Human Resource Management (HRM)

System Objectives and Goal Human resource management implies to combine decisions concerning people with decisions on the objectives and goals that the organization aims to achieve. The most successful organizations are those that are able to integrate human resource management (HRM) into the organization’s planning strategies by laying emphasis on human resource processes that augment mission goals and create an effective bond between human resource and management.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Human Resource Management (HRM) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apart from playing a key role in the achievement of the organization’s goal and objectives, the HRM alignment also contributes to accountability in the organization. Although the human resource management accountability starts with elementary legal compliance (see appendix 1), it eventually includes all levels of the pyramid, as well as an illustration of how HRM sustains the success of the agency’s goals (US Office of Personnel Management 1). Once the HRM alignment is established, it is vital to ascertain where the organization’s current position vis-à  -vis its HRM alignment with strategic goal and objectives. In order to determine its position, an organization must explore several objectives: first, evaluate the effectiveness of the relationship between HR and the organization’s goal achievement; second, assess the function of human resource team vis-à  -vis the organization’s strategic plan; third, find out how the HR staff relate with line supervisors to accomplish organization’s strategic goals; fourth, establish effective strategies that will align human resource management with the organization’s strategic goals (US Office of Personnel Management 3). The next section will discuss the HRM strategic processes with reference to strategic plan, strategic implement ation and the strategic bond in an organization. To a number of firms, a strategic plan is vital to their business. It enables firms to find out their current status, create goals and plan how to achieve them. Strategic plans differ from one firm to another. On one hand, some firms have adopted an all-inclusive processes that involve senior managers, line managers and HR staff in the planning processes. On the other hand, a number of firms have developed a plan that is only carried out by senior managers with a minimal role from the line managers and HR staff (see appendix 2). Each office tenders in its individual goal and objectives without liaising with other offices (US Office of Personnel Management 6). The way HR staff is managed play a vital role in ascertaining how a firm will carry out its goals.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Without the staff, work cannot be done. Thus, the input of HR staff in the strategic plan of the firm must be the considered if the firm intends to achieve its goals. Therefore, by including the HR in the strategic plan, the firm is able to know vital aspects of the human resource management that are most relevant to the process. When assessing the plan, staffing, retention, HR development and quality of the labour force are crucial elements to consider. Even though these aspects of HR could be seen as output programs, when they are planned and employed efficiently, they give credence to the ultimate outcome: the right HR staff, with apt skills, and in the right place to implement the mission of the firm (US Office of Personnel Management 8). A number of agencies have integrated HRM with their business planning processes by including HR objectives, goals and strategies into the organization’s strategic plans. However, most agencies have not been successful in this respect. It is vital that senior managers identify the significance of human resource on priorities, activities and goals of the agency. On the other hand, the human resource managers need to grasp the goals of the agency so that they can play a vital role in crafting innovative strategies to achieve these goals. The moment HRM is integrated in the agency’s business planning process; the human resource will no longer be set apart and confined to auxiliary functions but will turn out to be an essential factor that contributes to the agency strategic planning and achievements (US Office of Personnel Management 25). System Functions and Requirements Webdunia HRMS is an online-based application that entails a number of HR related functions such as HR staff management system, performance evaluation, leave management system, recruitment management system and administrative functions for maintaining master files. The online-based Leave Management System harmonizes communication between workers and staff. The Leave manageme nt makes sure all applications for leaves are efficiently documented and implemented (Webdunia 1). The system enables workers to ascertain their vacation availability at any time and tracks the employees’ leave plans and balances. Webdunia HRMs also has an online-based Performance Assessment System that assists an organization to generate an efficient performance assessment for its staff. Some of the features of the performance appraisal system include: questionnaire for grading staff; auto initiate assessment of workers; and management appraisal lock days. The Attendance Tracking System enables an organization to track time and attendance of staff in an efficient way. Some features of this software are: closely integrated with Access Control system; and display of several report using LMS and Access Control data (Webdunia 2).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Human Resource Management (HRM) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Recruitment and Management System (RMS) offers an automated hiring process as it tracks details to be analyzed later. The system enables an organization to improve its recruitment process. Some features of RMS include: interviewer management; candidate management; resource requisition; applicant tracking; employee referral; and schedule interview (Webdunia 2). Webdunia is thus able to assist managers to cut on the manual workload of their administrative work since its simple and offers automated data that is used in decision-making process. System Integration and Features The HRIS system has three main features. These are: Input; Data Maintenance; and Output. The input feature captures the information of workers into the HRIS system. The data maintenance component adds and brings up to date new data to the database after information has been entered in the system. The output component processes data captured in the system and then arrange the output da ta in a manner that the HR managers can understand easily. However, for the system to be effective the input data must be valid and reliable before it can be processed (Boateng 25). In addition, the HRIS integrates a number of functions such as data input, tracking data, payroll management, and accounting roles of an organization. An efficient HRIS can provide several services such as: managing information of all workers; managing a number of documents such as staff booklets, and safety guidelines; benefits management by offering data on changes in enrollment status and updating staff information; it integrate payroll with other accounting systems and financial software used by the organization. In addition, HRIS tracks pay upgrades, staff attendance, training programs, and disciplinary measures to be adopted (Heathfield 2). By using an efficient HRIS, the HRM can delegate some duties to its workers such as updating their benefits and changes in contact address. The HRM is thus able to concentrate on implementing critical strategic goals of the company. In addition, the system facilitates information needed for managing workers, training and career development. Finally, the management is able to access data needed to facilitate the success of their staff ethically, legally and efficiently. This will enable the organization to align its strategic goals with the role of its workers (Heathfield 3).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Business Models used in this System The Ulrich’s HR Roles model is an example of business model that is used in human resource management. This model facilitates business partnering by bringing about substantial changes in the HR organization. The Ulrich’s model has facilitated the restructuring of HR resources in a flexible way and allowed HRM to prioritize the implementation of the organization’s strategic goals. Ulrich’s model four main components: strategic partner; staff champion; change agent; and administrative expert (Ulrich 1). Strategic partner concerns aligning human resource programs and activities with the international business strategy. This function is carried out by the HR Partners and HR Management. The change Agent component of Ulrich’s model is vital because it deals with sustaining the transition and change of the organization with respect to the organization’s human resource pool (Ulrich 2). The function of HR is to sup port changes in the HR area and to ensure that the transition is smooth. The Administrative Expert component of the model takes time to change. It lays emphasis on the ability of an organization to offer efficient services at optimally reduced cost (Ulrich 3). The Staff Champion component is also vital in management of human resources. It enables the management to ascertain need of workers. The Staff Champion is thus able to cater for the needs of workers and to offer them protection when the change process is activated within the organization (Ulrich 4). Thus the four components of Ulrich’s model are to the success of the HRM activities. Works Cited Boateng, Agyenim. The Role of Human Resource Information Systems in Strategic Human Resource Management. Hanken: Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, 2007. Heathfield, Susan. â€Å"Human Resources Information System (HRIS)†. About.com. Apr 24, 2010. Web. Ulrich, David. â€Å"Ulrich’s HR Roles Mo del†. HRM Advice. 2008. Web. US Office of Personnel Management. â€Å"Strategic Human Resources Management: Aligning with the Mission†. Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness. Jan12, 1999. Web. Webdunia. â€Å"Human Resource Management System†. Webdunia. 2011. Web. Appendix 1 Hierarchy of Accountability Source: US Office of Personnel Management, pp. 1 Appendix 2 Agency Planning Process Source: US Office of Personnel Management, pp.6 This research paper on Human Resource Management (HRM) was written and submitted by user Sandra L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Was the Constitution of 1787 a Pro or Anti Slavery document essays

Was the Constitution of 1787 a Pro or Anti Slavery document essays The constitution of the United States was created with the intentions of a separation of powers, established to reconstruct the failing Articles of Confederation. The constitutional convention never clearly addressed the issue of slavery, but I feel that in context that it did address, and I think the constitution did support slavery. In article I section 9, it states that, the migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit shall not be prohibited by the congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty maybe imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person. The word persons I feel are referring to slaves being imported from Africa or where ever slaves were being imported from. This is the first evidence that the delegates at the convention had no intentions of regulating slavery. Why would the delegates want to outlaw slavery, slaves was the biggest factor of production, free labor, slaves were expendable and the states with large plantations were making a lot of money from this free labor. More evidence from the constitution is Article IV section 2; no person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due. That sounds like the delegates were making sure they were protecting the investments of southern plantation owners, and not offending the north at the same time, the terms service or labor during the 1780s could only be tied to one thing, slavery. The bread and butter or The Smoking Gun was the three-fifths compromise, when free and slaves agreed to count only three fifths of the slaves in appointing both representation and direct taxes. If ...

