Airline Deregulation as it relates to Competion and Unions Essay

Airline Deregulation as it relates to Competion and Unions - Essay Example The airline deregulation provides significant benefits to an average traveler. This Act removed many of the airline restrictions and thus totally altered the concept of civil aviation in the US. Subsequent to the integration of jets into the market, the air travel industry experienced incredible growth rate. As a result of steady increase in air travel, the federal regulators were forced to deregulate the industry to meet the increasing needs of the air travelers. The airline deregulation process augmented market competition once the marketers got the freedom to determine their own prices. It also persuaded the airline providers to enter in price competition in order to dominate the air travel market. Reports point out the notable effects of deregulation; â€Å"the inflation adjusted 1982 constant dollar yield for airlines has fallen from 12.3 cents in 1978 to 7.9 cents in 1997. This means that airline ticket prices are almost 40% lower today than they were in 1978 when the airlines were deregulated† (Thierer, 1998). Since this trend offered fruitful economic benefits to passengers, the passenger miles flown tremendously grew. For instance, in 2005, there were 750 million passenger miles whereas this figure was only 250 million in 1978. The magnitude of market competition was more in Europe as compared to US.

The International Globalization Vs Local Brands Fashion Essay

The International Globalization Vs Local Brands Fashion Essay Introduction: Globalization is an inevitable phenomenon that is leading the entire world towards becoming one market, a global village. With the world becoming a single market, globalization has had a major contribution in enabling the organizations worldwide to step out of the restricted domestic markets and to set up their operations across the globe with confidence. This has largely led to a decline in the importance in national borders and a greater emphasis on what the consumers actually demand; be the consumers located in the very country in which the organization exists or an entirely different part of the world. Globalization has had a huge impact on the branding strategies of international companies. Since the early 1990s many multinational companies, such as Unilever have moved from a multi domestic to a global marketing approach including global branding strategies (Schuiling and Kapferer 2004). Increased consumer knowledge and awareness have played an important role towards this globalization of markets and escalating the power of global brands such as Pepsi, Apple etc. As the competition in global arena increase, organizations find it important to serve international consumers along with local ones to achieve competitive advantage. However for some products and services the tastes and preferences of consumers in different nations are beginning to converge on some global norm (Holt 2002). From a consumer perspective, however, reactions to the prevalence of global brands seem to vary among the different customers. On the one hand, consumers seem to value and admire global brands and regard such brands as a status symbol. On the other hand, global brands are often criticized for threatening the local differences and leading to a loss of cultural identity. Since the trend of consumption by our people is changing, people are becoming more prone to buying the international brands rather than the local ones. Consumers feel proud in purchasing imported goods and this has increased the power of international brands. Apart from just focusing on where the product has actually been produced, consumers consider various other factors when making purchasing decisions. It has been noted that consumers are reluctant to buy goods made in less developed countries as they perceive them to be low in quality. Brands have also been perceived as being a status symbol and this thinking is most common in young people. Literature review There have been a number of researches done on brands. A definition of a brand by The American Marketing Association (AMA) in the 1960s (Keller, 1998) is â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiate them from those of competitors.† Research has proven that consumers use brands to help them make decisions about the product they choose (Ger et al., 1993). De Chernatony and McWilliam (1989) stated that successful brands, be it domestic or international, will have some unique proposition that is satisfying consumer needs. Powerful branding will also have a positive impact on consumer franchises. As Kolter et al. (2002) suggests that powerful brands command a strong brand loyalty from their consumers where these consumers perform in a repeated buying and ignore alternative brands that may be at lower prices. Recent researches suggests that influences on foreign product evaluations may be considerably complex, resulting from an interaction of various different factors such as ethnocentrism, price, perceived quality, country of origin, status, fashion consciousness, advertising campaigns etc. Ethnocentrism Research by Kinra (2006) states that ethnocentrism, which is a psychological construct which a makes a product more favorable in the minds of the consumers simply because bit is made in their own country. Ethnocentrism is when consumers think their culture to be superior to other cultures (Summer, (1906:13). Highly ethnocentric individuals tend to accept things culturally similar and reject things culturally dissimilar (Crawford and Lamb, 1981; Heslop et al., 1998; Wang and Lamb, 1983). In a study conducted by Lantz and Loeb (1996) which focused on the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and imported/international products, also found out that consumers who are highly ethnocentrism have more positive attitudes toward products from countries with similar cultures. Highly Ethnocentric consumers believe that purchasing local brands promotes patriotism and they accuse foreign brands of being a potential threat to countrys economy and employment level. They also prefer local brands because of their better understanding of local needs. Quality Quality is a trait which is very hard to define, because it is a very subjective term. Perceived quality is the perception of a consumer about a products excellence. Research proves that most consumers perceive international brands to be of higher quality and greater prestige.(e.g., Nguyen, Barrett and Miller 2005; Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003). If a brand is perceived as globally available, consumers are likely to attribute a superior quality to the brand, since its international acceptance is seen as a sign of its high quality. (Han 1989) According to Iglesias and Guillen (2004), consumers pass five phases of purchase process and the first phase is that the consumer perceives the product with the consideration of its availability, quality, price and the marketing activities. The consumers will make a comparison between brands to other alternatives and then make a decision. This will then either leads to the action of purchase or not to purchase that certain product from a certain brand. Country of origin he country of origin will also have a deep impact on the consumer preferences. The country of origin effect has been defined as influences, be it positive or negative, that a products country of manufacture may have on consumers decision (Elliott and Cameron, 1994). It is related to different stereotypes which are attached to a countrys product by consumers. Majority of the studies have supported a strong direct relationship between the â€Å"made -in† label and perceived quality of the product.. The findings indicate that consumers hold stereotyped images of certain countries and that these images affect their perceptions about the country. These stereotypes vary from country to country. Products from developed and highly industrialized countries are evaluated more positively than products from developing countries. Moreover, attitudes and perceptions of consumers toward brands and products will depend on categories, for instance, electronic goods from Italy may be perceived as a poor quality but Italian clothing would be perceive as fashionable and high quality (Bikey and Nes, 1982). This would be differently perceived with Japanese brands as Japanese electronic goods would be perceive with positive attitudes and Japanese clothing will be negatively perceived. Price Price is considered one of the most important factors affecting the consumer perceptions of a brand or product (Hansen, 2005). Researchers found out that once consumers perceive a price difference between local-owned and foreign-owned brands, price dissimilarities begin to affect their preference for local-owned brands. Therefore it is imperative that we test the impact of price against consumers ethnocentric tendencies to determine at what point price becomes more important to consumers than all the other factors mentioned. Consumers need a reference price as a cue for evaluating the price of an observed product/service. There are two forms of reference price an internal one that resides in consumers memory (e.g. past purchase) and an external one that is formed during the purchasing process (e.g. price comparison between brands while shopping) (Mazumdar and Papatla, 2000). If consumers perceive the local-owned brand as more expensive than the foreign-owned brand, but its quality i s similar to the foreign-owned brand, they should prefer the local-owned brand less because they perceive a higher loss with the local-owned brand. In other words, the price difference between local-owned and foreign-owned brands acts as a moderator between perception of brand ownership and purchase intention of local-owned brands Social status Authors have stressed that consumers may prefer global brands because of associations of higher prestige or because the ‘elite class use it (Schuiling Kapferer, 2004; Steenkamp, et. al., 2003). Global brands may have a higher prestige than local brands due to their relative scarcity and higher price. Critical review of the key literature In todays world, consumers are faced with an overwhelming amount of brands available for the same product category. More than hundreds brands, both local and international, may be available for products like clothes, automobiles etc. When consumers are making their purchase decisions, they may evaluate brands on different factors such as variables like price, quality, and country of origin, ethnocentrism, and social status. Price and quality are sometimes perceived to be correlated. A high-priced product may be perceived of being high in quality and this may be because of such image created by manufactures through advertising. Similarly, a global brand may perceive to be of superior quality as quality is believed to be a prerequisite for international acceptance. Consumers today are increasingly aware of products made in both developed and developing economies. Goods from third world countries may perceive to be of lower quality standard. Consumer perceptions and opinions may also depend on the product category for e.g. Italian clothing is generally perceived to be more fashionable (Bikey and Nes, 1982), while automobiles produced in country like USA may be perceived as of better quality than an Indian manufactured automobile. However, sometimes consumers believe that local organizations have a competitive edge over the foreign competitors as they have a better understanding of what consumer wants which are shaped by their cultures. While other patriotic consumers believe that buying foreign brands may hinder the growth of their local organizations. Brands like Apple, Sony, Pepsi have empowered consumers and these brands are capable of evoking associations and feeling to an extent that they have now become an important part of our lives. Due to increasing peer pressure, these foreign brands have now become a necessity for every young person. Wearing Nike shoes may be considered as fashionable and trendy in universities. So the need to be accepted by a particular social group may compel young people to buy international brands even when local brands are available at the same price. Research Question Q) Why do consumers prefer international brands to local ones? Independent variable: Price Quality Country of origin Consumer ethnocentrism Social status Dependent variable: Consumer preferences Research methodology This study is a descriptive study and more of a qualitative nature and was conducted to identify and evaluate all the factors considered by consumers that make international brands more favorable to them. The sample for this research included the 200 consumers whose ages ranged from 16-24 years. Convenience sampling was used for this study. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The questionnaire comprised of closed ended questions and Likert scale is used in most of them. We classified our population according to gender. Frequency distribution and bar charts have been used to evaluate the results. In addition to this, the means of different factors that influence consumers preferences of the local and global brands were used to determine which factors are considered the most by consumers when purchasing different brands. Limitations As the data was gathered through convenience sampling, the results cannot be generalized. There is also a possibility that the respondents might answer the questions dishonestly or half-heartedly, leading to biased findings. Apart from these limitations of our study, the fact that the data was only collected through questionnaires provided us with the frequencies as to how many people would purchase the global or the domestic brand and what factors are rated as the most important by these people, but the reasons behind their buying patterns and preferences remain unknown because these people were not further interviewed. Findings and Discussion Question 1 Do you use international brands products? According to the data collected, 72.5% of the people used international brands of which 60 were male and 85 were females. 18.5% of the people questioned claimed to use international brands occasionally, whereas, 9.1% of the people claimed not to use global brands at all. As indicated in the pie charts above, 18.5% of the people who used the global brands sometimes included 28 males and 9 females, and those who did not use the global brands consisted of 12 males and 6 females. Question 2 If the price of a foreign brand and local one is the same, which brand would you prefer? The purpose of this question was to evaluate and discover how important a factor such as price is in determining whether the consumers would go for the domestic brand or stick to the global one if both the products were in the same price range. The results found out that 76% of the consumers would go for the international brands whereas 24% would still purchase the domestic ones. Question 3 How important is the country of origin, of the product, to you? This question was asked to discover how much importance the youth lay on the country of origin as a factor when making a purchase. The results revealed far different results compared to what had been stated by the review of previous researches done. As indicated in the graph, the youth was found to be mailnly ignorant of the country in which the brand was manufactured. Majority of the consumers (76% males and 88% females) did not consider it as significant a factor as to affect his or her purchase decision. Question 4 Do you consider the quality of the product when purchasing a good? A good quality product indicates durability, reliability as well as good appearance and featuresThe review of the existing literature suggested that quality of the product and its price were rated by consumers as the most significant factor in purchasing decisions. This was supported by our empirical findings that showed that 87.5% people on average considered the quality of the brand above all the factors. This included 83 males and 92 females. The rest of the people, according to our research findings, did not place that much emphasis on the quality of the product alone. Question 5 Do you think that the purchasing patterns depict the social status of a person? Question 6 It is said that people buy international products so that they can be accepted in a particular social group. Do you agree? The results to these two questions confirmed the general perception that exists in our society, that is, the global are purchased as a status symbol. The youth mainly bought foreign branded products to be able to fit in a particular social group. This occurs largely because peer pressure tends to be high at this age, and most of the people find themselves being victims of inferiority complexes. The results to the first of these questions indicated that on average 75% of the youth (71 males and 79 females) purchased the international and local brands as a status symbol. These results were further enhanced by the results to the next question, which showed that 72% of the males and 68% of the females did, infact, believe that the people purchased the international brands to be able to fit in a particular social group. Question 7 Do you consider current fashions and trends while purchasing a good? Owing to education and information disseminated through the media, consumers in our soceity are becoming increasingly aware of the current fashions and trends prevalent even in other parts of the world. Following the current fashions and trends have become a norm in our society. Consumers now make their purchases according to the ongoing fashions,and this assumption has been supported by our findings, which shows that 92% of the females and 85% of the males considered fashion and trends when making a purchase. There was not a single female in our sample who did not pay attention to the trends and styles when going for a purchase. Moreover, these results also indicate that females are more fashion conscious than their male counterparts. Question 8 Do you think buying international brands affect unemployment in our country? The purpose of this question was to take the point of view of consumers as to whether the existence of foreign brands affect unemployement rate in our country. The results revealed that on average 80.5% of the consumers believed that the businesses are affected by the international brands and that unemployment increases as a result. This figure included 88 males and 73 females. However 10.5% of the people, on average, believed that this case only occurs sometimes, whereas 9% of the people did not believe that unemployment is related to the existence of foreign brands. Question 09 If an international brand is not easily available, would you go for the domestic brand? As the above graph indicates, the answers to this question represent differences in the opinions of the males and the females as to their willingness in substituting the domestic brand with an international brand in the case of non- availability of the international brand. The results revealed that whereas 57% of the males respondents claimed that they would go for the domestic brand if the global brand is not accessible, 78% of the females claimed not to compromise and do with the domestic brand, even if the international brand of their choice is not available. This may be indicative of the level of brand loyalty that females possess. In addition to this, only 16% of the respondents, on average, claimed that they would sometimes opt for the domestic brand in the case that the international brand is not accessible to them. Mean number of people ( in percentages) Yes Sometimes No Price of the product 76% 16.5% 7.5% Country of origin 4.5% 13.5% 82% Quality of the product 87.5% 7.5% 5% Status symbol 75% 15.5% 9.5% Current fashion and trends 85% 10% 5% Ethnocentrism 60% 20.5% 19.5% The table above compares the means of the different factors considered by consumers when selecting global brands over the local ones. Conclusion After researching on the preferences of consumers for the global and foreign brands, and finding out what factors are considered the most important by consumers when making their choices, it has been concluded that consumers do purchase the global brands and give preference to them. Consumers gain increased knowledge about international products by television. Our findings show that quality was the foremost factor that affected consumers decision about a product, with fashion and trends being second and price was rated the third most important factor in influencing consumer choice. Moreover, a foreign brand is usually regarded as a symbol of prestige and social status and as a means of being accepted in a particular group. Because of this extreme peer pressure at this age, the youth often views the use of such a foreign brand as a necessity rather than a want. Because of this extreme peer pressure at this age, the youth often views the use of such a foreign brand as a necessity rathe r than a want. Consumers were also hardly aware of how global brands affect the local economy and country of origin, as a factor in influencing consumers choice of the brand was hardly a significant factor. However, in spite of the fact that for some products the local brands are now available in the relevant price range, and quite well meet the quality standards too, nevertheless the consumers of our country find some sort of inner satisfaction in spending money on the global brands. For reasons termed brand loyalty, and even for the reason of social status, our locals continue to regard and look up to the foreign branded products.

