Civil Rights and Responsibilities Essay

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution shortly after its ratification. These amendments guarantee certain political, procedural, and property rights against infringement by the national government (Patterson, 2009). â€Å"A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on influence (Thomas Jefferson). The First Amendment provides the foundation for freedom of expression which is the right of individual Americans to hold and communicate views of their choosing (Patterson, 2009). The motivation of the Bill of Rights was to guarantee individual rights and freedoms. The First Amendment reflects this tradition, providing for freedom of religion along with freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition. The three provisions of the First Amendment are the freedom of speech, assembly and religion. The freedom of speech states that you are free to say almost anything except that which is obscene, slanders another person, or has a high probability of inciting others to take imminent lawless action. The freedom of assembly states that you are free to assemble, although government may regulate the time and place for reasons of public convenience safety, provided such regulations are applied evenhandedly to all groups. The freedom of religion states that you are protected from having the religious beliefs of others imposed on you, and you are free to believe what you like. Freedom of religion simply means citizens have freedom to attend a church, synagogue, temple or mosque of their choice, or not to attend at all. The First Amendment allows us to practice our religion the way we want to. When talking about freedom of religion and the First Amendment I think about religion in the schools. Every since the Supreme Court held school-sponsored prayer unconstitutional in the early 1960s, there has ben a concerted and well-funded campaign to reintroduce religion in public schools. Public schools themselves should not be in the business of promoting particular religious beliefs or religious activities and they should protect children from being coerced by others to accept religious (or anti-religious beliefs. A Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission inquiry ruled in July that the Saskatoon Board of Education must end a practice of giving teachers the option of conducting prayers in public school classrooms and assemblies. In practice, the choice has been primarily the Lord’s Prayer. The ruling will not change practices in separate schools. The inquiry followed a complaint six years ago by nine parents, including Muslims, Jews, Unitarians and atheists. About 20% of the 550 public school classrooms in Saskatoon begin the day with prayer. The decision may be appealed in court (Globe and Mail, 1999). The relationship between religion and government in the United States when it comes to the United States Constitution is governed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which both prevents the government from establishing religion and protects privately initiated religious expression and activities from government interference and discrimination. The First Amendment thus establishes certain limits on the conduct of public school officials as it relates to religious activity, including prayer. Prayer should not have been taken out of schools. Parents should be sent home a letter opting out of religious activities and employees should be given the same option, but taken it out of schools was ridiculous. The case of Engel v. Vitale (1962) went to the Supreme Court and the case was about a time in 1951 the New York State Board of Regents (the State board of education) approved a 22-word â€Å"nondenominational prayer â€Å"for recitation each morning in the public schools of New York. It read: â€Å"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.† The Regents believed that the prayer could be a useful tool for the development of character and good citizenship among the students of the State of New York. The prayer was offered to the school boards in the State for their use, and participation in the â€Å"prayer-exercise† was voluntary. In New Hyde Park, New York, the Union Free School District No. 9 directed the local principal to have the prayer â€Å"said aloud by each class in the presence of a teacher at the beginning of the school day.† The parents of ten pupils in the New Hyde Park schools objected to the prayer. They filed suit in a New York State court seeking a ban on the prayer, insisting that the use of this official prayer in the public schools was contrary to their own and their children’s beliefs, religions, or religious practices. The State appeals court upheld the use of the prayer, â€Å"so long as the schools did not compel any pupil to join in the prayer over his or his parents’ objection† (infoplease.com). The Freedom to Assemble gives people the right to assemble peacefully without causing any harm to others. As much as I do not agree with the KKK views and opinions they should be able to assemble if they do it in a peaceful manner. The First Amendment prohibits government from abridging â€Å"the right of the people peaceably to assemble. This basic freedom ensures that the spirit of the First Amendment survives and thrives even when the majority of citizens would rather suppress expression it finds offensive. Over the course of our history, freedom of assembly has protected individuals espousing myriad viewpoints. Striking workers, civil rights advocates, anti-war demonstrators and Ku Klux Klan marchers have all taken to the streets and sidewalks in protest or in support of their causes. Sometimes these efforts have galvanized public support or changed public perceptions. Imagine a civil rights movement without the March on Washington or the women’s suffrage movement without ranks of long-skirted, placard-carrying suffragists filling city streets. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized the importance of this freedom in the 1937 case De Jonge v. State of Oregon, writing that â€Å"the right to peaceable assembly is a right cognate to those of free speech and free press and is equally fundamental. â€Å"According to the Court, † the right to assemble is one that cannot be denied without violating those fundamental principles which lie at the base of all civil and political institutions† (archive.firstamendmentcenter.org). The KKK’s right to assemble peaceably was secured by the famous 1977 case of National Socialist Party v. Skokie, in which the American Civil Liberties Union successfully argued that the First Amendment prohibited officials of Skokie, Ill., from banning a march by the National Socialist Party. Skokie is a Chicago suburb that is home to many Holocaust survivors. One federal judge reasoned that â€Å"it is better to allow those who preach racial hatred to expend their venom in rhetoric rather than to be panicked into embarking on the dangerous course of permitting the government to decide what its citizens may say and hear† (archive.firstamendmentcenter.org). In conclusion, the First Amendment of the United States protects the rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression as well as freedom of assembly from government interference. Freedom of expression consists of the rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied rights of association and belief. The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights. The First Amendment has been interpreted by the Court as applying to the entire federal government even though it is only expressly applicable to Congress. Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause are two clauses in the First Amendment that guarantee freedom of religion. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. It enforces the â€Å"separation of church and state.† The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a person’s practice of their religion. The right to assemble allows people to gather for peaceful and lawful purposes. Implicit within this right is the right to association and belief. With that being said, all people should be having some kind of freedom. They should be able to boycott and assemble peacefully without causing any harm to anyone. People should be free to have their different views and opinions of religion, be it that they religious or anti-religious. To sum it all up I would love for everyone to feel that they are free. References http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1961/1961_468 http://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/program-freedom-religion-and-belief-government-funded-religion â€Å"Religion in schools (teachers in Saskatchewan will no longer have the option of conducting prayer services in class).† Humanist in Canada 130 (1999): 4, 39. General OneFile. Web. 25 June 2012. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html

Speech About Education in Indonesia

Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb. Firstly, I would like to say thank because it is a great honor for me to stand here and give a brief speech entitled â€Å"Formal Education in Indonesia† Education system in our country is divided into two major parts, they are formal and non-formal. A formal education is divided into three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary education. While non-formal education is carried out for the learners who get difficulties to meet the requirements in formal education. An example of non-formal education is PLS or Outside School Education.Before entering primary or elementary school, children in ourcountry usually have attended kindergarten. But this education is not compulsory for Indonesian citizens, as the aim of this is just to prepare them for primary school. Children ages 7–12 attend primary education at Elementary School. This level of education is compulsory for all Indonesian citizens. Similar to education systems in the U. S. and Aust ralia, students must study for six years to complete this level. Some schools offer an accelerated learning program, where students who perform well can finish elementary school in five years.The next level is secondary education. After graduating from elementary school, students attend Middle School or Junior High School for three years from the age of 13-15. After three years of schooling and graduation, students may move on to Senior High School. In Indonesia, this school is basically divided into two kinds: SMA and SMK. SMA is different with SMK in their studies. The students at SMA are prepared to advance totertiary education or university, while students of SMK as a vocational school are prepared to be ready to work after finishing their school without going to university/college.The last level of education in our country is tertiary education. Students who have graduated from senior high school may attend to university or academy. They can choose any kinds of university or ac ademy based on their interests or scopes of knowledge, for example majoring in English, Mathematics, or teacher training university. I think that’s all my speech. I hope my brief description on the formal education in our country will be useful for us. Finally, I would like to say sorry if there are mistakes in my speech words. Thank you very much for your attention. Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.

