Why Capital Punishment Should Be Reinstated in Australia

Australian society has ultimately rejected the idea of the practice of capital punishment making a return into the Australian law books. However, events such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the Bali bombings have ensured that the spotlight once again shines on the controversial subject. I am in favour of the practice returning to Australia for heinous crimes such as murder, child molestation, serial rapists, and people who commit acts of animal cruelty. This is because: †¢ The death penalty deters crime †¢ The victim or those close to the victim deserve justice and will receive closure †¢ It’s far more economical to execute prisoners locked away †¢ DNA testing reduces the risks of mistakes being made †¢ The death penalty†¦show more content†¦I acknowledge that the occasional execution of an innocent person is a tragic event, and the answer is not to dismantle the system, but to exercise even more care in its application. My fifth and final point is that the death penalty doesn’t violate the right to life. Once you commit a serious crime such as murder, rape or child molestation, you destroy many lives and the damage can be irreparable! Through the destruction of another person’s right to life, you forfeit the right you held to your own life. We cannot condone the fact that grandmothers such as 78-year-old Josephine Cesnik was beaten and threatened in her own home earlier this year. Mrs. Cesnik died nine days later, afraid of seeking help because she feared her attacker would return and kill her. We cannot condone the fact that eight-year-old Sofia Rodriguez Urrutia-Shu was raped and murdered in a Perth public toilet in June 2006. Mrs. Cesnik’s family was robbed of a loving grandmother, while the Urrutia-Shu family lost a sweet, quiet little girl. These cowards have completely shattered many lives, while the both the Howard and Rudd governments have the audacity and hypocrisy to allow 6 members of the Bali Nine to be executed by firing squad overseas! A twisted life allowed to continue cannot redeem the innocent life taken, nor can it repair the lives destroyed. Bibliography †¢Show MoreRelated Death Penalty Essay1171 Words   |  5 Pages Death Penalty The death penalty, outlawed in most of Europe, Canada, Australia and most other countries in the world, is still practiced in almost 40 states in the U.S. Today, there are more than 3,000 people on death row waiting the day of their execution. They are put to death by methods such as hanging, electrocution, lethal injection and by firing squad. Since the death penalty was reinstated bye the supreme court in 1976, by the Gregg v. Georgia decision, more than 525 people have been putRead MoreCapital Punishment1276 Words   |  6 PagesOutline I. Religious Views a. Hinduism b. Jainism c. Buddhism d. Judaism and Christianity e. Islam II. Who a. Countries b. States c. Juveniles III. What Ways IV. Why, Laws Broken a. Laws about it b. Cost c. Wrongful accusation V. Increased Murder Rate VI. Conclusion Did you know, that according to a study at North Carolina State, a murder case cost 2.16 million dollars more with a death penalty then with a sentence of life imprisonment? It s true! It is estimated that theRead MoreEssay on Death Penalty and Deterrence3532 Words   |  15 Pagesfewer acceptable forms of punishment that are used. For very unserious crimes, governments may simply make a criminal pay a small fine or do service for the community in some way. Offenders who commit more serious crimes may be forced to spend months or years in jail or prison. However, for the most serious crime of premeditated murder there is an even greater punishment; the punishment of death. According to Jacquelyn C. Black, since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated, over 821 men and womenRead MoreTwo Wrongs Dont Make a Right Essay2290 Words   |  10 Pageslegal in America. It was the harshest penalty the American justice system can administer. Capital punishment does not seem to when describ ed in this manner; it sounds like a scene described from a horror movie. Many nations have replaced this primeval system of punishment with life imprisonment. The death penalty is not a solution to heinous crimes, and humanity should abdicate its use as a form of punishment. The death penalty is extremely expensive and there is at least one alternativeRead MoreDeath Penalty Synthesis Essay with Documents5074 Words   |  21 Pagesposition; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Introduction: The death penalty has been implemented since ancient times and punishes criminals. Some people wonder if it deters violent crime in the states it is legal, but does it have a noticeable effect on violent crimes in these places? Is it even moral, and should it be abolished altogether? Assignment: Read the followingRead MoreReligion and Peace3760 Words   |  16 Pagesfaithful will be redeemed and will live in perpetual peace. Islam Concept of peace Peace can only be found in the submission to the will of God. Like in Christianity peace was lost through Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God. In Islam peace can be reinstated in the world through dutiful obedience to the ways of God by following and understanding the teachings of the Prophets sent by God to guide humans. If an individual successfully surrenders his/her life to Allah they will enjoy eternal peace in heaven/paradiseRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 PagesCalifornia College for Health Sciences MBA Program McGraw-Hill/Irwin abc McGraw−Hill Primis ISBN: 0−390−58539−4 Text: Effective Behavior in Organizations, Seventh Edition Cohen Harvard Business Review Finance Articles The Power of Management Capital Feigenbaum−Feigenbaum International Management, Sixth Edition Hodgetts−Luthans−Doh Contemporary Management, Fourth Edition Jones−George Driving Shareholder Value Morin−Jarrell Leadership, Fifth Edition Hughes−Ginnett−Curphy The Art of M A:Read MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pageswritten permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, website www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, (201)748-6011, fax (201)748-6008, website http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. To order books or for customer service please, call 1-800-CALLRead MoreThe Management and Control of Quality 8e34169 Words   |  137 Pagesrevolution† in the United States EXCEPT the: a. loss of national competitiveness. b. findings of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). c. popularity of â€Å"Made in Japan† products in the country. d. broadcast of the NBC special program, If Japan Can, Why Can’t We? Answer: b AACSB: Analytic Skills In 1984, the U.S. government designated ____ as the National Quality Month. a. February b. October c. July d. March Answer: b AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills 14. 15. 16. 17. Page 6 of 26 http://wwwRead MoreHuman Resources Management150900 Words   |  604 PagesAfter you have read this chapter, you should be able to: ââ€"  Identify four major HR challenges currently facing organizations and managers. List and define each of the seven major categories of HR activities. Identify the three different roles of HR management. Discuss the three dimensions associated with HR management as a strategic business contributor. Explain why HR professionals and operating managers must view HR management as an interface. Discuss why ethical issues and professionalism affect

Workplace Ethics - 1008 Words

Assignment 2: Workplace Ethics Danielle Davis Professor Kenneth A. Pino BUS 309: Business Ethics Abstract Regardless of your occupation, employees have the right to privacy. Case 9.1: Unprofessional Conduct shows how Pettit privacy was violated. Pettit was a teacher of many years and never had a bad evaluation of her work. What she did outside of work was labeled unprofessional by the Board of Education and they chose to fire her because they believed she was unfit to teach. I disagree with them completely and they did violate her privacy. Business Ethics is defined as â€Å"the study of what constitutes right and wrong (or good and bad) human conduct in a business context† (Shaw, 2014, p. 4). Based off this definition, I believed†¦show more content†¦I wouldn’t want people spying on me outside of my workplace. We should be able to live our lives without people being in our business. Pettit was just doing what she like outside of work and it was not affecting her job. In my opinion, Pettit’s behavior was not unprofessional nor immoral and I don’t believe she was unfit to teach. Pettit’s professionalism should be regarding her character at or dealing with work not in her personal life. Pettit had no problem performing her job. She was an experienced teacher who haven’t had any negative evaluations. Pettit acting unprofessional was never an issue while she was a teacher. People may call her unprofessional if they saw her taking part in her sexual activities out side or work but that had nothing to do with her character at work. She kept her personal life private and away from her career. The Board of Education chose to break into her personal life to spy on her. She did nothing wrong and I believe she was professional if regarding to her work life. I choose not to judge people so I cannot say that Pettit was immoral. Who are we to say if she was doing the wrong of right thing? Her sexual preference is her own business and she kept it private. The Board of Education had no clear evidence of Pettit’s professionalism and no evidence to prove that she was unfit to teach. If teachers haveShow MoreRelatedEthics : Ethics And The Workplace1407 Words   |  6 PagesIn this day in age ethics is a big part of businesses. An Ethical employee tends to make decisions in the best interest of their employers, co-workers, and also outside companies other than themselves. This being said I will be discussing how ethics and communication can help and benefit you in the workplace and how it can build relationships with employees, what companies look for in their workplace using ethic also some statistics of how ethics benefits the workplace, and a few cons businessesRead MoreEthics And Ethics Of The Workplace1014 Words   |  5 PagesEthics in the Workplace What is Ethics and why is it an important part of the workplace? Ethics or moral philosophy is the branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia) Decisions taken within an organization may be made by person or groups, but whoever makes them will be influenced by the culture of the company. A decision to behave ethically is a moral. Employees need to decide what they thinkRead MoreWorkplace Ethics1046 Words   |  5 PagesWorkplace Ethics: Unprofessional Conduct BUS 309 Business Ethics Professor: Keith Graves August 23, 2013 Today, there seems to a big misconception of what professionalism means in and out the workplace. Many people go to work just to earn a living and that is fine however, when you hold a position of stature or prestige there are certain elements you must value to the profession as a teacher. â€Å"Professional teacher† refers to the status of a person who is paid to teach. They are supposedRead MoreThe Ethics Of The Workplace923 Words   |  4 Pagesis aimed at providing the larger audience an overview of the ethics of the workplace related to the issues of ownership, privacy and monitoring in a working environment. There are practical examples to demonstrate how ethics play an important role in working environments related to information privacy but still there is less consensus on uniquely identifying specific ethical issues. Employees at different organization may define ethics from their own perspective which makes it difficult to implementRead MoreThe Ethics Of The Workpl ace1554 Words   |  7 Pages Ethics in the Workplace We as individuals come across situations in our daily lives that force us to make decisions that we may always agree with morally as well as decisions that may push our moral compasses to their limits. If you are a working professional no matter what the field, these decisions can come with big ramifications, good or bad. I have come to find that with every individual there comes a different set of beliefs, attitude, boundaries and ethical views. We do not all share theRead MoreImportance Of Ethics In The Workplace1572 Words   |  7 PagesThe Importance of Ethics in the Workplace In their personal and professional lives, people can and, unfortunately, sometimes do go against their moral and ethical standards. Ethical standards are what it means to be a good person, the social rules that govern our behavior. Ethics in business is essentially the study of what constitutes the right and wrong or the good or bad behavior in the workplace environment. A business is an organization whose objective is to provide goods or services for profitRead MoreThe Questions On Workplace Ethics1254 Words   |  6 Pages2010). This scenario is called an ethical dilemma whereby individuals are forced to weigh the right and wrong of their actions (Westerholm, Nilstun, Øvretveit, 2004). In my research the following senior about workplace ethics. The information from the class discussion about the eight steps in resolving a dilemma. I use the eight steps and insert the information. GATHER THE FACTS, Who, what, where, when, how, and why. I have learnt about a surprising piece of information that willRead MoreComputers and Ethics in the Workplace1919 Words   |  8 PagesComputers and Ethics in the Workplace Executive Summary This paper discusses issues with ethics that have derived in the workplace as a result of the use of business computers. The definition of computer ethics is simple; they are a set of moral principles that intend to help with the regulation of the use of computers. Some common problems with computer ethics consist of privacy concerns, intellectual property rights, and the way computers have an effect on people. In other words, computer ethics refersRead MoreValues And Ethics Of The Workplace1259 Words   |  6 PagesValues and ethics are essential in the workplace. It establishes how a company is run and remains profitable. Leaders are the key to demonstrating and creating the organization’s culture, ethics and values. It has to start at the top of the organization including the Chief Executive officer, board and owners. Leaders’ internalization and manifestation of the values in how they operate have a great influence on the employees. Every organization must start w ith a foundation, a code of conduct, codeRead MoreEthics In The Workplace Essay1926 Words   |  8 PagesEthics in the Workplace Ethics are personal and, at the same time, a very public display of your attitudes and beliefs. It is because of ethical beliefs that we humans may act differently in different in situations (University of Phoenix, 2007). Poor ethical choices in the workplace can truly hurt people. Poor ethics can damage their career, happiness, and quality of living. Not only can these actions hurt the individual who has made the bad choices, but also most often it hurts the innocent.

