Greek Mythology and Platos Concept of the Soul Essay

Greek Mythology and Platos Concept of the Soul - Essay Example Platonic philosophy views the immortal soul and the body as separate entities. At death, the body decomposes and merges with the elements from which it was created but the soul is imperishable. This brings me to the point of linkage. To what degree was Plato influenced by Greek religious beliefs involving the immortality of the soul and what did Plato think of the afterlife compared to the earlier Greek religious beliefs about it? I cannot actually know this exactly but I can and will look at what Plato was reacting to. The Greek word for soul is psyche. Through the ages, the word psyche stayed the same but the meaning changed. My claim is that Plato’s idea of the soul differed from the earlier view expressed in Homer’s epics and other myths and he almost always chose the opposite position to Homer’s writings. Throughout the dialogues, Plato often argues against and almost ridicules Homer’s text, stepping outside the Greek societal box of thinking about the soul. Plato’s theory differs to that of the earlier Greek times because it portrayed the soul as being immortal and the means to knowledge. He did not associate the word psyche with de ath as did Homer. Hendrik Lorenz comments, â€Å"From comparatively humble beginnings, the word ‘soul’ undergoes quite a remarkable semantic expansion in sixth and fifth century usage. By the end of the fifth century -- the time of Socrates’ death-- the soul is standard thought and spoken of as the distinguishing mark of living things, as something that is the subject of emotional states and that is responsible for planning and practical thinking, and also as the bearer of such virtues as courage and justice.†1 Through the ages, Greek society associated the soul or psyche with the idea of death. The ancient Greeks’ religious beliefs were not prescribed in code on a set of tablets or papyri but rather passed down

Scientific method Essay Example for Free

Scientific method Essay Outline and illustrate three characteristics of sense-data. (15 marks) Anticipate the following characteristics: †¢ We are immediately/directly acquainted with sense-data, (from which we infer a mindindependent reality). †¢ Sense-data are (usually) mental or mind-dependent. †¢ Sense-data exist only as they are perceived. †¢ Reports regarding sense-data are incorrigible. †¢ Sense-data are nothing other than how they appear – they have no hidden depths. †¢ The sense-data I experience will vary according to the conditions in which I perceive an object. †¢ Sense-data, unlike physical objects, can have indeterminate process. †¢ Sense-data and physical objects/distinguishing sense-data. Illustrate examples are likely to differ depending on the points being made and can be drawn from various sources: Illusions and delusions (e. g. bent sticks, mirage, hallucinations), perceptual relativity (the real shape of the coin, the real properties of the table), phenomenology (apparent and real speckled hens) or time-lag arguments (seeing the ‘sun’) that distinguish between the way the world appears and the way it is. Consider the claim that the weaknesses of representative realism outweigh its strengths. (30 marks) Knowledge and Understanding Anticipate the following outline of representative realism: There is a material reality independent of our perception of it – an external world – from which experience originates. But our perception of material objects is mediated via ‘ a veil of perception’. Our immediate awareness is of an ‘internal’ non-material something – ‘ideas’ or sense-data – that we take as representative of mind independent external reality. The claim that there is an external world is a hypothesis. Interpretation, Analysis and Application Possible strengths †¢ Unlike common sense, representative realism can account for illusions/hallucinations by proposing we experience ideas/sense-data. †¢ Representative Realism gets the epistemological project right: I have to start from my own ‘experience’ and work outward to an external world. †¢ Representative Realism acknowledges the scientific claim that mind-independent reality is not as it appears to us (and the primary/secondary qualities distinction might be used here to articulate this point.) †¢ Representative realism acknowledges a distinction between appearance and reality but it is able to counter scepticism: it is reasonable to suppose that there is a mindindependent reality that impinges upon me in systematic ways, not subject to will, which my experience ‘represents’ in ways similar to your experience. Possible weaknesses †¢ Representative Realism is incompatible with Empiricism because it makes claims about mind-independent reality that transcend any possible experience: it makes empty assertions devoid of empirical consequences (e.g. ‘a something we know not what’); it illegitimately draws inferences from familiar experience (e. g. observations of casual relations) to support judgements regarding a reality that ‘must be strange’ (Russell). †¢ The apparatus employed by representative realism cannot avoid scepticism: a veil of perception intermediate between object and perceiver opens up an unbridgeable gap. †¢ Representative Realism (at least in its ‘pure’ empiricist form) does not have the resources to escape solipsism. †¢ The scientific appearance/reality distinction need not have any exceptional ‘philosophical significance regarding what there is; it just regulates what counts as relevant/irrelevant when scientists do science (c. f. demarcation issues like ‘Are we doing psychology or sociology? ’ ‘Is that a philosophical point of history? ’). †¢ A candidate might compare representative realism with other positions (e. g. idealism) just as long as the comparison highlights possible strengths and weaknesses of representative realism. †¢ Appeals to Occam’s Razor. Both direct realism and idealism are ontologically parsimonious contra representative realism. Assessment and Evaluation A candidate could argue for the following conclusions: †¢ The weaknesses outweigh the strengths †¢ The strengths outweigh the weaknesses †¢ The strengths and weaknesses balance out, more or less. †¢ Drawing out the implications of ‘something we know not what’ as Berkeley was to do. †¢ Support of direct realism e. g. exceptions can be allowed if they can be explained, correction by other senses. †¢ Presuppositions of recognising deceptions, †¢ Reid’s criticism of phenomenal variability – we can explain and predict. †¢ External world seen as hypothetical, but is this like a scientific hypothesis? Verification issues. †¢ How could we have the concept of a representation if we are only aware of representations. Analysis of how the concept works. †¢ If we cannot know physical objects, then neither can we know their causal powers. †¢ The external world could never be more than a probability. But how do we do the calculations needed for such a claim?

Effects of Organizational Culture on Police Decision Making Essay

This essay discusses the effects of the police organizational culture on a Police officer’s ability to make independent decisions. Every culture is composed of four elements: â€Å"values, norms, beliefs, and expressive symbols† (Peterson, 1979, p. 137). Each police officer is influenced by the police organizational culture during training. After graduation fro the police academy, the officer is influenced by the more experienced officers of the department. Research conducted by several authors has found that peer influence never ceases even after years of experience in the field. Throughout life, people change their point of views by the impact of the people they encounter and the structure of society. Although people initially joining the organization have the ability to use common sense and encompass a variety of values, cultural and religious beliefs, this soon changes after joining. Throughout history, unorthodox behavior has become an acceptable norm within society due to peer pressure, fear, and longing to become part of the police culture. Adolf Hitler became a famous man who ruled Germany by fear, which led to be one of the world’s prevalent tragedies (Wistricht, 1995). The police societies retain both negative and positive qualities in their social norms, principles and attitude. â€Å"In the field of police, the standard of the performance are based on occupational culture† (Manning, 1978). The negative characteristics of police cultures assumed by Jermier et al. (1991) are â€Å"militaristic, uniformed dress, rigid rank hierarchy of authority, unbending rules and authoritative command system,† (p. 173). The police culture teaches false, misleading ideas and norms to alter officer’s judgment, thoughts, associati... ... Frost, R. (1999). Mountain Interval. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Retrieved from http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html Jermier, J. M., John, W. S., Fry, J. L., & Gaines, J. (1991, May 1991). Organizational Subcultures in a Soft Bureaucracy: Resistance Behind the Myth and Facade of an Official Culture. Organization Science, 2(2), 170-191. Manning, P. K. (1978). The police: Mandate strategies and appearances. (In P.K. Maning & J.V. Maanen ed.). Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear. Peterson, R. A. (1979). Revitalizing the Culture Concept. Annual Review of Sociology, 137-166. Sever, M. (2008, Feb ). Effects of Organizational Culture on Police Decision Making. Telemasp Bulletin, 15(1), p. 12. Retrieved from http://www.lemitonline.org/publications/telemasp/Pdf/volume%2015/vol15no1.pdf Wistricht, R. (1995). Who's Who In Nazi Germany (2 ed.). Routledge: Routledge.

