Pros and Cons of Massive Open Online Courses

Post-secondary schools of all kinds—expensive, elite colleges, state universities, and community colleges—are flirting with the idea of MOOCs, massive open online courses, where tens of thousands of students can take the same class simultaneously. Is this the future of college? Nathan Heller wrote about the phenomenon in the May 20, 2013, issue of The New Yorker in Laptop U. I recommend you find a copy or subscribe online for the full article, but Ill share with you here what I gleaned as the pros and cons of MOOCs from Hellers article. What Is a MOOC? The short answer is that a MOOC is an online video of a college lecture. The M stands for massive because there is no limit to the number of students who can enroll from anywhere in the world. Anant Agarwal is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and president of edX, a non-profit MOOC company owned jointly MIT and Harvard. In 2011, he launched a forerunner called MITx (Open Courseware), hoping to get 10 times the usual number of classroom students in his spring-semester circuits-and-electronics course, about 1,500. In the first few hours of posting the course, he told Heller, he had 10,000 students sign up from all over the world. The ultimate enrollment was 150,000. Massive. The Pros MOOCs are controversial. Some say they are the future of higher education. Others see them as the eventual downfall of it. Here are the pros Heller found in his research. MOOCs: Are free. Right now, most MOOCs are free or nearly free, a definite plus for the student. This is likely to change as universities look for ways to defray the high cost of creating MOOCs.Provide a solution to overcrowding. According to Heller, 85% of Californias community colleges have course waiting lists. A bill in the California Senate seeks to require the state’s public colleges to give credit for approved online courses.Force professors to improve lectures. Because the best MOOCs are short, usually an hour at the most, addressing a single topic, professors are forced to examine every bit of material as well as their teaching methods.Create a dynamic archive. Thats what Gregory Nagy, professor of classical Greek literature at Harvard, calls it. Actors, musicians, and standup comedians record their best performances for broadcast and posterity, Heller writes; why shouldnt college teachers do the same? He cites Vladimir Nabokov as once suggesting that his lessons at Cornell be recorded and played each term, freeing him for other activities.Are designed to ensure that students keep up. MOOCs are real college courses, complete with tests and grades. They are filled with multiple choice questions and discussions that test comprehension. Nagy sees these questions as almost as good as essays because, as Heller writes, the online testing mechanism explains the right response when students miss an answer, and it lets them see the reasoning behind the correct choice when theyre right.The online testing process helped Nagy redesign his classroom course. He told Heller, Our ambition is actually to make the Harvard experience now closer to the MOOC experience.Bring people together from all over the world. Heller quotes Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard president, regarding her thoughts on a new MOOC, Science Cooking, that teaches chemistry and physics in the kitchen, I just have the vision in my mind of people cooking all over the globe together. It’s kind of ni ce.Allow teachers to make the most of classroom time in blended classes. In what is called a flipped classroom, teachers send students home with assignments to listen to or watch a recorded lecture, or read it, and return to the classroom for more valuable discussion time or other interactive learning.Offer interesting business opportunities. Several new MOOC companies launched in 2012: edX  by Harvard and MIT; Coursera, a Standford company; and Udacity, which focuses on science and tech. The Cons The controversy surrounding MOOCs includes some pretty strong concerns about how they will shape the future of higher education. Here are some of the cons from Hellers research. MOOCs: Could cause teachers to become nothing more than glorified teaching assistants. Heller writes that Michael J. Sandel, a Harvard justice professor, wrote in a letter of protest, The thought of the exact same social justice course being taught in various philosophy departments across the country is downright scary.Make discussion a challenge. It’s impossible to facilitate meaningful conversation in a classroom with 150,000 students. There are electronic alternatives: message boards, forums, chat rooms, etc., but the intimacy of face-to-face communication is lost, emotions often misunderstood. This is a particular challenge for humanities courses. Heller writes, When three great scholars teach a poem in three ways, it isnt inefficiency. It is the premise on which all humanistic inquiry is based.Grading papers is impossible. Even with the help of graduate students, grading tens of thousands of essays or research papers is daunting, to say the least. Heller reports that edX is deve loping software to grade papers, software that gives students immediate feedback, allowing them to make revisions. Harvards Faust isnt completely on board. Heller quotes her as saying, I think they are ill-equipped to consider irony, elegance, and†¦I don’t know how you get a computer to decide if there’s something there it hasn’t been programmed to see.Make it easier for students to drop out. Heller reports that when MOOCs are strictly online, not a blended experience with some classroom time, dropout rates are typically more than 90%.Intellectual property and financial details are issues. Who owns an online course when the professor who creates it moves to another university? Who gets paid for teaching and/or creating online courses? These are issues that MOOC companies will need to work out in the upcoming years.Miss the magic. Peter J. Burgard is a professor of German at Harvard. He has decided not to participate in online courses because he believes the college experience comes from sitting in preferably small groups having genuine human interactions, really digging into and exploring a knotty topic—a difficult image, a fascinating text, whatever. Thats exciting. There’s a chemistry to it that simply cannot be replicated online.Will shrink faculties, eventually eliminating them. Heller writes that Burgard sees MOOCs as destroyers of traditional higher education. Who needs professors when a school can hire an adjunct to manage a MOOC class? Fewer professors will mean fewer Ph.D.s granted, smaller graduate programs, fewer fields, and subfields taught, the eventual death of entire bodies of knowledge. David W. Wills, professor of religious history at Amherst, agrees with Burgard. Heller writes that Wills worries about academia falling under hierarchical thrall to a few star professors. He quotes Wills, Its like higher education has discovered the megachurch. MOOCs will most definitely be the source of many conversations and debates in the near future. Watch for related articles coming soon.

Reflection Of Faith Based Nursing Essay - 1266 Words

Faith Based Nursing Following the Servant Christ, the early church took on the task of caring for and visiting the sick. A very important part of the church’s ministry from the beginning, has been healing and spiritual couseling. Parish Nursing began with the early work of deaconesses and other religious sisters who worked in parishes to provide whole person health promotion with an emphasis on spiritual care. The contemporary side of Parish Nursing was conceptualized by Reverend Granger Westberg as a result of his work with Holistic Health Centers in the 1970 s. In 1984 Reverend Westberg approached Lutheran General Health System, Park Ridge, Illinois, with the idea of partnering with local congregations in a parish nurse project. This resulted in six nurses being hired to work with six congregations. Represented in the six churches were two Roman Catholic Churches and four in the Lutheran and Methodist Churches (Vukelich, 2002). 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Drug Use Cause And Effect Essay Free Essays

You hear about more and more people using drugs these days, particularly prescription drugs. Doctors may prescribe these drugs to you and you may think they are helping but, what you don’t know is how they may change a normal functioning person into an addict. These drugs are habit forming and can seriously harm you, even kill you. We will write a custom essay sample on Drug Use Cause And Effect Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now For Years people go to the doctor for one reason or another. Some doctors prescribe pills that can sometimes be more damaging than helpful. Certain drugs these doctors prescribe like pain killers only mask the problem, not really solving it. Some names of these painkillers are: Vicodin, Lortab, Anexsia, Zydone, and Norco. After several weeks of taking these drugs, you can become physically and emotionally dependent. Even if you have never been an addict or used street drugs before you can become dependent. After a prolonged period, say a few weeks, of taking these drugs, not only are you dependent but, if you do not continue to ingest these pills you will experience withdrawal symptoms. Some of these withdrawal symptoms include: insomnia, night sweats, tremors and agitation. Studies have shown prolonged use or misuse of these painkillers can have other dangerous consequences. Dangers of these drugs include: liver disease related to prolonged or excessive use of the acetaminophen (contained in Vicodin). Physical tolerance to the drug after prolonged use, increased doses is needed to achieve the same pain relief. People tend to forget or do not read the interaction warnings or labels on these drugs. Mixing certain types of other drugs with painkillers can be extremely dangerous and end in a bad result. Drugs like MAO inhibitors and antidepressants can result in respiratory complications or death. How to cite Drug Use Cause And Effect Essay, Essays

