Managing IT outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing IT outsourcing - Essay Example The following is an overview of managing the IT outsourcing relationship, which includes the business process of outsourcing, the tools and resources, understanding the cost and return on investment. Furthermore, there will be some examples of risk management and data security, as well as a look at the dimensions of relationship management and its importance.Business Process Outsourcing is best explained by Medas Company, an outsourcing management consultant. Their document, A Practical Guide to Business Process Outsourcing (2006) gives straightforward information on the actual process of Managing IT Outsourcing. The following matrix (Medas 2006) shows the services and steps in functional IT management outsourcing:Medas (2006) states that first, it is important for the manager to identify the organisation's needs as the scope of activities, the reasons for outsourcing, and how this will impact or change the business model. This includes understanding the current organisational struct ure, the IT system infrastructure including the team members functional roles and the systems that support them. Medas notes that the current volume of transactions being internally processes must be examined. Once the current functionality and organisation's objectives for outsourcing have been established, Medas states that the next step is to choose an outsourcing partner:"the Outsourcing partner's people need to fully understand the organisation's needs. ... They need to understand the systems that support the back office processes as well as having experience in managing complex systems environments, running and supporting hardware and developing systems, including web enabling. At this stage, it is also important to consider whether the Outsourcing partner can ensure network connectivity in a secure environment that permits data integration" (Medas pp 10 2006). The next step in the process of managing IT outsourcing is to agree on a commercial framework. This allows the involved parties to agree on the provisions of service, and should compromise "Details such as fixed costs, unit pricing and the level of investment could all be defined in the commercial framework" (Medas p 11 2006). Lastly, the IT manager wants to develop a transitional plan that establishes the business process and features. This includes: A review of the current systems, processes and organisational structure -identifying which systems are to be transferred (Medas p 11 2006). Definition of services to be provided (Medas p 11 2006). Agree the definition of service levels in terms of Service Level Measures (SLM) and Service Level Agreements (SLA) (Medas p 11 2006). How employees will be affected by the transition e.g. how many staff and what types of jobs will be transferred, where they will be located, how they will be dealt with in terms of motivation and ongoing training and development (Medas p 11 2006). How the process of staff transferral will be managed (TUPE) and what changes, if any, are to be made to the retained organisation - and how this will be communicated to all those involved (Medas p 11 2006). The stages of the transition - and the timeframe involved (Medas p 11 2006). Agree and finalise the contractual terms of the arrangement

Health Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Inequality - Essay Example ifferent population groups and communities" like "differences in mobility between elderly people and younger populations or differences in mortality rates between people from different social classes." Throughout the world, there are gross inequalities of health between countries and between various groups within the same country. For example, in Japan, the life expectancy is 81.9 years while in Sierra, it is 34 years. In this essay, health inequality in UK, which is a developed country will be explored to ascertain the magnitude of the problem, evaluate the causes for it and study the various interventions undertaken by the government to tackle it. Of the health inequalities within the population of UK, the most noticeable is the difference in the life expectancy between the rich and the poor (House of Commons Health Committee or HC, 2009). According to the 2006 statistics, individuals born in Chelsea and Kensington have a life expectancy of 87.8 years while those born in Glasgow city have a life expectancy of only 77.1 years. Despite aggressive measures by the government and effort by the people, health inequalities in UK continue to persist. One of the main reasons for this that while there is improvements in the health status of the poorer population, the richer continue to get better and keep the gap open. The gap is in fact increasing. According to HC (2009), "the gap in men’s life expectancy in the period 2005–07 was 4% wider than the baseline period, while for women, this gap was 11% wider." Also, "from 2005–07, infant mortality in routine and manual groups was 16% higher than in the population as a whole, compared to 13% in the baseline period." The HC (2009) has also reported health inequalities in some major causes of mortality like coronary artery disease and stroke. Similar differences have been noted for infant mortality too. Apart from socio-economic strata, health inequalities have been reported even between various ethnic groups.

Margaret Atwood, The Circle Game

Margaret Atwood, The Circle Game Her first publication was a book of poetry, The Circle Game 1964, which received the Governor Generals Literary Award for poetry (Canada), Several other poetry collections have followed since, including Interlunar (1995) , Morning in the Burned House (1995) and the latest, Eating Fire: Selected poetry, 1965-1995 (1998). She was also as a short story writer and her books of short fiction include Dancing Girls and Other stories (1982), Wilderness Tips (1991) and good Bones (1992). Margaret Atwood is best known for her novels, in which she created strong and puzzling women characters. Her first novel was The Edible Woman (1969), which is about a woman who cannot eat and feels that she is being eaten. Surfacing (1973); Lady Oracle (1977); Life Before Man (1980); Bodily Harm (1982 and The Handmaids Tale (1986) is a futuristic novel describing a womans struggle to break free from her role. Her latest novels have been; Cats Eye (1989), dealing with the subject of bullying among young girls; The Robber Bride (1993); Alias Grace (1996); The Blind Assassin (2000); and Oryx and Crake (2003), a version of a scientific dystopia. These novels have received many awards. The most vital crisis in the life of a modern man is that of identity. Twentieth century literature reflects this very accurately. The important issue dealt in modern literature is the search for identity or the quest for self. The strength of todays literature is found in its evocation of the individuals predicament in terms of alienation or exile or quest for identity. (Srivastava 130) In fiction, the attention has shifted from the society in the century to the individual in the twentieth century. The individual is given more important and man is seen as one who creates societies rather than one who is created by it. The subject of the self has gained universal importance and it, is most dominant in Common Wealth countries. The Common Wealth countries in the twentieth century feel that they do not belong anywhere as they were under the rule of the British for long time and the suddenly let free. These countries strive to seek a separate identity of their own new and the same is seen in their literature. The Common Wealth writers feel that they have a responsibility in giving a unique identity to their countries. The question of identity first started with the nationality and slowly it narrowed down to the individual itself. Canada being a Common Wealth country faces both the problems of national and individual identity. The very word Canada gives the meaning. It is derived from the Spanish word Canada-aca-nada which means nothing here. 3 The search for a recognizable and meaningful Canadian has been a main Pre-occupation in Canada. M.F. Salat says that the Pre-occupation with self-definition and the search for a distinctive Canadian identity has been such a central aspect of Canadian imagination, it can be said , the discourse on identity is the Canadian discourse. (salat 62) What distinguishes Canadian predicament from other Countries is the continuation of the identity crisis is the continuation of identity crisis over a long period of time. This is because Canada has never been free of what is called the Colonial identity. In the beginning it was under the influence of the British culture and lately it suffers from the psycho- social and economic colonization by the United States of America. The issue of the Canadian identity rose up most vehemently in the post 1960. It was mostly dealt by women writers as it was the period of the womens Liberation Movement. The women writers also had a personal reason behind it as they wanted to establish their identity as writers without any prejudice on gender. The Womens Liberation Movement helped to release Canadian Women from many of the restrictions and inhibitions of the society. It helped to create the new women. This, says Barabara Godard, astonished, amused and frightened Canadians in the period before the First World War. (Janeja 172) 4 Many women took to writing as a profession and portrayed their ambitions and aspirations of the new women Their writings portrayed their yearning for freedom from the limited constrains of a conventional society. In Canada women began to assert consciously and confidently their potential as writers in the post- 1960s. The wide spread preoccupation with the quest for a distinctive cultural identity in Canada in the post 1960s, was responsible for strengthening the desire to assert a distinctive feminine identity comparable to and compatible with the male, in culture as well as in literature. (salat 78) The most important women writers of this period are Margaret Atwood, Margaret Laurence, Ruby Wiebe, and Alice Munro. A among these writers the most noticed and appreciated. Women writers is Margaret Atwood. Atwood has implicit and successfully problematised Canadas quest for identity in her novels by making her women protagonists undergo a similar crisis. She has a predominantly feminine search for a distinctive identity. Atwoods reaction to this sensitive issue of identity has been the most articulate and she has deliberately set out to create all her novels in such a way that towards the end, each of her protagonists emerges as a woman who knows her own self. Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet, short-story writer and also a well established critic. She was born in Ottawa in 1939. She spent a 5 Considerable part of her early life in the northern Ontoria and Quebec bush country. She started writing at the early age of five. Her father who is an entomologist often took his family on field trips. This produced in Atwood an early and an avid interest in the wilderness. In 1946, the family went to Leaside, a suburb of Toronto and settled there. This change is also reflected in her writing. The contrasts beween its Christian, middle-class morality and its blatant materialism define the spiritual wasteland through which many of Atwoods characters pass on their way from childhood to maturity.(75) Atwood is a graduate from the University of Toronto, where she won a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. She took her Masters Degree from Radcliffe College. Since 1973 Atwood has live with Graeme Gibson a Canadian novelist and Cultural activist. They have a daughter, Eleanor Jess. They now live in Toronto. Atwood has been a write- in residence at Universities in Canada, the USA and Australia. She has taught in several Universities such as the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, Sir George Williams University, Montreal and at York University Toronto. She was the founding member of the writers Union 1984-86. She is still an effective spokesperson, and activist on behalf of Canadian writers and of womens right, Native rights and the environment.

The Light-dark Metaphor in Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad Essay

Throughout his narrative in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Charlie Marlow characterizes events, ideas, and locations that he encounters in terms of light or darkness. Embedded in Marlow's parlance is an ongoing metaphor equating light with knowledge and civility and darkness with mystery and savagery. When he begins his narrative, Marlow equates light and, therefore, civility, with reality, believing it to be a tangible expression of man's natural state. Similarly, Marlow uses darkness to depict savagery as a vice having absconded with nature. But as he proceeds deeper into the heart of the African jungle and begins to understand savagery as a primitive form of civilization and, therefore, a reflection on his own reality, the metaphor shifts, until the narrator raises his head at the end of the novel to discover that the Thames seemed to 'lead into the heart of an immense darkness.'' The alteration of the light-dark metaphor corresponds with Marlow's cognizance that t he only 'reality', 'truth', or 'light' about civilization is that it is, regardless of appearances, unreal, absurd, and shrouded in 'darkness'. Marlow uses the contrast between darkness and light to underscore the schism between the seemingly disparate realms of civility and savagery, repeatedly associating light with knowledge and truth; darkness with mystery and deceptive evil. When Marlow realizes that his aunt's acquaintances had misrepresented him to the Chief of the Inner Station, Marlow states, 'Light dawned upon me', as if to explicitly associate light with knowledge or cognizance. It is significant then, that Marlow later associates light with civilization. He describes the knights-errant who went out from the Thames to conquer... ... October 2002. Available: http://www.lawrence.edu/~johnson/heart. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness, New York: Dover, 1990. Hayes, Dorsha. "Heart of Darkness: An Aspect of the Shadow," Spring (1956): 43-47.. Levenson, Michael. "The Value of Facts in the Heart of Darkness." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 40 (1985):351-80. McLynn, Frank. Hearts of Darkness: The European Exploration of Africa. New York: Carol & Gey, 1992. Mellard, James. "Myth and Archetype in Heart of Darkness," Tennessee Studies in Literature 13 (1968): 1-15. Rosmarin, Adena. "Darkening the Reader: Reader Response Criticism and Heart of Darkness." Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. New York: St. Martin's, 1989. Watt, Ian. Conrad in the Nineteenth Century. San Diego: U. of California P, 1979. 168-200, 249-53.

