Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investment - Essay Example Shareholders are the biggest players in any investment and their attitudes towards risks cannot be ruled out. Modern portfolio theory fails to incorporate the needs of all shareholders and uses a single set of shareholders resulting in an unrealistic indifference curve in the modern world. A period of 60 years calls for appropriate adjustments to the practical aspects of the theory. However, the modern portfolio is anchored in a single time period that is used to risks and returns scrutiny. Financial managers are assessed through a series of successive time periods as opposed to the proposition of a single period from modern portfolio theory. Additionally, a single period cannot be used for any meaningful predictions on returns. Therefore, Modern portfolio theory does not cover all the components required to come up with investment strategies for risk reduction. Investing in Apple and Microsoft shares on an equal basis is misguided because the companies have different financial prospects. Microsoft has a higher growth potential than Apple. The 50/50 basis would create a tolerance risk, but it would not realize much returns when compared to when clients invested more money in Microsoft than Apple. The valuation and expected growth for Microsoft will grow considerably because of the popularity of its operating systems and smartphones worldwide (Tilson and Heins, 2011). The clients should also track the stock prices of both companies to check earnings per stock in the last five years. EMH suggests that an investor should assess both historic and current patterns of share prices. Additionally, technical analysis would allow the clients to track share price movements for each company. An increase in the shares prices of either Apple or Microsoft should be reflected in the way they invest their lottery jackpot. Therefore, based on the potential o f growth for Microsoft and Apple’s share price performance, a 70/30 investment in favor of Microsoft would

Pakistan Steel Mills Essay Example for Free

Pakistan Steel Mills Essay Topic: Privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills Subject: Pakistan Economic Policy Submitted By: M. Faizan Sohail (7133) Faculty: Shahid Iqbal Date of Submission: 12th August 2010 Pakistan Steel Mills Introduction: Pakistan Steel Mills is the producer of long rolled steel products in Karachi, Pakistan. The Pakistan Steel Mill is the countrys largest industrial undertaking having a production capacity of 1. 1 million tons of steel. The enormous dimensions of the project can be visualized from the construction inputs which involved the use of 1. 9 million cubic meters of concrete, 5. 70 million cubic meters of earth work (second to Tarbela Dam), 330,000 ton of machinery, steel structures and electrical equipment. It’s unloading and conveyor system at Port Qasim is the third largest in the world and its industrial water reservoir with a capacity of 110 million gallons per day is the largest in Asia. A 2. 5 km long sea water channel connects the sea water circulation system to the plant site with a consumption of 216 million gallons of sea water per day. Soviet Contribution to Steel Mill In January 1971 Pakistan and the USSR signed an agreement under which the latter agreed to provide techno-financial assistance for the construction of a coastal-based integrated steel mill at Karachi. The huge construction and erection work of an integrated steel mill, never experienced before in the country, was carried out by a consortium of Pakistani construction companies under the overall supervision of Soviet experts. Corporate Business and Net worth Pakistan Steel not only had to construct the main production units, but also a host of infrastructure facilities involving unprecedented volumes of work and expertise. Component units of the steel mills numbering over twenty, and each a big enough factory in its own right, were commissioned as they were completed between 1981 to 1985, with the Coke Oven and Byproduct Plant coming on stream first and the Galvanizing Unit last. Commissioning of Blast Furnace No. on 14 August, 1981 marked Pakistans entry into the elite club of iron and steel producing nations. The project was completed at a capital cost of Rs. 24,700 million. The completion of the steel mill was formally launched by the then-President of Pakistan on 15 January, 1985. Pakistan Steel today is the countrys largest industrial undertaking, having a production capacity of 1. 1 million tons of steel. Founders of Pakistan Still Mills The real founders of Pakistan Steel Mills are Prof. Dr. Niaz Muhammad, Wahab Siddiqui and Russian scientist Mikhail Koltokof. It was the hard work of Dr. Niaz Muhammad that thousands of scientists and technical staff got trained by him. His inspirations and innovations got him the highest award from President of Pakistan, and also from Government of Russia. The Government of Pakistan has given him Pride of Performance. His nomination for Nobel Prize was biggest respect what Pakistan achieved. Social obligations Pakistan Steel Mills, besides its core activities, has done a lot in making the environment in and around Pakistan Steel green and beautiful through the addition of three unique projects: the Quaid-I-Azam Park, The Quaid-I-Azam Cricket Park and the Quaid-I-Azam Beach. The Quaid-I-Azam Park, which spreads out over an area of 45acre, consists of a series of six interconnected lakes, lush green lawns and grassy terraces, colorful flower beds, fountains, life- size steel-made models of wild and marine animals, a jogging track, a bird sanctuary and mini-zoo, as well as a childrens play and recreational ground and boating facilities. The other unique project, known as the Quaid-I-Azam Cricket Park, has been established amidst the pleasing surroundings of Steel Town, featuring sloping grassy terraces all around for spectators and four diagonally-located hillocks with seating arrangements to provide a panoramic view of the game. This is spread over an area of 32000 sq. meters and is equipped with all the necessary facilities, conforming to international standards. The third project, Quaid-I-Azam Beach, is being developed with the aim to provide a seaside recreational spot to the employees of Pakistan Steel, especially those residing at Steel Town and Gulshan-e-Hadeed. Pakistan Steel is also on its way to establish Quaid-I-Azam National Park over a vast area of 400acre adjacent to Steel Town which shall be a tremendous contribution in the development of the environment. The organization also has a football team Pakistan Steel FC that currently competes in the Pakistan Premier League. History Privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills After independence in 1947, it did not take long for Pakistan to come to the realization that progressive industrial and economical development would be impossible without the possession of a self reliant iron and steel making plant. The dependence on imports would cause serious setbacks to the country along with an extortionately high import bill which would be impossible to support. In 1968, the Government of Pakistan decided that the Karachi Steel Project should be sponsored in the public sector, for which a separate Corporation, under the Companies Act, be formed. In pursuance of this decision, Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation Limited was incorporated as a private limited company to establish and run steel mills at Karachi. Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation concluded an agreement with V/o Tyaz Promexport of the USSR in January, 1969 for the preparation of a feasibility report for the establishment of a coastal-based integrated steel mill at Karachi. Bhutto  had signed a contract with the former USSR to help build the project. The project was estimated  to cost Rs 10 billion but was completed at a cost of Rs 30 billion and took ten years to finish. The foundation stone of this vital and gigantic project was laid on 30 December, 1973 by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The completion of the steel mill was formally launched by the then-President of Pakistan on 15 January, 1985. The steel mill project provided 20,000 jobs for workers from all over Pakistan. Unfortunately, from the very beginning plotting were launched by the bureaucracy against the workers in order to destroy their moral and ruin their potential. A propaganda campaign was started in the media to give the impression that the project was a burden on the national economy and that it was â€Å"a white elephant†. This campaign gradually became noisier  and  the idea that there were 8000 surplus workers who were a burden and needed to be gotten rid of was widely propagated. However, the bureaucracy and the press found it impossible to attack the workers due to the political strength and unity of the militant trade unions. With its propaganda having failed and its aims in ruins, the bureaucracy resorted to the traditional and criminal tactics of the ruling class – the tactic of â€Å"divide and rule†. In 1986 Zia-ul-haq dictatorship  began a series of brutal political assaults in Pakistan. The ruling class succeeded in generating racial  conflicts among workers, which  not only divided the workers but also weakened the labor movement. This tactic of â€Å"divide and rule† also affected Pakistan Steel. In 1988 the trade unions were divided on racial grounds which resulted in bloody hatred and ended  the traditional revolutionary unity of the unions. The labour movement was constantly harassed and its leadership degenerated and became demoralized. In 1992 Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed a General, Sabeeh Qamar-uz-zaman, as chairman of Pakistan Steel. He was given the task of improving the situation and â€Å"normalizing† the working conditions. He imposed an undeclared ban on the trade unions at Pakistan Steel. Terror and the harassment  of the unions were  enforced in the name of discipline. An  internal security intelligence  unit, the  FIU, was also established and was headed by an army colonel. This notorious  intelligence unit discovered that 1500 workers were a â€Å"security risk†. These workers were punished and removed from their jobs. In 1995 Benazir Bhutto, in her second term in office, reinstated most of these workers. However not all of them were reinstated. During his second tenure in 1997, Nawaz Sharif  introduced  many reactionary anti-labour laws. The ex-chief of the FIU, Colonel Afzal, a batch mate of General Musharraf, was appointed as managing director of Pakistan Steel. This gentleman was twice suspended on corruption charges from his previous post as chief of the FIU, yet somehow he still merited the promotion to chairman. After Musharraf overthrew Nawaz Sharif in 1999, he introduced his â€Å"Seven Point Agenda† to the nation. Not surprisingly his top priority was the introduction of the brutal policies of rightsizing and downsizing, which in practice meant maximizing  unemployment. These policies  were sweetened with another Black Law: the Industrial Relations Ordinance 2000. In June 2000 the chairman of Pakistan Steel announced the immediate dismissal of 436 workers. The workers were informed in their dismissal orders that their services were no longer required. This was just the beginning however, and a new policy was enforced where workers were requested to enjoy the â€Å"benefits† of the VRP (Volunteer Retirement Policy). All of these laws and policies were exercised in the worst manner in Pakistan Steel; it became a model and an example to whole country, and to all workers and trade unions. 8500 jobs were ruthlessly cut by these barbaric policies. These sackings affected the workers deeply, and led to a change in consciousness. On December 31, 2001 the workers of Pakistan Steel organized a general strike against the anti-labor policies of the chairman and the government. The workers blocked all roads and access to the mill. On February 7, 2003 the workers again organized a strike. The authorities attempted to stop the strike by using the tactics of delay. But this only served to provoke the workers, and on March 8, 2003 the workers again blocked the roads. This time they also occupied the mill. This action paralyzed the authorities but unfortunately the struggle was lost because the workers were betrayed at the negotiating table by the trade union leadership. It was apparent that  this struggle could have galvanized the working class nationally  and that it could have found a mass basis. However, in the end it was drowned in petty compromises and conciliations. On December 30, 2003 Chairman Afzal was suddenly dismissed and again a General, Abdul Qayum was appointed as the new  chairman. He immediate gave the impression to the workers that the situation would be totally reversed and that the workers would not have to fear any  more suspensions or dismissals. He also announced an extension plan for Pakistan Steel that would create more jobs. However, just before initiating the extension plan, it was announced that Pakistan Steel would be privatised rather than proceed with the extension. This was a clear declaration of a severe attack on the rights of the workers. This was a clear attack  on their jobs and their working conditions. This declaration provoked 12,500 workers who are drawing the conclusion that they need to fight back. The government was not as lucky in the case of Pakistan Steel Mills as it had been with regard to certain other privatization deals.

