Thursday, August 27, 2020

Walden questions

Thoreau purposes behind leaving Walden Pond and how can he relate them to the propensities individuals create? Thoreau starting explanation behind coming to Walden was to live however many lives as could reasonably be expected. He left expressing â€Å"l left the forested areas for as great an explanation as I went there. † (933) This implies Thoreau left since he had different encounters to live through. He was finished with this portion of his life, and he would not like to carry on with a standard life like numerous individuals are stuck in. He needed to see the oral in a wide range of ways of life, remaining in Walden would not assist him with accomplishing this. ) What is and isn't essential to Thoreau dependent on what he says? Thoreau accepts that doing all these minor, little things in immaterial. There isn't a lot to pick up from getting little new articles or finishing little assignments. Everything it does is over confuse life and transform it into a wreck. â€Å"I n extent as he improves his life, the laws of the universe will show up less mind boggling, and isolation won't be isolation, nor neediness destitution, nor shortcoming. (933) Simplicity, as amusing as it sounds, is important.Simplicity makes life look clear, it doesn't stop up considerations or cover dreams like an entangled life would. An individual's mind is obvious to make their very own way with a basic life, nothing Is In the way. 3) What did Thoreau want to gain from his experience? What did he really realize? Thoreau went to Walden to carry on with an alternate life, In no hurry to discover practical achievement dissimilar to most men. At Walden, he reflects to individuals In such a rush to accomplish beneficiary dreams while forgetting about It in view of their surge. The life In us Is Like the water in the stream. It might rise this year higher than man has ever known It, and flood the dry uplands; even this might be the momentous year, which will overwhelm every one of ou r muskrats. † (938) When going for an accomplishment In a not so much constrained but rather more regular way, the Individual can possibly go further, Like water. Thoreau understands this from his stay at Walden. Everybody has a light Inside them, and their Jobs Is to keep It alive and breathing by not constraining through life.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

A Simple SaaS Marketing Strategy For Amazing Results (+14 Templates)

