Nutrition and Fitness Paper

First step to a healthier new me would be to change my current fitness habit, which is not much other than teaching dance and walking to adding more activity to my week without losing sleep. After looking at what my current fitness routine is teaching two and half hours of dance a week and walking a week for two and half hours I noticed I needed to add more activity to my week. Within that first step is to set a goal of how much time is needed to be achieved a week and how much time is available to achieve that goal. Know at least thirty minutes every day is a healthy goal of activity.So adding at least one hour a week of an activity Is what I need to do. So adding WI Dance Routine twice a week for one hour will help out and give me an extra amount to achieve the goal and go above and beyond the goal. Second step is to improve the area of nutrition, I eat the three meals a day and I even snack a bit for the extra energy kick needed for the day. But nutritional habits are a lot like f itness habits, it focuses on eating right and exercising right. Habits are created to improve or even decrease who we are.So creating a healthy habit is essential to achieve the goal set in front of us. Poor nutrition can lead to obesity which can lead to medical problems in years to come. A normal family's lifestyle can result to unhealthy eating habits with stops at fast food chains. Families need that cooking time together to eat In a healthier way and create positive habits among the parents and the children. I know my eating habits still to this day are affected by my eating habits as a child. My mother worked day and night and my dad also worked long days and sometime nights.So dinner was to a none cooked meal, sometimes It was McDonald's or pizza. So now Tanat I work more than the average forty hour work week, I sometimes slip and eat that fast food because it is there and easy. Knowing that I know I need to make the changes to change my bad habits. Fitting healthy habits int o a hectic life is not easy but following a few steps to get more nutrition and fitness in a hectic life is necessary for any person who wants to make their fifth birthday. Here are a few things that can be put into play right now that can make healthy habits an easy part of the day to day routine.Areas that I have started to make improvements in my own health is in red and highlighted to show how little steps can make big steps later in life. Guarani Ph. D (n. D. ) 1. Drink water throughout the day (doing my best currently) 2. Cut back on the amount of soda and coffee drank in the day (already made some cut backs) 3. Replace high sugar foods with low sugar versions 4. Stock up on healthy, portable snacks (eating better snacks during my day) 5. Take the time to plan healthy meals for the week 6. Purchase frozen, ready to cook ingredients 7. Pack your lunch the night before 8.Cook double batches of what your cooking 9. Give yourself some slack 10. Fit in exercise as much as you can ( trying to add more fitness in during a busy work week) 11. Take a walk break during the day (getting up at work and Just walking around the office to stretch) 12. Whenever possible, walk (parking further in parking lots when I can to increase walking) 13. Get enough sleep (trying for more than six hours, tough but trying) Now going through this list I see many areas I can do to improve my health and I also see those ways can help improve my fitness levels and my stress level at the same time too.By adding some or all of these new healthy habits into my lifestyle today, it can improve the way I feel in no time at all. Making small steps for me can help promote a new look on my weight management and by doing that it will give me more energy during the day to increase my fitness plan for adding more fitness to my week. Those new habits would help diminish the old habits that have been taught or created over the years by my parent's poor habits. My mother and her mother were not small p eople and I don't want that type of life. They were not obese people but they were not healthy either, obesity is not Just being overweight.Obesity can lead to medical problems beyond weight. Obesity can lead to heart conditions, leg problems, back problems, and even mental problems. This is onto life I want and I want to make the changes now before it changes me. While reading the New York Times today, I came across this article that the government tells people how to eat better is to eat less. â€Å"The latest nutrition guidelines released Monday by the federal government reiterates of the advice from previous years: eat less salt and saturated fats, eat more fruits and vegetables and hole grains† (Martin, 2011, Para. ). With this information they tell us by eating the Dad we wall never lose ten welling Just Keep It on, unless you cut Deck Ana eat some more of the better. At the end of the article the writer states it simple â€Å"Cut back on the cheese, hamburgers, pizza, cookies and pastries† (Martin, 2011, Para. 23). So Just cutting back can change your life. Conclusion Like kids, adults need to make the right food choices to be healthy and must exercise to be healthy. Even in a busy lifestyle they need to make the correct choices f they, plan to live pas the age of fifty years old.My family created poor habits for myself and my brother and both of us noticed the problem and knew it had to change now rather than later. More adults are battling obesity today more than ever and that is because of the busy lifestyle we all lead. By making the changes now as young adults or adults in their mid thirties they can learn how to eat properly and exercise, better to make it to fifty years old healthier than they could of before the changes. Adults must exercise as much as they can, even with a busy lifestyle.

