Indigenous Culture Website Reviews

Question Response Website #1 URL:Â  https://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/3483-2/ Name of Indigenous culture/religion presented in Web site Indigenous People of Arctic Russia What is the main purpose of the website you found?The main purpose of the article was to educate about the people of Arctic Russia. It goes into detail about the oppression of the people and the plan to erase the culture that they hold as an important part of their lifestyle. It also explains the current events that are happening between the state and the indigenous people.What roles and observances are sacred to this indigenous group? The roles that are sacred are the shamans and the sacred sites within the environment that they are located.How, if at all, has the culture or religion of this group changed or evolved over time? Throughout the years, the culture has suffered many ups and downs. The loss of the traditions was beginning to happen due to the interference of people not native to the land or the tribe settling in the area. The state also passed laws and in result has taken land and other resources from them. Currently efforts are being ta ken to re-energize the resources that were taken from the indigenous people and save some of the resources were not destroyed throughout the years.Has modern society (Western Culture) had an impact on this indigenous group? Western society played a part with the destruction of the resources in Northern Siberia. With the help of the Europeans, both were mainly responsible for the depletion of the land due to petroleum and hydroelectric mining.What is one thing you learned about this indigenous group from the website that surprised you or that you found interesting?The one thing I’m surprised in is the similarities the indigenous people of Serbia and Native of the United States. Both live off the land and had similar problem with the resources.What, in your opinion, makes this website authoritative? Because everybody knows about the native Americans but little is known about the natives of Russia and the trail and tribulations.Question Response Website #2 URL: http://australia. gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-indigenous-cultural-heritageName of Indigenous culture/religion presented in Web site Australian Indigenous cultural heritageWhat is the main purpose of the website you found? The purpose is to explain the religion, culture, and the way of life of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.What roles and observances are sacred to this indigenous group?The land is sacred to both cultures. The belief they have is the land is sustained and is sustained by the people.How, if at all, has the culture or religion of this group changed evolved over time?The culture has changed with the introduction of the European culture and the result of the decrease of the culture with the introduction of Christianity.Has modern society (Western Culture) had an impact on this indigenous group? With the introduction of metal, glass and metal within the culture from the Europeans, they understood the ease with using the materials versus just using rock.What is one thing you learned about this indigenous group from the website that surprised you or that you found interesting? I’ve learned that their traditions and way of life is one of the oldest cultures in the world. The culture currently exists today in Australia and there are more than 500 different nations that exist.What, in your opinion, makes this website authoritative? In my opinion is for the tourist that plan to go there for vacation. The site goes into the culture that the aborigines has to offer but not much into the past between the people and the country.

Critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of England being a mixed economy rather than a pure command or completely free-market.

