American Art Project Essay

It is believable that John Vanderlyn, in his painting Landing of Columbus, was trying to portray the success of Columbus and his crew. Columbus heroic stance and elegant expression are made all the more impressive in comparison to the native people who witness the event. The Native Americans are naked, fearful or subservient, bowing down before the explorer in awe and reverence. The symbols of empire are shown in the heroic explorer with his Christian crosses and steel swords symbolizing the significance in the power of civilization. In 1836 of June, Congress had commissioned John Vanderlyn to paint the Landing of Columbus. About eleven years later the painting was hung in the Rotunda by January 1847. Expansion was an overwhelming preoccupation in nineteenth-century America, but it was by no means the only cultural preoccupation. The subject of the painting, foregrounding the ambiguous meeting of two cultures, provided a space for artists to work out many central issues, for example, how to reconcile Indian Removal with notions of the Noble Savage. Another way is how to remake a country torn apart by sectional strife. The following settlements and expansions span the period from 1835 to 1912. Americans had a chaotic eighty-year period that witnessed the filling of Americas geographical borders, the bloody anguish of the Civil War, the horror of slavery in America, the overthrow of Native peoples, and many more events pertaining to the expansion. Vanderlyns painting contains images of contact between European explorers and Native Americans. He clearly shows a representation of what many of the settlements contained and how frightened the Natives were. John Trumbulls painting of the Declaration of Independence depicts the signing of the declaration by forty-two out of the fifty-six and five patriots. It is believed that Trumbull was paid to paint Jeffersons foot on top of Adams foot to illustrate that Jefferson dominated Adams. However, as time passed, the painting had been exposed to smoke, dirt, humidity, and other elements. Before modern art preservation was mastered, the painting had been repainted to repair damaged areas. The repairing is what changed the shape of Jeff ersons foot to look as though it was on Adams foot. The painting of the Declaration of Independence was commissioned by Congress in1817, but the painting was not hung until October 5, 1818. There were no major events recorded during the time of Trumbulls painting. However there were many  questions being asked about what compelled Trumbull to paint the scene inaccurately Trumbulls depiction was not to paint the scene correctly, but to show value of the document and its sacred place in our nations history. He wanted to capture the real meaning of the Declaration of Independence and the men who wrote and signed it. It is promising that John Trumbull did a very good job at communicating his message through context and content. Similar to Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, the General George Washington Resigning His Commission painting features an arrangement of characters with figures standing and seated in the background. Also, in the central action being the transfer of documents, George Washington is standing in the center showi ng the democratic ideal shared between the two paintings. Furthermore, the addition of a draped cloak over Washingtons chair is reminiscent of a kings robe over a throne. This symbolization is of Washingtons retirement from rule and establishing civilian authority over the military. Trumbulls painting General George Washington Resigning His Commission was commissioned in 1817 and hung in 1824. Many events have occurred during this time, however, none pertain to Trumbulls painting. On the other hand, the painting depicts Washington submitting his resignation as Army Commander-in-Chief to the Congress on December 23, 1783. Washington stands in the center of the room at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, where Congress was meeting at the time, and addresses the president of the Congress. Trumbull, although he added extra people in his painting, depicted a clear message about George Washington and his resignation. The Embarkation of the Pilgrims by Robert Weir affects many people with the upsetting feeling many get from reading the words of one of the Pilgrims, We sang psalms and were merry. The painting is gloomy, hard and uninteresting, but depicts the respect of the general public because of its deep religious spirit. Also, because of the clever handling of shadowing and general carefulness, the painting has an admirable technique. In 1836, the United States government commissioned Robert W. Weir to paint the Embarkation of the Pilgrims and hung in 1843. The Mexican war was an event that inspired Weirs painting. The moral and geographic greatnesses were absolutely holey understandings. In other words, when the land was conquered through an event like the Mexican War, it was ultimately acceptable by the righteous promise of the Embarkation. The painting represents significant  historical moments leading to the founding of the American Republic. The painting clearly depicts the Pilgrim families gathered around their pastor, John Robinson, for a farewell service on the deck of the Speedwell before its departure from Holland. Thomas Hart Benton, Missouri Benton was born on March 14, 1782, in Hillsboro, North Carolina. When his family migrated to Tennessee his father had died, and as a young man, was left in charge of significant land holdings. Benton, who established a law practice, also served as a colonel in th e War of 1812 under General Andrew Jackson. He practiced law and edited the second newspaper west of the Mississippi after moving to St. Louis, Missouri in 1815. In 1820, Benton ran for Senate with the interests of bettering the western territories. His support of the anti-United States Bank earned him support. However, Bentons anti-slavery views cost him the seat as Senate. In 1852 Benton was elected to the House of Representatives, but only served one term. Benton had written Thirty Years from 1855 to 1858 and Abridgement of Debates of Congress from 1789 to 1856. Benton Died on April 10, 1858. Personaly, Thomas Benton is a good choice to represent the stateof Missouri. However, he should have thought carefully about the slavery terms. Francis Blair, Missouri Francis Blair, born on February 19, 1821, in Lexington, Kentucky, attended schools in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Princeton University in 1841. Most importantly Blair had studied law at Transylvania University. In 1842he went on to practice in St. Louis, Missouri. During the Mexican War, Blair was selected as attorney general for the New Mexican Territory. He was also a personal friend of Thomas Benton. The only difference between the two men is that Benton was for slavery and Blair was against it. Blair, in 1852, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. However, he was defeated in 1858. In 1860 he was reelected into the House. During he Civil War Benton served as a major general, and in 1861, was saved Missouri for the Union. Unfortunately, his helping with the Union left him broke and unsuccessful for election as vice president in 1868. In 1871 he was, however, was chosen to become the United States Senator. Blair died from paralysis on July 9, 1875. Blair, better than Benton, is a great representative for Missouri because of his heart for the state and the people. Bibliography Atkins, Scott. The Pilgrims in the Capitol. Virginia.edu. February 25, 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//xroads.virginia.edu/cap/puritan/purrot.html. Francis Preston Blair. Architect of the Capitol. February 25, 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/national-statuary-hall-collection/francis-preston-blair. General George Washington Resigning His Commission. Learn NC. February 25, 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/6288. Parker, Edgar. Embarkation of the Pilgrims. Pilgrim Hall Museum. February 25, 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/ce_history_paintings.htm. Swislocki, Allie and Joanna Hallac. Trumbulls Declaration of Independence Fact orFiction Blog, November 04, 2011. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//uschs.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/trumbulls-declaration-of-independence-fact-or-fiction/ The Embarkation of the Pilgrims. book dome. February 25, 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//bookdome.com/architecture/National-Capitol/The-Embarkation-Of-The-Pilgrims.html. Thomas Hart Benton. Architect of the Capitol. February 25, 2014. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/national-statuary-hall-collection/thomas-hart-benton. Truettner, William H. Prelude to Expansion Repainting the Past. In West as America Reinterpreting Images on the Frontier, 1820-1920, edited by William H. Trumbulls Old Senate Chamber. Marylands Old Senate Chamber. September 21, 2012. Accessed February 25, 2014. http//marylandstatehouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/trumbulls-old-senate-chamber.html. Truettner, Prelude to Expansion, 55-95 and Vivian Green Fryd, Art Empire The Politics of Ethnicity in the United States Capitol, 1815-1860 (New Haven and London Yale University Press, 1992). Allie Swislocki and Joanna Hallac, Trumbulls Declaration of Independence Fact orFiction Blog, November 04, 2011. Accessed February 25, 2014. HYPERLINK http//uschs.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/trumbulls-declaration-of-independence-fact-or-fiction/http//uschs.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/trumbulls-declaration-of-independenc e-fact-or-fiction/. Trumbulls Old Senate Chamber, Marylands Old Senate Chamber, September 21, 2012, accessed February 25, 2014, http//marylandstatehouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/trumbulls-old-senate-chamber.html. General George Washington Resigning His Commission, Learn NC, February 25, 2014, accessed February 25, 2014, http//www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/6288. The Embarkation of the Pilgrims, book dome, February 25, 2014, accessed February 25, 2014, http//bookdome.com/architecture/National-Capitol/The-Embarkation-Of-The-Pilgrims.html. Atkins, Scott, The Pilgrims in the Capitol, Virginia.edu, February 25, 2014, accessed February 25, 2014, http//xroads.virginia.edu/cap/puritan/purrot.html. Edgar Parker, Embarkation of the Pilgrims, Pilgrim Hall Museum, February 25, 2014, accessed February 25, 2014, http//www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/ce_history_paintings.htm. Thomas Hart Benton, Architect of the Capitol, February 25, 2014, accessed February 25, 2014, http//www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/national-statuary-hall-collection/thomas-hart-benton. Francis Preston Blair, Architect of

Research Paper on Impact of Attitude on Job Satisfaction Essay

The survey showed positive and negative relations with job satisfaction. It was clear after the survey that high organizational commitment, high core self-evaluation and positive behavior towards the organization resulted in high job satisfaction. Whereas emotion should be controlled by employees to achieve satisfaction on the job. On the other hand cognition is a controversial issue. High cognition may either affect satisfaction of an employee positively or negatively. The relationship between job satisfaction and cognitive dissonance is negatively related. The findings suggest incorporating these attitudes of employees may provide organizations with the potential to improve job satisfaction significantly. Keywords: Organizational commitment, emotions, cognition, behavior, cognitive dissonance, core self-evaluation, job satisfaction.†Job satisfaction is defined as â€Å"the extent to which people like (satisfaction) or dislike (dissatisfaction) their jobs† This definition says job satisfaction is a general or global affective reaction that individuals hold about their job (Stahl & Michael, 2004). The traditional job satisfaction facets include: co-workers, pay, job conditions, supervision, nature of the work and benefits. Job satisfaction mainly implies doing a job one enjoys, doing it well, and being suitably rewarded for one’s efforts. Further, job satisfaction implies enthusiasm and happiness with one’s work. The Harvard Professional Group (1998) sees job satisfaction as the keying ingredient that leads a person to recognition, income, promotion, and the achievement of other goals that lead to a general feeling of fulfillment. Job Satisfaction is influenced by a lot of factors but in our survey we concentrated on a few and they are organizational commitment, emotions, cognition, behavior, cognitive dissonance and core self-evaluation (Zidle, 2012). There are many methods for measuring job satisfaction. By far, the most common method for collecting data regarding job satisfaction is the  Likert scale  (named after  RensisLikert). Other less common methods of for gauging job satisfaction include: Yes/No questions, True/False questions, point systems, checklists, and forced choice answers.

