The Pledge of Allegiance in the Public School System

The Pledge of Allegiance in the Public School System The Pledge of Allegiance has become a major issue for students, teachers, parents and lawmakers. The original intention of the pledge was not to stir up trouble, but for a celebration of Christopher Columbus discovery of the new world. The pledge is no longer thought of as a celebration, but an infringement on childrens religious beliefs. Do you believe that childrens rights are being infringed on? Some people believe that the pledge is a great honor for our country. It has shown, and provided us with great pride just like our American flag. The Pledge of Allegiance being recited in the public school system does not infringe on the students religious beliefs, but is a way for us to†¦show more content†¦Newdow has stated that by his daughters classroom reciting the pledge it has harmed and damaged her. He also says that he does not believe in God and he feels that his daughter should not be made to recite it. The thing is N ewdows daughter can not be made to recite the Pledge of Allegiance because according to the law she cannot be made to do so. In my opinion if Mr. Michael Newdow has a problem with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance her can remove her from school and home school his daughter? Instead Newdow is trying to make a movement to change the pledge even though it has been around for several years. Some believe that two little words push any type of religion onto someone. Knowing that everyone believes acts or will do what they want to in this lifetime that is why we have our First Amendment Rights. The First Amendment to the Constitution reads like this, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Pledge of Allegiance 6 So my question is simple, if the First Amendment state that no laws shall be passed for religion, then why is it that people are upset about the Pledge of Allegiance? Looking into the laws no where does it state that youShow MoreRelatedThe Reflection Of Francis Bellamys Pledge Of Allegiance1092 Words   |  5 PagesIn the early year of 1893, Francis Bellamy beautifully crafted a pledge that will be twisted over years of alteration, creating a constrained symbol of national bond submersed in religious controversy. The original text of Francis Bellamy’s Pledge of Allegiance was recited with a salute as, â€Å"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands-one nation, indivisible-with liberty and justice for all.† Reading this text, one may notice a lack of a well known excerpt; â€Å"under God.† PeopleRead MoreThe Pledge Of Allegiance, A Common Topic Within The Educational System1675 Words   |  7 PagesIssue The Pledge of Allegiance is a common topic within the educational system. Reciting the pledge was a common place in most schools across America, typically following roll call.The Pledge of Allegiance is so ingrained in many Americans minds that reciting it is like taking a breath, comes natural. Even though most citizens have the pledge memorized, many students do not know the real reason behind narrating this word of honor every morning. The primary goal behind reciting the Pledge of AllegianceRead MoreGraduation Speech : The Pledge Of Allegiance1715 Words   |  7 PagesChildren have been reciting The Pledge of Allegiance for over sixty years. It was common practice to recite The Pledge of Allegiance every morning in the classroom while standing and raising your right hand to your heart. Now, Americans are questioning the reasoning and purpose behind reciting The Pledge, especially since students are being asked to mention God each time they recite it. This paper will focus on school-aged children. Because of the lack of patriotism in Atheists and the infringementRead More God Should Remain in the Pledge of Allegiance Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesGod Should Remain in the Pledge of Allegiance One of the most controversial issues, if â€Å"Under God† should remain in the pledge, and if children should be required to say it, went to court a few weeks ago. The argument was brought to court by Michael Newdow, the father to the girl on whose behalf the lawsuit was brought forward. Newdow argued in court and on many different public speaking occasions that knowing his child is being led to say â€Å"One nation under God† on a daily basis makes him feelRead MoreSeparation Between Religion And Schools875 Words   |  4 PagesBack in grade school, the day was started every morning with little hands over little hearts as the pledge of allegiance was recited by a bunch of little voices. There was a time where â€Å"Under God† was just as fluent to a child as saying â€Å"Can I have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  while in a store or â€Å"I don’t want to† when asked to clean their room. Every attempt at removing the reference to God within the pledge of allegiance has failed so far but some schools have made changes accordingly without the laws changing. However,Read MoreReligions Place in Education Essay1325 Words   |  6 Pagesthat involve the issues between religion and government state laws and regulations. As of today religion is still a very emotional issue between Christian churches and schools. Issues such as prayer in school, reciting the pledge of allegiance (under God), teaching the Ten Commandments or evolution, are prohibited in public schools today. Educational administrators must be aware of these issues and the laws that must be adherent to. Religious Issues The Constitution made no reference to religiousRead MorePrayer in School Essay example1375 Words   |  6 PagesEven though public schools today are without school prayer, most schools have replaced prayer, with a Silent moment of reflection. Also, the assumption if there is a God or not is a big question as well. I think prayer should be re-instated into schools, because children should be able to express religion freely. I also feel that lack of discipline; youth pregnancy, dropouts, and violence in schools are other issues that can be more controllable if there were religious classes and school prayer. Read MoreWhy Religion Should Be Kept Out of Sublic Schools1334 Words   |  6 PagesAllowed In Public Schools The question of religion in public schools goes all the back to 1948, where a case in Champlain, Illinois was heard regarding a sectarian group that would go into schools 30 mins. a day to preach to students about religion. The court found it was unconstitutional due to the first Amendment (Mead, Green, and Oluwule). These practices still continue today with various religious groups taking stronger and more creative ways to infiltrate the public school systems of AmericaRead MoreThe Pledge Of Allegiance Of The United States1152 Words   |  5 PagesThe Pledge of Allegiance of the United States can be analyzed from two general perspectives: that of the speaker and that of the author. The first perspective is more familiar, especially to those who went through the American public education system. This is the perspective of the physical speaker, who delivers the pledge to the United States Flag, which is the audience. Typically, this speaker is a child in a school but it could also be a government official in a government meeting, among otherRead More Terrorism, Patriotism and the Farce of the Pledge of Allegiance1179 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Farce of the Pledge of Allegiance nbsp; It is unfortunate that the terrorists did not attack and destroy the Pledge of Allegiance instead of the World Trade Center.nbsp; But politicians and zealots have perverted patriotism to include a blind veneration of the United States based on an oversimplified conception that disregards current laws and social customs, a perversion evident in the idolatry performed regularly by most American citizens during the Pledge of Allegiance. nbsp; When

Love And The Beauty Of Summer By William Shakespeare

In â€Å"Shall I compare Thee to A Summer’s Day†, William Shakespeare compares his love interest to the beauty of summer. â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day†, is a Shakespearean Sonnet. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, a rhyme scheme where each line consists of ten syllables that are divided into five pairs called iambs. An iamb is a metrical unit made up of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. Common in many of Shakespeare’s poems, the iambic pentameter gives the poem its consistent drum-like beat. This consistent rhythm is able to add to the sonnet because it gives the poem a personal touch. Because of the iambic pentameter the poem is always read or performed to the reader’s heartbeat adding more romance to what was already a very romantic poem. This piece of poetry consists of three quatrains followed by one couplet. Each Quatrain has it’s own ABAB rhyme scheme, and the sonnet finishes with a couplet consisting of an an AA rhyme scheme. Because each quatrain has its own variant of the ABAB rhyme scheme, helps divide the poem into readable chunks. Since the sonnet is one massive stanza, this makes the poem easier to read because it allows you to stop and comprehend each quatrain. The poem begins in a stately and matter of fact tone, but the tone shifts to an endearing tone of praise midway. Shakespeare says, â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day† (1). When Shakespeare says this, he is not only setting the theme, but also setting theShow MoreRelatedDifferent Versions Of Shall I Compare Thee And A Summer s Day?967 Words   |  4 PagesTwo Versions of Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? William Shakespeare was the original author of the famous sonnet â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?†. Shakespeare’s intentions for writing this poem was to compare his beloved to a Summer’s Day. Shakespeare wrote and published this original version of Sonnet 18 in 1609, but was rewritten in the early 1900’s by Howard Moss. Shakespeare s sonnets were published only once in his lifetime. For nearly two centuries after their first appearanceRead MoreEssay about William Shakespeares Sonnet 18924 Words   |  4 Pages Keeping love alive is not easy. One knows that life eventually comes to an end, but does love? Time passes and days must end. It is in Sonnet 18, by Shakespeare, that we see a challenge to the idea that love is finite. Shakespeare shows us how some love is eternal and will live on forever in comparison to a beautiful summers day. Shakespeare has a way of keeping love alive in Sonnet 18, and he uses a variety of techniques to demonstrate how love is more brilliant and everlasting than a summersRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser771 Words   |  4 Pagesworks of William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser it is clear that some similarities are apparent, however the two poets encompass different writing styles, as well as different topics that relate to each other in their own unique ways. In Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet 18† and Spenser’s â€Å"Sonnet 75†, both poets speak of love in terms of feelings and actions by using different expressive views, all owing the similar topics to contain clear distinctions. Although Edmund Spenser’s â€Å"Sonnet 75† and William Shakespeare’sRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Sonnet 181231 Words   |  5 Pagesconveying the most famous of love poems; they consist of three quatrains that are written in iambic pentameter. Shakespeare deviates from the regular iamb pattern of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable to represent the effect of time and how it is limited by mortality. William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 illustrates the theme of immortalization and how Shakespeare eternally captures his love for poetry. It is in his ability to immortalize his love for poetry in order to appealRead MoreEssay on Sonnet 18513 Words   |  3 Pagesthese feelings in a reader but William Shakespeare? His various plays keep us entranced and curious but it is his poetry that strikes a chord deep within us. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare is particularly powerful. He writ es about a love that cannot be compared to anything in the world because of his deep infatuation. Shakespeare wrote his sonnet when he was deeply in love with a woman. He starts off his sonnet by implanting an image in our head of a summer day. A summer day triggers a scene that flashesRead MoreEssay on The Life of William Shakespeare1042 Words   |  5 PagesLife of William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is one of the most identifiable icons of England. Shakespeare was one of the greatest and most influential playwright and poet during his lifetime. He is known as the greatest dramatist of all time due to his many poems and plays, such as â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers Day?† and Romeo and Juliet. However, despite being so well known in the world of literature, there is not much known about the childhood of William Shakespeare. William ShakespeareRead MoreSonnet 18 By William Shakespeare898 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"SONNET 18† BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE William Shakespeare wrote Sonnet 18 as part of a sequence of 154 sonnets. Also known as â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee?† Sonnet 18 has become one of his most well loved poems. Shakespeare includes symbols of time, decay and eternity within this work. The speaker explicates his unending love for his beloved and how it will live on after death. The first quatrain introduces the personification of summer. The speaker begins the sonnet by asking if he can compare his friendRead MoreShakespeare s Sonnets Of 14 Lines1542 Words   |  7 Pagessyllable followed by a stressed syllable, with three quatrains and rhymed couplet scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. Often the beginning of the third quatrain marks the line in which the mood turns, and the poet expresses a revelation or epiphany. Shakespeare in his unique way, wrote Sonnet 99 with fifteen lines, Sonnet 126 has six couplets and two blank lines marked with italic brackets, Sonnet 145 is written in iambic tetrameters, and in Sonnet 29 the normal rhyme scheme is changed by repeating theRead MoreLove in Shakespeares Sonnets 18 and 130 Essay703 Words   |  3 PagesAlmost four hundred years after his death, William Shakespeares work continues to live on through his readers. He provides them with vivid images of what love was like during the 1600s. Shakespeare put virtually indescribable feelings into beautiful words that fit the specific fo rm of the sonnet. He wrote 154 sonnets; all of which discuss some stage or feature of love. Love was the common theme during the time Shakespeare was writing. However, Shakespeare wrote about it in such a way that captivatedRead MoreShakespeare Sonnet 18 Comparison993 Words   |  4 Pagespaper we will be analyzing and comparing some of Shakespeare’s famously known sonnets. William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor. He was widely referenced as the greatest English writer. I will start this paper giving you a brief summary of each sonnet individually, secondly I will then compare the sonnets drawing in on their similarities, and third I will then draw in on their differences. William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 I would say is his best known and famous sonnets. It’s probably

