BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS - Assignment Example The process of recruitment pertains to the systematic method of attracting the suitable candidates for the application in case there arises a vacancy within the organisation. The organizations tap the market when they require individuals having particular skill sets, and may also ask the individuals for joining the workplace in order to complement or supplement the existing skill. In all such situations, the company cautiously undertakes manpower planning and job analysis in order to develop the profile of the candidate. This consists of the attitude and technical skills. Subsequent to this, the resources of recruitment are deployed by the organization relying upon the position of the job market. The recruitment method includes offering jobs through search agencies, websites, campus placement, head hunting, newspaper advertisement and various other sources. The organizations make use of two categories of recruitment. Internal recruitment refers to the sources of recruiting people for the vacancies through existing workforce and staff. The external method of recruitment is adopted by the organizations in a way that they hire people from outside of the existing staff. This is a long process of recruitment involving a numerous steps and consuming a lot of time (Quist, 2007). The objective of this research is to have a quick and perfect analysis of the recruitment methods of the leading organizations. For this research, the TESCO Company has been selected. This company is a UK based company which is leading the market in all over the world. This company has a large number of employees. Generally, it has more than 35000 employees. The employee recruitment sources primarily function for the purpose of identifying the right people for the right job and train and motivate them to send job application to the organisation. Selection is the step that

Climate Change in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

Climate Change in Nigeria Essay Climate change has always occurred in different Nigeria; however the effects have become more noticeable recently over the years. The effects have affected the daily lives of many for better or worse. A peer reviewed research done by an unknown source, which was accepted by the Journal of Geography and Regional had concluded that the average temperature of Nigeria has increased by 1. 7Â °C in the period of 1901-2005. The increase has however been higher in semi-arid areas and is lower in coastal regions. The paper has also shown that the rate of change has increased in the 1970’s. The consequences of the increase in temperature have resulted into the desertification of the north as well as the coastal erosion in the south. A combination of overgrazing, abuse of woodland for fuel as well as the unreliable rainfall, the Sahara desert is advancing at an estimated rate of 600 metres each year. This means that an estimated 55 million or more would be affected in the northern states such as Sokoto. However in the south, increasing sea levels have threatened the coastal region. A given example is Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos. Bar Beach, once a family spot for relaxation is currently under reconstruction after 100m of the shoreline had been eroded over the past 20 years. Lagos State also teamed up with Chagoury Group to build a 1km sea defence to prevent further damage. Another region is the Niger Delta, which is the source of Nigeria’s oil wealth but however is vulnerable to the flooding due to its low-lying terrain with criss-crossed waterways. The protective mangroves have also been reduced by a drastic amount due to human intervention. Many people may not know but half of the 15 million people in Lagos live less than 6 feet away above sea level. Also in the rural economy, most small farms always assume stable rainfall patterns for their time of seeds and planting. Therefore the Government strategies for poverty in semi arid areas in the north as well as arable regions are at risk due to the variation in the weather pattern. Due to awareness campaigns made by organizations such as NCF, Nigerians are able to relate the disturbing issues of very high temperature as well as the uncertain implication for disease carrying pest and insects. Nigeria’s adaptation to climate change has not received much funding from external bilateral or multilateral sources. This may be due to the Nigeria’s slow moving institutional response to climate change. However locally, adaptation strategies are consistent with existing responses to that of hunger and poverty. For example trees are being planted in order to stop desertification. The use of substitute fuels such as biogas is also being used as well as the adoption of more versatile livestock. In more conventional farming regions, they have been encouraged to diversify their corps and adopt more efficient rainwater harvesting and irrigation techniques. The coastal region has also approached climate change with better management of existing resources. A short film Water Runs Deep talks about the impact of climate change in Nigeria. It gives an insight on how climate change has affected the lives of many for the worst. The movie shows how crops have been destroyed by flooding as well as schools being ruined. Various interviews give tale of their hardship and how they cope with it as well as the predicted change in weather for Nigeria and how adaptation strategies have been used to help the rural communities cope with Climate Change. According to the 2010 MDG progress report, Nigeria’s forest cover has reduced from 18. 9% to 9. 9% in the last two decades. This is one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. The main reason for such is due to the high demand for wood fuel. In the absence of affordable alternative energy sources, charcoal is popular even in cities, which boosts its uncontrolled production

The Mosaic of American Culture, Its No Melting Pot Essay example -- S

The Mosaic of American Culture, It's No Melting Pot Culture is a behavior that consists of several critical elements, such as language, religion, race and ethnicity, clothing and politics. Culture is what one does in his/her daily life. In order to understand others, we must first keep in mind that every culture carries its own set of values and assumptions. Culture is an evolving, ever changing civilization, which includes several different groups people. For immigrants, America is a land of opportunity; for others it is just the best country in the world because of its economic success and/or its democratic political system. Americans usually value independence a lot, believe in equal opportunity, and have a direct communication style. In exploring the future American society, specifically regarding relationships among various communities of racial, ethnic, and others we are groping for an image. Some hold on to the notion of a melting pot, in which all groups would be assimilated into one homogeneous American amalgam. As I see it, the image of a mosaic, if properly understood, serves better than a melting pot. The immigrant population within the United States is not being blended together in one ?pot, but rather they are transforming American society into a truly multicultural mixture where every person acts as a piece in a Mosaic. When looked in closely you will see people with different cultures, but when looked from a far distance you will not see a specific cult...

Project Success Factors Essay

The research on project management has been studied for decades. Many scholars and managers put great efforts into finding out what can influence project success. Through their continuing work and precious experiences, what factors dominate the success of projects is well documented in literature. The use of these guide texts can help project managers to deal with difficult tasks. Moreover, it is unanimous consensus that project critical success factors are necessary for management team to achieve project objectives and ensure success. If they are well considered and addressed, then it is more likely that a project would have more successful outcomes. On the other hand, if these factors are not rigorously taken into account, then may lead to the failure of a project. However, it is sophisticated to implement all success factors which usually involved in a broad aspect of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques. Furthermore, during the whole project life cycle, the key factor determining success or failure often varies in different project phases. In real practice, different elements contributing to the project success interact with each other. They are integrated rather than segregated. Therefore, managing a project is a challenge. Even though the approach of managing a successful project is well documented, it is extremely hard to apply in practice. In addition, there are many other elements can affect the success. When working on a project, social, economic and environmental effects should be considered. This discussion paper aims to distinguish the differences between project and project management success and find out their relationship. In addition, why the success factors often ignored in practice and other social impacts which may influence project success will be discussed. Definition of project and project management In order to discuss what factors can affect the project being successful, we have to understand what a project is and what the project management is. In A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (POMBOK Guide, 2000), a project is defined as â€Å"a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. The purpose of the project is to attain its objective and then terminate. † Temporary and unique are the standard features of projects. Temporary does not mean a short period of time. Some projects may last several years. It can be comprehended as every project has a beginning and will be terminated when it meets objectives. Each project is unique because it is a creative activity which has not been done. For example, the construction of a stadium is a project. Though there are thousands of stadiums in the world, each of them has different location, design and owner etc. The POMBOK Guide (2000) defines the project management as â€Å"the application of knowledge, skills tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirement. † The management involves a wide range of work including scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, and risk management. Munns and Bjeirmi (1996) mention some differences between project and project management. Project can be simply defined as a task which can benefit a company. In contrast, project management focus on planning and controlling the process to accomplish the task on time, within budget and high quality. Project and project management success Defining project success is complex, because projects feature in unique, every project success is measured in different ways. Wit (1998) makes a definition that â€Å"the project is considered an overall success if the project meets the technical performance specification and/or mission to be performed, and if there is a high level of satisfaction concerning the project outcome among key people in the parent organization, key people in the project team and key users or clientele of the project effort. † This means the type of a project determines the most important factor which affects project success at the most extent. For instance, if a project is urgent, like the Beijing National Stadium which must be completed before 2008 Olympic Games, the critical factor is considered to be time. In this case, the increase of cost can be slightly overlooked. Measuring the success of project management has many success criteria. Atkinson states that the early definition of project management success is mainly determined by achieving â€Å"The Iron Triangle† including cost, time and quality, which used by Oisen from the 1950’ and continue to be used today (Atkinson, as cited in Oisen, 2009). Atkinson also mentions that using â€Å"The Iron Triangle† to measure the success of project management as a discipline has not changed in almost 50 years. Even if project managements meet the success criteria, cost, time and quality, there are many projects continue to be failed. The author suggests using the â€Å"Square Route† instead of the â€Å"Iron Triangle†. That is because the â€Å"Iron Triangle† only takes the limited measurement into consideration but ignores the effects on the stakeholders. This means a successful project has to balance the benefits of organizations and the satisfaction of stakeholders. As suggested in the â€Å"Square Route†, different groups of people who can receive benefits from the projects are engaged in the measurement of success (Atkinson, 2009). Why project critical success factors often ignored in practice? What factors can influence project success is ubiquitously documented in literatures. However, when using it, one may find out it is difficult. For one thing, it is important to distinguish the differences between project and project management success. That is because sometimes they differ in objectives. A success project may accompany by successful management. However, they are not necessarily directly related. According to Wit (1998), although being managed on time, within budget and quality are the primary objectives in literature, many projects which have not be completed on time and within budget are still deem to be successful. In some case, well-organized management can make a contribution rather than ensure the project success. Some projects failed caused by confounding the success of project and project management. For another, to measure the success of project, the most important criteria are achieving the project objectives. In different types of projects, project managers have to make a first decision to identify the main goal. However, there are plenty of objectives involve in a project. In spite of cost, time and quality, all stakeholders should be considered. Therefore, it is a challenge to find out the most valued goal. Furthermore, each project has a distinguishing feature which cannot be easily identified by using literatures. In other words, there are no universal principles using in practice. Normally, managers should make some changes to find out more flexible and reasonable work when applying theoretical knowledge to real uses. Finally, the primary goals often vary during the whole project life cycle. Wit (1998) gives an example, an oil-field development project, to demonstrate the changes. In the exploitation stage, the primary objective is to find a site having a lot of oil reserves can be practically exploited. Then developing the oil-field in a cost efficient way becomes the key point. In the last place, improving productivity plays a significant role. The change of main goals will affect the critical success factors in different project phases. The most important factor is not set in stone. It is essential for the project management team to be well aware of these variations and make the appropriate adjustments. Other effects on project success Despite the interaction between successful management and project, social impacts, to a certain extent, influences the success project and management. As the increasing growth of international cooperation, the project management frequently engages in western and eastern cultures. Better understanding different cultural background will contribute to improve the likelihood of project and management success. Culture is defined as â€Å"the beliefs, way of life, art, and customs that are shared and accepted by people in a particular society† (Longman Dictionary, 2009). People living in different civilization hold a different psychological perception of wealth, time and social life etc. Those values can lead to a project management fail if they are not well-considered in managing a cross-culture project. It is obviously that language barrier is one of the significant difficulties in cross-culture project management. Nevertheless, social and political activities play an important role. Ballow (2005) state that â€Å"understanding international socio-culture issues encountered in business is essentially at the heart of the issues companies will encounter in globalizing operations. For instance, China with the rapid growth of economy becomes a huge market that many international companies intend to invest in. However, the new market requests a higher demand, the understanding of Chinese style of management. According to Pheng and Leong (2000), in contrast with western cultures, Asian people prioritize personal relationships with their business partners. They tend to avoid speaking problems out directly, in order to keep harmonious atmosphere during negotiation. Pheng and Leong (2000) mention that project managers working on international operations have to develop effective communication and interpersonal skills. What is more, they need flexibility and adaptability to work with others who behave in diverse cultures. Many international organizations ignoring cultural differences have paid the price. With the increasing international cooperation, a project manager needs to understand the cultures of their project stakeholders. Conclusion It is safe to draw a conclusion that there is not a universal approach to measure project success. Key success factors are depended on project itself because each project is unique. Project critical success factors are well documented in literature, however it is too complex to implement and balance all of them. Successfully managing a project can improve the likelihood of project success but it is not necessarily directly related. Nevertheless the key factor often changes through the whole project lifecycle. In addition, social environment affects project success in a certain degree and sometimes it plays an important role. Consequently, critical success factors are often ignored in practice these difficulties. Having flexibility and adaptability is crucial for managers to make adjustment in doing practical project.