Hairstyle and Mobile Hair

* Conduct an internal and external environmental analysis for your proposed business. * Use the information obtained from your internal and external analysis, as well as the lesson learned from the Considerations of a Strategic Plan: List assignment. Create a SWOTT table summarizing your findings. Your environmental analysis should take into account, at a minimum, the following factors. For each factor, identify the one primary strength, weakness, opportunity, threat, and trend, and include it in your table. * External forces and trends considerations: * Legal and regulatory * Global Economic * Technological * Innovation * Social * Environmental * Competitive analysis * Internal forces and trends considerations: * Strategy * Structures * Processes and systems * Resources * Goals * Strategic capabilities * Culture * Technologies * Innovations * Intellectual property * Leadership * Write a 1,400-1,750-word synopsis in which you analyze at least seven of the forces and trends from the l ist above. Your analysis must include the following: Include economic as well as legal and regulatory forces and trends. Critique how well the organization adapts to change.Identify issues and/or opportunities: Identify the major issues and or opportunities that the company faces based on your analysis above. Generate a hypothesis surrounding each issue and research questions to use for conducting analysis. Identify the circumstances surrounding each issue; classify the circumstances; attribute the importance of each classification; and test the accuracy of the importance for each classification. PROPOSED BUSINESS Mobile Hair Designs is a new and convenient option for consumers who wish to receive a haircut or new style but is not able to travel to a salon.This review will represent the mission of Mobile Hair Designs. Mobile Hair Designs vision is to reach its full potential and success by satisfying all customers who wish to use this unique service. For Mobile Hair Designs to be su ccessful ethics and social responsibility will be part of the mission. Mobile Hair Designs is committed to reach consumers not able to travel to a hair salon or barbershop. Mobile Hair Designs will make an effort to help people not feeling well, feel better about themselves by giving them a hairstyle of their choice.Mobile Hair Designs realizes when one looks good, one then starts to feel good. Mobile Hair Designs will send a caring and compassionate stylist to each customer. Mobile Hair Designs will become a company consumers will be able to count on for their hairstyles. Mobile Hair Designs will not only be mobile but also there will be stationary locations as well, Hair Designs. Hair Designs understands it is nice to have an evening out if the customer is able. If they are not able to come to the salon, we will be glad to go to them.Hair Designs will feel like a mini-retreat to its customers. Mobile Hair Designs will bring the retreat to the customers. Mobile Hair Designs and Hai r Designs will be a company customers will be able to count on. This service is not limited to one age group we are willing to style all ages. Mobile Hair Designs will travel up to a 30 mile-radius from any stationary location. If the customer wants to come to a stationary location we will happily be willing to commute the customer to and from Hair Designs. A business must have defined guidelines and principles.The values of Mobile Hair Design and Hair Design are important to its success. â€Å"Defining your beliefs and guiding principles is important to running a successful business (Sugars, April). † Guiding principles and values serve as the basis of reasoning and action for Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs. Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs will only employee experienced licensed stylist who have a clean background check and a clean driving record. The stylist employed by Hair Designs will be compassionate and patient with all customers.The values and ethics possessed by t his company will be admirable. Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs will use its values and ethics as a guide throughout its life in all situations, irrespective of changes in its goals, and strategies. The mission, vision, and values guide will be the backbone for Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs strategic direction. â€Å"Mission, vision, and values are supposed to be the North Star of strategic planning, the beacon by which organizations set their strategic compasses and then align their everyday priority setting (Logan, 2004). The mission has been set in place so employees, managers, stockholder, and customers know what is expected from Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs. The mission will help keep all employees focused on what our purpose is as a business. Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs vision has been set in place to have goals. The vision acts as a spring board into the future of this business. The success of this business will depend upon the values demonstrated. Mobile Hair De signs must demonstrate a caring and compassionate attitude at all times to the customers.Customers must be able to trust the stylist so they will welcome them back to their home. Rather than post Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs mission, vision, and values on a wall, they will be demonstrated. This idea will constantly be communicated to all employees. Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs is committed to its customers. We are a customer service-based organization. We depend on the happiness of the consumer to make this a successful business. If a customer is not able to come to our salon we will happily go to the customer. If the customer wishes o visit our salon we will provide him or her with appropriate transportation. If the customer is handicap and wants to visit our salon by our transportation we will be able to do so. The competitive advantage Mobile Hair Designs/Hair Designs will have over other salons is the convenience we offer to our customers. We are willing to do whatever i t takes to ensure a customer receives his or her haircut or hairstyle desired by compassionate and skillful stylist. Mobile Hair Designs is new and innovative. The employees at this organization are trustworthy and compassionate.The goal is to make people feel better about them when they are not able to visit a salon. Rather than sitting at the salon waiting for walk-ins we are on the move bringing the hairstyle directly to the customer. References: Sugars, B. (April, 2010 2). What are Your guiding principles?. Entrepreneur, Retrieved from http://www. entrepreneur. com/startingabusiness/startupbasics/startupbasicscolumnistbradsugars/article205846. html Logan, J. (2004, March). Mission, vision, values. Retrieved from http://www. loganstrategy. ca/content/articles/mission. pdf

Introduction To ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction To ART - Essay Example The shapes of these rings are quite different. The first ring from the left is round with a square diamond decoration that is yellow in color. The second ring is beige in color and is round in shape but it is flat from the front view. The other ring is blue in color and it is also thickly rounded with its surface also decorated with different lines. The lines that repeat themselves in the background develop unity as they show how different colors such as blue, purple and shades of yellow could be used together. Generally, the outline of this advertisement entails warm colors of different tones. The colors have at least two tones; dark and light. All in all, the different colors used on the rings could be said to be gender specific. Thick and thin lines have been used in this advertisement. The thick dark lines show the dark tone of the colors used and the thin lines have been used to indicate the light shades of the colors used. The rings have been symmetrically represented at the bottom of the advertisement unlike the upper part that has the statement. The texture of the background surface has been depicted as rough by the bold checked lines at the top while the bottom has faint checked lines that depict some smoothness. The advertisement was placed online by the Rocks by Request Company to reach the several masses that have access to the internet so that they could learn about the qualities of diamond before they can buy them form potential jewelers. The retailers also used internet advertisement so as to increase their sales. The company has maintained connectivity so as to include human characteristics in e-commerce by including both technology and culture in organizations that retail in diamonds. Rings have always been a symbol of love in the form of material. Therefore, diamond rings would symbolize uniqueness and status of the couple as not many people are able to buy them. The different colors used on

MARKETING ESSENTIALS MARKETING PLAN FOR PIZZA HUT Essay

MARKETING ESSENTIALS MARKETING PLAN FOR PIZZA HUT - Essay Example 3.1 Market Share 05 3.2 Market Growth Chart 07 4. Market Analysis 08 4.1 Target Market Research 08 4.2 PEST Analysis 09 4.2.1 Political Factors 09 4.2.2 Economic Factors 09 4.2.3 Social and Cultural Factors 09 4.2.4 Technological Factors 10 4.2.5 Legal Factors 10 4.2.6 Environmental Factors 10 5. Market Competitors 10 5.1 Micro Environment 10 5.1.1 Competitors 10 5.1.2 Customers 11 5.1.3 Distribution Channels 12 5.1.4 Suppliers 12 5.2 SWOT Analysis 12 5.2.1 Strengths 12 5.2.2 Weaknesses 12 5.2.3 Opportunities 13 5.2.4 Threats 13 6. New Product 13 6.1 Product 14 6.2 Price 14 6.3 Promotion 15 6.4 Distribution 15 7. Future Marketing Strategies 15 7.1 SMART Analysis 15 7.2 Marketing Opportunities 15 7.3 Market Future: Acquisitions 16 7.4 New Technology and Expertise 17 8. Financial Forecast 17 8.1 First Year Cash Flow Forecast (â‚ ¤) 18 8.2 First Year Months Balance Sheet (Amount in â‚ ¤) 20 8.3 Three Years Projected Profit and Loss Statements 21 Conclusion 22 Bibliography 23 Introduction Pizza Hut is the world’s leading pizza chain presently operating approximately at 13,000 locations in more than 90 countries. Pizza Hut offers a variety of pizza items to its customers which include its flagship Pan Pizza, as well as Thin n' Crispy, Stuffed Crust, Hand Tossed, and Sicilian. Beside these items, the chain also offers salads, pasta, and sandwiches. 1. Current Position 1.1 Short History It was 1958, when two brothers Dan and Frank Camey established the Pizza Hut in Kansas. After passing several phases, today the chain is one of the well established pizza chains of the world. 1.2 Growth Overview In 1958, only two brothers started the business but today the chain has links to more than 90 countries across the world with more than 30,000 employees are working day and night (http://finance.yahoo.com/). Today it has the potential to entertain more than 171,000 customers by serving 97,000 pizzas per day in the United Kingdom alone. 1.3 Financial Overview Pizza Hut is one of the largest pizza chains. In 2007, it sold 35.4 million pizzas in the UK. During 2010, among other companies of Yum, Pizza Hut went from worst to first in its value ratings (Yum Annual Report, 2010). 2. Mission Statement We take pride in making a perfect pizza and providing courteous and helpful service on time all the time. Every customer says, "I'll be back!†. Pizza hut is an employer that offers its services to the team members for growth and rewarding career in a friendly and wo rking environment. 2.1 P.E.A.R.L.S Passion for excellence in doing everything Execute with positive energy and urgency Accountable for growth in customer satisfaction and profitability Recognize the achievement of others and have fun doing it Listen and more importantly respond to the voice of customer 3. Market Share Information 3.1 Market Share The pizza huts and restaurants provide several various sectors of the food including different types of pizzas like chicken pizza and beef pizza. Some pizza huts also offer snacks, chips, and burger related items along with beverages. Pizza Hut and Domino are the most dominant companies in UK. It has been observed that generally three types of orders are placed in pizza hut. These orders are placed with respect to nature of group and family. The figure shown as Appendix-I indicates that lunch and dinner items are having a larger share of the market as 29% of the fast food industry consists of it. Snack items and related beverages contribute 22 and 21% respectively while hot coffees, breakfast items, and side dishes have a combine share of 28% (Menu Composition Analysis, 2010). Global financial market share of leading companies is shown on the next page. Pizza Hut, Domino, Papa John’s, and Little Caesars are the leading pizza companies of the world. The chart given as Appendix-I

