Environment in a Montessori School Essay

Young children like to explore experiment, tinker and try new things. They like to touch and feel and manipulate objects. They feed their minds through activities. They learn through their senses to satisfy their insatiable appetite for things to do. The first of the child’s organs to begin functioning are his senses. Dr. Maria Montessori based her method of teaching young children considering the fact that a child between two to six years passes through the ‘sensitive period for the refinement of senses’ and they can be helped in the development of the senses while they are in this formative period. In order to serve this purpose Dr. Maria Montessori introduced a subject called ‘Sensorial’ where the materials are specially designed to enable the children to use their senses to explore different attributes of the world. â€Å"it is necessary to begin the education of senses in the formative period, if we wish to perfect these sense development with the education which is to follow† (Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method, page 221) Montessori classrooms provide a prepared environment where children are free to respond to their natural tendency to work. The prepared environment offers the essential elements for optimal development. The key components comprise the children, teacher and physical surroundings including the specifically designed Montessori educational material. All of the materials in the Montessori classroom have been specifically designed to attract the interest of the student, while at the same time teaching an important concept. The purpose of each material is to isolate a certain concept the child is bound to discover. Montessori believed that â€Å"what the hand does, the mind remembers†. The materials are simple, direct and are easy to understand. Children use these materials in spontaneous exercises. The sensorial materials are concrete bits of information which can be organized into meaningful patterns. The didactic nature of the material gives the children hands on experience with all concepts, taught. Human senses can perceive nine qualities in an object: Shape, Colour, Texture, Sound, Smell, Taste, Temperature, Weight and Size. Montessori materials are made to isolate each of these qualities in order to individually perfect the senses that identify them. Hence, a child who is subjected to these materials are refining, exercising and sensitizing all five basic senses; visual sense, tactile sense, auditory sense, gustatory sense, olfactory sense and also the additional senses; baric sense (sense of weight), thermic sense (sense of temperature) and stereo gnostic sense (sense of shape and size of an object by feeling it with hands). For example: a child using his tactile and visual sense explores different dimensions of an object i.e. height, diameter etc. in the presentations like Knobbed cylinders, Pink tower, Brown stairs and so on. He explores different intensities of colours using his visual sense in Colour boxes. His auditory sense is enhanced while exploring different intensities of sound; loud and soft in Sound boxer while he can differentiate between tow textures; rough and smooth using his tactile sense in Touch boards. In Baric tablets, he gets a clearer perception of weight – light or heavy using his baric sense and so on. â€Å"A tower of blocks will present to the child only a variation of size from block to block- not a variation in size, colour, design and noises†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (P.P. Liliard, Montessori A modern Approach, Page 62) Though the idea of didactic materials is taken from Seguin, Dr. Montessori modified them based on her observations of the children. By Didactic materials we mean the materials which are self-corrective and by the process of trial and error a child can achieve the end result without much assistance from the. This is basically known as ‘Auto Education’. For example, when working with the sound cylinders, the child can check the bottom of the cylinders to see if the dots/numbers match. If they do, she knows she has matched them correctly. In the Montessori classroom the materials represent abstract ideas. The use of concrete materials to learn abstract concepts and operations is essential to the development of the child’s mind. The materials can be felt and manipulated so that the hand is always involved in the learning process. Later, as they master the concrete they begin to move to the abstract, where the child begins to solve problems with paper and pencil while still working with the materials. â€Å"..The lessons are designed to enable the child to sort out and digest the large numbers of impressions he possesses, to assimilate additional ones through experience, and to stimulate and refine the child’s power of observation preliminary to acquiring judgment and understanding†( E.G. Hainstock, The Essential Montessori, page 92) The sensorial activities provide self-confidence, independence, concentration and memory which leads to more abstract learning. Since, the sensorial training introduces a child to work with all other Montessori materials, the sensorial materials become an important part of the prepared environment. For example, the touch boards provides the initial sensitivity to rough surfaces required for sand paper letters and the red rods provides the basis for number rods. In a Montessori classroom, The first thing which is given to a child is usually is the knobbed cylinders. This piece of material is entirely self-corrective, and needs no supervision. When it becomes easy for a child quickly to get all the cylinders into the right holes, he goes on to other exercises, One of the exercises which it is usual to offer him next is the construction of the Pink tower. Pacing the biggest at the bottom, the next biggest on that, and so on to the apex made by the smallest one- basically teaches the difference between big and small. The difference between long and short is taught by means of ten squared Red rods of equal thickness, but varying length, the shortest one being just one-tenth as long as the longest. The Long Stair is constructed by the child with these. Thickness and thinness are studied with the Broad stairs; ten solids, wooden bricks, all of the same length, but of varying thickness, the thinnest one being one-tenth as thick as the thickest. With these the child constructs the Broad Stairs. After the construction of the Long Stair and the Broad Stair, begins the training of the eye to discriminate between minute differences in shades, is carried on steadily in a series of exercises. After this, the child is usually ready for the exercises with different fabrics to develop his sense of touch, and for the first beginning of the exercises leading to language; especially the strips of sandpaper pasted upon smooth wood used to teach the difference between rough and smooth. At the same time with these exercises, begin the first ones with color which consist of matching spools of identical color, two by two. When these exercises of the tactile sense have been mastered, the child is allowed to attempt the more difficult undertaking of recognizing all the minute gradations between smooth and rough. After such initial exercises children move to more abstract exercises like geometric insets, where children are taught to trace along the geometric shape and inset before fitting it in; thus imprinting the muscular habit of tracing the shapes later used to introduce letters & numbers. â€Å"Dr. Montessori set out to produce abstract ideas in a concrete form. She took each main abstract idea necessary for the understanding of the curriculum and made a piece of sensorial material to help children understand† (Course manual 105, The five senses, page 3) The objective of Montessori is to develop the concept first. Montessori students use concrete hands-on learning materials that make abstract concepts more clear. Lessons and activities are introduced simply and concretely in the early years and are reintroduced several times during the following years at increasing degrees of abstraction and complexity. Concrete materials make concepts real, and thus easily internalized. Therefore, sensorial materials not only provide the refinement of sense but it actually prepares the child for many other subjects which the child encounters afterwards. By using concrete materials during the early, sensitive years, the Montessori child can learn the basic concepts of mathemati cs and language. Maria Montessori believed that all humans are born with a â€Å"mathematical mind†. From the beginning, the students are introduced to mathematical concepts in concrete form. This approach to math is logical, clear and extremely effective. It allows the students to internalize math skills by using concrete materials and progressing at their own pace toward abstract concepts; to help students understand and develop a solid foundation in mathematics. As most mathematical topics, Geometry too, relies on the concreteness of the materials. Traditionally, geometry is taught as an abstract series of rules, theorems, and propositions meant to be memorized by the student. Maria Montessori saw geometry as firmly rooted in reality. Her geometry curriculum uses concrete, sensorial experimentation that lead students to concepts through concrete research. The focus of the geometry work is not as dependent on the result as it is but the work the student has done to achieve the result. Hence, the sensorial materials offer an excellent way of introducing Geometry to a child at a very tender age by the presentations of Geometry Cabinet, Geometry Solids etc. in every presentation a child thinks logically or compares the materials with other to achieve the final goal. This actually sharpens the comparative study skills and logical thinking of a child. Additionally, almost all materials indirectly prepares a child for decimal system because most of the materials are ten in number. Sensorial materials also prepares a child for languages starting from introduction of letters to other aspects of language like adjectives, opposites, comparatives, superlatives and also new words by the three period name lesson given on each material. The presentation of drawing insets prepares a child to write while the knobs present in the materials being the thickness of a writing pencil prepares the hand for holding it. As all Montessori materials, sensorial materials continue to reflects the basic concepts of left to right & top to bottom, imprinting pattern in the child’s mind, for future reading and writing. The student works abstractly (paper and pencil) when he or she has internalized the pattern and no longer needs the Montessori material. Therefore to initiate a child into world of spontaneous education using his senses and his natural propensities sensorial materials provide a vital basis As montessorians, we need to understand how children move towards understanding concepts and how different ways of using the materials match children evolving conceptual development. Montessori designed her sensorial curriculum area considering these facts. The child who has worked with the sensorial materials has not only acquired a greater skill in the use of senses but also guides his exploration of the outside world. Since, â€Å"The education of senses makes men observers.† (Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method, page 228)