Around the world in eighty days- plot summary Essay

The story starts in London on Tuesday, October 1, 1872. Fogg is a rich English gentleman and bachelor living in solitude at Number 7 Savile Row, Burlington Gardens. Despite his wealth, which is  £40,000 (roughly  £3,020,000 today), Fogg, whose countenance is described as â€Å"repose in action†, lives a modest life with habits carried out with mathematical precision. Very little can be said about his social life other than that he is a member of the Reform Club. Having dismissed his former valet, James Foster, for bringing him shaving water at 84  °F (29  °C) instead of 86  °F (30  °C), Fogg hires a Frenchman by the name of Jean Passepartout, who is about 30 years old, as a replacement. Later on that day, in the Reform Club, Fogg gets involved in an argument over an article in The Daily Telegraph, stating that with the opening of a new railway section in India, it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. He accepts a wager for  £20,000 (roughly  £1,510,000 today) from his fellow club members, which he will receive if he makes it around the world in 80 days. Accompanied by Passepartout, he leaves London by train at 8:45 P.M. on Wednesday, October 2, 1872, and thus is due back at the Reform Club at the same time 80 days later, Saturday, December 21, 1872. Fogg and Passepartout reach Suez in time. While disembarking in Egypt, they are watched by a Scotland Yard detective named Fix, who has been dispatched from London in search of a bank robber. Because Fogg answers the description of the robber, Fix mistakes Fogg for the criminal. Since he cannot secure a warrant in time, Fix goes on board the steamer conveying the travellers to Bombay. During the voyage, Fix becomes acquainted with Passepartout, without revealing his purpose. On the voyage, Fogg promises the engineer a large reward if he gets them to Bombay early. They dock two days ahead of schedule. After reaching India they take a train from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Calcutta (Kolkata). About halfway there, Fogg learns that the Daily Telegraph article was wrong—the railroad ends at Kholby and starts again 50 miles further on at Allahabad. Fogg promptly buys an elephant, hires a guide, and starts toward Allahabad. During the ride, they come across a procession, in which a young Indian woman, Aouda, is led to a sanctuary to be sacrificed by the process of suttee the next day by Brahmins. Since the young woman is drugged with the smoke of opium and hemp and is obviously not going voluntarily, the travellers decide to rescue her. They follow the procession to the site, where Passepartout secretly takes the place of Aouda’s deceased husband on the funeral pyre on which she is to be burned the next morning. During the ceremony he rises from the pyre, scaring off the priests, and carries the young woman away. Due to this incident, the two days gained earlier are lost, but Fogg shows no sign of regret. The travellers then hasten on to catch the train at the next railway station, taking Aouda with them. At Calcutta, they can finally board a steamer going to Hong Kong. Fix, who has secretly been following them, has Fogg and Passepartout arrested. However, they jump bail and Fix is forced to follow them to Hong Kong. On board, he shows himself to Passepartout, who is delighted to meet again his travelling companion from the earlier voyage. In Hong Kong, it turns out that Aouda’s distant relative, in whose care they had been planning to leave her, has moved, probably to Holland, so they decide to take her with them to Europe. Meanwhile, still without a warrant, Fix sees Hong Kong as his last chance to arrest Fogg on British soil. Around this time Passepartout becomes convinced that Fix is a spy from the Reform Club trying to see if Fogg is really going around the world. However, Fix confides in Passepartout, who does not believe a word and remains convinced that his master is not a bank robber. To prevent Passepartout from informing his master about the premature departure of their next vessel, Fix gets Passepartout drunk and drugs him in an opium den. In his dizziness, Passepartout still manages to catch the steamer to Yokohama, but neglects to inform Fogg. Fogg, on the next day, discovers that he has missed his connection. He goes in search of a vessel that will take him to Yokohama. He finds a pilot boat that takes him and Aouda to Shanghai, where they catch a steamer to Yokohama. In Yokohama, they go on a search for Passepartout, believing that he may have arrived there on the original boat. They find him in a circus, trying to earn the fare for his homeward journey. Reunited, the four board a steamer taking them across the Pacific to San Francisco. Fix promises Passepartout that now, having left British soil, he will no longer try to delay Fogg’s journey, but support him in getting back to Britain as fast as possible to minimize the amount of his share of the stolen money that Fogg can spend. In San Francisco they get on a transcontinental train to New York, encountering a number of obstacles (and a Mormon missionary) along the way: a massive herd of bison crossing the tracks, a failing suspension bridge, and most disastrously, the train being attacked and overcome by Sioux warriors. After heroically uncoupling the locomotive from the carriages, Passepartout is kidnapped by the Indians, but Fogg rescues him after some American soldiers volunteer to help. They continue by a wind powered sledge over the snowy prairies to Omaha, where they get a train to New York. In New York, having missed the sailing of their ship the China by 45 minutes, Fogg starts looking for an alternative for the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. He finds a small steamboat destined for Bordeaux, France. However, the captain of the boat refuses to take the company to Liverpool, whereupon Fogg consents to be taken to Bordeaux for the price of $2000 (roughly $38,519 today) per passenger. On the voyage, he bribes the crew to mutiny and make course for Liverpool. Against hurricane winds and going on full steam all the time, the boat runs out of fuel after a few days. Fogg buys the boat at a very high price from the captain, soothing him thereby, and has the crew burn all the wooden parts to keep up the steam. The companions arrive at Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland, in time to reach London via Dublin and Liverpool before the deadline. However, once on British soil Fix produces a warrant and arrests Fogg. A short time later, the misunderstanding is cleared up—the actual robber had been caught three days earlier in Edinburgh. In response to this, Fogg, in a rare moment of impulse, punches Fix, who immediately falls to the ground. However, Fogg has missed the train and returns to London five minutes late, certain that he has lost the wager. In his London house the next day, he apologises to Aouda for bringing her with him, since he now has to live in poverty and cannot support her financially. Aouda suddenly confesses that she loves him and asks him to marry her, which he gladly accepts. He calls for Passepartout to notify the minister. At the minister’s, Passepartout learns that he is mistaken in the date, which he takes to be Saturday, December 21, but which is actually is Friday, December 20, because the party had travelled eastward, gaining a day by crossing the International Date Line. The book page containing the famous dà ©nouement (page 312 in the Philadelphia — Porter & Coates, 1873 edition)[3] He did not notice this after landing in North America because the only phase of the trip that depended on vehicles departing less than daily was the Atlantic crossing, and he had hired his own ship for that. Passepartout hurries back to inform Fogg, who immediately sets off for the Reform Club, where he arrives just in time to win the wager. Fogg marries Aouda and the journey around the world is complete. On their trip around the world, Fogg and Passepartout carried only a carpet bag with two shirts and three pairs of stockings each, a mackintosh, a travelling cloak, and a spare pair of shoes. The only book they had was Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Steam Transit and General Guide, which contains timetables of trains and steamers. Fogg also had a large roll of English banknotes, about half of his wealth or  £20,000 (roughly  £1,510,000 today), and 20 guineas (roughly  £1,588 today) won at whist, which he donates to a poor woman on the way to catch his first train.[4]

