Saturday, August 31, 2019

It is in description Essay

1.The Salon was extremely important for artists wanting to establish their reputations. How do artists address that same challenge today? For all its pomp and popularity, the manner in which The Salon aids in establishing artists mainly through the same way that people seek to establish themselves in today’s modern times; finding a means to showcase one’s works to as many people as possible. This was answered by The Salon by providing a grounds that had no parallel in popularity, hence reaching multitudes of audiences at any given year. Nowadays, with the absence of such tightly-knit cultural circles such as those in the visual art field, modern technology allows for artists to reach out and display their works for al to see, in an even more convenient way – through the internet. There are websites that host image displays, allowing artists to create a portfolio that is easily accessible and available at any time at their whims. Given time and popularity, one may even venture out into creating one’s own website for the purpose of galleries and whatnot. 2. How did art reflect the period’s preoccupation with science? At the time, architecture was already undergoing a transformation due to the influence of neoclassicism. However the biggest reflection of science in art during this period was the introduction of the Industrial Revolution which took place from the 18th century to the 19th century. This reflected in art pieces and such, showing the change taking place not only in art but in the development of mankind in a way where artists are somehow likened to historians, keeping tabs on the development of man 3. How did revolution influence art in the eighteenth century? What revolutions are influencing art today? Art in the 18th century were influenced deeply by the French Revolution as political and structural change we being implemented left and right. These changes found their way into art as well, for the change in society is often reflected in art through means descriptive of change as well. Not only was it the French Revolution that affected art in this way, but the Industrial Revolution as well. Nowadays, art is being greatly influenced by the digital revolution, wherein visual art is created through computers. 4. Neoclassicism was popular in Europe and the United States. (Just take a look at the government buildings in Washington, D. C.) Why was the style so appealing? What did the builders expect the style to express? Why do we think it represents us? Neoclassicism became very popular in the United States as well as in Europe for the fact that it allows one culture to honor their traditions in architecture, paying proper homage to that which had been developed by their forefathers, meanwhile allowing a bit of leeway enough to alter these traditions in manners unoffensive to the past. May of those who sought to incorporate this style in building were able to do so, honoring traditional values and developing current ones. It is deemed to represent us so aptly as it is important for one people to respect and honor and especially remember their heritage. 1. Technology radically changed 19th century architecture. What are some of the changes that modern technology has brought to architecture? How do those changes make our lives easier? How do those changes make our lives easier? How do they sometimes complicate our lives? With the introduction of innovation, most often the perception of man that has endured for so long – often as long as it took since the last revolutionary technology – takes a drastic overhaul; a major if not total restructuring or reinventing of tried and tested theories as well as practices. The art field is no different. With the introduction of modern techniques, from brushes to pens to digital media, art has undergone many transitions from one media to another, and from one technology to the next. Architecture, for example, has made developmental leaps and bounds through time as proved by the wildly varied architectural styles from different periods. Even as we enter the modern age, architecture continually develops to suit the needs of the current societal trends as well as tastes. Modern technology made it possible for new concepts in architecture to arise such as use of materials that treat the air around it, and conveniences such as with durable materials that remain lightweight yet sturdy. Advancements in modern technology have made it convenient to set into stone concepts that would not have been possible before. However, some of these concepts that up until recently had not been possible also allowed the creation of other architectural experiments that serve no true purpose than to prove its possibility, at the cost of practicality. 2. Why were historical styles popular in the 19th century? What did artists and architects hope to achieve by executing those styles in new materials? From the year 1800 until the end of the century in the coming of the year 1900, many architectural styles had grown in fame as well as practitioners, 19th century Victorian architecture in the land of Glasgow, Scotland, for example, is one of the more popular historical architectural styles of the century. It had reached its climax in popularity during 1817 – 1875 and was used to denote a grand sophistication about the structures at the time. It symbolized the boldness as well as the audacity and wealthiness of the people of Glasgow and even now, with the incorporation of the styles, it showcases the grandeur and bravura and pride within one’s self. 3. Baudelaire urged artists to paint the â€Å"heroism of modern life.† How do painters and sculptors address that challenge today? Why do artists still think it’s important to do? Charles Baudelaire’s concept of â€Å"The Heroism of Modern Life† was one he so boldly ventured forth in doing as presented in Salon of 1846. Nevertheless, there are still quite many artists who see it fit to tackle such sensitive matters in the way Charles Baudelaire did: blatantly painting a picture of despair and misery, all the time extending the factors of hope and mystery. This is deemed important by many artists of today especially in the trying, troubling times that beplague humanity today to show that no matter what adversity we may face, there will always be hope. 4. When photography was first invented, artists claimed it wasn’t art because it was a mechanical process. What inventions are available to create visual images that people do not consider to be art? Why do artists still use them? The classification of photography by most visual art purists as a field unfitting of the term art stem from their perception of visual art as something that has to be rendered solely by the hands of the artist. As such they tend to discriminate against photography, wherein the images captured themselves may have long been around to have not been rendered or created by the photographer. However, the fact that photographers are   able to create visually appealing photographs are often the results of their development of various artistic talents; mastery of composition, knowledge of depths, and a keen eye for that which although seemingly mundane may be captured on film in such a way that exudes aesthetically pleasing qualities, hence should be considered art. In the same sense, these artistic purists also look down upon those who are able to create art through means that may be easily reproduced. Art trades such as the use of typography, mosaics, stencils, and the like are easily dismissed as not art or at least a lower form of it. What is often overlooked with these said fields – including photography – is that the conceptualization alone of these images is already an art in itself, let alone the execution and process of putting these said ideas into visual imagery. Thus artists continue to use these as they do not necessarily hamper one’s artistry, but rather opens new opportunities to expand the possibilities of visual creation.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Application of social learning theory in psychology research Essay

‘Explaining substance use among Puerto Rican adolescents: a partial test of social learning theory’ is an article by Holly Ventura Miller, Wesley G. Jennings, Lorna L. Alverez-Rivera and J. Mitchell Miller. The article is a 2008 publication in the Journal of Drug Issues Volume 38, issue number 1. In this study, Miller et al (2008) seek to use social learning theory to understand substance use among Puerto Rican adolescents as part of the larger Hispanic group. The importance of social learning is assessed through finding out the effect of differences in an individual’s description of substance use as compared to the description that peers have. This study is based on the view that most adolescents who have friends who are in substance abuse also become substance abusers. Perceptions about drug abuse also seem to be similar with those held by the peers. Social interactions of the youths therefore seem to play a big role in learned behavior and perceptions. Miller et al (2008) have reviewed considerable literature on social learning theory more so the aspect of differential association in acquisition of socially unacceptable behavior. A cross-cultural application of social learning theory forms the center of this study where a group (288 youths) of Puerto Rican adolescents is chosen as the study sample. This study specifically focuses on how peer and personal perception of substance use influence alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use. The survey-type of study was carried among school going youths aged 14-19 years in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The subjects were selected from public and private schools with the sample size from public schools being considerably higher compared to that from private schools (69% versus 31%). The survey was conducted using questionnaires where several variables were assessed. Questionnaires administered in public schools were written in English whereas those issued in public schools were in Hispanic. The study excluded subjects who did not report being Hispanic since ethnicity was a very crucial variable. The adolescents were assessed of their behaviors as regards to alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking and marijuana use. Predictor variables were social learning (definitions on substance abuse) and sex. The control variables in this study were age and belonging to single-parent family. After statistical analyses (logistic regression analyses), it was found out that youths in private schools had a greater lifetime substance use and reported peer influence in the use of the three substances. In addition, males were likely to be involved in use of the three substances under study as opposed to females in both types of schools. In private schools, a significant difference in substance use was noted to exist between males and females. It is also notable that cigarette use among females in public schools was influenced by their views of smoking cigarettes as a favorable behavior. This was also the case with private school males. Personal definitions were also found to play a big role in alcohol consumption. Marijuana use was mainly due to the influence of peers’ definition as opposed to personal definition. Miller et al (2008) therefore concluded that if personal definitions of substance use are favorable, the likelihood of substance abuse is high. Peer definitions are also significantly important determinants of substance abuse as evidenced by marijuana use among Puerto Rican adolescents. Sex is also a determinant factor in influencing substance use. Article 2 The article ‘social learning, self control, and substance abuse by eight grade students: at tale of two cities’ by L. Thomas Winfree Jr. and Frances P. Bernat is a 1998 publication in the Journal of Drug Issue volume 28, issue number 2. In this study, Winfree and Bernat (1998) examine the effectiveness of the social cognitive theory and self control theory in predicting level of substance abuse among a group of eight graders in a large versus a small city. Among the substances the substances that the eight grade students are assessed of include alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana among others. This sample is selected from Phoenix, Arizona and Las Cruces, N. M. the cities are choice for this study due to differences in types of crimes thus the authors of this study challenge that the two theories cannot be used to predict substance abuse among the two groups of youths. Winfree and Bernat (2008) argue that the social learning theory is viewed as being able to predict how people develop delinquent behaviors, as well as the environment that is likely to predispose one to delinquent behaviors. As such, it is viewed that substance abuse by youths can be predicted by the social learning theory as long as the social environment of the youth is well understood. On the other hand, Winfree and Bernat (1998) argue that the self control theory indicates that the level of self control determines human behavior especially in consideration of factors such as self interest and tendency to seek pleasure and not pain. In their study, Winfree and Bernet (1998) carried out a wide cross-sectional study in 11 localities including Phoenix and Las Cruces. The subjects who participated in this study gave an informed consent through either parents or guardians. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires and the surveyors helped the students in understanding the questions thus improving accuracy of data collected. Dependent variables in this study were use of different substances within the past one year. Social learning independent variables included neutralization, guilt, positive reinforcement and negative pushers. Self control independent variables included parental monitoring, impulsivity and risk-taking. After performing regression analyses, it was evident that there was a low level of substance abuse among Phoenix students who said that they would feel very guilty if their engaged in substance abuse. Higher levels of substance abuse in Phoenix sample was identified among students who agreed greatly to neutralizing statements about negativity of crime. In terms of self control, there was higher substance use among students who reported higher risk taking tendencies. However, parental control and impulsivity did not provide enough data for evaluation. In Las Cruces, it was observed that youths who had seen gangsters and viewed gangsters as having better lifestyles were likely to abuse substances. The same happened with neutralization of negativity of crime. Guilt was not a big determinant of substance abuse in Las Cruces. Conclusively, Winfree and Bernet argue that social learning theory and self control theory can be used to evaluate delinquency in adolescents. From the above two articles, social learning theory emerges as an important tool for predicting substance abuse. Counselors stand to benefit from the understanding of the application of social learning theory in this context since they can be able to associate a certain substance abuse problem to the social influences of the client. By identifying the source of the substance abuse problem using the social learning theory, the counselor is able to provide a way out of the delinquency or substance use. This would include subjecting favorable social environment and statements such that the substance abuse behavior is taken as a negative rather than a positive thing. It would also be helpful for the counselor to suggest a geographical relocation (e. g. school transfer) as an important way of creating the best environment (drug/crime-free environment) for adolescents. References Miller, H. V. , Jennings, W. G. , Alverez-Rivera, L. L. and Miller, J. M. (2008). â€Å"Explaining substance use among Puerto Rican adolescents: a partial test of social learning theory. † Journal of Drug Issues 38(1): 261+. Web. 15, July 2010. Questia. com. Winfree, L. T. and Bernat, F. T. (1998). â€Å"Social learning, self control, and substance abuse by eight grade students: at tale of two cities. † Journal of Drug Issue, 28(2): 539+. Web. 15, July 2010. Questia. com.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Millennial Generation and Brandi Carlile Essay

