Monday, September 30, 2019
Punishment or Treatment: What are our prisons for? Essay
INTRODUCTION            Today, we always hear news about crimes being committed by many people. Moreover, those people who commit crimes tend to offend again their previous criminal acts. The repeating of doing such criminal act is known as recidivism. Specifically, recidivism is the term used when someone, who after receiving a punishment or negative consequences of the criminal behavior, repeat his or her criminal behavior. Due to the alarming increase in recidivism cases, policy makers in a given country try to find out what will be the best option or solution that will help in decreasing the number of criminal cases and one of their options is the implementation of punishment or what they call deterrence and the other method is rehabilitation. Deterrence had been a hot issue regarding on its ethical background and most especially its effectiveness in counterattacking recidivism. Many said that it is not effective in its sole purpose. They added that there are other ways to prevent an individual in committing crime again other than forcing those individual to be punished by law. But there were studies that concluded deterrence to be an effective tool in decreasing crime rate among crime violators whether the deterrence is specific or general. The most popular form of deterrence is imprisonment. Imprisonment brings fright to those possible committers. And this limits them to do crime again because deterrence brings bad experience to those who were found to have committed crime. OBJECTIVE The main audiences of this paper are the policy makers that are concerned on recidivism issues. Lawmakers will make certain policy that will guide these offenders and will treat them offenders. The said audience is not limited only to policy makers but also to those people like parole and rehabilitation officers who assess and guides these criminal committers in their probation program. This paper will try to analyze recidivism occurrence. This paper will have a deep analysis on the reasons why people tend to commit again their previous criminal behavior given that they were already given the right treatment and appropriate consequences to extinguish that behavior. The paper will not only tackle recidivism but also take a look on the current situation on the policies and actions given to those people who commit criminal acts again. Potential intervention to reduce the risk of recidivism will be one of the focuses of this paper. The effectiveness of the current actions will be emphasized as it will serve as a guide to the people who handle this kind of issue. The paper will compare deterrence and rehabilitation as the two most popular solutions and actions when dealing with recidivism. Is longer deterrence and rehabilitation will lead to minimize recidivism or will just increase the repeating of undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior? The paper will try to answer all these questions to enlighten and give knowledge to the proposed reader of this paper. III. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Recidivism and Deterrence In legal terms, deterrence and recidivism are two common terms used. These two terms have many meaning and it depends on the field that the two terms were utilized. Recidivism is the act of returning to the offense that was previously committed. It is the repetition or habitual committing on crimes. The word originated from the Latin word recidÄ «vus which means recurring. The said term is usually used in criminology. An example of recidivism case is when a sexual offender person who after release from prison does again sexual harassment. Recidivism does not only include sexual harassment but also other form of criminal acts. Recidivism rate has been a major problem of different countries and solution to the increasing rate on recidivism is being done (Maltz, 2007). Recidivism Theories After discussing recidivism, the next topic to talk about is the theories behind recidivism. The theories that will explain the occurrence of recidivism are: Anomie, Differential Association Theory, Deviance theory, Labeling theory, Rational Choice theory, Social Control theory, Strain theory, Subcultural theory and Symbolic Interactionism (Clarke & Felson, 1993). Anomie pertains to the condition malaise or depression of an individual. Depression is the result of minimal guidance set by the governing and ruling body of a country. It is the lack of rules and regulation, standards and values that hinder criminal behavior. When the term anomie is applied in a government, it means social unrest or turmoil. The term anomie is synonymous on normlessness. It means that a person in a society will react against from the social norms which are guided by the set of rules and standards of a given society. Anomie focuses on the social issues rather than on the individual reason why there are such incidences of recidivism. This theory emphasize that the society has big responsibility in molding and guiding every citizen in the right path. On the other hand, Differential Association theory is almost synonymous to anomie. The said theory was developed by Edwin Sutherland. According to Sutherland, differential association can be seen when a person is being affected by the people around him. That person learns the values of the values, attitudes and behavior of the people around him to do criminal behavior. Thus the society around an individual has big impact on the possible recidivism (Clarke & Felson, 1993). Deviant behavior is also a possible answer why people tend to engage in repeating criminal acts. When a person displays deviant behavior, he is more likely to commit crimes. He does not know nor follow rules in a given society (Clarke & Felson, 1993). Labeling theory is another aspect to look in understanding recidivism. In this theory, the person’s deviant behavior is being affected by the people around him because these people try to categorize or label him as a person with abnormal behavior. The society dictates and classifies a person which can include the deviant behavior (Clarke & Felson, 1993). Looking on the psychological aspect of a person with recidivism case, he or she may have some problem that cannot be resolved easily. Thus, his brain may not function well. That person will try to commit undesirable acts like crime. This is the main point of rational choice theory, in which the person weighs means and ends and makes rational decisions (Clarke & Felson, 1993). Another theory that has relation to deviant behavior is the Social Control theory. The theory hypothesizes that deviant behavior if a person is a result of the dissatisfaction in a society. The person will break laws as a sign of grief. On the other hand, the Subcultural theory states that within a society, there is a group of person that has natural deviant behavior. If these people meet together, then they will find comfort with each other because they have the same feeling when doing deviant acts (Clarke & Felson, 1993). And the last theory will be the Strain theory. In criminology, the strain theory states that social structures within society may encourage citizens to commit crime. When the structure of the society inhibits the needs of a person, there is a big possibility that this person will commit unnecessary behavior like crimes (Clarke & Felson, 1993).            For the past few years, the recidivism rate in the United States had a significant increase. Given the figure below, we can see that between 3 years, the number of recidivism in the country in 1994 within the 15 states had increased to 70% which is higher than the year 1983 which had a record of 60%.            According to the Office of Justice Program, OPJ of the United Stares, 67.5% of prisoners released in 1994 were rearrested within 3 years, an increase over the 62.5% found for those released in 1983. The figure also shows that, all the crime categories had a relevant increase from 1983 to 1994. The property offenders, drug offenders and public-order offenders had increased from 68.1% to 73.8%, 50.4% to 66.7% and 54.6% to 62.2% respectively.            Moreover, OPJ emphasized that in the year 1994, recidivism rate within 3 years was estimated to be 51.8% of prisoners released during the year were back in prison for the reason of a committing fresh crime for which they received another prison sentence, or because they were not able to follow the regulations of their parole. Figure 1. Recidivism rate in 1983 and 1994 Deterrence            For this paper, two topics regarding on the correctional methods will be focused and these are deterrence and parole and probation. These two methods differ with each other in terms of the process and principle being employed. The former believes that correctional means can be attained and achieved when punishment or negative consequence is applied in the crime committer while the former consider the rehabilitation and education of prisoners. Another term which has relation on recidivism is deterrence. Deterrence is the act of providing necessary punishment on those who commit crime. The degree of the punishment depends also on the degree of the crime that was committed (Maltz, 2007). There are two forms of deterrence, the specific and the general. The former describes deterrence as punishment given only to the individual who committed the crime while the latter describe deterrence as punishment on the general audience. Specific deterrence is also known as individual deterrence. The general deterrence focuses on general prevention of crime by making examples of specific deviants. The individual actor is not the focus of the attempt at behavioral change, but rather receives punishment in public view in order to deter other individuals from deviance in the future. Deterrence as a major tool in lessening recidivism rate gained many criticisms about its effectiveness. Many said that deterrence, whether it is specific or general, is not effective in decreasing the crime rate in the country. Some studies regarding on the effectiveness of deterrence found that violators are not afraid on the punishment, but rather they are more afraid on the act of caught. Usually, the offenders are the drug and alcohol abusers. This result was supported on the findings on areas where surveillance cameras were introduced. Possible violators were afraid to be caught from the surveillance cameras thus lowering the rate of crime cases. General deterrence has also been heavily criticized for relying on publicity of heavy punishments; it has been described as â€Å"the least effective and least fair principle of sentencing†. Other countries like the Great Britain believe on rehabilitation procedure rather than deterrence. Deterrence Theory But why deterrence is still being implemented in many criminal procedures? To answer this question, it is better to examine the principle behind the use of punishment to eradicate crimes. In behavioral psychology, deterrence is theory on introducing punishment for those who violated the law. Today, United States is adopting and implementing this practice in their criminal justice procedure. The principle behind the use of an iron hand for those who committed crime is that, the violator will be afraid when introduced to punishment and will refrain from doing it again. Deterrence: Effective or not? This paper will try to analyze the effectiveness if deterrence in minimizing the crime rate or the recidivism among countries. Also, the two types of deterrence, specific and general will be examined. There were many studies were conducted to address the problem in the rise of recidivism. Part of the studies was the implementation of punishment among the violators. The studies analyze procedure on the implementation as well the effectiveness of the said procedures. According to the study that was made by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, punishment among violators on individuals who are apprehended for driving under the alcohol influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI), or related offenses such as driving after suspension for a DUI and violation of zero tolerance laws found that giving them a sanction is effective in doing the said crimes again. As a matter of fact, many policy makers use punishment to control the rise of crimes on their countries. They developed laws that will hinder in doing