Great Depression and Technology

As Albert Einstein once said â€Å"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. † Throughout the years our technology has become more and more advanced, creating more and more inventions. Modern technology has been created to fulfill every human’s needs. With such great advancements it has become convenient for our society to turn to technology for all our questions. We have not realized that day by day technology is taking over us. Many like to argue that it is not true, but if you were to take away every possible form of technology away from them, it would make living for them very difficult. Now a day, technology has played such an important role in our lives that it seems almost impossible for many of us to live without it. Being said, modern technology has produced more inconveniences than conveniences. To begin, with technology constantly advancing, many have become very reliant on it, making technology almost a necessity to a person’s everyday life. Almost everyone owns a car, a computer/laptop, a cell phone, and even higher advanced technology. Everywhere you go, people are either talking on their phone or texting, However, with so much technology being provided to us, it has made us profoundly lazy and too dependent on technology not allowing us to think for ourselves. So not only has modern technology made us lazy but also unintelligent. â€Å"Who can remember the days when you had to go to the library to do research for a research paper, had to pick up the morning newspaper to get the latest news, or had to buy a stamp and put a check in an envelope to pay a bill? In the last 50 years technology has undergone an amazing transformation. But with the emergence of the Internet, is our ability to access technology on a daily basis a good thing or a bad thing? † (Bradley). Bradley clearly states that we no longer do simple tasks on our own; we rely on technology to do them for us. We now use Google or other search engines to look up questions, turn on a televisions to see what is going on around us, and take a picture of a bill on our cell phones to pay it. â€Å"In another 50 years will we still be considered a lazy society? (Bradley). Furthermore, â€Å"Although the proliferation of communications technology has made it easier than to ever to have a conversation with or write a letter to another person, it has also rendered us more isolated. Computers have significantly reduced the amount of face-to-face interaction people once enjoyed. In place of the richness of human contact, many now settle for the comparatively pale pleasures of comp uter social networking† (Wolfe). With social medias like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, communicating with one another has become easier than ever. But this may not always be a good thing. People can easily create fake profiles and pretend to be a young man or woman when they can be a crazed rapist or murderer. Not only that but with so many social networks, cyber bullying has increased drastically. People can put whatever they want on the internet which can lower a person's self-esteem causing for them to want to kill themselves. Also, since we communicate so much over social media, it can affect our writing skills. Many people who chat online do not use proper vocabulary. For example, instead of writing okay, they abbreviate it writing OK. This causes us to begin writing in slang when we write papers for school. As a society we should learn face-to-face communication instead of over the internet. As final point, with new advanced machines being created and the machines being capable to do almost anything, there has been an increase in job elimination. Some of these jobs would include those of farm workers and factory workers. â€Å"A technology revolution is fast replacing human beings with machines in virtually every sector and industry in the global economy. Already, millions of workers have been permanently eliminated from the economic process, and whole work categories and job assignments have shrunk, been restructured, or disappeared. Global unemployment has now reached its highest level since the great depression of the 1930s. More than 800 million human beings are now unemployed or underemployed in the world. That figure is likely to rise sharply between now and the turn of the century as millions of new entrants into the workforce find themselves without jobs† (Rifkin). With modern technology taking over the jobs of farm workers, factory workers, etc, people are left jobless. And living in this economy has made it very difficult for people to find new jobs. Like Rotman said, â€Å"Rapid technological change has been destroying jobs faster than it is creating them. † With technology constantly evolving day by day our society has to be more careful than ever to not let it take over us. Although for many of us it may already have.

Middle School Speech Essay

I have been at Englewood School for four years. I am pleased to say that during these years I have created new friends and lived many exciting experiences. As a new student in third grade, my classmates and teachers made me feel as if I was among my family. From class time discussions to Christmas plays, we have enjoyed every single day within this community. Days filled with joy, laughter, and even sometimes sorrows have been our foundation to move to our next step. Our teachers have completed their mission and successfully prepared us for middle school. Our future experiences will be influenced from the exciting and moving moments that we cherish from the elementary years. Although we cannot go back to relive the moments we have spent together, we will remember them forever. During the upcoming years we will encounter difficult tasks but those will only make us stronger. We have to look forward to this new beginning. We must work hard, enjoy and above all, we must always stand together and united as we are today. The change we will face is not an easy one. As every other class before us we have been the oldest and the roles models for the little ones. Now, we will enter a new stage in which we will be the youngest and the new kids on the block. As we live new experiences, we must be prepared to win or lose. As long as we make the best of it, we will not regret it when looked back. Today we close a chapter of our school life. Tomorrow we begin writing another. Let us make that writing on our new chapter an interesting one. Thank you for being part of this class and let’s enjoy our future together.

History of Adhesives and Glue

History of Adhesives and Glue Archeologists excavating burial sites from 4000 BC have discovered clay pots repaired with glue made from tree sap. We know that the ancient Greeks developed adhesives for use in carpentry, and created recipes for glue that included the following items as ingredients: egg whites, blood, bones, milk, cheese, vegetables, and grains. Tar and beeswax were used by the Romans for glue. Around 1750, the first glue or adhesive patent was issued in Britain. The glue was made from fish. Patents were then rapidly issued for adhesives using natural rubber, animal bones, fish, starch, milk protein or casein. Superglue - Synthetic Glue Superglue or Krazy Glue is a substance called cyanoacrylate that was discovered by Dr. Harry Coover while working for Kodak Research Laboratories to develop an optically clear plastic for gunsights in 1942. Coover rejected cyanoacrylate because it was too sticky. In 1951, cyanoacrylate was rediscovered by Coover and Dr. Fred Joyner. Coover was now supervising research at the Eastman Company in Tennessee. Coover and Joyner were researching a heat-resistant acrylate polymer for jet canopies when Joyner spread a film of ethyl cyanoacrylate between refractometer prisms and discovered that the prisms were glued together. Coover finally realized that cyanoacrylate was a useful product and in 1958 the Eastman compound #910 was marketed and later packaged as superglue. Hot Glue - Thermoplastic Glue Hot glue or hot melt adhesives are thermoplastics that are applied hot (often using glue guns) and then harden as they cool. Hot glue and glue guns are commonly used for arts and crafts because of the wide range of materials that hot glue can stick together. Procter Gamble chemical and packaging engineer, Paul Cope invented thermoplastic glue around 1940 as an improvement to water-based adhesives that were failing in humid climates. This to That A nifty site that tells you what to use to glue anything to anything else. Read the trivia section for historical information. According to the â€Å"This to That† website, the famous cow used as the trademark on all Elmer’s glue products is actually named Elsie, and she is the spouse of Elmer, the bull (male cow) who the company is named after.

Rise and Fall of Nazi Officer Franz Stangl

Rise and Fall of Nazi Officer Franz Stangl Franz Stangl, nicknamed The White Death, was an Austrian Nazi who served as director of the Treblinka and Sobibor death camps in Poland during World War II. Under his co-direction, it is estimated that more than 1 million people were gassed and buried in mass graves. After the war, Stangl fled Europe, first to Syria and then to Brazil. In 1967, he was tracked down by Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and extradited to Germany, where he was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died from a heart attack in prison in 1971. Stangl as a Youth Franz Stangl was born in Altmuenster, Austria, on March 26, 1908. As a young man, he worked in textile factories, which would help him find employment later while on the run. He joined two organizations: the Nazi party and the Austrian police. When Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the ambitious young policeman joined the Gestapo and soon impressed his superiors with his cold efficiency and willingness to follow orders. Stangl and Aktion T4 In 1940, Stangl was assigned to Aktion T4, a Nazi program designed to improve the Aryan master race gene pool by weeding out the infirm. Stangl was assigned to the Hartheim Euthanasia Center near Linz, Austria. Germans and Austrian citizens who were deemed unworthy were euthanized, including those born with birth defects, the mentally ill, alcoholics, those with Down’s syndrome and other illnesses. The prevailing theory was that those with defects were draining the resources from society and polluting the Aryan race. At Hartheim, Stangl proved that he had the proper combination of attention to detail, organizational skill and absolute indifference to the suffering of those he deemed inferior. Aktion T4 was eventually suspended after indignation from German and Austrian citizens. Stangl at Sobibor Death Camp After Germany had invaded Poland, the Nazis had to figure out what to do with the millions of Polish Jews, who were considered subhuman according to the racial policy of Nazi Germany. The Nazis built three death camps in eastern Poland: Sobibor, Treblinka, and Belzec. Stangl was assigned as chief administrator of the Sobibor death camp, which was inaugurated in May 1942. Stangl served as camp director until his transfer in August. Trains carrying Jews from all over Eastern Europe arrived at the camp. Train passengers arrived, were systematically stripped, shaved and sent to the gas chambers to die. It is estimated in the three months that Stangl was at Sobibor, 100,000 Jews died under Stangl’s watch. Stangl at Treblinka Death Camp Sobibor was running very smoothly and efficiently, but the Treblinka death camp was not. Stangl was reassigned to Treblinka to make it more efficient. As the Nazi hierarchy had hoped, Stangl turned the inefficient camp around. When he arrived, he found corpses strewn about, little discipline among the soldiers and inefficient killing methods. He ordered the place cleaned up and made the train station attractive so that incoming Jewish passengers would not realize what was going to happen to them until it was too late. He ordered the construction of new, larger gas chambers and raised the killing capacity of Treblinka to an estimated 22,000 per day. He was so good at his job that he was awarded the honor â€Å"Best Camp Commandant in Poland† and awarded the Iron Cross, one of the highest Nazi honors. Stangl Assigned to Italy and Return to Austria Stangl was so efficient at administrating the death camps that he put himself out of work. By the middle of 1943, most of the Jews in Poland were either dead or hiding. The death camps were no longer needed. Anticipating the international outrage to the death camps, the Nazis bulldozed the camps and tried to hide the evidence as best they could. Stangl and other camp leaders like him were sent to the Italian front in 1943; it was hypothesized that it may have been a way to try and kill them off. Stangl survived the battles in  Italy and returned to Austria in 1945, where he stayed until the war ended. Flight to Brazil As an SS officer, the genocidal terror squad of the Nazi Party, Stangl attracted the attention of the Allies after the war and spent two years in an American internment camp. The Americans did not seem to realize who he was. When Austria began to show interest in him in 1947, it was due to his involvement in Aktion T4, not for the horrors that took place in Sobibor and Treblinka. He escaped in 1948 and made his way to Rome, where pro-Nazi bishop Alois Hudal helped him and his friend Gustav Wagner escape. Stangl first went to Damascus, Syria, where he easily found work in a textile factory. He prospered and was able to send for his wife and daughters. In 1951, the family moved to Brazil and settled in So Paulo. Turning up the Heat on Stangl Throughout his travels, Stangl did little to hide his identity. He never used an alias and even registered with the Austrian embassy in Brazil. By the early 1960s, although he felt safe in Brazil, it had to have been clear to Stangl that he was a wanted man. Fellow Nazi Adolf Eichmann was snatched off a Buenos Aires street in 1960 before being taken to Israel, tried and executed. In 1963, Gerhard Bohne, another former officer associated with Aktion T4, was indicted in Germany; he would eventually be extradited from Argentina. In 1964, 11 men who had worked for Stangl at Treblinka were tried and convicted. One of them was Kurt Franz, who had succeeded Stangl as commander of the camp.   Nazi Hunter Wiesenthal on the Chase Simon Wiesenthal, the well-known concentration camp survivor, and Nazi hunter had a long list of Nazi war criminals he  wanted to be brought  to justice, and Stangl’s name was near the top of the list. In 1964, Wiesenthal got a tip  that Stangl was living in Brazil and working at a Volkswagen factory in So Paulo. According to Wiesenthal, one of the tips came from a former Gestapo officer, who demanded to be paid one penny for every Jew killed at Treblinka and Sobibor. Wiesenthal estimated that 700,000 Jews had died in those camps, so the total for the tip came to $7,000, payable if and when Stangl was captured. Wiesenthal eventually paid the informant. Another tip to Wiesenthal concerning Stangl’s whereabouts may have come from Stangl’s former son-in-law. Arrest and Extradition Wiesenthal pressured Germany to issue a request to Brazil for the arrest and extradition of Stangl. On February 28, 1967, the ex-Nazi was arrested in Brazil as he returned from a bar with his adult daughter. In June, Brazilian courts ruled that he should be extradited and shortly thereafter he was put on a plane for West Germany. It took German authorities three years to bring him to trial. He was charged with the deaths of 1.2 million people. Trial and Death Stangl’s trial began on May 13, 1970. The prosecution’s case was well-documented and Stangl did not contest most of the accusations. He instead relied on the same line prosecutors had been hearing since the Nuremberg Trials, that he was only â€Å"following orders.† He was convicted on December 22, 1970, of complicity in the deaths of 900,000 people and sentenced to life in prison. He died of a heart attack in prison on June 28, 1971, about six months after his conviction. Before he died, he gave a long interview to Austrian writer Gitta Sereny. The interview sheds some light on how Stangl was able to commit the atrocities he did. He repeatedly said that his conscience was clear because he had come to see the endless train cars of Jews as nothing more than cargo. He said he did not hate Jews personally but was proud of the organizational work he had done in the camps. In the same interview, he mentioned that his former colleague Gustav Wagner was hiding in Brazil. Later, Wiesenthal would track Wagner down and have him arrested, but the Brazilian government never extradited him.   Unlike some of the other Nazis, Stangl did not appear to relish the killing he oversaw. There are no accounts of him ever murdering anyone personally like fellow camp commander Josef Schwammberger or Auschwitz â€Å"Angel of Death† Josef Mengele. He wore a whip while at the camps, which he apparently seldom used it, although there were very few eyewitnesses who survived the Sobibor and Treblinka camps to verify it. There is no doubt, however, that Stangl’s institutionalized slaughter ended the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Wiesenthal claimed to have brought 1,100 former Nazis to justice. Stangl was by far the â€Å"biggest fish† that the famous Nazi hunter ever caught. Sources Simon Wiesenthal Archive. Franz Stangl. Walters, Guy. Hunting Evil: the Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped and the Quest to Bring them to Justice. 2010: Broadway Books.