A Simple SaaS Marketing Strategy For Amazing Results (+14 Templates) Showcasing procedure appears to be unique for everybody. In-house promoting teamsâ often do everything - from web based life advertising to mark situating. Agenciesâ handle showcasing for customers in various verticals. What's more, today, theres a new type of advertiser in a field with one of their very own kind difficulties: SaaS promoting. Along these lines, if youre in SaaS promoting, youre completely in the ideal spot. Since in this post, youre going to get all that you have to begin a demonstrated SaaS promoting system. Sick offer with you a 3-phase SaaS showcasing procedure: Web traffic: how to get it and why its your backbone. Email showcasing: how email can be a motor for enormous development. Leads: how to support your crowd into leads for your business group. To do this, you get a gigantic heap of 14 layouts to kick you off with this SaaS promoting structure: A 3-asset SEO Copywriting Template Bundle for producing most extreme web traffic. A 9-asset Email Marketing Template Bundle for growing a gainful rundown. A Call-To-Action manage for changing over more preliminary information exchanges and leads. A Marketing Research Process manual for get (and keep) new clients. Download your SaaS advertising group now... ^^^ ... furthermore, here we goâ ðÿˆ A Simple SaaS Marketing Strategy For Amazing Results (+ 14 Templates)What Is SaaS Marketing? Anyway, what is SaaS showcasing? SaaS showcasing is the way toward advancing and selling a product item with permit, or repeating income, capital. SaaS is an abbreviation that signifies Programming as a Service. And it alludes to an organization fabricates and sells programming accessible to anybody with a web association. The first SaaS organization really began, thinking back to the '90s by selling floppy plates. Subsequent to hitting tough situations, they rotated and started selling programming on the web (and in the end sold for billions). Today, SaaS showcasing (and organizations) are standard - and almost equal with being a startup. For more setting, here are a few instances of SaaS organizations: Salesforce: The most mainstream client relationship the board (CRM) stage on the planet. Radio: A client commitment stage for deals, promoting, and support. Autopilot: A natural advertising robotization stage. Slack: The correspondence center point for groups and correspondence. : The world's top rated promoting calendarâ and advertising the board stage. (The truth is out, we're a SaaS organization too!)What is SaaS showcasing about? Get the total guide (and 14 free formats) here:Where Your SaaS Marketing Strategy Starts While huge numbers of a similar advertising standards apply, there are one of a kind objectives and key execution pointers (KPIs) you ought to be after as a SaaS advertiser. Since your objectives decide your activities, they are the North Star for your whole system. To begin, thereâ are three major measurements each SaaS advertiser should work to impact: Web traffic Email supporters Qualified leads You may be thinking, However shouldn't something be said about clients?! Shouldn't something be said about preliminary information exchanges?! Shouldn't something be said about a completely supplied café to control my cerebrums?! Extraordinary inquiries. The extraordinary news is, clients, preliminaries, and amazing advantages (for being fruitful) will come when you ace these three measurements. Truth be told, 's quick growthâ as a SaaS startup is a demonstration of that. We followed precisely this way. Truth be told, our CEO sketched out our whole development procedure in his book,â 10x Marketing Formula. Suggested Reading: The Best Formula For 10X Marketing Growth Is Here Why These SaaS Marketing Metrics Work Things being what they are, the reason do these three measurements work? Since, when sought after together, they become a total SaaS promoting channel that will create results long haul. Promoting pipes (otherwise called buy or deals channels) outline the periods of the purchasing cycle from ignorance of an item right through to making a real buy. Here is the manner by which each KPI fits into this essential showcasing channel: Revelation: web traffic energizes the constant disclosure of your image. Thought: email showcasing helps sustain your traffic into qualified leads. Buy: leads are changed over into preliminary recruits and clients by means of deals or self-serve forms. Suggested Reading: How to Select Marketing Metrics and KPIs to Monitor Center Your One Metric That Matters Stage one in your SaaS promoting venture is to utilize a rule called One Metric That Matters (1MTM). It's a basic method to organize and execute against your most significant measurement. The 1MTM framework assists advertisers with concentrating on each huge measurement in turn. Thus, your SaaS showcasing procedure is handled consecutively. Most of your exertion will be filled growing (1) your traffic, (2) your email rundown, and afterward (3) your quality leads. The 1MTM framework works for two reasons: center and control. Concentrate On Your 1MTM To start with, your group will concentrate totally on expanding your 1MTM. This liberates you from getting amassed by the steady blast of popcorn measurements. Rather than pursuing ten things on the double, you'll take a shot at the most noteworthy need at once. This will keep your eyes bolted on a particular point, the one piece of the business we have chosen to esteem more profoundly than some other. Order To Grow Your 1MTM Second, this sort of center makes discipline. The force here is thatâ focusing everything on your 1MTM makes your group absolutely responsible to expanding it. Consider it like this.... Envision you're an advertising supervisor overpowered by attempting to become your company’s social after, site traffic, email rundown, and leads. You'd be swimming measurements, dashboards, spreadsheets, and contending priorities.â ^^^ And this may sound recognizable, as of now... In any case, where the 1MTM sparkles is if you somehow happened to take a gander at all of those information, you'd learn you can growâ all of thoseâ metrics as long as you drive huge amounts of value web traffic. Along these lines, as you increment traffic, the remainder of the measurements downstream deal with themselves. Along these lines, how about we hop into your first 1MTM, getting web traffic. Here's the manner by which to get your SaaS business to your first 1MTMSaaS Marketing: Grow Relevant Web Traffic Web traffic is the place your SaaS promoting channel will (about) consistently start. Our organization has developed on the wings of substance marketing. And about 100 percent of our clients have begun as inquisitive guest on our site. In this way, your first objective is to develop your important web traffic after some time. We propelled our site around five years prior. What's more, as should be obvious, we began where every other person does: with no traffic, no leads, and no clients. The cool part is the means by which we've developed our traffic from nothing to around 1,500,000 site visits for every month... ...to a great extent for nothing! Which is incredible news in case you're a bootstrapped startup, as are we. We've developed our web traffic by putting intensely in: Content advertising, Website streamlining (SEO), Also, parting with magnificent showcasing devices. Suggested Reading: How Long Should a Blog Post Be to Get the Most Traffic and Shares? Content Marketing Here's the arrangement. Content advertising isn't new. It's wide-scale appropriation is decades old at this point. However, in all actuality content showcasing is as yet practical - and will keep on being so into the inconclusive future. The Content Marketing Institute characterizes content showcasing along these lines: Content showcasing is a key promoting approach concentrated on making and appropriating important, significant, and predictable substance to draw in and hold an obviously characterized crowd - and, at last, to drive gainful client activity. Content showcasing can be anything from... âÅ" Ã¯ ¸  blogging... ðÿ„ to distributing whitepapers... ðÿž™ to facilitating a digital recording... ðÿ ¹ to video advertising. Regardless of what substance you're making, the key point is to drive productive client activity. We SaaS advertisers aren't in the matter of being shrewd with our substance. We're in the matter of transforming guests into clients! The most ideal approach to do this is by making content that fits into your content center. Your substance center comes to an obvious conclusion regarding the worth your business gives and what your crowd thinks about. This single standard encourages you drive applicable web traffic better than everything else I've at any point experienced. It drives the transport for each point you decide to make content around. For instance, suppose your SaaS organization made an application that helps individuals with individual planning. Also, on the grounds that your 1MTM is developing web traffic, you've decided to put resources into blogging as your essential type of substance promoting. To pick content center themes, answer two inquiries: What significant worth does our product add to our clients? What related issues does our crowd care about tackling? By picking themes that fit the two rules, you're set to drive productive client activity. Along these lines, blog points may seem as though this for your anecdotal individual planning SaaS startup: âÅ"… How to Stick to a Budget just because âÅ"… 5 Areas You're Spending Too Much and Blowing Through Your Budget ⠝Å" What is the Future of Finance? Where the Economy is Headed Those are entirely essential models. In any case, the fact of the matter is that, while a considerable lot of your crowd individuals might be keen on the economy, the subject doesn't have an immediate association with the worth your planning programming gives. While the initial two have an immediate association. Staying inside your substance center guarantees you'll generally make content that drives significant traffic... ...which means guests who mayâ actually become clients since they have torment your item really comprehends. Suggested Reading: How to Create a Marketing Budget Plan Drive Massive Traffic With SEO Presently, if the substance center outlines for youâ what to talk... The following two traffic switches advises youâ how to get individuals to see it... Search engine optimization is a time tested strategy for increasing reliable traffic. Web index Land characterizes it

