The Giver free essay sample

Period LA The Giver In your opinion, is the community in The Giver a utopia or a dystopia? Like many countries such as North Korea or Cuba, the community appears to be a dystopia. The environment of the community may seem impractical, however, there are many places like this in the real world. The community in The Giver is very similar to the country of North Korea. For example, both of the governments in these regions are controlling and predominant. In these societies, the population praises their government because they don’t know any different. This form of government is like a dictatorship. The â€Å"Elders† in the community believe that preventing the public from knowing about the outside world will generate a higher quality society. Another example of their similarity is that there are loudspeakers everywhere in both Jonas’ world and North Korea. They all spout a nearly constant chatter about the affairs of society. We will write a custom essay sample on The Giver or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In North Korea, though, the intent is pure propaganda; it’s nearly all lies. Pure and simple, in North Korea, the loudspeaker is an organ of the state utilized to further the brainwashing of the citizenry. In Jonas’ world, the Speaker (through the loudspeakers) alerts the citizens to matters that will either help them to become â€Å"better† members of society or direct them regarding what they must do to be safe. On the other hand, Cuba and the Community and similar in the way that in both places, many of the citizens rights have been taken away and they are not allowed to leave the land. The people of the community are informed that there is an â€Å"elsewhere†, but they know nothing about this place, except for the fact that this is where somebody would go if they happened to be â€Å"released. † Elsewhere in the Community is similar to other countries, such as the United States, in Cuba; They know this place exists but will be harshly punished for trying to travel to it. As you can see, the Community in â€Å"The Giver† isn’t that far-off from some of the societies in our world. The authority in these civilizations take away the rights that every human being should have, and they are outrageously controlling.

Def Leppard HYSTERIA essays

Def Leppard HYSTERIA essays Def Leppards album, HYSTERIA (1987), is a great classic that will be forever remembered. Lead singer Joe Elliot sings songs all based around women, whether the songs be about mans need for a woman or the hardships that come with loving women. The main theme he deals with in this album is mens relationships to women (Adams 68). The relationships he speaks about in his songs are not necessarily love relationships. Elliot advocates his desires for the lusts of a woman in his songs. Def Leppard would rather keep it simple, with quick, punchy guitar riffs and a straight-from-the-crotch philosophy. These songs are devoted to one adolescent fantasy after anotherAnimal, Woman, and Armageddon It are just what you think they arewith music that pounds their hormone-heavy attitudes home. Its rarely more than 6 inches deep, but even mindless fun is still fun (Adams 68). Def Leppards album starts off with the song titled Women. Elliot discusses how In the beginning God made the land and Then He made the water and creatures, then He made manborn with a passion. He goes on to describe that there was something that was missing, something lost. He says that women are what mencant live without. Elliot makes many biblical references in this song. In the second verse, he describes that in the garden, lust began, referring to the Garden of Eden (Fricke 14). This song is a great example of the theme of mens relationships with women concerning mans search for women. Elliot is describing and making reference to the Bible to show that mans instinct and desire for women came from the beginning of time. He uses this powerful reference as a tool to justify his point that men need women. In the song Animal Elliot speaks mos ...

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

PROJECT - Essay Example In most cases, each of the two behaviors occur independently infrequently, symptoms usually beginning to show before the individual is seven years old. According to a Philip, Gilliam, Liverpool, Weddle, Malek, Sharp, Greenstein, Evans, Rapoport and Giedd (2010), ADHD, also known as Attention deficit disorder (ADD), the condition evidently occurs when the behavior lie at the extreme end of a continuous distribution of cognitive impairments and symptoms and that lie below. A significant number of those having ADHD in childhood are likely to retain the symptoms of the condition in adulthood. Indeed according to Howell, Huessy and Hassuk (1985), those children that exhibited behavior related to ADHD in elementary school risked showing the symptoms in high school and as young adults. In fact most of those with the condition performed poorly in school and had social problems later in life (Howell et al. 1985). This study investigates the relationship between various variables and the prese nce of ADHD. The objective of this study was to establish if there is a significant relationship between the existence of ADD-like behavior and IQ score. ... Age at first assessment, family background, racial/ethnic identity and other background variables were not assessed. Procedure All participants were part of a larger study conducted by Howell, Huessy, and Hassuk (1985). The original study began with 501 children in the second grade and consisted of six stages of data collection: 2nd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 9th grade, 12th grade, and 3 years post graduation. The first three assessments were collected via the child’s current teacher, the second two assessments were collected via school records and the final assessment was an extensive interview. Due to normal attrition, the sample size was reduced to 352 children by the end of the fifth grade. The present study utilizes data collected during all six collection periods and includes only those for whom complete data is available (N = 216). Measures Gender. The gender of the child was collected via a questionnaire completed by the child’s second grade teacher. Grade rep etition. Whether or not the child repeated a grade during high school was assessed via school records at the end of the 12th grade. English level. The level of English class the child was enrolled in was assessed via the school record in the ninth grade. The three categories were: remedial, general and college preparatory. English grade. The grade the child received in English during the ninth grade was assessed via school records. Grades were: A, B, C, D, or F. Social adjustment problems. Whether or not the child exhibited any social adjustment problems in the ninth grade was assessed via school records. A child was considered to have a social adjustment problem if there were at least two notations in the record of infractions like disruptive classroom behavior, truancy, or