Effects of Globalisation on Economic Growth Essay

Discuss the effects of globalisation on economic growth and the quality of life in the Chinese economy. Globalisation is the progression towards a growing assimilation between different countries in order to gain a single world market. It strongly encourages overseas trade, the removal or the reduction of trade barriers to increase economic growth and development. Globalisation ultimately presents to everyone a world which is increasingly liberalized and market-orientated. Associated with globalisation there is increased and intensified competition and greater interdependence among countries. In numerous ways China has taken this opportunity and used it to its full advantage which has enhanced economic growth and significantly improved the quality of life. China’s influence in the world economy was minimal until the late 1980’s but we are now seeing China being one of the most independent countries and leading the manufacturing producing market. China started with a fragile economy with minimal infrastructure from frequent revolutions and invasions in 1949. In the early 1980’s, China’s economy was still extremely weak as a result of its inward looking government system of a socialist planned economy under the Mao government. This resulted in living standards below world averages and economic growth at nearly zero. China has risen from the edge of economic obscurity to lead the world in terms of economic growth, and this is done is just over a quarter of a decade. The People’s Republic of China has transformed from a planned economy into a socialist market economy and is now the world’s second largest economy to the USA being number one, by nominal GDP at $7.3 trillion and by purchasing power parity (PPP). â€Å"Pay attention to what’s going on in China. â€Å" – Jeff Mbanga – The Observer. China is the world’s most rapidly growing economy with their growth rates averaging 10% in the past 30 years. In the past decades there has been a significant increase in international trading and investments flows due to globalisation. This has led to high levels of economic growth. It was unusual in the 2007-08 Global Financial crisis how an industry was maintaining an average economic growth rate of 8.5% per year. In addition to  this China’s trade with other nations has expanded 16 times more. This is occurring due to their extremely low prices which are highly competitive and pleasing to the developed western world. Although with the recent European Sovereign debt crisis â€Å"Growth in China has slowed, but to a rate that remains the envy of the world, while Chinese industry continues its march onto the world stage.†- Time magazine. China’s financial system which is often regulated has promptly expanded due to monetary policy becoming increasingly fundamental to its complete economic policy as a result of globalisation. The outcome of this has resulted in banks distributing an increase in finance to its enterprises for investment, deposits for liquidity and also loaning money to the government which maybe then reallocated in providing infrastructure. The most significant result of globalisation has been the development of China’s import sector and has allowed the nation to become the second largest exporting economy in the world. The large export sector of extremely low cost goods and services has manipulated the trade currents of the world. Through China’s growth it has developed a stable-body of trading partnerships with raw material producers. An example of this is with Australia where 40% value of all products exported is worth around $40 billion. China is buying these raw materials to accommodate its largely growing urban-mega-cities and industries to produce new goods and create more low-cost goods and a more intensifying complex form of trade. Through constant trading globally, this has increased the aggregate demand. As of 2011 foreign direct investment (FDI) has exceeded from $US.100 billion in 2010 to $US.116.10 billion. This has occurred through the private and public growth in mining, construction trade and finance. This globalisation impact has also seen a shift in the population from rural areas to urbanised cities. This has led to a decrease in agricultural produce and an astonishing increase in industrial goods and services and alleviated a substantial amount of China’s absolute poverty. The Chinese government has embraced a series of strategic policies to address the challenge of economic globalization. These strategies started in 1978 after Chairman Mao’s self-sufficient economy plan. China began employing several reform strategies to enhance growth. This included stimulating the agricultural sector to allow them to sell a percentage on the free trade market yet hold a competitive position. In addition to this  citizens were given money incentives and tax breaks in order to start new businesses and allocated regions were created to encourage high levels of investment, increase exports and increase technology levels. Other reform strategies included Deng Xiaoping’s the rearrangement of the economic structure by increasing the development of the high technology sector and moving away from the agricultural sector; transformation of the pattern of economic growth by increasing power in IT education and sustainable development as well as additional progress of the outward-oriented economy by implementing â€Å"come in† and â€Å"go out† strategies. This is where the government encourages its enterprises to invest overseas. This has been demonstrated in Australia where Chinese investors have bought farming land and are now operating that land and are taking that product back to China. Also, the government consolidated reform in State Owned enterprises ( SOEs) and government administration with a view to establish a governing mechanism in compliance with international rules and practices. These policies noticeably ease China’s integration into the global economy and have proven effective as of 2010 where almost 50% of the total population was urbanised. It took only 22 years to increase from 17.9% to 39.1%; this was the same increase which took Britain 120 years. Similar to the â€Å"come in, go out† strategy. Chinas government has applied the promotion of overseas direct investment (ODI) allowing them to invest in the large pool of foreign currency. This strategy is fulfilling their economic growth mentality and development strategies. It was 2000 when China forwarded the ‘Go Global’ strategy which encouraged firms to invest overseas. Its objective is to utilise foreign exchange reserves to purchase or buy shares in foreign firms that seem profitable. Rather than building the foundations of investment in domestic firms, China has wanted to promote the development of internationally recognized brands such a Lenovo Group Limited which has its operational headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina, USA and its registered office in Hong Kong. These reform strategies saw an upturn in economic growth rates to 9.8% annual average over the following years with this growth almost doubled from the pre-reform 5.3% shown in Figure 1. This created an influx of employment and income thus increasing the overall living standards of the economy. Foreign Direct Investment utilisation (come in and go out strategy) saw an increase of $2 billion to $92 Billion from  1985-2008 shown in figure 2. By utilising the globalisation transformation it allowed China to become exposed to global markets and increase trade and the profits made from globalisation. Figure 1. Economic development recognises both a quantitative growth measurement and important qualitative measures. A developing country is a nation with a low living standard, undeveloped industrial base and low Human Development Index. For a country to be classified as developed they have to fill a certain criteria. This includes a number of areas such as the GDP per capita, Safe water, Malnutrition, the number of poverty related deaths (malaria), Infant mortality and life expectancy. The Chinese government has grown concerns in these specific areas. In China the Human Development Index (HDI) has risen from 0.404 in 1980 to 0.682 in 2011. They are ranked 101st out of 187 countries with comparable data. The HDI has been on a steady increase since then, in 1990; 0.490 and 2000; 0.588. This shows that their overall standards of living have improved; other statistics show that their life expectancy: 73.5 years and at 0.843 out of 1; Education is at 0.623 with a compulsory 7.5 years of schooling whilst Australia is 0.981 with 12 years of schooling. This is due to policies similar to the reform of the health care system in 2005 where only 20% of the health care services would be in rural areas. This has seen China invest US $2.4 billion to rebuild rural medical centres composing of village clinics and hospitals. With relations to educational spending China has increased its spending by 20% in consecutive years since 1999 and now exceeds $100 billion. The reason China is outlaying an excessive amount of money it will build a more stable and productive population by producing skilled workers. This investment has seen a relief of absolute poverty declining 25% in rural areas. Shown in figure 3, the GDP per capita has increased drastically in 18 years which has allowed the standard of living to increase. China is still a developing country. Its service sector is relatively small and weak in comparison to its other sectors in the country and its counterparts in other countries. In addition to this in 2006 the eastern region covering 10% of  the land accounted for 55.7% of China’s GDP. Due to this uneven distribution of income this will decrease standards of living in other areas and major class seperation. â€Å"China has long been criticised for its incredibly uneven distribution of wealth.† Figure 4 highlights the success of the stimulating strategies as leading economies such as Germany and the US both experienced negative growth over the course of the Global financial crisis. The major cause for this is due to the Chinese government artifically stabilising the exchange rate to constantly produce cheap products. It was at this time that these cheap products continued to be sold to larger countries to fulfill their aggregate demand and thus China continued developing.Though with the US and Europe are in a substantial amount of debt, this has slowed the production with the Chinese production. It is said, if â€Å"China is to sneeze the whole world will catch a cold† Figure 3↑ Figure 4↓ With the extensive economic growth and the development the environment has been completely neglected as China concerntrates on its escalation in the economic world. Economic development officials often overlook envoronmental pollution, worker’s health and safety and simple public health in priority to enhance the living conditions of those in the area. The impact which china has had on its environment is illustrated through the excessive quantity of air pollution with 1% of the 500million; and growing, people who inhabit the cities. Although the breathing air is deemed safe by the European Union (EU), 1/3 of children are suffering from elevated blood levels as a result of the air quality. (Refer to picture 1.)Picture 1shows smog which is serious harm to health. It is a combination between smoke and fog and can inflame breathing passages, decrease the lung’s working capabilities, cause shortness of breth and pains whilst breathing. Regardless of these statistics China has spent $34.6 billion on clean energy and are now the leading investor of renewable technology. China is also the number one producer of carbon dioxide emitter and with conjunction to inda being the 3rd largest they account for 30% of the world’s emmisions. In conclusion globalisation is based upon nations becoming more integrated and reducing the trade barriers between nations. Although by increasing trade  this makes some countries dependent upon imports to create revenue by consumer consumption rather than utilising their comparative advantage. While by being so interdependent upon each other this will allow economic changes to ripple through and impact on other countries. Globalisation has obviously encouraged the majority of China’s accomplishments in assimilating into the global economy. The policies implemented have flowed through the economy and is showing signs of economic growth and quality of life in a number of areas. These policies will continue to promote economic growth not only for the temporary fixations but will be drawn-out for years to come. Through constructive motivation China is now moving towards clean energy usage, environmental sustainability and increasing the health of the nation and will soon be labelled a developed economy. Chinese economy essay Bibliography http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-10/29/content_15855250.htm 30/10/12- 12:44, Updated: 2012-10-29 21:18 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_People’s_Republic_of_China 30/10/12 12:54, last modified on 28 October 2012 at 17:41. http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/10/rebalancing-china?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227 7/11/12 – 10:11 am, Oct 20th 2012, 12:11 by S.C. | The Economist http://business.time.com/2012/11/07/can-chinas-new-leader-prevent-an-economic-crisis/ 8/11/12- 1:50 pm, Nov. 07, 2012 – Time Magazine http://www.google.com.au/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=677&tbm=isch&tbnid=4kyBsA9wIHlN9M:&imgrefurl=http://blendedpurple.blogspot.com/2010/08/consumption-rate-china-gdp-1980.html&docid=PQa1gLnb9LbE6M&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHca57E-jj3_xsDouV1NB5RxGYerTGStD91dr51877M8vf6izScsbnFf7W1z09sscJtjbTp3kn-Q1MuLJXuCOh6WE8yDXeHFfLJg5Jduh-NkAQUSZOyzIptEQGc0frEQNcYkuSBCAYdqO/s1600/A006%252Bcopy.jpg&w=933&h=545&ei=mBmkUPrWFqqgigeq74G4Ag&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=381&vpy=159&dur=5207&hovh=171&hovw=294&tx=125&ty=76&sig=108432953463892850089&page=1&tbnh=131&tbnw=248&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:72 9:27am 15/11/12, August 2 2010-NA http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-01/18/c_131366513.htm 16/11/12-9:26am, English.news.cn 2012-01-18 10:35:11 http:/ /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Out_policy 2:07pm 18/11/12 last modified on 13 February 2012 at 22:36. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenovo#History

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supply chain management - Essay Example Businesses make plans based on the time it takes to ship or airfreight goods from one place to the next. The time it takes from order to delivery is factored into the lead time and in arriving at a re-order level for inventory supplies. Some firms do not have enough warehouse space to store goods and so they depend on the goods to come when they are needed by the customer. Tang (2006) indicates that systems such as reducing the supply base, just-in-time (JIT) and vendor managed inventory, and outsourced manufacturing are some of the supply chain initiatives that have been used to increase revenue and reduce assets. However, Tang (2006) also indicates that although these are great initiatives in a stable environment they have created longer and more complex global supply chains which increase their vulnerability to disruptions. Although, the implementation of such systems are represents measures that firms employ in their attempt to become cost effective and therefore competitive. How ever, Lee (2004) indicates that there is generally a very large hidden cost which accompanies cost efficiency measures when disruptions occur. Therefore, cost efficiency needs to be balanced with agility, adaptability, and alignment. Lee (2004) also indicates that the objective of agility is to respond to changes in demand and supply that occur in the short term expeditiously; in the case of adaptability it is to make the necessary adjustment to the design of supply chains in order to accommodate changes in the market; and in terms of alignment, seek to improve the performance of supply chains by establishing incentives in order to motivate partners. Lee (2004) also suggests methods that can be used to achieve these objectives. When these disruptions take place there is loss of revenue as firms often run out of supplies. In the case where the supplies are finished goods it means that customers will be inconvenienced. This inconvenience is even greater when there is no other source o f supply. If the goods are raw materials it means that production may have to be halted until a new supplier is found or until the supplies of goods arrive. Therefore, customers will also have to wait longer before their demands can be satisfied. Firms also face increasing costs because of the fact that when supplies have to be sourced temporarily to fill demand it usually comes at a higher price than normal. While this is taking place permanent employees have to be paid even if they have nothing to work with. In most cases workers who are employed temporarily are laid off until things return to normal. Though the firm may be able to charge the customer based on the increased price, it is not normally possible especially when the price was already quoted. Additionally, increasing the price may result in the loss of customers. There may also be issues relating to reliability as customers do not expect firms to run out of stock without giving due notice. If the customer is dependent o n only one supplier then this will definitely have a negative impact resulting in a total loss of business from specific customers or a partial loss of business. This partial loss or reduction in demand from specific customers may result from their (the customers) application of various strategies to prevent any reoccurrence of this type of scenario. Therefore, instead of using one supplier the

Family Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care Assignment

Family Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care - Assignment Example The program was widely opposed by physician and nurses and many people from the nursing profession, their objection was regarding the title of the program as they believed that it is something very ambiguous and such training programs in primary care will easily â€Å"control and devour nursing education and practice† (O’Brien, 2003). With the passage of time, primary care programs for nurses have grown and have been classified into different programs: Women Health Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner and Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. A family nurse practitioner is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Masters of Science in nursing degree. A family nurse practitioner is also a qualified and competent member of the healthcare sector, who is ready to fill a sensitive position of family nurse practitioner in primary care to provide services to meet the demands of the society. Family Nurse Practitioners have proven their efficiencies and effectiveness in providing high quality and cost effective health care services and health care consumers have also sensed the importance and value of a good service. A family nurse practitioner has several roles to choose from as a base for her career. FNP is able to serve the population living in both urban and rural areas such as hospitals, public health departments, physician offices, HMOs, community health centers, nursing homes, home health agencies and student health clinics. FNP is capable of providing them health care in acute illness, high blood press ure, headache, diabetes, chronic illness and obesity (Zerwekh. & Claborn., 2004). After the completion of nursing program/studies, nurses have many choices of roles to choose from as a final field to start practice. For a nurse practitioner,

