Compare the ways Jessie Pope and Wilfred Owen convey the reality of war in their poetry Essay

The stories of the two poems are very contrasting, they oppose one another quite obviously. One about the horrors of war, one about how much ‘fun’ it is. Both poems serve a purpose and perform to it very well, using all kinds of techniques to encourage or discourage young men to join the army. The storyline of ‘Who’s for the game’ is telling of how great the war is and how you simply can’t miss out. This is meant to attract young soilders to join the army and fight in the first world war. She makes the war seem like a big fun game by using lines like â€Å"Who’s for the game, the biggest thats played, the red crashing game of a fight?† This entices the young men as they think that the war will be fun and a laugh but also honourable and noble to take part in. It makes it seem like a sort of game and men are persuaded to join in. In contrast ‘Dulce et decorum est’ has a very different theme and story. The poem tells of an experience of a soldier during an attack in World War One. The mood of the poem is sadness. Sadness could be too weak a word to describe the poem but is still the main emotion that comes to heart. The horrors of WW1 and trench warfare are involved in â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est†. The fact that Owen experienced the war himself really makes you think how horribly the war was. The story is also supposed to make everyone realise the loss and pain that the war creates and to discourage men to recrute as it would be a waste of life. It is very effective because if someone read the words â€Å"all went lame, all blind.† they would not want that to happen to them and would probably less inclined to join the war. In Dulce when Owen talks about how if ‘you’ could see what he had seen then you wouldnt tell the old lie: â€Å"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori†(it is sweet and honourable to die for your country) he adresses the reader asâ€Å"My Friend..† he does this to make the reader feel personally responsible for the deaths of so many men. This makes you feel guilty and more sad about the topic of the poem. Although this is very effective for the purpose of the poem, he is actually adressing his old ‘friend’ Jessie Pope who obviously wrote ‘Who’s for the Game’ aiming to attract young men in and of course was very successful. Owen believed that she was solely to blame for the death of the soldiers. He thought that she had no right to tell of this great fun game when she had never experienced the horrible conditions of the war and would never have to, so shouldnt be encouraging people to go when she would never be able to go herself. The language in who’s for the game is very different to in Dulce. Pope writes in a conversational manner which makes the poem more memorable and persuasive. She compares the war to a ‘game’, implying that there is little danger on the battlefield and nearly no chance of dying. She also refers to the war as a sport where a player would return with a minor injury such as a crutch. She persuades the men to join the army by making them feel ashamed and cowardly if they weren’t going to fight for their country. She also has a friendly manner in her poem as she refers to the men as ‘lads’. On the other hand Dulce uses very formal yet morbid language for his poem to create a serious mood. He uses lots of ‘ugly’ language to put the reader off and make them horrified and disgusted but also sad. An example of ugly language is when he is describing the man dying in his dreams: â€Å"he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.† That sequence of those three words; guttering, choking, drowning sounds a lot like coughing something up. It sounds as if Owen is the man choking to death in the gas, practically coughing up his own lungs. Or as if the memory that Owen experiences if hard to say, that he chokes it up because of the sadness of it. This creates very strong imagry for the viewer to think about. It makes the poem seem more alive and realistic and easier to imagine. The rhythm of popes poem is very jaunty and lively, creating the mood of a game. It could convey the soldiers marching, or popes idea of a fun and enjoyable war. She uses this upbeat rhythm to abide with the them of the poem and it works very well. It makes the reading of it sound more happy and alive. Dulce’s rhythm also ties in with its theme. It is quite stodgy and sort of plodding, which mimics the way the soldiers are walking after being on the front line. It means that the poem has more depth than just the words that he is saying. It is also about how you read it and making the rhythm slow moving makes you read it in more of a serious tone. Both poems use lots of different poetic devices to create vivid imagry. Dulce uses a lot more similies compared to Who’s for the Game. It does this because the poem is more specific and supposed to be realistic and truthful. One very effective device is when Owen says â€Å"his hanging face, like a devils sick of sin.† He is describing what the dead soldier looked like after the gas attack. He uses the similie of it being worse than a devils face. The devil is the worst thing a lot of people can think of and especially back then would have been a horrifying thought and for it to be ‘sick’ of sin would be even worse. He is suggesting that his face looked like the worst thing imaginable and no one should ever have to see that. However although Whos for the Game does not use many similies it does use a lot of metaphors to create a lovely image of this great fun war. It means that she is not exactly telling the truth or she is just creating a better version of her perception of the war. All in all I think that both poems stick to their purpose very well and are both effective in persuasion. They both use plenty of poetic devices to serve a purpose and create a certain mood or atmosphere. Although having completely different themes they are very similar in how they convey their personal reality of war. They both have their own opinions on war and are trying to get others see it their way. They use different techniques to effect the reader in a different way. Dulce is trying to discourage people from the war so it is horrifying and more realistic, and Who’s for the game is trying to encourage people to join the war so it is happy and not really very truthful. However I think they both convey the reality of war very well because everyones reality is different. // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=†Ã¢â‚¬ ,o=0;o < e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return "studymoose.com"},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf("http")==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

Middle School vs. High School Essay

One, the closing of one’s grade school years, and the other, a gateway to young adulthood. Middle school and High school, two very important times of a young person’s life, share some similarities and many differences. Middle school, just like its title explains, is the time when students are stuck in the middle of childhood and young adulthood. People start to mature from earlier elementary years, and try to find out who they are. While in the process of trying to fit in, new friend groups are shaped and instead of being one big group of people, circles form and groups are segregated. In addition to more classmates and teachers, responsibilities increase as students take on the load of multiple classes, and now receive grades for their work. Teachers expect them to participate actively in class, and complete their assignments on time. Although it only lasts 3 years, middle school is the critical transitional period when new teachers, new classmates, more classes, and more work are introduced all to prepare you for high school. After 8th grade, people leave the middle school bubble, and advance to the jungle of high school. Not only is the campus physically larger, but class sizes increase, and great expectations come along with it. Although middle school may have seemed like a challenge, high school comes with once again more work and more responsibilities. For students, high school is a sink or swim moment, and some struggle to stay afloat. Some may have trouble focusing in school, but the ideal student is completing their homework on time, studying for their exams, attending practice for their extracurricular activities, and achieving a respectable grade point average, that will all pay off and get them into their dream college. Not only is the work different between the two environments, but so is the amount of freedom students get. In middle school, kids are restrained to a certain curriculum. The schedule they get, is the schedule they get, and nothing is changing. Part of their schedule, lunch, is also a time that is also very different in middle school. All students are required to eat lunch in the same room at the same time, and lunches include a choice between mystery meat, or last week’s hot dogs disguised as soup. Contrary to middle school, in high school, students are granted much more freedom. Students can choose which classes they will take, what teachers they have, what groups or clubs they will participate in, what sports they will play, and much more. Not only can students choose all of their activities, but students also have many options for what they want to eat. High schools often carry popular foods such as subway, burgers, and French fries, and healthy foods such as fruit, and salads. Just in case the school food is not good enough, many high schools often allow upperclassman to leave for lunch to enjoy a meal in their own home, or food from another restaurant. Overall, high school and middle school are both made to prepare students for higher education, but are very different in many aspects. As we all grow older, we can see how we have changed from middle school to high school, and can see the many distinctions between the two.