Friday, August 21, 2020

Group Conferencing - Save Your Legs and Your Travel Costs

Group Conferencing - Save Your Legs and Your Travel Costs Make Money Online Queries? Struggling To Get Traffic To Your Blog? Sign Up On (HBB) Forum Now!Group Conferencing Save Your Legs and Your Travel CostsUpdated On 09/01/2016Author : RathnakumarTopic : BusinessShort URL : http://hbb.me/1OaYe7W CONNECT WITH HBB ON SOCIAL MEDIA Follow @HellBoundBlogThanks to the rise of the internet and high speed reliable broadband connections, web-conferencing, once the preserve of big business, is now available to small and medium firms. Working from home has become more common in recent years and the recession has seen a large number of individuals forced to rely on their own skills, setting up small businesses or working remotely. The costs involved with video conferencing have come down in recent years, making it a simple, feasible option for businesses to utilise. Apart from the obvious benefits of web conferencing in terms of cutting costs, it’s also an excellent way in which to connect teams working in different locations and allow for collab orative working whatever the location of your employees.Serious SavingsStaying in touch with colleagues â€" be that remote workers or those in different branches around the country â€" is made much simpler with  group video conferencing.  Travel costs are on the increase almost faster than utility bills and online conferencing is a great way to cut those costs. For small firms they offer financial benefits but for medium and larger firms, the savings can be significant. Getting a team together for project meetings from around the country â€" or even from different parts of the world â€" in the past involved travel costs and, potentially, accommodation costs. With this type of conferencing however, all of these are cut to zero. With increasing focus on corporate responsibility and a willingness on the part of many firms to cut their carbon footprint, video conferencing offers an ideal and socially responsible way to meet these aims. Web conferencing can also be used to conduct meetin gs with clients with all the cost saving advantages previously mentioned. While some meetings may be necessary on a face-to-face basis the number can be cut to significant, high profile ones.The Right Person, The Wrong Place?Finding the best employees and retaining the best you already have is a constant struggle for some firms. Family commitments can take employees away from the workplace for long periods of time, while the need to relocate can lose them permanently. Many firms invest heavily in training their staff and retaining these individuals can be an important part of your success. Web conferencing and video conferencing open several attractive options on this front. You can offer more employees the flexibility to be based at home; useful for those who need to balance work and family commitments. This can make all the difference, in some cases, between losing that highly skilled worker or keeping them. In addition, geographical restrictions to finding the best person for the job can be overcome. If the hottest talent in your field is at the opposite side of the globe and intends to stay there, the possibility for them to join your team can be real.READ3 Tried-and-Tested Strategies to Raise Brand AwarenessNon-Verbal CommunicationCommunication is not all about words; while a conference call can be a cost-effective solution for many firms, humans communicate on both a visual and verbal level. Body language can often say a lot more than the words we speak, and video conferencing offers a more genuine, transparent way of communicating with colleagues and clients. It can create trust and help to cement working relationships in a way that an email, phone call or conference call simply cannot.Time and Energy SavingFor small business owners web conferencing can offer a number of specific advantages. The cost savings are the obvious ones but in addition the time savings are incredibly important. Most small, or solo, business owners will be well aware of the ‘j ack of all trades’ approach that is required to owning and managing your own firm. Using web conferencing allows you to connect with clients without having to find the time, the money, or spend hours on the road. The most important point here is that burning out can be easy when you are in charge of your own firm, the time saving and efficiency of web conferencing can be a useful tool to ensure that this doesn’t happen.Cost Effective Online ToolsFinding the right conferencing software is also easier than in the past. Web based software offers by far the most cost effective solution for most firms. Easy to use â€" requiring little or no experience â€" many providers offer an online solution that also means no software downloads are required. You, and your employees, can have instant access to all the benefits that conferencing can offer, without the need for expensive travel or accommodation.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Essay about Affirmative Action is Not Reverse Discrimination

