The Relationship Between Study Habits

The relationship between study habits and academic performance of IT students A Research Proposal Presented to the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences & Communications Department Far Eastern University – East Asia College In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Subject ENGL303 Educational Research By: Buen, Nica Chrizza N. E. Cruz, Yves Justin C. Diocareza, Darwin Joseph V. Marquez, Samwell Kervy A. Masbate, Kristine Gay A. September 5, 2012 ABSTRACT This research highlights the relationship between the study habits and the academic performance of second year IT students.A habit is defined as a planned schedule done regularly, while to study is to gain knowledge. Therefore, study habits are done regularly in order to expand learning. It is the way how students accomplish their homework and how they prepare for an exam. This research discusses how important study habits are in achieving students’ academic good performance. This also presents how many hours the students are studying, how they prepare for an exam, and what is the comfortable place and time for them to study in order to show if these factors are contributors in attaining better academic performance.A survey questionnaire that is composed of 8 questions related to the topic was given to 50 second year IT students in Far Eastern University – East Asia College. The data gathered in the survey includes the midterm and final grades of the students which shows how they performed during those periods. After the survey, the researchers found out that most of the students spent 1 to 2 hours in studying yet, they still accumulated passing grades in the midterm period, and they even got better marks in the final period of the previous term. From the given data, students have different ways on how they will prepare for an upcoming test.Most of them prefer to be alone. The comfortable place for them to study has also something to do in order for them to attain good academic pe rformance. Great number of the respondents answered that they study inside their bedroom and they are at ease to study during evening from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. One of the survey questions is how the students spend their vacant time. According to the collected data, most of the respondents play which includes playing computer games, playing guitar, playing just for fun, and so on. Next to that is surfing the net which includes visiting social networking ites such as facebook, etc. It is being observed that most of the students spend their vacant time in front of the computer which is a common scenario nowadays. The last question asks the respondents opinion whether their study habits help them achieve good academic performance or not. Majority of them answered â€Å"yes† which is true that can be observed in their previous midterm and final GPA. A theoretical analysis, backed up by the survey results, indicates that study habits really affect a student’s academic perform ance. Good grades can be achieved by proper study habits. It s not necessary that students should study for a long period of time because the amount of time spent for studying does not mean that students can already pass in their subject. Some students find difficulties in some subjects, so they pay more attention to it that consumes much of their time. In order to overcome those difficulties, they have their own ways on studying for them to understand their lessons. Time and place are also factors to be considered in studying. Good place and right time make the students comfortable and study with ease. INTRODUCTION Education plays a vital role in students’ life.It is not only about acquiring knowledge, taking down notes during discussions, answering exam, passing in the test, or even attaining good grades; but also it is also about teaching the students how to be independent in the real life. Finding solutions in the given problems happen in the real life. Projects, assignme nts, and exams that come at the same time also take place in the real world. These things train students to decide what to do, what are the things that should be paid attention first, what comes next and what will be the last priority. Someday education will be the only one they have in hand in order to become successful person. It will be their weapon to overcome those obstacles they might encounter along the journey of their lives. In order to acquire better education, students should focus on studying no matter how hard it is. There are times that they might find difficulties, but there is always ways to surpass those trials. Good study habits play a vital role in the development of the students’ education. It can help them in studying a lot. It is a strategy on how the students acquire knowledge effectively. Establishing study habits are one of the determining factors for attaining passing grades. It efers to the schedule, plan, and the timeframe where studying is done in order to attain good academic performance. Students are always directed to the fact that poor study habits will lead to miserable scores, and good study habits will result to excellent marks. Grades are also a determining aspect of knowing student’s academic performance, which means the attained knowledge over a certain period of time. Therefore, proper study habits lead to good academic understanding and having good grades, otherwise leads to bad academic understanding and having bad grades. But always keep in mind that a student’s study habit is not the only factor to onsider, because factors such as age, past subject learned, IQ, learning ability, mentors, gender and so on are also something to consider as well. Nevertheless, the researchers would like to investigate the relationship of study habits and academic performance of IT students. In the research, the researchers would like to determine the answer to these questions: 1. What are the students’ inform ation according to: a. hours spent in studying, and b. studying skills? 2. How did study habits affect the academic performance of the students? The study aims to actuate the relevance of study habits to the academic performance of the tudents through survey questionnaires. This also concentrates on the findings related to the students’ preferred place and time to study; how they prepare for an upcoming test; in what way do they spend their vacant time; and also discussing if their study habits help them achieve good academic performance. The scope of the study are the IT students from Far Eastern University – East Asia College and the limitations of the study are those enrolled second year IT students in the first term. There would only be a number of questionnaires to be used in the survey, which will be limited to a number of students as well.Therefore, there will only be a number of students who will participate in the study. METHODOLOGY This part exhibits the meth ods to be employed in going through the research. This comprises the number of target participants, the research design, the collection of data, the materials to be utilized in putting up the study, and the analysis of the research. Corpus The selected respondents were second year IT students from Far Eastern University – East Asia College, in random gender and age span, provided that they are second year IT students currently studying at Far Eastern University – East AsiaCollege. 50 students as research respondents were under descriptive survey method of study. Majority of the respondents were with specialization in Digital Arts. The focus of the study was the IT students in second year, and they are considered as the target population. After the researchers had conducted the survey, the students differed themselves in terms of their study habits in their answers. I. Research Design This study used a descriptive survey type with an attempt to determine the relationshi p between the study habits and the academic performance of IT students. It lso aimed to find out the hours spent in studying, study skills and habits, and the grades accumulated using these habits. The descriptive survey type was chosen in order to observe the subject in an entirely natural and unchanged setting. It was also chosen because it can easily identify, illustrate, and evaluate the relationship involving the two variables mentioned. The study wanted to discover the significant influence of the independent variable from the dependent variable. It sought to observe the data gathered in order to come up with a considerable result regarding the relationship of the subject matters. II. SamplingSimple random sampling was used in this research where in only little information about the population is needed because the gathered data is already sufficient for the study. Simple random sampling method was also used because of three main reasons. First, because it is free of classific ation error. Second, its simplicity makes it easier to analyze and interpret the data collected. Finally, the cost of sampling is little enough to make efficiency less vital than simplicity. III. Data Gathering The researchers presented a letter to the respondents to ask permission from them if ever they are willing to fill up the survey form.The implementation of the survey was done inside the campus of FEU – East Asia College. Only one questionnaire was answered by an individual so that repetition of data would not be done. Only IT students on their second year level were given the questionnaire. Each one of the chosen respondents would have to answer the given questionnaire. Every question must be answered with all honesty. Data gathered would be strictly confidential. IV. Research Instrument The instrument used is a self – prepared questionnaire composed of 8 questions related to the research topic and includes some important personal information such s name (optio nal), grades, and etc. It also specifies the direction in answering the survey test and the possible selection of answers. There will be no right or wrong answers. The gathered information will be treated confidentially and will only be used in the study. V. Data Analysis After the implementation of the survey, the data was tabulated in order to get the percentage of each choice in each question. The percentage was calculated by dividing the number of respondents in each choice by the total number of respondents multiplied by one hundred. The data was represented by a graph that was either a bar raph or a pie graph depending on the values that is presented. The graphs were a representation of the data to show the proportion of the percentage of each choice in each question. The data was analyzed based from the graph and the data gathered. Each of the graphs was analyzed based on percentage. The relationship among the data was observed and a correlation between them was looked into. Cover Letter on the Survey Questionnaire Date _______________________, To whom it may concern, Good day! We have the honor to request you to participate in our research study entitled â€Å"The relationship etween study habits and academic performance of IT students†. The study wants to know how study habits affect the academic performance of the students here in FEU-East Asia College. The respondents are the second year IT Students enrolled in the first term. This study is a requirement for the finals of the course English303 Modern Communication. We therefore are requesting you to answer this questionnaire with your dedication. We assure you to keep gathered data confidentially and to use it in our study only. Thank you very much. God bless. Sincerely yours, Cruz, Yves Justin Survey QuestionnaireName (optional): _______________________________________ Age: __________ A. Instruction: Please answer the following questions with honesty and sincerity. Put a check in the bracket s. There will be no right or wrong answers to this questionnaire. Your answers will be based on your own experience. Rest assured that the gathered data will be confidential and will be used only for this study. 1. How many hours (estimated) do you spend for studying? [ ] less than 1 hour [ ] 1-2 hour/s [ ] 5-6 hours [ ] 3-4 hours [ ] others: ________ 2. What is your previous midterm GPA? __________ 3. What is your previous final GPA? _________ 4. How do you prefer to study if there is an upcoming test? [ ] alone [ ] writing outlines [ ] with peers [ ] reading aloud [ ] with music [ ] silent [ ] with snacks [ ] others: ________ 5. Where is the comfortable place for you to study? [ ] library [ ] classroom [ ] bedroom [ ] coffee shop [ ] campus (freedom park) [ ] others: ______ [ ] home 6. What time is comfortable for you to study? [ ] morning (6 a. m. to noon) [ ] evening (6 p. m. to 9 p. m. ) [ ] afternoon (noon to 6 p. m. ) [ ] others: ______ 7. How do you spend your vacant time? _ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 8. Do you think that your study habits help you in your academic performance? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Total number of respondents: 50 Percentage = Number of Respondents x 100 Total Number of Respondents Figure . Time spent in studying In Figure 1, according to 34% of the surveyed IT students, they spent approximately 1 to 2 hours in studying.There are 22% of the respondents answered 3 to 4 hours, while 20% managed to study in less than 1 hour only. As you can see 14% of them allotted 5 to 6 hours, and the 10% of the students chose others. It shows that most of the students spent 1 to 2 hours in studying, and only few consumed 5 to 6 hours a day. This is the same result as in the survey â€Å"How many hours should you study per day? † posted in Student Doctor Network (2010). Based on the data showed, 23. 93% answered 1 to 2 hours only, while 5. 85% of the respondents voted 5 to 6 hours of studying. This means that students have their own amount of time spent in studying.No specific length of time is used in studying as a whole. According to Cat (2010), it depends on the students’ capability to understand what they are studying about. Students have different learning ability level, which is another factor why they take so much time in studying. Figure . Previous Midterm GPA Figure 2 presents the Midterm Grade Point Average (GPA) as of the previous term, 3rd term SY 2011 – 2012. Based on the gathered data, 40% got an average of 2. 1 to 2. 5; 26% of the respondents got 2. 6 to 3. 0; 16% received 3. 1 to 3. 5; 14% got 1. 6 to 2. 0, and only 4% got an average GPA of 1. to 1. 5 during the midterm period. Written in the FEU – East Asia College Student Handbook (2010 rev. ed. , p. 18 – 19), â€Å"the college follows the numerical grading system with the following grade points and their corresponding descriptions and equivalences:† Table 2. 1: Numerical Grading System Grade Points Percentage % Description 4. 0 97 – 100 Excellent 3. 5 93 – 96 Superior 3. 0 89 – 92 Very Good 2. 5 85 – 88 Good 2. 0 81 – 84 Satisfactory 1. 5 78 – 80 Fair 1. 0 75 – 77 Pass 0. 5 74 below Failed 0. 0 – Not Attending 6. 0 – Pass 7. 0 – Officially Dropped 8. 0 – Credited 9. 0 – IncompleteThis information presented in Table 2. 1 further implies that 100% of the respondents passed during the previous midterm period. Figure . Previous Final GPA Figure 3 shows the previous final GPA of the respondents. Among the respondents, 34% got 2. 1 to 2. 5 averages and also the same percentage of respondents got a GPA from 2. 6 to 3. 0. There are 18% of them passed with a GPA of 1. 6 to 2. 0, while 14% got 3. 1 to 3. 5. Comparing the results of their midterm grade to final grade, no student got an average from 1. 0 to 1. 5 during the finals. The 14% of students who got 1. 6 to 2. 0 grades in the midterm period as been added by 4% during the final period. The 26% of the respondents who got 2. 0 to 3. 0 GPA during the midterm period became 34% in the finals. Generally, this means that the students had a great improvement during the final period even though 16% of students who got 3. 1 to 3. 5 GPA in the midterm period decreased by 2% during the finals. All in all, 100% of the surveyed IT students got passing grades during the previous final period. Figure . Preference of study habit when there is an upcoming test The data in Figure 4 shows that 48% of the students prefer to study alone if there is an pcoming test. While 42% wants to study with music, 32% preferred to study silent. There are 30% of the respondents write an outline to serve as there hand outs or re viewers, 28% study with snacks, 16% who read aloud, 12% wants to be with peers, and 8% answered others. This shows that students have their own method to be prepared in an exam. Most of them review a lot if they are studying alone or with peers. Some wants to study if they are listening to the music, while others preferred to be silent and so on. According to Palm Beach Community College (PBCC, 2008), noise that distracts students rom studying should be minimized, however there are some students who need some sound or some silence. Studying with music can cause distraction (Sigafoos, 2012). On the other hand, Donnell (1999) stated that music helps a person to express what he is thinking. He shared a little known fact that Albert Einstein was very poor in school before, but because of music, he was able to improvise his figured out problems and equations. Now, he was known as one of the smartest people in the world. Writing an outline for studying is a good habit of students. This ma y serve as notes for them o review especially if they need to prepare for an exam. Writing is another way of memorizing because as students take down notes, they are already putting those words in their minds. This is the same with reading a loud or even reading silent. Students can gain more knowledge through it. Teachers do not always discuss all the topics, so some questions are left in students’ mind. In order to understand some of those, reading is very essential. There are also cases in which students choose to study with peers. Statistically, students who study in group, earn higher grades than those who study independently.This is because in this way of studying more brains are exchanging of thoughts and ideas and students are able to share their knowledge to others. Figure . Comfortable place to study Figure 5 comprises the comfortable place for the students to study. Based on the research, 64% used to study inside their bedroom, 40% at home, 10% at the library, 6% a t the classroom, 4% at the coffee shop, 4% at the campus and 8% chose others. One of the most important factors in studying properly is choosing where you can study more effectively. Many students sell themselves short from the very beginning by choosing to study in laces such as their dorm room, their bed, in the dorm lobby, and other places which are not always the most conducive to effective studying (Singal, 2012). According to K. Roell (2012), many places are good venue to study; only that student has to take a look three things when finding a good study place: comfort, appropriate noise levels, and information access. In his article entitled Top 10 Places to Study, library is the number 1 best place to study, while bedroom is just second to it. Library is a silent place where students can concentrate in studying; and is easy to access the information they needed.Next to the two are the coffee shop, bookstore, park, classroom, friend’s house, community center, and tutori ng center. According to PBCC (2008), bedroom is not a proper venue to study because it is a place where to sleep not to study, but it can be seen in the figure above that most of the students are comfortable in their bedroom for their studying matters. In this case, it depends on the students choice where they want to study as long as they are comfortable, can concentrate well in studying, have access of information, and of course far from distractions. Figure . Comfortable time to studyIn Figure 6, comfortable times for the students to study are listed. Majority chose evening from 6 pm to 9 pm, which holds 54% of the respondents. There are 20% of the students study at morning from 6 am to noon, 16% at the afternoon from noon to 6 pm, while 10% answered others. Maybe are studying whenever they want or they are at the mood. Based on the gathered data, most of the students find to study better at the evening. However, some of them are tired right after school, so they do not study in the evening and prefer at the morning. Some says that it is better to study in the morning because it is still fresh in mind and asy to remember. There are some who do not study in the afternoon because they tend to fall asleep. Figure . Spending vacant time Figure 7 shows the answers listed by the students on how they spend their vacant time. Based on the data gathered, there are 34% answered playing which includes playing computer games, playing guitar, and so on. There are 32% of the students spend their vacant time by surfing the net which includes visiting social networking sites such as facebook, yahoo, google, etc. There are 26% of the students hang out, and only 18% said that they study, review or do their assignments.There are also 18% who answered they sleep during vacant hours. Eating and watching movie or television are of the same percentage which is 14%. Texting, earning money and doing household chores are also the same percentage which is 2%. This survey shows that o nly few of the students spend their vacant time in studying and most of them are in front of their computer playing or surfing the net. Figure . Opinions of the students if study habits help them Figure 8 shows how many percent of the students are helped by their study habits. There are 80% of them answered â€Å"yes†, 6% said â€Å"no†, and 8% answered â€Å"maybe†.There are 4% of the respondents answered â€Å"not much† and 2% said â€Å"sometimes†. Study habits played a significant role in achieving good grades. The dependent variable, which is the academic performance of IT students, is really affected by the independent variables, which are the study habits. This elaborates that proper study habits lead to better understanding and achieving passing grades, while incorrect way of studying results to poor understanding and receiving failing grades. CONCLUSION To sum it up, majority of the students are affected by their study habits positively.Mo st of them passed during their midterm period and had a great improvement during the finals although a large percentage of the respondents are studying in 1 to 2 hours only. In this paper, the researchers have investigated the relationship of the two variables involved and found out that good study habits as the independent variable directly affect the academic performance of the students (Bagongon & Edpalina, 2009). This research also shows that every student has different studying styles. However, the findings do not imply that studying in a long period of time always esults to a better academic performance. Sometimes, a short period of time is enough to achieve a better academic performance provided that they are comfortable with the time, place, and strategy of studying. RECOMMENDATIONS The researchers would like to suggest to students to establish a good study habits which may help them attain good academic performances. Spending at least 2 to 3 hours in studying per day is rec ommended as an average amount of time for the students to study. In addition, this research advises to find a place where no one or nothing will distract them from studying; choose a omfortable time to study wherein, they will not get bored or tend to sleep; apply some strategies on how they will be able to understand their lessons; and also spend their vacant time in a productive way. Following this will help students manage good academic performances. For other personnel who will perform a study on the same field and will use this paper as their guide, the researchers would like to suggest that they improve and know other possible method of data gatherings; construct a framework for better outputs; and to study very well the factors that affect the academic performance of the students and relate them to each other.REFERENCES Bagongon, C. K. & Edpalina, C. R. (2009). An example of a research paper. Retrieved July 28, 2012, from scribd. com Web site: http:www. scribd. com/doc/118222 91/example-of-a research-paper Purdue Online Writing Lab (1995). Guide of APA style of writing. Retrieved August 5, 2012, from http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/560/07/ The Coastal Researchers Group (2010). A survey about how many hours do you study per day. Retrieved August 8, 2012, from http://forums. studentdoctor. net/showthread. php? t=704431 Sigafoos, S. (2005). The bad effects of listening to music while studying. eHow: Discover the xperts in you. Retrieved August 13, 2012, from ehow. com Website: http://www. ehow. com/info_8767350_bad-effects-listening-music-studying. html Donnell, L. (1999). Mind and the brain. Brain and mind: Mind behavior. Retrieved August 13, 2012, from http://www. cerebromente. org. br/n15/mente/musica. html Palm Beach Community College (2008). Reviews on related literature. Retrieved from August 28, 2012, from Web site: http:www. scribd. com/doc/11822291/example-of-a-research-paper Conjecture Corporation (2003). Is group study more efficien t than independent study? Wise Geek: Clear answers for common questions.Retrieved August 30, 2012, from wisegeek. com Website: http://www. wisegeek. com/contest/is-group-study-more-efficient -than-independent-study. htm Singal, A. (2012). Study skills: Choose a good study area. Power to Change: Students. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from http://powertochange. com/students/academics/studydorm/ Far Eastern University – East Asia College (2010). Grading System of FEU – East Asia College. Student Handbook. (rev. ed. ) p. 18 – 19. Benfield, G. , Ramanau, R. , & Sharpe, R. (2009). Student learning technology use: preferences for study and contact. Brookes eJournal of Learning and Teaching, 2(4).

