Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times Essay Example

Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times Paper Charles Dickens novel Hard Times is a classic story about family problems, detachments and inappropriate family values set in industrial England. The main point of the story focuses on Thomas Gradgrind, a single-minded man who lacks emotions and whose philosophy is one dimensional. In order to discuss how Dickens presents education, in particular Gradgrinds philosophy of education it will be important to look further at the following points: Gradgrinds teaching style, interaction with his pupils and finally Gradginds personality. Thomas Gradgrind was a man built on the idea that facts and statistics were the only truth in life and all that was needed to have a healthy and productive life. Gradginds teaching style can be seen as regimented and one dimensional. For example, he believes in stating facts based on principles and has no time for anything outside the obvious. This can be seen at the beginning of the first chapter when Mr Gradgrind says, Now what I want is facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. This makes him seem a stubborn scary person, who lacks creativity and doesnt like to be challenged. We will write a custom essay sample on Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Also he believes himself to be factual and proceeds upon a principle to be accurate. You can see that facts are very important to Mr Gradgrind as the word Facts has a capital letter most of the time. Dickens seems to give an over the top description of Mr Gradgrind, using dull, monotonous language through which he shows us that Mr Gradgrinds attitude towards education is purely based on facts. Dickens also presents Gradgrind as a very well organised man, who is described as square. Square wall of a forehead, where everything about him is dry and inflexible. Dickens has described this character for a reason, to make the reader imagine a very dull, unattractive character. Dickens use of repetitions creates effect on the character such as In this life, we want nothing but facts, sir nothing but facts! . This implies that Gradgrind is a firm believer of education and is accustomed to only one explanation, and he doesnt consider anything more complicated. Gradgrind has no imagination, creativity or inspiration of any kind because he has only one goal in mind. When Gradgrind speaks to his pupils he doesnt let them explore their thoughts of vision. For example in the conversation about horses with his class he quotes Do you ever see horses walking up and down the sides of rooms in reality- in fact. This shows that Gradgrind has no ability to believe in images or ideas in the mind, especially of things that never will be seen in reality. When Gradgrind addresses the pupils he uses an order to instruct, because he wants everything in the right classification of arrangement, for example when communicating he underlines them as numbers rather than names, for example Girl number twenty. This is his regimented way to organize his pupils because the children are not allowed any independent thought which takes their personality away from them. Also Gradgrind shows no respect for the students and believes he is superior to them. Another sentence Gradgrind uses: Sissy is not a name. Here he tells Sissy that her name is ridiculous and that she should change it, Call yourself Cecilia. This shows Gradgrind is ignorant to what the students may want or believe. He also wants everything in an appropriate order because of his factual regime. Gradgrind produces a quite ridiculous question for Sissy to answer Girl number twenty, give me a definition of a horse Sissy knows what a horse is as she was brought up with them, but she is unable to answer Gradgrinds ridiculous question because she does not know what the word definition means. Bitzer is then asked to describe the answer, he does so correctly, Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth This answer goes well with the question, it is also ridiculous, this is emphasised by the answer being something that a student of this age would not know. Bitzers mechanical reproduction of facts is the approved product of Gradgrinds system of education. Dickens uses other characters names to create effect in the philosophy. For example Mr Mr MChoakumchild who is portrayed as an unpleasant teacher at Gradginds school. His name suggests that he is not very fond of children, which stifles or chokes their imagination. Dickens describes Mr MChoakumchild as an intelligent man, the subjects and skills that he studied show that his knowledge was very high. For example Orthography, etymology, syntax and prosody . He believes that fact is all that the children need to know in life. Dickens chapter title gives an implied meaning, Murdering the innocents this gives a violent impression. This can be interpreted as cramming the pupils minds with facts and overpowering their ability to think in a wider context. In conclusion, it can be seen that Dickens presents Gradgrinds philosophy of education by portraying Gradgrind as a gruelling man, who is only interested in his own way of doing things. It is his teaching of facts and excluding imagination, fantasy and understanding. He is a very hard man and is representative of the title, for example Industrial England was full of hardship where people were poor and lead simple lives. Dickens also uses irony to symbolise his point, a good example is the name Mr MChoakumchild. It is ironic because the schools philosophy is to cram the childrens minds with facts thereby choking them. Dickens has succeeded in writing the opening chapters about education, and his use of language is very effective.