Affirmative Action is Not Reverse Discrimination Affirmative Action is not meant to help blacks because of the color of their skin, but because they deserve compensation for past and continuing injustices. Opponents may criticize the wisdom of how this compensation is meted out, but they cannot question the principle of compensatory damages, which enjoys a long tradition in our society. To many opponents of affirmative action, a color-blind society should not discriminate at hiring time on the basis of color, sex, etc. This would make the preferential hiring of blacks just as wrong as preferential hiring of whites. Furthermore, opponents claim, the introduction of past injustices does not change this logic. If blacks were†¦show more content†¦The situation is akin to the Jews who survived the Holocaust. Germany paid a large sum in compensatory damages to the state of Israel after World War II, and no one decried this as reverse racial discrimination. Now, opponents of affirmative action may question whether affirmative action is the right way to go about correcting past and present injustice. For example, can we compensate the living for sins committed against their ancestors? Is it right to compensate groups instead of specifically harmed individuals? But these are separate issues, ones that should be addressed elsewhere. (The reader may find them in the next essay.) The point here is that affirmative action is intended not as reverse discrimination, but as compensatory damages for injustice. Moral absolutism Those who use the term reverse descrimination are actually engaging in moral absolutism, a completely unworkable concept that has never been practiced by any society in history. An example may best highlight its difficulties. Suppose our society passed a law that says, No one shall forcefully take a television set from the possession of another. But the next day your neighbor comes over to your house with a gun and forcefully takes your television set from you. Having identified your neighbor, you call the police. The police show up at his door and demand that he surrender the television; he refuses, whereupon they pullShow MoreRelatedEssay on Affirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination1010 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination    When the Civil Rights Bill was being debated on the floor of the Senate, Barry Goldwater predicted that this particular bill might be abused. Herbert Humphrey, however, stated that he would eat every page of the bill if ever it were used to justify discrimination against anybody on account of race or sex. The bill eventually passed and became the Civil Rights Act. From college admissions to government contracts, the Civil Rights Act has been grosslyRead MoreEssay on Reverse Discrimination and Affirmative Action4000 Words   |  16 PagesReverse Discrimination and Affirmative Action Discrimination in employment has been an issue that has plagued our society throughout history. At the turn of this century it was acceptable to advertise job openings and specifically state that people of a certain race, color, religion, gender, or national origin need not apply. A lot has changed over the last 100 years. The proverbial pendulum has swung in the direction of federal protection of certain people, but the problem now is thatRead MoreAffirmative Action is NOT Reverse Discrimination Essay2079 Words   |  9 Pages Affirmative action is not the source of discrimination, but the vehicle for removing the effects of discrimination. 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However, thereRead MoreAffirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination Essay example1814 Words   |  8 PagesAffirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination Even though slavery has not been a part of America for over a century now, racial discrimination still exists in various parts of our culture. A controversial policy known as affirmative action was introduced in the 1960s to try and promote racial equality in society. Affirmative action is supposed to give minorities an equal chance in life by requiring minority employment, promotions, college acceptance, etc. At first this sounds like a perfectRead MoreAffirmative Action vs Reverse Discrimination Essay1614 Words   |  7 PagesAffirmative Action or Reverse Discrimination Colleen Koehn Business Law 1038 Instructor Jackie Sexson March 1, 2010 South University Online There has been a large debate in recent years if affirmative action has gone against the American way, has affirmative action caused reverse discrimination? 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Generally speaking, discrimination is rooted in within the â€Å"cultural fabric of the United States† along the lines of â€Å"housing, employment, health,Read More Affirmative Action Essay1503 Words   |  7 Pages Affirmative Action is defined by Websters New World College Dictionary as a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups. The phrase affirmative action was coined by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 when he issued Executive Order 10925, initiating the Presidents Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246. This order required federal contractors toRead MoreEssay on Affirmative Action Policies912 Words   |  4 PagesThe past few days the human resources department has been discussing the importance of implementing an affirmative action policy to assist in assuring that the company complies with equal employment opportu nity laws. The department has decided that the best action is to contact the members of the board of directors. The Federal Government has passed several laws to prevent employment discrimination, and not complying with these laws can cause serious consequences. The purpose of equal employment opportunity

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Rollins College Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Rollins College is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 67%. Located in Winter Park, Florida, Rollins is about ten miles from Orlando. Rollins has an 11-to-1  student / faculty ratio and an average class size of 17. The college has a commitment to international learning, and both international relations and international business are popular majors among undergraduates. In athletics, the Rollins Tars compete in the NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference. Considering applying to Rollins College? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Rollins College had an acceptance rate of 67%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 67 students were admitted, making Rollins admissions process somewhat competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 5,455 Percent Admitted 67% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 15% SAT Scores and Requirements Rollins College has a test-optional standardized testing policy (test score waived option). Applicants to Rollins may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required.  During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 65% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 590 680 Math 560 680 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that of those students who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of  Rollins Colleges admitted students fall within the  top 35% nationally  on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Rollins scored between 590 and 680, while 25% scored below 590 and 25% scored above 680. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 560 and 680, while 25% scored below 560 and 25% scored above 680. While the SAT is not required, this data tells us that a composite SAT score of 1360 or higher is competitive for Rollins. Requirements Rollins College does not require SAT scores for admission for most applicants. For students who choose to submit scores, note that Rollins participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. Rollins does not require the essay portion of the SAT. Note that homeschooled students, as well as those applying to the Honors Degree Program or the 3/2 Accelerated Management Program are required to submit standardized test scores. ACT Scores and Requirements Rollins has a test-optional standardized testing policy (test score waived option). Applicants may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 43% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 27 31 Math 27 28 Composite 24 30 This admissions data tells us that of those who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of Rollins admitted students fall within the  top 26% nationally  on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Rollins College received a composite ACT score between 24 and 30, while 25% scored above 30 and 25% scored below 24. Requirements Rollins does not require ACT scores for admission for most applicants. For students who choose to submit scores, Rollins does not superscore the ACT; your highest composite ACT score will be considered.  Rollins does not require the ACT writing section. Note that homeschooled students, as well as those applying to the Honors Degree Program or the 3/2 Accelerated Management Program are required to submit standardized test scores. GPA In 2018, the average high school GPA of Rollins Colleges incoming freshmen class was 3.31, and and over 50% of incoming students had average GPAs of 3.25 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Rollins College have primarily B grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Rollins College Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Rollins College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Rollins College, which accepts over two-thirds of applicants, has a somewhat selective admissions process. If your SAT/ACT scores and GPA fall within the schools average ranges, you have a strong chance of being accepted. Keep in mind, however, that Rollins also has a  holistic admissions  process and is test-optional, and admissions decisions are based on much more than numbers. A strong  application essay  and  glowing letters of recommendation  can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful  extracurricular activities  and a  rigorous course schedule. The college is looking for students who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways, not just students who show promise in the classroom. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and scores are outside of Rollins average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. Youll see that most admitted students had high school averages of B or higher, combined SAT scores of about 1100 or higher, and ACT composite scores of 23 or better. Due to Rollins Test Score Waived admissions option, average grades are more important than test scores in the admissions process at Rollins. Interested in Rollins College? You May Also Like These Colleges University of FloridaUniversity of MiamiUniversity of Central FloridaStetson UniversityUniversity of South FloridaFlorida State UniversityFlorida Atlantic UniversityNew College of FloridaFlagler College All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Rollins College Undergraduate Admissions Office.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