Arab Women and Education :: Family Identity Essays

Arab Women and Education Whether it was the impoverished desert village, the war torn hills of Beirut, affluent Barqais, the jet set in London and Paris, or the enclosed lives of women in a harem in Morocco, the female characters in these novels all shared five common threads that dealt with the family and the search for identity. In my reading of five novels about Arab women from backgrounds and in situations as diverse as I thought possible, I was surprised to find this common thread running through every piece of literature. In this paper, I will analyze the role the women’s families have in the education of the women, the role of women and families in the literature in political support and times of war, women’s health and family planning, and most of all what these issues do to the emerging identity of the Arab woman. In a society that is so oriented around the extended family, and in which elderly parents are rarely if ever sent to nursing homes, the family’s opinion weighs heavily on what a woman can and cannot do with her life. The examination of the manner in which education is regarded in the families of these women is critical for a better understanding of the decisions they make. In a traditionally patriarchal society where the man is the breadwinner, the assessment of the subject of work outside the home is also interesting. In a region so riddled with almost constant political and military upheaval, there has been bound to have been a change in the roles women in the family play in support of these political and military actions. Finally, the issue of identity is much more prominent in the more modern novels and the issue of the modern family versus the individual and the rise of the individual from the modern family plays very prominently in â€Å"In the Eye of the Sun† and Dreams of Trespass†. The Arab family, as Magida Salman writes, is where â€Å"the fate of women is being decided and unfolds† (Salman 7). Therefore, it is nece ssary to understand the huge impact the family has on the identity of Arab women. Identity as a concept is valuable as a center for cross-cultural understandings of human experience because it begins with the individual, and issues of identity in a literary context can act as a mirror for what is happening in the real world.

Autobiographical Essay Essay

As far back as I can remember no one in my family talked about heritage or when and how we came to America. When I would ask questions the only answers that I ever received were, we are Indian, and that was from my fathers side of the family. My mother’s side of the family however was a different story. I have been told that I am part German and I am going to give as much information that I have of both sides of my Mother and Fathers families. After talking to my mother and learning where my ancestors came from I have a better understanding of my own culture, beliefs and biases. To begin my story I will tell about my 2x grandfather on my Mothers side who according to www.cohrs.de â€Å"came to America from Germany he sailed from Bremen Germany to Galveston Texas on in 1853†. He met and married my 2x great grandmother in 1853 and together they had seven children of whom my great grandfather was one. My great grandfather moved to Arizona where he met and married my great grand mother and they had four Children of whom my grandfather was the youngest. My grandfather met and married my grandmother in 1929, and together they had eight children in which my mother is one of the three youngest. For my grandmother the only information that I have is that she was born in Alabama, and from everything that I have heard from my mother, aunt, and my uncles, my ancestors were hard working people who taught their children good morals and values. They loved all people regardless of their race, religion, or color. However they believed that races did not go outside of their race to marry and have children. They believed that god and family came first and they would help anyone who needed help. This leads me to my ancestors on my father’s side of my family the only information that I have been able to find is, that my grandfather was Native-American his mother, my great grandmother passed away when he was just a baby and family members had to take care of him. He met and married my grandmother and together they had twelve children in which my father is one of the oldest. While I do not have a lot of information about my father’s ancestor I do know that they were and are a very loving hard  working family that put God and family first. However they can be very closed minded when it comes to people of different race, gender, and culture. They can be very opinionated and while they will be nice to all people they are very cautious around people that are not family. I believe that ancestors past and present have help to shape the person that I ma today. I have learned to use my critical thinking to form my own beliefs and I am so proud to be living in America where I can make the right choses for me. I want to be able to give my future student the best education that I can and from what I have learned about my culture I know that I will be able to help my students make the right choses in getting to know all cultures and traditions before making the wrong decisions of treating others badly. References Descendants of Karl August Riefkohl, Retrieved 11-27-13 from, http://www.cohrs.de/gene/riefkohl/pedigrees/5a.html

Langston Hughes Essay

The Harlem Renaissance took place in 1920s to the mid 1930s, it happened in New York City and it was a cultural bloom. The literary and artistic movement spurred a new black cultural identity. The reason why it occurred was because after the civil war the former slaves all went and lived in the same area, and that was the area where people started creating their own art and literary to define who they were. During the Harlem Renaissance the black people had almost no rights in politics and in society with white people. Even though no deference were shown to the black people, heroes and inspirations flourished and all of them were extremely passionate with what they did. One of the most important figures of literary during the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes,(Swisher 1) he was a poet and a story writer. Amongst many works, the two poem Langston Hughes wrote called â€Å"Democracy† and â€Å"My people† received a lot of love and respect from people. James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902- May 22, 1967) was an American poet and a storywriter. He was born in Joplin, Missouri. He started writing poetry when he started living with his mother around the age of 10 in Ohio. (Langston Hughes 1) His first poetry was â€Å"The negro speaks of rivers† which was published in The Crisis magazine. After dropping out of Columbia in 1922 he traveled around Europe and published more poems. When he came back to America, he met Vachel Lindsay a famous poet that helped promote Hughe’s poetry, which made him more known. Few years after that he not only wrote books and poems, but even plays and lyrics for a Broadway musical, he became the first poet to make a living by writing. Langston Hughes 2) Hughes died from prostate cancer, but not all of him died, he became an inspiration to others and still remains a historical figure of the Harlem Renaissance. â€Å"Democracy† (1949) is a poem about Langston Hughes’s point of view of politics. He had the same views as an average black person living in Harlem. In this poem Hughes stresses the point of freedom as one of the most essential factor a person needs. The main conflict in this poem is that no freedom will come to them. Hughes wrote â€Å"Democracy will not come, Today, this year nor ever† This shows how black people were treated in order for hem to feel this hopeless about their freedom. Hughes also displayed how desperate he was with his freedom, he said â€Å"I have as much right as the other fellow has to stand On my two feet and own the land. † He compares himself to other white people that are free. When he says this he is not representing himself only, but every single African American. The tone of this poem is hopeless. The poem is clear in it’s meaning and straightforward with the ideas, which allows people to picture how it is without fre edom. Hughes uses a metaphor that helps the poem’s tone to stand out more. He uses two metaphor, the first one is â€Å"I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread. † When he says this, he means he cannot live unsure and needs the basic factor that all human beings have, food is the most basic necessity us human beings need in order to survive, one will not be able to survive when they rely on food that will be given to them tomorrow. When he says â€Å"Freedom is a strong seed† he emphasizes that one can only be free when everyone around them is not racist and supportive, and the idea that it will only flourish when the seed is strong enough for the outcome. The tone of seriousness and a few metaphors in addition constructs the poem perfectly. There are two distinct themes in this poem, which is freedom and racism. The clarity of this poem makes it obvious for readers to know his point. He compares himself with others to highlight the fact that he wants equal treatment in his own country, and even uses metaphors to show what freedom means to him. On the other hand, the theme of racism is behind the poem, having knowledge about his biography; readers can clearly understand why Hughes felt this way. The second poem â€Å"My people† was written in 1923. My people is a very short poem that not only expresses his affection for his people but it also has a message of equality. He tries to help people understand that there are a lot of different qualities to black people. â€Å"Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people† (Hughes 1923) By saying this Hughes is describing that his people are not cold, but are also warm like the sun. He also tells the readers that â€Å"Beautiful† can be used to describe a lot of things. In every stanza he has the word â€Å"Beautiful† and they each have a different meaning, for example The night is beautiful† can be describing that black is beautiful, which relates to his people being beautiful, or when he says the â€Å"Stars are beautiful† he means that white is beautiful. The tone of this poem is pride, Langston Hughes being one of the first writer for using his situation (not having rights in anything) as an inspiration. ( Butler 1) His inspiration then guided him to write a poem about his people with pride. He describes them with the nature’s elements and always has a â€Å"My† before people. The imagery that is shown to the readers also helps shine the tone, everything being beautiful and so positive, we can tell that Langston Hughes was definitely a proud person who wasn’t ashamed of where he came from. Speaking positively about â€Å"his people† he conveys a lucid tone throughout this poem. The theme of this poetry is equality. It is obvious when a reader finishes reading the second stanza. Hughes uses metaphor in this poem to show the theme, the first stanza of this poem, he compares â€Å"the night† to the â€Å"faces of my people†, this portrays his thoughts about being black, it is beautiful to Hughes. In the second stanza Hughes compares his people to the stars, this is the controversial stanza because stars are white but in the first stanza he mentioned that black is beautiful too. This just portrays perfectly that color or race didn’t matter, everyone was equal and individuals had bits of each other in themselves. The last stanza when he compares the sun to the souls of his people, he depicts how warm and bright his people are, not dark and evil. More over, if the author did not use any metaphors and was straight forward, it would depict the theme as well as it would have had. This is a beautiful poem that doesn’t question anyone why Langston Hughes was so widely loved. In conclusion, one of the most prominent figures in literacy during the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes, he was a great writer that wrote about various ideas and had a very unique way of thinking. (Butler 1) He is truly an inspiration not only to black people but to everyone, he teaches us that we can convert whatever we have in our mind to assemble a beautiful poetry about his people, or a hopeless poetry about his situation. Hughes still remains a legend in the literacy world and will never be forgotten.