buy custom Global Macro-Practice in Human Services essay

buy custom Global Macro-Practice in Human Services essay Origin of HIV/AIDS There have been numerous controversies, revolving around the origin of HIV/AIDS. Many well-known scientists have been brain-teased and puzzled for decades over the origin of HIV/AIDS since its emergence in early 1980s. For over twenty five years now, ferocious debates and arguments have surrounded this matter. Countless suggestions and theories have been developed to clarify this bewildering issue. Although up to date, nobody knows the exact truth about the source of HIV/AIDS, numerous theories have been formulated to explain its origin. Some of these theories are the hunter theory, conspiracy theory, contaminated needle theory and colonialism theory (Feldman Miller, 1998). First, there is the fascinating hunter theory, which postulates that human beings, who were alleged to be of African origin, got infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as they were preparing a chimpanzee for food. The chimpanzee happened to have Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, which is similar to HIV virus. However, this theory has been refuted by recent medical scientists who claim that the HIV virus could not be transmitted that way. Secondly, the oral polio vaccine theory was developed in a symposium in Royal Society, London. During the symposium, it was thought that HIV virus must have originated from oral polio vaccine, which was developed from monkeys. However, the delegates at the symposium later disagreed on the possibility of transmission of the virus from monkeys to human beings (Levy, 2008). The colonialism theory suggests that HIV/AIDS resulted from poor living conditions that prevailed in colonial and slavery camps during the colonial period. It explains that this filthy and unhealthy environment made the slaves immune systems weak and they consequently became vulnerable to infections. Moreover, the colonialists could use unsterilized needles on the slaves. This happened in ertain parts of Africa, where colonialists were received harshly, for example, in Democratic Republic of Congo (Falola Heaton, 2007). Another theory that tries to explain the origin of HIV/AIDS is the contaminated needle theory, which is an extension of the hunter theory. The theory suggests that HIV/AIDS was spread in Africa through use of plastic syringes to inject multiple patients. This could have happened without proper sterilization, thereby infecting the numerous people. HIV/AIDS could be easily transferred from one person to another. The major weakness of this theory is that it only explains how the virus was spread, without elaborating its original source. The conspiracy theory, on the other hand, suggests that HIV/AIDS was man-made. Some scientists believe that HIV/AIDS was manufactured as a biological weapon to be used during warfare to wipe out large population of blacks and homosexuals. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, which is believed to have originated from non-human primates in sub-Saharan Africa. It was transferred to humans between late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. However, most medical researchers have agreed that HIV evolution was simultaneous to the evolution of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which was later transferred to humans through zoonosis. In conclusion, it is worth noting that there are various unresolved issues, surrounding the emergence and origin of HIV/AIDS. For instance, there is no explanation of why only four types of HIV groups have been spreading in human beings. It is also unclear why all the epidemic HIV groups emerged in humans nearly simultaneously. Additionally, there are no reasons given as to why the spread of HIV/AIDS begun only in the twentieth century, yet human beings were exposed to simian immunodeficiency virus several years ago. Demographics of Origin According to Beatricee Hahn and Paul Sharp, HIV/AIDS epidemic mirrors and replicates changes in population structure and behavior, especially in Africa during the twentieth century (Falola Heaton, 2007). Certain theories argue that HIV/AIDS do not exist and that Aids is not caused by HIV. The proponents of these theories believed that HIV/AIDS is caused by an individuals lifestyles, for example, sexuality and drug use. Additionally, certain conspiracy theories believe that HIV/AIDS was manufactured in a laboratory to be used as a weapon for use in genocide. However, these theories have been rejected by worlds prominent scientists through a consensus. Affected Populations There are two types of HIV viruses that affect human beings, that is, HIV-1 and HIV-2. Medical researchers have shown that HIV-1 virus is more vituperative, dangerous and can be easily transmitted. It is the cause of majority of HIV infections globally. HIV/AIDS is believed to predominate mainly in Africa. However, this is not the case. HIV/AIDS is a global epidemic. It affects all nations around the globe. For instance, in the USA, the first case of HIV infection was reported in early 1980s. It was believed the most affected people are the gay men. Currently, HIV/AIDS produces a huge number of deaths annually amongst children and youths. Past medical data reveals that more than half of the deaths, caused by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa occur in men, while approximately seventy percent of such deaths in India occur in women (Holmberg, 2008). Additionally, the World Health Organization estimates that the average age of people who die of HIV/AIDS ranges from fifteen years to forty five years (Holmberg, 2008). It is believed that HIV/AIDS deaths are generally inclined towards the men. More often than not, most men die of HIV/AIDS than their female counterparts. The death rate is high among the youth due to their lifestyles, especially sexual behaviors that increase their exposure as well as excessive drug use. Buy custom Global Macro-Practice in Human Services essay

Catfish and Mandala Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Catfish and Mandala - Essay Example His identity as a Viet-kieu - a Vietnamese who now lives in a foreign land like the United States (Martin, 2000), had brought him as much challenge as he had ever thought of. At a certain point in someone else's life, there comes a point when, even if the situation tells you that you have been the luckiest man in the world, there is only emptiness felt. Just like Andrew Pham who had been a successful engineer in California, found nothing but emptiness alone even as, according to the norms of the society, he had been victorious against the battle of the foreign land he used to know twenty years ago. When his post-operated transsexual sister had committed suicide, Pham found it hard to have peace of mind. He blames himself for his sister's untimely death. Thus, eager to find out what brought his sister to commit such unforgivable act, he went back to his hometown to figure out his real identity as a Vietnamese-American who feels out-of-place in a country he had lived for over twenty years already yet unwelcome due to their race. Catfish and Mandala is a book that is a combination of a travelogue, a memoir, and a self-discovery help book in one. The plot of the story varies from Pham's journey around the Pacific Rim, through Japan and finally through his homeland, covering the stretch of the American-built Highway 1 from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to Hanoi, and the details of his family's struggles when hey first stepped onto the foreign land of the United States. Pham was able to illustrate his family's struggle against racism and the language barrier for which they had felt how it was being a stranger lost in a land you know nothing about. There was at the same time enough evidences shown in the story regarding the confusions that had them torn between two extremely different customs - the American culture and the Vietnamese culture - that are essential in recognizing one's own identity. ("Paperbacks") The moment Pham had set foot on the Vietnam land, various thoughts of his childhood occurred to him. Although they had been bleak, Pham could remember how his childhood had shaped his future that he holds in his hands at present. Now, bicycling and looking around the country where he had been born, Pham could not even at the least feel sorry for the people who had remained in the country after the fall of Saigon. He felt hardly against their situation and blamed such luck on their capitalist society. Pham, instead of feeling apologetic about the condition of his fellow Vietnamese of the lingering poverty that they still have after a long time, he felt nothing but to blame them for what they have become. But his quest to finding his own identity had made him feel good, but at the same time bad. He had the best privileges of being recognized as a Viet-kieu. On the other hand, he had worst experiences for being mistaken for being a Japanese or a Korean. (Martin, 2000) Pham had been able to meet different kinds of people. Some of whom had been like his old friends and some were total strangers to him. Every single conversation with them was like bits and pieces of puzzles that automatically bring itself in its place that makes up his identity. Pham needs no longer find where to put each piece into the right place because it involuntarily puts itself to where