I too.. free essay sample

Personal College Essay Like the pilgrims of our land Dirt forever embedded under their nails I too believe In a Jeffersonian euphoria Planting our seeds Of knowledge, hope, desire, insecurity Beneath the thriving noire soil We shall water them With our tears Of dedication and loss And then join hands With the wife, son, senator, victim, survivor And plow our fertile dreams Like the framers of our country Impending decisions weighing on their conscious I too have small hands Struggling to express, describe To write The words that sit upon my tender, tired lips Tired from defending Tender for reassurance Must I remind that, â€Å"A poem should not mean, but be† Like the sisters of the 19th amendment Suppressed for their saturated loins I too still stand As a second class citizen But rejoice with the hands of pax That shook with those of adversity I vow to never retreat the pride I harbor Or allow the daggers of our prestigious leaders To crack the glass figurine That I am Like the many blessed soldiers of our motherland Sacrificing their flesh due to the power of one man I too am scared And pray for the glory Of a new and forgiving day For this world can be unwelcoming So damned be, I keep my armor on I refuse to shed blood on this land When there has been enough lost On soils across our vast seas Like me A hybrid formed from parts Of the pilgrim, framer, sister, and solider I too do imagine my image is a puzzling one to create So if I end as a blur in your mind Look to your hands, For a part of me is you and a part of you is me

Problem of evil Essay Example

Problem of evil Paper A) Objections Arising from Evil in the World, explain what is meant by this claim The word evil is a word which can be used very loosely, usually used to describe something we think to be morally wrong, something that when in inflicted on a person causes pain and suffering. However, if an evil act is committed by someone who has been in all other aspects good, does this act make this person evil? There are many different situations where evil acts could be done all with different circumstances and consequences. For example; at Auschwitz, so many guards were involved in the slaughter of massive amounts of Jews but it seems unlikely that all of them were evil. The actions may be considered evil but they were normalised by the sense of responsibility felt by the guards. In their eyes, they were carrying out a duty so the question of whether they are to be labelled evil is indefinite. There are two recognised categories which evil can fall under: Moral evil and Natural evil. Richard Swimburne, a modern day philosopher describes moral evil as including all evil caused deliberately by humans doing what they ought not to do, and also the evil constituted by such deliberate acts or negligent failure. It is the result of a human action which is morally wrong, such as murder or war. Natural evil is the result of apparent malfunctioning in the natural world, it is according to John Hick the evil that originates independently of human actions. It is in disease, in bacilli, in earthquakes, in storms, and in droughts. We will write a custom essay sample on Problem of evil specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Problem of evil specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Problem of evil specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The fact that evil, or suffering is an undeniable factor in our lives presents an array of problems in todays world where there is a strong belief by many of a higher power which should in theory, be able to eradicate it from the world or in fact never have let it come to exist in the first place. For believers in the God of Classical Theism, this problem of evil as it is often referred to, creates a serious dilemma. Moral evil is an easier problem to tackle for a theist than that of Natural evil, as it can be said that it occurs from the misuse of freewill, but they are still faced with justifying the existence of Natural evil. If God created the world from nothing, then there is nothing beyond His control so for whatever reason, God must be the creator of evil and suffering. A theist can sometimes be faced with justifying both types of evil as natural evils like tsunamis and hurricanes are often the cause of people committing moral evils like looting. The problem is not easily justifiable and is illustrated in The Inconsistent Triad, which states the points: God is omnipotent and omniscient (A), God is all-loving (B), and evil exists (C). These three statements cannot all be true so it would seem that one of them is false, but since we know evil and suffering exist the inconsistency must lie in one of the other 2 points. The conclusions drawn from this are that either God is not omnipotent and cannot stop evil from existing, or that God is not all-loving and chooses not to stop evil existing, or that in fact God does not exist. This can be used as an argument for the non-existence of God. A quote from Swimburne on the Problem of Evil, There is a problem about why God allows evil, and if the theist doesnt have (in a cool moment) a satisfactory answer to it, then his belief in God is less than rational and there is no reason why the atheist should share it. An example of the problem being used in this way is in Humes combat of Thomas Aquinas Design Argument (Summa Thelogica) where he labels the Problem of Evil as The Rock of Atheism. However, whilst being a problem for theists in that it challenges the nature of God, it also poses problems in other ways. It presents itself as a philosophical problem as it compels the believer to accept conflicting claims that are logically impossible to reconcile. It is also a diverse problem; evil manifests itself in many different ways, demanding separate explanations. The problem of evil has proved itself to be a challenging problem, as it is not just going to disappear, evil and suffering are objective realities which are almost impossible to deny. B) Unpack two theodicies and analyse which how successful these are As I said, the justification of Gods allowance for the existence of evil is not easy, but there are many theodicies which have developed that provide strong arguments. A theodicy is a theory that justifies why God allows evil without qualifying the attributes of the God of Classical Theism. Two of which are those of Augustine and Irenaeus. Augustines theodicy has had considerable influence over many scholars since it was developed and attempts to provide justification for both moral and natural evil. According to Augustine, the perfect God created a flawless world where evil and suffering did not exist, and that God is not responsible for the existence of evil as it is not a substance, but in fact a deprivation of good. He uses an analogy of blindness to illustrate his meaning, as blindness itself is not an entity but an absence of sight. Augustine claims that evil comes from angels and humans who have deliberately turned against God and abused his gift of freewill. He states that evil is necessary in a created world as only the uncreated creator can be perfect, his creations are susceptible to change. Augustines idea on the existence of Natural evil is that it exists as a punishment for the Original Sin, which we are all guilty of as we were all seminally present in Adam at the time it was committed. Natural evil punishes us for the destruction of the natural order by human action. For these reasons God is right not to intervene and the fact that he does save some through Christ emphasises His mercy. God would be justified in sending everyone to hell for being guilty of the Original Sin, the fact that some go to heaven shows Gods goodness. Augustines theodicy has some substantial strengths, as is proved by its popularity. Brian Davies is an example of a scholar who supports his claim that evil is only a deprivation of good rather than having a proper existence, he said it is a gap between what there is and what there ought to be. To criticise would be to say that God should have created more than he did which doesnt make sense; how is anyone to know how much more should have been created. Augustines views on evil being a product of freewill have also been upheld. Despite its strengths, Augustines theodicy has many holes in it to be addressed, it contains logical, scientific, and moral difficulties. Augustines concept of Hell comes under scrutiny; Hell is part of Gods design of the universe, so it was created before the worlds flaws began to appear, which means that God must have anticipated and accepted that the world would go wrong. F.D.E Schleiermacher expresses his logical contradiction to Augustines views on the origin of evil and a perfect world going wrong, Schleiermacher informs us that whether evil is a deprivation or not it is still real and it is therefore logically impossible for it to just come out of nothing. This means that evil must be connected to God and he either never created the world perfect or he made it so it was able to falter. Another logical difficulty of this theodicy comes of the capacity to do evil in a perfect world and disobey God, as in a perfect world no knowledge of good and evil should exist. The knowledge of them could only come from God. Scientific difficulties stem from the modern worlds concept of evolution; the idea of a perfect world being damaged by humans does not allow for evolution. Moreover, Augustine refers to the Garden of Eden in his theodicy, and this paradise is hard to accept on the basis of evolution. A final difficulty lies with the concept of us all being seminally present in Adams loins, this is biologically impossible so we cannot all be responsible for the Original Sin. From comparing the strengths with the criticisms we can see that Augustines theodicy ultimately fails. The theodicy of Irenaeus is another which provides a formidable answer to the question of why God allows evils existence. As said by Irenaeus, Gods aim when creating the world was to make humans in his likeness, but to do this, humans could not be made perfect but had to develop through free will. It was therefore necessary for God to give us free will and therefore necessary to give us the potential to turn against him. If he didnt enable this, we could never attain Gods likeness as according to Ireneaus it requires willing co-operation. The natural order had to be designed in a way where humans could cause harm, which they did resulting in suffering, but God still cannot compromise our freedom by removing evil. Ireneaus claims that the evil and suffering will eventually be overcome and everyone will attain Gods likeness and reside in Heaven. This justifies temporary evil, which if complying with Ireneaus thought enables the understanding of good. Many philosophers have added to Ireneaus theodicy including John Hick (who claims that good developed from free will is better than ready-made goodness), and Peter Vardy who used an analogy of a king to illustrate this where a king falls in love with a peasant girl but rather than imposing his power on her and forcing him to marry her, he wins her over. They both believe that without development our goodness would be without value, we would be automatons. According to this theodicy, humans had to be created imperfect to be able to go against God, and they had to be created at a distance from God so they could decide for themselves to believe in him. If we were sure he was there, there would be no free will, John Hick called this the epistemic distance. If God wasnt separated from humans we would know he was real and would live a good, moral life because we would know that it is in our best interests, it wouldnt be real goodness. Humans also couldnt be created in a paradise or else qualities such as courage would not be attainable and there would be no development as good and evil would be indistinguishable. The theodicy justifies natural evil as it makes the world well adapted to soul making (John Hick). The Modern Additions to this theodicy claim that heaven is the eventual goal for everyone for three reasons; a future in heaven is the only justification for the suffering of the world. Secondly, if life were to end in death Gods purpose would be unfulfilled since we would not be reaching our goal of becoming Gods likeness. Lastly, nobody can be overlooked as evil acts are carried out in different circumstances for different people. For example, someone who was abused while being raised is much more likely to be abusive as an adult, it is something they are used to and have become desensitised to. There are solid criticisms of Irenaeus theodicy as well as Augustines: For example, everyone going to heaven defies religious texts as well as making it pointless to live a moral life, why bother if you are going to heaven anyway? It also takes away the incentive to develop into Gods likeness which Irenaeus regarded of utmost importance. Another critique is of the level of suffering needed to make the world adapted for soul making, e.g. Was the Holocaust really necessary? Finally, it can be said that love can never be expressed through suffering, supported by D.Z Philips who said it is not justifiable to hurt someone to help them. To conclude, neither of these theodicies can be considered perfect by any means, but Ireneaus is the stronger of the two. Where Augustine fails to provide room for belief in evolution, Ireneaus manages it and while Augustine cannot provide a logical explanation for the origin of evil, Irenaeus provides a stable reason for it. It is also popular, like Augustines for its views on free will.