I need a story i experenced but tie in how culture shock played a Essay

I need a story i experenced but tie in how culture shock played a party - Essay Example Yet, everywhere I turned I was faced with a culture very different from my own. As I confronted my anxiety, I began to conquer my fears of an unknown world and found myself participating in and enjoying the rich Bahamian culture. On the surface, the Bahamas appear to be very much like the United States that I had been used to. The native people speak fluent English and have a booming national economy. They have all the most modern conveniences, luxury items, and technologies. Yet, beneath this thin veil of Westernized capitalism lay a fundamentally different culture. The population was a majority black that were descendants of the slaves brought from Africa to work the plantations until slavery was abolished in the early 19th century. The islands have been able to retain many of the African traditions of music, food, and style. The people also have a much less formal style of interaction. In the Bahamas, strangers are treated as if they are lifelong friends. This was far different from what I had been taught in the United States by adages such as 'don't talk to strangers'. Friendly faces and warm smiles frequently approached me, but I would shy away with the fear of not knowing who to trust. As I got used to their style of communication, I soon began to feel as if I was at home. One of my first adventures in the Bahamas was to go to the market to do some shopping. The market was a large open area that had hundreds of vendors selling everything from T-shirts to perfume. I decided to buy one of the unique straw hats that the locals make out of palmetto leaves. I shopped several booths until I found a hat I wanted that was priced at $29. I liked the look and feel of the hat and quickly gave the lady the full price for the hat and wore it proudly as I continued shopping. While I shopped at another vendor, I noticed a man buying a hat very much like mine and similarly priced. However, he paid only $15 for it. I remarked that he got a good deal on the hat and he informed me of the process of 'haggling' over the price. In the Bahamas you never pay full price, you make an offer for what you want to pay. I was uncomfortable with this at first, but soon learned to enjoy the process and shopping became an even more exiting adventure as I bargained for ever lower prices . After hours of shopping and 'haggling' we were all very hungry and found a quaint cafe to get something to eat. Though the surroundings were all very normal and similar to any other restaurant, the menu was as foreign as Morse Code even though it was written in English. I recognized almost nothing on the menu. The Bahamian food is based around the sea and has the influence of African spices and tastes. I was an American teenager who didn't like fish and would prefer salt and pepper to cayenne or cumin. After some due deliberations and a small argument, I ordered a plate of food I could not pronounce. When it came, I was shocked to see that it was fish, laced with fruit, over a bed of what appeared to be garden weeds. I was in shock and almost sick to my stomach from the sight of it. However, I again got control of my anxiety and tried it. To my amazed delight it was delicious. It was like nothing I had ever tasted and was

Hyperinflation in Germany after World War I Essay

Hyperinflation in Germany after World War I - Essay Example Why such a phenomenon happened in Germany, a nation with a long history of political, economic, psychological, social and academic knowledge and experience, shows the destructive power of policy mistakes caused by weakness and incompetence (Solomon 28-30). Understanding the hyperinflation that raged from June 1922 to December 1923 requires a good knowledge of German history. Inflation is only one of the external manifestations of a number of decisions regarding the supply and demand in the markets for goods and currencies that are made in the minds of politicians, economic policy-makers, businessmen and consumers. A gradual inflation rate is acceptable, but when these decision makers make wrong decisions at the same time, the market breaks down. Hyperinflation, like a bodily fever that is a sign of infection or a virus causing destruction within the body, is a sign of sickness in economic markets. Anyone familiar with Germany's political and national history would know why so many wrong decisions were made in the minds of so many Germans and their foreign business and political partners during this period, what led to these mistakes and, more importantly, why. The fusing of the German nation was a process that took centuries beginning with the widely held belief that in the year 9 A.D., Arminius, a prince of the Germanic tribe called the Cherusci, defeated three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest. With each conquest, the tribe grew into the Holy Roman Empire that reached its peak during the reign of Charlemagne in the 9th century. After his death in 814 A.D., the empire of Germanic and Romance speaking people then fell apart, breaking up into eastern and western realms according to the law of inheritance (PIO 106-108). This brief detail is important to understand the events directly related to the study of hyperinflation, because the collective aspiration of a formerly glorious nation that spanned from east to west to wherever territories German settlements were found became one of the arguments used by politicians to justify their actions, no matter how mistaken these may be. By defining the German Fatherland this way - territory that belonged to ancient Germanic tribes by conquest, settlement, or inheritance - the dreams and actions of several generations of German peoples were shaped by their ambitious efforts to expand, reclaim, or retain what they think is justly theirs by historical right. Germany in the early 19th century became a confederation of 39 German kingdoms and political alliances with constantly shifting internal boundaries, not including the Germans in Bohemia (present Czech Republic) and Austria. Each kingdom had its own identity and was not willing to surrender it. This division and the political infighting among the different rulers of the kingdom affected the unity of the government and became one of the sparks that ignited hyperinflation in the 1920s. Acting as stimulus that created tensions in the pre-War politics and economy, intellectuals like Karl Stein, Prince Karl August von Hardenberg and Wilhelm von Humboldt called for the abolition of serfdom, freedom of trade, municipal self-administration, equality before the law, and general conscription into the

Critical Thinking and Leadership Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critical Thinking and Leadership - Case Study Example Basically, the authors were right in concluding that Yahoo can be viewed as a phenomenon considering that it succeeded in the absence of a sound industry structure or huge capitalization, that what its owners had was a tandem of a great idea and a computer. Primarily, Yahoo describes itself as a "leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company" and because of this, has cleverly managed to stay out of the fray as gigantic conglomerates such as Google and Microsoft fight each other over everything from search dominance to giving a platform for next generation web development. It isn't very clear though whether Yahoo's manner of positioning itself in the industry is just incidental or a deliberate strategy. However, as noted by experts, the company has discovered what could become a very sensible way to compete with a vast number of big and capable players - target multiple areas like music, search and e-commerce, without vexing a major competitor. As one senior director of information technology at Wharton intimated, "There is a lot to be said for positioning yourself in a way that you are not encroaching on Microsoft's turf Google is on Microsoft's radar right now like no other company" (Whitehouse, 2005) But what makes Yahoo different Or what is it doing to make itself different Perhaps one reason Yahoo doesn't get the attention (and ire) of Google is that it is not easy to sort out and pigeonhole. Yes, it contends with Google in the search division, but it has a multitude of other services and assets like the Hot Jobs (an employment site), the Yahoo 360 (blogging and community site) and a shopping network highlighting big and small merchants. Apparently, this media firm's basic objective is to "provide users and advertisers with richer and more relevant experiences....Yahoo reaches 73% of all Internet users in the U.S. in any given month, which speaks to the breadth of the product suite. Yahoo reaches more people in more ways than any other company on the web." But looking closely, Yahoo's success shouldn't merely be attributed to the fact that it rested on simple rules as its founding strategy or operated on a "hands-on" environment. It is simply because Yahoo was an idea whose time has come. Yahoo's creators saw a need which was turned into an opportunity. Its creation or emergence coincided with what millions of people needed at the moment. What they did was like "striking while the iron is hot" and seized the moment. When the authors wrote "The new economy's most profound strategic implication is that companies must capture unanticipated, fleeting opportunities in order to succeed," (Eisendhardt & Sull, 2001, p. 108), they weren't actually talking of a fresh entrepreneurial gospel. They were just talking of a trait or an entrepreneurial spirit that is certainly intrinsic not only of 21st

