MGM624-0901A-01 Applied Accounting for Decision-Making - Phase 1 Essay - 1

MGM624-0901A-01 Applied Accounting for Decision-Making - Phase 1 Discussion Board 2 - Essay Example However, a steep increase in the prices will have an adverse effect on the sales volume. Hence an increase of 5% in the sales price will bring the break even volume back to [500,000 / (315 – 115)] 2,500 units. It is evident that JTI has invested heavily in the initial manufacturing of the new luggage line. Steps have to be taken to increase productivity of the entire manufacturing process, by reducing wastage and increasing the effectiveness of the labour. The effectiveness of the resources can be attained by introducing incentives based on performance. Awards can also be presented to the most effective employees every month and this will act as a motivating factor for the employees to increase the productivity (Samuels et al, 2000). Assuming that theses schemes reduce the variable costs to $110, then the break even volume becomes [500,000 – (315 – 110)] 2,440 units. There is a risk of losing sales volume, when the price is increased. The increase in price is profitable as long as the sales volume remains at 3,600 units. It is essential to consider the number of customers JTI stands to lose by increasing the prices (Baker et al, 2008). There are a number of risks involved in introducing incentives based on performance to increase the performance. The management has to set up benchmarks to quantify performance. In case the goals set are impossible to attain, the scheme will de-motivate the employees and can have a negative impact on productivity. Also, if the goals are very simple to attain, then the company stands to lose more in terms of incentive payouts to the employees (Latham, 2004). Hence excessive care has to be taken to set the benchmarks against which the performance of the employees will be measured. From the above arguments, it is clear that JTI has to increase prices and also increase the productivity in order to maintain

Analysis of Interpersonal Relationship Development Essay

Analysis of Interpersonal Relationship Development - Essay Example to know each other, through first â€Å"forming an impression of each other, based on the outward look or perceived character†, and gaining interest in them (Beebe, Susan and Mark, 292) Acquaintance: It was the next stage after the pre-interaction, where we â€Å"began to form a connection.† It entailed approaching my partner, passing greetings and enquiring basic information like names (292). Exploration: This is the next stage we went through, where we started â€Å"disclosing self information and taking more interests in engaging each other, at a more personal level† (Beebe, Susan and Mark, 292). Intimacy: The state at which the relationship â€Å"blossomed to intimacy and communication became more personalized, where we talked about anything and everything.† It was marked by indulgence in intimate activities (Beebe, Susan and Mark, 293). Turning point: The relationship then reached a casual turning point, which is â€Å"the event that moves the partners apart† (293), when I realized that my partner had lied to me about status, claiming to have been single, yet there already was a previous engagement. The relationship started at the awareness stage where we noticed each other and formed an impression based on the physical outlook. This was followed by the acquaintance stage where we embarked on knowing each other more personally. Then followed the exploration stage, where we self-disclosed information to each other, and then jumped to the intensification and intimacy stages, both of which occurred simultaneously and the intimacy stage overshadowed the intensification stage through personalized communication and discussing anything and everything. The relationship then entered the stagnation stage, after realizing that my partner had lied to me, and eventually separation occurred, where the personal interaction was terminated completely. Interpersonal relationships are formed through a process that entails different stages, where one stage leads to the other.

Specific Job Description And General Job Description Commerce Essay

Specific Job Description And General Job Description Commerce Essay General job des is best suitable if the single task has to be carried on by the group of people or if the same duties and functions are to be performed by multiple people may be at same department, place or at different places the best example may be the call canter executives or the customer support executives where as it may not the case in job des of specific nature General Job des may be for the lower level positions where the requirement is for huge amount of personnels or it may even be good for operational level. Whereas specific job des is for tactical and strategic levels General Job description may explain vision, mission, policies etc where as the later is position specific in an organisation Their may be group of people with same designation, salary ,roles and responsibility in general job des but the case may not be the same in specific job des specific job des may be required when the organisation wants to recruit the specialised person with specific skill sets 2. Suppose several people are employed in the same job as the one for which you are writing a job description. Would it be necessary to write a different job description for each person who works in the same job? In an organisation to develop the job description, it is necessary to study the competencies, abilities and skills that are required because when developing job description manager is supposed to make an analysis of job not the job holder of the position not the person, because all the people are supposed to carry on same function, has to achieve similar objective, it will also support you in evaluation the performance or performance appraisal, The training and development cost may be reduced The promotion structure and monitoring will be facilitated It will be advantageous in compensation management, declaring financial and non financial incentives The poor and the best performers may be well identified 3. Carefully follow a format for the specific Job Description when writing the job description for the job you selected. Make sure that you include in you job description the following elements: job description is an activity which will be based on the job analysis and it will be a document where filtering process will be undertaken as at first when I wanted to prepare the job description and wanted to list down the number of activities that are performed it has gone unto 43 then I have started clustering it under different headings therefore I have first started from macro then gone for micro, as already been mentioned in my previous explanation also that we have to develop job or position not job holder or person as the organisation will be stable and positions will be stable but it may be replaced with many eligible people so we designate power, authority accountability, and responsibility to positions and most importantly first the position is created then we will match with the person which is important function in job description The job description is developed to know why the job is to be performed, what are the task that are to be accomplished, and how it has to be performed THE DESCRIPTION FORMAT FOR HR EXECUTIVE Department : Human Resource Department Designation Or Title Of The Job : Human Resources Executive or HR assistant Job Summary :- the job includes carrying on the recruitment and selection for the organisation for which identify the potential sources from which the talent or potential candidates may be sourced, arranging the recruitment and selections. Coordinating with various departments and .forecasting the manpower requirement and coordinate and plan internal and external recruitment, maintaining of database of human resources Job duties and responsibilities :- The job responsibilities may include job analysis Manpower planning by collecting the data from all the departments of organisation Coordinating with all the heads of departments and collecting necessary details of requirements and eligibilities Manpower forecasting and planning Recruitment of candidates by internal and external sources Coordinating with all placement agencies and placement consultants Conducting interviews, review of application forms by various screening techniques Development and maintaining recruitment policy Work with accounts admin department for developing payroll Designing and conducting the induction and skill enhancement training program Reviewing and evaluation of employee performance and constant performance appraisal activities has to be carried on. All the other human resource activities also has to be looked after d) Job requirements :- Candidate has to be well versed with reading, writing and speaking English Person has to have in-depth knowledge of human resource management Should possess negotiation, counselling and motivational skills He has to have knowledge about International labour organisation rules and regulations Thorough knowledge in computers, web browsing and other packages of payroll management e) Minimum qualification The person has to have bachelors or masters degree in personal management, human resource management or any other HR degree from reputed university Diploma in computers Task 2 Clone or Complement? What to look for in a team In many organizations that have moved to a team structure, the team is the principal unit where work gets done. However, most organizations recruit and hire as though there was one job description and the team did not exist. The reality is that people have natural strengths or tendencies and therefore end up playing different roles on a team. For example, some people are naturally empathetic and focused on interpersonal issues. Others are focused on and most comfortable with technical aspects. Others like the excitement of identifying new concepts and solutions but arent cut out for dealing with the operational details needed to carry them through. Recent research has found that allowing people to play to their strengths can yield maximum performance and employee satisfaction. Critical thinking questions IF THERE ARE DISTINCT ROLES TO BE PLAYED ON A TEAM, HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT RECRUITING AND HIRING FOR THEM? The business world had made tremendous growth and development not only operationally but also strategically, due to the liberalisation ,globalisation and privatisation the whole world had became a global village ,therefore the need of an hour is the dynamism in operation and matching the trends with constant change for which their has to be the dynamism in the human resources as the organisation does not have any existence if there are no people which has been explained in the definition of organisation Further the recruitment may be by many ways which are as follows The internal recruitment process may be followed where the employees has to be motivated for facilitating in organisation recruitment process, the company may also declare some financial and non financial incentives to present personals (reference method) by this the company may have various advantages like Company may get the trust worthy people as they are been referred The new recruited will be knowing the policies and operations of organisation as referee might have updated him The cohesiveness among the team mates will be high as the are been referred by them only, the learning process will be comparatively faster The company may even have cost effectiveness as this process comparatively will cost less in monetary as well as risk terms The company may also hire the people from the channel member as they may be with good knowledge about organisation modus of operation The present employees working in an organisation on contract or temporary basis also may be hired The organisaton may go for campus recruitment where they may hire fresh talent as trainees where they have to be exposed to the concern teams, the students may also provided the internship or projects where based on their efforts ,ability and interest they may also be recruited The characteristics needed by individual team members depend on the team and the strengths and weakness of others who are on the team. In other words, the situation is much more dynamic than assuming that there is one static job with a single set of qualifications. How could you model or include this dynamic and interactive nature in the recruitment and hiring process? The company may follow as mentioned above and the referral strategy may be also be followed The company may focus on high level and professional induction training with both in house and on the job training methods One of the most advanced method may be Japanese method of life time employment where the candidates has to be hired from their schooling only, there fore the cohesiveness among members will be more ,they will be clear about career path etc The company may also hire some reputed placement consultants and take the help from employee clubs The organisation may also go for set up of its own college or make mou with some reputed university to impart the specialised knowledge of company its policies and procedure as done b mc Donalds and icici Team exercise As a team, identify the roles that you think are important for teams in the workplace. Identify the skills needed to perform each role. It has been stated in the book essentials of management that their are three major skills required in an organisation that has been explains as fallows Conceptual skills Human Skills Technical Skills TOP LEVEL MIDDLE LEVEL LOWER LEVEL The fist category of skills is the conceptual skills: the conceptual skill has to be in maximum quantum by top level and as we go down the level i.e at lower level it decreases The second category of skills is the human skills which are to be in equal quantum by all the levels Third skills are the technical skills which will be at high quantum at lower level and decreases when moved till top level Other skills required are as fallows profitable judgment knowledge about product both technical and non technical effective time managing skills planning and organizing skills communication skills computer and it skills problem-solving and decision-making team-working and developing/helping others energy, determination and work-rate steadiness under pressure leadership and integrity innovativeness ,adaptableness, flexibility, and mobility personal appearance and image appreciation and application of social responsibility, sustainability, and ethical considerations In addition to skills, a natural tendency or motivation to perform in a particular type of role can be critical. How could you measure the motivation needed for each role? How could you measure the skills needed for each role? Motivation is an ongoing process where the motivational needs of the employees change from time to time more so over it has been identified by great researchers like Maslow and Hertzberg who stated different motivational factors for a human being .as stated by Maslow who correlated the needs hierarchy the form of basic needs, security needs, social and love needs, esteem needs and self actualisation need where he explained there are different set of factors at each hierarchy. Which can be correlated as major motivational factors for which a manager has to do following To know the motivational factors of employees first the manager has to be motivated He has to be epithetic Study in detail the organisational goals so as to correlate with goals of employees Then understand what factors motivate them by judgment and experience as well as collecting information from employee itself Recognize that supporting employee motivation is a process, not a task Support employee motivation by using organizational systems (for example, policies and procedures) dont just count on good intentions The factors once identified by analysis ands reviewing job and job description they may be put on a structured or semi structured questionnaire, generally all the motivational factors will be qualitative factors therefore standard scales for measurement may not be used so develop own scale with open-ended, ranking, grading and other qualitative ways of questions the manager may use even attitude measurement scales like likert, thurstone, semantic differential scale etc. How could you effectively recruit for the various positions or roles? In a simpler words the effective recruitment starts with development of effective recruitment plan by appropriate feasting, perfect job analysis ands developing good job description, Present your recruitment and selection plan by preparing a report not exceeding e500 words. R-RESOURCEFUL E-ENERGETIC C-CHARISMATIC R-REALISTIC U-UBIQUITOUS I-INQUISITIVE T-TACTFUL E-EAGER R-RIGHTEOUS Be prepared there is an old phrase in management which says if you fail to plan then you are planning to fail. Therefore if the organized planning is done it will definitely result in reducing time and cost of recruitment at the same time tabbing high potential for which following are to be done Analyze market trend within your business and industry is a very important element of the planning stage. Yet a day is able to create a gigantic differentiation so plan to have a hoard of resources which you can instantly take from as soon as the need arises. There are usually three type of role you will apply in your industry: High churn role usually the least possible time to employ, but the very ften advertisement. The advantage of high churn functions is that you repeatedly get the opportunity to analyse new technique to well adjust your hiring method. This is the group of candidate that your ongoing recruitment drive should be target. There are numerous instance where organisations run recruitment campaign even when they have no vacancy. Medium churn roles these are the role which are seen less frequintly for additional vital part of your organisation. This could be a mid-level manager who leaves their subordinate with no one to report to, or a expert member of staff who has a exceptional skill set. The best way to decrease time to employ with these position is to put up a talent pool which you can contact when the time comes. combine this with a extremely targeted online recruitment campaign should bring you a good number of prospects of candidates to select from. Low churn roles For long term strategically important role which are much less often hired for, its not as much of important for you to fill up the role rapidly and added significant to identify the right person. However, there are still some things you can do to help drive the progression all along.recruiters usually work on commission only and you should be able to get often day to day reports on who in the business may be ready to make a move so when the time comes you know the best people out there to fill the departing shoes. Internal recruitment is your other option for filling a position quickly, although remember that shifting an employee into a new role will only open up a gap elsewhere. Strategy =2 measure trend in: external labour markets, Current employees Future organisational plans, General economic trends Æ’Â ª Predict demand Æ’Â ­ Æ’Â ® Forecast internal Forecast external supply supply Æ’Â ® Æ’Â ­ Compare future demand and internal supply Æ’Â ª Plan for short-falls or over-staffing Steps for recruitment Describe the work or the job Profiling the candidates Converse your job needs Decide precisely the methodology Important questions to be considered whether we have the requirement for the said job? What are the task involved in job? What are the skill sets to be possed by the person? What may be the sources of getting person How to call them to our organisaton ? Formal and strategic approach Man power planning and forecasting Detailed Job analysis Development of Job description Specifying the job roles and responsibilities Starting the Recruitment Conducting Selection process Induction and job offer Different ways of Job Analysis Developing the Questionnaire Conducting Individual Interview Observational method Judgement and Expert Analysis method Work Participation Critical Incident Technique Job Descriptions Job Specifications Elements of a Job Description Job title Department Location Reporting toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Main tasks Staff responsibilities Rewards conditions Impact on others Qualifications Innate abilities Motivation Emotional adjustment Most Popular Methods Advertisement in local news papers Advertisement in specialist press Advertisement in national press Placement and Employment agency Putting Notice inside premises Job centres Education liaison Unsolicited application Careers service Head hunters Careers fairs Internet Word-of-mouth