poems :: essays research papers

Poems   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Andrew Marvell’s poem, â€Å"To His Coy Mistress,† Marvell starts out by saying how much he loves this girl that even time is not a matter, but halfway through he switches and starts to say that time is nearing and that basically if we do not do the deed now, then, â€Å"And your quaint honor turn to dust, And into ashes all my lust:† (29-30) In Ben Jonson’s poem, â€Å"To Celia,† Jonson begins by laying his game on thick and saying that we need to make love, but halfway through he changes his ways and starts saying that you should not care what others say lets do it, who cares if the maids find out or even your husband, lets just do it. These poems are both carpe diem poems which means to seize the day, and that is just what the writers and the speakers of these poems are doing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both poems start out in about the same manner, by trying to get the female â€Å"to be† with them, but for some reason halfway through they both take the same turn and that turn takes them straight into lust and wild erratic behavior. In Marvell’s poem he basically says that if I cannot have you those worms will the irony in this is that the male organ has been referenced to a phallic object like a worm. He also talks about your quaint honor turning to dust and along with it all my lust, the quaint honor that he is talking about is that girl’s vagina. He is telling her that now is our time to make love and if you do not do it with me now then when you are dead the one thing that you tried to hold on to will be gone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jonson does even worse; in his poem the speaker is trying to seduce a married woman. He tells her that fame and rumors are nothing but toys and can we not delude the eyes of a few household spies. The speaker is putting everything he has into to this woman and trying to sleep with her. â€Å"’Tis no sin love’s fruit to steal; But the sweet theft to reveal,† This poem is from the play Volpone and this poem is being spoken by Volpone, which is interesting because the name Volpone means fox. The mood of the poem is very smooth and sly so the name fox fits perfectly for this guy.

Determining Ka by the half-titration of a weak acid Essay

To get the Ka of acetic acid, HC2H3O2 I will react it with sodium hydroxide. The point when our reaction is half-titrated can be used to determine the pKa. As I have added half as many moles of acetic , as NaOH, Thus, OH- will have reacted with only half of the acetic acid leaving a solution with equal moles of HC2H3O2 and C2H3O2-. Then I will use the Henderson-Hasselblach equation to get pKa. CH3COOH + NaOH H2O + NaCH3COO Results: Below is a table that summarizes our results for the reaction of 1M of acetic acid with 1Molar of NaOH which 50cm3 was used. The table shows the PH record at  ½ equivalence and at equivalence. We also recorded the observations we saw during the reaction. PH  ±0.1 Qualitative observations At  ½ equivalence 5.0 When I recorded this, as we slowly added NaOH to the acid, there was a change of color from colorless to a very slight pink as the Phenolphthalein indicator changed color. At equivalence 8.9 As I added the acetic acid to 250 cm3 of reaction mixture, there was no color change. Also as we measured the PH, the PH changed slowly but then changed very quickly at the solution approached equivalence. At this time, the indicator turned pink, when equivalence was reached Calculating the PKa To calculate PKa, we will use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Hence the calculations below show how using this we can calculate the PKa = PKa + But at the half equivalence, the concentration of acetic acid and its salt ion are the same. Thus, we get: = PKa + = PKa Now the PH was, so PKa= 5.0  ±0.1 = 5.0  ± 2% 5.0  ±2% = = 10-5  ±2% Titration curve: To get error we are going to sketch a titration curve, and from this measure the PH at half equivalence. To do this: PH of acetic acid (1M): Ka = = 10-4.76 = √(1Ãâ€"10-4.76) So PH of acetic acid= 2.38 Now PH of NaOH, (1M) Now concentration of NaOH, was 1M So = 1 = -log(1) = 0 ±0.2% So PH= 14 ±0.2% Thus with these results we can plot this: Volume of NaOH (0.2%) PH of solution ( ±0.2) 0 2.38 45 14 48 14 50 14 We know that at volume of NaOH of 45 and 48, the PH will still be 14 as it’s in excess by far, thus getting to the PH of NaOH as the PH measured The PH of the solution has uncertainty of  ±0.2, as this is the smallest division of our y-axis in our titration sketch. Now after plotting our titration results, we can see that the equivalence point the volume was at a volume was at 28cm3 as it has the steepest gradient. Thus, the half-equivalence is at half a volume, 14cm3. At this volume the PH is 4.8  ±0.2 Using this value, as = PKa + = PKa PKa= 4.8  ±0.2 4.8 ±4.2% = = 10-4.8  ±4.2% Conclusion: I have concluded that the of acetic acid is -5 ±2% just using the data recorded (method 1). However from using that data and calculating the pH of acetic acid and NaOH, and then plotting a titration curve (method 2), we got a of 4.8 ±0.2%. As I calculated both I can calculate the % error of both comparing it with the actual value, -4.76.[1] % error of method 1= = 100  ±5% % error of method 2= = 100  ±0.84% The data I have concluded and summarized above is backed up by the data produced in the experiment and trends seen. We conclude that method 2 is more accurate as the % error is less and that our oringal method had  ±5% error. This is clearly backed up in our %errors as 4.8 is much closer to the actual value 4.76. The data that supports our % errors is the graph. It clearly shows a trend that as the volume of NaOH increased the PH rose, and the higher gradient signaling the equivalence point was at 28 cm3. Thus the graph clearly showed a half-equivalence point of 4.8 PH. Also the graph bolster that the PH at half-equivalence had to be less than 6, thus supporting the PH obtained by method 1, and hence the PKa obtained. Finally as for method 1, we simply recorded two results; we know that the datum that determined our percentage error was 5.0, and hence this data is what supports our %error. Finally the confidence level for my conclusion is good. I got the results expected, as method 2 will always be more accurate than method 1 as the latter depends too much on qualitative and subjective recordings. Thus my confidence level for such conclusion is good. Also my confidence levels on the %error and PKa for method 1, is high as 5% error was small. Thus due to this low %error, my confidence level of the experiment done for method 1 is high. Even more the PKa obtained by method 2, has a higher confidence level as the % error was barely 0.84%. Thus method 2, has excellent confident level for its extremely low %error. However the first factor that affects my confidence level is uncertainties. From the %error of PH, we got the %uncertainty of the PKa for method 1. Thus, we know, that from the total % error of 5%, 2% was made by systematic errors i.e uncertainties in this case. Thus the other 3% was caused by random error. Similarly, for method 2, we got % uncertainties for the PH by the volume measure of NaOH. This %error was 4.2%, meaning 4.2% of the total error was caused by systematic error of the graph. Clearly this is bigger than the total %error of 0.84%. Thus this means that actually, even if our graph has on the y-axis an uncertainty of  ±0.4, this is an over-estimate. This is since, while we can read a value off with this uncertainty, it can still be very close to the actual half-equivalence PH. Thus this increases my confidence level, as it shows, that the systematic error of the graph y-axis uncertainty is very limited. Thus the biggest error is random error. This occurs when estimating the equivalence point from the titration graph, which is random error as it’s an estimate of the steepest point and hence has no uncertainty. Thus as we could underestimate or overestimate this value, it creates error, as we calculated the half equivalence from it. In this case, clearly we overestimated it as; the PKa from this method is higher than the actual one. Hence this error is directly reflected in our results limiting confidence levels. Thus now we know what caused the % error for our methods. Hence, now my confidence level will increase as I know what type of error must be targeted to reduce most error. The random errors and systematic errors that constitute these percentages will be explained below, in the evaluation. Evaluation: From the results it is clear error was limited for method 1, 5%. We calculated that uncertainties make up at least 2% of that error. Thus systematic error only makes 2% of the error while random error makes 3% of the error. Thus the significant error is random errors. This was due to the subjectiveness at seeing the half-titration points. As we relied on the fact that the phenolphatlein made the solution light pink, it was difficult to see such color change. Thus it was very easy to keep adding base, when there was already a color change. Hence our error was that we could overshoot the titration. As we added to much NaOH the color change seen was too much. So when we added the acetic acid, the PH at half-equivalence is higher so we overestimated the PKa. This was reflected directly on our results. Finally another less important random error was that pipettes leaked. Thus more NaOH was added. This while small also explains why we overestimated the PKa, as we overshooted the titration even more. Finally our less significant errors were systematic error. They only make 2% of our errors. They were mainly caused by inaccuracy of our apparatus. The main systematic error caused was by the PH probe. The PH probe, first of all has great inaccuracy recording PH with a  ±0.1 uncertainty. Thus as the PH recorded was small, the %uncertainty calculated is much bigger than it would be with a higher PH. The other uncertainty was caused by the inaccuracy of pipettes. When we measured the volume of the acetic acid, there was a systematic error as Burets have uncertainties of,  ±0.10 cm3. Thus at a volume we measured of acetic acid at 25cm3, we had 0.4% error caused. We can also analyze improvements for method 2. We used this method and generated it from data we had form method 1. However, the titration sketch clearly was much more accurate than method 1, as it yields 0.84% error of which 0.2% was caused by uncertainties. Thus as we got the results for the titration curve from method 1, the error that caused the systematic errors were the same. However the main cause of error is the random error. At calculating the equivalence point, we had to estimate the point with the maximum gradient. As this is subjective, there is human error. Hence, when we then halved that volume, we could overestimate or underestimate the error since we estimated the point with maximum gradient. Improvements: To reduce the random error firstly we must do more trials. Just by doing this, we will reduce the random error. Finally as the problem with the color change was that it was a qualitative observation. To improve this we can get a quantitative measurement. To do this we use a colorimeter. This is a device we will put behind the solution. This measures the exact absorbance or transmission of light. Thus as the light absorbance changes when there is a color change, when the colorimeter states such we know that the color change has occurred. Hence we know exactly the equivalence points. The significance of this improvement is that it would enable us to get qualitative results. Thus if the colorimeter very accurate we can decrease random error, as there is no human error. Also, as the colorimeter is accurate, systematic error will also be limited. Another way we can improve is in the systematic errors. The first problem was measuring accurately volumes. As the pipettes had big uncertainties, the volume recorded had high %uncertainties. If we however use micropipettes, which have  ±0.01 cm3 uncertainties, our volumes will be extremely accurate. Hence %uncertainties will be minimal. Also micropipettes allow much easier for drops of base to be dropped. Thus the significance of this improvement is that when we measure volumes, the equivalence point will occur, more exactly as we will be less likely to overshoot the solution. Finally to solve the inaccurate measurements of PH we can get a PH sensor and data logger. These do real-time measurements and will state the PH with less uncertainty. It will also provide an alternative method for calculating the half-point. As the data logger draws the graph of the titration done, it can calculate the point with the highest gradient. Thus this will be the equivalence point. Hence we can calculate the PH at half the equivalence point of the graph as this is half the volume of base at equivalence. Thus clearly calculating a very accurate PH from the curve. The significance of this will be that it is a major improvement on method 2 and 1 as it is not qualitative. Thus it does not allow for human error. Hence as the sensor is also very accurate systematic error will also be limited as well as random error. Thus this method will get a very accurate PKa with low systematic and random errors.

