blow your nose on a person, wad them, flush them away, reach for another, blow, wad, flush† (17). Even after the ordeal, Mildred is not upset that she failed in taking her own life, as if indifferent to the subject. For her, life is no different than death. Mildred's â€Å"uncle† is correct in comparing a modern day person to a tissue. People have worth based on their thoughts, actions, and relations with people. If one has no houghts, real actions, or connections, their life cannot be worth very much.Mildred has as many independent thoughts as a tissue and values her life precisely for how much it is worth. In the same sense, one cannot value another's life if they cannot value their own. When Guy confronts Mildred about where Clarisse McClellan has been, Mildred nonchalantly says she died, as if it did not matter. Mildred shows that Clarisse's death means nothing to her when her reasoning for net telling Montag sooner was I forgot all about it† (47). Mildred says that she wants to forget sad things, but it does ot seem like this event makes her very sad at all. Mildred's fickle mind cannot assess a tragedy.It was not a surprise that Mildred did not pay heed to her death, but that she died with nothing to show for her life. The multitude of suicides, mentioned earlier, are no tragedies considering the quality of the life being taken. Clarisse's death was unfortunate because she lived. To Clarisse, there was a large difference between life and death because she, unlike her peers, experienced life. Comparable to Clarrise's death, the death of the random citizen (who seems to enjoy life too; he as on a stroll at nigh t) killed in place of Montag (149) suffered a similar fate of no dignity after death.Intellectuals like Montag, Granger, and all ot the travellers who memorize books pay by being surrounded by an endless amount of Mildreds. After introducing himself and showing Montag the end of the manhunt, Granger explains, When we were separate individuals, all we had was rage. I struck a fireman when he came to burn my library years ago. IVe been running ever since† (150). Granger bridges his own experiences to Montags to illustrate Montags future. Granger is far too wise to be bitter about his situation.When intellectuals have no choice but to either suffer amongst the ignorant or outcast themselves, they are the ones who pay the most. Ignorance is most certainly not a satisfying path, but neither is a life of suffering. Not one character in Bradburys controversial novel escapes the price of ignorance. However, the payment methods differ from character to character. â€Å"Ignorance is vo id† should become a popular saying for in the midst of ignorance, one either becomes empty or outcast. Either way, no one wins. Ridding the world of complex, â€Å"painful† thoughts does not lessen pain, it lessens emotion and human experience.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Human Resources Information System Essay

A Human Resources Management System (HRMS) or Human Resources Information System (HRIS), refers to the systems and processes at the intersection betweenhuman resource management (HRM) and information technology. It merges HRM as a discipline and in particular its basic HR activities and processes with the information technology field, whereas the programming of data processing systems evolved into standardized routines and packages of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. On the whole, these ERP systems have their origin on software that integrates information from different applications into one universal database. The linkage of its financial and human resource modules through one database is the most important distinction to the individually and proprietary developed predecessors, which makes this software application both rigid and flexible. There are approximately 36 vendors of HRMS software in the U. S. and Canada[1]. The function of human resources (HR) departments is generally administrative and common to all organizations. Organizations may have formalized selection, evaluation, and payroll processes. Efficient and effective management of â€Å"human capital† progressed to an increasingly imperative and complex process. The HR function consists of tracking existing employee data which traditionally includes personal histories, skills, capabilities, accomplishments and salary. To reduce the manual workload of these administrative activities, organizations began to electronically automate many of these processes by introducing specialized human resource management systems. HR executives rely on internal or external IT professionals to develop and maintain an integrated HRMS. Before the client–server architecture evolved in the late 1980s, many HR automation processes were relegated to mainframe computers that could handle large amounts of data transactions. In consequence of the high capital investment necessary to buy or program proprietary software, these internally developed HRMS were limited to organizations that possessed a large amount of capital. The advent of client–server, application service provider, and software as a service (SaaS) or human resource management systems enabled increasingly higher administrative control of such systems. Currently human resource management systems encompass[citation needed]: 1. Payroll 2. Time and attendance 3. Performance appraisal 4.  Benefits administration 5. HR management information system 6. Recruiting/Learning management 7. Performance record 8. Employee self-service 9. Scheduling 10. Absence management 11. Analytics The payroll module automates the pay process by gathering data on employee time and attendance, calculating various deductions and taxes, and generating periodic pay cheques and employee tax reports. Data is generally fed from the human resources and time keeping modules to calculate automatic deposit and manual cheque writing capabilities. This module can encompass all employee-related transactions as well as integrate with existing financial management systems. The time and attendance module gathers standardized time and work related efforts. The most advanced modules provide broad flexibility in data collection methods, labor distribution capabilities and data analysis features. Cost analysis and efficiency metrics are the primary functions. The benefits administration module provides a system for organizations to administer and track employee participation in benefits programs. These typically encompass insurance, compensation, profit sharing and retirement. The HR management module is a component covering many other HR aspects from application to retirement. The system records basic demographic and address data, selection, training and development, capabilities and skills management, compensation planning records and other related activities. Leading edge systems provide the ability to â€Å"read† applications and enter relevant data to applicable database fields, notify employers and provide position management and position control. Human resource management function involves the recruitment, placement, evaluation, compensation and development of the employees of an organization. Initially, businesses used computer based information systems to: * produce pay checks and payroll reports; * maintain personnel records; * pursue talent management. Online recruiting has become one of the primary methods employed by HR departments to garner potential candidates for available positions within an organization. Talent management systems typically encompass: * analyzing personnel usage within an organization; identifying potential applicants; * recruiting through company-facing listings; * recruiting through online recruiting sites or publications that market to both recruiters and applicants. The significant cost incurred in maintaining an organized recruitment effort, cross-posting within and across general or industry-specific job boards and maintaining a competitive exposure of availabilities has given rise to the deve lopment of a dedicated applicant tracking system, or ‘ATS’, module. The training module provides a system for organizations to administer and track employee training and development efforts. The system, normally called a â€Å"learning management system† (LMS) if a stand alone product, allows HR to track education, qualifications and skills of the employees, as well as outlining what training courses, books, CDs, web based learning or materials are available to develop which skills. Courses can then be offered in date specific sessions, with delegates and training resources being mapped and managed within the same system. Sophisticated LMS allow managers to approve training, budgets and calendars alongside performance management and appraisal metrics. The employee self-service module allows employees to query HR related data and perform some HR transactions over the system. Employees may query their attendance record from the system without asking the information from HR personnel. The module also lets supervisors approve O. T. requests from their subordinates through the system without overloading the task on HR department. Many organizations have gone beyond the traditional functions and developed human resource management information systems, which support recruitment, selection, hiring, job placement, performance appraisals, employee benefit analysis, health, safety and security, while others integrate an outsourced applicant tracking system that encompasses a subset of the above. Assigning Responsibilities Communication between the Employees. The Analytics module enables organizations to extend the value of an HRMS implementation by extracting HR related data for use with other business intelligence platforms. For example, organizations combine HR metrics with other business data to identify trends and anomalies in headcount in order to better predict the impact of employee turnover on future output.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Alexander the Great Summary 16 Essay

man who portrayed outstanding leadership qualities was Alexander of Macedonia, more commonly referred to as Alexander the Great. Alexander gained control of the Macedonian empire and led his men to victory by conquering the Persian Empire. Not only did his conquest enhance his overall image as a great military leader, but the characteristics he developed throughout his lifetime also played a role in his tremendous success. Although Alexander encountered many obstacles throughout his conquests, he†¦ Alexander, son of King Philip II of Macedon, is known as Alexander the Great. However, was he truly great? One may look at his many accomplishments to decide if he deserves the title. Sometimes character is the test of determining if a man is great. Alexander meets both standards with his philosophic background, conquering abilities, victories in battle, and outstanding accomplishments; therefore, he truly meets his title as Alexander the Great Alexander was born in 356 B.C. to King Philip II f†¦ of the Book â€Å"The Campaigns of Alexander†. Arrian was highly educated as a Greek citizen who born in a wealthy family. He has been famous since the Roman Period (27 BC –) as a philosopher who developed and extended his master Epictetus’ philosophy; a good governor of Roman cities Andalusia and Cappadocia during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (AD 117-38); a remarkable historian who accomplished many influential historian works such as The Campaigns of Alexander. There are many ancient sources†¦ Alexander the Great: Alexander III of Macedon, more commonly known as Alexander the Great (356 B.C. – 323 B.C.) was the son of Philip II, King of Macedon (382 B.C. – 336 B.C.) and Olympias. Conqueror of the Persian Empire, India and Egypt. When Alexander was born, prophecies foretold by Persian soothsayers and astronomers that he was going to be the â€Å"destroyer of Asia† due to the burning of the â€Å"famous Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.† (Alexandria, City of the Western Mind) The manuscript Alexander†¦ Joe Cibulka May 16, 2011 Alexander the Great Who is the Macedonian king who beat the great Persian Empire in 329 B.C.? Alexander the Great, of course! Although he faced many challenges, Alexander III conquered the world. Alexander said`ï€  Nothing is impossible to him who tries†- Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great was born on July 20, 356 B.C. He was born in the Macedonian capitol Pella. His mother and father were Queen and King, so he was a prince. His dad was murdered by a traitor†¦ Alexander the Great   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. Even at an early age, Alexander had the promise to become a great leader. Through all his victories and conquests, he has become a great hero and has had a large impact on history. That is why I chose he book Alexander the Great, by J.R. Hamilton for my review. Hamilton does a very good job with the story of Alexander†¦ Alexander the Great seems to have been a man who relished in the excesses of life. Not only did he lust after wealth and lands, but also he sought after deification and absolute power. With regards to "With regard to bodily pleasures, [Alexander] enjoyed perfect self-control; where pleasures of the mind were concerned, he was insatiable only for men 's praise", this statement is misleading and most likely Arrian stated such only because of his admiration of Alexander (Arrian 7.28.2). Alexander commonly†¦ Alexander the Great Deserve and His Reputation Alexander the Great is known for his legacy. Most known for his strategy of conquering many cities in Europe, Alexander the Great was no stranger to war strategy. Following a series of events leading to Alexander’s father being murder the Peloponnesian War ensued and the consequences of this country showed the Greek states at their worst selfish, contentious, avaricious, and power-hungry. The crises solution was Alexander to take his father’s throne†¦ Alexander the Great seemed to be given a name fit for someone who is legendary. We all know his name today, even though he lived sixteen hundred years ago. What made him such a great man? Alexander was born to father King Phillip II and mother Olympias (formerly called Myrtale) on day six of the month Loios (Macedonian month of July). During a majority of this time, King Phillip was away fighting wars, so his mother Queen Olympias oversaw his training and instilled resentment in Alexander about†¦ Alexander the Great and His Achievements Alexander the Great was the king of Macedon. Alexander of Macedon, or ancient Mecadonia, deserves to be called the Great. Alexander the Great was considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. He was an excellent king, general, and conqueror. During his thirteen-year rule he conquered almost all the then known world and gave a new direction to history. He had established an empire after he died. His new empire helped many people live their†¦