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

In his novel The Great Gatsby (1925) F. S. Fitzgerald introduces the reader to a set of characters that stand on the different levels of socioeconomic ladder and by destiny's will share each other's lives. Reading the novel one can see that Fitzgerald puts a huge emphasis on money: its presence or absence is the deciding factor in shaping the lives and personalities of the characters. The novel takes place in New York, in the early 1920s. One might notice that the financial situation with the East and West Eggs bears an uncanny resemblance to the situation with the East and West Sides in the city. The narrator himself introduces the reader to this idea: 'I lived at West Egg, the -- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them'; (9). In the city families who have been wealthy for several generations occupy the sophisticated East Side; in order to buy an apartment there one must provi de good recommendations. West Side is less sophisticated and therefore less desirable for it is open to the 'new money.'; By creating this setting Fitzgerald is trying to make the reader understand that a character like Gatsby needs a certain environment to exist. Although Gatsby's persona is surrounded by different rumors, and 'contemporary legends such as the 'underground pipe-line to Canada' attached themselves to his name,'; people come to his parties. Money can buy one popularity and friends, at least temporarily. Most likely many of Gatsby's 'friends'; knew where the money came from, yet it did not seem to be a good enough reason for them to stop socializing with him. Money can also buy tolerance for breaking the law. In order for Gatsby to be able to have his lavish parties where 'in the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten'; (44), he had to have the entire police department on the payroll. Th e 1920s were the years of Prohibition – the sale and purchase of alcohol was forbidden in the United States. Gatsby's money bought him an unspoken permission to have those parties. Gatsby acknowledges his friendly relationship with the commissioner to Nick. He says that he 'was able to do the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers In his novel The Great Gatsby (1925) F. S. Fitzgerald introduces the reader to a set of characters that stand on the different levels of socioeconomic ladder and by destiny's will share each other's lives. Reading the novel one can see that Fitzgerald puts a huge emphasis on money: its presence or absence is the deciding factor in shaping the lives and personalities of the characters. The novel takes place in New York, in the early 1920s. One might notice that the financial situation with the East and West Eggs bears an uncanny resemblance to the situation with the East and West Sides in the city. The narrator himself introduces the reader to this idea: 'I lived at West Egg, the -- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them'; (9). In the city families who have been wealthy for several generations occupy the sophisticated East Side; in order to buy an apartment there one must provi de good recommendations. West Side is less sophisticated and therefore less desirable for it is open to the 'new money.'; By creating this setting Fitzgerald is trying to make the reader understand that a character like Gatsby needs a certain environment to exist. Although Gatsby's persona is surrounded by different rumors, and 'contemporary legends such as the 'underground pipe-line to Canada' attached themselves to his name,'; people come to his parties. Money can buy one popularity and friends, at least temporarily. Most likely many of Gatsby's 'friends'; knew where the money came from, yet it did not seem to be a good enough reason for them to stop socializing with him. Money can also buy tolerance for breaking the law. In order for Gatsby to be able to have his lavish parties where 'in the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten'; (44), he had to have the entire police department on the payroll. Th e 1920s were the years of Prohibition – the sale and purchase of alcohol was forbidden in the United States. Gatsby's money bought him an unspoken permission to have those parties. Gatsby acknowledges his friendly relationship with the commissioner to Nick. He says that he 'was able to do the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year.

