Study com

Takes time and implies careful attention looking below the surface to find the motivation and context as well as what assumptions are involved and what is not there. Criticism: A close analysis of a text resulting in evaluation. O A close analysis and judgment of something Not always negative, you can evaluate a text and be positive. Illnesses both positive negative or even neutral feedback o Not Just taking something at face value, you're talking critically o Looking innate the surface Critical Questions you might ask. What are the implicit and explicit assumptions in this article and are they reasonable? How reliable is the source of this argument bias/who is the source What's the purpose of this argument/ goal/ consequences? Why is this argument being made? What context or motives might have prompted it?Barnett and Bedaubs Components of Critical thinking Imagination Analysis Evaluation Examples that require critical thinking Riddles Argument A course of reasoning Making a case in favor or against something A critical claim with support and reasoning Example mastery Text Any sort of artifact that can be studied for Information Speech Essay novels Movies, TV shows, songs, press release, corporate annual report Anything that uses communication to get their point across. A one sentence summary of your argument.Will make a claim about the text you're looking at, it should take a position and then it should provide reasoning for that position. Summarizes your overall argument with both your position and reasoning. Rhetoric The strategic use of symbols to persuade o But it doesn't always have to be to persuade, it can be used to teach o Doesn't eve to be words it can be pictures Rhetoric is the argument People that use rhetoric o Advertisement o Politicians Finding the available means of persuasion in a given equation. Aristotle definition)Most important thing to remember while editing o USE A DICTIONARY Media criticism How they portray certain parts of society I. G How they portray movies Criticism of the news and media The way that system constitutes what we consider to be news 3 questions Where does news come from? Who decides what you see/hear/read? What are the functions of fact and opinion 2 classic studies 1. Warren Breed 1995 â€Å"Social control in the newsroom† a. . News is produced by reporters . Reporters are directed/influenced by . Editors Newspaper policy 2. Other reporters 3. Reporters learn from by osmosis iii. They read how other reporters write They are steered by Editor preferences b. The desire it see their stories be â€Å"news† c. And the desire to succeed.Sacred Cow Comes from the religion Hinduism o They hold cows sacred News media are often hesitant in publishing anything that will portray any person that is well-liked in the community or support the newspaper/media financially in a negative way. O Local figure 0 Joe Property 2. David Manning White, 1950 a. The â€Å"Gate Keeper† study I. There a re a series of â€Å"gate keepers† 1. Main source of control of what ends up being reported and what doesn't end up eyeing reported it. Each has the power to define what is or isn't news iii. If the gate keeper rejects a â€Å"story, â€Å"the work of all those who preceded him in reporting and transmitting the story is negated† ‘v. Decisions are 1. Highly subjective 2.Based on experiences, attitudes, expectations of gate keeper Facts vs.. Opinion in the news Opinion writing in the newspaper o Editorials 0 Official statements of the news paper Responses from of the reader. Columns/opinions/ Pieces/pop-De Essays gathered from other media outlets or the public Do not reflect the opinion of the newspapers outside opinions Front page news part 3 Rhetoric Plato Allegory of the Cave Fact represents an extended metaphor that is to contrast the way in which we perceive and believe in what is reality. The thesis behind his allegory is the basic tenets that all we perceiv e are imperfect â€Å"reflections† of the ultimate Forms, which subsequently represent truth and reality.The Matrix o The movie suggest that if people were given the choice they would choose to know the truth o Shallowness of Rhetoric Slogan We poked you in 84 will poke you again in 86 o Plato had a problem with this since it lacked knowledge Dialectic: Discussion or debate, the way that Aristotle wrote Georgia Difference Among Gorgons, Aristotle, and Plato: Plato was Aristotle teacher and firmly disbelieved in rhetoric and hated calling it a sham and cookery while Aristotle had a better understanding of rhetoric and wrote the most important book over it. Georgia was a sophist and a teacher of rhetoric whom Plato wrote about in order to make him sound stupid. O Socrates gets Georgia to admit that there are two types of persuasion Knowledge (convoy some type of knowledge) 0 Belief without knowledge Scarcities gets Georgia to admit rhetoric is belief without knowledge