Policy in Theory and Practice Free Essays

What is the social administrative tradition? Social administration developed when the welfare state was undergoing a period of growth, when there was a high level of optimism about its potential achievements and a high degree of consensus about the fundamentals such as Education, the National Health Services, and public housing. Social administration was concerned with social needs and problems, and with the response to the problems; social policy. It became regarded as the natural provider of welfare, apparently at the expense of others. We will write a custom essay sample on Policy in Theory and Practice or any similar topic only for you Order Now Social administration is linked to the growth and development of welfare services, which have existed since the turn of the century, but were expanded and consolidated in the 1940s. It adopts a rational approach to solving social problems, which are often thought of as having an objective existence. Social services provided by the state were viewed as the proper method for causing progressive change. Fabianism was a movement designed to promote democratic socialism. The impact of Fabianism, as a coherent set of ideas, held that socialism in Britain was well-matched with the institutions of state and should, therefore, be implemented through a parliamentary system. Supporters of Fabianism wanted to utilise academic knowledge on social problems to create pressure on the state to research and conduct in-depth analysis in order to influence welfare reforms. The ideological and empirical alliances with Fabianism were associated with a concern regarding policy action; specifically what is done by policy action and how it is done, rather than why this is done. Two hugely prominent members of the Fabian Society were Sydney and Beatrice Webb. This couple believed that collective provision for welfare through the state was essential in order to develop a British capitalist society. Social policy in Britain became more concerned with the practical issues of education for experimental research on recognized problems – social administration tradition. During the decades of the 1960’s and 1970’s the view of Social administration as social policy became discredited, and since then a more holistic approach to social policy developed. What is meant by liberal welfarism? Liberalism welfarism is about protection of the individual in terms of freedom, markets and kind limits the state. Welfare in liberal philosophy is not something that is provided but something that is achieved and developed through the free and independent actions of a free will. The welfare of each individual promotes the well-being of the entire society by increasing the sum total of freedom in which its members live. Liberalism promotes equality of opportunities that is rooted in an inequality of outcomes. Freedom is intrinsically linked to responsibility, so as the state takes over in the role of providing welfare for the population a diminished freedom also means diminished individual responsibility. This is damaging to society, and in order to minimise the damage the state must take a less central role. It was thought that the state should refrain from interfering in economic processes such as income policies, laws regarding minimum wage and employment protection legislation, w hich in turn would decrease the role of trade unions in economic and political life. This forms the foundation for a legal background which enables individual freedom along with economic prosperity, and has been of great influence in economic, political and social welfare. The economic policy of laissez-faire was an attitude in which the government refused to interfere. This eventually began to give way to a new collective ideal called new-liberalism, which imagined the state playing a positive in the enhancement of social problems. New liberalism led to a transformation in the nature of and relations between the state and the market. Explain the parliamentary policy-making process. Within the parameters of British state, the central state may be considered to be crucial as it is where many decisions are made. Constitutionally Britain operates a tripartite division of powers between the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. Crucial to this is the role of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, which are pivotal in the making of policy. The job of the legislature is to debate and consider the introduction of new laws. Members of parliament exercise the power through the system of Parliamentary committees, where they are able to question Ministers and senior Civil Servants. New legislation passes through the laborious process of First, Second and Third Readings in the House of Commons, interspersed with detailed discussion of a Bill’s content at the Committee stage. A Bill will then receive consideration from the House of Lords, and during this process the MP’s and Lords from the government and the opposition have the opportunity to question and debate the principles and provisions of new legislation, and to suggest amendments. Finally a Bill receives Royal Assent and passes into law as an Act of Parliament. Detail the New Right critique of the welfare state. During the 1970’s both the Conservative and Labour Party attempted to halt the apparent economic decline, yet neither were successful. Both parties experiences an increase of radical activity in the far wings of the party. The ‘New Right’ formed as a branch of the Conservative Party, campaigning for a break from the previous reliance on Keynesianism as part of economic and social policy.From 1979-1997, Britain was governed by a Conservative Party that was under Thatcher’s leadership and was inspired by the New Right, and was rooted in economic liberalism combined with social conservatism. According to the work of the theorist Friedman Britain began to build up a neo-liberal analysis of state welfare during this time. His main argument was that public expenditure was being driven up by the increase of state intervention within welfare services. This interfered with the operation of the market economy. The New Right arguing that free welfare services only encouraged useless people to become dependent upon benefits and provided no incentive for families to protect themselves and their welfares through savings. The Conservatives tried to shift the costs of welfare through changes in taxation and the benefits system, burdening the poor and disadvantaged, and this served only to increase the amount of citizens who were in need of state support. This was further intensified by policies that sought to achieve wage discipline through mass unemployment. Neo-liberals wanted to roll back the state and reduce the role of the government, with the aim to restoring Britain’s international competitiveness. Welfare benefits were seen as detrimental to labour market flexibility, as they kept up wages. Bibliography Alcock, C, Payne,S, Sullivan, M, 2004, Introducing Social Policy, Essex, Pearson. Baldock, N, et al, 2012, Social Policy, 4edt, Oxford, Oxford University Express. Loney, M, Boswell, D, Clarke,J, 1988, Social Policy Social Welfare, Milton Keynes, Open University. How to cite Policy in Theory and Practice, Essay examples

Authentic Leadership

Question: Describe about the Authentic Leadership? Answer: A good leadership is critical to the success of any organization, including the health care organization. It involves the leaders who are able to instil the feelings of trust and honesty in their followers and thus, follow an approach of authentic leadership. This approach to leadership emphasizes on the building of honest relationships with their followers and is based on the foundation of ethics. These leaders are positive people who promote openness and generate support and trust in order to improve the performance of their team and that of an individual. These leaders evolve and learn from their experiences and self-exploration and aim for long-term results rather than on short-term outcomes (Gardner, Cogliser, Davis Dickens, 2011). However, this is not an idealistic case and it is wrong to make any kind of assumptions that all of the leaders strive to follow authentic leadership. This is because there are times when many are flawed, deceitful, and greedy and behave cowardly. There are leaders who just espouse one message in front of their followers and then all of a sudden behave in an entirely different manner. Like for instance, a leader who is nationally and internationally recognized but has lost his follower because of certain personally stated convictions that do not match or are inconsistent with their actions. Other examples could be of a political figure or a religious leader who on one side preaches morality but on the other side is involved in a scandal or has an extramarital affair. This affects a leaders ability to be an effective leader and changes the way and perception of several followers who personally felt about that authentic leader. Such leaders who lost their authenticity find it difficult to regain the trust of their followers again (Day, 2000). This is because the development of authentic or congruent leadership is a complex process which involves establishing open, transparent, genuine and trusting relationships with the followers and building trust again is not easy and takes time. References Day, D. (2000). Leadership development: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly, 11, 581613. Gardner, W.L., Cogliser, C.C., Davis, K.M., Dickens, M.P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda.Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120-1145.

Dickin Hard Times Essays - Hard Times, Emotion, Gradgrind

Dickin Hard Times Louisa was influenced by her father's educational system, causing her to base all experiences on facts, without any imagination involved in determinism. She was forced by her fathers philosophy to learn that? you musn't fancy? (14) causing her to base all experiences exclusively on fact. This type of guidance restricted all emotions within her life. As a result of her fathers teachings throughout the novel Louisa slowly comes to a realization that she was dependent on others ideas, and doesn't have any emotional experiences to guide her own positions. This is directly evident at two points in the text; First when she had been presented with a proposal for marriage, and on her voyage to visit her ill mother. By Louisa being able to distinguish the need for emotional experiences, Louisa is able to help her father see the negative impact of his philosophy of facts. It becomes evident that Louisa had suffered from her fathers education system when Mr.Gradgrind had presented Louisa with Mr.Bounderby's proposal of marriage. At this point her father is proud of her unimaginative attitude, ?you are not impulsive, you are not ironic, you are accustomed to view everything from strong dispassionate ground of reason and calculation? (99). Upon Louisa's response to the proposal, she goes through a series of questioning her father for the ?right answer', ?does Mr Bounderby ask me to love him(101) ?What would you advise me to use in its stead, father(100). The latter quote only shows how her father's authoritarian upbringing has influenced her own judgments. By not allowing Louisa to posses these ?fancies? which in turn leads to development of the imagination, he actually causes her unhappiness. Her answer is one that involves no emotion, and this can be seen in the blandness of her remark, ?Mr Bounderby asks me to marry him. The question I have to ask mys elf is, shall I marry him? That is so, father, is it not? You have told me so, father. Have you not.(103) The second point at which Louisa realizes that her father's philosophy has a suppressing influence on her emotions was during a voyage home to visit her sick mother. During this voyage there is a point when Dickens writes ?as she approached her home now, did any of the best influences of old home descend upon her. The dreams of childhood - its airy fables; its graceful, beautiful humane, impossible adornments of the world beyond? ... ? what had she to do with these (198). Louisa become conscious that her father's school of facts has left her with nothing in place of her childhood. ? Her remembrances of home and childhood were remembrances of the drying up of every spring and fountain in her young heart as it gushed out. The golden waters were not there.? (198). This is significant because Louisa has now recognized that her father's philosophy of ?facts facts facts? has left her with no emotional experiences, which would have helped to create her childhood dreams. Louisa is now aware that if she were to live a life of pleasure she must begin by living her life guided by her emotions, and not by her fathers philosophy of facts. After feeling some emotions towards James Harthouse, Louisa finally confronts her father on how corrupt his school of facts is, and how it has left her with no emotional experiences to guide her, ?I curse the hour in which I was born to such a destiny...How could you give me life, and take from me all the inappreciable things that raise it from the state of conscious death? Where are the graces of my soul? Where are the sentiments of my heart ? What have you done, O father, what have you done ..?(215). As the scene progresses, Louisa tells her father that the cause of her unhappy marriage is because she had been forced into it, ?You proposed my husband to me. I took him. I never made a pretense to him or you that I loved him. I knew, and, father you knew, and he knew that I never did ?(217). At this point her father realizes that she has b een unhappy, and makes his first

Cultural Mismatches in Educational Psychology Essays

Cultural Mismatches in Educational Psychology Essays Cultural Mismatches in Educational Psychology Paper Cultural Mismatches in Educational Psychology Paper The textbook speaks of a cultural mismatch that may interfere with a students ability to succeed in a traditional classroom. Describe the types of mismatches that might occur related to each of these traditional educational practices: a. The daily school time schedule b. The use of Standard English c. Whole-class question-answer sessions d. Classroom competition Many people regulate their lives by the clock: Being on time to appointments, social engagements, and the dinner table is important. This emphasis on punctuality is not characteristic of all cultures, however; for example, many Hispanic and Native American communities dont observe strict schedules and timelines. Not surprisingly, children form these communities may be chronically late for school and have difficulty understanding the need for school tasks to be completed within a certain time frame. To succeed in mainstream Western society, students eventually need to learn punctuality. At the same time, we must recognize that not all of our students will be especially concerned about clock time when they first enter our classrooms. Certainly we should expect students to arrive at class on time and to turn in assignments when they are due. But we must be patient and understanding when, for cultural reasons, students do not develop such habits immediately. Even when children speak English at home, they may use a form of English different from the Standard English that is typically considered acceptable in school. More specifically, they may speak in a different dialect-a form of English that includes ome unique pronunciations and grammatical structures. For example, some African American children speak in an African American dialect. At one time, researchers believed that the African American dialect represented and erroneous and less complex form of speech than Standard English and urged education to teach students to speak properly as quickly as possible. But we now realize that African American dialects are, in fact, very complex language systems with their own predictable grammatical rules and their own unique idioms and proverbs. Furthermore, these dialects promote communication and complex thought as readily as Standard English. Most educators recommend that all students develop proficiency in Standard English because success in mainstream adult society will be difficult to achieve without such proficiency. At the same time, we should also recognize that other languages and dialects are very appropriate means of communication in many situations. For example, although we may wish to encourage Standard English in most written work or in formal oral presentations, we might find other dialects quite appropriate in creative writing or informal classroom discussions. Teachers frequently ask questions of their students and then wait for an answer. But exactly how long do they wait? Research indicates that most teachers wait a second or even less for students to reply. Research also indicates that when teachers wait for longer periods of time-for two to three seconds or even longer-students, especially those from ethnic minority groups, are more likely to answer teachers questions and participate in class discussions. Not only does such an extended wait time allow students to show respect, but it also gives students with limited English proficiency some mental translation time. Yet we should also be aware that some native Hawaiian students, rather than wanting time to think or show respect, may have a preference of negative wait time: They often interrupt teachers or classmates who havent finished speaking. Such interruptions, which many might interpret as rude, are instead a sign of personal involvement in the community culture of those students. School achievement in a traditional classroom is often a solitary, individual endeavor. Students receive praise, stickers, and good grades when they perform at a high level, regardless of how their classmates are performing. Sometimes, though, school achievement is quite competitive: A students performance is evaluated in comparison with performance of classmates. For example, some teachers may identify the best papers or drawings in the class; others may grade on a curve, with some students doing well and others inevitably failing. Yet in some cultures, it is neither individual achievement nor competitive achievement that is recognized, but rather group achievement: The success of the village or community is valued over individual success. Students from such cultures (including many Native American, Mexican American, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander students) are more accustomed to working cooperatively than competitively, and for the benefit of the community rather than for themselves. They may therefore resist when asked to compete against their classmates. They may also be confused when teachers scold them for helping one another on assignments or for sharing answers. And they may feel uncomfortable when their individual achievements are publicly acknowledged. Group work, with an emphasis on cooperation rather than competition, often facilitates the school achievement of these students.

