Hart Venture Capital Essay

Case study 1 Better Fitness, Inc. (BFI), manufactures exercise equipment at its plant in Freeport, Long Island. It recently designed two universal weight machines for the home exercise market. Both machines use BFI-patented technology that provides the user with an extremely wide range of motion capability for each type of exercise performed. Until now, such capabilities have been available only on expensive weight machines used primarily by physical therapists. At a recent trade show, demonstrations of the machines resulted in significant dealer interest. In fact, the number of orders that BFI received at the trade show far exceeded its manufacturing capabilities for the current production period. As a result, management decided to begin production of the two machines. The two machines, which BFI named the BodyPlus 100 and the BodyPlus 200, require different amounts of resources to produce. The BodyPlus 100 consists of a frame unit, a press station, and a pec-dec station. Each frame produced uses 4 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time. Each press station requires 2 hours of machining and welding time and 1 hour of painting and finishing time, and each pec-dec station uses 2 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time. In addition, 2 hours are spent assembling, testing, and packaging each BodyPlus 100. The raw material costs are $450 for each frame, $300 for each press station, and $250 for each pec-dec station; packaging costs are estimated to be $50 per unit. The BodyPlus 200 consists of a frame unit, a press station, a pec-dec station, and a legpress station. Each frame produced uses 5 hours of machining and welding time and 4 hours of painting and finishing time. Each press station requires 3 hours machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time, each pec-dec station uses 2 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time, and each legpress station requires 2 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time. In addition, 2 hours are spent assembling, testing, and packaging each Body-Plus 200. The raw material costs are $650 for each frame, $400 for each press station, $250 for each pec-dec station, and $200 for each leg-press station; packaging costs are estimated to be $75 per unit. For the next production period, management estimates that 600 hours of machining and welding time, 450 hours of painting and finishing time, and 140 hours of assembly, testing, and packaging time will be available. Current labor costs are $20 per hour for machining and welding time, $15 per hour for painting and finishing time, and $12 per hour for assembly, testing, and packaging time. The market in which the two machines must compete suggests a retail price of $2400 for the BodyPlus 100 and $3500 for the BodyPlus 200, although some flexibility may be available to BFI because of the unique capabilities of the new machines. Authorized BFI dealers can purchase machines for 70% of the suggested retail price. BFI’s president believes that the unique capabilities of the BodyPlus 200 can help position BFI as one of the leaders in high-end exercise equipment. Consequently, he has stated that the number of units of the BodyPlus 200 produced must be at least 25% of the total production. Managerial Report Analyze the production problem at Better Fitness, Inc. , and prepare a report for BFI’s president presenting your findings and recommendations. Include (but do not limit your discussion to) a consideration of the following items: 1. What is the recommended number of BodyPlus 100 and BodyPlus 200 machines to produce? 2. How does the requirement that the number of units of the BodyPlus 200 produced be at least 25% of the total production affect profits? 3. Where should efforts be expended in order to increase profits?  Include a copy of your linear programming model and graphical solution in an appendix to your report. Case study 2 Hart Venture Capital (HVC) specializes in providing venture capital for software development and Internet applications. Currently HVC has two investment opportunities: (1) Security Systems, a firm that needs additional capital to develop an Internet security software package, and (2) Market Analysis, a market research company that needs additional capital to develop a software package for conducting customer satisfaction surveys. In exchange for Security Systems stock, the firm has asked HVC to provide $600,000 in year 1, $600,000 in year 2, and $250,000 in year 3 over the coming three-year period. In exchange for their stock, Market Analysis has asked HVC to provide $500,000 in year 1, $350,000 in year 2, and $400,000 in year 3 over the same three-year period. HVC believes that both investment opportunities are worth pursuing. However, because of other investments, they are willing to commit at most $800,000 for both projects in the first year, at most $700,000 in the second year, and $500,000 in the third year. HVC’s financial analysis team reviewed both projects and recommended that the company’s objective should be to maximize the net present value of the total investment in Security Systems and Market Analysis. The net present value takes into account the estimated value of the stock at the end of the three-year period as well as the capital outflows that are necessary during each of the three years. Using an 8% rate of return, HVC’s financial analysis team estimates that 100% funding of the Security Systems project has a net present value of $1,800,000, and 100% funding of the Market Analysis project has a net present value of $1,600,000. HVC has the option to fund any percentage of the Security Systems and Market Analysis projects. For example, if HVC decides to fund 40% of the Security Systems project, investments of 0. 40($600,000) _ $240,000 would be required in year 1, 0. 40($600,000) _ $240,000 would be required in year 2, and 0. 40($250,000) _ $100,000 would be required in year 3. In this case, the net present value of the Security Systems project would be 0. 40($1,800,000) _ $720,000. The investment amounts and the net present value for partial funding of the Market Analysis project would be computed in the same manner. Managerial Report Perform an analysis of HVC’s investment problem and prepare a report that presents your findings and recommendations. Include (but do not limit your discussion to) a consideration of the following items: 1. What is the recommended percentage of each project that HVC should fund and the net present value of the total investment? 2. What capital allocation plan for Security Systems and Market Analysis for the coming three-year period and the total HVC investment each year would you recommend? . What effect, if any, would HVC’s willingness to commit an additional $100,000 during the first year have on the recommended percentage of each project that HVC should fund? 4. What would the capital allocation plan look like if an additional $100,000 is made available? 5. What is your recommendation as to whether HVC should commit the additional $100,000 in the first year? Provide model details Case study 3 Digital Imaging (DI) produces photo printers for both the professional and consumer markets. The DI consumer division recently introduced two photo printers that provide color prints rivaling those produced by a professional processing lab. The DI-910 model can produce a 4†³ _ 6†³ borderless print in approximately 37 seconds. The more sophisticated and faster DI-950 can even produce a 13†³ _ 19†³ borderless print. Financial projections show profit contributions of $42 for each DI-910 and $87 for each DI-950. The printers are assembled, tested, and packaged at DI’s plant located in New Bern, North Carolina. This plant is highly automated and uses two manufacturing lines to produce the printers. Line 1 performs the assembly operation with times of 3 minutes per DI-910 printer and 6 minutes per DI-950 printer. Line 2 performs both the testing and packaging operations. Times are 4 minutes per DI-910 printer and 2 minutes per DI-950 printer. The shorter time for the DI-950 printer is a result of its faster print speed. Both manufacturing lines are in operation one 8-hour shift per day. Managerial Report Perform an analysis for Digital Imaging in order to determine how many units of each printer to produce. Prepare a report to DI’s president presenting your findings and recommendations. Include (but do not limit your discussion to) a consideration of the following: 1. The recommended number of units of each printer to produce to maximize the total contribution to profit for an 8-hour shift. What reasons might management have for not implementing your recommendation? 2. Suppose that management also states that the number of DI-910 printers produced must be at least as great as the number of DI-950 units produced. Assuming that the objective is to maximize the total contribution to profit for an 8-hour shift, how many units of each printer should be produced? 3.  Does the solution you developed in part (2) balance the total time spent on line 1 and the total time spent on line 2? Why might this balance or lack of it be a concern to management? 4. Management requested an expansion of the model in part (2) that would provide a better balance between the total time on line 1 and the total time on line 2. Management wants to limit the difference between the total time on line 1 and the total time on line 2 to 30 minutes or less. If the objective is still to maximize the total contribution to profit, how many units of each printer should be produced? What effect does this workload balancing have on total profit in part (2)? 5. Suppose that in part (1) management specified the objective of maximizing the total number of printers produced each shift rather than total profit contribution. With this objective, how many units of each printer should be produced per shift? What effect does this objective have on total profit and workload balancing? For each solution that you develop, include a copy of your linear programming model and graphical solution in the appendix to your report.