The Millennial Generation and Brandi Carlile - Essay Example This for sure will have positive effects on how families interact and communicate and how young people relate to school and learning. Considered to be the most diverse generation in history and born to the most diverse parents as well. Coates further notes that Generation Y combines the can-do attitude of Veterans, and the teamwork ethic of Boomers. For this group, the preferred learning environment combines teamwork and technology. In a classroom with lots of Gen Y's, give everyone a task. When a few have completed it, encourage them to walk around the room and help others. They're used to working this way in school. Presently, according to newspolitics.net, the Millennial Generation is larger than Baby Boomers, but how much bigger depends on where you put their beginning and ending birthdates which currently has no census. The report also stressed that like Boomers-the Millennial Generation will affect the country in various ways. ... Sophia Yan-author of understanding Generation Y stated that Members of Generation Y are characterized as being more racially and culturally tolerant than past generations. Gay rights and non-traditional gender roles have also become more widely accepted. Generation Y is ground-breaking in the sense that its members have come of age in a both a politically and socially tumultuous period with constant bombardment from various media outlets. As the first generation to have easy access to the Internet, ways of thinking have changed rapidly. As Generation Y goes to college and penetrates the work force, the landscape of America may change even more dramatically. Generation Y has been growing up in an increasingly diverse and multicultural society where barriers of race tend to be disappearing. According to the 2002 U.S. Bureau of the Census, 37.6 % of Generation Y, they are non-White (Strauss, 2004). Because of their diversity, The Millennial Generation is more accustomed to a wide range of global and cultural viewpoints, and their acceptance and tolerance is reflected in all areas of their lives, public as well as private. Characteristics of Generation Y The Millennial Generation has a specific set of characteristics (positive and negative) and personality traits that defines individuals of that era. 1. They have a closer relationship with parents and develop pure bond of admiration for their parents (33% names one or both parents as their hero, rather than a pop culture celebrity). 2. The small sphere of influence has contributed to the creation of a generation that is, in general, more polite and considerate than their predecessors. They are less likely to call adults by their first names, but rather use the more formal Mr. or Mrs. 3. Programmed and team

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Behaviour Management Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Behaviour Management Statement - Essay Example Due to individual differences and even disability, the skill of communication and understanding is important. Through this the educator can gain the interest and curiosity of the student, keep it and achieve an open line of communication towards learning, Misbehaviour is an important focus in the learning process of special children because it can hinder the learning process. There are different reasons why a student misbehaves. One instance is the lack of understanding with what a student is trying to communicate due to focus on another student. When the student is then asked to participate misbehaviour can occur. One reason is that the student can see the participation of other students and is anxious that he or she cannot perform the task. Another is that the student can see that I failed to understand reasons for the misbehaviour. In such situations, I consider that continuous effort to gain the students attention and interest as an important factor. This can be attributed to the fact that communication is the main alley for learning. This can only occur if variation in teaching methods is used. A group of students had different needs when it comes to learning. Some are active learners and others can be considered passive. Thus, it is important to have lessons addressing to both needs. For problematic students, knowing their possible problems such as home issues and peer pressures can also improve the approach that can be applied as a teacher. Determining the root of the misbehaviour is essential. As an educator, it is also important for me to prevent actions that can cause and trigger misbehaviour in students such as disregard to the individual differences of the students and failure to determine their capacity thus giving them activities they cannot accomplish. Being a bad example in behaviour and negative form of reinforcements are also needed to be prevented (Conway). The responsibility of an educator is not bounded

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

E-Health Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E-Health Program - Essay Example Before the internet, if health problems were to arise in an individual, he/she was generally taken care of in the doctor's office or by home remedies. If any questions were to arise about the health of yourself or others, the expertise of a doctor or nurse was generally needed. The WebMD health website is a website that has been designed to answer the questions about anything from medications to illnesses and can easily be obtained in a matter of seconds. Also, being able to communicate with the doctors or order prescriptions online has proved to be a huge advantage. In the next few paragraphs, the advantages of WebMD services and its impact on the health care industry will be discussed. WebMD has been a huge advantage to the health care industry for many reasons, one being the use of the WebMD to research medications. WebMD that contain information on any thing from medications and their uses to finding out about diseases and their causes. Everything about a drug is listed from what illnesses the drug treats down to its structural formula. Studies show that 71.5% of people who used WebMD health care to do research felt more knowledgeable about their illness and the medications they were taking (Paasche-Orlow etal 2005). WebMD.com may be utilized as an extremely resourceful web page to seek illnesses. Any question that the user has regarding an illness or disease is answered. This access to information is very good for people who do not understand their illness and its side effects. For instance, when a doctor informs the patient about their illness, many patients do not understand the doctor's terminology. With WebMD.com, the patient is able to do further research about their illness in words and phrases they can understand. Communicating with Doctors Online The WebMD is becoming an important alternative for patients and health care providers to share information with one another. The patient is now able to email or chat with the doctor about any questions they may have, as well as the doctor being able to inform the patient of any new medications or alternative medicine that will help the healing process. Financial Ramifications The financial ramifications of implementing the planned scope of practice will be more than enough . More than the expected increased costs of training at the complex levels, the likelihood for reimbursement for a number of the new components of the scope of practice in the majority Webmed services do not reimburse for their various services . First Responders cannot attain reimbursement. To make a new level always is in need of huge investment in time as well as cost and then not be capable enough to be reimbursed for Webmed sservices is a major issue . Opportunities for the WebMD in Healthcare Clearly, one of the benefits of the WebMD is its ability to provide real-time communications with doctors without having to transport patients to and from the doctor's office. This also helps with

