Reviving The American Dream ( Alice Rivlin ) free essay sample

Critical review of work calling for restructuring of national state govt. economy to better meet needs of the people. Alice M. Rivlin, in her book Reviving the American Dream: The Economy, the States, and the Federal Government, presents the theme that the economic and political systems of the United States do not serve well the needs of the people, and that what is needed is a thorough redesigning of the federal system, the relationship between the national and state governments, and the economic policy of the country. The purpose of this redesigning and restructuring is in part to make simpler and clearer what political and economic responsibilities belong to the states and to the federal government. Clearly, the basis of Rivlins argument is that the political and economic destinies of the nation (at both federal and state levels) are inextricably bound together. This theme is also based on the promise of the American. We will write a custom essay sample on Reviving The American Dream ( Alice Rivlin ) or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page .

Thomas Hart Benton essays

Thomas Hart Benton essays Thomas Hart Benton is one of Americas most renowned artists. Benton was famous for his painting style and his murals. Benton believed that art was an excellent way to depict everyday life for everyday people in America. Benton was a champion of the people and rebelled against the rich and powerful. Though he studied the newer art movements of the time such as cubism and modernism he quickly dropped those styles. Benton felt the newer art styles were of no help to him in showing life on the farm and small communities as he grew up in. Benton also felt the modern art styles were not directed to the common person. Benton thought that art should be for everyday people and reflect those peoples lives and lifestyles. Benton was a man who stood his ground as you can see in his expression on his Shelf Portrait. He was determined to express himself his own way. Later he became part of the art movement known as American Regionalism. Regionalists turned their backs on the abstract style of the time. They chose to show the common people and the world around them. Other famous Regionalists include Grant Wood and John Stewart Curry. Regionalists not only showed the world around them, they also depicted historical events. Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri in 1889. He was the son of Congressman Maecerias E. Benton and the grandnephew of Missouris first senator, Thomas Hart Benton, for whom he was named. Benton received his first formal art lessons from the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. while his father served in congress. Later, he attended the Chicago Art Institute, then at the Academic Julien in Paris, France. While in Paris, he studied the old masters and became heavily influenced by the style of El Greco. Benton then returned to the states to work in New York. There he spent several years keeping company with the likes of famous photographer Alfred Stieglitz. ...

Strategies of General Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation Case Study

Strategies of General Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation - Case Study Example Strategies are usually tailored to take advantage of the various opportunities in the firm's environment while harnessing its strengths and competencies. Currently, General Motors Corporation (GM) leads the automotive industry with total revenue of US$192.60 billion during 2005. This is amidst the US$2.6 billion loses incurred during the same year which is due to the weak demand in North America. Following GM is Ford Motor Corporation (US$178.10 billion), Daimler Chrysler AG (US$177.37billion), and Toyota Motor Corporation (US$162.92 billion). Even though smaller in terms of revenue, it is notable that Toyota recorded the largest net income at US$10.61 billion during 2005 (Yahoo Finance 2006). It is apparent that there is an intense competition between the four largest players in the industry. Toyota was able to dislodge the Ford during 2003 and is widely regarded to as having the aspirations to become the future industry leader next to GM. From here, we can see a struggle between the companies as they are both challenged to devise winning strategies. For GM, the challenge is to craft and implement an effective strategy to maintain its position in the global market, while for Toyota a strategy to battle head-on with GM and increasing its market share. The company has a wide array of product line under the brands Chevrolet, Pontiac, GMC, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, Saturn, and HUMMER. The company's marketing arm is supported by retail dealers and distributors in the United States, Canada, and Mexico as well as dealers overseas. GM is recognized as the largest vehicle manufacturer selling 8.5 billion cars in 2001 while its sales in 2002 account for 15% of the trucks and vehicles sold globally (Yahoo Finance 2006). Traditionally, GM's approach to marketing its products is targeting a specific market segment for a specific brand so that the company's products do not compete with each other. These were profitable for the automotive firm as the brand's shared components and common corporate management gave way to substantial economies of scale while the distinctions between the brands created an "orderly upgrade path." Before 1995, the company has a full range of products ranging from Chevrolet which is offered to an entry-level buyer who is more concerned on a more practical and economical vehicle to the upscale Cadillac which is targeted to the elite market as it is regarded as the "standard of luxury (General Motors 2006)." Nevertheless, this strategy did not persist as the GM started to implement a gradual blurring of its divisions during 1995. This strategy leads to cannibalization in the market share of GM as each division competes with each other (General Motors 2006). During 2004, the company has announced a new strategy for its product lines which is apart from the traditional marketing and positioning it employs. This shift in brand strategy is targeted at â€Å"building sales, cutting costs, and bolstering brand identity (Garsten 2005).†Ã‚  Ã‚  

FLSA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FLSA - Essay Example Job titles and clear documents that describe role expectations are developed for this purpose in an effort to link job role with a salary structure. Caribou Coffee had classified workers as exempt and therefore received a salary. As part of their obligations, serving coffee and waiting on customers filled their responsibility list daily. Because of the language and/or the interpretation of the FLSA mandates, Caribou agreed to settle. The employees filing the suit argued successfully that because of their job duties, they were actually non-exempt workers (eliinc.com 2010). It would be difficult to over-complicate the FLSA by providing new amended subsections, especially if the nature of what constitutes exempt versus non-exempt were clearly defined through precedent. For example, if it included specific job role functions, the document would be unreadable and certainly irrelevant. Another case involving exempt versus non-exempt status involved Patty Lee Smith v. Johnson and Johnson in the District Court of New Jersey. The Court ultimately found in favor of J&J, believing evidence of her non-exempt status was insufficient to find otherwise (ca3.uscourts.gov, 2009). Smith worked unsupervised for 95 percent of her role, thus with considerable flexibility on the nature by which she coordinated her responsibilities. Further, no definite job role and list of obligations were present in the human resources division, thus Smith could not prove otherwise considering the evidence of her status that are most closely associated with a person in a salaried, executive level role. It was a common sense ruling, however the language of the FLSA is open to even judicial interpretation due to the lack of practicality in constructing supplements. These situations can be avoided in the future by fully categorizing the job title and the specific responsibilities, or ensuring that a sign off

Diversity Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Diversity Analysis - Case Study Example The blacks were supposed to appeal to the locals (mainly blacks) and the whites to the nation (mainly whites) generally. Even though blacks worked in External Deposits they were not allowed to take up management positions in that section. African-Americans were stereotyped. They were seen as people who are just willing to work from nine- to-five. not smart, hardworking and dedicated as whites so they were seen as not the ideal type for External Deposits. The departments were not properly coordinated. They were treated as two (2) different businesses. The customers of the Retail Operations were treated differently from those of External operations. Thus persons who now reside outside the community find that dis dealt with the people outside of the local area. Ron Wilkin’s needs to restructure the organisation and take a good look and consider altering its employment practices. It is clear that they are disorganised. There are no clear guidelines on how people are hired for the Sales Division. There is some confusion as there is no real guideline as to what constitute Retail and what constitute External. Retail has clients who once lived in the local community while External has clients who live in the local community. There has to be a distinction between the divisions or else customers will be turned away soon. Both black and whites should be allowed to top positions in both sections once they have the credentials and the capacity to do the work. All employees need to be provided with adequate feedback on their performance. There has to be some commitment to equity and fairness in how employees are dealt with. Policies and procedures need to be put in place to provide guidelines relating to staff behaviour and what constitutes an action for dismissal. Everything appeared to be going well at Spencer Owen’s until the dismissal of a black manager. There appears to be some difference in how employees are