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Paradoxes Entailed in America's Self-Evident Truths Essay

The Paradoxes Entailed in America's Self-Evident Truths - Essay Example Is American democracy a representative of a true democracy? Does it cater the smaller factions of society? Has the democratic system fostered the rights of liberty, justice, life and pursuit of happiness to good effect for masses once challenged by terrorism, racism, poverty and recession? What good it has brought to its people? Why does America deserve to lead world community? Finally, conclusion is inquired about by addressing the question that How American dream can be pursued in its true democratic meaning? Isn’t it strange that few render democracy as the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people? On the other hand, for some, it is a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; a government after the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; the idea of freedom. Idea of democracy as rule of people traces its expression from Athens in ancient Greek. From a philosophical stand point doctrines of natural law evolved into the idea of natural rights, i.e., all people have certain rights, such as self-preservation, that cannot be taken from them. Then, why should majority rule minority? Tocqueville (1945) argues that the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people and the power of public opinion are corollaries to the idea of equality. If all are equal, then no one person has any basis to claim the right to rule other. The only just way to run a society, therefore, is to base decisions on the will of the majority. But does the fact accord moral justification to it? This question has triggered a debate between two main schools of thought in philosophy, naturalists and positivists, for centuries. Naturalists believe that a system of governance should primarily be moral in nature whereas positivists believe that question does not necessarily have be answered in a moral dictate as any law or system of governance posited by man should be taken as such and can be debated for its pros and cons independent of m oral enquiry. Many positivists justified Nazism using the argument. John Finnis (1983) argues that it was only the end of Nazism which marked revival of moral justifications of laws/system of government. Ironically, question of whim of a majority more moral than the whim of a dictator struggles to provide a definite answer.Yet the problem with democracy is that it can quite easily lead to despotism. Tocqueville (1945) believes that if there are no checks on the power of the majority to influence the government, then it will have absolute power and those in the minority will be helpless to resist. If all are equal then no opinion has greater weight than another. It is logical to conclude that the opinion held by the majority must be the best one. As a result, there is a tendency to abandon freedom of thought in democratic societies. Going against the opinion of the majority is seen as an indirect claim to the superiority of one's own opinion, which is directly contradictory to the pr inciple of equality. Kimon Lycos (1987) points out that Plato described democracy as a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequaled alike. Likewise, Tocqueville (1945) argues, "Formerly tyranny used the clumsy weapons of chains and hangmen; nowadays even despotism, though it seemed to have nothing to learn, has been perfected by civilization. . . Under the absolute government of a single man, despotism, to reach the soul,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Analytical Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analytical Report - Assignment Example Even though it looks like an external problem, it has a significant impact within the company’s actual market performance. From the business definition, it is true that this may act as stepping stone for the company to maintain effective operations. Market research refers to the process of appreciating the ability of a given product to satisfy the needs of the customers through obtaining information related to it. Research and investigation works through accessing the emerging trends in the market, demographic structure and the buying habits exhibited by the customers. All these three aspects have made market research a suitable tool towards increasing the market share and potential coverage. The four major ways in which the company would feel the significance of the tool include: enabling effective communication, identifying and understanding opportunities, pinpointing problems that are characteristics of operations and acting as a benchmark for evaluating success (Mazzoni et al, 2007). The following is a chart showing the cycle for carrying out a market research The market research will allow the company to identify existing opportunities in the market towards establishing an empire of loyal customers. As stated in the case, the company exhibits inability to compete in the market because of the inability to adapt to the existing technological advances embraced by its competitors (Wei, 2008). The most perfect way to solving this would require the company to gather information about the market niche. The market niche information, obtained through market research and investigation will help in orienting the company to use other alternative ways for increasing market share and coverage. For instance, through market research, the company may realize that there is existing empty space such as the inability of the competitors to

Monday, August 26, 2019

Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example This essay stresses that the attitude of a consumer is a major factor as it has a major role in influencing the decision making process of the consumer. Talking on this note, it can be said that for the purpose of changing the attitudes of the consumers towards a specific brand of breakfast cereal, the AIDA model of marketing can be followed. The AIDA model talks about awareness, interest, desire and attraction and help to influence the mindset of the customers. For changing beliefs about the brand, the marketer needs to create awareness about the brand amongst the target consumers. The marketers need to bring in to highlight some other popular product of the same brand. For changing the beliefs about rival brands, the company needs to focus on the process of generating the interest among the consumers. For doing so, the marketer needs to communicate the unique values of the own brand. This paper makes a conclusion that the British airways advertisement was designed to focus on the patriotic as well as national feeling of the consumers and passenger of Britain. Talking in regards to campaign of Abu Dhabi tourism, the focus was on promoting dream and imaginations related to the Middle East. Talking from the marketer’s point of view, it can be said that the British Airways advertisement tried to develop a local connect. On the other hand, the sole focus of the marketers in the Abu Dhabi tourism campaign was to connect to the global audience, while asking them fulfil their dreams and imaginations of a lifetime.

Report discussing Spotify's strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Report discussing Spotify's strategy - Essay Example Spotify should use current technology to be stable and compete with the other companies. Introduction Spotify is a Swedish online streaming company offering online music service to the user that they can stream up to 15 million tracks on demand by using unique technology. It still lags behind after Pandora as a market leader. Spotify also introduced lightweight software, which allows an instant listening to albums and tracks without buffering delay. Consumers subscribe monthly premium to access the service. Spotify paid free subscriptions to everyone in order to expand the rate of service (Gammons, 2012). The company offered free accounts and opened free registration in United Kingdom. Spotify closed opened registration when Spotify mobile service was released. Technology is a growing necessity in all types of businesses. As time goes, people learn the importance of technology one by one. This make it impossible to separate technology from the people as it is necessary in day-to-day activities. Technology in Spotify has brought tremendous growth in the company through advertising. Sporty can post their new services online to create new revenue streams and new markets. Technology is also important in decision-making process leading business managers and chief executive officers to focus on innovation in business (Marshall, 2012). Spotify has divided the digital music industry into two submarkets; digital download market consisting of Amazon and iTunes and streaming market which has many competitors. According to the study conducted in 2011, the revenue of digital music industry has grown by 8%. The growth rate of streaming market is greater than that of the download market. Streaming market generates 10% of the revenue of digital music industry (Marshall, 2012). Many companies with similar business models operate in streaming industry leading to strong competition in the market. Companies can only be differentiated from each other by; features regions of operati ons, variations in packaging and licensing of music libraries. The costs of switching from one streaming service to another are very high. This has created a limited compatibility and transfer between the streaming services. The streaming companies are trying to include network effects in their services by introducing social components. Users are granted permissions to create collaborative playlists, they can follow what other people, and friends are listening on the network (Daft, 2011). Network effect adds value to the services leading to attraction of more clients. Streaming companies has essential partners and record labels are natural which creates ready market with strong indirect network effects. Availability of content is important to attraction of customers. When there is large music in the library, the streaming service will be much popular. The streaming industry is a two-sided market where companies should create virtuous circle between customers and record labels. When the subscribers and users are more in a service, there should be more labels having their music recorded on the services. This will lead to attraction of more customers to the larger library available. On the other hand, it is expensive to obtain streaming rights to a large library for successful streaming of services. The primary tactic on how to gain market share is