Secure Computer System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Secure Computer System - Essay Example Firewalls are the most common security measures for computer networks. Certain mechanisms are put in place in order to provide adequate security to protect resources on the trusted network against potential access by attackers. There are numerous mechanisms in network security, one of which is the DMZ or Demilitarised Zone. DMZ is a network which is semi-protected and is common to medium scale to large scale enterprise (Pickering, 2009). DMZ has two (2) disadvantages: First, the firewall can be created to pass trusted'' services within the application gateway(s), thus, subverting the policy. The trusted'' services which get passed all around the application gateway typically end up being in contact with the site systems. Another disadvantage is placed on the routers for the provision of security. Packet filtering routers seemed complex to configure and errors could disclose the whole site to security holes (Wack, 2009). Added by Pickering (2003), the application proxy firewalls usually require frequent software updating to run the latest versions of the proxy code. This is important particularly when new exploits are detected, needs to be blocked, and in the event when problems emerge interactions between the proxy as well as widely deployed applications. Meaning, when the proxy is found actually breaking. 3. Using a Microsoft XP or 2000 system, open Internet Explorer. Open Internet Options under the Tools menu. Examine the contents of the Security and Privacy tabs. How can these tabs be configured to provide: a) content filtering, and b) protection from unwanted items like cookies Some actions that Microsoft XP or 2000 system allow a user to do in order to configure content, filtering, and protection from unwanted items like cookies are: 1. To personalize Windows XP settings for each user; and also 2. To assign user to create accounts and passwords in the computer to control the users who can access on the system. In other words, users who are not the "administrators" will have no access, unable to change critical system files or delete it. The system may also be upgraded by logging off from a regular user account, then, logging back in as

Analysis of the Strategy Options for British Airways Term Paper

Analysis of the Strategy Options for British Airways - Term Paper Example Presently, aviation customers search for those airlines which provide quality service, on-time arrival and departure, and reasonable rate altogether. Thus, aviation organizations do not have any other alternative but to defy traditional business strategies and develop new strategies (Dostaler & Flouris, n.d.). Several tools help to analyze the strategic choices available for British Airways in order to stay competitive in the market. ...Among the three strategic alternatives, British Airways has implemented a differentiation strategy in terms of quality. British Airways provides quality services to the customers for generating a valuable traveling experience. It provides healthy food options, quick track change network, superior sleeper facilities, and in-flight shower system among others. These differentiating services help British Airways to develop a unique brand image for the company (Office Application Development, 2010). Ansoff Matrix Ansoff matrix is a popular marketing manage ment tool which helps to recognize potential alternative strategies British Airways can consider. British Airways needs to refine the ideas by identifying appropriate methods for accomplishing the strategic options. Growth can be accomplished by internal improvement or else it can be achieved by acquisition and progression of market/services (Bowhill, 2008). The following table will illustrate the Ansoff Matrix and different strategic options: Products Present New Market Present Market Penetration Product Development New Market Development Diversification The major strategic elements of British Airways for differentiating the services are: Improving interactions with employees and developing them towards high performance Provide outstanding traveling experience to the customers Increase financial performance Maintain superiority in business operations Maintain good relationship with suppliers, communities and other elements of the aviation industry (British Airways, 2010).  

Individual Authentic Journey Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Individual Authentic Journey Report - Essay Example Authentic Leadership Report Introduction Background of the Report During the recent economic crisis, the disillusioned global audience was witness to an economic crisis of global proportions as the greed exhibited by some of the world’s economic leaders as they attempted to make more money for themselves in collusion with various private enterprises set in motion the unprecedented collapse of most of the world’s financial systems. This economic crisis could have been averted if the leaders entrusted with the momentous responsibility of managing these major corporations had conducted themselves in an honest and integral manner as opposed to the avarice and greed that they exhibited. By conducting this authentic leadership study upon myself, I will be able to improve my own transparency as well strengthen my overall accountability by following the recommendations of the findings that will be laid out in this report. This will help in causing me to develop my capabilities and evolve from being a leader whose leadership only extends to the success of the company’s bottom line to one who is able to aptly confront the various societal and organizational challenges and the various public policy issues in a manner that can be perceived to be both integral and honest. By cultivating these qualities, I hope to be able to transform myself into the image of a leader who is capable of repairing the damaged relationship that exists between the corporate world and the general public. By doing this I will be able to restore, hope, meaningfulness, confidence, optimism and resilience to both sides of the divide. Report Aims and Objectives The Sole Purpose of my undertaking this authentic leadership research was so as to enable me establish my intrinsic leadership qualities as well as formulate a plan that will enable me further develop myself into a better leader. With the recent global economic crisis and especially with the collapse of some of the worldâ⠂¬â„¢s major corporations such as Enron corporation and the Lehman brothers Holdings Inc, there has been a somewhat tremendous loss of confidence by the general public in the capabilities of the leaders in some of the world’s major corporations. Scope and of the Report The scope of the study will be mainly concentrated on relating several incidences that will serve to highlight various attributes that serve to portray me as being an authentic leader. The study will draw on my previous life experiences as well as reference several books. Limitations of the Report As a result of my being both the participant and the researcher, it might be difficult for me to assume the position of â€Å"Bird’s eye view† while conducting the research. To effectively counter this, I will endeavor to ensure that I maintain objectivity in conducting the research project (Magolda, Creamer and Meszaros, 2010). Justification of methodology undertaken The methodology of this report is ma inly derived from using autoethnography. Autoethnography is a form

Advantages of using cement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advantages of using cement - Essay Example ement, including calcium, iron, silicon, and aluminum (â€Å"How Cement is†) are readily available and the chemical reaction required to make cement is easy to set, cement is found everywhere. The wonderful aspect of these ingredients is that their combination in different percentages and under different conditions leads to the manufacturing of cement with different properties and color. These days, a lot of varieties of cement are produced that vary with respect to color, strength, texture, and setting time. The tendency in cement to be manufactured in different varieties makes it a very useful material in architecture. The different colors of cement are used for aesthetic purposes, whether between bricks, stones, or wall tiles. Certain varieties of cement are so fine and have such beautiful colors that they do not require any additional coatings of paint or varnish over them to look presentable. This saves the cost of the constructors. Cements used in architecture are either hydraulic or non-hydraulic. Both varieties are made by addition of certain admixtures in the ingredients during the process of manufacturing cement. Hydraulic cement is manufactured by replacing part of cement in the concrete with pozzolanas. This activates the setting of cement in wet conditions, and enhances the tendency of the hardened concrete to deter chemical attack. On the other hand, use of non-hydraulic cement in concrete prevents it from setting in the wet conditions. This is a very useful property as it increases the setting time of concrete, as may be required to form architectural elements of certain shapes and styles. Cement finds its biggest use in mortar and concrete. Mortar is used as a binding material in bricks and blocks. Concrete is used to form hard surfaces like floors and roofs. The quality that makes cement particularly suitable for inclusion in the mortar and concrete is its high capability of binding the materials together and achieve strengths that cannot be

International Tax and Estate Planning Assignment

International Tax and Estate Planning - Assignment Example However, for married decedents of these non resident aliens, the question of whether they are going o be subject to taxing is determined by a number of factors including the property regime applicable to their marriage. If the person getting the property is a noncitizen (an "alien") is indeed a "nonresident" of the United States, then they may not be subject to any tax payment. Explanation: the US tax rules are designed to change to reflect the kind of property that an alien or nonresident is maintaining. A facts and circumstances test is usually used to determine if a nonresident taxpayer is engaged in a U.S. trade or business. A nonresident alien who is carrying out personal services in the US is generally considered to be engaged in a business although there are some exemptions there are exceptions. In this regard, if the property identified in question two was a hotel that is doing profitable business as opposed to a family holiday home, the tax rules would change. Explanation: insurance proceeds are not considered to be in situ property, or property situated in the United States, regardless of whether the issuing company is in the USA or in another country. However, some rules apply in this case. For instance, the insurance has to be on the decedent and not the person benefiting from it. This means that in this case, the proceeds from the insurance cover will not be considered to be US situ property. Answer: the amount that such a person will pay will be determined by a number of factors. To begin with, it there is a treaty that protects such a person from paying tax, or that delimits the amount o tax that he or she is supposed to pay, this will be considered. At the same time, such a person who is entitled to treaty benefits can also avoid taxation if he or she does not have a permanent establishment, in the U.S. through which foreign business is operated. Explanation: this is necessary in order for the tax man to know how much tax is applicable for that