Of Mice and Men Quotes

Of Mice and Men Quotes The following Of Mice and Men quotes represent some of the most significant elements of the novel, including the themes of nature, strength, and dreams. Additionally, Steinbecks use of vernacular language and colloquial dialects is evident in many of these passages. A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan Mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees- willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter’s flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool. This passage, which serves as the novels opener, establishes from the very beginning the importance of land and nature to the text- specifically, an idealized version of nature. The river runs â€Å"deep and green,† the water is â€Å"warm,† the sands are â€Å"yellow†¦in the sunlight,† the foothills â€Å"golden,† the mountains â€Å"strong,† and the willows â€Å"fresh and green. Each adjective is positive and healthy. Taken together, these descriptions create a romanticized image of the natural world. The passage suggests that the natural world is epic and powerful, the animals and plants living blissfully and peacefully according to their natural rhythms, coming and going as they please, untouched by man’s destructive hand. â€Å"There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it.† Untouched, that is, until the beginning of the second paragraph, when into this scene come â€Å"boys,† and â€Å"tramps,† who wreak all manner of havoc on this natural scene. The path through the willows soon becomes a â€Å"path beaten hard as the men walk all over it, ruining it of its proper tenderness. There is an â€Å"ash pile by many fires,† which suggests more harm to the landscape, both in that it implies the area is well-traveled, as well as because fires are damaging to the ground upon which they burn. Moreover, these frequent visits have â€Å"worn smooth† a tree limb that the men have used as a bench, deforming it. This paragraph introduces the uneasy balance, central to the novel, between an idealized version of the natural world and the actual version in which people live- in other words, the world of mice and the world of men. The more the world of men tries to attain or possess the world of mice, the more they harm it, and consequently the more they lose it. â€Å"That mouse ain’t fresh, Lennie; and besides, you’ve broke it pettin’ it. You get another mouse that’s fresh and I’ll let you keep it a little while.† This statement, made by George to Lennie, reveals Lennie’s gentle nature, as well as his inability to prevent his physical power from bringing destruction upon those smaller than him. Throughout the novel, Lennie is often seen petting soft objects, ranging from a mouse to a rabbit to a womans hair. In this particular passage, nothing of consequence comes of Lennies actions- he is simply touching a dead mouse. However, the moment foreshadows another scene: later in the novel, Lennie attempts to stroke Curleys wifes hair and accidentally breaks her neck in the process. Lennies unintended but inevitable acts of destruction serve as a metaphor for humanitys destructive nature. Despite our best laid plans, the novel suggests, humans cannot help but leave behind a ruinous wake. I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, and’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’ I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s just’ in their head.† In this speech, a farmhand named Crooks rejects Lennie’s notion that he and George will one day buy a piece of land and live off of it. Crooks claims that he has heard many people make these sort of claims before, but that none of them have ever come to fruition; rather, he says, â€Å"it’s just in their head.† This statement encapsulates Crooks’ (justified) skepticism about George and Lennie’s plan, as well as a deeper doubt about anyones ability to attain whatever idealized sanctuary they have envisioned for themselves. According to Crooks, â€Å"[n]obody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. Whether the dream is eternal spiritual salvation, or just a few acres to call your own, nobody can actually achieve it.  Ã‚   ‘We’ll have a cow,’ said George. ‘An’ we’ll have maybe a pig an’ chickens†¦an’ down the flat we’ll have a†¦little piece alfalfa- ‘For the rabbits,’ Lennie shouted.‘For the rabbits,’ George repeated.‘And I get to tend the rabbits.’‘An’ you get to tend the rabbits.’Lennie giggled with happiness. â€Å"An’ live on the fatta the lan’.’ This exchange between George and Lennie takes place at the end of the novel. In it, the two characters describe for each other the farm they hope to live on one day. They plan to have rabbits, pigs, cows, chickens, and alfalfa, none of which they currently have access to on the barley farm. The dream of having their own farm is a refrain to which the pair often returns throughout the book. Lennie seems to believe the dream is realistic, even if currently out of reach, but for most of the book, it is unclear whether George shares that belief or simply considers it an idle fantasy that helps him get through the day. By the time this scene occurs, however, George is preparing to kill Lennie, and he clearly knows the farm dream will never become reality. Interestingly, even though they have had this conversation before, only now does George assent when Lennie asks him if they can have rabbits- a recurring symbol throughout the book- on the farm. Given that he is about to shoot Lennie, this juxtaposition implies that, for the characters of Of Mice and Men, the more they hope to attain in the real world, the further from it they must travel.

Cross Cultural Management - International Teams Essay

Cross Cultural Management - International Teams - Essay Example They include Individualism; this dimension show the extent to which the people value self determination in the organization, different from their behaviors becomes examined by the collective will of the group in the organization. Power distance; in this dimension lies the question of involvement in the decision making. In the lower power distance cultures, employees always seek involvement and tend to have a desire for a participative management type. The employees will tend to work in a certain way, because they comprehend the fact that they get asked to do so by the organization managers. Uncertainty avoidance; this dimensions deals with the employees tolerance of the ambiguity in their environment. In the cultures that have high uncertainty avoidance, the employees will look for the clearly defined, stipulated rules and regulations that govern their individual behaviors. Masculinity or femininity; in the highly male cultures, the dominant values relate to the assertiveness and the material acquisition. In the highly feminists cultures, the values focus on the relationship among different people, the need to help others and the quality of life. Intercultural communication in an organization creates teamwork. It enables the employees understand each other’s cultural differences, and to be able to communicate efficiently without creating or raising misunderstandings. In a successful intercultural communication, employees are able to comprehend the cultures of different people on their behaviors and the communication tendencies. This creates teamwork as the employees respect each other’s unique talents, cultural background and capabilities. When employees are aware of other people’s cultural influences, stereotyping gets eliminated which is always a danger to teamwork and effective communication. Understanding different cultures is a key to organizations success. One cannot understand other people’s culture without forming close relat ionships with these people. Intercultural friendships can develop among employees. However, how those friendships get formed and how they become viewed in an organization differs from one culture to the other culture. Some people need their space in all areas, and they see those who encroach in their space as threats. Personal space is an example some people require less or greater distances between them. A Japanese individual who does not need much space will stand next to an American; this will make the American uncomfortable. According to Hall, all cultures can be situated in relation to one another according to the styles in which they communicate. He proposed differences in high- and low-context cultural dimension that depends on how identity rests in the total communication framework. He claimed that different cultural frameworks for organizing and defining space, which becomes internalized everybody at an unconscious level, creates serious failures of communication and unders tanding in different cultural settings. According to hall; Intimate space; is the closest space surrounding an individual and it is only acceptable to very close friends and dear intimates. Consultative and social space; is the space that people feel comfortable conducting their social routines with friends and strangers. Public space; this is the space area where people will perceive interactions as impersonal and relatively anonymous. Ethical practices are other contentious areas for the intercultural teams. The awareness of own and

