Financial Accounting 504 Final Project Essay

As noted in Wikipedia Oracle is headquartered in Redwood, California. It was founded in 1977 and is the world’s third largest soft wear developer in sales. According to Yahoo Finance Oracle is a multi-faceted operation. Oracle provides a vast amount of services for the internet and computer. It provides cloud applications, IT consulting services, licenses middleware software which includes database and database management. It has 115,000 full time employees and is run by co-founder, CEO Larry Ellison who has been the only CEO of the company since it’s inception. Also noted in Wikipedia he is the top paid CEO in the world. In 2013 Oracle currently has an operating cash flow of 13.72B with revenues of 37.15B which can be found in Yahoo Finance. Microsoft is a leading software company started by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. The company’s headquarters is located in Redmond, Washington where like Oracle it develops, licenses, manufactures and support a wide range of computing sources, as documented in Wikipedia. Yahoo finance reports that in addition to licensing and manufacturing software over the globe it also designs hardware and has recently entered into the hardware industry with it’s new tablet. It also has a entertainment division which is responsible for the manufacturing of Xbox360 gaming and consoles, Kinect for Xbox and video games among other products. It has a total of 94,000 full time employees and can be credited for creating 3 billionaires and 12 millionaires from the company’s operations. Microsoft currently has a cash flow of 73.79B with revenues of 76.01B for 2013. Interpretation and Comparison between the two companies’ ratios (Reading the Appendix of Chapter 13 will help you prepare the commentary) Oracle Corporation Microsoft Corporation Earnings per share As given in the income statement $1.69 Basic Common $2.73 Microsoft has shown to have a higher EPS than Oracle. Current ratio Current assets Current liabilities $39,174 $14,192 = 2.76 $74,918 $28,774 2.60 Oracle is showing more favorable current ratio than Microsoft. This ratio depicts for every dollar of current liabilites it has the respective amount in current assets. Gross Profit Ratio Gross profit Net Sales Gross Profit = net sales – COGS Oracle: 35,622 – 8,398 = 27,224 Microsoft: 69,943 15,577 = 54,366 $27,224 $35,622 = 76.4% $54,366 $69,943 77.7% Microsoft’s Gross Profit Ratio is slightly better than Oracle. Profit margin ratio Net Income Net Sales $8,547 $35,622 = 24.0% $23,150 $69,943 33.1% Microsoft has a better Profit Margin Ratio than Oracle. Inventory Turnover Cost of Goods Sold Average Inventory Average Inventory: 2011 + 2010/2 Oracle: 303 + 259/2 = 281 Microsoft: 1,372 + 740/2 = 1056 $8,398 $281 29.9 times $15,577 $1,056 14.8 times Oracle shows a significantly higher turnover than Microsoft. Days in Inventory 365 days Inventory turnover 365 29.9 = 12 days 365 14.8 25 days Oracle has better result than Microsoft Receivable Turnover Ratio Net credit sales Average Net Receivables Average Net Receivables: 2011 +2010/2 Oracle: 6628 + 5585/2 = 6107 Avg NR Microsoft:14987 + 13014/2 = 14001 Avg N $35,622 $6,107 = 5.8 $69,943 $14,001 5.0 Microsofts Receivable Turnover is faster than Oracle. Average Collection Period 365 Receivable Turnover Ratio 365 5.8 = 62.6 days 365 5.0 73.1 Oracle has a better result on the collection period. Assets Turnover Ratio Net Sales Average Total Assets Average Total Assets = 2011+2010/2 Oracle: 73535 + 61578/2 = 67557 Microsoft: 108704 + 86113 = 97409 $35,622 $67,557 = 0.53 $69,943 $97,409 0.72 Microsoft shows a better ratio. Return on Assets Ratio Net Income Average Total Assets $8,547 $67,557 = 12.7% $23,150 $97,409 23.8% Microsoft has a better return on their assets. Debt to Total Assets Ratio Total Liabilities Total Assets $33,290 $73,535 = 45.3% $51,621 $108,704 47.5% Microsoft is slightly higher so Oracle has a better ratio. Times Interest Earned Ratio Net Income + Int Expense + Tax Expense Interest Expense $12,219 $808 = 15.1 28,366 295 96.2 Microsoft has a much healthier ratio than Oracle. Payout ratio Cash dividend declared on common stock Net income $1,061 $8,547 = 12.4% $5,180 $23,150 22.4% Microsoft has a higher rate of dividend pay outs Return on Common Stockholders’ Equity Net income – Preferred stock dividend Average common stockholders’ equity Oracle Avg SE: 40245 + 31199/2 Microsoft Avg SE: 57083 + 46175/2 8,547 35,722.00 = 23.9% $23,150 $51,629 44.8% Microsoft earned more on the dollar of their net income for each dollar of the stockholder’s equity. Free cash flow Cash provided by operations minus capital expenditures minus cash dividends paid $9,703 = $9,703 $19,459 $ Microsoft has a considerable amount more Free cash 19,459 flow than Oracle Current cash debt coverage ratio Cash provided by operations Average current liabilities $11,214 $14,442 = 0.78 $26,994 $27,461 0.98 Microsoft has a better ratio of paying debt within the year. Cash debt coverage ratio Cash provided by operations Average total liabilities $11,214 $31,835 = 0.35 $26,994 $45,780 0.59 Microsoft has a better ratio. Price/Earnings ratio Market price as of 06/30/2011 EPS as of 06/30/2011 $34.22 $1.69 = 20 $26.87 $2.73 10 Oracle fairs better than Microsoft with the investor’s projection of the strength of future earnings Liquidity: Overall Oracle has shown to a better liquidity ratio than Microsoft. Some areas the two companies are relatively close in liquidity performance as depicted in the current ratio. In other areas Oracle proves to have much better performance than Microsoft as depicted in the inventory and days in inventory ratios however and current ratio. Oracle also has a faster collection period than Microsoft as reflected in the average collection period ratio. I would declare Oracle as having a better liquidity standing than Microsoft. Solvency: Microsoft is superior to Oracle in this ratio category. Although Microsoft has a little more risk than Oracle in the debt to current assest ratio which means that if necessary Oracle has a better opportunity to convert assets in to cash with a 45.3% while Microsoft is at 47.5% however; this is the only ratio that Oracle is more favorable than Microsoft. With Microsoft’s free cash flow of $19,459 billion versus Oracle’s $9,703, Microsoft is least likely to have the need to liquidate their assets. Free cash flow ratio gives insight to a company’s acquisition power, ability to eliminate or minimize debt and allows for a higher dividend payout. Microsoft has a better current cash debt to current liability ratio as well. For evey $1 in liability Microsoft as .98 cash from operating activities while Oracle has .78 from operating activities for every $1 of current liability. Given these analysis Microsoft has a better overall solvency status than Oracle. Profitability: This category of ratios is the more focused one by investors  because it gives the most accurate prognosis of a company’s most gain out of investmens from investors. Beginning with Gross Profit ratio the two companies are very close with Microsoft showing a 77.7% and Oracle showing a 76.4% they both fair pretty well in gross profits. Microsoft has an advantage over Oracle in all ratios in this category except for Price earning sharing ratio. The payout ratio and the return on common stockholder’s equity ratio are significantly higher than Oracle’s but Oracle has a higer price earnings per share ratio as stated earlier which signifies that investors believe that Oracle’s stock is going to increase over a period of time. Conclusion: Although based on the ratios Oracle seems to be a safer investment and deemed by investors for the fiscal year of 2011 to have higher potential in the market and as noted by Eddie Beverage in an online article on Five Capital website Oracle has shown consistency over the past decade than Microsoft with trending increases. However; given that Microsoft has a substantially higher payout and higher return on stockholder’s equity I would take the risk and go with Microsoft. Beverage, E. (2011, Oct 21). Microsoft V Oracle: You know you want one. Retrieved from Seeking Alpha. Oracle Corporation. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_Corporation Weygandt, J., Kimmel, & Kleso, D. (2011). Financial Accounting. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Yahoo Finance. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2013, from Yahoo: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ORCL Yahoo Finance. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2013, from Yahoo: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=MSFT Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2013, from Microsoft: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft Wikipedia Oracle Corporation. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2013, from Wikipedia:

Moral Order in “King Lear” Essay

Tragedy is an essential aspect of many of Shakespeare’s most critically acclaimed plays. A.C. Bradley, one of the foremost thinkers of Shakespeare’s works, created a theory that explored these tragic dramas. The concept of Good and Evil become essential to humanity, and as a result, figure prominently in a balance of what he refers to as a moral order. A. C. Bradley found a common link or thread that remains to this day consistent with all theories regarding tragedy – that the ultimate power in the tragic world is a moral order. According to A. C. Bradley, the main source of calamity and death in the tragic play is never good. In Shakespeare’s drama, evil is the force responsible for the phenomenon of tragedy. This force is â€Å"not mere imperfection but plain moral evil† (A. C. Bradley 689). In King Lear, evil takes its core power from greediness and ingratitude of king’s two daughters, Goneril and Regan. Their intentions and deliberate actions are pure evil, â€Å"Beneath is all the fiend’s. There’s hell, there’s darkness, there is the sulphurous pit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4.6. 143-144). The reason why the two sisters praise their father in the beginning of the play is justified by their desire to inherit Lear’s kingdom and supremacy. Goneril’s and Regan’s declarations of their great love for King Lear are insincere, because their actions contradict with what they proclaim, â€Å"His [Lear’s] daughters seek his [Lear’s] death†¦Ã¢â ‚¬  (3.4. 163). Because of Goneril’s utter ungratefulness and lack of love or compassion, she mistreats her father and insults his dignity, â€Å"She [Goneril] has abated me [Lear] of half my train; Looked black upon me; struck me with her tongue, Most serpent-like, upon the very heart† (2.4. 175-178). Her sister, Regan, due to her alike vile nature, shows her entire support and endorsement to such a behavior. Edmund’s character comes from the same evil ground as the one of the two vicious sisters. He is, too, engrossed by the desire to own his father’s land, and thus, commits treachery and deceit, â€Å"†¦thou [Edmund] art a traitor, False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (5.3. 159-160). The wicked qualities and the intentional wrong doings of these evil characters are the main cause of grief and suffering in the King Lear tragic play, â€Å"How sharper than a serpent’s it is to have a thankless child† (1.4. 291-291). Therefore, in Shakespearean drama the commotion of tragedy proceeds primarily from the  actions of the ominous characters in the play. If the evil purpose disturbs the peace and order in the world, then, this ultimate order must be inimical to this power and be akin to good. Next, A. C. Bradley diverts his attention to the main character in Shakespearean play, the tragic hero. To be thought of as an honorable and highly admirable individual, the tragic hero still shows some evident imperfection or dreadful flaw. This tragic trait of the hero is vile in its nature, and therefore, contributes to the tragic effect of the play. King Lear’s fatal decision to banish his youngest daughter, Cordelia, and his most trusted servant, Kent, is incited by king’s excessive vanity and hastiness, â€Å"†¦he [Lear] hath ever but slenderly known himself†¦ Such unconstant stars are we like to have from him [Lear] as this of Kent’s banishment† (1.1. 322-330). Lear is not happy with Cordelia’s simple, though true, declaration of love for him, â€Å"†¦I [Cordelia] love your Majesty According to my bond, no more no less (1.1. 97-98). The king is not satisfied with such a mere and unaffected answer due to his arrogance and strong sense of superiority. Thus, he makes a grave decision to exile Cordelia from his kingdom, and gives all of his land to Goneril and Regan, which leads to his tragic disappointment, emotional breakdown, and death, â€Å"Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all! O, that way madness lies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3.4. 25-26). The ultimate power in the tragic world is distressed by the evil acts and decisions of the dramatic character. Then, this ultimate moral power must have an opposing reaction to the wickedness in order to repair the essential order of the universe. Another aspect of the evil power that A. C. Bradley conveys in his article, The Shakespearean Tragic Hero, is that evil reveals itself everywhere as a negative, weakening, destructive effect. â€Å"It isolates, disunites, and tends to annihilate not only its opposite but itself† (A. C. Bradley 690). The evil effect in King Lear spreads and poisons lives of all soul characters, causing death and destruction in the play. Goneril and Regan are also affected by their own wickedness, â€Å"Each jealous of the other†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (5.1. 67). Due to their selfishness and sinister nature, the two sisters try to raze one another in their competition for power and control. In conclusion,  Goneril poisons her sister in the sake of winning Edmund’s favour. Nevertheless, Edmund is retributed by his brother, Edgar, who slays him in a fair fight. Goneril, who is not able to abide her disgraceful downfall, commits suicide. Although, these characters die, the reader does feel pity for them because their death is necessary factor of retribution in a tragic play, â€Å"This judgment of the heavens, that makes us tremble, Touches us not with pity† (5.3. 275-276). If there was no punishment for evil performance and immoral behavior, then evil power would predominate the world, and there would be no means for the moral order to exist among the humanity,If that the heavens do not their visible spiritsSend quickly down to tame these vile offenses,It will come,Humanity must perforce prey on itself,Like monsters of the deep (Act IV, Scene 2, 52-56). Hence, the existence of the ultimate moral order in the tragic world fundamentally depends on the goodness of humanity. Since the tenor of evil is belligerent and destructive to such an existence, then, people of the universe must yield to good. In essence, the power of the moral order presents the revenge and the concept of justice in the tragic world. Therefore, it suggests the idea of fate. Still, although the retribution is served, there is no indication of â€Å"poetic justice†. Moral order functions according to its righteous nature. It reacts to the attack of the evil force in order to sustain and balance itself. During this equilibration, evil is isolated and goodness triumphs over the tragic world. WORK CITED PAGEAndrew Cecil Bradley. The Shakespearean Tragic Hero. 1904William Shakespeare. King Lear. Canada, ON.: Academic Press Canada, 1964.

A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college Essay

ducation is one of the most important pillars of the nation’s development. Education is a weapon which can change the world. Primary education is the base for the students. So a country should have a very good curriculum for the students in their Primary school study. A curriculum, which will make each student withstand the future competition and will lead to country’s development. So if a nation have the same national curriculum it would be beneficial in so many perspectives. If a nation have same national curriculum then it would be easy for government to construct a nationwide program to train teachers. It would be easy to evaluate students on the same basis. Same national curriculum will decrease the efforts to construct the region wide education course in country. In India we have Central Board and State Board. Central board is followed by some states, while all other states follow a separate State board program. Each state has its own Program of primary education including different evaluation system, marking system and subjects to study. This requires a big management to maintain the track. So same national curriculum will cut down these efforts and can make use of these efforts in improving the education system. This approach would be beneficial for the students in terms of options available. The same curriculum will open the doors of all the colleges and courses available there nationwide. Students will have a healthy competition environment. Students can study variety of courses and will be able to go in desired college. In the current system of a student wants to go in any other college belong to other state then he has to give an entrance examination and it differs according to the course he wants to study. But if this approach get followed by the nation then it would be easy for a student to get this rid of this. A student can follow his heart and make his dreams true. It would be propitious for them who have to frequently transfer their locations because of their service such as in military services, government services etc. Currently it is very difficult for their children’s to accommodate in new environment, especially school and its curriculum. For example in India If a student belonging to Maharashtra went to study in Chennai then it would be difficult for him to get into routine. He has to start again in new way in the new environment. But if the curriculum would be same at national level till college then it would be easy for them to continue their study without any difficulty. But though this approach is good enough, it may create some problems while implementing it at national level. Like to change the established system and to implement the new on nationwide would take significant amount of time and efforts. Students in the middle of the primary education may find it somewhat difficult to get adjust to new curriculum. As students would be having more options to choose then it might lead to confusion while making choice. Those students who don’t want to leave their native place or state then it would be difficult for them. For example if a student don’t get admission I any college residing at his place then that student might have to go another place. But overall this approach is beneficial enough to implement. Though it would require some efforts and time once get implemented it would be best.

Coley's toxins and alternative medicine in cancer treatment Article

Coley's toxins and alternative medicine in cancer treatment - Article Example Coley’s toxins are also referred to as Coley’s vaccine and mixed bacterial vaccine. William Coley’s contribution toward bacterial immunotherapy of tumors and cancers can never be overlooked; however, the myths associated with use of Coley’s toxins have hindered the path towards understanding the exact phenomenon that Coley claimed to have observed (Nauts et al., 1953). One of the supporting claims for using the Coley’s toxins is that they activate the defense mode of macrophages (Starnes, 1992). Naturally the tumor cells in the body are not considered as antigen, and therefore, macrophages predominantly exist in repair mode (Coley and Higinbotham, 1936). Thus the injection of foreign particles or foreign agents into the body instigates an immune response, due to which macrophages target the tumor (Bickels et al., 2002). One must not overlook the success rate of Coley’s treatment; perhaps his method was more efficient than the modern day immunotherapy trials. Coley injected 104 cancer patients with his toxins, out of which 50% survived was for more than 5 years, while 20% of the patients survived longer than 20 years(Tsung and Norton, 2006). The question to ponder is what are the causes that lead to the variation in outcomes of immunotherapy? Why some patients perform better with immunotherapies, and why some struggle to cope with it? Therefore, there is a dire need for understanding the mechanism of action of Coley’s toxins. Another component of the Coley’s toxins is lipopolysaccharide, which is a component of a bacterial cell; initially it was considered that the presence of these molecules activated the tumor necrosis factor or TNF(Wiemann and Starnes, 1994). TNF is a molecule that is naturally present in the body of an organism, and it is reported to play a crucial role in i nitiating necrotic activity

Law,Ethicsand globaisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Law,Ethicsand globaisation - Essay Example , Tamanaha submits, â€Å"was the reflection of the divine order consistent with the good that intended to eliminate injustice and prevailed stability within society.† (2004: p 9) The same is applied with the present day legal systems prevailing in various regions of the world that have been articulated for the best interests of general public; fire safety law of the UK is also among such legal frameworks. Fire Safety Order 2005 UK: Fire Safety Law has been introduced for the security of the people from being victim to the breaking of fire, and training them regarding taking up immediate measures in order to avoid the grave consequences of the sudden fire eruption. â€Å"The purpose of the Fire Safety Act is to educate and encourage persons and communities to apply the principles of fire safety so as to prevent fires, preserve human life and avoid unwarranted property loss due to the destructive forces of fire.† (2002, c. 6, s. 2) Fire safety law encompasses commercial and business areas, which does not apply on residential areas of society. Fire Safety Order 2005 applies on the employer of some business premises, self-employed individuals having control of the premises, and organisations responsible for the maintenance of some specific building, area or premises. In addition, the law is also applied on the managers, executives, employees and persons responsible for look after of the premises. Sec 3 (a) and (b) define the responsible persons within a business place accountable for fire fighting and controlling. According to the provisions of law a responsible person means: Hence, the UK law delegates the entire powers to the private entrepreneur and state is somewhat free from fire prevention responsibilities. But it does not mean that the state stands as indifferent from the afflicted area altogether. On the contrary, it is the state that performs its obligations on the basis of assessment made by the responsible person defined in FSO. In addition, Section 4 of

Challenges to Social Policy in Relation to Globalisation Essay

Challenges to Social Policy in Relation to Globalisation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the process of globalization has, in fact, weakened several institutions developed by nation-states to structure social policy formation. Systems created by policymakers and by the people within their context are not able to resolve the most serious issues at present. Most believe that social policy formation must presently have a regional or global importance. However, the needed networks or institutions are largely absent in that area. In essence, globalization is the concept that has been used to describe an array of political, social, cultural, technological, and economic factors and mechanisms that are believed to have generally created the specific aspects of current living. National welfare policies and processes have become much more globalized than is generally believed. Consideration of the influence of globalization on social policy, therefore, requires exploring policies and systems that connect people and places all over t he world. Globalisation has influenced social policy in two major ways. First is examining social policy development in domains of extraterritorial governance. These domains of governance could be global (IMF, UN, etc.) or trans-regional (ASEAN, EU, etc.). Second is placing emphasis on cross-border movement of products, services, people, and knowledge as they concern the effects of social policies on communities, policy development, and social welfare