Battle of the Beers

Case Study: Battle of the Beers Q1: what attributes are the most important in determining beer purchasing decisions? How does this vary by market segemts? The various attributes are Aroma Appearance Taste Aftertaste or finish Aroma A beer’s aroma is extremely important to its overall taste. The aroma determines the purchase decision of a beer. The market segments that use this attribute to purchase a beer are mostly experienced. The experience and the age determine the attribute. Appearance: The process of buying a beer begins with its visual appearance.Many people make hasty judgments of taste (food or drink) based entirely on sight alone. But as far as appearance goes, what you’re looking for are color, clarity, and head retention. The companies need to focus on these attributes in order to determine a valid taste for beer buyer preference. Taste: Taste is one of the most important things which determine the purchase of the beer. The repeat purchase takes place when t he taste of the beer suits a customer. A taste test would be the ideal test to be performed to exactly know what the preference of the customers is.Aftertaste: (Finish) The term aftertaste is not a negative thing like many would believe. An aftertaste can be bad, or it can be good. It all depends on your personal preference. The aftertaste will magnify the good and the bad qualities a beer will possess. These are the four attributes which are important in determining the purchase decision of a beer. Q3: should television networks and stations accept advertising using comparative ad’s? what standards (and do) they use in making decisions? Standards of Beer advertisingBeer advertising should not suggest directly or indirectly that any of the laws applicable to the sale and consumption of beer should not be complied with. Brewers should adhere to contemporary standards of good taste applicable to all commercial advertising and consistent with the medium or context in which the a dvertising appears. Advertising themes, creative aspects, and placements should reflect the fact that brewers are responsible corporate citizens. Brewers strongly oppose abuse or inappropriate consumption of their products. The standards the television networks should follow areBeer advertising and marketing materials should not portray, encourage, or condone drunk driving. Although beer advertising and marketing materials may show beer being consumed (where permitted by media standards), advertising and marketing materials should not depict situations where beer is being consumed rapidly, excessively, involuntarily, as part of a drinking game, or as a result of a dare. Beer advertising and marketing materials should not portray persons lacking control over their behavior, movement, or speech as a result of consuming beer or in any way suggest that such conduct is acceptable.Beer advertising and marketing materials should not portray other brands of beer as low quality and standard than there beer. This technique should not be used only while advertising their product. Beer advertising and marketing materials should not portray beer drinking before or during activities, which for safety reasons; require a high degree of alertness or coordination. Retail outlets where beer is served or sold portrayed in advertising should not be depicted as unkempt or unmanaged.

Guns, Germs and Steel Essay

The book Guns, Germs and Steel is an interesting impression of Jared Diamond to challenge and refresh our outlook towards the effect of politics to cultural and individual development as based from historical and theoretical concept. JD is a physiologist and evolutionary biologist and has made this work on a broader scope during his explorations in New Guinea to study the culture as well as the environment of the people. It started out in a prologue while Jared travels with his friend Yali, a New Guinean and questions the diminutive cargo of the locals against the bulk of cargos of the Eurasians. JD tried to explain to Yali by answering him with historical and theoretical views according to his research. JD said that while the natives own the land and the resources, the foreigners are capable of dominance because they are superior in technology as can be seen with their tools and machinery. But JD explained to Yali that what he sees is not proof of the superiority of the Eurasians over the natives but rather the opposite. JD said that Yali’s people are actually smarter and adaptable to any environment because they live in a world that has requires critical survival. Chapter 1 of the book discusses the origin of man and their discovery of tools and art as depicted from their paintings. JD theorizes that man made a great leap and used his intelligence 50,000 years ago as found on skeletons found in Australia and New Guinea. Accordingly, the Americans were probably colonized during 11,000 BC which correspond to the final stage of the Pleistocene Era and the melting of the ice in the last Ice Age. Chapter 2 details the war between the Maoris against the Morioris in Polynesia as early as 1835 in the Chatham islands and. Polynesia during that period has different set of climates, geography, resources and political and social conditions which lead to less diversification of human populations to be able to adapt in their environment. Chapter 3 details the conquest of European Francisco Pizarro and his men to capture Atahuallpa, the Inca emperor at Cajamarca, Peru in 1532. The superior weapons and their armor which were made of steel and the horses and cavalry pushes the natives out of their place while the Europeans brought along with them diseases such as smallpox and eventually infected and killed another native emperor of different tribe. JD pointed out that people of dominant culture has the foremost advantage over those who are less in technology and political organization as the Incas does not have. On Chapter 4 of the book, JD significantly emphasizes the importance of agriculture to propel the development of a fragile society because with the increase of food production there is a room for population to grow larger and stronger. Enough supply of food can sustain people to be more vigorous and organize themselves without resorting to violence to survive. An organized society can form political government to protect its people against conquest such as JD pointed out. In chapter 5, the author describes the technology of calibrating sites for food production by naming sites and crops suitable to grow in their environment while in chapter 6, 7 and 8 discusses his confidence the possibility of converting native hunters into agriculturist because of degeneration of wild games and animals in their environment. He said that there are already great varieties of plants and animals that can be domesticated and cultured and there is no need to hunt for food for a family to survive. JD gave an example in chapter 9 and 10 the success of the Indians in domesticating animals and prevents the extinction of wild animals in their forest. He said that breeding animals is one of the most accepted principles in domesticating animals that even wild species of animals can be bred in captivity. But this depends on the adaptability of animals with the climatic conditions on certain locality. Lack of animal adaptation means limited domestication and cultivation of animals and plants. The New World on the other hand is located on a tropical zone therefore people have more favorable climatic conditions as compared with the Eurasian countries. However, major infectious diseases or what JD calls â€Å"killers of humanity† mainly comes from animals men domesticates. He said that small pox originates from cowpox, flu from pigs and ducks and tuberculosis from cattle. These are only few of the negative impact on the cultivation of livestock by man that even people in the cities are not safe from certain diseases as they kept animals as pets. Industrialization gave man endemic diseases because he attracts germ carrying pests and we now have yellow fever, hookworm, bubonic plague and many other diseases transmitted by pests. Man also is a carrier of pest and diseases to his fellow human such as the body lice, sexually transmitted disease and other human infections. The following chapters introduced the origins of writings in early period of Mesoamerica and most part of Asia. JD significantly highlights necessity as the mother of invention and the invention of writings lead to the invention of the technology and then to arms for weapons and destruction. He said that the introduction of technology was also the beginning of civilizations to colonize other civilizations, destroying their population and their culture. The author also reviews the societal form of organization on a certain level which starts from the smaller faction or the band. The â€Å"band† is composed of people that are usually related by blood, nomadic in nature and have one ethnicity and language and no more than 5 to 80 people bonded together to be form a small society. The â€Å"tribe†, however has more people with fixed community, one ethnicity and language but being led by a leader in a societal form of government such as tribe in New Guinea and Australia . The â€Å"group† leads to chiefdoms and then to a larger extent which forms the state. The â€Å"state† have more than 50,000 people living in various villages, class and residence-based relationships. They also have more than one language, have centralized bureaucratic government levels and politicians to man the government, the law and the state. States have also their police and militaries to protect its citizenry against injustice. This was discussed on chapter 14. Chapter 15 to 16 depicts the Australian and New Guinean’ climate where Yali belongs. These two countries were formerly united as one large mass of land but separated because of the effect of large body of water 10,000 years ago. The following chapters discuss how China became the China of today which brought by forced unification of the Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Continuous fighting and dominance of Asian ethnicities in old China produces mixed races of different Asian origins but came up to have one traditional language which is the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Among these languages is the Mandarin. Chapter 17 is explained by JD on how the islands of the Pacific were able to be colonized by the Asians who arrived in New Guinea around 40,000 BC. This Asian group composes the ancestors of Philippine Negritos and formerly called the Austronesian. Their migrations began from China, reached Taiwan and then the Philippines at around 3000 BC. Those who came to Sumatra and Java became the Malayo-Polynesian while those who arrived in Northern New Guinea and Samoa became the Samoans. JD reviews on chapter 18 the factors which led to the European conquering Americas. The Europeans are better in food production, domestication of animals, producing metals and weapons, organization of armies, transportation and communication and solid political organization which the people of early America lacks. The people of the New World such as New Guinea, however are more primitive and backward and lacks capabilities to organize themselves. This was the reason why the Europeans or the Eurasians have been able to establish their colony in their nation without conflict and resistance. And finally chapter 19 discusses how the people of Africa came to be blacks. Accordingly, in the previous era, North Africans were whites who resemble Middle Eastern and Europeans and speak Afro-Asiatic languages. The pygmies or small black African people are mostly confined to Central Africa but were outnumbered by indigenous people. The blacks occupy only most of the Saharan Africa but extended their occupancy to the East coast to Cape town. From there they began to cultivate crops and domesticate animals and expand largely in numbers. The epilogue of this book answers Yali’s question on why whites have been so successful with their trades and always have larger cargos compared with the locals on a shipping trade comes to conclusion. The book answers his question by chapters and details. The effect of geographical formation and the environment clearly emphasizes the commencement of dominance by the Eurasian whites. Dominance factors illustrates the capability of the Eurasian to domesticate plant and animals better than the people of the New World, the speed of their technology which also sped up the rates of migration and their concrete population and size of their continents enable them to migrate and search for more opportunities to other continents. Furthermore, JD wants to search further with his study to come up with more variables that could defend his theory. He believes that he can only do this through natural historical experiments that need to be researched. These involve the history of human societies which are always intricate to understand than the lost dinosaurs of the old world (McGoodwin). Work Cited: McGoodwin, Michael. â€Å"Jared Diamond: Guns, Germs and Steel. † (2000). April 10, 2008 .

ambush journalism essays

ambush journalism essays Ambush is the act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise. Journalism is the occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news. Ambush Journalism is commonly seen in American public affairs and tabloid programs. Ambush Journalism has been around for as long as we can remember and will continue to be around in the future. The question however is if Ambush Journalism is ethical or not. This is a very hard question to answer! First who decides what is ethical? That judgement is left in the hands of both journalist and the public. Some journalists use this technique to obtain the latest and hottest news the outcome can sometimes be damaging or viewed as unethical. Other journalists refuse to use this technique because they feel that it violates the basic journalistic standards of balance and fairness (Day, pg.136). The public on the other hand wants to know everyones private business so much that they sometimes do not care how it might affect the person or persons that the news is about. However if they were to be the subject of Ambush Journalism themselves they would most likely not like it at all. Is this subject a gray area? Yes it is a gray area because there is no set line or black and white answer of what is right or wrong. Take a murder trial for instance. If a murder trial is covered in one way that shows the emotions of the victims family in an interview, after a not guilty verdict is decided, then this could be viewed as unethical. This form of Ambush Journalism can be very rewarding and destructive at the same time. While getting the raw emotions of the family could be good, it could also be viewed as an invasion of the familys privacy as well as disrespectful. However if the same trial is covered so that the emotions of the victims family are not used to spur unreasoned answers then this form of journalism could be viewed a...