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Expanding Product Offerings and Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Expanding Product Offerings and Quality - Essay Example Change occurs based on the fluctuation in the market due to innovations on new ways of doing things. It can also be based on the actions of the competitors for substitute products which may change customer loyalty. This may result from reduced sudden decline in sales. Pay a closer look at the customer’s feedback against the brand. Check on the activities of your competitors in terms of their blending, grading and sorting. Check on the marketing trends and the promotional feedbacks. The most attribute of iPhone is its retina-display screen which has a higher screen resolution. Its high density pixel presents quality images and better text display. The phone’s curved font edges and the color combination attracts customers in various niches (Sander & Scott 2012). To this end, the phone has a higher contrast ratio with a combination of brighter white screen resolution and deeper In-Pane thus improving the brand’s viewing angle, a feature that its close substitute are far from reaching. It chemically hardened glass pane; ultra-durable and greatly resistant to any form of scratches. The possession of the 3G internet enabled, music player, touch pads, glossy appearance and wide screen raises the attractiveness of the Apple’s product leaving no option but to purchase. Apple’s retail management appreciates the need for window display which is most appealing for the sale of iPhone product (Elliot, 2012, p.111). This draws the customers, promotes-slow moving items leading to better sales even during economic depressions. The window display approaches proves cost-effective and hence attributes further presents a further platform for special advertisement which translates into its sales. Changing the brand’s contrast ratio which has a combination of the brighter white screen resolution and deeper In-Pane will interfere with the brands viewing angle. Most loyal customers have been urged to buy this brand based on its contrast ration

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Learning About Power And Leadership In Organizations Essay

Learning About Power And Leadership In Organizations - Essay Example Power is a strong word. It connotes to something extraordinary just like having another person do something which you would not have done yourself. Power may have different meanings depending on how it is used in context. It could have good or bad connotations. For example, some people are caught saying â€Å"If you’ve got information, then you are sure to get to the top or lead because you got the power of leveraging yourself over the situation or over your competitors. This is better termed as the â€Å"Informational power† (French and Raven). On the other hand, S. Mallaby wrote about Power on a different perspective as he pointed out that â€Å"Power that is built on debt is often Power that will crumble† (Mallaby). How does â€Å"Power† apply to my position and work? Presently, I belong to the middle managerial level, given the designation of a Section Chief for Internal Affairs Group under the Planning and Programming Unit. I report directly to the A ssistant Director for Internal Affairs Group who reports to the Bureau Director. I work in a typical government office which is adapts the bureaucratic hierarchical structure. Our Bureau is in charge of the purchase and distribution of health supplies needed in our town as well as the deployment of health workers. The Bureau’s upper and middle hierarchical structure include a Bureau Director, acting as the overall Head of the Bureau with two Assistant Directors, one for Internal Affairs Group.... This is better termed as the â€Å"Informational power† (French and Raven). On the other hand, S. Mallaby wrote about Power on a different perspective as he pointed out that â€Å"Power that is built on debt is often Power that will crumble† (Mallaby). How does â€Å"Power† apply to my position and work? Presently, I belong to the middle managerial level, given the designation of a Section Chief for Internal Affairs Group under the Planning and Programming Unit. I report directly to the Assistant Director for Internal Affairs Group who reports to the Bureau Director. I work in a typical government office which is adapts the bureaucratic hierarchical structure. Our Bureau is in charge of the purchase and distribution of health supplies needed in our town as well as the deployment of health workers. The Bureau’s upper and middle hierarchical structure include a Bureau Director, acting as the overall Head of the Bureau with two Assistant Directors, one for In ternal Affairs Group who is tasked to handle planning and programming, finance and administrative concerns. (Refer to Attachment 1 -Organizational Structure.) The other Assistant Director handles the Bureau’s External Affairs to include Operations, Public Information and Other External Affairs Programs and Activities. These two top Assistant Directors directly report to the Bureau Director bringing to him issues specific to their group. Each Assistant Director has designated Section Chief and Assistant Section Chief. â€Å"Power in this bureaucratic office is the typical set up described by Max Weber’s in his paradigm stating that the level of power given to a bureaucrat is directly proportional to the level where you are positioned in the hierarchy†

Friday, August 23, 2019

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management Duerr's Jam Essay

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management Duerr's Jam - Essay Example The best time to evaluate environmental conditions is prior to making a location commitment. Many states offer company location incentives. One strategy is to establish enterprise zones in order to bring jobs to economically deprived areas. Sponsored by local city/country governments, these zones lure businesses by offering regulatory and tax relief. In exchange for locating or expanding in these areas, eligible business firms receive total exemption from the property taxes normally assessed on a new plant and equipment for three to five years. Locating in an enterprise zone will not solve problems created by poor management or make up for an ill-conceived idea. However, enterprise zones can be used as catalyst to help, jump-start a small firm. Personal Preference of the Entrepreneur: As a practical matter, many entrepreneurs tend to discount customer accessibility, business environment conditions, and resource availability and consider only their personal preference in locating a business. Often, their personal preference is their home community; the possibility of locating elsewhere never enters their mind. Background: Fred and Mary Duerr founded their jam- and marmalade- making business in Heywood, Lancashire, in 1881. Mary prepared the preserves in her kitchen and using her own family recipes, while Fred delivered the filled jars by handcart to the local Co-operative Society and other shops. In 1884 production was moved into a factory building at Guide Bridge, North Manchester; but the business expanded so rapidly that in 1890 Fred commissioned a new model jam and marmalade factory at Old Trafford. ... expanded so rapidly that in 1890 Fred commissioned a new model jam and marmalade factory at Old Trafford. The site there is still occupied by Duerr's, now under the direction of Fred and Mary's great-grandsons and his two sons. Business Description:F Duerr & Sons was established in 1881. It deals in food conservatives which include products like jams including reduced sugar jams; conserves; fruit spreads; marmalades and reduced sugar marmalades; peanut butter and fruit curds as well as condiments such as apple sauce. The brand is most prominent within the marmalade sector, with almost 6% market share, and 3.2 million in sales. However, its share has declined from almost 9% in the year 2000 to 5.5% in 2004, representing a decline in sales of 42% over the four year period. This is at a much faster rate than the category as a whole of 6.5%. In April 2003, Duerr's introduced Half Sugar marmalade which contains half the sugar but 50% more fruit, which is suitable for diabetics and can be used as part of a calorie controlled diet. In December 2004, Duerr's launched a range of premium marmalades under the name Mary Berry, a well-known cookery writer. The range comprises three flavors: orange & apricot, ruby red grapefruit, and thick cut marmalade with muscovado sugar. The company is attempting to attract new users with new product launches within the marmalade category. Within the jam sector, Duerr's accounts for just 1% of jam sales, less than 1 million in sales. The company is also represented within the peanut butter sector with the Kernel King brand which accounts for just 1% of sales. It is the only other branded lemon curd within