Strategic Plan and the Structure of the Technology Department Essay

Strategic Plan and the Structure of the Technology Department - Essay Example Strategic Plan on Organizational Needs for Success The process of strategic planning helps an organization to accomplish its objectives. In this context, it can be stated that strategic planning helps to support the policies according to the organizational needs by recognizing the opportunities to make constructive use of Information Technology (IT). In this way, it can also help an organization to achieve competitive advantage. IT is used as a strategic business tool and thus strategic administrators need to recognize and manage the various aspects of IT for taking better advantages of available opportunities. In the Beach Bum gym as well, the prepared strategic plan has played a vital part for satisfying organizational requirements of success. As the business of gym is competitive due to the presence of numerous clubs, IT such as Netpulse can significantly act as a competitive weapon for Beach Bum gym (Segars & Grover, 1998). Strategic planning is meant for long-term management whi ch optimally impacts on IT department. Strategic planning ensures that critical business requirements are fulfilled and more inclusive methods are adopted in business. Strategic planning procedure facilitates in adhering to certain essential disciplines, regulates new systems, institutes good relations and enables to recognize tasks and duties, consequently outlining resource requirements. These activities help for better allocation of resources and cooperatively provide advantages to the business (Ward & Peppard, 2002). IT Department in the Organization The success of an organization in present day’s business environment depends on aspects such as innovation, technology, consistency, quality and supervision. Technology in this sense is a blend of machinery, equipment, techniques and knowledge which can effectively transform the business. Strategic planning can assist in utilizing technology, in order to bring about certain desired changes towards fulfilling business objectiv es. Strategic planning helps to use the IT for conducting business activities in an effective way. The crucial role of IT lies in its capability to support effective business performance (Karadal & Tumer, n.d.). IT resides in an important position in an organization by enhancing the competitive position. Competitive efficiency allows providing services in a unique way than other competitors. In the Beach Bum gym business, Netpulse can act as an innovative tool for supporting the business by facilitating to deliver unique experiences to the customers. As a result, they will be willing to stay in touch with the gym business for the long-run (Karadal & Tumer, n.d.). Innovation and Technology Enable Globalization Technology is a driving factor in globalization. Globalization in business denotes to the high level of interdependency and interrelatedness in diverse and geologically distributed players. Nowadays, technologies such as IT have been shown to intensify complex business procedur es. Technology plays a pertinent role in making the notion of globalization successful. Due to continued new innovations in technology, it becomes possible for people to access and share information rapidly. Thus, technology is changing the way people use information for several purposes. Innovations in technology have simplified efficiency improvements in every segment of business. In this context, it can be stated that IT drives the innovative application of resources to encourage new services and thoughts across nations and

Research a medical topic of interest to you using professional medical Paper

A medical topic of interest to you using professional medical journals such as Jama, nursing or dental or physical, occupational, or speech journals - Research Paper Example This leaves prevention as the only feasible alternative to control the virus. The prevention is done through immunization of attenuated forms of the virus to induce the body to develop natural immunity against the virus (John, 2002). Cases of poliomyelitis have declined in the recent decades but it is still too early to celebrate. The elimination of the second of the three-poliovirus serotypes; type 2 was eliminated in 1999.This marked a milestone achievement and evidence that the global resolve to eliminate paralytic poliomyelitis is attainable. Improvements in immunization and continuous surveillance are ideal in the completion of eradication of polio (Samwel et al, 1991). The feat of polio eradication is highly supported by polio programs, innovations such as global positioning system, mapping, and strategies of immunization at transit points. It is strategic to declare polio as a global health emergency to arouse concerted efforts by countries globally to eliminate the disease. The shift from the use of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is timely and appropriate. This is because of the magnitude of reduced effectiveness of OPV in locations with high burden of enteric pathogens and diarrheal disease. This challenge can be more pronounced in some areas leaving children who have received several doses still vulnerable to polio attack. The development of viral genetic sequencing technology reveals that OPV viruses are capable of regaining fitness and neurovirulence when continuously transmitted from one person to the other. Based on the information of genetic attenuation, it is imperative that true elimination of polio means zero transmission of poliovirus .It is notable that vaccine viruses apart from being genetically prone to reversal to neurovirulence, are also epidemiologically prone to transmission to unvaccinated children thus causing polio outbreaks. To reduce the cost of the administration of IPV, it is