History of Mathematics Teaching in the National Curriculum

History of Mathematics Teaching in the National Curriculum This research paper is to discuss about the nature and history of mathematics, how it has taken its place within the National Curriculum; the framework for teaching Mathematics in Secondary and finally investigation on a series of three lessons designed for Year 7 on Algebra. INTRODUCTION Education has made a difference in my life, the knowledge I have gained has given me the potential to explore, think and make decisions accordingly. In other words, Education is a powerful tool and plays a vital role to shape up a strong economy of a country. As a Mathematics teacher, I clearly understand my key role in imparting knowledge and skills to the younger generation to make full use of their potential. The perception of mathematics has been changed over the years. Hence, it is important to look back at the nature of mathematics, how it has taken its place within the national curriculum; how the teaching and learning of mathematics has been guided by the National Strategies Framework. LITERATURE REVIEW Nature of Mathematics Even though mathematics is one of the many subjects in schools, there is a greater pressure on pupils to succeed in Mathematics other than subjects like History, Geography; why is that so? As part of my investigation into the nature of Mathematics I referred to two sources that gave substantial evidence towards the nature of Mathematics. The Enquiry Committee: A Major Enquiry Committee was set up in 1978 to consider the teaching of Mathematics in Primary and Secondary schools. After 4 years of study and research the committee came out with a report called The Cockcroft Report. It would be very difficult perhaps impossible to live a normal life in very many parts of the world in the twentieth century without making use of mathematics of some kind. (The Cockcroft Report (1982), Mathematics counts) This fact itself for a thought is sufficient to reason out the purpose of importance given in teaching and learning mathematics in Schools. The usefulness of Mathematics can be perceived in different ways; as arithmetic skills needed to use at Home and Office, as basis for development of Science and Technology and usage of Mathematical techniques as management tool in commerce and industry. Therefore, the Enquiry Committee in their report (The Cockcroft Report) concluded that all the perceptions on usefulness of mathematics arise from the fact that mathematics provides a mean of communication which is powerful, concise and unambiguous. Hence, providing a principal reason for teaching mathematics at all stages in the curriculum. According to American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), mathematics is closely related to Science, Technology and being greatly used in real life. The association has launched a program called Project 2061 where they relate mathematics into Science and Technology. Project 2061 is an ongoing project that was launched in 1985 in America, where its main objective is to help all Americans to literate in Science, Mathematics and Technology. As part of the project, it has been clearly defined that mathematics does play an important role in developing Science and Technology in real life. Besides communication, Mathematics can be used to present information by using charts, graphs and diagrams. As what AAAS has mentioned about the Mathematical representation, manipulation and derivation of information based on a mathematical relationship formed; the enquiry committee as well does mention in its report the usage of figures and symbols in mathematics for manipulation and to deduce further information from the situation the mathematics relate to. They gave 3 scenarios; A car that has travelled for 3 hours at an average speed of 20 miles per hour; we can deduce that it has covered a distance of 60 miles. To find the cost of 20 articles each costing 3p, the area of carpet required to cover a corridor 20 metres long and 3 metres wide In the 3 scenarios, we made use of the fact that: 20 x 3 = 60; hence it provides an illustration of the fact that the same mathematical statement can arise from and represent many different situations. This fact has important consequences. Because the same mathematical statement can relate to more than one situation, results which have been obtained in solving a problem arising from one situation can often be seen to apply to a different situation. Thus this characteristic of Mathematics does show its importance in the study of science and Technology as mentioned by both the Enquiry committee and the programme Project 2061 (AAAS). History of Mathematics By looking at the history of Mathematics; it has been further proven how the development of mathematics had impact on development of Science and Technology. The 17th century saw an unprecedented explosion of mathematical and scientific ideas across Europe. Galileo, an Italian, observed the moons of Jupiter in orbit about that planet, using a telescope based on a toy imported from Holland. Tycho Brahe, a Dane, had gathered an enormous quantity of mathematical data describing the positions of the planets in the sky. His student, Johannes Kepler, a German, began to work with this data. In part because he wanted to help Kepler in his calculations, John Napier, in Scotland, was the first to investigate natural logarithms. Kepler succeeded in formulating mathematical laws of planetary motion. This explains the relationship between mathematics and science or another word, how knowledge of mathematics has been used to develop science over the years. The 19th century saw the beginning of a great deal of abstract algebra. Hermann Grassmann in Germany gave a first version of vector spaces, the British mathematician George Boole devised an algebra that soon evolved into what is now called Boolean algebra, in which the only numbers were 0 and 1 and in which, famously, 1  +  1  =  1. Boolean algebra is the starting point of mathematical logic and has important applications in computer science. Abel and Galoiss investigations into the solutions of various polynomial equations laid the groundwork for further developments of group theory, and the associated fields of abstract algebra. In the 20th century physicists and other scientists have seen group theory as the ideal way to study symmetry. The 20th century saw mathematics become a major profession. Every year, thousands of new Ph.D.s in mathematics was awarded, and jobs are available in both teaching and industry. Therefore, from the 20th Century is where importance has been given to teaching of mathematics. National Curriculum of Mathematics This further explains how the national curriculum for Mathematics has been formed in Britain. Lets look at the various views of Mathematics usage in Industry before the Enquiry Committee was set up; From 1973 to 1976 there were a large volume of complaints which seemed to be coming from employers about lack of mathematical competence on the part of some school leavers; In his speech made at Ruskin College, Oxford in October 1976, Mr James Callaghan, at that time Prime Minister, said: I am concerned on my journeys to find complaints from industry that new recruits from the schools sometimes do not have the basic tools to do the job that is required. There is concern about the standards of numeracy of school leavers. Is there not a case for a professional review of the mathematics needed by industry at different levels? To what extent are these deficiencies the result of insufficient coordination between schools and industry? Indeed how much of the criticism about basic skills and attitudes is due to industrys own shortcomings rather than to the educational system? (The Cockcroft Report (1982) In written evidence to the Parliamentary Expenditure Committee, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) stated: Employers are becoming increasingly concerned that many school leavers, particularly those leaving at the statutory age have not acquired a minimum acceptable standard in the fundamental skills involved in reading, writing, arithmetic and communication. This shows up in the results of nearly every educational enquiry made amongst the CBI membership, and is backed up by continuing evidence from training officers in industry and further education lecturers that young people at 16+ cannot pass simple tests in mathematics and require remedial tuition before training and further education courses can be started. (The Cockcroft Report (1982) In oral evidence to the Expenditure Committee a CBI representative stated: Mathematics, I think or arithmetic, which is really the primary concern rather than mathematics themselves is the one area which is really brought up every time as a problem. It seems that industrys needs are greater in this respect than almost any other. This is the way, certainly, in which shortfall in the education of children makes itself most manifest immediately to an employer. (The Cockcroft Report (1982) Written evidence to the Expenditure Committee from the Engineering Industry Training Board (EITB) stated: The Engineering Industry Training Board, over the last two years, received from its industry increasing criticism, with supporting evidence, of the level of attainment, particularly in arithmetical skills, of school leavers offering themselves for craft and technician training In the view of the Engineering Industry Training Board the industry needs a higher level of attainment in basic mathematics among recruits than it is now getting and believes that, with closer cooperation between school and industry, children can while still at school be motivated to achieve this Mathematics is, however, not simply a question of basic manipulative skills. An understanding of the concepts is also needed and these are better taught by innovative methods, which also appear to enhance the ability to acquire planning and diagnostic skills, of great importance to craft and technician employees. The Cockcroft Report (1982) These are the examples of complaints received and the main reason for the enquiry committee to set up in 1978 to investigate complaints