Lord of the Flies and Human Nature

Good and evil. These are two words that everybody has heard. One question that can arise from these two words is whether humans are essentially good or evil. The question of human nature has been a topic that even the greatest philosophers have struggled with. Even the best people still have evil thoughts which demonstrate that evil exists in all of us, however much that the trait is suppressed. Evil is not a bold line straight down the middle of what is right and this is why it is my opinion that human nature is essentially evil.The book Lord of The Flies by William Golding presents the question of human nature and allows the reader to draw their own opinions on what it truly is. The story presents the situation of various young boys stranded on an island and the slow breakdown of society that occurs afterwards. There are multiple quotes in this book that can be used to argue that human nature is essentially evil. A particular example is â€Å"Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew didn’t you? I’m part of you? †(Golding 143).The Lord of the Flies said this to Simon while he was hallucinating. In the book, The Lord of The Flies represents the devil and the fear and evil within each of the boys. Further analyzing this quote, it boils down to basically mean that everybody has evil within them. Simon was the only boy on the island who figured out that the beast was not an external threat, it was inside of them. When he tries to inform the other boys of his findings he is killed by them because they were caught in the frenzy and passion of the hunt.This allowed the beast take them over and rule their actions and caused them to act with brutality. As the story progressed, it demonstrated how the boys went from calm and civilized to savages that were completely taken over by the beast of evil. This action further shows that evil resides in all of us and progressively takes us over as we commit savage acts for the acts that we commit are the ones that will ultimately dictate our nature. After succumbing to their inner beast it seems that the thirst for blood was not subdued in the boys.They killed Piggy shortly after Simon’s tragic demise and instead of expressing any type of remorse Jack says to Ralph â€Å"See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! †(Golding 181). He reveled in seeing Ralph’s tribe break down and with that the death of all order within the boys. Not even conform to being leader now, he and his tribe hunted Ralph down and lit the island on fire to try to draw Ralph out of his hiding place to kill him.This fire, the fire of savagery and evil, had an undesired consequence and got them rescued by order and society in the end. At the end of the book Ralph â€Å"wept for the end of innocence and the darkness of man’s heart† (Golding 202). This particular excerpt exhibits that at the end of his trial by fire (literally) Ralph had realized that deep inside, the nature of man is evil. Without any rules in place, the boys reverted to man’s original state of chaos and evil and destroyed the innocence that they had from being children.It was at the end that Ralph could see that humanity is an evil and twisted thing once he had experienced the death of his most loyal friend and seen and participated in Simons killing. The only two boys who realized that the beast was in them all were ultimately killed by the evil evident in human nature. How can young children, who are notably more innocent and less corrupted than adults, revert to such acts of evil? The only logical answer that one may be able to find is that everyone has an inherent sense of good and evil.This sense of evil seems to be the one that reigns supreme in mankind and its nature. There are many examples in history one can use to argue that human nature is essentially evil. A striking example is the reign of Mao Zedong in China that started in 1949. He was the founder of the People’s Republic of China and was a communist revolutionary. Once he had reunited China through his Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries, he enacted a widespread land reform. Zedong used terror and violence to overthrow the owners of large pieces of land and then divided it into people’s communes.The true evils of his reign come to play during his Cultural Revolution. Zedong’s regime persecuted millions of people and tortured them, publicly humiliated them, and even forcibly relocated youth to the countryside. Another campaign that killed millions was the Great Leap Forward. The Great Leap Forward led to a famine that killed around 18 to 42 million Chinese citizens. Instead of focusing on feeding his people, Zedong was more worried on maintaining face and continued exporting grain and refused outside help.Zedong could have avoided this huge genocide but he was more preoccupied with paying back his debts to the USSR. His desire for power and to one day lead a country that surpassed the United States lead him to neglect the most important element, his people, which is an evil in of itself. Evil can come in many forms, be it how you treat someone to just human nature in general. In Lord Of the Flies, William Golding coveys the message that there is evil inside every person, no matter how good they may seem.Examples in history can also prove that human nature can be a terrible thing and no matter what, there are always going to be bad people who can embody the sense that human nature is evil. One cannot judge and say that human nature is just a good thing or just a bad thing either. There are shades of grey and the in-betweens that one has to account for. In its entirety however, human nature is good with most people just choosing to give in to the evil, leading one to the conclusion that human nature is essentially evil.

Anti-Communism in America

– Analyse the impact of anti-communism in the USA from the late 1940’s to 1953 and the impact this had on tensions between the superpowers during this time. In the years between 1940 and 1953 the capitalist nations of the world such as USA became very concerned about the communist ideologies and its possible spread in the world. As a result, the ideological war period known as the â€Å"Cold War† was developed. With the end of World War II, the USA emerged with a renewed sense of confidence as they believed that their role in the Allie alliance was a key factor when defeating their enemy powers.It was not long, however, before ironically, this alliance between USA and USSR would be the cause for rising tensions in the world. It can be suggested that the rise of Cold War tensions led to the Anti-communist policy being being developed in the USA which not only impacted its own country but also renewed Cold War tensions. This is evident when examining McCarthyism, t he Witch-Hunts and Trials, and the Propaganda campaign. The US historical period known as â€Å"McCarthyism† began long before Joseph McCarthy’s own involvement.There were many factors that contributed to its beginning including; the increased membership in the â€Å"Communist Party of the United States† during the late 1930’s and early 1940’s along with Soviets establishing communist regimes across Central and Eastern Europe. Later USA was concerned with Soviet espionage inside government institutions, and at the same time politicians were slowing down social reforms or criticizing President’s arguing they had been influenced by communism. (R) This practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence was later known as, McCarthyism.Joseph McCarthy’s own involvement began with a speech he made: â€Å"I have here in my hand in my hand a list of 205 – a list of names that were m ade known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department. (McCarthy, ). (R) As a result of McCarthyism there were many Anti-communist committees, as well as private agencies, carrying out investigations about possible communists in the USA.Furthermore the federal government, under Harry Truman’s administration with the help of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover initiated a program of Loyalty Review for Federal Employees, with the aim of determining if government employees were disloyal to the government. (R) Hoover’s extreme sense of communist threat and numerous illegal practices including burglaries, opening mail and illegal wiretaps, resulted in thousands of government workers losing their jobs after unfair accusations or sometimes even without having any process. R) Among these victims was, Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project who built the fir st atomic bomb. Historian Ellen Schrecker has written; â€Å"in this country, McCarthyism did more damage to the constitution than the American Communist Party ever did†. (R) It was later proved that Soviet espionage did exist in the USA, but besides that fact it can be suggested that the American government could possibly had a greater threat of danger in order to react in such an extreme way, which created divisions still present in the USA.The House Committee on Un-American Activities(HUAC) was perhaps the most involved in Anti-communist investigations government committee. Earlier, this committee had investigated a number of activities including German-American Nazis during World War II, and later focused on communism, investigating an espionage case against Alger Hiss, American politician accused of perjury, in 1948. It was not until 1947 that HUAC achieved its greatest fame with the investigations into the Hollywood film industry.These investigations involved screenwrit ers, directors, and other professionals in testifying about their known, or suspected membership in the Communist Party, within its members, or support of its beliefs. The â€Å"Hollywood Ten†, as it was known, was a group of people formed by the first ten film industry witnesses that decided not to cooperate, and instead cited the First Amendment’s, which guaranteed freedom in speech and beliefs, but failed and were sentenced to prison (R).Later victims had the option of either being informants, and thus, give names of communist sympathizers or going to prison if refused to cooperate (R). On November25 of 1947, Eric Johnston, President of the Motion Picture Association of America published the â€Å"Waldorf Statement†, which announced the firing of the Hollywood Ten, and stated they would not employ any communist or member of a party which advocates to overthrow the government (R). This generated a †Hollywood Blacklist†, through which over 300 actor s, authors and directors were denied to work in the film industry.Those actions taken by the government not only placed USA’s famous â€Å"freedom† in question and showed an excessive use of power until the point that citizen’s rights were constantly violated but also created an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, which sometimes resulted in hysteria. These extreme measures led to a great division in the country that is still present these days. Distribution of Anti-communism propaganda was, without a doubt, one of the most successful measures taken by the USA government during this period of time. [email  protected] edu. au

Free Essays on From American Dream To Rock Opera

The Search for New Direction in the musical. From the ‘American Dream’ to the ‘Rock-Opera’. 1950 to 1978 were low-spirited ones for the musical. American musical theatre had been showing signs of exhaustion. This most seemingly anti-intellectual of genres carries its own ‘ideological project’. Before this, the musicals not only exhibited singing and dancing; they were about singing and dancing, explaining the magnitude of that experience. They not only gave the most intense pleasure to their audience but also supplied the justification for that pleasure. The pop songs of the day were the songs from the shows. With the increase in number of radio stations and the availability of portable radios recorded music became the music of the masses. With the arrival of the Beatles in 1964, Rock music exploded across the land sending other musical trends into hibernation! The occasional attempt to break out of the old moulds were unsuccessful and led nowhere. They showed inadequacies; being unmelodic and formless. With rare exceptions, audiences rarely left the theatre si nging the show tunes. Rock and roll couldn’t be assimilated in a dramatic structure. The songs didn’t tell a story. If rock and roll was used it would mean songs did not enhance and push the story forward, they would be separate from the story. Not until 1960 did Broadway face up to the emerging vogue. Musical theatre accepted rock music grudgingly. The eminence of the British musical has been the most significant theatre phenomenon in the world over the last twenty years. It has not only given British theatres a greatly needed financial boost but has changed ‘popular’ theatre indefinitely. Never will audiences see new musicals in the style of Oklahoma!, Brigadoon and South Pacific. With these musicals there was a danger of tipping from musical into melodrama. They never throbbed with subtlety because someone was always bursting into song about how every thin... Free Essays on From American Dream To Rock Opera Free Essays on From American Dream To Rock Opera The Search for New Direction in the musical. From the ‘American Dream’ to the ‘Rock-Opera’. 1950 to 1978 were low-spirited ones for the musical. American musical theatre had been showing signs of exhaustion. This most seemingly anti-intellectual of genres carries its own ‘ideological project’. Before this, the musicals not only exhibited singing and dancing; they were about singing and dancing, explaining the magnitude of that experience. They not only gave the most intense pleasure to their audience but also supplied the justification for that pleasure. The pop songs of the day were the songs from the shows. With the increase in number of radio stations and the availability of portable radios recorded music became the music of the masses. With the arrival of the Beatles in 1964, Rock music exploded across the land sending other musical trends into hibernation! The occasional attempt to break out of the old moulds were unsuccessful and led nowhere. They showed inadequacies; being unmelodic and formless. With rare exceptions, audiences rarely left the theatre si nging the show tunes. Rock and roll couldn’t be assimilated in a dramatic structure. The songs didn’t tell a story. If rock and roll was used it would mean songs did not enhance and push the story forward, they would be separate from the story. Not until 1960 did Broadway face up to the emerging vogue. Musical theatre accepted rock music grudgingly. The eminence of the British musical has been the most significant theatre phenomenon in the world over the last twenty years. It has not only given British theatres a greatly needed financial boost but has changed ‘popular’ theatre indefinitely. Never will audiences see new musicals in the style of Oklahoma!, Brigadoon and South Pacific. With these musicals there was a danger of tipping from musical into melodrama. They never throbbed with subtlety because someone was always bursting into song about how every thin...