The Democratic Process in Canada The Role Played by Political Parties

The Democratic Process in Canada The Role Played by Political Parties Introduction Different societies have adopted different forms of governance that are unique to their political and social situation.[1] At the turn of the 21st century, many people began to embrace democracy as a form of governance. The new form of governance was associated with many advantages that made it the favorite of many countries in the world. For example, the citizenry need to feel they belong to the power matrix in their respective nations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Democratic Process in Canada: The Role Played by Political Parties specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To this end, democracy accords such people the luxury of contributing towards the installation of their preferred leadership in the country (Williams par. 1). What this means is that the people have control over the governance of their country. In such instances, the said people assemble and associate in formations that best articulate t heir issues. Such formations include, among others, political parties and civil rights groups. In the process of their assembly, citizens are not always drawn from the same schools of thought. It is not uncommon to find people of different backgrounds and different political and philosophical leanings coalescing around one formation. For this purpose, people seek elective positions to address that which they feel needs to be tackled in their communities. A case in point is when people seek elective positions through a given political formation (or political party) to address such issues as poverty and unequal distribution of resources in the community. Woods (par. 2) suggests that persons are always welcome to make the public understand what needs to be done so as to improve their society. They are always welcome to make suggestions and take a lead in implementing the same. Democracy is one of the best avenues through which such people can provide solutions to challenges faced in th eir society. In this paper, the author seeks to voice their opinion on matters touching on democracies. To achieve this objective, the author bears in mind that a democracy has its own elements and realities, which sets it apart from other forms of political governance in contemporary world.[2] However, for the sake of this assignment, the author restricts themselves to one key element of a democracy, the political party. More specifically, the paper analyzes the political parties within the context of the Canadian form of democracy. The author is of the belief that political parties facilitate the democratic process in the country. However, the author acknowledges that, just like any other forms of governance, political parties and the democratic process in Canada have their own weaknesses.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thesis Statement Political parties facilita te the democratic process in Canada, although they have a number of weaknesses. Political Parties at a Glance As aforementioned, a political party is one of the most important elements of a democracy. Williams (par. 1) gives the example of the United States of America, describing it as a model country with respect to democracy and its processes. According to this author, a democracy is characterized by multiple parties. Williams (par. 1) points out that America has 2 predominant political parties. On their part, European countries like Italy and France have numerous political parties as part of their democracy. The need to formulate policies within a society calls for offices of authority created through this political process. In addition to Williams, there are other scholars who have conducted studies as far as the issue of political parties and democracies are concerned. One of them is Ryan. Ryan (par. 1) provides a working definition of the concept ‘political partyâ€℠¢. The scholar describes it as an association or amalgamation of people who share common ideas on how best to run their society.[3] Ryan (par. 1) suggests that political parties are able to fulfill their ideas through a number of procedures. One of them is by nominating one of their own and ensuring that the nominee is elected into the targeted office of authority. In this case, such an office may be one of a Mayor or a Prime Minister. The various political parties have to fight it out with each other to ensure that one of their own wins the elections. To maximize their chances of capturing the elective seat, the individual political parties have to nominate one of their best candidates to run. The party settles on the individual whom they feel best represents their philosophy and the aspirations of the other members of the society. Once in office, the elected member is able to push for the agenda of their party over a period that they are expected to be in office. Like any other in stitution, a political party is created with certain goals and objectives in mind. In fact, it is these goals and objectives that set the party apart from those others existing in the country. Some of the objectives are explicit, while others are implicit. For example, the political party may be formed with the desire to uplift the welfare of minority groups in the society. The parties have several roles that they play in a society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Democratic Process in Canada: The Role Played by Political Parties specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, Williams (par. 2) reaffirms the view that political parties are an avenue through which the ideological positions of a larger group of people find common ground. Through the political party, which is regarded as an institution in its own right, diverse ideas of a people are consolidated into a policy that has clarity. In this regard, politi cal parties provide a sense of unity for the people. As indicated earlier in this paper, the parties bring people from different backgrounds, but who share the same vision or philosophy, together. Another role played by political parties is the nurturing and selection of future leaders in the society (Ryan par. 1). As a result of their affiliation to the political institution, members are trained on the ideals that their party is created to actualize. An example of such a role is seen in the Communist Party in China (Williams par. 3). In such cases, senior members of the institution recruit younger members who they can groom and mentor for future leadership. During such ‘training’ processes, the younger members are able to understand the various facets of politics and are best suited to provide alternative leadership in the years to come. Different societies have different sizes of population. As a result of the diverse nature of the population, there is need for the go vernment to come up with a form of identification for all of them. Political parties are able to provide a platform for identification (Williams par. 5). One can argue that political parties play the same role as a commercial brand. In this regard, voters are able to associate a candidate nominated for an electoral position with the ideals they stand for. An example of this is found in Canada and its political parties. The New Democratic Party is one of the country’s many political parties.[4] The party is largely associated with moderate socialism and mixed economic practices (New Democratic Party of Canada par. 1). As a result of this, any candidate seeking an elective office courtesy of this party is identified by the said ideals. What this means is that citizens regard a member of the New Democratic Party as an epitome of moderate socialism and mixed economic practices. At this juncture, the author of this paper affirms that societies have various issues that need to be a ddressed. Political parties are used to address some of these issues. It is important to note that people need to come up with prudent ways through which they can resolve the said issues.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After critically analyzing the roles that political parties play in a democracy, Lowi (par. 2) believes that the institutions are important in determining the power structure of the society. Through the elective process, policies are laid out to govern the society. At the same time, there emerges an alternative voice of reason from the parties that did not get the ultimate mandate to govern. The Democratic Process in Canada According to Rand (3), Canada has a unique form of democracy. It is characterized by both a parliamentary and a federal system of governance. In addition, the country is in itself a constitutional monarchy. The Queen of England is the current monarch in the country.[5] Nonetheless, the party system in the country is structured in such a way that Canada is a multi-party democracy.[6] The same has evolved over the years from the Westminster version of governance. Rand (4) points out that the government in this country is organized in four different ways. The first level of organization is the monarchy. The level is headed by the Queen of Canada. The second tier is the executive. It is headed by a Prime Minister. In addition, there is a legislature where laws governing the country are enacted. Finally, there are minority and majority governments (Rand 17). In the context of the Canadian democratic process, citizens are entitled to elect a Prime Minister alongside members of the legislature. The many political parties in the country nominate suitable candidates who eventually vie in the elections. Elections in the country are governed by the Canadian Election’s Act (Woods par. 2). An analysis of the Canadian government reveals that it derives most of its powers from the legislature and the executive. As a result of this, it is obvious that democracy is an important facet of the country’s political organization. To this end, political parties cannot be ignored with regard to the contribution they make towards the democratic process . At present, there are four main political parties that influence the Canadian democratic process (Rand 23). They include the Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois. The other two are the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party. They are the main players in the country’s political scene. Political Parties Facilitate the Democratic Process in Canada In Canada, most of the contentious issues, such as the economy and security, are addressed by the executive and legislative arms of government (Layton 15). It is important to appreciate that a lot needs to be done to improve the manner in which the country is governed. It is obvious that democracy in Canada is here to stay. The best example to illustrate that Canadians prefer democracy over other forms of governance is the rise of the New Democratic Party. Despite the myriad of challenges the country faces economically, citizens have, over the years, indicated their support for this party. The New Democratic Party, as alread y indicated in this paper, supports moderate socialism and a mixed form of economy (New Democratic Party of Canada par. 1). The two are fundamental issues that resonate with many citizens in the country. The consolidation of ideas is one of the roles played by political parties in any particular democracy. The New Democratic Party of Canada has effectively played this role. Therefore, the hypothesis that political parties facilitate the democratic process in Canada stands. It is a fact that there are various contentious issues in the country. Political parties offer the best avenue through which solutions to these issues are formulated and debated. The Canadian populace has various options to choose from due to the multi-party system adopted in the country. Conclusion The democratic process in Canada is regarded highly by many governments in the world. The same was witnessed when Canada was called upon to send a team of observers to Ukraine to assess the parliamentary elections held in 2012. Such a gesture affirms how the Canadian democratic process is regarded highly in the world. In this paper, the author argued that such high regard is made possible (or facilitated) by the participation of political parties. Nonetheless, political parties in the country, like other institutions, require reform. Canadians can reform their political parties to improve the country’s democratic process. Layton, Jack. Speaking Out: Ideas That Work for Canadians, Ontario: Quill Quire, 2004. Print. Lowi , Shepsle. American Government, New York: W.W. Norton Company, 2010. Print. New Democratic Party of Canada 2013, History. Web. Rand, Dyck. Canadian Politics, Michigan: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Ryan, Victor 2006, What is a Political Party? Web. Williams, Sam 2013, Role of Political Parties in Democracies. Web. Woods, Allan 2013, Quebec Elections Rife with Allegations of Intimidation, Thuggery. Web. Footnotes There are four major forms of governance. They are democra cy, aristocracy, authoritarianism, and oligarchy. Others include theocracy and anocracy. Democracy has 6 important elements. They include the rule of law, respect for human dignity, and political equality. Political freedom, common good, and being informed are other elements of democracy. A society may vary in this regard, depending on the size of the populace. Political parties can have a small reach, for example, within a municipality. They can also extend their reach to a whole country. The geographical size of a society varies. Canada has a multi-party system of democracy. There are many political parties in the country that have permission to conduct their affairs. Canada became a constitutional monarchy given that it was once a member of the British Empire. The legislative process in Canada was formerly designed along Westminster lines. However, over the years, the country has formulated its own parliamentary process of making laws in a way that is an improvement of the Westmi nster style.

