Vespucci View on Native Americans

The impression that I got from people accounted to Vespucci is that Native Indians are barbarians with no shame. Vespucci gives the impression by showing that they are cannibals (Vespucci 18). For example, they will eat human flesh from their enemies. They have no leader and no rules are set. Basically, I picture humans running around like wild animals without shame. In addition, the men are lustful without shame, taking as much women as they can. Even the women are crazy; they would cause abortion if their husband anger them (Vespucci 18). I get the impression that they have no remorse and that they are evil. The only positive thing that I feel is that they are creative, when it comes to music and that food is plentiful. For example, the Indians play various instruments such as horns and bells (Vespucci 18). Overall, I feel that these Indians are too psychotic and that they need to reform their ways immediately. The document shows that the author is pretty honest, but cocky. He would offer friendship first, but if the Indians do not accept, they would be subjected to slavery (Vespucci 18). This shows me that he’s at least fair when making deals. I feel that he’s fascinated by the way the Indians live, but not in a good way. His tone is arrogant, because his people see Indians as a pathetic civilization. The author shows that he did not know that such people existed, until he discovered them. He contradicts himself though, when he would capture Indians and make them into slaves if they did not accept his friendship. Enslaving people is also immoral and unethical. Vespucci is a bit headstrong when judging others, when he too is judged by others.

Educational Coaches Essay

Educational or instructional coaches – also called â€Å"master teachers† – in elementary and secondary education are facilitators who train other teachers to improve instructional practices and generate higher levels of student achievement (Buly et al, 2004). Specifically, they are trained to serve as support for schools and districts experiencing â€Å"market failure;† i. e. , that have large numbers of students unable to meet state and federal achievement standards (Buly et al, 2004). This document is written as an outline to provide qualitative and quantitative evidence (in economic and real terms) that justifies educational managers (elementary, middle and high school principals, superintendents and school board members) utilizing educational/instructional coaches to achieve the following goals: (1) improving aggregate output through schools’ and districts’ overall level of student achievement on state- and/or federally-mandated testing, and (2) improving micro-level behavior through resource allocation, individual classroom management, implementation of learning strategies and instruction of subject matter. The following is a summary of the main points of this document: †¢ Discussion of what educational/instructional coaches are and their estimated microeconomic impact on students’ and teachers’ performances †¢ Discussion of district and schools’ economic costs and factors including fiscal policy, funding sources, overall output and the impact of budgetary decisions such as hiring educational/instructional coaches †¢ An econometric case study: regression analysis of schools in Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida that utilize educational/instructional coaches Definition The field of education, unlike some markets, is not perfectly competitive. Individual buyers (students) and sellers (teachers) do have the ability to significantly influence the cost and quality of education. Consequently, educators continuously strive to make the educational marketplace more efficient and productive; i. e. , they search for methods and tools that improve the process of and environment for learning and address the diverse and changing needs of teachers and students. Unfortunately, the field of education is constrained by limits, and the equitable and efficient distribution of income (state and federal funding) and other resources (teachers) remains an issue that managers (educational administrators such as superintendents, school board members and principals) must address annually. In 1989, an educational organization called the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) developed America’s Choice, a school design model based on high quality instructional materials, technical support and professional development for teachers (NCEE, 2009). Educational/instructional coaches are a central component of America’s Choice (NCEE, 2009). The goal of this paper is to determine whether or not educational managers are making the most fiscally responsible decision when hiring educational/instructional coaches to meet district- and school-based needs. While educational/instructional coaches are an often-used solution in some school districts, managers have other alternatives available to provide support to teachers and students in the classroom. These options utilize different methods of resource allocation. One alternative to â€Å"classroom coaching† is making capital improvements. An example of a capital improvement is upgrading a district’s and/or school’s technological infrastructure. This would involve purchasing computers and/or networks with more memory and larger capacities for data storage and manipulation, increasing the value and useful life of a district’s or school’s technological infrastructure. This could also involve purchasing software such as web-based educational tools for both students and teachers to use. Another option is additional training for teachers through in-service workshops (training provided during the school day) or additional education courses (college and/or university level). A third alternative is realignment of the student-teacher ratio based on aggregate demand; i. e. , the total demand (number of students) for goods (teachers/classes) and services (instruction) in the educational market (classroom). A fourth alternative is awarding financial bonuses to teachers with high or greatly improved student achievement rates. Educational/Instructional Coaches: Their Economic Costs and Factors When evaluating the benefits of using educational/instructional coaches, educational managers must ask themselves, â€Å"What are the accounting and opportunity costs of this decision? † In other words, managers need to determine expenses like salary, benefits, health insurance for the educational/instructional coaches; they also must construct the benefits of other educational options. According to payscale. com, a global, online compensation database, the average salary for K-12 public school teachers in the United States is $42,000 annually for a nine-month school year (Payscale, Inc. , 2009). Educational coaches are often at the top tier for teachers’ salaries and make on average $52,000 each year (Payscale, Inc. , 2009). Thus, the opportunity cost of hiring an educational coach at a school is, on average, $52,000 annually. An educational manager have an additional $52,000 (plus the cost of insurance and benefits) within his/her budget to invest in computer hardware, software, training for existing teachers, or actually hiring a new teacher (thereby reducing the teacher/student ratio). If a school principal hired more than one educational coach – many schools have one for every major academic discipline – the costs would be even greater. Across a school district, the aggregate costs would be much larger. For example, Duval County Public Schools is a school district in Jacksonville, Florida, has 160 schools, and uses America’s Choice, employing educational coaches at all 160 schools (Duval County Public Schools, 2009). At the very least, Duval County Public Schools’ accounting cost for hiring 160 educational coaches would be (on average) approximately 8. 32 million dollars annually, not including benefits and insurance. While educational managers must consider costs, they must also contend with economic factors. There are a wide range of economic factors that affect educational managers’ ability to hire educational coaches. Some of the most important are federal and state government policies, school district management, taxation, and student achievement levels. Before educational managers can make hiring decisions, school districts must meet state and federal approval through accreditation (Duval County Public Schools, 2009). Accreditation is the process by which â€Å"an official body gives authority to something when recognized standards are met† (Lindberg, Ed. , 2004, p. 8). The governing body for public schools in the southern part of the United States is the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS). In October 2008, SACS awarded Duval County Public Schools full accreditation, which indicates the district complied with meeting state and federal standards for student achievement (Duval County Public Schools, 2009). Schools must be accredited to hire new staff. Thus, the accreditation process was necessary before educational managers could hire educational coaches. Another factor affecting the hiring process is district management. Before principals can finalize hiring any new educators, including educational coaches, the new hires must be approved by the school board (Duval County Public Schools, 2009). The school board is â€Å"a local authority responsible for the provision and maintenance of schools† (Lindberg, Ed. , 2004, p. 1220). In Duval County Public Schools, for example, the school board must vote on whether or not they approve principals hiring educational coaches. Another factor affecting the hiring of educational coaches is funding. Funding for school districts is a fiscal policy issue and comes from a combination of local, state and federal sources (Howell & Miller, 1997). Local funding is generally financed by property taxes (Howell & Miller, 1997). State financing is generally through sales taxation (Howell & Miller, 1997). Both local and state taxation are affected by state policy decisions and voting decisions of the population (Howell & Miller, 1997). For example, a governor may issue a proposition to reduce property taxes across a state. If the population votes to accept the tax reduction, the funds available to make hiring decisions are reduced. While federal monies are financed through national income tax, these come to schools and schools districts via an assortment of federally mandated programs, often for at-risk student populations (U. S. Department of Education, 2007). For example, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is the most recent federal education legislation. Enacted in 2001, NCLB is an initiative of former U. S. President George W. Bush and it authorizes the distribution of educational grants for low-income students, textbooks, professional development for educators and more (U. S. Department of Education, 2007). Often a school’s student population determines how much and if that school can receive federal funding (U. S. Department of Education, 2007) Thus, government policy decisions at the local, state and federal levels affect educational managers’ decisions to hire educational coaches. A final factor that determines whether or not educational managers hire educational coaches is actual student achievement. If a school has a significant number of students not meeting state and federal achievement standards, educational managers seek solutions through options like educational coaches. For example, in Duval County Public Schools, William M. Raines High School has a student population characterized by low-incomes and low test scores (Duval County Public Schools, 2009). The school district also contains Stanton High School, rated