Analyzing Jobs at Custom Carpet Cleaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyzing Jobs at Custom Carpet Cleaning - Essay Example The four aspects that the Job analysis should cover are: a) what job the employee does. b) The process followed by the employee to accomplish the task. c) The area of operation handled by the employee. d) The qualification of the employee, which involves the skills, knowledge and abilities requisite (Franklin, p.2). In the case given the approach applied by Bob to conduct a Job analysis is very pragmatic yet not very complete. Bob has decided to conduct a survey in all the outlets of the Custom Carpet Cleaning to get clarity regarding the jobs carried out by all the outlets. Bob is conducting this survey to understand the reason behind the discrepancies in the salary structure amongst the different outlets of the company. The company has two kind of services one specifically for the residential clients and the other specifically for industrial clients. The survey conducted by Bob will have one respondent from each outlet. This will help Bob to understand the variation in the tasks carried out in different outlets. This survey will give Bob a schematic overview regarding the difference in the operations carried out by the various outlets. Bob will understand the difference in the approach, skills and responsibility of all the employees posted for the same post but at different outlets. The posts available at various outlets require employees with different set of skills and approach. The machinery used and the methodology applied by the employees to complete their task also depends on the kind of job assigned to them. A job analysis will let Bob segregate the jobs which though have similar designation yet vary in the terms of the responsibility carried out by the employees. Bob will be able to sketch out the different job descriptions depending on the specific requirements. He will be able to allocate the salary structure depending on the job description and skills required. However the method applied by Bob is not complete as he will be surveying only one employee from each outlet. Within the same outlet the approach and the responsibilities may differ and Bob should consider surveying a larger sample from each outlet. 2. What can be done to improve this job analysis process? Ans 2. The method applied by Bob to conduct the job analysis can be improved by increasing the num ber of respondents surveyed by Bob. Bob must first utilize the online research done by him and divide the various jobs carried out by the employees. From each outlet at least 10% of the employees should be selected as respondents for the purpose of the survey. Bob should also select the employees who are being given more than the usual salary slab. The employees who are being given less than usual pay should also be included in the survey. To make the survey more accurate the supervisors should also be handed out a questionnaire. The questionnaire given to all the supervisors should have questions regarding the various job profiles in their respective branches. The supervisors should be asked to fill information regarding the various job profiles in their outlet along with the skills and knowledge required for each profile. The questionnaire formulated for the supervisors should also have questions regarding the various techniques applied in the various job profiles. By including mo re employees and supervisors in the survey Bob will be able to get a more accurate picture regarding the different job profiles present in different outlets. Since the purpose of Bob’

Why the Electoral College Is Good Essay Example for Free

Why the Electoral College Is Good Essay â€Å"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.† John F. Kennedy. Former President Kennedy expresses how imperative it is that every person has a say in the government. Contention 1: Proper representation is lost. When there is an election, the Electoral College does not give an accurate representation of the people because they vote for representatives, who in reality cast their votes. Not only that, but a candidate can win an election with just 270 electoral votes. South Sea Republic Organization in 2008 explains: â€Å"The Electoral College is an indirect voting mechanism. US citizens vote for representatives who then cast ballots for the US President. The electors do not have to cast their ballots as per the popular will in that state; they can defy the voters if necessary. This was done to protect against tyranny or a noble trying to usurp the democratic system. The convention however is that the electors vote in a block as per the citizen voters’ wishes.† CNN explains: In our current system, the president is elected by the Electoral College and not directly by the people. The number of electoral votes each state receives depends on its population and representatives are chosen to vote on behalf of the people in the state. To win, a candidate has to win 270 electoral votes, which is a majority. If neither candidate gets that, Congress determines who wins. A few times, the American peoples choice for president hasnt actually been elected or represented. The new system would also nationalize the presidential campaign. Contention 2: States are being excluded. Right now, candidates spend most of their time campaigning in battleground states. They do not try to win over voters in small states, such as Ohio and New Hampshire. Oxford University in October of 2011 furthers: By itself, California now has fifty-four electoral votes, making it more valuable to a candidate than sixteen smaller states with three votes each. †¦ Campaigns should allocate a disproportionate amount of their resources to large states because the pivotal voter in a large state has more power to swing the campaign than a similar voter in a small state. According to Northeastern Political Science Association in 2002: â€Å"In terms of state advantages and disadvantages under the contemporary electoral college, it was found that the electoral college in the 1990s contains partially countervailing biases which result in a net advantage to large states as much as 2.663 to one, and a net disadvantage to states with from 3 to 21 electoral votes.† This evidence shows the public that when one person lives in a more populated state, their vote counts more than 2.5 times more than one in a less populated one. This is not fair for the people in the smaller state because they still have as much equal rights than the people who live in larger states. On top of that, the less populated states have a larger disadvantage because the larger states grow at higher rates than others. This reduces the votes that smaller states have. If bigger states like Texas and California gain more people, then the people in smaller states get less representation. Thus, larger states have more power. Contention 3: Electoral College lowers voter turnout: The University of Georgia in 2011 shows that â€Å"Making a statement on the overall effect of the Electoral College system voter turnout is difficultNevertheless, we can make comparisons between the model’s predicted turnout under actual resource allocation and predicted turnout if resources were allocated equally across states. †¦If the number of visits †¦observed across all states in 2004 were allocated so that each state had an equal number of visits and equal media saturation, the average predicted state turnout is .618, an average increase of 3.1% in voter turnout. † In some states, the electoral college system boosts turnout. Competitive states (particularly battleground, but also some leaning states) receive a great deal more campaign activity, as do states with more Electoral College votes, which translates into higher turnout. However, this boost in a few states leaves smaller and less competitive states—the bulk of states in number—wit h lower turnout.