Donor services department Essay

The Donor Services Department is an organization that seeks out sponsors to help with the funding of underprivileged families. They must do their best to maintain a constant flow of donors as well as keep track of their work. There are various components that keep this system at bay and it must be kept under control especially since they are planning on expanding. Prior to their expansion, the Executive Director of Donor Services, Sam Wilson, hired a consultant, Joanna Reed, to help him with the restructure of the company internally. There were issues and concerns on who should run the department and how the employees’ work would be delegated. Through Joanna’s observations and the various instances throughout the case analysis it is apparent that there is not a strong leader in the department. The employees’ work is also suffering from lack of supervision and training. The vertical structure that is illustrated for this company is not working for them. Employee morale is also suffering greatly because of this and is causing them to not stay on task. Recommendations on appointing the proper supervisor and the restructuring of this company will surely help it expand. Once there is a clear vision and roles are more defined the Donor Services Department is likely to improve. Employees will be willing to perform their duties assigned with ease and with the proper feedback can excel even more. Problems Identifications The Donor and Community Services Departments are rapidly growing and it is apparent that this is starting to have a large impact on the deterioration of employee morale. The lack of supervision, training and disbursement of work is causing the company to not perform at its best. The many factors that contribute to these issues can easily be solved if proper action takes place. The absence of a strong supervisor in the Donor Services Department is the main reason as to why the department is performing so poorly. The company has a vertical structure, which does not work in their favor. Jose Barriga, who is the head of this department, as well as Community Services, does not spend enough time there. He will occasionally stop in on a weekly basis and check the employees’ daily production figures. He does not give any sort of feedback, which can make the employees feel as though they are performing well, when in reality this is not the case. Jose appointed Elena  as the department supervisor, but she does not have a strong skill set to be a supervisor. She does not enforce any sort of order in the department, which causes the employees to not stay on task. It appears the hierarchy of the company is more vertical, but the linkage is not strong because Elena and Jose do not communicate about the behavior and performance of the employees. They have not come to a problem consensus, which would help out the current situation. The consultant Joanna Reed also observed that the employees have very little training in the various tasks the department performs. They do not have any sort of direction or true knowledge on what they are assigned to do. As mentioned before there is no sort of feedback, which only leads the company to become disorganized. In addition to not having proper training, several of the employees are not even able to use the skills that they were told are vital to their positions. There are six translators in the department, but only one employee named Magdalena is able to use her English speaking skills. The others are busy working on tasks that leave them a lot free time during the day, while others are have an overwhelming workload. One translator is assigned the mundane task of preparing files for new clients and doing the filing for all the departments. She is not able to use her English speaking skills or show any other valuable skills that she may possess. Solutions and Recommendations The donor services needs to better commit themselves to their department. The case touched on how two supervisors both seemed to concentrate more on the community services side of the organization, while leaving Joanna to fend for herself on the supervisor of donor services side of things. The management in this organization needs to be better spread out amongst all sides of the organization. Another idea to consider is that Joanna needs to have her role defined a little more clearly within the company. She is unsure what kind of authority she has over the translators, and the translators don’t respect her very much. If her role was better defined and she was given a range of bureaucratic policies she could enforce on the translators that would make the entire department run more smoothly, and the translators would understand that they need to respect Joanna and if not action will definitely be taken against them. An overhaul in the bureaucratic policies in the donor services department is something the  organization should consider. Right now there is no clear job definition for anyone in the donor services department, so it has become a free for all about what gets accomplished within the department. There needs to be a clear set of visions, goals, rules, and policies to give the department something they can follow, and aim for success. The new bureaucratic policies will also alleviate some of the trouble from the perspective of Joanna. The translators will have a better understanding of what will be expected of them if there is a clear set of goals and policies set in place for the workers to refer to. The donor services organization should also consider establishing a more mechanistic design approach to their department. A mechanistic design is an organization defined by clear goals, rules procedures, a clear authority, and centralized decision making. The donor services department is not succeeding by their existing hands off approach, so they need to change to a mechanistic approach in order to see better results. Mechanistic design has been proven to be successful in other organizations that have a routine job, like the translators do in this case. So this change in the design in something that could bring great success for the entire department. Bringing in a scorecard to the donor services department is an idea the organization should definitely consider. The case touched on how their is now real grade or measurement for the translators, so they don’t have feedback on their work. If there was a quarterly review or scorecard out in place by the management the translators would be able to get feedback and ideas of what they’re doing right and what they can improve on. Feedback is always important to any career and I think in this case it would help out the entire organization if the translators had a clear understanding of the management involved and feedback that would he given. Another recommendation is the possibility of bringing in a new employee who can work with Joanna to supervise the donor services translators. Both of the existing management in place seek to concentrate more on the community side, so if they don’t want to become more involved in this aspect than the organization needs to bring in someone who is bilingual and has management skills. This new person will bring in their skills to establish a bureaucracy amongst the translators, and work with Joanna to teach her the knowledge to become a better supervisor on her own in the future. Right now it seems like Joanna is not equipped enough to run the  department, but if she could learn from someone else she could eventually develop the skills needed. The importance work the workers knowledge and being properly trained is important to any good organization. This organization may also considering retraining their donor services translators. It seems that all of the current employees have started in the organization at different times, and they all have different background training. If the organization dedicates some time to come up with a standard set of training skills for all the translators it will in turn bring a common understanding of what is known and expected from each donor translator. This training will set a standard for the organization that all employees can look to when they have questions or concerns. The donor services department has some bright employees and can be a strong department within the organization. If they become more committed to giving feedback, establish a stronger bureaucracy, and consider adding some additional management in place they could be a very successful and promising department within the organization. Conclusion After the analysis by Joanna it seems like The Donor Services Department is part of a strong organization that is doing a lot of good for the less fortunate, but unfortunately they have come on some tough times. With the supervisors both concentrating more on the community services side of the organization and leaving the donor services department to be run by undertrained Elena it has caused some issues. The organization could bounce back for this successfully by recommiting themselves to the donor services. They can do this by bringing one of the two existing supervisors over to manage the donor services on a more immediate level. They can also establish a bureaucracy amongst the department so everyone has a clear understanding of the standard set of rules and procedures, as well as the vision for the organization. If neither supervisor is willing to move over to the donor services department than they need to consider hiring an outside source to monitor the translators in the depa rtment. They need someone who is bilingual and could give feedback and evaluate the translators. These small changes will go a long way in getting the donor services department back on track to helping the less fortunate.