ESCAPING SALEM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ESCAPING SALEM - Essay Example In an attempt to find what she is suffering from – mind, it being an era that witchcraft was common -- Kate accuses others of bewitching her. Two women were finally put on trial. The book Escaping Salem takes the reader through the Connecticut court room. Witchcraft in a court room is more dramatic than one would ever imagine. The town’s people are scared of the act and its practice in the township, and this is a view that the judges are quick to point out to. Witchcraft poses a great danger to the society. However, how would Branch prove that the women actually were behind her ailments? Her accusations come from the fact that some evil spirit informed her about it. How would she prove this and how would she prove that the spirit were indeed factual? Escaping Salem offers an insightful revelation of life style in the early seventeenth century America. In addition, it offers proof of the existence of the white magic, an issue that has strongly been argued upon. The only pitfall that Godbeer‘s work seems to pose is the use of some of the photos that are manipulated. The photos are helpful in offering illustration and adding to the maps; the selected bibliography seems to provide some proof too. However, the use of the photos is overrated. This is a historical book and the images ought not to appear to be fictitious. In retrospect, the book is a must read for any undergraduate student of American History or Political Science. The insights it offers are indeed factual and one would relate them to the life of that

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Research - Essay Example To this end, the United States has adopted a global mindset in its relation with other countries. The distinct features of a global mindset involve showing understanding, care and concern for the global citizens. Evidently, the United States exhibits this attribute by advocating for human rights doctrines among the countries citizenry, as well as free and fair democratic systems in governance. Another key communication style employed by the United States with other countries is a diplomatic process that respects the democratic systems. To this end, the United States does not interfere in the free and fair democratic processes of countries such as elections, or administration. However, it is critical to note that the United States only recognizes democratic governments that uphold the human rights of citizenry, and have achieved a consensus mandate from the general populace. Cooperation and collaboration is another communication strategy employed by the United States (Prewitt, Weil, & McClure, 2011). Evidently, effective leadership employs collaboration rather than competition. This is in recognition that competition fosters suspicion, jealousy and mistrust that can eventually lead to breakdown of relations. To this end, the United States fosters mutual cooperation with other countries in critical areas such as the trade, industry, environment and security. In the same respect of collaboration and cooperation, the United States fosters mutual partnership with democratic governments. Effective global leadership equally needs to be appreciative of the multiethnic, multiracial, multi cultural and diverse religions of the Earth. To this end, the United States employs a communication style that is empathetic and culturally sensitive. This involves the mutual respect and impartiality towards the multicultural communities. Moreover, the United States employs empathy to the global citizens in terms of crisis such as droughts, environmental

Organisation behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Organisation behavior - Essay Example They, consequently, should perform as well as possible in order for the company to succeed in the market. Therefore, an idea that employee performance is better if those employees are emotionally intelligent is becoming more and more popular among businesses that will to be more adaptive to the ever changing market conditions and more competitive marketplace (Cherniss and Goleman 2001, 159). Since emotional intelligence has become such a popular concept among HR specialists, it is worth finding out whether this term is really related to employee performance. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to critically analyze some of the most recent works on the relation between emotional intelligence and employee performance with the purpose of determining whether there exists a strong dependence. The given work will try to determine whether it is really important for modern businesses to invest their resources in emotional intelligence and whether such investments will bring any profit. For this purpose, of course, the term itself should be defined in the first place. Definition A scientific study of emotional intelligence began, according to Ciarrochi, Forgas and Mayer (2001, 4), in 1900s. However, up until 1970, when intelligence and emotion were integrated in the field of ‘cognition and affect†, the studies of intelligence and emotions were separate. Finally, only in 1990s emotional intelligence became a subject of more profound research. The concept got popularized between 1994 and 1997 (Ciarrochi, Forgas and Mayer 2001, 4). However, several definitions of emotional intelligence have emerged in the process of the studies. Goleman (1998, 317), for instance, defines emotional intelligence as a â€Å"capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those in others, for motivating ourselves, for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships." As such, emotional intelligence, according to this author, involves a person to have the following comp etencies: self- awareness, self- regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, and social skills. Self- awareness, self- regulation, self-motivation are, in this case, person’s ability to understand and manage own feelings and emotions. Social awareness and social skills, consequently, refer to the individual’s ability to understand emotions of the other and respond correctly. Another definition is given by Mayer and Solloway (1997, 3), who state that emotional intelligence is an ability â€Å" to perceive emotions in the self and in others, use emotions to facilitate performance, understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and regulate emotions in the self and in others.† So, it can be said that emotional intelligence refers to a person’s ability to understand the feelings of oneself and the others, as well as react and respond to those emotions in the most proper for a particular situation way. The next issue to find out is whether this ability really has a significant impact on job performance. Literature Review The opinion that emotional intelligence is related to job performance is supported by Nikolaou and Tsaousis (2002). These scientists conducted a research with the purpose of determining the relation between emotional intelligence, occupational stress and organizational commitment. The results showed that the higher emotional intelligence of an individual is, the lower is one’

How the proliferation of nonprofit organizations impacts strategic Essay

How the proliferation of nonprofit organizations impacts strategic management - Essay Example This discussion elaborates strategic management of a nonprofit organization and the impacts it has on management. The word NGO covers an extraordinarily wide range of other organizations close to civil society, ranging from political groups to sports club. NGO executes different roles; it has different rooting when historical events and geographical locations are considered. The non-profit organization is defined as groupings encompassing a function of relieving sufferings from destitute people, and with a dependability of developing communities, creation of social services and protection of the environment. For an organization to be called non-profit organization, there are some appreciable rules. It should always be set up privately and autonomously. It should define its voluntary character, not a political party, and lastly, should always support all development that characterizes its public attention (Kohm & Piana, 2003). Nevertheless, most if not all NGOs depends on the employees who will be volunteering to manage their functions and program, hence the organization is not able to control a satisfactory quality (Agard, 2011). Some of the impact that affects strategic management is supporting the country’s reforms and roles to create surety that there is conspicuous direction and strategy of how to reach their aims and objectives in a certain period. For example, Ditshwanelo had both the mission and the vision statement that exactly reflect business of protecting human right. Democracy and excellent governance are the main aspects of management in the majority of organizations. Many countries in Africa are devoid of egalitarian activities, accountability and transparency, leading to pitiable

The Role of Women In The U.S. Military Research Paper

The Role of Women In The U.S. Military - Research Paper Example They were first introduced in military in World War I (1914-1918). Initially, the women did serve the military as nurses and also did a number of clerical jobs. After World War II, they were given permanent positions in US military under the Women Armed Services Integration Act, 1948. However, they were restricted to only 2% of the total US military. They were also not allowed higher positions of Generals in army. In 1978, female auxiliaries found in military branches were abolished by Congress and integrated forces were created for the first time. Women were also allowed to take part in many jobs other than those of healthcare and technicians. However, they were still restricted to be included in combat positions. The need of inclusion of women in combat positions was first recognized after the Gulf war in 1991. The women supported the armed forces on combat positions in the war. This brought the women to front lines. Their impressive and extraordinary services in the war gave groun d for the Defense Department of America to reconsider the ban imposed on the women to be included for combat positions. In 1993, the women were allowed to render their services on combat warships and aircrafts. Many military female officers welcomed the alterations. However, critics were of the view that these changes would damage the fighting ability of US forces. However, despite all criticism, more and more women were included for combat positions of US military. During Serbian conflict of 1999, women served as combat pilots in US Air force. Women were took part in Navy combat positions. However, during Iraq War, when two female Johnson and Lynch were captured, a debate regarding women services on combat positions started again. The role of women in US military for technical and healthcare jobs is acceptable for everyone. However, the deployment of women on combat positions is still a controversial issue. There are two view points, one that supports the deployment of women on com bat positions; and other that opposed such deployment. Both have their own arguments supporting their stand. DEPLOYMENT OF WOMEN FOR COMBAT POSITIONS IS ACCEPTABLE: SUPPORTERS’ VIEWS: The critics of women inclusion in combat points argue that the gender-integration of military will damage the morale of the women. This is the same argument which was made before when the US military was being integrated after the long segregation of whole military on racial basis. However, it is noticed later on that the racial integration of the army did not decrease the morale of the army. The same is the case with the inclusion of women for combat roles. The supporters argue that it is just a vague argument that the gender-desegregation of military will reduce the morale and efficiency of the military just as made previously about racial-desegregation of army. The supporters also criticize the point that women are physically weaker than men naturally. It is true but in non-physical attribute s, women are as much stronger as men are. They are psychologically stronger than men. However, some psychologists say that women are subjected to mental disorder same like men. Gender-integration may bring some positive effects on the overall performance of military. It increases the professional standards level of military and also brings cohesion which is by no means defective or less effective than found among men. So, there is no reason to believe that gender-desegregated units on combat positi