External Macro Environment Factors

External Macro Environment Factors Human Resource Management (HRM) according to Boxall and Purcell (2003:1) are the actions which involve the management of employment relationships in the firm. The modern world of business is changing rapidly in its attempt to gain and maintain a competitive edge. Business is operating in an environment affected by macro environmental factors ranging from Technology to Legislation and Globalization. These factors and many others are causing business to re-evaluate itself, both internally as well as externally. Structures are becoming flatter and decentralization is taking place as organizations attempt to remain competitive, survive and grow. The macro environment which is the main concern in this essay, are factors like political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environment (PESTLE) that can influence an organisation but are out of the organisations control. It is very important for HR practitioners to monitor the external macro environment since it can great ly make or unmake their businesses. This can be seen on the social changes technological advancement on workforce and HR policies in the last 10 years. In this essay, an elaborated definition of the external macro environment is well explained. Also, explanations of why it is necessary for HR practitioners to monitor the external macro environment , with reference to relevant academic theory is done. Also an illustration of how technological advancement and social change has affected the workforce and HR policies in the last 10 years is detailed out. The essay is then Concluded and bibliography cited as well. The marketing environment surrounds and impact activities carried out in the organisation. There are three key perspective on the marketing environment which involves the internal environment, the micro environment and the macro environment as shown on the diagram below. There are three key perspective on the business environment which involves the internal environment, the micro environment and the macro environment according to Kotler et al (2009). The micro environment influence the organisation directly and it includes the consumers, customers, suppliers, new entrants and competitors. All factors like men, money, machines, materials and market that are internal to the organisation are known as the internal environment. The external macro environment involves all those factors ranging from the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environment also known as the (PESTLE factor) that affects the organisation uncontrollably, influences the organisations decisions and affects its performance and strategies. These macro factors are continually changing and the company has to be flexible enough to adapt to it. Looking at the political factors affecting a business, it involves factors like initiatives, grants and funding offered by the government, wars, government relationships with other countries, taxation policies, the goods and services the government produces, the health of the nation and the quality of the infrastructure of the economy such as the road and rail system. As such the degree of government intervention in the economy will affect companies operating in it. Thus the political atmosphere of a country should be checked before the establishment of a business. Economic factors includes interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation, loan access, unemployment, government spending consumer spending and exchange rates that affects the organisation. Using the economic factors to analyse a business scenario, a higher interest rates may deter investment because it costs more to borrow. Also, inflation may provoke higher wage demands from employees and raise costs. Also, a higher national income growth may boost demand for a firms products.   Social factors involves religious differences, ethics, lifestyle of the people, demographic changes, education and culture.  For example, changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. In the UK, for example, the population has been ageing. This has increased the costs for firms who are committed to pension payments for their employees because their staff are living longer. Technological factors involves the amount of research funding in the country, consumer purchasing power, technological advancement/ innovation, intellectual property and copy right infringement. For example Bar coding, online shopping, and new computer designs are all new technological development in the way companies do business due to the advancement in technology. Environmental factors involves a countries weather and climate change, the level of pollution, recycling considerations, legislative changes both current and future. Climatic changes can affect companies in the country. With the changes of global climates experienced today due to global warming, firms make this external factor a significant issue of considerations when expanding their businesses internationally Legal factors are factors like  safety, competition, health, future legislation, trading policies and regulatory bodies which relates to the legal environment in which firms operate. In recent years in the UK for example, there has been many significant legal changes that have affected firms behaviour like in areas like age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation and wages. HR practitioners have to carry out a PESTLE scan of the macro environment where the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental aspects of the business would be scanned properly. This is done in order to caution the HR practitioners on how changes in their external macro environment will impact the organisations activities. The external analysis of the macro environment has both micro and macro focus. At the level of the micro trend, HR practitioners should monitor suppliers, the strength of their competitors, labour supplies and the demographic population. At the level of the macro trend, HR practitioners should monitor the market forecast, technological trends, labour market forecast and trends in public sector employment and political atmosphere of the country. Also, the reason why HR practitioners scan the macro environment is to identify and analyse possible opportunities and threats of the industry as a whole that are outside the control of the industry using the opportunity and threat analysis (SWOT) analysis. The opportunities identifies the environmental characteristics that can help the organisation succeed and the threats identifies environmental characteristics that can prevents the organisation from being successful. As such, with the opportunity and threat analysis, HR practitioners are able to develop a corporate, business and functional level strategy. With the corporate level strategy, the organisation lays a plan action to manage the growth and development of the firm hence profit maximisation in the long run. With the business level strategy, the organisations find ways to counters its threats so as to compete effectively and with the functional level strategy, the HR practitioners establish a plan of action to improve its d epartments so as to create value. All these increases profits and the survival of the organisation. In addition, monitoring the external macro environment will assist the HR practitioner on how to recruit, retain, and develop the workforce they need. As such, HR practitioners are able to carry out their four main functions which are; the acquisition function, development function, motivation function and maintenance function. As such knowing the PESTLE environment will assist them to understand