Change, Creativity, and Innovation

Change, Creativity, and Innovation Reflective Observation There is no need to elaborate the fact that our community and our county is in dire need of creative people. Creative individuals are sources of innovation and creative solutions that can enhance our way of life. Without them culture and society will stagnate and the world will be overwhelmed with problems and unable to solve new challenges that crops up everyday.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Change, Creativity, and Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is a need to be creative but it starts with the individual. I must aspire to be creative and to see things differently. I need to train myself to think outside-the-box. The readings, especially the book by Dawson and Andriopoulos was a tremendous help in this regard. Creativity is closely related to change and innovation. Creative people are not bound by the status quo. This is not an easy thing to do. There is the risk of being alienated if an action or word spoken will offend another person, especially if that person has power and influence. In a corporate setting there is a tendency to follow policies set by those who are unwilling to adapt and to experiment. Creative people are wary of the limitations set by others and at the same time they too feel the pressure. It is a balancing act. It is not practical to always go against those who are in power, especially if that person is your boss. However, men and women and children of the 21st century would probably be still living in caves today if not for change agents. Abstract Generalization One of the most intriguing and interesting component of organization change has something to do with speed and scale of change. I believe that this is an important topic that I need to familiarise myself with. An example of is the concept called first-order incremental change which is another way of saying that change must be a slow and adaptive – the objective i s to refine a business process rather than to radically alter something that has been proven effective (Dawson Andriopoulos, p.15). As the wise saying goes there is no need to fix something that is not broken. On the other hand there is a continuous need to innovate. While it is a helpful strategy to incorporate first-order incremental change in the creation of business strategies that will increase the overall efficiency of the organization, there will also come a time when it is no longer enough to fine-tune current business processes. When your competitors are doing something unexpected and utilize newer technology it is also time to adapt or perish. It is time to think about the next level of change called second-order discontinuous change (Dawson Andriopoulos, p.15). This time around change is not expected to occur piecemeal but it is so significant that it can even transform the way the company is doing business.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second-order discontinuous change rarely happens because in my opinion human beings are creatures of habit. This is especially true when it comes to old organizations and successful businesses that have made a mark in the community or society. Their products are well-known and the corporate leaders have tasted what it was like to be on top. For these people and for these organisations it is almost impossible to abandon what has been a proven money-maker. However, the leaders, especially those who will inherit the company will have to think long and hard and consider underlying issues such as sustainability and long-term profitability. More importantly an old organisation that could not adapt to a changing environment will soon fade away. Application There is a need to find out how open I am to change. I need to know if I am conscious of the fact that change is inevitable and I had to deal with it in a constructive way. It does not matter if I am not willing to adapt because others around me are willing to improve their game, enhance their skills, and transform their mindsets in order to compete at the highest level. This new understanding of change will help in not only assessing my career path but also in terms of challenging myself to reach higher goals. One way to find out is to look for like-minded people. This person can be a mentor, a teacher or someone who is an expert in the field of management. This person can also be a colleague who is also interested in studying change in both the corporate or individual level. This person will help me look for areas in my life that I can improve. I will have to interact with this person to find out if I am willing to change for the better. Another way to go about it is to study the lives of innovators, inventors, mavericks and people who had a vision of the future and persisted no matter the ridicule and the discouragemen t that they received from people all around them. Their lives will be an inspiration to never stop growing, never stop learning, and never stop reaching for goals no matter how high and no matter how implausible they may seem at present. Innovators and inventors are not merely stubborn individuals – they tend to work hard. Their goal is mastery of their craft. And more importantly their activities were geared toward one thing and it is to discover a solution for a particular problem that is making life difficult for many. The breakthrough or the solution will radically alter the way people live.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Change, Creativity, and Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Creative Economy Reflective Observation There is nothing that is as inevitable as change. Nevertheless, many were caught off-guard by the sudden and radical change that occurred in the business world because of the int roduction of the personal computer and the Internet. The personal computer made it possible for an employee and an entrepreneur to accomplish a lot of things at less the time. Before that clerical work was done manually. Accountants for instance had to laboriously write down a great deal of information using nothing but paper and pen. It there was a need for a copy then they had to do it over again. The combined effect of the computer and the Internet is just an example that change is good and the same time change must be managed, meaning leaders must react to it correctly. Those who did not adapt fall by the wayside. I wonder what happened to the company that manufactured typewriters. The question lingers in my mind, I want to know how a group of individuals, a community and even a nation can be transformed from an ordinary consumer society into a creative economy. How can it be done in such a purposive manner? What are the conditions that must exist before a creative economy can b e developed? I am interested to know the answer to these questions because I believe that in the future the impact of creative economies will be felt all over the world. At this point, only the rich countries in the Western world are fully aware of the importance of creative economies but in the near future its importance will be greatly magnified. Abstract Generalization There are two ideas in this section that really grabbed my attention. The first one is the research findings highlighted by the authors that there are several highly-industrialised and affluent countries that pride themselves on being â€Å"creative economies† (Dawson Andriopoulos, p. 76). It is one thing to train an individual to be creative it is quite another to develop a whole nation to think creatively and to use the by-product of that creative process to strengthen the economy of that said country. This is an entirely new thing for me. I used to believe that the economy of a particular country is base d on resources – both natural and human. I was not able to figure out that there is a vast reservoir of creativity within the human resources department that is yet untapped. Most companies train their people to do a particular task. It is actually a very routine task such as those working in the factory floor.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Even those doing sales and administrative functions are seldom encouraged to be creative. In the first few weeks of employment everyone has to undergo a training program and the end result of that training program is to produce employees that are programmed to think by the book. In other words they must not deviate from corporate policy and they should memorise their manuals. Every possibility has been analyzed with regards to the company’s product or services that the employee simply had to refer to their manuals if there are problems and more often than not they can find the answer to their query in there. But as the authors were quick to point out the advent of the Information and Digital Age has created a host of new products and services that are oftentimes interrelated. For example the mobile phone can now access the Internet and it can be used for m-commerce or mobile commerce – shopping using the phone whenever and wherever the customer feels like purchasing a product or service. Application I would like to become part of a discussion or a group that will promote the development of my community into a mini-version of a â€Å"creative economy.† I can start this initiative by talking to the local entrepreneurs and try to interest them in thinking about creative solutions for the community. In order for them to buy into this idea, I have to make them understand that they can make money by helping the community and they can start by solving some of the basic problems that our community is facing. We can jumpstart this process by creating awareness that there are entrepreneurs willing to finance small business ventures that will hit two birds with one stone. This means that the business model that they will create will be a money-making venture but at the same time solving the community’s problems. A good way to start is to create business models that will help in promoting a sustainable environment that is conducive for doing bu siness. For instance a local entrepreneur can finance the establishment of a sidewalk vendo-machine type of equipment that will collect empty bottles, beer cans etc. A local business can also partner with the local high school and provide cash incentives to high school seniors who can develop a solution to environmental problems faced by the community. This initiative is not merely a copycat of projects that has been proven to be effective in other cities. This initiative is based on the idea given by the authors when they said that: â€Å"Creativity is based on combining disparate sources of information and transforming the raw data into valuable insights† (Dawson Andriopoulos, p. 78). A steady stream of disparate information will come from the initiatives mentioned and it is up to the community and the businesspeople in the community to use these data to solve problems. Deliberate Creativity Reflective Observation Creativity must be and can only be deliberate. It does not happen to the lazy and to the unprepared. Creative minds are honed by years of practice and experimentation. I can just imagine the Wright brothers who dreamt of flying and the way they pursued their dream by doing countless experiments. Numerous times they failed but they also succeeded and the world was never the same. Although no one can really predict if his work or struggle will amount to something significant, it can also be said that no inventor, innovator or revolutionary succeeded without first taking one deliberate step towards a particular goal. I believe that change agents are not simply interested in studying change. They want to be innovators. They want to be part of the solution. They want to make a contribution and they want to have the opportunity to solve a nagging problem that is causing a great deal of discomfort and grief to many people. Creativity must be deliberate. There is no need to emphasise the need for learning and preparation. There is no need to elabor ate on planning and doing the necessary steps to acquire information and to learn new skills. It is also important to learn team work. Creativity is sometimes only possible through synergy the convergence of talents and experiences. A team can accomplish more. Creativity is deliberate process and this simply means that I must do whatever it takes to solve a problem and help others improve their way of life. Abstract Generalization There are two things in this chapter that inspires me and challenges me. It is an inspiration to know that every technological breakthrough and every novel solution to a problem was made possible by a creative individual. It is indeed an example worth emulating. On the other hand it is a challenge for me – sometime it is even a reproach – knowing that I am simply a consumer of these bright ideas and I had never contributed anything. The authors were able to send their message that each person is a creative individual. The ability to create so lutions and to find ways to improve human existence is not a capability reserved only for those with high-level I.Q. it can also be done by ordinary folks like me. But the most important thing to remember is that creativity is a deliberate process. It means that the person must be always conscious of increasing his capacity to make sense of information that he or she has gathered. We always hear the suggestion that creative solutions were by-products of inspiration just like when a scientist took a stroll suddenly without warning able to see in his mind the solution to an ancient problem. What I realized from reading this chapter is that these people were creative because they made sure that they will use their minds to generate insights. They are not merely consumers of information and passive participants they were active in the pursuit not only of knowledge but the creative way of using this knowledge. The most important thing to remember is this: â€Å"A creative mind must be a ble to deal with complexity, discriminate options and to be open to new ideas and not constrained by habit† (Dawson Andriopoulos, p. 110). This statement reveals two things, first, creativity does not happen out of the blue, the person aspiring to be creative must train himself to think and behave in such manner that he or she can develop creative solutions. Secondly, the number one obstacle to creativity is complacency, conformity, and habit. Application I need to study more with regards to the creative process, creative minds, and creative individuals. What intrigues me the most is the assertion that creative minds are able to see through the complexity, meaning they are not overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information coming from different media streams. This is a helpful trait in the 21st century where people can easily access information from various sources. I need to determine what kind of mental exercise or preparation is needed to train the mind to think beyond th e ordinary. I need to find out how to break free from habits that easily tempts the mind not to seek out innovative solutions. There is truth to the saying that if it is not broken, then do not fix it; but sometimes you just have to go beyond the obvious. Another element that has to be added to the discussion regarding the deliberate nature of innovation and change is the word focus. It is important to understand that men and women who changed the world did not do so by doing different things at the same time. They were focused on doing what they believe is essential and the things that they needed to accomplish to bring them closer to their goals. In order to maintain focus it help if I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses. It would greatly improve my chances of success if I know of the areas in my life that I can improve and strengthen in order to produce a skill or a quality that will allow me to solve problems or bring me to places and meet people that in turn can help me inc rease my knowledge and my propensity to develop creative solutions. Dawson, Patrick Constantine Andriopoulos. Managing Change, Creativity and Innovation. London: Sage Publications, 2009.