Monday, August 26, 2019

Moral Problems Raised by the Immoralists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Moral Problems Raised by the Immoralists - Essay Example In this argumentative essay, I will focus on finding out whether Plato provide adequate solution to the moral problems raised by immoralists and whether he provides good reasons to suggest that the good life is the best life (Melchert, 45) Plato’s dialogue referred to as Euthyphro brings out a discussion that occurred between Socrates and his counterpart, Euthyphro. The dialogue concerns the meaning of piety, as brought out by Socrates asking the meaning of piety, as well as impiety. He tries to clearly find out this virtue which he mostly regards as a manner of living that brings satisfaction to one’s duty both to gods and to humanity, this he affirms by saying â€Å"that which is considered holy by God is piety† This is of concern with respect to the fate of Socrates, who as seen from the dialogue has been accused of impiety and is thus is almost to be tried before the Athenian court in order to establish his guilt or innocence of the crime accused to him. His consistent argument is based on the opinion that the Athenian societies generally did not comprehend the real nature of either devotion or wickedness (Melchert, 18). This is observed when Socrates asks Euthyphro to reply to the question â⠂¬Å"What is piety?† He has an aim in doing this, for Euthyphro, a sophist, claims to be wise concerning such issues, while in the case of Socrates is making no such claim for himself but professes to just be ignorant. Socrates tries to find out how wise Euthyphro, and if not to the given standard, he will expose the shallowness of his claim. The statement of Socrates saying, â€Å"In cannot assent to your superior wisdom†. Euthyphro is seen to have the fame of being a wise individual, a mystic, and a fortuneteller. Being a teacher, he provides instructions on moral and political matters, as Socrates states, â€Å"I have become your disciple. You Mellitus, as I shall say to him, acknowledge Euthyphro to be a great theologian, and sound in his opinions†, (Plato’s Republic, 34).

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Crime in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Crime in the UK - Essay Example In addition, the victimisation of the population is also gender specific. Women fall victim to some crimes in greater numbers than men, while some crimes have men as their main target. An evaluation of the gender specific issues that impact the perpetrators and the victims of criminal activity can help illuminate the forces and theories that explain criminal behaviour. In many ways, men and women have become more socially equal in the last decade, though there are still important social and cultural differences. Eighty percent of the 1.42 million offenders that were sentenced in the UK in 2006 were male, and in the crime of sexual assault the number rose to 97 percent (Office for National Statistics, 2008, p.12). While gender was highly correlated to specific crimes it was also had a relationship to the gender of the victim. Females were almost six times as likely to be the victim of domestic violence, while men were four times more likely than women to suffer from the violence inflicted by a stranger (Office for National Statistics, 2008, p.12). Acquaintance violence was more nearly even with men becoming the victim 58 percent of the time (Office for National Statistics, 2008, p.12). Understanding the social and cultural differences that create these disparities can help further to design policies that will further reduce the crime rate. In addit ion to the different motivations that gender presents to the criminal act, the perceptions of the victim are also gender specific. Women are likely to be fearful of crime and worry about it to a degree that it impacts their quality of life, while these same emotions impact men to a lesser degree. An evaluation of social forces, crime theory, and victim theory can help to reduce crime further and limit the unwarranted worry of becoming a victim. The examination of the crime of assault reveals the role that acquaintances, relationships, and gender play to impact the initiation of violence. Men are slightly more likely to be the victim of acquaintance violence than a woman (Office for National Statistics, 2008, p.12). Studies have shown that there is a substantial propensity for violence among women, but the expression of violent behaviour is largely limited to intimate and personal relationships (George, 1999, p.76). Inter-relationship female on male violence has its foundation in rage, frustration, jealousy, and anger, while the perpetrator does not stop to consider the size of the male, their own defencelessness, or the possibility of retribution. According to George (1999), "It has been suggested, in relation to violence in dating relationships, that females may perceive aggression toward male romantic partners as more acceptable or less dangerous than aggression toward others and hence tend to confine their aggression to such intimate relationships" (p.76). However, the rates of domestic violence indicate that the threat of retaliation is real, and simply ignored. When women initiate violent assault, they suspend their social values and pragmatic judgment and their behaviour becomes controlled by the emotionally charged self. This is further reinforced by the other emotional traits when "to be the centre of attention and putting one's needs before the needs of others (self-centredness) doubled the odds of female participation in violent crimes" (Ramoutar & Farrington, 2006, p.565). For women, emotion plays a central role

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Are you ready marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Are you ready marketing - Essay Example This action helps the firm to work to gain legitimacy despite its relative youth as compared to many of its competitors who have already made a name for themselves within the industry. The firm offers what it deems a unique approach to marketing in that demographics, psychographics, and behaviors of the target audience are formulated with ROI an ever present factor. Therefore, the overarching rubric of the reason why the analysis is being conducted is never lost in the weeds. Furthermore, each part of the marketing campaign is carefully mapped and integrated (inclusive of assigning specialists to the individual branches of the plan). This specialist approach allows for an even more complete and tailored marketing plan to be delivered to clients without the need to make broad and sweeping generalizations with respect to certain aspects of the marketing plan/mix. Capital Media Solutions is a member of the 4A’s group trade association. The firm itself specializes in offering unique and tailored marketing services for a range of offerings to include: brand awareness promotion, leads generation, revenue increase, as well as attracting new customers to a given brand. Further, the company offers tailored expertise across the gamut of media options. A further specialization offered is that the marketing mix they employ has a dedicated point of contact within the company at each and ever given phase. Thereby, the firm provides a specialist to guide their clients through individualized steps of the process without requiring a â€Å"jack of all trades† marketing specialist to provide a one size fits all approach to product marketing/development. Likewise, Capitol Media Solutions website is listed below with the URL of 4A’s Trade Union listed directly below that. Furthermore, the firm although a recent entrant into the market is currently hiring and has an in house jobs bulletin in which it advertises a host of positions to include: Media

Children who are affected and impacted by their parents with aids Essay

Children who are affected and impacted by their parents with aids - Essay Example Children are at risk of mental, physical and psychological trauma, growing up with the scars of AIDS resultant mutilated life. There is the horrifying problem of children getting AIDS due to the parental ailment. That apart, assuming that these children were born before the parents were afflicted, this will not allow them off the hook and for the rest of their lives, they usually are troubled with the resultant trauma, if not by regular AIDS itself, and for a child, both are equally terrifying. Despite the publicity and literature, surprisingly there is a lack of knowledge about the fatal disease, its transmission and preventive measures. This happens perhaps mainly due to the stigma attached to HIV. People still hesitate to openly discuss the implications and policies; their rights and the help on hand. Usually the subject is avoided, especially in the presence of children. If children are below the understandable age, any way it is not easy for them to know, other than that their parents are suffering and dying and the future is bleak for them. If they are adolescents or old enough to understand the implications, their suffering is all the more acute. It is extremely difficult for children to watch the parents suffer from AIDS and the connected 'opportunistic' illnesses, like serious, incurable infections. It is mentally debilitating for them to see the difficult times that the parents are going through. to see the agony of approaching death, and to watch the parents who were their security in their short lives, losing their strength and nearing the death's door with every passing minute is psychologically horrendous for the innocent lives. According to a 1986 survey by CDC 28,098 cases were reported and 15,757 were dead by December 18, 1986. According to Public Health Service, two million people in US are infected, but are asymptomatic. CDC projected in 1986 that 270,000 cases in US by 1991. 79% of them came from families in which one or both parents were afflicted. 88% were children under 5 out of which 20% were white, 57% were black, and 22% were Hispanic and 55% of them were male children. (All figures based on http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-925/aids.htm) Children, unlike other social segments, lack cohesion, grouping, militancy, united fight and lobbying. They simply resign themselves to reality and wither away and hence, the need for their protection is on the society and government. This is a sacred and bounden duty and immense responsibility. "According to the UN definition, which includes children that have lost either their mother or both parents before the age of 15, the epidemic is already thought to have created 14m orphans ," (Elbe, 2003, p.54). After a few years, the real horror of the problem struck the world, when an extensive survey was taken and the unimaginable figures came out. "In the year 2000, UNAIDS Report gave the figure as 34.75 million children below the age of fifteen who have been orphaned because of AIDS" (Smith, 2003, pp. 108-9). AIDS still remains the same life threatening and devastating disease with a connected stigma. It becomes extremely difficult when the individual/s hit by AIDS belong to a family with children. Sometimes, children are already affected. But sometimes the earlier children might not have been affected and will survive their parents. It is difficult to presume the reaction and questions from a child's standpoint, watching one or both