The Social Security solution Essay Example for Free

The Social Security solution Essay The plan does not affect current retirees and those nearing retirement benefits for those now 55 or older would be untouched. Neither would it increase the retirement age above current law, increase payroll taxes or reduce annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), now or in the future. We save Social Security by making two fundamental changes to the system for those now under 55. First, this plan changes the way first-time benefits will be calculated. These benefits now rise with overall wage growth. Under my plan, growth in initial benefits would be linked to the consumer price index. Initial benefits would still rise over time, only at a slower rate. Instead of rising 20 times over the next 75 years, they will increase by a factor of 10. Switching from wage indexing to price indexing will eliminate the unfunded liability of the Social Security system and allow us to avoid increasing the payroll tax for young workers. At the same time, future workers could count on receiving their benefits. Second, workers currently contribute 6. 2% of their wages to Social Security. My proposal allows workers under 55 the option of establishing their own personal savings accounts. Contributions into these accounts would range from 3. 5% of wages for low income workers to 1% for those at high income levels. Workers who choose to contribute to these accounts would have a variety of investment options and could withdraw proceeds upon retirement. But as they will be paying less into Social Security, their Social Security benefit will be slightly reduced. The basic Social Security benefit will be reduced by 25 cents on the dollar for each dollar they receive from their personal savings account. Nonetheless, the private investment account option should offer most recipients the opportunity for greater returns than Social Security alone could generate. Yes, we are asking some in the baby boom generation to insure the solvency of Social Security by making a sacrifice in terms of accepting a slightly lower initial benefit. An average 45-year-old male, for example, would receive about 1. 7% less under my plan, but look what happens in return. First, he is assured of receiving benefits because the solvency of Social Security is assured. More important, his children will receive far more in benefits. Under my plan a 25-year-old male who takes advantage of the personal savings account option should receive 19% more in benefits than promised under the existing system, based on historical averages for conservative investments. Todays retirees and those nearing retirement will receive their benefits just as they expected. Younger workers can not only count on receiving benefits, they will not have to worry about the prospect of working longer hours and paying increased payroll taxes that would otherwise be needed to keep the current system afloat. If they take advantage of the personal savings account option, theyll have more control over their own retirement resources and the opportunity for greater overall benefits than under our current Social Security system-even if it could pay all their promised benefits. Finally, and most important, my plan is honest and realistic. The problems facing Social Security have built up for so long and become so mammoth that everyone must realize they cannot just be wished away. This plan makes clear the costs and benefits, and it avoids false promises. If we are truly concerned about saving Social Security, there is no better plan than this one and no better time to start than today. If we face the challenge now, we can provide for our retirement security without sacrificing our childrens and grandchildrens standard of living. References Achenbaum, W. A. (1986). Social Security: Visions and Revisions. New York: Cambridge University Press Adams, P. (1990). Children as contributions in kind: Social security and family policy. Social Work, 35: 492-498. Buell, J. (1999). Avoiding generational war. Humanist, 59: 32-34. Hudson, R. (1999). The role of government in a society for all ages. Social Work, 24: 155-161. Kingston, E. R. and Schulz, J. H. (1997). (Eds. ) Social Security in the 21st Century. New York: Oxford University Press.

Strategies To Improve Student Achievement And Performance Education Essay

Strategies To Improve Student Achievement And Performance Education Essay In relation to teaching, assessment is the judgement made by a teacher of each individual pupils, with the inclusion of homework or independent learning. This is matched to educational criteria to assess how the pupils are progressing. According to Dymoke and Harrison (2008) one of the main functions within secondary school is to make these judgements in relation to grades, knowledge, skills and attitudes of each and every pupil, continually pushing each and everyone to perform their personal best. Assessment appears to saturate the educational world for this very reason, with the emphasis on identifying strengths and areas of weakness. Within science there is much to assess, areas include: homework, class work, practical skills as with Individual knowledge and understanding within the scientific domain. Literacy, numeracy, and ICT skills, all of which are required to do well in science, should be included in the assessment process. Behaviour and relationships with peers may also be judged, such as attitude to learning and attitude to behaviour. There are many reasons behind assessment, as expressed by Tanner and Jones (2006) assessment can form the accountability of schools and LEAs (local educational authorities) for the progress of pupils and possible selection for university and or placement in the work force. However assessment is primarily a government requirement in the sense of tests and GCSE examinations or equivalent. Assessment also offers the teacher the ability to monitor each child and their progress. The teacher must be accountable for the progress within their classroom, for this reason assessment can provide key information to be utilised in forward planning of subsequent lessons, so pupils can engage and gain access to learning that not only challenges their ability but provides room for improvement. As a trainee teacher, prior to placement, my view was in contrast to that of (Dymoke and Harrison (2008) whereby assessment was an area which was tacked on to the end of a unit or as part of formal assessment such as examinations, thus providing evidence of understanding and learning taking place in a given subject. However as Shilvock and Pope (2008) point out assessment has become an integral part of pedagogy. In practice it is a tool used throughout the lesson as an important role in being able to recognise both achievement and progression. Pupils are the centre of the learning process, being fully aware of their own abilities and targets to reach. This ultimately paves the way forward in their thinking and learning, through discussion, as assessment becomes part of the daily process. Assessment is not a new activity or requirement, but has more recently been the focus for teachers who are seeking to improve their teaching ability and the outcome of their pupils, thus helping to raise the standards of pedagogy and indeed the school. The introduction of APP (assessing pupils progress) has simply brought the area to the forefront. As ofsted (2003) point out assessment training in higher education is both informative and central to practice. However the importance of finding out what pupils already know, and utilising this information to influence the planning and implementation of each lesson has not always been the main emphasis during observation of already established teachers. The focus is, however, on learning objectives and outcomes, which are differentiated to suit pupil requirements. However, from observation these are rarely linked to individual pupils, but more so to the scheme of work that is being taught and the level descriptors associated, or so it wou ld seem. Summative assessment comes under the umbrella of assessment of learning, for example the summing up at the end of a unit in the format of a test. The result of which is fed back to the pupil and these results are used to make judgement on the pupils performance with regard to national standards. The results of which are invariably used to find out where pupils are in their learning. According to Fautley and Savage (2008) this type of assessment is instructive and generally follows a pattern of block teaching then testing. Fautley and Savage (2008) go on to explain that this is typical of summative assessment and has been utilised within the education system for a long time. At first glance this may look like what was being taught within a specific unit is being tested, however another glance may draw attention to the teaching of the unit itself that is being tested. Formative assessment comes under the umbrella of assessment for learning. This type of testing is not dissimilar to sum mative assessment but the results are used to plan the way forward. From here individual targets can be set based around pupil performance. This can be used as a guide in decisions made on where pupils are in their learning, along with the ability to get where they need to go to improve, as laid out by Tanner and Jones (2006) Assessment for learning helps to improve assessment of learning by being the centre of pedagogy which enables pupils to actively take part in their own learning and mapping of progression. Sue Hackman, chief advisor on school standards, states APP is all about knowing enough to make rational judgements about where to target resources and when to offer pupils assistance. With the implementation of APP both pupil and teacher can, ultimately work together to implement strategies for learning through scaffolding and target setting. According to Shivock and Pope (2008 p55) assessment, if implemented correctly, can help pupils to not only meet, but exceed expectations through setting high standards and motivational lessons that provide responsive teaching. As a trainee teacher development of assessment strategies has become a vital role in being able to track learning and progression, whilst getting to know individuals. APP can be seen as the linking of formative and summative assessment, to be used instead of rather than running in conjunction with each other. Throughout the placement experience it has become apparent that assessment strategies and criteria are fully connected to learning objectives and outcomes, as with the national curriculum and their generic objectives. The latter often requiring some adjustment to match the learning needs of individual pupils. Opportunity for assessment clearly needs to be pinpointed throughout sort term, medium and long term planning to encompass a range of achievements. Assessment strategies used have also included wall displays such as level ladders and laminated assessment criteria, which have been directly linked to blooms taxonomy promoting stems of lesson objectives in the form of being able to describe, analyse, explain and link ideas. This of course is only useful if used in conjunction with the lesson objective and attention is drawn to them in terms of what is expected to progress to a specific level. A copy of this can be seen in the appendix and is provided by Grevatt (2007) APP is just beginning to appear as a new structured approach to pupil assessment. As discussed previously, this is not just about assessment for learning but the whole package where evidence of pupils attainment is required both written and orally. Recorded evidence is reviewed, on a regular basis, and judgements made accordingly. Evidence will also be used to consider if performance is higher, lower or secure in meeting requirements. Where APP has begun to be integrated into the classroom, levels are cited in assessment frames which include: thinking scientifically; effects of society on science; communicating and collaborating in science; scientific investigations and finally evaluating scientific investigations. This creates a language which allows for a dialogue with pupils about their strengths and weaknesses. So far these have proved quite difficult to implement, primarily due to the quantity of information which needs to be absorbed, but more importantly the lack of individual training within this area. At present the criteria has been broken down and reformatted into pupil speak, being able to be accessed by both pupil and teacher accordingly. (Copies of these can be seen in the appendix) Problems encountered have mainly been a direct result of running both types of assessment together. Criteria is often varied or not connected and so presents a time consuming exercise. Once APP has been fully integrated to the whole school, teachers will be able to focus on one area for the purpose of recording evidence. This in turn will ensure the mapping of progression whereby pupils, and their teachers, know what they can do and what their next steps are. This is of course only useful if marking is also done regularly, with a set target for the assessment process to be educative. Consistent with Tanner and Jones (2006) I have found marking of pupils books a challenging area, primarily due to inconsistencies within the department on how and when books are marked. On many occasions it has been seen that books are quite often not marked for long periods of time thus proving difficult to track the progress of an individual. This has certainly been prevalent in reports for good assessment in secondary schools as provided by ofsted (2003). Ultimately this has an impact on school reports and parents evening where generic, insipid descriptions of pupil achievement have often been given. As a trainee this has had a strong effect on my own learning and understanding of how assessment is used in school, other than through testing at the end of a particular unit. I have seen little evidence of tracking other than baseline data from previous key stages and the use of CATs, (cognitive ability tests) or for the purpose of EAL, SEN and those that are gifted and talented. For this reason the implementation of full tracking, as in the tools of APP, would prove invaluable. This not only helps to build a picture of the whole person, but can instantly show the progress of each pupil, providing an insight into areas of strengths or weakness. Other areas for concern have shown that assessment can often hinder effective learning, due to the encouragement of learning by repetition or without depth. Black Wiliam (1998) suggest that continual assessment can have a negative impact or create a competitive environment which in turn can de-motivate some pupils. This in turn can have the effect of labelling certain pupils into categories or abilities that may differ outside the assessment field. This was prevalent during placement, whereby many pupils seemed only too interested in the level or grade they got for the test, not actually what they had learnt. Occasionally this was used as a means to decide who was top or bottom of the class. For this reason it is imperative that pupils understand that the levels given are not a reflection of how clever they are, more so the stage they are at, and the speed at which they are learning. Everyone learns at a different pace and therefore some subjects may need revisiting or looking at fr om a different angle or method to gain full understanding. It by no means has any reflection on a pupils ability to learn. Assessment should not just involve testing of a given topic or unit, but more so incorporate observation, written, oral and practical skills within science. Although this is not always obvious, as a trainee, when observing qualified teachers, it soon becomes an important and key role to gaining valuable information as to how teaching practice is progressing. Probing and questioning, especially target and rich questioning, has become topical, being beneficial for the learning process of an individual or the class as a whole. Using inverted or open ended questioning is more favourable, as through discussion can show a deeper understanding and reasoning rather than just recalling facts. Questioning in the format of pose, pause, pounce and bounce has provided an arena to learn from each other. Subsequently all pupils can be involved, whilst misconceptions can be corrected through the guidance of the teacher. This has also provided immediate feedback enabling pupils to feel confident to m ove forward in their thinking and ability, contributing to deeper learning and understanding taking place. Liversidge et al (2009) point out that above all, assessment needs to be valid. For example if a pupil has achieved a defined outcome, which has been linked to the learning objectives, this then forms the first part of assessment within the class. As a trainee teacher this has proved invaluable as the first step to observing learning taking place. For this to be effective, it is a requirement to link questions to the objectives to draw out deeper understanding. Constant referral to learning objectives has proven to be a key aspect of assessing the whole class. This has also shown to be of great use when linked with target questioning to fit the appropriate level of a particular pupil. Furthermore predetermined questions often lead onto additional open ended questioning to cover the basis of the objectives. An example of this, used in class, can be seen as power-point slides the appendix. This has been very successful, as pointed out by Petty (2009) in assessing knowledge on what you are doing at the time. Although competence in this type of questioning comes with plenty of practice, knowing your pupils, confidence in subject knowledge and keeping the pace of the lesson on track, enables this type of assessment to flow systematically. Alternatively there can be a danger of trying to fit too much into a lesson, resulting in the loss of objectives, meaning or relevance behind what was actually done. In accordance with Dymoke and Harrison (2008), whilst on placement, this has been an area which is repeatedly reviewed, continually taking into account the necessary three part lesson plan, with constant reflection of tasks set for a particular objective to be met. The use of peer and self assessment can encourage reflection and ownership of work, where necessary improvements can be seen with immediate effect. More importantly, Petty (2009) suggests that grades can often be remarkably improved when used in the right context. In theory Black and Wiliam (1998) agree with this concept, albeit their research advises that teachers do not always use these simple but powerful strategies. On the other hand repercussions can involve pupils not wanting to swap work with each other. Generally pupils are honest, although critical, when pointing out strengths and areas of weakness, as in two stars and a wish, of their peers and so tend to enjoy this type of feedback. Formative assessment can be fun and engaging, as in the use of mini whiteboards, without pupils even realising they are being assessed. Both can provide immediate feedback of the class as a rule and an indication of who understands and has met the learning objectives. A range of assessment for learning tools to enhance lessons can be seen in the appendix. Many of which can be used to inform the basic structure of the following lesson, for example: recapping areas of difficulty, thus bringing everyone up to speed and at the same stage in progress prior to moving forward to more difficult concepts. In conclusion targets need to be explicit, focusing on the positive and including areas for improvement. Judgments should be transparent so pupils are able to recognise quickly how to move forward. The implementation of SMART targets in conjunction with the objectives set, advising I think you are able to do this and to improve you must be able to. these are clear and concise. Whilst this sounds relatively simple it is clear through teacher training that assessment is a process of making judgements, through the aid of national criteria. Evidence of which is to be used by pupils and teachers to make decisions on where learners are, how to progress in their knowledge and learning, whilst giving the best option and advice on how to do this. It is also worth remembering none of this will make a difference if the evidence from assessment is not used in the correct manner. To make learning meaningful, assessment of any format needs to convey progress to pupils. In agreement with Dymoke and Harrison (2008) assessment is at the heart of pedagogy, and should be the focus of every lesson to enable future lessons to be relevant and learning to take place. Formative assessment should play an essential part in determining the nature and structure of activities which clearly support the lesson objectives. Summative assessment is more prevalent when considering performance of the school, class sets and individual pupil performance in terms of levels when completing official assessment periods as in end of term or unit testing. All teachers need to be involved in the in-service training on assessment as an everyday tool with the focus on formative assessment, how to implement it and what to do with the information. The only way for this to make an impact is to keep evidence and records of assessment on a constant and consistent basis. This information can be ass essed using national criteria which in turn can be used to show how pupils are progressing and what is a requirement for them to move forward. Without this record of individual pupil progress the core of the classroom tends to become invisible and therefore cannot improve within their ability level and the system will simply not work. DCSF (2009)