the policies, salaries, culture, educational levels of the potential employees in the country they operate. Once a sound external analysis is conducted, it can be reviewed and updated as part of the planning cycle to identify any significant changes in the environment. Also, looking at the social trends, HR practitioner monitor the external environment in order to know more about the culture of its employees. Trompenaars and Turner (1997) defines culture as the way in which a group of people live, solves problem and reconcile dilemmas. He also postulated seven dimension of culture that relates to relationships with people and their working environment. Also, Arnold et al cited in Handy (1986) pointing out that A strong culture makes a strong organisation and not all culture suits all purposes or people. As such it is necessary for HR practitioners to study their external environment so as to blend the organisations culture with that of its employees in order to create a good working atmosphere in the organisation. Thus resolving cultural differences will bring in team work and group cohesiveness. Furthermore, according to Devanna et al (1984), scanning the external environment assist HR practitioners to fit their HRM policies, practices and strategies in its competitive environment with the immediate business conditions that it faces as shown on the diagram below. The Matching model. As such, informations from the external environment assist HR practitioners to establish a proper mission and strategy, organisational structure and also enables human resource management policies to be used in their organisations based in different countries. The external environment has a major impact on the companies activities and decisions. More often than not, these forces are beyond the control of an organization and its managers. Though non-controllable, these forces require a response in order to keep positive actions with the targeted markets. Thus HR practitioners scan their external environment so that they can respond profitably to unmet needs and trends in the targeted markets. Linked to the above, accordingly, the factors of the environment will need to be considered as inputs in the planning and forecasting models developed by an organization.  Disturbances in the environment may spell profound threats or new opportunities thus the supervision helps HR practitioners to monitor and adapt to the environment if it is to survive and prosper. They thus identify, evaluate and react to the forces triggered by the external environment so as to make profits and survive in the long run. Furthermore, the knowledge gotten from the scanning of the external environment by HR practitioners assist them in gathering informations based on both government and private laws affecting the industry. Laws like rigid government laws in some countries that might affect their investments where by business may be doomed to be non starters due to business restrictions imposed by the government are determined before establishing a business. Also, cost of recruitment and standards in different from one country to another. More so, the availability of key inputs like trained managers, skilled labour, raw material are all impacted by the external environment. As such, monitoring the external environment enables HR practitioners to gather necessary informations which can affect their businesses. Until about twenty years ago, the world of work was an unfortunate place. Change of all kind was slow and non existence. Products had long life cycle, organisations were characterised by long control/ universally applied rule and technological innovations and inventions were pretty slow. In the last ten years technological advancement and social change has affected the workforce and HR policies. Looking at the way technological advancement has affected the workforce, in the past ten years, technological advancement has made globalisation possible amongst employees. Technological innovations in areas like learning and development, telecommunications, computers, satellite system have made it possible for information and innovation to rapidly cross national boundaries in between employees. More so, with technological advancement and the advent of new machines, there has been division of labour within employees hence creating higher quality products, just in time delivery and greater customization of products. In addition, Robinson (2006) pointed out that, within the past ten years in Britain for example, the amount of people employed in the manufacturing sector reduced by a half. Also there has been a decline in skilled and semi skilled manual jobs due to the rise in the creation of machines. The workforce nowadays is highly segmented and job length vary between the skilled and semi skilled jobs. Technological advancement has also affected HR policies in that Decades ago, HR management was autocratic in nature, employee made no decisions in the organisation. Organisational culture was hostile and employees didnt care about career advancement/ promotion opportunities since they were satisfied with their jobs. But in the past ten years, technological advancement has caused the establishment of new policies in order to work hand in hand with the growth. There has been a radical organisational restructuring programmes evidenced in de-layering, downsizing and decentralized. Also, with the advent of technology, HR practitioners keep restructuring new policies in terms of employing on a permanent basis and also offering career advancements in the form of training, development and promotion to employees as pointed out by Robinson (2006). Social change has affected workforce in that, in the past, men were employed most in organisation due to the increasing use of manual labour and physical power. But within the last ten years, there has been a steady increase in the participation of women in the labour force. Robinson (2006) analysed that there has been a rising level of divorce and single parents has lead to the provision of social welfare, health and educational services by HR practitioners. Social change has also affected HR policies in that, organisation in the past faced difficulties of dealing with cultural differences. Going international was very difficult due to the cultural barriers and differences. Within the past ten years, cultural policies have been instituted in order to deal with cultural conflicts in organisations. Organisations find it very easy to go international due to laid down policies, training and care giving to their expatriate employees. Also, HR policies have been adapted to satisfy consumers as customers have greater choice and power to influence purchase Boxall and Purcell (2003). As such, employees receive training in aspects like offering better customer care and services to consumers. All these has lead to increase profitability and survival of organisations. The external Macro environment also Known as the PESTLE environment consists of trends and forces which might not instantly influence the relations that a company has with its clients, suppliers and mediators, but afterward, macro-environmental changes will modify the nature of these relations. As explained above, it is very necessary for HR practitioners to monitor these macro external factors so as to foresee and manage any future impact it might have on the companies activities. Also, looking at the changes in technology and social change on workforce and HR policies in the past ten years, HR practitioners have adapted themselves to this changes by implementing new policies, strategies, rule and regulations to adapt their businesses to these uncontrollable factors.

