Co-existence and co-development: the sociological perspective Essay

One of the early sociologist who tackled suicide is Emile Durkheim who related polarities in social integration and control with suicide. There are four types of reasoning which would account for suicidal or self annihilating moves (Durkheim, 1951). Altruistic reasoning is when a person feels his act of suicide will serve a social purpose. This is more like a self sacrifice and is associated with high social integration. Egoistic reasoning is when a person feels alienated and socially isolated lacking social support. Such reasoning is associated with low social integration. Fatalistic reasoning behind suicidal acts is associated with aversion to control deemed undesirable like slavery even if it means getting killed in the attempt of gaining freedom. Such an act is associated in this conception with high regulation or control. Anomic reasoning refers to cope with undesirable situational changes (Durkheim, 1951). Such early works on suicide were important attempts in systematization of an approach to a particular social issue which marked sociology as scientific discipline and opened the possibility of mapping social situations which may lead to particular set of actions like committing suicide. Another theory which explored social integration and regulation is Kolberg’s stages of moral development. Kolberg’s theory is a take off from the moral judgment model of Piaget who introduced development or changes associated with growing up (Crain, 1985). Piaget observed differences in age levels as far as perceptions on moral dilemmas. Younger children view rules for example as fixed and absolute but older children tend to recognize that rules as tools of cooperation and an agreement on rules are important. Another insight was that younger children tend to view consequences as compared to older children who tend to value motivation behind a particular action (Crain, 1985). Kolberg expanded on this notion and identified six stages of moral development essential in the development of particular social formations. Level I is preconventional morality which comprised stage 1 obedience and punishment orientation and stage 2 individualism and exchange. The marked change is similar to Piaget’s that is, recognition of the relativity of right and wrong (Crain, 1985). Level II is conventional morality made up of stage 3 in moral development, good interpersonal relationships which corresponds to early teens. Here the young person learns of what is expected of his/her behavior, what is and not acceptable. Stage 4 is maintaining the social order. At stage 4, the concept of society as a structure and functions is more or less fairly developed (Crain, 1985). Level III is postconventional morality made up of stage 5 social contract and individual rights. Stage 5 is abstraction of society and what ought to be the attributes of good governance. Consensus and participation in such a consensus system is the main virtue at this stage. Dissonance and value judgment is more profound as delineation between what is moral and what is legal may not coincide and difficult conflict to resolve may arise (Crain, 1985). Stage 6 in Kolberg’s social construct is universal principles. Adherence to higher ideals like justice and dignity of a human being. Thus impartiality and equal opportunity as a higher standard of behavior if moral dilemmas are to be resolved (Crain, 1985). There are theoretical dilemmas in the model as the scale system in Kolberg’s model failed to fully distinguish between stage 5 and 6 though intuitively the difference between the two stages is quite clear. In stage 6 an invitation for action to change society is embedded (Crain, 1985). The importance of such conceptions of social order hence how people would be integrated and agree on forms of regulation and at what point will there be a break and hence opens possibility for risk situations such as those that would reinforce self-annihilating acts (Crain, 1985). We take note that at this point of discussion that at any time in the developmental stages of a human being, the psychological premises are operative. Cognition is essential to Kolberg’s model recognizing behavior patterns as so complicated that it would be impossible to teach every detail of certain behavior pattern. Still the notion of each according to his/her configuration is very much evident. The individual learns because he has the ability and others are important as models or patterns which they too can do (Crain, 1985). And here is perhaps a thread we can to track suicidal tendencies, suicide acts affects other people, invoking the possibility. An invitation into the domain of death. Death is a loaded word with different layers of meaning. Just how do people convey meaning? What could be the unit of sharing and comparing abstractions and theories so essential in gaining knowledge. Another perspective which shed more light on how could people agree or reach a consensus on a moral dilemma or coming into a critical decision is symbolic interactionism. This thinking maintains that the mind is a dynamic process of creating and sharing significant symbols embedded with defined and clear meanings. This is a product of interaction resulting to social symbols. With such a perspective, it would be easy to recognize that a consensus or an agreement is agreement first on the particular symbol to use to construct such agreements. Language remains the more potent symbolic system universal across human societies. According to this view, learning is not simply observing as contended by Kolb or an imitation as Bandura maintained but according to Mead, an ability of â€Å"taking the role of the other† through empathy enabling a continuing internal dialogue. Blumer the social psychologist who coined symbolic interactionism summed up the three premises underlying this concept. The first premise is that humans behave towards things according to meanings attributes to such things. The second premise is that these meanings are products of social interactions with others. The third premise holds that such meaning undergoes interpretation and modification. By and large, though there are disagreements, one thing is emerging thus far, that the dynamic relationship between nature and learned is a continuing and developing process leading perhaps to the question of what is the ultimate potential or purpose of life and how could a divergence such a violent act against others or self-annihilation could transpire. What is apparent though that understanding a suicidal act could be seen as a process leading to the risk situations of increasing likelihood of committing such acts (Sandstorm, Martin, & Fine, no date).

Educational programs Essay

There are of course limits to the parallel between the regulation of firms and the regulation of churches. A basic difference is that a church draws its support on the basis of religious commitment–presumably a quite different source of commitment than consumer preference for many people. In the fundamental relationship between the church and its members, there is no clear unit of exchange that lends itself to quantification. Perhaps much more so than firms, however, churches have the capacity to mobilize their memberships on behalf of their objectives in negotiating with the state. Another difference is that states’ seeking to regulate churches often lack doctrinal competence. They may be ill-equipped to understand the church’s mission and lack information as to church resources and the best uses of those resources. Finally, another principal difference is that the relationship between a nation and the religious commitments of its citizens is the consequence of many forces acting over long periods of time. These forces may have created in a population religious commitments of singular intensity or, on the other hand, apparent disinterest that has little to do with the direction of contemporary state regulation of religion. Despite these differences, however, the case can still be made that regulatory theory is relevant to the understanding of church-state relationships. This essay argues that the direction of contemporary state regulation may help shape the direction of a church’s priorities and activities independently of the condition of the population’s religious commitment. Churches as organizations will respond to regulatory incentives and costs, just as they respond to the political environment. Why do states seek to regulate churches? Historically, as will be shown below, rulers may have sought to impose on their subjects their own respective judgments about the correct institutional expression of their faith. States have seen regulation as a means to weed out corruption or to redress the distribution of resources in their society. Quite often, states have appeared to fear churches as challenges to the political order that need to be contained. Historically, regulation of churches by the US and European states has embraced some or all of a number of areas. States have played significant roles in regulating or ultimately selecting senior church readerships within the country. States have assumed the power to determine the numbers and types of clergy allowed to practice their religious responsibilities within the nation. The state’s approval has been sought in determining the boundaries of church administrative territories. The state’s acquiescence has played a role in church reform of doctrine or liturgy. States have from time to time set limits on the nature of church participation in education, public communication, social welfare, and health care. Finally, states have limited- or enhanced- churches’ ability to own property or businesses. At this time, virtually every church, at least in Western Europe, has achieved a remarkable measure of autonomy in the determination of its leadership, its size, and the direction of its clergy. By contrast, historically in Roman Catholic countries, the state or the aristocracy controlled higher-level clerical appointments or shared in appointment decisions with the Vatican. In many Protestant states, the state exercised the power of appointment with relatively little formal consultation with church hierarchies. At the same time, the capacity of the church to establish a central role in a society’s institutions has diminished and a review of church attendance in Western Europe suggests remarkable declines in membership. Churches may find that regulation benefits their own positions in society. In many cases these churches confront receding memberships. Catholic churches in nearly all Western European states enjoy sustained and significant declines in the conflicts with state authorities that were recurring crises during the nineteenth and a good deal of the twentieth century. This decline in conflict undoubtedly is related to the effective dechurching of many of the US and European populations. Regulation in these cases appears to be actively sought by churches as a means of sustaining resource flows. This relationship of negotiating support in exchange for some measure of regulation appears to be the emerging norm of convergence in state-church policy throughout Europe. But it raises the perplexing question of how new churches will respond to a structure of church-state relations that does not reflect the neutral tradition of liberalism but rather expresses clear although measured support for some churches over others in practice and often in theory as well. A church may seek several objectives in regulation. These objectives may undergo change as the regulatory context shifts. A church may conclude that regulation provides a competitive advantage in dealing with competition with other churches. Established, long-existing churches that now enjoy some measure of recognition from the state may wish to stabilize the situation by delimiting the boundaries of state recognition from newer or missionary churches that threaten the membership base of the established churches. The established churches may simply be concerned with maintaining their existing obligations to staffs, buildings, and educational programs. The longer established the church, presumably the greater the obligations it has to sustain existing organizations. The theory of regulatory capture would predict these observations. There is always the risk, however, that the capture model of regulation is not predictive of future state-church relationships, given the possibilities for new directions coming from within the state or from groups found neither in established church(es) nor in the state. New churches are the most likely sources of pressure for changes in the direction of regulation.

Ethics in Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics in Technology - Research Paper Example The debate about how safe the use of nuclear energy is can be a complicated one, especially considering that there have been arguments that a lot of information about the truth behind the use of nuclear energy has been hidden from the public as well as from the many officials who matter. Regardless of where one stands, the history of nuclear energy has well indicates that there are numerous ethical issues to be taken to consideration. The bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Chernobyl power plant accident, the Japan power plant accidents and many other issues indicate that the use of nuclear power is not as safe as many stakeholders in the sector would like the public to think (Jonathan 31). Those who have opposed the use of nuclear power have argued that the cost of using nuclear energy has much more social costs in terms of how it affects the surroundings and the health of people. These costs are said to be both long term and short term. These fears and worries about the risk of nuclear power are not unfounded. There are some very good and unfortunate examples which must be taken into consideration with regard to the use of nuclear energy. One such example is the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The residual of harmful nuclear waste dust was released into the environment from the Chernobyl accident is said to be still in the environment causing damage (Xiang and Zhu, 2-11). Another unlucky event with nuclear accident is the nuclear accidents in Japan caused by the 2012 Tsunami. The effects of the Nagasaki bombings at the brim of the Second World War whose effects are still felt even today are also another example that indicates how nuclear energy can be harmful. In this re gard, the potential of harm from the nuclear energy is known the world over. Some of the issues with nuclear energy ethics is the nuclear accidents most of which are caused by careless professionals. Nuclear accidents are