Thursday, August 22, 2019

White Privilege Essay Example for Free

White Privilege Essay How America came about is fascinating, and learning about immigration, rights, laws, and racism makes learning more beneficial. It helps you to understand why we, as a nation, are they way we are today, and why we will continue to be stuck in our ways. According to James Barrett and David Roediger, â€Å"The Story of Americanization is vital and compelling, but it took place in a nation also obsessed by race†¦the process of â€Å"becoming white† and â€Å"becoming American† were connected at every turn (36). † One of the most controversial topics is white privilege and discrimination. Segregation within school systems has been a dominant problem in the past and will always continue to be. Being privileged is a something that individuals should be conscious of due to their past and understand that it is a privilege to be white rather than to be discriminated against. Becoming conscious of one’s own white privilege is the first step to understand the deeper meaning of racism and discrimination. My intentions of writing this paper were to describe a situation in which I was conscious of my own white privilege. White privilege was always on my side until high school where I felt as though I was discriminated against as being a petite, white girl, from upper-class Allendale leaving me to been seen as an easy target. While at my locker one day during lunch, I was approached by two of the black students (one male and one female) and a Latino girl, and they tried to convince me something hurtful was written about me in the bathroom. Being that I am not the type to care, get involved, or respond, I turned to walk away. The Latino girl proceeded to grab my hair causing me to turn and face her and she punched me square in the face. After several minutes of back and forth wrestling and punches, the fight was broken up my teachers. It turns out that there was nothing written about me, they were just trying to get me into the bathroom to fight me, opposed to the hallway which is out in the open. All three of the students that were there were taken to the principal’s office immediately and suspended for two days whereas I got off free and I was allowed to go back to my day. During the duration of the day, one of the African American men left the principal’s office in rage and had a mission to destroy all my belongings in my locker. The boy pried open my locked and poured a bottle of soda all over my books, note books and belongings. After I reported this to our principal, he held the three students involved in the fight until one person came clean about who had been at fault for ruining my locker. It turned out, that no one admitted to it, and they were all suspended even longer than originally for not fessing up. The following week, none of the three students attended my high school anymore and I was told by my principal that they left to attend other high schools in surrounding towns. After this incident, I have never come into contact with any of them ever again. However, several of my male friends found out what happened that day and wanted nothing but to get revenge and retaliate against them and show them who runs the high school, being that whites are minority. I became very conscious of my white privilege growing up in a one-square mile suburban town of Allendale, New Jersey. My entire educational career through eighth grade consisted of white, middle-to-upper-class Americans. All the people were similar, with the same morals, values and beliefs. Everyone dressed similar and drove similar cars, partook in the same activities and hung out in specific niches. At this point in my life, I could say I could correlate my life to Peggy McIntosh’s article when she describes the matrix of white privilege; There was one main piece of cultural turf; it was my own turf, and I was among those who could the turf. I could measure up to the cultural standards and take advantage of the many options I saw around me to make what the culture would call a success of my life†¦I could think of myself as â€Å"belong† in major ways, and of making social systems work for me. I could†¦be oblivious to anything outside of the dominant cultural forms (295). It wasn’t until high school where I thought I would potentially move out of my small town bubble. My high school is regional; students from Allendale, along with the surrounding towns of Ho-Ho-Kus, Upper Saddle River and half of Saddle River attended. Being that I came from such a white school system, the thought of going onto high school and being surrounded by students of other races and ethnicities is something that never crossed my mind. I was never taught about the disadvantages of being white, but rather I learned about blacks and their disadvantages of dealing with racism. Over the years, little was taught about racism and what it stood for, instead we were just told that this is what happened to people when they were of different races and ethnicities back in the day. The article by Peggy McIntosh describes how whites are taught to think of blacks; â€Å"As a white person, I realized I had never been taught about racism as something which put others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege , which puts me at an advantage†(291). Being white was never something that I had to deal with in or outside of school, or even within my community. I wasn’t necessarily shocked to walk into high school my first day to find only a select few of Latinos and African Americans. However, these were things that I never thought about or even had to think about. The few Latinos and African Americans came from Upper Saddle River and Saddle River. I was never stereotypical of these groups of people until I was surrounded with people from towns that had engaged with these people all the way up through high school. The Latinos in my school all stuck together, as well as the three African Americans that attended my high school. I feel as though this particular situation involved me having the white privilege advantage and it seems as though my white privilege helped to get me out of trouble. I should have gotten in trouble for â€Å"self defense† and throwing punches back, but I feel as though since I had never caused problems before, and they had been the center of most of the problems I was let go with no punishment. The students that got in trouble, were seen as troublesome students because of their past, where I had a clean record with no reason to suspect I was the start of the brawl. Considering my school is mostly made up of white students and entirely white faculty, when the three students got in trouble, it was probably a stereotypical decision based on non-whites. Blacks have always endured pain and agony as, â€Å"†¦victims of discrimination, segregation, and violence, blacks in the North encountered a powerful cluster of negative racial images. These stereotypes contributed to the conditions of racial degradation and poverty, which, in turn, reinforced prejudice† (Takaki 107). This excerpt further explains that stereotypes stick and the negative racial images will forever be a part of the everyday lives of blacks. The primary reason of why the situation occurred, I believe dates back to sundown towns. Beginning in about 1890 and continuing until 1968, white Americans established thousands of towns across the United States for whites only. A ‘sundown town’ is any organized influence that, for decades, was all-white on purpose. Many towns drove out their black populations, and then posted sundown signs. Other towns passed ordinances barring African-Americans after dark or prohibiting them from owning or renting property. Evelyn Nakano Glenn helps to further explain the regulations, â€Å"White controlled municipalities passed ordinances creating racial zones. When these laws were found to be unconstitutional, whites formed neighborhood associations and turned to â€Å"private† arrangements such as economic boycotts, violence, and restrictive covenants. These restrictions deprived blacks of a central element of liberal citizenship, namely property rights† (37-38). This is proof that the African-American populations had no choice but to leave because they weren’t welcome. No one would support their businesses or wanted anything to do with them; they were literally driven out of these towns and wouldn’t stand a chance if they stayed. Being that the town of Allendale where I grew up was a sundown town, which is the most obvious explanation as to why I grew up surrounded by all whites. Moving onto high school, the other regional towns of Ho-Ho-Kus and Upper Saddle River were sundown towns as well. This plays a huge role in the situation at my high school because people of color and different races are focused on more and white students carry all the dominant privilege. If I had been a different race I think the entire situation would have never occurred because I would probably be a person that was known for affiliating with them. If I had been black, I would have probably felt like I should stick with the other three black students in the high school. The situation would have been the same if I were Latino or another race. Segregation still takes place in America and being one of only a few black families within your community will be a repetitive cycle for black families looking to move to our dominantly white community. According to Douglas Massey; â€Å"When avenues of spatial assimilation are systematically blocked my prejudice, and discrimination, however, residential segmentation increases and persists over time. New Minorities arrive in the city and settle within enclaves, but their subsequent spatial mobility is stymied, and ethnic concentrations increase†¦whereupon group members are forced to adjacent areas, thus expanding the boundaries of the enclave† (225). I feel as though since my region of New Jersey is predominantly white, what would things change now? Why would blacks and ethnic families feel inclined to move to a neighborhood where they stand out? Especially for African-American families, my town along with the surrounding towns do not sell African-American hair products in any of my supermarkets or pharmacies nor are there salons where African-American women can go to get their hair braided. My community has adjusted to the white population and being that my town is so small, I feel as though it would take dramatic lengths to change the way our community functions. Being white, I feel as though I benefited from the whole situation because I did not get in trouble for punching the girl back, and I did not get suspended. I was allowed to return to my day at school as though nothing happened while they were kept in the front office until school was let out and were suspended for the rest of the week (2 days). This experience made me think about my race in a different way because I had never encountered issues with non-white people, because I was never around them. Coming from a primarily white school, white students stand to make white privilege stick out like a sore thumb. It helped me to understand that white people dominated my school population and that this would have never been an issue if the school had always been made up of a majority of other races and ethnicities. It is as if the select few minorities felt as though they needed to stand up for themselves and prove that just because there are so few of them they can still â€Å"run† the school. The three students involved, I feel, chose to leave due to feeling like they were discriminated against and treated differently than other students. They could have felt mistreated or felt that being out numbered was a disadvantage for them. Moving to surrounding schools definitely made them feel like they belonged better because I know there were mixed groups of people outside of our high school district. Being that ninety-nine percent of my school was white could have made the few students feel intimidated and make the white students angrier and feel the need to gang up on them after this incident, almost to prove their white privilege. This incident correlates to issues of citizenship and my ability to participate as a full and equal member of American society because I suffered no consequences from the incident except for a bloody nose. A bloody nose is a temporarily occurrence but because of what happened, it hasn’t affected me being a full and equal member in the American society. It has however, affected the minority students at my high school, and drove them away. As described by Evelyn Glenn, â€Å"At its most general level, citizenship refers to full membership in the community in which one lives. Membership in turn implies certain†¦reciprocal duties toward the community (37). † These black students are citizens but they do not live in a community with other African-Americans reside. They can be still be involved in the community but the families as a whole might not be as eager to get involved as they are outnumbered and may feel their voices may not be heard or make a difference. There are a few potential long term consequences of white privilege for myself that will be with me as long as I live. Being that Quinnipiac University is not very diverse, but more diverse than my high school, it was difficult to get used to seeing people of color and different ethnicities every day. I do not believe growing up in an all white community has been beneficial to me, and I wish I was more natural around people of different races and ethnicities. It is unrealistic to say that I will never have to deal with this, but in the real world, and when finding a job, you will be presented with a variety of people that may even become more of friends rather than co-workers. Someone’s accent or skin color does not determine what kind of person they are, it is their personality that makes them who they are. I also believe in regards to the incident, if I had been at fault, and was suspended for my actions of self defense, I would have not been able to attend a prestigious school such as Quinnipiac. When applying for colleges, most applications ask if you have ever been suspended, such as the Quinnipiac application which asks if you have ever been suspended or missed significant time from school. I would have then had to explain the situation and how I was suspended for self defense. If colleges see that you are a troubled student, and have a record for misbehaving, they will not accept you to their school. Community colleges of lower rankings will be more willing to accept a student with a past, rather than a private school like Quinnipiac University. Discrimination and segregation still exist today. The past makes up the present so learning about what people of all races and ethnicities went through in history is important as a citizen of the United States. Everyone, in some way, or somehow, has dealt with discrimination whether it is you or friends and family. While on the other hand, it is imperative to pay attention to your privileges and understand what it means to be American. Works Cited Barrett, James E. , and David Roediger. 2005. How White People Became White. Pg. 35-40 in White Privilege: Essential Reading on the Other Side of Racism, 2nd Ed. , Paula S. Rothenberg, Ed. New York: Worth Publishers. Glenn, Evelyn, Nakano. Citizenship: Universalism and Exclusion. Pg. 18-55 in Unequal Freedom: How Race and Gender Shaped American Citizenship and Labor. Cambridge: Harvard. Massey, Douglas S. How Space Gets Raced. Rethinking the Color Line. By Charles A. Gallagher. 3rd Ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 225. McIntosh, Peggy. 1997 White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Womens Studies. Pg. 290-99 in Critical White Studies: Looking Behind the Mirror. Richard Delgado Jean Stefancic, Eds. Philadephia: Temple University Press. Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York, NY: Back Bay, 1994. 108.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Personal Discovery Essay Overview Essay Example for Free

