Compagnie Generale des Eaux Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compagnie Generale des Eaux - Case Study Example The efforts of Guy Dejouany express the company's commitment in maximizing its financial resources by putting them in different investment opportunities. The leader should also be noted for his effort in minimizing company risk by not putting all its investment in a single industry. In contrast, he tried to distribute risk by putting the company's fund in various industries. Guy Dejouany also broadened intensified the influence of CGE by broadening its reach and market base. By establishing presence in industries where the company has no previous operation, CGE gained more bargaining power through its large size and coverage. However, it should also be noted that the choice of which industry to diversify into is the sole choice of Dejouany according to his personal experiences and relationships instead of generating more formal business analyses. The leader has launched aggressive efforts in order to ward off competition or strengthen the business organization's position against its rivals. In terms of management style, Guy Dejouany can be characterized as a charismatic leader who influenced people through his personality. Though engaged in a wide array of businesses, decision making is highly centralized emanating from a superior who very much involved in the operations of each business unit. During his administration, transactions and relationships have operated on trust while no significant attention is put on the performance of his subordinates. Models of Diversification Employed by Dejouany Keeping in mind that CGE has started as a player in the water utility business, the company's efforts to diversify in health care, transport, telecommunication, and real estate sectors represent a move toward unrelated diversification. With this, it should be noted that Dejouany employed conglomerate diversification or opting to deliver new products to new markets which are the currently not served. In other instances, he also utilized vertical diversification by acquiring business organizations which are in the same value chain. Basing decisions solely in his relationships and personal experiences, Dejouany had undoubtedly entered industries which are highly unrelated. Conglomerate diversification has been used in order to manage the complexity of various businesses under a single portfolio. However, instead of utilizing the company's resources to execute similar processes within business units, CGE maintained the separation between its business entities. In contrast to the typical strategy of acquiring promising small companies, CGE opted to establish new companies which will serve new clients. There has also been no establish relationship between business units and often, subsidiaries are unaware that they are a part of a single organization. Problems in the 1990s The year 1990s sees the near collapse of CGE because of its disastrous financial and overall performance. The problems of the business organization can be traced to its larger business environment and issues inherent to its operation and governance. As discussed above, the decisions within CGE are solely made by Dejouany who build businesses

Architecturall theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Architecturall theory - Essay Example ntellectual context in thinking about architecture and the final built work is intrinsic to the understanding of how ideas reoccur, and even old theories have relevance today. Despite its past and present history, the aesthetic beauty and practical usefulness of theory remains a positive and necessary influence on the subject, and the discourse created by it an important element in the future growth and evolution of architecture itself. A good theoretical starting point is undoubtedly Lucas Koolhass and his theory of The Generic City—an idea significantly [and we might assume coldly] modern in its tendency to accept the twentieth century axiom of form follows function--‘generic’ as in having no particularly distinctive quality or application. In essence, nothing in terms of urban architecture should be written in theoretical or historical stone. Koolhass, the Dutch architect, architectural theorist and urbanist suggests that in approaching urban design we â€Å"stop looking for glue to hold cities together† [in the old thinking, town squares etc] and simply allow the place to develop as natural needs apply, where the only judgments are â€Å"taste† and â€Å"aesthetics† (Grà ¶nlund, The Generic City par 4). Removing the sociological component, The Generic City then is one that does not rely on history for its identity and disputes old notions of â€Å"endless repetitions o f the same structural module...more varied boredom, [and] redundancy...† (Grà ¶nlund, The Generic City par 2). But Koohaas does not leave the architect completely without options. He is simply providing a realistic backdrop that allows the professional to judge and create his work from a modern more clinical standpoint. In a1991 lecture at Rice University, Koolhaas, in pointing out â€Å"the constant movement that occurs between documenting and critiquing the phenomena to trying to interpret what they mean to architecture...† explains how his approach to writing and theorizing â€Å"work in tandem