Native American Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Native American Art - Essay Example In addition to this unity of rhythm in both artistic products, each seemed to have an overarching, celestial quality overlaid upon the foundation rhythm. In the Friendship Dance, this is accomplished by the various vocal tones produced by the singers. The austerity of the rock arts basic geometric shapes is likewise raised to a different plain by embellishments of a more abstract nature. These include sweeping arches over the heads of characters and lines that could almost be described as suggesting movement of the figures. One difference between the two media is their feeling of accessibility. For me personally, the Friendship Dance seemed to be inviting me to come and join in some sort of festivity. The rhythm of the drums and the vocals, although foreign to my ear and understanding, sounded inviting and welcoming. On the other hand, the rock art was a wonder to behold, but seemed very cold to me. It did not make me feel as though I would ever be a part of the world that it was depicting. While I appreciated the nature of the art, I came away feeling as though you really had to be a Native American to really â€Å"get† what the rock art was all about. On the other hand, I felt that the Friendship Dance had the ability to communicate across cultural

Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Globalization - Research Paper Example Although the term ‘globalization’ is widely used and assumed to be crucially important across the globe, most people are unaware of the exact meaning of this term, as they have only a scant idea about this process. As Jan Aart Scholte (2000) maintains, â€Å"globalization is a distinctive and significant feature of recent world history. Moreover, the dynamics of globalization involve several of the core forces of modern social life: rationalist knowledge, capitalist production, automated technology, and bureaucratic governance.† (Scholte, 2000, p. 3). Therefore, a critical introduction to the concept of globalization confirms that it is a vital process involving almost all levels of social system of current world, although the discussions of globalization are generally muddled, redundant, unsubstantiated, and hyped due to the context of the world today. It is fundamental to recognize that globalization as a concept refers to the compression of the world as well as the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole. Significantly, the processes and actions connected with globalization have been proceeding from the past over a long period and it is probable that it will go on to be the most engaging concept of discussion in the socio-political and economic spheres for long.

British Petroleum Sustainability in Project Management Essay

British Petroleum Sustainability in Project Management - Essay Example It would be crucial to depict that sustainability, in business, generally refers to the approach of minimizing the unfavorable impacts caused by the operations of the business to the local or the global environment, the community, the society and the people altogether (Deloitte, 2010). Correspondingly, during the management of any project, gaining sustainability is quite mandatory as it works towards the welfare of the business in the long-run. In order to get a comprehensive understanding to this notion, the discussion of the paper will consider the example of BP Plc and its approach towards attaining maximum sustainability when managing projects. The primary aim of this particular study is to determine the approach of BP Plc in attaining sustainability in its worldwide operations through effective project management. The paper will also analyze the data gathered with the assistance of a sustainability framework that would be developed from the review of various literatures and jour nals. Literature Review Importance of Sustainability in Business It is apparent from the above discussion that sustainability is quite a vital component in various areas of the business of the companies irrespective of the industry they are operating in. It will not be ambiguous to depict that in order to ensure the long term survival of the business; companies need emphasize on enhancing their performances regarding sustainability. Businesses in the contemporary scenario need to deal with various challenges that are quite distinct and separated from the day to day activities of the organization. One such challenge for businesses today is dealing with the aspect of sustainability within various operational areas. Contextually, Clayton & Radcliffe (1996) argued that organizations in the modern scenario face challenges in terms of social and environmental issues that have hardly bothered the companies operated in the past. There is an extreme pressure from the government and other ext ernal non-profit bodies that instructs business units to conduct their business in a way that hampers the environment and the society to the minimum level. In many of the large organizations now-a-days, operations of the business largely focuses toward fulfilling the needs of the customers without harming the interests of the environment and the society altogether (Clayton & Radcliffe, 1996). Again in similar regard, in Fordham University (2013), it was depicted that sustainability in various operational areas of business lays a strong foundation for maximum profitability with regard to the long term operations of the business. According to the report, a sustainable business acquires the capability to deliver innovative products and services to the customers, promote accountability of the business and address the welfare of the shareholders and stakeholders of the business (Fordham University, 2013). In precise, it can be stated that sustainability in business can be regarded as a c ornerstone for the success of the same.

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Annotated Bibliography Example It gave the reader insight into the issues regarding attention span, interest level and more. It covered children from ages preschool to fourth grade. Summary: This article chose books about cats as a theme to show how specific books can be used to teach literature. When children are interested in the literature chosen, they also are able to increase their reading comprehension. Summary: There were mass evacuation of Jews from many towns but the story of the Jews in Denmark is not always told. The author gives a fictionalized account of a true story through the eyes of a 10 year old and how her family helped her best friend’s family out of the country. Summary: This book was a delightful look at a variety of issues in using children’s literature. It provided the reader with ideas that could be used to identify children’s literature with a global picture. Ringrose, Christopher. â€Å"A Journey Backwards: History through Style in Children’s Fiction.† Children’s Literature in Education, 38.3 (2007): 207-218. ERIC database. Web. 18 July 2011. doi: 10.1007/s10583-007-9045-5 Summary: This article gave a history of the styles that have been used in children’s literary fiction. It creates an opportunity for teachers to understand what has been shown in children’s

Discrete Mathematics(Mathematical Algorithms) Research Paper

Discrete Mathematics(Mathematical Algorithms) - Research Paper Example The comprehensive study of how discrete objects come together through one another and the likelihoods of a diversity of outcomes is acknowledged as combinatory. Further areas of mathematics which are known to be component of discrete mathematics comprise graph theory as well as the theory of computation. In addition, subjects that are related to number theory like that resemblances and recurrence relations are as well renowned as a division of discrete mathematics (Wolfram Research, Inc. , 2010). This paper presents a detailed analysis of the existing one of most famous paradigms of discrete mathematics which is known as â€Å"Mathematical Algorithms†. Mathematical Algorithms are presently one of the hot areas in discrete mathematics because of their extensive and effective use in the field of computer and information technology. This paper will provide comprehensive analysis of main features and areas of â€Å"Mathematical Algorithms†. The comprehensive study and areas of interest in discrete mathematics generally comprise the analysis and systematic study of algorithms, their efficiencies and implementations in various fields of life. Discrete mathematics is also acknowledged as the language of mathematics used in conjunction with computer science, as well as its significance has increased noticeably in recent few decades (John & Weisstein, 2010). In a broad sense, an algorithm can be thought as instruction (or a set of commands or course of actions) according to that a specific procedure has to take place. We can say that a computer program is an illustration or an accomplishment of an algorithm. This command/instruction has to be organized in such an accurate manner so that it is proficient to be executed by an operator that is capable to comprehend as well as efficiently run the algorithms commands. Several cases of consideration of algorithms are the strategies planned for summing up and finding difference be tween two or more

Innovation at apple Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Innovation at apple - Coursework Example We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets† Steve Jobs 1. Introduction: Several companies today are caught up in a relentless pursuit of innovation and intentional development of novel ideas, products and services in a bid to capture the imagination of their target consumers. The role of innovation in organizational development and its contribution in organizational success have been amply substantiated in literature, over the years. Organizational ambidexterity has emerged as one of the most influential concepts in recent times whereby highly creative and innovation driven organizations have proven their might in the market by not only sustaining their competitive advantage over their rival firms, but by leading the industry as well. Apple Inc. is one such example which has managed to successfully evade the competition by constant innovation and research and capturing a relat ively larger market share through sheer creativity. The above quote aptly mirrors the collective sentiment at Apple Inc. This essay aims to discuss, analyze, and examine the case of Apple Inc., through various theoretical perspectives and models in a bid to explain the role and influence of technological innovation in organizational development. 2. ... eir initial phase strive to survive in the market by designing their policies in accordance with the present market environment and adapt to their surrounding environment (Hart and Christensen, 2002). This theory helps in assessing and evaluating the various aspects of firm behaviour with regard to technological change and the resultant scope of the firm to survive in a new market (Loasby, 1976; Casson, 2005). Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 which was mainly focused on designing a personal computer that was popularly known and sold as Apple I. After the incorporation of Apple as a company in the year 1977 the company grew and shifted its strategy to innovation and creativity as the key drivers to sustain the market competition. This strategy helped Apple Inc in introducing highly innovative products in the market based on latest state-of-the-art technologies that helped them differentiate their products from that of their rivals. (Innovation at Apple , p. 1). The theories of entrepreneurship developed over the years indicate judgemental decision making as a key aspect of entrepreneurial behaviour (Shane, 2003). This theory entails that entrepreneurs at times may differ greatly in terms of their strategies by displaying attitudes that exhibit a high degree of optimism which in turn is based on the critical information available at their disposal as well as their conviction to deliver positive outcomes (Casson, 2005). Steve Jobs inspired the culture of innovation at Apple Inc. and created a highly favourable working environment whereby employees were constantly encouraged to come up with innovative and creative ideas. The key focus of the management was to hire people who displayed high level of motivation and commitment towards the

The impact of graphic design on new media(Graphic Design) Dissertation

The impact of graphic design on new media(Graphic Design) - Dissertation Example The Internet, of course, has played a large part in this. Graphic design is intimately connected with new media – Engholm (2002) states that new media would not have risen to prominence as quickly as it did without graphic design. Therefore, the two concepts are interconnected. Because they are, it is important to discovery how one influences the other. In particular, this study seeks to find out how graphic design influences the consumers of new media. Especially important is the effect upon young people, because they are intimately connected. Young people have virtually always had new media in their lives, and, indeed, they tend to use new media to a profound level. New media is ubiquitous in their lives. To this end, the study focuses upon individuals who are purveyors of new media, yet, by and large, are not experts on graphic arts. They simply â€Å"like what they like.† Graphic arts might be a turnoff if not done correctly. Alternatively, it might be a draw for ot hers, if it is done right. What the study has found is that, with regards to websites, graphic arts are important, but content is more important. With advertisements, it seems to be the opposite of this. Aims and Objective The aim of this project is to show how graphic design and the new media interact. Another aim is to show how young people are influenced by graphic design in their websites and online advertisements. The objective is to tie new media, graphic design and their effects on young people to show graphic designers, advertisers and other purveyors of new media how they can reach the young audience with graphics. New media uses graphic design in a variety of ways. Advertisements, online video games and websites are all ways that graphic design and new media intersect. This study will focus on different ways that graphic design and the Internet intersect, and how graphic design is used on the Internet. This study will examine different online advertisements, web sites and online video game sites to determine how graphic design is used. This study will also examine how young people react to the graphics, and what can be done to make the graphics better.  Abstract The first chapter will give an overview of graphic arts and new media. The second chapter will go more into depth in these concepts. The third chapter will feature the results of the interviews and surveys done on the participants to this study. The fourth chapter will synthesize the findings and provide a road map for what should come next in the area of graphic design, as it relates to new media. The fifth chapter will conclude the paper.  Chapter 1 In this chapter, a road map for the dissertation will be offered. The first part of this chapter will concentrate on the overview of the graphic design and new media, providing a brief history and definition of the two concepts. The second part will give a brief overview of the literature survey. The third part will explain the research de sign, including the limitations of the particular design, as well as a brief overview