America s War On Drugs - 3748 Words

The term â€Å"War on drugs† was first announced when President Richard Nixon created a volume of programs intended to suppress the consumption of certain recreational drugs in 1972. It marked the beginning for the era of mandatory minimum sentencing, privatized prisons, racism, and constituency that profits as a result of the illegal drugs. The â€Å"Just Say No† and the D.A.R.E. campaign were created to help youths from starting to use drugs but they were not effective. Treatment programs have directed their attention to current drug user and to stop future drug users. The war on drugs war that is being fought our backyards every day. This is a war that cannot be won by military arms or peace treaties but we must uphold those responsible that our†¦show more content†¦After years of fighting the war against drugs and strict policies and punishments, illicit drugs are still easily obtained. The demand is still high worldwide, drug cartels are richer and more p owerful, and the drug related violence is at its peak. Drugs today are much cheaper and more potent than back they have been for years. One would think to make some changes to the current drug policies but none have been made. There currently is not any study that shows how good or bad we are doing. Central American countries are now affected by drug smugglers and their violence carrying cartels due to the policies of the United States. According to Johnson (1999) one of the reasons that there is such a profound war on drugs is the U.S. antidrug policy. Ever since this policy has been in effect it has contributed to the growth of the problem. The trafficking of drugs into the United States of America has corrupted officials everywhere. It had an effect on the economy and democracies creating violence and terrorism. It has had the ability to control major parts of the economy. (Bruce, 199) An example would be the Medellin cartel, led by Pablo Escobar; he killed a presidential candid ate, judges, and hundreds of Colombian citizens to force then Colombian society to accept his drug business. In order for his business to run effectively he

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Energy Transfer free essay sample

The second to last song in our set, which happened to be the fourth language we sang in, came to a screeching halt as the director disappointedly dropped his arms to his side. The New Jersey Region One Women’s Choir contained the top hundred women of a thousand who auditioned, â€Å"How could Dr. Bishop not be pleased with our perfect Latin, flawless harmonies, and round vowels?† I thought, â€Å"What else could he ask of us?† At that moment he turned to look at each individual face in the group, and finally told us that technically the songs sounded perfect, but the most important thing was missing. â€Å"What is your favorite part of any song in our set?† He questioned. One by one each girl listed a different measure or two or twelve that she admired. â€Å"You see?† He exclaimed, â€Å"One of you is having a special moment at any time in our performance, and each of you want it to be perfect, but if you can’t do that for the girl next to you, then how can you ask for it in return?† Dr. Bishop’s words lived with me throughout the concert and for the next year to come. In my life, the amount of effort those around me put into a task or activity reflects onto me as well, especially in high school. During school spirit week Freshman year, I was ecstatic to wear my neon leggings, obscure hats, and teased hair. However, when the school as a whole ignored the â€Å"excitement† of it all, it discouraged me from being my creative and energetic self. I quickly realized however, that minimizing my spunkiness to plain black leggings, a baseball cap and braids also minimized the experience for students the same way mine had been. Doing so created a chain reaction. Since then I’ve devoted my entire spirit week to looking as ridiculous as possible. Not only have I pleased myself, but I have encouraged my friends to participate as well, and created an overall more spirited community in my eyes. This quote was also carried with me to every class along with my attitude, behavior, and forty pound backpack. I realized that just because I dislike a certain class, does not give me the right to ruin it for another student. In my painting class, many of those enrolled were only taking the class for arts credits. As I designed the intricate pattern with my gentle brush, I quietly observed the paintings around me with the shallow backgrounds and bland colors. The more I noticed their bad attitude and effort, the more I saw how it impacted me. I found myself giving less than my all, simply because no one else was. As I go on to senior year, college, and the rest of my life, I strive to leave each person I meet or interact with better than when I meet them. Our energy thrives and grows from others, and whether that energy is bright and happy, or dark and opaque is up to those around you. I am happy that I can choose who I surround myself with, and be someone that people enjoy because of lessons and words from others. Energy cannot be destroyed, only transferred, and we are one endless cycle of transfer.

Friday, April 10, 2020

Aragorn Depicted as a Type of Christ Essay Example

Aragorn Depicted as a Type of Christ Essay Example Aragorn Depicted as a Type of Christ Paper Aragorn Depicted as a Type of Christ Paper bring healing to His people, and take His rignttul place as King. Jesus demonstrates his power over death whenever he raises from the dead; although Aragorn does not technically come back from death, he symbolically overcomes death when he travels through the Paths of the Dead. This path is representative of an underworld, and when Aragorn emerges from the path alive, he shows his dominion over death and fulfills the prophecies foretelling his Journey. After his arrival at Minas Tirith, Aragorn is vividly depicted as a type of Christ as he heals the wounded people in the city. When he does this, loreth recalls the prophecy that The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known. (Return of the King 1149) Therefore, as Aragorn fulfills the prophecy of healing the people in Minas Tirith, he also confirms that he is the heir the throne of Gondor, which he assumes after the ring is destroyed. In Lord of the Rings, Aragorn resembles Christ in his natural leadership, strength f will, and fulfillment of ancient prophecies. Like Jesus when he leads his disciples and followers, Aragorn is a respected leader, in whom all of his followers have complete trust. Aragorn also possesses an unworldly strength of will, similar to that of Jesus, which allows him to resist great evil and even subdue the Palantir to his will. Finally, Aragorns life is a fulfillment of ancient prophecies that foretell of his overcoming death, bringing healing to his people, and taking his rightful place as the King of Gondor. Aragorns portrayal in this epic battle against evil depicts him as being Middle-Earths ultimate Savior, Just as Christ is our Savior. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Two Towers; Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965. Print. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965. Print.