Emergence of Romanticism

The Industrial Revolution and the Emergence of Romanticism The Industrial Revolution was a period of time during the 18th century originating in Europe that resulted in major socio-economic and cultural changes around the world. These changes in part gave rise to the English Romantic spirit, especially in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom's economic system of manual labor shifted toward a system of machine manufacturing, resulting in the formation of factories and, therefore, modern cities.It also gave rise to the middle and working classes, aerating more employment opportunities but severely reducing the quality of living for those working, especially those in factories. This wrongful oppression brought on by the manipulation of the impoverished resulted in an intellectual and somewhat political movement known as Romanticism. Romantic artists and authors used their work to communicate the suffering of the people living in the newly industrialized world, and described imagined w orlds of beauty and perfection as a form of escape from the harshness that surrounded them.One such artist was William Wordsmith. In his poem â€Å"l Wandered Lonely as a Cloud† Wordsmith uses nature as a form of escapism from the Industrial Revolution. He describes the beauty of a multitude of daffodils and the happiness it brought him. â€Å"And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. † The mere thought of the perfect and serene environment continues to make him happy and makes him forget of the horrible surroundings he lives in.This type of escapism was well-received, allowing a similar feeling to emanate in others who suffered the worst of the Industrial Revolution. The Chimney Sweeper† by William Blake is a two part poem that analyzes the innocence of child laborers during the Industrial Revolution and exposes the manipulation of authoritarian powers. Blake also used escapism to contrast the bleak reality of industrialized Europe to the beautiful world that was promised to those who put up with working in fatal conditions. And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy, He'd have God for his father & never want Joy. † This excerpt from â€Å"Songs of Innocence† shows the lies that the children were fed in order to keep them obedient ND trusting. Blake more directly accuses the authorities in â€Å"Songs of Experience,† the second part of the poem. â€Å"And because I am happy and dance and sing, They think they have done me no injury, And are gone to praise God and His Priest and King, Who make up a Heaven of our misery. Despite the worker's mask of happiness and content, he is truly miserable, unbeknownst to his peers and family, who praise those who are slowly killing him. The government uses the trusted concept of God to force those under them to work and produce goods for them that will make them richer. This poem raised many questions about the effects and ethical state of child labor and lead to the eventual imposition of child labor laws. Another author, Thomas Hardy, exemplifies the effects of the formation of the working classes on the average person in his poem â€Å"The Ruined Maid. In the poem, a prostitute and her former acquaintance, a lowly farmer, discuss their ruined states, despite the former looking and acting more sophisticated and well-endowed compared to her previous appearance and attitude as a farmer. Mirror hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak, But now I'm bewitched by your delicate week†¦ † The harlot's friend compares her new appearance to what she used to be, assuming she's become more successful, but she believes that she's been ruined, a belief that she repeatedly expresses throughout the poem.This showcases her distorted perception of reality, believing she has it worse than her hard-working friend, when, in fact, the two live in about the same conditions and are both â€Å"ruined. † In many ways, the em ergence of Romanticism was a reaction to the effects of the Industrial Revolution. The writings and artwork of many 19th century intellectuals ND artists were created as a revolt against the inhumane treatment of low class citizens and the unnatural transformation of the environment.They used escapism and imagery to provide a beautiful environment that was uncommon in the reality of the industrialized world and to expose the unjust effects that this new mechanized way of life had on not only the environment, but the people. These artists used the Romantic Spirit to instill a sense of hope within the oppressed and proved that the thoughts of individuals can inspire and fight against the majority, eventually coming out on top.

E learning Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

E learning - Thesis Example Despite these strengths and opportunities, e-learning faces several distinct barriers. These barriers will be explored in this paper. Diverse barriers to e-learning can prevent or delay the effective design or implementation of e-learning programs. This section discusses some of the widespread categories of hindrances to e-learning. Table 1 shows the various barriers to e-learning that are arranged according to publication. Inadequate technological tools, such as lack of computers, and poor or limited Internet availability can impede the adoption of e-learning. Poorly designed e-learning programs are barriers to e-learning too. The learning system for e-learning must be applied to preservice teaching, and if not, there will be problems in the design and implementation of e-learning. In India, schools do not have sufficient equipment for delivering e-learning, especially in rural areas, and bandwidth problems are also widespread concerns. The absence of a reliable ICT infrastructure shapes e-learning adoption similarly. Negative stereotypes against older learners impact the participation of older students in e-learning platforms (334). Lack of ICT knowledge and skills among older students are barriers to e-learning too. Teachers are more likely to implement e-learning, if it is aligned with public educations policies and standards. KSA must go over the possibility of mandating e-learning across public education levels to enhance its adoption. Differences in policies and implementation because of administrative dimensions can affect e-learning diffusion. Poor professional development toward e-learning can be attributed to the organization because of lack of resources and/or political will and unity. Teachers may not adopt e-learning if they do not see that the administration as supportive to the skills training and other needs of e-learning platform. Poor alignment between e-learning goals and curriculum can hinder e-learning effectiveness. Table 1 shows

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Operations Management - Essay Example 29). Through measuring the effectiveness of the new applications at the CEUPU, it becomes easy to calculate the cycle time for the applications process. What is more, comparing the application process with other different units can be a comparable way of doing the calculations. The processing of an application involves several tasks and operations and so a large number of people are usually involved in the long run. Without doubt, the processing of applications is a prolonged course of action that requires watchful examination by several checkers taught to develop assessments (McFarlan & Delacey, 2003, p. 315). In order to calculate the number of people involved in the processing of an application, it is worth taking a look at some essential elements. To begin with, it is undeniable that a unit deals with roughly over 200 applications on a weekly basis. Reflecting on this point of view, several tasks have to be completed by different employees such as clerks, secretaries, and managers, for the process to run smoothly in due course. What this means is that the number the number of people involved in the process will be determined by the type of execution required in the system. More than 10 members of staff can be helpful towards running the entire procedure. However, it is worth noting that the increased number of people available to run the process may bring confusion when it comes to the allocating of duties. Therefore, it is advised when calculating the number of people involved in the process to consider a small number of people in order to ensure effectiveness is given the first priority. Citing on the fact that the entire processing unit is programmed to perform various tasks, it may be difficult to locate an individual file. Worth mentioning, for to be in position to locate an individual file, several calculations and requirements must be met accordingly. In one way or the other, the central processing unit is designed in such

Literacy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Literacy - Assignment Example Where students are likely to benefit from these skills as it improves their general literacy and help them have better quality f education, teachers are also required to develop them, as they are fundamental for providing quality education and also enhance their performance levels. In addition to that, the scope of developing literacy and numeracy in adults has also increased which tends to bring more responsibility to educators. One of the important areas surrounding poor literacy skills is inability to understand the text being read. Where reading itself is a fundamental skill that is being developed from the inception of education, ability to gain knowledge of context in multiple frames is rather difficult to develop. This issue is further accompanied by inability to perform academic research and also filter out relevant sources to develop necessary understanding. The problem further enhances due to presence of multiple and non-reliable data available on web and out-of-date library resources. Also, ability to identify scholarly and academically relevant sources to support education has a critical value for present day students. Last element of this issue is to deliver the knowledge in writing. This skills required development of sound grammar as well as extensive vocabulary. With limited reading being performed and lesser attention given this area, students find it difficult to communicate what they know well which not only affects their grades but also their self-confidence. Another dimension of the issue being discussed is to have suitable knowledge of numerical data and relevant mathematical concepts. The problem increases when there are word problems as deducing meaning out of written text and converting it into numeric data and further applying appropriate methods and procedures meant for problem solving. Hence, in order to develop numeric skills, it is essential that a student is able to derive correct

You can write one that fits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

You can write one that fits - Essay Example It was not unlike a world turned upside down. As the scramble for the new truth set in, the new philosophy was introduced. For thinkers and those who introduced new ideas, it was a necessary change and a tool. For ordinary people who came to be acquainted with it and eventually accepted the new theoretical paradigm, it was a way of coping with the changes around them. This paper explores this new philosophy development and determines its causes and impact, especially its inevitable link with new science. There is an interesting school of thought that figures prominently in the manner by which new philosophy was accepted. The position is that philosophy is critical in validating science. Therefore, these two variables are within a symbiotic relationship wherein one is crucial in the acceptance of the other. Earlier, this was the case with Aristotle’s physics and natural science. They became legitimate when it was backed by Aristotelian philosophy. Several years later, this would be cemented further when Thomas Aquinas reconciled his thoughts with Catholic theology, effectively making Aristotelian science the foundation of European philosophical and intellectual worldview. The position is that new philosophy also functioned the same way. It became inextricably linked with new science. The new philosophy was called for in order for people to accept new science as the new truth or to establish it as valid as opposed to the classical authorities. This is perhaps the case because any pursuit of truth requires a degree of rhetorics and persuasion in order for it to be recognized. There is a great deal of perception involved here wherein the truths cannot merely exist objectively. There was a philosophical statement about whether a tree makes any noise when it falls in the forest when no one could hear it. There is noise, true. But

Costco Cracks Taiwan Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Costco Cracks Taiwan Market - Essay Example For example, company adjusted its American brands after analyzing local tastes / desires and then offered at one of its Taiwan’s stores. Indeed, Costco sold an experience that was highly appreciated by Taipei buyers. In addition, the company has also adopted the strategy of localization thereby introducing new and existing products in a specific region or area that suit local customers. (Cheng, 2010) For instance, the company has focused on market penetration (low prices for existing products), product development (offering new and innovated products to current markets) and market development (expanding in new regions) strategies. In fact, Costco focuses on differentiation of its global products to obtain a clear and distinctive image in the minds of consumers. For example, Costco offered some new brands at lower prices to penetrate in Sydney market. (Stafford, 2010) The above mentioned strategies, indeed, have resulted in Costco’s global expansion and growth. The sales in US market grew by 6% while in international market, the retailer observed a staggering 25% growth. (Talley, 2010) and (Associated Press, 2010) Stafford, Patrick (2010) â€Å"Costco Sydney site approved, and local retailers must adapt† Smart Company Available at http://www.smartcompany.com.au/retail/20100416-costco-sydney-site-approved-and-local-retailers-must-adapt.html Talley, Karen (2010) â€Å"Costcos Profit Jumps as Sales Growth Speeds Up† Wall Street Journal Available at

Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Case analysis - Essay Example Wolfgang Keller, a charismatic graduate from the Harvard Business School, is the managing director of premium brewer Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u’s Ukrainian subsidiary, Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u-TAK AE. Before taking his current position at Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u-TAK, Keller was a strategic planner for a large German food products manufacturer. Within six months he was promoted to general manager of a small subsidiary in Ukraine that was struggling financially. Within his roughly two years spent with the company, he managed to turn it around and create a reputation as a successful hands-on manager. After his short stint as a strategic planner, Keller left the food manufacturer and joined Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u as managing director of its Ukrainian subsidiary. After three years in this position, Keller made significant changes which dramatically helped increase sales and revenues within the company. By changing the marketing strategy, hiring a new top-management group, restructuring the sales force, and acquiring a fourth brewery in Odessa, he increased earnings by â‚ ¬10 million. Keller loved his job here and took it because he loved the responsibility and challenges it offered. These challenges helped to form Keller’s temperament , personality and business style. One of the main issues in this case is that there are two completely different personalities and management styles between Wolfgang Keller and Dimitri Brodsky. The differences between the two have resulted in a hostile working environment and a negative relationship. Keller’s personality is relationship and task oriented and employee oriented. For example Keller likes to establish trust and relationships with co-workers by motivating them and helping them to perform better. However when it comes to Brodsky he is more coercive. Keller is a highly interactive and hands on leader, whereas Brodsky keeps his distance in his interactions.