about low levels of numeracy among young entrants to employment and the need for improved liaison between schools and industry. Hence we could deduce that due the mathematical knowledge demand in the work force has brought mathematics an important place in the national curriculum to promote numeracy skills among the young people. Programme of Study (POS) The national curriculum through the Mathematics Programme of Study (POS) aims to develop; Successful learners where pupils should be numerate, creative and able to tackle problems with more than one approach and to solve open-ended problems. Confident Individuals Pupils are given the opportunity to express their ideas using strategies that they are familiar and secure with. Responsible citizens the emphasis on analyzing and justifying conclusions in mathematical situations helps prepare pupils for taking critical and analytical approaches to real-life situations. The framework has set out a number of key concepts that pupils need to know in order to deepen and broaden their knowledge, skills and understanding of Mathematics; Competence should be able to apply a range of mathematical techniques to assess risk, problem solving and decision making Creativity Able to combine understanding, experiences, imagination and reasoning to construct new knowledge and usage of existing mathematical knowledge to create solutions Application and Implication of Mathematics Able to understand that mathematics is used as a tool in a wide range of contexts, such as for Financial issues, Engineering, computer security and so on Critical Understanding Recognizing the limitations and scope of a model or representation. For example, mathematical skills are required to compare different methods of borrowing and paying back of money but the final decision may rely on other factors like comparing the merits of using a credit card that might offer the lowest overall costs. The framework has a set of key processes for both Key Stage 3 and 4 that are essential skills that pupils need to learn to make progress within the Subject. Representing Identify the mathematical aspects of a situation or problem, able to choose between representations to simplify a situation or problem in order to represent it mathematically, using appropriate variables, symbols, diagrams and models to select mathematical information, methods and tools to use. Analysing Use mathematical reasoning, pupils should be able to: make connections within mathematics use knowledge of related problems visualise and work with dynamic images identify and classify patterns; make and begin to justify conjectures and generalisations, considering special cases and counter-examples; explore the effects of varying values and look for invariance and covariance; take account of feedback and learn from mistakes; work logically towards results and solutions, recognising the impact of constraints and assumptions; appreciate that there are a number of different techniques that can be used to analyse a situation; reason inductively and deduce. Use appropriate mathematical procedures Pupils should be able to: make accurate mathematical diagrams, graphs and constructions on paper and on screen; calculate accurately, selecting mental methods or calculating devices  as appropriate ; manipulate numbers, algebraic expressions and equations and apply routine algorithms; use accurate notation, including correct syntax when using ICT; record methods, solutions and conclusions; estimate, approximate and check working. Interpreting and evaluating Pupils should be able to: form convincing arguments based on findings and make general statements; consider the assumptions made and the appropriateness and accuracy of results and conclusions; be aware of the strength of empirical evidence and appreciate the difference between evidence and proof ; look at data to find patterns and exceptions; relate findings to the original context, identifying whether they support or refute conjectures; engage with someone elses mathematical reasoning in the context of a problem or particular situation; consider the effectiveness of alternative strategies. Communicating and reflecting Pupils should be able to: communicate findings effectively; engage in mathematical discussion of results; consider the elegance and efficiency of alternative solutions; look for equivalence in relation to both the different approaches to the problem and different problems with similar structures; make connections between the current situation and outcomes, and situations and outcomes they have already encountered. The framework sets out an outline for teachers to follow in teaching the key concepts and key processes. The range and content for both Key stages are as follow: Key Stage 3: Number and algebra rational numbers, their properties and their different representations rules of arithmetic applied to calculations and manipulations with rational numbers applications of ratio and proportion accuracy and rounding algebra as generalised arithmetic linear equations, formulae, expressions and identities analytical, graphical and numerical methods for solving equations polynomial graphs, sequences and functions Geometry and measures properties of 2D and 3D shapes constructions, loci and bearings Pythagoras theorem transformations similarity, including the use of scale points, lines and shapes in 2D coordinate systems units, compound measures and conversions perimeters, areas, surface areas and volumes Statistics the handling data cycle presentation and analysis of grouped and ungrouped data, including time series and lines of best fit measures of central tendency and spread experimental and theoretical probabilities, including those based on equally likely outcomes.Rules of arithmetic: This includes knowledge of operations and inverse operations and how calculators use precedence. Pupils should understand that not all calculators use algebraic logic and may give different answers for calculations such as 1 + 2 X 3. Calculations and manipulations with rational numbers: This includes using mental and written methods to make sense of everyday situations such as temperature, altitude, financial statements and transactions. Ratio and proportion: This includes percentages and applying concepts of ratio and proportion to contexts such as value for money, scales, plans and maps, cooking and statistical information (eg 9 out of 10 people prefer). Accuracy and rounding: This is particularly important when using calculators and computers. Linear equations: This includes setting up equations, including inequalities and simultaneous equations. Pupils should be able to recognise equations with no solutions or an infinite number of solutions. Polynomial graphs: This includes gradient properties of parallel and perpendicular lines. Sequences and functions: This includes a range of sequences and functions based on simple rules and relationships. 2D and 3D shapes: These include circles and shapes made from cuboids. Constructions, loci and bearings: This includes constructing mathematical figures using both straight edge and compasses, and ICT. Scale: This includes making sense of plans, diagrams and construction kits. Compound measures: This includes making sense of information involving compound measures, for example fuel consumption, speed and acceleration. Surface areas and volumes: This includes 3D shapes based on prisms. The handling data cycle: This is closely linked to the mathematical key processes and consists of: specifying the problem and planning (representing) collecting data (representing and analysing) processing and presenting the data (analysing) interpreting and discussing the results (interpreting and evaluating). Presentation and analysis: This includes the use of ICT. Spread: For example, the range and inter-quartile range. Probabilities: This includes applying ideas of probability and risk to gambling, safety issues, and simulations using ICT to represent a probability experiment, such as rolling two dice and adding the scores. Key Stage 4 Number and algebra real numbers, their properties and their different representations rules of arithmetic applied to calculations and manipulations with real numbers, including standard index form and surds proportional reasoning, direct and inverse proportion, proportional change and exponential growth upper and lower bounds linear, quadratic and other expressions and equations graphs of exponential and trigonometric functions transformation of functions graphs of simple loci Geometry and measures properties and mensuration of 2D and 3D shapes circle theorems trigonometrical relationships properties and combinations of transformations 3D coordinate systems vectors in two dimensions conversions between measures and compound measures Statistics the handling data cycle presentation and analysis of large sets of grouped and ungrouped data, including box plots and histograms, lines of best fit and their interpretation measures of central tendency and spread Experimental and theoretical probabilities of single and combined events. Functional Skills in Mathematics The revised mathematics programme of study has given importance in embedding Functional Maths into teaching. Functional Mathematics requires learners to be able to use mathematics in ways where it make them effective and involve as citizens, able to operate confidently in life and to work in a wider range of contexts. The framework has divided the functional skill into two levels, where level 1 is linked to key stage 3 and level 2 to key stage 4. (Please refer to Appendix 1) The key concept of competence emphasises the need for students to be able to adapt and apply their understanding in a widening range of contexts within the classroom and beyond. This is also at the heart of functional skills. In this way functional skills are much more than a set of technical competencies in mathematics; students have to use mathematics to tackle tasks and problems. All teaching needs to be designed in a way that contributes to the development of functional skills. When planning opportunities for students to develop and understand functional skills you should consider whether