Jean Piaget: The Four Stages Of Cognitive Theory

Jean Piaget: The Four Stages Of Cognitive Theory Cognitive theory of Jean Piaget includes four stages of development that children move through during which the explanatory behaviors of infants transform into the abstract, logical intelligence of adulthood. There are three important specific characteristics of Piagets theory of which the first one is being a general theory, that is, cognitions all aspects undergo a similar course of change. Another characteristic is that children move through the stages in an invariant sequence. Piaget believed that there is a same order that children follow. Third, the stages are universal. Stages in cognitive theory assume the theory to include all children everywhere (Berk, 2003). Biological concepts are used in a limited way in Piagets theory. However, he stated the importance of genetic and environmental factors on the way that children move through the stages (Crain, 2005). He emphasized that the speed of children while passing those stages is affected by differences in genetic and environmen tal factors. Jean Piaget used the term scheme while explaining human beings organized way of making sense of experience (Mark, 1969). Traill (2008) explains that the term scheme used by Piaget is different from peoples everyday usage of scheme. The term can be any pattern for exploring and learning from the environment and it has three different intellectual structures. Piaget calls first intellectual structures to emerge as behavioral schemes, ones that appear after 2 years as symbolic schemes, and structures that appear after 7 years as operational schemes (Piaget, 1972, as cited in Traill 2008). For instance, dropping scheme of an 8 month old baby and a 25 months of will not be the same, as sooner it will become more deliberate and creative. Toddlers, different from infants, begin to think before acting and Piaget identifies that transition from sensorimotor to cognitive approach to the world which depends on mental representations. (Piaget, 1926, as cited in Berk 2003) Images and concepts are the two powerful mental representations. Especially, the shift from sensorimotor to cognitive approach is accounted for two processes; adaptation, consisting assimilation and accommodation, and organization. Interpretation of new structures into already existing schemes is called as assimilation and modification of existing schemes into adaptation of new experiences is called as accommodation. Cognitive adaptation aims to adjust to the environment and is a result of the equilibrium between assimilation and accommodation (Block, 1982). While trying to grasp an object, a baby is experiencing the assimilation process, while removing an obstacle and grasping an object, a baby now accommodates the scheme (Crain, 2005). During the organization process more complex intellectual structures are combined with existing schemes by children. For instance, after the baby experienced and covered dropping movement, then he/she will relate it with throwing movement as well as understanding the concepts of near and far (Berk, 2003). The Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 Years) Jean Piaget observed his children during their developmental period and constructs the stages based on his observations. His books mostly involve many examples from his dialogues and interactions with his children. The sensorimotor stage consists of six substages. (Santrock, 2004) That stage starts with the use of reflexes from birth to 1 month. Newborn reflexes take important place in sensorimotor stage. According to Piaget inborn reflexes are consisted from first schemes. He states that as children use inborn reflexes and experience assimilation, they desire to put them to active use (Crain, 2005). After one month, children begin to repeat their chance behaviors and primary circular reactions period (one to four months) starts. A baby experiences the thumb sucking by bringing her hand to her mouth by a chance, when the hand falls she wants to get it back and experiences many failures until she gets it back (Crain, 2005). At that example the child organizes the hand movement and sucking which is a kind of circular reaction. Piaget also states that children at that period indicate the first efforts at imitation (Berk, 2003). The next substage is secondary circular reactions and is observed between fourth and eighth months. Infants start to experience motor achievements that encourage them to play attention to their environment. Infants begin to get enjoyment from the response of the environment to their attempts and they repeat their movements that get reaction from their surrounding (Santrock, 2004). Coordination of secondary schemes substage takes place during eight to twelve months. At this stage infants begin to coordinate tow or more actions to achieve simple objectives. In addition with an intentional purpose, babies try to imitate behaviors after watching a person. One may be able to observe a baby at this stage trying to stir with a spoon. In addition, a baby may begin to cry when she sees her mother wearing her coat in order to stop her mother leaving (Berk, 2003). In substage 5, tertiary circular reactions (twelve to eighteen months), children are interested with different outcomes. Piaget had observed one of his children hitting on a table at different rates in order to listen different sounds that he creates (Crain, 2005). It should be noted that all experiences are results of childrens intrinsic curiosity about the environment around them that Piaget emphasizes within his cognitive development theory. The last substage of the sensorimotor period is named as beginnings of thought or internalization of schemes lasting from eighteen to twenty months. During that substage children have the capacity to remember the behaviors that are not present (deferred imitation). Their efforts on imitation also indicate progress and they experiment with actions inside their heads. Besides, children can be observed to engage in make-believe play during that period (Santrock, 2004). Object Permanence: Piaget and many researchers concluded that infants appreciate concepts of permanence objects. Up to four months, children do not make any attempt to an object leaving in front of their eyes. During secondary circular reactions stage children are more able to explore their surrounding and they have a better sense of permanence of objects. At stage four children have the ability to find the hidden objects. If an adult takes a toy behind a box, the baby will look at the behind of the box and find the toy. During the stages five and six children are able to follow displacements and follow invisible shifts (Crain, 2005). Beginnings of Categorization: Before the capability of mental representation children are not able to categorize objects. During the first year of their life, children experience perceptual categorization. For example they can categorize the legs of an animal. Conceptual categorization begins with the end of first year; they are now able to categorize similar characteristics and behaviors. Active categorization period starts with the beginning of the second year. It is stated that sorting objects into two classes can be observed in eighteen months babies. In the second year babies can group two different kinds of objects without grasping them (Berk, 2003). When the observed milestones of research and the description of substages of Piaget are compared from birth to two years, both similarities and differences are seen. There are points that seem to occur earlier than Piaget accepted such as categorization, deferred imitation, and analogical problem solving. Those differences are explained differently from many researchers. Some of the surveys indicate that some children born with different intellectual capacities and some of them with a set off limits which causes those differences. The latter argue the theory of Piaget in terms of biological considerations. The Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 Years) Preoperational stage is lasting from two to seven ages in which the child is more capable while dealing with the environment. Although the reasoning of child is still unsystematic and illogical, that is the period that children begin to use symbols and rapidly develop representation. One of the important symbols that indicate increase during that period is language (Santrock, 2004). Piaget believed that experience of internal images occurs before labeling words and he did not take language as an important tool in cognitive development of children. Berk (2003) argues that Piaget had misadjusted the role of language in early intellectual development. She proposes that conceptual abilities of children are highly affected from the dialogues of children with adults. Moreover, there are many psychologists that believe as children develop their language ability, they begin to think more logically. Children experience transductive reasoning during that stage which means shifting from one particular to another. Children place two unrelated situations into the same case as if they have a relationship. One of Piagets children had concluded that she hadnt had her nap yet so it wasnt afternoon (Piaget, 1924). Piaget (1924) explains that statement as an example of transductive reasoning, because the child did not catch the understanding that afternoons include many different events and having nap is only one of them. An important milestone of the increase in mental representation is make-believe play during preoperational stage. The differences in make-believe play between sensorimotor and preoperational stage can be clearly observed. By the middle of preoperational stage make-believe play of children indicate real life conditions. In addition, by preoperational stage children begin to engage in sociodramatic play, they coordinate variety of roles and story lines during their play. One of the criticized points of cognitive theory of Piaget is based on the belief of Piaget that play reflects childrens cognitive and social skills, however there are many recent studies indicating the contribution of play on those skills. Especially during sociodramatic play, children interact with their peers longer and they are more cooperative. Many psychologists believed the role of strengthening of make believe play on a wide range of mental abilities and logical reasoning (Berk, 2003). Egocentrism: Piaget stated that children look at their surrounding from their own viewpoint and they ignore perspectives of others. Three-mountains study is one of the famous observations of Piaget explaining egocentric behavior of children at preoperational stage. He had used a model of three mountains and taken a child for a walk around the model in order to give opportunity for the child to look at the model from different view. Piaget had placed the child from one point of the model and placed a toy to another place. The child had been asked what he/she saw while looking at the model and what the toy would be seen while looking at it. All the children could correctly explain what they were seeing, however children at preoperational stage gave the same answer with their own view (Crain, 2005). Studies emphasize on the relation between egocentrism and social communication. Children at preoperational stage, according to Piaget, fail to recognize the needs of their peers during verbal interaction (Rubin, 1973). As they look only from their own view, they are able to understand view of the person interacting with them. They think that they can be seen from everywhere, everybody see and hear them. An adult may observe a child at this period telling that nobody could see him/her while closing his/her eyes with hands. Animism: Piaget (1951) proposes that the child recognizes no limits between himself and the external world and it is expected that the child would see many nonliving and non acting things as living and conscious and he explains this phenomenon as animism. In his book The Childs Conception of World, 1951, he identifies the reason for him to use the term animisim. He accepts that animism was term used for primitive human beings and responds the criticisms by telling that he had used that term as a generic term and emphasizing on the different types of animism in psychological origins (Piaget, 1951). Children at preoperational stage have a belief that objects are alive because they move and grow. For example, a child may tell that there are not any cars on the road, because they are sleeping. Piaget described animism inside four stages. Initially children accepted useful things as living. At this first stage broken or damaged objects were not alive for them. At the second stage, moving objects, whether are moved by an external factor or by themselves, were considered as alive. In stage three, to be categorized as living, things should move by themselves. Lastly, at the fourth stage, adults know that plants and animals are living things only (Moriarty, 2005). Irreversibility: Going through a series of steps and after changing direction is difficult for children at preoperational stage. Another well known experiment of Piaget indicates that problem in a way that there are children shown 16 boxes, 6 of which are yellow and 10 of which are red. When children are asked whether red boxes are more or boxes, children at this stage responds as red boxes and fails to be aware of that both yellow and red boxes are boxes. In his book The Childs Conception of World, 1951, Piaget gives examples about irreversibility. There are dialogues indicating their inability such as, asking a child about her sister, the child responds that she has a sister named A, then Piaget asks the child whether A has a sister or not, the child responds that A has not a sister. (Piaget, 1951) Inability to Conserve: Piaget propounds preoperational childs lack of conservation by applying experiments of liquids and number. He shows two same size glasses to the children and fulls the glasses with water. He asks children which of the water was more. All the children respond that they were equal in amount. Then he puts the water in one of the glasses into a different size glass (wider or taller) and repeats his question. Children at preoperational stage tell that they are now different. They have not the capability to perceive that certain physical features of objects remain same, even their physical appearance changes (Santrock, 2004) Based on experiments of Piaget, at the beginning of seven children begin to give the correct answer to the conservation tests. Before that age children indicates at conservation but not totally achieve it. They give answers like one is more because it is taller and then change their answers the other one is more because it is wider. Besides, irreversibility of the child can be concluded based on the conservation of liquid experiment. The child cannot understand the end result as a reverse of the original one. Jean Piaget also had thought about the failures of children from the linguistic point. Terms such as taller, more, wider takes time to be understood. He suggests ways to overcome that problem and tells adults to apply experiments by using different sentences and establishing questions by using different words within a particular case (Berk, 2003). Piaget experimented conservation of children also with using number. A row of egg cups and a bunch of eggs are given to children and they are asked to take enough eggs to fill the cups. At the first half of preoperational stage children ignored the number of eggs in the cups and they made an equal length with the rows. Children at the second half of preoperational stage made one-to-one correspondence. However, those children failed in the second question. Piaget then brought together the eggs and asked which of them was more and they could not respond that they are still same. Most of them thought that the longer was more in number. Piaget explains that phenomenon as been influenced by their sudden perceptions than by logic (Crain, 2005). Categorization: In coordinating and extending knowledge in cognitive development theory of Piaget, categorization takes an important place. Researchers state that children begin to make similar categorizations and form some categories with the age of two such as animals, plants, and vehicles (Scholnick, Nelson, Gelman, Miller, 2008). Things or objects in all of those categories have differences in perceptual characteristics, so a conflict emerges with the main idea of Piaget that childrens reasoning is governed by the way they see and objects appear. By the age of three children become able to make distinctions between basic and general categories such as furniture versus tables. However, children at preoperational stage are not able to organize objects into classes and subclasses based on their basic similarities and differences (Meadows, 1986). It is argued that Piaget was partly right and partly wrong with his conclusions of preoperational stage. Researchers give simplified tasks for children and preschoolers indicate the beginnings of logical operations, however there are important differences between their reasoning and children at school age. Difficulties were observed in conservation tests, three mountains tests and appearance-reality tests. As opposed to perceptual approaches to solve problems, children rely on increasing effective mental. In order to give an example, research indicate that children who have not the capability to use counting while comparing two groups of objects, do not also conserve number. They begin to find effective solution ways for proms with more objects when they become capable of counting. Piaget states that, as many other psychologists accept, children move through variety of stages of understating, although they do not totally handle conservation up to school years. The Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years) The beginning of concrete operational stage is furnished by logical reasoning. That period is accepted as a major turning point in cognitive development. The time that a child begins to mentally resemble an adult starts with attaining concrete operational stage. A school-aged childs cognitive performance is more evident in terms of concrete operations. For example an eight year of childs response to conservation of liquid test is that the amount has not changed and they are still same. This explanation of the child also indicates the reversibility of the reasoning that the child has now the capability to understand that the reverse is the same with the original. Their ability to achieve conservation tasks indicate their logical thinking (Richardson, 2003). Between ages seven and ten, children take attention on relations between a general and two specific categories within the same case. Their awareness of classification is getting developed. In middle childhood period many children are interested in collections such as coins, rocks, and stamps which show their level of classification. Children in the concrete operational stage are fairly good at the use of inductive reasoning which involves going from a specific experience to a general principle, whereas children at this age have difficulty with using deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning involves using a general principle to determine the outcome of a specific event. Seriation: Seriation refers to the capability to arrange objects along a quantitative dimension. Ordering sticks from different lengths is one of Piagets tests. Children at five and six years could create series but they made many errors. However, children at concrete operation stage, by starting the shortest and putting the next, indicate a perfect arrangement with an orderly plan. Children between ages seven to eleven have an ability called transitive inference which refers to mentally arrangement of items. Piaget