ï » ¿Personal Discovery Essay Overview Essay This essay is intended to guide the student from identifying a problem or situation, taking some action in regard to the situation, and writing about the experience while supporting/developing their evaluation/analysis with two primary sources. A General Overview: First, you will be given a professionally-generated article that addresses a particular topic. This semester, the topic will involve health risks. Second, you must decide upon an activity after reading the article. For instance, since the article you will be given is on health risks, you will will need to identify two activities you can perform that will effect the consequences of your chosen health risk. Third, you will write a first draft of an essay of about 750 words (three pages) in which you discuss the activities and what motivated you to choose those activities, followed by your reactions and responses (such as â€Å"What did I learn?† And â€Å"Why could it be valuable to me?†) Fourth, find an article in the Three Rivers Rutland Library data base which provides additional information or that either refutes or corroborates what your rough draft says. Ideally, this one will help you determine the best practices for avoiding or managing the health risks. Incorporate information in the form of direct quotation and paraphrasing according to MLA style into the final draft. Finally, prepare a final draft of the paper in which you analyze the experience and the article, then synthesize all of the information into a cohesive essay. This essay will be the final assignment of the semester, so it is important to do your very best work. The final essay shuold be of 750 1,000 words, not including the correct MLA-style Works Cited page. Short Writing Assignment #7 Instructions: Read and study the information from the following web page: http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/839-top-10-leading-causes-of-death.html Download the Article Close Reading template (located in the Assignments: Unit 5 folder) Complete the template through a close reading of the article. Minimum Requirements: Completed Article Close Reading document for Top 10 Leading Causes of Death by Rachael Rettner. Since you have used this template before, take into account any suggestions or comments I provided you with to make sure you make the fullest use of the template possible. DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE Attached Files: Article Close Reading Document.docx (15.785 KB) Short Writing Assignment #8 Instructions: Choose two activities which you can do over a period of a few consecutive days which may prevent your death or the health-related consequences for you from the chosen malady. Make sure you think about the activities you choose to give before you decide. They should be planned, not spontaneous events. Once you perform your activities, notice the immediate effects and think about their long-term value. How did you feel when performing your activities? Were your activities difficult? How did you feel after the experience? Sit down and write about the experience while it is still fresh in your mind. Minimum Requirements: Compose a 200 300 word reflection on your activities. Make sure you clearly identify your chosen health malady and the activities you performed in the context of your reflection. Personal Discovery Essay First Draft Instructions: Using the following outline, compose a rough draft of your Personal Discover Essay. . INTRODUCTION:Mention the article and author. Give the briefest summary of the main points that relate to your paper. As you agree or disagree with the ideas, a thesis should develop. PERSONAL:Why did you choose to do these particular malady and activities? Were they the most convenient, the most inconvenient, or did they involve activities that had been on your mind, for example? How did you feel when you anticipated the activities, before you actually performed them? ENVIRONMENT:Identify your activities. What exactly did you have to do? Give some detail about this so the reader can imagine how much (or how little) was done. REACTION:What was your  reaction? How did you feel, both physically and mentally, after performing your activity? Did this surprise you? Have you had other experiences where you’ve changed your actions, or added activities, based on your health decisions? If so, how did this reaction compare to that experience? INTERPRETATION:Consider this experience in light of Rettners article. How do you think her numbers would change if everyone took these activities seriously? Do you think there is a significant chance others will follow your lead? Will you continue to perform these activities in the future? Do you think others are likely to do so? Why or why not? CONCLUSION:Tie the essay together, reiterating your thesis, perhaps mentioning Rettners article one more time. Make a statement about health activities, predict what would happen if more of us were required to try to improve our health, or discuss how we would be affected if we expected more healthy living activities of ourselves. Try for a fresh and original ending to this essay. Minimum Requirements: Write the first draft of an essay of about 750 words in which you discuss what you did and what motivated you. Part of the essay should discuss the article and your feelings about it, while it should also include your reactions and responses Personal Discover Essay Instructions: Find an article in Three Rivers’ Rutland Library database that provides additional information or that either refutes or corroborates what you said in your first draft. The article may discuss public service, student character, or any other aspect of your essay. Incorporate the information from your new article into the final draft of the Personal Discovery Essay. The final draft should demonstrate your ability to analyze the experience and what was read and then synthesize the information into a cohesive essay. Minimum Requirements: A final draft of the Personal Discovery Essay which syntheses of the genesis article, first hand information gathered in real time, and a supporting document located in the database into a single essay of 750-1000 words. In addition the the essay, you should include a correct MLA-style Works Cited  page containing citations for the Rettner article, as well as the database article. Apply the scientific and healthcare professionals’ advice and expertise to craft an essay of Personal Discovery which uses both your day-to-day altered habits and the science that backs them up in an essay which incorporates the best practices of our three major essays this semester

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

What makes education an education?