you have: provided opportunities for different skills you are focusing on in representing, analysing and interpreting to be developed in combination ensured that students understand that they are learning skills that they will use and apply in a variety of contexts given students the chance to select the skills and tools (including ICT) they need for a particular task provided opportunities for students to apply these skills for real purposes and contexts beyond the classroom. For example, a year 10 project asked students to recommend to school managers a method for electing representatives for the school council. Students explored methods used in politics, including first past the post and different methods of proportional representation. They collected data about different voting methods and carried out simulations, which enabled them to produce a clear recommendation with justification. This project has the potential to be developed in conjunction with ICT, English and citizenship colleagues as it addresses wider curricular issues and also offers opportunities to develop functional skills in ICT and English as well as mathematics. The following are case studies on Functional skills taken from the National Curriculum website (http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk); Wellacre Technology and Vocational College Objective: To help learners understand the relevance of mathematics in real life Year 9 science project and a Year 7 design and technology project. Both required pupils to solve real-world product design problems; In the year 9 science project, skiing was used as a context for developing learners understanding of pressure, mass, surface area and speed. Pupils had to work out how wide skis would need to be for individual pupils to ensure that their skis did not sink into the snow. This required pupils to rearrange formulae and calculate the surface area of their feet and pressure. For the year 7 design and technology project, pupils were given a budget and challenged to raise as much money as they could for  their partner school in Newcastle, South Africa. Pupils considered a range of products before settling on key fobs. Maximising the amount of profit was the main design criterion and pupils were encouraged to use tessellation to ensure their designs minimised waste. As part of the project they also use formulae to calculate break-even points, profit and loss. In both projects, working with real figures proved both an incentive and a challenge pupils were not able to fall back on a set of answers in a textbook. This generated discussion as pupils collaborated to check their calculations. The nature of the tasks also encouraged learners to think independently and creatively to solve problems. Opened ended mathematical Enquiries- Lancaster Girls Grammar School Objective: to develop pupils functional mathematics and problem-solving skills Introducing open-ended projects that required pupils to use mathematics to solve real-life problems Mobiles and Mathematics in year 8 and Music and Mathematics in year 10. Both projects were based around open-ended problems without a right answer. Pupils were given the broad topic areas and told to devise their own projects. Pupils were given two months to prepare, which encouraged them to make their own choices about how they would work and what they would explore. The range of investigations devised by pupils was broad. Year 8 pupils explored different tariffs, compared costs between pay as you go contracts and investigated different usage patterns of people over and under 30. In year 10 pupils were encouraged to make links between mathematics and music. Some considered what kinds of functions might be used to model sound waves. Others explored the connections between the Fibonacci sequence and the layout of a keyboard. In both projects, pupils defined their own problem, decided on the data to collect and how to collect it, gathered information from a number of sources, including their parents or other pupils, considered how to analyse their data, used and applied mathematics skills and drew conclusions. At the end of the projects, they presented their findings and evaluated how successful they had been. Staff and pupils embraced the new way of working. The head of department acknowledged that it was a considerable risk to introduce this way of teaching but it paid off. Initially, staffs were concerned about setting problems when they didnt know the answers but once the work was underway they enjoyed a different way of teaching. The projects offered opportunities to stretch pupils and encourage them to make connections between different parts of their learning. Many of the pupils were nervous about working on a project when they didnt have an indication of what type of project to make. However they soon began to enjoy the freedom of the approach. At the end of the project, a year 8 pupil reflected: This was a break from everyday work and we can use our imagination as we arent being spoon fed the information. We could decide what we wanted to do I have learnt to make decisions. There were different ways to present information on this project and this made it even more exciting. I could be creative with my choices as I didnt have to do exactly what the teacher said. ASSESSING PUPILS PROGRESS IN MATHEMATICS (APP) Finally, in my literature review, I am going to look into embedding APP guidance into teaching and learning of mathematics. Assessing Pupils Progress (APP) is a structured approach to periodic assessment, enabling teachers to: track pupils progress over a key stage or longer; use diagnostic information about pupils strengths and weaknesses to improve teaching and learning Using APP materials, teachers can make more consistent level-related judgements in National Curriculum The APP focuses on how as mathematics teacher can use AFL (Assessment for learning) strategy in lessons in order to generate evidence pupils learning. The diagram shown below tells how the APP cycle works. Review a range of evidence for periodic assessment (APP) Collect and feedback to pupils evidence of their progress during day to day teaching and learning Plan for progression from learning objectives (Secondary Framework and Planning toolkit) Make level related assessment using APP Criteria Adjust Planning, Teaching and learning by referring to Secondary Framework The focused assessment materials are on the APP assessment criteria and organised in National Curriculum levels. There is a set for each level from 4 to 8. The materials include examples of what pupils should know and able to do and some probing questions for teachers to initiate dialogue as to assist in their assessment judgement. The following is an example from the level 6 focused assessment materials. Add and subtract fractions by writing them with a common denominator, calculate fractions of quantities (fraction answers); multiply and divide an integer by a fraction Examples of what pupils should know and be able to do Probing questions Add and subtract more complex fractions such as 11 Ã¢â‚¬Å¾18 + 7 Ã¢â‚¬Å¾24, including mixed fractions. Solve problems involving fractions, e.g.: In a survey of 24 pupils, 1 Ã¢â‚¬Å¾3 liked football best, 1 Ã¢â‚¬Å¾4 liked basketball, 3 Ã¢â‚¬Å¾8 liked athletics and the rest liked swimming. How many liked swimming? Why are equivalent fractions important when adding or subtracting fractions? What strategies do you use to find a common denominator when adding or subtracting fractions? Is there only one possible common denominator? What happens if you use a different common denominator? Give pupils some examples of adding and subtracting of fractions with common mistakes in them. Ask them to talk you through the mistakes and how they would correct them. How would you justify that 4 à · 1 Ã¢â‚¬Å¾5 = 20? How would you use this to work out 4 à · 2 Ã¢â‚¬Å¾5? Do you expect the answer to be greater or less than 20? Why? Probing questions are an important tool in a lesson as it could be used to confirm pupils understanding in a particular topic or their misconceptions. Before we talked about it I always thought if the shape had three numbers you just times them. But now I know that you split the shape into rectangles and I can find the area of a rectangle. Its so easy. I understand it fully now. (Source: APP: Secondary Mathematics Guidance) That was a comment from a pupil after dialogue about understanding and using the formula for the area of a rectangle using the probing questions. KANGAROO MATHS http://www.kangaroomaths.com/index.html Kangaroo Maths is the home page of Bring on the Maths where interactive activities for teachers can be purchased from Key stage 2 to A level. It has an APP page that provides supporting materials for teachers from Key stage 1 to Key stage 3. The assessment policy from the website (Appendix 5) has been rewritten to reflect the APP and to help with the on going development of APP, it has an evaluation tool (Appendix 6) where it allows teachers to self evaluate themselves in focusing, developing and establishing APP criteria with regards to pupils engagement, lesson planning and evidence gathering. Further more, to understand the assessment criteria on the A3 grid, Kangaroo maths has developed the levelopaedias that provide exemplifications and probing questions for each of the assessment criteria. DISCUSSION/FINDINGS: To add on to my findings, I am going to look into the topic Algebra and analyse how it has developed across the levels using the APP criteria (Appendix 7a) and Kangaroo maths Level Ladders( Appendix 7b). Then, based on level 5 work on Algebra, I am going to design 3 series of lesson plans with the guidance of the level ladders. The word ALGEBRA seems to be a put off to most students when unknown numbers or using formulas to real life context. It is a topic that requires accumulative understanding building on from level 2 onwards as shown below (taken from APP guidelines); Algebra Level 5 Construct, express in symbolic form and use simple formulae involving one or two operations. Level 4 Begin to use simple formulae expressed in words Level 3 Recognise a wider range of sequences Begin to understand