had showed children three stick with different colors. Children had observed that first stick is longer than second stick and second stick is longer than third stick and they had made the inference that first stick is longer than third stick. Children at concrete operation stage mentally integrate three relations at once. On the other hand, preoperational stage children can achieve analogical reasoning by encouragement of an adult (Meadows, 1989). Spatial Reasoning: The ability of understanding space is more developed in concrete operational children. School age children begin to give directions as they gain more advanced space understanding. Children at five or six years indicate difference while representing an object on a persons, in front of them, left or right. Starting from seven age children achieve mental rotations, that is, they can recognize their own frame and of a person in a different direction (Santrock, 2004). While drawing large scale areas their performance indicate important changes representing their development of cognitive skills. In the middle period of concrete operational stage children achieve to place notes showing the location of objects in their classroom. Their capability to use a rotated map is improving and also their map drawing become more accurate. Research indicate that concrete operational thinking has a limitation that while children are reasoning in a logical manner, they are always dealing with concrete knowledge. With abstract information, they cannot catch the achievement (Crain, 2005). When they are given ideas that do not appear in the real world they are not able to indicate the same responds with concrete ones. That can be easily observed from transitional inference that when children are shown the sticks they give the correct responds whether which one is smaller or taller than the others. However, when the questions turned to a more concrete version such as As hair is longer than B, B2 hair is longer than C. Who has the longest hair?, up to eleven years children cannot give the right answer (Richardson, 2003). Jean Piaget believed the importance of rich and appropriate environment for the speed of concrete operational cognitive skills of children. Many research done in small towns or villages represent the lack of rich environment and its consequences on children. Even the easiest conservation tasks are not easily achieved until the age of eleven. On the contrary, many children living in big cities, especially Western nations, have many opportunities in terms of environment and from very young periods of childhood they meet with rich and varied materials. Hence, they easily understand the conservation tasks. The same comparison had done between children receiving a professional early childhood education and the ones that spend their early period at home or street. The conclusions indicate better results of the children continuing a preschool program (Berk, 2003). A survey had been made between Brazilian street vendors and Brazilian economically advantaged children on informal version and Piagetian version of class inclusion test of Piaget. In the informal one, the researcher asks children for the price of two chewing gums which are different. In the Piagetian one, four units of one type (mint) chewing gum and two units of the other (strawberry) one is set aside and the researcher asks In which one do you get more money, whether you sell me the chewing gum with mint or all the chewing gum? The success of two groups children indicates difference that on the informal version of the conservation task street vendors performed better and on the other version economically advantaged children performed well (Ceci Roazzi 1994, as cited in Berk 2003). The Formal Operational Stage (11 Years and Older) The child in sensorimotor period can do things and play with objects, the child in sensorimotor period and concrete operational period can think and make reasoning about those objects. Thinking about propositions and relations different from objects and events is another period. Now human beings are bale to make coordinations of coordinations, in other words, they can combine two different groupings of concrete operations within reversibility by reciprocity (Richardson, 2003). In formal operational stage adolescents do not require concrete things as objects of thought. Adolescents at this stage are capable of deductive reasoning. In order to overcome a problem, they start more generally and think evaluate all possible factors and then proceed to more specific predictions. Piaget used pendulum problem in that stage in which he had showed many strings with different lengths, objects differing in weight, and in order to hang the strings a bar to children. He asked the factors that will affect the speed with which a pendulum swings. Children in concrete operational level made an unsystematic experimentation. The influences of each variable could not be distinguished by them. Adolescents of formal operational stage separate the factors that have the possibility to affect the speed into four groups; strings length, objects weight, the level of force when pushing the object, and how high the object is raised before it is released. At the end they come up to a right conclusion that the length of the string affects the speed (Berk, 2003). They work systematically in terms of all possibilities as a scientist. Cognitive development theory of Piaget is mostly depending on mathematical and scientific reasoning; however he has some speculations on social life of formal operational stage adolescents. Piaget thinks that children between seven and ten live in here and now, whereas at the formal operational stage they start to think about long-term periods. They handle abstract ideas such as justice and love and they start to construct theories for better living world (Inhelder Piaget, 1955, as cited in Crain 2005). Piaget identifies egocentrism again and believes that a new kind of egocentrism is carried by utopian during that period. Piaget takes into account and repeat the forms of egocentrism from beginning to later periods: At the beginning, sensorimotor period, infants have no idea bout the environment around them and they are egocentric, still the objects that they cannot see have no existence on their own. At the next level, preoperational thought, children enter a representative world in terms of language and symbols. They indicate difficulty more than their own view. After a time they become aware of other perspectives and they start to think about concrete objects. Finally, adolescents, formal operational period, meet with a world full of problems and possibilities. Adolescents feel unlimited power in themselves for their thoughts and egocentrism reappears and they are now not able to distinguish self and others abstract views.(Crain, 2005). Teenagers feel that they are at the centre of their environment and they assume that everyone is looking at them. They spend many hours in front of a mirror feeling anxiety for the peoples criticism about them. This is called as imaginary audience. Then with having a thought that everyone is observing them, they start to feel themselves special and unique and this is named as personal fable. Propositional Thought: Adolescents do not need to refer real-life conditions and they are capable of evaluating the logic of propositions. Previously, they were evaluating statements when they were concrete in the real world. Piaget did not give an important role for language in childhood period, but he thought that it was more significant during adolescence. So, verbal reasoning about abstract situations and events is one of the important concepts in formal operational thought. Adolescents thoughts and opinions about abstract conditions and their capacity while expressing those views are demonstration of their propositional thought. Theory and research of Piaget have greatly changed the view at infant action and thought and provided a new way of looking at children (Fischer Heneke, 1996). Evaluation of Piagets Theory Jean Piaget has contributed to the field of child development than many other theorists, as many things he expressed were the first for his time. He was the first to tell that children were different from adults and they are curious and active learners (Berk, 2003). Piaget is the founder of discipline of cognitive development. He was interested in reasoning of children and that ensured the idea of that field would be developmental and should be different from the study of adult thinking. Piagets considerations through the idea about active roles of children on their development can be seen as obvious recently, but it was innovative for his time (Shaffer Kipp, 2001). Piaget tried to explain the process development and from that part he was one of the firsts who not only described the theory. Piagets explanations had a major impact about social and emotional developmental theories. By asking many questions about intellectual development of children and creating thousands of resource for that field, he had important contributions for the educators and researchers (Shaffer Kipp, 2001). Many studies criticize Piaget for underestimating mental capabilities of children due to his concern with defining the underlying cognitive structure which considered performance of children on a conservation task. Piaget is criticized as assuming that child making mistake in one problem will lack the underlying concepts he was testing. Validity of this assumption is refuted by stating that performance of a child may be influenced by many other factors instead of lack in cognitive skills (Scholnick et all, 2008). Researchers have challenged stage theory of Piaget by asking if intellectual development is at all stagelike. It is proposed that transitions in mental gradually occur and the consistency of a performance of a child in a test would be very little. For instance, problems of concrete operations and problems of formal operations may be achieved in different orders by many children with different abilities. Many theorists believe that cognitive functions are so complex that would be evaluated within a stage manner. For instance, a nine years old child may do well on verbal reasoning tests if he likes to deal with word puzzles and play verbal games, however he may not do well in mathematical reasoning (Shaffer Kipp, 2001). Besides, Piaget ignores cultural differences while claiming that his stages move on the same sequence in all cultures. Children from different cultures are educated differently and a s environment has a direct interaction with cognitive development, cultural differences should be taken into account to get a valid conclusion. Implications for Education Piaget did influence much from Montessori and Rousseau and emphasized on the importance of active learning of children. He believed that learning is a process of active discovery and should be related with the level of the child. The role of educator at giving the child appropriate and rich environment based on childs interests and modes of learning takes significant place in terms of encouraging innate curiosity of children. An environment with rich, variety, and interesting materials will encourage children to discover and become active learners (Crain, 2005). According to Piaget educators should not teach children in a direct way, children should be allowed to construct their own knowledge through experience. Children should be given the opportunities to make mistakes and learn through those mistakes, and look for solution ways. Piaget helps educators to be aware of that, meaningful interactions of children with environment and real activities will enable children to learn. All of those factors are the roots of constructivism which is a Apoptosis: Techniques for Measuring and Observing Apoptosis: Techniques for Measuring and Observing INTRODUCTION   The number of cells within an organism is tightly regulated- not simply by controlling the rate of cell division, but also by controlling the rate of cell death. If cells are no longer needed, they commit suicide by activating an intracellular death program. (Liao, 2008) Apoptosis, is defined by distinct morphological and biochemical changes mediated by a family of cysteine aspartic acid-specific proteases (caspases), which are expressed as inactive precursors or zymogens (pro-caspases) and are proteolytically processed to an active state following an apoptotic stimulus. (Liao, 2008) The aim of this paper is to discuss the techniques for measuring and observing apoptosis, whilst commenting on any limitations reported to date. DISCUSSION The intracellular machinery responsible for apoptosis Kerr, Wylie and Currie (1972) observed controlled cell death that was distinct from uncontrolled necrotic death. They noticed a characteristic, identical sequence of events in many different types of cells and published their observations in 1972 and used the term apoptosis. (Alberts, 2007; Cancer, 1972) In apoptosis, cell shrinkage and membrane ruffling (blebbing) occur, and the cell disintegrates into small membrane-bound apoptopic bodies. Inside the cell chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation occur, which are accompanied by breakdown of the DNA into regular size fragments. On the surface of the cell lipids are rearranged in the bilayer of the plasma membrane with the lipid phosphatidylserine becoming exposed to the outside. (Hancock, 2005) Measuring and observing apoptosis Apoptosis is essentially a morphological state arrived at by a whole variety of different biochemical pathways. Some routes may result in the expression or loss of an antigen but there is no assurance that the same biochemical alterations occur in every cell. The identification of protein markers permits ready detection by conventional immunohistochemistry, which facilitates rapid and confident assessment of apoptosis. (Harrison, 1996) The in situ end labelling and in situ nick translation techniques rely on the presence of DNA strand breaks characteristic of the nuclear implosion and fragmentation seen in apoptosis. Thus, labelling with biotinylated nucleotides and subsequent immunodetection can be used to identity sensitively cells with strand breakage. (Harrison, 1996) Activation of the caspase-3 pathway is a hallmark of apoptosis and can be used in cellular assays to quantify activators and inhibitors of the death cascade by molecular identification. The response is both time and concentration dependent suggesting that multiple pathways play a role in triggering the caspase-3 activation. (Bio Medicine, 2008) TUNEL assay is a technique used for observing activation of the caspase-3 pathway by biochemical verification. The enzyme TdT is able to add nucleotides to the ends of DNA fragments; most commonly, biotin-labelled nucleotides (usually dUTP) are added. The biotinylated DNA can be detected by using streptavidin, which binds to biotin, coupled to enzymes that convert a colourless substrate into a coloured insoluble product. Cells stained in this way can be detected by light microscopy. (Janeway, 2001) The cells with unsuccessful DNA repair may undergo apoptosis; in some cases, false positive labelling may result. TUNEL staining has been reported to give false positive staining in the kidneys of nude and BALB/c mice. In situ localization of activated or cleaved caspase-3 is starting to replace TUNEL as the molecular verification of the apoptotic process. (Hughes, 2007) Extrinsic and Intrinsic signal activation The extrinsic pathway is initiated by ligation of transmembrane death receptors (DR) with their respective to activate membrane-proximal caspases, which in turn cleave and activate effector caspases. A killer lymphocyte carrying the Fas ligand binds and activates Fas proteins on the surface of the target cell. Adaptor proteins bind to the intracellular region of aggregated Fas proteins, causing the aggregation of procaspase-8 molecules. These then cleave one another to initiate the caspase cascade. This pathway can be regulated by c-FLIP, which inhibits upstream initiator caspases, and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), which affect both initiator and effector caspases. (Alberts, 2007; Liao, 2008) The intrinsic pathway requires disruption of the mitochondrial membrane and the release of mitochondrial proteins, such as cytochrome c. Cytochrome c, which binds to and causes the aggregation of the adaptor protein Apaf-1. Apaf-1 binds and aggregates procaspase-9 molecules, which leads to the cleavage of these molecules and the triggering of a caspase cascade. (Alberts, 2007, Liao, 2008) The primary regulatory step for mitochondrial-mediated caspase activation might be at the level of cytochrome c release. The known regulators of cytochrome c release are Bcl-2 family proteins. Members of this family are divided into two main groups, the anti-apoptotic proteins with Bcl-2 and Bcl-Xl as archetypes and the pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax. The ratio between these different proteins determines the sensitivity of the cell to apoptosis; antiapoptotic proteins inhibit apoptosis by counteracting Bax and Bak, and BH3-only proteins either trigger apoptosis through direct interaction with Bax or sensitize cells to death by inactivating Bcl-2 or Bcl-Xl. (Cartron, 2003; Liao, 2008) RT-PCR primer sets that are specific for genes involved in inducing and regulating the apoptotic response. These primers are specific for genes encoding proteins from the Fas and Fas ligand, Bcl-2 and ICE protein families. The RT-PCR primer sets for studying the apoptotic response are designed to meet several criteria. The primers sets, based on known genomic sequences, amplify a region that spans at least one intron. To distinguish the amplification products from genomic sequences, which are longer than the cDNA products, the primer sets amplify PCR products that are 400 bp to 650 bp in length. The primers are synthesized as 18- to 27-mer oligonucleotides. Each set of primers amplifies only a specific target. (Biomedicine, 2008) Direct measurement using fluorescence resonance energy transfer has shown the interaction between Bax and Bcl-2. (Cartron, 2003) Light microscopy and electron microscopy, including staining, are frequently used to observe the morphological changes of the cells undergoing apoptosis. There are many staining protocols used for identification of apoptotic cells, and the choice varies subject to the laboratory and the tissue being studied. (Wang, 2008) The advantages of Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM) are observing in normal environment, observing in nanometre scale resolution, and observing in non-contact mode. (Wang, 2008) CONCLUSION Using morphology, biochemical or molecular methods to identify, localize and quantify apoptosis gives strength to many research studies. The measurement of the level of apoptosis within tissue sections represents only a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"snapshotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of one time point during a developmental, physiological or pathological process. Given the rapid nature of apoptosis and its cryptic nature in tissue sections, these measurements may often be underestimates of the actual extent of apoptosis. The ability to measure the levels of apoptosis within living organisms, including humans, non-invasively at repeated intervals over time would facilitate the analysis of apoptosis in many organs as well as tumours. (Hughes, 2007) These investigative techniques have broadened the understanding of disease development and will undoubtedly present real opportunities for novel therapeutic intervention. For example, the gene-driven nature of apoptosis and its modulation by various controlling molecules have provided a basis to develop therapies for selectively protecting or deleting cell populations. (Hughes, 2007)