Population Is a Source Not Burden

Population; A Human Source Or Burden Zawar Hussain The world population milestone that is sparking a global discussion on today’s most pressing environmental, health and justice issues, Pakistan’s population has continued to grow at break-neck speed. This has put immense pressure on the resources Pakistan has or can generate. Some would argue that every birth produces a consumer. Increasing population is actually a blessing in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. So in religious sense its good. Also if we analyze it, increasing population is actually good.Man power is a resource and not a burden, It is a burden if the wealth is distributed in an unjust manner, like for instance in Pakistan, India and through out the world. So if we want to follow capitalism there will always be an unjust distribution of the wealth. But if we follow the Islamic concept of Zakat. 2. 5 % tax on savings (gold, money, silver property etc)not on salary, and we quit corruption then its a blessing. And man power can be used in agriculture, industries and other productive things. In this way there won’t be capitalistic pyramide and jobless people.Population, A Human Resource; A huge population can prove to be a nation’s biggest asset. For the all-round progress of a large nation, it is essential that all its people contribute significantly to diverse areas and sectors of the economy—like agriculture, service industry, construction and other industries, to name a few. The talented and hardworking people of a nation can emerge as a highly competitive human resource. A country marches ahead largely on the strength of its talented, educated and enterprising manpower. Many nations like Japan and Israel have proved it time and again.These nations are poor in natural resources: they lack land and other natural resources such as minerals, metals and water, and various sources of energy like natural gas and crude oil. But these nations have shown that the general p opulace could be turned into a valuable human resource. Further, huge populations of young people, a majority of whom are hardworking and enterprising, can make a nation that finds respect worldwide, often evoking the envy of other nations which are under populated and lack the valuable human resources necessary for taking a nation forward. Highly talented and educated people can be proved valuable y providing their expertise and technical and no technical know-how to various industries and vocations, and can tremendously add to the overall growth of nation. Nation has to excel in many fields by making the most imaginative use of its large human resource. If the huge rural population is suitably educated, trained and equipped in agriculture know-how, the nation would achieve excellence in agriculture of an unforeseen kind. This way the burden on the economy will ease and the nation will progress by leaps and bounds as all its people will have a significant role to play in the nation - building process.A few lakh young people graduate every year in Pakistan,a sizeable section of them in professional disciplines. Very few nations of the world can boast of such a feat. Conclusion; According to my point of view and above all discussion,population is a human source, not burden. Some great personality had said –  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Population is not a burden in itself† It means that a large population is not a burden on its own. A large population can be turned up as an asset for the country. The biggest example we can cite is China.It has a bigger population than even India has, but we can see the level of development that China has when compared to India. It does not take its population to be a burden. It does not get tensed and does not think about what to do with such a big population, but it uses its population as an asset. Population can be used as an asset if we have an attitude. we don't actually understand that population can be used as an asset instead o f taking it as a burden. We can use our population as an asset by planning a good system of classification and sending people to various fields, as per their qualifications.We need to provide better education system and we need to keep it up continuously. We need to produce good human resource. . This we do easily. We are producing so many professionals every year, but the problem is that we are not able to send them to work in different fields, we are not able to employ them. So I think that a population can be used as an asset only and only if we understand this theory. We will need to train our people and fix them to work and then we won't take up our population as a burden.