Three Fundamental Elements Of An Effective Access Control Solution

What are the three fundamental elements of an effective access control solution for information systems?Identification, Authentication, and Authorization2. What two access controls can be setup for a Windows Server 2003 folders and authentication?Authentication and Access control.3. lf you can browse a file on a Windows network share but are not able to copy it or modify it what type of access controls and permissions are probably configured? What type of Access Control would best describe this access control situation?List Folder Contents – Security Policy based control.4. What is the mechanism on a Windows Server where you can administer granular policies and permissions on a Windows network using role-based access?Group Policy Editor5. What is two-factor authentication and why is it an effective access control technique? Two Factor uses two of the three characteristics in Authentication types (Knowledge, Ownership, Characteristics) 6. Relate how Windows Server 2008 R2 Activ e Directory and the configuration of access controls achieve C-1-A for departmental LANs, departmental folders, and data. creates security principals in the Active Directory domain partition7. Is it a good practice to include the account or user name in the password? Why or why not? It is not a good idea to have a user name in the password, because it easy for people can try to hack or decode the password.8. Can a user who is defined in the Active Directory access a shared drive if that user is not part of the domain?Non domain machines cannot access shared folders.9. Does Windows Server 2003 require a user's login/password credentials prior  to accessing shared drives?Yes – Credentials are required.I 0. When granting access to LAN systems for GUESTS (i.e., auditors, consultants, third-party individuals, etc.), what security controls do you recommend be implemented in order to maximize CI- A of production systems and data?Establish a temporary limited account for access to only what is needed; and have them sign user and non-disclosure agreements.