Rotterdam Rules Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Rotterdam Rules - Essay Example After coming into effect these changes are bound to reflect on different stakeholders in the maritime business. With an increase in business activities, all around the globe, the sea route has become very busy and active, thus generating more demand for regulations and expertise in Maritime law. Container and shipping industry is capital intensive business and requires huge amount of investment to start the business. Safety and environmental concerns obviously result in high levels of regulations for the industry. It took well over seven years for the U.N. Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and its Working Group III on Transport Law, to deliberate on the nuances of the new legislation for the shipping industry. Subsequently the Comit Maritime International (CMI) took another four years of preparatory work to pave the way for the United Nations to adopt the 'Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea' in December 2008 meeting (Sturley, 2009). The Rotterdam convention is bound to have an impact on different stakeholders in the maritime business in varying measures, depending upon a number of factors. The Cargo owners are certainly an important part in this business. With projections of the global marine industry to be worth $924.5 billion by the year 2013, registering an increase of 23.4 percent since 2008, the Rotterdam rules are bound to play a crucial role in the marine industry (Datamonitor, 2009). Futuristic projections say that the global marine industry is bound to witness a volume of about 21.7 in the year 2013, which makes the role of cargo owners all the more crucial. In fact Rotterdam rules are seen the first serious attempt to replace the age old maritime rules with a new set of modernistic guidelines to make the maritime business more attractive and less speculative. With trade volumes increasing as we move along in the 21st century, the global marine trade has been growing at a rapid pace. Research reports indicate that the rate of growth between 2004 and 2006 had been quite attractive, but subsequent years saw decline owing to the prevalence of all round recessionary trends. Though the recession is far from over yet, but the industry is witnessing higher volume of trade in the recent months. Rotterdam has got the honours of hosting the UN Convention because of its being one of largest ports around the world. In fact, the traditional competition for the best and largest has been between Rotterdam and Singapore. But, the phenomenal rise of China in global trade has made Shanghai as a tough competitor for being the number one port in terms of cargo handling. More movement of goods and services due to the trend amongst the MNCs to manufacture products in countries like China and then transport it back to the western world or Europe, implies greater opportunity for the shipping industry. As per the United Nation estimates, the shipping industry was able to move 8 billion tons of cargo in 2007. This amounts to about 80 percent of the volume of world trade. Oil comprised of the main cargo shipment followed closely by iron ore and coal (UN, 2009). The cargo owners have therefore a big role in carrying forward the globalisation and liberalisation regime. Rotterdam rules have brou ght about a series of changes in the existing framework while making provisions for emerging situations in the increased transportation of the goods around the world.

How does The Aeneid confirm values that Polybius described as the Essay

How does The Aeneid confirm values that Polybius described as the sources of Roman greatness or success - Essay Example Then, there was also gradual integration and absorption of conquered people into Rome. Lastly, they made a gradual expansion until they reached their borders. Polybius was a Greek historian who moved into Rome after the deportation of Greeks into Italy. He was therefore able to move to the Roman circles and witness major campaigns in the Mediterranean region. This gave him a great opportunity to analyze the principles beyond the Roman great success. In order to be successful, Rome avoided the culture of tyranny by having a mixed constitution in which in a single state there are three forms of government which include the monarchy in form of elected executives, aristocracy represented by the senate and democracy in form of popular assemblies (Phiz). The ambitions and human resources of Rome were growing at the same time. This made the leadership difficult to challenge for years. As a result Rome organized its plans well and developed a security complex which would enable it take rid of all its aggressors. The other success factors for the Roman Empire were fate, determination fate and selflessness on the part of its leaders. It will be wrong to ignore the fact that Rome had very great naval ships and strong navy personnel who could traverse many regions and put them under their captivity. At times they even relied on foreign mercenaries especially when they were dealing with overseas countries. The Aeneid is the Roman epic poem which talks about the founding legends of the Roman Empire. One such legend is Augustus a title given to Octavian signifying a savior who had brought peace to Rome by ending civil war. The Aeneid presents many parallels to the rise to power of Augustus for instance the civil war, the destruction of the Troy, the wanderings of the Aeneas, destruction of the republic and finally the creation of peace in the country. The Aeneid is therefore a pro-Augustan propaganda since Virgil uses it for propaganda about roman heroes to come and

Sustainable tourism and educating the tourist Essay

Sustainable tourism and educating the tourist - Essay Example With such high and definitely increasing demand, protection of culture and environment has become imperative. "Sustainable tourism in its purest sense is an industry which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems. It is responsible tourism which is both ecologically and culturally sensitive" http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/eco-tour.html ST makes maximum use of environmental resources without disturbing natural heritage and biodiversity, respecting socio-cultural authenticity of the region, and ensuring long term economic wellbeing of the stakeholders. In relation to mass tourism, sustainable tourism is a specialised branch. Mass tourism is economically beneficial, easy to market, but is rather harsh on attractions. It no doubt cares for environment and cultural attractions; but not enough. It does not involve local communities as stakeholders and there is hardly any dialogue between communities, tourists and tour operators. It is a positive force for poor countries, which can, if allowed to go unbridled, also can harm local culture and environment. Pope John Paul II thought mass tourism was another way of exploiting local communities, even though mass tourism is vital for many countries. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/1468503.stm). Responsible tourism like ST minimises the damage that could be caused by mass tourism to environment and culture. MEDITERRANEAN Spain and Mediterranean coastlines offered mature mass tourism for decades now. Mass tourism has created complex issues like demands and pressures and new policies and planning techniques. It has also created the necessity of sustainable tourism application in this area. Uncontrolled tourism almost ruined the freshwater basin here. Italy and Greece too were adversely affected by mass tourism. "The mass model of sun and beach tourism which is characteristic of the Mediterranean coastline has caused both the spectacular urban, demographic and economic growth of small coastal towns once inhabited by farming and fishing families who eventually came to make their living from tourism, and the increasing degradation of their natural setting" http://geographyfieldwork.com/TourismMatureDestinations.htm This statement is true as the involved countries have only recently woken up into the enormity of the problems that tourism has created. Mediterranean holidays deal with all major holiday brands and depend on seasonality. But in recent years, it had been seen as a single major threat to the pristine coastline and equally destructive to valuable wetlands even though tourism is the most important vehicle of growth. STAKEHOLDER Under these circumstances, Sustainable tourism that involves the local community in safeguarding and protecting the cultural and environmental assets of the region comes into picture and gives new hope. ST believes in the economic benefit of the region because tourism is connected with productivity, mobility, communication facilities and broadened horizons. "Obviously, these factors are interrelated, but a greater weight probably should be assigned to productivity than to the others," Smith (1989, p.41). Without further opportunity of productivity, it is difficult to

Gilmans Theory and Women in Patriarchy vs. Marxs Theory and Workers in Essay

Gilmans Theory and Women in Patriarchy vs. Marxs Theory and Workers in Capitalism - Essay Example Although Gilman claimed to be a humanist, she practically worked extensively to give modern feminism ample sociological grounds (Ritzer 2011; Allen 2009). Research Question Compare and contrast Gilman’s theory as to the oppression of women in patriarchy with Marx’s theory as to how and why workers are oppressed under capitalism. What similarities do you see in their arguments? What are the differences in these two theories of oppression? Gilman’s Theory and Women in Patriarchy Gilman’s most effective and powerful scholarly work in the realm of gender and sexuality studies are perhaps her famous book Women and Economics: A Study of the Economic Relation between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution (Gilman 1898). In this work, she has critically utilized Darwinism in a more socially constructive way and attempted to explain the intricacies of relationships between man and woman. She raised a question about not only the origins of humankind but also about the origins of gender roles, so as to find out that why domestic duties have been specified for women in general in all cultures and societies. She formulated an economic explanation of domestic economy. According to Gilman (1898), traditionally a woman was subjugated to use her sex organs as assets; on which she could further bank to impress her husband and get money to support herself and her children. So marriage is actually an arrangement of both sexual and economic subjugation of women in the male-dominated society. Relatively recently, scholars like MacKinnon (1982) also appear to be endorsing a similar perspective by claiming that women’s sexuality is not women’s own. Marx’s Theory and Workers in Capitalism According to Marx, the industrial capitalist society is clearly divided into two classes, where one class controls the means of production and the other class serves as workers. Oppression arises from the fact that the state becomes a managing co mmittee of the holders of the means of production. And in answering the question that why the workers are finally at the losing side, Marx holds that lack of political organization coupled with a powerful capitalist police state is responsible for the fact that the workers are finally at the receiving end of the system. (Brown 2012; MacKinnon 1982) Consequently, the working class is subjugated both politically and economically. The working class has to work hard and produce all the goods and products necessary for modern society. But they are so occupied with their economic plight that they are compelled to tolerate underpayment and injustice. In this way, they are alienated from their products and the surplus is accumulated by the rich landlords and factory owners.