The British Constitution

A country’s constitution serves as the foundation of its existence, operation and dealings; both among people and sectors of the nation as well as domestic and foreign relations. The significance and effectiveness of a charter are attributed not on the statute’s traditional solidity and constancy. This is because foremost the supposed changes which happened, it is the realization of the constitution’s growing implications which manifest the ultimate transformation and evolution of its system.In light of the existing and considered established measures of the land, it is empirical for the nation and its people to make the best out of it. Despite whatever is perceived to be flaws of a nation’s constitution, there is no good in returning to the past. What must be done to any current constitution instead is to directly address its underlying issues, prevent its negative premises to occur and for the country and its people to grasp its impacts. Constitution is presented in several forms and ways.In doing so, varying interpretations of such kind of recognized document are provided like in literary works. It is in this condition that the public is offered with a manner how to evaluate and realize the relevance of a constitution. Hence, a literary piece will prove to be valuable at analyzing the essence and grabbing the effects of a constitution. Such illustration of a clear principle was best exemplified by Anthony King’s (2007) â€Å"The British Constitution. † By arguing, the author made the public realize the concrete facts concerning the constitution of the United Kingdom.Beyond the details given by the author, however, the worth of the book lies on its thesis which fundamentally justifies its dispute. That is, the British constitution was never continuous since its establishment but it rather allowed opportunities to evolve which collectively affected the nation and its people. â€Å"The British Constitution,† an O verview Refuting people’s idea about their existing constitution is the main position of King in the book â€Å"The British Constitution. † The author debated that the country’s constitution was not to be regarded exactly as it was during the sovereignty of Queen Victoria.By far, the book is a revelation that the majority of British nationals appear to be knowledgeable of the successive modifications which transpired in their constitution (King, 2007). However, the book revealed that hardly any realized that the mounting implication of the existing constitution is exactly the complete modification of the quality of the system of British charter. The disclosure also served as the book’s assertion that the Victorian statue no longer exists and that the present constitution is generally regarded as a chaotic document.It is in this situation that the King’s book serves its very goal and essence. This is under a principle that what need to be considered are not the changes to the past constitution or its muddled current version. What is essential is just to exploit and make the existing constitution works to the advantage of the people and the country in general (King, 2007). By itself, the book is not a reference literary material or particularly a textbook. Unlikely for a serious-natured journalist, political critic and notable member of the academe, the author’s sense of humour paved the way for the book’s distinction.The book was a well-defined work because of its contention that it will do no good if UK and its people opt to return and still refer to the earlier constitution. In short, reminiscing on the past and its supposed solidity will not be a good guide in an effort to steer the country towards the changes being brought about by the present-day and even the future (King, 2007). In realizing the issues concerning the contemporary United Kingdom, the book directly battled with such problems.In particular, th e book provided the readers with sharp and critical evaluation of the escalating conflicts. Through the book, King exposed the disagreements existing between England, Wales and Scotland. Such idea was based on the ground of the decentralization and damaging analysis of the new House of Lords. King specifically expressed alarm over the positions at the Parliament’s second house which he claimed to be dangerously occupied by a diversified group of swindlers, failed leaders and political wannabes (King, 2007).Such condition sums up the entirety of the book. In today’s modern United Kingdom, the book is one whole statement of the need for the public to recognize the collective impacts of the existing statue. While the said effects were brought about by the supposed current constitution, in reality it is still plagued by the earlier period of influence. Ultimately, the book functions as the creation of the past, present and future’s manifestation and consideration of the British charter.This makes it a crucial material which will meet one’s awareness and concern about the nature and prospect of the political setting in United Kingdom. People’s Conformity with the Constitution King’s â€Å"The British Constitution† explored on the changes which took effect in UK’s charter for the three decades. As the author depicted, it is notable that Britain is regarded as a nation which unfortunately did not possess the needed capital-C constitution. By this the author implied that majority of free-thinking democratic systems have their respective constitution in black and white.In contrast, the existing charter of the United Kingdom was unwritten. Unlike the usual charter of other countries such as the United States, that of the Britain is composed of big and relevant qualities and features which were not placed in paper making it different compared with other countries’ capital-C statues (King, 2007, p. 5). The aut hor, however, clarified that the British charter is not totally the contrast of a capital-C or written constitution. Such condition only signified that what UK has is a charter with a small-c constitution.This is because the book manifested that Britain really possessed a collection of â€Å"the most important rules and common understandings in any given country† which, in turn, control the influence and restrictions of the central state organizations as well as their affiliation with the citizens. However, the book noted that such significant measures and guidelines were indeed unwritten which resulted into their classification as small-c constitution and not capital-C constitution (King, 2007, pp. 3-5).In particular, the book further explained that the existing British constitution is comprised of both unwritten big chunks of capital-C charter and written small-c constitution. This presented the public with the reality that what UK requires is not a written charter but a co ded or codified statue which refers to the capital-C constitution. The underlying principle behind this premise presented by the book is simply the supposed relationship between the government and its people. That is, the link between the government and/or various institutions as well as its people needs to be established (King, 2007).As an emphasis, the book made it clear that the differences in the qualities of the written small-c and unwritten capital-C constitutions pave the way for the changes that happened between the government and people for the last three decades. The author has inclined that a radical change of the present constitution may no longer be needed. However, the apparent defects in the existing British constitution, particularly as far as its present functions are concern; have likely caused the changes in the relationship between the state and its population (King, 2007).A further analysis, however, revealed irrational conclusions made by the book. This is part icularly illustrated when King studied the reduced influence or authority of states which he claimed is due to the globalization of the economies around the world. He corroborated such situation with the supposed mounting lack of enthusiasm among the voting public to recognize and be part of the system of political voting (King, 2007). The book’s sensitivity likewise appeared when King assessed the policy concerning the power of the parliamentary.Such government sovereignty became the core of the constitution during scholar Walter Bagehot’s time in the nineteenth century. In contrast, King portrayed in the book that the British government under the profile of the Parliament’s lower house, the House of Commons, is merely a powerless or weak body aside from being far from independence (King 2007). The book’s fundamental theme is what its author referred to as Britain’s conventional charter which basically signified the strains and requirements for mo dification as well as what the significance of such changes.As far as the book is concern, the basis of the conventional constitution is the separation between the government and its people. The author’s declaration, which manifested that the governors are apparently only ruling however the people still have their customary pronouncements, supported the said foundation (King, 2007). This was particularly depicted in the book when King mentioned about the outside bodies. He noted the recent inclusion of the governors in the government as well as practically in majority of positions and sectors. It is in this situation that the said outside bodies were regularly conferred with.However, as their nature implies, the outside bodies continue to be exactly as external parts (King, 2007). It is in this condition that the book is to be commended because of its clear presentation of a significant subject matter. That is, the need for people’s agreement or conformity with their c onstitution depends on the premise that they are not merely consulted. What is really necessary is the effective involvement of the people in Britain’s decision-making because it is them who compose majority of the population and not the few ruling governors.For this, King stressed: â€Å"Consultation was not to be confused with active participation in the making of policy† (King, 2007, p. 49). To further account for the principle of people’s conformity with their constitution, the book also presented another aspect where the system of British constitution also succeeded. This is where King discussed the definite and genuine distribution of goods to the people. This was efficiently carried out by the book’s presentation that the agreement of the people is achieved if services such as potable water, constructions as well as other basic good and services were provided to them.Thereafter, the book cautioned that there will be risk once the country’s c onstitution failed to provide what it has stated (King, 2007). Old Paving the Way for New Subsequent to the important concept of people’s agreement to the constitution hence enhancing the relationship between the government and people, King for the rest of the book succeeded in presenting how the past constitutional connections have paved the way to something new. The author referred to the new phenomenon as versions which are based from realistic responses to new situations instead of intentional and conscious ones.In explaining further, the book has taken into account several events such as the termination of the British Empire, the fall of the nation’s economy, the time when social deference has stopped, the last parts of the post-war agreements within the political setting, the escalation of a rebellious workforce society which started in the middle of 1960s and the power of the leftist in Britain’s Labour Party during the beginning of 1980s (King, 2007).In presenting this condition of old giving way for something new, the book stated that the most relevant modifications were attributed to British’ choice to be involved in the then referred to as the European Common market in 1973. This particular decision was the corrective action made by Britain concerning its mistake of conceitedly being on its own when several countries including Italy, Germany and France created a trade coalition trough the 1957 Treaty of Rome.The said trade blunder resulted into Britain’s economic disaster in mid-1960s and eventually disclosed the flaw and being reluctant on the country’s manufacturing industry (King, 2007). It is from the perspective of the author that there is no particular improvement in contemporary period which shows more ability to change the system of British constitution. That is, previous choices made by Britain have become the foundation of the existing constitution and that their massiveness made it unlikely for ne w alterations to set in.Hence, it is difficult to argue with King’s outlook that the lawful and constitutional outcomes of the country’s concurrence with the Treaty of Rome were enormous enough to be changed (King, 2007). Since the book presented that the superiority of European Community decree over the measures of UK, King was justified in his claim that the battle between the two laws resulted into the law created by the continent having more bearing over Britain’s law. Relatively is the case with the British courts since implementation of Community law is more required which made UK as secondary.With Community measures having more significance, British people took up their legal grievances and actions against the British government in Community courts (King, 2007). Noting such inevitable circumstances and outcomes, the book was correct when it said that Britain failed to foresee the imminent conditions. This is because the nation got involved in said Communi ty without taking into consideration its possible consequence. In fact, it was Britain’s apparent desire to be a member of a union which eventually affected the nation’s constitution (King, 2007).This idea was precisely supported by the book wherein King said that Britain then was more concern in entering the markets and did not think of the possible implications. It was unfortunate to note then that it was Britain’s sovereignty which was affected. This was affirmed by the author when he presented the condition of globalization. This is because when the practice took effect, the community of various countries evolved as the European Union or EU hence blocking the region as part of worldwide economy. In its worst effect, more significant impacts to the constitution happened.Such European power over the government of Britain have greatly affected the nation’s policy aspects, such as in agriculture and environment, which were previously classified as interna l but eventually became only a portion of the whole power of EU (King, 2007). The book was correctly critical in its discussion of the judiciary’s assertion of self-rule from the executive branch. King was also vivid when he presented the system of review of government decision done by the judiciary. He explained that such mechanisms lessened the authority of local governments.These governments were regarded by the author as mere â€Å"pale shadow of its former self. † This is because contrary to its previous influence, local governments became nobody and just turned out to be symbols of control by the primary government (King, 2007, p. 151). The book’s various manifestations of constitutional and policy changes were comprehensively provided, supported as well as rationally analyzed by the author. These include the modifications which happened during the free-market capitalism under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.In the following two decades, changes were also depicted by the privatization of the government’s basic services to the people and fall of locally-generated incomes (King, 2007). Such changes significantly paved the way for similar adjustments in the branches of Britain’s governments which, in turn, affirmed more the earlier premise of Britain having a small-c and decoded constitution. This was effectively established by the book as King wrote that Prime Ministers barely visit the House of Commons with exemption if they need to address specific questions (King, 2007).This goes the same with the Parliament which is frequently in recess because of the emptiness of the chambers most of the time. This has resulted into laws or measures which were created and just provided by the government to its people otherwise the bills do not have opportunity to be formed and even put into law. The said modification even led to announcements of government laws and policies that are carried out through the mass media. The book noted that this is definitely in contrast to the established process when the parliament is appraised at the onset (King, 2007).As opposed to such condition of the Parliament, Britain’s executive branch upheld its constitutional power and authority. This was proven by the influence of the Prime Minister which was more strengthened to the detriment of the cabinet system. This was supported by the book when it provided the readers with several situations that showed the increased power of the PM (King, 2007). Constitution as Gauge of Government’s Fitness The driving factor which lies underneath the changes made to the British constitution is precisely the idea of the need for the government to be suitable in its main function of governing the country and people.Fortunately, this was clearly noted and shared to the public by the book. This is when it was able to effectively portray that the government adhered with its functions of ensuring that it is indeed fit and capable for all its roles. These purposes of the government, which were attributed from the changes made to the constitution, include its economic, political and economic principles and practices (King, 2007). Being involved in multi sectors, King reasonably centred on the supposed needed changes to the constitution thereby resulting into strengthened relationship between the government and its people.Since the nation was subjected to several crises, the book noticed the need for the constitutional modifications which, in turn, assured the competency and ability of the government to both run the country and establish favourable relationship with people. Conclusion It is certain that a country needs to have an established constitution which serves as the binding principle and performance of its government and for the citizenry to follow. Such foundation may be manifested in different and even opposing manners.However, it is the only way at placing the systems in place and in good form. While th e British charter underwent changes, it is such conditions which eventually signalled its aspiration. Since the earlier times up to the present, UK’s constitution has proven its worth and significance. It is in this understanding that King’s book served its very purpose and essence of making the public realize the possibilities and implications of the British constitution. Reference King, A. (2007). The British Constitution. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Strateget management Reflection - Assignment Example Needless to say, it is something every company executive must keep in mind in running their business. Quite frankly though, this is a bit of a no-brainer for me; I have been raised from birth to be responsible in all aspects of life, so strategic management isn’t something I am incapable of. While it is true that different people may have varying degrees of success in this regard, this will still help any business no matter what field. Case in point: all big name companies that we have known, regardless of whether they were forced to declare bankruptcy, were able to pull this off somehow else they would never have gotten off the ground. Most of us, even non-business majors, no doubt already know this. This being the case, it becomes even more important to learn this skill which will spell the difference between success and failure in our careers. In particular, three steps are most important in my opinion – scanning both the external (knowing one’s surroundings) and internal (knowing oneself) environments, as well as the competition (knowing the enemy), which will be the focus of this paper. As I heard somewhere before, only by knowing both oneself and the enemy (or in this case, competition) can success be guaranteed. According to Elisabeth Chapus et al (2010), environmental scanning, both internal and external, is meant to aid managers in making decisions and to respond adequately to weak signals coming from the environment. Coming up with plans usually entails taking into account the current situation, and strategic management is no exception. However, unlike normal planning that focuses mainly on thinking of the future, strategic management emphasizes good decision-making in order to achieve a desirable future (Craig Dobbins, 2010). To this end, managers must be able to make educated guesses about the future based on what they see now, achieving a fit in terms of how the company can

