Saturday, December 28, 2019
The Debate And Violent Video Games - 2463 Words
The new generation is now using media as a form of socializing. Children use social media as a means to contact their friends, they use television as a way to relax, and kids play video games with their friends. Children are watching movies that are above their cognitive perception, and also playing video games that are rated above their age group. With all of the new media, it is starting to get hard to keep up. Cyberbullying has become an issue and violent video games have become normal. There is cause for concern for parents, but the amount to which parents are monitoring their kids online and media activity is different for every family. Past research has suggested that all of the time kids spend using media outlets can negatively affect them (Christians, 2012). They are not cognitively mature enough to determine what is real and what is fictional; there is a disconnect between what they are viewing and what they see as socially acceptable. On the contrary, there is research that suggests that even though kids spend the majority of their time using some form of media, they again are not cognitively mature enough to make connections and use the ideas they have seen in the media in real life (Christians, 2012). Parents have a job to raise well-rounded and socially responsible children. With the media becoming kids source for information, parents face the challenge of deciding whether or not to intervene. This paper will explore if it ethical for parents to monitor theirShow MoreRelatedConnections between Video Games and Violence600 Words à |à 3 PagesConnections between Video Games and Violence Many of the young people of todayââ¬â¢s generation have played video games; whether it is Candy Crush, Flappy Bird, Mario, Sonic, Call of Duty, Minecraft, or Skyrim. Almost every electronic device is capable of running games. As advancement in technology increases, the video game industry will also advance. More and more of the next generations are bound to be affiliated with video games. There is a debate whether video games cause people to be violent, especiallyRead MoreImpact of Violent Video Games on Adolescents Essay1316 Words à |à 6 PagesVideo games already have a bad reputation when it comes to the teenage generation. The video games that are being released in the past ten years have caused some speculation if they are suitable for kids to play. Some states have even tried getting involved with the issue by banning the distribution of offensive video games to minors. First-person shooting games have increased in popularity, and some experts say it is also increases vi olent behavior in the adolescents that are playing it. The increaseRead MoreViolent Video Games : Do They Cause Violent Behavior And Actions?1747 Words à |à 7 PagesViolent Video Games: Do they cause violent behavior and actions? Ah yes video games are huge icons of culture and identity for the people of the newest generations but games aren t usually digital rainbows and love but some revolve around violence in their our ways, so as you would expect these games deeds donââ¬â¢t get away without criticism and opposition to some degree. Are violent video games a major cause of violent and aggressive behavior in those who play them? Are they contendersRead MoreNegative Effects Of Video Games1217 Words à |à 5 Pages Nowadays, video games are very common types of entertainment in every family. The impact of video games on the behavior of the player have been be controversial issues for decades. The advocates claim that video games are more than simply a fun that one plays during spare time. They are important for cognitive skill development, stress relief, prosocial behavior reduce mental health disorder. On the other hand, the detractor argue that video games have effects on aggressive cognition, addictionRead MoreViolent Video Games Cause Violence843 Words à |à 4 PagesVideo games have been around for half a century when, the first simple tennis game was designed by William Higinbotham in 1958. Since then, video games have gotten more in depth, with better graphics and more options which include violent video games. Violent videos have gotten more popular with a better amount of variety including the franchise of Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Grand Theft Auto. These are the most common and popular video games and because of the violence in them debate has startedRead MoreThe Effects of Video Games and Violence 1169 Words à |à 5 Pagescentury, video games have become quite an attraction among people of all ages and culture. A statistic showed that the age bracket for video gaming ranges from eight to forty year olds (Baran, 2012). With the (movin g ahead or up) of technology, video games also have (moving ahead or up) in its interest in whats lifelike and real and (types of writing or art). The technologies allowed video games to become very fancy (or smart) and realistic. This type of (moving ahead or up) had brought the Video gamingRead MoreAffect of Violent Video Games on Children Essays1648 Words à |à 7 Pagesrecent decades, attention has been placed on the influence of violent videogames on the aggressive behaviour of individuals. While some scholars believe that videogames increase aggression amongst children in particular, others claim evidence on the catharsis hypothesis where videogames are argued to be a safe outlet to express aggression (Berger 2002). Although many theories have emerged regarding the influence of violent videogames, the debate continues to be divided between those who claim its destructiveRead More The Debate Over Video Game Violence Essay1734 Words à |à 7 Pagesall over the world to debate certain topics that they deem to have a correct understanding of. Unsurprisingly, the effect of video games on the human brain has been a controversy since video games were first released decades ago. Video games involve the use of body and mind, which causes the player to be inside of the game, and they can see the world through the eyes of the character of which they play. Some psychologists and other scientists suggest that violent video games can cause psychologicalRead MoreViolent Video Games Effects On Society988 Words à |à 4 PagesVideo games have been around for half a century, when the first simple tennis game was designed by William Higinbotham in 1958. Since then, video games have gotten more in depth, and now include the best graphics and a vast amount of options which include violent video games. Violent video games have gotten more popular with the vast amount of variety including the franchise of Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Grand Theft Auto. In addition, these are the most common and sought after video games, andRead MoreAre Video Games Bad for You? Essay1702 Words à |à 7 Pagesrecent decades, attention has been placed on the influence of violent videogames on the aggressive behaviour of individuals. While some scholars believe that videogames increase aggression amongst children in particular, others claim evidence on the catharsis hypothesis where videogames are argued to be a safe outlet to express aggression (Berger 2002). Although many theories have emerged regarding the influence of violent videogames, the debate continues to be divided between those who claim its destructive
Friday, December 20, 2019
Relation Between Man And The Nature Of Things - 2046 Words
Andrew Campbell Gorski/ Pols Theory 17 May 2016 Montesquieu Blog Project Of the relation of laws. According to Montesquieu, law signifies the relationship between man and the nature of things. In this respect, our author has divided laws into two classes; natural and positive laws. Natural laws are laws which are derived from God himself - ââ¬Å"laws by which He created all thingsâ⬠(19). These such laws are consistencies observed through the physical world, in relation to mankind. In this premise, Montesquieu claims that all beings have similar inherent characteristics of sensation and emotion. Instead of knowledge uniting the natural man, a commen sense of emotion first united us; ââ¬Å"United by sensation...by knowledgeâ⬠(19). With this regard, our author theorizes that all of mankind, since the beginning, had laws derived from a sort of inherent sense of justice. Montesquieu then creates a short list of natural laws in relation to man. The first law being that man is inherently peaceful. In order to examine natural laws, one must observe man prior to the constraints of society. From the beginning, man must have needed a vessels to know, before having the ability to understand. Hence, man would have first been consumed with preservation of his or her own life. Only once the basic needs of human life are satisfied, then man can start to observe their inequalities; ââ¬Å"he would think of the preservation of his being, before he would investigate its originâ⬠(20). Fear ofShow MoreRelatedHow Does Private Property Begin1140 Words à |à 5 PagesAccording to the Rousseau the state of nature which he mentioned was suppositious, primordial habitation where humans live uncontaminated by the society. He said men are born with the blank face which is neither good nor bad, but the society and social environment in which he is brought up plays an important role in shaping their nature. People have complete physical and emotional freedom for doing anything in society. But he also mentioned some of the drawbacks of humans are that they have not yetRead MoreEssay on Labor and Alienation1718 Words à |à 7 Pagesââ¬Å"Political economy conceals the estrangement inherent in the nature of labor by not considering the direct relationship between the worker (labor) and productionâ⬠(Pg. 30). According to Marx, human nature is neither fixed nor transcendent; instead, it is alterable and embedded in the productivity of everyday life. The only fixed attribute that we have is our openness. We are different from other animal species in the sense that we are able to adapt to different natural environments by creating aRead MoreOedipus, Not A God But A Man1437 Words à |à 6 Pages from the ashes of the old. But in Thebes, Oedipus, not a god but a man, sees through the riddle, and this action, whether it constitutes a restoration of the cityââ¬â¢s life or its refounding, coronates the beneficent tyrant. Unfortunately, we cannot stop here but must continue, for this account of his blindness, in neglecting his dealing with the sphinx and the relation of that to his familial crimes, leaves undisclosed the nature of Oedipus himself. For if we understand the riddle of the sphinx asRead MoreTintern Abbey and the Place of Nature Essay1562 Words à |à 7 PagesTintern Abbey and the Place of Nature Throughout Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth constructs nature as both a healing entity and a teacher or moral guardian. This paper considers Wordsworths treatment of nature in relation to both Ralph Pites discussion of the relationship between the ecology movement and Romantic poetry and Richard Gravils explication of the historical context of the Romantic eras system of nature in relation to Tintern Abbey. Nature as Healer? Wordsworth ascribesRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Relationship between Man and Nature in Emerson and Thoreau811 Words à |à 3 Pagesfriendship between the two would eventually prove the most important of Thoreauââ¬â¢s life. Thought both the writers were from different places but they became friend and helped each other in their work. Emerson and Thoreau were considering as the most inspiring transcendentalist writer of their time. Though they were different writer but they both share the ideas of nature and man and how nature and man are related to each other. As per Emerson explanation, he will use the word nature in both itsRead MoreWordsworths Treatment of Nature in Relation to Man in Tintern Abbey1202 Words à |à 5 PagesWORDSWORTHââ¬â¢S TREATMENT OF NATURE IN RELATION TO MAN IN TINTERN ABBEY In his Preface to The Excursion, Wordsworth asserts that it is the ââ¬ËMind of Manââ¬â¢ which is ââ¬ËMy haunt, and the main region of my songââ¬â¢. Wordsworth is interested not in the natural world for its own sake but in the relationship between the natural world and the human consciousness. His poetry, therefore, offers us a detailed account of the complex interaction between man and natureââ¬âof the influences, insights, emotions and sensationsRead MoreThe Environment Should Be Protected Because and Only Because Human Livelihoods Depend Upon It1665 Words à |à 7 Pagesexist, nowadays, between environment and human beings, their difficulty to coexist, and mostly the ethical issues that result from it. Introduction ââ¬Å"There is a sufficiency in the world for manââ¬â¢s need but nor for manââ¬â¢s greedâ⬠- Mohandas K. Gandhi. This sentence is getting all its meaning since the previous decades. Nowadays, the question of environment, and its relation with human beings is one of the most central issues. Many things impact peopleââ¬â¢s lifeRead MoreSociological Theories Of Global Climate Change1611 Words à |à 7 Pagesawareness of environmental problems in the 1970s. Environmental sociologists examine and theorize the complex and multifaceted relationship between human beings and their natural environments, including the question: why do social systems tend to exceed their ecological carrying capacities (Nagel et. al., 2010)? Despite its foundational focus on the human-nature nexus, environmental sociologists have only recently turned their research attention to global climate change. There is, however, a greatRead More Locke Vs. Locke Essay examples1174 Words à |à 5 Pagesconn ections to the aspects of the human condition, as well as determine who holds the most feasible or fair account of property. To begin, Locke believes that property is not a quot;thingquot;, rather, it is a relationship between an individual and an item. Property is a natural condition in John Lockeamp;#8217;s state of nature, meaning it was present since the beginning. quot;Thus labor, in the beginning, gave a right of property, wherever anyone was pleased to employ it upon what was common, whichRead MoreThe Ethics Of Human And Nature1410 Words à |à 6 Pagesentire environment that surrounds us. First of all the study will begin by what the environment is through time, then it will show the obvious relationship between environment and human beings and its issues, and it will finish by the question of ethics about human and nature. In recent years, the term environment has replaced the term nature, environment may be understood by what is surrounding us, it can be separated into living components: fauna and flora, and non-living components. Environment