IT †Foundations of Computing and Communication Essay

There is no doubt that with the increased availability of Communications and Information Technology, students often consider themselves as they know every information that their universities are providing with. Even parents are misguided by their children when they come to know that their children are capable of operating computers and gaining Internet access. However, the situation is just opposite of what is percept by the parents. Students operate computers thereby gaining access to Internet, not to learn new concepts and technological advancements to keep updated, but to be a part of entertainment provided by the Internet such as complex online games, chatting on workgroups, etc. Such widespread availability of Technology does not make any individual, literate enough to consider his class room studies outdated. In this context it would not be wrong to say that technology and communications (Example multimedia software and Internet access) brings a vast array of image-based information into the classroom. Before becoming available via the computer, this kind of information was found in the universities library and, on occasions, through the use of 16mm film, filmstrips and, later, videotape and then cassette. (Abbott, 2000, p. 6) Recent UK government policy on ICT is supported by five research reports from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA). The most recent report was an analysis and investigation of the associations between ‘high level’ and ‘low level’ usage of IT (networked technologies) and the educational attainment of pupils at university stages. This was due to the reason students became over confident however there was a positive and satisfactory probability for acquiring ‘high’ ICT and pupil attainment in most of the associations (various subjects at different key stages) but in most cases this association was not statistically significant (7 out of 12 associations) and those associations that were statistically significant typically observed only very small effects. The most amazing aspect of the report was that the critical analysis negates the methods and data presented in the reports that does not consistently support the conclusions drawn by the government policy documents. Indeed, some of the data can be interpreted as showing that ICT is ineffective for students who misuse them. According to Andrews, â€Å"In addition, the evidence presented in the report was based on observational data and it is not by any means possible to establish and sustain a causal relationship between the level of ICT use and the educational attainment of the pupils because the observed effects could have been due to other known or unknown variables†. (Andrews, 2004, p. 34) The role of the learner should not by any means conflict with that of the teacher, as every teacher has his/her own teaching style. Therefore in situations where students consider IT learning available on every doorstep, it would not be right for a student to consider technological learning useless or underestimate the teacher’s lecture. Every teacher has its own mode and style of teaching IT which universities understand. Even most educational systems do not respond quickly to technological advances. Educational institutions act as a domain where universities are, by their very nature, conservators of prior knowledge, accepted understandings and proven methodologies. According to Mellon (1999) â€Å"Technology cannot guarantee learning as we cannot force students to learn; every student has a unique learning style followed by his teachers and teachers has their own importance in the eyes of the student even more important than the most sophisticated educational tools† (Mellon, 1999, p. 34). Mellon is right to the extent until students are keen to learn technological advancements, but obviously it is not the responsibility of a teacher who spends hours of hard work in preparing computing lectures. This is evident from the case study in which I interviewed Dr. Jack Thomas, a professor of Information systems at Glasgow University. Being a computer lecturer, Mr. Thomas still updates his knowledge every week, and in order to conduct a session he needs to prepare his lectures according to the student’s learning skills. He often conducts hands on experience session in which he wants his students’ to be technically acquainted with the changing IT trends. However in a course study of . NET framework class, in the very beginning of a lecture he found majority of the class was not serious about learning and in the last lecture he acknowledged that the remaining half of the students who actively participated in . NET session were not able to resolve simple . NET programming questions. According to Mcghee (2003) the new system which emerged in 2002 and highlighted various issues regarding information that universities would have or should have anyway and which is in any event assumed to be information normally produced by the HEI for its own internal QA procedures, has failed to identify the major cause of lacking skills among IT students. The QAA and HEFCE distinguish between information which should be available in all universities at a high level to enable academic quality and standards to be monitored, such as summaries of external examiners’ reports. (Mcghee, 2003, p. 44) An understanding of the importance of organisational culture in universities is important in designing quality assurance processes to apply to the use of ICT in teaching and learning, in making sure they are appropriate, and in being confident that they will gain acceptance. Effective management of universities is improved when the values of professional groups with strong shared cultures align with the organisational culture of the University. The design of quality assurance processes in teaching needs concerns about the values and roles of such groups, and to build on them from the top down and the bottom up, to maximise the effectiveness of such quality assurance processes. As far as quality is concerned, every year universities in UK traditionally work through coordination of collective decision-making processes, and this provides an important basis upon which issues relating to quality are played out. (Bhanot & Fallows, 2005, p. 23) It is therefore crucial to ensuring a student-centred approach to teaching and learning that quality assurance guidelines and measurable standards and performance indicators were established top down to adhere to standards, and bottom up to integrate with teachers’ judgements on the appropriateness of the educational applications of the technology. The real power of digital technology can be achieved only when we take advantage of the shift from the one-to-many character of broadcast media, to the many-to-many ability of digital networks. To this end, the most productive early applications of digital technology in higher education involved using computer conferencing, electronic mail, listservs (threaded discussions), and other computer-based collaboration technology to link together both students and faculty in highly interactive learning communities, unconstrained by geographical location or time. Students already make extensive use of digital technology for informal learning, typically without the involvement or even the awareness of the faculty. They build study groups, in some cases spanning several academic institutions, working together to seek information, answer questions, and develop learning skills. In a very real sense, such study groups based on computer networks are providing students with greater control over their educational experiences. They also represent a trend in which students construct their own consortia of learning resources and academic institutions just as the faculty build their own research consortia. Of course, these network-based student groups represent an important step toward active student learning. (In fact, when students are asked how they could best spend time on their college academic programs, they invariably rank student study groups at the very top, far above individual study or class attendance. ) On the other hand, today’s concept of a teacher is not what was in the past that a teacher is one who develops and presents knowledge to passive students. Today, faculty members who have become experts in certain subfields are expected to identify the key knowledge content for a course based in front of their students with an aim to inspire or impress their students. Only in this manner the students’ accept their tutors they should look forward to gain knowledge. Frequently, others, including graduate teaching assistants and professional staff, are assigned the role of working directly with students, helping them to learn, and providing them with guidance and counselling. In a future increasingly dominated by sophisticated educational commodities and hyper learning experiences, the role of the faculty member will shift. In the new paradigms where the demand of IT is increasing in our social and economic gatherings, the role of the faculty member has become that of nurturing and guiding active learning, not identifying and presenting content that is, they will be expected to inspire, motivate, manage, and coach students. (Atkins et al, 2002, p. 65) The widespread use of Information Technology does not mean that in a world driven by knowledge, students’ starts considering IT learning useless, enough or off-again experience. There is a need for people to realise that the only solution is to engage in continuous learning so that they can keep themselves and their skills updated. This need suggests that the relationship between a student, professor and the university may change just as we know that a student if gains technical skills of technology subjects can be ahead of his professor. Computer literacy courses were initially encounter between technical education in learning centres and theoretical education in universities, they emerged as a culture that regards microcomputer technology as a revolutionary social force, and faculty who regard the computer instrumentally as a tool or machine. Computer experts call IT knowledge that enables them to get command over mastery over the computer ‘problem solving’, which includes heuristics (‘powerful ideas’), attitudes about control (‘giving commands’), and social relations (‘consulting’) that transform the relationship between human and machine. (Shields, 1995, p. 24) Progressive reformers could not carry out their mastery program in IT earlier in the 20th century due to the reason that they did not have the means to deliver such individualised instruction. The advent of computer changed the Progressive movement thinking towards importance of students controlling their own learning; it had no way to create an environment that would allow such self-management to occur. (Schank, 1995, p. 67) Computer technology has made today’s students to acquire individualised attention and real possibility and possess the ability to present students with tasks they are interested in doing. The technical skills emerged from the IT has offerred students the possibility of becoming inquisitive, the possibility of exploration, and the possibility of recovery from failure that is free from embarrassment. Computer systems can free education centres and universities to follow the course prescribed by the processes of natural learning. In the same manner as understanding the place of technology and technological innovation requires an understanding of the culture in which the technology is embedded, in order to grasp the technological concepts a student has to understand and grasp the changes to IT. Computers where on one hand offer students to explore technology from the ground root level, on the other hand computers affects the ways students live and work in the context of existing individual and group social patterns. The Littlefield students did not believe that their increased access to computers distinguished them from other freshmen in significant ways, and our observations support this belief. Instead of isolating individuals, as computers are sometimes thought to do, the Littlefield network reinforced community life; the computers and the network presented a set of shared problems, the solutions to which were discovered through a set of shared resources. In this way, students’ interaction with the computers and with each other were typical of their behaviour in other domains. (Shields, 1995, p. 142)