Jack Kerouac And The Beat Movement Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Jack Kerouac And The Beat Movement Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Jack Kerouac And The Beat Movement World War II marked a wide dividing line between the old and the new in American society and the nations literature(The World Book Encyclopedia 427) . When world War II ended there was a pent up desire that had been postponed due to the war. Post war America brought about a time when it seemed that every young man was doing the same thing, getting a job, settling down and starting a family. America was becoming a nation of consumers. One group that was against conforming to this dull American lifestyle was referred to as Beatniks. The Beats or Beatniks condemned middle class American life as morally bankrupt. They praised individualism as the highest human goal(The World Book Encyclopedia 428). This perspective was present in poetry and literature through out the beat movement. One of the most important works produced during the beat movement was Jack Kerouacs On The Road. In the novel Jack Kerouacs alter ego Sal Paradise represents the American man who realizes he doesnt want to conform to societies pressures but still hasnt realized what it is exactly he wants to do. He is a man who has very little direction and is very much lost in the world as he knows it. Kerouac seems to be constantly trying to escape. In examining the novel one might wonder what is Kerouac escaping and by what means does he do so? Kerouac used two means of escape through out the novel and through out his life. His first means of escape was his constant travel. He traveled from east to west, New York to San Francisco and stopped everywhere in between. He made this trip over and over, constantly on the road. The simple title of the novel exemplifies Kerouacs ongoing need to travel. When he and his friends got tried of traveling east to west they traveled north to south, driving all the way down to Mexico City. His travels gave him the opportunity to be an outsider with no worries. He was able to witness and observe all that there was to offer throughout the country. While journeying across the states, staying in small towns for no more than a few nights, Kerouac was able to obtain a life with no commitment or responsibility. Even if he was to make some sort of commitment to one of his many girls along the way, it wasnt unlike him to just pick up and leave. After all the only thing people around seemed to know about him was that he liked to drink. This leads to the other form of escape Kerouac used, the alteration of reality. Kerouac would mentally alter his perception of reality through the use of drugs and alcohol. I was getting drunk and didnt care; everything was fine(Kerouac 35). To him everything in life was fine as long as he was drunk. He was beginning to drink heavily, and to drink whiskey and gin instead of just beer (Nicosia 96). That was only the beginning of his disillusionment. Jack began taking benzedrine and smoking marijuana(Nicosia 102). Having the means by which he escapes, the question still remains what is Kerouac trying to escape? In order to understand this we must explore some of Jacks personal issues. A issue concerning Kerouac that is very often eluded to but never really spoken about in On The Road is his possible homosexuality. While Jack never actually came out about his sexuality, his close friends would often witness Jacks participation in endless rounds of sex with both men and women(Nicosia 102). Kerouacs homosexual tendencies caused an overriding psychological conflict: Kerouac was gay but despised homosexuals. Jack talked incessantly about all the big old fags he knew(Nicosia 493). Even though Kerouac would have homosexual encounters, he felt a private guilt over his homosexual feelings. In an attempt to ease his guilt Jack would denounce homosexuality, saying that gay sex is not in my line(Nicosia 142). Jack was obviously ashamed of his homosexual experiences and fought all his life against the label queer(Nicosia 154). In 1945, he wrote a letter to Allen Ginsberg trying to resolve the issue of his possible homosexuality. He stated that the physical

Both Sided of Humanity

Both Sides of Humanity A typical spring morning, crisp, cool air. Three girls in the driveway like ducklings in a row, momma behind them in the doorway waving. Three girls anxiously awaiting the arrival of bus 210, lilacs in hand for the driver. They’re so young and pure, free of corruption and clueless of the dangers of each new day. The bus takes them to school, the place they think they go to learn about numbers and curving cursive Y below the line, but today school is a haven. Imagine a seemingly unsteady world crumbling under the pressures of fate’s unsteady hand. Imagine everything you own taken in an instant. And as their mother weakly told the girls of the disaster that day, the girls wondered, was it fate? Was it always going to happen? No. And they wondered what could have happened differently in the past to prevent this tragedy as they solemnly stared at the smoldering ash that was their home this morning. Three girls in the driveway like ducklings in a row, momma beside them- and beside herself, wondering what will happen next. While the thought of reconstruction brings happiness, they know their house will never be rebuilt. Money is scarce- the miracle ration has been spent on their lives. The family is all okay; no one was home to endure the deadly licks of the fire’s vicious tongue. There are six, and for now they must all live together in one small hotel room. For the three girls, getting along with their step dad would be like a fuzzy white mouse getting along with a starved python. Tension is high for everyone, but they all have their outlets. For the girls it is school. There they thrive in A+ papers, constant praise from teachers, and â€Å"BFF† love, and in the room at night there were three in the bed and the little one said, â€Å"we made it through another day.† Winter of 2004, the house is not complete; it’s not a house at all. There are some walls, but numerous holes and open spaces. The baby can’t crawl around because the floor is missing in some places, in others there is floor board†¦or some kind of board. No carpet. The stairs are slightly safe, enough to get to the top if they go one at the time. The kitchen has an infinite number of open places so the snow comes in sometimes. The floor is too cold to walk on with bare feet, but they have a few pairs of socks. There is no electricity, but they have a generator in the backyard. Gas is expensive though so it is rarely turned on. Their only heat source is a portable kerosene heater and kerosene is expensive too. There’s no running water, but when the generator is on they get about five ice-cold minutes in the shower-sometimes seven or eight depending on how much gas there is to spare. The youngest girl goes outside and sticks her hand deep into the snow. The sn owy yard is their refrigerator. When the sun goes down candles are gathered and lit. The girls gather in a circle, pens and paper in hand to do their math homework and write tomorrow’s essay in the company of dancing shadows on the wall. It is cold but they are grateful to have this skeleton house rather than nothing at all. Friends don’t know about this new way of life, keeping it a secret is no challenge though, because there is no time for friends. School is the only social time available, but that’s okay-it’s easier to keep secrets that way. Days go by, then weeks. Thanksgiving came. Oh were they thankful. Thankful for life, each other, and good health, and thankful that they had sense enough to be thankful. On Christmas Eve the family decorated a small tree cut from the woods out back, knowing nothing would be under it in the morning. Christmas morning arrived and they huddled around the tree. No words came out, but everyone knew what the others were thinking, â€Å"Its great to be alive; its great to have a healthy family; what a beautiful Christmas morning it is.† The girls knew their friends were opening presents, but their friends were unlucky because they were not having thoughts of thanks and gratitude flood their heads like the family with the creaky, dark house d own the road. Four years later life is very different from that in the creaky, dark house and still, there are three girls becoming women with a definite past and a bright future. They have seen two very different sides of life, and despite everything they are thankful for what they didn’t have before. Nothing will ever be the same, they will never look at life through the eyes of those three innocent girls that they once were. They, along with everyone else, are a very small part of an impossibly large world. Without the past the girls would not be thankful for every meal put on the table. They would not be thankful for the clothes on their backs. They are humble, and know that no matter what is going wrong, someone out there is always worse off. Three girls standing together, not in a row but side by side, grown and strong, ready to take on the world. They know what they have, they know that may not have it tomorrow, and that’s okay because nothing can take away their passion for life and their ability to adapt to any situation. When everything is mixed up and life is kept secret from friends and society it’s hard to cope with what others may think or say. The idea of society as a whole is a fallacy. We are all driven to be the same and to conform to the thoughts and ideas of others, but how can we act like a certain person or group of people when they too are acting like someone else? There is no truth in society, yet we all follow the same path to uniformity. To find the truth within yourself is crucial. Staying strong in a faulty situation is to have self awareness and to realize that life- no matter how fancy or dull- is beautiful. No power is so strong that it can ruin someone’s self-image and sens e of self worth. Everyone has the power to reach inside themselves and find their inner beauty, their reason for being on this earth. In the words of Emerson from his essay on self reliance, â€Å"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.† In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave the world is a cave full of prisoners who see nothing but what is displayed in front of them. In the words of Plato, â€Å"And if they could talk to one another, don’t you think they’d suppose that the names they used applied to the things they see passing before them?† unless the prisoners are led towards the truth they will never fully understand the real world. Three girls standing in a row, each with her own ideas of life’s truths. Each aware that she is responsible for freeing the world’s prisoners. It is their responsibility to show the world what life really is and what goes on behind closed doors. Reflecting on the past, they realize that their history is no different from anyone else’s. Together they became independent, self-reliant individuals. They have strength and passion, a burning fire within them as one, shedding warm light on each that reveals their individuality and what they have chos en to believe. Like the dancing arithmetic shadows on the wall, adversity vanishes leaving hope and certainty to their lives†¦a warm memory on a cold winter night. Three women who know: They’ve been up the rocky path and down the gentle slope. They’ve seen both sides of humanity and the miracles of hope. The light keeps glowing on them; and the moon keeps shining bright. As long as nature takes her course, they know they’ll be alright. Life cannot be touched; you can’t hold it in your hands. Its being can’t be dissected although it has the most intricate parts. Life thrives in every human being, entwines itself in every heart. Living with love, and having a passion for life are parts of life’s flawless web of catching you in time. Before your time, between your time, and after your time you’ll know†¦your life was perfect all along you just didn’t always know were to go, why you went, or how you got there. Following the brightest star, the path of yesterday and tomorrow, let your senseless worries guide you to your destination, wherever that may be. Be happy on the outside, and happier on the in. donâ€⠄¢t let others tell you how your life should end and begin. Respect yourself for who you are and love the light that guides you. Cherish every heart that has touched your very soul. Believe you can, and know you can, and you will be led home.