How far can the legislation introduced by the UK government be considered as the most influential factor in the decline of trade union membership The WritePass Journal

How far can the legislation introduced by the UK government be considered as the most influential factor in the decline of trade union membership Introduction How far can the legislation introduced by the UK government be considered as the most influential factor in the decline of trade union membership IntroductionREFERENCES:Related Introduction In the past years and in recent times there have been several factors influencing the decline of trade unions, these are ;Business trends, structural changes to industry and labour market changes which involved a change from   manufacturing sector to service sector, increase in self employment and more people taking up part-time jobs and temporary jobs. Other factors include individualism and HRM practices where employee management, development and training becomes the responsibility of HRM, employees having more performance related pay, and appraisal related to pay. The state however has been the most influential factor amongst those stated above in the decline of Trade unions in the UK.This is made evident by the high rate of Trade Union decline   between 1979 and 1997 during the conservative Government leadership of which legislation was introduced. Basically the conservative government, Magaret Thatcher being the prime minister at that time introduced legislation between 1979 and 1983 which involved a series of changes and events that resulted to a very high decline in trade union membership. One of the objectives of the conservative government was to exclude trade unions from any role in national policy making and this was achieved in 1979 and after 1979 was the regulation of the union’s decision making and electoral procedures (Henry 1989). During this period tactics such as secondary picketing which was used by miners (BBC NEWS) was made unlawful shown in the employment act of 1980 and 1982.   Furthermore, there was abolition of statutory recognition procedure in 1980.Employment act of 1988 and 1990 ensured removal of immunities protecting closed shop. The abandonment of political commitment to full employment leading to unemployment rate decreasing from 5.2% in 1979 to 11.2% in 1983 and thus a decline in trade unio n membership. In conclusion looking at the above stated factors and how they affect the decline of trade union. Government legislation has been proven to be the most comprising factor in the decline, however it is important to note that government intervention by way of legislation was only a reaction to the adverse effects which was perceived by the government. REFERENCES: Paul,E.(ed) 2003.   Industrial Relations Theory and Practice (2nd ed), Blackwell. Lee,W. and Rooner,J.(2005).The Rise and Fall of Unionised Labour Market. Hoque, K. and Bacon, N. (2008) Trade unions, union learning representatives and employer-provided training in Britain.  British Journal of Industrial Relations. Vol 46, No 4, December. pp702-731. Blanchflower, D.G. and Bryson, A. (2008)  Union decline in Britain. CEP discussion paper. no 864. London: Centre for Economic Performance.

Social Consequences of Japanese Industrialization essays

Social Consequences of Japanese Industrialization essays Many scholars and historians in the academic community have always debated the question why Japanese achieve its economic performance during industrialization. This paper will briefly examine why Japanese manage to catch up its Western competitors and argue that in the 9 decades between 1880 to 1970, Japanese society was undergoing a series of social-economic reform which enable Japanese society accomplish rapid growth during industrialization. From the period of 1600 to 1868, Tokugawa Japan managed to develop well-structured road networks and riverbanks to enhance agricultural productivity, rice cultivation, seed varieties and planting methods. Increased agricultural productivity affords Japanese labour to move from the agricultural sectors to industrial based sector such as mining, manufacturing and crafting industries. After the collapse of the Tokugawa government in 1868, the new centralized Meiji government proposed compulsory primary education for the masses and elite university education intended to advance in engineering and scientific fields. In fact, compulsory education was extended to middle school after WWII and national universities established in each forty-six Japanese prefectures. The government started building railroad networks connecting major islands and deep-water harbour in preparation for large steamships. Monopolized tax authority also encouraged national government to propose the best agricul tural technique to increase its tax revenue. As a result, a well-developed infrastructure was built to facilitate flow of innovations and new technology. Also, compulsory education and concentrated studies in science and technology deepened society `s acceptance to imported western technologies and further prepared new generation to new ideas and methods in industrialization. In the 1930s, a segmented Japanese labour market was resulted of lacki ...

Philosophical Quotes on Lying

Philosophical Quotes on Lying Lying is a complex activity, one that we often blame, despite the fact that several times it may be the best ethical option left to us. While lying can be been seen as a threat to civil society, there seem to be several instances in which lying seems the most intuitively moral option. Besides, if a sufficiently broad definition of lying is adopted, it seems utterly impossible to escape lies, either because of instances of self-deception or because of the social construction of our persona. In the sequel, I compiled some favorite quotes on lying: if you have any additional ones to suggest, please do get in touch! Baltasar Gracin: Don’t lie, but don’t tell the whole truth. Cesare Pavese: The art of living is the art of knowing how to believe lies. The fearful thing about it is that not knowing what truth may be, we can still recognize lies. William Shakespeare, from The Merchant of Venice: The world is still deceivd with ornament,In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt,But, being seasond with a gracious voice,Obscures the show of evil? In religion,What damned error, but some sober browWill bless it and approve it with a text,Hiding the grossness with fair ornament? Criss Jami: Just because something isnt a lie does not mean that it isnt deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction... Gregg Olsen, from Envy: If only these walls could talk†¦the world would know just how hard it is to tell the truth in a story in which everyone’s a liar. Dianne Sylvan, from Queen of Shadows: She was famous, and she was insane. Her voice soared out over the audience, holding them spellbound and enraptured, delivering their hopes and fears tangled in chords and rhythm. They called her an angel, her voice a gift. She was famous, and she was a liar.Plato: We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. Ralph Moody: There are only two kinds of men in this world: Honest men and dishonest men. ...Any man who says the world owes him a living is dishonest. The same God that made you and me made this earth. And He planned it so that it would yield every single thing that the people on it need. But He was careful to plan it so that it would only yield up its wealth in exchange for the labor of man. Any man who tries to share in that wealth without contributing the work of his brain or his hands is dishonest. Sigmund Freud, from The Future of an Illusion: Where questions of religion are concerned, people are guilty of every possible sort of dishonesty and intellectual misdemeanor. Clarence Darrow, from The Story of My Life: Some false representations contravene the law; some do not. The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business, and, besides, could not be done. The line between honesty and dishonesty is a narrow, shifting one and usually lets those get by that are the most subtle and already have more than they can use. Further Online Sources The entry on the Definition of Lying and Deception at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.The entry on the Liar Paradox at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.The entry on the Liar Paradox at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.The entry on the Definition of Lying and Deception at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.A New York Times op-ed by Graham Priest on the paradox.

How technology (textting) has affected our language How it affects the Research Paper

How technology (textting) has affected our language How it affects the way we process information - Research Paper Example 28-29) describes how spoken language and written language have traditionally been seen as entirely different variations, each with their own set of rules. He explains that speech is â€Å"time-bound, dynamic and transient†, and most often occurs in face to face situations where there is both the chance to use non-verbal means like facial expressions and gestures, and the opportunity for speakers to modify their output depending on reactions coming from the listener. Written language, on the other hand, is â€Å"space-bound, static and permanent† and it is more formal because the writer does not always the person or persons who will be reading it, and must make more effort to clarify the context and anticipate what the reader might be thinking. This traditional view of language sees spoken language as more suited to emotional expressions in a social context, and written language more suited to factual purposes such as recording information or learning about something. When we look at examples of spoken language it is clear that grammar rules are used less rigorously, and there is more tolerance of errors, contractions, imperfect sentence structures, for example someone might say Think it’ll work? and the answer might be No way! The full written version of these sentences would be Do you think it will work? and No, there is no way that this could work! or No, I can think of no way in which this would work! The subject of the sentence is obvious in the spoken context, and the tone of voice conveys that there is a question and answer routine going on here, whereas in a written text these elements need to be made clear for the reader. An interesting study by Barron (2000) looks at the way all language develops and changes as new technologies arrive, for example when manuscripts gave way to printing in fifteenth century England there was immediately a much greater volume of written material available, and also a need for standardization. (Barron, 2000, p.57)

Geological Adventure Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Geological Adventure - Personal Statement Example My first destination would be this marvelous cave of Lechuguilla in the heart of the Guadalupe Mountains in southern New Mexico at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. These sun-blasted ridges and the rock below them had been alive 250 million years ago. A magnificent barrier reef, geologists call El Capitn. The living reef had died as the basin it enclosed grew too salty. Then, long buried under later deposits, the dead reef became limestone; the ideal stone for caves1 (see Figure 2) Climbing and hiking Fans would love the place beside all the under ground wonders made by chemicals and water reactions that would be great picture shots for photograph fans to add to their collections (see Figure 3) After staying in New Mexico for a while, I will be then heading to Hawaii and its Kilauea volcano (On Big Island),one of the world's prime attractions for adventure travelers2 along with two other active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Loihi that is located underwater off the southern coast of Hawaii's Big Island 3. There are many things to do there -besides watching Kilauea lava flowing into the sea. I would experience the mystery and walk through the native Hawaiian rain forest, hike over just-cooled lava. I could also visit the 52-foot Kilauea Lighthouse that was built in 1913 as a beacon for traveling ships4.

Challenges and Impacts of Tobacco Use on Employers Research Paper

Challenges and Impacts of Tobacco Use on Employers - Research Paper Example It is believed that smoking in organizations is generally a very bad thing to do, the reason being that a lot of passive inhaling is done on the part of the people who are actually not anywhere close to the usage of tobacco. This creates upheaval amongst such people and they start detesting the very fact that they are being let down by the smoker community that exists within an organization. One should believe that smoking within organizational realms creates rifts. It makes the employees disillusioned with the fact that they are being treated in a very sordid manner. The smokers must not be allowed to let it be, as they need to be taken to consider what they are doing for the sake of the organization in essence and the negativity that they are inflicting upon other employees (Timmins 1989). The reason for understanding this phenomenon is that smoking in offices is generally not a very viable exercise and could succumb into different kinds of fights, rage attacks and so on. The peopl e who usually smoke at such dispositions are either unaware of the harmful effects that they are causing to the office environment or are very prone to what usually happens once they smoke in an organization. ... The arguments which are raised by different quarters include the fact that smoking is a very private affair and one must not comment on something to this effect at all. This is a pretty debatable point since smoking in organizations means negativities attached for one and all. And there are no areas of respite. The arguments thus generally center on the premise of harmful instigation which could be caused for the worsening sake of the employees at large (Devries 2009). In essence, smoking in business realms is fatal for the lives of one and all. It is an element of disaster as far as cordiality and oneness amongst people is concerned. It makes them feel awkward and helpless, all at the same time. Thus smoking in organizations paints a very gloomy picture of how things actually shape up in the long run. It is essentially intolerable to have an employee in one’s close proximity who is a die-hard chain smoker and who would be unwilling to give up on this bad habit. This employee would be criticized for his acts and at times, taunts would also make the rounds of his personality. On the flip side of the discussion, majority of the employees believe that the smokers within the office place are not at all less productive than any other employees who do not indulge in tobacco usage. This is because the employees who smoke usually sleep less and can be awake for longer periods of time. However they would smoke time and again when they are within the reins of an organization. Their direction seems straying, but they would not be misdirected by any stretch of the imagination. Some research studies have shown that smokers give in more