Essay --

Assignment #1 Ethics Bernie L. Madoff Investment Securities LLP was part of what is considered to be one of the largest financial frauds in U.S history. The Wall Street investment firm was used as an elaborate â€Å"Ponzi Scheme† that extorted upwards of $65 billion from unsuspecting investors. The Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays earnings to older investors using the money generated from newer investors. The Ponzi scheme was perpetrated by founder Bernie Madoff and was carried out for a number of years until 2008 when he was finally convicted. Bernie L Madoff Investment Securities LLP was founded in 1960 by Chairman Bernie Madoff and was one of the top market-maker businesses primarily serving as the middleman between buyers and sellers of shares. Bernie Madoff first started his firm as a penny stock trader using the $5,000 he saved up from his job as a lifeguard and sprinkler installer. As time went on he was able to build up his firm with the help of his father-in-law, Saul Alpern who referred him to a large circle of friends and families which further helped expand his business (Biography.com). The firm eventually became so successful that by the 1980s, the firm handled up to 5% of the trading volume on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm also helped develop the National Association for Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), a computer technology information platform which the firm used to broadcast stock quotes. In the 1990s Bernie Madoff was eventually named chairman of NASDAQ (DeGrace, 2011). Alongside B ernie Madoff was his brother Peter Madoff who was the firm’s chief compliance officer and senior managing director. Bernie also hired his two sons Mark and Andrew Madoff at his firm. ... .... According to the nytimes.com, it is required under the SOX that brokerage firms such as Madoff Securities are required to be audited by firms registered with the Public Company Accounting Board. However, the S.E.C issued a rule to waive that requirement for privately held brokerage firms. This again allowed Friehling & Horowitz who weren’t registered with the board to continue on doing the audits for Madoff Securities. (Norris, 2009) It’s obvious that Bernie Madoff was highly respected among his peers for his knowledge and experience in stock trading and he used that leverage to manipulate hundreds of investors. His returns despite seeming suspicious left his investors wanting more. There’s no doubt greed was the driving force behind Madoff’s unethical behaviour but it could also be said greed was also the reason Madoff was able to get away with it for so long.