The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar

The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar In English grammar, a present tense is a form of the  verb  occurring in the current moment that is represented by either the base form  or the -s  inflection  of  the third-person singular, contrasting with the past and future tenses. The present tense may also refer to an action or event that is ongoing or that takes place at the present moment. However, because the present tense in English can also be used to express a range of other meanings- including references to the past and future events, depending on the context- it is sometimes described as being unmarked for time.   The basic form of the present indicative is commonly  known as the simple present. Other verbal constructions referred to as present include the present progressive  as in are laughing, the present perfect  as in have laughed, and the present perfect progressive  as in have been laughing.   Functions of the Present Tense There are six common ways to use the present tense in English, though the most common function is to designate an action that is occurring at the time of speaking or writing like she lives in the house or to indicate habitual actions like I run every morning, and in some cases may be used to express general truths like time flies, scientific knowledge like light travels, and when referring to texts like Shakespeare says a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II note in the third edition of The Scribner Handbook for Writers that present tense also has some special rules for their usage, especially when indicating future time wherein they must be used with time expressions like we travel to Italy next week and Michael returns in the morning. Many authors and literary scholars have also noticed a recent trend in literary works to be written in the hipper present tense, whereas most works of great literature are written in the past tense. This is because modern literature relies on the use of the present tense to convey a sense of urgency and relevance to the text. The Four Present Tenses There are four unique forms of the present tense that can be used in English grammar: simple present, present progressive, present perfect, and present perfect progressive. The simple present is the most common form, used primarily to express facts and habits, detail the action of scheduled future events and to tell stories in a more compelling and engaging manner than past tense entails. In the present progressive sentences, a linking verb is often attached to the present progressive verb to indicate events that are ongoing in the present, such as I am searching or he is going while the present perfect tense is used to define actions that began in the past but are still ongoing like I have gone or he has searched. Finally, the present perfect progressive form is used to indicate a continuous activity that started in the past and is still ongoing or has recently been completed as in I have been searching or he has been depending on you.

Media Imagery Effects on Adolescent Girls Research Paper - 1

Media Imagery Effects on Adolescent Girls - Research Paper Example In the book Everything’s an Argument with Reading, is designed to be a true alternative to the traditional argument (Williams 81). It complements students approach with unique broad examples and therefore responds soundly to reasoning around them. In most cases argument of evaluation provides profound decisions about someone's life through the involvement of certain standards (Williams 83). The particular standard required for an individual is an establishment of judgment within an individual. A person is required to judge anything that comes across his or her life. This judgment can be an idea, a work of art, a person or a product. It is this lack of sound argumentation that can lead to making a relevant judgment that makes girls susceptible to effects that comes from media imagery (Williams 85). According to Nachbar and Lause (119), the examination of these evaluation criteria such as an idea or art of work is enough to give a verdict that they have impounded on the adolescent girls both positively and negatively. The programs that are aired by the media can influence an adolescent girl to make a decision that leads to an explosive behavior to dangers. An adolescent girl may become frightened and violent with others such as suicidal commitment. Lundsford, Ruszkiewicz and Walters (54) assert that in as much as media provides education and entertainment, they can also result in aggressive attitudes and violent behavior. Violence in the media especially those programs that affect the psychological effect on children and women in advertising or merchandising in media are harmful to girls. As a result of self-image seen, they are therefore influenced to behave and try to imitate their behavior.

The World Film Journal- the movie Rain by Maria Govan Essay

The World Film Journal- the movie Rain by Maria Govan - Essay Example To her dismay, Rain discovers that her mother stays in Graveyard, which is a neighborhood for desperately poor people living within HIV-AIDS. Glory’s life revolves around drugs despite the high level of poverty experienced at the island (Bahamasmovie.com). When Rain reaches the Graveyard which, as Magdaline explains, is a land that becomes difficult to leave when someone gets in it, she starts new harsh life. When Rain realizes that the life in Graveyard is too harsh, she sets to discover her strength. Amazingly, Rain discovers that she is good at running, and she joins the team that is to represent the Bahamas in track events. However, training and equipment become non-affordable for her until Mrs. Adams assists her. Mrs. Adams gives Rain a light but touching lecture on determination, zeal, and acceptance in a bid to make her (Rain) stronger and more focused onto attaining her goals and objectives through running (Bahamasmovie.com). Magdaline’s quest to run for Miss Ba hamas Contest gives Rain motivation and courage that there are people in her environment who can survive and stay away from drugs. It is amazing that when Rain requires fifty dollars to register in a school, Glory is unable to find the sum, yet she spends approximately fifty dollars or more a day on drugs. She is forced to save for at least three months to obtain the money. This film is all about a young girl who finds herself between dread environment and confrontation of the fact that she wants to live with someone she has never known before, thus, reaching out for her inner self to find the best out of her (Bahamasmovie.com). Narrative Structure Maria Govan reaches out to the audience through striking a visual sense aimed at providing a reflection of contrasts existing between idyllic setting and the harsh realities found within the Bahamas. Such visual sense enhances visualization of the actual picture by the viewers, thus, making it easier to follow the main idea of the film. R ain’s grandmother cautioned her against going to look for the mother. Nonetheless, after the grandmother’s demise, Rain visualizes sense that she can barely care for herself, hence, the search for her mother. In the foreign land, Rain also visualizes some sense from the behavior and lifestyle of the mother, hence, does not give up in her quest to finding the best out of her leading to discover her talent in running. In making all these decisions, Rain considers both sides of the coin, the ideals and realities in Bahamas. For instance, the ideal situation is that she can continue staying with her grandmother, but the reality is that she is too young and incapable of taking care of her needs (Bahamasmovie.com). For this reason, she decides to go out in search for her mother. In addition, Maria talks about the reality that however much the residents try, they can never attain a given lifestyle, especially that experienced by tourists. Maria also uses the idea of everyday beauty within communities and societies to develop the storyline. This proves to be very useful, especially in understanding how the various experiences of marginalized residents of the Bahamas undergo in their daily lives. Consequently, the film director is able to reach many viewers through her narrative structure and style. This makes The Rain one of the best movies watched by a huge magnitude of spectators. Surprisingly, the author does

Should we continue to import goods from China Research Paper

Should we continue to import goods from China - Research Paper Example s second perspective is the thought that protectionism (not allowing imports from China) will bring jobs that have been outsourced and entrusted to China back to the United States, resulting in a vibrant, more productive economy. It is a fact that nearly 200,000 American jobs have been displaced by Chinese imports (Scott) in Wal-Mart Corporation alone. Those who hold protectionism as the answer for creating jobs in America hold this example as an expression of an underlying truth: that imports need to stop in order for the economy to improve. However, what is the overall economic impact of saving these jobs? According to an OECD report, stopping imports from China will actually hurt the American economy, costing $2.16 for every $1 rise in tariffs and dropping world income by $0.73. When a country implements such policies, production does indeed come back to that country; however, since they cannot make those goods as efficiently, consumption decreases because prices go up. Less consumption means more costs and a return to the original problem. From an economic perspective, the protectionist argument against importing goods fails. The opposite perspective, that individuals have the right to choose between all available alternatives certainly seems valid, particularly in response to the analysis that â€Å"open markets will be necessary for a sustained economic recovery† (OECD). Trade with China is mutually beneficial for both parties and should continue until it stops naturally. OECD. "Trade and Economic Effects of Responses to the Economic Crisis." 2010. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Impact of telecommunications in the work setting Research Paper

Impact of telecommunications in the work setting - Research Paper Example 1). Another more detailed definition of the term disclosed its meaning as the â€Å"science and technology associated, in general, with communications at a distance. A telecommunications system requires a analog or digital transmitter, a compatible receiver, and a physical (cable or wire) or non-physical (wireless) connection† (Web Finance, Inc., 2013, par. 1). Messerschmitt (1996) revealed that â€Å"the term telecommunications is derived from â€Å"tele†, meaning at a distance, and â€Å"communications†, meaning exchanging of information† (p. 1). If defining the term apparently generated voluminous results, one was more intrigued on how telecommunications have evolved and impacted the contemporary work setting. In this regard, the current discourse aims to present the impact of telecommunications in contemporary work settings, or how telecommunications have significantly shaped the work place. Historical Overview of Telecommunications A discussion on the historical background of telecommunication actually traced its origins from the discovery of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 (von Alven, 1998), 137 years from now. Previous to that, it was interesting to note that forms of communication included fire signals, carrier pigeons, and even a line of canon that relayed relevant messages (von Alven, 1998). Also, other communication patterns such as the Chappe brothers’ semaphore system which â€Å"consisted of movable arms on a pole whose positions denoted letters of the alphabet† (von Alven: Early Beginnings, 1998, par. 1) and the electric telegraph were also noted. Telecommunications in the 21st century has evolved in a rapidly changing pace due to the merging with the computer industry and the emergence of the Internet (Messerschmitt, 1996). As such, it pervaded vast industries and endeavors that transformed diverse facets of the work setting through increased access to information and through the use of ne w technologies and communications facilities that provided new applications in faster, greater and wider scope. The statistics from axvoice.com (2013) presented the changes in market shares of telecommunications in the United States from 2010 to 2015, as shown in Figure 1 below: Figure 1: Changes in Market Shares of US Telecom, 2010 to 2014 Source: Axvoice, 2013 Effect of Telecommunications in the Work Setting Telecommunications have evidently transformed contemporary work settings in terms of eliminating barriers to time, space, and locations. As confirmed â€Å"advances in telecommunications have not only untethered people from desks, but they have also made it possible for people who might traditionally be unable to be in the workforce- such as those who are caring for children, or those who are disabled- to have exciting jobs and contribute to the business community† (Alexis, 2010, par. 7). The evolution of telecommunications have enabled the establishment of diverse work settings, from the traditional office-based work place to varied work centers (Kurland & Bailey, 1999). Due to developments in telecommunications, there emerged four distinct work settings such as home-based; use of satellite offices; the existence of neighborhood work centers; and mobile working (Kurland & Bailey, 1999). This provided greater opportunities for increasing productivity, higher morale, lesser absenteeism, and minimizing costs and expenses. Likewise, through developments accorded by increased access

Living with PTSD Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Living with PTSD - Assignment Example The paper has to conclude with the recognition of the current treatment trends and see the implications of the above mentioned points to the future researches in fighting against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Traumatic events seem to surround people everywhere: accidents on the streets, violence in the neighborhood and even at home, sexual, mental or emotional abuses, natural disasters every now and then, and wars and terrorism – name it, the world seems to be its natural source. One of the most intriguing movements that have shaped and influenced the treatment of PTSD today was the war in Vietnam. Many of the soldiers who were able to come back from the war have been identified to have developed the disorder. This essay makes a conclusion that the particular population in the United States who has developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is indeed comparatively small as it only accounts almost only 4% of the total adult population. On the other hand, it is still considered significant for the people – especially those who have influences in the treatment or dealing with PTSD sufferers – to have dependable knowledge of the causes, effects and treatment of PTSD. Moreover, more researches on evidence-based practice and how to be in charge of the controllable sources of trauma can lead to the lessening of the prevalence of PTSD if total eradication is impossible since this disorder most often than not can hinder one from living one’s life normally and without fear and anxiety.