Ethnic Group and Diversity Essay

According to information provide by ask. com â€Å"Cultural diversity has affected society many ways. It has affected everything from how we speak to the clothes we wear and the food that we eat. † â€Å"America is widely known as ‘the melting pot’ of the world. This means with immigrants coming and going so rapidly over history, we have a very diverse nation. † Some of the benefits of such a diverse nation is that we can learn from each other. We are able to learn of the languages, culture, and backgrounds of others. Having such a diverse nation allows us to see that all humans are equal. According to chacha. com â€Å"Cultural diversity best illustrates the want for equality. † This diversity that we have in the United States has allowed for so many learning experiences from each other. In the schools our children are learning from each other. Without diversity children would not learn that there are different people in the world. One of the negative impacts from such diversity is prejudice. There are groups that are still teaching children and adults that not all people are equal and this is a sad and unjust way to teach someone. What will U. S, Population look like in the year 2050? â€Å"The results of the 2010 U. S. Census project that the racial and ethnic makeup of the United States will undergo dramatic changes over the next few decades. In particular, by the year 2050 there will no longer be any clear racial and ethnic majority because the most rapidly growing number of residents in our nation today are of Hispanic and Asian descent. † This according to: The Center for American Progress. Also according to The Center for American Progress: The United States is undergoing a remarkable and profound demographic shift. Today, in eight states across our union, the majority of children are children of color. This by itself is not significant, but what is worth noting is that the very communities that are growing are the ones that are experiencing significant obstacles and disparities. Sadly, this too is unsurprising. For too long we have been watching the racial and ethnic disparities in education, employment, health, and wealth widen. We know the stories well. Communities of color suffer from high dropout rates, economic insecurity, and lack of health care while wealth gaps rise to record highs between whites and communities of color—the largest gap, in fact, since the government began publishing such data. We know so much about these challenges in part because of the comprehensive work by groups that focus on closing these gaps and in part due to the work of demographers who outline the urgency of reducing these disparities before we reach a point in American history when communities of color together make up a numerical majority. But there is a pressing need today to analyze the implications of the demographic change for local and national policy. We need to better understand how local communities are managing these changes in the face of daunting obstacles so that ultimately we can outline a positive vision of what our country could look like in 2050 if we truly work to close the gaps that exist over the next 40 years. Doing so will enable our nation to harness the full talent and drive of all our people. Progress 2050, a project of the Center for American Progress, seeks to do just that by: Working with the Center’s policy teams to create a more informed and inclusive policy agenda Exploring the implications of this demographic change for our economic, political, and cultural landscape Fostering a localized dialogue about the challenges and opportunities of diversity in communities across our country Helping craft a policy framework and narrative squarely focused on the opportunities of diversity for the future prosperity and well- being of our nation. Without open and frank discussion about the opportunities and challenges of diversity, anxieties about where our country is headed combined with the coming demographic change may generate more division and disturbing stories that counter the fundamentals of American democracy. We as a nation have been down this road before many times as wave upon wave of new immigrants, new Americans, arrived on our shores—often to face brutal discrimination and hardship. We triumphed each time, sometimes after many decades of discrimination, enabling the latest generations of Americans to assimilate and thrive, breathing new life into our economy and our democracy. But the stakes are even higher today. Today, discrimination abounds Escalation in voter suppression tactics. Hate crimes. Anti-immigrant sentiment. And a general sense across the country that our federal, state, and local governments and social and economic institutions are failing to provide the leadership needed to move us meaningfully beyond the economic crisis of the Great Recession. Progress 2050 is uniquely positioned to counter these challenges by offering an alternative. Certainly a progressive voice is needed now. We cannot allow the conversation about the future of this country to be dominated by voices on the right who advocate a very narrow definition of the American ideal. The demographic shift is a reality we must accept and embrace. And a clear vision of where we want our country to be in 2050 and how to get there is urgently needed . Working in collaboration with progressive and civil rights organizations, Progress 2050 will help devise that path forward. If there are not changes made in policies for the poorer people and not just ethnic groups, but all poor people I feel that the United States will lose chances to make a better nation. It would be better to figure out how to advance the poorer people so that they would be an investment to our own Country. Including the people that are already citizens here that were born citizens here. I know that immigrants are offered money to begin their own businesses, why not offer that to citizens that are already here as well that can not afford the cost to start their own business. † What Challenges does the United States face due to the diversity of its people? â€Å"For all the platitudes about melting pots, mosaics, and rainbow coalitions, many regard the â€Å"browning† of America as a profoundly disturbing trend. Miscegenation is still regarded as culturally taboo on Main Street. As recently as 20 years ago, some states still had laws in place forbidding interracial marriage. † Scott London also said â€Å"Many people complain that miscegenation waters down their culture. Some Jews, for example, blame the disintegration of Judaism on the growing rate of interfaith marriages in America. Similarly, a number of Indian tribes are concerned that thinning bloodlines will lead to the â€Å"statistical extermination† of their people. A century ago, half of all Indians in the U. S. were considered full-bloods. Today the number is down to about 20 percent. On Indian reservations, there is now a suicide problem among young half-breeds who don’t feel sufficiently â€Å"pure. † Also from an article from Scott London: â€Å"As writer Richard Rodriguez has pointed out, â€Å"we have never had an especially rich vocabulary for miscegenation. † While other cultures speak of themselves as mestizos, mulattoes, and creoles, we persist in referring to ourselves using clumsy designations like Asian-American, African-American, Native American, and even Anglo-American. Curiously, the 1990 census form had boxes for â€Å"white,† â€Å"black† and â€Å"other,† but not for â€Å"multiracial. † Bureaucrats in Washington are now preparing a form for the 2000 census. It seems that as much as the United States thinks it is ready for more diversity we as a Country are not. More still must be done to include all races and ethnic backgrounds. From the way things seem one day we may just be all one big mixed race. What are the benefits of such a diverse society? There are many benefits to having such a diverse society. Some of these include learning from each other. Learning thins such as cultural differences and the why of it. We can even learn languages from each other. In a culturally diverse nation we learn that all humans are the same with just different backgrounds. Our children then do not even realize that there ever was a place in American history where others were treated as less than human. In an article by Scott London he says â€Å"As I see it, the mingling and the mixing of race is a sign that we are evolving toward a higher, more integrated state as a culture. One indication of this is the fact that, as the French theologian Teilhard de Chardin put it, â€Å"union differentiates. † â€Å"The smaller the differences are between people, the more they insist on them. † â€Å"Anthropologists have long observed that as people and cultures evolve, they become more and more distinctive. They don’t shed the qualities that make them unique, they refine and develop them. Diversity appears to be a function of social evolution. † â€Å"Of course, diversity doesn’t mean a thing if it doesn’t challenge us to be more open-minded and inclusive. All too often, what passes for diversity are merely brown, black, and white versions of the same political ideology. There will always be those who overemphasize our diversity and fail to appreciate our essential unity, just as there will always be those who overemphasize our unity and fail to recognize the virtues of diversity. It’s a delicate balance. Our founding fathers captured this tension in our national motto, E Pluribus Unum — from the many, one. It’s the great paradox of America: what we have in common is diversity. When the founders laid out America’s first principles two hundred years ago, they took inspiration from the Iroquois Indian Confederacy. The Indian tribes modeled this principle of unity in diversity by retaining their individuality while at the same time belonging to a common network in the name of progress and mutual protection. † America can benefit from diversity when Americans are taught that all human beings are equal. Education is the key to this perfect diversity. Yes, education of our children, but why not education of their parents as well? Parents prejudice has been passed down to. How can society foster a climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States? According to: MEDIA, CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Zayani, Mohamed, PHDView Profile. Journal of Cultural Diversity18. 