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind Essay Example For Students
Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind Essay Out of sight, out of mind. Californias ?Three Strikes? law is based loosely on that very philosophy. When someone is a repeat violator of the criminal justice system, the best solution is to just lock him or her away for a life term without the possibility of parole. We should disregard any of the positive accomplishments these individuals have possibly made to society, their families and their ability to change their lives. Possibly the next step is to simply execute these repeat offenders. Why continue to spend the tax money of hard working Americans to support these criminals? Unfortunately, attitudes like the one just conveyed are too common and are fueling the fire of the ?Three Strikes? law. Out of sight, out of mind has never been a sound solution to any problem, and the ?Three Strikes? law is not a solution. The idea of locking up a repeat offender of the criminal justice system for life is incredibly too convenient. As human beings, most of us will respond to nurture and education. When dealing with criminals, this becomes known as rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is not something that always comes on the first try. In a very broad sense, it is like learning how to ride a bicycle. You try, and try again until you eventually are riding smoothly and freely down the street. Of course, you fall off. You might even fall twice, or three times, but eventually you do get it. Alcoholics do not always get sober the first time they attend Alcoholics Anonymous. Very often, it takes several attempts; this means several relapses into their dependency on alcohol. Once they are sober, they need to continue their rehabilitation for life. They need to continue with their weekly meetings and with the interaction of other rehabilitated alcoholics. These are the principals that need to be applied to criminals . The argument could be made that some crimes do not merit a second chance at freedom or even rehabilitation. This is true. Murderers, rapists, pedophiles and other violent offenders are an exclusive group of criminals who should serve a severe prison sentence. Repeat offenders of these crimes should absolutely be locked away for life. The ?Three Strikes? law does not consider this. The circumstances of these offenses are never taken into consideration. Michael Riggs stole twenty dollars worth of vitamins and received a sentence of twenty-five years to life. He also had a criminal record and it was his past offenses not his current one that got him the lengthy sentence. Non-violent offenders need rehabilitation, not permanent captivity. The underlying idea here is that these criminals need help and rehabilitation at the very first offense. There is no denying that a criminal owes a debt to society and that jail time should be served. Programs need to be set up to rehabilitate criminals the first time they stray from justice. Prison to work programs will also create opportunities for these criminals to be able to find work after prison and have a purpose. A human being can not be put out of sight or out of mind, because we as Americans are not blind nor are we unforgiving.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Book Monster Essay by Walter Dean Meyers free essay sample
Steve Harmon is a high school student, who is sent to jail and is being tried for murder. The plot takes place in Steveââ¬â¢s jail cell and the court room. The lesson to be learned from the book is, if someone does something wrong they have to pay for it. The book is a murder mystery, that can entertain anyone. This book is a must read in my opinion. The plot of the book Monster includes setting, main character, and conflicts. First, the story takes place in the jail cell and courtroom. Steve is on trial for the robbery and murder of Mr. Nesbitt. Next, is Steve Harmon, who is sent to jail for being involved with the crime. Steve is a high school student. He is walking around his neighborhood, looking for places to shoot a movie for his film class, on the day of the crime. At last, Steve does not know whether he did something wrong or not, there is also conflict between him and the others being tried for the murder and robbery. We will write a custom essay sample on Book Monster Essay by Walter Dean Meyers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He is starting to think he did do something wrong. It is hard for him to separate himself from everyone else. Steve and his attorney are having a hard time showing he did nothing wrong. To conclude, there are many things that go into the plot of the book Monster. The lesson of the story includes a lesson, quote, and an example. In the first place, if someone does something wrong they have to pay the price for their mistake. Being Steve is involved with the crime, he is put in jail. He will go on trial and see if he will get capital punishment, or even a punishment at all. Still, ââ¬Å"My job is to makes sure the law works for you as well as against you, and to make human in the eyes of the jury. Steveââ¬â¢s lawyer wants him to look like an average teenager going to high school, rather than a killer. For example, Steve is nervous, and he shows emotion unlike the others on trial. Steve is not used to being in jail. He talks about how bad it is, along with the trial. Most of the others are not afraid of what is to come, because they know they are in the wrong. Steve does not know if he did something wrong or not. To summarize, the lesson of the story has three components. Some reasons why I would recommend the book includes what I liked about it, ow it compares to other books by Walter Dean Myers, and how it appeals to me. First, I liked how after Steve is done journaling he always shares how he feels. After every day Steve journal, and say everything that is on his mind, good or bad. Then, there are many books that are similar to Monster, that are written by Walter Dean Myers. One of the many books that are similar Monster, is Kick which is about a young person who gets into trouble with the law because of drugs. At last, Monster is written like a screenplay, and that appeals to m e by showing a different way of writing a book. The book is written in Steveââ¬â¢s point of view, and Steve wants to turn the case into a movie. Therefore, there are some differences and similarities between this book and others, that make this book unique. This book should be at the top of anyones list of books to read. Steve make it feel like reader is in the jail cell or the court room on trial. The lesson is very strong and true. If someone want a good book worth the time, this is a must. Monster is for many people with different interests. ââ¬Å"Ainââ¬â¢t no use putting the blanket over your head, man, You canââ¬â¢t cut this out; this is reality. This is the real deal. ââ¬
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Yamamoto, the man who planned Pearl Harbor increas Essay Example For Students
Yamamoto, the man who planned Pearl Harbor increas Essay ed my knowledge about the people of Japan because it introduced me to their culture, and the life and times in Japan before World War II. In Japan, the family is the basic unit of society. For example, if a Japanese has the unfortunate occurrence of producing only daughters, they will insist that one of their daughters husbands changes his last name to keep their daughters last name alive. It was, also, not unusual for people to change their last names. Isoroku Tankano was born in 1884. In 1916, he changed his last name to Yamamoto, because the name Yamamoto was an honorable and ancient one in the history of Japan. One such figure was Tatekawa Yamamoto, who fought against the Emperor, and his forces at the Battle of Watkamatsu, during the Bosshin War. Since he was one of the leaders of the rebellion, when he was captured, he was beheaded at Watkamatsu. Since Tatekawa had no sons, Isoroku was also the future of the Yamamoto clan. Not uncommon in Japan was the fact that men got married for the purpose of producing sons to keep the family name alive. This is exactly what Isoroku did. We will write a custom essay on Yamamoto, the man who planned Pearl Harbor increas specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In 1918, he got married to Reiko, who, ironically, was from Watkamatsu. They had 4 children together, 2 sons, and 2 daughters. It was the standard Japanese family, the mother in charge of the household and of raising the children. He never really loved her, because he had many extramarital affairs, and 2 of the women he loved. The life and times in Japan right before World War 2 are simply explained: The Imperialist Japanese Army, otherwise known as the young Turks was steadily gaining power in the government, was assassinating anyone who did not share in their views for a united Asia (Yamamoto received many death threats, because he wanted to avoid war with the U.S. A. or with Great Britain at all costs), and was using propaganda to convince the Japanese to believe in a united Asia. The Emperor could not stop what was going on in his country because Emperors stayed out of the daily life of his people. When I say that the government is to unstable, I mean that it is too susceptible to being taken over by an army. For example, in the 1930s, the Imperialist Japanese Army was using their influence over the Minister of War to take over Manchuria, and eventually the Japanese government, and they were using assassination as the chief method of wiping out any political opposition. Also, if I moved in Japan, the culture shock would be enormous, starting with the simple language barrier, and the difference in religion. Isoroku Yamamoto was correct in his thinking that war between the U.S.A., Great Britain, and Japan should be avoided at all costs, and in the event of war between the U.S.A. , Great Britain, and Japan, Japan would lead in the beginning, like the first 6 to 12 months, but would eventually lose the war. One quality I admire about Yamamoto is that he was able to do a task that he was totally against. For example, even though he was against going to war against the U.S.A. and Great Britain, when the Imperialist Japanese Navy appointed him Commander of the Combined Fleet, he immediately went to work on a battle plan (Which we all know resulted on the attack on Pearl Harbor). Another quality of Yamamotos that I admire is that he led his life to the fullest. He was an avid gambler, both at the table, and at a time of war. One such gamble he took was on April 18, 1943 when he flew in a battle and was shot down. The truth is that the Americans decoded Japans naval code, found out the details of Yamamotos flight, and F.D.R. .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 , .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .postImageUrl , .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 , .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6:hover , .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6:visited , .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6:active { border:0!important; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6:active , .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6 .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ube5eb624ffd262054e4e0f29e3bc25e6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Homelessness Essay himself ordered American pilots to ambush Yamamoto and the Japanese. Japan did not know that the U.S.A. decoded their signal. Yamamoto also had certain ideals, or standards of excellence. For example, he believed that the students at the Kasumigaura Aviation Corps were not being trained harsh enough, so he made the training there a lot tougher, he .