Careers Education System in Cyprus Thesis Proposal

Careers Education System in Cyprus - Thesis Proposal Example Career counselling in Cyprus serves to orient and enlighten the pupils with future employment opportunities and enable them to fully realize their aptitudes and aspirations so they can pursue the most suitable specialization. Having this in mind, the question now is what career guidance program will be suited for fulfilling the needs of the student population. As Cyprus already has a national career guidance program applied in its school system, the issue that seeks to be addressed is the changes that needs to be implemented for it not only to be effective but also responsive to the needs of the students, parent, school management and school staff. This research shall focus on the needed changes in the guidance system of Cyprus as determined by the contemporary social setting so as to be responsive to the needs of the students, educator and parents. To achieve this, the current system of the Cyprus guidance and career provision shall be discussed and analysed for inadequacies pointed out by relevant studies and research. Weak points shall be identified and solutions shall be formulated, again analysed against the backdrop of relevant research. It shall be born in mind of the very important principle pointed out by the National Centre for Guidance and Education (2004, foreword) which is the fact that guidance planning shall rely not only on the expertise of the guidance counsellor but also on the school management, staff, parents and students. In additional, there is a need to go beyond the school premises as the only setting for career guidance programs formulation as there is other equally important externalities that affect such provision directly or indirectly such as government policy and industry trends. The purpose, in summary, is to provide a holistic analysis of different factors affecting Cypriot Career Guidance services and be able to formulate strategies to address any incongruence and insufficiency so as to be responsive to the needs of the students, educators and parents. Review of Related Literature According to the NCGE (2004), career guidance refers to a range of learning experiences provided in a developmental sequence that assist students to make personal and social, educational and career choices about their lives and to make transitions consequent on these choices. A school guidance plan is seen to have these benefits: it provides direction by stating the objectives and priorities of the provision of guidance in a school; it enhances the provision of guidance by targeting the needs of students; it focuses the school's resources to where they are needed most; and lastly, it allows staff to contribute to developments and changes in a positive and collaborative way. Based on these facts, the school guidance system is said to be an integral part of the school plan. (NCGE, 2004) Guidance provision in schools involves a range of guidance and counselling activities and services (Department of Education and Science's Guidelines for Second Level Schools, 1998), relating to students' access to appropriate guidance for an overview on the importance of guidance. Guidance activities that assist students to make choices include: (a) counselling which deals with helping students to explore their thoughts and feelings, and the choices open to them; giving care and support to students learning to cope

Microorganism in food industry Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Microorganism in food industry - Research Paper Example Understanding these will possibly lead to much of the food production processes becoming shorter and less time consuming and will lead to less waste being produced. Some examples of foods that are produced using microorganisms include wine, cheese and bread. This paper will attempt to take a look at the microorganisms used in each of these foods and attempt to explain some of the mechanisms they utilise to achieve the result that humans desire. Winemaking Yeast in Wine Wine is a popular beverage where microorganisms play an important part. Wine has been consumed by humans for thousands of years (Okamura et al,1596) and the exact science of the wine making process is still being decoded. The quality of a wine is determined by whether the taste of that wine is original, the finesse, intensity of taste and by the microbiological and physicochemical stability (Dubourdieu, 1986; Noble, 1988; Rapp and Mandery, 1986; Schreier, 1979 of Colagrande, Silva and Fumi, 2) (Refer fig1). The microbi ology behind the wine making process was only established less than 2 centuries ago by the work of Louis Pasteur (Bakalinsky and Penner, 1993 from Okamura et al,1596, Colagrande, Silva and Fumi,2). Yeasts are used extensively in wine making. There are approximately 700 species of yeast and sixteen of these species have been used in the process of making wine. These include Brettanomyces, Dekkera, Candida, Cryptococcus, Debaryomyces, Hanseniaspora, Kloeckera, Kluyveromyces, Metschnikowia, Pichia, Rhodotorula, Saccharomyces, Saccharomycodes, Schizosaccharomyces, Torulaspora and Zygosaccharomyces (Pretorius et al, 1999 of Swiegers et al, 142). Saccharomyces cerevisae is one of the most commonly used organisms for producing wine though other such as Pleurotus ostreatus, Flammulina velutipes and Agaricus blazei have recently been exploited (Okamura et al, 1596). A specific variety of grape can be exploited to produce some qualities of wines such as the distinctive smell (Dubourdieu 2000, Lambrechts and Pretorius 2000, Guth and Sies 2002, Swiegers and Pretorius 2005 of Swiegers et al, 142). Some of these distinctive volatile compounds which cause properties of a wine like smell arise from grapes. However, several are due to the action of yeast and bacteria during the production of wine. Taste is also greatly affected by the bacteria and yeast used during wine (Schreier, 1979; Simpson, 1979; Williams et al, 1989; Etievant 1991, Guth, 1998; Boulton et al, 1998; Rapp,1998; Dubourdieu, 2000; Ferreira et al, 2000; Lambrechts and Pretorius, 2000; Ribereau-Gayon et al, 2000a,b; Ortega et al, 2001; Guth and Sies, 2002 of Swiegers et al, 141). Grapes can only support the proliferation of few microorganisms (Henschke, 1997 of Swiegers et al, 142). This has been attributed mainly due to the selective pressure on the microorganisms due to the high content of sugar and the low pH of grape (Swiegers et al, 142). In addition, sulphur dioxide is usually added to the mixture during wine making and this adds even more selectivity to the microorganisms that can grow. Usually, oxidative microorganisms that may be harmful are limited due to the sulphur dioxide (Swiegers et al, 142). Once anaerobic conditions start to predominate during the winemaking process, even more microorganisms find the conditions unfavourable for growth and the production of ethanol further limits the types of microorganisms th

Careers Education System in Cyprus Thesis Proposal

Careers Education System in Cyprus - Thesis Proposal Example Career counselling in Cyprus serves to orient and enlighten the pupils with future employment opportunities and enable them to fully realize their aptitudes and aspirations so they can pursue the most suitable specialization. Having this in mind, the question now is what career guidance program will be suited for fulfilling the needs of the student population. As Cyprus already has a national career guidance program applied in its school system, the issue that seeks to be addressed is the changes that needs to be implemented for it not only to be effective but also responsive to the needs of the students, parent, school management and school staff. This research shall focus on the needed changes in the guidance system of Cyprus as determined by the contemporary social setting so as to be responsive to the needs of the students, educator and parents. To achieve this, the current system of the Cyprus guidance and career provision shall be discussed and analysed for inadequacies pointed out by relevant studies and research. Weak points shall be identified and solutions shall be formulated, again analysed against the backdrop of relevant research. It shall be born in mind of the very important principle pointed out by the National Centre for Guidance and Education (2004, foreword) which is the fact that guidance planning shall rely not only on the expertise of the guidance counsellor but also on the school management, staff, parents and students. In additional, there is a need to go beyond the school premises as the only setting for career guidance programs formulation as there is other equally important externalities that affect such provision directly or indirectly such as government policy and industry trends. The purpose, in summary, is to provide a holistic analysis of different factors affecting Cypriot Career Guidance services and be able to formulate strategies to address any incongruence and insufficiency so as to be responsive to the needs of the students, educators and parents. Review of Related Literature According to the NCGE (2004), career guidance refers to a range of learning experiences provided in a developmental sequence that assist students to make personal and social, educational and career choices about their lives and to make transitions consequent on these choices. A school guidance plan is seen to have these benefits: it provides direction by stating the objectives and priorities of the provision of guidance in a school; it enhances the provision of guidance by targeting the needs of students; it focuses the school's resources to where they are needed most; and lastly, it allows staff to contribute to developments and changes in a positive and collaborative way. Based on these facts, the school guidance system is said to be an integral part of the school plan. (NCGE, 2004) Guidance provision in schools involves a range of guidance and counselling activities and services (Department of Education and Science's Guidelines for Second Level Schools, 1998), relating to students' access to appropriate guidance for an overview on the importance of guidance. Guidance activities that assist students to make choices include: (a) counselling which deals with helping students to explore their thoughts and feelings, and the choices open to them; giving care and support to students learning to cope

Discussion 21 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 21 - Essay Example Likewise, the video also noted information regarding risk factors for developing varicose veins that included: family history, being overweight, lack of exercise, smoking and even preponderance for standing or sitting at long periods of time (Society for Vascular Surgery). Finally, there were interventions or recommended treatment such as wearing compression stockings and other more advanced techniques like schlerotheraphy, vein stripping, and ablation (Society for Vascular Surgery). What is striking and motivating in the video is that even for a female and old-aged patient such as Durene Bryant, she was not afraid of seeking professional advice and determining which mode of treatment would address her medical dilemma. By using her as the patient to promote the needed information on varicose veins, patients with similar dilemma would not hesitate to seek professional advice and determine which is the most effective option to address the kind of discomfort they could experience from varicose veins. The site was therefore very illuminating and beneficial for patients and researchers who are interested to know more on the

Cari’s Story Essay Example for Free

Cari’s Story Essay How could an infection in Cari’s nasal passages and pharynx spread into her sinuses? An infection will spread because the pharynx, larynx and sinuses are all connected, so the infection is going to spread to the sinuses and the surrounding areas. What is the cough reflex? Describe the process that Cari’s respiratory system is using to clear her lungs by coughing? The cough reflex is a deep and long inhalation that is followed by the closing the glottis, this causes a strong exhalation that will push the glottis open and sends the air through the respiratory passage. The coughing occurs when a foreign body is in the larynx, trachea or the epiglottis. Cari is coughing because the mucous and fluid buildup in her lungs and her body is to get rid of it. Which structures found in the terminal bronchioles and alveoli normally would protect Cari’s lungs from infectious pathogens and particulate matter? The alveolar macrophage protects her lungs because they wonder around the alveoli space and it collects dust, particles and debris. Cari does smoke and it has caused the cilia in her respiratory passage way to become paralyzed and then it secretes the excess amounts of mucus. The macrophages are sent to the lungs and it gets stuck in the mucus and it can’t fight off the pathogens. How would the resistance of Cari’s airways be affected by excess mucus and fluid in her lung? Cari isn’t getting adequate oxygen because the pressure of fluid and the mucus buildup in her lungs. This is not allowing her lungs to expand so she can get the breath her body needs. The fluid buildup and the pressure are not allowing her oxygen to disperse to the areas it needs. How would Cari’s lung compliance (the effort required to expand the lungs) be altered as her alveoli fill with fluid due to pneumonia? The fluid in her lungs makes it hard to expand because the fluid makes the alveoli sticky and it can’t expand and open. How would fluid in Cari’s lungs affect her total lung capacity? Cari’s lung capacity would go down due to the fact that the air space is being taken up by the fluid in her lungs. How does the elevation of Cari’s respiratory rate alter her minute ventilation? Cari’s respiratory rate will increase her minute ven tilation. Normal blood oxygen saturation levels are greater than 94 percent; Cari’s blood oxygen saturation levels are greater 90 percent at the time of her exam and an initial arterial blood gas analysis done when  she was admitted to the hospital revealed her arterial Po2 was 54mmHg. How do these clinical findings relate to the internal respiration in Cari’s body? Cari’s oxygen saturation level was 90% and the Po2 of mmHg would show that her arteries are having too much oxygen. A normal resting mmHg is 40% and exercises lower Po2level. A normal resting oxygen level is 94%. Which of the symptoms Cari has described are due to the lack of oxygen and reduced oxygen exchange at her tissues? Cari said she is â€Å"panting like a dog† is due from the lack of oxygen and t reduces her oxygen exchange. As Cari’s Pco2 rose, how was the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin affected? The oxygen carrying of hemoglobin volume with the rise of Pco2 will decrease since the Co2 will take O2’s seat. How would you have expected Cari’s decreased Pco2 and alkaline blood pH to have affected her breathing? Cari’s pH and Pco2 will decrease and her rate of breathing will also be decreasing. How would administration of oxygen enhance Cari’s central drive to breathe? Cari would be able to breathe better when oxygen was administered to her. Which anatomical structures in Cari’s respiratory system were initially involved? The structures involved are the trachea, nasal, pharynx, and larynx, and the lungs. Why was Cari plagued with a chronic smoker’s cough? Cari is plagued with a chronic smoker’s cough because she has a 20 year history of smoking. Which damaging effects of tobacco smoke led to Cari’s impaired respiratory defense mechanisms? There are damages to the epithelial with those damages comes the body’s repair process. How did the pneumonia affect Cari’s lung function? Cari’s was having problems getting adequate oxygen, because of the fluid in her lungs. The pneumonia is an infection from bacteria that can affect the body, because of her smoking it made it hard for her lungs to get air.