Technological Transformations of Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Technological Transformations of Society - Essay Example As the above definition explains, technology is about applying technical means to life. In today’s developing world, technology is all around us. Its presence can be felt in almost all fields of life. Social Networking is no exception. In fact the term social networking itself is a product of innovative technology. Social networking means to socialize via a network which is mostly done online, using some supporting platform. Most social networking websites enable the creation of a personal profile, where members of the network or ‘online family’ can feed their basic information and photographs etc. the members can then connect with other members on the website via platforms associated with these profiles. According to one definition, social networks are: â€Å"Web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.† 2 Face book is one of today’s leading social network websites. According to one survey, people spend three times more time on face book than they do on Google (Ostrow, 2009). The main features of face book include: Face book profile, friend finder, photo and video sharing, news feed, personal wall and face book games. Face book originated as ‘Face mash’ back in 2003 by a Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg. The privacy policy of ‘Face mash’, which later became as ‘face book’ was criticized and the creator of this program faced many legal suites in this regard (Web hosting report, 2009). Zuckerberg mainly faced criticism against open exchange of data viewable by practically any body on the internet. The privacy policy of face book has been undergoing a lot of changes since its creation. ‘Face mash’, originally meant for Harvard

Mechanistic Design for SEI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 8

Mechanistic Design for SEI - Essay Example They do not have to arrange a meeting with a boss to discuss the internal problems in their teams to consult on the issues what team should they join now. As branches of a tree do not ask permission from a tree to grow in any direction they ‘consider’ appropriate, employees behave the same. Â  Secondly, employees are mobile in choosing the place of work. In traditional organizations with bureaucracy and mechanic approaches to organization design, usually, CEO or his executive vice-presidents are those responsible for changing roles and consequently places of work of employees. A change of a place from a typical ‘box-like’ office to a private office is considered a big success and cannot be achieved only by internal motives of an employee. However, SEI being involved in a kind of business where they have to compete by the power of brains of their employees understands that the better its employees perform the better performs SEI. So, if changing the physical place of work might stimulate the productivity of a particular worker, so be it. According to a case study, employees in SEI usually change the physical place of work up to two times a year (West, and Wind, 27). They do it themselves, without requesting permission, because management empowers them as if they were owners. The same we can find in nature. Bees, for example, have no directions from their queen where particularly should they pollinate flowers, so they ‘have their own ideas’ were to do it. However, they know and understand the ‘corporate’ rules and goals of the hive. Pollen should be delivered no matter from where. They are free to choose the location of their ‘work’ and the same could be said towards the employees in SEI (within reasonable limits, of course). Â  

Management of Design and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Management of Design and Innovation - Essay Example The scope of design management extends to the internal and external interfaces of the firms. Design management usually is a long and continuous activity which influence the performance of the firms at all levels. Design management processes are practiced by people having different levels of authorities and trainings. Such people function with multiple orientations covering various kinds of organisations of different sizes and nature. Koppelmann and Spies (1993) opine that design management is having multifarious facets and there are different opinions about design management. This paper details the design management process and the application of design management in the case of Zara clothing Spain as a case study. Technology is said to be at the heart of any manufacturing company. The technology helps in designing the products or the processes required to manufacture the products. It is critically important for the companies, that the existing technologies are assimilated into the business, and also anticipate the impact of the emerging technologies on the designs, products, and processes. This is considered critical as the companies are always under constant pressure to bring new products to the market as quickly as possible. Thus the purpose of any organization is to provide the customers products or services with the best possible quality and at affordable price which is greatly facilitated by the design management. An organization is sure to gain a competitive advantage through designs that bring new ideas to the market quickly, do a better job of satisfying the customer needs, or are easier to manufacture, use, and repair than existing products and services. Design can be understood as a critical process for a firm. Strategically design defines a firm's customers as well as its competitors. It capitalizes on the core competencies of a

Ernest Rutherford Essay Cont Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ernest Rutherford Cont - Essay Example In 1971, Earnest continued to make contributions in the field of physics through a series of experiments and would later discover that it was possible to disintegrate nuclei of light elements like nitrogen using energy from alpha particles of radioactive materials. Therefore, Earnest was the first to induce an artificial nuclear reaction, and his idea is the basis for nuclear reactions in the modern world for producing energy and weaponry. He is famous for coining the names alpha, beta, and gamma rays in a bid to classify the various forms of rays since the concept was barely understandable in those days (Nobel Media 1). In this case, the scientist made a significant contribution to electromagnetic radiation. Furthermore, Ernest observed that radioactivity of objects reduced with time (Rutherford 17). Eventually, he came up with the term half-life as the time it takes for the radioactive materials to disintegrate thus the scientist was the one who set the laws governing radioactive decay. In addition, Rutherford is the scientist behind the nuclear model of atoms where he inferred that an atom comprise a nucleus that is surrounded by many orbiting electrons and his conclusion is how modern science view atoms (Weisstein 1). Earnest‘s contribution in nuclear physics has contributed to a great deal in the area of modern physics and chemistry (Weisstein 1). The concept of radioactivity, especially the alpha, beta, and gamma rays is the basis for understanding how solar radiation reaches the earth and the overall effect on atmospheric temperature. Earnest found that gamma rays were of high frequencies and if they reached the earths surface, the temperatures could be high and unbearable for the inhabitants (Rutherford 1). In this case, Earnest made an important contribution for the modern scientists to understand how issues like global warming and

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change Essay - 1

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change - Essay Example Change of leadership entails huge implications for an organization. For one, this change accompanies a new vision, to where the direction of an organization will be set for a period of time. This change in vision can entail major overhauls within the organization, which include changes in the organizational structure, leadership style of the new leader, processes, etc. Thus, a change in leadership will cause stress within the organization and implementation of this change has to be handled with a smooth transition. Stephen Robbins, in his book Organizational Behavior lists some of the more popular approaches to managing change. But of the three that he mentions, which include Lewin’s classic three-step model of change process, action research and organizational development, Lewin’s model of change is the one most pertinent to a change in leadership, which does not center only on a specific process to be improved or a certain problem that needs to be acted upon like the other two. The first step to managing a change within the organization is to unfreeze the prevailing norms within the company. In order to unfreeze these prevailing norms, or the status quo, overcoming resistance among individuals and conformity among groups is crucial. In Lewin’s model, the shift to a desired state can be done by one of the three: lowering the restraining forces to change; increasing the driving forces to get into the desired state; or both. The change in leadership entails a new vision. And in order to carry out this vision, there are specific steps the new leadership lays out which will be the cause of individual resistances within the corporation. The first alternative is to increase the driving forces. Driving forces usually come in the form of incentive, for employees to accept and comply to change. It may assume other forms, but driving forces

Management of Design and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Management of Design and Innovation - Essay Example The scope of design management extends to the internal and external interfaces of the firms. Design management usually is a long and continuous activity which influence the performance of the firms at all levels. Design management processes are practiced by people having different levels of authorities and trainings. Such people function with multiple orientations covering various kinds of organisations of different sizes and nature. Koppelmann and Spies (1993) opine that design management is having multifarious facets and there are different opinions about design management. This paper details the design management process and the application of design management in the case of Zara clothing Spain as a case study. Technology is said to be at the heart of any manufacturing company. The technology helps in designing the products or the processes required to manufacture the products. It is critically important for the companies, that the existing technologies are assimilated into the business, and also anticipate the impact of the emerging technologies on the designs, products, and processes. This is considered critical as the companies are always under constant pressure to bring new products to the market as quickly as possible. Thus the purpose of any organization is to provide the customers products or services with the best possible quality and at affordable price which is greatly facilitated by the design management. An organization is sure to gain a competitive advantage through designs that bring new ideas to the market quickly, do a better job of satisfying the customer needs, or are easier to manufacture, use, and repair than existing products and services. Design can be understood as a critical process for a firm. Strategically design defines a firm's customers as well as its competitors. It capitalizes on the core competencies of a

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change Essay - 1

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change - Essay Example Change of leadership entails huge implications for an organization. For one, this change accompanies a new vision, to where the direction of an organization will be set for a period of time. This change in vision can entail major overhauls within the organization, which include changes in the organizational structure, leadership style of the new leader, processes, etc. Thus, a change in leadership will cause stress within the organization and implementation of this change has to be handled with a smooth transition. Stephen Robbins, in his book Organizational Behavior lists some of the more popular approaches to managing change. But of the three that he mentions, which include Lewin’s classic three-step model of change process, action research and organizational development, Lewin’s model of change is the one most pertinent to a change in leadership, which does not center only on a specific process to be improved or a certain problem that needs to be acted upon like the other two. The first step to managing a change within the organization is to unfreeze the prevailing norms within the company. In order to unfreeze these prevailing norms, or the status quo, overcoming resistance among individuals and conformity among groups is crucial. In Lewin’s model, the shift to a desired state can be done by one of the three: lowering the restraining forces to change; increasing the driving forces to get into the desired state; or both. The change in leadership entails a new vision. And in order to carry out this vision, there are specific steps the new leadership lays out which will be the cause of individual resistances within the corporation. The first alternative is to increase the driving forces. Driving forces usually come in the form of incentive, for employees to accept and comply to change. It may assume other forms, but driving forces

