Bureaucratic Practices In Educational Institutes

Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity, usually in large organizations and government. As opposed to adhocracy, it is represented by standardized procedure (rule-following) that dictates the execution of most or all processes within the body, formal division of powers, hierarchy, and relationships. In practice the interpretation and execution of policy can lead to informal influence.Of the most famous political persons responsible for the making of bureaucracy, and its effects on society would be Max Weber, the German sociologist who set the course of the field in foundations of Administration and Politics. Weber established there were three different types of authority which helped to set the stage of public administration and helped to direct the forms of government which exist today. The three types of authority that dominate the governmental and societal settings of the present are traditional, charismatic, and legal rational.The third ty pe of authority is the type which we are most familiar with. Legal rational authority dominates the modern world, and can easily be thought of as a closed system of regulations and rules forming a bureaucracy. This authority is purely devoted to impersonal and functional purposes, thus giving the perfect stage for bureaucracy, where all focuses are impersonal and functional alone. â€Å"†¦ the bureaucratic system of organization is primarily characterized by the existence of a series of relatively stable vicious circles that stem from centralizations and impersonality† (Crozier, 1964, p 193)Bureaucracy in Educational Organizations Bureaucracy manifests itself in schools in the several ways. One key feature of a bureaucratic organization is presence of a formal hierarchical structure. Each level in a bureaucracy controls the level below and is controlled by the level above. A formal hierarchy is the basis of central planning and centralized decision making. In the school setting, the school head teacher tops the hierarchy, followed by his deputy. The teachers come next, then the prefect. The students lie at the bottom of the hierarchy.A bureaucracy runs by some well defined rules. Controlling by rules allows decisions made at high levels to be executed consistently by all lower levels. In the school, there are certain rules that students are supposed to abide by. The teachers also have a general code of conduct which they are supposed to observe. In a school, there is functional specialty. Every teacher has a special subject that he/she teaches, and is not expected to venture into other subjects. This is another key feature of a bureaucracy.Another characteristic of a bureaucracy is purposeful impersonality, whereby the idea is to treat all employees equally and customers equally, and not be influenced by individual differences. In the school, a school head is not supposed to talk to his children, who attend the school, about family matters. He is s upposed to act like he does not know them in any other way apart from that they are his students. A school can therefore be said to be a typical bureaucracy. During volunteer work at Thika Primary school, I noted several cases in which bureaucratic tendencies of the school, led to compromised resultsHow Bureaucracy Causes Poor Results In Schools Bureaucracy has been hailed as an excellent system of management in the organizations. In fact, no single system of administration has been adopted more widely that the bureaucratic system. Unfortunately, the system has largely failed to impress in education institutions, especially the academic institutions. During the course of volunteer work, this fact was manifested in a number of cases. Bureaucracy in school leads to a situation whereby students find it extremely difficult to secure audience with the head teacher.This is because, for a student to report a problem to the head teacher, he has first to report to the class prefect, who info rms the teacher. The teacher informs the deputy head teacher, who consequently forwards the issue to the head teacher. In this case, addressing the problem takes a painstakingly long period of time. If the issue required fast action, the intervention might come too late. The student ends up bearing the brunt of a bureaucratic system, which reflects negatively on his academic performance.This case was evident in Thika Primary School, whereby several children admitted to have sought audience with the head teacher, with little success. Another negative consequence of bureaucracy notable is in the procurement of learning resources. The process of purchasing books for the school takes too long, since approval must be sought from the head teacher, who takes the issue to the board of governors for a final decision on whether to place a tender. The tender is advertised and awarded to a book distributor.This whole process can take more than one school term, delaying the time that the student s have to interact with the books. This consequently leads to poor results. At the time of volunteer work, several story books had been ordered for purchase, but the process was taking too long. Bureaucratic practices in academic institutions also dent school student performance, whereby students are given insufficient feedback of their performance in a term. Here, the rules oblige the head teacher to write his feedback on the student’s performance, in the report form.However, due to the large numbers of students, he is not able to follow up the individual performance of each student. What he does to fulfill his obligation is fill all the report forms with the same comment, for example, ‘fair’. The student ends up not well guided on how well or bad he has performed. In such a case, he does not know whether he is faring poorly and needs to improve, or is performing well and needs to improve. This leads to bad grades in the subsequent terms. Conclusion It is import ant that schools abandon bureaucratic tendencies that lead to poor academic performance of the students.The head teacher must ensure that he is approachable, not seated in some hierarchically elevated seat. Process of purchasing learning resources must be made faster and simpler. Once such steps have been taken to streamline how schools run, the performance of the schools will improve, and the students will be able to achieve their academic goals and career ambitions References Bureaucracy. Anti Essays. Retrieved October 23, 2008, from the World Wide Web: Crozier, M. The Bureaucratic Phenomenon . 1964. London: Tavistock Publications. http://www. antiessays. com/free-essays/1895. html www. wikipedia. org/bureaucracy

Summary of “Little Things” by Raymond Carver

Raymond Carver’s short story entitled â€Å"Little Things† is a representation of internal situation in a house when a husband and a wife could not retrieve the love that once felt before. The author did not state the names of the characters but only used the words â€Å"she† and â€Å"he† to refer the names of the characters as husband and wife. This story is a situation that most families usually get into because of the separation and the child is the most affected in the whole scenario for he or she could not able to determine whether to go with his or her mother or with his or her father. The story begins when the man paced his own things for he decided to leave his family. the woman was happy as according to her that the man will leave but it was felt from her emotions that it is hard for her to accept the situation. After packing all the things in his suitcase, the man went to the living room to get the baby but the woman did not want the man to take the baby so she grabbed the baby into the man’s hand. The baby started to cry but the two did not mend the tears and shout of the baby. They did not let each other to get the baby so they grabbed each other’s hands. Related article: †On Compassion† summary Because the woman is much weaker than the man, the man obtained the baby. The woman could not accept it so she tried again but the decision went on as the story ended. Carver’s story is a detailed short story as it represents the signification of elements and images that exists within the whole narrative. It shows that he is capable of acquiring consequences that emerged in the home where men and women could not recognize their weaknesses and incapability that made them quit from being together. Reference Carver, R. (1988). Little Things. Tess Gallagher From Where I'm Calling From: The Selected Stories Atlantic Monthly Press, 1988.

Asian American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Asian American History - Essay Example The immigrants were the typical Korean of who were used to speaking the Korean languages in their country. When they came to the United States, the language obstacle became the main challenge that the first Korean immigrants experienced in their new country . As much as they were being taught English as foreign language in their country, they were only allowed to remember the terminologies and the grammatical rules in the language, this did not give them the opportunity to be able to put into practice, listen in and converse with any of the native English speaker so as to enable them to develop their skills in the English language . With this language hurdle among the immigrants, they could not be able to get the high level opportunities in the job market and thus it left them with the low level positions in the workplaces as the farm workers and even stone diggers. This was because, they could not correspond to the American employers or the service providers effectively to pass their information across to be understood well enough by their employers, and because of this, the employers ended up placing them at the low level where it needs no much communication skills to the managerial section . As much as the Koreans immigrants were not good in the languages in the United States, they could not be able to attend the classes offered to them for the purpose of improving their communication skills. This was because, they were too busy on their daily duties of farming and any other activities.

Viewing the Globe in 2006 and 2056 Part 4 Essay

Viewing the Globe in 2006 and 2056 Part 4 - Essay Example I cannot really do anything to salvage the situation, since it is due to the desert region that the country is situated. Apart from this, all other area of my life has changed for the better. Libya is now politically stable since the change from authoritarian to democratic system of government, so I do not need to bother about any political wrangling as Libya is now freer to what it used to be in 2006. Libya is now a land that guarantees freedom to all and sundry and this is one of the reasons that the United Nations has recognized it as a land that avails opportunity to not only its citizens but to other citizens of the world. Libya is now among the top exporters of petroleum in the world; its export partners include Italy, USA, Great Britain, Tunisia, Spain, Germany, Australia and France. There has been a rapid development in the fields of petrochemicals, mineral resources and other key economic areas of the country. The fact that the economic situation of Libya has changed means t hat I now experience a big improvement in my finances and the responsibility of meeting the daily needs of my family is not a problem. I am proud to be a Libyan parent as the situation in the country is really encouraging for people that have to take care of their kids. The prices of market commodities have been relatively stable when compared to yester years. There is really no queue when I drive to the petrol station to fill my engine with fuel as there has not been any problem of fuel scarcity in the country. Libya has really developed in terms of trade and commerce that stores that sell groceries and other household items are just a stone’s throw from my house. As said earlier, Libya has experienced a tremendous change in economical growth, so the prices of groceries are very okay to the point that we could get them from nearby private stores for the same price you would get them when you go to large markets that are far away but this was not the case in 2006, the prices at the large markets were cheaper than the private stores. Benghazi still remains the commercial capital of the country as there is really nothing that cannot be gotten from this city, which is the second largest city in Libya (Sanders, 1999). Libya has become a major tourist center to other countries of the world as people from all over the world come to the country to experience the beauty of this great country. The government has contributed to the making of the county as one of the best tourist centers in the world. Tourism has really thrived in Libya in the year 2056 and I often take my family on vacation to the various tourist centers in the country and the place we often visit is the theater at lepcis magna, I love this place so much. Things keep happening at a very fast pace in Libya. If one is not careful, one would be left behind in the fast pace those things happen and this has actually been my greatest worry. I am worried that I would be left behind one day if I do not t ry to blend with the trend of change that has taken place in Libya. Things have really changed in Libya and this has really made me to have little worries, but my greatest worry is the sustenance of this change as I worry if Libya as a country would be able to manage the changes it has experienced. If it was in 2006, I would have been bothered about the security of my spouse and kids considering

