Network Rail - A not for profit company - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 17 Words: 4987 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Level High school Did you like this example? Network Rail A not for profit company. 4,500 words. (i) To what extent and why has Network Rail, a not for dividend private company, been able to resolve the problems of financing and managing the national railway infrastructure, as compared to both public and conventional (for profit) private ownership? Discuss the degree to which the difficulties it has encountered are generic to rail systems elsewhere. There are two essential conclusions to be drawn here. Firstly, that value for money is a outcome mediated through the type and the location of use exercised by individuals, and groups of consumers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Network Rail A not for profit company" essay for you Create order Secondly, that the imperfect or intermediate state of railway management (if it is regarded as such) ultimately reflects the nature of a problem which successive governments à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" or, if you prefer, successive ideologies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" have tried to address. If this perspective is accepted, the corollary is that only a rigorously utilitarian re-appraisal of the railway question, conducted with regard to likely outcomes, can offer any kind of solution. ) The problem with this approach however, is that the resulting analysis may well be one which rail users, and society as a whole, are unwilling to accept. The other, and largely unknown factor in this analyses, is the likely impact of medium and long term external factors, such as shifting energy markets and environmental policy. The privatization process as it has been conducted since the 1990à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, has four essential components, as Steel and Heald indicate: charging, contracting out, denationalization, and load shedding: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Charging involves the (partial) substitution of user charges for tax finance. Contracting-out represents the substitution of private contractors for in-house production. Denationalisation and load-shedding refer to reductions in the scope of public sector activity, taking the forms, respectively, of the sale of enterprises and the (partial) abandonment of public non-market functionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Steel and Heald 1984: p.13). In the post-privatisation phase, we are essentially faced with a hybridised management style presiding over an increasingly fragmented business. As Hibbs indicates with regard to overall transport use, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Measured by volumeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the railways account for a proportion of less than 10 per cent of the market. Wartime apart, their contribution has declined steadily for since the 1920à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, and yet there are those who seem to see them as in some way essential.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Hibbs 2006: p.59). It is government and the taxpayer who largely make up the difference between utility and viability, so close attention must be paid the extent of government influence in railway management. The Railways Act 2005 dismantled the Strategic Rail Authority and split its tasks between the Department for Transport and Network Rail. As Tyrrall points out, this put the government à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦back in charge of the strategy and the cost of the railways, and of the franchising of TOCs.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Meanwhile the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) transferred its remit to the Office of Rail Regulation. (Tyrrall 2006: p.123) It has obviously been both the salvation and the misfortune of the rail network to be the subject of long-term government interest and intervention. These activities, sometimes necessary, sometimes unnecessary, and frequently representing some form of financial or structural discontinuity, have the added implication of involving rail ways in an ideological debate. As Ferlie et al. have indicated, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"There is a danger that the reforming cycle simply reproduces itself endlessly, as each generation of newly appointed ministers builds short term political reputations on announcing ever newer reforms.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Ferlie, 2003: S2) The implicit absorption of such dialogue into the political sphere means that generic controversies about the relative utility of private and public management are difficult to divorce from the entire issue of railway management. As Glaister and Travers pointed out of John Majorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s original privatization impetus, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Debate about the privatisation of the railways has been obscured by the exaggerated nature of opposing views. The government has projected an attachment to an ideologically pure version of privatisation that probably exceeds its own hopes and expectations. Opponents of the policy have exaggerated the potential threats to the operati on of an integrated railway.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Glaister and Travers 1993: p.54) Fortunately for this discussion, we are able to focus on a much more tangible problem: the fitness, for its declared purpose, of Network Rail. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Tangibleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, in this respect, does not necessarily imply the easy physical access to objective or even accurate information, or that the issues involved are to be adduced or debated in a straightforward way. There is also a further dimension to this question. The performance of Network Rail may be apprehended with relative objectivity in terms of the judgment, activity , and reliability of its governance, officers and systems. This, however, is merely an appraisal of the specificity of that organization. Whilst this is useful, it does not adequately answer the underlying question, which is, on precisely what basis should the UK rail network be run, and what kind organization an be envisaged to properly carry out that function? Within certain parameters, Network Rail is well situated at present: it also has new management. In October 2008, both Chief Sir Ian McAllister and Chief Financial Officer Rod Henderson announced their departure, amidst speculation that the CEà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s post would be filled by Rob Holden, current head of London and Continental Railways. (Wright 4.10.08) In the six months leading up to September 30th 2008, it made pre-tax profits of  £706 million out of turnover of  £3.12 billion: the same results over the same period in 2007 were  £780 million and  £2.9 billion respectively. (Wright 20.11.08). (See Appendix ) The challenge it faces is essentially the same one faced by it ill-fated predecessor: inescapable political pressure for the overall reduction of its public subsidy. The inevitable nature of this is mediated through one key variable: the timescale. As Glaister and Travers argued at the time of privatisation, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In the short term, there is no prospect of reducing subsidy because: Productivity savings will take some time to go through; The backlog of investment will be caught up; Future investment requirements must be financed; and Reductions in profitability in some services because of regulation and, in the longer term, because of competition through open access, will imply replacement by direct subsidy.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Glaister and Travers 1993 p.57) Network Rail is currently awaiting the outcome of its credit rating to be established by January 2009 which will effectively determine the viability of its plan to raise  £4.4 billion in debt over the next four years. (Wright 20.11.08) As in many other respects, it lacks the self-determination to adequately influence these events. The regulator has recently allowed Network Rail government subsidies, operators fees and freight revenue of  £26.7 billion, a sum  £2.4 billion less than it asked for. Whilst it theoretically has recourse to the Competition Commission for an appeal over such rulings, as Wright indicates, the latter à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦could take years to reach a decision and Network Rail in the interim would have to abide by the October 30 guidelines on its spending.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Wright 20.11.08) This in effect means that, despite making concessions of  £800 million on its original request, Network Rail has to make significant savings on its infrastructural budget. As a spokesman explained, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Reducing costs in line with ORRà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s draft determinations would require annual savings of over 7 per cent in other areas, which is double the overall rate assumed by ORR. It has given no evidence to suggest that this is realistic. It is also out of line with assumptions made by other regulators.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Vermeulen 2008). Basically then, Network Rail has at best reinterpreted, and at worst, perpetuated, the problems of railway finance. Although these issues are not unique to the UK, they are exacerbated by its historical, fiscal and geographical caprices. ii) Based upon the information you have been given, to what extent is it possible to compare Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance in 2008 with regard to usage, investment, punctuality, complaints and overcrowding with Railtrackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance? Evaluate the degree to which performance in these areas has improved under Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s stewardship. Discuss the degree to which such performance measurement is useful and to whom. Support your arguments with evidence. The enormous amount of data available via the ORR needs careful consideration against that of Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s predecessor, Railtrack, before any meaningful conclusions can be drawn about the relative performance of the two organizations . The overall passenger kilometers have risen from 9.8 billion to 12.6 billion since 2002. (National Rail Trends 2008) Punctuality, we are informed, has also improved. In 1999, the ORR imposed a penalty of  £400,000 for each one-tenth of a percentage point by which Railtrack failed to meet the 12.7 per cent target for the reduction of self-caused minutes delay per passenger train. (ORR 1999: p.1) This is exactly the kind of margin by which Network Rail has been shown à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" through the ORRà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s own statistic s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" to have made redress. The percentage of trains arriving punctually has reportedly risen at least 10 per cent across all categories of operators, ( National Rail Trends 2008). Network Rail has not been slow to highlight this: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the dramatic improvements in punctuality seen over the last five years have continued. By the end of the year, punctuality of trains reached 89.9 per cent.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Network Rail 2008). The passenger approval ratings as published by the ORR also show a shallow upward trend across all regions and types of service. (National Rail Trends 2008). Obviously, such statistics are subject to all the vagaries implicit in mean averages, a clause which must be applied equally to both sets of figures. More specifically, they marginalize the thorny issue of engineering work delays and closures, which have caused significant disagreement between government, regulators and Network Rail. The parliamentary Select Committ ee on transport has drawn specific attention to what it terms the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"seven day per weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ service commitment: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"We welcome the commitment of both Network Rail and the Government to the seven-day per week railway, where engineering works are done overnight, avoiding major engineering possessions at weekends and Bank Holidays. Network Rail will need to implement many changes to the network, such as rerouting and double tracking before the seven day per week railway can become anything more than a distant dream.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (House of Commons 2008). The overall point needs to be made then, that there is a big difference between measuring the performance of a company running on a poorly maintained network, and one which running on a network which is not fully functional. As a means of assessing Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance therefore, a direct comparative approach has significant limitations. Passenger volumes are obviously influenced by performance, and it may be argued that there is a correlation between the two trends. However, the altered business, economic, and infrastructural environment should also be taken into account, as should the differentiated pressures which apply to the respective bodies in different periods. As Wright points out of contemporary projections, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦passenger volumes look set at least to keep pace with such capacity improvementsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦SouthWest Trains predicts the present economic slowdown will provide only temporary respite from the rapid demand growth that has created serious peaktime overcrowding on many of the regionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rail routes. Southeastern Trains now plans to maintain capacity on its existing routes even after introduction of the new, high-speed services because it expects continuing, growing demand.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Wright 25.11.08) Furthermore, some of the most revealing indicators of Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ ž ¢s real performance lay in the minutiae of official reporting on individual infrastructural projects, such as the West Coast Main Line. In 2006 the National Audit Office concluded that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦value for money for the programme in its entirety has not been maximized: there were substantial early abortive costsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and the need for additional franchise support for Virgin Rail Groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to keep train services running.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ From this kind of evidence the NAO projected that Network Rail was likely to overspend its budget to 2008-9 by approximately ten per cent. Furthermore, the job still appeared incomplete: as the NAO indicated, there remained à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"uncertaintyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ about the lifespan of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦some of the equipment on the upgraded line.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (National Audit Office 2006: p.8). There is therefore a complex ethical trade off implicit in the current spending and subsidy negot iations between Network Rail and the government. Iain Coucher, head of Network Rail, has recently said his company was minded to accept the Office of Rail Regulations ruling on its funding, which as Wright reminds us, was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦  £2.4bn less than Network Rail said it needed to achieve improvements in train punctuality and investment projects.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Wright 21.11.2008) . It will be interesting to see if, despite this significant shortfall, the Rail Trends reports show continued improvement next year, and even more interesting to consider their provenance if they do so. iii) The UK government has indicated its support for procuring public services from the private sector. Evaluate the arguments used in the research and official literature to support the view that the private sector provides a better alternative than the public sector, citing evidence derived from the course readings to support your views. The Economist furnishes us with a useful introduction to this part of the discussion, which is worth quoting in some length. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The advantage, from the governments point of view, is that it is neither one thing nor the otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ neither in the private sector, which is widely regarded as having ruined the railways, nor in the public sector, which would place the outfit on the governments books and thus discomfit the Treasury by increasing public debt. The disadvantage is that it is answerable neither to shareholders nor, directly, to the Treasury. And with nobody controlling costs, they have mushroomed.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed, The Economist 2003). Discussion of the privatization of the rail network inevitably involves the consideration of privatization per se, and its comparison à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" favourable or otherwise with public sector management. The public-private debate was one a literary and academic cause celebre, throwing up a whole genre which had its roots in the divi siveness of the 1980à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and post-Thatcher years. Now that discourse has apparently been displaced by assumptions about the hegemony of a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Third-Wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ neo-liberal economics, rendering discussion of corporatism and the mixed economy vernacular, passÃÆ' © and irrelevant à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" or so it might seem. However, controversy about the stewardship and management of bodies such as Network Rail contains much that is residual, calling up an older discourse about the relative competencies of either camp in British management. There are two strands to this controversy: the supposed abrogation of public resources by private interests, and the relative managerial à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and ethical à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" qualities of public and private management. This template of public-private competence should not, however, distract us from the specificity of the situation: for example, in the hand over from Railtrack to Network Rail, both set s of senior management were substantively drawn from the private sector, as the Economist noted: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rails pleas are likely to raise a wry smile from the former chairman of Railtrack, John Robinson. Railtrack was forced into bankruptcy when Mr. Robinson told ministers that it could not continue without additional government funding. At that point, it was getting barely half the  £3 billion a year from the taxpayer which Network Rail now says it needsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. (Unattributed, The Economist 2003). Neither should this fact distract us from the fact that governments of both political persuasions have stopped short of fully re-creating the railway network in their own ideological image. Conservatives have failed to allow authentic laissez-faire economics to take their course, perhaps because of the political impact of line closures and increased costs at the ballot box: Labour meanwhile has avoided full-blooded re-nationalisation, perhaps because their spending plans and the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement could not absorb the burden of the rail balance sheet as in bygone days. Therefore, it may be argued, a partisan analysis of the Network Rail management impasse does us little good in utilitarian terms. It may, as Roberts has argued, be true thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"While private sector boardrooms are under pressure to do more with less, many government departments are giving a masterclass in how to do less with moreà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Given that some parts of the country rely almost entirely on the public sector for economic growth, the problem is too large for anyone to ignore.