The rhetoric and reality of employee involvement Essay Example for Free

The rhetoric and reality of employee involvement Essay Introduction – The acceptable business paradigm changed over time. There was a time when the accepted concept of effective management relied largely on what the top management thinks best for the company, leaving the rest of the company especially blue collar workers with little or no participation at all in how a company grows and changes over time. As what Gupta and Sharma (2004) wrote, â€Å"The old fashioned view of employee involvement employee following the employers instruction in return for wage encourages employees to be passive, take a little initiative and often view themselves as adversaries of the enterprise and its management (Gupta and Sharma, 2004, p. 203).† But today, many business analysts believe in the concept of employee involvement and participation. This is a broad concept which includes many things (i.e. employee empowerment, proactive approach towards policy assessment, etc), but the basic precept of employee involvement is the conscious effort of the management to design a workplace that allows employees to actively participate in the manner by which the company moves towards its direction. The concept of employee involvement and participation is an important aspect in successful management of a company. Gennard and Judge (2005) wrote, â€Å"There is this important assumption behind employee involvement theory namely, the employees are an untapped resource with knowledge and experience which can be used by employers if they provide opportunities and structures for worker involvement (Gennard and Judge, 2005, p. 182).† But the main problem today is this: despite the fact that many worker’s rights advocates and business analysts points to the significance of employee involvement in a company, it seems that the concept of employee involvement remains to be a myth; that present organization and structure still renders employee involvement and participation as something that has no bearing at all. Thesis – With the growing surge in the development of professional service consultancy firms, people are also wondering about the exact role and impact that human analyst and employees make during the key stages of analysis. In the age of smart computers and complex software that aids people to think and opt for the best possible option and assists in company management, the question now is (externally) how significant really is the role of the human analysts in the designing of the options for decision making for the company’s client, and (internally), how significant is employee participation in the direction and growth of the company like Analysys Mason Ltd. As a company, Analysys Mason Ltd greatly depends on the skill of its employees so that it can deliver solutions that pushes away existing or prospective problems that a company might face. This act is a clear example of the role of human intervention and role in problem solving. But is this particular solution, the employing of the human role and intervention – is the same formula at work when Analysys Mason Ltd is faced with the task of solving its own internal problems, or does the company exercise a policy that greatly marginalizes the role and participation of the employee in how internal corporate concerns are being addressed in the company? T o be able to ascertain the role and participation of employees in the external and internal efforts of the company and to know whether the company is either suffocating the avenues wherein employee involvement would thrive or ignoring the possible contribution of employee involvement towards company growth, it is important to make an in-depth study of the company as well as review news and other materials that may contain information that can prove the real situation of employee involvement inside Analysys Mason Ltd. To be able to further understand the concept of employee involvement and participation and connect it with the current situation present in the selected company, it is important to also review the available literature that tackles the issue of employment involvement, like the work of Bratton and Gold (2001), who wrote about how â€Å"the aim of employee involvement is to promote workers’ interest in the success of the organization (Bratton and Gold, 200, p. 300).† Conclusion – The analysis of the level of employment involvement using a target company is an ideal approach to creating a company based-assessment from which future studies can be referenced from.   Through studies like this, other important information like the pooling of the needed resources to allow the success of employment involvement strategies can be identified. Bibliography Bratton, John and Jeffrey Gold. (February 2001). Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Byron, James S. and Vitalo, Raphael L. (April 2004). Using Working With Others Training Sessions to Drive Employee Involvement [Internet], Vital Enterprises.Available from: http://www.vitalentusa.com/learn/drive_ei.php [Accessed 4 June 2008]. EmploymentInvolvement.com (2005). [Internet]. http://www.employeeinvolvement.com/ [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Employment Involvement Advisor. (April 23, 2008). Engaging Employees [Internet]. Available from: http://employeeinvolvementadvisor.blogspot.com/ [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Employee Involvement Association (2006). The Employee Involvement Association [Internet]. Available from http://www.eianet.org/ [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Gennard, John and Judge, Graham. (2005). Employee Relations. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. CIPD Publishing. Gifford J, Neathey F, Loukas G. (December 2005). Employee Involvement Information, Consultation and Discretion [Internet]. Report 427, Institute for Employment Studies. Available from http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pubs/summary.php?id=427 [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Gupta, Jatinder N. D.   and Sharma. (2004). Intelligent Enterprises of the 21st Century. Idea Group Incorporated. Insightlink Communications (April 2005). Employers and Employees Making the Marriage Work: The Importance of Employee Commitment [Internet] Available from: http://www.insightlink.com/employee_commitment.html [Accessed 4 June 2008]. The Official Website of Analysys Mason Ltd. Available from: http://www.analysysmason.com/ [Accessed 4 June 2008].

Lease versus Buy Essay Example for Free

Lease versus Buy Essay When an individual is trying to decide whether or not to lease or buy, he or she needs to know the purchase cost, the lease cost, as well as the interest rate of a loan that will be used to purchase the item. The residual value of the item also must be known up front to help determine if leasing is the better option. When determining whether to lease or buy, the cash flow for both should be compared so the best decision can be made. Below is a chart on lease vs buy. (www.smartcomputing.com; Retrieved November 6, 2006) Lease/Buy Cash Flow Usually better from a short-term cash flow perspective. Frees up cash for other purposes while you generate income to pay the leases. You pay less overall but need to have available cash. Financing as an alternative costs more than a lease. Tax Treatment If properly structured, a lease may give your company a larger expense write-off than a purchase. Consult your tax advisor. Depreciation write-off is based on IRS rules for the type of equipment that you are buying. Consult your tax advisor. Upgrades- Many lease companies let you upgrade to newer equipment during the term of the lease without renegotiating. If you need newer equipment, you are on your own. However, simple upgrades (RAM, hard drive, etc.) cost you only whatever the upgrade is. Equity- At the end of a lease, you dont own the property, and you will need to replace it or buy it from the lease company.You own the equipment and can do with it whatever the needs of your business dictate. Disposal The lessor is responsible for whatever it costs to dispose of the equipment. You are on to your next set of computers. You can use the equipment for a different purpose within your company, sell it, or pay someone to recycle it for you, but disposal is up to the owner of the equipment. The first scenario is an organization called Bonnesante Research based out of Irvine, California. Bonnesante is set up with Venture Capitalist (VC) Funding. Bonnesante major focus is asset acquisition, which is why the Chief Financial Officer has to weigh the pros and cons of leasing vs buying. Bonnesantes is trying to determine if purchasing or leasing is the better option for a mainframe computer. I chose to lease the mainframe computer because the loan options have a higher outflow whereas the lease option of 18 months with no down payment has the lowest present value of cash outflows. Because the Mainframe would not be used through its entire economic life, it was better for the organization to lease the mainframe. If a loan was acquired to purchase the mainframe, the organization would have to record the purchase on the balance sheet and the depreciation and the interest payments would be recorded as expenses. If the organization was taxed then purchasing the mainframe would be beneficial because the depreciation and the interest payment would lower the outflows. In the second scenario Bonnesante Research is tasked with finding the best option to acquire a spectrometer. The options Bonnesante Research is faced with are: Operating Lease Capital Lease Loan After evaluating all the information, buying the spectrometer would be the best option for Bonnesante. Buying the spectrometer is beneficial because it is considered to be a long term asset with no threat of becoming obsolete. The spectrometer can be used for its entire economic life. An operating lease would not be beneficial because an operating lease is considered when equipment is to be acquired on a short term basis. The capital lease was another option but was not chosen because the 60 month capital lease would have cost more in present value terms than what the loan amount would have  been to purchase the spectrometer. If the organization had cash flow issues, then the capital lease might have been a better option. Whether the company pursued a capital lease or received a loan to purchase the spectrometer, both options can be recorded on the balance sheet so the organization can reap the benefits of depreciation. The final scenario is Bonnesante Research has been in operation for 6 years and wants to acquire a manufacturing facility. Bonnesante Research already has a facility in mind but that facility will require an upgrade. Bonnesante Research has the options of a capital lease or Bonnesante can purchase the facility by obtaining a loan. Also, Bonnesante Research has to keep in mind the organization is having a cash flow crisis that needs to be resolved. The challenge Bonnesante was faced with was to acquire the facility at the lowest cost possible and to resolve the cash flow shortage. Although the buy option was more expensive than the lease option, it gave Bonnesante more flexibility to upgrade the facility and to carry out a sale and leaseback transaction. Due to the leaseback transaction, Bonnesante was able to resolve the cash flow crisis. The leaseback option was more beneficial to Bonnesante rather than the bridge loan. The bridge loan is a short-term loan with a higher interest rate compared to long term borrowing. A bridge loan would have been more costly to Bonnesante Research and the organization could not afford to go with this type of loan. A sale and leaseback is beneficial to any organization that has a cash flow shortage. Selling the asset can bring forth a large amount of cash and the organization can retain use of the asset by leasing it back hence the name sale and leaseback. The risks involved with lease vs buying depends on an organizations financial status. Whether or not an organization decides to lease or buy is determined by what option is more beneficial to the organization. An organizations attitude toward acquiring assets and financial strength all affect the decision on leasing vs buying. Whether an organization leases or buys, the organization needs to make sure the asset that is being acquired will add value to the organizations capital budget. The advantage of computing present value considers all factors such as  inflation and forgone interest on money. That is, account must be taken of the fact that utilizing capital in investing in equipment could result in the loss of income that would have been earned if it were invested elsewhere. To properly evaluate the alternative cash flows, it is necessary to discount them and express them in terms of their present values, to determine their net present values. In summary the Net Present Value calculation determines todays value of future cash flows. (www.pngbd.com Retrieved November 6, 2006). When determining when to lease vs buy, an organization should take into account the financial and non-financial issues. When considering the financial aspect, it should include the cost to acquire an asset; if there will be a tax advantage, cash flow, and the benefits to the organizations balance sheet. The non-financial issues that should be considered are asset-management and the cost to dispose of obsolete equipment. In conclusion, under certain circumstance leasing is the better way to go rather than purchasing a capital item outright and vice versa. By leasing, it gives an organization a way to acquire up-to-date equipment while maintaining cash flow. By maintaining cash flow through leasing, an organization can use the cash flow for more pertinent renovations such as office expansion or research and development. Leasing has less of an impact on an organizations budget whereas purchasing an item outright has more of an impact on an organizations budget. Overall, leasing is a way for an organization to recognize operational savings and production improvements in a timely manner. Reference: Smart Computing; Lease vs Buy; Executive Decisions; March 2004, Vol. 8 Issue 2 Page(s) 55-57. (www.smartcomputing.com) Papua New Guinea Business Tourism; Making Capital Expenditure Decisions-Leasing vs Buying vs Borrowing; (www.pngbd.com Retrieved November 6, 2006).

Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman English Literature Essay

Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman English Literature Essay Marxism is an ideology that was theorised by Karl Marx that is based on the social and economic processes of class formation in a capitalist society. According to Marx there are two classes namely the bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie or ruling class own and control the means of production. They monopolise the political power and put laws in place in order to protect and further their interests. In this way the beliefs and values will reflect and legitimate their rule. Whereas, the proletariat or working class are dispossessed from making their own livelihood, but are forced to sell their labour for survival. If the dominant classs power is accepted as legitimate by the working class, this is known as false consciousness (Longurst, Smith, Bagnall, Crawford Ogborn, 2008). This ideology became the basis of analysing literature, known as Marxist criticism. Marxist critics approach to literature is based on sociological influences, which means that the texts are the result of whichever historical, economic as well as cultural circumstances they were created in. Texts from whichever epoch reveal the dominate classs ideology, thus making them subjective. (Potter, 2010) The Great Gatsby is a novel written by Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. The novel focuses on the lives of the dominant class of a western capitalistic society and how they are shaped by this lifestyle. On the other hand, Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. The novel focuses on the life of a family of proletariats and how they are impacted by the bourgeoisies in society. The Great Gatsby does not focus on both economic classes. Instead it focuses on different groups of the dominant class, namely old money and the nouveau riche and as a result this novel reflects the dominant ideology. Although the working class is mentioned, they are ignored for the most part. Old money is represented by East Egg, West Egg represents the nouveau riche and the working class is represented by the Valley of Ashes. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is part of the nouveau riche who lives in West Egg. Jay Gatsby moves from being the son of shiftless and unsuccessful farm people (1994 p.105) to becoming the owner of a huge West Egg mansion with a marble swimming pool and over forty acres of lawn and garden (1994 p.11), this shows the possibilities offered by the American dream. Gatsby earns his money through illegal means, which places him in the new money category, and as a result he flaunts by throwing extravagant parties and buying expensive cars. Another reason Gatsby flaunts is to get the attention and win the affection of Daisy, thus treating her as a commodity (Tyson, 2006). Old money, on the other hand, has had money for generations, so they do not flaunt. Old money, people like Tom and Daisy, look down on the nouveau riche, because they got rich quick and, because they are threatening the status quo. Myrtle and George Wilson are working class characters but they have aspirations to move to the upper class. George wants to achieve this through his business. Whereas, Myrtle has an affair with Tom in the hopes that he will eventually marrying her. Both the Wilsons are commodified by the bourgeoisie and disillusioned by the American dream. Myrtles murder is a perfect example of how the bourgeoisie do not suffer the consequences of their actions, because they have money, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and let other people clean up the mess they made (1994 p.186). One person attends Gatsbys funeral, demonstrating that his attainment of the American dream was only an illusion. Death of a Salesman is also a text that reflects the dominant ideology, but in this case the play is written from the point of view of the working class. Although the dominant class has an effect on the main characters they are largely ignored in the play. Willy Loman, the protagonist, is a worn out travelling salesman on the point of a breakdown. But Willy still believes in the capitalist values and has passed on the hopes of success onto his son Biff. Disillusioned by the dominant ideology, Willy is blind to its destructiveness and is fixated with his plans for Biff. Biff, however, has no intentions in following the plans his father has set out for him and intends to pursue a different path, one that Miller associates with socialist society. His lack of drive to follow conventional success is teaching him, not that he is useless, and but that the business world might not be for him and that he is better off without it. He is trying to understand himself and discover his true identi ty. In the beginning of the play, he was not sure of himself and as a result returned home in an attempt to fulfil his fathers dream. Happy, Willy other son, has a good job and would like to go further. He also has uncertainties about his career but has no way to replace it. (Swets Zeitlinger, 1994) The scene in which Howard, Willys young boss, fires Willy is a perfect example of the logic of the capitalist economic instrument. Willy, in an attempt to avoid failure, appeals to Howards conscience, reminding him the he has been a loyal and long term worker for the company, but to no avail. Although Howard is Willys friend and neighbour, he is a business man and abides by the law of profit making first, business is business (2000 p.63), which is absolute in the capitalist business world. Willy refuses a job offer by Charley because he feels its charity and would destroy his image of himself as a self-reliant individual. Willy failure and Biff similar fate makes Willy reject his son. This shows how capitalist value can distort and destroy a meaningful relationship between father and son. (Swets Zeitlinger, 1994) Willy decides to commit suicide in the hopes that his life insurance payment will enable Biff to rise in the world. But, Biff becomes the only one in the play to understand the destructive nature of capitalist values and pities his father, exclaiming: I cant bear to look at his face! (2000 p.115) Both texts show how in a capitalist society money gives power and those who have money control the power of society. As well as in western capitalist society the upper will inevitably oppress the working class and that the American dream is both an illusion and elusive. This essay has discussed how the two texts differ socioeconomically, using a Marxist criticism approach. Specific reference has been made to Marxism and how it relates to Marxist criticism, the context of both texts by focusing on the time periods as well as how the characters lived. This essay has also looked at the socioeconomic context of The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman.

What Is the Real Cost Of Employee Turnover Essay -- essays research pa

What Is the Real Cost Of Employee Turnover The employee turnover rate and the retention of skilled employees is a major problem businesses face. â€Å"Conservative estimates put the cost of replacing a lost employee at 25 percent of the annual compensation amount. For the typical full time employee who earns $38,481 and receives $50,025 in total compensation, the total cost of turnover would amount to $12,506 per employee.† This being the case employee turnover is a major cost and can significantly influence the bottom line so it should be avoided if possible. (Bliss) â€Å"Employee turnover is a critical cost driver for American business. The cost of recruiting and filling vacancies, lost productivity from vacant jobs, and the costs of training new employees increase operating costs, reduce output, and cut into profits.† (Orville 5-7) Estimates of the costs of employee turnover vary widely and depend on whether all cost elements are recognized. The three primary elements of turnover cost include: †¢ Staffing – sometimes called cost-per-hire include the costs of exit interviews, recruiting, job applications, screening applicants, relocation expenses and signing bonuses. †¢ Vacancy – While a position is vacant, the productivity of the former employee is lost and the productivity of the overall organization is reduced, as remaining workers have to cope with being short-handed. †¢ Training – No new employee starts work at 100 percent efficiency. The replacement employee’s time, other employee’s time and valuable resources must be expended to train each new employee and to facilitate the transitions. So how do employers retain employees? Many employers try gimmicks, games, and prizes. F. Leigh Branham, author of Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business offers the following advice for retaining employees: †¢ Don’t always hire the best, but hire the â€Å"best fit†. †¢ Have the insight to realize that no matter what the job not just anyone can do it well. †¢ Focus on matching the person’s strengths to the right challenge and the right role, not on improving weaknesses to the point that every employee is well rounded. †¢ Build a culture of trust by giving people free reign to ... ...er off in another company or if your company would be better, off without the employee you are facing a positive situation and the financial impact may be a small sacrifice. However, if the employee is a true asset to your company it may be worth your time to try to sway him or her to rethink their decision to leave. The true cost of employee turnover can only be determined by weighing all the facts and looking at how it impacts your organization. You need to look at all the factors, monetary as well as organizationally to determine if the outcome was negative or positive. Works Cited Bliss, William. â€Å"Cost of Employee Turnover.† The Adivsor. 11 Nov 2004 http://www.isquare.com/turnover.cfm. Branham, Leigh. Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business. : Amacom Books. Javitch, David. "How Much Turnover is OK?." 01 2003. Entrepreneur.com. Entrepreneur.com. 01 Dec. 2004 . McNally, Steven. "Turn Away Turnover." Security Services. September 2004: 16 - 19. Orville, Wilbur. â€Å"Calculating the Cost of Work/Life Turnover.† Workforce March 1997: 5-7 Unknown. "Employee Turnover - A Critical Human Resource Benchmark." hr Benchmarks December 2002: 20 – 23

Schizophrenia Essay -- essays research papers

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic, and often disabling brain disease. While the term Schizophrenia literally means, "split mind," it should not be confused with a "split," or multiple, personality. It is more accurately described as a psychosis -- a type of illness that causes severe mental disturbances that disrupt normal thought, speech, and behavior. The first signs of schizophrenia usually appear as shocking or radical changes in behavior. Others may have severe psychotic symptoms listed above. But many people also show "negative" symptoms, such as decreased emotional arousal, mental activity, and inability to socialize. Schizophrenics often report a sense of strangeness and confusion about the source of their sensations. They feel great loneliness, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of being disconnected from others. A schizophrenic person may think and communicate incoherently, jumping from one idea mixing a "word salad" of new words or jumbled phrases. It is common for schizophrenics to be suspicious and resentful. They may sense that their thoughts are stolen, broadcast aloud, Or replaced by new information from strangers seeking to control their behavior. They may describe voices that speak directly to them or criticize their behavior Schizophrenia often appears earlier in men -when they are in their late teens to early adulthood - and in women in their 20s and early 30s, but the disease affects men and women with equal frequency. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 2.2 million American adults or about 1. 1 % of the population age 18 and older in a given year have schizophrenia. Some people experience only a single episode and remain symptom-free afterward. More commonly, however, the course of illness fluctuates over several decades, with each recurrence leading to increasing impairment. Experts don't know what causes schizophrenia, but they agree that it most likely results from a complex interplay of genetic, behavioral, and other factors, similar to other diseases. It is widely believed that neurotransmitters, brain chemicals that allow communication between brain cells, play a role in causing schizophrenia, but the exact mechanism is not known. Most m... ...ns is often difficult for schizophrenics. They may deny that they are ill, or their disease itself may hinder their ability to take regular medication. Fortunately there are many ways for patients, doctors, and families to improve adherence. Some antipsychotic medications are available in long-acting injectable forms so that the patient can receive a dose of medication just once a month. Other useful tools include pillboxes or electronic timers that beep when medication should be taken. Families can also help by motivating the patient to take their medicines properly. Often, additional drugs, such as antianxiety medications or antidepressants, may be used to treat side effects of the antipsychotic medicines or other symptoms related to the schizophrenia, including stiffness, tremors, and depression. Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy by itself is of little value without medication, and vice versa. While medication can be effective in relieving psychotic symptoms, psychotherapy can help with behavioral symptoms such as socialization and communicating appropriately. Supportive and sympathetic psychotherapy helps these patients understand their disease and re-enter society and family life.

The Tower Pig Essay -- essays research papers

What happens when in spite of all odds, foe becomes friend? What happens, when an infinite and unending chasm between individuals is filled, and a void of mistrust, hatred and prejudice is replaced with more noble values, such as understanding and a sense of mutual respect? These are among the themes in the American short story, â€Å"The Tower Pig.† The story is set behind, and outside, the walls of the Thomaston Penitentiary in present day America. The story essentially revolves around a young man who suffers the hardships of imprisonment in an American correctional facility. The protagonist is throughout the tale addressed only by his surname, Caine. Caine expresses incomprehensible anger he feels for one of the wardens, an outcast despised by colleagues and inmates alike, and who is commonly known as â€Å"The Tower Pig† by all the prisoners at the facility. â€Å"Pain, joy, worry, are shielded away until the cell doors slam and we’re alone in our solitude. For ten days in the hole, I had nothing to do but hate Strazinsky, the Tower Pig, for putting me there, and to mourn my grandmother, finally to sick to visit.† When we are first introduced to Caine, he has just come out of â€Å"The Hole.† The Hole is presumably a slang expression for a non-corporal punishment, which implies the use of isolation for the involved offender. This sort of punishment is usually deployed as a reaction to a disciplinary offense; this is also the case with Caine. Caine put in the hole because of a verbal fight with Strazinsky. While Caine undoubtedly finds Strazinsky to be responsible for his punishment, it seems, looking back in retrospective, that he is fully aware that he himself was to blame; yet all Caine’s inner turmoil and anger is channelled into his hate for Strazinsky, and the fury towards his arch-enemy continues to blaze. Imprisonment tends to have a debilitating effect on both mind and body alike. Therefore in order to counter a mental breaking, one must deploy facades, facades that show strength and vitality, since any behaviour expressing the slightest trait of weakness will be preyed upon by both inmates and wardens. Caine seems fully aware of this, and prudently manages to keep all his fears and doubts to himself. Caine is greatly disturbed upon learning about the death of his beloved grandmother, the one person who, despite him being imprisoned, still managed to show him both... ... desired intimacy of mind is what we call friendship. But sadly, in this present world ruled by the divisive spirit of greed and corruption, it is not possible to achieve this intimacy of mind to any worth-while depth with just anyone. The minds of potential friends must from the outset already possess a mutual sense of affinity, not based on anything but an inexplicable sense of compatibillity. Although Strazinsky and Caine hardly fit the common definition of friendship, it seems that the two share more thoughts than either would care to admit, honest exposure of the inner self to another is not easy, yet this is exactly what Strazinsky does. Strazinsky opens himself in a sincere manner to a man, whom he knows despises him with all of his heart. This courageous act initially only serves to confuse Caine. It is, however, my impression that Caine, although reluctant to start a conversation with Strazinsky, suddenly begins to look at the warden in a different way. The gap between p risoner and warden is as self-evident as can be; nonetheless, it is my distinct belief that the chances of a friendship arising from the ashes of a past enmity, could in this case be very realistic indeed.

