Initial Assessment Essay

The reasoning for using Initial Assessment in my curriculum area is because the majority of students have not completed a formal education or if having done so hold little or no qualifications. The majority of the courses start at entry level therefore no qualifications’ are require, but to offer students progression on to higher levels they need to be holding or be able to achieve a level 1 in communication and application of number. This is the minimum requirement to complete an apprenticeship programme and the vast majority wish to follow the vocational route to being a ‘qualified tradesman’. Procedures Before the day of enrolment students are fore warned at the interview stage what the awarding bodies’ requirement is to do a particular course. In the case of Construction Awards Alliance they have their own assessment criteria to try a match the suitability of the student to a particular trade. However because we deliver from entry to level 2 with three bodies to keep to the assessment process standard the college format is used( booklet produced by the learning centre, attached). Hillier. J (2005 p62) states â€Å"Great care must be used with such assessment activities. Many potential learners will feel highly by being threatened by being asked to undertake a diagnostic assessment. † In my opinion as long as students are made aware that this is not a formal test the majority do not mind taking the test, provided that the reasoning behind it is explained correctly. As a tutor it is important I remember the purpose of the test as Lambert. D and Lines. D (2000 p20) state â€Å"formative assessment is undertaken so that positive achievements of a pupil can be recognised and the appropriate next step planned†. Once all the information is collated this is entered into the course/ student profile booklet, this enables me or any other tutors to look at a particular student or group qualifications and progress as they are recorded for each achievement. Personally I think that the process works well when we complete the diagnostics on line as students can not see how others are doing. Most students feel more comfortable using this method as they do not feel as much pressure as they can wear head phones if required. The whole purpose works well because as a tutor working on entry level and to a certain degree on level 1, communication and application of number can be imbedded into the practical aspects of the course. The major weakness that I feel of the assessment process is that they are not curriculum specific; aspects of application of number are not relevant to the vocational subject. As I have experienced my self and some mature students the terminology of key words has changed until we have had them explained. When using the paper versions students that struggle to read or write often do not complete enough of the booklet, for the tutor to find the true level the students capable / working at. An important aspect that is often missed is the fact that to help students there is a requirement to have extra support in place if require for individuals. If there is no support is there a need for assessment? Yes but ensure all the support is provided and available as required in a timely manner.

he cost associated with running Essay

Candidates should be limited on the amount of money they can spend during a campaign. The cost associated with running for public office is expensive, especially in the case of large national scale elections, but also in smaller local ones. The money factor discourages regular middle class individuals from running for office, often leaving the ballot seriously one sided. If spending limits were placed on campaigns, our government could represent the views and issues of the majority of Americans, rather than only those of the wealthy. Further, if candidates are given a spending limit, they are less likely to take money from supporters who will benefit or profit from a particular view. Candidates then are more likely to make choices based on the good of the community, state, or country, rather than what will bring in the most money. Although mandatory voting could produce both positive and negative outcomes, voting should be a requirement of all Americans. On one hand, forcing people who do not support any of the candidates on the ballot might lead to careless voting. Those citizens who have no knowledge of the people who are running or no interest in voting at all will most likely cast their votes simply to uphold the law. On the other hand however, if all people are required to vote, and they do so in an educated manner, the government could represent all people of our country, rather than only those who choose to vote. Additionally, if Americans are forced to vote, candidates will spend less money campaigning. The months leading up to election become a time of voicing views rather than persuading people to vote in the first place. The decreased spending will, once again, ease the chances of a candidate taking a particular stance on an issue due to the influence of those who donate to their campaign. Texas should not hold partisan elections whereby candidates run as a member of a given political party. In these elections, voters are more likely to vote based upon the party that they support in substitution to the views held by the candidate. In a state that is populated by a majority of Republicans such as Texas, a partisan election would limit the amount of Democratic candidates elected to office, resulting in a severely unbalanced government. Suddenly every public office would be held by a Republican. The only real race in a partisan election would be which Republican to vote for. Furthermore, a non partisan election calls attention to the views of the candidate on an individual level, rather than on the views of the political party to which they belong. Those who do not join parties, or who take a stance that is not supported by any party, are more likely to run for office in a non partisan election. These non partisan elections make holding an office more accessible to a wide variety of candidates, instead of only people who share similar views of Republicans or Democrats.

The case study 1-1 lincon Electric Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The case study 1-1 lincon Electric - Essay Example 33) Use module theory and evidence from the firm’s past experience to explore the advantages and disadvantages of these entry modes. Which would you recommend for use in Lincoln’s entry to India, and why†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......................................................................................................................7 How far and in what ways have Lincoln Electric developed dynamic capabilities through learning form experience in Japan, South Korea and China? Apply your analysis to explain what changes the firm will need to make to its resource management strategy in order to succeed in India†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....12 Appendix 1- Bibliographyâ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...16 Section A Identify and appraise the key strategic issues confronting John Stropki as he leads the expansion of Lincoln Electric’s international Business in 2006. ... John Stropki, the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and the President of the company, has played a key role in expanding the company’s business globally, and now he is planning to expand the operation in India in 2006, after covering the markets in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The company has expanded its operation worldwide through joint ventures, acquisitions and establishing its own plants through out the globe as a major part of its strategy. In its present strategy the company has set a range of financial goals which are not likely to be satisfied only by its operations in the home market of United States. The company’s revenue are still derived mostly form North America; where as the market of welding industry is growing fast all over the globe. Company’s latest goals include double sales growth as compared to the worldwide industrial production, operational margins of over 15% earnings growth of 10% annually, and return on equity of more than 20%. In order to achieve these goals the company had spent approximately two thirds of its free cash flow on global expansion. Now the CEO/Chairman and also the President of the company is focusing on its experience in China and how he can use it so that the same mistakes are not repeated. According to Kendizor, there are a certain kinds of factors that a company should consider when it’s set on the course of expanding its operations globally. Business Risk: The Business risk is high as the stability of the business overall structure depends on how the results would turn up. We have seen in the case of Lincoln Electric in the year 1999, that whenever it entered a global market unprepared it has suffered huge losses, not only internationally but locally as well. Financial Risk: Though

Humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Humanities - Essay Example During the Justinian reign, a plan to reunite the Roman Empire succeeded. As a way of celebrating the success, they constructed Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom. There were other successes, but after Justinian rule had come to an end, the empire suffered several losses (Halsall). Islam is a monotheistic religion that came to be during the 7th century CE in Middle East. The religion literally means submission or surrender. Its basis is on the readings of Prophet Muhammad according to the words of Allah. Allah is their creator; he brought them to earth and is sustainer of the world and life. The holy book (scripture) of the Islam is the Quran and carries all the teachings of the prophet as revealed to him by Allah. There are two divisions within the Islam tradition; the Shia and Sunni. The two hold differing views on maintenance of religious authority. A unifying factor among Muslims is the concept of Five Pillars. The Five Pillars are the practices of Islam, and they are; the hajj, zakat, ritual prayer, profession of faith, and fasting (Baksh, 1-10). In similarities, the three religions are monotheistic as they believe in one God. They take God as a source of everything that exists. They take God as caring and merciful. The religions take humans as the superior creatures on Earth. They are hopeful of future happenings and believe suffering evil cannot prevail. In differences, the religions have different scriptures. Christians use the Bible, Jews use Torah and Talmud, while Muslims use Quran. Christians and Muslims believe there will be a judgment day followed by Hell or Heaven. Jews believe on no immediate eternal life. Charlemagne, Charles the Great, lived between 747 and 814. He received training on leadership matters by participating in military, social and political activities organized by his father who was a mayor of

The conflicts of the U.S. constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The conflicts of the U.S. constitution - Essay Example The federal judiciary played an important role in the system of government checks. The federal Government was to settle a conflict between states and citizens of different states (Irwin and Sylla 18). Another political dispute that arose was between the federalists and Jefferson’s Republicans, through the period of post-revolutionary America (Markovits 161). There can be no original intent if the constitution had disagreements; this is because original intent tries to figure out what the founders wrote on the constitution, meant by the words they used. Disagreements couldn’t have brought the original meaning, but no one would be able to understand the language of the constitution, study the records of the constitution convection, or study the writings of the men who wrote the constitution (â€Å"Judicial Branch,† enotes.com). Textualism is a valid source of constitutional advocacy, and helps the judiciary in decision making. Many textualists stated that the prima ry weight of a constitutional analysis should be given to the text itself; so that an average person can understand the text (Demaske 6). The founders accepted interpretation without actual changes of the document; this is because if judges needed to know the meaning of a particular phrase, they need to check on what the founders meant by that phrase. The constitution is a living document and should be interpreted in light of the society needs and practices today (Sidlow and Henschen 334). One should have the knowledge about the constitution; this is because one can be able to interpret it. It is therefore true to say that America is a great country founded on hypocrisy; this is because the founding fathers were unable to abolish slavery, during the... The essay talks about the federal judiciary, which played an important role in the system of government checks. The federal Government was to settle a conflict between states and citizens of different states (Irwin and Sylla 18). Then we see that another political dispute that arose was between the federalists and Jefferson’s Republicans, through the period of post-revolutionary America (Markovits 161). Then, the essay outlines a point, where textualism is a valid source of constitutional advocacy, and helps the judiciary in decision making. Many textualists stated that the primary weight of a constitutional analysis should be given to the text itself; so that an average person can understand the text (Demaske 6). The founders accepted interpretation without actual changes of the document; this is because if judges needed to know the meaning of a particular phrase, they need to check on what the founders meant by that phrase. One of the most important parts of the paper is tha t the constitution is a living document and should be interpreted in light of the society needs and practices today (Sidlow and Henschen 334). The founding fathers came up with the American constitution, but there were problem that came up during their meeting to create the constitution. However, we see that the constitution is the base of every country and without a constitution a country can’t operate and act according. It can be said that the American constitution was made in a hypocritical way for a number of reasons discussed in this paper.