Motivating Learners from Low-Income Households Case Study - 1

Motivating Learners from Low-Income Households - Case Study Example An empirical approach has been suggested by the research cited on attribution, self-concept, and praise and questioning. At the close of our session, I would give a prescription for the thing to do so as to improve the condition in the classroom. I would recommend for the teacher always developing an anticipatory set so as to cause the students to keep focused. Telling the students the objectives and the purpose of the lesson too would be a recommendable thing to do. The teacher ought to input knowledge, whatsoever, into the pupils. It is also advisable for the teacher to be a role model for the learners and show them what is supposed to be mastered. Another strategy that would work for the teacher is seeking to understand the learner’s side. Providing a guided practice of skill is a motivating activity to integrate with the classroom situation (Wiles & Bondi, 2004). The teacher should as well allow for independent practice by the learners. When dealing with the teacher situat ion, I would research widely on the ability of a teacher to demonstrate to utilize appropriate classroom management with a focus on discipline. The research reveals that there is a direct and negative association between poverty and academic performance. Poverty is a chief factor underwriting poor academic performance by learners. Revelation from studies shows that most students from low socioeconomic background fare poorly in academics at school. This is caused by substantially little parental involvement especially that of mothers. Consequently, there is insufficient nurturing, time spent with children is less, and warm emotions are very rare. These factors cause depression, low self-esteem, sense of powerlessness, and an inability to cope up with various situations that are the behavior and personalities that a teacher ought to shape for the better. Exceptions to these appalling conditions are, however, existent.

Living with PTSD Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Living with PTSD - Assignment Example The paper has to conclude with the recognition of the current treatment trends and see the implications of the above mentioned points to the future researches in fighting against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Traumatic events seem to surround people everywhere: accidents on the streets, violence in the neighborhood and even at home, sexual, mental or emotional abuses, natural disasters every now and then, and wars and terrorism – name it, the world seems to be its natural source. One of the most intriguing movements that have shaped and influenced the treatment of PTSD today was the war in Vietnam. Many of the soldiers who were able to come back from the war have been identified to have developed the disorder. This essay makes a conclusion that the particular population in the United States who has developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is indeed comparatively small as it only accounts almost only 4% of the total adult population. On the other hand, it is still considered significant for the people – especially those who have influences in the treatment or dealing with PTSD sufferers – to have dependable knowledge of the causes, effects and treatment of PTSD. Moreover, more researches on evidence-based practice and how to be in charge of the controllable sources of trauma can lead to the lessening of the prevalence of PTSD if total eradication is impossible since this disorder most often than not can hinder one from living one’s life normally and without fear and anxiety.

Red Robin Restaurant Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Red Robin Restaurant Evaluation Essay The theme for all Red Robin restaurants is â€Å"Red Robin†¦. Yum! † When thinking about this statement you really have to think about all that encompasses. What makes the food so good? Does the atmosphere make the yum factor even better? What about the staff how do they contribute to the yum factor of the food? For this evaluation I would like to explore this yum factor and truly understand what makes the Red Robin chain of restaurants stick with yum as a marketing tool to entice customers to come in. Firstly we will explore the atmosphere of the Red Robin restaurants and how the atmosphere adds to the yum factor. When you first walk into a Red Robin restaurant you are greeted by a friendly hostess who joyfully takes you and your party to your table. Once you are seated your server comes over to greet you and take your drink order. This is great for the yum factor because no one like to eat food in the mist of negativity, when you are in a place where the atmosphere is negative it just makes your whole entire experience bad. The one down side to this is that at times if you have children, you are still in the process of settling in; you are not quite ready for your server to come by and take your drink order because you have not even looked at the menu. Secondly we must discuss the staff and how they add to the yum factor for Red Robin restaurants. The staff at Red Robin is for about 95% of the time the friendliest and warm restaurant staff you will encounter. The staffs at Red Robin restaurants are very accommodating for anyone who needs to place a special order. They are also good about getting food to children first, especially if it is later in the evening and they are hungry. This ability to get what I desire to eat the way that I desire it without having to be reprimanded for substituting this for that or adding this or that, makes the yum factor so much better because it is truly what I want. However, the one con that I have seen of the Red Robin staff is that, they are not prepared for last minute large parties. There have been times when a group of friends have decided to just go and have a great time eating together, the staff takes about thirty minutes to get their selves together to be able to accommodate the crew. Lastly, we must discuss what makes the food so good and how it makes the yum factor. The food at Red Robin consists of burgers, French fries, select chicken products, salads and sandwich wraps. The burgers are considered gourmet because they have more than just your typical bacon, cheese, ketchup and mustard. The food theme for Red Robin is classic comfort with a twist of class to heighten your taste buds. On the other hand when it comes to the food some may find that the classiness of some of the items is too much for them. Some people just want a simple cheeseburger with no muss or fuss, and with all the gourmet burgers this may be a turnoff to those people. The uniqueness of the food is what gives Red Robin the yum factor, the food is comforting and the flavors are bold. In conclusion you can clearly understand how the staff, atmosphere and food at Red Robin restaurants live up you their motto â€Å"Red Robin†¦Yum! † When you have a great atmosphere, great staff, and food that delivers’ on the taste, you have a great recipe for the yum factor. When you are choosing a place to eat you want to choose a place where you have the full yum factor effect. Some restaurants may just have one or two elements of the yum factor, but if you are looking for a place with all three yum factors, then Red Robin is the restaurant for you.

How To Improve Your Concentration English Language Essay

How To Improve Your Concentration English Language Essay If you wish to improve your memory skills, i.e. your ability to remember information and recollect it when you so desire, it is imperative that you improve your concentration. Concentration requires you to focus intently on whatever you are trying to remember. Concentration enables you to: learn new facts recall information that you have already memorised It is obvious that you need to focus on the information to be learnt if you want to remember it. So you must improve your concentration to improve your memory. You cannot claim that your powers of concentration are weak and hence you suffer from a weak memory. Concentration is a mental skill. It can be developed by you, just like any other skill. There are several exciting ways in which you can boost your concentration power. Step 1: Power Your Brain If you really wish to improve your concentration, try the following tips and you will find a marked improvement in a relatively short time period. There have been several books that have been written on the subject of how the brain works and how you can use this knowledge to improve its functioning. In Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, Sharon Begley explains that the structure and function of the adult brain is not set in stone. The connections between the neurons in your brain grow and change all the time. When you learn to play the guitar, study the human anatomy, read a book, practise the Chinese style of cutting vegetables, or develop a new habit, you are increasing the networking in the brain. As with any other muscle in the body, the more you use the brain, the better it becomes. You need to exercise a muscle regularly to develop it. In the same manner, you must exercise your brain regularly to develop and keep it in good shape. Your brain has the ability to change and grow all the time. This is a continuous process and does not happen overnight. With continuous and consistent effort, you can improve your brains ability to concentrate. Build into your daily regime the following habits: Mindfulness meditation: Begin by meditating for five minutes in the morning and for five minutes again at night before going to bed. If you do this everyday, you will notice that your power of concentration is improving. Mindfulness means to be aware or conscious. Meditation sharpens your focus and memory. Studies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston have proved that regular meditation creates changes in the physical structure of the brain by thickening the cortex. Then thickening of the cortex happens because of increased blood flow to that area. The cortex is that area of the brain that deals with the higher mental functions. So, meditation and memory are inextricably linked to each other. By meditating regularly, you improve your brains power to focus. It also helps bring clarity in your thinking. I found mindfulness meditation is the best way to meditate. In this way you have to do the reverse of other meditation methods commonly used. Here you will not try to empty your mind but you will try to fill your mind with as much as information you can. But it should be from the present only not from the past and the future. E.g. sit comfortably and try to focus on your breathing sound, listen the sound of it. Feel it, try to imagine that air going in and out. I mean make your all the senses/ perception busy enough in receiving information from the present moment. It will make busy your mind in the present passing movement and you will l not get the time to wonder in past and future. And concentration is all about staying in present. You can do the same thing which eating, bathing, walking by making your senses busy in receiving the information in the present movement. Like what is the temperature of water you are using for bath or what are the ingredients of the food your are eating also try to analyse their quantity. Proper sleep: It is a well known fact that sleep contributes to the long-term consolidation of new memories (Nature journal, November 2006). Going by this, any new memories that are formed require enough sleep to enable the brain to organize and retain them. If a night has been slept in tossing and turning (if its due to an old mattress, throw it out and get a new one), the brain is not fresh and ready to face a new day of work. It is foggy and sleepy, and it will not function with clarity and sharpness. Its ability to retain anything will be reduced. Both concentration and memory will suffer because of poor sleep. To improve the quality of your sleep have a hot cup of milk before going to bed, remove stressful thoughts from your mind, darken the room, have warm shower, put on some light music and read a boring book. All these things are aimed at ensuring that you get a good nights rest. It will help your brain boost its energy levels. This in turn will lead to improved concentration. Eat healthier: There is a direct correlation between your diet and your concentration and memory. The nutrients and energy needed by your brain are supplied by the food you eat. The brain uses glucose, a sugar, as fuel, so your blood sugar needs to be regulated. To help improve your memory, cut back on fast foods which are high in saturated fats and salt, both of which block your carotid arteries. Such blockages reduce the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain. The focusing power of the brain is then diminished. Reduce your weight to the normal levels, for being overweight makes your physical body and your mental capacities sluggish. Eat foods that enrich your brain to help in improving its functionality. Brain foods include apples, bananas, dark green vegetables such as spinach, eggs, flaxseed, and fish, and some essential fatty acids like Omega -3. Drinking at least one liter of water a day per 23 24 kg of body weight will also help. To keep your blood sugar steady, take five or six small meals throughout the day. Limit your calorie intake to what is essential. Vitamins and other supplements: Brain enhancement supplements do not do much and can be avoided. Taking a multi-vitamin tablet everyday as a supplement does help. It may fill in the lacuna created by any kind of vitamin deficiency in your diet. Cod liver oil capsules, Vitamin B and vitamin C tablets help in supplementing the vitamins that you get from your regular diet. Vitamins are essential for the proper functioning of your brain. Brain games: You need to play the games that ask for greater focus. These should be played often to improve your concentration levels. This is because the brain becomes better at whatever it exercises on a regular basis. By playing those games that require concentrated effort, the brains ability to focus increases. Step 2. Optimize your Environment: A proper environment, conducive to studies, also helps in improving your concentration. A Study Area: It is good to have a designated spot for studying. You will get in the habit of studying there. Make sure its not the bed that you use for studies, for the bed relates to sleep. Have a desk in a quiet and secluded place away from noise to enable you to concentrate. Try Different Coloured Lights: Recent studies indicate that the use of a green light bulb in the study lamp improves concentration. You could try this out to see if it works for you. Red light is also supposed to improve concentration and memory. You may also decorate your study area with artifacts and items which are red in colour and see whether this helps in improving your concentration. Remove Distractions: Radio, television, and telephone are all distractions. They should be switched off during your study time. This will help you focus. Make sure that when you study, you are not disturbed by friends who call or drop in unexpectedly. Your study time should be clear to you as well as others. By demarcating your study hours, you will prevent the distractions that otherwise eat into your time. Use Time Boxes: For a particular portion of study, set a reasonable time limit. If you wish to learn a new chapter, set forty minutes for reading it and another twenty minutes for learning it. You should be able to complete the chapter in one hour. By doing this, you ensure that there is a deadline to be met and this helps you to focus on the work. Stay Motivated: The trick to staying motivated is promise yourself a reward at the end of a certain period of focused studying. For example, you may tell yourself that after a couple of hours of study, you will have earned the reward of watching your favourite T.V. show at night. Take a Regular Break: Every hour, take a five minute break, to prevent your energy levels from lagging. You should get up from the chair, walk a bit and stretch your legs. Have a gilas of water or a light snack. Do some eye exercises to relax your eyes. Change your Breathing: Change your breathing to activate your alpha waves. Switch your breathing pattern to deeper and slower. This helps your brain to switch to alpha waves, which mentally prepare your brain to concentrate on new facts. The alpha waves bring your mind to readiness to learn new facts. This is the cool and relax state of mind. Any learning requires concentration. Without focusing on the information, the brain will not be able to learn or remember. If your brain wanders, it will not recall a lesson. So concentration is a must for learning and retaining. Improvement in concentration will lead to improvement in the memory since learning, remembering and recollecting are all inter- related. If you have not learnt, how will you remember? Hence, improve your concentration and this will lead to an improved memory. *****