I’m Nobody Essay Example for Free

I’m Nobody Essay â€Å"I’m Nobody! Who are You? † is a poem written by Emily Dickinson. The poem conveys the main idea of being alone, isolated from the society – or being â€Å"nobody†. This is partly influenced by the social gender status of Dickinson’s time – 19th century featured the inequality of sexes, where females were expected to stay at home and serve their husbands, thus disconnected from the society. As a result Dickinson had adapted and perhaps taken pleasure into being an outsider, whilst she found it boring to be part of the society – or to be a â€Å"somebody†. These are all various ideas reflected through Emily Dickinson’s poem. The poem has 2 stanzas very typical of Emily Dickinson’s style. Her choice of language in this poem is also very simple and succinct – but at the same time meaningful and pithy. The first line, â€Å"I’m nobody! †, shows how Dickinson admits to be a â€Å"nobody† willingly. Being a â€Å"nobody† can mean an outsider – a person who is isolated, alienated from the rest of the world and society. The second phrase of the line – â€Å"Who are you? † shows that the poem is directly written to a target. This person – shown on the second line of the first stanza, is a â€Å"nobody† too – perhaps even a friend of Dickinson. The poet also realizes the fact that being a â€Å"nobody† is to be loathed by the society. This is shown in line 3, when she advises the other â€Å"nobody† not to tell, as she states in line 4 â€Å"They’d banish us†. The word â€Å"They† in the beginning of lines 3 and 4 suggests the rest of the society – people who are â€Å"somebody†, as opposed to Dickinson’s â€Å"nobody’. The use of dash in line 3 shows the furtiveness of the phrase â€Å"don’t tell! †, emphasizing the hatred or dislike they face from the society. The same effect is achieved by the use of exclamation mark in line 3. Lines 3 and 4 can also be interpreted as that after she finds another â€Å"nobody†, they are a pair – not longer belong to a group of â€Å"nobodies†. She does not want to be banished from the status of being â€Å"nobodies†. A conclusion can be drawn that she feels more secure to be a â€Å"nobody†; she feels comfortable to be treated as a â€Å"nobody† by the rest of the society. The second stanza sees a noticeable change in Dickinson’s tone. The repetitions of â€Å"How† and â€Å"To† in the beginning of each line give a more secure and commanding tone. This can be explained by the â€Å"discovery† of another â€Å"nobody† stated by the poet in the first stanza – she feels more assured that to be a â€Å"nobody† is not too unacceptable as she is not the only one. Also perhaps because she feels more secure to be with a person who feels the same as she does and understands her, she is more willing and daring to express her more inner feelings. The poet states that it is â€Å"dreary to be somebody† in line 5 of the second stanza. â€Å"Dreary† refers to being boring or dull; and â€Å"to be somebody† suggests to be recognized by the society and belong to it. Hence Dickinson is suggesting that to be part of a society is tedious and meaningless to her, which can also implies being a â€Å"nobody† is the contrary – interesting and meaningful. A further implication may be that being â€Å"nobody† allows her to write poetry – as it is not part of the â€Å"traditional role† of women at her time to write poetry, and instead women were expected to serve only their husbands. However, being a â€Å"nobody† in the society helps her to escape her role of being a â€Å"women†, granting her freedom instead. Hence we can see that poetry is meaningful to her. She also compares that to be â€Å"somebody† is like to be â€Å"public†, another indication that Dickinson likes isolation – which is proven correctly as one would learn that she locked herself in her house for the majority of her life. Dickinson uses a simile to compare â€Å"somebody† to a â€Å"frog† in line 6. This can be explained by the fact that â€Å"frogs† are considered noisy with the sound they generate. Combining with line 8, â€Å"To an admiring bog! †, it suggests the idea that frogs create noise to be noticed – but only by â€Å"an admiring bog†. A bog is the environment in which a frog dwells – this creates an irony. Emily Dickinson is suggesting that although being a â€Å"somebody† means being noticed by the public, but the public to â€Å"somebody† is like a bog to a frog – it is not really a relationship, or friendship, as no one would say that a bog is the friend of a frog. Also the word â€Å"admiring† creates a whole sense of sarcasm to the idea – and the technique of personification is used to describe the â€Å"bog† as well, perhaps to emphasize the sarcasm of the simile. Overall the poet suggests that to be â€Å"somebody† might mean to be well-known, accepted by the society; however the relationships are often shallow, distanced or impersonal. The rhyming of the words â€Å"frog† and â€Å"bog† also suggests a congenial relationship between â€Å"Somebody† and her targeted audience – conveying the idea that the poem is a direct criticism against the â€Å"somebody† – the general public. Through the use of contrast and irony between â€Å"Nobody† and â€Å"Somebody†, her strong will to be a â€Å"nobody† is shown, as well as her despise towards â€Å"somebody†. This poem reflects Emily Dickinson’s life and perhaps her more inner and cryptic feelings – it was probably written from the heart. She imprisoned herself for the most of her life, completely isolated from the rest of the world. This may contribute to the reason why she thinks being an â€Å"outsider† is better than being â€Å"somebody†, and that she does not value â€Å"friendship† in the same way as normal people do. However at the same time it was also proven in the poem – for instance she found another â€Å"nobody† in the first stanza – that she is not totally a recluse, and that she treasures the very few friendships she had.

Virtual Reality Internship Reflection

Virtual Reality Internship Reflection Executive summary about Internship/abstract: Spoketech is Chicago based company founded in 2005 focused on helping businesses realize their vision. Our team has a solid experience in IT strategy and technology solutions. Its a small consulting firm and fortunately they started working on VR(Virtual Reality) environment. I got interviewed by showing them my portfolio of my previous work I done in Unity Engine. So I had the opportunity to work with them on this quarter for past 9 weeks. The company had all the resources for working on virtual reality stating from the software to hardware everything are cutting edge technology. I was allowed to work on high end software such a Unity, Maya, and Photoshop. I got introduced to agile development methodologies. I proved a valuable resource throughout this quarter by expressing my effectiveness and providing there necessary requirements developing the product. Detailed Description Responsibilities Goals/Objectives: At SpokeTech Inc, I was assigned to work in Virtual Reality one of their own products in collaboration with Amazon cloud services. I worked in the Maya and Unity part. The team wants me to build the 3D model and import to Unity and already there is a test model was built to test in the VR environment. So this a cloud based service, before I joined they already started working on cloud services. I was assigned to the task to build 3D models with low poly count so that they can upload to the cloud and download into Unity engine to make their product. I taught myself to design Maya and went through different websites and watched educational YouTube videos and designed a lot of prototype model and communicated with the team to build a perfect 3D model. To complete the task efficiently I used the already test build model blue print to design the 3D model. In the end the model came what was we expected. Also, I was involved in VR scripting related work. The project was done using C# language because the unity engine supports JavaScript and C#. I found that C# is easy for me as I learnt it before when I took a class in DePaul last winter quarter. I created simple interactive UI scripts as front end work for the project which everything was done in Unity engine. Apart from that I was introduced into Agile Methodology; I have learnt the principles for software development under which the requirements and solutions evolve through the collaborative effort of self-organized cross-functional teams. I had to join a website called Trello and to work with the team and get a exposure of Agile Methodology. Also I voluntarily involved myself in photoshop,I can create texture for the models I made. So I had download HD quality images from the Google then I used Photoshop to edit and applied to the modes in Maya as UV mapping. Internship was with the SpokeTech Inc was from January 11th to March 16th. 9 weeks I have spent. Most of the conversations done through Skype meeting. I had to visit them on occasions. I mentioned what I did for every week below: 1st week Modeling 2nd week Modeling 3rd week Importing everything to unity 3D(Fixing up the meshes) and models 4th week-Programming in C# 5th week -Photoshop 6th Week- Programming in C# 7th Week- Modeling 8th Week- Programming in Unity3D 9th Week Programming in Unity 3D Major Tasks accomplished: Tasks accomplished are creating 3d models, Created simple scripts based on the supervisor requirements. Uploaded the 3D models into the Amazon cloud and downloaded successfully using unity engine where every code was written using C#. Skills That I learned on the job: I was introduced to agile methodology and C# scripting, I learn a lot about penetration testing with my peer during my Internship. Also, I learn about unity and UV Mapping in Maya. Apart from that I was introduced to Amazon Cloud services to upload the Asset bundle from the unity to cloud and retrieve back from the cloud. Everything was coded in C#. I improved a lot in my communication and other soft skills. How your education at DePaul helped you at your internship: The courses that I took at DePaul really helped me prepare for the Internship. The course SE456 (Architecture of games) helped me scripting C# and I have learned about design patterns. That helped me to write code efficiently. I was working on the Unity 3D which is a game engine tool which supports C# scripting so this course helped me in a lot of different aspects. Apart from that I already learnt Maya in the free time that also provided me great help for designing the Models requested in the company. Apart from this knowledge I gained in DePaul University really helped me throughout the Internship. Also took Optimized C++(CSC461) on last year fall quarter. The subject is helpful for me to work on creating a own simple shader code like phong shading. Conclusion: This internship is the stepping-stone for my career. I have met a lot of intelligent people in the firm throughout my internship. I have gained in-depth knowledge Unity VR platform, development from scratch. I have learned to test the code using agile software development process. I also gained a better understanding of how to establish communication with the employer within SpokeTech organization effectively. The dedication and passion I got from the company have made me a lasting impression, and I Feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in such an environment.