Explain ‘Natural Moral Law’ Essay

Natural Law can be traced back into the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds. In Sophocles’ play ‘Antigone’, Natural Law is very apparent throughout and the writings of the Greek Philosopher; Aristotle. In his works – ‘Nicomachean Ethics’ – he wrote; â€Å"The natural is that which is everywhere, is equally valid, and depends not upon being or not being received†¦that which is natural is unchangeable, and has the same power everywhere.’ The Ancient Stoics emphasised the importance of Logos, or rationality, that governs the world and sees human nature as one natural order. They considered natural law as a law of ‘right reason’. In his letter to the Romans, St Paul wrote about a law that is ‘written in the hearts’ of Gentiles. It is therefore clear that throughout the ancient world, although there is differing terminology, there seems to have been a consensus over the existence of a natural moral law, which dictated the rightness or wrongness of an action that was not dependent upon the laws created by society. St. Thomas Aquinas developed a fuller account of this ‘natural law’ in the thirteenth century. This theory is both deontological and absolutist and so his resulting work is focused upon the ethicacy of actions. In his work ‘Summa Theologica’, Aquinas described natural law as a moral code, which exists within the purpose of nature and was created by God. He says that it is present in every human being. Natural Law exists to aid humans, directing their actions in such away that they might meet their eternal destiny. He argued that there was a basic law, from which all the other natural laws derived. This was to pursue good and avoid evil. For Aquinas, both the intention and the act are important, this is because his theory is based on a mainly deontological view. The only end that he values is God as He is intrinsically good. He believed that acts are intrinsically good or bad because when human beings act in accordance with their ultimate purpose, God is glorified. Aquinas followed the line of thought that human beings are intelligent and therefore should be able to direct him or herself, this therefore meaning that they can take responsibility for knowing and doing  what God intends for them. Whether or not an act leads towards God depends on whether it fits the purpose that humans were made for. For Thomas Aquinas, the main purpose of human life is to preserve the self and the innocent, to reproduce, worship God, acquire knowledge and live in ordered society.. He names these the primary precepts – acts that are in accordance with these precepts are good and those, which do not, are bad. He also names them the secondary precepts – which are rulings about things that we should or should not do because they uphold a primary precept. The theory of Natural Law as put forward by Aquinas, is based upon the religious view that God created the world, establishing in it a sense of order and purpose, which is a direct representation of His will. In the natural law approach to ethics, the action itself can either be natural or unnatural, and is judged on that basis. It does not depend for its moral law justification upon any results. Therefore, according to natural law, an action can be deemed good in itself, even if it brings about suffering. In conclusion, Natural Moral Law enables to establish rules in order to structure a community. It gives a concrete reason to be moral and a firm basis from which to refuse to step over moral boundaries. It provides justification and support for certain core ideas and it judges actions, irrespective of consequences. Natural Moral Law isn’t just simply a set of rules, but a way of living. It gives guidance on everyday questions on how to live and links them to the fundamental principles of life. It provides a complete system of moral living in step with what it is to be human.

Two reading report NGO-industrial complexand is globalization reducing Essay

Two reading report NGO-industrial complexand is globalization reducing poverty and inequality - Essay Example As a common globalization and free trade expansion practices, state government and international organizations are focused on addressing the corporate accountability of multinational companies. Other than requiring certain companies to issue forest and apparel certification, corporate environmental reports are normally broken down into four major categories known as the first-party, second-party, third party, and forth party certification (pp. 57 – 58). Even though there has been a continuous promotion of corporate governance in the global markets, there are no clear evidences that can prove that social and environmental protection could contribute to the improvements of employees’ working condition nor increase the overall business performance of Corporate governance is a system of authoritative direction or government which includes the specific role and responsibilities of the shareholders, the board of directors, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). I strongly agree that through a good corporate leadership among the members of the top management and establishing a strong organizational culture that gives priority to teamwork and fair business practices, it is possible for corporate governance to contribute to the increase in profit and business success of multinational companies even though the implementation of corporate governance could sometimes fail. Wade discussed and provided evidences that globalization could either increase or decrease poverty and inequality between and within nations. In line with this, India, China, and the rest of the East Asian countries are benefiting from globalization. Since the overall operational costs in developing countries are much lower and more attractive as compared to the operational costs in developed countries, a lot of large-scale multinational companies from developed countries continuously transfer their business

Managing Entrepreneurial Enterprises' Written Report Essay

Managing Entrepreneurial Enterprises' Written Report - Essay Example The market is currently experiencing a 2.1 percent, stable annual growth rate and provides $8 billion in annual revenues across Australia. The market potential consists of approximately 591,000 potential customers, which is roughly 30 percent of the entire regional population in South East Queensland. It is a favourable market based on cultural characteristics found within the homogenous Australian culture and one where ample opportunities for commercial development in a highly-saturated region with many resource-capable target customer groups. To ensure competitive success, the business must focus on brand-building, promotion and establishment of a human-centric leadership model of human resources to gain commitment and establish a dedicated, cohesive organisational culture that will provide legitimate excellence in service. Relationship development between AAB and the client markets are critical for ensuring competitive success in a market environment where many products are easily replicated by other consulting firms. Financing will occur utilising traditional banking systems, on medium-term loan generation, requiring monthly payback. This strategy is most appropriate for a small-sized company unable to procure adequate capital through stock issuance and where start-up costs are not substantial to ensure proper capital expenditures for many different tangible assets. The monthly break-even, as aligned with expected sales volumes for each variety of sales packages provided to customers, supports medium-term financing in this capacity. Australian Acumen Brokers Consulting (AAB) is a small business designed to offer corporate and small business clients advice and opportunities to improve their marketing positioning and brand visibility. Many businesses operating in multiple industries lack the resources and or management capital necessary to establish recognised brand identities among competition and often do not

Short research paper Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Short paper - Research Proposal Example Interestingly enough, there is a similar program in the United States to provide low-cost laptops (approximately $500) for teachers in cash-strapped school districts, and as this illustrates the impetus to provide computers to people is growing as the need for computer literacy becomes crucial for the economic viability of a nation, the US being no exception. (Markoff) In this paper we will briefly examine the differences in computer utilization in Brazil and the United States, and will focus on three main areas of utilization, general, governmental, and academic usage. Brazil is a nation of 190 million people and approximately 43 million internet users (CIA World Fact Book). Assuming that the overwhelming majority of computer users access the internet at some point, this places the percentage of personal computer utilization at 22.6%. In comparison the personal computer utilization in the United States is over 66% with more than 200 million internet users. This discrepancy is due to a number of issues, a lack of economic development and infrastructure. Brazil has made significant strides in increasing internet usage, in 1992 less than one-half of one percent of Brazilians had internet access (Leao 35). According to an e-Government for Development Conference held in 2006, Brazil ranks 18th in governmental internet and computer utilization, whereas the US ranks 1st in that same benchmark (Leao 6). Though 11.7% of households have a computer, the technology gap between rural communities and urban centers in Brazil is immense with nearly 95% of those h ouseholds located in major metropolitan areas like, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasilia. This particular digital divide is the sort of problem that the OLPC is trying to resolve through its introduction of low-cost laptops. Brazil is generating its own initiatives to resolve this issue through GESAC, a government

Preliminary Organizational Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Preliminary Organizational Analysis - Essay Example In regard to the production situation, the department’s performance constantly remains under the scrutiny of the strategies department plus the ministry in charge. In the last quarter performance indicator survey, the department had trouble attaining the earlier set goals and objectives plus submitting their reports. The few staff members whined of responsibilities getting distributed unfairly. In fact, some of the workers concurred toiling more than others thereby emanating in unequal work pressure distribution (Jenster & Hussey 32). Some employees in the department possessed inadequate skills plus qualifications to work there. Furthermore, all the staff possessed the same job title, but with no specific job descriptions. Moreover, they too had problems in identifying the individual who possessed the official documents relevant to their department, thereby contributing to disorganization while trying to accomplish certain tasks due to missing documents. Furthermore, coordinat ion and harmonization among the staff became poor over time since some thought were superior to others. In addition, some repudiated orders directed to them by their fellow staff members, and only confounded to those directed to them by their seniors (Jenster & Hussey 54). ... Since the various committees had set goals and objectives, the boss left his deputy in charge of the various initiatives to be commenced. The deputy decided to oversee the initiatives by himself and took the responsibilities of planning, follow up and supervision (Jenster & Hussey 68). Analysis of the situation The strategies department and the Ministry of Internal Security in emphasizing more on timely delivery of performance reports from the various police stations, the department received immense pressure (Jenster & Hussey 46). Accordingly, by the police boss getting involved in various committees meant he had less time to establish a detailed organizational structure for the department plus prepare job descriptions for each staff. Moreover, in having less time, meant that during the end of every quarter when the strategic department came to collect performance reports, denotes he avoided accountability. For him, as long as the administration department achieved its goals and obje ctives as per the performance records, meant there existed no administrative problem. In addition, by the police boss lacking a personal secretary contributed to him having less time for his department due to poor time management, leading to poor communication between the boss and the staff (Jenster & Hussey 83). In relation to the committees, by the deputy police boss taking all responsibilities in the initiatives put forth, contributed to him too becoming busy to care for the staff problems. The employees in not knowing their job descriptions resulted to a lot of confusion in the department, but the police boss could not solve it due to his tight schedule. The staff in having poor coordination and harmonization at work affected

Constantine Trucking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Constantine Trucking - Assignment Example We are easy to access as our trucks are made available on an hourly basis, and delivery can be arranged by the ton/yard, and we provide complete solutions for trucking needs on the go. 2a. Plan Highlights: Our main objective is to ensure client satisfaction through timely and fast delivery, and providing best-quality mulch, excavation services and related products. As the construction industry is booming currently, we have decided to expand our horizons in order to improve profit margins and increase local market share. We have also created organizational diversity into our product line by launching into farming industry and provide our freshly baked home-made bakery items and locally harvested organic produce. 2b. Key to success: The local transportation and trucking industry is booming at the moment, so in order to stay not just defendable but in a combative position, in an ever growing competition we have to focus upon quality as well as cost reduction strategies such as:   a) We can deliver daily, from a minimal 3 yards up to 1,000,000 yards with a fleet of trucks from one ton dump to dump trailers. b) We aim to achieve at least four large-scale contracts for the coming three years. c) Expand our customer base by venturing into other geographical areas to achieve a sustainable level of productivity d) increase marketing expenditures by 15% (â€Å"Trucking Services†). Section Three: Company Summary 3a. Vision: Constantine Construction Inc in Loudonville, New York is a licensed, insured and privately owned construction and Trucking Company which falls in the category of Trucking-Contract Hauling, excavating contractors’ mulch. It is in the business since 50 years (â€Å"Constantine Truck and Repair Service†). The prior vision of this company is to deliver top quality products and services. We are a dedicated team striving to expand our community, helping to maintain existing

