Nature vs. Nurture Controversy

The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities (â€Å"nature,† i. e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences (â€Å"nurture,† i. e. empiricism or behaviorism) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. The phrase â€Å"Nature versus nurture† in its modern sense was coined[1][2][3] by the English Victorian polymath Francis Galton in discussion of the influence of heredity and environment on social advancement, although the terms had been contrasted previously, for example by Shakespeare (in his play, The Tempest: 4. ). Galton was influenced[4] by the book On the Origin of Species written by his cousin, Charles Darwin. The concept embodied in the phrase has been criticized[3][4] for its binary simplification of two tightly interwoven parameters, as for example an environment of wealth, education and social privilege are often historically passed to genetic off spring. The difference being that wealth, education and social privilege are not part of the human biological system, and so cannot be directly attributed to genetics.The view that humans acquire all or almost all their behavioral traits from â€Å"nurture† was termed tabula rasa (â€Å"blank slate†) by philosopher John Locke, and proposes that humans develop from only environmental influences. This question was once considered to be an appropriate division of developmental influences, but since both types of factors are known to play such interacting roles in development, most modern psychologists and anthropologists consider the question naive—representing an outdated state of knowledge. 5][6][7][8] In the social and political sciences, the nature versus nurture debate may be contrasted with the structure versus agency debate (i. e. socialization versus individual autonomy). For a discussion of nature versus nurture in language and other human universals, see also psychological nativism.

Personal Income Tax System In Malaysia

A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed upon a taxpayer that known as an individual or legal entity by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxation is a compulsory levy that the government of a country will finance their expenditure by imposing charge to the persons, individuals, businesses and other bodies to allows the government provide money needed for them to run their operation and to achieve economic objective of the government. Tax is actually not meant to be paid by all people but focuses towards some class of people.As for personal income tax, it need to be paid by the person who earns income up to certain amount and for corporate tax, it imposed on the corporate entity that makes profit from the businesses. In achieving the economic objective, government will take some action such as reduction in taxable person income by the amount paid as the interest on home mortgage loans which will generates more jobs , encourage public to purchase a local produce, reducing inflation and discourage the consumption of certain goods.In Malaysia tax system, it comprises of corporate and personal income tax, custom duty and local tax. The personal income tax is liable for the individual who has income that derived from Malaysia or received in Malaysia from outside Malaysia for a year of assessment. The tax will be imposed to the resident and non-resident individual in different ways.The resident individual will subject to income tax derived from Malaysia and income received in Malaysia for outside Malaysia whereas non-resident individual will be subject to income tax accruing in or derived from Malaysia. In contrast, non-resident is subject to tax at a flat rate of 25%. In additional, income that received by an individual in Malaysia which income is derived from outside Malaysia is exempted from tax with effect from the year of assessment 2004.Under section 4 of Income Tax Act 1967, income that is su bject to tax comprises of Section 4(1)(a) which is gains from a business, Section 4(1)(b) which is gains from an employment, Section 4(1)(c) which is dividends, interest or discounts, Section 4(1)(d) which is rent, royalties or premiums, Section 4(1)(e) which is pension, annuities or other periodical payment which are not falling under any of the foregoing paragraph and lastly under Section 4(1)(f) gains that not falling under any of the foregoing paragraphs. Besides that, non-resident individual are alsosubject to tax of the amount paid in consideration of a service rendered by the person or employee for the use of property of any plant, machinery or other apparatus purchased from such person. Under capital gains, it will be tax in the form of real property gains tax. This tax is arising from disposal of real property in Malaysia.Real property gain tax is known as tax on disposal of shares in real property companies which owns shares defined value of such asset not less than 75% of the company's total tangible assets.Starting from 2010, disposal of real properties that are held for 5 years and below are subject to real property gain tax which the tax rate is 5%. In contrast, for the employment income, employer is required to deduct tax monthly from their employee’s remuneration and submit it to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia.For corporate income tax, resident companies are subject to tax on income accruing in or derived from Malaysia. Income that received in Malaysia from outside Malaysia is exempted from tax except for the companies that involved on the business of insurance, banking, sea or air transportation.Non-resident companies are subject to tax on income accruing in or derived from Malaysia only. Incomes that are derived from outside Malaysia which is foreign income will be non-taxable income. Business income of non-residents is subject to tax once it derived through a permanent establishment in Malaysia.There is a self-assessment in the tax system in Malaysia which required individuals to file and pay their tax based on the time requirement. An individual must file and pay their tax if they has a chargeable income for a year of assessment and has no chargeable income for the year of assessment.An individual who has a chargeable income for the year of assessment, they required to furnish a return for the immediately preceding year and have furnished a return for the immediate preceding year. Under Income Tax Act 1967 of Section 2 describe that royalty as any sums paid as right to use the artistic, patents, copyright, design, trademarks, films where such films are to be used in Malaysia. A person who is liable to pay a royalty that has a Malaysian source to an individual who is not known to him to be a resident in Malaysia and to a company, partnership or any other body of persons who does not carry a business in Malaysia.Besides that, the royalty is said to be derived from Malaysia if the responsibility for the paym ent lies with a resident of Malaysia and the responsibility for the payment lies between the government and state government itself.There is a term of local tax in Malaysia which refers to as the property tax collected by the local authorities for the provision of service to the residents. The property tax is levied on all property such as agricultural, factories, residential and shops located in the areas under jurisdiction of local authorities.Furthermore, the rate of the tax collected is different from one local government to another and it is also different in form of the property rights. Question 1(B): Examine the taxation needs of the present times (locally and internationally).So far Malaysia is using an income based direct tax for the purpose of taxation of goods and services in the country and with international transactions. So, isn’t it better for the country to switch to a consumption based indirect taxation?First of all, what is the difference between direct and indirect tax. The difference between a direct and indirect tax is a challenging issue. It depends on whether it is viewed on the economic way or on the legal way. In this case the interest is given to the economic view only.Based on economic perspective, a direct tax will refer to any levy that is both imposed and collected on a specific group of people or organizations. An example of direct taxation would be income taxes that are collected from the people who actually earn their income.In the opposite, indirect taxes are collected from someone or some organization other than the person or entity that would normally be responsible for the taxes; in other words, an indirect tax is technically an income tax levied against people, corporations, and other legal entities.A sales tax, for instance, would not be considered a direct tax because the money is collected from merchants, not from the people who actually pay the tax (the consumers). A goods and services tax in Malaysia (GST), a v alue added tax, was scheduled to be implemented by the government during the third quarter of 2011.Its purpose is to replace the sales and service tax which has been used in the country for several decades. The government is seeking additional revenue to offset its budget deficit and reduce its dependence on revenue from Petronas, Malaysia's state-owned oil company.They estimated to four-percent the tax rate in order to replace a sales-and-service tax of between five and ten percent. The Goods and Services Tax Bill 2009 was tabled for its first reading at the Dewan Rakyat (the lower house of the Malaysian parliament) on 16 December 2009.It was delayed amid mounting criticism. The government responded by asserting that the tax on oil income will not be sustainable in the future. National Consumer Complaints Centre head Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah has said, â€Å"The government should create more awareness on what the GST is.The public cannot be blamed for their lack of understa nding, and thus, their fears†. Sha’ani says that the GST will improve accounting, reduce tax fraud, and facilitate enforcement of the upcoming Anti-Profiteering Act.Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia leader Datuk Dr. Ma’amor Osman said the GST could help end dishonest business practices, but expressed concern about how the tax would be applied to medical products and services. A group leading the campaign against the GST, Protes which objects to the GST because of concerns about its effects on low-income Malaysians, cancelled a planned protest but has stated that they will continue to agitate against the legislation Difference between Malaysian taxation and other countries, they need to harmonize.Most of the countries in the world currently use income based taxation. Those countries use two systems for taxation purpose: territorial or residential. Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world using territory based taxation. The tax is applied mainly over local income, in other words, income from a source inside the country. Malaysia operates under a Self-Assessment System (SAS) and income is taxed on a territorial basis.Income tax in Malaysia is imposed on income accruing in, or derived from, Malaysia except for income of resident companies carrying on a business of air or sea transport, banking or insurance, which are taxed on a worldwide basis. Foreign-source income received in Malaysia is not taxable.In the residential system, residents of the country are taxed on their worldwide income (local and foreign). This difference of tax systems may overlap some time, giving rise to a taxation issue. Some taxpayer may be taxed more than once.There is another group, the United States which applies tax based on citizenship. There will be taxation conflict at the international level. For instance Malaysia and Singapore have a tax agreement in order to avoid double taxation for the same person and the same income between the two countries.B ased on the preceding, the taxation system in Malaysia should be reviewed in order to simplify the international transactions as well as multinational operations between the country and others. This could help to ease the business transactions both locally and internationally.Taxation used as a tool to attract investors which useful to note that the Malaysian Government, in trying to attract foreign direct investment, is amiable to consider pre-packaged incentives, Factors such as the size of investment, level of spin-off, employment opportunities, and technology transfer, whether of national and strategic importance will play a role for granting of the incentive. Malaysia is experiencing an increasing inflow of investors from around the world because of various reasons. One of the main reasons is the tax incentive provided by the government to attract foreign capital and know-how.At this point the country is doing very well to gain competitive attractiveness. The tax legislature in Malaysia keeps updating the tax law very often to follow the country’s development need. Switch tax policy is a need as in a multi-stage, broad-based Goods and Service tax (GST) has been announced by the Malaysian Government to replace the existing single stage sales tax and service tax. The implementation date remains unannounced at this juncture. The Malaysian tax specialists deemed more beneficial to make this switch.Experts also have argued that complexities due to timing and inflation adjustment should be avoided. To do so, the authorities need to switch the taxation system from an income based one to a consumption based one. Under such a system all business purchases would be deducted immediately.Borrowing in excess of investment would be added to income, and lending would be subtracted; the resulting tax base would be consumption. Through the tax saving resulting from expensing, the government, in effect, becomes a partner in all investments; the revenues it subsequen tly receives are best seen as the return on its investment.A consumption-based tax imposes no burden on income from marginal investments, because the private investor keeps all of the income relating to his share of the investment. As a result, such a tax does not favour present consumption over saving for future consumption, as the income tax does.Some economists view the flat tax as an alternative that is even simpler than consumption-based taxation but would achieve similar economic effects. It works by exempting most capital income from taxation at the individual level that is, only labor income is taxed.This proposal, like consumption-based taxation, suffers from the loss of  progressivity those results when the tax on most capital income is eliminated. No country uses either of these consumption-based direct taxes. To sum up, the Malaysian authorities has some changes to make in order to improve its own tax system and support the economic growth of the country.The current ta x system is not bad or unproductive, but just to improve through the establishment of a tax policy that is more or less similar to at least the neighbouring countries or least extend the bilateral and multilateral tax agreement with the business partners, as well as the foreign investors.It is also highly advisable deepen the analysis about the implementation of the consumption based taxation to determine whether the switch could be beneficial. Question 1(C): Discuss whether system of tax on goods and services is now timely and appropriate for Malaysia.Goods and services tax (GST) is known as a consumption tax based on the value-added concept. It imposed on sales of goods and services in every production. The tax consumption which the indirect tax charged towards importations and on the value added to goods and services sold by one business to another, or to the end consumer.The new tax system of GST is considered as more efficient tax system. The implementation of GST replaces the current Malaysian service tax and sales tax. Sales tax is a form of indirect taxation which imposed on consumers and collected by business entities while service tax is a form of indirect tax imposed on specified services called as taxable services when the services are provided to the consumer at the time. There are lots of arguments arrived on the introduction of GST in Malaysia especially from various parties who is the taxpayer whether it burden the peoples when being implement.GST have more comprehensive, transparent tax system. It inclusive of the manufacturing and distribution stages as well as providing a tax credit claim for GST paid on business inputs while the sales tax is imposed only at the manufacturing stage when the goods are manufactured or imported.Thus, the GST will overcome the various weaknesses inherent in the present consumption tax system such as double tax, leakages thru transfer pricing and more. The government implement GST as part of their tax reform prog ramme.The objective of this new system, GST is to enhance the capability, effectiveness and transparency of tax administration and management. GST covers all types of goods & services sold to Malaysian & non-Malaysian residents except for common commodities.Government expected that the consumers will have benefit from the price reduction in most of the goods and services which has cheaper services. As a consumer, the GST will affect us as the prices of goods and services which currently have little or no taxes will increase slightly.Although there will be slightly increase in term of pricing, the government also has decided that 40 basic goods and services will be exempted from the GST such as basic foodstuff, residential accommodation, education, health services, communication, water and electricity, public transportation, hardware and maintenance and more.There are various types of businesses that charged to GST. GST is charged and collected on all taxable goods and services produ ced in the country including imports where they need to pay the GST at the time of importation.To business supplying the good and services, they need to pay within one month at the end of taxable period, it depending towards the classification that done by the GST authorities. Thus, businesses registered under GST can charge and collect GST.The social and pricing impact studies conducted by the Ministry of Finance indicated that the suitable GST rate is in the range of 4% of value added to good and services at each stage of production. Value added in this system basically is the mark-up in arriving at the selling price of a product and service.The rate is indicated as a standard rate which is expected to give benefits and to reduce the unduly burden of the rakyat and consumers especially to whom that fall in the lower income group. A business that have annual turnover that is more than RM500, 000 needs to register for GST, this is to ensure that the small businesses are free from GS T. The registration can be done by manually or online within 28days from the end of the month where the threshold is reached.Towards businesses that are not reached the threshold, they can voluntarily apply to be registered under the GST and the businesses must remain in the system for at least 2 years followed in the policy. If the government implement it in Malaysia, they will provide a sufficient time for business and industries to make them ready as GST is the new tax system.It will be around 18 to 24 months as various businesses have different types of primary activities in their businesses. Lots of preparation need to be done including preparing their business computer system, hardware and software to get ready for this implementation.Who will responsible to handle the GST accounting and GST taxation as it involved setting up business records, calculation of GST taxes and more. Training is needed either done by the government or by sending the staff for external training as th is will increase the rate of readiness towards this implementation.In additional, the issues on transitional of GST tax need to be study as to avoid the double taxation and disruption. Therefore, they need to understand the detailed rules and consider how GST would apply to their own business operations to avoid any problems occur in future after the system is being implemented.Corruption is not a rare thing in Malaysia as businesses has already included corruption prices in goods & services. How does that not reflect additional costs to consumers? Therefore, the government need to take step in controlling the prices.They need to ensure that the businesses do not take advantage of the GST implementation to increase prices of goods to make excessive profits. A Heavier fines and penalties will be imposed to make sure that the businesses comply with the rules and procedures formulated. Towards dealing with the issues relating to non-compliance and fraud, various approaches will be used by the government.A risk assessment programme will be used to identify types of businesses and persons with high tendency to commit non-compliance and fraud. Moreover, a comprehensive audit programmes is one of the programme that being used to all business and this programme also will be used in the system to fight non-compliance and fraud cases.Thus, a business records and accounts need to be audit by independence auditor to give a true and fair view of the financial statement. Prime Minister has guaranteed that there is no inflation but with the introduction of GST, the chain of passing the cost will end up usually at the hands of consumers.The multiple stage tax of GST would rise up the final consumption price which might lead to inflation in short while. Malaysia economic would be more conservatives and tided to move forward for low income workers with a high living cost that can be seen in present time.A good approach can be seen when the government learn and get good referenc es from countries that impose GST such as Singapore and Thailand before implemented the tax scheme. Last but not least, the result of GST implementation could not be seen in this current time but they need to ensure that the GST does not burden the people, especially the lower-income group.As a business taxpayer they need to be alert and aware regarding this new implementation. Organised seminar or workshop need to be attend to have a better understanding and at the same time will reduce any conflict occur. GST awareness and education programmes need to be conducted on an on-going basis until the GST is implemented and the answer from the survey can help the government to make decision and a proper preparation need to be done as in computer system or in other medium that GST will be used in future. Therefore, the government need to give businesses ample time to be ready for GST implementation.