Structuration theory free essay sample

Anthony Giddens was born on January 8, 1938. He is a British sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern sociologists, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29 languages, issuing on average more than one book every year. In 2007, Giddens was listed as the fifth most-referenced author of books in the humanities. He has served as Director of the London School of Economics in 1997 until 2003. Structure is defined by Giddens as rules and resources, organized as properties of social systems. The theory of structuration is a social theory of the creation and reproduction of social systems that is based in the analysis of both structure and agents without giving primacy to either. In other words, when we communicate with one another, we create structures that range from large social and cultural institutions to smaller individual relationships. As communicators act strategically according to rules to achieve their goals, they do not realize that they are simultaneously creating forces that return to affect future action. Structures like relational expectations, group roles and norm, communication networks and societal institutions affect social action. But these variables may also both affect and are affected by social action. These structures provide individual with rules that guide their actions, but their action in turn create new rules and reproduce old ones. Figure 1: Variables of the theory. 2.ORIGINS OF STRUCTURATION THEORY Sociologist Anthony Giddens adopted a post-empiricist frame for his theory, as he was concerned with the abstract characteristics of social relations. This leaves each level more accessible to analysis via the ontologies which constitute the human social experience: space and time  and thus, in one sense, history. His aim was to build a broad social theory which viewed basic domain of study of the social sciences neither the experience of the individual actor, not the existence of any form of societal totality, but social practices ordered across space and time. His focus on abstract ontology accompanied a general and purposeful neglect of epistemology or detailed research methodology. Giddens used concepts from objectivist and subjectivist social theories, discarding objectivisms focus on detached structures, which lacked regard for humanist elements and subjectivisms exclusive attention to individual or group agency without consideration for socio-structural context. 3.DUALITY OF STRUCTURE Structuration theory may be seen as an attempt to resolve a fundamental division within the social sciences between those who consider social phenomena as determined by the influence of objective, exogenous social structures and others who see them as products of the action of human agents in the light of their subjective interpretation of the world. Giddens attempts to square this circle by proposing that structure and agency be viewed, not as independent and conflicting elements, but as a mutually interacting duality. Social structure is therefore seen as being drawn on by human agents in their actions, while the actions of humans in social contexts serve to produce, and reproduce, the social structure. Structure is thus not simply an exogenous restraining force, but is also a resource to be deployed by humans in their actions, it is enabling as well as disabling. More specifically, Giddens identifies three dimensions of structure, which are signification, domination and legitimation. The three dimensions of interaction are described as communication, power and sanctions. The means by which structures are translated into actions are called modalities, which are interpretive schemes, facilities and norms as shown in Figure 2. These modalities can explain why and how interaction is affected. Figure 2: Dimensions of the duality of structure, Giddens (1984) For example, as humans communicate, they use interpretive schemes to help  them make sense of their interaction; at the same time these interactions change or reproduce the same interpretive schemes that are embedded in structures as signification. The facility used to allocate resources is manifested in the wielding of power, which in turn produces and reproduces facilities influencing social structures of domination. Norms on the other hand, referred to also as moral codes; provide both understandings and sanctions for human interactions, ultimately also producing legitimation within structures. 4.APPLICATION OF THE THEORY 4.1Ethnicity Donald Ellis (1999) shows how ethnicity is entailed in structuration. Ethnicity is a structural arrangement created over time as a result of many local practices throughout the world. Yet, once created, ethnicity has a life of its own, so that it become almost impossible not to see and act in accordance with ethnic experience in some way or another. Well intentioned people acting in their everyday live create unintended categories of social structure, which is limit what they can do in future interactions. these structures are not necessarily bad, but they can limit the ability to see a range of possibilities for acting in future situations 4.2Communication : Decision making Marshall Scott Poole (1985) and his colleagues have been working for several years on her structurational theory of group decision making. This theory teaches that group decision making is a process in which group members attempt to achieve convergence or agreement on a final decision and in so doing structure their social system. By expressing their opinions and preferences, group member actually produce and reproduce certain rules by which convergence can be achieve or blocked. However, good decision making depends on three set of variables that are objectives task characteristics, group task characteristics and group structural characteristics. Figure 3 : Variables of the theory in term of Group Decision Making. 5.DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY : Adaptive Structuration Theory DeSanctis and Poole (2011) adapted Structuration Theory to study the interaction of groups and organizations with information technology, and called it Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST). Adaptive Structuration Theory is formulated as the production and reproduction of the social systems through members use of rules and resources in interaction. This theory criticizes the technocentric view of technology use and emphasizes the social aspects. Individual interaction with technology and in the incorporation personal experiences can dictate outcomes and structural change as well as eventually change the design or use of the technology. The theory could be used to analyze the advent of various innovations such as the printed press, electricity, telegraph, mass transpirations, radio, telephone, TV, the Internet, etc., and show how the structures of these innovations penetrated the respective societies, influencing them, and how the social structures of those societies in turn influenced and modified innovations original intent. 6.FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY Social media networks were create to provide interpersonal connectivity to its users. Users began utilizing the technology to drive trends through the sharing of experiences with good or bad regarding brands and products or rallying behind the cause. Large organizations began following these trends and implemented the technology used for themselves. This alteration of the technologies use resulted in social networking site adjusting their design to also meet the need of organizations to connect with consumers. 7.CRITICISM John B. Thompson (said that Structuration theory needed to be more specific and more consistent both internally and with conventional social structure theory. Thompson focused on problematic aspects of Giddens concept of structure as rules and resources, focusing on rules. He argued that Giddens concept of rule was too broad. Thompson claimed that Giddens presupposed a criterion of importance in contending that rules are a generalizable enough tool to apply to every aspect of human action and interaction. Waldeck et al. concluded that the theory needs to better predict outcomes, rather than merely explaining them. Decision rules support decision-making, which produces a communication pattern that can be directly observable. Research has not yet examined the rational function of group communication and decision-making (i.e., how well it achieves goals), nor structural production or constraints. Rob Stones argued that many aspects of Giddens original theory had little place in its modern manifestation. Stones focused on clarifying its scope, reconfiguring some concepts and inserting new ones, and refining methodology and research orientations. Strong structuration are: 1. Places its ontology more in situ than abstractly. 2. Introduces the quadripartite cycle, which details the elements in the duality of structure. These are: External structures as conditions of action; Internal structures within the agent; Active agency, including a range of aspects involved when agents draw upon internal structures in producing practical action and Outcomes (as both structures and events). 3. Increases attention to epistemology and methodology. Ontology supports epistemology and methodology by prioritising: The question-at-hand; Appropriate forms of methodological bracketing; Distinct methodological steps in research; and The specific combinations of all the above in composite forms of research. 4. Discovers the meso-level of ontology between the abstract, philosophical level of ontology and the in-situ, ontic level. Strong structuration allows varied abstract ontological concepts in experiential conditions. 5. Focuses on the meso-level at the temporal and spatial scale. 6. Conceptualises independent causal forces and irresistible causal forces, which take into account how external structures, internal structures, and active agency affect agent choices (or lack of them). Irresistible forces are the connected concepts of a horizon of action with a set of actions-in-hand and a hierarchical ordering of purposes and concerns. An  agent is affected by external influences. This aspect of strong structuration helps reconcile an agents dialectic of control and his/her more constrained set of real choices. 8. CONCLUSION As a conclusion, in structuration theory, neither micro nor macro focused analysis alone are sufficient. The theory most significantly in the constitution of society, which examines phenomenology, hermeneutics, and social practices at the inseparable intersection of structures and agents. Its proponents have adopted and expanded this balanced position. Though the theory has received much criticism, it remains a pillar of contemporary sociological theory. 9.REFERENCES

Title = Injustes Of To Kill A MockingBird Essays -

title = Injustes of "To Kill a MockingBird papers = Injustice Injustice is a problem which everyone faces. Nobody likes to suffer from injustice, yet they do it to others. In the novel, " To Kill A Mockingbird " written by Harper Lee, there are three characters who suffer the most injustice. They are Atticus, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Atticus, a man with great wisdom, suffers from the fact that he had taken on a Negro case. He was constantly persecuted for his decision, which made him work even harder at winning the case. Even though his family was made fun of, he stuck with his choice and worked the hardest he could to ignore the threats and harassment. He did very well to ignore all the abuse and was greatly respected after the trial was over. Another person who suffered from injustice was Tom Robinson. He was charged with a crime he did not commit. His side of the story was not believed because he was black, which really shows the amount of injustice during the time the novel was set in. Through the whole trial, he did not retaliate at the white people, he did not get mad because he was improperly accused, he just showed the level of respect which everyone deserves. He handled the injustice with a manner reserved only for gentlemen, which is a good description of what he really was. The third person to suffer injustice in the novel was Boo Radley. Many accusations were claimed about him even though they were untrue. Just because he didn't leave his house, people began to think something was wrong. Boo was a man who was misunderstood and shouldn't of suffered any injustice. Boo did not handle the injustice because he didn't know about it. In conclusion, the person who deserves the deepest sympathy is Tom Robinson. He did nothing wrong but his crime was being nice to white people. This type of injustice is the worst because everyone puts up with it. Therefore, Atticus, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley suffered the most injustice in the novel.