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Paganism and New Ageism - Essay Example As the discussion highlights Paganism encourages worship of godheads that are similar to the medieval Pagan godheads that thrived in an age of anarchy, and the New Age movement presents a complex mix of occult, science, belief in extraterritorial beings that exist in a different plane and â€Å"Enlightened Masters† to resemble Gnosticism. This essay argues that it is best to avoid the Pagan and New Age religiosities because they present a potential for even greater anarchy than is apparent in a world that predominantly subscribes to the monotheistic doctrines.This paper declares that  over the past decades, North America and the Western World have witnessed a substantial increase in the number and diversity of New Religious Movements and new forms of religious life. This is probably because of the fact that with the emergence of a new world, religion must now adapt to new realities. Now, religion is a private matter; more of a matter of choice than it used to be, and religio n must now cope with advanced capitalism. Information is now far more readily available for the masses with the freedom to question and to think.  God who deliberately divided His people into followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam tolerate the slaughter and the butchery that are the result of His messages to humanity?  Are any of the three of those that presented messages about monotheism imposters and Satanists?... Information is now far more readily available for the masses with the freedom to question and to think. According to Partridge (2006), notions of wellbeing are now important for spiritual health and individuals search for that which satisfies them most in their interaction with the world around them. The reality associated with suffering in a world in which God, an omnipotent being, the all-powerful and the all-knowing Creator, should and could have prevented despair creates a certain lack of satisfaction with the established religious doctrine, especially the monotheistic religious doctrine (Davy, 1997, pp. 1 – 20). After all, how could a merciful monotheistic God who deliberately divided His people into followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam tolerate the slaughter and the butchery that are the result of His messages to humanity? Are any of the three of those that presented messages about monotheism imposters and Satanists? How can one believe in the truth of events tha t unfolded many thousands of years ago? Why is it impossible for this God, who has the power to create, to maintain all of His creations in dignity and satisfaction in a world that He created and if there is an omnipotent God, why does he delight in the slaughter and destruction of His creation? Many questions and doubts haunt many followers of the three monotheist religious doctrines and the history of monotheism spread over many thousands of years presents many flaws, contradictions, abhorrent notions and notions that defy logic. A study of Armstrong (2011), Stark (2003), Bianchi (1975) and Paterson (2004) lends some support to the previously mentioned doubts. Davy (1997) suggests that a failure to remain satisfied by the notion

Kachin Insurgency in Myanmar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kachin Insurgency in Myanmar - Essay Example Thus, in this regard, the department of defense defines the current insurgency as an organized opposition movement that employs subversion, incapacitation and armed conflict to realize its objectives (Bortnyk). Therefore, insurgencies usually seek to overthrow the recurrent social order by altering power within a nation. A number of factors contribute to an insurgency in various occurrences but often political power is the primary issue in both insurgencies and counterinsurgencies with each faction aiming at gaining a people’s patronage. Major contributors are economic deprivation, poor governance and lack of government legitimacy. For instance, economic deprivation leads to poverty that leaves young men with fewer options in life or less to lose; thus, leaving them with no choice but to join insurgent groups (Bortnyk). In addition, poverty leads to increased crimes, a premonition of a population’s desensitization to lawlessness and aggression, which creates an illegal market in support of insurgencies (Army). That notwithstanding, most repressive systems of governances deny second or alternative voices from surfacing to question or criticize government operations and activities; thus leaving oppositions and alternative resort to insurgency to force the government to deliver on its mandate or to relinquish power. Thus, with the above understanding, this paper features the insurgency efforts of the Kachin Independence Army and its affiliates such as Myanmar military. The study focuses on the history of movements with no choice but to resort to insurgency. Lastly, besides governance, governments are expected to provide their citizens with security, justice, economic needs and allow space for ideology sharing (Aylwin-Foster and Army). Therefore, failure to provide such services to citizens, they often the Myanmar insurgency, the underlying causes, the army’s tactics and

Two-Variable Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two-Variable Inequality - Essay Example Write an inequality that limits the possible number of maple rockers of each type that can be made, and graph the inequality in the first quadrant. (2). One classic maple rocking chair requires 15 board feet and this will be designated as (15 cmr) and since one modern maple rocking chair requires 12 board feet this requirement will be designated as follows (12 mmr). The totally available board feet of maple lumber is 3000 feet, therefore, an equation showing the total combination of classic maple rocking chairs and modern maple rocking chairs that could possibly be made out of this amount of materials is represented as shown in the following equation: (3). Finding intercepts of the two variables on x axis (dependent variable) and y axis (independent variable) where either of them is zero, requires substitution of either of the variables with a zero value so as to obtain the maximum possible value of the other variable. The obtained intercepts can then provide end points on the line that will help draw a line that will map out the area of possibility. The inequality line in this case will be a straight, downward sloping solid line portraying a negative gradient, and the lines slopes from left to right because the inequality is a â€Å"less than or equal to† equation (Boyd et al., 1994). The region satisfying the equation falls within the first quadrant and is restricted to the left region of the line and the x and y axes (Boyd et al., 1994). This point (75, 50) falls within the shaded region and it is a point at which the company can satisfy an order of 75 classic maple rocking chairs and 50 modern maple rocking chairs. If the company made 75 classic maple rocking chairs and 50 modern maple rocking chairs the amount of material used would have been: The point (150, 75) falls outside the equation satisfaction region and it is a point at which the company may be unable to produce the designated number of products required at this point.

Blakes Tyger and Bliges No More Drama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Blakes Tyger and Bliges No More Drama - Essay Example His work has the art of symbolism embedded in it - a fact that can be seen as he describes one of the Creator's tools as the anvil, thus using the Creator to signify the essence and work of a blacksmith. In this poem, Blake depicts at once, the beauty as well as the fear attached with the natural and the unknown - the tiger. Seen from his eyes, this species is a being of such beauty in all it fine golden colors and ferocity depicted through its claws and teeth as well as the rhythm in its roar, that the onlooker gets intimidated more than anything else. Blake pitches the tiger's case when he speaks of the tiger's aspirations in attaining the strength and beauty as far as covering certain goals and going a certain distance in its lifetime are concerned. If we are to concentrate on the analysis of the language used by Blake, otherwise known as stylistics, we will find a striking use of poetic iconicity that highlights the effect of the tiger on an unassuming onlooker, in its natural habitat. When speaking of burning eyes, Blake not only depicts the fire that rages within this animal, but also shows the ionic significance its eyes bear to the blacksmith's fire - the Creator's fire in which the anvil that created the tiger was seasoned. Also, Blake follows a safe pattern throughout his work - one that comes across through the rhyming words in every sentence and every alternate sentence as the poem progresses. Also, considering the fact that poetry is meant to be crisp in its presentation, Blake has managed to keep alive this trait by employing short and snappy sentences to direct an underscore of energy into the jungle that envelopes this being. In this regard, the lyrics of the song we are comparing with the Tyger, are of a more modern and bold nature. Mary J Blige with her unconventional ways and meaningful videos, is similar to Blake in her style of showing intensity as well as tender feeling towards fellow beings around her, simultaneously. In her song, No More Drama, Blige demonstrates the same crisp style of writing but with less use of rhyming words. The phonetic echo in her song is restricted to the message she is trying to put across through her song. While Blake's Tyger was an epitomy of a certain being, Blige's No more drama is a song about feelings and emotions. Thus, Blake's work is a self contained piece of art that signifies the essence of the fire in the tiger's eyes while Blige's song is one that places more emphasis on the drama portrayed in one's everyday life - a drama supposedly lost to the exit of that special someone. In sound and context, both pieces of work bear similarity in intensity but again, the nuances of the lives obviously led by the two artists are poles apart. Blige, in her ultra modern world, does not see any need for medieval poetic influence in her lyrics, while Blake's agenda seems to one that revolves around making each word meaningful. In short, every stanza of the poem is a theme in itself while the words in Blige's song contribute to a wholesome theme. In this context, it may be seen, that taken separately, the words in Bliges song would mean nothing to the listener in terms of rhythm or focus on language. To divert our attention wholly to Blige's song, we will find that this is one of personal pain, unlike Blake's poem which celebrates the beauty of the tiger and the fear evoked by this being simultaneously. Blige, in her song is more into mundane things and makes

How can the growth of investments in renewable energy to achieve Dissertation

How can the growth of investments in renewable energy to achieve higher energy efficiency levels impact on world oil prices and - Dissertation Example Therefore, this study aims to determine whether or not the increased investment on renewable energy resources could literally affect the movements of the world market prices of oil. Likewise, this study will determine how massive investments made on the development of renewable energy resources can affect the economic growth of OECD countries. Research Method: A one-on-one personal interview with a couple of experts in finance and economics was conducted to know more about the impact of an increased investment in renewable energy on the world market prices of oil and the economic growth of OECD counties. Research Findings: Due to high market demand for oil, increasing the overall investment on renewable energy resources will not trigger the world market price of oil to decrease. Furthermore, the massive investment on renewable energy resources can somehow create a positive impact on the future economic growth of the OECD countries. However, serious considerations should be made befor e investing a large sum of money on a specific project. Conclusion: To increase the socio-economic benefits and return on investments (ROI) of renewable energy projects, this study concludes that strong support coming from the local people, the government, and the developers of renewable energy resources is essential. ... Table of Contents Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 3 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. 5 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 7 1.1 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................. 7 1.2 Research Objectives .................................................................................. 7 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................... 8 1.4 Rationale for Selecting the Research Topic .............................................. 8 1.5 Scope and Limitations of the Study .......................................................... 9 2. Literature Review .................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Renewable Energy Resources ................................................................... 10 2.2 Types of Renewable Energy Resources Available in OECD Countries ....................................................................................... 11 2.3 Impact of Renewable Energy Investment on the Economic Growth of OECD Countries ............................................... 18 2.5 Impact of Renewable Energy Resources on Oil Prices ............................. 22 2.6 Reasons that Make it