the graduate essays

the graduate essays The film 'The Graduate' was made in 1967 by Embassy Films. Directed by Mike Nichols with the help of cinematographer Robert Surtees, and co-producer (with Nichols) Lawrence Turman, 'The Graduate' was a number one hit of 1968. From the novel by Charles Webb, Calden Willingham and Buck Henry crafted this superb screenplay. The major players include Elizabeth Wilson, Murray Hamilton, William Daniels, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross and Dustin Hoffman.. Benjamin Braddock, raised in a comfortable middle-class home, never having dealt with any major problems in life, graduates from college, and is now left feeling empty and unsatisfied with his accomplishments. His past in uninteresting and his future is uncertain. So, he turns to the first thing offered: an affair with his father's business partner's wife, a woman twice his age, also searching for some relief from her vague, dead-end, wealthy existence. The director has manipulated elements of the frame to suggest confusion and emptiness within the affair. Elements playing significant roles in the mise en scne of this sequence include the placement and staging of the characters in the frame, and the framing techniques. In many places throughout the movie, Benjamin is placed on the far right or the bottom of the frame. He is depicted as insignificant, small, and lost. In other shots, the camera captures him from behind an obstruction, framed, sometimes nearly obscured, by a piece of furniture or another character. In this short display of Benjamin's enjoying his leisure, his face with its blank expression is the dominant image which draws the viewer's eye and fills the screen. Usually when a character is center, it is to draw attention to his impending actions or his power. Staging of the characters and props suggest a lack of human connection and intimacy. The proximity of Ben to other characters is constantly shifting. He floats in the pool, isolated-an island aw...