2 (Summer 2011): 48-54. Fostering an environment that is tolerant of and conducive to cultural diversity is necessary for upholding democracy in an age dominated by information and communication technologies. In democratic societies, media have been central to the democratic process, giving an outlet to diverse voices and channeling diversity into a process of democratic integration or public opinion and will formation. A free debate is necessary to reach an integrative unity, and media pluralism goes a long way toward achieving such a goal (Tehranian, 1999). In much the same way freedom of expression is important to assert cultural and individual identities, access to information is important for an active participation in decision making and contribution to democratic processes. Although media plays a vital role in society fostering a climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the U. S. it still must begin with education. The Government will have to begin a campaign in the nation’s schools and provide education for parents as well. Parents that have been taught prejudice and to deny acceptance and cultural pluralism. Many of these parents, especially in the South, have been taught that African Americans are a lesser human race, the same for any race or culture except the white race. The prejudice has also been taught to the African American children as well. The thinking that all White people are racist and prejudice has been passed down from generation to generation of African Americans as well as white Americans. Spanish/Mexican Americans are taught the same thing and many prejudice white Americans teach this negativity about any race that is not white. These people have some where gotten the idea that the white race is superior to any other race, this can just not be ignored by the Government. It must start with our children and a campaign for them and their parents as well. Then the media could come in at this point and focus on the greatness of such teaching. In what ways does the media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice? Provide examples to support your assertion. â€Å"The pace with which media have been changing over the past few decades is phenomenal, to say the least. The increased global connectivity along with the convergence of communication infrastructures, media content and electronic devices have dramatically changed the way we experience media and interact with it (Jenkins, 2006). More than ever before, there has been an exponential multiplication of information and communication technologies and growth in media services and modes of delivery. For Tehranian (1999), the changes in technology, the transformation of media and the globalization of communication have a strong bearing on the ability of individuals and groups to safeguard diversity. Three interrelated types of media can be identified with different implications: Macromedia of communication (which are associated with global satellite and computer networks, trans-border data flows, scientific and professional electronic mailing, and commercial advertising) support the globalization of national markets, societies and cultures, though they privilege the power centers more than the periphery; Mesomedia of communication (such as the press, print media, audio-visual media, the film industry, and news agencies) are usually under the control of national governments or commercial and pressure groups and, as such, function mostly as agents of national integration and social mobilization; and Micromedia of communication (such as the telephone, copying machines, audio and video recorders, tapes, PCs, and the Web) have primarily empowered the centrifugal forces of dissent at the peripheries of power. They provide channels for counter-hegemonic projects of cultural resistance, socio-political participation and autonomous development. The affordability and accessibility of micromedia are not without implication on world peripheries which have increasingly been focusing on modernization, indigenous development, cultural identity, and political communication formation (Tehranian, 1999). † This from MEDIA, CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIESZayani, Mohamed, PHDView Profile. Journal of Cultural Diversity18. 2 (Summer 2011): 48-54. The effect of media is neither monolithic nor uniform. Media plays a central role in fostering the effect of the culture industry; they shape our relationship with each other. Individuals have developed a taste for what media shows, we as a nation consume what media promotes, and it seems that we as a nation act with the information media reveals, we also interpret things by what the media communicate to us. In what ways does the media help foster appreciation for diversity? Provide examples to support your assertion. Fostering an environment that is tolerant of and conducive to cultural diversity is necessary for upholding democracy in an age dominated by information and communication technologies. In democratic societies, media have been central to the democratic process, giving an outlet to diverse voices and channeling diversity into a process of democratic integration or public opinion and will formation. A free debate is necessary to reach an integrative unity, and media pluralism goes a long way toward achieving such a goal (Tehranian, 1999). In much the same way freedom of expression is important to assert cultural and individual identities, access to information is important for an active participation in decision making and contribution to democratic processes. This from MEDIA, CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIESZayani, Mohamed, PHDView Profile. Journal of Cultural Diversity18. 2 (Summer 2011): 48-54. The media helps foster an appreciation for diversity when the owners, reporters, journalists, and so forth all have an agenda to do so. We also have to look at what the owners of a station, reporters, and other employees believe themselves. If they appreciate diversity themselves then they are more likely to promote diversity. For example: Take a white reporter and give him the assignment of reporting on diversity. His report is going to be based on what he believes. If he has an appreciation for diversity then he will help to foster that. But if he is prejudice and does not support the coming together of races and cultures as well as immigration, then his report is going to reflect that. The sad thing is if his report is negative he will impact many people just due to the fact that people have their favorite news and other media channels. If he supports diversity he will win over many or at least make many start thinking about their own beliefs and feelings on the matter. How might individuals and the United States work together to reduce prejudice and increase appreciation for diversity? According to Building One Nation: A Study of What is Being Done Today in Schools, Neighborhoods, and the Workplace. â€Å"Race has played a paradoxical role in American society since the founding of the country. While our racial and ethnic diversity has been a source of great strength, it has also been our central moral challenge. Our nation has made great strides in addressing prejudice and discrimination during this century. Laws that denied citizenship to people because of their race or ethnicity have been repealed. Discrimination at the ballot box and in housing, employment, education, and public facilities is illegal. Segregated lunch counters, movie theaters, water fountains, and restrooms are no longer part of the American landscape. Racial tolerance and understanding have increased manyfold. At the same time, research and everyday experience demonstrate that discrimination continues to infest American society, resulting in lost opportunities for too many individuals. † To make changes we as individuals and the United States as a Country must work together to reduce prejudice and increase appreciation for diversity. The first thing we must do is to bring these issues to light by discussion. Without these issues being discussed by individuals and the United States it will never be addressed. We must also increase intergroup contact situations. We must create intergroup panels of mixed racial and ethnic backgrounds. From these discussions the debate must be discussed in detail among the groups. Through this discussion changes must be made in institutions, schools, churches, and other group forums. If we implement these things we must implement them to each individual group at age appropriate levels. â€Å" Educational Approaches And Strategies (K-12) A school is a natural setting in which to forge enduring bonds among children from different backgrounds. Research — primarily in integrated educational situations — clearly demonstrates that when individuals are permitted to deal with one another across racial and ethnic lines in cooperative, equal-status activities with plenty of room for one-on-one exchanges and with support from authority figures, there is an excellent chance that positive intergroup relations will evolve. In this section we consider numerous strategies for improving the rapport among children in Kindergarten through high school, under the following headings: Curriculum Reform Training and Retraining of Teachers School Desegregation Cooperative Learning Paired Programs Conflict Resolution Youth Leadership Training in Desegregated Settings. Diversity In Higher Education Given the level of segregation in our nation’s communities as well as in our primary and secondary schools, many students meet across racial lines for the first time when they reach college. Colleges and universities therefore play a pivotal role in conveying an appreciation of American diversity and in breaking the cycle of intolerance. Educational Approaches And Strategies (K-12) A school is a natural setting in which to forge enduring bonds among children from different backgrounds. Research — primarily in integrated educational situations — clearly demonstrates that when individuals are permitted to deal with one another across racial and ethnic lines in cooperative, equal-status activities with plenty of room for one-on-one exchanges and with support from authority figures, there is an excellent chance that positive intergroup relations will evolve. In this section we consider numerous strategies for improving the rapport among children in Kindergarten through high school, under the following headings: Curriculum Reform Training and Retraining of Teachers School Desegregation Cooperative Learning Paired Programs Conflict Resolution Youth Leadership Training in Desegregated Settings. Diversity in Higher Education Given the level of segregation in our nation’s communities as well as in our primary and secondary schools, many students meet across racial lines for the first time when they reach college. Colleges and universities therefore play a pivotal role in conveying an appreciation of American diversity and in breaking the cycle of intolerance. † This according to: Building One Nation: A Study of What is Being Done Today in Schools, Neighborhoods, and the Workplace. We must also intergrate neighborhoods and make them more diverse. This is another area where the United States and individuals must come together to discuss and come up with plans to intergrate neighborhoods. How might a person change their own behaviors to be more inclusive and pluralistic? People can change their own attitudes by educating themselves. They can also inter-relate with diverse groups of people, different racial groups and different ethnic groups. People can start by going to their children’s school and meeting all of the classmates. Parents can encourage their children to interact with all students in their class. When parents give their children parties they can make sure that they and their children invite individuals from all races and ethnic groups. Adults can also have intergroup relations in the workplace. If a person wants to make a change the workplace would be a great place to start. Individuals could take the initiative to have conversations with individuals of different races or ethnic backgrounds. They could start inviting those of different racial and ethnic groups to have lunch with them. There are many things that individuals can do to change their own behaviors and include multi-cultural individuals into their own daily lives. The question is Are they willing to make the change? Sources and References: http://www. americanprogress. org/issues/race/report/2011/10/18/10477/progress-2050/b http://www. ask. com http://www. scottlondon. com/articles/newface. html http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/docview/884629314? accountid=35812 MEDIA, CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Zayani, Mohamed, PHDView Profile. Journal of Cultural Diversity18. 2 (Summer 2011): 48-54. http://www. civilrights. org/publications/reports/building_one_nation/.