Reflective Account Values Essay Example for Free

Reflective Account Values Essay The first part of this Reflective Account describes what influences and events in my life have helped to develop my Personal Values. My grandparents taught me most of my basic ‘Personal Values’. I learned from an early age how to be polite, have good manners and respect my elders as failure to do so would result in getting sent to bed early. In those days I did not have a television in my room so in my eyes this was the ultimate punishment! They were not deeply religious people; my grandmother attended church every Sunday and took me to Sunday school. At the age of twelve she gave me the choice as whether to attend or not. I did not attend but she still taught me the moral values of respecting myself, my body and how a female should/ should not behave in public and at home. As today’s culture climate is changing towards how some young women behave e.g. children to several partners, going out barely clothed and getting themselves into all sorts of situations, I feel she was perhaps right in her teachings but when I say this to some of my nieces they tend to tell me I’m a bit too old fashioned and they’re glad I’m not their mother. I do not have any specific religious values and I would not disagree or agree with anybody else’s views, I hold the value of everybody being entitled to their own opinions and beliefs. I have passed all of these values onto my own child over the years and feel proud when people say what a polite and thoughtful man he is. A value that changed as I got older was one of ‘First Impressions’. Again, my grandfather (who was a policeman) taught me that first impressions count but an experience in a local cafe showed me that this was untrue. An elderly gentleman who was often drunk and smelly used to come into the cafe and nobody, including myself would go near or speak to him. This day the only seat available to him was the one next to me. He started talking to me and I was astounded to realize that he was a very intelligent man, he was talking about things going on in the world and using words I had to ask the meanings of. I now use the value ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. A very important value which I learned was that of ‘Family’ values. Coming from a small dysfunctional family where there was no real closeness I married into a large family where they all lived in one another’s pockets. I learned all about honesty, trust and support in the family circle, how they were all there for each other, supporting each other through the good and bad times regardless of the consequences. When I divorced my son’s father, his family  supported both of us so my son had the best of both worlds, time with me and time with his father. I did not have this as a child, I did not see my father unless he was on a sober day and I never saw my mother until I was sixteen years old. I find this value very high on my list of personal values and have tried to pass this on to my son as he is about to become a father himself. Overall I have an open mind and I am willing to learn and compromise, maybe change a particular value or belief depending on th e role and situation I am in at the time, which takes me on to the second part of this reflective account. The second part of this reflective account describes how my personal values relate to social care values. As a social care worker I must follow the guidelines and key concepts as laid down by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). This council was formed in October 2001 by the Scottish Government and aims to raise the standards in the field of Social Care Services. They have laid down ‘Core Values’ which underpin Social Care conduct. These ‘Core values’ are Dignity, Privacy, Choice, Safety, Realising Potential and Equality and Diversity. I believe that everybody has freedom of choice. We all make choices, whether it be what we wear, eat, what career path we choose to follow. Our choices can be endless but can also be limited. Limited choices can be because of things like finances, availability or circumstances, other choices depend on health, safety and danger to ourselves or to others. In my role as a social care worker I have a service user who has complex, additional needs and also uses a wheelchair. This user has the choice to use their wheelchair and can work the back brakes managing to get around the classroom at any time. This makes it difficult for us to manage the rest of the class as the user has no sense of danger and could possibly harm or put other class members in danger. We therefore have to take away the user’s choice of chair as we need to keep them and the rest of the class and staff safe and free from harm. This example shows that conflict can arise between the ‘Core values’ of ‘Promoting Choice’ and ‘Keeping People Safe’ Privacy is not just a case of liking your own company or keeping private matters to yourself. I like my own privacy, having time to myself gives me the chance to gather my thoughts or just chill out in my own way. I can choose what I want people to know about me without fear, prejudice or being discriminated against. Privacy in Social Care often works alongside Dignity. Dignity is a value which varies from person to person. I myself on going to the bathroom would lock the door so that no one else comes in, another person might not bother, and for some people, they may be unable to do so. In Social Care a service users Privacy and Dignity must be preserved at all times. This means that when I support a user dressing/ undressing I must take them to the bathroom (as it is a school the bathroom is the only place for the user to do this as the door locks) maintaining their dignity and privacy. As well as respecting their dignity I also have to ensure that their private personal details are kept private from outside sources. Any written information such as care plans or medical records would be locked away in the filing cabinet in the Headmistresses office. Another aspect of privacy would be confidentiality. In my role as a social care worker I would hopefully have the trust of the user so’s that they could speak to me about anything, if I had any concerns that they would harm or put themselves or others

Language teaching methods

Language teaching methods Language teaching methods The debate concerning language teaching methods has a long tradition. Although there is language teaching in all countries, many countries developed their own language pedagogy.   For many years English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers used the same language pedagogy everywhere namely Communicative Language Teaching. CLT is now the ruling, central paradigm in language teaching, which has shaped the thinking of the teachers. Teachers usually use CLT as a language teaching method; however, I think that this is not the only way to learn a language properly. First of all, the CLT method neglects the context in which the language teaching takes place. For example, there was a native speaker of English who travelled to Japan. He did not know anything about the culture and their language pedagogy, but he thought that CLT is the only way to teach a language, so it proved him that the other ways of teaching a language are failing (Bax, 2003). I disagree with him because I think if there is an emphasis laid on context, it leads the teachers to a more effective teaching. Secondly, teachers in the teacher trainings are taught to use methodology and to not to take into account what the context is. A teacher, who did a teacher training course, stated, The context of things was basically up to the teacher to try and apply the methodology to contexts (Bax, 2003, p. 282). It is stated, that methodology is only one factor of the successful language learning (Bax, 2003). If a teacher is taught and encouraged to use only the methodology, he or she reduces the chances of the learner in successful language learning. In my opinion, cultural specificity should not be neglected on the teacher training courses. To summarise, teachers should be taught to take context into account. Thirdly, some people say that methodology is essential to learning a language, but in my opinion the needs of the students are more important. Many people learn a language properly with other methods in those countries where teachers do not use CLT. There is the perfect example of the teacher who teaches in the Czech Republic, where not CLT is the used language pedagogy, and she did not understand how the students were able to learn to speak English quite well without it. However, on the other hand I have to assume that CLT is used world-wide, and it seems to be very successful. As Harmer (2003) points out, Methodology is fundamental to the learning of language classrooms where teachers are working (p. 24). It is true that teachers have to plan their classes, and they cannot only rely on the context in which the teaching takes place. I do not deny the importance of the CLT, but I think that other approaches may be more successful. In conclusion, I have to admit that not only CLT is the best solution when learning a language. Teachers have to take into consideration the context in which the language teaching takes place, and they cannot neglect the students needs and wishes. As I have mentioned, teachers do not really pay attention to the context because they were taught to use methodology. In short, the needs of the students are substantial, but the students also have to play an active role in their own language learning. (553 words) References : Bax, S. (2003). The end of CLT: a context approach to language teaching. ELT Journal, 57(3), 278-287. Harmer, J. (2003). Popular culture, methods, and context. ELT Journal, 57(3), 288-294. Lee, I. (1998). Supporting greater autonomy in language learning. ELT Journal, 52(4), 282-289.

Ecstasy :: essays research papers

â€Å"Ecstasy† Damages the Brain and Impairs Memory in Humans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an article that was found at NIDA NOTES on the Internet, titled â€Å"Ecstasy â€Å" Damages the Brain and Impairs Memory in Humans, discusses the horrible effect that this popular drug has on the human body. In a supported study conducted by NIDA, it had shown the direct evidence the use of MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy has on causing brain damage. Using brain-imaging techniques the study had found that MDMA harms neurons that release serotonin, which is a brain chemical that plays a very important roll in regulating memory and our other functions. In other studies researches have found that people who do this drug have memory problems only two weeks after doing the drug. MDA does change your brain and the consequences are harmful. This is mainly for young people who are using the drug the most heavily. In a brain imaging study, researches took brain scans of 14 MDA users who had not used any psychoactive drug, including MDA for th ree weeks. Brain images were also taken of 15 people who had never used MDMA. In the people who had used the drug the images had shown a significant reduction of the number of serotonin transporters. The results were that the people who had used MDMA lost more of these then people who had never done the drug before. The lost of memory was also tested on MDMA users. 24 MDMA users and 24 people who had never done the drug before were tested for memory. Compared to the non-MDMA users the MDMA users had significant trouble in visual and verbal memory. The side effects are growing, and it was proven that use of this drug could damage your brain and give you server memory loss.

Billy goat curse :: essays research papers

The â€Å"Billy Goat Curse† Its game six of the National League Championship Series, the Cubs lead the series 3 games to 1 over the Florida Marlins; it's the 8th inning of the sixth game with the Cubs leading 3 to 0. The Florida Marlins are up with a runner on first and only 1 out. The batter, Derek Lee, hits a pop fly down the left field line one row into the stands, Moises Alou, the Cubs' left fielder, reaches for the ball but before he could grab the ball a fan reaches up and knocks it away from him. The Cubs would go on to lose game six 8 to 3, and would later go on to lose game 7, and the series. After game 6, many people, including fans and the media, believed that the actions of this one fan cost the Cubs there one chance to end the 95 year drought and the curse of the Billy goat. In my speech today I plan on giving you a brief history of the Cubs, what the Billy goat curse is, and the fans reaction to the losing, and the curse. On Oct 6, 1945, a Greek tavern owner by the name of Sam "Bill y goat" Siannis, (he was nicked named the Billy goat because of his goatee), bought box seats for himself and his goat. It was the 4th game of the World Series, the Cubs having had won 2 out of 3 in Detroit. They came back to Chicago favorites to win it all. In the past, and all entire season, he was allowed to bring his goat to the games. This time, however, management said no. Siannis and his goat were escorted out of Wrigley Field. Not happy with what was going on; Siannis stopped in the middle of Wrigley field, threw both arms up in the air and yelled, "There will never be another world series played at Wrigley Field.† The Cubs beat the Detroit Tigers in the 1907 and 1908 World Series. This would be the last time the Cubs would win the World Series, a 95 year drought. The Cubs would go on to have some success in the following decade, winning the pennant (their division) in 1910 and again in 1929 both times losing in the first round of the playoffs. Ano ther pennant came their way in 1932, and this time they would go all the way to the World Series only to lose to the New York Yankees, on Babe Ruth's called shot. Billy goat curse :: essays research papers The â€Å"Billy Goat Curse† Its game six of the National League Championship Series, the Cubs lead the series 3 games to 1 over the Florida Marlins; it's the 8th inning of the sixth game with the Cubs leading 3 to 0. The Florida Marlins are up with a runner on first and only 1 out. The batter, Derek Lee, hits a pop fly down the left field line one row into the stands, Moises Alou, the Cubs' left fielder, reaches for the ball but before he could grab the ball a fan reaches up and knocks it away from him. The Cubs would go on to lose game six 8 to 3, and would later go on to lose game 7, and the series. After game 6, many people, including fans and the media, believed that the actions of this one fan cost the Cubs there one chance to end the 95 year drought and the curse of the Billy goat. In my speech today I plan on giving you a brief history of the Cubs, what the Billy goat curse is, and the fans reaction to the losing, and the curse. On Oct 6, 1945, a Greek tavern owner by the name of Sam "Bill y goat" Siannis, (he was nicked named the Billy goat because of his goatee), bought box seats for himself and his goat. It was the 4th game of the World Series, the Cubs having had won 2 out of 3 in Detroit. They came back to Chicago favorites to win it all. In the past, and all entire season, he was allowed to bring his goat to the games. This time, however, management said no. Siannis and his goat were escorted out of Wrigley Field. Not happy with what was going on; Siannis stopped in the middle of Wrigley field, threw both arms up in the air and yelled, "There will never be another world series played at Wrigley Field.† The Cubs beat the Detroit Tigers in the 1907 and 1908 World Series. This would be the last time the Cubs would win the World Series, a 95 year drought. The Cubs would go on to have some success in the following decade, winning the pennant (their division) in 1910 and again in 1929 both times losing in the first round of the playoffs. Ano ther pennant came their way in 1932, and this time they would go all the way to the World Series only to lose to the New York Yankees, on Babe Ruth's called shot.