Euclid’s Elements and the Axiomatic Method Essay -- Mathematics Geomet

â€Å"There is no royal road to geometry.† – Euclid Euclid’s Elements are predominantly the most fundamental concepts of mathematics, but his perspective on geometry was the model for over two millennia. He is believed by many to be the leading mathematics teacher of all time. However, little is known about his life outside of mathematics, or even when he was born or when he died. According to a passage written by Proclus, Euclid probably lived after Ptolemy and the pupils of Plato, but came before Archimedes and Eratosthenes. This places his existence sometime around 300 B.C. Euclid is most famous for having set the guidelines for geometry and arithmetic written in Euclid’s Elements, a series of thirteen books in which Euclid states definitions, postulates, and theorems for mathematical concepts that are still used today. What is most remarkable about the Elements is the simple, rational, and very logical structure in which Euclid presents the accumulated geometrical knowledge from the past several centuries of Gr eek mathematicians. The manner in which the propositions have been derived is considered to be the prime model of the axiomatic method. (Hartshorne 296). Euclid’s axiomatic method works by â€Å"starting from a small number of definitions and assumptions at the beginning, [so that] all the succeeding results are proved by logical deduction from what has gone before.† In essence it is no more than â€Å"a method of proving that results are correct.† Many of Euclid’s proofs are constructions, all of which can be done using no more than a ruler and a compass and rely only on the theorems and rules of the system. Despite having developed this rigorous system of proofs, Euclid did not actually demonstrate everyt... ... of Nebraska Press, 1991. Blumenthal, Leonard M. A Modern View of Geometry. San Fransisco: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1961. Greenberg, Marvin Jay. Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometries. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1993. Hartshorne, Robin. Geometry, Euclid and Beyond. New York: Springer, 2000. Hofstadter, Douglas R.. Gà ¶del, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. New York: Basic Books, 1975 Narkiewicz, Wladyslaw. The Development of Prime Number Theory: From Euclid to Hardy and Littlewood. Brlin: Springer-Verlag, 2000. Singer, David A. Geometry: Plane and Fancy. New York: Springer, 1998. Internet Sources: Joyce, D. E. â€Å"Euclid’s Elements.† 1997, [online]. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/toc.html (September 18, 2002)