Comparing Christianity, Judaism, and Islam Essays -- Compare Contrast

Similarities and Differences between Christianity, Judaism and Islam There are many similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There are also many differences that separate the three major religions of the world. This paper will delve into all three of them. The major similarities that all three religions share are that they are all monotheistic. This all means that they believe in one god and that he is the supreme ruler of all things. They also believe that all things are created equal under one god. They all have books of what they believe to be God's word. The Jews have their book known as the Torah. The Christian's have their book known as the Bible. Lastly the Islamic people have their book known as the Qu'ran. All three of these books have scriptures. These three major religions also share a belief that there is one major area that they claim as their Holy Land. The Jews and the Christians claim Jerusalem, Israel as there Holy Land while the Islamic people claim Mecca, Saudi Arabia. These places are where the people believe that ...

Counter-Terrorism Strategies

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were founded in 1976 with the aim of championing for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka-Hindus who comprise about 18% of the total population against the Buddhist Sinhalese who make up the majority of the population (Rabasa, pp. 68). To fight for the formation of an independent state curved out from Sri Lanka, they have repeatedly waged war using guerrilla, conventional, and terrorist tactics and have attacked military, government and civilian targets.One major unit that specializes in terrorist attacks is the Black Tigers who often commit suicide during such attacks. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a terrorist organization founded in the year 1916 and has conducted many violent and terrorism campaigns against the British authorities in the Northern Ireland for a long time since 1916 . The current operations of the army is based on a kind of rules of war in which for instance warnings of an imminent bomb attack are provided followed by a certain cod e that acts as a verification of the legitimacy of the warnings.The bombings have been targeted to disrupt the lives of British people so that the organization can continue obtaining financial support from associate countries though this is anticipated to change. The range of bombs used by the terrorists include small devices made from high explosives which have been provided by foreign associates or stolen and large improvised bombs based on Ammonium . A renewed ceasefire declared in 1997 by the IRA was far from being comprehensive since it only refrained them from attacking the security forces and therefore the IRA continued to launch brutal attacks against Roman Catholics .Different strategies have therefore been employed to combat terrorism both in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland. These strategies exhibit some differences as well as a number of similarities. This paper will compare and contrast these strategies adopted by the authorities to suppress acts of terrorism propagated b y the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and the IRA in Northern Ireland. The strategies adopted by the authorities to suppress acts of terrorism in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland differ on several facets.Firstly, the authorities in Sri Lanka have predominantly used military force to combat the violent acts propagated by Tamil Tiger rebels. In contrast, the British government have applied extensive legislative measures to suppress the terrorist organization, the Ireland Republican Army in Northern Ireland. There are several examples of legislation by the British government. It is worth noting that since its formation, Northern Ireland has been in a state of emergency and the Civil Authorities Act of 1922 was passed only a year after its partition .In the 1970s the British government perceived an imminent possibility of the violence in Northern Ireland spiraling out of control and therefore it expeditiously introduced the Northern Ireland Emergency Provisions Act (EPA) in 1973 . This Act was a milestone since it paved way for a number of new measures including increased power for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Army to arrest any terrorism suspect.In addition, the Act allowed the formation of non-jury courts specially for conducting trials on those accused of terrorism and also it provided for the prohibition of all terrorist organizations. As another and more advanced measure to suppress acts of terrorism, the British Parliament quickly passed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in 1974 after the deadly Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA . The PTA also served to extend the measures undertaken by the EPA throughout the UK by the virtue of introducing more powers with regard to interrogation and detention.These two major Acts had extreme provisions and therefore they were originally designed to be temporary though the government fully understood the dynamic nature of terrorism and therefore was committed to renew them until they were eventually replaced by more permanent provisions of the Terrorism Act of 2000 . The effectiveness of such legislation can be seen particularly from the implementation of Northern Ireland Emergency Provisions Act in 1973 which gave the military power to arrest and detain suspects temporarily and also search homes in the absence of warrants.The culmination of such a move was that hundreds of people were detained and more than 250,000 homes searched during which thousands of hidden weapons were discovered and seized by the military . These legislation paved way for a number of methods in curbing terrorism in Northern Ireland. These methods include criminalisation, internment without trial, Diplock courts and the supergrass system in which the policies of each focus on punishing those accused of crimes related to terrorism with unwanted or unforeseen effects .Therefore, the legislative measures adopted by the British government to combat Ireland Republican Army’s terrorist actions forced it to alter its ow n legislative avenue to make it commensurate with the political violence in the Northern Ireland by both taking extreme steps and first making their provisions temporary. In contrast to such legislative approaches to ending terrorism, the government of Sri Lanka can be said to have mostly applied military force combined with very few harsh legislative measures when compared to those adopted against IRA by British government.It is important to remember that when it attained its independence in 1948, Sri Lanka was not prepared to deal with even minor protests leave alone such large terrorist groups as Tamil Tigers which developed gradually over time. This was due to the small number of police and military in addition to inadequate equipment and lack of a firm organizational structure. There are several incidences which demonstrate that the government has employed force in terms of military action as well as legislation as major strategies against the Tamil rebels.In 1977, before a mon th was over after the UNP government coming to power, an army was sent to wipe out all the people who were organizing a movement to demand for a separate Tamil state . This was purposed to stop the secessionists before the movement became a threat to the government. A similar attack in August 1977 resulted in hundreds of Tamils being killed and thousands left homeless. This was done through the use of force by the police and the military.An example of a legislation against terrorism is the Prevention of Terrorism Act which was passed in 1979 and whose provisions included confessions made out of torture, detention without trial, and conducting searches without warrants . In addition, the Act made crimes such as kidnapping, murder, and abduction punishable by life imprisonment. This legislative approach can however be compared to the one used in Northern Ireland by the British government though it has passed many legislation compared to the situation in Sri Lanka with regard to counte r-terrorism.In the mid 1981, another military-initiated attack against the Tamils occurred which left the group devastated. A major preventive war in 1983 was waged against Tamils by the government to crash them completely following a shift in the balance of power between the Tamils who were secessionists, and the Sri Lankan government . This pogrom had a lot of effects compared to the previous incidences of military action since it was accompanied with the use of violent attacks by organized mob groups which left over 3,000 Tamils brutally killed and 150,000 left homeless .These events are examples which demonstrate the difference in the way the two governments have dealt with terrorism propagated by the two groups. Another major contrast in the strategies to combat the activities of both the Tamil Tigers and the Ireland Republican Army is that the British government in the Northern Ireland has extensively applied contingency measures which include legislation aimed at dealing with biological, chemical or radiological attacks .In Sri Lanka, such measures have hardly been used and instead, legislation to curb terrorism by the Tamil Tigers have been predominantly those that give the military more power and authority to use force. However, a similar case applies in Northern Ireland with regard to use of harsh tactics to arrest and suppress the members of the Ireland Republican Army. The major measure used between 1971 and 1975 was that of using torture during interrogation of suspects who had been subjected to internment without trial .The measure was particularly applied on suspects whom the authorities believed they were potential sources of valuable information which could possibly enable them apprehend more suspects including the masterminds of the terrorist attacks by the IRA. The in depth interrogation as an example of using force on suspects entailed five main techniques including exposure of the terror suspects to a monotonous and continuous loud voice w ith the head covered with a black hood and being forced by means of a button to stand for about six hours at a time against a wall, hands raised above the head with the legs apart for a period of several days.The suspects were also subjected to severe deprivation of food and water and also sleep was denied. However, the European Commission on Human Rights later on judged the method as one constituting an inhuman practice of treating people who have been arrested. This led to the discontinuity of the use of the five techniques following unfavorable publicity . A major similarity in both counter-terrorism strategies is with regard to the attempts to use peaceful means or dialogue which has seen several treaties being signed between the IRA and the British government and between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers.The peace agreements have been accompanied by certain promises and conditions such power sharing deals, surrendering of weapons by the rebelling groups including o ther conditions with the purpose of seeking peace. However, a similar scenario witnessed in both cases is that most of the attempts to initiate sustainable peace agreements have in most cases failed due to diverse political, economic or social reasons.A major attempt and a good example of a peace agreement in the Northern Ireland is the Downing Street Declaration which was initiated in December 1993 and which signaled readiness for more dialogue to break the stalemate between all the sides involved in the resolution process including the IRA and Sinn Fein, the Ireland’s oldest political movement . In Sri Lanka, since a new government came to power in 2001, the government has adopted a peace approach to suppress terrorism by the Tamil Tigers in which at least three breakthroughs have been achieved.Among the peace talks have been a disarmament process, agreement on humanitarian measures and most importantly, the readiness of the Tamil Tigers to welcome a federal structure . It can therefore be clearly deduced that there have been practical and viable approaches to counter acts of terrorism by both the Ireland Republican Army and the Tamil Tigers which have been implemented by the governments concerned to try and improve the situation in these countries. A good similarity is that both governments have tried peace agreements though most have not elicited sustainable outcomes.Another similarity is seen in the use of force though the kind of force used against IRA is seen to be mostly applied after suspects have been apprehended in an effort to gather useful information from them. The force used on Tamil Tigers is predominantly military action. The biggest contrast between the strategies in both situations is that a lot of sustainable legislative measures have been adopted against the IRA with only one major legislation being implemented against the Tamil Tigers. Bibliography Bjorgo, Tore. Root causes of terrorism: myths, reality and ways forward.New York: Ro utledge, 2005. Brenner, Edgar H and Yonah Alexander. Uks Legal Responses to Terrorism. New York: Routledge, 2003. Derkins, Susie. The Irish Republican Army. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003. Dos Santos, Anne Noronha. Military intervention and secession in South Asia: the cases of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, and Punjab. New York: Anne Dos Santos, 2007. Geraghty, Tony. The Irish War: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence. New York: JHU Press, 2000. Houen, Alex. Terrorism and modern literature, from Joseph Conrad to Ciaran Carson.New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Martin, Gus. Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies. New York: SAGE, 2010. Rabasa, Angel. Beyond al-Qaeda: The outer rings of the terrorist universe. New York: Rand Corporation, 2006. Shanahan, Timothy. The provisional Irish Republican Army and the morality of terrorism. Salt Lake City: Edinburgh University Press, 2009. Sluka, Jeffrey A. Death squad: the anthropology of state terror. Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000. Wallis, Geoff, Mark Connolly and Margaret Greenwood. Rough guide to Ireland. Dublin City: Rough Guides, 2003.