The Animal Usage in Scientific Experiments Term Paper - 7

The Animal Usage in Scientific Experiments - Term Paper Example One of the most significant advantages supporting scientific research using animals is the fact that it leads to the invention of fundamental medical solutions. For instance, the germ theory emerged by use of anthrax introduction to sheep. Further, in the treatment of diabetes, insulin was isolated from a dog, which led to the discovery of its treatment. Hormone discovery emerged from the use of dog experiments by Bayliss. This would have been impossible had scientists not experimented on animals. Animal-based scientific study is also the best choice amongst known research alternatives. For example, although computers are known to be amongst the most intelligent of machines, they have not been able to fit in as alternatives which could operate on their own. This is due to their inability to function as live organs in living things as well as their inability to model the interaction between inner and outer environments. The use of rodents such as the rat reflects a ninety-nine percent match to human genes. The results obtained from the experiments match what would happen in a human being, only with a difference of little magnitude (Abbott 146). Further scientific research on animals is advantageous since it plays a significant role in advancing genetic and biological knowledge. In genetics, animals benefit from the experiments. This is evident from the fact that genetic modifications make it possible for the improvement of animals; in the sense that they receive valuable traits for adaptation to their environments. They are also improved in terms of productivity. In addition, genetics research also assists in the advancement of tissue repair, which is useful to patients suffering from major injuries that necessitate reconstruction. According to scientists, animals lack consciousness thus do not suffer as much as a pain as humans. This means that experiential research on animals is more feasible than subjecting humans to the same form of research. Additionally, not only live animals are used in research, but also dead ones. Scientists also inject the research animals with anesthesia, thus relieving them of pain.

Profile a Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Profile a Business - Essay Example I had to book an appointment, not in the restaurant but in an executive garage. Currently, the hospitality industry is in a boom due to the increase in the middle class populations who have been looking for products that would match their interest and class. This has led to realignment of market forces so as to fit to the needs of this new segment in the market. Sean claimed that his restaurant was flocked more by young entrepreneurs who preferred doing freelance businesses and hold meetings in hotels rather than hiring expensive boardrooms. The restaurant offered services that they paid for by ordering meals and snacks. It took Sean two weeks to get a premise from the Indian family and three weeks to renovate it and start business. Within their second week of operation they had a won a number of customers most of which were the young generation. In their eighth week of operation, a rich tycoon visited the restaurant and they engaged in a lengthy talk but in two weeks Sean had closed shop and made ten times the value of his restaurant per its value on the day the tycoon visited. Cartels have been the major challenge that hinders young entrepreneurs from venturing into the profitable high class market. â€Å"If you cannot beat them join them,† he

Economic Crisis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Economic Crisis - Assignment Example However, in order to achieve a sustained level of increase in the aggregate output level, it is important that the government must take efforts which can stabilize the economy. Over the period of time, the overall quantum and level of public debt have increased to a greater length within the UK. Higher public debt levels along with extra reliance on credit by the private sector have resulted in significant economic problems for the UK as an economy. (BBC.co.uk , 2011) This economic situation of UK, therefore, required a rebalancing of an economy with the reconsideration of both the fiscal as well as monetary policies adopted by the current government of David Cameron. The changes in the fiscal policies of the government were aimed at improving the public finances in medium-term whereas changes brought in within monetary policy framework were aimed to disciplining the financial sector to play an active and positive role for the overall growth of the economy. The overall policy focus is on improving the health of the economy which has weakened in the wake of a current economic crisis. One of the key policy measures was the changes in the overall taxation system within the country wherein government attempted to further rationalize the tax system. The overall aim of this was to further increase the efficiency of the tax system while at the same time achieves the necessary growth in the economy by increasing government revenue and reducing the tax burden on the private sector of the country. The government announced a system reduction in the main tax rate while further tax concessions have been given to both large as well as small businesses. This reduction is tax rate may be aimed at improving the profitability of the firms while at the same time allowing them to expand and grow in order to increase the level of investment within the economy. Lower tax rates will result in a price reduction which can invariably reduce inflation.