Liverpool City Brand and a Case for Rebranding Essay

Liverpool City Brand and a Case for Rebranding - Essay Example The present research has identified that the concept of city branding is fairly new and it corresponds to the development and growth of the tourism industry over the past century. This is because most cities have sought to become more competitive. This is done by packaging and presentation of their position as a tourism destination in a unique way and manner. This section of the report will provide a critical review of the concept of destination branding and brand strategy are the main tools employed by cities and communities to deal with the marketing needs of their destination. This section will examine the concepts and ideas of destination branding and how it occurs in the natural setting. Brands are marks of identification of a given kingdom, country or civilization. Destination branding creates an image and perception of a given place. In other words, it is a tool employed by city authorities and other stakeholders to present the destination to the markets and also get people to become interested in visiting the destination. This builds emotional connection as well as brand equity. â€Å"A destination brand is the totality of perceptions, thoughts, and feelings that customers hold about a place†. This implies that destination branding. This implies that destination branding is a way of creating a mental image and view of a given space or place in order to connect with the average consumer and potential tourist. Destination branding leaves an impression o a consumer and gets the consumer to build some kind of affinity or connection to a given place or destination. â€Å"Destination branding is an organizing principle that involves orchestrating the messages and experiences associated with the place to ensure that they are as distinctive, memorable and rewarding as possible. Successful destination brands reside in the customer’s hearts and minds, clearly differentiate themselves, deliver on a valued promise and supply customer desires.†

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Final exam - Essay Example All the models also aim at the value of national health policy to [provision of guidelines and direction for national health issues. Beveridge model emphasizes on the responsibility f the government in ownership and operation of healthcare. It also emphasizes that healthcare is a human right and should not be considered a privilege. The system encourages full access to healthcare despite the ability to pay for the services. The American model entails both the models as all the characters are observed in all the two models. The government is in charge of the healthcare similar to encouragement of private healthcare facilities. The reforms are those that are aimed at improving the healthcare that are given in the country. the reform has entailed bringing about new rights, benefits and protection that has included the that most healthcare that are on the grandparents covers preventive services that are from at least ten categories of essential health benefits. There are countries that have tried to implement the strategy and the type of system into their countries such that there is increased provision of health care to those in the country. A country such as Germany has been able to have the policy of a minimum amount of services in the country and free preventive services in its system. This is similar to the reforms that are stated in Obama care reforms. The first state of the reforms was that which was focused on United States and Europe and it mainly entailed forming the basics for compulsory governmental-run or voluntary subsidized programs on healthcare. This was in the 1900s to the 1920s. From the time, there have been initiations that focused on the campaign on by elites more concerned with caring against attacks from awareness groups than with current deployment, and common improvers in the labor, civil rights, activist, and also from AIDS activist activities have focused more on instant and incremental changes than on changing the health care

Various Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Various - Essay Example However, IBM card sorting and punch cards, which are considered precursor to computer, were invented. IBM through the German’s subsidiary followed the Jewish destruction. More than 2000 machines were dispatched through Europe and Germany. Figure 1: A Dehomag Hollerith machine (Source: Black, 2001) An American engineer named Vannevar Bush developed the large analogue computer as an accurate device than the previous one in 1930. It was an important achievement in the computing world as earlier devices were not reliable in computing. Claude Shannon who was an American electronic engineer, mathematician and cryptographer worked on the â€Å"Communication in Presence of Noise† and published this report after 1949 due to World War II. Claude E. Shannon proved the sampling theorem based on the Nyquist’s results. This work was done in 1940 but published after the 1949 (Normsn 2013). The Horward Aiken who found it sufficient for the satisfaction of computers’ needs initially estimated six electronic digital computing. IBM worked on the Aiken’s prediction and resulted into a development of IBM Stretch computers of 1959. This development became necessary for the storing of million numbers in the RAM as shown in the figure. Figure 2: Length of Console (Source: Kopplin, 2002) Transformation in the computer equipment was seen during 1960s. Early computers were in size of mainframe and then shrink into the minicomputers. Important development was seen when files were stored on the taps and accessed without involvement of any third party. Additional features like small computers, interfaces based on keyboards, and interfaces were included in 1972. Personal computers for the individual use were importantly developed. Computer Interface facilitated the shifts in the new patterns (Turner 2006). In 1981, IBM introduced a more affordable personal computer with a user-friendly design, and operating system having a movable screen. The use of PCs has become on a widespread in the offices, homes, and schools. Introduction of microprocessors in the early 1980s made it possible for several manufactures to make the chips based on the DSP. The data signal processing is a device with a native code. The DSP chips are capable to carry the millions of operations per a second (Poornachandra and Sasikala 2010). In early 1990s, the digital world shifted towards the models of the image processing hardware by the development of single boards. These boards were compatible for the buses of market standards. The image processing hardware contains the digitizer and hardware for primary operations known as the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU). The digitizer averages the images as quickly as possible. This development made possible for noise reduction. The image processing also resulted into the storage space with megabytes (Gonzalez and Woods, 2009). Developing of the long instruction word architecture enabled the numeric and intensive algorithms. Dig ital filtering used in the processing of different video signals reduces the noise effects or corruption pixels in video or images (Parker and Dhanani 2013). These events were selected because progress in digital computing did pass through a history. Historian of computing presented the contribution of the main players in strengthening of the communication and in the context of industrial