Interview with a manager on management system Essay

Interview with a manager on management system - Essay Example The individual was interviewed for the position of Strategy formulation manager, who is right below the strategy head. Answer 2 A questionnaire set of eight questions was set up for an interview to find out the strategic implemter and strategic formulator strengths of a manager. The interview was face-to face where the manager and the interviewer interacted in order to fill the queationnaire. The major objective of the questionnaire was to evalute the approach of the manager towards strategy implementation and formulation (Marcic, Seltzer and Vaill, 2001). Each question were provided with two options, one of which reflected strategic formulator strength and other represented strategic implementer strength. These questions were answered and analysed with the help of bar chart. Graph 1: Strategic Formulator Strength In the first chart, the strategic formulator strength has been analysed. After evaluation of the answers it was found out that the total points scored by the manager in thi s category was five out of eight. This meant that the manager posses five qualities of strategic formulator as discussed in the questionnaire. When compared to my results it was found out that I scored very low in tis category. ... when comapred to my results, it was found out that my results were very high in this category. I scored seven points out of eight. this means that I posses most of the qualities of a good strategic implemeter as discussed in the interview. Answer 3 From the questionnaire set and its results, many evaluations came out. According to the queationnaire if the difference between two scores of an individual is 2 or less, this means the individual posses balance formulator and implementer qualities and will be able to work well in both strategic situations. However if the difference between two score is four or five, the individual posses a fairly good streghth in the category of high score and will work best in that particular field. If the diffierence is seven or eight points, then the indivual has a distinct quality and should remain in his/her domain rather than the opposite one. From the overall score it can be said that the manager posseses major formulater strength while very little implementer strength. While comparing the individual results of the manager it was found that there was a difference of two points between startegic formulator streghth and strategic implemter sterngth. Thus it can be said that the manager has qualities of both formulation and implemetation. However, the overall score is average, which indicated that the manager lacks specific skills and expertise in both the categories. Answer 4 From the above analysis it is clear that the manager was selected for his strategy formulator skills. Though the manager posses some of the qualities of strategic implementer, it will be wise for the manager to focus on his/her domain in order to get

Explain Descartess concept of Hyperbolic doubt Essay

Explain Descartess concept of Hyperbolic doubt - Essay Example Conclusively, the concept validates the view that an individual, though may doubt, cannot doubt his existence. Just like any other concept, employing hyperbolic doubt has both positive and negative sides. One of the major benefits is that the universal application of the concept can help in freeing the world from the pervasive war between the existing religions, as evident between Muslims and Christians. Naturally, the war exists because of the different beliefs held by each party. This means that employing hyperbolic doubt will unveil the truth consequently quelling away the war of beliefs (Nicholas and Schindler, 172). Employing hyperbolic doubt may prove to promote innovation and development if applied on a large scale. Most of the innovations, especially in medicine and technology, were once perceived as impossible; consequently, in the presence of the concept, the innovators come up with doubts on their possible projects until they achieve the truth. In essence, it promotes the ability of the world to move forward because it orients the subjects to constantly doubt things to the point of getting real answers. The major disadvantage of employing the concept is that it ends up promoting suspicion among its subjects. The suspicion created triggers the belief that evil is pervasive, especially in instances where there is no clear understanding of a given aspect (Nicholas and Schindler, 172). Usually, this makes the subject unfriendly because of the inescapable mistrust coming as the result of holding hyperbolic doubt. Further, the hyperbolic doubt also subjects individual to avoid judgment using â€Å"face value† making them only believe on the worst case scenario. Intuitively, employing the concept will only make other people look more sinister than we care. Hyperbolic doubt is a sub-set of skepticism considering that it concerns doubting aspects to the point where all the slightest doubts are subdued. In which case, skepticism

Write your own editorial Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write your own editorial - Assignment Example This unfortunate situation can be exacerbated even more by the fact that some teachers feel they must punish students who arrive even a minute or two late with a detention, giving students a sense of stress, anxiety and urgency, and encouraging them to do whatever they can to make it to class on time, even if it means being rude or behaving dangerously towards fellow students or themselves, by, for instance, running in hallways or down staircases. Luckily, however, there are some solutions to this problem. By far the simplest is to simply change it back to the old system where students were allowed four minutes to get between classes. This represents an increase of thirty-three percent of time between classes, and would give students all the time they need. The downside is that this would make some classes longer than others, but only by a minute, and most classes tend not to use exactly the amount of time allotted anyways. Another solution is to allow students a grace period of one or two minutes after classes start where they will not be given detentions for lateness – this will mean students will still have to rush to classes but will be more judicious knowing that serious consequences will not result from minor tardiness. The bottom line is the current system does not work, and must be

History of the Brooklyn Bridge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of the Brooklyn Bridge - Essay Example After 60 years of political, financial as well as technical negotiations, John Roeblings plan was accepted, the New York Bridge Company was formed and, in the year 1869, construction of the bridge at last began. In the year 1867, a group of well-known leaders formed the New York Bridge Company for the reason of constructing as well as maintaining a bridge across the East River. Via the enabling act, the Brooklyn city subscribed for three million dollars of the capital stock, while the New York City just subscribed for one and a half million dollar. The company was allowed to fix toll rates for pedestrians as well as all kinds of vehicles, getting a profit of no more than 15% per annum. The bridge was built over fourteen years in the face of huge complicatedness. Roebling died by an accident at the onset; a fire in the Brooklyn Caisson smoldered for a few weeks; Roeblings son, Washington, who occupied the post as chief engineer, endured a crippling attack of the bends during the build ing of the Manhattan Caisson, and sustained to direct operations, sending messages to the location by his wife, Emily. After the towers were constructed, a cable parted from its port killing two people; there was fraud committed by the cable contractor (Trachtenberg, 1990). Soon after ground was broken on January 3, 1870, work on the Manhattan and Brooklyn foundations. Life in the caissons was unhappy. Immigrant laborers worked in the profound foundations, paid $2.25 per day to work in perilous circumstances lacking electricity, telephones or other conveniences.