Teacher Centered And Learner Centered

Student-CenteredStudent-centered learning is viewed as a progressive approach to teaching. The focus in student-centered learning is to make students more aware of the material they are learning and why it is important. Teachers want to make students more active in the classroom, by encouraging them to interact with one another. The teacher measures achievement based on individual student performance, instead of comparing each person to their peers. Teachers practicing student-centered learning techniques encourage students to create their own learning goals. Instead of writing objectives on the syllabus that states the material that will be covered during the course, these teachers write objectives displaying the knowledge the student will gain after completing the course. Teachers encourage students to learn through activities such as classroom debates, discussions, peer mentoring, field trips, creating individual portfolios and participating in both self and peer reviews. By incor porating these activities into the lesson, teachers want students to learn skills that can be transferred to other activities in their students’ lives.Teacher-CenteredTeacher-centered learning is the traditional approach used by educators in the classroom. This method of teaching is very regimented. Teachers choose the course material based on the curriculum they are required to cover by the end of the semester. Student success is based upon a measure of individual performance in comparison to the work of the rest of the class. Emphasis is placed on the instructor in a teacher-centered classroom. The lecture follows a strict format where the teacher talks and the students listen to what she has to say. The classroom is very quiet, as students work on assignments individually, instead of with their peers. Classroom objectives are measured upon the amount of material covered, not necessarily the level of learning achieved by each student. Students are all given the same learnin g goals, which are based on the information covered in class. Teacher Centered And Learner Centered Student-CenteredStudent-centered learning is viewed as a progressive approach to teaching. The focus in student-centered learning is to make students more aware of the material they are learning and why it is important. Teachers want to make students more active in the classroom, by encouraging them to interact with one another. The teacher measures achievement based on individual student performance, instead of comparing each person to their peers.Teachers practicing student-centered learning techniques encourage students to create their own learning goals. Instead of writing objectives on the syllabus that states the material that will be covered during the course, these teachers write objectives displaying the knowledge the student will gain after completing the course. Teachers encourage students to learn through activities such as classroom debates, discussions, peer mentoring, field trips, creating individual portfolios and participating in both self and peer reviews. By incorp orating these activities into the lesson, teachers want students to learn skills that can be transferred to other activities in their students’ lives.Teacher-CenteredTeacher-centered learning is the traditional approach used by educators in the classroom. This method of teaching is very regimented. Teachers choose the course material based on the curriculum they are required to cover by the end of the semester. Student success is based upon a measure of individual performance in comparison to the work of the rest of the class. Emphasis is placed on the instructor in a teacher-centered classroom.The lecture follows a strict format where the teacher talks and the students listen to what she has to say. The classroom is very quiet, as students work on assignments individually, instead of with their peers. Classroom objectives are measured upon the amount of material covered, not necessarily the level of learning achieved by each student. Students are all given the same learning goals, which are based on the information covered in class.

Advantages of Volunteering at American Institute for Medical and Biolo Essay

Advantages of Volunteering at American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The paper "Advantages of Volunteering at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering" is a good example of an essay on social science. AIMBE has over 50,000 members who are in the medical and biological engineering. Volunteering at the organization will provide a platform to interact with other people in the same field. These interactions with different people at different stages of the biomedical engineering field will help grow my career by exposing me to different opportunities. I will also benefit from inspirations that come about from interacting with high achievers. Also, interacting with professionals and getting advice from them will also help in building my career and turn it into a great professionalism. Forging close friendships will also come in handy when looking for recommendations and introductions when it comes to work and career building. I will also get mentors who are experienced in the field to guide me and help me expound on my area of expertise . AIMBE sponsors a wide array of institutions including academic institutions, private industries, and other professional engineering societies (Johnson 2). By volunteering for the organization, I will get exposure to these organizations, Career-wise, this will help my development by opening a number of areas that I can major in and end up working there. The exposure will also provide an atmosphere of what is expected in professional development. Knowing what is expected from you and observing other professionals at work afford an advantage over many people in the job sector. The organization is also actively involved in researching new areas where the engineers can indulge. This expands to the fields where I can specialize in helping people and generally making the world a healthier place (Johnson 1).

Professional solutions to the impact that the increasing concern of Research Paper - 1

Professional solutions to the impact that the increasing concern of how alcohol consumption affects the rate of interpersonal violence has had on biologists in Finland - Research Paper Example Understanding genes causing alcoholism is vital in finding lasting solutions to the problem of alcoholism, and scientists in Finland have been concentrating in gene therapies to identify these genes related to alcoholism. Individuals addicted to alcohol consumption have numerous gene constitutions that interact with environmental factors to influence them into drinking and result into the drinking problem. Gene therapy have helped in understanding gene vulnerability in which is significant in finding curative measures in helping those individuals who are heavy consumers of alcohol. In addition, scientist have discovered and are still discovering various drugs that have the ability to suppress the alcohol genes in individuals and an example is that aldehyde dehydrogesnase has been discovered to help in neutralizing the GABA gene which has been discovered to lead to addiction of alcohol in individuals. Scientists are also advocating for educational programs to help in solving the high rate of interpersonal violence caused by excessive alcohol consumption amongst individuals. Loneliness has been studied to be a key problem in encouraging people to drink alcohol. This is because they find it hard to control their habits therefore resort to drinking to achieve a false confidence in communicating and interacting with individuals. Low self esteem and instant gratification are factor which lead to alcohol consumption and interpersonal violence amongst individuals. Therefore, scientist are emphasizing on the need to sleep to help in solving the problem of loneliness and prevent consumption of alcohol in individuals who drink because they are lonely or need instant gratification from various issues affecting their lives (The Portman Group ). Examples of these programs include off-time pubertal training which is used to predict physiological

Answer Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Answer Questions - Coursework Example It will also position the firm in the market place to capitalize on attractive growth opportunities (Cornett). The firms strategy has to change to fit the firms current position. Strategies have to change to meet the changing economic conditions in the industry. It will enable the firm to determine better ways of ensuring customer satisfaction. In addition, the changing strategies enable the firm to capitalize on attractive growth opportunities. In addition, strategies have to change to enable the firm to achieve its performance targets. The Board should have courage to take actions of the management if they are of the opinion that it is inappropriate. In addition, the Board of Directors ensures to shareholders that the CEO is performing as expected by the board (Cornett). They all explain all about a company or individual preferences in terms of what they want their potential clients to know by letting them understand some of the policies to be followed while in the business. Companies need financial objectives to present financial performance of the management‘s goals. In addition, financial objectives are lagging pointers that portray the outcome of organizational activities and past decisions. However, strategic objectives precede financial objectives since it focuses on the firm’s past, current and future performance when a financial objective looks only upon past and current performance of the company. The balanced scorecard is a method of putting together into use both financial and strategic objectives, tracing their goals and ensuring that the management obtains a fully and stable view of how well the company is doing. Companies have a cooperate strategy which involves the blueprint of managing the business. Strengthening one’s market position comes as the business strategy. In addition, functional are strategies delivers on the implementation plan to achieve set goals; it provides the game plan. In pinning down a

Managing business ethics in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managing business ethics in China - Essay Example In the modern day business world, a manager needs to ensure adherence to business ethics in a firm’s quest for profiteering motives. However, recent developments have resulted in varied definitions of ethics, and each person has to use own judgement to differentiate between ethical and unethical practise. Moreover, the capacity of a business to adhere to ethical expectations is dependent on political, social, economic, and environmental factors of a market. This means that a firm should balance its business practice with environmental and social responsibility, and in adherence to the ethical guidelines stipulated by the government in the country of operation. In essence, the highest level of ethical practice involves business practices that aim to ensure economic, environmental and social sustainability. The Chinese economy is characterized with widespread criticism on high levels of unethical practices; including corruption that is touted to be the most detrimental factor of the economy. However, recent changes have seen a change in focus to adherence to ethical guidelines by managers, most of whom are learning how to incorporate the system into their businesses without seeming to suffer from the alienation by western values. The Chinese investors insist on charting their own path to ethical practice despite the assimilation of various western characteristics into its economic system. On august 26, 2010, Landau reported on BBC about a businessperson who tried to incorporate Christianity as a tool to entrench ethical practice among his employees, mainly by encouraging his employees to convert to the Christian faith. While this practice is not illegal, it brings up the question of how far managers can go to ensure ethical practises in their firms (Landau, 2010). Factors Influencing Et hical Practice in China Many factors have been blamed for the widespread unethical practices in China, but the most outstanding ones are philosophical beliefs, globalisation and the rapid changes that the Chinese economy undergoes. Philosophical Beliefs The main philosophical approaches taken by the Chinese are Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, all of which are based on the teachings of prominent thinkers who resided in the Far East. Confucius, the father of Confucianism, taught that the first obligation of every person is to the family, such that everyone is expected to take care of the needs of family members and close friends before extending favours to others. While this is a convenient way of living in day-to-day life, the philosophy may be destructive in the business world, as managers tend to hire their family members regardless of their qualifications. This has resulted in poor quality of Chinese products; erosion of work ethics since a favour leads to another, and the cycl e goes on despite detrimental effects to the economy. However, this does not mean that Confucianism only has negative effects on ethics; in fact, if applied correctly, the philosophy has three main aspects that promote ethical practise. These include the teachings on obedience, following laid down guidelines, and humanity (Suen, Cheung and Mondejar, 2007). Taoism incorporates the principles of learning the details of one's profession for improved workmanship, and promotion of maximum good for the greatest number of people. In addition, Taoism results in increased efficiency at the workplace though this is not the prime concern of the philosophy. Buddhism is the philosophy that encourages business personality to respect and preserve the business environment; and to create a healthy relationship between the business and the community around it. Any manager intending to do ethical business in China has to have an understanding of the perceptions of