Place Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Place - Research Paper Example The reforms were used to make up the centralized the cultural and religious authority and power of the kingdom it helped in the assimilation of the local region in the through education. The most recent reform in the 29th century is the strategy to have the decentralization of the education. Movements that feel the change is detrimental to the heritage of the civil society countered them. At the start of the 1990s, there were quite a few examinations of democratization in Southeast Asia, where the observers argued that democratization in Southeast Asia was related to internal factors. These factors include the rapid change in the financial system, the cohesion or factionalization of dictatorial rulers, the sensitivity of the authenticity of administration, the size and approach of the middle classes, and inclination in civil culture. By distinction, recent educational analyses have accented the importance of peripheral factors on democratization and opinionated change in the Southeast Asian countries. Others have argued that internal forces, which press for democratization in the Southeast Asian countries habitually, gain power from external constituents, chiefly from the spread of democratic standards within the context of globalization. During the decade of the 1990s, Thailand went from the silent nation into a more exposed to international events nation. Naturally, Thailand was previously an open economy, and had received two previous influences of globalization. The initial beginning was in the late nineteenth century, which was the development of the rice market, and the subsequent in the late 1950s where the countrys initiation under the United States Cold War approach and fiscal support. However, most analysts agree that globalization in the 1990s has had a superior concentration. This was most obvious during the 1997--98 lucrative crisis whose descents lay in the nations economic freedom and better publicity to unconventional intercontinental

Econometric Studies in Human capital Theory Essay

Econometric Studies in Human capital Theory - Essay Example Furthermore the earnings of certain subgroups who had external structural influence on their schooling were higher than average individuals as a whole. It can be stated that Card focused more on the schooling differences leading to heterogeneous earnings yet revealed some interesting dimensions too (Card, 1830). Much of the literature that examines returns to schooling usually consider academic qualification while in Dearden et al., 2002 she applied econometric model using OLS estimation on returns to academic as well as vocational qualification in Britain. This study is a longitudinal study funded by the then DfEE whereas the sample data of National Child Development Study (NCDS), 1991 and Labour Force Survey (LFS) of 1998 has been used. Her study examines the varying aspects of gender, ability, qualification and family background too. This longitudinal study develops a framework where NCDS results were compare with LFC statistics while after some selection criteria a final sample s ize of 6867 individuals (3007 Male & 3860 Female) was processed through estimation. Estimation results identified that males with O-Levels/ GCSE earn 13 to 23% premium to their qualification while for A-levels they earn 18% and for a degree they yield 11 to 32% premium. In contrast to men, women with O-levels/ GCSE earn 11 to 21% premium and with A-levels it adds to 20% and for degree women return 30% premium to the qualifications in a year. The study confirmed that along with academic qualifications, if individuals acquire vocational qualifications their premium may rise by 40% but vocational qualifications alone have reported less premium (Deardan et... This paper offers review on econometric studies, undertaken with the purpose of determining the correlation between schooling quality and returns on investment on schooling. Over the last decade, many researches and extensive literature have evolved. Card in his study explored the causal relationship of education on earnings. The study explored an impact of an instrumental factor family background on the schooling and earning of their children which had 30% variation in the earnings, similarly college education differences and location near college had some significant influence over schooling and hence earnings. Dearden applied econometric model using OLS estimation on returns to academic as well as vocational qualification in Britain. Results identified that males with O-Levels/ GCSE earn 13 to 23% premium to their qualification while for A-levels they earn 18% and for a degree they yield 11 to 32% premium. In Mcintosh study the variance of qualification confirmed heterogeneous returns among O-levels, A-levels and degree level labour force. The vocational qualification as identified earlier at lower premium to academic qualification remained the same Harmon conducted microeconomic empirical investigation on the returns to schooling. He concluded that every investment reflects the size of returns. He used a comparative approach to analyze cross sectional returns on education and furthermore, he applied OLS estimation analysis. It can be stated that to examine the returns on schooling, an econometric study can best explain the causes of higher returns either that is family background or ability or academic qualification (college graduation, O-levels, university degree) or vocational qualification or training.

Human Resource Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Resource Interview - Essay Example This is in a bid to have a point where employees can be recruited, selected, trained, and given the necessary guidelines to pursue their responsibilities. This paper summarizes an interview I conducted with Kevin Warns the HR manager of Wabash Valley Power Association (Price, 2011). Kevin Warns is the Human Resource (HR) manager at Wabash Valley Power Association which has its headquarters at Terre Haute, Indiana. Kevin lives in within Delaware, Indiana with his family and his address is Delaware, Indiana 569034-001 and phone number is (302) 654-0000. He can be reached through the office email address kevin@wabashvalley.org as the human resource manager who has been with the company for the past 5 years. Kevin involvement in human resource development stems from various companies and he has eleven years of experience, Wabash Valley offers wholesale circulation of power in 28 cooperatives within Indiana, Illinois among others. Kevin duties and responsibilities include ensuring that Wa bash Valley Power Association generates efficient programs that enhance the reputation of its employees. This means focusing on ensuring that Wabash Valley employees have the right skills, attitude and expertise to complete their jobs efficiently. This means that he coordinates recruiting, selection and hiring employees while at the same time training as well as guiding them to fulfill their duties efficiently. It is his duty in coordination with the training manager to evaluate, monitor, and counsel employees so that they can achieve their full potential. In addition, he takes the responsibility of ensuring the employees are working in a safe and secure environment. This means guaranteeing that they have the right tools and equipment necessary for completing their tasks efficiently (Price, 2011). Kevin has the role of creating compensation plans, appreciation policies, direct compensation, and reward as well as punishment. It is imperative to deal with job-related accidents, employ ment lawsuits, and any unresolved conflicts among employees. Kevin uses his tools and abilities to foster growth in employees within the company. For instance, he focuses on encouraging employees to maximize the level of sales using training procedures, enhancing engagement levels, and sending focused workers to educational seminars. It is clear from the interview that Kevin preserves management procedures by, modernizing, and endorsing human resource polices that have the potential to accomplish goals of Wabash Valley. Kevin indicated that he participates in team effort to complete result oriented duties that are essential to the company (Sims, 2007). Kevin argues that HR manager requires various competencies, skills and knowledge to successfully achieve human resource development, the first competence is having knowledge of the business and its operations. It is paramount for HR to realize the business strategy, how the business generates money, technological practices involved, a nd organization potential among others. The HR manager ought to have understanding of various business fields like finance, marketing, Information Technology, operations and management. Kevin suggests that HR director should have awareness of â€Å"Best Practices† necessary to deliver quality services. In this way, continuous process of enhancing expertise in their filed and awareness of high tech best practices in recruiting, development, compensation, performance execution among other HR duties. Kevin emphasizes the need to deliver exceptional skills of people management and focus in a bid to take the business to its next level (Price, 2011). In addition, Kevin indicates that HR manager must have the capability to change management skills in a flexible manner.

External Marketing Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

External Marketing Environment - Essay Example A firm is frequently oblivious to the factors that affect its future. A marketer can comprehend the marketing environment through conducting a marketing research. Acquaintance to the environment assists an organization to modify its promotional mix and recognize new opportunities. Lamb et al (2011, p. 110) cite economic, cultural and social, business, legal and political and demographic elements as the constituents of the external marketing environment. Economic Environment There is no more significant component in the external environment affecting marketing than the economic environment. Lamb noted that the affects the operation of a company on both at micro and macro levels. Micro-level refers to the individual company while the macro level implies the broader industry, country or international. i. Supply and Demand When there is the absence of government intervention and control, supply and demand are the basic underlying forces of the economic dimension. Supply refers to the num ber of goods and services sellers and producers are willing to bring to the market at given prices at a given time (Lamb et al., 2011, p. 112). Demand, on the other hand, refers to the number of goods and services the buyers are willing to buy at a given price and time. ... When such a situation occurs, there is either a shortage or a surplus. In a competitive market structure, when a surplus or a shortage occurs, changes occur until equilibrium is restored. In the case of a surplus, the price is usually lowered to meet the demand level in the short run. In the long run, either the supply will decrease, as the quantities offered are decreased by some firms making production cuts or by other firms going out of business. When a shortage occurs, a company must carefully assess whether this condition id temporary or is actually a market need not being satisfied. ii. The Market and Exchange In every market economy there is a way for the market equilibrium price and quantity to be achieved. The mechanism for doing this by bridging the gap between supply and demand is the marketplace itself. Marketplace bridges the gap between what is produced and what is consumed, making the right quantity available to meet the market need (Lamb et al, 2011, p., 113) iii. Gen eral Economic Change The economic conditions in a country and the state of national economy change over time. Movements and fluctuations in the economy often follow patterns and have been described as business cycles (Lamb et al, 2011, p. 113). These cycles historically have consisted of four stages which include recession, prosperity, depression, and recovery. Cultural and social Environment In reference to Lamb et al (2011, p. 114), the cultural-social environment is replicated in the other four major environments external to the organization’s marketing mix.  