Abstract: Different economies of the world choose one of the three economic systems: command economy, free market economy, and mixed economy to suit their needs and aims most appropriately. While each of these economic systems have their own advantages and disadvantages, most of the economies of the world are currently mixed economies. The command economy system has become substantially outdated as most economies, such as China and the Soviet Union, are transitioning into mixed economic systems. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each of the economic systems and particularly focuses upon the advantages and disadvantages that England has of being a mixed economy rather than a free market economy or a command economy. The paper sheds light upon issues such as unemployment, medical care, transport, and the increasing rate of immigrants that the country currently has to face. Introduction: Countries around the globe adopt various economic systems which suit their own circumstances or which their governments feel would be most appropriate to promote prosperity in the country. The economic systems of countries also evolve over time and may change from one particular system to another when the government, economic advisors of the country, and the public deem appropriate. There are three main types of economic systems which include the free market economy, the command economy, and the mixed economy (Ostrom, 2010). While most of the countries in the world are mixed economies, there are examples of countries which are closer to being free market economies or command economies. As with other economic concepts, each of the economic systems mentioned have their own respective advantages and disadvantages (Ostrom, 2010). Accordingly, governments and economic advisors devise economic policies which classify the economy into the categories of one of the three types of economic sys tems. However, governments may change these policies and may also change the economic systems adopted in a country when they feel it is required, although this process may take a long period of time (Ostrom, 2010). This paper will aim to explain the three types of economic systems and their advantages and disadvantages and then commence with a critical evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of England being a mixed economy rather than a complete free market economy or a pure command economy. The paper will begin with an explanation of the free market economy and the advantages and disadvantages of the free market economy, followed by the command economy and the advantages and disadvantages of the command economy. The paper will continue with an explanation of the mixed economy and the advantages and disadvantages of the mixed economy and the application of these concepts to the economy of England. The paper will then critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of En gland being a mixed economy and conclude with a summary of the main points mentioned and recommendations for improvements in economic policy for the country. Free Market Economy: The free market economy is an economic system which is purely driven by the market forces of demand and supply and the price mechanism. Thus, in the free market economy, those goods and services which are in high demand are produced and supplied and those that consumers are not willing to pay a high price for are not produced or supplied. The free market economy promotes the privatization of all industries as all resources are owned by private individuals in a free market economy and there is little or no government intervention (Polak, 2013). The government does not nationalize any industries and does not interfere in the production of goods or services. The free market economy is also known as the â€Å"laissez’faire† economy and producers operate upon the profit motive as the economy is in a state of pure competition (Baylis, Smith, & Owens, 2013). The advantages of a free market economy include that consumers are provided with a variety of products at potentially lo w prices as there are many producers competing for market share. Consumers are also likely to benefit from high quality products as producers would be competing with one another on the basis of factors such as quality and price. Consumers would also benefit from additional advantages such as convenience, variety, and availability of choice. Also, consumers would easily be able to find the products which they are demanding as the market would be operating according to the price mechanism (Polak, 2013). There would be higher investment in research and development and more chances of larger technological breakthroughs as firms would be competing to gain a competitive advantage in the design of their products /services and/or gaining a cost advantage in their production processes. The free market economy may also mean higher productivity levels, higher wages, and more work opportunities for individuals. This is because the economy would be in a state of rigorous competition, making room for more workers to gain higher incomes as businesses would also be competing to recruit the most talented and skilled workers. An economy may prosper and increase its GDP when operating upon a free market economy system, yet it is often considered that the disadvantages of a free market economy system outnumber its advantages (Bremmer, 2010). The disadvantages of a free market economy system include the fact that there is likely to be a high level of inequality in the distribution of income as the rich would be likely to get richer and the poor would be likely to get poorer. Additionally, as there would be no or little government intervention, the public would not be provided with benefits such as welfare schemes, pension schemes, and may not even be provided with fair pay according to the cost of living. Problems such as inflation and the occurrence of monopolies would also not be prevented by the government as the government would have no major role in the economy. There may be wastage of resources as the economy would be in a state of pure competition and expenditure would be incurred on activities such as advertising, marketing, and continuous innovation of products/services (Coates, 2014). Essential services would not be provided to the public such as free medical care, police and army services, and education (Robertson, 2013). De-merit goods such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other products would be produced without interference or control from public authorities. Public goods which are not produced for a profit but are produced because they are necessary such as street lighting, water, roads, and other such products/services are either priced very high or not produced at all. Accordingly, a free market economy may be beneficial for the rich but may be highly detrimental for the poor. There is no example of a complete free market economy in the world but the USA comes closest to the definition of a free market or capitalist economy. This is becaus e the USA has approximately 30% government spending in its GD, one of the lowest figures in the world, with 70% expenditure incurred by the private sector (Coates, 2014). A pure command economy is the opposite of a free market economy and will be explained in the next section of this paper. Command/Planned Economy: A planned or command economy is the opposite of a free market economy and is an economic system which is completely controlled by the government. In a planned economy, most or all resources are owned by the government and the government decides what is produced in the economy and the price charged for the products/services. Consumers have little or no say in what is produced and all industries are nationalized. A planned economy also sets out the wages of workers and may also impose quotas upon the number of goods purchased by a single household. Command or planned economies are sometimes imposed by governments in order to maintain control and to attempt to make better use of resources. However, the command or planned economy has not been a highly feasible system to adopt in the current economic environment, resulting in countries, such as China and Russia, to have to evolve or change their economic systems (Hummel & Stringham, 2010). The advantages associated with a planned economy include a reduction in the wastage of resources and a more equal distribution of income between people of that country. Moreover, the population would be provided with services such as education, roads, water, medical care, and other facilities upon the government’s budget. Governments often wish to adopt this system in order to prevent riots or unrest in the country as most of the people in the country would be at the same social level and would not feel that the system is unjust. Therefore, it allows the government to have more control on the economy and control economic problems such as inflation, deflation, unemployment, poverty, and other similar issues (Calomoris, Fisman, & Wang, 2010). There are many disadvantages associated with a command economy which include the inefficient allocation of resources as resources are not allocated according to the price mechanism. Thus, resources may be wasted in producing things that consumers may not want. Likewise, producers and wor kers do not have any incentive to work hard as they are not allowed to own wealth and are simply working for the government which would stunt the prosperity and progress of that country. Consumers would also have little choice or variety and would also have lower standards of living as they would have a lack of products/services to choose from. Additionally, it is difficult for the government to provide all goods and services efficiently themselves and this may mean that the provision of some important goods/services may be prevented or may be provided inconveniently. Countries with planned economies may suffer in global trade and other such factors as they would not be able to motivate their citizens to exert their best efforts into production and trade without giving them personal incentives. Thus, this also causes a lack of foreign investment and a high tax rate for the provision of government-funded services. Also, it is difficult to determine how the government would decide wha t should be produced in the economy and how they can easily anticipate consumer demand (Warner, 2011). Accordingly, the planned economic system has become outdated as previous communist or planned economies such as China, Russia, and even Sweden are now in transition towards a more mixed economic system which will be explained in the next section of this paper. Mixed Economy: The mixed economic system is a combination of the free market economy and the planned economy as this system has both a public sector and a private sector. As mentioned before, most of the countries of the world are mixed economies as they have a public sector and a private sector. The mixed economy allows the government to intervene to provide essential goods and services such as police, medical care, education, welfare and pension schemes, and other similar services while the private sector is free to produce goods and services as well (Castells, 2011). However, the government will intervene where needed and prevent the production of de-merit goods and prevent producers from charging unfair prices amongst other things. Consumers receive the benefit of variety and choice in goods and services and are given an incentive to work hard while they are also facilitated by the government in the form of free goods (public goods) and services (Meyer, 2011). The mixed economy combines the adv antage of the free market economy and the planned economy and also shares some of the disadvantages of both respective economies. England is a mixed economy and thus benefits from the advantages associated with not being a complete free market economy or a pure command economy, but also suffers from a few of the disadvantages of not being either of these economies (Meyer, 2011). England’s Economic System: England, while previously being one of the strongest economies in the world, is currently plagued with several economic problems, which have slightly weakened its economic system. Being a mixed economy, England’s government spends about 40% of its GDP upon government spending while the remaining 60% belongs to the country’s private sector. The 40% of government spending is 10% more than what is spent in the USA as a percentage of GDP (Cleaver, 2013). This is because England’s government spends a larger proportion of its tax revenue upon the provision of more comprehensive health services, unemployment, and welfare schemes for the poor, and the transport system of the United Kingdom (Castells, 2011). The country is benefitting substantially by not being closer to a pure free market economy as the government of the country plays a vital role in stabilizing several economic aspects of the country. First of all, the unemployment rate of England is increasing rapidly, which means that it is essential for the government to provide support for the unemployed. If the government had little or no role to play in the economy, the unemployment rate may have even been higher and the number of people that were currently out of jobs may have been out on the roads without provision of basic facilities (Gillespie, 2011).Moreover, as the country is currently in a state of recession, without government intervention, the living standards of people would have decreased substantially, putting the economy in further turmoil and in a possibly irreversible situation (Gillespie, 2011). England is also home to a large number of immigrants and students who form a large part of the GDP in the country annually. If the country had been a complete free market economy, the country was likely to be in a state of chaos as there would be no control upon the immigrants entering the country and there would be no provision of facilities for these immigrants and students which wo uld further burden the country with increasing crime rates, further unemployment, and increasing numbers of homeless people filling the streets. Besides, with increasing numbers of immigrants and an increasing unemployment rate in the local population, the country is also benefitting from government spending upon free health services which keep the citizens and visitors of the country under high quality healthcare and helps prevent the spread of dangerous diseases from people who cannot afford expensive medical treatment. The implications of this control imposed by the government include a better and fairer distribution of income along with the provision of unemployment benefits, free education, pension and welfare schemes, and high quality healthcare for all people alike (Cleaver, 2013). Furthermore, another essential part of the government’s role in the economy includes the transport system which is subsidized for students, senior citizens, and people with lower incomes. Th us, the government is responsible for the provision of essential public goods and services which are needed to promote the welfare of the citizens of England and make them a prosperous economy (Bohstedht, 2010). Conversely, the disadvantages associated with England being a mixed economy rather than a free market economy include the fact that some services may be provided more efficiently by the private sector including healthcare, as the National Health Service is taking up a substantial part of taxpayer’s money and the standards of the service are also slightly deteriorating resulting in long waiting lists for patients who require treatment. Moreover, if the government privatized several more industries and promoted an environment of pure competition, it may result in the creation of additional jobs and help decrease the unemployment rate. Additionally, increased consumer spending and investment may also attract further foreign direct investment into the country and help bri ng the country out of its current recessionary state as England’s foreign direct investment rate has decreased over the years and UK’s own companies have increased their investment in other emerging markets. The public has also been highly verbal and rebellious regarding the increasing tax rate in the country which would have been non-existent had the country been a free market economy (Cleaver, 2013). On the other hand, while there are advantages and disadvantages associated with the country being a mixed economy rather than a free market economy, there are also advantages and disadvantages associated with the country not being a pure command economy. The advantage that England has of not being a pure command economy is that it has been able to motivate its population to work hard and become a progressive state as workers are allowed to accumulate wealth instead of limiting the growth of its citizens and nationalizing all its industries. While there is some inefficien cy in the allocation of resources, the country’s private sector does operate upon the price mechanism thus allowing the efficient allocation of resources according to the market forces of demand and supply (Boaden, 2010). England has also been able to encourage high amounts of foreign direct investment and the immigration of skilled labour which would not have been possible if the country had been a pure command economy. Consumers are also provided with a variety of high quality goods and services which has increased the country’s standard of living and has also enabled it to be an active participant in global trade (Boaden, 2010). Yet, there are certain disadvantages that the country has of not being a pure command economy and being a mixed economy which include the unequal distribution of wealth amongst its citizens which is causing increasing unrest. Moreover, there is ample wastage of resources in the economy because of increasing competition between firms and the country is suffering from several scandals in the realms of corporate social responsibility, quality, unfair pricing, and other problems in its private sector (Bohstedht, 2010).The country has also had to face immense problems because of the large number of immigrants entering the country each year and if the country had been a pure command economy, it would have not had so many potential immigrants to deal with (Boaden, 2010). Conclusion: England is best suited to be a mixed economy like most of the other economies of the world as this economic system enables the economy to combine the advantages of both the complete free market economy and the pure command economy. Additionally, while the country is progressing in the private sector, government intervention is essential for the provision of necessary public goods and services, without which the economy would substantially deteriorate the conditions of the poor. However, while the country has nationalized many of its essential services, the country should consider allowing privatization in the healthcare industry as the burden of taxes to pay for the NHS is increasing while the quality of the service provided by the NHS is deteriorating. Moreover, this is an essential industry which cannot be plagued with delays as is currently happening with the NHS. Thus, being a mixed economy, England should slightly further reduce its government spending to allow the private secto r to benefit further while the government can exert legal control over the activities of firms in the private sector. Furthermore, the government must encourage private industries to increase employment, incomes, and consumer spending, and thus lead to a higher GDP and a more progressive nation. The country would also easily be able to pull itself out of its current recessionary state and reduce the tax burden on its citizens. References Baylis, J., Smith, S., & Owens, P. (Eds.). (2013). The globalization of world politics: An introduction to international relations. Oxford University Press. Boaden, N. (2010). Urban policy-making: influences on county boroughs in England and Wales. Cambridge University Press. Bohstedt, J. (2010). The Politics of Provisions: Food Riots, Moral Economy, and Market Transition in England, C. 1550-1850. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. Bremmer, I. (2010). â€Å"The end of the free market: who wins the war between states and corporations?.† European View. Vol. 9(2) pp. 249-252. Calomiris, C. W., Fisman, R., & Wang, Y. (2010). â€Å"Profiting from government stakes in a command economy: Evidence from Chinese asset sales.† Journal of Financial Economics. Vol. 96(3) pp.399-412. Castells, M. (2011). The power of identity: The information age: Economy, society, and culture (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons. Cleaver, T. (2013). Understanding the world economy. Routledge. Coates, D. (2014). â€Å"The UK: Less a liberal market economy, more a post-imperial one.† Capital & Class. Vol. 38(1) pp.171-182. Gillespie, A. (2011). Foundations of economics. Oxford University Press. Hummel, J. R., & Stringham, E. P. (2010). â€Å"If a Pure Market econoMy Is so Good, Why doesn’t It exIstthe Importance of changing Preferences versus Incentives in social change.† Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. Vol.13 pp.31-52. Meyer, M. W. (2011). â€Å"Is it capitalism?.† Management and Organization Review, Vol.7 (1) pp.5-18. Ostrom, E. (2010). â€Å"Beyond markets and states: polycentric governance of complex economic systems.† The American Economic Review. pp. 641-672. Polak, J. J. (2013). An international economic system (Vol. 7). Routledge. Robertson, P. E. (2013). Does a Free Market Economy Make Australia More Or Less Secure in a Globalised World?. University of Western Australia, Business School, Economics. Warner, M. (2011). â€Å"Labour markets in China: Coming to terms with globalization.† The dynamics of Asian labour markets: Balancing control and flexibility. New York, NY, Routledge. pp. 134-147.