East West Culture Differences Cultural Studies Essay

East West Culture Differences Cultural Studies Essay In todays global business environment, with the increase in international business and in foreign investment, more and more of us are required to understand people coming from countries and cultures different from our own, so the impact of difference between Oriental and Occidental cultures on international trade becomes increasingly exposed. Therefore, this article makes multidimensional analyses of these matters arising out of cultural differences in transnational commerce. International trade is the exchange of goods and services among different countries. Owing to various socio-cultures, enormous differences exist in commercial culture of nations. The East and the West are the two mainstream cultures in the world; meanwhile, the gaps of them are obvious, appearing in values, conventions, languages, consumption patterns, social organizations and structures, etc. This paper aims at discussing the cultural differences that are faced in todays commercial transaction in the world and evolving appropriate measures to deal with those.    Key words: East-West cultural differences; international trade; international communication 1. Introduction This section is an introduction, which gives a general account of the importance of cross-cultural communication, purpose of this thesis, and the significance of the thesis. 1.1 The importance of being aware of the East-West cultural differences In our world of expanding technology and shrinking geography, people of different cultures have increasing frequency of contact and need for effective communication on a daily basis. Speaking a different language is an obvious obstacle to intercultural communication, but a greater and more difficult hurdle is to speak a different culture. Even though we may learn the words, the grammar, and the recognizable pronunciation of a language, we may still not know how to navigate around the greater obstacles to communication that are presented by cultural difference. The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two separate systems on the whole. Due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other. There are so many differences in culture between the East and West. However, there is a trend that the culture in both countries has been mixture. There are problems may be caused by our failure to recognize cultural differences. Nowadays the world is becoming much more mobile than ever before. With the powerful modern transportation tools like airplane, people can travel to other counties just in a few hours. Under this circumstance, it is not uncommon to find some problems caused by the ignorance of cultural differences. Apart from different languages (and you will benefit greatly if you can learn to understand, speak or write some of them), each country has its own social systems and laws and ways of implementing them to resolve problems and disputes during international businesses. In addition, the diversity is reflected in management philosophy, operating procedure, marketing methods of merchants and the specific trading activities. In conclusion, to be successful and skillful as an international trader it is important to recognize and accept that there are differences between the East and the West. 1.2 Purpose of the study Entitled On the East-West Cultural Differences and the Influence on the International Trade, this thesis endeavors to probe into the nature and practical method to give a description of various kinds of cultural differences, their impact upon international commerce, and how to deal with the difficulties appearing in the business communication. Eastern people often feel confident that they know quite a bit about western culture. In fact, they may have seen many western films, may eat at KFC regularly, may know more about the National Basketball Association or about current popular music than many Americans, may speak quite fluent English, but that does not necessarily mean that they know western culture the way a Westerner knows it. It doesnt mean they know the cultural grammar or can swim in those cultural waters. It doesnt mean they can avoid miscommunication or even conflict during communicating. Just as Wolfson points out, In interacting with foreigners, native speakers tend to be rather tolerant of errors in pronunciation or syntax. In contrast, violations of rules of speaking are often interpreted as bad manners, since the native speaker is unlikely to be aware of sociolinguistic relating. (Wolfson,1983: 62). The thesis attempts to make out a system and makes comprehensive study of the pervasive culture by means of definitions, classifications to improve the culture awareness. From some researchers perspective, culture is like an iceberg in the ocean, what we see and feel such as artifacts, clothing, was the surface part of iceberg, this part is easily to be recognized, while the hidden part of iceberg such as values and beliefs which are not immediately observable and felt, rather, hidden behind the daily verbal and nonverbal communication, and directs and regulates peoples speech and behavior. The assumption of the identification of this category is that different areas in the world are characterized by different values and features. 1.3 Significance of the study Knowledge about cultures, both general and specific, provides insight into the learned behaviors of a group. It helps the learner to gain awareness of what makes a people unique. The factors are its customs and traditions, values and beliefs, attitudes and concepts, hierarchies and roles, time and space relations, and verbal and non-verbal communication processes. Information gained in cross-culture studies will enable businessmen to become more cosmopolitan, to cope more effectively abroad, to reduce stress and resolve conflict more readily in the international area. Now with the Open Policy, many enterprises are involved in international trade. Those engaged in the import-export trade, depending on their understanding and skills in cross-cultural relations, can either advance or hamper their sales and exchanges. Transcultural studies benefit businessmen as follows: Foster interaction, good will and customer relations, as well as business and profits. In a competitive society, the global businessman should function like an intercultural researcher seeking various ways to establish good relationship with his partners whose behaviors are strongly affected by cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. But the cultural factors exert the broadest and deepest influence on them. Offer better understanding of both domestic and international markets. To be successful in international business, a good market research project requires as much careful planning as a well-designed product. Market research must allow for cultural differences in a foreign market. For example, orange juice is not a breakfast drink in France; Middle Easterners prefer spicy toothpaste; the Japanese like rice and tuna for breakfast. These cultural differences will help one make a successful marketing decision. Provide insight relative to organizational culture and personal behavior. Intercultural study offers us better understanding of the culture in which one is going to work. For example, one aspect of American culture is that people must work hard to accomplish their objectives. We can see this in the corporate culture of Microsoft, while Chinese tend to work together and accomplish a project step by step with explicit hierarchical relationship. Help one to gain a better sense of self and cultural heritage for more effective intercultural interactions. In order to create cultural synergistic solutions to problems lying in international business, a global businessman must know his culture and business practice to deal with different partners with different cultures. In a word, cross-cultural study offers better international relationships, which are bound to be enhanced when management, sales, and technical personnel can deal with cultural differences within the world market place. 2. The difference between east culture and west culture Success on international business journey depends significantly on understanding culture and appreciating how profoundly values, attitudes and behaviors are shaped by it. Unfortunately, culture is a complex phenomenon, The understanding of which is aided neither by the diffuse use of the term in everyday conversation nor by the wealth of definitions in current use. At the very outset, we face the challenge of developing an understanding of culture that both captures its essence and will serve as a practical guide to the broad spectrum of cultural diversity. 2.1 A brief introduction to culture The word culture often brings up more problems than it involves. So far, culture has been defined in many ways by a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds. Culture, according to Robert Kohls, the former Director  of Training and Development for the United States  Information Agency, is an integrated system of learned  behavior patterns that are characteristic of the members  of any given society, the total way of life of particular  groups of people. It includes everything that a group of  people thinks, says, does, and makes-its customs,  language, material artifacts and shared systems of  attitudes and feelings. Culture is learned and transmitted  from generation to generation. It is not identical with  the genetic heritage that may differentiate one group of  people from another. These differences in shared  systems of attitudes and feelings are one of those more  subtle areas of difference that foreigners experience  when they leave home.  Cul ture affects peoples ways of thinking and their  views of the world. Every culture has its distinct  characteristics that make it different from every other  culture. Some differences are quite evident (e.g.  language, religion, political organization, etc.). However, in a word, culture generally refers to the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws morals, customs, habits, and capabilities acquired by individuals who interact in a specific area of society. Others  can be so subtle that while foreign visitors may be  vaguely aware of them, making adjustments is a  complex process and one may remain uncomfortable  and off balance for quite some time. 2.2 Causes for culture differences The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish  each other by a lot. This is because the culture systems  are two separate systems on the whole.  The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two  countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are  gestated by rivers: the Yellow River in China and the  Hindu River in India. These two cultures were  developed for several thousand years and formed their  own styles. Then in Dang Dynasty of China, the  Chinese culture gradually went overseas to Japan,  mixed into the Japanese society and shaped the  Japanese culture nowadays. Though a bit different from  the Chinese one, it belongs to the same system. When the two mother rivers gave birth to the eastern  culture, another famous culture was brought up on the  Mesopotamian Plain-the Mesopotamian Civilization.  This civilization later on developed into the cultures of  the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two  are well-known as the base of the European culture.  Like the Chinese culture, the European one also crossed  waters. When the colonists of England settled down in  America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic  Ocean. So the American culture is similar to the  European one.  At the same time, the difference of the language  systems adds to the cultural differences. In the East,  most languages belong to the pictographic language  while the Western languages are mostly based on the  Latin system.  Other factors like human race difference counts as  well. But whats more, due to the far distance and the  steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures  seldom commu nicate until recent centuries. So they  grew up totally in their own ways with almost no  interference from the other. 2.3 The Role of Culture in Business With the development of globalization, cross-culture  communication is indispensable to an open society in  which we live today. Therefore, cultural differences are  everywhere. The cultures between the East and the West  are distinguished by a rather large scale. It means not  only the opinions or ways of thinking are different, but  how do people behave in daily life is also not the same,  sometimes may even the opposite. This paper will first  probe into the causes for cultural differences and then  some of the typical examples to illustrate the cultural  difference between east and west, finally, ways to fit in  different cultures. What role does culture play and can it be a positive one? A manager in a Swedish pharmaceutical firm described what happened when a multicultural team was put together. Product design was traditionally carried out at our Stockholm headquarters. Once, by accident or design, we brought in an international team to discuss the design of a new allergy product. Due to extreme differences of opinion on what constitutes good medical practice, the team designed the new product with maximum flexibility to suit the major demands of each country. Later, we discovered this flexibility to be of great advantage in developing and marketing international competitive products. Regarding cultural differences as a challenge rather than a problem may mean a little more investment of time and funds, but it is more likely to produce international workable teams, systems and products. This general approach albeit with variances in each case, has helped Japanese, Germans and Scandinavians adapt successfully to international markets. It has also helped cultivate the deep awareness of quality and consumer-friendliness, which characterizes the products of these successful countries, and pervades business thinking and aspirations. So if international companies are to tackle the challenge of culture where do they start? Let us look in more detail at the areas of business activity, which need to be culture-responsive. Steven Globerman discussed this issue as follows: Culture differences do not as a rule that prohibits doing business internationally, although they often oblige management to modify the way business is done from region to region. While modifications may be required, to a greater or lesser extent, in virtually all of the international firms activities, the particular areas that seem to be affected by cultural differences are the marketing and personnel relations functions. It points in the right direction and its implications are clear: managing and communicating with a culturally different or varied workforce requires new methods and techniques. Success in this first objective is needed so that the company may understand consumers whose behavior and tastes are different from that of the home country. 