The Islamic Golden Age Of Baghdad

The Islamic Golden Age Of Baghdad The Islamic civilization has been a victorious civilization dating back towards the 7th century; Islam was first originated in the Arabian Peninsula at the time. Just like any other religion and/or empire there was a Golden age which had formed in year 800-1200, throughout history Islam has encountered downfalls and achievements, however throughout the ups and downs it has been one of the most well-known empires in history. The reason why the Golden Age was a key element in the Islamic Civilization was because it was the period in which mathematicians, scientists, agriculture, politics, and philosophy began to originate. During which time the Abbasid Empire was centered in Baghdad which had promoted political stability, economic growth, and cultural awareness. The Abbasids were particularly Arabs however the Abbasid government was Persian and had many Persians involved with the army and administration. Baghdad became one of the most economically stable cities in the world during the Islamic Golden Age by expanding and introducing new levels and diverging people of various ethnicities such as the Chinese, Indian, and Africans. Baghdad deriving from the Persian word God Given 1 was a small Persian village located in the Middle East, close to the capital Ctesiphon during the Golden Age of Islam, the city was a part of the Persian Empire. Baghdad was known as the center of the trade industry, and had many connections across the world especially Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean region. People from those regions would come to Baghdad to visit and gain more knowledge from the House of Wisdom and to trade crops 2. In the year 762 a man by the name of Abbasid caliph al-Mansur began to construct the capital of Baghdad 3. Mansurs architects built the city as a round circle and in the center stood the main mosque of the city to worship Prophet Muhammad; the city had three walls around each wall had a different structure one of the walls had the army headquarters for protection4. Eventually, the city had developed onward toward the eastern bank of Tigris; unfortunately about 4 centuries later as Baghdad began to ex pand the Mongols came into the city in the year 1258 which set a decline in the Abbasid Empire.5 In the 9th century one of the biggest establishments had been created in Baghdad known as the Bayt al- Hikma (The House of Wisdom), it was educationally influential toward Baghdad and Islam as a whole; it was promoting literary and scientific methods. Scholars from around the world whether being Muslim or any sort of religion would gather the knowledge not only of the world but the universe, the House of Wisdom was founded to have a research library for all subjects such as; linguistics, science, math, and astronomy.6 Plenty of the research which was done at the House of Wisdom had been translated from different languages like Farsi, Latin, Turkish, which had translated to Arabic. This was known as the translation movement; many mathematics, medicine, and astronomy which had been researched by Pahlavi from Persia were translated into Arabic.7 Plato, Aristotle, and Galen very well-known philosophers there works were sent in to the House of Wisdom for translation to the Arabic language .8 Many different people from around the world at that time would travel to the house to gain knowledge and bring the knowledge back to their home country which consisted of Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, and Greek civilizations. The medical works which had been done in the medical school of Jundishapur of Sasamids had been transferred into the House of Wisdom; in the 9th century paper was introduced to the city of Baghdad.9 The Golden Age during the rise of the Islamic civilization had a major transformation in agriculture, which had an environmental impact at the time. Muslim traders changed the trade industry by the dispersion of harvesting the crops and distributing these crops to various parts of the Middle East, which had led to the major transformation of economy, population, and circulation. Worldwide crops were grown and delivered to the Middle East from numerous countries such as: China would deliver citrus fruits to the Islamic lands and new food crops were created in India like date palms, spinach, bananas, eggplant, rice, and lemons.10 These would be delivered to Iraq, at that time due to the climate and location of the Middle East which would not be able to produce these crops. One of the major discoveries was sugar production which turned into one of the biggest industries of the Golden Age, sugar plantations and refineries began to be established in the 8th century and distributed worldwi de.11 Gold Abbasid Coins were used as money known as Gold Dinars; on the coins it says In the name of God, there is no deiry except god alone. 12 In the 8th century the expansion of trade and industry began where long distance caravan trade routes would be developed and expanded. Trade with India was very popular in the Golden Age because they developed many crops such as bananas, date palms, and rice. The trade would be delivered through the Persian Gulf to Iraq; this is when the creation of an international market started to begin with southeast Asia, Spain, India, and the Mediterranean lands. Iraq was the center of trade worldwide, and a prosperous population of about 500,000 people13 the influences which took part were: peace, resources, wealth, and efficient laws. Moving towards a political standpoint in the golden age of the Islamic empire, the city of Baghdad was ruled by Abbasids from 750-1258 and the Abbasids were culturally Arab.14 However, the Grand Vizier and Vizier which means the Prime Minister and Minister was culturally Persian15. The Abbasids were Muslim both Shiite and Sunni; they provided economic growth and helped Baghdad to be a persevered city and known worldwide for their agriculture, people, culture, and intelligence. They provided cultural richness and political stability to ensure the population of approx. 500,000 remained prosperous. The administrative policy in Baghdad were involving local governors appointing Caliphs also known as Muslim rulers who were people to be believed a demonstrative Allah on earth.15 Toward the conclusion of the Islamic Civilization during the Golden age, there were plenty of reasons why Baghdad as a city filled with so much potential is able to make them known worldwide for their agriculture, culture, political stability, and intelligence. For every choice which was made in Iraq was a step further toward an empire filled with wealth, happiness, and economically stable. The Abbasids and Persians built an impressive House of Wisdom for the world to admire; I can conclude that the Islamic civilization was one if not most successful civilization by making people from around the world visit Baghdad and diversify in peace. Endnotes: Mirzai, Behnaz. Various ethnic groups contributed to the creation of the Abbasid Golden Age. Lecture, Empires and Revelutions from Brock University, St. Catharines, October 31, 2012. Mirzai. Various ethnic groups contributed to the creation of the Abbasid Golden Age. Mirzai. Various ethnic groups contributed to the creation of the Abbasid Golden Age. Mirzai. Various ethnic groups contributed to the creation of the Abbasid Golden Age. Goodwin, Jason. The Glory That Was Baghdad. The Wilson Quarterly (1976) 27, no. 2 (2003): 24-28. Mirzai. Various ethnic groups contributed to the creation of the Abbasid Golden Age. Bennison, Amira K.. The great caliphs: the golden age of the Abbasid Empire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. Goodwin, Jason. The Glory That Was Baghdad. Goodwin, Jason. The Glory That Was Baghdad. Mirzai. Various ethnic groups contributed to the creation of the Abbasid Golden Age. Goodwin, Jason. The Glory That Was Baghdad. Mirzai. Various ethnic groups contributed to the creation of the Abbasid Golden Age. Lapidus, Ira M. The golden age: The political concepts of Islam. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (1992): 13-25. Lapidus, Ira M. The golden age: The political concepts of Islam.