Intrinsic Motivation Essay

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is learning development in which people acquire a new language – more commonly known as â€Å"second language† in addition to their native tongue. The second language is often referred as â€Å"target language† or â€Å"L2†. In addition, second language denotes any new language learned after early childhood years. This means subsequently languages learned – i. e. third or fourth language is still referred to as second language. A number of personal and environmental factors may affect the decision to learn a second language. Examples of such factors include family influences, social groups or peers, teachers, school, age, and self-concept. An individual may pursue a study on acquiring a second language skill for various reasons and motivations. In a study of UK and European students, it has been stated that the reasons a student pursues a study a foreign language are the following: 1) to be able to develop a career advantage for opportunities in the future; 2) a student’s personal inclination to learn the language; 3) to be able to learn and appreciate to cultural differences; 4) for an enhanced comprehension of the culture where the language is used; 5) and to be able to reside in nations where the language is used. The current teacher booklet aims to help the SLA teacher increase the intrinsic motivation of SLA learners by presenting sundry topics, including attitudes and motivation in second language learning; clarifying erroneous beliefs about language learning; what the SLA teacher ought to focus on: sources of language anxiety; the learning environment as source of language anxiety; variables of self-confidence; socio-psychological issues of language anxiety and self-confidence; instructor-learner interaction and classroom procedures; and interpretation of educator beliefs on language learning. Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning In the book Attitudes and motivation in second language learning, Gardner and Lambert (1972) have identified Integrative Motivation and Instrumental Motivation as the common reason for a student’s desire to study a second language. In the context of language learning, a learner may pursue the study of English such as a second language because of one’s desire to work in abroad as well as for travel purposes. The learner’s practical rationale for acquiring a second language is referred to as instrumental motivation. On the other hand, a person may pursue the study of English language in order to successfully integrate within the community where one is currently living. The learner’s purpose can be referred to as integrative motivation. Following a learner’s utilitarian purpose, the clear benefit of acquiring English as second language is to have a competitive edge in the labor market. Such skills are very valuable as businesses are increasingly becoming global. In fact, professionals who are fluent bilingual speakers have the competitive edge compared to monolingual speakers. In addition, travel and migration of people has becoming a growing trend in recent years prompting a necessity to understand and integrate within the society which one lives in. Given that there a significant number of SLA learners, it is worthwhile to examine how the teacher may be able to increase the confidence and intrinsic motivation and lessen the anxiety of the SLA learner. Clarifying Erroneous Beliefs about Language Learning Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope (1986) believe that the problem of anxiety and the accompanying erroneous beliefs about language learning, as discussed in their literature focusing on classroom anxiety, represent serious impediments to the development of second language fluency as well as to performance. In their discussion of clinical experience with anxiety as a barrier to second language development, they categorize this personality factor as that of apprehension, worry and even dread and anxious language learners often have difficulty concentrating, become forgetful, sweat, and have palpitations. Further, Chang, Horwitz, and Schallert (1999) report that there are generally two types or constructs of anxiety, which are related to second language learning in both speaking and writing. The report suggests that second language classroom anxiety refers to the anxiety felt by students in interacting with native-speaking students. It is the more general type of anxiety felt by most school students. On the other hand, second language writing anxiety refers to language-skill-specific anxiety felt by students. Chang, Horwitz, and Schallert (1999) suggest that these are two separate constructs and that anxiety levels in speaking or writing may be felt differently. Nevertheless, the report asserts that level of self-esteem is an important component for both constructs. In a research on English as Second Language, Huang (2004) reports that foreign students (i. e. Chinese) studying at North American universities have faired very well in TOEFL. While Chinese students have obtained very high marks, many still have difficulties in understanding academic lectures, taking notes, writing assignments and giving presentations. Further, this report would also illustrate that the two independent constructs reported by Chang, Horwitz, and Schallert (1999). Huang (2004) reports that the students in the study have proficiency in reading ability and grammar, and that listening and the speaking were the weakest. Moreover, the study also reports low level of confidence of foreign students in participation and interaction in classes due to this difficulty; thus, limiting their overall performance. Cummins (2000) supports that even though many have excellent English language skills in terms of social proficiency, many are still struggling with the type of cognitive academic language necessary for the success in the mainstream classroom. The Learner’s Willingness to Communicate Skehan (1989) further suggests that a learner’s willingness to communicate has also been related to anxiety. His research points toward some language learners attempting to avoid communicating in a second language due to fear of embarrassment over their current skill level in speaking the second language. Perhaps this is part of the reason why many second language learners, who study overseas, tend to remain connected to other foreign second language learners and avoid prolonged social contact with native-speaking peers. Though the reasoning behind each individual’s level of willingness to communicate will likely vary based on the number of people present, the topic of conversation and the formality of the circumstances, avoiding discussion using the second language is a common anxiety among language learners. While many studies have shown the level of anxiety of second language learners increases because of erroneous personal beliefs of the students, most of studies assert that self-confidence is an important component in overcoming of both in classroom and writing anxieties. What the SLA Teacher Ought to Focus On: Sources of Language Anxiety Furthermore, Young (1991) provides a list of potential sources of language anxiety. In her review of the literature on language anxiety, Young asserts that language anxiety can have a variety of sources – that is, anxiety can be associated with the learner’s perceptions, teacher’s beliefs, as well as the instructional practice to second language learning. She argues that language can come from the following: a. personal and interpersonal anxieties, learner beliefs about language learning, instructor beliefs about language teaching, instructor-learner actions, and language testing. Personal perceptions and beliefs can have a great effect on the progress of language learning. These perceptions have been well-documented in the studies related to age and language learning. Hyltenstam (1992) asserts that age in relation to language learning is an important factor in achieving native-like fluency for second language learners. That is, younger students tend to learn the second language faster than their mature counterparts. On the other, self-perception of more mature learners tends to hinder in the development of second language skills, which can more appropriately termed as trait anxiety. For example, adults, who are pursuing study of a second language, may have a clear mission why they are pursuing such course and far more determination to persevere than their younger counterparts. However, a number of mature students, who enter a foreign language class, were victimized by various prejudices about second language learning. â€Å"I’m too old to learn† or â€Å"I’m linguistically challenged† are common erroneous beliefs that adult learners often succumb to. Ehrman et al (2003) suggest that the feelings of uneasiness, such as late start or a belief that one needs a special predisposition for learning learning, can be attributed to the barriers created by the student’s ego as one matures. Adult learners may perceive their performance in a foreign language classroom as unnatural or ridiculous in comparison to their experience in the first language acquisition process. Therefore, these factors often contribute to the apprehension and tension felt by adult learners in the context of second language learning, more specifically in the aspect of speaking, writing, and learning. In short, adult learners suffer language anxiety more as compared to their younger counterparts. Certainly, not all adult learners become paralyzed by negative emotions the moment they step into a foreign language classroom. However, it is a common perception of educators, who have lectured to a group of adults, that some non-native speaking students may be reluctant to participate, more especially when they realize or assume that other students are more fluent. Nonetheless, it is important to emphasize that this emotion is not alien to younger learners, but in the studies it have been well-documented that with age the tension and anxiety associated with learning a new language is stronger and more difficult to overcome. The Learning Environment as Source of Language Anxiety Furthermore, the learning environment can also be a source of language anxiety. MacIntyre and Gardner (1994) would denote this as situational anxiety. Hadfield (1992) has introduced the concept of classroom dynamics to describe everything that happens in and between the participants, both the teacher and the students. Heron further elaborates on the existential anxiety of students in a classroom setting. Moreover, Heron also lists three aspects of existential anxiety in relation to classroom dynamics: 1) acceptance anxiety, 2) orientation anxiety, and 3) performance anxiety. Acceptance anxiety would relate to apprehension of being judged in a foreign class. Often times, students as well as teachers may show approval and disapproval behaviors to others. Fellow students may show impatience or mock another as a sign of their approval or disapproval to their fellow students. This often manifest as a sign of competition for teacher’s approval among students in the classroom. Teachers may also exhibit judgmental attitude in their criticisms as well as their bodily movements to their students. The teachers may open criticize or mock a student in a class. A more subtle criticism can be observed when a teacher would correct an error of a student. Whether the teacher corrects the error explicitly, by providing the correction, or implicitly, by indicating the kind of error and giving the student the opportunity for self-correction, can make a difference in the student’s self-confidence. Orientation anxiety would relate to the personal understanding of the situational contexts of the discussion or what is going on. Teacher’s role in facilitating learning is undermined by the failure to manage classroom discourse. This leads for students to at times feel of being deprived of control. In a discussion, when turn stealing overrules turn taking, such feelings can occur. The student may feel the lack of control over his role in classroom interaction when he is late to answer a general question or the question is directed to another person. More often, students would find the teacher’s unclear or unsatisfactory explanation as frustrating and leaving a feeling of no control over the language as a system. Finally, the anxiety is further instilled with domineering and controlling teachers, who leaves students feeling they have no influence over what is going on in the classroom. Lastly, performance anxiety would relate to the apprehension or feeling of isolation in a class. The feeling of isolation may also express itself as a feeling of disregarded. The feeling of being alone among one’s peers is not uncommon in highly territorial classrooms in which students never want to change their seats or switch conversation partners. Moreover, this would relate to student’s anxiety to talk using the target language with fellow students in fear of being appearing stupid and judge as well. Hence, research reports would suggest that foreign students will tend to group with fellow non-native speakers and exhibit behavioral avoidance when studying in the mainstream English classes. Variables of Self-Confidence Self-confidence is a positive image yet realistic view of one-self and the situation. A confident person is someone who trust his own abilities, have a general sense of control in their lives, and believe that, within reason, they will be able to do what they wish, plan, and expect. According to Skehan (1989), available research does not show a single clearly-defined relationship between personality traits (such as self-confidence) and second language. He further points out that a major difficulty in investigating personality variables is that of identification and measurement, pointing toward a relatively new area of potential research needing attention. However, existing literature suggests that language anxiety can be correlated with students’ negative concepts of themselves as language learners, and negative expectations for language learning. With this in consideration, self-confidence levels can be viewed not only as a personality trait with complex factors affecting high or low confidence, but also as an outcome of high anxiety levels. This assumption is of considerable interest as anxiety tends to create negative self-perceptions about language performance and can then be tied directly to an increase in negative attitudes towards second language learning and a decrease in risk-taking and sociability. In different respect, overly high levels of confidence in language learning can have similar negative effects on language learning, hindering advancement in language proficiency as over-confidence, due to self-perceptions of high degrees of performance in oral/written communication or in positive socialization, can lead a language learner to believe that he or she has learned all there is to know about a language and lose sight of mastering higher complex linguistic skill in the SL. For example, an individual who sees that his or her skill level in the second language is superior to other SL learners who struggle with the SL, he or she might make substantial mistakes in grammar or comprehension, but remain completely unaware of their errors and thus not improve in the acquisition of the second language. Horwitz (1986) brings up an interesting concept regarding self-confidence by citing that language learning is a profoundly unsettling psychological proposition because it directly threatens an individual’s self-concept and worldview. A bold statement, but it does indicate that language learning, as a whole, can be a major contributor to variable self-confidence levels based on how each individual interprets their learning in terms of culture, grammar, or any other related language learning aspect. Variable self-confidence levels in second language learners are profoundly impacted by a complex set of individualised variables that it would be difficult to label each and every possible contributor to self-confidence levels. Simply recognising self-confidence levels in SL learners as a result of language learning and of anxiety opens a variety of potential research methods to begin measuring cause and effect of variable self-confidence. Instructor-Learner Interaction and Classroom Procedures Young (1991) asserts that a learner’s beliefs about language learning can contribute to the psychological anxiety in students. Skills such as proper pronunciation, depth of vocabulary, and fluency may vary in importance for learners in relation to second language learning. Similarly, Horwitz also studied the effect of various learners’ perceptions to language learning. In fact, Horwitz reports that a number of foreign language students in his study may have unachievable personal goals and misconceptions about language learning. For example, a few respondents expressed their optimism in achieving native-like fluency in the second language in two years of study, while others expressed their belief that language learning is tantamount to learning how to translate. Clearly, these idealistic beliefs contribute to language anxiety, more evidently when their beliefs and reality clash. A very good example would be the overly optimistic goal of beginners to achieve native-like fluency in the target language in two years. Over time, the students would naturally tend to get frustrated to find the reality of their imperfect pronunciation even after a lot of practice. On the other hand, an instructor’s beliefs about language teaching can also be a source of anxiety among second language learners. The manifestations of instructor’s belief can more clearly be seen in the methodology or approach in which an instructor conducts the second language class. For example, most instructors, who employ the Grammar Translation Method to teach English, will undoubtedly argue that the most fundamental reason for learning the language is to give learners access to English literature, develop their minds through second language learning, and to build in students the kinds of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and translation skills requisite to pass any one of the variety of compulsory tests necessitated in educational institutions. These instructors often emphasize on the strict rules of grammar syntax and proper form in sentence construction. While the teacher believes that his role in class is to constantly test and correct student’s errors, some of the students might develop anxiety over their class performance. On the other hand, some instructors may choose to employ a different methodology in language teaching. Some instructors may choose to use Total Physical Response method for learners to enjoy the sessions and create a less stressful environment for the students. Practitioners argue that recreating the natural process for children first learning their native language will facilitate the learning of the second language in the same way. More importantly, it asserts that language learning method involves a substantial amount of listening and comprehension with a mixture of various physical response such as smiling, reaching, and grabbing. Thus, the aim was to lower the affective filter in order to accelerate language learning among students. Taking into account the beliefs of both learners and instructors as well as the sources of language anxieties felt by students in a classroom setting, it is also important to look into the dynamics of the learning environment. Hadfield (1992) has identified seven traits of a good classroom dynamics as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Traits of Good Classroom Dynamics 1. Student groups are cohesive and have a positive, supportive atmosphere. Group members are interested in each other and feel they have something in common. 2. The members of the group are able to compromise. They have a sense of direction as a group and are able to define their goals in group as well as individual terms. 3. Group members are not cliquey or territorial but interact happily with all members of the group. Members of the group listen to each other and take turns. 4. Individuals in the group are not competitive and do not seek individual attention at the expense of others. Members cooperate in completing tasks and are able to work together productively. 5. Group members are able to empathize with each other and understand each other’s points of view even if they do not share them. The members of the group trust each other. 6. The group has a sense of fun. 7. Group members have a positive attitude to themselves as learners, to the language and culture being studied, and to the learning experience. Interpretation of Educator Beliefs on Language Learning Many paradigms and principles in mentioned in existing literature in teacher cognition are generally by nature unobservable and researchers have defined such principles differently. Freeman defines the categories in teacher education as â€Å"knowledge, beliefs and perceptions that shape what the teachers know, and therefore what they do in their teaching. † The keywords in Freeman’s categorization would be knowledge, beliefs and perceptions. These keywords would therefore define the scope of the teacher’s competency in relation to language teaching. Ellis (2006) would further refine the three words to discuss the teacher’s biographical experience and how it contributes to their professional knowledge. Ellis (2006) proposes â€Å"knowledge, beliefs, and insights† as refinement of the Freeman’s categorization. Knowledge (cited after Woods by Ellis) would be related to facts and the â€Å"things we know†. Beliefs refers to the instructor’s â€Å"acceptance of a proposition †¦ for which there is an accepted disagreement. † Ellis further elaborates on this irony as â€Å"ESL students need explicit focus on grammar as well as communicative practice. † Lastly, insight would relate to the instructor’s â€Å"personal practical knowledge: knowledge which is experiential, embodied, and reconstructed out of the narratives of a teacher’s life†. Ellis (2006) further elaborates insight as â€Å"an understanding gained from personal experience that allows us to see how previously understood realities could be different. It illuminates something previously unseen, makes sense of something previously incomprehensible, or lends a new perspective on something taken for granted. † Conclusion Different language experiences will result to rich and diverse insights, which can be very useful to second language teachers. However, there is yet to be a methodical study of a knowledge database of the learning experiences of English second language teachers. Formal education would require and ensure teachers are equip with the knowledge about phonology, grammar syntax, bilingualism, and motivation and methodology, etc. In addition, beliefs about the theories within language learning are also formed in the process as teachers develop a technique or approach in second language teaching. More importantly, teachers gain insights from the personal experiences, particularly in teaching second language. These insights are gained from reflection and recognition the complex, interwoven, rich, and diverse nature of what teachers â€Å"know†. The contents of this teacher booklet all aim to give the SLA teacher some insight into the areas in which he exerts significant impact. If taken to heart, he will indeed be able to make a dent in language learning by lessening the anxiety of his students and increasing their self-confidence. References Chang, Y. S. , Horwitz, E. K. and Schallert, D. L. (1999). Language Anxiety: Differentiating Writing and Speaking Components. Language Learning, 49 (3), 417-446. Cummins, J. (2000). Immersion education for the millennium: What we have learned from 30 years of research on second language immersion. Retrieved on October 23, 2007 from www. iteachilearn. com/cummins/immersion2000. html Ehrman, M. E. , Leaver, B. L. & Oxford, R. L. (2003). A brief overview of individual differences in second language learning. System, 31 (3), 313-330. Ellis, E. M. (2006). Language learning experience as a contributor to ESOL teacher cognition. Teaching English as Second Language or Foreign Language, 10 (1). Gardner, R. C. & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, Mass: Newbury House. Hadfield, J. (1992). Classroom dynamics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Horwitz, E. K. (1986). Student effective reactions and the teaching and learning of foreign languages. College of Education: The University of Texas at Austin, Texas. Horwitz, E. K. , Horwitz, M. B. & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70 (2). Huang, J. (2004). Voices from Chinese students: Professor’s use of English affects academic listening. College Student Journal, 38(2), 212-223. Hyltenstam, K. (1992). Non-native features of near-native speakers: on the ultimate attainment of childhood L2 learners. In R. J. Harris (ed. ) Cognitive processing in bilinguals, 351 367. Amsterdam: North-Holland. MacIntyre, P. D. & Gardner, D. (1994). How does anxiety affect second language learning? A reply to Sparks and Ganschow. The Modern Language Journal, 79 (1). Skehan, P. (1989). Individual differences in second-language learning. London: Edward Arnold Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a low-anxiety classroom environment: What does language anxiety research suggest? The Modern Language Journal, 75 (4).