Treatment of Transgender People in India

Treatment of Transgender People in India Summary Transgender people are people who have a gender identity that is different from the one which is assigned to them by birth. The cultures of India include transgenders as a third gender, referred to as Hijra in Hindi. Ancient Vedic texts referred to transgenders as napumsaka to denote the lack of reproductive ability, and believed them to have the power to confer blessings on people on auspicious occasions. Hijras were highly respected in the Mughal period where they were considered as guardians of the harem, but after the onset of British Raj, they were criminalized and denied civil rights to an extent that long after the Independence of India, local laws still reflect the prejudicial attitudes against them. They are still treated as social outcasts in modern India, and hence the most common livelihoods for a modern-day Hijra mainly includes begging and prostitution besides their ceremonial task of blessing auspicious events. After almost half a century after Independence, the govern ment of India granted Hijras the basic civil rights of every citizen but not yet fully accommodated to vote. Welfare policies were also introduced by the state governments, and transgenders were finally declared as a socially and economically backward class entitled to reservation, and also prohibited discrimination against them. Ironically, homosexual intercourse is still a criminal offence under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The transgenders are being empowered steadily by the rise of various famous personalities like Kalki Subramanian, the first transgender woman to star in a motion picture; Padmini Prakash, India’s first transgender to anchor a daily national and Manabi Bandyopadhyay, the first transgender to become a college principal, amongst countless others who still struggle to rise from the social stigma society has weighed upon them. 1. Background Transgender, in definition, is a term used to define people who may act, feel, think or look different from the sex they were assigned at birth. Actually, transgender is an umbrella term, since it covers a wide variety of people including from anatomically bisexuals (intersex) to cross-dressers (heterosexual men who occasionally wear clothes, make-up and accessories that are associated with women in that culture). In India, the word transgender has been loosely associated with the hijras a term particularly used to describe people who are born physically male, but live as women, including dressing and socializing as female, and also go by the terms Aravani, Aruvani or Jagappa. According to the 2011 census, in which the third gender was recognized for the first time, the total population of the third gender was reported to be 4.88 lakhs, with Uttar Pradesh having almost 28.1% of them. Fig 1. Statistics of the population of transgenders in various states Often, transgenders and eunuchs are used interchangeably whereas the meaning of both the terms is very different.   2. History In Ancient India, the section of third sex loosely included infertile ladies, eunuchs, impotent men and bisexuals/intersex, which is affirmed by the recorded confirmation in the compositions of ancient India. The expression napumsaka has been instituted by the early Vedic literary works to denote the nonattendance of procreative capability, introduced by implying physical distinction from the masculine and feminine. In the Mughal period, Hijras occupied some of the most acclaimed positions such as generals, administrators, political advisors and also had the additional responsibility of guarding the harems. They were considered trustworthy, quick-witted and fiercely loyal to their rulers, and hence had free access to all spaces and sections of population. Hijras were also the occupants of high positions in the Islamic religious institutes, and were responsible of guarding Mecca and Medina, the holy places of the Muslims. In the start of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent, Hijras were secured by some Indian provinces and were granted privileges in the form of land, nourishment and a small amount of cash from agricultural households in exact areas. Be that as it may, these benefits were finally eliminated through British legislation since the inheritance of the ancestral land was commanded to the blood relations whereas Hijras were physically unequipped for mating and creating posterity.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Hijra community was eventually criminalized and denied social equality by the British colonial administration in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 incorporated the Hijras who were involved in hijacking, castrating and mutilating children and dressed like females to dance in public places. They were subject to an abundant amount of scrutinization from the Europeans since records of early European explorers demonstrated that they were repelled by the sight of Hijras and couldnt comprehend as to why they were given such a great amount of regard in the royal courts and other institutions. The Criminal Tribes Act, however was revoked in 1952, a couple of years after India announced autonomy from the British, yet tragically, the legacy of the act proceeded and numerous local laws mirrored the biased states of mind against specific tribes, including against Hijras. 3. Religious background 3.1  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hinduism Transgenders were periodically acknowledged in the ancient sacred texts in Sanskrit and the religious works of the rishis. The erotic sculptures on ancient Hindu temples at Khajuraho and Konarak, and the sacred texts in Sanskrit constitute irrefutable evidence that a whole range of sexual behaviour was not an alien concept for the ancient Hindus. The tradition of representing same-sex desire in literature and art continued in medieval Hinduism. Lord Rama, in the epic Ramayana, was embarking for the forest after being expelled from Ayodhya for fourteen years, addresses to his devotees and asks all men and ladies to retreat to the city. Among his devotees, the hijras alone did not feel bound by this course and choose to remain with him. Inspired with their faithfulness, Rama granted them the ability to confer blessings on individuals on propitious events like child birth and marriage, and furthermore at inaugural functions which, it was supposed to set the phase for the custom of badhai in which hijras sing, dance and bless. Aravan, the progeny of Arjuna and Nagakanya in the epic Mahabharata, offered to renounce his life to Goddess Kali to guarantee the triumph of the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war, on the sole condition that he was to spend the last night of his life in marriage. Since no lady was ready to wed the one for just one night, Krishna assumes the form of a beautiful lady called Mohini and married him. The Hijras of Tamil Nadu considered Aravan their begetter and call themselves Aravanis. 3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚   Islam The Islamic society fundamentally took for granted that everyone was either male or female, and for occasionally children whose anomalies in sexual physiology made it impossible to determine whether the person was male or female, they were assigned to the sex whichever could explain their sexual physiology better. Jurists believed that the seminal fluid of the dominant sex resulted in the offspring having the dominant sex, and in case of a tie, the child would be a hermaphrodite (khuntha). But the khuntha was still monitored for any signs which would firmly tie it to one of the sexes until puberty was achieved. Finally, if puberty failed to assign khuntha mushkil into the sexes, Islamic jurists had the final call to declare the gender, which was irreversible and permanent. 3.3  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christianity Christianity bundles together a variety of views on transgenderism and issues of gender identity, ranging from considering transgender acts as sinful to seeing it as morally acceptable, and these views are also different for each individual within a denomination. An individual is also not bound to support their church’s views on transgenderism as their own. Although the Old Catholic Church accepts transgender members and the LGBT community in general, but it also considers sex-change procedures as superficial and external in the sense it does not change the personality and the essence of a person’s soul and hence does not change a person’s gender in the eyes of the Church. The New Testament presents eunuchs as acceptable candidates for evangelism, absolution and also eligible to be the members of the clergy but they are not considered valid candidates to marry. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socio Economic Status Hijras are treated as social outcasts in modern India despite the fact that they formed an ancient social group which has been recognized for roughly four thousand years and depicted in India’s epic literature and temple sculptures due to degradation of the status of the Hijras during the colonial period, when several laws criminalizing them were enforced. Little has changed since the post-independence era, since the most common livelihoods for a modern-day Hijra include begging, dancing and engaging in prostitution although they still are regarded as harbingers of good luck at auspicious events such as a marriage or the birth of a child. The major foundation of social structure among the Hijras is the relation between a guru and their chelas, which is modeled both on the Hindu joint family and on the relationship of spiritual leader and disciple in Hinduism. The guru is synonymous to both a teacher and an elder in a family, who is expected to take care of the chela’s material needs, whereas the chela is expected to show deference and obedience to the guru and offer the guru her earnings. An effective measure of social control prevalent in the Hijra community over its members is mainly through the rigorous monopoly over the opportunities of work by the Hijra elders. Hijra members are required to pay compensation to the particular guru in whose territory she wants to earn her living in, and they have to forfeit this right to earn when they are thrown out of the particular territory. An outcast Hijra has virtually no source of income since she will neither be able to perform in any auspicious event or ritual, since all Hijra performances are mandated by a guru, nor be able to beg in another guru’s territory. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Politics Hijras have been perceived by the legislatures of both India (1994) and Pakistan (2009) as a new gender section, the third sex. Consequently, the government has conceding them the essential social equality of each native. They can now distinguish themselves as a eunuch on official government documents and passports, but contesting in elections is still an impediment for Hijras since candidates contesting for elections have to clearly identify themselves as either of the two genders accommodated by the redundant governmental laws. The Election Committee of India denied the candidature of three Hijras in the 2009 general elections on the basis of non-identification of the candidates into the binary genders. The first transgender to be elected in public office is Shabnam Mausi Bano, an elected member of the Madhya Pradesh State Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2003. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transgender Rights After the official recognition of transgenders as a â€Å"third sex†, welfare policies were introduced first in the states Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where transgender people could access free sex reassignment surgery, free housing, admission in government colleges with full scholarship and alternative sources of livelihood through formation of self-help groups. On 15th April 2014, the Supreme Court of India declared transgender people as a socially and economically backward class entitled to reservations in Education and Job, and also directed union and state governments to frame welfare schemes for them, On 24 April 2015, the Rajya Sabha passed the Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014 guaranteeing rights and entitlements, reservations in education and jobs (2% reservation in government jobs), legal aid, pensions, unemployment allowances and skill development for transgender people. It also contains provisions to prohibit discrimination in employment, prevent abuse, violence and exploitation of transgender people. Sadly, Homosexual intercourse was made a criminal offense under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. This made it an offence for a person to voluntarily have carnal intercourse against the order of nature. The Ministry of Home Affairs also stated its opposition against the decriminalization of homosexual activity, stating that in India, homosexuality is seen as being immoral. 7. Famous Transgender Personalities 7.1  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kalki Subramanian Kalki Subramaniam is a transgender rights activist, artist, actor, writer and entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu. In 2011, she starred in the Tamil film, Narthagi. She is the first transgender woman in India to do a lead role in a motion picture. In 2008, she founded the Sahodari Foundation, an organization that advocates for transgender people in India. She has postgraduate degrees in mass communication and in international relations. Subramaniam founded Sahaj International school in 2017, which is dedicated to serving transgender students ages 25 through 50 who have not been supported in mainstream schools. It is the first school specifically designated for transgender students in India and is located in Kochi, Kerala. 7.2  Ã‚  Ã‚   Padmini Prakash Padmini Prakash is India’s first transgender to anchor a daily television news show, emerging as a prominent voice for the neglected community. She is an avid Bharatanatyam and Kathak dancer and acted in a television serial. She has also been awarded Miss Transgender of India. She has been a vocal activist for transgender rights, and has been protesting against the discrimination, harassment and stigma that the sexual minority faces in India. 7.3  Ã‚  Ã‚   Manabi Bandyopadhyay Manabi Bandyopadhyay is the professor and first transgender person in India who has completed Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Bandyopadhyay was associate professor in Bengali at Vivekananda Satobarshiki Mahavidyalaya and took charge as principal of Krishnagar Womens College on 7 June 2015. She is Indias first openly transgender college principal, and began work as such in 2015 at the Krishnagar Womens College in Nadia district. Manabi is a devotee of Sarada Devi and she was initiated in spiritual life by Swami Atmasthananda. 8. Conclusion The report analyzes the history and the present situation of the transgenders in India. From being revered and respected in ancient times, they became social outcasts in modern times. In spite of the government implementing numerous welfare programs and declaring reservations in government jobs and services, a huge percentage of the Hijras are still trapped in slums on the margins of the cities, engaging in prostitution and begging, bereft of these benefits. A better implementation of the welfare schemes and strict criminal action against people who exploit, discriminate and alienate transgenders is sorely required for the social and economic upliftment of the Hijras. 9. Bibliography https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgenderhttp://www.lawctopus.com/academike/case-studies-statistics-survey-hijras/http://www.census2011.co.in/transgender.phphttps://controversycourse.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/sanders-ungendered.pdfhttp://www.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/hijras_transgender_in_india_hiv_human_rights_and_social_exclusion.pdfhttp://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/islam/islam/hijrahttp://www.trp.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ARSS-Vol.4-No.1-Jan-June-2015-pp.17-19.pdfhttp://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/175/what-does-hinduism-say-about-third-gendered-peoplehttps://thetech.com/2016/08/25/hijra-communityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia)

Direct and Indirect Costs :: Economics

Direct and Indirect Costs Direct costs ============ An organisation can apportion the costs incurred in the production of products or services in either a direct or an indirect manner. The direct costs can be defined as being the amount materials actually cost plus any other directly linked costs, such as labour. (for Quirk, materials, electricity, labour employee and management, machine depreciation) Production materials, machine or assembly wages =============================================== 1. Labour and wages – the cost of obtaining, training and retaining labour is a significantly high cost which must be allocated to each unit of production. There are many legal obligations as well as social and welfare considerations, which add to this high costs total. In order to work out the exact labour and wages costs to be attributed to each unit of production, an organisation must take a careful study of the production process and allocate the appropriate expenses. If, for example, an individual earns  £10 per hour and processes 10 units during that hour, then  £1 of direct costs may simply be added to each unit. Unfortunately, things are not that simple. There are many other individual costs which an organisation must bear in the employment of individuals. These may include employer’s national insurance contributions, pension payments and insurance policy payments. In most organisations, labour and wage costs account for the majority of direct costs. 2. Materials – the costs of materials differ according to the sector in which an organisation operates. As organisation that operates in the primary sector has comparatively low material costs. At the other end of the scale, in the tertiary sector, the costs of finished goods to a retailer for example, will be extremely high. The principal elements that affect the costs of materials should be included in the organisation's overall budgetary controls. In addition, an organisation must also consider the cost of materials in relation to market demands, as these will inevitably cause periodic fluctuations in material costs. Only those materials that are actually used in the production of a product or service should be considered part of the cost of that product or service. Task 2 Page 2 Other consumables used by the organisation are classed as indirect costs and are considered under separate budgets. Indirect costs ================== (for Quirk, rent/rates, sales/ marketing/ insurance/ non-production depreciation management salaries) Indirect costs are costs incurred in the running of an organisation that cannot be easily apportioned to the production process.