Game Design Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Game Design Plan - Essay Example But unfortunately, you do not have enough funds and needs someone to sponsor this trip. So, you ask your boss, Mr. X for help, who comes up with a very interesting deal due to his wild craze for puzzle, according to which you, the player, must go through his special area (level of a game), populated with a set number of destructible bricks and you must break all of them using a ball and a paddle, without letting the ball fall to ground; if you succeed, then you will get a chance to fly to any one historical place in the world; in this manner, as you can predict, for each place, there will be a special area. However, if you, the player, lose then you will have to work for Mr. X for a year without any pay. The core idea of the game is heavily inspired by another, similar game - Smashing (available at http://www.miniclip.com/games/smashing/en/) in which each level has a set number of destructible bricks and the player uses a ball and a paddle to break all of them to move on to the next level; if the ball falls below the game area, a paddle is lost.. Even though, this existing game is highly enjoyable but at the same time, there are various aspects that can be enhanced or added, for example, facilitating the player to select difficulty level, inclusion of distinct sound effects for ball collisions as a means to praise the player for destroying bricks or adding a game-continue feature, therefore, becoming a clear source of inspiration to modify the existing game, without compromising the core notion that made the existing game so enjoyable in the first place. II. Genre and Audience The games that are based around the dynamics of a player controlled block, called a paddle or a bat, which hits a ball towards another player's bat or game specific object are generally categorized under "Bat-and-Ball" genre. At more specialized level of this genre, those games which are characterized by the addition of a wall of blocks or similar objects, that the player chips away at with the ball as part of the main game-play, are known as "Breakout-style game" or "Breakout clone"; most of these games highly depends on hand-and-eye coordination and quick reflexes, rather than thought and logic. Some of the notable Breakout Clone games are the Arkanoid series, Circus Atari, Thro' the Wall, DX Ball and Block Breaker Deluxe. The profusion and notability of such games has been sufficient enough for them to also be referred to by some as a genre in their own right. However, since this is a fairly narrow definition of a genre, it is often not considered as such, but even then so, in the view of above statements, our proposed game can be tagged same as a Breakout-style game, and therefore, can be categorized under "Bat-and-Ball" genre. Although Smashing is a nice game and both kids and teenagers can enjoy playing it but it might not be the choice for adults as it doesn't have much to offer, especially in terms of complexity and involvedness. On the other hand, this game will not only cover the Smashing's audience, but will also take care of

Gambling addictions effect on family Essay Example for Free

Gambling addictions effect on family Essay Gambling is a distraction for most people, something to look forward to on a vacation or the occasional trip to the racetrack. However, there are others who cant control their interest in gambling. Instead of doing it on an occasional basis, it becomes an everyday activity and a cruel addiction. Individuals who become addicted to gambling often get overwhelmed by the activity and allow it to become the dominant thing in their lives at the expense of themselves and their family. Addiction Addicted gamblers get into trouble when they start chasing their losses. A gambler may go to the casino or go online to gamble with a fixed amount of money. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the increased access to gambling throughout the United States the problem of pathlological gambling is likely to increase in the future. Sponsored Links Pedialyte ® For Children When it Comes to Rehydration, Other Household Beverages Cant Compare. www. Pedialyte. com Function The gambler doesnt want to lose, but when those losses occur, he doesnt want others to know about it. He wants to hide his losses because he doesnt want to disappoint others and he doesnt want to face the consequences of what is happening. So when an addicted gambler is losing, he is hurting his family by losing money that cannot afford to be lost and he is hurting is family even more by lying to them. According to a report by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, there are 2. 5 million pathological gamblers in the United States and another 3 million problem gamblers. Impact In many cases, the addicted gamblers family doesnt find out about the problem until many months or years have gone by. The gambler may manipulate the familys money for a while to make it look like all the funds are in tact. However, after a given period, that wont be possible because the money will be gone. The gamblers spouse or significant other may discover the shortfall in a routine examination of the accounts or the gambler may admit the problem when the guilt becomes overwhelming. Either way, trust has been destroyed in the relationship. Treatment Preventing a gambler from gambling is difficult, but if family members know about the problem and really want to help, they can practice tough love in order to prevent the gambler from doing more damage to himself and to the family. A support group like Gamblers Anonymous can also help. GA, modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, uses 12 steps to increase self-awareness and identify character defects that can help the individual arrest his gambling problem. However, the compulsive gambler cannot be cured. Identification The American Academy of Family Physicians has identified some of the behaviors associated with pathological gambling, which can help family members identify if a family member has a gambling problem. These behaviors include preoccupation with gambling; repeated failed efforts to control gambling; gambles to escape problems; lies to family members, therapists and others to conceal gambling losses and relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations.