Evolution of Formal Organizations

Evolution of Formal Organizations Free Online Research Papers For many centuries, formal organizations, employers and employees have been taught to operate the same. However many things have changed from the type of jobs and organizations, to how these jobs were completed. For centuries most formal organizations operated under what we call conventional bureaucracy. Conventional bureaucracy is known for its many levels in what we see as the pyramid. The pyramid starting with some higher ranked employees that have more authority down to the hard working rank and file workers, with no say so or authority at all. There were many challenges that these organizations faced. Hard work has always been appreciated throughout the years with these organizations. Past years work was completed with back-breaking labor and now with the advancement of modern technology most but not all work has been replaced with technology devices and more creativity. Unlike family traditions that are learned from generation to generation, how we operate our organizations these days and in our future will be nothing like the way our ancestors had to work. Like previously stated with the modern day technology advancements that we are witnessing, things have become much easier for us, than in past times. At that time the way these organizations attended to their jobs was the same form generation to generation. The work was done but with no change or new creative ideas, these employees felt they were at a dead end job. In the past there were many things that they lacked, that now are beneficial and a must have for formal organizations to operate more efficiently these days. Something that these past generations lacked that is very important to most peoples every day lives today is the technology we have access to on a daily basis. This day in age formal organizations are able to keep records via data bases, as computers and technical devices have been invented. Formal organizations that have to interact with clients, customers and other organizations now have the access to interact via satellite and conference calls as to the past these interactions would have been made face to face with more expenses. As air fare, hotel lodging and the time one would have to invest would be a must and could be rather expensive. Another limitation that these companies faced was the fact that tradition is strong in pre-industrial societies. This meant that their goal was to preserve their cultural systems and not to change them when it came to organizational issues. Many of these reasons have caused past organizations to be inefficient. Formal organizations that practice conventional bureaucracy have many levels of authority with a clear chain of commands. Each level has a title and they have certain expectations they have to uphold for the organization. Each employee has a specific job that they are to perform and a manager or supervisor they will have to report to. These organizations have set standards, rules, policies and regulations that they have follow. These rules and regulations are what kept these organizations some what organized. Relationships within these organizations are very minimal to none. The communications between employees at these types of organizations are usually through an email or a letter of some sort. Bureaucracy is defined as an organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently. Employees work hard to meet and exceed specific goals of their job requirements. They have to report to specific managers or superiors. This is how things were done with little to no change. During the century of the 1900’s you would usually see white males in management or positions with more authority. In this day in age you will find equal amounts of managers both men and women. Now days there are laws that refrain employers and organizations from discriminating on gender and race. As stated before many things have changed, instead of using each employee’s talents individually, organizations use creativity and strengths to see if there is a better way of getting the job done as in previous times things were repetitive wit no creativity. Like the saying something carved in stone. If an employee has a suggestion on how to better the organization and its employees they wi ll usually take into consideration the options. Many organizations are about their employees and the company, not just the company. Organizations want to find workers for the long run, not to just fill a responsibility. They value the opinions of their employees. Not only is organization a top priority so are the employees. This new type of work that many organizations are adapting to is called an open, flexible organization. The open flexible organization has flattened out the bureaucracy pyramid. This gives most of the employees in the organization the same responsibilities and the same rewards. Instead the many different levels, they are on a more even level with each other. With these new modern work environments employees are able to more creative; they are using greater flexibility competitive teams, working together for the same goal. Organizations are now hiring new employees based off ideas they have and the potential to grow with the organization instead of hiring someone for the work they are able to perform. Organizations today want an employee for a lifetime not for the time being. These new ways of our organizations want to invest the their employee, because they know they deserve nothing less. In the past organizations would have specific rules and policies, with the new modern ways of o rganizations they set guidelines for all to follow. Communication has come a long way as well. They tend to hold meetings for all to attend including all employees instead of just the Directors and CEO making decisions and because of this relationship have become primary as in the past they have always been secondary. Not all organizations will be accustomed to the new open, flexible organizations. Telemarketing companies and fast food chains will still remain with the bureaucracy pyramid. There jobs will remain repetitive doing the same things day in and day out. There is not much more creative you can be in making a cheeseburger and fries. They will always have a superior to answer to, trying to make it to the top of the pyramid. In conclusion, all employee and organizations should want to see the same goal in mind. These organization need to have the employee and organization best interest. They have to be able to hear the people and take into consideration the feelings and creative ideas that all have to offer. I personally feel that it will be more black and white. Some organizations will flatten the pyramid and work as a whole and there will be some organizations that continue with the pyramid roles. Nothing should be set in stone. Change is good. Change brings balance. Research Papers on Evolution of Formal OrganizationsThe Project Managment Office SystemPETSTEL analysis of IndiaOpen Architechture a white paperTwilight of the UAWAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self Evolution of Formal Organizations Free Online Research Papers In this day and age, everything is changing; from the jobs that we do, to the way that we do them. For centuries we, and our ancestors, have worked in formal organizations that practice bureaucracy. Bureaucratic organizations have been used to complete some of the worlds most major projects. However, times are changing, and so are our work methods. Today, hard work and organization is still appreciated, just in different forms. Back-breaking labor has been replaced with technology and creativity. Traditions of work that have been passed down by generations are no more. Today, the world thinks rationally. Instead of doing what has always been done, we are now finding a more efficient, quicker way to do it. In the past, formal organizations were based on tradition. Workers completed their work in the same fashion as past generations. This caused companies to be inefficient because their work methods were not modern, everything stayed the same and nothing improved. Also, previous organizations lacked technology. There was no such thing as networking, or conference calls. People met face to face, this could be very expensive if clients were in separate countries. There was no way to store and keep information, this also caused companies to be inefficient. Formal organizations usually have set standards for how they run their business. Rules and regulations are key to an organized environment. A bureaucratic organization usually runs in the form of a pyramid. In this format, every person will always have a supervisor to answer to. The few number of supervisors are located at the top of the pyramid, while the employees are located at the bottom. This pyramid gives structure to an organization. Every person has a job, and are expected to carry out the job to its full expectations. Relationships between co-workers are kept to a minimal. This is to minimize emotion and maximize work. The majority of communication is done via e-mail, telephone, or letters. Everything within a bureaucratic organization is clearly defined with no room for interpretation. This ideal definition of a bureaucratic organization has been tried throughout the years. This is the way that work has aways been done. Employees work hard toward their specified goal, and answer to their superiors at the end of the day. However, as stated before, time are changing. In the early 1900s it was not common to hire anyone besides a white male. And in the workplace, every person had his own job that he was responsible for. Today, companies hire men and women of all races. The theory today, is to take advantage of every individuals talents. Also, cooperation amongst all employees is valued. Instead of using each individual for his or her own talent, companies today are putting teams together to come up with the best possible solutions and work methods. Instead of single man labor, we are now practicing group effort. Large businesses are taking advantage of their employees thoughts and ideas. Creativity is becoming just as important as organization. This new work method has come to be called an open, flexible organization. The