Biography of Christina, Unconventional Queen of Sweden

Biography of Christina, Unconventional Queen of Sweden Queen Christina of Sweden (December 18, 1626–April 19, 1689) reigned for nearly 22 years, from Nov. 6, 1632, to June 5, 1654. Shes remembered for her abdication and her conversion from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism. She also was known for being an unusually well-educated woman for her time, a patron of the arts, and, according to rumors, a lesbian and an intersexual.  She was formally crowned in 1650. Fast Facts: Queen Christina of Sweden Known For: Independent-minded queen of SwedenAlso Known As:  Christina Vasa, Kristina Wasa, Maria Christina Alexandra, Count Dohna,  Minerva  of the North, Protectress of the Jews at RomeBorn: December 18, 1626 in Stockholm, SwedenParents: King Gustavus Adolphus Vasa, Maria EleonoraDied: April 19, 1689 in Rome, Italy Early Life Christina was born Dec. 18, 1626, to King Gustavus Adolphus Vasa of Sweden and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, now a state in Germany. She was her fathers only surviving legitimate child, and thus his only heir.  Her mother was a German princess, daughter of John Sigismund, elector of Brandenburg, and granddaughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia.  She married Gustavus Adolphus against the will of her brother George William, who had by that time succeeded to the office of elector of Brandenberg. Her childhood came during a long European cold spell called the Little Ice Age  and the Thirty Years War (1618–1648),  when Sweden sided with other Protestant nations against the Habsburg Empire, a Catholic power centered in Austria. Her fathers role in the Thirty Years War may have turned the tide from the Catholics to the Protestants. He was considered a master of military tactics and instituted political reforms, including expanding education and the rights of the peasantry. After his death in 1632, he was designated the Great (Magnus) by the Swedish Estates of the Realm. Her mother, disappointed to have had a girl, showed little affection for her. Her father was frequently away at war, and Maria Eleonoras mental state was made worse by those absences.  As a baby, Christina was subjected to several suspicious accidents. Christinas father ordered that she be educated as a boy. She became known for her education and for her patronage of learning and the arts. She was referred to as the Minerva of the North, referring to the Roman goddess of the arts, and the Swedish capital Stockholm became known as Athens of the North.   Queen When her father was killed in battle in 1632, the 6-year-old girl became Queen Christina. Her mother, who was described as being hysterical in her grief, was excluded from being part of the regency. Lord High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna ruled Sweden as regent until Queen Christina was of age. Oxenstierna had been an adviser to Christinas father and continued in that role after Christina was crowned. Christinas mothers parental rights were terminated in 1636, though Maria Eleonora continued to attempt to visit Christina. The government tried to settle Maria Eleonora first in Denmark and then back in her home in Germany, but her homeland would not accept her until Christina secured an allowance for her support. Reigning Even during the regency, Christina followed her own mind. Against Oxenstiernas advice, she initiated the end of the Thirty Years War, culminating with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. She launched a Court of Learning by virtue of her patronage of art, theater, and music. Her efforts attracted French philosopher Rene Descartes, who came to Stockholm and stayed for two years. His plans to establish an academy in Stockholm collapsed when he suddenly became ill with pneumonia and died in 1650. Her coronation finally came in 1650 in a ceremony attended by her mother. Relationships Queen Christina appointed her cousin Carl Gustav (Karl Charles Gustavus) as her successor. Some historians believe that she was romantically linked to him earlier, but they never married. Instead, her relationship with lady-in-waiting Countess Ebbe Belle Sparre launched rumors of lesbianism. Surviving letters from Christina to the countess are easily described as love letters, though it is difficult to apply modern classifications such as lesbian to people in a time when such categorizations were not known. They shared a bed at times, but this practice did not necessarily imply a sexual relationship. The countess married and left the court before Christinas abdication, but they continued to exchange passionate letters. Abdication Difficulties with issues of taxation and governance and problematic relations with Poland plagued Christinas last years as queen, and in 1651 she first proposed that she abdicate. Her council convinced her to stay, but she had some sort of breakdown and spent much time confined to her rooms. She finally abdicated officially in 1654. Supposed reasons were that she didnt want to marry or that  she wanted to convert the state religion from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism, but the real motive is still argued by historians. Her mother opposed her abdication, but Christina provided that her mothers allowance would be secure even without her daughter ruling Sweden. Rome Christina, now calling herself Maria Christina Alexandra, left Sweden a few days after her official abdication, traveling disguised as a man. When her mother died in 1655, Christina was living in Brussels. She made her way to Rome, where she lived in a palazzo filled with art and books that became a lively center of culture as a salon. She had converted to Roman Catholicism by the time she arrived in Rome. The former queen became a favorite of the Vatican in the religious battle for the hearts and minds of 17th century Europe. She was aligned with a free-thinking branch of Roman Catholicism. Christina also embroiled herself in political and religious intrigue, first between the French and Spanish factions in Rome. Failed Schemes In 1656, Christina launched an attempt to become queen of Naples. A member of Christinas household, the marquis of Monaldesco, betrayed plans of Christina and the French to the Spanish viceroy of Naples. Christina retaliated by having Monaldesco executed in her presence. For this act, she was for some time marginalized in Roman society, though she eventually became involved again in church politics. In another failed scheme, Christina attempted to have herself made queen of Poland. Her confidant and adviser, Cardinal Decio Azzolino, was rumored to be her lover, and in one scheme Christina attempted to win the papacy for Azzolino. Christina died on April 19, 1689, at age 62, having named Cardinal Azzolino as her sole heir. She was buried in St. Peters Basilica, an unusual honor for a woman. Legacy Queen Christinas abnormal interest (for her era) in pursuits normally reserved for males, occasional dressing in male attire, and persistent stories about her relationships have led to disagreements among historians as to the nature of her sexuality. In 1965, her body was exhumed for testing to see if she had signs of hermaphroditism or intersexuality. The results were inconclusive, though they indicated that her skeleton was typically female in structure. Her life spanned Renaissance Sweden to Baroque Rome and left a record of a woman who, through privilege and strength of character, challenged what it meant to be a woman in her era. She also left behind her thoughts in letters, maxims, an unfinished autobiography, and notes in the margins of her books. Sources Buckley, Veronica.  Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric. Harper Perennial, 2005.Mattern, Joanne.  Queen Christina of Sweden.  Capstone Press, 2009.Landy, Marcia and Villarejo, Amy.  Queen Christina.   British Film Institute,1995.Christina of Sweden.5 Facts About Queen Christina of Sweden.

Chrysalids Chapters 11-16 essays

Chrysalids Chapters 11-16 essays Part @ The events start off hear when I distress call is heard from Petra. She connects to the others through the thought shapes and the gang rushes over to help her. She is found lying down and her pony dead and being eaten by a creature. They shoot and kill it. Suspicion among the town is created on how they all heard her form so far away. Petra is taught about the thought shapes. Time moves on and they find out Katherine and Sally have been taken prisoner and they must flee at once. The protagonist David, and Petra and Rosalind set off away from town. Eventually trouble comes with the antagonist. They come face to face with a horseman that was after them and are forced to kill him. This all leads to people of Waknuk to chase them becoming the antagonists. Petras thought shapes from Sealand continue as they learn more about them. They pursue their quest to the fringes, being updated by Michael on the Waknuks search parties whereabouts. As they get into the Fringes they are captured . We find out the spider-man is Davids uncle and another antagonist of the novel. He takes Rosalind and Petra prisoner and kicks David out. David finds Sophie and stays with her. Sophie pulls off a mission and rescues Rosalind and Petra. Part B: I am enjoying the novel very much so far. Right now it is cause of all the action that is going on. The excitement of them being in the fringes, enemy territory holds the suspense of what might happen to them. Anything could happen there and it draws me to read more. Part C: A character that Ive taken a liking to is Michael. He is being very brave and very helpful to his friends. Hes brave that he joins the party who is actually hunting people of his kind to get info on what they are doing so he can pass it on to them. Hes showing that he cares for the others and will be of great help. Part D: A message that is being put across in this section is the idea of being a tea ...

CEO Project---Pepsico Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

CEO Project---Pepsico - Research Paper Example Additionally, the implementation process must consider the structure of the company in order to curb the prevalence of conflicts in the company’s management. The company carries out extensive environmental conservation projects. Such are effective social responsive management techniques that position the company favorably in the market. Social responsive investment is a marketing strategy in which the company appreciates that it exists and is part of the society. This way, the company must institute changes that influence the preference of the society thus positioning its projects and products strategically in the market. The policies of the company portray an extensive culture as the company strives to develop the culture of ownership. Culture refers to the manner in which a company operates and meets its objectives. The policy asserts that the company strives to develop a culture of ownership. Ownership is an effective introductory strategy and an approach that the company uses successfully to implement its numerous conservation projects. The conservation of the environment is a responsibility of every individual who draws respective b enefits from the environment. By installing the culture of ownership, the company ensures both its stakeholders and members of the society appreciate its numerous conservation policies a feature that expedites the implementation process. The culture of ownership encourages responsive and interactions with the environment. The management and other employees of the company will begin maintaining dignified interaction with the environment as they strive to conserve the environment. This way, the society readily adopts the company’s environmental conservation initiatives thus expediting the roll out of the company’s projects. However, the development of a culture especially in such a large multinational corporation requires effective planning in order to

Video and visual media in classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Video and visual media in classroom - Essay Example Because most visual media are temporal and active, rather than static, they can be used to show change and dynamic qualities. It is very much useful in teaching the sciences, technology and even performing arts. With the new technological advancements they are now more accessible, cheaper and flexible to use. Most important, the new generation students have grown up watching television and are highly oriented to visual learning. Slides, overhead transparencies, filmstrips, and movies are important aid to their learning. The Edgar Dale Cone of Experience summarizes how learners retain information. A person remembers 10% of what they read, 20% of what they heard, 30% of what they seen and 50% of what is seen and heard. Learning experiences at the bottom of the 'Dale's Cone of Experience' tend to hold student attention longer and involve active student participation. Media at the top of the cone are said to be more passive but are suitable for transmitting large amounts of information q uickly. The first visual media for learning was the blackboard itself and has become inseparable part of any classroom. Besides the overhead projector, VCR had the biggest impact on the pedagogical practices as the "introduction to film course" became common in most American universities (Lovell, 1987). Slightly newer technology was the interactive videodisc (IVD).