Response to William Wordsworth’s ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’

Response to William Wordsworth’s ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ It is most difficult, I feel, to compose a response to William Wordsworth’s classic and idolised poem, ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ in such few words. A response to a poem may be seen as a reflection on features such as the language, the imagery and certainly, how the poem made me feel. I will however attempt to outline the influence this poem has had on me, considering the aforementioned features. This poem has evidently stood the test of time.It has breezed through generation after generation being read and reread and this, I believe, is due to its simplistic, yet compelling, story it tells. The first three stanzas are a collection of beautiful images painted by the use of comprehensible yet rich language. The language may be considered plain, however, I feel it echoes a calm and tranquil atmosphere as it does not busy the reader. Wordsworth is describing this truly memorable e xperience by personifying ‘the host of golden daffodils’.He does this throughout the poem for example at the close of the second stanza: ‘Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. ’ This, I believe, adds life to the poem. This personification links the language with incredible imagery. I, as a reader, have entered Wordsworth’s memory and I envisage this alluring scene; the countless daffodils ‘dancing in the breeze’. This further creates a more wondrous and astounding ambience that fulfils the reader like it fulfils Wordsworth in stanza three: ‘A poet could not but be gay’.William Wordsworth stated that â€Å"Poetry is a spontaneous overflow of emotion, not the emotion of the actual experience, but the emotion recollected in tranquillity’’. I believe his poem ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ is a justified example of this quote. I truly admire this poem as it tells a story of Wordsworth’s feeli ngs toward nature. It, in turn, gave me a positive and joyous outlook on the art of nature unleashing feelings similar to Wordsworth in the final stanza: ‘And then my heart with pleasure fills’.

The birth of big band jazz essays

The birth of big band jazz essays The world sometimes gives birth to creative and innovative individuals. These rare men often leave their mark on the world, forever changing a facet of our society and culture. The arts, specifically music and jazz, have had a more volatile history than history than perhaps any other genre in the spectrum of popular culture. One of these innovators, Benny Goodman, rekindled the flame of jazz with a new and exciting form of swing that brightened the stagnant waters of music. This revolutionary swing style was dubbed Big Band. While other bands conformed to the swing jazz mold, Benny Goodman and his group of your diverse musicians sought to change jazz as a whole, and in the effort ushered in the Swing Band Era. Yearning for success in the music business, Benny Goodman quickly gathered a group of fresh musicians, and in showing the might of his band, the hot new group, which had the credit of sparking the swing era, gained national noteriety. Karen Johnson mentions that jazz clarinetists Johnny Dodds, Leon Roppolo, and Jimmy Noone collectively fueled Bennys inner desire to lead a band (1). Finally feeling seasoned enough to make it in the big band circuit, Karen Johnson adds that Goodman formed a twelve piece big band in 1932 (1). Before 1934, dance and sweet bands controlled the radio waves and dancehalls, but as Johnson states, upon the arrival of Bennys band at the Polomar Ballroom in Las Angeles on August 21, 1935... Goodman became a nationally known star.(1). Young listeners all over the country tuned their radios to hear Bennys band play, and Parker adds that with his new mix of hot jazz, like an explosion Benny was suddenly a national star(3). Some columnists proclaimed this the b eginning of the Swing Era, but Parker adds in opposition that no one incident can be related to [big band jazzs] genesis (2). Similarly, it is possible to infer that Bennys band was c...

6 Steps to Surviving a Job as a Night Shift Nurse

6 Steps to Surviving a Job as a Night Shift Nurse Being a night shift nurse can be extremely rewarding and heroic. It can also be incredibly grueling. Before you sign up to this gig, here are a few survival tips. And for those of you with no interest in such work, read on to see some of the challenges that face these tireless heroes who do such vital, life-saving work. 1. Understand your inner clock.Your circadian clock is your internal inclination to follow a normal 24-hour cycle. It also helps to regulate many of your body processes: hormones, temperature, heart rate, etc. The more you understand about these rhythms (and how your job will mess with them), the better off you’ll be. Realize that you will naturally crave sleep between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., and do what it takes to train your body to, well, do the opposite of what it naturally wants to do.It may not be at the ideal time every day, and you’ll likely have to schedule your sleep instead of just falling into a normal routine like everybody else yo u know, but it’s even more important for you. Get blackout curtains for your room. Use eye masks or ear plugs or white noise machines to optimize your sleep environment. Make a sleep schedule and stick to it. Make sure you get long periods of uninterrupted sleep and that your family respects these periods.2. Keeping yourself healthy is key.The healthier you are, the better prepared your body will be to survive night shifts. Keep an eye out for conditions you’re at a higher risk for than your daytime components, like insomnia, daytime drowsiness, high blood pressure, diabetes, menstrual irregularities, common colds, and weight gain. Make sure to exercise and be active- it will help you stay alert. And make sure to eat right: reach for snacks high in protein and complex sugars, rather than candy and chips. Drink plenty of water. Having a healthy home life can help reinforce all the good habits you’ll need to cultivate to stay afloat at work.3. Bond with your cowor kers.Your coworkers are like a family- even more so when you’re all working in the trenches of the night shift. It’s a much different, and often more intimate environment. Take advantage of this to really work as a team, communicating effectively, and being able to rely on each other when the going gets tough.4. Don’t overdo the caffeine.Caffeine can be your friend- it can boost your alertness just when you need it. Remember to give yourself 25 minutes or so for it to kick in. But be judicious- too much caffeine can make you jittery or affect your out-of-work sleep quality. Find a balance that works for you and doesn’t compromise your sleep.5. Schedule your home life.It’s important that you keep your home life going strong, so it’s a place of comfort and stability. This might mean having to schedule things that normal families take for granted. But it’s worth it. Make sure you’re staying in constant touch- through texts, emails , phone calls, etc. Leave post-it notes or start a bulletin board to stay connected. And make sure to have a few date nights on the books if you have a special someone.6. Know the costs.Being a night nurse is really tough. The hospital may be a bit quieter, but patients are rarely able to sleep and often are needier or more anxious at night. Your patients might even get a bit angry or disgruntled as the night progresses. You’ll also get a lot of the leftover grunt work no one in the day shift wanted to do. And if you get hungry? Forget about it. The cafeteria will long have closed.That said, if you remember to stock up on snacks and food to fuel your shift, and you can learn to adjust your inner clock (and withhold your rage at the FedEx guy or the ice cream truck), you’ll also have the benefit of an extremely important and gratifying job- and one that offers a bit more flexibility than other, more regularly scheduled gigs.

How to Better Mentor Employees In Business Writing

How to Better Mentor Employees In Business Writing If your team's business writing ability is weak, it willimpact potential revenue and decreaseproduction. Poor written communication may steer a prospect in another direction. It also means your team willrequiremore time than necessary to complete writing tasks. Poor business writing reflects poorly on an organization. Strong business writing abilities influence others on the team positively; conversely, the opposite is also true. Improving business writing skills will save money and time. If your team's writing is weak, you must correct this. Assess Measure Current Business Writing Skills To assess and measure current business writing skills, look at the content and organization (substance) and then the language of the document (syntax). These substance and syntax components go hand-in-hand, but are measured separately. Relevant questions: Does the writer display an ability to communicate complex ideas clearly? Can the write extract the significant information? Is the information organized? Does the language complement the message? hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '934718b3-251a-45d6-8853-a7f94e43b92c', {}); Best Business Writing Training Approaches for Your Team Larger organizations with well-equipped training programs in place may be able to implement business writing training internally. Perhaps this is not the case, or you believe your team will benefit by using an external source. External sources providing training should carefully be reviewed. Look at the trainer's credentials, structure of the training, ability to customize training for your team's specific needs, and flexibility on delivery options closely. These aspects are important in selecting an external training program. Ongoing support provides lasting results. Mentoring Employees and On-Going Support Managers mustmodel strong business writing skills! If your trainingbudget is tight, train your managers first. Their skillwill trickle down to their direct reports.Managers will be better equipped to provide guidance for others. Make Business Writing Skills Matter Honing in on the critical skill of business writing is an important process during hiring and performance reviews. We recommended meeting with employees and reviewing business writing together. Discuss strengths and weaknesses with them, and provide support to improve weak areas. If you are looking for quick tips it is worth reading our full list of business writing tips. To learn more about effective business writing and how to improve business writing skills, download our guideâ€Å"Four Steps to improve your Team’s Business Writing Skills†today!

A Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Research Paper

A Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) - Research Paper Example Different kinds of people study a language other than their own for different purposes. Some study to satisfy their need for knowledge. Others just want to be able to converse when traveling, studying or living in another country. Still there are others, like in South Korea, where learning another language, specifically English, is a means to have a job or get into a top university. â€Å"All one has to do is just take a walk in any bookstore and see just how big learning English is†¦. with the profusion of English language books, tapes, and test study guides  (Miller, J., 2006).† The acquisition of a new language, especially English, has led into a thriving business. Individuals and companies have come up and are continuously developing new educational materials to help people have better communication skills. As a result of the increasing demand, the techniques and modes have evolved from simple books and listening tapes to CDs/DVDs, computer software and websites on the Internet. Computer Assisted Language Learning or CALL has become a common method of acquiring another language. â€Å"The history of CALL suggests that the computer can serve a variety of uses for language teaching (Warschauer, M., 1996).† Not only do they enhance the users’ listening, speaking, writing and reading skills, but CALL programs also provide a variety of interesting materials and ways of learning. Since its advent, CALL programs have been used by schools, businesses, governments and individuals for different purposes. For those studying the English language, one use of CALL, for example, is as a medium in preparing students for English proficiency exams like IELTS. The Tell Me More English program is one of the many tools in the market that uses computer-based technology as a means of teaching the English language. The software was created by awarded CALL software developer Auralog and has been released in three versions since its introduction in the ma rket. Among its various functions, educational facilities utilize the Tell Me More English program to aid students entering college get a high score on English proficiency examinations such as that of the International English Language Testing System, better known as IELTS. Literature Review â€Å"The Tell Me More English program is the only English software that truly covers all of the skills used in learning English: not only reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but also grammar, vocabulary and culture (TellMeMore, nd.).† For learners of the English language, excelling in these skills is the key to becoming good speakers. It has been argued that although computers can be a tool in language learning, there are still questionable aspects of language acquisition through CALL programs that need to be addressed. Furthermore, it is yet to be realized how CALL materials can effectively impart learning of each basic communication skill. â€Å"Computer assisted language learn ing has developed over the last 30 years (Warschauer, M., 1996)†. CALL has three stages: behavioristic, communicative and integrative. The first stage, implemented in the 1960s-70s, was practicing by drills. The next stage, communicative, focused more on how the students interacted with each other while working on the computer rather than developing a more in-depth role for computers in the field of language learning. (Warschauer, M., 1996) Criticisms that surfaced from this aspect of communicative CALL gave rise to the third stage, integrative CALL. With integrative CALL, â€Å"students are challenged to construct their own knowledge with guidance from a teacher (Nerbonne, J., et.al., n.d.).† Although CALL has grown to be a popular medium for education, there are still

Questions week 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Questions week 10 - Essay Example This would mean that cars that could not move could not be stolen. Thus, this solves the crime of stolen cars. Other crimes such as murder cannot necessarily be solved since people are free to make their own decisions and decisions are often unpredictable. However, positive role models and morals can influence better decisions. Society in general, has a responsibility when it comes to crime in society. Geographical locations, race and gender determine how society acts towards others. These actions can leave society responsible for crime. It is also important to determine influences that society has. Society can influence crime and should take responsibility for its influences whether positive or negative. Our current policies are not enough since the increase of crime is happening everywhere. A change needs to take place that enforces better policies that work. If I could personally do something differently I would choose to help change society which in return can help to change crime. A better and more responsible society with adequate morals can contribute to a lessened crime rate and better actions throughout society. Most of this positive change should come from role models, mentors and any parental

Statistic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Statistic - Essay Example Since the figure bracket we are wondering about is somewhere between $45 and $50k, we must use the product rule and the sum rule to gain the answer. The chances of a graduate earning a $45k salary begins in the first noted price bracket but is only represented by the second half of that bracket. That means we must multiply 50% x 33% = 17%. This is the same for the second and third bracket requiring us to employ the sum rule. 17% + 17% = 33%. B. The probability of a new graduate making a starting salary which exceeds 55k is as follows: The farther away we get from the mean, the more income brackets need to be added in both directions in order to maintain $47,500 as the mean leaving only a 20% chance of a new graduate being hired at a starting salary of 55k or more. C. The percentage of staring salaries which are no more than $42,250 is a 36% chance. This was calculated by representing 5 brackets with 20% chances: 38.5k, 43k, 47.5k, 52k and 56.5k all with a 20% chance each due to even distribution. The bracket between 38.5k and 43.k together represent a 40% chance cumulatively. Those brackets can be divided into smaller brackets leaving the bracket of 42.5 k and everything beneath that amount represented by a 36% chance. First, let us allow n to represent the sample size and N to represent the population size. In the event that the value of n is greater than 5% of the finite population N, the population correction factor may be used. In this case, n=40 and N=500. The sample population is equal to 8% of the finite population of 500 which is again, represented by N. B. To establish standard of error utilizing the given information thus far, we can use the formula , which represents the variability of the original data which can divided by the square root n. We may also find the answer by utilizing the following formula: ((N-n)/N-1)) which gives us the number 9.5917 as our standard error. Using

Ramadan of Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ramadan of Islam - Essay Example This is an annual tradition and is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam (Hedayetullah 84). As such, it can be said to be considered one of the most important aspects of being a Muslim and one cannot claim to be of this religion if they do not practice this act every year. Failing to do so is considered to be a sin of immense proportions and unthinkable for a devout Muslim. The length of this month is not set in stone but lasts between 29 and 30 days based upon the visual sightings of the crescent moon which signifies its close (Hedayetullah 88). Though this practice has to be upheld by all adult Muslims, there are certain exceptions that for various individuals whereby they may be excluded from participating in the fasting. These exceptions are in relation to an individual’s physical condition at the time of Ramadan such as if one is ill or a diabetic, in cases of women they are excepted if they are pregnant or happen to be going through their menstrual cycle at that p oint in time (Esposito 61). One is also allowed to be excluded from the fast if they are traveling as the Islam religion recognizes that one should eat to maintain their energies when involved in such an activity. Apart from the cases that have been mentioned above, every other Muslim is expected to uphold the practice of Ramadan when the time comes. Fasting during the time of Ramadan involves refraining form a number of things from a particular time of day (dawn) until a certain time (sunset) that is usually decided after calculations are done (Esposito 65). The time of the opening and closing of the fast during Ramadan may differ from region to region, but the period length remains the same everywhere. This is to say that, for example, individuals in a certain area that have began fasting at an earlier time than others in a different area will stop their fast before those who started after them (Tuner 43). During this period, one is to refrain from eating foodstuffs, drinking liqu ids, smoking, sexual relations and in some interpretations of the Quran, even swearing during this time is prohibited. Once the period of fast has closed, an individual is permitted to eat and drink again until the opening of the fast the next day. According to the Islam religion, it is believed that fasting brings about a lot of rewards (known as Sawab) from Allah and that during Ramadan, these rewards are multiplied and come in even more quantity for those who uphold the practice of Ramadan. Apart from refraining from the items and activities that have been mentioned, an individual is also expected to increase the number of times that they pray (known as salat) as well as their recitation of the Quran (Esposito 67). This is to note the devout nature of this time and indicate the fact that this period has been dedicated to Allah instead of the satisfaction of human desires. According to the Quran, Ramadan is considered to be the most sacred of all months as this is the time when th e Islamic prophet Muhammad first received revelations form Allah and thus as a result the Muslim faithful are to maintain its sacredness through fasting and prayer during this period of time. The beginning of Ramadan occurs with the Hilal and is usually a day or more after the appearance of the new moon. As the new moon is a sign of the beginning of the new month, one can safely

International Trade Law and Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Trade Law and Institutions - Essay Example In this paper, the dispute resolution procedures used by two of the most prominent global arbiters, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will be compared and contrasted in terms of the types of cases that each respective organization would deal with, the methods by which disputes are referred to them, the process/methodology for the dispute resolution and the mechanisms for redress. In addition, reference will be made, where appropriate, to relevant sources of law. In order to accurately evaluate and understand the various aspects of these organizations that will soon be presented, an adequate understanding of the structure of the WTO and the ICC both need to be explained briefly. The WTO has its origins in the words of a man who lived and studied economics centuries before the WTO ever existed. Considered by many to be the father of modern economics, Adam Smith put forth the original theory that the key to true economic progress and prosperity for all nations is international trade. He theorized that by making a wide variety of goods and services available anywhere in the world, not only would the country of origin benefit, but also the receptions of these goods would benefit due to the improvement of their quality of life through the utility of the goods themselves (Miller, 2003). With the idea of free international trade already very popular, the WTO was formed not only in an effort to promote free international trade, but also to attempt to police the international marketplace to prevent violations of trade laws. Like, the WTO, the ICC seeks to serve as an advocate for, and protector of international trade. Possessing a similar mindset to that of the WTO, the ICC also tries to peacefully resolve international trade disputes through an arbitration process, promote free trade in every corner of the globe, and seek ways to improve world commerce, much as one's local chamber of commerce promotes the interests of a given city or town (International Chamber of Commerce, 2006). Having given a brief overview of the origins, goals, and mindsets of these two organizations, it is now possible to properly analyze them as was detailed at the outset of this paper. Types of Cases Speaking in the broadest of terms, both the WTO and the ICC handle cases of a non-criminal nature; both organizations, in the course of evaluating a case, will refer any criminal matters to the appropriate law enforcement agency anywhere in the world. The types of cases that these organizations handle would best be described as non-criminal civil matters in that the cases usually involve some sort of business or trade dispute that centers on financial gain or loss, and the disputes of both organizations can often be resolved by the use of monetary reparations for the injured party or parties. However, there are some fundamental differences in the ways that the WTO and ICC handle their respective responsibilities.In general, the WTO is more of a reactive organization, which is to say that the organization handles the disputes that are referred to them as they are