ECONOMIC institution and policy(British economy) Essay - 1

ECONOMIC institution and policy(British economy) - Essay Example Globally, the manufacturing sector of UK is the sixth largest in the one and is one of the largest exporters of heavy industrial products1. The table underneath hints towards the growth of UK manufacturing and service sectors, between 1970 and 1994 compared to other nations. The base year being considered in this case is 1970 and the growth rate is found to be rather low over the years in relation to those for other nations. The progress of the sector is found to be quite low in contrast to the domestic service sector2. The present paper addresses the progress of the manufacturing sector over the years between 1970 and 2010 through illustrating its economic and social contribution to the economy of UK. It makes use of secondary quantitative data to draw a comparison over time and analyses on the basis of the same. Economic Contribution of UK’s Manufacturing Sector The following figures help in evaluation of the degree to which the manufacturing sector of UK has evolved over th e years since 1970 till 2010. ... Between 1970 and 2008, the percentage of contribution of industry behind national production has receded fast. The downfall had been the highest towards the end of 1970s as could be noted from the large difference in the statistic between 1970 and 1975 continuing to that in 1980. The diminishing contribution however, is not much reflected if gross fixed capital formation as percentage of GDP is considered. As the corresponding graph shows, the rate of capital formation had remained more or less stable over the years. Since capital formation is held identically equal to investment in capital, it could be implied that UK manufacturing sector did not contribute proportionally to the amount being invested in it. In other words, manufacturing sector suffered from a diminished productivity over time. Inward investment in UK manufacturing sector of UK is found to be fluctuating over time, as it falls down to a lower value from 1986 to 1991 and then improved to a positive value from 1991 to 1996 and to a further higher value in 2001. However, the downfall had been stark between 2001 and 2006 when growth rate of inward investment had been approximately equal to 60 percent. This only implies the erratic behaviour of the manufacturing sector of UK which over the years has lost its previous glory on account of a number of unavoidable reasons. Growth in industrial production too had been quite low over the years. To be precise, as the diagram below shows, UK manufacturing sector did not come across a consistent period of positive growth since 1970. Post 1970, the sector saw an entire decade of negative industrial growth. However, it gained momentum as growth rate surged up from 1980 to 1985 by 5.14 percentage points. But the following period of 15 years saw modest growth

Second Life When One Isn't Enough Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Second Life When One Isn't Enough - Essay Example The one essential reason for the popularity of Second Life is that it offers virtual, three dimensional platforms where the residents can challenge and break rules, without the fear of any dire consequences or the apprehension of causing harm to oneself or somebody else. Moreover, the basic landscape of Second Life is same as that of the real world. The only difference is that the residents here can alter and bend their ambience and lifestyle, as per their choice and mood. 2. Some people are very right in believing that Second Life is not a game but a real life experience. One, as already said, the predominant landscape and aspirations in Second Life are somewhat if not totally akin to the real world. Only the laws governing this landscape and aspirations are pliable to human will. The second reason for the life like experience of Second Life is psychological. A thing is real because it is perceived by a person to be so. For example, a chair exists because it could be perceived and f elt by the mind of a person. If a person is blind, one’s mind may not perceive it to be real or present, unless one is allowed to touch it.

Standard and Non-Standard English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Standard and Non-Standard English - Essay Example Whether we like it or not, there exist some of variations of the English language. In America alone, a great deal of language variation can exist within the bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom, in both English and in the non-English languages. In a bilingual setting in Los Angeles, one teacher identified three varieties of English and three varieties of Spanish in her classroom. Each variety carried with it information about social status and the cultural background of the speaker: Instruction officially went on in the standard forms of English and Spanish, but students used two other varieties of English-Black English and Chicano English-and two other versions of Spanish-Chicano Spanish and a rural northern Mexican variety (Ovando et al., 2002). Globally, Kachru (1992) had also revealed the varieties of English spoken worldwide on the basis of countries in which English is spoken. Kachru (1992) divided countries based into three types labelled the Inner, Outer and Expanding circles. Examples of the inner circle of essentially English-speaking countries include the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Traditionally non-native speakers have looked to these varieties as providing standards and norms to which they are expected to conform. McArthur (1994) argues that there is now a fair degree of standardisation between many English-speaking nations. Not only the UK and the USA are fairly standardised in their English usage, but Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa as well, fall into this group. Despite some level of standardisation, important differences remain. There are still many people from many regions who manifest significant divergence from the norms of "mainstream" English usage. Trompenaars (1993) summed up the essence of the problem: " as we all know, even the English and Americans are separated by a common language which is used quite differently in different contexts and which has some serious differences in the meanings of individual words" (p. 69). However, although there are regional differences within the native inner circle varieties, people who speak these regional variants have control of and understand the standard native variety of the country in which they reside. Problems in communication need not arise and therefore difficulties in communication between native speakers speaking different varieties of English will not be covered here. Moreover, the Outer Circle refers to countries where English functions as one of many languages and has an official (e.g. Nigeria), or an "associate official language" (India) status. English is used in these countries for a variety of purposes including educational, social, administrative and literary domains. Examples include Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Countries in the Expanding Circle use English as an international language. The speakers do not have a colonial past and the English they learn is based on Inner Circle varieties. Speakers have differing degrees of competence, there are little in the form of shared norms, differences occur mainly in proficiency. In these countries (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc.) the number of users is increasing rapidly. The problem with standard and non-standard varieties of English in education is that grammar is usually sacrificed. This is because children learn the structure of the English language-its grammar- intuitively as they learn to talk;

Analyzing Diversity and Learning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing Diversity and Learning - Coursework Example As a human being, I would like to acknowledge that each and every person is affiliated to certain culture. Once one is born in a society, one automatically inherits the cultural practices of the people within that locality. In this regard, educational programs should always be designed to cater for cultural diversities. Meaning, all learners should be taught without showing any disregard to their culture. If it is done, education would be made democratic and important for promoting equality to all regardless of their background (Levinson & Ember, 1996). During my time as a student, I got an opportunity to interact with learners from different backgrounds. Being that my school and classroom was composed of the native whites, foreigners and the Asian, Latin American and African immigrants, learning was quite interesting. However, this did not bar me from knowing much about my people’s culture. Since our teachers were conscious about our differences, they took all the necessary initiatives to make us be identified with our respective cultural traditions. I believe that my teachers did a great job towards my holistic development. By recognizing and affirming my culture, they were preparing me for life in my society. In fact, it has made me be so successful both in my academic, professional and day to day life. As an educationist, I am aware that educational environments are always composed of people from different cultural backgrounds. Since each and every learner should be treated as an individual, I have been taking it upon myself to ensure that I acknowledge their diversities. In my capacity as an instructor, I do promote equality amongst all my learners. None of these students should be discriminated upon based on their culture. In my class, I always ensure that each and every learner’s culture is safeguarded and not looked down upon (Nieto & Bode, 2012). It is important to

Western Artists Have Approached The Orient At Various Moments With Research Paper

Western Artists Have Approached The Orient At Various Moments With Perfectly Honourable Intentions And Genuine Respect - Research Paper Example At the end of the paper the writer shall conclude by saying that the western artists indeed have approached the orient in a honourable and respected fashion, as the case ought to have been. Orientalism is a term, which is used in history fir the depiction of the Eastern art by the writers, artists, painters and authors belonging from the western countries. In order to understand the contribution of the western artists on orientalism, it is pertinent to understand the definition of orientalism. Following is the definition of Orientalism: â€Å"The countries of Asia, especially of eastern Asia.† Orient is the word, which has been given to the east and the art of the east, which consists of the Middle East, India, Turkey and North Africa. â€Å"Figures in Middle Eastern dress appear in Renaissance and Baroque works by such artists as Bellini, Veronese, and Rembrandt, and the opulent eroticism of harem scenes appealed to the French Rococo aesthetic.† The earliest indication s of Orient Art in the western culture started to show up in the 15th century, when the renaissance movement had started. The intermingling of the Western people with the Asian and the eastern culture was paramount and fundamental towards the development of Orientalism. Beginning of Orientalism: â€Å"In 1798, a French army led by General Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt and occupied the country until 1801. The European presence in Egypt attracted Western travelers to the Near and Middle East, many of whom captured their impressions in paint or print. In 1809, the French government published the first installment of the twenty-four-volume Description de l'Egypte (1809–22), illustrating the topography, architecture, monuments, natural life, and population of Egypt.† Once the French initiated orientalism, more and more European nations started coming forwards by taking interest in the culture of the Middle East and eastern Asia. The taste for orientalism manifested itsel f in European architecture, the building styles and the furniture. Orientalism has positively influenced the design and art of the European architecture. Orientalism in Architecture: The Middle Eastern style of architecture had a major influence and was a source of inspiration for the European countries, as well as motivating them to build similar style of building in their own countries. The Guildhall, London, is an important example where the British adopted the Indian style of architecture during the late 17th century. The Indian style of architecture was also known as Hindoo Style of architecture. Another example of the Indian style of architecture is the Sezincote house, which was built from the inspiration of the nawab style of Bengal. The intermingling of the culture of the east with the western adaptation had already started once the British invaded India. It is imperative to state that the British were heavily inspired by the tomb style architecture of the Muslims and the N awabs, and that reflected in their sense of architecture design of the future. Apart from learning the influence of the Indian architecture, the Western people also took great influence form the Turkish style of construction, which was an integral part of the 19th century French architecture. French Orientalism: French orientalism kick started in the early 18th century after Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Egypt as part of his annexation agenda in Asia. The French invasion of Egypt has a great role to play to influence the French tribes and locals to start inheriting the Egypt form of art back to their home country. The major influence which the French took form Egypt was in the form of painting, especially oil