Teaching Essay Example

Teaching Essay Example Teaching Essay Teaching Essay Teaching Name: Institution: Teaching What Does It Mean to Teach (or Practice) Responsibly? Personally, the ideal of responsible practice in my context implies a collaborative approach towards facilitating learning. In my practice context, I have come to understand that working closely with students plays a crucial part in facilitating learning. Traditionally, teachers hardly developed personal associations with students. This factor is also similar to the structure of bureaucratic organizations. Such organizations de-emphasized relations between managers and their employees. As such, students never got the opportunity to interact and suggest propositions that may actually assist in mitigating their problems. Nonetheless, in my years of teaching, I understood that students form the core part of education. Without students, teachers would be an abstract part of society. The same applies for organizations; the main asset for firms comprises employees. A firm would be irrefutably useless if it discarded the input its employees contributed to its performance. My ideal of responsible practice involves developing a relationship with the students. Teachers and students both have certain purposes and goals. Students usually pursue education in order to secure stability in their future lives. On the other hand, teachers engage in teaching for a variety of purposes that range from fulfilling materialistic objectives to gratifying their passion for engaging in the field. Nonetheless, within my practice context, the ideal responsible practice focuses primarily on the achievement of success on the part of students. Engaging in a collaborative approach allows students to formulate relationships with teachers thus allowing them to voice out their opinions and even engage in critical thinking. As such, I believe that the purpose of responsible practice in my context should entail learner autonomy. I believe that learner autonomy and collaborative approach integrate perfectly to create the ideal responsible practice. Even though there is no single definition for the aspect, Balcikanli (2010) defines learner autonomy as self-instruction and independent direction among students. Regardless of its application in language teaching, I consider this aspect as rational towards ideal responsible teaching. In addition, instituting a collaborative approach will actually allow students to instruct themselves especially in solving problems. For instance, integrating the Socratic Method would be highly beneficial in facilitating this approach. Socratic Method allows students to exercise critical thinking concerning a certain subject matter. Usually, the teacher presents the students with informal and critical questions that give students the freedom to brainstorm. Such a concept is definitely impossible to apply without the integration of a collaborative approach between students and teachers. Furthermore, collaboration between the teacher and student may lead to a healthy interactive association between both parties (Ahlstrom, 2003). As such, an ideal responsible practice ascertains a bond between the student and the teacher in my retrospect. Another purpose that constitutes an ideal responsible practice involves cultural responsiveness. Since my ideal practice implies a collaborative approach, the rationale that would stem from this comprises cultural openness. In my years of teaching, I have encountered students originating from numerous cultures. At first, it was difficult to teach such students based on the different cultural symbols their cultures dictated. For instance, pointing a Japanese student, to my realization, implied accusation. Additionally, staring directly in the faces of Italian students was wrong since it denoted disrespect. From such experiences, I believe that an ideal responsible practice should imply a purpose involving cultural responsiveness. Cultural responsiveness involves exuding awareness and sensitivity to other cultures (Mansour, 2009). A collaborative approach will ensure that students from different cultures interact in problem resolution via brainstorming and other learning techniques. On my part, this will allow me to include culturally responsive teaching as a personal goal. Culturally responsive teaching involves the use of cultural knowledge, earlier experiences and performance approaches of different students in order to ensure appropriate and effective learning. This type of teaching exploits the strengths of students from various cultures. As such, my ideal practice, in facilitating collaborative approach, will allow students from a miscellany of cultures to interact. That way, students will also learn considerably from each other’s experiences. Furthermore, the students will also be able to create identity groups and thus attain a single and uniform identity in learning. According to Appiah (2005a), social factors such as race, culture and ethnicity are responsible for identity. As such, applying this concept positively for the mentioned purpose, the cultures of students will enable them to determine their identities individually and collectively as a group. In addition, being aware of one’s culture enables one to appreciate the diffe rences each possesses. This will also apply for my ideal responsible practice. Personal values should also constitute a significant part of my ideal responsible practice. In my delineation, personal values describe an individual’s sense of what is good and what is evil (Appiah, 2005b). They comprise the common expression of that which is important to me as a person. Consequently, such values are essential to my practice. In my respective practice context, values are significant based on the purposes that my practice embraces. For instance, a personal value such as effectiveness is crucial in my ideal responsible practice. Effectiveness, in this case, implies possessing the aptitudes to gauge student learning naturally and work together with students to devise instruction. My responsible practice should express effectiveness in facilitating learning. My ideal practice should allow me to facilitate learning by developing and evaluating proficiency among my students. This evaluation will be possible through experiences that comprise both formal and informal learning. Effectiveness will assist in measuring and valuing learning in official and unofficial contexts. The progress among students will base on the demonstration of mastery instead of the hours students put in class. Additionally, by expressing effectiveness, my ideal practice will engage every student with significant and meticulous content; inculcate their interests, advantages and experiences. Furthermore, the practice will express effectiveness by allowing students and teachers to engage in learning throughout the year. For instance, during holiday breaks, my practice context will enable me to meet the needs of students facing particular problems in their respective field of learning. That way, students will tend to acquire assistance and simultaneously, increase their capacity of understanding and performance within their learning contexts. In addition, by expressing effectiveness, my practice will comprise an ideal environment that will aid students in augmenting various learning asp ects. For instance, it will assist them in increasing their academic knowledge and originality skills. Leadership is also another value suitable for my ideal responsible practice. In this context, leadership implies the management of learning naturally especially among students and peers alike. Since my practice context assumes a collaborative culture, leadership in this case involves sharing responsibility (Martin, 2000). Sharing responsibility among teachers especially for student welfare and learning will provide a platform for involving collective decision-making. Leadership via collective decision-making will use classroom proficiency in order to advance the effectiveness among students. Therefore, there is evident correlation between the values of leadership and effectiveness in my ideal responsible practice. Furthermore, my ideal teaching environment should express leadership through collaborative associations. Teachers and administrators should assume a shared relationship illustrated by collective decision-making and responsibility. Teachers should also presume responsibiliti es that incorporate leading and teaching. This involves working closely with students as well as respective teachers and teacher leaders. My ideal responsible practice should also reflect a strong relationship between my students and me. This relationship should arise from the incorporation of a collaborative association between both of us. Regardless of students viewing me as an authority figure, it is imperative that students also view me as their friend. Usually, students face various issues that do not involve their lives in their classroom. Most of these students face issues that emanate from their social lives. Such issues comprise significant problems such as marital cases, financial problems, racism and bigotry as well as insignificant problems such as stereotyping. These issues pose considerable implications on students. Such implications affect their performance in class as well as their social performance. Therefore, an ideal responsible practice should empower teachers and students to develop relationships. These relationships will cater to the academic and social aspect of students. For instance, a mentori ng relationship will be tremendously beneficial in directing students facing social issues. Certain behaviors will also express my ideal responsible practice. One of the main behaviors that my practice should express is empathy. I believe that empathetic behavior is important in my definition of an ideal responsible practice. An empathetic behavior allows the teacher to envision himself in the eyes of the student. This particular behavior allows the teacher to formulate a formidable relationship between the student and teacher. By expressing empathy, the teacher will understand certain aspects of his different students. For instance, empathetic behavior will enable me to understand the problems some of my students. This factor will be crucial in furthering a mentoring relationship between my students and me. Additionally, sympathetic and understanding behaviors also express my ideal responsible environment. Normally, students associate with teachers that are sympathetic and warm towards them. As such, a teacher in my ideal environment should be sympathetic especially in cas es where students possess different levels of comprehending subjects. My actual practice does not quite equate with my ideal practice. Most of the factors that contribute to this disparity are actually uncontrollable and comprise institutional, organizational and personal aspects. Factors such as organizational culture make it difficult to create the ideal responsible practice. Organizational culture simply implies the behaviors expressed by persons within an organization. Additionally, it also involves the connotations that individuals append to their acts. Organizational culture is a formidable factor in creating this disparity especially in terms of the status quo (Mansour, 2009). For instance, organizations that embrace a bureaucratic culture hardly entertain sympathetic and empathetic behaviors. As a result, attempting to change such a culture by advocating for such behaviors only exudes resistance from members of the organization. In addition, other factors also illustrate the disparity between my ideal responsible environment and the actual prac tice context. For instance, aspects such as competition for intangible resources such as respect. More factors comprise student attitudes towards teachers as well as a weak student-teacher relationship. Reasons for the Gap between the Ideal and the Reality One of the main factors affecting my ability to practice responsibly involves the institutional aspect. In delineation, Scott (2001, 49) defines institutions as â€Å"multifaceted, durable social structures, made up of symbolic elements, social activities, and material resources†. Based on their composition, institutions affect social life and thus embody the fabric of the social life of an individual. They offer rigidity regardless of the dynamic changes in the environment. Conclusively, institutions comprise structures that govern individual behavior in a respective community. For instance, rules gain regard as institutions since they govern the behavior of persons in any given society. Additionally, other abstract concepts such as culture also receive definition as institutions because of the control they possess over individuals in certain settings. One common feature of institutions and their effect in this particular case involves their ability to express autonomy over i ndividuals in a setting. Even though institutions such as organizations originate from people, institutions actually end up assuming self-organization even above humans. This is evident in this situation. An institution such as culture controls the employees’ conscious intentions. Since the organization assumes a bureaucratic culture, it is exceedingly difficult to initiate an ideal teaching environment. This is because this culture governs the norms and behaviors of students alike. As such, teachers do not even attempt to