offense or any unlawful act. People are afraid on the punishment like going to jail. The principle behind the use of any kind of punishment is the inculcation or realization of the bad experiences from punishment (Henry, 2003). Specific deterrence has a positive effect on the decrease in the rate of crime cases. An individual will think again if he or she will do the crime again after the individual had a bad experience of the punishment he or she received earlier. This will make the potential offender afraid on the possible sanction he may incur and will also produce doubt in doing the crime again (Martin & Ellis, 1998). General deterrence also produce a positive effect in relation to the lessening the crime rate in a given place. People will have an idea on the proposed sentence or penalty. The most popular example of general deterrence is going to jail. The media will broadcast the bad condition of a person in a jail. According to studies, jail imprisonment is more effective as a general deterrent, but it appears to be no more effective as a specific deterrent for reducing DUI recidivism than other sanctions, and it is far more costly (Martin & Ellis, 1998). Another form of deterrence is the administrative license suspension or any other criminal records that will be a problem is any job employment. When a person committed a crime, he or she will have criminal record and when this person will apply for a job, the company he or she is applying will need a criminal clearance, if in United States, an FBI clearance. When the person applying for the job had a criminal record, the company will hesitate to employ the said individual. This form of deterrence had created an impact in the reduction of recidivism (Martin & Ellis, 1998). To strengthen the argument on the effectiveness of deterrence when it comes to the elimination of recidivism, another study was conducted to determine the effect of the length of imprisonment to the number of law violations. According to Weinrath and Gartrell (2001), they concluded that sentence length exerted consistent deterrent effects on repeat drunk driving, even for chronic offenders. While in a shorter jail imprisonment, the offenders that will be imprisoned at shorter time were more likely to repeat their habitual crime commitment. This finding will strengthen the evidence on the argument that deterrence is an effective tool in lessening the crime rate in a given place ( Weinrath and Gartrell, 2001). Moreover, longer deterrence has positive impact in lessening recidivism rate. Another classification of deterrence is the severity and strictness. According to Henry (2003), mild punishment tends to have positive effects on decreasing recidivism while those severe consequences produce negative effects. Psychological research on punishment in has shown that mild punishment can be effective in changing behavior and is dependent on the frequency, immediacy application and with positive reinforcement of pro-social behavior. On the other hand, severe punishment will only lead to avoidance or escape, alienation of those punished, and aggressiveness. Parole and Rehabilitation            There are many possible causes why recidivism is present in our society. One is the problem in their family. When the parents of the family are not around in their home or a broken family, these are possible factors. The most prone to commit recidivism that is results on the minimal parental guidance are the youth or juvenile. The juveniles are not being monitored on their activities. This kind of family structure is not good for a child because juveniles has a low self control especially when encountering serious problem like family problems, they tend to break and to escape to the problem, they break the laws and norms of the society. In this period, they are engage in drinking alcohol and drug abusing. There will come a time when they will repeat the crime they had committed before.            Problems in their schooling are other factors that contribute to the increase in juvenile recidivism cases. If a child experience failing grades or does not do well in class, the child will find a way to escape on their problems and this may lead to juvenile delinquency activities.            Another major cause of recidivism among is the social factor. This can be explained when a person experienced racial discrimination, sexual harassment, abandonment, physical abuse and neglect. The society may dictate what an innocent person can do. If a person is surrounded by criminal incidences, that person may be influenced by these wrong doings. This is somewhat related to peer to peer relation. If group of people has engaged in wrong doing like alcohol drinking, drug abusing, the innocent person may be influenced. (Roberts, 2000)            Because of the alarming news and impact of recidivism in the society, the government of United States made a program to lessen the impacts and cases of reoffending of criminal acts in the society. Lawmakers made a response to these issues. They made laws and policies that will eliminate recidivism cases in the society. Children who commits the case were been rehabilitate in a rehabilitation center to put in to realization the crime they had committed and how to escape from the disorder of their behaviors.            Parole and probation are both part of the rehabilitation program made by lawmakers. Dressler (1959) defined parole as the release of the delinquent outside the rehabilitation center under supervision of a parole officer. The offender had undergone rehabilitation in a correctional center. The word parole was in the French language is defined as promise and in dictionary context it is word of honor. The release is conditional and the behavior of the delinquent is being monitored. While probation is the release of the delinquent to the community in which he can rehabilitate his behavior better. Like parole, the offender’s behavior is being monitored by the probation officer. The word probation comes from the Latin language meaning a period of supervision and guidance. Probation in church term means the period were a person is seeking in the entrance to the church.            In a rehabilitation center, probation is a treatment where the offender will have the chance to have socialized in a community. Probation and parole programs are being handled by the court members.            The delinquent under parole program had stayed in the rehabilitation center. Both parole and probation programs are made to change the behavioral problems of the offenders. They believe that rehabilitation can be made better to the offenders if they stay in a community than staying in prison. In the parole program, offenders are given the second chance to change their behaviors, as well in the probation program. The offenders tend to learn their lesson after they undergone in this two programs.            Torbet (1996) said that probation or parole program on recidivism cases has been overwhelming dispositional decision of court judges. Almost half of the recidivism cases were made to probation or parole program. Torbet said also that probation is the roughest sanction that the offender can received. At the end of 80’s decade, Whitehead and Lab (1989) made a meta analysis on the effects of probation or parole treatment on the behavior of the juvenile delinquent and concluded that probation programs lessen the recidivism of the offender.            In 1992, Lipsey released another meta analysis study regarding on probation or parole programs. The result also showed that recidivism was lessening on juvenile delinquent when probation is granted to them than those in comparison group. In 1998, Lipsey together with Wilson conducted another Meta analysis study on the effects of serious juvenile delinquent cases to probation program. The result also showed that probation lessens the cases in recidivism. The results also suggest that there are many variations on how the probation program is being worked.            Some studies had been conducted to determine the effects of the duration of probation programs to recidivism. Wooldredge in 1998 found that the longer the time of probation the greater are the incidence of recidivism. Longer duration made the offenders to have impatience and disrespect on the probation officers. Wooldredge concluded that two years of supervision is the ideal duration for a probation program.            Another study was conducted by Sontheimer and Goodstein (1993) to find out how intensive probation aftercare programs lessen the occurrence of offending using random assignment. And the result showed that it does not lessen the occurrence that the offender will commit again juvenile crime. Parole and Probation; Effective or not?            Effective response on recidivism cases is a key to minimize the occurrence of the said cases. Effective intervention on the possible causes of recidivism cases and the proper management to the offenders is the first step in reducing the reoffending of crime cases.            Studies show that effective intervention reduce the recidivism rate. The effective intervention has a significant effect on recidivism rate. It made a 6% reduction from the previous cases. (Lipsey, 1992)  References: Clarke, R. V. and M. Felson  (1993). Advances in Criminological Theory, Vol 5. New   Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books. Dressler, D. (1959). Practice and Theory of Probation and Parole. Henry, S. (2003). On the Effectiveness of Prison as Punishment [Electronic Version]. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.is.wayne.edu/stuarthenry/Effectiveness_of_Punishment.htm Lipsey, M. W. (1992). Juvenile delinquency treatment:Ameta-analytic inquiry into the ariabilityof effects.: New York: RussellSage Foundation. Maltz, M. D. Recidivism. (2007). [Electronic Version]. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/forr/pdf/crimjust/recidivism.pdf Martin, S. E., & Ellis, E. (1998). EFFECTIVENESS OF STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING DUI RECIDIVISM [Electronic Version]. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-99-023.html Roberts, C. H. (2000). Juvenile Delinquency: Cause and Effect. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, II. Sontheimer, H., &Goodstein, L. (1993). An evaluation of juvenile intensive aftercare probation: Aftercare versus system response effects. Justice Quarterly,. Torbet, P. M. (1996). Juvenile probation: The workhorse of the juvenile justice system. Washington Weinrath, M., & Gartrell, J. (2001). Specific Deterrence and Sentence Length. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Vol. 17(2, 105-122 ). Whitehead, J. T., &Lab, S.P. (1989). Ameta-analysis of juvenile correctional treatment. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Wooldredge, J. D. (1988). Differentiating the effects of juvenile court sentences on eliminating recidivism. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
General Motors Essay