Fundamentals of Microeconomics Essay Example for Free

Fundamentals of Microeconomics Essay Macroeconomics defined as â€Å"the study of the economy as a whole, which includes inflation, unemployment, business cycles, and growth† (Colander, G-5). There are many fundamentals that affect the economy in both a good and bad way. These fundamentals affect the economy, and they also show the growth of the economy. The fundamentals are gross domestic product (GDP), real gross domestic product, nominal gross domestic product, unemployment rate, inflation rate, and interest rate. Defining the fundamentals Gross Domestic Product is â€Å"the total market value of all final goods and services produced in an economy in a one-year period† (Colander, G-3). GDP calculation is very important because it calculates the growth, decline, or stand still have the economy. When the GDP is calculate, it is base on previous numbers not future numbers. For example, the GDP is +2%, which means a growth of 2% for the previous year. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is â€Å"the market value of final goods and services produced in an economy, stated in the prices of the giver year† (Colander, G-7). Real GDP is an inflation measure of the production of goods and services in the economy. It reflects price changes throughout the year. The real GDP is base more on realistic numbers instead of a guess. The calculation is more accurate concerning the gross domestic product for the previous year. Nominal gross domestic product is calculate at existing prices. Nominal GDP does not reflect inflation and is known as â€Å"current dollar GDP.† Nominal GDP can either be higher or lower than the GDP. When nominal GDP is calculate without reflecting inflation, which can show a higher growth in the economy when it is lower or at a standstill. Unemployment rate is â€Å"the percentage of people in the economy who are willing and able to work but who are not working† (Colander, G-9). The unemployment rate is calculate every month, and it shows the people who are looking for work. This rate does not include individual like the elderly, people working only a few hours a week or people who do not send resumes into different business. The unemployment rate shows that based on the number of people in the United States, a certain percentage is actively looking for work but has not found work. Inflation Rate is the percentage rate of change in price over a certain period usually a year. The inflation rate is calculate using last year price for a particular item to determine how much it will cost. Inflation rate determines the price of many things that include the price of the dollar. When individual calculates the inflation rate, it can help others determine if it is better to buy certain products today or later. Interest Rate is â€Å"the price paid for the use of financial asset† (Colander, G-4). Interest rate is a certain percentage that an individual has to pay on borrowing money or purchasing something. The interest rate is base on the credit score and the item purchase. The rate can go from being a very low number to as high as 10 percent. Purchasing of Groceries The purchase of groceries affects government, households, and business daily. The government determines the tax placed when household purchase groceries. Every household in the United States purchase groceries to survive. The businesses are affected by grocery purchase through the purchase. The business is affected by the purchases made because it shows what is being purchase more and what is being purchase less. The flow of resources take place in continues circular motion. The groceries are receive by the business from the local food processing plants. The employees at the local business placed the items on the shelves and groceries are ready for sell. The household members purchase the groceries from the business and pay the taxes government placed on the items. This continues to take place daily and will always continue. Massive layoff of employees The flow of resources takes place, and it affects businesses in both good and bad ways. Most business can employee the previous laid-off employees to allow taxes to be paid. When businesses are not able to employ more employees, unemployed do not demand good and services. When employees are layoff, there is no income coming into the household. The household is affected because there is no income, which in return means less good and service that can be purchase. When massive layoffs of employees take place in the economy, it affects government because they are paying unemployment benefits, Medicaid, and giving food stamps and more welfare to those eligible. Decrease in taxes When the government decides to decrease tax, it affects everyone differently. Government is affected in a good way, but it occurs in the long-run supply and demand curve. The government is losing more because taxes are lower but more money is being receive. In the long-run supply and demand, the government receives more money because the household is purchasing more good and services. The household is excite because more money is coming into the household because taxes are lower. The lower the tax, the more income, which mean more good and services are being purchase. Businesses are excite because more goods and services are being purchase. The flow of resources occurs and is affected in the long-run supply and demand curve. References Colander, D.C. (2010). Macroeconomics (8th ed.) Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Tell Tale Heart and the Lotter Essay Example for Free

Tell Tale Heart and the Lotter Essay American writer Henry James believed characters are only as interesting as their responses to particular situations. The statement he made can be supported by many pieces of literature that we have encountered. The way a character reacts to the situation they are placed in can tell a lot about their true character. Two characters were placed in different situations in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† written Edgar Allan Poe and The Lottery written by Shirley Jackson reactions will be discussed in this essay. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† the tenant thought he would get away with the murder he had, but committed cracked under the pressure. Initially when the police offers entered the home he was he was able to keep his composure, but he slowly started to break. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct:—it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness—until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears. (Poe 390) At this point the man started to hear things in his mind. He was imagining the beating of the old man’s heart. Prior to his delusion the reader probably believed he would get away with the murder. Finally the man can no longer take the sound of the old man’s heart beating beneath the floor boards. â€Å"Villains!† I shrieked, â€Å"dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!† (Poe 391) I believe he told the officers about the old man’s body because his conscience got to him. If he was like most cold, blooded killers his conscience would not have told him he had done something wrong. In â€Å"The Lottery† when the Hutchinson family initially draws the piece of paper from the old black box, Tessie continually pleads to do the redo the drawing of the names. She says, You didnt give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasnt fair!(Jackson 267). Even though the drawing of her family’s name was done completely fair she tries to come up with some excuse. Even though her whole family, including her children, initially had the potential to be stoned she was the only one who wanted a redrawing done. When Tessie’s realized she had the paper she did not even try to say goodbye to her family. Most people, even criminals today, would rather spend their last moments saying goodbye to their loved ones. Tessie on the other hand continually said, It isnt fair, it isnt right(Jackson 269). With her continually saying this isn’t fair or right this shows she does not believe in the system her town used. When she first got to the lottery she made a joke about leaving the dishes, as if she was okay with what was about to take place. When her family’s name was drawn her true feeling were shown. She obviously did not agree with having a human sacrifice in order to better her town’s chances of having a good harvest. Both the man from and Tessie were placed in some an extremely tense situation, and both reacted in a similar manner. The man cracked under the pressure of killing the old man and Tessie Hutchinson lost her composure when she found out she was the one who would be stoned. Henry James quote of â€Å"characters are only as interesting as their responses to particular situations† was confirmed from the above reading because both of the characters show a different, more interesting, side of themselves when they faced with a predicament.