Asturias, The Spanish Autonomy essays

Asturias, The Spanish Autonomy essays Spain is a country filled with diverse cultures and many exciting sights. These sights can be seen in the most rural part of the country or the most densely populated. Asturias is an autonomy located in the North West portion of Spain. Autonomies are self-governing bodies, which are comparable to the States of the United States. For those of you who arent familiar with Spain, Asturias lies between Glacia and Basque Country. In 1978 it was granted a pre-autonomy regime and on January 11th 1982 its Autonomy Statute came into effect. This officially gave the historic name of Principality of Asturias. The three largest cities in Asturias are Oviedo, Gijon, and Aviles. The region's capital, Oviedo, located more or less at its geographical center, is especially remarkable for its pre-roman monuments and its great cathedral. Gijon is a historic city, founded by Romans, and is today one of the most important sea-ports and offers active cultural life. Aviles is one of the oldest settlements of the area, is of great economical importance too, but conserves as well its traditional style. Some seem refer to it as the industrial capital of the autonomy. Throughout history, the Asturians have been regarded as quite rebellious. This attitude dates back to ancient times when they, along with the Cantrabrians, resisted the emperor Augustus at a time when the rest of the peninsula was under the tight grip of Rome. The Asturians succeeded and thrived for many years. Around the 10th century, the Asturian monarchy shifted southward. The capital of Asturias was changed from Oviedo to Leon. The monarchy began to call itself Leonese. Although it was now regarded as a providence of the Castilian Leonese Crown, Asturias played an important role in the Spanish battles during the Middle Ages. In 1388, during the rule of Juan I, a new government was formed and it was decided that the title Prince of Astu...

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Case Study Example The employees of AIG believed that the company had an obligation to pay them their bonuses, while the public thought that the bonuses were unethical as the money had come from federal reserves. Companies should have well-detailed contracts with employees clearly showing when bonuses should be paid and cases when the company may fail to issue the bonuses, to prevent such scenarios in the future. External regulations ensure that firms and individuals act ethically towards the general public. They are very efficient as in the AIG case where a 90% tax was imposed on the bonuses thereby protecting the general public. The company had an obligation to pay the employees their bonuses while at the same time had an obligation to the public to use the bailout money prudently. To ensure that both requirements were met the company needed to pay the bonuses in installments depending on future profits that the company made. The company should have used the bailout out money first to get back to profit ways and later pay the bonuses to deserving employees. eBay pursued international growth through their three main components; products, sense of community and aggressive expansion. It had a broad range of product categories and trading platforms that offered a wide variety of pricing formats allowing it to compete directly with major competitors such as amazon.com and to penetrate new markets. eBay created trust between buyers and sellers and enlarged their market ventures through the creation of more localized sites. The greatest source of competitive advantage for eBay at the moment is its broad capital base. With an average net income of about $2 billion yearly, eBay has a large capital base that allows it to deal with competitors through acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Through acquisitions, eBay has attempted to acquire a stake in the

Leaders are always accountable for failures or lack of achievement of Essay

Leaders are always accountable for failures or lack of achievement of their group - Essay Example a leader might suggest some ideas regarding the execution of a certain goal but the final decision comes from the leader after he has weighed all the pros and cons of a certain matter. The team members are dependant on the leader for instructions. Baerga (2008) states that it is very unusual for a project would result in failure in a matter of a day or two. It takes a number of elements and factors that direct the projects towards failures. It is primarily the job of a leader to monitor everything regularly to ensure that the project does not head towards failure. We shall be analyzing the role of a leader in an organization to further explain and justify the notion that leaders are responsible for all failure outcomes. Lash (2007) explains that there are many authoritative figures in an organizational setup; however the true description of a leader can fit the role of a team leader or product manager. We shall be analyzing different phases of a project in which the team leader will be seen responsible for any failure. When a company is contacted for some project, the top management of that organization will contact the team leader of the concerned team. Heldman (2002) defines that it is the job of the team leader to analyze the requirements of the client and judge if those requirements are feasible or not. There might be different types of feasibility analysis that he might perform: Bryce (2008) explains that the team leader should be able to identify if the scope of the project is achievable or if the client requires an unattainable result. This is the first step at which he shall be primarily responsible for the success or the failure of the project. If the team leader accepts an unachievable task then there are great chances that the project will fail. In this regard, it is best to contact the client and negotiate or discuss his demands. Bryce (2008) also states that the team leader is also responsible to judge if his team is technically capable of

Ethical Dilemma- Analysis of the News Term Paper

Ethical Dilemma- Analysis of the News - Term Paper Example As discussed above, the primary ethical decision maker or EDM is Apple Inc., and the ethical dilemma concerns the plight of the workers in the subcontracting firms who manufacture Apple products such as the iPhone, Worker welfare is weighed against the benefits to the American and global consumer of the computing products themselves, and the value of Apple’s economic activity to the American and global economy. The dilemma springs from issues relating to worker welfare, including low wages, the repetitive nature of the work, long work hours, and low wages. The confluence of these and other factors drive workers to take their own lives. In Cooper (2013) we get a sense of the gravity of the condition from the presence of nets around the iPhone manufacturing facilities to prevent more workers from jumping to their deaths. This is in stark contrast to the large profits that Apple makes and the large market capitalization of the firm due to that. Because Apple is rewarded for profi ts and for great products, Apple has every incentive to keep costs down, and that drive to depress costs lead to subcontractors depressing wages and other worker-related costs on the other end. These are conflicting interests that are stacked against workers and their interests, especially considering that workers have little by way of leverage in the entire process. The supply of workers is large, relative to demand, and so Apple subcontractors are able to dictate wages and living conditions in the shops. Subcontractors in turn are pressured to depress wages in order to make margins out of low contract bids. In a most general sense, the entire market is involved, because market forces that have contributed to this state of affairs where workers are awarded the least wages possible to squeeze maximum profits from their efforts (Johnson, 2011). B. Possible Alternative Courses of Action In a perfect world Apple will settle for lower profit margins for their products and lower profits all in all in exchange for fairer wages for workers and higher costs for producing their products. Ideally, this translates to subcontractors being able to pay their workers higher wages, and secure better working conditions for them all in all, by being able to bid for the manufacturing work at higher overall bid prices. This translates to the

