Analysis of Dante´s Divine Comedy - 845 Words

When Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy, a trilogy detailing Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven in three separate poems, he was separated from his home town of Florence due to his exile. Dante wrote The Divine Comedy during his exile as an epic where all of the elements in the story could be taken as their literal meaning, but he also wrote all of the elements as religious, psychological, political, and literary allegories. The religious allegories illustrate Dante’s view about sin and God. The psychological allegories illustrate the internal conflicts within Dante. The political allegories illustrate Dante’s frustration with the government, and how the church is involved in the government. The literary allegories illustrate the structure of Dante’s poem, or they describe Dante as a poet. In the Inferno, Dante separates hell and Mount Joy into three different levels. In the highest point on Mount Joy, and in hell Dante presents a she wolf who represents avarice. In the middle section of Mount Joy and Hell, Dante presents the sin of fraud which he represents with a leopard. In the lowest part of Hell and Mount Joy, Dante presents the sin of pride which he represents with a lion. Dante writes about a she wolf on the top of Mount Joy. The she wolf, which represents sinners that commit the sin of avarice, is as close as any sinner can get to God because she is the beast that is closest to the top of Mount Joy. The first seven circles in Hell deal with the sin of avarice. TheShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Dante s Divine Comedy 1201 Words   |  5 PagesChampion Dante’s Divine Comedy PSYC 455 12 April 2017 Hell and God’s Love Dante Alighieri lived during the late 13th and early 14th century in Florence Italy. It was during a time when the Guelphs and Ghibellines were rivals and the Guelphs split into two different groups known as the Whites and Blacks. Dante was part of the Whites and was later exiled from Florence. During Dante’s life he had many friends and foes, which he places in his Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is based on his loveRead MoreAnalysis Of Dante s Divine Comedy 1362 Words   |  6 PagesMrs. Bauerle English 12 22 December 2016 Purgatory Purgatory is part number two in Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’. This was written in 1300. Although the story is rather ancient and rare, when looking at the spiritual story with a logical mindset it has the ability to connect with today. The connection I was able to find behind Dante’s work of art was the psychological and geographical impact. ‘The Divine Comedy’ contains real life morals; Dante’s work is far more than just a spiritual afterlife poem seriesRead MoreThe Great Divorce and The Divine Comedy3095 Words   |  13 PagesThe cultural impact of Dante’s Divine Comedy is widely seen through a sundry of literary works, television programs, films and even video games. Yet, one of the most prominent works the Divine Comedy has impacted is C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce. Lewis’s book is greatly indebted to Dante’s work, as both try to teach the reader how to achieve salvation. Furthermore, Lewis and Dante’ s protagonists discover the path to salvation through choices, and learning what causes one’s refusal of God. Both authorsRead MoreHow Dante Achieves a Synthesis Between Narrative and Cultural Elements in His Writing1565 Words   |  6 Pageshow if at all Dante achieve a synthesis between narrative and cultural elements derived from paganism and his intentions as a Christian author writing for a Christian audience. Medieval literature in general attempted to do this and Dante was no different with regard to this in his copying of Virgil and the Aeneid in their depictions of hell in pagan mythology. Analysis There are a host of specific examples from pagan mythology in the Inferno. For instance, in Canto 15, we see Dante leaving theRead MoreDantes Inferno vs. Miltons Paradise Lost901 Words   |  4 PagesDante s Inferno Vs. Milton s Paradise Lost The two stories, Inferno by Dante and Paradise Lost by Milton, were written about the biblical hell and its keeper: Satan. Both of these authors had different views about the hell and Satan. In Paradis Lost, Milton wrote that Satan used to be an angel of God. The devil believed that he was equal to the Lord and he wanted to be greater than him. For this, God banished him to hell. Milton s physical description of Satan is interesting. Since heRead MoreMovement and Stasis in the Divine Comedy Essay2889 Words   |  12 PagesMovement and Stasis : The use of dynamics in the Divine Comedy Movement is a crucial theme of the Divine Comedy. From the outset, we are confronted with the physicality of the lost Dante, wandering in the perilous dark wood. His movement within the strange place is confused and faltering; `Io non so ben ridir comio ventrai. Moreover, it is clear that the physical distress he is experiencing is the visible manifestation of the mental anguish the poet is suffering. The allegory of the imageRead MoreVirgil Analysis of Dante Inferno Essay example2202 Words   |  9 Pagesconsidered a national epic of Rome and has been extremely popular from its publication to the present day. Virgil- Beatrice sends Virgil to Earth to retrieve Dante and act as his guide through Hell and Purgatory.   Since the poet Virgil lived before Christianity, he dwells in Limbo (Ante-Inferno) with other righteous non-Christians.   As author, Dante chooses the character Virgil to act as his guide because he admired Virgils work above all other poets and because Virgil had written of a similar journeyRead More Francescas Style in Canto V of Dantes Inferno Essay5060 Words   |  21 Pages Canto V of Dantes Inferno begins and ends with confession. The frightening image of Minos who  «confesses » the damned sinners and then hurls them down to their eternal punishment contrasts with the almost familial image of Francesca and Dante, who confess to one another. In a real sense confession seems to be defective or inadequate in Hell. The huddled masses who declare their sins to Minos do so because they are compelled to declare or make manifest in speech the character of their offensesRead MoreEssay about The Portraiture of Women During the Renaissance1801 Words   |  8 Pagesbody was pictured in portraiture as; marriage celebrant, husbands beloved, figures of fertility, mothers, display of wealth, paragons of virtues, husband’s passive representative, indication of fashion and more (Brown, 2003). Next, it will include analysis from the two female portraits of Leonardo de Vinci’s Ginerva de’ Benci and Sandro Botticelli’s Portrait of a Lady. First, I will explain what portrait means and then represent my own interpretation of Botticelli’s Portrait of a Lady by referringRead More Ageism in the Workplace Essay2447 Words   |  10 Pagesgovernment must fund to continue living. Another reason why age discrimination in the workplace must be stopped is because of the number of employees who kill themselves just because they have lost the job they have worked hard for. In Segrave (2001)s study, he noted that most men and women begging for jobs or submitting themselves to menial jobs just to be employed have suffered from depression, loneliness and belittlement because of the discrimination they have felt in their former jobs. Their old