Social Constructivism and the Cold War

Social Constructivism and the Cold War Introduction This essay will answer the question on how the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has changed its operations to tackle with the changing world landscape, especially after the end of the Cold War, by holding the concept from Constructivism (Social Constructivism) as a key theoretical framework. Generally, Constructivism is a social theory which is concerned about the relationship and process between agents and structures (Barnett, 2008; Jackson Sorensen, 2007). Therefore, the essay will argue that, in response to the shifts in world politics, the UNSC (noted as an actor) accordingly has changed its operations by constructing norms or so called, international norms, (noted as a structure), in collaboration with other actors, as preconditions in order to be legitimizing and supportive tools for any changing operations. To develop my argument, the essay will be structured into three sections. Firstly, the background of the question, the snapshot of the shifts in world politics and t he main objective of UNSC including its operations will be provided briefly in the first section as a platform for the analytical section. In the second part, the ideas of Constructivism which will be taken into account for the explanation of how the UNSC has changed its tasks, especially with the Finnemore and Sikkinks concept of the life-cycle of norms (1998, pp. 894-905), will be elaborated here. The third section will follow up by using the case study of humanitarian intervention as one of the UNSCs contemporary operations to demonstrate the insights provided by the Constructivists framework. The Shifts in World Politics and the UNSCs Operations When or which period can be defined as a turning point of the shifts in world politics is the first question I have to address in order to make the argument clearer in terms of period of time. To do so in this essay, I will take opinions of many political scientists (Taylor Curtis, 2008; Weiss Daws, 2007) who have commonly spotted the turning point of the changes in world politics to the end of the Cold War. Then, what are the changes of the UNSCs operations correlating with the changes in world politics will be explained in a snapshot here. After the end of the World War II, the United Nations (UN) and The UNSC were established in 1945. The UNSC was reinvented not only to solve the problems of the League of Nations Council but also intentionally to maintain international peace and security as the main responsibility (Taylor Curtis, 2008, p. 315). That is the goal the UNSC has not changed until nowadays even though its operations have changed significantly after the end of the Cold War. During the Cold War period, which Realists had seen as the bipolar system, the world addressed themselves to issues and problems regarding with state-centric notion. The role of sovereignty and the principle of self-determination had been actively mobilized throughout the world. Therefore, most of issues and operations of the UNSC at that time totally related to those ideas. The operation about decolonization and inter-state conflicts are explicit examples. Cameron R. Hume (2004, p. 607) also reiterated that the era of decolonization was coincident with the Cold War. Additionally, the Cold War thwarted the functioning of the UNSC, especially with the vetoes of the two majors (Taylor Curtis, 2008, p. 319). The veto game between the US and the USSR produced an inefficiency of the UNSCs function particularly on the use of force in relevant to Chapter VII (Ibid.). There were a few cases that the Council passed the resolution to call up the use of force and the first one has to wait until 1966 in the case of Rhodesia (Boyd, 1971, p. 223). These are the situation in brief before the end of the Cold War. After the end of the Cold War, world politics has shifted precisely out of the state-centric debates and issues as stated. It is the beginning of the decrease of the role of state sovereignty in many ways. As same as Weiss Daws (2007), they concluded that even there is no refusal about the sacred of borders in international relations but their importance is less than in 1945. Reversely, the world stage has welcomed some trends ignoring to the notion of state sovereignty, which also affected to the role of the UNSC and its operations. According to Hume (2004, pp. 609-610), there are three important trends in the world politics that have been changing the work of the UNSC since the early 1990s. Firstly, regarding the type of conflict, there was a shift from the inter-state conflicts to intra-state conflicts, and leading to the problem of failing states. The second trend is the more regional initiatives and cooperation and their role to resolve conflicts within particular regions. And the last one is the arrival of transnational issues such as environmental issues, climate change, and terrorism. In the aspect of the UN Secretary-Generals High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, there are six categories of the new emerging threats in world affairs: the economics and social threats such as poverty and climate change; inter-state conflict; intra-state conflict such as civil war; nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological weapons; terrorism; and transnational organized crime (The Secretary-Generals High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, 2004). From all above mentioned changes, it can be conceptualized into one grand trend emerging after the collapse of the Cold War. It is the individual consciousness or so-called, the humanitarian impulse, (Weiss, The Humanitarian Impulse, 2004). In accordance to Weiss (2004, pp. 48-49) and David M. Malone (Security Council, 2007), the dominance of the humanitarian impulse has changed the decision-making p rocess of the UNSC since the end of the Cold War. Also, the range of its operations has to take increasingly the relevance of humanitarian values and individual consciousness into account. To be specific, it appears that human rights are no longer likely to disappear from the Councils radar screen anytime soon (Weschler, 2004, p. 67). To sum up, it is the shift of world politics from state-centric notion to individual consciousness or humanitarian notion. Consequently, the UNSC must change many of its operations accordingly to tackle this main shift which particularly by taking into account the notion of humanitarianism. However, my argument is to answer the question of how its operations has changed by applying the Constructivists ideas which logically can be applied and generalized to those of many changing operations. Therefore, I firstly will ignore the question of what those changing operations look like, when and where the changing occurs. Secondly, I will focus only on the UNSCs operation on the use of force, not all its operations. Lastly, I will use humanitarian intervention, as one of the operation on the use of force, to be my case study because it is emerged directly in response to humanitarian impulse (Weiss, The Humanitarian Impulse, 2004). Theoretical Framework: Constructivism and the Life-Cycle of Norms This section will provide a brief general concept of Constructivism and the Life-Cycle of Norms as a theoretical framework of the essay. Constructivism is the school of thought that has been recently put in place more significantly in describing the international relations since the beginning of the 1980s or almost the end of the Cold War (Jackson Sorensen, 2007, p. 162). Broadly, constructivism is a social theory dealt with the relationship between actors/agents and structures. According to Michael Barnett (2008, p. 162), Constructivism in the context of international relations commonly concerns with how ideas define the international structure; how this structure shapes the identities, interests, and foreign policies of states; and how state and non-state actors reproduce or transform that structure. International structure is seen as a group of thought and ideas, including a set of norms, which has been constituted by the process of intersubjective awareness among actors at speci fic time and place (Jackson Sorensen, 2007). Together with, Constructivism emphasized on the process of understanding things or actions and assigning meaning to them (Ibid.). Besides, Constructivists also mentioned about the concept of social construction of reality which is the operation to produce social facts such as norms. Social facts will be constructed by human agreement and at the same time will provide the legitimization of those facts like some universal norms such as jus in bello (Barnett, Social Constructivism, 2008). Then, these social facts can also constrain and shape the behavior of actors. Noticeably, the main characteristic of Constructivism is a cyclical process. This is similar to Finnemore and Sikkinks (1998) concept of the Life-Cycle of Norm which is a theoretical tool to explain in the later section how the UNSC has changed its operation as argued before. This concept explained how norm as a structure is institutionalised or internationalized before diffusing and constraining actors behaviour which reversely can affect to the status of such norm in terms of reproducing, reforming or even constructing new norm. This cycle consists of three stages; norm emergence, norm cascade and norm internalization. In order to make clearer understanding of this concept in conjunction with the argument, I will give details of each stage in parallel with the case study of humanitarian intervention in the last following section. Case Study: Humanitarian Intervention However, before taking the concept of the Life-Cycle of Norm in hand to explain and analyze how the UNSC has changed its operations by using the case study of humanitarian intervention, the very brief background of the UNSCs operations on the use of force should be described here. In reference to UN Charter, there are only two legally-accepted categories for the use of force as an operation of the UNSC; self-defence and authorization by the UNSC relating to Chapter VII (Roberts, 2004). Nevertheless, after the end of the Cold War, there are two more emerging doctrines of the use of force which importantly differ from the two traditional and legal ones. Both debated doctrines are humanitarian intervention and preemtive measures against emerging threats. These two new doctrines not only were seen as the challenge to principles of state sovereignty and non-intervention in Article 2(4) of the UN Chater (Ibid.) but also unavoidably as pending-to-be new operations of the UNSC. Later on, I w ill apply the concept of the Life-Cycle of Norm in details to explain the process that the UNSC constructs a norm as a precondition in order to legitimize humanitarian interventionas as as its new operation. Now, bringing back the Life-Cycle of Norm concept, the first stage, Norm emergence, is the stage that the norm entrepreneurs try to convince flock of actors to welcome their new norms until reaching the critical or tipping point (Finnemore Sikkink, 1998). Normally, at the first period, there will be a nature of competition between norms including the old and the other new ones. The entrepreneurs can be state, non-state actor, individual or international organizations and they need launching platforms to start promoting their norms which usually are international organizations (Finnemore Sikkink, 1998). At this point, according to Finnemore (Finnemore M. , 1993), she reiterated that international organizations are able to be tools to promote and diseminate emerging norms. Besides, in terms of methods, the entrepreneurs will use many ways such as speeches, conferences, and advertisements to promote the new way of thinking about and understanding issues or new norms. Considering the c ase of humanitarian intervention which has been brought into the focus of world community since the end of the Cold War, we can see the process of norm emergence from the following details. In terms of the constellation of emerging norms, there were many competing meaning and debates about humanitarian intervention in the UNSC and outsides like Joanna Weschler (2004, p. 66) mentioned that the attitude of the UNSC regarding to humanitarian intervention has been spasmodic which is covered with series of progress and decline. For instance, as identified by Ramesh Thakur (2007, p. 388), humanitarian Intervention is the use of military force on the territory of a state without its consent with the goal of protecting innocent victims of large-scale atrocities. On the contrary, humanitarian Intervention has been criticized by the Realists as a legitimization of new interventionist norms of Western states and for serving their benefits from the intervention (Chandler, 2004). Also, some of t raditional security analysts may argue about the intervention, especially in Bosnia and Kosovo, since the end of the Cold War that such actions were aimed to protect the credibility of NATO and its presence in Europe. However, in the eyes of Constructivists, it is the ignorance of the occurance of humanitarian value as a constructed interest of actors like states (Glanville, 2006, p. 163). Moreover, according to the report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), invented by Canadian Government, it proposed another competing idea which is called, the responsibility to protect, into the discussion in The UN and the UNSC and now has been accepted by the General Assembly during the 2005 World Summit (Glanville, 2006). Then, in terms of who are norm entreprenours and their strategies, the key entreprenour for promote the issue of humanitarian intervention are international organizations like the UNSC itself and the UN. Alike the ICISS concluded that the most suitable organ to authorize intervention in the case of immense human rights violations is the UNSC (Weschler, 2004, p. 66). However, there are not only the UNSC as an organizations in the construction of norm but also individuals, states, public and media which has been collaboratively promoting humanitarian intervention to be constructed as a new norm. Individually, the role of the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) is a good instance. The first UNSG after the end of the Cold War, Boutros Boutros-Ghali and his work, Agenda for Peace, written in early 1992, are examples supporting a more role of the UNSC and the UNSG in coping with armed conflict and humanitarian crisis (Weschler, 2004, p. 63). Together with, in the General Assembly on September 20, 1999, the next UNSG Kofi Annan urged international community to support the principle that massive and structured violations of human rights should not be allowed to occur and ignited the issue of humanitarian intervention (Weschler, 2004, p. 65). The state-actors which have been always supporting this norm in the UNSC are explicitly the US and the UK. Regarding to the role of public and media, in the early 1990s, it is the climax of their enthusiam for humanitarian issues. They have used a number of their sources, platforms and instruments to provide fruitful debates about not only the international right for humanitarian intervention but also the need to do it (Malone, Conclusion, 2004, p. 627). Briefly, it is clear with these empirical evidence that the norm of humanitarian intervention has emerged by the interactive process between diverse actors, with the leading of the UNSC itself. Continually, the second stage is Norm cascade. This stage there will be norm leaders who promoted their norms until gaining the most support and acceptance from other actors. The leaders will try to make other actors to adopt and imitate those norms through a process of socialization (Finnemore Sikkink, 1998). Also, the leaders or actors who are capable of socializing still can be state, non-state and international organizations. In this stage, the norm leader which is still the UNSC will try to mobilize intersubjective beliefs of the concept of humanitarian intervention among other actors by the process of socialization in order to gain human agreement; then, the idea of humanitarian intervention will be agreed to be a social fact, norm or so-called a structure. On the other hand, international organization, like the UNSC, also serves to legitimize the emerging international norms (Barnett Finnemore, 2007). So, when humanitarian intervention is constructed as a social fact, it also means that it is one of legitimized norms as well. However, at present, the UNSCs construction of humanitarian intervention to be a norm is still in this process because some are still not agree to this idea. For example, in the case of Somalia and Haiti, its legality seems to be supported by most states but in the case of Kosovo 1999, it was criticized by many states (Roberts, 2004, p. 147). Also, it can be seen from debates suc h as about the Iraq War 2003. Likewise, Adam Roberts (Roberts, 2004, p. 146) mentioned radically that all attempts since the early 1990s to legitimize humanitarian intervention have failed. In the third stage which is called, Norm internalization, norms will be automatically adopted by actors and have a quality of taken-for-granted. It is no debate on those institutionalized norms anymore and such norms will be powerful and cannot be ignored (Finnemore Sikkink, 1998). In the last stage, the UNSC will be a key player in the process of trasmitting and diffusing the norm of humanitarian intervention, if it passes the second stage in the future. Last but not least, after the third stage, the constituted norm of humanitarian intervention will legitimize the use of force with reference to humanitarian intervention and can constrain the behavior of actors like states. It is similar to what Thakur (2004) has said that the international organization can be the hub for the interplay between changing norms and constraining states behaviour. Nontheless, actors behavior and their interaction will affect cyclically to the constructed norms and restart the process from the first stag e. Conclusion Since the end of the Cold War, the traditional state-centric theme of world politics has been gradually replaced by humanitarian value and individual consciousness. The UNSC, consequently, has to change its operations to control and manage the challenges coming from that shift in world affairs. In order to make such changes accomplished, the UNSC will have to meet preconditions by inventing, promoting, cascading and internalizing international norms to legitimize those changes in its operation. Like Luke Glanville (2006, p. 162) said about humanitarian intervention that the refusal to acknowledge the role of norms will make scholar cannot explain the increment of the cases relating to humanitarian intervention after the end of the Cold War. More importantly, this process of creating norms, according to Barnett Finnemore (2007), has to incorporate the role of states, non-state actors, individuals and media in order to provide more effectiveness.

Explain, in detail, the process of hearing in humans.