Italian luxuries Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Italian luxuries - Research Paper Example Italy has produced famous artists, painters, actors of all time including Leonardo Da Vinci, Amy Adams, and Rose McGowan etc. As far as the fashion is concerned Italy is jam packed with fashion and luxurious houses like Giorgio Armani, Laura Biagiotti, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Roberto Cavalli, Corneliani, Brunello Cucinelli, Dolce & Gabbana, Dsquared2, Etro, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Alberta Ferretti, Gucci, Krizia, Loro Piana, Marni, Max Mara, Missoni, Miu Miu, Moschino, Prada, Emilio Pucci, Trussardi, Valentino, Versace, Tods and the list goes on. Italy was into fashion right from the beginning of Renaissance period. Italian fashion is appreciated all across the globe and its fashion shows including Milan Fashion Week is regarded as one of the biggest show in which variety of designers take part to present their fashion skills. Italy, also known as Italian Republic, is situated in the southern Europe so its most of the fashion styles are similar to the other high class fashionable countries of Europe including Germany, France, United Kingdom and Spain. Moreover Milan, Florence and Rome are generally considered to be one of the biggest fashion capitals of the world along with London, Paris and New York. Italian luxuries are not only famous only in Europe but also whole across the globe. One who’s not familiar with Bottega Veneta simple has no right to live according to most of the high class fashion designers of Vicenza. It was founded in 1966 and now comes under the multinational group Kering, formerly known as Gucci Group. It is famous for producing high quality leather goods including fashionable and stylish leather bags, clutches, bracelets, watches and wallets. Bottega Veneta also serve its customers with exquisite fragrances, furniture and home accessories. Versace is one of the leading brands in Italy. It was founded in 1978 by Gianni Versace. Versace serves wide range of ready-to-wear products including bags,

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Paraphrase - Essay Example Needless to say, there is a favourable connection between job feat and high levels of acumen. Self-awareness is the most important components of all. Individuals with an internal locus of control can be managed and motivated easily. Managers can employ the use of apprehension of selective perceptual and organizational perceptual to gain insights on why different people perceive things differently. These principles can be enforced in communication and responses to attract attention. Managers can employ catchy stimuli to â€Å"cut through the noise† of the environment. This assists in improving communication between the managers and the employees. The learning techniques of an accommodator are fundamental in improving management decision making. Needless to say b, an accommodator is proficient at enforcing decisions, plans and innovation. Such a learning style is appropriate for a practicing manager like me. In essence, this depends on the condition or the surrounding where a manger is to carry out the learning style. In this case, Daphne portrays high level of extraversion. This si portrayed by rapid open relations with her daughter. She shows moderate levels of meticulousness, openness to experience and kindness. Kindness is portrayed by her good-natured character while her meticulousness is shown by her yearning to help Millie. In addition, her openness to experience is depicted by her need to talk to Jason. In essence, low emotional steadiness in Daphne’s dealings with Millie typifies her behavior. Perceptual selectivity refers to the process by which an individual tests and chooses numerous stimuli which content for their attending. Individuals emphasize on stimuli that fulfills their desires and which are coherent to their values, personality and attitudes. Stimuli attributes affects perceptual selectivity. A catchy stimulus attracts the attention of most people. In addition, people recognize both familiar

Reading response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Reading response - Assignment Example The book, in many ways, is a summary of the author’s journey of three decades as an author, an educator and social activist. The dominant themes of the essays featuring in this collection are the red power, the white church, the contradictory worldviews, liberating theology, practices of the state and ancient conventions relevant in the modern world. The author was of the view that the Native American style of life was reliant mainly on visions, whereas the life of the whites was centred chiefly on ideas. The same point of view is upheld in the essays in ‘For This Land’. Deloria, in this book, covers a wide variety of topics relating to religion and spirituality, which range from the protest movement of the Indians to the violation of agreements with the tribal communities in the US. He also talks about the immense struggle put forward by the Indians for the sake of preserving their holy sites and gaining access to the same on their traditional occasions. The author does not deter from mentioning even some seriously controversial issues concerning the federal agencies, museums and curio shops in the US. He candidly reveals issues such as the withholding of the human remnants and funeral offerings of American Indians. The focus of the essays in this book is on the religious facets and associations we find in the lives of human beings. Apparently his writing seems to be distant from ideological contexts and verging entirely on the theoretical framework of physical space. But as the thoughts progress, we realise that the author has been successful in involving our intellectual faculties by insinuating us to rethink our beliefs. He questions our established religious institutions and experiences, reveals all kinds of controversies that have engulfed those and compels us to ponder over our deep-rooted beliefs. ‘For This Land’ is a masterpiece from one of the foremost critics of American history. It presents a unique

Design of Motor Speed Sampling, Amplification, Filtering and Display Essay

Design of Motor Speed Sampling, Amplification, Filtering and Display - Essay Example On the other hand, the display circuit performs digital functions by showing the alpha numeric digits. The distinctive design of the electronic circuits for the control of motor speed control and the subsequent display is the physical approach used in the creation of physical circuits that also check the variations in behavior of various electronic components with close reference to their working. Therefore, the required system is an effective remote controlled DC motor with a speed display on seven segments with the D type flip flop. This type of circuit can be categorically divided into two parts; the PWM generator and the IR transmitter. Additionally, there are a number of ways that the remote control can be used. However, we shall deploy the use common approach of the NE555 with the combination of various components in both modules as illustrated below: Particularly, 555 is widely used for the frequency oscillation and can be obtained through the different frequency range according to the need by changing its subsequent duty cycle. The first part of the circuit is generated by the PWM and this is the input of the second model. Conversely, the second model is responsible for the transmitting of wireless signals at a 38 kHz range. Noteworthy, duty cycles can be changed by the trimming of RV2 variable resistance while the D3 is the IR diodes transmit signals (Krishnan, 2010, p.7). On the other hand, the second circuit represents the response from the first circuit and it receives signals using the IR sensor. These signals are later converted to signals that result in the subsequent motion of the motor. Generally, this represents the remote control switch which is tasked with the conversion of low frequencies into significantly lower voltages between 2v to 5v. This concept is illustrated below: Functionally, Q2 is an IR sensor that receives the transmitter signals and switches the 2N2222A transistor. Therefore, the voltage

Marketing Communication strategy of Cirque du Soleil Case Study

Marketing Communication strategy of Cirque du Soleil - Case Study Example In this paper I will examine the marketing communication of Zumanity, a show produced by the renowned Cirque du Soleil. I will review the effectiveness of the strategy employed with regards to the Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action model as advocated by E. St Elmo Lewis circa 1900. The Cirque du Soleil was born in Quebec, Canada in 1984 during the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's arrival in Canada, founded by Guy Laliberte. It is a spectacular theatrical delight, a combination of arts of the circus and street entertainment. The shows features original music, flamboyant costumes, dramatic lighting and visual effects. However, in comparison to the traditional circus it differs significantly in that it is an all human show with absolutely no animal involvement. (www.circusnet.info) From its beginnings in 1984 - 2003 the Cirque du Soleil grew rapidly and extensively, transforming from one show travelling circus to an international multi show production company. Significant elements including strategic European alliance with the Swiss Circus Knie, resident shows in Disney World Florida (La Nouba) and in Vegas (O), alliances with MGM-Mirage and Imax and both film and television productions. Cirque du Soleil productions target all genres, however, there is a gr eat emphasis on family audiences. (www.cirquedusoleil.com) 2003 marked Cirque du Soleil's 15th show. ... The creative thinking behind Zumanity had been in the piping since 2001, in collaboration with MGM-Mirage. Designed to be extraordinary, just as the circus had been reinvented 20 yrs previous, Zumanity was designed to reinvent the adult entertainment market in Vegas. Zumanity: billed as; "An edgy and provocative discovery of sensuality and eroticism" (Canadian Congress of Advertising; 2004). Zumanity is the first production to show an alternative side to Cirque du Soleil and its communication strategy needed to be exact in order to achieve success with a carefully selected and targeted market. Key issues the company had to overcome are noted by Canadian Congress of Advertising (2004): image risk, social tolerance to sexuality and competition; Zumanity was not what the traditional Cirque customer would expect, it was to be more dance orientated, smaller, sensual and erotic. Care would be of the essence to ensure the original brand would not be compromised. Zumanity is not simply another erotic show and the communication strategy needed to portray the message that it is; "resolutely sexy and astounding, while meeting Cirque's high creative standards." Legalities and social considerations had to be accounted for. The direction thus for materials to "show eroticism without really showing it." Marketing needed to be savvy. The media budget was $3.2 Mill in comparison to the major competitor at the time, Celine Dion who was launching her new show, with a $10 Mill media budget. PEST analysis had to be carried out and important features such as the financial slump and impending Iraq war taken into consideration. Awareness, imagery and materials needed to be created and tickets sold before the show actually existed. The Canadian