Why do you want to attend Texas A&M Personal Statement

Why do you want to attend Texas A&M - Personal Statement Example spectacle to see companies drilling 19000ft under  sea to obtain a naturally occurring resource, not many years ago this  treasure  was available around 3000ft. I want to move with the modern age where engineers are steadily pushing limits to get cleaner and more productive  fuel  while extracting the most out of our planets depleting resources. Enrolling for petroleum engineering course at the Texas A&M Institute is the logical choice for me to further my interest. It will guide me to my chosen career of serving within the scope of natural resources. I am a hard working student. I enjoy meeting new people. The nature of my potential job (as a petroleum engineer) might require traveling to remote places and meeting new people. I love communicating with new people as I enjoy learning about other culture and costumes. This is almost turning a muse into my profession. Nothing is better than having an income from muse. To conclude I want study petroleum engineering because I would like to study a major that promotes my country. At the same time it is something that I love reading about. I am an A ranked student in chemistry class. I love educational competition and I love winning. I always score exceptional marks in my classwork exams and any educational activity. My teachers love my comments and questions during class because my thinking is unique. This is what separates me from my classmates. I am sure of my abilities in meeting the requirements of Texas A&M

To what extent can human resource policies and practices promote Essay

To what extent can human resource policies and practices promote gender equality - Essay Example the representation of women in management positions in firms across Europe reveals that gender equality is still a problem for businesses of all sizes. Moreover, it seems that the number of women in lower and middle management positions is gradually increased, in opposition with the top management positions, which are likely to be occupied by man (Stahl and Bjorkman 2006, p.506-507). In 2002, the percentage of firms that employ only men at lower and middle management positions was estimated to 44%, decreased from 1996 when the above percentage was 50% (European Business Survey 2002, in Stahl and Bjorkman 2006, p.506). The figures presented above denote the ineffectiveness of HRM to secure gender equality. At the next level, Stahl and Bjorkman (2006) note that the level at which HRM policies focus on gender equality is often depended on ‘the level at which women are represented in HRM’ (Stahl and Bjorkman 2006, p.507). In other words, in firms where the number of women wo rking in the HRM department is high, the promotion of gender equality is expected to be more intensive compared to firms that tend to employ men in their HRM department. In this context, HRM policies are likely to emphasize on gender equality mostly when female HR managers plan them, a fact that reveals the inability of modern firms to secure equality in the workplace. The potential use of HR policies for promoting gender equality is highlighted in the study of Durai (2010). Reference is made specifically to Infosys, a global firm in the area of IT consulting. The particular firm has promoted gender equality through an appropriately customized network, the Women Inclusivity Network, which ‘secures gender equality by mentoring women employees to take up challenging working assignments’ (Durai... Gender equality is still an important problem for organizations worldwide. The development of initiatives by the states and by international organizations, such as the United Nations, has helped towards the limitation of the problem. Still, the success of firms worldwide in promoting gender equality is rather low. The literature presented above has revealed that firms can choose among different policies for promoting gender equality. In this context, it would be expected that phenomena of gender equality in the workplace would be limited, a fact that has not been verified. The ‘Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)’ (Rao et al 2009, p.7) seems to be the key text initiating the elimination of inequality in the workplace. However, in practice, the promotion of gender equality in the workplace is often problematic, as explained above, mostly because the relevant initiatives are not adequately supported, at least not as other orga nizational plans. The need for the active support of these initiatives by the state is quite clear.

Fallon Worldwide Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fallon Worldwide Change - Essay Example Again the company could face challenges to meet certain complex requirements which are related to global economies and more demanding clients. At that point of time management had to take initiative to create such an image in the market that the company was not changed. The acquisition was just a strategic move to achieve more percentage of growth in the market. Acquisition is such kind of corporate action which is a part of company’s growth strategy. It is beneficial for any two existing firm’s operations which are going to be merged through the acquisition procedure. Here in the mentioned case study, Publicist Group SA acquired Fallon and after the acquisition some impacts was observed within the organization. The impacts were both positive and negative by nature. Positive impacts are as follows. Stakeholder’s expectation will be increased for such kind of acquisition. They will expect that the company will achieve more percentage of growth from the acquisition. As a result, they will invest more amount of money in business and more amount of capital will be generated. Financial strength will also be increased (Karenfort, 2011). The risk taking ability will be improved by the companies. Market power also will be improved and company can achieve more market share through acquisition than the earlier days. Some entry barriers can be overcome due to the acquisition. Resources will be available in easier way. Expertise of both the companies can be shared and thus both the organization can get success in the market place. In the case study, Fallon got the success in the market for the above mentioned impacts and not only the agency got the success but also won several awards in the relevant field. Its interactive consulting group has become a full-fledged division only for the shared expertise between two companies (Doyle, 2005). Describing about the negative impacts this can be observed that Fallon may face integration problem because

Errors to Avoid In a Business Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Errors to Avoid In a Business Letter - Essay Example The first error to avoid in a business letter is the use of the irrelevant material in the document. People tend to incorporate a series of irrelevant words in an attempt to please the reader. The use of an irrelevant material is a serious error that makes the written document long, boring and of poor quality. The writer may use long descriptions in order to portray their knowledge in the field. As a result, the reader may fail to comprehend the core purpose of the letter. The use of technical jargon and complex words in a business document frustrates the reader and thus contributes to miscommunication. In business writing, a skilled writer is expected to produce documents with excellent word choice. A writer may say, â€Å"The employees are very concerned with how the layoffs will affect their lives.† This sentence is improper because it uses similar words to express the employees’ reaction to layoffs. In the stated example, the writer is expected to say â€Å"Employees fear that the layoff will affect their morale.† The ideal way to avoid using irrelevant material involves selectively choosing appropriate words that best communicate the intended message. Ambiguous phrases such as ‘It is advisable’ should not be included in business letters. Writers should focus on clear, concise statements that communicate the intended message. Grammatical errors are intolerable in business writing. These errors may be in the form of improper use of verb forms, transitions, and articles. Writers may also incorporate unclear pronoun references, or they may incorrectly use subject/object pronouns. Grammatical errors may be perceived negatively by the reader. The reader may perceive the writer as careless or may fail to acknowledge the seriousness of the written information. Transition errors for example â€Å"The press release was long although the public needed the information.†

Creative Thinking Essay Example for Free

Creative Thinking Essay Thinking The following transcript is based on material in Skills for Success: The Personal Development Handbook, by Stella Cottrell. Creative thinking can benefit any aspect of life, including academic study or our working day. All too often, we act as if creativity were the preserve of a special breed of people – great artists, musicians, designers and inventors. However, you don’t need to be good at drawing or painting or music in order to be creative. Because of this misperception, we can tend to underestimate our own capacity for creativity and the wide range of situations to which we could apply creative thought. In this audio, we’ll talk about practical ways that you can develop and enhance your creative capacity. What do we mean by creative thinking? Creativity is about applying the imagination to finding a solution. This could be a solution to an artistic problem, but it could just as easily refer to finding an answer to a routine work issue, resolving problems in your life, friendships or relationships, or completing study assignments. The creative aspect is in finding the solution, rather than in simply applying a pre-given formula. If you devise your own solutions, find your answers, you are thinking creatively. Sometimes, a great idea can seem to drop from nowhere. When this happens, it is easy to feel that we are very imaginative and clever, especially if the wonderful idea came to us quickly. More typically, a creative outcome is the result of a series of processes, the application of strategies, and bringing the right attitude to the task – and these may not always feel very creative at the time. Creative thought thrives in certain conditions, so to foster creative thinking, it is worth taking steps to put those conditions into place. Certain types of creative thinking take place when we are very relaxed, with time to spare, when we are only half focused on the issue, perhaps when we are day-dreaming or doodling. We may even be deep in thought about a different activity altogether. When released from having to find a solution to a particular problem, the brain often feels freed up to look for an answer in its own way. You may have noticed this yourself- that when you stop trying too hard, the answer seems to pop out of nowhere when you are least expecting it. Many great discoveries and ideas have been made in this way, or even in dreams. This kind of creative solution does require certain kinds of conditions. In particular, the apparently magic solution often comes after a period of very ordered thinking, working through many possible solutions, followed by change of pace or situation, accompanied by some ‘down-time’ in which the brain can work on the solution. Creative thinking tends to be characterised by a drive to find the very best solution, continually looking for an even better, or quicker, or more effective, or more elegant solution. If you are happy with the first idea that comes along, then there is no real spur to creative thought. An element of moderate dissatisfaction, or an edge of perfectionism, encourages the creative process. You can also help the creative process by putting the right conditions into place and applying some basic strategies. First of all: don’t be satisfied with one solution. Once you have one good idea, look for another, and then another. Give yourself the opportunity to choose the best from several options. Secondly, put yourself under different levels of pressure. Sometimes, we find we respond to pressure; other times we don’t. Thirdly, feed your brain with different experiences. Go on a journey you wouldn’t usually make; read an article from a different subject discipline or a magazine you wouldn’t usually read; undertake an activity that you feel isn’t ‘you’. When the brain is working hard on a problem, it is can be very good at drawing parallels in an apparently unconnected experience. Fourthly, be willing to experiment with ideas that seem unlikely to lead straight to the answer, even if this seems like it may be a waste of time. Combine solutions from other problems that you have answered successfully; play with possible ideas even if these don’t seem very sensible. Many a great idea has started out as something, which seemed wild or unrealistic, modified and adapted and developed into something that really worked. Don’t eliminate ideas too early- look for a way of making them work. Although a particular idea may lead nowhere, the process of working through solutions can help develop a much deeper understanding of the task before you. It is this thorough and complex understanding of the issue, which helps the brain come up with a creative solution. Fifthly, when you have worked in an organised way on developing ideas, give the brain some down-time so it can work on these in an unforced way. This does mean planning your study or work so that there is time to move between structured approaches to the issue, followed by more relaxed, unforced, even unconscious, thought. Finally, once you know the idea you want to work on, be prepared to work at it, and to work at it some more, to fine-tune it. Inspiration is a very small part of creative thinking. Process, strategy, attitude, and application are also essential ingredients. In short, it doesn’t take a special kind of person to engage in creative thinking. There are approaches you can take and strategies you can apply that can assist you in arriving at innovative ways of seeing and thinking. Best of all, as creative thinking benefits from new experiences, doing things a little differently, musing with ideas and being open to playful and unusual approaches, it can make your study very enjoyable. We hope this basic introduction to creative thinking has been useful. If you want to develop your creative thinking further, ask your bookseller for a copy of Skills for Success, written by Stella Cottrell and published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Education in South Africa: Mathematic and Scientific Performance