Explain, in detail, the process of hearing in humans. Explain, in detail, the process of hearing in humans. What factors can affect our hearing in terms of perception of loudness, pitch and direction? What part does psychoacoustics play in our perception of sound. Introduction The ear can be divided into three sections each performing a specific role to change sound particles into messages the brain can read. The three major parts of the ear are the outer, middle and inner ear. Simplistically it is somewhat like a mechanical process that changes an analogue signal into a digital message that your brain can understand. However, there are certain factors that can affect our hearing in terms of perception of loudness, pitch and direction. Psychoacoustics needs to be considered when looking at the process of hearing as it examines the relationship between sound and the effect it has upon the brain. Physical Description of the Ear The process of hearing utilises all three sections of the ear. The first section, the outer ear consists of the pinna, the auditory canal and the wax. The pinna is the main part of the ear that you can see, its role, to collect sound and direct it down the auditory canal towards the ear drum. The outside of your ear is perfectly designed to collect sound. This design helps to determine the sounds direction. Sounds waves bounce off the Pinna depending on from which direction they came from. The sound reflection from the Pinna alters the pattern of the sound wave which the brain is able to distinguish and determine where the sound came from. The auditory canal is the main pathway of sound, its role is to direct sound towards the eardrum, the canal is also where earwax is produced. The purpose of ear wax is to keep the ear canal clean by collecting dirt and debris. Once the sound wave has passed through the outer ear and has been directed down the auditory canal to the middle ear it hits the Tympanic Membrane (Ear Drum), this is a very tight thin piece of tissue which converts the sound wave into vibrations. The ear drum separates the outer ear with the ossicles, these are the three main bones in your ear. When the ear drum vibrates this causes the bones to move, the vibrations set the bones into motion passing the signal from one bone to the other. These tiny bones are called the Malleus (Hammer) directly connected to the ear drum, the Incus (Anvil) which is attached to the Malleus and finally the Stapes (Stirrup) which is attached to the Incus and is the smallest bone in the human body. The stapes is attached to the oval window, a membrane which is part of the cochlea and separates the middle ear from the inner ear. The inner ear is the most complex and detailed part, containing the main sensory organ called the cochlea. Its role is to convert the vibrations absorbed through the ossicles and passed through the oval window membrane into electrical impulses. The cochleas shape is a small spiralled tube resembling a snail shell, this is filled with fluid and miniscule hairs. The vibrations from the stirrup cause the oval window membrane to flex which in turn sets the fluid into motion, the moving fluid brushes across thousands of microscopic hair cells called cilia, These are tuned in to certain frequencies, higher frequencies by cillia located near to the oval window membrane and lower frequencies by cillia located at the apex of the cochlea. This allows it to act as a frequency spectrum analyser. The cillia convert the vibrations into electric nerve impulses sent to the brain by the auditory nerve which is then interpreted as sound. Psychoacoustic Phenomenon Psychoacoustics also needs to be considered when looking at the process of hearing as it examines the relationship between sound and the effect it has upon the brain. The Doppler Effect is an example of this. It â€Å"is the change in frequency of awave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave.† For example, a car emitting a constant horn sound starts to approach you at speed as you are stood at the side of the road. As the car approaches you, the sound of the horn starts to get louder and higher in pitch. Once the car has passed you the sound of the horn starts to lower in pitch and decrease in volume. As the vehicle passes, sound waves from the horn are crowded together in front of the car, the crowded sound waves produce the relatively high pitch sound, as the car passes the sound waves are more spread out resulting in the relatively low pitch sound, as you can see on the diagram below The second phenomenon that can affect our perception is the Haas effect. If two sounds of equal frequency content and intensity are played from different directions, we will only hear the first one to arrive, and we will perceive only one sound coming from that direction. An example of this used in public address systems so that multiple speakers do not affect the perceived direction of the sound coming from the stage. Second part (also 750 words): Giving at least 2 significantly different examples, discuss why certain instruments sound the way they do, How do factors such as their physical construction and the method of playing affect their individual characteristcs and timbre? How does the harmonic series come into play, and how does this determine concepts such as scale and temperament Acoustic Guitar Construction and playing style A guitars construction is split in to three parts, the body, the neck and the head. The sound generating part can be found on the body and is called the soundboard. The soundboard has a large round hole in the centre called the sound hole. Also attached to the soundboard is a piece called the bridge, to which one end of the six strings are attached. The bridge has a thin, hard piece embedded into it called the saddle, which is the part that the strings rest against. When the strings are plucked, the vibrations travel through the saddle onto the bridge and then into the soundboard. The soundboard then vibrates. As the body of the guitar is hollow, these vibrations are amplified and emanate from the sound hole. Harmonic Series When a note is struck on a guitar the sound produced is a series of notes. The first harmonic, the fundamental is the loudest and lowest of the series. Along with that you are also hearing tones that accompany the fundamental and are responsible of making the guitar sound the way it does. Guitar harmonics are created when you lightly touch the string at specific positions and then pluck the string, when plucked the string vibrates at its fundamental frequency, also vibrating the integer multiples of the frequency as displayed on the diagram below: The performance of the guitar depends on the quality of the wooden soundboard. The Timbre of the can have a huge impact on the choice of wood, the way the wood is supported, the glue and even the varnish are all taken into consideration as this can have an effect on the sound of the guitar due to the quality of the sound produced DRUM A drum consists of a skin, a shell or body and a mechanism that holds the two pieces together. The skin of the drum is a flexible membrane, stretched tightly around the rim. Drum skins were originally made from animal skins but nowadays most use synthetic skins. The skin is held onto the rim in a variety of ways. Some use tacks or glue while others use ropes or adjustable metal brackets to attach the skin to the body. When a drum is struck, it makes a loud sharp sound followed by a rapidly decreasing tone. The sharp sound is called the attack, and it is made by a stick or hand banging onto the surface. The strike also pushes the drum head downwards. Because the drum head is elastic, it springs back up again with a lot of energy, causing it to go up higher than the position it started in. This causes it to spring back down again. The drum skin goes up and down very quickly, pushing air in front of it and creating the tone, sometimes known as the decay. Some drums, such as the snare, have a sharp attack with almost no tone. Others, like frame drums, have a more mild attack with a tone that goes on and on. The hair cells in the organ of Corti are tuned to certain sound frequencies, being responsive to high frequencies near the oval window and to low frequencies near the apex of the cochleaThe hair cells in the organ of Corti are tuned to certain sound frequencies, being responsive to high frequencies near the oval window and to low frequencies near the apex of the cochleaThe hair cells in the organ of Corti are tuned to certain sound frequencies, being responsive to high frequencies near the oval window and to low frequencies near the apex of the cochleaSecond part (also 750 words): Giving at least 2 significantly different examples, discuss why certain instruments sound the way they do, How do factors such as their physical construction and the method of playing affect their individual characteristcs and timbre? How does the harmonic series come into play, and how does this determine concepts such as scale and temperament Second part (also 750 words): Giving at least 2 significantly d ifferent examples, discuss why certain instruments sound the way they do, How do factors such as their physical construction and the method of playing affect their individual characteristcs and timbre? How does the harmonic series come into play, and how does this determine concepts such as scale and temperament Second part (also 750 words): Giving at least 2 significantly different examples, discuss why certain instruments sound the way they do, How do factors such as their physical construction and the method of playing affect their individual characteristcs and timbre? How does the harmonic series come into play, and how does this determine concepts such as scale and temperament Bottom of Form

Essay --

Table of Contents Page TITLE PAGE i APPROVAL SHEET ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii RECOMMENDATION FOR ON-THE-JOB-TRAINING iv ACKNOWLEDGMENT v Chapter 1 : Company Background 1.1 History 1 1.2 Vision 2 1.3 Mission 3 1.4 Ministry Goals 3 1.5 Organizational Structure 4 1.6 Functions of the officers 5 1.7 Related Industries 6 1.8 Location Map 6 Chapter 2 : Narration of Experiences 2.1 Practicum Orientation 7 2.2 Overall Program Objective 7 2.3 Importance of Job Training 8 2.4 Training Benefits 8 2.5 Practicum Experience 9 2.6 Scope of Work 11 2.7 Objectives of Work to be Accomplished 12 Chapter 3 : Evaluation of Practicum Experiences 3.1 Insight gained from all phases of OJT 13 3.2Problems Encountered 13 3.3 Solutions Offered 14 3.4 Recommendation 14 3.5 Conclusion 14 Chapter 4 : Detailed Weekly Reports 1- Activity 1 15 2- Activity 2 16 3- Activity 3 17 4- Activity 4 18 Appendices Endorsement Letter Application Letter Acceptance Letter Certificate of Completion .. ...urs Tuesday 5/11/2013 Normal Duties in Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 7 Hours Wednesday 6/11/2013 Normal Duties in Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 7 Hours Thursday 7/11/2013 Staff assistant in the Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 6:30 Hours Sunday 10/11/2013 Staff assistant in the Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 7 Hours Activity 4 10/11/2013 to 18/11/2013 Day Date Daily Accomplishments Working Hours Sunday 10/11/2013 Staff assistant in the Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 7 Hours Monday 11/11/2013 Normal Duties in Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 7 Hours Tuesday 12/11/2013 Filing new-old Documents+ Budget Insert in the system. 7 Hours Sunday 17/11/2013 Normal Duties in Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 7 Hours Monday 18/11/2013 Staff assistant in the Controlling and Analyzing in Budget. 7 Hours