The effect of remuneration on productivity an appraisal of primark Research Proposal

The effect of remuneration on productivity an appraisal of primark London - Research Proposal Example This paper defines the remuneration as the process of making an employee motivated by offering him a compensation or benefit. It is basically the gains he gets from the employers in exchange for services he performs in the workplace. It is a great way to increase the morale of an employee and boosting his performance level by keeping him motivated toward the job. Employee remuneration is a way to promote the well being of an employee by raising his status through paying salary to him in return for the services he provides for the employer. Employee remuneration can be characterized into two parts by naming them as time rate and piece rate method. The time rate method is characterized by measuring the time that worker spends on the job whereas piece rate method is related to the unit productivity as seen by the input given by employee to produce output. There are many advantages of time rate method of employee remuneration as it leads to producing quality products within a given time frame and the compensation is provided to employees keeping in view the time they spend on the job. For instance, the salary can be fixed based on hourly, weekly or monthly basis. Here the emphasis is more on the quality than quantity and supervision is tight as compared to piece rate method. It is a good method to make a new employee learn the basics of job without caring for the amount of salary he attains as it is based on the time spent on the task. However, the piece rate method is characteristic of the inputs the employee puts in to produce a specified number of outputs. In this type of method, an employee is more focused with quantity than quality and he is not being placed under strict supervision as he has just to produce the specified number of products at his pace. It is a good way to increase motivation among employees to strive for better pay by producing more outputs (Abrams, 2003). There are number of

Gilmans Theory and Women in Patriarchy vs. Marxs Theory and Workers in Essay

Gilmans Theory and Women in Patriarchy vs. Marxs Theory and Workers in Capitalism - Essay Example Although Gilman claimed to be a humanist, she practically worked extensively to give modern feminism ample sociological grounds (Ritzer 2011; Allen 2009). Research Question Compare and contrast Gilman’s theory as to the oppression of women in patriarchy with Marx’s theory as to how and why workers are oppressed under capitalism. What similarities do you see in their arguments? What are the differences in these two theories of oppression? Gilman’s Theory and Women in Patriarchy Gilman’s most effective and powerful scholarly work in the realm of gender and sexuality studies are perhaps her famous book Women and Economics: A Study of the Economic Relation between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution (Gilman 1898). In this work, she has critically utilized Darwinism in a more socially constructive way and attempted to explain the intricacies of relationships between man and woman. She raised a question about not only the origins of humankind but also about the origins of gender roles, so as to find out that why domestic duties have been specified for women in general in all cultures and societies. She formulated an economic explanation of domestic economy. According to Gilman (1898), traditionally a woman was subjugated to use her sex organs as assets; on which she could further bank to impress her husband and get money to support herself and her children. So marriage is actually an arrangement of both sexual and economic subjugation of women in the male-dominated society. Relatively recently, scholars like MacKinnon (1982) also appear to be endorsing a similar perspective by claiming that women’s sexuality is not women’s own. Marx’s Theory and Workers in Capitalism According to Marx, the industrial capitalist society is clearly divided into two classes, where one class controls the means of production and the other class serves as workers. Oppression arises from the fact that the state becomes a managing co mmittee of the holders of the means of production. And in answering the question that why the workers are finally at the losing side, Marx holds that lack of political organization coupled with a powerful capitalist police state is responsible for the fact that the workers are finally at the receiving end of the system. (Brown 2012; MacKinnon 1982) Consequently, the working class is subjugated both politically and economically. The working class has to work hard and produce all the goods and products necessary for modern society. But they are so occupied with their economic plight that they are compelled to tolerate underpayment and injustice. In this way, they are alienated from their products and the surplus is accumulated by the rich landlords and factory owners.

Case Study-The Russian Ruble Crisis and Its Aftermath Essay

Case Study-The Russian Ruble Crisis and Its Aftermath - Essay Example The Russian government wanted to create a dynamic economy, but there where inherent constraint that did not allowed their wishes to occur. Once price controls were removed prices for goods went wild because the people had a surplus of money to spend and there were no goods available to be purchased due an overall shortage of merchandise. One of reasons inflation took over the economy was that prior to the governmental move of unfreezing prices the government had been running an economy in which good were sold at artificially low levels. The government could have done thing differently in order to prevent prices to go out of control. For example the government central planning could have realized that there was a shortage of goods, and imports could have been increased prior to opening the economy. Another policy that would have helped was to increase the prices point of all good prior to the 1992 policy change. Another mistake the government made was investing too much money in state own companies which diminished the amount of money the Russian government had to spend on policies to bring social economic reform to the nation. The Russian economic situation between 1992 and 1998 showed us that there is an inverse relationship between currency value and interest rates. As the overall interest rates of the Rumble continue to climb which was directly reflected on the daily basis in the rise in unitary value of the currency, the actual value of the currency in comparison with other currency worldwide went down tremendously. In situations in which a country faces hyperinflation of its internal monetary policies and the international community loses faith is such currency which devalues the monetary unit (Moyer, McGuigan, Kretlow, 1992). When a country falls out of grace and stops being an attractive site for international

Designing a process of Intercultural aspects of conflict resolution Essay Example for Free

Designing a process of Intercultural aspects of conflict resolution Essay In the course to evolve a systematic cultural response to conflict, the first step is to breed familiarity among cultures that adds plurality and multicultural dimension to broaden existing views. In the process of evolving cultural familiarity communication, approaches towards conflict, cultural interpretation of life and identities and roles are identified as essential parameters (Carbaugh, 1990). Out of these, role and range of communication has already been discussed. Now it is time to look at rest of three factors. Responses towards a conflict situation are largely culture dependent, guided by the ways each culture has systemized itself towards conflict. Direct and straightforward ways of approaching conflict, generally acceptable in western society, may seem threatening and offensive in eastern cultures accustomed to third party negotiations. Similarly, cultures that follow calm and reasonable response to conflict, may feel intimidated by emotional and passionate response to conflict situation (Carbaugh, 1990). Cultural interpretation of life sets the starting point for people that forms basis of their thinking, values and philosophy, eventually deciding the role they would play in every conflict and their outcome they come across. It is the cultural orientation that makes societies disciplined or diffused, generalized or specific, value oriented or bohemian, and cooperative or isolated (Carbaugh, 1990). Hence cultural conflict resolution ultimately depends on the depth of understanding attained through interaction. References Burrel, N. A, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim editor. Praeger Publishers. :New York Rahim, M. A (2001), Managing Conflict in Organizations. Contributors: M. Afzalur: Quorum Books. Westport, CT Handbook of Conflict Management. (2003) . Jerri Killian ,William J. Pammer Jr. (edits): Marcel Dekker. New York. Womack, D. F, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim editor. Praeger Publishers.:New York. Leborn, M. 2003. Culture and Conflict. Accessed online on 17. 11. 2007. http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/culture_conflict/ Grosse, C. U. 2002. Managing Communication within Virtual Intercultural Teams Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 65, 2002. Holliday, A. , Hyde, M. ,, Kullman, J. 2004. Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book; Routledge, Carbaugh, D. 1990 Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