A Comparison of Four Literary Works Essay Example for Free

A Comparison of Four Literary Works Essay Great writing does not necessarily make a great work of literature. More often than not, there has to be something special about a writer’s work of art. This could be also considered their trademarks, signatures that had set them on canonical status. Shakespeare has his soliloquies, Hawthorne attacks the Puritans, Hemmingway uses symbols, Borges possesses fondness for infinity, and the list goes on. However, there could be some similarities between these literary signatures of writers. It is important to take note that having similarities does not render a writer less special than others. What is remarkable about the works sharing similarities in their trademarks is that they all express a common concern—concerns that could be considered as major issues in the society. The selected works had all talked about women and social status.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The literary works that this paper would feature are Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark†, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Goodman Is Hard To Find†, William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose For Emily†, and James Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† had shown us how the male-dominated society perceives women. In the narrative, there was a beautiful woman named Georgiana. She was almost perfect, however, her most visible flaw was her hand-shaped birthmark on her cheek—thus the title. She was married to a scientist named Aylmer who is not pleased with Georgiana’s birthmark. Since he was a scientist, Aylmer conducted a procedure to supposedly fix his wife’s face. As a consequence of the Aylmer’s discontent, Georgiana died while under operation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne story tells us that women are commonly judged according to their physical appearance and not according to the beauty of their intellect and character. Moreover, the story suggested to us that the pride of the male specie is on of the main reason for the oppression of women in the society. It is very likely that Aylmer had treated his beautiful wife as a mere accessory to display to the public. As we could observe in the history of societies, husbands are judged according to their wives, and vice-versa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose For Emily†, women are presented in a rather disturbing manner. The story is basically about a former aristocrat woman who had kept the corpse of her beloved in her bedroom. That is not to mention that she is the one who killed her beloved and she had slept with the dead corpse—â€Å"slept†, with all the connotations of the word.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Faulkner has this talent to disturb people with seemingly harmless countryside scenarios. But what is remarkable about this particular work is the depiction of how a woman could love a man. A woman’s version of love is a topic that is rarely touched throughout the long history of literature. â€Å"A Rose For Emily† tells us that a woman could love unconditionally even if their love is unrequited. Moreover, â€Å"A Rose For Emily† touches the topic of social status. In the story, Emily came from a family of aristocrat status. The object of her affection, Homer Barron, came from a common family. The difference in their social status had somehow prevented them from getting married. In addition to that, it is Emily’s social status that had made the townspeople treat her differently. On a different tone, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Goodman Is Hard To Find† had depicted women and social status on a less favorable stance. The protagonist of the story was an annoying grandmother. The family in the story wanted to go to Florida, but the grandmother insisted that they go to Tennessee. The grandmother cited the news that there was a roaming criminal along the way to Florida just to scare off the family. On their way to Florida, the grandmother’s words became true that she and the family had actually encountered the criminal. As a ploy to save herself, the grandmother constantly tells the criminal sarcastic remarks like â€Å"you are a nice person.† With regards to social status, the criminal was aware that the grandmother was just pretending to treat him as a nice person. The criminal already knows what to expect from the society with regards to place of criminals within the social thread. The criminal knows that people like him would always be discriminated by people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is almost the same case for James Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead.† The author had reiterated the notion that women are good at telling lies. The disturbing ending of the narrative tells the readers that Gretta, the wife of the protagonist (Gabriel), was deeply in love with someone who already died. The conflict was she was already married with an insecure man. The ending of the story shows us how Gretta’s action of not telling her husband her past had such a tragic impact on his insecurities. On the note of social status, Gabriel’s insecurities were highlighted during the gathering, where most of the plot had developed. His insecurities were most rooted from his social status. When he was interacting with people of higher social status, he would be insecure of his intellect, language, and physical appearance. There is a subtle hint in the story that social status has some effects on a person’s confidence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, the recurring themes of women and social status could be roughly considered as clichà ©s. However, it is important to take into consideration that these issues should not be forgotten. It is just remarkable for these great writers to reiterate these issues that the society is seemingly eluding. Moreover, the recurrence of these themes tells us that the issues of women and social status are still unresolved by the society. Perhaps if people would read these stories, the society could come up with solutions to the problems at hand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If I were made to choose a favorite among the feature stories, I would have to choose Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose For Emily.† Aside from its innovative use of point of view through the townspeople, the story touches themes that are both close to heart, like love, and socially relevant like social status. Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. An Introduction to Literature. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Longman, 2001 Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"The Birthmark†. Demas, C. Various, Mjf. Great American Short Stories: From Hawthorne to Hemingway.   Spark Educational Publishing: USA, 2004 Joyce, James.   Dubliners. Penguin Books: England, 1993 OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. NJ:   Rutgers University Press, 1993

Employment Agencies Must Know About Contract and Negligence

Employment Agencies Must Know About Contract and Negligence Introduction Before a business launch its ideas (product/services) with in an environment both locally and or internationally, one must understand the legal environment that governs that place. This will eliminate conflicts of interest. With the understanding and knowledge of business law, opportunities, and potential benefits it will bridge the gap of the unknown. Furthermore, when purchasing a business, it is also important to understand the legal ramifications as it relates to the region in which that business will be operating and as it pertains to the nature of interaction and relationship with the local people. There are basically two types of business relationships: (i) Formal and (ii) Informal. This report will be focused on formal relationship between employer and employee relative to the legal aspects of Contract and Negligence in operating an employment agency. Business law though generally similar across the globe, will have subtle variations of interpretation and legal structure, whi ch are usually dictated by regional norms. Since the business acquired is an employment agency, the report will addressing some of the relevant aspects of Contract and Negligence for this employment agency business as applicable by the local rule of law. More specifically, this Business Law Report aims to feature the essential elements of a valid and binding contract, types of contracts and terms, the tort of negligence and the principles of liability with respect to the operations of an employment agency. This qualitative research will combine research, analysis, solution integrated approaches to business problems from a legal perspective. Hitlers employment agency is a small partnership business that deals with hiring of pupils. The research proposal includes a description of Hitlers employment agency background, the purpose, literature review, the objectives after acquisition, methodology of analysis, and the limitations of the study. The potential impact of the study could influence the perception of the investors. Project background The business acquired is an employment agency. The report will address some of the relevant aspects of Contract and Negligence for this employment agency business as applicable by the local rule of law. However this will help the business in making legal decision, nature of liabilities, different types of business decision and terms of contracts. The unknown of the legal system environment the business is operating in can result law suits if not operated in the law of the land. Hitlers employment agency is a small partnership business that deals with hiring of pupils. The company is partnership, managed by four friend. The company was formed in 2001. As a results, the main goal of Hitlers employment agency has been focused on creating more demand for their services while expand operations in other parishes of the island. The group of investors purchasing Hitlers employment agency believes there is an opportunity. K.C Deorgins is a consultant Firm. The firm analyzes existing and start-up businesses, create solutions to problems, and help small businesses to develop efficient plans for meeting their goals. K.C Deorgins have been in business since 2000, it was started by four college friends that recognize that small businesses in the Kingston area never survive more than a year and wanted to find the underline problem of the cause of this continuous occurrence. In 2006, K.C Deorgins branch out in St.Thomas, St.James, St. Elizabeth and St.Catherine. After the branches were open business that the K.C Deorgins help business strive to another level and survive even in the country bad economy downfall. Purpose To set out the relevant aspects of Contract and Negligence for an employment agency Objective To identify the essential contents of a Contract To apply the elements of a Contract in a business situation To outline the elements of Negligence relative to Law of Tort To illustrate the principles of Liability in Negligence Literature Review Employment agencies have a contractual relationship with prospective employees, which compels the agency to act in the best interests of the applicants. So in the normal course of business, an employment agency’s failure, to (i) foresee some danger to their applicants and (ii) in its ability to exercise some control over which employers it makes available to the applicants, will make the employment agency liable for damages. In other words, the employment agency will be liable for negligence if it fails to exercise the duty of care. As such, according to UsLegal.com, â€Å"the basis of liability under the doctrine of negligent hiring is the master’s own negligence in hiring or retaining in his employ an incompetent servant whom the master knows, or by the exercise of reasonable care should have known, was incompetent or unfit, thereby creating an unreasonable risk of harm to others.† Hence ultimately the employment agency owes a duty to its inventory of employees and to the general public to ascertain the qualifications and competence of the potential employee applicants it hires, especially where employees are engaged in occupations that require skill or experience and where there could be a hazard to the safety of others. It therefore goes without saying that due to the nature of the contractual agreements involve with operating an employment agency, it is imperative that operators of such an establishment be aware of the legal concepts of liability in order to ensure that negligent risk is minimized and contractual agreements are not in breach between employer and employee. The formal relationship between employer and employee relative to the legal aspects of Contract and Negligence, as noted by reviewed literature, is of paramount concern when conducting the of an employment agency. Methodology To set the relevant aspects of Contract and Negligence for an employment agency. The qualitative study will seek to find out the problems surrounding business law and also the opportunities and potential benefits of being knowledgeable about business law as it relates to the new business enterprise. Secondary source of information will be employed from websites and journals. Secondary source of information is gathered information from other individual who did an in-dept research about a particular topic. This type of information is usually factual but sometimes is tainted by the subjectivity of the researcher or author. The limitation of secondary source is that the information is not been updated. With the information collected twenty years back would not necessarily apply to the same issue of solving a problem as technologies has evolve over the years that even has forensic evidence. It is this researcher opinion that primary sources will not be of any benefit to this business law report. References USLEGAL.COM. 2014. Liability of Employment Agencies for Negligence or Violation of Statute See more at: http://employmentagencies.uslegal.com/liability/#sthash.zqo0UYtL.pa7Y2v6I.dpuf. [ONLINE] Available at: http://employmentagencies.uslegal.com/liability/#sthash.zqo0UYtL.dpuf. [Accessed 12 March 14]. StudyMode.com . 2014.Aspect of Contract Negligence in Business. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.studymode.com/course-notes/Aspect-Of-Contract-Negligence-In-1953205.html#. [Accessed 14 March 14]. BLACK, H C B, 1968.BLACKS LAW DICTIONARY. 4th ed. ST. PAUL, MINN. : WEST PUBLISHING CO. e-lawresources.co.uk. 2014.Contract law. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.e-lawresources.co.uk/Contract.php. [Accessed 14 March 14]. LAW.COM. 2014.Search Legal Terms and Definitions. [ONLINE] Available at:http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?letter=T. [Accessed 14 March 14]. kaunainassaria. 2013.Aspects of Contracts and Negligence in Business. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.studymode.com/essays/Aspects-Of-Contracts-And-Negligence-In-1635053.html#. [Accessed 14 March 14].