change the way they associate with other students. Accordingly, administrators and teacher leaders also exercise an authoritative relationship with teachers. Furthermore, this culture only remunerates teachers on piecework basis. Consequently, once teachers are through with their classes, they do not spend supplementary time finding out the welfare of the students since it is not within their pay schedule. As a result, such adaptations exemplified by the culture restrict me from act ing responsibly within my respective practice context. Another factor affecting the ability to act responsibly involves the organizational aspect. The grounds for the disparity between the ideal and actual environment involves the relations between members of the organization. As mentioned, institutions govern an individual’s social life. An organization is also an institution that governs employees based on their activities. In my case, the bureaucratic culture plays a vital role in creating the disparity. Additionally, the culture also plays an important role in distinguishing the organization in the form of a system. According to Scott (2003), the organization stands out as a rational, natural or open system. However, in this case, the organization is actually a closed system because of its stance on formality. In this environment, there is lack of interdependence between teachers and administrators. Additionally, it also differentiates between formal and informal structures. As such, students face difficulty in attempting to i nduce informal relationships with their teachers, as well as other members of the teaching staff within the school. The last factor that affects acting responsibly comprises the personal aspect. This aspect mainly focuses on me as an individual in my practice context. Because of the influence of the institution on the environment, it is difficult for me to adopt certain behaviors especially with my students. At times, my easygoing nature allows me to interact with them informally and at least induce comfort among them. However, it becomes hard for me to mentor them based on the different roles both of us possess. My position as a teacher, emphasized by the organization, hinders me from reaching down to the students. As a result, I hardly employ empathy since I lack a mentoring relationship with my students. Additionally, the students seclude themselves in terms of their background. Such backgrounds are mostly racial. According to Appiah (2005), social factors reflect a person’s identity. This elucidates the reason why these students seclude themselves in such groups. The interaction between these aspects influences the ability to practice responsibly. Mainly, the interactive forces affecting this capability comprise organizational and personal forces. Organizational forces mainly imply the structures put in place that limit collaboration between teachers and students. As implied, the organization distinguishes between formal and informal structures. As a result, it is difficult to induce shared responsibility especially between administrators and teachers based on these structures. Furthermore, these organizational forces also influence my personal doctrines. It is evident that external forces generate influence on the internal part of any system. Organizational forces such as hierarchical rigidity influence my relations with my students. Since students do not interact on an informal level with their teachers and leaders, it becomes impossible to interact with me informally on a significant basis. Furthermore, lack of shared responsibility among teachers and administrators discards students and teachers from assuming a collaborative relationship. Closing the Gap between the Ideal and the Reality of Responsible Practice The difference between the actual context and my ideal responsible environment requires a contribution of efforts to close the gap. These efforts represent opportunities that will assist in conjoining my ideal practice and the current practice. Additionally, these opportunities will focus on changing a certain part of my respective area of teaching which involves English Language Teaching (ELT). Nonetheless, exploiting these opportunities will undoubtedly lead to the occurrence of certain implications that will certainly have a positive or negative impact. The opportunities comprise: Implementing a Peer Review Program The implementation of a Peer Review Program will require the collaboration of both teachers and administrators. This will be the first step towards advocating for change in English Language Teaching. The program will focus on allowing teachers to evaluate and analyze practice, as well as increasing qualified learning plans in the practice area. Furthermore, the program will substitute the need for tenure. Within any organization, tenure comprises one of the crucial organizational factors. It comprises the quantity of time put in by an employee in a day. It comprises the piecework basis in the actual practice context. Nonetheless, implementation of the Peer Review Program will have an impact on the piecework basis system. To an extent, the program will actually eliminate the system because of its preferences and disparate framework from the actual system. The piecework basis places emphasis on the quantity of time a teacher dedicates in class. As such, it does not provide any room for improvement. Accordingly, it does not enable a teacher to visualize and assess her performance. This poses a significant effect on students since most of them are unable to voice their opinion concerning their teacher. This applies similarly in ELT. Therefore, applying the Peer Review Program will surely affect the organization. Accordingly, it will also influence institutional factors. This is because adopting this system will necessarily imply a change in the organizational culture. Such a change will definitely lead to resistance since it disrupts the status quo within the organization. Additionally, this implication will imply positively to me personally since it will enable me to gauge my performance within this related area. In replacing tenure, the Peer Review Program will offer opportunities based on improvement. Consequently, the program will also in providing prospects where there is insufficient improvement. Therefore, applying this program in my practice context will affect the entire organization as well other areas of teaching and learning in the organization. The program will lead to a steady dissolution of formal and informal structures especially among teachers and students. Additionally, the program will also assure a due process during dismissal processes. Therefore, by assuring due process rights among teachers in the organization via a just and transparent system, employment will continue based on performance. This will clearly bring a considerable change in the organization. Teachers will at least have a right in safeguarding their stances. Furthermore, the bureaucratic institution will also dissolve into a more democratic culture that will see teachers sharing responsibility in decision making with administrators and other leaders. Instituting a Teacher-Student Led Curriculum A Teacher-Student Led Curriculum program involves a learning schedule designed by both teachers and students. This opportunity will aid in closing the gap in my practice context. This curriculum will take advantage of the collaborative approach. This approach will involve both the student and me in determining the curriculum for the students. Usually, my class consists of adult learners who also have other priorities apart from school. Therefore, instead of using a rigid structure from the organization, it will advantageous for us to create a curriculum that suits our needs. Additionally, the Teacher-Student Led Curriculum will focus on areas that students feel present the biggest challenge. Thus, it will encourage the facilitation and contribution of ideas and suggestions that will ease English Language Teaching and Learning (Keiser, Kincaid Servais, 2011). One of the main implications arising from this will focus on my personal side. Developing a Teacher-Student Led Curriculum will enable me to interact on a personal level with my students. This is a factor that was difficult for me to exercise based on the organizational and institutional influence on teacher-student associations. Furthermore, working together within the students will allow me to develop an empathetic behavior. The curriculum will mainly focus on scheduling the timelines as well as determining the areas that require maximum attention. Thus, working on these factors will enable me to understand the issues that bother some of my students in relation to their class work and social life. For instance, when working on scheduling the time for the lessons, various students might have reasons that may force me to adjust the timeline in order to suit them and the majority. Implementing such a curriculum will undoubtedly receive resistance from organizational and institutional factors. This is because such a curriculum will mark the beginning of a liberal manner of teaching. This form of teaching will comprise contributions from students. Organizational factors such as hierarchical rigidity will impede this process. This is because applying a strategy will eliminate the power relationship between teachers and students. Additionally, institutional factors will also impede this effort. The bureaucratic culture, which is responsible for guiding norms in the organizations, will be under threat. This is because of the application of a curriculum that values student input, and in a way, allows students to exercise a democratic effort in determining their education. Furthermore, implementing the Teacher-Student Led Classroom will attract maintenance of the program over the long term. Irrefutably, the maintenance of the program will focus on assisting new adult learners in the ELT course. Learning English is difficult especially for adult immigrants who had little exposure to the language. Thus, the curriculum will also cater for these students in various ways. For instance, the curriculum will allow me to divide my classes between old and new students. This is because teaching them together will only confuse the new students further. While working collaboratively with the students, I will be able to assign a peer-reviewed teacher, possibly from my class, to teach the new students. However, this will also require me to apply Staffing. Staffing will involve the employment of more liberal teachers within my practice context. Therefore, an increase in the number of teachers will actually allow new students to receive the attention they need. References Ahlstrom, C. (2003). Collaborating with students to build curriculum that incorporates real-life materials. Focus on Basics: Connecting Research and Practice, 6(C), 1-7. Appiah, A. (2005). The demands of identity. In A. Appiah (Ed.), The ethics of identity (62-71). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Appiah, A. (2005). The ethics in individuality. In A. Appiah (Ed.), The ethics of identity (1-35). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Martin, M. W. (2000). Shared responsibility and authority. In M.W. Martin (Ed.), Meaningful work: Rethinking professional ethics (119-137). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Scott, W. R. (2001). Constructing an analytic framework I: Three pillars of institution. In W.R. Scott (Ed.), Institutions and organizations (48-70). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Scott, W. R. (2003). The subject is organizations. In W.R. Scott (Ed.), Organizations: Rational, natural, and open systems (18-30). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Annotated Bibliography Balcikanli, C. (2010). Learner autonomy in language learning: Student teachers’ beliefs. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(1), 90-103. There is a significant amount of research concerning the issue of learner autonomy. Generally, the notion of learner autonomy arose in 1981 and focused on concentrating on language learning. Therefore, Balcikanli illustrates the conceptions, misconceptions, review and research encompassing this broad aspect. Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116. Gay focuses on the impact of culturally responsive teaching in contemporary schools. The author delineates this type of teaching and even focuses intently on broad concepts such as race and ethnicity that encompass the society and possess a profound effect on teaching and learning. Keiser, N., Kincaid, M., Servais, K. (2011). Using a collaborative leadership model in a teacher education program. American Journal of Educational Studies, 4(1), 5-20. Keiser, Kincaid and Servais discuss the use of the collaboration approach. They discuss the contrast between the Conventional Method of teaching and the Collaborative Approach and advocate for the leadership model especially in teacher education programs. Mansour, N. (2009). Science Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices: Issues, Implications and Research Agenda. International Journal of Environmental Science Education, 4(1), 25-48. Mansour integrates the notion of beliefs in the field of teaching. Even though the author illustrates research on the impact of beliefs in science, he also discusses the topic in general and applies other concepts such as culture and status quo that affect teaching.