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Free Essays on Representations Of Race And Ethnicity In Film
Introduction The issue of representing race and ethnicity is a controversial one. While ethnicity and race are related concepts, the concept of ethnicity is rooted in the idea of societal groups, marked especially by shared nationality, tribal afilliation, religious faith, shared language, or cultural or traditional origins and backgrounds. Whereas race is rooted in the idea of biological classification of homo sapiens to subspecies according to morphological features such as skin color or facial characteristics. "Ethnicity" is sometimes used as a euphemism for "race". It is a term also used to justify real or imagined historic ties as well. Ethnicity goes far beyond the modern ties of a person to a particular nation (e.g., citizenship), and focuses more upon the connection to a perceived shared past and culture . Many representations of race and ethnicity are created and shaped by popular culture and media. In the film ââ¬ËBlack Rainââ¬â¢, the concepts of race and ethnicity are represented to show the conflict between two races; namely the Mongoloid race and the Caucasian race. This paper will aim to criticize these representations in light of related readings in order to question these representations. I will start by examining the representations for the Mongoloid race, followed by the Caucasian race. Due to the length limit of this paper, only the most important points will be discussed and even so, in summary. Inferior Mongoloid Race In the film ââ¬ËBlack Rainââ¬â¢ the Mongoloid race is represented and portrayed as inferior to the Caucasian race. The film is in fact a result of Orientalism; orientalism being the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient (Mongoloid race) ââ¬â dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western (Caucasian) style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Or... Free Essays on Representations Of Race And Ethnicity In Film Free Essays on Representations Of Race And Ethnicity In Film Introduction The issue of representing race and ethnicity is a controversial one. While ethnicity and race are related concepts, the concept of ethnicity is rooted in the idea of societal groups, marked especially by shared nationality, tribal afilliation, religious faith, shared language, or cultural or traditional origins and backgrounds. Whereas race is rooted in the idea of biological classification of homo sapiens to subspecies according to morphological features such as skin color or facial characteristics. "Ethnicity" is sometimes used as a euphemism for "race". It is a term also used to justify real or imagined historic ties as well. Ethnicity goes far beyond the modern ties of a person to a particular nation (e.g., citizenship), and focuses more upon the connection to a perceived shared past and culture . Many representations of race and ethnicity are created and shaped by popular culture and media. In the film ââ¬ËBlack Rainââ¬â¢, the concepts of race and ethnicity are represented to show the conflict between two races; namely the Mongoloid race and the Caucasian race. This paper will aim to criticize these representations in light of related readings in order to question these representations. I will start by examining the representations for the Mongoloid race, followed by the Caucasian race. Due to the length limit of this paper, only the most important points will be discussed and even so, in summary. Inferior Mongoloid Race In the film ââ¬ËBlack Rainââ¬â¢ the Mongoloid race is represented and portrayed as inferior to the Caucasian race. The film is in fact a result of Orientalism; orientalism being the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient (Mongoloid race) ââ¬â dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western (Caucasian) style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Or...
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Nervous system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Nervous system - Essay Example In connection to the practical with the central nervous system of maggots, it is significant to note that Maggots have one unique feature: that is they keep on recycling especially when it comes to their neurons. Equipped with a nervous system that helps them to crawl and feed, they change into intricate animals with sophisticated behaviors and sensory system such as flying and walking. Maggots lack motor neurons that can make the transition into adult. During metamorphosis, the neurons start to spread and seek out adult links. In order to understand the central nervous system of a maggot, it is significant to look at the role that hormones play in initiating these intricate behaviors required to molt. Eclosion hormone is an insect neurohormone that makes the larvae to initiate the intricate behaviors required to molt in that it assists in removing an exoskeleton in order to mobilize the needed changes in the entire central nervous system. The nervous system neurons expand from the n erve body. The dendrites and axons are tied together which help conduct and transmit signals. The neurons are categorized as either sensory, interneurons or motor (Brodal, 2010, p. 52). The sensory neurons help in sending information to the central nervous system from external and internal environment. Motor neurons assist in carrying information from the central nervous system to muscles, glands, and organs. Lastly, the interneuron spread signals between sensory and motor neurons. The nervous system of a man has motor neurons, unlike maggots that lack motor neurons thus making them unable to transition into adult. The practical conducted reveals that the Maggots have three major sensory receptors, which link with three major ganglia or collection of nerve tissue, which enable the larva to sense their environment and move to food sources. Maggots can respond to odor, temperature, moisture, and chemicals. These sensory organs allow maggots to be attached to or repelled from specific environments. Sensory organs are normally excitable cells that allow information transmission to occur (Sawin, Harris, Campos, & Sokolowski, 1994, p. 355). In connection to the nervous system, it comprises of the spinal cord, intricate network of neurons and the brain. This system is very important in that it helps in receiving, sending, and conceptualizing data from all parts of the body. Further, just like discovered in the practical, the nervous system reacts to transformation in the outside environment, and helps monitor and coordinate internal work of body organs. The spinal cord has nerves that assist in transmitting information from body organs and outside environment to the brain and directs data from the brain to the rest of the body. The spinal cord nerves are fiber like that travel in two distinct manners. Descending nerves carry data concerning the motor function from the brain to other body parts. The ascending nerves transmit data from the body to the brain (Brodal, 20 10, p. 89). In order to aid their movement, the maggot can respond to light since they have photoreceptors on their heads and can move towards light, known as positive photo taxis. First instar animals have negative photaxic responses and third instars are positive phototaxic in nature. The rate of
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Cultural Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Cultural Industry - Essay Example CULTURAL INDUSTRIES Cultural industries are considered to be integral parts of any society and its demonstration and appreciation of aesthetic qualities. The firms providing cultural and aesthetic products have gained much popularity over the last few decades and have recently been termed as industries. Ever since then, more and more firms have entered the production and distribution of cultural production within the boundaries of capitalism. Development of a profound understanding of cultural industries is crucial for the purpose of distinguishing it from other industries producing and distributing traditional goods. It is also important to delineate what products or firms should not be included in the domain of cultural industries. The term 'cultural industry' denotes several aspects of both the words 'culture' and 'industry'. The debate associated with this term generally encompasses the boundaries that could put a firm or industry into the realm of cultural industries. Also, the combination of word culture with industry makes one get into the understanding of conflicting nature of arts and capitalism. Associating the word industry with culture entails a combination of both the aesthetic and capitalistic notions. Garnham elaborates that in cultural industries, "symbolic forms are in general produced, distributed, and consumed in the form of commodities and under conditions of capitalistic market competition and exchange" (2000, p39). Cultural industries implicate a group of firms that are involved in the commodification of notions such as arts, culture and aesthetics in a pure capitalistic manner. From production to distribution, cultural industries remain... The researcher of this essay states that in modern times, most of the goods and services being produced are given a touch of artistic aesthetics while considering consumer tastes, styles and fashions. This blurs the differentiation between cultural and traditional products for the consumer. This essay begins by defining cultural industries through various aspects and draws them apart from traditional industries. It also divides the conception of cultural products into two distinct categories viz. entertainment and fashion. Finally, the researcher of this essay elaborates the impact that capitalism can have on the promotion and free flow of pure cultural products because of cultural industries. When culture is combined with industry or the notion of capitalism i.e. production and distribution of arts for the purpose of profit, which is mainly achieved through branding and other aspects of marketing, it has profound impact on the promotion of artistic genre. The researcher aims to argu e that not every commercial product can be categorised as cultural a product, because there is a fine and visible line that differentiates these two entirely distinct sectors. The researcher also argue that commercialisation or industrialisation of cultural products hampers the flow of artistic work to consumers in the purest form. In conclusion, the researcher states that commercialisation of cultural products through capitalistic means of marketing and branding has the capacity to restrict the free flow of art from artists to the consumers.