How does breastfeeding affect a babys physical development

How does breastfeeding affect a babys physical development Breastfeeding is deemed by many, as being the most important nourishment for a child. Breastfeeding provides a better and more balanced form of nutrition for the babies. Breast milk contains the accurate amount and quality of nutrients that perfectly lay within the babys primary dietary needs (Canadian Paediatric Society). To protect, promote, and keep the practice of breastfeeding alive the following research question is going to be looked at in depth throughout the report; how does breastfeeding affects and aids a babys physical development? There are countless physical benefits of breastfeeding for a baby. However the main focus of this report will be looking at the link to digestion, obesity, and dental health of the child. Breast milk is the best food for babies, the reason being is, it provides the exact combination of fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and enzymes required at various stages of growth of the new born (Kristen Burgess). Along with these features the most important part is that it is easily digestible for an infant (Leena Palande, 2010). A babys digestive system is immature and cow milk and other proteins found in formulas are heavy on the digestive system. Breast milk posses as a less load on the infants digestive system since a babys less developed digestive system requires highly absorbable nutrients. Human proteins are also more digestible as compared to the cow or other proteins that are found in the formula. Breast milk assists in proper maturity of the babys gastrointestinal tract; the stomach and the intestine as a functional unit (Jon Ahrendsen). Breast milk includes a particular protein called immunoglobulin, which operates like a defensive sealant in the digestive tract. Breas t milk also possesses a unique substance known as epidermal growth factor (EGF). It encourages the development of the cells lining in the babys intestines in addition to other surface cells, for instance the cells of the skin. These are some of the qualities of the breast milk which aid to develop the babys digestive track in a health and a strong way. Secondly, studies have found out that there is a reduced risk of being obese, among the breastfed children. Its best results were observed amongst teenagers, which show that the obesity-reducing effect of  breastfeeding  expands numerous years into a childs life. One more research revealed that the threat of becoming overweight was decreased by four percent for every month of  breastfeeding. This influence stables past nine months of  breastfeeding. The protecting benefit of  breastfeeding  is possibly caused through a number of factors. Firstly, infant formula includes approximately twice the amount of protein per serving as breast milk. This surplus quantity of protein might motivate insulin discharge in an unhealthy way. Secondly, the biological reaction to breast milk is different from that of formula. When nourishing a baby, the mothers milk encourages the babys liver to discharge a protein that aids to normalize metabolism (Breastfeeding Medicine). Feeding formula a s an alternative to breast milk, multiplies the babys concentrations of insulin in a persons blood, delays the insulin reaction, and even childhood is linked to the adverse concentrations of leptin, a hormone that slows down the hunger and restrains the body fat. Other than that premature introduction of solids (before 6 months) to the babies might also increase the danger of childhood obesity. Lastly breastfeeding also has one of its significant impacts on the dental health of the baby. Studies have found out that breast milk contains high levels of protecting chemicals and manufactures comparatively little acid in the mouth. Amongst breastfed children, the longer the period of nursing the lower risk of malocclusion; an undesirable relative positioning of the upper and lower teeth when the jaw is closed. Breast-fed kids have an enhanced overall dental health. Ones Breastfed have comparatively well-built teeth which are in good shape as well. They hardly ever require orthodontic work; the region of dentistry worried about the avoidance and correction of irregularities of the teeth, for example braces. In general children who are breastfed possess better dental health than those of formula-fed children (Target Woman). The main reason behind this benefit is the nutrients included in the breast-milk as well as the exceptional sucking action requisite by the breastfeeding. This benefit has a very long term effect on the baby. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of tooth decay. There are fewer chances of cavities  among the breastfed infants. One of the finest treatments for childrens tooth decay requires the mother to continue breastfeeding, at the same time enhancing her diet (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry). As the babies jaw muscles are energetically exercising while suckling, their steady pulling promotes the development of well-built jaws in addition to straight, healthy teeth.  Suckling at the breast is great for a babys tooth and jaw growth (Leslie Burby). All of the above facts clearly prove that breastfed infants are to a benefit when it comes to having healthy teeth. These were some of the thousands of significant influences of breastfeeding on a baby. It is very clear through the reports and studies that have been carried out throughout the world that breastfeeding does play an extremely important role; in the development of the digestive system, in reducing the risk of obesity and in providing a better dental health to the baby. Almost all of these affects do stay into a childs life for a long period of time. These qualities are incredibly essential for a babys successful development. Although physical development of a child is such an extremely important topic, but still there is not a huge study done on this topic in particular. As the above research has been done through numerous different web sites, peer reviewed articles and books. It is highly suggested that there should be a much more firmed research done, from the perspective of the physical effects of breastfeeding on the child. In specific, as there are so many benefits of breastfeedi ng on the child, why not the government banned formula for the mothers who chose not to breastfeed their children. Work sited Davis, J N,  Weigensberg, M J,  Shaibi, G Q,  Crespo, N E,  Kelly, L A,  Lane, C J,  Ã‚  Goran, M I  (April 2007).  Influence of breastfeeding on obesity and type 2 diabetes risk factors in Latino youth with a family history of type 2 diabetes.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diabetes Care. Canadian Paediatric Society , PS. (n.d.).  breastfeeding. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cps.ca/caringforkids/pregnancybabies/Breastfeeding Jon Ahrendsen, JA. (n.d.).  advantages of breastfeeding. Retrieved from http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_more Target Woman, TW. (n.d.).  Benefits of breastfeeding. Retrieved from http://www.targetwoman.com/articles/benefits-breastfeeding.html Kristen Burgess, KB. (n.d.).  Why breastfeed my baby?. Retrieved from http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/why-breastfeed.html Leena Palande, LP. (2010, nov 18).  Advantages of breastfeeding. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-of-breastfeeding.htm American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, AAPD. (n.d.).  Breast milk andcavities.Retrievedfromhttp://www.curetoothdecay.com/Baby_Bottle_Tooth_Decay/breast_milk_cavities.htm Leslie Burby, LB. (n.d.).  101 reasons to breastfeed. Retrieved from http://www.asnatureintended.info/breastfeeding.html Evenhouse, E.,  Ã‚  Reilly, S.  (Dec 2005).  Improved estimates of the benefits of breastfeeding using sibling comparisons to reduce selection bias.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Health Services Research.   Breastfeeding Medicine (May 2010). Early childhood: breastfeeding, solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation, an excerpt from the white house task force on childhood obesity: report to the president.  