Education in South Africa: Mathematic and Scientific Performance This study is aimed at discovering the root cause and economic consequence of poor performance in Maths and Science in South Africa. The main objective of the research is to provide the South African Department of Education and the heads of governing bodies of school with information that will assist in the proper formulation of strategies drafted in the Action Plan, the execution of policies that address the root cause of poor Maths and Science performance in South African schools. The secondary objective is to emphasize the economic consequences that may arise as a result of the poor performance in Maths and Science and lastly to generate possible leads and ideas which can be used to formulate a realistic and testable hypothesis for future researchers. The research was carefully constructed and designed using the qualitative methodology, since the scope of the subject is too complex to be addressed by a yes or no hypothesis. The research process comprised of two phases. The first phase consisted of questionnaires distributed to 10 professionals in the field of Maths and Science who passed Maths and Science at Matric/Grade 12 level; and the second phase 10 questionnaires distributed to Non-professionals in the field of Maths and Science who did not pass or complete Maths and/or science at a Matric/Grade 12 level, The third phase consisted of 5 questionnaires to educational specialists, economists and experts in the Maths and Science career stream. Four interrelated key performance index constructs within the Education system were used, namely Teacher practice, Student achievement, Government and Curriculum content. The results of the research found that the core issues in relations to poor performance in Maths and Science was due to (To be continued).. The economic consequences as a result of the poor education system showed that (To be continued) Keywords: root cause, poor performance, Maths and Science, economic consequences Physics, chemistry and mathematics form the basis for many Scientific or technological applications and discoveries, and as innovation and technological advancement are the driving force behind todays globally competitive economy, it makes good career sense to gain the versatile skills an enabling science degree will award you. Professor Bruce Milthorpe CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM Introduction Maths and Science is a driving force of a strong performing economy, it is a key area of knowledge whose competency is necessary for individual and economic development and an important factor of global competitiveness especially in a world of rapid technological changes (Tatira, Mutambara Chagwiza, 2012). McGrath and Akoojee (2007) further adds that the rationale in focusing on education is that its crucial for competitiveness, they emphasize that education should be a core objective in the South African national development strategy to enable competitiveness in globalisation and the knowledge economy. The twentieth century has seen education rise above the ranks as a base for social economic development and as a prime influential factor of a countries level of wealth by being able to alleviate poverty, increase the workforce and stimulate intellectual flexibility among its societies (Ozturk, 2001). The research seeks to act as a point of reference or set a standard for the Department of education and the heads of governing bodies whose role is primarily the execution of policies and strategic action planning within the education system, specifically in the Maths and Science arena. Whilst Human capital investment within a country draws in different skills which are highly valuable due to the impact it has on the vital parts of everyday life, skills in Maths and Science are the most crucial for social and economic welfare, typical examples include important career streams in the life sciences, behavioural and social sciences, earth and environmental sciences, math and computer sciences, engineering, interdisciplinary and physical sciences (Ozturk, 2001). Education aspires nation building and promotes interpersonal tolerance due to its integration nature hence Societies are able to transcend beyond cultural and national boundaries due to the advantages and assurances that education brings, especially Maths and science (Romagnolo Anderson, 2010). 1.2 Background to the study 1.2.1 The State of Maths and Science in South Africa In Sub-Saharan Africa about 1% of GNP is spent on Science, technology and development, this amount is comparatively low, compared to developed countries (Govender and Gruzd, 2011). Although South Africas expenditure on education and training is more than most developed countries especially in the last 4 decades. The result show a growth of 48 million in embedded human capital in 1960 to 230 million in 1996 (Measured in completed school cycle), the downfall is the quality of the education (Simkins, 2002). The issues lies in strategies in terms of budget spending efficiency, the struggle to draw the interest of foreign direct investment and to preserve the most favourably experienced Africans in Maths and Science (Govender and Gruzd, 2011). Consequently the short supply of high-level skills is extensively confining the ability to develop the economy (Simkins et al, 2009). South Africa however is at an alarming state with the worst performance in both Maths and Science as released in an international study coordinated and released by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on 24 November 1996. The study was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) assessment on Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMMS, 2003). The president of the HSRC, Dr Rolf Stumpf commented at the release of the assessment results These alarming results show that merely tinkering with the symptoms without addressing the root causes of our poor performance in mathematics and science will be a waste of time and money (HSRC, 2004). South Africa ranked 45th out of a total of 45 countries surveyed, in terms of Grade 8 Maths and Science assessment. The study highlights South Africas country average at 244 for Science and 264 for Maths compared to the international average of 467 for Maths and 474 for Science at the eighth grade level. The results unveil a substantial variation in Maths achievement between the highest and lowest performing countries, from an average of 605 for Singapore to 264 for South Africa in the mathematics assessment. The problem starts at primary level with approximately 75% of the poorly performing school system experiencing poor arithmetic ability from their learners and consequently further mathematical education becoming incomprehensible. South Africa is therefore confronted with a massive challenge to address the numeracy failure, unless it will not accomplish the system-wide and prolonged improvement in the Maths and Science education reform, in terms of remedying the poor performance symptoms (Rule Bernstein, 2009). There is an increasing need to excel in Maths and Science education, as it is the doorway towards building a developed country and to achieve that requires a scientific and technological advancement that will facilitate growth and development of the economy, this is necessary especially to face the fierce global economic competition (Mji Makgato, 2006; Dimmock, 2011). Commenting before the release of the assessment results, the executive director of the assessment technology and education evaluation research programme in the HSRC, Dr Anil Kanjee stated that This is especially relevant for mathematics and science education in South Africa, an area that the nation has recognized is in need of significant improvement if we are to participate and excel in the global economy (TIMSS SA, 2003). Problem Statement In light of the persistent national crisis in Maths and Science education and the role that Maths and Science plays in citizenship empowerment. It is necessary to understand the intimate relationship between unemployment, inequality, poverty and the role that Maths and Science education plays in dealing with the factors in South Africa. South Africa is amongst the worst in the world in terms of inequality, with a Gini-coefficient in the range of 0.58 0.68. Between 18-24 million of the South African population is in poverty and about 36.7% is unemployed including those who are not actively looking for employment. (McGrath Akoojee, 2007). The government plans to eradicate poverty through creating 5 million jobs through the new growth path by 2020 by redressing the inequality through deliberate affirmative action and practices. The education system is a key element of the new growth path. It plays a vital role in the transfer and development of skills and technology. In terms of Maths and Science, the new growth framework seeks to strengthen procedures to guarantee better and more reasonable admission to science and Maths education at secondary level (Patel, 2010). Purpose Statement The subject of Education, especially Maths and Science has been at the helm of many discussions in South Africa and globally, especially with about 90% of our schools failing to meet the minimum performance standards in Maths and Science. In spite of the above, theres currently insufficient data on the root cause of poor performance in Maths and Science although South Africa is facing a national predicament and this poor performance is actually congesting system-wide remedies (Simkins, 2010). The role of this research is to close the gap in the exploratory literature of Maths and Science by introducing practical data in the root cause and consequences of poor performance in Maths and Science by South African schools. The research exclusively deals with poor performing schools in South African Primary and Secondary schools both in the public and private sector. Primary goal of the study This studys fundamental purpose is to determine the root cause of poor performance in the area of Maths and Science in South Africa. The aim of the primary goal is in the exploration of the central phenomenon (Creswell, 2008). Achieving the secondary objectives normally implies the recognition of the primary objective (Struwig Stead, 2001). The aim of the secondary objectives is to explore the complex set of factors surrounding the central phenomenon (Creswell, 2008). Hence listed below are the formulated secondary objectives. Secondary goals of the study To explore the economic consequences produced by the poor performance in respect of Maths and Science in South African schools. To identify the success determinants of the economies with high Maths and Science performance The above represent the preliminary goals of the research but as the research proceeds the objectives may shift as the findings surface (Struwig Stead, 2001). Research Questions The research is planned to concentrate on the following crucial questions: Research question 1: What is the leading, underlying issue which leads to the poor performance in terms of Maths and Science? Research question 2: What are the economic impact as a result of poor performance in Maths and Science? Research question 3: What role should the South African government play to remedy the root cause of the poor performance in Maths and Science? Layout of chapters The research report consists of seven chapters as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction A comprehensible indication of what the study concerns is highlighted and the goal of the study is discussed to shed light to the topic. The overview of the research problem, purpose statement, primary and secondary goal and the research questions channeling the study. The following issues are addressed: the role that education plays in the economic development of the country, the state of Maths and Science in South Africa, Cleary highlighting the Maths and Science sectors performance. Chapter 2: Literature review An argument that supports the study is presented using relevant, current literature review. The statement of the research problem is refined and an argument is built using the literature. The chapter shows and looks at literature on the topic of Maths and Science, the economical impact associated with poor performance in Maths and Science and the various types of remedies available for a developing economy. Chapter 3: Research Questions The purpose of the research is defined through research questions, since the research is under-researched. This chapter builds up to the point that the following chapters will provide practical evidence to explore the dimension. Chapter 4: Research methodology This chapter highlights the method of data collection that will be used. It highlights the unit of analysis, the population, the sample size and sampling method, the research instrument, outlining clearly how the data was collected and the process adopted. The limitations to the study and the ethical considerations are outlined. Chapter 5: Results The results are presented in this chapter especially focusing on the qualitative approach; the results of the root cause and the economic consequence are presented in a form of figures and tables. Chapter 6: Discussion of results The results in chapter 5 are presented with a link to the research question, the research questions are presented as the major headings. An in-depth analysis of the result is conducted, clearly linking to the literature review and confirming that the research objective is met. Chapter 7: Conclusion This chapter summarizes the findings into an organized format, ending with recommendations to the stakeholders and future research. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Introduction The objective of this literature review in accordance to the research problems is to further describe the problem. The literature review contextualizes research conducted locally and globally. Relevant publications, journals, reports and academic books were reviewed in order to collect data and discussions on the proposed research, mostly to determine if research of a same nature was not conducted in prior years. The theory reviewed in this section is categorized into three sections: poor performance in Maths and Science, economic impact and success determinants. The first part provides a general perspective on Maths and Science poor performance looking at the variables underpinning the subsystems in terms of teacher practice, student achievement, curricular content and state of the government (Reddy, Kanjee Diedericks, 2007). The second part is an overview of economic impact with particular reference to Maths and Science, looking at the economy of South Africa, China and Brazil. Thirdly the success determinants are discussed looking at the important influences in Maths and Science achievement and the respective predictors. There is a need for specific insight in the factors that determine the success of Maths and Science as this builds on to the solution of the root cause. 