Compare the relationship and characters Essay Example for Free

Compare the relationship and characters Essay As Winston continues to write his diary, he begins to write it as though it were for OBrien to read. Despite the fact that Winston has been having a relationship with a woman called Julia, he still feels the need to look toward OBrien for approval of his ideas. When OBrien invites him to his house, Winston begins to believe that in fact, OBrien is a conspirator against the Party. Winston visits OBrien and admits to being a thought criminal. OBrien tells Winston that The Brotherhood, a shadowy organisation run by Emmanuel Goldstein that is working against the Party, does indeed exist. OBrien is thorough and concise in his explanation. We see very subtle clues however, that OBrien could be leading Winston into a trap. He is unsurprised to hear Winston repeat the quote from his dream we shall meet again in the place where there is no darkness and repeats it himself as though it were repetition of a previously held conversation in the place where there is no darkness he said, as though he had recognised the allusion. (Page 185) He also says earlier we are the dead (Page 183). This was something Winston had said earlier in the book that OBrien couldnt have heard unless he had been spying on him. Despite this Winstons admiration grows for OBrien to almost worship. Again this reinforces Winstons weakness. Despite the fact that OBrien could easily be a member of the thought Police attempting to entrap him, he is quite willing to admit to being a thought criminal. Even though OBrien gave off a suggestion that he may have been spying on him, Winston suspicion is not aroused and in fact his admiration of OBrien is increased. OBrien seems to be everything Winston is not. Winston is neurotic, nervous and physically weak. He lacks the power to change the world he lives in and looks to others to take the initiative and lead him in his revolt against the system. OBrien is so calm, cool and collected. He gives off an air of inner strength and power this is accentuated by his strong physical form. Despite this he also has a softer, kindly side to his nature. He seems to have all the answers to Winstons questions and makes him feel safe When you looked at OBriens powerful shoulders and his blunt-featured face, so ugly yet so civilised, it was impossible to believe he could be defeated (Page 183). Winston shows all the classic signs of looking toward OBrien as a father figure. Later on after receiving the book from OBrien, a piece that Documents the true state of the world and how to bring down the party, Winston is captured by The Thought Police He is taken to the Ministry of Love There are no windows and the lights are constantly on. Suddenly the statement the place where there is no darkness comes into focus. What had seemed like a positive analogy with the Darkness alluding to the unpleasant world of 1984 is turned on its head. What was really meant was that the place where there is no darkness is actually a jail, where the lights are never turned off. Winston still has a blind faith in OBrien and futilely believes that OBrien may try and save him. However, OBrien and Winston are about to meet again, but their relationship is about to enter a new stage. When OBrien appears at the door of his cell, Winston even now deludes himself into thinking that OBrien has been captured. However he soon puts Winston straight indicating that he is Winstons incarcerator and telling him You knew this Winston and adds you have always known it (both Page 251). After a series of beating that degrade Winston to a state of almost complete humiliation, OBrien begins to interrogate him. OBrien begins by breaking him down with a series of torture techniques and drugs. In one instance, OBrien takes Winstons symbolic stance that Freedom is the Freedom to say 2 + 2 = 4 and through a series of Electrocutions makes Winston start to believe that 2 + 2 actually = 5. OBrien tells Winston that by controlling memory and records, that The Party can dictate reality who controls the past controls the future and who controls the future controls the past (Page 260). OBrien also tells Winston that they do not intend to punish him, but simply convert him to their ways of thought, before he is executed. OBrien has undoubtedly become Winstons tormentor, putting him through horrendous torture. He has broken Winston down and begins to undermine all of his free thinking ideas. OBrien and Winston move toward a Teacher/Pupil relationship. Like a promising student Winston questions OBriens beliefs, forcing him to justify them. Whilst OBrien almost sees Winston as a proti gi e, trying to show Winston the error of his ways He had the air of a Doctor, a Teacher, even a Priest, anxious to explain and persuade rather than punish. OBrien also displays an ability to read Winstons mind. It may be that he has a telepathic power, but it could also be the scientific approach that OBrien seems to take with everything he does. He is an expert in the subject of thought. I believe that he has studied Winston in immense detail over many years and can actually predict his thought patterns. OBrien has already thought out their conversations in his head and predicted Winstons responses. He is an experienced interrogator and probable member of the Thought Police. It is likely he is able to pick up from a persons expressions and body language what they may be thinking. I also think that the link between them may have seen OBrien take a special interest in Winston, maybe the same thought patterns had crossed OBriens mind at some stage in his life. Eventually Winston is almost completely cured. However, he retains his love of Julia. OBrien decides to expose him to his worst fear in Room 101. Winston wears a mask that allows rats to be released on his face. He has an immense fear of Rats and finally screams out for them to be released on Julia instead of him. Finally OBrien has reached through into his soul and Winston is truly defeated. The book ends with Winston drinking coffee in a bar where Traitors live out their days before execution. Winston has abandoned all his ideas of free thought and rebellion. He realises that rather than hating Big Brother, he actually loves Big Brother. OBrien and Winstons relationship goes through several stages. It starts with Winston seeing OBrien as a hope, somebody who might be having the same thoughts as him. Then he believes OBrien will be the freedom fighter who will put an end to the totalitarian state the world has become. Finally he becomes Winstons tormentor, inflicting pain on him in order to cure him of his disease. Through all this though OBrien and Winstons relationship maintains a theme. Winston looks up to OBrien as somebody with immense Power, who can protect him and control his destiny. Even during torture when OBrien is unseen Winston believes he is there, orchestrating the beatings and keeping him alive. He believes blindly throughout that OBrien is his saviour. In the end perhaps OBrien does become his saviour. Winston finally is released from the fear of Big Brother and detection for thought crime. He loves Big Brother and looks forward to his execution. In the end, despite the tragedy of his failure, Winston finally seems to be able to face his fate alone.

Spoken language versus written language

Spoken language versus written language Spoken vs. written language Not so long time ago, the written language played much bigger role in second language learners life than the spoken language. According to Brown (2000) Today the importance of teaching the spoken language is universally acknowledged (p. 1). For example, many scientists state that people should learn speaking and listening, as well as writting and reading; furthermore, learners should spend more energy on listening. Thus generally one can claim it is more difficult to learn how to understand the spoken language than the written. First of all, during listening, learners cannot focus on one section as they would do in a reading task. Listeners do not have opportunity to read back, if they misunderstand an expression or forget the beginning of the text. Furthermore, according to Ridgway (2000) they do not have the possibility for looking a word up in the dictionary, or guessing the meaning of a word from its context (p. 3.), like they do it in a reading exercise. Secondly, during listening learners depend on the style of the text and on the listening environment more than in the case of reading. As Field (2000) points out, a listener, who has difficulties in identifying words in connected speech(p. 2.), can also have problems with different dialects, and the style and the speed of the text he or she listens to, because native speakers speak only clearly enough to make themselves understood in a particular context (Brown, 1990, p. 2.). Furthermore, listeners can be confused by the noisy, annoying environment, for example, during a conversation on the street or a crowded restaurant, while these conditions do not appear in a written text. Thirdly, during a listening exercise, the motivation of learners is always lower, because these kinds of tasks scare listeners, adding, that in reading they are braver, because of the advantages which are mentioned at the second paragraph. So to become a good listener, the most important aim is to find the faith in ones ability to apply a listening readiness (Field, 2000, p. 1.), because after this momentous step, a text will not cause so much fear. Furthermore, listeners should be able to determine the complexity of the given tasks, because then they can choose the appropriate level for themselves, so they will probably not fail and their self-confidence will improve. However, according to Ridgway (2000), grading texts is problematic (p. 3.), so it can be another serious controversy. Finally, practising listening is more difficult than reading. For instance, it is not easy to learn listening skills, because as Brown (1990) says, the students are not receiving any help in learning (p. 3.) ,but they have to realise alone how to set up the process of listening and improve their facilities. Moreover, learners abilities to listening are not similar to everyone, so the ways of practice should be different from each other. For example, even in a class, which is few in number, the teacher should prove at least four different ways of learning listening, but unfortunatelly it is not possible. It follows that learners have to find the best way independently. In conclusion, learning and listening to the spoken language is more difficult, than learning the written language, because listeners cannot focus on one section; they are dependent on the style of the speech and the listening environment; they are threatened, if they get a task at higher level; and they need different ways to practise and more help from teachers. References: Brown, G. (1990). Listening to spoken English. London, England: Longman. Field, J. (2000). Not waving but drowning: a reply to Tony Ridgway. ELT Journal Volume 54/2 Ridgway, T. (2000). Listening strategies- I beg your pardon? ELT Journal Volume 54/2