A Short Time in the Life of a Teacher

I begin the week by getting up. This is the part I hate the most. I wake up, my breath stinks, my hair covers my face like a mop and I look like I have been run over a few times! No problem, I'll soon sort that out! My alarm clock shocks me into a conscious state – it is horrible; it reminds me of the school fire alarm and it is just as loud too! So, not only am I very wide awake but I am dying of a cardiac arrest! Yes, it's Monday morning and no, it is not a terrible dream; so I throw off my covers and crawl out of bed. My room is small but snug. I like it like that. The terracotta walls are warm, the bed is a fresh white and my dressing table is a lovely pale wood, which is very hard to come by. I like things to be minimalist and tidy, there is nothing lying on the floor and my dressing table consists of a mirror and hairbrush, I'm not one for make-up. As my eyes adjust to the light, I can already tell that it is a pleasant day, the room has a stimulating feeling to it, which is different to any other day, where the sky is overcast and the sea is crashing over the wall outside of my window. I get washed, run downstairs and cram all that wonderful work that I did last night into my bag. Then I throw on my leathers, jump onto my Honda VTR 1000 sp-2 (the most amazing motorbike in the world!) and I'm off! I have a bit of a passion for motor bikes, I always have. When I was younger I used to cycle to school. I always wanted a motor bike but I was obviously too young at the age of fifteen and when I got to eighteen, the bike was too expensive to insure. Now I have my bike and I am the biker chic of the century, to be honest, I feel very superior to the people I whiz past when I am on my bike and they are sitting in their dreary cars! It takes me half an hour in the morning with all the traffic, I can weave in and around all the cars but I still have to wait at the traffic lights, which seem to change red every time I come close to them! There are a lot of people on their bikes in the morning, I do not know why there are so many, I recognise everyone and they all know who I am. Every day I wave or nod to the same people and they return the gesture. It is a friendly feeling when you live in such a small place. Before I know it, I am at school. I take my black helmet off and stare up at the massive building. It is ugly on the outside but at least it has a story to tell; that is what I like about old buildings, they always have a great history to them. I park my bike by the side of the huge granite stairs that I have to trundle up before I can get to the doorway. When I arrive at the giant door I turn the handle and the door swings open on its own accord, it is so heavy that I have to use all my weight to close it again. Once it is closed I lean against it, facing the inside of the school and breathe in the air which has not yet been moved by any one except for the school cat and the janitor. No one is here; seven thirty in the morning is a bit too early for most of the students and staff. Most of them will still be in bed until eight o'clock! I like the school when it is empty; it has a nice feeling to it. I sometimes imagine that it is my house and that I live here all alone, that it is my mansion. The illusion is broken when the janitor strolls past me, â€Å"Good morning Taisie!† He remarks cheerily. John has been here since six this morning; I cringe to think what time he has to rise! My form room is on the second floor, so I spring up the staircase that leads from the main entrance. I love the staircases here. The banisters are intricately designed with beautiful patterns and the deep red mahogany shines as the light bounces off it from the tremendous chandelier that hangs from the ceiling. The stairs twist upwards to the second floor. I walk down the corridor and take in the wonderful feeling of the quiet school; in an hour there will be young ladies screaming down the hallway laughing and gossiping about what they did on Friday night. Now, the only sound I can hear is that of my feet padding down the stone pathway. The walls echo at every sound I make but the feeling of being totally alone is welcomed. My door has a solid brass handle; it is freezing cold and my hands seem to invite the refreshing feeling of something cool after wearing black leather gloves. As I twist the handle and open the door, the hinges creek. I feel a blast of hot air as the box that is my classroom gasps for a breath. It is always hot in my room but that is the price I have to pay for having a classroom that over looks the tennis courts and swimming pool. I do not mind though, I spent most of my time in the drama studio, English is the subject I teach less of at the moment. I dump my pack on the floor and run off to the staff changing room to exchange my leather gear for my trousers, shirt and Jacket (not forgetting about my shoes but did you really want to know that?). After I have organised my books and plan for the day, I force myself to go to the staff room. I hate the staff room. Don't get me wrong, I like to socialise with all my colleagues but sometimes I can have more of an intelligent conversation with my pupils. I feel that I am the only member of staff who actually cares about my students. I am fed up of listening to an assemblage of adults who think that they are far superior to the rest of the adult community just because they are teachers. I sometimes wonder if any of them care about the students' welfare – after all, they're â€Å"just part of the job.† When I was at college, I wanted to help. All the way through school, I wanted to change the way people thought about teachers but now I realise that I am fighting a losing battle. I am the only one who does not expect the â€Å"ladies† to be perfect. I think about their future, I treat them as individuals and talk about them in a positive way, I want to help them and not just treat them as â€Å"another case I have to deal with every day.† They are not just a student body, they are individuals and I am fed up of my colleagues always seeing the bad side of the pupils, how is that going to help them? Although I said that I am fighting a losing battle, I live in hope. I still treat them as individuals or young adults and I realise that they are actually people, not just part of the job, even if no one else does. ‘ And this is for your form Taisie' The deputy head, Sharyn Tinton, shoves a wadge of paper into my hand with rules and regulations plastered all over them – the usual – no jewellery, no body piercing, no blah, blah, blah. The girls already know what not to wear and what is appropriate; I am tired of hearing it over and over! Me telling the students to take their nose piercing out is not going to make any difference whatsoever. That does not mean to say that I do not tell them off if they do have it visible but I think, â€Å"what you don't know, won't hurt you!† ‘ I have to go to arrange my class for their form assembly, Sharyn.' ‘Alright then, scurry off to your class!' Scoffed Sharyn, she cannot stand the fact that I might actually care about my form! And â€Å"Scurry off† – what on earth's that suppose to mean – god give me strength! I decide to take the long way to my form room, which means I have to walk half way around the school but I need time to clear my head. I have to keep a positive attitude; I don't want to end up like Sharyn Tinton. ‘ Miss. Holcroft?' Yes, I am a Miss. I am not married and I do not have any children. I am a twenty seven-year old single teacher. I enjoy the freedom but at times I get depressed and I wish I could go home to someone besides my cat that would give me a hug and tell me that everything would turn out okay. Instead, I am going to grow old on my own, with no children and no husband; I'll be the cat woman†¦. ‘ Miss. Holcroft!' ‘Yes Lara?' A familiar voice. Lara always has an excuse. Even when she hands her work in on time, she has to elaborate on how her printer made the lines uneven. Maybe it is a compulsive disorder, I wouldn't know, I never did psychology! ‘ I handed in my essay but I've just realised that I never wrote a conclusion!' ‘ Lara, don't worry, I'll read it through and you can write a conclusion for next Wednesday, is that alright by you?' ‘Yes thank you Miss.' And she skips down the corridor, pleased that she has managed to make yet another thing wrong with her work! It is strange, I see so many different personalities and every single one is a pleasure to work with! Essay. English Essay. GCSE course work essay, which means more marking, which means more staying after school – late! I have now come to the locker room, which happens to be the only one that is in the corridor. All the other ones have their own rooms, why my forms one has to be in the corridor, I don't know! As I stroll past the bright orange and grey lockers, a girl passes me quickly. I know who she is, she's in my English and Drama classes; we seem to get along just fine but when it comes to passing her in the corridor, she is a different person. She keeps her eyes glued to the floor and swerves as far away from me as possible. I do not know why she does it but I know it is not personal because she does it to every member of staff – especially the male teachers. I do wonder about her sometimes. I'll speak to her after Drama†¦ maybe. As I get closer to my form room I can hear laughing and screaming and I can guess where it is coming from, so I rush to my door. ‘ ALRIGHT CLASS, SETTLE DOWN!' I have to raise my voice several decibels to compete with the racket that manages to come out of twenty-four pupils' mouths. ‘ Morning Miss.!' They all announce in unison. I never asked them to say good morning but they always do! ‘ Unfortunately guys, I'm going to have to lecture you all about behaviour, uniform and monthly events.' Several groans from the class ‘ As you can all see, I have a wadge of paper to get through so for your benefit, as well as mine, you should all keep quiet – that way I can speed through this in no time. But first thing's first – register!' I skim through the names, I know them in order by heart now and the routine is the same every day.' Kelly, Sam, Fiona, Laura†¦ I haven't seen her. Oh, there you are, hiding at the back of the class – put that brain fryer away! Katie, Sam†¦' And it goes on, they do not need to answer, I know who is there already and if I have not seen them, then they have to tell me. As far as absences go, I never have any. Late marks on the other hand, are a different story! â€Å"Now for the lecture, which I know you are all going to love!' And I trundle through the piles and piles of paper that Sharyn gave me. I look around the classroom as I speak and all I can see are tired, bored faces. They all know what I am going to say before it even comes out of my mouth†¦ ‘ Litter is not acceptable in the canteen area, or anywhere else for that matter – Becky, quiet – school jackets must be worn at all times outside of school, you made them make fitted ones instead of blazers, now wear them!' ‘And what if I cycle?' Marie shouts at the top of her voice. ‘You wrap the jacket about your head like a turban when you cycle! What do you think Marie, you have already asked me that before! I know it's a Monday morning but try to get your brain in gear before the day starts!' ‘If she has one!' Becky interrupts and the whole class laughs, including Marie. ‘Okay, I won't bring it then?' ‘Actually, keep it in your locker just in case Miss. Tinton decides to walk us all down to the church suddenly, like last week. If it is in your locker, you will always be prepared for her little â€Å"surprises†.' ‘ And finally; your shoes have to be FLAT. Yuck, I know but you just have to like it or lump it. Think about it ladies. If you lot look dressed up with belts as skirts – not saying any of you do – and platform shoes for school, you will look the same when you go out at the weekend and what's the point in that?' A young lady at the back of the class shoots her hand up in the air. ‘ Yes Sarah?' ‘Can I go to the loo please?' ‘You can†¦ but you may not!' Sarah sits there with her eyes crossed as the rest of the form laugh. One of the girls next to her is kind enough to explain what my last sentence just indicated and when she finally comprehends, she slides back into her chair, her face as red as a tomato! ‘Seen as you said ‘please', you may go to the loo. Just remember what to say next time!' As soon as Sarah runs out the classroom, the form bursts into fits of laughter. ‘I'm glad to see that you're all awake now. Does anyone have anything valuable that they wish to say?' ‘Georgina loves Simon!' Screams Becky and the bell rings. ‘Good morning