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Roberts, 2008, n.p.). The potential of either form of expertise is unlikely to be fully tested while the current parameters of rail management remain unchanged. The substitution of a full-blooded private sector ethic in railway infrastructure management is not only extremely unlikely, but of questionable utility unless the f ull implications are genuinely accepted on all sides. In 1986, Starkie à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" with some prescience à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" reflected that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"It is arguable whether such transfers would promote the objective most strongly canvassed by the privatisers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" increased efficiency in the supply of services and therefore more benefits to consumers. Efficiency is associated with competition, but it is not necessarily true (even if it seems likely) that a simple transfer of assets to the private sector has the effect of sharpening competitive forces.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Starkie 1986: p.178) At present, the nearest thing Network Rail has to this kind of relationship lays in its contractual arrangements with train operators, although even this features an elasticity not normally present in commercial deals. As one operator spokesman put it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"We will bend over backwards to help Network Rail to perform,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  says Graham Eccles, head of rail at Stagecoach. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“But at the end of the day if they dont deliver on their contract with us, we will have to take action.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ .à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed 2003) As the demise of Railtrack demonstrated however, it is really only the government who can apply the ultimate sanction. (iv) To what extent and how does Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s governance structure as a not for dividend private company provide accountability to the public for taxpayersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ money? Is this corporate structure likely to be a problem for not for profit companies that deliver public services in other countries? As Tyrrall points out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Almost all indicators suggest however, that costs have increased substantially. The cost of BR had been approximately  £4 billion per annum, consisting of around  £3 billion of passenger and freight revenue and  £1 billion of government subsidy. It was accepted that after privatisation gove rnment subsidy payable to the industry via the TOCs would increase to approximately  £1.8 billion initiallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Tyrrall 2006: p.113). In absolute terms then, railway management governance has merely presided over a net increase in expenditure, with the only measure of return residing in the official statistics. Long before premier John Major somewhat precipitously launched the rail privatisation programme which had been eschewed by his no less zealous but perhaps more circumspect predecessor, Mrs. Thatcher, a Department of Transport report adduced that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"One can distinguish two approaches to managing the railway. One is a business-oriented approach in which the purposes of investment are to adjust as fast as possible to changing demand for transport, to permit changed operating practices which will save money, and to take advantage of the greater productivity of newer assets . The other approach is a custodial approach in which th e purpose is to retain and renew as much as possible of the railwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s infrastructure and servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Department of Transport 1983: p.49) Privatisation overall à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" if not Network Rail per se has boosted passenger numbers, although, as Tyrrall points out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"this increase has largely been attributed to the growth in the economyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and increasing road congestion. These would have increased demand regardless of privatisation, but there is no doubt that more imaginative approaches to pricing and promotion since privatisation also played a part. (Tyrrall 2006: p.111). If we wanted to define Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s probity in inversionary or oppositional terms, we could do so in Altmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s definition of corporate ethics: as he puts it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"From a Kantian perspective, a corporation can have no responsibility at all. Insofar as it is a tool, and a good tool performs its designated function well, a good corporation maximizes profits for its shareholders.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Altman, 2007: p.261). Whatever the ethical integrity of this perspective, it illustrates precisely the kind of unequivocal purpose which Network Rail lacks. As Ferlie et al. argue, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"There hasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ been continual restructuring in the UK public sector for over 20 years, initially based on securing greater productivity and value for money, but more recently (though somewhat ambiguously), with a new partnership on partnerships and networks.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Ferlie et al. 2003 S1) Network Rail has attracted many labels and unsolicited testimonials, from being characterised as merely à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"unusualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ to being a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"pantomime horse with 230 legsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, a description which the Economist evolved with reference to Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 115-member public interest board. The same commentary judged that the institutionà ¢ â‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s origins à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦were not auspicious. Stephen Byers, the transport secretary who forced Railtrack into administration, was casting around for ideas on what to do with the railways and plucked the model from a policy paper by the Institute for Public Policy and Research.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed, The Economist 2003) Whilst this may be apocryphal, the structure to which the Economist alludes it not: a management body answerable to the aforementioned 115 worthies, two-thirds of whom are selected from 1,200 applicants, the rest drawn from interested stakeholder bodies such as the National Farmers Union and the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation. Many features of the organisationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s structure, such as its public interest board, were designed to reflect its not for profit public service ethic. However, it also retains many aspects of corporate governance which its architects in New Labour may regard as less de sirable, such as a remuneration structure whose profligate tendencies preponderate in the boardroom. The short circuiting of the supposed break with the past in the form of the defunct and now apparently friendless Railtrack à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" was apparent in the awarding of 60 per cent bonuses to all five of its executive directors. Within their terms of service, this largesse would be triggered even if the statistics reflected a performance worse than that of the now sidelined Railtrack. The retention of private sector executive pay structures has not, however, been mirrored in the achievement of other standards. As Monks and Minow put it, the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"external legitimacy of the executive.must be sustainedby the personal ethic of the individuals involved as well as the broader corporate and societal ethics.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Monks and Minow, 2004, p.41). Yet many of Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s worst failings have been in the related areas of ethics and value for money. In March 2007, Network Rail was fined  £4 million for its part in an infrastructural disaster directly attributed to its operations management: as Tait reports, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Network Rail, which took on Railtracks liabilitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦pleaded guilty to a single count of breaching health and safety laws in the run-up to the fatal crash. Prosecutors told the court this week that there had been a catalogue of failures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and that the problems had started with the culture at the top of the body responsible for the track and affected staff at all levels of the organisation.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Tait 2007) As Tyrrall indicates, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the accident record since privatisation contrasts unfavourably with the record under BR after Clapham Junction (1988), but not by comparison with a longer history of UK rail accidents.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Tyrrall 2006: p.110). However, when one considers the enormous technological and regulator y differentials inherent in the latter comparison, any collateral which might be claimed for Network Rail over its nationalised antecedents appears specious. Network Railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and the governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" discomfiture is not without precedent elsewhere, although the value of direct comparison obviously diminishes in the light of confounding variables. For example, Indiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s railway system hovers similarly between pressures for privatisation and the maintenance of an essential public service. As the Economist reveals, its à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“operating ratioà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ operating costs as a proportion of revenuesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ which had climbed close to 100% by the beginning of this century, has fallen to 92.5%. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦not enough to cover depreciation, maintenance and expansion. Nor can the railways rely onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ government bail-outs at a tim e when Indias overall fiscal deficit (at more than 10% of GDP) risks becoming unsustainable. Yet the railway system has been losing customers to an improving road network, making it hard to see how its finances will ever improve.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ The important point for comparison here is that, despite this, vested railway interests have little difficulty in garnering support from a range of opinion across Indian society, somehow circumventing the inescapable logic of the balance sheets. As the Economist reports, much of the disagreement is between economists looking at the railways as a business, and dedicated civil servants looking at what they still see as a public utility and social service. As one senior railway officialà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦puts it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“if you moved to a business model, Indian Railways would collapse.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ .à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Unattributed, The Economist, 2003) Appendix Bibliography Altman, M.C., (2007) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Decomposit ion of the Corporate Bodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol.74, No.3, pp.253-266, Springer, USA. Carbon Trust, (2005), Brand Value at Risk from Climate Change, Carbon Trust, London. Department of Transport, ((1983), Railway Finances, Report of a Committee chaired by Sir david Serpell KCB CMG OBE, Supplementary Volume, HMSO, London. Ferlie, E., Hartley, J., and Martin, S., (2003), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Changing Public Service Organizations: Current Perspectives and Future Prospectsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, British Journal of Management, Vol.14, S1-S14. Freeman, R., and Shaw, J., (eds), (2000), British Railway Privatisation, MGraw Hill and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Giddens, A., (2000), The Third Way and its Critics, Polity Press, Cambridge. Giddens, A., (2001), The Global Third Way Debate, Polity Press, Cambridge. Glaister, S., and Travers, T., (1993), New Directions for British Railways? The Political Economoy of Privatisation and Regulation, Institute of Eco nomic Affairs, London. Hartley, J., and Allison, M. (2000) , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The role of leadership in the Modernization and improvement of public servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Public Money and Management, April-June, pp. 35-40. Hibbs, J., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Railways and the Power of Emotion: Seeking a Market Solutionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, in Institute of Economic Affairs, (2006), The Railways, the market and the Government, IEA, London, pp.46-67 Hooley, G., Saunders, J., Piercy, N., Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning (3rd Edition) Prentice Hall, Essex 2004. House of Commons (2008), Transport à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Tenth Report, INTERNET, available at https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmtran/219/21902.htm [viewed 30.11.08] Institute of Economic Affairs, (2006), The Railways, the market and the Government, IEA, London. Kay, J., Mayer, C., and Thompson, D., (1986), Privatisation and Regulation, the UK Experience, Clarendon Press, Oxford. M onks, R., and Minow, N., (2004), Corporate Governance, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. National Audit Office, (2006), The Modernisation of the West Coast Main Line, The Stationery Office, London. Network Rail, (2008), Annual Report and Accounts 2008, NR London. Network rail, (2005), Corporate Responsibility Report, NW London. Network Rail (2005), Business Plan: Summary Plan, NR London. Office of Rail Regulation, (2008), National Rail Review, Q2 2008-09, ORR, London. Office of the Rail Regulator, (1999), Railtrackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Performance Targets: Statement by the Regulator, ORR London. Office of Rail Regulation, (2008), Rail Trends à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Spreadsheets, INTERNET, available at https://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1540 [viewed 30.11.08] Roberts, J., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"COMPANIES UK: Public sector needs more than Private Eye jokes Why Capita deserves a nicer nicknameà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¨Published: J ul 21, 2006, INTERNET available at https://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=public+sector+managementy=8aje=truex=17id=060721000987ct=0 [viewed 2.12.08] Starkie, D., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"British Railways: Opportunities for a Contestable Market, in Kay, J., Mayer, C., and Thompson, D., (1986), Privatisation and Regulation, the UK Experience, Clarendon Press, Oxford, p.177-188.. Steel, D., and Heeald, D., (eds), (1984), Privatising Public Enterprises, Royal Institute of Public Administration, London. Veljanovski, ., (ed) (1989), Privatisation and Competition, A Market Prospectus, Institute of Economic Affairs, London. Tait, N., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail fined  £4m over fatal 1999 crashà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 30 March 2007, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/220fa5f6-dea8-11db-b5c9-000b5df10621.html [viewed 30.11.08] Tyrrall, D.E., The UK Railway: Privatisation, Efficiency and Integrationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢in Institute of Economic Affairs, ( 2006), The Railways, the market and the Government, IEA, London, pp.105-129. Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Anyone know how to run a railway?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ The Economist, 2nd October 2003, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NTDTVVT [viewed 1.12.08] Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Pantomime Horseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, 26 June 2003, The Economist, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_TRSSGGD [viewed 1.12.08] Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Rail Billionairesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, The Eonomist, 1st July 1999, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NTRRSG [viewed 1.12.08] Unattributed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no such thing as a free rideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, The Economist, 4th December 2003, INTERNET, available at https://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NNGVRPP [viewed 1.12.08] Ve rmeulen, A., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Shortfall impedes Network Rail budget dealà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 8 Sept 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/63adb6c6-7df6-11dd-bdbd-000077b07658.html [viewed 30.11.08} Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“acceptà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  cutsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 21 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/93db04e8-b76c-11dd-8e01-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail seeks clarification on funding from regulatorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 20 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/297bb5b4-b6dd-11dd-8e01-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Network Rail Seeks New Chiefà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 4 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/285ada56-91ae-11dd-b5cd-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] Wright, R., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Red and Green lights on roads and railà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Financial Times, 25 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/94fbd3de-ba82-11dd-aecd-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 30.11.08] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The funding package for Network Rail, owner of the UKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rail infrastructure, for 2009-14 includes money for work to allow longer trains to run on many of the regionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s routes. Platforms will be lengthened and power supply enhanced along the Tilbury loop on the Fenchurch St line to allow operation of 12-carriage trains. Similar work will be undertaken around Gravesend on the south side of the river. (Wright 25.11.08) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Regulators and Franchising Directorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s duties imply relationships with the government, with each other, with the owners and operators of the infrastructure, with owners and operators of trains, and with each other. In each relationship, there will be points that are politically contentious; badly-handled activiti es could threaten either the success of privatisation or the future of the railway system (or both). (Glaister and Travers 1993: p.55) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The influence of the HSE has been to enforce regulations which have too often been inappropriate and expensive, conflicting with the element of self-regulation proper to a fail-dangerous industry like transport.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Hibbs 2006: p.57) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"There are many other aspects of brand or a companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s reputation that can impact a company, including its reputation amongst its business customers, staff, suppliers, shareholders and regulators.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Carbon Trust 2005: p.22)