What makes education an education? Assignments. Exams. Projects. Papers. All these are matters of concern to every student undergoing schooling. It is truly inevitable not to endure the hardships brought by these school activities for they are part of education. Without them, education can never be the education most people have in mind. However, one may ask, What makes education an education? For most people, especially parents, education is quite an important aspect in the course of human life such that they regard it as the only thing they can impart to their children as an inheritance. While for others, on the part of the students, education is the stage in their life which would prepare them for future jobs. Likewise, for those students who had a firm grasp of the essence of education consider it as a right to be upheld by the society itself. At the end of the day, there are numerous reasons on why not to take education for granted. However, more than the various connotation of education from different perspectives lay a complex meaning of education. As such, seeing schooling in the broader sense entails probing the sociology of education. The basic definition of the term sociology of education conveys that it is the study of the institution of education in its broad social context and of various social groups and interpersonal relationships that affect or affected by the functioning of the educational institutions (Reitman, 1981, p.17). With this meaning, it is but necessary to analyze education not within the four walls of the classroom but beyond the confinements of schools. The larger context then is the society in which schools, the main institution of education, are part of. Belonging to this social order are other key institutions and actors which are essentially significant when examining the sociology of education for these possess power, control and influence that can manipulate and alter the kind of education schools ought to promote and teach to young citizens. Hence, it can be inferred that schools are socially const ructed establishments by which powerful elements have the capacity to shape education. Reitman (1981) supported the thought of how society can produce a great impact on pedagogical realm by stating the central principle of schooling which maintains that schools normally reflects the societyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it does not lead society in societys effort to adapt and change. Schools tend to change after the rest of society changes, not beforeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Reitman, 1981, p. 39). Under this assumption, a study on the role, whether explicit or implicit, of several factors constituting society in the molding process of education is vital to shed light on the issue of how pedagogical structures and methods are developed and set for the pursuance of effective education. It is also noteworthy to express the far-reaching implications of education in the sense that it affects almost every individual. Every person can perhaps be regarded as a stakeholder of education by which each of its aspects, if modified, can create an impact, no matter how minimal it may appear, sufficient enough to seize attention and stir the intellectual and emotional side of the people. Indeed, schooling and education undeniably involves a complex interplay of different elements to which it reacts and to which the produced effects yield to changes in the structure of schooling. These changes on the other hand are oftentimes attached to the interests of the dominant constituent of the social order. To better illustrate this statement, the paper provides a clear-cut description of the nature of education and the scope of schools as an educational institution. Nonetheless, to further understand the technicalities associated with schools, there is a need to define schools as an educational institution, as well as, to expound the structure of authority evident among these institutions. Moreover, the political dynamics accompanying the sociology of education which may be apparent and obscure at the same time are elucidated under the contexts in which education operates such as the cultural and ideological setting of the politicization of education, the milieu of power configurations and relations, and the framework of globalization. Certain pedagogical implications are also explicated to illustrate the wide-ranging bearing of educational reforms or policies on concerned and affected individuals as a whole. Understanding schooling and education in this approach allows the people to view and analyze schooling and education objectively and critically. In this manner, learners, educators, as well as those people who have no access to education, may no longer be mere passive recipients of the conceptions of education as prescribed by the society; rather, they may be the critics of diverse pedagogical perceptions who aim not only the betterment of education itself but the rectitude of knowledge and consciousness schools propagate as well. In connection with this, Henry Giroux (1985) asserted, the need for a passionate commitment by educators to make the political more pedagogical, that is, to make critical reflection and action a fundamental part of a social project that not only engages forms of oppression but also develops a deep and abiding faith in the struggle to humanize life itself (Freire, 1921, p. 5). It is certainly a conviction and a challenge all at once that is not simple and ea sy to actualize, however, displaying a demeanor of open mindedness and critical thinking, such may be achieved. To realize this kind of goal is to take a step-by-step scrutiny of the sociology of education. Initially, a description of schools as an educational institution would help facilitate the study. Educational institutions are considered part of the society which exist to help preserve or modify the conditions of life by promoting teaching and learning of one sort or another (Reitman, 1981, p. 25). These institutions are also responsible for the continuity of social norms, values, customs and traditions in a certain societal area, as one generation passes after another. However, it is important to note that institutions of education do not necessarily denote schools for there are those which have no formalized curriculum or program of instruction, just like what schools have. Those belonging to this type are referred to as the informal educational institutions. These include, as enumerated by Sandford W. Reitman (1981), families, peer groups, mass media, work places, church, special-inte rest groups, social service agencies and the social class or the social stratum. Schools, on the other hand, are identified as the formal educational institutions. Nevertheless, it is surprising to know that the informal institutions have more encompassing influence than the formal ones due to the fact that they occupy a larger portion of the society. Meanwhile, Reitman (1981) on his book entitled, Education, Society, and Change, explained that a changing society that moves forward to a more complex state requires, in effect, a more systematized process of cultural transmission which informal educational institutions cannot fully ensure. Thus, the formation of formal educational institutions or what most people commonly know as schools was introduced. Herein lies various views regarding the issues on what the schools ought to do as part of the society, on what pedagogical methods they should adapt, on how changes in society affect schooling per se, and on how schools consolidate different predispositions of several stakeholders and other equally significant considerations. One of the perspectives delineated in relation to the above-mentioned concerns was the image of school as both a factory-like and temple-like institution. Deal and Peterson (1994) provided two metaphors which mirror contending perceptions about the purpose and design of schools. One metaphor portrays the image of schools being a factory while the other signifies them as cathedrals or temples. The former symbol perceives schools in a rational way such that schools function like a factory which focuses on results, outputs, structures and roles (Deal Peterson, 1994, p. 70). Such comparison presupposes the goal-oriented approach of schools with regards to their main concerns: student control and academic achievement. In this manner, schools manifest organized, systematized and technical fashion of delivering their functions. Moreover, this way of looking at school emphasizes the importance of managing their technical mission: instruction (Deal Peterson, 1994, p. 70). On the other hand, the latter representation is the symbolic image of schools being envisioned as a temple by which the responsibility of schools to make sure that cultural patterns and practices adhere to the existing values and beliefs of the society is assured. Likewise, it is but necessary to state that this conception embraces the importance of values, commitment, passion, vision, and heart-key ingredients of a beloved institution (Deal Peterson, 1994, p. 71). In this picture, Deal and Peterson (1994) stressed that the factory-like functions of schools are only secondary to that of the functions of the temple figure of schools. Such assumes that these factory roles are to maintain the temple character of schools. Another view on the aspect of school as an educational institution was the belief that schooling opportunity can be considered as one of the best investments a society could make to ensure its own future (Hurn, 1993, p. 264). Christopher J. Hurn (1993) expounded such an optimistic notion of schooling prevalent during the 1970s, stating that education reinforces cognitive competence among citizens of a country which the national economy would necessitate eventually from its populace. In addition to the ambiance of optimism, the faith in education emerged. This so-called faith mainly points out that education plays an important role in shaping a more humane, tolerant, and democratic social order. It is this idea that propagated the impression of how schooling molds the society towards reason and knowledge rather than tradition and prejudice (Hurn, 1993, p. 264). Both of these perceptions of schooling constitute only a few out of the other diverse perspectives of the essence of education. It is important to note, however, the major difference between the two: the former assumes that it is the society which is responsible for the schools make-up simply by comparing it with other institutions of the community, while the latter presupposes that the school and its educational structure primarily affects what the society would be like. Which among the two or the other views of education and schooling would be true is something relative to the interpretation of different people with different stake on education itself. Nevertheless, it is relevant to take into consideration the role of a variety of factors and the interplay of these elements that influence the manner by which people would interpret education. It is because such inclusion to the analysis of the nature and scope of education could perhaps account for the dichotomized, or even dispara te, perceptions of schooling. Further explanations and details regarding this perceptual divide in aspect of schooling would be given specific focus under the discussion of the political dynamics in education found in the succeeding paragraphs. On the other hand, to shed light on the true nature of education and schooling, objective analysis of the functions and the structure of formal education must be taken into account. Reitman (1981) coined the term traditional manifest functions to refer to the functions of schools, particularly American schools, which are demanded by the society. These purposes that tend to serve the social order include the following: (1) selecting and sorting people out for adult roles, considered the most significant manifest function of schools by which students are classified according to academic merits which in turn became the basis for their ability to be qualified in the preexisting economic and social positions; (2) building and maintaining nationalism and citizenship, contextualized during colonial and revolutionary days schools have the duty to establish, inculcate and uphold into students mind allegiance to the national state; (3) transmitting traditional culture, as already mentioned in the previous paragraph, cultural transmission is a relevant obligation of schools that is realized through formal teaching of history and literature; (4) socialization, this, on the other hand, is concerned with the introduction of customs and traditions that are uniformly accepted by the society to the students; (5) propagating religious faith, this applies more to the function of schools in times of colonial period when widespread religious teachings were necessitated to establish colonization; (6) teaching basic skills, reflective of the life-styles and cultural patterns of the society; (7) vocational training, for the mitigation of unemployment in ones economy; and (8) character education, many argued that this purpose is more vital than the first one since this incorporates moral and ethical norms of society which often change overtime (Reitman, 1981, pp. 36-39). Aside from these traditional functions are the emerging school purposes which Reitman (1981) deemed newer and controversial in a sense that they incite deviance from the fundamental and traditional assumptions of education functions. Here are the additional eight functions schools are expected to follow: (1) personal and social problem solving, as manifested in social studies curriculum, schools must be able to adapt to the changing degree of complexity of the society by which individuals and groups are able to solve problems concerning their personal lives and their social environment in which they are part of; (2) social competence in a secondary society, recognizing alterations in the societys operating contexts, one must be able to be adjust to meet new realizations imposed by the new society; (3) diffusion of new knowledge, innovations in technologies resulted to new discoveries that must be taught for students to learn how to cope with a new society different from that of their parents; (4) providing equality of opportunity for a social position, provision of educational opportunities that are accessible to everyone regardless of race, are, gender or economic/social status so as to promote equal competition in the economic marketplace; (5) sex and family life education, the issue of whether schools should involve participation of family and church institutions in teaching such topics which are of immense concern to both; (6) increased functional literacy, the introduction of modern communication aids like visual media put pressure on schools to redesign the basic skills component of their curriculum to integrate latest advancement in technology; (7) development of cosmopolitan attitudes, Reitman (1981) identified vis-à  -vis the idea of cosmopolitanism the role of schools to educate their students to live in such an urbanized, secular, global community (8) existential creativity, development of the free school movement and the thought of open classroom, which perhaps paved the way for the modern idea of academic freedom, provide sufficient grounds for personal expressions of students (Reitman, 1981, pp. 39-43) However, it is important to note that what Reitman (1981) had enumerated as new functions of schools may not necessarily imply the same thing today considering the year such purposes were observed. Yet, these are still relevant facts useful in the analysis of how the sociology of education goes about in line with these functions. Moreover, it is probable to infer that these functions are still regarded as profound insights of school purpose suitably addressed to third world countries. With these purposes and roles of schools and the education that comes with them defined, the need for their fulfillment was to be