Literature Review on Leadership Theories

Literature Review on Leadership Theories 1. Introduction This chapter examined the literature of leadership practices on organizational commitment among managers. The study of leadership is seen as complicated because there has not yet reached any agreement among the researchers in terms of the real meaning of leadership. Professions from different fields around the world such as researchers, philosophers, organizational leaders had attempted to define the concept and meaning of leadership (Woods, 2007). As there are a lot of definitions define by professions around the world about the term of leadership, this study helps to identify the concepts of leadership in order to improve leadership practices on organizational commitment. The elements that will be discussed in this chapter were about theories of leadership that have been argued centuries. Then the definitions of leadership practices and five dimensions of leadership practices will be explained in detail. Lastly, the definition of organizational commitment will also be identified and be elaborated in detail. 2. Leadership Theories There had been existence of arguments about the definition of leadership for several centuries (Woods, 2007). It was indicated that the term of leadership cannot be defined easily. However, the existence of leadership in an organization cannot be denied in terms of its role in achieving the goals and objectives of the organization (Grojean, Resick, Dickson Smith, 2004, p.224). The scientific study of leadership became popular on 20th century and a lot of studies at that time were mainly focused on the effectiveness of leadership (Weinberger, 2009; Yukl, 1998). Daft (2005) defined leadership as a relationship between two parties which were leaders and followers that who were willing to create a shared value and strive toward a shared missions and objectives together (Lee, 2008). Besides that, leadership consisted of the meaning that a leader acts as an example or role model for the employees so that they can follow the step of the leader on the path towards the accomplishment of their tasks (Knab, 2009). The members in an organization tend to create the perceptions of what capabilities and criteria should be posses by an effective leader. Therefore, leadership was seen as effective when the leaders are able to develop and maintain the commitment of the employees through efficient monitoring and encouragement (Knab, 2009). According to Weinberger (2009), leadership can be nurtured in the attitudes and behaviours of the people through consistent training and practices. As many leaders in the leading organizations today are unable to fulfil the needs of team. Therefore, the studies of the leadership in terms of teamwork had received attention by the researchers around the world (Carroll and Levy, 2010). This is because different leader have different attitudes and behaviours. Thus, they will perform in different types of leadership practices under different circumstances (Morgeson, DeRue, and Karam, 2010; McGrath, 1962). In current century, the requirement of a leader to practice well in the leadership is getting more difficult. For the situation nowadays, leaders have to confront with more dynamic environment compared to the working environment that was less challenge for a few centuries ago (Leonard and Lang, 2010). The effective leaders were those who were able to fulfil their obligation perfectly and were able to achieve the expectation of the organization and its stakeholders (Weinberger, 2009; Goleman, 2000). There is no comprehensive of the theory and meaning of the term leadership, so it is difficult to determine what a leader should react and how the leader should behave in a particular situation. Regardless of the various meaning and definition of leadership, it continues to be one of the most widely researched topics today. The previous research on leadership had spur out different types of leadership theories such as Great Man Theory, Trait theory, Contingency Theory, Behavioral Theory, Transactional Theory, and Transformational Theory. Each of the leadership theories mentioned has their own meaning and explanation. The existence of different types of leadership theories indicated the efforts of previous researchers in the studies of leadership. Those theories play important role for the further literature study of the leadership (Morgeson, DeRue, and Karam, 2010). The management styles in Asian countries are different with those in western countries. Therefore, there is difficult to practice the western style of leadership in Asian countries such as Malaysia. Consequently, the leadership styles and theories that are accepted by western countries may not have the notable impact on the management styles of organizations in Malaysia (Lee, 2008). Every leader is different in his or her attitudes, behaviours, and management styles. Hence, there is no single theory works for all leaders. Leaders need to develop their own leadership approach by learning more about the following leadership theories. Great Man Theory Trait theory Contingency Theory Leadership Theories Behavioral Theory Transactional Theory Transformational Theory 2.1.1 Great Man Theory Researchers who support the Great Man Theory believe that people are born with the ability and competency to become a leader (Penn, 2008). The earlier studies defined that Great Man Theory described the leaders that had achieved greatness in their behaviours and attitudes (Daft, 2008). In the new era of today, there are still people that are willing to believe in this theory. Although this theory may sound old-fashioned in the eyes of some people in management team today, research suggests that some people actually possess the intelligence, personality traits, and characteristic that lead them to become good leader (Penn, 2008; Yaverbaum and Sherman, 2008). The term Great Man Theory was first studied by Thomas Carlyle (1841) who suggested that great men are the people that posses the intelligent and created the history of the world. Carlyle argued that great man is born with well personality traits, good behaviours, and high degree of knowledge. They are the people that able to facil itate their power and ability of leadership and open minded which lead them to become a great leader and will leave their footprints in the legend and history (Eckmann, 2005). Leader Born Personality traits Behaviours Knowledge 2.1.2 Trait Theory Trait Theory suggested that an effective leader can be identified through the recognition of his or her traits. Traits are the personal characteristic that possess by a leader, such as intelligence, knowledge, values, ideas, self-confidence, and attire or appearance (Daft, 2008). Trait theory suggested that a leader that complete with perfect and unique characteristic will become an effective leader. There were several studies found that potential leader will posses that similar straits of an effective leader. Trait theory had been neglected in the pass studies of leadership. However, as there had been more researchers explored the studies of leadership theories, more research had been done on this theory in recently years (Penn, 2008). Since the studies about straits theory has getting more popular, more research can be done on other personal traits that a leaders possess such as physical and social characteristic so that a more specific and appropriate trait of an effective leader can be develop. According to Daft (2008), there were some studies of this theory showed that same kind of personal characteristic may not suitable for every situation as the environment is always changing. Leader Characteristics or Traits Intelligence Values Self- confidence Appearance 2.1.3 Contingency Theory Contingency theory suggested that effective leaders will perform an appropriate leadership practices according to the different environment and situation (Penn, 2008). They will commit in the management styles that suitable and acceptable by the employees and organizations. According to this theory, the challenge and environment for every organization was different, so there was no a particular leadership or management style that can fit into all kinds of scenarios. A leadership style will have a positive impact for the organization and its member when the style fulfils the requirement of the situation and expectations of the employees. There were two Contingency had been identified in the past studies which were Path-Goal theory and Situational theory (Penn, 2008). According to Daft (2008), Path- Goal Theory suggested leaders can increase the commitment and enthusiasm of the employees to their jobs through the implementation of the leaders behaviours that fulfil the expectation of the employees. Besides that, this theory emphasized that employees organizational commitment can be increase through the using of reward to show the appreciation of contributions of the employees. On the other hand, Situational Theory emphasized that suitable and appropriate leadership styles will be formed for different situations and leaders have to make sure that their leadership styles are match with the abilities of the subordinates and function in the right situation (Hamilton, 1992). Contingency Theory Path-Goal Theory Situational Theory Leader Behaviour Use of Rewards Right Situation Leadership Style 2.1.4 Behavioral Theory In contrast to other theory discussed above, Behavioural Theory suggested that the actions of leaders will have a positive impact when the leaders perform appropriate behaviours that fit into the situations. In other words, everyone can learn to become a good leader if he or she can match the categories of their behaviours with the appropriate leadership styles (Katsuhiko, 2007; Shapira, 1997). According to Coleman (1986), Blake and Mouton of the University of Texas had proposed a two-dimensional leadership theory called the leadership grid. Each axis on the grid is a nine-point scale, with 1 meaning low concern and 9 meaning high concern. Figure 4.1.4 shows the leadership grid. According to Blake and Mouton (1980), Team management (9,9) was considered as the most effective leadership style because all members in the organizations that work together as a team will complete the tasks faster and can achieve a better result through the process of knowledge sharing in a team. Country club management (1,9) occurred when the leaders were behave to be more concern about the well-being of the employees instead of the productivity of the company. In a contrast, Authority- compliance management (9,1) occurred when the leaders show more concern of the productivity instead of the well-being of the employees. Nevertheless, Middle-of-the-road management (5,5) reflected a moderate amount of concern for both people and production. Impoverished management (1,1) was identified as the worst leadership style as the leaders are not concern for both people in the organization and productivity of the organization. Managers are not put their efforts in the maintaining of the relati onship with the subordinates. They also do not concern of the sustainability of the organizations production. 2.1.5 Transactional Theory Transactional leadership suggested that there was an agreement of contract made between the leader and follower about the obligations of both parties (Penn, 2008). According to the agreement, the followers need to perform and accomplish the task and instructions given by the leaders with full commitment. Instead, leaders have to recognize the contributions of the employees and reward them if the tasks given are being fulfilled effectively. Transactional leadership suggested that people tend to put in more effort in order to complete tasks given when there is existence of the rewards and reorganization. However, in the today diverse working environment that full with challenges, there are getting more people that put in effort to complete the task not by the attraction of rewards, they are doing so due to the self motivation and the inspiration of challenge themselves. Transactional leadership consists of two factors which are contingent reward and management by exception (Bass, 1990) . Contingent reward is formed when there is a mutually agreement between leaders and followers in with the ultimate purpose of achieving the objectives and goals of the company. On the other hand, management by exception is focusing on task execution which means that there is mutual trust between the leaders and the employees. Leaders will try their best in correcting the problems arise in order to maintain employees well performance (Weinberger, 2009). Transactional leadership Contingent Reward Management by Exception Mutual Agreement Focusing on task execution Correcting Problems 2.1.6 Transformational Theory Burns (1978) developed the original idea of Transformational Theory. This theory was defined as a process that transforms people through the motivation, values, and well planning goals which can lead the leaders and followers to higher level of satisfaction and successful in achieving target (Anagnoste, Agoston, Puia, 2010). This theory also indicated the ability of leaders in satisfying the needs and expectations of the followers (Kuhnert Lewis, 1987). Bass (1985) suggested that Transformational Theory emphasized the influence of leaders to the followers by developing a way that can encourage the commitment of the followers to achieve a better performance (McCall, Jr., Morgan, 1986). Transformational leaders tend to have the capability to inspire the subordinates. They always encourage the employees to explore deeper of their potential so that they can be more confident about themselves and can contribute more in the effort of achieving the goals of organization (Carless, 2001). According to Bass (1985), there were four major factors that must be practiced by the leaders that wanted to commit in Transformational Leadership. The first factor was Charisma which emphasized on the characteristics expressed by the leaders that can attract and retain the employees through their persuasive words and actions. The second factor was Inspirational leadership which was defined as a sub factor within charismatic leadership behaviour. The leaders that commit in this leadership have the capability to motivate and influent others through the emotional qualities. The third factor was Individualized Consideration which means that the leaders concern for the needs and development of each employee and they respect the dignity of each employee. The last factor