A car for every purse and purpose†– Alfred P Sloan Jr, Former President & CEO General Motors. General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 205,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 157 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. Company History: General Motors was founded on Wednesday, September 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan, as a holding company for Buick by William C. Durant. Durant started acquiring many companies like Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Cartercar, Elmore, Ewing, Pontiac etc. Durant lost control of GM in 1910 to a bankers trust, due to the large amount of debt (around $1 million) taken on in its acquisitions. Durant left the firm and co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911 with Louis Chevrolet. After a brilliant stock buy back campaign, he returned to head GM in 1916. GM surpassed Ford Motor Company in sales in the late 1920s thanks to the leadership of Alfred P. Sloan. Sloan was inventing new ways of managing a complex worldwide organization, while paying special attention to consumer demands. Car buyers no longer wanted the cheapest and most basic model; they wanted style, power, and prestige, which GM offered them. During the 1920s and 1930s, General Motors assumed control of the Yellow Coach bus company, and helped create Greyhound bus lines. They replaced intercity train transport with buses. GM needs a sense of urgency regarding revising a strategic plan that incorporates the next generation of vehicles. In today’s global economy and highly competitive auto industry GM has no time to procrastinate. As stated, GM has just too much at risk in not becoming an industry leader in alternative fuel technology. Fuel-economy legislation is sparking the race. This is a critical time in auto industry with many threats, but opportunities as well. The next several years will redefine GM. Vision Statement The GM vision is as follows: GM’s vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services. GM will earn our customers’ enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by the integrity, teamwork, and innovation of GM people. The proposed new vision for GM is as follows: For GM to become the automotive industry leader in alternative fueled vehicles and providing superior quality products that global consumers call to mind when they think of quality and innovation. My vision for GM is to be the industry leader in innovation, and where all other industry competition strives to imitate. Mission Statement The current GM mission statements are as follows: Drive improvements in market share, revenue, brands, people, responsiveness, and cost effectiveness through the implementation of global common metrics and best practice sharing. The new proposed mission statement will be as follows: GM will become an industry leader, not a follower. To regain lost market share that was lost to foreign competition, and once again be the auto industry leader in sales and market share in today’s global market. Values Statement The auto industry just like the global economy is going through tremendous change, due to rising fuel prices, and environmental worries, such as global warming. GM must use these threats as opportunities, and take advantage of changing consumer buying habits. GM needs to change consumer perception of the company, from a dull, poor quality, vehicles to innovative, quality, and environmentally friendly company. To do this GM must portray an image that states that GM values what the consumer wants and what the environment needs. Listen to what consumers are saying directly and indirectly about GM’s current products, and create innovative, green, vehicles that turn consumers into customers. At the same time provide GM stakeholders pride and financial incentives to remain with GM. Environmental Analysis GM and the entire auto industry are currently challenged with the perfect storm. The auto industry is being hit by a weak US and global economy, rising fuel prices, and social and political environmental concerns and issues. In order to overcome these potential threat, GM should consider mass producing a range of alternative fueled vehicles, i. e. fuel cell, electric, and hybrid. SWOT Analysis Strengths 1. Large Market Share Although GM’s market share in the US has dropped it is still very much competitive at 26 percent. They also have an increasing share in the Chinese market. With the right decisions there is no reason for GM to not become the automotive leader it once was. . Global Experience As explained above even with GM’s recent decline they still have the market share and the experience to bounce back. They have been a worldwide company for nearly a century now and have established themselves as the global leader for most of them. If you recall I mentioned above that a current opportunity for GM is to expand globally and as we can see they a lready have the experience to do so. It is just a matter of the correct planning and proper implementation of those plans that will decided whether or not GM’s goals are achieved. 3. Variety of Brand Names GM as I mentioned has been the automotive leader for the majority of the last century. A large reason for that is the wide variety of quality brand names that appeal to all target markets. The current GM brands include: Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Daewoo, Opel, and Holden. 4. GMAC Customer Financing Program Since its establishment in 1919 it has proven to be GM’s most reliable source of revenue. 5. OnStar Satellite Technology Developed in 1996 OnStar currently has over 3 million subscribers and is standard on all GM vehicles. This technology allows the vehicles to be tracked in the event of an emergency or theft. It also allows the driver and or passengers the ability to communicate with OnStar personnel at the click of a button. Weaknesses 1. Behind on Alternative Energy Movement This is GM’s biggest weakness. The alternative energy/hybrid trend has begun to take place in the automotive industry and GM has been one step behind the competition in terms of alternative energy vehicles. This has led to many problems including loss of market share and a decrease in company profit. In order for any automotive company to be successful from this point forward they must be Hybrid friendly and fuel efficient. 2. Poor Organizational Structure As we can see in exhibit 1 of the case GM’s organizational structure seems to be too vertically integrated. This causes a lack of communication between employees from top to bottom and may have played a part in GM falling behind on the alternative energy movement. 3. Stagnant Profitability Looking at GM’s profit we see that they are certainly struggling with respect to the size of their company. Their profit margin was about 1. 5% and the ROE has dramatically decreased over the recent years dropping to 10% in 2004. This is a situation that shareholders will not be pleased with. 4. Overly Dependent on US market GM has become too dependent on the US market and must take advantage of the opportunity to expand globally. The competition is becoming too strong to focus on just one country. 5. Overly Dependent on General Motors Acceptance Corporation(GMAC) Financing GM has become too dependent on its financing program. Granted it is a great strength for GM, however they once again cannot rely solely on financing in order to turn profit, especially if they want to compete with Honda and Toyota who are rapidly growing. 6. Poor Credit Status GM’s credit status has like everything else has been steadily declining. Their current ratio is just barely above 1 and their acid test is even lower. Although, I don’t see them getting denied based on their credit at this point, the seriousness of the matter is certainly apparent. Opportunities 1. Alternative Energy movement It is obvious that GM was behind its competition with regards to the research and development of hybrid vehicles. However hybrid technology is still very much new giving GM the opportunity to once again become the automotive industry’s leader in innovation and technology. 2. Continuing to Expand Globally. Recently GM saw an increase in the Chinese automotive market, which proves their needs to be more emphasis put on foreign markets. If GM can infiltrate these markets and successfully grow along with their continuing focus on the US market they will be headed in a positive direction. . Low Interest Rates With the right marketing strategy the low interest rates have the potential to generate an immediate increase in sales. 4. Develop New Vehicle Styles and Models This is an opportunity that will never be satisfied, meaning that GM should always be attempting to develop the automotive world’s most popular vehicles, and as we know, what is in today will be out tomorrow. Th reats 1. Rising Fuel Prices With GM being a large producer in both trucks and SUV’s, sales have drastically decreased due to the lack of fuel efficiency. The rise in fuel prices has played a significant role in creating the opportunity for development of both hybrid and more fuel efficient vehicles. As you will find with most threats, an equal opportunity will usually emerge as is the case here with GM’s opportunity mentioned above. 2. Growth of Competitors GM no longer has the luxury of being the known leader in the automotive industry and faces the reality that they are in serious trouble. As I mentioned earlier Toyota took the first step in the direction of hybrid echnology and has since drastically grown and become the questionable automotive frontrunner to start the 21st century. 3. Pension Payouts. Part of this threat is their own doing and the other is simply unavoidable. GM is responsible for providing generous pension benefits to its employees, which at the time seemed like a great idea, however they are now experiencing problems as more and more people begin to collect. 4. Increased Health Care Costs GM, like many lar ge companies with quality employee health care benefits, is experiencing a large financial hit that only gets worse as time continues. . Rising Supply Costs, i. e. Steel Once again this threat affects the entire automotive industry and forces each company to cut manufacturing and production costs as much as possible, without taking away from the quality of the product. Core Competence The core competence of General Motors is innovation. This is the driving force behind its $190 above turnover. General Motors has been utilizing innovation in service ad technology to secure itself a dominant position in the automobile industry, since 1908. In 1911, it conceptualized, engineered and commercialized the self-starter engine for the first time. Then in 1926, its product Cadillac was the pioneer in devising a nationwide service strategy. In 1996 General Motors introduced OnStar satellite technology which allows equipped vehicles to be tracked in case of an emergency or theft and allows the passengers to communicate with OnStar personnel. Other new car concepts include minicars such as Chevy Aveo. However in the case of hybrid vehicles, General Motors was unable to keep up to the pace of the market demand.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Economic freedom Essay
Does economic freedom help explain why the standard of living improves in some countries and declines in others? First of all we have to understand, what economic freedom is? Economic freedom according to William W. Beach and Tim Kane, PhD. â€Å" Economic freedom is that part of freedom that is concerned with the material autonomy of the individual in relation to the state and other organized groups. An individual is economically free who can fully control his or her labor and property.†(Taken from 2007 Index of economic freedom chapter no.3 by William W. Beach and Tim Kane, PhD). Or in simple words we can also say that everybody in his or her own country is said to be economically free, if their respective government protects their rights in every possible way and without any constraint. i.e. if an individual wants to learn anything, to do any kind of business or wants a job, then, he or she has a right to do that, while it is the responsibility of the government to make it convenient and possible for them. The first study of economic freedom was published in the year 1995, and it was improved over the years. There are about ten different types of economic freedoms, which are known as index of economic freedoms. The main purpose of defining these freedoms is to rank the countries in order to pave the way for foreign investment. Following is the list of ten economic freedoms: (taken from 2007 Index of economic freedom from chapter no.3 by William W Beach and Tim Kane, PhD). 1) Business freedom: To check the status of starting, operating and closing any business in how much time. 2) Trade freedom: To check the barriers and constraints in tariffs, import and export in the country. 3) Monetary freedom: To check the measure of price stability and how governments are controlling the prices, inflation etc. 4) Freedom from government: To check either state is providing public goods with minimum expenditure or not. 5) Fiscal freedom: To check the burden on the government with respect to revenue side. 6) Property rights: To check whether the public have keeping the private property rights, defined and secured by the laws, and are clearly defined by the government. 7) Investment freedom: To check whether the government deserves to have the foreign investment or not. 8) Financial freedom: To check the operation of financial institutions i.e. banking systems; are they out of government control or not. 9) Freedom from corruption: To check the status of corruption in the society, i.e. in the business system, judiciary, and administrative system in the country. 