Adam Smith & UK Income Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Adam Smith & UK Income Taxation - Essay Example 42). According to Smith, the first maxim is that â€Å"the subjects of every state ought to contribute toward the support of government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities, that is in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state† (Smith 1784, p. 639). According to Smith, â€Å"observation or neglect of this maxim consists in what is called the equality or inequality of taxation† (Smith 1786, p. 639). For Smith, the second maxim is that â€Å"the tax which each individual is bound to pay ought to be certain, and not arbitrary† (1784, p. 639). For Smith, this means that â€Å"the time of payment, the manner of payment, the quantity to be paid, ought all to be clear and plain to the contributor, and to every other persons† (1784, p. 639). For Smith, the second maxim is necessary because â€Å"otherwise, every person subject to the tax is put more or less in the power of the tax-gathered, who can either aggravate the tax upon any obnoxious contributor, or extort, by the terror of such aggravation, some present or perquisite to himself† (1784, p. 639-640). Smith emphasized that uncertainty of taxation â€Å"encourages insolence and favours the corruption of an order of men who are naturally unpopular, even where they are neither insolent nor corrupt† (1784, p. 640). The third tax maxim of Adam Smith is that â€Å"every tax ought to be levied at the time, or in the manner, in which is it most likely or most likely to be convenient for the contributor to pay it† (1784, p. 640). Finally, Smith’s fourth maxim on taxes is that â€Å"every tax ought to be contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible over and above what it brings into the public treasury of the state† (1784, p. 640). On the fourth maxim, Smith also noted four things. One, the tax levy may require a great number of officers whose salaries may eat the greater portion

Cognitive and Emotional Intelligence paper sample Essay Example for Free

Cognitive and Emotional Intelligence paper sample Essay DECLARATION I declare that this assessment is my own work, based on my own personal research/study . I also declare that this assessment, nor parts of it, has not been previously submitted for any other unit/module or course, and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of another student and/or persons. I have read the ACAP Student Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy and understand its implications. I also declare, if this is a practical skills assessment, that a Client/Interviewee Consent Form has been read and signed by both parties, and where applicable parental consent has been obtained. Organisational Behaviour Assessment 1 Two important differences in organisational behaviour are cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence. The following essay evaluates theoretical and practical strengths and limitations of both intelligences and discusses the application of each in modern organisations. Modern organisations face differing challenges to those of the previous century, high turn-over, globalization and the rapid development of ever changing technology all require special attention. It has never been more important to find the right person for the right job. General mental ability does not give the whole picture. There is a link between cognitive and emotional intelligence, each being important contributors to modern organisations. Cognitive intelligence (CI) has traditionally been the indicator of successful job performance (Bosco, Nathan, Allen, 2012). Organisational psychology uses cognitive ability to predict workplace success (Neisser et  al., 1996). Cognitive intelligence can be generally defined as academic ability, IQ or general mental ability, including the ability to critically think and reason logically, to analyse and problem solve, as well as individual aptitude in reading and writing (Sternberg, 2006). CI is a valuable asset in employees, particularly in some specialist fields where critical thinking, logic and reason are required, occupations such as scientific researchers, accountants, economists etc. The capacity of all workers to engage cognitive intelligence in quick and effective decision making serves as an important basis for achieving successful outcomes in the most workplaces. Patton (2003) found a consequence of the developing business climate is the global economy and the Internet, each necessitating an increased speed of communications in business transactions. Decisive leaders are forced to make timely decisions without consult and all the data on hand, such an environment necessitates in the need for higher levels of general mental ability in order to achieve both increased levels and faster acquisition of job knowledge, thus leading to greater levels of job performance (Schmidt Hunter, 2004). CEO of Southwest Organisational Behaviour Assessment 1 Airlines, James Patton, displayed the importance of quick and effective decision making when facing a crisis on September 11, 2001. When planes where grounded and millions of passengers stranded, Patton decided that customers and staff would come first. No employees were required to stand down or take pay cuts, and passengers were given hassle free refunds, furthermore, Southwest employees were encouraged to take passengers to a movie or bowling to pass the time while awaiting news. In the aftermath of 9/11, while most airlines were reducing their workforces by 20% Southwest announced a $179.8 million profit sharing program for employees and managed to retain all staff (Gittell et el, 2006). Other examples of CI are literacy skills, such as reading and writing which are major tools of modern day  businesses: emails, documents and various other item of paperwork require high levels of accuracy for effective communication, efficiency on computers and an ability to learn new technolog y is important in this information world. McKenney, Copeland, Copeland and Mason (1995) propose that the revolution in communications and information technology should be considered as a dominant force in recent social and economic change. Although CI is undeniably important in establishing an efficient workforce it is not the whole picture. The value of cognitive intelligence is irrefutable however some limitations apply. Validities of predicting outcomes in real life are low. According to Viswevaran and Ones (2002), general mental ability accounts for only 25% variance in work performance. Furthermore, they suggest that intelligent behaviour is more than just the result of what intelligence tests measure. A practical example of the limitations of cognitive intelligence can be referred back to the other airlines effected by the 9/11 crisis. While Southwest airlines triumphed against adversary other airlines suffered greatly. There is no denying that the CEO’s of these struggling airlines were people of high cognitive intelligence, however, this personal asset alone was not enough to avoid financial losses, perhaps other ingredients such  as emotional intelligence and adequate policies are still required in order to retain consumer trust. Other CI limitations include measurement, particularly IQ testing which ma y result in adverse impact against minorities (Viswesvaran Ones, 2002). Tests presented in a language other than an individual’s primary language as well as differing cultural approaches make the result of such tests weighted in favour of the culture that produced it. High IQ does not guarantee adequate function in the  workplace. Highly gifted people are often underestimated and misunderstood by peers and society (Nauta Corten, 2002). They may make ineffective leaders as staff may not appreciate their intensity, perfectionism, questioning, and being â€Å"too smart† Heylighten (n.d.). Furthermore, CI does not guarantee a good team player. Elkin and Burke (2008) report Steve Jobs, while an example of a successful individual with extremely high cognitive intelligence, is reputed to have been a tyrant to work for. Critics claim he took credit for ideas that were not his, was not a team player, and was impatient, domineering and obsessive, behaviour which is inducing of high staff turnover or low employee retention rates. They also suggest Jobs strengths such as vision, magnetic charisma, perfectionism, all drove him to be a great CEO but are also the same drives that placed his company, staff and investors at risk. Highly intelligent individuals may have issues with delegation, trust, admitting error or asking for help. When compared to autonomous work, good teamwork enables tasks to be accomplished faster and more efficiently, reduces workloads, work pressure and improves staff relations (Kelly, 2004). Some highly intelligent people, such as those with Asperger’s Syndrome, may have low social skills. Individuals with Aspergers may test very highly on a CI tests but often their communication with others is blunt, awkward, stilted or odd (Shea, 2009). Saaty (1999) suggests that primary language expresses affections rather than ideas or thoughts. An inability to effectively communicate with consumers may result in difficult social relationships. While CI is indeed an important consideration in e mployee ability it is not a stand-alone measure of success. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is increasingly being viewed as having a significant influence on job performance and effective leadership in the workforce. A commonly referred to definition of EI was given by Mayer, Caruso and Salovey (1999) â€Å"Emotional intelligence refers to an ability to  recognise the meanings of emotions and their relationships and to reason and problem solve on the basis of them. Emotional intelligence is involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand the information of those emotions and manage them† (p. 267). EI reflects one’s capacity to cope with daily challenges and may assist in predicting both personal and professional success in life. Assets in any working relationship include social awareness, social networking, relationship management, self-awareness and self-management. While small business has long relied on understanding the importance of social networking and keeping healthy relations hips and positive reputation in their community, new technology, globalization and social media now take social awareness and social networking to a whole new level. According to Qualman (2009) global connectivity now results in both positive and negative messages regarding products and services becoming immediately, permanently and easily accessible to the whole world. EI is a valuable asset in employees, particularly in some specialist fields where charisma and empathy are required, such as, sales and marketing, counselling or nursing. Effective leaders, as part of their role in managing relationships, should embody competent levels of respect, empathy, courtesy, motivation and be able to inspire others. The importance of empathy can be illustrated by an American business called Toro who manufacture commercial lawn equipment. The nature of the product results in around 100 serious injuries annually, prior to the appointment of CEO Ken Melrose, Toro faced an average of 50 law suits per year, resulting in massive financial losses to the company. However, Melrose added empathy. Injured workers and their families where meet by company representativ es, sympathies where expressed, investigations made and any needs were meet at the onset. This change in policy has reduced the number of lawsuits from an  average of 50 per year to only one since 1991 when the policy was introduced (Rainey, Chan Begin, 2008). Furthermore, leaders need teams who are energetic, innovative, creative and passionate (Sloane, 2007). Understanding individual drives and motivations enables management to get the best results from their team. Effective management must be self-aware and have the ability to self-manage, including being aware of and managing moods, adapt appropriate emotions and behaviours to appropriate situations. Jack Welsh, Chairman of General Electric states that A leaders intelligence must have a strong emotional component. He has to have high levels of self-awareness, maturity and self-control.’ (as cited in Balakrishanan Mouli, 2011, p. 44). EI allows managers to get the best out of their employees. Perks (2007) advises that successful leaders are high in emotional intelligence; they maintain positive working relat ionships and employ adequate coping strategies in all areas of life. Leaders, ideally, should possess emotional intelligence to encourage the best of their team. Emotional intelligence, however, has its limitations. Cherniss (2010) even suggests that EI has produced the highest level of controversy in the social sciences of recent years. More clarity in regard to theory is required. Roberts, Matthews and Zeinder (2010) propose that EI models do not adequately address theory. Furthermore, Roberts suggests that emotional intelligence definitions lack clarity and questions the criterion of which qualities should belong under the banner of emotional intelligence. It seems necessary to adopt one clear common definition. Measures of EI are currently underdeveloped in this relatively new field, more research and the creation of better measures may improve construct validity (Cherniss, 2010). This may result in the development of greater understanding and respect for the field. There is no guarantee that a person high in EI, will use this asset in a positive manner. Individuals with high emotional intelligence may manipulate people or situations for personal gain. Saaty (2001) suggests that decisions are not always based on the greatest idea  but on a person’s ability to persuade others to accept the idea. More exploration and clarification is required to address some of the limitations of emotional intelligence. Modern organisations face fundamentally different problems from those of the in the past, globalization, increases in technology and staff turnover are just some of the issues being confronted. The belief has been held for around a century that higher intelligence in individuals is more valued due to their higher task performance (Viswesvaran Ones, 2002). Modern organisations provide services, and are organised according to a blend of individual’s, information and communication technology, social capital and recognized talents (Schoemaker Jonkers, 2005). The measuring of CI enables modern organisations an affordable and speedy way of evaluating an employee’s general mental ability. General mental ability has been related to occupational level on both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (Schmidt Hunter, 2004). CI measures allow employers to apply specific cognitive abilities to valid and appropriate positions within the business with a view to discovering the bes t person for the job. According to Holloway (2003) employing the â€Å"right person for the job† or job fit is more essential now than ever. Job fit can be described as â€Å"the degree to which a person’s cognitive abilities, interests and personality dynamics fit those required for the job† (Russell, 2003, p.27). This is where the importance of emotional intelligences comes into play. A constant balance between understanding the individual drives and motivations of workers and ensuring staff remain engaged, enthusiastic and valued has many rewards for modern organisations. Incorporating a balance between both intelligences gives employees the greatest chance of achieving appropriate job fit. Holloway (2003) states that positive job fit, results in increased job satisfaction, increased productivity and reduced staff turnover. Furthermore, research by O’Reilly, Chatman and Caldwell (1991) suggests newly hired staff whose with values that fit in with the culture of the organisation tend to adjust quicker, remain longer with the company and are overall more satisfied. While Hollaway,  (2003) states th at understanding of workers in regards to work/life balance, personal goals and drives may encourage loyalty reducing turnover, saving on retraining and downtime. Furthermore, EI combined with CI addresses the gaps between management and workers through understanding of positive leading by example management that can result in emulation by employees resulting in a ripple effect throughout the organisation. There is a strong link between emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence and the combination of both intelligences has become necessary for successful business relations in modern organisations. Cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence are each important factors in regard to individual differences in the field of organisational behaviour in modern organisations. While general mental ability accounts for many valuable employee assets such as efficiencies in regard to knowledge acquisition and technological aptitude, limitations to validity and measurement of testing and relevance mean that cognitive intelligence is not the only measure of a successful employee. Emotional intelligence also plays a key role in individual success in modern organisations. Effective leadership, self- awareness, social networking, empathy, self-management are all are assets of the emotionally intelligent. Modern organisations benefit from the combination of both intelligences by finding the best fit for the position resulting in higher job satisfaction, higher retention of staff and greater profits. References Balakrishanan, L., Mouli, S. (2011). Emotional Intelligence – A Key for Effective Employee Management. Amet Journal of Management,1(1),44. Retrieved from http://www.ametjournal.com/attachment/Amet-journal.pdf Bosco, F. A., Nathan, B., Allen, D. G. (2012, July). Higher validity and less adverse impact! Using â€Å"Executive Attention† to measure cognitive ability. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Personnel Assessment Council, Las Vegas, NV. Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3(2), 110-126. doi:10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01231.x Elkind, P., Burke, D. (2008). The trouble with Steve. Fortune, 157, 54-63. Retrieved from http://personal.bellevuecollege.edu/llum/GBUS101/09WSteveJobs.pdf Gittell, J. H., Cameron, K., Lim, S., Rivas, V. (2006). Relationships, layoffs, and organizational resilience airline industry responses to September 11. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 42(3), 300-329. doi:10.1177/0021886306286466 Heylighen, F. (n.d.). Gifted People and their Problems. Retrieved from http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Papers/GiftedProblems.pdf Higgins, D. M., Peterson, J. B., Pihl, R. O., Lee, A. G. (2007). Prefrontal cognitive ability, intelligence, Big Five personality, and the prediction of advanced academic and workplace performance. Journal of personality and social psychology, 93(2), 298. doi:10.1037/00223514.93.2.298 Holloway, P. (2003). Job Fitness Series: The Right Person for the Job. AboutPeople. Retrieved from http://www.aboutpeople.com/PDFFiles/The%20Right%20Person%20For%20the%20Job.pdf Kelly, B., (2014). Importance of Teamwork in Organizations, Demand Media retrieved March 8, 2014. Retrieved from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/importance-teamworkorganizations-12033.html McKenney, J. L., Copeland, D. C., Copeland, D. G., Mason, R. O. (1995).Waves of change: Business evolution through information technology. Harvard Business Press. Boston, USA. doi: 10.1080/08109029608632025 Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., Salovey, P. (1999). Emotional intelligence meets traditional standards for an intelligence. Intelligence, 27(4), 267-298. doi:10.1016/s0160-2896(99)00016-1 Mayer, J. D., Roberts, R. D., Barsade, S. G. (2008). Human abilities: Emotional intelligence. Annual Review Psychology, 59(1), 507-536. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093646 Nauta, N. Corten, F. (2002) Tijdschrift voor Bedrijfs- en Verzekeringsgeneeskunde Journal for Occupational and Insurance Physicians, 10(11), 332-335. doi:10.1007/12498.1876-5858 Neisser, U., Boodoo, G., Bouchard Jr, T. J., Boykin, A. W., Brody, N., Ceci, S. J., Urbina, S. (1996). Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns. American psychologist, 51(2), 77. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.51.2.77 OReilly, C. A., Chatman, J., Caldwell, D. F. (1991). People and organizational culture: A profile comparison approach to assessing person-organization fit. Academy of management journal, 34(3), 487-516. doi: 10.2307/256404 Patton, J. R. (2003). Intuition in decisions. Management Decision, 41(10), 989-996. doi:10.1108/00251740310509517 Perks, J. (2007, September). The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Business. Computer Weekly.com retrieved from http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240082956/The-role-of-emotionalintelligence-in-business Qualman, E. (2009). Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way we Live and do Business. Hoboken, USA. John Wiley Sons. doi:10.5860/CHOICE.48-1576 Rainey, M. B., Chan, K., Begin, J. (2008). Characterized by conciliation: Heres how business can use apology to diffuse litigation. Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, 26(7), 131-134. doi: 10.1002/alt.20237 Roberts, R. D., Matthews, G., Zeinder, M. (2010). Emotional Intelligence: Muddling Through Theory and Measurement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3, 140-144. doi: 10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01214.x Russell, C. (2003). Right Person, Right Job: Guess or KnowThe Breakthrough Technologies of Performance Information, (2nd ed.). Amherst, USA. HRD Press Inc. Saaty, T. L. (2001). Decision Making for Leaders: the Analytic Hierarchy Process for Decisions in a Complex World (2nd ed.). Pittsburgh, USA. RWS publications. doi: 10.1080/00137918308967693 Schmidt, F. L., Hunter, J. (2004). General Mental Ability in the World of Work: Occupational Attainment and Job Performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(1), 162173. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.86.1.162 Schoemaker, M., Jonker, J. (2005). Managing Intangible Assets: An Essay on Organising Contemporary Organisations Based upon Identity, Competencies and Networks. Journal of Management Development, 24(6), 506-518. doi: 10.1108/02621710510600964 Shea, S.(2009). Capstone: Communications Difficulties Among Individuals With and Without Aspergers Syndrome. Retrieved from: http://www.asdjobsink.com/CommunicationDifficulties.pdf Sloane, P. (2007). The Innovative Leader: How to Inspire Your Team and Drive Creativity. Philadelphia, USA. Kogan Page Publishers. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=fb1vXOzjIBYCprintsec=frontcoversource=gbs_ge _summary_rcad=0#v=onepageqf=false Sternberg, R. J. 2006. Intelligence. Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. doi: 10.1002/0470018860.s00555 Viswesvaran, C. Ones, D. S. (2002). Agreements and Disagreements on the Role of General Mental Ability (GMA) in Industrial, Work, and Organizational Psychology. Human Performance, 15(1/2), 211-231. doi:10.1207/s15327043hup150102_13