European Colonies of the Americas Essay examples - 972 Words

Following Spain and Portugals first efforts to claim the New World for their own, England, France and the Netherlands establish colonies throughout North America, predominantly seeking economic wealth and opportunities with occasional religious intentions. While the Spanish savagely plunder the riches of the natives to satisfy their own greed in this newly untapped world, the English, French and Dutch pursue a seemingly less violent approach through lucrative trade and establishing colonies, to meet their own intentions. In the northern regions of North America (what is today Canada) and the southeast (what is now Florida) occurred the beginning of French and Native American interactions for trade. On the Atlantic coast of what is today†¦show more content†¦While along the coast of Florida, Jacques le Moyne and his fellow colonists establish Fort Caroline for France. Encountering the Timucuas Indians there, they are offered gifts of food and goods hoping they would help them against the cruel Spanish invaders. The relations between the temporary colonists of Fort Caroline and the natives remained friendly, relying on each other for supplies (Document 4). The intentions among the French were mostly involved in the pursuit for a claim in the land and to gain trading partners instead of religious motives. The English settlers along the Atlantic Coast, discover a single crop which gives them a reason to encourage for the establishment of more colonies. Known as Tobacco, it becomes the most important export among all New England colonies and is the only solid Staple Commodity of this Province. Among with fur and other goods they received from the Native Americans, they traded tobacco with England for supplies. Needing commodities such as wine, sugar, salt, tin and candlesticks, this was how they remained prosperous (Document 7). 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Reel Big Fishs Most Underrated Album free essay sample