Animal rights Essay Example for Free

Animal rights Essay Utilitarianism is concerned with happiness, and utilitarians accept the idea that value is universal so utilitarians believe that the intrinsic value of happiness it is unaffected by the identity of the being in which it is felt. Thus each counts for one, and none for more than one and my own interests cannot count for more, simply because they are my own, than the interests of others. Utilitarians support equality by the equal consideration of interests they reject any arbitrary distinctions as to who is worthy of concern and who isnt. This means that we reject egoism, racism, sexism, speciesism, and other forms of unfair discrimination. It does not mean that we deny that there are differences between individuals or between groups of individuals (some individuals are cleverer, taller, stronger, more emotional etc than others), just that there is no logically compelling reason for assuming that a difference in ability justifies any difference in the consideration we give to their interests. Utilitarians believe that while happiness, pleasure, joy, satisfaction, ecstasy and so-on are not synonyms, they do all represent positively intrinsically valuable feelings; and that the value they represent is of a similar kind, and so is convertible or equivalent (in some proportion). Pain, suffering, unhappiness, agony etc are all regarded similarly that the disvalue they represent is convertible, not only with that of the other negative feelings, but with the positive feelings too. This means, for example, that a utilitarian might believe that it is worthwhile to endure a certain amount of suffering now, if it ensures a greater amount of happiness later. In classical utilitarianism, happiness is regarded as positively valuable, and unhappiness (pain, suffering etc) is regarded is negatively valuable. Negative utilitarianism denies the positive aspect it denies that happiness is intrinsically valuable. By negative utilitarianism, the only goal (the only thing which is seen as good) is the reduction of suffering. Regular utilitarians and negative utilitarians agree on some issues, and disagree on others. A standard disagreement is illustrated by the fact that a negative utilitarian would believe that, if it were possible to exterminate all life in the universe instantly and painlessly and permanently, it would be correct and ethically required that we do so (in order to prevent any future suffering). A classical utilitarian might decide either way, depending on their estimation of the relative amounts of future suffering and happiness.