A brief history of Ryanair

A brief history of Ryanair A brief history of Ryanair is set out to provide a background of submissions. Ryanair is Europes largest low-fare airline and based in Ireland.  This is a public listed company who are trade on Dublin, London and New York (NASDAQ) Stock Exchange stocks.  It is committed to low cost airfares and introducing competition to the European flag airlines and air transport market growing alliance.  It has the ability to provide passengers with the industrys lowest fare is dependent to a large extent, the low cost and high efficiency of the airport.(RYANAIR LIMITED 2007) Ryanair, started operations in 1985, launched 15 flights a day between turbine support and London Gatwick Airport Waterford.  The beginning of the companys commitment to providing low-fare air travel to the Irish public contrast, oligopoly pricing is provided in time for Aer Lingus and British Airways.  Ryanair was the first European airline set up a special low fares and competition within the European short-haul routes.  In the companies of first year, its 57 employees carried just over 5,000 passengers in this original route. In 1986, Ryanair routes into Dublin-London, which was jointly owned by the two countries, the airlines, which Aer Lingus and British Airways. In Dublin, London route has been stalled about 1 million passengers each year from 1975 to 1985, when some of the features the highest air fare per kilometer in Europe. Before Ryanair to join this route, the normal flight between Dublin and London in 1985 was  £ 209 return. Ryanair began service on May 23, 1986, to introduce the launch of the fare  £ 94.99 return. In its second full year of operation, Ryanair has just 120 employees to carried more than 82,000 passengers on two routes. In the next three years (1987-1989), the rapid expansion of Ryanair routes opening up many new Irish and British, and to improve its fleet. However, while customers continue to flock to Ryanairs low fares, the cost does not control, and the companys accumulated losses. By 1990, the company employs 350 people, operating 14 aircraft (4 different types), was carrying 600 000 passengers, but had managed to loss of  £20 million in just 4 years. These losses are mainly due to over expansion and the inability to strictly control costs, the deregulation of the market, and these new cost control is essential to the ability to provide low-cost services of the profits. 1994 also saw the acquisition of Ryanairs first Boeing 737 aircraft used orders for six second-hand 737-200 series aircraft (130 seats) was purchased directly from Boeing. In the next three years to buy fifteen 737-200 aircraft were to make the fleet to twenty-one 737-200s. In line with the expansion of the fleet, more new routes form Ryanair is to open up the Irish by the British, increase frequencies, providing a total of all the routes, an the ticket prices were reduced even further. As a result in 1995, the airlines 10th anniversary, Ryanair has become the largest airline in Dublin-London routes, and they operate in each line on which it operated (in terms of traffic routes), total 2.25 million passengers per year and labor Now more than 600 people. After 1997, the EU air transport deregulation, the airlines was free for the first time open up new routes to continental Europe. Service was launched in Stockholm from London Stansted and Oslo efficient secondary airports, as well as in Paris and Brussels from Dublin and efficient secondary airports. Similarly, Ryanair to enter these markets fare over 80%, respectively, lower than the most expensive week, and then by the flag carrier airline fares. Positive response and a large number of passengers low fares in these arrived in the European market for the first time. Ryanair was the first low-fare airlines to provide scheduled flights from Britain to Continental Europe and vice versa. 1997 also saw the Ryanair Holdings plc float in Dublin and New York (NASDAQ) stock exchange. At that time, the airline is the capital of IR £300 million in the infrared market value and more than 3 million visitors each year to bring its network of 18 routes. Despite this success, Ryanair remains committed to lowering fares, increase service frequency, and to maximize the low-fare seats to the number of business and leisure travelers. Ryanair was a direct competition with a lot of Europes largest airlines, including British Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Sabena, Air France, Aer Lingus, but offer low fares unparalleled of The package, on-time flights, high frequency, and friendly in-flight service, Ryanair is continuing to be successful, winning increasing public and customer support. In 1999, Ryanair announced an up to 45 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft for the two billion U.S. dollars next major investment plans. This is the latest and most modern Boeing aircraft. The first five aircraft to be delivered to Ryanair in 1999, and five more scheduled for delivery each year thereafter. Ryanair is the lowest in Europe and is to provide the latest and most modern air fares on Europe. Ryanair announced in 1999, another record performance, operating 35 routes to 11 countries, the carrying almost of the nearly 600 million passengers. Ryanairs customers to enjoy high-fare competition is the flag carrier airlines from Europe collected 300 million pounds worth of savings. At that time the company employs were more than 1,200 people. Ryanair launched in early 2000, Europes biggest travel website at www.ryanair.com, which launched within 3 months has taken over 50,000 bookings per week, by offering low airfares which start from as little as  £ 1 return taxes on Glasgow London plus tax and  £9 return plus taxes on Dublin-London route.In February 2000, Ryanair announced 10 new European routes for the summer of 2000, the service from London (Stansted) to Malmo in Sweden; Hamburg (Là ¼beck) in Germany; Verona (Brescia), Sardinia (Alghero), and Lamezia in Italy; Provence (Nimes), and Perpignan in France, and Shannon in Ireland. The airline has also introduced two new low fare services from Frankfurt (Hahn) Shannon in Ireland last summer, and to Glasgow (Prestwick) in Scotland. So far in 2001, Ryanair has launched seven new routes in the UK and to increase the capacity on number of existing lines. In February of this year, Ryanair announced that its first mainland Charleroi in Brussels, the European base would initially be open from its seven destinations in the provision of services. Ryanair will build the airport in Ireland, the base has been the basis of the cost of more competitive and cost-oriented regulation of airport / facility. This year, Ryanair will offer 36 Boeing 737 aircraft fleet and will be about 9 million passengers. Unfortunately, only about 18% will come from the traffic in Ireland as in the regulation of the airports competitive cost and inefficient infrastructure. It have be clear from the background that Ryanairs rapid growth of routes and traffic will continue to focus on low-cost, high efficiency of the airport, in order to minimize costs and ensure that the airports rapid turnaround time and maximum efficiency of the aircraft. This is a major factor in Ryanairs ability to guarantee the lowest fares in Europe.( RYANAIR LIMITED 2007) 2.Environmental and European airline industry analysis 2.1 External analysis   PESTLE PESTLE analysis is a short form for political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal (Channon, 1997). PESTLE analysis has  provided a comprehensive detailed list, possibly affects successful or the defeat, especially strategy  (Johnson and Scholes, 2007). Political Some countries grant preferential treatment to companies from their own country. From the case study also pointed out that the French government attempted to protect Air France-KLM by forcing easyJet and Ryanair to move the staff they employ on French soil from British contracts to more expensive French ones Economic Fuel prices, because they increase the problems caused a major airline industry, if they do not hedge they had to cut corners to save costs in other areas. All the airlines are working to reduce costs and increase their profit margin, they reduce the cost of the effort will have a negative affect on the pilots and staff because as they may have low wages of lack benefits that would otherwise have been there. There are problems, the market increasingly competitive, as in emerging and developing countries have more people hope that have more airlines, so in order to adapt to this, by reducing industry profits. With the current economic crisis may be the demand for flights in the fall, because we are in recession, layoffs and people therefore have less disposable income means that they cannot leave. This may be a favorable low-cost aviation industry for people who can still afford the holiday will be looking for cheaper alternatives. Social-cultural Passengers are now not only need the cheapest fares, they also need a comfortable chair, safety and never lose their luggage, and the best facilities and etc. Technological Technology has improved, which means that the industry is changing, becoming more environmentally friendly and efficient. More effective infrastructure of airports are means that many airports of the airlines can charge more fall from the sky. Environmental There are new laws that say that the airline industry has to be more environmentally friendly therefore the manufacturers, designers and airline companies have to combat this together in order to decrease carbon emissions and make the industry less harmful to the environment in order to comply with EU regulations. Legal The whole industry is very strict control laws, but also because they have to constantly adapt to new changes in law, i.e. not allowing the liquid on board. These contracts to the industry has their pilots did not seem to benefit the workers as it contributes to the company soon which may change soon and the company will have to adapt to this. 2.2 Internal analysis five forces framework   Porters five forces is an important tool for analyzing the organizational structure of the process of strategic industries. It is used to understand the strategic business opportunities and threats should be consistent with the organization of the external environment (Dagmar Recklies, 2001). Threat of entry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Some barriers to entry: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High capital investment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ limited availability of slots to make them more difficult to find the suitable airport. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ instant price wars if erode the existing LCC route. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Need low-cost basis à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Flight Authorizations In Europe, low-cost carriers were increase in 2006. Although expressed in the European airline industry is a large number of entrants and competitors, but as many as 50 have gone bankrupt, been taken over, missing or had never left the ground. Therefore, the threat of entry Ryanair face is media. Threat of substitutes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customer are No brand loyalty à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No close customer relationships à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No switching costs to customers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Other modes of transport, such as Eurostar, high-speed trains, Eurolines, ships, cars, etc. Passengers will choose the train, because do not want to face the inconvenience and cost of checking baggage, spend more extra time in airport security line. The train is the only alternative of airline to the threat of an alternative airline of Ryanair is low. Bargaining Power of Customers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customers are Price-sensitive à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Switch to another airline is relatively simple and does not involve high costs (internet, all airlines are online) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customer understand about the cost of providing services à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No loyalty Although the customers complaints, they feel disturbed about Ryanair has been trying to sell them something of the aircraft. Although some passengers, they need comfortable seating, security will never lose their luggage, the best such facilities and Ryanair has been graded as the worlds most disliked airline in the survey of Ryanair, but they do not want to change and continue to focus on cutting costs, to provide low fares. Therefore, the buyer bargaining power is low. Power of supplier à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Boeing is a major supplier of RA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Only two potential suppliers of aircraft Boeing and Airbus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Switching costs from one supplier to another is high, because all the mechanics and pilots must be retrained. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Aviation fuel prices is directly related to the cost of oil (Ryanair control these through the hedge). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Regional airports have little bargaining power because they rely heavily on an airline à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A larger airport, where Ryanairs competitors operate with greater bargaining power The actual purchases of aircraft, fuel supply, are the two major suppliers of the aviation industry. The supplier cannot control the fuel prices, although Ryanair is so sensitive and cannot affect the fuel suppler to Ryanair. On the actual purchase of the aircraft, Ryanair has a very healthy relationship with the main supplier of the aircraft, the Boeing Company (Brophy and ST. George, 2003). Suppliers cannot bring great results to Ryanair Competitive Rivalry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Intense competition in the LCC market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Most of the cost advantage can be copied immediately à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The current low level of competition as the two major low-cost airlines to avoid a direct face to face competition by choose different routes to service à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ However, if a company does decide to compete on the same basis, as Ryanair has a heavy pressure on prices, profit margins and thus profits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ there is not much difference between the services. The main difference is the price factor In the highly competitive aviation industry competition is high. Although Ryanair is a pioneer who performed low-cost airlines, but competitors has also the implementation of low-fare. Beside, they also copied a number of Ryan strategic. For example, Aer Lingus and FlyBE airlines have also introduced charges for hold luggage after Ryanair perform it. 2.3 Scenario analysis Worst Case: Increase of Salaries If the employee be successful, unions can represent the experience of Ryan, to increase wages. No. Increase of other staff New employees need in marketing, European Union regulations (such as safety regulations require additional crew on each flight.) Accounting, information technology Increase of Airport Charges Airport charges could increase in many Government owned airports. It may be are 100% increase. Increase of Fuel Prices Fuel prices may rise by 1% per annum. There may be another war to increase the oil prices. The increase in average flight distance The new destination may result in the average flight distance increased by 10% for two years and 5% for three years, followed by 0% per annum Increase of Marketing Costs Such of the competition may increase in some routes may need to launch marketing campaign for Ryanair. Eastern Europe may not be a popular route is expected, and may require additional advertising. Low price does not mean low quality. This idea needs to communicate. Best Case: In this case, this situation will be re-considered the most optimistic assumption that all possible outcomes into account. Future energy prices will remain at todays prices, in the best situation. The euro is still better than the U.S. dollar against the U.S. dollar. Load factors will remain stable at a high level for many years benefited from the growing number of passengers to use the entire fleet. The marketing costs should support the continuous increase of passengers, and should cover the new routes. Revenue should be increased in the planes flight as a better offer / services to enable passengers to spend a few euro on average for each flight. 3.Ryanairs strengths and weaknesses.- SWOT analysis Strengths: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Brand Name: Ryanair, through its 14-year in LCC market has developed a very good recognized brand name. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Benefit from the low airport charges: These low-cost assistance benefits based on Ryanair. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The first advantage of the regional airports (such as Charleroi): As a market entry barriers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Internet sites (94% reservation) : reducing distribution costs as through the phone booking is more expensive. Eliminates the need of travel agents. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High-density seat à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ All of the Boeing aircraft: a unified fleet saving on maintenance and training cost. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fast turn around à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High service performance: Punctual, flight speed the completion of the high rate and low loss of luggage, these give a good image of the companys reliability. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Modern fleet which resulting in lower maintenance costs: will become more uniform, with only one model (737-800), also a relatively new aircraft will require less maintenance. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High aircraft utilization: Ryanair Airlines planes to fly longer to generate more income from its assets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fuel and other risk hedging. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Small headquarters: Low on overheads à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Point to Point: No hub and spoke, lower cost because not passed the required services Weaknesses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Easy to Bad News: Ryanair was considered arrogant and the slightest incidents have been a lot of news stories. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Niche market: the possibility of limited expansion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Distance of some regional airports from the advertising objectives: After a period of customers may feel that this is a big inconvenience. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Poor quality of services: interpersonal skills. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ryanair is extremely sensitive to changes in charges (increase in value of the fare) Opportunities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ EU enlargement: will open many new destinations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Significant potential to capture market share: In the LCC market share will more than double à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Benefit from less exposure to geopolitical risks: As the only real business in Europe à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ryanair economic slowdown actually helps to change the corporate culture, stealing customers from traditional carriers as they seek lower fares. Threats à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dependent on the oil market: fuel cost depends on the oil market. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dependent on the economic cycle à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increase of Low fares competition à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ European Court of Justice ruling: It may make more difficulties and costs of future expansion. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Limited growth of the southern European market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Regional airports gain bargaining power for second round à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customers are very sensitive of price à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ryanair and Easy Jet limit each others growth rout wise, need to live peaceful coexistence, or is likely to become the battlefield of the line (such as: London- Rome) -à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Face increase in air traffic control charges. As more planes fly in the sky. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Inability to prevent the introduction of fuel tax and environmental fees: this will reduce their growth potential because it depends on the price of the stimulus. 4.Evaluation of Ryanairs strategy Ryanair aims to establish itself as Europes leading low-fare scheduled passenger airline through continued improvement and expansion of low-cost services to their products. Ryanair aims to offer low fares, thus increasing the passenger traffic. A continued emphasis on cost control and operational efficiency is a very important part of the Ryanair way of doing things. Here are the key elements which make up Ryanairs strategy: Low fare: This is used to stimulate demand, their goal fare conscious leisure or business travelers who do not go, otherwise it will all or use other transport modes, such as car, coach or train. Ryanair to sell seats on the basis of one-way unlike most traditional carriers this change take effect in November 2001. Ryanair set fares based on demand for flights and with reference to the remainder of the scheduled departure date. 70% of the seats are the lowest fares in the sale of tickets can be assigned routes, once the full price of each seat. Ryanairs Dublin to London (Stansted) is the most popular passenger route in terms of passenger volume; with fares from 19.99 to 169.99 (available in the lower special promotions).In September 2003, Ryanair launched a fare promotion offers a total of two million seats on certain routes for free (excluding government taxes and passenger service charges) for travel period from September 2003 to 17th December 2003. These movements are very useful to consolidate Ryanairs low fares image. (M. Michel Alle ,Ryanair Plc. 2004) Frequent point-to-point short-haul flight routes. Ryanair provides frequent point-to-point service in the short-haul routes, airports and major population centers in the surrounding areas and tourist destinations. An average of 1.1 hours flying time has been an average line length of 746 kilometers, in 2003. Ryanair flight an average of 1.94 round per day from each line. Short-haul flights only option to allow Ryanair to provide frequent service, while eliminating the need to provide frill service customers, or they will no longer flights. Point-to-point flying (as opposed to the service center and spoke the traditional operators used) to avoid the cost of Ryanairs passengers to connect through service providers, including baggage transfers and transit passenger assistance costs. This is one of the key differences between Ryanair and traditional carriers. (M. Michel Alle, Ryanair Plc. 2004.) Commitment for safety and quality of maintenance. Ryanairs commitment to safety is the most important priority for the company and its management. This commitment begins with hiring and training of Ryanairs pilots, flight attendants and maintenance staff, and includes a policy to maintain its aircraft in accordance with the highest European airline industry standards. Ryanair has not been a single incident or significant damage to passengers or flight crew in the 19 years of operating history. Although Ryanair aims to operate its fleet in a cost-effective manner, management does not seek to extend Ryanairs low cost operating strategy of the regions security, maintenance, training and quality assurance. Routine maintenance and repair of aircraft carried out in-house, and the present contract airframe maintenance, engine overhaul services and routing of the maintenance contractor, these contract will be under reviewed.(M. Michel Alle ,Ryanair Plc. 2004) Ancillary Services: Ryanair offers a range of ancillary, revenue-generating services, including on-board merchandise, beverage and food sales, accommodation booking service, advertising, travel insurance, car rental and rail and bus tickets. Ryanair distribution of car rental, accommodation and travel insurance through its Web site and traditional telephone reservation offices. Management believes that providing these services through the Internet to allow Ryanair to increase sales, while at the same time, reduce cost per unit basis. Ancillary revenues, not including charter flights, increased by 68.1% (2002: 44%) and now accounts for 11.7% of total revenues compared to 9.4% in 2002. Customer service. Ryanairs strategy is to provide the best customer service performance of its peers group. According to reports by the Association of European Airlines and the airline announced its own statistics, Ryanair has made good on time, luggage lost less and less to cancel all of the rest group than their European counterparts. Ryanair realized that the strong focus on the implementation of these services and the operation of non-congested airports. 5.Recommendation To have the largest amount of routes, the lowest fare airline in Europe without any compromise Ryanairs business model, beyond all the other operators in all aspects, including quality of service. I think Ryanair is also eager to adhere to high growth. I think Ryanairs strategy has become a key factor in its great success. Therefore, in the end I applied all of these designed of recommendations to improve their business. The Recommendation of Ryanair are as following: Continue to look for ways to reduce costs Although Ryanair has the lowest cost base of any competitor, I believe Ryanair can continue to reduce its cost base, because it although at a lower pace of growth. Increase the frequency of existing routes European low-cost airline (LCC) market is not exhausted. Ryanair currently has a average 3.88 fights per capita daily of flight routes. This figure compared with Easyjet airlines and traditional carriers, is very low. This means that, Ryanair is the loss of business passengers who need a more flexible schedule. Ryanair added that if the frequency of some of their routes, they can effectively steal some passengers from the traditional carriers in order to increase market share. The development of smaller bases in the Continental Operating Bases With the low cost market saturation from London, Ryanair must to look at their other business base to expand their network. Dublin, Brussels, Hahn, etc can be developed. Although there is not the same demand, outside London there is sufficient demand to make considerable profits Open up new routes in Europe There are many possible routes are still not served by low-cost airlines. To make a viable way there must to at least 32,000 people each year. Research is needed to find out a feasible route before the competition. And the opening route to un-served destination, Ryanair can also open routes where the competition is more expensive traditional carriers to attract customers to the cheaper, no-frills choice Extended to the Central / Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is rapidly becoming a hotspot for tourist and business travelers continue to expand as the E.U., but Ryanair does not meet any of the more popular destinations. Other low-cost airlines has been established there, such as Sky Europe, but not all routes have been exhausted. There are still have many opportunities in this field. To actively seek market share from the Charter Market The Charter is a huge market of represents 25% of the total traffic in Europe. Ryanair must be aggressive in this market by vigorously promote DIY holidays, rather than group tours. With the increasing popularity of the Internet and the popularity of lower travel agents, which is the market cannot be ignored. Ryanair should be provided to small package destination and aim to strengthen the side of the business. Customer Service Overhaul Ryanair has a remarkable performance as tangible customer service (punctuality, time to complete the flight, etc.) views, but in the softer side of the customer service is not always good and have a lot of bad news. With this in mind Ryanair Airlines, while maintaining its strict rules and regulations, must to be adjusted on this area.