Immigration In The United States Of America History Essay

Immigration In The United States Of America History Essay During its first hundred years, the United States had a laissez-faire policy toward immigration-no limits. Federal, state, and local governments, private employers, shipping companies and railroads, and churches promoted immigration to the United States. For example, subsidizing railroad construction led to the recruitment of immigrant workers by private railroad companies. High tariffs kept out European manufactured goods and thus created a demand for more workers in American factories. The federal government relied on immigrants to staff the army-immigrants were about a third of the regular soldiers in the 1840s, and an even higher proportion of many state militias. The Door-Ajar era approach began in 1870s. There were popular movements to restrict the immigration of particular groups perceived as threatening. Congress barred the entry of convicts and prostitutes in 1875, and the Immigration Act of 1882 for the first time prohibited immigration from a particular country- China-at the behest of urban workers in California who felt threatened by unfair competition. ( ) Immigration from China was illegal for most of the next 60 yearsEven though a weak economy and increasing immigration led to restrictions on immigration, foreign policy considerations delayed the implementation of these restrictions. The Door-Ajar policy started to gain momentum after 1890. Restrictions and attempts to impose restrictions were the product of a fluctuating economy. But the major reason for the growing opposition to immigration was its composition. Whereas the majority of the old immigrant came from Western Europe, most of the new immigrants came from Eastern and Sout hern Europe. The German, British and the other Western Europe immigrants who were Protestant overall, were replaces by Russians, Polish and Italian immigrants, the majority of whom were Greek-Orthodox, Catholic or Jewish. One of the most important aspects of this era was the attempt to block immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe. Most of the efforts were totally unsuccessful. The shift to the more restrictive Pet-door era started in 1917, when, after numerous attempts, Congress finally passed the literacy test bill and in addition to the literacy test, the immigration act of 1917 added excludable classes, raised the head tax, and introduced the power to deport aliens convicted of certain offenses. A couple of years later, Congress imposed the first quantitative restrictions on immigration, limiting arrivals to 3 percent of the foreign-born persons of each nationality present in the United States in 1910. The base year was soon pushed back to 1890, before most third-wave immigrants had arrived, when northern and western Europeans made up a larger proportion of the population. Restrictions on permanent immigration reached a peak during and after World War I. However, wars also generate support for temporary migration. World War I created a demand for additional manpower because part of the labor force was drafted, another part was employed in war industries. World War II, like World War I had an impact on immigration policy. First, the war increased conformity and anti-immigration sentiment, leading to some restrictions on freedom of expression, potential immigrants and foreign-born citizens. Secondly, the wartime need for manpower generated the recruitment of migrant workers. But the most important development during World War II was the growing influence of foreign policy considerations which led to the liberalization of U.S immigration policy. In the 1960s, the civil rights movement highlighted government discrimination against nonwhites, which influenced in a negative way U.S. immigration policy. President John Kennedy proposed eliminating the national origins system in the early 1960s. In 1965, Congress moved to eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination in American immigration policy. It managed to do that offering priority to immigrants with relatives in the United States who petitioned for their admission inside the country. Migrants from Asia were treated like other foreigners seeking to immigrate and, for the first time, quantitative restrictions were placed on immigration from the Western Hemisphere. Until the 1980s, U.S. immigration law could be described as a complex system that is in a continue change looking to reach the needs of each generation in particular. The accelerating pace of global change affected migration patterns all over the world, and that is why US Congress responded with three major changes in immigration laws between 1980 and 1990. The first change was in the definition of refugees. The 1951 UN Refugee Convention defined a refugee as a person outside his or her country of citizenship and unwilling to return because of a well-founded fear of persecution due to the persons race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion(). During the Cold War, the United States defined refugees as persons fleeing communist dictatorship or political violence in the Middle East. But, the United States adopted the UN definition with the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980(). The number of refugees resettled is determined each year by the president in consultation with Congress. The second major policy change aimed to reduce illegal immigration. During the 1960s, the Border Patrol apprehended 1.6 million foreigners; during the 1970s, apprehensions rose five-fold to 8.3 million. After studying the effects of illegal immigration commissions concluded that illegal migrants adversely affected unskilled American workers and undermined the rule of law. They urged the government to continue the effort to reduce migration in United States. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) recorded a historic deal between those who wanted to prevent more illegal migration and those who wanted to legalize the status of illegal foreigners who already are on United States territory. The most important upgrades that The Immigration Reform and Control Act brought are as it follows. Required employers to attest to their employees immigration status, and granted amnesty to certain illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously. Also it made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants (immigrants who do not possess lawful work authorization).Last, it granted a path towards legalization to certain agricultural seasonal workers and immigrants who had been continuously and illegally present in the United States since January 1, 1982. Immigration remained a high-profile political issue in the early 1990s. People were less tolerant of unauthorized immigrants, who were usually in low-skilled jobs. California Governor Pete Wilson won re-election in 1994 in part by endorsing Proposition 187, an initiative that would have excluded illegal migrants from state-funded services, including public schools. Concern about immigration, terrorism, and welfare contributed to three major laws in 1996: The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (ATEDPA), the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act (EBSVERA) of 2002 required universities to keep better track of the foreign students they enrolled and heightened scrutiny of visa applicants from countries deemed sponsors of terrorism. Foreigners needing visas to enter the United States must be interviewed by consu lar officers abroad, and applications from most Middle Eastern countries are sent to Washington, D.C., to be checked against government databases to detect terrorists. The REAL ID Act of 2005 prohibits federal agencies from accepting drivers licenses issued by the 10 states that granted them to unauthorized foreigners. Perhaps the most important change after Sept. 11 was the creation of a new cabinet agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Immigration and Naturalization Service was moved from the U.S. Department of Justice to DHS and divided into three different agencies. One focused on border enforcement and inspecting persons arriving in the United States, one oversaw enforcement of immigration laws, and the third handled applications for immigration benefits. In Britain most immigration has been permanent. British immigration control policy has been influenced during time by different elements like the volume of dissimilar immigration, foreign policy considerations, external threats and wars. From its beginnings until the early twentieth century, Britain had a liberal immigration policy. Great Britain regulated immigration only twice in this period. First regulation was the 1872-1873 Alien Act. It was phrased as a temporary measure and also it was renewed at intervals until 1926. The second restriction on immigration arrived in 1848. Political instability in Europe generated a flow of political refugees, whose presence in England brought several disturbances. A good example is the 1792 case when the external threat represented by those refugees led to the approval of the Aliens Removal Act. This Act gave to the Home Secretary and the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland the power to deport any foreigner against whom written allegations had been mad e. Britain kept a liberal immigration policy until the early twentieth century. This policy was facilitated by the limited immigration into Britain, by the similarity between most of the immigrants and the local population and by foreign policy considerations(Smith1981). In 1905 Parliament passed the Aliens Immigration Act. One of the reasons was the unprecedented influx of Jewish immigrants. The 1905 Aliens Immigration act was administrated in a very liberal fashion by the liberal government that came into power the following year. Nevertheless, the act stayed on the books and its significance lay in the breach with the principle of the previous eighty years that Britain should be freely open to immigration from overseas. (Rees 1979). World War I produced the next restriction on immigration to Britain. In August that year, The House of Commons passed the Aliens Restriction Act. The 1914 legislation which was much tougher than the 1905 Act, gave the Home Secretary powers to prohibit the entry of immigrants and to deport them. It was the first time when aliens had to register with the police. The main object of 1914 act, as presented by the Home secretary was to secure the detention and removal of spies. It was renewed after the war by the Aliens Restriction Act of 1919. Even though during the 1920s and 1930s economic depression most of the countries restricted immigration, Britain avoided that to happen and more than that even emphasized its commitment to free migration within the Commonwealth. The direction of migration changed once Britain entered World War II and faced a shortage in manpower. After World War II the UK government faced an unprecedented situation. Britain was no longer seen as a top world power, and the concept of Commonwealth started to replace the notion of Empire. Immigration started to be seen by politicians as a opportunity to bring back the country to its previous international status. Humanitarian solidarity of 1939-45 and sponsored immigration of the 1945-62 were perceived a bit different. In order to obtain a clear conclusion it is advised to evaluate chronologically UK government response to colored immigration. Doing this the shifts in policy over time during that specific period will be very clear underlined. The relationship between immigrants and the state remain pretty much the same even though there were changes of administration and policy. A very interesting experience for the British government was the Post-war immigration issues. No doubt that traditionally until the late 1970s the UK had been considered by many a country of net immigrat ion. Anyway due to economic reasons immigration was actively supported as a matter of policy by the UK government starting with 1945. Two years later an independent economic survey was commissioned by the government. The results brought out that the general opinion was that, a useful contribution can be made by foreign labor. Also the survey revealed that the increasing of working population is does not have to be a temporary measure. The newly conceived National Health Service, London Transport and British Rail brought workers from the newly opened recruitment centers in West Indies to the UK but the numbers recruited in these ventures were relatively small to begin with, so they established a nucleus of ethnicity in certain areas. The foreign labor recommended in the 1947 government survey was not only for colored immigrants. A white core policy was instead in the minds of the authorities. In the next years following the war European immigrants were preferred to colored and the Government authorities ware scared of the workers solidarity and how it may affect the relationship with Westminster. After thirty years the records showed all the measures that were taken to block their entry in the UK. One good example is the delaying of issuing the passport so that the colored people could not work legally in the UK and the list continues. In the next year 1948, in The British Nationality Act it began the conceptual separation between British and Commonwealth citizenship and the UK immigration law was begging to rise. Therefore in the next years the visa restrictions for the coloured were taken out and an influx of blacks and Asians, approximately 14000 per annum came in the UK but , in 1962 most towns across the UK remained predominantly white only. In exception in the Wales a small numbers of coloured came and these people were found only in the docks of the capital. The government authorities did not respond properly to the increased number of immigrations and the media elevated the issue to an underserved status of national importance. The individual partisan policy issues clearly played a big role in the timing and manner of the execution of immigration legislation. For example in 1959 the elections were won by the Conservatives for the third time and as the traditional centre-right party of the UK it was no surprise that they should oversee the passing of the most stringent law against coloured immigrants, the 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act. It was clear that the law could be seen as a new government policy of moving the economic market to Europe at the beginning of the 1960, which necessitated a symbolic move away from the Commonwealth. David Childs said that Macmillan had a great success in convincing his colleagues of the need of this new road.In other order it was a fact that immigration legislation was motivated by external geo-strateg ic issues and not by the issues of numbers, facts and figures of arrivals into the country. Besides that, the British government acknowledged that its definition of nationality as it was written in the 1948 acct was old-fashioned. This was a good opportunity te begin the second phase of post-war legislation starting with the landmark 1962 Commonwealth act. This act enforced much more tight guidelines regarding entry to to UK. Racial undertones were clearly present as the Act was centred upon immigrants from the New Commonwealth and did not concern immigration from the Old Commonwealth or Ireland.( ). Obviously the British state was keen to legally underline the difference between being British and being a subject of the Empire. This action took place in order to protect what it perceived as a delicate domestic balance. As Jack Watson concludes; It was one thing to control immigration unlimited population growth would add to Britains social problems but the fierce criticism of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, both at home and abroad, centred on the argument that it was di rected against immigration from the New Commonwealth and not against immigration in general. Yet in spite of the arrival of the concept of quotas into the political discourse regarding immigration the numbers of immigrants did not supported a huge change after 1962. Therefore, although the UK government responded to public opinion, a strong sense of ethnic superiority and political expediency, the reality of the matter remained that immigration, post 1945, was an economic and not a nationalistic issue. After the 1997 election UK immigration policy started a new chapter. The White Paper in 1998 showed a different and modern way of handling immigration and asylum . The paper claimed that Britain has lots of advantages from legal immigration. The new strategic way of thinking has been implemented on several different levels . The liberalizing aspects were completely non politic. It was underlined the need for skilled force, the decisive proof coming from various pieces of research . The refugee restrictions favoured by New Labour in its first item of legislation the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 which involved abolition of cash benefits for asylum seekers and a strict policy of dispersal required a public mood of deep antipathy towards this group of people to allow it to be carried through. The consequences of depriving people of the possibility of any degree of self-determination in respect of their life in the UK, and off pushing them even further out of the mainstream of ordinary life, could easily be predicted. It would result in human rights violations (particularly in relation to the right to family life), economic hardship because of grossly inadequate levels of support though the voucher scheme, and an increase in racist attacks against a group of people so widely proclaimed as being unworthy of better treatment. The refugee support networks across the country soon came alive with accounts of how exactly these outcomes were coming about, right up to the point of serious acts of violence and even the murder of at least one asylum seeker. But no sooner was the evidence of these disastrous consequences accumulating, than a reaction to the reaction emerged amongst groups who developed sympathies with the asylum seekers. Faith groups lobbied ministers over the evidence of increasing financial hardship and the obvious suffering of refugee children. Teachers, and even police chiefs, went on record to complain against the deterioration of civil relations between ethnic groups in the school playground and the wider community. The British Medical Association expressed grave concern over the declining health of refugee communities, and the trades union movement, led by transport union leader Bill Morris, staged a revolt against the voucher scheme. Clearly, asylum seekers had their supporters and defende rs, and these tended to be most vocal in the social groups which the Labour government counted upon as their key supporters. In the early 1990, Britain stood out as a country that has reduced immigration to a unavoidable core of family reunification and asylum seekers, numbering no more than 50000 in one year. Since than, both policy an policy outcomes have reversed sharply. The labour government increased the number of work permits issued, promised to reform the Immigration act of 1971 in order to encourage primary immigration, an reevalueted citizenship through the proposed incorporation of citizenship of classes, language texts and naturalization ceremonies. The Labour party started to rethink its core strategy in the 4th semester of 2001 due to a cabinet change. The new Home Secretary from that time, David Blunkett can be considered the initiator of the strategy. In the same time with the new way of Labourss thinking, a change to a more pugnacious style of engagement with public opinion could be noted.( ).The September 11, a date that changed United Sates approach, was almost as important for UK and in the winter of 2002, a second White Paper appeared, this time punctuating the very complex issue of security. Surprisingly though, not the immigrants that were on their way coming to UK were the concern, but those who had finished their migration process recently an who believed of themselves as totally settled in Britain. The controverter problem of the naturalisation of long-settled immigrant communities came onto centre stage as Home Secretary Blunkett sought to open up a new debate about the extent to which these groups had assimilated the distinctive values of UK society. The background to this issue was provided by the summer riots in several northern English towns in 2001. Experts commenting on these developments opened up discussion about the absence of social cohesion revealed by these developments. The principle complaint of one of the most influential of these commentators Lord Herman Ousley was that poverty and lack of resources had prevented civic and other public authorities from addressing the grave problem of racial division, which was a prominent feature of these northern cities. In the White Paper, concerns of this nature were not so subtly transformed into criticism of immigrant communities themselves, for failing to take robust action to ensure their integration into mainstream society. Blunkett was also prepared to do more than had been done during Straws tutelage at the Home Office to force public discussion of economic migration. A whole chapter of the White Paper discussed the issue of working in the UK. The mood here was that government policy was allowing British employers to lead the world in vigorous competition for the brightest and the best amongst the global workforce. The reforms to the work permit scheme of the previous 18 months were set out in detail, and the substantial increase in the volume of people entering in these categories became the badge of success. In the competition to ensure that British business had all the resources it needed to come out on top, the Labour government would not accept second place. The White Paper thus framed the whole question of economic migration as being essentially a matter of business strategy, rather than anything to do with the rights of workers in increasingly globalised labour markets. Indeed, the White Paper wandered into the terrain of considering the clear demand for less skilled workers, and concluded that this would be dealt with by opening up channels for temporary, seasonal migration schemes, which have in practice been associated with the often ruthless exploitation of young foreign students. It is clear from the approach set out in the White Paper that those workers admitted to met local shortages in the informally-skilled sectors of tourism and hospitality industries, construction and agriculture, will not acquire such rights as family reunification, equality of treatment, or long-term settlement in the UK.