The Manhattan Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Manhattan Project - Essay Example ts of Manhattan Project lie in the soil of Germany but Hitler through his brutality and arrogance uprooted the tree of nuclear physics unconsciously and handed it to America. The scientist and the physicists who left Germany and Europe came to America to look for new arenas of opportunities and gave impetus to the Manhattan project. It was already known that a single atom possesses energy and this energy if projected in the required direction can become a bomb. The Germans were already working on development of such a device that could use atomic energy to produce massive destruction but at what pace was unknown. Alexander Sachs (1893-1973), who was a close friend of the then American president Roosevelt D. Franklin brought him the letter from Albert Einstein telling about the massive energy that an atom possess and the German plan to build a bomb from it, the project started with the name of â€Å"The Manhattan Military Engineering District†. October 11th 1939 was the day whe n president Roosevelt D. Franklin has formed the advisory committee in uranium, which worked as the launching pad of this project. He also wrote back to Einstein on October 10th 1939 that he had sent up a committee comprising army personnel to study uranium. (Cynthia C Kelly. The Manhattan project: the birth of the atomic bomb in the words of its creators, eyewitnesses, and historians.) USA was at that time had the policy of no intervention in the Second World War and not much attention was paid to this at first. The project was to create something that was only theoretical and from the material that could not be seen. With some time, the president felt the gravity of the situation that if in case the Germans were able to develop a bomb that can cause massive destruction, he immediately made the project a top priority military project and allocated massive funds for the development of the bomb. Strange it may seem, but it was the most highly budgeted and top secret military project at that