Prayer in Public School Essay -- Religion Education

In the heart of every religion, there is a way to express one's deepest thoughts and feelings--prayer. Prayer is something that most people due naturally. Whether it is in the morning before you start your day, before a meal, before you go to sleep, or when you just feel the need to express your feelings, prayer is always there. Religious faiths believe that this is central to human life. Even those who are not religious pray. Prayer affects the material universe. Prayer can be defined as an earnest request; a humble entreaty addressed to God, to a god, etc (Webster's). We are allowed to pray publicly anywhere, as long as we don't pray out loud. Yet we all live in a society that does not allow prayer inside public schools. Prayer is also not allowed in public institutions, but we can pray in private institutions, such as church. There is so much emphasis put on prayer in public school, despite the fact that prayer is actually substantial. The First Amendment of the U.S Constitution states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for the redress of grievances" (Greenberg). This first amendment protects both believers and nonbelievers from government interference in their decision to pray. Students have the right to pray and read the Bible in public schools. Yet the educators and administrators who facilitate our schools cannot lead children in prayer or force them to pray. The constitution also prohibits the following: requiring students to recite prayers in class, saying public prayer at high school games and teachers and co... ... taught, perceived and demonstrated. Religion is a touchy subject and you really have to know what exactly what you are talking about when trying to promote your religion. Prayer in school is also a touchy subject. One side of my family is pro prayer in school and the other is anti prayer in school. I believe that morally a prayer before you start you day is a healthy, productive and cleansing way to live life. Yet to say that praying in school is the way to go would be pushing it. I see prayer as a contagious thing. Not so much in a bad way though. As I stated earlier, when we as a class all gathered for the death of a fellow classmate, one person started to pray and without realizing it, he a started a trend. Prayer is a very powerful and meaningful way to express your deepest thought and feelings and it should be done however, wherever, and whenever you please.