embodied in the curriculum. The curriculum acts as the means by which the school put into action the functions intended to serve the society (Reitman, 1981). It is described as an organized sequence of learning experiences that seeks to strengthen the concept of education as a tool for the development of knowledge and understanding (Peters, 1991, p.5). In relation to the curriculum schools choose to implement, Reitman (1981) distinguished two of its kinds: the official curriculum and the invisible curriculum. The former which is also known as the formal curriculum reflects the preferred educational purpose of the school and comprises mandated instructions regarding learning processes, usually characterized by the subjects included, the students will experience as they interact with their teachers. On the one hand, the second type of curriculum is called the invisible curriculum. It is invisible in the sense that schools have hidden curricular activities such that the invisible curriculum may be understood as school activity that commonly takes place as part of the implementation of the official program, but which is not officially mandated (Reitman, 1981, pp. 4-5). An example of the implementation of the invisible curriculum is when teachers try to reinforce a sense of superiority among students in the society, to motivate them to study and to maintain their grades qualified for college admissions through mentioning the schools impressive record of getting its graduates into prominent universities (Reitman, 1981). As Hugh Sockett (n.d.) remarked on his article Curriculum Planning: Taking a Means to an End, curriculum is indeed the means which schools utilize to reach the end (Peters, 1973). Looking at the curriculum-based facet of schools, it may appear that schooling has its own way of perceiving and analyzing reality objectively such that the institution itself has no place in the political spectrum of society. It is as if the school is out of the box, or in other words, it is apart from the society it studies, when in reality, schools are affected by the spontaneous and dynamic changes happening in the society. The fact that curricula are set by someone or some group of individuals belonging to the school administration or to a higher level of institution which has a say on the matter emphasizes the idea of school being a political institution, contrary to the belief that schools are nonpolitical institutions and that schooling, as an effect, is a nonpolitical affair. As Reitman (1981) reiterated the idea, he asserted: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.elementary and secondary schools, as well as most colleges and universities, have always been involved in struggles for power over the ends and means of education (underscoring mine). Today, public schools are increasingly forced to compete with other agencies of government for scarce financial and other resources. Schoolingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ has been a major political endeavor since colonial timesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. (Reitman, 1981, pp.321-322) This statement proves how schooling and education go beyond the four walls of a classroom. In addition, formal education is claimed to be a semblance of a political system and in effect, schooling is somewhat a highly political endeavor (Reitman, 1981). Herein, the taking into account of the structure of authority in formal education to better describe how school became politicized by various factors is necessary. Also, it is important to note that the structure of authority falls under two kinds, whether it be informal or formal: the informal aspect refers to the power and influence of interest groups in the realm of school or educational politics while the formal type implies the hierarchy of authority from the lowest division in the school administration to the higher offices of the state government (Reitman, 1981). Reitman (1981) stated that it is in the schooling processes that school politics starts to develop. It is through these processes that different people want to benefit from in the forms of higher salaries, greater financial assistance for curricular and extracurricular programs, or larger funds for capital outlays for new buildings or updated textbooks, that developed the notion of school politics. With all these interests of different people consolidated according to their similarities, there form interest groups, considering that individual efforts will be likely ignored by higher school officials or decision-makers unless that person is the representative of the group or that individual possesses political influence due to financial and social resources. Participation of these groups to implement their particular educational concerns is made realized through political process (Reitman, 1981). Raywid (n.d.), as quoted by Reitman (1981), separated interest groups into two groups: th e legitimate groups and the illegitimate ones. The difference lies in the three rules to which these groups abide in making and pressing their claims. The rules are (1) rules of evidence (is the truth being sincerely sought after and exposed when found?); (2) rules of democracy (is the group open and above board about its motives and methods?); (3) rules of common decency (does the group avoid smear campaigns and slanderous literature?) (Reitman, 1981, p. 329). Under the legitimate interest group category cited by most political scientists are the local teachers organizations, Parent-Teacher Association, civic organizations, civil rights organizations, local chambers of commerce and branches, and ad-hoc groups of budget-minded taxpayers. Whether these groups support or attack schools in favor of their interests, Raywid considered them legitimate for they adhere to the three sets of broad criteria mentioned above (Reitman, 1981). Meanwhile, Bailey (n.d.) also classified interest groups into two basic types: those pro-school and those in opposition to schools. The former includes (1) educational academics (teachers of teachers) who are very important in initiating debate on many political issues; (2) state educational and political officials who bargain with lobbyist, pass laws, and issue directives; (3) professional educators; and (4) surprise actors, that is, coalitions of citizens who align with schools for various reasons. On the other hand, the latter consists of (1) the Roman Catholic Church; (2) tax-minded business groups or owners of commercial real estate; (3) rural groups such as farmers associations which tend to oppose increasing state involvement in education; (4) conservative politicians and state officials, whose pressures and exposure in the mass media often prevent additional spending for education; and ironically, (5) schoolpersons themselves for their failure to understand, develop, and use political machinery available within their own ranks to pursue educational improvements (Reitman, 1981, pp. 329-330). Aside from the enumerated characteristics of interest groups that make each one different from another, Reitman (1981) concluded that ideological biases strongly influence varying perceptions of the informal nature of power and influence over educational reforms of interest groups. Having discussed the informal aspects of control wielded by interest groups, the shift to the formal one is directed to the role of the state government and the personnel in position with respect on their influence in education. There are four essential authority personalities who correspond, though not entirely, to the formal structure of authority in formal education. The first one is the state governor or the chief executive. Recognizing the essence of state educational politics which according to Reitman (1981) is the bargaining between interest group and elected or appointed officials, the governor stands as the key to the extensive bargaining that goes on between spokepersons lobbying for organized educational interests, such as the state teachers association or union or the state chamber commerce (Reitman, 1981, p.343). The next two officials are under the local government: the school board and the school superintendent. The school boards, according to sociologist Norman Kerr (n.d.), have the responsibility to legitimize policies of the school system to the community, in contrast to the common notion that their task is to represent the community to the school administration in line with educational program. On the one hand, they hire school superintendents who are professional experts in the field of formal education. Hence, superintendents became agents of the boards such that they work with them to accomplish objectives at hand which were identified by the school boards and the community to be relevant given certain conditions (Reitman, 1981). The last wielder of influence would be the personnel closest and most accessible to those who need to be educated, the teachers or professors. Although they are large in number, most of them are passive recipients of pedagogical instructions set by those people higher than them in terms of authority. Often times, they are also not fully aware of the political aspects of education particularly those teachers of el ementary and secondary schooling. In this regard, Reitman (1981) raised a challenge for the teachers to contemplate and deliberate on, saying that: Once teachers have seen through the defeating myth of nonpoliticalization of schooling and have begun to comprehend how the myth desensitizes teachers to objective diagnosis of some of their students genuine learning needs, they have reasonable chance to proceed realistically on behalf of their own and their students interests. Armed with the realization that no single one, but rather a variety of sophisticated interest groups possess political clout in this society, a teacher can, if so inclined, participate with other like-minded professionals in organizational efforts to develop political power in educational affairs. (Reitman, 1981, p. 351) Such strong and straightforward statement implies how great the capacity of teachers is in initiating actions calling for improvements in education. However, the implication of this idea also goes with the critical analysis of how formal influence and power to set the manner and content of teaching trickles down from the highest authoritative body to the lowest group of teachers, as educational perspective becomes modified through each level of authority. In this respect enters the political dynamics occurring in the realm of education that entails departure from the confined conception of schooling. Here, it assumes that there exists a larger framework in which conflicting interests of those interest groups and the complex struggle over influence and power of those key actors discussed above are part of and are in the state of continuous interaction. Yet, this larger context also contains competing paradigms of ideological and/or cultural viewpoints which serve as the instrument that shape contrasting interpretations and perceptions of schooling and education. The debate about what schools ought to teach emanated from ideological disparities. These differences on ideologies, on the other hand, resulted from the diverse assessment concerning the critique of the traditional belief of schools as an educational institution. This long-established principle holds that schools taught fundamental skills and basic knowledge of the societys culture and institution, promoted cognitive development, and fostered such essentially modern attitudes and values as tolerance, respect for rationality, and openness to new ideas (Hurn, 1993, p. 270). This view was challenged by three major educational ideologies: the conservative, the liberal or reform and the radical or reconceptualist. The conservative educational ideologies, as expounded by Reitman (1981), strive to perpetuate the socioeducational status quo. Herein lies three rationales, provided by Reitman (1981), that explain education in the angle of the conservatives. The first one is the ideological view of education as human engineering. It explains schooling as a utility designed at making students just the way the society requires them to be and not the other way around by which these students would likely become the critics of that society. This ideology is greatly exhibited in the schools pedagogical measures and curricula such as career education, behavior modification, accountability, the competency movement (which subsumes competency/performance-based teacher education), programmed instruction and teaching machines, behavioral objectives, and performance contracting. The next rationale under the conservative ideology is centered on education as revival of the fundamentals. The idea of revivalistic fu ndamentalism fosters the back-to-basics principle such that supporters of conservatism eagerly demand for stricter school policies (i.e. hair and dress codes) as well as tougher academic standards and grading system. Such creed of conservatives is too extreme such that they even argued that new curricula and progressive teaching methods tend to undermine basic skills which may lead to educational decline and decay (Hurn, 1993). The third and last conservative belief is education as knowledge for the sake of knowledge. As the phrase implies, it basically advocates schooling as a tool directed towards guiding the students in their pursuit of personal intellectual development. To further understand the conservative educational ideology, its basic difference to radical ideology would be helpful. Hurn (1993) stated that most of the arguments asserted by the conservatives negate the claims of the radicals. For instance, radical theorists argue that schools are major props of the established order while conservatives opposed it by claiming that schools, in fact, promote cultural and moral relativism which lead to the disintegration of the homogenous set of cultural and moral ideals of schools such that it further caused the decline of their authority cajole or inspire the young to learn what they have to teach (Hurn, 1993). Adding evidence to the divergence of both ideologies, Freire (1921) in his language of crisis and critique averred that conservatives claim that schools fell short in realizing its purpose to meet the demands and imperatives of the capitalist market economy, thereby, implying that conservatives preserve the status quo of the society, being capitalist in nature. Conversely, schools which act as reproductive sites that smoothly provide the knowledge, skills, and social relations necessary for the functioning of the capitalist economy and dominant society are merely reflex of the labor market in the viewpoint of the radicals (Giroux, 1985). In such image of schools, the means for critical thinking and transformative action are not embodied in the education they provide. The second educational ideology was the liberal or reform type. Reitman (1981) categorized four conceptions about education under this ideological perspective which all seek to modify society as it changes continuously through time via educational processes. These are basically different from the conservatives in terms of their approach regarding norms and values that appear to be obsolete as time passes. Liberals or reformists prefer to preserve them and to integrate improvements for their continuity in contrast to conservatives who will insist in reviving such forgotten customs (Reitman, 1981). The first one among the liberal/reform conceptions is the view of education as ethnic revitalization. This caters developments such as ethnic studies, multicultural education, bilingual education, and community control so as to represent schools as venues for the unification of the diverse nature of a pluralistic society in terms of ethnic differences. Next in line is the second belief which is education as social reengineering. Although this is somewhat similar to the notion of human engineering feature of education employed by the conservative theorists, liberals social reengineering boil

