Negotiation between Fisher and Ury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

Negotiation between Fisher and Ury - Essay Example To illustrate the method of principled negotiation, the following negotiation was witnessed between two neighbors. The above negotiation utilized the principled model of negotiation. The parties involved are using both the soft and hard approach. Bugsy is applying the soft approach; trying as much as he can to remain civil. In addition, he considers Ronald as a friend; hence, trying to make concessions to retain the civility. However, it fails, as he trusts that Ronald will reciprocate his kindness and come to an amicable agreement. Ronald, on the other hand, appears to be a hard negotiator. They both argue over positions; hence, producing unwise agreements. Bugsy, being a soft negotiator, tries to be nice to Ronald. Fisher and Ury explain that being nice is not the solution. Some level of positional bargaining is sufficient to express interests. Bugsy is willing to compromise his position, but this makes Ronald tougher as he gets to realize his ‘supremacy’ in the argument. An efficient method of principled negotiation ought to consider the people, interests, options, and criteria to resolve the conflict. The conversation indicates that the people were not separate from the problem. In this case, both Ronald and Bugsy approached each other as the problem. Bugsy, despite trying to maintain the neighborly relationship, is frustrated by Ronald's lack of reciprocation. Ronald perceives Bugsy as an adversary; hence, failing to focus on interests rather than positions. By using the principled approach, both Ronald and Bugsy should have taken into consideration the available options to mitigate the conflict and establish relevant criteria to ensure that everyone’s interests are considered. Both Bugsy and Ronald approached the negotiation on established positions (positional bargaining). Ronald is adamant and unwilling to compromise on his position.  

Describe key financial statements, including balance sheets and cash Essay

Describe key financial statements, including balance sheets and cash flow statements - Essay Example The income statement is usually valid for a period that is specific. This may be a month or a year. Nonetheless, income statements are indispensable. This is because they permit the owners of a business to evaluate the business results over a period and to know the outcomes of other businesses for a similar period (Longenecker, Petty, Palich & Hoy, 2012). A cash flow statement illustrates the flow of money out and in a business. The cash flow statement depicts both the accompanying alterations and the current results of operation in the balance sheet. A cash flow statement is helpful in ascertaining the viability of a business that is short-term, most importantly, its capacity to pay costs. Moreover, a cash flow statement highlights the true cash flow paid and received by the business. A cash flow statement highlights the flows of cash from operations, that is, the staff and suppliers’ payments, and money received from clients (Longenecker, Petty, Palich & Hoy, 2012). Also, it shows cash flows from investing activities and financing activities. Cash equivalents are assets that can be willingly converted to money, for example, commercial papers, treasury bills, money market, or marketable securities. Moreover, cash equivalents have an existence that is short-term. Cash equivalents mature within a period of 3 months. A cash equivalent investment should have a change in value that has insignificant risk (Graham, Zweig, & Buffett, 2003). Accounts receivable is cash owed to a business by customers and the balance sheet depicts it as an asset. It deals with the billing of a client for services and goods ordered by the client. In addition, accounts receivable epitomizes cash owed by persons to the business on services or products sales on credit (Graham, Zweig, & Buffett, 2003). An inventory is a list of materials and goods that are stocked by the business. Inventories are mainly materials and goods

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Colonialism

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Colonialism The colonialism has a lot of advantages and disadvantages which will be explore in this essay but before going to that let know what colonialism is a lot about. Colonialism is the total control or governing influence of nation over a dependent country or people or condition of being colonial. The colonized countries were mostly Africans because of the way they lived and behave so the colonizers were using the excuse of them not civilized and religious. But the colonial masters aim was to exploit the colony economy and move them to their country making the colony depend on them. The disadvantages of colonialism is far more than its advantages, the main advantage is the civilization while the disadvantage is the economic dependent. But let talk of the advantages before its disadvantages. Advantages of Colonialism However, the advantages are the stop of killing twins especially among the Igbos and the reason behind the killing of them was the beliefs which says is against nature and inherently evil just because it rare occurrence. So when the colonial masters came it was seen as an act of early age practice, which needed to be stopped because, is in human. Also the equality among the men and women in a public opinion with education for everyone in Christian theology and academic field. In particular the education because is the best aspect of the colonialism, most of early age people were not educated, dress themselves with leaves hunt food in forest and so on. Why education is important part of colonialism is that it brings about civilization because when the people are educated they will definitely be civilize and the country too because they both work together. Also the newborn and toddler deaths that were dealt with because the death of young children and infants were seriously occurring a nd the Africans do not know the cause of them more or less prevent or cure it because of lack of education, so the coming of the colonizers help the Africans to solve the problem. Also, the way women were treated by sexism and violence was stopped, they were treated like property to the men, they were not allow to speak in public nor listen to their opinion and they were harass by the men. So when the colonial maters came they saw that as an act of immorality because both men and women are humans with equal rights and they stopped it too. Another advantage is the development from the colonizers such as infrastructure that is electricity, telecoms roads and water which impacted a lot to African people because all this were not in advanced in the country. And in the field of medicine is was very important because the infants death was cure through it, the African people now buy preserved food which are manufactured with development in agriculture, mining and manufacturing which stopped the hunting of food because they hunt before they can eat. All this happen with the help of modern farming methods and food security that were invented to the country. There was a lso development in politics bringing democracy system of government which is to make everyone vote and be voted for. There were trade opportunities making the African people to have access to external trade around the world which expose them to other ways of trading. There are advantages but some of the important ones were explored in the essay. Disadvantages of Colonialism Moreover, the disadvantage are far more than the advantages been through with the advantages let move on to the disadvantages. There was loss of culture because the colonial masters were trying to bring their ways of life, behave and culture making the African cultures to go down living their own ways. The African way was the loyalty to the royal rulers with members of parliament and followers among the ethnics groups but the coming of the colonial masters made them to have complete loss of culture. With that happening it brought about lack of respect for Africans traditions with submission to the colonizers ways and behavior. Another disadvantage is the lost of land which were forcefully collected from Africans with guns on their heads making them to have nothing on their own and some of them are with families to feed but for their lives they have to let go of the land which were given to the Europeans un Africa. On snatching those lands making them homeless and struggling to surviv e the colonial masters imposed tax on them which forced the Africa to work for some of the colonizers settling in Africa to enable them pay the taxes which made them loss ownership in general of their land. With that there were more and more settlers in Africa which was making them to be exposing to new diseases such as ablepsy, malarial fever, yellow fever, malnutrition and so on. Those diseases were also killing the Africans because they are yet to develop medically to know what those diseases are and to treat them. There was economic dependent; before the colonial masters came they were managing their economy and the recourses the way they came without having problem but when the colonizers came they started exploiting the recourses to their country. Furthermore, the Africas economy was very good but they do not exploit what they cannot use, knowing this by the colonial masters they decided to come and exploit using the excuse of not civilize and religious on doing that it makes the Africans to depend on them when the land is owned by them. There was also the dominant class that is the ones to rule them with the aid of the rulers and also spy on Africans to know whether they are doing what they are asked which made them called the natives savages that is uncivilized people. At that time the living conditions in Africa changed a lot with the forced culture imposed on them bringing their own ways making the people to be westernized that are dressing, clothing, behavior and act of doing everything in their ways. There was also slave trading; Africans were carried from their homes to the colonial masters country to go and work for them and also fight in wars for them which when they will come back they will only given recommendation but if it is their countrymen they were treating them like they fought actively than the Africans while they know it was not so. Also lack of moral compass that is not been concern with rules of right conduct within the determined directions by colonial masters and paying allegiance to them. Finally, some of this disadvantages are still in existing in Africa especially Nigeria because we are still paying the loyalty to the colonial masters. There are more disadvantages but the little of them was explored in the essay and as for the advantages it really has impacted a lot on African people. In medical field; the African people are trying their possible best to be like the colonizers, most of the diseases in Africa are from them such as measles, malaria and recently Hiv/Aids but both the colonizers and their colony are working on the treatment. In Nigeria colonialism ended when it got is independent which a lot has improved such areas are industries, mining, agriculture and so on but the first two are the one focused on making agriculture to go down which is not suppose to be so because Nigeria is a fertile land. So if agriculture is given attention too will also improve the economy of the country because there are both political and economical instability in the country s o the only way is to improve in more aspect of the economy and they should also be a nationalist in whole Africa to make it a better continent. The advantages and disadvantages of colonialism is a very good aspect of history because it made someone to know what happened in the past and what is still happening in the country.

Themes of Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney Essays -- essays researc

Blackberry picking by Seamus Heaney is about time, gluttony, limitations of life, and to some extent, the struggles of life. Heaney writes retrospectively about his life, with hindsight, about how he as a child, would go blackberry picking during a particular time of year. Throughout the poem and particularly in the first stanza, Heaney uses a wide range of literary devices such as intense imagery or sensory imagery, exceptionally meaningful metaphors and alliteration. Alliteration is used quite often in the poem. Throughout the whole poem, there is a frequent repetition of â€Å"b† words, such as â€Å"big dark blobs burned†. In the readers mind, this creates a more powerful image of the berries, and gives a strong impression of their shape and colour. There is quite a bit of imagery used in the first stanza, language that appeals to a sense or any combination of the sense. â€Å"Its flesh sweet like a thickened wine†, a glossy purple clot†. Apparently, thickened wine is tasty, so it appeals to the taste and so does the sweetness of the thickened wine. He also describes the blackberries as â€Å"Leave stains upon the tongue†. Throughout the whole poem, there is a constant repetition of the word blood or a metaphor or simile referring to blood. There is also reference to flesh on several occasions to make the berries sound desirable. Blood indicates the juice of the berries and flesh indicates what is within. An example of a metaphor is when Heaney describes the berries as a â€Å"glossy purple clot†. This smart use of an imagery and a metaphor at the same time gives an image of a ripe berry. There is also a smart use of a simile, â€Å"hard as a knot†, for the unripe berries. When Heaney says â€Å"hard as a knot†, it sounds rather short, sugge... ...mongst children, he had a hope in himself that this time it would be different, that this time the berries would not rot, an optimism of a naà ¯ve and inexperienced child. The final part of the poem, yet perhaps the most appealing which sums up what happens each year, is how he would always have faith inside himself the next year that they would not rot. There is a rhyme of the last word of the second last stanza,†rot†, and â€Å"not†. This is the only part of the poem that rhymes, and it is rather smart to end the poem on a rhyming note. In conclusion, Black-berry picking by Seamus Heaney is a fine piece of poetry set alive by metaphors, similes, alliteration, imagery and other literary devices. Heaney’s poem seems to be violent and brutal, and has a lesson to be learnt behind the poem, a message deep but not linked with childhood, linked to the struggles of life.