You Decide 1 Free Essays

Memo To:John Jane Smith From: Re:Memo summarizing various tax issues 1. John Smith’s tax issues: Issue a) How is the $300,000 treated for purposes of federal tax income? Applicable Law ; Analysis: http://www. irs. We will write a custom essay sample on You Decide 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now gov/businesses/small/selfemployed/index. html Conclusion: The $300,000 will be treated as self- employed income. Generally you are self-employed if you carry on a trade or business as a sole proprietor, independent contractor, or if you are a member of a partnership. Self-employed individuals are required to file an annual return, and pay estimated tax quarterly. Issue b) How is the $25,000 treated for purposes of federal tax income? Applicable Law ; Analysis: www. irs. gov Conclusion: The $25,000 will be treated as self- employed income as well. John was awarded the 25,000 that paid up front expenses, so the number will cancel each other out. Issue c) What is your determination regarding reducing the taxable amount of income for both (a) and (b) above? Applicable Law ; Analysis: http://www. efile. com/tax-credit/federal-tax-credits/. Publication 526- Charitable contributions. Section 170-charitable contributions and gifts ( c). Section 48- energy credit Conclusion: Establish a self- employed retirement plan, make IRA contributions, make charitable donations including asset donations according to organizations described in section 501 (c)(3), make energy efficient improvement to the home according to IRC code 48. Issue d) Do I get better tax benefits for paying the lease on office space or for buying the building? What are the differences? Applicable Law ; Analysis: IRC Code 167- there should be allowable reasonable depreciation for wear and tear on property used in the trade or business. http://www. law. cornell. edu). http://www. microsoft. com/business. IRC Code 179-allows tax payers to deduct the cost on certain types of property. Conclusion: There are better tax benefits for buying the building. Owners of rental property can write of repairs immediately. Deprecation on commercial buildings is taken over 39 years; you can also deduct interest on the purchase loan, property tax, and other qualifying expen ses. (www. microsoft. com/business). The total amount you can deduct under section 179 cannot be more than $500,000. (www. irs. gov). When leasing a building, the monthly lease payment is tax deductible, but the tax payer cannot deduct interest, property tax, or depreciate. 2. Jane Smith tax issues: Issue a) What are the different tax consequences between paying down the mortgage (debt) and assuming a new mortgage (debt) for federal income tax purposes? Applicable Law ; Analysis: www. law. cornell. edu Conclusion: Satisfying the mortgage will cancel tax deductions for that mortgage loan. Without the mortgage interest, a customer could be placed in a higher tax bracket. This will cause the tax payer to possible owe more money. Assuming a new mortgage have benefits rather than consequences. Issue b) Can John and Jane Smith utilize a 1031 tax exchange to buy a more expensive house using additional money from John’s case? Applicable Law Analysis: IRC code 1031. The IRC code 1031 allows deferral of taxes on the exchange of two assets. IRC code 1031 also allows one to sell an asset with the intension to use proceeds to invest in a like asset. (http://financial-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/Internal+Revenue+Code+section+1031) Conclusion: John and Jane cannot utilize a 1031 tax exchange. Owners of investments and business property may qualify for a section 1031 deferral. Both properties in the exchange must be held for use in a trade or business or for investment. Property used primarily for personal use does not qualify for like-kind exchange treatment. Issue c) Does Jane have a business or hobby? Why is this distinction important? Applicable Law Analysis: IRC code 183. The IRC code 183 is also called the â€Å"hobby loss rule†, it minimize losses that can be deducted from income from hobbies or other non-profit activities. Conclusion: Jane has a business. If time and effort put into the activity is intended to make a profit, this is considered a business. Business versus hobby is important because taxpayers who incorrectly report losses from hobby activities can be subject to additional taxes, interest and penalties in an audit (http://www. irsvideos. gov/Professional/HobbyBusiness) Issue d) Would Jane (and John) realize better tax benefits if she had a separate business for her jewelry-making activities? Applicable Law Analysis: www. irs. gov Conclusion: Jane and John would have better tax benefits if Jane had a separate business for her jewelry- making activities. Cost of goods sold is deducted from your gross receipts to figure your gross profit for the year; this could include the cost of material. Jane can also deduct expenses for the business use of her home. Jane can also deduct car expenses mileage rates from 1/1/11-6/30/11 is . 51 per mile and from 7/1/11-12/31/11 . 55 per mile (www. irs. gov) Issue e) What tax benefits would John realize if he invested $15,000 in Jane’s jewelry making? Applicable Law ; Analysis: http://perlmutter. house. ov/index. php? option=com_content;view=article;id=707;Itemid=88- Business tax benefits under the recovery act. Conclusion: Small Business Investment: Spurs investments in small businesses by cutting the capital gains tax on investors in small businesses who buy stock (in the next two years) and hold it for more than 5 years. (www. perlmutter. house. gov) Issue f) Can Jane depreciate her vehicle or jewelry-making equipment? How? Applicable Law ; Analysis: Section 179. Section 179 allows business to deduct the full purchase price of equipment purchased or financed during the tax year. (www. section179. org) Conclusion: Section 179 deduction enables small businesses to deduct up to $250,000 of the cost of machinery, equipment, vehicles and furniture. To qualify for the section 179 deduction, your property must have been acquired for use in your trade or business. (http://www. irs. gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=213666,00. html). The total depreciation deduction (including the section 179 expense deduction) you can take for a passenger automobile (that is not a truck or a van) that you use in your business and first placed in service in 2009 is $2,960 ($10,960 for automobiles for which the special depreciation allowance applies. www. irs. gov) 3. John and Jane Smith tax issue: Issue a) Should John and Jane file separate or joint tax returns? Applicable Law ; Analysis: IRC Code 1- The law that impose federal income tax on income, and sets the amount of tax to be paid. Conclusion: Married individuals filing joint returns will pay $75,528. 50 plus 39. 6% of income over $250,000. If Jane establishes her activities as a trade or business they would have to pay less in taxes. How to cite You Decide 1, Essay examples

August Wilson’s Fences free essay sample

August Wilson’s Fences The immigration of Africans to America as slaves has had a great effect to many things including literature. Despite their experiences in this foreign land, they brought with them a different culture that had not been experienced in the American society. The stories and experiences of African-Americans have seen authors write books and plays being staged with large audiences. This is due to the different but almost similar stories that these people have to tell regarding their journey to America and how difficult it was for them to fit in the society they found. Introduction In 1983, the American playwright August Wilson released a play titled Fences. The play has a setting of the 1950s and it explores the evolving African –American experience with race relations as one of the many themes depicted in this play. The play revolves around a 53-year-old man named Troy who is an African-America. He is struggling to provide for his family and although he is a baseball player his color is a barrier for him being able to join professional baseball thus receiving little money to support his family. This paper seeks to analyze the play and check on why it was given the title Fences (Wilson). Analysis of the play Fences by August Wilson As earlier stated, the play is about a man named Troy. The play shows how Troy is struggling to not only provide for his family but also to fit in a society in which people are judged by their skin color. The theme of race discrimination is portrayed well throughout the play. First, in the 1950s in which the play is set, people of color were seen as those who do not deserve any good thing in the society. They were associated to social crimes and ending up in jail for a crime not committed was a normal phenomenon (Wilson). However, emotional disconnect with the society they lived in and failure to secure a job so as to earn a living was greatly contributing to them ending up being involved in these social crimes. In the play, Troy is shown as a baseball player a game he had learnt and played while in prison. He had ended up in prison for an accidental murder he had committed during a robbery. From this act it is evident that due to his failure of securing a job, Troy had ended up involving himself in robbery so as to earn himself a living but this time it turned out ugly and he ended up in prison. Further, discrimination is seen at work place where some jobs could not be done by an African-American but instead they were reserved for the whites. This is seen when Troy manages to secure a job with a garbage collecting firm and he is heard asking Mr. Rand; who he refers to as the boss, why black men were not allowed to drive garbage trucks. This shows that indeed there was race discrimination at work place where African-Americans could not be bestowed with some responsibilities. The act of being denied an opportunity to drive a garbage truck can be seen as a sarcastic event. It can be viewed in the way that even if garbage collection was being seen as dirty work that could only be done by those who were seen as less fortunate in the society, the fact that driving a garbage truck was seen as â€Å"literary driving a vehicle†, an African-American would not be allowed to drive the truck since they were restricted to do so during that time (Tamura). In addition, the play shows Rose who is Troy’s wife with whom they have a son named Cory, however, Troy has a son Lyon from a previous marriage but he does not leave with him. Gabriel is Troy’s younger brother who has notable psychological damage after he suffered head injuries when he was serving as a soldier. This new development of Gabriela having served as a soldier brings contrast of sentiments of race discrimination and at the same time it can be viewed as one way in which discrimination of people of the color was being cemented. First as a contrast, this play shows how certain jobs were being reserved for whites. Soldiers were people who not only deserved respect from the society but also received a good pay. Therefore, Gabriel’s employment as a soldier, contrasts the theme of discrimination where some jobs such as a being a soldier were being reserved for those the society thought they owed respect to. However, it can be viewed differently in the sense that owing to the tasks, experiences and challenges that faced soldiers in the battle fields, African-American men were seen as the right people for the job. This follows, the understanding that most of those who served in the army died in war or if one was luck to survive they would come home having sustained severe injuries like in the case of Gabriel. This can be seen as a form of discrimination where those who were less regarded in the society were being recruited as soldiers since the society would be seen not to worry even if it lost them (Tamura). The play unfolds on a payday when Troy and his friend Bono are drinking and chatting. His son Lyon comes to him asking to be lent 10 dollars promising to refund the money soon since his girlfriend had secured a job. Troy gives him a hard time but after persuasion from his wife Rose, he finally lends his son the money. From this scenario, one can see that the family is really struggling to survive owing to Lyon’s inability to raise even 10 dollars thus leading him to borrowing from his father. This shows that African-Americans were struggling a lot so as to survive in a society where living standards were high and a society where job opportunities were rare given the much rooted racial discrimination (Wilson). Further, as the play continues, Cory tells his parents of an opportunity for a college football scholarship. Troy vehemently condemns his son’s thought of applying it and they argue. Troy does not want his son to play basket ball since he does not him to experience the racial discrimination he went through during the time he was playing baseball. The man does not back down his argument and following his experience with racial discrimination he is not ready to watch his son go through the same. As a result, Troy even approaches Cory’s coach and tells him that his son will no longer be playing football. Upon discovery of his father’s lies, Cory confronts him and they end up in a fight that causes Cory to be thrown out of the house by his father. This scenario shows the effect that racial discrimination had to Troy’s life. Following him denying his son the opportunity to play college football with an excuse of racial discrimination, one can see that indeed Troy had gone through tough time due to racial discrimination and he was protecting his son. Despite his time of playing baseball and that of his son playing football being different, Troy could hardly believe that racial discrimination could have melted away, thus, the unmoved stand exhibited by him(Wiggins Miller). Consequently, after Cory is kicked out of the house, they no longer get along with his dad. This can be seen during the final act when Troy dies and Cory refuses to attend the funeral due to the long-standing resentment. However, after his mother’s persuasion, Cory attends the funeral to pay respect to the man who had tirelessly struggled to provide for them even if he was hard headed. The rivalry between son and father can be traced back to have been caused by racial discrimination. This is due to the fact that if Troy had not suffered through discrimination, he could not have denied his son to take the college football scholarship and as a result they could not have argued to the extent of later not setting eyes on one another. One can see the indirect effect that racial discrimination had to people’s lives (Wiggins Miller). Further, during Troy’s burial, Cory had just come from the military training. This can be analyzed as a positive step towards fighting racial discrimination. This follows the fact that during his father’s youth days, certain jobs opportunities such as joining the military were mostly given to the whites. Therefore seeing Cory coming out of the military training it is evident that with time, racial discrimination had come to reduce thus allowing African-Americans be able to get job opportunities which earlier being people of color they could not easily get. In addition, throughout the play, Troy is shown as a man who had a different cultural influence or different socialization. First, this can be seen through his son Lyon who was from an earlier marriage. Further, in the play, Rose discovers that his husband has been having an affair with a lady called Alberta and he had made her pregnant. However, Alberta dies during childbirth and Rose accepts to adopt her daughter Raynell whose father Troy dies when she is seven years old. Being an African-American, the act of having more than one wife is not out of the norms owing to African culture with him. However, finding himself in a society where polygamy is viewed as a thing past by time, Troy could not marry Rose while still having the first wife and he could not bring Alberta as another wife thus he ended up having an affair with her other than coming to the light (Sofola).. In the African culture, to which Troy can still find some association, most communities allow polygamous marriages as this is seen as wealth as the man will have many children from these wives. Traditionally, in the African culture having more than one wife was seen as a public sign that a man had more resources that would allow him to marry as many women as he pleased. However, the culture was against adultery and a man would not be allowed to bear children outside marriage unless he would later end up marrying the lady (Sofola).. Therefore, although the African culture among the African-Americans was fading away, its influence continued to affect them for years. Consequently, Troy was a man who had been influenced by this culture but the society which he currently lived in was not in support of the culture. Therefore, this explains his act in life of having a first marriage, then marrying Rose and finally having an affair with Alberta. Troy’s case shows the effect that migration to the West had to African-Americans; it did not only give them a hard time trying to fit in a society where they were less regarded but it also eroded their cultures and presented them with a different and difficult socialization (Sofola). Having analyzed the play, one would seek to answer the question on why it was given the title â€Å"Fences†. First, the theme of racial discrimination can be seen to have portrayed the title Fences. This is seen throughout the play where lines of racial discrimination were used to deny Troy and other African-Americans job opportunities. This judgment on bases of color is a fence in itself since it prevented them from getting good money to support their families. In addition, Troy could not join professional baseball playing due to the ‘fence’ of racial discrimination. However, to Cory, his father is the fence that does not allow him to get the college football scholarship after he refused him on the grounds of racial discrimination. In addition and to the literal meaning, Rose wanted to build a fence and forced Troy to start so that she could protect what is hers in the inside and leave what belongs to the society outside the fence. Conclusion Throughout the play, racial discrimination is shown as the cause of anything that Troy’s family is going through. One can appreciate the writer’s overemphasize on this issue owing to the fact that this play is set in the 1950’s when racial discrimination was still evidently being experienced. The play assists one to understand the effect that racial discrimination had on the lives of African-Americans as well as the influence of Western culture to their socialization and culture. This play will assist in keeping the history of the experience of African-Americans in the American society and it will remain to be a crucial part of literature.