Far From The Madding Crowd :: essays research papers

Thomas Hardy Far From The Madding Crowd centers around the beautiful Bathsheba Everdene, and the three who love her and try to win her over. Gabriel Oak, Mr. Boldwood, and Sergeant Francis Troy find them selves intertwined in their quest to win Bathsheba. Bathsheba is headstrong, feminine, and beautiful. She inherits her uncle’s farm, and tries to run it herself. As all of theme were farmers, they didn’t think that she cold do it. Although she had a few things go wrong like fires she overall handles her farm very well and became a good farmer. But, her love life was something else. She had three men after her at the same time. The first suitor she met was Gabriel Oak. Farmer Oak was dependable and caring and wise. Without him, Bathsheba couldn’t have taken care of the farm. Oak did have his own sheep, but they were killed in a freak accident when they ran off a cliff. Oak is â€Å"one with nature.† He knew just by looking at his she’s tails that it was going to rain. He would do anything for Bathsheba (and he did), even thought she denied his first attempt at marriage. In the end thought, Bathsheba did marry Oak. Troy first met Bathsheba as they were walking through the woods. Bathsheba became tangled in the brambles with Troy. He made a few comments to her about how lovely se was and how he would love to stay tangled up with her. Instantly, Bathsheba was in love. Little did she know that Troy was deeply in love with a girl named Fanny Robbins, who was a maid of Bathsheba’s. Troy ended up marrying Bathsheba, but it was a bad marriage and didn’t last for long. Bathsheba was in love with Troy’s image and he loved her for her money and appearance. The final straw for their marriage was when Fanny died. Troy lost his true love, an unborn child, and in the end, his own life. Ironically, his death was by the hands of Bathsheba’s suitor Boldwood. Boldwood was introduced to Bathsheba when she sent him a valentine. Soon, his pleasure turned to obsession for Bathsheba. She constantly denied his advances, but he wouldn’t give up. Boldwood eventually found himself on the brink of insanity. When Troy returned, after allowing everyone to believe that he had drowned, Boldwood became enraged when he tried to take Bathsheba away.

High School Sports Importance

High School Sports Most high schools have at least four sports they offer to their students. In many districts, there must be an equal amount of sports for boys and girls. Some even have co-ed sporting clubs. High school sports have been a vital part of the high school curriculum for many years. For years the school districts have realized the importance of sports. However, not all parents fully realize the importance. Some children are not even allowed to participate in school sports, because of the cost, the time commitment, or the possibility of injury.The truth is that high school sports are more than just fun. They are great tools to helpstudents learn about life. They can teach students who are involved many things. Teamwork, cooperation, and leadership are several things students can learn from school sports. They can take these things into their everyday lives as well. When they build confidence on the sporting field, they are also building confidence against the world. They will be able to work well with others in all other areas of life as well. High school sports are also the perfect way to keep teens away from drugs and other dangerous behaviors.Coaches are great role models that can often encourage players to be well behaved. Some schools even have limits on GPAs for their athletes. If a student athlete’s grades fall below a certain point, they cannot play. Students who love sports will do anything to play, including study more. They will also be less likely to try drugs or break the law in any other manner. So, allow your children to participate in school sports. Get involved and make friends with the parents of the other students as well. The whole family can have a great time and learn about sports together