Tax Cuts and Layoffs in the Economic Times and their Impact in Research Paper

Tax Cuts and Layoffs in the Economic Times and their Impact in Communities - Research Paper Example It is expected that this plan could actually boost the GDP by some 1.25% and the employment levels by 1.3 million in the next year (Kaplan, 2011). However the proposed plan is not without major difficulties perhaps the largest of which is the provision of some 447 billion dollars in order to make this plan work. For one thing, Obama’s proposal could not be tabled while Democrats controlled the Congress so tabling this proposal in a Republican controlled Congress is even more difficult. Furthermore the proposal is considering reducing the net incomes of a large amount of workers who will not agree to such proposals that curtail their employment benefits. The current economic situation is being compounded by efforts on the part of state governments to cut down on employee benefits. Already unionized workers in New York are not ready to agree to such concessions in benefits even if they have to lose their jobs as a sign of protest. Already the government in New York is deposing t housands of workers because they are not ready to accept new contracts that include tax tradeoffs as well as removal of entitlements that reduce their pays by a sizable amount (Economist, 2011). Although the largest union has agreed to reduced pay structures but the second largest union is adamant to accepting these new contracts. Friction is rising as working people are removed from jobs because they demand their right. This indicates that the federal government’s proposed tax breaks are more than just required in order to avert further layoffs which would in turn lead to little else than more recession. When the proposal’s finances are looked at in greater detail, it becomes apparent that the largest contributor to funding is from limiting deductions for upper income earners at some 405 billion dollars. The other components of financing represents smaller figures including treating carried interests as ordinary income (18 billion dollars), limiting oil and gas compan y tax benefits (40 billion dollars) and removing corporate jet tax breaks (3 billion dollars). It is highly clear that the federal government could still increase the chief component of funding if it did not limit the amount of deductions for upper income earners. That would put the federal government in a position to possess greater finances that could be used to stimulate the economy. While it is clear that the federal government has shown interest in creating more jobs by providing incentives and by expanding infrastructure based projects, but this proposal is highly unlikely to get tabled. Even if the proposal was to get approved in Congress somehow, the next problem would be the credibility of the federal government when it comes to creating jobs. The government has always had a poor history of creating new jobs (except the FDR years). At this point in time, tax breaks are required for low income workers so that they can deal with their pervasive state of near insolvency. Howev er it hardly makes any sense to curtail taxes for high income earners who are already finding enough money to spend. Economists argue that the tax cuts provided to the average Joe worker are being saved up and this may even be true but given a few continuous years of savings, these workers will reinvest in the economy in terms of their savings dollars. The need of the hour is to redistribute the money in the economy

International Trade Law and Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Trade Law and Institutions - Essay Example In this paper, the dispute resolution procedures used by two of the most prominent global arbiters, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will be compared and contrasted in terms of the types of cases that each respective organization would deal with, the methods by which disputes are referred to them, the process/methodology for the dispute resolution and the mechanisms for redress. In addition, reference will be made, where appropriate, to relevant sources of law. In order to accurately evaluate and understand the various aspects of these organizations that will soon be presented, an adequate understanding of the structure of the WTO and the ICC both need to be explained briefly. The WTO has its origins in the words of a man who lived and studied economics centuries before the WTO ever existed. Considered by many to be the father of modern economics, Adam Smith put forth the original theory that the key to true economic progress and prosperity for all nations is international trade. He theorized that by making a wide variety of goods and services available anywhere in the world, not only would the country of origin benefit, but also the receptions of these goods would benefit due to the improvement of their quality of life through the utility of the goods themselves (Miller, 2003). With the idea of free international trade already very popular, the WTO was formed not only in an effort to promote free international trade, but also to attempt to police the international marketplace to prevent violations of trade laws. Like, the WTO, the ICC seeks to serve as an advocate for, and protector of international trade. Possessing a similar mindset to that of the WTO, the ICC also tries to peacefully resolve international trade disputes through an arbitration process, promote free trade in every corner of the globe, and seek ways to improve world commerce, much as one's local chamber of commerce promotes the interests of a given city or town (International Chamber of Commerce, 2006). Having given a brief overview of the origins, goals, and mindsets of these two organizations, it is now possible to properly analyze them as was detailed at the outset of this paper. Types of Cases Speaking in the broadest of terms, both the WTO and the ICC handle cases of a non-criminal nature; both organizations, in the course of evaluating a case, will refer any criminal matters to the appropriate law enforcement agency anywhere in the world. The types of cases that these organizations handle would best be described as non-criminal civil matters in that the cases usually involve some sort of business or trade dispute that centers on financial gain or loss, and the disputes of both organizations can often be resolved by the use of monetary reparations for the injured party or parties. However, there are some fundamental differences in the ways that the WTO and ICC handle their respective responsibilities.In general, the WTO is more of a reactive organization, which is to say that the organization handles the disputes that are referred to them as they are

Design Experiment Ecology - effect of acid rain on plat growth Assignment

Design Experiment Ecology - effect of acid rain on plat growth - Assignment Example These substances are highly toxic to the living world and directly affects plant and other small organisms thereby, indirectly influence the proliferation of other organisms as well. The present study is designed to understand the effect of acid on plant growth. The study requires 2-3 weeks. The amount of acid added to water, for watering the plant is inversely related to the growth of the plant, which is calculated as the height of the plant. Excess of acid adversely affects the physiology of the plant which should be displayed in the form of pigmentation of the plant, more yellow leaves should appear in the plant which is treated with higher acid concentration as compared to the plant treated with less concentration of acid and with tap water. Hence, survival of the plant is directly related to the concentration of the acid given to the plant. The process will also demonstrate the appropriate pH of water required for the plant growth. Make two acidic solutions with two different concentrations, using water and H2SO4. pH is measured with the help of a pH strip. Adjust the pH of one of the solutions as pH = 2 while adjust the pH of the other solution as pH = 4. Pour equal amount of water/ acid solution simultaneously in all the three sets, A, B and C. Plant A should be provided with an acidic solution of pH 2 and plant B should be provided with the acidic solution of pH 4 while plant C should be provided with same amount of tap water. Growth of the plants was monitored and recorded on a regular basis with the help of measuring tape. The experiment continued for two weeks and observations were recorded in the following table for the comparative analysis of the impact of acid on the growth of plants. Control plant, C was watered with tap water and its growth was also recorded in the following table- Acidification of rain-water occurs

The Historical Changes Within The Family

The Historical Changes Within The Family Family can be defined as a group of people related by heredity, such as parents, children and siblings. It is sometimes broadened to include persons related by marriage or those living in the same household who are emotionally attached, interact regularly, and share concerns for the growth and development of the group and its individual members. There is legal definition of the family, but it varies depending on the jurisdiction and purpose for which it is defined. The family can have two basic types: nuclear and extended family. A nuclear family consist of adult husband, the wife, and their dependent children who are not of age, and the extended family is composed of the nuclear family and other relatives. Apart from the above mentioned types of family, there are other types such as the lone-parent families, which is one parent and his or her dependent children, the reconstituted family- when a new family is created after divorce through a second marriage and the empty nest family w here the children of nuclear family has grown and left home. Functionalism is a theory that sees society as a social system designed to meet the basic needs and to promote the survival of its members. According to them, the social system comprises of economic, political, kinship and culture and each of these has an established institution that plays a role in the running of society. Functionalists talk about society being like a human body. The organic analogy incorporates the ideas of a system to emphasise the inter-relatedness and mutual dependency of the major institutions of society. To them, the family is at the heart of society. They therefore, see the family as changing and responding to the needs of society. The systems approach has been used by functionalists to explain how social change occurs in society. Talcott Parsons is one of the most important functionalist sociologists who studied family life in the 1950s. He referred to families as personality factories which meant that, families produce children who share the basic norms and values of their society and were moulded in the image of the society. He saw the family as the basic and most vital institution in society whose irreducible function is the stabilisation of adult personalities, where the family gives the emotional support necessary to cope with the stress of everyday life, especially at younger age in order to develop a strong emotional bond and to grow and function well in the society. Once the personality is produced, adults need emotional security and a source of release from the stresses and strains of modern life. The emotional support of partners helps to provide this security and prevent stress from overwhelming the individual and threatening the stability of society. This is the warm bath theory: the husband arriv es home from a stressful day at work and sinks into the warm bath that his family (wife) provides. Peter Murdock, (1949) is another functionalist who studied 250 societies and identified the functions of the family as sexual, where the family provides environment for regulating sexual desires. Families make sure that, such activities happens or takes place at the right location. The next function is reproduction, essential for survival of human society. Families ensure the survival of babies becoming adults. Babies are born vulnerable and incapable of taking care of themselves. It is therefore the duty of the family to train and equip them until such time that, they become adult and matured enough to face the world on their own. Another function of the family, according to Murdock, is to instil the norms, cultures and values of society into children and to make sure they are satisfactorily socialised. The family also provide economic support for other family members. This can happen in all sorts of forms like provision of child care and financial support in difficult times. Murdocks ideas were that, the nuclear family is so useful to society, inevitable and universal because it fulfils the essential functions. This is because he had found evidence of nuclear families in the 250 different societies he studied. He saw the nuclear family as the most efficient arrangement for performing all of the above vital functions and defined it as a universal human social grouping, either as the sole prevailing form of the family or as the basic unit from which more complex forms compounded. It exists as a distinct and strong functional group in every society. However, they have been criticised by the way they see the family. Parsons picture is of a typical middle class USA family which may not be representative for most families. They have also been accused of idealising the family. Functionalist fails to consider the validity of other family structures and do not consider the diversity of family types. They ignore conflict, abuse, gender inequalities, and rising divorce rates within the family. Interpretative sociologists tend to argue that, functionalists concentrate too much on the importance of the family to society and ignore the importance and meanings of family that individuals perceive. Feminists argue that the functionalist view of the expressive and instrumental roles as natural are in fact socially constructed. They also disagree with Murdochs idea that the nuclear family is natural, believing that there is no preferable family structure and encourage family diversity. They are of the opinion that, the functionalist view of the family encourages oppression of women. Marxists argue that the functionalist view of the family views those family structures which support and benefit capitalism, and that, the nuclear family is part of the superstructure with the sole purpose of perpetuating a capitalist system. They also believe that, the family socialises its members to accept the false consciousness that capitalism is good for all and that the government helps the people through healthcare. Marxism also rejects the functionalist idea that society is based on consensus; they would say that current society is based upon a conflict between the small powerful ruling class and the working majority. Both Marxists and feminists disagree with the functionalist idea that each organ of society exists for the benefit of society itself and for its individual members, they believe that they exist for the benefit of the ruling class of either capitalists or men. The next theoretical approach is the feminist. It is worth mentioning that, there are several types of feminism, included are, liberal, radical, socialist, and humanist but they all share in common the following about the family according to Barrie Thorne (1982). They see the society as male dominated, the family as an institution involving power relationships, men having different ideas of being in the family from women, the family being a source for the control of women, that there is no biological need for the family which is just a product of culture rather of nature, the ideologies of socialisation is based on gender, men gaining more from family life than women, and has also challenged the view of the family as being based on cooperation, shared interests and love. Feminist see society as being patriarchal where things are made up of unequal structures of power between men and women. It practically means rule of the father which is more to do with culture and makes us believe and think the family is one of the biological things we need naturally. Beechey (1986) is of the view that, people has taken the family for granted and the family requiring different things from men and women, and are also made to believe that, it is ideal to bring up children in a family setting where most of the work is done by women. Feminist think that, all this has contributed and continue to the male dominance in the family and society as a whole. Benton regards the structure of the family life as the main cause of womens oppression (housewife role), where the wife provides a relaxing environment for the male worker. Things have changed in recent years in the family. Decision making in the home as pointed by Stephen Edgell (2000) shows that, in middle class homes, women have sole responsibility for financial decisions in areas as home decorating. Some things still need to be changed when we look at the following which has been pointed by the feminist as the dark side of the modern day family. The family contains a large amount of psychological harm for women, and still perform the majority of the housework. Evidence suggests that many women today have a dual burden of labour-home responsibilities as well as work. Majority of emotional work still remains a job for women and there are lots of instances of sexual and domestic abuse of women in the family. The Marxist theory of the family was developed by the work of Karl Marx (1818-1883) and believed that, society was made up of two important parts, the economic base and the superstructure which includes the family. He describes the economic base as the most important because it influences the superstructure. The family will therefore reflect the values and concerns of the economic base. The Marxist idea of the family was that, society was the family and believed early society was based on a primitive form of communism where there was no such thing as private property, no rules limiting sexual behaviour and promiscuity was normal. Their idea supports capitalism where the family forms part of the superstructure and passes on ideologies that justify inequality and enables the bourgeoisie to maintain control of the economic base. The family evolved in order to establish paternity to protect private property and its oppressive inhibited creativity. The family is therefore an ideological conditioning device. In short, the family was seen as an institution when wives play their traditional roles as takers of shit, and often absorb their husbands legitimate anger and frustration in a way which poses no challenge to the system (Ashley). Also, the child is in fact primarily taught how to submit to the society but not how to survive (Cooper). This theory has got the strength of exploring the role of oppressive ideologies and offers explanation for the development of the family. It also acknowledges the dark side of the family, links it to inequality in capitalist society, and offers critical approach. It has however been criticised of ignoring family diversity, seeing the nuclear family as simply determined by the economy. It ignores how changes may come about due to legal and attitudinal changes and also ignores the patriarchal nature of society. Considering the above discussion, it is true that men, the state, society and its institution have exercised enormous power over women by deciding how parenting and household responsibilities should be distributed? Who should have a right to household earnings and property? Who has the right to form a family? What defines a parent? How many parents can a child have? How many children can a parent have? Answering these already complex questions is additionally complicated by the existence of new technologies that make possible multiple ways of becoming a parent. Below, is the examination of two main values that feminists have argued should guide the families we make, individual choice and equality. The traditional family has seen many changes in the last fifty years. In the decades following WW II increasing numbers of women entered the labour force. Divorce rates increased dramatically: the divorce rate in the 1980s was almost two and a half times what it had been in 1940. The development of the birth control pill has made it easier for women to avoid unwanted pregnancies and to plan when to have children. There are a growing number of single parent families, gay families, and extended families. By 1989, 25% of children were living in single parent households. Economic, technological and social factors have together made the full time-stay at home housewife and mother with a working husband a statistical minority. Laws governing families have also changed. Modern laws are more likely to view men and women as equals, who can be subjected to the authority of each other only with their own consent. How far should the idea of womens right in marriage, the institutions and society be taken? Some feminists have proposed contract model of marriage to allow any and all consenting adults to marry and to freely choose the terms of their association. These feminists would abolish state-defined marriage altogether and replace it with individual contracts drawn up by each couple wanting to marry (Fine man 1995, Weitzman 1985). Indeed, contracts would allow not only gay couples to marry but would also allow multiple marriages, as in the case of polygamy and determine the domestic division of labour. They argue that by moving marriage from an implicit status based, patriarchal arrangement to an explicit contract, womens freedom and equality would be enhanced (Weitzman 1985). Divorce has become more commonplace due to the fact that, feminism has altered the perception of what a wife might expect from a marriage, women have become more financially independent of their husbands, religious values have become less important and the process of getting a divorce has been made easier. The question therefore to ask, is this right and freedom we are fighting for good for the society? I will say too much of everything is bad and we need to be aware of the consequences of such changes upon family members and the structure of families. One example would be the growing number of reconstituted family. Another issue to consider is the decline of the nuclear family due to a greater acceptance within society of other types of family. For example cohabitation is no longer described as living in sin. Women are now more wiling to consider alternatives to raising children within the nuclear family, which is partly due to the impact of feminism; divorce is more socially accept able than in previous generations and there is a greater willingness amongst many people to accept alternatives to the family.