was Intellectual Stimulation which implied the intelligent of leaders in problem solving. They encourage the subordinates in asking question and explore the potential of employees to be creative (McCall, Jr., Morgan, 1986) . Transformational Leadership Charisma Inspirational Individualized Intellectual Leadership Consideration Stimulation 2.2 Leadership Practices There were several aspects of the studies of leadership practices because it compromised by different identifications and reorganization (Morgeson, DeRue, and Karam, 2010). An effective leadership practices is the main key to improve employees achievement. Therefore, the focus on this study is to identify the effectiveness of leadership practices in promoting the followers to achieve higher level of organizational commitment. According to Knab (2009), leaders that perform well leadership practices have the ability to motivate and generate interest of the employees to the jobs. At the same time, they are the leaders that can inspire the employees to strive for the wellness of the organization and productivity and look beyond their own self interest. Kouzes and Posner (1993) suggested that credibility is characteristic that can be learnt by leaders through the experience of previous actions. Leaders that had been through different kinds of challenges tend to be more mature and know the way to handle their relationship with subordinates (Woods, 2007). Leaders are responsible to strive and maintain the credibility through continuing behaviours. With credibility as the essential ingredient of leadership, leaders need to always improve in that particular area in order to increase the trust and commitment of employees to them. Kouzes and Posner (2007) also suggested that the theory of leadership practices had been studied by many researchers and those practices can be studied jointly or independently. According to the previous research, practices of credible leaders can be defined in five categories which are: (a) Challenge the Process (b) Inspire a Shared Vision (c) Enable Others to Act (d) Model the Way (e) Encourage the Heart Leadership can happen at any location, in any form and occur in anytime. The effective leaders that organize the people well can accomplish many and different kinds of difficult tasks. According to Kouzes and Posner (2009), every leader that wanted to success in the leadership must commit in the five dimensions of leadership practices that mentioned earlier. 2.2.1 Challenge the Process The meaning of this Challenge the Process leadership practice was defined detail by Kouzes Posner (1995). The previous studies showed that this particular leadership practice described the characteristic of a leader that always look into the opportunity and space for improvement. They are the group of people that willing to confront with the challenges and risks. Besides that, they always prepare themselves to face the changing of the world (Knab, 2009). Leaders that commit in this leadership practice are not afraid of failure, instead they take failure as a process to grow up and improve. The leadership practice of Challenge the Process emphasized on the attitude of leaders that always prepared to venture out. They are the group of people that able to accept new creations and encourage the followers to accept new products, systems, and processes. In fact, they are the one that bring into the new products or services into the organization. The leaders engaged in this leadership practices are the originators of innovation. Therefore, this leadership practice suggested that the leaders to constantly think the situation from different dimensions so that they can create a different and unexpected new thing that can contribute to the productivity of the organization (Kouzes Posner, 2009). 2.2.2 Inspire a Shared Vision Members of the organization expect their leaders to have a clear image of the future and share the vision with them. Leaders who committed leadership practice of inspire a shared vision will helps everyone to formulate a clear picture about future goals that are acceptable and achievable by everyone (Knab, 2009). Leaders play a significant role in communicates the objectives and future plans to the employees in an effective way, and in the meanwhile inspires them to work towards a shared vision. According to Hyatt (2007), the effective leaders that commit in this leadership practice have to share their ideas with the employees. Therefore, the employees will know the direction that of their effort and will strive towards the goal with full commitment. Besides that, the leadership practice of Inspire a Shared Vision emphasized on the behaviours of the leaders that allow the employees to take part in the forming of future vision (Hyatt, 2007; Gabris Ihrke, 2000). Thus, employees will have a feeling that they are part of the organization and play an important part in future planning. Leaders that engaged in this practice are willing to accept known possibilities of the future. They tend to figure out the outcome first before they give the instructions to start a new project. Therefore, they will form a clear picture about what exactly they are pursuing and the best way to achieve the successful. Furthermore, they create a common and shared vision taking into account of the needs and expectations of all members in the organization (Kouzes Posner, 2009). 2.2.3 Enable Others to Act According to Knab (2009), an effective leader that engaged in leadership practice of Enable Other to Act have the ability to influent others and encourage others to act in the way that expected by the leader. They are the leaders that support and encourage the employees to speak out their mind and contribute their ideas in the projects. Besides that, they always provide options for the employees and inspire the commitment of the employees. This leadership practice emphasized the effort of leaders and subordinates work as a team (Woods, 2007). Therefore, leaders play an important part in nurturing mutual trust within the team members (Hyatt, 2007; Tan Tan, 2000). In order to achieve successful in a project, mutual trust and cooperation among the team members are extremely important. This practice also suggested that leaders enable others to act not by forcing or strictly command. Instead, they encourage others to act through the delegation of power (Hyatt, 2007; Gabris Ihrke, 2000). They allowed the employees to make their own decision as long as the decision they make was for the good of the organization. Moreover, they always use the word we to emphasize the important to work as a team (Kouzes Posner, 2009). Thus, the employees will have a perception that they are on the same boat with others member, then the organizational commitment will increase. 2.2.4 Model the Way The leadership practice of Model the Way suggested that leaders can develop and foster mutual trust between the leader and subordinates and within the subordinates by being the role model for the subordinates (Knab, 2009). Leaders that engaged in this practice are the leaders that ethic, honest and respect dignity of others. They will clearly define the obligations of employees and give a specific instruction so that employees will receive a clear picture of what are the expectations of leaders to them. According to the study of Woods (2007), it was defined that leaders that engaged in this particular leadership practices are able to express themselves with a clear values. Then they will make sure that their behaviour and attitudes are aligned with the values they show to the employees. Competency leaders know that they must involve in the role model expected by employees so that they can gain the trust of the employees and upgrade the commitment of the employees. To be an effective leader that model the way, leaders have to make sure their values and beliefs were accepted by the employees and demonstrate their daily actions that committed to their values and standards (Hyatt, 2007; Gabris Ihrke, 2000). Leaders actions will have more impact on the commitment of the employees than their words or instructions. However, leaders actions must be consistent with what they are promised to the employees. Besides that, leaders have to identify their position in the eyes of employees. They have to make sure that their existence in the organization is important and their instructions always followed by the subordinates. The leadership practice of Model the Way explained the right attitudes that leaders should commit in their direct interaction with employees. The leaders that act as a role model tend to be the leaders that earn the respect of the employees (Kouzes Posner, 2009). 2.2.5 Encourage the Heart Leaders that engaged in leadership practice of Encourage the Heart are willing to show their appreciation to the employees publicly, and always find ways to celebrate the achievement of the subordinates (Knab, 2009). Therefore, people will be more enthusiasm to their job as their contributions are appreciated by the leaders. Besides that, the employees that receive the recognition of the leaders will increase in their self-confidence and self-esteem (Hyatt, 2007; Javidan Waldman, 2003). Thus, they will not be afraid to share their ideas and knowledge with other colleagues. The increase of confidence of employees will then encourage the commitment of employees in their jobs. This will be a competitive advantage for the organization to compete in this challenging world. The high level of organizational commitment among the employees will then increase the productivity ultimately. In the process of upgrading the quality of the products and services require the leaders to motivate the heart of the employees. Leaders play an essential role to ensure that the employees values are align with the objectives of the company (Kouzes Posner, 2009). The leaders that appreciate the effort of the employees will increase the sense of belonging of the employees. When the employees feel that they are a part of the members in the organization, they will be more commit in their jobs and willing to stay with the organization even in the through tough times. 2.3 Organizational Commitment Organizational commitment had received highly attention of the researchers in the previous studies. Previous research had identified that organizational commitment had a significant influence in some aspect of working attitudes and behaviours such as job satisfaction, job performance, and turnover rate (Lee, 2008; Lok and Crawford, 2001; Yousef, 2000). Organizational commitment focuses on employees commitment to the organization. Mowday et al., (1974) explained the definition of organizational commitment as the belief of employees regarding the organizations objectives and values. This will imply the desire of the employees effort and the willingness to contribute to the organization. The employees will be more committed in their organizations if the values and culture of the organizations align with their expectations. Then they will stay loyalty to the organization. According to Cole (2000), a committed worker always believes in companys products and services. He or she is willing to put in a lot of effort and even willing to make sacrifices as long as the purpose is for the good of company. Besides that, the employees are willing to introduce the company to their friends. They will feel proud of their company and recommend their organization to the others as the best place to work for. Furthermore, they will choose to contribute to the company that spur out their organizational commitment rather than the company that provide high salary but absence of the sense of belonging (Lee, 2008). Meyer and Allen (1991) developed three different types of organizational commitment. According to Woods (2007), the three aspects of organizational commitment were defined as below. Affective Commitment This aspect of the commitment described the feeling of employees to the organization that expressed in a positive way. They feel attach to the organization because the organization provided them a sense of belonging. The choose stay in the organization because they want to. Continuance Commitment This aspect of the commitment explained the perceptions of the employees that they will lose their benefits if they leave the organization. Besides that, they afraid to suffer the cost of losing their friendship with colleagues and the cost of losing the economic cost such as insurance, welfare, bonus, and etc. Therefore, they will choose to stay in the organization because they have to. Normative Commitment This aspect of the commitment suggested that the employees continue to contribute to the organization as they have a feeling of obligation. There will be many causes of that feeling. For instance, an employee will have a sense of moral obligation and afraid to leave the company as the company had invested a lot in his or her training. Therefore, the employee will have a perception that he or she has the responsibility to stay still in the organization. As a result, the employees will choose to commit in the organization as they feel that they ought to. 2.4 Summary Leadership was defined in many meanings by researchers and it showed that leadership was indeed plays an important role in todays organization. Although there have been many different theories and definitions of leadership, there is still space for further research about leadership (Lee, 2008). Since it was suggested by previous studies that principal of leadership is the key to improve employees achievement, it is important that we continue to investigate what type of leadership is most effective for the organizations (Knab, 2009). The need for effective and efficient leadership practices are important for the leaders in today organization to engage in. Sufficient and efficient practices of leadership in the organization by leaders will increases the organizational commitment of the employees. As a result, the productivity will also be increased. A leader may have knowledge and skills to act effectively in one situation but he or she may not perform as effectively in a different situation as there is always consist of different challenges in different situation (Lee, 2008; Rad and Yarmohammadian, 2006). In this chapter, the theories of leadership were defined. Subsequently, in this chapter the five leadership practices was explained and its important was discussed as well. Furthermore, the meaning of organizational commitment also be defined and three-component model of commitment was identified.