Different modes of interpreting treaties between North American Essay

Different modes of interpreting treaties between North American Aboriginal Peoples and the Crown - Essay Example Hence treaties between the aboriginal people and the crown establish a moral basis and a moral and constitutional basis of alliance between the people of the first nation and the sovereign institutions of Canada. The treaties which they have made are right important to the Canadian natives because they perceive them to be sacred. The binding character and the sacredness of their treaties with the crown is not to be primarily found on the legalistic language or the signature marks which adorned the treaty documents. The sacredness of the aborigines treaties were rooted in what they referred to as the aboriginal languages (Canadian natives), at the time when they were negotiating the treaties with the crown, deliberations were usually accompanied with an exchange of some presents which were symbolically significant or by smoking a sacred pipe. On the side of the crown the basic principles of treating making was initiated by King George III. Most recently these treaties have been interpreted differently by different institutions such as the courts. The discussion in this paper will include the literal approach, focusing on the written version of treaty presented by the Government of Canada; "spirit and intent" approach, focusing on the Indian understanding of the treaty terms and the oral account of the treaty; and the legal interpretation of treaties by Canadian and International courts. The writer will also suggest the mode of interpretation which it’s perceives to be more accurate or correct. The binding character and the sacredness of treaties on the Aboriginal side is not to be found in the legalistic language or in the signature marks which adorns the documents of the treaty, (Bear 1991 p. 8) Instead these treaties forces are rooted in what is shown by the aboriginal languages during negotiations when treaty signing were

Classical Music Concert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Classical Music Concert - Essay Example Naturally, the concert was entirely devoted to the cantata of Carl Orff (1895-1982) called Carmina Burana, which incorporates a prologue and three parts consisting of a number of musical movements. The first movement I would like to describe is Veris Leta Facies, the movement immediately following the prologue and proceeding with its overall tone. According to the rules of Cantata genre, the movement focused mainly on vocal part, with the choirs being accompanied by the pianos and percussion ensemble. The mixed choir parties were mediated by piano and percussion ritornellos. The general atmosphere and tonality hinted at expressionistic coloring of Orff’s work, for the vocal parties sounded rather minor despite a rather lively ritornello at the beginning. Expressionistic nature of the composition was sensed also due to a slight dissonance between the lyrics (the translation of which is in the program) and the tone of music. Moreover, listening to the movement, I was able to identify an allusion to and imitation of medieval music with its simple tonalities and choral singing. Although the movement featured the mixed choir, it resembled much of the monophonic medieval Greg orian chants style. What is also notable about the whole concert and this movement in particular is that the instrumental accompaniment of the Cantata was performed by a minimal number of instruments; though – as far as I know – it is traditionally played with a wide variety of instruments including woodwind and brass sections. The second movement I would like to write about is – no surprise – one of the most famous classical vocal pieces of nowadays, a movement framing Carmina Burana, its opening and closing. The movement was characterized by a steady rhythm supported by piano and a dramatic choral parties sung by the mixed choir. Approximately, in the middle of the piece, the powerful

Animal Farm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Animal Farm - Essay Example Manipulation is one of the tactics utilized by Napoleon to rule the farm. He distorts the true events and changes statements and therefore, keeps the other animals in dark to prevent them from knowing the truth and fighting. The alteration in the principles of Animalism serves as a perfect example. According to the initial stand, all animals were to be treated as same but later the pigs write a new statement which reads, â€Å"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.† (Orwell 1954). This principle is displayed on the farm to explain to the other animals that the pigs enjoyed greater rights and they were not to be questioned on their acts. Thus, they distort the original dream of Animal Farm and opt for providing greater space for the pigs for the continuation of their rule. Napoleon uses his power to prevent the animals from questioning his rule. He trains a force of dogs for the implementation of his laws and he even issues orders for killings those animals that are not loyal to him. The authority and the fear of the dogs is seen in these lines, â€Å"they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.†(Orwell 1954). The animals were under threat and they feared for their life owing to which they remained passive and faced all the brutalities that were imposed on them. Thus, force is a factor used by Napoleon to keep his hold on the farm. Napoleon tries to keep the animals as busy as he can and prevents them from learning. He does this to ensure the fact that the animals do not get enough time to think of other problems and so that they cannot realize the fact that they are being ruled and mistreated at the hands of the pigs. â€Å"Napoleon had denounced such ideas as contrary to the spirit of Animalism. The truest happiness,

Business Analysis of the Film and Its Production Movie Review

Business Analysis of the Film and Its Production - Movie Review Example The film was in production for nine months, from November of 2009 until August 2010. It entered postproduction status at the beginning of September 2010, where it remained until a month prior to its release, which was on December 24, 2010 in America and January 7, 2011 in the United Kingdom. The budget of The King’s Speech was $14,401,000 (ten million in European Euros), which is considered to be a low budget film. The film finished precisely on this budget. As a historical drama, the majority of the budget went to the location and the set design, since the film takes place in 1925, depression-era London. The next greatest portion of the budget went to the salaries of the leading actors, followed by the purchase of a Arricam studio camera with a 14 mm T1.3 Zeiss Master Prime lens, which is a special, albeit expensive, camera that would allow the director to experiment with new shots that would play up on the emotions of the characters. There was only a month or two delay from the time the film was finished until it was released in theaters in the United States. The reason for this delay, as is the case with all films, is to ensure that if extra shots needed to be filmed, they could be done so without risking going over the deadline of the film. It is uncommon that the delay period is as short as just a couple of months, but since the film was a historical piece and required very little of extra actors, the production company of The King’s Speech was able to pull it off with no problems. Distribution The companies that were in charge for distributing The King’s Speech were Australia’s branch of Paramount Pictures, The Weinstein Company of the United States, and Momentum Pictures in the United Kingdom. During its first week of release, The King’s Speech brought in $355,450 in the four theaters that released it in the United States; after this, the film was released to seven hundred more theaters throughout the States, though by the beginning of the New Year, it had been to released to a total of 1,543 screens. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, The King’s Speech earned $5,081,824 from 395 theaters in its first weekend. In Australia, the film made approximately $6,614,615 during its first two weeks. Globally, from the time the film was released until the present, The King’s Speech has earned $374,943,967 in gross revenue. Since The King’s Speech was filmed in Britain, and intended to solely be a British film, only four theaters in the United States saw its release. However, the results of these previews prompted distributors to release in an additional 696 theaters. By January 2011, roughly around the time when the film was released in the United Kingdom, the demand was high for the United States, and so the film was further released into an additional 843 screens. The release was gradual, adding more theaters as the demand for the film grew, which is a common occurrence among independe nt films. The King’s Speech’s distribution overseas was just as successful as the domestic distribution. As the film was based and shot in London, the United Kingdom was always intended to be a part of the release. Furthermore, since one of the lead actors and a producer (Geoffrey Rush) is originally from Australia, the country also played a vital role in the overseas distribution. In revenue, The King’s Speech has received $130,000,000 overseas, a little less than half of what it has made in all. The King’