Monday, November 18, 2019
In the UK, ethical businesses are not as successful as less ethical Essay - 5
In the UK, ethical businesses are not as successful as less ethical business - Essay Example Customers sometimes pay premium prices for products from socially responsible organizations but may also punish those businesses that are not socially responsible. However, I am in full support of the argument that ââ¬Å"in the UK, Ethical businesses are not as successful as less ethical businesses.â⬠McMurrian & Matulich (2006) say that changing business environment as a result of competition is making business organizations to change their strategies so as to achieve strategic fit. Ideally, being ethical is supposed to help businesses to gain consumer trust. This is aimed at increasing sale of products (p.11). An ethical business not only cares about its perception by the society but also cares about its employees. This means that if it treats its employees ethically, they become satisfied, loyal and productive, produce quality service and reach their highest level of capability. An ethical business also cares about their customers and for this they gain customer satisfaction and loyalty which translates to profitability (p.12). However, there are some organizations in the UK which do not operate ethically yet they continue making profits year after year. Reese (2010) gives McDonalds as an example; this organization has a negative impact on the environment in many ways. To star t with, it usually consumes large amounts of energy in form of electricity in order to run its multiple retail outlets. Pollution from the factories which produce its products is another and not mentioning the wastes as a result of the food produced. However, it still continues to rack profits annually because people canââ¬â¢t help themselves when it comes to eating their fast foods. McDonalds also purchases their products from privatized farmlands which is good. However, some of these farmlands at some point had been a rainforests. This cannot be directly attributed to
Friday, November 15, 2019
Product Summary Of Continental AG Marketing Essay
Product Summary Of Continental AG Marketing Essay Continental AG stands fourth in position globally as the supplier of Automotive spare parts. The company is the Europes second largest in the same industry. The manufactures and provide services over a wide range of automotive parts. Continental AG was started in HANOVER IN GERMANY in the year 1871. The company stands differently from its competitors and gives prior importance to the safety and comfort of the consumers. The company is also conscious about reducing the harm to the environment. Although the company faced many travails and hindrances in its path of growth, it efficiently faced and solved them and continues as one among the giants in the industry. In this BUISINESS PLAN I am focusing on the thorough study of the business of Continental AG. This industry provides employment to millions of people and provides a good source of income for many countries. The demand for rubber and other related products are increasing day by day. Many branded companies and firms are operating in this industry. The competition in this industry resulted in the evolution of the giants in this industry. The graph for this industry is showing positive signs in the beginning of this century and the experts predicted that this trend will go on. The increasing demand for the rubber related products can be considered in this regard.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire) It is estimated that the demand for rubber and tube and other related products will exceed 31.3million metric tones and that of the tire cord industry will exceed 1.3 million metric tones by 2015. The recession caused for a depression in this industry but now this industry is again on its path of growth and growing at a rate of 4.3%. The prolonged recession in the developed countries caused distress in the automobile industry in those industries and developing countries like India and china emerged as promising market for this industry. The recession caused for the geographic change of the industry from the Europe to the Asia pacific. Availability of the material resources and human resources available in the area fastened the growth of the industry. After the recession the healthy recovery of the motor vehicle industry in the leading producing countries like France, Canada and United States of America also fastened the growth of this industry. The increasing growth rate of china demands almost half of the new rubber in the industry and the country accounts for the consumption of almost one third of the production in the industry. As this industry is a growing and a highly competitive industry all the companies and corporate in this industry are seeking for better strategies to get achievement and sustained development in the industry. The major holders of this industry are organizing researches to modify their strategy and to develop new to make their company adaptable to the changing demands and priorities of the auto mobile industry. The companies are adopting new theoretical models to improve the organizational performance and to improve marketing of the product. Good and competitive global corporate policy is essential for the proper coordination and function of the particular firm in this industry. They have to review their business objectives and organizational aim and to determine whether they are going with the international trends and demands. PRODUCT SUMMARY OF CONTINENTAL AG The company Continental AG focuses on the development, production and marketing of the automotive and vehicle parts which helps to improve the driving comfort, safety and dynamics of driving. Continental AG stands for innovative technology and products world wide and they got a world wide network. The organization of the company is mainly divided in to two grouped and each group is further divided into three sections. The two main groups include AUTOMOTIVE AND RUBBER Automotive group include three sections namely Chassis and Safety, Powertrain, and Interior The Rubber group includes three sections namely Passenger and light truck tires, Commercial vehicle tires, and Contitech tires. Chassis and safety: focuses on the safety of the customer and provide various techniques and equipments which ensure the safety of the driver and passenger. Powertrain: involves all the innovative techniques and system solutions which affect the powertrain of the vehicle. It also aims at increasing the comfort and pleasure of the driving. Interior: This division is concerned with the information management that is display, and administration of the information in the vehicle. Passenger and light truck tires: this division manufactures passenger and light truck tires for compact, medium and full sized cars. Commercial vehicle tires: This division ensures economic stability in goods transport, passenger transit etc. Contitech tires: This division s specialized in rubber and plastic technology The Continental AG Is one among the giants of the au8tomnobile industry. The company holds the fourth place in the Worlds Leading produces in the tire and tube industry. The company manufactures a wide range of products. The products include tire, brake systems, chassis and its components, and various electronic products for the vehicles, list of products and the various services available from the company. BUISINESS STRATEGY OF CONTINENTAL AG Every employee in the continental AG has the full responsibly of all his actions and he is ready to perform it all the time. Constructive criticism and suggestions are welcomed from the employees to increase their activities and role in the management process and to develop their own ideas. Another important characteristic of the leadership in the Continental AG is that they provide and encourage continuous education for all the employees. By this process their knowledge will be improved and they can contribute more significantly for the organization. It also help them to adapt to the quickly changing environments in the industry. The management and leadership is keen to make sure the exchange of knowledge between the external and internal environment of the organization. By 1991 Continental AG become the worlds largest producer in rubber and tube industry. They had to face severe economic crisis during the early 1990s. The company made some significant effort to extend their share in the automotive industry during this time. In the early 1990s the company faced severe competition in the market. The company achieved some recovery during the first half of 1992 but the condition of the company was miserable in the beginning of the 1993. During this time the company introduced cost reduction plans and widespread restructuring in the company. The company reduced labor cost as the preliminary step to bring down cost reduction in the organization. As the second step they laid down 20% of their total work force. In 1994 company announced a plan to trim another 2000 employees from their ranks. In order to increase the profit they changed the manufacturing centers from Germany to other countries. This is because of the high labor cost and other restrictions in the country. By 1998 Czech Republic become the center of the companies largest car tire manufacturing unit.(http://www.nytimes.com/keyword/continental -ag) FINANCIAL SUMMARY The continental AG achieved sale of 28,030,286,188 $ in the year 2009.The statement is according to the company reports in Dec 2009.The company raised I billion euro in January 2010 to repair the sagging balance sheet of the company. The total revenue of the company as per the financial data in dec2006 was 14887 million Euros and it is increased to 16620 million Euros in Dec 2007. The total revenue in dec31 of 2009 was 20096 million euro. The gross profit in Dec 31 2009 was4014 million Euros. The other operational expenses in 2009 was 3108 million euro IN DEC2009 CONTINENTAL AG STRATEGY Here in this assignment we are studying the strategies and theories applicable to the global rubber and tube industry by taking the example of the Continental AG the leading company in the global rubber and tube industry. This German company is shortly known as Contl and it manufactures diverse products for the automobile and transport industries. This company is based in Hanover in Germany. It holds the fourth place in the leading tire manufacture of the world. One of the important strategies followed by the technological and production wing of the company is fuel consumption reduction and this is achieved by the use of efficient fuel ejection systems, reduced rolling resistance of the tire and by the use of sophisticated propulsion systems. The company produces tires for almost all type of vehicle and therefore got wide and good acceptance in the industry. As a part of the strategy to enlarge the company and business they purchased German automotive rubber and plastic company. This is also carried out some important takeovers. During the time of takeovers also the management tried to preserve the independence of the company. As a part of their strategy to expand the trade the entered the north American tire industry in the year 1987.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_AG) The Continental AG follows a clear cut corporate strategy in their company. They clarified that their strategy is to develop products and services according to the trends of the automotive industry. The company wants to maintain a leading position in the area where they are operating. The companys strategy is to embed entrepreneurial action in all levels of their organization. One of the most important strategies which they are following is to generate 40% of their sale outside the automotive industry. This will reduce the total dependency in the automotive industry and the immediate fluctuation and trends in the automobile will not affect the company badly.(http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Continental-AG-Company-History.html) There are some important components for the strategy of this company. They are giving the prime importance to safety due to the law requirements and demand by the drivers. So the company is focusing on developing and manufacturing components and systems which ensure the safety of the customer. The safety division of the company is aimed at increasing the road security and adopted this as one of the important strategy of the company. Another strategy is to reduce the number of the fatal accidents by providing driving assistance systems, electronic braking systems etc. Another strategy of the company is the environment friendly operations which is relevant and important in this century. The environmentally friendly technologies which the company is following are aimed at reducing the fuel consumption and thereby reducing carbon dioxide emission which will subsequently reduce global warming. This is also because of the strict standards and regulation followed in the industrialized countries like US, France, EU, and Japan. They are providing consumers which helps in reducing fuel consumption. Another important strategy is that the company is enabling the exchange of information between the drivers and the external environment. This will help in reducing traffic and to increase safety during driving. The information is exchanged in a concise manner. This facility is aimed at providing the necessary information to the passengers and drivers during driving. The companys strategy is to remain among the top three in the area where they are operating. They are also aiming at maintaining a balance between the sales between the automotive and other sectors. 67% of the total sale is from the automotive industry and the rest from outside industries such as replacement market. Their strategy is t increase the share of the outside sector to about 40%. Another strategy which they are planning for the future growth is the mutual cooperation with Schaffler group. The mutual cooperation between the two companies is aimed at forming a new company with a wide range of diverse products and thereafter to acquire a leading role in the automotive industry. MODEL FOR STRATEGY Porters Value Chain Porters Value Chain is invented by porter. It is a chain which is showing the relations between inputs and outputs in an organization. The idea of the Porters Value Chain is based and clarified on the process view of the organization. Cost, labor, input output, major systems in the organization, subsystems in the organization, transformations equipments,, building, administration and management of the organization. The way we carry out the value chain determines the cost and profit of the organization. Most of the companys particularly large companies engage in thousands of activities in transforming inputs to outputs. Out of these some are primary activities and the rest are support activities. According to porter in 1985 the primary activities are listed below. Primary activities 1. Inbound logistics: It involves relation with the suppliers who provide with the necessary inputs for the organizational 2. Operations: It includes all the activities involved in the transformation of inputs to outputs. 