Reel Big Fish is one of the most popular third wave ska bands out there. They’ve released some great albums including their most successful, â€Å"Turn The Radio Off,† and my personal favorite, â€Å"Why Do They Rock So Hard.† One Reel Big Fish album that does not get the credit that it deserves is their fifth full-length release, â€Å"We’re Not Happy ’til You’re Not Happy.† â€Å"We’re Not Happy ’til You’re Not Happy† (WNHTYNH), is so much more than just an excellently named album. This album is home to some great Reel Big Fish tracks and features the band going in a very different direction than they ever have. Ska-punk is still very much present on this album, but the tone is much darker than ever before – darker than normal that is. Many fans’ issue with WNHTYNH is the production quality. This album, produced by frontman Aaron Barrett, is produced with a dark, far-off tone, with the horns sounding distant and the guitars sounding distorted even in the ska sections. We will write a custom essay sample on Reel Big Fishs Most Underrated Album or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I understand why fans aren’t too keen on this unique style, but for me, it is one of the highlights of the record. The album is intentionally rough and gritty sounding. Although producer Aaron Barrett has since disparaged it, I find it interesting and captivatingly unique. On the first song, â€Å"The Fire,† the rough production really adds to the song and further emphasizes the hopelessness portrayed in the lyrics. Aside from the production, â€Å"WNHTYNH† is home to some great, catchy songs that feel at home within Reel Big Fish’s catalog. â€Å"Drinkin’† sounds like it could be the sequel to Reel Big Fish’s hit song, â€Å"Beer.† The guitar intro is catchy and upbeat, and the horns elevate the chorus to perfection. â€Å"WNHTYNH† was recorded at a time when primary songwriter Aaron Barrett was feeling pessimistic about his band. This is reflected in many of the songs, specifically in â€Å"Don’t Start A Band.† This bluntly titled song could have been an ironic comedy song, but the lyrics feel like Barrett is giving sincere advice to not start a band. The instrumentation on this song is excellent. The horns come in during key ska portions and the tone on the guitar during the upstrokes is unique and powerful. Another song dealing with Barrett’s dissatisfaction with his band is the slow rock song, â€Å"One Hit Wonderful.† Though the song does not mention it by name, the lyrics are clearly referring to Reel Big Fish’s mainstream success with the song â€Å"Sell Out† and never being able to live up to the heights the band achieved in the 1990s. One line sums up the sentiments:â€Å"They don’t love you, they just love that one song.† Despite a few hit-or-miss covers, â€Å"We’re Not Happy ’til You’re Not Happy† is full of wonderful songs that take a darker than usual approach for the band. This album has not been given the appreciation that it deserves from the Reel Big Fish fanbase. I hope that this album can be given a second chance by Reel Big Fish fans and that we can hear more of these songs live.

Language free essay sample

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Communicative Language Teaching The Advantages and Disadvantages of Communicative Language Teaching By HAH Introduction The focus of this essay is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). In doing so, it is important to first clarify the meaning of CLT and it’s place in the ongoing history of language teaching methodology. CLT is generally accepted as the most recognized, contemporary approach to language teaching. CLT is considered an approach, rather than a teaching method, and can seem non-specific at times in terms of how to actually go about using practices in the classroom in any sort of systematic way. The real problem when attempting to define CLT is that there are many interpretations of what CLT actually means and involves. It means different things to different people. Or perhaps it is like an extended family of different approaches, and.. as in the case with most families, not all members live harmoniously together all of the time. We will write a custom essay sample on Language or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are squabbles and disagreements, if not outright wars, from time to time. However, no one is willing to assert that they do not belong to the family (Nunan 2004). One of the things that CLT embraces within its family is the concept of how language is used. Instead of concentrating solely on grammar, CLT focuses strongly on communicative competence. Learners are encouraged to apply various language forms in various contexts and situations such as making hotel reservation, purchasing airline tickets, ordering at a restaurant, booking tickets to a show, asking for directions etc. It is this constant exposure to language in realistic situations, which is thought to aid language acquisition. Learners are given a clear reason for communicating in the form of role-plays and simulations. Accuracy of the language is seen to be of less importance than fluency and communicating successfully. Brown (2007) offers the following seven interconnected characteristics as a description of Language free essay sample Most professions or trades use language specific to that line of work. In the workplace of psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists, there is a specific language used in assessing, diagnosing, and treating clients and patients. I have come to be familiar with this as my mother is a therapist and we have talked about her work and diagnosing people with a variety of mental health disorders. The problem with such language and expressing that language in a book like the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) is that it can be used against people in a way that is not healing but harmful and something that very often too few people consider. This language is sometimes used to take very human and real and normal life situations, like bereavement and trauma and sadness and anxiety, and somehow attach a medical diagnosis to them. And, of course, if there is a medical diagnosis, than there must be an accompanying treatment or cure for a cost. We will write a custom essay sample on Language Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to Philip Hickey in his article entitled, â€Å"Behaviorism and Mental Health† (2011) in 1952, homosexuality was listed in the DSM as a sociopathic personality disturbance and according to the American Psychiatric Association homosexuality was a mental illness up until 1974. Neil Postman states in his essay The Word Weavers/The World Makers, â€Å"By naming an event and categorizing it as a â€Å"thing†, we create a vivid and more or less permanent map of what the world is like. † (853) That is what happened in the world of psychology and psychiatry regarding homosexual behavior. The American Psychiatric Association agreed that this â€Å"thing†, homosexuality, is an illness and we are Page 1 attaching a name to it: sociopathic personality disorder. It suddenly becomes something very different by the use of those three words, something more frightening and more dangerous sounding according to Hickey (2011). The language of psychiatry, defining a person’s behaviors and feelings and thoughts, and attributing to certain collections of these behaviors, feelings, and thoughts, a mental illness can be dangerous when not used with extreme care. How many people underwent intensive and costly therapy to â€Å"cure† their homosexuality and how many felt intense guilt and self-loathing? How much pain was caused and harm done in a profession whose first oath is to do no harm? Homosexuality is just one example of that. Not to mention the fact that suddenly after 1974, homosexuality was not a mental disorder anymore. Were homosexuals suddenly â€Å"cured†? Of course not. A group of people who believed that their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors were not indicative of illness, gay rights groups, protested and brought enough pressure to bear that language was changed and, slowly, so were attitudes and beliefs. This year an up-dated edition of the DSM-5 was published. This manual lists the symptoms and names of the mental health disorders diagnosed and treated in this country. Prior to this year the DSM-IV included the term Mental Retardation to describe people whose intellectual functioning fell below a certain pre-determined set standard. That term is now excluded and no longer used as it is considered hurtful and offensive. Why? Because a term that originally was used clinically as a short cut and more descriptive term for professional purposes became something used to insult people and put people down. As stated by John Grohol in â€Å"The Dangers of Diagnosis† (1996) the language and the term became harmful, not healing. These professionals use terms like bi-polar, schizophrenia, depression, and others to quickly communicate to others who are familiar with the language. But often those short cut terms are used in hurtful ways or are simply misunderstood and used incorrectly. Page 2 Proponents of the DSM argue that one of the many reasons to use such specialized language is to have a short cut in discussing topics related to the work and as a tool to allow professionals to have a common understanding and clarity in the work. Grohol (1996) states in â€Å"The Dangers of Diagnosis† it is needed in speaking to other professionals and it is needed to access the system of insurance and managed care. The language helps to communicate efficiently and effectively and the professionals who speak that language can move through the work more quickly and, at the same time, often get paid because it has become what not only the psychiatric and psychological businesses use, but also what insurance companies have come to use in way of what they will or will not pay. The power to define is great and it should be used carefully, cautiously. Postman states, â€Å"For the point is that in every situation, including this one, someone (or some group) has a decisive power of definition. In fact, to have power means to be able to define and to make it stick† (837). The other power is that these labels and this language is used to access insurance and money that, without the labels, is otherwise withheld from people. Insurance companies will pay for certain conditions and not others. They take the language and the list of symptoms and decide what is worth paying for and what is not. There is danger in that because someone could be labeled or diagnosed simply because it is the thing that the insurance company will pay for. Just because a small group of people have this ability to label behaviors and feelings and thoughts as certain â€Å"things†, does not mean the people in the field must use these terms or get so use to using these short cut terms that humanity in the field of psychiatry and psychology is lost or forgotten. As Judith Butler states in Undoing Gender, â€Å"†¦relations of power that circumscribe in advance what will and will not count as truth, which order the world in certain regular and regulatable ways, and which we come Page 3 to accept as the given field of knowledge† (743). We are complicated, complex human beings experiencing a variety of wonderful and terrible things throughout our lives. Sometimes forgetting the labels and the short cuts and taking the time to focus on the person and what their unique experience is could be a way to improve the process. As the reading states, our control of language aids in our perception of the world. We use language to bring what we see under control and make the complexities of the experience manageable. This is what diagnostic language is used to do. According to Grohol in â€Å"The Dangers of Diagnosis† (1996) some diagnosis are needed so that two professionals do not sit across from one another and recount fifteen types of behavior and thoughts when two words, for instance, paranoid schizophrenic, would do. However, maybe what is needed is more conversations about those symptoms and what they mean. In a world where there is less time and more demands than ever, the answer to some of this might be to slow down and have conversations with colleagues about what patients are experiencing and perhaps bringing some of that power to bear over insurance companies. These days and in conjunction with the new Obamacare legislation that power could somehow be used so that mental health issues are covered in their entirety. Because of the way language is used clinically some people do not seek treatment because of the fear that somewhere a diagnosis will be put on them that will follow them the rest of their lives. Clinical language is meant for helping professionals in their work not to stick someone with a label that will follow them wherever they go and maybe, unnecessarily restrict them in the future from doing things or holding certain jobs. The point of clinical language is to help the clinicians and doctors, not burden the patient with a label when they are already suffering with a mental health challenge. Page 4

louis leakey essays

louis leakey essays Discovering the Secrets of Humankind's Past Louis Leakey was born to be an archaeologist, for his childhood in Africa truly prepared him for the field life he would later lead. The son of missionaries Harry and Mary Leakey, Louis grew up in Kenya near Nairobi, among the Kikuyu African tribe who the elder Leakeys were trying to convert. Despite intervening periods in which the Leakeys moved back to England, Louis grew up practically as a Kikuyu tribe member, and at the age of eleven he not only built his own traditional hut in which to live but was also initiated as a member of the Kikuyu tribe. It was within this hut that the beginnings of Leakeys archaelogical aspirations took place. In one section he started a personal museum, collected all things naturalistic, from bird eggs to animal skulls. It was in 1916, at the age of fourteen, when Leakey first truly realized that he was meant for archaeology; after reading the account of stone-age men entitled "Days Before History" he was hooked. After reading about the arrowheads a nd axeheads created by these people, Louis began collecting and classifying as many pieces of obsidian flakes and tools as he could find. After confirmation by a prehistory expert that these were truly stone tools of ancient Africans, truly links to the past, Leakey knew that the rest of his life would be devoted towards discovering the secrets of the prehistoric ancestors of humankind. Despite not being accustomed to the school structure back in England and the accompanying problems he had in public school, Leakey was accepted into Cambridge in 1922. However, blows to the head sustained during rugby games resulted in epilepsy and headaches for Leakey, and he had to leave school in 1923. This, however, was a blessing in disguise, for Leakey landed a job as an African expert on an archaeological mission to Tendaguru in what is now Tanzania. He was to accompany the archaeologist and dinosaur bone expert Wi...