Employee Violence Essay -- Work Job Essays

Employee Violence INTRODUCTION: When we hear the word violence, many of us think about crime in the streets. This paper will focus on workplace violence committed by employees. Today more than 1,000 Americans are murdered on the job every year, 32% more than annual average in the 80’s (Toufexis 36). It is very hard for people to imagine that their job site can be a potential target for violence. To some people their job is like their second home. Employees who suffer stress, are terminated from work, under paid, or who have problems with management/co-workers are the ones more likely to engage in workplace violence. Over the past twenty years, many employers especially public organizations have been victims of workplace violence. The most recent incident occurred in Newington, Connecticut. A thirty-five year old accountant opened fire at the headquarters of the Connecticut State Lottery, killing three top officials before chasing down and slaying the lottery’s president in a parking lot (Goldman 13). Incidents like the one at the State Connecticut Lottery are driving public managers to develop effective guidelines and solutions on how to address workplace violence within their organizations. BACKGROUND: Workplace violence occurs all over the nation, it does not discriminate organizations in the public or private sector. Any type of organization can be a victim of workplace violence. However, the recent focus has been on public employees engaging in violence. According to Joseph Kinney, executive director of the nonprofit National Safe Workplace Institute in Charlotte, N.C., a public employee is almost 50% more likely to be murdered than someone in the private sector (Wagner 20). The motives for aggressive behavior a... ...ohn J. "Accountant Kills Four at his Connecticut Lottery Office." Los Angeles Times 7 March 1998: (www.latimes.com/cgi-bin/archsearch-cgi). Maynard, Roberta. "Avoiding Worker Violence Over Terminations." Nation’s Business May 1994: 13. Newsradio 88 Staff. "Shot Fired at Connecticut State Lottery Office, Five Dead" 6 March 1998 (www.yahoo.com/external/wcbs_radio/stories/8891998980.html). Rigdon, Joan E. "Companies See More Workplace Violence." Wall Street Journal 12 April 1993: B1+ . Roan, Shari. "A Refuge no More." Los Angeles Times 30 Aug. 1994: E1+. Romano, Catherine. "Workplace Violence takes Deadly Turn." Management Review July 1994: 5. Toufexis, Anastasia. "Workers who Fight Firing with fire." Time 1433 (25 April1 994): 35-37. Wagner, Michael G. "Public Employees Seen in Greatest Danger at Workplace." Los Angeles Times 19 Dec. 1997: A 20.

Admiral Jarok as a Traitor Essay examples -- Star Trek Essays Papers

Admiral Jarok as a Traitor Although a somewhat tacky and predictable program, Star Trek: The Next Generation, succeeds where other television shows don't. Beneath all the glitz and glamour, a very straightforward theme arises in each episode parallel to our own society. One such episode is "The Defector," wherein the intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise happens upon a Romulan renegade requesting asylum in Federation space. The Federation, (protected by its military organization Starfleet), and the Romulans, (governed by the Romulan Star Empire), are long-time foes. Throughout the episode the Romulan, (initially calling himself Cetol), skates around the truth before revealing his true identity as the notorious Admiral Jarok, and further explains his motivations for defecting to the Federation. Here one must ponder the fine line between vengeful treason and inspired salvation. Jarok is a traitor of the Romulan Empire, but not of his people; he reluctantly betrays state secrets to save Romulus from the bitter c onsequences of war. Jarok's betrayal commences when he flees into Federation space to inform Starfleet of the impending completion of a secret supply depot within the Neutral Zone, a "no-man's" boundary between Federation and Romulan space. Jarok claims that this depot, orbiting the planet of Nelvana III, will undoubtedly serve as the inception point of the Romulan Empire's invasion into Federation space. Convinced he is still loyal to the Empire, Jarok lies about his identity and his true intentions. Jarok attempts to act both as an Admiral of the Romulan Empire and a champion willing to abandon his rank for the sake of his race. Jarok destroys his shuttle, insisting that he will only reveal the bare minimum of Romulan... ...flicting administrative policy and wonder why nothing is ever resolved. Perhaps in a sudden epiphany, we will realize the same truth Jarok did on the holodeck: genuine peace is not possible without compromise and sacrifice. Works Cited Achim, Jo. "The Romulan Empire." TOS TrekMUSE - Romulan Empire. 1994 http://tos-www.tos.net/tos/romulan/romulan.html (1994) Tong, Andrew. "NCC-1701 Destroyed, Constitution Class Starships Withdrawn." The Star Trek Chronology. May 27, 1994. http://cruciform.cid.com/~werdna/sttng/trek6/trek6-3b1.html (15 Jan. 1995) "The Defector." Synopsis from The Vidiot's TNG Program Guide. (date unknown) http://cruciform.cid.com/~werdna/sttng/synopsis/defector.syn.html (15 Jan.1995) "The Romulans." The Starlog ST:TNG Official Magazine Technical Journal. (Date unknown). http://www.cms.dmu.ac.uk/AUG/StarTrek/romulan.html (12 Jun. 1995)

Overfishing Effects More Than Just the Ocean

Salmon migrate yearly from the open Pacific Ocean to the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest in order to spend about 5-6 weeks reproducing. During this time bears also migrate to these coastal areas to feed on the salmon which is a large part of their diet. This natural interaction has been an important factor of the ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest for many years and now that humans have imposed on this process by overfishing we are seeing changes in the ecosystem itself. While knowledge of this issue has been around for about 30 years, scientists only began researching it beginning in the early 90’s. According to this research the ongoing problem of overfishing is already beginning to show its effects on the ecosystem, what may happen to the forests and animals of the Pacific Northwest if this issue is not resolved? Through the research of Dr. Tom Reimchen and other scientists, an interaction between salmon and the forests of the Pacific Northwest has been discovered. Each year black and grizzly bears travel from far away to the streams and rivers in the Pacific Northwest to feed on the salmon that migrate there during their six week spawning period. This causes a local interaction, when the bears catch a fish they take it into the forest so they can eat it and not be disturbed. Usually the bears only eat about half of each fish they catch and leave the rest on the forest floor, which is then consumed by birds, other small animals and insects. Through the decomposition of the salmon as well as the bodily wastes of the bears and other animals, the soil in the forest absorbs nutrients as well as nitrogen from the salmon. â€Å"The use of stable nitrogen isotopes allows us to identify the relative contribution of salmon to the ecosystem† (Reimchen 2001: 14), this research showed that nitrogen 15, an isotope of nitrogen is present in a large number of the plants in the Pacific Northwest forests. Nitrogen 15 is mostly found in marine algae and salmon are highly enriched with it so it makes sense that the plants use the remnants of the salmon as a sort of fertilizer to make them grow causing large scale interaction. The presence of the nitrogen in the plants of the Pacific Northwest forests does not mean that the plants necessarily need it to grow. In another experiment performed by Reimchen he sought to answer this question, â€Å"I examined yearly growth rings of 13 trees of similar size from sites differing in (salmon) carcass density. Average growth rate over the last 50 years was 2. 5mm per year within 10m of the stream where carcasses were most abundant and less than 1mm per year where carcasses were not present† (Reimchen 2001: 14). These results are debatable because other factors such as the amount of rainfall and sunlight they get effect plant growth too, but another observation which backs the theory that nitrogen helps the plants grow is that the amount of salmon brought into the forest by the bears each year varies directly with the amount of salmon coming back to the stream each year. In the conclusion of his research thus far Reimchen believes that if it is not stopped, â€Å"†¦ the result of deforestation and overfishing will have ecosystem-level consequences for the remaining forests† (Reimchen 2001: 16). Due to the overfishing of salmon by humans, the migrating salmon population has reduced 80-90 percent in the last 100 years. In nature predators and prey coexist in equilibrium, but with human interference the salmon can not reproduce fast enough to keep up with the amount being caught resulting in a large decrease in their population. Although there are programs like the MSY or maximum sustainable yield in place which tells fisheries how many fish they are allowed to catch, they do not factor in the natural predators of the salmon and therefore they throw off the balance of the ecosystem. A direct result of over fishing is the harvesting of salmon in fish farms, the salmon are raised in net pens that usually float in areas off the coast. The biggest problem with fish farming is the fish escaping into the wild, for example in 1997, 360,000 salmon escaped from a single farm off the Washington coast. The salmon raised on fish farms are, â€Å"†¦ ed concentrated feed and medication to maximize the conversion of feed into growth while minimizing the loss of fish due to disease and escape† (Reimchen 2001: 139), the effects of the salmon raised on farms escaping into the wild may be genetic, ecological, and can cause problems with disease and parasites. The genetic problems the farm salmon can cause are they will interbreed with wild salmon and disrupt their genetic adaptations, replacing their genetic variability and their evolutionary potential. The competition for food, space, and habitat between the farmed and wild salmon could also be a problem. Farmed fish sometimes get sea lice or ISA a contagious lethal virus that they can pass to the wild salmon. All of these factors are depleting the amount of wild salmon as well as altering the way the salmon live. Another contributing factor to the decline of the salmon population is the political ecology involved. On one side there are the people willing to do anything in their power to protect and restore the status of the salmon in the pacific northwest, but on the other more powerful side are the people who see the salmon as a huge money maker and are doing everything they can to continue overfishing so they can profit from it. The fisheries not only catch salmon so they can sell it locally, but where they get the most money from is shipping it to large grocery store chains across the country. They must overfish in order to meet the demands of the stores they supply or else the stores will go to another source for salmon, so many fisheries ignore the problem and continue overfishing because they think that if they stop someone else is just going to come in profit off of what they are not catching. The problem with overfishing and fish farms are not only harming the salmon population, but if nothing is done about these issues it will effect the animals in the pacific northwest as well as the vegetation. Black and Grizzly bears get around 75% of their yearly dietary requirements from the salmon, with the amount of salmon available becoming less and less each year the bears are not going to have enough to eat and their population will decrease as a result. I also think that with the introduction of the farmed salmon and the diseases they can carry the bears may get sick and die from eating diseased fish. With less bears the vegetation in the pacific northwest will also suffer because less salmon will be transferred into the forests where the plants can absorb the nitrogen and the plants will not grow as much or as quickly, it may also make the plant population less diverse. I believe that the overfishing needs to be controlled by more extreme measures so that the salmon can be allowed to reproduce naturally and keep their population up. If companies sold salmon raised in a fish farm at lower prices and raised the price of wild salmon this may help as well because the more expensive it is, the less people will buy and the fishing companies will not have to catch as many. Its kind of like how you can go to the store and buy either regular fruit or pay extra for organic, and there is always people who are willing to pay more. I also think that fish farms should not be integrated in the coastal waters, they should be in a completely different location than the wild salmon so there is no chance of them escaping and contaminating the wild salmon. In addition to the repercussions of fish farming and overfishing on the ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest forests, deforestation is another action by humans that is threatening this area. With the growth rates of the trees already falling due to lack of nitrogen from salmon and humans cutting them down at an alarming rate, it is inevitable that unless serious steps are taken to protect both the salmon and the forest itself from humans the ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest will fail and the forests will be completely destroyed. References 1)Frissell, C. (1995). Topology of Extinction and Endangerment of Native Fishes in the Pacific Northwest. Conservation Biology, 7. http://www.jstor.org/pss/2386432 2)Reimchen, T. (Fall 2001). Salmon nutrients, nitrogen isotopes, and coastal forests. Ecoforestry. 3)Sachs, J. (15, Jan. 2010). Icon for an Endangered Ecosystem. http:// www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2010/Icon-for-an-Endangered-Ecosystem.aspx