10) Labor freedom: To check the status of growth of labor and business either they are working without government interruption or not. (Taken from 2007 index of economic freedom from chapter no.3 by William W Beach and Tim Kane, PhD). Each one of the ten freedoms is measured on a 0-100 percent scale, 100 as the maximum freedom while 0 is the least or minimum freedom. The study of economic freedom was conducted on about 157 countries of the world. To show how it works, I choose two countries that are North Korea and South Korea. North Korea has a communist form of government and is ranked at no.157 in the index of 157 countries, its economy is 3% free. It has exports of $1.3 billion, it exports: minerals, metallurgical products, manufacturing (including armaments), textiles, fishery products etc. and imports of $2.3 billion, it imports: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textile grains etc. In communist form of government every asset in the country belongs to the state, therefore there is no business freedom i.e. 0 % (in 0-100 % scale) in N. Korea. Also government controls all the imports and exports so trade freedom i.e. 0 % is also nil. No data on income or corporate taxes is available so fiscal freedom i.e. 0 % is also zeroed. Also government owns all the property including businesses therefore freedom from government i.e. 0% is also nil. No publicly record of inflation data therefore monetary freedom i.e. 0% is also zero. Also no private financial sector, therefore financial freedom i.e. 0% is also nil. Wages and incentives are also controlled by government therefore labor freedom i.e. 0% is also nil, also corruption is heavily present in the country so corruption freedom i.e. 10% is also negligible, but there is some investment freedom i.e. 10%, after the opening of foreign investment zone in the far remote area of rajin sonberg where basic facilities are also not provided till date. The government does not cover property rights i.e. 10%, so they are also negligible. (Taken from 2007 index of economic freedom from chapter no.5). While South Korea has democratic form of government and it is ranked at no.36 out of 157 in the index of economic freedom, and its economy is 68.6% free. S. Korea has export of $299.2 billion, it exports: semi conductors, wireless telecommunication, equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships and petrochemicals etc. It has imports of $269.8 billion, it imports: machinery, electronics, electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport, organic chemicals and plastics etc. As South Korea has democratic form of government, in that form, the government tries every possible effort to please its citizens, therefore starting, operating and closing the business in that country is relatively easy, there is a lot of business freedom i.e. 83.1% present in the country. S. Korea as compared to N. Korea has good trade freedom i.e. 64.2% present but there are some restrictions in its some activities like import, non-transparent regulations and standards etc. S. Korea has high income tax rate of about 38.5% and relatively low corporate tax of about 27.5%, so we can say that it has a good fiscal freedom i.e. 0-100 bracket it has about 81% free. After the foreign investment promotion act of Nov 1998 the government opens the doors to foreign investment in almost every sector except media, electric power and some agricultural sectors, and also residents and non residents can now holds foreign exchange accounts, so there is a lot of investment freedom i.e. about 70% free. The private property right i.e. 70% is secure by the government; corruption i.e. 50% is present at some extent in the country. The labor i.e. 57.7% market is working under restrictive employment regulations due to which employment and production growth rate is very low. Government interference in private sector is negligible, so freedom from government is 81.5%. The government regulates the prices in some sectors like agriculture, telecommunication and other utilities, which monetary freedom 79%, the government in retained some ownerships, second largest domestic bank is under them, which makes the financial freedom about 50% free. (Taken from 2007 index of economic freedom from chapter no.5).  In short economic freedom in South Korea is much superficial than North Korea, and it is mainly due to democratic and communism forms of governments, democratic people are enjoying the fruits of freedom while others do not.
Friday, September 27, 2019
The aims and Proposed plan of work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
The aims and Proposed plan of work - Essay Example Proposed plan of work, including its relationship to previous work, with key references. Please avoid excessive use of technical terms, however if unavoidable provide a glossary of terms as indicated in section 4.5. (Please only use the space provided below – no more than 1,000 words and written for a non specialist audience. References may be attached on a separate sheet): To achieve the aims of this thesis, the researcher conducted an analysis of three relevant arbitration laws: the new Saudi Arbitration Law 2012; the former Saudi Arbitration Law 1983; and, the English Arbitration Act 1996 (attached). The researcher is of the opinion that this will establish a clear framework by which the research questions can be addressed since these are the main legal sources of both Saudi and English arbitration jurisdictions. The structure of this study follows a logical approach, beginning with the legal basis of arbitration as represented in the arbitration agreement. It is followed b y the discussion of the arbitral tribunal, which oversees the arbitral process, issues arbitral decision and decide on the arbitral award. Finally, a section will be devoted to third and last stage in the process, which is the outcome of the arbitral process: the arbitral award and its enforcement. The supervisory team suggested to begin the study with the discussion and analysis of the Qualifications of Arbitrator. The reason for this is that the arbitrator qualifications constitute the fundamental framework that outlines the limitations of freedom for parties to arbitration in the selection of arbitral tribunal. Presently, the arbitration agreement is being analyzed and examined. This will include the validity and scope of arbitration agreement, which is expected to shed light on the extent of freedom of parties to arbitration in terms of drafting an arbitration agreement to resolve either standing disputes between them or those that may arise in the future. The next section will concentrate on the extent of freedom of arbitration parties and the arbitral tribunal regarding the selection of procedural rules and substantive law under: 1) SAL 2012; 2) Sharia, as it is considered the applicable law in Saudi; and, 3) under the EAA 1996. In addition, key issues will also be analyzed including the controversial application of the Sharia law such the concepts of Riba and the loss of future profits, in addition to the extent of differences in the viewpoints within Sharia in case one or both of arbitration parties are religiously neutral. The third section will be devoted to the discussion of the arbitral tribunal. This will undertaken by analyzing three important factors: duties, powers and jurisdictions of the arbitral tribunal. Again, this will be carried out in the context of Sharia and SAL 2012, and in comparison with the EAA 1996 and the case laws in the UK. The final stage (PhD) will include the role of national courts and their impact on the success of the ar bitral process. This will be divided into three sections. The first section will analytically and critically examine the role of national courts in the arbitral process in the commencement of and during the arbitral process under the two Saudi and English jurisdictions. Second section will deal with the concept of arbitral award and
Thursday, September 26, 2019
MOHG2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
MOHG2 - Essay Example These analysis form an integral part of the financial statement analysis, especially from the investors point of view, who always strive to invest in countries having strengthen and stabilizing financial ratios and representing an upward trend. It is of great significance that the ratios must be benchmarked against a standard in order for them to possess a meaning. Keeping that into account, the comparison is usually conducted between companies portraying same business and financial risks, between industries and between different time periods of the same company. The company under consideration is Mandarin Oriental International Limited and in this report analysis of the financial performance of the company for the financial year 2011 with the financial year 2010 has been conducted in order to draw attention to various financial trends and significant changes over the period. The analysis is divided into three main categorize namely Profitability, Liquidity and Gearing. Profitability ratios identify how efficiently and effectively a company is utilizing its resources and how successful it has been in generating a desired rate of return for its shareholders and investors. Liquidity ratios measure the ability of the company to quickly convert its asset into liquid cash to settle its short term liabilities. Whereas, the Gearing ratios identifies the extent to which the company is financed through debt and to what degree the operations are being conducted from the finance raised through raising equity capital or otherwise. Mandarin Oriental International Limited is regarded as one of the prominent when it comes to luxurious hotels. As quoted from the annual report of Mandarin for the financial year 2011, â€Å"Mandarin Oriental International Limited is an international hotel investment and management group with deluxe and first class hotels, resorts and residences in sought-after destinations around the world. The group now operates, or under
Data Collection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Data Collection Paper - Essay Example This is where good academic performance usually starts. However, as these students continue to blend with others or as they continue to dwell within the grounds of the academic institution, they encounter certain things that influence their thinking, their outlook and their attitude. In the case of academic performance, there are several factors that can affect students' attitude towards school. Some of these factors include peer pressure, family background or problems, school location or environment, the student's lifestyle and teachers, and other psychosocial reasons. There are also studies that show that ethnic differences can affect a students' attitude towards school. Professor Laurence Steinberg, in one of his publications, stated that ethnic differences causes students to have different beliefs or reactions regarding failing in school. Specifically, he cited Asians as believers that poor performance in school would have negative or unfavorable consequences. Furthermore, he exp lains the effect of peer pressure on a child. Results of his studies also show that a lot of American teens believe that people make fun of those who do well academically. This implies that they would rather not have high grades to avoid being laughed at. Majority of the students also expressed that they never talk about academics or school-related issues with their friends (Edsource Online, 1999). In relation to the g... This teacher factor means how the teacher deals with the students, the teacher's manner of teaching, the teacher's professional and casual relationship with the students, and other relevant and significant elements that might have an impact on the students' performance. This study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the factors that can affect a students' academic performance 2. What are the examples of "teacher factor" that have significant effects on a student's performance In addition, at the end of this study, solutions on how to minimize the negative effect of "teacher factor" on students' performance should be provided. Since the research will tackle the different factors, particularly the "teacher factor", that affects students' performance in school, results will be beneficial to other students of different educational level. Through this research, students will learn about how to avoid being affected by such factors, and therefore, begin to develop a more positive outlook about school and help them excel in class. Aside from the students, this research will also be of help to educational institutions by providing them with relevant information on how to improve and develop better relationships among the teachers and the students. This research can also serve as a reference for future researchers. This is going to be a descriptive research which will involve male and female high school students as respondents. The sampling technique to be used will be random sampling. This research will make use of a questionnaire as the data collection method. This will allow the researcher to have a larger sample size and, therefore, obtain more reliable and accurate results. This method is also less