Student Name Essays - Television, Oprah Winfrey,

Student Name Cassandra Labairon Composition June 11, 2016 Profile Essay Outline Introduction Attention Getter- "It dawned on me, when I stepped off of that ship, that I would never be able to go back, and I knew nothing about what lay ahead of me." Background Info- Tom grew up Pasang Noi, a small village in northern Thailand. He attended school up until 8th grade, when he dropped out to help his mom take care of his younger siblings. When Tom turned 19, he left his village and got a job working in the kitchen of an upscale hotel in Bangkok. From there he came into contact with a hiring agent for Princess Cruise lines, and soon he was working as a prep cook on one of their ships. He worked for the cruise line for four and half years, and went places he never dreamed of getting to go. But in that time, it became clear that he would never be able to start a family if he stayed on the ship, so one day in August of 1997, while docked in Houston, he left. Luckily, he knew a former co-worker of the ship who lived in Minnesota, and had offered Tom a job if he ever left the cruise line. Tom decided he'd take his chances, and got on a bus to Minneapolis. Thesis Statement: Being an undocumented immigrant has made everything harder for Tom, and although he has achieved success, he struggles with a number of issues daily. Body Topic sentence- Daily life is harder for Tom in every way because he is here illegally. He has to depend on his wife for many things Lease on apartment Insurance Driving Finding work is a challenge Employers have to pay him under the table Most jobs that he is able to get are not great Topic Sentence- Tom decides to open up his own restaurant, but with this comes many challenges. He faced all of the normal issues of opening up your own business "Brighton City isn't what people would consider the hot spot for Thai food." He opened just before the economy tanked Many challenges of the business come from his status His wife has to sign for all of the paperwork Having his wife technically own his business bothers Tom Topic Sentence- The hardest thing for Tom is knowing that he won't see his family again because if he leaves, he won't be able to come back. He has missed out on many things back home His mother had been ill for the last two years, and recently passed away He wasn't able to watch his younger siblings grow up He has been able to stay in contact with some of his family from back home My Grandpa has flown over to Tom's old village twice on mission trips He still receives letters from his siblings from time to time Conclusion Although, Tom has been able to come a long way during his time in the United States, there are still daily struggles that he faces as an undocumented immigrant. Being dependent upon his wife for many basic things, having to open up his own business just to have stable work, and not being able to see his family are all things that Tom has had to deal with. And even though he is a good example of the ladder of success, unfortunately because of his current status in the U.S., he may be on his last rung.

Ethnic Diversity essays

Ethnic Diversity essays Affirmative action can be defined as action taken to compensate for past unfairness in the education of minorities. The current system of affirmative action allows universities to admit applicants from certain ethnic and minority groups with lower credentials. The main purpose of affirmative action is to produce a diverse campus population that is comparable to today's society. The use of race as a facto by which someone is admitted to college in the long run will compromise the quality of the university. Implicating affirmative action to solve the problem of diversity on today's campuses has lead to the creation of problems. The discrimination against Caucasian and Asian American students a long with the toleration of lower quality work produced by African American students and other minority students is an example of the problems caused by Affirmative Action. Although affirmative action intends to do good, lowering the standards by which certain racial groups are admitted to colleg e is not the way to solve the problem of diversity in America's universities. The condition of America's public schools is directly responsible for the poor academic achievement of minority children. Instead of addressing educational discrepancies caused by poverty and discrimination, we are merely covering them up and pretending they do not exist, and allowing ourselves to avoid what it takes to make a dent in themaugmenting Head Start, improving high schools and spending more equally among schools (Jacoby 36). The implication of racial preference has given high schools permission to replace the tradition of achievement with a culture of entitlement. The feeling of the absence of enthusiasm for achievement is illustrated by John O'Sulllivan editor of the National Review hen he said, Restoring high standards in high school will take time; but it will not even begin until the corrupting influence of racial preference is removed. By not admitting under qual...

10 Tips To Make Your First Tattoo Successful

10 Tips To Make Your First Tattoo Successful It may be clichà ©, but a tattoo is for life. You have no timetable. Before acting out, be sure that you are ready. Remember that you are continually evolving as a person. When you are about to get inked for life, consider that your tastes may not be the same in the future. For example, your tattoo of Britpop Blur group may not have the same effect in 10 years. Do not look for a discount. A tattoo is an investment. He will be there for several years, ideally. If you start looking for a discount, you may end up with a worse result than expected. Do your homework. Before going to see a tattoo artist, decide which style you like. Then search for artists who practice this technique. Then, do not hesitate to see them discuss what you want. They can advise you and help you make an informed choice. Choose the right moment. The temperature can significantly affect the healing process of your tattoo. Try to avoid the hot weather of the summer and the dry cold of the winter. Autumn and spring are the ideal moments. Listen to your tattoo artist. If the tattoo artist tells you that your drawing will not be beautiful once on your skin or that the location you have chosen is not ideal, trust him. He knows what he is doing. Prepare to get hurt.Yes, it hurts. Not a lot of pain, but still enough. Especially if the room you have taken is large enough. If you want, bring in headphones. Listening to music at the same time can help change the nonsense. Stay hydrated and feed. Getting a tattoo can be very physically demanding. Thats why its important to come to your appointment with a full stomach and a good thirst. We suggest you bring a bottle of water and a snack. Take care of your new tattoo Listen carefully to the instructions of your tattoo artist. During the first days, you have an open wound on your body. It is essential to clean it often with unscented soap. Once your tattoo has dried, create it as if your life depended on it. Avoid Polysporin or other disinfectants. Instead, favor moisturizing creams like Aveeno. You do not have to justify yourself to anyone. Once the tattoo is on your skin, it belongs to you. If you do not feel like talking about it, do not talk about it. It does not concern anyone except you.