Articles and Essays Essay

Today’s teenagers seem to have more time and less responsibility and supervision than the last generation’s. It’s quite common to see teens â€Å"hanging out† at shopping centers, fast food restaurants or where ever they can get together to socialize. Usually, they just have fun and enjoy themselves, but sometimes problems occur. Teenagers who are bored and looking for something to do are likely to get into trouble and become involved in unhealthy, inappropriate or illegal activities. The increased number of unoccupied and unsupervised teens in may be related to the loss of many family farms and business and to the increase in single parent families. Many teens in the last generation were expected to share the responsibility and work of a family farm or business. They were supervised, learned important skills and didn’t have time to get into mischief. Today, most parents work away from the family, and teens are left to occupy themselves . Also, single parents and parents who are both working are often unable to adequately supervise their teenager’s activities. Teens need free time to spend with friends, relax and have fun. They need to learn how to find appropriate, healthy activities and entertainment. Free time can teach them important skills they will need as adults. Unfortunately, too much free time can cause problems. Not all teenagers are able to find appropriate, healthy activities and entertainment for themselves when they are not occupied and supervised. Following are some things parents can do to help teens learn to be responsible, have fun and stay out of trouble. †¢Set specific rules about family expectations, such as time to be home, chores and responsibilities, etc. Allow teens to help make decisions about rules and consequences. †¢Give younger teens specific responsibilities and chores. offer opportunities to earn extra privileges or money for doing extra chores. Allow teens to spend money they earn on things they want. †¢Encourage older teens to get a part time job. Jobs provide and opportunity to meet people, learn new skills and earn extra money. †¢Talk with older teens and encourage them to think about their goals and what they would like to be doing when they are adults. Help them plan activities working toward their goals. †¢Know where teens will be. Call and check occasionally, or ask them to check in periodically. If they are at home, ask a family member, neighbor or friend to stop by if possible. †¢Encourage teens to become involved in community programs, recreational activities and special events that they are interested in. Check into activities available in the community, such as scouting, softball, YMCA, camps, church activities, clubs, etc.

Sub-Saharan Africa: An Extraordinary Period of Change

Africa's hopes for a better future depend in large part on improving the health of its people. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a period of extraordinary change. Across the continent, policy reforms are contributing to dynamic economic growth. Greater political openness has strengthened the commitment of African governments to meeting the basic needs of their people. Despite these positive trends, sub-Saharan Africa faces a development challenge greater than any other region. Much of the continent's population remains desperately poor. With record numbers of adolescents entering their childbearing years, in less than three decades Africa's population is projected to double again from the current level of 620 million. Meanwhile, many African nations are struggling to provide health and education services to populations expanding at a small percent a year. In many countries, rapid population growth is contributing to degradation of the environment and undermining prospects for prosperity. Africa's hopes for a better future depend in large part on improving the health of its people. Better access to good quality reproductive health services, particularly family planning, is key to improving health status – especially for women. The reality of reproductive health in Africa, however, is far from ideal. Women begin child-bearing in their teens and have an average of six children. Meanwhile, AIDS has struck hard in Sub-Saharan Africa, where roughly 1 in 10 adults – both men and women – are infected with HIV. Yet traditional attitudes favoring large families are changing rapidly, owing to the growth of cities, the rising cost of living and lower child death rates, among other factors. Demand for family planning has increased dramatically in some countries, and the decline in birthrates ,limited as recently as a decade ago to only a few countries in the region, appears to be spreading steadily across the continent. In much of Africa, however, large families are still the norm. This situation is reinforced by low levels of education, particularly among women, and social barriers to the full economic participation of women. Yet, school enrollment rates declined or came to a standstill during the economic crisis many African countries experienced in the 1980s. Compared to countries in other developing regions, African countries have only recently begun to adopt population policies and initiate family planning and related reproductive health programs. However, African governments increasingly recognize the individual and societal benefits of smaller families. In the last decade there has been steady growth in the number of countries establishing national family planning programs and in the scope of these efforts. Still, Sub-Saharan Africa has a long way to go. In addition to meeting the growing need for family planning and reproductive health services, African countries must expand access to education for girls and economic opportunities for women. This will require significantly increased financial contributions from African governments and house-holds, as well as international donors. In sum, addressing poor reproductive health and rapid population growth is a daunting task requiring comprehensive action on many different fronts. A priority area is population growth. This is a function of birth or fertility, mortality, and net migration. Sub-Saharan Africa lags behind other regions in its demographic transition. The total fertility rate, the total number of children the average woman has in a lifetime. For Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole has remained at about 6. 5 for the past 25 years, while it has declined to about 4 in all developing countries taken together. Recent surveys appear to signal, however, that several counties, are at or near a critical demographic turning point. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to maintain the highest total fertility rates in the world. The total fertility rate is the average number of children a women will bear during her reproductive years, usually between 15 and 49 years old, although some analysts have expanded this range to include 10 and 55 year old's. Families in the region average an estimated 6. 4 children. Although there is considerable variation by region, socioeconomic status, and place of residence (rural vs. urban). Disease vectors are not solely responsible for low fertility rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some countries have made significant inroads in their family planning efforts to reduce fertility. You can separate fertility rates into two types of determinants: first being the direct that relates to the behavioral and biological aspects of fertility. And the second are indirect factors such as socioeconomic (one's income, education, cultural, historical, environmental, and politic-institutional factors Marriage patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa have a number of features that are unique and quite distinct from North America and Europe. Most marriages, particularly in traditional societies, are universal and occur at an early age. This may also be view as a reason to the problem of rapid population growth. The belief systems, customs, traditions, and values of Sub-Saharan Africans have significant impact on fertility levels. The African family structure is male dominated, and decisions about reproduction and family size are usually deferred to the husband. This may tend to make the women find it difficult to talk to their husbands about family planning. Since a high premium is placed on children, African women aspire to elevate their status, comparing with their husband's request to have more children. Mortality levels in Sub-Saharan Africa have declined substantially over the years, thus converging towards levels associated with more developed countries. Improvements in health, sanitation, and nutrition standards; massive vaccination campaigns against measles, small pox, and other diseases; and increased efforts on the part of World Health Organization and the International Red Cross have all contributed to this downward trend. Even with the lowering of death rates, there are still slight regional variations in mortality levels that reflect environmental, economic, and sociocultural factors. Death rates may be prone to drought, areas with high incidence of AIDS and those areas that have experienced social unrest, civil war, and political upheaval also may have relatively high mortality rates. Migration involves the movement from one administrative unit to another, resulting in a change in permanent residence. Recent estimates show that Sub-Saharan Africa contains 35 million international migrants, almost half of the world's total. Another concern like many other countries has been the â€Å"brain drain† of African intellectuals and students. Another concern regarding international migration is the refugee crisis, which has taken on added proportions recently. The most widely used definition is one which characterizes refugees as anyone who,†owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail himherself of the protection of that country. † Average per capita food production has declined in many countries, per capita calorie consumption had stagnated at very low levels, and roughly 100 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are food insecure.. The average African consumes only about 87 percent of the calories needed for a healthy and productive life. Women's Time, and Their Role in Rural Production and Household Maintenance Systems Most women in Sub-Saharan Africa bear heavy responsibilities for food crop production, weeding and harvesting on men's fields, post-harvest processing, fuel wood and water provision, and household maintenance. But the burdens on rural women are increasing, as population growth outpaces the evolution of agricultural technology and growing numbers of men leave the farms for urban and industrial jobs. Many factors underlie the persistence of very high human fertility rates. The fundamental problem is low demand for fewer children. Environmental degradation, agricultural problems, food insecurity and poverty, and the heavy work burdens of woman all play a part in this respect. High infant and child mortality rates are a major factor explaining the persistent high demand for large number of children in Africa. Where girls are kept our of school to help with domestic tasks, this negatively affects their fertility preferences and their ability to make informed decisions about family planning once they reach childbearing age. The appropriate policy response and action program to address these problems are not easily brought into compatible focus. Many of the most immediately attractive remedies have been tried and have failed. A key aspect will be to increase demand for fewer children. Educational efforts, directed at both men and women, are needed to raise awareness of the benefits of fewer children. Women's work loads need to be eased to reduce the need for child labour. Dynamic agricultural development and improved food security will also reduce the demand for children. Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Farm productivity per unit area must be raised significantly to generate more output with little increase in the area farmed. To minimize negative impacts on the environment, much more emphasis is required on â€Å"environmentally benign and sustainable† technologies. Numerous such agricultural techniques have been developed and successfully applied, often through adaptation of traditional practices that have evolved in response to local agro-ecological and socioeconomic condition. However, intensification with these technologies alone is unlikely to be sufficient in most Sub-Saharan African countries to achieve agricultural growth rates of 4 percent per year and more. Improved variety/fertilization/farm mechanization technologies will also be necessary. Increased use of fertilizers will be especially important to raise yields and maintain soil fertility. Intensive and resource-conserving agriculture must be made less risky and more profitable. This requires appropriate marketing, price, tax and exchange rate policies as well as investments in rural infrastructure, health and education facilities. Creating parks, reserves and community-owned range land and protecting these against conversion into crop land will be important to conserve natural resources and bio diversity. So will reducing infrastructure development in forests and other fragile areas to discourage settlement in these areas. Since this will limit the scope for further expansion of cropped land and, potentially, the scope for agricultural production growth, there is a trade-off between conservation and agricultural growth. Creating additional protection areas will only be feasible and sustainable if agricultural production can be intensified at the rate suggested here (i. e. to about a 3. 5 percent annual increase in farm out put per unit of land farmed). in this sense, conservation and agricultural intensification are complementary. As African farmers have shown, land scarcity leads to agricultural intensification — if the necessary advice and inputs are available, intensification can be made sustainable and the rate of intensification greatly accelerated. Infrastructure Development and Settlement Policy The strong bias in urban infrastructure investments favoring the few major cities needs to be abandoned. Adequate transport lines to product markets are major factors associated with the intensification of farming — even where population densities are comparatively low. Rural roads and improved tracks navigable for animal-drawn vehicles are crucial. Major efforts are also needed to promote the use of locally suitable and appropriate intermediate transport technology, especially animal-drawn implements, and of improved off-road transport. Infrastructure development also has a major impact on the productivity of rural labour and on key determinants of fertility. Roads provide access to health facilities and schools. Better educated and healthier farmers are more productive and more likely to be innovators. Water supply and sanitation facilities have significant impact on health and labour productivity. Rural water supply, sanitation, health and education facilities and services are particularly important in terms of their impact on infant and child mortality and on female education — both critical determinants of fertility preferences. With the major exceptions of the humid regions of Central and coastal West Africa, almost all of Sub-Saharan Africa will be facing water shortages or water scarcity early in the next century. There is an urgent need for effective hydrological planning and for prudent demand management. Water must be recognized as the critical and limiting resource it is. it must be carefully allocated, and must be protected against pollution. Planning for water use must be based on natural hydrological units such as river basins and integrated with planning for land use and other activities that affect, and are affected by, water development. Since water resources are frequently shared among countries, it is important to cooperate closely in planning for long-term water sharing. Twenty-one of the world's thirty poorest countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly half the region's people live in absolute poverty – the equivalent of a dollar a day or less. Positive per capita growth in the past four years has not been enough to prevent an increase in the absolute number living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. By end of 1998, nearly 23 million adults and children were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa – accounting for 2/3 of the world's infected persons. More than 1. 8 million Africans will die from AIDS this year. New infection rates are staggering: in South Africa, 1,750 are infected by AIDS daily. Problems extend beyond the health sector. HIV/AIDS has raised the cost of doing business, killing professionals, schoolteachers and farmers, reducing incomes now and investments in the future. HIV/AIDS is overloading social welfare systems. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 95% of the 13 million children worldwide who will be orphaned by AIDS by end of 2000. At current rates of population growth, sub-Saharan Africa will grow to over one billion people by 2020, despite declining birthrates and increasing number of deaths from AIDS. Contraceptive prevalence rates have been rising for the last three decades, yet remain under 10% in most of sub-Saharan Africa. The high rate of population growth intensifies existing social, political, economic, and environmental pressures. Aids assists African countries to reduce these pressures through family planning programs emphasizing healthier, smaller families, and through support of girls education, a major determinant of family size. As a result of the above information you can see that rapid population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa at the present time is a moment of opportunity on the African continent. Africa is making new headway: democracy and economic reform are revitalizing the continent, and a number of countries are experiencing dynamic economic growth. With greater political open-ness, African governments are increasingly seeking to address the health and education needs of their people. Despite these positive trends, sub-Saharan Africa faces a development challenge greater than any other region. Africa's progress has not reached enough people, and too much of the continent is still plagued by political instability. Many African nations are struggling to meet the health and education needs of populations expanding at about three percent a year. In too many countries, rapid population growth continues to threaten the natural resource base and future prospects for prosperity. The region's ability to slow current high rates of population growth is thus key to achieving its full potential for development. The international community has good reason to care about African development. The continent is endowed with ample mineral and agricultural resources, including the greatest potential in the world for increases in farm productivity. Africa is also one of the last untapped markets for goods and services; industrialized countries thus stand to benefit by trading with a more prosperous Africa. Beyond economic self-interest, there are strong humanitarian reasons to support efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa, home to 11 percent of the world's population. In many respects, Africa in the late 1990s resembles the East Asian economies as they began their economic take-off three decades ago. African governments need to emphasize three key strategies in their efforts to improve individual well-being and slow population growth. The first priority should be to expand reproductive health and family planning services to meet existing unmet needs. The second, to expand educational and economic opportunities, especially for women, both to improve the lives of individuals and to help encourage a desire for smaller families. The third, to slow the momentum of future population growth through education and reproductive health programs that help young people choose to delay childbearing. Carrying out the comprehensive agenda described above will require enormous effort by African governments. The task is large, yet attainable if these governments increase their current low levels of commitment to reproductive health and family planning programs. Governments and donors should be prepared to invest years of sustained effort to build successful population programs. Over the long haul, there are bound to be setbacks and difficulties. Currently, there is no reason to expect that either the fertility or development transitions will occur more quickly and with less external aid in sub-Saharan Africa than they did in other places. Yet the needs are pressing, and Africa must accelerate the development of population programs and the current trend towards smaller families. This may be possible if African countries are willing to learn as much as possible from the experiences of other regions, while at the same time recognizing the continent's own special challenges, such as the HIV/AIDS crisis. Africa's relatively recent establishment of population policies and programs has given it the chance to learn from both the mistakes and achievements of other regions which have grappled with the problem of rapid population growth. African countries, with help from the world community, have the potential to build on these experiences and create their own success story.