Friday, August 23, 2019

Anger looking at different articles and compare and contrast Essay

Anger looking at different articles and compare and contrast - Essay Example But in this modern age and with the advancement of science, experts are viewing anger in a different perspective and are trying to understand the significance and impact it has on physical and mental health of an individual. In Jane E. Bhody’s account on â€Å"Venting anger may do more harm than good† (New York Times, March 8th, 1983) she speaks of a number of modern treatment techniques by different experts. One such, was a controversial book authored by social psychologist Dr. Carol Tavris called â€Å"Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion† (Simon and Shuster) According to her, anger is more destructive when it is expressed than when it is suppressed. But this view tends to limit the role of venting ones anger, than what is popularly practiced today. Research carried out has built a growing body of evidence that proves that though venting anger may reduce some forms of illness, it may actually enhance or contribute to others. The psychologist states that â€Å"People who are most prone to give vent to their rage, get angrier not less angry†. (Dr. Carol Tavris) The example she gives us is marital arguments where one person’s anger triggers or provokes its opponent to respond in a similar fashion. According to psychoanalyst Dr. Leo Maddow’s â€Å"get-the-anger-out† and â€Å"be honest with each other† can be quite destructive for the very fact that there is a face to face out burst of conflicting emotions. This can be disastrous especially in big companies, if workers are going to confront each other with anger; the healthy and peaceful atmosphere of the company is put on the line. Another view by a New York Psychiatrist Dr. Willard Gaylin, describes that the ventilation of anger is â€Å"a form of public littering†. (Dr. Willard Gaylin) He believes that though â€Å"happiness is held up as the main goal of life† (Gaylin) yet people alienate themselves from it. He adheres this to the technological

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Lord Capulet Essay Example for Free

Lord Capulet Essay Within the scene where Capulet is crossed by Tybalt at his masked ball, Capulet differs again. His mood suddenly changes from being humorous and charming to being hot headed and flying of the handle. I believe he is short tempered and is unable to control it; he becomes very angry towards Tybalt. Why, how now, kinsman! Wherefore storm you so? This demonstrates to the audience how infuriating he can be. I speculate the audiences learn that Capulet is a changeable character, as he is logical and caring but he becomes deadly serious when someone tries to challenge him. He assumes people should respect his authority. In act three, Lord Capulet informs his wife about the proposal. Lady Capulet deems Juliet will be overjoyed with the news hath sorted out a sudden day of joy that thou expectst not nor I lookd not for she has a positive view to marriage and feels all she needs is a man. She reveals the news to Juliet. At first Juliet considers the proposal as good news. But she then says she would rather marry her enemy than marry Paris. This is amusing because she has previously married her enemy, Romeo, in secret. I will not marry yet; and, when I do, I swear, I shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, rather than Paris This shows Juliet is intensely in love with Romeo. Lady Capulet says here comes your father; tell him yourself. I imagine she wouldnt tell him, Presuming Capulet will go insane. As he evidently did so, I will drag thee on a hurdle thither, out, you green- sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! You tallow -face! This demonstrates how contrasting his thoughts really are, he can not believe she is being so ungrateful. Previously He was praising her up, saying how dearly he loves her and how divine she is. But now he states she is worthless that Juliet is like a curse and wishes she was no longer here. In addition he told Paris that it was Juliets decision if shed like to marry him. He went back on his word and gave Juliet no choice of the matter, using his authority to over rule her, this is proof he was contradicting himself. In this time women were owned by their fathers until their time of marriage when they became property of their husbands. Capulets goal was to find a suitable match for his darling daughter, having so Juliet refused and Capulet became immoral, he bellowed wicked things to Juliet, which today no father would dare say. I presuppose Capulet thinks he has the right to speak to his daughter in such a way because she is his property I dont think this is right, nobody should be spoken to in that manner. I sense Juliet was distressed because of this. Ill to the friar, to know his remedy if all else fail, myself have power to die Lord Capulet is an over powering man, he demands and receives what he wishes, no matter if he hurts someones feelings, especially his own fl esh and bloods. Overall I have discussed that Lord Capulet has two completely opposite sides to him. He can be kind, loving, and charming, e.g. scene one, but he can soon flip to becoming unmistakably hot- headed, controlling and malicious preparing us for his actions in scene five.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Philosophy Saul Kripke Naming And Necessity Philosophy Essay

Philosophy Saul Kripke Naming And Necessity Philosophy Essay He is best known for his attack on the descriptivist (Fregean, Russellian) theory of reference with respect to proper names, according to which a name refers to an object by virtue of the names being associated with a description that the object in turn satisfies. He gave several examples purporting to render descriptivism implausible. The key features of Kripkes contribution to the philosophy of language are (1) his account of names as rigid designators and not clusters of definite descriptions; and (2) his view that there are necessary a posteriori and contingent a priori truths. Both these claims are contentious and continue to be debated vigorously. In Naming and Necessity Saul Kripke argues against type-type-identity theory by the use of an argument from philosophy of language. Kripke wants to demonstrate that if one believes in the identity of mental- and brain states, one needs to accept the theorys full consequence, namely that there cannot be brain states which are not mental states or vice versa. To defend identity theory one would thus be in a need to prove not only empirical (e.g. by scientific research), but analytical a priori, that neither brain states without mental states, nor mental states without brain states could exist. This is quite hard, if not impossible, to do since on the one hand mental states are intuitively independent from the physical domain (Cartesian intuition) and on the other hand zombies are conceivable. Kripke introduces two types of designators (namings) of entities, namely rigid designators and non-rigid (flaccid) designators. Rigid designators refer to the same entity in every possible world, if the designator has any reference at all. For example, the rigid designator Anthony Flemming refers to the same entity in all conceivable worlds. Flaccid designators may refer to different entities in different possible worlds. For example, the author of this essay is Anthony Flemming only in this very world. Flaccid designators refer to entities only by use of contingent properties (e.g. X is the author of this essay). Identities between two rigid designators that name the same entity are necessary. The proposition that they are identical is trivially a priori true (you do not need any experience to prove it). If not both designators that are claimed to be identical are rigid, this identity is contingent, if it is true. The identity might be true in this world, but this has to be proven empirically since one could conceive a non-rigid designator referring to some other object. Kripkes strategy is to show, that identity theorists could not argue mind-brain-state identity to be a contingent identity. He demonstrates that both, the term mental state and the term brain state that are claimed to refer to one and the same entity are rigid designators. As an example Kripke uses the proposition pain is c-fiber stimulation. The term pain is a rigid designator because you could not imagine it to refer to something else than the sensation pain in another world. According to Kripke one could transfer this example to every other mental-state and the brain state, which is said to be identical with it. Identity theorists have asserted, the mental states are brain states identity was contingent just like the heat is molecular movement identity is contingent. Kripke replies, even the latter identity was not a contingent one at all, but necessary. It only seems to be contingent, for one confuses the physical property heat with the sensation of feeling heat. But the name heat could either mean the one or the other thing, since the physical property heat is not identical with the sensation heat (There is heat, namely molecular movement, when there is nobody to perceive the sensation caused by it). If the designator heat names the physical property, it is a rigid designator and the identity is necessary. If the term heat names the feeling there is no identity at all. Eventually Kripke reasons from this, that type-type-identity has to be necessary, if true, which connotes that every mental state is identical with a specific brain state in every conceivable world. But mental states without brain states and brain states, that are not mental states, either the conception or identity theory has to be false. Kripkes argument seems to be some sleight of hand at first glance, because it is that astoundingly convincing and still it seems at least imaginable that mental processes are really brain processes and nothing over and above in this world. This might just be, because he does not have any idea how to solve the mind-body problem himself. Moreover Kripkes argument is a very strong one indeed. It is very difficult to defeat because its core structure is logically sound: If it is: a) true that the terms for both mental- and brain-states are rigid designators, and b) they are identical, then c) the identity has to be necessary. The only way to attack the argument is to challenge the framework of semantics it makes use of. The excerpts contain less information on this topic. Important questions would be for example: Which contingent identities could we know a priori, if any? Is a possible world really identical with a conceivable world and what does this denote to rigid designators? It is obvious that this is too far-reaching to be examined in this paper. Kripke is a peculiar man with a sharp intellect. He talks fast and he thinks perhaps even faster. One is still stricken by the fact that he does not seem vitally concerned about applying philosophy to social issues. His ideals do not seem to be those of the visionary public intellectual, like Sartre, Russell, Chomsky or Cornel West. Kripke is one of Americas most respected philosophers, still he is not significant in public debates. For many he is a living legend.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Facilitation Theory Or The Humanist Approach?