bureaucratic pyramid has been flattened to put everyone on a more even scale. Creative freedom, competitive work teams, and flexibility are the new standards for the modern work environment. The characteristics of a large organization are now be converted to represent those of a small group. These changes include, instead of every member having a specialized task, the whole group has a common goal in which they are working towards. Instead of specific rules, informal, general guidelines are established. Instead of hiring people for the work that they can do, people are being hired for the ideas that they come up with. Quick e-mails are being replaced by group meetings. Because of the group setting, relationships in the office are becoming primary rather than secondary. People care about what the other has to say, and instead of viewing each other as competitors, they are viewing each other as colleagues. B ecause each person has their own part to add to the group. These new work methods do not apply to everyone. Highly skilled and trained employees are reaping the benefits of a new wave of creative freedom. However, lower level employees are not. They in fact, are actually working harder than ever. The bureaucratic way of work is still in place for them. They continue to have supervisors way above them, while they remain on the bottom. Fast food chains, retail stores, telemarketing are all fields that are growing as well. Unfortunately, selling hamburgers has no room for creative thought. That is why people are still suffering from bureaucratic organizations. In the future, I believe that it will be black and white. On one end, there will be lower class workers doing the dirty work in a conventional bureaucracy. On the other end, there will be the open flexible organizations where workers have creative freedom, and a friendly atmosphere. I believe that the there is a big difference between the two types of jobs. Certain jobs have responsibilities that must be met by a certain deadline. For instance, a stock boy must have a set amount of merchandise stocked on the shelves by a certain time of day. At the end of the day, he must answer to a supervisor to let them know that his goal was accomplished. In this scenario, there is no room for interpretation there is only one way to stock merchandise. However, on the other hand, a systems developer at a computer company may have weeks to meet deadlines. A new system may need to be planned and they have an abundant amount of time to plan the system efficiently, and work in a team to combine ideas . Although this job has a goal and a deadline, there are numerous amounts of ways that the employee can go about solving the problem. The type of work environment, depends on the type of job that is being done. Research Papers on Evolution of Formal OrganizationsIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductTwilight of the UAWPETSTEL analysis of IndiaResearch Process Part OneAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaOpen Architechture a white paperPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe Evolution of Formal Organizations Free Online Research Papers Over the course of the last 100 years, the overall trend in thinking about organizational form and structure has been toward greater recognition, system complexity, and diversity. While the overall trend in thinking about organizational and management effectiveness has been away from the generic toward the more unique and tailored. Today there are two basic model types that are used for the structure of an organization and the models are: the conventional bureaucracy and the open-flexible organization model. The conventional bureaucracy consists of many levels in its chain of command and all individuals must follow the rules and regulations that govern in this model type. The open-flexible organization has fewer levels of command, and emphasizes that all employees share ideas, apply their creative thoughts, and places the responsibility of failures and success on teams instead of individuals. In my research I will provide simple ideas to help Micah’s organization with change s to a brighter evolution and efficient working environment. For centuries most formal organizations operated under what we call conventional bureaucracy. Conventional bureaucracy is known for its many levels in what we see as the pyramid (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). Formal organizations that practice conventional bureaucracy have a clear chain of commands with each level having a title that certain expectations have to be upheld for the organization (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). Each employee has a specific job that they are to perform and a manager or supervisor they have to report to (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). These organizations have their own set of rules, regulations, and policies that they have to follow (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). Relationships within these organizations are very minimal to basically none (Lounsbury Carberry, 2004). For centuries one would usually see white males in management or positions with more authority. In this day of age one will find equal amounts of managers being both male and female. There is a law that stops employers and organizations from discriminating on one’s gender or age. The organizations have made major changes that allow creativity and strengths. Many of the organizations today are about their employees and the company, not just the company. Today’s organizations want to hire workers for the long run of employment and not to just fill a responsibility. Not only is organization a top priority so are the employees. Formal organizations are intended for â€Å"special purpose and structured for maximum efficiency† (Schaefer, 2006). These organizations have tremendous power over our economy and in management terms, â€Å"of large-scale operations† (Schaefer, 2006). Formal organizations fill the gap in society enabling them to satisfy our needs. There are several components to the formal organization such as Max Weber’s theory on bureaucracy, â€Å"Bureaucracy that rules and hierarchical ranking† (Schaefer, 2006). This is indicative to â€Å"government, education, and business† (Schaefer, 2006). Characteristics of bureaucracy consist of â€Å"Division of Labor, Hierarchy of authority, written rules and regulations, impersonality, employment based on technical Qualifications† (Schaefer, 2006). Whether one deals with bureaucracies or organizations they both play an essential part in our lives. With the change of times many things has evolved in the organizational system (Borghesi Houston, 2007). Years ago organizations were having many issues with job performance and the quality of work (Borghesi Houston, 2007). This caused the managers’ of the organization to have very little input in the way things were being run. The individuals who worked for these organizations were given positions depending on what the key parts of a job were in the organization (Borghesi Houston, 2007). Now a day’s organizations have developed a new team based foundation where the managers are in charge of monitoring the teams’ progress (Borghesi Houston, 2007) . The best manager’s are the ones who take time to listen to their employee’s and consider their input and idea’s. The input and ideas of employee’s is vital to an organization’s productivity. Most organization’s today give their employee’s individual tasks that utilize their talents (Borghesi Houston, 2007). Many formal organizations have worked to make their work environment more flexible because of the changes in time and workers. Modern organizations have strong desires for their employees to share and apply personal thoughts to work assignments. The modern organizations have developed a strategy that involves members of the company to be placed in their competitive work groups. The objective of these work groups is to establish an atmosphere where each team strives to create the best solutions to any company problems. There are sometime incentives given to the team for evaluating and using their critical thinking to come to solutions to solve any obstacles that have overcome in the company. Advancement of today’s technology, formal organizations are increasing the new way to be more efficient and get the job done. For the formal organization that Micah works for to evolve it has several things that should be changed, so the environment and flexibility will change. For starters all employees’ activities should be more of a team based and also equal between all the employees of the team. Their needs to major change in the structure of authority and organize smaller groups to achieve a common goal. Micah’s organization, like any organization that is striving for perfection and increased revenue, will strategically investigate and use methods or trends that are designed to assist with a company’s demands. Most large corporations are always looking to produce more products, and save money by cutting unnecessary spending without affecting the company. As a result of Micah’s organization following the conventional bureaucracy style since day one, it is going to be extremely difficult to change, and any change made is going to need to be done in small increments. Most companies will only make changes structurally if the company has been going through a financial hardship for quite some time. The formal organizations are seeing that the increase productivity of team work, thanks to team work and the diminishment of the one employee per job are gone. Today formal organizations are now becoming less bureaucratic and more flexible. Newer workers enter and take over and as technology, which means that more jobs are becoming less dependent on manual labor and more dependent on technology. Formal organizations have CEO instead of numerous managers and few senior managers and other employees are put into teams and work towards one specific goal. Life is about changes no matter where things have to start or end. Research Papers on Evolution of Formal OrganizationsResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductPETSTEL analysis of IndiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Romeo and Juliet Act3 Scene 1 Essay Example