Male Perspective of Love in Literature Essay

Compare and contrast the ways writers use form, structure and language to portray the male perspective of love in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ and the Poetry of Robert Browning. The male perspective of love is interesting to look at when looking at different texts in comparison. Although they have been written in different literary movements male characters portray very similar attitudes and reflect the same aspects towards love and relationships. This essay concerns the male perspective of love, however it is important to analyse the factors that cause these interpretations of love that the writers have created for the male characters. For example a reoccurring perspective is the need for dominance over their significant other for example in Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello establishes his dominance over Desdemona by murdering her, similarly in the poetry of Robert Browning his poems ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ where they also kill their lovers in order to reinforce their male dominance over their partner. In The Great Gatsby Daisy’s partner Tom displays his dominance over Daisy when he abuses her by punching her in the face. The male perspective of love is understood when looking at the theories of causation. As stated one of the most prominent male perspective of love conveys the need and desire to be dominant over their partner. In the Shakespearian play ‘Othello’ set in 16th century Venice looks at the idea of unconditional love despite the fact that Othello and his love Desdemona are from two completely different worlds. Othello is a Moore which refers to the Islamic – Arabic inhabitants of North Africa, whereas Desdemona is a Venetian. Contextually their love for one another would be seen as highly controversial and taboo, however despite Desdemona insists that she marries Othello. ‘To you, preferring you before her father, so much I challenge that I may profess due to the Moor my lord. ’ Here Desdemona recognises that her duty is divided, however her honesty with her father shows how willingly loyal she is. A literary interpretation of Othello’s character would suggest that Othello feels the need to dominate over Desdemona due to his much insecurity as a character, directly associated with the idea that he is not of the Venetian culture. Leavis views that Othello is a ‘weak and stupid character’ that doesn’t understand himself or Desdemona, Othello is an outsider to the Venetian community where as Cassio isn’t, hence his insecurities structure between Cassio and Desdemona when Iago suggests that they are having an affair together. As a result Othello may realise that to maintain his prestige and respect as a soldier he must justify what has been done on him by killing Desdemona. To some extent I do agree more with the analysis that Leavis’ creates as looking within the context of the time although Othello and his achievements have been celebrated he evidently is a cultural and racial outsider. In addition to insecurities that Othello it is also a possibility that Othello is threatened by Desdemona’s sexual nature, as a character she is very flirtatious and friendly with most of Othello’s comrades including his lieutenant Cassio, whom has suspicion of sleeping with his wife. Desdemona’s supposed infidelity and unfaithfulness to her husband has caused her death. In the patriarchal Venetian society, women were told to remain submissive and meek at all times. However, in ‘Othello’, the women express independence, though in private, and Emilia, Desdemona’s maid, presents us with feminist opinions when she warns that â€Å"the ills we do, their ills instruct us so†. Feminist readings of ‘Othello’ suggest that even though women are shown to be submissive, possessions and are even called ‘whores’, when they do express their feelings and disobey their husband, as is the case with Emilia when she tells Othello of the handkerchief and Iago, she is killed. This, similar to what happened to the Duchess and Desdemona, shows that any sign of independence from their husband is unwelcome and they are quickly eliminated. This demonstrates my argument that destruction is caused by the male need to control the womenThis could be seen as a threat to Othello as not only is he a cultural outsider; his wife could be potentially having an affair with another man who is of the culture. Additionally Desdemona is of a higher class status than Othello, which also contribute to his insecurities this links with the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ by Fitzgerald this text also portrays various conflict issues with class, for example when Daisy proclaims that she would rather be with her unfaithful husband rather than Gatsby. There are some very strong comparisons between Othello and some other texts also for example the poem Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning presents similar male perspectives of love. Porphyria’s Lover, the Duke and Othello all feel that they are losing control of their significant other and the power in the relationship. Feminist interpretations would suggest that that these characters are somehow threatened by the sexual nature of their partner, they feel that they should be the dominant in the relationship therefore to maintain that level of power they need so they kill their lovers, it would also indicate that the male characters of these texts are highly insecure. For example Desdemona’s sexual identity is a threat to Othello’s status, if he kills Desdemona however he can still maintain his prestige without fear of embarrassment [PEE]. This is also similar to the poem My Last Duchess the duke was also threatened by the sexual nature of his wife [PEE]. There are also some comparisons between Othello and the Great Gatsby; they both have similar conflicting issues with class and status. For instance Desdemona is of higher status than Othello, this also adds to Othello’s insecurities as not only is Desdemona very flirtatious, she is also very wealthy. PEE] Othello is also warned from the beginning of the play by Brabantio, Desdemona’s father to be cautious of her [PEE] Another interpretation made by Bradley who rejects this view and presents an overwhelming positive analysis of Othello whom he sees as relatively blameless for his actions. On the other hand Bradley suggests that it is indeed the manipulative language used by Iago that had caused Othello to develop these insecurities that ultimately lead to his downfall. This theory seems evident in Act 3, Scene 3 also known as ‘the corruption scene’. This is the scene where the initial manipulation begins, Iago begins to manipulate Othello firstly by making that he is someone trustworthy and reliable therefore he forms a friendship with Othello. Iago had been turned down from the role as Othello’s lieutenant which has explained why he may have some resentment towards Othello; however despite this there is no clear indication to why Iago manipulates Othello in such a way. Some people have interpreted this as a homosexual affection that Iago shows for Othello in which he is jealous of the love Desdemona and Othello have for each other, therefore he convinces Othello to ultimately kill her in attempt for a chance with Othello. One such interpretation is that Iago is motivated by jealousy of Othello’s love for Desdemona, and is maddened by a repressed homosexual desire. There is a hint of this in Act 3, Scene 3, as Iago, pledging his loyalty to his general, tells Othello, â€Å"I am your own forever†. Iago’s chosen word’s perhaps express more than soldierly devotion, and possess a distinctly romantic tone not too dissimilar to the language of a marriage vow However in some aspects it would seem clear that Othello has already chosen to kill Desdemona almost out of his own will, nothing that anyone says will make a difference at all. ‘Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men’. The dialog is full of legalistic language as if Othello has tried her and is now sentencing her. The novel The Great Gatsby is set during the American Jazz Age of the early 1920’s, this was a time jazz music became increasingly popular and played a significant part in wider cultural changes during this period. This was also a time where the American Dream also played an important part in people’s lives; people would immigrate to America in order to achieve this ‘American Dream’. The idea of unrequited love is a prominent theme. Narrated by Nick Carraway the story tells of Jay Gatsby’s quest for Daisy Buchanan, Nick writes from Gatsby’s point of view as he is writing the novel two years after the story actually happens, so much Gatsby’s point of view is the point of view from Nick, although a trustworthy third party he can sometimes also be unreliable. Nick is determined to make himself seem trustworthy, claiming to be â€Å"one of the few honest people that [he has] ever known†. He also claims not to be judgemental, yet he tells Gatsby that â€Å"They’re a rotten crowd†¦. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together†. This line shows Nick’s judgemental side, proving him to be an untrustworthy narrator. Gatsby’s perspective of love is that in order for him and Daisy to unite he must change, therefore he gained the wealth and prestige in order to win her heart, however Daisy is now married with Tom Buchanan an upper class socialite and had married daisy even though she had promised herself to Gatsby, despite that Tom is unfaithful to her. Like Othello and the protagonists of ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ Tom Buchanan is also the self-proclaimed ‘alpha-male’ and feels like he too needs to establish his authority over his love interests for example when he strikes Myrtle in the mouth for speaking ill of his and Daisy’s relationship. The Great Gatsby also shows a portrayal of love and money Gatsby gained his wealth illegally by selling alcohol in an era when alcohol was prohibited. Dishonesty becomes his nature, displayed when he tells Nick that he is â€Å"the son of some wealthy people in the Midwest† and lies about being â€Å"brought up in America, but, educated in Oxford†. Daisy’s immorality is also evident when she allows Gatsby to take the blame for her crime, an act that ultimately results in his death. Unlike Othello and the Browning poetry which was written in a much different era to Gatsby, the novel portrays contrasting perspectives of love. Such as going after your lover, and changing yourself rather than trying to change your partner. The Browning poetry was also written in a similar era to Othello, and therefore the correlation between love and dominance are a reoccurring aspect. For example in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ the poem is one huge monologue to the audience about a Duke talking to a painter about his last Duchess like Othello the female protagonist is portrayed someone of a sexual and flirtatious nature. Ingersoll describes the character of the Duke as a dominating character with strong will and purpose but as a narcissist who has an insecure need to construct a self-important image of himself which could be seen as a similar interpretation to Leavis’ analysis of Othello. The Duke is also portrayed by browning as someone who has complete desire to gain over control over every aspect in his life for example all that remains of the duchess is a painting concealed under a pull curtain, ultimately the duke decided who sees her and who doesn’t, or if she is even showed at all. The duke shows satisfaction in this by almost boasting about how he was able to control this young girl. Tucker argues that not only does the power give him pleasure, but by reducing the Duchess to a painting, he reduces her to something he can understand and in turn, control. The male need to control women by reducing them to ‘art’ is also visible in ‘Othello’ when he asks, â€Å"Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,/ Made to write â€Å"whore† upon? †, referring to Desdemona and her suspected infidelity. The poem ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ also portrays a similar message; this is also a monologue that is violent and abrupt: a working man, the lover of a middle class girl, murders her when she comes to his cottage, strangling her with her hair. At the end of the poem he sits, apparently calmly, with her corpse in some kind of pseudo embrace. Like Gatsby and Othello the protagonist is again threatened by the idea of their significant other having some sort of control over them. Ingersoll believes that â€Å"In his own mad fashion, the Lover has read that text in order to escape being positioned as ‘feminine’ i. e. A loved object to be abandoned again as she may have many times before. He reaffirms her ‘feminine’ position as one too weak to break those ‘vainer ties’ to a world in which he can have no presence. Torn between moments of passionate possession of her and inevitable abandonment or ‘loss’, he has murdered her n order to turn her into a fetishistic object which can never leave†. This also links with Gatsby as they both deal with conflict issues regarding class, however Daisy would never have a relationship with someone that is of a lower class than her, however the female protagonist against all odds rejects this sociological concept and has relations with a man of lower status regardless, however like Othello this causes the male protagonists to become insecure and weak in their relationship, therefore to restore that order they get rid of their loved ones completely. Stuck on conclusion.

Theories of Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Theories of Motivation - Essay Example Locke goal setting theory involves dealing with specific, measurable, realistic and time bound objectives. The goal setting theory works on the principle that, for efficient performance, the individuals in the group must have a common goal to reach, and are explicitly stated. Goals are clear motivation that set standards for personal satisfaction. To achieve the goal, one must be able to set success and meet work challenges that are measurable. Equity theory explains the relation satisfaction in terms of perception of fairness distribution of resources. The concept of Locke can be incorporated into vroom’s theory this way; the Locke theory rotates on the principle of goal setting and working towards achieving the goal. It can be related to expectancy theory in that the employee must have some particular behaviour in the company to achieve the uttermost results that lead to a reward. It explains the motivation of the employee in achieving goals as a form of motivation. In relating Adams theory to expectancy theory; Adams theory explains the satisfaction of an employee, in which an employee will work or behave in certain ways to earn the equal treatment with other colleagues. The fairness leads to voluntary hard work that yield best

Land Rover Sustainability Accounting and Accountability Analysis Essay

Land Rover Sustainability Accounting and Accountability Analysis - Essay Example Sustainable development aims to fulfill the present needs without harming the possibility of not fulfilling the future ones. In today’s era, where companies give sole importance to economic growth the concept of sustainable growth becomes all the more important. As globalization continues to spread there is a steep rise in the ways through which companies and individuals can increase their profits. But the newly created opportunities are not evenly spread over the social strata. So there is always a dynamic instability which is making the environment volatile to some extent. Increase in technical knowledge has attributed to financial development, but it also has the ability to reduce the risks which threatens to harm the social and environmental sustainability .So sustainable development’s key feature encapsulates its promotion of out of the box thinking and selection of innovative choices. There is a need for transparency regarding a company’s economic, social a nd environmental impact and gradually this aspect has become an integral part of its relations with its stakeholders. Stakeholders expect a company to communicate to them the true picture of the company’s sustainability. This naturally led to the requirement of a globally recognized framework of rules, concepts and regulations. As a result the Global Reporting Initiative created the Guidelines for Sustainability Reporting. With the formation of the guidelines a transparency was achieved in the reports involving the sustainability of the company. These reports generated a lot of interest amongst the motley crew of stakeholders (Global Reporting, 2011). Sustainability reports disclose results that have happened in the reporting period. These reports are mainly used for: 1. Assessment of the sustainability performance of the company in accordance with the laws, performance standards and norms. 2. The extent to which the company influences and gets influenced by its surroundings. 3. To perform an intra and intercompany comparison over a period. Guidelines for Sustainability Reporting The reporting framework developed by GRI can be used by any company irrespective of its location, sector and size. The reporting guidelines ensure that the reports produced by the companies are up to the mark. These guidelines include: 1. Reporting Principles 2. Guidance 3. Standard disclosures. All the three elements are given equal weight age and importance. Reporting principles explain the results a report should able to convey, the selection and methods of reporting, along with the indicators and topics which will be included in the report. Each principle consists of definitions and a number of tests which help the company to decide the principles which it intends to use. The reporting guidance explains the actions that a company can take during the decision making process, and also helps in selecting the topics that will be included