Alfie Kohn

In the modern age of No Child Left Behind and similar mandates, there has been an increased focus placed on what schools must do in order to improve the educational outcomes of each and every student. It has finally become apparent that the traditional method of schooling is not as effective as once believed.Evidence of this fact can be found within the test scores of individual schools as well as entire school districts. Alfie Kohn is a leader in school reform and he focuses on non traditional ways to educate students so they are excited and eager to learn.Despite the idea held my many Americans that current methods do not work, the vast majority of schools continue to rely on â€Å"back to basics† strategies for instruction (Kohn, 1999, 2). While â€Å"back to basics† may have worked for previous generations it is not working for the current generation.Kohn emphasizes the need to shift focus away from traditional methods of school in favor of non traditional methods i n order to motivate students to want to learn. A biography of Kohn is offered as well as a discussion based on his personal contributions to the field of education and classroom management.BiographyAlfie Kohn is one of the most vocal critics of the intense focus placed on standardized tests and test scores (Kohn, 1998, 1). His theories and ideas have motivated many educators and administrators to reexamine the way that students learn and the way that teachers teach.Kohn began his career as a high school teacher and enjoyed making improvements to his curriculum and lesson plans in order to provide the best educational experiences for his students.After Kohn left the classroom he realized that using the same curriculum in the same way for each group of students is not the most effective way to motivate students to learn. Instead, he realized that adapting the course material to each group of students was a more effective way to provide authentic learning experiences that left students wanting to know more (Kohn, 1998, 1).Kohn also spent a great deal of time observing other teachers and engaging in dialogue with education experts in order to present a cohesive view of the education system in America. Kohn is most well known for his stand against teaching to the test and relying on test scores as adequate measures of educational progress.Kohn also is known for his idea that the ultimate outcome of education is not that each child receive all A’s because this is not the point of school. Finally, Kohn is known for his idea that current assessment measures are not adequate and do not give a clear representation of what really happens in classrooms (Kohn, 1998, 1).Contributions to EducationThe most important contribution that Alfie Kohn has made in the field of education is the shift in focus that has occurred from assessment measures such as standardized tests to a more comprehensive view of education that is primarily concerned with students’ ability t o learn and keep on learning (Kohn, 2004, 27).Kohn emphasizes that the intense focus placed on grading and assessment has taken away the potential for authentic learning experiences that truly benefit students rather than simply teach them how to take a test.Further, teachers spend so much time worrying about what amount or level of work constitutes what grade when their focus should be on enabling students to make significant progress in their understanding of certain subjects regardless of what grade they end up with (Kohn, 2004, 28).This contribution is essential within the education field because it has allowed teachers to question the traditional methods of instruction and begin to consider non traditional methods that may motivate students to learn more than what is possible through traditional education.It has also motivated many educators to begin to work with experts and policy makers in the field in order to discover alternate ways to assess student progress that does not rely solely on the outcome of standardized testing (Kohn, 2004, 28).A similar idea that has stemmed from the idea that alternate testing measures must be discovered is the idea that grades cause students to do as little as possible and still get a good grade. In this way, grades actually disable the desire to learn more because students quickly find out how little they can get away with and still receive an acceptable grade (Kohn, 2004, 28).At the same time, the motivation to learn more decreases as student desire to receive a good grade increases. Students who receive grades based on performance are reluctant to try challenging things because of their fear of failing and/or receiving a poor grade.On the other hand, students who are encouraged to think for themselves and explore topics that interest them without the fear of being graded are more likely to recall the information that they learn as well as continue to seek opportunities to learn new things (Kohn, 2004, 28).While this certainly does not mean that schools are going to stop handing down grades to students this idea has allowed many educators to reexamine the way they assess their students in order to provide ample opportunity for students to learn without the fear of failure.Another important realization that has come from Kohn’s view of traditional assessment models is that there must be an educational goal behind assessing students.In other words, assessment must be used to enhance the educational opportunities for students. Instead, assessment is most often used to categorize students and determine who is smarter than whom or as a technique to motivate students to work harder in order to get the â€Å"A† (Kohn, 2004, 28).Therein lies the problem with standardized tests. Kohn emphasizes that standardized tests do not truly show how much teaching or learning has taken place. Instead, they simply show how well a child can do on a test on any given day and/or how well a student is able to guess on questions they do not know (Kohn, 2004, 28).Kohn has opened the eyes of educators and allowed many of them to see the error of their ways in relying solely on the outcome of standardized tests in measuring student progress. Kohn has also forced many experts and policy makers within the field of education to realize that perhaps there is a better way to determine how well America’s students are doing in school.Contributions to Classroom ManagementKohn has questioned the use of traditional discipline strategies that focus on getting students to do what the teacher wants them to do. Traditionally, the teacher creates a set of classroom rules and expects students to obey them.These rules often include detailed consequences that accompany them in order to show students what will happen to them if they break one of the rules (Kohn, 2006, 1). Similar to his work with standardized tests and assessment measures, Kohn’s work with classroom management has forced many teachers to reexamine how they approach classroom management.Obviously, it is necessary that students be taught to how to behave appropriately in the classroom in order to create an environment conducive to learning. However, Kohn feels that classroom management is significantly more effective if students take part in creating caring environments rather than being expected to follow the rules decided upon by the teacher (Kohn, 2006, 1).In other words, Kohn has shown teachers that not all discipline problems are because students are naughty but rather because a caring community has not been created that encourages students to work together to learn and grow.

Evaluate and Use Information and Communications Technology Essay

The purpose of this essay is to research a technological toy, I focused on Bee Bots, which I use in my setting, evaluate and critically analyse the effectiveness of that toy in promoting children’s learning. Later I will demonstrate my personal use of ICT and a record of use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) over a period of one month as a professional role in promoting children’s development in my setting. Finally, I will reflect on my tracking sheet and identify the opportunity to develop ICT in communication with parents. According to Siraj-Blatchford, Whitebread (2003) in supporting children in their development of an early understanding of ICT we are concerned to support them in learning about a wide range of products that are used to manipulate, store, retrieve, transmit or receive information not only computers. Most of the ICT applications that we are familiar with today are put to use in electronic products such as telephones, audio and video, CD player, recorders, computers, television. I am going to focus on a programmable toy – Bee Bot. I chose that particular piece of ICT toy as we use it quite often in our setting. Bee Bot is a bright and a colourful and multi-sensory programmable floor robot, suitable for use in Early Years. According to Morgan, Siraj-Blatchford (2009) the use of programmable toys in early years educational settings is based upon the constructionist teaching approach, which is underpinned by the idea that learning can happen most effectively when people are actively engaged with doing and making things in the real world and was first developed by Papert, in 1993. Bee Bot â€Å"enable young children to learn through play about control and directional language and provides a perfect ‘hands on’ introduction to robotics† (Sprainger, 2007). Sturdy construction and colourful, easy-to-operate design is a perfect tool for teaching alphabet, number recognition, fine motor skills by using the directional buttons, and social skills such as turn taking. Direction keys are used to enter up to forty commands which send Bee Bot forward, back, left and right. Pressing the green ‘Go’ button starts the toy on its way. â€Å" Bee Bot blinks and beeps at the conclusion of each command to allow children to follow Bee Bot through the program they have entered and then confirms its competition with lights and sound† (Terapine Software, no date). It works on rough or smooth surfaces and is small enough to be used on a table (Inclusive Technology, no date). Bee Bot moves in 6†steps and 90 degree turns and compact size as well as durable material make Bee Bot child and classroom friendly. Bee Bot is equally adaptable to home and school environment, it can be use both indoor and outdoor and operates on three AA batteries (Interactive Learning in the Early Phase, No date). In 2005, Bee Bot was awarded a Gold Award at the Practical Pre-School Award in London and in 2006 Bee Bot was a winner of an Education Resources Award in the Primary ICT category awarded by The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), (TTS: Educational Supplies for Schools, Nurseries & Childminders , No date). After an initial introduction to the toy Bee Bot help children to engage in playful exploratory activity which allows for numerous opportunities such as self-initiated activity, which provide opportunities for quality adult-child and child-child interactions (Siraj-Blatchford, Whitebread, 2003). According to Light and Butterworth, activities requiring ‘joint attention’ and which involve ‘children learning to share’ provide a better cognitive challenge for young children than activities were they work alone† (Developmentally Appropriate Technology in Early Childhood, No date). Learning with the Bee Bot is a highly social experience and support communication and social skill development, children learn about negotiating, taking turns, sharing and peer work. The Bee Bot has the capacity to support children to develop a broad range of essential skills across curriculum and the only limit is the practitioner and children imagination. It is available with across curriculum mats to enhance children learning in all area of their development, therefore in my work place we adapt the mats that we already have in our setting and I still feel that we did not use its full potential. So far we used Bee Bot with Alphabet mat, and alphabet flash cards to extend children letter sound recognition and oral language development for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) to support their listening and recalling skills. Number and shape mat is used to expand children mathematical skills such as counting, number recognition, positional language, shape recognition. Road mat is used to develop children orientation as they need to manipulate, orientate, track and rotate the Bee Bot as well as road safety skills. Using a Bee Bot also introduce the children to a range of science skills as they interpret design challenges, generate possible solutions, make plans, test and evaluate and modifying the program were necessary (Sprainger, 2007). I founded as well as a number of eachers around the world (see teachers reviews in Appendix C) that Bee Bot are good value for money (manufacture instruction enclose in Appendix B) and the only disadvantage I can find is that after each activity program needs to be cleared in order to reprogrammed again. Although, it is clear that ICT should be used ‘to develop skills across all six areas of learning’ it is the ‘Knowledge and Understanding of the World ’ strand alone in the guidance that makes direct reference to ICT usage. â€Å"It is clear that young children are computer†¦ literate at an early age† (Keating, 2007, pg. 126). According to DATEC (No date) any application introduced to children in order to develop understanding and experience of ICT should not just be enjoyable, although this is important but more importantly should be educationally effective. Children need a variety of applications which encourage a range of development, including creativity, self-expression and language. From analysing my tracking sheet which recorded the use of ICT in my setting (details in Appendix A) I must admit that I was quite impressed with the amount of ICT equipment we use with children each day without even realising. From the tracking sheet I understood how important modelling and collaborative play is in Early Years. Programmable toys and many screen based applications offer the possibility of collaboration but adult intervention is frequently needed to gain the most from the ICT ‘equipment’. According to the UK Effective Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE) (Sylva et al, 2004), and Researching Effective Pedagogy in Early Childhood (REPEY) (Siraj-Blatchford et al, 2002) studies have found that the most effective foundation stage settings combined the provision of free play opportunities with more focused group work involving adult instruction. This approach appears to be most desirable model to promote ICT and I must proudly admitted that we are focusing on small group activities to meet all children’s needs, especially with EAL children. The relationship between cognitive strategies and language development is currently regarded as central to understanding children’s difficulties developing language as a first or additional language. Skinner emphasizes the roles of imitation, repetition, reward and reinforcement in formal language teaching situation (Lewis, Norwich, 2005). Adult-child interactions that involved some elements of ‘sustained shared thinking’ were especially valuable in terms of children’s early learning† (Siraj-Blatchford, and Siraj-Blatchford, No date). Activities I have provided for the children in my setting are differentiated according to their interest, age and learning style and were â€Å"targeted at learner’s educational needs and stage of understanding† (Hurst, 1997, pg. 82), as according to Miller, Devereoux (2004, pg155) â€Å"children need to be able to experiment, repeat activities in variety of ways and have some control over a pace of what they are doing†¦ ollaborate with adult and each other and share their discoveries and triumphs†. Furthermore, the work of Bruner and Vygotsky suggests that â€Å"we actually come to understand what it is we think through talk† (Moyles, 1995). â€Å"Bruner showed that children need to be reminded of previous experience†¦ by pictures, books†¦ he called this ‘iconic thinking’, he also felt that role of adult was important†¦ as†¦ adult provides support as children develop their competence and confidence† (Tassoni, H uccker, 2005, pg. 31). I believe that according to North, McKeown, (2005, pg. 72) â€Å"ICT meets all learners styles as it â€Å"lets pupils learn by looking, listening and doing†. â€Å"Although the evidence on gender differences in attitudes towards computer-related activities, levels of participation with computers,†¦ it appears that girls perform just as well as boys when they engage with computer-based learning† ( Bancroft, Carr, 1998, pg. 104) and it has been proved in my setting that girls get involved as equally often and well in ICT related equipment as boys. From my tracking I also realised that we are meeting entire requirement as Every Child Matter (2008) suggested relating to observation, assessment, planning, key person by using ICT equipments such as cameras, video recorder, Interactive White Board (IWB) and Fronter – School Blackboard (explained deeply in Appendix D), which is available through London Managed Learning Environment (MLE) (Ealing Grid for Learning, No date) and all the staff have been given training on it. Children from key stage one and two are able to access Fronter from home and share their school life with their parents. In the sector I work in – Early Years Foundation Stage parents are given individual logins and passwords to be able to track what is happening in our nursery each term, check any events that are taking place in school but in my opinion working with parents in relation of ICT is an area that needs improving. I discovered three main issues that must be improved in my opinion to develop a better communication and build better relationship with our parents. First of all, I must mention that even though as a school staff we have opportunities for professional development and ICT â€Å"supporting learning† (Teaching and Learning, No date). Training are usually organised by our school ICT co-ordinator. Insets quite frequently and I recognise myself as being a computer literate person thus we must consider that not all of our parents â€Å"can present barrier† (Plowman, Stephen, 2003, pg. 160) and perhaps school could extend ‘children Fronter club’ for ‘parents Fronter club’ to help parents overcome that barrier as â€Å"home school link and parents involvement is therefore a component of effective school† (Curriculum Guidance, 2001). Secondly, the language barrier could be one of the reasons why parents are not so keen on using our School Blackboard. To overcome this barrier after having an Inset with my manager we decided that the school news letter both in electronic form and hard copy could be translated in the most common spoken languages in our school, such as Tamil, Somali, Arabic and Farsi. As a Foundation Stage Practitioners we all agree that when â€Å"parents, teachers and children collaborate towards the same goals it leads to the improved academic performance of children† (Curriculum Guidance, 2001). Lastly, in my opinion the main issue could be, as the school is situated in low-income industrial area, that not all household might have an access to the computer. According to Morgan, Siraj-Blatchford (2009) research evidence has shown that the efforts of parents and preschools can make a considerable difference to children’s future educational achievements regardless of their socio-economic background and current national policy initiatives aim is to close the gap in educational achievement for children from disadvantaged background. â€Å"One of the ways in which this commitment has manifested itself has been in the Government’s three hundred million pounds Home Access project which provides computers and internet access to families to enhance learning at home† (Morgan, Siraj-Blatchford , 2009, pg. 13). Our school received the funding three years ago and designed the ‘parent computer room’ which was very popular at the begging but now seems to be forgotten. I think it is a good time to bring up that issue during the Inset to make use of that room again. When talking about ICT I must mention about a â€Å"number of queries and concerns regarding health and safety issues and other risks, which may be associated with technology routinely used by young children (Morgan, Siraj-Blatchford, 2009, pg. 39) , such as using electricity . Our children are thought not to â€Å"investigate or play with any equipment that uses mains electricity† (Creary, 2002, pg. 4) and all sockets are protected with socket protector to eliminate any hazards. According to Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) Portable Appliance Testing (PAT Testing and Portable Appliance, No date) is required once a year and our school has passed one two weeks ago. It is important that while children learn about ICT they also learn how to manage their own space and select the right tools when sitting at the computer. According to Morgan, Siraj-Blatchford (2009) it is therefore advisable that the regular use of any computer application by three years old child should not be longer than ten to twenty minutes. Young children, parents and practitioners are using ICT in novel and creative ways† (Morgan, Siraj-Blatchford, 2009, pg. 40) and it is important to use all available ICT equipment safely. Our school leaders with ICT co-ordinator â€Å"consider the issue of e-safety† (E-safety, No date) and drew Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) (See Appendix E). According to Every Child Matter (2008), suitable premises, environment and equipment our outdoor and indoor spaces, furniture, equipment and toys are safe as they are checked on regular basis and school is monitored by CCTV camera and locked.