3. The basic content of business communication 3.1 Understanding Globalization Although globalization has come to the world ¼Ã…’most of the worlds businesses are not globalized ¼Ã… ½Business globalization is the ability of a corporation to take a product and market in the entire civilized world ¼Ã… ½International firms have subsidiaries or components in other countries ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ºhowever, control of the foreign operations is maintained at the home country headquarters. Multinational firms allow their foreign operations to exist as domestic organizations ¼Ã… ½Most firms are international ¼Ã…’either sourcing ¼Ã…’ producing ¼Ã…’or exporting ¼Ã… ½Thus the personnel of an organization must have a global mindset in order for the firm to succeed in the international marketplace. Laurent (1986), in a study of multinational corporations, found that successful multinational corporations do not submerge the individuality of different cultures completely in the corporate culture, that intercultural contact can promote a determination not to adjust to other cultures, and that new management theory and practice can be presented only to individuals who are culturally able and willing to accept it ¼Ã… ½Rhinesmith (l993) states The corporate culture contains the values, norms of behavior, systems, policies ¼Ã…’and procedures through which the organization adapts to the complexity of the global arena ¼Ã… ½Companies with franchises abroad have had to make certain adjustments to accommodate the taste and preferences of individual countries; for example. Tex-Mex cuisine is prepared kosher in Israel. According to Rhinesmith (1993), Diversity-both domestic and international will be the engine that drives the creative energy of the corporation of the twenty ¼Ã… ½first century ¼Ã… ½Successful global managers will be those who are able to manage this diversity for the innovative and competitive edge of their corporations. Since globalization has become an irresistible trend pervading throughout the world, international businessme n should take it into consideration and try their best to better cross-cultural business communication in the course of their international business journeys. 3.2 Understanding Intercultural Communication The term intercultural communication was first used by Edward T. Hall in 1959. Hall was one of the first researchers to differentiate cultures based on how communications are sent and received. Hall defined intercultural communication as communication between persons of different cultures. The subject of intercultural communication is beset by a major problem, since there is really very little agreement on what people mean by the idea of culture in the first place. Intercultural business communication is a relatively new term in the business world and is defined as communication within and between businesses that involves people from more than one culture. Intercultural business communication allows us to work on the procedural issues of country-to-country contacts, diplomacy, and legal contexts; it allows us to become involved with the substantive, cultural level and helps sensitize us to differences. It also allows us to gather information to make decisions when we are in an intercultural environment (Rohrlich, 1998). 3.3 The specific embodiment of business communication Business communication refers to the exchange of information resources and the touch of each other for a set purpose to establish a commercial relationship based on mutual benefit promoting the business activities to succeed. Cross-culture Communication in commerce is either a sort of business proceedings, or procedures for culture dialogue and betting game. To make business communication more effective, honest social relation needs to be created. Business Communication: communication used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relaying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer. Business communication is somewhat different and unique rather from other type of communication since the purpose of business is to get profit. Thus to make good way for profit the communicator should develop good communication skills. Everyone knows that in the present day tren ds the knowledge alone wont be a fruitful one to have sustainable development. By knowing the importance of communication many organizations started training their employees in betterment of Communication techniques. Essentially due to globalization the world has become a Global village. Thus here the importance of cross cultural communication plays a vital role. Since each and every nation has their own meaning for each and every non verbal actions. The way we appear speaks a lot about us in business communication. A neat appearance is half done verbal communication. But developing communication is not a day work, it needs constant yearly practice. There are several ways to get trained in excelling business communication such 1. by our own, 2. by practicing from trainers, 3. by internet contents, 4. by books. 4. Cultural differences exhibited in international trade Numerous studies have been done to identify specific  characteristics that distinguish one culture from another.  The cultural difference between east and west is no  exception. Lets sum up some of the typical examples to  illustrate such differences. Greeting How do we Chinese greet each other? Informally, if we  meet a friend in the street, we are used to saying: Hi,  have you had your meal? or Where are you going?  When it is the case of two gentlemen, they tend to shake  hands.   However, in the western countries, the above  questions are just questions, not greeting at all. They  may think youre inviting them to dinner if you ask  about their meals. Usually, theyll just give each other a  smile or greet with a Hi. Theyll shake hands only in  some formal situations. By the way, Westerners can leave a party or meeting halls without a formal conge,  nor should they shake hands with every attendee like  most of us will do here. Showing Gratitude Think of the situations below. Your mother is busy in  the kitchen. She suddenly asks you to fetch a bowl for  her. You do so. Whatll your mothers response be?  Probably shell just continue doing the cooking. After a  while, the dinner is ready. Your mother hands you your  bowl of rice. Whats your response? Probably just begin  to eat. Chinese rarely say Thank you to other family  members for receiving help or service. Neither will we  say so between good friends. Its such an unpopular  response that if you say it, the counterpart will think you  are treating him as a stranger, otherwise you are lacking  of intimacy. But in the West, thank you is one of the most  frequently used sentences. Teachers will thank a student  for answering a question; husbands will thank his wife  for making a coffee. Table Manners The ways people eat-the table manner, really  distinguish a lot. Chinese use chopsticks or sometimes  even grasp rice straightly with hands as Indians do. The  thin and long chopsticks cannot be used to cut food, so  we use teeth as knives. We hold our food, meat or  vegetable, with the chopsticks, send them to the mouths,  bite off a part and remain the other part on the  chopsticks. Thats the usual way we eat. We are also  used to holding up our bowls when having rice or soup.  But all these are considered rude in the Western  countries. The etiquette in the West requests that when eating,  bowls and plates cannot leave the tables. Food should be  cut by knives to fit into the mouths. Your mouth cannot  touch the plates or bowls. So the regular process is cut  your steak on the plate with fork and knife, send the  meat cube into the mouth with fork and nothing will be  returned back but the fork alone. The reason for this is  probably because of the different dining tools and  menus. Symbolization Symbolization is how people imagine or regard  something, which reflects the way of people thinking.   We often  attach different signicance to different colors, because  we feel differently when facing different colors. On the  last day in the APEC summit held in Shanghai several  years ago, the presidents from all over the world wore  the traditional Chinese Dang suits and took a photo  together. The colors of the suits were chosen by  themselves freely. However, its quite interesting to find  that most Easterners chose red while most of the  westerners preferred blue. To explain this, its easy to  realize that what red means is almost opposite in the  East and the West. Red means luck, fortune here.  Chinese often use this color to decorate in festivals,  such as red lanterns, red Chinese nodes, and red bangers.  But red stands for blood, revolutions in the West. So the  presidents avoided wearing the unlucky color. In the East,  dragons are imagined as something like snake and are  flowing in the sky for most of the time. The dragon is  said to have the face of the horse, the horns of the deer,  the ears of the ox, the body of the snake, the claws of the  eagle and squama of the fish. We regard dragon as God  and view ourselves the offspring of the dragon. The God  of Dragons of the four seas can charge the rainfalls. But  in the West, people think dragons as dinosaurs, which  can stand on the ground with feet and fly with huge  wings. They lay eggs just like dinosaurs. The dragons of  the West have the ability to erupt fire, instead of water.  The fire can destroy everything so the dragons are not  welcomed at all. They even become the symbol of the  Devil. Unfortunately, attempts to categorize cultural  characteristics often end up in cultural stereotypes that  are unfair and misleading. In adjusting to your study  abroad environment, you will therefore have to deal not  only with real cultural differences, and also with  perceived cultural differences. Keep in mind that people  of other cultures are just as adept at stereotyping we  Chinese as we are at stereotyping them-and the results  are not always complimentary. The following are a few  examples of the qualities (some positive, some negative)  that others frequently associate with the typical  Chinese: hard working, being economical, reserved,  and ignorant of other countries, generous, hospitable, and  superstitious. While a stereotype might possess some  grain of truth, it is obvious when we consider individual  differences that not every Chinese fits the above  description. Most Germans, Japanese, Italians, etc.,  have stereotyped perceptions of the American, just as  most Americans have stereotyped images of Germans,  Japanese, Italians, etc. In short, misperceptions may  exist on all sides. Frequently, the stereotype of the  American is far from complimentary: the boorish tourist  who expects everyone to speak English, the arrogant  patriot who thinks every country in the world should  pattern itself after the United States, the drunken reveler  who sees the anonymity of traveling abroad as an  opportunity to drop all civilized inhibitions-all have  contributed to the development of this unfortunate  stereotype. It is up to you to behave in a manner that will  convince your hosts that this is indeed an unjustified  stereotype that cannot be applied arbitrarily, at least to  yourself. 5. Conclusion 5.1 Research findings With the globalization of the world economy, organizations, especially multinational corporations, are culturally diverse in their formation of the workforce and in handling al kinds of business activities. China has seen an increasing number of FIE (Foreign Individual Enterprise) entering the Chinese market, since the country adopted the policy of opening to the outside world more than twenty years ago. The culturally diversified workforce has brought greater vitality to business, but business people today are facing many problems in their cross-cultural communication. More and more business people have become aware of the strong impact from culture, and they have come to realize the importance of understanding cross-cultural communication. As all nations have their own cultures, it is not difficult to find that people bring along with them their cultures wherever they go and tend to cling to them. As more and more Chinese business people are employed by FIEs, they are facing the same problem of learning and respecting foreign cultures as the Western business people do with the Chinese cultures. In many cases, business people find that it is really nor easy to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds. Sometimes, people may mistake someone as a culturally identical person, which often ends in troubles. In order to avoid misunderstandings in our cross-cultural communication, we should pay attention to the ways to decrease or eliminate the cultural conflicts. 5.2 Suggestions Globalization, for better or worse, has changed the way the world does business. Though in its early stage, it is all but unstoppable. At the same time, it also provides for global businessmen a challenge as well as chance. To be triumphant in international business, one should learn how to live with it, manage it and take advantage of the benefit it offers. The globalization of economics has created a confluence of cultures when it comes to business practices. Meshing these cultures has proven difficult even as it has proven necessary. In many cases the quest for a one-size-fits-all set of standards for global business behavior has progressed quite far. Global business is moving toward a world standard. In this sense, it is unpractical to accommodate stereotyping cultural theories to developing relationship in the course of international business that is developing all time along. With time going, more and more new problems and conflicts will occur when doing business internationally whatever in managing, negotiating or cooperating. Cultures will gradually melt with each other, but rooted values and norms will still cause the occurrence of clashes. Thus problems can only be solved in certain circumstance at certain time. Invariable solutions with shaped cultural ideas will only lead to prejudice and more conflicts; while adaptable solutions according to specific situation of intercultural communication is more valuable and worthy of being conserved. Nothing can be unchangeable, thus is the same with the study of cultural differences in the course of international business. Therefore, dynamic research should be furthered and kept so as to keep up with the development of international business.