Education today Essay

Given the increasing information and diversity surrounding education today, teachers and administrators are trying to fill in the task and responsibility to cater to active facilitation and instruction. That is why each one had advocated several strategies and methods that can seek to intensify not only the way content is delivered but also extracting different possibilities. In the end, by constantly seeking to adhere to both standards and needs of students, the educational system can better itself in providing the needed outcomes of 21st century education. In my own perspective, I feel that the effort to reach out and enhance an educational experience is there however, there are certain loopholes and obstacles that continue to impede the process of further application. For example, administrators provide the needed mechanisms for overseeing that the curriculum is in-line with the standards provided. Consequently, the provisions of these standards are often specific only on seeking test scores as the primary measurement in determining student competency. It fails to look into other alternatives that shape and hone student life. Though it is an important process to start with, it does not mean that such idea should only revolve on such. At the same time, the educational sector has been opening up its doors towards diversity as it continues to make its curriculum and content multicultural in understanding. It aligns itself with both the understanding of cultural traditions and conceptualizes on frameworks that will generate results. Despite this, there are still unequal practices that continue to exist among members of the academic community. There is still a gap between the actual frameworks existing with the real thing that is happening. Take into consideration the level of commitment that a professor gives towards people lagging behind in class because of language barriers. In here, it can be observed that there should be a support system that can cultivate better comprehension and understanding of the subject. Such idea may or may not exist in today’s classrooms. Likewise interaction and communication has been integral in student development. It can be seen that the educational sector has shown significant effort in catering to this idea. They had actively involved parents and the community in generating support mechanisms that will further harness the skills and talents of an individual. Though this may seem to be the case, there are still impediments that take place. For example, inclusion may indeed happen in the classroom however this may not necessarily be the case as students reach outside the four walls of the classroom. The environment itself may connote separation and unequal treatment. For students to actively appreciate such idea, both parents and the community have the responsibility of creating an environment that is encompassing and assistive towards growth. Lastly, engagement in extra-curricular activities is another channel wherein each student can rediscover and tap into his/her potential. Many educational institutions advocate that indeed classroom work does not solely determine achievement. Rather, it is the holistic interplay among extra-curricular activities and academic capability. For example, schools and universities can encourage greater participation in volunteer work and clubs engaging in civic activities. Not only can this create and rediscover the passion for reaching out, it can also incorporate and impart the values, principles and mission that the educational institution have to students and the community. To conclude, the educational system has made significant progress towards creating a multicultural education. It has tapped into different issues of concern and sought to create frameworks that will adhere to the needs of students. However, this also brought about new challenges and obstacle that had to be addressed accordingly. By actively realizing the parameters and areas of change, they can be dynamic towards tackling 21st century education.