Enterprise Architecture as Strategy Essay

Technology is shifting at a faster rate resulting in development of new methods that assist in completion of certain technological demand. This has given birth to different enterprise architecture frameworks that fulfill the requirements of day-to-day activities. Architecture is a framework of guidelines, principles, models, standards and strategies that directs, construction and development of business process, design and information and resources through enterprise. Hence, enterprise architecture is a blueprint, which defines the structure and operation of a given organization (Fowler & Rice 2003). Thus, a foundation in which an organization can determine how to achieve current and future aims. There are many types of EA frameworks with specified capabilities. Some of these frameworks include ToGAF, Zachman, FEAF, DoDAF and EAP. The aim of this paper is to analyze ToGAF, and analyze how it compares with other EA frameworks. The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is an enterprise architecture framework, which approaches the development of enterprise information architecture through design, planning, governance and implementation. This EA framework employs four pillars to achieve its goals: Application, Business, Technology and Data. Before the architect plans for current and future aims of the organization, they are provided with foundation architectures that form the basis that they will use for the new development. The four pillars play a crucial role in ensuring that the process is successful. Business architecture allows the definition of governance, business strategy, the organization and any other important processes of the given organization. Applications architecture allows the provision of the blueprint for the specific application to enable the interaction, deployment and create relationships between the important business processes of a given organization. Data architecture describes the structure of the given organization and defines physical and logical data assets that are in the given organization. Technical architecture defines the software, hardware and network infrastructure that is in place and the required technical resources to accomplish the mission in question. The original aim of the TOGAF was to design and develop technology architecture for a given business entity. However, the framework has evolved becoming a methodology that is used to analyze overall business architecture. This resulted into splitting of the enterprise methodology into two parts: Architecture Development Method (ADM) and Enterprise continuum. The ADM ensures that the enterprise architecture meets the requirements of the organization in terms of business needs and information technology needs. Its ability to be tailored ensures that organizational needs are factored in each of the different execution steps of the architecture planning process. The process is usually cyclic and iterative because the entire process is split into phases. The ADM supports nine phases; the first is the preliminary and the second to the ninth ranges from Phase A to Phase H. Each phase requirements are checked and ensured that it fulfills its basic needs. For example, Phase C combines Application and Data architecture and phase B and C ensure that the clarity of the information architecture is achieved (Lankhorst 2005). For the ADM to be successful, Enterprise Continuum comes handy. Generally, the Enterprise Continuum can be seen as a ‘virtual repository’ of all the assets of the architecture that is in an organization. These assets may include architectural patterns, architectural models, architecture descriptions and other important artifacts. Enterprise Continuum brings together Solutions and Architecture Continuum. The Architecture Continuum structures the re-usable architecture assets, which brings together representations, rules, relationships of information systems that are available to the enterprise. The Solutions Continuum defines the blocks that are used by the Architecture Continuum. This then allows the architectural building models and blocks that assists building the architecture design and eliminates ambiguity during analysis and implementation of the process. Usually there is a relationship between the different EA frameworks in terms of how it operates and ways that enables it to accomplish its duties. Zachman Framework and TOGAF ADM part share some common features. ADM mapping in relation to the Zachman Framework supports a correlation. The Zachman Framework has a well established and comprehensive taxonomy that supports various models, viewpoints and other important artifacts, which an enterprise may consider developing as a phase of the EA (White 2007). The Zachman Framework covers the 30 cells, but the TOGAF does not cover all the cells. However, it is possible for the TOGAF to develop viewpoints to accomplish aspects of Zachman Framework. Nevertheless, there are some viewpoints that are supported by TOGAF, which are not included in the Zachman Framework. For example, the missing viewpoints include manageability and security. The purpose of the architecture is to define viewpoints, an aspect that is supported by the TOGAF ADM but lacks in Zachman Framework. Zachman Framework vertical axis provides a source of potential viewpoints while the horizontal may provide generic taxonomy concerns. Thus, the Zachman Framework does not have means for processes for conformant views or developing viewpoints. Hence, it does not employ a perspective that is shown by TOGAF’s ADM. FEAF structure resembles with TOGAF because it is portioned into Data, Business, Technology and Applications Architectures. Thus, it contains guidance that is analogous to TOGAF architecture and its architectural viewpoints and perspectives. However, the rows that are in the FEAF matrix do not directly map to TOGAF structure. However, the mapping of ADM to Zachman Framework has some correlation between TOGAF and FEAF. Hence, the columns that are in the FEAF matrix correspond to the three architecture domains that are supported by TOGAF; the fourth TOGAF domain covers business architecture that lacks in the FEAF structure. Enterprise Architecture Planning (EAP) is a framework that brings together Applications, Information and Technology Architectures in fulfilling the requirements of architecture. Thus, it shares many concepts with TOGAF because the aim of EAP is to form blueprints for architectures to solve business problems. Moreover, EAP supports the nine phases that are supported by the TOGAF (White 2007). The first three phases in the EAP (Business Architecture) maps to the Phase B of TOGAF ADM. Baseline Description, which is the step 4 in EAP maps to Phases C and D of TOGAF ADM. These are some of the basic features that both frameworks share. However, EAP does not support taxonomy of various views and viewpoints when compared to the TOGAF architecture. Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) defines the architecture systems into consistent and complementary views. It defines a structure and mechanisms that help in understanding, visualizing and assimilating the complexities and broad scope of a given architecture design through tabular, graphic and textual means. Thus, it shares minimal aspect with TOGAF. In fact, TOGAF focus on the methodology of architecture in terms of â€Å"how to† without bringing into consideration architecture description constructs. This perspective is different when it comes to the DODAF architecture. DoDAF main functionality focus on the architecture through a given set of views without any specified methodology, a perspective that is different from TOGAF, which has a specific methodology (Bernus & Fox 2005). ADM guides the way that TOGAF operates, an aspect that is less exhibited in the DoDAF. This is because the purpose of architecture determines description of use and supports a well tailored process to fulfill the requirements of the EA (McGovern & Ambler 2003). DODAF requires that all information, analysis and products to build should be put forefront before building the architecture. However, TOGAF specify certain requirements that should be in place and grouped into the four pillars. DoDAF supports three â€Å"views† System, Operational and Technical while the TOGAF support four views. However, â€Å"views† in DoDAF differs from the view that is seen in the TOGAF. Deliverables and artifacts that are defined in the DoDAF have no corresponding parts in the TOGAF ADM. This is because DoDAF goes deeper in determining details of the specific architecture. Thus, DoDAF are at the system design level rather than in TOGAF, which is in the architecture level. Nevertheless, the level of detail can be included in the ADM especially at Phase B, C and D of the TOGAF. Enterprise Architecture plays an important role in ensuring that the business strategy and the requirements of a certain process are achieved. TOGAF approach is useful in achieving a business-oriented process through a well defined methodology. TOGAF have common features and minor differences with other EA such as the Zachman, FEAF, DoDAF and EAP. The view and viewpoint that is incorporated by the TOGAF ensures that the requirements of the organization are achieved. Thus, TOGAF plays an important role, which is envisaged by other Enterprise Architecture Framework. It fulfills the requirements that it is assigned, however, fulfills it different from the other EA frameworks. References Bernus, P. & Fox, M. (2005). Knowledge Sharing in the Integrated Enterprise: Interoperability Strategies for the Enterprise Architect. London: Birkhauser. The book addresses Enterprise Architectures and Enterprise Integration in a way that makes it easy to utilize Enterprise Models and other Modeling Tools. It brings together the different models and forms of a framework into fulfilling a requirement. Thus, it develops interchange models between the given modeling tools, maintain its interdependencies and knowledge on the re-use of enterprise models. The authors also provide means towards the achievement of the ISO9001:2000. The book brings into consideration Design of Information Infrastructure Systems for Manufacturing (DIISM’04) and International Conference on Enterprise Integration and Modeling Technology (ICEIMT’04). Fowler, M. & Rice, D. (2003). Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishers. The book provides proven solutions to the problems that are experienced by information system developers. The book utilizes code example in terms of C+ and Java. The book turns the problems that are associated with enterprise applications developers into a new strategy that eliminates these problems and ensures that the developers are in an environment that they can easily embrace. The authors’ helps professionals to understand complex issues associated with architecture. The book shows that architecture is crucial in completion of application development and multi-user environment. In addition, the book provides patterns and context in EA that enables the reader to have proper means to make the right decisions. Lankhorst, M. (2005). Enterprise Architecture at Work: Modeling, Communication, and Analysis. New York: Springer. The authors bring clearly the complexities that are associated with architectural domains. It brings into consideration description of the enterprise architecture and fulfillment into an organization in terms of processes, structure, systems, applications and techniques. The book brings into consideration description of components and unambiguous specification to allow for a logical modeling language. They utilize their skills in ensuring that the architects have concrete skills that fulfill the architectural practice. It also gives means that allows communication between stakeholders that are involved in these architectures. The authors also provide means to assess both qualitative impact and quantitative aspects of the given architectures. Modeling language that is utilized has been used in real-life cases. McGovern, J. & Ambler, S. (2003). A practical Guide to Enterprise Architecture. New York: Prentice Hall PTR. The authors of the book have hands-on experience in solving real-world problems for major corporations. The book contains guidelines that assist the architects to make sense of the systems, data, services, software, methodologies, and product lines. The book also provides explanation of the theory and its application to the real world business needs. Perks, C. & Beveridge, T. (2003). Guide to Enterprise IT Architecture. New York: Springer Publishers. The book brings into consideration different Enterprise Architecture frameworks. The authors’ clearly explains development of a modeling concept through various technical architecture, e-business and gap analysis. Moreover, the book brings into consideration operating systems and software engineering principles. Moreover, the book relates EA with service instances, distributed computing, application software and enterprise application integration. Ross, J. & Weill, P. (2006). Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution. Chicago: Harvard Business Press. The aim of EA is to define the requirements of an organization in terms of job roles, standardized tasks, infrastructure, system and data. Moreover, the book also gives guidelines in the way that organizations will compete in a digitalized world providing managers with means to make decisions and realize visions that they had planned. Thus, the book explains EA vital role in fulfilling the execution of a given business strategy. The book provides thoughtful case examples, clear frameworks, and a proven and effective way of achieving EA. Scheer, A. & Kruppke, H. (2006). Agility by ARIS Business Process Management. New York: Springer Publishers. The authors’ brings into consideration the benefits that are associated with utilizing of varies EA frameworks. It brings into consideration the various differences that are seen in each EA framework. Moreover, the authors explores the benefits that will result if a given framework is utilized in a given business strategy. Thus, the book is business oriented with EA playing an important role. Schekkerman, J. (2003). How to Survive in the Jungle of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks, 2nd Ed. New York: Trafford Publishers. This book defines the role that is played by enterprise Architecture Frameworks bringing clearly the main difference between the common Enterprise Architecture Frameworks. This book provides the right procedures and means that can allow selection of the right Enterprise Architecture Framework. The book further gives the history and overview of various Enterprise Architecture Frameworks and the capabilities that the specified Enterprise Architecture. Some common features of EA that the book explores are principles, purpose, scope, structure, and compliance and guidance to ensure that the right EA is chosen. Wagter, R. & Steenbergen, M. (2005). Dynamic Enterprise Architecture: How to Make it work. New York: John Wiley and Sons Publications. The authors of the book present a way towards EA that enables organizations to achieve the objectives of their business. The book focuses on governance of the IT organization, advice and strategies provide tangible tools that assist in the achievement of the goals of the organization. If all the directives are followed the organization will achieve its goals at a faster speed. White, J. (2007). Managing Information in the Public Sector. New York: M. E. Sharpe. The book covers the basis of information technology, political and managerial issues that revolve the EA. This book is specifically written for the public and it covers all problems that are related to IT and the public.

Happiness and Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Happiness and Religion - Essay Example This study discusses that the happiness of individuals can range from their religious background, activities, culture and aspects of life.   Religious groups have a belief that their happiness comes from the relationship between them and their God. The theory of happiness attempts to explain the ultimate reason for humankind existence is happiness. â€Å"happiness is this feeling of existence".This quote reveals how happiness is a major determinant of the future of human kind.From this paper it is clear that human kind happiness is affected by many other factors that revolve around him. Psychological happiness can be determined by three components. Happiness can be due to genetic factors, circumstances, and activities. A large percentage of the human beings happiness is due to genetic factors where some of the individuals are joyful than others. Some individuals are born as good comedians, which reveal their state of mind as positive or jovial. Demographic factors like age, gender , culture and geographic factors affect the happiness of individuals. Happiness can be affected by age where you find children are happy than their parents. Responsibilities as parents affect the happiness comparing to children who do not even realize the meaning of responsibilities. The activities that individuals involve themselves in also determine of their state of their minds. According to psychologists, individual careers can affect their happiness since some of the careers tend to be stressful.... Islam’s belief that as believers who love their God Allah and have faith in Him should be contented with his verdict (Gulla, 84). All Gods commandments according to Muslims focus on bringing happiness to believers. The Muslims belief that there is nothing too big or small that is not clearly covered in the Islam teachings. Islamic religion is said to be the complete way of life. The Quran teaches individuals to be optimists in life, always be at peace, rejoice and be joyful in all aspects of life (Chittister, 24). Religions have specific holy days, which are the most important days in their religious life. Christians have Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter Monday as their hold days. These specific days are happy moments for all Christians worldwide. Muslims also have their Eid ul fitr as their holy day. The religious groups use these special days to make peace with God and seek for spiritual guidance. They believe that making peace with God is a path to inner happiness, which in turn lead to success. According to the holy books teachings marriage is considered as holy union. The holy books are used to educate couples on their biblical roles of husband and wife. The Bible teaches us on the secrets of happy marriage. In addition, Christian’s couples who follow the holy book teachings and guidance are assured that they in the path of success. In real life, the non-religious are not welcome in religious countries and are believed to be perpetrators of evil deeds. On the other hand, in the non-religious countries all individuals regardless of their religious background they are welcome. Religious individuals are believed to have a happy life than the non-believers since they have no

The Plutonium Experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Plutonium Experiment - Essay Example The metal in contention is a silvery-white, artificially created, radioactive element and has a melting point of 641 C, so much higher than water and it undergoes five changes between room temperature and melting point and has 6 different physical forms. It's produced when bombarded by neutrons and is a source of energy in reactors and in nuclear explosions. The hapless victims of these experiments are injected with plutonium remaining nameless people referred to only by code numbers until Welsome's efforts uncovered the incident and brought it to the world's attention. One can't help but wonder "who these people were, what happened to them after they left the hospital with the silvery, radioactive metal circulating in their veins - if they ever left at all." This poisoning procedure however left a few loopholes that triggered further investigation into the experiment and cover-ups and denials from the government became a constant in Welsome's research. In choosing the above quote, i t shows how it taps into our humanity and asks the basic question of how far could one go to pursue a question unanswered. The human side appeals to all as all humans have the instinct to survive, prolong and preserve human life.