SLA: Language Acquisition Vs Learning

SLA: Language Acquisition Vs Learning Bilingualism 10/1/17 Introduction to Bilingualism During this lecture, I learned the definition and the importance of bilingualism. Throughout the years, the definition of bilingualism has changed slowly from possesses native-like control of two or more languages (Bloomfield, 1933) to operates in two languages on a daily basis (David, 1999, pg 157). As well as this, I also came to realise that there are a number of interconnected issues that affect bilingualism such as race, power, society, and culture. This interested me because I did not realise how much in the world affects bilingualism and how all of these issues are interconnected. For example, if a family are racist and have strong political views against immigrants, they are less likely to support bilingualism and their child/children are less likely to be open to learning a new language due to their parents views. Learning about bilingualism and understanding the importance of it will help me in my role as a teacher as it will help me to make bilingual children feel more com fortable and welcome in my classroom[A1]. In this lecture, we were put into groups and given a scenario about a bilingual child coming into the school. In the group that I was part of, our scenario was a young Spanish girl coming into primary 2. In our group, we discussed the importance of making this child feel welcome and ensuring that she understood what was going. To begin with, we thought that asking the child if she feels comfortable enough to share her background with class would be a good way to show her that as her teacher, I am interested in where she has come from while at the same establishing the level of English the child understands and can utilize. We also thought that having, for example, the colours up on a wall display in both English and Spanish would help the child to differentiate between both languages and get used to the English whilst still having the comfort of her first language. Using the Learning in 2+ Languages (2005) document during this lecture made me realise how important bilingualism is and how beneficial it can be for both young children and adults. I learned that bilingualism does not delay a childs cognitive development like some believe but brings a number of cognitive advantages such as a greater creative potential and a greater awareness of how languages operate. 17/1/17 Second Language Acquisition: Language Acquisition Vs Learning Throughout this session, I was introduced to a number of different hypotheses, and their criticisms, surrounding how a person acquires / learns a different language. According to Krashens Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis (1982) there are two distinct processes to learning a language: Acquisition or acquiring a language and Learning a language. Acquiring a language refers to the passive process of obtaining the subtleties of a language through natural learning however learning a language refers to the active process in which learners become aware of the rules of the language they are trying to learn. However, McLaughlin (1978) states that this theory is impossible to prove. This interested me as I had never realised that there was a belief that acquiring and learning a language were two different processes. Reflecting back to my own experiences of learning a language[A2], I was always taught the rules and grammar of language rather than acquiring it through natural processes therefore, in my own opinion, I believe that they are definitely two separate processes but I also believe that these are closely inter-connected. For me, the most interesting hypothesis that we were introduced to in this lecture was The Affective Filter Hypothesis. This is the idea that emotional variables can have an effect and prevent someone from learning a language. These include motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety. The lower the affective filter, the more language the student will acquire. This shows that a child with low self-confidence may not pick up a language as easily as a child with high self-confidence. According to the ONS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey (2004), 2.2% or about 96,000 children have an anxiety disorder. This shows that most likely, teachers will be faced with the challenge of trying to teach a language to a child who cannot acquire it as easily as the other children in the class. However, Krashen claims[A3] that children do not have the same affective filter as adults but also experience differences related to the affective filters. An affective filter only accounts for individual var iation in language acquisition, it cannot be applied to all children. As well as this, we also looked at the Count Us In A Sense of Belonging (2009) which highlighted the importance of improving the learning of some pupils. As well as this, the document made me aware of the shift in patters of migration, especially since 2004. Due to easier access and cheaper travel, the number of immigrants coming to Scotland has increased dramatically. Many of those immigrating to Scotland bring with them young children who have to be put into the schooling system. This Count Us In document emphasises the importance of teachers in supporting newly-arrived children and ensuring that they can access the curriculum. As a trainee primary teacher, this is extremely important to me as children must be able to access the curriculum in order to learn and succeed. 24/1/17 Language and Society Watching Jane Elliots experiments in prejudice both shocked me and intrigued me. The method that she uses to teach the children about discrimination is both effective and intriguing but it is also very wrong. However, this experiment took place in the 1960s therefore even though it is wrong in the current educational context, it may not have been as wrong then. By telling the children one day that the blue eyed people were better than the brown eyed people, it changed their attitudes towards each other drastically and even resulted in some children being aggressive to one another. As soon as the teacher mentions that the people with blue eyes are better and more superior than the children with brown eyes, the brown eyed children look upset and shocked whereas the blue eyed children think it is funny and they are excited. Jane Elliot forces the brown eyed children to wear collars and doesnt allow them to play on any of the playground equipment. She gives the blue eyed children special privileges and they take full advantage of these. In the reverse situation, the blue eyed children become upset and come to realise how the brown eyed children felt the day before. As well as this, we see that when the children are given privileges and are treated as superior, they do their work quicker and their learning is improved. At the end of this day, th e children all come back together and discuss how being discriminated against made them feel. One child described it as feeling like a dog on a leash. Many of the children came to realise that being discriminated against for something that you cannot control is one of the worst feelings and that no one should be discriminated against. This experiment made me realise that in my role as a primary teacher, it is essential to teach my pupils the importance of respecting everyone and treating everyone the same. Tomlinson (2005, pg 154) states that Failure to develop a curriculum for a multiethnic society has contributed to an increase in xenophobia and racism. This made me believe that equality is something that children need to become aware of at a young age and it is part of my job to make them aware of it. If, for example, a child of another race came into my classroom, my job would be to ensure that all the children in my classroom were respectful and did not treat them any different just because of the colour of their skin. While this experiment made me realise all of this, it also made me realise that when in a classroom, treating children differently can have a massive effect on their attitudes to one another therefore teachers need to be careful[A4]. 31/01/17 The Scottish Context The number of families immigrating to Scotland has increased throughout the years and, particularly in 2004, the number of immigrants that came to Scotland increased considerably (Count Us In, pg 2). During this lecture, we examined the statistics of both immigration and the number of immigrant children moving into new schools. For me as a developing primary teacher, it was interesting to see how the number of immigrants coming to Scotland affected the schooling statistics. The reasons that people move to another country can vary drastically. Many move for family reasons or new careers whereas others move because they want a place of safety. Immigration has a huge impact on both Scottish society and schools. As a society, we have to be more welcoming as a whole as well as just in the communities where the immigrants move to. Showing respect to all families and becoming aware of what some of these families will face every day is essential. When a family immigrate to Scotland and put their child(ren) into a school, it affects the school sector[A5]. As primary teachers, we must think about bilingualism and become aware of diversity. Inside the classroom, we have to ensure that the child is comfortable and understands what is going on at all times as it is our responsibility to make sure that they do not fall behind on the work and are learning. In my role as a primary teacher, it is important for me to expose children to a second language at a young age as this is the best window of opportunity and is more likely to lead the child to become bilingual than exposure to a second language in teenage or adult years. Many parents believe that they should not introduce a second language until they have fully established one language however it is more difficult to introduce a second language later on. As well as this, introducing a second language later on makes it difficult for parents to interact with this language and use it around the house. According to the Count Us In A Sense of Belonging document, a child learning a second language can benefit from a number of cognitive advantages that are associated with bilingualism. 14/02/17 Language and Identity The people that we spend the most time with have the biggest influence on our language and our identity. According to Baker (2006, pg 136) [A6]we construct our identities yet they are created and confined by other people, situations and influences on us. Everyone forms multiple social identities depending on the group and interactions with other people. Learning a second language is affected by our interactions with others and helps us to find a voice within a social group. As well as this, it is more than just gaining vocabulary and grammar, it is about being believed and being respected as language says things about our values and knowledge. There are many layers to our language and when we first learn to speak, we speak in the same ways as those around us. Introducing a second language at this stage can encourage a child to acquire the language quicker while learning it alongside their first language. During this lecture, we discussed the issues around age and second language acquisition. Younger learners are neither more nor less successful in second language acquisition than older learners however children who learn a second language in child do tend to achieve higher capability levels than those who begin after childhood. Even though length of exposure is an important factor in learning a second language, in a formal classroom setting, older learners tend to learn quicker than younger learners do.   In the early years, second language acquisition is dependent on the teacher providing suitable materials and resources to children and ensuring that learning is enjoyable. As a primary teacher, it is important to make learning a second language more enjoyable for my pupils through resources such as songs etc. By doing so, they are more likely to remember what I have taught them and they are more likely to be engaged in the lesson. 