2.2. Poor performance in Maths and Science A large number of studies seem to gravitate towards the problem of Maths and Science education in South Africa as illustrated by the poor performance of matriculants who failed to meet the admission requirements of Maths and Science faculties (Mabila et al, 2006). The problem of poor performance in Maths is one of the most paramount fears of teachers and other Maths educators globally. Allegations point to the fact that poor performance capitulate negative behaviour and even trepidation of Maths by pupils (Wadesango Dhliwayo, 2012). South Africa had a very low minimum pass rates requirement for Maths and Science at 29% and 30% respectively in 2010 but learners are not motivated to study Maths and Science as theyve observed the failure of others (Mji Makgato, 2006). Maths and Science were mostly disguised as subjects not for the weak and so this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that Maths is a subject for those with greater intellectual ability. The author further adds that the education system methodology of measuring grade passes vs. the provision of educational quality is at the core of the Maths and Science learner fear complicacy. Mabila et al. (2009) argued that there were several factors that contributed to this phenomenon of poor performance, namely lack of regulation, inadequate resources, poor drive in students and teachers, implementation of policies and lack of parental involvement. Govender Gruzd (2011) added that Maths and Science has a potential of unlocking the continents economic and developmental decline but education in Africa required remarkable development; the authors cited that education was disregarded and was not in the focal point of Africas expansion plan, the author further noted the factors responsible for poor performance in Africa such as lack of qualified teachers, proper infrastructure, learning equipment and enrolment into the Maths and Science subjects bears fruit to the need for development. Bradbury Miller (2011) differ in their argument in that the unequal schooling system produced various drawbacks that necessitated restoration but agreed on the factors such as lack of quali fied teachers as part of the inequality amongst the others which they express as a lack of excess to successive education levels. It is clear from the evidence that Maths and Science education failure is caused by various factors and that poor performance is characterized by inequities, scarce resource and strategy. 2.2.1 Teaching Practice South Africa is reported to be the leading technological giant in Africa but in terms of Maths and Science it fell below its economic opponent Indonesia, Chile and Malaysia. The reason for this lag was due to the lack of Maths and Science graduates who can propel progress forward in terms of knowledge sharing in the space of Maths and Science. The central part of this national dilemma is due to the minimal levels of Maths and Science education in classrooms across Africa (Govender Gruzd, 2011). The Department of Education in South Africa changed the curriculum to enforce Maths into the curricular by adding Maths literacy into the equation as an alternative to Maths; this was done in order to increase Maths participation to a 100%. Although this was an outstanding government initiative, it added a need for more Maths and Science teachers. Govender Gruzd (2011) indicated that Africa needed atleast 3 million more teachers to cope with the growing enrolments. Simkins et al (2009) qualified the statement by illustrating that South Africa was experiencing the same predicament with an escalating burden of more Maths classes and therefore teachers, this was due to the initiative to enforce Maths learning. This was further aggravated by the shortage of properly qualified and skilled Maths and Science teachers. The issue lies in the education departments failing to recruit talented and bright Maths and Science graduates who understand and could teach Maths and Science, these crucial skills could not be attracted into the system due to the lack of incentives and low pay. Govender Gruzd (2011) revealed shocking statistics in terms of educators in South Africa, which stated that up to 60% of the educators, had not been trained in Maths and Science, part of the main reason is that government was failing to translate their commitment to education into budgetary allocations. Education policies are drafted but the commitment lacks i.e. the scrapping of teacher colleges, inefficiency in training teachers and outdated teacher practices resulted in untrained teachers who struggled with the topics and hence imparted knowledge with a lack of foundation in content knowledge and imagination. This has created a poor foundation for the future development of Maths and Science graduates (Govender Gruzd, 2011). (Mji Makgato, 2006) said that Maths and Science are practical subjects and the teaching adopted in classes does not continually suggest practice, in the teaching of Maths and Science problems such as poor time management and incomplete syllabuses as a result of no school learning plan, continued to affect the practical method of teaching. 2.2.2 Student achievement Firstly in order to measure and gain understanding of the variances in student learning, there is a need for suitable and correct Maths and Science assessment tools. South Africas inability to participate in most Maths and Science assessments shows the countries inability to recognize the state of the problem or even a need to know how they fare in the global context so as to improve the performance of its student (Venkat, Adler, Rolinick, Setati Vhurumuku, 2011). According to Taylor (2010) the overall level of achievement amongst South African children is extremely low; this is not shocking as there are two educational systems in South Africa. The first covers 80-85% of the learners who experience the historically disadvantaged system with traits of low proficiency in reading, writing and numeracy, the second system covers the 15-20% of the students from the affluent groups who achieve world class results. The first system is further aggravated by poor school management, due to lack of resources such as textbooks, study materials and proper school facilities. Teachers who were qualified and experienced tended to flock towards the more urban and developed provinces to teach in schools with proper school management (Taylor Derekyu, 2009), hence the situation in the first system is further disadvantaged by inadequate experienced teachers who lack the proper resources or support to elevate their skills. The majorities of the graduates who obtained university entrance were produced in the second system and further enjoyed a social mobility and performance advantage. Taylor (2010) further indicated that the socio economic status was still the core indicator of student achievement as supported by the results in performance in the different school systems. The author noted the following results as conducted in a national socio-economic status, Schools which did not perform satisfactorily had not completed their curriculum coverage which in turn affected the learning capability of the students but this could be due to the learning shortfall from prior years which in turn slows the curriculum coverage. Math and Science teachers were tested in a simple maths test and the deficient teachers scored 40% or less, those with higher marks produced students who performed better in Maths and Science, these results showed the importance of teacher knowledge and experience to the student achievement. Taylor (2010) noted that the more materials were available as well the better the student performed, which concludes the point that schools which are properly managed produces better student achievement. 2.2.3 Curriculum content Although the change in curriculum by the Department of Education (2008) was an excellent initiative in terms of rendering Maths education non-negotiable, adding Maths Literacy as a mathematical wing has caused a nationwide debate The question is what is meant by mathematics in the concept of Maths literacy and the use of the word Literacy in conjunction with Maths (Vithal Bishop, 2011). Looking at the factors that contributed to the poor performance in Maths and Science, the question that arose in regards to Maths literacy was whether Maths literacy was going to contribute to the knowledge required in a Maths economy or will this addition exert pressure on the system and subsequently on to the poor performance? Table 1 below illustrates the design of the competencies that the Department of Education aimed for with the Maths, Maths Literacy and Science Curricula. According to Simkins et al (2009) the alteration of the curriculum has added up to 60% to the mathematical instructional problem since Maths or Maths literacy have become compulsory with the new National Senior Certificate changes. The CDE noted that the introduction of Maths literacy has actually resulted in students, who would have qualified to study Maths with a successive pass enroll for Maths literacy instead. This means that South Africa is losing out in terms of potential Maths graduates into the Maths and Science system (Simkins et al., 2009). 2.2.3.1 The language issue According to the findings by Wildsmith-Cromarty Gordon (2009) dialect differences cause uncertainty in terms of what the terms mean and adds difficulty in comprehension, teachers preferred to have a standardized book in the language of instruction for Maths and Science and as well in the home language for ease of reference. Probyn (2009) stated in his finding that when home language was used in class, it increased the level of class participation. The author argues that the student need to cross borders in order to understand the information within the curriculum as the wording is written as if the reader is of the mother tongue, he further adds that learning in a second language infringes on the value system of the student. Probyn (2009) argued that the issue is that learners past experiences are entrenched in their cultural and traditional beliefs, norms and values. MATHS This curriculum is designed for those who intend to follow a career path requiring Maths, or those who are interested in the subject. The competencies aimed for include: 1. Mathematical process skills, such as making conjectures, proving assertions, and modeling situations; 2. Confident calculation, with and without calculators; 3. Manipulation of algebraic expressions; 4. Financial calculations; patterns and transformation of functions; 5. Two- and three-dimensional geometry and trigonometry; 6. Basic statistics and probability; 7. Differential calculus; sequences and series; 8. Solution of unseen mathematical problems; 9. Historical development of Maths in various cultures; 10. and use of technology in calculations, and the development of models. MATHS LITERACY Maths literacy is driven by the life-related applications of Maths. It enables learners to develop the ability and confidence to think numerically and spatially in order to interpret and critically analyse everyday situations, and solve problems. The competencies aimed for include: use of numbers to solve real-life problems; modelling of situations using suitable functions and graphic representation; description, representation, and analysis of shape in two and three dimensions using geometrical skills; critical engagement with the handling of data (statistics and probability), especially the manner in which these are encountered in the media; and use of technology in calculations. PHYSICAL SCIENCE Maths introduces a more extensive range of mathematical techniques, whereas Maths literacy Starts with real-life situations and develops a more limited range of techniques to deal with them. Physical science is divided into six core knowledge areas: 1. Matter and materials (integrated); 2. Systems (chemistry); 3. Change (chemistry); 4. Mechanics (Physics); 5. Waves, sound and light (physics) and electricity and magnetism (physics) Source: Simkins et al (2007. p.36) 2.2.4 State of government Dimmock (2011) undertook research in schooling policies, the author explored the development and investigated the consequence of the policies from the changing context of the central government in terms of school relationship. The author compared the policies of two contrasting countries, which had the best performing schools in terms of international assessments, Dimmock (2011) notes that the two policies are more different than similar in the context of cultural values, politics and economic situations influences but the results are satisfactory in the global context despite the differences. In relation to the study by Dimmock (2011) it is possible to establish that governmental intervention besides the context of the country can produce results which are adequate, as long as they adopt policies which incorporate the countrys culture, politics, and economical standing. South Africas involvement in terms of school relationship is questionable beyond the budgetary relationship where South Africa spent more than any other developing country in Africa yet 80% of the overall government spending was on personnel (Taylor, 2010). In a system where teachers are underpaid, the 80% is not justifiable. Simply there has been a lack of targeted investments in innovative solutions and a strong political commitment over a long period of time to change the social compositions of schools which is more important than school spending in educational achievement (Taylor Derekyu, 2009). Education increases productivity and the overall labour market, it develops the ability to innovate and aids in the transmission of critical knowledge for the development of the country. The South African government requires this productivity, labour market and innovation in order to further transform the social compositions of schools, hence without the investment in the school relationships, the government will still lack the resources to innovate (Taylor Derekyu, 2009). 2.3 Economic impact 2.3.1 South African economy 2.3.2 China 2.3.3 Brazil 2.4 Success determinants Ndlovu (2011 as cited by Gipps, 1993:40) stated that in terms of Maths and Science education for social justice it should be structured in a way that the teacher is trained to be capable of creating learners who are able to analyze situations, conceptualize and justify critical decisions and so forth. Chipaike (2012) further stated that science formed part of the social environment and connected issues of social development; the author noted that science is not merely about manipulation of equipment and laboratory experimentation. It is about education for social development. Social development is laden not only with concepts but also skills and values such as the development of human potential, moral, cultural and gender sensitivity, participatory democracy, collaboration, unity and peace (Chipaike, 2012). Ndlovu (2011) commented that without Maths and Science, inequality in terms of opportunities and social isolation are exacerbated as Maths and Science enforces citizenship empower ment. Hickling-Hudson (2004) stated that in Cuba which has a dedicated programme to develop teachers in Maths and Science education and has outperformed all the other Latin countries, the teachers have atleast a 5 year university degree, Master or PhD level, foreign exposure in terms of expertise and also receive consistent training. Dimmock (2011) argued that a school policy which has a designated segregation of talent is more likely to achieve excellence, in Singapore they have a specialist school in science and technology, which is endorsed by the government and allocated the cream of the crop in resources. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH QUESTIONS 3.1 Introduction Education in South Africa specifically in Maths and Science has an underlying deep failure rate due to reasons lin