Analysis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis - Essay Example The beauty industry as the larger whole includes many other components such as fashion, weight reduction, cosmetics, etc. In the same way, beauty which is a culturally constructed ideal, is a part of the wider concept of femininity. The understanding of femininity is similarly culturally oriented, and it relates to the practices, identities, and representations of what is means to be a ‘woman’ in any society or culture. 1. In this research, it has been the aim of the authors to investigate the work that is done in beauty salons. The salon has been selected as the best place in which the attainment of femininity, its definition and successful achievement are key factors. In the beauty salon, the secret routines of femininity are commodified and exemplified. These feminised spaces have been overlooked in the development of social theorising. The authors try to cover this deficiency in social research. 2. The authors try to investigate the commodified nature of bodily maintenance. Their wide-ranging aims include: the extension of the leisure industry into this bodily arena; the relationships and micro-activities of the everyday world of the salon; the professional claims, rhetoric, and investment of the trade’s emotional labour on the part of the beauty therapist. 3. The main objective of this article is to investigate the relationship between feminism, beauty and femininity. Examination of claims to professional status within the beauty industry, investigating beauty therapy as work, rather than as a cultural institution. The beauty industry slowly revealed itself as a multi-faceted phenomenon, which could be investigated in several ways. 1. Femininity is an ambiguous concept. Class, age and ethnicity alter the way femininity is defined and experienced. There is no single way in which femininity can be taken into consideration. There do exist generalized beliefs about the culturally acceptable forms

Marketing Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Objectives - Essay Example The new product is code named as M2030. Marketing Objectives The target market of the company is all the households and offices of that are looking for lighter and efficient products. The product is aimed for UK market. M2030 will be a good choice for families considering the product’s ease and efficiency. â€Å"UK Households spent an average of ?474 per week in 2010.† (Office of National Statistics, 2011) As per the statistics department, fuel and power form one of the major components of the expense items. It is also seen that consumers have spent more disposable income for consumer durables in 2010. This trend is expected to continue in 2011. The product will be more focused on London, Northern Ireland, South East, East and South West. (Office of National Statistics, 2011) The marketing objectives of the product M2030 are as follows: 1. To become the best in class product in the product category 2. To make the product available in all the leading electronics stores 3 . To offer the product to the customers at a highly competitive price 4. To create an impact in the minds of the customers regarding the benefits of the product. This report will further look into the detailed aspects of marketing of M2030 in UK. A detailed analysis of the competition and environment is also included in the report. Competitive Situation Analysis G’s products can be classified based on the three way consumer classification system of convenience, shopping and specialty goods. The products of G Electronics are kettles, toasters, juicers, mixers, ovens, dish washers, and micro waves. All these products can be classified as Shopping Goods. (Kurtz, 2011) The following five force model analysis will analyze the competitive situation of Company G. Supplier Power: The Company maintains excellent relationships with the existing suppliers. But for producing M2030, the company requires new materials which are different from those supplied by the existing suppliers. The s upplier power is comparatively less for G as the numbers of suppliers are high. Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes is comparatively higher for Company G. Products that are not as efficient as M2030 are available at a lesser price in the market. But then this happens only if the customers prefer cost benefit over efficiency. Switching cost is comparatively low for this product category. Buyer Power: Buyer power is very high in this case. The customers are flooded with numerous products by various brands. All products differs each other in terms of the design, price, efficiency, etc. Buyer concentration is high for microwave oven market. Also, the chances for customers to have inclination towards a particular brand are very high. Threat of new Entrants: Threat of new entrants is low in this industry though there are big companies who still foray into unrelated businesses. Brand identity and research costs are two main factors that hinder companies from entering this indu stry. There is definitely a threat from big companies who has the capital and knowhow to enter the segment. Degree of Rivalry: Some of the strongest players in the industry are Philips, IFB, Panasonic, Samsung, Siemens, LG, Sharp, Whirlpool, Daewoo, etc. There are just the leading brands. Apart from this there are other brands that has significant cumulative market share. Therefore, the degree of rivalry is high in this industry. (Mindtools, 2011) SWOT Analysis

Topic Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Topic Selection - Essay Example visit to the branch and for this I need to create a list of employees that are working there and who would be in a position to give me information regarding the issues that they are facing. I can access the names of the people that I want to interview and I have to remember to tell them to keep the interview and the material that would be discussed in the interview confidential. As part of my interview process, I have to ensure that the company is meeting all its contractual obligations and that it is fulfilling the regulatory and compliance policies in this regard. This would include the questions about why the company is not paying employees for overtime and who is overseeing the employees at the branch office. These are the basic questions that I intend to seek answers for. Further, the question that why not all employees are complaining needs to be answered as well. As a HR manager, I have to find out if there are other reasons for employees quitting and since the process of attrition comes under the HR manager’s competency as well, I need to find out and take appropriate steps to stop the flow of employees leaving the organization. After I have framed the questions, I have to prepare a questionnaire of sorts and then take it to the employees of the branch office and get their answers to the same. Finally, as part of the researching assignment, I have to design surveys to be used by the employees. Now comes the part where I have to organize the material and this would require merging the answers from the employees by collating all the responses and then consolidating the information that is given in the surveys. I have to list down the problems that are being faced by the employees and then find the solutions for each. It would help if I can list down the problems in a bullet point format and create a matrix where the solutions are listed against the problems that have been described so far. After the surveys and the collection of data, I need to find

Strategic entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic entrepreneurship - Essay Example This form of entrepreneurship encompasses advantage seeking and opportunity seeking behaviour which benefits an organization for long run. Collaborative innovation is a foundation for strategic entrepreneurship. In today’s competitive world it becomes important for firms to seek continuous innovation and generate new ideas. Sustainability in intense competitive industry makes it necessary for firms to give more importance to teamwork and promote collaborative innovation approach. However strategic management comprises of certain issues which are faced by managers in due course of adopting such concept. Corporate entrepreneurship and strategic entrepreneurship can be defined as an approach that helps to create wealth and value in organization. A typical example of such entrepreneurship can be observed in research and development department of an organization that creates value and supports functional department of a firm and even provides value to the end users. The major intention of such form of entrepreneurship is to create competitive advantages and then exploit them so as to stay competitive in the market place. Strategic entrepreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship as described by Hitt, Ireland, Sirmon, and Trahms (2011) enables a firm to utilize its capabilities and knowledge in the present environmental condition as well as exploring future opportunities through enhancing capabilities as well as application of new knowledge. Novelty and flexibility are considered to be the two most important elements that describe such form of entrepreneurship. This approach even states that there needs to be a balance between exploiting and exploring by a firm. It is partially dependent on the type of competitive environment of an organization. The input-output-process model of SE describes the resources required for strategic entrepreneurship along with its probable outcomes. As per

HR and CSR connection PP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HR and CSR connection PP - Research Paper Example h will be of interest to other citizens within the nation since it will enable them to properly understand what their government is doing with the funds it gets from their natural resources. The research greatly motivates me since it will help in highlighting the connection that exists between the human resource departments and the company’s corporate social responsibilities. It will also help me in judging whether the management principles that are being applied in the field are still the same ones being applied in the field along with their relevancy. The theories along with constructs that will be applicable in my research will include various content and process theories (Jackson, 2011). This will be beneficial in helping me in determining what motivates the workers within the institution. The project will be completed in a period of seven months since the costs have already been availed for performing the activity. Ample time has also been put aside to enable me to focus adequately on the research hence the time limit of seven months will be adequate for completing the research (Schwab, 2004). The project proposal aims at investigating the following hypothesis or answers the following research question(s). The accessibility to data has already been acquired with the subjects to be interviewed or questioned having already given their consent to participation. The monetary resources required to complete the project successfully are available and are adequate. The technology required has been availed hence it will be useful in ensuring that the project is completed within the budget along with time limits set for it (Schwab, 2004). However, some advanced technologies such as software programs for simulation purposes will be purchased from local or international vendors. This is because the company has no team in the project that is tasked with the responsibility of developing software programs. On the other hand, the operations of the existing software within

Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example for Free

Fahrenheit 451 Essay In life some people change, and others do not. In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag is a courageous, strong firefighter who constantly changes throughout the book. Reason how Montag is a dynamic character is when he kills Faber, when he starts to read Mildred’s friends the poem, and when he starts to take the books. Guy Montag is a dynamic character when he starts to take books. â€Å"His hand has done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief. Now it plunged the book back under his arm, pressed it tight to sweating armpit, rushed out empty, with a magician’s flourish!† (41.) In the story, it is illegal to have books, because people who read will fill superior to others. At this point in the story, the firefighters are burning a house that has books in them. Montag becomes curious and takes a book. In the beginning, Guy Montag did not like books and enjoyed burning them. He is changed because he wants to read and know more about books. He became a more dynamic character by taking the book. Taking books is not the only other reason how Montag is different. In the book Montag recited a poem called Dover Beach to Mildred’s friends. â€Å"’ The Sea of Faith Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Retreating, to the breath Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear And naked shingles of the world.’† (102.) At this point in the story Mildred, her friends, and Montag are in Mildred’s house. Montag is repeating Shakespeare. It is a poem about war. In the beginning of the book Montag did not want people to know he was reading books but now he does not care because he is reciting it to people. He changed from being secretive about reading to having others know even though it could get him in trouble. Lastly, Montag changed by becoming a killer. â€Å"Montag, you idiot, Montag, you damn fool; why did you really do it.† In the story right now, Montag just killed Beatty. Earlier in the story, Montag admired Beatty. He liked burning books at the end, now; he killed Beatty because he made him burn his books. He changed here from being a good firefighter to going against Beatty and the laws. Montag is a dynamic character. Montag changed, because he started to take books, he started to recite books, and he killed Beatty. If it were not for these changes, though, Montag would not be a leader. Changes in life can lead to new and better things in life.