Issues Surrounding Masculinity in United States Essay

Our society today has little tolerance for men and masculinity in general. Masculinity can be defined as having qualities or appearance of male. It includes behaviors typically associated with men. In his book, Ferguson takes us into the world of a sole, municipal elementary school attended by students who have been labeled as troublemakers and potential jail inmates. She identifies how a group of young boys of African American origin aged between 11 to 12 years are identified by their school work force as lovers of jail (14). Over the years black Americans boys have been subjected to a kind of discrimination both in school and outside. There are claims that teachers treat these boys as if they are doomed to fail. Ferguson (26) goes on to criticize the form of punishment given to the boys which according to him does not instill discipline but simply perpetuating troublemakers and creating potential inmates (67). According to equality index carried out by Pascoe (114), black men in America have high chances of being unemployed than white men. The black men are seven times more likely more to be imprisoned with a jail sentence of above ten months over their white counterparts. The report also discloses other disparities ranging from unemployment, school drop out rates and annual income. While there have been some improvements on the gap between the black men and white men in United States of America, black masculinity is still being faced with greater problem. Despite the condemnation given to them, Ferguson argues that Black American boys look seriously at schooling and excelling in life. In addition she identifies how the whole society beliefs in a natural difference of black children from the white children. Most people according to him identify the black men as criminal and it is this view that disproportionately put them in danger of disappointment and punishment. this is a greatly interfere with the black American boys according who in future end up taking the negative behavior as implied by their mentors. Ferguson bases her argument on a fundamental theory of learning, drawn from two sources: Marxist & Bowles speculation view of society which gives school the task of reproducing the existing communal pecking order, and Foucault’s post-structural theory of disciplinary authority that views punishment as an instrument of social segregation (82). He contrasts this speculative frame to the commonly held liberal idea that schools are meritocratic (112). But the black American boys are hyper aware of their individuality pattern. According to Fergusson (123), they act upon their masculinity through impressive performances and disruptions in class work and they achieve their self worth for themselves by using hostility behavior strategy to regain their sense of self. Â  To identify themselves as resourceful, authoritative and knowledgeable in the face of the humiliation they encounter in school. By masculinity, Malin (36) seems to mean men who not only reveal the physical qualities of toughness but also who also possesses some noble principle. In his book, Malin claimed that Clinton has been shown as a conflicted and sensitive, yet strong man (42). It is these characters according to Malin (43) that helped him win presidential elections. Clinton’s personality remained a package of conflicts that variously embraced and overthrown different stereotypes of masculinity hence he was able to remain a strong man. Malin 2005 (78). Sonenstein associates masculinity with culture, and socialization and encourages men to try to live up to cultural standards of masculinity (342). According to Malin, men fraternity face pressures and dilemmas around race- and gender-based individuality structure is always a flagrant force that works against these students maintaining an obligation to schooling. This is why schools across the nation for example in US observe a continual attrition of schoolboys as they link the ranks of troublemakers (67). According to Ferguson (112), molding our boys viewing them as Bad Boys is a powerful challenge to current views on the setback of the black males in school. Currently black males are severely constrained by the society and culture of their high school and of American society in general. This form of treatment world neither favor girl child who is always more vulnerable to several situations. Due to this unhealthy treatment the black American Male end up performing poorly in their education which lead them to drug abuse and criminal activities which in future lead them to be on the wrong side of the law. Ferguson 2000 (P 139) Both black and white men have their roles to play as men in America. Ferguson advocates for need to change the social organization and the culture of the society so as to enhance a suitable learning environment of the African American males in particular and all children in general. Solutions begin from an assurance that slight inputs, short-term interventions and person prescriptions into schools are greatly sufficient to cure an organization that is mainly flawed. The organization should aim for metropolitan black kid who seems to be the formation of a community which will basically obey the rules of civilization. A reform of the whole educational system is what is urgently necessary according to Ferguson (234). Overhauling the whole school system is the only way according to Ferguson (113) for eliminating all kind of institutionalized discrimination. She states that significant changes may take position by altering the curriculum and establishing lesser classes whereby student gets enough attention from their trainers. In addition, antiracist education for student teachers and reciprocated respect among adults and youth will also form a very good base to eliminate society and cultural constrain. Schools that are reorganized in this way would help in bringing new meaning to the Black masculinity (235).

9’Ms of Quality Essay

Different meaning could be attached to the word quality under different circumstances. The word quality does not mean the quality of manufactured product only. It may refer to the quality of the process (i.e., men, material, and machines) and even that of management. Where the quality manufactured product referred as or defined as â€Å"Quality of product as the degree in which it fulfills the requirement of the customer. It is not absolute but it judged or realized by comparing it with some standards†. Quality begins with the design of a product in accordance with the customer specification further it involved the established measurement standards, the use of proper material, selection of suitable manufacturing process etc., quality is a relative term and it is generally used with reference to the end use of the product. Crosby defined as â€Å"Quality is conformance to requirement or specifications†. Juran defined as â€Å"Quality is fitness for use†. â€Å"The Quality of a product or service is the fitness of that product or service for meeting or exceeding its intended use as required by the customer.† Fundamental Factors Affecting Quality The nine fundamental factors (9 M’s), which are affecting the quality of products and services, are: markets, money, management, men, motivation, materials, machines and mechanization. Modern information methods and mounting product requirements. 1.Market: Because of technology advancement, we could see many new products to satisfy customer wants. At the same time, the customer wants are also changing dynamically. So, it is the role of companies to identify needs and then meet it with existing technologies or by developing new technologies. 2.Money: The increased global competition necessitates huge outlays for new equipments and process. This should be rewarded by improved productivity. This is possible by minimizing quality costs associated with the maintenance and improvements of quality level. 3.Management: Because of the increased complex structure of business organization, the quality related responsibilities lie with persons at different levels in the organization. 4.Men: The rapid growth in technical knowledge leads to development of human resource with different specialization. This necessitates some groups like, system engineering group to integrate the idea of full specialization. 5.Motivation: If we fix the responsibility of achieving quality with each individual in the organization with proper motivation techniques, there will not be any problem in producing the designed quality products. 6.Materials: Selection of proper materials to meet the desired tolerance limit is also an important consideration. Quality attributes like, surface finish, strength, diameter etc., can be obtained by proper selection of material. 7.Machines and mechanization: In order to have quality products which will lead to higher productivity of any organization, we need to use advanced machines and mechanize various operations. 8.Modern information methods: The modern information methods help in storing and retrieving needed data for manufacturing, marketing and servicing. 9.Mounting product requirements: Product diversification to meet customers taste leads to intricacy in design, manufacturing and quality standards. Hence, companies should plan adequate system to tackle all these requirements.

20 Analytical Essay Topics Urban Economics Points to Use While Writing

20 Analytical Essay Topics Urban Economics Points to Use While Writing If you are tasked with writing a great analytical essay on the topic of urban economics, then you should start off on a great foot by reviewing the potential twenty topics listed below. See if any of these fits within the parameters of your writing assignment and let the creativity flow: The Key Economic Forces Which Drive The Creation and Support of Cities as well as Regional Agglomeration The Theory and Evidence Which Supports the Emergence of Cities Why Location of Workers and Firms is the Part of Core Periphery Model of Urban Economics The Impact That the Emergence of Cities Has on Worker’s Productivity How Manufactured Goods Are Contingent upon Economies of Scale with Amount of Production Limited by Returns The Impact That the Emergence of Cities Has on Urban Amenities How Agricultural Products Rely on Unskilled Labor and Have Set Products Produced at a Rate Constant with the Scale, Reliant upon a Fixed Designation of Land and a Fixed Designation of Unskilled Labor in order to Produce Said Products The Impact That the Emergence of Cities Has On Congestion How the Price for Modern Products is Related to Trade Cost as well as Competition Cost How Imported Products are Priced Higher because of Regional Differences Why Higher Import Costs Result in Lower Local Consumption and Higher Consumption of Non-Imported, Local Items The Symmetric Equilibrium for Symmetric Regions and How Firms Remaining in Their Region Maintain This Equilibrium The Self-Correcting Swap Model for Relocation The Self-Reinforcing Relocation Model The Issues in Measuring Urban Characteristics The Methodologies Used in Measuring Urban Characteristics The Designing of the Most Appropriate Urban Policies Economic Theory and Evidence to Support the Internal City Structures Economic Theory Supporting Urban and Housing Policies, Specifically How They Enhance Urban Living Environments The Role Cities Play in the Development of Aggregate Economics To write a better analytical essay on urban economics, you must surely go through the facts on urban economics together with the writing guide. Of course, writing a good analytical essay about urban economics requires more than just selecting the topic, flicking through some facts, which is why you will find a sample essay below on one of the topics listed above: Analytical Sample Essay: Why Location of Workers and Firms is Part of Core Periphery Model of Urban Economics Urban economics is a vast field whose theories dictate that the location of workers and their firms is directly related to the production of products, competition, costs, and the growth of cities. In theory equilibrium is achieved among all manufacturing firms when each location maintains equal footing in various regions. If there are two distinct regions, the West region and the East region, there could exist three companies manufacturing different product varieties in both the East and the West regions. So long as each company maintains production in a specific region with limited imports into the opposite region, equilibrium can be achieved. The reason for this is that the same employment opportunities exist in both regions for all potential workers. Because of the similar demand and the similar supply the wages available for employees also remains roughly even. When companies in the East want to supply products to the west, they have to pay for transportation costs which are refe rred to as the trade costs. In supplying products to the east to be imported the Western manufacturers have to increase the price of their products to cover the trade cost. If an increase in price for imported products took place, many consumers would purchase if you imported products in exchange for higher numbers of local products. That being said companies in the East can produce local products and consumers will buy imported products from the west at a smaller rate compared to the products that they purchase from local suppliers in the east. With this in mind cities do not grow exponentially, urban landscapes remain roughly the same, and all businesses have the ability to compete within the open market at regular competitive prices and demand , forcing them to focus instead on simply providing a unique variety to similar products. This can be changed when a single manufacturer from the West decide to move the firm, relocating it to the east. When the relocation from the west to the east takes place, production changes, trade cost goes away and demand changes too. When the trade cost goes away consumers are more likely to purchase products from the newly relocated Western company now situated inside of the eastern region. In some cases this will naturally balance out, reverting back to the equilibrium which once existed by way of a similar manufacturing firm located in the east simply moving their production to the west. By doing this the two companies switch places and maintain the same products, profits, and consumer base demand. Of course the alternative to this is that the increased profits now gained by the Western company that recently moved to the eastern region serve as a tantalizing suggestion or opportunity for the other company remaining in the West. As such additional companies in the West can reloc ate to the east, essentially taking all profits away from those local eastern based manufacturers. When things like this take place changes in demographics, larger city development, and grand changes to the economic landscape are inevitable. Again a potential change to this can be the natural swap of the aforementioned companies from the east simply assuming the open opportunity now left in the West. In all cases this serves as a prime example of how production and location influence city development and are imperative to the understanding of urban economics and development. Overall fluctuation in the economic landscape can impact the development of cities, and by extension can impact the development of urban policies and land planning as well as urban living policies. As companies grow and changes take place in the existing workforce, manufacturing landscape, and product availability, subsequent changes have to take place in terms of policy and workers, wages, and products. References Alonso, William.  A Model Of The Urban Land Market. 1960. Print. Arnott, Richard, and Daniel P McMillen.  A Companion To Urban Economics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print. Harvey, J, and Ernie Jowsey.  Urban Land Economics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Print. OSullivan, Arthur.  Urban Economics. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2003. Print. Perloff, Harvey S, and Lowdon Wingo.  Issues In Urban Economics. [Baltimore]: Published for Resources for the Future [Washington] by the Johns Hopkins Press, 1968. Print. Rasmussen, David W.  Urban Economics. New York: Harper Row, 1973. Print. Segal, David.  Urban Economics. Homewood, Ill.: R.D. Irwin, 1977. Print.