Critical Review of the Research of Assistive Technology Essay

Critical Review of the Research of Assistive Technology - Essay Example However, research proves that teachers, as well as school administrations, have not fully addressed this matter. The instruction problem that this paper will address is mathematics, and how students with disabilities relate to it. Even though in the dark, teaching math to disabled students is undergoing radical change. Fresh developments comprise of mechanisms to classify children who have trouble with math in their early grades and ways of helping these students solve mathematical problems (Becks, 2010). Moving from computational math to a conceptual framework, these mechanisms ensure that disabled students are ready to tackle complex subjects such as algebra and geometry. Even though, not all students with disabilities have mastered every computational element of mathematics, these mechanisms have assisted many in developing their mathematical skills. In fact, teachers, in the future, particularly special education teachers, might need to reorganize their entire approach to teaching math (Gillam, 2011). Teachers, in the future, should place more emphasis on understanding the essential principles of math than just teaching, as well as making the subject open and significant to disabled students. Some of the key developments, mathematical-wise, are the screening for mathematics and teaching transference with "hot math" (Council for Exceptional Children, 2011). Word problems are an abomination to a lot of students, with and without disabilities. However, when students with disabilities run into these demons, they experience more challenges than normal students. They have trouble reading the problem, or they might just take the numbers and add them up, ignoring what is to be solved (Schlosser, 2008). Researchers have come up with a technique of screening for mathematics in these students as a way of noting which student can do well in mathematics. Screening students for mathematics

Infrared spectroscopy structural determination Lab Report

Infrared spectroscopy structural determination - Lab Report Example These regions are named relative to their position on the spectrometer. From the graph, the boiling point is 151Â °C which makes the unknown organic compound to be isopropyl benzene. This works on the basis that molecules tend to take in specific frequencies that can be related to their structure. The type of bond vibrating is directly proportional to the absorption rate. The amount of energy can also be determined by the shape of the molecular potential energy surfaces, the atomic masses and the vibrancy coupling. When laboratory findings are being investigated, gaseous sample are usually taken through various processes in order to be ready for tests. Gaseous materials need samples with a long path length. The long path length is necessary for the diluteness. The path length is then reflected on the graph creating the motions (Soderberg 86). The path length determines the can be used to determine the concentration of the compound under investigation. This technique is widely used both in organic and inorganic chemistry and has proven lots of help to s cientists. The technique has been applied also while checking the level or concentration of gases in green

Early Intervention Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Early Intervention - Assignment Example Due to the increasing number of children who have development delays or problems, various strategies have been developed in order to address such problems. One of these strategies is known as early intervention. Early intervention has become one of the most popular and widely used strategies when a child faces developmental difficulties. Such strategy is hinged on the assumption that the earlier developmental problems are detected, the more it is possible to overcome. Early intervention applies to children of school age or younger who are discovered to have or be at risk of developing a handicapping condition or other special need that may affect their development. Moreover, it depends on in the provision of services that the children and their respective families need. These services are most often aimed at reducing the effects of the child's developmental condition. Early intervention may be taken from two contexts. It can be used either for remedial purposes or for preventive uses. Early intervention as a remedial strategy is aimed at lessening the effects of the child's condition on himself and his family while early intervention as a preventive strategy focuses on thwarting the occurrence. There are various types of early intervention programs. ... Early intervention programs may begin at different ages, but usually, it is best to begin as early as possible. Two examples of intervention strategies are play therapy and counseling. Each of these are used for a variety of purposes and aimed at achieving different goals. According to the British Association of Play Therapists, play therapy is defined as, "...the dynamic process between child and Play Therapist in which the child explores at his or her own pace and with his or her own agenda those issues, past and current, conscious and unconscious, that are affecting the child's life in the present. The child's inner resources are enabled by the therapeutic alliance to bring about growth and change. Play Therapy is child-centred, in which play is the primary medium and speech is the secondary medium." On the other hand, counseling is a commonly used term in psychology. Basically, counseling is aimed at helping the family deal with the problems that the child may be encountering. Since the problems of a child may be rooted to certain family issues, counseling will help the family resolve whatever issues that may cause the child problems. Why use Early Intervention According to United States Department of Education, there are three primary reasons why early intervention is utilized. There are three primary reasons for intervening early with an exceptional child: to enhance the child's development, to provide support and assistance to the family, and to maximize the child's and family's benefit to society. A study of human growth and development will show that it is during the preschool years that a child develops the fastest. It is during this stage that the child learns the most. If the most teachable moments or stages of greatest

Health Care Conditions Essay Example for Free

Health Care Conditions Essay As we analyze the factors contributing to health care costs we must find a solution that provides high-quality care for an aging population. Improvements to modern medicine are prolonging life causing a schism between a health care system oriented towards acute care and the increasing chronic care needs of older adults. Studies do show that health care costs for older Americans account for one third of all national health care expenditures. This being said the average expenditure for health care services for adults 65 and over is nearly four times the cost of those under 65. More significant changes need to be considered given the financial crisis our health care system faces. Health care costs are not solely due to longevity; consider increased utilization, new medical technologies, general inflation, fraud, and waste and abuse. This paper will discuss one article to be used in my final presentation on health care for anaging population. Data collection procedures The study on chronic health conditions used a questionnaire presented to study participants by in-person and telephone interview using computer-assisted software. They also used the Statistics Canada Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) for age prevalence patterns and to show how chronic condition prevalence varies by age group. The use of the CCHS survey for historical data and comparisons is very appropriate for this study. The use of a questionnaire, while not ideal, is appropriate for the large number of participants. The survey sampled approximately 130,000 people aged 12 years or older. In-person interviews are the most reliable, but the downside to using telephone interviews using computer-assisted software is that participants may go through the questionnaire quickly or skip questions if they are unsure. Identity protection for research subjects Confidentiality is the protection of information that an individual has trusted you with and disclosed to you for a particular reason. Informed consent is a process in which the researcher explains to the participant what steps are taken to keep their information confidential and what would happen if there were a data breach. The participant then has the information needed to determine if this is adequate and whether or not to continue with the project. The article does not discuss the steps taken to  protect the identity of participants. There is no mention of patient record abstraction, personal information collected or informed consent. Reading the article, it is an assumption that the only information collected was the age and number and type of chronic conditions for each participant. Study reliability and validity The reliability of this study, that is, the consistency and repeatability of the measure is high. A question related to the number and type of chronic conditions experienced by each participant is reliable and is measuring one topic. The questionnaire meets face validity – it is a common-sense assessment and the question measures exactly what they want to study. Data analysis procedures To answer the research questions, the researchers used data from the CCHS survey to develop a baseline of the number of chronic conditions within certain age groups. That data was then projected for 25 years based on the target population which was derived from a model of the economic demographic system (MEDS) projection. The hypothesis, â€Å"The expectation is that, as the large baby boom cohort moves into older age categories, the overall proportion of the population with chronic conditions will increase† (Denton Spencer, 2010), is best answered by projecting the number of people in each age group based on historical data and factoring in immigration, emigration, mortality, and fertility rates. I believe this study is quantitative. It involves randomly selected participants, uses face-to-face and phone questionnaires, the data analysis is statistical and is presented in tables and graphs, and is used to recommend a final course of action. The study design is descriptive, also called observational. Validity is important in descriptive studies; the lower the validity, the more study participants you will need. â€Å"For an accurate estimate of the relationship between variables, a descriptive study usually needs a sample of hundreds or even thousands of subjects.† (Hopkins, 2000) Conclusion In conclusion, the study shows that more than two-thirds of the population over the age of 12 has a chronic condition and 90% of them are over the age of 65. The researchers believe that as the participants move into higher  age groups the prevalence of chronic conditions will increase, which this study proves. The prevalence rate in 2005 is 68.7% and the prevalence rate in 2030 is 71.9% which is an increase of 3.2%. But how does this affect health care utilization and cost? With a modest reduction in the prevalence of chronic conditions, one-third of the projected increase in health care spending could be cut by 2030. In this study, a modest reduction is described as reducing the number of chronic conditions by one. Those with three chronic conditions would be reduced to two, two would be reduced to one, and one would be reduced to none. The strengths of this study are the high reliability and validity of the data recorded from the questionnaires. The data analysis and projections based on the target population, adjusted for emigration, immigration, mortality, and fertility was the best option for this type of study. The weaknesses of the study were the inability to abstract data on chronic conditions from the medical records of the participants, and the exclusion of participants in institutions which resulted in an under-estimation of chronic conditions in older populations. Another weakness noted by the researchers was that there was no record of the severity of the condition. This does not allow for accurate accounts of those cured of the chronic condition during the study period. References Denton, F.T., Spencer, B.G. (2010). Chronic health conditions: Changing prevalence in an aging population and some implications for the delivery of health care services. Canadian Journal on Aging, 29(1), 11-21. Doi:http://dx/doi.org/10.1017/SO714980809990390 Hopkins, W.G. (2000). Quantitative Research Design. SportsScience, 4(1), retrieved online May 26, 2014 from http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0001/wghdesign.html