Essay --

At the core of the conflict between the States of Palestine and Israel is constant development of new settlements by the State of Israel in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) in the effort to fragment the Palestinian State in order to preclude the establishment of a structured, Country of Palestine. Despite numerous Security Council Resolutions condemning such settlements and reaffirming their illegality, Israel continues to erect settlements in The West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, refusing to withdraw from them and supposing a barrier between themselves and any potential peace solution that could be achieved or that have tried to be arrived to in the past. The Israelis have varying levels of authority in the Occupied Palestinian territories, but mostly retain full control of such regions, without any indications of possible leniencies arising. Apart from constituting serious breaches in the humanitarian law, the settlements are illegal by international law and viol ate the 4th Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian persons in Times of War. Regardless of this and using numerous justifications that call upon the right of the Israelis to settle in Palestinian Territory, settlement growth continues to increase even as international pressure for peace also becomes stronger. 1948- 1968 In May 1948 the State of Israel declares it independence. From this declaration to the Six Day War, there is no settling taking place due to Israel being at constant conflict with its neighboring Arab States. In 1967, the Six Day War marks what have come to be called the 1967 borders. Israel illegally annexes 70km2including considerable portions of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This same year, Israel’s De... ...srael’s security and that therefore must be annexed. The plan is not yet taken to action but will serve as a future reference for security oriented settlements. In 1982 the government continues to rule out any potential peace plans that could involve land being taken away from the State of Israel. The Prime Minister in 1984, Isaac Shamir presents his plan according to The A Hundred Thousand Plan contrived by the Ministry of Agriculture for settlements up to 2010 and emphasises there would be no change in the sovereignty held in the West bank. 1988-1992 During this period of time, the amount of Israeli settlements increases by 60%, following the Hundred Thousand Plan. The Israeli government continues to be transparent in its desire to continue building settlements and ensuring the development of them through infrastructure and control. By the end of this period,

Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Educational Goals and Philosophy I have many reasons for choosing education. The first reason would have to be that I love being around children. I like to watch them get excited about new things that they learn and see their eyes light up when something really amazes them. The second reason is that my mother is a teacher. I have seen her in class with her students and how they have so much respect for her. I also have much respect for her because I know teaching isn’t easy and there has not been a day in her teaching career that I haven’t seen her amaze the students or me for that matter. I just hope that one day maybe I can be as good of a teacher as her. My last reason is that I hope to make learning fun and exciting for students. When I was a student in grade school I had a teacher that didn’t use any special teaching methods or manipulatives and that class was boring for me. One year I had a teacher that used many exciting activities, such as, treasure hunts to make learning fun. I learned a lot from that teacher and was very excited about what I learned. During my observation experience I noticed that the classroom environment helps to enhance student’s learning. From this experience I would like to display projects that I did at that grade level to motivate my students and encourage them with their work. I would also like to hang pictures and have sculptures that would be fun and educational for them at their level. For example, if I would teach fourth through sixth grade, I would use fossils and skeletons for their learning experience with science. I could also use pictures of famous places for learning history like The Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, The Taj Mahal, The Great Pyramids, The Sphinx, Stonehenge, etc. I believe that classroom management is as important as classroom environment when it comes toward contributing to children’s learning. From my experience, I feel that if a teacher uses only negative discipline then he/she has a repugnant affect on students, which causes the student not to reach their potential. In my classroom, I plan to use both positive and negative forms of discipline, so that good behavior will be rewarded and students will remember and be motivated toward proper behavior. Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays Educational Goals and Philosophy I have many reasons for choosing education. The first reason would have to be that I love being around children. I like to watch them get excited about new things that they learn and see their eyes light up when something really amazes them. The second reason is that my mother is a teacher. I have seen her in class with her students and how they have so much respect for her. I also have much respect for her because I know teaching isn’t easy and there has not been a day in her teaching career that I haven’t seen her amaze the students or me for that matter. I just hope that one day maybe I can be as good of a teacher as her. My last reason is that I hope to make learning fun and exciting for students. When I was a student in grade school I had a teacher that didn’t use any special teaching methods or manipulatives and that class was boring for me. One year I had a teacher that used many exciting activities, such as, treasure hunts to make learning fun. I learned a lot from that teacher and was very excited about what I learned. During my observation experience I noticed that the classroom environment helps to enhance student’s learning. From this experience I would like to display projects that I did at that grade level to motivate my students and encourage them with their work. I would also like to hang pictures and have sculptures that would be fun and educational for them at their level. For example, if I would teach fourth through sixth grade, I would use fossils and skeletons for their learning experience with science. I could also use pictures of famous places for learning history like The Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, The Taj Mahal, The Great Pyramids, The Sphinx, Stonehenge, etc. I believe that classroom management is as important as classroom environment when it comes toward contributing to children’s learning. From my experience, I feel that if a teacher uses only negative discipline then he/she has a repugnant affect on students, which causes the student not to reach their potential. In my classroom, I plan to use both positive and negative forms of discipline, so that good behavior will be rewarded and students will remember and be motivated toward proper behavior.

Business Strategies Success of McDonald

Social responsibility is the concept that business is part of the larger society in which it exists and must therefore act in a way that not only advances the firm, but also serves the society. More than ever firms are being challenged to integrate social responsibilities in to their operations. Many firms now believe that social responsibility to be a lot more than granting money to community groups or volunteering their time to organizations – although these are both important ways that firms support the community. Today, business leaders recognize that a commitment to corporate social responsibility can provide distinct advantage in attracting and retaining employees, dealing with suppliers and regulators, strengthening customer relationships and providing positive returns for investors. Let us take a look at some of the social responsibility issues and analyze how businesses are showing their social responsibility. Around the world there are lots of environmental concerns that challenge companies to be better global citizens. Leading companies know that taking a strong role in protecting the environment improves the efficiency of operations and saves money, making a positive impact on business partners, customers and investors. Let us see how socially responsible companies are responding to the environmental concerns. Delphi Automotive Systems is dedicated to protecting human health, natural resources and the global environment. For Delphi, a commitment to environmental management is a critical business strategy. Delphi has certified 15 of its global manufacturing sites under ISO 14001, a global standard that recognizes facilities that have systems in place to proactively manage and reduce their environmental impact. The company is working toward earning this certification for all 168 of its manufacturing facilities around the world over the next three years. John Jaffurs, director, Delphi environmental services, states, â€Å"We want to formally integrate our environmental management into the goals of the business. Delphi is using ISO 14001 and other tools as a means of creating a total environmental management system. This will allow us to integrate operational environmental issues directly into future planning. † Delphi's involvement in reducing the automobile's environmental impact began more than 30 years ago with the introduction of the first catalytic converters. Delphi works to reduce emissions, increase fuel economy, decrease vehicle mass and enhance the recyclability of its products. Delphi also believes that the reduction or elimination of materials can go far in helping the environment. Delphi's E-STEER Electric Power Steering reduces the number of seals and totally eliminates the power steering fluid, hoses and pump from the power steering system. In 1995, 75 percent of all cars sold (approximately 27 million) were equipped with traditional power steering and carried an estimated 40 million liters of hydraulic fluid. This new technology can result in a significant reduction in raw materials, which means less material to recycle or dispose after the life of the product. E-STEER also reduces energy demand by up to 80 percent, resulting in improved fuel economy and reduced vehicle emissions. E-STEER received the 1999 PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution of Excellence) award from Automotive News and Ernst & Young LLP, which recognizes automobile suppliers who have excelled in adapting and reinventing their companies and their products to meet the growing demands of their customers — the world's major automotive manufacturers. E-STEER is just one example of the many innovative product technologies Delphi can offer to provide environmental solutions to its customers. According to the American Lung Association, motor vehicle emissions account for approximately 77 ercent of the carbon monoxide (CO), more than 35. 6 percent of the volatile organic compounds (including hydrocarbons) and around 45 percent of the nitrogen oxides (NOx) in our nation's air. With this in mind, car manufacturers like GM, Ford and Honda are now producing and marketing cleaner-burning cars powered by electricity, alternate fuels or a combination of the two. Environmentalists like to refer to these as â€Å"green cars† because they represent an environmentally responsible way to travel in style. Politicians, on the other hand, have begun to see the potential for addressing larger issues. Earlier this year, Representative Robert T. Matsui (D-CA) introduced legislation that would give up to $5,000 per year in consumer tax credits to people with green cars. With this in mind, GM came up with its environment friendly â€Å"EV1†, Ford with its â€Å"Ranger† and Honda with its â€Å"Insight†. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation's largest electricity producer, has announced that it will begin test-marketing alternative energy sources as early as next year. As phase one of the TVA's Green Power Program, the test will utilize wind, solar and landfill gas energy sources to generate roughly three to six megawatts of power. Eight distributors, representing all seven of the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association's districts, have agreed to participate in the test. If the test is successful, TVA customers could see full-scale implementation by the end of 2003. The Green Power Program is the first of its kind in the Southeast. In related news, the TVA received word June 18 that the Department of Energy (DOE) has approved a proposal from the Virginia Alliance for Solar Electricity (VASE) to provide matching funding for the Green Power Program. The TVA's marketing plan for Green Power represents the fruits of an alternate energy initiative that began in January 1998. At that time, the TVA solicited and received 22 proposals for adding renewable electricity generators to its energy production facilities. Initial research also revealed that 84 percent of TVA customers favored a green power option. In the fall of 1998, the TVA held seven public forums that further confirmed the need for a Green Power. Participants included several members of the environmental community, utility executives, energy experts, healthcare organizations and representatives from citizens' groups. After the forums, the TVA formed the â€Å"multi-interest team† that was eventually responsible for the 2000 test-marketing plan. As the association of U. S. shareholder-owned electric utilities, Edison Electric Institute (EEI) works with key stakeholder groups, including regulators, legislators and member companies, to achieve environmental excellence. EEI's Climate Challenge program is a voluntary effort created in partnership with the Department of Energy in response to concerns about global climate change, says spokesman Jim Owen. To date, more than 600 electric utilities participate in the program, which means they have pledged to sequester or avoid 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the year 2000. This is more than four times the original goal established by the government in 1993. While some Climate Challenge efforts are undertaken by individual utilities, there are five industry-wide initiatives in place as well. These include Envirotech Investment Funds, which provide venture capital for emerging renewable technologies; the Utility Forest Carbon Management program, which funds tree planting and forest management projects; the National Earth Comfort Program, which promotes geothermal heat pumps; EV America, which introduces electric vehicles into the marketplace; and International Utility Efficiency Partner-ships, which support joint projects with foreign utilities and governments to provide efficiency of new or existing power systems. According to the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, electric utilities represent almost 85 percent of the voluntary actions to reduce, avoid or sequester greenhouse gases. In addition, electric utilities have made significant progress in restoring aquatic habitats, protecting endangered species and generating renewable energy, says Owen Bridging the gap between school and work is another critical link that companies are focusing on. The national organization Jobs for the Future (JFF) was founded in 1983 to help prepare tomorrow's workforce and smooth the transition from school to work. Ford†s Contribution in developing tomorrow's workforce Ford Foundation, is an initiative that seeks to create a measurable increase in jobs, wealth, services and other community infrastructure through increased corporate involvement in community economic development. JFF works with the initiative's many partners, whose collective experience and expertise cover community and economic development, national and international business and education to achieve these goals. One of JFF's major corporate partners is the Ford Motor Company. The two organizations have developed a relationship in which they exchange expertise and experience that allow both to enhance their individual programs. â€Å"In today's rapidly changing economy, schools alone cannot effectively prepare young people for a successful future,† explains Hilary Pennington, president of Jobs for the Future. â€Å"Academic standards are only part of the equation. Young people need the chance to apply what they've learned to new situations, and what happens in the real world is hard to simulate in school. We try to build partnerships between companies and schools to give kids opportunities to expand their learning experience. The Ford program is a splendid example of this type of partnership. † Ford has created several innovative education initiatives that â€Å"are helping us create a pipeline — for employees and suppliers, as well as a consumer base for our products,† says Renee Lerche, director, workforce development, Ford Motor Company. For example, the Ford Academy of Manufacturing Sciences (FAMS) is an academic- and work-based program in public high schools. The program's goals are to provide students the opportunity to learn science, math, technology and communications skills in real-life settings and encourage them to pursue secondary education. Ford trains high school teachers, who teach the manufacturing-oriented courses to 11th or 12th grade students (participants take two courses through Ford each year). An internship during the summer between 11th and 12th grade provides work experience as well. The program serves as a way not only to attract future employees to Ford, says Lerche, but also as a way to draw customers for its cars and trucks. We don't have concrete evidence that if you do these things, people buy your products. However, these activities do influence perception of our commitment to the communities in which we do business,† says Lerche. Issues such as environmental protection, education and community support are critical to companies that want to gain the trust and loyalty of their constituents. The companies profiled here understand that corporate social responsibility offers clear business benefits for all stakeholders.