U.S. Vs. Japan In WWII Essays - Japan, Free Essays, Term Papers

U.S. Vs. Japan In WWII Essays - Japan, Free Essays, Term Papers U.S. vs. Japan in WWII On August 6, 1945 the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Tibbetts, was chosen to make the mission. The mission was recorded as successful by Capt. William S. Parson at 9:20 A.M. This was an extremely controversial military strategy in the United States. Was the United States justified in the dropping of the atomic bomb? Yes, they were justified formany reasons. The primary reason was, that it would stop the war. Why is it that this war needed to be stopped so badly? Even though in some ways it was helping our economy, it was very costly in both money and lives. Also, the United States soldiers were undergoing harsh treatment by the unmerciful Japanese. Another reason the war needed to be stopped was to defend ourselves from another attack on U.S. soil, which in turn would kill many of our U.S. citizens. This is why the war needed to be stopped; thus, justifying the use of the atomic bomb. World War II was the costliest war in history, in terms of lives lost. No exact figures exist, but approximately between 15 and 20 million military personnel were killed. Of these, 292,000 were Americans and 6,000 innocent United States citizens were murdered by our enemies. It has been estimated that if the United States had not dropped the bomb and had invaded Japan instead, the United States would have lost about a million soldiers. The Japanese suicidal fighting strategies greatly effected this number. The Japanese would rather die than surrender. This is demonstrated by the battle of Saipan. At this battle over half of the population of Saipan walked off a cliff instead of surrendering to the United States. This was often very effective. Many times when a Japanese soldier decided to blow himself up instead of surrendering he would kill many Americans with the same blast. Also the kamikaze techniques of the Japanese fighters killed many soldiers. If this war would have continued we could have lost thousands more. Also up to this point we spent 300 billion dollars on war efforts. Many materials and other objects were damaged. Any estimate on how much money was lost in damages would be futile. This number would have continued to rise if it had not been for the use of the atomic bomb. The horrendous atrocities that occurred during World War II were unmerciful as well as unnecessary. During one invasion of China, the rape of Nanking, the Japanese killed 100,000 Chinese civilians. They were burned, butchered, and raped. Sometimes the Japanese would tie a big group of them together and use them for bayonet and sword practice. After the fall of Bataan the soldiers were forced to go on a death march. During this march many unheard of things happened to the soldiers. A soldier was often killed for trying to get a drink of water. If a soldier fell down the Japanese would either bayonet them or knock them unconscious. Once they were knocked unconscious, the Japanese then forced another American soldier to bury the unconscious soldier alive. One soldier once commented, "The worst time was once when a burial victim with about six inches of earth over him suddenly regained consciousness and clawed his way out until he was almost sitting upright. Then I learned to what length a man will go to hang onto his life. The bayonets began to prod me in the side and I was forced to bash the soldier over the head with the shovel and then finish burying him."(Kappler, Pg. 168) This harsh treatment to innocent civilians and our soldiers needed to stop. The atomic bomb was a way to stop it. On December 7, 1941," A day that will live in infamy," Pearl Harbor was deliberately attacked by the Japanese. Reports indicate that 2400 people were killed and 1300 were wounded. The reason Japan bombed Pearl Harbor was because that was where all of our Navy ships were positioned. They were hoping to take out the Navy and were almost successful. The aircraft carriers were expected to be in the harbor, but luckily were not. Although the attack may have been a military success

Problem Set on Price Levels and Open Economy Macro Essay

Problem Set on Price Levels and Open Economy Macro - Essay Example 2. When national income rises due to increased payments, imports are likely to increase in value relative to exports and as a result, the external value of the currency will depreciate thus weakening real and nominal exchange rates in the long run. For example, the 1986 fall in the price of oil led to a depreciation of the sterling pound on the foreign-exchange market. On the other hand, a reduction in national income reduces import in value relative to exports the resultant effect being the appreciation of external value of currency thus strengthening real and nominal exchange rates in the long run. 3. Factors such as indirect taxes, subsidies and transport costs may change prices of goods in a country but not affect the exchange rates. If a country imposes tariff on imports from abroad, the price in the home market would rise but since less foreign currency would be spent on it, the long run exchange rate will tend to improve. The long run nominal exchange rate will also improve. 4. Short-term capital moves from one country to another as changes take place in the rate of interest being offered by each country.

Hardship Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hardship Letter - Essay Example Some may think we are truly naà ¯ve and impractical to believe in these vows, but those vows and our love have kept us truly together. We have cherished each moment we have been together and we would love it to remain as happy as we have been and include other family members. We wish to have children. If we have not had children up till this moment is because of my physical condition, my desire to continue my studies, and adapting to a new lifestyle (marriage). The first years of a marriage are crucial. Ten years from now, we will be in our late 30s. An age most people already have a stable family. We would hope that by that time we have already formed a family of our own, have had a home of our own, and have our children playing in the yard in this great country of The United States of America (USA). We would love to have that wish fulfilled, to live happily and enjoy life to its fullest in this land of opportunities. To achieve these dreams, I am currently working very hard to pay my way through higher education in exchange for a steady future, but without my wife keeping me company, my future has no sense of direction. It is impossible to build a family and dreams when we are to be apart. We have made commitments to remain together, to strive for what we believe in and what we want, and to make accomplishments together. Without my wife, our dreams of having our own children at a young, productive and reproductive stage of our lives would be seemingly impossible and senseless. I have been diagnosed as having a sub-fertile a condition where it is extremely difficult for my wife to conceive naturally unless we seek the help of medical professionals to perform an artificial procedure called IUI, as suggested by our physician. Consequently, the procedure would require both my wife and I to be present. If my wife is not here, the chances of her pregnancy are obscure if not to say impossible. This will mean that unless we are