Food and Nutrition for Young Children

Food and Nutrition for Young Children Chelsea Bailey Health promotion and development Types of foods which should be avoided by young children Salt even in small quantities can prove dangerous for babies because at their young age their kidneys are unable to process the salt in the way that an adult’s kidneys can. Salt is one of the United Kingdom’s most overly consumed. The importance of home cooking for babies and children is highlighted by the guidelines. Pre-packaged convenience foods contain high levels of salt and fat and should not be given to children they are potentially harmful to a baby’s or young child’s developing internal organs. The guidelines provided by the Food Standards Agency for salt consumption for children are as follows: Age Guideline salt intake (g/d) 0-6 months Less than 1 7-12 months 1 1-3 years 2 4-6 years 3 7-10 years 5 11 years + 6 Sugar should not be given to young children such as sugary drinks give them juice or milk as a treat but try to give them lots of water. This will give them more energy rather than a sugar rush it is a healthier choice which they will learn to love. By doing so this will reduce the risk of obesity and tooth decay. Nuts particularly whole nuts should not be given to children under the age of 5, as they can be a potentially fatal choking hazard. Peanuts are included in this category however if there is no history of peanut allergy in the family, they can be given to young children in the form of peanut butter or crushed and added to yoghurts or cereals. According to information released by the NHS the percentage of the population affected by peanut allergy is 1%. Children that have a sibling affected by a peanut allergy are at a greater risk of suffering from it themselves, and unlike other allergies, such as milk and egg allergies, which children usually grow out of, peanut allergy seems to persist in eighty per cent of people into adulthood. Low fat foods Children derive essential nutrients and energy from foods containing fat and this is something which is not present in the low fat variety of foods. Until the age of 2 years children should be given whole milk, cheese, yoghurt and oily fish. After the age of 2 years, the amount of fat in a child’s diet can be gradually decreased. Eggs should not be given to babies up to the age of 6 months especially if a sibling or family member has an egg allergy. Babies delicate intestinal system can react to the protein found in eggs up until the age of 6 months, but after this time well cooked eggs can be given. Yolks and whites should be well cooked to reduce the risk of salmonella infection in eggs, which can be dangerous for young children. The main symptoms of salmonella are diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea. In children, this can usually be treated at home with frequent fluids and rehydration but should be checked with a GP if any worrying symptoms persist. Fish is an excellent source of protein for growing babies and children, swordfish, shark and marlin contain levels of mercury which can have a detrimental effect on the development of a baby’s nervous system. These fish contain higher levels of mercury in their systems as they tend to be larger in size than other fish, and have fewer predators. This increases their lifespan, and allows the toxic mercury to accumulate within their bodies over a greater period of time. Mercury is cleared and eliminated through the body, but regular consumption above the recommended limits allows a toxic build up to occur, and in children, more so than adults, this can have a devastating effect on the central nervous system and can cause impairments in movements and cognitive brain function by displacement of essential neurons. Shellfish, as with nuts and eggs, are considered to be potentially allergenic foods along with harbourers of the salmonella bacteria, which causes food poisoning. Therefore this food group should be avoided in young children and delayed until they are older. Special dietary requirements should be put in place for children who have allergies to certain foods to ensure their correct needs are fully met. Food allergy Food allergy is a true allergic response to a food once noticed by the body’s immune system. It usually results in a profound reaction, such as a swelling to the throat or mouth and in some cases can actually produce a topical burn on the skin. An example of this is in some children with a cows’ milk allergy drinking a few sips of milk can result in swelling of the airways that can prove fatal if adrenaline is not administered swiftly. Food intolerance Food intolerance is caused by a reaction to a type of food which displays less severe symptoms in the sufferer. For example, many people suffer from food intolerances to wheat, dairy and yeast which can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as cramping, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation. These symptoms are very uncomfortable but are rarely life threatening and usually improve when the offending food item is withdrawn from the diet. In the child care setting, it is therefore important to consider not only the particular food that the child is allergic to, but also the food consumed by other children, as this could potentially prove to be hazardous. Also cultural requirements should be in place such as Muslim children may not be able to eat meat so at dinner time a vegetarian option should be available for them. Also with having different cultures it will be good for the other children to try the different foods which they eat. When working in a child care setting you must ensure documentation is carried out correctly if anything was to happen but before a child comes into the setting a form must be filled out by the parent/guardian to inform the staff is their child is allergic to anything. When recording special dietary requirements, there are various types of information that should be documented. Child’s name, dietary requirements, consequence of the dietary requirement not being followed, emergency instructions should ingestion of an allergic food occur, necessary medications, emergency contact information and parental and child care provider signature. This information should be documented safely and correctly encase anything was to happen to the child they would be able to access this information straight away. There are various chronic diseases which children suffer from that have an effect on their physical and mental development. Some chronic diseases are more disabling than others but all can have similar effects on children and their families depending on the severity of the disease. Asthma Asthma is a chronic common respiratory condition which affects the airways. Asthma typically appears in childhood with approximately 1 in 10 children being affected. During an asthma attack the airways become inflamed and narrow which constricts the child’s breathing making them wheezy. There are not always reasons for an asthma flare up but with some children there are food and environmental triggers or allergies, such as pet hair and pollen. Asthma is treated with various medications the most common being a preventer and reliever inhale, and steroid medication. Asthma may also affect a child emotionally as the attacks may be frightening, especially in young children who may become distressed if they cannot breathe properly. This may lead to undue anxiety and distress and may impact upon a child’s life emotionally as they grow up. Diabetes Diabetes is caused by having too much glucose in the blood and comes in two types which are. Type 1 is usually diagnosed in adolescence and is controlled by insulin injections and type 2 is usually diagnosed in adulthood and is controlled through diet and tablets. Developing diabetes in children there are complications that can change their development such as damage can occur to the blood vessels in the retina which can impair a child’s vision this may have a knock-on effect on their development both physically and intellectually, as a result of sight loss or damage. Cystic Fibrosis Cystic fibrosis is inherited and a life-threatening condition. The effects of cystic fibrosis are that a child’s internal organs particularly the lungs, become congested with sticky mucus which makes the digestion of food and breathing problematic. Children with cystic fibrosis often suffer with pancreatic problems, which in turn cause poor digestion of food. When looking at developmental consequences of chronic diseases poor digestion may lead to inadequate growth as a result of malnutrition. Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of neurological conditions, muscle problems, speech impairment and stiffness on one side of the body. This is caused by brain damage that can occur just after birth or in the womb. The severity of cerebral palsy varies from child to child with some children encountering mobility problems others requiring lifelong care. Cerebral palsy affects development in a number of ways and many children are affected physically and may suffer visual and hearing impairment, whereas others may have learning difficulties and delayed growth. Government guidelines on food and nutrition The UK government sets out guidelines for babies and children’s food consumption to ensure the required vitamins and minerals are given to keep them healthy and develop at the correct rate. In the first 6 months of life the only food that a child needs is breast milk or an infant formula. After the 6 month milestone has passed than solid foods can offered in the form of specialist baby cereals and pureed fruits and vegetables. If you have a hungry baby it may be necessary to start the weaning process earlier and there are various types of foods that should be avoided such as, shellfish, eggs, fish, liver, nuts, wheat and gluten based foods, seeds, nuts, unpasteurised and soft cheese. At 6-9 months of age when weaning is started a baby’s diet should include, milk and dairy products, fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, beans, pasta, rice, bread, potatoes and starchy foods. There are prepared baby foods and cereals available to buy that have been specially made for a young baby’s consumption but these foods can easily be prepared and pureed at home with the use of a food blender or potato ricer. They also can be frozen if large meals are made. For a baby over the age of 9 months the recommended amount to be given is, 2 servings per day of meat, fish, eggs or pulses, 3 to 4 servings per day of fruit and vegetables, 3 to 4 servings per day of potatoes, bread and rice. Also formula or breast milk can still be given along with healthy fruit and cereal snacks. Vitamins can also be given as children tend to lack in vitamins A, C and D, which can be supplemented in the form of vitamin drops. Vitamin A helps children to see in dim light supports and strengthens the immune system and ensures healthy skin is maintained. Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron and supports the immune system. Vitamin D helps to strengthen bones and assists with the absorption of calcium.