Metacognition Student Achievement Essay Example for Free

Metacognition Student Achievement Essay Metacognition has generally been described as thinking about one’s own thoughts. The realization that a human being cannot exist in isolation of his inner self, that he is constantly probing that dam of his very essence to evaluate situations and resolve the never-ending puzzles that daily confront him. Kornell (2009), has described metacognition as self-reflection and conscious awareness. An even more elaborate definition is that given by Serendip (2009). He defines it as â€Å"a reflective practice that helps one discern general patterns in one’s own views and abilities†. Whichever definition one feels comfortable with, it cannot be said to be superior to the other, because metacognition deals with the intangible and cannot be weighed on a scale. It has, however, been the subject of widespread research all over the world. Psychologists are now asking themselves, what causes that tip of the tongue experience, when you are sure you know someone’s name but cannot recall it? Or what is at play when one conveys a feeling of uncertainty? Why is it that humans are able to have certain cognitive abilities that animals apparently do not have? For example, if asked what year America gained independence, one may readily recall with certainty, or one may say with complete uncertainty that he does not know. The answer may also lie in between, showing a certain degree of uncertainty by replying, for example, I think it was 1776. Whatever answer one gives, it demonstrates an ability to question one’s memory and experience. According to studies that have been done, this ability can be improved. Thus, the science of metacognition is now rampant, with studies being carried out on the cognitive abilities of monkeys, children, students, and ways in which they can be improved. Metacognition 2 One study which was carried out to test the cognitive abilities of rhesus monkeys, was that conducted by Kornell, Son Terrace (2007). In this trial, the monkeys were initially trained to select a given picture from a sample of six pictures by touching the image on a touch-screen monitor. After this training period, they were shown six sample pictures which were then simultaneously removed and replaced with nine, one of the previous six being among them. As soon as they selected the sample they thought was among the previous six, they were required to bet on their choice by depressing an icon on the screen for certainty, with a reward of redeemable food tokens, or loss of tokens, if wrong. A further icon for a low risk bet was also there. After carrying out this experiment for a suitable period of time, they concluded that the monkeys would invariably only bet when they were sure that they knew the correct answer. The researchers were therefore of the opinion that the monkeys were guided by a cognitive ability. They also tested two monkeys on metacognitive control. This is the ability to use metacognitive ability to influence behavior. An example would be requesting for a hint when one is unsure of an answer, a common trait with humans. In this trial, two monkeys were presented with a few sample pictures to place in a certain order. They were also availed of onscreen visual hints if they needed. The penalty for using the hints was a less appetizing banana flavored pellet, instead of the more attractive MM candy. As the test progressed, it became apparent that the monkeys were using the hints less and less, and would only resort to them when they were sure that they did not know the right answer. This ability to have control over one’s metacognitive ability had been tested on humans for many years, and it was only now that it was becoming clear that it was also present in animals. However, how prevalent this is among them, cannot be clear and it cannot be generalized from this study that only involved rhesus monkeys. Metacognition 3 Smith Washbum (2005) have taken animal research a notch higher and carried out trials that probe the memory, referred to as monitoring the memory. In the test, animals which were given various tasks to do based on what they had done before, declined to engage in the more difficult tasks, a result that was the same as similar tests carried out on humans. The animals were selective and seemed to have the same analogous capacity as human. There was no doubt that they were using their metacognitive abilities to seek in their memories, and when they remembered that the task was arduous, they declined to take the test. Kornell Terrace (2007) also carried out some trials seeking to find out if monkeys benefited from learning. They did this with two rhesus monkeys which were given two problem sets to solve. In one difficult set, they were given hints to assist them after a suitable training period. In the other set, they were given no hints. The number of hints they used to solve the problem set steadily declined over time, the performance, however, did not change, it stayed the same. The monkeys were solving the problem with skills they had acquired from the hints and were using them less and less because they had â€Å"learned†. This is fascinating and opens up very interesting questions about the training of animals. There are other areas of animal metacognitive behavior which have been studied. Hampton, R (2009), carried out studies on rhesus monkeys to determine if they made decisions when they had information, or sought information when ignorant and immediately made a decision. The results were quite revealing. They carried out two sets of tests. In one test, the monkeys witnessed food being inserted into some opaque test tubes. These tests were referred to as the seen trials. In the other test, the food was inserted into test tubes without their knowledge. Metacognition 4 The monkeys were then required to identify the tubes which had food in them. In trial after trial, they would first look down the tubes to ascertain if the food was there and if it was, they selected the tube. What was evident from these tests is that the monkeys sought information first, by peering down the tubes, when ignorant, and only immediately selected the correct tubes without investigating, when they knew the food was there. That means they knew when they knew and only sought information when they knew that they did not know. This is a characteristic which is prevalent among human children, orangutans and rhesus monkeys. It is, however, not clear with capuchin monkeys when they were exposed to a similar trial about a decade before. There is room for more research on animals. According to Smith Washbum, a lot needs to be investigated regarding the gifts different animals have. For example, monkeys and dolphins seem to exhibit more cognitive abilities than pigeons, whose reactions appear to be more stimulus based. Further research in this area can yield very important information which may stimulate a whole spectrum of research into cognitive abilities of different animal specie. Additionally, there is a lot of room into studies on the ability or lack of ability of animals to make quantitative judgements, for example, their mood. Metacognitive abilities is also a subject of importance in developing learning capabilities for children. Loh, A (2009), has made suggestions on methods to use to improve metacognition learning for children as young as two year olds. Since parents spend the most amount time with children of this age, they are best placed to practice the techniques recommended by Loh. He says that children should be encouraged to think about their thinking process in order to develop their intellect and intelligence. Children should be engaged, soon after an activity, to gauge their Metacognition 5 thinking process and the techniques they used for a task. Immediately after this activity, they should be asked certain questions, for example : 1. They should be asked about the process they used to achieve the result. This way, they will recall the steps and learn the process. 2. What strategies did they use? This will engage them actively in the thinking process by beginning to adopt strategic thinking of alternative techniques they can use to achieve better results. 3. What do they think about the end result? Is it good or bad? This will help them to evaluate their work. 4. Offer them puzzling tasks that have more than one solution. This exposes them to cognitive conflicts 5. Engage them in debates and discussions with other children 6. Allow them to practice reciprocal teaching where they form groups and one child teaches members of his group. 7. Once they engage on a task, allow them to continue undisturbed. Help them with clues if they get stuck. Further, they can be assisted with questions that will incline them to probe their mind even more, for example, what they learned from the task and what they found difficult. Additionally, they can be probed to find out if they have a next goal and what will help them to achieve it. Metacognition 6 There has been more research in the field of metacognitive abilities of children. Young children’s understanding of mental life, or â€Å"theory of mind†, is an area that is currently being explored by various scientists. According to science daily (2008), a new study had made a link between theory of mind as assessed in kindergarten children and their metacognitive abilities in elementary school. Early theory of mind competencies positively influenced metacognitive abilities acquired later. 174 children between the ages of three and four were used as study subjects to investigate this relationship. Wolfgang Schneider, P. H. D. , of the University of Wurzburg, who carried out the trial, said that knowledge from this research can be used to develop training programs for young children. For all the progress that has been done on metacognition in animals and children, none can rival that of learners. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (2009), says that students with metacognitive needs have difficulties in setting priorities and planning their tasks. Additionally: 1. They are poor at strategizing in order to accomplish a task methodically 2. They procrastinate and are unable to start their work. 3. They are inattentive and make careless mistakes. 4. They are not able to identify their faults or know how to seek help. With these type of students they recommend the following teaching strategies : 1. Teachers should tutor them on how to plan and show them the scoring rubric for the assignment. 2. They should be taught on estimation of time needed to complete a task. 3. They should be assisted with think-aloud strategies. Metacognition 7 4. They should be cajoled to get engaged actively in their work by asking them how they are doing the work and how they will remember to solve the problem. 5. Teachers should be specific in their assignments to students by providing scoring rubrics for each question and how they have been calculated. However, Pierce (2004), dealt even deeper in metacognition for students. He was of the opinion that study strategies were generalized and teachers did not teach them in class. They assumed that students had already learned them. When they taught a strategy, students used the same strategy taught for all subjects. According to him, students needed to acquire three types of knowledge in order to improve their metacognitive abilities. These are : 1. Declarative knowledge which is having at their grasp factual information, for example, speed is distance divided by time taken. 2. Procedural knowledge which is knowing how to do something. Using the previous example of speed, they should know the formula for speed and the steps required in its calculation. 3. Conditional knowledge – This is knowing when to use a certain procedure and why one strategy is better than another. In applying the three types of knowledge for study strategies for example, students need declarative knowledge to know that a high school history textbook is different from an article analyzing the same textbook. They need procedural knowledge to take notes from such a textbook and conditional knowledge to know when such notes should be taken. According to Pierce, study techniques improve learning but are hardly ever taught. Additionally, many students do not internalize success as caused by ability and effort. Metacognition 8 Lippman, Danielsson Linder (2005), differed slightly with some researchers of metacognition. They claimed that most studies taught metacognitive skills and then measured the effects of training. Instead, they should quantify the use of metacognition. In a study that they carried out at an American university, their aim was to find out how much metacognition is used in a laboratory and how the setup encourages the use of metacognition. Three groups of students were used and their proceedings videotaped and their verbal comments recorded. In one group, students were given a set of instructions to follow. The same was done for the second group and in addition, they were expected to explain their reason. The third group was given a question to answer and expected to explain, in a presentation, the method they had used to get results. In analyzing the results, Lippman et al (2005) saw no difference in the amount of metacognition in the different groups. However, the most important finding was that there was a difference in how metacognition made students change their behavior in tackling the lab assignments. For example, in the third group, the verbal exchanges revealed that the use of metacognition made the students more creative. This was a different approach as was the one used by Mevarech Kramarski (2003). In this study, 100 eighth graders, studying algebra in four classrooms, were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to cooperative learning and also given metacognitive training. The other group was given cooperative learning but without metacognitive training. At issue was mathematical modeling and problem solving skills. After tasks to perform were given, the results showed that the group which had been given metacognitive training did outperformed the other that only had a cooperative setting. There was significant difference with the two groups with regard to planning, processing and reflection. They concluded that the cooperative Metacognition 9 setting is not enough to enhance modeling skills. Metacognitive skills are important in how to approach a problem, how to control and monitor the solution and how to reflect on the final answer. As a result of such studies, Mevarech Kramarski (2003) designed the learning tool called IMPROVE, whose letters stand for : Introducing the new material Metacognitive questioning Practicing Reviewing Obtaining mastery on higher and lower cognitive processes Verification Enrichment and remedial The important thing in IMPROVE is the approach in problem solving. Students are able to approach a scenario with a systematic method which first and foremost addresses the question of what is the issue at hand. They then investigate to find out how different the problem is from others and what the best strategies are to solve it. As can be seen from all the studies mentioned, metacognition is an area of development that has a lot of room for growth. Animals which have been shown to have metacognitive abilities can be researched further in order to discover if this is something widespread within the animal kingdom, and if not, then what actually determines metacognition of a species. With children too, the theory of the mind is interesting and further studies should be carried out to determine if there are other areas of their lives that can benefit from improved research on Metacognition 10 metacognition. For example, are high levels of metacognition genetic? Does diet affect levels of metacognition? What role does disease play in metacognition? It would also be interesting to see new research in the study techniques of students. More than anyone else, their place in society is critical because they take over reins in business, government and the civil society within only a few years after leaving college. Their overall performance in school is therefore a top priority. Of serious concern should be when study techniques should begin to be taught and how they would be standardized. Additionally, quantifying the use of metacognition as advocated for by Lippman (2005), needs to generate more study. If his research is anything to go by, then the approach to metacognition training must also address, not just the amount of metacognition ability gained, but also how it is channeled to productive use. This is an area that can prove very challenging and rewarding because teaching metacognition techniques is one thing, but being able to teach the type of techniques that can produce quantifiable measures cannot be easy. However, it is possible that the same metacognition graduates will discover new methods and strategies to impart more abilities in metacognition. Metacognition 11 References Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (2009). Metacognitive Skills. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. etfo. ca/Multimedia/Webcasts/SpecialEducation/Pages/Metacognitive%20Skills. aspx Hampton, R (2009). Multiple demonstrations of metacognition in nonhumans: Converging evidence or multiple mechanisms? Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://psyc. queensu. ca/ccbr/Vol4/Hampton.pdf. Kornell, Nate (2009, February). Metacognition in Humans and Animals. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www3. interscience. wiley. com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122212734/HTMLSTART Lippmann, K. , Danielsson, A. Linder, C. (2005, August). Metacognition in the student Laboratory : Is increased metacognition necessarily better? Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www. anst. uu. se/rekun676/meta. pdf Loh, A (2009, July). Using Metacognition Learning to Make Children Smarter. Retrieved on July 29, 209 from http://www. brainy-child. com/articles/metacognition-learning.shtml Mevarech Z. Kramarski, B. ( 2003). Mathematical Modeling and Meta-cognitive Instruction. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. icme-organisers. dk/tsg18/S32MevarechKramarski. pdf Metacognition 12 Mevarech, Z. Kramarski, B. (2003). Metacognitive Questioning and the use of Worked Examples. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www. memory-key. com/StudySkills/IMPROVE. htm Peirce, W (2004, November). METACOGNITION: Study Strategies, Monitoring, and Motivation. Retrieved on July 29, 2009, from http://academic. pgcc. edu/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/metacognition.htm ScienceDaily (2008, August). Young Childrens Theory Of Mind Linked To Subsequent Metacognitive Development In Adolescence. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2008/08/080814154429. htm Serendip (2009). Metacognition. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/exchange/wfrankli/ii09/metacognition Smith, D Washbum, D. (2005, February). Uncertainty Monitoring and Metacognition by Animals. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www3. interscience. wiley. com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118706297/HTMLSTART