Education of African American Male Students Essay

The Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme court which outlawed racial segregation within public education facilities. Segregation of public education existed until the Supreme Court considered arguments by the schools requesting relief concerning the task of desegregation. In Brown II, the Supreme Court delegated the task of carrying out the desegregation to district courts with orders that desegregation occur â€Å"with all deliberate speed† (The United States Supreme Court, 1954). This phrase â€Å"with all deliberate speed† was easier said than done. Segregation practices continued in America well after 1954. During these early years groups like The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and The Nation of Islam emerged as the new lead organizations for the Civil Rights Movement. Leaders like Megar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged all were assassinated before reaching the age of forty. These assassinations sparked the emergence of younger and more radical groups. Groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Black Panther Party had goals for education. The Black Panther Party created a comprehensive plan for improving their community. The plan was called the Ten Point Plan (Ten Point Plan, 1966). The Ten Point Plan stated: We believe in an educational system that will give to our people knowledge of self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his position in society and the world, then he has little chance to relate to anything else. (Ten Point Plan, 1966, p.1). The 1960’s were an era of great change in African American culture. This was also a time for new leadership in the African American community. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Megar Evers had chosen to use a nonviolent approach. Malcolm X was more radical and was willing to use violence to get equal treatment. After all three leaders were assassinated; leaders such as Stokely Carmichael had a new concept of  what America should become. In 1968 Stokely Carmichael created the term institutional racism, which he defined as the collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their color, culture or ethnic origin. One of the new topics in education reform focused on how to educate African American males. Students in urban areas have been exposed to deteriorating conditions, which include overcrowded classrooms, limited funding for education, and unstable learning environments. In recent years the education of African American males has encountered several problems. Although 72% of African-American students in America graduate from high school, over 45% of African-American males drop out of high school (Green & Carl, 2000). Another problem is that one in four African American males are expelled from school each year. Additionally a disproportionate number of African-American males are in special education and remedial reading classes (Lee, Winfield & Wilson, 1991). According to Livingston and Nahimana (2006), Success with African-American males requires understanding the social context in which they exist. This journey of cultural understanding begins by recognizing preconceived assumptions about urban African-American male children, African-American children, particularly urban youth, are very keen on picking up the adult’s perception of them. Thus, understanding the behavior and dynamics of urban African-American families will greatly aid in understanding and educating the African-American male child. (p.210) Statement of the problem In recent years, there has been a trend of academic underachievement among African American males. Economic opportunities, lack of education, lack of father figures and the lack of understanding from the American society has damaged the self-esteem and the educational opportunities of young African American males. This research discussed the role that education has contributed to the underachievement of African American males in education. The purpose of this study was to review and analyze the data regarding the education of African American male students. Specifically, the study looked  at the factor impacting the education of African American male students. This results of this study aims to encourage and educate professionals by providing information and additional strategies in promoting the educational success of African American male students. The following research questions guided this study: 1. What factors have influenced the education of African American males? 2. How have historical perspectives regarding poverty in the African American community changed? 3. How have attempts to desegregate public schools in America operated? 4. What strategies can educators use to improve opportunities for African American male students? Limitations of Study This study was based on existing literature and research regarding factor impacting African American male students. The scope of data collection included journals, books, and articles dealing with African American male student. The literature consisted of a number of studies involving the African American family structure. Studies in the field of education often do not include a control group. Other sources describe recommendations or proposals that may correlate with successful implementation of various strategies, but do not have quantifiable data to support those models. The limitations that these factors bring include the amount of study and research that exists within the literature Research was confined to the past decade; with the exception of the historical aspects presented Definition of Terms Accountability: a policy of holding schools and teachers accountable for the academic progress students by linking such progress with funding for salaries, and maintenance Culture: refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of â€Å"culture† reflect various theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity. Institutional racism: the collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their color, culture or ethnic  origin. Poverty: the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor; indigence. Public education: education mandated for or offered by the government to the children of the general public, whether national, regional, or local, provided by an institution of civil government, and paid for, in whole or in part, by taxes. The term is generally applied to basic education, K -12 education and primary and secondary education. Racism: a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. Racial segregation: is characterized by separation of different races in daily life when both races are doing equal tasks, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. Urbanization: means increased spatial scale and/or density of settlement and/or business and other activities in the area over time. The process could occur either as natural expansion of the existing population (usually not a major factor since urban reproduction tends to be lower than rural), the transformation of peripheral population from rural to urban, incoming migration , or a combination of these. Design of the Study This study was descriptive in nature. All data were based upon research of available literature on the challenges of poverty and its role in the education of African American male students. Guiding questions were answered based upon a review of existing literature and research which addressed the factor impacting African American male students Literature on educational learning strategies were identified, studied and discussed. The information is presented in four chapters: Chapter One will consist of the introduction of the research paper. Chapter Two is the review of literature, outlining as pertinent to the research question. Chapter Three presents the analysis of the findings, and theme regarding the historical perspectives and impacting factors associated with the education of African American males. Chapter Four consists of a discussion including summary, conclusions, and recommendations. CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction Before educators analyze the negative statistics for African American males, the fact that there have been successes must be realized. According to Livingston and Nahimana (2006), Success with young African-American males requires understating the social context in which they exist. This journey of cultural understanding begins by recognizing preconceived assumptions about urban African-American male children. African-American children, particularly urban youth, are very keen on picking up the adults’ perception of them, thus understanding the behavior and the dynamics of urban African-American families will greatly aid in the understanding and educating the African-American male child. Although the literature is quick to point out that many urban African-Americans are reared in single family home, one should not assume that there are not positive males in the child’s extended family. Uncles, grandfathers and even older male siblings can play an important role in aiding our work with students. ( p.210) There are several questions that could be asked about the education of African American males. According to Education Today (2007, p.22), â€Å"there is a new question that will be asked. Will we lose the next two or three generations, or possibly every generation of African-American boys hereafter to negative media, gangs, drugs, poor education, unemployment, father absence, crime, violence and death?† African American male students are faced with several challenges in education such as unemployment, housing, violence, incarceration, drugs, and education. According to Livingston and Nahimana (2006), â€Å"Educating young African American males has become an increasing concern for educators and human service professionals over the past 20 years. Disproportionate rates of school failure, dropout, and incarceration all speak to the need to develop interventions, which can account for the structural and ecological factors that impact African-American families and African-American children† (209). Even the United States Senate has noticed the new disturbing trend among African  American males. According to United States Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) â€Å"in 1999, 65 percent of African-American male high school dropouts in their 20s were jobless. He added that by 2004, the share had increased to 72 percent, as compared to 29 percent of whites and 19 percent of Latinos.† Schumer also noted â€Å"the incarceration rate of young African-American males is at historic highs, more than half of African-American males do not finish high school, and an African-American man in his 20s without a high school diploma is more likely to be in jail than to be working† (Wright, 2007, p.4). Family Structure/Foundation In America, the traditional family structure consists of a mother and a father. According to May, â€Å"In the 1950’s the normative American family consisted of a breadwinner father, homemaker mother, and several children, all living in homes in the suburbs on the outskirts of a larger city. It was a narrow view of a model family, yet it pervaded the media and was widely accepted as the ideal and most normal† ( p.20). Today, the dynamic of the American family structure is much different. Bishop (1991, p 23 ) stated that â€Å"In the 1990s there are still traditional families with parents and children, but the definition of a family has broadened considerably. Children are raised by many varieties of caring adults: single parents, grandparents, kin-networks, homosexual couples, and others. Even traditional appearing families are often blended families of children from different biological parents.† African American families have similar dynamics. Billingsley (1968, p. 36) â€Å"identified three categories of African American families: primary families (e.g., two-parent), extended families (e.g., other relatives, in-laws), and augmented families (e.g., nonrelated individuals).† The structure of the African American family has not remained static over the years. According to Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan (1995) African American women are now twice as likely to maintain families solely then they were in 1940. Another trend involves women heading the household. According to Darity and Myers (1995, p. 1), â€Å"The rise in female-headed families among African Americans has been swift. Twenty-eight percent of African American families were headed by women in 1970, and 46% were female headed. This data make it clear that patterns of African American family formation have undergone substantial change over the past 50  years in a number of important aspects. The absence of fathers from the homes has been associated with delinqu ency. According to Auletta, â€Å"living in single-mother household has been suggested as a contributing factor in the development of adolescent problem behaviors† (p.23). There are other concerns with the African American family that involve marriage. According to Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan (1995), â€Å"the proportion of African American women and men who marry has declined by 20% over the past 50 years, compared to the general population that has remained steady. The combined impact of delayed marriage, more non-marriage, high divorce rates, and a high rate of births out of wedlock are observed as having a profound effect on family formation in the African American community. Four out of every 10 African American families have a woman maintaining the family without the support of another adult. These trends are directly related to the well being of African American families and communities. Unemployment In the African American community there are several challenges for young African American males. The lack of jobs has a lot to do with poverty and continues to plague the African American community. According to McAdoo (p. 15), High rates of unemployment have had a profound impact upon the African-American community. Discrimination, inequalities in hiring and recessions, plant closings, the removal of high paying, industrial and manufacturing jobs to rural America and Third World countries have removed a number of African-American males from the urban employment sector. Historically, the rate of unemployment among African-American men has been twice that of White America. On the east coast the unemployment rates are even more disproportionate. Currently in major urban cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York, 35-55% of African-American males between the ages of 18 and 35 are unemployed (National Urban League, 2005). According to Dubowitz (1999), â€Å"Currently 24.4% of African-Americans live in poverty as compared to only 8.2% of Whites and 22.5% of Hispanics.