Monday, August 19, 2019

Coleridge: Early Visions :: Richard Holmes Biography Essays

Coleridge: Early Visions Richard Holmes' intent in his biography on Coleridge is apparent from the opening pages. In fact, even his title implies his purpose of showing Coleridge as a visionary hero. In his preface Holmes clearly spells out his plan for achieving this purpose. He explains that much of the previous work done on Coleridge has focused on the more negative aspects of his life--his "opium addiction, his plagiarisms, his fecklessness in marriage, his political 'apostasy', his sexual fantasies, [and] his radiations of mystic humbug" (xv). Holmes sets out to write a different type of biography; his attempt examines Coleridge's "entire life in a broad and sympathetic manner" and reconciles his faults with the "extraordinary man" and the "extraordinary mind" (xv). In the process he hopes to show that Coleridge's visionary genius alone makes him "worth rediscovering" (xv). In this first volume of a planned two part biography, Holmes traces Coleridge's life up to the year 1804. Throughout his work he co nsistently emphasizes the spirit, energy, and unrelenting power of imagination that made Coleridge unique. He examines the highs and lows of his life and leaves his reader with both a vivid image of Coleridge, the man, and a number of questions and possibilities to ponder. Holmes' structure and style are essential to his success at bringing Coleridge alive for his reader. His biography follows a traditional narrative structure, and his language is direct and unpretentious. This style brings a novelistic quality to the biography; it reads quickly and enjoyably. Holmes encourages his reader to forget all that he has heard about Coleridge in the past and discover him again as a fresh character in Holmes' story. Holmes moves quickly through the early part of Coleridge's life, stopping along the way to focus on specific instances which exemplify Coleridge's early intellectual and imaginative powers or which later influence aspects of his life or literary work. Holmes discusses Coleridge's enormous appetite for reading and the early age at which it began; he focuses on a specific night Coleridge nearly froze to death along the River Otter; and he examines the emotional and practical consequences of the death of Coleridge's father. Holmes repeatedly returns t o these moments throughout the biography as they become relevant. In chapter four, with his discussion of Coleridge's friendship with Robert Southey and their plans for their utopian Pantisocratcy, Holmes makes a transition from Coleridge's youth to his adult literary life.

Baltimore Believe Campaign :: essays papers

Baltimore Believe Campaign The Baltimore Believe Campaign was started in April of 2002. It is a city wide campaign aimed to reduce the amount of drug use in the city. The idea of the â€Å"Believe† campaign has never been tried before. The campaign calls for Baltimore to believe, believe that drugs can be eliminated off of the streets, and drug dealers to be punished. Since the start of the campaign the idea has expanded around the country. Mayor Martin O’Malley has spread his idea around. The Believe Campaign surfaced in April of 2002. By April 14, 2002 the â€Å"Declaration of Independence from Drugs† was released in The Sun Newspaper (Wilber, The Sun). The Baltimore Police Foundation funds the campaign. All around the city there are billboards, trashcans, and bumper stickers with the word â€Å"BELIEVE† on them. The first hearing of the campaign was on April 6th, 2002. In October of 2003 Mayor O’Malley when on a trip to London, he was there to discuss the Baltimore Believe Campaign. London was interested in starting a campaign based on the believe campaign. The campaign is an ongoing part of the Baltimore City Community’s everyday actions. Mayor Martin O’Malley put the idea into motion. As said in a letter from Thomas D. Vicino, from the New York Times, â€Å"Mayor Martin O'Malley's efforts should be applauded. He has conquered the first obstacle in fighting urban decay: recognition of a problem. Keep on believing, Baltimore, because if we don't, how can anything change?† (Vicino, New York Times). There is really no other way to summarize all of the things Mayor O’Malley has done for the campaign. Another important role is the Baltimore Believe Leadership. This group works with the help number, 1-866-BELIEVE, and the campaign by setting up fundraisers and other events. Mayor O’Malley and the Baltimore Believe Leadership hold press conferences to inform the people about what goes on with the Believe Campaign’s progress and areas of concern regularly so the community stays informed on the progress. The community is another big role in the campaign. The communities of Baltimore Ci ty have taken the campaign in and â€Å"believe† it will have a positive affect on their communities. On April 6th, 2002 Mayor O’Malley announced his campaign to clean the streets of Baltimore. The Mayor had acknowledged a huge problem in the city, the drugs on the street were becoming out of control.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Free College Admissions Essays: Sudden Death Canasta :: College Admissions Essays

Sudden Death Canasta All eyes were focused on me. This was it. The tension had been building up to this point, and I knew there was no way out. I had gotten myself into this predicament, and I was the only one that could get myself out of it. There was nobody to turn to, for they were all waiting for my final move. I had never felt so alone, so isolated. I thumbed through my cards for the fourth consecutive time, and I could still not decide which one to throw. I glanced up from my cards and caught a glimpse of each player. I immediately felt the intensity of my brother's eyes glaring at me from across the table. He did not provide me with the support and reassurance I was looking for from my partner. I shifted my eyes to the right. My mother, having just discarded a five of clubs and seeing that it was of no use to me, was sipping coffee with a carefree grin of relief. Then I peered directly at the most intimidating canasta player I have ever encountered. Great Grandma Rose was calmly humming a tuneless tune which added to her enigma. As this crafty eighty-eight year old lady squinted at her cards through her bifocals, I knew that time was running out; I had to make my decision. The most obvious choice was to discard the king of spades for which I had no use, but I was afraid that she was waiting for this card. My alternative was to break up my meld and throw the six of clubs, a card which I felt somewhat safe in throwing. In the midst of my despair, great grandma delivered the final blow. She stopped humming and uttered these dreaded words: "It only hurts for a minute." She could not have dug a knife any deeper. My brother's eyes were flaring with tension, I had complete control over his fate, and I knew our team unity was riding on the outcome of my decision. I therefore decided to play defensively and throw the six of clubs. No sooner had my discard settled on top of the pile than my great grandmother's hand darted out to snatch up the stack of cards and my brother simultaneously belted out a scream. "The six of clubs?

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Religious reforms by Martin Luther and King Henry VIII Essay

The motives of Martin Luther in the German states and King Henry VIII in England could not have been much more dissimilar than they were. However, their actions of bringing about reform likened them. Martin Luther was motivated to reform the church solely for religious reasons; mostly frustration with the corruption of the Catholic Church, while King Henry VIII was motivated by both his personal life and his personal gain. The whole idea to reform the church in England essentially started when King Henry VIII realized he would be unable to divorce his wife, Catherine. He had already set his sights on Anne Boleyn, so he needed to find a quick loophole in order to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. Because the Catholic Church still headed England and even the King had to submit to Papal rule, Henry decided it would be far better if he could just be sovereign (and therefore be able to divorce Catherine). Due to this revelation, King Henry decided to reform the Catholic Church and create â€Å"The Church of England†. Theologically, he stuck to Catholic principals such as confession and clerical celibacy, but he closed monasteries in order to acquire the wealth they held. In essence, all King Henry did was change the legality of the Church but he did not bring about revolutionary religious change. Martin Luther, on the other hand, had no personal motives at hand when he decided he wanted to reform the church. Martin Luther had witnessed and quickly became frustrated with the corrupt acts of the church such as simony, nepotism, neglect of the celibacy rule, absenteeism, and pluralism. The final straw that sent Martin Luther over the edge was when Pope Leo X approved the sale of indulgences by Johan Tetzel in order to fund the building of St. Peter’s Basilica. Luther wrote the 95 Theses in response to this because he believed indulgences undermined the seriousness of penance. Luther went on to denounce the authority of the Pope and at the Diet of Worms, he did not recant so he was excommunicated. After this, he formed his basic theological tenets that differed greatly from the traditional Catholic tenets. He brought about immense religious change including: the dogma of consubstantiation, the abolishment of clerical celibacy and monasticism, the belief that the church was subordinate to the state, and the belief in only two sacraments versus seven. He also introduced new answers to theological  questions that can be summed up in these three Latin phrases: sola scriptura, sola fide, and sola gratia. The motives of Martin Luther and King Henry were different, and even though their common goal of reform was similar, their end results were even quite different. King Henry’s personal, political, social, and economic motives resulted in a temporary reform because they were based off everything but religion. His heirs altered the Church several times so that the national religion would be to their personal liking. Although the Church of England still exists today, it is not based on the beginning principles King Henry VIII set up. Martin Luther’s reformation of the church, however, proved permanent. His genuine religious motives were apparent to the people so his religious changes stuck. Proof of this is simply that Lutheranism is still a popular denomination of Christianity today that is based off of the original principles that Martin Luther set. Bibliography: A History of Western Society: 7th edition (McKay)