John Stuart Mill's On Liberty as applied to an issue of modern times Essay

John Stuart Mill's On Liberty as applied to an issue of modern times - Essay Example He was concerned that this majority would stamp out diversity, repress individuals whom failed to conform to herdlike values, and stifle dissenting views. The mass media presents a complex study because it involves an interplay between a tightly controlled corporate elite and masses of citizens whom too often turn to and rely upon the mass media for facts and information. How the mass media presents events is critical to American citizens attaining the intellectual and physical sovereignty to which Mill referred as constititing the foundations of their liberty and freedom. This essay will argue that, viewed through the principles articulated by Mill, today's oligopolistic mass media undermines and stifles the ideals to which he aspired for American citiens; as a result, notions such as the legitimacy of diversity and the sanctity of variety have been dealt a critical blow. As a preliminary matter, before discussing Mill more particularly, it is necessary to place modern American mass media in context. ... In democratic societies the manner by which the media system is structured, controlled, and subsidized is of central political importance. Control over the means of communication is an integral aspect of political and economic power" (McChesney, 1997: 6). The irony is that, although the mass media is privately controlled, it is structured in a way which more resembles a non-democratic oligopoly or military junta than a democratically-structured disperssion of media outlets. In short, from a structural point of view, American mass media is controlled and delivered by a wealthy corporate elite, economic and political barriers often bar entry to new participants, and American citizens receive their news from this structural mass media creature. In addition to structure, it is important to discuss the more substantive features of American mass media. A superficial analysis might yield the view that American mass media, as a corporate enterprise designed to generate profits for corporate shareholders, reflects like a mirror the diversity and the variety of the American citizenry. If the mass media oligopoly didn't give the American consumers what they wanted, this logic goes, then the consumers would switch allegiance and the corporate profits would dry up. There are two fundamental flaws with this argument from the point of view of a theorist such as Mill. First, how the corporate mass media decides to present programming is often a product of detailed surveys and focus groups (Carper, 1995: D-19.2); in effect, the mass media is appealing to the majority as a primary justification for the selection of suitable subject matter and viewpoints. Rather than making programming decisions independently, based on

Analyzing Modern Business Environment (Tom Peters) Essay

Analyzing Modern Business Environment (Tom Peters) - Essay Example The paper goes ahead to give suggestions on how to improve the conventional approach to long-range planning. It also explores the possibility of adopting more qualitative methods like scenario prediction in answering the managers' criticism, providing the rationale behind these ideas. The paper specifically analyses the nature of long-range planning and how it affects the operational policies of an organisation. It also appreciates the limitations of adopting the long-range approach to planning. Long-range planning is very important for the future of any organisation. Its principal tasks include understanding of the environment, defining the goals of the organisation, identifying the organisation's options, making and implementing decisions and evaluating actual performance (Collins and Porras, 1994). Long-range planning is therefore aimed at exploiting tomorrow's different and new opportunities. The traditional long-range planning has its basis on the concept of the four essential steps to planning. These steps include monitoring, forecasting, setting of goals and implementation of these goals. Long range planning is meant to help an organisation establish where it is currently, where it is going, where it wants to go, and what it has to do in order to change and head to its desired destination. The cycle of long-range planning starts by the monitoring of an organisation's selected trends. Then the process of forecasting of these trends' expected future follows. This is done by extrapolating past data by use of regression analysis or any such technique. The organisation's desired future is then defined by setting its goals in line with the expected future. The development and implementation of specific actions and policies with regard to long-range planning is aimed at reducing any disparity that may exist between the desired future and the expected future. The final phase is that of monitoring the effect of the policies and actions on the chosen trends. The nature of strategic planning and its impact on operational policies Strategic planning refers to the process of defining an organisation's direction or strategy and deciding on resource allocation in the pursuit of this strategy, including people and capital. A variety of business analysis techniques are utilised in the strategic planning process, such as SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, STEER and EPISTEL analyses (Bradford and Duncan, 2000). Strategic planning is therefore the process of formally considering the future course of an organisation (Kono, 1994). A typical strategic planning strategy is concerned with a number of issues such as what an organisation should do, for whom it should do it and how it should excel in its endeavours (Porter, 1996). Business strategic planning is mainly concerned with how to beat competition or how to avoid it altogether (Bradford and Duncan, 2000). In a number of organisations, this is seen as a process to determine where an organisation goes in the next three to five years, even though some organisations extend their plan to up to twenty years. For an organisation to determine where it goes, it must exactly know its current position. It is only when it knows its current position that it will be in a position to determine the position it wishes to get to and how to get to it. This then becomes the organisation's strategic plan (Lorenzen, 2006). It gives the general direction of the desired destination for any given organisation. Strategic

Walt Disney Company Context Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Walt Disney Company Context Analysis - Essay Example His success was not instant; many film distributors laughed at his ideas. He met with constant criticisms and was judged as being an average cartoonist. The actual design of Mickey Mouse was attributed to Iwerks. However, Disney did get credit for his ability to visualize characters and stories. Disney’s earlier films were funded with his own money. Mickey Mouse brought in enough money to allow him to develop other projects. (Walt Disney Company, 2003). His first full-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, opened in 1937 and was a hit. This move produced a line of successful movies. When the 1950s rolled around Americans began to spend more time at home, therefore, he advanced into television. He was seen as an icon after World War II as his innovation brought mouse ears into the homes and lives of children all over the world. He is well known as a visionary of sound animation but also an innovator of the American business model as well. (Kao, 2010). Historical and Geog raphical Elements: Disney has been a very influential force in the entertainment industry, especially for children and families. Walt Disney was born of humble beginnings in 1901 in Chicago. His upbringing has said to of been a great influence on his later middle-class family status. His father, Elias, moved the family throughout the Midwest looking for work. In those days hard work to support a household of five children was prized. However, there was little money left for entertainment. The children were forced to go to work at an early age, and Walt began work at age nine as a newspaper delivery boy. He and his brothers and sisters were given social and religious values from an early age. (The Walt Disney Company, 2003. P.2). He found that he was very talented in art at age 14 so he enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute. From ages 14 to 16 he signed up to serve as an ambulance driver during World War I. Shortly after the war had ended he found employment as a commercial artis t, and was able to form an animated cartoon company in Kansas City. From there he teamed up with his brother Roy who lived in Hollywood. (The Walt Disney Company, 2003, p.3). Word reached the West Coast shortly after Disney arrived from a company wanting to gain the rights to Disney live action cartoon reels. He took advantage of the business opportunity and joined with M. J. Winkler who offered $1.500 per reel. (The Walt Disney Company, 2003, p.3). From there his career took off. â€Å"Disney studios took full advantage of the small screen revolution of television.† (The Walt Disney Company, 2003, p.3). In 1955 Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California and The Mickey Mouse Club debuted on ABC television. Every kid in American had Mickey Mouse ears. This brought on such movies as The Shaggy Dog and Mary Poppins in 1964, which was a box office hit. The Wonderful World of Disney started in 1955 as well and ran for 20 years. He always demanded professionalism of his employees as well as the highest quality technology available. Walt Disney died in 1966 of cancer, however, his brother vowed to make sure his employees carried on the standards of his work. (The Walt Disney Company, 2003, p.4). Geographically the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts began in California, however, the second one, Walt Disney World Resort founded in Orlando, Florida became the model for the others. The Tokyo Disney Resort was the first to open in another country in 1983 and further expanded in

Comparative politics 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparative politics 4 - Essay Example The petroleum is excavated in areas of Niger Delta, which also happens to host most of the oil industries and part of the Nigerian slum population. The exploration of the petroleum, commonly addressed as the ‘black gold’, and the growth of the petroleum industries have led to specific issues that the citizens feel need to be addressed, for the peace and development of their nation. The existence of petroleum not only benefits the Nigerians, but also negatively affects them; hence it is an overwhelming blessing in terms of economic development and investment, but also a curse due to environmental degradation, corruption, and human violation among others within the people. How Nigeria Benefits Economic development: The Nigerian economic performance has been shaped up through sale of petroleum products. It generates most of its revenue from the exportation and domestic sales of the oil products, compared to other goods from other sectors. According to Balouga, onshore oil e xploration has greatly improved the nation’s daily production capacity, to approximately 2.3 million barrels on a daily basis, and eventually raised her proven reserves to nearly 37 billion barrels ( 2012, 23). In the Nigerian economy, more than ? of the gross earning comes from petroleum sales, domestically and internationally (especially through trading with the US and European nations). The oil industry contributes to Nigerian GDP, though not entirely all of the industry’s value added products get to be retained in Nigeria, due to the numerous involvements of foreign operators in the industry. In addition to the ratio of the GDP, the government collects huge amounts of tax from the foreign and local companies operating in oil industries, influences the purchasing power of the society through spending on goods and services, and enhances foreign exchange reserve (Odularu 2008, 11-13). Crude oil and natural gases are major sources of energy in the country, providing th e industries and refineries with a readily and cheap energy source for its smooth operations. Although the economy has experienced slow and minimal growth compared to other oil producing countries and competitors, it is evident that oil money continues to transform the nation. Investment and employment: Since the discovery of crude oil, the numbers of companies established in Nigeria have grown immensely, boosting the oil industry more than other sectors such as agriculture and fisheries. These include several joint venture companies like Shell (the largest), which produces about 50 percent of Nigeria’s oil, and the other joint ventures being operated by Chevron Texaco, Exxon Mobil, TotalfinaElf and ENI/Agip (Odularu 2008, 8). These are many investors that directly work in Nigeria’s oil industry; others are indirect investors, who participate in economic development. According to Balouga, â€Å"investment in Nigeria’s oil industry currently amounts to about $18 billion annually† and is anticipated to increase over time (2012, 25). Over time, refineries have been established after 1950, increasing the ability to refine their products. First and second Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries have developed to enhance their processing capabilities, even though they operate below their expected capacities. The Nigerian population continues to benefit from the employment opportunities in oil companies, from the basic activities