Management Accounting Research

Management accounting research has thrived producing substantive findings relevant to industry, but its’ application in practice is questionable. The requirements for management accountants have changed over the years in terms of the roles, skills and knowledge base required. Thus, arguably, industries should look at greater continued participation into higher education. Management accounting research has gone beyond the traditional costing for large industries. Traditional management accounting roles have been reformed and/or faded away.Burns et al argued that the new reformed roles of management accountants necessitate new education and training. Considering the changes/emergence and popularity of new occupational management accounting roles including business analysts, strategic management accountants and management controllers, less prominence should be placed on traditional learning methods but more on ‘case studies, practical projects and group research assignments ’ (Scapens 1999). If such changes are to be implemented, large challenges lie ahead including cost constraints.Burns et al (2004) looked at management accounting research exploring the changes in terms of the expansion of topics, methods and problems making comparisons with the changes in management accounting practices. Burns et al (2004) also examined the skills and knowledge requirements by management accountants and how these aspects may also require a reform in education and management accounting curriculum. Burns and Yazdifar (2001) asked UK qualified management accountants to highlight the ten most perceived management accounting important tasks, tools and techniques of 1995-00 and 2000-05.They founded that both sets of results, management accountants placed emphasis on traditional management accounting roles such as performance evaluation, budget planning and management, management accounts interpretation and presentation, cost and financial control. It was founded th at management accountants perceived budgets as the most important task also highly ranking variance analysis in the late nineteenth century. Nevertheless, numerous new areas such as ABC, balanced scorecard were attributed as low significance.They also founded the expected importance of future tasks considerably changed with more emphasis being placed on newer tasks particularly in strategic planning and implementation, valued-added identification and implementation, new information system implementation, operational information interpretation. It was also founded that despite budgets and variance analysis being highly rated in the 21st century, more importance was placed on ABC, balanced scorecards. Thus, future years have more emphasis on ‘strategy-aligned analysis’ and less emphasis on ‘cost control and cutting’.Identifying the requirements of management accounting practitioners can enable researchers to place more emphasis on such requirements during inv estigations in order to maintain its currency with practitioners. Burns et al (2001) questioned the reasons for changes in management accounting modelling the tasks as well as roles of management accountants. Consequently, they asked UK qualified management accountants to highlight what they considered to be vitally important contributions to change in management accounting.They founded that information technological advances including accountancy software advances and organisational restructuring as well as the new styles of modern management to be a vital contribution in driving change in the tasks and roles of management accountants. However, Scapens et al (2003) founded that customer orientated initiatives and globalisation were the two fundamental drivers for change. Johnson and Kaplan (1987) argued the existence of a ‘relevance gap’ between management accounting research and practice.They based their argument on fact that companies had one information system and e xternal financial reporting statutory requirements would take preference over the information required by internal management accountants. Burns et al founded modern technological advances including database capabilities enabled the storage of vast amounts of information which can be analysed in various ways meeting the needs of a number of users. Thus, managers can easily access variances and performances.Modern technology has contributed to the change of management accounting roles. Fundamental advances in management operations and productions such as just-in-time have challenged previous methods such as Ford’s mass production. Manufacturing automation has resulted in increased the relation of fixed costs to variable (Bromwich and Bhimani, 1994). New forms of competitiveness such as customer service, differentiation and innovation of products, quality. Hence, more importance is placed on the monitoring of crucial non-financial variables.Scapens et al (1996) argued that mana gers not necessarily management accountants have the necessary technology, access of data and in numerous cases the necessary skills to be their own ‘pseudo’ accountants. Burns et al (2001) founded that globalisation, customer focus and new forms of competitiveness have affected the roles of management accountants. There has been increased global competition, market volatility and shorter product life cycles contributing to the reform of management accounting roles.There has also been an increased focus on overheads as they now contribute to a substantial proportion of business costs. Consequently, there is increased focus on investigating the value added by overhead processes. Nevertheless, the analysis of overheads is a weak section of traditional management accounting. Considering the emphasis placed on traditional methods, it is questionable whether modern management accounting research is gaining recognition by practitioners despite such research anticipating chang es in modern day.Burns et al (2001) argued to the contrary of Johnson and Kaplan stating that a relevance gap does not exist. They argued that management accounting research has highlighted issues concerning management accounting change. Practice frequently searches for a quick fix to problems failing to address fundamental issues. Practitioners and professional sponsors fail to appreciate modern important investigations and management accounting research often seeking solutions to problems using traditional methods.Arguably, the problem does not lie in management accounting research which has accommodated changes but the way in which it is taught and generally accepted. It’s a shame that new management accounting solutions are not thoroughly researched independently in the way new medicines are. Researchers have acknowledged the requirements of incorporating social science theories, other social and economic elements into accounting in order to expand practice effectively. T his was seen with the development of a ‘reward and control systems deriving from micro-economics, in particular agency theory, and social psychology’ (Merchant, 1998).However, professional textbooks do not mention such investigations and the way in which research communicated is questionable to the sustainability of the subject. It is argued that professional bodies place more emphasis on the examination and training of traditional management accounting methods. Thus, practitioners are denied access to vital knowledge relevant to their tasks. Arguably, if practitioners do not possess adequate grasp of knowledge based on modern research and theory, they are more likely to accept new methods with questionable validity only to find limitations following implementation.Burns et al founded a growth in international management accounting researchers in the last 30 years despite it being dominated by the West. Thus, management accounting research is now dealing with new issues such as culture and ethnicity (Harrison and McKinnon, 1999), diverse political system regulation and governance (Puxty et al 1987), dispersion of accounting knowledge internationally (Jones and Dugdale, 2002). Arguably, management accounting research is now broader and more flexible accommodating cultural variations. Management accounting research is now anticipating challenges encountered by practitioners.This includes areas such as ‘contingent system design, motivations and rewards, environmental scanning and strategy, and non financial aspects of control’ (Burns et al 2004, pg. 16). However, it is questionable the level of emphasis placed on new methods anticipating changes in the real world and still the majority of contributions come from traditional methods which have been thoroughly tried and tested. Thus, considering the changes occurring in management accounting research and practice, practitioners need to adopt a cumulative continuous learning approach to upd ate ones knowledge.Langfield-Smith (1997) founded that traditional methods in management accounting have become more automated as supposed to disappearing supporting the findings of Burns et al. They stated that increased and changed forms of competition, combined with technological advances, have resulted in flexibility and flatter organisations reforming the roles of management accountants. Despite Burns et al concluding that researchers are accommodating the changing roles and requirements of practitioners, their research findings can be criticised by the findings of Lawal (2002).Lawal (2002) founded that academics and practitioners have different opinions of the important topics ought to be taught. Lawal (2002) founded that academics highly valued budgets, organisational behaviours and IT in comparison to practitioners. Lawal (2002) also founded that academics placed less importance on skills required by practitioners such as time-management, negotiation and team-working. She al so founded little innovative and participative teaching methods for example videos, field studies and outside business speakers.Thus, Lawal (2002) argued a reform in teaching methods to incorporate case studies, real-life projects, group work and presentations and increased involvement by practitioners in teaching, in-depth research projects. This would arguably help management accounting research maintain its’ currency with practitioners. New managements accounting researches, proposals and methods are criticised by practitioners often highlighting various inadequacies and limitations. Thus, many new proposals are discarded questioning whether management accounting research is maintaining its currency with practitioners.When evaluating new systems, practitioners often fail to refer to academic research findings on the potential obstacles and/or effectiveness. It is questionable as to whether management accounting research has been successful considering its little practical impact. This is vastly to do with the training and education which has excluded modern researches. Arguably, there have been poor mechanisms and incentives for turning research findings into suitable techniques and policies as well as incorporating such findings into teaching programmes as the roles and skills of management accountant’s change.Observations have found that professional accounting courses including many bodies emphasise on facts and methods abandoning fundamental theory and new research. Consequently, practitioners are sceptical of research having unrealistic expectations attempting to find quick and easy explanations/solutions to difficult problems. Practitioners do not obtain sufficient research skills from professional training. Burns et al (2004) founded that academics and practicing management accountants have different career paths obstructing shared interaction as well as understanding.Academics progression is based on research accomplishments as suppose d to professional involvements. Thus, academics place less emphasis on practitioner focussed research considering the little benefit to them. The issues relating to management accounting research maintaining its currency with practitioners lie in the communication. A method needs to be adopted whereby the two are closely interrelated. The research by Burns et al (2004) has helped provide an insight into the changing roles and skills required of management accountants as well as the changes that have occurred in management accounting research.Such research by Burns et al is vital in understanding the reasons for changes in practitioner roles as well as requirements in order for management accounting research to maintain its currency with the practitioners. Arguably, research has kept up with times to accommodate changing requirements of management accountants. However, its application in practice is questionable and whether management accounting research is actually maintaining itâ⠂¬â„¢s currency with practitioners. Thus, methods should be adopted whereby research is accompanied with supporting evidence involving tried and tested methods.Suitable mechanisms and incentives for turning research findings into suitable techniques and policies should be developed and incorporated into teaching programmes. Management accountants are part of professional bodies that can incorporate new developments to the area in teaching. Professional bodies often release publications and this method should be used to communicate new management accounting research theories and findings that can be successful in practice. New management accounting research and theories are available on the internet but it is questionable whether such findings are actually used.Thus, practitioners should be encouraged to read upon new publications of management accounting research. Considering research is constantly developing with roles of management accountants changing, there should be increased p ublications by professional bodies for members in order for research to maintain its currency with practitioners. Management accounting research is crucial to the healthy development of management accounting and maintaining its’ currency with practitioners. Management