The Cooperative Principle in Conversation

The Cooperative Principle in Conversation In conversation analysis, the cooperative principle is the assumption that participants in a conversation normally attempt to be informative, truthful, relevant, and clear. The concept of the cooperative principle was introduced by philosopher H. Paul Grice in his article Logic and Conversation (Syntax and Semantics, 1975). In that article, Grice argued that talk exchanges arent merely a succession of disconnected remarks, and would not be rational if they did. They are characteristically, to some degree at least, cooperative efforts; and each participant recognizes in them, to some extent, a common purpose or set of purposes, or at least a mutually accepted direction.   Examples and Observations We might then formulate a rough general principle which participants will be expected (ceteris paribus) to observe, namely: Make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged. One might label this the Cooperative Principle.  (Paul Grice, Logic and Conversation, 1975. Reprinted in Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard University  Press, 1989)[T]he  sum and substance of the Cooperative  Principle might be put this way: Do whatever is necessary to achieve the purpose of your talk; dont do anything that will frustrate that purpose. (Aloysius Martinich,  Communication and Reference.  Walter de Gruyter, 1984) Grice's Conversational Maxims [Paul] Grice fleshed out the cooperative principle in four conversational maxims, which are commandments that people tacitly follow (or should follow) to further the conversation efficiently: Quantity: Say no less than the conversation requires.Say no more than the conversation requires. Quality: Dont say what you believe to be false.Dont say things for which you lack evidence. Manner: Dont be obscure.Dont be ambiguous.Be brief.Be orderly. Relevance: Be relevant. People undoubtedly can be tight-lipped, long-winded, mendacious, cavalier, obscure, ambiguous, verbose, rambling, or off-topic. But on closer examination they are far less so than they could be, given the possibilities. . . . Because human hearers can count on some degree of adherence to the maxims, they can read between the lines, weed out unintended ambiguities, and connect the dots when they listen and read. (Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought. Viking, 2007) Cooperation vs. Agreeableness We need to make a distinction between communicatively cooperative and socially cooperative . . ..  The Cooperative Principle is  not about being positive and socially smooth, or agreeable. It is a presumption that when people speak, they intend and expect that they will communicate by doing so, and that the hearer will help at making this happen. When two people quarrel or have a disagreement, the Cooperative Principle still holds, even though the speakers may not be doing anything positive or cooperative. . . . Even if individuals are aggressive, self-serving, egotistic, and so on, and not quite focusing on the other participants of the interaction, they cant have spoken at all to someone else without expecting that something would come out of it, that there would be some result, and that the other person/s was/were engaged with them. That is what the Cooperative Principle is all about, and it certainly does have to continue to be considered as the main driving force in communic ation. (Istvan Kecskes,  Intercultural Pragmatics. Oxford University Press,  2014) Jack Reacher's Telephone Conversation The operator answered  and I asked for Shoemaker  and I got transferred, maybe elsewhere in the building, or the country, or the world, and after a bunch of clicks  and hisses and some long minutes of dead air Shoemaker came on the line and said Yes? This is Jack Reacher, I said. Where are you? Dont you have all kinds of automatic machines to tell you that? Yes, he said. Youre in Seattle, on a pay phone  down by the fish market. But we prefer it when people volunteer the information themselves. We find that makes the subsequent conversation go better. Because theyre already cooperating. Theyre invested. In what? The conversation. Are we having a conversation? Not really. (Lee Child, Personal.  Delacorte Press, 2014) The Lighter Side of the Cooperative Principle Sheldon Cooper: Ive been giving the matter some thought, and I think Id be willing to be a house pet to a race of superintelligent aliens.​ Leonard Hofstadter: Interesting.​ Sheldon Cooper: Ask me why?​ Leonard Hofstadter: Do I have to?​ Sheldon Cooper: Of course. Thats how you move a conversation forward. (Jim Parsons and  Johnny Galecki, The Financial Permeability. The Big Bang Theory, 2009)

A Persona Of Renaissance Poet Thomas Wyatt

A Persona Of Renaissance Poet Thomas Wyatt Sir Thomas Wyatt, born in 1503 in at Allington Castle, was fated to become one of English literature’s most important Renaissance period poets. Wyatt’s father, Henry Wyatt, was a Lancastrian who followed a similar life as his son in that he was arrested under the reign of Richard III and was released by Henry VII and rewarded with multiple grants and titles. Wyatt’s father was an executor of Henry VII’s will and a Privy councilor in 1509 and continued to server under King Henry VIII and was eventually knighted. During Watt’s childhood, it is said that he was raising a lion cub when one day the cub turned on Wyatt to which Wyatt stabbed his rapier through the lion’s heart. King Henry VII caught wind of this story and commented â€Å"Oh, he will tame lions†. Thomas Wyatt attended St. John’s College in Cambridge which was well known for its humanism. In 1520 Wyatt married the daughter of Lord Cobham, Elizabeth Brooke, and they had a son for whom had the Duke of Norfolk as his standing godfather. These early life experiences, along with those to come in Wyatt’s future, played a key role in the development of the influences on his works as his relationships with others, his, so called, relationships with Anne Boleyn, and his legal difficulties with arrests and imprisonments (Anne Boleyn Files, â€Å"Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder†). Through Wyatt’s father, his friend Cromwell, and many other famous poets before him Wyatt was influenced and shaped by these relationships. Sir Henry Wyatt, Thomas Wyatt’s father was not a direct influence on the works of his son but was indeed a direct influence on the life of his son which in turn was a key reason for which Wyatt’s life and works went down the path which they did. The most evident of these influences was Henry Wyatt’s influence on his son to pursue a diplomatic career, leading to Thomas Wyatt’s many important position under King Henry VIII much like his father’s. Along with Thomas Wyatt’s similarities to his father in the diplomatic career, the both of them had arrests and imprisonments. These, along with the happenings in the diplomatic environment led to several of Thomas Wyatt’s most famous works as a poet. Cromwell, Wyatt’s most notable friend, performed the apprehension of Thomas Wyatt. Once arrest ed Cromwell helped Wyatt out by talking to the tower guard and making sure that Wyatt was as comfortable as possible during his imprisonment, promising that Wyatt would be out soon. Thomas Wyatt is believed to have mourned the loss of his dear friend in â€Å"The Pillar Perished† which was written following Cromwell’s execution. However, this was not Thomas Wyatt’s only friend. He wrote about several other deaths of close friends such as â€Å"Weston, that pleasant was and young† for whom â€Å"all we should weep that thou [Weston] are dead and gone† (Lean, â€Å"Sir Thomas Wyatt :†). Elizabeth Brooke, Thomas Wyatt’s wife, cause him much grief and pain throughout their marriage and is believed to have been the reason for which Thomas Wyatt translated Petrarch’s sonnets with an angered and frustrated lover as the narrator of the works (Lean, â€Å"Sir Thomas Wyatt :†). Wyatt was not only influenced by friends and family, but also other writers of his time and times before him. Francesco Petrarch, a 14th century esteemed Italian Poet, was translated by Wyatt. These translations were not mere practice performed by Wyatt to improve his skills, but these translations maintained their same style and form under Wyatt’s pen but they also acquired new concepts and ideas which came together to form a uniquely English style of poetry. These translations; however, seemed to have diverted original questions on severely controversial and significant themes like those of political intrigue and courtly betrayal. Even preceding these translations of Petrarch were Wyatt’s translations of Plutarch. Plutarch wrote chronicles based on the lives of Roman and Greek leaders which used extremely engaging details to communicate the deeds of Plutarch’s characters. Wyatt was also an admirer of the works of Chaucer, with whom he had many similarities, but Wyatt wanted the English Literature to be developed into a more respected and elevated form of literature. Lastly is the famous Plato, who which was mentions in Wyatt’s poem â€Å"Farewell Love† as a source of contemplation and solace (Lean, â€Å"Sir Thomas Wyatt :†). Wyatt is acclaimed to have had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn following her arrival to the English courts in 1522. In fact, George Wyatt, who was Thomas Wyatt’s grandson wrote that his grandfather was â€Å"surprised by the sight there of â€Å"(Anne Boleyn Files, â€Å"Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder†) when Anne Boleyn was first sighted by Wyatt. Three years after Anne Boleyn’s arrival to the courts in 1522 Thomas Wyatt parted from his wife and his unhappy marriage which is believed to have been partly due to his acquaintance with Anne Boleyn. Even though the love match between Anne Boleyn and Wyatt would nearly have been impossible due to the admiration which the King had for Boleyn, she is still indirectly mentioned numerous times in the works of Wyatt. For this reason the love between Boleyn and Wyatt is considered to have been purely ‘one-way’. However, a story in The Chronicle of King Henry VIII depicts Wyatt visiting the home of Anne Boleyn wher e he found her in bed and they had physical relations until interrupted by the sound of the footsteps of her lover. Yet another story told by Wyatt’s grandson, George Wyatt, tells of Wyatt entertaining Boleyn with his poetry while she performed some needle work. Wyatt had seen a hanging jewel around Boleyn’s neck and snatched it as a trophy. Later on when Wyatt was playing bowls with the King the two were arguing over a shot to which Wyatt took out the jewel he had swiped from Boleyn and used it to measure the shot. The King recognized the jewel and stormed off to question Anne Boleyn about it. Multiple works of Wyatt’s were indirectly attributed to Anne Boleyn including â€Å"What Wourde is that that Changeth not†, â€Å"The Lover Confesses Him in Love with Phyllis†, and â€Å"Whoso list to hunt†, which was developed off the story of Caesar’s deer who bore the collar of Caesar (Anne Boleyn Files, â€Å"Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elderâ₠¬ ). Wyatt compares Boleyn to Caesar’s deer with its â€Å"graven with diamonds in letters plain/there is written her fair neck round about:/Noli me tangere, for Caesar’s I am† (Wyatt, â€Å"Thomas Wyatt Poetry†) in which Caesar represent the King with his jewels being worn around the neck of Anne Boleyn. Thomas Cromwell, one of Wyatt’s dear friends, apprehended Wyatt in 1536 by order of the King. This first arrest is believed to have been in conjunction with Anne Boleyn. Cromwell assured Wyatt that he would watch out for him but that he would have to be imprisoned in the tower for the time being. Wyatt said that he was stainless and had no reason to fear. Thomas Wyatt watched from his window in the bell tower the executions of Weston, Bereton, Norris, Smeato, and George Boleyn. These sights from the tower led to one of Wyatt’s most famous poems, â€Å"Innocentia Veritas† (Anne Boleyn Files, â€Å"Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder†). These sights, as described in Innocentia Veritas, were said that â€Å"The Bell Tower showed me [Wyatt] such sights that in my head stick day and night†. Thomas Wyatt was promptly released from the tower as he had already regained the favor of King Henry VIII (Academy of American Poets, â€Å"Thomas Wyatt). In conclusion, following Thomas Wyatt’s rather eventful childhood with his ‘taming’ of the lion, he attended the humanism esteemed St. John’s College in Cambridge, went on to lead a diplomatic career much like his father, and married having one son. Through Wyatt’s father, Petrarch, Plato, Chaucer, Cromwell, Anne Boleyn, and the multiple arrests of Thomas Wyatt, his woks developed into some of the first reputable English poetry written and showcased his relationships with others including Anne Boleyn and his arrests and visits to the bell tower which showed him inspiration for one of his most dramatic poems.