Emile Durkheim Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Emile Durkheim Theories - Essay Example His contribution in literature was also immense and is valued up to date (Cuff and Francis 2004, p. 40). One of the main concerns of Durkheim was how the society was formed and how it operated. He observed the formation of the society and the maintenance of social order. He was concerned with the integrity and coherence of the modern society. In this case Durkheim recognized how the society was being transformed by the changes that were taking place in the social life of the people. Durkheim looked closely the shared religious and ethnic background that was changing the life of the society. According to Durkheim, the social changes that were taking place due to religion and ethnic changes could not be ignored in the definition of a normal society. These factors determined how the society was formed and how it operated. To understand the nature of the society and the changes that were taking place, Durkheim constructed as social science model (Giddens 2001, p. 69). Along with Herbert Spence, they developed the first scientific model that could be used to analyze and explain social phenomena. This model which was based on the social facts could be used to explain the existence and quality of different parts that makes up the society. This was explained well by making reference to the different functions of the social facts in maintaining the quotidian and therefore they can be assured as the precursors to functionalism (Durkheim 1938, p. 301). Although Durkheim showed that the society was made up of different parts, he also explained that these parts doest not entirely constitute the whole society. The society was more than these parts and their interrelationship. According to Durkheim, the society has a complex arrangement that is held together by a social fabric (Lukes 1982, p. 60). Durkheim pointed out that while you needed facts in studying science, you do not even know the facts that are relevant to you not until you create the science. This means that we have to use imagination in order to create science that could be used to study the society even before you find out that the science we have created is really imperfect. Therefore Durkheim explained his understanding of the society in view of social fact. He explained social facts as the phenomena which exist in and of themselves although they are not bound to action of individual members of the society. Therefore social facts were different from the action of the individuals. They had a greater objective than the sum total of actions of individuals that compose the society. (Ritzer 2004, p. 21) Unlike his contemporaries like Ferdinand Tonnies or Marx Weber who were considered to have made contribution to the study of the society, Durkheim did not focus on what motivates the action of the individuals in the society but he rather focused on the social facts. His studies were not based on the methodological individualism but focused on the social facts that influence the life of individuals in the society although they are very different from the actions of the individuals. According to Durkheim social facts are made up of different ways of acting and feeling which are not tied to the individual persons. These ways possesses power of coercion which they impose upon individual member

Haitian poverty crisis and the state of their economy now and then Essay

Haitian poverty crisis and the state of their economy now and then - Essay Example Along with the poverty has come all of the problems associated with the disadvantage of being relegated near the bottom of the world's socio-economic class. Rampant crime, health problems, high infant mortality, and limited life span all further burden a society already faced with the struggle of trying to provide the basics of life. The political system has been wracked by upheaval and instability for two centuries as dictators and the military have vied for power with no thought of elevating the standard of living for the people. The failure of leadership in Haiti, and racist policies in Washington DC, have allowed two hundred years of exploitation and kept Haiti locked in a cycle of poverty. By almost every measure, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. The situation is getting even worse as the last 50 years have seen a stagnation in the Haitian economy and a real decline in the gross national product (Sletten and Egset 5). The gap between the wealthy and the poor is extreme in Haiti and average incomes or median incomes do not tell the whole story. The top 10 percent consume almost 50 percent of the country's resources (CIA). No meaningful official unemployment data exists, but two-thirds of the population have no formal jobs and 80 percent of the people live below the poverty line (CIA). Almost 60 percent of the people are classed as extremely poor and live on less than $1 per day (Sletten and Egset 9). This is almost double the rate of El Salvador and four times the rate of Guatemala and Bolivia. According to Sletten and Egset, "Haiti is not only the poorest country in Latin America, but also the most unequal in a region that is already the most unequal in the world" (9). These are the statistics that form the backdrop of Haiti's poverty. While the statistics on Haiti's poverty are bleak, the location of the poverty imparts an even more disparate picture. Most Haitians live in rural areas and almost 4 out of 5 extremely poor people live in a rural area (Sletten and Egset 10). When poverty is measured in terms of access to public services, this segment of the population suffers further. Access to services such as electricity, education, roads, clean water, and health care is dependent on where a person lives in Haiti (Sletten and Egset 15). In addition, the policy of privatization has placed almost all public services in the hands of the ruling class. According to Gros, "Nearly two-hundred years of informal privatization of the state have left Haiti lacking the capacity to deliver even the most basic of public services; security and justice" (223). The better neighborhoods are better served by these services and the denial in the rural areas of access to basic services further impoverishes this portion of the populatio n. The extremely poor in the rural areas are left with a subsistence wage and no access to the public services, such as education, that might hold some hope for breaking out of the cycle of poverty. The reasons that Haiti continues to be locked in poverty in today's world of globalization can be better understood by examining their history. Haiti claimed independence in 1804 when there was a slave rebellion. This freed the slaves and gave them independence from France. However, through the lens of the US and European powers, "independent Haiti would be viewed continually as a threat to hemispheric and

Illusions Realities Ibsen Essay Example for Free

Illusions Realities Ibsen Essay Introduction In Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, illusions and reality are set into a conflict within the story of a son’s personal desire to confront idealism. Throughout much of the play, the son, Greger, argues the value of truth with the reluctant Dr. Relling. Relling insists on the importance of illusions, but fails to discourage Greger’s intentions and a play that begins as a comedy quickly turns into a tragedy because of these conflicts. At the heart of the illusions in this play are the ways that people assume many roles in a family, impersonating multiple ideals as ways for managing their relationships. This theme of impersonation is also developed in Ibsen’s Ghosts, where family relations are slowly undone as the illusions and deceptions are stripped away. In both plays, deceptions are strategic and designed to protect the children from the pains and struggles of their families’ histories. Ultimately, in these plays, families are held together by illusions, yet torn apart by truths that have been concealed to protect the children. Illusions and Realism In The Wild Duck, as Relling continues to discourage Greger from revealing damaging truths about family secrets, Relling insists, If you take away make-believe from the average man, you take away happiness as well (Ibsen, 294). Relling is referring to the ways the Ekdal family is structured on particular deceptions; however, these are designed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty. Hedvig, the fourteen year old daughter, represents one of the innocents, and Greger’s father, Old Werle, represents a part of the guilty side. The key to these dualisms of false and truth, innocent and guilty, illusion and reality, lies in Ibsen’s art of realism, which was a staging of the complicated threads that hold ordinary lives together. Within the ordinary lives of the families in Ghosts and The Wild Duck are tales of infidelity, corruption, greed, lust, disease, and other afflictions that characterize family secrets. For example, in Ghosts, the mother, Mrs. Alving, reveals the ways she has protected her son Oswald from the truths of her unhappy marriage. She tells her friend and priest, Manders, â€Å"†¦Yes, I was always swayed by duty and consideration for others; that was why I lied to my son, year in and year out. Oh, what a coward I have been† (315). Manders responds, â€Å"You have built up a happy illusion in your son’s mind, Mrs. Alving – and that is a thing you certainly ought not to undervalue,† (315) echoing Dr. Relling’s belief that illusions are sometimes more than a question of reality. In both plays, the deeper questions are about whose reality matters, and who may determine another person’s reality. Relling accuses Greger of having a plague of â€Å"†¦integrity-fever; and then whats worse you are always in a delirium of hero-worship; you must always have something to adore, outside yourself,† which Greger agrees to, without considering the consequences of this claim (297). In fact, Greger’s certainty about the dangers of illusions provokes the young Hedvig into an emotional despair, and she kills herself. The issues presented in this play are not about what is true, or false, but about the ways people build their lives on the past. Hedvig’s father, Hialmar, protects his daughter from truths that concern the actions of others, with consequences that have indirectly affected her life. In Ghosts, Mrs. Alving is protecting her son from truths that, in the end, have consequences on Oswald’s life, as he has inherited syphilis from his philandering father. The climaxes of these two stories result in the deaths of Hedvig, and Oswald and both deaths come about as a result of their learning the truths of their pasts. In each of these plays, the reality is what destroys the characters. Once the life illusions are taken away, there is nothing for the individuals to hold onto. As the illusions are shattered, reality becomes impossible to endure. Ultimately, by using realism to portray the value of illusions, Ibsen produces complicated questions about what is real and what is sometimes a necessary illusion. Conclusion Both The Wild Duck, and Ghosts are tragedies that involve what might be understood as â€Å"the sins of the fathers;† however, Ibsen seems to suggest that some truths are better maintained as illusions. In both plays, the truth destroys the lives of those who have been protected from the past and in both cases the past involves relationships that have indirect consequences on the children’s understandings of their lives. In the end, whether it is right or wrong to maintain the illusions is not as significant as the question of who has the right to determine what is real, and what is true for others. Works Cited Henrik Ibsen, â€Å"The Wild Duck,† Four Great Plays by Henrik Ibsen, NY: Bantam Books. Henrik Ibsen, â€Å"Ghosts,† Playreader’s Repertory, M. R. White and F. Whiting, Eds. , London: Foresom and Company.