Romeo and Juliet Act3 Scene 1 Essay Example Romeo and Juliet Act3 Scene 1 Essay Romeo and Juliet Act3 Scene 1 Essay What happens in Act 3 Scene 1? It is a crucial scene, a turning point and it determines the rest of the action. It is a tense and exciting scene for the audience and tragic at the same time. In this scene, soon after Romeo and Juliet secret marriage, Tybalt kills Mercutio and then Romeo kills Mercutio to take revenge. Then, Romeo is banished from Verona. Paragraph1: Why were tension and excitement created? Mercutio is not in a good mood but he is in argumentative mood, he seems angry. The audience is prepared for the fact that a fight is going to occur (tension and suspense are built). He tells Mercutio that if someone is in a bad mood, everything even an unimportant cause will end to a fight. Benvolio is warning Mercutio that because it is a hot day he is sure there will be a fight (and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl-Benvolio). He suggests Mercutio that they should go home. The strong use of vocabulary and personification here increases the tension. for now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring, Benvolio). We know that a fight is inevitable. The use of symbolism with awhiskers in beards, cracking nuts etc make the audience even more worried for what will happen after (thou, why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair less in his beard than thou hast, Mercutio). When Tybalt arrives, the atmosphere immediately changes, becoming much tenser, because of his dangerous reputation, yet he remains polite to Mercutio as Mercutio is not his real target. Mercutio uses provocative language towards Tybalt and Tybalt reacts in a similar way (make it a word and a blow, Mercutio) (you shall find me apt enough to that sir, an you give me a reason, Tybalt) Tybalt tells Mercutio with irony that he hangs out with Romeo, so Mercutio gets angry and threatens. It is evident that he will not withdraw calling him aa villaina (Romeoa ¦ thou art a villain, Tybalt). This is a great insult to Romeo who is of noble birth. He tries to start a fight with Romeo and he accuses Romeo to antagonize him in the hope of starting a fight. The audience adopts negative feelings towards Tybalt.

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Ethics - Essay Example Walzer approaches the ethics of war using Utilitarianism. The theory approaches ethics by defining morals by use of actions. The actions can be used to define what is wrong or right. In theory, an action that yields beneficial consequences is as right or moral while actions leading to negative results are as wrong. The theory is the consequentialist theory because it focuses on the outcome of actions rather than the action themselves. The theory holds that any action is by the extent of benefits or harms it is within the society. According to the theory, the greater good means greater happiness, and the moral duty of the individual is to maximize human happiness. The problem with the theory is; the development of individuality, and encouraging the use of immoral actions to achieve success. According to Walzer, the humanitarian approach employed in the world has not been successful due to the several challenges associated with human behavior. In fact, the society is into the right win g and the liberal as recorded in the book Arguing About War. The 20th century is with a simple lesson on politics, which focuses on motivation for political action. The most lethal concept in the era is the ideology which is different from the accepted or focus on the interests of the nation. The desire for wealth or money, power ignoble and devotees to the criminal excess are the product of shifting ideologies. In fact, the challenge in the society is the war between values or values against social pressures and desire for wealth and money. The development of the concept of international security is a product of the war study and its effect on the society. The book by Walzer covers the contemporary issues associated with war and the impact of the various issues and the role of humanitarian intervention. It describes accurately, the challenges faced by country and organization seeking to help or support the society and the impact of global politics in the whole process. Humanitarian intervention is an armed intervention without agreement of the other state to which the invasion occurs. In fact, it focuses on combating humanitarian disaster rather than invasion based on country’s interest. The focus of the humanitarian intervention is to capture or reduce large-scale violation of human rights with the focus being on stopping the violation of human rights. The challenge posed by the process is massive. However, Michael Walzer states that human intervention is when it responds to the need of the citizens or acts that shock moral conscience of mankind. In other words, states cannot kill or attack citizens from other states legitimately, not even within their borders are they allowed to do the same. Despite the existence of justifiable ground for humanitarian intervention, the level or point at which human intervention occurs is an issue of great debate. In fact, agreement has never been reached on whether to have a standard approach or evaluate the situatio ns independently. However, according to Walzer human intervention has improved the level of security and protection of human rights within the society. The first obligation of the government is to offer security, but it may become unattainable leading to the need for humanitarian intervention. After the world war, the world plunged into a state of uncertainty. Instead of peace, there were minor conflicts within the state’s leading to genocide and ethnic cleansing. However, the challenge of the new threats led to the development of various approaches to

Strategy, Analysis, Recommendation and Implementation of the Company Essay

Strategy, Analysis, Recommendation and Implementation of the Company Gap Inc - Essay Example Competitors such as Ambercrombie and Fitch are already moving towards this direction. However, given the Company's expertise, it is not yet late to launch the Banana Republic, Old Navy and Forth and Towne brands; and to capture a substantial share in these potential markets. The last five years have been commendable for GAP Incorporated due to the revived customer interest in its product lines. A lot of innovations were introduced in the previous year which reaped rewards for the Company, which includes the following: 2. Hands-on management of executives, from the centralized procurement of supplies, to ocular visits to the factories; these would ensure that products are manufactured in accordance with the company's penchant for quality, reliability and compliance to set international production standards; 3. The compensation package plus rewards system afforded to deserving executives achieved wonders for the company. In return, extra effort has been rendered, countless hours have been spent so that products could be delivered on time; 4. Massive shop expansion was a very aggressive stance of the company that helped prop-up sales. But some shops are not strategically located, if not poorly thought of, so that upper management decided to close these shops eventually. This hurt the image of Gap Incorporated and also transmitted wrong signals to competitors. Downsizing these shops would have been a better option since these shops are being used also by internet shoppers to pick up orders purchased online. Also, a rewards system for employees was not installed at the company's manufacturing plant. This is necessary in order to boost production and maintain quality standards in the product. Workers are after all the backbone of a company. 5. Increased online purchases really spiced up sales. Recommendation To increase Gap's profitability and create an extended market for its specialty apparel products, the company should expand in other countries. It is important to note that more than half of the world's population is concentrated in Asia which makes countries in this region a large potential market for Gap's various product lines. Furthermore, what is recommended is to adapt the sound and solid strategy employed by Gap Incorporated in the US; but only after some fine tuning stated as follows: 1. All efforts should be geared towards penetrating the Asian market with modifications employed to fit market preferences, i.e. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam who are fairly conservative people will most probably require simple and conservative clothing as well. The fashion capital of Asia is Hong Kong. Neighboring countries, such as the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, to name a few do most of their shopping in this former British Colony. So, what is "in" in Hong Kong, will influence the choice of apparel throughout Asia. 2. Hire topnotch Asian designers to collaborate with Gap Incorporated's designers in the US for the development and introduction of new designs or product lines in these new markets.