A Sociological Analysis of Ron Howards Apollo 13 Essay -- essays resea

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ron Howard’s re-creation of the happenings aboard NASA’s Apollo 13 flight combined some of the biggest talent in Hollywood to produce a masterful film. Apollo 13 takes us back in time, to the late 1960’s and early 70’s, when America’s NASA space program was thriving and the world stood aside to see who would reach the moon first. The impacts of space program are still evident to this day. It is even said that by beating the Russians to the moon, we established ourselves are the top power in the world and propelled ourselves to the status we hold today. While today our space program flounders in the public eye, this movie illustrates a time when NASA’s successes and failures held a huge sociological impact on American and even international life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many different aspects, the American space program and more specifically the rescue of the Apollo 13 crew really showed traits similar to those found in any three of the major sociological perspectives: functionalist, symbolic interactionism, and conflict. On one hand, it can be seen that NASA is a large structure formed of many smaller structures that keep is going. The government funds NASA, NASA hires crew to build and fly the ships and the different crews do their separate parts to come together as a whole and make it all work out (much as the crew on the ground did during the rescue mission of the Apollo 13 crew). Now on the other hand, the symbolic interactionism really shows itself in not just the rescue mission or space program itself, but involving everyone throughout the entire film. Symbolic interactionism determines how we place importance on things in life and how we form our opinions and priorities. Walking on the moon was the most important thing to Jim Lovell early in the film. However as events unfolded, Jim realized the real importance was life itself and his family and crew. Again, without symbols, Jim’s family wouldn’t have meant as much to him and he may have disregarded them altogether. The final of the three sociological perspectives is the conflict perspective. While this perspective becomes scarcely evident in the film, it doesn’t play nearly as important a role as do the other two. The only time that any form of power struggle appeared was early in the flight when Jim and Fred didn’t appreciate Jack being on their ship, probabl... ...xploited shortcomings and downfalls have brought public criticism and governmental funding cutbacks. Its successes are no longer praised in the American eye and have been put aside as a national priority ever since its glory days in the late 60’s and early 70’s. No longer does the space program serve as a uniting force, but as a program many think is unneeded when placed beside other national issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 was a riveting re-creation of the real events that took place more than a quarter-century ago. This movie serves as a model of American society and its sociological aspects. It illustrates various lessons in understanding society and social interaction not just among the three crew members aboard Apollo 13, but the entire NASA crew and all of America and the world that watched the events unfold. Although the space program’s influence on American lifestyle is not as significant as it was in the 1960’s and 70’s, its importance to the survival of mankind is vastly underestimated. Instead, much of American attention in this new century is directed towards warfare, terrorism and growing internal issues with the government.

How I was Introduced to Ansel Adams :: Photography Photographers Artists Essays

How I was Introduced to Ansel Adams Ansel Adams was more than just an artist; he was environmentalist and a photographer. Adams was born February 20th, 1902 in San Francisco California. This is where I was born before I moved to Andover Massachusetts’s. I was too young to appreciate his work then, but when I went back a few summers ago to visit my sister in San Francisco, all I saw at the tourist’s sites was Ansel’s photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge. I remember it like it was yesterday looking at this photograph of Ansel’s, the picture is in black and white, and it looks as if the sun is setting, just about 6p.m. I couldn’t believe how real this picture looked to me, I knew I had to buy it, and it is still up on my wall to this day. Ansel took photographs so expressively, you felt like you were right there with him. Before Ansel’s photographs, I really had no appreciation for nature or how people could spend sixteen hours a day to capture one photograph that was perfect. Ho wever, after I saw Ansel’s work it all made sense to me, that people were looking for the beauty in everything, even a bridge can move people and make them think of that moment in time. Adams eventually married a girl in California, named Charles Hitchcock Adams. Even when he was a child, Adams had an appreciation for nature. This was brought on because he lived with his grandparents who were extremely conservative. This caused Ansel to be very shy in the public arena and at school, and this played havoc with Ansel’s education. So as a solution, he received home schooling by his grandfather, and this is where Ansel found his love for the outdoors. His grandfather thought nature was a special thing and he wanted to share this knowledge of the outdoors with Ansel. This is the reason why he spends a good amount of time every year at the Yosemite Sierra Park, leaving behind his beloved Golden Gate Bridge. He explored all different kinds of sceneries when he went to Yosemit e, just so he could see what nature had to offer. Early Life of Ansel Adams Also as a young boy he developed a great sense of music and was able to play the piano at the age of twelve. It was an impressive accomplishment because he was self taught.

The Appeal of Television Chat Shows Essay -- TV Media Papers

The Appeal of Television Chat Shows Chat shows are a very popular and successful modern day television program. Why? It is probably because as humans we are naturally nosey and curious about the lifestyles of others, especially those of the rich and famous. It is this common characteristic that makes the neighbors peep through the curtains to see what the Jones' are up to next, the reason that village gossip spreads so quickly and the cause of the growing number of reality television programs. Whether we admit or not, many have a fascination with those in the public eye. We want to know about their secret to success, the skeletons in their closet and if they really are human like the rest of us. When this curiosity is applied to heroes, idols and people that others look up to and want to be like, that is when the appeal of chat shows is brought to life. Chat shows are the ultimate way of finding out the truth about celebrities not from badly taken paparazzi photos or twisted quotes in magazines but from the celebrity themself. Chat shows are not just popular with the public but also with the celebrities. It is a great way of advertising themselves if they have a new film or book out for instance. Another example is if they have had a lot of bad press recently, maybe over a crime they have committed. The celebrity may appear on a popular chat show to win back the sympathy and popularity of the public. Chat shows are sometimes confused with talk shows but are very different in the style they are run. Chat shows are interviews with celebrities and are considered more promotional television whereas talk shows are basically public ... ...rs Merton who is an old lady is actually a young woman dressed up as on old age pensioner. She cracks jokes to the audience about false hips and dentures and northern accent and dialect add to the humour. I have established that chat shows are very popular and that the appeal from them is becoming more than just the guests. This is because chat shows have turned from just the basic interview to a programme with characters (The Ali G Show) audience participation, for example anecdotes or games (Graham Norton) and performances and humour (The Kumars at Number 42). Entertainment is getting harder to fulfill as each show has to bring something new to appeal and compete with other chat shows to gain and maintain its audience however the base for any chat show will always remain the celebrities that appear on the show.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake & Sanaysay Essay