Ethics and Governance Essay

With reference to the Oxford English Dictionary (2012), ethics is described as the science of morals. It is also the agency of study with regards to the values of moral obligations of what is right or wrong. It also covers human behaviour. A company makes many decisions in a course of one day. It may include, launching new products, doing Public Relations, making sales, rewriting company policies and the recruitment or retrenchment of people, just to name a few. All business aims to do so ethically. To conduct business ethically, a business must first commit to adhering to laws and regulation (Timms, 2009). These are clearly defined, as they are in black and white. However, once the definition of what is ethical becomes contested, ethical dilemmas will arise. An ethical dilemma occurs when there is a situation which all alternate choices and behaviours have been deemed undesirable, and that there may be potential ethical consequences when one is unable to identify the right from the wrong. An example of an ethical dilemma is of follows, where one faces a conflict between his ethical code and his business aims. Cadbury, the chocolate producer, was offered a contract by Queen Victoria to send decorative tins of chocolates to every single one of her soldiers in the Anglo-Boer war in South Africa (Andrews, 1989). However, since he was against the war, which resulted in him deciding to resolve this conflict by completing the order without profit. According to Sir Adrian Cadbury (1987), his grandfather â€Å"made no profit out of what he saw as an unjust war. The additional work benefitted his employees, the royal presents consisting of tins of chocolates were sent to the soldiers, and it was a win-win situation. In a business, there are 3 levels of ethics: the ethics of the governing body, workplace ethics and individual ethics (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). A governing body usually is made up of a board of directors, whose aim in the company is to make good corporate practices easier and more available for employees. They too must drive and motivate employees to strive for good performance, conformance and results. Workplace ethics are important, as it ensures a conducive and supportive environment to work in. There must be equal treatment among and within subgroups, open communication between levels, and information must be transparent and readily available. Individual ethics is affected by four complementary elements. Individuals must be able to identify ethical issues; recognise the values and priorities through their grasping of principles, rules, norms and theories; developing their individual sets of reasoning and perception; and improving the strength of one to act upon such decisions (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). Before a difficult decision is made, the shareholder or the manager has to think a problem though. One way to do so is using Kidder’s Ethical Checkpoints (2006). He has 9 checkpoints which he feels will lead to an ethical decision being made. First, the manager needs to recognise that there is a moral issue. After determining the actor, he has to gather the relevant facts. Next, he tests for right-versus-wrong issues as well as paradigms. After applying resolution principles, he has to look for a third way before making the decision. After the decision is made, he has to revisit and reflect on the decision. After much research, I feel that Utilitarian approach is the most useful in guiding company decisions. I will explain why below. A decision is only ethical, according to the utilitarian principle, if it has the greatest net utility as compared to any other alternatives. As a decision maker, he must evaluate and weigh every option present to him. He must determine if there any positive or negative utilities arising from the option, before selecting the option that has the greatest net utility (Fuitzsche, 2005). It is very similar to the cost-benefit analysis used by stakeholders to consider the costs and benefits of a potential business decision. According to someone applying the utilitarian principle, a decision is only ethical if it has the greatest net utility and benefits the most people. An example of the utilitarian approach is when, during office hours, a company monitors their employee’s habits like tobacco consumption, as one man’s actions can affect the entire workplace. A prominent example is in Singapore, where there is the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act. This act aims to protect the public from the hazardous effects of second-hand smoke. (Smoking Prohibitions, 2012) By making sure that employees do not smoke around the office, there would potentially be less health problems, so lesser sick employees which mean improved productivity and greater yields. There are two types of utilitarianism, act and rule. Act utilitarianism targets problems in the short run while rule utilitarianism targets problems in the long run. While act utilitarianism looks at the total aftermath of a single act, rule utilitarianism looks at the repercussion over a series of acts (Fuitzsche, 2005). For example, bribing is frowned upon. An example of bribing occurred in NES China in 1998. NES’s government affairs co-ordinator proposed giving gifts to government officials to establish a working relationship to help get its application approved. The other members were horrified, as this was considered bribery and a criminal offence in their country (Joerg & Xin, 2009). Under act utilitarianism, if bribing means that the company will get the business contract, thus allowing the employees to keep their jobs, it is ethical. However, under rule utilitarianism, this is not the case. Bribing, thou it will work in the short run by generating business, however, in the long run, potential customers will question if you got the job through bribing or because of your superior products you are selling. Therefore bribing does not provide the greatest utility (Fuitzsche, 2005). However, the utilitarian approach does have several limitations. Therefore other ethical theories have to be used together with the utilitarian approach in making company decisions. Firstly, there will be some people who will be at a disadvantage. A decision, according to the utilitarian principle, is only ethical if it has the greatest net utility. However, increasing net utility sometimes causes serious issues and affects people negatively. One notable historic example was the construction of the Great Wall of China (Construction of the Great Wall of China, 2006). Three hundred thousand prisoners and peasants were reportedly conscripted to help construct the great wall. It is said that ‘for every block laid down, one labourer lost his life.’ In terms of utilitarianism, a significant positive net utility was creates, as the great wall restricted the nomads and protected China. The Chinese citizens were safe for many years to come, at the expense of these three hundred thousand prisoners. Secondly, it is challenging estimating the results or effects of a business decision made. Also, a unit of currency gives more benefits to a poor person than to a rich person (Fuitzsche, 2005). In April 2012, all national servicemen in Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Force received a $60 p ay raise (Chua, 2012). A Recruit, who once earned $420, now earns $480, while a Lieutenant, who once earned $1120, now earns $1180. This increment would mean more to a recruit, who had a 12% pay increment, as compared to the Lieutenant, who had a 5% pay increment. It shows that it provides more utility to the poorer recruit. Therefore calculating if a decision maximises utility is difficult. Thirdly, not only are the consequences of a decision made hard to foresee, some decisions have consequences which are not easily or unable to be measured. In August, Apple manufacturer Foxconn improved on the working condition of its factory in China, such as introducing more breaks, lowering overtime, doubling wages and having better maintenance of safety equipment. (Rushe, 2012) Louis Woo, special assistant to the chief executive of Foxconn also released a statement, lamenting that reduction of overtime meant that they ‘needed to hire more people and implement more automation, more investment on robotic enginee ring’ (Yip, 2012). These costs to the company are easy to determine. However, the gains in utility from these implementations are difficult to tell. Would productivity increase? Will employees be more loyal? Will turnover rate be significantly lesser? Consequences like these are hard to measure. Lastly, utility gained from these business transactions mean different things to different people (Fuitzsche, 2005). Some managers gain utility from maximising their employee’s happiness. Some managers calculate utility as one which will increase their material wealth. Below I will compare utilitarian ethical theory with egoism and moral rights approach, to show that while utilitarianism has it flaws, it is still the more useful ethical theory. The utilitarian and egoism ethical theories are rather similar. Decisions made using egoism ethical theory will often provide the most favourable outcome to oneself, no matter how others around are affected (Fuitzsche, 2005). The other parties may not be harmed or disadvantages, but to the decision maker, it is of no concern. The decision maker using egoism thinks about how the proposition would involve him (Collins, 2009). If the proposition adds onto his interest, it is right. If it does not, it is wrong. However, the decision maker using utilitarianism thinks about how the preposition involves everyone affected by it. If the preposition done is advantageous to the most number of people, it is right. If it is harmful to the most number, it is wrong. Egoism is very similar to the philosophy of Adam Smith (1790). Egoism according to Smith is an excellent market allocating tool, which benefits society if one cares for their interests in the long run. Egoism usually views things in the short run, which is similar to act utilitarianism, which evaluates what happens in that one incident. However, while utilitarian considerers the total positive net utility, egoism only considers the decision maker’s se lf-interest. Thus decisions made using egoism would be deemed as unethical. The rights a principle gives you assured moral or human rights because you are a human being. The moral rights approach stresses that human beings have essential rights and power of choice that cannot be taken away by an individual’s action. Gerald Cavanagh (1990) explains six rights that he affirms are basic to business work. They include life & safety, honesty, privacy, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and lastly private property. One example is regarding Firestone and their tires. In America, 1978, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) began investigating the relation between Firestone’s Wilderness AT tires on Ford’s explore sport utility vehicle. The problem of Firestone’s tire separation was known internally at Firestone and by the automobile manufacturers; however, instead of recalling the tires, they kept it in the market, resulting in 150 preventable deaths and 500 injuries (Henn, 2009). As facts leaked out that were damaging to both companies, they became more aggressive in its defence. Firestone appeared to have violated several human rights. The firm knew that the tyres would create a hazard to humans. And by refusing to recall its products, it violated the right to truthfulness when the truth was extremely important. Even after the whole incident was resolved, public trust in Ford wavered. According to Henn (2009), a position of trust with the public that took many years and millions of dollars to build was severely damaged. According to the utilitarianism theory, an ethical decision is one that produces the most amounts of advantages to the majority of people (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). However, according to the moral rights approach, an ethical decision is one that does not breach on the rights of another. The utilitarian approach is best for countries with high collectivism while moral rights approach is best for countries with high individualism. According to Hofstede (2007), most Asian countries scored below average on Individualism. Singapore is no different, so the utilitarian approach is more applicable in companies here. According to Johnson (2007), there is the five ‘I’ format with regards to making decisions. A problem must first be ‘identified’, before it can be ‘investigated’. Next, one has to be ‘innovative’ in coming out with many solutions. After this, a solution has to be ‘isolated’ and then ‘implemented’. Making an ethical decision is easier when one applies an ethical theory. A decision made using the utilitarian theory is ethical if it provides the greatest net utility, and produces the greatest benefit for the largest amount of people. Rules developed under utilitarianism can become a moral code to be used throughout the company. Thou it has its limitations, as it is difficult to measure utility, or figure out the consequences of a decision, and that it might not benefit everyone, but it is still better as compared to egoism or moral rights approach. Utilitarian is the most useful theory in guiding company decisions, and when used together with moral rights and egoism, it shows what it means to be ethical.