Lucy V. Zehmer Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia Essay Example for Free

Lucy V. Zehmer Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia Essay FACTS:W.O. Lucy, the plaintiff, filed suit against A.H. and Ida Zehmer, the defendants, to compel the Zehmers to transfer title of their property known as Ferguson Farm to the Lucys for 50,000$ as the Zehmers ad allegedly agreed to do. The families had known each other for many years and the Lucys had tried to buy the facility countless times, but to no appeal. After a night of drinking and badgering, W.O. Lucy was able to entice Zehmer into writing up an agreement that stated Zehmer would sell Ferguson Farm to Lucy for 50,000$. Later, Lucy sued Zehmer to compel him to go through with the sale. Zehmers argument centered on him being drunk and that the agreement was in jest hence the agreement was unenforceable. The trial court agreed with Zehmer, Lucy appealed. ISSUE:If a contract is signed by both the defendant and plaintiff parties, would the contract be considered unenforceable if one of the parties considers the writings in jest? DECISION:No. The Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia reversed the rulings of the lower court saying that the writing was an enforceable contract. REASON:The court acknowledged that the writing was a contract. The fact that it was under consideration for forty or more minutes before it was signed. The fact that Lucy objected to the first write up because it was written in the singular; the discussion as to what was to be included in the sale, the provision for the examination of the title, the completeness of the instrument that was executed. The taking possession of it by Lucy without request or suggestion by either defendant that he give it back, are facts that show that the execution of the contract was a serious business transaction rather than a casual one. BASIC TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION v. AMAZON Appeals Court of Massachusetts, 71 Mass.App.Ct. 29,878 N.E.2d (2008). FACTS:Basis Technology Corporation, the plaintiff, filed suit against Amazon.com, Inc. The plaintiff company was responsible for creating software and provided technical service for Amazons Japanese-Language Website. Their agreement allowed for separately negotiated contracts so that the plaintiff company could provide additional services for Amazon. In 1999, the two entities entered into stock purchase agreements. Amazon later objected to securities that Basis sold. Basis sued for various claims including the securities and for failing to pay for additional services Basis provided that weren’t in the original agreement. During trial, it seemed as if the parties had settled based off a series of e-mails but Amazon reneged and the trial judge ruled against Amazon, which then appealed. ISSUE:Can a settlement be reached, and then be broken by only one party even if the two parties were bounded by such a settlement? DECISION:Yes. The Appeals Court of Massachusetts affirmed the trial courts finding that Amazon intended to be bound by the terms of the March e-mail. It constituted a complete and unambiguous statement of the parties’ desire to be bound by the settlement terms.

Unilever Pakistan: Motivation From HRM

Unilever Pakistan: Motivation From HRM Introduction: There is no doubt that organizations in the modern world have placed great importance in the development of the human resource management. This is because organizations seek to select, hire, retain and staff the best talent to the workforce. Rewards strategies are one of the main functions of human resource management. Indeed, these functions are set to increase the motivation of their workforce and avoid any dissatisfaction that may occur to the employees. Different theories of motivation were thought of to explain and analyze the behavior of employees. In addition, many reward strategies were practiced in order to increase the motivation of employees and allure them. The main aim of this paper is the chance to explore how multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan increases the motivation of their employees and deal with any dissatisfaction through the use of reward systems as Unilever Pakistan facing HR problem of lack of proper reward system for the motivation of employee s and supervisors. Since the constraints of the situation are demanding that the research is conducted through the HR managers of Unilever Pakistan to be included in the research it has been decided that Maslow Hierarchy of Needs is the most appropriate vehicle for testing the impact of rewards. In Unilever Pakistan HR managers are responsible for assessing levels of motivation in the workforce and this will normally be a subjective assessment of levels by groups and not by individuals we feel that this reinforces the choice of Maslows theory for the purpose of the research. Background of Unilever Pakistan: Unilever Pakistan Limited is a multinational organization. Unilever PLC London is its parent group. Unilever is a European based company with command center in London, and their shares are quoted at the stock substitute of several European countries. They deal in all kinds of harvest from animal foodstuff to foods and detergents plus other personal and consumer products. The organizational structure of Unilever Pakistan consists that Unilever has its subsidiaries in over 80 countries of the world, to which it spreads its vast understanding and resources.Unilever has 500 working companies in 80 countries. It has 0.3 million employees and proceeds of sales in 23000 million pounds. Unilever has around 2000 employees in Pakistan. Interventions: The interventions relevant to the situation of reward system in Unilever are as follows: LINK BETWEEN MOTIVATION AND REWARD: To assess the link between motivation and reward of multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan. The results indicate that there is an enormous link between motivation and reward. At Unilever Pakistan the best way to ensure continuous growth in peoples performance is to constituent a Reward system and the reward system must emphasis on positive reinforcement as it is the most successful mean to motivate preferred behavior. By positive reinforcement at Unilever Pakistan people put in more effort in work so that they may achieve a reward of their hard work and reward system ensure that their hard work doesnt go uncompensated. So it clearly indicates that at Unilever Pakistan there is an enormous link between motivation and reward. A well planned and efficient reward system when managed effectively would result into smooth organizations change process hence positive reinforcement of the desired behavior would enhance the performance which proves our research objective of extensiv e link between motivation and reward. Whenever the word Motivation is used, the first theory that hits the thought is the Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs. He investigated the human behaviors and pointed out five basic needs of human psychology and existence in a hierarchy. These basic needs (physiological, safety, social, self esteem and self actualization or self fulfillment) can be considered basic goals for any human. These basic needs or goals have been prioritized into ranking and elaborate the pattern in which humans go for these in their lives (Goble, 2004). Mans foremost struggle arises for its existence and as per Maslow, physiological (hunger, sleep, sex etc.) and safety or protection needs reflect the same efforts. As first need is satisfied the demand for the next one arises and gradually the aim is shifted through these needs one by one and finally reaches self actualization. Although, virtually all of these five needs exist in every one, but the realization of the need only comes when the human fulfils the general criteria to get qualified for that specific need. In-fact, the real variable that builds the ground for the qualification is the satisfaction of previous needs. According to the study, Job satisfaction of Employees Horticulture Case studies in Michigan, it has been proved that the supervisors and non supervisory employees differ regarding their satisfaction with job components. Supervisors see job security, attainment, interpersonal relations and supervision as the most satisfying factors at workplace. They perceive the job itself and the company as ambiguous factors while the compensation and working conditions as the hygiene factors. Supervisors are apt to be less displeased with their rewards (Sara , Barry Kathleen, 2004). One of the most rejoiced solution of this HR problem is that rewards by the employees at Unilever Pakistan can be awarding them with paid leave by their supervisors as the acknowledgement of their commendable performance. Along with that Supervisors must be rewarded with salary increment within the approved salary range of their positions. Organization at Unilever Pakistan must facilitate their supervisor to have an authority to reward their employees with annual merit increment due to their praiseworthy work which has brought about considerable benefit to the organization or department. Key words: Positive reinforcement, behavior, reward, motivation REWARDS STRATEGIES TO INCREASE MOTIVATION: To assess the extent to which organizations attempt to use their reward strategies to increase motivation of their supervisors at multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan. Unilever Pakistan implementing performance management process must also not lose track of variables which are critical for its success and evaluate them at pre defines regular intervals. Feedbacks must be depicted in charts in timely manner; performers must be valued through some token of appreciation. Performers reviews must be use as an opportunity to reflect how winning can be possible in achieving goals and which practices must be adopted and these reviews must be as frequent as possible so that the learning is fortified. Always set many closely achievable milestones instead of quarterly achievable milestones and whenever those milestones are attained celebrate them. There must be some other source of feedback other than annual performance appraisals. Keep in mind while designing your organizations pr ogram to be as original and unique as possible and avoid the design to just comprise of forms. (Reference: Pinder. C.:(1984) Work and motivation; University of brutish Columbia;, Foresman and company. ) Three assumptions formulate Adams equity theory. First, beliefs that are developed by people hold that the fair they receive is equitable to the contributions they made for their work. Secondly, the theory suggests that employee compare their input and output with and the benefit they received with other employees input and output. Finally, if an inequality is existed then this will lead to the dissatisfaction of the employees (Pinder 1984). Therefore, this theory gives HR manager some guidelines in to design a reward system that can be perceived as equable by employees and avoid any dissatisfaction (Richard, 2008). Hertzberg provided five motivators in the workplace: recognition, achievement, advancement, responsibility and the work itself. He differentiated motivators and hygiene factors by suggesting that motivators aim achieving job satisfaction in the long run but hygiene factors are focused on short term satisfaction of the employees (GÃ ³mez Crowther, 2007). HR managers use different strategies to reward different class of employees depending upon their job nature, competencies, skills, knowledge, performance and their contribution in the productivity of the organization. In terms of best practice, different policies of HR are only suitable in different circumstances (thrope and Homan 2000). Following are some general practices in this regard: These rewards may be monetary as well as nonmonetary (Nelson, 2005). Longevity pay plans Pay for performance strategies Pay work skills and knowledge Team based pay packages to promote team efforts Individual pay plans Compensation plans for Executives Incentives Profit sharing in terms of merit based bonuses or by giving ownership share through stocks Offering perks and fringe benefits Providing healthy job environment, flexible working hours, interpersonal and recreational activities etc. Rewards are given to emphasize or reinforce the certain attributes like performance and loyalty etc. depending upon the strategic goals of the organizations. The nature of attributes and rewards varies from organization to organization. Key words: Motivation, reward, physiology RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POSSIBLE CHANGES: REWARDING AND MOTIVATION: To make recommendations for possible changes to practice at multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan. Certain sets of criteria are designed keeping in mind all the salient aspects which are needed to be catered in designing and evaluating programs. Specific: Ambiguity emerges when there are unclear instructions about the rewards and their required actions and this creates a negative sense for the organization in the heart and mind of the people. Keeping it simple, clear and specific helps remove ambiguity and hence strengthening the overall program. Meaningful: Rewarded achievements should carry a significant return over investment for both the performer and the organization. The rewards must be specified for an achievement which has any significant impact on organizational progress as well as performers personal or professional life. Achievable: If goals are unrealistically high to achieve then those propagates negative reinforcement within the employees so while setting the goal for any individual or group of employees it should be kept in mind that those goal must fall within the boundary of achievable. Reliable: The program designed must follow its rules and procedures accordingly. Any Exceptions must be dealt with certain pre-defined steps which are specified in the programs design. Timely: Time factor is very keen in positive reinforcement. The Reward system heavily relies on rewarding the performers at the right time for their hard work so that they can feel esteemed. Certain intervals must be specified onto which the performers would be rewarded. At Unilever Pakistan supervisors appraisal are top of the list when it comes to positively reinforce and motivate the employees. Supervisors at Unilever Pakistan must acknowledge employees contribution both verbally and in written either personally or with an electronic aid although the personal interaction is much more effective and employees feel valued and recognized for their effort and contribution. Another solution is that supervisors at Unilever Pakistan must be provided with opportunity to increase their professional expertise and skills by letting them participate in educational programs and workshops. It is very important for professional growth and development opportunities at Unilever Pakistan. As employees at Unilever Pakistan would develop new skills, organization can have additional benefit from it. (Reference: Bruce, Anne Pepitone, James S.(1998) Motivating employees., McGraw-Hill Professional,.) Bruce and Pepitone (1998) provide that motivation is the inner drive that compels a person to behave in a particular pattern. People have different needs which they require to satisfy through different means. People are motivated when their needs are satisfied. When people are in need they seek opportunities which can satisfy them. The urge to get satisfaction drives a person to achieve something. Therefore, the existence of needs motivates individuals to work hard to achieve goals and objectives. Various theories of motivation explain the influence of rewards on the behavior of individuals and teams (Armstrong 2002). Motivation determines the performance of activities within the organization. The behavior of individuals is shaped by the motivators since people seek factors which improve their work conditions. Satisfaction of one need leads to the demand for another need according to Abraham Maslow (McClelland, 1987). There are both intrinsic and extrinsic factors which motivate an i ndividual to behave in a particular manner. Intrinsic factors emanate from within the person and give a person the will to achieve more. Extrinsic factors originate from the environment in which a person lives (Goble, 2004). Bruce and Pepitone (1998) were of the opinion that there are two categories of motivational factors: Intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors refer to the inner feeling that a person has about the place of work. Extrinsic factors are the external factors which motivate an employee. Extrinsic factors include rewards, promotion, recognition and others. Employees work harder when their welfare is put into consideration by their managers. According to Bogardus (2009) employees are not only motivated by the wages they receive from the organizations but also motivated by many other factors within the environment of the organization. Therefore, in an organization the employees have different personalities, attitudes, responsibilities and views. Employees require different motivation strategies to ensure they improve their performance and work for a long duration of time (GÃ ³mez Crowther, 2007). Finally, reward systems are developed to cater the requirements of any organization in a specific manner because it is considered that they directly affect the efficiency of employees by motivating or de-motivating them (Sara, Barry Kathleen, 2004). Further to the discussion, the later part of the review will cover the various theories of motivation. Key words: Motivation, reward, performance Conclusion: I analyzed that to achieve Unilever Pakistan goals and to bring out the required results from the employees it is highly necessary that they are kept highly motivated and should be provided with such an environment in which their motivation is not only keep intact but also flourish. To attain this environment and to stimulate their motivation I figured out that positive reinforcement through rewards and performance appraisal system can prove very much beneficial. While above we discuss what kind of rewards could be employed and what criteria should performance appraisal system must abide to enhance motivational environment of the organization, here are list of few steps that a manager can take himself apart from all the organizational process and procedure to keep a clear check, balance and knowledge about the motivating factors of his employees. Dont just stick to theory. Implement it practically because just reading the articles or research wont help until it is put in practice. Analyze your own set of factors that keeps you motivated in the organizations. This would help you understand other employees factors as well. Identify the factors and then take input from the employees. It can also be done through a survey forms. Work with each employee to include their motivational factors into the reward system. Improve your interpersonal relationship with each employee and try to nurture the skill to delegate in every employee. Rewards must not be lingered for long. They must be awarded as soon as the desired behavior or the reward criteria is achieved by the employees. Late rewards have negative impact on motivation of the employees.