Accounting Research Management accounting research has thrived producing substantive findings relevant to industry, but its’ application in practice is questionable. The requirements for management accountants have changed over the years in terms of the roles, skills and knowledge base required. Thus, arguably, industries should look at greater continued participation into higher education. Management accounting research has gone beyond the traditional costing for large industries. Traditional management accounting roles have been reformed and/or faded away.Burns et al argued that the new reformed roles of management accountants necessitate new education and training. Considering the changes/emergence and popularity of new occupational management accounting roles including business analysts, strategic management accountants and management controllers, less prominence should be placed on traditional learning methods but more on ‘case studies, practical projects and group research assignments ’ (Scapens 1999). If such changes are to be implemented, large challenges lie ahead including cost constraints.Burns et al (2004) looked at management accounting research exploring the changes in terms of the expansion of topics, methods and problems making comparisons with the changes in management accounting practices. Burns et al (2004) also examined the skills and knowledge requirements by management accountants and how these aspects may also require a reform in education and management accounting curriculum. Burns and Yazdifar (2001) asked UK qualified management accountants to highlight the ten most perceived management accounting important tasks, tools and techniques of 1995-00 and 2000-05.They founded that both sets of results, management accountants placed emphasis on traditional management accounting roles such as performance evaluation, budget planning and management, management accounts interpretation and presentation, cost and financial control. It was founded th at management accountants perceived budgets as the most important task also highly ranking variance analysis in the late nineteenth century. Nevertheless, numerous new areas such as ABC, balanced scorecard were attributed as low significance.They also founded the expected importance of future tasks considerably changed with more emphasis being placed on newer tasks particularly in strategic planning and implementation, valued-added identification and implementation, new information system implementation, operational information interpretation. It was also founded that despite budgets and variance analysis being highly rated in the 21st century, more importance was placed on ABC, balanced scorecards. Thus, future years have more emphasis on ‘strategy-aligned analysis’ and less emphasis on ‘cost control and cutting’.Identifying the requirements of management accounting practitioners can enable researchers to place more emphasis on such requirements during inv estigations in order to maintain its currency with practitioners. Burns et al (2001) questioned the reasons for changes in management accounting modelling the tasks as well as roles of management accountants. Consequently, they asked UK qualified management accountants to highlight what they considered to be vitally important contributions to change in management accounting.They founded that information technological advances including accountancy software advances and organisational restructuring as well as the new styles of modern management to be a vital contribution in driving change in the tasks and roles of management accountants. However, Scapens et al (2003) founded that customer orientated initiatives and globalisation were the two fundamental drivers for change. Johnson and Kaplan (1987) argued the existence of a ‘relevance gap’ between management accounting research and practice.They based their argument on fact that companies had one information system and e xternal financial reporting statutory requirements would take preference over the information required by internal management accountants. Burns et al founded modern technological advances including database capabilities enabled the storage of vast amounts of information which can be analysed in various ways meeting the needs of a number of users. Thus, managers can easily access variances and performances.Modern technology has contributed to the change of management accounting roles. Fundamental advances in management operations and productions such as just-in-time have challenged previous methods such as Ford’s mass production. Manufacturing automation has resulted in increased the relation of fixed costs to variable (Bromwich and Bhimani, 1994). New forms of competitiveness such as customer service, differentiation and innovation of products, quality. Hence, more importance is placed on the monitoring of crucial non-financial variables.Scapens et al (1996) argued that mana gers not necessarily management accountants have the necessary technology, access of data and in numerous cases the necessary skills to be their own ‘pseudo’ accountants. Burns et al (2001) founded that globalisation, customer focus and new forms of competitiveness have affected the roles of management accountants. There has been increased global competition, market volatility and shorter product life cycles contributing to the reform of management accounting roles.There has also been an increased focus on overheads as they now contribute to a substantial proportion of business costs. Consequently, there is increased focus on investigating the value added by overhead processes. Nevertheless, the analysis of overheads is a weak section of traditional management accounting. Considering the emphasis placed on traditional methods, it is questionable whether modern management accounting research is gaining recognition by practitioners despite such research anticipating chang es in modern day.Burns et al (2001) argued to the contrary of Johnson and Kaplan stating that a relevance gap does not exist. They argued that management accounting research has highlighted issues concerning management accounting change. Practice frequently searches for a quick fix to problems failing to address fundamental issues. Practitioners and professional sponsors fail to appreciate modern important investigations and management accounting research often seeking solutions to problems using traditional methods.Arguably, the problem does not lie in management accounting research which has accommodated changes but the way in which it is taught and generally accepted. It’s a shame that new management accounting solutions are not thoroughly researched independently in the way new medicines are. Researchers have acknowledged the requirements of incorporating social science theories, other social and economic elements into accounting in order to expand practice effectively. T his was seen with the development of a ‘reward and control systems deriving from micro-economics, in particular agency theory, and social psychology’ (Merchant, 1998).However, professional textbooks do not mention such investigations and the way in which research communicated is questionable to the sustainability of the subject. It is argued that professional bodies place more emphasis on the examination and training of traditional management accounting methods. Thus, practitioners are denied access to vital knowledge relevant to their tasks. Arguably, if practitioners do not possess adequate grasp of knowledge based on modern research and theory, they are more likely to accept new methods with questionable validity only to find limitations following implementation.Burns et al founded a growth in international management accounting researchers in the last 30 years despite it being dominated by the West. Thus, management accounting research is now dealing with new issues such as culture and ethnicity (Harrison and McKinnon, 1999), diverse political system regulation and governance (Puxty et al 1987), dispersion of accounting knowledge internationally (Jones and Dugdale, 2002). Arguably, management accounting research is now broader and more flexible accommodating cultural variations. Management accounting research is now anticipating challenges encountered by practitioners.This includes areas such as ‘contingent system design, motivations and rewards, environmental scanning and strategy, and non financial aspects of control’ (Burns et al 2004, pg. 16). However, it is questionable the level of emphasis placed on new methods anticipating changes in the real world and still the majority of contributions come from traditional methods which have been thoroughly tried and tested. Thus, considering the changes occurring in management accounting research and practice, practitioners need to adopt a cumulative continuous learning approach to upd ate ones knowledge.Langfield-Smith (1997) founded that traditional methods in management accounting have become more automated as supposed to disappearing supporting the findings of Burns et al. They stated that increased and changed forms of competition, combined with technological advances, have resulted in flexibility and flatter organisations reforming the roles of management accountants. Despite Burns et al concluding that researchers are accommodating the changing roles and requirements of practitioners, their research findings can be criticised by the findings of Lawal (2002).Lawal (2002) founded that academics and practitioners have different opinions of the important topics ought to be taught. Lawal (2002) founded that academics highly valued budgets, organisational behaviours and IT in comparison to practitioners. Lawal (2002) also founded that academics placed less importance on skills required by practitioners such as time-management, negotiation and team-working. She al so founded little innovative and participative teaching methods for example videos, field studies and outside business speakers.Thus, Lawal (2002) argued a reform in teaching methods to incorporate case studies, real-life projects, group work and presentations and increased involvement by practitioners in teaching, in-depth research projects. This would arguably help management accounting research maintain its’ currency with practitioners. New managements accounting researches, proposals and methods are criticised by practitioners often highlighting various inadequacies and limitations. Thus, many new proposals are discarded questioning whether management accounting research is maintaining its currency with practitioners.When evaluating new systems, practitioners often fail to refer to academic research findings on the potential obstacles and/or effectiveness. It is questionable as to whether management accounting research has been successful considering its little practical impact. This is vastly to do with the training and education which has excluded modern researches. Arguably, there have been poor mechanisms and incentives for turning research findings into suitable techniques and policies as well as incorporating such findings into teaching programmes as the roles and skills of management accountant’s change.Observations have found that professional accounting courses including many bodies emphasise on facts and methods abandoning fundamental theory and new research. Consequently, practitioners are sceptical of research having unrealistic expectations attempting to find quick and easy explanations/solutions to difficult problems. Practitioners do not obtain sufficient research skills from professional training. Burns et al (2004) founded that academics and practicing management accountants have different career paths obstructing shared interaction as well as understanding.Academics progression is based on research accomplishments as suppose d to professional involvements. Thus, academics place less emphasis on practitioner focussed research considering the little benefit to them. The issues relating to management accounting research maintaining its currency with practitioners lie in the communication. A method needs to be adopted whereby the two are closely interrelated. The research by Burns et al (2004) has helped provide an insight into the changing roles and skills required of management accountants as well as the changes that have occurred in management accounting research.Such research by Burns et al is vital in understanding the reasons for changes in practitioner roles as well as requirements in order for management accounting research to maintain its currency with the practitioners. Arguably, research has kept up with times to accommodate changing requirements of management accountants. However, its application in practice is questionable and whether management accounting research is actually maintaining itâ⠂¬â„¢s currency with practitioners. Thus, methods should be adopted whereby research is accompanied with supporting evidence involving tried and tested methods.Suitable mechanisms and incentives for turning research findings into suitable techniques and policies should be developed and incorporated into teaching programmes. Management accountants are part of professional bodies that can incorporate new developments to the area in teaching. Professional bodies often release publications and this method should be used to communicate new management accounting research theories and findings that can be successful in practice. New management accounting research and theories are available on the internet but it is questionable whether such findings are actually used.Thus, practitioners should be encouraged to read upon new publications of management accounting research. Considering research is constantly developing with roles of management accountants changing, there should be increased p ublications by professional bodies for members in order for research to maintain its currency with practitioners. Management accounting research is crucial to the healthy development of management accounting and maintaining its’ currency with practitioners.