Facilitation Theory Or The Humanist Approach? Teaching and learning today are completely different from yesterday because we are facing the challenges of changes in higher education for the future prosperity with todays young students and their readiness to take up these challenges to face up to the coming centuries. Understanding teaching and learning is not easy, not something that can be based on the representation of what has been perceived or limited to a few methodological prescriptions. In this chapter, we are going to go back and shed light on some theories of learning to understand better to what extent teaching is related to learning and how they can impact in society. 1.1 languages Teaching and Learning Language teaching and learning still requires much effort to be stored in individuals mind perfectly. It should have acquired an appreciation of the values of a broad range of intellectual disciplines such as linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and mainly applied linguistics as well as general detailed knowledge. So, how can language pass on these disciplines to become dynamic and pragmatic in use? To answer this question, let us see what Campells theory depicts, in figure 1 below, about the relationship between three disciplines: linguistics, applied linguistics and pedagogy. Campbell ( 1980:7) says: The relation between the language sciences and language teaching has emerged as one of the key issues in the development of a language teaching theory à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦For him: Applied linguistics is the mediator between the practitioner and the theorist.. See Fundamental concepts of language teaching book of H.H.Stern,(1983:36) Linguistics Applied linguistics Pedagogy Theoretician Mediator Practitioner Figure1 Campells model of the relationship between theory and practice According to Campells theory starting from linguistics, the scientific study of language, alone is not enough to get an effective relation between pedagogy and linguistics. The latter requires much practice to relate theory to practice and make language more effective. For that reason, to consolidate the three disciplines, Campell included three extra elements to his conceptual framework. These elements are psychology, sociology and anthropology. Campells model of the relationship between theory and practice made Spolsky( 1980:72) argued and then modified Campbells theory .For Spolsky, sociolinguistics discipline is very interesting to achieve a good result in the relation between theoreticians and practitioner. He divided language teaching into three main sources: Language description: General Linguistics Language teaching: psychology for the theory of learning and psycholinguistics for the theory of language learning Language use in society : sociolinguistics What we can understand from Sposkys theory language teaching is an interesting amalgam of disciplines, each one contributes to educational language in practice and the focus here is on the educational language. Pragmatically speaking, according to many people the understanding of language is not only learning theories but it is also our reflection and thinking of knowing to what extent can be these theories impact on the teaching of language. The theories are different of how we learn, and they are useful and ready for how students learn and also how teachers teach. Each one of them, student and teachers, has own way of thinking of own different way of learning. So who are we in these theories? And what are these theories? To answer these questions let us see some fundamental theories of learning: 1.2.1 Reinforcement Theory This theory was developed by the behaviourist school of psychology, notably by B.F. Skinner (Laird 1985, Burns 1995). Laird (1985) sees this aspect of behaviourism not relevant to education. It is about some positive and negative tasks the learners made in his daily life. This theory requires much Competency Based Training ( henceforth, CBT), It is useful in learning repetitive tasks like multiplication tables and those work skills that require a great deal of practice but higher order learning is not involved in it. The criticism of this approach is that it is rigid and mechanical (Burns 1995). 1.1.3 Cognitive-Gestalt Approaches The focus in this theory is on the importance of experience, meaning, problem-solving and the development of insights (Burns 1995, p 112). Burns notes that this theory has developed the concept that individuals differ from one to another, they have different concerns at different times with different subjective interpretations in different contexts. This theory is very close to learners to get themselves in learning language by knowing to what extent they are different from each other. It is also very close to the learners characteristics of today (for more details see chapter 3) 1.1.4 Holistic Learning Theory The basic understanding of this theory is that the focus is on the composition of the individual personality which consists of many elementsspecifically the intellect, emotions, the body impulse (or desire), intuition and imagination (Laird,1985, p 121) that all require activation if learning is to be effective. This theory is about a complementary theory to Cognitive-Gestalt approaches. 1.1.5 Experiential learning In this theory, Kolbs research found that people learn in four ways in learning (McGill Beaty 1995). The ways are as follows: Concrete experience Testing implications of Observations and Reflections concepts in new situations Formation of abstract concepts and generalization Figure 1 the Experiential Learning Model (Kolb, 1981) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning through concrete experience à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning through observation and reflection à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning through abstract conceptualization à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning through active experimentation In discussing these theories, we confirm from the educational researchers concept that learners are different in their way of learning. Kolb, one of these educational researchers whose interests are involved in proving that learner, individually, can choose any style and way of learning which reflects his behaviour to act in learning which is the link between him and his society through actions and reflective process (McGill Beaty 1995). This theory confirms Spolskys argument ( 1980:72) 1.1.6 Facilitation Theory or the Humanist Approach Carl Rogers and others have developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic introduction to this theory is that learning will occur by the educator acting as a facilitator, that is by establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors (Laird 1985). Other characteristics of this theory include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human beings must be eager to learn (prompt willingness) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human beings must be curious to learn (curiosity) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To change on selfs concept we must be involved in a significant learning. ( flexibility and readiness). Carl and Rogers see that: The Characteristics of Facilitative Teachers are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ They are not more protective of their beliefs than other teachers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ They are affectionate they are all listening to learners, especially to their feelings à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ They are much attentive to their relationship with learners in the classroom. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ be open-minded and apt to accept feedback, whether positive or negative and to use it as a reflective and constructive insight into themselves and their behaviours. Some of these characteristics do fit our changes into innovative and modern teachers but others still to be modified according to our readiness for being autonomous teachers. In this work, we are going to focus on the changes from the traditional, affectionate and facilitative teachers into modern teachers. The characteristics of learners: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Must be courageous, autonomous and responsible for their own learning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Must care and provide much information (input) for the learning which occurs through their deep perception (insights) and experiences. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ are encouraged to evaluate themselves before their teachers and to be aware of their learning needs to focus on what factors may contribute to achieving significant results. These characteristics are mandatory and required in the new systems implementation. To understand better this theory which impacts strongly our work we must understand the relationship between teachers and learners or in another words between learning and teaching as well as the strategies made to enhance this relationship. So what is learning and what is teaching? And what is the relationship between them. Teaching is to get and pass on knowledge while learning is to acquire this knowledge by studies; it is also the process where knowledge is created through transformation of experience (see page 3 David Kolb 1981). It seems that the relation between them is very strong and interrelated. From these definitions, we can also understand that the relationships between teaching and learning lead to the best academic achievement for students having the desire to acquire learning language which represents an individuals receptive cognition to learning different tasks depend on the context (Peterson, et al., 2009). It is an input which differs from one individual to another depends on the teachers in regard to what type of information is most effective. The concept that students and teachers have different competence that vary from one to another to learning and teaching language in different styles and ways lead theoreticians and practitioners, those who are responsible for curriculum control and revision, to think of the curriculum framework, i.e. how to be in charge of approaches and systems to structure teaching language and planned in the curriculum frame work. The curriculum is now very interesting to empower both learners and teachers to develop their potential in knowledge. So, what is Curriculum? Who are responsible for planning it? And what is it for? To respond to these questions we need first understand the curriculum meaning. 1.2 What is Curriculum? The curriculum is concerned with two terms teaching and learning, i.e. what is given in learning and teaching, and how they take place. What teachers teach or learners learn comprises aims, strategy, knowledge, skills and outcomes of learning students are intended to make obvious. The how of the curriculum concern teaching/learning methodology, teaching strategies and media resources. The curriculum has been changed due to changes in systems implementation such as CBA, LMD and ICTs integration in the classroom. The latter needs some cases of the invention of new technology to modify the content and enlarge knowledge to make a good curriculum. The systems , CBA, LMD and ICTs integration, in many ways can be seen to be affecting the curriculum both in terms of content and methodology. Further, we mean by the word curriculum run a Course, i.e. it describes a series of steps in teaching and learning specific contents. It is also considered as a sequence of learning experiences; the fact of these definitions that without curriculum none can control the individual students experiences. Thus through curriculum students can be provided with opportunities to learn a specific content. From the latter, we can understand also that the suitable definition to the curriculum is a sequence learning opportunities given to students in their study for specific purposes. A sequence of learning opportunities cannot be seen but it can be planned and made through the classroom activities. Thus, curriculum appears in different aspects which exist in textbooks for specific contents to facilitate teaching and make teachers efficient to pave this sequence of learning opportunities for students. It is actually made to develop learners competence; herein we are speaking about the importance of curriculum development 1.3 The Importance of Curriculum Development The importance of curriculum development appears in its focus on knowledge transmission and skills development in regard with competency based language teaching (henceforth CBLT) or learning outcomes. That is to say, working on the four skills (reading, speaking, writing and listening), knowledge and attitudes make effective teaching strategies. In relation to CBLT, Docking says that: CBLT [Competency-Based Language Teaching] is designed not around the notion of subject knowledge but around the notion of competency. The focus moves from what students know about language to what they can do with it. The focus on competencies or learning outcomes underpins the curriculum framework and syllabus specification, teaching strategies and assessment. (Docking, 1994: 16) From the above quotation basing on what have been already said, we can understand that Competencies focus on four main parameters appears in the following: Learning outcomes Curriculum Syllabus Teaching strategies (a course) Assessment Figure 1: The Main Parameters of Learning Outcomes or Competencies Figure one represents the relationship between curriculum and its aspects (syllabus, teaching strategies and assessment) in regard with learning outcomes. These four fundamental concepts help theoreticians and practitioners to define the context in relation to the students needs about the curriculum framework which is clearly related to students learning needs. To respond to learning needs and CBLT the curriculum planning must take care of the following points: Setting: Students number, age, gender, purpose, education Aim: Type and purpose of course, mandatory and required tests . Materials needed or available: text, books, e- books, magazines, articles or computers, laptops with their connection to the net and so forth. Time: How many hours, day of week, time of day. These four points can also be viewed as part of syllabus. The latter is very important to design a course that must focus on the needs of learning outcomes. Herein, to understand more the concepts given let us have a look at what is a course in regard with syllabus or vice versa. 1.3.1 Course A course is an integrated series of teaching-learning experiences, whose ultimate aim is to lead the learners to a particular state of knowledge. (Hutchinson and Waters 1996: 65) The distinction between a curriculum and a course is important because some of the areas of concern in curriculum development as: societal needs analysis, testing for placement purposes or program wide evaluation may be out of the hands of teachers who are developing courses (Richards, 2001). 