Indias Soft Drinks Industry Essay Example for Free

Indias Soft Drinks Industry Essay 1. 1. 1 INDIA’S PHYSICAL RESOURCES India is a country rich of raw materials, resources and land. For this report, we will focus on those physical resources that are essential for the soft drinks industry – water, sugar, aluminium, power sources. With a land space of over 2. 9 million square kilometres (sq km) and a population of 1. 22 billion people, India has only 314,070 sq km of water (CIA World Fact book, 2012). Even though the Indian government has done many things do improved the situation by building water plants and water piping in the urban and rural areas, there are still about 18. 5% of the population (226 million) that lack access to clean, drinkable water (CESS INDIA, 2004) With a sophisticated water purification installed in our soft drinks plantation, A. G. Barr are able to process the unclean water into safe, drinkable water and use it for the basis of the final products. Hence, A. G. Barr will be able to offer an alternative drinking source for the citizens with our soft drinks products. Next, with a total arable territory of about 1. 2 million sq km, agriculture is the biggest industry and plays a major role in the socioeconomic growth of India (Maps of India, 2012). According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2012) and the Maps of India (2012), India is the 2nd biggest world producers of sugarcane (sugar) with about 453 sugar mills located all over India. INCLUDEPICTURE http://faostat. fao. org/DesktopModules/Faostat/Images/T20/ChartPic_3nemzw945otecriq01oo. png? 3f2841b2-add0-4841-9dc7-5707a2a011f0 \* MERGEFORMATINET Table 1: Top Production – Sugar cane 2010 Source: FAO Thirdly, for aluminium, India is the fifth biggest producer in the world after Australia, Guinea, Brazil and Jamaica (Maps of India, 2012). Finally, to obtain vast economic growth and a flourishing industrial sector, the Indian government has invested and given top precedence to the power sector of the nation and as of the 21st century, India is able to generate about 90% of its own energy through (Maps of India, 2012): Thermal/Coal Power Hydro Power Renewable Resources Power Nuclear Power With most of the raw materials and resources readily available in India, the price for these materials will be relatively standard and low. Hence, this will lower the cost of production. This is a key factor in venturing into the India market as A. G. Barr require a huge amount of clean water and sugar to produce the soft drink products. 1. 2 THREATS 1. 2. 1 INFRASTRUCTURE The infrastructure in India is one of the most problematic and unreliable in the world. As stated previously, even though India is able to generate 90% of its power, due to the poor financial position of many power supply companies, the power supplies are always inconsistent and frequently being cut-off (India: Risk overview, 2011). Hence, companies, offices and industrial plants need to have their own back-up power facilities to ensure no interruption to the production processes (India: Risk overview, 2011). The road and railway system in India is still undependable and many traffic congestions are resulted due to the inadequacy. Pan (Asiamoney, 2010) notes that while the Indian government are investing US$1 trillion in infrastructure from 2012 to 2017, political bureaucracy and lack of good projects are hindering the developments of infrastructure. At the same time, Roy (Euromoney, 2010) reports that while Mr. Rajiv Lall, chief executive of state-run lender Infrastructure Development Finance Company believes India infrastructure has been slowly improving, the dependable relationship between the public sector and the private sectors in infrastructure will lead to corruption and thus may hinder the progression of big infrastructure projects. Therefore, any company that wish to venture into India soft drinks market will need to spend a sizeable amount on power generator and water purification facilities. This huge expenditure will put a dent on the initial capital investment and A. G. Barr need to take this into account and plan on how much of the expenditure to be transferred over to the final consumers through the products. 1. 2. 2 EDUCATION AND LABOUR According to several organizations; CIA (2012), US Department of State (2011) and WEF (2011), India’s literacy rate is only at 61%. The education level in India is low as many of the population live in poverty or the slump and unable to afford going school. Moreover, the Indian government lacks of provision of education is hindering its people to learn and receive knowledge. This result in a low skilled workforce and the unemployment rate for youth age 15 to 24 in India is high at 10. 5% (CIA World Fact Book, 2012). While a soft drink company with high technology facilities and processes requires employees with minimal skills, it is still essential for these workers have a basic understanding and motor skills to operate the high-tech, expensive machineries. Another end of the spectrum is those highly educated Indians where the information technology (IT) sector is booming. These IT personnel and engineers are viable to our company as they able to manage, supervise and suitable of the higher ranking jobs. Hence, to ensure the workers hired have the essential skills, A. G. Barr will need to frequently conduct training programs, skills development workshops and have simple instructions which are easy to follow. 2. DEMAND CONDITIONS With the relaxation of the Indian government policy on FDIs and foreign companies, the soft drinks industry had change tremendously. As the US and EU markets are highly saturated, companies are looking into the Asian markets to expand and gain more revenues. Apart from China, Japan and South Korea, India is the 4th leading Asian soft drinks market and the market is still growing and has yet to reach its saturation point. In 2010, there is a substantial demand for soft drinks as the market has grown by 10. 4% (Datamonitor, 2011). Datamonitor (2011) even predicts that by 2015, the Indian market will grow to a value of $5. 8 million. Table 2 shows the growth of India soft drink market from 2006 to 2010. Table 2: India soft drinks market volume: million liters, 2006–10(e) Datamonitor (2011) also reports that as of 2010, the soft drinks industry has generated total revenues of $3. 8 billion and with 50% of the total revenues, carbonates sale is the most profitable category. Table 3: India soft drinks market segmentation: % share, by value, 2010(e) It is essential to note that currently there is a growing trend of â€Å"vitamin water† or â€Å"nutrient water† in the world as many people are becoming more health conscious. The Times (London) (2012) reports that even India is not spared from the trend as PepsiCo, together with Tata Global Beverages, intend to market the â€Å"nutrient water† to India’s urban, middle-class consumers where a bottle of such product will cost slightly higher than a standard bottled water. Hence, this could greatly affect the retail sales of carbonates. A. G. Barr has already altered its products to regular variants to low calorie and no added sugar variants in accordance to the gradual shift towards healthly living in the UK (A. G. Barr, 2012). For example, its popular porduct, IRN-BRU now comes in a sugar free variation, the ‘IRN-BRU sugar free’. Thus, the â€Å"nutrient water† market is another sector A. G. Barr could develop into not only in UK but also in India. 3. India has huge supporting industries for the soft drinks market and the availablity of the main components for a soft drinks company in India is high. There are 453 sugar mills in India and the top 6 growing states are located in the Northern, Southern and Western regions of India (Maps of India, 2012). Noteably, the Indian government has been extentsively investing in the agriculture sector to ensure that the process of the sector from raw materials to warehousing and merchandising flow smoothly. And as for the aluminium industry, India has a sizeable number of aluminium plants located mainly in Northern and Southern regions. 3. 2 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS As inputs are readily available, suppliers are unable to provide their services or sell their products at a higher price than their competitors as it is of no loss to the soft drinks company since the company is able to get the same or better services and products from other suppliers. A. G. Barr is able to obtain the primary inputs for its products through several sources in the region or state. Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers such as the packaging producers and raw materials and soft drinks ingredients producers are relatively low (Datamonitor, 2011). 3. 3 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS The power of the retailers and distributors in this market is weak as most soft drinks manufactures work closely with the local bottling companies to distribute the ready for sale products to buyers within a certain region or sector (Datamonitor, 2011). Datamonitor (2011) also reports that with 46. 3% of the total market volume, the independent retailers such as the small family mart shops are the main distribution channels for soft drinks but this could change with the introduction of super and hypermarkets. Thus, consumers will have a wider range of soft drinks brands to choose from. In order to gain relatively significant market share, A. G. Barr needs to do plenty of advertising and promotion. One of the strategies A. G. Barr could adopt is to set their soft drinks at a lower price than the main competitors, TCCC and PepsiCo in the rural areas while maintaining the same price in the urban areas where most of the middle-income and high-income classes have high consumer purchasing power. 4. FIRM STRATEGY, STRUCTURE AND RIVALRY 4. 1 CULTURAL IMPACT ON FIRM STRATEGY AND STRUCTURE A. G. Barr core strategic focus is based on the following 7 platforms (A. G.Barr, 2012): Core Brands and Markets Portfolio development Route to market Partnerships Efficient Operations People Development Sustainability To ensure these strategies and structure is maintain in other country, A. G. Barr has to train its overseas employees, make them understand and cultivate the A. G. Barr working culture. However, this will be a tough challenge in India due to the poor education and different socio-culture. Thus, A. G. Barr needs to accommodate its Western working culture with India working culture, however without losing its main mission and strategy. To ensure this is excuted properly, A. G. Barr needs to obtain a specialist in the Indian market and culture. 4. 2 RIVALRY AMONG EXISTING COMPETITORS In India, the soft drink market is dominated by three main players The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC), PepsiCo and Parle Bisleri Ltd – securing 74. 1% of the total market volume (Datamonitor, 2011). Table 4: India soft drinks market share: % share, by volume, 2010(e) BBC News (2011) reports that TCCC planned to invest $2 billion in India to boost its market share and expected India to be in its top five markets by 2020. Meanwhile, PepsiCo intend to launch a new product, â€Å"nutrient water† with Tata Water targeting at the young urban consumers to gain more market shares (Pagnamenta, 2012). This shows how competitive the rivalry in the India soft drinks industry where the two major market shares are actively investing and developing new products to gain more shares. 4. 3 THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS The big players of the India soft drinks industry are actively improving themselves and distinguishing their products through various methods. Furthermore, TCCC and PepsiCo are renowned world soft drinks brands which have been existing in the India market for many years. Though new companies in the industry may have difficulty competing with the existing players, it may accomplish small success by using different production method or focusing on the lesser ventured catergories of the soft drinks markets such as health drinks and energy drinks (Datamonitor, 2011). This could be a major break through for A. G. Barr as its most popular products; the IRN-BRU; is low in sugar and contains additional benefits of an energy drink. In addition, the Rockstar series which are designed to target those who lead active lifestyles may be able to attract the young, urban consumers. With several advertising accolades, A. G. Barr has the knowledge and is able use the power of media to attract potential consumers and gain more market shares. 4. 4 THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES The main substitutes for soft drinks markets are traditonal tea and coffee, homemade juices and fresh water from the water plants or piping system. As A. G. Barr and other leading soft drinks companies have diverse products to cater to the different needs of the consumers – carbonates, bottled water, juices etc – this will narrow down the threat of substitutes. However, the threat is still relatively moderate as retailers and distributors may give more shelf space for traditional tea and coffee products as they may be stored at room temperatures (Datamonitor, 2011). 5. GOVERNMENT BBC News (2011) reports that India is ranked 95th out of 183 nations in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions (TICP) list. Due to the high corruption scandals among its government officials, low or invisible legislative work, red tape and bureaucracy, India has dropped from 87th in 2010 to 95th (BBC News, 2011). Despite its numerous intervention, corruption in India is an issue which is very difficult to get rid off since most of the political members and officals have their own agendas and are resistant to change (India: Risk overview, 2011). Hence, foreign companies will faced many setbacks when they venture into the India sectors. 6. ROLE OF CHANCE The role of chance plays a small part in factoring the soft drinks industry as most of the technology are at it most advanced state. The only main issue currently is the Iran oil crisis. As India still refuses to cut Iranian oil imports, this may lead to a huge setback if USA decides to attack Iran and ignore India’s relation with Iran (CBS News, 2012, Kennedy, 2012). With a potential strain relationship with USA, this could lead to severe freeze in the trade and foreign direct investments. Furthermore, the other two traid nations, EU and Japan, may follow suit USA’s decision to cut ties with India for refusing to withdraw the purchasing of Iranian oil. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the soft drinks market in India is huge though it is predominately hold by 3 major key players. To venture into this territory, a new company need to set itself apart from the majpr players through unique advertising, differentiated production method and diverse product offerings. New companies may set an initial low price of its products to attract consumers however; this should not be a long term strategy. Companies need to have a huge capital investment to counter the corruption, trade policies and poor infrastructure. Thus, expenditures and initial start-up cost will be high and companies will have to redistribute part of the cost to its final consumers in order to gain profits. PART B: CRITICAL EVALUATION OF PORTERS NATIONAL DIAMOND MODEL Michael E. Porter is a well renowned economic strategist whom has writen 18 books and over125 articles (HBS, 2008). With a core field in competitive strategy, Porter has written and developed a number of strategic frameworks such as the Porter’s National Diamond model and Porter’s 5 Forces analysis. Since the model was based on eight developed countries and two industrialized countries, an analysis on developing, growing countries such as India is flawed. This is because these developing countries are not on the same economic level as the 10 countries. Thus, though the Porter’s National Diamond (PND) model analysis almost every aspect of India’s profile, it still lacks in-depth analysis and companies should not base their analytical evaluation on the PND model alone. As supported by Van Den Bosch, and Van Proojien (1992), both authors believed that PND model provide limited analysis on the control of national culture on the competitive advantage of nations. Similar to the EU countries, India too has a diverse set of culture which plays significant role in the management of the country’s economy, laws, trade policies and governance. There are limited sources on India and the soft drinks market due to the lack of legistative work from the government officals. Furthermore, some of the reports or statistics may not be entirely accurate due to the high corruption level. For example, reports may state that India is able to generate 90% of its power but the power plants are inconsistent and supplies are frequently distrupted. Also, to what extend is the literacy rate of India is correct? The literacy rates may be higher than stated as with 1. 22 billion people, India officials may have a tough job collecting the accurate datas. Moreover, with high poverty and low income, most of Indian citizens have the ‘thrifty mindset’ whereby they prefer things which are basically free even though it maybe harmful such as drinking untreated water. These are the pros of the PND model for India: Analysis different aspect of the country profile Takes into account the role of Government which is the most essential for India These are the cons of the PND model for India: Limited credible sources for analysis Little depth as India is a huge country with various swinging factors. Limited analysis on the cultural effect on a country’s competitive advantage Ways to improve the PND model for India: Supporting the model with other analysis model such as PEST, SWOT, Porter’s 5 Forces and Fons Trompenaars’ Seven Cultural Dimensions. Intentsive research on the market and the growth of the market. REFERENCES A. G. Barr (2012) About Us. Available at: http://www. agbarr. co. uk/agbarr/newsite/ces_general. nsf/wpg/about_us-our_strategy (Accessed: 22 March 2012). BBC News (2011) Coke plans $2bn India investment in bid to boost growth. Available at: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-15731884 (Accessed: 20 February 2012). BBC News (2011) India Transparency International corruption index blow. Available at: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/world-asia-india-15979646 (Accessed: 01 March 2012). CBS News (2012) U. K. : Attack on Iran has enormous downsides. Available at: http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-202_162-57380838/u.k. -attack-on-iran-has-enormous-downsides/? tag=mncol;lst;1 (Accessed: 20 February 2012). India. CESS (2004) Right to Drinking Water in India. Available at: http://www. cess. ac. in/cesshome/wp%5CWater. pdf (Accessed: 22 March 2012). CIA (2012) South Asia, India. Available at: https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in. html (Accessed: 20 February 2012). FAO (2012) Faostat. Available at: http://faostat. fao. org/site/339/default. aspx (Accessed: 01 March 2012). HBS (2008) Harvard Business School Faculty Research. Available at: http://drfd. hbs. edu/fit/public/facultyInfo. do? facInfo=biofacEmId=mporter (Accessed: 10 April 2012). India: Risk overview’ (2011) Business Asia, 43, 14, pp. 10-11, Business Source Premier, EBSCO [Online]. Available at http://searchebscohost. com (Accessed: 22 March 2012). Kennedy (2012) US Pleas for Asia to Cut Iranian Oil Imports Fall on Deaf Ears, Oilprice. Available at: http://oilprice. com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Pleas-for-Asia-to-Cut-Iranian-Oil-Imports-Fall-on-Deaf-Ears. html (Accessed: 20 February 2012). Maps of India (2012) India Agriculture.