28/02/17 Supporting Bilingual Learners in the Classroom (1) Meeting the needs and supporting bilingual children is an essential role for a primary teacher. When a bilingual child first comes into a teachers classroom, it is important for you to find them a buddy that they can talk to, or if they are not comfortable talking, just listen to. This not only benefits the bilingual child, but there are also cognitive benefits for monolingual learners who work with bilingual learners and good practice for bilingual learners is good practice for all learners. In my role as a primary teacher, I need to ensure that I am supporting bilingual learners at all times as well as supporting all other children in my classroom. It is important to ensure that everyone in the classroom knows what is happening throughout[A7] every lesson. Cummins (1976) refers to The Threshold Theory which describes the relationship between cognition and the level of bilingualism. The theory is represented as a house which has three floors and two linguistic ladders, representing L1 and L2, on each side. The further up they are on the ladders and floors, the greater chance the children have of being bilingual and obtaining cognitive advantages. As well as this, Cummins (1980, 1981) uses an Iceberg Analogy and describes a common underlying proficiency between the first language (L1) and the second language (L2). Cummins explains that when using two or more languages, there is a common source where ideas come from meaning that individuals can use two or more language with ease. Listening, reading, speaking and writing in the L1 or L2 helps to develop the cognitive system however the language that the learner uses must be well developed in order to be able to process the cognitive challenges of the classroom. Towards the end of this lecture, we focused on discussing the importance of supporting the development of English as an additional language (EAL) in the classroom. New arrivals must feel welcomed and be placed in an appropriate group based on their age and ability meaning that the school and class teacher must take into account the childs previous education background. By carefully placing the child into an appropriate group, the teacher can carefully monitor them and take account of the advantages of collaborative learning. Class tasks must be appropriately planned and appropriately scaffolded to support EAL learners. Supporting beginners in English is essential and there are a number of strategies which can be used to help these children. For example, composing sentence halves to be matched or creating gaps in sentences to be filled. As previously mentioned, good practice for bilingual children is good practice for all children therefore activities like this not only help EAL learn ers but also help all other children in the classroom. Pairing a child who has a good grasp of the English language with an EAL learner can help when these activities take place as they can help the EAL learner to understand how the sentences work and why the halves go together if they do not fully grasp the concept. [A8] References Baker, C. (2011) Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 5th Ed. McNaughton Gunn; USA Baker, C. (2006) Foundation of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 4th ed. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Bloomfield, L. (1933) Language. Holt; New York Cummins, J. (1976) The Influence of Bilingualism on Cognitive Growth: A Synthesis of Research Findings and Explanatory Hypotheses. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 9. David, T. (1999) Young Children Learning. Bilingual Children in a Monolingual Society. Sage: London Her Majestys Inspectorate of Education (2009) Count us in: A Sense of Belonging Meeting the Needs of Children and Young People Newly Arrived in Scotland. [Online] Available: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/cuimnnus_tcm4-618947.pdf [Accessed: 17/1/17]. Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTScotland). 2005. Learning in 2(+) languages. Ensuring effective inclusion for bilingual learners. Good practice for teachers, educational establishments and local authorities. Dundee: LTScotland. ONS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey (2004) Accessed : http://www.youngminds.org.uk/training_services/policy/mental_health_statistics [Date Accessed: 17/1/17] Tomlinson, S. (2005b) Race, Ethnicity and Education under New Labour, Oxford, inOxford Review of Education Vol. 31, No. 1, March 2005, pp. 153-171 [A1]Good point [A2]good [A3](ibid.)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦? [A4]Good commentary [A5]How/in what way(s)? [A6] [A7]And why? [A8]Well written and fluent; make sure that all LOs can be covered by your choice of journal entries: we will discuss ICT Support in Business: Cisco Case Study ICT Support in Business: Cisco Case Study Ting Cheuk Sze Topic: How do you think ICT / Information System infrastructure and IT strategy at Cisco is supporting the business? (1451words) A) A short summary of Nolans (1973) stages of growth model Nolan describes a learning curve in the development of data processing in 1974 Harvard Business Review. Nolan believes that organizations need to understand the growth characteristics associated with each stage of development. Understanding this curve is conducive to help organizations effective implementation of information technology. The first version consisted the stages of initiation, Contagion, Control, Integration. It eventually expanded to six stages in 1979, which include Data administration and Maturity. Nolans main content of the stage model: Stage I, Initiation The organisation introduces computer system to increase its competitiveness. Data processing costs are lack of control, the establishment of information systems often do not pay attention to economic efficiency in this stage. Stage II, Contagion Information technology applications began to spread in the organisation. The organisation managers began to pay attention to the economic benefits of information systems investment, but the real control does not exist. Stage III, Control The management information system became a formal department to control its internal activities and launched a project management plan and a system development methodology. The current application began to formal, and lay the foundation for the future development of information systems. Stage IV, Integration Organizations began to use databases and telematics technologies to consolidate existing information systems. Which is the stage that previous systems are integrated with the newer systems. Stage V, Data administration The organization begins to examine and evaluate the various costs and benefits of information system construction, and analyzes and resolves issues of balance and coordination in all areas of information systems investment. Stage VI, Maturity At this stage, the information system can meet the needs of enterprises at all levels. the enterprise will integrate the management process together with the internal and external resources, thus enhancing the competitiveness and development potential of the enterprise. B) Apply Nolans Stage of Growth Model (1973) in Cisco case In this essay, I will discuss the Cisco case by using Nolan model stage by stage and show how Cisco was following the Nolan model during the system develop process. Moreover, discuss about the problem when Cisco tried to process to the next stage. For the Cisco case, I will focus on the first version of Nolans Stage of Growth Model (1973) as the essay question require, which is only consider four stages, Initiation, Contagion, Control and Integration stages. Moreover, the fifth stage will be discussed which because it may appropriate in the Cisco case, which is Data administration stage. I will not discuss about the sixth stage. In my view, Cisco had not process to the sixth stage form the case study(2004). Cisco is one of the example can be explain by Nolans Stages of Growth Model. Nolans (1973) stages of growth model framework is appropriate in the Cisco development process because they are similar which Cisco development process is also following the stage that mention in Nolans model. The model summarises the experiences and law of development of management information systems. It is generally assumed that the phases in the model are not jumpable, because the organization needs some experience before preparing for the next phase of work. The development process in Cisco is almost same as the Nolans model. its basic idea for the construction of management information system is instructive. In-depth understanding of Nolan model may help organisations more effectively manage the process. Although these phases contain some natural growth processes, these growth processes can be effectively coordinated and managed, so that each stage represents a change in the order of planning and manag ement. The first two stages: Initiation and Contagion Cisco was already experience first two stage before Peter Solvik joined Cisco as its CIO in 1993.1984, Cisco Systems was founded in the United States, the founders are two computer scientists from Stanford University. Computer was introduced when the company was founded. Computer is a necessary equipment for the company because the products and computer are complement in the production line. However, there were only a few individuals can use the computer, for example, the two computer scientist founders. After the expansion of Cisco, Enterprises had a certain understanding of the computer. They would like to use computers to solve problems at work, such as more data processing, management and business to bring convenience. Thus, the application began to increase demand, IT applications began to generate interest in enterprises, and the development of software enthusiasm, investment began to increase significantly. It is easy to blindly purchase, blind development of custom software p henomenon, the lack of planning and planning, so the application level is not high, the overall effectiveness of IT cannot be highlighted as Nolan (1974) has been discussed on his paper. Until Peter Solvik joined Cisco, he recognized the problem from the second stage(Contagion), such as data redundancy, data inconsistency, and the date was hard to share. Business managers realized that the use of computers applications was out of control, IT investment growth was fast, but the benefits were not satisfactory. He tried to begin to control the overall development of computer systems, such as the reorganize the IT budget planning, replaced committee and change the reporting relationship. However, Cisco was still stunning in the beginning of the third stage. The third stage: Control Boston joined Cisco as a new CIO after Solvik left in 2001. He finds that there is an ineffectiveness investment on the customized tools. There were nine different tools to access the customer order which create multiple data and different definition on explanation with the order. He thought the conflicts and redundancies is occur because there were not centralized team checking for the company systems which lead to a rise of unnecessary tools. As Nolan (1974) discuss, for the need to control the cost of data processing, managers began to convene users from different sectors of the Committee, to jointly plan the development of information systems. The management information system became a formal department to control its internal activities and launched a project management plan and a system development methodology. The current application began to formal, and lay the foundation for the future development of information systems. In the Cisco case, Boston stopped the investment of th e new tools applications and upgraded its ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, solving the reporting and intelligence problem and developing its customer database. The fourth stage: Integration Boston also focused on funding IT project. It makes the company process to the fourth stage, which is Integration stage. Organizations from the management of computer management information resources. From the first stage to the third stage, usually a lot of independent entities. Based on control, enterprises began to re-planning and design, the establishment of basic database, and build a unified information management system. Enterprise IT construction began by the scattered and single-point development into a system. At this point, corporate executives began unified different enterprise IT organizations systems into a single system for management. People, financial, material and other resources can be integrated in the enterprise sharing, lead to more effective use of existing IT systems and resources. Nolan recognized such integration costs will be higher, longer, and the system is more unstable. However, Cisco did not in the case. Boston encouraged his team being carefully in th e enterprise project, tried to reduce the multiple data and different definitions of the order problem to avoid the future large scale of cleanups. It was because it will increase the unnecessary spending if it is useless. The fifth stage: Data administration In this stage, the organization began a comprehensive study and evaluation of the various costs and benefits of information system construction. The challenges had occurred in Cisco, the process of funding budget in a pool from different groups across the world is complex. It is hard to show the benefit of the new enterprise project to every group. Boston started to consider about the communication between the group on order to increase efficacy when starting a new project. This stage, enterprises began to select a unified database platform, data management system and information management platform, unified data management and use of various departments, the basic realization of the system integration of resources, information sharing. IT system planning and resource utilization more efficient. Conclusion Nolan stage model summarizes the experiences and rules of management information system development, and its basic idea has guiding significance for the construction of management information system.it can be apply in the Cisco case. Nolans (1973) stages of growth model framework is appropriate in the Cisco development process because they are similar which Cisco development process is also following the stage that mention in Nolans model. Cisco was experience from the first stage when it has been founded in 1984 and continue to the fifth stage in 2004. (1451 words) Bibliography Andrew Mcafee, F. Warren Mcfarlan, Alison Berkley wagonfeld (2004) ,Enterprise IT at Cisco. Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163. Nonna, Richard. Managing The Crisis In Data Processing. Harvard Business Review. 57 (2): 115-126. Nolan, Richard (1973). Managing The Computer Resource: A Stage Hypothesis. Communications of the ACM. 16 (4): 399-405