Wordsworth and Vaughan Essay -- Poetry Wordsworth Vaughan Essays

Wordsworth and Vaughan When reading T.S. Eliot’s critical comment, â€Å"It is to be observed that the language of these poets is as a rule simple and pure,† one might assume that he was referring to the Romantics (Eliot 2328). Specifically, we could apply this statement to poets the ilk of Wordsworth, who eschewed poetic affectations and â€Å"tricked out† language for sentiments that originated and flowed naturally (Wordsworth 270). Yet Eliot hadn’t focused his critical eye there, this time. Rather, he squinted a century back to a lesser-referenced literary group, the Metaphysical poets (Eliot 2328). That the Metaphysical poets and the Romantics share a characteristically simple/natural diction is important. While they are undoubtedly distinct schools, if we can show that they are even remotely stylistically similar, then we might have grounds to acknowledge similarities between a poet from each, respectively. Thus, I propose considering Wordsworth in relation to an earl ier man, Henry Vaughan. I am not the first to do so; much has been said of the link between these men regarding their analogous poems â€Å"The Retreat† and â€Å"Ode: Intimations of Immortality†Ã¢â‚¬â€by comparing them I cannot claim any original insight. However, there is more common to these two men than two poems, and in analyzing what Wordsworth desires from poetry and the poet in his â€Å"Preface to the Lyrical Ballads† we see that Vaughan had many of the poetic qualities Wordsworth demanded of himself. Even more interesting, Wordsworth's shifted perspective from â€Å"Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey† to the "Elegiac Stanza" replicates Vaughan's shift from "To Amoret" to "The Night." Where Vaughan’s verse originally addressed worldly love and natural ... ...h happiness, wherever it be known, / Is to be pitied; for ‘tis surely blind† (lines 53-56). In these lines, Wordsworth finally counsels that the human world is actually not so near-sighted. Rather, when a man assumes himself separate from mankind—when he reinforces that separation—he actually blinds himself. So finally, the comparison between Vaughan and Wordsworth is not absolute. However, sorting through the words of men who’ve been dead for centuries for evidence of a literary association beyond mere coincidence is never and easy undertaking. But let us assume that, if Wordsworth was right, both he and Vaughan shared universal human experiences. Perhaps, upon reaching a certain middle age, they also shared fear and awe of the conditions of their mortality—and if one may have looked to the other’s words for poetic guidance, the poetic genre is better for it.