Mary Warren Essay Example for Free

Mary Warren Essay Arthur Miller Shows Mary Warren in different limelight’s of power. At the beginning of the play there is an aspect of her having no power but as you go through the play there seems to be shifts in her power. Miller uses Mary to demonstrate young, single women’s power and how when you have so much power it can just slip right out of your hands in one brief moment. Miller shows that power can be taken away pretty easily and quite absentmindedly from Mary Warren’s character. He demonstrates this by making her young and single and setting the scene to a subservient, naive girl. This makes her prepared to answer and obey others unquestioningly and serving as a means to an end. In Act 1, Mary has a conversation with Abigail about the dancing. ‘I never done any of it, Abby. I only looked. ’ This shows us that she lacks the confidence to get involved, making us see that Miller is trying to present a very timid, scared girl. Marys fear is also shown through this dialogue. A sense of her having no power is shown through Millers use of stage direction. ‘(Enter Proctor. On seeing him Mary jumps in fright)’. Miller is trying to illustrate the lack of confidence and courage she has to stand up to him. This is also a remark of the amount of importance he has upon her. This is also shown in dialogue. ‘I forbid you to leave the house’. In these quotes Miller shows that young, single women have very little to no power and importance in Salem at this time. By Act 2 Mary Warrens character develops, so much so that Elizabeth is starting to fear her, ‘She frightened all my strengths away. ’ This shows that Miller is making Mary stronger and more confidence that other characters have to talk about her behind her back. Even though Proctor still believes she is a ‘mouse’ and still sees her as that, Elizabeth says ‘It is a mouse no more. ’ Miller makes the other character see that there has been a spark switch on in Marys head. All this is shown through the dialogue of the other characters on the stage at this time. Miller uses other characters to illustrate how Mary’s character has changed over a little while. At the end of act two there is an immediate power shift between Proctor and Mary. This is when Mary tells Proctor ‘I saved her life today’. ‘Her’ meaning Elizabeth, when Mary shares this with Proctor, he lowers the whip. The power shift is symbolised with this exact moment, Miller shows this moment through a stage direction. Then Marys dialogue after the power shift shows a side of Mary that we have never seen before, this is where she finally decides to stand up for herself. Miller shows her frustration at her lack of power and her lack of freedom that she is missing out on in a stage direction and her dialogue. ‘(with a stamp of her foot): I’ll not be ordered to bed no more, Mr Proctor! I am eighteen and a woman, however single. ’ In this quote Miller presents a respectful lady, however angry, who knows her authorities around the Proctors but still thinks that she has some say in what she does in her life. Miller also shows a depth to Mary’s character through her dialogue. In Act 3, Mary has reverted to her timid self like we saw in Act 1, this is shown through her silence and through Proctor speaking for her. In this part Miller tries to make her the weakest character in this Act through stage directions such as ‘(Mary is keeping her eyes to the ground)’ At the end of Act 3, Proctor threatens Mary in to telling the judges that Elizabeth did and is not using witchcraft and accusing Abigail of using it instead. This is effective because Proctor use his tender side for most of this Act ‘(He lifts Mary’s chin. ) You cannot weep, Mary. Remember the angel, what he says to the boy. But at the last minute Proctor turns on his threatening side and turns on Mary to help him. This is just like at the end of Act 2 when he decides to turn on Mary, there is a strong correlation between Mary’s power and her importance. Abigail also starts to threaten Mary in to accusing Proctor of using witchcraft and not to listen to Proctor no more by pretending that Mary is using witchcraft. ‘(backing further, eyes still fixed above): Mary, please don’t hurt me! ’ Miller tries to show in this part that Mary is powerless by using Abigail’s dialogue to portray this.