Math Lesson Plan :: essays research papers

Lesson Plan Guide Topic: Math (To investigate and explore multiplication facts) Objectives In this activity, students will investigate and explore multiplication facts. The students will: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Work in groups to device a plan for making a multiplication matrix †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Construct a multiplication matrix †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reflect on the patterns they observe in the matrix Material For each group †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 cm grid paper †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  full sheets of paper †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  glue †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  scissors For the class †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  36† X 48† butcher paper Preparation †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make approximately 10 copies of 1 cm grid paper on colored paper for each group of students. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cut one piece of 36† X 48† butcher paper. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Start the multiplication matrix by placing four or five rectangles on the matrix. Procedure a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mini-lesson: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will begin the lesson by showing the class the multiplication chart I prepared. I will ask pivotal questions to start a discussion, â€Å"What do you think this chart shows†?, â€Å"What do the side numbers mean†? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will point to a rectangle and ask, â€Å"What can you tell me about this rectangle†? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will hold up a grid paper rectangle with 4 rows of 6 and ask, â€Å"How many rows are in this rectangle?, How many squares in each row?, How many in all†? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will then ask the students â€Å"Where do you think this rectangle belongs on the chart†? (I will encourage students to use the â€Å"rows of† language to help in determining the placement of rectangles on the chart). †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, I will say â€Å"Today you will be working in groups to create a multiplication matrix†. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will tell students that they need to devise a plan to make sure that all of the rectangles they need to show will fit on the butcher paper. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will point to an empty space on the matrix and ask, â€Å"What will the rectangle for this space look like?, What equation will you write on it†? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We will discuss how although 2 X 4 and 4 X 2 have the same product, the two problems mean different things. b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Group Work: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As students work together to construct the multiplication matrix I will visit with groups and ask some of the following questions: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What part of the matrix are you working on now? 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How did you organize the cutting? 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Were there any problems? Tell me about them. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Did you change your strategy? 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Did you find tricks to make the cutting faster? Show me what you did.

This Kind of Love happens only once in a lifetime

The Bridges of Madison County,† the surprise hit of summer 1995, centers on a particular concept of adulterous romance that is very apropos of the neoconservative epoch. While many contemporary married women indeed may take comfort in the film's message (that one can have a secret love, but then must go back to the normalcy and maturity of married life), its implications are perhaps something less than a comfort as viewers see them as part of a larger theme about gender equality and human liberation.The complexity of the story’s theme requires not just a good director but also good actors, actors who can link or bridge the character’s character to the audience and live through the film’s reality for at least two hours. But before we discuss how Meryl Streep in particular made us connect with the film and empathize with her character, let us first walk around the story of Bridges of Madison County.The story explores the character of Francesca, an Italian wom an who somehow ended up as a farm housewife in Iowa. Like most of us, she dreamt of a more exotic life than ‘shuckin' the corn and ‘sloppin' the ‘hawgs’, but sometimes life just turns out the way it does. Humans follow where life leads them for a while, and before we realize it, decades have passed. This is so true with Francesca.Her path initially was destined, straight and predictable until an unexpected fork in the road causes her to question everything she had come to expect from life. While her husband and children are away at the Iowa state fair in the summer of 1965, Robert Kincaid happens upon the Johnson farm and asks Francesca for directions to Rosamunde Bridge. He explains that he is on assignment from National Geographic magazine to photograph the bridges of Madison County. She agrees to show him to the bridges and thus begins the bittersweet and all-too-brief romance of her life.Through the pain of separation from her secret love and the stark i solation she feels as the details of her life consume her, she writes down the story of this four-day love affair in a 3-volume diary. The diary is found by her children among her possessions and alongside Robert Kincaid's possessions after Francesca is dead. The message they take from the diaries is one of hope that they will do what is necessary to find happiness in their lives — whatever is necessary. After learning that Robert Kincaid's cremated remains were scattered off Rosamunde Bridge and that their mother requested a similar disposition for her own ashes, the children must decide whether to honor their mother's final wishes or bury her alongside their father as the family had planned. Adapted from the novel by Robert Waller, this is the story of love that happens just once in a lifetime — if you're lucky.The central theme is that there are deep universal feelings inside of all of us which we train ourselves to ignore in the execution of everyday life. Inside e very adult is an idealistic youth who planned a completely different life. But our dreams never go away, requiring only the right stimulus to reappear.As Waller implied in his novel, sometimes the old dreams are the best dreams. They're gone now, but it leaves a trace bound to last forever The parallel is drawn quite interestingly when Kinkaid explains that he works for the â€Å"National Geographic† magazine rather than acting as an artist because no one is interested in his work as art. Both he and Francesca have settled into a life that isn't what they hoped it would be. What is wonderful about this plot point is that both are still successful in their lives and relatively happy. Neither one is miserable or particularly hurt by their experiences and yet, under all the layers of their existences lies a yearning for something more, a need to live out unfulfilled dreams and be glad to have dreamt them.The two embark upon a four day romance that is realistic and touching. Stre ep's' Francesca is highly aroused by the photographer and yet she is also aware of the â€Å"improper† nature of her feelings. Coming from what was probably a more liberal background (European, i.e. Italian), she has acclimated herself to the ways of rural Iowa life. To remind us of the narrow nature of the mores of the time, a tertiary character is shown to be the town's gossip (while Kinkaid is visiting) because her extramarital affair has recently been discovered.What follows in Waller's story-in-the-novel is his description of the actual affair that takes place between Robert and Francesca while her family is out of town, along with Robert's â€Å"proposal† that Francesca leave behind her unfulfilling life in Iowa and run away with him to places far and wide, a proposal that is entertained but ultimately turned down by the heroine.   Instead, Francesca places duty and fidelity in front of passion and romance, choosing to live out the remainder of her days on the farm outside of Winterset, Iowa.During one day in August for every year thereafter, however, she would gather props and remembrances and pay ceremonial homage to her romantic interlude by staging a solitary fantasy ritual recalling the original seduction.  Ã‚   Over the course of those two and one-half decades, Mrs. Johnson attempted to locate Kincaid only once, and then unsuccessfully, after the passing of her husband.Two final points are in order about Waller's telling of the story-within-the-novel. The first is that, notwithstanding the brevity of the actual affair of Robert and Francesca, Waller leaves little doubt that theirs was much more than a fleeting romance or momentary concession to impulse. As Robert said upon learning that Francesca must stay with her family, â€Å"In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once.†(By this point in the story, such utterances are entirely in character for Mr. Kincaid, whose mystical mix of New Age sensitivity and Marlboro Man machismo Waller gives ample amplification relative to the largely ill-defined character of the heroine. â€Å"I am the highway and the peregrine and all the sails that ever went to sea,† Waller has Robert whispering into Francesca's ear.)   The last point worthy of underscoring here is the framing device used by  Waller in telling the story.Waller's reconstruction of the romance is portrayed as a truthful re-creation that he, as the teller, was able to piece together from a letter Francesca left for her children, recounting the affair that they read only after her death.Remarkably, and yet apparently of great importance in establishing the story's credibility among readers, Waller agrees to tell the story of Robert and Francesca only in response to an invitation from the late Francesca’s children.(3)Meryl Streep in the film successfully expressed Francesca’s struggle, happiness and failure in the film In the said film, Streep’s acting is effortless. We can credit her previous acting roles for her showcase of talent in the film because she has been in several drama movies before she did â€Å"Bridges of Madison County.†Moreover, Streep has won an Oscar award in a drama film Kramer vs. Kramer. In this film, she is a mother who left her family because of discontent which is also real because males today are much more concern with their careers than with their family. This is also quite true in the movie Bridges of Madison County because in the film it is implied that she is too a little discontented with her routinary life as a wife and mother. If she had been contented and happy, she would have ignored Robert Kincaid.   These questions and what ifs are clear indicators that Streep made us feel Francesca. Made us feel that she is a human subject to limitations.In addition, Streep was already forty-six years old when she did the film. As woman, as mother and as a wife, she has rich experiences in life which contribute in her acting. It was easy for her to internalize and give justice to her character because she has been through several experiences not only in her career as an actress but also as a woman in general.There is more to the brilliance in her acting in the said film, according to Streep in an interview on Entertainment Weekly Magazine (2000)â€Å"I had a picture of who this was – I knew it was an Italian war bride, and I had grown up down the street from one. Her husband was a tall, blond man, and she barely spoke any English. Over the years she learned – she was a very bright, interesting woman – but there was always something exotic about her. Anyway, the book had this woman in jeans and braless. It was just hard for me to understand her. I had a pretty vivid picture of her, and I didn't want to complicate it (laughs) with the author’s actual intent. I honestly didn't finish the book. I started it and then thought, I'll wait for the screenplay . The screenplay had a woman in it.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Clint called me and said ‘Just read the script. I want you to push past whatever you think you know about the book'.   Ã‚  Meryl Streep, More Magazine, December 2002Based from the interview we can say that her performance is significantly affected by the idea that she read the book which made her understand the character thoroughly in the novelist’s perspective and that Eastwood (the director) made sure that the script was well written.And lastly, it is always Streep’s passion to act and always it is her goal to deliver her character to the audience in the most realistic possible way.

Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and Young People

Identify the current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding the welfare of children and young people including e-safety. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 – which ensure that children are safe and looked after, children have the right to be protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect, negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse by those looking after them.Children act 1989 Parents and professionals must work to ensure the safety of the child. This act includes two important sections : Section 47 states that the local authority has a duty to investigate if they have cause to suspect a child that lives or is found in their area is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Section 17 states that services must be put in place by local authority to safeguard the welfare of the children within their area who need it.The Education Act 2002 This sets out the responsibilities of Local Education Authorities (LEAs), Governing bodies, head teachers and all those working in schools to ensure that children are safe and free from harm. Children Act 2004 This provides the legal framework for Every Child Matters. It includes the requirement for: †¢Services to work more closely, forming an integrated service. a common assessment framework to help the early identification of need †¢a shared database of information which is relevant to the safety and welfare of children †¢Earlier support for parents who experiencing problems. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 This sets out the duties of organisations and how they must work together to safeguard children and young people. E-safety 2008 The council has produced a strategy to increase the awareness of internet safety. Set out measures to protect children from unsuitable sites and establish codes of practice. Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and Young People Assignment 008 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people Task A 1. Identify a current national piece of legislation relevant to safeguarding children and young people’s welfare. United Nations Convention on the rights of a child. 2. Identify two current local policies, procedures or guidance in relation to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. Child Protection Policy and Health and Safety Policy. 3. Complete the following table with two examples. Agency nameRole of the agency (involved in safeguarding(in own work setting) ————————————————-Children and young people) Children & Young People Portfolio Advice and support regarding (social Services) child abuse. _________________________________________________________ Early Intervention Advisory Team Supporting a child’s individual needs and working alongside key workers. 4. Complete t he following table. Types of child abuseList 3 characteristics for each ————————————————- Type of child abuse PhysicalBruises in strange places, cuts Burns/scalds ————————————————-EmotionalWithdrawn, stammering/stuttering, acting totally different to normal. ————————————————- SexualItching/pain in gentile area, wetting/soiling themselves, inappropriate play with toys/dolls ————————————————- NeglectDirty, constantly tired, malnourished BullyingWithdrawn, finding excuses not to go to school, asking for money. 5. Complete the following table. â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Concerns that a colleague isGive a description of the action to take in response. Failing to comply withReport concerns straight away ———————————————— Safeguarding proceduresto the manager/designated person. If the colleague is the manager/designated person then the deputy must be informed. Harming, abusing orReport concerns straight away Bullying a child orto the manager/designated Young person. person. If the colleague is the manager/designated person then report to the deputy manager and trustees. 6. Describe the principles and boundaries of confidentiality and when to share information. In many cases the passing of information is routine, relating to the child’s daily care and needs.Other than this all records and information given by th e parents is kept locked away and only made available to staff working closely with the child concerned. Information on child protection issues will only be shared with other staff on a need to know basis. This need to know basis refers to outside agencies if they become involved. Parents have the rights to see the records on their children if requested. If parents disclose any confidential information to a member of staff they must be told that the information will be shared with the manager whilst assuring them that it will not be discussed outside the nursery setting.There are no circumstances in which disclosure of child abuse will be kept confidential. Assignment 008 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people Task B 2. Produce a five point action plan to follow if a child is suffering from any or all of the following sign and symptoms: Severe headache, feeling nauseous, raised temperature, sensitivity to light, raised rash or spots. Actions to take 1. Check temperatu re 2. Check for rash, spots, photophobia 3. Ring ambulance 4. Ring parents/carer 5. Move to a quiet area away from other children. 3. Complete the following table showing what actions to take in an emergency.Fire In the event of a fire dial 999. The staff will evacuate the children quietly and calmly to the assembly point. The manager/deputy will collect the emergency contact list, visitors register, staff register and mobile phone (if it is safe to do so). The senior person in each room will check that there are no children in the cloak rooms or toilets and ensure windows and doors are closed (if in no immediate danger) and take the register with them. At the assembly point children, staff and visitors are checked against the registers to ensure no one is missing.Never re-enter the building unless you have been cleared to do so by the fire services. Security incident Politely greet the intruder, identify yourself and ask the purpose of their visit. Explain that all visitors must si gn in. If the intruder becomes agitated and refuses to leave the building peacefully, try to calm them whilst a colleague calls the police. Children should be moved to a room furthest from the intruder and distracted by staff and will stay there until the police arrive. Explain to the police what has happened so they can deal with the intruder.If the person leaves before the police arrive do not detain them. Remember to log any incidents and review all security measures. Missing children or young person As soon as a child has gone missing the manager must be notified immediately. The remaining children are moved to one room with appropriate number of staff, remaining staff will search the area the child was last seen for a maximum of 5 minutes. Inform the infant school and organise a search of school grounds for 10 minutes with all available staff. After a maximum of 15 minutes the child’s parents/carers and emergency services are contacted. Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and Young People Assignment 008 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people Task A 1. Identify a current national piece of legislation relevant to safeguarding children and young people’s welfare. United Nations Convention on the rights of a child. 2. Identify two current local policies, procedures or guidance in relation to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. Child Protection Policy and Health and Safety Policy. 3. Complete the following table with two examples. Agency nameRole of the agency (involved in safeguarding(in own work setting) ————————————————-Children and young people) Children & Young People Portfolio Advice and support regarding (social Services) child abuse. _________________________________________________________ Early Intervention Advisory Team Supporting a child’s individual needs and working alongside key workers. 4. Complete t he following table. Types of child abuseList 3 characteristics for each ————————————————- Type of child abuse PhysicalBruises in strange places, cuts Burns/scalds ————————————————-EmotionalWithdrawn, stammering/stuttering, acting totally different to normal. ————————————————- SexualItching/pain in gentile area, wetting/soiling themselves, inappropriate play with toys/dolls ————————————————- NeglectDirty, constantly tired, malnourished BullyingWithdrawn, finding excuses not to go to school, asking for money. 5. Complete the following table. â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Concerns that a colleague isGive a description of the action to take in response. Failing to comply withReport concerns straight away ———————————————— Safeguarding proceduresto the manager/designated person. If the colleague is the manager/designated person then the deputy must be informed. Harming, abusing orReport concerns straight away Bullying a child orto the manager/designated Young person. person. If the colleague is the manager/designated person then report to the deputy manager and trustees. 6. Describe the principles and boundaries of confidentiality and when to share information. In many cases the passing of information is routine, relating to the child’s daily care and needs.Other than this all records and information given by th e parents is kept locked away and only made available to staff working closely with the child concerned. Information on child protection issues will only be shared with other staff on a need to know basis. This need to know basis refers to outside agencies if they become involved. Parents have the rights to see the records on their children if requested. If parents disclose any confidential information to a member of staff they must be told that the information will be shared with the manager whilst assuring them that it will not be discussed outside the nursery setting.There are no circumstances in which disclosure of child abuse will be kept confidential. Assignment 008 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people Task B 2. Produce a five point action plan to follow if a child is suffering from any or all of the following sign and symptoms: Severe headache, feeling nauseous, raised temperature, sensitivity to light, raised rash or spots. Actions to take 1. Check temperatu re 2. Check for rash, spots, photophobia 3. Ring ambulance 4. Ring parents/carer 5. Move to a quiet area away from other children. 3. Complete the following table showing what actions to take in an emergency.Fire In the event of a fire dial 999. The staff will evacuate the children quietly and calmly to the assembly point. The manager/deputy will collect the emergency contact list, visitors register, staff register and mobile phone (if it is safe to do so). The senior person in each room will check that there are no children in the cloak rooms or toilets and ensure windows and doors are closed (if in no immediate danger) and take the register with them. At the assembly point children, staff and visitors are checked against the registers to ensure no one is missing.Never re-enter the building unless you have been cleared to do so by the fire services. Security incident Politely greet the intruder, identify yourself and ask the purpose of their visit. Explain that all visitors must si gn in. If the intruder becomes agitated and refuses to leave the building peacefully, try to calm them whilst a colleague calls the police. Children should be moved to a room furthest from the intruder and distracted by staff and will stay there until the police arrive. Explain to the police what has happened so they can deal with the intruder.If the person leaves before the police arrive do not detain them. Remember to log any incidents and review all security measures. Missing children or young person As soon as a child has gone missing the manager must be notified immediately. The remaining children are moved to one room with appropriate number of staff, remaining staff will search the area the child was last seen for a maximum of 5 minutes. Inform the infant school and organise a search of school grounds for 10 minutes with all available staff. After a maximum of 15 minutes the child’s parents/carers and emergency services are contacted.