Principles Of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Principles Of Management - Essay Example Before delving into the business environment it is imperative to determine why firms engage in international business. The first reason as stipulated by Andexer is to increase market size. Businesses undergo a lifecycle and as they mature, they need to venture into new business or offer different products so as to remain relevant and competitive. Besides, every firm needs to gain a high market share as a growth strategy and also to spread risks of fluctuating economic cycles or currency risks. A business can thus decide to enter international markets depending on the internal and external environment and its resource capabilities.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another reason a firm may wish to enter new markets is a reactionary measure; that is, reacting to information gathered in the market. If a firm gets information of available opportunities in the foreign market that offers future possibilities, internal growth and prospective profitability, it can react by develop ing strategies to enter into that market. Furthermore, firms aim at increasing returns on their investments, and this can be achieved by entering into more profitable segments.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Globalisation and technology advancements have also led firms to venture into new markets. As business environment is very dynamic, organisations need to keep up with the changes so as to satisfy the changing needs of customers. (Cherunilam, 2010). Development of infrastructure and communication has played a great part in enabling firms to expand into other parts of the world. This is enhanced by trade liberalisation which opens borders for doing business and creates a good environment by reducing restrictions that hinder expansion (Lymbersky, 2008). For example, a firm can now produce products where labour is cheap and export to other countries or it can import materials and make finished products in domestic country. This can be done easier by establishing a subsi diary or licensing another firm to do so. After a firm determines the need to enter a new market, that is not the end, but the

Governance and Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Governance and Business Strategy - Essay Example It leads to the expansion of the hidden economy not only not only because of tax rates or social security rates, but for the arbitrary and inefficient implementation of regulatory and tax regimes in the economy with the existence of corruption. Having implications on the various aspects of the economy, the present project seeks to bring forth these implications of corruption in the economy. Critical reviews are provided with regards to the implications of corruption on the economic development of a nation (CSD, 2005, p.73). Corruption and Economic Development-Critical Analysis The empirical and theoretical debate on the effects of corruption on the economic development of nations remains unclear and unresolved. Available nationwide evidences show that the economic implications of corruption on economic development of nations can be either positive or negative. Previous empirical literature has tried to explore the relationship between corruption and development in great detail and ha s come up with surprising results. It is seen that corruption affects developing and developed countries differently. This is on account of the fact they differ significantly in terms of their economic and cultural characteristics but are plagued by similar levels of corruption in their economies (Kutan, Douglas & Judge, n.d., p.2). Some researchers have argued over the fact that corruption has negative effects on the economic development of nations as it redirects the nation’s resources into unproductive directions and consequently distorts the normal functioning of the economy. Tanzi and Davoodi (1997) has out firth four different channels through which corruption can have damaging implications over the economic growth of nations. These are high public investments; low revenue by the government; low expenses on business maintenance and operations and; poor quality of public infrastructure. On the other hand, some researchers have declared that corruption can be economically favourable in certain nations under certain circumstances as it triggers efficient government services in the form of bypassing such aspects like inefficient regulations and red tapes (Kutan, Douglas & Judge, n.d., p.3). Bureaucratic corruption can also be influenced by economic development. This is considered to be two-way causality and can be demonstrated through threshold effects as well as multiple equilibrium which form grounds for varying incidence of corruption across different countries (Blackburn, Bose & Haque, 2005, p.21). Implications of corruption on the economic activities are studied from many different perspectives. Mauro (1995), has tried to identify the effects of corruption and various other institutional factors includes red tapes, efficiency of the judicial system, political stability on the economic development of 67 nations across the world between the period 1980 and 1983. This analysis revealed that corruption reduced private investments considerably. Influe ncing investments corruption alters the composition of the government expenditures particularly reducing its share on its spending on education in the economy. Research conducted by Tanzi and Davoodi (1997) revealed that high corruption causes higher public investments, low revenues for the government, low expenditures on maintenance and o

Reflection paper regarding the topic of Compassion, Empathy, as it Essay

Reflection paper regarding the topic of Compassion, Empathy, as it relates to Buddhist Meditation - Essay Example I found it quite excitingly that the teachings of Rinpoche is not only about calming of mind but also about having the emotions of compassion and empathy in the heart. I was excited because I found people, said to be on meditation, cold and indifferent. I began to understand the concept of compassion and empathy, described by Rinpoche as a tool to integrate the society with less expectations and more understanding. The way to reduce differences between people and our selves is to understand them and identify their needs like our own. This can also be called as Empathetic joy and Compassion. Every human being wants to avoid suffering, and his all objectives in life are set to achieve this one primary objective. However, we forget that in reducing our own suffering, we sometimes increase suffering for other people. It happens all around us but he, who tries to forgive it, considered as dumb. We try to hurt others because they hurted us in past, and we want to prove that we are not inferior than them. But in doing so, we dwell more on negative emotion like ego. We are defined by the feelings and emotions we feel most of time. If we dwell more on negative emotions like greed, jealousy and anger, we will become an angry, greedy and jeal ous person. To be a positive and happy person, we need to block negative thoughts in our mind. The barrier in the path of controlling emotions, is being judgemental. Since our childhood, we begin to label things as right or wrong, sometimes, even, without understanding them. The judgements make our negative thoughts just and deserving for the others. It make us think, that we are right in thinking bad for a person because he is a bad person actually. But we never think that what these negative thinkings are doing to ourselves. I have experienced it that the more you think negatively, the suffering gets deeper and deeper in youself, instead of

Patterns for Interpersonal conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Patterns for Interpersonal conflict - Essay Example The second aspect is a behavioral component, which occurs when one individuals directly interferes with the objectives of another. The third aspect is the affective component, which refers to the negative emotions between individuals in conflict. Among these components, there are for common characteristics of interpersonal conflict that will be discussed in the paper. In addition, the paper will illustrate the negative factors that may result from lack of conflict resolution. The first common characteristic is that the conflicting parties are interdependent. The above mentioned illustrations of conflict show that the parties involved have contrasting opinions. Hence, regardless of the opposing views each of the parties is necessary for conflict to occur. Kelly and Braiker state that an individual who is not dependent on another and does not possess an interest in him or her cannot have a conflict with this person. Hence, since the choice of each person in the conflict affects the oth er, it is necessary to resolve all conflict in an environment that requires interaction. In such situations, the two individuals must find common ground as they will be unable to work together in a state of conflict. In most situations, individuals will sabotage their colleague to attain their own interests if there is no conflict resolution. The situation will be escalated to a point whereby the two parties are no longer willing or able to find common ground. Another characteristic is that the two parties often have the perception.

Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wars - Essay Example tion of the US to Somali, though there is no clear evidence of the fact that the terrorist organizations responsible for the biggest world terrorist acts take their places in either of the countries. On the contrary, the intervention to these countries has caused chaos and disorder. This statement can possibly be denied by the explanation that the war was not the absolutely desirable way out to stabilize situation in the country, and was actually aimed at creating new society with democratic values, but the fact that presence of the terrorist organizations was only suspicion, and it is yet not understood, after so many years of war, whether this war was the best solution for the problems which existed between the two countries. It has caused deaths of thousands people of the common population but has not yet reached its goal of destroying terrorist groups. Thus, suspicion is not enough to start and hold wars. Thus, we come to another argument against wars – innocent people mos tly become the victims of the political games, which often turn into wars. Modern times represent us with the new kinds of wars, which countries and peoples can have against each other, starting from physical (military), and ending with the informational and oil (gas) wars. The issue of the innocent people is more related to the fact when one speaks about military actions. ‘While the image of bombers flying over Afghanistan and bombing a people whose average lifespan is about 45 years of age and who are suffering terrible deprivation already -- not least due to the Taliban, which the U.S. helped create and empower -- is horrifying enough, it is important to realize that death and deprivation come in many forms. Even without widespread bombing, if the threat to attack the civilian population or outright coercion of other countries leads to curtailment of food aid to Afghanistan, the ensuing starvation could kill a million or more Afghans by mid-winter. Is this the appropriate response to

Different Christian Views Surrounding Euthanasia Essay

Different Christian Views Surrounding Euthanasia - Essay Example Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when it is performed without the patient’s consent or when someone else gives the consent. Involuntary euthanasia is to put patients to death and involves infants born with defects or the elderly people. The principle behind this sort of death is that ‘they have a life not worthy of life’, which was devised during the Nazi Regime in Germany when the state authorized the killing of the aged, mentally ill, and the handicapped. The definitions of euthanasia vary and this itself leads to controversy. Hemel (2005) quotes the Webster defining euthanasia as "the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy." The American Heritage College Dictionary, plainly states that euthanasia is "the act culture practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition." There is no mention of mercy here at all. The definitions of euthanasia has inherent problems. Some religious ethicists believe that passive euthanasia should not be included under the umbrella at all because according to Catholic moral teachings, "unless the actual intent to end a persons life is present, euthanasia has not occurred†. Some other religious groups are of the opinion that the definition of euthanasia should be governed not by the underlying intent but by the en d result of the action. The Christian response to euthanasia is to oppose it. Simply put, it amounts to killing. In legal terms, it is ‘the intentional killing of a patient as part of his or her medical treatment.’ (Cornwall-Kelly). Mercy killing has been debated over by many religious heads and has to be addressed seriously because it is a matter of life and death. Fr. Frank A. Pavone (Priests for Life) is of the firm conviction that suffering

Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wars - Essay Example tion of the US to Somali, though there is no clear evidence of the fact that the terrorist organizations responsible for the biggest world terrorist acts take their places in either of the countries. On the contrary, the intervention to these countries has caused chaos and disorder. This statement can possibly be denied by the explanation that the war was not the absolutely desirable way out to stabilize situation in the country, and was actually aimed at creating new society with democratic values, but the fact that presence of the terrorist organizations was only suspicion, and it is yet not understood, after so many years of war, whether this war was the best solution for the problems which existed between the two countries. It has caused deaths of thousands people of the common population but has not yet reached its goal of destroying terrorist groups. Thus, suspicion is not enough to start and hold wars. Thus, we come to another argument against wars – innocent people mos tly become the victims of the political games, which often turn into wars. Modern times represent us with the new kinds of wars, which countries and peoples can have against each other, starting from physical (military), and ending with the informational and oil (gas) wars. The issue of the innocent people is more related to the fact when one speaks about military actions. ‘While the image of bombers flying over Afghanistan and bombing a people whose average lifespan is about 45 years of age and who are suffering terrible deprivation already -- not least due to the Taliban, which the U.S. helped create and empower -- is horrifying enough, it is important to realize that death and deprivation come in many forms. Even without widespread bombing, if the threat to attack the civilian population or outright coercion of other countries leads to curtailment of food aid to Afghanistan, the ensuing starvation could kill a million or more Afghans by mid-winter. Is this the appropriate response to

Representational view of the simpsons Essay Example for Free

Representational view of the simpsons Essay The Simpson began as a short series of cartoons in the late eighties. It was in 1989, when the Fox Broadcasting Company employed Matt Groening, a cartoonist, to make the Simpsons into 13 half hour episodes that began its path to fame. No sooner had the show aired than the Simpsons became the highest rated show on Fox. However along with the high rating came huge criticism about the content of the show. The Simpsons seemed to satire the educational system, religious system, the American political system and all the American institutions that the American people believed strongly in. It seems to be one of the most controversial programs on TV today because of this. The Simpsons consists of a family of seven. Homer and Marge as the parents, Bart, Lisa and Maggie as the children, a cat Snowball II and one dog Santas Little Helper. The characters of the show were named after Matts real family. The Simpsons are a stereotypical view of an American family and this is another thing that the show has been criticised for. They live in a small town called Springfield. There are many similarities between the Simpsons family and a traditional sitcom family, however they are far from being an ideal family. The Simpsons have been called a dysfunctional family, for not sticking to the familiar family traits that other sitcom families do, for example, the Cosby show or the Waltons. The shows executive producer, Mike Scully, said critics have blamed the Simpsons for being dysfunctional family but they forgot the part that they are still a family and a lot of other families dont survive marriages. They have been called dysfunctional as the Simpsons are not always happy, they always seem to have money problems, Homer is a lazy father and Bart is always naughty. However to me the Simpsons show a more true-to-life family one that all people of any age can relate too. We all know that all children are not prefect or that not all families get on all the time but the Simpsons family sticks together whatever happens. HOMER. J. SIMPSON. Homer is one of the many characters in the show that is stereotyped. He is a stereotype of a typical male middle class, white, American man, as he has a beer belly, is not very bright and is always thinking of food. He is the father of the family, but has very little control over them. Homer works in a nuclear power plant as a safety inspector. His very rich boss, Mr. Burns, owns the plant that Homer works in. Mr. Burns does not think much of Homer, he thinks Homer is a stupid lay about because he does no work. Homer hardly ever thinks before he acts, for example, he bought Lisa a pony because she said she did not love him anymore, but ended up giving it up as they could not afford it. Compared with Ned Flanders, as a father, Homer is not the happiest of the kindest, but like Ned, Homer loves his family. Homer does not like Ned very much but Ned considers Homer as a friend. Ned is always happy and very religious; this is exaggerated a lot on the show. He is famous foe saying howdy-doddlely . Ned also out stages Homer, not on purpose, for example, in the episode called Simpsons Roosting on a Open Fire. Homer puts up Christmas lights but they are not very good then Ned put his on and they are excellent. The Flanders role is to highlight the negative points of the Simpsons family life. Each character has a particular characteristic for them, Homers is that he only has two strands of hair and he loves his food, especially donnuts, umm Donnuts. MARGE SIMPSON. Marge is the mother of the family. She too is a stereotyped as a housewife. Marge does not get out much but does most of the running around for the family and has hardly any time for herself. Marge is the more dominant one of the marriage. She is a very kind, loving mother. When you compare Marge with Mrs Lovejoy, the vicars wife, Marge is not a gossip or as religious as Mrs. Lovejoy but is a considerate and sensitive lady. She loves all her children very much no matter what they do. For example, when Bart ruined Thanksgiving by setting Lisas centrepiece on fire, Marge still forgave him afterwards. Marge keeps her family together, and although more tired and stressed out than usual sitcom mothers her role is actually quite similar. Marges main characteristics that all people associate with Marge is her tall, blue hair and she always says ummmm BART SIMPSON. Bart is the oldest son of the family and the most mischievous. Barts character was created to be a typical naughty schoolboy. He is constantly getting into trouble and is always playing pranks on people, especially Moe. Bart always rings up Moes Cabin asking to speak to someone, for example, Can I speak to Daily please? First initials, I. P. then Moe says hey everyone listen I. P Daily. and then everyone laughs at him. If you compare Bart to Tod Flanders, his neighbour, Bart looks like the devil. Tod is exactly the opposite to Bart, he is extremely religious, happy, constantly singing hymns in his sleep and he never says anything bad to his parents or friends. Overall Tod seems to be the prefect child. Barts main characteristic that all people associate with his character is his sayings. For example, Eat my shorts! or Dont have a cow man! but his most famous one is hay rumba! He is also well know for the comical lines he writes at the beginning of each episode, for example, I will not sell land in Florida. And I will not teach others to fly. As he writes this we know that these are all things he has done in school and has got into trouble for. This also further increases the shows satirisation of the educational system. LISA SIMPSON. Lisa is the most intelligent member of the family. She enjoys various sorts of activities to do in her spare time. One of which is to play the saxophone. She loves to play it even though Homer hates the noise it makes. Lisa also loves to read and write essays, she has written a number of competition essays and one of which won her and her family a free trip to Washington DC. As well as being an intelligent young girl, Lisa is an A grade student and she hates getting anything lower than an A. She also has a good sense of morals, for example, when Homer was stealing cable or as he put it getting free cable. Lisa was totally against it because it was unethical. Lisas character is not stereotyped as much as other characters in the show, for example, Apu; he is a typical Indian character in the show. He owns a Quickie-mart with an Indian accent. This is a one-dimensional view of an Indian man. Lisa is an eight-year-old girl who has the metal mind of a person twice her age. Lisa has been told that sometimes she is too clever for her own good. In some ways however Lisa plays the part of a typical sitcom daughter, well behaved, and more intelligent than her older brother. MAGGIE SIMPSON. Maggie is the baby of the family and loves them all very much. Even though Maggie is only one year old she has achieved so much. However in many ways she is a stereotypical view of a baby, always sucking on her dummy, and playing. However Maggie is one of the few clever Simpsons. She has learned how to spell her own name on an Etch-A-Sketch, she has wandered around town by herself, shot the richest man in Springfield, and has survived living with bears in the wilderness. However Maggie has still not said her first words. Her main characteristic is the noise she makes when she sucks her dummy, suck suck suck suck. Even though the whole family are very different they all love each other a great deal, which is what gets them though all the difficulties they have come across. The end of each episode has the family resolving their problems and although they are criticised for being dysfunctional I believe that they actually portray a more realistic family unit. A solid family that works through problems together is certainly not something to be criticised especially in this day and age.