Personal Development: Strategic Manager

Personal Development: Strategic Manager Introduction The concept of personal development covers a wider field than self-development or self-help. Personal development also includes developing others. This may be a function within the role of teacher or mentor, a personal competency (such as a managers ability to develop the potential of employees), or as a professional service (such as providing training, assessment or coaching). Strategic development in many organizations is viewed as a process for determining where an organization is going over the next year or more -typically 3 to 5 years, although some extend their vision to 20 years. In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determine where it wants to go and how it will get there. The resulting document is called the strategic plan. It is also true that strategic planning may be a tool for effectively plotting the direction of a company; however, strategic planning itself cannot foretell exactly how the market will evolve and what issues will surface in the coming days in order to plan your organizational strategy. Therefore, strategic innovation and tinkering with the strategic plan have to be a cornerstone strategy for an organization to survive the turbulent business climate. This assignment covers the personal development plan as a manager in TESCO organization. The study focuses on the personal development as a strategic manager. Here several issues such as identification of personal skills, ability to manage personal leadership development, evaluation of effectiveness of leadership development program and the ability to develop healthy and safe environment are studied. 1. Identification of Personal Skills Personal development plays an important role in propelling the company towards its strategic direction. This development is not only required during the implementation stage but also in the formulation stage. Strategic direction of the organisation Strategic direction is an organizations process of defining its strategy, or planning, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ) and PEST analysis(Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis) or STEER analysis (Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors) and EPISTEL (Environment, Political, Informatics, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal) Strategic planning is the formal consideration of an organizations future course. All strategic planning deals with at least one of three key questions; What do we do? For whom do we do it? How do we excel? In many organizations, this is viewed as a process for determining where an organization is going over the next year or more -typically 3 to 5 years, although some extend their vision to 20 years. In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determine where it wants to go and how it will get there. The resulting document is called the strategic plan. It is also true that strategic planning may be a tool for effectively plotting the direction of a company; however, strategic planning itself cannot foretell exactly how the market will evolve and what issues will surface in the coming days in order to plan your organizational strategy. Therefore, strategic innovation and tinkering with the strategic plan have to be a cornerstone strategy for an organization to survive the turbulent business climate. Organizations sometimes set the direction by summarizing goals and objectives into a mission statement and/or a vision statement: A Mission statement tells you the fundamental purpose of the organization. It concentrates on the present. It defines the customer and the critical processes. It informs you of the desired level of performance. A Vision statement outlines what the organization wants to be. It concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration. It provides clear decision-making criteria. Strategic skills required of the leader to achieve the strategic ambitions The leaders possessed certain degree of management skills inculcated during their years of experience in business. But leadership is beyond just management skills. The leaders prepare organizations for change and help them cope as they struggle through it. While management is about coping with complexity, leadership is coping with change While Managing comprises planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, controlling and problem solving, Leadership comprises setting a direction, developing a vision of the future and aligning motivating and inspiring people (Kotter. 2001) Strategic skill is the ability to make excellent strategic decisions, and implement them effectively is one of the most significant leadership skills. Here are five strategic skills we can use to stretch and strengthen our organisation. The following diagram defines the strategic skills required of the leader to achieve the strategic ambitions; 1. Use scenario planning First, identify the variables that create the highest risks and opportunities for your company. Then imagine the extremes positive and negative that could happen for each of these critical variables. Next, push your imagination further. Envision much more positive and much more negative circumstances than originally came to mind for each critical variable. Now, having stretched your sense of what might happen by envisioning extreme alternatives, choose a few scenarios that you think are most likely to happen. Then, choose the most likely scenario. You may find it valuable to gather data to help you hone and verify your instincts about your choice. Finally, consider what actions you would take for the scenario you think is most likely. Also consider actions youd need to take if some of the other also-likely scenarios happened, rather than the one on which youre placing your bets. 2. Design for the solution after this one The strategy you choose now, and the actions you take, as a result, will affect the future. That could prevent or solve future problems, and it could also create other problems. To minimize the negative impacts of the strategy you choose, imagine when your company may need to choose its next strategic direction, whether in 5, 10 or more years. Envision your strategic choices now fitting into the choices that must be made then. See if that perspective changes the strategic choices you planned to make now. 3. Learn and practice games of strategy This idea doesnt need a lot of elaboration. Learn and practice leads to experience of the managers. This alternatively helps in improving the personal skills of manager. 4. Learn from the masters Choose a few people who are or were legendary for their strategic abilities, whether in your field or another one. Read about them, watch documentaries and learn from other resources about their work, thought process and achievements. What did they do that enabled them to be so successful and strategic in the way they worked? Find ways to apply what you learned to your own work and strategic challenges. 5. Create the time and space so you can think strategically A big part of strategic success is carving out the time and space so your strategic skills can be tapped. You must get away from the day-to-day to be able to fully see the big picture, to anticipate issues well before they become problems, and to recognize great opportunities and how you can make the most of them. Create the time and space regularly so that strategy and strategic skills can emerge, be implemented, and improve, as needed, as you move ahead. Relationship between existing, required and future skills to achieve the strategic ambitions The owners had the operational skills to certain extent. But the required skills were more of leadership. If the vision is set, the skills required for meeting the vision are the future skills to achieve strategic ambitions. While management is about coping with complexity, leadership is coping with change. The important skill in leadership is setting the direction through the inductive process of gathering broad range of data and looking for patterns, relationships and linkages. This direction setting will result in vision and strategies. The leaders should ensure alignment of the team with vision through communication. Alignment will lead to empowerment and goal congruence. Good leaders should coach, provide feedback and role models. They should recognize and reward success. Leadership hinges on strong networks of informal relationships. They should create a culture of leadership by recruitment of people with potential and managing their career patterns (Kotter, 2001). According to Daniel Goleman emotional intelligence would be the most important ingredient for a leader. When the he calculated the ratio of technical skills, IQ and emotional intelligence as ingredients of excellent performance, emotional intelligence proved to be twice as important as the others for jobs at all levels. This had direct link to performance. His research further showed that emotional intelligence played an increasingly important role at the highest levels of the company. There was also a close link between companys success and the emotional intelligence of its leaders. Therefore, the company in order to prosper in future should focus on developing emotional intelligence amongst top echelons in the company. Personal leadership development to support achievement of strategic ambitions The organizations are supplied with opportunities to support leadership development. The opportunities can be categorized into hardships, challenging assignments, learning from others and other events. Leadership lessons are obtained most during hardships and challenging assignments. Leadership development refers to any activity that enhances the quality of leadership within an individual or organization. Anybody can become a member of management if they know the right people and say the right things at the right time. But not everybody can be a leader. A manager or boss is somebody with a certain organizational title that heads or oversees a select group of employees. A leader, on the other hand, is somebody with that same title who commands and receives respect from the employees he or she oversees. What is that difference and how can you make that transition from manager to leader? The opportunities to support leadership development There are many different sources of information and advice to help the managers to improve the leadership and management skills in the organization of TESCO. The most appropriate will depend on the managers individual needs. Following opportunities and supports are available to managers for the personal development plan. These are; Train to Gain: Leadership and Management Advisory Service This innovative Leadership and Management programme will help to equip the managers with the skills to become a more effective leader. A leadership and management broker will help managers to diagnose their skills needs and those of their management team and put together individual development plans. They will offer bespoke guidance on how to consolidate existing skills and improve in areas that will fast track personal development and ultimately boost the performance and competitiveness of their business. LEAD LEAD is a 10 month leadership programme designed specifically for owner-managers of businesses with less than 20 employees. It has a proven track record in delivering business growth for its delegates 90% of businesses that have attended LEAD over the last 4 years have reported a significant increase in sales turnover as a result of attending the programme. The programme works by taking a very practical approach to both the development of the business and to the personal development of the owner-manager. LEAD tackles practical issues that owner-managers are facing in running their business rather than focusing on theoretical concepts and as a result has a direct impact on the growth of delegates businesses. High Growth Coaching Programme The High Growth programme is a three year business coaching initiative aimed at high growth businesses and entrepreneurs. It will support budding entrepreneurs with ideas that can achieve a turnover of  £500,000 within three years, and established small and medium sized enterprises with ambition and capacity to expand by at least 20 per cent a year. The Mentoring Programme Mentoring for Northwest Businesses offers business owners, leaders and managers the chance to develop and fully realise their potential through a long term mentoring relationship. Networking This is another important type of skill development for business owners and directors. A wide variety of business networks exists including those for new businesses, young owners and women owners. These allow employees to learn from people running similar businesses and facing similar obstacles. Professional bodies All the following professional bodies offer leadership and management development courses and opportunities: Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is the only chartered professional body that is dedicated to management and leadership. It is committed to raising the performance of businesses of all sizes by championing management. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the professional body for those involved in the management and development of people. Construction of personal development plan to direct leadership development The Personal Development Plan would focus on two facets of leadership development. The first is the managerial aspect and the other is the leadership aspect. Though the traditional management model includes leadership under management, many management gurus have propounded theories which focus on leadership. The area of managing comprises Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. These activities will enable the person to manage complexities. The most important aspect is that of leadership, which would demand tremendous amount of emotional intelligence. The managing encompasses the appreciation of process, seeks stability and control and instinctively tries to resolve problems far too quickly. Leadership, in contrast emphasizes on tolerance to chaos and lack of structure and willingness to delay closure in order to understand the issues more fully. Leadership inevitably requires using power to influence the thoughts and actions of other people. In terms of personality, manager i s a problem solver with emphasis on rationality and control. Leadership is a practical effort to direct affairs and to fulfill his or her task. In terms of attitude towards goals, Managers tend to adopt impersonal, if not passive, attitudes. In sharp contrast, the leaders are proactive in shaping the ideas instead of responding to them. They adopt a personal and active attitude towards goals. Implementation process for the development plan The implementation process would have a mechanism. This mechanism will not only lay down the program but also will ensure the employee to go through it. In the first phase, the candidate will go through the concepts of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. The development plan in the area of planning would cover the process of identifying and selecting appropriate organizational goals and courses of action. The development in the area of organizing would cover creation of a structure of working relationships that allow organizational members to interact and cooperate to achieve organizational goals. Leading would involve articulating a clear organizational vision for its members to accomplish, and energize and enable employees so that everyone understands the part they play in achieving organizational goals. Controlling is the task of managers is to evaluate how well an organization has achieved its goals and to take any corrective actions needed to maintain or improve performance. The outcome of the control process is the ability to measure performance accurately and regulate organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The development plan would then focus on enhancing the emotional intelligence of the candidate. The components of emotional intelligence are; Self Awareness, Self Regulation, Motivation, Empathy and Social Skill. While all other skills are not normally appreciated, social skills gets recognition as a key skill for a leader. Emotional skills can be learnt through well structured training. The effectiveness of the leadership development plan Assessment of the achievement of outcomes of the plan against original objectives The original objectives were to develop the skill to plan, organize, lead and control. Further it was to enhance each component of the emotional intelligence. The outcomes were quantified in terms of the number of people exposed to the training period. These development programs would result in tangible improvement in performance parameters with a lag. Therefore outcomes were categorized into two categories; the outcomes and performance drivers. The performance drivers would result in outcomes. Assessment of only the outcomes will not help in ensuring the implementation. Since outcomes have already happened, there is no way to alter them. On the other hand monitoring of performance drivers would give valuable insights that would help in formulating mid-course corrections. Every year the number of man-hours of development in terms of each of the areas of development, which are Planning, Organizing, Leading and controlling is targeted. Similarly the number of people trained in emotional intelligence in areas of Self Awareness, Self Regulation, Motivation, Empathy and Social Skill is recorded. Tests were conducted periodically to assess the progress. A 360 degree assessment by people from different functional areas is done continually and plotted to see the growth. Statistical methods are used to assess the spread and standard deviation among the candidates. The development program would be thought to be extended, if the candidate does not show improvement. The impact of the achievement of objectives on strategic ambitions The strategic ambitions are framed in the form of a vision statement. The statement of vision was The Company will be a global conglomerate with dominance in the chosen field of endeavor. In this context, the objectives of the company were: To be a market leader in each business pursued To be an ideal employer with attrition below 10% To be profitable company with margin on sales exceeding 15% To conform to ethical practices of business To ensure maximum return to shareholders with return on equity exceeding 15% To ensure the growth of business of over 20% per annum To ensure succession plan for every leadership position in the company To be proactive on environmental issues. The development of managerial skills and leadership skills are crucial for the fulfillment of objectives. Unless leaders were developed in each functional area, it would be impossible to achieve the objectives. By focusing on the implementation of objectives through proper strategies and also monitoring through a suitable mechanism, we can move fast towards the vision of the stakeholders. Review and update leadership development plan Research on the most admired companies reports that top organizations take aggressive, innovative approaches to improve leadership at all levels by focusing on the following: Disciplined leadership assessments and selection Intensive leadership development programs that address individual needs and the organizations strategic goals Values that emphasize the importance of people as well as financial results Leadership models that include such attributes as self confidence and self control, achievement orientation, empathy, and teamwork components of emotional intelligence The career paths and leadership is shown in the following diagram. The leadership development plan would be reviewed at every stage in the career path culminating in leadership. Periodic reviews take place every quarter. While technical competencies are inculcated till the middle management levels, the training in styles of leadership is provided as inputs after the middle managerial levels. The reviews would focus on the extent of technical competencies absorbed by the employee up to a certain stage. Later the emotional quotient of the individual is assessed to make sure whether the person is ready to don the leadership role. The emotional quotient is measured to see the improvement over a quarter. If no improvement is found, the curriculum of training is modified to make it more effective. Here the assessment of the candidate by people from different functional areas at various levels is considered to arrive at a measure of leadership capability. Promoting Healthy and Safe environment that supports a culture of quality Impact of Corporate and Individual health and safety responsibilities on the organization Corporate and Individual health and Safety is one of the most important ingredients of an organization. This is not an event but a process. It is being inculcated that safety is not just the corporate responsibility, but the responsibility of everyone in the organization. The promotion of this aspect demands substantial cooperation between employers and employees in initiating, developing and carrying out measures to enhance the health and safety of employees at work. All these form a part of the Corporate and Individual health and safety policy in the company. In order to ensure an accident free environment in the company, a mechanism needs to be instituted. This mechanism should monitor the safety practices within the company. The parameters that would be monitored are; number of accidents, absences due to injury and insurance premium. The routines would be developed to control hazards which would be in consonance with regulations and standards. An objective should be the promotion of co-operation between employers and employees in initiating, developing and carrying out measures to ensure the health and safety at work of employees. The accidents could be due to unsafe acts, omissions or unsafe conditions. The company should monitor with data on accidents, diseases, near misses and the trends. Analysis of this data would enable risk assessment and also redesign or reengineering of processes to make them safer Ways to promote healthy and safe environment in the work place At the outset, it is necessary to draw the attention of the employees to the importance of health and safety to the individual and the organization. Suitable posters and regular mails are necessary to keep alive the spirit of health and safety in the organization. There is a need to have a manual on safe and healthy practices integrated into System of operations. It is necessary to convene regular meetings to impress upon the employees and also to monitor the success of action plans to promote safety and health. A proper organizational setup for safety and health depending upon the size of the organization is a must. It must be headed by a safety officer. He may or may not have an elaborate setup. The top managements commitment should be communicated strongly with the CEO occasionally attending the safety meetings. The existing employees should be constantly reminded about the importance of health and safety. The new entrants to the company should be imparted training in safety and h ealth as a part of the induction program. Estimation of organization culture of quality on the achievement of strategic ambitions: There are four types of cultural orientations which represent different values about motivation, leadership and strategic orientation in organizations. But normally an organization reflects a combination of the four cultural orientations. These four cultural orientations do not exclude each other and the relative emphasis placed by the organization on the orientations varies. The group culture focuses on flexibility and internal integration. Organizations Emphasizing a group culture tend to value belongingness, trust and participation. The strategies used in these organizations concentrate on the development of human relations and member commitment. The leaders encourage teamwork, empowerment and concerns for employee ideas. The developmental culture emphasizes flexibility and external orientation. Organizations with emphasis on this cultural orientation tend to focus on growth, resource acquisition, creativity, and adaptation to the external environment. The strategies used to manage business include innovation, resource acquisition, and the development of new market. Leadership styles in such organizations are entrepreneur and innovator-type. The rational culture is focused on the external environment and control. Organizations with emphasis on a rational culture encourage competition and the successful achievement of well-defined goals. The strategies are oriented toward efficient planning and control of production to achieve competitive advantages and high productivity. The leaders tend to be directive, goal-oriented, and functional. The hierarchical culture emphasizes stability and internal integration. It stresses centralization and regulations. The strategies emphasize clear rules, close control, and routinization. The leaders are conservative and cautious. (Xingxing Zu et al, 2006) But in the company under study, the prevalent culture was hierarchical. In various studies by different researchers, it was found that group culture and development culture, two cultural orientations which emphasize flexibility and people in their underlying values, are commonly believed to be the ideal cultural orientations for implementing quality management programs. Conclusion Every organization has a vision or picture of what it desires for its future, whether foggy or crystal clear. The current mission of the organization or the purpose for its existence is also understood in general terms. The organization under study began as an apparel exporter and later diversified into various unrelated areas. These areas did not provide synergy to the existing businesses. Due to recession, all the businesses ran into losses. The leaders in the organization were found to be lacking strategic skills to meet the strategic ambitions. A leadership development program was launched with emphasis on twin areas of management and leadership. While Managing comprises planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, controlling and problem solving, Leadership comprises setting a direction, developing a vision of the future and aligning motivating and inspiring people. The development plan would also focus on enhancing the emotional intelligence of the candidate. The components of emotional intelligence are; Self Awareness, Self Regulation, Motivation, Empathy and Social Skill. While all other skills are not normally appreciated, social skills gets recognition as a key skill for a leader. Emotional skills can be learnt through well structured training. The organizations are replete with opportunities to support leadership development. The opportunities can be categorized into hardships, challenging assignments, learning from others and other events. In the midst of opportunities a personal development plan was formulated so also an implementation plans. This was also reviewed and updated. The evaluation was also done about the impact of corporate and individual health and safety and also on the support received by quality.