Inspirational Quotes for Thanksgiving

Inspirational Quotes for Thanksgiving Imagine a nation where people did not bother to express gratitude. Imagine a society devoid of benevolence and humility. Unlike what some people believe, Thanksgiving is not a binge fest. Yes, the meal is a bit much. The dinner table is usually groaning with the weight of the food. With the abundance of delicious food, it is understandable why people give their weighing scales a holiday. The underlying philosophy behind Thanksgiving celebration is to offer thanks to God. You dont realize how fortunate you are to be blessed with abundant food, and a loving family. Many people are not that lucky. Thanksgiving gives you an opportunity to express gratitude. Millions of American families will join their hands in prayer to say grace. Thanksgiving is integral to American culture. On Thanksgiving, say a prayer of thanks to the Almighty, for the bountiful gifts bestowed upon you. Many years ago, the Pilgrims of Plymouth did so. They shared their food with the natives of the land, who had helped them in times of misery. The tradition of sharing the Thanksgiving meal continues even today. In honor of that tradition, share your gifts with friends and family. Spread the message of gratitude and kindness with inspirational quotes for Thanksgiving. Your heartfelt words can inspire your loved ones to make Thanksgiving a festival of generosity and love. Change people forever with these inspiring words. Henry Ward Beecher Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. Henry Jacobsen Praise God even when you dont understand what He is doing. Thomas Fuller Gratitude is the least of the virtues, but ingratitude is the worst of vices. Irving Berlin Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still Id like to express my thanks I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night. Odell Shepard For what I give, not what I take,For battle, not for victory,My prayer of thanks I make. G. A. Johnston Ross If I have enjoyed the hospitality of the Host of this universe, Who daily spreads a table in my sight, surely I cannot do less than acknowledge my dependence. Anne Frank I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy. Theodore Roosevelt Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. William Shakespeare Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast. Alice W. Brotherton Heap high the board with plenteous cheer and gather to the feast, And toast the sturdy Pilgrim band whose courage never ceased. H. W. Westermayer The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts... nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. William Jennings Bryan On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence. Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Edward Sandford Martin Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. Ralph Waldo Emerson For each new morning with its light,For rest and shelter of the night,For health and food, for love and friends,For everything Thy goodness sends. O. Henry There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American. Cynthia Ozick We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. Robert Casper Lintner Thanksgiving is nothing if not a glad and reverent lifting of the heart to God in honor and praise for His goodness. George Washington It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor. Robert Quillen If you count all your assets, you always show a profit. Cicero A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.

Financial and Economic environment of South Africa Term Paper

Financial and Economic environment of South Africa - Term Paper Example They also have security and safety implications and have effects on the transfer payments. Most ideas, principles and legal concepts used in international transactions often find expression in the legislative acts and policies of nation states. Although many forces besides economic factors help shape world trade, it cannot be denied that the economic component of international relations is the most significant and that generally, a prosperous and stable international business environment. Aspects of returns and risks From the website www.cia.gov, it evident that there are a number of aspects that affect the countries return and risk on investment to a business, some of this include; Ratio analysis used to obtain the company’s financial performance in many key areas. The ratios include the liquidity ratios that point out the easiness of turning assets into cash and they include current ratio which measures the financial power, the quick ratio which concentrates mainly on liquid assets whose value is sure, and working capital which is more of cash flow measure than a ratio. The leverage ratio shows the degree to which the business is dependent on debt financing. The gross margin ratio is the proportion of sales dollar left following the subtraction from the net sales the cost of goods sold. The net profit margin ratio which is the proportion of sales dollars left after subtracting the cost of goods sold and every expense excluding income taxes. Inventory turnover ratio which discloses how well the inventory is being controlled. Accounts receivable turnover ratio which shows how well collection of accounts receivable is being done, if receivables are slow in being transferred to cash liquidity could be damaged (fxTrade, 6). The return on assets ratio which indicates how well profits are being created from the assets employed. The return on investment ratio which is the proportion of return on owner’s funds invested in the business, it also indicates whether the effort put into the business in worthwhile. Information technology is used to process and analyze accounting transaction. The input devices regularly linked with the accounting information systems comprise the typical personal computers or running applications workstations, running applications, devices for scanning, standardized data entry scanning devices, electronic data interchange for electronic communication devices and e-commerce. The basic processing is realized through computer systems variety from individual personal computers to large scale enterprise servers; however the fundamental processing model is the double entry accounting system (Pomeranz & Topik 82). The output content may include any type of financial reports from tax reports to budgets. The use of also management information system which offers human/machine interactive that supports decision making for users both out and in the organization boundaries. This system support daily operated activities of the organization, future and current tactical decisions, and on the complete strategic direction. The financial applications make up the management information system which commonly implemented modules include, the payables, general ledger, receivables, procumbent, inventory, projects, assets and

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

Handwashing - Essay Example The level of the target audience also influences the teaching plan. There are varied formats of teaching plans, below is a formal teaching plan regarding environmental issues. The time allowed should be indicated in the plan. This facilitates management of time and ensuring maximum utilization of the allocated and extra time. The time factor is important in formulating the entire teaching plan. In creation of a realistic timeline of the plan the following strategic points should be considered. The list of required materials should include materials that should aid the teacher in explaining the topic. Materials to be used may include illustration charts showing graphical explanations about environmental issues affecting the community. Short films can also be used to explain through visual and audio recordings of the topic. The plan should include various categories of objectives. Behavioral objectives are the things the community or the targeted audience should be able to do at the end of the lesson(s).knowledge objectives includes what the community or students have learnt about environmental issues. The tutor should formulate a test to gauge the amount of information acquire by his/her audience. The objectives are guided by the following questions; The instructional component of the plan includes sequence of events that builds the environmental issues lesson. This includes the tutor’s own instructions about the topic under discussion. Introduction of this section can be through questions to gauge the understanding of the community about issues affecting the environment. The plan ought to include independent practices for the community to extend their skills in the environmental field of study. The practices may vary according to the demographics of the community’s setup. They may include practical lessons on preventing environmental degradations amongst other issues. The summary of the plan

Good for Hair Essay Example for Free

Good for Hair Essay Fenugreek(methi) seeds are extremely effective and powerful seeds which fights with hair fall, baldness and hair thinning. Fenugreek seeds replenish hair growth and are a good source of nicotinic acid and protein. Many scientists have confirmed that fenugreek contains a large amount of lecithin which is a natural emollient and give power to hair and make them healthy and strong. It also moisturizes hair. Below here are few fenugreek hair packs   which promotes hair growth ,make them lustrous ,healthy and shiny. 1. Soak a tea spoon of fenugreek seeds (methi daana) in a glass of   boiled water every night. Filter the water with the help of a sieve and drink it empty stomach every morning. Drinking this water every day helps in reducing hair loss. 2. You can make a herbal and organic hair growth tonic with fenugreek seeds. Boil fenugreek seeds and allow them to soak in pure coconut oil overnight. Filter the oil with the help of a sieve and massage this oil mixture to your scalp for 10-15 minutes. Applying this oil thrice in a week will   make your hair shiny and thick and will help in reducing hair fall too. 3. You can use the left over soaked fenugreek seeds as an alternative of shampoo. Make a paste of cooked black bean and fenugreek (methi) seeds. Apply it on your hair two or three times a week. This will reduce hair fall and will add volume to your hair. 4. You can make a hair mask to condition your hair with fenugreek seeds. For this take a half cup of dried fenugreek seeds in a bowl and add 2 cups of water in it. Soak them overnight and strain the water .You can drink this water as it helps in reducing hair fall. In the morning strain the water and put the seeds in a blender. Add little water as the seeds are already soaked and make a thick paste of it. Apply this paste on your hair and wrap your hair .This mask is little messy but is worth an effort. Leave it for 30 minutes and rinse it as usual. You donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need a conditioner after washing your hair with it.

The Decline Of Fatherhood :: essays research papers

The Decline of Fatherhood   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  David Popenoe's 'The Decline of Fatherhood'; discusses the rapid decay of our children due to the loss of male parenting. Popenoe's use of logos and ethos are efficient in the context of the paper to relate the behavior of present day children due to the growing absence of fatherly figures. The author, however, uses very little if any emotional appeal; but because of the nature and direction of the writing, the lack of pathos has no profound effect on the overall intent of David Popenoe's purpose. 'The Decline of Fatherhood'; by David Popenoe is a well written essay that convincingly persuades his view point through intelligent observation of facts. Logos is David Popenoe's most useful tool for argument in this essay. He uses several statistics to show the growing number of fatherless children from the turn of the century until the present, he and then successfully compares it to the alarming amount of growth in the delinquency and scarcity of education in children of the latest generation. The factual information provided with the explanatory details from the author makes his points obvious and clear to the reader. Because of the efficient use of the data and facts, the paper backs itself with rationale and logic which leads the audience to a greater understanding of the science behind the reasoning. For example, Popenoe wrote that only fifty percent of children born from 1970 until 1984 are now living with both parents. The results of this dramatic increase has tripled teen suicide, dropped SAT scores seventy Braithwaite 2 points, increased the drug alcohol rate at an incredibly quicker pace, and has placed thirty-eight percent of the nation's children in poverty. The cause and effect relationships demonstrated by the author are logically appealing and unmistakably apparent in his perspective and studies. The infallible devising of the facts linked with common sense easily portray the convincing ideas of Popenoe on to others as they indulge into his essay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yet another great example of appeal is established in the work of the author. The essay is not only well supplied with evidence and explanation, but it takes advantage of the superior credibility and reputation proceeding the writer. Before any words were even read on paper, Popenoe immediately sets an intellectual and believable tone being a professor in sociology. The fact that the writing was conceived by a well educated, knowledgeable man heightens the confidence of the reader to believe the information contributed.