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Twin Deficits Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Twin Deficits - Research Paper Example If people consumes more than their income, they either borrow funds or sell off a few of their properties. The individuals end up defaulting in paying what they had borrowed and thus encounter bankruptcy hence lower living standards. This applies to any nation with similar trend of expenditure (Efremidze, 2009). However, it remains clearly known that people tend to portray different life-cycle spending patterns. The young generation consumes more than their income, those of middle age tend to exercise net saving, and retirees go back to net consumption after they cease employment. Thus, it is vital to balance earnings and consumption in every time. However, there are a few shortcomings to the amount one can borrow if they will have the ideal opportunity of evading financial deterioration. If a lender observes that, the debtors have a more spending habit than their potential to refund the money, then it remains a high possibility that the creditor will charge increased charges to refl ect the raised threat related with that debt. The same is correct for a nation (Mankiw, 2012). The US Twin Deficit Experience Beginning from the 1980s (during the era of Reagan Administration), the US had high trade and budget deficits. The budget deficit had remained about $50 to $75 billion during the end of 1970s and increased to more than $200 billion in 1983. The current account or trade deficit remained about zero throughout the start of 1980s, however, went past $100 billion in 1985. A few scholars had the notion the huge trade deficits and budget deficits of the start of 1980s could cause greater interest proportions. Walter Heller argued that deficits would â€Å"send interest proportions hiking†whereas output on 30 month Treasury Bills dropped from 7.29% during February 1986 to 5.75% during February 1987. Outputs on 30 annual Treasury Bonds dropped from 8.93% during February 1986 to 7.54% in February 1987 whereas the budget deficit stayed about the same size and th e trade deficit rose marginally. The US experience on the twin deficit clearly tells which area of the deficit should receive keen and thorough study in order to curb or solve this problem wholly. The budget deficit is the challenge to address for the US since the trade deficit in the US will happen due to budget deficit (Mankiw, 2012). The US Government Budget Deficit Policy Choices The following policies if well addressed will aid deal with the challenge of budget deficit precisely and thus improve the living standards of the people of US. The three policies include: a. Support economic development and creation of jobs- a quick developing economy provides the win-win results of a huge proverbial economical tart to share, with greater employment and tax incomes, reduced safety net consumption and a reduced debt-to-GDP ratio. The advantages of this policy is that economic development provides a â€Å"win –win†situation for greater creation of jobs, which raises tax in come however, lowering security net expenses for such matters as lack of jobs compensation and food tramples. Various deficit suggestions associated to expenditure or income appears to take funds or gains from one constituency and offer it to others. A â€Å"win=lose scenario. Democrats normally campaign for Keynesian economics, which deals
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Training and development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1
Training and development - Essay Example Their area ranges from workplace promotion safety to succession planning. In the light of fast changing trends in the event industry, it would be really difficult for an event management organisation to remain competitive unless its employees are competent enough to deliver an exciting attendance experience to the participants. Evidences suggest that employee satisfaction can be met and employee performance may be improved in the event sector paying specific attention to HR activities. This paper will analyse the HRM approaches and policies of the Wizcraft International Entertainment giving particular focus given to the firm’s training and development practices. Event management can be simply referred to a management process that involves planning, creation, and direction of all kinds of events. â€Å"Event Management is the application of project management skills to the creation and development of events like conferences, symposiums, seminars, fairs, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, and functions†(MIT International School of Broadcasting and Journalism). Today event management is essential in most of the areas of life such as entertainment, business, finance, fashion, sport, and music. Event planning is an integral part of event management, and it includes budgeting, fixing dates, booking event site, acquiring legal licenses and permits, managing transportation, developing a theme for the event, arranging facilities like chairs and speakers, and co-ordinating event support, decor, catering, security, emergency tams, and cleanup. Today the event management industry deals with events of all sizes ranging from even a breakfast meeting to Olympics. Nowadays the corporate sector gives emphasis to the concept of event management, because it is widely considered as a strategic management and communication tool (Anih, 2012). Hence corporations create promotional events, from product launches to press conferences, to
Monday, September 23, 2019
Shariah and sufism in islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Shariah and sufism in islam - Essay Example quires one to accept the laws of Shariah wholeheartedly and a Muslim should be spiritually involved in making all possible efforts in order to follow the rules of Shariah. Shariah stands as the highest level of goodness one can achieve in this world, and to a Muslim nothing is more important than following Shariah. Shariah gives the Muslims a complete code of life, and guides the Muslims on all matters of this world and the world hereafter. Muslims seek guidance for their matters of daily life from two main sources. First, their Holy Book Quran. Second, the Sunnah of their Holy Prophet Muhammed (P. B. U. H.). The Muslims’ consideration of the Holy Quran is as follows. Every machine we purchase comes with a hand book that mentions every thing about that machine and guides the buyer on how to use the machine so that it would function safely and efficiently throughout the estimated life of that machine. The hand book gives complete information about what temperature and surroundi ngs should the machine be used in, what is the maximum load the machine can take, what precautionary measures should be taken to ensure the machine’s safe functioning and also provides the user with guidance on the matters of repair and maintenance. Likewise, when Allah Almighty created human beings, He gave them a complete book to follow throughout their life. Allah named His Book â€Å"Quran†. He sent the Holy Quran for all human beings to seek guidance from through His Prophet Muhammed (P. B. U. H.). The Holy Quran serves as a complete guide for all human beings. It is a written form of Allah’s interaction with humans. Through the Holy Quran, Allah has conveyed his message to the human beings. Allah has mentioned in the Holy Quran how the humans are supposed to live their life. The Quran provides guidance on all matters in all walks of life. Hence, it is the guide sent for the human beings just like the hand book that comes with a machine as mentioned in the example quoted above.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Pride and Prejudice Essay Example for Free
Pride and Prejudice Essay The novel Pride and Prejudice was written during the middle of the Romantic period in western literature, but it is itself rather uncharacteristic of other fictional works of the period. Unlike the great Romantic novels and poems of the period, which usually praised youthful passions, Austens work minimizes them. Austens works are models of restraint. Instead of the wild force of nature, Austen concentrates on family life in small English towns. Instead of rampant emotionalism Austen emphasizes a balance between reason and emotion. Instead of suicide and unrequited love, Austen offers elopement and marriage. â€Å"Austen’s prime theme of marriage is far from trivial†(Walder 1996, p. 52) as it is considered today as marriage was an important issue in Austen’s time and it was the only time when a woman had the freedom to get upward socio-economic mobility [though some critics thinks that she considers that considering money as the criterion for marriage is highly terrible. (Collins p. 161)] This extract explains this correlation between socio-economic status and marriage. Irony or the contrast between the expected and the actual is the chief literary device Austen uses to comment on the manners of English gentry in Pride and Prejudice. Her irony takes different forms for different. Another stylistic feature that one can observe in this extract in general and throughout novel in particular is her formal style. Perhaps the first thing about Jane Austens style that strikes the reader is its formality by modern standards. This is a characteristic of her time, and of the outlook she shared. The decorum of her prose represents a disciplined habit of mind and a disciplined attitude towards life. But the formality has about it nothing of the pomp us or verbose. On the contrary one of the chief qualities of her narrative style is precision, lucidity, and economy. With these is combined a habitual tone of irony. The irony is the cutting edge, as it was an instrument of moral perception which was Jane Austens sensibility. Mr. Collins speaks about his conception of a true marriage. He takes the conventional notions about marriage of true minds where partners have similar dispositions and ideas about life in general. Mr. Collins philosophy of marriage reminds Charlotte’s reminds Charlotte’s matrimonial ideology as she also consider the harmony of characters and minds as the ultimate source of matrimonial bliss and place no importance to money or fortune. She says in Chapter 6; â€Å"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life. Mr. Collins also suffers from the same fictitious idealism like Charlotte. That’s the reason he says; â€Å"My dear Charlotte and I have but one mind and one way of thinking. There is in everything a most remarkable resemblance of character and ideas between us. We seem to have been designed for each other. †(Chapter XXXV) Furthermore, he longs for same matrimonial felicity for Elizabeth in her married life without knowing what is her ideals of marriage and what she wants to be come out of marriage. Jane Austin has beautifully employed irony as Mr. Collins wishes something for Elizabeth that she does not like. Furthermore, Jane Austin juxtaposes this conception of matrimonial bliss with his own conception of marriage and its preconditions that prevail throughout the novel. Jane Austin has Marxian conception of marriage and she considers wealth and socio-economic well-being as the foremost pre-condition of marriage. For the author, in the persona of Mr. Bennets daughter Elizabeth, however, irony is potent toy and a defensive weapon in the war against stupidity. The author uses Elizabeth to skewer self-important characters such as Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet. Yet Elizabeth is also blind to her own character faults, and her very blindness is another example of Austens use of