Changing Environment And Its Impact On Business Information Technology Essay

Changing Environment And Its Impact On Business Information Technology Essay With the emergence of internet, business organization of 20th century has undergone structural, cultural and qualitative change, the way business is done and a new organization structure has emerged known as E business enterprise. E business enterprise enables employees, professionals, terms, groups, vendors, customers to perform business operations through electronic exchange of data and information anywhere at any time. The business operations are performed through E communication and collaboration initiatives. Therefore, E business enterprise has a global market, reach, source and global competition. Due to extensive use of technology, the enterprise is now called a digital firm. The business process are conducted through enterprise software like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), SCM (Supply Chain Management) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) supported by data warehouse, decision support system, knowledge management and content management system. Information Technology (IT) consists of computer hardware, software, data and storage technology, and networks along with the human resources required to operate the technology. The managers and employees directly interact with these systems, it is important for the company now and in the future that the information architecture and IT infrastructure meet the business requirements of the company and that the systems can work together where needed. An Information System (IS) as interrelated components that work together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization. An Inofrmation System (IS) can be any organised combination of people, hardware, software, communication networks, and data resources that stores and retrieves, transforms and disseminates information in an organization The Field of Information Systems encompasses many complex technologies abstract behavioral concepts, and specialized application in countless business and nonbusiness areas. The figure beside Illustrates a useful conceptual framework that organizes the knowledge presented in the text and outlines what you need to know about information system. For Detailed Information Students are requested to refer MIS by James A OBrien Page 6 7 This framework Outlines the Major areas of Information Systems Knowledge needed by business professionals The Three Major roles of the business applications of information systems. Information system provides an organization with support for business processes and operations, decision making, and competitive advantage Support Business Process and Operations: As a consumer, you regularly encounter information system that supports the business process and operations at the many retail stores where you shop. For example most retail stores now use computer based information system to help them record customer purchases, keep track of inventory, pay employees, buy new merchandise, and evaluate sales trends. Store operations would grind to a halt without the support of such information system Support Decision Making: Information System also help store managers and other business professionals make better decision. For Example, decisions on what lines of merchandise need to be added or discontinued, or on what kind of investment they require, are typically made after an analysis provide by computer based information systems. This not only supports the decision making of stores managers, buyers and other, but also helps them look for ways to gain an advantage over other retailers in the competition for customers. Support Competitive Advantage: Gaining a strategic advantage over competitors requires innovative application of information technologies. For example, store management might make a decision to install touch screen kiosks in all of their stores, with link to their e-commerce web site for online shopping. This might attract new customers and build customer loyalty because of the case of shopping and buying merchandise provide by such information system. Thus, strategic information systems can help provide products and services that give a business a comparative advantage over its competitors. DATA INFORMATION AND ITS ATTRIBUTES D:Projectsken pptslides imageslaudonf01-02.gif Data: Streams of raw facts representing events such as business transactions Information: Clusters of facts those are meaningful and useful to human beings in the processes such as making decisions The Features / Attributes / Characteristics of Information Improves representation of an entity Updates the level of Knowledge Has a surprise value Reduces uncertainty Aids in decision making Three activities in an information system produce the information that organizations need to make decision, control operations, analyze problem and create new products or services. These activities are input, processing and output. Input Captures or collects raw data from within the organization of from its external environment. Processing converts this raw input into a meaningful form. Output transfers the processed information to the people who will use it or to the activities for activities for which it will be used. Information system also require feedback, which is output that is returned to appropriate members of the organization to help them evaluate or correct the input stageD:Ken ppt -Rituch2imageslaudonf01-03.gif CLASSIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION The information can be classified in a number of ways provide to a better understanding. John Dearden of Harvard University classifies information in the following manner. Action Versus No-action Information Recurring Versus Non-recurring information Internal Versus External Information Planning Information Control Information Knowledge Information Organizational Information Database information Functional or Operational information Action Versus No-action Information: The information which induces action is called as action information. The information which communicates only the status of a situation is a no-action information. No stock report calling a purchase action is an action information but the stock ledger showing the store transactions and the stock balance is a No-action information. Recurring versus non recurring information: The information generated at regular intervals is recurring information. The monthly sales reports, the stock statements, the trial balance, etc are recurring information. The financial analysis or the report on the market research study is non recurring information. Internal versus External information: the information generated through the internal sources of the organization is termed as an internal information, while the information generated through the government reports, the industry surveys, etc is termed as an external information, as the sources of the data are outside the organization. Planning information: certain standards, norms and specification are used in the planning of any activity. Hence, such information is called the planning information. The time standards, the operational standards, the design standards are the examples of the planning information. Control information: Reporting the status of an activity through a feedback mechanism is called the control information. When such information shows a deviation from the goal or the objective, it will induce a decision or an action leading to control. Knowledge Information: A collection of information through the library reports and the research studies to build up a knowledge base as an information source for decision making is known as knowledge information. Such a collection is not directly connected to decision making, but the need of knowledge is perceived as a power or a strength of the organization. Organization Information: When the information is used y everybody in the organization, it is called as organization information. Database Information: When the information has a multiple use and application, it is called the database information Functional or the operational information: When the information is used in the operations of a business it is called functional or the operational information. Module 2 Transaction processing systems (TPS) are basic business systems that serve the operational level of the organization by recording the daily routine transactions required to conduct business, such as payroll and sales receipts. Transactional Processing system is a computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business. Examples of TPS are order entry system, cheque processing system, accounts receivable systems, accounts payable systems and ticket reservation systems. These systems help any company to conduct operations and keep track of its activities. TPS was first developed in the year 1950s in accounting departments of major corporations. It is the oldest type of information system and can be called as the work horse of the information system industry for the last 50 years.D:Ken ppt -Rituch2imageslaudonf02-02.gif The principal purpose of systems at this level is to answer routine questions and to track the flow of transactions through the organization. How many parts are in inventory? What happened to Mr. Williams payment? To answer these kind of questions, information generally must be easily available, current, and accurate. At the operational level, tasks resources, and goals are predefined and highly structured. The decision to grant credit to a customer, for instance, is made by a lower level supervisor according to predefined criteria. All that must be determined is whether the customer meets the criteria H:mis10eimagesimg02_06.jpg The figure illustrated beside is transaction processing system. Managers need TPS to monitor the status of internal operations and the firms the external environment. TPS are also major producers of information for the other types of system TPS are often so central to a business that TPS failure for few hours can lead to a firms demise and perhaps that of other firms linked to it. Imagine what would the airlines do without their computerized reservation system? Transaction processing is the set of procedures for handling the transactions. Common Activities in transaction processing include: Calculation Classification Sorting Storage Summarization Types of Functional categories of TPS Systems D:Ken ppt -Rituch2imageslaudonf02-04.gif Management Information System The MIS has More than one Definition, some of which are given below: The MIS is defined as a system which provides information support for decision making in the organization. The MIS is defined as an integrated system of man and machine for providing the information to support the operations, the management and the decision making function in the organization. The MIS is defined as a system based on the database of the organization evolved for the purpose of providing information to the people in the organization. The MIS is defined as a computer based information system. It serve middle managers interests by providing current and historical performance information to aid in planning, controlling, and decision making at the management level. MIS typically compress TPS data to present regular reports on the companys basic operations. Middle Management needs systems to help with monitoring, controlling, decision making, and administrative activities. The principal question addressed by such systems is this: Are things working well? In any organization, small or big, a major portion of the time goes in data collection processing, documenting and communication it to the people. Hence, a major portion of the overheads goes into this kind of unproductive work in the organization. Every individual in an organization is continuously looking for some information which is needed to perform his / her task. Hence, the information is people oriented and it varies with the nature of the people in t he organization. Role of the Management Information System. The system ensures that an appropriate data is collected for the various sources, processed and sent further to all the need destinations. The system is expected to fulfill the information needs of an individual, a group of individuals, the management functionaries: the managers and the top management. The MIS satisfies the diverse needs through a variety of systems such as query systems, analysis system, modeling systems and decision support system MIS helps in strategic planning , management control, operational control and transactional processing The MIS helps the clerical personnel in the transaction processing and answers their queries on the data pertaining to the transaction, that status of a particular record and references on a variety of documents The MIS plays the role of information generation, communication, problem identification and helps in the process of decision making. The MIS, therefore, plays a vital role in the management, administration and operations of an organization. Decision Support systemH:mis10eimagesimg02_08.jpg DSS is an interactive computer based system which facilitates the solution of unstructured problem. Scott Morton Defined Decision Support system as Interactive computer based systems, which help decision makers utilize data and models to solve unstructured problem It supports non routine decision making for middle management. They focus on problems that are unique and rapidly changing, for which the procedure for arriving at a solution may not be fully predefined in advance. They try answering questions such as these: what would be the impact on production scheduled if we were to double sales in the month of December? What would happen to our return on investment if a factory schedule were delayed for six months? Although DSS are internal information from TPS and MIS they often bring in information from external sources, such as current stock prices or product prices of competitors. These systems use a variety of models to analyze data, or they condense large amounts of data into a form in which decision makers can analyze them. DSS Characteristics of DSS Ability to support the solution of complex problem Fast response to unexpected situations that result in changed inputs Designed to help support decisions that are formulated as semi structured, complex problems May be constructed to support one time decisions DSS is typically designed for either a particular decision maker or a group of decision makers Allows the decision makers to interact in a natural manner due to careful design of the interface It is a way to organize information intended for use in decision making Ability to quickly and objectively try different strategies under different configurations Other Characteristics: Cost Savings Improving managerial effectiveness Extensive range of support to management Support of individual / group Graphic Display Designed and run managers; incorporated data and models Attributes of Decision Support system Flexibility: The system are flexible so that any semi structured or unstructured decision making sitation can be tackled with ease and speed Simple models: The systems use simple models of decision making. The only change is that a different set of information is sought for the use of different models. The choice of a model depends upon the complexity of decision making Database: the decision support system needs database(s). The system calls for several inputs from database(s) from decision making. The use of information being common, input to the system is from the database Types of Decision Support System Status inquiry system: The number of decisions in the operational management and some at the middle management are such that they are based on one or two aspects of a decision making situations. It does not call for any elaborate computations, analysis, choice, etc. for decision making. If the status is known, the decision is automatic, i.e., the status and solution is unique relation Data analysis system: These Decision systems are based on comparative analysis, and use of a formula or an algorithm. But these processes are not structured and, therefore vary. The cash flow analysis, the inventory analysis and the personal inventory system are examples of the analysis systems. The use of simple data processing tools and business roles are required to develop this system. Information analysis system: In this system, the data is analyzed and information reports are generated. The reports might be having exceptions as a feature. The decision makers use these reports for assessment of the situation for decision making. The sales analysis, the accounts receivable systems, the market research analysis, the MRP systems are examples of the systems. Accounting System: These systems are not necessarily required for decision making but they are desirable to keep track of the major aspects of the business or a function. The contents of these systems are more data processing leading to formal reporting, with exceptions, if necessary. These systems account items such as cash, inventory, personnel and so on and relate it to a norm or norms developed by the management, for control and decision Model based systems: These systems are simulation model or optimization models for decisions making. These decisions, generally, are one time and infrequent and provide general guidelines for operation or management, the product mix decision, the material mix, the job scheduling rules, and the resource or asset or facilities planning systems are the examples. Executive Support System These are management information systems tailored to benefit the strategic information needs of the top management / senior executive. ESS summarizes and presents data at the highest levels of aggregation. Usually, they involve presenting reports in standard formats and they often involve graphics. ESS is the newest of the five categories of MIS. They have had the least acceptance of the five types. The reason being that most executives started their careers prior to widespread use of computer. Executive Support systems provide critical information from a wide variety of internal and external sources in easy to use displays to executives and managers. For example, top executive may use touch screen terminals to instantly view text and graphics displays that highlight key areas of organizational and competitive performance What are the characteristics of MIS? How do MIS differ from TPS? From DSS? MIS supports the management level by providing routine summary reports and exception reports for various purposes, including planning, controlling, and decision making. Examples include sales and profit per customer and per region, relocation summary and analysis, inventory control, capital investment analysis, and even a report on students who were here in the autumn but did not to return in the spring. MIS differs from TPS in that MIS deals with summarized and compressed data from the TPS and sometimes analysis of that summarized data. Decision-support systems provide material for analysis for the solution of semi-structured problems, which often are unique or rapidly changing. Typically, they provide the ability to do what if analysis. While MIS have an internal orientation, DSS will often use data from external sources, as well as data from TPS and MIS. DSS supports right now analysis rather than the long-term structured analysis of MIS. MIS are generally not flexible and provide little analytical capabilities. In contrast, DSS are designed for analytical purposes and are flexible. What are the characteristics of DSS? How do they differ from those of ESS? DSS provide sophisticated analytical models and data analysis tools to support semi structured and unstructured decision-making activities. DSS use data from TPS, MIS, and external sources, provide more analytical power than other systems, combine data, and are interactive. ESS support senior managers with unstructured strategic-level decision making. They may be less analytical than DSS with less use of models such as linear programming or forecasting. However, they often rely on external data and rely heavily on graphics. Describe the relationship between TPS, office systems, KWS, MIS, DSS, and ESS. The various types of systems in the organization exchange data with one another. TPS are a major source of data for other systems, especially MIS and DSS. TPS are operational-level systems that collect transaction data. Examples of these are payroll or order processing that track the flow of the daily routine transactions that are necessary to conduct business. TPS provide data that are required by office systems, KWS, MIS and DSS, although these systems may also use other data. KWS and office systems not only use data from TPS but also from MIS. DSS not only use data from TPS but also from KWS, office systems, and MIS. MIS rely heavily on data from TPS but also use data from KWS and office systems. ESS obtains most of their internal data from MIS and DSS.