Fashion PR Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fashion PR - Article Example The present paper endeavors to critically analyze the applicability of known dictums in public relations to the fashion industry after carefully understanding the development of public relations in the industry from earlier times in history. The development of public relations strategies in fashion industry came about around the 1930s, when members of the elite and wealthy class could afford to select and pick designer wearables like garments, gowns, wigs, glasses, bracelets, umbrellas and so on. By then, distinct fashion magazines were already available in print in the urban society and photos were being printed to create cover pages for the magazines. Fashion was not just restricted to apparels and what a person wore, but was also found in home dà ©cor and accessories. By the 1960s, a more important trend of identifying and portraying the volatility of the industry began and is popular till today. Amongst the first examples of use of public relation strategy in promoting fashion p roducts, we find a localization of power as a particular news house would ask members of its elite class or Hollywood actors and actresses who are members of the book house or publishing house to wear creations of known designer members of the same society, at events and functions where they would get noticed and clicked. This way, the publishing houses hoped to keep glamour and glitz showcased on people associated with them. One such example is seen when Eleanor Lambert in 1950 asks Joan Crawford to sport.

Corinthian College Annual Report for 2005 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corinthian College Annual Report for 2005 - Essay Example The annual report is formatted to include an informational portion that need not follow any set format. The actual information required in the report to the SEC is found in the 'consolidated statements' portion of the annual report and contains information to satisfy 10K reporting requirements. The actual report is done by an independent accounting firm hired by the corporation. This firm performs the analysis and reporting functions required by the SEC. Often, the corporation submits an agreement, or disagreements, addendum to the report to explain anything out of the ordinary to the SEC. As stated earlier, the 'notes' section explains the 'consolidated' reports section of the annual report. It is the longest portion of the report and, in some ways, is the most important part of the report. Investors examine the annual report to determine whether or not the corporation is worth investing in. If this is a publicly listed corporation then investors interested in the corporation can purchase stocks and receive dividends from the corporation. The most important factor the investor would be interested in would be the profit/loss section of the report and the 'notes' section that explains that portion. In the annual report for Corinthian College, Inc. the profit/loss section of the report (the balance sheets) is located on page 57 of the 10K report. Its corresponding notes section is located on page 61. Investors would be looking intently at the notes section that explains the assets and liabilities of the corporation. These are explained in the notes section and are labeled 'taxes', 'comprehensive income', 'stock based compensation' and, 'income per share' section of the report. To determine whether or not the corporation is a good investment investors would be looking for how the stocks are valuated, whether the corporation is profitable, and the growth rate of the corporation. The 'balance sheet' of the corporation (the numbers) follows with a more detailed report than is found in the 10K report. The balance sheet for the previous year is provided for comparison. Investors will read this section of the report to help them decide whether or not to invest. Also, investment analys ts and financial advisors examine this section to decide whether or not to track and recommend the corporation for investment. A vital portion to the 'notes' section is the acquisitions page. This report lists Wyo-Tech Acquisition Corp. ("Wyo-Tech"), Learning Tree University, Inc. ("LTU", Career Choices, Inc. ("Career Choices"), East Coast Aero Tech, LLC ("ECAT")., and CDI Education Corporation ("CDI"), A.M.I., Inc. as acquisitions. All these acquisitions may be a liability for the corporation initially but may increase profits in the future. The investor would be interested to know what the future plans are for these acquisitions. Fair market value for the above acquisitions is listed on page 75 and provides a snapshot of how much the acquisitions added to the corporation. The corporation also assumed leases that the acquisitions had in place. One of the most important sections that corporation outsiders would be interested in is Note 7-Preferred Stock and Common Stockholders' Equity section. It explains such details as how much preferred

Anarexia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Anarexia - Essay Example Pediatrics, 99:505-512 Kohn MR, Golden NH, Shenker IR (1998). Cardiac arrest and delirium: presentations of the refeeding syndrome in severely malnourished adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Journal Adolescence Health, 22: 239-43. Von Ranson, K., Iacono W, McGue M. (2002). Disordered eating and substance abuse in an epidemiological sample: 1. Associations within individuals. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31, 389-403 .. Cardiac arrest and delirium: presentations of the refeeding syndrome in severely malnourished adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Journal Adolescence Health, 22: 239-43. McIntosh V.V, Bulik C.M, McKenzie J.M, Luty S.E, Jordan J. (2000). Interpersonal psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 27(2): 125-39. Meyrowitz, J. (1985). No sense of place: The impact of electronic medial on social behavior. New York: Oxford University Press. Misra, Madhusmita et al (2004). Effects of Anorexia Nervosa on Clinical, Hematologic, Biochemical, and Bone Density Parameters in Community-Dwelling Adolescent Girls" Pediatrics, 114, 1574-1583 Paris, J. (1999). Nature and Nurture in Psychiatry. Oxford Press Steiner H, Kwan W, Shaffer TG, et al. (2003). Risk and protective factors for juvenile eating disorders. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 12, Suppl. 1, 38-46. Treasure, J., and Ulrike Schmidt (2005). Anorexia Nervosa. Clinical Evidences, 14; 1-13 Veale, D. (2001). Cognitive-behavioural therapy for body dysmorphic disorder. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 7: 125-132 Von Ranson, K., Iacono W, McGue M. (2002). Disordered eating and substance abuse in an epidemiological sample: 1. Associations within individuals. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31, 389-403 Walsh, T.D., and Michael J. Devlin (2000). Psychopharmacology of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating. Science, 29: 1387-1390 Weinshenker, N. (2002). Adolescents and Body Image: What's Typical and What's Not. Child Study Center Letter, Vol. 6, No. 24 Wolfe BE, and L.B. Gimby (2003). Caring for the hospitalized patient with an eating disorder. Nursing Clinics of Northern America, 38: 75-99. Yager, J, and Arnold E. Andersen, M.D.

Nonprofit Assignment 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nonprofit Assignment 2 - Coursework Example With a mission to ensure racial equality and socioeconomic uplifting of all citizens, the organization boasted about 425000 members in 2007. Through its various departments like Branch and Field Services, youth and collage department, Legal department, and Education department, the organization looks to improve the living conditions of all American citizens and provide them with the best facilities available. The Association also does strong lobbying in the US government that is something contrary to the theories discussed in the commentary. The NAACP is also run through a proper hierarchical management system and takes the ideology of business processes in its operations. The organization also had a rivalry with the IRS at the point of its tax-exempted status. The IRS contented that the organization has been actively taking part in the political affairs which was obnoxious but eventually, the case went in favour of the organization(NAACP, 1997). The philanthropic foundation works under private ownership and is a division of the main for profit business of the Kellogg Company. Hence this is a good example of the corporate effort towards non-profit businesses. The foundation was the 7th largest foundation in 2005 with 82% of its founds spent in the US. The company also invests in a variety of programs including schools, and other social programs. The assets held by the company are humongous in volume with US $ 7 billion. This is in compliance with the theories cited in the commentary about the growing influence of the non-profit organizations. The new management framework employed by the organization enables it to emphasise on food, Health, Social wellbeing and Education and Learning. The organization, unlike many others, has been very successful in fulfilling its objective of helping children face the future with confidence, health, and under high security (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 1999). The Association of Jewish family and children agencies