Pouring Postmodernism into the Computer :: Internet Technology Essays

Pouring Postmodernism into the Computer "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it," has become a standard reply to questions that are hard to answer, now serving as the definition of more than just pornography. Postmodernism seems to at times share this elusive definition. To paraphrase Lyotard, its refusal to take solace in and unified form and conventions are partly responsible for its apparently shapeless definition. Paraphrasing Sherry Turkle, computer culture realizes postmodern concepts, especially a realization of those concepts pertaining to the nature of the self (17-19). For Turkle and others, partaking in chat rooms, creating identities on the computer, and the structure of computer software itself all concretize a previously abstract set of postmodern concepts. Before summarizing segments of Turkle's Identity in the Age of the Internet, a short background on postmodern concepts of the self is helpful. Postmodern thought rejects the idea of a deeper self that can be discovered by rationally peeling away surface layers of that self. The idea that truth can be found by this process, on a personal level or in a narrative structure, is a point of contention. As Stephen Frosh says in Social Experience and the Constructed Self, "More generally, postmodernism opposes all tendencies to take refuge in any illusion of wholeness or of received wisdom†¦" (277). Thus, enlightenment-age scientific approaches to uncover knowledge fall under the "illusion of wholeness and received wisdom." Instead, postmodernism perceives the world through a large network of interconnected but meaningless things and experiences (Frosh, 282). Frosh's opinion of self and action is also revealing: "†¦gone is the differentiation between the self and its expression†¦.Meaning does not precede these practices, but is enigmatically created by them†¦" (280). This is to say that in the writing of a book for example, meaning is produced by the text. The author ceases to be a sort of creator, with a preconceived plan. The book's meaning is transitory, as readers may have several different experiences with a book, regardless of the author's intentions. Finally comes the idea of the self as a social construct. To make sense of the world around us, some have suggested that the self is created in order to give a reference point for existence. Self-construction gives our lives meaning because it allows us to make sense of what surrounds us. I am me. That house across the street is not me, neither are the people who live in that house. Pouring Postmodernism into the Computer :: Internet Technology Essays Pouring Postmodernism into the Computer "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it," has become a standard reply to questions that are hard to answer, now serving as the definition of more than just pornography. Postmodernism seems to at times share this elusive definition. To paraphrase Lyotard, its refusal to take solace in and unified form and conventions are partly responsible for its apparently shapeless definition. Paraphrasing Sherry Turkle, computer culture realizes postmodern concepts, especially a realization of those concepts pertaining to the nature of the self (17-19). For Turkle and others, partaking in chat rooms, creating identities on the computer, and the structure of computer software itself all concretize a previously abstract set of postmodern concepts. Before summarizing segments of Turkle's Identity in the Age of the Internet, a short background on postmodern concepts of the self is helpful. Postmodern thought rejects the idea of a deeper self that can be discovered by rationally peeling away surface layers of that self. The idea that truth can be found by this process, on a personal level or in a narrative structure, is a point of contention. As Stephen Frosh says in Social Experience and the Constructed Self, "More generally, postmodernism opposes all tendencies to take refuge in any illusion of wholeness or of received wisdom†¦" (277). Thus, enlightenment-age scientific approaches to uncover knowledge fall under the "illusion of wholeness and received wisdom." Instead, postmodernism perceives the world through a large network of interconnected but meaningless things and experiences (Frosh, 282). Frosh's opinion of self and action is also revealing: "†¦gone is the differentiation between the self and its expression†¦.Meaning does not precede these practices, but is enigmatically created by them†¦" (280). This is to say that in the writing of a book for example, meaning is produced by the text. The author ceases to be a sort of creator, with a preconceived plan. The book's meaning is transitory, as readers may have several different experiences with a book, regardless of the author's intentions. Finally comes the idea of the self as a social construct. To make sense of the world around us, some have suggested that the self is created in order to give a reference point for existence. Self-construction gives our lives meaning because it allows us to make sense of what surrounds us. I am me. That house across the street is not me, neither are the people who live in that house.

Consequences in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Consequences in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are two sides of consequences for almost everything that happens in life, directly or indirectly.   In life, we could learn mostly from the consequences, rather than from the punishments of our actions.   If the consequences are good, we know that the action should be repeated, sometimes.   If bad consequences outweigh the good, we know repeating would not be wise.   Hester Prynne of Nataniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, learns from punishment and the consequences of adultery, but from which does she learn more from?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Punishment from the magistrates was usually strict and severe. Hester's punishment was to stand on the wooden platform, in the town square, for three hours.   She could not speak to any to the numerous eyes that stared at, through her until dark. Hester also had to wear an embroidered A of scarlet cloth upon her chest.   The A symbolized that she was an adulteress, and should not be associated with.   Hester had also been banished from town, and branded an outcast.   Even though she did not name her lover, so that he could be punished, he did not go unpunished. Reverend Dimmesdale had taken it upon him to stand on the same platform that Hester had, and he also whipped himself.   The whipping did not serve its purpose, he was laughing all the while that he lashed himself.   Neither means of punishment had taught him anything, as well as Hester.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To fill in for what punishment had not taught, consequence brought forth the lessons of life.   The consequences that Hester found were bad and good.   There is usually two sides of consequences.   The scarlet letter showed everyone she was a sinner, an adulteress, making the people sick of her, and did not acknowledge her.   Yet as time went on, people noticed that Hester had embroidered the scarlet letter so beautifully, that she had offers to have embroidery done for others.  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the course of the story the A had changed its meaning.   People saw how strong Hester was and refused to interpret the A as it was meant, the A became to mean both ABLE, and ANGEL.   For her good deeds done unto the community.   She gave clothing to the poor and helped out wherever possible.

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass :: Narrative Life Frederick Douglass

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass shows several instances in which his personal accounts of slavery are highlighted. These instances illustrate important realizations that Douglass makes concerning slavery, and/or about his own condition. The very first chapter of the novel produces the first example: loss of identity. Many slaves had absolutely no concept of time, in terms of factual dates. Slaves were kept "ignorant" as to the facts of the real world, in most cases not even knowing the year of their birth, preventing the knowledge of a captive's true age. A birthday is something with which people can identify, as they are a celebrated part of our culture, especially to youth. Douglass here identifies himself as a human being lacking what we may consider a normal childhood simply through the use of dates. We identify ourselves by the dates which surround the events of our lives. Part of our identity is formed from dates and this was a privilege he was denied. He is, however, provided with a general idea as to how old he truly is, " I come to this from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, I was about seventeen years old" (Douglass 1). Adding to this already tarnished identity is the status of his parental figures. While Douglass somewhat got to know his mother, he never really had a father. His father, according to practically everyone, was a white man, ."..opinion was also whispered that my master was my father..." (1). Although it is true that he knew his mother, it must be noted that they were separated while he was an infant and thereafter only met a total of four or five times. The consequences of not knowing who you really are may not have phased Douglass much during his childhood. However as he grew older and began to understand how the politics of slavery work, there is no doubt that this lack of principle human right (to which everyone should be entitled) certainly motivated Douglass towards achieving his goal of freedom. A major fear amongst slave owners is that their slaves will learn to read and write.