Global Marketing, Localized or Standardized Strategy Selection Essays

Global Marketing, Localized or Standardized Strategy Selection Essays Global Marketing, Localized or Standardized Strategy Selection Paper Global Marketing, Localized or Standardized Strategy Selection Paper Standardized and Localized Strategy Selection When considering the marketing, product, and positioning strategies involved with taking a US based consumer product global, there are many variables to consider. Some key considerations include; the markets economy, political climate, legal system, and of course, there are cultural considerations (Levens, 2012). Of these, culture may have the most effect on how to market a product internationally. There are currently two schools of thought for international marketing, which are the adoption of a standardized strategy or a localized strategy (Solomon, 2015). One would think that with globalization and the exportation of western culture, that most consumer products would be able to adopt a standardized strategy because, after all, a TV is a TV and a washing machine is a washing machine. Unfortunately things are not so simple, and we need to be careful not to make the assumption that the whole world is exactly like the United States. Perhaps a TV is a TV and a smartphone is a smartphone, and other than the socio-economic factors that decide whether or not it is a luxury item, marketing could be essentially uniform. But when you consider other items such as refrigerators, clothing washers dryers, dishwashing machines, personal hygiene products, and so many more, there can be many cultural factors to consider. For example,many cultures shop for groceries several times per week, some even daily, Americans shop for groceries, on average, once per week. : Since Americans only shop once per week, American homes have the largest refrigerators on the planet with an average size of 17. 5 cubic feet (Rees, 2013). With such cultural differences, it would not be possible to use a standardized marketing strategy, but is a localized strategy the way to go. Instead of choosing between a localized strategy or a standardized strategy, many international marketers balance the two strategies to a degree and use an adapted global marketing strategy (Armstrong Kotler, 2012). By adopting an adapted global marketing strategy marketers can think globally, but act locally. In doing so, the marketing strategy and marketing mix elements are adjusted to the market being served. Although the overall brand strategy is standardized, advertising and product mix is localized. The negative effect of this is the additional expense associated with local marketing and possibly having to modify products (Solomon 2015). However, this can be overshadowed by the ability to capture a larger market.

Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect

An Examination of Southern Dialect as Seen in the Works of William Faulkner In the writings of William Faulkner, the reader may sense that the author has created an entire world, which directly reflects his own personal experience. Faulkner writes about the area in and around Mississippi, where he is from, during the post-Civil War period. It is most frequently Northern Mississippi that Faulkner uses for his literary territory, changing Oxford to â€Å"Jefferson† and Lafayette County to â€Å"Yoknapatawpha County,† because it is here that he lived most of his life and wrote of the people he knew. Faulkner’s stories focus on the Southeastern United States at a time period when old traditions began to clash with new ideals. This is an era in American history with which most people can quickly identify, whether they are Southern or not. The South in Faulkner’s works are complete with all the expected features: an agricultural society, Southern belles and gentlemen, racial tensions, and especially the common characteristics of Southern speech. Faulkner strays from the normal customs of Northern literature to present a realistic portrait of the South that he grew up in. In doing so, he comes up with an excellent sample of the Southern language, including linguistic qualities of both black and white speech. Faulkner establishes a unique literary voice which is recognizable due to variances from standard English in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical form, while juxtaposing speech elements foreign to anyone not familiar with Southern heritage. The works of William Faulkner succeed in creating a literary dialect which is relatively consistent throughout all of his stories. A literary dialect is best defined as an â€Å"author’s attempt to represent in writing a speech that is restricted regionally, socially, or both† (Ives 146). In Faulkner’s writing, this can be described by such traits as an intentional misspelling, l... Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect An Examination of Southern Dialect as Seen in the Works of William Faulkner In the writings of William Faulkner, the reader may sense that the author has created an entire world, which directly reflects his own personal experience. Faulkner writes about the area in and around Mississippi, where he is from, during the post-Civil War period. It is most frequently Northern Mississippi that Faulkner uses for his literary territory, changing Oxford to â€Å"Jefferson† and Lafayette County to â€Å"Yoknapatawpha County,† because it is here that he lived most of his life and wrote of the people he knew. Faulkner’s stories focus on the Southeastern United States at a time period when old traditions began to clash with new ideals. This is an era in American history with which most people can quickly identify, whether they are Southern or not. The South in Faulkner’s works are complete with all the expected features: an agricultural society, Southern belles and gentlemen, racial tensions, and especially the common characteristics of Southern speech. Faulkner strays from the normal customs of Northern literature to present a realistic portrait of the South that he grew up in. In doing so, he comes up with an excellent sample of the Southern language, including linguistic qualities of both black and white speech. Faulkner establishes a unique literary voice which is recognizable due to variances from standard English in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical form, while juxtaposing speech elements foreign to anyone not familiar with Southern heritage. The works of William Faulkner succeed in creating a literary dialect which is relatively consistent throughout all of his stories. A literary dialect is best defined as an â€Å"author’s attempt to represent in writing a speech that is restricted regionally, socially, or both† (Ives 146). In Faulkner’s writing, this can be described by such traits as an intentional misspelling, l...