Great Poetry Collections to Read During Every Month of the Year

Great Poetry Collections to Read During Every Month of the Year 7 Great Poetry Collections To Read During Every Month Of The Year Now that April, national poetry month, has passed, you don’t have to put your beloved poetry away until next year. Short of taking a poetry class, or gathering your friends to meet at favorite places that still allow smokers with snapping fingers to enjoy their favorite spoken word artists, why not browse your local book store that remains open because it loves books so much it will not allow the Internet crunch of places like Amazon to close it out of business. Yes, feel the book in your hands folks, and get some new material to last the rest of the year. There are tons of poetry books out there that you have yet to read. Come on, get outside of your box and try something new and quirky. If you are already into quirky, try some romance poetry, or period pieces. It will also motivate you to perform custom writing.  I was recently exposed to the WWI British Poets, which includes Brooke, Owen, Sassoon, Rosenberg and Others, (it’s actually the title), and the entire cont ents had me in analyzing mode much longer than I had anticipated. Here are some of the favorites that seem to withstand time. If you have not read them, what are you waiting for. Grab a book, feel and smell its pages, there is nothing in the world like the smell of a bookstore! Edgar Allen Poe 1809  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1849, The Raven If you don’t already know this poem you are in for a literary treat. This celebrated piece is pure Poe. The Raven is based on a talking raven that comes to the home of a lover who is falling into madness due to love lost. Those who love rhyming and much alliteration will want to read this one again and again. Emily Dickinson 1830  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1886, (Any of her collections) You can’t go wrong with a collection by Emily Dickinson. This is one poet whose headstone should have read, â€Å"She did it her way.† Dickinson wrote to write. She did not fit her themes into any one genre, although the words pun, irony, satire and humor will cross your thought process while delving into the many, many lines this poet penned. Ted Hughes 1930-1998, Poet Laureate from 1984 until he died: Birthday Letters Critically acclaimed to be one of the best poets of his generation, Hughes is also famous for his controversial marriage to famous American poet Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide in 1963. Birthday Letters delves into their relationship, and one Last Letter, discovered in October 2010, gets into details what occurred during her last days before her suicide. Langston Hughes 1902 –1967, Montage of a Dream Deferred Mr. Hughes an American poet, social activist, and well-known as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance wrote Montage in the form of a Jazz session. When reading this beautiful work, get ready to dip and sit, switch and groove, because it reads like a symphony of music from deep in the heart of Harlem, moving the reader uptown and downtown, through the nights and into the following day. Get your groove shoes on and join Mr. Hughes as he reflects the Harlem he loved dearly. Sarfraz Zaidi, MD: You are not who you think you are. Poetry Collection Taking a leap forward to living poets, you may want to read the works by Dr. Zaidi. He is a rising star in the medical field. His expertise with Vitamin D, the thyroid and his stress management techniques are big on you tube. This book of his writing may now always rhyme but he is stressing living in the â€Å"right now† and that is where each and every day should bring us, to our now. Happy Reading!

PROJECT CENSORED Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PROJECT CENSORED - Assignment Example Due to the fact that the media heaped such a high degree of praise on these individuals that were working to employ acts of terrorism to overthrow a government, it begged the question as to why the Western press was so single-minded on the approach to this issue. This brief analysis will consider a solitary news report from the Telegraph and juxtapose this with the information that other news outlets continued to put forward to their viewership on a daily basis. Due to the fact that censorship takes a variety of forms, it will be the purpose of this brief analysis to consider how and why the main media outlets willingly chose to ignore such a massive story as the one which the Telegraph related. To briefly summarize the time period in which this article came out, the reader should understand that tensions within the Middle East had been fomenting as a result of the Arab Spring. Although it will not be the goal of this essay to discuss whether the Arab Spring was in and of itself a po pular uprising of the people groups of Middle Eastern nations or the manufactured malcontent that Washington is famous for inspiring, it should however be considered the extent and scope within which the United States was involved in the Libyan uprising from its earliest days in Benghazi. At the point that this article was published, the Libyan uprising had been ongoing for a period of around 2 months. The article itself was titled, â€Å"Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links† and published on the 25 of March 2011. Although such an admission may seem banal, the fact of the matter was that this firsthand statement from the opposing side worked to affirm the similar statements that then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had been advocating since the rebels began engaging in terrorism in Benghazi back in February of the same year. Due to the overall unpopularity of such a viewpoint, the article was practically the only one of its time. However, the fact that a premier Libyan Revolutionary would openly admit to a Western news source that his fighters had known Al Qaeda linkages was a news story that the mainstream press was none too interested in putting forward as the entire political spectrum within the United States supported NATO action within Libya to overthrow the stable and long-standing government of Gaddafi (Swami 2011). It is not the purpose of this analysis to put forward why such a news story was itself inherently offensive to the Western media so much so that such a bombshell news story could go practically unnoticed, however, one could safely surmise that the powerful interests behind the scenes (oil companies and a plethora of other MNCs) wished Gaddafi to be toppled so that they may have new markets for their products. Similarly, due to the fact that only a handful of major conglomerates own a lion’s share of the Western media, it is somewhat surprising that such a story made it into the mainstream press whatsoeve r; if only for such a brief and unnoticed article. The fact that Al Qaeda openly supported the Libyan rebels was no secret to those that carefully followed the revolution. Gaddafi as well as key observers had been frenetically attempting to warn the West before they bandwagoned together and