Analysis of the “Doctor in the house” by Richard Gordon

This text is an extract from the book â€Å"Doctor in the house† written by Richard Gordon. He was born in 1921. He has been an anaesthetist at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, a ship's surgeon and an assistant editor of the British Medical Journal. He left medical practice in 1952 and started writing his â€Å"Doctor† series. The novels were very successful in Britain during the 1960s and 1970s. â€Å"Doctor in the House† is one of Gordon's twelve â€Å"Doctor† books and is noted for witty description of a medical student's years of professional training.The text under analysis belong to the psychological type and description type as it is concerned mainly with the emotional actions of the characters. This text is narration with elements of dialogues. The style of written prose is formal. Author mainly uses past tenses, but present – in dialogues. The events in the text refer to the real world and the author seeks to judge the text subjectively. The tex t under consideration is a witty and humorous description of such a hard and important thing in students’ life as their final exams.The author shows us the condition of students before, during and after exams, therefore, the aim of the text is to describe the students’ feelings, emotion and preparations for them. The subject-matter of this text is about sitting for examinations. The author tries to show the reader different actions and feelings during the passing the examinations. The composition of this text consists of the following components: exposition, when the author gives the concept of an examination. narration, when the author describes passing the examinations, an interesting story about passing an examination at Cambridge.climax, when the author shows the examination results. The ending is absent it means that the structure is opened. In that text Author shows us in detail the process of examination, but tries to show it through different actions and feelin gs of students during the passing the exams. The main character is medical student R. Gordon and his student-colleagues. The story takes place at the examination room when their fate is being decided. The atmosphere in the text is filled with tension and pressure that is drawn on hero by the situation and conflict he is facing.We learn about the students well, because the author has created true-to-life characters, even more so the Author was passing the examinations himself. The author proves to be a real master. And he employs a lot of expressive means and stylistic devices to make the story vivid and bright. The text is emotionally moving, and some details produce an emotional reaction. The conflict is to be considered as tension in the story. This particular extract of the book gives us the idea of uncontrollable force impersonated by examinations against the student whose fate is in their hands.At some point oral exam becomes some kind of a lottery for the hero â€Å"to winâ⠂¬  the question he know answer to. However the real answer here is with the hero himself, struggling against his lack of self-confidence which marks the inner conflict and the unfairness of life The type of conflict here is Person and Self. The story is told from first person narration and we can see the situation with his own eyes. The main character – medical student R. Gordon is round and dynamic character. Author tells us about him nothing, because he wants to say that Gordon is an ordinary student.Author uses indirect method of characterization, and we can learn something of him only through his feelings. The general slant of the text, judging from the peculiar usage of epithets and metaphors with intentionally tragic coloring towards common life situations is comic. Let`s simply remember the comparison of written papers exam room with the court hall, the doors of which are flanked by dispassionate porters and the judge sits above all, just the way the invigilator was placed.Another vivid example is the simile of viva waiting room to the condemned cell, which seemed incredibly accurate to the student but to the reader it only proved how very afraid of viva the narrator was. For example by a simile â€Å"the final examinations are something like death† the author shows condition of a student before an examination as close to death, â€Å"like a prize-fighter† also shows a contest, then the author compares, using the simile, the students that want to produce a certain impression and looking at professor like the â€Å"impressionable music enthusiasts gazing at the solo violinist†.Author uses a lot of very bright and vivid similes in order to give us a chance to feel the nerves and stress characters felt – â€Å"My palms were as wet as sponges†. Medical textbooks compared through metaphor to a â€Å"well-trodden paths†. Also the usage of hyperbolas lets us to understand how the hero felt while expecting the results â€Å"room had suddenly come to a frightening, unexpected silence and stillness, like an unexploded bomb†. The author brilliantly uses the allusion referring to the Bible’s Judgment day. We discover that final exams are death and the Secretary as an archangel corresponds where they would go to the paradise or to hell.â€Å"The candidate would step up closely to the Secretary, who would say simply â€Å"Pass† or â€Å"Failed†. Successful men would go upstairs to receive the congratulations and handshakes of the examiners and failures would slink miserably out of the exit to seek the opiate oblivion. † This extract is constructed around the single theme which can be formulated as procedure of the exams. The author uses numerous thematic words, such as: the student, the final examinations, the exams, to prepare, the examiners, cheating, textbooks, to swot up, the written papers, uniformed, examinees, knowledge, tripos, viva, marking, grading, to pass and so on.Besides the basic theme the text touches upon many very important secondary themes: the psychological types of students, cheating at the exams, students’ prejudice, disadvantage of women student at the exams, the psychological pressure of the process of the examination on the students. The main idea conveyed by the author may be expressed as: the final examinations are reason for a great psychological pressure and a real challenge for the students. The following key words can prove it: student, exams, viva, writing papers, contest, prize-fighter, fighting spirit, to hope, to hit, depressing and others.Thanks to an interesting subject this story occupies the reader’s attention. It makes us to empathize with the students and feel their psychological state. But despite of numerous frightful similes we may see ironical slant of text which make it interesting to read. Having read only one fragment from the â€Å"Doctor in the house†, I found that Ri chard Gordon is a talented writer, who could perfectly reflect the students’ emotion avoided usage of cliches and shown the common issue of young people with self-confidence and self-esteem from the angle of irony.