Child Abuse Must End :: A Child Called It

Do you know anyone who has been abused by someone they love or even you who has been abused? If you have or know someone who has its not okay. It happens every single day to millions of children everywhere. Child abuse is something not to be taken easily. It has seen to become a major social problem and causes of children’s unhappiness and health. Not all child abuse is reported but should be. It’s not just young aged children it is also teenagers who get abused. So take a moment and think do you know anyone who has gotten abused or is being abused? Child abuse is a serious topic in today’s society. It goes way back into time. As time goes on more & more people are aware of what the dangers of child abuse can cause. If it wasn’t a important issue to be talked about and be taken care of child abuse would continue. If no one took the time to help these children what would happen to them. They would end up suffering for the rest of their lives or even end up dead. Child abuse can not go on unseen. Its happening around us all the time. What is more important then helping someone who is getting abused? Who is taking care of child abuse? Who is taking the children out of homes to protect them? Who is giving them a second chance at life? It’s definitely not the people who are abusing them. It’s people who love them and care for them. The state government is the there to help through the whole process. When child abuse is reported to child protective services it is now in the hands of them. Children protective services (cps) determine if it meets criteria for investigation. The CPS and police can work together on the case but also work separately. CPS conducts the family assessments and the police will conduct criminal investigations. After the investigations have been conducted and abuse has been found a police officer will put the child into protective custody. Protective custody is when custody is handed over a family member or the child is put into foster care. But by law a child is not allowed more then 72 hours of protective custody.

Essay example --

Dalam kehidupan manusia dan dalam dunia matematik, kemahiran membuat anggaran adalah satu kemahiran yang amat penting. Seringkali kita perlu membuat anggaran tentang nilai-nilai di dalam kehidupan seharian kita. Ini termasuklah anggaran tentang duit, masa, jarak, berat dan sebagainya. Pembundaran adalah sejenis anggaran. Berdasarkan kepada kepentingan pembundaran dalam kehidupan seharian, maka amat wajar dan perlu strategi-strategi pembundaran nombor diajar di sekolah rendah lagi. Menbundarkan nombor adalah satu cara untuk mengganggar satu nombor bulat kepada digit tempat terdekat. Selain itu, pembundaran juga berperanan sebagai semakan kepada kemunasabahan kiraan yang tepat seperti ketika kita membuat sesuatu kiraan, kita perlu membuat anggarannya dahulu. Ia juga dapat membantu dalam kehidupan seharian kerana kebanyakan nombor-nombor yang ada di dalam bacaan adalah tidak tepat. Ia juga membantu untuk mengingat angka yang panjang dan besar. Pembundaran ini juga membantu murid berfi kir dan celik akal dan menghubungkan pengetahuan sedia ada. Secara tidak langsung, murid dapat mengembangkan bahasa, mudah berkomunikasi dengan rakan sebaya, guru, dan masyarakat. Murid juga akan termotivasi untuk berfikir bagi menyelesaikan masalah. Ia juga dapat membantu menganalisa situasi terutama sekiranya terdapat tawaran diskaun harga barangan di pasaraya-pasaraya. Murid akan belajar membuat keputusan dengan cepat, menggalakkan murid mengembangkan pemikiran berasas nombor dan memberi makna kepada pengiraan yang dibuat sekaligus membantu murid lebih konsisten dengan berdikari dalam menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. Secara tidak langsung, ia meningkatkan lagi perkembangan kognitif dalam perkembangan individu supaya lebih cepat menyelesaikan ... ...ecara mental.Murid-murid juga akan tahu bagaimana membundarkan kepada nilai anggaran berdasarkan nilai tempat dan pengetahuan berguna ini boleh mereka gunakan di dalam kehidupan seharian mereka sebenarnya. Pada pendapat saya, dalam pendidikan matematik, guru perlu arif dalam strategi pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang dapat memupuk murid membina konsep dan menguasai kemahiran di samping menghayatinya dalam kehidupan seharian. Guru matematik perlu memaparkan sifat-sifat yang matang, berfikiran terbuka, kreatif, inovatif, konstruktif, rasional dan bijaksana (Nik Azis, 1996). Pengajaran matematik yang berkesan akan menghasilkan pembelajaran matematik yang mudah dan menyeronokkan. Oleh yang demikian, pengetahuan tentang isi kandungan, kaedah mengajar (pedagogi), dan gaya pembelajaran murid (psikologi) mestilah dikuasai sepenuhnya oleh para pendidik matematik.

The Crimes of Crime and Punishment :: Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment

The Crimes of Crime and Punishment Our topic for this paper is Crime and Punishmet, by Fyodor Dostoevsky   . There are several different issues on this subject.   We chose three main points to talk about: The Crimes, the People who solved them, and the different types of punishments.   These are the topics we chose for our report.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Crime in the nineteeth century was rapid though out London.   But because of all of the poverty and sickness in the streets, crime was the only way to survive.   Most of the crimes that took place in London were crimes that involved stealing.   Pickpocket gangs and street gamblers were a regular sight when walking down a major London street.   Prostitution was also a big money maker on the streets, done by both girls and boys.   But crimes though out the middle class and rich were mostly property crimes and disputes which made up 90% of all crimes committed by the upper-class.   In Victorian England and like   today there a two categories which crimes fall under.   "Indictable" which is the same as our felony crimes that make up all of the major crimes.   These crimes consist of: Murder,   armed robbery, burglary, larceny, rape, and assaults on the police.   The next called category is called " Summery " crimes which is equal to our misdemeanor crimes. Summery crimes were all minor crimes such as: Property crimes, Vagrancy, Drunkenness, Prostitution, Minor Larceny , and all other minor offenses.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Probably the most famous criminal in the Victorian period was " Jack the Ripper ". Jack the Ripper was " the first modern sexual serial killer" ( Sugden, pg.2) Jack's trademark was the killing of female prostitutes.   But not only did he kill them, he would surgically remove organs and intrails and place them near the dead body. "Jack the Ripper" wasn't his only nickname, he was also called " the Whitechaple murder " because   the body's were found near the Whitechapel Road, and " The Leather Apron" because of a man that would come by and beat up the prostitutes for no reason.   Jack the Ripper is credited for 9 killings, but police think that he might be responsible for more.   All of the killing accrued with in one square mile.   Jack is described as carrying a long knife in which he would cut open his victims, and a black Gladstone bag, the contents of   which is unknown.