International Hrm And Comparative Hrm Management Essay

International Hrm And Comparative Hrm Management Essay The growth in international trade and globalisation has encouraged firms to expand their operations worldwide, which has resulted in the emergence of new markets such as China, India, South East Asia and Latin America. This trend has also been accompanied by an increased level of competition amongst firms at both national and international level. The challenge of managing a workforce worldwide with different cross-cultural skills, competencies and demographic characteristics means that managers can no longer rely on traditional HRM models developed for Anglo-Saxon countries. Many firms underestimate the complexities involved in international operations, and there is some evidence to suggest that business failures in the international arena may often be linked to poor management of human resources (Desatnick Bennett, 1978). Western academics and practitioners have thus moved from traditional international HRM issues to the area of comparative HRM. In order to maximize cross-national management capabilities, there is need to understand how employees in different national settings respond to similar concepts within their particular functions. This essay has been structured as follows. In the next section, I will examine the difference between international and comparative HRM. I will then look at the way comparative HRM assist academics and practitioners appreciate the differences in the strategies and processes in MNCs. A conclusion is then presented. Difference between international and comparative HRM International HRM has been defined as HRM issues, functions, policies and practices that result from the strategic activities of MNEs (Scullion, 1995). IHRM deals principally with issues and problems associated with the globalisation of capitalism. It involves the same elements as domestic HRM but is more complex to manage, in terms of the diversity of national contexts and types of workers. The emphasis is on the MNCs ability to attract, develop and deploy talented employees in a multinational setting and to get them to work effectively despite differences in culture, language and locations. International HRM tends to mitigate the impact of national culture and national employment practice against corporate culture and practices. Comparative HRM, on the other hand, is a systematic method of investigation that seeks to explain the patterns and variations encountered in cross-national HRM rather than simply describe HRM institutions and practices in different societies. According to comparative HRM literature, different national business systems arise from differences in specific historical, cultural and institutional heritage in certain countries. Comparative differences occur due to decisive historical events such as the process of industrialisation or due to the legacy of pre-modern forms of social organisation. Hofstedes (1980) adopted the culturalist perspective where he argued that national business styles emerge due to ingrained cultural attitudes and mental schemas. He described culture under five dimensions which are power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation. Other researchers claim that HR management practices differ between nations due to the presence of specifically national institutions such as education, banking services or state/legal support. In what ways (if at all) does an understanding of comparative HRM assist academics and HR practitioners appreciate the difference in the strategies and processes in MNCs which are often termed as International HRM? The contrasted view to a divergence point mentioned above is that some academics claim that with HRM policies and practices are becoming universal (tending more towards the dominant American models) and that country-of-origin effects are no longer relevant. The pressure to build standardised operations internationally is strongest in sectors where competition is highly internationalised and where firms compete on the basis of a similar product or service across countries such as in cars and fast foods. They have put forward several reasons to explain this trend. Firstly, all MNCs operate in one global market and therefore have to respond to the same environmental pressures such as globalisation and technology, the growth in international trade and the move towards an internationally-integrated financial system. Secondly, the widespread practice of benchmarking best practice in terms of cost, quality and productivity may also have contributed to convergence of international HRM models for e.g. Japanese style lean-production system in the 1980s and 1990s. Moreover, these pressures towards convergence stem in part from the influence of MNCs themselves through their ability to transfer practices across borders and erode country-of-origin effects. Finally, the formation and development of like-minded international cadres mostly from American or European business schools may have contributed to homogenised international HRM policies and practices. Since the early 1990s, the international HRM literature has been dominated by models and typologies aimed at identifying how international HR fits with organisational strategy. Bartlett and Ghoshal (1998) argue that the main issue for all multinational companies is the need to trade-off the advantages global efficiency namely the coordination of its operations to achieve economies of scale and scope as opposed to the need to differentiate its products and services to meet the local demands. They also identified a third pressure, namely worldwide innovation and learning, whereby firms are encouraged to support innovation and learning across their network of subsidiaries rather than simply relying on research and development at the headquarters. MNEs then follow the appropriate HRM policies and practices according to the structure of the organisation, the competitive strategy chosen or stage of corporate evolution reached. Below, the Taylors (1996) model of strategic international HRM has been described. Exportive This is essentially a model where the HQ management takes home country management approach and try to implement them in their foreign subsidiaries in order to achieve economies of scale. In this model, there is a system of hierarchy and a centralised control. This is especially useful in instances of uncertain political environment and high risks demanding greater control from corporate parents. Given this pattern of centralisation, there is a considerable amount of forward policy transfer and less reverse transfer from subsidiaries to the HQ, i.e. they rely mainly on the technical know-how of the parent company. Global firms offer products or services that are standardised to enable production to be carried in a cost-efficient way. Their subsidiaries are not subject to rigid control except over the quality and the presentation of the product or service. This structure is normally associated with the American firms with their formalised, bureaucratic control and a dominant finance sy stem to internalise risks. Adaptive Differences in the host environment demands and conditions mean that overseas subsidiaries have to operate independently. This is common where departing from established practices in host environments is unlawful. For example, in some Germany, there is a legal obligation to negotiate with employee representatives concerning major organisational changes. In other cases, transferring practices may be legal but would go against traditional practices at the risk of losing goodwill from staff. Firms may decide to forgo HQ control if there is the possibility to exploit most efficiently the local labour markers. For example, MNCs which origin from high-cost highly regulated economies such as Germany may well choose not to transfer important elements of their HR systems such as collective bargaining or apprenticeship if they move to lower wage, lightly regulated economies such as China. Integrative It is also argued that the more management processes and activities can be integrated across geographical boundaries, the easier it is to share resources and knowledge. They can identify and best use the skill and management talent that exists across the MNC network allowing for both global integration and local differentiation. As mentioned previously, international HRM processes consist of the same activities as domestic HRM but applied in an international context. These include an accurate human resource planning to ensure that the MNCs have the right people at the right place around the world, good staffing policies that capitalise on the world-wide expertise of expatriates and locals, performance appraisals that fit with the competitive strategies of the HQ, adequate training and development to ensure that expatriates do not suffer from culture shock and compensation policies that are strategically and culturally relevant. The focus in international HRM strategy is how MNEs coordinate their geographically dispersed operations strengthening the organisational culture, promoting commitment and encouraging willingness in employees to act in the interests of the firm. Recruitment and selection of international managers Employees play a crucial role in sustaining and coordinating their geographically dispersed operations. The challenge is that of resourcing international operations with people of the right calibre. Traditionally, MNEs sent expatriates, i.e. a parent country national abroad to ensure that the policies and procedures set by the parent -company were being followed as well as to bring expertise to the local employees. However, the high number of expatriate failures has meant that more and more MNEs are turning to host country nationals to satisfy the international staffing needs. The prominent reason to explain international assignment failures was the inability of the expatriate or his family to cope with the culture shock. Researchers revealed that international business travellers faced problems in their personal lives and were victims of stress. Moreover, changes in legislative conditions affecting labour relations combined with security issues have made it more costly to use expatr iates at senior management positions at subsidiary level. The advantages of employing local nationals are that they are familiar with local markets, the local communities, the cultural setting and the local economy. They speak the local language and are culturally assimilated. They can take a long-view and contribute for a long period (as distinct from expatriates who are likely to take a short-term perspective). Expatriates are only used as technical troubleshooters and general management operatives. This means academics need to find the best ways to recruit and select local managers and help them cultivate a global perspective rather than a narrow outlook on how to conduct business in the local environment. International pay and reward and performance management The concept fair pay and reward is also subject to different interpretations depending on the national business system. Triandis (1998) differentiated between vertical cultures which accept hierarchy as given whereas horizontal cultures accept equality as given. In individualistic cultures, there are few rules and norms about correct behaviour and employees expect to be rewarded on their own merits and performance. Countries like US feature at the higher end of the individualistic spectrum. On the other hand, collectivism emerges in societies that have many rules and regulations about correct behaviour. In these societies, employees accept rewards or recognition on the basis of their seniority, efficiency and conformity with the organisational values rather than on the basis of their creativity or professionalism (Pascale and Athos, 1981). China is an example of a collectivist society. In such societies, rewards for individual performance or differentiating between employees are not acceptable. Indeed, the prevailing view is that it takes the contribution from everyone to achieve continuous improvement (kaizen) in Japanese enterprise. Singling one employee may cause him to lose face and consequently a loss of goodwill for the expatriate manager. Moreover, an understanding of the body language is vital for senior expatriate managers when providing feedbacks. While in individualistic society, it is perfectly acceptable for a subordinate to participate in a discussion with his senior, in collectivist societies such as India, disagreeing with ones supervisor is considered disrespectful. Furthermore, countries like Korea and Taiwan prefer more subtle ways of communicating feedbacks. Up-front reprimand or performance appraisal is likely to clash with the societys norms of harmony and the employees may view it as a personal affront. Understanding these local customs and mapping them across countries is an exciting field of study for researchers interested in global performance management systems. Training and development Training and development is vital to ensure that the workforce remains competent and flexible by developing the know-how thought necessary for success in the company and on the job. Scholars have highlighted the importance of national culture on training and development in terms of the hard and soft approach. The hard approach views employees in the organisation as a mere resource to achieve goals of the organisation while the soft approach views them more as valued assets capable of development (Tyson and Fell, 1986). This approach obviously influence the level amount of institutional (percentage GDP) spent on education. The German tradition adopts the soft approach and relies on formal apprenticeship, functional rotation and career path where technical expertise is gradually developed. UK which support the hard approach, believes that the individual is responsible for funding his own education and career advancement. This difference in national training and education systems will m ean that the skill and competence profile of the workers available on the labour market will vary from one country to another. Comparative studies have also shown that there are national differences in the way that managerial careers and management development are organised. Both Japan and France rely on elite recruitment, that is, future managers are decided at the point of entry based on their exceptional qualifications. This contrasts with the American belief of self-improvement where the philosophy is its never too late to change. Also, there are also noticeable differences in the teaching and learning style across countries. The idea of working in groups is more natural to Asian than individualist Anglo-Saxon managers. German and Swiss managers favour structured learning environments and coming to the right answers and are tolerant of confrontation. Asian countries, in contrast, are more concerned about status differences and may be unwilling to exchange ideas against their mentors. This will consequently impact on the format of delivering training for the practitioner, whereby the Asian employees might prefer lecture-type training and German and Swiss might prefer the seminar-type interpersonal interaction. Employment relations Finally, the type of employee relations pursued by the MNE depends principally on the national business systems characteristics of the both the home and host countries. According to Hall and Soskice (2001), there are two varieties of capitalism: Liberated market economies and coordinated market economies. In liberal market economies, firms coordinate their activities primarily via hierarchies and competitive market arrangements. Market relations are characterised by arms length exchange of goods and services and formal contracting. The demand and supply of goods and services are regulated though market mechanisms. There are comparatively fewer state controls. Nations like US and UK fall under this category of market. Consequently, US MNEs adopt a short-termist shareholder value mentality which means they are less willing to offer secure employment to their workers. Therefore, management of labour in the US mirrors the economic model of demand and supply, with market determined wages, hire-and-fire practice and many workers employed on a temporary basis. Employers in US are also more resistant to trade union organisations than in other developed industrial democracies and the legal support for trade union organisations and collective bargaining are relatively weak in the US compared to those in other countries. In contrast, in coordinated market economies, firms depend more heavily on non-market relationships to coordinate their activities with other economic actors. These non-market modes means there is greater reliance on private information inside networks and a greater reliance on collaborative relationships. Coordinated market economies are also characterised by a higher degree of government intervention. Countries such as France, Italy and China are examples of such economies. To illustrate, countries like Germany and Japan have adopted the long-termist approach whereby the interests of stakeholders are considered rather than simply of shareholders. This means these MNEs can offer its employees long-term employment. German trade unions are considered as a powerful stakeholder in the labour market and have the right of collective bargaining, i.e. employers need to so consult their workers before any major changes are carried out. To conclude, the basic purpose of examining human resource from a comparative and international perspective is that it contributes to an understanding of the extent to which there are differences between organisations and their subsidiaries located in different countries. The main difference between comparative and international HRM is comparative HRM seeks to explain the differences arising between different business systems while IHRM downplays the importance of host and home country differences. The greater cultural distance between home country and host country, the harder it will be for the MNCs to transfer home country philosophies and practices. This impact on the way HR practitioners have to implement their policies but opens up new avenues for research for the academics.

Globalisation and China’s Environmental Problems Essay -- Impact USA o

Is the lifestyle of people in Europe and the USA a major cause of China’s environmental problems? One of China’s best successes has in turn been one of its biggest downfalls. One of the main problems is China’s greatest success which has been its phenomenal economic growth. This is one of the main drivers of the current environmental problems that the country faces. Factories dump pollutants into the air and water. It is difficult to see the Chinese government making the significant sacrifices required to improve their environment if it means slowing down their economic growth. In order to understand why China is in such environmental difficulties we need to understand why the lifestyles of people in Europe and the US could be to blame. The first area to consider is the environmental issues that China is currently suffering with. Once this is established I can assert what impact the US and Europe has in relation to these issues and what actually causes them. In linking the events it will be easier to see the chain of events. To do this I am going to work backwards and understand the issues that exist within China and then secondly what they are a result of. This will give me the background of why China’s environmental issues have become so dire. According to the Worldwatch Institute the rapid industrialization has polluted many lakes and streams resulting in chemical pollution and increased algae blooms leaving the water undrinkable. These combined issues are then causing knock on effects to the aquatic life by staving them of oxygen. Many areas are also suffering with an increase in dust storms; these have been a cause of over agricultural use. These increased storms would not cause many problems but now they can ... ... U.S. Firms driving pollution in China. Web. 16 March 2015 http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0822-wsj.html (accessed 12th April 2011) The Open University (2009) U116 Environment: journeys through a changing world, Block 5, â€Å"Changing China†, Milton Keynes, The Open University China â€Å"Unfairly seen as eco-villain†. Web. 16 March 2015 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8100988.stm Member states of the EU. Web. 16 March 2015 http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/index_en.htm The US-China business council, table 7: China’s top trade partners. Web. 16 March 2015 http://www.uschina.org/statistics/tradetable.html Fast food globalisation, available from http://schoolworkhelper.net/2011/02/fast-food-globalization/ (accessed 19th April 2011) List of countries by population. Web. 16 March 2015 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

A Look at National Missile Defense :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the late 1950s, due to the former Soviet Union successfully launching a satellite into space with the help of a multi-stage missile, the United States then began to address the idea of missile defenses. Soon, both offensive and defensive long-range ballistic missile development would be placed on our government’s agenda. The objective was simple, to develop a system that could track down any missiles launched at the United States, and eliminate them before they reached their designated targets. Nike-Zeus was one of the first U.S. efforts to mount a defense against ballistic missiles. Its concept called for a 400-kiloton nuclear warhead to be detonated when in range with incoming missiles. This design had numerous flaws, and after several decades of improvements, it was updated during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. By this time in 1967, the United States realized it could never stop an all-out attach by the Soviets, and therefore shifted its effor ts to protecting major cities from attack. Following the 1969 election of Richard Nixon, the missile defense focus shifted once again, this time to guarding cities with vital military stations. The United States and Soviet Union we now in full-fledged competition to see whose systems would be completed fastest, and with the most efficiency. In 1972, to help curb excessive production of long-range defense systems, the U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. This treaty limited both powers to having only two anti-ballistic missile sites. In a 1983 televised nationwide address, President Reagan relayed his thoughts on how the U.S. could take the lead in the missile systems race. He announced the initiation of the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as Star Wars. This initiative remained intact well into the early 1990s, when after the collapse of the Soviet Union, President George Bush called a review where he changed the focus of the SDI to defending deplo yed American forces from missile threats. When the Clinton Administration came into power in 1993, the SDI became the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. The new organization projected that a defense system would be deployed by 2003, but due to technological defects, a foolproof system has not yet been constructed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The attitudes of competing countries towards our development of a defense system seem to follow a specific pattern of opposition. China, for instance, who has highlighted their national interests as economic development, reunification with Taiwan, and strengthening their power globally, say they would feel compelled to counter any developments the U.