3. Output Logistics: It includes all the activities required for the storage and distribution of products or outputs. 4. Marketing and Sales: It helps to improve the sale of the products and the various steps taken to improve the sale of the products. 5. Service: These are the steps taken the company to keep the product or service working effectively after the product is sold.(Porter, Michael E., Competitive Advantage. 1985, Ch. 1, pp 11-15. The Free Press. New York.) Secondary activities: 1. Procurement: It involves the acquisition of the inputs and other resources for the firm 2. Human Resource Management: It includes all the activities which is aimed at the proper utilization of the human resources available for the organization 3. Technological development: It includes the development of the technological aspects which is required for the transformation f inputs to outputs. 4. Infrastructure: It includes the various departments which is required for the smooth functioning of the organization. The infrastructure include departments such as finance, planning, public relations, legal affairs, general management etc.(http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/dstools/paradigm/valuch.html) Technical innovation is one of the methods achieved by company to bring down the total cost of the company. To facilitate the globalization of the tire products the company developed a technique known as modular manufacturing process which means manufacturing of the parts in low cost areas and assembling these parts in the main factory after shipping them to the sites. As a result of these reforms the company achieved 67% increase in the income in the year 1997. So we can conclude that the company was successful in applying the Poters value chain in their company which advocates the principle of cost reduction and increase in the profit through the proper management and control of the various processes in the organization. Corporate leadership in Continental AG The company is focusing on corporate spirit. The leadership and entrepreneurship of the company aims at achieving this. They are conscious to maintain a culture of high performance in their company. The leaderships emphasis on high performance inspires each and every employee at various levels of the company worldwide. They are following then practice of striving for the best in their business practices. The leadership plays the most important role in this. The make the employees aware about the ambitious aim of the company and insist the employees to hope and work for the best. The leadership in the Continental AG plays a key role in encouraging team work and cooperation in the company. The spirit of cooperation controls and drives all the levels and divisions in the cooperation. This will in turn helps to maintain good relationship with top level management, employees at the various levels and the representatives of the company. The leadership in the cooperation encourages both external and internal cooperation in the corporation. They took some revolutionary steps to encourage cooperation and team work in their company that is they abolished bureaucracy and hierarchy in the company. They promote and follows a culture of delegation and rewards entrepreneurship.(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smj.4250150703/abstract) . MARKETTING STRATEGY OF CONTINENTAL AG The marketing strategy of the company is innovative and stands different in the content and method. Continental AG continues marketing strategy for light truck and passenger tires. The Continental AG was the official tire partner for the 2010 FIFA world cup held in South Africa. They have the option to extend their sponsorship to 2014 football world cup in Brazil MARKET TRENDS Market trends can be defined as the tendency of the market to move in a particular direction over a period of time. Market trends can be considered as the driving forces in a particular market or industry. The Global financial crisis created scars on the Growth of the Continental AG. But the situation has changed. Now the market trends are favoring the growth of the industry as there is increase in the sale of automobiles increased worldwide and is showing signs of growth in the coming future. The trends in the rubber industry do not affect the company much because the major income of the company is coming from the automotive sector. MARKET RESEARCH OF CONTINENTAL AG The market research done by the Continental AG identified India as a promising market for future. The company wishes to launch products in the country which focuses on safety, information, and environment and at an affordable rate. The importance of the automotive industry in the Global arena is increasing day by day. With this aim the company participated in the Auto Expo 2010. By market research the company means a thorough analysis of the organizational factors, the business segments of the company and the competitors in the market. By carrying out the market research the company can identify the trends prevailing in the particular market and the scope for the development in the particular market. A thorough market research is a necessity for the expansion of the business in to particular area. MANAGEMENT OF CONTINENTAL AG The success of the Continental AG in the highly competitive industry is attributed to the efficient management of the company. Visionary leadership and innovative ideas of the management team also contribute to the success and growth of the company. The project team of the company is constituted with experts in the respective fields and constituted separately for the interior and tire division of the company. The company management is conscious of implementing quality systems in the organization and carry out continuous monitoring of the overall activities of the organization. The management of the organization is giving prior importance to the proper and complete utilization of the human resources of the organization. BUISINESS LOCATIONS AND DESTINATIONS OF CONTINENTAL AG The company considers India as a key market in the future. The country is emerging as one of the key Asian market for the company. The development of the automobile industry in the country makes the country a promising market for the Continental AG. The Company is planning to expand its operation in the country in the next few years. The company is planning to start new tire manufacturing unit with the aim of acquiring prominent place in the worlds second largest automotive industry. Despite of the market saturation in the automobile industry in certain parts of the world such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, The worldwide production of cars is increasing at a drastic rate. It was predicted that the sale of the cars will be 74 million by 2013. Countries like India, China, Russia and Brazil are predicted as the emerging markets for the automotive industry. There share in the car production will increased firm 14% to 20% by 2013.( http://www.autospectator.com/cars/topics/continental-automotive) Budget allocation of a company is very essential for the proper management of the organization. OPERATIONS OF CONTINENTAL AG The company mainly operates in Europe. The headquarters of the company is in Hannover in Germany. The company holds employee strength of almost 140000. The company suffered a severe fall in its revenue and income due to the economic crisis of 2008. The company suffered a loss of 17% in the year 2009 when compared to 2008. The net loss of the company in the year 2009 is $2300 million which is less compared to the loss in2008 which is almost $1653 million. CONTINENTAL AG Continental AG is the leading tire and tube producer in Germany and ranks fourth in the world market. It acquired prominence in the international market through a series of major acquisitions in the Europe and in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. It started acquisitions in the year 1979. The company faced severe economic crisis in the 1990s.Yet the company management faced the challenges with courage. The most important and large acquisition is made by the company in the year 2001 when it bought TEMIC auto electronic systems from Daimler Chrysler. The Company has its origin in the year 1871 as a rubber good manufacturing company. The Company was established in Hanover in Germany and still this place is continuing as the centre of the companys business operations. The Continental AG was promoted by a group of financiers and industrialists having interests in the rubber industry. The initial capital of the company was 900000 MARKS. The companies initial products include water proof fabrics, footwears, and tires but soon they expanded their business to sundry consumer items such as balls toys, medial products and industrial rubber goods.( http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/24/Continental-AG.html) The increasing demand of the automobiles in the 1890 and 1990 favored the growth of the industry. The prominence and efficiency of the German engineers created additional market for the company. SWOT ANALYSIS OF CONTINENTAL AG SWOT Analysis of the Continental AG is very important. Because it is an important source for the getting the top level management data and information regarding the top level organization of the company. In SWOT analysis there is a thorough analysis involving the key business areas of the company, the history of the company, and the product and operational strategy of the company and analysis of the financial lines of the company. The SWOT Analysis of the company analyses the various products of the company such as tire and tube, braking systems, electronic systems for the vehicle and identified the markets and share of the products. The SWOT Analysis carried out a significant research in the fiscal matters of the company and Analyzed the loss and reduction in the total revenue of the company which the suffered in the years 2008 and 2009. The SWOT Analysis identified that this is p[primarily due to the financial crisis which the world economy and market faced during these years. The SWOT Analysis of the company provides the necessary information to plan future business strategy of the company and to face the competition in the market. The SWOT Analysis of the company helps in the easy understanding and study of the various internal and external factors affecting the company. The studies are supported and evidenced by the various elements used in the SWOT Analysis such as key executives, business strategies, and structure of the company. SWOT Analysis of the company helps in increasing the sales of products because of the increased knowledge of the customers interests. The SWOT Analysis helps to maintain quality through out the operations of the company. This analysis helps to gain a better understanding of the competitors business, strategy and prospects. The analysis keeps a record of the performance of the company during the previous years. COMPETITORS OF CONTINENTAL AG Continental AG is ranked as the one of the giants in the suppliers of automotive parts and is facing severe competition fro the industry. The important ant competitors for Continental AG in the industry are Good year, Michelin etc. Both the companies hold major shares in the industry and providing quality service to the consumers and got a widely accepted brand image. Yet the Continental AG has been successful in maintaining the key position in the industry and got the scope and strategy for future growth and development in the industry. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS The Continental AG introduced innovative Tire Finder technology for commercial vehicles. This technology provides the consumers with clear recommendations for truck tires. This technology is highly beneficial to the consumers. The importance3 is that the technology is available online and the service can be used and ailed easily. This technology recommends the right tire for the users after collecting the necessary information from the consumers. The Consumer segment, the transport category and the type of assignment are decisive here. They technology efficiently categories the various transport categories and suggest the tire size and vehicle for the consumer by analyzing the various factors. They are the only company which provides this technology and recommendation regarding the use of the most appropriate vehicle parts after considering the various influential factors. PRICE STRATEGY OF CONTINENTAL AG The companys strategy is to achieve profitable growth through the marketing of the innovative and quality products and my maintaining competitive price. Continuous profitable growth is the main motto of the company. The Company knew that the lowest possible cost is essential to maintain its ability to compete in the market. The cost awareness is so important for the company because the automotive manufactures expect price reduction at the rate of 3 to 5% every year as the suppliers of the auto motive parts. This demand not only affects the technological aspect of the company but also the procurement of essential raw materials and components for the industry. The overall coordination of then activities of the company is relevant in determining the pricing strategy of the company. MARKET DEVELOPMENT The company is conscious about converting the positive developments in the automotive industry to increase their sale. The globalization of the automotive industry and emerging industry like Brazil, China, and India provide them with the scope of achieving future growth in the industry. The company is looking for new markets in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia. The automobile manufactures are setting up new factories in these countries and this demands the supply of vehicle parts. So the company has to set up new production units in this countries and this requires huge capital investment which is driving the consolidation process in the industry. This is beneficial for a large vehicle parts supplier like Continental AG. ADVERTISING OF CONTINENTAL AG They are focusing on soccer as a strategic platform for advertising their premium tire brand. They are following different and diverse methods for advertising. TYRE TV spots are one of the most important methods of advertising of the company. Print campaigns are also successfully applied by the company as an advertising tool. Internet advertising is an innovative method adopted by the company for advertising their products. Boarding thee stadium during soccer games and other games is also adopted by the company as tool of advertisement. Special advertising formats are also used by the company to improve the sale and brand image of the company OBJECTIVES AND PLANS OF CONTINENTAL AG The Continental AG Corporation has got clear cut objectives and plans to achieve further growth and development in the future and to remain competitive in the industry. The global automotive industry is showing signs of growth and this favors the growth of the Continental AG which is the global leader in thee supply of automotive parts. Te Company is looking forwarding in the emerging markets of China, India, Brazil and Russia. The company started tire manufacturing unit in China as a part of their strategy to expand their trade to the global level. The company aims at providing quality and innovative services to the consumers such as tire finder technology. The companys objectives is not only limited to selling of the products and making profit but also aimed at providing security, comfort and safety to the consumers. The company also plans to implement excellent engineering technology in the organization to improve the quality of the products and to expand their business to the glo bal scenario. RESOURCE ALLOCATION OF CONTINENTAL AG One of the important problems faced by the Continental G is the fluctuating price of the raw materials and other resources of the company. The rubber division of the company will be adversely affected by the rising prices of oil and natural rubber. The automotive sector of the company will be affected by the rising prices of the steel and other ele3ctronic components. The source for the natural rubber for the company is Malaysia and India. BUDJET ALLOCATION OF CONTINENTAL AG As per the records of the economic times the company has plan s to invest$216 million in China to build a tire manufacturing unit there. The companys strategy is to boost the sales in the worlds second largest auto market. This is a good example for the intelligent budget allocation of the company with a future perspective to boost the sales. The company is planning to start a production plant in Hefei, in Anuhi province by the beginning of the 2010. The company is planning to manufacture 4 million tires annually from this plant. The company is planning to implement an increase in the pay for 25000 employees in the German metal and electrical industry by feb2011.