Microsoft Vs Consumers :: essays papers

Microsoft Vs Consumers Antitrust law protects the public from companies that attain an undue domination of the marketplace via mergers, tying 1 product to another, vertical integration, and other practices tending to eliminate competition or bar entry into the market to newcomers. In the early 1980s, Microsoft was a much smaller company than it is today. However, it had already established a reputation of being a predator, a greedy predator. They were known to terminate licenses mercilessly once they figured out a way to clone the given technology, regardless of whether it was legal or not. Back then, Microsoft had some enthusiastic competition. The biggest of which were Borland (programming), Ashton-Tate (databases), Visicalc and Lotus (spreadsheets), as well as Wordstar and WordPerfect (word processors). All of these companies have now either merged out of existence or are completely defunct, with the exceptions of Borland and Lotus (which are barely afloat). Microsoft now has the leading product in each sector of the market once occupied by these firms. The company was responsible for ridding itself of these early competitors by either buying them out or simply driving them into the ground. This early disregard set the tone for how Microsoft does business even today. Microsoft’s advantage comes from their domination of operating systems. â€Å"By definition, if the OS maker creates applications, they will run better with the OS than a third party’s, and the OS owner can, over time, create modifications that will make this even more so,† (Rapacious 1). Microsoft has the power to leverage their dominance in operating systems to gain a large market share in the various application sectors. They have always been able to do this and as a result have been able to get, or achieve, whatever it is that they have wanted. This is the vertical integration that the antitrust laws talk about. In a July 1994, settlement, the Justice Department came to an agreement with the software giant over the antitrust charges it had filed against the company. The charges were brought after the department found out that Microsoft was giving personal computer manufacturers a discount on their OS when the PC manufacturer would pay the company a royalty for each computer sold, including those that without MS-DOS or Windows software. â€Å"The practice gave PC makers little incentive to install competing programs since they would have had to pay a royalty to both the competitor and Microsoft,† (Ramstad 1).