Life Stressors Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Life Stressors Journal - Assignment Example This means that the period assessed was packed with high stress levels ( Koocher & Greca, 2011). I was not surprised by my life stressors since I experienced tough times and was always indoors thinking about my stressors. My major stressors were my education; that is, my fees, grades and competition from other students. These stressors greatly impacted my socializing skills forcing me to be a loner. I tried reaching out to friends as my relaxation technique, by creating a good social support system, and it really worked as I realized that a problem shared is half solved. Major health risks associated with distress are; insomnia, bouts of anger, depression, restlessness, tense muscles, and fatigue. The critical point in managing stress is our ability to control how we react to the situation that led to the stress. We are usually so busy living our life that we don’t take time to stop and assess. We should practice the various relaxation techniques for a healthy living (Koocher & Greca,

Freedom Writers - About the Power of One Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Freedom Writers - About the Power of One - Essay Example The system had simply given up on these kids and during the initial minutes it appears that Erin is totally clueless about what to do with these kids and how to educate them. However, the movie soon gets interesting when charged with the optimism and persistence of Erin. Instead of fitting in like a brick in the wall, Erin decides to be different, she decides to tap into the power of one, she strongly believes that these kids are capable of being educated and reformed as any other kid studying in a high end school. It is this strong belief in her power and her capacity to make a change that constitutes the foundation on which this story stands. Rather than getting dismayed by the activities and beliefs of her students, Erin uses them as an aid to further their education. For instance when a Hispanic student comes out with a racially driven picture of one of his classmates, Erin, rather than getting disappointed and cynical, uses the opportunity to teach the kids about racial discrimi nation and the evils perpetrated on the innocent people in the name of racial pride. Placed in an environment that is utterly racist and discriminatory, Eric decides to use the Holocaust as a background to teach these kids about tolerance and racial harmony. She tells the kids as to how in the Nazi Germany thousands of Jews were killed, harassed and exploited in the name of racial pride. Erin chooses to dilute the students’ hatred for one another by teaching them as to how racial prejudice could lead to the exploitation of the harmless and the innocent. The class which was so far averse to the gestures of Erin soon starts to get interested in her and their interest starts to gather around the theme of Holocaust, directly leading to a... Freedom Writers shows as to how sometimes the aversion towards change is inbuilt within the system and how this disinclination towards change presents opposition to the individual personalities supportive and desirous of change. As the efforts and methods of Erin proceed to rake in change amongst her students, it leads to a conflict with her superiors and her husband owing to their cynical and stubborn thinking. Though not directly hinted in the movie, it could be said that the colleagues and superiors of Erin resist her not only out of jealousy, but, also because they somehow do not want these students to succeed, whom they had once labeled as the dredge of the society. Though, they simply could not bear to see Erin succeed with them, Erin with her resilience and perseverance, somehow always finds a way to navigate across the obstacles set by them. The one thing that the movie Freedom Writers teaches is that not only the change could begin with one, but rather change always begins with one. It is always the faith, perseverance and efforts of a single personality that ignites the imagination of millions and brings about the desired change in the societies.

Reflection Paper final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reflection Paper final - Assignment Example I believe another issue that makes the writing appealing to me is the candid manner in which Bugbee voices his doubts and uncertainties which I believe is instrumental in describing his wondrous journey of the mind and the heart while not only making him a participant in his own philosophy, but also a witness of his own processes and productions. For purposes of this reflection, I will reflect upon driving to Mexico which I find most interesting and the one that I can best identify with. The first thing that makes me identify with driving to Mexico is that while also driving I tend to let my mind wonder about things I find most pressing and more often than not, I end up agreeing that actually faithful reflection on the experience of things must resist the attenuation of experienced reality which I also believe arises from ignoring concrete realization. As a matter of fact, I can relate my life’s journey with the driving to Mexico as reading the part brings back the sobering experience of the extraordinary difficulty of coming to grips with my own beliefs while also reinforcing my belief that one should not say something that does not arise from what he believes in his heart. When criticizing what he seemed to be doing while driving from Massachusetts down deep to Mexico which made him clarify the basis of his objections, it downed on me that before clarifying the truth behind by doubts and thoughts, it is important that I take my time and deeply reflect upon the issues which would make the reflective concern to which should keep recurring. Greenwood Bugbee in the text makes a profound statement against philosophical certainty and the quest for nothing but the absolute truth. I tend to agree with the author that while it is true that confusion is not necessarily a bad thing, it is actually a natural part of human experience. I agree and believe that indeed the only aspect of life that provokes anxiety is the false notion that there exists a single path for

Xerox Diversity Essay Example for Free

Xerox Diversity Essay Xerox views achieving diversity in its workforce as a tool to increase its competitive advantage, rather than as an obstacle. Xerox is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and applies these principles to its recruitment, selection and retention strategies. To promote cultural and racial understanding and to achieve diversity at all levels of the company, Xerox has implemented a number of programs: Balanced Workforce Strategy, Corporate Champions, Caucus Groups, Training and Development, CEO Roundtables and Work Life. The Balanced Workforce Strategy is a plan to review the companys representation of minorities and females in each pay grade band and to improve its recruitment of qualified individuals into areas where they may be under-represented. The Corporate Champions Program offers different racial and ethnic minorities the opportunity to voice their concerns to corporate officers. This program educates the senior management on diversity issues and builds linkages within the company. Caucus Groups work to create pools of qualified, successful employees who can rise up through the management ranks. The groups also serve as employee advocates, sources of self-development and tools for education and communication. Training and Development are keys to success for all employees at Xerox. The company has identifies 23 leadership attributes as a basis for management development. These attributes also define what is needed for effective business leadership. The Xerox Management Institute provides traditional classroom-based programs and develops new approaches in organizational learning. Next, CEO Roundtables create opportunities for the CEO to gain insight into the status of cultural diversity directly from employee groups. This serves as a communication tool for both the management and the employees with regard to the companys diversity issues. Work Life Programs at Xerox ensure that the workforce has the tools and flexibility it needs to achieve success. The company recognizes that many outside factors influence work behavior and in response, provides programs such as Dependent Care Fund, Alternative Work Schedules, Adoption Assistance, Mortgage Assistance and partial pay replacement for FMLA leaves. The company also offers a Childcare Subsidy, a Childcare Resource and Referral Service, an Employee Assistance Program and an Education Assistance Program. In addition, Xerox has also developed a toolkit entitled, Who Am I? Who Are You? Raising Children in a Diverse World. This toolkit helps adults have more effective discussions with children about issues surrounding diversity. By working with their children, adults become more in touch with their own attitudes about cultural diversity. The toolkit raises cu ltural awareness and sensitivity, and increases appreciation for differences. Outcomes and Significant Accomplishments Xeroxs efforts to improve and maintain corporate diversity is a part of its corporate plan and is supported by its senior management. Xerox diversity programs help the company meet its responsibilities as an EOE employer. In 1997, Xerox had full employee support for its Diversity Network. Plans for its diversity trainings were finished in 1997. Also in 1997, Xerox worked with other corporations, including Honeywell, to benchmark their diversity initiatives. Xerox participated in Catalysts national survey of 1,700 women-of-color managers, entitled Women of Color in Corporate Management: Dynamics of Career Advancement. Catalyst works with businesses to help advance women. The survey was conducted from November 1997 through January 1998. Xerox also co-sponsored a CEO Diversity Summit with the Ford Foundation.