The Triumph of Corporate America Essay

The Triumph of Corporate America Essay The Triumph of Corporate America Essay The Triumph of Corporate America Some of the largest corporations in America are connected to each other in more ways than one, like the fast food industry. It purchases their products from large companies that are in the food marketing business such as meat or potato production. That’s no big surprise since the fast food business makes food and in order to make food they have to obtain it from somewhere else. But there is more common ground than just buying products from one another, â€Å"[those industries] were started by door-to-door salesmen, short-order cooks, orphans, and dropouts, by eternal optimists looking for a piece of the next big thing† (22). They were the next door neighbor who had a crazy, wonderful idea that would change America and its culture. The fast food industry has become a national icon of the American culture that is known throughout the world. The reason it has become widely known can be narrowed down to one corporation, the McDonalds Corpora tion. Over the years its mass marketing techniques have been able to makes its golden arches recognized by kids all over the world and even more so in the U.S. â€Å"A survey of American school children found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald. The only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition was Santa Claus† (4). The way the company has been able to become acknowledged by so many people, both adult and children, is by advertising. They use all sort of commercials to try and lure in potential customers, but the best way, as they have learned, to get a new client is to get them when they are young. They believe that a â€Å"persons ‘brand loyalty’ may begin as early as the age of two† (43). In order to do that, most of the commercial they do are designed to catch the attention of young kids watching T.V. on a Saturday morning. Isn’t it just lovely that the McDonald Corporation targets children to become their client, mak ing them think that their food is great and trying to win their hearts with the help of a happy clown? Not to mention that they study children in order to see what they like and then proceed to put it in their advertisements. It is wonderful to see the industry take an interest in children, isn’t it? One of the ways the large corporations have been able to be at the top for so long is by â€Å"helping† other smaller companies join their large industry or by using other methods. Just â€Å"imagine how the New York Stock Exchange would function if large investors could keep the terms of all their stock trades secret. Ordinary investors would have no idea what their own stocks [are] really worth – a fact that wealthy traders could easily exploit† (138). This is how the top meat corporations do business with other smaller groups that are in the same line of work as them. They monopolize the meatpacking industry and then buy cattle from local ranchers at price s extremely low, which ultimately lead many ranchers into bankruptcy. But the great thing about the large meatpacking enterprises is that they are so kind and nice they will buy the cattle farm, and all its territory, from the bankrupt rancher and let him work for them. What a deal, to let that man become part of their company. But sadly some of those men don’t take that deal and they move away, get a different job, and try to repay the debt that they accumulated over the years by trying to keep their farm alive. Anyways, those big companies sure do know do to make a deal. Another way the top industries of fast food and meat packaging save money is by employing people that are in need of money. It is really nice of them to give jobs to people who really need the extra cash like migrants and teenagers. They also

Utilitarianism and Abortion

Utilitarianism and Abortion Free Online Research Papers The debate over abortion usually focuses on politics and law and the most frequently asked question tends to be whether or not abortion should be outlawed or continue to be allowed at the discretion of each individual. Behind these debates are the most basic of ethical questions which do not always receive the attention they may deserve. There are many opinions on this topic, however, a good place to start is whether or not law has the authority to rule over morality and whether the laws that we have now bring enough attention to the moral value of abortion. Along with these concepts abortion can also be viewed through the eyes of the utilitarian approach to ethics which focuses on both pleasure and pain and the ability to maximize pleasure over pain. To do so we must first know exactly what abortion is and then must also have a broad definition of what the utilitarian theory encompasses. Abortion by definition is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo from the uterus resulting in its death. The utilitarian theory by definition focuses on the rightness or wrongness of the act in question and its effects on a community as a whole (Katz, 2004). Viewing abortion through the utilitarian approach, theorists would want to distinguish between the possibility of pleasure and pain instances of abortion over the amounts of pleasure and pain when abortion is not the option. Most would think that the best place to begin this discussion would be from the prospects of the fetus itself however, that is not always the case. The first thing to consider is that through abortion and the stopping of the fetus’s life the fetus can be said to have any possible pleasure taken away from it. Secondly, no one knows for sure what level of pain is inflicted through the procedure, especially in the later stages of pregnancy. Unfortunately, this focus seems to be unjustified because many say that the abortion could have been done earlier and with less invasive techniques. The problem with both of these possibilities is that who determines the amount of pain inflicted? Usually adults in experimental settings so then the question that follows must be how can adults know how an unborn fetus itself will feel? Another consideration would have to be that the life of the unborn fetus would promote a much greater amount of happiness over pain. Again no one knows exactly what the future may hold, but it is very likely that these individuals, who are essentially put to death against their will, have a very happy life. This, however, cannot happen once an abortion has taken place because any chance for the fetus to experience happiness in any form has been removed. The possibilities of pleasure over pain for an unborn fetus later in life must be thoroughly considered when applying the utilitarian method to the process of abortion. The third group that must be accounted for are the parents and extended family of the unborn child. Those who intend on having a child are doing so under careful consideration and thus happiness should prevail. To the opposite of this are those who are pregnant with an unwanted child that may feel grief and are more than likely to become unhappy and even depressed from the birth of this child. This may result from financial issues or just the general unpreparedness to having a child that is not wanted. The parents and extended family are also a component of abortion that must be considered under the utilitarian method of ethics. Since the utilitarian theory focuses much of its strength on the effects individual’s acts play amongst the community rather than on the individual, much of the issue of abortion lies on its effects on a population. This is important because if a population would have to consist of a â€Å"perfect† size then it is abundantly clear that the possibility of new population (births) will be hindered in an area of consistent population while areas with underdeveloped population will be allowed to reproduce. In this way those overdeveloped areas will require abortion as a way to control the population while the underdeveloped areas will be strictly against abortion so that their population can flourish. To take this method even farther there are two very different rules that are provided by this method those being Rule and Act utilitarian. Rule utilitarian’s are more formula oriented and superficial and focus on behavioral codes or rules that are based on societal practices and institutions (Waller, 2008). This principle can be said to be a test for the morality of a moral rule and does not pertain to the action itself. An example of this is the concept â€Å"stealing is wrong†. This rule will allow for more positive then negativities to come from all of those who follow it. Rule utilitarianism then becomes a method for judging various behaviors. Rule utilitarianism allows abortion to be labeled according to moral rules thus allowing each individual a chance at a more favorable outcome over an unfavorable one. Act utilitarianism, in contrast, maintains that the morality of each action is determined in relation to the favorable and unfavorable consequences that come from the act (Waller, 2008)). This aspect seems the best fit when speaking of abortion as it focuses on the act of abortion and not just the consequences of the act or moral code. The Act portion of utilitarianism is a more moral based utilitarianism as it focuses on the act itself and the consequences that come from doing that specific act. Now that we have a broad prospective on how the utilitarian theory works in accordance to the topic of abortion we must further this discussion and apply the fundamental aspects of a variety of different theorists to the topic of abortion. The first of these coming from Peter Singer (1993) who claims â€Å"there is a clear cut answer to the question of the moral permissibility of abortion and those who think there is not ‘are simply mistaken’ (P. 135). This is an important concept to hold and brings a much heated debate on abortion that will surely require much attention in the future. Singer starts his debate on this issue at the very beginning of the life cycle and never looks back. He says as stated by Crome (2008): â€Å"One of the primary issues is that the development form from the fertilized egg to child is continuous. Consequently, it is difficult for those who want to defend abortion to establish a morally significant dividing line between the earliest stages of life when abortion would be permissible and the point at which that life turns into a properly human life, and when it would not† (pg. 2). Along the way he emphasizes that this process may hit many detours in the determining when a fetus can actually be able to live viably. This is just one of the ways Singer brings mention to the life cycle and its ability to determine when or when not an abortion is a just fact. To the opposite of this there are many instances where Singer seems to be a proponent for abortion, but at the same time shows signs that he is actually against it. He even goes to the extent of giving vivid details in the case of those who may be over the gestational age to have an abortion, but choose to go to another country to have the abortion done illegally. Peter Singer, in my opinion, gives a thorough representation of the utilitarian method of ethics. He denotes the good points and the bad points of this type of ethical judgement while giving examples to prove or disprove his methods. Another utilitarian philosopher by the name of J. S. Mill also gave great contribution to the concept of abortion and the utilitarian way. However, before we talk about how he contributed to abortion, we must get a generalization about the role he played in utilitarian ethics and morality in general by visiting an excerpt from his famous piece Utilitarian in which Mill (1998) states: â€Å"there is, I am aware, a disposition to believe that a person who sees in moral obligation a transdental fact, an objective reality belonging to the province of things in themselves; is likely to be more obedient to it than one who believes it to be entirely subjective, having its seat only in human consciousness† (P. 75). This sentiment goes the distance in explaining the type of utilitarianism Mill promoted. Unlike others he seemed to use a lighter version of utilitarianism allowing for things others would have never dreamed of. Mill went great lengths in trying to determine a more effective way to approach utilitarianism as he felt there were deeper components then just what is left to the consciousness. Mill would approach this issue through a variation of questions ending with the notion of overall pleasure. One of Mill’s (2002) firm beliefs was that â€Å"the only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion† (p. 259). This is intrinsic to the discussion of abortion as there are so many points of view that range from lack of opinion to utter disgust. He does however feel that individuals should be rational enough to realize whether an event will have favorable or unfavorable outcomes (Qizilbash, 2006). This being said, the pleasure or the pain behind the act becomes the justification of the act. For instance, let us consider the case of parents that are faced with having a baby that would become a disadvantage over a period of time. In this case the greater good in Mill’s view would be to abort the baby, thus forgoing the possibilit ies of grief and stress in the future. In the end the event will bring more pain then pleasure and becomes a vehicle to attain a desired pleasure and in that respect is considered a moral act. Interestingly enough Mill encountered the topic of abortion through another careful observation. If carrying and raising a baby may potentially bring pain of any sort (not being able to nurture the child properly) then the baby may be better off being aborted. This can be said because the inability to function as a good parent is a painful thing and thus the abortion becomes the appropriate thing to do. This again under Mills and the utilitarian theory becomes a moral act for those reasons. The one great distinction between Mill and others is the allowance for a calculation of pain and pleasure (Riley, 2009). These calculations were to be done on an individual basis which now allowed for each person to hold some accountability for their own pleasures and pain. Mill held many views on abortion and morality but more importantly he set into motion the fact that pleasure and pain is not necessarily a set factor and can be calculated by each individual. When viewing abortion in accordance of the utilitarian theory it is imperative that the views of Jeremy Bentham be discussed as he gives an interesting stance to the topic of abortion. His focus is on the greatest good for the overall greatest number of people and also includes the Hedonistic Calculus Theory which was extremely helpful in representing his position on abortion. He used the Hedonistic Calculus Theory as a way to determine which pleasures are of the greatest good and should be pursued by others (Nussbaum, 2004). This theory contained several different categories which were used under Bentham as a way to view each situation separately. In this way there were times when abortion would be permitted and other times when abortion would be strictly prohibited. For example, if a woman was raped and subsequently became pregnant then abortion would be justifiable because the baby could possibly bring more pain to the mother, the family, and even the baby itself. T he problem that comes about under this approach is that many times the issues surrounding abortion never really come to a final conclusion, but instead multiple conclusions may be reached depending on the variation of circumstances that arise. Bentham and his utilitarian approach definitely addresses the topic of abortion, however, leaves many opportunities for a final conclusion to never be determined. In conclusion, we have to understand that the application of the utilitarian principle of ethics seeks to set a general rule to apply to all moral decisions. In the case of abortion, the utilitarian states that all unwanted pregnancies that represent a physical, mental, emotional, and financial hardship should be terminated via abortion. Furthermore, the utilitarian does not look at the unborn fetus as in a way which happiness is to be gained or lost, but rather as a piece of society as a whole. This becomes a disadvantage because the fetus is not allowed any rights nor is it granted happiness because at this stage it does not experience a cognitive rational thought process. The limitations that the utilitarian theory adds to the discussions must also be addressed as many times there is not enough information provided to come to a final and ever so important conclusion. The utilitarian method is a straight forward way to determine the best possibilities of pleasure over pa in for all involved. References Crome, K. (2008). Is Peter Singer’s Utilitarian Argument about Abortion Tenable? Richmond Journal of Philosophy. 17, 1-9. Katz, D. (Nov. 8, 2004). Political, Public Health and Morality. New Haven Register. New Haven, Con. Mill, J. S. (2002). On Liberty. Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy. Ed. New York: Oxford. Mill, J. S. (1998). Utilitarianism. Ed. Roger Crisp. New York: Oxford University Press. 75. Nussbaum, M. (2004). Mill between Aristotle and Bentham. Daedalus. 133(2), 60-69. Qizibash, M. (2006). Capability, Happiness, and Adaptation in Sen and J. S. Mill. Utilitas, 18(1), 20-33. Riley, J. (2008). The Interpretation of Maximizing Utilitarianism. Social Philosophy and Policy, 26(1), 286-326. Singer, P. (1993). Taking Life: The Embryo and the Fetus. Practical Ethics, Cambridge: Cambridge UP. 135. Waller, B. N. (2008). Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing. Research Papers on Utilitarianism and AbortionPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyCapital PunishmentMind TravelGenetic EngineeringMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Analysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