Monday, March 9, 2020

The Human Potential for Blind Obedience essays

The Human Potential for Blind Obedience essays One of the most dramatic events in the immediate aftermath of World War II was the series of Nuremburg Trials for the Nazi atrocities during the war, held in the German city by that name. The trials lasted almost as long as the war itself and much of civilized society was appalled as one Nazi defendant after another disclaimed any personal responsibility for their actions because they all claimed merely to be following orders. The crimes that they perpetrated were so heinous and brutal that many concluded that the Nazi regime was run by a collection of societys worst sociopaths most of whom would likely have committed equally savage crimes under ordinary circumstances. Hardly more than two decades later, two landmark psychology experiments were conducted by Stanley Milgram who examined the phenomenon of obedience to authority and by Phillip Zimbardo who examined the potential for abuse of authority in his famous Stanford Prison experiment. The results of those two experiments caused the psychological community to reevaluate conclusions about what was responsible for the blind obedience to authority and spontaneous cruelty perpetrated in Nazi Germany Stanley Milgram Obedience to Authority: The experiment designed by Milgram used subjects who were unaware that they were the subjects of the experiment; they were given roles of teachers in a supposed memory experiment, in conjunction with which they were instructed by an authoritative figure in a white lab coat to administer what the subjects believed were electric shocks to the sham learners who were actually complicit in the experiment and not really connected to any electric apparatus. The real purpose of the experiment was to observe the extent to which ordinary people would administer painful elect ...

Saturday, February 22, 2020

To what extent do you agree with the claim that small to medium sized Essay

To what extent do you agree with the claim that small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are always better at innovating than la - Essay Example The drivers of innovation include competitive pressures, and the need to gain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage can also be achieved from firm size or possession of assets (Tidd and Besant, 2009, Ch 2, p1). Mobbs (2010) cites from a book by Baumal who noted that â€Å"virtually all the economic growth that has occurred since the 18th century is ultimately attributable to innovation†. Drivers of Innovation Internationalization, deregulation and globalization have compelled companies to find newer ways to enhance performance, productivity and growth. Innovation has become a strategic priority as it helps to survive adverse changes, to protect market share, to open new horizons and to become market leaders (Mobbs, 2010). As markets have become customer-driven, firms also need to innovate to cater to customer needs, preferences and wants. In addition, advanced communications and transportation technology have fuelled growth thereby increasing competitive pressures on fi rms to innovate (The Economic Intelligence Unit, 2007). Other drivers of innovation include education and technical skills of the workforce and investments in research and development as a percentage of the GDP. Innovation is the application of knowledge in some innovative way and it definitely boosts performance. Business leaders in both small and large companies have started focusing on top- and bottom-line growth and one of the best ways to achieve this is through innovation. They have started evaluating their products, services, processes and even their corporate culture to gain competitive advantage (Mobbs, 2010). This paper evaluates to what extent small and medium-sized companies are better at innovating than larger companies. Types of Innovation Various theories have been put forth by researchers and scholars as they evaluate the potential of SMEs and large firms to innovate. Firm size and age influence survival, but the direction of growth matters more than the firm size (C efis and Marsili, 2005). According to the product life cycle (PLC) theory, both product and process innovation influence market competition in different stages of industry evolution. Process innovation gains prominence as the industry matures. However, product innovation has to be ongoing as in the case of cardiac pacemakers. Firms that could introduce intermittent incremental innovations could support themselves better. Smaller firms would focus on product innovation but there are other ways in which firms can obtain strategic advantage such as change in the process, position (changing identities) and paradigm (new ways of seeing the world). Schumpeter, the founder of innovative studies, believed that entrepreneurs have the propensity to innovate and also receive rewards as long as they enjoy monopoly (Tidd and Besant, 2008). However, they can soon be overtaken by competitors who copy and imitate. Therefore constant innovation keeps the capitalist engine in motion. Sources of Innov ation However, this ability to innovate is more important than any other factor. Innovation transcends all functional areas such as marketing, planning, human resource management and finance. In SMEs most of these functions are carried out by owner-managers who may lack the realization of the process needed for implementing innovation. Moreover, SMEs consider innovation as a one-dimensional function and hence consider innovation only through a major technological breakthrough (Tunney, 2007). However, there is