Imperialism The Elephant Among Us History Essay

Imperialism The Elephant Among Us History Essay The phrase White mans burden, coined by Rudyard Kipling, accurately represents the viewpoint which Western society has towards imperialism; as it claims that it is the duty of the white man to essentially civilize other cultures by converting them to Western mannerisms. Although the practice of imperialism has been justified under the pretense of improving the society, the reality of imperialism is a developed nation extending their power over a foreign nation for the purpose of economic gain. George Orwell writes Shooting An Elephant after his service as an Indian Imperial Police officer in Burma to highlight the negative impact that imperialism has on both the oppressed and the oppressors. While in Burma, Orwell witnesses the unjust that is imperialism as he watches the British abuse their power by taking over the wealth of the nation and also, from the lack of respect shown to the inhabitants since they are treated inhumanely and their culture is in the process of being eradicate d. By the British rejecting the Burmese culture and not respecting their practices, the Burmese were treated inhumanely because of their cultural differences, causing racial tensions to arise between the groups as they became more divided. Summary At the start of the essay, the narrator immediately makes his unhappiness in Burma known, reflecting back on football matches where he would be jeered at and taunted. However, his discontent wasnt solely the fault of the Burmese, the narrator makes it explicitly clear that he does not agree with the practice of imperialism as he sees the effect it has on the natives. Although he claims to be on the side of the natives, he also harbors a hatred towards them. Later in the day the narrator hears news about an elephant that has gone must and is rampaging the town, so he brings his pistol with him though he has no intention of actually killing the elephant, and follows after it. The natives seeing the narrator with a gun, begin to crowd behind him and follow him to where the elephant is. While the narrator is following the trail of the elephant, he spots a victim of the rampage, an indian man whom had been killed, giving into the pressure of the crowd and an excuse to justify the killing, he decides to shoot the elephant, even though the elephant has now calmed down. Despite the fact that the elephant was no longer a threat, the narrator shoots the elephant, much to the natives pleasure as they will reap the benefits of the dead elephant. The narrator is aware that the situation could have been avoided and even considers the act to be similar to murder, however even after acknowledging those facts he states that his sole purpose for killing the elephant was not out of justice for the man it had killed, but rather for his pride, so he would not appear foolish to the Burmese. Audience At the beginning of the essay, the narrator makes it clear that he is constantly ridiculed and resented by the Burmese, along with the other British officers, despite the fact that he agrees with the natives that imperialism is wrong. However, because the Burmese openly resent the British, since they are aware that they are being treated inhumanely, this only fuels the Britishs harsh treatment towards the Burmese, which creates a constant tension between the two groups. Orwell writes this essay for the general public of Britain to convey the detrimental effects that imperialism has not only on the countries brought under British rule, but also to the British. Throughout the essay the narrator states that the colonizers will lose their integrity and compromise their moral values when they are placed in a position of power of having authority over others, much like how his own were compromised. Orwell writes the British public in order to spread awareness of the harm that imperialism i s causing in the sense that the natives are being treated inhumanely as their culture is slowly disappearing due to the British demand in becoming westernized. The audience only sees one side of imperialism, which are the profits made from the country and using the fact that they are becoming more civilized to justify their actions, rather than to acknowledge the injustices of having the cultural and religious practices infringed upon, and generally being disrespected. Evaluation When the narrator decides to shoot the elephant, he justifies his actions by explaining that he feels pressured, believing that he has got to do what the natives expect of him. He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it ( Orwell 184). Despite the fact that the narrator makes it explicitly clear that he does not want to shoot the elephant, especially since it was calm, he feels pressured by the crowd to do what is expected of a British officer, which would be to uphold the law since the elephant has killed someone. Shooting the elephant demonstrates how imperialism has an effect on both the oppressors and the oppressed. The British police officers act corrupt in order to keep up with the appearance that they are justified to have power over the natives, essentially causing him to wear a mask, (Orwell 181). The narrator comes to term that the British government is an unbreakable tyranny (Orwell 181) .On one side he is regarded as a wise ruler, however, he knows that his actions are wrong, though he must behave in such a way to disguise this. Furthermore, when the narrator decides to go against his moral integrity, he automatically feels guilty, It seemed dreadful to see the great beast lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, (186). The narrator is aware that he is now forced to live with his actions of going against his moral ideals, however, he sees just how immense of a benefit the dead elephant was worth to the natives. Also, the elephants unwillingness to die is parallel of British colonialism, in the sense that the British were not willing to relinquish their power over the colonies they had ruled. The narrator lost his control by shooting the elephant similarly to the British losing its control on the colonies. Additionally, by drawing a parallel between the elephant and Britain, Orwell successfully establishes the true nature of imperialism. For example, through shooting the elephant, Orwell highlights the shift in power in the sense th at after the elephant is shot, the Burmese, had stripped his body almost to the bones by afternoon, meaning that the Burmese took charge and asserted their power over the British, and reaped the benefits of the destruction of imperialism (Orwell 186). The older officers believed that the narrator was right in shooting the elephant, while the younger officers disagreed stating that, It was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie because an elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie, emphasizing the fact that the older officers had witnessed the atrocious effect that imperialism had and believed that it was necessary to eradicate it, while the younger officers were not even aware that what they were enforcing was wrong. The narrator was justified in shooting the elephant, due to the fact that imperialism was damaging to both the oppressed and the oppressors, however, he did not shoot the elephant for the right reasons, since he did not want to appear as fool ish. Annotated Bibliography George Orwell demonstrates the negative impact that imperialism has on both the oppressed and the oppressors in his essay Shooting An Elephant, which was based on his experience as an Indian Imperial Police Officer. Orwell notes details as to how the Burmese were treated as a result of being colonized by the British, and also how the British were affected as well. The authors goal is to expose the true nature of imperialism and the detrimental effects that is had on the parties involved. Therefore, this essay is targeted towards the British public due to the fact that they were ignorant of the true nature of imperialism and had the ability to advocate against it once they understood the repercussions.

Exploring the Ruin of Man in Rappaccinis Daughter Essay -- Rappaccini

Exploring the Ruin of Man in Rappaccini's Daughter    Who will redeem man from his evil tendencies and his fallen state?   Nathaniel Hawthorne in "Rappaccini's Daughter" delves into the nature of man and reveals that the evil imaginations and machinations of man may eventually lead to his ruin. "Rappaccini's Daughter" is a story set in the mid-nineteenth century in Padua, Italy, a country well known for its romantic stories and history. This period in time was marked by various scientific discoveries, especially in medicine. This boom led to extensive debates on science and religion. There was the argument of whether or not to let things happen naturally or to interfere with the processes of nature. It begins with a student, Giovanni Guasconti, who comes to the University of Padua to "pursue his studies" (Hawthorne 45) but falls in love with Beatrice, the daughter of a very famous botanist Dr. Rappaccini who cultivates a poisonous garden. Despite the fact that Giovanni Guasconti had "but a scanty supply of gold ducats in his pocket, he took lodgings in a high and gloomy chamber... [fit] to have been the palace of a Paduan noble" (Hawthorne 45). This been "the first time he was out of his native sphere,... [Giovanni] was unused to Padua and missed Naples and the cheerful sun shine of Southern Italy" (Hawthorne 46).   Giovanni portrays the generation in search of knowledge. "Beneath his window [was] a garden [consisting] of a variety of plants which seemed to have been cultivated with exceeding care" (Hawthorne 46). Strategically located in the center of the garden was "the ruin of a marble fountain...[whose] water continued to gush and sparkle into the sunbeams as cheerful as ever" (Hawthorne 46) just as "[Beatrice's] sp... ...   "The myth of the Garden: Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'Rappaccini's Daughter'".   Studies in the Literary Imagination II, 1969,   (pp. 3-12) Evans, Oliver   "Allegory and Incest in 'Rappaccini's Daughter'" 19th Century Fiction" Vol. 19, 1964, (pp. 185-195) Genesis   " The Bible" Hawthorne, Nathaniel "The House of Seven Gables" (1851) http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/sg10.html September 1998, (December 1998) Hawthorne, Nathaniel   "The Marble Faun" (1859-60) http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/mf19.html September 1998   (December 1998) Hawthorne, Nathaniel   "Rappaccini's Daughter" "American Short Stories" (1820 to the present). Jones, Madison   "Short Story Criticism" Vol. 3 1989 (pp. 191-193) Kloeckner, Alfred   "The flower and the Fountain: Hawthorne's chief symbols in 'Rappaccini's Daughter'" "American Literature" Vol. 38, 1966-67 (pp323 -331)  

Genie: Social Isolation :: Free Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This was one of the most interesting cases in my opinion, which we have so far learned about. It was amazing to me first of all how a person could go undetected in those conditions for that amount of time. It was also extremely mind boggling how people could treat their own child like that, which really made me wonder the type of morals and views that those parents were brought up with. It made me extremely sad to realize all of the wonders of life that Genie was deprived of. She had been locked in that room for over ten years, which means she was practically nonexistent to the world, and had never experienced things we all take for granted every day. I truly do not know how she survived in that type of torturous confinement for ten years. However, it was encouraging to see the efforts of all the people who truly became wrapped up in Genie’s case, and the hope that she would have a learning capacity. It was amazing to me to know that she was really a fourt een year old girl, yet to hear her speak she sounded like a toddler. I found it interesting to see her progress from knowing no English words, to being fascinated by the labeling with words of all the new objects around her. It seemed to me as if she knew a language existed for everything, but was frustrated because she could not realize her goal and put words to objects quickly enough. I found it interesting to see Genie pick up the patterns of language recognition, but not commonly as it happens in children, however, it seemed as though you were teaching an old dog new tricks. I was disappointed at the ending of the film, because for me there was no good conclusion, or happy fairy tale ending that I expected.