Discharge of Contract on the Grounds of Frustration Coursework

Discharge of Contract on the Grounds of Frustration - Coursework Example Jardinia Limited has signed two contracts with Southern Belles which entails the installation and fitting of an industrial size system for the poly-tunnels and green house. Payment for installation will be due on completion of the work. The other contract states that 100 units are to be provided for resale to the general public at a cost of ?250 each to Southern Belles Ltd. A ?5,000 deposit had already been paid. However, a day before completion of the work, a storm destroyed all the installations completely. Southern Belles Limited is therefore claiming that both contracts are discharged on the grounds of frustration with no money to be paid on the fitting contract and the deposit refunded. Force Majeure Clause If either Jardinia Limited or Southern Belles Limited is prevented or stopped from carrying out its duties as it had been agreed upon in the contract (other than their duties to make their payments) by a force majeure event then: The affected party will be relieved from perfo rming its duties as long as the force majeure event continues to pose as an inhibiting factor further affecting in completion of the project. ... e Event, how it has affected its ability to carry out its obligations as it had been agreed upon in the contract and the measures that have been developed by the party to prevent such a Force Majeure Event from occurring and destroying property. The affected party has to establish mitigation measures to eliminate effects of the Force Majeure Event that may prevent it from fulfilling its obligations as stated in the contract. After cessation of the Force Majeure Event, the affected party should provide a written notification to the other party informing it of the cessation of the Force Majeure Event. The party should then continue with performance of its duties as the two parties had agreed on. Southern Belles Limited will give the agreed amount of money to Jardinia Limited for installation of an industrial size system for a green house and poly-tunnels as soon as sales are attained. Southern Belles Limited will use all reasonable efforts to ensure it attains production capabilities. A Force Majeure Event is therefore described as any event that occurs without any knowledge of a party and it is beyond an individual’s reasonable control. The event is unavoidable and does not withstand the reasonable care of a party. A Force Majeure Event at Jardinia Limited will not constitute a Force Majeure Event, unless most of its operations are entirely affected. Force Majeure Clause denotes that the storm triggered the operation of this clause as the contractor could not avoid occurrence of the storm and could still not provide against it. The storm qualifies as a Force Majeure Event since it totally destroyed work that had been done and has as well prevented it from going on as planned. The storm has had severe impacts on the contract as additional costs, time as well as inputs

Water Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Water Pollution - Essay Example Limitation of fresh water is an ever growing danger, despite water being a renewable resource. Agriculture, according to environmentalists, affects lakes, rivers, and other important estuaries. On the other hand, most agricultural operations are counter-productive to the growth of most crops because of different varieties of water pollution (Maude 129). It is because of contamination of sediments, bacteria emanating from animal manure, and nitrogen from fertilizers. These comprise some of the agricultural factors interfering with most fresh water bodies. Availability of fresh water bodies in most parts of the globe also signify the renewability of the resource for consumption by the human population. For instance, 2.53 percent entails the entire fresh water spread across the globe. It demonstrates the limitation is growing gradually because of human waste and pollution (Maude 139). The wastage of 2 million tons daily, according to a U.N. report, projects danger as opposed to the accusations that agriculture is the central cause of water pollution. Potentiality of climate change and extreme pollution caused by depositing of industrial refuse into water bodies is another example of effects on fresh water bodies often ignored. The World Water Report has distributed figures in regards to nations that will suffer from water problems in the future. It places the figure at 2 billion per 48 nations or 7 billion for 60 countries without factoring the implications of agriculture in the overall problem.

The Merger of Granda and Compass Research Proposal

The Merger of Granda and Compass - Research Proposal Example The success/failure of the merger will be analysed according to the Economies of scale: "This refers to the fact that the combined company can often reduce duplicate departments or operations, lowering the costs of the company relative to theoretically the same revenue stream, thus increasing profit."2 Many authors have dealt with the issue of clarity and understandability of the topic of mergers. Most of the research studies are aimed at studying the factors, which motivate the management of the companies to undertake the decision of merger and the benefits or the losses The study of mergers and acquisitions focuses on understanding what motivates managers to engage in this type of activity and the impact that mergers and acquisitions have on shareholder returns. Mostly the main aim of the companies for mergers could be empire building through growth in size, sales, and assets. 3 Mostly the motivation for the merger involve the increase in the market gains, the competitive advantage in shape of technological advancement, and the increase in the strength of the companies. In some cases the HR practices also improves as the result of these mergers. Efficiency improvements can be gained from synergy of target and bidding firms due to economies of scale and use of excess capacity. Recent studies stated that value creation couldn't be achieved in case of horizontal merger. 4 5 6 The entity formed by the merger of Granada and Compass, "Granada Compass", was 66.25% owned by Granada shareholders and 33.75% by those of Compass. The merger proposal said that prior to the IPO, Granada Media was expected to be capitalised with no net debt. At the end of March 2000, Granada's net debt was 1.9bn and Compass's was 1.1bn. In a joint statement Granada and Compass said that they expect their combined businesses to be "better placed to exploit the significant growth opportunities in each of its core markets and to benefit from the combination of its complementary businesses." 7 On the other hand the horizontal merger of Bell south and AT&T is expected to provide both the companies with the following advantages. Cross selling: Through the merger the companies become enable to sell their products to the customers of the other company. The natural combination of two will improve the services provided to the customers. Financial Benefits: The merger of both the companies will lead to a "financial benefits for stockholders of both companies; an expected net present value of $18 billion in synergies resulting from a more than $2 billion annual run rate in synergies expected in 2008, growing to $3 billion in 2010." 8 On the other hand the expected merger will lead to "accrete AT&T adjusted earnings per share in 2008, double-digit adjusted EPS growth in each of next three years (earnings adjusted for merger integration costs and amortisation of intangibles) and significant growth in free cash flow after dividends in 2007 and 2008". 9 Geographical or other diversification: Another advantage

Challenges and Choices of HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Challenges and Choices of HR - Essay Example Following this, the report will entail a discussion of the importance of Job design in an organization and the main challenges that are faced by the human resources managers in this regard. Job Design plays a very important role in every job. This mainly deals with making work arrangements to ensure that the job dissatisfaction is reduced to the maximum extent. The main aim of a job design is to reduce the dissatisfaction due to repetitive and mechanistic tasks. Organizations use this to raise productivity levels among the employees. This is mainly achieved by offering nonmonetary rewards like better and higher levels of satisfaction that employees can achieve (Pearson, 2008). Other techniques like enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation and job simplification also form a part of the job design process. Having understood the main aims of job design, let us now focus on the objective of job design. It is clear that there are a number of design options that are available for any job. Thus it is important to understand what the main objectives are for any job design. Firstly, quality plays a very important role and is one of the most important aspects to be considered while designing a job. Quality refers to the ability of the staff to produce high-quality products and services and this can be affected majorly by the job design. This also includes avoiding of errors in short-term and also includes the designing of jobs which help encourage staff to improve the job and processes and also make lesser errors. Secondly, speed also plays an essential role in job design. The speed of response is the dominant objective of job design. It is essential that jobs consider this aspect as well. For instance, in jobs like emergency services, speed plays a very important role.  

The Merger of Granda and Compass Research Proposal

The Merger of Granda and Compass - Research Proposal Example The success/failure of the merger will be analysed according to the Economies of scale: "This refers to the fact that the combined company can often reduce duplicate departments or operations, lowering the costs of the company relative to theoretically the same revenue stream, thus increasing profit."2 Many authors have dealt with the issue of clarity and understandability of the topic of mergers. Most of the research studies are aimed at studying the factors, which motivate the management of the companies to undertake the decision of merger and the benefits or the losses The study of mergers and acquisitions focuses on understanding what motivates managers to engage in this type of activity and the impact that mergers and acquisitions have on shareholder returns. Mostly the main aim of the companies for mergers could be empire building through growth in size, sales, and assets. 3 Mostly the motivation for the merger involve the increase in the market gains, the competitive advantage in shape of technological advancement, and the increase in the strength of the companies. In some cases the HR practices also improves as the result of these mergers. Efficiency improvements can be gained from synergy of target and bidding firms due to economies of scale and use of excess capacity. Recent studies stated that value creation couldn't be achieved in case of horizontal merger. 4 5 6 The entity formed by the merger of Granada and Compass, "Granada Compass", was 66.25% owned by Granada shareholders and 33.75% by those of Compass. The merger proposal said that prior to the IPO, Granada Media was expected to be capitalised with no net debt. At the end of March 2000, Granada's net debt was 1.9bn and Compass's was 1.1bn. In a joint statement Granada and Compass said that they expect their combined businesses to be "better placed to exploit the significant growth opportunities in each of its core markets and to benefit from the combination of its complementary businesses." 7 On the other hand the horizontal merger of Bell south and AT&T is expected to provide both the companies with the following advantages. Cross selling: Through the merger the companies become enable to sell their products to the customers of the other company. The natural combination of two will improve the services provided to the customers. Financial Benefits: The merger of both the companies will lead to a "financial benefits for stockholders of both companies; an expected net present value of $18 billion in synergies resulting from a more than $2 billion annual run rate in synergies expected in 2008, growing to $3 billion in 2010." 8 On the other hand the expected merger will lead to "accrete AT&T adjusted earnings per share in 2008, double-digit adjusted EPS growth in each of next three years (earnings adjusted for merger integration costs and amortisation of intangibles) and significant growth in free cash flow after dividends in 2007 and 2008". 9 Geographical or other diversification: Another advantage