Essay On Pop Culture

Technological advancements the last decades have contributed to the creation of a globalized era, with the English language as a common denominator, as the major language spoken between those who do not share any language. Globalization have made it possible for an extreme output of popular culture that has mainly origins of English speaking countries with U. S. A. as the main exporter of popular culture through music, movies, television etc. In this essay I explore the positive aspects that using popular music in the classroom might potentially have.In my main issues I discuss the motivational aspects of popular culture, why teachers might feel insecure or unwilling to use the student's personal interests of popular culture in the classroom. Also how popular culture can be used to understand the cultural values of foreign countries and societies. Furthermore I will present some practical tasks and suggestions for lessons in how to use popular culture and the sub-category music as th e most important teaching resource within popular culture in exercises in the classroom as a motivating way to promote communicative skills of the language.Also important aspects on how cultural and historic influences on music by people and countries can be used to teach students of other values and how music can be used to create understanding for other peoples way of perceiving life. Major Issues: Inviting the student's social environment into the classroom: Motivational effects of popular culture one important factor for successful learning in any context is motivation, a concept that in all forms of education is a key to classroom learning (Harrett & Benjamin, 2009, p. 138).Language learning is not just about teaching student’s formal academic language. In order for a student to be able to effectively communicate in a broader context the student also needs to have knowledge of the informal language and social structures that might not be as present in the literature the schools provide. These issues can be however found within popular culture such as media from television or music, in order to engage in the situations of their life where they have to adapt their language to â€Å"the various domains of their world† (Lambirth, 2003, p. 11)In teaching languages, the introduction of popular culture is a method of creating motivation, as the students can then relate their classroom work to their knowledge, experience and interests of their social life (Harrett & Benjamin, 2009, p. 134). In a study of the English subject for second language learners in Mexican schools it is suggested that an increased attention to popular music in the curriculum would enhance the students motivation for the English language as activities involving this sub-category of popular culture would; â€Å"Using their knowledge, their music and their language.† (Domoney & Harris, 1993, p. 235).Music is such a popular concept for the students, used correctly, it will help to motivate and increase the interest of a subject through a conscious and emotional involvement from the students (Kanel, 1997, p. 218). Pop culture is a way of gaining the student's interest, by connecting the student’s familiar knowledge of the English language that they are exposed to outside of school. Using the students’ knowledge of popular culture will then serve as a meaningful resource to teach the language (Lambirth, 2003, p.12).Using popular culture makes students more prone to learning the subject and will prevent any inhibitions of learning that comes from an affective filter; Peter Krashen's metaphor for when the student feels anxiety, boredom, stress and/or other pressures, they create an emotional barrier that prevent learning (Kanel, 1997, p. 219, Griffee, 1988, p. 24). Developments in English language teaching have been on the interaction and negotiation of the students and on the importance of integrating their experiences, knowledge and feeli ngs into classroom.The ideas and discussions revolving about pop music included these valuable inputs from outside of school and came together and related to the more communicative focus of language learning that is still a popular method of teaching (Domoney & Harris, 1993). â€Å"They get enough of that at home†: Claims that pop culture does not belong in the classroom are outdated. Teachers might feel a general unwillingness toward incorporating popular culture in the classroom and there are often several issues that create this point of view.Teachers might not understand the contemporary popular culture of today’s youth and therefore project negative thoughts on what is popular, expressing ideas such as; children who are more interested in popular culture are not as bright as those who prefer reading. Teachers might also regard pop culture as contra productive for student’s creativity and reason that they get enough of input in their spare time (Lambirth, 20 03). However, the teachers are not those who can fully take the blame for not wanting to incorporate popular culture in the classroom.The teachers are caught between the two strong influences, of the popular culture industry and those who create the educational policies (Lambirth, 2003) It might therefore be unfair to lay blame on teachers for not wanting to take a gamble on their jobs and career by using methods that does not follow their curriculum. Using popular culture in the subject demands some knowledge of current technology and in using media properly in the classroom.The teacher education programs lack the teaching of these issues, young teachers are therefore anxious in using these kinds of modern methods of teaching as they do not want to stray too far from the curriculum. It is of the essence that the teacher training programs start education the students in how to properly use these ways to keep the next generation in tune with the progressive modern digital world. (Har rett & Benjamin, 2009)Classrooms can no longer be a room and place where local traditions are taught and implemented upon the students; the role that popular culture plays suggest that there is a need for better education of informal language (Pennycook, 2010, p. 82). The globalization have created transcultural flows of popular cultures that appeal the students in different ways and many students can no longer be affected by only the local traditions. The student's identities are instead reflected by the popular music and culture that are in constant flow.If the education for our future generations want to stay in touch with the trends of society, by paying attention to the student's knowledge, identity, interests and desires, then it is crucial that issues the students can relate to, such as popular culture are introduced into the language learning in schools (Pennycook, 2010, p. 82). Research supporting the use of pop culture & music in the classroom As i have mentioned above in my paragraph on motivation, pop music is a very large branch of the popular culture and there are studies that affirm musical knowledge and skill as useful and valuable in the classroomAll human beings possess varying degrees of musical intelligence, one of the intelligences that the human race has developed, the others are; linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic and personal intelligences. Asserted in the educational theory of â€Å"multiple intelligences† by Gardner in 1985 (Failoni, 1993). The theory of multiple intelligences confirm that excluding those with brain damage, every person on this earth possess some form of musical intelligence.Anthropologists have acknowledged after tests on both normal and learning disabled-students that music attributes to several functions of language learning that is important. The properties of music, that include: rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, form and mood, aids in the cognitive process of gaining vocabulary , enhance retention and is a good way to promote general language development and reading skills (Kanel, 1997). Music can be viewed as an instrument which everybody in the classroom can be involved in use and understand.It is therefore certainly arguable that integrating the musical intelligence in the classroom as a teaching tool by adopting and adapting it into lessons and activities without any demand on either teacher or student to have any knowledge on how to perform or compose music (Failoni, 1993). Audio-lingual method of teaching also supports the use of authentic songs, if the songs are properly chosen so that there is no abundance in non-standard grammar or excessive slang.As the songs that are constructed for ESL lacked the effectively to interest the student as the lyrics ended up being a collection of phonemes in a text (Kanel, 1997). Also the pedagogical theories of Vygotsky as well as Lave and Wenger are applicable to methods of using popular culture in the classroom. Lave and Wenger's theories of situated learning theory states that learning occur naturally through activities, contexts and cultures. The learners utilize their knowledge and experience from their informal sociocultural world and apply them to understand new information.Vygotsky's theories of the socio-cultural are based on how children acquire knowledge through their culture (Debbie, 2007). Even though these theories are abstract they are both successful and popular within pedagogical methods and theories. And they are highly related to the student's exposure of popular culture. the popular culture is an important sphere in which the student's identity outside of school is affirmed, challenged, taken apart and reconstructed (Pennycook, 2010). Teaching values of cultures: Understanding cultural aspects through contemporary popular cultureTo perceive cultures as national entities with shared values and are separated by boundaries of borders to other countries is to look at culture from a very narrow perspective. Culture can be described as â€Å"‘Big C & little c† The Big C are the formal institutions of a country, little c being the daily lives studied by sociologists and anthropologists, patterns of behavior and cultural traditions. When learning a second language, culture is a prominent theme in the process of learning the new language, and that involves studying customs and beliefs of a country (Yuen, 2011).This perspective of culture becomes complex and problematic when studying languages of a nation that have a lot of diversity and different ethnicities. France is an example of an ethnic diverse country because of their imperial history. Through the French hip-hop scene that have been one of the prominent genres for the last two decades we can study the way in which the informal languages of the streets have evolved by influence of various cultures. Traditionalists have disregarded these linguistic features because of their departure from t raditional grammar (Pennycook, 2010).The French hip-hop culture however despite averting from traditional grammar have their own grammatical rules that is followed, (Chi'en, 2008) discusses the weird English that is a result of globalization and of many different English languages co-existing, the same goes for the French hip-hop lingua, it is not broken or radical or â€Å"wrong† it is in fact a form of art; one which can be reproduced only with knowledge of the genre. The hip-hop scene has become a new symbol for the â€Å"tricolor† i. e. the French flag.The opposition of the nationalistic red, blue & white flag which does not symbolize the society of modern France should instead be ascribed to the new colors; â€Å"black, blanc & beur† representing the multiracial, multicultural & multilingual society that is a more objective reflection of how the French social scene looks today. (Pennycook, 2010) Discussing the history of either Jazz, Rock & Roll or Rap is a way of learning the cultural aspects of the African-American community and the roots of both genres which both were born in Africa and brought to America, carried by the slaves and further evolved there to what it is today.  (Omoniyi, 2006)The global use of English has been a key factor to the spreading of the popular culture from major informal institutions such as Hollywood, or the hip-hop music which has been very influential world wide. Studying the re-appropriation of the hip-hop music in African countries as Nigera gives insight of how their values are reflected in songs by comparing them to North American contemporaries.Although the artists in Nigeria are similar to their colleagues in the U. S.  by following the trends of popular culture in appearance, the Nigerian hip-hop differ a lot in their lyrics, such as different themes such as love instead of the misogynist ideals represented in the American hip-hop. (Omonyi, 2006) Studying the sub-genres of hip hop African coun tries gives us knowledge of the African countries that speak English as native tongue and is a part of the globalization of the English language, but are even so underrepresented in text books supplied by schools (Yuen, 2011)The result of the English globalization is that there are a lot of countries that have their own unique music, even though they share the same genre as other English speaking countries. Irish folk music is a popular sub-genre of the folk music, which has aspects of entertainment values with songs about drinking and what the comical consequences of drinking too much. Many songs also contain more serious and political protest songs against British tyranny or the songs about the civil war in Ireland, giving the audience a broad insight into the countries culture and history by listening to their music.But teachers using these methods to promote cultural understanding should be wary not to promote stereotypes of a country â€Å"That Mexicans only dance the hat danc e for example† (Failoni, 1993). Implications for Practice â€Å"Music, the great communicator† the phrase that popular rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers coined in their song Can't Stop. It cannot be assumed that they implicated anything regarding language learning, but they did in fact have a valid point with that statement. Music can be used in teaching the all four strands of language learning; listening, reading, speaking & writing.Students experiencing difficulties with communication skills are likely to react positively to the entertaining aspects of music and might improve their communicative skills as rhymes, melodies and rhythm are easier to remember than ordinary speech (Failoni, 1993). Teaching informal language is something that I have stressed in this article as the researchers have argued that it is important to integrate more of the student's experience from outside of school to promote student participation (Pennycook, 2010).Using authentic pop music as li stening material have been since the 70's gained an increased popularity, because it colloquialism that student's otherwise miss out on in the classroom (Griffee, 1988). Furthermore it will make student's aware of phonetic structures. Listening exercises can be used with mixing reading comprehension, having the students underlining vocabulary in text that is chosen by the teacher consciously as a specific goal for learning (Failoni, 1993).Taking the next step with music from the listening comprehension to speaking, pronunciation skills are improved by the student first hearing the lines and the repeating them with the rythm of music as a cognitive help for the student to more pronounce the words more aptly. (Failoni, 1993) Communicative exercises can be created on the base of exploring different musical styles which is an easy alternative for teachers willing to introduce music in the classroom.(Failoni 1993) There are also a lot of different cultural aspects and styling’s th at can be taught in the classroom to promote cultural awareness. Exercises to engage students about culture can be done through finding songs that are unique in the way that they are symbols of the country or region, some examples are: The Genius of Ravi Shankar (India) Rampal Japanese Melodies (Japan) Bagpipe Music (Scotland) Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor (Germany) (Griffee, 1988) Playing these kind of songs can be used in form of quizzes as relaxed competitive tasks for the students.World map’s in the classroom than this is a great tool for enhancing the task and going deeper into details. Further ways are giving the students pictures of things that symbolize the origin of the song, pictures of what kind of food is eaten there, how the buildings looks like, historical remnants like the coliseum. The songs are repeated and the students are asked to chronologically place the pictures based on the order of the songs. This is method is pedagogical in a cognitive way by the connecting the visual and hearing senses.After all the countries of the songs played then follow-up activities is a way to discuss further create cultural awareness by discussions on for an example based on the pictures in front of them, (Griffee 1988) Understanding of social and political structures, both past and contemporary can be discussed and understood under the basis of only discussing a genre of music, listening to Latin American pop music presents the listener to nationalistic views (Failoni, 1988).This is a way for the students to learn these things as many youths are interested in the music. And if it so happens that the students in that particular classroom is not interested in the Hip Hop / Rap genre then the positive thing is that there are an infinite amount of genres to explore. An option is also not using only one genre as a discussion point but bringing in the option for students to do research on the unique historical and cultural aspects of the music they listen to.