( http://www.just-auto.com/companies/continental-ag_id174) START UP BUDJET OF THE COMPANY The company was started in the year 1871 with an investment of 200000 marks in Hanover in Germany. The company was greatly supported by the industrialists and other investors interested in the rubber and allied industries. So the company got favorable conditions for the initial growth of the company. CHART SHOWING THE SALE OF CONTINENTAL AG Snapshot of CONTINENTAL AG (CON) OPEN â⠬57.41 PREVIOUS CLOSE â⠬57.35 DAY HIGH â⠬57.98 DAY LOW â⠬56.64 52 WEEK HIGH 12/7/10 â⠬68.53 52 WEEK LOW 02/25/10 â⠬31.86 MARKET CAP 11.5B AVERAGE VOLUME 10 D 574.9K EPS TTM â⠬0.93 SHARESà OUTSTANDING 200.0M EX-DATE 04/29/10 P/E TTM 61.6x DIVIDEND DIVIDEND YIELD Kà =à Thousandsà à Mà =à Millionsà à Bà =à Billions Current Stock Chart Performance for CONTINENTAL AG (CON) CON:GR Historical Stock Quote CON:GR Advanced Stock Chart (http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=CON:GR FORECASTING THE FUTURE GROWTH OF CONTINENTAL AG Continental
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Raisin in the Sun Essay -- Literary Analysis, Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry in her play, ââ¬Å"Raisin in the Sunâ⬠, attempted to explain the feelings of the average African American Male in the 1940s. This persona, which is portrayed in the character Walter, had experienced a severe feeling of depression and hopelessness. In order to understand this source of grievance, one must relate back to the Great Migration and the dreams it promised and the reasons why many African Americans sought to move to the North. A desire to achieve freedom from racial injustices and poverty was the prime factor that encouraged Blacks to abandon the south. However, these dreams where soon crushed as African American noticed that Northern whites had still maintained unequal segregation and where as stumbling block to Black advancement. The consequences of a ââ¬Å"dream deferredâ⬠, as Langston Hughes called it, was dependency on others, alcohol addiction, as well as dysfunctional families. The Great Migration, which lasted from 1910 to 1930, was the first mass movement of African Americans from the South to the North. There was one main factor that led to new job opportunities which attracted many African Americans to industrialized cites in the North. The occurrence of World War I in Europe had increased U.S. factories and factory productions as European nations, involved in the war, depended on the United States to replenish their supplies. Likewise, the war decreased laborers in the United States as it abridged the migration of many European immigrants to the U.S. as well as toke many citizens as soldiers which caused a massive vacancy in the work field. Philip Bonner, from the University of the Witwatersrand, explained this phenomena as he said, ââ¬Å"It was only the outbreak of the first World War cutting off the flo... ...hol abuse worked as a catalyst to further ruin African Americans and destroyed their families. A black mark in America History was the persecution and discrimination of African Americans. The dreams of freedom from racial discrimination and hopes of attaining promising job opportunities were futile and the Great Migration was just the relocation of Blacks to further segregation and racial injustices. Limitations of good paying jobs as well as excessive rent prices compelled most African Americans to abandon all hope of raising their financial and social status. Walter Younger was a true depiction of a defeated Black man who unsatisfied with his life sought redemption through consuming alcohol. Depression and lack of hope were the two ingredients that led to the failure of African American marriages and the conversion of optimistic men into vagabonds. Raisin in the Sun Essay -- Literary Analysis, Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Hansberry in her play, ââ¬Å"Raisin in the Sunâ⬠, attempted to explain the feelings of the average African American Male in the 1940s. This persona, which is portrayed in the character Walter, had experienced a severe feeling of depression and hopelessness. In order to understand this source of grievance, one must relate back to the Great Migration and the dreams it promised and the reasons why many African Americans sought to move to the North. A desire to achieve freedom from racial injustices and poverty was the prime factor that encouraged Blacks to abandon the south. However, these dreams where soon crushed as African American noticed that Northern whites had still maintained unequal segregation and where as stumbling block to Black advancement. The consequences of a ââ¬Å"dream deferredâ⬠, as Langston Hughes called it, was dependency on others, alcohol addiction, as well as dysfunctional families. The Great Migration, which lasted from 1910 to 1930, was the first mass movement of African Americans from the South to the North. There was one main factor that led to new job opportunities which attracted many African Americans to industrialized cites in the North. The occurrence of World War I in Europe had increased U.S. factories and factory productions as European nations, involved in the war, depended on the United States to replenish their supplies. Likewise, the war decreased laborers in the United States as it abridged the migration of many European immigrants to the U.S. as well as toke many citizens as soldiers which caused a massive vacancy in the work field. Philip Bonner, from the University of the Witwatersrand, explained this phenomena as he said, ââ¬Å"It was only the outbreak of the first World War cutting off the flo... ...hol abuse worked as a catalyst to further ruin African Americans and destroyed their families. A black mark in America History was the persecution and discrimination of African Americans. The dreams of freedom from racial discrimination and hopes of attaining promising job opportunities were futile and the Great Migration was just the relocation of Blacks to further segregation and racial injustices. Limitations of good paying jobs as well as excessive rent prices compelled most African Americans to abandon all hope of raising their financial and social status. Walter Younger was a true depiction of a defeated Black man who unsatisfied with his life sought redemption through consuming alcohol. Depression and lack of hope were the two ingredients that led to the failure of African American marriages and the conversion of optimistic men into vagabonds.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Role of Stakeholder Paper
Role of Stakeholder Paper Jasmine Zeno MGT/420 November 1, 2012 Dr. Allen Timmons Role of Stakeholder Paper Introduction The purpose of this paper is to identify who are the stakeholders in an organization and the importance they play within an organization. First I will identify what a stakeholder is and explain how important stakeholders are to the growth of the organization.Next I will explain how and identify the quality management process and how the stakeholders play an important role in the implementation quality management process. Finally I will conclude by using Federal Express as an example organization from our reading how they were able to involved different stakeholders within their organization to roll out a new process. Stakeholder and their importance with an Organization Stakeholder is someone who has an interest in the well being of the organization.A Stakeholder can be defined as a person, group, or organization that may have either a direct or indirect stake in a n organization and can be affected by the actions, objectives, and policies of the organization or have an effect on the actions, objectives and policies and organization may take (Business Dictionary, 2012). Stakeholders are essential to the growth of any organization because of the role each one of the stakeholders plays. Stakeholders can be internal; internal is someone who works for the organization who provides an important service for the organization.A stakeholder can also be external as well; external can be someone who invest money into the organization but is not involved in the day to day running of the organization. It is important to understand the roles and the influence that a stakeholder has in implementing a quality management process. For one to understand the importance a stakeholder plays in implementing the process one would have to understand and really what a stakeholder is and the role they play in the implementation of the quality management process. Quality management and its importanceThe culture of the organization plays an important part of the implementation in quality management process, and understanding how the stakeholder plays an important part in the implementation process is important. According to our reading the management processes that overarch and tie together the control and assurance activities make up quality management (S. Thomas Foster, 2007). It is important for an organization to have effective quality management. The reading states that a number of mangers, supervisors, and employees are all involved in quality management.Such as, planning for quality improvement, creating a quality organizational culture, providing training and retraining and providing leadership and support and the list goes on (S. Thomas Foster, 2007). Federal Express management evaluation system Federal Express doors open in 1973; there were eight small aircrafts at that time to handle the workload. Now today Federal Express is one of the w orldââ¬â¢s largest cargo fleet. FedExââ¬â¢s philosophy guide management policies and actions were ââ¬Å"People-Service-Profit (S. Thomas Foster, 2007). FedEx integrate all levels when implementing a policies within in their organization.Letââ¬â¢s take for example FedEx management evaluation system called SFA (survey, feedback, action) that involved a survey of employees, analysis of each groupââ¬â¢s results by the work groupââ¬â¢s manager, and a discussion between the manager and the work group to develop written action plans for the manager to improve and become more effective (S. Thomas Foster, 2007). Conclusion Stakeholders play an important role in the implementation and the affect that each one of the stakeholders has all depends on the type of control they have as a stakeholder.For the implementation to be successful it is important to know who the stakeholders are and each one of their needs. Stakeholderââ¬â¢s roles within the organization are vital to the growth and the successes of the organization. Involving stakeholders in the implementation in any process within the organization has proven to be a right decision.References S. Thomas Foster. (2007). Managing Quality. Integrating the Supply Chain. Retrieved from S. Thomas Foster, MGT/420 website. Stakeholder. (2012). In Business Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/stakeholder. html
Friday, November 8, 2019
How Fraud Impacts an AIS essays
How Fraud Impacts an AIS essays a. E-commerce sites and their security is there any impact of the cost of their security on the prices they charge? As more and more consumers make purchases online, e-commerce continues to grow. With this growth comes an increased prevalence of threats to e-commerce sites. As such, security is a significant issue for organizations that operate an e-commerce site, specifically security protecting the site's online payment system. Some of these attacks have utilized vulnerabilities that have been published in reusable third-party components utilized by websites, such as shopping cart software. Other attacks have used vulnerabilities that are common in any web application, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting (Mookhey, 2004). For this reason, security must be built into the web application, beginning with the design phase. This added focus on creating secure and impenetrable e-commerce sites requires significant additional costs during the site's development phase. These additional costs must be figured into start up costs and offset by increased pricing to the consumer. In addition, as threats are continually developed to work around security measures, e-commerce owners must continue to revamp their site to address these new threats. This continued development adds additional costs to site maintenance, which is then passed onto the consumer as increases to pricing. b. Impact of automatic reordering of inventory/monitoring inventory levels - Inventory shortages/shrinkage for a company who uses self-checkouts, has large inventory, etc. Fraudulent activity can also negatively affect automatic reordering of inventory. One of the more recent innovations is the use of self-checkout. Self-checkout involves consumers scanning and paying for their items, without the assistance of a cashier. Primary challenges to inventory and monitoring of inventory levels, occur when items are either acci...