Imitation and Literature :: Literature Essays Literary Criticism

Imitation and Literature    Imitation is a foundational concept in the creation and study of literature. The fundamental assumptions embedded in imitation create a distinct and divisive method of perception. Imitation requires a basic belief in separation: appearance apart from reality, form apart from content. Literary works possess a dual existence, where the surface becomes most useful   in its ability to reveal the substance contained within. Because the truth remains concealed, it can only be discerned or discovered through imitation. Thus imitation exists as an intermediary in a variety of artistic representations, each aspiring for an accurate depiction of   meaning, perhaps even the basic truths of human existence. For Plato, however, art imitates a world that is already far removed from authentic reality, Truth, an inherently flawed copy of an already imperfect world. Art as an imitation is irrelevant to what is real. Many critics since Plato have attempted to reestablish the essential value of art by redefining or renegotiating the boundaries between imitation and authentic reality, between the text itself and meaning.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From ancient to more modern critics, art is defined, vilified, or redeemed by its ability to imitate. Aristotle values imitation as a natural process of humanity. Tragedy is simply a manifestation of the human desire to imitate. He asserts that every person "learns his lesson through imitation and we observe that all men find pleasure in imitations" (44). Unlike Plato's world of Forms, knowledge of truth and goodness are rooted in the observable universe to Aristotle. Because imitation strives to create accurate particularized images of the real world, it is a source for potential discovery and delight. Neoclassical criticism accepts as givens Aristotle's statements about the nature of art and reality. Art is valuable precisely because it is imitative. As Sir Philip Sydney states, "Poesy is an art of imitation...with this end, to teach and delight" (137). Imitation not only entertains, but gains a moral/ethical purpose: to teach virtue. Ar tists must, in addition to possessing great creative skills, also bear moral responsibility for shaping their imitations. Samuel Johnson seems to revisit Plato's attack upon art with his admission that an accurate imitation of morally questionable subject matter is not only unacceptable, but potentially harmful to those who encounter it. In order to accommodate a strong moral sense, Johnson describes imitation as a process of interpretation.   "The business of a poet... is to examine, not the individual, but the species.