A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, generally an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions(including detonations of underwater nuclear devices), landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.[3] Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide, and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called â€Å"wave train†.[4] Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with over 230,000 people killed in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The Greek historian Thucydides suggested in his late 5th century BC, History of the Peloponnesian War, that tsunamis were related to submarine earthquakes,[5][6] but the understanding of a tsunami’s nature remained slim until the 20th century and much remains unknown. Major areas of current research include trying to determine why some large earthquakes do not generate tsunamis while other smaller ones do; trying to accurately forecast the passage of tsunamis across the oceans; and also to forecast how tsunami waves would interact with specific shorelines. A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (30.5 meters), onto land. These walls of water can cause widespread destruction when they crash ashore. Tsunami are waves caused by sudden movement of the ocean due to earthquakes, landslides on the sea floor, land slumping into the ocean, large volcanic eruptions or meteorite impact in the ocean. Earthquakes Most tsunami are caused by large earthquakes on the seafloor when slabs of rock move past each other suddenly, causing the overlying water to move. The  resulting waves move away from the source of the earthquake event. Landslides Underwater landslides can cause tsunami as can terrestrial land which slumps into the ocean. View our landslide generation animation which demonstrates how a landslide induces a tsunami. Volcanic eruptions Less common are tsunami initiated by volcanic eruptions. These occur in several ways: destructive collapse of coastal, island and underwater volcanoes which result in massive landslides pyroclastic flows, which are dense mixtures of hot blocks, pumice, ash and gas, plunging down volcanic slopes into the ocean and pushing water outwards a caldera volcano collapsing after an eruption causing overlying water to drop suddenly. An earthquake is the shaking of the earth that occurs after pieces of the crust of the Earth suddenly shift. The term earthquake describes the sudden slip on a fault and includes the ground shaking and radiating seismic energy that is caused by the slip. Volcanic activity, or other geologic processes, may cause stress changes in the earth that can also result in an earthquake. Earthquakes can occur anywhere in the world although some areas of the globe are more likely to experience an earthquake than others. Earthquakes occur in all types of weather, in all climate zones, in all seasons of the year, and at any time of day making it impossible to predict with any certainty when an earthquake is likely to occur. The best seismologists (scientists who study earthquakes) can do is to look at the historical record of earthquake activity for any geographical area and use this data to calculate the probability of an earthquake occurring in the future. Earthquake prediction is still in the future. A tsunami is a series of sea waves that can be caused by earthquakes or landslides at or beneath the sea floor. The displacement of the sea floor that occurs during certain large submarine earthquakes and landslides causes displacement of large volumes of the sea water above it producing large, fast moving waves. When a coast line experiences a tsunami it can be due to an earthquake near the coast or due to a quake occurring in a distant part of the ocean. Coastal areas may experience little or no damage from an  earthquake but can be devastated by the resulting tsunami. 2010 Haiti Earthquake Haiti suffered one of the largest earthquakes in more than 200 years in 2010. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake was centered about 10 miles from Port-au-Prince and set off a swarm of tsunamis that killed three people and destroyed several homes. The waves were averaged to be about 10 feet high. 2010 Sumatra Earthquake/Tsunami he October 2010 Sumatra earthquake occurred on the same fault as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The second time wasn’t as disastrous but there was still substantial damage. This time around the earthquake was 7.7 on the Richter scale and developed a tsunami that struck the Mentawai Islands. The tsunami, which had a wave of 9 feet, destroyed many of the villages on the island. It displaced more than 20,000 people and reportedly killed 435. 2010 Chile Earthquake/Tsunami A 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile on February 27, 2010 with intense shaking that lasted for about three minutes. It triggered a tsunami that destroyed several coastal towns in south-central Chile. The tsunami raced through the Pacific Ocean that 53 countries had to post warning, though there was little damage as it moved past Hawaii, Australia and Japan. The death toll was 521 victims. 2011 Tohoku Earthquake/Tsunami The 9.0-magnitude megathrust earthquake that hit the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, 2011 was the largest earthquake to have ever hit the country. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan even called it â€Å"the toughest and most difficult crisis for Japan† since the end of World War II. The tsunami that traveled along the Pacific coast of Japan’s northern islands was measured to be at least 9.8 feet high. Entire towns and cities were swept away and about 5,692 are said to be dead, with 9,522 missing and 2,409 injured. 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami On April 24, 1771, the Yaeyama Great Earthquake caused the formation of the 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami. The tsunami hit both the Ishigaki and Miyakojima Island of Japan and killed a total of 12,000 people. Agriculture was severely damaged and the population decreased about one-third of what it was. The tsunami at Ishigaki reportedly reached a height of 262 feet. 1792 Mount Unzen The 1792 eruption of Mount Unzen in western Kyushu, Japan is the most deadliest volcanic eruption ever in Japan. It caused a megatsunami that reached up to 330 feet and killed 15,030 people. 1896 Meiji-Sanriku Earthquake The 1896 Meiji-Sanriku earthquake hit Japan on a day when the country was celebrating both the return of soldiers from the Sinto Japanese War and a Shinto holiday. The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that took place was small but the tsunami that struck the coast of Sanriku 35 minutes later was much greater. Waves as high as 125 feet were measured and nearly 9,000 homes were destroyed. 22,070 were reported dead and an unusually high count of victims with fractured skulls and broken or missing limbs. Hawaii also suffered some destruction from the tsunami as waves of 30 feet were measured there. 1868 Arica Earthquake/Tsunami The estimated 8.5 to 9.0 magnitude earthquake near Arica (then part of Peru, now part of Chile) in 1868 nearly destroyed all of Arica and its surrounding cities. The tsunami it produced almost completely destroyed the port city of Pisco. It also caused some damage in Hawaii, New Zealand and Japan. About 25,674 casualties were reported. Aug. 27, 1883: Eruptions from the Krakatoa volcano fueled a tsunami that drowned 36,000 people in the Indonesian Islands of western Java and southern Sumatra. The strength of the waves pushed coral blocks as large as 600 tons onto the shore. June 15, 1896: Waves as high as 100 feet (30 meters), spawned by an earthquake, swept the east coast of Japan. Some 27,000 people died. April 1, 1946: The April Fools tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in Alaska, killed 159 people, mostly in Hawaii. July 9, 1958:Regarded as the largest recorded in modern times, the tsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska was caused by a landslide triggered by an 8.3 magnitude earthquake. Waves reached a height of 1,720 feet (576  meters) in the bay, but because the area is relatively isolated and in a unique geologic setting the tsunami did not cause much damage elsewhere. It sank a single boat, killing two fishermen. May 22, 1960: The largest recorded earthquake, magnitude 8.6 in Chile, created a tsunami that hit the Chilean coast within 15 minutes. The surge, up to 75 feet (25 meters) high, killed an estimated 1,500 people in Chile and Hawaii. March 27, 1964: The Alaskan Good Friday earthquake, magnitude between 8.4, spawned a 201-foot (67-meter) tsunami in the Valdez Inlet. It traveled at over 400 mph, killing more than 120 people. Ten of the deaths occurred in Crescent City, in northern California, which saw waves as high as 20 feet (6.3 meters). Aug. 23, 1976: tsunami in the southwest Philippines killed 8,000 on the heels of an earthquake. July 17, 1998:A magnitude 7.1 earthquake generated a tsunami in Papua New Guinea that quickly killed 2,200. Dec. 26, 2004: A colossal earthquake with a magnitude between 9.1 and 9.3 shook Indonesia and killed an estimated 230,000 people, most due to the tsunami and the lack of aid afterward, coupled with deviating and unsanitary conditions. The quake was named the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, and the tsunami has become known as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Those waves traveled the globe – as far as Nova Scotia and Peru. March 11, 2011: A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, triggering tsunamis that reportedly swept up cars, buildings and other debris. The Japan Meteorological Society has forecast more major tsunamis in the area, with some expected to reach more than 30 feet (10 m) off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan’s second largest island. A tsunami was also generated off the coast of Hawaii, one that could cause damage along the coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Tsunami warnings are in effect across Hawaii as well.

Porters 5 forces for Flipkart

Threat of New Entrants : Industry seems to have very high potential but is at its nascent stage. Lots of scope of growth in the futureMany small players might enter to explore the marketHigh capital investment is required as it is still in the nascent stage. Would not be much of a deterrent as venture capitalists are interested in investing, as they see a future in it.Flipkart is already an established its brand name and network across the nation. Hence, it may not be affected by the entry of small players in its market domainFlipkart is slowly moving up. Although, other players are learning from Flipkart’s mistakes and trying to do better. Since the industry is emerging profits cannot be achieved. Determinants of Supplier Power :For Suppliers (product manufacturers), e-commerce is another platform to sell their products, without any differentiation Hence, e-commerce companies have little amount of bargaining power, including Filpkart.There is an exception in case of popular p roducts, as company has lot of alternatives. Their switching cost is low, if there is no contact.Not all suppliers may have the ability of willingness to forward integrate, as it is highly risky market.Price discrimination is very much possible.As Flipkart is an inventory- based business model, they buy in bulk from their suppliers.Treating suppliers as partners would be very beneficial for Flipkart and it’s suppliers.Rivalry amongst existing firms : Flipkart is having a hard time as it is competing with it’s competitors in e-commerce as well as retail stores.Flipkart has less competitors of the same size, but many in smaller size.Flipkart has lot of competitors now , but not as huge as them, small in size but large in number.Incentive to fight is low, as the market is big enough for everyone to grow but there is no profit margin.Exit costs are very high, as Flipkart has an Inventory – based business model.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 32