Enhancing Orientation of Graduate Nurses

Enhancing Orientation of Graduate Nurses Introduction Graduate nurses have many learning needs as they enter into the nursing workforce and they must continue to improve on their basic learning skills and competencies while attempting to learn new complex nursing skills (Phillips, Kenny, Esterman, Smith, 2014). All areas of nursing present many challenges, therefore orientation to the area requires a tailored and holistic approach for new graduate nurses (Dyess Sherman, 2009). This paper will focus on enhancing orientation for graduate nurses. This paper will provide the readers with an analytical discussion of relevant literature as well as a clear rationale for the need to change and improve orientation for graduate nurses. A thorough detailed change management plan will be implemented using Lippitt’s seven steps of change. Furthermore, strategies for assessing outcomes will be discussed, outlining the success rate post implementation. Lastly, this paper will summarise and highlight the main issues for this change. Discussion Graduate nurses entering the nursing workforce are required to possess a wide variety of skills and up to date competencies in order to function as beginning professionals (MacDonald, 2014). The learning curve does not stop once a student has completed their Bachelor of Nursing Degree, in fact, it is just the start for graduate nurses with several issues that they need to face (MacDonald, 2014). These include nursing shortages, advancements in technology and an aging population with increased health care needs (MacDonald, 2014). The development of formal orientation programs in health care is critical in the recruitment and retention of nursing staff (Robitaille, 2013). Recent literature demonstrates that a comprehensive, well thought out program can reduce adjustment periods for novice nurses, minimise turnover and establish a solid foundation for a productive and lengthy career (Charleston, 2014). According to Charleston (2004), the main reason for orientation during the Graduate N urse Program are to enhance skills and knowledge in the new graduate, to facilitate the addition of theory and practice and to ease the new graduates’ transition from university life to the clinical setting (Charleston, 2014). According to Chestnutt and Everhart (2007), graduate nurses entering a clinical area must receive appropriate orientation that meets their required needs, provides exceptional support and communication with all health professionals (Chestnutt Everhart, 2007). Structural empowerment, being able to manage workload, fairness, organisational values and leadership are significantly related to job satisfaction, therefore making a graduate nurse more likely to not leave the nursing profession (Junttila, 2014). Orientation to a hospital or ward add to graduate nurses’ ability to perform duties, increase confidence, competence and job satisfaction. It also lowers the turnover rate and enhances the quality of nursing care, for example; decreasing medication errors (Junttila, 2014). Travele (2007) states, â€Å"An inexperienced nurse’s knowledge is theory based because he or she lacks the wisdom that defines an experienced nurse. Targeted education needs to be progressive to engage this computer-savvy generation in learning†. A useful way to simplify orientation and capitalise on educator resources, is to offer online courses. Therefore, this paper will provide a change management plan to implement a wiki (website) to improve orientation to new graduate nurses. This will allow graduate nurses to communicate and share information with other graduate nurses, as well as be able to access visual aids such as links on clinical procedures. This will enhance their knowledge, clinical skills and be able to socialise with others, which in turn, will make for an easier transition from university to the clinical setting. Rationale The reason for the initial promoting of change to improve orientation for all graduate nurses was feedback from current and previous graduate nurses from Holmesglen Hospital on their experience of when they were orientated to the hospital and their specific ward. A graduate nurse, reflecting back on her transition process during orientation provided a simple but powerful statement representative of her experience: â€Å"I thought, I’m an RN now, so I have to know the answers. I can’t say I’m a student anymore. I worry about not knowing enough, not knowing what to do. Should I do this, or should I do that? Did I miss anything? I feel like I’m walking a fine line.† (Rush, Adamack, Gordon, Lilly, Janke, 2013) Other statements from previous nurses included: â€Å"One day during orientation, I came onto the floor like I normally do. It was on my schedule to be on this floor with this person. So I go in there, and I take report on all my patients, and they call back and tell me you are going to the fifth floor tonight. It was four o’clock when I was told I had to switch floors and preceptors. I thought to myself, what are they doing? You are confusing me and screwing me up. It was very frustrating.† (Rush et al., 2013; St Clair, 2013) â€Å"The first few months were the hardest and the most stressful time for me, I was overwhelmed with so many resources during orientation, I didn’t know where to start.† (Phillips et al., 2014) To address these challenges, it is vital that graduate nurses are provided with a transition framework that facilitates their growth and the achievement of their potential. These studies described graduate nurses’ transition experiences as they were walking the fine line between student and nurse (Romyn et al., 2009). Change Management Plan To enable sustainable change, nurses need to take the lead in managing it (Davies, 2014). Lippitt’s phases can be used in nursing practice especially with the advancement in technology, the nature of healthcare organizations, and professional standards. Although we experience change every day, nurses have a difficult time embracing â€Å"planned† change. As presented in the discussion, the use of a wiki (website) can provide nurses with educational material, links to relevant websites on practical skills and procedures and it can provide a place to communicate with other nurses, preceptors, other graduate nurses, and the rest of the graduate team. The change management theory that will guide the implementation of the proposed project of improving orientation for graduate nurses will be outlined using Lippitt’s seven steps of change. 1. Diagnoses of the problem. According to Lippitt et al. (2014), this stage involves a change agent that may notice that an intervention or change would benefit the system or person and offers assistance (Swansburg, 2014). A change agent is someone who acts as a catalyst for change (Swansburg, 2014). During this phase, there was formal and informal feedback from past and current graduate nurses about their experiences during orientation which prompted a need for change. The goals of the project would be a) enhance graduate nurses’ orientation to a clinical setting, b) support the new graduate nurses while improving their education and c) improving professional communication through information technology. This first stage of change would involve speaking to the Holmesglen educators and nurse managers to discuss how this change could be implemented into the orientation of new graduate nurses. Providing awareness, having adequate support and outlining the benefits that this project could offer to new graduates and staff would be the main focus of this phase. After the support and contribution of the key stakeholders, then the second stage of the change process can be established. 2. Assessing the motivation and capacity for the change Phase two will involve the change agent gaining the trust of the key stakeholders as well as anyone who will be involved within the nursing workforce in order to proceed with the project. If trust is not shown, then it becomes hard to influence any motivation for anything to change (Belcher Jones, 2009). An important part of this phase is to see how the group perceives the change agent and the motivation to the possible change. During this phase, it is important to approach it a sensitive and appropriate manner due to the fact that new graduate nurses will be excited to start their graduate nurse program but as well be scared about their career (Dyess Sherman, 2009; St Clair, 2013). The recipients of this project which are the graduate nurses, will hopefully want to gain the best possible orientation into their nursing workforce and take advantage of the resources that will be provided. However, there also can be a barrier because at this stage the graduate nurses will have potential overload of information that they have been giving in relation to their new nursing career. Therefore, it will be important to introduce the wiki (website) to their education and practice at a specific time. 3. Assessing the resources and motivation of the change agent Information must be collected regarding the situation in the workplace and why the project would benefit staff. One way to collect this information it to talk to other past and current graduate nurses on their experiences. If the motivation of new graduate nurses is there and they are willing to change the way in which orientations are run, then it makes it a lot easier for the change agent. A meeting to discuss what staff would like to present and offer within the website would be beneficial so that they feel that they are involved in the process of change. If a meeting were to be compulsory then, a presentation about â€Å"Wikis and website programs† and what they involve needs to be implemented. At some point during the presentation, it would be useful to provide the rationale behind the change and to state the benefits of its use. The one off meeting would be targeted towards new graduates but all staff can be present as they may want to access the website at some point in their career as well. All graduate nurses and other nurses all displayed an expression of interest in the meeting on the use of a website through formal and informal feedback. 4. Defining the progressive stages of change The fourth stage of planned change involves specifying the objectives of the change, charting out exactly how the change will be achieved, and the length of time you anticipate the plan will take (Daly, 2014). A pilot or trial period of the project also may be helpful at this point to allow for evaluation of the change, and to modify the plan if necessary (Daly, 2014). During this phase, the group will begin to formulate their ideas about the change. According to Lippitt et al. (2014), problems may arise in relation to motivation when the group starts to express intentions and actions towards the planned change (Swansburg, 2014). These problems can occur due to anxiety about the change or fear of failing the change (Daly, 2014). A trial procedure was offered involving the change which may help to alleviate symptoms such as anxiety and fear, therefore accepting the idea for change. In the development of a wiki (website), this will hopefully enhance orientation to graduate nurses. Once all staff members are aware of how the website can improve their practice and increase their knowledge, then hopefully they will be more willing to accept the change. 5. Ensuring the roles and responsibilities of the change agents are clear and understood Phase five involves choosing the appropriate role of the change agent. The role of the change agent during the change process is critical to the success of the plan (Davies, 2014). Failure to define the role of the change agent can result in confusion and a breakdown in communications (Davies, 2014). The change agent will ensure that all staff feel that they are well supported and encouraged to work towards actual efforts based on their intentions. The first step would be the actual creation of the website, followed by an active demonstration to the group that could be performed on the site. An example of a demonstration and activity that could be presented could be a link to a website where answers to clinical practice questions are found. This part would be very brief but most importantly informative in order to display simplicity to the work environment. Throughout the wiki, there could be links to clinical skills and techniques as well as up to date evidence based articles that will provide the best practice guidelines. Visual aids such as videos of procedures would also be very helpful for graduate nurses who may not get to experience assisting with a specific procedure during their orientation. These videos give the graduate nurses a visual aid so that when they are faced with this in their practice they at least have background knowledge and are able to visually recall what took place during the procedure even though they have not performed it on a patient. 6. Maintaining the change through feedback, and group coordination The key to maintaining the change is keeping the lines of communication open (Davies, 2014). Frequent, ongoing discussions by staff regarding the change will need to continue as each step in the plan is implemented, evaluated, and revised as necessary. During the implementation of the project, the focus will be to target new graduate nurses entering the nursing profession to improve their orientation. If the project is well received, then the inclusion of the website into the orientation will be not only useful for graduate nurses but can also be beneficial for other employees entering the nursing profession with no prior experience/graduate program. It can also aid as a review system for existing staff that may want to access the visual aids or articles to review some procedures that they may not come across day to day. There will also be ongoing debriefs, where anonymous feedback forms will be distributed to all participants to ensure confidentiality. New graduates will also be informed of the change and will be asked to give feedback on the quality of the new change and the use of the website. According to Lippitt et all. (2014), â€Å"One critical factor in the stabilization of change is the spread or non-spread of change to neighbouring systems† (Swansburg, 2014). If the use of a website i in Holmesglen Hospital spreads from the target group of graduate nurses to other staff members, this would show that stabilisation of the intervention is occurring. 7. Gradually removing the change agents the relationship Phase seven involves termination by the change agent, leaving the system or the organization to maintain the change (Davies, 2014). All graduate nurse will be able to have ongoing involvement with the group and staff members as well as the other key stakeholders; nurse educators and nurse managers on the wiki. However, the goal of the wiki is that it becomes a way to contribute to discussions and share knowledge with the group. With ongoing use of the website, graduate nurses will become more comfortable using the website and will be more likely to interact and use it. Therefore, nurses will be able to contribute their knowledge and participate more readily to discussions. Strategies for measuring outcomes The reason why to measure change, is to monitor progress, identify the next steps, learn from the process for practice, monitor implementation and to identify whether the desired goals have been achieved (Bond, 2013). Some ways to measure this change will include using questionnaires and surveys which are quick and easy to gather data from people in a non-threatening way as well as observation by gathering accurate information about how the change is processing (Bond, 2013). Another strategy will include having monthly check-ins with the supervisors, nurse managers, and leaders to capture successes and challenges (Bond, 2013). Furthermore, using direct observation from an outsider to see if the change has been implemented correctly with a positive change (Bond, 2013). During this change, there should be a comparison of the new graduate nurses before using the website and after they finished their orientation, this will identify participant’s motivation, support and behaviour during and after the change. Interviewing the graduate nurses’ one on one as they will be able to provide feedback about the new change and insight of what needs to be changed. Once all of the feedback and data on how the change went, data analysis should be completed. This would be performed using a software on the computer. It would be able to determine any improvement since starting the change to the end of the change, and then, be able to improve for the new graduate nurses that will be coming through next year and the year after. Lastly, when measuring change, one must communicate, engage and reflect to ensure the change process is acceptable and sustainable (Bond, 2013). Summary and Conclusion Within this paper, a discussion was addressed to encourage staff involvement in the process and offer opportunities to enhance learning during the challenging time of orientation for new graduate nurses. Additionally, a rationale for why the change needs to be implemented was identified. Furthermore, Lippitt’s seven stages was used to implement the change. Lippitt’s seven stages of change closely aligns with the nursing process and is appropriate for a variety of settings to implement change. Being aware of the needs of staff members as well as the barriers to change that may be met is vital for moving this initiative change forward. With the implementation of this change, it may be a valuable learning opportunity for new graduate nurses that could improve and enhance their orientation experience and promote a smoother transition into the nursing profession.