class.' ‘Good morning Miss.' And they're gone. * My morning starts with Drama – just the lesson I need to wake the students (and myself) up. Drama is my subject; Drama is the subject. I have been doing Drama, theatre studies and degrees in the performing arts all my life and now, I am teaching it. I am head of the Drama Department. My year nine class is preparing for their play. They chose it; they were fed up of my â€Å"morbid† plays. But I think that it brings out the true potential of the students. Anger and sorrow are the two easiest (in my opinion) emotions to perform well. The girls seem to think other wise. They have chosen ‘Alice in Wonderland', which, I must admit, is a wonderful story for both adults and children – so well written. Luckily the class arrives five minutes late, at least I have some time to get all my things in order. A goblin seems to have rushed about my office and thrown all my lesson plans around and messed up my whole week! They all sit in a circle and immediately start talking about â€Å"stuff†. I don't know why they always sit down because I always ask them to stand right up again! Scanning the class, I can see that every one is here. It is strange that at the age of 14, the girls are still in their little groups. It saddens me to think that there is always one girl who gets left out. I can't see anything wrong with her. She is mature, sensible†¦ I see, she's mature! This lot is very giggly; they sit in their little groups plaiting each other's hair and singing. There is one group in the middle of the class. I can tell and have also been informed that this is the â€Å"cool† group. In my opinion, they are not cool at all. They are the cockiest, rudest pick of the bunch. I can't remember when they last handed their homework in. They refuse to enjoy doing anything that involves any one whom is not in their group. In the near left corner are the â€Å"geeks†. They look extremely studious, only one of them wears glasses but at this school, like many others, the length of your skirt decides your â€Å"class†. The â€Å"geeks† have decent length skirts – which obviously makes them really â€Å"sad†. Then, in the near right corner are the people who are â€Å"semi-geeks†, â€Å"gliders† or â€Å"sailors† (who make up these STUPID names?) They are the people, who are friendly to everyone, don't always have perfect homework but hand it in most of the time and don't fit into any extreme gr oup. Then there is one girl, who always sits in the far-left corner of the room, reading her book and not hurting anyone. She is quiet and lacks in self-confidence, mainly because of her past with bullying and the fact that everyone rejects her because she likes to read (don't ask). She is the mature one, the girl who is very knowledgeable but no one finds out – not even the rest of the staff – because they don't have time for her or they don't like the length of her skirt. It'll never change; it was the same when I was at school! ‘Stand up please' And I begin the lesson. A whole hour of drama. I warm them up, get them to run about screaming (I know this makes them feel silly but hey!) and finally sit down and watch them do their play, shouting ‘No, no, no. You don't laugh when you are crying, you do it like this!' And I fling myself into their world of make believe showing them how to do it. I told the girls whom they were going to play and when I told them that Danielle (the quiet young lady who sits in the far-left corner) was going to be Alice they threw a tiff. Not after class but right in front of Danielle. ‘It's alright Miss. Holcroft, I'll just be a tree or something if no one wants me to do it.' She whispered. I had comments such as ‘She can't act!' and ‘ She's too fat to be Alice.' Not only can Danielle act; she is FAR from fat. In fact, she dances eight times a week and is the most skeletal young girl I have seen in a while, I know she used to be a bit heavier but they obviously just kept her nickname. They are now coming to realise that Danielle can act and is very good at it too. I think they are a bit jealous to be honest. They are doing well and need little direction from me but when things start to slow down; I'll jump into the scene and throw my ideas around the set for them to catch if they wish. Danielle just stands there. I know she has good ideas, I've seen her writing them down and sticking them in her school diary but she is too nervous to say anything. I get frustrated standing there watching her brain working over and over and yet, she stands there, expressionless. There's nothing much I can do in class and I don't want to frighten her off by asking her to stay behind in front of the class but I so want her to say what she is thinking, I want to know why she avoids people in the corridors, why she reads and reads. Why am I so†¦aggravated? This is why we are not allowed to care; we have to â€Å"get on with our job†. But the girls in this school are people just like us teachers, just younger. If one of my colleagues were doing the same, it would not be considered strange for me to try to help. But the moment we try to help a student with anything other than work, we are told we are getting too close. It's all a big circle though. It will affect their work if it gets worse and I want to stop it before it gets to that stage. How? After half an hour of watching them I get out strips of paper and write comments on them, of what I think of their work. I do not usually do this but I have an idea. Every one has to improve projection and develop character but there are little things that people are just not doing right. So, I write them on bits of paper and the students don't get embarrassed, I'm seeing if it changes the way they act. Genius. Everyone starts to walk out of the class, Danielle at the back and I say, ‘Oh, Danielle, can you help me with something in my office, I would just like you to take something to Mr. O'Hara as well.' No one turns around, no one cares and no one laughs. Good. I did not plan to speak to her, it just came out of my mouth, now I have to decide on what I am going to say to her (this is where improvisation skills come in handy!) When all but one have left the class I sit down on one of the black bean bags that sits in the far left corner of the class. Danielle is standing there reading her book. So now what do I say? ‘Danielle, your acting is really coming on, what do you think of the play so far?' Now she'll tell me what she's thinking. ‘S'fine.' She manages to say without looking up. It was not a rude comment, but I could not read any expression in her voice. I need to feed her a longer line. ‘How do you think we could improve the play? I'm sure you have some ideas, I can see you thinking when someone suggests something that you don't approve with†¦' ‘Can you?' She looks up ‘Sorry, I don't mean to I just†¦' ‘Danielle, don't apologise, I think they give the most stupid suggestions too, you and I both know that putting a brown paper bag over someone's face is not going to work as a mask!' Relief spreads over me as I actually see a smile spread across her face and she giggles. I rarely see her smile, if ever and when she does, I know it means something, I don't know what. I just know. I sit there for fifteen minutes, talking to her about how we could improve the play and I found out that she thinks of the same things as me and spots the same tiny mistakes that people make. She told me that she gave up suggesting things because people ignored her whatever the idea and relied on me to say what she was thinking. I promised her I would suggest that the class does the things Danielle pointed out and I also promised that I would not mention her name and we would see how they reacted to them. She smiled. I returned the gesture. And she went to her next lesson. That was not hard, and I received a smile! When I connect with a student, it is what makes the job worth while, not when I make one cry (Sharyn Tinton†¦.) Next period is a break for me, which gives me time to sort out all my lesson plans. I only teach three lessons today, which means I have lots of free time to mark essays and drama assignments. How exciting. Marking has to be the worst thing about teaching. The reason everyone loves leaving school when they are eighteen is because there will be no more homework when they get a job and of course, they are leaving school. Well. For me, it is different, I am still at school and I still have homework and I still hate homework! The free period passes quickly and I have to come out of my little drama office to teach another lesson. This time it is year eleven's. Are they still in their groups? Yes. Is there one person left out writing in her diary? Yes. Does everyone hate her? No. This is the difference. In year nine, they reject the out cast ignore her and hate her; in year eleven, they just reject her and ignore her, when they all have to work together, they can have a descent conversation with her but she does not respond so they give up. Why does she not respond? I think it is because she is fed up – fed up of people being so two faced. I would not know. GCSE drama, a great subject to be doing a GCSE in but what the students don't realise is that it is not a â€Å"dos† subject. Instead of teaching this lesson, I decide to lecture them on tardiness, forgetfulness and respect. They all sit there with long faces probably thinking oh just SHUT UP! But I don't mind – one of the student's talks to her friend and I send her out, I believe in giving people chances, but I have had so many complaints from group members about their peers not participating that I just blew it. None of them have ever seen me shout before, so I think it was very effective. No one talked as they walked out the class and I had several of them come up to me and apologise! Success! Lunch break. Or should I say, sit in my English â€Å"box† and mark homework to give to my next class. English homework is the worst. I sometimes wish I had been a maths teacher, all one has to do it get it right or wrong and if the answer is wrong, the teacher just puts a cross by it! English is a different matter entirely. I have to read every single word looking for spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes and punctuation errors. Then I have to see if they have the content sorted out. I have to look for references to Shakespeare and the title etc. The list goes on! Before I know it, the bell has rung and I have a full classroom. Year nines. I have already had some of them this morning for Drama and it is interesting to see how they have changed from the morning to the afternoon – they have not! In the morning they are not quite awake yet and in the afternoon they are starting to fall asleep! I have pushed all the desks to the edges of the room – this lesson we are having a discussion. I have bought beanbags and cushions and put them in a circle and instead of teaching this lesson, I am sitting listening and taking part. The discussion is about Shakespeare's (oh whoopdeedoo) play The Merchant of Venice. The class has to take a side a) I feel sympathy for Shylock and b) I don't! The discussion goes well, with all members taking part in the discussion, no one talks while someone else is talking and it is a relaxed lesson with no pressure to perform well. Danielle actually smiles, everyone gives their homework in and I even receive a card from someone! I'll open it when I get home. I pack my belongings and work into my backpack and go to the loo's where I leave my clothes in a locker. I exchange my uniform for my leathers and close the door to the shower rooms. Walking down the corridor, I see happy students running around and collecting their possessions to take home with them. I walk down the stairs and meet the cat at the bottom. Stroking him with my one uncovered hand I tell him I'll see him tomorrow and seven thirty and I stand up. The huge, heavy door is already open, so I don't have to open it. I look at the lawn outside of the school and the students catching a lift home. As I walk down the stairs, I receive many goodbyes and smiles. I jump onto my Honda VTR 1000 sp-2 and just as I am about to put on my helmet I hear someone shout, â€Å"BYE MISS HOLCROFT!† It's Danielle! â€Å"Good bye Danielle!† I reply, put on my helmet, turn on the engine and zoom off! I arrive home half hour an later and switch some music on – classical, my favourite! Change into my dance pants and tee shirt, sit down, get my book from my bag and I open it. As I do so, something falls out of it; it is the card I found on my desk this afternoon. I open the card and it reads: Dear Miss Holcroft, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Love Danielle xx Some one remembered.