â€Å"Who is it?† a voice was saying from the forest darkness. â€Å"Who's out there?† Bonnie had seldom been as grateful to anyone as she was to Matt for holding on to her. She needed people contact. If she could only bury herself deep enough in other people, she would be safe somehow. She just barely managed not to scream as the dimming flashlight swung onto a surrealistic scene. â€Å"Isobel!† Yes, it really was Isobel, not at the Ridgemont hospital at all, but here in the Old Wood. She was standing at bay, almost naked except for blood and mud. Right here, against this background, she looked like both prey and a sort of forest goddess, a goddess of vengeance, and of hunted things, and of punishment for any being who stood in her way. She was winded, breathing hard, with bubbles of saliva coming out of her mouth, but she wasn't broken. You only had to see her eyes, shining red, to see that. Behind her, stepping on branches and letting loose the occasional grunt or curse, were two other figures, one tall and thin but bulbous on top, and one shorter and stouter. They looked like gnomes trying to follow a wood nymph. â€Å"Dr. Alpert!†Meredith seemed just barely able to sound like her ordinary controlled self. At the same time, Bonnie saw that Isobel's piercings were much worse. She'd lost most of her studs and hoops and needles, but there was blood and, already, pus, coming out of the holes where they had been. â€Å"Don't scare her,† Jim's voice whispered out of the shadows. â€Å"We've been tracking her since we had to stop.† Bonnie could feel Matt, who had drawn in air to shout, suddenly choke it off. She could also see why Jim looked so top-heavy. He was carrying Obaasan, Japanese-style, on his back, with her arms around his neck. Like a backpack, Bonnie thought. â€Å"What happened to you?† Meredith whispered. â€Å"We thought you'd gone to the hospital.† â€Å"Somehow, a tree fell across the road while we were letting you off, and we couldn't get around it to get to the hospital, or anywhere else. Not only that, but it was a tree with a hornet's nest or something inside it. Isobel woke up likethat † – the doctor snapped her fingers – â€Å"and when she heard the hornets she scrambled out and ran from them. We ran after her. I don't mind saying I would have done the same if I'd been alone.† â€Å"Did anybody see these hornets?† Matt asked, after a moment. â€Å"No, it had just turned dark. But we heard them all right. Weirdest thing I ever heard. Sounded like hornet a foot long,† Jim said. Meredith was now squeezing Bonnie's arm from the other side. Whether to keep her silent or to encourage her to speak, Bonnie had no idea. And what could she say? â€Å"Fallen trees here only stay fallen until the policemake the decision to look for them?† â€Å"Oh, and watch out for the hellish streams of bugs as long as your arm?† â€Å"And by the way, there's probably one inside Isobel right now?†That would really freak Jim out. â€Å"If I knew the way back to the boardinghouse, I would drop these three off there,† Mrs. Flowers was saying. â€Å"They're not part of this.† To Bonnie's surprise, Dr. Alpert did not take exception to the statement that she herself was â€Å"not part of it.† Nor did she ask what Mrs. Flowers was doing with the two teenagers out in the Old Wood at this hour. What she said was even more astonishing: â€Å"We saw the lights as you started shouting. It's right back there.† Bonnie felt Matt's muscles tighten up against her. â€Å"Thank God,† he said. And then, slowly, â€Å"But that's not possible. I left the Dunstans' about ten minutes before we met, and that's right on the other side of the Old Wood from the boardinghouse. It would take at least forty-five minutes to walk it.† â€Å"Well, possible or not, we saw the boardinghouse, Theophilia. All the lights were on, from top to bottom. It was impossible to mistake. Are you sure you're not underestimating time?† she added, to Matt. Mrs. Flowers' name is Theophilia, Bonnie thought, and had to curb an urge not to giggle. The tension was getting to her. But just as she was thinking it, Meredith gave her another nudge. Sometimes she thought that she, and Elena, and Meredith had a sort of telepathy with each other. Maybe it wasn't true telepathy, but sometimes just a look, just a glance, could say more than pages and pages of argument. And sometimes – not always, but sometimes – Matt or Stefan would seem to be part of it. Not that it was like real telepathy, with voices as clear in your head as they would be in your ears, but sometimes the boys seemed to be†¦on the girls' channel. Because Bonnie knew exactly what that nudge meant. It meant that Meredith had turned the lamp off in Stefan's room on the top of the house, and that Mrs. Flowers had turned the downstairs lights off as they left. So while Bonnie had a very vivid image of the boardinghouse with lights blazing, that image couldn't be reality, not now. Someone is trying to mess with uswas what Meredith's nudge meant. And Matt was on the same wavelength, even if it was for a different reason. He leaned very slightly back at Meredith, with Bonnie in between. â€Å"But maybe we should head back toward the Dunstans',† Bonnie said in her most babyish, heartrending voice. â€Å"They're just normal people. They could protect us.† â€Å"The boardinghouse is just over that rise,† Dr. Alpert said firmly. â€Å"And I really would appreciate your advice on how to slow down Isobel's infections,† she added to Mrs. Flowers. Mrs. Flowers fluttered. There was no other word for it. â€Å"Oh, goodness, what a compliment. One thing would be to wash the dirt out of the wounds immediately.† This was so obvious and so unlike Mrs. Flowers that Matt squeezed Bonnie hard just as Meredith leaned in on her.Yeehaw! Bonnie thought. Do we have this telepathy thing going or not! So it's Dr. Alpert who's the dangerous one, the liar. â€Å"That's it, then. We head for the boardinghouse,† Meredith said calmly. â€Å"And Bonnie, don't worry. We'll take care of you.† â€Å"We sure will,† Matt said, giving her one last hard squeeze. It meantI get it. I know who's not on our side. Aloud, he added, in a fake stern voice, â€Å"It's no good going to the Dunstans' anyway. I already told Mrs. Flowers and the girls about this, but they've got a daughter who's like Isobel.† â€Å"Piercing herself?† Dr. Alpert said, sounding startled and horrified at the thought. â€Å"No. She's just acting pretty strangely. But it's not a good place.† Squeeze. I got it a long time ago, Bonnie thought in annoyance. I'm supposed to shut up now. â€Å"Lead the way, please,† murmured Mrs. Flowers, seeming more fluttery than ever. â€Å"Back to the boardinghouse.† And they let the doctor and Jim lead the way. Bonnie kept up a mumbling complaint in case anyone was listening. And she, and Matt, and Meredith all kept an eye on the doctor and Jim. â€Å"Okay,† Elena said to Damon, â€Å"I'm dolled up like somebody on the deck of an ocean liner, I'm keyed up like an overstrung guitar, and I'm fed up with all this delay. Soooo†¦what is the truth and the whole truth and nothing but the truth?† She shook her head. Time had skipped and stretched for her. Damon said, â€Å"In a way, we're in a tiny snow globe I made for myself. It just means they won't see or hear us for a few minutes. Now is the time to get the real talking done.† â€Å"So we'd better talk fast.† She smiled at him, encouragingly. She was trying to help him. She knew he needed help. He wanted to tell her the truth, but it was so far against his nature that it was like asking onehell of a wild horse to let you ride it, master it. â€Å"There are more problems,† Damon got out huskily, and she knew he'd read her thoughts. â€Å"They – they tried to make it impossible for me to speak to you about this. They did it in grand old fairy tale style: by making up lots of conditions. I couldn't tell you inside a house, nor could I tell you outside. Well, a widow's walk isn't inside, but you can't say it's outside, either. I couldn't tell you by sunlight or by moonlight. Well, the sun's gone down, and it's another thirty minutes before the moon rises, and I say that that condition is met. And I couldn't tell you while you were clothed or naked.† Elena automatically glanced down at herself in alarm, but nothing had changed as far as she could tell. â€Å"And I figure that that condition is met, too, because even though he swore to me he was letting me out of one of his little snow globes, he didn't do it. We're in a house that's not a house – it's a thought in somebody's mind. You're wearing clothes that aren't real clothes – they're figments of imagination.† Elena opened her mouth again, but he put two fingers to her lips and said, â€Å"Wait. Just let me go on while I still can. I seriously thought that he might never stop with the conditions, which he had picked up out of fairy tale literature. He's obsessed with that, and with old English poetry. I don't know why, because he's from the other side of the world, from Japan. That's who Shinichi is. And he has a twin sister†¦Misao.† Damon stopped breathing hard after that, and Elena figured that there must have been some internal conditions against him telling her. â€Å"He likes it if you translate his name asdeath-first , ornumber one in the matters of death . They're both like teenagers, really, with their codes and their games, and yet they're thousands of years old.† â€Å"Thousands?† Elena prodded gently as Damon coasted to a stop, looking exhausted but determined. â€Å"I hate to think of howmany thousands of years the two of them have been doing mischief. Misao's the one who's been doing all the things to the girls in town. She possesses them with her malach and then she makes the malach make them do things. You remember your American history? The Salem witches? That was Misao, or someone like her. And it's happened hundreds of times before that. You might look up the Ursuline nuns when you're out of this. They were a quiet convent who became exhibitionists and worse – some went mad, and some who tried to help them became possessed.† â€Å"Exhibitionists? Like Tamra? But she's only a child – â€Å" â€Å"Misao's only a child, in her head.† â€Å"And where does Caroline come in?† â€Å"In any case like this, there's got to be an instigator – someone who's willing to bargain with the devil – or a demon, really – for their own ends. That's where Caroline comes in. But for an entire town, they must be giving her something really big.† â€Å"An entire town? They're going to take over Fell's Church†¦?† Damon looked away. The truth was that they were going todestroy Fell's Church, but there was no point in saying that. His hands were loosely fastened around his knees as he sat on a rickety old wooden chair on the widow's walk. â€Å"Before we can do anything to help anyone, we have to get out of here. Out of Shinichi's world. This is important. I can – block him for short periods of time from watching us – but then I get tired and need blood. I need more than you can regenerate, Elena.† He looked up at her. â€Å"He's put Beauty in with the Beast here and he'll leave us to see which one will triumph.† â€Å"If you mean kill the other, he's in for a long wait on my end.† â€Å"That's what you think now. But this is a specially made trap. There'snothing in here except the Old Wood as it was when we started driving around it. It's also minus any other human habitations. Theonly house is this house, the only real living creatures are the two of us. You'll want me dead soon enough.† â€Å"Damon, I don't understand. What do theywant here? Even with what Stefan said about all the ley lines crossing under Fell's Church and making a beacon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It wasyour beacon that drew them, Elena. They're curious, like kids, and I have a feeling that they may already have been in trouble wherever it is they really live. It's possible they were here watching the end of the battle, watching you be reborn.† â€Å"And so they want†¦to destroy us? To have fun? To take over the town and make us puppets?† â€Å"All three, for a while. They could be having fun while someone else pleads their case in a high court in another dimension. And yes, fun, to them, means taking apart a town. Although I believe that Shinichi means to go back on his bargain with me for something he wants more than the town, so they may end up fighting each other.† â€Å"What bargain withyou , Damon?† â€Å"For you. Stefan had you. I wanted you. He wants you.† Despite herself, Elena felt cold pooling in her midriff, felt the distant shaking that began there and worked its way outward. â€Å"And the original bargain was?† He looked away from her. â€Å"This is the bad part.† â€Å"Damon, what have you done?†she cried, almost screaming it.†What was the bargain?† Her whole body was shaking. â€Å"I made a bargain with a demon and, yes, I knew what he was when I did it. It was the night after your friends were attacked by the trees – after Stefan banished me from his room. That and – well, I was angry, but he took my anger and boosted it. He was using me, controlling me; I see that now. That's when he started with the deals and conditions.† â€Å"Damon – † Elena began shakily, but he went on, speaking rapidly as if he had to get through this, to see it to its conclusion, before he lost his nerve. â€Å"The final deal was that he would help me get Stefan out of the way so I could have you, while he got Caroline and the rest of the town to share with his sister. Thus trumping Caroline's bargain for whatever she was getting from Misao.† Elena slapped him. She wasn't sure how she managed, wrapped up as she was, to get a hand free and to make the lightning-fast movement, but she did. And then she waited, watching a bead of blood hanging on his lip, for him to retaliate or for the strength to try to kill him.