Preserving the Past for the Present and Future

Logan Shetlar Mrs. Deggner Expository Writing 201 30 March 2012 Preserving the Past for the Present and Future Many people have little to no knowledge about human’s prehistoric past, especially that of humans in the Americas. As you cruise down east bound Interstate 70 and make it through St. Louis, you start to drive by one of North America’s largest prehistoric city structures, Cahokia. According to the Cahokia Mounds Historical Site, this city covered six square miles, had 120 mounds, and was home to anywhere between 10,000 to 20,000 people from the years 700 to 1400 AD (Keller).Cahokia use to be a major regional trade center with huge mounds that had large palaces for city rulers, plazas, different neighborhoods, and even gaming fields, but much of this has been lost from natural wear of the land and also human destruction. I-70, although a hugely important interstate nearly connecting coast to coast, cuts right through some of the city, and new housing developments slowly threaten the area (Ritterbush). This human destruction happens all over and continuously erases some of human history from right beneath our feet.Archaeological sites should be preserved in order to protect unwritten human history, create economical benefits, and teach future generations about the human past and allow for future studies. Much of the reason why many people do not realize there is even a problem with the destruction of archaeological sites is that the sites are prehistoric, meaning they date back to times before written records, and most people have not heard of the sites.People in charge of a building project, such as project developers, may not realize they are about to build on top of an ancient prehistoric site, which is why there has been a federal law that now requires an archaeologist to come out to check land that may be developed. An archaeologist job is to work in the field and scientifically record and recover any artifacts they may find, usually se veral feet in the ground. The archaeologist then records all their findings and takes the material items back to a lab where they are cleaned, processed, and recorded (Professional Archaeologist).Needing to hire an archaeologist from the State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO) inevitably costs money, which makes for a group of people who dislike the law and the idea of preserving sites. Costs vary from the size of the project and weather or not sites are found, and if the law is not followed, federal permits and money can be lost, along with additional fines. All of this can be problematic, and a possible setback in the building plans for the project developers, but it is a very important step (Getting the Archaeological Green Light).In an interview with Prof. Lauren Ritterbush, she told me about the Blue Earth Village, which she has personally worked at in the Manhattan area that has been nearly lost due to human developments. The Blue Earth Village, just east of Manhattan, Kan sas, is an early Kansa Indian village dating back to the 1790s. Modern buildings here, such as houses and a cattle show barn, have covered much of the village that was there prior, but what little is left allows archaeologist a chance to research it and provide the Kansa Indian people with information about their ancestors.If SHPO had been in place when this area was being developed, archaeologists would have been able to excavate the area and record new information about the area. Many archaeological sites also provide economic benefits, such as tourism, to the areas around the world and here in the states. Egypt’s economy relies heavily on tourism, considering the country is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids, and other archaeological hot spots. In the year 2008, Egypt profited over 11. 8 billion dollars from tourism in the country.Tourism is also responsible for nearly 12 percent of the labor force in Egypt, making these archaeological sites hugely profitable (Dziadosz). For an example a little closer to home, take the Cahokia site mentioned in the beginning of the paper; the museum society there brings in thousands of new visitors each year. According to an article for the International Journal of Business and Management, tourism is a multi-industrial moneymaker that not only creates jobs, such as people who work in the museum at Cahokia, but also gets people to spend money in the area.The people that visit these sites need a hotel to stay in, gas to get their and back home, and food to eat; all providing profits that trickle back into the local economy. (Ardahaey 3). Much of the money that the these preservation sites receive are through donations (apparent on almost any website pertaining to archaeology by the â€Å"donate† page), so any money they make will go directly back into the economy through hiring new employees and allowing more of the sites to be preserved (Ken Keller).Some people may argue that stores, su ch as Wal-Mart, will do more economically for an area, but you cannot put a price tag on the knowledge that can be learned from the sites themselves. Getting an education is one of the most important parts of life in the 21st century, and for many generations to come. We all go to school till we are at least 16 years old and many of us go onto higher education, devoting nearly all of our first 25 years of life to school and gaining an education. Preserving sites give a chance for future generations to learn from the site hands on and lead to possible new discoveries as future technologies are improved.Many people do not really know what an archaeologist really does, or how their work affects anyone in anyway. One misconception of archaeologists is that their work is unimportant. In one of Shana Leslie’s online articles, she states â€Å"Modern archaeologists work closely with specialists in a variety of fields – from medical doctors to environmentalists to policy plan ners† (Leslie). Archaeologists are able to determine what an area’s climate was like thousands of years ago by testing different layers of soils or how a whole group of people began to die out from their bones (Ritterbush).Another important part of the knowledge gained from the work of archaeologist is how humans have evolved over time. Not that human beings have physically changed, but the way we live and the technologies we are able to use and come up with have greatly changed. Archaeologists are able to date their finds and look at how people lived from hundreds of thousands of years ago, to just a couple thousand, which provides incite as to how we went from people using stone tools and living in natural shelters to the iPad using, web surfing, technologically advanced people we are now.The science and knowledge gained from archaeologist field and lab work can affect people in nearly any type of profession, and help teach the future generations about our human past. While the problem of losing archaeological sites to human development is not a news-breaking event, it is still largely important and creates multiple views. People who work in project management and on building planning teams deal with the necessary set backs that may occur from needing SHPO to come in and check their land. SHPO costs money and time, and depending on if a site or sites re found, could increase both of these, making some dislike the archaeological efforts. Many people also have opposing views on the economic values of archaeological sites, believing that the sites could be put to better uses such as farm land or being built up for businesses. Still some people are just unaware of the importance of an archaeologist’s job and the sites they work on. For several reasons, archaeological sites should be preserved because they offer knowledge about prehistoric human history, create economical benefits, and teach future generations about the human past and allow fo r future research.Nearly all of what we know today about life before written records, from locations like Pompeii to the city of Cahokia just east of St. Louis, comes from the work of archaeologist. While archaeological research may cause troubles for project planners who look to build on undeveloped land, the work that these scientist do can provide new information about life before we knew it. The sites found also offer economical benefits as they attract tourists to visit the location and spend their money.These benefits to the economy are incentive to continue and preserve archaeological research as it brings in more money and helps educate future generations. The work of archaeologist helps to advance the knowledge of the human past, provide new information in other professions, and ensure future generations the chance to continue to learn from these sites. For those reasons, there should be more support of archaeologists preserving archaeological sites. Work Cited Ardahaey,  F.. â€Å"Economic Impacts of Tourism Industry. †Ã‚  International Journal of Business and Management   6.   (2011):  206-215. Research Library,  ProQuest. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. Dziadosz, Alexander. â€Å"Egypt Tourism Numbers to Fall Less than Feared. † | Reuters. Thomas Reuters Corporate, 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. http://af. reuters. com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE59J0PG20091020? sp=true. | Keller, Ken, Eric Young, and Gary Kronk. â€Å"Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Cahokia Mounds Museum Society. † Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Cahokia Mounds Museum Society. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. http://www. cahokiamounds. org. Leslie, Shana. Archaeology – 10 Common Misconceptions About Archaeologists – Shana Leslie, Freelance Writer – SEO Copywriting & Professional Writing Services. † Shana Leslie, Freelance Writer. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. http://www. shanaleslie. com/item. asp? iid=28. Ri tterbush, Lauren. Personal Interview. 13 Mar. 2012 Professional Archaeologists of Kansas. Getting the Archaeological Green Light for Your Projects. Kansas: Professional Archaeologists of Kansas, 2012. Print. Professional Archaeologists of Kansas. Professional Archaeologists. Kansas: Professional Archaeologists of Kansas, 2012. Print.

Introduction to Early Childhood Education Essay Example

Introduction to Early Childhood Education Essay Example Introduction to Early Childhood Education Essay Introduction to Early Childhood Education Essay A sum-up of the interview conducted in Week Four with an analysis of information collected and how it impacted your apprehension of the professional field of early childhood instruction. In hebdomad four of our category I conducted an interview with a twosome of instructors from my country ( cardinal Florida ) which asked me to stay anon. for proficient grounds. I called them topic ( A ) and capable ( B ) . In that interview they both opened up to me and took me through a journey of the school system in my country. One of the instructors has been learning in this country for about 38 old ages and from what information I had gathered from the interview I can decidedly state that she has seen it all. Teaching was her passion since her early age. she recalls playing instructor with her grandma and aunts seeking to learn them proper English since they merely spoke broken English. Her household migrated to Florida from Greece when she was 6 old ages old and she did non talk a word of English when she started school. She recalls being so diffident and since she didn’t speak any English. all she did was sitting in a corner and colour all twenty-four hours. Up to this twenty-four hours she says she owes everything to her 4th class instructor Mrs. Prim. At first ( A ) thought that Mrs. Prim was the meanest individual in the whole universe for taking away her colouring documents and crayons and coercing her in a manner to larn English. ( A ) Admitted to me that she hated Mrs. Prim for making that to her. but one time she started larning the English linguistic communication she had a alteration of bosom. The remainder as they say is history. ( B ) on the other manus has merely been learning for about 5 old ages and she loves it. She’s an E. S. L. teacher and her twenty-four hours consists of learning English to pull the leg of that English is a 2nd linguistic communication. She says that she wants to assist others as person helped her female parent learn the English linguistic communication many old ages ago and helped her make something of herself. A description of at least one cardinal issue or tendency in early childhood plans and how it impacts the instruction of immature kids. Within the field of early childhood instruction. several issues are presently being debated and many new developments are emerging. One of these tendencies is toward the enlargement and redefinition of early childhood instruction to include all educational experiences for kids from birth to 8 old ages of age. Another tendency is the increased involvement in developmentally appropriate instruction. which takes into history what is known about how immature kids develop and larn. and lucifers that to the content and schemes planned for them in early childhood plans. A 3rd tendency is the renewed involvement in incorporate course of study. One attack to this is thematic organisation. in which accomplishments. facts. and subject-matter cognition are integrated around a consolidative subject. A 4th tendency is toward the reliable appraisal of children’s acquisition. which is the procedure of detecting. entering. and otherwise documenting the work kids do and how they do it. as a footing for a assortment of educational determinations that affect a kid. Another tendency is increased involvement in mixed-age groupings in preschools and nongraded instruction in early primary class plans. A concluding tendency is toward multicultural instruction and anti-bias course of study in early childhood in response to quickly turning minority populations. and increasing cultural pluralism and planetary consciousness. A brief description of the instructional approach/model that best lucifers your personal educational doctrine and how you believe that attack contributes to quality programming for immature kids. The High/Scope Approach is the 1 that matches my personal doctrine the best. The High/Scope environment combines teacher-directed and learner-directed constructions to learn pupils to believe creatively and construct relationships utilizing inventiveness while playing games. In other words High/Scope lets the kids use their imaginativeness freely and without any boundaries which encourage pupils to take part in unfastened treatments and inquire unfastened inquiries. Your current doctrine of instruction ( based on your assignment from Week Three ) . My doctrine is to do learning merriment and interesting for my pupils every bit much as possible. I say this because there will ever be a twosome or more childs in a schoolroom that need to be intrigued or need excess attending. I besides believe that some traditional methods tend to be tiring. hich draws students’ involvement elsewhere and off from larning. Your programs. at this point. for your hereafter in early childhood instruction. My programs at this point are to obtain my BA in Early Childhood Education and get down learning World History and Geography. I believe that childs today lack the cognition and the great lessons that can be learned from all the noteworthy characters through history. Just conceive of how would person in the likes of Michelangelo or Da Vinci would had left their grade in history if they didn’t have a great instructor to pave the manner for them.

So Easy To Give Up †Creative Writing

So Easy To Give Up – Creative Writing Free Online Research Papers So Easy To Give Up Creative Writing Some years ago, I was the kind of girl who wrote diary every day, and this habit accompanied me for quite a few years. Life in those years were not so colorful, so things written down in the diary were those like â€Å"Chatted with xx today about the origin of the universe.† or â€Å"Came across a handsome boy but unluckily he did not want to know me.† and so on. But I was that time abundant with thoughts, and I would write about anything happening on me to thousands of words. Apart from things like â€Å"I lied to mom today, and I promise this would never happen again†, there were quite a number of this kind of diaries. But unfortunately I did the same thing again the next day. I also said that â€Å"From today on I would never play computer games, because it is time for me to have a change.† But every time I saw the computer, I totally failed. Give up? That was the main clue of my college years. I was so good at giving up and so used to it that I never felt ashamed but proud of it. That was because I could always find reasons for my giving up. I gave up again and again, from lying, playing computer to life and love. My enthusiasm faded away year after year, and my obligation disappeared. I did not know what I should do and what I could do. Gradually, I feel not used to talk about â€Å"obligation†, however, I used â€Å"idea† to replace it. So I am often asking and being asked â€Å"Have any ideas or not?† when hearing somebody talking about obligation on campus, I would feel so uncomfortable and even a little bit superior because I consider obligation as a naà ¯ve thing. I began to concern about the tiny profit and loss in my life, to measure the distance between men, and to talk about right and wrong. Breadth of mind is becoming narrower and narrower, and mood worse and worse. So what is wrong with me? Haven known the sharp drop in my study, one of my college teacher, who had been concerned about me all the time, wrote a letter to me, expressing his astonishment towards me. His tongue of sadness and grieve moved me till today, and I have to bury the feeling of regret ness down my deep heart. There was a sentence in his letter which impressed me so much. He said, there is something in your life which you can not get again if you give up them once. I know what he meant by this. Man’s ability is limited, if he would not try his best in his prime time, what can we expect from him? I have watched a Japanese movie. It was boring. But there was a sentence in it which I can never forget: â€Å"There are no dress rehearsals in your life. Every day is a living broadcast†. Indeed, we always think there is a day for the living broadcast, so everyday we indulge ourselves in the dress rehearsals, but life, unfortunately, was consumed in these usual days. In fact, everyday is so important and it can not be repeated. To treasure every minute, and to build up my obligation to get close to it. This is the modal of me when I am now in my third year of college. No high-sounding, but never to give up! And now, at least, I would not be satisfied to choose my occupation, to choose my family, to choose a big color TV, to choose health, to choose dentist insurance, too choose my beautiful suit, to choose the boring TV programs, and to choose my life. May be you will say life is just like this, but I will not believe in that! Research Papers on So Easy To Give Up - Creative WritingPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaThe Spring and AutumnThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationWhere Wild and West MeetStandardized Testing