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Annotated Bibliography Example The information on absenteeism from the book would be useful and instrumental in the current research. Eggert, M.A. (2004). Controlling Absenteeism. Management Pocketbooks Ltd., U.K. Discussed theoretical background of absenteeism in terms of provisions of definitions, costs and measurement; identified causes; legal bits; and absence control. The author has provided a concise structural presentation on the most relevant issues confounding absenteeism with a discussion of legal matters most useful for the present study. Written with a backdrop of humor included, interspersed with comic illustrations, the book is an interesting reading and informative source that will definitely be expedient for the researcher. Fulton, K. & Mudley, E. (2008). Dealing with absenteeism in the work place. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Presented appropriate means of dealing with absenteeism with reference to Labour Relations Act (LRA) that rationalizes and find legal grounds linking absenteeism to a form of misconduct or incapacity. The authors provided a brief and concisely structured discourse finding legal grounds for employers, including accurate and explicit policies as incorporated in the organization’s code of discipline. The article, despite its brevity, contains crucial information in terms of legal justifications for providing appropriate sanctions for absenteeism in the work place. This should definitely be used in the current research.... Employee Absenteeism. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Proffered diverse issues on employee absenteeism including reasons, measuring level of absenteeism, suggested steps to minimize the incidence of absenteeism, to evaluate the working conditions to influence the dilemma, and determine motivational factors to preclude absenteeism in the workplace. The study focused on the actual experience in Go Go International Pvt. Ltd. Hassan, a garments manufacturing company, to examine the abovementioned issues and concerns. The methodology, participants, and findings are all relevant for the current research. The study is comprehensive and detailed as it provided an objective and structured approach to address issues confounding absenteeism in the organizational setting. This is definitely a useful and viable source of information for the proposed research. Mitra, S. (2008). â€Å"Managing Absenteeism and Presenteeism in the Workplace.† American Institute of CPAs. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Provided a brief theoretical background on the dilemma prior to delving into the causes of absenteeism and the costs of unscheduled absences in the workplace. The concept of presenteeism was likewise discussed concurrent with identification of its effects. The author cited secondary sources to support information on ways to control both absenteeism and presenteeism. The information contained in the article would be useful for the current study as it presented diverse issues that are deemed critical for the current research. The only weakness identified is the failure of the

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Plagiarism in Higher Education Essay Example for Free