Animal Farm: Comparison of the Animal Characters with Their Human Counterparts

Animal Farm: Comparison of Animal Characters with Human characters Animal Farm by George Orwell is a political story concerning the concept of Leninist Marxism, written from an animal’s perspective. It is a story of dreams; dreams of freedom and equality that are dashed into pieces by greed and avarice for power and comfort. Basically, Orwell has incorporated his own political views in this book regarding Marxism and simultaneously he has spotlighted the major flaws in Marxist philosophy which he illustrates throughout the story. I first want to emphasize that the events in Animal Farm are comparable to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The book illustrates the ideals of the revolution and how the masses were maltreated by corrupt leaders and the false promises of a Utopian socialistic society. This goal of equality was what the animals sought, and despite their sacrifices and hard work, their leaders betrayed them. Animal Farm is essentially a harsh criticism of totalitarianism. Orwell is portraying the noble goals of Marxism which were corrupted by a dictator’s avarice for power. As he notes in his study, â€Å"The book is not only a parody of Stalin’s Russia but also intends to show that Russia was not a true democratic Socialist country. †(1) Despite the apparent criticism, Orwell shares the viewpoints of Marxism as far as worldwide revolution was concerned. However, in the book, a utopian future seemed highly unlikely from the start. The idea of Animalism was a theory created by Old Major in his dream. Old Major was a highly respected and venerable boar. He managed to assemble the farm animals where he told all of them his dream of a revolution. As Major said, â€Å"our lives are miserable, laborious and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies and for those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant our usefulness has come to an end, we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. †(pg 7) This is particularly typical of what the Russian people faced during the Czarist days of Russia. The Bourgeoisie, or the rich, had full control over the Proletariats, who were the poor workers. The workers were treated poorly and they lived in utter poverty and misery. They were exploited and mistreated by the rich and lived a harsh life where even basic sustenance was impossible to find. It was through their labor that the Czar and the rich existed. Karl Marx noticed this problem and he wrote The Communist Manifesto, where he suggested that the workers of the world should unite and overthrow the tyrannical capitalist countries. Marx wanted the proletariat class to start a revolution and change the social structure and distribute the wealth among the masses. Old Major represented Karl Marx. They both were visionaries who called upon the tormented masses to rise up against their bourgeoisie masters, in Animal Farm’s case, Man. Yet, unfortunately both Marx and Major would never see their revolution commence. Old Major dies in three days after speaking to the animals and Marx died before the Russian Revolution began. There were only two capable leaders left on the farm who could start the revolution. Snowball was a young, intelligent and a vivacious pig with a brilliant talent for speaking. Whenever he spoke, he placed an incredible amount of emotion into his voice that pulled the animals toward him. Snowball’s objective was to carry out the last wishes of Old Major and to make life better for the animals. Snowball could be compared to Leon Trotsky who was a devout follower of Marxism and he wanted to improve the lives of the Russian people. Both Snowball and Trotsky were thrown out of power by their supposed comrades. Napoleon, a Berkshire boar, did not possess the skill and acumen of Snowball. However, Napoleon made up for this weak point by being ruthless, cruel, devious, and corrupt. His ambition was to have full control and power over Animal farm. If anyone stopped him, he would destroy the opponent. Napoleon used his dogs to intimidate the other animals and to kill any animal that opposed him. He also used Squealer, a garrulous pig who could convince any animal with doubts about the greatness of Napoleon and that it was Napoleon who thought up the revolution. Basically, Squealor was a propaganda spokesman. Old Major, before his death, had spoken out a list of seven commandments that all animals had to follow. The commandments were concerned with animal-human relations. Squealor changed and manipulated the seven commandments to suit Napoleon and the pigs. You may have noticed by now that the character names all have a symbolic meaning to them. The name Napolean refers to the legendary emperor of France. He was ruthless and he killed anyone who opposed him. Squealor, by his contemptuous actions, implied that he was a spy and he informed Napoleon about any activity against him. Napoleon could be compared to Josef Stalin, the madman of Russia. He was not as educated or convincing as Trotsky. Yet Stalin was a brutal man who craved power. He killed millions of people and used the KGB (indoctrinated dogs) to punish dissenters. Napoleon also used Moses, the tame raven, to control the animals. Moses represented the Church where he constantly babbled about Sugar Land Mountain. This heavenly abode is where all animals go when they died and they forever lived in peace and tranquility with good food and lots of rest. The animals believed in Moses because their lives were already full of misery. Surely there had to be a better place where the animals could go and be content. Moses was a tool for Napoleon. He said all this jargon in order to make the tired animals work hard and not complain and Moses was paid with bread soaked in beer. On the topic of religion, Marx considered it the, â€Å"Opiate of the people. † (2) Orwell however said that people will always turn to religion for answers and places where they could go for an easier existence. In addition, Orwell refused to approve of a society where leaders like Napoleon or Stalin distorted the true meaning of Socialism and instilled fear and tyranny over their own people. As Orwell said, â€Å"To accept Orthodoxy, is always to inherit unresolved contradictions. †(3) This makes sense because the animals had jumped out of the frying pan (Mr. Jones’ reign) and into the fire (Napoleon’s dictatorship). Either way you see the result, it is the same. The animals continued to suffer. What did Animalism accomplish? What were the goals, what were the dreams and what were the results? The basic idea was to share power and to stop the tyrant Mr. Jones (who represented the Czar). The goals of the newly established government was to declare all animals equal, that they would get more food, more sleep, respect, rules to protect animals from oppression, and technology-in the form of windmill to make life better for all. The animals owned the farm. Everything was to be equally shared. Humans were the enemy and no animals should deal with Man and no one could act like Man. As Major said, â€Å".. in fighting Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. †(pg 12) The seven commandments were made for the protection of the animals and their rights. Leaders and workers will work together and education is available to all. These were the hopes and dreams of all animals so that they may be free from the bonds of slavery and live in happiness and equality. However, when Napoleon claimed power, the entire basis of the revolution crumbled into dust. The goals of the government were stripped to suit the Pigs. As the rule said, â€Å"some animals are more equal than others. † Rather than motivating animals to work, they are forced to work otherwise they would not receive their ration of food. The Seven commandments were changed to Pig Laws. Pigs became more powerful and thus they controlled every aspect of the farm. What I note, and Orwell also notes, is that how could the proletariats trust the self-proclaimed leaders and their intentions? As Orwell wrote, â€Å"The main weakness of Marxism is the failure of human motives†(4) and â€Å"It is impossible to have an intuitive understanding of men’s motives and therefore impossible to predict their actions. †(5) It’s difficult to fathom why the animals didn’t recognize the pig’s treachery and why they didn’t rebel. Maybe the fierce dogs were too intimidating or maybe the animals were just content with their nationalistic pride of their farm. An example of their pride can be seen when the animals march past their flag and the disinterred skull of Old Major. They have a feeling of joy and contentment because their farm is run by the animals and not humans. However as Orwell writes, â€Å"the proletariat is too easily swayed by its leaders as well as its guiding ideologies. †(6) For example in Animal Farm, the animals fail to realize that all their rights and the seven commandments are being stripped and changed before their very eyes. The knowledge that all the animals are illiterate is very useful to Napoleon and he freely changes all the laws according to his tastes without worry. Yet the animals should have said something when the â€Å"Beasts of England,† the revolutionary song taught by Old Major, is changed to â€Å"Animal Farm. † Take Boxer the horse for example. He was a devout follower of Napoleon and he gave his life for his brethren. He sacrificed himself day and night in the construction of the windmill so that the dreams of heat and electricity would come true and that all the animals could reap the benefits. Boxer always said, â€Å"Napoleon is always right. † It is all Boxer can do whenever he had doubts. Had Boxer materialized his doubts into action, Napoleon would never have succeeded in gaining total power. That’s why I believe Boxer is attacked by the three dogs after he develops doubts about Snowball being a traitor. Luckily he is strong enough to stop the dogs. Boxer represented a communist or Animalist supporter. He was a dedicated and hard worker but the crafty Squealer and Napoleon used him where Boxer was eventually betrayed by the leaders he so willingly followed and helped. Orwell understood the significance of Marxism and shared many of its beliefs but Animalism was not an extreme political goal. The basic concept was equality, sharing, and working together for the betterment of all. Yet the system was so badly twisted by the leaders that the animals were in limbo. The animals became oppressed slaves to the pigs who became no different than the human masters. They were even crueler to the animals than Jones and the Revolution became a cruel joke. What changes had occurred? Absolutely nothing except that instead of humans ruling over animals, animals came to rule over animals. The final line in the book summarizes it all, â€Å"The creatures outside looked from pig to man and man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. †(pg 155)

Nike vs Adidas Essay

My area of study for this project would be more on comparing the performances for Nike and Adidas for the past 5 years. In this project I would explain the performance such as growth in profits, revenues, market share, the company employers and employees, size of the market share, steps for increasing the social performance, products performance, dividends per share, assets and the company investment. Nike and Adidas and have been the top two leading sport companies in the sport industry over the past few decades. These two companies sell and offer wide range of products for the customers and their products offered is mainly on sports wear for men and women and caters to consumers from different age groups. Their products consist on clothing such as jerseys, shirts, t-shirts, shorts and pants. These companies also provide the customers varieties of footwear such as sports shoes, casual shoes, boots, sandals and stockings. Besides that, fashion accessories are also offered from these three companies such as bags, watch, bracelets, wallets and purse. And lastly they also offer a wide range of sport gears for their customers. Nike and Adidas have also been the top sponsors in the sport industry. Sponsoring their products is important for the companies to get brand recognition, building their brand image and to promote their latest products. Nike and Adidas have been sponsoring equipments, clothing and accessories for athletes and coaches in sport tournaments and events. For instance, these three companies sponsor their products for football, soccer, basketball, baseball and many more. These companies also include slogan and motto for their company. Nike’s motto is â€Å"Just Do It’ which is the signature of the brand which makes their products and the company recognizable to consumers. As for Adidas, their current motto is â€Å"Impossible is Nothing† which serves as an encouragement to athletes for their sports. Origins and History of Nike and Adidas Nike, originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by University of Oregeon track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger, making most sales at track meets out of Knight’s automobile. The company’s profits grew quickly, and in 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened its first retail store, located on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. By 1971, the relationship between Blue Ribbon Sports and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. BRS prepared to launch its own line of footwear, which would bear the newly designed Swoosh by Carolyn Davidson. The Swoosh was first used by Nike in June 1971, and was registered with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, 1974. Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf â€Å"Adi† Dassler, following the split of Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother, Rudolf. Rudolf would later establish Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas’s current official logo. The â€Å"Three Stripes† were bought from the Finnish sport company Karhu Sports in the 1950s. Objective The objective of the project is to measure and compare the marketing strategies of the top two sport fashion companies which are Nike and Adidas. So this project would be mainly conducted to resolute the similarities and differences of the two sport companies marketing strategies. Besides that, this project will compare on the performance of Nike and Adidas which include the company’s growth in revenues, profits or net income, dividends per share, size of company in the market, performances of employees, steps for increasing the social responsibility performance, products performance, stock performance and the company performances in investment. Problem Statement Firstly, the sport industry is becoming ever more competitive, with new brands competing for a share of consumers for the products in the market. Building a relationship with customers is a challenge facing for Nike and Adidas. This is because the companies need to be followed up with new trends and styles in the industry for their customers in order for them to build their products brand and image. Secondly, there was a case happened in China where a local Chinese domestic sports goods manufacturer company called Li Ning opened 6917 stores in mainland China by December 31,2008 aking it 1241 more than the year of 2007. During the year 2008, Li Ning has published its financial report which states that due to the Beijing Olympic Games, the company made total revenues of CNY 669(million) a year on-year-increase of 53. 8% compared to the year 2007. Not only that, Li Ning made an overall entry into the market of Southeast Asia. Now they have stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Southeast Asia countries. This became a problem for Nike and Adidas where the two international giants see recession in their performance in China. According to the financial report of Adidas, the company’s net profit decreased by 95% to â‚ ¬ 130 million in the first half of the year. As for the sales revenue, it decreased by 2% to â‚ ¬ 5. 03 billion. As for Nike numbers of distributors were reduced in the year 2008 due with the bad performance. Thirdly, the problem that attracted me to do this project is because I would like to know why Nike had low growth in revenue in the year of 2009. Nike had only increased 3% of its revenue to $ 19176. (million), with net income falling 21% to $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, they also had the same problem. But the problem for Adidas was worst compared to Nike because at the year of 2009, the company net income is â‚ ¬ 10381(million) which decreased compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 10799(million). These two companies had their difficulties is the year of 2009. So I would eager to find out about the problems they faced during that year. Significance of Study The importance of doing this project would be very important to other parties and companies. In this case, small and medium enterprise (SME) would get the advantages and benefits because they would know how the bigger companies such as Nike and Adidas operates their businesses, how they sell their products and services to their customers, what kind of marketing strategies they use, how the companies measure their performances and the most important reason is how Nike and Adidas continues to become a big market player in the sports industry. As part of that, this project will comprise mainly of small to medium-sized companies to engage in a diversity of activities which includes manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, and construction of venues. For example, small and medium enterprise (SME) in Malaysia can take the opportunity to get involved with sport products, services, sponsorships, hosting up international sport tournaments and events. And not to forget, the involvement of (SME) would also helps our country in the tourism sector because many athletes and participants will get to travel and visit our country and this will relatively build the countries economic performances. Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) also play a role for every sport companies in responsibility to act in a way that positively contributes to their stakeholders and the communities in which they exist. In this case, it is increasingly important for the social and economic issues such as rapid technological change, a diverse and aging population, environmental changes and mounting concerns regarding the country’s growing social divide have resulted in focusing on the responsibility of firms to the communities in which they operate. (Margolis & Walsh 2003; Sagawa & Segal 2000) Justification The reason I chose this topic is because the project is interesting as sports is an important part of today’s society and plays a large role in many people’s lives. From a social standpoint, sport plays a positive role in uniting people from different social backgrounds. This can aid people’s understanding and tolerance of each other. As far as education is concerned, sport is an important part of every child’s schooling, as it plays a big role in both their physical and mental development. It teaches children how to work as a part of a team and cooperate with others, while at the same time improving physical condition. The second reason I chose sports industry because this industry is growing rapidly in Malaysia. There are continuous demands from customers, sports athletes, and models for these sport products. The Malaysian sport industry is considered as a young industry comprising of small and medium-sized businesses. The Malaysian sports industry comprises of companies engaging in a diversity of activities, from the manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, to the construction of sport facilities. The third why I chose these two companies is because Nike and Adidas has been the biggest market share player in the sports industry. Nike controls 31% of athletic sportswear which is the highest market share compared to other sport companies in the year 2007. As for Adidas, they control the second highest share of athletic sportswear which is 16% of the market in 2007. As for other companies Puma controls 7%, Reebok 6%, New Balance 6%, and Converse 4%. Expected Outcomes The expected outcome which I can conclude is Nike would have the better performance for this year 2010 because their net income/profit for the past few years have been stable. Ever since the year of 2006, Nike’s net income/profit stands at $ 1392. (million). As for the year 2007, it increased to $ 1491. 5(million). At the year 2008, Nike’s net income/profit increased with huge and outstanding amount of $ 1883. 4(million). But by the year of 2009, their company had a decreased in their net income/profit which is $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, the company would not have a better performance compared to Nike because in the year 2009, their net income was only â‚ ¬ 245(million). Their net income decreased with a huge margin compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 642(million). So the key impact from the financial statement of year 2009. The net income of Adidas reduced more than 60% in 2009. But Nike was capable of stabilizing the results with a minor reduction of only 20% in 2009. As for the performance of dividend development, Nike has shown increases in its number. For the year 2006, Nike’s dividends declared per common share stands at $ 0. 59. Their company dividend increased to $ 0. 98 in the year 2009. But as for Adidas, they showed a decline from the year 2006 to 2009. In the year 2006, Adidas dividends declared per common share stands at â‚ ¬ 0. 42. While in the year 2009, Adidas dividends declared per common share felt to â‚ ¬ 0. 5. As for the expected outcome for the year 2010, Nike would be expected to increase their dividends successfully because their dividend declared per common share has been rising steadily. As for the company’s asset assessment, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance in the year 2010 because their total assets have been increasing from the year 2006-2009. The total of assets that Nike had in the year 2006 was $ 9,869(million), in the year of 2007, Nike’s assets increased to $ 10,688. 3(million). Last year, Nike had a total of assets of $ 13,250(million). This shows that Nike’s assets have been increasing and it is expected to rise in the year 2010. As for Adidas, their company’s total asset is not stable from the year shown in 2006-2009. In 2006, Adidas totals assets stands at â‚ ¬ 8379(million). It decreased on the following year to 8325(million). As for the year 2008, their total assets were increased to â‚ ¬ 9533(million). As for 2009, their total assets decreased to a total of â‚ ¬ 8875(million). Ever since Adidas total of assets is not stable, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance. References http://condor.depaul.edu/~aalmaney/StrategicAnalysisofNike.htm http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693768.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reebok