Engaging Students In Learning Process Essay

Abstract Technology plays a great role in education. Students get motivated when technology based education is given in the classroom. WebQuests involve inquiry-based learning in which students are encouraged to learn in group. The present paper provides information about the use of WebQuest as an educational technology. Various aspects of WebQuests are covered in this paper such as definition of WebQuest, components, use of WebQuest as a constructivist tool, implementation of WebQuest and advantages and disadvantages of WebQuests. Recommendations are given at the end of the paper. The author also provides a self-made WebQuest for year 9-10 students attached to this paper. Engaging Students in Learning Processing Using WebQuests Introduction Technology has been used as a teaching tool in schools since many years. It is very important to know the ways through which the technology can be employed to bring new opportunities to students to enhance their learning abilities. Technology offers numerous benefits to students. Technology offers tools that can be used to enhance the learning ability of a student. Thinking skills can also be enhanced with the use of technology in education. Students receive a variety of learning activities are authentic too. Students are encouraged for the regulation of their learning process depending on their abilities (Cho & Jonassen 2002). Despite numerous benefits, technology possesses some challenges too. Students usually do not wait to take proper guidelines from the instructor and they start using technology in their classrooms immediately. Thus they have to face a large number of difficulties too. It is believed that the traditional way to assess the performance of students need to be shifted from paper and pencil to technology based methods because a large number of students in schools and colleges are now using technology such as word processors and spreadsheets in doing their work. Thus the traditional method seems to be failed as this method can not explain and assess what the students have learned from technical way. The paper and pencil mode of assessment is left behind (Almeida, Vesu, and Ponte, 2003). Another study explained that technology based education is quite promising because it can help foster the creation of communities and the learners become able to perform several tasks such as: learners get more open opportunities to enhance the communication process in the classroom; discussions among students and between students and teachers may be encouraged; and the authority is shared among students and teacher because the classroom is now more rich in resources (Brooks & Brooks, 1999).   This paper provides information about the use of WebQuest as an educational technology used in the classroom. WebQuest Definition WebQuest can be defined as a tool that is effective for learning in an online inquiry-oriented environment. This can be explained as: in this type of learning, students are encouraged for the evaluation and exploration of required information with the help of World Wide Web in their classrooms (Chandler 2003). According to Tom March, Circa (2003): â€Å"A WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students’ investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests do this in a way that inspires students to see richer thematic relationships, facilitate a contribution to the real world of learning and reflect on their own meta-cognitive processes (p.1).† WebQuests are of varying lengths. Sometimes they are short enough to cover just in one class period and sometimes they require a month for completion. Group work is usually encouraged in WebQuests as each member of the work group is assign specific tasks to perform. The teacher is responsible for the selection of the specific resources prior the WebQuest use in the classroom. Thus, students are given the time to use the information and they need not to spend any time to look for the specific material (Dodge 1997). Source: (Tom March, 2007). Components and Types of WebQuests   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are six important components of WebQuest. They are named as:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this section, background information is provided to the learners. Students are given specific tasks and roles to motivate them. For example: â€Å"You are a geologist looking for volcanoes. Students are provided with the overview in the beginning that tells them about their goals they have to achieved in their learning process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction is presented to the students in such a way that they desire to perform that activity along with fun. Students are assigned the projects that are relevant to their previous experiences, students, future plans or ideas. When students receive projects of their interests, they get involved easily in them. Thus it is the main purpose of the introduction section of each WebQuest to motivate each student by exciting and engaging them. When the WebQuest is based on a longer period such as over a month then the introduction is given daily to the students to refresh their memory and to let them find the most appropriate material for their project. In long-term WebQuest, real world components such as print media and guest lectures are given to the students along their online investigation. The addition of real world components is very important for long-term WebQuests because if students are allowed to rely only on the online investigations then they may consider the meanings of the lesson as something unreal. Thus, in a long-term WebQuest projects, introduction is given daily to the students to keep them up-to-date with all the information and necessary material for they motivation (Dodge 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Task Task is the second component of a WebQuest. The purpose of this component is to inform the students about the lessons to be learned till the end of the project.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Initially, the teachers have to look for the specific information that is required in a specific project. Then they design the activity that requires the information gathered from online resources. Students are given the task that is to be performed by searching the information online. The task is designed in a way to make it doable, means that each task must has to be accomplished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most difficult part in the creation of a WebQuest project is the development of the main research question. This part is quite creative and needs a certain amount of time to search whether the question can be answered. Students can be asked to do a variety of tasks such as they may need to circulate the information they gathered on the website, they may be asked to work in collaboration with other online institution to perform specific research for the completion of a project and they may be asked to explain their research by using multimedia. The students are encouraged to complete their task in an interesting, appealing, visual and important manner.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students should be given an example of a completed project. This given an idea to them how their project will look like after the completion. They become able to see the complete picture of the project in the beginning. They also come to know how they should perform to accomplish their task. It is great to show the students work of previous students. Teachers may also find the similar projects online done previously by other students as an example to show to their students. A large number of sample projects available for the students motivate them by showing them the efforts and achievements of other students. Students keep in mind the necessary steps they have to take to perform a specific task efficiently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The teacher can use any successful project several times in different semesters and different classes. The project specifications can be modified each time. Students can be motivated by showing them the same project and challenge them to show a better project than the previous one (Jonassen & Rohrer-Murphy 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Process is the third component of a WebQuest. In this component, the students are informed about all the steps that the students need to take for the completion of a project. Each step is surrounded by a number of links. It is advised for projects of longer duration that the teacher or one or two students demonstrate each step. Demonstration helps the students learn each step in a better manner and they become able to understand the written directions more easily (Kennedy 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Resources   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is the fourth component of a WebQuest. In this component, a list of all the necessary resources that involve printed material and online resources are given to the students for the accomplishment of a specific task.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A separate section was allocated in the old WebQuests for the resources but now in the recent WebQuests, the resources are attached with the instructions in the Process section. The students can access those resources when they are to perform that step. Though online resource are very important but it is also a fact that non-Web resources are not less important. Resources should be of variety and thus the quality of WebQuests can be enhanced by the use of online and non-Web resources. Non-Web resources can be of different types such as models, audio cassettes, field trips, maps, sculptures, books etc. to motivate the students (Lara 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluation is the fifth component of a WebQuest. Three types of student examples can be pointed out when the introduction of a WebQuest is presented. The three examples of students include exemplary, acceptable and unacceptable. During the introduction, students are clearly shown what is meant by an excellent work. They are given examples of exemplary and acceptable work thus clearing the vision of the students and to motivate them to work hard to achieve the excellence. Examples of unacceptable work are given to students to show them what type of work cannot be accepted and thus enabling the students to know about the minimum standards required to accomplish a task (Lipscomb 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is the last component of a WebQuest. In this component, the students are asked to present their reflections about their work and the teachers are required to sum up the project. Students are given time to discuss their project thus following the constructivist approach that though learning is achieved by doing but learning can be enhanced by discussion of what has been done. Teachers usually encourage their students during the conclusion section to explain if they come up with more better ways to perform the same project (March 2000). WebQuest as a Constructivist Tool   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The constructivism theory explains how learning is achieved by performing a study that involves scientific method and observation. According to the constructivist theory, people learn and understand different aspects of world by their own experiences and by showing their reflections on their experiences. When people find something new, they usually try to bring the new information with their previous experiences. Sometimes, they find the new thing more informative and thus discard the older one and sometimes they find the new information totally irrelevant and thus rely on their previous experiences. In each of the cases, people have to find out by themselves which one is correct and to find that they ask different questions, explore the resources and then come to a conclusion (Milson 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When constructivist approach is applied in the classroom, different types of teaching ways are explained that can enhance the learning process. The most common of the teaching way is to motivate the students to utilize effective techniques such as real-world examples to gather the information, then to reflect what they have come up with and then conclude what they have done. Students explain how the new idea has changed their previous understanding. It is very important for a teacher to be aware of the previous understandings of the students. Then the teacher guides the students to perform the activity that is based on their previous conceptions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When teachers utilize constructivist approach, they always motivate their students to find out the role of the new activity in their learning process. Students usually get the position of expert learners in a constructivist classroom because they are to ask questions themselves. This type of learning broadens their learning process and they come to know how they have to learn (Molebash & Dodge 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When students are constantly encouraged to reflect on their experiences then they seem to gain power. Strong abilities seem to build up in the students that motivate them for the integration of any new idea or information. Thus it can be said that the one of the most important role of teacher in the constructivist classroom is to motivate the students to experience by themselves and then learn from those experiences by reflecting on them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conservative and traditional teachers usually criticize that the role of the teacher is dismissed in the learning. But constructivism encourages teachers to play their role more efficiently and their knowledge is highly valued. In constructivist approach, the teachers are required to motivate the students for the construction of the knowledge by themselves instead of finding out the facts that have been previously observed and noted. In a constructivist classroom, the students are encouraged to use problem solving skills and they are involved in inquiry-based learning.   These activities make the students able enough to test their ideas, reflect on their experience and present the conclusions. A constructivist classroom transforms students from passive recipients that receive information just by sitting in the classroom and listening to their teachers to active participants that not only listen to their teacher but they also get involved in searching information by using interesting methods (Ngeow & Kong 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a misconception about the constructivist theory that it forces the students to reject the older ideas and to replace them with new one such as they are asked to reinvent the wheel. But the fact is the constructivist theory does not ask the students for the reinvention of the wheel but with the help of this theory the students come to know how to use the wheel. Real world examples are given to the students that clear their ideas about how the wheels can be used in their daily lives. Thus they learn from their experience, present reflections on their experience and then come up to a conclusion that is based on their experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Constructivist theory is very different from other traditional ideas of education and learning. The focus is put on students rather the teachers in a constructivist classroom. The students are no longer passive students that sit in the classroom and ingest the knowledge provided by their teacher only. They are encouraged in the constructivist classroom how they should struggle to search for information.   The role of the teacher now changes to facilitator who is involved in helping the students rather them forcing them to understand what the teacher says. Constructivist theory can be easily implemented in the WebQuest. Constructivist teachers ask students to initiate a WebQuest project. Students are asked different questions and they are encouraged to find the answers. Students are guided in a way to let them find the answers of the questions independently. Different types of teaching techniques can be used in a constructivist classroom using WebQuest projects. The techniques involve: students are encouraged for the formulation of the questions by themselves. Thus they are encouraged to enquiry-based learning. They are given the freedom to express their learning in multiple meaningful ways. Group work is highly encouraged and each student in a group performs a specific task (Peterson & Caverly 2003). Students are given freedom to find out new things for themselves. Students are given free hand to do the experiments, they can ask questions, and they can do the things that are often considered as things not working. Teachers play different roles such as roles of moderators, coaches and they can also give suggestions to students to facilitate their learning process. In order to enhance the learning process of students, they should be able to participate fully in activities such as hands-on experiments. An important part of using WebQuest as a constructivist tool lies in the fact that students are given permission to give their reflections what they have done and then discuss on the conclusions. Students become experts as they are given complete opportunity to control their learning process. They choose their own path that is solely based on their reflections about their experiences. Teachers play a great role in the creation of an environment where the students are free to ask questions and give their reflections about their experiences. This can happen in private or in the form of group discussions. Teachers are also responsible for the creation of activities in a way that after performing those activities students become able to reflect their previous experiences. It is very important for the students to know what they have learned and how the learning process took place (Savery & Duffy 1995). As constructivism and WebQuest are based on the same theory, the main activity that is performed in a WebQuest classroom is to find the solution of the problems. Inquiry method is used to ask questions. A topic is investigated and then a large number of different types of resources is utilized to find out the solution of the questions. After exploring a certain topics, the students become able to conclude. When students explore questions again and again, new questions come to their mind. Students are encouraged in a WebQuest classroom to have new ideas and do experiments to prove that later shows that their ideas were not correct or valid. But this cannot be considered as a failure because the students have put their steps in the process of knowledge integration. Students are encouraged to work in collaboration with peers. The main reason to include group learning in constructivism is that students learn from the experiences from other students working in the same group besides learning from their own experiences (Vidoni & Maddux 2002). Implementation of WebQuest in School WebQuest can be implemented in schools. In order to implement WebQuest easily and successfully in a school by keeping in mind the following principles: The thinking level of a WebQuest must be higher. The information must be transferred from one domain to another domain. A WebQuest must be designed in such as a way that does not load the students with heavy burden of questions that make the students only surfing the internet or that involve calculations only. A good WebQuest will lead the students to gain information and be the students able to transform that information with the help of their own problem solving skills. Though the creation of WebQuest lessons require a lot of time but it is also a fact that once the teachers have created a lesson plan, they do not have to worry about the preparation of other lesson plans while the students are busy with their work. After the completion of a year, every thing will be all set. The teachers may need some amendments in the WebQuests that had been created in the previous year but it would not take much time and things will go smoothly. Learning through WebQuest is a new way for students as well as it is a new teaching method for teachers. The teachers must keep in mind that students cannot perform a task unless they are familiar with it. Students cannot be expected to perform every task in the correct manner in their first attempt. They need time to practice and the teachers need to have patience. in order to implement a WebQuest successfully, it is necessary to incorporate all the six essential components that have been described in this paper earlier (Scardamalia & Bereiter 1999). Advantages of WebQuests Though the creation of WebQuests requires a large amount of time but once the WebQuests have been created they can be used over and over with some minor changes. The teachers get rid of the daily worries for the lesson planning. Now they get enough time to act as facilitators and coaches to assist the students in their learning process. Tom March has explained the benefits of WebQuests as quoted below: â€Å"WebQuests will motivate your students! Students confront a complex and controversial real-world issue Students grapple with a central question that truly needs answering Students utilize real world, up-to-date resources on the Web (from experts, current reporting, and/or fringe groups) Students assume roles and must develop expertise Results of student work can be posted or sent to real people for feedback and evaluation. WebQuests are rooted in learning theory and good teaching practice Based upon elements of cognitive psychology and constructivism. You provide guidance on the thinking process you want your students to follow. (Prompting or Scaffolding) Students are exposed to a broad range of information, examples, and opinions; they construct their own meaning which connects with their prior knowledge and experiences. (Constructivism) Contain concrete instructional objectives and tasks. Students must transform information in some way, exercising higher order thinking skills like error analysis, comparison, and synthesis. Students work in cooperative learning groups which mirror real-life situations. By taking on roles, students become experts on a specific aspect of a large and complex topic. The students work in groups to solve problems, utilizing their different areas of expertise. (Similar to work situations in real life.) The work of individual students is important, as it adds to the quality of the group’s solution† (What are the benefits, p. 1) Disadvantages of WebQuests WebQuests cannot be used for the learning of simple definitions, simple procedures. They are also not the best way that could be used for teaching factual recall. As some parts of the curriculums are based on such simple things, they cannot be included in the designing of a WebQuest. The biggest hurdle in the designing of a WebQuest is the availability of time. It is very important to learn about the new tools. Many teachers do not get enough time to spend in learning about the new tools for the creation of a WebQuest (VanFossen 2004). Students should be able to read to a certain level in order to work on WebQuests. So it can be said that the creation of WebQuests is much easier for third grade and onwards than the junior grades because their reading abilities are limited at that stage. This type of disadvantage can be over come if a WebQuest is designed very carefully by using more visual sites with less or no words in it for the junior students with limited reading proficiency (Tomlinson 2000). Recommendations WebQuests appear to be highly effective in facilitating the learning process of students. Students tend to learn more in when technology is incorporated in education and WebQuests seem to be the best way. It is strongly recommended that all the schools should incorporate WebQuests in their standard curricula. At the time of implementation there is a need to consider all the six components that are essential for a successful WebQuest. References Almeida, C. Vesu, F. and Ponte, J.P. (2003). WebQuest construction and implementation by mathematics student teacher: The case of a WebQuest to learn isometries. In A.M.Vilas, J.A.M.Gonzà ¡lez and J.M. Gonzà ¡lez (Coords.), Advances in Technology-Based Education: Toward a Knowledge-Based Society, Junta de Extremadura: Badajoz, pp. 1396-1399. Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon and Brooks, Martin G. (1999). In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms (revised edition). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Chandler, H. (2003). Concept mapping and WebQuests in social studies. Media and Methods, 39(3), 38-39. Cho, K., & Jonassen, D. (2002). The effects of argumentation scaffolds on argumentation and problem solving. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 5–22. Dodge, B. (1997). Some thoughts about WebQuests. Retrieved June 7, 2007, from theWebQuest Homepage, San Diego State University: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html Dodge, D. (2001) FOCUS: Five rules for writing great WebQuests. Learning and Leading with Technology, 28(8), 6-9, 58. Jonassen, D. H., & Rohrer-Murphy, L. (1999). Activity Theory as a Framework For Designing Constructivist Learning Environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(1), 61 – 79. Kennedy, S. (2004). The well-constructed WebQuest. Social Studies and the YoungLearner, 16(4), 17 -19. Lara, S. (2003). WebQuest: The use of Internet to Introduce Inquiry-Based Learning, Cooperative Learning   and 21th Century Skills. En Mà ©ndez Vilas, A. and Mesa Gonzà ¡lez, J.A. (coord). Advances in Technology- Based Education: Toward a Knowledge-Based Society. Vol. 2. Junta de Extremadura. Consejerà ­a de Educa- cià ³n, Ciencia y Tecnologà ­a (pp 1178-1183). Lipscomb, G. (2003). â€Å"I guess it was pretty fun†: Using WebQuests in the middle school classroom. The Clearing House, 76, 152-155. March, T. (2000). WebQuests 101. Multimedia Schools, 7 (5), 55-56, 58. March, T. (2003). The Learning power of WebQuests. Educational Leadership, 61(4), 42-47. March, T. (2007). What WebQuests Are (Really). Retrieved from http://bestwebquests.com/what_webquests_are.asp on June 7, 2007. Milson, A. J. (2002). The Internet and inquiry learning: Integrating medium and method in a sixth grade Social Studies classroom. Theory and Research in Social Education, 30, 330-353. Molebash, P., & Dodge, B. (2003). Kickstarting inquiry with WebQuests and Web inquiry projects. Social Education, 67, 158-162. Ngeow, K. & Kong, Y. (2001). Learning To Learn: Preparing Teachers and Students for Problem-Based Learning. ERIC Digest. [ED 457 524] Peterson, C., & Caverly, D. C. (2003). Techtalk: Developing academic literacy through WebQuests. Journal of Developmental Education, 26(3), 38-41. Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (1995). Problem-based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. Educational Technology, 35(5), 31–38. Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (1999). Schools as knowledge-building organizations. In D. Keating & C. Hertzman (Eds.), Today’s children, tomorrow’s society: The developmental health and wealth of nations (pp. 274–289). New York: Guilford. Tomlinson, C.A. (2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ED443572 VanFossen, P. J. (2004). Using WebQuests to scaffold higher-order thinking. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 16(4), 13-16. Vidoni, K. L., & Maddux, C. D. (2002). WebQuests: Can they be used to improve critical thinking skills in students? Computers in the Schools, 19, 101 -117. What are the Benefits of Webquests? In Tom March, â€Å"WebQuests for Learning†) http://www.ozline.com/webquests/intro.html retrieved from http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/ctl/Handouts/Benefits.htm on June 7, 2007.   