How Different Types of Transition Can Effect a Child Development

Explain how different types of transition can affect children and young people’s development Transitions are changes that take place in our life, changes which can occur over a short or long period of time, can be physical, emotional, personal or psychological, and can be predictable or unpredictable. Life is full of changes and every child and young person will go through many transitions. Some of them may have a positive effect (such as an increased level of motivation or improved self–esteem); others may have the opposite effect.The experiences of a child or young person when dealing with transitions will affect, positively or negatively, his development, and can have an important role in learning the skills to cope with other changes later in life. Some transitions (such as starting school, moving through curriculum stages or puberty) are predictable. Children should be prepared in advance, and have the opportunity to talk and ask questions about these changes. In t his way any negative impacts can be minimised, and the transition should be less stressful for the child or young person.This approach can be applied to any predictable transition, whether educational, physical or physiological, and the approach can be beneficial even for such small changes as moving from one activity to another in the classroom. For some transitions, the child or young person cannot be prepared in advance, and there will be no opportunity to discuss the change before it happens. Changes such as bereavement, family break-up or serious illness are generally unpredictable.Because these changes are not anticipated, they can cause distress and feelings of lack of control in the child or young person. This can affect emotional and behavioural development, in turn leading to possible impacts on physiological and intellectual development. Family break-up is an example of a transition which may involve other significant changes in a child or young person‘s life. The c hild or young person’s life seems to have turned upside down, causing confusion and uncertainty.The child or young person can experience powerful emotions of anger, sadness, fear and insecurity. For many children, their emotional distress may cause changes in behaviour. Some children or young people will not be able to show their feelings or to talk with others about what they are going through; they may isolate themselves, becoming quiet and withdrawn. In others, the reaction may be the opposite; they may become verbally or even physically aggressive or just generally less cooperative – slamming doors, staying out late or getting into trouble.A good relationship between the child or young person and his practitioners can have a positive effect on their emotions. The practitioners must learn to recognise signs of transition anxiety, including body language, changes of behaviour, or changes in their work. Sometimes a child or young person may find it easier to express t heir feelings and thoughts through art work, stories or poems, than to articulate such complex emotions verbally. Starting primary school is a predictable, intellectual transition, which can be emotionally upsetting for some children.They may experience anxiety and stress when they first attend the new setting or meet a new teacher. There are a lot of changes involved – it will often be their first experience of being separated from their parents for any length of time; their routine changes with the hours at school and the longer periods of concentration required; they need to make new friends, undertake new activities and adhere to new rules. They can start showing anxiety and sadness at moving school which will affect their behaviour, and may result in regression and clinginess. ?

Distinguish Between French Verbs Savoir and Connaître

Distinguish Between French Verbs Savoir and Connaà ®tre French has two verbs which can be translated to the English verb to know: savoir and connaà ®tre. This can be confusing to English speakers (though it might be easy for Spanish speakers), because in fact there are distinct differences in meaning and usage for the two verbs. Possible Uses for Savoir to know how to do something; savoir is followed by an infinitive (note that the word how is not translated into French):Savez-vous conduire  ?Do you know how to drive?Je ne sais pas nager.I dont know how to swim.to know plus a subordinate clause:Je sais quil la fait.I know he did it.Je sais oà ¹ il est.I know where he is.In the passà © composà ©, savoir means to learn or to find out:Jai su quil la fait.I found out that he did it. Possible Uses for Connaà ®tre to know a personJe connais Pierrette.I know Pierrette.to be familiar or acquainted with a person or thingJe connais bien Toulouse.I know / am familiar with Toulouse.Je connais cette nouvelle - je lai lue lannà ©e dernià ¨re.I know / am familiar with this short story - I read it last year.In the passà © composà ©, connaà ®tre means to meet (for the first time) / become acquainted with:Jai connu Pierrette Lyon.I met Pierrette in Lyon.Note that connaà ®tre always needs a direct object; it cannot be followed by a clause or infinitive:Je connais son poà ¨me.I am familiar with his poem.Je connais bien ton pà ¨re.I know your father well.Nous connaissons Paris.We know/are familiar with Paris.Il la connaà ®t.He knows her. Savoir or Connaà ®tre For some meanings, either verb can be used. to know (have) a piece of information:Je sais / connais son nom.I know his name.Nous savons / connaissons dà ©j sa rà ©ponse.We already know his response.to know by heart (have memorized):Elle sait / connaà ®t cette chanson par cÅ“ur.She knows this song by heart.Sais-tu / Connais-tu ton discours par cÅ“ur?Do you know your speech by heart? Ignorer Ignorer is a related verb which means not to know in the sense of to be unaware of. Depending on the context, it can replace either ne pas savoir or ne pas connaà ®tre. Jignore quand il arrivera.I dont know when he is arriving.Il ignore Ionesco.Hes not aware of (doesnt know about) Ionesco.

HuckFinn essays

HuckFinn essays The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain 1. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn was the main character. The story was told through his eyes, and most of the events that took place happened around him. But some of these events would not have happened without other main characters as well, like Jim, Tom Sawyer, the King, or the Duke. Hucks personality at the start of the novel had changed gradually throughout the novel and until the end. At first, Miss Watson tried to make him pray for things but Huck did not believe in praying because it brought him bad luck. Later in the novel, Huck tries to pray for forgiveness and wants to erase his sin for stealing a nigger. After he prays, he feels he can pray openly now and will not sin anymore (CH. 31). Huck was also superstitious and believed that everything that went wrong was because of certain things he did, like the snake in Jims blanket. And everything was blamed on the bad luck Huck and Jim had. Huck also be came kind, especially after the quarrel with his father, pap. He learned that in order to get along with people (like the king and duke), you have to let them have their way, and Huck did. Jim, at first, was looked upon as just an ordinary nigger. But Huck and Tom soon realized that he was very smart and had helped Huck through most of his adventures. But as a nigger, Jim was looked up to as a hero to other niggers. For instance, Huck tells the reader when niggers from all over the country came to see Jim and hear of his heroic stories and every nigger wanted to be like Jim. Jim was also very superstitious, especially in chapter eight when Jim talks about all of his superstitions, like counting the things for dinner and telling the bees that their owner had just died. All of this supposedly brought bad luck. Tom Sawyer was also a very influential character to the story. He was the one who came up with all the solutions for things, which eventua...

The Changing Relationship Between Government Essay

The Changing Relationship Between Government - Essay Example There is some form of a market which gives the government too much power in the market and therefore it is the form that is used by different countries that is ultimately the one which determines the kind of relationship between any government and the business. There is some form of the market which gives the government too much power in the market and therefore it exerts a lot of control when dealing with business. This as the characteristic of most emerging markets immediately after the Second World War. But the capitalist economies have proved that closed markets which are controlled by the government are no better than an open market where the theories of demand and supply are used. In the closed market, there is a lot of control on the price of commodities in the market as well as the process of the business. The government sets the prices which are in the effort of preventing the businesses from exploiting the consumers. But this model of the market gives fewer market incentive s for the business and it also encourages monopoly. There is also a lot of political control of the business. Therefore liberalized market has been seen as an appropriate market model that can be used by the government in the market. Many countries have in the recent past adopted a liberalized market and have recorded massive growth in their economies. For example, China has been having a socialist closed economy until 1989 when it opened up the market. Since then there has been massive growth of the economy which has performed well compared to the earlier times. China has been able to rise to one of the strongest world economy by liberalization its market.

Masculinity, Mateship and Men's Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Masculinity, Mateship and Men's Lives - Essay Example While maleness refers to the biological aspect, masculine refers to the fullest will of a man to live in a certain way and it’s a matter of choice to do so and not simply having a male body. It deals with the behaviour, mental quality and personality. It can also be the sexual behaviour for a man to desire heterosexual behaviour. The Mighty Boosh is a television series that tries to express masculinity in its broader perspective from the social, historical and cultural representations. It has brought about surreal representation of humour with the protagonists in the limelight to have failed in their character as men. In this case, they have been brought about to have fallen in their endeavours to become great boxers, musicians, novelists. Howard T.J Moon and Vince Noir have been brought about as Barrat and Fielding as the protagonists. They are a male couple with Barratt considering himself as very intelligent and a lover of jazz (Frank 2000). On the other hand, Vince has bee n portrayed as a lover electro and a staunch follower of fashion. His is contradiction of the character expected in the male gender. Men are not to known to follow fashion as such. This is seen as a feminine character. The show depicts the two protagonists as a couple, something that is socially and culturally backward. This shows that he is the married playing the part of the wife here. His way of handling himself and his adoration of Howard is in way very demining. Men are known to own the lead and not to be dragged into issues that primarily do not concern them of which Vince has completely denied to follow. Vince is deeply obsessed with his appearance. He takes too long to prepare himself or to leave the house. His time in resetting the hair and his concentration leaves a lot to be desired. As a matter of fact, he takes too much time in the performance of make upon himself just as the ladies do. The overall result is that he owns up to it that he has to do it to please the one h e is married to. To add insult to injury, he wears a combination of men’s attire and that of women. This allows him to be mistaken for a woman (Horrocks, 1994). His appearance does not so much differ from other women and the pretext form of Vince is much higher in favour of the weaker gender. This therefore renders him to be considered as the wife or the girlfriend of Howard or is otherwise the subject of the unwanted affection. In times when there arises a controversy, he is continuously abused or referred to in derogatory terms which are female in nature, like, bitch, tramp with a fringe and futuristic prostitute. The further brings in the confusion of identity. In the context of this, Vince is notably not annoyed by these as much as one would expect a normal man to react. In fact, he considers what he has done and apologizes or gives an excuse or flatters to show that these dint hit him hard on who he really pretends to be. In addition to this terms, his masculinity has be en undermined through the labels that he has been given like the ‘French duke’, ‘rock ponse’, ‘cockney bitch’, ‘trendy modern wanker’ and ‘electro ponse’ after his love for that electro music. It is arguably notable that all these labels are not just for a mere female, but for one who has involved herself into immorality and sex as well as to music which is mostly identified with clubs, crazy parties and the like. On his own account,