The Debate on E-learning: Advantages and Disadvantages

The Debate on E-learning: Advantages and Disadvantages People have different opinions about e learning. Some people think that e-learning is innovative and it reduces the time and distance barriers of education while the other group thinks that e-learning leads to feelings of isolation and frustrations (Handzic Ho-hur, 2005). E-learning can be defined as using network technologies to create, foster, deliver and facilitate learning, anytime and anywhere (Liaw, 2008 cited in Duan et.al., 2010). Due to globalisation corporations have to deal with more complex and uncertain situations nowadays. To survive and succeed in this environment the organisations have to keep up with the pace and have to be more innovative and efficient (Handzic Ho-hur, 2005). It is important to keep the employees up-to-date not only in the technology but also with the implications which use the technology and yield for more efficient and effective working (Newton Doonga, 2007). Corporate e-learning can be done in the form of e-training. Newton (2007) Doonga (2007) define Entraining as an environment in which training or instruction in a range of skills or techniques can be developed using computer technology. The purpose of this paper is to identify the benefits limitations of corporate e-learning to organisations. Corporate E-learning is the future of the business world. Corporate want to save more and more costs by having more corporate e-learning rather than sending their employees to different locations for getting the required training. Literature review Secondary Data: The literature review will discuss the various advantages and limitations of e-learning. The literature reviewed considers both qualitative and quantitative analysis in their research. The purpose of the literature review is to find gaps in the study that has been conducted on e-learning. This includes benefits, limitations and purpose of e-learning. Following are the benefits of e-learning: 1. Technological changes increase the velocity of work environment:   Technology has changed the way people live, work, think, and learn (Urdan Weggen 2000). The work force of today has to be on their toes to get a contract, to achieve targets and all the challenges that come their way. They have to understand a lot of information in a short span of time. The rate at which new products and services are introduced in the market is extra ordinary. As production cycles and life spans of products continue to shorten, information and training quickly become obsolete (Urdan Weggen 2000). The training managers have to deliver the services more efficiently and quickly. Training managers feel the urgency to deliver knowledge and skills more rapidly and efficiently whenever and wherever needed. In the age of just-in-time production, just-in-time training becomes a critical element to organizational success (Urdan Weggen 2000). 2. Cost Savings: Strother citing Newton Doonga (2007) assesses the effectiveness of e-learning in corporate training programs and gives some very impressive examples of à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ nancial beneà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ts of corporate e-learning. She quotes that IBMs reported saving of $200 million in 1999 through conversion of their training delivery methods to e-learning, Ernst and Youngs reduction of training costs by 35% gained by replacing 80% of classroom instruction by using e-training and Rockwell Collins reduction of training expenditure of 40% by converting 25% of their traditional instruction to e-training (Newton Doonga, 2007) . Corporate e-learning also saves on the travelling of the trainers which can be used as optimum use of their skills.   3. Accessibility Flexibility of delivery: Schriver Giles 1999 prove that one of the benefits of e-learning us the accessibility and flexibility of delivery. It is cheaper to deliver the projects through reduced opportunity costs and reduced time away from work. It also helps to reach the wider constituencies, also to the most remote areas.  Ã‚   4. Globalization of business is resulting in manifold challenges: Advances in information technology and falling trade barriers facilitate business around the globe. As borders become less meaningful, global competition intensifies. International expansion has led to larger and more complex corporations. Todays businesses have more locations in different time zones and employ larger numbers of workers with diverse cultural backgrounds and educational levels than ever. Thus, more information has to be delivered in increasingly larger organizations, challenging internal planning, logistics, and distribution. Corporations worldwide are now seeking more innovative and efficient ways to deliver training to their geographically-dispersed workforce (Urdan Weggen 2000).   5. Trainees learn at their own pace: The trainees can take their own time in understanding the concept and dont have to rush. E-learning also helps them to have the training material in their gasp whenever required. Also it can be referred whenever needed (Elliot Clayton, 2007).   Community building and Interactivity (Handzic Ho-Hur, 2005): E-learning helps in community building and increases a lot of interactivity between the trainer and the trainee between different parts of the world. A research was conducted in state of online learning in U.S. higher education. The study was aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education based on responses from more than 2,500 colleges and universities. The below graph indicates the growth of students taking at least one online course. Limitations of e-learning: E-learning limitations can be categorized as technological limitations, personal issues and design limitations (Wong, 2007). Technological limitations: Wong 2007 believes that for e-learning you need to have a computer or a laptop to have access to e-learning. Rumble (2000) cited in Wong (2007) says that e-learning comes with benefits such as unlimited access 24 hours, 7 days a week, this privilege does not seem to be feasible for some people in rural areas due to the inability to access Internet services. The Internet penetration rate in Malaysia is only 31.8 % (Phang, 2004 cited in Wong, 2007). Good internet speeds are the basic requirement and these are only available in few places and not in all. Bose 2003 cited in Wong 2007 mentioned that, while it is feasible to access to high-speed bandwidth within the university campus, it becomes a problem outside the campus, where Internet facilities are less sophisticated. Handzic Ho-hur (2007) say that a lot of researchers think that e-learning lead to feelings of isolation, frustration, anxiety and confusion.   Personal issues (Wong 2007): Lack of personal technological skills can be an issue in e-learning. The new people coming and joining e-learning might feel clueless as they dont have a teacher to guide them.   Elearners have to be techno savvy. Hamid (2002) cited in Wong (2007) stated that technical skills could cause frustration to e-learning students due to the unconventional e-learning environment and isolation from others. Dringus (200) cited in Macpherson et al. (2004) agrees Hamid saying that e-learners may be unable to sustain their momentum unless they have right skills and they are self motivated. Design Limitations: Poor design of the e-learning courseware is a major issue for learners and e-learning providers Ivergard Hunt (2005) cited in Wong (2007). The design should be easy to understand so that the learner has the motivation to learn. Courseware design should be tailored to the needs of the learners: it should be easy to use and students should have easy access to guidance and information (Howell, Williams Lindsay 2003; James-Gordon, Young Bal, 2003 cited in Wong 2007). The following example explains how China adopted E-learning with the help of 5 influential factors (Duan et al., 2010). Another example of corporate e-learning is taken up by Japan. The Japan e-learning market reached 1350 billion yen in 2004, an increase of 41.3% from 2003 (Schnack, 2005). Traditional learning: Traditional learning is sitting in the class physically and taking lessons. The traditional classroom setting adds value in terms of instruction clarity. Traditional learning is available almost every part of the world where education is available. Students and the teachers are comfortable with the classroom environment as they have been always used to it. Teaching in this environment is more informal (Chen Jones, 2007). Traditional classroom teaching gives an opportunity to the students to ask spontaneous questions in the class. The teacher can answer to the queries of the students right in the class. Traditional learning gives opportunity to students to interact with other students and have live discussions on topics and have different opinions on one concept. Interaction between students is an important part of individual development. Teachers use situations to explain concepts to students which give them a practice to think on the spot and come up with solutions in a quick time (Lunce, 2006). Studies on e-learning have identified lots of benefits like cost savings, flexibility and accessibility of delivery and community building and interactivity (Newton Doonga). Also there is extensive research on the limitations of e-learning. The biggest difference between the two learning is the delivery methods so it is very important to do a proper research in this matter to find the differences. Important goal of this study was to be able to make meaningful comparisons between two delivery methods (Chen Jones, 2007). Mind the gap: Studies on e-learning have identified a lot of benefits and limitations. There is not a lot of research done on the difference between traditional room learning and  e-learning. This research will give us an idea about what do people prefers? Though there are many benefits proven but its the people who will be using e-learning in day to day life, so it is very important to take their opinion into  consideration. In other words we will try to find the user friendly of e-learning in the opinion of the people using this. This research will also give an idea to the people planning to take up e-learning in future. This research should be able to justify the benefits and limitations of e-learning in comparison to the traditional classroom learning. Research question: What do people prefer, e-learning or traditional classroom learning and why? Research Design: Methods, Methodology Data Collection: Methods are the techniques that are used to collect and analyse the data. Methodology determines whether the implementation of particular methods is successful or not (Veal. The method that can be used for this will be quantitative qualitative methods. The qualitative methods will help gathering information in depth and will be more subjective. The quantitative research will be more objective and will be analysed more statistically. Qualitative methods Samples / Focus groups: People from different organisations who use e-learning, a sample will be from organisation which does not use e-learning, a group of students who use learning and the last group who does not. Focus groups can be made and asked about the benefits of e-learning and traditional learning. This debate will give a good knowledge about the thoughts of people about both the concepts. The findings from the focus groups will help us to prepare the questionnaire for the in depth interviews. Different questionnaires will be used for different groups. As the demographics of each group will be different the questions have to be prepared keeping the purpose of the research in mind. Questions asked to the organisations using e-learning will be mostly based on the benefits, limitations and the improvements to be made in e-learning, while on the other side the non user group will be educated first about e-learning and then asked whether they will be keen to move to e-learning. The questions will be based on workplace e-learning. Same technique of two different questionnaire used for two groups will be used for the student groups but with different set of questions which will be more based on e-learning school education. In-depth interviews: The questionnaire made with the help of the findings of the focus groups will be explanatory. In-depth interviews will give an insight of the thinking of people regarding these concepts. The in depth interviews questions will be connected to each other. Quantitative methods: Surveys: Surveys will be conducted in general to get statistics of the number of people interested in e-learning or traditional learning. The questionnaire of the survey will be a mix of open ended and close ended questions. The questions in this survey will be more general to get the numbers only, like how many people are interested in e-learning and how many in traditional classroom learning. Data Analysis: Data Analysis will be divided into 3 different stages: Data Reduction: The irrelevant data will be discarded and only the data which is necessary and related to the research topic will be kept. Data Display :The data will be displayed with the help of graphs and tables as visual graphs can give a better understanding of the data. Conclusion: The findings and the important stuff of the research will be entered in the form of a report. These conclusions are stored so that they be used for future researches as well. Conclusion: As seen through the various journals and sources related to e-learning, it is quite obvious that the story is rather two-fold. There are studies conducted to test the worthiness of e-journal, whether people prefer to use this method, but as indicated earlier, there isnt much research on comparing the traditional classroom method of teaching with the so-called future of teaching e-learning. Where corporate are required to provide knowledge through interdisciplinary areas of the organization, e-learning tends to be a cost-saving method of knowledge dispersion. Though this might be true, there are a lot of people who prefer human interaction, rather the traditional method of learning. Based on this, I decided that future research can be conducted to find out what types of industries, entities or any such establishment, hence an increased number of surveys throughout the workspace spectrum are extremely important to find out the preferences of people in different parts of the globe.

Alternative Energies Essay -- Fossil Fuels, Solar Energy

Do you have to pay to put fuel in a vehicle? I know I do and it's becoming more of a large burden rather than just another small expense of living. It's safe to say that the majority of people owning motor vehicles dislike the constant fluctuation in the price of oil and gasoline. The four worst polluters when it comes to the burning of fossil fuels are the United States, China, Japan, and Britain (Editorial par. 3). At the rate at which it is rising now, vehicles are soon going to be a luxury because people will not be able to afford the price of fuel. One possible solution to this problem, and many other instances that rely on the burning of fossil fuels, is the use of renewable energy sources. Two of the more notable energies are solar and wind power. Both are resources that cannot be depleted. The light from the sun can be transformed into electricity, used to power furnaces and air-conditioners, and warm up water (Solar Energy par. 1). In reality, the sun is the source that cre ated almost every source of energy on Earth, whether it is a direct or indirect effect (Solar Energy par. 3). â€Å"Concentrating solar power offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy options that can help meet our nation's demand for electricity.† (www.eere.energy.gov). Wind power is another one of the possibilities to replace the burning of fossil fuels. It was very popular for energy to be created by windmills in the past, but fossil fuels have become the replacement for such devices. Many would like to see a return to the use of windmills because it provides an energy source that is completely clean and renewable (Wind Energy par. 1). There are many projects already devoted to bringing about this major change in technology. The Interna... ...nlight, solar energy can not be produced very efficiently or may not be able to be produced at all (Solar Energy par 53). Solar energy is not the only alternative energy that has its downfalls. One disadvantage of using wind power is the intense sound that the turbines produce. This is the reason that most â€Å"wind farms† are placed on the countryside or away from communities (Wind Energy par. 81). Another drawback is the large amount of space that is required for the placement of wind turbines. As stated before, the land can still be used for other conventional means after the turbines are built. Finding an area large enough near big cities is the reason that using wind energy for electricity has not become a popular method to produce energy (Wind Energy par. 83). Believe it or not, there are actually some negative effects that wind power imposes on the environment.