Kandinskys Art :: Wassily Kandinsky Artists Painters Essays

Since my first encounter with Kandinsky's art I was amazed by their complexity and always wondered about the creative and intellectual mind, which was responsible for them. The few books I managed to find on Kandinsky were extremely useful as they outlined his entire career and had a substantial amount of illustrations. There were also a number of websites available on the Internet, which contained critiques from other art historians, critics and fellow artists from around the world. But there is not a large number of his paintings available in Britain therefore could only experience his art at first hand on three occasions. If I were to attempt this coursework again I would perhaps try to widen my research by travelling outside of the U.K. and experiencing at first hand some of Kandinsky's more grand pieces, in order to fully feel their effects. Introduction Upon my first encounter with Kandinsky's painting, my eyes and indeed my mind were overcome with a sense of puzzlement, as it seemed impossible to decipher what lay beneath his passionate use of colour and distorted forms. Kandinsky hoped by freeing colour from its representational restrictions, it, like music could conjure up a series of emotions in the soul of viewer, reinforced by corresponding forms. Throughout this essay, I will follow Kandinsky's quest for a pure, abstract art and attempt to determine whether his passionate belief in this spiritual art and his theories on its effects on the soul, can truly be felt and appreciated by the average viewer, who at first glance would most likely view Kandinsky's paintings as simply abstract. Kandinsky was indeed a visionary, an artist who through his theoretical ideas of creating a new pictorial language sought to revolutionize the art of the twentieth-century. Regarded as the founder of abstract painting, he broke free from arts traditional limitations and invented the first painting for paintings sake, whereby the dissolution of the object and subsequent promotion of colour and form became means of expression in their own right. This theory stemmed from his fundamental belief of the importance of a "spiritual" art, which could be extracted only from the "inner voice" of the artist. Kandinsky believed that this spiritual domain was indestructible and therefore had the utmost authoritative power to create artistic messages that were as alive and pure as nature. His preoccupation with music and the freedom of expression that it provided, fascinated Kandinsky and inspired his observations on the "sounds" of colours, a theory based on an idea that these colours had a psychological effect on the viewer similar to the emotional effect created by a musical composition. Kandinsky the Russian Born in Moscow in 1866, Wassily Kandinsky would spend the majority of

Malaysia and the original people :: essays research papers

Malaysia and the â€Å"Original People† Neglecting aboriginal groups has been a common theme in the past when considering the advancement of developing countries. The United States had little to no regard for the Native Americans when developing a new nation. And now as Malaysia is a quickly developing country, we can see the effects of this development on its natives. Some of the world’s leading anthropologists who have been studying the â€Å"original people† of Malaysia for twenty-five years, have successfully written an in-depth explanation of the political struggle involving the Malaysian government and the Orang Asli’s. The oppression of non-represented ethnicities is the main conflict in this case study of Malaysia, entitled Malaysia and the â€Å"Original People†. The authors have produced a work that not only examines the group itself but also the past, present, and future of all social classes that reside within the countries borders. The book exceeded all expectations in the quantity as well as quality of information pertaining to the Orang Asli’s. Although there was little expression of the opinions of the actual tribes, the book was affected little due to the outstanding structure and content of the book. The strongest feature this book is its structure. The authors have created a book whose structure and word use makes it easy for most readers to comprehend. From the beginning the reader will learn that the whole motivation behind this book was to educate people of the affects of development on indigenous peoples around the world. â€Å"†¦how development and government programs in a developing country can affect indigenous peoples.† (Dentan, Endicott, Gomes, Hooker, p. ix) The reader should already know from the Forward and the Preface that the authors’ platform leans in favor of the Orang Asli. â€Å"We hope that once fair-minded people -in Malaysia and elsewhere-know about Orang Asli and their problems, they will want to help them.† (Dentan, Endicott, Gomes, Hooker, p. x) These â€Å"introduction† sections are an example of how the superb structuring of the case study. These sections are essential in the reading and comprehending the arguments made by the authors. After a broad overview of the situation and people involved, the authors start to break down the effects of development on each specific tribe in the Orang Asli. Once again we see the strength of this book, structure, as the tribes are each given its own section. This is very effective in helping the reader gradually understand the struggle each tribe has encountered.

Easier to Learn Programming Languages :: Essays Papers

Easier to Learn Programming Languages In the old days computers had to be fed instructions by hand written on a strip of tape. Now computers do most of the grunt work automatically allowing the program to focus on the problem to be solved as opposed to telling the computer how to solve the problem. This way work is done on a computer much faster and easier then before. The different programming languages used to give the computers instructions have come very far from the original tapes used, and they are still progressing. New languages are easier to use and can accomplish quickly what used to take a very long time in older languages. However these newer languages are not perfect because they are often forced to sacrifice flexibility and control to allow things to be done faster. This is because in order to do instructions faster and more simply things have to be assumed by the compiler that would need be included in the code for a lower level programming language. This can be a good thing because it lets programs be written more quickly and easily, but it also takes these things out of the control of the user. This can lead to more stable code since the programmer cannot make mistakes in these parts, but then the programmer cannot change these things if they need to be changed for some reason. Something important to remember with these new programming languages is that while they can make things easier they can only do so much. It will still take time to create a program no matter how easy the language used is. Also lower level more difficult programming languages will still be needed for creating programs that require more control then is usually allowed in a newer high level language. With the world moving into a new age of computing having programming languages that are easier to use become very important. It may very soon reach the point where anyone can become a bit of a programmer because the computer languages are so easy to use. This is why this can be such an important field. After all someone has to make these easy languages in the first place. There are a number of languages that have been made that are easy to use. A web page discussing them says "The "easy languages" (my own designation) Perl, Awk, Python, Tcl/Tk, and Visual Basic are free (not vb), easy to learn, but currently lack the source code and examples†¦" (par.

Hamlet Exam Study Guide Essay

What should Hamlet do? Explain the moral theories of each philosopher: Plato, Aristotle and Augustine. For each, determine the right thing for Hamlet to do. Then, assess the prince’s actions from the perspective of each recommendation. Plato Plato’s moral theory consisted of the concept of the soul and the concept of virtue as function. To Plato, the soul has three parts; reason, spirit, and appetite. The reason we do things is to reach a goal or value, our spirit drives us to accomplish our goal, and our desire for things is our appetite. The three virtues that must be fulfilled to reach the fourth, general virtue are temperance, courage, and wisdom, which correlate with the three parts of the soul. In order to achieve inner harmony, every part of the soul must be fulfilling its proper function. In Plato’s theory, Hamlet needs to look at the big picture of achieving inner harmony. In order to reach the goal of achieving inner harmony, Hamlet has to figure out another way of easing his anger other than the vengeance of his uncle. The virtues of temperance, courage, and wisdom need to be incorporated into Hamlet’s actions, and he would be able to reach his inner harmony. By keeping his reason in control of his will and appetites, he can use the dialectic to fulfill the knowledge on how to deal with the situation. Hamlet’s big picture of inner harmony was the death of his uncle. He wasn’t concerned about the consequences he would have to face in result, such as not achieving his goal. He was more concerned about feeding his appetite of revenge, and not re-evaluating his virtuous life. Although he held out on murdering his uncle a couple of times, he was still in rage and trying to please his father’s ghost, whatever the consequences were. He loved his mother, and wanted to save her, but he was more concerned with killing his uncle. Hamlet was not able to achieve inner harmony, since he did not have a proper functioning soul. Aristotle Aristotle’s moral theory involves the idea of living your life to the fullest happiness that can be reached. In order to achieve this final, we need to live a virtuous life according to the Golden mean, which is finding the middle grounds of the virtues we live by. Aristotle explains that we should continuously act in accordance with virtues, which are acquired from our upbringing and experiences. Because Aristotle believed in teleology, he said that by aiming our actions toward an end (happiness), our souls need to work in the way of excellence. Like Plato, Aristotle also gears toward reaching a goal. In order for Hamlet to achieve the goal of happiness, he needs to follow the golden mean to live the ideal life. Hamlet and Aristotle had the same question; what does it mean to be? Hamlet’s famous statement â€Å"to be or not to be† meant he did not know exactly how to put his feelings into action. Is it better to live with the knowing of the murder of his father, or is it better to die in the act of revenge. Aristotle would have Hamlet evaluate how he can fulfill the function of being a good person. To do this, Hamlet needs to act on the rational part of his soul and make the right choice in dealing with his knowledge of his father’s murder. Hamlet needs to live by the virtues of courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. If Hamlet makes rational decisions based on these virtues, he will understand that he needs to be able to communicate to Claudius and let him know that he will not get away with what he has done. As the Prince, he needs to take action as a ruler and set a good example for the people of Denmark and other kingdoms. Then again, Aristotle gave a pass of negative behavior to the involuntary acts that are done as a result of external compulsion. So, as he may say that everyone has the potential to be good, they may still slip up due to impulses such as revenge against the uncle who killed Hamlet’s father and re-wed his mother. In the act of aiming toward an end, Hamlet may choose whether or not to follow the instrumental road or the intrinsic road. Since Hamlet had a couple of chances to kill the King, he kept holding out until he thought he would have a perfect opportunity. In the beginning, he was following a virtuous life, and toward the end, when he claimed to have â€Å"bloody† thoughts, he was gearing more toward the impulsive irrational part of his soul. He eventually followed this road, but his soul was dying anyways. Augustine In order to have faith, we need to understand the reason for spirituality. To know universal truth, we have to go beyond human reason to discover God. Since the soul cannot find peace among bodily pleasures or sensations, we need to understand what will bring happiness to our lives and how we can succeed as humans. Since God created us, we will find happiness only in him. We have free will to choose the City of God or the City of the World. In choosing the City of God, we are putting our faith in God to guide us to make the right choices in finding happiness, not materialistic things or other people. By devoting our ultimate love to God and having faith that God can provide us with happiness, we can fulfill our destiny. For Augustine, Hamlet needs to start praying. He needs to open his heart and have faith in God to take care of the situation. Since we are Gods people, only God can bring justice. The king may have done something horrible, but he has to answer to God in the end. Hamlet needs to stay on the right track and pray that God can save him from his horrible thoughts of having revenge on the king. God is the only one who can bring happiness to our lives and help us to succeed as humans. Hamlet needs to choose the City of God, and make the right choices to not worry about punishing other people. This is the only way that he will achieve the goal of happiness. Unfortunately, Hamlet did not look to God for the answer. He may have said some prayers, and asked for guidance, but he certainly did not follow what he knew he was supposed to do. Instead, he listened to the ghost of his father and aimed towards revenge. Hamlet may have thought he achieved what he was out to do, but in the end, his mother was poisoned to death, his lover, Ophelia, died along with her brother, Laertes, as well as his other two friends he had killed in England, the king died, and so did Hamlet himself. If he would have put his trust in God to deal with the murder of his father, he could have saved himself along with everyone else he cared so deeply for. God always has a plan.