I'm Daniel, Emily's father Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I'm Daniel, Emily's father - Essay Example Emily is my favorite child and I would not imagine her being pregnant at her age. We established a plan for her academic and career lives before she could settle down in marriage and she agreed to it. The plan would see her excel to be one of the country’s top executives and she would be our source of pride. This is particularly because she has been the most promising, of my children, in academics. I would therefore not imagine the plan being ruined or even getting delayed because of the many uncertainties that would be hindrances. Even with the realization of her pregnancy when it appears to be at an advanced stage, I would request her and her mother to go for confirmatory pregnancy test to confirm truth of the suspicion. I would still find it hard to believe her pregnancy, even with the confirmatory tests. In struggling to accept the truth about her pregnancy, I would be disappointed in her and in myself for our responsibilities in allowing such a thing to happen. By engaging in risky sexual behavior, at her adolescent age, she has engaged in immorality and brought shame on herself and the entire family. This is because our immediate community values sexual dignity and expect people to engage in sex only in marriage. Her pregnancy would therefore be evidence that she engaged in premarital sex and some conservative families would shun our family and even restrict relationships among their children with ours. I would also be disappointed in Emily because her condition threatens the plans and expectations that we had developed about her. I would however be disappointed in myself for failing to take necessary measures for protecting her from environments and associations that led to her pregnancy. I would feel that we failed to create an environment in which she could have informed us of her relationship with a sex partner because such a discussion could have helped in counseling her, ourselves or through a professional counselor, to

Evaluation of the Current Status of Alitalia Essay

Evaluation of the Current Status of Alitalia - Essay Example Correspondingly, this report intends to examine the prospects of Etihad Airways which has started to examine the possibility to buy a majority/total stake in Alitalia, the Italian struggling airline. Alitalia is a prominent Italian based airline group and one of the leading players in the European airline industry. The group operates under the brand name of Alitalia and offers an assortment of premium services at all levels including the purview of domestic, international and intercontinental destinations. Air One is a subsidiary of Alitalia Group that provides low-cost flights to domestic and international routes. Alitalia is a privately owned group and 75% of its ownership is retained by Italian entrepreneurial and financial world while the remaining 25% is acquired by the biggest European airline, Air France-KLM. The group is also the member of SkyTeam alliance and has opened transatlantic joint venture with Air France KLM and Delta. The group over the years has been able to secure and distinguish its position amid its customers particularly due to its superior service quality, maintenance, and passenger care. The pool of well-trained employees along with effective operational management has established it as the most punctual airline across Europe. At the same time, the extensive and ambitious investment plan to make its fleet modernize has tremendously facilitated it with attaining greater customer confidence and trust. Apart from transportation of passengers, the company also operates in cargo sector. It has been able to meet the customers’ shipping requirements through the effective arrangement of cargo charter flights (Alitalia n.d.). Moreover, it has the most modern fleet of 132 aircraft. The company’s financial health during 2012 was worst affected with increasing loss and augmenting debt. However, amid this sluggish performance, the market share of the group across all routes continued to st ay stable at around 22.6% (Alitalia 2013).

Cultural Relativism and Ethical Subjectivism Essay

Cultural Relativism and Ethical Subjectivism - Essay Example This research tells that Cultural relativism is the belief about defining human actions on the basis of cultural values of an individual. Different cultures may have different ideas of right or wrong and no idea can be considered as absolute. Ethical or moral subjectivism can be defined as the absence of definite or absolute moral right or wrong. It argues that individuals may have their own versions of moral values and no standard can be set by the society. The idea that reality cannot be absolute and relative is an attempt by the society to accept or sanction the differences between the people. Cultural relativism and ethical subjectivism both argue that there cannot be one correct solution to all problems and different people may perform differently in similar situations and they can still be right. Beliefs or attitudes of people are different and so they act differently in similar situations, and society cannot set a standard for what is right or wrong. An ethical subjectivist wi ll not believe in accepting absolute moral standards simply because of the fact that absolute moral standards cannot be known objectively. The absence of surety in the context of morality is the reason why subjectivism is supported by an ethical subjectivist. The idea is to allow an individual to think or act according to his belief simply because the ‘true reality’ is not known. Everyone is therefore entitled to believe in his or her version of morality. Cultural relativism also vouches for differences among people on the account of differences between cultural values. Culture can be regarded as one of the strongest influence on a person because it shapes an individual’s personality and thought patterns from childhood. This allows a cultural relativist to argue that different culture may have different interpretations of truth and therefore differences between cultures should be accounted for without arguing for a perfect realist view of truth. The similarity be tween these two viewpoints is that they both argue in favor of societal and individual versions of moral truths. Subjectivity and relativism are preached because we can only be relatively sure about anything. Individuals are allowed to behave differently on account of their culture or personal opinions because of this absence of surety when it comes to moral reality. The main criticism on both of these theories is that the society will be in a chaos if every person in the society starts to practice his or her own version of morality. Any idea about right or wrong cannot be left to the individual (ethical subjectivism) or a group of individuals (cultural relativism) simply because of the lack of rational thought that is embedded in all societies. This criticism of subjectivity and relativism springs from the idea that people cannot be trusted for they may, and do, err in their social judgments and society cannot be exposed to the madness of one or many. The reply to this argument by ethical subjectivist will base in a belief that human beings have an inherent sense of morality.