Interview Essay - Peter Clauss -- Interview Essays

Interview Essay - Peter Clauss Peter Clauss was born March 21, 1935, in what was then, East Germany. Growing up he worked in hotel restaurants; this was where he learned his trade. Instead of attending the regular school system he learned the skills that he would need later on in life in the restaurant. Today Peter enjoys attending the opera, theater, concerts and plays. It is these places where he finds most of his happiness in life. What is your definition of happiness? "Not to have any worries or as few worries as possible." Has your definition changed over the years? "Yes." "This year I changed a lot, it's a whole process." Who or what do you turn to when you are unhappy? "Music or books, but especially music. Music isn't for some people, but it is for me. For example, Beethoven and Bach put all this philosophy and emotion in their music." What makes you unhappy? "Cruelty towards animals makes me unhappy. And stupidity or stupid attitudes. I try to stay away from that, you know if someone says you're stupid, I just forget it and walk away." How do other people's attitudes affect your happiness? "It doesn't affect me because if they are unhappy, then I just stay away from them. When I am going out with my friends and they bring along one of their friends, that is fine, because if their friends are good to them, then they are friends of mine. So other people's attitudes really don't affect me." How did your childhood influence your sense of happiness? "I grew up in Germany, I know a little bit about the Nazi's. The war ended in 1945 when I was 10 years old, so I know a little bit, but not much. My mother was an apprentice and was employed by Jews. She always said that they were such wonderful people.... ...rmany and their communistic views." Are you pleased with yourself? "Oh yes, very. Absolutely couldn't be better." Religion? "I gave up religion. Religion is kind of superstitious; especially if you are young, they kind of corrupt you. God is like a baked potato and every church puts a different topping on it to make it more appealing. But really all it is, is don't do any bad things like the basics. In religion you are always waiting for something, its like gimme gimme, and then if it doesn't come, its like, how can you do this to me?" If you could give a piece of advice for achieving happiness what would it be? "I would say listen to music, because music to me is like religion. If you educate your five senses, then you will have a happy life." Peter was a very friendly person. I enjoyed the time I had learning about his life, and I wish him the best. Interview Essay - Peter Clauss -- Interview Essays Interview Essay - Peter Clauss Peter Clauss was born March 21, 1935, in what was then, East Germany. Growing up he worked in hotel restaurants; this was where he learned his trade. Instead of attending the regular school system he learned the skills that he would need later on in life in the restaurant. Today Peter enjoys attending the opera, theater, concerts and plays. It is these places where he finds most of his happiness in life. What is your definition of happiness? "Not to have any worries or as few worries as possible." Has your definition changed over the years? "Yes." "This year I changed a lot, it's a whole process." Who or what do you turn to when you are unhappy? "Music or books, but especially music. Music isn't for some people, but it is for me. For example, Beethoven and Bach put all this philosophy and emotion in their music." What makes you unhappy? "Cruelty towards animals makes me unhappy. And stupidity or stupid attitudes. I try to stay away from that, you know if someone says you're stupid, I just forget it and walk away." How do other people's attitudes affect your happiness? "It doesn't affect me because if they are unhappy, then I just stay away from them. When I am going out with my friends and they bring along one of their friends, that is fine, because if their friends are good to them, then they are friends of mine. So other people's attitudes really don't affect me." How did your childhood influence your sense of happiness? "I grew up in Germany, I know a little bit about the Nazi's. The war ended in 1945 when I was 10 years old, so I know a little bit, but not much. My mother was an apprentice and was employed by Jews. She always said that they were such wonderful people.... ...rmany and their communistic views." Are you pleased with yourself? "Oh yes, very. Absolutely couldn't be better." Religion? "I gave up religion. Religion is kind of superstitious; especially if you are young, they kind of corrupt you. God is like a baked potato and every church puts a different topping on it to make it more appealing. But really all it is, is don't do any bad things like the basics. In religion you are always waiting for something, its like gimme gimme, and then if it doesn't come, its like, how can you do this to me?" If you could give a piece of advice for achieving happiness what would it be? "I would say listen to music, because music to me is like religion. If you educate your five senses, then you will have a happy life." Peter was a very friendly person. I enjoyed the time I had learning about his life, and I wish him the best.

herody Free Essays: Heroes in the Poem Women and Homers Odyssey :: comparison compare contrast essays

Heroes in the Poem Women and Homer's Odyssey A hero is a brave and strong person, who is also very human. A hero feels fear and every other emotion that we do. A true hero is a person who does something great and does not expect to be given any thing in return. A hero does something that effects a large number of people. A hero thinks more of others than he or she thinks of him or her self. The characters in the poem, "Women", and The Odyssey are both epic heroes. Odysseus is a strong and brave man, but I think he lacks one of the major characteristics of a hero. I think he thinks of himself more than of others. I think the characters in the poem, "Women," are better heroes because they can be related to easier. I don't think the poem characters are like an epic hero because they are less into them selves than an epic hero. They also seem to have done lesser things, I mean epic heroes always do something so great, like take twenty men on, or lead an army to victory. Everyday heroes seem to be more realistic and do something that's great, but its not written up in every news paper in the country. Odysseus is a brave man that did great things. In The Odyssey he conquers a monster using smarts and strength. He also looks out for his crew mates. He is faithful to his wife, well, in his mind he is. He kills many men on his own in a battle at his home. He cries a couple of times in the story, showing sensitivity. Overall, Odysseus is a brave and caring human that is a little too conceited He is also very smart, like in the book when Odysseus said, "He thought he'd find out, but I saw through him."(on page 750 line723.) Also like most epic heroes Odysseus is physically strong, like when Odysseus said, "I rammed it deep in his eye."(on page 751 line 843.) Odysseus rammed a large spike into the beast's eye. The poem "Women" was a great description of black women in the mid

Philosophy for a Society in this Day and Age of Virtual Reality :: Philosophy Philosophical essays

Philosophy for a Society in this Day and Age of Virtual Reality ABSTRACT: Virtual reality is more than only high tech. We encounter this phenomenon in everyday media worlds and economy. The sign dominates the signed. Philosophy can describe this phenomenon by means of a different ontological analysis following Poppers theory of the three worlds and can prepare new ontological categories for knowledge of acting. After twenty minutes the test person seems to be absent. With a cyberhelmet on his head he looks around the virtual room. Whereever he looks, he faces a computer landscape from every perspective. The hand in the cyberspace glove gropes for its way like in a vacuum space. But it touches the things which cross the way. The test person is located in the middle of a virtual world. In the room, where the computer is located, other people wait for the test. If the topic is virtual reality, scenes like described above are associated: High tech cyberspace on fast parallel comuters - if possible with a complete datasuit that allows to immerse almost completely into artificial worlds -, hovering through space, digital labyrinths and yet not built houses. But this examples only describes the tip of the iceberg. Under the watersurface of the extraordinary there is a wide ranging phenomenon of virtual realities: The economy with its big companies, transfers capital and networks dissolves to virtual entities. People get lost in entertainment in virtual landscapes and make friends via chatting. Scientists investigate phenomena of nature by reconstructed simulation and practicians design the future by a CAD program. People order pizza by internet, they flirt, make business, take journeys, join further education or talk with a coach. There is a virtualisation of the whole being. The classical differenciation between appearance and reality becomes blured. The simulation, in which people can walk around, is not fictive. It is not pure imagination, but something realized. It is reality although it is virtual. Economy makes it clear: Money and Capital are virtual entities. They determine our everyday life and they often decide about prosperity and poverty. The autonomy of virtual reality is even growing while gathering momentum. A computer simulation for example generates itself without external influence. That could be compared with numerous experiments with cellular machines (Herber P. Franke, Das P-Prinzip. Naturgesetzt im rechnenden Raum, Frankfurt am Main 1995). But also media worlds have their own dynamic. Tv world news and ezines do not only report, but create own realities.

Genre and artist case study

Most Post-Punk music tends to keep that British essence about it, bands use their accents to help shape their music, and this is very much the case with the Arctic Monkeys. Now a days Post-Punk incorporates electronic sounds or dance music instead of the dated ass's disco. The original Post-Punk movement was influenced by Crackpot, Dub and Disco Of the sass's. But now Post-Punk revivalists like Interpol, Editors, and White Lies tend to edge toward a more atmospheric Post-Punk sound optimized by Echo and the Funnymen and Joy Division. Issues which commonly affect this genre are typically mild.I don't think that Post-Punk Revival has a major problem, unlike Hip-Hop or Dance genres. Post-Punk Revival is more of an artistic genre, where artists are more unconcerned with re-creating music from the past and so forth. Although I think that the more recent bands Post-Punk Revival bands such as The Bravery, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand tend to have more problems with attitude. This laid back uncaring attitude comes across and the dress styles they bring with them affects people in our everyday lives, fashion is based around these types of music, and at the moment in particular.Shops like River Island and Tops all portray the music sound. And with the style comes the attitude which I personally think a lot of people are adopting. It's ore of a culture thing, as with all types of music, Indies has become a lifestyle. ‘The Indies spirit has been commodities and re-envisioned as a marketable lifestyle just like punk, Alternative, and Grunge before it†¦ ‘ Sean McCabe www. Edition. CNN. Com Post-punk is appealing to people because of the straight forward lyrics and catchy melodies.The lyrics are often about everyday life, and is seen as something that a lot of people can link to, this is another reason that it is part of our lifestyle, it talks about our lifestyle. When is comes to working relationships in the genre the key issues are cackles and unprof essional artists. One great example of an artist like this is Pete Doherty, who at one point was arrested twice in a matter of days. His manager was involved in a hit and run incident where he was using Doherty car. The singer being charged with supplying illegal drugs and other events such as rehab. Drug problem like his can also mean gig's being cancelled or ruined.And these sort of people can be hard to work with in this industry. ‘The best relationships are nurtured over the years and have been built on mutual trust and respect for different gifts we have as musicians and music equines professionals. ‘ Christopher Knap. Independent Music Consultant. Agree with this and think that this IS a common mistake in this genre, artist's come to the music industry thinking that they are in once their name gets big, but really they need to build a working relationship with colleagues. And the working relationship means that, now that they are in the spotlight they can't just do whatever they like.A history about the Arctic Monkeys The band the Arctic Monkeys are a Post-Punk Revivalist band from Sheffield, England. The Band is made up of front man Alex Turner, fellow guitarist's Cook, Bassist Nick Anomaly and Drummer Matt Holders. Bassist Andy Nicholson was the bassist of the band when the band shot to fame in 2006. Incision's reason for leaving the band was that he was suffering from fatigue. But it is now known that Nicholson was paid off by the band after they had found themselves being more of a band with Nick Maloney.We sorts found ourselves in a situation where we wanted to move forward† Alex Turner – Arctic Monkeys on Split NAME Interview The Arctic Monkeys shoot to fame – The Arctic Monkeys where one of the Auk's biggest bands in the New Millennium. Their rise began in 2005, when hey started getting offers from major labels. However the band were sticking to the Post-Punk/linden attitude of a smaller independent music label, as they tended to give the artist creative freedom with their music. â€Å"l like you, but I'm not sure about this bit, and that song could do with this changing†¦ And we never listened† – Alex Turner Arctic Monkeys Biography 2006 Seam's Craig think that this was a housewives for the Arctic Monkeys, as if they has of been signed up by a major up fading out. Also their music wouldn't have been original. ‘The market tempts bands to follow the record industry money. Those that adopt the success formula may well make it but, whatever the returns, it will be in the knowledge that they sold out their talent Seam's Craig Arctic Monkeys Biography 2006 As the Arctic Monkeys had declined offers from major labels, you would think why didn't etc remain an underground band.