Singing in the Rain Essay -- essays research papers

The hit musical "Singin' in the Rain" may possibly be one of if not the greatest musicals of all time. With it's tale of the film world of the mid 1920's and its creative underlining love story between Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), it provokes the interest of someone who would not generally be attracted to a musical. It is a classic masterpiece that set the standards that musical films of today will be judged by. It is a classic performance by the great Gene Kelly and displays outstanding performances by Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. As well as starring in this brilliant movie, Gene Kelly teams up with Stanley Donen to make their mark in film history. In my opinion, what set the stage for the level of entertainment that this movie contains is the opening scene. The opening scene set the role of sarcasm in the movie and gave the movie an immediate sense of humor. Four individual parts of movie making come together in this film to create a dynamic opening sequence. The basic principles of sound, editing, mise en scene, and cinematography collectively give this opening sequence a memorable quality that is without match. The opening of Singin' in the Rain takes place at the opening of the new movie "The Royal Rascal" starring Don Lockwood and Lena Lamont. There are famous people all around and their fans are loving every second of it. The fans' faces are full of joy and awe as their favorite actors and actresses enter the large building that will soon be showing the new movie. Soon, the two people that everyone in Hollywood is dying to see, appear in their stretched Rolls Royce and bring the crowd to its feet. As Lockwood and Lamont exit their luxurious ride they are received lovingly by everyone. They walk to the front of the building and are introduced to the crowd. Then the question is posed to Mr. Lockwood, "How did it all begin?" The answering of this question is what my paper will explain. I will attempt to break down the opening scene and show how it all started. By using tools of film such as sound, editing, mise en scene, and cinematography, this paper will show how the scene was made as well. Mise en scene played an important role in this movie as with any other movie. The properties of mise en scene were fully effective in the beginning flashback scene. At the beginning of Don Lockw... ...nd that the superimposed duo were taken from. They proceed to dance for a couple of minutes and when they are finished there is no reaction. There is a cut and we see a point-of-view shot in terms of Don and Cosmo to see that the audience is booing. This is the last scene before they actually get to Hollywood. Singin' in the Rain is the musical that all other musicals should be judged by. It tells a story that only others had dreamed of telling. Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds and the great Gene Kelly help give one of the greatest performances of all times in a musical. With the help of superb editing, sound, mise en scene, and cinematography, this film cannot be topped. The fist scene of the movie creates an atmosphere that helps the viewer know that he/she will enjoy this wonderful classic. Throughout the movie there are surprises and fun that makes this a movie that people will want to watch again and again. Gene Kelly said it best when he said, "Dignity, always dignity." That is what this movie has from beginning to end, dignity. The best thing we could possibly do is forget about our worries and just start Singin' in the Rain. Courtesy of Chew (1995) U. of Maryland

The Presidential Election of 2000 Essay -- Politics Political

The Presidential Election of 2000 Presidential election cycles are always three-ring circuses, and the 2000 election has become one of the biggest circuses ever. With a two-term president unable to seek re-election, the House of Representatives clearly up for grabs, and Democrats counting on major Senate gains -- even hoping to win control -- there is a lot at stake in this year's elections. Republicans' optimism is based on their view that they will take back the White House after an eight-year hiatus. GOP insiders believe that Americans are tired of Bill Clinton, have doubts about Vice President Al Gore and are ready for change. Republican turnout was down in 1998, which helps account for the party's poor showing in the off-year elections. And even the most loyal Republican will agree that the party's recent presidential nominees, Bob Dole and former President George Herbert Walker Bush (in 1992), failed to excite Republicans and Independents. GOP strategists think that strength at the top of the ticket in 2000 wil l help all Republican candidates. Democrats have reasons to worry about the presidential race. While Republicans held the White House for three consecutive terms from 1980 to 1992, voters often grow tired of one party after two terms. Ethics questions and controversies involving Clinton and Gore have also given Republicans ammunition. And recent history isn't with the Democrats. Only four sitting vice presidents -- John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren and George Bush -- were elected directly to the presidency in the entire history of the nation. Al Gore is hoping to make it five. The GOP presidential nominee, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, recovered after a shaky start during the primary season and tried to establish education as his most important issue. Surveys throughout the summer showed him with an early lead, which grew dramatically just before the GOP's national convention. Those same polls showed voters gave him high marks on his ability to handle key issues, including traditional Democratic ones such as health care, education and Social Security. Even more important, those same polls showed him with a significant advantage over the vice president in the area of leadership. But Gore changed all that with his performance on the last day of the Democrats' Los Angeles national convention. Whether it was the highly publiciz... ... seats and still win control of that body. The Reform and Green Parties still remain a question mark. While the Reform Party was split early on between its Pat Buchanan and John Hagelin wings, Buchanan was finally awarded the $12.6 million in federal funds that the party was due. But Buchanan, who was thought to be a headache for Bush, has proved to be a non-factor. Hagelin is the Natural Law Party's nominee, though he is also on some state ballots as the Reform nominee. Meanwhile, Ralph Nader, the Green Party nominee, has become a factor in the presidential contest. While he clearly lost some support after the Democratic convention, he seemed to gain steam during October, increasing his vote in key states, such as Oregon and Washington. The presidential race appears to heading toward a showdown in about a dozen states, with the outcome in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and the Northwest most important. It's very clear that there is a lot at stake in the 2000 elections. But the voters don't seem passionate about one party or the other. That means that all the races -- from president down to the House -- will focus on individual candidates and their campaigns.

Comparison and Analysis Across Theories Essay

The purpose of the nursing theories is to provide an interrelating framework focusing on the nursing practice. The defined nursing theories promote better patient care, improve the status of nursing profession, and improve the communication between the nurses, and provide guidance to the researches and education (Keefe, 2011). Not all nursing theories have the same meanings; however, they play the important role of explaining the key concepts and principles of nursing practice in understanding way. Dorothy Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory and Sister Callista Roy’s Adaptation Model are considered as grand nursing theories. The grand nursing theories are a conceptual model, which identifies the focal point of nursing inquiry and guide the development of mid-range theories that will become useful to nurses and also to other health professionals. According to Walker and Avant (2011), these theories contributed in â€Å"conceptually sorting the nursing from the practice of medicine by demonstrating the presence of distinct nursing perspectives.† In this essay, Orem’s Health Care Deficit Theory and Sister Callista Roy’s Adaptation Model are compared and analyzed for their importance in nursing. Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory is one of three grand theories written by Dorothea E. Orem. According to Orem, nursing becomes necessary when an individual can no longer care for him or herself. Nursing provides care through acting, guiding, supporting, teaching, and environmental manipulation promoting personal development. Orem developed this theory from her experience and personal connection with the Vincentian-Louisiana nursing tradition of the Daughters of Charity (Libster, 2008.) Roy’s Adaptation Model Roy’s Adaptation Model provides the framework for nurses by viewing the adaptability of patients to internal and external stimuli in their environments (Alligood & Tomey, 2006.) Reponses to these stimuli can be either adaptive, which promote the goals of â€Å"human survival, growth, reproduction and mastery,† or non-adaptive (â€Å"Roy’s Adaptation,† 2011.) Metaparadigm The metaparadigm for nursing is the concepts that define the nursing practice. Since 1970s, person, nursing, health, and environment are considered as the core concepts of nursing theories by many nursing theorists. Person According to Orem, a person is made of a physical, psychological, and social character with variable degrees of self-care ability (â€Å"Dorothea Orem’s Self,† 2011.) Roy views a person as â€Å"an adaptive system that responds to internal and external stimuli in their environments† (Alligood & Tomey, 2006.) Nursing Orem and Roy have the different attitude toward the concept of nursing. Orem sees nursing as an intervention to meet the daily needs for self-care and medical-care patients need (â€Å"Dorothea Orem’s Self,† 2011.) Roy believes nursing as a key player to help patients to develop coping mechanism and positive outcome from the constant stimuli exposure. Roy’s goal is for the patient to achieve adaptation leading to optimum health, well-being, quality of life, death with dignity, and finding in life by participating in their own care (Roy & Andrews, 1999.) Health Orem defines health as â€Å"physical, mental and social well being† (â€Å"Dorothea Orem’s Self,† 2011.) Roy views health as a method used by patients to obtain their utmost possible health regardless of the presence or absence of disease. Environment Orem and Roy both state the individual exists in an environment. Orem sees the environment in two dimensions, the physical, chemical, biologic features and socioeconomic features, which influence the self-care requirements of the individual (â€Å"Dorothea Orem’s Self,† 2011.) According to Roy, the environment consists of stimuli including conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding an individual, whether focal, contextual, or residual. In Practice Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory and Roy’s Adaptation Model can be applied to groups or individuals, and used at any nursing settings. However, Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory is more recommended for the acute-care setting, where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness. Orem focuses on finding the self-care deficit of the patient and providing the necessary care to promote his or her well-being. Whereas, Roy is concerned with the different stimuli that forces adaptation in order to achieve optimal health. Roy’s Adaptation Model views the person as an adaptive system which includes the four adaptive modes. These adaptive modes are: physiological-physical mode, self-concept-group identity mode, role function mode, and interdependence mode. Although first two modes can be identified immediately, the assessment of role function mode and interdependence mode is time consuming. Therefore, Roy’s Adaptatio n Model is not suitable for acute-care setting. Conclusion Having defined nursing theories promotes better patient care, improve the status of nursing profession, and improve the communication between the nurses. In addition to guiding the nurses to provide the best care to the patients, nursing theories are used to promote and guide baccalaureate programs, administration and nursing research. Many organizations now exist to support the advancement of nursing profession. Sigma Theta Tau International, the Honor Society of Nursing, is created to â€Å"support the learning, knowledge and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide† (â€Å"STTI Organizational,† 2011.) International Orem Society â€Å"promote the advancement of nursing science and provide scholarship in the area of Orem’s Theory of Self-Care Deficit Nursing to lead to further advancement of knowledge for the discipline of nursing† (â€Å"International Orem,† 2011.) The Roy Adaptation Association (RAA) is a society of nursing scholars who want to â€Å"advance nursing practice by developing basic and clinical nursing knowledge based on the Roy Adaptation Model† (â€Å"Roy Adaptation,† 2011.) These organizations along with progression of the nursing theories will promote the advancement of nursing science and enhance the nursing profession. References Alligood, M., & Tomey, A. (2006). Nursing Theory: Utilization & Application (3rd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby. Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Theory. (2011, October 14). Retrieved November 6, 2011, from Nursing Theories Web site: http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/self_care_deficit_theory.html International Orem Society for Nursing Science and Scholarship. (2011). Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://www.orem-society.com/ Keefe, S. (2011). About Nursing Theory. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from eHow.com Web site: http://www.ehow.com/about_5471364_nursing-theory.html Libster, M. (2008). Perspectives on the History of Self-Care. Self-Care and Dependent-care Nursing the Official Journal of the International Orem Society, 16(2), 8. Roy Adaptation Association. (2011, October 27). Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/schools/son/faculty/featured/theorist/Roy_Adaptation_Association.html Roy, C., & Andrews, H. (1999). The Roy Adaptation Model (2nd ed.). Stanford, CT: Appleton and Lange. Roy’s Adaptation Model. (2011, April 22). Retrieved November 5, 2011, from Nursing Theories Web site: http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Roy_adaptation_model.html STTI Organizational Fact Sheet: Mission and Vision. (2011). Retrieved November 5, 2011, from http://www.nursingsociety.org/aboutus/mission/Pages/factsheet.aspx Walker, L. O., & Avant, K. C. (2011). Strategies For Theory Construction in Nursing (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Health Science.