A Comparison of McDonalds and Foxs Diner :: comparison compare contrast essays

McDonald's and Fox's Diner       McDonald's and Fox's Diner are two of the restaurants in Lake City, Tennessee. But even though they both sell hamburgers in the same town, they don't have anything else in common. They cater to different types of customers, there is a noticeable difference in service speed, and every facet of doing business is handled differently. Even the atmosphere of these two places is in contrast.    These two restaurants do not compete for the same customers. McDonald's is located just off the interstate, so many of their patrons are not local residents. Another reason is that they are universally known. Fox's is further away from the interstate. Aside from the over-the-road truck drivers who know the area, most of the Diner's customers are local residents. As well as targeting different customers from Fox's Diner, McDonald's also places more emphasis on speed. McDonald's makes job specialization an integral part of their operation. They crank meals out on an assembly line. They use computers to take orders, automatic timers to assist in cooking, and radio headsets to communicate. Even the color scheme used by McDonald's promotes speed. Studies show that loud colors like red and yellow increase customer turnover. With the exception of handling money, tasks are shared by the staff at the diner and there isn't anything high-tech about the operation.    Fox's Diner is a world away from the bland, impersonal McDonald's just a few miles north. It sits on the right side of a two-lane highway leading into town. The Diner serves both as a truck stop and as the restaurant for a small motel next door. The parking lot looks vacant until about five in the morning because it is large enough to accommodate a dozen tractor trailers. Years of use have left potholes and a patchwork of asphalt that resembles a moth-eaten quilt.    The diner itself is a doublewide   trailer set high on a five foot, cinderblock foundation. An aluminum awning extends outward about six feet along the front of the building. Underneath the awning, yellow fluorescent lights, which theoretically do not attract bugs, glow at night. They are mounted over a row of metal framed, screened-in windows.

Achebe, C. (1994). Things Fall Apart. New York: Doubleday & Co., Inc. Essay

Achebe’s (1994) novel, Things Fall Apart, is a chronicle of societal change in the face of a colonial invasion. It describes the life of Okonkwo, a distinguished leader of a village in Nigeria. The rich, powerful, brave and intelligent man has worked hard to achieve his high status in his village. The village elders thus chose him to be the guardian of a boy named Ikemefuna, who has been made prisoner by Achebe’s tribe. Okonkwo must keep the boy with him until the Oracle decides otherwise. When the village elders decide that Ikemefuna must be killed, Okonkwo goes against the advice of the oldest man of the village by killing the boy himself. Subsequently, things start to fall apart for Okonkwo. He accidentally kills another individual at a funeral ceremony. For this act he must be sent into exile with his family for a period of seven years. After all, he has offended his gods by committing the murder. After Okonkwo and his family have been sent into exile, things start to fall apart for his people back home. White men begin to enter his village, amiably introducing their religion to the native people. As the number of people embracing the new faith increases, the white entrants grow in power. Ultimately, a new government is formed in the village – that of white people. When Okonkwo returns to his village, it is a different place altogether. The presence of white men is a change he had not expected. Unhappy with the change, he tries to work with other tribal leaders to reclaim the old government. They do this by destroying a Christian church that they believe has mocked their gods. The white government retaliates by taking Okonkwo and the other tribal leaders as prisoners, holding them for ransom, and humiliating the native leaders further. A great uprising ensues, as the native people of the village gather to oppose the white government. When the white government tries to stop their meeting by sending some of its messengers, Okonkwo is the only one who kills one of the messengers. His fellow native people allow the remaining messengers to escape, however. Okonkwo is made to understand thus that the villagers are too weak to fight for themselves and/or protect their rights. He therefore begins to believe in the end of his society, reinforcing its disintegration in the following words: â€Å"Now [the white man] has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.† Okonkwo kills himself soon after. The white government sends one of its local leaders to take the great man of the village to court. At this point, Okonkwo is found to have hanged himself. The great man’s death is a sign of the total demise of his people’s old ways of life. After all, it was Okonkwo alone who was strong enough to kill one of the white men in an attempt to eradicate their government. None of his fellow native people were as determined as he. Still, Okonkwo’s story is a powerful reminder that nothing can withstand forces of change at times. Even the heroes may turn to despair if the forces of change are too powerful to fight. Such forces may change people and their cultures for ever. Even so, the memories of the heroes remain, as in Things Fall Apart.

By the end of the novel Maestro the reader feels that both Keller and Paul are egotists and equally unattractive characters Essay

By the end of the novel the reader feels that both Keller and Paul are egotists and equally unattractive characters. While I agree with the first part of this statement I disagree with the second. In this essay I will be discussing the characters egotism, is relation to each other. I will explain the reasoning behind the characters reasoning’s and because of this why I believe that Paul is the more unlikable character of the two. The reader learns very on in the book that each of these characters has unattractive qualities. Goldsworthy creates these characters equally undesirable in their own right. Paul’s superficial view on emotion and his quick judgement especially when it comes to Keller contribute to the portrayal of Paul as a fairly unlikable character. Paul makes the transition in this book growing up and this in its self is very much a contributing factor as we see him grow into his egotism where as Keller is explained and somewhat redeemed. Despite Keller being describes as a ‘virtuoso’ he is viewed by Paul -and there for the reader -as arrogant and patronising. â€Å" The boy is given to much self satisfaction† he observes of Paul, which is a fair description as Paul is often critical and patronising of Keller’s teaching techniques, which may well stem from his superior view of himself, â€Å" of course he sounded better, he had a better piano.† Paul from very early on is self centred, believing he is the best. He takes things at face value, especially when it comes to judging Keller and his teaching style. He does not take the time to watch and learn before making assumptions. When he says â€Å"He’s a Nazi† he could not have been more wrong. This statement become more apparent towards the end of the novel when we learn about Keller’s association with the NAZIs and the consequences it had not only on his life but also those of this family, his wife and son. Keller’s anti-social behaviour tends to bring a distance between himself and the other people in Darwin but also from himself as a character and the reader. But this is not a negative influence, in fact it makes the reader empathise with him or at least intrigue the reader enough to be on his side. This could be seen as one of Keller redeeming factors. When Keller chooses to move to Adelaide, Paul realised that his exile was self imposed â€Å" His exile was chosen, not forced upon him†, Keller’s arrogance and naivety during the War are why he chooses to stay in Vienna and ultimately causes the deaths of his wife and son. Keller believes that he had been betrayed, that by being close to Hitler his family would be saved. This assumption was naive, he says himself â€Å"I knew these people, these murderers. I had signed their concert programs. His self imposed isolation in Darwin as a result of this evokes empathy and sympathy in the reader and this could again be seen as a redeeming quality. As the reader learns that Keller has reason for his egotism, Paul- because of his youth is viewed negatively because he comes off as an ignorant child. When he moves to Adelaide we realise however that he has somewhat been groomed into this arrogance. Learning from Keller, Paul learns a lot but he also gets handed all of Keller’s arrogance as well. Learning the techniques from Keller but not how to play the music with passion, Paul starts to believe that technique is the only important thing. Keller as we learn has reason to focus on the technique, simply because he cannot stand the pain of actually feeling the music, evident in his missing finger. Paul’s arrogance grows throughout the book. As he progresses through the lessons with Keller and also as his love life grows with Rosie, he grows more self assured. Paul is very self driven and thinking he is the best he makes decisions that show his arrogance to the fullest. The choice to move to Adelaide right on the cusp of getting to finally know everything about his teacher shows that not only is he arrogant he is an egotist. He wants the fame and glory of being an amazing piano player. While Paul appears narcissistic, he is often aware of his flaws. Despite being pretentious, Paul is fundamentally shy. His refuge in the music room parallels Keller’s self-imposed solitude at the Swan. Paul is unsure of himself, as his ‘self-perception lagged timidly behind [his] growth spurt’. His arrogance protects him from his loneliness and his inability to attain greatness. Although Paul’s delusions of grandeur mark him as a weak character. At the end of the novel Paul admits that he â€Å"is able to dupe my audience at the odd concert†¦but never†¦myself†, referring to his musical ability. Paul comes to the realisation that he will never be the piano player he desires and this admission evokes some empathy from the Maestro readers. Paul’s egotisms is much more prominent than Keller’s, and the tragedy of Keller’s life in a way prevents the reader from having negative feelings towards him. Paul and Keller are represented as egotistical characters but whereas Pauls is viewed as negative with small redeeming factors, Keller’s is understood and earned and explained from his passed.

Free Essays on Teenage Years

Teenage Years Susan Minot once said, â€Å"Teenage years. You know just what you’re doing and don’t see the things that start to get in the way.† In the stories, â€Å"A&P† by John Updike, and â€Å"Lust† by Susan Minot, the main characters are experiencing conflicted but transitional periods in their lives. Sammy, the main character in â€Å"A&P,† has a happy, analytical and self-assured personality that will eventually help him quit his job. In contrast, the narrator in â€Å"Lust,† also the main character, has a clashing personality of insecure, depressed, and illogical traits. Both characters are portrayed as adolescents who are growing up in our everyday world. For both characters, changes in their lives will derive by choices they make and decide to follow. Updike’s character, Sammy, who is a happy teenager, currently works at the check out slot of a supermarket. He is completely enlightened with the sight of three girls walking into the store wearing very little clothing. Sammy can’t contain himself; his focus has shifted from ringing up a frustrated old woman to a young boys number one reason of losing focus. He was so fascinated by the girls that he couldn’t remember what he had rung up for the old pester. â€Å"I stood there with my hand on a box of HiHo crackers trying to remember if I rang it up or not† (Updike 1343). It is not an uncommon experience for guys to lose their concentration when the sight of flesh illuminates off a women’s body, which causes any exposed skin to distract their testosterone driven minds. In contrast with Sammy’s content personality, the narrator from â€Å"Lust† differs in that she is almost an extreme opposite. It is understood that happiness at boarding schools can be quite difficult to acquire, usually drastic measures are taken to deter problems and blank them out from student’s repressed freedom. In the case of the narrator, she doesn’t turn to odorless, smoke... Free Essays on Teenage Years Free Essays on Teenage Years Teenage Years Susan Minot once said, â€Å"Teenage years. You know just what you’re doing and don’t see the things that start to get in the way.† In the stories, â€Å"A&P† by John Updike, and â€Å"Lust† by Susan Minot, the main characters are experiencing conflicted but transitional periods in their lives. Sammy, the main character in â€Å"A&P,† has a happy, analytical and self-assured personality that will eventually help him quit his job. In contrast, the narrator in â€Å"Lust,† also the main character, has a clashing personality of insecure, depressed, and illogical traits. Both characters are portrayed as adolescents who are growing up in our everyday world. For both characters, changes in their lives will derive by choices they make and decide to follow. Updike’s character, Sammy, who is a happy teenager, currently works at the check out slot of a supermarket. He is completely enlightened with the sight of three girls walking into the store wearing very little clothing. Sammy can’t contain himself; his focus has shifted from ringing up a frustrated old woman to a young boys number one reason of losing focus. He was so fascinated by the girls that he couldn’t remember what he had rung up for the old pester. â€Å"I stood there with my hand on a box of HiHo crackers trying to remember if I rang it up or not† (Updike 1343). It is not an uncommon experience for guys to lose their concentration when the sight of flesh illuminates off a women’s body, which causes any exposed skin to distract their testosterone driven minds. In contrast with Sammy’s content personality, the narrator from â€Å"Lust† differs in that she is almost an extreme opposite. It is understood that happiness at boarding schools can be quite difficult to acquire, usually drastic measures are taken to deter problems and blank them out from student’s repressed freedom. In the case of the narrator, she doesn’t turn to odorless, smoke...