Aztec Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Aztec - Essay Example Initially the Aztecs did farming for a living. There is no doubt that the Aztecs had a very developed economic system. Their economy advanced because they built irrigation canals and terraces in the mountains for maximum crop growing. The Aztec used barter for trading due to the lack of a concept of the monetary system. However, this later developed into a stable monetary system. Although for a long time they had no money , they used salt, cocoa beans or cloth as currency. The idea of a monetary system was very well established and they were far advanced than other civilizations in their time when it came to transactions. Later they began trading using gold coins and copper knives. From this follows our modern currency. The Aztecs were responsible for developing a formal government with the emperor at the head of the civilization. This allowed the distribution of the civilization into twenty clans as well as other government officials such as merchants, priests and nobles who were responsible for running the society in an orderly manner. They were also responsible for collecting tribute from neighbouring provinces which clearly helped the economy of Aztec. The merchants although ranked below the nobles in terms of social class, were an important part of the Aztec society. They were largely responsible for creating the market economy in the society by their trade activities, whereby they traveled far and wide in order to make money on traded goods. They often lived separately from the civilization and enjoyed special privileges. They formed their own guilds which are mainly precursors to today's trade organizations and unions and laid the concept of trading rules and regulations carried out through these guilds. Hence, they laid the foundations of organized trade and therefore a market economy. (Smith and Masson; 2000) Trade Market Laws The Aztecs ensured fair trade through laws. The markets were patrolled by officers who ensured that there was no cheating and that the buyers were getting a fair deal. The organization was crucial because the markets were very large in number. Conclusion The civilization is not just a case of the past, to be forgotten and erased from our minds. The civilization is to be taken lessons from because the Aztecs were what shape the modern Mexican culture today and many aspects of modern Mexico can be traced directly from the Aztec empire. A question remains unanswered however. We have yet to understand the extent to which trade would have been possible today had the proper market economy in the Aztec civilization been not established References Smith.M and M.Masson (2000). The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica: A Reader Blackwell Publishing Fagan.B.(1996).The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Oxford University

Trade Practices Essay Example for Free

Trade Practices Essay On the material date of 19th December 1997, the Australian Rugby League (ARL) disclosed its intention to enter into partnership with News Ltd to run rugby league that unites their respective leagues on condition that the conglomeration of teams under the ARL news would be reduced to fourteen teams. As a result, souths, which was excluded from participating in the National Rugby league in the year 2000 brought a claim on grounds that the action taken by ARL, News, NRLI and NRL was unlawful as it contravened the provisions of section 45 as read with section 52 of the Trade Practices Act (1974). These provision stipulate the general rules. In section 52 corporations are not entitled in the course of transacting in trade to engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive.   In echoing this principle, section 45 prohibits the making of contract arrangements that are discriminatory on the basis that they exclude certain persons or corporations. Issues in Question Whether ARL and News were competitive partners at the time they entered into the contract and made exclusionary provisions. Whether the inclusion of the 14-team term was to the effect of restricting, limiting and/or preventing trade. Whether the victim was a specific person or class of persons. It was established in both courts that the souths fell under the description of particular persons under section 4D Tests used to resolve the case ARL and News were not competitive partners at the time of establishing the 14 team term as they had merged to form National Rugby League therefore section 45 and 4D did not apply Souths had failed to establish the respondent’s intention to prevent or restrict their trade, as the 14- team was part of a selection process due to their successful performance. Holding: Partners who are competitors and enter into a contract that intends to provide less services or goods would have contravened section 45 at the time the exclusion is made Reference South Sydney District, Rugby Football Club Ltd V. News Ltd (2002) Appeal Case