Illogical Campaigns Against Vending Machines

Vending machines are ingenious inventions that come in all sizes and shapes giving customized and quick services in efficient manner at a cheap cost. In recent times, there has been a rigorous campaign to kick soda vending machines out of schools in the US owing to the perceived problem of increment of obesity among many American children.Soda vending machines should be included in schools but in the teachers lounge because for them (teachers), are mature enough to make decisions about their health. Contained therein in this paper are arguments in favor of this proposition and misconception of the same through facts that are present and are hard to ignore.For starters, these vending machines generate a lot of income for student organizations. A survey released at Roosevelt showed that these machines raked in about $40,000 in a recent year. Elimination of the machines from schools may result in the bankruptcy of student programs that depended on revenues from the vending machines.Clos ely related to this is the fact that these machines might be supplying less than par calories but this can not possibly eliminate obesity in the American society. Vending machines might be a part of the problem, but their contribution is negligible because obesity problems start at home with unhealthy eating habits of living on fast foods only.These campaigns are about patronizing students by parents and school administration in their thinking that they know what is best for them and forgetting that these students can choose for themselves from a rich menu of drinks that is offered by these machines.These students are aware of the side effects that are associated with consumption of sodas and many parents think that the machines only sell drinks that contain over added artificial sugars. In these same machines, you get sugar free diet sodas with no calories, bottled water, juices and even milk which are as popular as any other carbonated drink.Another baseless argument for banning v ending machines in schools is to rid our schools of commercialism claiming that this is detrimental to students learning. This is a very interesting argument that borders absurdity and ridicule. US is a capitalist country and the current culture trend supports this idealism through splashing of the whole country with advertisements from our TVs in our living rooms to erection of billboards on every available space in out cities.Soda companies are not the only companies that have their advertisement in our school but we have other companies erecting their billboards in schools like Nike cloth line labels. Most of the materials that we use in classes come with signatures of the manufacturing companies which then defeat the nonsensical idea of routing commercialism from our schools.ConclusionImportant and vital concerns have been raised about the influence of unhealthy sodas in our schools which might be contributing to the glide into abyss of obesity of obesity by the American society .Sodas are healthier compared to plain water available in taps and therefore it is better to take a soda than nothing. About riding commercialism from our schools, this is an argument that neglects to address other commercialism through advertisements that surround students around school and at home.The bid to kick vending machines from our schools is a campaign that tackles real concerns about obesity and commercialism in our society but from the wrong angle. This will only result in failure of the noble cause and therefore there is no point of denying our students much needed services of the machines and also the revenues associated with them.

Oneself Changes Essay

God image’ is the subjective emotional experience of God. It is shaped by our experience of our parents and enables us to continue earlier learned relational patterns. The term, God Image is used to refer to one’s internal, intra-psychic, emotional representation of God. The God Image develops during childhood as the children are confronted with their limitations, and recognizes powers beyond their own work in their environment. This essay will focus on the ‘God image’ as it will be trying to explain ‘how Rizzuto show that as the image of one changes, so too, does one’s image of God change’. Before that, this paper will start by briefing a history of Rizzuto. Ana Maria-Rizzuto was an American psychoanalyst who began her interest in looking at Religion through the eyes of her discipline in 1963 when she was asked to teach a course in the seminary on the psychological foundations of belief. She was inspired by Freud’s insights into the role of parents in search of project with patients admitted to a private psychiatric hospital. Twenty patience were studied, ten men and ten women. The goal of her project was to study the possible origins of the individual’s private representation of God and its subsequent elaborations. Rizzuto took her basic hypothesis from Freud who had connected the individual’s ‘father in flesh’ with God. Freud claimed that all people create their own gods on the basis of early relationships shaped in childhood. In doing his project, Rizzuto had each one fill out detailed questionnaire and then she interviewed each to gain a comprehensive life history. In order to understand her subjects thoroughly, Rizzuto asked them to talk about themselves at the different stages of their growth, about their relationships, conflicts and problems. Her end goal was to be able to make a complex assessment and come to a clinical interpretation of the quality of each subject’s relationships in those private and subjective areas of experience which do not lend themselves easily to statistical analysis (Graham13-5). Rizzuto focused on the formation of an individual’s private representation of God during childhood, its modifications and uses during the entire course of life. She calls this process of formation the â€Å"Birth of the Living God†. As the image of one change, so, too does the one’s image of God change. Rizzuto says that the images and experiences from the earliest years, before oedipal struggles, seem to play a key role. The child alone does not create a God. According to Rizzuto, the development of a child throws light on the way the image and the concept of God come into being and interact. The new born baby has no interpersonal experience. The infant has the experience of the mother, the father and the siblings. The child has a multitude of interpersonal experiences. It is at age of three when the child becomes consciously curious about God. â€Å"A three year old oedipal child, for instance, has great curiosity and wants to know the why of living† (208). The child is especially interested in the causes of things like, ‘why do trees move? Where does the wind come from? The child ceaseless chaining of causes or animistic notions of causality will inevitably lead her/him to think of a superior being. The idea of God suits a child well because her parents and adult are already in her mind superior beings of great size and power. The child easily moves to an anthropomorphic understanding of God as a powerful being like her parents†(Rizzuto qtd in Winnicott 97) The child soon discovers that God is invisible; therefore, he is left to inner resources to fill the image of God as a living being described for him as a person. The powerful fantasy of the child has to ‘create’ the powerful being. As a result, as the image of o ne change, so, too does the one’s image of God changes. Also, an image of God can be created for a new human being through parental and societal devotion to God as like its parents. The child observes its parents and adults giving devotion to God. Since the child’s parents are like God to the child, the parent’s devotion to someone even greater than themselves is a mystery to the child. The parents and God then become associated and not clearly distinguished. The parents as objects become internalized, form the self and become symbolized by God image (Rizzuto qtd in Nelson 35). Horowitz writes, Rizzuto claims that, it is not known what psychic processes take place inside the child at that early age or the selective procedures that bring him/her to use one type of interpersonal experience and reject nother to form his/her image of God. What is known is that, the child has an image of God which he/she spontaneously uses in his/her questioning about him and in his own religious behavior? This early image may, to be sure undergo changes in later life. â€Å"This does not alter the fact that the child has formed his image of God out of interpersonal ex periences before he is intellectually mature enough to grasp the concept of God†( Horowitz 63). When the time comes for the child to receive formal religious teaching, his image of God and the concept of God will also change just as the image of one change (64). Furthermore, Rizzuto acknowledges the idea of Winnicot who says that, when a child grows and matures, he/she will come to his intermediate area of experience, which constitutes the greater part of infant’s experience, and â€Å"throughout life is retained in the intense experiencing that belongs to the arts and to religion and to imaginative and to creative scientific work† (14). At this stage, â€Å"instead of God losing meaning, his meaning becomes heightened by the oedipal experience and all other pre-genital events that have contributed to the reelaboration of his representational characteristics† (Rizzuto 178). Sometimes, however he may seem to lose meaning, paradoxically, on account of being rejected, ignored, and suppressed or found temporarily unnecessary. Lawrence broadened the understanding of what influences the development of the God Image in line with the idea of Rizzuto. It is now more commonly recognized that other relationships and experiences also impact the development of the God Image. One may again ask that, â€Å"Does young people who have not received any kind of religious education in general develop images of God? † This question can be answered with the findings of Rizzuto. She claims that in a very early age every child begins to form its image of God through parental messages about God. The image of God gets a clearer shape when the child begins to create so called fantasy companions, which help the child till adolescence to master inner conflicts. Amongst others, the fantasy companions can take over the role of a scapegoat, which allows the child to repulse negative impulses or they can help the child to strengthen their feelings of omnipotence or they can become caring companions of the lonely, neglected or rejected child (Lawrence 119 and Winnicot 140). Moreover, Rizzuto claims that even if a child is to be brought up in a religious or unreligious way, he/she will create God as a fantasy companion, whose existence is formed from his/her personal experience with parents and what he/she will learn about God in the environment he/she grows up in. he goes on to say that, nothing can be predicted on how the child will use the information which he/she gets about God. This means that no general statements can be made about the childlike image about God and its further development. For some children God may become very meaningful, for others God might have an evil, destructive character and for some he might not be of any importance at all. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that the as the image of a child or one changes, so, too, does the child’s or one’s image changes (Winnicott 143). Rizzuto agrees that Freud was basically correct in suggesting that God has his origins in parental imagos and that God comes to the child at the time of resolution of the oedipal crisis. That implies that all the children in Western world form a God representation- one that may later be used, neglected, or actively repressed. In all cases the type of representation the child has formed as a result of his personal experience with his self-perception. This is not because the God representation can exert any influence of its own but because the child actively uses his God representation and his transformations of it as an element in maintaining a minimum sense of relatedness and hope. Sometimes this is best archived by totally rejecting God; at other times ‘closeness’ to God offers a better solution (208). To sum up, Rizzuto tries to show that as the image of one change, so, too does the one’s image of God change. He does that by focusing on the development of a child. He writes that, the child create God image through experience and fantasy. Freud believes that only the father provides the imago for an ‘exaltation’ to Godhead but Rizzuto would then argue saying that it is either the father or the mother or both who helps in the formation of the God’s image in the child which can also affects his/her ideas and images of God later in life. Other primary objects like grandparents siblings may also provide some representational components. The entire representational process occurs in a wider context of the family, social class, organized religion and particular subcultures. All these experiences contribute a background to the shape, significance, potential use and meaning which the child or adult may bestow on their God representations.