1.3.2 Syllabuses Syllabus is a more detailed and operational statement of teaching and learning elements which translates the philosophy of the curriculum into a series of planned steps leading towards more narrowly defined objectives at each level Dubin Olshtain, (1997: 28), Syllabus is essentially a statement of what should be taught, year by year through language syllabuses often also contain points about the method of teaching and the time to be taken (Lee 1980:108). Another opinion is that that Syllabus is a more detailed and operational statement of teaching and learning elements which translates the philosophy of the curriculum into a series of planned steps leading towards more narrowly defined objectives at each level Dubin Olshtain, (1997: 28). Syllabuses are more localized and are based on accounts and records of what actually happens at the classroom level. Given these definitions it is suggested that it seems helpful to define a curriculum and a syllabus as separate entities. To conclude we can now ensure that we can see syllabus design as part of course design, they are complementary and parts of curriculum whose importance appears also in the following: The educational purpose of the program. The content teaching procedures and learning experience which will be necessary to achieve this purpose .(the means) Some means for assessing whether or not the educational ends have been achieved. ( Richards, Platt and Platt 1993: 94) From these most significant points Allen sees that: Curriculum is a very general concept which involves consideration of the whole complex of philosophical, social and administrative factors which contribute to the planning of an educational program. (Allen quoted in Nunan, 2000: 6) Thus, it is the change of instructions in teaching and learning in all over the world. For that reason, most developing countries institutions among them Algerian institutions have amended and revised their curricula in another words their syllabuses, methods, approaches and systems to respond to the world requirements, taking into account the various factors( external or internal) that influence learning process. To understand more this policy of education we must understand its basic notions in the structural education such as competencies or learning outcomes, syllabus, course, assessment and curriculum. Today, there are many of teachers and students who think that curriculum is syllabus; in fact, syllabus is a part of a curriculum. It describes the content of a course .i.e. It shows the content of what is going to be taught including a set of knowledge and skills. Herein, the importance of presenting the basic notions education is to go over the global changes and structures of the various disciplines to learn from others and to be apt to know what others think of us. In addition to curriculum development made by policy makers which enables learning to take place, during the course of study, in terms of knowledge and skills, teachers should highlight the main syllabus to present the main learning and methods and to provide the learners with resources and equipments to support the effective teaching of the course. In this case the teacher notion must focus on how to structure the knowledge to be well received by learners. The following quotation ensures our saying the learning structure through teaching. Teaching is knowledge transmission, management of learning. The teacher is a decision maker, provider of learning structure, collaborator, and resource. (Adapted from Graves 2000: 31) Our aim from understanding the curriculum development and its importance is to ensure a successful and effective teaching of the language through official curriculum delivered by policy makers to be implemented in schools and universities. Implementing such curriculum requires much effort to respond to the learners needs and competence. Algeria as one of developing countries and a multilingual schooling is in the process of growing out of its historical roots run riot to make changes in educational policy encouraging the education ministry to revise, modify and update the curriculum for basic education, particularly in basic education programs. Speaking about changes in educational programs and organizing content lead us to think of the CBA approach and LMD system that are the fundamental concepts, today, of the curriculum whose interests are in organizing and exploring learners competence (knowledge and skills). They both work on input (data/ knowledge) and outcomes. The question to be raised here what are these implementations? These systems implementations are CBA approach in primary and secondary schools and LMD system in universities. 1.4 Historical Background about CBA In 1973, the word competency was introduced to psychology literature when David McClelland argued in his article Testing for competence rather than for intelligence that neither job performance nor success can be got through old and traditional tests of academic discipline. Thus, the search for theory and tools that could unfailingly see coming effectiveness in the workplace began (McClelland, 1973). In1982 it was Boyatzis who first drew together comprehensive data that had been collected inthe USA using the McBer Company Job Competence Assessment method. Since then, competency has become a significant factor in HR development practices (Simpson, 2002). The word competency comes from a Latin word meaning suitable (Bueno Tubbs, 2004). Boyatzis (1982) defines a competency as an underlying characteristic of a person which results in effective and/or superior performance in a job (p. 97). According to Boyatzis (1982) a job competency represents ability. An individuals set of Contemporary Management Research 49 competencies reflect their capability or what they can do. A job competency may be a motive, trait, skill, aspect of ones self-image or social role, or a body of knowledge that an individual uses, and the existence and possession of these characteristics may or may not be known to the individual. Similarly, Mitrani et al. (1992) state that competencies could be motives, traits, self-concepts, attitudes or values, content knowledge, or cognitive or behavioral skills. A competency is an individual characteristic that can be measured or counted reliably and that can be shown to differentiate significantly between superior and average performers, or between effective and ineffective performers. Meanwhile, competency can be described as a set of behavior patterns that an incumbent needs to bring to a position in order to perform its tasks and functions in the delivery of desired results or outcomes (Bartram, et. al, 2002; Woodruffe, 1992). Spencer and Spencer (1993) viewed competency as an underlying characteristic of an individual that is causally related to criterion-referenced effective and/or superior performance in a job or situation (p. 9). They recognized five types of competency characteristics consisting of motives, traits, self-concept, knowledge and skills. First, motives are the things that an individual consistently thinks about or wants that stimulate action. Motives drive, direct and select behavior toward certain actions or goals and away from others. Second, traits are physical characteristics and consistent responses to situations or information. Third, self-concept is an individuals attitudes, values or self-image. Fourth, knowledge is the information that an individual has in specific content areas. Finally, skill is the ability to perform a certain physical or mental task. Knowledge and skill competencies tend to be visible and relatively surface characteristics, whereas self-concept, traits and motive competencies are more hidden, deeper and central to personality. Surface knowledge and skill competencies are relatively easy to develop and training is the most cost-effective way to secure those employee abilities (Spencer Spencer, 1993). Figure 1 illustrates central and surface competencies. Knowledge Attitudes, Values Trait Motive Surface: Most easily developed Core Personality: Most difficult to develop Skill Knowledge Self-Concept Trait Motive T Skill Knowledge Self-concept Trait Motive tr The Iceberg Visible Hidden Figure 1 The Iceberg Model and Central and Surface Competencies Source: Spencer and Spencer (1993: 11) In other words, visible competencies such as knowledge and skills may be somewhat technical competencies basically required by the job, whereas hidden competencies such as self-concept, traits and motives are behavioral competencies that drive an individuals performance in the job. Boyatzis (1982) states that motive and trait competencies have the most direct impact on self-concept and also have an impact on skill. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO, 2002) defines competency as a set of skills, related knowledge and attributes that allow an individual to perform a task or activity within a specific function or job. If an individual possesses these three elements of competency they can effectively perform duties as required by the specific job. From the wide range of related literature, the definition of competency can be summarized as an underlying characteristic of an individual that is causally related to criterion-referenced effective and/or superior performance in a job or situation. Job competency is a set of behavior patterns that a job incumbent needs to bring to a position in order to perform its tasks and functions with competence. A job competency can be a motive, trait, skill, self-concept, body of knowledge or an attribute that allows an individual to perform a task or activity within a specific function or job. 1.4 The Implementation of the CBA Approach in the Algerian Classroom The CBA approach has been adopted by the Algerian education ministry to be integrated in the primaries and secondary school to improve teaching and learning. It is imposed on both teachers and learners to explore their competence and roles in lifecycle. A competency based approach is a new reform contributes to better the learners knowledge situations that may varied in a range of skills. The CBA is closely related to a context-of-use. In other words, students will be good learners to use language effectively in their lifecycle by drawing a map to master what they have learned in schools. 1.5 The reasons of the CBA Approach Implementation in the Classroom The reasons why the Algerian authoritarians those who are responsible for educational policy implement the CBA approach in the primary and secondary school classrooms is to develop students linguistic and problem-solving capacities that will make students to deal with different tasks cognitively and pragmatically challenging any difficult situation in the classroom. It will also make learners autonomous and see learning as an essential process for both their studies and their future. So it is implemented in schools because it is a productive approach basing on what the learners are expected to do rather than on what they are expected to learn about. 1.6 The Characteristics of the CB Approach The CBA approach enables learners to check their capacity to overcome obstacles and problems; it is problem- solving approaches that make learners think of well doing. It is a creative use of a newly constructive knowledge. Moreover, it characteristics can be listed as follows: It makes students challengers to endure and encounter all kind of complexity and ambiguity in learning. It is about reflection, self-assessment, and performance review are fully integrated into the exercise. As a result, challenge becomes success. Collaboration in teamwork is essential to the effective learning experience. It enables students competence to affect the world beyond the classroom and to make contributions that are valued by professional and experts. It provides learners with information based on assessment tasks. It is based on authentic language proficiency across sociolinguistic context. It reveals the learners innateness. It is usable for instruction and curriculum adaptation to the learners needs. It is based on the outcomes as in Schencks saying: It is outcome-based and is adaptive to the changing needs of students, teachers and the community à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ competencies differ from other students goals and objectives in that they describe the students ability to apply basic end other skills in situations that are communally encountered in everyday life. Thus CBE (Competency Based Education) is based on a set of outcomes that are derived in life role situations. Schenck (2001:14) To reinforce what has been said about CBE let us see some extra definitions of Competency Based Education to understand better from where does CBA come from? Richards and Rodgers (2001) says: Competency Based Education focuses on outcomes of learning. CBEaddresses what the learners are expected to do rather than on what they are expected to learn about. CBE emerged in the United States in the 1970s and refers to an educational movement that advocates defining educational goals in terms of precise measurable descriptions of knowledge, skills, and behaviors students should possess at the end of a course of study. Richards and Rodgers(2001) To reinforce Richards and Rodgerss definition of CBE Savage see that CBE is a functional approach to focus on skills depends on the learners needs and competence. He sees in his definition the following: Competency Based Education is a functional approach to education that emphasizes life skills and evaluates mastery of those skills according to actual leaner performance. It was defined by the U.S. Office of Education as a performance-based process leading to demonstrated mastery of basic and life skills necessary for the individual to function proficiently in society. Savage (1993: 15) For Mrowicki, referring to skills only is not enough in speaking about CBE because competency is an interesting amalgam of knowledge and attitudes for more effective results. Thus he sees in his definition the following: Competencies consist of a description of the essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors required for effective performance of a real-world task or activity. These activities may be related to any domain of life, though have typically been linked to the field of work and to social survival in a new environment. Mrowicki (1986: 144) It is very interesting to understand what we have presented as most significant definitions of CBE regarding the Communicative Approach which is at the basis of the Competency Based Approach, the educational system applied in Algeria, and which can be also considered to be at the basis of the LMD system applied at the level of the University, next section is devoted to the presentation of the latter, i.e. of the LMD system, to see in what way is the LMD system a continuation of the CBA. 1.7 What is LMD? The LMD system, introduced in the Algerian universities by 2003-2004, is a current issue that specialists in Algeria and elsewhere are interested in. The LMD system (Licence, Master and Doctorate) is the latest reform applied in the Algerian universities. It aims at bringing the Algerian diploma to the universality and to bring the Algerian student to a higher level of learning on the one hand and to the world of job on the other hand. The introduction of LMD in the Algerian universities should be accompanied by these new ideas for innovative teaching practices to improve the performance of the university system but also lead to greater employability of graduates. 1.8 The Characteristics of the LMD System In practice, we observe that the formalization of thes