RR communications Essay Example for Free

RR communications Essay At RR communications, it is obvious there is a problem that needs to be handled if they are to avoid losing customers. The problem lies with the decentralized operations where each business unit has a mandate to operate independently. The business units have the power to make and implement new projects and make decisions without having to involve the whole firm. This has led to many problems such as customers complaining of having receipts for each of the four products offered by the company and would prefer having one receipt for all their transactions. Due to the division among departments, the company has been unable to meet reporting requirements for the Sarbanes Oxley Act. It has proved obvious that a shared IT service, which is standardized among all the units, is needed to ensure everything goes well. The first problem we see at RR Communications is that there is a definite lack of centralized and concise IT governance. Currently all of the separate functions of the company have their own individual leadership with no central leadership. For this reason, each of the sections takes actions and makes decisions based only on how it affects their own particular departments. There is no coordination to ensure that the act of one area does not negatively affect the rest of the firm. This in turn has led to a significant lack of uniformity across the organization, which is hurting customer relations. There are unified databases and each section maintains their own set of records; this is causing great frustration among their customers who continually have issues when dealing with more than one area. Much of the division of departments has been caused by a lack of central leadership. The CEO of the firm has failed to unify the department or assert any control over the individual IT vice presidents. Even though they reported to him, each had acted entirely independently. This continuous failure of leadership has caused the department heads to develop a sense of isolation and self-survival. Even though a new executive VP of IT has been appointed to bring unity to the firm, there has been severe resistance as each department feels it will suffer. The lack of centralized management for so long has caused significant discord between the departments that will take considerable effort to overcome. In addition, this company attitude has filtered down from the VPs to the middle and lower management creating an overall atmosphere that is dangerously disjointed. Even the suggestion of bringing together the database systems and management has caused a near  mutinous uprising and rejection of leadership. The current managerial atmosphere has been around so long, the attitude of individualism has been deeply imbedded in the corporate culture. While, individual thinking is useful to foster innovation and creativity, when the entire organization acts to satisfy only its individual requirements, the firm overall will suffer. Unless this attitude can be overcome, any attempt at bringing unity to the company will fail. From the technical standpoint, RR Communications is suffering from a severely fractured information management system. Every section of the company maintains its own individual customer databases, which are in incompatible formats. If a customer maintains relationships with more then one division, they get bills from each individual area. Customer issues often fail to get resolved because the departments do not communicate or share information. This is causing problems with diminished customer satisfaction. In addition, without a centralized database, full customer information and statistics are impractical to collect. In addition to suffering by not being able to collect detailed records, the company is facing regulatory issues by not being able to provide complete information on the company’s activities, and significant resources are being wasted to assemble simple reports. Currently management and associates at RR Communications believe that a collective solution is impossible, and any attempt to do so will cause them to suffer. While it may be true that the initial implementation of such a system will require a significant collective effort, the end result will be well worth it. It is also clear that much of the perspective of management is extremely short sided; projects are selected only based on a very narrow and limited benefit view with no regard for their long-term viability. As more and more systems have been patched together to fulfill immediate gaps, the overall collection of programs has become a cumbersome, inefficient, and unmanageable mess. A truly efficient system would be one that is all-encompassing and communicates across all facets of the organization to deliver a unified and fully integrated information system that can add real value to the firm. One other major issue at RR Communications is the proliferation of rouge projects completed without oversight or regard for how they will affect the firm. In a large company every project should be examined to determine how it could provide value to the organization before being launched. At RR  Communication projects are being launched that benefit only select areas and may in fact be causing a significant negative impact to the rest of the firm. The company currently does not have a steering or operating committee to oversee and exert control over these projects. Without any form of centralized control and governance, these rouge projects will continue to sabotage the effectiveness of the organization. Lack of common information and enterprise IT strategy has caused several problems for the business and the IT departments of RR communications. Customer service has suffered and customer dissatisfaction has grown. Lack of common information has made it difficult for management to monitor the businesses as a whole. Business units are unable to exchange information and remain unaware of the other divisions’ work. There is little sense of how the divisions work together to meet the company’s overall goals. The accounting problems make it difficult to present shareholders with accurate financial information, and the system is not cost-effective in any case. Furthermore, each division working at individual level to attain its success makes them rigid and unable to adapt to changing requirements; under these circumstances even the implementation of new technology will be extremely difficult. The organization cannot operate efficiently as a whole or at division levels, and the costs are bound to keep increasing. Analysis: As many annoyed customers can probably agree, being transferred from one department of the company to another over and over again to resolve a simple issue is one of the main reasons many companies lose customers. This is certainly an issue at RR Communications. The main cause of the problem seems to be the division of the different business units. This lack of unity is caused by a faulty commission system that rewards individual performance over company profit. The fact that the four CIOs refuse to work together and resort to sabotaging the efforts of the others, serves to show that they are more interested in their own selfish financial goals. While the president of the company may have been a visionary and brilliant entrepreneur, he lacked the managerial skills to recognize the need to have a unified commission system which would foster participation in a common goal, and thus a common  commission which is interdependent on all four business units would be most beneficial to the company. Unifying IT Resources The most important problem for RR Communications to correct is a significant deficiency of successful information management, reflected by the confused state of their customer information databases. Currently customer data is disbursed in separate databases for each section of the company, so that data from one department is not available to another. Thus, customers are forced to maintain relationships with multiple departments and receive billing from each. This separation means that valuable information resources are not being effectively utilized, hurting the firm’s productivity and efficiency. To improve the state of information capital at RR Communications, a complete overhaul of the current systems will be necessary, from both an IT and business standpoint. Information represents a vital asset to any company. This can be in the form of customer accounts, sales records, research development, financial statements, etc. However, in order to realize full benefits, the same information must be readily accessible by all individual units, so that the company can leverage it in the most efficient manner. The first step to correct the issues at RR Communications is to create a unified data architecture that combines all information resources into a central database that is accessible to all sections of the firm. By providing a centralized database clients will be better served by allowing complete access to customer records throughout the company. This will also improve reporting abilities, lower administrative costs, and greatly increase the value of information resources. To achieve the greatest benefit to the company, RR Communications could consolidate its data from multiple silos into a unified enterprise data warehouse (EDW) (Smaltz, 2011). This architecture provides multiple benefits including a single location for all information storage reducing the amount of duplicated efforts. This also greatly improves the integrity of data by providing a ‘single version of the truth’ (Smaltz, 2011). When data is spread throughout multiple databases, invariable some of it will differ. For example, a customer’s address may have been changed in one department but not another. These differences can prove costly to a company. A centralized EDW means that only one record should exist for each customer and reduce  data discrepancies. Having such a centralized system would also satisfy customer needs in a more efficient manner and would help to cross-sell products, which in turn would result in higher profits and more profit for the company. By allowing customers to have a single point of contact, and sharing information by standardizing software and databases across the organization, information will flow more freely and readily available thus giving the employees the ability to communicate in real time with accurate data and maximizing customer contact to increase profits. Having a decentralized IT function is not conductive to achieve an enterprise vision because by keeping the separate business units separated, it keeps pertinent information out of reach of other business units, and thus allows missed opportunities to maximize profit. Also, the lack of communication among the units creates chaos and disorganization in the organization and gives precedence to individual goals above company goals, which in turn will end up hurting the overall enterprise vision and may even spell the end of the enterprise altogether. Finally, having a decentralized IT function creates customer frustration such as in the case of getting several bills for different products. This frustration may cause the company lost customers and lost profits. Information Stewardship Information Management Policy The difficulty in implementing this solution is the current state of the databases scattered about the firm; many are in incompatible formats, so that significant effort will need to be invested to bring together all of this data into a single, shared IT service system accessible to all. In addition, not all data is equally valuable to each unit. Efficiency necessitates allowing employees access to the information that is most pertinent without inundating the various departments with extraneous details. For this reason, whatever IT solution is implemented must be able to adapt dynamically to the storage and retrieval needs of each department. Another challenge to creating a centralized system is the role of information stewardship. Information stewardship involves the ownership and control of information to reduce discrepancies and redundancies. To maintain the consistency and accuracy of data, information stewards need to be appointed. â€Å"Information stewards are businesspeople. They should be responsible for determining the meaning of information ‘chunks’ and their  business rules and contextual use. They should be responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, consistency, validity, completeness, and redundancy of information† (McKeen Smith, 2009, p. 76). A serious challenge to the consolidation of data at RR Communication will be consolidating all of the disparate information from around the firm into a single enterprise data warehouse. It is very likely that there will be duplicate information, conflicting records, incompatible data formats, and other inconsistencies that will not lend themselves to easy integration. However, the reduction in duplicate and conflicting information will be vital to the success of RR Communication. Duplicate data means an increase in administrative work and overhead, a nd conflicting and inconsistent information means the company is not performing at optimum levels. The reduction of duplicate data, or data deduplication â€Å"can improve the performance of virtual systems, reduce network traffic and cut the costs associated with data protection. In addition, deduplication allows backup data to be replicated more efficiently to other sites for disaster recovery† (Symantec, 2011). Duplication increases the amount of data a corporate network must process, reducing efficiency and increasing costs. Storage costs increase as the same information may be stored and backed up across multiple databases, again wasting resources. Finally, duplication of data significantly increases the amount of labor required to utilize it in any useful manner. Clearly, RR Communication will need a significant amount of data deduplication to create a useful, consolidated enterprise data warehouse. To facilitate the proper stewardship of information, an information management policy needs to be created that addresses these issues in a way that prevents such confusion and disarray. An information management policy will dictate the rules and guidelines for how information is handled, who is responsible for maintaining and updating it, and outline the policies and practices to do so (McKeen Smith, 2009). To begin to unravel the data mess at RR Communications they should define an encompassing information management policy that will effectively address the issues of what information is retained, who is responsible for updating it, how it is to be maintained, and who should have access to it. Critical to the success of this policy will be the involvement of management from all functional areas of the company. Each should be given the opportunity to contribute to the policy,  and each individual needs should be addressed. In addition, the problem with this solution will be gaining acceptance from the different functional areas of the business. There will obviously be conflicts of ideas and differences of opinion in how the policy should be created and enforced. To improve the effectiveness of the policy it needs to be thoroughly enforced from top management down. This means to gain compliance, RR Communications’ CEO needs to set the example and pressure all levels of management below to do the same. Another strategy to encourage the support of the divisional presidents for the shared customer service is by creating awareness that the free information flow would be beneficial for all and would simplify business processes, thus allowing then to increase their bottom line, and thus their bonuses. Finding opportunities to demonstrate small success would help show the support being given to the divisions. To aid in compliance, a large corporate training program should be initiated to ensure the policy is well known by all associates. Gaining compliance by all of the business areas will be the most difficult part of this solution; the ingrained attitude of self-preservation that exists at RR Communication will be difficult to overcome. However, change is not impossible, but only by dedication of management. The initial implementation period will be the most difficult, and if enforcement waivers the policy may fail. Creating Useful Information from Raw Data One characteristic of an enterprise system is ensuring seamless integration of a company’s information among all divisions, including financial and accounting Markus, M.L., Tanis, C. (n.d.). Hence, to achieve a successful enterprise system, a company must have its IT systems centralized to ensure information runs smoothly and is relevant among all divisions, especially the financial and accounting information. Considering the accounting problems brought up at the final meeting, the company obviously needs to implement a centralized IT function. Moreover, it will be far more expensive to have an enterprise system with a decentralized IT function, which is contrary to the aim of achieving an enterprise system. While a centralized information management system will indeed offer benefits at RR Communication, if there is no way to utilize and interpret that data, it is useless; this is analogous to being data rich and information poor. Just  because a company has loads of data does not mean that is fully informed. A company such as RR Communication collects vast quantities of data, but having the resources to convert that into useful information can be an extreme challenge. At RR Communication, they are facing a double-sided problem; they have neither a collective data warehouse, nor do they have any effective information management. Once the problem of centralization has been addressed, information management can be. One potential way to improve the use of massive amounts of data is using a metadata repository. A metadata repository functions much like the card catalog of a library; while it does not specifically contain the information, it provides an index of what is available, including the relevant points on what it contains, as well as a pointer to locate the information (Moss Brodie, 2002). This index provides an extremely valuable resource tool to quickly locate pertinent information. In addition, the metadata repository should be designed with the ability to hook into other systems that are developed to provide information to mother systems as necessary. Establishing this framework now will offer increased benefits as more systems are built off the central repository. Addressing Corporate Culture As seen in RR Communications, lack of common information and enterprise IM strategy can cause several problems to the business and the IT department. RR Communications has encountered serious customer service problems, due to lack of common information and enterprise strategy. In addition, lack of common information makes it hard for the overall management to monitor the businesses. Business units are unable to exchange information, and none is aware of the other divisions’ work. The company is not in a position to strengthen its brand since no divisions work together. To remedy this, a unification of the firm needs to take place from more than just an IT standpoint. The disjointed nature of the firm’s information assets reflects a deeper separation of the personnel at RR Communications. Departments work for their own ends with naught but passing concern for their effects on the company as a whole. This lack of cohesion manifests itself in the behavior of the CIOs, divi sional managers, and even the employees, and has resulted in the severe fragmentation of corporate culture. The fragmented IT systems are only a symptom of a much larger problem. Before addressing the IT  problems at RR Communications, the underlying culture of the business needs to be transformed. This begins at the very top, with the president of the company and the highest leaders; they need to be the first to set the example, and it is clear their current attitudes have set the company on the disastrous course it is on. Removing the CIO team which has hampered the company’s efforts at unification up until now was a good step, but serious considerations now need to be taken to prevent things from getting worse. Other associates could easily see firing the CIOs as a usurping of departmental sovereignty; however, they need to use this as an opportunity to show that the company can be brought together without sacrificing any of their needs. To capitalize on this opportunity the president and vice president should bring together the next level of management into a council of members to set the direction and culture of the firm in a way that promotes unity and mutual respect. This council should be responsible for creating and fostering an atmosphere that shows the benefits of the firm functioning as one. They need to prove to the management and associates that their departments will have a say in decisions, and their needs will not be overlooked. To improve the odds of acceptance, the council should be selected from leaders that have proven themselves as examples of good leadership and who are respected in the firm. Key to the success of this council will be keeping everyone on equal footing and ensuring that no one area is given preference over another, especially in the beginning. It is obvious that certain departments will have greater needs then others, and sometimes priority will need to be given to one area; however, if this behavior is present from the outset they will receive much resistance from the firm, as this will reinforce existing fears. Once a unity of the firm has been established, people will be more flexible to accept changes after they see the benefits. It will be up to the president and vice president as leaders to maintain these policies and be the example. As demonstrated in previous cases, the president has been lax in demonstrating himself as a leader and this could prove damaging to any such plans to unify the firm. Leadership must begin at the top, and the success or failure of a company often reflects the abilities of its leadership. Implementation Challenges The advantages of a shared IT system eliminate some of the above-mentioned  problems. A single centralized and standardized IT operating system will enhance quick decisions across all the departments, since all units will be looking at the same data. Furthermore, with a shared service, customers will not have to visit different databases for the same company; rather, all their queries and purchases can be done from one site that will serve them with all that they need from the company. Another advantage will be easy monitoring of the divisional units—their individual performances as well as their contributions to the whole company. Another advantage for the company will be the ability to monitor financial operations, since all operations will be reflected on one database centrally (Amces, 2010). To implement the shared service strategy, it will be important to seek support of the divisional presidents, considering they will be in charge of the units, which are the moneymaking branches. Their willingness to participate