Alfie Kohn

In the modern age of No Child Left Behind and similar mandates, there has been an increased focus placed on what schools must do in order to improve the educational outcomes of each and every student. It has finally become apparent that the traditional method of schooling is not as effective as once believed.Evidence of this fact can be found within the test scores of individual schools as well as entire school districts. Alfie Kohn is a leader in school reform and he focuses on non traditional ways to educate students so they are excited and eager to learn.Despite the idea held my many Americans that current methods do not work, the vast majority of schools continue to rely on â€Å"back to basics† strategies for instruction (Kohn, 1999, 2). While â€Å"back to basics† may have worked for previous generations it is not working for the current generation.Kohn emphasizes the need to shift focus away from traditional methods of school in favor of non traditional methods i n order to motivate students to want to learn. A biography of Kohn is offered as well as a discussion based on his personal contributions to the field of education and classroom management.BiographyAlfie Kohn is one of the most vocal critics of the intense focus placed on standardized tests and test scores (Kohn, 1998, 1). His theories and ideas have motivated many educators and administrators to reexamine the way that students learn and the way that teachers teach.Kohn began his career as a high school teacher and enjoyed making improvements to his curriculum and lesson plans in order to provide the best educational experiences for his students.After Kohn left the classroom he realized that using the same curriculum in the same way for each group of students is not the most effective way to motivate students to learn. Instead, he realized that adapting the course material to each group of students was a more effective way to provide authentic learning experiences that left students wanting to know more (Kohn, 1998, 1).Kohn also spent a great deal of time observing other teachers and engaging in dialogue with education experts in order to present a cohesive view of the education system in America. Kohn is most well known for his stand against teaching to the test and relying on test scores as adequate measures of educational progress.Kohn also is known for his idea that the ultimate outcome of education is not that each child receive all A’s because this is not the point of school. Finally, Kohn is known for his idea that current assessment measures are not adequate and do not give a clear representation of what really happens in classrooms (Kohn, 1998, 1).Contributions to EducationThe most important contribution that Alfie Kohn has made in the field of education is the shift in focus that has occurred from assessment measures such as standardized tests to a more comprehensive view of education that is primarily concerned with students’ ability t o learn and keep on learning (Kohn, 2004, 27).Kohn emphasizes that the intense focus placed on grading and assessment has taken away the potential for authentic learning experiences that truly benefit students rather than simply teach them how to take a test.Further, teachers spend so much time worrying about what amount or level of work constitutes what grade when their focus should be on enabling students to make significant progress in their understanding of certain subjects regardless of what grade they end up with (Kohn, 2004, 28).This contribution is essential within the education field because it has allowed teachers to question the traditional methods of instruction and begin to consider non traditional methods that may motivate students to learn more than what is possible through traditional education.It has also motivated many educators to begin to work with experts and policy makers in the field in order to discover alternate ways to assess student progress that does not rely solely on the outcome of standardized testing (Kohn, 2004, 28).A similar idea that has stemmed from the idea that alternate testing measures must be discovered is the idea that grades cause students to do as little as possible and still get a good grade. In this way, grades actually disable the desire to learn more because students quickly find out how little they can get away with and still receive an acceptable grade (Kohn, 2004, 28).At the same time, the motivation to learn more decreases as student desire to receive a good grade increases. Students who receive grades based on performance are reluctant to try challenging things because of their fear of failing and/or receiving a poor grade.On the other hand, students who are encouraged to think for themselves and explore topics that interest them without the fear of being graded are more likely to recall the information that they learn as well as continue to seek opportunities to learn new things (Kohn, 2004, 28).While this certainly does not mean that schools are going to stop handing down grades to students this idea has allowed many educators to reexamine the way they assess their students in order to provide ample opportunity for students to learn without the fear of failure.Another important realization that has come from Kohn’s view of traditional assessment models is that there must be an educational goal behind assessing students.In other words, assessment must be used to enhance the educational opportunities for students. Instead, assessment is most often used to categorize students and determine who is smarter than whom or as a technique to motivate students to work harder in order to get the â€Å"A† (Kohn, 2004, 28).Therein lies the problem with standardized tests. Kohn emphasizes that standardized tests do not truly show how much teaching or learning has taken place. Instead, they simply show how well a child can do on a test on any given day and/or how well a student is able to guess on questions they do not know (Kohn, 2004, 28).Kohn has opened the eyes of educators and allowed many of them to see the error of their ways in relying solely on the outcome of standardized tests in measuring student progress. Kohn has also forced many experts and policy makers within the field of education to realize that perhaps there is a better way to determine how well America’s students are doing in school.Contributions to Classroom ManagementKohn has questioned the use of traditional discipline strategies that focus on getting students to do what the teacher wants them to do. Traditionally, the teacher creates a set of classroom rules and expects students to obey them.These rules often include detailed consequences that accompany them in order to show students what will happen to them if they break one of the rules (Kohn, 2006, 1). Similar to his work with standardized tests and assessment measures, Kohn’s work with classroom management has forced many teachers to reexamine how they approach classroom management.Obviously, it is necessary that students be taught to how to behave appropriately in the classroom in order to create an environment conducive to learning. However, Kohn feels that classroom management is significantly more effective if students take part in creating caring environments rather than being expected to follow the rules decided upon by the teacher (Kohn, 2006, 1).In other words, Kohn has shown teachers that not all discipline problems are because students are naughty but rather because a caring community has not been created that encourages students to work together to learn and grow.

Life of the Female Pioneer on the Oregon Trail

Life of the Female Pioneer on the Oregon Trail University Of Phoenix HIS/110 August 25, 2012 Kim Murphy Life of the Female Pioneer on the Oregon Trail My life as a female pioneer taking the journey down the Oregon Trail was one of hardship and adventure. During the early 1800s settlers began to explore new territory in the New World looking for new opportunities. Through the pioneer journeys of Lewis and Clark a route through America was discovered that would take settlers to new land in the Pacific Northwest portion of the country. To reach the new land pioneers, such as I, had to travel down what became known as the Oregon Trail.Through the Oregon Trail the expansion of the West began but to get to this new part of the country I would have to travel two thousand miles along with other pioneers from my part of the country. We started in Missouri that required us to travel through five states to reach our new destination. To reach the new land offered to myself and the other pioneers in the New World, we would travel in large groups with people in wagons and on horseback. This was to help ensure our safety as we traveled the Oregon Trail to the new land in the West.Our travels included men, women, and children of all ages. Although I made the choice to go myself, there were many women on the trail that had to face the hardships of the long trail because their husbands had chosen to take this adventure. This was difficult for many of them because they were forced to leave their already established homes in exchange for the hardships of the trail and an uncertain future in the Pacific Northwest. To travel down the Oregon Trail, we travelled in horse drawn wagons and had oxen’s pulling carts of supplies.I like other pioneer families left my home with my worldly possessions that I could afford to carry. We faced being robbed at gunpoint by highway men on the trail. Another danger faced by the female pioneers and the wagon train were attacks by Native America ns. The Wagon Trains were attacked and burned and the men were killed leaving the women, children, and wagon supplies to be stolen by the Indians. Women were forced to become the slave of an Indian family or the wife of an Indian brave while the children were adopted by Indian families or made to be slaves.I and the other women were responsible for ensuring the food supply lasted on the long journey as well as packing the wagon. We were also responsible for cooking the meals on the Oregon Trail. We were required to wear long dresses with long sleeves in oppressive heat and care for all of the needs of the men and children as well as tend to the sick. There was a major risk to the female pioneer of losing our husbands or even our children to illness or accidents along the Oregon Trail. If the food supply ran short the men would hunt for food, use supplies meant for our new homes, or die of starvation.Illnesses, such as Typhoid and cholera, were common and would spread through the wag on trains creating more work for us women (Bledsoe, 1984). The overworked women would in turn become more vulnerable to becoming sick and perishing. Women who gave birth while on the Oregon Trail faced vast difficulty and in many cases the female pioneer or the new born would die. Women pioneers were usually fairly young because women during this time married as young as 14 but quickly toughened up because of the major responsibilities we faced on the trail.Despite the many hardships faced by myself and the other female pioneers, we helped to pave the way for future generations of Americans and bravely traveled to an unknown land to build a new life. The Oregon territory was originally jointly owned by American and the British but was acquired by America in 1846 and expanded the territory of the United States (Eddin, 2009). Before Oregon was acquired by America the area was sparsely populated and the single woman, such as I, had little opportunity to find a husband. In most cases we would marry a farm hand or the closest neighbor.Marriages were rarely based on love but instead of convenience and the benefit to the family. A large majority of pioneers became farmers making the pioneer women a farming wife but also required her to deal with the harsh winters that were associated with the area and adjust to a life of constant isolation. Once American acquired the Oregon territory the population began to expand and the pioneer families were offered more opportunity as well as single women, such as I, had more opportunity to meet potential husbands.New towns and cities began to emerge and we women were no longer forced to sew our own clothes. It also provided a more convenient and affordable way for us to buy food than in the past. Once the population began to grow in Oregon the society became more modernized and life for I and the other pioneer women became less harsh. References Bledsoe, L. (1984). Adventuresome Women on the Oregon Trail: 1840-186. http://www. js tor. org/discover/10. 2307/3346237? uid=3739256&uid=2129&uid Eddin, O. (2009). The Oregon Country and Westward Expansion. http://www. thefurtrapper. com/oregon_country. htm