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

None - Essay Example Philosophical works in the form of poetry written by Hesiod as early as eighth century BC indicated the presence of scarcity among human beings. Hesiod refers to competition as a real conflict amongst business. He ascertains the impact of entrepreneurial force in the creation of scarcity of resources in the community. As scarcity develops, human beings tend to scramble for the available resources. The philosopher further agrees to the fact that competition amongst business and the nature of scarcity of resources needs governorship by justice and the law. Philosophical theories frequently highlight the relevance of scarcity of resource and competition in the society. Their arguments remain ideal reflections of the occurrence in the business world (Spiegel 1). In modern business, healthy competition acts as a booster in the development of the society. Businesses compete for market share that leads to improvisation of marketing strategies that aims at increasing customer relations. Such improvement in customer preference to individual companies correlates to increased quality of service provision and hence productivity of the economy. Modern economic theories on competition as aforementioned agree Hesiod philosophies on existence of competition. Hesiod supported the existence of competition in the society and its relation to the measure of productivity. He affirms the relationship between competition and productivity through his literary works on Homeric poetry written between 830-750 BC. Hesiod describes competition as either destructive or productive of which the later forms part of contemporary economic productivity (Jr and HÃ ©bert). Productivity of the economy in a modern setting relates to hard work and determination. Such economic theory is in agreement with Hesiod philosophies. Hesiod believed that idleness and productivity could not rhyme. He criticized the former

March of Dimes Essay Example for Free

March of Dimes Essay March of Dimes Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was an unfortunate victim to polio, created the March of dimes in 1921. Polio started in 1916 and mostly infected children, killing thousands and paralyzing many. Though we have beat polio, March of Dimes still continues to help research to make babies healthier across America. The story behind the name â€Å"March of Dimes† is that had the idea that we should try to cover the White House lawn with dimes for polio research. Many people came from far and wide to put dimes on the White House lawn. This is were March of Dimes got it’s unique name. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. They do this through research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies’ lives. They help through research by funding for research to find cures and new health benefits for babies. They help through community services by raising money for babies in need or the research itself. They also help through education by educating mothers-to-be on how to handle a baby with birth defects or that is premature. They also help through advocacy to save babies’ lives by saving every baby they can and never giving up on any cause. All the people who help the March of Dimes are helping more babies have a fighting chance for life. People can get involved in many different ways to help March of Dimes. People can volunteer to do community service or talk to mothers on advice. People can also donate money strait to the organization. People can also get involved in their community activities like their March for Babies, Mothers March, and other events. There are so many ways to get involved and help the community. It also makes you a hero to so many babies that you helped save their lives.

Effective Instructional Strategies For Adult Learners

Effective Instructional Strategies For Adult Learners College and universities across America are experience a change in student demographics from traditional to adult students. The adult student (those 25 and older) population in higher education continues to grows (Palazesci Bower, 2006; ODonnell Tobbell,2007; Giancola, Grawitch, Borchert, 2009; Vaccaro Lovell, 2010). The U.S. Department of Education reported an increase in nontraditional students from 28% in 1970 to 39% in 1999. Today, the U.S. Department of Education reported in its National Center for Educational Statistics(2006) reported that first-time full-time students are now in the minority in higher education. This growing population of adult learners bring unique characteristics to the learning environment. One might then expect to observe significant difference in instructional strategies of instructors of traditional and adult students. However, despite the unique characteristics of adult learners, the traditional approach to instructional strategies, in particular the lecture method, used in many traditional classrooms is utilized in the adult learning environment as well. While there are no inherent negative outcomes associated with the lecture method (Masikunis, Panayiotidis, Burke, 2009; Giers Kreiner, 2009; Revell, Wainwright, 2009), characteristics of adult learners may provoke the investigation of alternative instructional strategies. Adult Learning Malcom Knowles first introduced the idea that adult and children learning differently due to developmental and experiential differences in the 1970s (Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2005). Prior to Knowles work, pedagogy was the focus of instructional strategies in higher education. The pedagogy model required the instructor to be in control of the learning and was the main focus of Knowles coined the term andragogy to describe a core set of principles of adult learning to build a more effective learning process for adults (p. 2). The six principles of andragogy are: The learners need to know; Self-concept of the learner; Prior experience of the learner; Readiness to learn; Orientation to learning; and Motivation to learn. (p. 3) Knowles stressed andragogy as a process model rather than the content model characteristic of pedagogy. The difference is not that one deals with content and the other does not; the difference is that the content model is concerned with transmitting information and skills whereas the process model is concerned with providing procedures and resources for helping learners acquire information and skills. (Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2005, p. 115) Knowles maintained these principles, or assumptions, as foundational in designing meaningful learning experiences for adult learners (Merriam, Caffarella, Baumgartner, 2007). In addition to considering the characteristics of adult learners, Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner (2005) emphasize the importance of recognizing learning in an adults life occurs in structured and informal learning environments. This recognition allows educators of adults to take into consideration the vast experience and knowledge adult students bring to the learning environment. Prior knowledge then becomes foundational to the learning experience. Also, the recognition that learning occurs in multiple arenas of life enables educators to assist adult learners in understanding they are lifelong learners. This may lessen the adults anxiety of entering a formal educational setting. The learning environment may be new, but the experience of learning new knowledge or skills is not. Lifelong learner is part of the adults life. Brookfield (1986) addressed the social aspect of adult learning. the acts of teaching and learning and the creation and alteration of our beliefs, values, actions, relationships, and social forms that result from this are ways in which we realize our humanity (p. 1). From this belief, Brookfield (1986) presented six principles for facilitating learning: Participation in learning is voluntary; adult engage in learning as a result of their own volition. Effective practice is characterized by a respect among participants for each others self-worth. Facilitation is collaborative. Facilitators and learners are in a cooperative enterprise in which, at different times and for different purposes, leadership and facilitation roles will be assumed by different group members. Praxis is placed at the heart of effective facilitation. Learners and facilitators are involved in a continual process of activity, reflection upon activity collaborative analysis of activity, new activity, further reflection, and collaborative analysis, and so on. Facilitation aims to foster in adults a spirit of critical reflection. The aim of facilitation is the nurturing of self=-directed, empowered adults. While Knowles advocated that adults learn differently than children, he understood the application of andragogy assumptions were dependent on the learning situation. In all learning situations, the needs of the learner are paramount in designing an effective learning experience. Knowles (as cited in Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2005) stated: My intention, therefore, was to present an alternative set of assumptions to those that had been traditionally made by teachers of children, so that others would have another choice. I saw them as assumptions to be tested (not to be presumed), so that if a pedagogical assumption was the realistic condition given situation then pedagogical strategies would be appropriate. For example, if I were now, at age 66, to undertake to learn a body of totally strange content (for example, the higher mathematics of nuclear physics), I would be a totally dependent learner. I would have very little previous experience to build on, I probably would have a low degree of readiness to learn it, and I dont know what developmental task I would be preparing for. The assumptions of pedagogical assumptions would be appropriate. (p. 146) However, with that said, in many learning situations adult learners do bring a readiness to learn, do have experiential background, and XXXXXXXXXXXXX. In this context, learning strategies appropriate to the adult learner should be considered. Institutional Reaction to Adult Learners Despite the continual struggle of adult learners for voice and value in higher education (Sissel, Hansman, Kasworm, 2001), institutions appear to acknowledge the unique population of adult learners (Simpson, 2004). Institutions offer degree programs specifically addressing the need to provide alternative student services, multiple delivery modes (in-seat and online), and flexibility in scheduling (Durey, 2007). Matkin (2004) identifies two distinct markets in higher education: the residential student (traditional students) and the nonresidential (nontraditional student). The members of the two markets have different reasons for seeking education, different backgrounds, different service needs, and different pathways through which they are attracted (recruited) to education (p. 62). While, some in higher education academy may still harbor distrust in these nontraditional programs for adult learners, Tweedell (2007) contends many programs that target the adult population have been mor e deliberate in planning and implementing quality than other education programs whose theories and practices are rooted only in tradition (p. 5). In addition to addressing opportunities for adult students to pursue higher education opportunities, educators must investigate and implement instructional strategies that address the needs of adult learners. Instructional Strategies Several models of adult learning inform best practices in adult learning. Knowles (as cited in Brewer, 2005) provided guidelines for development and practice in adult learning programs. Central components of Knowles theory are self-directedness , a focus on experiential learning, learner reliance on past experiences, adult motivation to learn, and goal orientation associated with problem solving (p. 23). Effective instructional strategies for adult learners: Incorporates learners goals and objectives Provides opportunities for content to build on past experiences and knowledge Focus on problem oriented and practical strategies Require active learner participation Provides opportunities for application of new knowledge and skills Provide opportunities for both independent and collaborative learning Implications for Faculty Development Conclusion