King Oedipus as The Classical Greek Tragic Hero Essay -- Oedipus Tragi

King Oedipus as The Classical Greek Tragic Hero In his Poetics, Aristotle defined the term 'tragedy' as 'a man not preeminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity, but by some error in judgement' the change in the hero's fortune must not be from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery'. From this definition, he further expanded it by defining the profile of the Classical Greek tragic hero, basing it on what he considered the best tragedy ever written, Sophocle's Oedipus Rex. He felt that a tragedy should comprise of the hero's goodness and superiority, a tragic flaw in which the hero makes fatal errors in judgement which eventually lead to his downfall, a tragic realisation in which the main character understand how he has unwittingly helped to bring about his own destruction and the absence of freewill in the tragic hero's life. Oedipus was a good ruler: just, compassionate and sympathetic. When the priests of Thebes approached him, pleading for help on behalf of the people of Thebes who were suffering from death and famine. Oedipus immediately agreed and promised them that he would do his best in solving the problems, saying that his heart bore ?the weight of his own? and ?all of his people?s sorrows?. He promised to ?bring everything to light?. Oedipus was also a filial son. When he first learnt about the prophecy in Corinth, he was unwilling to stay and left immediately, in case circumstances would ever lead him to kill the King and marry the Queen of Corinth, whom he had then thought of as his natural parents. Oedipus? superiority was also evident in the play, not only through his ranking of the king of Thebes, which automatically placed him far above the nobles, priests and common people, but also through his intelligence. When the Sphinx ?plagued? the city by blocking the city gates and eating those who could not answer its riddle, which was "what is it that goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at midday, and three feet in the evening?" Oedipus was the only person able to chase the Sphinx away with the correct answer of ?man?. This led to him becoming the king of Thebes which in turn led to his superiority of ranking. However, Oedipus was not a perfect man. His tragic flaw was that of stubbornness, impulsiveness and most of all, his grandiosity (wh... ...d that Oedipus find Lauis? killer. This sparked off a whole chain of events which led to Oedipus finding out the truth, Jocasta killing herself, Oedipus blinding himself and finally leaving Thebes. The man who once was envied and respected was now an outcast, despised and hated. A tragedy must be an imitation of life in the form of a serious story that is complete in itself. In other words, the story must be realistic and narrow in focus. A good tragedy would evoke pity and fear in its viewers, causing the viewers to experience a feeling of catharsis. Catharsis, a Greek word in origin, means "purgation" or "purification". Running through the gamut of these strong emotions would leave viewers feeling elated, in the same way we often claim that "a good cry" would make a person feel better. Oedipus Rex is a perfect example of what Aristotle meant by a tragedy. It talks about a man who has no say in what path his life would take, a man who once had everything. He was a king, a good husband and father, a man contented with his lot in life who eventually lost his status, wife, children and home. He evokes sympathy simply because he was not evil or foolish, just human and fallible.

The Metamorphosis Essay -- The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka Literature Es

The Metamorphosis The longer story The Metamorphosis, first published in 1971, was written by Franz Kafka. He was born in Prague in 1883 and lived until 1924, and he has written many other stories along with The Metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis appears to be a fantastic piece. After reading The Metamorphosis, I do believe that there are many similarities between magical realism and fantastic literature. Kafka showed many fantastic issues in The Metamorphosis. While reading The Metamorphosis, I did not feel that it had any magical elements in the story, but had many fantastic elements. In my opinion, I think that the story did have some realist elements. For example, there was a lot of tension with the family. Although it had to do with Gregor Samsa who turned into the insect, that tension is still real. Families do have arguing along with tension, even if most of the time it was due to Gregor being an insect. Most of us should know that, when a person wakes up one day and is all of a sudden a bug, that change can not be magical. There is not any other way to look at that. A person just can not appear to be an insect one day and wake up with these enormous legs and be a bug. A magical element in The Metamorphosis is that a person could see or picture this monstrous vermin or insect. The boy turning into an insect could be somewhat magical because here there is a human body lying on the bed, and then within the blink of an eye, it is a bug. I feel that magical elements and fantastic literature are similar. For example, Gregor's father was throwing apples at him and one got stuck in his back, and became infected. Then he eventually died. I can see that example as magical, but I could also see it as a fantasy. Angel Flore... ...c issues in The Metamorphosis. I felt that the fantastic elements were similar to some magical elements. If he or she needs to know more about how to compare magical elements to fantastic elements, I would recommend he or she to look up information on the internet or find books. There are many different things a person can find to relate to. Works Cited Franz Kafka Criticism. 31 Jan 2001. http://vtvt.essortment.com/franzkafkacrit_pbs.htm Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. N.Y.: Schocken Books, 1971. Rabkin, Eric S. The Fantastic in Literature. Princeton, N. J: Princeton UP, 1976 The Metamorphosis. By Kafka, Franz. Summary. 31 Jan 2001.< http://mchip00.med.nyu.edu/lit-med-db/webdocs/webdescrips/kafka98-des-html.> Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Form. Cleveland: The Press of Case Western Reserve University, 1973.