Wind Power Essay -- Wind Power Energy Sources Essays

Wind Power Harnessing the natural power of the wind is by no means a new concept. Asides from sailing, wind power has been utilised for many thousands of years, principally for agricultural purposes. Basic windmills are thought to have been used in Persia (now Iran) as early as the 7th century AD. Their ability to make use of otherwise untapped energy sources without the needs and costs of other alternatives, ensured that they remained the machines of preference in several industries throughout both agricultural and industrial revolutions. Whilst their basic concepts have remained true to the basic origins, technological advances have enabled engineers to adapt the mechanics of the mill to enable a more functional and useable source of power. In the 18th C, engineers developed spring sails (a device incorporating shutters onto the sails) to enable the mill to be run at constant speed during variable wind speeds automatically. The development of the fantail in 1745 also ensured the mills ran in the face of the wind and along with airbrakes meant that the mill could run at its most efficient at all times without the risk of doing itself damage in strong winds. Uses developed into water pumping, wood sawing, papermaking, pressing oil seeds and a variety of grinding uses. The use of wind turbines for generating electricity was pioneered in Denmark late in the 1890s. The concept was made a reality by Poul la Cour (1846-1908) who had originally trained as a meteorologist. He built the world's first electricity generating wind turbine in 1891 and although his project was a success, decided the greatest problem lay in storage of the electricity. As a result he used the electricity from his turbines for electrolysis in order to produce hydrogen for the gas lighting in his school.  ¡Ã‚ §One basic drawback of this scheme was the fact that he had to replace the windows of several school buildings numerous times, as the hydrogen exploded due to small amounts of oxygen in the gas (!) ¡Ã‚ ¨ DWTMA. As technological barriers were worked through, wind turbines became increasingly complicated. One of the greatest developments was the use of aerofoils instead of angled blades. Aerofoils have the benefit of using lift to turn the blades in the same manner as an aircraft ¡Ã‚ ¦s wing rises on an air current. This type of blade replaced the older type, which relied upon drag, t... ...9, www.foe.co.uk Energy without end, Michael Flood, Friends of the Earth, London 1991 Green Futures, Magazine of Forum for the Future, Issues 6 1997- issue 11 1998, London Johnston, Bryan, 'Landscape effects leave wind power up in the air,' Planning 1084, 2.9.94. Milne, Roger, 'Renewables feel the draught,' Planning no. 1095, 18.11.94. Microsoft Encarta 1996 Encyclopaedia, www.msn.com Rothe, David, 'Renewable energy and rural development,' Town and Country Planning, March 1993. Review of the impacts of wind farms and other aerial structures upon birds, J Paul Gill, Mike Townsley & Greg P Mudge, Scottish National Heritage Review no.21, Perth UK, 1996 UK Power 99, McMillan- Scott PLC Publications, Cheshire December 1998 Wood, Peter & Wade-Smith, Richard, 'Welsh decision sets the wind farm scene', Planning 939, October  ¡Ã‚ ¥91. Wind Energy Conservation- from theory to practice- Proceedings of the 19th BWEA Conference (16-18 July  ¡Ã‚ ¦97), Edited by Ray Hunter, The British Wind Energy Association, Mechanical Engineering publications Ltd, London 1997 Wind Energy- Power for a sustainable future, British Wind Energy Association, London 1997, www.bwea.com

Civil War Aspects :: essays research papers

At 4:30 AM the Confederates opened fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War began. With seven states already seceded from the Union, the confederate states took a strong stance. Just as the Confederacy was formed in early 1861, the Confederate soldiers began taking over. On April 19th, President Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Blockade against Southern ports. For the duration of the war, the blockade limited the ability of the South to stay well supplied in its war against the North. Through the majority of the beginning of the war, Lincoln noted the war as a struggle for maintaining in the world, that form, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to elevate the condition of men. The Pro slavery South was, in many ways reacting to the North's attack on the slavery and its expansion. Slavery is an institution that must continue to grow for its survival. Moreover, expansion for the South meant growth, politically, socially and economically, and it meant more political power. It is anticipation to want to make what one has larger and stronger, just as the South wanted to expand and gain power. The Southern politicians did this through political moves such as the Annexation of Texas, "Bleeding Kansas", the Ostend Manifesto, and through the Dred Scott decision. All of which pissed of the North, and convinced them that the south was trying to dominate the U.S with slavery. I believe that the war was fought over the moral issue of slavery. The North did not care about the institution of slavery as long as it stayed in the South. South Carolina seceded, because Lincoln was voted into office. The Republican party threatened the South's expansionism and therefore Southerners felt that they had no other choice but to secede. The Republican party had no intention of ending slavery in the South or freeing the slaves; they just did not want slavery to expand, "Because the scene of intestine struggle will thus be transferred from the south to the North." (N.Y Tribune 11/29/1860) The United States was divided into three groups by the time the Civil War began: those who believed in the complete abolition of slavery, those who were against the expansion of slavery, and those who were pro slavery. Many like to believe that the moral aspect of slavery is what made it an issue. When the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was elected in 1860, the South felt that its expansionism was being threatened, and because expansion was vital to the

Effectiveness Of The Articles of Confederation :: Free Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Articles of Confederation were incapable of providing the United States with an effective form of government. The Articles of Confederation presided weakly over the government as it allowed little or no power to tax, control trade, and branches of government were missing. In addition to this, the thirteen states acted as separate nations and the national government had little control over them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As seen in Document C, Congress had so little money that it couldn’t afford to pay the army their bonuses. The army, of course, was discontented in this lack of action and thought they were being treated unjustly. The delay was so slow that the army did not think they were going to get paid. This, in itself, exhibits the great need for the national government to acquire the power to tax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Document D openly shows the little power that the national government is in control of. In the document, the U.S. attempted to remove British troops off of U.S. soil and had quite a time trying to do so. The British had no respect for the U.S. government because of the little power it had, all of the power was in the hands of the states. The thirteen states acted like thirteen separate nations as they, for the most part, functioned as they pleased.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Document G reveals the discontent of the people in the ineffectiveness of their national government under the Articles of Confederation. John Jay (Secretary of Foreign Affairs and great international negotiator), expresses this discontent of the people through a letter of concern to George Washington. He foreshadowed some sort of revolt, crisis, or revolution and expressed his feeling of uneasiness and the need for change. Shay’s rebellion turned out to be a milestone because it set a need for a new national government, the revolt was against the government of Massachusetts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Articles of Confederation had both high and low points, but, the low greatly outweighed the high.

Main place of work Essay

Three key points of legislation that affect employers in a business are: 1. Health and safety at Work Act 2. National Minimum Wage Act 1998 3. Pension 2b) List three key points of legislation that affect employees in a business environment. Three key points of legislation that affect employees are: 1. Data Protection Act 1998 2. The Equality Act 2010 3. The Working Time Regulations 3. Identify a range of places where a person can find information on employment rights and responsibilities. You should identify at least two internal and two external sources of information. Internal sources of information: 1. Terms of employment contract 2. Organisation policies and procedures 3. Informed college 4. Line managers 5. Trade union representatives External sources of information: 1. Citizen Advice Bureau 2. ACAS (Conciliation and Arbitration Service) 3. Government agencies 4. Libraries 5. Legal professionals 4. Describe how representative bodies can support employees. Representative bodies are organisations that represent the interest and rights of the employees. They can offer support to employees by negotiating pay and terms of employment and providing information, consultation and legal services. They also can help employees with pensions and collective redundancy issues. 5. Briefly describe employer and employee responsibilities for equality and diversity in a business environment. You should give at least two employer responsibilities and two employee responsibilities. If possible, provide relevant equality and diversity procedures from your workplace (or place of study) to support your answer. These documents should be annotated to highlight the relevant sections. The employer has the responsibility to develop and apply policies and procedures reflecting equality and diversity latest legislation, make sure that the line managers promote fair treatment and train the employees in equality and diversity topics. The employees responsibilities are to understand and respect the policies and procedures of the organisation regarding equality and diversity and respect others regardless of disabilities , ethnicity, gender etc.

Discourse Communities

DC Essay, Draft 1 Discourse Communities Essay There is a very large variety of academic discourse communities available at the universities today. Deciding to go to college is deciding to enter an academic discourse community all on its own but deciding to choose a major is entering a more specified discourse community. There are many similarities and differences between every separate community which makes it difficult for some people to choose.Understanding a community must be done before involving oneself. Comparing and contrasting majors can make it easier for someone to choose which academic discourse community they decide to involve themselves in. Comparing and contrasting majors can be much simpler than it seems. Taking the time to describe a rhetorical purpose, audience, and values can be a good outline for to understand the community. An example of this would be comparing the discourse communities of a nursing major and an education major.According to the Sacramento State Co urse Catalog, â€Å"Nursing is a caring discipline with a foundation of nursing science guided by the application of moral and ethical principles of care and responsibility† and â€Å"The professional educator brings together subject matter knowledge, appropriate strategies, and interpersonal skills essential to providing successful learning experiences for children. † Preparing to work first-hand with people, possibly even very young children, is the main similarity between the two majors.Although the two prepare to help the community, they plan to help in different ways. The two majors are in a sense the same in their future purpose caring the same values, but different in the actual action it will entail. Both Nursing and Education carry the social value of an equal opportunity. The majors do not discriminate between the sexes or age of a person unlike athletics major possibly would. A woman at a very elderly age most likely wouldn’t be able to run a triathlo n and be successful at the same time.Nursing provides health and well-being for the community also providing safety. By treating someone of a contagious and deadly disease a nurse could possibly prevented a whole community from contact of this disease. Education provides common and even uncommon knowledge also building a future for the community. Teaching a young community to read and write makes them literate allowing them to seek high-end careers in the future.Rhetorically, an audience or a nurse could be doctors, parents, or the elderly while the audience of an educator would most likely be parents, their students directly, or the community no longer directly tied to the education environment. A typical purpose a nurse might have would be to provide health and safety to the community in order to keep a community alive. On the other hand a purpose for an educator would be to educate the community of the importance of a health and safety so they are aware of the seriousness of the matter.Personas in both fields would most likely be informative and professional. Comparing and contrasting the similarities between two separate majors can ease the decision of joining a discourse community. Values of the community can be very similar which may be what draws a person to both but the purpose of them can be completely different. Understanding the communities is done by exploring these aspects and applying rhetorical cases to them. Works Cited â€Å"Sacramento State University Catalog† (2012-2014)