Foreign Universities

I’ve often wondered how best to define education. I’d like to define education as the procurement of those preternatural skills which would enable a person to choose between what is right and what is not. Our Indian system of education since time immemorial has been sailing magnificently on the winds of hope, moral coherence and ethical values with the principal objective of making all of us good human beings as opposed to mere knowledge banks. As of today, ‘Indian Education’ is an immaculate melange of our conventional ideals of education, blended with infrastructural and technological boom, catering to the demands of modernization. Over the decades, we’ve produced some very fine men and women. From Swami Vivekananda to Sir C V Raman, from Amartya Sen to Rajendra Pachauri, they’ve all been fine lode stars of our educational system. I’ve never really been a fan of the Western Educational systems. Students there are bestowed with way too much unconditional liberty. They’re treated like empyreal emperors at a time when they should be ordered to shut their PlayStations and take a good look at their school books. There’s too much rationalism in there and very little humanism, which in a sense explains the reason for the rapid moral degradation among a significant number of students in the West. Look at the list of school related criminal attacks worldwide and you’d observe the US perched handsomely at the top. We read almost every week about teen shootouts, teen pregnancies and yet do not wish to speak about them in the open. ‘It’s taboo’. We, Indian students here, atleast under the fear of failure, the fear of humiliation, the fear of corporal punishment are compelled on to the right track as far as our pursuit of educational excellence is concerned. But the very fact that there exists no substantial force which can have similar influences on the students of the West is indeed quite a concern. Another factor working significantly against Western education is its exorbitant cost of education which almost puts it virtually out of reach for many middle class students world over. I know there’s been criticism of our Indian Educational system too. I know there’ve been people cynical of our ‘harsh’ and ‘stern’ methodology of education. But if the drilling exercise is a necessity for intellectual growth, a boon for the nation’s ambitions of having an educated electoral roll, the antidote for illiteracy and ignorance, the quintessential need for individual prosperity, then why not tread that path fearlessly? After all, it is only under pressure that coal turns to diamond. The dominant role of Indian Americans in the US economy is pretty noticeable as well. As of 2008, 4000 PIO professors and 84000 students made their way into US universities and Indian Silicon Valley entrepreneurs generate whopping revenue of $250 billion every year. Is it not ironical then that the well oiled products of our educational system are largely responsible for the economic boom of a ‘global superpower’? Who’s the Big Daddy now? Is this not tangible testimony of our profound educational prowess? Above all the number crunching and intricate statistics, above all the heated cacophony of debates and discussions, just one phrase rings euphoria and triumph in my mind. Vande Mataram. Nothing else. Thank you. I have just received a list of the top Universities of the world (1) University of Cambridge (2) University of Oxford (3) Harvard University (4) University of California 5) The Stanford University (6) University of Tokyo and it is certainly not a matter of great pride that the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai is ranked 30th and except the IIT's, not a single university has made to the top 50. it is — p. m and the speed is so fast that you might see another foreign university getting into this list by the time I finish my speech. Today's topic states â€Å"Should there be an entry of Foreign Educational Institution or University in India† and I stand here firmly opposing the motion. India right now has 487 Universities and 2200 colleges whereas the requirement is 1000 Universities and 35000 Colleges more. So foreign Universities is the only option left. Learning in a Foreign University has a definite advantage in terms of ambience, cultural environment and most of all provides an international mix. For India to become an economic superpower, we first need to become an educational superpower. The number of universities and institutions of higher learning are wholly inadequate to cater to the aspirations of a billion people – unless of course our purpose is to keep large sections of our population out of the education system. Having known different parts of the world and different types of institutions, I can say categorically that as far as the intellect is concerned, we are second to none. How we can overlook the sorry state of our universities and institutions of higher learning. Results are not announced in time. Evaluation is neither objective nor done with any sensitivity. Regulation in education still dates back to the license-permit regime that could do precious little for the country for over five decades.. Our Universities, have failed to impart education in all subject areas. Many new sciences and technologies are never introduced to our students immediately after their inventions. We tend not to care too much for quality, and are pretty complacent about what is acceptable standards. What we lack is a work ethic that nurtures excellence in all its manifestations. The ‘Chalta Hai' attitude is predominant and the only way to break it is to expose this mindset to global standards. Recently cabinet has approved Foreign Educational Institution Bill 2010. I salute Minister of HRD, Mr. Kapil Sibbal for this revolutionary move towards getting a class education in India. Afterall the bill upon becoming a law is sure to make it more convenient for domestic students to get world class education at their door steps. With this, I rest my case but not my thoughts. Thanks I’ve often wondered how best to define education. I’d like to define education as the procurement of those preternatural skills which would enable a person to choose between what is right and what is not. Our Indian system of education since time immemorial has been sailing magnificently on the winds of hope, moral coherence and ethical values with the principal objective of making all of us good human beings as opposed to mere knowledge banks. Over the decades, we’ve produced some very fine men and women. From Swami Vivekananda to Sir C V Raman, from Amartya Sen to Rajendra Pachauri, they’ve all been fine lode stars of our educational system. I know there’ve been people cynical of our ‘harsh’ and ‘stern’ methodology of education. But if the drilling exercise is a necessity for intellectual growth, then why not tread that path fearlessly? After all, it is only under pressure that coal turns to diamond. Look at the list of school related criminal attacks worldwide and you’d observe the US perched handsomely at the top. The dominant role of Indian Americans in the US economy is pretty noticeable as well. Is it not ironical that the well oiled products of our educational system are largely responsible for the economic boom of a ‘global superpower’? Who’s the Big Daddy now? Is this not tangible testimony of our profound educational prowess? Above all the number crunching and intricate statistics, above all the heated cacophony of debates and discussions, just one phrase rings euphoria and triumph in my mind. Vande Mataram. Nothing else. Thank you.

Faith Statement

Faith Statement My faith has grown immensely over the years. Throughout my faith journey everyone at the church and in my family has influenced my life in faith. To me when you are baptized it means your parents are making you a child of God but when you get confirmed you are accepting your baptism and becoming a member of the church. Jesus is a big part of mine and everyone’s life because he died on the cross to save our sins.We pretty much all take advantage of Jesus’s love. Everyone makes mistakes, some foolish, but still Jesus will always forgive us and love us. Also, even though I know I will be forgiven, church has taught me that we should all try to do our best at doing what God wants us to do and the right thing. Since I’m a Christian, whenever I am about to do something that I think God wouldn’t want me to I think it over and try to make the best choice.I think that Holy Communion affects my life by making me feel clean and saved. Prayer is very v ital to me. Going to church has taught me that if I pray to God for help in something most of the time he delivers but when he doesn’t it’s not because he isn’t listening but simply because it’s not meant to be. Throughout the years, I have learned to help God and serve around the community. After I get confirmed I will still attend church and do service projects to help others.