Free Essays on Lucille Clifton

Lucille Clifton In the poems â€Å"The Lost Baby Poem†, â€Å"She Understands Me†, and â€Å"Homage to My Hips†, Lucille Clifton is letting the reader know how she feels about life issues. In the three poems, Clifton does a great job of simplifying reproduction, abortion, and beauty. She makes very strong points about the way she feels. Clifton’s poems seem guided by her own experience and consciousness. In â€Å"She Understands Me†, the author is telling us about the time she had a baby; how she lived through her child again. In â€Å"The Lost Baby Poem†, Clifton is telling us about abortion, and how it must have been for the baby, and the way she felt about abortion. In â€Å"Homage to My Hips†, the author is telling us how she looks, and that she can get any man she wants. Her style throughout these poems is simple, very descriptive, and constant. Clifton’s poems are simple in language, complex in ideas, and reflective of everyday issues. In â€Å"The Lost Baby Poem,† Clifton explains why the mother did not have her child. It would have been born in winter, in a time where she had financial problems. Perhaps she would have given up her baby for adoption. Lucille Clifton uses the image of water and drowning to speak of the abortion through, â€Å"waters rushing.† She also uses the image of poverty through, â€Å"disconnected gas, and no car.† In the last lines of the poem, â€Å"Let the rivers pour over my head,† â€Å"Let black men call me stranger,† I believe the image is that the woman promises her unborn child that she will be the best mother to the children she already has, and that if she breaks her promise she should get punished by those things. The woman described in this poem sounds like she was strong. Clifton uses shot sentences, with no capitalization, and punctuation. In â€Å"Homage to My Hips,† Clifton captures the reality and symbolism of the body. She uses her body to express herself, as she accepts it as it is, ... Free Essays on Lucille Clifton Free Essays on Lucille Clifton Lucille Clifton In the poems â€Å"The Lost Baby Poem†, â€Å"She Understands Me†, and â€Å"Homage to My Hips†, Lucille Clifton is letting the reader know how she feels about life issues. In the three poems, Clifton does a great job of simplifying reproduction, abortion, and beauty. She makes very strong points about the way she feels. Clifton’s poems seem guided by her own experience and consciousness. In â€Å"She Understands Me†, the author is telling us about the time she had a baby; how she lived through her child again. In â€Å"The Lost Baby Poem†, Clifton is telling us about abortion, and how it must have been for the baby, and the way she felt about abortion. In â€Å"Homage to My Hips†, the author is telling us how she looks, and that she can get any man she wants. Her style throughout these poems is simple, very descriptive, and constant. Clifton’s poems are simple in language, complex in ideas, and reflective of everyday issues. In â€Å"The Lost Baby Poem,† Clifton explains why the mother did not have her child. It would have been born in winter, in a time where she had financial problems. Perhaps she would have given up her baby for adoption. Lucille Clifton uses the image of water and drowning to speak of the abortion through, â€Å"waters rushing.† She also uses the image of poverty through, â€Å"disconnected gas, and no car.† In the last lines of the poem, â€Å"Let the rivers pour over my head,† â€Å"Let black men call me stranger,† I believe the image is that the woman promises her unborn child that she will be the best mother to the children she already has, and that if she breaks her promise she should get punished by those things. The woman described in this poem sounds like she was strong. Clifton uses shot sentences, with no capitalization, and punctuation. In â€Å"Homage to My Hips,† Clifton captures the reality and symbolism of the body. She uses her body to express herself, as she accepts it as it is, ...

Ivan the Terrible essays

Ivan the Terrible essays I, Ivan IV, was the first of two children born to Basil III, who had been attempting for many years without success to have a son. Basil, my father, divorced his first wife, Solomonia Saburova (which he had picked, by royal custom, personally out of thousands of virgins) due to her disability of not being able to bear his child. My father then quickly remarried a princess of royal Mongolian culture on January 21, 1526. This woman was Elena Glinskaya who became my mother. I was born on the evening of August 25, 1530. Two years after in 1532, my deaf-mute brother, Fyodor, was born. The following year, when I was only three, my father died due to a small little pimple on his leg that turned into a deadly sore. While he was dying, my father requested that I become the ruler of Russia when I reached the age of fifteen. However, his request was denied by the Russia aristocracy and they prevented my becoming their ruler. Instead, my mother Elena successfully ruled Russia for four years until she was killed. During this time, I was ignored and isolated from everyone except my nurse Agrafena. After my mother died, Agrafena was taken from me. My loneliness continued and the boyars ruling Russia would abuse me or not pay me any attention. The boyars would only pay attention to me when my presence was needed at a ceremony, otherwise they would ignore or abuse me. As the rivalry in the Palace for the power of Russia escalated into a bloody feud, I witnessed horrible things. I watched and heard murders, beatings and took verbal and physical abuse regularly. Because I was unable to hit my boyars, I would take my frustration out on animals. I imagined the animals being the men who tortured me. On December 29, 1543, I called the boyars to a meeting. I condemned them for ignoring me and my nation. Later I punished them for this by sending a group of huntsmen to seize Prince Andrew Shuiksy. Then in front of a group ...

18-year-olds Going OTR Are They Ready Are You

18-year-olds Going OTR Are They Ready Are You The demands on the trucking industry are increasing every year- many companies are running at full capacity with daily shipments in need of experienced, licensed CDLs to pull their weight.  Might the 18-20 year old set offer the potential to fulfill urgent delivery schedules? While most states require drivers to be 21 to acquire their commercial driver’s licenses, some do allow 18-20 year olds to take regional trucking jobs. But they can’t cross state lines, and there’s a frustrating lag between graduating from high school, getting your CDL, and being eligible to take most jobs in the industry. Many young drivers move on to careers that are more readily available, which means the industry is missing out.An Argument AgainstOne of the best tools for handling stressful job situations is maturity and experience- a teenager fresh out of high school probably hasn’t had to bounce back from so much as a fender-bender. Trucking requires the utmost professionalism and responsibility. Most teenagers make inadequate interns, but should we really trust them on the road?Brain Development in Progress: Both a Pro and a ConMaybe their reflexes are slightly sharper and they need less sleep, but the human brain continues to develop until age 25! Teens have underdeveloped frontal lobe, which is where impulse control, memory, attention, and consciousness are stored. On the flip side, they have a great capacity for learning, and by the time they’ve grown into full maturity as drivers, their skills will be ingrained.Plan for the FutureWhile executives, dispatchers, and company owners may feel its in their best interests to get young drivers on the road as soon as possible, in the interests of safety and performance, more training measures should  be developed before it becomes a viable industry-wide goal. Innovations like semi-automated trucking might help alleviate the risks of less-experienced young drivers (or benefit from their likely life-l ong fluency with new technology), and  ride-along training programs may help get the younger workforce up to speed faster and safer.

Minimalism nature and environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Minimalism nature and environment - Essay Example The focal point of light is strategically place to allow entry that gives the intended pattern of shadows. It adds serenity to the design by giving light the intended mood such as falling, misty, bare, living, falling, limited, soft, and calm. This depends on the intended use for the space and the lighting needs of the users. One of the famous minimalist architects is Tadao Ando. He is a Japanese native who has influence the field by revolutionizing the minimalistic approach to design. Some of his famous work include Azoma house- Osaka, Inamori Auditorium-Kagoshima, Church of Light –Ibaraki among others. These architectural pieces have integrated the environmental factors of light, rain, water and shadows. The structure of the house is made up three equal rectangular blocks. One of them is the place in the middle to serve as an open courtyard for the house. It is appearance, and spatial organization, allow its user to experience and appreciate the richness of space within the geometry. The geometrical organization emphasizes on emptiness and free space to represent the beauty of simplicity. The space left flanking in the interior courtyard creates an attempt to return the 'contact with light, air, rain, and other natural elements' to the Japanese life-style. Besides providing natural lighting to the house it also serves as the focal point of family life. The open court is a spatial entity that tries to compensate for the reduced physical space by reinstating the traditional model of the family.

Cost Accounting and Management Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cost Accounting and Management Decisions - Essay Example Company Description Alcoa is an American manufacturing organisation which deals in producing primary aluminium and fabricated aluminium. Furthermore, the organisation is also known as one of the biggest drillers of bauxite and refiner of alumina in an international context. The primary products of Alcoa are divided into two major categories which are aluminium products and non-aluminium products. Aluminium products of Alcoa comprise alumina, primary metals, flat-rolled products and engineered products and solutions. On the other hand, non-aluminium products of Alcoa include industrial fastenings, precision casting and aerospace products (Alcoa Inc, 2013). Impact of Changes in the Variable Cost / Fixed Cost Structure of Alcoa on Cost- Volume Profit Analysis Decisions by Managers Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis is often argued to assist in taking decisions about business operations for any manufacturing organisation. It is applied as a method of inspecting the link between fixed and variable expenses with respect to number of manufacturing units and related profits. In order to use the CVP analysis, there is need for analysing the business operations obtaining an unambiguous understanding of fixed expenses incurred by the business in comparison to variable expenses. Therefore, any kind of changes in the fixed expense and variable expenses can impact on CVP analysis and product manufacturing decisions of a particular business like Alcoa. For instance, through CVP analysis, Alcoa can determine the cost of its products more accurately than the traditional method. As a CVP analysis develops a clear understanding of the fixed and variable costs incurred by a manufacturing firm, accountants and managers are likely to gain better control on the total costs of any product comprising certain fixed and variable components. With a better control on the total cost, these components can be used in order to clarify variations in product price as well as variations in expense s. As the number of quantity produced increases, per unit variable and fixed expenses are quite likely to decrease to a certain extent. Hence, per unit expenses will also reduce with respect to a decline in fixed and variable expenses rewarding the company with greater opportunity to serve its customers either with increased supply quantity or at a competitive price maintaining its profitability. Stating precisely, by understanding the fixed and variable expenses structure of Alcoa, the managers of the organisation can determine the level to which minimisation of prices of products would not compromise the profit gain per unit (Wiley, 2004). Analysis of the Current Cost System of Alcoa There are two major types of costing system which can be used by an organisation namely traditional costing system and Activity Based Costing (ABC) system. In this context, it has been observed that Alcoa uses the ABC costing system in its business operations for determining the cost of products as we ll as for framing its budgeting strategies (Krishnan, 2006). ABC system divides every manufacturing activity explicitly and determines the portion of overhead expenses which are used for manufacturing one unit of a product. Contextually, the ABC system makes possible for Alcoa to establish more comprehensive factory management structures. With an apparent view of cost of products grounded on ABC system, the managers of Alcoa are