Harmonizing Research, Practice

Harmonizing Research, Practice, and Policy in Early Childhood Music: A Chorus of International Voices (Part 2) Lori A. Custodero & Lily Chen-Hafteck a b a b Music and Music Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University Music Department, Kean University, New Jersey Version of record first published: 07 Aug 2010. To cite this article: Lori A. Custodero & Lily Chen-Hafteck (2008): Harmonizing Research, Practice, and Policy in Early Childhood Music: A Chorus of International Voices (Part 2), Arts Education Policy Review, 109:3, 3-8 To link to this article: http://dx. doi. org/10. 3200/AEPR. 109. 3. 3-8PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www. tandfonline. com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publis her does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources.The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Copyright  © 2008 Heldref Publications Harmonizing Research, Practice, and Policy in Early Childhood Music: A Chorus of International Voices (Part 2) LORI A. CUSTODERO and LILY CHEN-HAFTECK Editor’s note. Lori A. Custodero and Lily Chen-Hafteck served as guest editors for both Part 1 and Part 2 of the special issue International Policies on Early Childhood Music Education: Local and Global IssuesRevealed. n the November/December 2007 issue of Arts Education Policy Review, readers were introduced to e arly childhood music policies in Brazil, England, Kenya, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and the United States. In this collection, a second ensemble of experts from Australia, China, Denmark, Korea, Israel, and Taiwan joins them. Like the previous issue, these authors presented papers or workshops at an International Society for Music Education, Early Childhood Music Education Seminar in Taipei in 2006 and wrote new articles for inclusion here.They responded to the same charge as the previous authors to answer the following questions: †¢ What policies currently exist in your country for early childhood music education? †¢ To what extent do these policies meet the needs of children in your country? †¢ How are teachers prepared to teach early childhood music in your country? †¢ In what ways do local and global cultures figure into the policies and practices of early childhood music in your country? Additionally, we offered the following questions, to be addressed at th e author’s discretion: †¢ Do different musical cultures require different instructional approaches?And, conversely, are certain music instructional approaches culture specific? How does this impact policy and practice of early childhood music in your country? †¢ What are the potential risks and rewards of mandating multicultural musical experiences for young children? Finally, we asked authors to address any issues specific to their regions and to make concrete suggestions regarding policy for their countries. Salient themes emerged addressing what was taught and who was responsible for that content.In many ways these two conditions are inseparable, interrelated through the social nature of musical experiences. In these accounts, we also see ways in which content and delivery shape reception and how that process, in turn, defines and is defined by culture. Examining these geographical contexts raises questions about atti- I tudes, practices, and policies concerning early childhood music education that have significance for many of us. We chose three threads of inquiry from the many that weave these single texts into a textual fugue: (a) ensions between child and adult culture; (b) competing influences by global, regional, and local agencies on standards and curricula; and (c) expectations for teacher knowledge and preparation. Competing Cultures: Child and Adult The existence of a musical culture in early childhood, which is distinctly different from the adult culture, is based on studies showing similarities of vocal contours used in communication between infants and mothers across cultures (Papousek 1996), as well as research regarding the differences between music made by children and adults (e. . , Bjorkvold 1992; Campbell 2007; Littleton 1998; Marsh 1995; Moorhead and Pond 1941). Sven-Erik Holgersen’s article on early childhood music in Scandinavia describes practices in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway that are sensitive to the childâ €™s culture. The cultural clash in those regional systems exists between programs that favor an elemental or natural approach to education for the young based on the free play aesthetic and those that see music Vol. 109, No. 3, January/February 2008 3 as a mode of artistic expression requiring learned skills.Lily Chen-Hafteck and Zhoyua Xu and, separately, Jennifer Chau-Ying Leu found preschools in Chinesespeaking countries to have a strong sense of adult culture. Most parents and teachers believe school should stress academic learning rather than play, so that children can achieve high scores on tests and examinations. Chinese culture also stresses study and hard work as important for academic success. In Korea, Nam-Hee Lim and Shunah Chung found that adults believe young children need close supervision and guidance from teachers and parents in their development.Therefore, children’s natural tendency to be playful and creative is not recognized as a core value in school; potential for future success drives decisions. These cultural differences are interactive with and reflective of current conditions and regional history. In China, for example, books were printed with movable type as early as the eighth century, whereas in Europe copies were still drawn by hand until the 1400s. Such a long history of text accessibility elevated reading and writing to a valued skill that was recognizable and sought (Smith 1991).Societal values may offer another lens to interpret early academic emphasis, such as those espoused by Confucius, for whom morality and caring for others, especially family, were primary. In terms of contemporary conditions, Louie Suthers of Australia notes that in her varied country one can see differences in starting ages of pre-primary education. In Denmark, the children start at three years of age and continue for four years. In China, pre-primary education starts at four years of age and continues for three years, although care is availa ble in each country mentioned from birth.Also of note, the average student teacher ratio in China is 28:1, differing from Hong Kong’s average ratio of 16:1. The older starting age in China may perpetuate (or reflect interest in) the schooling culture. Leu’s discussion of the importance of family context is relevant to this point, inasmuch as it may provide the space for child culture 4 Arts Education Policy Review to flourish while adult culture is operating at school. Claudia Gluschankof writes about the purposeful creation of materials for the child culture with the development of the New Hebrew Culture in the Israeli territories during the early 1900s.Preschools were created based on the Froebel playcentered model and provide an unusual case in the concentrated production of children’s music in a language that had no such repertoire prior to the kindergartens establishment. The conscious choice to provide young children with cultural tools for understanding a t the earliest stages of a community is reminiscent of Sheila Woodward’s discussion concerning the importance of children in nation building in South Africa, featured in the previous issue of this journal.In her conclusion, Gluschankof raises important questions concerning this created canon of songs and the lack of repertoire for Arab-speaking children. Using the idea of child culture as a lens for viewing cultural and educational policies provides a useful way to understand differences and similarities in political systems that define the worlds in which we teach, research, and cohabitate. Such understanding may lead to more focused and meaningful questions that may reveal inequities or alternative directions in music education worthy of exploration.Considerations of these policies regarding conceptions of adulthood and childhood lead directly to curricular influences that we view from a related dialectic: the local and global. Local and Global Influences: Child and World I n the first part of this symposium, we focused on the tension between small and large scaled views of what should be taught, each serving a different societal need. In the second part, we speak more specifically to the notion of a national curriculum because it is mentioned in each of the articles collected here.We are interested in questions dealing with how these personal and collective influences affect children’s music education: â€Å"Does governmentmandated standardized curriculum limit possibilities or insure access of quality to all children? † and â€Å"What is the exemplar to which music education should be standardized? † The first question is meant to generate critical thinking regarding what and how policymakers might send messages about music education in the early years; the second is meant to question assumptions we might have surrounding best practice and the cultural nuances that shape it.Suthers, discussing Australia’s situation, is min dful that there is no national music curriculum for pre-primary school and points to a recent reform movement in music education that excluded early childhood experiences. She notes that this leaves teachers feeling isolated and that their work is undervalued. Alternatively, Gluschankoff discusses the children’s music written in Hebrew as somewhat ideological and makes suggestions for addressing the inclusion of additional materials to meet the needs of a multicultural society.One of the ways in which the national curriculum may become nationalistic is in the mandates or recommendations around singing repertoire. The role played by singing in socialization is significant and has been used for centuries to transmit cultural values, to teach language, and to establish qualities of rhythmic energy that typify a way of being; Dissanayake (2000) makes the case for mutuality and belonging as ways the arts are meaningful to us.Inasmuch as collective singing creates a sense of belong ing, we have a responsibility to monitor the ways in which we look at the child and the world (see Leu’s article describing ecological systems and Lim and Chung on the supportive role of adults). Chen-Hafteck and Xu also write about the importance of family singing and the differing role of school music. When local knowledge is replaced by chauvinism, music can be decontextualized. Because musicality is deeply rooted in shared experience, (Trevarthen 1999) we need to guard the personal and not expose children’s vulnerability to politicization.Our concern regarding global trends also involves the perception that globalization means movement toward Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 Western ideals. Attention to the local, once again, is necessary to adequately implement any change. In China, for example, although the new educational policies follow the global trends rhetorically, espousing learning through play and stressing personal expression a nd creativity, its usefulness is severely hampered by conflicting views in the local tradition regarding a deep belief in academic success as the consummate benchmark.Holgerson considers a similar dissonance between local needs and governmental responsibility to all children through the philosophical lens of Bildung, a generative model that keeps the questions about such disconnections at the forefront of practice. Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 Teacher Knowledge: Child and Music Practice policies are perhaps best viewed vis-a-vis teacher preparation— what do we value as knowledge? For most of us, early childhood musical practice involves understanding as much as we can about children while keeping the cultural context in mind.This might include individual experiences that contribute to their uniqueness and developmental trends that might give indications about what to expect in terms of maturation. What knowledge do we need of music? In this issu e, the authors discuss the importance of a diverse and culturally responsive repertoire, singing range, quality of recordings, appropriate use of instruments, and sound sensitivity. In this collection of articles, the authors suggest that these two knowledge areas are rarely considered together and that they exist in bifurcation, at least conceptually.Across the globe, there are those who are considered to have knowledge of the child in context (families or generalist teachers) and those who have knowledge of the child in music (specialists). Holgersen describes this dichotomy in practical terms—music activities and music teaching. The goals of using music are indeed varied and the complexity of music leads to multiple possibilities worthy of exploration. Among the authors there is a consensus concerning the need for collaboration between the two areas of expertise with several concrete recommendations.Reasons for this common phenomenon center on the systems in place for teac her preparation and the institutional divisions of disciplines; authors advocate for more carefully structured professional development to help bridge the disciplinary divide. Knowing the body of work of these authors, we are familiar with their efforts to form partnerships with local child care specialists and have been involved with such partnerships at our universities. Child and Adult It is noteworthy that many of the responses are about memories of musical adults who were influential in their music education.Graham Welch (pers. comm. ) offers: I was educated in a Church of England Primary school in London . . . where we sang, often with the local Vicar leading on the piano. I can remember his enthusiasm, quick tempo and intensity of keyboard playing. F or most of us, early childhood musical practice involves understanding as much as we can about children while keeping the cultural context in mind. We believe them to be some of the most meaningful opportunities for our own teach er knowledge.Policy and Personal Voice In addition to the authors featured here, to inform our sense of the historical significance of current situations regarding early childhood music and the breadth to which our profession defines policy, we asked our colleagues involved in international musical education about their memories of early childhood music education and their relationship to policy with the following questions: 1. Reflecting on your childhood before age eight, what were the influences of policy on your music education? . How does this compare with today’s situation for young children? Responses were varied and provided insight through a self-reflective lens. We looked at the seven responses regarding their relatedness to our three topics and to how policy can reach us as individuals in a long-lasting way. Alda Oliveira (pers. comm. ) from Brazil also reflected on a teacher: The first time I went to school I was seven years old. At this age I choose to take piano lessons with a private piano teacher.She was a marvelous teacher since her method included not only playing by reading and singing the notes, but also playing by ear and some popular songs. Family members had a strong musical presence in June Boyce Tillman’s (pers. comm. ) childhood in England: â€Å"My music was regularly singing with and listening to the playing of my paternal grandfather who was the village dance band pianist. † Margre van Gestel (pers. comm. ) of The Netherlands also wrote of related experiences: I had the privilege to be surrounded by a musical family.We had a piano in our home and I spent lots of time behind the piano in my grandmother’s house. My uncles and aunts could play the piano and as a child I enjoyed listening to them. One of my aunts was the ballet teacher in the village and from the age of four I was in her dancing classes. It was normal in my family to sing and play. My father had a good voice and was a soloist in the church c hoir when he was young; he played the clarinet and was a folkdance Vol. 109, No. 3, January/February 2008 5 teacher during scouting activities.I guess my days were filled with (live) music, not in courses but just all day long. Van Gestel shared a record of family influence: In my baby dairy, when I was 8 months old, my mother wrote: â€Å"Today she clapped her hands. She probably learned that from her grandmother! When you sing Clap your hands she reacts immediately. † One year old: â€Å"When we sing Oh my daddy (a popular song in the sixties) she sings along, ‘daddy, daddy. ’† In South Africa, apartheid led to decisions about schooling for Caroline Van Niekerk (pers. omm. ) that indirectly influenced her musical education by removing her from the direct influences of the national educational system of that time. She also spoke of a contemporary situation in which fighting governmental policies was necessary and of the strength we have to overcome questi onable decisions: I had a desperate call just yesterday from someone with a story of how their education faculty, in training teachers for the Foundation Phase, wants to remove music as an optional area of specialization for students.We are now all doing everything in our power to protest such a prospect loudly. But I have also seen what I regard as a promising development, and similar to the situation I witnessed in California when we lived there, more than twenty years ago—as parents of young children realize that the formal education system is not necessarily going to provide their children with what they believe is important, and especially as regards the arts, including music, they start to take responsibility for those things themselves. ntil I was about [age] five) could not get my lessons paid for. Had the place still be in that county I would have been entitled to a bursary to pay for lessons and I would have been able to learn a second instrument. But without that m y parents could only afford piano lessons. I am still sad about this, which was simply a matter of geography and the local control of resources. Child and Music The same issues featured authors raised are apparent in the additional professionals’ responses: the lack of resources and teachers. Gary McPherson (pers. comm. links personal memories with policies, of which he sees little change, from his Australian childhood: I have a vague memory of singing in a school choir that was [led] by a general classroom teacher when I was about six or seven, but the group was nothing special so it had no impact on my subsequent musical development. . . . I went back some years ago and had a look at the way music was described in the school curriculum (particularly primary school curriculum). There were all sorts of aids and resources for general primary teachers to use but music wasn’t typically taught well in schools.To be honest, I’m not sure the status of music in the cur riculum is any different. Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 These testimonies to strong and positive adult influence suggest that family education is important, as Leu and others advocate in this symposium, with the caveat that the experiences described are with adults perceived as musicians. This suggests we need to exercise caution in defining people in terms of limited musicality and that music education of our children means their children will be better educated.It is interesting that teachers were remembered for the affective qualities they conveyed and through a curricular stance that was relevant to the child. Child and World The relationships among local, state, and global influences are also reflected in these personal accounts. Many of these music professionals took private music lessons and considered their experiences to be nonpolicy driven. Oliveira (pers. comm. ) mentioned the involvement of musicians in music education policy—specific ally, the Canto Orfeonico policy under the leadership of composer Villa-Lobos.She recalls that this policy influenced her school education, which included â€Å"group singing and elementary level music theory. † As already discussed, group singing is a common vehicle for politicization. Like Gluschonkof’s report of Israeli songs contributing to nation-building, Boyce Tillman (pers. comm. ) noted that: At [age] seven I went to a school where we had massed singing in the Hall when we sang British folksongs, many of which I still know by heart. We had a book called the New National Song book, which was a deliberate attempt after the war to restore a sense of nationhood.This was used throughout my school career. 6 Arts Education Policy Review Welch wrote of intersecting influences of church and state: I discovered later that the London County Council was very supportive of music in schools generally, although my local experiences as a child were as much to do with the link to the Church and the established ethos of including singing as a natural part of the school day. Ana Lucia Frega (pers. comm. ) describes a similar situation in her native Argentina. Early childhood music courses were not always taught by a specialist . . . his means that some problems arose: some of the K-general teachers [choose materials that] do not really fit the [appropriate] children range of voices, and which tend to create vocal difficulties. He notes the longevity of such a workable match: â€Å"On returning to the school many years later for my first teaching post, I discovered that the school’s policy toward music had continued, with the same range of events and activities in place. † In the previous issue, Young discussed the unprecedented commitment England has made to the arts—specifically music, a commitment Welch reiterates.Boyce Tillman recalls a time when the resources from the national government were in local hands, resulting in inequitabl e opportunity: At [age] seven I started piano lessons but because the place we lived in was then in Southampton and not in the County of Hampshire (to which we are very close and in which we had been Although our policymaking systems move slowly, and are not always moving in the direction we would like, there is hope in the growing numbers of people who care about music education. Oliviera writes: â€Å"at least we can feel the difference between my generation and today’s generation. Perhaps our aim is to prepare children who grow up to be like von Gestel, with the same rich resources at hand for creating meaningful experiences: Music (and especially making and teaching music) was and is a part of my everyday life, and really I can’t imagine a life without singing together and making music. It makes my life worth living. References Bjorkvold, J. R. 1992. The muse within: Creativity and communication, song and play from childhood through maturity. Trans. W. H. Halverso n, New York: HarperCollins. Campbell, P. S. 2007. Musical meaning in children’s cultures. In International handbook of research in arts education, ed.L. Bresler, 881–94. Dorderecht, The Netherlands: Springer. Dissanayake, E. 2000. Art and intimacy. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Littleton, D. 1998. Music learning and child’s play. General Music Today 12 (1): 8–15. Marsh, K. 1995. Children’s singing games: Composition in the playground? Research Studies in Music Education 4:2–11. Moorhead, G. E. , and D. Pond. 1941. Music of young children. 1 Chant. Santa Barbara, CA: Pillsbury Foundation for the Advancement of Music Education. Papousek, H. 1996. Musicality in infancy research: Biological and cultural origins of early musicality.In Musical beginnings: Origins and development of musical competence, ed. I. Deliege and J. Sloboda, 37–55. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Smith, D. C. 1991. Foundations of modern Chinese e ducation. In The Confucian continuum, ed. D. C. Smith, 1–64. New York: Praeger. Trevarthen, C. 1999. Musicality and the intrinsic motive pulse: Evidence from psychobiology and human communication. Musicae Scientiae (Special Issue: Rhythm, Musical Narrative, and Origins of Human Communication), 155–211. Lori A. Custodero is an associate professor and program coordinator of the MusicDownloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 and Music Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she has established an early childhood music concentration that integrates pedagogy and research through both theory and practice. She served on the International Society for Music Education’s Commission for Early Childhood for six years and is involved in research and teaching projects in a variety of countries. Lily Chen-Hafteck is an associate professor of music education and assistant chair of the Music Department at Kean University, New Jersey.Ori ginally from Hong Kong, she has held teaching and research positions at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, the University of Surrey Roehampton in England, and Hong Kong Baptist University. She serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Music Education, Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education and Music Education Research International. She is the chair of the International Society for Music Education Young Professionals Focus Group. Vol. 109, No. 3, January/February 2008 7 Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?