Understanding Action Verbs Essay Example for Free

Understanding Action Verbs Essay Introduction NEBOSH carefully describe the ‘action verbs’ which are used within their examination questions. The reason for this is that they tell the candidate sitting the examination the depth of answer that is required. Candidates are asked to remember that if the question asks them to state something and they then produce a lengthy explanation, they will probably get marks, but may well have wasted time and effort and may end up running out of time at the end of the examination period. Conversely, if candidates are asked to describe something and they give a list, they will most probably loose marks. If candidates do not give the depth of answer required, they makers will not be able to give candidates many of the marks allocated to the particular question. Answer length As a very rough guide (and people’s writing varies in size), NEBOSH expect about a page and a half for the 20 mark question, and about half a page for the 8 mark questions. The action verbs are varied so that you should have enough time to give a reasonable response. It is absolutely crucial that candidates are familiar with the action verbs used in NEBOSH examinations, and that they understand what they actually  mean, so that they can produce the types of answers required, and obviously gain the benefits of increased mark potential. Listed below are the action verbs, together with examples of the sort of depth each verb requires. However, candidates are reminded that the examples given are in no way a guarantee of finite examples of the questions that may arise. 3 Define Define – provide a generally recognised or accepted definition. e.g. Define the term ‘ergonomics’. Ergonomics is the study of the interaction between workers and the work environment. 4 Describe Describe – give a word picture. e.g. Describe FOUR effects on health safety that might result from inadequate lighting. Inadequate lighting may cause a variety of effects on health and safety. 1. When using display screen equipment, inadequate lighting causes the eye muscles to work harder, this may cause headaches, temporary fatigue and even eyestrain. 2. Inadequate lighting may lead to increased levels of stress experience by workers as they may have to concentrate more on the work than would be required with a reasonable level of lighting being provided. 3. If lighting levels are poor, workers may not be aware of hazards at floor level, which may result in increased numbers of slips, trips and falls. 4. Workers who have inadequate lighting levels for the task they are carrying out may produce errors. These errors may, as a consequence, result in risks to their own health and safety or that of others. 5 Explain Explain – give a clear account of, or reasons for. e.g. Explain why it is important to use a variety of methods to communicate health and safety information in the workplace. People respond differently to different stimuli. Some will notice written information more readily, whilst others will respond to pictorial information or audible stimuli. Therefore effective promotion of health safety information needs to take account of these differences, and a range of different media should be used. Examples would be: †¢ Posters, which incorporate pictures, †¢ Handouts, †¢ Memos, †¢ Briefings, †¢ Videos. Etc. The use of different methods prevents workers becoming over-familiar with the materials. If display materials are changed regularly, people are more likely to notice them. This helps to re-enforce the desired message. Variety also helps to stimulate interest and hopefully increase motivation. If different methods of communication are used, workers are given more opportunity to provide feedback, or become involved. Whilst some will  willingly feedback verbally, others may be daunted by speaking out, but may prefer to reply in writing. Providing both methods for feedback would hopefully reach a greater number of people and provide a greater opportunity for staff involvement. Finally, different types of information require different methods of communication e.g. a complex safe system of work is more likely to be understood if given in writing, discussed and demonstrated, whereas a change in Fire Marshall could be announced at a staff meeting or displayed by the fire action notice, maybe along with the persons photograph. 6 Give Give – provide without explanation (used normally with the instruction to ‘give an example of†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢). e.g. For each of the following types of hazardous substance, give a typical example i) Toxic ii) Corrosive iii) Carcinogenic iv) Irritant i) toxic – lead ii) corrosive – strong acids iii) carcinogenic – asbestos iv) irritant – detergents 7 Identify Identify – select and name. e.g. Identify the three types of asbestos commonly found in buildings. The three types of asbestos are i) White (chrysotile) ii) Brown (amosite) iii) Blue – crocidolite) 8 List List – provide a list without explanation. e.g. List EIGHT observations made during an inspection of a machine operation which may suggest that the machine has not been ergonomically designed. i) the need for the operator to use excessive force ii) the need for repetitive movements by the operator iii) the need for the operator to stretch or stoop iv) machine controls sited in awkward positions v) unmarked or poorly marked controls or displays where their functions are not obvious vi) lack of visibility of the task by the operator vii) the workpiece is difficult to position because of its size or weight viii) difficulty experienced in changing, adjusting or cleaning the machine tools. 9 Outline Outline – give the most important features of (less depth than either ‘explain’ or ‘describe’, but more depth than list. e.g. Outline the sources and possible effects of FOUR non-mechanical hazards commonly encountered in a woodworking shop. Several non-mechanical hazards could be present including: i) Dust from sanding and sawing operations, which could lead to lung disorders and possibly cancer. ii) Chemical hazards from varnishes and glues which could lead to dermatitis, irritation of the airways and drowsiness. iii) Noise, which could lead to noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus and stress. iv) Manual handling hazards which could cause musculoskeletal disorders. 10 Sketch Sketch – provide a simple line drawing using labels to identify specific features. e.g. A pneumatic drill is to be used during extensive repair work to the floor of a warehouse. Identify, by means of a labelled sketch, THREE possible transmission paths the noise from the drill could take. 1. Reflected noise from walls surfaces 2. Directly through the air from drill to person 3. Transmission through the structure of the building 11 State State – a less demanding form of ‘define’, or where there is no generally recognised definition. e.g. State the shape and colour, and give a relevant example, of EACH of the following types of safety sign: i) prohibition iii) mandatory ii) warning iv) emergency escape or first-aid. i) Prohibition signs have a white background within a red circle and with a diagonal red line – for example a no smoking sign. ii) Warning signs have a yellow background within a black triangle – for example, signs used to warn against the hazards of flammable materials, radiation electricity. iii)