Research proposal for female and management positions Essay

Research proposal for female and management positions - Essay Example About 30% of women in government positions are in decision making positions. Even though the women’s enrolment in institutions of higher learning is on the increase, the same has not been replicated in their participation in economic matters (McCrohan & Preiss, 2006). Their participation in economic affairs has increased by less than 7% since the year 1985 as compared to their enrolment in tertiary institutions, which has grown by more than 40% since the 1970’s. Worldwide studies have additionally revealed that women participation within the UAE in economic activities is extremely low when compared to their counterparts in other participating countries. This is in reference to businesses that are starting and established business activities. In contrast, the men in the UAE are over twenty times more involved in young businesses that are starting up (Erogul & McCrohan, 2007). Literature Review Previous literature within the country contains limited research on the women leaders found in the UAE just like outside researches, which also do not have much on them. The research previously has done on women focuses on women leaders in the US economy. However, there is little comparison with other women managers around the globe. Therefore, there is  a great need for carrying out research on the distinctive roles that women play in the economy. This will be done so as to enable conceptualization and validation of their unique roles. Some little research can however be found concerning the factors which support the leaders among women in their professions. They include parental supports especially their fathers, socialization within their families along with spousal support (Moore, 2007). Most of the previous research focuses on the support they get from their families. Little information can be found on the conditions at their places of work that facilitate the advancements in their careers. The previous research also dwells on the challenges that women encounter in advancing their leadership in business. The experiences of women leaders in the region have been documented based on their Islamic faiths. In contrast, women in countries such as France and Denmark with children aged go to work. This is enabled by the availability of pre-primary child care that is offered in schools (The Times, 1990). The current research shows there is a need to facilitate the conceptualization and qualitative validation of the differences among women and their separate experiences. The UAE is on record as being the best within the region in terms of treating her women. In addition, present research indicates that 10% of the managerial posts in the world of Arabs are usually held by their women. The changing of the traditional perceptions of a woman’s place is a slow process within the UAE (Erogul & McCrohan, 2007). Research Question †¢ Does insufficient self confidence, family conflicts, long working and stereotyping among women within th e UAE affect the participation in leadership positions in businesses? Theoretical Framework The dependent variable in the research is the participation of women in leadership positions in business within the UAE. It will be explained by the following independent variables: insufficient self confidence, family conflicts, long working hours and stereotyping. Women usually lack confidence because of their place within the society as stipulated by Islam. Their lack of self confidence is also attributable to the family conflicts that occur in their lives. Women within the region are often

Answer the two thought experiments 'the direction of happiness' and Essay

Answer the two thought experiments 'the direction of happiness' and 'the experience machine'. Based on your answers to the thoug - Essay Example In his argument against hedonism, philosopher Robert Nozick used the thought experiments based on â€Å"the direction of happiness† and â€Å"the experience machine† as he attempted to answer this question. The notion of hedonism, which is manifested by the belief that pleasure should be the ultimate purpose of life, disregards the provisions of a meaningful life. By showing that there are more values to life than happiness, this paper will answer the two thought experiments and discuss what happiness is and whether a happy life is the same thing as a meaningful life. Nozick uses the model of a machine capable of giving people the experience of whatever their desires and pleasures are, which cannot be distinguished from those that can be experienced apart from such machines. People would have a choice to live inside the machine and experience all their pleasures or outside in a lower degree of pleasure. Under such circumstances, where hedonism would opine that the sole intrinsic value is pleasure, most people would choose to remain plugged in to the experience machine. That would show a preference of a more pleasant but less meaningful life than a less pleasant and more meaningful one. However, according to the concept of direction of happiness, the amount of happiness in different lives is exactly the same, only that one tends to slope upwards with increasing happiness while the other slopes downwards with declining happiness. Mistakenly, people would still choose the life with happiness that slopes upwards. It is a mistaken choice because people still care and are concerned about their connection with reality, and it is the factor that the experience machine lacks. People still want their experiences to develop from reality rather than fantasy even if both feel the same. From this, it can be said that what people ultimately seek in life are not merely feelings of pleasure, but also to be in a particular way. Feelings of happiness and pleasure ar e desirable but not enough. People would want to go beyond the simple experience of doing things and actually do them. Therefore, there are more values than happiness and experiences of doing things. The experiences of the experience machine only limit people to their own man-made realities that are constructed within the confines of their perceived important values. Although the experiences of reality may be simulated by the experience machine, no contact is made with deeper and meaningful reality. When one envisages an experience machine and then appreciate that they would not use it, they learn that there are other things that matter more than experiences. The definition of happiness provides that it must contain meaning, pleasure and engagement. The part of meaning is in reference to the contribution to a broader cause while pleasure comprises the part of feeling good. Although a happy life and meaningful life have overlapping aspects, they are fundamentally distinct and a happy life is not necessarily a meaningful one. Happiness may occur as either or both emotional and mental well-being that is characterized by pleasant and positive feelings, which have different meanings to different people because it is quite a subjective matter. It can be a spontaneous feeling caused by positive emotions and last for a moment, as well as a continuous one. The overlap between a happy and meaningful life is mainly manifested by the fact that meaningfulness is among the causal factors