Monday, August 19, 2019

Oppression Of People Of Color Essay -- essays research papers

The myth that â€Å"all men are equal† has created false hopes for the people of color, who continually seek opportunities to excel, that just aren’t there. They have been led to believe that intelligence and ambitions are key contributors to one’s success. Even if they do possess ambition and intelligence, the dominant majority of the white population oppresses them. This type of oppression points out that new methods of struggle are needed, such as whose employed by Martin Luther King, Jr., Franz Fanon and W.E.B. Du Bois. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated nonviolence to suppress oppression in his essay, â€Å"The Power of Nonviolent Action.† King's factual and reasoned approach is intended to win his adversaries over by appealing to their consciences. King realized that the best strategy to liberate African-Americans and gain them justice was to use nonviolent forms of resistance. He wanted to eliminate the use of violence as a means to manage and establish cooperative ways of interacting. Moreover, King states that the â€Å"oppressed people must organize themselves into a militant and nonviolent mass movement† in order to achieve the goal of integration. The oppressed must â€Å"convince the oppressors that all he seeks is justice, for both himself and the white man† (King, 345). Furthermore, King agreed with Gandhi that if a law is unjust, it is the duty of the oppressed to break the law, and do what they believe to be right. Once a law is broken, the person must be willing to accept the ...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay --

Although when we think of the history of cell phones we think of the small handheld devices we use daily not years ago that were in briefcases and were connected to the cigarette lighter in cars. Then in the 1980’s they lost the case, but were still twice the size the size of the cellphones we see today. The cell phones of today are more portable, smaller, and lighter than ever before. If this is the present, imagine the future of the cellular phones, but as we look into the future of cellphones we also need to take a look back in time to the cellphones of the past. Firstly in 1908, Professor Albert Jahnke developed the first wireless telephones, which lead to the testing of wireless telephones on German military trains in 1918. Although Jahnke was suspected of fraud it didn’t seem to hurt his ideas, as they continued to grow through the early 1930’s. This is when the public telephone trial began on a train from Berlin to Hamburg. Although Albert Jahnke did not invent the first cellular phone, he did get the ideas flowing for the man who did. Hardly a household name but the influence of Martin Cooper, or â€Å"The Father of the Cell Phone†, as stated in the economist, has been seen and heard around the world. â€Å"Marty is the most influential person no one has ever heard of,† says Robert McDowell, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission. Cooper, the engineer for Motorola that looked at car phones in the 1970’s and thought that these devices should be small enough to be portab le. He’s ideas and inventiveness led to the first prototype in 1973, and the first commercial cell phone in 19830. The first commercial cell phone call was placed using a Motorola DynaTAC mobile phone, the precurso... ...ds with calling, radio, and data technology available at your touch. I do believe, by looking at we have in the works with technology, that these armbands will be equip with a facetime application. This application will allow the user to connect with another, and a hologram of the user will appear in front of you, just as if you were talking face to face. With these future cellphone I do believe we will develop a fifth generation digital phone with more bandwidth and video capability. As you know and can see cell phones are huge part of today’s society and will only grow to be more and more important in the future, but these phones of today and of tomorrow wouldn’t be possible if not for the past. So while you’re sitting there daydreaming about those smartphones of tomorrow you need to think about all the work, and people who have advanced technology this far.

Sutra for Long Life Essay -- Sutra, Mahayana, Religion

After closer study of the Sutra for Long Life and the World Universe as a Sutra it seems evident that, although Mahayana Buddhism is based on the teachings of the traditional Pali Canon, it places a larger emphasizes on philosophical inquires; while still managing to create a more accessible Buddhism for all. In their own way both Sutras highlight the fact that Mahayana Buddhism is more lay people friendly than the traditional Pali Canon, while still maintaining an important role for monks and nuns. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is presented in the â€Å"Whole Universe Sutra†. According to the Sutra, all beings possess the knowledge and enlightenment of Buddhahood within themselves. This pure core is simply buried beneath or wrapped in the deluded minds of the imperfect being (107-World). In other words, every being is capable of reaching Buddhahood as the truth resides within each individual, however, it can only be reached when â€Å"they abandon their deluded, contrary views†. It is only then that the â€Å"unimpeded knowledge† will arise within them (107,108-World). The sutras also make clear the idea of the Bodhisattva, those who have reached awakening and refrain from entering Nirvana in order to help others along the path. For example, the TathÄ gata is described as a person with â€Å"penetrating wisdom, and was endowed with a perfectly pure divine eye† (109). The TathÄ gata has already found the knowledge and truth within him and is also able to see that the same wisdom is present within every being. He finds it strange that every being cannot see the truth within, and therefore, takes it upon himself to â€Å"teach these beings so that they may fully awaken within the Noble path† (109-world). This is known as the â€Å"tenth intuition o... ...tiness, the Mahayana tradition as a whole is more philosophical than the Pali canons. The Mahayana introduces the idea of celestial Bodhisattvas, who are able to do extraordinary things. In the Sutra for Long Life, Buddhas become a teacher of â€Å"gods and humans† while living in a realm in between nirvana and samsara: the Buddha-fields (424-425-long life). Mahayana Buddhism stretches the notion of traditionally accepted reality. It is for this reason that the â€Å"Whole Universe Sutra† presents the knowledge of Buddhahood as the core within a deluded being (109-world). In other instances it is compared to as a womb wrapped inside defilements that must be ripped open. The Pali Canons may be a fundamental part of Mahayana Buddhism, but Mahayana sutras go a step further in asking philosophical questions and re-interpreting teachings and ideas present within the tradition.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Marketing Research Project