The Optimal Bar Top Height

The Optimal Bar Top Height The most common height for a bar top, whether it is a kitchen breakfast bar, a basement wet bar, or a commercial bar down at the corner pub is 42-inches. Construction Conventions Standard conventions support the 42-inch bar height. Most pre-made backsplashes are four to six inches tall. When that height is added to the standard countertop height, the backsplash can slip underneath the overhang of the finished bar top for a smooth transition. Comfort The optimal and most ergonomic height for a top that services both the seated and standing user is 42 inches. With a bar stool of the proper height, it is comfortable to sit at a 42-inch bar. This is also a comfortable height for most people to lean against. Additionally, the bar top at this height is in easy reach of a standing person, so they can set their food and drink down without leaning over. A bar top is typically too high to serve as a good seated work surface and is mainly useful for leisure activities. The Multiple Benefits of Bars The main benefits for a bar top come from one person working standing up on one side and another sitting on the other. The bartender has a comfortable height to prepare drinks on his feet and the customer has a comfortable height to drink them while on a seat or standing. The standing bartender is also at a comfortable height to engage the seated customer, whether for the simple business transaction or for the age-old tradition of chatty banter or deep heart-to-hearts that often happen in this setting. The other benefit of a bar top is its aesthetic appeal. In another common context for bars: A kitchen bar top can divide the space up nicely by serving as a transition area, between the cooking area and the eating area.

First Year Teacher with Leadership Challenge Assignment

First Year Teacher with Leadership Challenge - Assignment Example This is a sure way of ensuring that the learning needs of all students are equally met. The goal of implementing this class management plan is to therefore, ensure that students have a balanced performance in their learning, including good performance in written work as well as tests. This is a problem facing the learning process presently due to the adoption of the whole language program, which this classroom management plan seeks to solve. The drop in students’ scores in tests has worried most parents, who have launched their complaints to the institution. To address this effectively, the parents need to be convinced that this will change, and that they will no longer use their money on extra tutorship. A conference between teachers, parents and students will be necessary to discuss the factors that resulted in the situation, as well as the steps in place to be undertaken to change this situation. Teachers have a role to play in handling parents’ complaints. First, th ey should receive the complaints positively. After all, they influenced the predicament in one way or another. Admitting to the complaints and assuring parents that steps are underway to address the situation, is the best way the teachers can handle the complaints. Teachers will therefore, need to adopt good planning and teaching practices and objectives in order to ensure balanced results of the learners. Most importantly, learners should be taught to understand concepts, but not to memorize them, as this has an adverse effect on their test performance (Hoy & Hoy, 2009). Need for Changes Beyond doubt, the learning process will need a couple of changes. Although the previous learning approach embraced was new, it led to an imbalance in the performance of students. Therefore, the whole language approach will have to be altered and not fully relied on to bring a positive effect on the learning process. The altering of the approach is meant to make it better and effective in ensuring t hat students have a good and balanced performance in both their written work and tests. The fact that the newly introduced learning approach did not deliver wholly is a reason enough to initiate changes. Before deciding on the new changes to be adopted, it is crucial that different information be used to help in the decision-making about the most appropriate changes that could be adopted. First, it is important to learn from mistakes, therefore, the teachers have to re-examine their teaching plans, and how they approached the new program. They should do this with the aim of identifying loopholes in their teaching strategies, which could have possibly contributed to the poor scores. Identification of these loopholes will form a basis for the new changes that need to be implemented. In addition, it is beneficial to research about some institutions that have in the past adopted a similar approach, and learn how they went about it, and if it proved effective for them or not. By doing th is, a few points may be borrowed from institutions that used the program successfully, to be integrated into the institution’s program (Hoy & Hoy, 2009). In order to decide on the needed changes, different parties have to participate in the process of decision-making, since a single party cannot make decisions. Teachers are the greatest players in this kind of decision-making as they have a big influence on the learning process. On the other hand, the parents will also be involved in decision-making a

Positioning and Differentiation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Positioning and Differentiation Paper - Essay Example In order to provide those customers with a branding strategy, they tailored it to the actual market. Throughout the country, where they needed to build a strong brand, such as in the United States, the goal was to provide that of a campaign dedicated to customer service. Customers like community activity, partly because comments from other users are more relevant and credible to them than comments from you. They expect you to speak highly of your own products and services, but it will really impress them if others also do. Communities also serve the valuable function of bringing users back to the site over and over, making it possible to alert them to new promotions and offers. With rapid developments in the technology available to people, customers will become accustomed to the idea of: production and marketing systems that can tailor products, communications and services to meet their expectations, increased choices for delivery and payment and contacting the marketer easily and under their own initiative. To stay and hold the position in the present competitive market companies like Fmc Naperville Dialysis Center and DaVita has planned to expand its business throughout the US. DaVita is encouraging other companies to advertise their product on their website. A study has shown that DaVita would make more profit in diversifying than expanding. Both companies used TOWS (Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strengths) matrix to develop feasible alternative strategies. The matrix consists of four quadrants. They are (1) using strengths to overcome weaknesses, (2) Using strengths to overcome threats, (3) overcoming weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities and (4) overcoming weaknesses to address threats. First quadrant concentrates on possible strength-opportunity strategies. Important factors are to hire highly skilled workers, wide brand recognition, customer satisfaction, effectively and efficiently raising capital resources, etc. Second quadrant concentrates on possible strength-threat strategies. Important threats that have to overcome are changing government regulations, seasonal shopping, and competition from each other and other possible competitors, protect business and customer information, currency exchange, etc. Third and Fourth quadrants concentrates on Possible Weakness-Opportunity Strategies and Possible Weakness-Threat Strategy. Third quadrant looks at reviewing product, develop standards up to the customer satisfaction, etc. Fourth quadrant looks at implementing backup systems, implementing policies to protect and avoid security risks. A qualitative and quantitative research is must in developing an Information system. Qualitative research is more of collecting data, conducting interviews, using documents and to understand and explain social phenomenon. DaVita relies more on this approach, they give importance more on the practical out put of the research. Quantitative research involves is of development of natural sciences to study natural phenomenon. Survey methods, formal methods, econometrics, etc., are some of the examples of quantitative research. Fmc Naperville Dialysis Center follows this approach and takes things as they come. Qualitative research methods are more often used as it involves observation of data that helps in finding

Graffiti Identification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Graffiti Identification - Essay Example Graffiti have been an issue of concern to the members of different communities because of their impacts. There are positive impacts but the negative impacts have been found to override the positive impacts. Graffiti can be traced back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Today, most of those who do graffiti do it on the subways and walls of big cities and vehicles among other areas. Most of the sharp instruments like pencils, marker pens and even knives serve as mediums of creating graffiti. Many people have had the mentality that areas with graffiti are unsafe. According to Morgan and Louis (2009), the term graffiti refers to informal marks, scratching, carvings, drawings or even paintings made on people’s property without their authorization. Graffiti is of different kinds and each kind has its particular characteristics. For example, Hip hop graffiti has a characteristic of mural paintings and ‘tagging’. Graffiti has often been criticized as causing negating impacts to the community, and it is very difficult to convince some of the people otherwise. However, what should be understood is that there are positively motivated graffiti. The following are some of the positive impacts of graffiti: 1. Promotes young talent: Most of the time, graffiti have been seen as causing a lot of damage to the community. However, it is one way of promoting the talents of young people. Graffiti has been seen as inspiring to young artists since they get the opportunity to show case their creative sides. For example, South Ayrshire’s community safety partnership has helped young people from the town of Wallacetoun on a graffiti project (South Ayrshire Council, 2013). 2. Conveying a message: Some kinds of graffiti have been used to convey messages, especially to the authorities when people are not happy with their administration. Graffiti is used as a peaceful way of demonstrating. It has been seen to provide people with a platform to participate in pu blic conversation or debate (Morgan & Louis, 2009). They can also be used to communicate messages of road safety and show the commitment of people involved in the art. 3. Improvement of abandoned buildings in the community: Unused buildings and underpasses tend to improve when graffiti are drawn on them. This is achieved when good quality and non-offensive graffiti is used to brighten areas that have not undergone renovation for a long time, thus improving the environment around them (Campbell, 2008). Negative Impacts The following are the negative impacts that have resulted from graffiti: 1. It is expensive: It has proven very difficult to estimate the cost of graffiti in general; however, there are different ways that show that graffiti is expensive to the community. The cost that comes in with cleaning graffiti from the walls is very high (Morgan & Louis, 2009). Thus the community might spend a lot of money that would have been channeled to better projects, in