The Necessity of Urban Local Government Institutions

Asia Research Centre Working Paper 19 Challenges for Urban Local Governments in India Written by Rumi Aijaz Rumi Aijaz was Visiting Research Fellow at Asia Research Centre in 2006. E-mail: [email  protected] com A section of this working paper has been accepted for publication in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Asian and African Studies, by Sage Publications Ltd. Copyright  © Rumi Aijaz, 2007 All rights reserved.Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of research or private study, or criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher nor be issued to the public or circulated in any form other than that in which it is published. Requests for permission to reproduce this Working Paper or any part thereof should be sent to the author, and to the editor at the address below: Asia Research Centre (ARC) London School of Economics & Political ScienceHoughton Street London WC2A 2AE www. lse. ac. uk/collections/asiaResearchCentre Abstract Urban local government institutions/municipalities are constituted for the maintenance and planned development of urban areas. The objective is to ensure that suitable levels of infrastructure and services are available to the citizens. In many parts of India, the quality of life in urban areas is miserable and the citizens lead a difficult life. To overcome this problem, a series of reforms have been initiated by the Indian government to strengthen local-level governance.The main purpose of this working paper is to describe the major issues of governance at the local level and to identify some important challenges for urban local government institutions in India in the light of recent urban sector reforms. This assessment is based on data collected from six urban centres situated in three northern/north-western states (namely Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal) of India on key urban local government characteristics – constitution and governance, duties, composition, management and finance practices, state/local-level initiatives and problems.The findings of this study show that urban local governments in India continue to remain plagued by numerous problems, which affect their performance in the efficient discharge of their duties. These problems relate to the extent of participation and rule of law in the municipal decisionmaking process, transparency in the planning and implementation of infrastructure projects, and level of efficiency in various municipal management and finance practices. It is concluded that fresh thinking is necessary to resolve the problems confronting urban local governments in India. 7 7 H H P ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? G  ¤ ? ? ?   3   ¤ ?  ? ?   ¦  F   $   ? %   ¦ !   ! I E ! 8 & 7 ? ? ? ? ?  ¤ ?  %   ) ?  ¤ ? ( % ?   § ?  ? )    ¤   ?    ¦ ? $  #  ?  §  †  ? !  ¦    ¤  §    ¤   ¦ ?   § ?  ¦ ? ? (   ? B @ 0 9  %  ? 3 3 8 D 7 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? % ? C ? $  ¦ ?   %  ?  ? B ?  3  ? A       ?   ¦    @  9  %  ? 3 3 8 4 6 7 0 & ? ? 4 1 ? 0 & ?  ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Math 157

| Course Design GuideCollege of Natural SciencesMTH/157 Version 3Math for Elementary Teachers II| Copyright  © 2011, 2009, 2007 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course is the second in a two-part series designed for K–8 preservice teachers to address the conceptual framework for mathematics taught in elementary school. The focus of Part Two will be on measurement, geometry, probability, and data analysis. The relationship of the course concepts to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards for K–8 instruction is also addressed. PoliciesFaculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course MaterialsBillstein, R. , Libeskind, S. , & Lott, J. W. (2010). A problem solving approach to mathematics for elementary school teachers (10th ed. ). Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Week One: Data Analysis| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 1. 1 Use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data. 1. 2 Develop predictions based on data. | | | Course Preparation| Read the course description and objectives. Read the instructor’s biography and post your own. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 9 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | Reading| Read Ch. 10 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Reading| Read the Associate Level Mat erial: Using MyMathLab ®. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation| Participate in class discussion. | | 10| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions. | | 10| IndividualMyMathLab ® Orientation| Complete the Orientation Assignment located in MyMathLab ®. | | 45| Week Two: Probability| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 1 2. 3 Apply basic concepts of probability. | | | Reading| Review Ch. of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Reading| Review Ch. 10 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Nongraded Activities and PreparationSpinner Activity| View the Spinner Activity Animation located on the student website. | | | IndividualText Problems 1| Complete Text Problems 1 located in MyMathLab ®. | | 70| IndividualProbability Games| Resources: http://www. betweenwaters. comAccess to the Probability Games on the Between Waters websit e by using the following directions:Go to http://www. betweenwaters. omScroll down and click on Probability Games. Locate the Coin Flip and Dice Roll games. Click Play under each activity to play the games. Play both the Coin Flip and Dice Roll games. After you have played the games, write a 350- to 700-word paper describing your experience. Include the following in your paper:What did you learn about how probabilities are determined? What method might be the most difficult concept for children to learn and why? Post your paper as an attachment. | | 100| ————————————————- ————————————————- Week Three: Introduction to Geometry| Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 2 3. 4 Apply characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes in problem so lving. 3. 5 Identify geometric figures and shapes based on mathematical arguments. 3. 6 Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 11 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation| Participate in class discussion. | | 10| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions. | 10| ————————————————- ————————————————- Week Four: Introduction to Geometry, Continued| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 3 4. 7 Apply characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes in problem solving. 4. 8 Identify geometric figures and shapes based on mathematical argumen ts. 4. 9 Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems. | | | Reading| Review Ch. 11 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | IndividualText Problems 2| Complete Text Problems 2 located in MyMathLab ®. | | 35| IndividualGeometry Manipulatives| Prepare an activity involving a geometric manipulative designed to teach a geometric concept to an elementary school student. You may create your own activity or modify an existing activity; if you are modifying an existing activity, however, ensure your sources are properly cited. Create a handout including the following information:A detailed description of your activity, which must include the application of the characteristics and properties of the hosen geometric shapeInstructions for conducting the activityMaterials neededNational Council of Teacher of Mathematics standards addressed| | 100| —————————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- Week Five: Applications of Geometry| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 4 5. 10 Specify locations using coordinate geometry. 5. 11 Describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry. 5. 12 Use symmetry to analyze mathematical situations. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 12 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 4 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation| Participate in class discussion. | | 10| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions. | | 10| Nongraded Activities and PreparationAnimations| View the following animations located on the student website:Grapher AnimationTransformations AnimationLady Bu g Transformation Animation| | | ————————————————- ————————————————- Week Six: Applications of Geometry, Continued| | Details| Due| Points|Objectives| 5 6. 13 Specify locations using coordinate geometry. 6. 14 Describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry. 6. 15 Use symmetry to analyze mathematical situations. | | | Reading| Review Ch. 12 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Reading| Review Ch. 14 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | IndividualText Problems 3| Complete Text Problems 3 located in MyMathLab ®. | | 85| IndividualTessellation Patterns| Resource: Associate Level Material: Appendix ACreate a tessellation pattern using theMicrosoft ® Paint program, the GeoGebra website, a Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® presentation, or other means available to you, or you may draw something by hand. Ask your instructor for assistance if needed. Use color and shading to create a visually-pleasing tessellation. Write a 350- to 700-word paper including the following:An explanation of why you chose the tessellated figureThe type of transformation used and whyThe actual tessellation or a picture of the created tessellation * Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. | | 100| ————————————————- ————————————————-Week Seven: Applications of Measurement| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 6 7. 16 Identify the relevant attributes of objects when solving problems. 7. 17 Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determ ine measurements. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 13 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation| Participate in class discussion. | | 10| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions. | | 10| ————————————————- ———————————————— Week Eight: Applications of Measurement, Continued| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 7 8. 18 Identify the relevant attributes of objects when solving problems. 8. 19 Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements. | | | Reading| Review Ch. 13 of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. | | | IndividualText Problems 4| Complete Text Problems 4 locate d in MyMathLab ®. | | 40| IndividualReflective Paper| Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word paper synthesizing the major concepts addressed in this course.Include the following in your paper:Summarize the major mathematical concepts of the course. Explain how the concepts learned in this course are relevant to the characteristics of a professional mathematics teacher. Determine how the course concepts have influenced your ideas and philosophy of teaching. Recommend changes to the practice of mathematics instruction based on your learning experiences in the MTH/156 and MTH/157 courses. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. | | 100| ————————————————- ————————————————-Week Nine: Mathematical Connection| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 8 9. 20 Synthesize the mathematical concepts addressed in this course. | | | CapstoneParticipation| Participate in class discussion. | | 10| Capstone Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions. | | 10| Final ProjectFinal Exam| Complete the Final Exam located in MyMathLab ®. | | 225| ————————————————- Optional Discussion Questions Week One Discussion Questions How do all the branches in a tree diagram illustrate the counting principle or generate all possible outcomes?Explain your answer. * When a student is taught how to find the mean of a set of data, why might they have a difficult time accepting the answer? Provide an example. Week Three Discussion Questions How might you involve children in learning geometric concepts? Which geometric concept do you think will be most difficult for children to learn and why? * Why is three-dimensional geometry important? What difficultie s might students have when working in three-dimensional geometry? Week Five Discussion Questions Why do some children have difficulty with rotational symmetry?What methods can you use to help them understand rotational symmetry? * Research the flag for the state or country in which you live. Determine the number of lines of symmetry in the flag, and describe the lines of symmetry you discover. What concept might you use this activity for in an elementary school setting? Week Seven Discussion Questions Accurate measurement of the volume of different shapes is an important mathematical concept. Review the following scenario and respond: * A student read about Volkswagen packing in the 1960s. She was interested in knowing the maximum number of students that fit into a Volkswagen car.How might you help her estimate an answer in a reasonable way? Explain. * What are one to three activities that helped you understand the concept of area? How did these activities help you understand the co ncept? Might the same activities help children understand the concept? Explain. Week Nine Discussion Questions What two mathematical concepts that you have learned in this course do you feel will be the most beneficial to you in the classroom? Why? * * Select one mathematical concept you have learned in this course and provide a brief example of how you could incorporate it into a lesson in the classroom.What steps would you take to ensure students understand the concept? Copyright University of Phoenix ® is a registered trademark of Apollo Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft ®, Windows ®, and Windows NT ® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Use of these marks is not intended to imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation. Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix ® edi torial standards and practices.