This is a proposal of marketing search project that is conducted by group A. Ben & Jerry is chosen as our search target company. In the first part of this proposal, you can find detailed background information of Ben & Jerry, which gives a rough description of its four â€Å"P† (price, promotion, place and people). In addition, it also covers several issues about the European ice cream market. The next part of this proposal is mainly discussing marketing management problems.You can find out Ben & Jerry‘s symptoms, suspected causes of its marketing management problems, Ben& Jerry’s actions and its consequences. Besides that, we listed several questions to help us analyze customers’ buying behavior and the main methods we will used in order to finish our survey. The schedule and sampling plan will give you a full picture of our project progress. Ben & Jerry’s Market Research Background Proposal 3 Plan of Approach BACKGROUND Market and Brand of Choice F or the Marketing Research project 2005/2006 we chose to do our marketing research within the ice cream industry, in the Netherlands.The Ice Cream industry in the United States developed rapidly; nowadays they have started to expand their market to other continents such as Europe and Asia. We can find so many international ice cream brands in Europe, especially in the Netherlands such as Haagen Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s, and Australian. Among the various international brands that are popular around the world, we are most interested in Ben & Jerry’s. We have noticed that Ben & Jerry’s is one of the most popular brands one can discover around big cities.Furthermore, we decided to go for Ben & Jerry’s because we will benefit by doing research in The Netherlands since Ben & Jerry’s is under the Unilever, which is part of the Unilever Group owned by the Netherlands-based Unilever N. V. and UK-based Unilever PLC, which is also one of the biggest consumer produc t company. Ice Cream Market Issues Sales of impulse ice cream are set to register positive value growth of 5. 5% during 2003, reaching a value of EUR 216. 8 million stimulated by good weather at the beginning of the summer season and dynamic impulse in terms of new product development and advertising.In volume, sales are expected to increase by 2%, indicating a marked preference for the higher value innovations introduced by leading manufacturer Unilever. Much of the growth are predicted to be driven by dairy-based impulse ice cream, which is the most popular product in the Netherlands with sales accounting for nearly 70% of total volume. Ben & Jerry’s Market Research Background Proposal 4 Plan of Approach Furthermore, the single portion dairy ice cream is expected to register higher value growth in 2003, at 8. %, which lead to improving the performance of previous years due to a combination of better weather and intense brand and product promotion. Important Issues about the Brand Ben & Jerry’s are using special characteristics for their brand that are simple to pronounce, recognize, and remember. The cow and green environment behind their logo is depicting their awareness of quality and benefits. Ben & Jerry’s tries to acknowledge their customers that they always use natural and fresh milk, always keep clean and green environment while producing their ice cream.To promote and to prove their mission, Ben & Jerry’s uses special slogan like â€Å"From Cow to Cone†, â€Å"Lick Global Warming†, â€Å"Organic Ben & Jerry’s†, and â€Å"50 Ways to Promote Peace†. Since Ben & Jerry’s target market is ranging from kids to elderly people (Family), they have to ensure that there is an existence of brand awareness in specific segments. For kids, they would be more interested in the ice cream packages or paper with their favorite cartoons, such as Disney’s characters or Warner Bros.For adults and elderly people, they would take into consideration more about the nutrition facts, taste, and low-fat ice cream. Thus, it will be more interesting for them to see â€Å"Organics, low sugar, or low fat Ice Cream†. Ben & Jerry’s are using brand extension to develop their brand. They have produced thousand of ice cream flavors under the name of one successful brand, which of course is â€Å"Ben & Jerry’s†. They have extended its brand to organic ice cream, original ice cream, scoops menu, bars original ice cream, single original ice cream, and single novelties with different choice of taste in each product.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Case Solution on Abrasm Company

————————————————- A ————————————————- Case Study ————————————————- On ABRAMS COMPANY ————————————————- Of ————————————————- Management control System ————————————————- ————————————————- Presented to Presented by: ————————————————- DR B. A.Prajapati ModiRashmi S. (24) ————————————————- MeghaniShital L. (20) ————————————————- Trada Lalit V. (60) ————————————————- RajdevBrijesh (46) ————————————————- Ozha Sandip (47) ————————————————- ————————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- ————————————————- ———————————————— Batch: 2010-12 ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- About The company ———â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- US company ————————————————- Manufacturing auto parts ————————————————- Selling in Domestic as well as foreign Market ————————————————- Most of the Products related with†¦. ———————————————— Automobiles ————————————————- Trucks& Buses ——————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Farm Equipments ————————————————- Product & Marketing Division ————————————————- Production Division: * ————————————————- Company works on Three Parts. 1. ————————————————- Ignition Parts 2. ————————————————- Transmission Parts. 3. ————————————————-Engine Parts. ———â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Marketing Division: * ————————————————- Selling Through two Department. 1. ————————————————- O. E. M. department. 2. ————————————————- A. M. department. ————————————————- EXHIBIT 1 ————————————————- Partial Organization Chart —————————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- ————————————————-Inside & Outside sales In 1992; * Total sales $500 million Inside sales (to AM div) – $100 million Outside Sales (to OEM)- $400 million * Ignition parts sales- $130million * Engine parts sales- $90million * Transmission parts sales – $100million * AM Division sales- $180 million ROI for the Manufacturing Plants * Each Plant has to meet targeted ROI. ROI = Budgeted Profit Actual beginning-of-the -year net assets Where Budgeted Profit =( Expected Revenue- allocated O/H- tax) Actual beginning-of-the-year net assets = total assets-current liabilities. Actual 1992 ROI computation- Rochester Plant Abrams company –Transmission PartsDivision ROCHESTER PLANT Profit & ROI Statement,Dec 31,1992 Sa les revenue†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦$124,866 COGS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 73230 Gross Margin†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 51636 Operating expenses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20792 Division Expenses assigned†¦.. 11340 corporate expenses assigned†¦. 3420 Profit before taxes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16084 Taxes Imputed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4825 Profit†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. $11259 * Net Assets Assigned as of January 1,1992 Total Assets: Cash & receivable†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. $25000 Inventories †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12875 Property, plant & equipment at book value†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 86560 Total Assets †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 24435Less: current liabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 26135 Net Assets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. $98300 ROI = Profit / Net Assets = $11259/ 98300 =11. 45% Suggestions to improve evaluation system: * ROI can be used combination with other performance measures-balanced set of long term/short term; financial/non-financial * EVA can be used instead of ROI. Marketing Strategies * Top Management consider OEM & AM different. * Each parts? OEM sales have to meet an Annual Sales Revenue. * The OEM department have to†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1. Minimize inventories. 2. Control cost. * AM has to concentrate on availability of Parts. Incentive compensation Plan Appropriate 50 line & staff managers under plan. * Bonus given on basis of fixed formula. * Each participant get bonus on standard bonus point(SBP). * SBP based on hierarchical position. Standard dollar award per point (SDAP) = total of SBP of all participants total bonus pool amount Standard Bonus in $ = Standard Do llar ? Standard Bonus Point Award per point. of Participant. if Actual Profit ^ 4% more than budgeted, Manager get 25% more standard bonus. Evaluation of incentive compensation plan: * The performance is measured by compare of actual profit and budget profit. All the measurement is associate with data, sometimes the performance will be influence by variance elements, such as, economic environment, the demand level, material price, cost of labor, and government policy, so the measurement need to improve in some areas. Suggestions: * The non-financial performance measurement system should be established. * The balanced scorecard is a good choice for company measure performance. With a good performance measurement system, the incentive compensation plan will be improved. Problems encountered with Management * Some dispute over transfer pricing. Bias with AM division on placing order of parts. * All divisions using too much inventories. Question- 1 Evaluate each of the concerns expresse d by top management, & if necessary, make recommendations appropriate to the circumstances described in the case. Ans-1 * Management has 3 main problems: 1. ROI Behavior. 2. Transfer Price disputes 3. Operational trouble shouting. Recommendations * Company should use EVA rather than ROI. * Company should control the investments separately using NPV and capital turnover measures. * Bonus should be based on the budgeted income level. * Company should change the TP method. It will give all internal partners full information about the cost structure and company will avoid â€Å"upstream fixed costs†. Question- 2 What is your overall evaluation of Abrams? management control system ? Describe strengths or weakness that you identified but did not include in answering the previous question. What changes, if any, would you recommend to top management ? Ans-2 * Company Management Control System was poor. * Company failed to minimize the cost and to control inventory level. Strength * T he company has a clear management structure. * The company has employed a bonus plan for employees. The AM Marketing division will input products form the other three divisions, and sell it to domestic and foreign market, it helps the company save cost when it input internal. Weakness * The Abrams Company has three totally independent divisions, and the three divisions are lack of connection. * The transactions between the three divisions dispute the transfer pricing. * OEM customers preferred than AM. Suggestions * Top management should try to control inventory level. * Company should use non financial measures like inventory turnover. * If it is an strategic issue company should connect this measure to the bonus system.