in the construction of the shared service will benefit the whole company. The first step to the implementation of this strategy will require assurances that it will benefit the whole company far more than the current system that is facing opposition from not only the customers but also other stakeholders such as the suppliers. In turn, since employees’ remuneration is awarded on performance, improved performance for the whole firm will be an added advantage. Since the divisional heads are used to being in control, it is important to remind them that having a shared service will not mean the imposition of decisions from above. Rather, the shared service will make the operations of the whole organization work in harmony for the purpose of easy monitoring customer convenience. They should be included as part of the implementation team, so they can offer input on what they may not want to change. For instance, many are worried they will have to do away with specific projects. Ensuring them that these projects will continue after implementation of the shared service would increase their support, as would helping them understand that the new, shared system will enhance the harmony and efficiency of whole organization; eventually they will come to see that their roles will remain mostly the same. Another way to improve the odds of success to a centralized data structure is by appointing a team to oversee the maintenance of the data warehouse fr om an enterprise level. Ideally the members of this team should be comprised of analysts from the important functional areas of the company. This can help gain buy-in from the company  due to the fact that the members of this team have already proven themselves to be knowledgeable and capable in their previous environments (Smaltz, 2011). In addition the benefit of incorporating these individuals is that individual departments will feel that they have representation in the new system, and that their interests are protected. This will increase the potential for global acceptance in the program. Another way to increase compliance with the new systems is to implement an incentive program that would drive associates to achieve the best results. Incentive programs drive people to reach specific targets by offering them tangible rewards beyond their current compensation. At RR Communications, an incentive program could be implemented to increase compliance and adoption of a new centralized system. For example, the company could offer monetary bonuses to departments that lower their operating costs using the new system the most. Another more abstract idea would be to have a small bonus program for departments that offer ideas to enhance the productivity of the system. Many of the departments have complained that a shared system would cause them to be overlooked; however, offering this type of inventive would both encourage them to make enhancements of the system while simultaneously demonstrating that their opinions count. Positive reinforcement, such as an inventive program, help gain the compliance of the workforce in a much more efficient way then punishment or negative reinforcement. There are governance mechanisms and metrics that can be used to encourage the implementation and use of a shared enterprise data system. The governance that needs to be put in place is the alignment of divisional units with the IT department. The metrics must be aligned with transparency to ensure that IT is in congruence with business operations. The governance mechanism should involve all departments focusing on regulatory issues, risk alleviation and opportunity enhancement. The metrics used should be concerned with making divisional data fit into an enterprise system. These metrics will identify areas of weakness and avenues of improvement. To quote an analogy, â€Å"Rome wasn’t built in a day;† and it will take significant time and effort to remedy all the problems at RR Communications. Close governance and metrics will aid in any improvement plan. Recommendation: It is evident that RR Communications need an intervention in its customer  service center. The lack of a centralized customer care center is making it hard to provide unified services to customers. More so, a lot of time is wasted by customers who have to be referred to different department for billing. Customers are forced to have several accounts with the company for each division since each division is held with its independent operations including billing (Smith McKeen, 2007). This makes it hard for customer care provision. Considering consumer service is very crucial for any business, RR Communications need a centralized customer service center. A centralized service center will have many benefits to the whole organization such as cost reduction, time saving, good management of customers’ data or information, and customer satisfaction. I recommend a centralized customer service center for RR communications for its advantages as predetermined below. The divisional IT service means having separate audits for every division. Having each division with an individual audit is expensive for the company since several auditors will be needed. Eliminating the divisions will save some costs that would otherwise be used for the services of the auditors at every division. With a single it department, data can be fed there and only one audit team will be required for the whole company. This also means reduced time for audits since with divisions audits have to be put together after each department has completed its audit (Smith McKeen, 2007). Coordination among the auditors will be efficient since information is collected from one point where all information concerning company accounts is stored. Therefore, having a centralized service center will enhance such operations across the whole organization. In addition, with a centralized customer service center as well as IT, it will ensure information is collected at one point making it easy to access information concerning any department from any point within the company without having to refer to the division in charge. Hence, for the auditors, complying with the set Sarbanes Oxley act will be easy since information about customer billing and accounts of the whole firm will be centralized ensuring accuracy. Having the customer service centralized enhances business operations and processes, ensuring best practices such as timely audits are realized. With data consolidated in one central place, information can be exploited to breed new opportunities for the company. When data is at one place for all the divisions, it is easier to have a broader picture  concerning how the divisions can create a new opportunities. Exploiting these opportunities jointly among the divisions is better than going individually. Moreover, security can be more enhanced with a shared service center since monitoring will be done by one entity. This will further reduce costs associated with having each division taking responsibility of storing and maintaining its own data. Considering that RR communications is currently having several softwares, consolidating information together for the whole company is hard. Smooth flow of information across departments to ensure easy sharing is vital; not only for the whole com pany, but for divisions too, considering information consolidation is a fundamental instrument for doing business. Consolidating the IT services to one centralized structure will require removing of service center hardware from each division to one central department that will mitigate risks and have a common structural design as well as policies that are easily reviewable for updating. A common security procedure will reduce risks associated with information breech. Through the same procedures and practices, the company can reduce file systems redundancy within the organization and enhance efficient document retention as well as reduce costs. Another reason to have one service center is to match the technical capacity of the company with its vision. At the current divisional independence, the divisions exploit their own visions that are not in congruence with the organization’s vision and mission. Considering the company’s vision is to have a consistent brand across all the divisions, it is necessary to have cross-shared services across all divisions to achieve this vision. The vision can be achieved through cross- sales of all the company services to its customers, as opposed to each department having its selling strategy. Having a shared sales service will serve to reduce the costs incurred when divisions do it individually hence creating a better chance for profit across all departments. Having a central service center will ensure that the overall vision of the company is followed since the central service center will be inclined towards the vision of the whole company. This way, each division can have a chance of benefiting form other divisions, hence the company as a whole (Smith McKeen, 2007). Having a single service center will allow easy outsourcing for the organization. Currently, businesses are outsourcing majority of their operations to other professional companies for reductions  of costs. With independent divisions and IT strategies for each individual division, outsourcing will be quite complicated. Having a central service center to oversee all requests will enhance efficiency as well as value. More so, through the consolidation of IT services and information at one common place will reduce security risks associated with outsourcing services. This will further ensure reliability and security of information. A consolidation of information and IT services will enhance cross-services for customers such as billing (McKeen Smith, 2011). The company divisions at current circumstance hold their information secret from each other, making it a competition within the divisions that raise the problem of billing where customers have to be referred to other divisions for other services. With the consolidated information, customers will only need to visit one department from which other information concerning other divisions can be met. This will improve the perception of their whole company as a brand and the standing of the company can be improved as well as customer satisfaction. There is need for the company to realize that in the current world information is one of the drivers of businesses, which all businesses need to survive. Having each division with its own information center reduces the chances of the company improving in the future since the harmonious climate needed among the divisions for this achievement is minimal. Having stipulated the advantages bound to arise or reasons why a central service center should be achieved, it is important to consider how RR can be able to implement this recommendation with ease and least resistance from the divisions. This is the first most likely problem to arise during implementation. Hence, the first step should be generating support form all divisions, which has been quite hard up to now especially from the managers who are self centered and concerned with their earnings that depend on their performance. The managers also have a negative attitude towards merging of information and data among the divisions through one central service. A three-point strategy can be used to gain their support. It includes financial strategy, mitigation of risks associated and compliance to regulation. Financial point can emphasize the advantages the shared service is bound to raise, which will for the benefit of all the divisions and organization as a whole. Risk mitigation will arise from security of information through monitoring by one entity in a standardized  way, while regulatory will be concerned with abiding to set accounting rules of the Sarbanes Oxley act which the company has been having problems with (Schwartz, 2007). The next step would be to lay out the vision of the company and show why it cannot be achieved with division of operations among the divisions. This will impart some reasoning among the leaders, and support fore all divisions should be ensured. The main aim is to make everybody in the divisions aware of the role they will play and their stake to ensure thee is compliance and acceptance of the strategy to build a one services center (McKeen Smith, 2011). One of the problems that could arise after implementation of a shared service center is ease of adoption. Some employees who have been used to the old system will require to be trained how to work harmoniously with a single service center. Many will be required to handle more information concerning not only their divisions, but also other divisions. Hence, there will be need to have them trained to provide a central service to the customers. Another problem would arise for the culture set by the independent divisions prior to the implementation of a single service center. The current culture is of rivalry among the divisions considering they have been competing among themselves. Killing the culture will be a little hard. To deal with the problem the company will have to sta rt early through brining people together and coming up with tasks that can be incorporated in all divisions that allows all members to interact. The shared tasks will enhance cooperation among the different divisions. Conclusion RR is having problems because of lack of a common service center. All divisions are held with their own operations that aim at achieving divisional goals at the expense of corporate goals. The company is lacking a strong unified brand to sell to customers since all divisions are accounted for independently. This has made it obvious that a shared service will be the best for solving these issues. RR needs to put in place an alignment of their IT services with the business units. Transparency must be encouraged and joint responsibilities of IT ad businesses to achieve shared service center (smith McKeen, 2007). The company should also have a common enterprise vision for their systems. All the departments should be included with emphasis on joint business opportunities and risk mitigation. The top  management should be in forefront to creating an atmosphere of improvement continuously with a key focus on customer service to ensure the shared service center is successful. References McKeen, J. D., Smith, H. A. (2009). IT Strategy; Issues and Practices (2nd Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. McKeen, J. D., Smith, H. A. (2011). IT Strategy; International edition (2nd Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Moss, L., Brodie, M. (2002, July). Data Rich, but Information Poor? Retrieved October 26, 2011, from Information Management: http://www.information-management.com/issues/20020701/5341-1.html Schwartz, K/D. (2007). IT Governance Definition and Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.cio.com/article/111700/IT_Governance_Definition_and_Solutions#what Smaltz, D. H. (2011, July/August). Are You Leveraging Your Data or Is Your Data Leveraging You? HIT Exchange , pp. 8-9. Smith, H. A., McKeen, J. D. (2007). Shared Services at RR Communications. Queens School of Business. Symantec. (2011, May 2). Deduplication and Efficient Data Storage. Retrieved October 26, 2011, from PR Newswire 1. List the advantages A single customer service center will yield both financial and human resource savings for RR Communications by eliminating the allocation of duplicated resources to the multiple divisional and regional customer service centers. With valuable resources freed from these multiple customer service centers, the company will be able to allocate more resources to its value added activities and improve operational efficiency. RR Communications run four divisions, each with a distinct but a complimentary product. They are internet, mobile, landline, and cable TV service. There is a deregulation in the telecommunications industry and its becoming a norm for competitors to offer multiple services like RR Communications. RR Communications’ customers  have been complaining about double billing because the four divisions have no working collaboration and thus, no way of knowing when the other division may already have sent the bill. A single customer service center will consolidate the da ta of the customers of all divisions and by addressing the problem of inaccurate billing, it will potential save the loss of dissatisfied customers to the competitors. A single service center will also yield growth opportunities by marketing the company’s other services to customers that they may not already have and offer discount incentives on the purchase of multiple products. A single customer service center will allow comparison among the company’s divisions in terms of product quality, customer satisfaction, and retention rates so that more resources could be allocated to troubled areas. A single customer service center will also make it easy to gather data about the company’s divisions and store them in standard formats for management analysis. By having access to all the relevant information about the customers, the customer service center will be better able to address customers’ questions and market company’s products which would not have been possible with separate customer service centers. It will also be convenient for the customers to call only one place for all their questions and thus, will increas e goodwill for RR Communications. 1. Is it possible to achieve an enterprise vision with a decentralized IT function? The answer to this question really depends on what the meaning or intention is behind the idea of an enterprise vision. If this simply means of having certain departments existing and able to complete their tasks and accomplish their goals, basically that the enterprise is functioning, than the answer is certainly. As demonstrated in the case study, there were multiple divisions for IT that were each doing their own thing, and while it wasnt pretty, compatible or optimal, everything did, technically, work allowing each department to function. As soon as the vision of an enterprise expands to a desire to work more efficiently, unify tools and platforms, have stronger compatibility or be one company a decentralized IT function becomes a massive hindrance. Turning to the case study again, each department was replicating the efforts of the other departments by finding their own software/data vendors, creating unique database systems and having their own support staff. This not only made it difficult for clients who  needed assistance, but meant there was excessive spending, and an inability for multiple departments to come together to function as a a single entity within the enterprise. 2. What business and IT problems can be caused by lack of common information and an enterprise IM strategy? There are numerous business and IT problems that can arise from the lack of common strategy. In terms of IT there can be duplication of efforts, systems and tools leading to not only multiple expenditures to yield the same results, but this may mean there is no strong outline of how systems are set up or designed, there may be no map detailing the hardware and software in place, which makes it far more difficult to not only run inventory, but ensure that new expenditures are needed and not (again) duplicating tools that have already been purchased or implemented. When different software and hardware solutions are used across departments, this also leads to difficulties in compatibility. When the organization wants to implement something new, it would be difficult if not impossible to determine if it can be integrated into the existing tools, or this may result in unanticipated technical errors arising from compatibility issues. Business problems stem primarily from an inability of data to be effectively shared across groups, thus limiting the ability of various departments to work together. Not only could this cause rifts to form between various groups, but it also means that there could be issues with data consistency. This is especially troubling for client data, as a change in one department may not be updated elsewhere due to data being stored in different databases, the inability for data to be updated across databases, and even opens up the potential for technical errors causing data that is normally consistent to suddenly become dispar ate from similar data elsewhere. Additionally, when the business requires technical assistance it is likely to be difficult to find the correct person with the knowledge needed to resolve a particular issue if that department is using specialized systems that are not consistent across the organization. 3. What governance mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure common customer data and a shared customer service center? What metrics might be useful (think service level agreements, etc.)? Common customer data will require a standardized database, as well as regular auditing procedures to ensure that data is only being modified/updated by those individuals who are supposed to have access, as well as verifying  accuracy for these modifications. Customer service really depends on the objectives of the company. I worked on an inbound phone line at a call center for 3 years while this was technically brokerage service, arguably it was a cutomer service center. Training had to be farily comprehensive so we could assist clients with almost any issues they had, and on top of that reps have to know what departments specialize in certain topics in case they need help figuring out what happened or resolving a complicated problem. On top of that, there is regular review and QA of random c alls to ensure representatives are giving correct informaton and assisting the client based on the standards and expectations set by the organization. Call reviews are measured on a scale where there are certain objective actions that are required on every call, then measured more subjective terms such as professionalism. I work with a tremendous amount of shared customer data, and everything is monitored, recorded and subject to audit procedures. There is always the abilty to find out who did what, when, and every phone call is recorded and maintained for a period of time. This of course protects the client as much as it helps protect the firm. As far as data is concerned, I dont know if there are specific service level agreements in place, but I do know that there is regular testing of what is referred to as host fallback where all the primary systems are taken down for a period of time, then brought back up. While this is frustrating for reps and clients who need access to the data, the very small number of times I experienced an unscheduled outage the backup systems performed well, all reps knew how best to work within the confines of the backup system, and the discussion with clients about why certain things could not be done went far more smoothly than if regular testing was not performed. The case study this week describes the classic example of an organization which is heavily decentralized into distinct lines of business (each with its own IT group) that realizes their need for a flexible and responsible IT function, a common view of the customer, and the elimination of redundant systems