The Seduction Eileen McAuley To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell Eileen

The Seduction Eileen McAuley To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell Eileen McAuley’s The Seduction is set against the bleak surroundings of Merseyside. ‘The Seduction’ Eileen McAuley ‘To His Coy Mistress’ Andrew Marvell Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction’ is set against the bleak surroundings of Merseyside. The purpose of the story is to show a teenage girl’s predicament after getting drunk at a party. The poet contrasts the girl’s ideas of love and sex with reality. This is done effectively by using techniques such as similes and alliteration. The poem shows how young teenage girls can be easily seduced under the influence of alcohol. ‘The Seduction’ also shows how young girls can be manipulated by the media. McAuley presents the setting for the seduction of the girl as harsh through use of language and imagery. The setting is described using phrases such as ‘far from the blind windows of the tower blocks’. The words ‘tower blocks’ gives the setting a threatening atmosphere. Also the words ‘blind windows’ adds mystery to the setting. This is because the two words are contrasting. The word ‘blind’ is usually associated with visionless. While ‘windows’ are usually see-through. ‘The Seduction’ is set in the ‘quiet bricks of Birkenhead’ suggesting that place that he takes her to is remote. ‘Far past the silver stream of traffic through the city’ this is implies that they were distant from the busy city leaving them isolated this makes the girl vulnerable. A lot of the language used in 'The Seduction' is symbolic. ‘So she followed him there all high white shoes’ is an example of symbolic poetry. The shoes are described as white to present a symbol of purity, which is a major theme in the poem. Towards the... ... Mistress’ is to show the effects of a seduction. ‘The Seduction’ focuses on a teenage seduction whereas ‘To His Coy Mistress’ focuses on a more matured seduction. McAuley’s poem ‘The Seduction’ is critical of teenage magazines. McAuley shows a disliking attitude towards the contents of teenage magazines. This may be because she is against the way love and romance is presented these types of magazines. McAuley is also critical of society’s attitude towards teenage pregnancy. She explores how things like anorexia and drugs amongst teenagers are accepted by society and how teenage pregnancy is not. McAuley also criticizes prejudice and stereotyping in the society. I enjoyed reading both ‘The Seduction’ and ‘To His Coy Mistress’. I preferred Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction because it has a more meaningful message, also because it is directed at my age group.

Massachusetts Law

If guests harm themselves or others, after consuming alcoholic drinks at the host’s dwelling, then under certain circumstances, the host can be made responsible for such harm. The liability that arises can be either civil or criminal and the penalties imposed could range from imprisonment or community service to fines. In most of the States of the Union it has been deemed to be a crime to violate social host laws (Harvard College. Social Host Liability Law). The McGuiggan v. New England Tel case of Massachusetts discussed the question of social host liability. This case was based on incidents that transpired in the year 1978. Daniel the son of the McGuiggans had completed his high school studies successfully. In order to commemorate this occasion the McGuiggans held a party in which alcohol was served to the guests. Most of the guests were the classmates of Daniel and one of them, by the name of James Magee, who had   consumed alcoholic drinks before attending the party was offered some more drinks by the McGuiggans (McGuiggan v. New England Telephone and Telegraph, Co). After some time had elapsed, Daniel, Magee and two other guests went for a drive in a car. While travelling in this fashion, Daniel leaned out of the car window in order to vomit, whereupon his head collided with a cement post belonging to the New England Telephone company. The result injury proved to be fatal. Subsequently, the McGuiggans filed a case against the New England Telephone company. This company contended that the plaintiffs were liable for prosecution due to their being the social hosts of the drunken Magee. This was not accepted by the court, which decided in favor of the McGuiggans, because it could not be established that the McGuiggans were aware that Magee was drunk (McGuiggan v. New England Telephone and Telegraph, Co). The statute in this context was amended in the year 2000, consequent to the death of a drunken minor who had been involved in a fatal driving accident. The current legal position obtaining in this regard is that a parent who permits or condones the consumption of alcoholic drinks to minors is criminally liable. Hitherto fore, criminal liability was attendant only upon the actual offer of alcoholic drinks to a minor (Mass.Gen.Laws.ch.138). Since there has been no reduction in the number of cases involving drunken driving by minors, it would be extremely dangerous to make the law in respect of social host liability less stringent. The need of the hour is to make the punishment much more stringent and in addition, the offenders should also be made liable according to   the negligent per se standard, as is extant in some of the other States of the Union. Works Cited Harvard College. Social Host Liability Law. 30 September 2004. 28 September 2007 . â€Å"Mass.Gen.Laws.ch.138.† 2004. McGuiggan v. New England Telephone and Telegraph, Co. No. 398 Mass. 152 496 N.E.2d 141 . 1986.   