15 Surprising Facts About Susan B. Anthony

15 Surprising Facts About Susan B. Anthony The 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote was named for Susan B. Anthony, as was a world record-holding ship. What else dont you know about this famous leader of the Suffrage movement? 1. She Was Not  at the 1848 Woman’s Rights Convention At the time of that first womens rights convention in Seneca Falls, as Elizabeth Cady Stanton later wrote in  her reminiscences  History of Woman Suffrage,  Anthony was teaching school in Canajoharie, in the Mohawk Valley. Stanton reports that Anthony, when she read of the proceedings, was â€Å"startled and amused† and â€Å"laughed heartily at the novelty and presumption of the demand.† Anthony’s sister Mary (with whom Susan lived for many years in adulthood) and their parents attended a woman’s rights meeting held at the First Unitarian Church in Rochester, where the Anthony family had begun attending services, after the Seneca Falls meeting. There, they signed a copy of the  Declaration of Sentiments  passed at Seneca Falls.  Susan was not present to attend. 2. She Was for Abolition First Susan B. Anthony was circulating anti-slavery petitions when she was 16 and 17 years old.  She worked for a while as the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. Like many other women abolitionists, she began to see that in the â€Å"aristocracy of sex†¦woman finds a political master in her father, husband, brother, son† (History of Woman Suffrage). She  first met Elizabeth Cady Stanton  after Stanton had attended an anti-slavery meeting at Seneca Falls. 3. She Co-Founded the New York Women’s State Temperance Society Elizabeth Cady Stanton and  Lucretia Mott’s experience of being unable to speak at an international anti-slavery meeting led to their forming the  1848 Woman’s Rights Convention at Seneca Falls. When Anthony was not permitted to speak at a temperance meeting, she and Stanton formed a women’s temperance group in their state. 4. She Celebrated Her 80th Birthday at the White House By the time she was 80 years old, even though woman suffrage was far from won, Anthony was enough of a public institution that President William McKinley invited her to celebrate her birthday at the White House. 5. She Voted in the Presidential Election of 1872 Susan B. Anthony and a group of 14 other women in Rochester, New York, registered to vote at a local barber shop in 1872, part of the New Departure strategy of the woman suffrage movement. On November 5, 1872, she cast a ballot in the presidential election. On November 28, the 15 women and the registrars were arrested. Anthony contended that women already had the constitutional right to vote. The court disagreed in  United States v. Susan B. Anthony. She was fined $100 for voting and refused to pay. 6. She Was the First Real Woman Depicted on U.S. Currency While other female figures like Lady Liberty had been on the currency before, the 1979 dollar featuring Susan B. Anthony was the first time a real, historical woman appeared on any U.S. currency.  These dollars were only minted from 1979 through 1981 when production was halted because the dollars were easily confused with quarters. The coin was minted again in 1999 to meet demand from the vending machine industry. 7. She Had Little Patience for Traditional Christianity Originally a Quaker, with a maternal grandfather who had been a Universalist, Susan B. Anthony became more active with the Unitarians later. She, like many of her time, flirted with Spiritualism, a belief that spirits were part of the natural world and thus could be communicated with.  She kept her religious ideas mostly private, though she defended the publication of  The Woman’s Bible  and criticized religious institutions and teachings that portrayed women as inferior or subordinate. Claims that she was an atheist are usually based on her critique of religious institutions and religion as practiced.  She defended the right of Ernestine Rose to be president of the National Women’s Rights Convention in 1854, though many called Rose, a Jew married to a Christian, an atheist, probably accurately. Anthony said about that controversy that â€Å"every religion - or none - should have an equal right on the platform.† She also wrote, â€Å"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.† At another time, she wrote, â€Å"I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old Revolutionary maxim. Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.† Whether she was an atheist, or just believed in a different idea of God than some of her evangelical opponents, is not certain. 8. Frederick Douglass Was a Lifelong Friend Though they split over the issue of the priority of black male suffrage in the 1860s - a split which also split the feminist movement until 1890 - Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass were lifelong friends. They knew each other from early days in Rochester, where in the 1840s and 1850s, he was part of the anti-slavery circle that Susan and her family were part of. On the day Douglass died, he had sat next to Anthony on the platform of a women’s rights meeting in Washington, D.C. During the split over the 15th Amendment’s granting of suffrage rights to black males, Douglass tried to influence Anthony to support the ratification. Anthony, appalled that the Amendment would introduce the word â€Å"male† into the Constitution for the first time, disagreed. 9. Her Earliest Known Anthony Ancestor Was German Susan B. Anthony’s Anthony ancestors came to America via England in 1634. The Anthonys had been a prominent and well-educated family. The English Anthonys were descended from a William Anthony in Germany who was an engraver. He served as Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint during the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. 10. Her Maternal Grandfather Fought in the American Revolution Daniel Read enlisted in the Continental Army after the battle of Lexington, served under Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen among other commanders, and after the war was elected as a Whig to the Massachusetts legislature. He became a Universalist, though his wife kept praying he would return to traditional Christianity. 11. Her Position on Abortion Is Misrepresented While Anthony, like other leading women of her time, deplored abortion both as â€Å"child-murder† and as a threat to the life of women under then-current medical practice, she blamed men as responsible for women’s decisions to end their pregnancies. An often-used quote about child-murder was part of an editorial asserting that laws attempting to punish women for having abortions would be unlikely to suppress abortions, and asserting that many women seeking abortions were doing so out of desperation, not casually. She also asserted that â€Å"forced maternity† within legal marriage - because husbands were not seeing their wives as having a right to their own bodies and selves - was another outrage. 12. She May Have Had Lesbian Relationships Anthony lived at a time when the concept of â€Å"lesbian† hadn’t really surfaced. It’s hard to differentiate whether â€Å"romantic friendships† and â€Å"Boston marriages† of the time would have been considered lesbian relationships today. Anthony lived for many of her adult years with her sister Mary. Women (and men) wrote in more romantic terms of friendships than we do today, so when Susan B. Anthony, in a letter, wrote that she â€Å"shall go to Chicago and visit my new lover - dear Mrs. Gross† it’s hard to know what she really meant. Clearly, there were very strong emotional bonds between Anthony and some other women. As Lillian Falderman documents in the controversial  To Believe in Women, Anthony also wrote of her distress when fellow feminists got married to men or had children, and wrote in very flirtatious ways - including invitations to share her bed. Her niece Lucy Anthony was a life partner of suffrage leader and Methodist minister Anna Howard Shaw, so such relationships were not foreign to her experience. Faderman suggests that Susan B. Anthony may have had relationships with Anna Dickinson, Rachel Avery, and Emily Gross at different times in her life. There are photos of Emily Gross and Anthony together, and even a statue of the two created in 1896.  Unlike others in her circle, however, her relationships with women never had the permanence of a â€Å"Boston marriage.† We really can’t know for sure if the relationships were what we’d today call lesbian relationships, but we do know that the idea that Anthony was a lonely single woman is not at all the full story. She had rich friendships with her female friends. She had some real friendships with men, as well, though those letters are not so flirtatious. 13. A Ship Named for Susan B. Anthony Holds a World’s Record In 1942, a ship was named for Susan B. Anthony. Constructed in 1930 and called the  Santa Clara  until the Navy chartered it on August 7, 1942, the ship became one of very few named for a woman. It was commissioned in September and became a transport ship carrying troops and equipment for the Allied invasion of North Africa in October and November. It made three voyages from the U.S. coast to North Africa. After landing troops and equipment in Sicily in July 1943 as part of the Allied invasion of Sicily, it took heavy enemy aircraft fire and bombings and shot down two of the enemy bombers. Returning to the United States, it spent months taking troops and equipment to Europe in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. On June 7, 1944, it struck a mine off of Normandy. After failed attempts to save it, the troops and crew were evacuated and the  Susan B. Anthony  sank. As of the year 2015, this was the largest rescue on record of people from a ship without any loss of life. 14. The B Stands for Brownell Anthonys parents gave Susan the middle name Brownell.  Simeon Brownell (born 1821) was another Quaker abolitionist who supported Anthonys womens rights work, and his family may have been related to or friends with Anthonys parents. 15. The Law Giving Women the Vote Was Called the Susan B. Anthony Amendment Anthony died in 1906, so the continuing struggle to win the vote honored her memory with this name for the proposed 19th Constitutional Amendment. Sources Anderson, Bonnie S. The Rabbis Atheist Daughter: Ernestine Rose, International Feminist Pioneer. 1st Edition, Oxford University Press, January 2, 2017. Falderman, Lillian. To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done For America - A History. Kindle Edition, Mariner Books, Movember 1, 2017. Rhodes, Jesse. Happy Birthday, Susan B. Anthony. Smithsonian, February 15, 2011. Schiff, Stacy. Desperately Seeking Susan. The New York Times, October 13, 2006. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. History of Woman Suffrage. Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Kindle Edition, GIANLUCA, November 29, 2017.