Application of Communication Theories

Application of Communication Theories Choose one communication theory which you think will help organization and how it will help communication requirement? Answer: In other words communication theories explains systematic summary about the nature of the communication process, certainly, theories can do more than summarize. Amongst the various theories of communication, diffusion and agenda setting theory would help meet the communication requirements at the GDW. (Sligo,1997) Diffusion Theory: Diffusion Theory is related to human behavior, getting new ideas, how to implement them, step-by- step, this theory explains how one reaches an important decision. There are five stages within the diffusion process: 1. Awareness Individual is aware of it. 2. Interest Wants to learn more. 3. Evaluation Asks others for feedback. 4. Trial Uses a sample, etc. 5. Adoption Now a user/believer. Agenda Setting Theory: Agenda setting theory is more beneficial for public relationship; it works wonder to get the attention of the media, the public and policy makers. Some researchers says it is set of issues that can be used for multi-directional purpose. By applying the above two theories communication requirement can be fulfilled at the government disability workshop. As these two theories would help interact easily with each other, understanding will improve, thus maximum output can be gained.(Sligo,1997) Can you evaluate how effective was Ralf Ocker communication to the staff? (You need to analyze good and bad communication within the organization) Answer: Ralf communication is not good. Email is not a good communication always. He always do communication with the staff by email. He can sit with the staff and give feedback their questions. He needs to listen his staff. He is a good listener and professional rather being emotional. Ralf dont care of others and fire people. He should follow face to face communication with the staff, because it is two way communications and resolve so many conflicts quickly. As far as the role of Mr. Ocker to reshape the GDW is concerned, he used the parallel theories models of good communication restructuring, as he announced cutting down of substantial funds also he closed the workshop for some time until a way could be found to make them significant and profitable. In such manner he assesses the most significant valuable planned changes for the GDW. He observed the situation that workshop need changes, He arranged meeting with the staff from other department to think together about whole processes In order to evaluate new ideas he listened to the planning of Mr. Fred, Mr. Mavis Ms. Mary In adoption, he brought up a team whose main motive would be to bring changes in organization which was called Ability Plus(Locker,2003) In the conclusion, the Mr. Ralph Ocker communication planned changes brings a new era of business behavior to the GDW. His strategy is quite similar to Diffusion theory in which changes are adopted or rejected the all stages.(Locker,2003) i)Identify four stages of perception process (theory) Answer: Perception is a process, by which we study the world around us, world that consist persons, objects and its experiences. Perception is unique to each person, two people cannot experience the world exactly the same at a time. Perception process occurs in four stages, namely- 1. Stimulation: When someone receive the information. 2. Attention: When someone pays attention and receive/accept only what he wants 3. Organization: How do someone organize other ideas what he listen or receive 4. Evaluation: Evaluate the information. Understanding of the parts ii) Identify and explain Ralf listening technique. Answer: 1. Ralf Ocker is a experienced guy and stimulates information perfectly 2. He paid full attention to the message. ( In this stage Ralph Ocker took two weeks in order to know and understand the organization and the staff) 3. He organize the information (After knowing the way the organization behaved Ralph Ocker then organized how and what has to be done, he announced cutting down of substantial funding, then he closed the workshop for some time until a way could be found to make them actually turn into something significant and profitable, he also welcomed suggestion from the staff). 4. He also evaluates the information perfectly. (In the this stage Ralph Ocker interpreted the changes he was about to bring. In this stage he added meaning to the points he had brought in front of the staff by sending a mail which had a detailed account of proposed changes). i) Definition of Assertive Communication. Answer: Assertive communication is the straight forward open expression of your needs, desire thoughts feelings it involves advocating for your own needs while still considering respecting the need of others. All of us use assertive behavior at times, quite often when we feel vulnerable or unsure of ourselves we may resort to submissive, manipulative or aggressive behavior. Assertiveness is a useful communication tool. Its application is contextual and its not appropriate to be assertive in all situations. Remember, your sudden use of assertiveness may be perceived as an act of aggression by others. Theres also no guarantee of success, even when you use assertive communication styles appropriately. ii) Analyze GDW staff assertive response by using Four Fs-Facts, Feelings, Focus and Feedback. Answer: Facts: Remain neutral and dont attack; talk about fact, truth; Do not blame anyone and speak the truth. Fred speak the truth. Many of GDW staffs were ex armed personnel who had very rigid structure who used autocratic management style, machinery were out dated , GDW had a limited amount of contract cause of little funding were unable to compete with the commercial rivals. Focus on Action: Ocker planned a better and productive strategy, he made sure changes were strictly followed. Fred focused on action. Feelings: Some people from the staff were favoring the new management system (accepted by Ocker Fred) and some of them was against, but in the mail sent by Ocker clearly states that changes would go ahead as planned. Feedback : Feedback refers to the process of exchanging information is order to make things clearer. There were many instances that took place in the GDW which explains how feedback process was done in GDW from the joining of Ocker to the decision he finally made in the end. i) Identify and evaluate the guideline for giving and receiving feedback. Answer: Giving and receiving feedback should be Specific and objective, on timely, and honest. ii) What advice you give Rlaf Ocker regarding receiving and giving feedback. Answer: Giving and receiving feedback involves the interaction of both the parties, thus Ralph Ocker should make sure he not only explains his point but should also understand what the staff wants to say. He should also clarify them in order to avoid confusions. While giving or receiving feedback there can be statements which might sound nitpicky to one, Ralph Ocker should make sure he avoids such situation and should assume that the persons who pointed it out would did so as it was important to be mentioned. Make it a positive process and experience. Ralph Ocker should always remember that his main purpose was to reshape the GDW and hence his main focus should be to improve the condition of GDW and in order to do that he should make sure he shouldnt be harsh, critical or offensive. Be timely and regular and specific Ralph Ocker should make sure that he does not take much time in receiving and giving the feedback i.e. he should make sure he keeps interacting with the staff of GDW on regular basis so that there is no point of confusion and maximum output can thus be generated. Have available all the necessary information Ralph Ocker should make sure he has all the required data, facts, information which would be needed in the process of interaction also he should make sure that all of them is well organized in order to avoid any confusion and for easy reference. Be a good listener and ask for clarification Giving and receiving feedback involves the interaction of both the parties, thus Ralph Ocker should make sure he not only explains his point but should also understand what the staff wants to say. He should also clarify them in order to avoid confusions. OR Giving: 1. Invite individual to self access 2. Comment on position 3. Focus on behavior not person 4. Own the statement and dont wait 5. Be clear and specific 6. Discuss with staff and ask how they feel 7. Try to give positive feedback 8. Use I 9. Immediate feedback is more reliable, So give feedback as soon as possible Receiving: 1. Self access your ideas and work before hand 2. He shall check if he has understood the specific of feedback where more focus required 3. Take negative feedback too, it is useful 4. Prepare specific question that you want on other person to provide feedback on Regarding conflict negotiation- i) Identify two causes of conflict at GDW. Answer: Conflict is an integral part of Human being, it is said that until, you have people dealing with people, making decisions or meeting deadlines you will Have Conflict. Mass causes of conflict in organization are poorly defined Goal, Divergent personal Values, lack of co-operation, unclear roles, communication failure, personality conflict etc. The two causes of conflict at the GDW are as follows:- 1. Restructuring: 2. Difference of Opinion: In organization many people work so opinion might be different. 3. Lack of Formal Communication: It refers to the condition of GDW which lacked formal conversation as the earlier staff was rigid in nature and they followed an autocratic management style. When people dont interact in an organization of formal topics chances of conflicts rises to a higher point. 4. Poorly Defined Goals: Before the arrival of Ralph Ocker the GDW lacked planning strategy and had undefined goals due to lack of communication between the staff members. When such huge things are ignored chances of conflict rises to a large extent ii) In your opinion what conflict management style or technique Ralf should have used at GDW. Answer: Conflict management is the practice of Identifying handling a conflict in sensible fair efficient manner. Ralph Ocker should have used/considered the following to prevent conflicts: 1. Frequent meeting with the staff members 2. He should have allowed the team to express openly 3. He should sharing objectives completely and correctly4. He should give a clear detailed Job description5. Ocker should distribute task fairly 6. He should never criticize any of the staff members publicly 7. He should always be fair and should do justice with everyone Style: Collaboration: This is where Ocker will pair up with the other stuff to achieve both of their goals. Competition: This is win-lose approach. Ocker should act in a very assertive way to achieve his goal. q7. i) Discuss the key principles for restructuring communication. Answer: Restructuring is one of the biggest decisions your organization can make and you will find it much harder to undo damage done by a poorly managed restructure than it is to ensure that the restructure is a success in the first place. Its likely that your managers and HR staff will not have undergone a restructure before and therefore lack of the knowledge and experience of conducting one. If they have, then their previous experience may have been focused on improving their own individual circumstances. They may have limited knowledge as to how things could or should have been done better at an organizational level. I would like to suggest the following new principles/guidelines for the management- Bring a flat structure of management into picture Enable decision-making informed by strong cross-system consultation, listening and respect Promote close productive working relationships within the Ability Plus Retain a learning organization philosophy of continuous staff development, engagement and teamwork Outsource, eliminate, or transfer non-essential services, Bridge the communication gap between the staff members in the ability plus Adopt a cross functional team approach to problem solving Reduce complexity Focus on core activity Maintain flexibility Use role model in leadership development, etc. ii) How do you restructure communication? Answer: 1. Face to Face Communication: 2. Accountability of Communication: 3. Communication with Truth: 4. Communicate the Vision: 5. Listening to the employee: 6. Senior Manager should be visible and accessible to the employee: 7. Communicate timely: i) Business Report Guideline Answer: Report cover Executive Summary Table of contents 1 Terms of Reference 2 Procedure 3 Findings / Analysis 3.1 Profitability Development Process of Metalwork Department 3.2 Making Profit out of Metalwork Department 4. Conclusions 5. Recommendations à ¢- Referencing à ¢- Appendix ii) Do you think presentation is good idea or not after report? Answer: Presentation is good idea because face to face communication is possible through it not by report. iii) Why each person is different perception of Andrews performance? Answer: Because each people have different perception about others. Ray: Selective Attention. Ray heard that Andrew is doing well. because he is qualified and bright. this is called selective attention. First immersion last long. Tim: Perceptual Accentuation: He said Andrew is too slow to learn the job, because he saw Andrew day to day activities and fix Andrew mistakes. Kate: Differences in perceptual ability: Kate said that he is not a good member of team and slow. Sione: Consistency Effect: Andrew is a Rugby Player, So he likes Andrew and think he must be a good team player. Andrew: Self-serving attribution bios: He think he is doing well and it is called self serving attribution. iv) List the four elements that define culture. What are the strategies you can use that can help communication between culture? Answer: Time: 2. Context: Context is best defined as the array of stimuli surrounding a communication event including: body gestures; tone of voice; physical distance between interlocutors; time of day; weather; situation (for example, during a war commemoration ceremony); societal norms; geographic place of communication; and other external factors. 3. Memory/ Understanding: 4. Space/Distance:

The University Art Gallery Show :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

The University Art Gallery Show Its bright, It's brash it's stimulating. It's Art Express '06! This years show displayed at the University Art gallery, demonstrated the growing interest in contemporary issues and cultural awareness. The Show was set up in separate sections, with similar artworks placed around the same sections of space. There were two glass presentation boxes going along the centre on either side of the room, with three main walls, leading onto smaller walls, presenting the HSC selected works. The set up was cleverly done, as it was very easy to casually walk around and view all the works with out any trouble. As always publicized in each year's art express, it was impossible not to notice the extreme range of different media and forms of works the students used. Ranging from medias like a clothesline to neon lights to print making. You couldn't help but be thrown into the world of the giant splurges of creativity around you; it will make you want to run home and sort through your local tip or bring out the old brushes to whip out something exciting. The term 'Major work is no longer ' used but replaced by 'Body of work'. The difference being before the student only had to complete one work to complete their practical. Now students have to complete a number of works all interrelating between each other. One of the most outstanding body of works shown that I think boldly stood out from the pack was "Mon Inversion Fragmentee (My fragmented inversion)" by Cara Lee, from Kambala. This work explored the social representation of women. 300 black and white photos each depict a close up image of a fragment of the divided female body. The rigidity of each individually hung photo exemplifies the restriction of the female and the extent to which they're boxed by society and social conventions. The strengths of the works this year were that the individual works challenged your way of thought. These students are not afraid to share their opinions to the public. It's become a trend that the general public will find it harder to just view a work and simply decide whether it is aesthetically appealing to them or not, with out also stopping to question the world around them or within themselves. Mon Inversion Fragmentee, Scientific Research; Cell your soul Manipulate and Hidden