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Bleeding Kansas, Book Review Essays
Bleeding Kansas, Book Review Essays Bleeding Kansas, Book Review Essays Civil War History 26 November, 2013 Bleeding Kansas: Contested Liberty in the Civil War Era (Nicole Etcheson) Bleeding Kansas is the term referring to the conflict on the Kansas-Missouri border as to whether the territory of Kansas was to be permitted as a proslavery state or an abolitionist state before and during the Civil War. This conflict was waged on the border-towns of both states and atrocities were committed by both parties. Missouri was to be a slave state based on the Missouri Compromise, which was formed to help alleviate the pressures of the rising slave question in the United States. When the Kansas-Nebraska Act was put into place, it gave the settlers of these two territories popular sovereignty as to whether they would become abolitionist or proslavery states. Bloodshed ensued when agreements could not be made on the position of the territory of Kansas in this debate. The Missouri Compromise was put into action to equal the number of slave and free states in the United States. From this compromise: Maine would become a free state, Missouri would become a slave state, and the Great Plains' territories would become free states (with the exception of the Arkansas Territory, which would become proslavery). It is said that the compromise withheld the United States from plunging into Civil War in 1820, until it was repealed with the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 gave the people of these two territories the right to decide the position of the states when they would be admitted into the United States. The passage of this act formed the Republican party who opposed the idea that the wealthy land/slave owners of the south could simply purchase land and vote accordingly to hold these ââ¬Å"properties.â⬠Abolitionists from the east poured into the state to quickly claim land, while Missourians who wanted the state to be proslavery did the same. Both factions claimed land before they even saw the soil, pointing out claims on a map. When they arrived, however, some claims were already made by the other party. The purpose of these claims were to gain a political advantage over the other to change the position of the state towards slavery via votes. Many Missourians laid four logs as a foundation of a house and returned to Missouri until after the Spring harvest, then would return to build. The population of the territory before the repeal of the Missouri Compromise was less than 800 people. Nine months after the Kansas-Nebraska Act came about, the population rose to over 8,000, many settling on the Kansas-Missouri border. The first governor of the Kansas territory was a Democrat named Andrew H. Reeder, appointed by President Andrew Pierce. He claimed that, in order to vote on the matter, you must live, and continue to live in Kansas even after the vote was decided. Reeder supported an election to elect someone to be represented in Congress, and J. W. Whitfield won by a landslide. The vote is said to have been biased because of the Missourian presence at ballot boxes and the deterring of abolitionists from voting by force. Abolitionists were outraged and feared rule by the Missourian proslavery ââ¬Å"ruffians.â⬠The next governor of the territory was Wilson Shannon, a former governor of Ohio. When Missourians came across the border to siege Lawrence (abolitionist town), Shannon gave the people of the area the right raise a militia to thwart off the attack. With aid from the winter cold they chased the Missourians out of Lawrence. The aggression/retreat of the Missourians at Lawrence was named, ââ¬Å"the Wakarusa War.â⬠It proved to the abolitionists of the state that they did not have to be repressed by the people of another state and could make the state a free state. Thomas Barber was credited as a martyr for the abolitionist cause, and made the
Monday, November 4, 2019
Western European superiority - better than Indians, the Chinese and Term Paper
Western European superiority - better than Indians, the Chinese and European neighbors- imperialist conquests and World War I - Term Paper Example The western part involved the N.E part of Belgium and France, whilst Netherlands opted to remain neutral throughout the war, and the British Empire as well, battling out with the then Prussia (Perry, et al 365). Scholars indicate that Western Europe forged ahead of other parts of Europe, and the world, including Asia. The western front had a b added advantage over the other parts as the part was better off in terms of use of artillery, firearms, armed ships and fortifications (Perry, et al 365). By the year 1800, the western front had managed to conquer numerous states as well as control major trade routes in Asia, particularly taking over Americans. Western Europe was well placed before the 1800, as opposed to China, Japan and the Ottoman Empire, as these countries had not had the expertise to use firearms to their advantage and the gun power technology (Bulliet, et al 268). The Ottoman cannons are indicated to be of poor quality and had to be re-melted for use (Bulliet , et al 268) . The military weapons for instance in Vietnam by 1572, were not worth re-using (Bulliet, et al 743). This fact places the Western empire at a better place than her counterparts, to an extent that the empire was exporting weapons to the Ottoman. In the case of Asia, Adas indicates that Asia was no exceptional, as they hired Western European militants to help them in the tactics of gun making and military organization (137). Among these military expertises include Napoleonic officers and the gun founders of the time (Perry et al 366). This is a clear evidence of the Western Front superiority that they were enjoying at the time- early 1800s. Despite the fact that China was more economically able as contrasted to the Western Front, its military prowess placed her at a better stance over other states (Adas 138). Though, at a later stage other countries outside the Western Empire began to develop in terms of military technology, for instance Japan and the volley fire, all these tactics a ccording to Selin lagged behind that of Western Front (2276). The military competition caused a lot of tension and instability in Europe. Adas also indicates that the able powers also become competitive economically (133). The ââ¬Ëmilitary ableââ¬â¢ countries sustained productivity; thus, competition in Europe. Adas indicates that India joined in the arms race, and wanted to adopt the modern and sophisticated weapons and military tactics. This competition for arms led to clear warfare in the world, as all countries wanted to be prepared to deal with both local and foreign rivals (165). In a nutshell, one would argue that war was visualized as the path to prowess and prowess; thus, almost all countries globally flexed their muscles towards the arms race. Almost all leaders wanted to be likened to kings of military ability, notable example Louis XIV at Versailles, all in the battle to join in a ââ¬Ëroyal sportââ¬â¢ ââ¬âwar (Louis-XIV & Sonnino 173). Western Europe conq uered small states into her territory, and was continually on the move to outdo their military counterparts. Adas indicates that the efforts by Western Europe to advance in military technology, the move led to countries funding their armies, navies, all in an endeavor to improve it logistics and military techniques (134). Since the move to upgrade their military technique by various states did not last a day, Western Europe retained her position at the top of the worldââ¬â¢s military league. However, it is important to note that Western Europeans considered themselves better than Indians, the Chinese and European neighbors, as the Western Empire did not face some of the challenges that the other countries were facing.