Persepolis Anaylis of Kim Wilde

Amira Black 10-29-12 Period: 2nd Kim Wilde Analysis In Kim Wilde, it’s been a year after her Uncle Taher dies, Iran reopens its borders. The family gets their passports. Marjane wants the family to take a vacation together but her parents tell her that they need a vacation alone. They tell her that they are going to Turkey. They promised to bring her back Western things, like posters of Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden. Marjane’s father says that he really likes Iron Maiden and the marjane and her mother couldn’t believe it.In Turkey, the Satrapis go to a record store and buy the posters. They then must think of ways to get the posters back through traditions. None of the ideas seemed to work Marjane’s mother was being creative and she was stitching the posters into a big coat that Mr. Satrapi was wearing. He was feeling silly in the big coat, but when they get back to iran , they reassured the agent there that they have nothing unlawful and the agent lets them p ass. When they get back to the house, Marjane’s mother begins passing out the presents they had brought her.They give her a denim jacket, a Michael Jackson button, and a pair of Nike sneakers. They took the posters out of the coat and Marjane was very happy. She says, â€Å"I love Turkey. † She puts the posters in her room, wears the sneakers and the jacket, and plays air guitar just like Iron Maiden. She tells her mother that she is going out, just down the street, and thinks that her mother is more tolerant than most other mothers who would not let their daughters go out alone at such a young age.Marjane goes to the corner and buys tons of tapes from men selling Western goods at the black market. She was being sly about it until a group of women stops her. They are members of the women’s branch of the Guardians of the Revolution. They question her on her Western dress. They ask her why she is wearing punk sneakers, and Marji secretly thinks they know nothing o f what punk really is. They bully her for wearing a Michael Jackson button and she tries to tell them it is a Malcolm X button because marjane states: â€Å"Back then, Michael Jackson was still black. They pull her scarf over her head and terrorized her to take her to the committee, the â€Å"HQ of the Guardians of the Revolution. † Marjane lies and tells them that her mother is dead and that her stepmother is very cruel and will burn her with an iron or send her to an orphanage if she does not go home. The women believe her, they let her go. Back at home, she does not tell her mother what has happened and goes to her room and plays her new tapes loud. She sings: â€Å"We’re the kids of America†

Analyse how the development of relationship between characters helped you to understand the characters in the written texts. Lord of the Flies Essay

Published in 1954, William Golding’s novel the ‘Lord of the Flies’ developed many relationships to shed light on the characters. Perhaps the most important of these would be between the two main characters Jack and Ralph, however relationships between other characters including Ralph and Piggy’s relationship and Jack and Rodgers relationship are equally as important and help provide evidence of the behaviours of the children. The relationship between the two main characters Ralph and Jack at the beginning of the novel is an indication for how different the boys truly are. When the boys crash and arrive onto the deserted island they attempt friendship despite their differing personalities, â€Å"Jack and Ralph smile at each other with shy liking† just as any school boy would do. After being elected as chief of the tribe, Ralph makes his first move of power in electing Jack as chief of the hunting group to ease his embarrassment of wanting to be over all chief but not receiving this role highlighting Ralphs caring side to his personality. The boy’s continue to work together as a team and acknowledge one another’s leadership differences but manage to work together still in creating the best island possibly for the tribe. As the tension between them builds arguments begin to break out as their priorities begin to drift â€Å"they look at one another, baffled by love and hate†. With Ralph being a democratic leader, he takes in the opinions of the other tribe members in order to create the best society possible. It becomes an obvious barrier between the two boys drawing them back from being able to create the perfect society as they simply cannot respect one another’s way of leading. Jacks desire towards hunting and disobeying Ralph’s rules situation is similar to the biblical reference of Jack likening to Satan and Ralph Likening to God. People choose to follow Satan because he persuades and tricks people into believing his way is the more enjoyable way as it is a lot easier to go with Satan’s way then to follow Gods way, just as the tribe begins to fall under Jacks excitement towards hunting and ignoring the need to get rescued with a fire this being Ralphs rule. However this is all expected as for a child the more exciting and enjoyable approach to life is the path an average child would choose to follow proving the actions of the tribe to be considerably normal for them to want to begin following Jacks way of life. At the end of the novel the relationship between the characters Jack and Ralph proves the boys personality differences and helps the reader understand them. Throughout the whole novel it was evident of their unspoken hate towards one another and this tension is finally broken when the remainder of the tribe turns on Ralph as their previous chief and choose to follow Jack and his way of life. â€Å"And you shut up! Who are you anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can’t hunt you can’t sing.† Jacks idea of a perfect leader is someone who had the previous roles of leadership in other scenarios, such as Jacks role of being leader of a school boys’ choir, giving Jack the impression that he is indeed perfect for the position of tribe leader. Jacks displays of power and leadership is Golding’s representation of an autocratic government where the power was taken from the tribe and not voted upon whereas Ralphs leadership and power was voted on just like a democratic government where he takes to mind the opinions of the other children. Understanding this, the reader can then begin to understand how dramatically different the characters each are and Golding uses the idea of ‘good versus evil’ in the characters Ralph and Jack by showing them opposites in their positions on social responsibility, personality, and appearance. The only thing Ralph and Jacks have in common is their utter hatred towards each other. Jacks arrogant and self-centred mind set causes him to believe that once hunted and killed, the pigs he catches make him worthy of the role of leader. However, in a tribe today any person who can bring back meat to feed the rest of the tribe is generally the best leader of the group, but due to the boys situation, it is only a bonus that the boys can have meat and the real focus should be getting rescued, this being Ralphs focus. With the tension being released within the last few chapters, Ralph is hunted due to the tribe’s sudden hatred towards him and their complete savagery takes over despite Ralphs caring nature and civilised personality. Throughout the novel Piggy and Ralphs relationship has been an eye opener to expose the boy’s nature and helps the reader to understand each character independently. When Ralph is introduced to Piggy instantly the differences between the two is shown by the way they speak: â€Å"sucks to your ass-mar!† said Ralph as he mocked Piggy’s unusual accent; from Ralph’s mockery, the reader can see that the two upbringings were very dissimilar. Piggy is in a lower socio-economic class and the two boys being forced into co-habitation together highlights the contrast between the two defined classes of society. Being a typical child Ralph chooses to name Piggy as Piggy just by looking  at his physical appearance once again showing Ralphs back round of being from a more upper-class region in England highlighting his ‘bullying the poorer child’ mind set. Understanding this, it is not expected that the boys would have a good relationship due to Ralphs immaturity but as Ralph soon realises the capability of Piggy’s knowledge and how that would help his leadership skills they soon become friends amongst the chaos. Piggy’s knowledge represents the law and order of the adult world. Throughout the novel, Piggy attempts to condition the society the boys had made to mirror the society they all lived in in England. Piggy’s continual references to his auntie demonstrate this philosophy. He tries to pull Ralph towards the reason-oriented side of human nature. The overall characteristics of each of these two important characters proves that amongst the islands nightmare state it had spiralled into there was still a sense of hope for humanity amongst it due to the maturity of Piggy who then taught Ralph his ways making Ralph an overall stronger leader, but despite all this the rest of the tribe still fell short and turned on both Ralph and Piggy making them â€Å"outsiders†. Ralph’s character can be once again shown through his relationship with Simon where Simon’s characteristics help shape Ralph into the boy he becomes. Simon can be seen as pure goodness, and he is something of a Christ like figure. Simon is fearless as he is the only one who goes to confront ‘The Beast’. The pureness in Simon, like Jesus Christ, prevents him from submitting to the beast-like nature of mankind just as Christ did not succumb into the terrible ways of man at his time. Simon also is the only character who stays true to his personal morals and beliefs although Ralph did try to stay true to his beliefs he did fall into the temptations of the tribe by joining them in a tribal dance around a pig they had just caught. Simon gives Ralph encouragement. Whenever Ralph becomes despondent or loses hope that they will be found, Simon lifts his spirits: â€Å"I just think you’ll get back all right.† Golding portrays Simon, the first boy to be killed (followed by the death of Piggy) as a symbol of a Christ-figure, of grace and light. Ralph’s characteristics of goodness, on the other hand is in contrast to Jack’s evil. Ralph’s goodness is based on order, logic, rationality, and reason. But due to Ralphs beliefs it ends up turning on him as he believed everyone has good in them, but through the novel the reader is introduced to the idea that not all people have good in them, and this is  highlighted through the imagery of school children turning into a â€Å"pack of painted niggers†. Throughout the novel â€Å"The Lord of the Flies† William Golding uses the relationships to ultimately shed light on the characters. The relationship between Ralph and Jack lets the reader begin to understand the true vision of good versus evil which is portrayed throughout the entire novel by Jack being the evil character and Ralph as being the good. Ralphs relationship with Piggy and Simon accompanies Golding’s idea of the good characters as Piggy and Simon pay important roles in aiding Ralph to make him the character he is at the end of the novel.