SHORT STORY QUESTIONS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

SHORT STORY QUESTIONS - Assignment Example In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† there are lines that show how the narrator (Jane) inconsistently describes her perception of the wallpaper in the room. This makes obvious her slow and continuous descent into madness. Jane, through the wallpaper, realizes that it is impossible for her to accept living life locked up in some room. In â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers,† the men take in the detail of the messy housekeeping abilities of Mrs. Wright, seeing it as laziness, while the women see it as Mrs. Wright being unhappy in the marriage. There was also a parallelism between the murders of Mr. Wright to the murder of their pet bird, as both were strangled to death. This is somewhat a common concept in marriage during that era, as men usually view women as clueless creatures who are merely capable of doing housework. In all three stories, the endings were usually death or horrible separation from the spouse. This is symbolical of the way marriages were viewed during that era. It was like there is always one partner who is unhappy, while the other is

The Nursing Care Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Nursing Care Management - Case Study Example When she is stressed, anxious, or having manifestations of manic depression despite having regular medications, extra support from a community nurse is available on the grounds of deterioration of her mental health. In this work, the care of Pat will be analyzed on the basis of the theoretical framework of nursing process where the role of learning disability nurses would be examined as far as clinical governance, ethical issues, and evidence from current research are concerned. This would also include critical analysis of emerging issues and implications on professional practice when it is delivering a care that is person-centred along or in collaboration including therapeutic interventions that are suggested by evidence from research. The planned care would then be critically analyzed and evaluated based on the principles of clinical governance and research evidence. Finally, everything should culminate into learning as far as learning disability nursing is considered. Theoretical framework to provide structure: This is the story of a young woman with learning disability, where her clinical situation has been complicated by detection and diagnosis mental health disorder such as manic depression and other medical disorder. This is a complex process due to her limited vocabulary and insights, and skill deficits. Therefore, the nursing assessment process that would lead ultimately to a care plan would need to include details of her skills and abilities, nature and pattern of behaviour in a diverse range of environments, relationships and understanding of her own emotions and of other people around her. To be able to implement these in practice, a theoretical framework is very necessary. These theoretical frameworks for practice have been derived from nursing theories.... This paper approves that medical history indicating stressors of long-term illness of complex partial seizures, mental illness of manic depression, medications against mental illness and seizures, and learning disabilities. A combination of these would lead to emotional disabilities. Conditions such as these can isolate individual who feels disconnected from others, resulting in difficulty relating in social situations. Presence of visual or hearing impairments are to be noted since presence of these in her case may lead to a situation where she may find communication barriers are increased, social interaction is affected, and interventions need to be designed to promote involvement with others in positive ways. This report makes a conclusion that the nursing care management must take care of the need to establish therapeutic relationship using positive regard for the person, active-listening and providing safe environment for self-disclosure. Client who is having difficulty interacting in social situations needs to feel comfortable and accepted before she is willing to talk about self and concerns. Client needs to learn social skills, because she has never learned the elements of interacting with others in social settings. Role-playing one-on-one is less threatening and can help individual identify with another and practice new social skills. Having client to participate in a controlled group environment, for example Pat and Jim, provides opportunities to try out different behaviours in a built-in social setting where members can make friends and provide mutual advice and comfort. Positive reinforcement for improvement in social behaviours and interactions should be provided since this enco urages continuation of desired behaviours/efforts for change.

Any leisure activity that you like Research Paper

Any leisure activity that you like - Research Paper Example Tourism is indeed an activity that brings many returns for countries that have beautiful sceneries that attract domestic and international attention. Many people travel to different places worldwide just to see and learn about different sea and land biodiversity. This paper examines tourism as a form of leisure that often take part in whenever I have taken time off my business and house chores along wide my family and friends. It also examines the evolution and ecological footprints that have been brought about because of this leisure activity, as well as the motivating factors that influences our participation in this activity. Tourism, as a form of leisure, refers to the process of visiting and tourism various places within or outside a country for fun. In the process of this tourism, people get to learn how different plants and animal diversity exist in the natural habit. People that often like to participate in tourism as a form of leisure often enjoy seeing animals in parks feeding and resting or managing their lives in different ways (Rojek, 2005). Tourism is an activity that has evolved over the time to reach its status that people enjoy in current times. Initially, tourism in its first phase, involved people traveling for reasons related to pilgrimage and trade alone (Matias, 2009). This was before 1840 A.D, when people who did not travel were often neglected and despised. The second phase of tourism came in during the time of industrial evolution, during this time railway and other forms of transport had been developed, making it easy for people to move from one place to another. During the period of industrial revolution, the team engine was introduced by James Watt, which transported many people at a time (Matias, 2009). The need for taking time from work activities and explore other opportunities within the borders of a country increased

Female Characters in Flannery O'Conner Short Stories Essay

Female Characters in Flannery O'Conner Short Stories - Essay Example Some have an aspect of madness, some are very assertive and others are very devout Christians. The three short stories that will be critiqued for the elements of women are , â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge,† â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own,† and â€Å"A Circle In the Fire.† All three stories provide the reader with a look into the traditional, Southern woman and her need for survival. 2 â€Å"Everything that Rises Must Converge† In the beginning of this story, the reader is introduced to Julian and his mother. They are on their way to a â€Å"reducing class at the Y† (O’Connor 1) where his mother must lose 20 pounds. The reader is immediately pulled into the story because the writing is very clear and crisp. O’Connor has the reader standing behind the mother and watching her try on her hat to get it to fit her head in just the right way. The author writes, â€Å"she lifted the hat one more time and set it down slowly on top of her head† (â€Å"Everything† 1). This automatically sets the mood for what is going to happen and the reader understands that the mother is elderly by the â€Å"grey hair protrude on either side of her florid face †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Everything† 1). ... This mother and son conflict continues throughout the story. His mother was â€Å"still [living] according to the laws of her own fantasy world† (â€Å"Everything† 6) where she would always remain. He saw the world differently and was attempting to make her see the world for what it was—a place that had changed. His mother still thought she was living in a time when slaves were slaves and everything in her mind was right. This is not the world they were living in now. Bryan N. Wyatt states that Julian wrestles with what to do with his mother since he has become emotionally detached from her. He thinks about abandoning her at a bus stop to get out of her clutches. Michael W. Crocker and Robert C. Evans note that the convergence in the story has to do with Julian’s mother being seen as n outsider of the society in which she lives and having to come to terms with the fact that life is not what it used to be – that blacks are now free and they can move around as whites and they can work in jobs instead of on plantations (par. 7). This is a sad stroke of luck for Julian’s mother because it is difficult for her to deal with this truth. In fact, this is so difficult that she walks down the street, has a heart attack and dies at the end of the story when she is confronted with reality. To say that this is a poignant ending is an understatement. The reader can identify with Julian’s mother and with Julian because these two people are seen in everyone’s family. The mother in this short story is very traditional, and she may be suffering from delusions as she lives in her fantasy world. She only understands good Southern hospitality that she grew up with and she is not prepared for the life outside of this

Microsoft Access Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Microsoft Access - Essay Example The reports in Microsoft access give a comprehensive summary of the information contained in the database (Viescas 39). The reports act as a knowledge management system, which provides answers to problems. Queries help with the filtration of data in order for a user to obtain the information required on an ad hoc basis. The quick Access toolbar provides three options including redo, undoing, and saving option, which assist the user to navigate. The customization button, which is on the right side of the access bar, is usually in a disabled mode when there is no database needed. Even so, the button should be clicked when a database is needed. The button helps the application user decide the appropriate items to display on the interface (Viescas 69). The addition and elimination function of buttons on the quick access toolbar is performed by the customize button. A command is added by clicking on the middle list of the customize button. After that, the user should swiftly click on the Add option. The command is completed by clicking on the OK

Regulatory Responses to the Current Financial Crisis (US, UK, China, Research Paper

Regulatory Responses to the Current Financial Crisis (US, UK, China, Canada, India) - Research Paper Example The current global crisis began in 2007 and spread in 2008. It had varying impacts on the financial systems of various countries depending on the initial stability of the system and its exposure to the credit derivatives that accelerated the crisis. The effects were severe in the developed countries like US as compared to the developing nations like India. In this regard, different countries reacted to the crisis identifying the opportunities and the associated challenges. The countries in the OECD advocated for a joint effort to have international standardization of regulatory policies. The main concerns are stimulation of demand in a given economy, improving liquidity, preventing foreclosures of mortgages and improving access to financing by for the SMEs and giant investors. There is a focus in risk reduction through investment in insurance. Financial crisis refers to a wide category of situations in which the large financial institutions or assets lose large proportion of their va lue. The current global crisis began in 2007, in some countries, and deepened in 2008 (OECD, 2009). Some of the factors that may contribute to financial crisis include application of similar operational strategies by players in the market, changes in the banking business, excessive leverage, changes in regulations and corporate governance, and failure of government policies on the financial sector (Blundell-Wignall, Atkinson, and Lee, 2008). Government policies regulate the financial sector within in a country and the operations with a global business partner. The failures in some of these policies could have contributed greatly to the current situation. To fix the situation and mitigate for future crises, various governments have enacted some monetary and fiscal policies. The current global financial crisis had other related problems like food crisis especially to the developing countries as was, and continues to be, witnessed in the horn of Africa (Canuto, 2011). The financial ref orms to manage the crisis must then focus on the other financial instruments controlling the economy of the country. The problem that has been encountered in the management if the crisis is that economists and the policymakers do not have a proper understanding of the relationship of various components of economic policy and regulation (Tamirisa, 2011). It is important to understand the interaction between monetary and macro-prudential policies in enabling financial stability. Designing a successful macro-prudential policy requires the government to understand the risks of the new financial instruments it is putting in place (Tamirisa, 2011). Focusing on the monetary policy is insufficient in the management and mitigation of financial crises. This paper focuses on the regulatory responses that have been given by five different countries in relation to the current global