†(p.55)† There have been other studies that reveal males are more likely to remove themselves from their family when they are unable to provide financial support (Livingston & McAdoo, 1993). For African-American Families, and African-American male children in particular, high rates of male unemployment can create a context of fatherlessness, economic  instability, poverty, hopelessness characterized of manifested in children by low expectations, increased rates of high school drop out, and high rates of delinquency, which eventually assist in maintaining the context of persistent poverty (McAdoo, 1993). Unemployment can create multiple mental and psychological problems for African American male students Drugs in the African American Community There is an increased concerned about drugs in the African American community. In the African American community, children endure the most pain when fathers or brothers are missing because they are in jail. According to Newman (2005), â€Å"One reason why many fathers can’t be with their families is because of this country’s misguided war on drugs. Of the 2 million people behind bars in America, more than 450,000 are there for drug offenses. While drug abuse doesn’t discriminate, our drug policies do.† (pg12), Another statistic indicate that African Americans are more likely to go to jail for drug offences. According to Newman (2005,), â€Å"Despite roughly equal drug use between African-Americans and Whites, African-Americans are 13 times more likely to go to jail for drugs than Whites. In New York, 93% of the people in jail under the Rockefeller drug laws are African-American and Latino. Offering people treatment and help instead of incarceration for th eir drug addictions would not only save this country much-needed resources, it would help keep thousands of fathers with their families.†(pg12) There is another puzzling situation in the low-income African American community related to drugs. There are higher risk factors that create an environment more conducive to drug abuse and incarceration. According to Schensul (2005, p.39), â€Å"The drug use of low-income African American emerging adults is more troublesome because those protective factors associated with the role changes that mark emerging adulthood in middle class white youths and many youths of color are not necessarily available to poor young people.† These statistics reflect a correlation between income, drugs, and possible incarceration. Schensul (2005) noted that urban low-income youths experience many of the same developmental transitions as their middle-class counterparts. Some of the factors that promote drug use include increased residential instability, expanded and diversified social networks, exposure to high risk settings, and negative  social influences that support and promote the use of drugs and alcohol. However, urban students are subject to inadequate primary and secondary school education, family stressors stemming from the vagaries of impoverishment and government social policies, limited local professional role models, and few job opportunities that guarantee salaries and benefits above the poverty level. Material goods can also play a key role in the lifestyle of young African American males. According to McCord, J. (1990,), Sometimes there are families struggle that are related to school life (fashionable clothing and social life) but may not be able to do so for emerging adults whose financial needs are increasing. Selling marijuana is an option for intermittent income supplementation, and many youths have friends or relatives who are in a position to supply them with small amounts from time to time. Once involved in drug selling networks, youths can move to selling additional drugs if they believe it is reasonable to accept the associated risks. This means that students are willing to take unnecessary risk.(pg 35). Crime and Violence in the African American Community In the African American community there is a mistrust of law enforcement. According to McCord, (1990), Unlike suburban White youths, however, African American and Latino youths are targets for street violence, arrest, and police harassment and abuse. Once imprisoned, or on parole as adults, their institutional record may preclude voting and render them ineligible for employment opportunities. Imprisonment may introduce them to gang members or prospective customers. (p. 44) Studies also revealed that certain minority youth are at greater risk for violent behaviors. According to Fitzpatrick and LaGory (2000,), â€Å"Specifically, African-American adolescents are more likely than White, Hispanic, or Asian youth to instigate physical fighting and weapon-related violence and to suffer both fatal and nonfatal injuries from physical assaults. Not only are minority youth at greater risk for victimization by aggressive peers, they are more likely to perpetrate violence.†(p. 21) African Americans are at higher risk to have more fatal injuries than Whites. This results in higher homicide rates. Many prominent African Americans have shown concern about young African American students. The most notable of the critics, Bill  Cosby, has been vocal regarding the number of African-American men who are incarcerated and the growing number of poor African-American children who are being raised by irresponsible parents. Cosby publicly chastised many in the African-American community for not doing enough to deal with critical problems and issues, such as illiteracy, poverty, crime and violence, which remain challenges in the African American community. Cosby told a packed crowd gathered at a 50th anniversary celebration commemorating the Brown v. Board of Education decision â€Å"the ladies and gentleman of the lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.† These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids — $500 sneakers for what? And yet they won’t spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics† (Watson, 2004, p. 10), Even though Cosby’s statements were harsh, they created a debate, which stirred conversation in the African American community. Incarceration According to Kunjufu (2001, p. 15 ), â€Å"over the past twenty years there has been a decline in violent crime in the United States. But in the African American community there has been an opposite trend. There are several factors that cause these trends, including poverty, family structure, high unemployment rates, crime, drugs and education.† Kunjufu also reported that African-American males in juvenile detention centers and prison have increased in recent years. Each year, thousands of young boys are placed in detention centers and adult facilities. Although African American males comprise only about 6% of the population of the, they represent over 50% of the penal population (Kunjufu, 2001). There are several other statistics that prove alarming to the African American community and the rest of the citizens in the United States. According, to Kunjufu â€Å"Currently one in three Africans American males between the ages of 20-29 is either in jail or on probation. The overwhelming majority of these men have been arrested and detained due to drug convictions.† (p. 26), Another statistic is that there are major inequities when it comes to sentencing of African American males. According to Livingston and Nahimana, â€Å"inequities in sentencing have lead to longer jail and prison terms for these young men at the most malleable period in their development. The return into the drug trade and the life of crime becomes a viable choice for many of these young men, accounting for the high rates of recidivism for  young African American males† (p.11). This is alarming because of high unemployment and limited education as well as the fact that prior conviction can lead to long term prison. The incarceration of African American males has had a dynamic effect on the community. According to Arias (2007), â€Å"The overwhelmingly high rate of incarceration among African-American men in America is striking a blow not only to the health and well-being of those men but also to their families and communities.† (p.20) This study reported that 12% of young African American males between the ages of 20-39 have been taken out of the household. This places a tremendous strain on African American women to take care of the household. Another staggering statistic is that only 62 percent of African American males graduate from high school. According to National Urban League Panel (2005, p.1), On average, only 62 percent of African-American males graduate from high school with their original class. African-American males make up only 6 percent of the United States population, but 40 percent of the prison population. Forty percent of those African-American inmates are between the ages of 17 and 26. (National Urban League Panel,). The age group between 17 and 26 is the age group that will likely attend college. If these current trends continue, there will be a tremendous increase in the number of African American males incarcerated. According to Pluviose (2006,)â€Å"by 2020, if current trends hold, that figure will rise to more than 65 percent for African-American men between the ages of 20 and 29.† (p. 22), These figures illustrate a tremendous need for employment and educational programs. The prison rate of African American males has had substantial economic impact on the African-American community. According to Holmes and Hughes (2003, p. 44), â€Å"incarceration rates in the United States, prison and jail inmates at midyear in 2002, reported that 12.9% of African-American males between the ages of 25 and 29 were incarcerated.† Segregated Schools What would Horace Mann think about the state of education today? Horace Mann was the father of the American school system. According to Hubbard (2005), Horace Mann believed that the common schools should be available to everyone. He wanted them to be available to people that were rich, poor, and of different backgrounds. As mentioned earlier Brown vs. the Board of Education was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which outlawed racial segregation within public education facilities. In Brown II, the Supreme Court delegated the task of carrying out the desegregation to district courts with orders that desegregation occur â€Å"with all deliberate speed† (The United States, 1954). The current challenge that urban education face is called the No Child Left Behind Act. According to The United States Department of Education (2007) â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), commonly known as NCLB, is a United States federal law that was passed in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001. This law was signed on January 8, 2002, and reauthorized a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of United States primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools, as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children would attend. Additionally, NCLB promotes an increased focus on reading and re-authorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (NCLB, 2007). One of the many challenges with No Child Left Behind is that the goals are commendable, but the expectations are unreasonable because of the deterioration of the urban schools school district. The next challenge in urban education the education of African American males. According to Misani (2007,) â€Å"nationally between one-half and two-thirds of African male students drop out of school.† In addition, the research disclosed a 65 percent dropout rate in Chicago, with only 35 percent of African-American male students graduating from high school. In New York, the dropout rate is 74 percent, with merely 26 percent of African-American male students graduating.† p. 34) This is a tragic situation in urban schools when nearly seventy five percent of the African American male students are not graduating. According to Smith (2005, p. 27), â€Å"the drop out rates for African American males in metropolitan areas is well over 50 percent. Another trend is that some African American males believe that it is easier to drop out than to complete high school Bowye (2007, p.3) stated, â€Å"It is  most disturbing that dropping out of high school is more common than graduating from high school for children of color.† Focusing on another disconcerting trend within the community for African-American young men, Dr. Hodge pointed out: â€Å"Going to jail is becoming the common experience for children of color† (Misani, 2007, p.35). If African American children continue to think this way, many are headed for prison and the crime rate will steadily increase in these areas. There is also a problem when it comes to the placement of African American males in education. There are disproportionate numbers of African American males placed in special education and suspended from school. According to Rodney and Crafter (1999, p.185), â€Å"Nationally African American males score lower than any other groups on standardized test and are three times more likely than their Caucasian American counterparts to be misplaced in special education or classes for slow learners.† When situations like this continue to occur students feel neglected and are more likely to drop out of school. Many African American students think that the American educational system is unfair. According to Misani (2007, p. 34), â€Å"African-American boys are disproportionately and inappropriately assigned to special education classes, expelled and suspended from school, and underrepresented in college preparatory classes.† Consequently the study concluded: â€Å"Many of those who graduate are not prepared for college or further educational training.† (Misani, 2007 p.34) African American males represent 8.6 % of the nation’s public students in 2000-2001, but in some districts, they make up as much as 41 percent of the special education population (Smith, 2005).