FDE 1000 part a Essay

I am currently working in a small privately run day nursery on a housing estate and have been there now for nearly six years. Within my setting I have two job roles both of which I am very clear as to what my roles and responsibilities are. Common core (2010,2ek) First of which is Deputy officer in charge which has been my role now for nearly two years and holds many responsibilities and challenges on a daily basis, my main responsibilities relate to assisting my manger in the day to day running of the setting and working very closely with all the staff, assisting in interviews working with current and new parents and also working very closely with other agencies involved in the nursery including speech therapist, child physiologists, ofsted and the local authority. My other job role is lead practitioner in the preschool room looking after children aged between two years to four years old. Here my role consists of working closely with my senior nursery practitioner in planning and observing the children in the preschool, helping to prepare them for their transition into primary school. CC (2010,4bs) implementing the daily routine, making sure health and safety towards the children and staff is maintained at all times and mentoring the other staff who work in the preschool room including nursery assistants and trainees. I have many strengths within my job roles but also many weaknesses which I work every day towards improving through observing what others do, listening to what others say and also through teaching myself new things. Completing my training needs analysis made me more aware of strengths and weakness I was unaware of which I had which has brought to light different things in which I need to work on improving to help maintain my knowledge and to help improve my practice. I have worked closely with my work-based mentor and the settings manager to put an action plan into place to improve my practice to the best it can be over the next twelve months, this action plan is based on what areas I have found I need to improve on using my training needs analysis. By completing my Training needs analysis and recently returning to working within a room in my setting which has only been for two months now, I have realised according to the early years teachers standards I do not have such a secure knowledge of early childhood development and I do need to work on how this leads to the children learning successfully when they get to school Early years teachers standards(2013, S3:1) I am not as fully aware of all the new EYFS changes as I thought I was which if I do not change this will effect the learning and development of the children within my care. I have found that when I am now completing the children’s learning journals I need a lot of support from the other staff members in my room to make sure I am observing each child correctly and that I am linking each observation to the correct area of the eyfs and not giving a false indication of where the children may be up to developmentally, before all the changes took place I was always very confident in this area. I do realise I know enough on the new eyfs to be able to plan and track the next steps of development for the children as I am aware of how to observe and find I am very confident in this particular area, but I also know that If I took part in some more research related to the this through reading books provided by my work setting and researching the many options available to me online that I will be able to give the children a better chance of being ready and prepared for their transition to primary school. I am also willing to search for possible training opportunities on the new EYFS through the national day nurseries association as we have took part in training through them in the past. I have put this on my action plan to complete by February of next year as I feel there is a lot of research that can be done to help me in this area and feel that I have given myself enough time to do this research. Also through reflection I have realised I need to update my safeguarding training. In my setting we have a lead safeguarding officer who is the nursery manager, recently my manger has had some prolonged time off and therefore it has become my duty to step into this role as lead safeguarding officer. I am aware of safeguarding and have some knowledge in this area although through looking at my training needs analysis and stepping up into this role it has made me realise I lack confidence in this area and need support. I am able to recognise when a child is at risk but need to build a lot of confidence around acting upon this through my own judgement rather than consistently needed advice and support EYTS (2013, S7:3) although I do understand when it comes to safeguarding issues advice and support from others is essential providing it is within reason and kept confidential. During my time at my setting I have dealt with some safeguarding instances as a support for my manager and parents. I am aware that my safeguarding training certificate Is now out of date and it is f great importance that I take part in a new training course to refresh my knowledge so I am able to act upon legal requirements regarding safeguarding and am more aware and confident in promoting the welfare of the children in my care EYTS (2013, S7:1). Also as I am now deputy officer in charge and lead practitioner within my setting I am aware that I will need to take part in a higher level safeguarding course as I have only took part in level one, I am now looking into doing my safeguarding level two for room leaders and management. By taking part in this training I will be more confident in employing practices which will help to promote the children’s health and safety within my setting EYTS (2013,S7:2). I have put this on my action plan to complete by April of next year which I feel gives me time to find the correct course suited to my needs and the needs of the children that I look after. When it comes to observing the children and writing the observations next steps I am quite confident in doing this where I start to lack the confidence is using these next steps to support the planning for each individual Childs needs, I always state a next step in my observation but don’t always add this to my planning to show progression and development in particular areas for the children EYTS (2013,S4:1). I am currently planning to take part in a staff-planning meeting CC(2010,1cs) this meeting will be regarding our settings planning to air my concerns about my knowledge and confidence and hope this will help by hearing other staff member’s views and advise as well as any concerns that they may have. I a hoping by doing this it will bring to light changes I need to make and possibly the whole setting need to make to be more able to plan balanced activities for the children based on the age and developmental stage and help myself be more confident in recognising other circumstances that may effect the children learning and development EYTS (2013,S4:2). I have added this as part of my action plan and hope to have this completed by December as I feel it is an important part of the day to day running of the setting to be able to have full understanding of the planning we do as if we do not understand it properly it can effect the children’s learning in the future and effect their transition into primary school. My job role as deputy officer in charge comes with a lot of responsibility I have never undergone any management training and have taught myself how to be efficient as deputy manager along the way over the past twenty two months. In many situations as part of my job role I am very confident and do believe I am a good positive leader, I listen to and take in everything that is said to me by other staff members and am very understanding towards all situations CC(2010,1as). I have took part in interviews, meetings with other professionals and staff meetings during my time as deputy but I have not taken lead role in any of these situations and believe I lack confidence in this area EYTS (2013, S8:3) I am aiming to take lead in my first staff meeting and have targeted this for January of next year so that I have sufficient amount of points to discuss during this meeting. I am hoping by doing this it will help to build my confidence as a deputy officer I charge in group situations where the focus is solely on myself EYTS (2013,S8:5). I am more confident in my job role as lead practitioner in preschool as I have more experience within this area although through recent reflection I have noticed I need to be more assertive to other staff around me and to delegate more tasks to the staff in my room to help them to develop their abilities in all areas, I need to be more aware that as lead practitioner other staff member will be looking up to me and what I do in my role as support for themselves EYTS(2013,S8:4) therefore if I teach my knowledge and understanding towards everything work related to the other staff members they will hopefully see me as a good role model for themselves as they work towards furthering their own careers in childcare CC(2010,4as) I will look at holding room meetings in the near future to help to build on this confidence I have in myself and my team will have in me we can use these meetings as a learning experience for all team members to work more efficiently together and help myself within my lead practitioner role. I will plan to place this alongside leading the whole settings staff meeting. I n my setting or any setting previous to this one I have not completed a personal development profile before, I have recently started to gather information to start creating my personal development profile since starting my course. I have set myself a target to have this completed as much as it can be up to now to help me with my development EYTS (2013,S8:6) By starting this file I have realised more of my strengths, weaknesses and achievements during my career so far. Over the next few months I am going to work with my work based mentor and nursery manager to organise my personal development profile efficiently and through the duration of this course and my future job roles and prospects I am going to work hard towards contributing to and improving my file to help benefit myself in anything I do in the future. The target I have set myself for having my file started is October as I feel it is an important part of the progress I have made so far in my career. I have realised since completing my training needs analysis that I have strengths and weakness in many areas of my job roles. I have not previously reflected upon my practices as a nursery nurse lead practitioner or deputy officer in charge and have realised how important self reflection is to help with gaining a more efficient knowledge of my own work and how I need to improve, in my main job role as deputy officer in charge not only is it important for myself to gain higher knowledge and keep up to date with changes that take place but it is also important to all other staff members as they look to me as their leader and my achievements and knowledge can have an effect on others and what they do in the future of their own careers. Self reflection has made me realise how much work I actually need to under go to make myself become the best I can possibly be for myself and for my whole team now and in the furute. EYTS (2013,S8:6,S8:7) Bibliography Children’s workforce development council (2010) common core of skills and knowledge for the children’s workforce National college for teaching and le adership (2013) teachers standards (early years)