Microsoft Access Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Microsoft Access - Essay Example The reports in Microsoft access give a comprehensive summary of the information contained in the database (Viescas 39). The reports act as a knowledge management system, which provides answers to problems. Queries help with the filtration of data in order for a user to obtain the information required on an ad hoc basis. The quick Access toolbar provides three options including redo, undoing, and saving option, which assist the user to navigate. The customization button, which is on the right side of the access bar, is usually in a disabled mode when there is no database needed. Even so, the button should be clicked when a database is needed. The button helps the application user decide the appropriate items to display on the interface (Viescas 69). The addition and elimination function of buttons on the quick access toolbar is performed by the customize button. A command is added by clicking on the middle list of the customize button. After that, the user should swiftly click on the Add option. The command is completed by clicking on the OK

Education of Young Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Education of Young Children - Essay Example However, "the preparation" context of DAP does not neglect the fact that more and more knowledge are being discovered regarding the significance or uniqueness of childhood that should merit the attention and commitment of educators, parents, government and communities alike - thus, DAP is consequently becoming more attuned to the ever-current needs of the child. DAP also recognizes the individual child as much as the diversity of the socio-economic and cultural environments that contribute to the differences in children's perceptions that they carry with them while attending early education. There are certain elements that make developmentally appropriate programs well suited to the aim of supporting the development of children in their education. These are knowledge or information used to come up with learning programs, the learning environment which is the dynamic interface between children and the educators, whether inside or outside the school system, and the policies which serve to institutionalize the mechanisms that make DAP continuously responsive to its aims. Knowledge as a key element of DAP allows educators to come up with learning programs and applications that are guideposts on what will work or not for the development of children. ... Furthermore, knowledge of varying socio-economic and cultural contexts as applied in DAP allows for relevance among children and families coming from different backgrounds. The learning environment as an element of DAP encompasses the interface between young children and the all the actors such as teachers, families and other children. It also includes the inter-related practices of teaching, developing curricula and the feedback processes that go with DAP. The learning environment is where social interactions and relationship skills are developed, that is why DAP is committed to fostering a safe and caring environment for young children. Continuous assessment of how children fare in learning programs also constitutes an important facet of the learning environment. Policies also constitute an important element of DAP in as much as they make learning programs committed to the development of young children viable. These include formal mechanisms that would set up personnel with the needed expertise, funding and other guidelines that serve as rules when certain expectations under DAP are not met. 2. What are the underlying values of DEC Recommended Practices According to the Division for Early Childhood of the Council (no date) for Exceptional Children or DEC, Recommended Practices are important because RP "represents collective wisdom, identifies what practices work, provides a framework to define quality, supports positive outcomes and applies to all settings". Instead on focusing on the larger framework of locating the child in the greater milieu of the education system or the society and to a certain extent and taking off from there, the approach is more evidence-based and is more geared towards what is practical and works. The