Talbos Ng Kamote Tea Recipe and It’s Advantages

This is how to make it: 1. Wash the camote tops (talbos ng camote) with water and vegetable and fruit liquid cleanser like that of Pigeon's cleanser for baby bottles and toys. (It's made of 100% food grade or edible ingredients and removes pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables. ) 2. Boil water in a pot. 3. Once the water is boiling, put the camote tops (leaves only) and let them boil for at least 5 minutes. 4. Steep some more for 5 minutes. 5. Remove the leaves (or talbos) using a strainer and set aside.You can make these leaves into a salad. It's delicious too! 6. Pour on glasses (or cups if you want hot tea). 7. Squeeze 1-2 calamansi to get the juice and mix into the tea. You can add some more if you want it to have a stronger calamansi flavor. 8. Add a teaspoon (or more if you have a sweet tooth) of honey and mix. 9. Add some ice cubes for a refreshing and nutritious iced tea! Now, while you're enjoying your glass/cup of camote tops tea, let share some of its medicinal quali ties.It's a remedy for constipation or aids in regular bowel movement. It's a remedy for stomach distress like those cause by indigestion. It helps maintain thyroid hormones that prevents the thyroid from getting big. It helps lower blood sugar and cholesterol of patients with type 2 diabetes. According to Wiki. answers. com: Sweet potato tops are excellent sources of antioxidative compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from oxidative stress that is associated with many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases.Sweet potato greens have the highest content of total polyphenolics among other commercial vegetables studied. Sweet potatoes contain protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron. Sweet potatoes are also important sources of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid. In recent years, it has been reported as well that this tea can help Dengue patients recover.Read more about this on an article here. Below is the nutritional value that every 100g of camote tops contain as taken from First Vita Plus website : 30 calcium 24 magnesium 373 potassium 13 sodium 49 phosphorus 85 chlorine 26 sulphur 0. 8 mg/kg iodine traces of manganese, copper and zinc Were you surprised that this cheap vegetable can be this nutritious? In fact, some people plant this in their backyards and just harvest them when they want to have them for salad or tea.