Individual application paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual application paper - Essay Example This could be because am junior to him or we are not very close friends. I believe in his own way, he is right because based on my understanding and knowledge, the owners of the restaurant also has never questioned him or complained. I think generally I don’t like Erick the manager. I do not know whether my dislike for Erick will create a negative attitude toward him or am just being biased. His style of management does not conform to the normal style of management which has been in existence since I joined Franklin group of companies. I do not welcome his tendency of hiring his friends to work in the restaurant because some are incompetent like Colleen. Despite that I do not agree with his style of management, I think Erick also believes he is right in his own way of doing things. However much I can be critical or conservative to some of his decisions, I think he trusts the people he always hires. Take a scenario of an episode, which occurred last Saturday night, and you will agree with me. The policies of the restaurant stipulate that an employee cannot leave the cafe at the end of the working day before being released by the manager. However, on the material Saturday, Colleen, a waitress and one of the friends of Erick, was to go home at 11.30 pm but was not yet released by the manager. ... Two clients comes into her sections and she ignores them. Her behavior made me dislike her so much because she does not value work and responds to me rudely. I may be judgmental to her but I think to Colleen, she knew her time was up and was waiting to be released. Similarly, her response to me that she did not see the clients might be true given that it was a busy evening and many people move in and out (Mind Tools, 2013). Similarly, I later decided to approach the management about the incidence despite the fact that I knew what would be the response of the manager. I do not think Erick could have responded well could he have more time to with me or if I could have come another time. This is because he only spared me one minute on such a sensitive matter. But generally I believe maybe my report undermined his decisions on the operations of the restaurant or he liked the waitress. My Action plan After studying the situation in the restaurant for some time now and was not pleased with the way it was being managed, I look for an opportune moment to act for the well being of the restaurant. The issues I identified that need action was the general manager to stop hiring his friend the restaurant most of whom are lazy, the working policies to be followed and the management should consider the opinions of the junior employees in managing the restaurant (Mind Tools, 2013). I feel that the general manager ignored my report and the well being of the restaurant and I believe I was right in reporting the matter to him as the general manager of the restaurant. My plan of action will mainly focus to the manager and if it fails, I will try to seek audience with the owner of the restaurant. Furthermore,

The health and sanitary conditions within womans prisons (United Essay

The health and sanitary conditions within womans prisons (United Kingdom) not mental health - Essay Example (Toolkit for health care needs assessment in prisons) A committee known as Friends World Committee for Consultation have been taking up the issue of criminal justice and caring about the conditions that prevail in the prison for the last 350 years of their existence in UK. This committee feels that particularly there is need to give importance to women and girls particularly female juveniles under the age group of 18 years, in the prison during their imprisonment period following trial. Also there added concern is also includes their stay in hostels or similar places like the prison or about the general health care conditions of the babies and children of imprisoned women when both the child as well as the mother are inside the prison. (Women in Prison and Children of Imprisoned Mothers Preliminary Research Paper) The reason for the emergence of such committees is to understand and make the issue of the conditions of women and girl prisoners inside the prison, and also to collect information and ideas to resolve the issues and analyze them better. It is generally felt that though both men and women are subjected to imprisonment, there has been little consideration about the care and various needs of the imprisoned women. This way of omitting the care taken on women prisoners could be due to the strength of the women prisoners that is the number of women prisoners are much lesser in number when compared to men. (Women in Prison and Children of Imprisoned Mothers Preliminary Research

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

4.2 - Essay Example (Fielding, 2001) In early childhood, patients with Dyslexia find it hard to know direction and differentiate between left and right, experience delay in speech and suffer from letter reversing. It seems hard for schoolchildren to generate or even identify rhyming words; they also cannot segment words to different sounds, and these students mostly tend to add or omit words during writing or reading. Moreover, it becomes hard for them to count syllables in words and retrieve them while they still cannot name problems (Hoien, 2000). Schools with student who suffer from dyslexia always maintain structured daily routines. This assists them know what to do, how and at what time. These schools should also embrace methods and channels that provide learning through a combination of visual and audio elements. For this, pupils to perform well academically also these schools should provide a platform in which these students can use and build additional resources to the best of their interests. AcceleRead Accelerate software gives complete instructions on how to use the computer in text to speech software. The software helps in teaching students who experience literacy hardships to improve in writing, reading, spelling, and listening skills. It is composed of perforated, color-coded flash cards with record sheets, along with flash cards that are blank, which one can use to print their own sentences. This software requires installation of a text-to-speech engine in the pupil’s computer. It also aids students with Dyslexia in writing letters at specific times. Here he learns to read and write because of the introduction of irregular and tricky words (fielding, 2001). Martin’s school can also introduce the use of a unit of sound online; this is a new way that helps in reading, dictation, spelling and boosting of memory. Unit of sound is a cumulative, structured and multisensory program me that teaches the

Analayzing Boston Bombing - Terrorism or not terrorism Essay

Analayzing Boston Bombing - Terrorism or not terrorism - Essay Example The deceased’s younger brother, 19-year-old Dzokhar fled the scene in an illegally possessed SUV and was discovered in a severely injured state later that evening by law enforcement personnel and shifted to a medical facility in Boston. Schmitt and Schmidt reported that the wound on the suspect’s neck indicated that Dzokhar had tried to kill himself at some point during his escape from the shootout scene at Watertown. Dzokhar Tsarnaev was charged with exercising the use of a weapon of mass destruction to cause death along with initiating malevolent devastation of property. Both these charges were levied on April 22, 2013 against the suspect in relation with the Boston Marathon bombings. If the charges against the suspect are proven to be true, it is expected that he would face the death penalty. The atrocity that was committed against the people of Boston on April 15, 2013 which claimed 3 innocent lives and injured over 260 people has raised several important questions for the state, the society and concerned authorities alike. Initial reports have concluded a possible religious motivation behind the attacks, Pearson, however has reported that the bombers could have been incited to conduct the attacks due to the U.S wars against terror in Afghanistan and Iraq. Building on the aforementioned information this part of the paper will assess and analyze the event at an International System level. This discussion entails an examination of the involvement of international and external organizations or institutions that may have influenced and shaped the mindset of the suspected bombers, Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev to conduct such an atrocity as the Boston Marathon bombings. It is imperative to the discussion to outline the profile of the suspected bombers in order to explore their intentions and motivations with pertinence to the involvement of international forces and organizations. Born to Muslim parents, the suspects belong to Chechen-Avar ethnicity and their family emigrated from Kyrgyzstan in 2002. Reports on Tamerlan’s early life in the United States do not indicate any involvement or association with Islamic fundamentalism. The deceased’s educational background suggests that his failure to perform well in his studies led him to concentrate on a career in boxing (Finn). According to Waxman, Tamerlan supposedly experienced a drastic religious transformation in 2009. As suggested by the late suspect’s uncle Ruslan Tsarni in an interview, Tamerlan’s customary presence at various Islamic societies across Boston critically aided his transition towards the path of radicalization which was reflected in dramatic changes in his behavior and actions such as one incident in which the slain suspect assaulted his girlfriend and demanded that she veil herself and accept Islam (Kenner). Researchers have highlighted how accessibility to media such as videos, literature, websites and books that preach Islamic fun damentalism can immensely affect the psyche of an impressionable mind. The evidence of an influence of radical media such as the teachings of radical clerics on the psyche of Dzokhar and Tamerlan is quite evident. Fundamentalist leaders and preachers such as Osama Bin Laden have released several literature and books to incite

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

4.2 - Essay Example (Fielding, 2001) In early childhood, patients with Dyslexia find it hard to know direction and differentiate between left and right, experience delay in speech and suffer from letter reversing. It seems hard for schoolchildren to generate or even identify rhyming words; they also cannot segment words to different sounds, and these students mostly tend to add or omit words during writing or reading. Moreover, it becomes hard for them to count syllables in words and retrieve them while they still cannot name problems (Hoien, 2000). Schools with student who suffer from dyslexia always maintain structured daily routines. This assists them know what to do, how and at what time. These schools should also embrace methods and channels that provide learning through a combination of visual and audio elements. For this, pupils to perform well academically also these schools should provide a platform in which these students can use and build additional resources to the best of their interests. AcceleRead Accelerate software gives complete instructions on how to use the computer in text to speech software. The software helps in teaching students who experience literacy hardships to improve in writing, reading, spelling, and listening skills. It is composed of perforated, color-coded flash cards with record sheets, along with flash cards that are blank, which one can use to print their own sentences. This software requires installation of a text-to-speech engine in the pupil’s computer. It also aids students with Dyslexia in writing letters at specific times. Here he learns to read and write because of the introduction of irregular and tricky words (fielding, 2001). Martin’s school can also introduce the use of a unit of sound online; this is a new way that helps in reading, dictation, spelling and boosting of memory. Unit of sound is a cumulative, structured and multisensory program me that teaches the

Comparing and contrasting between two poems Essay Example for Free

Comparing and contrasting between two poems Essay In this essay I am going to look at the differences and similarities between two cultural poems. I will look at the language used by the poets to describe the different cultures and I will also look at the imagery used to portray the cultures in the poems. The two poems I will be looking at is Island man by Grace Nichols and Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker The poem Island Man is about a Caribbean Island man who lives in London and still wakes up to the sound of the sea and the poem Blessing is about a third world country who have hardly any water and cant wait for the water pipe to burst so that they can have some more water for a while. Island Man is broken up into four stanzas with one line at the end on its own. The first stanza is where he is waking up after dreaming about the island and he is slowly coming back from his dream. In this stanza they have used a metaphor wombing, which is actually a made up word, however, this word makes you think that he could have possibly grown up here as the word gives the impression that he feels a sense of safety towards the island and so he could have grown up there. It also uses sibilance with the words Surf, steady and wakes. This creates a calm and gentle mood for the island where Island Man possibly grew up. The second Stanza is also about him waking up from his dream and coming back from the island in his head and also expands on the image created in the first stanza. The first line Wild seabirds gives you the feeling that on this island you are free and you can relax and have fun without being stressed out all the time. There is an adverb defiantly used on the third line to describe the sun Sun surfacing defiantly this is a lexical field, creating the image of independence or refusing to be organized. Also the word emerald has been used to describe the island, this suggests that the island is precious to him and that it has many vivid colours whish are really special to him. Then the last line of the second stanza is stood out from the rest of the poem groggily groggily is used to describe the him coming back from the island to the stress of everyday life, and it emphasises the way that he doesnt want to come back. The third and fourth stanzas are about him waking up from his dream about the island and realises that he is in London and not where he wants to be. Grey metallic soar and Dull, north circular roar are used to describe London as really dull and having a lack of colour, whereas the island appeared to be very colourful, for example Blue surf and sun surfacing defiantly and emerald island. Also in the third stanza the third line stands out from the rest of the poem Surge of wheels, this is describing the sharp sound of London compared to the soft and relaxing sounds of the island. In the fourth stanza, the first and second lines link back to the island muffling, muffling deadens the sharp sounds from earlier in the poem and his crumpled pillow waves, links to the sounds of the island, him thinking his pillow is the waves of the island. And finally the last line in the fourth stanza island man heaves himself which is followed by the last line Another London day, Contrasts with wakes up and shows how much he really is longing to be on that island instead of in London and how he has to pull himself away from his island and begin another London day. The poem Blessing starts with a similie which really emphasises the meaning of the poem the skin cracks like a pod. There is never enough water, onomatopoeia is also used with the word cracks to add emphasis to show how desperate these people are for water. Like Island Man the second stanza expands on the image created within the first two lines. The second line uses onomatopoeia twice, splash and echo. This makes you realise how precious the water is to the people in the poem, especially when it says how they imagine the echo of it in a tin mug on lines 3-6, this really shows there desperation and longing for something everyone else would take for granted. In the third stanza, various metaphors are used to add emphasis to the previous stanza and also create a new image of how they react when they receive more water than they normally have. They describe the water as silver crashing to the ground, this shows how important the water is to the people, especially when the water is described as silver. The people are described as a congregation to again add emphasis and show how much these people want the water and how desperate they are, this is shown again by using another metaphor on the very last line of the third stanza frantic hands, this again shows the desperate people trying to reach for the water. Finally, the fourth stanza describes how fantastic and amazing they find this water by using another metaphor to show how much they treasure the water as the blessing sings over their small bones, also in this final stanza it describes how poor they were and how little they had by saying that the children were naked and their small bones could mean that they are really weak as they dont have much to eat and obviously not enough to drink. Overall the two poems are fairly similar as they are both about people wanting things and longing for something that they dont have. For instance in Island Man he continuously dreams about the island where he possibly grew up and where he wants to be everyday instead of the dull and stressful life that he is currently living in London. Likewise in Blessing the people who live in the poor country have hardly any water and are longing for water. A phrase from each poem could possibly link this to each poem, for example in Island Man on the fourth line it says In his head and in Blessing on the third line it says Imagine. These phrases could indicate to the reader that both poems are about people wanting things that they cant have and are so desperate that they dream about them. However there are differences between the two poems, for instance in the way the poems are written, because Island man has no punctuation apart from a capital letter on the first and last line and also on the first line in the section of poem that starts to describe the city of London. This could be to distinguish between the two different places described in the poem and then the last line of the poem where it shows how he is feeling about waking up for another London day when he really doesnt want to. And also because in Blessing they are longing for something which they need to survive (water), whereas in Island Man he is desperate to go back to the island where he grew up and is precious to him however unlike the people in Blessing, he could actually live without the island, even though he may not want to, although you cant live without water.