Social inequality in Birmingham 1

The city of Birmingham was founded in 1871, and lies within Jefferson County and Shelby County. It is known by various names, â€Å"The Magic city,† â€Å"Pittsburg of the South† and the â€Å"Tragic City† being few of them. Birmingham had witnessed brisk industrialization and also witnessed periods of social, political, and economic inequality. In the 1960s, the local government strategies to sustain racial segregation had disastrous effects. The church bombing attack on September 15, 1963, brought about world criticism.The death of the four African girls was enough proof of the racial discrimination that Birmingham was facing. The unleash of terror and violence in Birmingham added yet another name to the list, â€Å"Bombingham†. This brutal attack was condemned by people throughout the world and led to many developments which in fact played a major role in its prosperity. That was the time when Birmingham was reeling under social and racial discriminatio n. Though late by almost four decades, the guilty verdict in 2002 brought hope. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 which followed gave equal access to civil participation in Birmingham.The electing of Richard Arrington, an African American educator, as the Mayor of Birmingham in 1979 ushered in an epoch of racial harmony and prosperity. When he retired in 1999, Birmingham was deeply pitched on the road to success. Thus Birmingham did suffer great social and racial inequalities but it distanced itself from the past and stepped into a bright future under the leadership of many a capable hands, thus crossing the barriers of social inequalities. Today Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama and an international center for health care.Though Birmingham has done extremely well in various spheres, the efforts to set right a history of pervasive radical inequality persist even today throughout Birmingham. But the social conditions have greatly changed, and definitely, for the better. To quote Martin Luther King Jr. ,†I like to believe the negative extremes of Birmingham's past will resolve into the positive and utopian extremes of her future; that the sins of a dark yesterday will be redeemed in the achievements of a bright tomorrow. † REFERENCE www. africanaonline. com

Christianity and mathematics Essay

This paper deals with interrelation between Christianity and mathematics. It has been observed that God is the creator of this universe and He is also the creator of our various mathematical formulae and deductions. Like Universe and God, they are also eternal and cannot be ever destroyed. The paper has also described how Christianity has described the relation between God and our numeric system, which is the basic foundation of Mathematics. Christianity and mathematics 3 Link between Christianity and mathematics – philosophical aspect Let us consider the formulae for earth’s mass distribution, orbital path of celestial bodies and population fluctuation. They are simple mathematical formulae that describe the creation of this universe and humanity. According to Christianity, who is the creator of this Earth? It is none than the God himself. Jonathan Zderad (2003) has stated in the article written in the website http://www. acmsonline. org/Zderad-creationism. pdf that universe, that is the creation of God is hardwired by the laws of mathematics. If one have a look at the theorems of mathematics, it seemed that they were true before time began and will continue to be true after time lapses. Jonathan has mentioned this in his article in the above mentioned website. Mathematics exists beyond human thought and logic. Christianity believes that only God can create such things which are eternal and divine. Jonathan (2003) has mentioned in his article that mathematics existed beyond time and space. According to Christianity, only God, the supreme power behind this human existence can exist beyond time and space. It is very much clear from the Biblical records that god gives value to numbers. To quote from the above mentioned website, â€Å"For Christians, God’s counting is what gives the believer a place in heaven. Jesus compared himself to a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to rescue one sheep that is lost. He values each and every one of us. † (p. 6). Jonathan Zderad (2003). The Holy Bible has drawn many references from the numeric system of mathematics. How Christianity is linked to basic numeric system of mathematics Jonathan (2003) has also described in the above mentioned article how Christianity is Christianity and mathematics 4 related to our numeric system. The author has described that while the Number represents unity, number 2 is the symbol of fellowship and number 3 representing the community. The author states that these numbers represent spiritual qualities. The author has stated in the article that Bible has enough indications that it is God who has created the series of integers, rational and irrational numbers and real numbers. Jonathan has argued in the article that Bible has strong reference to the concept of counting. Numbers were generally used to describe dimension while building a place of worship. How Creation of God is linked with creation of mathematics The author has also suggested in the above article that there is a clear view of Christian view of Mathematics, which is described as creationism. Creationism has got four aspects. The first one is continuity. God makes his own creation in such a way that it is continuous. The second aspect is activity. The author has stated that he has created all these mathematical entities out of his own mental divine activities. The third one has been described as the abstract object inclusive. To quote, â€Å"As a general rule, theists would include mental objects and spiritual objects in the list of God’s invisible creation. Creationism also includes abstract objects like propositions, relations, and universals in this list of God’s invisible creation†. (p7). Jonathan Zderad (2003). The fourth one is that it is mathematically inclusive. It believes that Mathematical objects are created by God and they have an eternal quality, which can only proceed from the mind of God. Christianity and mathematics 5 Reference Zderad, Jonathan. (2003) Creationism – A Viable Philosophy of Mathematics. www. acms. org. Retrieved on 15th December, 2008, from http://www. acmsonline. org/Zderad-creationism. pdf