A Gender Gap In Math Achievement Education Essay

Is There a Gender Gap in Math Achievement and How Can We Explain It?For many old ages the position has been that there exists great difference between the academic public presentation of between work forces and adult females, and particularly within the countries of scientific discipline and mathematics. This gender disparity in instruction within the US has been studied extensively by legion bookmans who have tried to detect if so there are unconditioned capablenesss in both sexes that make them hold differences in public presentation in scientific discipline and mathematics. The claims reported by Spelke ( 2005 ) are that few adult females show the endowments required in the Fieldss of scientific discipline and mathematics, hence there are fewer adult females within these Fieldss. The other position is that the sex differences in these Fieldss are due to the familial base which makes adult females have a smaller intrinsic attitude towards scientific discipline and mathematics. One such survey was carried out by Lawrence Summers when he was at the Harvard University. In his survey he tried to detect if there were any unconditioned capablenesss in both sexes that determined how they performed in both their faculty member and professional Fieldss in scientific discipline and technology. Apart from this research there are a many more researches that have been carried out to mensurate by how much or if there is any biological differences between the sexes that make them execute different in mathematics and scientific discipline. This paper shall discourse the being of the gender differences that drives the differences in public presentation in scientific discipline and mathematics of work forces and adult females. It is critical to understand the grounds why the difference in gender has been attributed to the cause in the differences in public presentation in scientific discipline and mathematics. This paper shall look into these differences that cut across all age groups, from the school traveling to the college pupils. It has been proposed that the differences that are seen in both adult females and work forces in public presentation in scientific discipline and mathematics have been associated with the differences in gender. Despite the progresss in the modern western universe there still exist strong societal cultural influences on perceptual experiences of gender and gender functions. Work force and adult females have been made to specify themselves on the footing of the distinguishable psychological and behavioural sensitivities that are associated with the biological maps. Therefore this sensitivity will drive work forces and adult females to act different, execute different undertaking s and do different picks. It is the definition of the individual in footings of maleness and women's rightist that drives them to act ad think as they do. With such thought in head, it becomes progressively hard to hold uniformity in public presentation in work forces and adult females at work and in faculty members. Marini, ( 2010 ) showed that so the greatest influence of this difference is the societal and cultural fluctuations that contribute to the sex differences. In her research biological differences do to some extent affect the behaviour and functions of the sexes, but it is the societal facets that have the greatest part to these differences. The societal structural agreement has made adult females and work forces base their thought and cognitive abilities on biological differences ( Baker & A ; Jones, 2006 ) . This so means that we are normally under the influence of our societal and cultural assignments that define who we are and what we can or can non make. The American society has defined and stratified the functions of the gender. It is this assignment of functions by the society that influences the grade to which the sexes addition and command the resources they have. Often our society has been specifying functions and responsibilities of the sexes based on gender class, for this ground gender differences exist within this society. The society has a strong influence on how work forces and adult females perform in scientific discipline and mathematics because it defines what function, responsibility or assignment is to be fulfilled by each ( Marini, 2010 ) . The adult male in society is superior to the adult females and is assigned tougher functions and responsibilities ; he is seen as the supplier, defender, more bright and has higher rational facets than the adult females ( West & A ; Zimmerman, 2007 ) . It is this societal facet that has given the adult male a male advantage and accordingly expected him to execute better at scientific discipline and mathematics. For this ground the instructors will handle male childs and misss otherwise in scientific discipline and mathematics categories. The ground being such countries of academic survey have been held as hard and ambitious, and merely the work forces can accomplish such feasts ( Baker & A ; Jones, 2006 ) . The instructor will so do the male child feel they need to execute good in these countries and will give their attending and resources to them. On the other manus the instructor will give the miss the perceptual experience that it is non incorrect for them to neglect in the topics, because the instructor does no anticipate them to execute good in these topics. Such positions are still woven elaborately in society where the society and the household influence the type of calling and profession work forces and adult females would take. In Marini ( 2010 ) , adult females are frequently encouraged to take up academic classs and topics that would take them in fostering callings of nursing, instruction and secretarial. Such callings and professions were seen as befitting adult females and give adult females a opportunity to take attention of her household. Mean while the Fieldss of scientific discipline and engineering are left to the work forces, this is because they are perceived to hold the rational capableness to manage the complex mathematics and advanced thoughts behind the Fieldss. It is being noted that there is increased diminution in the differences in scientific discipline and mathematics callings and professions between the genders as we find more adult females within these Fieldss. Recent research workers have shown that while the construction within the these Fieldss have changed with more adult females being found at the helm of such countries, there is still gender stratification in the high school degree, this can be found within surveies like ( Leahey & A ; Guo, 2001 ; Entwisle, Karl & A ; Olson, 2004 ; Spelke, 2005 ; Gallagher & A ; Kaufman, 2005 ; Baker & A ; Jones, 2006 ) . This difference in gender public presentation has been attributed to the perceptual experience that male childs and misss receive different attendings from their instructors in mathematics categories. This has created the gender spread within the academic Fieldss in America that have driven the differences in public presentation in scientific discipline and mathematics. The survey by Leahey and Guo ( 2001 ) tried to demo the extent of the gender differences in mathematics and particularly the different countries like geometry and logical thinking. It has been found that there is a male advantage for those pupils traveling to college within the field of mathematics. In their research they showed that males have a higher public presentation in mathematics in the high school degree and particularly in the college entryway test. The ground why this has been tested is because the high school mathematics has been the key to the pick in faculty members in the college degree and accordingly affects subsequently pick in profession. The ground why the American society has seen important differences in occupational segregation and gender socialisation in the populace sector is due to the gender differences in mathematics public presentation. In Leahey and Guo ( 2001 ) we find that this occupational segregation begins in high school mathematics where the scholastic aptitude trial ( SAT ) mathematics is performed better by male than the female. This is the same for the American College Test ( ACT ) mathematics subdivision that is performed better by the male. The same position is held by Entwisle, Karl and Olson ( 2004 ) , who have argued that the being of this disparity has been the cause of the differences within the callings and professional Fieldss. In their analysis it is the differences in the experiences of the male and female that is a beginning of the difference in public presentation in mathematics. The thought is that due to the school environment, male childs and misss will execute otherwise in these topics. They tried to demo this difference existed based on a comparing on simple as compared to the high school experience. In their survey they discovered that the experiences the male childs and misss had while in school affected their public presentation in mathematics. This experience was driven by the school environment where the instructors, disposal, parents and other pupils determine the public presentation in scientific discipline and mathematics. The pupils have been seen to be under the influence of their parents on the pick of topics, calling and accordingly public presentation. A parent who teaches their kids that they failed in scientific discipline and mathematics and hence does non anticipate the kids to make any better is a factor. Teachers who besides have biased positions towards misss and scientific discipline and mathematics besides drive down the public presentation of such misss. In the school state of affairs equal force per unit area is besides a major driver of public presentation in scientific discipline and mathematics. Entwisle, Karl and Olson ( 2004 ) merely showed that there were experiences from the school and vicinity resources that affected the development of mathematical accomplishments in the pupils. In their survey they revealed that there were contextual facets in the environment that affected the mathematical accomplishments in the male childs more than those in the misss. Male childs are able to react more to the resources in the vicinity than misss can, I the procedure they develop different accomplishments than the misss. Such accomplishments obtained from their milieus have been associated with the mathematical competence of male childs. The ground being that boys spend more of their clip in the vicinity than misss ; hence they are able to pull experience from their milieus than misss. This is because the society limits the geographic expedition capablenesss in misss while it encourages male childs to research more. This is the same position that is held by West & A ; Zimmerman, ( 2007 ) that shows that the Sociocultural facets influences male childs to research their environment more so the misss. Male childs are given the freedom to research and play around the vicinity, while misss were encouraged to remain at place. It is this geographic expedition that helps boys to develop better spatial and numerical abilities that see them execute better in mathematics. The experience within the vicinity and their milieus assist them farther develop their spacial accomplishments more than misss. Spatial accomplishments can merely develop if one is able to pattern them frequently, where the best country to make so is in the field. This difference in accomplishments is besides explained by Leahey and Guo ( 2001 ) , who showed that both misss and male childs have different mathematical accomplishments. Males have an advantage over misss in certain mathematical countries like their ability to quantitatively ground and do usage of spacial visual image abilities ( Gallagher & A ; Kaufman, 2005 ) . This same spacial accomplishments and concluding capablenesss are obtained by the male childs from their environment in which they are allowed to play in. since the misss do non hold the same equal playing field their logical thinking and spacial accomplishments are non good developed like those of the male childs. The same explains why males have better mathematical logical thinking and geometry accomplishments than misss. Leahey and Guo ( 2001 ) besides supported Entwisle, Karl and Olsonaa‚Â ¬a„?s ( 2004 ) theory with the determination that it is at the simple degree that these accomplishments are developed . The conducive factor is the socialisation procedure that the misss and male childs go through as they develop and learn at the simple age. Apart from socialisation the differences in mathematics public presentation has besides been associated with the cognitive differences in males and females. It has been argued that it is these cognitive differences that have enabled work forces to execute better at mathematics than adult females. Spelke ( 2005 ) associated this knowledge to the ability for work forces from the beginning to concentrate on objects that make them able to larn mechanical systems. As was seen by other surveies, Spelke ( 2005 ) besides supports that the spacial, concluding and numerical differences in work forces give them the ability to manage mathematical jobs. This is the 2nd factor that affects the cognitive differences between work forces and adult females. Another decisive factor is the variableness of the knowledge of males that give them that border needed in mathematics. It has been propose that the ground males perform better in mathematics is due to the sensitivity for them to larn about objects and the mechanical interactions in them from an early age. This sensitivity tends to do the adult females to switch towards larning about people and their emotional interactions. This interaction is seen more in ulterior life at the ages of school traveling kids instead than in babies ( Spelke, 2005 ) . This can be attributed to the socialisation of the kid that will do them levitate towards their gender assigned drama playthings and play subjects. Spelke ( 2005 ) proved that when speech production of the difference in knowledge there is no pronounced differences between babies. These disparities can be explained by the factors that are at drama when male childs and misss are developing. It is a complex state of affairs if knowledge is to be associated with the differences in mathematical public presentation of male childs and misss ( Gallagher & A ; Kaufman, 2005 ) . Given the same experience misss and male childs will get the same accomplishments and cognition in mathematics, demoing that knowledge and biological temperament has nil to make with the differences. This can merely be explained by Williams, Birke and Bendelow ( 2003 ) where the factors at drama are the implicit in interplay of biological capablenesss and environmental influences. This interplay of factors is the determiner of how the cognitive and accomplishments abilities in mathematics of work forces and adult females develop and accordingly differ. It is the society that has the greatest impact on the differences between male childs and misss public presentation in mathematics. The socialisation interactions of both male childs and misss are the ground why their cognitive abilities develop different signifier each other. Towards this terminal, Williams, Birke and Bendelow ( 2003 ) supports old surveies that have shown that the socialisation procedure is the predominate determiner of the differences in public presentation in mathematic. They have shown that there exist different interventions for both male childs and misss in our society from the place, school and workplace. In the procedure our gender is under the influence of civilization, where gender functions and responsibilities are defined by the same civilization. The position is that it is the societal statements that fuel scientific positions that so there are gender disparities in spacial and cognitive abilities of the sexes. Harmonizing to West and Zimmerman ( 2007 ) , it is the facet of work forces and adult females making gender functions and seeking to carry through gender that gives the differences in accomplishment in mathematics. The facet of seeking to be gender gives the work forces and adult females the ability to develop competences and recognize productivity that is based on the societal restraints. The societal construction thrusts worlds to hold a perceptual experience, interactions, and accomplishments that are based on societal complexnesss. This societal facet influences the unconscious determination by may adult females to go forth scientific discipline and mathematics callings and take up other Fieldss. Such societal complexnesss define how adult females and work forces perceive themselves in footings of their calling and professional development. The outlook of those who engage stop up in the Fieldss of scientific discipline and mathematics is that they have to set in more hours in the office, where they have to hold flexible agendas that can react to the eventualities of their occupations. Within his model, the callings in scientific discipline and mathematics will drive them to demo a continued attempt in their life rhythm, where the head is invariably working on jobs during and after working hours ( Summers, 2005 ) . The image promoted is that such callings drive work forces and adult females to demo a high degree of committedness to the work. For this ground, many work forces are ready to give this committedness with fewer adult females preferring to take up callings that can give them clip for the household. With such a perceptual experience in topographic point many misss wil l pay less attending to mathematics as compared to the male childs, giving the differences in public presentation ( Summers, 2005 ) . This societal perceptual experience of what one should anticipate if they follow a certain field has been one of the drive forces behind the differences in public presentation of work forces and adult females. Work force from an early age are expected to carry through their masculine functions as the suppliers and defenders. For this ground, the inclination is that work forces will take up callings and professions that can reflect this. Like was seen in West & A ; Zimmerman ( 2001 ) and Marini ( 2010 ) . These pigeonholing functions are still present in modern America and have been described extensively by Summers ( 2005 ) as the cause of the pick of callings by adult females. Such gender stereotyping besides influences how work forces and adult females perform in mathematics and scientific discipline. With a deficiency of involvement in scientific discipline and mathematics as a calling for the adult females, many will non set much attempt in these academic countries. Their involvem ent will be in the societal, linguistic communication and art faculty members where they excel and seek to hardly acquire a base on balls in the scientific discipline and mathematics countries. Often the society will wonder and inquire at adult females who excels in these Fieldss, with remarks to the consequence that she is tough being directed to her. It is the gender societal concepts that have shaped the perceptual experience of misss of scientific discipline and mathematics and have influenced their public presentation in these countries. As we develop our perceptual experience of gender is shaped by the society that defines who we are, what we can make. Therefore the differences in public presentation in male childs and misss mathematics and scientific discipline are under the influence of the societal cultural factors. These have in consequence created an environment where capablenesss and abilities are limited by the socially assigned gender functions.