Olympia, Greece :: Geography Geographic History Essays

Olympia, Greece ?Here in the States, if we find a penny from 1964, we think that we have found something extremely old, and will probably save the penny with audacious hopes of its worth skyrocketing in the distant future.? Contrary to our Americanized minds, 1964 is not old. . .at all.? However, the site of the first Olympic games, dating back to 776 BC, is extremely old.? ?Olympia is in the southern half of Greece, near the western coast towards the Mediterranean Sea near the Alpheus (now Alfi��span>) River (Columbia).? It has become a hot spot for tourism because of its historical significance and its shear beauty.? Olympia is about a five hour bus ride from capital city Athens. Home of the first Olympic games Olympia, as we will soon see, is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Greece.? New tourists flood the home of the first Olympic games by land and by sea, coming in on buses and on cruise ships that dock at the nearby port of Katakolo.? The town is filled with tourist shops, cafes, restaurants, and a Historical Museum of the Olympic games.? Olympia is definitely most noted for its being the host of the first Olympic games in 776 BC.? This event put Olympia on the map and it became internationally renowned as the site of the first Olympic games.? The Olympic games where ceased in 393 AD after an edict issued by Theodosius the Great, but were revived for the first time, after fifteen centuries, in 1896 in the all-marble Stadium of Athens.? The festival was open to only Greek born men but later Romans were allowed to compete most likely because they were running the country by then.? Slaves and women were not even allowed to be spectators and women caught sneaking in were apparently thrown off a cliff!? The events included foot races, wrestling, discus, javelin, long-jump, horse and chariot racing, and a type of boxing called pancratium. Also unlike the Olympics of today, There were not only atheletic events but also writing, poetry and history readings, plus business transactions and treaties were made between leaders of city-states (Vaughan). The very first and only competition of the first Olympic games was a 200 meter race, won by a man named Coroebus, thus becoming the first Olympic champion.? The Greeks decided to hold the race at Olympia every four years.

Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Do we look like fortune tellers? Declare a major? Chart a course? Have a burger instead of a dog? What do you want to do when you grow up? There are more forks in the road ahead of us than at the Country Buffet -- and we're asked to choose just one! What is your favorite color? Blue. But are orange and red and puce out of the question? Banished from possibility? Put on the eternal yuck list? It just means that blue works today, but the rest of the rainbow is at our fingertips -- to use later, or not at all. We are full of secrets. We have lives and interests and talents that exist independent of math, and English, science and social studies. Secrets in the shadows of assemblies, football games, clubs, sports, dances and homework. We have friends who paint murals, write poetry, build cars, manage computer networks, train for the Olympics and save lives. Underneath these goofy caps are talents and dreams, ambitions and hopes -- enough to last decades, to build families, to change communities, to change lives. And our real destinations are secret -- even from ourselves -- and that's OK. We may have an idea, a plan, a passion. But we can't tell for sure. We will arrange flowers, electrons, words and water. We'll shape ideas, images, politics, missions and metal. We'll be productive and worthwhile, but where do we start? I'm starting with cows! While fussing over what I would do for my application project, I said to myself, "Sarah, what do you really want to do? What do you wanna have fun learning about?" and my answer was, "I would like to hang out with cows." Now, let me tell you, it is not easy to walk up to a dairy farmer and say, "Hello, can I come hang out at your farm and play with your thousand-pound puppies?" but I was fortunate enough to find an incredible mentor and family who welcomed me into their lives. A year later, I continue to learn from my "farm family," and my "cow friends." In fact, one week from today I plan to pile into a pick-up truck and head to Boise to attend the National Holstein Convention to learn more about cows and spend more time with the people who love them -- talk about great stuff! Someday, it may be because of my secret life that you've "got milk.