To What Extent Does Labelling Theory Offer a Useful Contribution to the Study of Crime and Deviance in Today’s Society

Labelling Theory To what extent does labelling theory offer a useful contribution to the study of crime and deviance in today’s society Introduction This assignment will Discuss labelling theory, it will attempt to explore the contributions made by labelling theorists, the criticism towards labelling theorists, and the discussion surrounding its reality as an actual theory. However the main focus will be proving an understanding of Howard Becker‘s Labelling Theory and will describe and evaluate Labelling Theory to the study of crime. In conclusion it will discuss how relevant labelling theory is today. According to (Wellford, 1975) Labelling Theory or The Social Reaction Theory as it is more often known has been around and has developed over time from as early as 1938. It became very popular during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s were it was seen as a new departure in theories of crime and deviance particularly in sociology. Edwin Lemert is widely recognized as the founder of what is called the Societal Reaction Theory. This is the forerunner to the Social Reaction or Labelling Theory which has present day acceptance and includes many of the same concepts. Currently, labelling theory suggests that when a person commits a crime, they receive the label of criminal. When a person is labelled criminal by society, they are likely to accept this label as a part of themselves and because the person now thinks of themselves as a criminal, they are now likely to continue in their criminal behaviour (Becker, 1963). This is still relevant to this day, e. g. f a male was to murder a female he will always be seen and known as a criminal. In order to understand labelling theory, familiarization is needed with Lemert’s Societal Reaction Theory. This theory explores the journey to social deviance in two stages; primary deviance and secondary deviance. Howard Becker is widely associated with the labelling theory through his volume Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. He also developed the term â⠂¬Å"moral entrepreneur† to describe persons in power who campaign to have certain deviant behaviour outlawed. He asserts that many of the laws that have been passed have been solely for this purpose, and that behaviour which is defined as criminal is dynamic and changes throughout time and that therefore, the actual criminal behaviour is irrelevant to the theory. (Becker, 1963). Becker himself has stated however, that the concept of his work is not a theory, with all the achievements and obligations that go with the title, or focused solely on the act of labelling as some have thought. It is not a single concept, being instead a number of assorted ideas that have been brought together under one approach, although critics have called the work ambiguous, inconsistent and at best a vague perspective Becker, never sought to provide an all-embracing, etiological explanation of deviance Becker himself prefers the term ‘Interactionist Theory of Deviance' developing the study of deviance from a distinctly social perspective, considering the processes by which particular types of act or people, come to be labelled as deviant. He has been influenced by works such as Cooley's ‘looking-glass self' , Lemert's ideas of social constructionism , and Mead's theories on the internalisation of the self, Becker makes two arguments: 1. Deviant behaviour must be conceptualized in terms of a sequential model since different causes operate at different stages, 2. Rules and enforcement processes must be viewed as developing through time rather than as an isolated moment of disapproval. Definition of Labelling Theory Also known as Social Reaction Theory, this is a theory originated by Edwin Lemert and then developed by sociologist Howard Becker. It is a social theory concerned with how people perceive themselves as delinquent or criminal due to the labels, which categorized and describe certain behaviours, that are applied to them by criminal justice authorities and by others in society. The theory maintains that the labels people are given affect their own and others perceptions of them, and how the behaviour of an individual is influenced or even created by the use of certain labels (i. e. , thief, prostitute, homosexual). The resulting treatment of the individual then pushes them into performing the deviant role or back into conformity. The theory also maintains that the deviance itself is characterized by societies reaction to any alleged violation of the rules or the expectations of what are considered normal conduct. Primary Deviance Primary deviance begins with an initial criminal act. As stated by Lemart it is a rule-breaking behaviour that is carried out by people who see themselves and are indeed seen by others as basically conformist by nature. Following this act of deviance the person may be labelled as deviant or criminal by their peers and society, yet they themselves do not yet accept this label. That is to say that they do not think of themselves in terms as being a criminal. It is this lack of acceptance to see themselves as criminal which differentiates primary from secondary deviance. This person shall remain in a state of primary deviance for as long as they are capable of rationalizing and able to deal with this label by justifying the act as a socially acceptable role (Lemert, 1951). When leading on to Secondary Deviance, the criminal label is placed on an individual during what is known as a Degradation Ceremony in which the accused person is formally or officially labelled as a criminal. This would normally take place during court sentencing, but may also come about in more subtle fashions as well. For example the relatives of a person become withdrawn and distance themselves from that person when they find out they have committed a crime, regardless of whether or not they face any formal charges (Wellford, 1975). An example of this would be an exotic dancer: In today’s society an exotic dancer is a perfect example. Others may label the dancer’s act as deviant while the dancer themselves may see it as a perfectly legitimate profession as with any other occupation which enables them to earn an income. Secondary Deviance According to Lemart secondary deviance occurs when there is an acceptance by the individual of the deviant behaviour and the criminal label, it unabsorbed into their self image, they therefore see themselves from that point in time as a criminal or deviant. This then becomes a mechanism for defence, attack, or adaptation to the problems of the individual caused by society’s reaction to their primary deviation (Lemert, 1951). is only considered to have occurred when the labelled person can no longer deny the label having undergone a degradation ceremony which labels the person eviant, be this through a personal audience such as family or friends, or a more formal one such as in a court of law, both the individual and society both now accept the view that the offender is a criminal. Once they finally accept this label as a part of themselves they will act ,from this point onward, in a way befitting this new criminal label. Secondary deviances is considered to have occurred when both society and the individual share the view that the offender is a criminal. Deviant Career and Master Status Becker's theory pays particular attention to the way in which society reacts to people with criminal labels. He suggests that this label becomes the person's Master Status, meaning that it is a constant label, that affects and over-rides how others in society will view them. The status that people will use to identify and classify the person will always be that of criminal. Any other statuses a person may have had are no longer heeded nor valid in the eyes of society. A person could be a parent, employee, spouse, etc. , but the first and major status that will come to mind to other people and themselves is that of the criminal (Becker, 1963). On occasion the person's criminal master status may compel them to conform more closely to society's accepted norms. This is an attempt to show to others that the person may have made mistakes in life, but such mistakes will not happen again. From this time onwards they will act in a fashion that is deemed Normal (Foster & Dinitz & Reckless, 1972). It is believed however, that in most cases where the master status is that of a criminal, secondary deviance will be completed rather than being resisted. An identity change will take place in whereby the person will now accept the label of criminal. With this new criminal identity is in place, there is subsequent pressure for the individual to behave accordingly. Such an identity change may be signalled by a person losing contact with their former friends (conformist) and starting up associations with other criminal labelled deviants (Becker, 1963). In this new peer group of similarly minded deviants there increases the likelihood of the person not only continuing but also possibly escalating the rate and seriousness of their criminal behavior. Negative Labelling There are a number of powerful individuals within society (politicians, judges, police officers, medical doctors) who can impose some of the most significant labels. The labelled person may be a drug addict, an alcoholic, a criminal, a delinquents or a prostitute to name but a few. The consequences of being labelled a deviant can be far-reaching. Social research indicates that those who have negative labels applied to them usually have a lower self-image of themselves, that they are more likely to reject themselves, and that they may even act even more deviantly as a result of the label. The research also shows that it is unfortunate that people who accept the labelling of others, whether it is correct or incorrect, have a difficult time changing their opinions of the labelled person, even in light of evidence to the contrary. In a small study of child behavior after punishment, it was found that if the audience held the offender in a positive regard, the offender was likely to rise to these expectations and act in a manner befitting a â€Å"good boy† (Wellford, 1975). In this way it is possible to use labelling theory in a more productive manner. The implications of the study results suggest that two things can be done in order to help prevent labelling theory from having negative effects on people who've broken the law. First of all if the court atmosphere could be avoided in situations where the crime were minor offenses or misdemeanors its possible that the offender would be able to avoid formal sentencing and the degradation ceremony that goes with it. In such cases rehabilitative therapy and out-of-court settlements would be preferable. The other possibility is that a formal ceremony which would cancel the stigma associated with the degradation ceremony could be held. Perhaps a court declaration or letter that the offender is hereby rehabilitated could be used after the offender has served their punishment (Broadhead, 1974). Criticisms of Labelling Theory There have been many criticisms on labelling theorists, Becker states that how interactionist theories have been accused of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. From a logical standpoint there are flaws within the main points of Labelling Theory. At the outset the theory states that â€Å"No acts are inherently criminal† (Wellford, 1975). This implies that acts are only â€Å"criminal† when society regards them as being â€Å"criminalâ€Å". The implications of this as stated by Howard Becker are that â€Å"criminal law is dynamic and ever-changing, differing from society to societyâ€Å". If this holds true then why are certain acts illegal and labelled as criminal in the majority of the civilized world? Murder, rape, arson, armed robbery to mention a few are all considered to be crimes in any society or country one would could care to name. The theory also claims that for a criminal to be successfully labelled as deviant that an audience needs to be present in order to provide a reaction to the crimes committed. If a murder is committed where the killer successfully avoids detection or raising anyone's suspicion, would that mean that the murder was not criminal and that the killer would not think of themselves as such? It may be probable that the murderer's own value system could initialize self-labelling, but the theory clearly states the labelling must come from a 3rd party (Hagan, 1973). There have been criticisms that the terms in labelling theory lack precision, and that there is no real account taken of the central social processes, such as how every day behaviour actually needs to have a societal reaction. The methodology generally is also seen as lacking clarity, and incorporating too many commonsense definitions and assumptions. It is felt that what is needed is a more detailed study in areas such as police procedures, or the categories deployed/applied by social workers and lawyers. in the case of police behaviour, For example, in police behaviour it is clear that much depends upon the appearance, image, or attitude of the potential suspect, and that very different treatments can be aportioned to suspects, depending on the collective and immediately formed social judgements of the police officer (Cicourel 1968). Labelling theory appears to over do the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy or a deviant career, there is no real gathering of evidence for this, especially what makes a label effective and permanent, how it becomes a master identity. Examples of Research Conducted by Labelling Theorists William Chambliss in 1973 conducted a classic study into the effects of labelling. His two groups of white, male, high-school students were both frequently involved in delinquent acts of theft, vandalism, drinking, and truancy. The police never arrested the members of one group, which Chambliss abelled the â€Å"Saints,† but the police did have frequent run-ins with members of the other group, which he labelled the â€Å"Roughnecks. † The boys in the Saints came from respectable families, had good reputations and grades in school, and were careful not to get caught when breaking the law. By being polite, cordial, and apologetic whenever confronted by the police, the Saints escaped labell ing themselves as â€Å"deviants. † In contrast, the Roughnecks came from families of lower socioeconomic status, had poor reputations and grades in school, and were not careful about being caught when breaking the law. By being hostile and insolent whenever confronted by the police, the Roughnecks were easily labelled by others and themselves as â€Å"deviants. † In other words, while both groups committed crimes, the Saints were perceived to be â€Å"good† because of their polite behavior (which was attributed to their upper-class backgrounds) and the Roughnecks were seen as â€Å"bad† because of their insolent behavior (which was attributed to their lower-class backgrounds). As a result, the police always took action against the Roughnecks, but never against the Saints. Conclusion Becker, (1963) claims that laws are established for a reason, and behaviour that is defined as criminal is dynamic and will change within time. This shows that criminal behaviour is not relevant to the theory. However it is still to this day seen as debatable. However there is one known exception, many labelling theorists say the system is biased towards the lower class, which constitutes the overwhelming majority of arrests and convictions within the American criminal justice system (Wellford, 1975). Becker is the usual source of radical variants of labelling. His work implies there is no need to explain deviance in the first place, that it is in fact a very common social activity, a normal one, which only becomes abnormal when it is to so labelled. Labelling itself then becomes confirming, a self-fulfilling prophecy, launching people on a deviant career. Today, one rarely finds labelling theories like those which predominated in the late 1960s. Certainly there are still social constructivist accounts of some type of deviance or another, and studies about the meaning of crime to criminals and criminalizers are still done. A hift seems to have taken place around 1974 in which labelling theory accommodated itself to legalistic definitions, or at least a focus on state power. Modern labelling theories came to recognize that societies â€Å"create† crime by passing laws, and that the substantive nature of the law should be an object of study. Sometimes, these are called criminalization theories (Hartjen 1974), and they have some resembl ance to societal reaction approaches, but they more closely fall into a field that criminologists trained in sociology call the sociology of law perspective or the study of law as a mechanism of social control. Most modern labelling theorists have been influenced by a critique of the underdog focus which was provided by Liazos (1972) when he said that sociologists need to stop studying â€Å"nuts, sluts, and perverts. † The one aspect of this theory that could be regarded positively is that it is very easy to understand and can be quickly explained, breaking down all criminal behavior into primary and secondary deviance with a few simple statements for each. Bibliography Alexander Liazos (1982) People First: An introduction to Social Problems Allyn & Bacon pp121 Becker, H. S. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. New York: The Free Press Joseph Rowntree foundation (2009) http://www. jrf. org. uk/ accessed 12/03/09 Lemert, E. M. (1951). Social Pathology. New York: MacGraw-Hill Book Co. , Inc. Wellford, C. (1975). Labelling Theory and Criminology: An Assessment. Social Problems, Vol. 22, No. 3, 332-345