irony. In her misunderstandings with Darcy, she (who is blind to her own pride in her ability to read character) accuses him false and excessive pride, while he (who is prejudiced against people with less money than he has) accuses her of prejudice. The rest of the episode shows the haughtiness and pomposity of Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins is a type of character that Jane Austin uses to highlight the posing and pretensions of English society of the time and the vain self-importance of an individual. His acquisition of fortune by chance to get an approval of Lady Catherine de Bourgh has made him to think of himself in higher terms and opinion. All his haughtiness and snobbery in the extract is a manifestation of this high opinion of his own self. His high opinion of Charlotte is also a product of this imagined high placement in society. He earns a handsome income and owns a house, so he requires a wife at this stage that can enrich his own fortune. Here Jane Austin elaborates the interrelation of marriage and money. If Mr. Collins would not have owned a house and would not have made a good fortune by chance, he would never think of having marriage. So he imagined conception of marriage as a bond between tow souls that are alike in their dispositions and character, seems only a caprice of imagination only. Establishing a correlation between marriage and social status is an important theme of Austen in this extract. Jane Austen also makes her reader see the correlation in the light of her contemporary social conventions. Earlier in the novel, when Elizabeth refuses the proposal of Mr Collins, he is unwilling to accept it. It was highly improbable that a woman of Elizabeth’ social status would reject the proposal of a well-off person. His self-importance is another factor that contributes toward his un-acceptance if her refusal. He disapprove of Elizabeth’s social status in these words that Elizabeth’s portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of [her] loveliness and amiable qualifications†. His social status reassures himself by saying that; â€Å"you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall chuse to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females. There is a dichotomy of Elizabeth’s refusal to Mr. Collin and her manifestation as an ideal woman of Austen who thinks marriage in terms of money. Walder (1996) has rightly pointed out; â€Å"In a social world where only possibility of movement in a women’s life was through marriage, choice of partner was as serious a business as choice of career was for a man. †Seen in this light, Elizabeth’s refusal of Mr. Collins is as brave an act as that of a young man who refuses to enter the family firm. †(Walder, 52) Jane Austen used Elizabeth as her mouth-piece to ridicule the fictitious idealism of various characters throughout the novel. In this case, Elizabeth does not directly say any word about Mr. Collins viewpoints but only show her contempt by feeling sorry for â€Å"Poor Charlotte†but she revisits her thought about her and says that she is not innocent as she herself has decided to marry Collins and choose a pretentious society. Jane Austen reflects here that if someone is placed in this situation, then it is tragic but someone has consciously decided to go for a vain marriage proposal, he ore she should be fully responsible for it. So it was Charlotte own disposition rather than chance that her placed her in that situation. But when Elizabeth herself refuses the proposal of Mr. Collins, she was also caught in fictitious idealism. She is of the view that as her father is a gentleman; she is on equal terms with Darcy and Bingleys. (Brooke, 1999. p. 158) Jane Austen beautifully shows her fictitious idealism as well. Jane Elizabeth also shows, through the character of Maria, the vainglory of English gentry. Unlike Elizabeth, Maria is amazed and amused by the social decorum. She was still startled at the nine dinners at Rosings and several teas. This extract further another aspect of Jane Austens art i. e. handling of dialogue. She had a remarkable ear, and must have been a shrewd observer of mannerism in speech. The speech of her characters is always consonant with their personalities yet it never approaches caricature. In the extract, Mr. Collins dialogues are true reflection of his personality yet it does not portray him as a caricature. Maria’s dialogues are equally expressive of her self and her tender age. So this extract and other textual examples from Pride and Prejudice clearly manifest that Jane Austen has skillfully conveyed her basic theme of money and marriage through her subtle style. She does not waste her words and there is uncommon clarity with economy in her art. References Austen, Hane. (2006). Pride and Orejudice. New York: Poenguin Classic. Brooke, C. (1999). Jane Austen: Illusion and reality. Rochester, NY: D. S. Brewer. Walder, D. (1996). The realist novel. Approaching literature. London: Routledge.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Feminism In Whartons Writings
Feminism In Whartons Writings Technically, feminism is defined as a political discourse aimed at equal rights and legal protection for women. Feminist criticism is a type of literary criticism, and can be defined as the study of literature by women, or the interpretation of any text written with an attention to gender dynamics or a focus on female characters [2] . The study may involve reevaluating women writers. [3] . Feminism is usually associated with female figures that stand up for womens equality and rights. Anti feminism is the opposition to feminism in some or all of its form and some male chauvinists are reckoned to be anti-feminists. Edith Wharton was claimed to be a feminist [4] especially after her novel, House of Mirth was published. This is due to her preference of emphasizing, either directly or figuratively, on the repression of women in her novels recurrently. Although her writings may have not gained popularity as feminism works like Virginia Woolfes, yet it is inevitable that Wharton is inclined towards producing fictions centered at the case of gender inequality. This is mainly because most of her writings somehow depict that women are downgraded in many aspects like family strata, social status, custom lifestyle and power as well as control. However, the later responses to her writings are more to only individuals perception with not much reference to her writings but the critics tend to associate the basis of her novels with her background. Edith Wharton once said this about the critical response to her writing: After all, one knows ones weak points so well that its rather bewildering to have the critics overlook them and invent others. The measure for feminism in literature depends on the literary approach of feminism by a writer. For this research, I will be using the feminist literature criticism to analyze the repression on women in Whartons fictions, and also to reevaluate Wharton as a feminist writer. I will be counterclaiming the consented belief that Wharton is a feminist literature and providing proofs that she might also be an anti-feminist. I have referred to four of Whartons novels; The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, Summer and Ethan Frome; as the written texts and basis for my justification. My research will be based on three aspects or literary approach of feminism that can determine whether the writers are feminists or neutral; gender equality or opposed to gender stereotype, image of female characters as main characters or hero in the feats of women, culture or art created by women, use of neutral language in describing the characters, with close reference to the four written texts. Aspect 1 : Gender equality and opposed to gender role stereotypes and discrimination against women. In the society where Edith Wharton lived women did not fit into any creative or participant role. They were regarded as a supremely satisfying object of masculine possession. The male automatically became interested in parading the well-decked woman as his proud possession. As Judith H. Montgomery remarks: women began to be regarded. . as decorative playthings as dolls and idols (The American Galatea College English, 32, 8 (May 1971), 89 1). As dolls they were sought to be gilded, decorated and displayed, as idols they were treated as art objects and worshipped. Thus, this partly dictates the reason for Whartons texts inclination towards the issue of repressed women in the society since the women were stereotyped as only possession with no crucial significance in the society. The American society, to which Edith Wharton herself belonged, did not give equality to women in legal, economic and sexual matters. Every aspect of American culture conspired to foster such an unequal treatment. In The Age of Innocence, Countess Ellen Fonseka is seen as a lady who does not fully abide with the supposed role of a woman. This is due to her unusual habits of a lady and unconventionality in that society. Citing from the text, Mrs. Mingott said she had gone out ;which, on a day of such glaring light à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ seemed in itself an indelicate thing for a compromised woman to do. (page 24) Women during that particular era, cannot not go out unaccompanied, during daytime due to perception that women should be at home, taking care of the households, and should not wander around alone so they can raise up suspicions and apprehension over their where and what about. However, the text could also be translated as an advice or a concern by Edith Wharton over the safety of a woman if she is to be outside alone. As a compromised woman, Ellen Fonseka should not wander alone especially because she has separated from her husband, and her safety is now to Mrs Minggots concern. In fact, Wharton has never stated that woman should only be at home and forbidden to go out, or in any words, the freedom for women to walk about is not prohibited nor discriminated. In the House of Mirth, Lily Bart, the protagonist, is an object of beauty than a woman who should be loved. She is the product of a society with no socially acceptable means other than matrimony. Lilys mother considers her beauty as a weapon (chapter House, page 37) and Lawrence Seldon has been quoted asking Lily; Isnt marriage your vocation? (chapter House, page 11) Thus, it can be said that women are bound to the lifestyle provided to them by the society with no obvious choices. For this reason, few literature guides have agreed that Edith Wharton is obliquely suggesting vindication of womens status quo. [5] Nonetheless, the evidences in The Age of Innocence and House of Mirth do not provide sufficient justification for the claim. There are evidences that indicate that Wharton actually criticized the societys code of conduct, superficial values and double standard regarding marriage as a whole and not regarding the discrimination by the society against women. Marriage was indeed an obligation compulsory for every woman in the society especially after the adolescence year, hence the generations belief may not suggest that women ought to be stereotypically seen only as wives, but the act of marriage itself was a part of the societys lifestyle. In fact, until today, the act of marriage is still being practiced around the world, with no apparent discrimination against women. Besides that, it is generally accepted that marriage is a commitment pledged based on mutual respect and agreement from both genders; man and woman. For that reason marriage shall not be a vocation for only woman, but al so man. The society setting for the Age of Innocence is the late nineteenth century, and women indeed are marked by disapproval and ironic denunciation and often some are perceived as only the object of supreme beauty, and this can be seen through the characters of May Welland and Ellen Fonseka. However, in Whartons The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, and Ethan Frome, most of the central female characters are more than a symbol a possession for men, and instead these characters are greatly loved and cared by the respective companion male characters. Thus, the question of feminism raised due to the common negative stereotype of a woman role, has been well compensated by Edith Wharton herself in the novels. I would like to cite an instance from The Age of Innocence, and in this novel, Archer