Functionalization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Functionalization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes The functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with different drugs Duma (Voiculet), M. Prodana, I. Demetrescu Abstract—Functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by various groups (carboxyl or amino) can improve the properties of anti-tumoral drugs (cisplatin, docetaxel, zometa). Functionalization was evidenced by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Platinum ions released in simulated body fluid (SBF) were measured by inductively coupled plasma ion spectrometry (ICP-MS). Keywords—functionalization, FTIR, drug, carbon nanotubes, TEM. 1. Introduction In our days currently available technologies have made significant advances in cancer research, but proper treatment remains elusive. According to the report issued by the World Global Health (WHO) it is estimates that the incidence of new cancer cases increase by more than 10 million each year and the rate of deaths caused by this disease is over 6 million per year [1]. The most common cancers causing death are listed as WHO: lung cancer, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancers. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess properties for the development of advanced drug delivery systems, including their very large surface, which allows multi-conjugation of various molecules on the side walls. Molecules that contain aromatic groups may be easily covalently linked to strong interactions CNTs. 1-D functionalized CNTs (F-CNTs) could improve the binding of a single cell interaction via multiple binding sites, due to their flexibility. Clinical practice guidelines such as those from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO guidelines on extended use of intravenous bisphosphonates in metastatic breast cancer), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines), and the NCCN Task Force Report on Bone Health in Cancer Care all recognize the positive utility of bisphosphonate as zoledronic acid (Zometa) use in palliative bone care [2-5]. However, as new classes of inhibitor agents enter the metastatic cancer palliative it is important to understand how palliative care treatment modalities are used outside of the clinical trial setting. In this idea the present research is an investigation of a multiple hybrid functionalization of carb on nanotubues with drugs, introducing as a novelty functionalization with cisplatin, docetaxel and zometa [6]. 2. Experiment part The best known method of functionalization is noncovalently modified by embedding fragments containing functionalized aromatic groups in the outer wall of CNTs through interaction Ï€-Ï€ [7]. 2.1 Reagents Multiwalls carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) purchased from Sigma Aldrich had more than 90% carbon and 10 to 15 nm x D x L 0.1 10 pm, produced by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD). Oxidation of the carbon nanotubes was made using a mixture of 98% sulfuric acid (Merck). Ethylenediamine (EDA)-modifying agent was supplied by Fluka. We used saline zometa, docetaxel (Dox) and cisplatin, from pharmaceutical market, and all reagents were not further purified. In the last years there are studies in literature regarding CNTs functionalization with different drugs [8-10]. 2.2 Equipment FTIR spectra of functionalized MWCNTs were registered on a Perkin Elmer, Spectrum 100 equipment in 400à ·4500 cm-1 range with 4 cm-1 resolution and 32 scans. Nano-sized particles were investigated using TEM analysis with a microscope Philips EM-410, 60kV. ICP-MS, ELAN DRC-e Perkin Elmer SCIEX U.S.A. was used for platinum determinations. The detection limit was 0.001ÃŽ ¼g.g-1. 2.3 Procedure Multiwalled carbon nanotubes were functionalized with both amino and carboxyl groups. This functionalization was performed with the purpose to reduce the toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. MWCNTs (0.9 g) were dispersed in 98% sulfuric acid and ultrasonicated at 50 °C for 6 h to obtain MWCNT-COOH. Functionalization of MWCNTs reduced toxicity of carbon nanotubes. 0.3 mg MWCNT-COOH were ultrasonically prepared with thionyl chloride SOCl2 (50 ml) for 30 minutes at room temperature. The suspension obtained was refluxed under magnetic stirring at room temperature for 48 hours and then filtered. The filtrate was washed with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dried at room temperature for 20 minutes. MWCNTs-SOCl2 were immersed in ethylenediamine at room temperature for 10 hours. The mixture was washed with tetrahydrofuran and filtered. The filtrate was dried at 80 ° C for 10 hours. Throughout preparation process, docetaxel, cisplatin and zometa was added to carbon nanotubes. Docetaxel was difficult to absorb due to their hydrophobic characteristics. Docetaxel (5 mg) was added to a solution of MWCNT, MWCNT-COOH, MWCNT-NH2 in 1 ml of saline and 0.5 ml of anhydrous ethanol using an ultrasonic bath for 48 hours at 50  °C. The suspension was centrifuged at 10000 rpm for 15 minutes until the carbon nanotubes were fully precipitated. Cisplatin (2 mg) was added to solutions that contain MWCT, MWCNT-COOH and MWCNT-NH2 in 1 ml of saline and was sonicated for 48 hours at 50 °C and filtered. The remaining solids were rinsed with anhydrous ethanol and deionized water to remove the excess of docetaxel and zometa. All samples were investigated using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). 3. Results and discussions FTIR spectroscopy is a very useful tool to show the presence of functional groups on the surface of MWCNT-COOH an MWCNT-NH2. The bands allocated to groups: -OH, -CH2 and amino in the four samples are almost identical. For MWCNT-COOH-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA functionalized sample, for –CH groups bands appear in a range from: 3556.86 to 2921.60 cm-1, for CDDP the range is: 852.24 to 520.89 cm-1, for Dox the peaks for characteristic groups O=O is at 1082.30 and 1030.31 cm-1 and for zometa the range is betwwen 1461.51 to 1349.22 cm-1 as is shown in Figure 1a. In case of MWCNT-COOH-CDDP-ZOMETA functionalized sample, bands for –CH groups appears at 3555.69 cm-1, for CDDP the range is between 857.30 to 560.78 cm-1 and for zometa the specific bands are in a range between: 1463.81 to 1349.45 cm-1 as is shown in Figure 1b. For MWCNT-COOH-DOX-ZOMETA functionalized sample, bands for –CH groups appears in a range from: 3235.44 to 2922.98 cm-1, for Dox the range for characteristic groups O=O is 1072.19 to 1031.74 cm-1 and for zometa specific peaks appear in a range: 1453.93 to 1350.28 cm-1 as is shown in Figure 1c. For MWCNT-COOH-ZOMETA functionalized sample, bands for –CH groups appear in a range from: 3546.07 to 2922.38 cm-1, for ZOMETA the range is between: 1461.51 to 1352.80 cm-1 as is shown in Figure 1d. Fig.1. FTIR spectra for: a). MWCNT-COOH-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA; b). MWCNT-COOH-CDDP-ZOMETA; c). MWCNT-COOH-DOX-ZOMETA; d). MWCNT-COOH-ZOMETA In case of MWCNT-NH2-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA functionalized sample, bands for –CH functional grups are between: 3696.20 to 3544.20 cm-1, for amines group appear peaks between: 1735.03 to 1624.51 cm-1, for CDDP the peaks are between: 854.77 to 560.27 cm-1, for DOX the range is: 1077.24 to 1032.25 cm-1 and for zometa from 1448.87 to 1349.46 cm-1 as shown in Figure 2a. For MWCNT-NH2-CDDP-ZOMETA functionalized sample, bands for –CH groups are between: 3721.57 to 3012.65 cm-1, for amines groups the peaks are between: 1735.03 to 1623.54 cm-1, for CDDP from 859.83 to 580.56 cm-1 and for zometa the peaks appear between: 1483.93-1241.57 cm-1 as shown in Figure 2b. For MWCNT-NH2-ZOMETA functionalized sample, bands for –CH functional grups are between: 3544.43 to 3012.65 cm-1, for amines group peaks appear between: 1736.74 to 1640.05 cm-1 and for ZOMETA characteristic peaks appear between: 1466.57 to 1345.22 cm-1 as shown in Figure 2c. Fig. 2. FTIR spectra for: a). MWCNT-NH2-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA; b). MWCNT-NH2-CDDP-ZOMETA; c). MWCNT-NH2-DOX-ZOMETA; d). MWCNT-NH2-ZOMETA Morphology of nanosized particles are investigated by transmission electron microscopic analysis (TEM). From this analysis shown in Fig. 3 it is evidenced the surfaces of MWCNTs functionalized with carboxyl CDDP, Dox and zometa. MWCNTs have a curved shape about 10-20 nm in diameter and a length of 0,1-10 microns. TEM images show CDDP and DOX grains of 10-20 nm in width while ZOMETA sample is spread radially from a common center at the intersection of MWCNTs. Encapsulation of drugs is well emphasized. In Fig. 4 morphology reveals multiwalled carbon nanotubes functionalized with amino group in which drugs were added (CDDP, DOX and ZOMETA). a). b). c). d). Fig. 3. TEM morphologies for: a). MWCNT-COOH-DOX-ZOMETA; b). MWCNT-COOH-CDDP-ZOMETA; c). MWCNT-COOH-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA; d). MWCNT-COOH-ZOMETA a) b) c) d) Fig. 4. TEM morphologies for: a). MWCNT-NH2-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA; b). MWCNT-NH2-CDDP-ZOMETA; c). MWCNT-NH2-DOX-ZOMETA; d). MWCNT-NH2-ZOMETA Samples were placed in SBF for different periods of times and the solutions were analyzed. The samples were added in a nebulizer for vaporization. Conditions were selected to maximize the ion signal while platinum solution was introduced in vapors generator. The steam generated was then transported to the ICP-MS to determine platinum ions. The largest amount of platinum ions was recorded for MWCNT-COOH-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA as can be seen in fig.4 This value indicates that there are good possibilities for further analysis. Fig. 4.Platinium ion release from hybrid functionalized MWCNT with various drugs. 4. Conclusions We presented a study of docetaxel, cisplatin and zometa added to MWCNTs functionalized by carboxyl and amino groups. FTIR measurements have been used for structural characterization of drugs encapsulation in MWCNTs-COOH. This functionalization (encapsulation) is confirmed by TEM analysis that shows the morphology of the samples. CDDP release was measured by ICP-MS techniques and the amount of platinum ions was found higher in case of MWCNTs-COOH-CDDP-DOX-ZOMETA. Acknoledgments. PhD student A. Voiculet acknowledges the financial support from the European Social Fund through POSDRU//1.5/S/†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. References [1] B.W Stewart and P.Kleihuers, World Cancer Report,WHO, 2003 [2] G. De Rosa,G. Misso, G.Salzano and Michele Caraglia† Bisphosphonates and Cancer?What Opportunities from Nanotechnology†, J Drug Delivery, 2013, dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/637976 [3] U Ripamontia, , R M. Klara, L F. Rentona, C Ferretti â€Å"Synergistic induction of bone formation by hOP-1, hTGF- b 3 and inhibition by zoledronate in macroporous coral-derived hydroxyapatites†, Biomaterials, 31, 2010, pp. 6400 [4] G. Salzano, M. Marra, M. Porru, S. Zappavigna, A. Abbruzzese, M.I. La Rotonda, C. Leonetti, M. Caraglia, G. De Rosa â€Å"Self-assembly nanoparticles for the delivery of bisphosphonates into tumors† Int J Pharm, 403, 2011, pp.292 [5] M. Marra, G. Salzano, C. Leonetti, M. Porru, R. Franco,S. Zappavigna, G. Liguori, G. Botti, P. Chiefà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ , M. Lamberti,G. Vitale, A. Abbruzzese , M. I. La Rotonda, G. De Rosa, M. Caraglia â€Å"New self-assembly nanoparticles and stealth liposomes for the delivery of zoledronic acid: a comparative study†, Biotechnol. Adv. 30, 2012, pp. 302 [6] MJ Ernsting,M Murakami ,E Undzys ,A. Aman ,B Press ,SD Li â€Å"A docetaxel-carboxymethylcellulose nanoparticle outperforms the approved taxane nanoformulation, Abraxane, in mouse tumor models with significant control of metastases†, J Contorl Release, 162(3),2012, pp. 578 [7] L Mo ,L Hou ,D Guo ,X Xiao ,P Mao ,X Yang â€Å"Preparation and characterization of teniposide PLGA nanoparticles and their uptake in human glioblastoma U87MG cells† Int. J. Pharm., 436(1-2),2012, pp. 815 [8] M. Prodana, A. Voiculet, S. Garea, M.Radu, H Iovu, I Demetrescu, A Dinischiotu Synthesis, characterization and controlled toxicity of a novel hybrid material based on cisplatin and docetaxel „Cent. Eur. J. Chem.,2014, 12(10), pp. 1008 [9] A.Duma (Voiculet), M. Prodana, I. Demetrescu† Cisplatin functionalization of multiwalld carbon nanotubes† U.P.B. Sci. Bull. B, 76(1), 2014, p 49 [10] M. Prodana, A. Voiculet, D. Bojin , D. Ionita† Nanocomposites based on Carbon Nanotubes Functionalized with Drug Molecules† REV. CHIM. (Bucharest),64(8), 2013,pp.848

How Does Social Class Affect Life Chances?