buy custom Buy Custom Complaint Process Essay from Reputable Writing Service

buy custom Buy Custom Complaint Process Essay from Reputable Writing Service Complaint Process Every company, regardless of its size and presence of unions, must have certain policies on employee complaints and grievances. It must formulate definite responsibilities of departments of managers, supervisors, and the personnel managers along with others who are involved in handling complaints and grievances. The complaints procedure is defined as a structured process under which all parties such as the employer, the employee along with the union provide each other with a complaint or a grievance in the hope of its prompt reconcilement. Its aim is to dispose or reduce any grievances against the administration, incomprehension or complaint which can affect the morale of the workers and lead to lower efficiency of work. An effective complaint procedure ensures that the claims of individuals will be fully heard and taken into account. Causes for complaints can be in regards of compensation, working conditions, contract prolongation, and others issues that are related to their work (Smoke, 2005). Complaints are divided into internal complaints, which may come from supervisors, officer complaints about supervisors, civilian individuals who complain about officers and others, and external complaints that may be received from primary, secondary, and anonymous sources (Peak, 2012). The complaint process usually consists of three steps. The first step involves filing a grievance or complaint with the supervisory authority. Most grievances are settled at this level. In case if employee is not satisfied with the response of the grievance or complaint at the first phase, there comes the second step which is the investigation of the complaint. It usually involves three stages: the background of the grievance, the subject, and the solution or settlement of the grievance or complaint. The background covers any issues regarding previous warnings or advices from the supervisor or any other authorized agency that has led to the complaint. The subject of the complaint discovers the seriousness of the issue and its impact on the employee. The solution or settlement of the grievance or complaint involves finding a reasonable solution for an employees complaint. If the answer is put to a disciplinary case, the employee must be notified about it in the written form. This notice paper must provide the employee with the relevant information about supposedly violations or low productivity and its possible consequences in order to prepare the employee for a disciplinary committee. It is usually advisable to provide a copy of the written proofs, which may include any of the testimonies with the notice paper. The notification should also include detailed information about the time and place for the Disciplinary Commission. It is always necessary to remind the employee about his/her right to be accompanied by the relevant authorities for protection of his/her rights at the meeting. Every company, regardless of its size and presence of unions, must have certain polices on employee complaints and grievances. It must formulate definite responsibilities of departments of managers, supervisors, and the personnel managers along with others who are involved in handling complaints and grievances. The complaints procedure is defined as a structured process under which all parties such as the employer, the employee along with the union provide each other with a complaint or a grievance in the hope of its prompt reconcilement. Its aim is to dispose or reduce any grievances against the administration, incomprehension or complaint which can affect the morale of the workers and lead to lower efficiency of work. An effective complaint procedure ensures that the gripes of individuals will be fully heard and taken into account. Causes for complaints can be in regards of compensation, working conditions, contract prolongation, and others issues that are related to their work (Smoke, 2005). Complaints are divided into internal complaints, which may come from supervisors, officer complaints about supervisors, civilian individuals who complain about officers and others, and external complaints that may be received from primary, secondary, and anonymous sources (Peak, 2012). The complaint process usually consists of three steps. The first step involves filing a grievance or complaint with the supervisory authority. Most grievances are settled at this level. In case an employee is not satisfied with the response of the grievance or complaint at the first phase, there comes the second step which is the investigation of the complaint. It usually involves three stages: the background of the grievance, the subject, and the solution or settlement of the grievance or complaint. The background covers any issues regarding previous warnings or advices from the supervisor or any other authorized agency that has led to the complaint. The subject of the complaint discovers the seriousness of the issue and its impact on the employee. The solution or settlement of the grievance or complaint involves finding a reasonable solution for an employees complaint. If the answer is put to a disciplinary case, the employee must be notified about it in the written form. This notice paper must provide the employee with the relevant information about supposedly violations or low productivity and its possible consequences in order to prepare the employee for a disciplinary committee. It is usually advisable to provide a copy of the written proofs, which may include any of the testimonies with the notice paper. The notification should also include detailed information about the time and place for the Disciplinary Commission. It is always necessary to remind the employee about his/her right to be accompanied by the relevant authorities for protection of his/her rights at the meeting.

Black & Decker (SWOT analysis) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Black & Decker (SWOT analysis) - Research Paper Example The industrial segment is sub divided into tradesmen and industry level. The domestic consumers are a big fan of Black & Decker products and the company enjoys fifty percent market share from this segment. However, the share at industrial level is twenty percent and tradesmen account for nine percent only. Tradesmen are not quite satisfied with the Black & Decker products as they consider the tools less professional and less reliable. Although research and development is an ongoing process at Black & Decker and due to the company’s efforts, hundreds and thousands of products have become a part of the brand. Sub brands of Black & Decker are also popular at global level. Thus, the brand portfolio of Black & Decker is quite satisfactory and appeals the customers. ... other idea could be to remove the Black & Decker label from all products in the mentioned category and market the products under the name of other Black & Decker brands which are absolutely free of any negative associations. Threats Competitors such as Makita and Milwaukee are a major threat for Black & Decker. They have a market share of more than fifty percent and have better brand awareness and reputation in the power tools market. The negative image of Black & Decker can also have negative impact on the consumer segment. If strategies aimed at the growth in the tradesmen segment fail, the company might face decline in revenues and reputation. 4 P’s Analysis Product Black & Decker is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of power tools and accessories. The products range from the smallest of screwdrivers which are used rarely by domestic consumers to heaviest parts of machinery used at the industrial scale. The products are classified into two categories: home use and industrial use. The industrial segment is sub divided into tradesmen and industry level. The domestic consumers are a big fan of Black & Decker products and the company enjoys fifty percent market share from this segment. However, the share at industrial level is twenty percent and tradesmen account for nine percent only. Tradesmen are not quite satisfied with the Black & Decker products as they consider the tools less professional and less reliable. Although research and development is an ongoing process at Black & Decker and due to the company’s efforts, hundreds and thousands of products have become a part of the brand. Sub brands of Black & Decker are also popular at global level. Thus, the brand portfolio of Black & Decker is quite satisfactory and appeals the customers. Price A deep

University of Queensland Admissions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

University of Queensland Admissions - Essay Example In addition, as a third year student undertaking the real estate option, this is the opportune time for me to go on an exchange program to UQ because of the unique real estate classes like REDE3202 being offered that attracts considerable international investments. Furthermore, I will have the opportunity to learn and experience the upward swing of the current real estate curve in Australia. The benefits of taking the real estate and business classes abroad would be significant in the fact that I would be able to learn them in an English speaking global perspective, which is where I plan to utilize my real estate degree in the future. In addition to the business offerings, I can fulfill my required elective credits through the various unique and interesting UQ course offerings such as the marine biology of Australia. Overall, the University of Queensland offers the best academic environment and is the perfect fit to keep my academic progress in line. Professionally, University of Que ensland and Australia, in general, holds major opportunity for me to pursue international business connections and develop myself as a business executive. This is because I plan to immerse myself as much as possible into the business world to meet new people and develop connections, but most importantly to gain experience in an international business culture. I believe this global perspective will greatly enhance how I view and manage business and what I can apply back in my home country Canada.