Report on Intelligence and link to Gender

In my study I am traveling to speak about intelligence: specifying the word intelligence, IQ proving and theoreticians work on intelligence, if there is any grounds linked with gender differences in intelligence. I will include possible factors that may impact gender differences in intelligence for case environmental and biological factors. The methods I will utilize to acquire grounds for this study are as follows ; I will utilize books on what theoreticians findings are on this topic, use the cyberspace and diaries. The intent of this survey is to happen out, if there are any possible differences between gender, and associating this to intelligence. Encarta dictionary definition of intelligence ‘is the ability to larn facts and accomplishments and use them ‘ . Deary ‘s ( 2001, p.17 ) definition of intelligence ‘is a really general mental capableness that, among other things, involves the ability to ground, program, work out jobs, think abstractly, comprehend complex thoughts, learn rapidly and larn from experience ‘ . Galton ‘s familial mastermind is to make with the different degrees of intelligence measured by familial factors. Galton thought that higher intelligence was being passed down to kids. Day, Macaskill, & A ; Maltby ( 2007 p.258 ) province that ‘intelligent people show the ability to react to the big scope of information gained through their senses ‘ . So the 5 senses of the human organic structure are critical such as odor, gustatory sensation, hearing, sight and touch because this will find how intelligent a individual may be, if they do non utilize their senses right, the individual will hold less intelligence than those who can for case, a individual does non cognize the difference between Sweet and salty. A babe ‘s gustatory sensation and odor buds are really good because, the babe will cognize when it is clip for dinner by utilizing their odor sense. Babies use gustatory sensation buds go od because when my brother was younger he would prefer to eat the sweet nutrient instead than the salt nutrient, it would take him longer to eat the salty nutrient, on the other manus when eating the sweet nutrient it wo n't take every bit long as the salt nutrient. Cattell ‘s mental trial is to make with mensurating a individual ‘s intelligence through hearing and weight these experiments were carried out utilizing the psychometric theoretical account. Problems with this experiment Chamorro – premuzic ( 2007, p. 67 ) examined this and suggested that ‘ therefore, most of the variables he measured were more â€Å" elemental † than â€Å" mental † , and referred to really basic cognitive procedures that are now known to be related to intelligence ‘ . From this remark you can see that the experiment he did was more on the indispensable side of things such as how good child can hear and non based on mental accomplishments such as numeracy, jo bs work outing or literacy. The IQ trial was developed by two Gallic scientists, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon, the intent of the trial was to measure kids at school so that stupid kids or kids with behavioral troubles could have equal and appropriate instruction. IQ proving is to make with mensurating your intelligence for illustration comprehension, job resolution and concluding accomplishments. Criticisms of IQ proving are as follows they do non accurately step intelligence, and everyone has different strengths and failings in different countries of intelligence, such as person could be good at job resolution, but have a failing in concluding accomplishments and another individual could be good at concluding accomplishments and non really good on job resolution. Howard Gardner ( multiple intelligence theory ) he put together eight different intelligence trials which were Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Nat uralist. Criticism of the Theory like many theories environing intelligence, Gardner ‘s theory of multiple intelligences is controversial and widely criticised. In peculiar, there is uncertainty over his deficiency observed informations – many feel that the 8 ‘intelligences ‘ are merely alternate names for specific endowments or even personality types. Methodology I have used books, the cyberspace and diaries to roll up my informations. This method of researching is called secondary research. Secondary research is the usage of stuff, which has been researched by person else. The different research methods for secondary research are as follows: engineering based and instance surveies. Technology based research is to make with researching from the computing machine to acquire your information, which has a batch of benefits such as the cyberspace provides on-line libraries ; e-books, diaries and encyclopedia. The chief electronic databases I have used for my research were as follows Psycinfo, Psychology & A ; Behavioural Sciences Collection and British ED index. The cardinal read was based on, intelligence and gender differences and how the hunt found a figure of diaries, but some were irrelevant, to what I was looking for. You can download information off the Internet but make certain it is copyright free. Search engines aid you through the mass of information on the Internet two most popular hunt engines are yahoo and google etc ; besides on the cyberspace you can seek for newspaper articles. Case surveies published by other research workers can be used as secondary footing of informations. There is a batch of ways you can utilize them such as identify differences and discuss comparings. I did non utilize primary research because this is to make with transporting out your ain research. The different research methods for primary research are interviews, experiments, questionnaires and observations etc. I did n't utilize this method because I did n't hold adequate clip to make this if I did I would hold done questionnaires to acquire my findings. Literature reappraisal There has been a batch of work done on intelligence and how this is linked to gender differences. Alan Feingold ( 1988 ) examined sex differences for spelling, verbal logical thinking, numerical ability, spacial relationship and linguistic communication and many more. Another individual who studied this was Larry Hedges and Amy Nowell ( 1995 ) , who looked at reading comprehension, vocabulary, mathematics, scientific discipline and spacial ability ( which is to make with the ability to retrieve things by looking at objects and retrieving them ) . Maccoby and Jacklin ( 1974 ) suggested that work forces on norm do better on trials of spacial ability than adult females do. Supporting this ( Feingold, 1988 ; Hedges & A ; Nowell, 1995 ) who have done surveies on spacial trials have proven this hypothesis. In contrast ( Feingold, 1988 ; Hedges & A ; Nowell, 1995 ) have similarities in their experiments for illustration they both tested numeracy accomplishments and literacy accomplishments. On the other manus adult females do better on reading comprehension and vocabulary than work forces do. APA study province that ‘some verbal undertakings show significant average differences favoring females. These include synonym coevals and verbal eloquence ( e.g. calling words that start with a given missive ) , with consequence size runing from d= 0.5 to 1.2 ( Gordon & A ; Lee, 1986 ; Hines 1990 ) ‘ . Males have larger encephalons than females and encephalon size is positively correlated with intelligence. Among kids up to the age of around 14 yr the sex differences are smaller because misss mature earlier than male childs. Work done by Lubinski and Humphreys ( 1990 ) found that the criterion of divergence for males to be 7 per centum larger than for females. It has besides been hypothesised that work forces ‘s higher IQ mark may be direct effect of their larger encephalon sizes, a claim that has been backed up by consistent grounds of correlativities in the p art of.30 between encephalon size and IQ tonss ( Rushton & A ; Ackney 1996 ) . Macintosh ( 2007, p. 184 ) provinces that ‘ the critics would hold been better advised to oppugn whether one can do reasonable illations about differences in IQ between groups from grounds of their differences in the encephalon plus grounds of a within-group correlativity between encephalon size and IQ ‘ . Environmental factor impacting intelligence environmental factors play a big function in finding IQ in certain state of affairss. Malnutrition correlates with lower IQ, proposing that proper nutrition in childhood is critical for cognitive development. ( Cole, 2000:26 ) Even before kids go to school their parents will handle a male child and girl really different. Even in society throughout history this has occurred. A batch of research has gone into this ; your gender is an issue from the minute you are born. Automatically society will state how a miss will act and how a male child will act . If it is a male child, oh he ‘s like that because he ‘s a male child and boys ever take longer to hold on it. The thought that intelligence and personality are mostly inherited has of import educational deductions. Environmental factors, e.g. household experiences, upbringing and schooling play a major function. ( Chamorro-Premuzic, 2008:99 ) . Biological factor impacting intelligence are as follows encephalon size, encephalon operation and testosterone. Testosterone is to make with males endocrines these are substances that travel around the human organic structure to consequence physiological activity, such as growing and metamorphosis Maltby et Al ( 2007, p.360 ) . Consequences or findings The figure below is from Hines ( 2003 ) and shows the magnitudes of some well-known sex differences in human behavior compared to the magnitude of the sex difference in tallness. hypertext transfer protocol: //sexes.martinsewell.com/Hines2003-1-1.png This graph shows that work forces do good in 3-D rotary motion 0.8 divergence units, maths job 0.3 divergence units, maths concept 0.1 divergence units which non much because the consequence size is little. On the other manus this graph shows that verbal eloquence is low in male childs than misss because vitamin D is a negative figure, which shows -0.3 on the graph. This tabular array shows the spread in 1989 was merely 6 % but 10yrs later it had increased to 10 % . It is suggested by S. Ball ( 2008 ) that this spread is an overall statistic and non capable particular he suggests that in 2004 the divergences of this spread was merely 1 % and that in some topics boys achieve better consequences than misss therefore it is non valid to state that all male childs or all misss achieve less in Gcse degrees Discussion The of import issues that I have found are that male childs have bigger encephalon sizes than misss, which is linked to better IQ trial tonss for male childs than misss. Another issue that I found is that male childs tend to make better on spacial accomplishments ; they find mathematics and scientific discipline more interesting to larn about. But on the other manus misss to break on verbal, comprehension and vocabulary accomplishments than male childs do. The importance of this survey was to happen out ; if there were any differences between genders in intelligence besides I was interested in happening this out so I undertook my research study on this topic. During the procedure of garnering the information, it was really interesting to happen out that work forces have bigger encephalons than adult females, which gives them better IQ mark than adult females. Decisions and recommendations The intent of this survey is to happen out, if there are any possible differences between gender, and associating this to intelligence. From making my research in this field, I have found that there is non much difference between male and females and theoreticians have backed this statement up for many old ages. Neisser 1996 province that ‘most standard trials of intelligence have been constructed so that there are no overall mark differences between females and males ‘ . The chief issues that affect intelligence in gender: Boys do better on spacial trials than misss ; in contrast to this misss do better in verbal, comprehension and vocabulary accomplishments. Brain size of males is bigger than females encephalon size which consequences in work forces acquiring better IQ tonss than adult females. If I carry out this survey once more, I would do betterments to the research I have done, by making my ain research in this field to see what consequences I get from making this, I can make this by transporting out questionnaires on IQ. Another manner I could better my research is inquiring people to take the IQ trial. With these consequences I can compare them to one another, to happen out if there are any possible differences.