Robotspast and future essays

Robotspast and future essays Past: It was approximately 3,000 years ago when the first signs of a robot appeared. The Iliad mentions a "mobile tripod" and in the myth Jason and the Argonauts a giant sentinel by the name of Talos is talked about. These weren't real life robots, so when did the first robot appear. From what people think robots are today really is a far cry from the actual first robots. The abacus or bead-adding machine was the first computer and was used as far back as 1000 B.C.. Then there were Automatons which were scale models of creatures that moved. One of which used water to move it, it was called "Hercules Killing the Dragon. It was made about 300 B.C. by Hero. William Oughtred in 1621 invented the rectilinear and circular slide rules which were used up to when the pocket calculator was invented. Throughout the 19th century a lot of inventors started to pop up with robotic inventions. In 1801 Joseph Jacquard made an automated loom which was the first numerically controlled machine. During the 1880's railroads used automated signals that used electricity. And then in 1898 Nikola Tesla invented the Radio- controlled boat. Before the 1900's though nobody had ever used the word robot until it was dubbed by Fritz Lang in 1926 in the movie Metropolis. In 1940 Issac Asimov first used the robotics. The first programmable machine was built in 1938 by Pollard and Roseland and was used for painting. In the late 30's and early 40's the first electronic computers were produced by John Atanasoff. Then with Howard Aiken's electromagnetic calculator. These computers weren't mass produced until 1951 when Mauchy and Ecker's UNIVAC I was produced as a commercial computer. In 1956 George Devol designed what would become the first programmable computer and acquired a U.S. patent for it in'61. The father of robotics, who accompanied Devol was Joseph Engelerger, they ...

The Bright Sides of Academic Intellectuals We Call Nerds

The Bright Sides of Academic Intellectuals We Call Nerds The Bright Sides of Academic Intellectuals We Call Nerds The first thing that would pop-up in your head when somebody says â€Å"Nerd† is an image of a skinny, clumsy, old-fashioned  individual  wearing thick eyeglasses with no appeal. Well, this is actually the  other  side of the â€Å"Nerd† or â€Å"Geek† or â€Å"Bore† or whatever you call them but a Nerd is definitely not a â€Å"Dork† and smarter than a â€Å"cool† kid in school. Nerds are boring and that is because they are not normally interested in stuff most ordinary people do or like such as sports with too much physical exertion, fashionable clothing, parties, and so on. Nerds are more interested in scholarly endeavors like reading books, exploring the nature of things, solving math problems, play some nerdy sports or even more #NerdierSports, and other activities ordinary people don’t normally do. They are commonly unpopular in school but they are smart and do extremely well in academic subjects. In fact, nerds are popular for their strong academic orientation and achievements. A good example is Albert Einstein, an academic-oriented person with a nerdy face, hair, and achievements made him the most successful nerd in the world. Nerds Play Games and Sports It is common for nerds to play computer games such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and others but they do love and play sports designed for smart and socially independent people like golf, tennis, billiards, chess, and other more #NerdierSports. Tiger  Woods  is one of the highest paid athlete and the most successful â€Å"nerd† golfer in the world.   Some nerds even enjoy some real competitive games such as softball, basketball, and Ice Hockey. Successful and famous nerds are not only big sports fans but also owners of sports teams like technology billionaire Mark Cuban of Dallas Mavericks. Former Bill Gates business partner and fellow nerd Paul Allen is the owner of the Portland Trailblazers and two other sports teams.Woods is one of the highest paid athlete and the most  successful â€Å"nerd† golfer in the world. Some nerds even enjoy some real competitive games such as softball, basketball, and Ice Hockey. Want to know more? Go here: Perspiration Is Nothing without Inspiration Relieving Students School-Related Stress Developing Students Creativity Is Sports Competition Relevant to Academic Learning? Junk Food in School Nerds Are Successful in Later Life Nerds are generally socially hopeless people, but this does not make them clowns to play with. They are logical, inspired, and determined individuals who work harder and harder and therefore normally succeed later life. Since nerds’ social  life is limited, their tendency to focus more on their work provides them more opportunity to get a much better job. In fact, the richest people in the world are nerds and two of them were founders of Google. Nerds are often successful because they possess the qualities required to achieve their goals. For instance, nerds are academically proficient, hard workers, highly motivated; they do not waste time on parties, and likely to work in corporations built by more senior and highly successful nerds like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Jack Dorsey, and others. These famous and successful nerds are mostly academic intellectuals who in later life used their genius in building a technology-based enterprise. Some nerds are also quite successful in other fields such as Ben Stein, a millionaire, lawyer, actor, and a successful writer who writes articles and speeches for famous people.

Paul Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paul - Essay Example He did not rely on any of the disciples or earlier converts to guide him in his ministry but he relied exclusively on the Jesus to guide him in his ministry. Apostle Paul is born in the city of Tarsus of Cilicia to an Israelite family belonging to the tribe of Judah. On the eighth day, he is circumcised in compliance with the Jewish laws of Moses (Philippians 3:5, Genesis 17:12, Leviticus 12). He became a Roman citizen owing to his birth location. Paul goes to Jerusalem in order to learn the way of the Pharisees in a Pharisaic Rabbinical school the school was under the leadership of Rabbi Gamaliel and he personally took the initiative to teach Paul. This is evident in Acts 5:34, 22:3. The Pharisees were well known for their rigid following of the laws of Moses which explains why Paul was very radical in his actions of persecuting those who had converted to Christianity. The martyrdom of Stephen takes place in which he is stoned to death due to his staunch faith in Jesus Christ. Stephen was among the seven deacons who were appointed by the disciples to assist in the distribution of food. Saul who later changed his name to Paul consented to have witnessed the death of Stephen. The conversion of Saul takes place which occurs when Saul was on his way to Damascus after receiving permission from the High Priest to go there and search for Christian believers in order to punish them. He then heard a voice of Jesus Christ asking him why he was persecuting his people. He became blinded after which he was led to Damascus to Ananias whom the Lord had directed to pray for him to be healed. He was later baptized and converted to Christianity. Acts 9. Paul makes his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. He began to preach there which angers some of the Jews to an extent that they plot to take away his life. He was later sent by the church to

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Globalization - Essay Example Speaking about driving forces of globalization, it is essential to mention that, first of all, the globalization is caused by the objective factors of the global development, by the intensification of the international division of labor, scientific and technological progress in the area of transport and communication that reduces the so-called economic distance between countries. Allowing to receive the necessary information from any place on the Earth in real time, modern communication systems facilitate the organization of international capital investment, production and marketing cooperation. In the conditions of the informational integration of the world the transfer of technologies and adoption of foreign experience is greatly accelerated. The preconditions for the globalization of the processes, which are local by nature, for example, receiving higher education distantly, are being formed. The second essential source of globalization is the liberalization of trade and other forms of economic liberalization, which caused the limitation of protectionism politics and made the global trade more independent. As a result the tariffs were lowered, many other barriers set for goods and service trade are removed. Other measures led to the intensification of the movement of capital and other factors of production. The results of the process of globalization can be seen in the fact that the barriers for economic, cultural and even political activity become more transparent. Internet, student exchange, the protection of human rights contribute to the creation of really global society, which consists of networks. The globalization is expressed by the rapid growth of migration and capital, unification of laws, division of labor, the standardization of technology and the union of the cultures in the global scale. It is possible to state that it provides the stimulus for the formation of new international

International Marketing Feasibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

International Marketing Feasibility - Essay Example The government’s encouragement of foreign investment would fast tract legal actions that may enhance the speed of operation. However, the country’s unstable political system may affect the implementation process. Not so much problem with to whom should accept the program since there is a remarkable number of urban elite who can afford for such academic service. However, it is a good marketing proposition to tie up with Thailand’s government when it comes to educating its people since it is clear that the government has to start maximizing its subsidy on education. Not only that, Thailand would be a good venue and strategic place for the neighboring and developing countries to access the service of ANOVA Education Center considering that the cost of leaving is definitely not that high. The company is ANOVA Education Centre. It is situated solely in Singapore since it has not expanded to anywhere else yet. All from its website ANOVA Education Centre (2009), the company has promoted itself as the one that provides preparatory courses for foreign students who have interest to study in Singapore. Among of its many objectives, the main is to give students preparation for entrance examinations to Singapore’s local schools. The company was able to promise of courses that are in line with the recent syllabus of Ministry of Education. The company also ensures that its students will have a conducive environment as well as competent and highly-trained teachers as they receive their trainings. To give much more focus to every student, each teacher has 10 to 15 students. With all of these, the ANOVA Education Center is simply trying to provide opportunity for each individual willing to enter in the international language where the medium of speech is English. A message from the principal of ANOVA Education Center, David Sum, simply states the company’s commitment to provide their students a high standard of service.