Identifying Emerging Issues in Mobile Learning Essay

The workshop series was funded by the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) as part of the Emerge Community within JISC’s own Users and Innovation research programme. This exploration focused on identifying emerging issues for the sector arising from the increasingly likely large scale use of Smartphones, PDAs and camera phones by learners in HE and FE, both on campus and in the workplace. This was carried out through scenario generation using three different futures prediction tools in three workshops. The following issues were identified as being the most likely to appear in the future of mobile learning five years from now: the increasing use of ‘just in time’ and ‘as and when necessary’ training. the need for always on affordable connectivity and power. increased support for an approach to teaching and learning that is more collaborative than didactic. concerns over scalability; learning communities are divided over whether there is a role for mobile devices in formal teaching, especially in large groups and lectures. oncerns over the merging of personal and vocational information and practice. The strong match between affordances of mobile devices and learning opportunities in work based and experiential learning across the board. increased peer to peer networking and collaboration. the need for design specifications for a secure online all-purpose data repository accessible by different browsers according to device at hand. Other emerging issues for mobile learning in HE and FE include both ethical and practical implications. These include cultural barriers and resistance to change amongst lecturers and associated teaching professionals. Examples are: fears for the erosion of lecturers’ personal time; concerns over security related to the increasing amount of information and number of images to be stored and privacy issues related to the ease with information can be captured in a range of locations. There is also the opportunity to reconsider assessment practices, recording the process of developing an assignment rather than simply marking the product. One last issue, one that is in need of urgent attention, is the need for the development by students and staff of agreed practice, establishing how mobile devices are to be used responsibly in institutions before inconsiderate use or ignorance of their potential to enhance learning results in banning a valuable learning tool. Acknowledgements The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge the contributions made by members of the Adding a Mobile Dimension to Teaching and Learning network who played a major part both in the scenario development activities at the workshops on which this paper is based and to the review of the scenarios generated. We are also grateful for the financial support from JISC via the Emerge community for this project. 1 Introduction This report details the scenarios developed in a series of discussion workshops exploring visions of how mobile technologies and devices will influence the practice of users in Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) in the future five years hence. The workshop series was funded by the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) as part of the Emerge Community within JISC’s own Users and Innovation research programme. This current exploration focuses on identifying emerging issues for the sector arising with the increasingly likely large scale use of Smartphones and mobile phones with the capability to record both video and audio by learners both on campus and in the workplace in HE and FE. These devices have become well established throughout the student community, a survey of 177 students at the University of Southampton found that 94% were regular users and owners of mobile phones (Davidson and Lutman 2007). This dovetails with data from Ofcom (2008) which shows that mobile phone ownership in the 15-24 age group of the UK population is stabilising at around 95% and students to come will be even more experienced in their use. For example, older students in schools that ostensibly ban mobile phones are now regularly being allowed to use the cameras on their ‘phones to record special events or experiments in lessons to help them revise. What is mobile learning? The field of mobile learning has been developing fast as a research topic over the past eight years and accordingly ideas of what exactly mobile learning is have also developed. Winters (2006) noted how various groups researching mobile learning have used definitions that fall into four categories: one – mobile learning as technocentric, where learning is seen as something that makes use of mobile devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones; two – defined by its relationship to e-learning, where mobile learning is seen as an extension of elearning; three – as augmenting formal education and four – as learner centred, enabling the possibility of lifelong learning. These does not address the unique selling point of mobile learning which is closely linked to the capability of the mobile learner moving between traditionally separate contexts such as the work place and the teaching base supported by handheld technology that they can work with interactively to capture, access and store quantities of information in different multimedia formats. Thus mobile learning can be best described as â€Å"the processes (both personal and public) of coming to know through exploration and conversation across multiple contexts amongst people and interactive technologies† (Sharples, Arnedillo Sanchez, Milrad & Vavoula 2007). Mobile learning in post-compulsory education in the UK A presentation from Traxler & Sugden (2007) places the current state of mobile learning in the UK as consisting of considerable numbers of small scale trials and pilots taking place over fixed periods of time. Confirmation that the practice of using mobile technology to support learning in post-compulsory education is not yet embedded in current practice within institutions was demonstrated during the search for previous research for this paper, where no ongoing large scale uses were found. From currently available sources there is little or no indication as to the extent to which mobile devices are being used in Higher and Further Education. Findings from interviews conducted by Bird and Stubbs (2008) with mobile learning innovators in ten Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were surprisingly consistent with most respondents reporting that they experienced or expect to experience the same kind of issues. These were mostly in the form of barriers to establishing and sustaining an m-learning innovation in a university 2 environment. Issues which dominated were: skills gaps (in IT support and especially academic staff and somewhat unexpectedly students who despite being heavy users ), lack of technical support (IT services provision), procurement and accounting policies based around PC usage, inclusion issues due to cost of devices and/or data, ethical and legal issues, quality assurance especially with respect to data ownership, sustainability (all projects were based on external funding), device limitations, standards churn, privacy and security, and lack of a ‘killer application’ for the context. Interviews with users trialling PDAs at the Open University (Pettit and Kukulska-Hulme, 2008) indicated that the wireless infrastructure was widely regarded as a critical factor in influencing adoption of the device. Most papers reviewed for the current investigation referred to theoretical speculation about future potential, others discussed projects outside of the UK in Europe or East Asia, however, in the remaining 20%, an impressive range of pilots with different handheld devices was described. These indicate that there is considerable potential for engaging and supporting learners via mobile technologies. These pilots point to greater use of context relevant information especially images and video in learning and to greater collaboration enabled by easily portable, handheld devices connected to the internet via wi-fi or broadband. The following examples indicate the range of activities tested and are included by sector. Higher education Lecturers have evaluated a range of devices from multi-function PDAs and Smartphones to simple texti messaging (SMS). In one of the first examples of the use of PDA’s in an undergraduate setting Ramsden (2005) successfully tested giving undergraduate Economics students at the University of Bristol access to VLE’s and course materials via internet-enabled PDAs. As well as enabling access to course resources any time, anywhere, having the PDA allowed the students to hold question and answer sessions via the online discussion board during lectures which they found this particularly helpful. The University of Birmingham has evaluated the use of PocketPC handheld computers to offer multiple mobile applications to university students in the form of a ‘mobile learning organiser’. The main uses were for issues of time and course management and access to course materials. Other functions included the ability to communicate via email and instant messaging and to organise notes. The participating students made good use of the calendar and timetable facilities as well as communication tools and were keen for more content to be delivered in this manner. (Corlett et al, 2005) At London Metropolitan University the Reusable Learning Objects (RLO) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) works on the design, development and use of learning objects many of which run on mobile phones. Smith et al (2007) discuss the motivation they have seen in students (sports science in this case) to learn via subject specific learning objects (programs) such as Flash animations of muscle groupings and movements that run on their own or loaned mobile phones. Other animated tutorials, language learning for example, include multiple choice quizzes (Tschirhart et al, 2008). In another study Cook, Pachler and Bradley (2008) found that loaning postgraduate students Nokia N91 phones to make notes and take images for upload to web based media board such as Lifeblog and tribal’s Mediaboard led to blurring the boundaries between study, work, and personal time and between formal and informal practice. In the Spatial Literacy in Teaching (SPLINT) CETL at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester applications aimed at Geography students are being developed for PDAs and tablet PCs where the PDA screen is held up towards the real scene to offer additional information about that scene, ‘augmenting’ reality for the user (Priestnall and Polmear, 2007). For example, trials of a PDA application designed to teach the geomorphology of the Lake District, NW England showed that students the students learned to appreciate the power of geocontextualised visualisation to support their understanding of landscape processes (Jarvis et al, 2008). The University of Nottingham has used mobile phones and similar software to enable group blogging as a tool to support Chinese students in the process of enculturation as they get used to a new society and to enter the local community. The â€Å"learners showed a obvious interest in flexibility of time and space that potentially extends ‘antennas’ of the group blog to deeper insight of local culture. † (Shao, Crook & Koleva, 2007). Other examples used simpler devices and text messaging. The Mobiles Enhancing Learning and Support (MELaS) project saw the University of Wolverhampton test using text messaging with first year undergraduates in five departments aiming to enhance the student learning experience. In all 27 staff successfully interacted with 938 different students through at least one of: one way (staff to learner) communication, formative assessment with feedback, and a collaborative learning discursive tool (Brett, 2008). In another study sports education students at the University of Bath reported that SMS messages to their mobile phones from faculty were found welcome in assisting them to learn time management skills and as an extension of the tutor’s voice beyond the traditional lecture environment. This helped to reduce the perceived psychological distance between students, their peers and tutors (Jones, Edwards & Reid, 2008). SMS messaging has been trialled in lecture theatres too. Elliman (2006) reports successfully using a system that allowed students to provide feedback by SMS on their level of comprehension during a lecture. The system displays a histogram showing understanding level which is continually updated during the lecture together with comments and question in a scrolling area of the screen. At Brunel University, first year undergraduate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) students found that revision podcasts, downloaded to their personal digital media players were popular and perceived as more effective than revising from traditional textbooks (Evans 2008). In a review of podcasting to support distance learning in the Open University, UK Minocha and Booth (2008) conclude that audio technologies such as podcasts can not only support mobile learning but also entice, motivate, inform and reinforce. Further Education Mobile technology has been used in a number of colleges as a means to bring new learning opportunities to students who might otherwise not have access to college education. Many of these projects have been funded by the Learning and Skills Council under the MoleNET initiative or by the JISC e-Learning Programme. At Pembrokeshire College, an mlearning trial project was carried out from 2005-7 to support NEET students (NEET – not in education, employment or training) with reentry to education, training or work. Giving students access to PDA’s helped to engage them and improve communication with a difficult to reach group. The use of SMS messaging enabled the teachers to keep in touch with this very transient group of learners and helped identify opportunities for learning as when they occurred. (Pembrokeshire College 2007). Similar projects working with NEET learners have also been carried out at Accrington and Rossendale College, Tower Hamlets College and Weston College (MoLeNET 2008). 4 Having the capability to learn anywhere by means of handheld PDAs allowed Dewsbury College and Bishop Burton College, West Yorkshire to provide learners in outreach centres and workplace learning environments with similar access to learning resources as their peers on the main college campus (JISC 2005a). Mobile phones have also been found useful to help in location based learning. The City of Southampton College has been assisting ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) students to improve their opportunities for meaningful language interactions. Visiting locations within the city to help get to know their locality, students were asked location specific questions answered through SMS messaging and posting images to an interactive website. The project found that such techniques enhanced the students’ literacy and numeracy skills and helped to engage hard to reach learners such as those from the multiethnic Southampton community where many students have English as a second language (JISC 2005b). As in Higher Education bulk text messaging services to support managing learning have proved popular with most students. There are those for whom this sort of service is particularly useful. Derwen College (JISC, 2008a) found that their students who have varying degrees of physical disabilities and learning difficulties responded well to reminders to students for things like surgery and other appointments, dinner times and class notifications. Simple text based interaction was also used at Lakes College West Cumbria (JISC, 2008b) who piloted the use of iPod nanos to provide multiple choice revision quizzes for Construction students, many of whom have learning difficulties and struggle with paper-based revision processes. The iPod quizzes proved popular with every student in the cohort making use of the iPods during the revision period. The use of handheld devices to record or view multimedia to support learning is also proving popular. At Southwark College students are using low-priced, pocket-sized camcorders to overcome some of the technical and organisational barriers to using video in the classroom and for recording evidence of learning (JISC, 2008c). Examples included recording students’ oral presentations in English which were then used by the students for practice and reviewing with each other and Level 2 students in Art and Design recording technique demos and talking about their work to inform Level 1 students hoping to progress. Other projects, such as My Podcast at New College, Swindon (Warren, 2008), involve podcasting with lecturers creating both audio and video podcasts that students can download and play on handheld PDA’s or MP3 players for revision or extra support with a topic wherever they happen to be, in the workplace, at home or in college or moving between the two. Work Based Learning Both HE and FE institutions place students training for professions, whether medicine, building, teaching or hairdressing etc. in the workplace for a significant proportion of their course. Students, often at considerable distance from their teaching bases, need online access to course materials and other context specific information, to communicate with their tutors and to produce records of their progress and assignments for assessment. Mentors in the workplace need to authenticate and support this student learning. A number of pilots have been set up to test how mobile technologies can successfully be used to support students on work placements. For instance, mobile devices have been used to give instant hands on access to information that would be difficult to carry around on the job. At the James Cook University Hospital in 5 Middlesborough, 5th year medical students tested the use of PDA’s providing access to formulae, clinical guidelines, electronic portfolios and other web-based materials. They found portable access to these facilities useful, as was the ability for supervisors to ‘sign-off’ log books using their normal signatures on the PDA. (Cotterill et al, 2008). Reynolds et al (2007) found that a PDA proved to be a convenient and versatile mode of access to online education for dentistry students at King’s College, London. The 12 students were most positive about being able to make notes for individual study, to keep a diary of their commitments to teaching sessions and to having on the spot access to online support materials, particularly videos. Teaching is another profession where students need access to a wealth of information. Wishart et al (2007) found that when student teachers trialled the use of PDA’s in school they deemed the calendar or diary to be articularly supportive. Email was also used, primarily to maintain contact with other students and the university tutor, and the web browser was used to access information both in class and for personal reasons. Some students used spreadsheets to record pupils’ attendance and grades and most, in this pilot involving 14 trainees, used the word processor to make notes from meetings and on lesson observations for essays. However, the prevailing sociocultural climate where mobile phones are often banned and PDA’s a rarity meant that trainees often felt uncomfortable using their device on school premises. In FE mobile technology has been used in the work place for just in time problem solving, such as through the Hairdressing Training programme developed by the University of Manchester’s data centre, Mimas, and now used by 500 students at Stockport College, which offers step-by step guides to hairdressing techniques for styling, colouring and cutting (Smith, 2008) Also PDA’s have been found to be useful in connecting work based learners in FE who may otherwise be isolated from learning opportunities. Such devices have been used to assist apprentices in remote rural locations in Lincolnshire to give flexible learning options and to build achievement and self-esteem (Lambourne, 2008) and to provide learning and social networking opportunities to care workers in schools and nursing establishments in the Bourneville area of Birmingham (Brown, 2008). Finally, one of the largest trials of mobile technology in the workplace, currently ongoing with around a 1000 students in five universities in Yorkshire, is that being run by the Assessment of Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) CETL1, a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning that focuses on assessment and learning in practice settings and involving nursing and allied health care practitioner trainees. Initial indications (Dearnley et al, 2008) showed that both students and lecturers were positive about a range of benefits having a PDA enables however, introducing mobile technology into the clinical setting will require a significant shift in culture and a significant level of training and support. 1 http://www. alps-cetl. ac. uk/ 6 Summary While the above mentioned projects demonstrate the range of learning activities that have been trialled in UK institutions, recent advances in the abilities of the mobile devices themselves offer the chance to deliver new services to learners that have not yet been tested. The 2009 Horizon Report notes how the adoption of novel interfaces (like the iPhone), the new ability of mobile devices to download applications and to be location aware through GPS signals, all offer new opportunities for learning. With the addition of broadband-like data connections, the boundary between what is a mobile phone and a portable computer are being ever more blurred (New Media Consortium 2009). It is in this technology context that the workshop participants came together to imagine future scenarios for the use of mobile technology in learning, drawing on their wide experiences of previous research projects and contemplating how developing mobile technologies could open up new opportunities for connecting learners and teachers. 7 Methods: Developing Future Scenarios In this project three different tools were used to support future predictions. The first used for the workshop focusing on the practice of users in Higher Education (HE) in the future five years from today was the Cognitive Foresight toolkit available from the UK Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Office of Science and Technology, 2005). It was developed for strategic futures planning and provides guidance on different techniques that can be used in the different stages of developing future scenarios and the ways they can be combined. This first workshop employed driver analysis to build internally consistent future scenarios from an assessment of the way current trends and drivers are influencing the present use of mobile technologies in HE. First the workshop participants ‘brainstorm’ a range of drivers for the currently observable trends. Next scenarios are produced by taking the drivers identified as having the highest importance and highest impact as orthogonal pairs of axes and visualising up to four scenarios that match the chosen combinations. This method is illustrated in the example below. More of †¦ Scenario Decrease in †¦ Increase in †¦ Less of †¦ The second used the Futures Technology Workshop method (Vavoula and Sharples, 2007) to look at future scenarios in work based learning. This is a structured method whereby people, in this case with experience in the specific area of the use of mobile technologies in education, envision and design the interactions between current and future technologies and an activity. Through a series of structured workshop sessions they collaborate to envisage future activities related to technology design, build models of the contexts of use for future technologies, act out scenarios of use for their models, re-conceive their scenarios in relation to present-day technologies, list problems with implementing the scenarios exploring the gap between current and future technology and activity. The workshop method was edited slightly within the time constraints of the day so that the structured sessions comprised: i. i. Imagineering: brainstorm on desired future learning activities. Modelling: in groups, producing models that demonstrate the envisioned activities, complete with related props. 8 iii. iv. Retrofit: developing a role play for another group’s scenario using only current technologies. Futurefit Requirements: listing requirements for the future technologies that have to be in place for the scenario to be realised. The third workshop on future scenarios in Further Education (FE) followed a method devised by FutureLab, an educational thinktank aimed at transforming the way people learn that focuses on the potential offered by digital and other technologies. This method for developing scenarios uses non-specific images of people of different ages in different locations printed on cards as a stimulus to thinking. The workshop used cards such as these shown below from the Building Visions for Learning Spaces sequence of cards. The workshop participants are then asked to envision first a range of learning activities that could be happening within the image and the people involved in them, then the anticipated outcomes and the technological resources that will be needed. One of these activities is then chosen by each of the groups for fuller development into a future scenario. In each of the above three cases the workshop was set up to start with two initial keynote presentations designed to stimulate thought and discussion from recognised experts. These keynotes (found under workshops 8-10) are available from the Adding a Mobile Dimension to Teaching and Learning web site2. These were followed by a series of discussion activities informed by the futures prediction method being used and facilitated by the research team. A discussion workshop is a recognised method of collaborative knowledge construction through discussion and debate amongst peers or experts. The workshops were run as focus groups with the facilitator encouraging discussion and debate and following a qualitative, phenomenological research approach.