Indian Institutes of Management and Interview Essay Example for Free

Indian Institutes of Management and Interview Essay With academic internships on Internshala (likes of CERN, JNCASR, EPFL etc.) ruling the roost, we have been inundated with requests for tips on how to write an impressive Statement of Purpose (SOP). The kind which grabs selection committee’s attention and forces them to accept you in one go. We present, a been there and done that, expert telling you the finer nuances of how to write an effective SOP. About the author: – Nirmal Jayaram graduated from IIT Madras in 2006 post which he did his M. S Ph.D from Stanford University. Whether Nirmal is synonymous with the term Academic Brilliance or coined it; I am not sure. Sample this – he graduated with a CGPA of 9.54 from IIT Madras (last 4 sem GPA being 10/10), he had calls from all 6 IIMs and attended interviews of only 2 and converted both including IIM Ahmedabad. But of course he did not join it. He had admits with full scholarships from Stanford, MIT, Berkley, Cornell, UTA, Purdue. Rumors has it that MIT admission committee stalked him for weeks to swing his decision in their favor and sulked for months when he went to Stanford instead. With these credentials, if I were you I would pay VERY close attention to what he has to say on SOP writing. Happy reading†¦ 1. Understand what a statement of purpose means: You’ve probably been in situations where you have to choose one among several exciting alternatives. Recruiters face the same scenario while dealing with several good resumes intended at the same job opening. The statement of purpose gives you an opportunity to connect all your application materials together and express to the recruiter why you fit the role the best. To understand what goes into a good statement of purpose, you need to put yourselves in the recruiter’s shoes, and try to get a feel for the two burning questions a recruiter has: 1.Why are you interested in the opening? Sometimes the answer to this might be obvious. You current area of study/ work could well be closely related to the job opening, but it still can’t hurt to clearly enunciate your interest in this area of work and how that helps you move further in your intended career path. Naturally this is much more important whe n the job opening is in an area unrelated to your current area of work, although you might believe that the new area is really your calling. The end goal is that the recruiter needs to believe that you are very serious about this opening and you would give it your all once you actually get the job. More on this later. 2.What do you bring to the table? So, you have shown the recruiter that no one could be any more serious about the opening than you are. You’ve won half the battle, but you still need to prove that you are not all bluster and you are capable of performing the work at a very high level. Your resume does this for you partly, but the statement of purpose gives you an opportunity to highlight some of your major achievements and skill sets that are closely related to the job of interest. 2. Tell a story, your story! Let’s talk about structuring your statement of purpose for a bit. Your statement of purpose needs to tell your story in such a way that the recruiter clearly understands your background, your capabilities and your suitableness for the job. There are many ways to structure a statement of purpose, and this would be one: †¢Who are you and what do you do currently? Start out with your current education background and what got you there. Maybe you were inspired by pure science as a kid and ended up as a physicist. Maybe you were excited by the world of algorithms in high school that inspired you to pursue the field of computer science. Or maybe you even wanted to build the next Eiffel tower and decided to become a Civil Engineer! †¢What are your current academic credentials? Dedicate some part of your statement of purpose to explain your academic achievements and credentials in your current education program. If you did great in your college entrance exam or in your college exams, state it here and explain how this reflects your dedication to your current field and the hard work you are ready to put in. If you won scholarships through, for example, the National Talent Search Examination, make sure the recruiter kn ows that. †¢What is your current state of knowledge? Most disciplines are very broad and diverse, and it is imperative that you explain your specialization in more detail. Discuss your coursework and explain why you chose to specialize in the area that you did. Suppose that the job opening requires an intern that pursues research in the analyses of large data sets. You could be a mathematician and might have pursued a diverse set of courses, but you need to explain why the field of data mining excites you the most. You need to specifically identify your data mining-related coursework that clearly illustrates that you have the theoretical background to succeed at this new job. †¢Discuss your past projects: This is particularly critical for research based jobs that require that you be creative, comfortable working in open-ended problems, good at communicating orally and in written, and will not get easily frustrated by occasional difficulties in furthering the project due to research complexities. Some jobs also require that you be capable of working without much guidance or work as part of a large team. The most obvious way to communicate that you possess the above-mentioned skills is to provide a brief description of all your past proj ects and the skill sets you demonstrated along the way. Any journal or conference papers that you published as part of your projects will go a long way in helping you get a research-oriented job! †¢Discuss your non-technical skills: A lot of successful people are technically sound but also charismatic and possess excellent interpersonal skills. These are almost essential qualities in modern work places and activities that you’ve been part of where you have demonstrated these skills should help you big. Such activities include playing a leadership role in a department or college level association, being part of NSS, or maybe even running your own small startup! †¢Identify yourself with the company/ university: It is of utmost importance that your statement of purpose does not look generic, rather seems well crafted to the specific job opening. It would be wise to discuss briefly about your interest in the specific workplace and not just the nature of work, and in particular detail the attempts you’ve made to learn m ore about the workplace. 3. Ensure that the statement of purpose is written in a professional manner: A poorly worded statement of purpose with spelling or grammatical errors is a big turn off that would certainly hurt your cause. Request help from friends and colleagues regarding possible wording changes that would make the essay look more professional. Avoid terminology and wording that aren’t obvious to the reader, and remember that different countries may use different terminologies to refer to the same word. Keeping these sensitivities in mind will help. 4. Be brief: Recruiters do not have the time or energy to read through a rambling 4 page essay. The statement of purpose shouldn’t exceed a couple of pages and should be to the point. We are not trying to author the next Lord of the Rings here! Statement of Purpose (SOP) is a document containing one’s personal and professional details which makes the task of knowing a candidate for the MBA school much easier. It is a concise essay about one’s career goals, identified means to achieve them, and accomplishments so far in reaching towards those goals. An SOP often acts as the yardstick for assessing the capabilities of a prospective student of the MBA School. What should your SOP contain? According to top experts the answers to the following queries must be there in your SOP: You, your background and personality The reason or reasons for making a particular career choice Your hobbies Your short-term and long-term career goals Social initiatives taken by you, if any Leadership qualities demonstrated by you How you have dealt with failure Example of teamwork at the workplace Strengths and weaknesses Ethical dilemmas faced by you Preparing for writing the SOP Some suggestions on how to prepare for writing the SOP: Think deeply about matters concerning you, your choices and aspects of personality. Adopt pre-writing strategies and jot down thoughts as they occur Prepare a rough draft and proofread it to remove any errors. Start well in advance. While writing the SOP SOP is an extremely important document that you will have to prepare before you will be accepted into any MBA School. You must ensure that your SOP lacks any kind of spelling or grammatical error. Your ability to write at an acceptable level will tell a great deal about you as an overall student, so do not neglect to proofread your document before submitting it. The SOP must make an interesting read; otherwise it won’t leave any impact on the readers’ minds. Integrate your knowledge about the B-school with your career goals, as this will make it seem as though there is really no other school that you are thinking of attending. Some important points to keep in mind while writing the SOP: Originality The answers have to reflect the distinctive ‘you’ all the way. So, be original. Copy –Paste exercises will do more harm than good as one shoe size does not fit all, especially in terms of personality. Relevance Read the question very carefully before you start framing your essay. Consider the question: â€Å"Please detail your long-term career goals. Why have you classified them as long term? Do you foresee any change in these goals in the future?† Now, you must be careful in crafting a reply to each question in a convincing manner. Concentrating only on the first segment will make the statement lopsided and put off the admissions panel. Conciseness Every word, every sentence should be present in the essay for a purpose. Rambling and undirected thoughts are a no-no as your essay will be given a couple of minutes within which the panel member has to locate something memorable and distinctive. Imagery Imagery means using words that enable pictures to form in the minds of the reader. For example, the phrase ‘turning point’ is better than writing ‘The course of my life changed decisively at that point because it succeeds in giving rise to a picture in the mind of the reader. Avoiding jargon Using too much jargon clichà ©s or long-winded sentences obscure the point you want to convey. Professional tone and elements of standard usage There is a world of difference in the way we speak and the way we write. You should avoid informal style or slang while penning the academic essay. Keeping the standard elements of usage in mind will go a long way in ensuring admittance in the MBA School. It takes a lot of time and engages your mind to undergo lot of thinking before you come up with the perfect SOP. So you should start much before. All this takes time, so begin writing the SOP well in advance. Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on MBA admission tips! CAT Toppers share their GD, PI WAT experiences When a student is selected by a top B School, it is ensured that he has not just scored well in CAT but has also performed well in the Group Discussion, Personal Interview and or Written Ability Test (WAT) or Essay Writing rounds. This page will give you the GD, PI WAT experiences of the CAT 2011 toppers who are now students of the academic year 2013-15 of the top B schools. I had an enjoyable WAT PI experience of IIM Ahmedabad B Sekhar Anand IIM Ahmedabad Tricky WAT by IIM Indore Vishal Vyas IIM Indore My interview at XLRI lasted for 15 minutes Arjun Gupta XLRI Jamshedpur I had a grilling interview session at Common Admission Process of new IIMs Siddhant Gupta IIM Raipur WAT PI experiences of top 3 IIMs Anusha Subramanian IIM Bangalore If you are a fresher, be thorough with your subjects for PI Parag Poddar IIM Indore My WAT topic was on foreign coaches at Indian sports Aditya Agar IIM Bangalore My interview experience was different in the top four IIMs Mohit Srivastava IIM Bangalore There was no stress at my interview; it was a candid conversation with learned men Tanishq Goyal IIM Ahmedabad I had an enjoyable WAT PI experience of IIM Ahmedabad, B Sekhar Anand IIM Ahmedabad Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: My WAT/PI experience was very enjoyable. The topic for WAT was on corruptions affects- a topic that I was comfortable with. The PI on the other hand was skewed towards my academics. A lot of preparation beforehand helped me answer most of the questions. Though I could not answer a few, the interviewer was fairly satisfied with my approach to those questions. Tricky WAT by IIM Indore, Vishal Vyas IIM Indore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: WAT and PI were the two vital stages of IIM Indore selection process. WAT was somewhat tricky with a question on prà ©cis writing and another asking about my opinion in a given situation where a choice was to be made between a family managed business and a professionally run organization. PI probably was the most challenging part, with the interviewers asked extensively about by job profile and nature of work apart from a good amount of general knowledge. Work experience was somehow a difficult part to tackle with questions ranging from basic programming concepts to industry quality standards and their constituents. Overall, it was a mixed kind of interview which had its own high points and lows. I was hoping to convert with a good performance on almost all the measures which I later did. My interview at XLRI lasted for 15 minutes, Arjun Gupta XLRI Jamshedpur Q: How many GDPI rounds have you had? Please share your experiences in detail. A: I attended the GDPI rounds for the following institutes: †¢ NMIMS, Core †¢ XIMB, PGDM PGDM(HRM) †¢ SPJIMR(FIN) †¢ XLRI (BM HRM) SPJIMRs admission process is unique in the sense that they call you on the basis of your profiles. In the group interview rounds also, the emphasis is on ethics and values. They question you comprehensively on your work-experience, if any. XLRI has a single PI round for the BM program. The interview covers all the important points, viz., work-experience, Graduation subjects (Math, especially for Engineers), current affairs and ethics. Highly unpredictable stuff, I must say. The HRM program has both GD PI components. My interview went on for around 15 minutes in which I was questioned a lot about cultures, economies and technologies. I was asked to relate the factors citing suitable instances. Some questions on work experience and mathematics were also there. GD topic was related to IT sector. It was pretty basic hence I did not face any problem during the GD. XIMB had a single GDPI round for its BM and HRM programmes. The GD was related to Income disparity and was manageable. The interview again revolved around my work-experience. We had a very candid discussion instead of an interview. I could easily answer all their queries related to work. NMIMSs GD was related to the airline sector. The interview was about Petrol/Diesel pricing, Basic Share Markets term and history about my parent company. For all the above GDPIs, I brushed up my Graduation Subjects well. Read about the major issues which are plaguing the nations, basic indices to measure economic health society, knowledge about the parent company, its product profile, job role, etc. I had a grilling interview session at Common Admission Process of new IIMs Siddhant Gupta IIM Raipur Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail A: I had my WAT/PI in Delhi. I was given a topic on financial crisis in Europe. I was asked to speak on any topic from current affairs during the interview. I chose to talk on KFA bailout. I explained the problem and was asked for possible solutions. I suggested some solutions and a few cross questions were fired. Then I was asked a few questions on chemistry (I am a chemical engineer). Towards the end, I was grilled on â€Å"Which IIM will I choose if I happen to get multiple converts†. I linked it to the question related to the meaning of name and the panel seemed impressed. WAT PI experiences of top 3 IIMs, Anusha Subramanian IIM Bangalore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: Let me share my experiences of attending IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore. IIM Calcutta – I had a good WAT and GD. My interview was mostly about events doing the rounds, a few maths questions, logic puzzles and some general questions about my future plans, etc. IIM Ahmedabad – The WAT was tricky as we were given only 10 minutes to complete the essay. I was questioned on a wide range of topics ranging from work, recent happenings in the software industry and academics. IIM Bangalore – My interview with IIM Bangalore was almost entirely based on the statement of purpose submitted earlier. I was quizzed in great detail about specific points in my SOP, regarding my work experience and future plans. If you are a fresher, be thorough with your subjects for PI, Parag Poddar IIM Indore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: The WAT process for IIM Indore involved summarizing an article in one-third word limit and was followed by essay writing. I had been practicing essays during my GD/WAT preparations and this helped me perform well in the WAT section. This was followed by PI. Being a fresher, I was questioned thoroughly on my subjects. Professors checked every aspect of my personality through questions on general awareness, GK, current affairs and my background. The interview was a great learning experience and helped me gauge myself better and identify areas of improvement. My WAT topic was on foreign coaches at Indian sports, Aditya Agar IIM Bangalore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: At IIM Bangalore’s WAT/PI process, I was asked to first write an essay on ‘Foreign coaches are a waste of money in Indian sports.’ My interview was centered on my experience at work and I was asked a lot of questions on the contributions I made to the organization. All in all, the interview was a big test of finding out what I gave to the organization I worked for and to the college I came from, which, trust me is very difficult to comprehend. My interview experience was different in the top four IIMs, Mohit Srivastava IIM Bangalore Q: How was your WAT/PI experience? A: The interview experience was very different at all the four IIMs. IIM Lucknow was focussed more on general affairs. IIM Bangalore was mostly academics and SOP based (they actually asked me an algorithm) IIM Calcutta was purely quant based in terms that the first five questions were based on Permutations and Combinations. After I satisfactorily answered them the interviews started asking me questions on Seattle and where all I had been in Seattle. IIM Ahmedabad was very unpredictable in terms that most of the questions were not from my strength. It was somewhat less academic. There was no stress at my interview; it was a candid conversation with learned men, Tanishq Goyal IIM Ahmedabad Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: I got calls from all 13 IIMs, but I gave interviews for the top four only. In IIM Ahmedabad, the WAT topic was In today’s world, business and ethics don’t go hand in hand. The questions ranged from my work experience, solving math problem, my hobby tennis to politics. The entire interview was like a candid conversation with learned men on some random topics. There was no stress at all. Personal Interview A personal interview is aimed at knowing a candidate more intimately assessing the clarity of thinking process, future goals and the fit with the B-school. A personal interview is aimed at knowing a candidate more intimately – assessing the clarity of thinking process, future goals and the fit with the B-school. Personal Interview What does it test? Analytical Skills †¢ During the personal interview, Interviewer will check the analytical skills of the candidate in ways that cannot be done with a written test. Certain questions during the personal interview are devised to see how the candidate can analyze a situation and create a solution. For example, an employer may ask a candidate to explain a time when the candidate had to work quickly against a pending deadline. In the personal interview, the employer can ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into the candidates critical thinking process, to see if he/she fits to be a part of the Institute/organization Goal Clarity †¢ Why do want to do an MBA? How does it fit into your career goals? What do you wish to do after your MBA? These are some hard questions that you will have to answer almost invariably in all Interviews. These questions search the inner motivations of a candidate, and there are no right answers. The only way to answer these questions is to introspect: what excites and motivates you; what makes you perform your best; what would you really like to do in your life, and how do you genuinely see an MBA helping. Tough questions, but answering them honestly is critical for your success! Why MBA? is the most important question that MBA aspirants need to answer. There is no good answer for this. The answer needs to be your answer. In other words, you need to think deeply, introspect and find out what it is that really drives you. So put on your thinking cap, do some soul searching and then jot down the answers to whats your goal questions. Communication †¢ When an employer is engaged in a personal interview with a candidate, he will listen to hear how the candidate gives answers to questions, watch for body language that can indicate the candidate is not being truthful or is uncomfortable; determine confidence by gauging eye contact. Is the student is able to effectively communicate using his entire body, etc and these skills can only be judged during a personal interview. Domain Knowledge †¢ Given that a good MBA is a demanding programme, B-schools would like to know how you will be able to cope up with the academics and the extra-curricular 24 x 7 demands of your new campus. They are also keen to assess how you have utilized the earlier learning opportunities. Be prepared to discuss different specialty areas in business and their responsibilities. Interviewers will also expect you to discuss current issues in business, including the economy, taxation, foreign competition, the role of technology and ethical challenges in the field. So be careful about the gates you open, and be very sure you have in-depth knowledge about whatever you mention. For e.g. if you say you have an avid interest in Badminton, be ready for questions pertaining to Prakash Padukone, Deepika Padukone, plastic shuttles v/s feather shuttles, Saina Nehwal etc. It is advisable to brush up 2-3 subjects from your graduation thoroughly if you are a student fresh out of college. Also, contextual knowledge of the environment around you as well as general knowledge comes quite handy. Presentation †¢ Candidates who do not take the time to create a professional presentation for a personal interview can hurt their chances for getting the job. A personal interview gives the employer the opportunity to see what the candidate considers to be professional grooming, professional attire and a professional attitude. A candidates resume may be impressive, but if he shows up to the interview 30 minutes late and is not dressed in professional interview attire, then he may not be the candidate you are looking for. Attitude †¢ In a personal interview it is not always the answer you give to a question that is important, but how you give that answer. An interviewer is well aware of the corporate culture within his institute and a personal interview gives the interviewer a chance to gauge the candidates attitude to see if there is a match with the institute. Importance of an Interview: Who Conducts MBA Interviews? Every business school has different policies when it comes to MBA interviews. Typically, an MBA interview is conducted by one or more members of the admissions committee. However, it is not unusual to be interviewed by current students or alumni. Professors do not normally conduct admissions interviews, but there are a few schools who do assign faculty members to the task. No matter who interviews you, expect a lot of questions and an evaluation. Most admissions committees have a form that they work off. They will ask you specific questions from the form. If you are being interviewed by other students or alumni, dont expect anything different. They have probably been trained by the admissions committee to use the form or ask specific questions. Read more about the different types of MBA interviews. Personal Interview can also turn out to be an opportunity to sell yourself. While intimidating for some MBA-hopefuls, the personal interview represents a prime opportunity. Interviews allow you the chance to not only put a face and personality to the name and credentials on your application file, but also to express your academic, personal, and professional accomplishments, experiences, and intentions.