Education has undergone a paradigm shift

Education has undergone a paradigm displacement in recent old ages with accent traveling towards larning instead than learning. Learning is no longer regarded as a unidirectional procedure of cognition transferral/distribution, but instead is considered a transformational procedure in which scholars get facts, theories and rules as conceptual tools for problem-solving and concluding within meaningful contexts. Distance acquisition ( DL ) has non been immune to this displacement and the technological developments of recent decennaries has hastened the rate of alteration. Distance acquisition is defined by the separation of scholar and instructor in infinite and/or clip ( Teaster and Blieszner, 1999 ) and Keegan ( 1995 ) considers that it consequences from the technological separation of scholar and instructor which removes the necessity of â€Å" going to a fixed topographic point†¦ at a fixed clip†¦ to run into a fixed individual†¦ in order to be trained or educated à ¢â‚¬  ( p.7 ) . Although distance acquisition might be thought of as a comparatively new term, it has existed in assorted signifiers for over a hundred old ages, get downing life through correspondence classs and go oning in this manner until being superseded by instructional telecasting and wireless in the mid twentieth century ( Imel, 1996 ) . While it is acknowledged that DL continues to take topographic point through diverse media, and that on-line bringing is merely one of these methods, the groundswell in synergistic engineerings in recent old ages has concomitantly fostered the development of new methodological analysiss which engender ( societal ) constructivist attacks, and it is the issues which surround these developments, and in peculiar some of the ways in which constructivist ideals can be realised in DL that will be the focal point of this assignment. One of the salient characteristics of DL is that it enables larning to be clip and topographic point independent, big scholars are able to set up larning around their mundane modus operandis without being constrained. In the age of IT a diverse scope of instruction ( and other ) engineerings exist to ease distance instruction where teacher and scholar are spatially separated and on-line media are used to cross the educational spread. As engineering has advanced, so the definition of DL has changed, videotaped talks were the standard signifier of bringing in university/professional DL classs in the 1980s and 1990s ( Moore and Lockee, 1998 ) and this theoretical account of spacial and temporal separation continued until the Internet, electronic mail and compressed picture moved DL into new waies and allowed it to happen in real-time. Ongoing technological developments: confab suites, wikis, treatment boards, weblogs and videoconferencing have continued to cut down the distance in DL as societal media engineerings have enabled an addition in engagement through coaction. The usage of Web 2.0 tools has accelerated the acceptance of two-way, synchronal, collaborative e-learning experiences that are get downing to replace the top-down, unidirectional instructional theoretical account. These alterations have led many observers to propose that DL requires a new, qualitatively different teaching method built upon this emerging relationship between te achers and scholars. Pedagogical considerations must recognize that the practical schoolroom possesses a typical social-interaction context and that, although engineerings may be considered transformative, they can non, of themselves, transform the acquisition experience and pedagogues must understand that â€Å" distance instruction is truly about making a different sort of construction for acquisition and instruction, non the usage of engineering † ( Kearsley 1998, no page no. ) . Petraglia ( 1998 ) has suggested that educational engineers may hold misunderstood the challenges which are posed within the DL scene by â€Å" the effort to do learning stuffs and environments correspond to the existent universe prior to the scholar ‘s interaction with them † ( p.53 ) . These efforts at pre-authentication hazard sabotaging the epistemic dimension of constructivism since the pedagogue pre-determines what reliable acquisition is, and this may be in struggle with the scholar ‘s ain perceptual experience of what is reliable for them. This effort at contextualising larning bounds constructivism ‘s application since â€Å" we need to convert scholars of a jobs genuineness instead than advance environments that deliver pre- authenticated jobs † ( Ibid. , p.13 ) . Knowles, Holton and Swanson ( 1998, p.23 ) have criticised ‘chain-like ‘ sequencing of larning events as being elemental instead than holistic, and yet some online acquisition theoretical accounts still use ‘chain-like ‘ sequencing which fail to integrate constructivist elements or take advantage of grownup larning theories to heighten the acquisition environment. Since DL operates in a different environment from the traditional schoolroom, distance pedagogues must utilize typical perceptual experiences and techniques to guarantee success, and some educationists ( Moller, 1998 ; Petraglia, 1998 ; Jonassen, Davidson, Collins, Campbell and Haag, 1995 ) have proposed that constructivism is most relevant to this context. Furthermore, grownup scholars have peculiar demands and demands compared with striplings and kids, hence, distance pedagogues must cognize how adults might larn best because of their peculiar demands. Therefore, this assignment will try to analyze the impact that constructivism has in the distance acquisition environment when focussed upon grownup scholars, and the ways in which new engineerings are back uping the development of constructivist and societal constructivism ideals within this environment. From behaviorism to constructivism Conventional instruction has normally relied upon an objectivist epistemology, this position presumes that cognition can be transferred from coach to student via direction and pattern, and that ‘true world ‘ can be discovered by the amassing of facts ( Kelly, 1970 ) . Teaching underpinned by this doctrine discourages diverse apprehensions and positions, disregards the different contexts/experiences of the person, and considers pupils to be the inactive receiving systems of cognition. Although the didactic, information-giving technique may be appropriate for some acquisition manners and in some contexts, its continuance as a dominant teaching method has stifled acknowledgment of diverse acquisition penchants. In this context accent is placed on teacher-control and student-compliance, in contrast, an recognition that adult scholars bring their ain peculiar larning features to any learning state of affairs leads effectual pedagogues to recognize these features when planning and presenting acquisition. DL has a different scene from the traditional schoolroom ensuing non merely from the spacial separation of instructor and scholar, but besides from the differences in instructional design ( Moore, 1991 ) . Since DL can non ease face-to-face interaction in the same manner that the conventional schoolroom does, and as Moore ( Ibid. ) has noted, group or single interaction is influenced by the educational doctrine in usage, assorted research workers ( McHenry and Bozik, 1995 ; McDonald and Gibson, 1998 ; Comeaux, 1995 ) have focussed upon the survey of interaction in DL. Constructivists ( e.g. , Dewey, 1916 ; Bruner, 1966 ; and Vygotsky, 1978 ) see cognition as socially constructed through scholar ‘s interaction with others. However, Knowle ‘s ( 1970 ) grownup larning theory ( andragogy ) might be viewed as conflicting with the ideals of collaborative larning due to its focal point on learner-centred direction and single acquisition aims and penchants. Collaborative teamwork is likely to be regarded every bit antithetical to these ideals unless the grownup scholar can see positive benefits from engagement. The theories relevant to this country will now be considered. Constructivist and Adult Learning Theory reviewed. Constructivism In recent old ages educational discourse has challenged the objectivist position, with an increasing apprehension that there are many ways of understanding world. Whilst constructivist authors have described assorted signifiers of constructivism, all recognise the active function which the scholar plays in construing the universe ( Larochelle and Bednarz, 1998 ) . Constructivism contests objectivism ‘s position that cognition reflects ontological world ( Ibid. ) , and alternatively proposes that our buildings and universe positions are non stable, but instead are in a province of flux as we build upon old experiences. These alterations signify acquisition, and back up the apprehension that we are ne'er inert, but alternatively are ever larning and interacting ( Kelly, 1970 ) . The Hagiographas of Dewey ( 1916 ) , Vygotsky ( 1965 ) , Bruner ( 1966 ) and Piaget ( 1926 ) have all proposed that pupils learn actively and organize new apprehensions based upon anterior cognition, and these positions view the function of the teacher altering from â€Å" a sage to a usher † ( Mason, 1998, p.4 ) . Dewey ( 1916 ) believed that larning state of affairss represent the experience ( s ) of the environment which affect the scholar, and that interaction occurs between the scholar and the environment. Therefore cognition is predicated upon active experience. Both Dewy and Piaget considered that pedagogues have a function to play both in determining the pupil ‘s experience from the environment, and understanding which milieus are likely to breed experiences that will take to growing. Dewey ( 1916 ) believed that instruction ‘s chief map was to develop the logical thinking procedure, and that jobs to be studied should be drawn from the scholar ‘s ain involvements. He viewed it as indispensable, hence, that â€Å" there be a uninterrupted activity in which he is interested for its ain interest † ( P.163 ) and that â€Å" †¦ a echt job develop within this state of affairs as a stimulation to thought † ( Ibid. ) . In this manner, constructivist methods underscore the development of the scholar ‘s ability to work out real-life jobs, and in making so ‘free-discovery ‘ and ‘problem-solving ‘ come together. As a consequence, cognition is dynamic and constructed upon the find proce dure ( Dewey, 1916 ) , and the teacher is viewed as a usher alternatively of as a manager of larning since acquisition allows for originative interaction instead than being purely outcome-based. Vygotsky ( 1965 ) moved beyond concentrating upon the person, interpreting and building significances of world, alternatively seeing single acquisition as grounded in the socio-cultural context, and symbolically mediated through language/dialogue. For Vygotsky, the scholar ‘s societal interactions, including those with instructors and other scholars, are critically of import to cognitive development, ensuing in Vygotskian theory frequently being referred to as societal constructivism. Vygotsky ‘s Zone of Proximal Development ( ZPD ) describes how engagement with another ( instructor or equal ) enables scholars to polish their thought or public presentation and do it more effectual ; this thought was taken farther by Bruner ( 1966 ) in developing the construct of scaffolding. Bruner ( Ibid. ) views instruction as a procedure of personal find, with cognitive growing happening as pupils progress through three larning phases: enactive, iconic and symbolic. In order to bring f orth apprehension, pupils must travel through the phases in turn, bring forthing new constructs and thoughts in a procedure of find acquisition, or, with the aid of another, through guided find. Knowles et Al. ( 1998 ) contend that this find should take topographic point in real-life state of affairss in order to be genuinely effectual and argue that much grownup acquisition is informal. Knowles is best known for his proposal of a theory of grownup larning which will now be reviewed. Adult larning theory Andragogy as an political orientation of constructs, thoughts and attacks for grownup instruction and acquisition was introduced by Malcolm Knowles in 1968 in acknowledgment of the different demands and motives of grownups compared with younger scholars. Conventional pedagogical theoretical accounts do non take history of these differences and so may bring forth tenseness, opposition and feelings of bitterness ( Knowles et al. , 1998 ) Six rules of grownup acquisition have been outlined: Need to cognize – grownups want to cognize why something should be learned, â€Å" what acquisition will happen, and why acquisition is of import † ( Ibid. , p.133 ) . The objectivist theoretical account assumes that pupils will larn what they are told to larn. However, grownups are used to commanding and understanding what they do, hence they want to cognize why something should be learnt and what benefit ( s ) larning will convey. Self concept – â€Å" Adults resent and resist and resist state of affairss in which they feel others are enforcing their volitions on them † ( Ibid, p.65 ) . Whilst they feel the demand for liberty, old educational experiences may hold made them dependent. It is the grownup pedagogue ‘s function to promote pupils to go self-directing, taking duty for their acquisition. Role of experience – Adult scholars are more heterogenous than immature pupils, their anterior experiences impact on acquisition, and they want to do usage of bing foundations of cognition, using them to new learning experiences. Readiness to larn – Adults are merely prepared to larn if/when their life state of affairs creates a demand to larn ( Knowles, 1970 ) . Orientation to larning – Adults favour problem-solving orientations, larning best when real-life contexts are used to show cognition. Motivation to larn – Internal precedences are more of import than external incentives, grownups are motivated to larn when the cognition can be utilised to work out jobs in their lives. Brookfield ( 1995 ) besides considered attacks to andragogy, holding with Knowles that grownups need to be autonomous and take control of their acquisition, and that this acquisition should be grounded in experiences. Additionally, Brookfield identified as of import critical refection – focusing on how adults thinks contextually and critically, and larning to larn. Brookfield ( Ibid. ) describes the instruction of grownups to larn how to larn as an â€Å" overarching intent for those pedagogues who work with grownups † ( no page no. ) Distance acquisition and ( societal ) constructivism Behaviourist educational schemes, trusting on the development of instructional sequences with results that are predetermined, have formed the footing of capable development for a figure of old ages. Constructivists are critical of this theoretical account because of its delegating of the function of the pupil to one of inactive receiver, and it reliance upon ‘drill and pattern ‘ larning activities with small attending paid to mental schemes or the significances behind them. This attack does non do allowances for negotiated shared significances, and fails to recognize the value of larning from errors made ( Williams and Burden, 1997 ) . Constructivism, in contrast to behaviorism, focuses on pupil ‘s innate efforts to do sense of the universe as the footing for the acquisition procedure, and recognises that persons use their anterior experiences in this procedure. The burden on the pedagogue displacements, hence, from being the ‘mechanic ‘ of cognition transportation, to going the ‘midwife ‘ in understanding ‘s birth ( von Glaserfield, 1996 ) with duty for making rich acquisition environments which provide the chance for meaningful experiences. In sing the function of constructivist theory in distance acquisition, Jonassen et Al. ( 1995 ) suggest four rules for constructivist environments that â€Å" engage scholars in cognition building through collaborative activities that embed larning in a meaningful context and through contemplation on what has been learned through conversation with others † ( p.5 ) . The rules propose that on-line distance larning environments should b e built with a focal point upon: Context, including a real-world component to avoid ‘chain-like ‘ sequencing ; Construction, leting active cognition building through articulation and contemplation ; Collaboration, happening amongst scholars to back up the development and rating of beliefs and hypotheses, and Conversation, for the dialogue of solutions to jobs. The acknowledgment of the importance of coaction and conversation amongst scholars as cardinal elements in the acquisition procedure is rooted in constructivism ‘s outgrowth: societal constructivism, which