Mother Tongue and Foreign Language Learning Essay

These five basic theories are, furthermore, very much complementary to each other, serving different types of learners or representing various cases of language learning. They must not automatically make us presume that first and second language learning are identical or alike processes, though second language learning is strongly tied up with first language acquisition. Obviously, native language growth must pave the way for foreign language growth. Then these five basic language learning theories are fundamental pillars of language learning whose relevance to education is undeniable. The Principle of the Behaviorist Theory The behaviorist theory believes that â€Å"infants learn oral language from other human role models through a process involving imitation, rewards, and practice. Human role models in an infant’s environment provide the stimuli and rewards,† (Cooter & Reutzel, 2004). When a child attempts oral language or imitates the sounds or speech patterns they are usually praised and given affection for their efforts. Thus, praise and affection becomes the rewards. However, the behaviorist theory is scrutinized for a variety of reasons. If rewards play such a vital component in language development, what about the parent who is inattentive or not present when the child attempts speech? If a baby’s language learning is motivated strictly by rewards would the speech attempts stop merely for lack of rewards (Cooter & Reutzel, 2004)? Other cases against this theory include â€Å"learning the use and meaning of abstract words, evidence of novel forms of language not modeled by others, and uniformity of language acquisition in humans† (Cooter & Reutzel, 2004). The Background of the Behaviorist Theory I) Behaviorist theory dwells on spoken language. That is, primary medium of language is oral: speech is language because there are many languages without written forms, because we learn to speak before we learn to read and write. Then, language is primarily what is spoken and secondarily what is written. That’s why spoken language must have a pri ¬ority in language teaching. 2)Behaviorist theory is the habit formation theory of language teaching and learning, reminding us the learning of structural grammar. Language learning concerns us by â€Å"not problem-solving but the in ¬formation and performance of habits† (Nelson Brooks, 1960; 46-47). In other words, language learning is a mechanical process leading the learners to habit formation whose underlying scheme is the conditioned reflex. Thus it is definitely true that language is controlled by the con ¬sequences of behavior. 3)The stimulus-response chain, Response, is a pure ease of conditioning. Behaviorist learning theory â€Å"emphasizes conditioning and building from the simplest conditioned responses to more and more complex behaviors† (David S. Palermo, 1978; 19-20). This comes to mean that clauses and sentences are learned linearly as longer and lon ¬ger stimulus-response chains, produced in a left-to right series of sequence like as probabilistic incidents, which are basically Markov’s processes. Each stimulus is thus thc caser of a response, and each response becomes the initiator of a stimulus, and this process goes on and on in this way. 4) All learning is the establishment of habits as the result of rein ¬forcement and reward. Positive reinforcement is reward while negative reinforcement is punishment. In a stimulus situation, a response is exer ¬ted, and if the response is positively augmented by a reward, then the association between the stimulus and response is itself reinforced and thus the response will very likely be manipulated by every appearance of stimulus. The result will yield conditioning. When responses to stimuli are coherently reinforced, then habit formation is established. It is be ¬cause of this fact that this theory is termed habit-formation-by-reinfor ¬cement theory. 5) The learning, due to its socially-conditioned nature, can be the same for each individual. In other words, each person can learn equally if the conditions in which the learning takes place are the same for each person. The behaviorist theory believes that â€Å"infants learn oral language from other human role models through a process involving imitation, rewards, and practice. Human role models in an infant’s environment provide the stimuli and rewards,† (Cooter & Reutzel, 2004). When a child attempts oral language or imitates the sounds or speech patterns they are usually praised and given affection for their efforts. Thus, praise and affection becomes the rewards. However, the behaviorist theory is scrutinized for a variety of reasons. If rewards play such a vital component in language development, what about the parent who is inattentive or not present when the child attempts speech? If a baby’s language learning is motivated strictly by rewards would the speech attempts stop merely for lack of rewards (Cooter & Reutzel, 2004)? Other cases against this theory include â€Å"learning the use and meaning of abstract words, evidence of novel forms of language not modeled by others, and uniformity of language acquisition in humans† (Cooter & Reutzel, 2004). Behaviorist theory, which is basically a psychological theory in its essence, founded by J. B. Watson, is actually a theory of native language learning, advanced in part as a reaction to traditional grammar. The supporters of this theory are Leonard Bloomfield, O. N. Mowrer, B. F. Skinner, and A. W. Staats. Behaviorism was advanced in America as a new approach to psychology in the early decades of the 20th-century by making a particular emphasis on the importance of verbal behavior, and received a considerable trust from the educational world of 1950s. The major principle of the behaviorist theory rests on the analyses of human behavior in observable stimulus-response interaction and the association between them. E. L. T. Thorndike was the first behaviorist to explore the area that learning is the establishment of associations on particular process of behavior and consequences of that behavior. Basically, â€Å"the behaviorist theory of stimulus-response learning, particularly as developed in the operant conditioning model of Skinner, considers all learning to be the establishment of habits as a result of reinforcement and reward† (Wilga Rivers, 1968, 73). This is very reminiscent of Pavlov’s experiment which indicates that stimulus and response work together. According to this category, the babies obtain native language habits via varied babblings which resemble the appropriate words repeated by a person or object near him. Since for his babblings and mutterings he is rewarded, this very reward reinforces further articulations of the same sort into grouping of syllables and words in a similar situation. In this way, he goes on emitting sounds, groups of sounds, and as he grows up he combines the sentences via generalizations and analogy (as in *goed for went, *doed, for did, so on), which in some complicated cases, condition him to commit errors by articulating in permissible structures in speech. By the age of five or six, or babblings and mutterings grow into socialized speech but little by little they are internalized as implicit speech, and thus many of their utterances become indistinguishable from the adults. This, then, obviously, means that behaviorist theory is a theory of stimulus-response psychology. â€Å"Through a trial-and-error process, in which acceptable utterances are reinforced by comprehension and approval, and un acceptable utterances are inhibited by the lack of reward, he gradually learns to make finer and finer discriminations until his utterances approximate more and more closely the speech of the community in which he is growing up (Wilga M. Rivers, 1968; 73). To put it in other words, children develop a natural affinity to learn the language of their social surroundings whose importance both over language learning and teaching must never be underestimated. In this respect behaviorist theory stresses the fact that â€Å"human and animal learning is a process of habit formation. A highly complex learning task, according to this theory may be learned by being broken’ down into smaIl habits. These are formed correct or incorrect responses, are rewarded or, punished, respectively ‘. (Hubbard Jones and Thornton Wheeler, 1983; 326). Thus it is clear that the acquisition of learning in infancy is governed the acquisition of other habits. Basic Tenents of Behaviorist Theory The following principles illustrate the operating principles of behaviorism: Counterarguments on Behaviorist Theory of Language Learning Needless to say, language teaching anticipates certain theories on language learning because language learning as a fruitful area that embodies the working of human behavior and mental processes of the learners. Each theory may not be complete model for the investigation of language learning. The following counter-arguments can be made upon the working principles of behaviorist theory: 1) Basic strategies of language learning within the scope of behaviorist theory are imitation, reinforcement, and rewarding. However, researches made on the acquisition of learning have demonstrated that children’s imitation of structures show evidence of almost no innovation; moreover children â€Å"vary considerably in the amount that they imitate† (L. M. Bloom, L. Hood, and P. L. Lightbown, 1974; 380-420). Since children do not imitate such structures like words, phrases, clauses and sentences at the same rate they will naturally learn at different rates even though it must be admitted that imitation is very useful in the acquisition of new vocabulary items. As for reinforcement, â€Å"Unfortunately this view of learning receives little support from the available evidence† (Herbert H. Clark and Eve V. Clark, 1977; 336), for the parents only correct the sample structures, and complex structures are occasionally corrected. 2) In behaviorist theory, the process of learning relies more on generalization, rewarding, conditioning, three of which support the development of analogical learning in children. But it can be argued that a process of learning or teaching that encourages the learner to construct phrases, clauses and sentences modeled on previously settled set of rules and drills is thought to obstruct the instinctive production of language. Then, habit formation exercises may not naturally promote intrinsically oriented language learning. 3) Obstructions made on instinctively-based learning will doubtedlessly harm the creative way of learning. It takes a long time to be capable enough to master a language at least a bit intrinsically. There is a threshold level in language learning. This means that learners must learn consciously supported by repetition and drilling to build up an effective linguistic intuition, acquisition of which marks the establishment of threshold level. Before obtaining the threshold level, the language learner is not creative, cannot use the language properly in new situations in a real sense. it is, then, obvious that the intrinsic learning will be delayed, owing to the Iate acquisition of threshold level because of previously settled set of rules and drills. 4) The rate of social influence on learning is not satisfactorily explained. To what extent and rate, does the social surrounding promote language learning? This question remains unexplained. 5) It is highly unlikely for learning to be the same for each individual; that is, each person cannot learn equally well in the same conditions in which learning takes place, for the background and the experience of the learners make everybody learn differently. In addition, according to Chomsky, there must be some innate capacities which human beings possess that predispose them to look for basic patters in language. 6) The main strategies of the behaviorist theory can only be true for the early stages of learning which takes place when the kids are in infancy and in early childhood periods. Moreover, this theory is fruitful for the most part on animal experimentation and learning. 7) Many of the learning processes are mostly too complex, and for this reason there are intervening variable s, which cannot be observed between stimulus and response. â€Å"That’s why, language acquisition cannot take place through habit formation, since language learners are thrown between stimulus and response chain, for language is too far complicated to be learned in such a matter, especially given the brief time available. CONCLUSION It is clear that language learning and its development, for the behaviorists, is a matter of conditioning by means of imitation, practice, reinforcement, and habituation, which constitute the paces of language acquisition. It must be born in mind that all behavioristic theories of learning are associationistic, including Thorndike’s, Guthrie’s, Hull’s, Skinner’s, and the theory of the school of functionalism. Apparently, behaviorism has its shortcomings, but it cannot be denied that learning process is for the most part a behavioristic processing, a verbal behavior. In language teaching area, behaviorism establishes the basic background of exercises, either oral or written in viewing language as stimulus and response. In addition, it gives a great deal of insight into the recognition of the use of controlled observation to discover the laws of behavior. It has exerted a great impact by influencing many teaching methods on the area of language teaching, for example, Audiolingual Method, Total Physical Response, and Silent Way embody the behaviorist view of language; also, British Structuralism has created the theory of language called Situational Language Teaching. In a word behaviorist theory aims at discovering behavioral justifications for designing language teaching in certain ways, being a hub a of many language teaching and learning theories. It must not be forgotten that it has given a push for the creation of empiricist language learning which became very fashionable in U . S. A. and in Europe. BIBLlOGRAPHY Bloom, L. M. (1974). â€Å"Imitations in Language Development: If, When, and Why†, â€Å"Cognitive Psychology†, pp. 380-420. Brooks, Nelson (1960). â€Å"Language and Language Learning†. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World. Clark, Herbert and Eve Clark (1977). â€Å"Language and Psychology: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics†. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich. Jones, Hubbard and Thornton Wheeler (1983). † A Training Course for TEFL†. Oxford University Press. Palermo, David S. (1978). â€Å"Psychology of Language†. Dallas: Scott, Foresman and Co. Rivers, M. Wilga (1968). â€Å"Teaching Foreign Language Skills†. Chicago: Chicago University Press.