Evaluating rule based and principle based accounting approaches

In this essay, the two different attacks of accounting have been discussed. One attack is being followed by FASB and the other attack is being followed by IASB. These two attacks are Rules – based attack and Principles – based attack. Rules – based attack says that accounting rules and criterions should alter with the environment, fiscal conditions, and as new issues arises in the field of accounting. On the other manus, Principles – based attack says that accounting rules and criterions should be made harmonizing to the already set rules. All the rules are predefined and it works with a set of laid down system. This belief is named as rule – based attack. Further in this essay, these two attacks have been critically analyzed on some selected points. The stances, pros and cons of each attack have been discussed in item. And based on the analysis, decisions about the favourable attack or manner have been made. An recommendation has besides been made in the terminal that nonsubjective attack should be followed which means that alternatively of following either of these two attacks entirely, a mixture of both of these attacks should be followed so that the defects of each attack could be minimized. There are fundamentally two chief criterion puting organic structures i.e. FASB ( Financial Accounting Standard Board ) and IASB ( International Accounting Standard Board ) . These standard scene organic structures have their ain models. Models are used to paraphrase current accounting criterions and to bring forth new accounting criterions. is by and large followed in United States of America whereas IFRS is followed by most of the other states of the universe. Since 2001, more than one 100 states around the Earth have been permitted / required to utilize IFRS ( IASB construction ) . In add-on to these two criterion puting organic structures, there are besides other little and local criterion puting organic structures present. But IFRS are by and large followed by most of the states particularly by large economic systems. Apart from the â€Å" models † there are besides other differences every bit good. One of these differences is the â€Å" attack † that each one of t hem has used to construct criterions and models. GAAP uses the Rule – based attack whereas IFRS uses the Principles – based attack in constructing accounting criterions. Harmonizing to one belief accounting rules and criterions should alter with the environment, fiscal conditions, and as new issues arises in the field of accounting. This belief is named as regulation – based attack. Whereas, IFRS believes that accounting rules and criterions should be made harmonizing to the already set rules. All the rules are predefined and it works with a set of laid down system. This belief is named as rule – based attack. Each of these attacks has its ain pros and cons. The stances of each of these attacks have been discussed and critically analyzed in item below ; The deduction being, that if anyone in the society believes your patterns to be manipulating the job, or non-genuine, and immoral so the job of assurance in your actions id arises. This would so coerce, and should act upon everyone to endeavor for a high criterion of pattern, as minimum conformity and criterions would non truly be tolerated and plenty for the point of view of investors and community. The comptroller and hearers have to trust on their judgement, so the more conservative attack they adopt, it would be much better for the investors. So rigorous regulations should be followed and they should seek to run into the highest criterions instead than minimum. Following the regulations necessitate all members of a society to show minimal values and criterions of pattern. The criterions have to be in kernel meeting the minimally acceptable pattern degree in order to acquire approved by a bulk of members. Due to minimal required degree, the consequences could be less-than-excellent criterions. The rules-based patterns besides encourage those people to play around with the regulations, to happen loopholes and ambiguity in the regulations, and to calculate out ways to do uses. This has been evidenced in the last decennary in major economic sciences like Canada and the USA by their political leaders every bit good as celebrated concern leaders and companies ( Doug Macnamara & A ; Banff, 2004 ) Principles-based attack basically has no minimal criterion of pattern and they keep on turning over clip. Principles-based model influence a broad set of patterns run intoing the demands to a degree of outlook by the society at big ( McGladrey & A ; Pullen, 2009 ) . Principles promote organisations to follow directly off raising their current patterns in-line with the Principles based attack, endeavoring for uninterrupted betterment over clip ( Doug Macnamara & A ; Banff, 2004 ) . Principles-based are really utile in leting house ‘s to modify their apprehension of how to implement concern patterns of the highest criterions for every changing and alone conditions, and operational worlds of the industry. This should therefore ensue in better, more appropriate administration actions compared to minimum conformity with a set of basic regulations. Even though the constitution of fiscal accounting criterions and auditing has conventionally been founded upon a rule-based construction, the theory of a principle-based attack has been from clip to clip advocated since being incorporated and due to recent high profile dirts in which the fiscal comptrollers and hearers have been involved and made monolithic uses do to rule-based ethical point of view and hold failed to protect investors, stakeholders and general public involvement raised concerns for the populace to still believe on rule-based theory ( George J. Benston, Michael Bromwich, Alfered Wagenhofer, 2006 ) . In Accordance to a normally position, U.S. accounting criterions are more rules-based than principles-based model.[ 1 ]This observation brought in big portion from the emphasis put on two features of the diction of the typical confirmation statement: ‘the fiscal statements present reasonably, in all stuff respects, the fiscal place of Ten Company as of Date, and the consequences of its operations and its hard currency flows for the twelvemonth so ended in conformance with by and large accepted accounting rules ‘ ( accent added ) .2 ‘Present reasonably ‘ , which indicates a principles-based attack, is fundamentally converted to a rules-based attack when it is ‘defined ‘ in SAS 69 ( .05 a ) by mention to Rule 203 of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. This regulation states that ‘present reasonably ‘ â€Å" implies that the application of officially established accounting rules about ever consequences in the just presentation of fisc al place, consequences of operations, and hard currency flows † .4 GAAP is specified by SAS 69, paragraph AU 411, as a hierarchy of conventions, regulations and steps propagated by peculiar important organic structures, peculiarly the Financial Accounting Standards Board and precursor houses ( e.g. , the Accounting Principles Board ) .4 Thus, if the itemized and statute GAAP have been followed as specified, most likely the certifying CPAs have done their occupations decently and sufficiently in the eyes of the Securities and Exchange Commission and ( likely ) the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ( PCAOB ) . The standard compositors do non look to take into sufficient history that the format of criterions and their contents are mutualist. In peculiar, the more judgement an accounting rule requires, the more hard is it to project it into a criterion without plentifulness of counsel and, possibly, exclusions. These events have encouraged principal-based theoreticians to show and they standpoint which is more ethical and concerned to the investors and stakeholders ( George J. Benston, Michael Bromwich and Alfred Wagenhofer, 2006 ) . The rule-based imposts of scrutinizing became a trouble-free tool that was responsible for the unethical and immoral behavior of companies like Enron and Arthur Andersen due to which 1000s of people lost their every penny in pocket and their places ( David Satava, Cam Caldwell, Linda Richards, 2006 ) . The comptrollers and hearers should work to re-establish public assurance and to acquire enhanced the ethical behavior. Principle-based attack is necessary to significantly alter the ethical behaviour of the fiscal coverage and auditing. The comptroller and hearers must demo a preparedness to measure them critically and follow principle-based attack and demo committedness to alter house ‘s civilization, if they want to reconstruct their lost credibleness and trust with the populace. To carry on periodic cultural audi ts of accounting houses could be effectual tool. ( Bean and Cunningham, 2004 ) The comptrollers and hearers have moral certain duties in order to warrant with their profession self-respect that includes duties, purposes, moralss, principals, values and committednesss to honour these imposed duties ( Paine, 2003 ) .The hearers must integrate and incorporate both a rule-based rating of the fiscal wellness of an audited house and a principle-based appraisal of the fiscal status of an entity as an on-going concern and as a possible investing chance. The basic duties implicit in that undertaking is to unite proficient expertness and professionalism necessary to accomplish meticulosity, preciseness in supplying adequate information to do cent per centum sure that transparence sing the audited house ‘s fiscal status, and completeness, objectivity and independency in carry oning an audit comprehensive to indemnify the unity of the audit study and hence increased the creditability of the audit house ethical and professional attitude. Recent accounting dirts have raised the concern that regulation – based attack has become excessively vulnerable and there is sky-scraping demand of principles-based government. There is a great argument sing the effectivity in the Governance universe these yearss about how to better the degree of assurance and trust in our communities refering the Governance organic structures of both for net income and non for net income organisations. While many treatments are taking topographic point, the highest profile 1s are playing out in the assorted planetary securities communities, with other organisations taking their lead from at that place. However to some Board members might happen these arguments and statements rather detached and isolated from their daily administration responsibilities and duties. This is truly of import to understanding the different places and stance in this argument of administration, and the implicit in logic and principles should be considered by the Boa rd to break develop policies and best patterns to better administration & A ; transparence. This would take to heighten community assurance & A ; trust in your organisation ‘s leading. To hold a trust on leading and the direction is one of the most of import things for the investor point of position before puting in any company. A fall-out from the continued litany of error of our senior leaders and participants has exposed in the media, which has led to overall aggravation & A ; impairment in assurance and trust of the general public towards those in the privileged place of power and control ( Doug Macnamara & A ; Banff, 2004 ) . As each one of these revelation criticizes into the populace ‘s scruples, the trust and perkiness in Governors and Governance took another monolithic hit. Governors and managers should reflect watchfulness and due diligence in their act before choosing any accounting model and should endeavor to do certain the transparence and effectual control system. The principal based model has shown its importance over clip and raised many inquiries on regulations based system. Governors and managers should utilize a blend of both Rules and Principles that are relevant to the organisation, and formulate and develop new Governance By-Laws, processs, policies and patterns to wake up their organisation ‘s leading behaviour. We are still meeting more and more struggles of involvement jobs at the Governance degree and Following the best patterns and Self-disclosure of these new patterns can better the society trust in organisations. ( George T. Tsakumis, 2009 ) After being analysing the fact and the difficult nucleus worlds of both the rule-based and chief based attack, it is being concluded that comptrollers every bit good as governors should follow the regulations based attack because the principal based model strives for uninterrupted betterment and by following the principal based attack we could achieve the highest degree of transparence and investors assurance. Due to recent dirts accounting criterions are already under terrible unfavorable judgment. The regulation based attack has batch of loopholes because it merely requires the minimal criterions to fulfill it ‘s objectively as comparison to principal based attack which keep on puting new criterions and mileposts. The hearers besides have to hold to demo high criterions of ethical pattern and should identity the malpractices being done by the direction. They should work independently and objectively and should non come under any force per unit area by direction. They work sho uld be run into the aim of the investors and stockholder alternatively of direction. It has besides being witnessed that over the old ages the administration mechanism has non being what it used to be, so that board of managers and governors need to look into the matter of the direction and should prosecute themselves in arguments so that they continuous come up and better the control system and should fasten the cheque and balances on the direction. The system which needs to be now incorporated in the houses should be blend of both regulation based and chief based model ( AAA Financial Accounting Standards Committee, 2003 ) . Together both the model would be a better option for the accounting criterions in order to accomplish highest ethical criterions and best patterns. It would besides assist the comptrollers to re-gain their lost creditability which they have lost and general populace is now loath to swear them.