Factors Contributing to Disproportionate Minority Representation in Special Education

The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education has been a constant and consistent concern for nearly four decades (Klingner et al. , 2005). Currently, there are disproportionate numbers of minority students who are referred, assessed, identified, classified, and placed in programs for students with disabilities. The issue of disproportionate representation for minority students has been and continues to be an incessant dilemma that has detrimental effects on the educational opportunities and outcomes for this specific group of students.Concerns about disproportionate representation are focused on the â€Å"judgmental† categories of special education (learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, and mental retardation), those disabilities usually identified after the child starts school and by school personnel rather than a medical professional. Children identified with these disabilities usually do not exhibit any obvious discernible features, y et they are still considered to have internal deficits that affect their learning and/ or behavior (Klingner, et al. , 2005).One of the earlier discussions on disproportionality (Heller, Holtzman, & Messick, 1982) noted that it cannot be assumed that ethnic disproportionality in special education is a problem, since it could be that certain groups of students require special education services in greater amounts than those from other ethnic categories. The panel declared that â€Å"the adequacy and appropriateness† of all phases of the special education process as well as the outcome had to be determined before recognizing disproportionality as a problem.The existence of bias or inappropriate practice at any phase of the process was the feature that would determine that disproportionality was indeed problematic. In its 26th Annual Report to Congress, the U. S. Department of Education (2005) presented the percentage of students ages 6 through 21 who were served under IDEA by d isability and race/ethnicity. Specific learning disability was the largest disability category for all racial/ethnic groups.Hispanic/Latino children represented the largest racial/ethnic group (58. 3%) diagnosed with a specific learning disability. American Indian/Alaskan Native students were the next highest group (55. 3%) identified with a specific learning disability. The highest percentage of minority students served under IDEA for mental retardation was African American/Black (16. 8%). Mental retardation can be defined as sub-average intellectual functioning that concurrently exists with deficits in adaptive behavior.Similarly, African American/Black students also represented the highest percentage of children served under the category of emotionally disturbed students (11. 3%) (U. S. Department of Education, 2005). It is critical to note that the existence of this problem has been repeatedly documented by the U. S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), in th at it has confirmed the overrepresentation of minority students in special education programs with data for the past thirty years.In addition, the issue of determining whether students of different racial or ethnic groups are disproportionately identified for special education has been a longstanding public and professional concern; however, the causes of disproportionality and factors contributing to this problem are not clearly understood (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Thus, this paper aims to examine factors contributing to disproportionality of minority in special education. Firstly, the paper examines historical background of disproportionality problem. Finally, some conclusive remarks are presented.History of the Disproportionality Problem The problem of overrepresentation of minority students in special education is not a new phenomenon and has been a serious concern for the last 40 years. Dunn (1968) cited statistics from the U. S. Office of Education and concluded â€Å"about 60 % to 80% of students in mild mental retardation classes were from low status backgrounds, including African Americans, American Indians, Mexicans, and Puerto Rican Americans; those from nonstandard English speaking, disorganized and inadequate homes; and children from nonmiddle class environments† (p.6). Mercer (1973) documented disproportionate representation of minority students in special education classes in Riverside, California. She concluded that the percentage of African Americans placed in special classes for students diagnosed with mental retardation was three times their percentage in the population. In a similar manner, the percentage of Mexican American students placed in classes for mentally retarded children was four times their percentage in the population (Mercer, 1973). The overrepresentation problem has also been documented over time through court cases.Two notable cases, Diana v. State Board of Education (1970) and Larry P. v. Riles (1971) dealt with issues related to assessment bias, disproportionate placement, and the long-term consequences of special education placement (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Larry P. v. Riles (1979) was a class action suit on behalf of African American/Black students in the San Francisco Public School System who were placed in mildly mentally retarded education programs. At that time African American/Black students represented 28.5% of the district's student enrollment, but 67% of the students in mildly mentally retarded programs were African American/Black. The plaintiffs argued that intelligence tests were culturally biased. The court ruled that intelligence tests were culturally biased against African American/Black students and that reliance on biased instruments was related to the overrepresentation problem. Overrepresentation of certain ethnic minority groups, such as African Americans/Blacks or Hispanics/Latinos, in certain special education environments is a serious problem for a number of reasons.Heller , Holtzman, and Messick (1982) stated that disproportionality is a problem if children are invalidly placed in programs for mentally retarded children, if they are unduly exposed to the likelihood of such placement by virtue of having received poor regular education, or if the quality and academic relevance of the special instruction blocks students' educational progress, including decreasing the likelihood of their return to the regular education classroom. In their review of the literature, Hosp and Reschly (2003) discussed three main reasons why disproportionate representation in special education is problematic.Such reasons include negative effects of labeling, segregation of placement, and presumed ineffectiveness of special education (Hosp & Reschly, 2003). For example, labeling a child handicapped has been found to reduce teachers' expectancy for the child to succeed (Dunn, 1968). Furthermore, removing a child from regular education to special education may contribute signifi cantly to feelings of inferiority and problems with acceptance by peers (Dunn, 1968). Factors Contributing to Disproportionate RepresentationSeveral variables related to the disproportionate representation of some students in special education have been documented in the literature. Specifically, research has examined possible reasons that might explain the overrepresentation of minorities in special education including bias in the referral process, bias in assessment tools, English Language Proficiency of a child, poverty, gender, race, and poor academic achievement (Hosp & Reschly, 2004). Referral process One factor that may contribute to disproportionality involves the referral process for special education.Referral for assessment has been cited as an important predictor of subsequent special education placement (Ysseldyke, Vanderwood, & Shriner, 1997). Ysseldyke et al. (1997) found that 90% to 92% of referred students are tested and 70% to 74% of tested students were then declar ed eligible for special education placement. Thus, if a child is referred to a multidisciplinary team for special education eligibility consideration, there is a high probability that the student will be identified with a disability and be placed in a special education program.One possible explanation for overidentification of students for special education may be due to the information processing strategies of multidisciplinary team decision makers, which can cause the presence of a confirmatory bias (O'Reilly et al. , 1989). Confirmatory bias can occur when the multidisciplinary team decision makers have a tendency to gather information that confirms a hypothesis that is being tested and ignores contradictory information. This can result in special education decisions that are not based on objective evidence and lead to inappropriate placements.Thus, if teachers are biased in their referral decisions, psychologists may confirm already flawed judgments (Podwell & Soodak, 1993). In terms of demographics, research has shown that teachers over refer African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaskan Native males to programs for students with learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral problems, speech and language disorders, and mild cognitive disorders in comparison to female and White middle class students (Grossman, 1995).The majority of teachers nationwide are White; therefore cultural misunderstanding of expectations may affect referral rates of non-White students (Hosp & Reschly, 2003). For example, differences between students and teachers in learning style, verbal style, social style, and cultural information has been suggested to account for some proportion of minority students poor school performance which may lead to referral and subsequent placement in special education (Harry, 1994). Assessment procedures Overrepresentation could also be a result of bias in the assessment procedures used to identify students for special education.Assessm ent procedures that are not suited to the diverse characteristics of the students evaluated may result in misleading and biased information about their academic abilities (Grossman, 1995). For example, unfamiliarity with the assessment process may invalidate results. Grossman (1995) cited research that African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino children may be more anxious during assessments to the point that the anxiety interferes with performance because they are not familiar with the assessment process.Today, more minority children continue to be placed into special education on the basis of intelligence tests, even though it has been suggested that intelligence instruments as a basis for placement are imperfect and unfair (Agbenyega & Jiggetts, 1999). The validity and reliability of intelligence tests has been discussed when such measures are used with minority students (Reschly & Grimes, 2002). Intelligence tests are valid only if they measure a student's ability to learn and t o predict how the student will function in specific learning situations (Grossman, 1995).Furthermore, since the reliability of many assessments is established by studying their use with White students, they may be unreliable when used with non-White students (Grossman, 1995). It has been asserted that intelligence tests reflect the cultural knowledge base and cognitive and linguistic orientations of their creators (Harry, Klinger, Sturges, & Moore, 2002). Intelligence tests have been criticized as being culturally, socially, and racially biased because they reflect White, middle class values and experiences and therefore, are not applicable to minority children (Agbenyega & Jiggetts, 1999).It has been suggested that traditional measures of intelligence are not biased if certain standards are met. For example, standards should require a rigorous implementation of procedural safeguards in the referral, classification, and placement process; implementation of multifactored assessments designed to identify specific educational needs by a group of professionals; and programming and placement decisions made by a team that included professionals and parents (Reschly & Grimes, 2002).Nevertheless, there are concerns about using intelligence measures like the Wechsler scales in making identification decisions. Such concerns include that different environments provide different preparation for the test, the narrow item content of the test, and negative outcomes associated with the use of intelligence tests (Reschly & Grimes, 2002). Therefore, the use of more culturally fair measures of cognitive processing, such as the CAS, may be an important step in addressing the disproportionality problem in special education.English Language Proficiency Since most standardized tests are administered in English and normed on proficient English speakers, a linguistic bias may also invalidate the results of an evaluation if the assessment is conducted in a language that the student is not proficient in. For example, English Language Learners have been found to perform lower than proficient English speakers on standardized assessments in reading, science, and mathematics (Abedi, 2002).However, the performance gap between English Language Learners and proficient English speakers was greatest in content areas that required a higher language demand (i. e. , reading) and less or almost non-existent in content areas that required less language demand (i. e. , mathematic computation). The linguistic complexity of the actual test items, unrelated to the content being assessed, may be a reason for poorer performance for English Language Learners on standardized tests.Thus, these tests may function more as an English proficiency test than a test of ability or achievement (Abedi, 2002). This problem can impact special education identification and placement because there are very few school psychologists who are bilingual and are able to provide linguistically appropriate as sessment services in the school (Grossman, 1995). The consideration of English Language Proficiency is important since it is estimated that more than 3. 