Pak Elektronic Limited

Case Report Pak Electronic Limited: Converting Systems to ERP Executive Summary Pak Elektron Limited (PEL), a large manufacturer of consumer home appliances and power transformers, initiated an information system conversion to a Tier 1 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in 2007. After the Phase I of implementation by 2011, Pak Elektron was facing a liquidity crisis that hindered implementation of further modules. Legacy systems were still being widely used, and staff had grown uncomfortable and resistant to change.The contents of this case report include problem identification, decision criteria evaluation, alternative analysis, and recommendation. Those aforementioned sections will address Pak Elektron’s problems in their project management, their budget forecasting and planning, their financial support, and their human resources and information system implementation. Based on those problems and our analysis, four alternatives were identified, and the option of a Phase d Module ERP implementation was recommended.Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) had over a hundred different systems being used internally, mostly in-house developed stand-alone applications, with some multi-user applications interspersed. Independent operations and systems promoted the lack of integration and standardized reporting, as well as poor quality and timeliness of data. Beginning in 2007, PEL had started converting its information systems to Oracle’s EBS Tier 1 ERP system. Problem Identification Project Management: Since the resignation of Atif Ameen, PEL has lacked a project champion with extensive experience in IT operation and system implementation.In addition, the estimated implementation period had extended beyond the proposed 2 years, which has increased cost and economic uncertainty for the company. Budget Forecasting and Planning: PEL had poor budget forecasting and analysis, which resulted in insufficient short-term assets to support the purchasing of necessary equ ipment, training costs, and consultancy costs. Financial issues: PEL faced a short-term liquidity crisis, and did not have the financial means for full system implementation. To mitigate this, some bank loan repayments were restructured in 2010 to conserve cash flow in response to the liquidity crisisHuman Resources: Staff were resistant to a systems change. New skills were required, which meant that staff’s expertise with the legacy systems were inconsequential. Morale was low, which resulted in experienced staff leaving the company. Likewise, the IT department encountered a mismatch between current and needed skill set, resulting in new hires and increased project duration due to this transition. Salary discrepancies with old staff and new hires also resulted in high turnover within the IT department Information Systems Implementation: The implementation process was ineffective and inefficient.PEL needed to spend extra resources to run parallel implementation, as numerous s ystem functions were not supported. Evaluative/Decision Criteria: Cost: infrastructure, systems, implementation, maintenance: (40%) Cost is the most important decision criterion for PEL. Due to the numerous financial problems that the company has experienced, including a liquidity crisis, it is important that the proposed solution is cost-efficient with regards to infrastructure support, purchasing new systems, implementing systems, and supporting system maintenance.Integration among business silos and processes: (35%) PEL has 25 branches in Pakistan, therefore, communication between the branches and with the central database is necessary. The solution needs to support or improve the integration of as to allow PEL to shorten the time required to obtain useful information for timely decision-making. In addition, the solution needs to link up all the branches with the central database in a better network structure as to reduce the internal e-mail traffic. Quality and accuracy of data: (10%)The proposed solution needs to address PEL’s earlier problems of double-entry, frequent reconciliations, and other issues concerning the quality and accuracy of data. Ideally, the solution will either mitigate the systems that impede quality and accuracy, remove them, or improve them. Effective and timely implementation: (10%) Unexpected changes in business operations lead to disruptive structural changes during systems implementation. Such changes can add complexity and deferred the progress, which means longer the time of implementation and higher risk of failure.The proposed system will need to be effective and timely with regards to implementation to mitigate this risk. Real-time and useful financial reporting: (5%) This criteria addresses PEL’s need for the system to create a more real-time and useful financial reporting system that is standardized across the organization in order to fulfill reporting standards, and promote greater financial decision making. Alternatives: 1. Phased Module ERP implementation PEL is being stretched thin many areas due to external factors, and their broad-based systems implementation plan, which was demonstrated in Phase I.Within Phase I, they took a look at 18 different systems, and only managed the implementation of five. PEL needs an immediate action phase-it-in strategy as to focus all of its implementation into the financial reporting Oracle suite. The organization has 5 systems implemented; further implementation in this area will be more cost-effective and time-efficient. Furthermore, following this implementation, all legacy systems with regards to financial reporting will be removed, and the rest of the project will be re-assessed until implementation of other business suites is feasible. 2.Recall Oracle system, and take a look at other module and ERP options General ERPs, like Oracle’s EBS system, share a similar weakness; they are made for general organizations, and therefore may not acc ommodate a specialized fit. PEL has other options with regards to systems implementation and selection, such as developing custom ERP software based on the current legacy system that disrupts the business model as little as possible. PEL can also purchase and implement separate, more specialized suites such as Salesforce for CRM, a cloud based accounting system for financial reporting (Wave), amongst others.It terms of cost, this is an expensive option as customized ERP software is extremely expensive and requires development time. Purchasing individual modules for certain business functions will also be more expensive than a general system due to reduced bundle savings. A customized ERP system will help the silos reintegrate more efficiently due to more in-line processes supported within the system. Customizable modules would ideally improve efficiency of each individual silo. 3. Full rollout of ERP modules – Implementation of Phase II and III Budget is the biggest constrain t in this option.However, this will ensure full migration away from legacy systems, and will address the concern of generating standardized reports and ensuring data quality. Although data integration may be achieved, PEL should expect high resistance from staff. With full rollout, PEL has the options of: a. Hiring/developing in-house expertise to lead implementation of Phase II and III b. Re-hiring AFF Recommendation Systems conversion risks could have been mitigated had PEL properly planned the ERP migration. Project management was poor and did not assess the full needs and requirements of the company as a whole.Alternative 1, Phased Module ERP implementation, is the best option for PEL. Once the financial systems have been properly implemented (whether in-house or through consultants), PEL can then take a regroup strategy and reassess their situation. If the long-term implementation of the finance suite is successful, then they can move forward with reduced employee resistance. I f the changes in productivity are minor, PEL can choose to avoid implementing systems in other business functions, and avoid disruption the silos. The goals of integration and timeliness of data will be achieved.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Could Be Worse, Could Be Dog Years â€Å"Evidently,† said Nate, â€Å"where we screwed up was killing the whales.† â€Å"No way,† said Amy. â€Å"We tipped our hand.† â€Å"About being meme machines, right?† â€Å"Yeah. Are you sure you're not spying for him?† â€Å"Nope. Know how you can tell? When I was spying, did I ever touch you here?† â€Å"No. No, you did not.† â€Å"And did I ever let you touch me here?† She moved his hand for him. â€Å"No, you did not. Especially not in public.† â€Å"Yeah, we should probably go back to your place.† She had called him on his buzzy, bug-winged speaky thing, about which he made a mental note to ask what the name of it was at his first convenience. They'd met for coffee at a Gooville caf that catered to whaley boys. She'd assured him that no one would notice them, and, strangely enough, the whaley boys had completely ignored them. Maybe he was no longer news. â€Å"If they say anything, I'll just tell them that we're having sex,† Amy said. â€Å"But you said you didn't think I should tell the Colonel I'd seen you.† â€Å"Yeah, but that was before he let you in on his secret plan.† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"Although I'm a little ashamed of how old you are. We should talk about that.† â€Å"So should I move my hand?† â€Å"Yeah, down and a little to the right.† â€Å"Let's head back to my place.† Back at his apartment, standing in the kitchen, he said, â€Å"Hey, what do you call this thing?† He pointed to that thing. â€Å"The phone.† â€Å"No kidding?† He nodded as if he'd known that all along. â€Å"So where were we?† â€Å"Killing whales was where we went wrong?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Or how old you are?† â€Å"So,† he continued, â€Å"killing whales was a big mistake.† â€Å"Which you knew, because that's what made you want to become a nerd in the first place.† â€Å"No, that's not right.† † ‘Scuse me, action nerd.† â€Å"You want to know how I got into this field, really?† â€Å"No. I mean, sure. You can tell me about the destruction of the human race later.† â€Å"You have to promise you won't laugh.† â€Å"Of course.† She looked incredibly sincere. â€Å"My sophomore year at the University of Sasketchewan in the Sticks – ; â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"It's a good school. You promised you wouldn't laugh.† â€Å"Oh, you meant even this early in the story I'm not supposed to laugh? Sorry.† â€Å"I mean, I'm sure it doesn't measure up to Gooville Community College –  » â€Å"Not fair.† â€Å"Home of the Gooville Fighting Loogies – ; â€Å"Okay, you made your point.† â€Å"Thank you. So a friend and I decided that we're going to go to break out of our boring small-college lives, we were going to take some risks, we were going to –  » â€Å"Talk to a girl?† â€Å"No. We decided to drive all the way to Florida for spring break just like American kids, where we would then drink beer, get sunburned, and then talk to a girl – girls.† â€Å"So you went.† â€Å"Took almost a week to get there, but yes, we drove in his dad's Vista Cruiser station wagon. And I did indeed meet a girl. In Fort Lauderdale. A girl from Fort Lauderdale. And I talked to her.† â€Å"You dirty little tramp. Like, ‘How's it going, eh?  » â€Å"Among other things. We conversed. And so she invited me to go see a manatee.† â€Å"He shoots! He scores!† â€Å"But I thought it was an American way of saying matinee. I thought we were going to a movie. You know, you don't think about those things as being real.† â€Å"But it was.† â€Å"She did volunteer work for a rescue hospital for injured marine mammals, mostly manatees that had been hit by boats. They had a bottlenose dolphin, too. We stayed there for hours, caring for the animals, her teaching me about them. I was hooked. I hadn't even picked my undergrad major, but as soon as I got back to school, I went for biology, and I've been studying marine mammals ever since.† â€Å"Oh, my God, you didn't get laid, did you?† â€Å"I found a passion for life. I found something that drives me.† â€Å"I can't believe I fell for such a pathetic loser.† â€Å"Hey, I'm pretty good at this whale stuff. I'm respected in my field.† â€Å"But you're dead.† â€Å"Yeah, before then, I mean. Hey, did you say that you fell for me?† â€Å"I said I fell for a pathetic loser, if the shoe fits†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He kissed her. She kissed him back. That went on for a while. They both found it excellent. Then they stopped. â€Å"You said you wanted to talk about our age difference,† Nate said, because he always picked women who broke his heart, and, figuring that his heart was now into this whole thing far enough to be broken, he wanted to get on with it. â€Å"Yeah, we probably should. Maybe we should sit down.† â€Å"Couch?† â€Å"No, at the table. You might want a drink.† â€Å"No, I'm okay.† Yep, heartbreak, he thought. They sat. â€Å"So,† she said, curling her legs up under her, sitting like a little kid, making him feel ever more the creepy old guy leching on the young girl, â€Å"you know that the whaley boys have been pulling people in here from shipwrecks and plane crashes for years, right?† â€Å"That's what Cielle said.† â€Å"She wants you, I can tell, but that's beside the point. Do you know that they pulled whole crews off sunken submarines, plus they've yanked sonar guys out of port for years?† â€Å"I didn't know that.† â€Å"Doesn't matter, has nothing to do with what I'm telling you. So you realize that some people who have been lost at sea, like the crew of the American sub Scorpion that sank back in 67, actually ended up here?† â€Å"Okay. That makes sense. More of the Goo looking out for itself. Gaining knowledge.† â€Å"Yeah, but that's not the point. I mean, those guys helped put together a lot of the technology you saw on the whale ship, the human technology, but that doesn't matter. The important part is that the world thinks that the crew of the Scorpion is at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, even though they're not. Got it?† â€Å"Okay,† Nate said, really slowly, the way he had spoken to the Colonel when he was losing the point – much the way he was waving in the conversational wind right now. â€Å"And you realize that when I applied with you and Clay, that I gave my real name, which is Amy Earhart, and that Amy is short for Amelia?† â€Å"Oh, my God,† Nate said. â€Å"Ha!† Amy said. The ship broker found Clay's ship in the Philippines, in Manila Harbor. Clay bought it based on faxed photographs, a spec sheet, and a recent hull certification for just under $2 million of the Old Broad's money. It was a 180-foot-long U.S. Coast Guard fisheries patrol vessel built in the late fifties. It had been refitted several times since then, once in the seventies for fishing, once in the eighties for ocean survey, and finally in the nineties as a live-aboard dive boat for the adventure tourist. It had plenty of comfortable cabins as well as compressors, dive platforms, and cranes to raise and lower support vessels onto the rear deck, although, except for the lifeboats, it came with no support craft. Clay thought they could use the rear deck as a helicopter-landing pad, even if there wasn't a budget for a helicopter, but – you know – someone with a helicopter might want to land there, and it helped no end to have a big H painted on the deck. There was a budget for painting a big H. The ship had efficient, if not quite state-of-the-art, navigation equipment, radar, autopilot, and some old but functioning sonar arrays left over from its days as a fishing ship. It had twin twelve-hundred-horsepower diesel engines and could distill up to twenty tons of freshwater a day for the crew and passengers. There were cabins and support for forty. It was also rated a class-three icebreaker, which was a feature that Clay hoped they wouldn't have to test. He really didn't like cold water. Through another broker Clay hired the crew of ten men, sight unseen, right off the docks of Manila: a group of brothers, cousins, and uncles with the last name of Mangabay, among whom the broker guaranteed that there were no murderers, or at least no convicted murderers, and only petty thieves. The eldest uncle, Ray Mangabay, who would be Clay's first mate, would sail the ship to Honolulu, where Clay would meet them. â€Å"He's going to be driving my ship,† Clay said to Clair after he'd gotten the news that he had a crew and a first mate. â€Å"You have to let your ship go, Clay,† Clair said. â€Å"If he sinks it, it wasn't really yours.† â€Å"But it's my ship.† â€Å"What are you going to call it?† He was thinking about the Intrepid or the Merciless or some other big-dick, blow-shit-up kind of name. He was thinking about Loyal or Relentless or the Never Surrender, because he was determined now to find his friend, and he didn't mind putting that right on the bow. â€Å"Well, I was thinking about – ; â€Å"You were thinking deeply about it, weren't you?† Clair interrupted. â€Å"Yes, I thought I'd call her the Beautiful Clair.† â€Å"Just the Clair will be fine, baby. You don't want the bow to look busy.† â€Å"Right. The Clair.† Strangely enough, on second thought, that pretty much encompassed Intrepid, Merciless, Relentless, and Loyal. Plus, it had the underlying meaning of keeper of the booty, which was sort of a bonus in a ship name, he thought. â€Å"Yeah, that's a good name for her.† â€Å"How long before she gets here?† â€Å"Two weeks. She's not fast. Twelve knots cruising. If we have somewhere to go, I'll send the ship directly there and meet it at a port along the way.† â€Å"Well, now that she's called the Clair, I hope they bring her in safe.† â€Å"My ship,† Clay said anxiously. â€Å"So,† Nate said, â€Å"You're what, in your nineties? A hundred?† â€Å"Don't look it, do I?† Amy posed: a coquettish half curtsy with a Betty Boop bump at the end. Indeed, it would have been a spry move for a woman in her nineties. Nate was really glad he was sitting down, but he missed the sensation he would have had of needing to sit down. â€Å"Your whole attraction was based on my age, wasn't it?† She sat across from him. â€Å"You were working out your male menopause on the fantasy of my young body. Somehow you were going to try to recapture your youth. Once again you'd feel like more than a footnote to humanity. You'd be virile and vital and relevant and all alpha male, just because a younger – and decidedly luscious, I might add – woman had chosen you, right?† â€Å"Nuh-uh,† Nate said. She was wrong, right? â€Å"Wow, Nate, were you on the debate team at Moose Dirt U? I mean, your talent –  » â€Å"Sasketchewan in the Sticks,† he corrected. â€Å"So the age thing? It's a problem?† â€Å"You're like a hundred. My grandma isn't even a hundred, and she's dead.† â€Å"No, I'm not really that old.† She grinned and reached across the table, took his hand. â€Å"It's okay, Nate. I'm not Amelia Earhart.† â€Å"You're not?† Nate felt his lungs expand, as if a steel band around his chest had broken. He'd been taking tiny yip breaths, but now oxygen was returning to his brain. Funny, he was pretty sure that none of the other women he'd been with had been Amelia Earhart either, but he didn't remember feeling quite so relieved about it before. â€Å"Well, I should have known. I mean, you don't look anything like the pictures. No goggles.† â€Å"I was just messin' with you. I'm her daughter. Ha!† â€Å"Stop it! This isn't funny, Amy. If you're trying to make a point, you've made it. Yes, you're an attractive young woman, and maybe your youth's a part of why I'm attracted to you, but that's just biology. You can't blame me for that. I didn't make a move on you, I didn't harass you when we were working together. I treated you exactly as I would have treated any research assistant, except maybe you got away with more because I liked you. You can't ridicule me for responding to you sexually down here when you came on to me. The rules had changed.† â€Å"I'm not ridiculing you. Amelia Earhart really is my mother.† â€Å"Stop it.† â€Å"You want to meet her?† Nate searched her face for signs of a grin or a tremble in her throat that might indicate the rise of an Amy Ha! Nothing there, just that little bit of sweetness that she usually tried to hide. â€Å"So somehow, living down here, you haven't aged. Your mother?† â€Å"We age, but not like on the surface. I was born in 1940. I'm about the same number of years older than you than you were older than me a half hour ago – kinda sorta. You going to dump me?† â€Å"It's so hard to believe.† â€Å"Why, after you've seen all this? You've seen what the Goo can do. Why is it so hard to believe that I'm sixty-four?† â€Å"Well, for one, you're so immature.† â€Å"Shut up. I'm young at heart.† â€Å"But for a second there I was so sure we were doomed.† Nate rubbed his temples – trying to stretch them, maybe – to make his head bigger to hold the whole concept of Amy's being sixty-four. â€Å"No, it's okay, we just haven't gotten to that yet. We're still doomed.† â€Å"Oh, thank goodness,† Nate said. â€Å"I was worried.† Later, after they had pushed the world away for a while, made love and napped in each other's arms, Amy made a move to start another round, and Nate awoke to an immediate and uncertain anxiety. â€Å"Are we really doomed?† he asked. â€Å"Oh, goddamn it Nate!† She was straddling him, so she was able to get a good windup before thumping him hard in the chest with her fist. â€Å"That's just un-fucking-professional!† Nate thought about how the praying mantis female will sometimes bite off the male's head during copulation and how the male's body continues to mate until the act is finished. â€Å"Sorry,† he said. She rolled off him and stared up at dim strips of green luminescence on the ceiling. â€Å"It's okay. I didn't mean to bite your head off.† â€Å"Pardon?† â€Å"Yes, we're probably doomed. We're doomed for the same reason that I look the way I do, that most of the Goos look much younger than we really are. Turn a gene on, you age; turn it off, you don't. I've even seen some people down here who seem to get younger. Flip a switch, pancreatic cancer at age twenty-two; flip another, you can smoke four packs a day and live to be a hundred. If the Goo thinks that the human race is a danger to it, it just has to flip a switch, pick a gene, make a virus, and the human race would blink out. I hadn't really thought about it as a threat before. My whole life I've worked for the Goo. Service, you know? It takes care of us. It's the source.† He didn't know what to say. Did he need to actually take the Colonel's request for help seriously? Did he need to help find a way to kill this amazing creature in order to save his own species? â€Å"Amy, I don't know what to do. Two days ago I just wanted to get out of here. Now? The Colonel and you both said I was lucky to be alive. Has the Goo killed people who were close to finding out about it?† â€Å"Honestly, I don't know. I've never seen it or heard of it happening, but I – we – each just do our own part down here. We don't ask a lot of questions. Not because we're told not to or anything – it's just that you can live a long time without asking yourself big questions when your needs are looked after.† For the first time Nate could see the experience of years in Amy's face, marked not by wrinkles but by a shadow in her eyes. â€Å"I'm asking,† he said. â€Å"Do I think the Goo is ethically capable of killing the human race?† â€Å"I guess.† â€Å"I don't even know if the Goo has ethics, Nate. According to the Colonel, it's just a vehicle for genes and we're just vehicles for memes and nature says that a head-on collision is inevitable. What if it's not? This battle has supposedly gone on for millions of years, and now the Colonel wants to force an endgame? What I do know is that you've got to talk him out of trying to kill it.† â€Å"But he's your leader.† â€Å"Yeah, but he didn't tell any of us about this. I think he's doubting his own judgment. So am I.† â€Å"But you said that it could kill everyone on the planet at the flick of a switch.† â€Å"Yeah.† She rolled over and propped herself up on her elbow. â€Å"You hungry? I'm hungry.† â€Å"I could eat.†