Academic Performance of College Students

Academic performance and advisement of university students: a case study. Ads by Google Online University Online University programs 100% Online, 100% Supported! WaldenUniversity. com Subject: Academic achievement (Analysis) College students (Case studies) Student guidance services (Analysis) Authors: Addus, Abdussalam A. Chen, David Khan, Anwar S. Pub Date: 06/01/2007 Publication: Name:  College  Student  Journal Publisher:  Project  Innovation  (Alabama) Audience:  Academic Format:  Magazine/Journal Subject:  Education Copyright:  COPYRIGHT  2007  Project  Innovation  (Alabama) ISSN:  0146-3934 Issue:Date:  June, 2007 Source Volume:  41 Source Issue:  2 Topic: Canadian  Subject  Form:  School counselling Product: Product  Code:  E197500 Students, College Geographic: Geographic  Scope:  North Carolina Geographic  Code:  1U5NC North Carolina Ads by Google Chevening English Test Sit Your PTE Academic Test Now Easy Sign Up & Results In 5 Days! Pearsonpte. com/Chevening Become a Doctor in the US Study at Offshore Campus, Practise Medicine in the U. S. Apply Today! www. AUAMed. org Harvest West Christian Leadership Training Certificate, Diploma and Degree www. harvestwest. edu. au Online MBA Course at LSBF UK Global MBA degree, 100% online.Choose MBA specialisation now! www. LSBF. org. uk/MBA-Online Learn Financial Modeling Step-by-Step, Self Study & Classes Buld DCF, LBO, M&A, Comps Models www. WallStreetPrep. com Accession Number: 163679000 Full Text: The lack of adequate background and/or preparation, among other things, causes many students to withdraw from college or to graduate with low grades, which often makes it difficult for them to obtain suitable jobs. This paper examines the academic performance and efforts to seek assistance for academic and related problems of undergraduate students at North Carolina A&T State University.To that effect, the grade reports of business and economics majors and respon ses to a survey of students enrolled in business and economics courses were qualitatively analyzed. The results of the analyses indicated that many students experienced academic deficiency and did not seek assistance when faced with problems. The results also revealed that many of the students who sought assistance rated the services they received as ineffective and indicated their preference for school-level advisement services.The development of a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement center would alleviate these problems. Such a center, with a comprehensive and extended advisement and counseling program, will be more effective than university-wide services in improving student academic performance and marketability upon graduation. ********** Teaching, research and service are usually used as a yardstick to measure faculty contributions to higher education institutions. Major universities have long stressed the importance of research activities relative to teaching.O ver the last two decades, many of smaller teaching institutions, including the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) where research activities were recognized only to the extent that they would keep educators and the knowledge they transmit to students current, have been under pressure to acquire external funds for scholarships, faculty development, and meeting accreditation standards (Fielding 1985). As these institutions, particularly the HBCUs, placed more emphasis on faculty research productivity, they are faced with the challenge of striking a balance between teaching and research activities.Nevertheless, most colleges and universities recognize that teaching is the ultimate goal of their institutions (Wiley 1993). The main factors considered for improving teaching effectiveness among other things, include teaching approaches and techniques and faculty availability for student assistance and advisement. However, students in higher education institutions must be m otivated and committed to make reasonable efforts toward handling various activities, such as reading, written assignments, class discussion, presentation and examinations, effectively.Accordingly, the students' commitment to attain a good education, their study habits and cooperation, their motivation and efforts to seek assistance, when needed, are equally critical for learning. Thus, since the provision and consumption of education service occur simultaneously, the students' active participation in the process is a necessary condition to transform teaching to effective learning (Norales and Addus 2003). This paper assesses the academic performance and efforts of undergraduate students to seek assistance for academic and related problems at North Carolina A&T State.The paper (1) examines the academic performance and deficiencies of the students in terms of their overall grade point averages; (2) identifies the relative magnitude of student academic and related problems from freshm an to senior classifications; (3) presents student evaluation of the effectiveness of advisement and counseling services available to students; and (4) recommends the development of a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement center to improve student academic performance and marketability upon graduation.Methods and Instrumentation The 1998 grade point averages (GPAs) of undergraduate business and economics majors were used to determine the levels of student academic performance and deficiencies, with the application of chi-square statistic test to the relevant data. The student grade reports (the most recent data available) were obtained from the North Carolina A&T State University's School of Business and Economics. In addition, data from students were collected through a student survey of 2002.The sample for the student advisement and counseling effectiveness questionnaire consisted of students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina A State Univers ity. The questionnaire items were designed to elicit responses from students to determine the magnitude of student academic and related problems, efforts to seek assistance to solve their problems, evaluation of effectiveness assistance they received, and preference for the location of advising and monitoring services within the University.The results of this study can be used as a source of data that can provide information on the curriculum effectiveness at North Carolina A State and other universities. Such data can assist educators in curriculum planning and development so that they can better meet the needs of students. Student Academic Performance and Survey Results The results of this study are based on the examination of the School of Business and Economics student GPAs and the student advisement and counseling survey of students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina A State University.The results are centered around (1) the student academic performanc e levels and deficiencies; (2) the magnitude of student academic and related problems; (3) the students efforts to seek assistance to solve problems; (4) the student evaluation of effectiveness assistance received; and (5) the student preference for the location of advising and monitoring services. The following are the findings of the study based on student grade point averages and student advisement and counseling services questionnaire responses. Student Academic performanceThe school of Business and Economics at North Carolina A State University consists of accounting, business administration, business education and economics and transportation/logistics departments. The distributions of grade point average of students enrolled in the School during the 1998 fall semester are presented in Table 1. For the data in the Table, the chi-square test statistic is significant. This indicates that grade distributions by classification are statistically different. Generally, the number of students with low grade point averages decreased from freshman to senior classifications.In other words, more freshmen maintained lower grades relative to seniors, and more seniors maintained higher grade point averages than freshmen. More specifically, the data indicates that, in the School of Business and Economics, 55% of freshman, 14% of sophomore, 16% of junior, and 6% of senior students maintained below 2. 00 grade point averages. The decline in the proportion of students with lower grades from the freshman to senior levels is an indication of either grade improvements, transfer from one program to another or withdrawal and/or suspension/dismissal from the university.In their senior year, 41% of students maintained a GPA of below 2. 50, 23% below 2. 25, and 6% below 2. 00. For all classifications, 53% of students maintained a GPA of below 2. 50, 39% below 2. 25, and 26% below 2. 00. The School of Business and Economics cannot afford to ignore 23% students who may graduate with a GPA of lower than 2. 25 and 41% below 2. 50, only to find it difficult to find professional jobs of their choice in their respective fields.Apparently, students need to be monitored, encouraged and assisted to play an active role in their pursuit to achieve their education and career objectives. Student Survey Results Of some 206 students who responded to the survey, 52% were female and 48% were male students. By classification, 10% were freshmen, 30% sophomore, 37% junior and 23% senior students. In terms of general fields of study, 68% majored in business and economics and 32% in other areas, including arts and sciences, education and engineering (Table 2).These figures suggest that the survey represents a balanced coverage on gender, student classification, and various fields of study. Magnitude of Student Academic and Related Problems: Of 154 who sought assistance, 52% were female and 48% were male students. By classification, 9% were freshmen, 30% sophomore, 37% junior and 2 5% were senior students (Table 3). The data in the Table is indicative of the fact that the number of problems faced by students generally declined from freshman to senior year of their study.Of 52 students who did not seek assistance, 52% were female and 48% were male students. By classification, 17% were freshmen, 30% junior, 37% sophomore and 19% senior students. A total of 56% who did not seek help were junior and senior students. The reasons indicated for not seeking assistance are that 19% did not have any problems, 17% did not have time to seek assistance, 19% did not know the availability of assistance, 14% did not believe such assistance would be useful, and 15% indicated a combination of the above factors (Table 4).Student Efforts to Seek Assistance: Out of 206 students who sought assistance, 60% consulted with their academic advisors and 30% with course instructors or respective departments. Only 4% indicated to have sought assistance with the University Center for Succes s (Table 5). Student Evaluation of Assistance Effectiveness: Of 154 students who sought help, 72% indicated that the assistance they were offered was effective resulting in grade improvements, enhanced self-confidence, remaining in major for the better, and changing major for the better.However, 28% indicated that the assistance they received was not effective at all (Table 6). Student Preference for Advising and Monitoring Services: Of 206 survey respondents, 147 (71%) indicated their preference for student monitoring and counseling services at school/college level (as opposed to counseling at the university level); and 92% indicated that they would seek assistance more often if such services were available at school/college level (Table 7).The Case for Academic Monitoring and Advising Center The findings of this study reveal that relatively low grades and high failure rates were maintained by upper level undergraduate students with the possibility of marketability problems. The fi ndings further show that 28% of survey respondents said the assistance services they received were not effective. Another 28% of the respondents, of which 56% were juniors and seniors, did not seek help to resolve their academic and related problems.In addition, 71% of respondents indicated their preference for a school-level assistance services, and the overwhelming majority (92%) said they would seek help more often if such services were available at the school level. It follows that a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement center (AMAC), with a comprehensive agenda for student advisement and counseling, will be effective in improving student academic performance and marketability.The need for the AMAC is underscored by other studies. The main problems affecting student academic performance include inadequate background, working long hours, lack of time to study and seek advice, lack of time management skills, bad study habits and skills, and lack of self-confidence. M any students are also faced with various impediments in their pursuit of higher education and career objectives, including financial problems, family responsibilities, and social and extracurricular activities.Some of these activities do not only take away from the time needed for sleeping, attending class and studying, but they also cause considerable stress resulting in negative effects on academic performance as measured in terms of GPA (Womble 2001). The results of a survey of 239 university students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina A State University indicated that most students did not have sufficient time to read the textbook and study, and that their absence from class was work related.The majority (56 %) of the students stated that they could not take lecture notes while listening, and 29 % said they could not understand the lecture (Norales and Addus 2003). Kelly et al (2001) classified college students into short sleepers (individuals who slept six or fewer hours a day), average sleepers (individuals with seven or hours of sleep a day), and long sleepers (individuals sleeping nine or more hours a day). They found that the individuals who represented long sleepers reported higher GPAs than the first two groups.Many students are admitted to a university as a result of their performance in examinations that do not demand the same preparation levels required to succeed in higher education. Thus, one of the main factors affecting the academic performance of college and university students is the lack of adequate preparation skills (Beswick and Ramsden 1987). Entwistle et al (1989) studied the academic performance of electrical engineering students and found that low course grades were associated with inadequate study skills, and that many students had not established adequate independent study strategies required to succeed in higher education.Eikeland & Manger (1992) looked into factors affecting student achievement, especial ly those factors related to high failure and dropout rates. The findings showed that organized study habits had a positive impact on self confidence during the students' first semester, but such study habits did not have a direct effect on grades until as late as their fourth semester in college. In a survey of close to 350,000 students attending four-year public and private colleges, over 70 items related to the students' educational experiences on the survey instrument were grouped into 12 factors. 