Science Education in Primary School Years Essay Example for Free

Science Education in Primary School Years Essay Introduction The importance of science in the education of schoolchildren goes beyond just providing the first steps in producing the next generation of scientist. Since science is becoming a large part of political debates such as in global warming, nutrition and energy (DeBoer, 2000) at least a basic understanding of how science works and what conclusions it can draw needs to be appreciated by the general population. The scientific literacy of a nation is therefore becoming a key element of some very important social and political questions that have to be answered by a population most of whom don’t have a scientific background (Nelson, 1999). The Nutt scandal demonstrates a recent example of the clash between what science informs us and the impact it can have on social and political debates. The Nutt scandal centred around a number of remarks made by David Nutt, the former chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. (Nutt, Governments should get real on drugs, 2009) Nutt published a journal article in 2007 discussing how the current classification of drugs in the United Kingdom was neither consistent nor transparent. He made recommendations to the government to change the classification so it was based on scientific research rather than by social pressures (Nutt, King, Saulsbury, Blakemore, 2007). However the impact of his review on the classification which said ecstasy was â€Å"no more dangerous than horse riding† eventually led to him losing his job (Nutt, Equasy an overlooked addiction with implications for the current debate on drug harms. , 2009). The lack of appreciation for the scientific research was deemed to be less important as the socio-political climate surrounding the issues of drugs (to send a message to drug-users) (Easton, Ecstasy: Class A drug? , 2008). However, a more scientific rationale may have helped introduce a less emotionally heated-debate about drugs, in turn dissipating more information and educating the wider public by raising greater awareness and openness (Easton, Scientists v Politicians: Round 3, 2009) while at the same time dealing with drug use and possession in a more proportionally manner (BBC News, 2009). It is in these and other debates that an appreciation of science is needed by those who do not have a strong scientific background, but the teaching of science has a greater impact than just in Page 5 of 37 increasing the scientific literacy of a nation. Science is also an important tool in allowing pupils to utilise skills taught in other parts of the curriculum such as in literacy and numeracy (Hammerman Musial, 2007); science provides a way to apply what may otherwise be abstract aspects of mathematics, for example. As it stands, the curriculum in Scotland is based around four main principles and is called the â€Å"Curriculum for Excellence†. These are to produce children who are successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors (Education Scotland, 2011). It would appear that integration of one subject into another to develop these attributes is an important part of the government’s aim to develop good learners and citizens. CfE has been the curriculum for Scotland in two iterations; one that began in 2004 and the other in 2010 (Education Scotland). The reasons for the implementation of CfE included the feeling that teachers were only touching on topics rather than going in-depth as the previous curriculum had a lot of material to teach in it, pupils weren’t as engaged with the content, pupils were spending too much time preparing for exams and they weren’t actually learning new things, and also that some lessons were out of date (MacKinnon, 2009). From the beginning, the curriculum had established the importance of science and in a review from 2006, the CfE defined its aims for science as â€Å"to stimulate, nurture and sustain the curiosity, wonder and questioning of young people† (Curriculum Review Programme Board, 2006). Alongside CfE, there is also a supporting network of science specialists called Glow which allows further embedment of science into the curriculum. Through Glow, there are events in which students can ask questions to these specialists called Glow meets (School Science Summit, 2009). Some of the barriers to gaining the most out of science education include social factors such as class and gender (Oakes, Ormseth, Bell, Camp, 1990). The reason for these having an effect on accessing science is many-fold but includes the perception of science as being male-dominated (Steele, James, Page 6 of 37 Barnett, 2002) as well as factors such as the location of specialist schools, many of which are often in areas that are less deprived (Assessment of Achievement Programme, 2005). Research suggests that there is a difference in response between males and females when in an environment that appears to be oppositely gender biased; while females are more likely to feel vulnerable in these situations, men are less likely to be (Murphy, Steele, Gross, 2007). Many females also state that they are not interested in science (Hill PhD, Corbett, Rose, 2006), this, however, may stem from a variety of other factors including the belief that they won’t be able to succeed in that environment (Eccles, 2007). The majority of well known scientists are still mostly male which may diminish interest from females who may have the impression that there is a ceiling over how far they can take a career in science (Richardson, 2011). The effect of class, as previously mentioned, also plays a large part in the access of science by school children. Pupils in schools in England which teach science as three separate subjects at GCSE in more deprived backgrounds do better at A-levels though there are fewer schools in these areas providing the triple science option as described (National Audit Office, 2010). The reason for this maybe that the teacher training required and other changes needed to modify the curriculum are harder to justify financially for these schools. The impact of this discrepancy may also mean that children from poorer areas won’t have the same chance to succeed and therefore not be able to break out of their class.. Other barriers include factors such as the quality of teachers, both by way of confidence and knowledge (Harlen, 1997) . Teacher confidence has a direct impact on the uptake of science. It appears to be in science that teachers have the least confidence when compared to other parts of the core curriculum (Harlen, 1997). Many teachers have a background in degrees other than science (Holroyd Harlen, 1996). That primary educators do not have specialist knowledge in science means Page 7 of 37 that they struggle to portray the same confidence as they can in numeracy, literacy and art. Female teachers have less confidence in teaching science than their male counterparts and this does not help to relieve any of the pressure on female pupils who will struggle to relate even more to females in science (Harlen, 1997). Studies also suggest that teachers have more confidence in teaching biology than physical sciences and this is probably due to the ability to relate the material to real life; which is easier with biology than other sciences. However, a lack of knowledge and confidence in teaching science can be overcome with greater teaching experience and therefore the teaching of science to those who lack confidence should be able to be taught to primary educators. As with the lack of visibility of female scientists, another component in the difficulties found in promoting science education is the visibility of science as a career. The role models of young people are often in the entertainment industry such as musicians and actors. This may mean that children are therefore more likely to talk about what is going on in a TV show than they are to discuss science and therefore their interests are constrained to just within science lessons (Dindia Canary, 1998). If discussions could be opened up to include science into the everyday life for pupils, then they would probably be better at finding their own interest in science. Primary science is often too general and doesn’t give much way to the discovery of one’s own strengths and interests in science, something the CfE is trying to change. Moreover, practical work is often not employed as a teaching method for reasons that include financing, and health safety (House of Commons Science and technology Committee, 2011). However, practical work is very important in building skills providing a way for pupils to find excitement in science (Wellington, 2007). It also helps to provide a greater classroom dynamic where pupils can talk to each other and their teacher more which is an important in the teaching of science at this level (Atkin, 1998). Groups work furthers this too allowing pupils to discuss the content and be more engaged with it, however, as well as a lack of practical work, science lessons often lack group work focussing more on worksheets as an alternative. Lessons are often taught in a one way direction from teacher to pupil with very little interaction with the Page 8 of 37 content itself (Assessment of Achievement Programme, 2005)This project looked at teaching of science in primary education by visiting a school, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Finnieston, Glasgow as part of the Undergraduate Ambassador Scheme which is itself part STEMNET. Here, it was possible to observe the teaching of science as well as assist in the coordination of science and teach genetics-specific modules to a P7/6 class. . Page 9 of 37 Methods Through working with the science coordinator, the curriculum could be looked at as well as the teaching methods that were used. Discussions with pupils would provide information about their needs in science and what they may be lacking from their current education. It would also be possible to observe the classroom dynamic and consider what ways in which this could be improved to engage pupils more and enable better learning of science. It was anticipated that genetics would be a difficult subject to teach and therefore careful consideration had to be taken to ensure that it would be pitched at the right level for the P7/6 class. Due to the small number of students, many of the year groups were mixed so there was a combination of ages; more able P6 students and P7 students. Their exposure to science was quite limited and the curriculum itself did not appear to provide them with the knowledge and skills that would have allowed the lessons to be pitched at a higher level. Therefore, starting at a molecular level would have been a poor choice as their grasp of molecular ideas would not have been very strong. It was therefore decided to start with broader ideas that they may be more familiar with such as adaptation and habitation which are already part of the curriculum and then move into more molecular details. By going through the history of genetics through some of the key experiments and having the pupils do these experiments or a variation thereof, it was hoped that the scientific skills of hypothesising, testing, collecting data, analysing data and concluding could be built. It was more important to pass on these skills as the knowledge may not be useful to them in their career paths. St. Patrick’s RC Primary School The link to the primary school, St. Patrick’s RC Primary school, was set up as part of the Undergraduate Ambassador Scheme. The aim of this scheme is to encourage and assist in the teaching of science and related subjects in interested institutions using undergraduates as part of their Honours projects. The UAS is run as part of STEMNET which runs a number of other programmes in primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom (STEMNET, STEMNET: Page 10 of 37 Vision and Purpose, 2010). They are also involved in running activities outside of educational institutions such as in museums and in running science festivals. STEMNET has 45 local contract holders to which ambassadors are assigned; the West of Scotland has its local contractor based in the University of Glasgow and is called Science Connects (STEMNET, Local contacts: West of Scotland) which is the local contractor that helped with this Honours Project. Dr Rob Aitken was in charge of allocating places for students interested in the UAS and it was through the School of Education at the University of Glasgow that he was able to find interested schools and set up links. Once a school was found, arrangements were made to establish a footing in the establishment. A meeting was set up with the head teacher of the school, Susan O’Donnell. With her, the science education as well as other aspects of the curriculum was discussed. It was decided that a Friday slot at 0930 would be used to teach a genetics module to the P7/6 class. Wednesday was the only day that science was taught to the pupils and this was done by Tom Fabling so it was decided that assistance could also be provided to him to embellish the science curriculum at the school. On the same day as the meeting with the head teacher, an arose to shadow the P7/6 class opportunity while they were learning literacy. Unfortunately, this was on a Friday so shadowing of science wasn’t possible. A seat was placed on the side of the class to allow for observation of the ability of the pupils as well as to watch the rapport between the class and the teacher. From this session it was also possible to see the lesson structure and the teaching techniques that the teacher felt was most comfortable with the class. Page 11 of 37 The science coordinator, Tom Fabling, had collected data about the students by way of short questionnaires which he provided copies of. He also provided copies of the original questionnaires. As well as teaching science modules on a Wednesday, Fabling was also in charge of the science resources and having a hand in the discussions around the curriculum. Later in the year he would also set up a science club for which he would be able to utilise the materials. Returning the next Wednesday of term allowed both shadowing and assisting in the teaching of science. Through speaking with the pupils their needs in science were better elucidated and this provided a number of things to consider when teaching and assisting teaching in science and allowed for a better observation of the science in action in the school as the teaching of science is very different to that of literacy. From this, the scientific literacy of the pupil’s could be surveyed and enquiries could be made into what they wanted from the science curriculum. Assisting in science teaching would take place every Wednesday and would include both teaching and providing resources from the University to aid in the teaching of science. For example, the first Wednesday looked at static electricity. Science Connects kindly made available a van der Graaf generator as well as a number of other teaching resources such as confetti and balloons. A lesson was then planned around the van der Graaf generator to teach static electricity as well as the molecular ideas behind it. Every Friday, a module of genetics would be taught to the P7/6 class to enable them to understand a discipline of science that they were previously unaware of. The lessons were planned beforehand and would take the journey from classical genetics to molecular genetics with the aim of allowing the pupils to delve deeper and deeper into what a gene is. For example: looking at speciation through Darwin; pea plants and breeding through Mendel; DNA extraction through Miescher; and the DNA model through Crick/Watson. It would conclude with a look at some of the applications of genetics as a career such as in forensics and human genetic diseases. Unfortunately, Page 12 of 37 the project was cut short and so only one module of genetics was taught to the class focussing on Charles Darwin and his voyage with the HMS Beagle. The class was made up of pupils from various backgrounds. A number of children were known to frequently misbehave and disrupt the teaching in the class. The class was made up of ten boys and eleven girls so there wasn’t much of a gender bias in the class. It was expected, however, that