Communication Studies Essay

This blog is for students of the Community College of St Vincent & the Grenadines who are to be entered for CAPE Communication Studies examination in May 2008. The blog contains information about the course syllabus, administration and assignments as well as the course content. Wednesday, March 05, 2008 The expository presentation for CAPE Communication Studies Internal Assessmblies The presentation has two distinct parts * A FACTUAL presentation on an aspect of your portfolio theme * A presentation about your research including an evaluation of two sources of information used to prepare your factual presentation. It will have all the following 6 elements present 1. An introduction (statement of topic) In the introduction you will give a brief explanation of topic/ theme and a preview (with a thesis statement) of what you are going to cover. For example. â€Å"My theme is Returning Migrants to St Vincent. Returning migrants or returnees are a group within the population of St Vincent who have spent a significant time away from the island and have then returned to permanently settle again. Returning migrants often are retired from their previous occupation which they pursued in a more developed country such as the United States, Canada or Great Britain or they have been working in another Caribbean state. According to statistics from the Customs Department given to me by Mrs B Chalres in an interview 4361 people claimed the concession for returning residents in 2005. Returning migrants experience 5 phases of adjuststment when returning which can be termed as â€Å"culture shock†.† Theme ; Returning Migrants to St Vincent. a group within the population of St Vincent a significant time away from the island returned to permanently settle retired from their previous occupation (the United States, Canada or Great Britain) OR working in another Caribbean state. Customs Department (Mrs B Charles) â€Å"4361 people claimed the concession for returning residents in 2005†. Returning migrants experience 5 phases of adjustmentwhen returning which can be termed as â€Å"culture shock†. 2. A rationale In the rationale you need to explain why you picked the theme and it can form part of the introduction. In the rationale you should mention any personal interests, current academic links and future career plans which influenced your decision to choose the theme For example I chose the theme returning migrants to St Vincent and specifically to focus on culture shock because I am a wife of a returning migrant. I have a BSc honours in Sociology and the concept of culture shock is part of socio-cultural studies carried out by Kavelo Oberg 1958. In the future I will be submitting my Masters thesis on this specific issue. 3. Discussion of issues The discussion of issues is the factual presentation about the theme and its narrowed focus based on the thesis statement. It should have a distinct organisational pattern and you should aim for one of the expository structures such as cause and effect, process analysis, analysis by division, classification etc (See Writing in English) It should also be referenced and include any research findings. You will also need to give a conclusion to your factual presentation as a sort of sub conclusion don’t wait until the end Here is an example of a possible outline for my example presentation (not all of it). It uses the organisational pattern of process analysis Remember you cannot read from a script! Culture shock 5 phases Honeymoon, rejection/ regression, conformist, assimilation, reverse culture shock Honeymoon Centre for Overseas Travel â€Å"the tourist phase† Questionnaire (300 returning migrants) 78% not feel â€Å"tourist† 82% â€Å"elated† Rejection Oberg – frustration etc Questionnaire 50% wanted to return after 3 months, Reasons, poor service, backward attitude, nothing to do, boring Interview Dr Sheridan Mental health presentations tend to be in 1st 4 months of return. 4. Challenges of research You need to discuss what difficulties you faced in preparing your factual presentation. If you did not have any difficulties then just explain why. For example (in note form) Questionnaires – time consuming, identifying sample, Other sources – no central data on returnees, newspaper articles useful Academic research not on St Vincent 5. Evaluation of two sources For this aspect of the presentation you need to discuss your research. The two sources need not necessarily be given as a reference in the presentation but they should be relevant. You should try to select two different types of data source e.g. a newpaper article and an interview. You may want to very briefly summarise all your sources before evaluating two for reliability and validity. Please see other parts of the blog for information on reliablity and validity. For example (in note form) Secondary sources: academic text books and journals, local and international newspapers and magazines, web sites: international public organisations e.g. Peace Corps general sites e.g. Wikipedia Primary sources interviews of experts in St Vincent questionnaire of returning migrants. Questionnaire of returning migrants Reliable: primary data source, research method suited to collecting data for social research Valid: Problem with sample size as total population of RMs unknown Problem with generalisation as differences between UK, US and other RMs more research needed. Overall reliable and reasonably valid The Experience of Return Migration: A Caribbean Perspective, Joan Phillips and Reliable Denis Conway, Ashgate Press, London 2005 Author expert Phd Social Anthrop. Specialised Caribbean writer – Canada Publisher: reputable, specialst academic main interest Social research Valid Recently published Problem no reference to St Vincent Overall general but very reliable and valid source 6. Conclusion The conclusion should be slightly different to the internal summary conclusion in your discussion of issues. At this stage you can express a personal view or put forward a possible solution. For example (in note form) Returning migrants YES culture shock 3 ways Honeymoon Rejection Conformist NO assimilation Solutions Programme – promote overseas, keep in touch, Information – government FINALLLY See my other post about the reseach using the internet for idea. Make sure that you are aware of the requirements for acceptable notes during the exam and be familiar with the marks scheme – it is not only content that is marked but also presentation skills.