The Fugitive Slave Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Fugitive Slave Law - Essay Example The rights of the citizen especially freedom should be upheld by such legislation in Massachusetts. However, there is higher prevalence of slavery ever since the beginning of the 19th century. The law is supreme and south Massachusetts is a free state. As a citizen, human being and a free member of the American society, just like Jim, therefore, has a right to fare trial and treatment as a human being and not as a property that someone can claim and possess without considering his own personal feelings. This is the quandary (Baker, 167). The Legal Defense Fund Based on the later relationship and existence of Jim among the free members of the state, He has enjoyed better living conditions where, his fundamental rights were upheld. He has thus realized himself, appreciated the role of the society more positively and has come to contribute positively and effectively to the development of the society in the state and America without fear of oppression (Baker, 146). The person claimed to be a property to someone has been enjoying this freedom and rights for over three years now and is happy to remain in this state. As a citizen, the law should allow him to make rightful choices of whether to get back to his original master, where he was the slave or live with his new employers as a free person of rights. The Hearing I have this case due to the fact that much is at stake with the previous ruling already delivered. We realize the supreme nature of the law and we also appreciate that human beings have their rights which the law should strive to protect in whatever circumstances. During the hearing of this case, we note that there was no jury as one of the legislations requirement for this country require. Further, we should note that North Massachusetts is a free state with specific legislations and principles on slavery though most of the time we have never had such complications to call on our state laws in regard to this matter but there is always precedence and thi s is one such circumstance (Baker, 210). It is therefore, highly significant that the above elements are considered in determining this case so as to ensure the slave, as we can not prove otherwise here in Massachusetts, can testify and make rightful propositions. The Procedures The procedures and legislations established by congress are legal and supreme as they form part of our constitution. We therefore realize that the Fugitive Slaves Act established by 1850 belongs to superlative laws, which this State must abide. As a free state, Massachusetts has established its own procedures aimed at ensuring that the rights of its citizenry towards fair legal processes are consistent. Though the Fugitive Slaves act govern the matters of slavery, the Massachusetts procedures should have been used to offer Jim a fair trial. We ask ourselves whether the rights of Jim to a jury trial were upheld and whether he was subjected to fair and due legal process. It is based on this that we can give a final verdict or ruling on this matter. Massachusetts is a free state and by purely abiding to the procedures outlined in the Fugitive Slaves Act, we undermine our own procedures and thus should reconsider this. The Fugitive Slave Laws Though the fugitive slaves Act only requires a hearing, which has been held so far, we should appreciate that this was not done according to the proced

Gender inequalities within the NHS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Gender inequalities within the NHS - Essay Example Since its inception in 1948, it has improvised its policies and has incorporated better and newer policies for effective functioning. It is a humongous effort to run the NHS smoothly and efficiently as it has innumerable people involved in its administration and operation. It has gone a step ahead and has integrated computers for better functioning and also has its helpline on the internet. Amidst all these progressive steps, the main factor that remains important for it being effectual is its colossal staff. The UK government has ensured that almost all doctors and nurses in the UK are employed by the NHS and work in their hospitals. The government has also ensured that all the new student doctors train at the NHS after completing medical school and they have provision to accommodate almost 8000 doctors and nurses every year. These new doctors must undergo a two year foundation programme with the NHS to become registered doctors. NHS plays a very critical role in shaping the careers for new doctors and nurses. NHS has employment policies that promote equality and diversity within the organization and are non-discriminatory about race, caste and gender and disability (Department of Health, 2006). The Gender Equality Act of 2006 has made provisions for the following: equal opportunities for men and women in terms of employment, no sexual discrimination towards the transsexuals, no pay gap between male and female employees, part time work options and to provide training and up gradation of knowledge and skills. It has been acknowledged by most that there is predominance of women in the nursing field especially those working part-time. There is however, a deliberation that the women nurses are at the lower stratum of the profession, which questions the Equality policy. Studies are showing that female nurses are receiving disproportionate employment opportunities with most of