Report On the Interview With Mtcp Participant Essay

Last Wednesday, 23 July 20003, I had an interview with one of the MTCP participants from Zimbabwe. We started our conversation at 9.21 pm. The conversation took about 2 hours to finish and it was held at 7th Block where all the participants reside. Firstly, I did some ice-breaking session with him. I introduced myself to him and after telling him the reasons why I need to interview him, he started to introduce himself. His name is Mr. Bernard , and his surname is Sitete. He came from Zimbabwe, South Africa. He work as an English lecturer at Nyadire Teachers College, Zimbabwe. He was married with one wife and two children. His wife work as a teacher at one of the secondary schools there. Zimbabwe has two ethnic group. The majority ethnic is Shona which consist 80% of the population. The other ethnic group is Ndebele which came from South Africa to Zimbabwe. Their official language is Shona , but there are some dialect that were used by people in certain area. Their official religion is Christian, but they prefer to use their own religion called Traditional African Religion. Traditional African Religion is quit the same with Christian. But, there are certain parts that show the major different with Christian. For Christian, they believe in Jesus Christ but for Traditional African Religion, they do not use Jesus Christ asking for something and to get to god . They use their own ancestors to ask for and to get to god. The religion belief in one god. For them to get to god, they must go through their ancestors. In their society, ancestors play big roles. To get through their ancestors, they have to do some ceremony as their way of praying. In the ceremony, they have to do hand-in-hand beer (made from traditional crops) drinking, dancing with certain steps, play drums, and so on. This ceremony was done to ensure their continuous contact with their ancestors. They do have their traditional costumes called Nhembe. They wear head dress, like a hat which made with feather and animal skins. Their body clothing was made with animal skins such as leopard, lion, tiger, cheetah, and so on. They do not wear any shoes. But now, they only use the traditional costumes when doing some traditional dance, festivals and ceremony. Nowadays, they use modern clothing like T-shirt, Jeans and so on. They also have their own taboos. They can’t have sex with their own mother, daughter, sister and anybody who have blood relationship. They also cannot beat their parents at all. If they do so, when their parents died, their soul will haunt them until all of their family died. The same case happened when they killed any human. It is because, they believe that when one person died, their soul will stay alive and will haunt the person who killed him or her. They also must respect the graves. They cannot show finger to the grave cause it will cause the soul of the graves will get angry and they will be cursed. They cannot marry in October cause this is the ‘dead month’. If they get married in this month, their marriage will not last and they will get misfortune. They also cannot have a bath in certain area where they believed that there are mermaids. The mermaids will take the persons. He also told me about the marriage customs. When they turned to 13 years old, they reach their maturity. So, they can get married. The woman has to go to the man’s family to ask them to propose her. After that, the man’s family will propose the woman and do some agreements about the marriage and also the Lobola ; also known as Dowry. The lobola can be some cash money or goats or sheep or anything else that was agreed by both families. The reasons of marriage are to connect two families. So, they do not mind if they cannot pay much for the lobola. The man also can borrow from the woman. But after marriage, the man has to pay the debt. If the debt cannot be paid until his wife die, the corpse cannot be buried. So he has to pay the debt first. In the society, they were allowed to polygamy, but the law banned polygamy. They have to register their marriage at the court but they also can get married traditionally. As in other ethnic culture, they also have their festivals. As a Christian follower, the celebrate Easter and Christmas. Their way of celebration is the same with any other place in the world. They also have their Rain Making Ceremony to ask for rain. They must do a dance to ask for the rain with their ancestors. They also have their own kind of Harvest Celebration. The celebration must be done in the kitchen. It symbolized their grateful to their ancestors for giving good harvest to them. Their traditional food is Sadza. Sadza is a maize meal. It cooked like porridge until it become quite thick. They eat Sadza with some curry and so on. They also eat rice. But they eat it in special occasions such as wedding, birthday and so on. Lastly, he told me that he like Malaysia. Malaysia is a nice country . It is very clean with many interesting buildings such as Petronas Twin Tower, Kuala Lumpur Tower, Telekom Tower and many more. This country also has many places of interest. For him, the weather here is too hot, but he likes it. The conversation ended after two hours. Before I left, we shared our address in order to keep in touch with him.

High school dropouts: proposal Essay

This research seeks to answer the question of the influence that dropping out of high school has on a person’s tendency toward crime. Studies have shown that most persons who do not have a high school diploma are at an economic disadvantage compared to those who have finished high school. It has also been shown that many prisons have a high concentration of members who have not finished high school. This study will take questions to a group of inmates at a local prison as well as a group of high school students in the same area. It will use questionnaires that contain items which attempt to probe issues concerning the criminal exposure of inmates during and after high school as well as that of current high school students. The results will be analyzed and correlated using graphs and charts in order to shed light on the influence that the lack of a high school diploma has on criminal activity. Introduction Several reasons have been cited by researchers to explain why students decide to drop out of high school. One of these reasons is a lack of adequate early-childhood preparation (Reynolds et al. , 2001). Children who receive inadequate educational preparation in the early stages of their lives often find it difficult to grasp the concepts being taught at the high school levels. These children might also not have had proper exposure to the types of behaviors and study habits necessary for success in high school. These, and other problems associated with them, often lead to an inability to cope with the demands of the educational environment (2001). Lack of adequate financial support also plays a part in causing students to drop out of school (Ingrum, 2006; Reynolds et al., 2001). It is often the case that students are unable to access the materials necessary for success in school due to lack of funds. Furthermore, poverty often drives students to seek jobs (or even less honorable ways of earning money) before their high school education officially ends. This often has also to do with a lack of appropriate emotional and family support, which often ebbs when finances are low. Furthermore, some parents of these students have hardly attained high school diplomas themselves and are therefore incapable of assisting these children with assignments (Sum et al., 2003). Finally a lack of intellectual aptitude, which manifests in the form of learning disabilities, has been cited as having a significant part to play in prompting students to drop out of school (Ingrum, 2006). Schools are largely accommodating to those persons of average intelligence who have little or no endogenous difficulties learning. These students often find it particularly difficult to perform even the fundamental functions of education, such as reading and simple arithmetic. Many who do drop out are disadvantaged compared to their counterparts who possess diplomas. These people are more likely to be unemployed, as employers for substantial and adequately paying jobs generally seek high school graduates. These persons are also more likely to be underemployed, as it is often difficult to find full time positions that seek to employ persons who have not completed high school. Because of these previously mentioned effects, high school dropouts are also more likely to be on welfare, and it has also been demonstrated that these persons are more likely to be incarcerated (Lochner & Moretti, 2003). Many programs exist that center on the rehabilitation of dropouts because such persons are considered more likely to be desperate. The reality of being marginalized when it comes to eligibility for adequately paying jobs often drives persons toward feelings of low self worth and even toward such extreme measures as crime (Lochner & Moretti, 2003). It is often the case that persons who fall into this desperate category are those who have mental or physical challenges and who need the help of these programs (Ingrum, 2006). However, a large proportion of them are considered more likely to have emotional/behavioral problems, and it is quite often members of this group of dropouts that show up in prison populations (Lochner & Moretti, 2003). Such persons are considered a drain on the government for several reasons, one of which is lost revenue from taxes. Persons who have no high school diploma are usually able to command lower wages or salaries than those who have graduated. This lower wage translates to a lower portion of income tax payable to the government. Furthermore, these persons are often also on welfare, and the cost of these programs to the government increase with each person that benefits from it. The cost of prison programs is also significant to the government. Since, therefore, it is considered that the prison population contains a higher concentration of dropouts than the general population (Lochner & Moretti, 2003), it might be seen that high school dropouts contribute more on average to the drain on the government due to prison programs than do members of the general population. Hypothesis Lack of education as demonstrated by dropping out of high-school leads to an increased likelihood of criminal arrests in young people. Methodology: variables and instrumentation The main instrument that will be used in this study is the questionnaire. This will be administered to 130 prison inmates from (NAME OF PRISON) in (NAME OF CITY & STATE) and 130 students of a high school in the same neighborhood. The questionnaire given to the inmates will consist of approximately 25-30 items that will deal with the level of high school education attained and arrests suffered by the inmate. The participants will be given choices regarding their schooling, ranging from below eighth grade level (< 8) to below twelfth grade level (< 12). They will also be given a chance to indicate whether high school diplomas were received by the time they reached 18 years of age or after 18 years. The questionnaire will also contain items that deal with the inmates’ criminal history. Items will attempt to elicit information concerning the number of arrests participants have experienced. It will also distinguish between number of arrests and number of convictions. Participants will also provide information regarding the number of juvenile arrests and convictions they have had, as well as the length of the sentence(s) which they currently serve and/or have served in the past. The questionnaires for the students will include items concerning the students’ career goals, role models, access to homework help, and the difficulty of specific core classes or skills (Mathematics, English, and Reading). They will be asked to give their GPA’s. The students will also be asked questions about those they know who have dropped out of school. They will be asked how many of their friends or acquaintances dropped out in the different grades—ninth to twelfth, and ask to rate the degree to which these dropouts’ behaviors might be considered deviant. The students will also be asked whether they ever considered dropping out of school and whether they think they would. Finally, they will be asked questions concerning their exposure to weapons and people who commit crimes. The responses to the questions for both groups will all be presented on a Likert scale ranging from â€Å"strongly agree† to â€Å"strongly disagree. † Interviews will also be sought with two or three of these inmates. The possibility of conducting an interview via the internet (instant messaging or voice programs) or via phone will be investigated. The interview questions will be more open ended, but will tend toward eliciting information concerning the inmates’ views on how they consider their lack of a high school diploma to have influenced their current situation. No interviews will be sought with the students.