The Role of Religion in Presidential Elections

The Role of Religion in Presidential Elections â€Å"The relationship between faith, reason, and fear sometimes resembles†¦rock, paper, scissors (45). † This is the opening sentence in chapter two of Al Gore’s book, The Assault on Reason. In this chapter Gore talks about how fear takes over reason, reason challenges faith, and eventually faith defeats fear. This is the way that our society worked when he wrote the book, and it has not changed for the better since then, although it has not necessarily gotten substantially worse.Today religion is still a huge player in political debate because people are guided, for the most part, by their morals and it is commonly held that morals come mainly from religious teachings. This is a complex subject because that also opens the door to the idea that atheists, agnostics, etc are not moral people because they are not religious. By that logic, only the religious should be allowed to lead our country because they are the only moral people. Do we believe that all religions are good, though? Are some better than others?Ideally, and under our Constitution, no; all religions are equal in the eyes of our laws. However, there are stigmas attached to certain religions, and to many non-religious people there is a stigma on religion itself. So why, then, does religion play such a large role in political campaigns? It’s simple; because we view religion as having a direct correlation with morals, politicians, political parties, and interest groups can use fear to override our reason in order to sway our opinions. Historically, here in the United States, our citizens have elected white Christian men to the office of the President.To go even further, we have elected Protestant Christians to office. It is apparent that, political parties aside, we have a preference as to what our President should be, religiously. We have only had one Roman Catholic President, John F. Kennedy; during his campaign there were fear s that he would follow the wishes of the Bishop rather than the people. To some degree we still hold these beliefs. If we did not, religion wouldn’t be used as a fear tactic. The colonists who came from England were escaping religious repression, and were the inspiration for our freedom of religion.In modern times, we seem to have lost sight of that. Four years ago, Barack Obama was running for office for the first time. Among many other controversies, i. e. whether he was actually born a U. S. citizen, was the rumor that Obama is a Muslim and not a Christian as he has time and time again identified himself to be. In the United States, where we have the freedom of religion outlined in our Constitution, people were worried that someone of a Muslim background would be able to become the most powerful man in the world.A large part of that fear certainly stems from the attacks on September 11, 2001 but surely there is no legitimate reason to fear Muslims other than the combinatio n of our ignorance of Muslim culture and faith, and the fear that is instilled in us not only by political parties but by non-affiliated extremist groups as well, that say all Muslims are terrorists. Barack Obama went on to win the election, which is not surprising because the public could see right through these shaky scare tactics. However, this has not stopped people from trying to use it in the current election.In a ninety second audio clip taken from a call between a Republican volunteer and a constituent, the volunteer calls Obama a Muslim and says that he wants to take away their Medicare (Dixon, 2012). So even though this tactic has not worked in the past, it doesn’t do much to stop people from trying to spread these rumors again. Between the 2008 election and the upcoming election not much has changed, although in this year’s election the religion card will likely play a larger role in who will win the electorate.Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and while the small ou tcry claiming Obama to be a Muslim was never on firm ground, there is no question of Romney’s religion. This is where we fall back to the days of Kennedy’s campaign. People are worried that Romney will place his religious views before the welfare of our nation. The accusation that people are making is that he is incapable of leading our country because he is a Mormon. Some of the big issues on his plate currently involve women’s rights.As a Mormon, he does not believe in abortion and has made it clear that he would try to pass legislation that sets the beginning of life at conception. While there are certainly non-Mormon people who do not believe in abortion, this is being attributed to his religion. Fifty years ago, or even twenty-five to thirty years ago, this would have been a non-issue. Romney’s beliefs would have been more in line with the more conservative nature of the time period. Needless to say Mitt Romney faces an uphill battle on his quest for the White House.Given all of this information, it would seem very apparent that religion plays a huge role in presidential elections. This is true, but not necessarily in the way that one might think. According to an article in the Huffington Post, most Americans say that it is important for the President to have strong religious beliefs, even if the beliefs differ from their own. This information seems to undermine what the media would have us believe. In addition, constituents tend not to know or be confused about the candidates’ actual religion.Only four in ten citizens could correctly identify Mitt Romney’s religion and forty-six percent of American’s said they did not know (Neroulias, 2011). This goes back to the idea of morals; those who have religion are moral and good, while those who do not cannot be moral and therefore should not lead our country. In the end, politics have not done much to change for the better. We still fear religions that we have no need to fear, and this is largely because fear tactics are used every day by political parties as well as extremists who have the ability to make it into mainstream media.Absolutely anyone can start a rumor that a candidate is Muslim and can’t be trusted, and that could catch like wildfire, or it could be blown off for the most part. It is also exponentially easier to take a candidates religion and a single belief, and then convince the country that he should not be President. Another thing that we see is that citizens place a large emphasis on religion itself, but there is still a large stigma on religions that are not traditional Christian. Until we become collectively more knowledgeable about other religions and debates become more informed, not much could possibly change.References Dixon, M. (2012, September 27). Call from clay county gop:obama is a muslim who'll take away medicare. Retrieved from http://m. jacksonville. com/news/metro/2012-09-27/story/call-clay-county-g op-obama-muslim-wholl-take-away-medicare Gore, A. (2007). The assault on reason. (p. 45). New York, NY: Penguin Group. Neroulias, N. (2011, September 24). How religious identity is influencing the presidential election. Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2011/07/25/presidential-candidates-religious-beliefs_n_908858. html

Juvenile Justice Process and Corrections Essay

The following research will discuss the juvenile process system. Starting with the intake process it will discuss each step of the process and the options the defendant will be given. There are concerns and certain weaknesses the process has where it may give opportunity of unlawful and informal negotiation may be occurring. It will also further discuss the considered factors that will determine the juvenile’s sentence. A recent example of the juvenile process is the case of the victim Michael Brewer, which was set on fire by five other teenagers in 2009 over a 40 dollar video game debt. Three out of the five accused were waived to adult court awaiting a criminal trial. Matthew Bent who initiated the burning of Michael Brewer requested a new trial on the grounds of jury misconduct. On October 2012 Deerfield Beach judge denied the request for insufficient evidence. In this particular case the accused crime were considered severe and were waived to adult court where they are les s concerned in rehabilitation and more concerned in sentencing a proper punishment for their crimes. The victim was ignited using rubbing alcohol and has suffered severe psychological impact from the even. According to Sun-Sentinel (2012) â€Å"He remembered the cool feeling of rubbing alcohol splashing on him. He remembered the burning sensation, the impulse to run and jump into the pool. He remembered wanting to stay in the water and seeing the first results of the horrific attack he’d just endured.† Matthew Bent is suspected to attacking Michael Brewer for several reasons such as, forcing the victim to purchase an item, snitching, and attempting to steal Michael Brewers fathers bicycle. Denver Jarvis an accomplice to the crime pored rubbing alcohol on Michael Brewer. On October 13, 2009 all the suspects were taken in to custody. On November 10, 2009 the major role players of the crime are charged as adults with second degree murder. Bent attorney tried to have the case waivered back to the juvenile system however it was declined. Intake officers screen juvenile cases to determine which should be prosecuted or sent to diversion programs. Intake is a screening that will determine if juvenile should be released, given a future court hearing, diversion programs, prosecution, or waiver to adult criminal court. Intake officers gather and create a social record of the accused and discuss options with the juvenile’s parents or guardian (Champion, 2010). The intake process is informal; while an attorney can be present it is not really necessary since the purpose of the procedure is to determine other attention the child may need other than the juvenile court system. Cases where the juvenile is released to their parents or cases dropped must be approved by the juvenile prosecutor. The release to a juvenile to parents or guardian may encompass terms and conditions that they should follow. This is a formal binding contract in which cases the contract is broken by either the juvenile or the parents the court has the right to continue with other punitive actions. Legal factors must be taken in to consideration prior to make these decisions. It is important to understand that each jurisdiction differ in their intake process. A growing concern during the intake process is that more defense attorneys have been attending this process and conversations that are similar to plea bargains are occurring with the intake officer. The outcome of the sentencing is determined by several different factors such as, seriousness, type of crime, age, and criminal record, evidence for and against the defendant. Many believe there are too many juvenile incarcerations occurring the public mandates to rehabilitate the juveniles, however little enfaces and importance is given to the type of funding the program needs. In conclusion, the juvenile justice system has a very similar process system except for the primary objective. The primary objective is to rehabilitate, whereas criminal courts do not focus on rehabilitating. Diversion programs and waivers are great options to find the ideal punishment for particular crimes. Juveniles have more options as to how to serve their sentence unless they are waivered in to criminal court. References Champion, D. J. (2010). The juvenile justice system: Delinquency, processing, and the law. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. The Burning of Michael Brewer. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/michaelbrewer/