friendship groups would be mostly single-sexed (Graham Cohen, 2006) and therefore interactions with groups would have to take this into consideration. Similarly, friendship groups are often mostly single-â€Å"raced† and this would also have to be taken into account. While this may not be good for social dynamic, it does make teaching easier if it is thought that certain teaching methods are better for one group over another. Another distinguishing factor was how well English was understood in the class. However, apart from one pupil, the pupils understood it well. Genetics lesson plan: Charles Darwin and Evolution This lesson began with a quick questionnaire to gauge the knowledge of the pupils. The questions covered various aspects of science and, with the rest of the lesson, were displayed by an overhead projector linked to a computer. The class remained in their usual groups and were provided whiteboards and pens to answer multiple choice questions such as: Which of the following is a famous scientist? A. Isaac Newton B. Dawn French C. Mahatma Ghandi. It was thought that if the pupils didn’t have an individual worksheet then they wouldn’t feel as self conscious about their answers. It was also hoped they wouldn’t feel as much pressure if they didn’t get any right answers as there was no way to know if that was the case. Page 13 of 37 After this, a portrait of Darwin was shown and then the lesson moved into his life, his career, voyage with the HMS Beagle, and his impact on science. To demonstrate how certain features evolved, a spot the difference was done between similar looking animals which were one of either a shark, a bird or a horse but with subtle differences as can be seen in a completed version in Figure 1. The activity was produced to open discussions about these differences that may make some â€Å"species† more adapted to one environment over another, much like with Darwin and his finches. These were drawn by hand, photocopied and edited without using a computer. Figure 1: One pupils completed Darwins spot the difference A map with different habitats was created prior to the lesson. The map had various islands and water features that were described as such: †¢ †¢ †¢ Not much grass Small bushes Some fruit. These were associated with the features of the animals and so allowed them to think about which habitats would encourage the selection of which features. To round off the lesson, a picture of a ten pound note was shown, as in Figure 2, which shows Darwin on the right hand side alongside his work on the left. It was thought that this was a very good way to summarise the lesson and give the pupils something they could tell others about. Page 14 of 37 Figure 2: An English ten pound note [source: http://www. thednastore. com/images/coins/scan0034m. jpg] Questionnaires Unfortunately, the time spent at SPRCP was cut short due to a lack of positive chemistry with the P7/6 teacher and therefore data was collected to gain further insights into the teaching of science at primary level. An email-based questionnaire was sent to fellow undergraduate ambassadors and a Google Docs(r) form was passed to Primary Education students. The questionnaire to other ambassadors (as in Appendix A) looked at their experience with the primary schools they were in. Of particular interest was the rapport between the pupils and teachers especially in terms of interaction and activity. The questionnaire that was sent to the Primary Education students at the University of Glasgow (as in Appendix B) looked at the knowledge and attributes that they could bring to teaching science at primary education as well as their expectations. Analysis of the questionnaire’s included judging the content of responses and categorising them so that responses could be compared. Page 15 of 37 Results Charles Darwin and Evolution lesson At the beginning of the first lesson – to gauge the ability of the pupils – a questionnaire was presented on different aspects of science. Unfortunately the results from this weren’t recorded, however it appeared as though the knowledge of general science was good in the class. Questions on the solar system, and people in science were answered well (see Appendix A for questions) but genetic and more specialised aspects of science were less well understood. Such aspects of science as the definition of evolution and the evidence which supports evolution was poorly answered. Also, the pupils did not know what a gene was, which was not surprising considering the age group. Shadowing and assisting Tom Fabling allowed for a rapport to be built with the pupils and therefore they seemed more interested and engaged with the content. Though the lesson was quite lecture style in some parts, it was intersected with activities which meant that the pupils had to be focused throughout the lesson. During the more lecture style parts of the lesson, the pupils were also able to ask questions. These questions covered a vast amount of topics such as about the process of fossilisation, how â€Å"monkeys† became â€Å"man†. The quality of question were overall quite good and this allowed for pupils to gain greater insight into aspects that they were finding difficulty with. The questioning also showed that they were engaged with the material. The questions would also have allowed for furthering tailoring of future lessons by considering the demands of the pupils. The command â€Å"thumbs up or down† would be used to allow the gauging of how well the pupils understood the material. Looking at a ten pound note at the end of the lesson which has printed on it Darwin alongside his work seemed to summarise the lesson really well. It also provided the pupils with something they could tell others about as they could describe the different aspects of the work and relate it back to the ideas from the lesson. Page 16 of 37 At the end of the lesson, feedback was requested and some of the pupils definitely found it interesting even if they hadn’t fully understood all the content. The teacher said that the activities and content were pitched at the right level but too much material was covered in too little time and that in the future more concise lessons should be done. Science teacher assisting Input in the teaching of general science was greatly appreciated by Tom Fabling as his own knowledge of science is based around his interests rather than from a degree in science and therefore his scientific knowledge can sometimes be limited. Since he sometimes struggled to teach science, his methods for teaching often revolved around more arts techniques. This included activities such as drawing equipment rather than asking questions or having more interaction with the pupils. Wednesday is the science day at the school and as such, Tom Fabling teaches each class a certain aspect of science. The theme for one of these days was Guy Fawkes Night and there was very little mention of science. While there is significance to Guy Fawkes Night in a social and political arena, there is little bearing in science and this topic would be better suited to history or citizenship. During the assisting, it was possible to open the discussion about the Night into science by discussing gunpowder, its composition and how explosions work. Another example of where a citizenship module was used as a science module was with â€Å"Drugwise† which looked at the use of illegal substances. The disadvantage of teaching about drugs in schools is that is heavily based on shock tactics and not about providing information (BBC News, 2002). One of the activities involved pupils drawing what they would think a drug user would look like. Most of the pupils drew someone who looked scruffy, had no teeth or hair, bad skin, etc. ignoring that people from all background could be drug users (Pedersen Skrondal, 1994). The medical side of the education is also only in the negative effects and the cause-and-effect of drugs, something important in science, is inevitably neglected as it shows what drugs can do in a way which is not damaging in the short-term or at all (Kinder, Pape, Walfish, 1980). Page 17 of 37 Looking at some of the questionnaires that Tom Fabling had collected from the pupils, there are many questions that did not appear to be scientific amongst those that were. Questions such as â€Å"What planet do you live on? † are probably too easy and questions such as â€Å"Isaac Newton dropped an apple and discovered g______† are based on an apocryphal story. Such questions were probably there to make pupils feel more comfortable as it would be more difficult to get no marks at all but the overall calibre of the questions were not particularly well picked. However, without a good appreciation of the requirements of the curriculum it is hard to make a definite conclusion. Apart from the older classes, P5/4 and P7/6, there is very little that distinguishes individual students by way of achievement on the test as can be seen in Figure 3. In the older classes it can quite clearly be seen that there are some students who were a lot more challenged by the questions than others. If the individual topics where pupils were struggling with were recorded then it would help in identifying weak points that could be later worked on. 2/10 4% 5/8 19% 10/10 41% 6/8 23% 7/8 27% 9/10 18% 8/8 31% 6/10 23% 7/10 9% 8/10 5% P3/2 class P4/3 class 15/15 21% 6/15 13% 8/15 4% 9/15 4% 10/15 9% 11/15 4% 12/15 8% 14/19 5% 16/19 5% 3/19 5% 4/19 9% 5/19 5% 6/19 5% 7/19 5% 8/19 5% 13/19 14% 12/19 10% 14/15 8% 13/15 29% 9/19 11/19 14% 10/19 9% 9% P5/4 class P7/6 class Page 18 of 37 Figure 3: Graphs showing the results of science tests from different-aged classes The segments of the pie charts show the percentage of students that got a specific mark. The labels have two numbers; the upper being the mark and the lower being the percentage of pupils with that mark. Looking at the science topics, there are also points which suggest that the teaching of science As previously mentioned, some of the topics such as â€Å"drugwise† would be better placed in other parts of the curriculum. Also some of topics for younger students such as toys, clothes, etc. that are also not strictly scientific. Table 1: Science topics at SPRCPS Primary 1 †¢ Starting school Aug-Oct Primary 2 †¢ Ourselves – Our bodies Primary 3/2 †¢ Dental health Primary 5/4 †¢ Healthy eating Primary 6/5 †¢ Healthy living Primary 7/6 †¢ Substance abuse (Drugwise 2) Oct-Dec †¢ Light and darkness †¢ Fruit and vegetables †¢ Wheels †¢ Materials †¢ Clothes †¢ Buildings †¢ Trees – Autumn †¢ Toys – Technology †¢ Changes in autumn †¢ The seasons †¢ Electricity †¢ Electricity †¢ The Solar system †¢ Research †¢ Weather †¢ Magnetism †¢ Under the sea †¢ Under the sea Jan-Mar †¢ Friction †¢ Air travel †¢ Research †¢ Birds and minibeasts Apr-Jun †¢ The seashore †¢ Mini-beasts and plants †¢ Robotots – technology †¢ Toys †¢ Robotots – technology †¢ Toys †¢ New life on the farm The lesson on static electricity that was part of the general science assisting was mostly a success. The children were very engaged with the lesson that was taught. However, the van der Graaf generator did fail for a period of time which was unfortunate but other activities were also available such as picking up confetti with a balloon that had been charged up by rubbing against the pupils’ hair. Due to a misunderstanding it was not known how much time would be spent on teaching this topic; a short demonstration of the van der Graaf generator turned out to be a whole lesson on static electricity. Tom Fabling highly praised the lesson and commented that he had learnt Page 19 of 37 from it too. Other members of staff were also provided an opportunity to view the demonstration and were as enthusiastic as the pupils. Questionnaires UAS questionnaire The general consensus from other students who were on the UAS was that they and the schools they worked with had a very positive experience. The questionnaire was completed by five UAS students. Most of the students (4/5) shadowed the teacher before starting their own teaching. This would have given them the chance to evaluate the confidence, knowledge and lesson styles, etc. of the teacher. As can be seen from Figure 4, more of the teacher’s were confident than weren’t. The reason for this was either down to the science background of one of the teacher’s (they had a degree in science engineering) or down to a large amount of teaching experiencing (one had taught for 25 years). The teacher with the degree in science engineering was quite apt when it came to science knowledge, as was one other teacher; two teachers were judged not have a very good knowledge of science. The teaching techniques for most of the classes didn’t vary greatly with most teachers opting to use paper-based (e. g. worksheets, books, etc. ) and computer-based (e. g. looking up articles/videos on the internet) activities over practical activities. This also shaped the lesson structures which was described in one school as being â€Å"very lecture style†. The lack of practical work – which would have been hands-on and exciting for pupils – also meant that there wasn’t much group work involved. Another disadvantage of this is that group work encourages pupils to help other pupils and allows them to appreciate each other’s ability in a subject area opening discussion between pupils rather than limiting it to between the teacher and pupils. It can often be daunting to ask questions in front of classmates and therefore it is often good to develop the chemistry of groups to encourage information flow between pupils. Page 20 of 37 Since most of the science lessons were not taught in a practical manner, it is not surprising that the science resources of thes schools need not contain more than books though one school these books, did have a dedicated â€Å"science cupboard†. There were a lot of resources at SPRCPS but they were poorly organised and therefore difficult to locate equipment. Figure 4: UAS students’ perception of the normal teachers qualities This figure summarises the responses to the questionnaire about how the students who shadowed the usual teacher felt about their certain characteristics and the availability of resources. Confiden and science Confidence knowledge were measured mostly by responses that had a â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† answer. Teaching techniques were judge by variety therefore mostly paper paper-based lessons would be considered negative. Lesson structures were also . judged by variety and science resources by availability. ce As well as bringing subject expertise, and ease with teaching the subject that they were (Murphy, Beggs, Carlisle, Greenwood, 2004) another advantage of having a student from UAS was 2004), that some financial support was provided towards the cost of teaching resources. This meant that inancial pupils who may have been less familiar with practical activities were given that opportunity and this would have effected not only the structure of lessons, making it easier to focus, but also the easier enthusiasm of the pupils towards science. One of the important things to note is the difference in having a younger person or a student teach pupils. Pupils may relate more with students than teachers as they are both young and in education (Goebel Cashen, 1979) and therefore will be happier to ask question Students also questions. don’t possess the same authority as teachers and therefore the divide between themselves and students is not as vast. Additional the generation gap is also not as wide, thereby creating the Additionally, , potential for a rapport to be built faster or more strongly. Figure 5 summarises how the pupils responded to the UAS teacher. Page 21 of 37 Figure 5 How the pupils at each of the UAS student’ schools responded to their presence As in Figure 4, the responses were judged to be either positive or negative. For the â€Å"using different teaching techniques†, negatively indicates that either it was unknown as to how the normal teacher teac teaches or that different techniques were not used. Also having teachers that have backgrounds in the fields they are teaching would make the interaction easier too. Not only can questions be aimed at the UAS students but, due to the background in more general science , questions in bro