Comparison Of Two Learning Theories Education Essay

Comparison Of Two Learning Theories Education Essay Learning is a persisting changes in performance or performance potential that result from experience and interaction with the world (Driscoll, 2000, p.3). The way we process information is as individual as our genetic makeup, but research has shown that there are many different types of learning theories used for classroom education. (Merriam, Caffarella, Baumgartner, 2007; Weimer, 2002; Steiner, Floyd, Hewett, Lewis, Walker, 2010). The theories of behaviorist and cognitivist are important to compare because they are a part of the basic foundations in which other learning theories have been formed. In order to apply learning theories to nursing practice, the need to understand the basis of different theories is important. Theories have been researched and tested and have some importance as to how things work across different situations and circumstances. Theories can give some consistent ways of looking at classroom practice and some rational explanations for what happens within th e class. Philosophy Behaviorism is primarily concerned with observable and measurable aspects of human behavior. In defining behavior, behaviorist learning theories emphasize changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response associations made by the learner. Behavior is directed by stimuli. An individual selects one response instead of another because of prior conditioning and psychological drives existing at the moment of the action (Parkay Hass, 2000). In education, this type of learning falls into the reward/punishment category. The rewards must be important to the learner in order to give the incentive to respond favorably. Cognitive science began a move from behavioristic practices which emphasized external behavior, to a concern with the internal mental processes of the mind and how they could be utilized in promoting effective learning. The models that had been developed in the behaviorist tradition were not disregarded, but instead the task analysis and learner analysis parts of the models were elaborated on. Cognitivism is based on the thought process behind the observations. Changes in behavior are detected and perceived to be an indicator of what was happening inside the mind. The new models addressed component processes of learning such as knowledge coding and representation, information storage and retrieval as well as the incorporation and integration of new knowledge with previous information. (Saettler, 1990) Origins and Authors The foundation of Behaviorism, trace its roots to the early part of the 20th century. This was during a time when many psychologists emphasized self-analysis of mental processes (introspection) or the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud. In contrast, researchers like Ivan Pavlov, began to develop a framework which emphasized observable processes (environmental stimuli and behavioral responses). (Kentridge, 2007) Originators and important contributors to behaviorism believed that learning is confined to observational and measurable behavior. The two major schools of thought are based on ideas from Pavlov who showed classical conditioning and Skinner who believed in operant conditioning. One of the most famous experiments on classical conditioning is from Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936). Pavlov originally was doing an experiment regarding the role of salivation in digestion. From his observations, Pavlov noticed when his assistant brought meat into the laboratory; the dogs being used for in this experiment would automatically start to salivate. Further research into this phenomenon formed the famous Pavlovs stimulus and response experiment, known now as classic conditioning. Classic conditioning is a four-step learning procedure involving reflexes. (Fig. 1) http://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html Fig. 1 Pavlovs Dog Experiment During classical (or Pavlovian) conditioning, human and animal subjects change the magnitude and timing of their conditioned response (CR), as a result of the contingency between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). Whereas in classical conditioning, the US and the CS determine the form of the CR, in operant conditioning the strength and frequency, but not the form, of the response is independent of the US. (Schmajuk, 2007) B.F. Skinner (1974) coined the term operant conditioning; it means roughly changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response. Skinner identified three types of responses or operant that can follow behavior. Skinner believed that we do have such a thing as a mind, but that it is simply more productive to study observable behavior rather than internal mental events. In essence, Skinner believed we are what we have been reinforced for being (Olson Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 76). Operant conditioning has been widely applied in clinical settings (i.e., behavior modification) as well as teaching (i.e., classroom management) and instructional development (e.g., programmed instruction). This theory states that when learning is rewarded, behavior is perpetuated or maintained, while punished behavior is removed. In the classic experiment of Skinner Box, a rat may receive a food reward every time he presses the bar. He presses faster and faster. (Fig 2). http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html Fig. 2 Skinners Rat Box The major techniques used in operant conditioning are: Positive reinforcement increasing a behavior by administering a reward. Negative reinforcement increasing a behavior by removing an aversive stimulus when a behavior occurs Punishment decreasing a behavior by administering an aversive stimulus Extinction decreasing a behavior by not rewarding it. Albert Bandura thought Skinners theories were too simplistic although he also believed many of the psychological constructs of previous psychological thought were far too laid back, and were neither problem-solving nor action-oriented (Bandura, 1997). He believed in reciprocal determinism, that is, the world and a persons behavior cause each other, while behaviorism essentially states that ones environment causes ones behavior, Bandura, who was studying adolescent aggression, found this too simplistic, and so in addition he suggested that behavior causes environment as well. Later, Bandura soon considered personality as an interaction between three components: the environment, behavior, and ones psychological processes (ones ability to entertain images in minds and language). (Bandura, 1997) Cognitivism considers the learner as an information processor, much like that of a computer. It believes that the black box of the mind should be opened and understood. The information comes in, is processed and leads to certain outcomes. The concept believed that people are not just like rats that respond to stimuli but rather, they are rational thinking human beings that require active participation to learn. There are four major contributors to the Cognitivists theory. Howard Gardner believed that students learn in different ways. According to Gardner, we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, and the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences the so-called profile of intelligences -and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains. (Gardner, 1991) Fig. 3 -Multiple intelligences Robert Gangne developed information processing theory identified eight levels of intellectual skills including: signal, stimulus-response, chaining, verbal association, multiple discrimination, concept formation, principle formation and problem solving. He also explained that there are five areas of learning outcomes: verbal information; intellectual skills; cognitive strategies; motor skills and attitudes. www.classweb.gmu.edu Fig. 4-Levels of Intelligence Allan Paivio discovered Dual coding theory that states people process information in two different ways; processing of images and the processing of language. Fig http://cslsrv.ice.ntnu.edu.tw/LabNews/Minutes01S/20010412joseph.htm Fig. 5- Dual Coding Theory Benjamin Bloom described six levels of learning in his model of critical thinking. These levels are also known as Blooms Txaonomy. . http://taspd.edublogs.org/2007/04/23/revised-blooms-taxonomy/ Fig. 6- Blooms Taxonomy Literature Review The two movements differ particularly in their views on behavior. Behaviorism, whose research subjects were mostly animals, views behavior as an irreducible consequence of environmental stimuli, whereas Cognitivism, whose research subjects are often humans, sees behavior as a point from which to abstract the mental processes behind the behavior. Skinners studies of operant behaviors have become very useful in the field of learning and cognition (Corey, 2009). Studies have shown that behavior can be conditioned by reinforcements, positively, which increases the probability of the behavior happening again, or negatively, which decreases the probability the behavior will happen again (Olson Hergenhahn, 2009). Skinners theories still remain in wide use, helping users understand and control behaviors in many disciplines as well as in issues ranging from advertising to parenting (Olson Hergenhahn, 2009). According to Corey (2009), the research of Kazdin (2001) and Spiegler Guevremont (2003) revealed that behavioral therapy is generally as effective as alternative therapies, and in some instances, more effective. The Cognitive Learning Theory supports the idea that learning includes different kinds of memories, motivation and thinking. One of the other important factors is that of reflection. Those that promote Cognitivsm believe that the learning process is internal and depends on memorized information from pre-existing knowledge. (Ausubel, 1974) The theory argues that the degree of which a person learns is not affected by the ability and quality of mental processing. (Craik Tulving, 1975; Craik Tulving, 1975) Cognitivism maintains that memory is stored by using a connective pattern of information that networks with other patterns by means of some type of a relationship. (Stoyanova Kommers, 2002) Use in Nursing Education Writing behavioral-based instructional objectives seems to specify clear, measurable terms to assist learners. According to Morrison (2001), behavior based objectives become the end rather than the means for instruction. Morrison continues to point out that cognitive focused instructional objectives overcome this problem by first stating a general objective to communicate the intent. Additionally, they observe that cognitive objectives are well suited for describing higher levels of learning. (Morrison et al., 2001, p. 97) In behaviorism, the learner is actively involved in learning, practicing, and demonstrating new behaviors and is extremely dependent on receiving feedback from the educator. The educator is responsible for identifying behavioral outcomes, controlling the environment, and providing feedback. Current use of behaviorism in education is most often associated with education and training (Merriam et al., 2007). Behaviorism does well in education because it promotes good behavior and recognizes that unwanted behavior has consequences. Students learn by observing and interpreting the behavior, and associated consequences, of others in a process termed vicarious reinforcement or modeling (Bandura, 1977). Learning by modeling involves a complex process of interpreting, coding, and retaining the information for future application, then engaging in the modeled behavior (Bandura, 1969). Cognitivists have influenced educational strategies by including prior knowledge in influencing how new information is digested. Cognitive learning theorists believe that learning is an internal process in which information is integrated or internalized into ones cognitive or intellectual structure. Learning occurs through internal processing of information. From the cognitive viewpoint, how new information is presented is important. In the first or cognitive phase of learning, the student learns the overall picture of what the task is and the sequences involved. In the second, or fixation learning phase, the learner begins to gain skill in performing the task. In the last phase of learning, the automatic phase, the student gains increasing confidence and competence in performing the task. (Elias et al., 1984) Personal Use I believe that we all use a part of the behaviorists way of learning, to some extent. We all like to be awarded for the work or behavior that we have accomplished. We know there are repercussions and consequences for not adhering to the rules. Our behaviors represent how we are perceived by others in society. The determination of how others behave is by the use of checks and balances of stimuli and response. The way we act and/or behave, teaches people how to respond to us. I believe that I am motivated to learn and acquire more knowledge. The ability to mentally organize, rehearse and comprehend new learning materials is one I strive to obtain. The motivation that has driven me to succeed in both by personal and professional lives has been founded on realistic and challenging goals. Conclusion There are many different ways of learning and teaching. Two of the earliest methods of learning can still utilized in todays classroom. The foundation of theories helps us as a framework to base our learning and teaching upon. We can use positive and negative reinforcement as well as modeling to teach our students how to absorb and maintain new materials. Behaviorism is a teacher based concept full of structure and rules. Examples are class lectures, note taking and role modeling. Cognitivist used a student based concept in which students can find out information by themselves by using case studies, research and discussions. These two types of learning theories can help to shape our future generations.