Reasons for Legalizing Marijuana essays

Reasons for Legalizing Marijuana essays One question that has troubled Americans for a long time is: "Should the use of marijuana be legalized?" Some say yes, while others say, no. According to the Merriam-Webster's dictionary, marijuana is defined as "the dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plant that yield THC and are smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect" (Merriam Webster 1). Owning marijuana has been a crime since 1937 when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. However, the drug was still frequently used. Here we are years later, still without an agreeable answer to the question. Legalizing the use of marijuana would have many medical benefits, economical benefits, and would decrease the incidence of crime. There are others who disagree. These people feel that legalization would lead to the formation of other habits and to health problems, such as, the use of a harsher drug and to psychological and personality problems that can come from using marijuana. These individuals feel that the negatives of marijuana use far outweigh the positives, and feel that the use of marijuana should remain illegal. To some people, marijuana is considered a "gateway" drug. Legalizing marijuana would lead to the use of other, much more harsh drugs. From the book Drugs, Teens, and Recovery, Lauren, a teenager that got mixed up in drugs describes how she got involved with marijuana, then with cocaine. She says, "I was ten, in the fifth grade, the first time I smoked pot. I liked pot a lot better than drinking because it was easier. I loved it. Pot and alcohol, that's all I needed. I didn't want to get into anything else". She continues, "About this time, I started getting obsessed with cocaine and thinking about what the high would be like". Just like Lauren people can start off with just smoking marijuana but they would get the urge to try something a little bit stronger (Cheney, 46). Marijuana usage has many medical benefits. It becam...

Tourism and Indian Economy Essays

Tourism and Indian Economy Essays Tourism and Indian Economy Essay Tourism and Indian Economy Essay Impact of saarc on Indian economy 1) Impact of Recession on Indian Econom Reason for Recession to occur What happened was this: banks were approached by thousands of possible new home owners asking for loans. This was during a period where the United States real estate market was climbing fast, and the value of homes was rising quickly. The banks approved these ‘bad’ or ‘sub-prime’ mortgages under the mentality that if the new home owners were to foreclose, the property would have a higher value than what it originally was due to the climbing real estate market, meaning that the bank would not lose money but make a profit!What actually happened was that the real estate market crashed, and banks were out of pocket due to the massive numbers of foreclosures on mortgages occurring. This set off the global financial crisis, which led to a global economic downturn and the recession in most developed countries. All that because of some bad debts in the States! 2) Impact of Tourism on Indian Economy Tourism can generate maximum employment opportunity because of a large number of subsidiary industries.September 2008 and a 3. 3 per cent growth in passenger traffic through September. The negative trend intensified during 2009, exacerbated in some countries due to the outbreak of the AH1N1 influenza virus, resulting in a worldwide decline of 4 per cent in 2009 to 880 million international tourist arrivals, and an estimated 6 per cent decline in international tourism receipts. Definition of tourism Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes.The World Tourism Organisation defines tourists as people who â€Å"travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than 24 hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. † Hunziker and Krapf, in 1941, defined tourism as â€Å"the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity. In 1976, the Tourism Society of England’s definition was â€Å"Tourism is the temporary, shortterm movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. 3) Impact of Globalization on Indian Economy- an Overview introduction Indian economy had experienced major policy changes in early 1990s. The new economic reform, popularly known as, Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG model) aimed at making the Indian economy as fastest growing economy and globally competitive.The series of reforms undertaken with respect to industrial sector, trade as well as financial sector aimed at making the economy more efficient. With the onset of reforms to liberalize the Indian economy in July of 1991, a new c hapter has dawned for India and her billion plus population. This period of economic transition has had a tremendous impact on the overall economic development of almost all major sectors of the economy, and its effects over the last decade can hardly be overlooked. Besides, it also marks the advent of the real integration of the Indian economy into the global economy.This era of reforms has also ushered in a remarkable change in the Indian mindset, as it deviates from the traditional values held since Independence in 1947, such as self reliance and socialistic policies of economic development, which mainly due to the inward looking restrictive form of governance, resulted in the isolation, overall backwardness and inefficiency of the economy, amongst a host of other problems. This, despite the fact that India has always had the potential to be on the fast track to prosperity.Now that India is in the process of restructuring her economy, with aspirations of elevating herself from he r present desolate position in the world, the need to speed up her economic development is even more imperative. And having witnessed the positive role that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has played in the rapid economic growth of most of the Southeast Asian countries and most notably China, India has embarked on an ambitious plan to emulate the successes of her neighbors to the east and is trying to sell herself as a safe and profitable destination for FDI. ) Impact of Fii on Indian Economy Most of the under developed countries suffer from low level of income and capital accumulation. Though, despite this shortage of investment, these countries have developed a strong urge for industrialization and economic development. As we know the need for Foreign capital arises due to shortage from domestic side and other reasons. Indian economy has experienced the problem of capital in many instances.While planning to start the steel companies under government control, due to shortage of res ources it has taken the aid of foreign countries. Likewise we have received aid from Russia, Britain and Germany for establishing Bhiloy, Rourkela and Durgapur steel plants. The present paper is a modest attempt to study the trends in Foreign Institutional Investment into India. It is observed that the FIIs investment has shown significant improvement in the liquidity of stock prices of both BSE and NSE.However, there is a high degree of positive co-efficient of correlation between FIIs investment and market capitalization, FIIs investment and BSE amp; NSE indices, revealing that the liquidity and volatility was highly influenced by FIIs flows. Further, it is also proved that FIIs investment was a significant factor for high liquidity and volatility in the capital market prices. The present study is a modest attempt to know the status of FIIs in Indian capital market.