Newland is clearly seen to be deeply in love with Countess Ellen Fonseka, a widow, despite he is then matrimonially attached to May Welland. The longing was within him day and night, an incessant, undefinable craving, like the sudden whim of a sick man for food or drink once tested and long since forgotten. (Chapter 23, page 189) From this excerpt, Wharton indirectly states that Ellen Fonseka is not a sole object of possession, instead Newland Archer does feel something deep for her, it could be infatuation or even love. Later in this novel, it is proven that Newland loves her but he feels he is bounded to be with May and the old decencies [6] he and his people had always believed in. But to love Ellen Fonseka was not to become a man like Leffertsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(she) is not like no other woman, he was like no other man; their situation, therefore, resembled no one elsesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Chapter 30, page 258) The whole text clearly depicts that women are appreciated and loved by men, and the act of wedlock fidelity by husbands is indecent, and for Archer Newlands case, decency triumphs over love, yet love for a woman can persist to a lifetime. Later in this novel, Wharton figuratively described the feeling that Newland cast for Ellen is not infatuation, thus, this indicates that Ellen is not an object of possession, and Wharton defies the stereotype amazingly by proving that rather than being a typical woman accustomed to discrimination, a woman can take reign over a mans heart without losing his respect, and women are not meant to be deprived. In the Age of Innocence, the upper class society perceives the act of divorce as something disgraceful and against the societys customs, especially if the wife is the one who asks for divorce. Countess Ellen Fonseka who opts for divorce after she has learnt his husbands infidelity, receives negative discernment from the public. Citing form the text, Everybody knew that the Countess Olenska was no longer in the good graces of her family. Even her devoted champion, old Mrs Manson Mingott, had been unable to defend her refusal to return to her husband. (Chapter 26 : 220) Based on this excerpt, although Mrs Manson Minggot comes from the family of a high social stratum, yet she herself is unable to do anything over Olenskas decision to annul her marriage. Another instance from the text, After all, a young womans place was under her husbands roof, especially when she had left it in her husbands roof, especially when she had left it in circumstances that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ well à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ if one had cared to look into themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Chapter 26 : 220) Nonetheless, the societys attitude towards the annulment of marriage as described by Edith Wharton cannot be used as the ground to support the claim that Wharton is a feminist writer. Whartons view through Newland Archers dialogue, Our ideas about marriage and divorce are particularly old-fashioned. Our legislation favours divorce our social customs dont. (Chapter 12 ; page 93) From the dialogue, Edith Wharton had made the point that only the custom forbids the act of divorce while it is actually legally appropriate to be done. Hence, the evidence that females are discriminated by the society since they should not be asking and opting for divorce cannot be justified. Again, Wharton may had intended to criticize on the societys code of conduct, and in fact there is no other evidences in Whartons text (House of Mirth and Ethan Frome) that has clearly stated the prejudice towards women in the act of divorce. Aspect 2 : Dedication of image of the female as a hero or central character in fiction, and in the physiques and feats of female. Female as a hero or central character in fiction Heroic character is defined as character in literature, art or culture who is bounded with positive behaviors and characteristics, and even considered as the protagonist character. A common characteristic of feminist literature is the detailed portrayal of women with great positive values in the novels, as well as women written as the main, protagonist characters in the fictions. In most of Whartons novels, female characters are often seen to be equipped with decent attitudes, great perseverance, and the ability to adapt themselves to the demanding and often poor environment in best possible manners [7] . This is achieved with the successful help of womens intelligent decision making and analytical mind. In the Age of Innocence, the character of Ellen Fonseka is depicted as a woman of unconventionality due to her lack of concern for social rules and etiquette. This makes her a target of malicious tongues, but a heroine of dispossessed. In the novel The Age of Innocence, the character of Ellen Fonseka lives in the heart and mind of Newland Archers character throughout the novel. Even 26 years after Ellen Fonsekas departure to Europe, Newland keeps the memories of him with Fonseka. Hence, it can be seen that the central or main character in The Age of Innocence is Countess Ellen Fonseka. The heroine in the House of Mirth, Lily Barth is an intelligent woman and adept at playing societys games. The overall conflict of social expectation and personal desire in the novel House of Mirth basically revolve around the characterization of Lily Barth. It is made clear from the beginning of the book that Lily Barth was raised in the midst of luxury, and expects herself to be married to man of upper social class. Edith Wharton described the appearances and behaviours of Barth in detail, and overall, the novel itself was even described [8] as a novel about New York socialite, Lily Barth, attempting to secure a husband and place in rich society. Therefore, the readers and literature professionals agree that Lily Barth is the central character of the House of Mirth. Nonetheless, Whartons preference on female gender as the central characters in her writings cannot justify the claim that Edith Wharton is a literature feminist. This is because the measure of the heroic or central characters is subjective to the readers. In the Age of Innocence, the character of Newland Archer also portrays the heroic or central character in this novel. Although Ellen Fonsekas character remains etched in Newlands thoughts and memories, yet the appearances of Newland Archer are more continuous in the novel and the role of Newlands character is more significant than that of Ellen Fonsekas. Moreover, Newland Archers character appears at each chapter and consistently remained active and spoken about by Wharton. Besides that, Newland is the character who has to bear with the most conflicts, whether the internal or the external ones. In the Age of Innocence, Newland Archers character is emotionally attached to Ellen Fonseka while at the same time he is matrimonially committed to May Welland. Newland Archer casts the feeling of love towards Ellen Fonseka, but he still decides to marry May Welland. Ellen Fonseka responds to Archers confession of love, I cant go back now to that other way of thinking. I cant love you unless I give you up. (Chapter 18, page 145) The incident was made more difficult by the arrival of the telegram from Welland to Ellen Fonseka, in which May Welland tells about her parents approval to move forward her wedding date to Archer. Following this incident, Aspect 4 : Usage of gender-bias or sexist language ` For instance, in The Age of Innocence, Archer entirely approved of family solidarity, and of the qualities he most admired in the Mingotts was their resolute championship of the few black sheep that their blameless stock had producedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (but) he did not think the Mingotts would have tried it on! (chapter 2, page 10) It in the above excerpt refers to Mingotts decision to bring along Countess Olenska to the opera when Archers engagement to May Welland is about to be announced within a few weeks. From this excerpt anyway, Wharton uses the term black sheep to indicate the family members that could bring humiliation to the Mingott. Since the word few is used, it can be supposed that there could be more characters rather than Ellen Fonseka only, who exude unconventionality to the public. Hence, it is unfair to say that widows or women are discriminated in the Mingott family, when the term black sheep is neutral to any black sheep of different gender, and the emphasize on Ellen to bring about humiliation is only because of that particular moment where Archer Newland is getting married to May Welland and it looks improper for a black sheep to be seen with a family of upper class.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Analyzing Mass Media And Popular Culture English Language Essay
Analyzing Mass Media And Popular Culture English Language Essay Data Workshop 1 Analyzing Mass Media and Popular Culture: Theories of Celebrity Gossip Although many can dismiss celebrity blogs such as www.perezhilton.com and www.wwtdd.com as frivolous and mean, the popularity and prevalence of these websites have a considerable social impact on our world today. For this Data Workshop, you will be analyzing entries in a celebrity blog, using one of the three major social paradigms. Step 1: Collecting Data Choose a celebrity blog and pick five entries. Scrutinize the pictures, read the headlines and text carefully, and review the reader comments. Step 2: Thinking about and Analyzing the Data For the five entries that you have selected, answer the following questions from each of sociologys three major theoretical perspectives. Later, use your data-collection form to write a one page essay summarizing the differences in the theories and their value as a sociological analyst. Compare what you observed to what the textbook says in Ch 1. DATA-COLLECTION FORM FOR THEORIES OF CELEBRITY GOSSIP Data Workshop 1 1. Structural Functionalist Theory: What is the function (or functions) of celebrity gossip blogs for society? What purpose(s) do they serve, and how do they help society maintain stability and order? Do celebrity gossip blogs have manifest and latent functions? Are any dysfunctions built into such publications? 2. Social Conflict Theory: What forms of inequality are revealed in celebrity gossip blogs? In particular, what do celebrity gossip blogs have to say about gender, race, and class inequalities? Who suffers and who benefits from the publication of celebrity gossip blogs? 3. Symbolic Interactionist Theory: What do celebrity gossip blogs mean to society as a whole? What do they mean to individual members of society? Can they have different meanings for different individuals or groups of individuals? How do those meanings get constructed in interaction? And how do celebrity gossip blogs shape and influence our everyday lives? -1 Kim Kardashian is good at twitter 53166_kim_kardashian_at_photoshoot_twitpics_01_123_391lo Kim Kardashian doesnt really do anything of course, but before this our famous celebrities who didnt really do anything were fug whores like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Remember that? What the hell was that all about? So at least Kim is hot, and goes on her twitter and posts pics of her kick ass rack. The only way to get even more intimate pictures of Kim is to be black. Comments: Talked ab poop. Said she isnt preggo, hated on blk ppl -2 Rihanna got a new haircut Rihanna By all accounts Rihanna (seen here last night at a Clippers game in LA) is a perfectly nice woman and everyone seems to like and shes a good singer, but very obviously her new bang haircut sucks. If this were American Idol, these pictures would be turned into a montage with that So You Had a Bad Day song playing over it. Comments: talk ab it being fake, a wig 3 Gwyneth Paltrow has advice for other working moms 56852284 I know some people who have worked with Gwyneth Paltrow and they say shes delightful but that seems impossible to believe. Because shes a complete cunt, delusional and arrogant beyond all comprehension. The latest proof: on her website GOOP, Paltrow, who is worth 90 million dollars and got married in a castle, has advice for other extremely busy working mothers. Yes that said other. Because thats what she considers herself. And just like all working moms, after she drops her kids at schoolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Did dance aerobics for 45 minutes then all of the butt lifts and the like. Rushed upstairs to have a shower, doing my post workout stretch while the conditioner was doing its magic on my hair to combine activities/save time. Dressed quickly and rushed downstairs. Her day is essentially filled with stuff like that. The stuff that real working moms do when not at work or being a mom. The stuff they have to squeeze into one hour on the weekend is Paltrows entire life, but shes here to tell them how to do it. Because they dont know. They need tips from Gwyneth Paltrow. Im honestly shocked that she isnt punched in the face at least once every time she leaves the house. 