Impact of Mixed Ability Classrooms in Catholic School

Impact of Mixed Ability Classrooms in Catholic School A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers(Taylor, P.1). In this chapter, my purpose is to convey what knowledge and ideas have been established by others in my research field. I would discuss the literature which would help me answer my research questions: What is the impact of Mixed Ability Classrooms in a Catholic School since its implementation in 2005? Did low achievers ability grouping strategy of GCS have a significant impact on academic school achievement? Could Mixed Ability Classrooms and Ability Classrooms continue to coexist in the future? The literature reviews what international body has found on Mixed Ability and Ability Grouping and how it has impacted since implementation, as well as its implications in Mauritius especially for GCS. This chapter is schematically structured as follows: Mixed Ability Mauritian definition v/s others Mixed Ability Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategies which could be applicable but are not used in the Mauritian context Mixed Ability Disadvantages Ability Grouping Definition and which one is adapted to GCS. The pros and cons of Ability Grouping Ability Grouping v/s Conclusions of other literatures on the correlation existing between grouping School achievement and achievement 2 Mixed Ability Mixed Ability is first defined before its implication in the Mauritian context is considered. Mckeon (2004) defines Mixed Ability Classroom as a group consisting of able, average, and children with learning difficulties in the same class. (cited in Bremner, 2008, p.2). Ireson and Hallam (2001) reinforce the idea of Mixed Ability classrooms as those catering for diverse learning styles and preferences. (cited in Bremner, 2008, p.2). These two definitions are consistent with what is found in the Mauritian context. In 2005, the BEC changed the corporate aim of all Mauritian Catholic Schools in adopting the Mixed Ability Policy. This was translated by a change in the intake criteria of these schools for Form 1 students. Admission criteria, under BEC aegis, for Form 1 students since 2005 are as follows: Aggregate of 15 to 20 units at the Certificate of Primary Education Zoning: The Secondary School where application is lodged should be in the same zone as the Primary School attended Social Cases: on Humanitarian grounds Individual results in English, Mathematics, Science, French or History/Geography (in that order) will be used for candidates with the same aggregate Aptitude tests/Interviews/Random selection if there are too many successful applications (Source: BEC, 2003) Thus the Form 1 classrooms in Catholic Schools had a diverse group of students since 2005. This situation harmonises itself with the Catholic Education mission which is to: humanise education, pedagogies, methods, means for students, teachers, parents to be more humanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦A human education is a collaborative and creative approach to learning (Bishop Piat, Le Mauricien, Jan. 2006). Mixed ability classes in catholic schools of Mauritius therefore are made up of low, middle and high achievers within the same classroom. This concept is acknowledged by Dauguet (2007) that in Mauritius Mixed Ability is related to performance-based groupings (p.58) and Merven (2005) where students with different academic levels will be in the same classroom (p.36). It is understood that Mixed Ability is related to differentiation since diversity means differences (Tileston, 2004, p.13). The concept of differentiation can be defined as meeting the individual needs of each learner, of customising instruction to help students learn (Fogarty, 2005, p.2). . Rose (2009) compared a Mixed Ability Class with an elevator. The class is a lift, and everyone needs to get into the lift. Some will get on while others have to be dragged in. Some will travel to the top while others may stop at the 3rd floor, others may only reach the first floor but everyone would have travelled successfully somewhere. (English Teaching Professional, p. 3). This story is in line with Mixed Ability philosophy where every student can leave the classroom feeling that they have been challenged and that they have achieved something. Teaching, Learning and Assessments are ingredients used as tools to make a Mixed Ability class effective. 2.1 Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategies in Mixed Ability Classrooms GCS Mixed Ability Classrooms have features which are characteristics of both the differentiated classroom as well as the traditional one. (Appendix..). In my study I aim to find out whether Mixed Ability Classrooms at GCS were consistent with what is said on the topic in the international literature. Thus Teaching, Learning and Assessment strategies which are used currently under Mixed Ability Policy would provide material for comparative analysis in my research. Tomlinson (1999) suggested that an educator in a differentiated classroom would use as their planning basis, the students differences. The learners on the other hand would be guided to make learning choices based on their interests. In this context the learners would be provided with an array of learning profiles such as readiness, interest and their attitude to learning which would shape instruction. In a mixed ability classroom there is the possibility that students help their co-learners in difficulty as well as their teachers in finding solutions to problems. Furthermore students work with the educator to institute embracing whole-class as well as individual learning aims. In the same line of thought, the Mixed Ability approach expressed by Harris and Snow (2004) would make students become more effective learners and the use of learner-centred strategies would give them the choice of content as well as learning style. (cited in Bremner, 2008). Bremner (2008) acknowledged that Mixed Ability Classroom success depends on students learning as an individual rather than having a whole class teaching. The teacher in developing its teaching strategies would focus on multiple forms of intelligences found in diverse classroom as stipulated by Tomlinson (1999). She further advocated that in this context educators will make use of many instructional arrangements as well as multiple teaching materials or resources. Thus this would lead to multiple perspectives on ideas and events. In this way, the teacher/facilitator enhances students skills in view of making independent learners. The GCS educators in the study were concerned about the lack of resources. The scarce resources could be circumvented (Bremner 2008) by Educators teaching learners to be effective. This should be done by setting achievable goals, by making use of available tools and keeping those in good running conditions, and by managing effectively their time allocated for work. To reinforce the key factors which would make a Mixed Ability Class successful, Moutou (2006) advocated that resource person should have a well planned and organised lesson plan. The teacher should make provision to cater for individualised needs. In order to accommodate various students needs, it should be supported by multi tasks for one lesson. This scenario is more challenging for the teacher dealing with multi level class than a single level class. Similarly, this view is consistent with GCS educators who found Mixed Ability Classrooms challenging. This challenging attitude is reflected by the following quote from Hubbard, Jones, Thornton and Wheeler: Teachers attitude, their willingness to create, a sense of community in class, and a genuine desire to help, there can be progress at all levels (1983, p.318, cited in Moutou, 2006, p.1). This challenging attitude is contrasted with teacher centred approach where teaching emphasis is on text book context and very few activities thus breeding poor lessons. This situation is further reinforced by insufficient collaboration in groups as well as inadequate differentiated tasks in class. (HM Inspectors of Education cited in Bremner 2008). GCS Educators have been challenged by the new policy to seek new ways of teaching and to make use of available materials. Thus, training and resources are important tools to make a Mixed Ability class effective. This links well with what Corbel (1989) said: Professional development occurs naturally in Mixed Ability Classes. These are classes that compel us to find better ways of setting up routine tasks. They are the classes that make us think, create and grow as a teacher. (p.4). Learning, teaching and assessments are part of the student life. Thus, Tomlinson (1999) advanced that a classroom assessment is ongoing and diagnostic (p.16). He further acknowledged that various types of assignments should be used in Mixed Ability Classrooms. To be in harmony with a learners need time flexibility should not be a constraint. Differentiated/Mixed Ability instruction and assessment work together (Tomlinson 1999, Chapman and King 2005). Marzano (2000) suggested aims of assessment and instruction as follows: Assessment should focus on students use of knowledge and complex reasoning rather than their recall of low level information Instruction must reflect the best of what we know about how learning occurs. (cited in Chapman and King, 2005, p.) Fullan (1998) reflects the above in stipulating that assessment has to drive the educational change agenda around learning and student achievement (cited in Chapman and King, 2005, p.). Assessment is therefore part of instruction and has to be ongoing and embracing the learning process. Its aim is to provide teachers with information on students profiles: skills, interests and learning strategy(Tomlinson, 1999, p.). Teachers in differentiated classroom (Tomlinson 1999) saw assessment not as a tool that come at the end of a chapter or unit where it examined what has been learned rather it views assessment as a way of changing instruction strategy. Differentiated assessment should be used to collect information on the students: needs, skills, prior knowledge, way and speed at which they process new learning, and of demonstrating progress (Chapman and King (2005) p.). When sifting through the literature it is observed that varied means of assessment directs learning and instruction. In this context Formative Assessment which is ongoing before, during and after instruction provides feedback on effective student learning (Chapman and King, 2005). Diagnostic assessments, as acknowledged by Dryer (2008) are done during the learning process. They tried to detect learning difficulties in students and this has to be attended to. Assessments, as defined by Dryer (2008) occur at the end of the learning cycle or phase and measures achievement are called Summative. The results (p.17) are used as acknowledged by Chapman and King (2005) as evidence for a grade, for reporting to parents, to identify award recipients or to make placement decisions (p.). Differentiated Assessments are contrasted with traditional assessment still in use in Mauritian schools. Puhl (1997) reflects on traditional assessment which has as purpose summative tests that forces learners to study. Traditional assessment focus in on memorisation and teacher centred strategy and encourages instruction as a product. The resulting feedback on summative tests is final and usually these tests are written work. Mauritius, whose examining body is external UCLES, is a proponent of summative examinations. As it is an island and depends on export and imports for its survival, it has to compete. This overall competition brings forward an elitist society where Education follows the trend. The Mauritian education system allows for star or national schools where the best performing student is recruited, laureates (top ranked students at Higher School Certificate who benefits from a scholarship), and the parallel education wide tuition based. All this encouraged the elitist system to proliferate. As only final score counts in such system, summative examinations are adopted thro ughout the Mauritian school system. Although since the 70s in England, and under the different Education Mauritian policy papers, Mixed Ability philosophy has been encouraged, such classrooms have encountered problems. Salli-copur (2005) reported that it is difficult for a teacher even for a small group to follow each learner. Due to individual differences students react differently to text book which can be enjoyable for some and boring for others. There is also the fact that, students who feel confident voice out their answers quicker and more often than the shy ones. GCS Mixed Ability Classrooms are large. As a result of complaints from GCS Educators encountering difficulties in managing and instructing Mixed Ability Classrooms, Low Achievers Ability Classroom was formed. 2.2 Ability Grouping As a result of Mixed Ability Policy implemented in the Catholic School under investigation in the research, the low achievers ability grouping was formed and used as a strategy to promote learning and strengthen academic achievement. As stipulated by George (1988) the ability grouping practice at GCS is aimed at: increasing academic standards compared to what it was in a mixed ability environment, the students which could embrace a good feeling/attitude towards schools and also in their input as a learner, reinforcing teachers effectiveness. In perusing through the literature, it was discovered that the ability grouping is also known as: setting, banding, streaming, tracking. This is reflected in the following quote: The controversy of arranging students in classes by achievement levels, called setting or streaming in Scotland and tracking or ability grouping in the United States is over 100 years old. (Gamoran, 2002). Thus ability grouping is defined as: Ability grouping is the practice of dividing students for instruction on the basis of their perceived capacities for learning (Balanced View, 2002, Vol 6, No.2). The Balanced View (2002) makes the distinction between within class grouping and between class grouping. The former group separates students of same ability into smaller groups while the latter allocate students to different classes based on achievement. GCS has adopted the later system. Smith and Sutherland (2003) offered a rationale for ability grouping in the sense that teachers would feel not only more at ease with a smaller range of ability but also it could be a way of separating students with behaviour problems. Such a class would motivate students and learners to learn better than in a Mixed Ability one and thus have a chance in improving their results. (cited in the Journal of Research in Special Education Needs, 2003). GCS criteria for Ability Grouping would be consistent with Barker-Lunn (1970) idea that Teachers, faced with a Mixed Ability class, will group the pupils according to their abilities; in other words, they will solve the problems presented to them by the unstreamed school by streaming within the class (Cited in Kelly, 1978, p.96). Kelly (1978) further added that there is a direct correlation between achievement and grouping. The students with same working pace and past achievements would be grouped together. The practice in GCS is analogous to what is described by Oakes (15 16 cited in Johnson (2002). The latter acknowledged that students can be grouped through the following criteria: achievement through tests performance, teachers perception of where to situate the students level of understanding and learning, and their prospects of what students intend to do after graduation. Thus, Oakes acknowledged that a homogeneous group would be consistent with the learners needs. Johnson (2002) further emphasised that to group learners with their peers who are in similar process of learning is a positive move. Ability grouping would therefore make education efficient and effective for all students while recognising individual differences. (Johnson, 2002, p 2). Grouping according to ability is not new: Ireson and Hallam recount that: Historically, grouping in the UK had been based on measures of general ability or intelligence, such as verbal reasoning and cognitive abilities. During the 1960s and 1970s such test were used by many secondary schools to allocate pupils to streams on entry. Pupils were then taught in their streamed classes for all lessons (1999, p.343-344). GCS Ability grouping could turn out to be a discouraging strategy for the school if the disadvantages that are revealed in the literature become applicable to the school. Opponents of ability grouping as written in the Balanced View (2002) do not believe in its good effects as they prescribed that this type of grouping encouraged the channelling of poor and minority students to receive lower quality instruction thus contributing to enlarge the gap between the low and high achievers. (Vol 6, No.2). Other arguments advanced by Hollifield (1987) against ability grouping are, that the practice creates classes or groups of low achievers who are deprived of the example and stimulation provided by high achievers. Labelling students according to ability and assigning them to low-achievement groups may also communicate self-fulfilling low expectations.(p.1). This further links to Gamoran (1998) criticism that ability grouping creates status hierarchy in the school system. To label students as being incompetent or less smart could create inequities outside the classroom (cited in Johnson, 2002, p.2). 2.3 Ability Grouping v/s Achievement Since one of my research questions is to find out the whether there is a significant impact between ability grouping and academic achievement, it is worth noting the different literature on the subject. Slavin (1986) proceeded to a Best Evidence Analysis. To do so, he reviewed five comprehensive ability grouping plans in elementary schools. The grouping plans are: ability grouped class assignment, regrouping for reading or mathematics, the Joplin Plan, non graded plans, and within-class ability grouping (cited in Hollifield, 1987). The Ability Grouped Class Assignment placed students in a classroom on an ability basis. The evidence found by Slavin (1986) showed that this type of grouping has no effect on student achievement in the elementary school. The Regrouping for reading or mathematics is only done during those two classes as for most of the day the students are in their mixed ability classrooms. This grouping has proved advantageous on student achievement. This has been enhanced by the fact that level and instruction pace had been adapted to achievement level. However, it must be noted that the above regrouping to be proven efficient, it should be catered for not more than two subjects. (cited in Hollifield, 1987). The Joplin Plan regrouped students across grade levels for example high achieving fourth grades, average fifth graders, low achieving six grades form part of the fifty grade reading class. Slavins (1987) found strong evidence of such grouping increases reading achievement. This piece of information reflects what was said previously in the chapter, that the notion of high achievers stimulating low achievers when they are mixed into a classroom. (cited in Hollifield, 1987). The Non Graded Plan which channelled students into flexible groups based on performance, the subject curriculum is divided in such a way that students improve at their own pace. This plan has proved a positive relationship between grouping and achievement. Similarly Within-Class Ability Grouping where students are grouped according to their ability in one classroom, evidence has shown a positive correlation between grouping and achievement. However, Slavin (1986), found out that the effects were slightly greater for low achievers than for middle or lower flyers. (cited in Hollifield, 1987). Slavin (1986) concluded that schools and teachers should adopt methods that have proved its effectiveness where ability grouping is concerned. These methods include within-class ability grouping in Maths, Non graded plans in Reading, and the Joplin plan. If ability grouped class assignment use an alternative grouping where students are assigned on performance level then it can be used in ability grouping class. (cited in Hollifield, 1987). Slavins (1986) recommendations for successful ability grouping and positive achievement level: This type of grouping should be done only for some subjects while in other subjects the students should be in mixed ability classrooms. To teach a skill, for example, Reading, the use of grouping plans would reduce student heterogeneity ((cited in Hollifield, 1987). The same plan would not work if IQ or Achievement level is being tested. If the teacher formed small within ability groups this will help instruction better as the teacher will be able to give better support. (cited in Hollifield, 1987). The literature has also revealed that low flyers made as much progress as high flyers when they are submitted to certain conditions. Gamoran (1993) explained that a US Catholic schools applied a strict academic syllabus in lower ability grouping where the same teachers taught in low and high levels, the academic curriculum stayed the same for both groups and verbal interactions and discussions form part of the teaching and learning strategy. All this factors combined had a positive effect on achievement level. However, there have been studies where it has been found that ability grouping aggravate inequalities in achievement. Kerckhoff (1986) (cited in Gamoran (2002), commented on the impact of setting v/s achievement inequality. The evidence that he used came from the National Child Development Survey (NCDS) (data collected comes from a 1958 British cohort over 20 years). Data collected are from England and Wales. Kerckhoff showed that students achievement level is greater in schools or classes which apply ability grouping while those students in mixed ability classes have decreased achievement level. However, low levels schools and classes fell far behind. Kerckhoff (1986) also explained that there is an average level of achievement growth when comparing Mixed Ability and Setting grouping schools. This is due to the fact that high achievers success is balanced against low achievers loss. Inequalities in achievement could also be due to differentiated classroom instruction. In his article, Gamoran (2002) explained these findings from the studies of English classes in US secondary schools. The study revealed that higher level students who are channelled towards more academic courses with the support of experienced, qualified and prepared educators who cover teaching and learning materials challengingly and at a faster pace show higher level of achievement than the low achieving classroom. The low level of achievement for low level class was due to the disruptive behaviours of the students and where the teacher set written work rather than encouraging open ended questions and verbal interactions. Ability Grouping fell in disfavour, according to Hallam, Ireson and Davies (2004), when educational theory decided against ability grouping (setting and streaming) from the 70s onwards (BERJ 2004, vol 30(4) pp 516-533). However over the last decade there has been a resurgence of this type of grouping. Its reappearance is commented as being the means which would help raising standards. Hallam, Ireson, and Davies (2004) recapitulated the reasons for which ability grouping fell in disfavour: Low self-esteem and social alienation of lower stream students Inconclusive evidence for positive effects on attainment A shift of educational focus towards equality of educational opportunity (BERJ 2004, vol 30(4) pp 516-533) In my research study, students opinion on ability group has been sought. Hallam, Ireson and Davies (2004) admit that there has been few research on ability grouping (streaming, setting and within class grouping) where students voice out their perspectives. The research on ability grouping popularised the relationship between that type of grouping and academic, social and personal outcomes. The article from Hallam, Ireson and Davies (2004) cited previous research which embraces Pupils perspective has drawn out the following explanations: Streaming encourages both positive and negative attitudes towards school and higher achievers are pro streaming compared to lower flyers. Setting among mathematics students reveal that more students would like to move sets or join classes where mixed ability teaching is being done. In primary schools, the students having higher status in mind would wish to be in higher ability grouping. However, most students would prefer to be given whole class work or individual work. Streaming emphasized the negative effects towards lower streams. It is further acknowledged that if pupils of below average are taught by teachers who are for streaming in a mixed ability environment, this has a negative impact on the student. This can take the form that those students do not have any friends and are rejected by their peers. Mixed ability classes encourage social cohesion in the class. It is appropriate at this stage to review the following statistics on ability grouping. George (1988) (cited in Crosby Owens (1993) revealed that: Educators and parents are in favour of tracking/ability grouping. 85% of the research says that tracking is not beneficial while 85% of schools continue to practice it.(Solutions and Strategies,1995, (5) p.2). Furthermore George (1998) and Slavin (1991a) concluded that Ability Grouping research has not prompted any conclusive answers whether it be positive or negative (Cited in Crosby and Owens, 1993). This is what I intend to find out with the research question on significance of low achieving grouping with academic school achievement. I would like to find out whether it is consistent or in opposition with George and Slavins conclusions.