Design Factors Affecting Building Maintenance

Design Factors Affecting Building Maintenance The factors of design which will influence the levels of future maintenance of public buildings and works. 1.  Introduction Maintenance of public buildings is concern for the continuous development and preservation of the major infrastructure systems such as public and private-owned buildings within the county which includes janitorial services, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, electrical, landscaping, and lawn care services. Public works, on the other hand, deals with safeguarding of sewer, solid waste, drainage and parks, etc. Both public buildings and works are grouped together and represented by the County Administrator. Their activities are inter-connected and require cross-departmental and pre-maintenance coordination. As the community grows constantly with time, the challenge facing the public buildings and works department at the County Council is to provide and maintain the above adequate infrastructure and facilities regularly. Assuring and completing maintenance to keep pace with concurrency requirements for a variety of works continues to be a huge problem for the County. The County has historically been unable to keep up with the need of society within its premises. Although the public works is still partially funded by the UK Government, the County’s Public Works Trust Fund (PWTF) loans remained at near high record levels. In this report, we will be discussing the design factors influencing the levels of maintenance of public buildings and works. 2.  Different levels of maintenance for public works at different zones The County has tried to maintain a uniform and consistent level of maintenance throughout, for example, the more important and prominent landscaped areas and parks around public and private-owned buildings. Under County Council regulations, it can only use funds collected from neighbourhood property owners and private agencies within a zone for costs associated directly and within that specified zone. In some zone areas, the evaluations allowed by law have not been sufficient to pay for basic maintenance costs, so essentially, some zones have been less funded for maintenance coverage. This is especially true when considering the costs necessary to replace dying plants and trees, replace or repair vandalized equipment or renovate older parks and irrigation systems [1] Decisions for funding in certain zones were based on mailed ballots while others were not in favour of paying for extra maintenance and repair covers. Therefore, in order to keep the maintenance budget balanced, cuts and reductions have been made in the frequency and type of maintenance being performed in each of the under-funded zones. Essentially, the maintenance levels (or standards) are different as a result of the variance in available funds. Property owners and agencies will continue to see a difference in the levels of maintenance being provided throughout the various zones in the County. The Council has developed priorities for services that most affect the community, particularly when budgets are tight. In those zones where funding is not sufficient to pay for all of the maintenance required, the County Council has set the following levels of maintenance: low, medium and high, based on maintenance priorities: (i) safety items considered first and primary, (ii) keeping parks safe, open and available to the public, (ii) responding to vandalism, (iii) keeping turf and plant materials in healthy condition and (iv) removing, but not replacing, dead and dying plant materials and (v) thinning and scaling back landscaping to lower maintenance requirements [2]. The County will also be making some enhancements to a number of median landscaped areas. The aim is to make a one-time improvement, such as the installation of low-maintenance ground covering. These efforts will eventually reduce future maintenance costs and help all zones to remain within their own budgets. 3.  Factors of design for public buildings: A Case-Study Approach Successfully designing, constructing and operating high-performance buildings requires the building owner and all members of the design team to set goals to minimize future levels of maintenance via minimization of energy consumption and environmental impact. The team should establish these goals as early as possible in the design process and maintain them through the building occupation. One method for achieving high-performance building goals is to follow the energy design process. This process begins in the pre-design phase and continues after the building is commissioned and occupied. Understanding which strategies are best suited for the building site and function, setting aggressive energy targets early and relying on advanced computer simulations to evaluate building design options are essential to the overall reliability process. The building envelope is designed first to minimize energy consumption. The mechanical, electrical and control systems are designed after optimizing the envelope design. Detailed specifications must accurately reflect the design intent. After construction, the building is commissioned, the owner and operators are instructed on the optimal operation of the building and building operation documents are provided for future maintenance reference. A case-study on an actual high-performance building demonstrates how to apply the design process to all public buildings of the future This building incorporates energy-efficient and renewable energy design features including day-lighting, passive heating and cooling and improved thermal envelope. All this energy saving considerations is being intentionally put in place to significantly reduce future maintenance needs and increase reliability of building functionalities [5] In a traditional design process, the architectural team determines the building form and articulation of the faà §ade, including orientation, colour, window area and window placement. This architectural design is then handed off to the engineering team, who designs the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, ensures compliance with applicable energy codes, and ensures acceptable levels of environmental comfort for building occupants. From an engineers point of view, energy dependability occurs by improving the design of the HVAC system. It is then the engineers goal to create an efficient system within the context of the building envelope that has been previously designed—the architectural decisions have been finalized and few changes can be made to the envelope design [4] For successful realization of low-energy buildings which are less susceptible to failures, an efficient design team must establish a cost-effective energy goal. Once a commitment to energy minimization has been made, the energy-design process can be used to guide the team towards good decision making and trade-off analysis without sacrificing the building’s programmatic requirements. The building must incorporate disaster resistant (e.g., able to function if no grid-power is available). The design should meet or exceed all the functional and comfort requirements of the building. Low-energy design does not imply that building occupants endure conditions that are considered unacceptable in traditional buildings. The design team develops a thorough understanding of the building site and building functional requirements. A qualitative evaluation of these issues early in the design process often leads to later solutions for minimizing potential building maintenance needs Many design strategies are applicable to most buildings however, each building is unique, and thus, will have unique reliability design solutions [9]. Simulation of a base-case model of the building is done to identify maintenance minimization opportunities via low energy consumption using an hourly building simulation computer tool. This computer model simulates annual loads and peak demands for heating, cooling, lighting, plug loads and for HVAC system fans and pumps to determine the energy-use profile and the likelihood of possible failures of the base-case building. The design team brainstorms possible solutions to dependability problems. At this stage, the emphasis is on solutions relating to building geometry. Simulations are performed on variants of the base-case building relating to the list of possible solutions. Issues that will have a profound influence on the architectural aspects of the building are quantitatively explored prior to the conceptual design phase. The energy impact of each variant is determined by comparison to the original base-case building and to the other variants. Computerized design tools bring all the architectural and engineering pieces together to predict how the building’s components will interact. In other words, day-lighting systems, thermal issues and building control strategies may be addressed by different building disciplines but successful integrated building performance can only be achieved by examining the interrelation between these components. The conceptual design is the most difficult part of the building design process. It is essential that the dependability features be integrated into the architecture of the building. The objective is to use the architectural and envelope features to minimize energy costs for heating, cooling, and lighting. Often, energy features that effect the visual impact of the building can also serve as the main architectural aesthetic features, thereby saving costs. If the addition of an energy feature substantially increases the building cost, it is evaluated with the cost-effectiveness criteria already established [6] After the architectural features impacting energy use have been determined, the computer model simulating the performance of the proposed building is updated to reflect those decisions. A set of simulations is then performed to guide decisions regarding the HVAC system and associated controls. These simulations are primarily to optimize annual dependability of building lighting functions and the occupant comfort. The simulations can also be used to help properly size the equipment. Low-energy buildings defy the industry norms used for equipment sizing. First cost savings in substantially downsized equipment can often be used to pay for improved envelope energy features. At this point, there will be some iteration or trade-off between mechanical system decisions and architectural features; however, it is best to optimize the architectural features first. Although the energy design process may increase the cost to design the building compared to the traditional design process, the incr eased design cost is often offset by reductions in errors and decreased mechanical system cost. Fewer errors occur because careful attention was paid throughout the design process and more effort is placed on checking and review. Also, small mechanical systems require less space in the building (requiring less building to be built), and therefore, lower capital costs. Once the simulation work has been completed, occasional simulations will need to be performed as needed in response to unanticipated circumstances. This might include the need to determine if a substitute component really meets the energy related specifications or review of a construction detail that must be modified because of a problem on the construction site. Scheduled plan reviews and site inspections are crucial to ensure that specified details omitted from the plans do not compromise the energy design. A clear communication path between the constructor, building operator and the design team will help ensure that components are installed properly [10] In many cases, once construction on a particular area is incorrectly completed, it cannot be reinstalled and the building owner is forced to live with the reliability performance consequences. The commissioning process includes testing all subsystems in the building to ensure that they operate as intended. For example, poorly calibrated economizer controls can bring in excess air or poorly calibrated daylight sensors may not turn off the lights, thus causing failure to the equipments. Occasional simulations will be required to help solve problems that emerge during this final phase and to respond to changes in building use that may occur once the building is occupied. The key is that the controls function with the design intent of the building. A good building quickly becomes a bad building with improper control strategies. In addition, it is important to educate the building owner, occupants and the maintenance staff to properly use the building systems as conceived by the design team. The building’s performance can only be optimized if the people running the systems understand how the systems interact. This would save cost of system errors leading to malfunctions and would eventually reduce the need for future building maintenance. 4.  Conclusion Good construction practices provide protection and minimum maintenance required for existing high-tech buildings and other features. Continued good appearance of these buildings depends upon the extent and quality of maintenance. The choice of materials and their use, together with the types of finishes and other protective measures should be conducive to easy maintenance and upkeep. An integrated design approach for private high performance buildings have been discussed from construction to commission. A low energy cost reduction was ideally established early and maintained throughout the design process. An integrated set of solutions for architectural design and energy efficiency was determined, including extensive day-lighting, natural ventilation, evaporative cooling and passive solar radiant heating. It is important to design a building that works with the environment in which it is located to minimize the need for maintenance in the long run. The building architecture was formed based on the programmatic and energy goals for the project. Tall vertical elements are naturally preferred to harmonize the building with the surrounding natural environment. The towers were also used to passively cool the building. An HVAC system was designed to work with the building. A PV system was installed to provide emergency power and supplemental power when utility power is available. The building construction and energy costs was significantly less and more reliable than a conventional one. This shows that sustainable buildings need not cost more with no level maintenance requirements REFERENCES [1] A. H. Molof, C. J. Turkstra (1984). Infrastructure, maintenance and repair of public works. New York Academy of Sciences. [2] A. P. Chrest (2001). Parking Structures: Planning, design, construction, maintenance and repair. Kluwer Academic Publishers. [3] Aia Pr (1993). Confronting the changes: New considerations in the design and management of public-sector facilities. [4] B. Chanter and P. Swallow (2000). Building Maintenance Management. Blackwell Science. [5] D. Hunns (1986). Human Factors in Reliability and the Psychology of Communications. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, pp 22-37. [6] E. D. Mills (1980). Building maintenance and preservation: a guide for design and management. Boston, Butterworths. [7] E. Teicholz (2001). Facility Design and Management Handbook. Mc-Graw Hill Companies. [8] M. Ruff (1998). Sewer, gas and electric: The Public Works trilogy. Grove/Atlantic Press [9] R. Lee and P. Wordsworth (2000). Lee’s Building Maintenance Management. Blackwell Publishers. [10] S. B. Birch, Jr, Craftsman Book Co, R. Price and L. Nicholson (2001). Public Works Inspector Manual. Building News.