4 Kate Beckinsale is in a bikini SPL240191_003 Kate Beckinsale is down in Mexico this weekend, and unlike the hags at the Golden Globes she looked fantastic in this bikini, and I think thats the same place where Jennifer Aniston is always going. I can see why she likes it. Its basically a rock and theres lots of empty space. Just like her womb. 5 Eva Longoria at the Golden Globes Eva Longoria Eva Longoria at least tried to look sexy for last nights Golden Globe awards, but her depressing tits are useless and so it didnt work. This is one of the most boring and unsexy periods I can ever think of in Hollywood. No one ever wears anything good, and most of the big stars are either not pretty or not pretty anymore. About the most positive thing I can say is that theres room for improvement everywhere. You could find hotter girls putting ads on craiglist asking for you to come rape them. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 1.What is the function (or functions) of celebrity gossip blogs for society? To make fun of people, to show off the latest/ or not so latest trends, to spread gossip/info What purpose(s) do they serve, and how do they help society maintain stability and order? They serve as entertainment purpose/news/ way to spread info- help society maintain order by letting ppl know what is in/not in what to do/not do- Do celebrity gossip blogs have manifest and latent functions? Find something from bookPos effect on society-possibly could help spread trends/ show who is/isnt role models Are any dysfunctions built into such publications? Bad-neg affect, more so thatn manifest latent, gossip is bad- demeaning to persons self confidence- shows bad role models- more mature content 2. What forms of inequality are revealed in celebrity gossip blogs? First one talks ab her obsession with blk ppl, ( only blk can see more pics)-what celebritys have that most common ppl can not do/ or afford to have In particular, what do celebrity gossip blogs have to say about gender, race, and class inequalities? Blk ppl thing- class the mother issue, females- sexy hot whores Who suffers and who benefits from the publication of celebrity gossip blogs? everyone suffers from these blogs, the ppl who are wrote ab suffer bc it degrades self image, children suffer from bad role models Benefit- writer bc so many read them, if decent blog then the readers celebrities could benefit 3. What do celebrity gossip blogs mean to society as a whole? Past time- way to spread info- teach what is not cool/cool What do they mean to individual members of society? Back to the benefit/suffer part Kids are hurt by this, adults are humored by this, celebrity can be degraded by this Can they have different meanings for different individuals or groups of individuals? Yes they do How do those meanings get constructed in interaction? And how do celebrity gossip blogs shape and influence our everyday lives?back to #1 Info from book Pg 11- theoretical approach: roadmaps that connect basic image of society with research Structional functional approach- repeat behavior that affects the viewers pg 12 Pg 12- this approach was to keep ppl unified Pg 12- social dysfunction:social pattern that disturbs Pg 13- social conflict: inequality building up over time Theoretical Perspectives in Blogs From analyzing celebrity blogs we can learn a lot more than the latest gossip. The celebrity blogs provide great insight in the differences between sociologys three major theoretical perspectives. The celebrity blog that I reviewed had great examples of the structural functionalist theory, social conflict theory, and the symbolic internationalist theory that compared nicely to the books definition of each, but still had some different points. First I examined how the structural functionalist theory appeared in the blog. As known by the definition given by the text book the structural functionalist theory is a theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability (page 11). One of the major differences I noticed between how the blog portrayed this theory from how the book described this theory is the stability. I did not notice any of the different blog entries or any of the celebrities that appeared in the blog entries to work together to provide stability in todays society, if anything I noticed the celebrities all behaving in different manners that disturbed the stability of the blog. While the book describes social structure as ..gives our lives shape in families, the work place, or the college classroom, ( page 12). A similarity I noticed was how the book explained how manifest and latent functions are a part of the structural-functional approach, and you could see each function within the blog. Manifest functions could be recognized from the comments to each of the blogs, the readers adjusted their thoughts and actions based on the blogs that they read. Secondly, the social conflict theory appeared inside the blog and the book. By definition the social conflict approach is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. (page 13) Overall throughout each blog I examined I saw issues of race, sex, and social classes. The blog that discussed Kim Kardashian was full of issues of race and sex from the main picture to the response. Her risquà © picture provided conflict for the other women viewers who saw it, but the males tended to enjoy it more. Also an issue of race was brought up when the writer of the blog mentioned that you have to be black to get more pictures of Kim. A quote like this could create an issue between all races who read the comment. Thirdly, the symbolic interaction theory that is defined as society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals. ( page 15) appears inside the blogs entries. The blog gives viewers the opportunity to express their feelings and allow them to interact with others. Also the blog purpose of a blog is to collect data and distribute it to followers, this data can be gossip, news, latest trends, or basically anything. Some of the information can play a positive or negative affect based on the type of reader. The book mentions two different levels of symbolic-interaction, macro-level and micro-level, while the blog provides a great example of each. From the macro-level observing from a helicopter level, you can see the broad focus of the blog is celebrities different styles. The micro, or street level focus, you can see how their different styles affect the followers. Each of the three theories, structural-functionalist, social-conflict, and symbolic interaction have the same goal in mind of analyzing how a particular item affects a society, while each theory has its own specific areas. I believe that each theory builds on each other to provide a in-depth analysis, starting from how things work together, to conflicts that arise, even down to how everyday interactions. ( The blog I used was from www.wwtdd.com. The five blogs I chose were Kate Beckinsale is in a bikini Jan. 17, Eva Longoria at the Golden Globes Jan. 17, Kim Kardashian is good at twitter Jan. 14, Rhianna got a new haircut Jan. 13 and Gwyneth Paltrow has advices for other working moms Jan. 13.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
My Philosophy of Education :: Teaching Philosophy Education School Essays
My Philosophy of Education I believe that the Foreign Language classroom should be one that not only teaches how to speak a language, but also how to survive in the growing, and very diverse communities that we live in and that our students live in. Students should learn about the culture that corresponds to the language that they are learning, and teachers should promote diversity and acceptance among all ethnic groups, including the people of the target language. Students should be in a classroom where they feel comfortable enough to experiment with the new language. I think that a teacher should always be responsive to their students, and should never be reprimanded for trying to answer or ask a question. I also believe that students should be exposed to a variety of different interpersonal, interpretative, and presentational communication activities. I believe students should also have a say in what they would like to learn in the foreign language classroom. There should be a wide selection and variety of authentic materials in every classroom. This could mean anything from Spanish story books, Spanish music, Spanish and Latin American Art hung on the walls, menus, greeting cards, etc. Students should feel immersed in the culture and the language, and teachers should use these materials as well as the textbook. However, the textbook should not be the only material used in teaching the language. If possible, from time to time, studen ts should take trips to authentic cultural events or restaurants. I think that every teacher should give their students a purpose for doing their assignments. These purposes should not just include getting a grade. Students can do so much, such as organizing a cultural dance at their school, singing holiday carols in the target language around the school, putting on a play based on authentic Hispanic folk tales. Finally, I believe that being a good teacher means teaching his or her students the best way possible and making sure that every students gets the most out of the class. Every lesson and every unit should be written with the five C's in mind: Communication, Connections, Culture, Comparisons, and Communities. My Philosophy of Education :: Teaching Philosophy Education School Essays My Philosophy of Education I believe that the Foreign Language classroom should be one that not only teaches how to speak a language, but also how to survive in the growing, and very diverse communities that we live in and that our students live in. Students should learn about the culture that corresponds to the language that they are learning, and teachers should promote diversity and acceptance among all ethnic groups, including the people of the target language. Students should be in a classroom where they feel comfortable enough to experiment with the new language. I think that a teacher should always be responsive to their students, and should never be reprimanded for trying to answer or ask a question. I also believe that students should be exposed to a variety of different interpersonal, interpretative, and presentational communication activities. I believe students should also have a say in what they would like to learn in the foreign language classroom. There should be a wide selection and variety of authentic materials in every classroom. This could mean anything from Spanish story books, Spanish music, Spanish and Latin American Art hung on the walls, menus, greeting cards, etc. Students should feel immersed in the culture and the language, and teachers should use these materials as well as the textbook. However, the textbook should not be the only material used in teaching the language. If possible, from time to time, studen ts should take trips to authentic cultural events or restaurants. I think that every teacher should give their students a purpose for doing their assignments. These purposes should not just include getting a grade. Students can do so much, such as organizing a cultural dance at their school, singing holiday carols in the target language around the school, putting on a play based on authentic Hispanic folk tales. Finally, I believe that being a good teacher means teaching his or her students the best way possible and making sure that every students gets the most out of the class. Every lesson and every unit should be written with the five C's in mind: Communication, Connections, Culture, Comparisons, and Communities.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)