Ryanair Strategic Management and Business Planning Case Study

Ryanair Strategic Management and Business Planning Case Study Introduction: Following report is based on the SWOT and PESTEL analysis of the Ryanair. This report will describe about the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of the ryanair. We will also examine about the external environmental effect by using the political, Economical, social, technological, environmental and legal analysis. There is briefly history of the ryanair which explain the investments and starting problems and till now, about the condition of internally and externally environment of the ryanair. Firstly discuss about the external environmental impact on the Ryanair and related to the strategy of the Ryanair. Basic objective and aim is to provide low cost fare services and increase profitability and to be a leader of market. By using the technique of PESTAL analysis can forecast the environmental change. For the examiner of environmental change have used different approaches like Bowmens strategy clock, Anoffs matrix, Michaels porters strategy. In addition, for determinant explain the porters five force model which have help out in the analysis of the competitive advantage ,new entrants, threats of substitutes. SWOT analysis is the best way to examine the internally condition of the Ryanair. It has explained about the powerful element and weak elements and also given the information about the new opportunities that Ryanair can get. Strategy Management: Strategy is the way and scope of an organization which achieve their goals in changing environments through its configuration of resources and competence with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder desires over the long term periods. There are following points which explain the term strategy: Strategy is concerned with the long term planning of any organization. Strategy is concerned with scope of any organizational activities. Purpose of strategy is to achieve some advantages for the organization over competition. Strategy is also affected by the values and expectation of those who have power in and around the organization, not only environmental forces and strategic forces. Main purpose of strategy is to achieve its aims and goal of organization. History of Ryanair: Ryanair is one of the most aircraft in the world including 44 bases and the 1100+ low fares more than 26 countries connecting with 175 countries. Ryanair has been launched by Ryan family in 1985 with the share capita  £1 and 25 staff members. In 1986 ryanair has taken permission from British airways and Aer linguis. Services are launched 1st turbo 46 seats aircraft from Dublin to London in May. After three year rapid growth , in 1990 ryanair faced  £20m accumulated losses and Ryan family has invested more  £20m and as copying the southwest airlines it was relaunched again and made new strategies under the new managerial systems and reduces their fares from  £99 to  £59 return tickets. In 1991 ryanair has changes its bases from Lutin to new airport of London Stansted which had new terminal and direct link of rail services. With the passage of time, ryanair has seen many changes every year. In 1995, Ryanair had untaken the British airways and Aer linguis. And also celebrated its 10th birthday with the great celebration. It becomes biggest air route in the Europe and internationally and also lowest fare rate airline domestically. Ryanair growth increased rapidly and employees receives shares of Ryanair and Ryanair received new Boeing aircrafts. In 2000, Ryanair has launched its website for the benefit of customers like booking, accommodation, train facilities and many more allowances as well. Furthermore, Ryanair has employed new employees and has developed career. Ryanair also promoted staff in 2007 and 2008. External Environment: Ryanair is largest low cots airline in the Europe. Ryanair is the largest investing and achieved its growth in friendly environment. Ryanair strategy is trying to improve its performance more. Ryanair has replaced its old Boeing aircraft to the new developed technology aircrafts. Ryanair also reduces the use of fuel and minimise the ratio of CO2 per passenger. Strategy of Ryanair is low cost fare and more profitability. Ryanair also use the point to point journey planner and tried to not landing during the way. It also tried to reduce the time. Ryanair also reduced to affection and disturbance by the noise or aircraft. It used new technology for less noise like new winglets and its help out in reduction of noise. Ryanair is the very low cost which is not offered to passenger for free food, drinks and many things. It safe thing not waste it. Ryanair has increased in tourism, employment level, and infrastructure. Theses external element has great impact on the strategy of the ryanair. Ryanair has basic objective low fares and high profit and giving good customer service to the passengers. With the [passage of time strategy of ryanair is developed and many changes incurred in it. Ryanair strategy is reducing the costs which include personnel, equipment cost, airport access rather than its competitors. Moreover, Ryan air with the high productive source is trying to improve its productivity which helps in reducing the labour cost. Ryanair strategy: After examine the SWOT analysis and Ryanair capabilities now we can easily describe about the strategy of Ryanair. Ryanair has cost minimization strategy through this it want to be leader of market and want to gain competitive advantage. Ryanair strategy is trying to focus on the aviation industry, new fleets, and airport charges route services and managing marketing cost etc. Basic aim and objective of ryanair is to increase low fares services and by doing continues progress want to be European low cost scheduled airline. Moreover, Ryanair providing low cost fares for those people who have travelled by other means of transportation and also those people did not ever travel at all. According to the statistical data Ryanair has maintained the recode of punctuality. Ryanair do point to point and non-stop routes which has reduced the cost of services. It also increase the productivity level by using work force which has help out in minimising labour cost. Ryanair also offers Bonuses, compensation, commission on the basis of hours for the encouragement of staff and personnel and crew member and pilot. Ryanair has new reservation system developed internet facility. Ryanair does not compensate with its safety rules, staff training and quality insurance and do not extend its low cost strategy in theses area. For the repairing of the crafts it has contract with the third party according to the European airlines otherwise repairing and maintenance work done by itself in London. Except all of these things ryanai r take care about the customer service, providing food, beverage, travel insurance, car rental and accommodation and it also provide telephonic reservation and different facilities. PESTEL Analysis of Ryanair: Political: In political analysis of ryanair include the internal and external stability of political condition in Europe countries like Middle East. Ryanair has to follow New EU rules and regulation, expansion and duty free sales of products. Government has help to the ryanair to take it internationally. Government also provided full security system to the ryanair. Economical: Outside and inside economy is different in the Europe. Inside economy is stable while outside economy is non stable. Price of fuel is increasing day by day and depreciation of US dollar also increasing. There are some regional subsidies also preferable in the ryanair analysis. Ryan air also created linkage of between new highly speed trains and airport. Social: In social analysis of ryanair, there is increase in grey marketing and also lifestyle of travelling is changing day by day. There is also change in consumers demographics. Demand and preferences of consumers also changed and fluctuated with the passage of time. Technological: Ryanair bought new fleets and advanced technology aircrafts for the consumers satisfaction. It also introduced new software programmes for the improvement in supply chain systems. Ryanair also increase information technology, gambling and competition in the market as well. Ryanair also used satellite television and also try to reduce fuel consumption. Environmental: Ryanair has reduced noise pollution. It has used new technological system to reduce the noise. It also saves the environment from dangerous gases like greenhouse CO2 emission. Legal: Ryanair has followed the legal laws. It has removed the illegal subsidies from airport. Ryanair also claim illegal advertising on the airport. Forecasting Environmental change: Michaels porter generic strategy: Porters generic strategy explains about the cost advantage and differentiation focus. This technique is suitable for those companies who based on cost leadership and differentiation and focus. By using the cost leadership strategy ryanair got the competitive advantage and market leadership. Ryanair has earned very high profit in very short time period by using the low fares. Leadership strategy has given help to the customer for decision making. It has offered to the customer low fares and secondary to secondary flies by using the differentiation. Ryanair has purchases aircrafts not whole fleets but has given best customer service. Ansoffs matrix: Igor Ansoff focuses on the companys present and potential product /services and market situation. There are four possible combinations of growth that is existing product with new product, existing market with new market, market development and product development and diversification. Ryanair has attracted the market towards itself by using the pattern of low cost and reasonable fares. Ryanair has diversified its staff according to the different location and destination. Ryanair is trying to expand its business and developing the staff which will take it towards success. Bowmans strategy clock: Bowmans strategy clock explains competitive position of a company with comparison of competitors. We can analyse the problem and difficulties of Ryanair through this approach from last few years. There are eight different options which can describe the competitive position. These are as follows: low price, low added value, differentiated, hybrid and focus differentiated, increase standard or price, increased price and low value or standard price. From last few years ryanair has performed very affective changes due to its effective managerial system. Ryanair has earned very high profit in very short time by following the affective time schedule giving significant value on the development of Ryanair. National advantage by using techniques of Ryanair: There are different techniques through we can analyse the national advantage of ryanair. Porters five force model: By using the porters five force model, we came to know about the value and importance of the ryanair in Europe market. It includes threat of new entrant, threat of substitute, competitive rivalry, bargaining power of supplier hand customer. Threat of new entrant mean need high profit for coming in the market level and offer customers low fares. Its difficult high investment. It also need flight authorisation. Ryanair has threat of its substitute like ferries, Euro line, cars and rail services and many other substitutes as well. It has also threat from its customers it doesnt have loyalty brand, no switching of the prices, no close relationship with the customer. Air bus and Boeing are the two main supplier of the ryanair and the switch cost from one supplier to another is high because if they do this they need to retained their staff again. Ryanair has more competitive power rather than small airlines because they operate regional level in small airports but ryanair operates on bog airports. Ryanair has threat of its customers, if the prices are sensitive than customer can easily move to other airlines through online advertisement, booking and by offering good customer service so we cannot depend on the customers. Moreover, Price of the ryanair is the main competitive element to others. There is not much differentiation low cost prices to other airlines. As LCC is the high competitive market there are chances to do the same thing. In market there are many competitors they can competition with the prices and profits but in existing situation competitors cannot compete with dead to dead competition by choosing different service routes. SWOT Analysis of Ryanair: Swot Analysis describes the internal situation of the organisation. The main purpose of the SWOT analysis is to know about the strength, weakness, threats and opportunities of the organisation. It is also helpful to bring changes in the strategy of the organisation and came to know about the current the situation and where organisation standing and where it should have to be. Strengths: Ryanair has strong brand image and due to its strong brand image it has reduced the barrier of entry to new airports and has increased the barriers for new entrant. Ryanair is firstly low fares cost airline in the Europe and still maintained its image. London Stansted is the one of busiest aviation traffic zones where are bases of ryanair operationalsing. Ryanair is the innovative and has aggressive marketing quality. Ryanair has enhanced safety, higher fuel efficiency and properly income planning by offering low fares. Single aircrafts has help out in reducing training, maintenance and supervisory cost. Ryanair has reduced it labour cost by reducing by non-unionised it labour forced. Weakness: Negative press report, poor customer services has bad impact on the brand image of the ryanair. Ryanair have low level of trained personnel and also give low level of empathy and moral to the employees but ryanair need well trained craft personnel. If any new taxes are applied on new fares it become cause of misleading, wrong advertisement, misleading website become reason of sensitivity of ryanair. Mobile phones and gambling also not allowed during journey and it is discouraging the customers. Increase in the emission of CO2 and fuel consumption and it has bad impact on environment. Opportunities: If ryanair start better business routes and start new operation by doing merger and acquisition. If ryanair fulfil the EU market requirements then due to its low fare policy it can develop the economy growth and increase the employment opportunities. OPEN SKY agreement can help out to develop its business route and consolidation of low fares. It can attract middle class people for the travelling. Ryanair can also get new fleet on lease and it will be good source of earning. Threats: There many competitors in the market like LLC are direct competitor of ryanair which has affected the share market. Rich people and upper class people dont prefer low fare they want good and high class service so that is also threat for the ryanair. It can create problem to make decision in future. New rules and regulation can be threat for the ryanair, might be it can emphasis to increase the cost. Threat of war and bad weather can create problem in journey planners. Strategic capabilities of Ryanair: Strategic capabilities mean those skills and ability that help out to achiveve the stage of surveillance of market. It has two types. Resources Competences Resources: Threshold resources: Ryanair includes Flights, office equipment, head quarters, finance resources and employees. Core resources: Ryanair has also core resources which is CEO Michael OLeary. Competence : Threshold competences: It includes online banking system, operation of on time delivery, point to point routing. Core competences: Core competence of ryanair is low cost, no frill strategy and route policy strategy. All of these capabilities of the ryanair are the part of the SWOT. We can come to know about the resources of the ryanair and which core concepts and threshold are includes. It is also helpful in analysis of strategy of ryanair. Ryanair competitive advantage: Ryanair have competitive advantage because of its low fares, no frills, point to point fights, online booking, tickles boarding and no refund policies and many more. Except theses there are many reasons like marketing on airports, no cargo service, new air crafts, new fleets and ryanair have corporate partnership which is the reason of high productivity level. Ryanair also provide basic services during journeys. Conclusion and recommendations: At the end, in my point of view Ryanair should have to keep on its competitors which strategy techniques they are using like Virgin airline are using Bowman strategy clock so it should have to use it. Ryanair should have to offer high and good quality service with low prices through these customers will attract more. Yip and Johnson has appraised on their article Transforming Strategy that if the company is offering lower cost with the lower strategy has no work and cannot compete with their rivals. Ryanair has tried to hit the specific market like Ireland UK market by organise growth plans. Ryanair thinks that by increasing the quality service and routes from UK to Europe where the high cost service are available, it can increase the sales. Thus, Ryanair strategy low fare, good service , no frill strategy can make more profit and can increase their income level as well as they can bound in relation with the stakeholders customer and passengers.