Chaucer The Father Of English Poetry English Literature Essay

Chaucer The Father Of English Poetry English Literature Essay Chaucer is generally considered as the father of English poetry; looking specifically at The Canterbury Tales we can see that Chaucer attempted to portray a depiction of society as he knew it. It is also evident that he attempted to provide his own commentary on his society. Chaucer distances himself from the comments made in The Canterbury Tales as he tells his audience Blameth nat me (Chaucer, 2006, line 73) if they are to take offense from what the Miller says as it is not Chaucer, himself, saying it, he simply has too repeat what was said. This is a very clever technique that Chaucer uses so that he cant be faced with controversy or come under attack from any one as he has only repeated this tale. Chaucer would have had to ensure that his work did not offend those in the church, seeing as the church was the only place where literature was preserved. However Chaucer still attacks society, and the greed of the church amongst other social issues, by not personally saying it, he skilfully distances himself from the issues he highlights in this tales. Chaucer also manages to tactfully deal with these issues, resulting in highly enjoyable tale, which offers a social commentary on a society faced with corruption and hypocrisy. The Canterbury Tales was written in a time where an audible, social reading of literature (Ford, 1976, p86) was preferred, this is possibly because of the influence that the church had on Medieval Literature. One of the main reasons for this may be due to the church, as they supplied the only form of education, everyone at church would have been listened to preachers, and as preaching itself had throughout the Middle Ages a great influence on other literature of all sorts (Ford, 1976, p85) it is not unreasonable to assume that this is why oral forms of literature were preferred in the medieval period. The Canterbury Tales were written as thought hey were being spoken aloud, so they fit in well with this medieval trend. The language and diction used in both The Millers Tale and The Wife of Bath conforms to a plain, low style (King, 2000, p47). Chaucers dominant sentence structure is paratactic (King, 2000, p47); with a rhyme scheme consisting of couplets of iambic pentameters (King, 2 000, p47). The purpose of Chaucers use of language, allows both tales to be easily read aloud for a group of people, rather than just read alone. Aware of his language choices, Chaucer will have also been attempting to make the background story to The Canterbury Tales seem authentic. The narrator is telling these stories on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, so as we read the tales to ourselves we can get a sense of the pilgrimage, and the way these tales would have been told. Chaucer uses The Canterbury Tales as a social commentary. Through the general prologue we can see how he feels about whole sections of society by making individuals represent whole groups of medieval life (Bunting, 2003, p6). These representations slowly begin to build up an entire view of Chaucers life in the medieval period. The Canterbury Tales is famous for upsetting the social hierarchy. Despite the conventions, after the Knights tale is told at the very beginning the rest of the tales are not told in order of those with the higher social standing, as would be conventionally expected. Certain characters interrupt, pushing their tales over others, making The Canterbury Tale humorous as it does not follow the conventional order as som bettre man shal telle us first another (Chaucer, 2006, Line 21). Chaucer also satirises the medieval idea of romance, through the tales, he satirises courtly love, and how it is portrayed as being the ideal way to create a romance. The Millers Tale, in particular, satirises this concept as it is a parody romance (King, 2000, p73). This medieval concept is often found ridiculed in these tales. In the Wife of Bath she admits that I have wedded five! (Chaucer, 1995, line 44), if this had been a courtly love, surely it would have lasted and the Wife of Bath would not have been able to marry again, out of love for her previous husband. Absolon in the Millers Tale attempts to woo Alison using techniques expected of a courtly lover, however he fails to impress Alison and his efforts go unrecognised. Chaucer uses Absolon to demonstrate just how ridiculous the efforts of the courtly lover can be. Chaucer is viewed as inheritor of a great tradition as well as the inventor of a new one (Saunders, 2001, p5) he stuck to particular conventions of the medieval p eriod, and is work is characteristically medieval, however as he does question some of the medieval literary ideas, and many issues in society he can be enjoyed by a contemporary audience who can read the subtleties of his satirical prose narrative, without him alienating either his own audience or a more contemporary one. The main social issue that Chaucer is seen to satirise in both these tales is the idea that women are repressed. Chaucer seemed able to perceive the genius and subtlety of the female mind in making the best of their situation in life, while still allowing the men to think they were in control (Bunting, 2003, p5). This is perhaps best envisioned in The Wife of Baths Prologue. She mentions her having had wedded five! (Chaucer, 1995, line 44). However she is able to defend this position that she is in as God says that to be wedded is no sinne (Chaucer, 1995, line 51), she also asks when God commanded he virgintee? (Chaucer, 1995, line 62). She speaks out against the church and what they are saying in the medieval period, where women were given two stereotypes, either compared to the treacherous Eve, or had to live up to the standards of the Virgin Mary with her being both a virgin and a mother this was an impossible role model for women to achieve. The Wife of Bath is unashamedly a larger than life character designed to squash the constraints that medieval Christianity have placed upon women.

Themes of Wuthering Heights Essay -- Emily Bronte

The novel Wuthering Heights is written by Emily Bronte. The narrative is non-linear, involving several flashbacks, and involves two major narrators - Mr. Lockwood and Ellen "Nelly" Dean. The novel opens in 1801, with Lockwood arriving at Thrushcross Grange, a house on the Yorkshire moors he is renting from the impolite Heathcliff, who lives at nearby Wuthering Heights. Lockwood spends the night at Wuthering Heights and has a terrifying dream: the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw, pleading to be admitted to the house from outside. Intrigued, Lockwood asks the housekeeper Nelly Dean to tell the story of Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights while he is staying at the Grange recovering from a cold. Some of the important themes in Wuthering Heights are, revenge, reciprocated and unreciprocated love, obsession, selfishness, and responsibility. Bronte mainly focuses on the love between Catherine and Healthcliff. The difference between the feeling that Catherine has for Heathcliff and the one she feels for Edgar is that Heathcliff is part of her nature, he is like her soul mate. While on the other hand she only marries Edgar as a means improving her status rather than for genuine love. Revenge is the most dominant theme in the book, although at the end Heathcliff abandons his plan for revenge. For Heathcliff revenge started when Hindley used to abuse him when they were younger. He started to hate him and wanted to seek revenge. After he came back from his journey he made Hindley’s life miserable.Heathcliff also wanted revenge on Edgar who married the woman he loves. In the last chapter Heathcliff first believes that if he can avenge the death of Catherine that he will somehow grow closer to her. Though the exact opposite happens. When Hea... ...there are certain tensions, contradictions, and ambiguities present in Chapter 34 that establish the true intensity Heathcliff's feelings towards Catherine, feelings so intense that they border on a jealous obsession. On the other hand Edgar Linton Edgar represents gentlemanliness. He is viewed as a resident of Thrushcross Grange and he does not relocate throughout his life but is raised and dies here. As his wife, Catherine must move to the Grange, where Edgar is the master and patriarch. His inheritance, unlike that of Heathcliff, is legitimate and he is an educated man. In many ways, Edgar is governed by materialism, we need only examine the description of Thrushcross grange to appreciate the environment which characterises him. He is defined as ‘a doll’, and a ‘spoiled child’. His character is consistent and his love for Catherine devoted and traditional. Themes of Wuthering Heights Essay -- Emily Bronte The novel Wuthering Heights is written by Emily Bronte. The narrative is non-linear, involving several flashbacks, and involves two major narrators - Mr. Lockwood and Ellen "Nelly" Dean. The novel opens in 1801, with Lockwood arriving at Thrushcross Grange, a house on the Yorkshire moors he is renting from the impolite Heathcliff, who lives at nearby Wuthering Heights. Lockwood spends the night at Wuthering Heights and has a terrifying dream: the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw, pleading to be admitted to the house from outside. Intrigued, Lockwood asks the housekeeper Nelly Dean to tell the story of Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights while he is staying at the Grange recovering from a cold. Some of the important themes in Wuthering Heights are, revenge, reciprocated and unreciprocated love, obsession, selfishness, and responsibility. Bronte mainly focuses on the love between Catherine and Healthcliff. The difference between the feeling that Catherine has for Heathcliff and the one she feels for Edgar is that Heathcliff is part of her nature, he is like her soul mate. While on the other hand she only marries Edgar as a means improving her status rather than for genuine love. Revenge is the most dominant theme in the book, although at the end Heathcliff abandons his plan for revenge. For Heathcliff revenge started when Hindley used to abuse him when they were younger. He started to hate him and wanted to seek revenge. After he came back from his journey he made Hindley’s life miserable.Heathcliff also wanted revenge on Edgar who married the woman he loves. In the last chapter Heathcliff first believes that if he can avenge the death of Catherine that he will somehow grow closer to her. Though the exact opposite happens. When Hea... ...there are certain tensions, contradictions, and ambiguities present in Chapter 34 that establish the true intensity Heathcliff's feelings towards Catherine, feelings so intense that they border on a jealous obsession. On the other hand Edgar Linton Edgar represents gentlemanliness. He is viewed as a resident of Thrushcross Grange and he does not relocate throughout his life but is raised and dies here. As his wife, Catherine must move to the Grange, where Edgar is the master and patriarch. His inheritance, unlike that of Heathcliff, is legitimate and he is an educated man. In many ways, Edgar is governed by materialism, we need only examine the description of Thrushcross grange to appreciate the environment which characterises him. He is defined as ‘a doll’, and a ‘spoiled child’. His character is consistent and his love for Catherine devoted and traditional.