How Does Social Class Affect Life Chances? LIFE CHANCES SOCIAL CLASS CONTINUES TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON LIFE CHANCES OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE CONTEMPORARY UK. DISCUSS THIS VIEW, USING APPROPRIATE EVIDENCE. In a modern western society individuals strive to achieve the things that are labelled as desirable, the best phone, a big house and a nice car. These are all known as commodities alongside education, health and housing but these commodities are very rarely distributed equally and so actually achieving these things can be difficult (Stroud, 2001). The ability and opportunity a person has to achieve these commodities is known as a person’s life chances. There are various factors that can determine a person’s life chances including genetic inheritance, social class of parents, education, childhood poverty, family, attitudes and discrimination, plus many more (Aldridge, 2004). A person’s life chances will often be determined by their social class within their society. Social class is one of the oldest and possibly one of the most persistent inequalities in British society. Classes are groups of people that all share the same ideals, opportunities and cultural belief s. These class systems can be defined by achieved or ascribed status. Achieved status is status that has been worked for, whereas ascribed status is from birth. Some class systems have social mobility, which gives individuals the opportunity to move up or down classes. Throughout history there have been records of many different class systems, including slavery, the feudal system and the Hindu caste system. Some of these class systems still exist even in today’s modernised world. Despite many adaptions taking place as life continues to change according to the National Equality Panel the UK is still a long way from being a society of equal opportunity. There has been a lot of change over the last two decades that have indeed improved the life chances of many; these changes have narrowed the inequalities in earnings, gender and education for ethnic minorities (Timmins, 2010). The biggest inequality that can be seen within the UK would be with income, with the majority of the UK’s wealth being owned by only a small percentage. Within the contemporary UK there appears to be a class system divided into three categories, upper class, middle class and working class. For each of these three classes there will be differences in the kind of advantages or disadvantages the people within them can have. These differences may be recognised by obvious inequality with commodities such as council housing or privately owned housing in select locations, education at select schools compared to state education, private healthcare opposed to NHS healthcare and highly paid occupations against poorly paid or no occupation opportunities. There could also be disadvantages due to a person’s accent and dialect, appearance and clothing and the leisure activities that person indulges in. There may also be other less obvious inequalities, from social class, that can affect a person’s life chances. In a modern society social class and life chances depend largely on economic differences between groups, such as wealth and income, possession of goods, and a person’s position in society (SFEU, n.d). The biggest differences in social class within the UK can be seen through a person’s occupation. The upper classes can live off unearned income, such as land rents or inheritance. There are not many upper class people living off unearned income, despite there being some very wealthy people. In the UK most people fall into middle class or working class categories. The middle class is broken down into the higher middle class and the lower middle class. The higher middle class hold occupations in professional work such as law, medicine or owning businesses. This type of work requires education, qualifications and skills. While the lower middle class hold occupations such as teachers and opticians. At one time lower middle class occupations were sought after and would have bee n regarded as higher middle class, but due to these professions now being stable well paid positions they have decreased in class standing (Mills, 1956, cited in Anon, n.d). Working classes hold manual labour occupations and although this can often require a lot of skill it is not generally well paid (Anon, n.d). It is more than obvious to say that if a child has a good education and achieves high qualifications then that child is most likely to gain a high paying job. A person born into a family living in poverty would obviously not have the same opportunity to attend a top quality private school as a person born into a wealthy family. There is also the consideration of catchment areas with education that could prevent a person being able to attend a better school than provided in their local area. A lot of the best schools in the UK do have scholarship and bursary opportunities, however these do not always apply as some of the individuals from poorer societies are unable or unaware of how to apply for this assistance and if they do they could still be refused. For instance, a child from a council estate, living with unemployed parents on the outskirts of a city would not be able to go to a private funded school in a big city. Whereas a child with parents as actors will almost always be inst antly enrolled to the best private schools available. The main factor that affects health inequality in the UK is social class. There are many studies that show people born in to poor families have less chance of survival, grow up with poor health and may die at an early age. NHS waiting lists at an all time high, those individuals with either low incomes or no incomes are increasingly waiting longer for potentially lifesaving treatment. In contrast to this those people in what is considered the upper classes are able to pay to have treatment privately and almost immediately, also having the opportunity to choose the best surgeon/doctor to perform the treatment. There is also the fact that many working class occupations cause illness but the people suffering are unable to take time away from their employment for fear of dismissal. Health inequalities may not be directly caused by social class itself but more as a result of social class inequality. Poor health can be a result of poor living conditions, bad eating habits, behavioural habi ts such as smoking and drinking and lack of exercise (Macintyre, cited in Burton, 2014). Another difference between life chances and differing social classes is the way crime is handled. A lot of national statistics state that most crime is committed by working class males. This is not necessarily true as a lot of wealthy people often commit crimes but are not prosecuted. Even when they are prosecuted there are major differences in the treatment involved. For instance a white working class male arrested for fraud will find himself face down on the pavement and handcuffed behind his back. He will then be taken to a local police station, thrown in a cell and eventually interviewed for hours before having DNA, fingerprints and photographs taken before being released. In total contrast to this a wealthy public figure such as a politician or celebrity would be contacted through their PA or agent with a request to attend the police station at a time suitable and convenient for them. They will not be handcuffed, put in a cell or subjected to many hours of interrogation. They ma y have to provide DNA, fingerprints and photographs but this could also depend on the person in question. REFERENCES Aldridge, S. (2004) Life Chances Social Mobility: An Overview of the Evidence [online]. Available from: http://www.swslim.org.uk/documents/themes/lt10_lifechances_socialmobility.pdf [Accessed on: 25th February 2014]. Anon. (n.d) Social Inequality Class War [online]. Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=4ved=0CE4QFjADurl=https%3A%2F%2Fhwb.wales.gov.uk%2Fcms%2Fhwbcontent%2FShared%2520Documents%2Fvtc%2F2009-10%2Fsociology%2Fj-griffiths-a2%2F08%2520Class%2520inequality.docei=cwUNU9qYGoLC7AaH0YGADQusg=AFQjCNHztbBO4TkYV-B6XSNIwk_jZoTLiAsig2=Jpwtyqz8c6wbtXevFwkpBwbvm=bv.61725948,d.ZGUcad=rja [Accessed on: 25th February 2014]. Burton, J. (2013) Class and Stratification Access Sociology [Class Hand-out]. Access to Social Science: Life Chances, Northampton College. 1st March. Crossman, A. (n.d) Sociology of Social Inequality [online]. Available from: http://sociology.about.com/od/Disciplines/a/Sociology-Of-Social-Inequality.htm [Accessed on: 27th February 2014]. Scottish Further Education Unit. (n.d) Sociology Social Stratification Intermediate  ½ [online]. Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=5ved=0CFYQFjAEurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.educationscotland.gov.uk%2FImages%2FSocialStratInt12_tcm4-335917.docei=cwUNU9qYGoLC7AaH0YGADQusg=AFQjCNFy43tMDIvoc1psuuKEX06umWxxgQsig2=5lS1A_bga4yStmZ-aZ4NxAbvm=bv.61725948,d.ZGUcad=rja [Accessed on: 25th February 2014]. Sparknotes. (n.d) Social Stratification and Inequality. Modern Stratification Systems [online]. Available from: http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/social-stratification-and-inequality/section3.rhtml [Accessed on: 27th February 2014]. Stroud, A. (2001) How Social Class Affects Life Chances [online]. Available from: http://www.markedbyteachers.com/gcse/sociology/how-social-class-affects-life-chances.html [Accessed on: 27th February 2014]. Timmins, N. (2010) Social advantages still shape life chances [online]. Available from: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/72110f9e-0ab1-11df-b35f-00144feabdc0.html axzz2ujHY6eXs [Accessed on: 1st March 2014]. BIBLIOGRAPHY Angel, L. (2007) Sociology (Analyse the relationship between social class and life chances)? [online]. Available from: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070121091107AADtlDM [Accessed on: 27th February 2014]. Bancroft, A. Rogers, S. (2010) Introduction to Sociology. Max Weber – Class, Status and Power [online]. Available from: http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/undergraduate/introsoc/weber11.html [Accessed on: 27th February 2014]. Rafaelz5. (2008) Does social class still influence people’s life chances and lifestyle? [online] Available from: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080810055743AA8X0wM [Accessed on: 27th February 2014]. S-cool. (n.d) Class [online]. Available from: http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/sociology/inequalities/revise-it/class [Accessed on: 1st March 2014].

The Motivation Behind the Columbine High Shootings Essay -- Columbine

The Motivation Behind the Columbine High Shootings Every major spectacle carries with it the potential of a new way of looking at the past and implications of a future. Usually within a brief period after the event, a consensual "explanation" is fashioned through the news media and by the political pundits who occupy much of the space and time dedicated by the media to the event. Political pundits seated in front of the camera become part of the event, often becoming a part of the process of transforming an event in time to a spectacle. In this case, the event was the murder of 13 and wounding of 23 persons at the Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The event took place on April 22, 1999 and, because of the subsequent suicide of the two teenage perpetrators, observers could only speculate on their motivation. While students were still hiding from the gunmen and while the police were still plotting their strategy, the media coverage began. Perhaps two impulses led to the coverage. First of all, the victims were not the children of the Hutus or East Timorese or even the Kosovos. These were "our" children and the parents our "friends." Their grief could have been ours. In fact, in a month plus a few days, five million dollars were donated to the survivors and the victim families even without there being a major fund-raising drive (Morning Edition, NPR, June 8, 1999). Secondly, the event had the earmarks of a media spectacle, that is, by transmogrifying the event to something beyond itself, the news media knew they would again be able to maximize their profit margins on the grief and graves of others. Events are news stories; spectacles are dollars. The old tv newsroom characterization of "if it bleeds, it leads" has been replaced in their business office à ³from graves to the gravy train. In its societal context, the Columbine school shootings are not an obvious part of a discernible sociological pattern. We know that approximately 4,500 youngsters are killed every year in intentional shootings, with thirty per cent of that number probable suicides. That's almost 13 a day, the same number as were killed in Littleton (The Washington Post, April 25, 1999). The data on school shootings, according to the Center for Communicable Diseases, indicate that only about 28 per cent actually occurred inside the school and that one-third of the victims were not... ...de behind my choices. You need to face the fact that this comes as a result of YOUR CHOICES....You taught these kids not to accept what is different. Harris and Klebold, armed with guns and bombs, grotesquely mobilized what little power they thought they had. Perhaps at another time or in another place these murders would not have occurred. But right now, the issue is power. That is our final lesson. One Georgia school board member -- obviously aware of the issue -- said following the Conyers, GA shooting: "We've got to let these kids know who's in charge of the schools" (New York Times, May 24, 1999). Violence in all of its manifestations is based on an exercise of power. It represents a means to gain power, to maintain power, or as a response to a threat to one's power. As long as a society maintains the legitimacy of social hierarchies, of the right of some people to have power over others, there will be violence. One can either seek to diffuse the concentration of power or to control violence. By its very character, the attempt to control violence is self-defeating. The control will itself become violent. The quest for a society without coercion is only now being charted