Evolution of Server-side Technologies

Evolution of Server-side Technologies Chris Avgerinos Introduction A fundamental change has been occurring for the last fifteen years in the way people write computer programs. Scripting languages such as Perl and Tcl replaced the system programming languages such as C and C++. There are tremendous differences between the languages due to the fact that scripting languages were designed for completely different tasks than system programming languages. The main operations of system programming languages are for building data structures and algorithms from the beginning using elements such as words of memory. Scripting languages assume the sets of powerful components and connect them together. Management of complexity is the main use of system programming languages. On the other hand, scripting languages simplify connections between components and provide rapid application development. (J.Ousterhout, 1998) The main focus of this paper is the evolution of scripting languages and the improvements on web-applications. The history of Scripting Language Scripting is as old as computers due to the fact that in order to use a computer you would need scripting. It begun in the 1950s and ‘60s were programmers subjected punch cards into mainframe operators and the machines used to ran in batch mode. The first scripting language was Job Control Language (JCL) and while they were very functional, their response time was very slow. (Delony, 2012) The idea of scriptable shells came into practice in the 1960s when programmers started developing interactive time-sharing systems. One of the earliest projects was MULTICS and late when some of the Bell Labs programmers left the project, they created another project called UNIX using their own system that they used in the MULTICS project. UNIX shells made it possible to do various complex tasks in one line of shell code using the ability to send the output of one program into the input of another. (Delony, 2012) In 1987, Larry Wall created Perl which was popular in the 90s for creating web-applications. Languages such as Python and ruby were invented and Python was the main rival of Perl. (Delony, 2012) Application areas In this section of the paper, we are going to categorize these languages in order to analyze them correctly. The four main categories are Command, Application, Markup and Universal scripting languages. Command scripting languages These are the oldest class of scripting languages appearing in 1960 when there was a great need for programs and task control managers. As we said before, the most famous of the earliest languages was JCL which was created for IBM OS/360 operating systems. We have also Sed and Awk which were text-processing languages. These languages were the first to include regular expression matching and later implemented into Perl. (A.Kanavin, 2002) Application scripting languages These languages were created in 1980s. Such a language was Microsoft-created Visual Basic and later crated its subset Visual basic for application programming. It emphasizes on user interface programming and component embedding. Later on, earlier languages such as Word Basic and Excel Macro Language were replaced by VBA as the main language for programming Microsoft office suite. Its influence spread and soon VBScript and LotusScript adapted these changes. Table 1: Command Scripting Languages In this class we have also JavaScript which is client parts of web-programming projects. This language has a few dialects such as Jscript and it was first introduced in the Netscape Navigator 2.0 browser. (A.Kanavin, 2002) Table 2: Command Scripting Languages Markup Languages Markup languages differ from the other languages due to the fact that they are not programming languages rather than special command words called ‘tags’ that markup parts of text documents which later used by programs called ’processors’ and had the ability to transform a text so it could be displayed in the browser or converting it to some other data format. The main use of Markup languages is the separation of contents and structures. In addition, they include formatting commands and interactive objects into documents. (A.Kanavin, 2002) In 1969, GML (Generic markup Language) was the first Markup language that was created by IBM. Based on the idea of GML, ISO created a standard called SGML in 1986. Among the Markup languages, TeX, HTML and XHTML became the most known languages. In 1979, Donald Knuth, created Tex which was basically designed precise description of how the documents look overlooking the complexity of the structure. This language aim at people who do not necessarily need to know how to program in contrast with Postscript, which was created by Adobe. In the scientific community, TeX achieved enormous popularity because it can fulfil the need for high-quality rendering of complex formulas. HTML is the basic language of the World Wide Web. It is basically an SGML application. XML is a simpler and streamlined version of SGML which emphasizes on transporting, storing data and exchange data between all kinds of systems. It is used for transforming complex data and hierarchical storing data. HTML was redefined in the terms of XML in 2001 and it was called XHTML. (A.Kanavin, 2002) Table 3: Markup Languages Universal scripting languages In this class, we have the languages that are well-known and were originally created for the UNIX environment. However, the goals were very different. The Perl programming language was made for report generation but it became known for its enormous popularity is the ability to write simple and efficient CGI scripts for forming dynamic web pages. First, Python was a tool for accessing system services of the experimental operating system Amoeba but later on, it became an object-oriented scripting language. Applications languages exist that are used by Microsoft.NET platform. Tcl was mainly used as an application extension but it was first created as string processing and close integration with Tk library. It differs from Perl and Python because it relies on C and C++ extensions. Other languages appeared with web services. PHP is the most popular language and is a combination of HTML and traditional programming procedures. (A.Kanavin, 2002) Table 4: Universal Scripting Languages Languages overview Python Python is an object-oriented language which provides high-level data structures. For example, associative arrays, dynamic typing and binding, etc. Python is a powerful programming language that has a flexible and simple syntax. In 1990, Guido van Rossum created Python and since then it is free and can be run on any computer. Python is modular by nature meaning that the core of Python can be extended by importing new extensions. Various standard extensions for operations such as script manipulations and Perl-like extensions are included in the Python distribution. Moreover, it has Graphical User Interface (GUI) generators, web-related utilities, operating system services, etc. Furthermore, we can create new extensions with new or old code. There has been a remarkable amount of extensions that have been created such as GADFLY, which is an SQL database manager written in Python, PIL the Python imaging library, FNORB, OmniBorker, Numeric Python, etc.(Sanner, 1999) Figure 1: â€Å"The molecule viewer application showing the protein Carmbin (1crn) with its secondary structure shown as a ribbon. The molecular surfaces corresponding to helix1 and sheet2 are displayed and colored using, respectively the â€Å"RASMOL residue† coloring scheme and the â€Å"by atom type† coloring scheme. Some pull down menus have been torn off to show the commands they provide. This set of commands can be extended dynamically by loading modules and commands from libraries.†(Sanner, 1999) Perl Perl was created in 1986 by Larry Wall and is basically a combination of C and various UNIX utilities and the convenience of shell scripting. Some of the languages strength is: easily accessing regular expressions, lists, associative arrays, the ability to treat any value as a string, resource management has become automatic. And if you want to create something, you can do it with many ways. This is called TIMTOWTDI (There Is More Than One Way To Do It). In order to handle complexity, you can use object-orientation. However, some languages force the use of it and usually add unnecessary complexity to almost every project. To tackle this problem, Perl added support for objects; it did so in a way that complex modeling can be achieved if needed.(Chip, n.d.) #!/usr/local/bin/perl $count = 0; while () { @w = split; $count++; for ($i=0; $i $s[$i] += $w[$i]; } } for ($i=0; $i print $s[$i]/$count, t; } print n; â€Å"This is a simple script that computes the average of each column in a table of data. It shows one common usage: read in the data and split each line directly to words and store these words in an array.† LISP The LISP language is designed for symbolic data processing using differential and integral calculus, electrical circuit theory, mathematical logic, game playing and other various fields of artificial intelligence. Since LISP is mathematical language, it is possible to give a complete description of it. It is different from other languages in three ways. First of all, it differs in the nature of the data. S-expressions are data arc in the form of symbolic expressions. Significant sub-expressions can be readily isolated due to the fact that S-expressions have indefinite length and a branching tree type of structure. The source of the language itself is the second difference from the other languages because it specifies in what way the S-expressions are to be processed. The third and final difference of LISP is that it can interpret and execute programs written in the form of S-expressions.(McCarthy, 1965) (defparameter *small* 1) (defparameter *big* 100) (defun guess-my-number () (ash (+ *small* *big*) -1)) (defun smaller () (setf *big* (1- (guess-my-number))) (guess-my-number)) (defun bigger () (setf *small* (1+ (guess-my-number))) (guess-my-number)) (defun start-over () (defparameter *small* 1) (defparameter *big* 100) (guess-my-number)) â€Å"This is a super simple number guessing game. Its also designed to illustrate what its like to work within a REPL.† Improving Web Application performance The need for Client-Side Scripting Nowadays, people expect that web applications function just like a windows application due to the fact that web applications have become more powerful and sophisticated. Basically, web applications reside the source code and assemblies and are processed on a web server. What a web server does is that it accepts an incoming HTTP request and then it returns the requested resource in an HTTP response. (Fote, 2013) The process of submitting an ASP.NET page to the server for processing is called PostBack. The HTML page is sent to the web server every time a PostBack happens. What happens is this: the server loads the page, it processes events and renders the new HTML back to the client but on a PostBack the entire page is refreshed. Due to the fact that large web applications consume large amount of view state, it can be very consuming for the client and as a result it will become a major problem for the web server. (Fote, 2013) Inside a client’s HTML page, there are embedded scripts which are called Client-Side scripting. What it does is that the code will be processed on the client machine rather than perform a PostBack to the web-server. Moreover, it is basically used for navigating on pages, date validation and formatting and the language that is used is JavaScript which is compatible to any browser. Client-Side scripting has two benefits. The first is that it is very fast and the second is that it requires fewer resources an the web-server. (Fote, 2013) Ajax Part of Ajax is an object called XMLHttpRequest. What Ajax does is that it makes possible the transfer of data between the browser and the server, using XMLHttpRequest API, without having to reload the web page. This object quickly become popular and web applications such as Google maps and Gmail were created using XMLHttpRequest to get new map titles without reloading the page. The requests that Ajax uses, are triggered by JavaScript code. This is what happens: your code sends a request to a URL, and then it receives a response, that triggers a callback function to handle the response. The rest of the code continues to execute while the request is being process due to the fact that the request is asynchronous.(â€Å"Ajax | jQuery Learning Center,† n.d.) Conclusion To conclude, server-side technologies have been greatly evolved over the years. Languages such as Python, HTML and Perl have raised the standards of scripting languages. Web applications have been improved with the help of Client-Side technologies such as Ajax which played a significant role in the improvement of web applications. I believe that in the future we will see new languages that will surpass the current languages by far. References A.Kanavin, An overview of scripting languages (2002) Lappeenranta University of Technology [online] Available at: http://www.sensi.org/~ak/impit/studies/report.pdf Date of Access: 25/3/2014 Ajax | jQuery Learning Center, n.d. Chip, n.d. The ascent of scripting languages. Geeks Are Sexy Technol. News. Delony, D., 2012. Scripting Languages 101 [WWW Document]. Techopedia.com. URL http://www.techopedia.com/2/28762/development/programming-languages/scripting-languages-101 (accessed 3.12.14). Fote, B., 2013. How Does Client-Side Scripting Improve Web Application Performance? [WWW Document]. Segue Technol. URL http://www.seguetech.com/blog/2013/02/07/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-client-side-scripting (accessed 3.13.14). J.Ousterhout, Scripting: Higher Level Programming for the 21st Century (1998) Tcl Developer Xchange [online] Available at: http://www.tcl.tk/doc/scripting.html Date of Access: 25/3/2014 McCarthy, J., 1965. LISP 1.5 Programmer’s Manual. MIT Press. Sanner, M.F., 1999. Python: a programming language for software integration and development. J Mol Graph Model 17, 57–61.

The Devils Shadow :: essays research papers

The Devil's Shadow Time Setting: The Devil's Shadow by Clifford Lindsey Alderman took place in the late seventeenth century from 1692-1693. This is the time period that the Salem Witch Trials took place. The main plot of the story rested on the events leading up to the Salem Witch Trials, the trials themselves, and the aftermath of the trials. Detailed accounts of witch executions, the actual trials, and the events that caused the trials were discussed in the story. Place Setting: Most of the action in this story took place in Salem, Massachusetts. This was the birthplace of the witchcraft hysteria and it was also the actual site of the Salem Witch Trials. The town of Salem, Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century was a small puritan community that was largely uneducated and very superstitious. Since many lacked education, they did not understand many events that happened in their daily lives. Many things that went wrong in their daily lives would be blamed on witchcraft or sorcery. Such common things as burnt bread or broken plates would be blamed on the supernatural. Many people, especially the uneducated, firmly believed in the existence of witches and warlocks. They believed that such individuals had the power to perform "black magic" that caused some kind of trouble. Every time something bad happened they would blame it on witches and witchcraft. Main Characters: One of the main characters in this story was Tituba, an African slave woman from Barbados. She was purchased in Barbados by a merchant named Samuel Parris. She lived in Barbados until Samuel Parris brought her to Salem to work as his servant. She was known to practice Obeah, an African cult sorcery. People who performed or practiced Obeah were said to be able to predict the future, make magical charms, and drive away evil spirits. Tituba was accused of teaching witchcraft to a small group of girls in Salem. Samuel Parris, another main character in this story, was a merchant who attended Harvard University. He was the owner of Tituba and her husband. He had studied to become a minister before he left Harvard. He was a business man who traded slaves, sugar, and rum in Barbados. Things began to not work out for him when he started making less and less money. He gave up his career as a merchant in 1689 and moved to Salem to become a minister. Other main characters in this story include the girls that were taught witchcraft by Tituba, the judges in the courtroom, and the men and women who were accused of witchcraft.