Geox and the Footware Industry

The footwear Industry is a mature market with any International competitors. In Europe, the footwear Is dominated by many small game; medium enterprises, which gives firms more flexibility to cater to specific consumer needs. The basic drivers for consumers buying decisions include demography, disposable income, basic needs, style and new materials. Fashion trends have a major influence on the footwear industry as well as new technology. The industry Is very labor intensive and most companies follow a idealization manufacturing strategy to capture lower labor costs, The primary market segments include Sport,'Atheistic, Work and Brown.Goes competes mostly In the Brown market UT acts as a competitor in the Athletic market because of their focus on technology. Competition is harsher in the Sport/Athletic market as it is the largest market in the footwear industry. Goes should continue to exploit new market opportunities embedded in technological innovation and should focus on allocating their resources to maximize returns. They should continue to search for ways for knowledge spill- over as It has lead to positive effects and complementary actively.Goes needs to effectively communicate Its brand and Innovation by creating uncontested market space and a niche Goes, an Italian based company, was started as a small family handicraft firm that evolved Into a multinational footwear manufacturer. It has been operating In the footwear industry since the sass and became public in 2004.Goes core concept for starting a footwear company was to offer high comfort footwear by applying a microprocessor membrane to the sole of the shoe to allow air moisture to exit without reentering. Goes developed its brand and position in the footwear market through its genealogical advances In footwear material. Goes dominated in the global footwear market with their cutting edge technological Innovation. However, despite their recent dominance, tenure nave Eden many changes In tenet competi tive environment that could hinder their performance or slow their growth in the future.Environmental Analysis (PEST) Observing the social aspect of the market, there has been an increasing trend towards footwear companies that targeted very narrow and differentiate market niches with a clearly definable brands and images. Additionally, there has been a detectable trend towards shoes acting as fashion and lifestyle symbols with many reputable fashion designers endorsing them. The economic landscape of the market has shifted and focused more on the rise of Southern Asian countries who have been growing very quickly over the past decade.With the growth of the middle – and upper class, there has been an increase in demand for mid-high end shoes with reputable brands. Analyzing the technological aspect of the market, most of the technological advancements arise in the athletic and sportswear segment. The main reason for this is the consistent demand of material and fabric innovat ion for optimal reference. Because of the effects the fashion industry has on the footwear industry as well as the seasonality of the business, product innovation and obsolescence is very high.After analyzing some of the major social, economic and technological aspects of the industry, Goes is in a good position to leverage new technology in order to gain a competitive advantage and outperform competition. 1. 2 Competition Analysis The current footwear industry is divided into three primary segments based on different consumer styles, which include Sports wear, Work and Brown (casual, formal ; traditional). All three segments consist of homeowners, menswear and childlessness.The largest firms are in the sports segment, which is more concentrated due to higher impact on brand awareness and technical innovation in fabrics and materials. The U. S. Accounts for the majority of global competition including such brands as Mike, Rebook, Brown shoe, Timberland etc. Currently, the majority o f footwear making companies, including the aforementioned competitors, have moved their core manufacturing activities overseas to increase productivity and take advantage lower labor costs. Goes direct competitors include Wolverine andGeneses as both firms compete in between the Leisure and Formal/Classic market segments. However, both firms are positioned more in the mid-high to high end price points while Goes is closer to mid-high, which gives Goes a competitive advantage in terms of price. Indirect competition consists of Checkers, Brown Shoe, Timberland and other competition in the sports segment. Checkers and Brown Shoe are positioned fairly close to Goes. Checkers strategy is focused on the casual market with a mid to high price range while Brown shoe's strategy is targeted more towards the formal wear.Therefore, leaving a gap in the markets space for Goes to exploit new opportunities and capture new market share. 1. 3 Competitive Forces (Porters 5 Forces) Looking at the comp etitive rivalry in the footwear industry, there are many competitors within the industry with very low product differentiation. There is also a more mature growth rate with the market slowly becoming saturated. The potential entry Darkles wilt ten Industry are very null Decease AT ten massive Minimal investment in order to begin operating.

The Rap Culture and Today’s World

The Rap Culture and Today’s World The culture of rap was redefined when the music group N. W. A. released their debut album, Straight Outta Compton. This groundbreaking album was the center of controversy across the nation. Critics argued that gang violence, drug use, and crime were idolized in the group’s lyrics. Even the name of the rap group, Niggaz Wit Attitudes, sparked major controversy nationwide. This album began the evolution of the rap culture; a culture that has seen a rapid increase in popularity since the 1980s and exerts a major influence on the youth of today.Lil Wayne’s CD, Tha Carter III, was one of the most anticipated albums of all time for any music genre, showing the popularity and the influence of rap music on today’s world. Although rap music is seen by some as liberating and empowering, rap has helped create a culture in our society that idolizes gang activity, drug use, crime, and has a degrading view of women. Dwayne Michael Carte r Jr. , formally known as the rapper Lil Wayne, was born on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lil Wayne grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in New Orleans, Hollygrove.Hollygrove is notorious for its crime rates and poverty level. Wayne was no different from his neighbors, as he had many run-ins with the law. Lil Wayne has also publicly acknowledged his affiliation with the Bloods, the biggest criminal gang in America. He commonly mentions the Bloods in his songs and some of the criminal activity they have become infamous for. Also, Lil Wayne’s drug use has been well documented over the years. You can often see Lil Wayne smoking marijuana while being interviewed on radio broadcast or on the internet.The way Lil Wayne lives his life is portrayed in his music, just as most musicians put a personal twist on their art. With response to the influence of rap, Raquel Alvarenga states: â€Å"The lyrics of popular rap artists like Nelly and Jay-Z are much more than straightforward commentaries on social class inequity and the hardships of urban life†(13). Youth growing up in poverty stricken areas can relate to the words rappers â€Å"preach†. Many rappers have come from the ghettos across America, and speak of the illegal and illicit activities they used to participate in.The youth idolize these figures not only because they made it out of the hood, but because they glamorize the very same criminal activities youths are participating in. Much of the youth growing up in the ghetto resort to gang activity because they lose hope and believe that crime and selling drugs are the only viable options to making it out of the ghetto. Rap stars are idolized by the youth, and whether they want the responsibility of being a role model or not, it comes with the territory of the rap game.Additionally, rappers are notorious for their lyrics about â€Å"pimps and hoes†. Amongst other degrading things, half naked women are commonly found in rap music videos shaking their butts. Rap lyrics often refer to women as â€Å"hoes†, â€Å"tricks†, or â€Å"bitches†. Alvarenga says that â€Å"These lyrics, teeming with sexually explicit messages, encourage the subjugation of women and promote an ethos of disrespect against them† (13). The role of women has changed significantly over the last 20 years, but not the view and respect level given to them by their counterparts.It is hard to have respect for women that are showing more and more skin and beginning to do promiscuous things that have never been acceptable in the eyes of older generations. The culture of rap music has helped shaped the behavior and perception of women nowadays. Gang Activity has always been a substantial part of the rap culture, as many rappers come from a gang related backgournd. Most rappers have some association with a gang; whether they are a member or they represent them in their music.Top 6, a gang out of the Lake Wort h area, is famous for creating and producing their own music. Their music is center around the drugs they sell, hatred for other gangs, and crimes they have committed. Being that rappers have strong affiliation to gangs it is inevitable that gang life is portrayed in their music. The youths that listen to these rappers’ music think that it is acceptable to participate in gang activity since their favorite rappers are doing it. Drugs have always played a pivotal role in rap culture, as many rappers support drug use and selling drugs.Rappers often explain in their lyrics how they made it through the urban struggle by selling a multitude of drugs including marijuana, cocaine, and creak. Young Jeezy, a rapper from the Atlanta area, made millions by selling cocaine before he became a rapper. He often refers to his days as a cocaine dealer in his music. Many rappers have faced jail time during the height of their careers for drug related charges, including Lil Wayne who faced charg es in 2010 for marijuana possession.Drugs have always had a place in society, but there has never been an influx of celebrities that openly acknowledge drug use and selling drugs like many rappers do. The glamorous portrayal of drugs in the rap culture is harmfully impacting today’s society. Tha Carter III was released in the summer of 2008 and debuted as the number one album on the US Billboard 200 by selling over a million copies in its first week. A seemingly innocent baby picture of Lil Wayne can be found on the album’s cover, but anyone who has a deeper understanding of the rap culture knows this picture is not so innocent.There are multiple tattoos on the face of the baby, but the tear drops below his eye spark the most controversey. The tattooing of tear drops below the eye has become a popular tradition of the Bloods after they commit their first real act of violence or murder. By having a deeper understanding of rap music and familiarizing yourself with the ra p culture, you can then understand all messages found in rap lyrics and the potentially harmful effects they could have on audiences.The rap culture continues to have a negative impact upon all social classes. Urban youths believe the only way out of ghetto is through gang activity or striking it rich in the rap game. With a large fan base of rap coming from white, middle class suburbs, we are also seeing a lessening respect towards women and who are viewed as nameless and faceless objects. Even though some view the rap culture as a way of freely expressing yourself, rap has created a culture in our society that glamorizes gangs, drugs, crime, and has a degrading view of women.Rap music has become a multi-million dollar industry and is no longer considered a fad, but a mainstay in our world. With this realization, we must weigh the cons and pros that come with rap music and the culture it has created. As J. Annette Saddik explained, â€Å"Ice Cube was careful to make a distinction between occasions when rapper are just having fun and when they are performing more serious social messages†(110). Society, especially the youth, cannot continue to take the messages rappers are giving literally and try to imitate the lifestyles being portrayed in their music.Today’s society is walking a thin line when it comes to the ideals and values that rap music is instilling into the youth that could have potentially harmful effects for future generations. Revision Changes: For the most part this essay was well written. There were not as many typos and grammatical errors as the first two. I thought I developed the ideas nicely and made a good connection between rap culture and society. Some of my transitions in the paper did not flow as well as I hoped. I added more substance to these sentences in hopes of making my paper less choppy.The most challenging part of revising this particular work was making my transitions stronger and rewording sentences where I was go ing off topic or sounded wordy. Overall, this is the work I was most pleased with over the course of the semester. Works Citied Alvarenga, Raquel. â€Å"Hip Hop Generation: Sexually Explicit Rap Lyrics May Harm Youth. † Harvard Political Review 32. 2 (2005): 13-15. Print Saddik, Annette J. â€Å"Rap’s Unruly Body The Postmodern Performance of Black Male Identity on the American Stage. † TDR/The Drama Review 47. 4 (2003): 110-127. Print