emphasises larning ‘s societal and collaborative nature ( Vygotsky, 1978 ) . McLoughlin and Oliver ( 1998 ) see that the constructivist position fails to to the full recognize that societal procedures, for illustration coaction, peer interaction and linguistic communication usage, have an of import impact on larning. Social constructivist believing positions cognition as constructed when scholars engage in conversation or activities about common undertakings or jobs. Meaning is constructed through a dialogic procedure and acquisition occurs as pupils are enculturated by better skilled equals ( Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer and Scott, 1994 ) . Through this procedure, cultural tools are acquired via engagement in cultural activities. Wells ( 1999 ) considers that Vygotsk ian theory supports this thought of a teacher-led collaborative community in which â€Å" all participants learn with, and from, each other as they engage together in dialogic question † ( p. twelve ) . Therefore, it is possible to see larning non as the teacher-directed lone activity of making specific responses to precise cues as behaviorism suggests, nor as an independent manner of researching the universe and doing sense of the experience as Piaget proposes. Rather societal constructivism positions larning as a socially synergistic procedure in which persons make significances through interactions with others. Mediation, hence, can be seen as an indispensable component in the societal constructivist larning procedure. A go-between is another who is more knowing or experienced than the scholar ( i.e. instructor, parent or equal ) who assists the scholar in doing sense of their experiences in order to manner new apprehensions. By adding the factor of mediation to the construct of constructivism, Jonassen et Al. ( 1995 ) and Williams and Burden ( 1997 ) have proposed that four factors influence acquisition, these are: instructors, scholars, undertakings and contexts, and Williams a nd Burden ( Ibid. ) consider that â€Å" they all interact as portion of a dynamic, on-going procedure † ( P. 43 ) . In this manner, societal constructivism regards the instructor as usher or facilitator working with scholars in a collaborative group working within real-world contexts to make significance from problem-based undertakings. Constructing communities and contracting the distance The challenge for the distance pedagogue is to unite these factors into a successful acquisition environment and diverse issues of constructivism and andragogy demand to be considered. Palloff and Pratt, ( 2007 ) suggest that making successful distance instruction utilizing on-line methods will affect reassigning our best patterns from the schoolroom into a new sphere, â€Å" in this new sphere, nevertheless, the patterns may non look precisely the same † ( p.6 ) . The on-line medium obliges DL pedagogues to believe otherwise in order to use its learning-enhancing functionality and pedagogic/andragogic potencies. It poses the challenge, and presents the chance, of making a sense of community which can breed societal constructivist acquisition. Within instruction, sense of community includes larning community and societal community ( Rovai, Wighting and Lucking, 2004 ) , and community-building has been identified as a factor in cut downing or forestalling the feelings of disaffection and isolation which may lend to student abrasion in DL ( Rovai, 2002 ) . Learning community comprises of how members perceive group rank with respect to shared norms/values and to the ability to run into educational aims/expectations ( Rovai et al. , 2004 ) . Social community is representative of the feelings of community members towards their connection, coherence, safety, mutuality, common trust, and sense of belonging ( Ibid. ) . The DL pedagogue Fosters this sense of community through the creative activity of a safe environment wherein pupils do non experience threatened when showing thoughts, by advancing socialization, exposing regard for diverse backgrounds, supplying feedback which directs and keeps communicating fluxing, reacting to pu pils ‘ educational demands, and keeping an obvious online interceding presence. Brown ( 2001 ) links the grade of community experienced by scholars with the degree of battle and duologue within the category and this is a position shared by Moore ( 1993 ) who considered the dealing of distance acquisition. Transactional distance theory defines the distance in DL as more than merely the spacial disjunction of instructors and scholars, but instead as a distance of perceptual experiences and apprehensions which is partly caused by geographic separation ; this separation must be reduced if effectual acquisition is to happen. Transactional theory evolved from work by Dewey and Bentley ( 1949 ) , and â€Å" connotes the interplay among the environment, the persons and the form of behaviors in a state of affairs † ( Boyd and Apps ( 1980 ) , cited in Barbadillo, 1998, no page ordinal number ) . The DL dealing takes topographic point between scholars and instructors within an environment with the typical feature of spacial separation and the attendant array of part icular acquisition and instruction behaviors. Transactional distance is engendered by the physical separation which creates a communicational spread, or psychological infinite – an country of possible mistake between the inputs of the instructor and scholar ( Moore, 1993 ) . Moore ( 2007 ) considers that transactional distance is comparative, non absolute, and that larning programmes are non ‘distance ‘ or ‘not distance ‘ but instead they have â€Å" more distance or less distance † ( p.91 ) . Transactional development is influenced by three factors: duologue, construction and liberty ( Moore, 1993 ) . The nature and extent of duologue may be affected by diverse factors ( class design, teacher/learner personalities, capable affair, environment etc. ) , but the medium of communicating is besides an of import factor. Programs with small or no dialogic interplay have a greater transactional distance than those which foster dynamic duologue. The usage of synergistic, electronic media supports this dynamism and so help the shortening of transactional distance. Structure is evaluated by Moore ( Ibid. ) from the position of the class ‘s flexibleness or rigidness in footings of the constitution of learning techniques, educational ends, appraisal processs and the grade to which single demands are met. Finally Moore ( Ibid. ) views liberty as the extent of scholar control exercised over acquisition processs – the sum of pick the pupil has over issues of larning ends, rate of advancement, mode of instruction and assessment methods. Moore ‘s theory has obvious analogues with constructivist, societal constructivist and grownup acquisition theories, and it is evident that as andragogical and constructivist elements are introduced, transactional distance will diminish. Transactional distance and duologue are reciprocally relative, therefore a lessening in duologue will ensue in an addition in transactional distance, whilst an addition in dialogue reduces distance. Although Moore ( 1993 ) focussed upon the dialogic interplay between instructor and scholar, using constructivist attacks in combination with societal package Fosters dialogue amongst equals every bit good as between scholar and instructor in the spirit of Williams and Burden ‘s ( 1997 ) socially-constructed, dynamic procedure. Dialogue is besides relative to class construction, an addition in construction lessenings duologue and accordingly increases transactional distance ( Moore, 1993 ) ; Moore speculated that grownup scholars of course exh ibit independent behavior and this liberty relies upon decreased degrees of transactional distance e.g. low degrees of construction and high degrees of duologue. Constructivist ideals can further the decrease of transactional distance and so increase liberty in the spirit of Knowle ‘s self-conception. Interaction plays an of import portion in this procedure, and the ways in which engineering can help this must be considered. Interaction There are basically two types of interaction in a learning state of affairs. One consists of the scholar interacting separately with content, while the other involves societal activity – the scholar ‘s interactions with others ( equals or instructor ) about the content. A DL environment that is to supply affectional and effectual acquisition whilst making a sense of community and contracting the transactional distance must breed both sorts of interaction. In the yesteryear, societal interaction about content chiefly took topographic point between the pedagogue and scholar, but emergent engineerings have made it progressively executable for scholars to interact with each other and this interaction gives learners the chance to reflect, reconsider and cooperate in reliable problem-solving ( Lave and Wenger, 1991 ; Berge, 1995 ) . Social interactions which would usually happen in the conventional schoolroom ( e.g. sharing, treatment, group activities, equal reviewing, etc. ) must alternatively take topographic point via tools and engineerings in distance acquisition environments. However, some of these tools/technologies have restrictions which may impact the kinds of interactions that are possible or likely to go on. Online engineerings provide affordances that can be utilised for larning through substructures which allow connexions to objects and people that are in other environments ( Ryder and Wilson, 1996 ; Harasim, Hiltz, Teles and Turnoff, 1995 ) . Although these engineerings can further good interactions, they may besides impede them since pupils can non interact efficaciously unless they are easy able to use the media that they have been tasked with utilizing ( Kruper, 2002 ; Salmon, 2001 ) . Web 2.0 engineerings, which encompass a diverse scope of constituents that can be used to heighten the constructivist larning procedure, may offer a solution to this job. These tools are characterised by their celerity of deployment/ease of usage, enabling powerful information sharing and breeding constructive coaction ( Boulos, Maramba and Wheeler, 2006 ) . The minimum accomplishments needed to entree the characteristics of these engineerings allow scholars to concentrate upon information exchange and collaborative undertakings without the distraction of an environment which is technologically complex ( Kirkpatrick, 2006 ) . These tools – wikis, web logs, RSS provenders and podcasts etc. have been jointly called ‘social package ‘ and encapsulate a scope of coaction and information-sharing characteristics which may move as cognitive contemplation tools, helping building of significance as scholars develop content. The collaborative nature of societal package allows for the edifice of cognition both with and for others, concentrating upon the community instead than the single scholar. Collaborative acquisition may be synergised by happening in a community of pattern context – with scholars engaged in corporate acquisition within a shared sphere ( Lave & A ; Wenger, 1991 ) . Social package tools can move as cognition platforms for such a community, enabling information-sharing, treatment and coaction therefore helping the development of a constructivist environment. However, Marjanonic ( 1999 ) has criticised synchronal collaborative tools for enabling â€Å" communicating†¦ instead than computer-mediated coaction † ( p.131 ) . Hesse, Garsofsky and Hron ( 1997, cited in Pfister and Muhlpfordt, 2002, p.1 ) delineate the possible restrictions of utilizing synchronal text-based tools for collaborative discourse: deficiency of societal consciousness, deficient group coordination a nd lacking coherency of parts ; Pfister and Muhlpfordt ( 2002 ) besides stress the troubles that there may be in breeding consistent communicating, and equalizing parts within synchronal discourse. However, even in the schoolroom environment collaborative acquisition is non without its jobs, there may be, for case, pupils who dominate, inactive pupils, pupils who are loath to show their thoughts ( peculiarly if these contradict the instructor ‘s ) , or pupils making no work at the disbursal of others. The on-line environment may really assist to extenuate some of these jobs and lead pupils to comprehend online group treatments as more democratic and just than the traditional schoolroom ‘s opposite number ( Swan, 2001 ) . Some ( e.g. Jonassen and Kwon, 2001 ; Lai, 1997 ) assert that topics affecting treatment, brainstorming or contemplation are peculiarly suited to the online environment, and brooding acquisition – attacks that enable scholars to reflect on their acquisition and their acquisition processes – may be particularly effectual in this context. An of import component of brooding acquisition is that of reflecting upon cognition in order to do i t explicit. Social package, for illustration wikis, enables this contemplation to take topographic point collaboratively, conveying larning closer to the societal constructivist ideal. Employing tools which foster contemplation and self-assessment is a type of meta-cognitive staging that assists pupils in associating larning procedures to aims, and motivates them to presume duty for their ain acquisition. The usage of scaffolding as an foil of pupil acquisition was proposed by Bruner ( 1966 ) edifice upon the work of Vygotsky ( 1965 ) and in its original signifier viewed the instructor as the most likely scaffolder, making support systems for the pupil. However, in a technologically supported, constructivist environment where the pedagogue ‘s function as guide/facilitator is emphasised, equals, support tools or computing machine coachs are merely every bit likely to supply scaffolding. Beed, Hawkins and Roller ( 1991 ) see that scaffolding must take topographic point within a collaborative context, runing across the scholar ‘s ZPD, and be withdrawn as the scholar develops competence. From this it is clear that scaffolding within a DL environment may be an inherently societal procedure within which supportive interaction occurs in a collaborative context. Decision Much has changed in distance acquisition since its birth, rooted in correspondence classs, in the 1800s. Early classs were extremely structured, with minimum duologue between instructor and taught, and accordingly the distance between them – Moore ‘s psychological and communications gap – was great. Subsequent developments in communications engineering narrowed this distance, but the objectivist doctrine underpinning the exchange remained basically the same. Whilst it has been recognised for a figure of old ages that constructivist attacks may better the quality of instruction and acquisition in our schoolrooms, it has merely been in recent times, with the widespread usage of broadband and the development of tools which take advantage of its capablenesss, that constructivist ideals have been to the full capable of integrating into DL programmes. The new capablenesss afforded by societal package engineerings and the on-going development of online synchronal communi cations enable advanced staging and breed societal acquisition. However, distance pedagogues should non be tempted to utilize the advantages that engineering offers to try to animate the traditional schoolroom virtually, or to make state of affairss which pre-determine acquisition. This risks restricting the application of constructivism, and fails to admit that distance larning occurs in a typical socio-interactive context which requires a alone attack to learning and acquisition. Recent decennaries have seen important alterations in the bringing of DL as a consequence of new apprehensions about how grownups learn, and prefer to larn, every bit good as the rise of engineerings which enable the distance pedagogue to be ‘present ‘ even though temporally or spatially separate. The application of constructivist and andragogical theories combined with emergent engineerings have enabled the creative activity of practical schoolrooms within which collaborative communities can develop together, with the pedagogue presuming the function of facilitator in the group ‘s co-construction of cognition and significance. This interactive combination of theory and engineering has allowed distance larning to offer the grownup learner the ability to larn without clip or topographic point restraints whilst besides supplying the benefits – sense of belonging and collaborative endeavor – which the conventional schoolroom may offer. As a consequence, p upils no longer hold to ‘trade-off ‘ the advantages of synergistic acquisition against the convenience of distance survey, but instead can bask the benefits of both.