Pedagogical Techniques: Cognitive Disequilibrium an Goldilocks Principle

Cognitive Disequilibrium There will always be different kinds of intellects at classrooms. What are considered the worst students do not like to think through a problem or find out how a mechanism works, while some of the better students may understand the same concepts but do not think further about them once they are done learning what they had to learn. This is when the presence of a teacher asking them questions comes into play. A technique used to make students think further is called the cognitive disequilibrium. Cognitive disequilibrium is in charge of daring students to think of better ways why something works the way it does.The name itself points at imbalanced knowledge towards a certain topic. Let’s take for example a group of students leading an experiment where they are mostly sure of what the outcome will be. Their desire to find results that matches their theory will be biased, and if something in the experiment indicates their theory is not completely true ther e will be a moment of conflicting cognitions; this is what researchers call cognitive disequilibrium. Starting as early as the 1950’s, social psychologist Leon Festinger coined the term â€Å"cognitive dissonance† in his book When Prophecy Fails.At the same time, developmental psychologist Jean Piaget realized his work in cognitive developmental theory, including a close approach to cognitive dissonance. He conceptualized that as a child grows up, he will constantly be finding new information that will challenge the former beliefs he had, thus making an imbalance in cognition and making the child adapt to a new set of ideas (Colombo, 2002). This kind of conflict affects learning the same way it can affect the process of gathering information. Much like in research, theories can change drastically based on how big the changes are when finding new data.According to Chin and Brewer (1993) there are seven different forms of response to inconsistent information, the unpredi cted information that can possibly throw off one’s already learned knowledge: ignoring, rejecting, excluding, abeyance, reinterpreting, peripheral change, and theory change. Because of its ability to change theories and change our perception of beliefs, cognitive disequilibrium is not only a concept, but it also serves as a major pedagogical technique. In the context of educational psychology, cognitive disequilibrium can be used as a tool to defy students and their ideas.We can see instances where in class a teacher asks a student a question related to the material to see if the student is familiar with it, but that does not show understanding of the material. By asking more in-depth questions of why a student thinks he has the right answer or by asking about how he came about finding the answer we are solidifying a pathway that shows us why the answer is such. If there is not an exact pathway that could explain how one came to conclude that the answer is correct, there may be an error in between that could change the answer. In the case of our lecture class, Dr.Zola has made use of this technique in a couple of occasions to motivate students into thinking deeper about their answers to simple questions he makes. I remember at least one occasion where he asks a simple question about a student’s take on a subject, and when the student confidently answered, Dr. Zola asked follow-up questions that made the student rethink his response, and thus think better about his argument. Not only would he give follow-up questions, but introduce new ideas backed up by other researchers of prestige that could really change the way we think.The times he presents new information that unbalances our beliefs are just followed by very small pauses where we reconsider our ideas, until we have to discuss them with other students or we move ahead to new material. Every concept that we rethink due to new information presented should be given a good amount of time to brea k down what we know about the concept and build up a new conclusion in our minds. By giving us more time to think, we can further build up on the ideas on our mind and solidify the new concepts we are learning.Like I said before, we need to plan out a pathway that leads us to our concluding ideas or theories. Due to the fact that most of our work in lecture and discussion is based on partner or group talk; we need to be ready to give out our opinions on different matters with a solid argument. It is true that most of the concepts we learn about in lecture are somewhat familiar to us since we have dealt with them ourselves or we have seen people been affected by what researches have to say about cognitive development.However, it is always good to satisfy the need to learn more about different concepts by bringing up new information that will make us see the concept from a different angle. We need to be able to break down what we know about the concept, pick up the details that are st ill useful to us, get rid of the details that are no longer any useful, and accept the new details that will shape our concepts in different ways. Goldilocks Principle Another technique used by effective teachers deals with being able to assign tasks and assignments to students so that they fit their levels of skill or prior knowledge.The Goldilocks principle is appropriate for this, since it deals with finding the right level of difficulty materials that are given to students. Like Graesser mentioned it (2008), material that is too easy for the audience will be disregarded as it may seem repetitive from what the audience or students have learned before; if the material is too hard, students may find it too frustrating and will give up. This technique suggests that materials and assignments should not be too hard or too easy.At a right, constant level students will remain engaged with the material. This is related to what O’Donnell, Reeve, and Smith (2008) explained as Vygots ky’s â€Å"zone of proximal development† as the concept that tells us that a child should be taught at his own level of recent maturity. This means that a student shouldn’t be pushed to work the material as if he has already mastered it or been experienced with it, but that he should work the material as if he’s still practicing it. As Wolfe et al. 1998) demonstrated in their article a group of researchers from two different schools experiment how background knowledge can affect students’ ability to comprehend different materials given. In this experiment, students were given the task to learn about something of background knowledge to them; in this case, it was the functions if the human heart. Students were given the same material but in different reading levels. The researchers found out that little background knowledge on the topic made the students gain about as much knowledge as the students with major background knowledge did.In other words, students whose prior knowledge did not overlap enough with the contents of the text did not learn well but neither did students whose knowledge overlapped too much with the contents of the text. At the end of their research, they found out that â€Å"low-knowledge† students understood just as much as â€Å"high-knowledge† students when their material was customized for the highly coherent and detailed, just as when the material given to high-knowledge students was presented with coherent gaps that they had to fill in by themselves.This technique should be used in a classroom environment to reach for those students that are not fully engaged to the material given. In the classroom we could find different types of learners, but it is fair to say that under-challenged and over-challenged students make up most of the class. By finding a way to balance the material and presenting it in a way that is fully detailed for some and challenging for others the instructor will be able to have most, if not all of the class fully engaged. Based on what I have experienced in class, we can say that Dr. Zola has made good use of this technique. Dr.Zola is letting his students use their own background knowledge to fill in gaps in the knowledge of other students through discussion. By bringing up questions that almost everybody is familiar with, but that everybody has a different take on, the discussions amongst students can last for a good while, and students always end up learning from each other when sharing stories and background knowledge. After all, there are several ways to keep a variety of learners engaged in the classroom, as by having discussions to keep the class active, integrating other fields in the material, stimulating the senses of the audience, etc.These last mentioned only keep the class active, and hopefully everybody engaged, but as a teacher one must still work on filling those gaps that some students may have about the material being learned . References Colombo, J. (2002) Infant Attention Grows up: The Emergence of a Developmental CognitiveNeuroscience Perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science  , Vol. 11, No. 6 (Dec. , 2002), pp. 196-200. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20182811 Wolfe, M. W. , Schreiner, M. E. , Rehder, B. , Lahman, D. , Folts, P. W. , Kintsch, W. , & Landaure, T. K. (1998).Learning From Text: Matching Readers and Text by Latent Semantic Analysis. Discourse Processes, 25(2/3), 309-336. Graesser (2008). 25 Learning Principles to Guide Pedagogy and the Design of Learning Environments. Life Long Learning at Work and at Home. Retrieved from http://psyc. memphis. edu/learning O’Donnell, A. , Reeve, J. , Smith, F. (2008) Educational Psychology: Reflection for Action. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Chinn, C. A. , & Brewer, W. F. (1993). The role of anomalous data in knowledge acquisition: A theoretical Framework and implications for.. Review of Educational Research, 63(1) , 1. Pedagogical Techniques: Cognitive Disequilibrium an Goldilocks Principle Cognitive Disequilibrium There will always be different kinds of intellects at classrooms. What are considered the worst students do not like to think through a problem or find out how a mechanism works, while some of the better students may understand the same concepts but do not think further about them once they are done learning what they had to learn. This is when the presence of a teacher asking them questions comes into play. A technique used to make students think further is called the cognitive disequilibrium. Cognitive disequilibrium is in charge of daring students to think of better ways why something works the way it does.The name itself points at imbalanced knowledge towards a certain topic. Let’s take for example a group of students leading an experiment where they are mostly sure of what the outcome will be. Their desire to find results that matches their theory will be biased, and if something in the experiment indicates their theory is not completely true ther e will be a moment of conflicting cognitions; this is what researchers call cognitive disequilibrium. Starting as early as the 1950’s, social psychologist Leon Festinger coined the term â€Å"cognitive dissonance† in his book When Prophecy Fails.At the same time, developmental psychologist Jean Piaget realized his work in cognitive developmental theory, including a close approach to cognitive dissonance. He conceptualized that as a child grows up, he will constantly be finding new information that will challenge the former beliefs he had, thus making an imbalance in cognition and making the child adapt to a new set of ideas (Colombo, 2002). This kind of conflict affects learning the same way it can affect the process of gathering information. Much like in research, theories can change drastically based on how big the changes are when finding new data.According to Chin and Brewer (1993) there are seven different forms of response to inconsistent information, the unpredi cted information that can possibly throw off one’s already learned knowledge: ignoring, rejecting, excluding, abeyance, reinterpreting, peripheral change, and theory change. Because of its ability to change theories and change our perception of beliefs, cognitive disequilibrium is not only a concept, but it also serves as a major pedagogical technique. In the context of educational psychology, cognitive disequilibrium can be used as a tool to defy students and their ideas.We can see instances where in class a teacher asks a student a question related to the material to see if the student is familiar with it, but that does not show understanding of the material. By asking more in-depth questions of why a student thinks he has the right answer or by asking about how he came about finding the answer we are solidifying a pathway that shows us why the answer is such. If there is not an exact pathway that could explain how one came to conclude that the answer is correct, there may be an error in between that could change the answer. In the case of our lecture class, Dr.Zola has made use of this technique in a couple of occasions to motivate students into thinking deeper about their answers to simple questions he makes. I remember at least one occasion where he asks a simple question about a student’s take on a subject, and when the student confidently answered, Dr. Zola asked follow-up questions that made the student rethink his response, and thus think better about his argument. Not only would he give follow-up questions, but introduce new ideas backed up by other researchers of prestige that could really change the way we think.The times he presents new information that unbalances our beliefs are just followed by very small pauses where we reconsider our ideas, until we have to discuss them with other students or we move ahead to new material. Every concept that we rethink due to new information presented should be given a good amount of time to brea k down what we know about the concept and build up a new conclusion in our minds. By giving us more time to think, we can further build up on the ideas on our mind and solidify the new concepts we are learning.Like I said before, we need to plan out a pathway that leads us to our concluding ideas or theories. Due to the fact that most of our work in lecture and discussion is based on partner or group talk; we need to be ready to give out our opinions on different matters with a solid argument. It is true that most of the concepts we learn about in lecture are somewhat familiar to us since we have dealt with them ourselves or we have seen people been affected by what researches have to say about cognitive development.However, it is always good to satisfy the need to learn more about different concepts by bringing up new information that will make us see the concept from a different angle. We need to be able to break down what we know about the concept, pick up the details that are st ill useful to us, get rid of the details that are no longer any useful, and accept the new details that will shape our concepts in different ways. Goldilocks Principle Another technique used by effective teachers deals with being able to assign tasks and assignments to students so that they fit their levels of skill or prior knowledge.The Goldilocks principle is appropriate for this, since it deals with finding the right level of difficulty materials that are given to students. Like Graesser mentioned it (2008), material that is too easy for the audience will be disregarded as it may seem repetitive from what the audience or students have learned before; if the material is too hard, students may find it too frustrating and will give up. This technique suggests that materials and assignments should not be too hard or too easy.At a right, constant level students will remain engaged with the material. This is related to what O’Donnell, Reeve, and Smith (2008) explained as Vygots ky’s â€Å"zone of proximal development† as the concept that tells us that a child should be taught at his own level of recent maturity. This means that a student shouldn’t be pushed to work the material as if he has already mastered it or been experienced with it, but that he should work the material as if he’s still practicing it. As Wolfe et al. 1998) demonstrated in their article a group of researchers from two different schools experiment how background knowledge can affect students’ ability to comprehend different materials given. In this experiment, students were given the task to learn about something of background knowledge to them; in this case, it was the functions if the human heart. Students were given the same material but in different reading levels. The researchers found out that little background knowledge on the topic made the students gain about as much knowledge as the students with major background knowledge did.In other words, students whose prior knowledge did not overlap enough with the contents of the text did not learn well but neither did students whose knowledge overlapped too much with the contents of the text. At the end of their research, they found out that â€Å"low-knowledge† students understood just as much as â€Å"high-knowledge† students when their material was customized for the highly coherent and detailed, just as when the material given to high-knowledge students was presented with coherent gaps that they had to fill in by themselves.This technique should be used in a classroom environment to reach for those students that are not fully engaged to the material given. In the classroom we could find different types of learners, but it is fair to say that under-challenged and over-challenged students make up most of the class. By finding a way to balance the material and presenting it in a way that is fully detailed for some and challenging for others the instructor will be able to have most, if not all of the class fully engaged. Based on what I have experienced in class, we can say that Dr. Zola has made good use of this technique. Dr.Zola is letting his students use their own background knowledge to fill in gaps in the knowledge of other students through discussion. By bringing up questions that almost everybody is familiar with, but that everybody has a different take on, the discussions amongst students can last for a good while, and students always end up learning from each other when sharing stories and background knowledge. After all, there are several ways to keep a variety of learners engaged in the classroom, as by having discussions to keep the class active, integrating other fields in the material, stimulating the senses of the audience, etc.These last mentioned only keep the class active, and hopefully everybody engaged, but as a teacher one must still work on filling those gaps that some students may have about the material being learned . References Colombo, J. (2002) Infant Attention Grows up: The Emergence of a Developmental CognitiveNeuroscience Perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science  , Vol. 11, No. 6 (Dec. , 2002), pp. 196-200. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20182811 Wolfe, M. W. , Schreiner, M. E. , Rehder, B. , Lahman, D. , Folts, P. W. , Kintsch, W. , & Landaure, T. K. (1998).Learning From Text: Matching Readers and Text by Latent Semantic Analysis. Discourse Processes, 25(2/3), 309-336. Graesser (2008). 25 Learning Principles to Guide Pedagogy and the Design of Learning Environments. Life Long Learning at Work and at Home. Retrieved from http://psyc. memphis. edu/learning O’Donnell, A. , Reeve, J. , Smith, F. (2008) Educational Psychology: Reflection for Action. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Chinn, C. A. , & Brewer, W. F. (1993). The role of anomalous data in knowledge acquisition: A theoretical Framework and implications for.. Review of Educational Research, 63(1) , 1.