5 million children in U. S. schools have Limited English Proficiency (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). However, there has been limited research on the representation of English Language Learners in special education programs since state departments of education often do not gather data about language proficiency of students in special education. Artiles et al. (2005) assessed the magnitude of disproportionate representation of English Language Learners in 11 urban California school districts. Placement patterns at the elementary level indicated an absence of overrepresentation in special education.However, overrepresentation of English Language Learners was detected at the end of elementary school (4th grade) and continued through the high school years. Children who demonstrated limited proficiency in their native language as well as in E nglish had the highest rate of identification in high incidence special education categories (i. e. , learning disability). Impact of gender Other variables have also been examined to evaluate their influence on the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education.For example, recent research has looked at gender as a predictor of special education placement (Coutinho & Oswald, 2005; Coutinho et al. , 2002). In general, gender disproportionality has been found to exist in special education with male students more likely to be overrepresented in special education. Boys are about twice as likely as girls to be identified with a learning disability and almost three and half times more likely to be identified with a serious emotional disturbance (Coutinho & Oswald, 2005). Coutinho et al.(2002) investigated the extent of disproportionality among students with a learning disability and described the relationship between ethnicity, gender, and socio-demographic var iables (i. e. , poverty indicators, Limited English Proficiency status, parent education, etc. ). The findings showed an association between ethnicity, gender and the odds of being identified as a student with a learning disability. White, African American/Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Hispanic/Latino males were all at least twice as likely as White females to receive special education.African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino females were essentially as likely as White females to receive special education. American Indian/Alaskan Native females were more likely than White females to receive special education. Asian males and females were both less likely than White females to receive special education services (Coutinho et al. , 2002). In addition to student characteristics, results indicated that socio-demographic characteristics were important in determining the likelihood of being identified as learning disabled.However, the impact of the socio-demographic characte ristics was found to be different for each gender-ethnicity group. For example, increased poverty was associated with increased identification of a learning disability for African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and male Asian students. For White and American Indian/Alaskan Native students, increased poverty was associated with lower identification rates (Coutinho et al. , 2002). Economic, demographic, and achievement factors Oswald et al.(1999) examined the influence of economic and demographic variables on the identification of minority students for special education. The study examined the extent U. S. school districts displayed patterns of disproportionate presentation in the identification of minority students as mildly mentally retarded (MMR) and serious emotional disturbance (SED). It also analyzed the extent disproportionate representation at the district level is predicted by other district characteristics including school characteristics and demographic and economic facto rs (Oswald et al. , 1999).Oswald et al. (1999) used predictor variables that included median housing value, median income, percentage of children below the poverty level, percentage of adults in the community with a 12th grade education or less, percentage of children enrolled in school who are considered â€Å"at risk† (i. e. , from a single parent home, below the poverty level, and where the mother does not have a high school diploma or GED); and percentage of children who were Limited English Proficient. Race of the student was classified as African American/Black or non-African American/non-Black.Results indicated that African American/Black students were 2. 4 times more likely to be identified as MMR and approximately 1. 5 times more likely to be identified as SED than non-African American/Black students. Additionally, environmental and demographic variables were found to be significant predictors of identification of students as MMR or SED. For example, as poverty and d rop-out levels increased, more African Americans/Blacks were identified as MMR, but less were classified as SED.Furthermore, there was a disproportionate number of African American/Black students classified as SED in wealthier communities. It was suggested that these results may indicate that wealthier communities are more tolerant of cognitive impairments and less tolerant of emotionally challenging behaviors of African Americans/Blacks (Oswald et al. , 1999). Poor academic achievement is often a reason for referral and eventual placement in special education.Hosp and Reschly (2004) hypothesized that differences in academic achievement between racial and ethnic groups may lead to differences in referral and subsequent placement rates for special education. These researchers expanded on findings of Oswald et al. (1999) and included achievement variables with demographic and economic predictor variables of White, African American, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/A laskan Native ethnic/racial groups in an effort to better understand disproportionate representation of minorities in special education.In their study, demographic predictors included the base rates of various ethnic backgrounds (base rate of White students, base rate of African American/Black students, base rate of Hispanic/Latino students, base rate of Asian/Pacific Islander students, base rate of American Indian/Alaskan Native students) in the district, percentage of students in the community who were Limited English Proficient, and base rate of students in the district identified who had a disability.Economic predictors included median house value of the community, median household income, percentage of adults in community who have a 12th grade education or less, and percentage of children who are considered at risk. Academic predictors included percentage of each ethnic group who achieved mastery in criterion reading and criterion math. Results indicated that economic, demograp hic and academic blocks of variables contributed to the prediction of disproportionate representation.Specifically, Hosp and Reschly (2004) found that the block of economic variables was the strongest predictor for mental retardation diagnosis, the demographic block of variables was the strongest predictor for emotional disturbance, and the academic block of variables was a strong predictor for a learning disability diagnosis. For African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students, the demographic variables were the strongest predictors for emotional disturbance and learning disability.It is not possible to comment on the influence of each individual variable in its ability to predict special education eligibility since related variables were grouped together as broader blocks of variables. An ecological framework How bias in the referral process, bias in assessment techniques, English Language Proficiency, gender, socioeconomic status, and demograp hics contribute to the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education may be better understood by considering an ecological developmental framework.According to Bronfenbrenner (1992), understanding human development requires a consideration of the interaction of diverse characteristics of a child and of the environment in which the child is embedded. Bronfenbrenner (1992) suggests a hierarchy of ecological contexts that effect human development that move from the most proximal to the most remote. The first of these contexts is the microsystem, which has the most power to influence the course of development for the child (Bronfenbrenner & Crouter, 1983).Bronfenbrenner (1992) defined a microsystem as â€Å"a pattern of activities, roles, and interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person in a given setting with particular physical and material features, and containing other persons with distinctive characteristics of temperament, personality, and systems of belief' (p. 227). Such settings include the home, school, or peer group. The microsystem considers the immediate environment a child develops in, as well as the characteristics of all other people (i. e. , parents, teachers, siblings, etc. ) also in that environment.The characteristics of other people in the child's environment might include demographic features (age, race/ethnicity, and sex), cognitive abilities and skills, or temperaments/personalities. For example, a child whose parents only speak a language other than English may have difficulty acquiring English, which may put them at risk for lower achievement scores and a higher probability of being referred for special education services. Children interact with their teachers daily. Personalities and belief systems of the teacher may impact how he/she views the child and therefore, influences how the teacher interacts with the child.A teacher who lacks cultural awareness may inappropriately refer a child to th e multidisciplinary team. Thus, the microsystem may be the most important ecological level to consider when analyzing factors that relate to the overrepresentation of specific racial/ethnic groups because it considers not only the characteristics of the environment a child develops in, but the characteristics of those who interact with that child. The most distal ecological system is the macrosystem. The macrosystem is the largest ecological level and is typically defined by region, societies, cultural values, and governmental and economic institutions.The macrosystem involves the belief systems prevailing in the world. At this level, the individual has little control over the factors related to disproportionality, but it is important to understand the intent of the laws governing special education programs and the national goal to decrease the overrepresentation of minority groups in special education. Conclusion Disproportionate representation is a complex phenomenon without a def inite etiology or solution. As a result of this complexity, consensus has yet to be reached regarding the actual causes of this persistent dilemma.What is clear is that a variety of educational, sociocultural, socioeconomic, and teacher and school-related factors appear to contribute to the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education programs. Current literature on overrepresentation of certain students in special education focuses more on the general patterns of disproportionality rather than examining if there are specific variables related to special education representation (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Thus, the causes of the disproportionate representation of minorities in special education are not clearly understood.Therefore, it is important to consider structural and community level variables to provide a framework for analyzing the problem. Indirectly these variables affect the prescribed evaluation procedures, parental involvement in the special e ducation process, and the availability of alternative programs (Turnbull & Turabull, 2001). Bronfenbrenner's (1992) expanded ecological paradigm provides a conceptual framework for examining and understanding the factors that influence disproportionate representation of minorities in special education.An ecological approach considers the context within which individuals function and that influence individuals. In using Bronfenbrenner's framework, the larger issue of disproportionality should consider the combined influences of various contexts a child is a member, including the locality (type of neighborhood and resources), the organization (school factors such as performance, racial/ethnicity composition, teacher:student ratios, or discipline), the microsystem (family characteristics such as size, socioeconomic status, and education level), and the individual (unique characteristics of the child)