1) The survey results indicated that out of these factors, public college/university students rated academic advising as the most important aspect of their educational experiences. Private college/university students rated academic advising second to only instructional effectiveness in importance. When students were asked to rate five items (2) comprised academic advising, both public and private college/university students rated the academic advisor's approachability and the academic a dvisor's knowledge about major requirements as strengths–meaning most important and most satisfying (Noel-Levitz 2003).In general, the success or failure in higher education are not explained by the student attributes or faculty teaching efficiency in isolation, but by the complex interactions between students and the learning environments they experience (Entwistle 1990). Thus, students are in need of comprehensive advisement, counseling and support services including time management, stress management, efficient study style, habits and skills, reading, writing, and lecture note taking skills, and other support services.These must help students enhance their capacity to master the relevant subject, self confidence, verbal and written communication, academic performance, and to be competitive and productive members of the community. Academic Monitoring and Advising Center The findings of this study, along with the discussion of relevant literature, suggest that a school-speci fic AMAC, with a comprehensive agenda for student advisement and counseling, will be effective in improving student academic performance and marketability.The primary purpose of the AMAC is to enhance student academic performance and produce marketable graduates by providing extended assistance and guidance to students in academic activities and related areas. At North Carolina A State University there are university-wide student support services, including the Center for Student Success (which is focused on student retention) and school-level academic assistant services. In addition, there are programs which are designed to mentor students with high academic standing, in collaboration with potential employers, to prepare them for the real world work environment upon graduation.However, many students who for various reasons fail to perform to their potential levels deserve to be uplifted through a similar program provided by the AMAC. Compared with university-wide academic counselin g services available for students, the AMAC will be more effective for needy students can be given individual and unique attention suited to their specific needs by their respective schools. In addition to regular advisement provided by academic advisors, the AMAC will provide counseling services for students who fail to reach a minimum GPA of 2. 0 during each semester. To start with, such students will be able to discuss issues regarding specific courses and their course loads with an advisor from the AMAC, and receive advice on how to successfully manage their time and handle their course loads. Also, the AMAC if necessary, can suggest changes in course, course loads and schedule to help the students balance their time between school and work. As mentioned above, one of the biggest problems that many students have is lack of time and time management skills.If this problem is solved early, students will be able to maintain a more marketable GPA. The AMAC will continuously monitor s tudents and evaluate their grades throughout each semester to insure that these students continue to do well in the school, and graduate within a reasonable period of time. Students who need assistance must be identified at the appropriate time and be given intensive advice and counseling. It will maintain a data base for all students in the School of Business and Economics with an overall GPA of 2. 0 or less. The data can be collected from student applications, academic records, and surveys (Seidman, 1996). The AMAC will coordinate its activities with university programs designed to provide remedial services to students with deficient backgrounds. It will refer students to other departments and and University support services for problems outside its responsibilities. Such intensive intervention will likely help not only improve academic performance, but also retain students and enable them to graduate with decent grades.Student participation in the AMAC's program shall enhance the ir capabilities to improve their academic standing through sound advice and counseling which will positively influence their attitude toward learning and grades, time management skills and study habits. The AMAC will further facilitate development of university policies and programs designed to overcome academic deficiencies and encourage students to stay in school and achieve their academic and career objectives.Conclusions Academic advising is a very important aspect of students' educational experiences in higher education. In order to enhance teaching and learning effectiveness, higher education institutions must listen to their students unique needs and priorities by assessing assistance services available to students. The results of such assessments can be used to develop targeted action plans for serving specific student population.The results of the analyses of data obtained from the School of Business and Economics grade reports and a survey of students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina A State University, along with other relevant literature, imply that many college students need a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement services at an early stage of their college career. It is apparent that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, for junior and senior students to make meaningful grade improvements due to the short span of time available to them during their last years of study before graduation.This may pose a serious marketability problem for some of the graduates of these programs with low grades. In the real world of ever increasing globalization and more competitive job market environments, college students need to acquire higher skills and GPAs. The proposed AMAC is certainly a first step to guide needy students in this direction. References Beswick, D. and Ramsden, P, (1987). How to Promote Learning with Understanding. Working Paper 87:1. Melbourne: Center for the Study of Higher Education, University of M elbourne. Eikeland, O. J. and Manger, T. (1992).Why Students Fail During Their First University Semesters. International Review of Education 38(5), 489-503. Entwistle, N. J. (1990). How Students Learn and Why They Fail. Paper Presented at Conference on Talent and Teaching, University of Bergen. Entwistle, N. J. , Hoursell, D. , Macaulay, C. , Situnayake, G. and Tait, H. (1989). Success and Failure in Electrical Engineering Courses in Scotland. Summary of a Report to the SED. Edinburgh: Department of Education and Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment. University of Edinburgh. Fielding, G. J. (1985). Transportation Education, Part Two.Report of Joint Conference, Eno Foundation Board of Directors and Board of Consultants. Transportation Quarterly, 39(2), 207-233. Kelly, W. E. , Kelly, K. E. and Clanton, R. C. (others) (2001). â€Å"The Relationship between Sleep length and Grade-Point-Average among College Students,† College Student Journal. Noel-Levitz Research (2003). â€Å"Academic Advising Highly Important to Students,† www. noellevitz. com. Norales, Francisca O. and Addus, Abdussalam A. (2003). â€Å"University Students' Learning Efforts,† Texas Business and Technology Educators Association Journal, Vol.VII, No. 1. Seidman, A. (1996). Retention revisited: R = E, ID + E & In, Iv. Journal of College Student Retention. 71(4), 18-20. Wiley, III, Ed (1993). Re-Emphasizing Teaching. Black Issues in Higher Education. Womble, Laura P (2001). â€Å"The Impact of Stress Factors on College Students' Academic Performance,† Working Paper, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, N. C. ABDUSSALAM A. ADDUS Associate Professor DAVID CHEN Associate Professor ANWAR S. KHAN Professor Emeritus Department of Economics and Transportation/Logistics North Carolina A State University Notes 1) the factors are: academic advising, campus climate, campus Life, campus Support Services, concern for the Individual, instructional Effectiveness, recruitmen t and financial aid effectiveness, registration effectiveness, responsiveness to diverse population, safety and security, service excellence, and student centeredness. (2) the items are: the academic advisor's approachability, the academic advisor's knowledge about major requirements, the academic advisor's concern about the student's success as an individual, the academic advisor's assistance to set goals and work toward, and the clearness and reasonableness of major requirements.Table 1 Grade Distribution of Students in the School of Business and Economics by Classification, Fall 1998 Grade Range Classification Freshman Sophomore Junior No. % No. % No. % 3. 50-4. 00 20 6 46 19 20 10 3. 00-3. 49 26 7 44 18 32 16 2. 50-2. 99 45 13 62 25 45 23 2. 25-2. 49 33 9 33 13 33 17 2. 00-2. 24 37 10 28 11 34 18 Below 2. 00 200 55 35 14 31 16Total 361 100 248 100 195 100 Chi-square: 278. 38 * Grade Range Classification Senior All No. % No. % 3. 50-4. 00 18 7 104 10 3. 00-3. 49 42 17 144 13 2. 5 0-2. 99 90 35 242 24 2. 25-2. 49 47 18 146 14 2. 00-2. 24 44 17 143 13 Below 2. 00 14 6 280 26 Total 255 100 1059 100 Chi-square: 278. 38 * Note: * Statistically significant at 5 percent probability level.Source: School of Business and Economics, NC A&T State University. Table 2 Profile of Survey Respondents Item Frequency Percent Gender (n = 206): Male 99 48. 1 Female 107 51. 9 Classification (n = 206): Freshman 21 10. 2 Sophomore 61 29. 6 Junior 77 37. 4 Senior 47 22. 8 Major Area Unit (n = 206): Business and Economics 140 68. 0 Other Areas * 66 32. * Include Arts and Science, Education, and Engineering. Table 3 Distribution of Number Problems for Students who Sought Assistance * (n = 154) Classification Number of Problems and Gender One Two Three Four Five Six Total Plus Classification: Freshman 4 1 3 2 1 2 13 Sophomore 16 4 7 9 8 2 46 Junior 14 14 12 6 4 7 57 Senior 6 7 14 7 3 1 38Total 40 26 36 24 16 12 154 Gender: Male 19 15 15 11 8 6 74 Female 21 13 19 13 8 6 80 Total 40 26 3 6 24 16 12 154 * Problems include adding/dropping courses, choosing major, changing major, improving grades, time management, internship opportunities, personal problems which affect academic performance. Table 4 Distribution of students who did not Seek Assistance (n = 52) frequency Percent of Total Classification:Freshman 9 17. 3 Sophomore 14 29. 9 Junior 19 36. 5 Senior 10 19. 3 Total 52 100. 0 Gender: Male 25 48. 1 Female 27 51. 9 Total 52 100. 0 Reason for not Seeking: Did not have problems 10 19. Did not have time 9 17. 3 Did not know availability of assistance 10 19. 2 Did not believe it is useful 7 13. 5 Combination of last three 8 15. 4 Other reasons 8 15. 4 Total 52 100. 0 Table 5 Student Efforts to Seek Assistance for Academic Problems (n = 154) Assistance sought from Frequency Percent Academic Advisor 89 59. 7 Department/Course instructor 44 29. University Center for Success 6 4. 0 SOBE resource Lab 3 2. 0 University Counseling Service 3 2. 0 Career Counseling 2 1. 4 Financial Aid 2 1. 4 Table 6 Student evaluation of Effectiveness of Assistance Sought (n = 149) Item frequency Percent Grade improved 13 8. 7 Enhanced self-confidence 4 2. 7 Remained in major 15 10. 1 Changed major for better 16 10. 7 Two or more of above 60 40. 3No effect 41 27. 5 Table 7 Student Preference for Counseling/Monitoring Services Location (n = 206) Item Frequency Percent Prefer student Counseling at school level Yes 147 71. 3 No 44 21. 4 Indifferent 15 7. 3 Would seek assistance more often if Available at school/college level) Yes 92 44. 7 No 15 7. Not sure 45 21. 8 Indifferent 54 26. 