Friday, November 1, 2019
McDonalds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
McDonalds - Essay Example Subsequent initiatives included a breakfast menu available nationwide, with the introduction of the Egg McMuffin in 1973. Ronald McDonald was first seen in a television appearance in 1963, and has since become the ubiquitous company representative and also ambassador of charity involvement in the form of Ronald McDonald House, which was established in 1974 as a key element of the company's philanthropic community involvement. The Happy Meal was introduced in 1979, which pioneered the promotional concept of marketing to children by giving away toys and games with meal purchases. This concept has since been adopted by all major burger chains, and has evolved into a significant promotional and tie-in tool for partnerships with major entertainment companies and events. Having created the promotional toy tool with the introduction of Happy Meals in 1976, McDonald's is the leader in toy-based promotions in both foodservice and across all industries. (www.datamonitor.com) McDonald's suffered from a series of strategic blunders and a deteriorating public image in the mid-1990s. These slips included the launch of the low-fat McLean Deluxe sandwich, which was very poorly received, and the launch of the adult-targeted Arch Deluxe sandwich, which did not win consumer acceptance, whilst operating margins were negatively impacted by heavy couponing; The Campaign 55 promotion, a US$0.55 sandwich offer subject to a variety of confusing conditions, proved too difficult and was pulled. In an attempt to find growth opportunities outside of the saturated burgers segment, McDonald's took a step towards diversification in 1998, when it purchased Latin American fast food chain Chipotle, and then in 1999 with the acquisition of Ohio-based pizza chain Donato's Pizza. In the same year, the company announced its intention to purchase the bankrupt Boston Market chain of restaurants that specialized in meal replacement and limited FSR. The sale was approved in 2000, and constituted McDonald's first major acquisition outside of its QSR stronghold. In response to continuing criticism regarding its foods' nutritional content and to broaden its appeal to health conscious consumers, McDonald's has added a variety of healthier meal options, including premium salads and fresh fruit. The company discontinued its "supersize" menu items in 2004, and in 2006, McDonald's was the first fast food restaurant to post nutritional information on the packaging of each of its food items. The new packaging will use bar charts and icons to detail five basic nutritional elements - calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium. Competitive Positioning McDonald's is by far the leading fast food burger chain in the US, with nearly a 45% market share in foodservice. The company does, however, face strong competition, like other foodservice operators, but its ever growing market penetration, new product innovation and strong advertising backing helped the company see a consecutive value share increase between 2000 and 2005. The reach of the McDonald's brand has posed growth challenges in recent years, as saturation presents limits to opportunities for unit growth in the US, the company's main market. The company initially turned to a strategy of diversification, evident in its acquisitions of Chipotle
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Island of stone money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
Island of stone money - Essay Example The uniformity of Fei was another element that added to its qualification as money. As a trait in Fei, the stone could not be duplicated and this helped to restrict the use of alternative commodities as currency. Fei was a viable item for money because it was transportable. It had a hole in the center that helped in carrying it around especially when the need to complete a transaction arises (Friedman 1). The suitability of Fei to perform the function of medium of exchange underpinned its qualification as money. Fei allowed the islanders to transact buying and selling goods amongst themselves conveniently. Money helps in storing value and so did Fei. For example, a family in the Islands was renowned for its wealth because of an ancestor who had discovered a Fei that, besides having sunk in the sea, it still gave them a sense of wealth (Friedman 2). Fei was commodity money because its users accepted it as a form of payment even when they did not have a specific need for it. This is the reason why it was not necessary to carry the Fei from the buyer after completing a transaction. The value in use of Fei is one paramount aspect that justifies that it was commodity money. Fei had intrinsic value and besides helping the buyer to get the goods and services they needed, the seller obtained a sense of wealth and he or she enjoyed the prestige ascribed to people in possession of it. It therefore helped fulfil the goal of an economic activity of acquiring the value of commodities and services. Fei is commodity money because using it in transactions resembles barter trade only that it has a single recognizable unit of exchange (Friedman 2). Fei also qualify as commodity money because it has value in exchange. Exchanging Fei for other goods helped buyers indirectly acquire other items. Fei had value in exchange and if its value in use changed, it would have
Monday, October 28, 2019
Diversity in instructional methods toward meaningful learning Essay Example for Free
Diversity in instructional methods toward meaningful learning Essay Abstract There is diversity in instructional methods that teachers can use to bring about meaningful learning. This paper discusses five of them; namely integrated inquiry approach, 5-model of inquiry, the jig-sawing approach, role playing and WebQuest. These instructional methods are learner centered methods that consider prior knowledge, attitude and skills and promote development of new knowledge and relate them to a variety of contexts. All of them also deal with real-life situations that essentially develop interpersonal relationships, problem-solving skills and content-knowledge among others. The teachersââ¬â¢ tasks are to plan and carry out efficiently the instructional designs to have meaningful learning among diverse learners, instructional methods and learning environments. Diversity in Instructional Methods Toward Meaningful Learning Diversity is an essential ingredient of success of all ventures in life including education. There are different kinds of learners as there are teachers, instructional methods and learning environments; but there is only one goal in education and this is for an effective and meaningful learning. Teachers should set environments for students so they could think critically and independently and relate new knowledge learned with a variety of contexts for meaningful learning. It is the task of the teachers to match the learners, the learning environments, the knowledge to be learned and the instructional methods. Learning meaningfully means that learners relate new knowledge to what they already know. Meaningful learning is non-arbitrary, non-verbatim, substantive deliberate effort to link new knowledge with higher order concepts in cognitive structures. It is a learning related to experiences with events or objects and affective commitment to relate new knowledge with prior learning. The diverse instructional designs towards meaningful learning should identify outcomes, guide the development of instruction content and establish its effectiveness. Efforts to consider meaningful learning in the different stages of instructional design are essential. Gagne et al. (1992) identified the different stages of instructional designs as: defining instructional goals; conducting instructional analysis; identifying entry behaviours and learner characteristics; developing performance objectives; selecting an instructional method; assembling instructional materials and planning formative and summative evaluations. He and his colleagues further cited that current educational theory and researches support the use of instructional methods that make students active learners. Among the diverse instructional methods available to teachers to explore and use, the commonly utilized approach towards construction of new knowledge meaningfully are the problem ââ¬âbased learning and inquiry approach, cooperative learning, and technology strategies. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, but when used effectively can maximize learning. Problem-Based and Inquiry Approach Students in the problem-based and learning inquiry approach engage in meaningful learning through being actively involved in their own learning and reconstructing these based on their experiences. They further participate in active investigation, more of integrating knowledge rather than separating them so that deep understanding develop from acquisition of new facts. In this method, students are given relevant problems by teachers which inquiry must be done. The general steps in this inquiry approach are: identifying the problems, gathering of data, organizing the data in attempt to analyse the problems and analyses of the strategies to use to solve the problems. Integrated Inquiry In the Integrated Inquiry planning process, a model of inquiry approach developed by K. Murdoch, sequences of activities and experiences are developed to build on and challenge student perceptions. These sequences begin with studentsââ¬â¢ prior knowledge and experiences and move through deliberate processes wherein that knowledge is extended, challenged and refined. Students have their own prior experiences that they bring to their classes and teachers should be aware of how to address this situation. Activities and learning experiences in this model are grouped as: tuning on, finding out, sorting out, going further, making conclusions and taking actions (Murdoch, 1999). Furthermore, planning for assessment is a very important element of planning for Integrated Inquiry. Murdoch (1999) highlights the need for the collection and analysis of information about what and the how students have learned. The assessment in the Integrated Inquiry model is to determine how to improve student learning as these new information help teachers modify their plans of work to suit the needs of the learners. Studentsââ¬â¢ involvement in planning for assessment as in selecting responses to particular learning experiences and designing demonstrations of understanding are highly encouraged. Therefore, teachers are also tasked to identify and design learning experiences that will provide information for assessment purposes. The strengths of this model are focussed on assessment of learning in context and encouraging a variety of demonstrations of understanding based on the learning experiences that students undertake. Learners that may benefit most from this Integrated Inquiry Approach are those capable of setting goals in their own learning and significantly contribute in determining how assessment could be effectively done. 5-E Model In the book ââ¬Å"Activities for Teaching Science as Inquiryâ⬠by Carin, Bass Contant (2005) many laboratory investigations were cited as inquiry approach to learning. They focused on the 5-E Instructional Model with the five main components identified as Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration and Evaluation. Each of these components is learner-centred. This investigatory method maybe time and resource consuming but it allows the learners to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills experientially. The use of this method is not limited to teaching sciences, which are considered to be not very easy subjects. This experiential learning brings more opportunities for learners to bring forth better understanding and longer retention of knowledge learned. Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning is an instructional method that takes place in a small group of learners of different levels of ability and in environments of responsibility not only for their own understanding of the subject but also for his co-learners. It brings more meaning to learning because it provides shared cognitive sets of information between students, motivating them to learn the materials, ensuring that they construct their own knowledge, providing formative feedback, developing social and group skills necessary for success outside the classroom. Cooperative leaning promotes learning and academic achievement, increases retention and satisfaction with their learning experiences among students, helps develop skills in oral communication, social skills, promotes student self-esteem and fosters mutual responsibility. Although this method helps students learn to be more patient, less critical and more compassionate, some students may find difficulty with this method. Students who work alone find difficulty in sharing answers while aggressive students will tend to take over and brighter students to act superior to the rest. Teachers who will employ cooperative should prepare their students how to work in groups for this method to be successful. Jig Sawing Approach The ââ¬Å"Jig Sawingâ⬠Approach is a cooperative learning strategy wherein students becomes an ââ¬Å"expertâ⬠in a particular area, then shares his or her learning knowledge with other members of the group that eventually all members of the group learn the concepts. In the Modified Jigsaw, the class is divided into equal expert groups, with each of these groups working on isolated portions of the activity. Once each expert group has completed the tasks, they report their findings as group to the class. Group report allows for greater flexibility in student presentation style and prevents the possibility of unintentionally misrepresentation of information (Beaudrie et al. 1998). This method best suits heterogenous learners across disciplines. It provides opportunities for learners to show various competencies. Moreover, students are more comfortable to exchange ideas with their co-learners because of their dynamic open relationship. Role playing Another instructional method of interest is role playing. It also deals with solving problems but through actions. In role playing, problems are identified, explored through actions and discussed. The students input in their role playing their prior knowledge, values and attitudes. A role-playing strategy seems to work best when there are multiple correct approaches to solving problems. It encourages thinking and creativity to develop and practice new behaviours in non-threatening setting. It provides opportunities for students to explore further their feelings; gain more insights about their attitudes and also enhance their problem solving skills. It also promotes effective interpersonal relations. The learning in these role playing activities are meaningful as they are retained longer and hoped to be of use to the real life of the learners. Terms which are used, often interchangeably with role playing are simulation, game, role-play, simulation-game, role-play simulation, and role-playing game. Role playing dynamically promotes effective interpersonal relationships and social transactions among learners. Technology Supported Approach Technology provides a set of tool for addressing the issues on improving student learning. These issues are of providing more of learnersââ¬â¢ time on authentic, challenging tasks with rich contexts with emphasis on multi-disciplinarity; changing of role of teachers to facilitators of knowledge that guide students and learn along with them; students working in an environment of more cooperative relationships that encourages communication and access to real-world examples towards the development of learning communities; and with greater emphasis placed on reflective thinking and productivity with the understanding that students will preform their tasks differently and have different task-relevant skills ( Grabe and Grabe, 2004). WebQuest WebQuest, the model developed by Bernie Dodge, is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. WebQuests is most often a group activity in a library or distance education setting. It may be enhanced by wrapping motivational elements around the basic structure by giving the learners a role to play, simulated personae to interact with via e-mail, and a scenario to work within. They can be designed within a single discipline or they can be interdisciplinary (Dodge, 1997). The WebQuest challenges he learner to be creative in problem-solving. In the world of education, there are so many instructional designs that can be utilized to end up with meaningful learning. No instructional method is better than the other but each one in the hands of a committed and learned teacher can merit students across academic levels and disciplines to bring about meaningful learning. References Beaudrie, B. , Slater,T. F. , Stevenson, S. Cadit, D. (1998). Teaching astronomy by internet jigsawing. Leading and Learning with Technology Journal, 26. , Retrieved December 13, 2007 from http://www. aem. umn. edu. Carin, A. A, Bass, J. E Contant T.L. (2005). Activities for Teaching Science As Inquiry. NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Dodge, B. (1997). Some thoughts about WebQuests . Retrieved December 13, 2007 from http://webquest. sdsu. edu/about_webquests. html. Gagne, R. M. , Briggs, L. J. , Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design . TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. Grabe, M. Grabe C. (2004). Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning. NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Murdoch, K. (1998) Classroom Connections: Strategies for Integrated Learning. Melbourne: Eleanor Curtain Publishing.
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