2 Gale Copyright: Copyright 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Economic Scene Colleges Are Failing in Graduation Rates Top of Form Bottom of Form †¢ Share By DAVID LEONHARDT Published: September 8, 2009 If you were going to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you’d probably have to start with the Wall Street firms and regulatory agencies that brought us the financial crisis.From there, you might move on to Wall Street’s fellow bailout recipients in Detroit, the once-Big Three. Multimedia [pic] From the Most Selective Colleges, More Graduates Related The College Dropout Boom Economix: Which Colleges Are Doing Their Job? Reader Responses: Failing Colleges Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts and read responses to readers' comments from David Leonhardt on the Economix blog. †¢ Read All Comments (113)  » But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public universities.At its top levels, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world. Yet in terms of its core mission — turning teenagers into educated college graduates — much of the system is simply failing. Only 33 percent of the freshmen who enter the University of Massachusetts, Boston, graduate within six years. Less than 41 percent graduate from the University of Montana, and 44 percent from the University of New Mexico. The economist Mark Schneider refers to colleges with such dropout rates as â€Å"failure factories,† and they are the norm.The United States does a good job enrolling teenagers in college, but only half of students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree. Among rich countries, only Italy is worse. That’s a big reason inequality has soared, and productivity growth has slowed. Economic growth in this decade was on pace to be slower than in any decade since World War II — even before the financial crisis started. So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis matters enormously, and a new book tries to do precisely that. It is called â€Å"Crossing the Finish Line,† and its findings are based on the records of about 200,000 students at 68 colleges.The authors were able to get their hands on that data because two of them are pillars of the education establishment: William Bowen (an economist and former Princeton president) and Michael McPherson (an economist and former Macalester College president). For all the book’s alarming statistics, its message is ultimately uplifting — or at least invigorating. Yes, inadequate precollege education is a problem. But high schools still produce many students who have the skills to complete college and yet fail to do so. Turning them into college graduates should be a lot less difficult than fixing all of American education. We could be doing a lot better with college completion just by working on our colleges,† as Robert Shireman, an Education Department official who has read an early version of the book, says. Congress and the Obama administration are now putting together an education bill that tries to deal with the problem. It would cancel about $9 billion in annual government subsidies for banks that lend to college students and use much of the money to in crease financial aid. A small portion of the money would be set aside for promising pilot programs aimed at lifting the number of college graduates. All in all, the bill would help.But it won’t solve the system’s biggest problems — the focus on enrollment rather than completion, the fact that colleges are not held to account for their failures. â€Å"Crossing the Finish Line† makes it clear that we can do better. †¢ The first problem that Mr. Bowen, Mr. McPherson and the book’s third author, Matthew Chingos, a doctoral candidate, diagnose is something they call under-matching. It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into. They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that’s closer to home or, given the torturous financial aid process, less expensive.About half of low-income students with a high school grade-point average of at least 3. 5 and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the bes t college they could have. Many don’t even apply. Some apply but don’t enroll. â€Å"I was really astonished by the degree to which presumptively well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,† Mr. Bowen told me. They could have been admitted to Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus (graduation rate: 88 percent, according to College Results Online) or Michigan State (74 percent), but they went, say, to Eastern Michigan (39 percent) or Western Michigan (54 percent).If they graduate, it would be hard to get upset about their choice. But large numbers do not. You can see that in the chart with this column. In effect, well-off students — many of whom will graduate no matter where they go — attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates. These are the places where many students live on campus (which raises graduation rates) and graduation is the norm. Meanwhile, lower-income students — even when they are better qualified — often go to colleges that excel in producing dropouts. â€Å"It’s really a waste,† Mr. Bowen says, â€Å"and a big problem for the country. As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students. Instead, it appears to have fallen somewhat since the 1970s. What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer. Tellingly, net tuition has no impact on the graduation rates of high-income students. Yet it does affect low-income students. All else equal, they are less likely to make it through a more expensive state college than a less expensive one, the book shows. Conservatives are wrong to suggest affordability doesn’t matter.But they are right that more money isn’t the whole answer. Higher education today also suffers from a deep cultural problem. Failure has become acceptable. Students see no need to graduate in four years. Doing so, as one told the bookâ€℠¢s authors, is â€Å"like leaving the party at 10:30 p. m. † Graduation delayed often becomes graduation denied. Administrators then make excuses for their graduation rates. And policy makers hand out money based on how many students a college enrolls rather than on what it does with those students. There is a real parallel here to health care.We pay doctors and hospitals for more care instead of better care, and what do we get? More care, even if in many cases it doesn’t make us healthier. In education, the incentives can be truly perverse. Because large lecture classes are cheaper for a college than seminars, freshmen are cheaper than upperclassmen. So a college that allows many of its underclassmen to drop out may be helping its bottom line. If you look closely, you can still find reasons for optimism. A few colleges, like the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, have intensive programs that have raised graduation rates.The State of West Virginia has begun tyin g student aid to academic progress, and graduation rates there have risen. Washington Monthly magazine has published a new college ranking based in part on graduation rates. (Kudos to Penn State, among others. ) When students fill out an online form for federal financial aid, the Obama Education Department now informs them of the graduation rate at any college in which they express interest. But an enormous amount of work remains, and it’s hard to think of any work that’s more important to the American economy.Last year, even in the grip of a recession that has spared no group of workers, the gap between what a college graduate earned and what everyone else earned reached a record. Workers with bachelor’s degrees made 54 percent more on average than those who attended college but didn’t finish, according to the Labor Department. Fifty-four percent — just think about how that adds up over a lifetime. And then think about how many students never cros s the college finish line. E-mail: [email  protected] com Public blames students for their failure at college By Eric Gorski Associated Press Published: Monday, Dec. 3 2010 12:39 a. m. MST | | | | | | | | | | | | |Share | |Twitter |Pinterest | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |0 | |0 |0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [pic] †¢ View 2 photos  » Summary The public pins most of the blame for poor college graduation rates on students and their parents and gives a pass to colleges, government officials and others, a new Associated Press-Stanford University poll shows.Nov. 16, 2011 [pic] The public pins most of the blame for poor college graduation rates on students and their parents and gives a pass to colleges, government officials and others, a new Associated Press-Stanford University poll shows. All sectors of American higher education received high marks for quality. That extends to for-profit colleges, despite recent criticism of dubious recruiting tact ics, high student loan default rates and other problems at some schools. â€Å"As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in between,† said William A. Sederburg, Utah's Commissioner of Higher Education. We know higher education campuses can really do a lot more to improve retention. †¦ It is also true that a lot of students show up on campus without direction in their lives and without focus on what they want to do. Those are students that are most likely to drop out. † But a belief that students are most at fault for graduation rates may be a troubling sign for reformers who have elevated college completion to the forefront of higher education policy debates and pushed colleges to fix the problem, said Michael Kirst, professor emeritus of education and business administration at Stanford. The message is, ‘Students, you had your shot at college and failed and it's your fault, not the college,'† Kirst said. When asked where the blame lies for graduat ion rates at public four-year colleges, 7 in 10 said students shouldered either a great deal or a lot of it, and 45 percent felt that way about parents. Others got off relatively easy: Anywhere between 25 percent and 32 percent of those polled blamed college administrators, professors, teachers, unions, state education officials and federal education officials. Taking a closer look at the numbers:Republicans are likelier than Democrats to blame federal officials for today's college graduation rates — 34 percent of Republicans and 25 percent of Democrats point at them. There's a small partisan difference on the student blame question: Seventy-seven percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Democrats fault students heavily. Minorities are more prone than whites to blame professors and teachers for college graduation rates, with 40 percent of minorities but just 29 percent of whites doing so. Fifty-seven percent of minorities blame parents for college graduation rates, while just 40 percent of whites do.Sara Goldrick-Rab, assistant professor of educational policy studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the results are deeply troubling and mean elite colleges and universities have succeeded in diverting blame from themselves. â€Å"Those supporting the completion agenda need to push back — hard — and emphasize the role colleges play in supporting or undermining student success,† she said. Such a push back may not be necessary in Utah, however, judging from Sederburg's attitude: â€Å"It's clearly not just students' faults. I think we have a significant role to play. After long emphasizing access to college, higher education policy debates have shifted only recently to focusing on getting students through. The Obama administration has called for the United States to again lead the world in number of college graduates by 2020. The goal in Utah is to increase retention rates by 8 percent on average over the next decade, Sederburg said. The Utah System of Higher Education's 2020 Plan for Higher Education, found at www. higheredutah2020. org, contemplates several strategies to increase retention — such as enhancing advising and intervention advising if a student is off track to graduate.Getting students into the right courses is also important. Midterm feedback may give students a chance to correct their trajectory. â€Å"It's a different approach if you are a Salt Lake Community College than if you are at the University of Utah,† said Cameron Martin, the office of the commissioner for higher education's associate commissioner for economic development. Each institution has to look at its strategies to see what works for them. BYU, for example, encourages students to graduate by providing a clear map for each program of study. It also tries to help students understand what the credit limits are to enter each program. If students are in danger of exceeding the appropriate amount o f credits and have yet to declare a major, our University Advisement office will reach out to them to help provide further direction,† said BYU spokesman Todd Hollingshead. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation and others have directed money and attention to states and colleges to improve completion rates, and several states are taking action. Stan Jones, president of Complete College America, which championed such efforts, disagreed that the poll spells trouble for reform. This will play out like the high school dropout issue,† he said. â€Å"The more it becomes a subject of public discussion the more advances we will make on confronting the college dropout problem. † Just over half of first-time students who entered college in 2003-04 had not earned a degree or credential within six years, the Education Department reported recently. That's slightly worse than students who started in 1995-96. Experts caution it is tricky to measure success and co mpare graduation rates because today's older, less-traditional college tudent population takes more time to finish school and is harder to track. The AP-Stanford poll found most people were happy with the quality of higher education in their states. Despite severe budget cuts and spiraling tuition at many public four-year colleges, those schools received the highest marks: Seventy-four percent in the poll called them excellent or good. But others institutions got strong marks, too: Four-year private nonprofit colleges (71 percent), two-year public colleges (69 percent), private for-profit colleges (66 percent) and private for-profit trade schools (57 percent).That's a rare glimpse at public opinion about for-profit colleges, which have been fighting proposed regulations that would that would cut off federal aid. The poll also found overwhelming agreement that there is a link between the nation's prosperity and the quality of its education system. Overall, 88 percent say economic pro sperity and quality education are closely entwined. Nearly 80 percent said that having all Americans graduate from a two- or four-year college would help the economy.Yet most in the poll are unwilling to invest more in the nation's school systems in order to obtain that economic payoff — just 42 percent favor raising taxes to pay for better education. The poll was conducted September 23-30 by Abt SRBI Inc. It involved interviews on landline and cellular telephones with 1,001 adults nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3. 9 percentage points. Stanford University's participation was made possible by a grant from the Gates Foundation. Contributing: Michael De Groote, Deseret News, and Alan Fram of the AP