Plagiarism in Higher Education Essay Al Ain Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the modern information society on attitudes and approaches to the prevention of plagiarism and to examine a less punitive, more educative model. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a literature review of plagiarism in contemporary society followed by a case study of the education department of a tertiary-level college in the United Arab Emirates. Findings – The authors advocate a move towards a less punitive, more educative approach which takes into account all the relevant contextual factors. A call is made for a truly institutional response to a shared concern, with comprehensive and appropriate policies and guidelines which focus on prevention, the development of student skills, and the proactive involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Practical implications – This approach could inform the policies and practices of institutions who wish to systematically deal with plagiarism in other contemporary contexts. Originality/value – This paper could be of value to policy makers and administrators in tertiary institutions, particularly in English as a second language contexts, who recognise the limitations of traditional approaches to plagiarism and wish to establish more effective practices. Keywords Copyright law, Information society, Dishonesty, United Arab Emirates Paper type Literature review Plagiarism in political discourse Politicians, more than anyone else, need to portray an image of integrity, honesty, and independent thought. Their election, their livelihood, and the fate of their constituents would seem to depend on it. Yet politicians commonly use speechwriters who have the speci? c task of conveying their thoughts, personality, and personal sincerity (see for example, Philp, 2009). It may be argued that although politicians do not necessarily write the words themselves, they endorse the words they use. But what if the words themselves are not original? In one instance, the presidential candidate Barack Obama was confronted by the fact that some of his speeches had taken material from Deval Patrick, the Massachusetts Governor. Obama admitted he should have acknowledged his source: Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues Vol. 3 No. 3, 2010 pp. 166-177 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1753-7983 DOI 10. 1108/17537981011070082 I was on the stump. [Deval] had suggested that we use these lines and I thought they were good lines [. . . ] I’m sure I should have – didn’t this time [. . . ] I really don’t think this is too big of a deal (Obama cited in Whitesides, 2008). Published by kind permission of HCT Press. Plagiarism has been de? ned as â€Å"the unacknowledged use of someone else’s work [. . . ] and passing it off as if it were one’s own† (Park, 2004, p.292) and it is interesting to speculate whether such an excuse would be accepted from a student by an educational institution’s plagiarism committee. Accusations of plagiarism in politics have been made before, of course, though the outcomes were often different, suggesting that a shift may be taking place in attitudes towards plagiarism in politics. In 1987, another presidential hopeful was forced to abandon his ambitions for high of? ce largely because he had plagiarised a speech by the British politician Neil Kinnock and because of â€Å"a serious plagiarism incident† in his law school years (Sabato, 1998). Ironically, the candidate was none other than Joe Biden, the man chosen by Obama to be his Vice President. In politics today, it seems as though plagiarism no longer signals the end of a career. In contrast, students who are caught cheating or plagiarising can be subject to sanctions and consequences that are severely life impacting, which in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can include permanent exclusion from all tertiary education (see for example, Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), 2008). One question of fundamental concern that we must ask ourselves as tertiary-level educators is why college students, who have much less at stake, considerably less experience and knowledge and who do not use English as their ? rst language, should be held to higher standards of responsibility in communication than those in the highest political of? ces? Yet, if we make allowances for students who are still learning to orientate themselves in academic discourse, what standards should be applied? Plagiarism in a complex information society The concept of plagiarism is a relatively new cultural phenomenon. Greek philosophers regularly appropriated material from earlier works without compunction, and originality was considered less important than imitating, often orally, the great works of their predecessors (Lackie and D’Angelo-Long, 2004, p. 37). All the way through the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the study of rhetoric rather than written language was often the norm, with students required to give public speeches to assembled faculty. Only the subsequent move towards written assignments brought with it new perceptions of student plagiarism (Simmons, 1999, p. 41). Around the same time, in the earlier part of the twentieth century, the formalization of citation styles from organizations such as the American Psychological Association marked a desire to standardise academic writing and provide a model for ethically quoting the work of others (Simmons, 1999, p. 42). With the rise of the information society and electronic media, another cultural shift seems to be underway. There have been recent suggestions that plagiarism is becoming more prevalent, and much of the blame has been placed on â€Å"nearly universal access to the Internet† (Scanlon and Neumann, 2002, p. 374). Park (2004, p. 293) refers to the ease of â€Å"copying [. . . ] in a digital world of computers, word processing, electronic sources and the Internet. † However, the explosion of electronic sources of information has not just made copying easier, it has also made it much more central to our students’ cultural and social experiences. Students going into tertiary education have grown up with the internet and are at home with downloading â€Å"free† ? lms, sharing music and modifying and emailing all kinds of material taken from the web. They have developed highly skilled ways of conducting non-academic research using  services such as search engines, social networking sites, podcasts, RSS feeds, discussion boards, etc. with Dealing with plagiarism 167 EBS 3,3 168 hyperlinks allowing them to jump from site to site as though the internet were a single-uni? ed source, and with copying and pasting a mainstay of interaction. They take it for granted that a pop star such as will. i. am can pick up and rework virtually the entire content of a political speech, and turn it into the award winning song and music video Yes we can, apparently without Obama’s knowledge or consent ((The) ABC News, 2008). They are not surprised when this video is then embedded in countless webpages, with the lyrics of the song posted on music sites without any attribution of the original source (see for example, LyricsReg, n. d). This intertextuality is a perfect example of the â€Å"postmodern, self-cannibalizing popular culture† (Bowman, 2004, p. 8) that our students now engage with on a daily basis. Students may well bring to the classroom very different ideas from their teachers about what constitutes fair use. Indeed, one study of 2,600 tertiary-level students in the UAE found that just over 40 percent considered cutting and pasting from the internet as either trivial cheating or not cheating at all. The attitudes of UAE students are similar to those of other students around the world (Croucher, 2009). Some theorists have gone a step further and argue that as the new media become more interactive and collaborative, it calls into question the whole idea of a â€Å"creative, original, individual who, as an autonomous scholar, presents his/her work to the public in his/her own name† (Scollon, 1995, p.1). The multiple contributors to Wikipedia pages is a clear example of how a collaborative process undermines our sense of authorship. In addition, the notion of what constitutes â€Å"fair use† is changing quickly. This is exempli? ed by the open source movement where material can be downloaded, modi? ed, and shared with minimal and strictly controlled author’s rights (See for example, Open Source Initiative, n. d). As Blum (2009) notes, the â€Å"rules about intellectual property are in ? ux. † Where does this leave educators? Has plagiarism become an irrelevant concept, too outdated in its de? nition to be of use in the production of educated professionals ready to take their place in our post-modern society? Do we have to accept Johnson’s (2007) argument that in the digital age, writing an original essay outside of class for assessment purposes is no longer viable in its current form because of the ease of copying from the internet? Do we have to agree with him when he says such tasks are no longer even relevant because they fail to re? ect the modern workplace? As Johnson argues: My transfer from education to the world of business has reminded me just how important it is to be able to synthesize content from multiple sources, put structure around it and edit it into a coherent, single-voiced whole. Students who are able to create convincing amalgamations have gained a valuable business skill. Unfortunately, most schools fail to recognize that any skills have been used at all, and an entire paper can be discarded because of a few lines repeated from another source without quotation marks. Plagiarism in education Plagiarism in education seems to operate under a very different set of rules from the pragmatic ? elds of politics or business and can create emotional responses that deploy highly charged metaphors such as The Plagiarism Plague (Bowman, 2004) or â€Å"Winning hearts and minds in war on plagiarism† (Jaschik, 2008). In education, plagiarism is â€Å"seen as a transgression against our common intellectual values, carrying justi? ably bad consequences for those guilty of the practice† (Isserman, 2003). Why is it generally accepted that politicians can use ghostwriters, but that students cannot, even if the stakes for the students are much lower? The critical issue for education is that plagiarism â€Å"circumvents the learning process† (Spencer, 2004, p. 16). The process of analysing and synthesizing ideas, and reformulating them in writing, is seen as central to learning. Only by ensuring that students struggle to assimilate material and develop their own voice do students go beyond surface information and develop higher order thinking skills. As Isserman (2003) notes: [.. . ] ownership over the words you use [. . . ] is really at the heart of the learning process. You can read a dozen books about the cold war, but if you can’t explain what you have learned to someone else in your own words, no real learning has taken place [. . . ] and you will have made no progress whatsoever toward realizing the central goal of a liberal-arts education: the ability to think for yourself. Dealing with plagiarism 169 This struggle for intellectual development is not easy, which is precisely the reason that makes plagiarism attractive for some students. In most cases teachers are not concerned about literary theft, but that their students are missing out on opportunities for learning because they are failing to engage with the material in a meaningful way. Plagiarism is therefore â€Å"denying them the opportunity to learn lessons, improve their study skills, and improve their knowledge and understanding† (Lancaster University, 2009, p. 3). If plagiarism is especially serious in education because it is an obstacle to learning, then we should deal with instances of plagiarism primarily from an educational perspective rather than the punitive one. Students need to learn the importance of academic integrity and understand that it is not just a hoop to be jumped through, but is integral to intellectual and personal growth. Clearly this learning process cannot be instantaneous, and allowances should be made as students develop. However, this does not mean that severe penalties should be removed from the process entirely as there will always be students who refuse or are unable to meet appropriate standards. Factors in? uencing the incidence of plagiarism Individual, pedagogical, and institutional factors can all in? uence the incidence of plagiarism. Students themselves can be impacted by a wide range of factors including their educational conditioning, cultural background, motivation, language skill, peer pressure, gender, issues with time management, ability, and even the subject being studied (Roig, 1997). If the tertiary experience is vastly different to students’ previous educational experience, the motivation for plagiarism again increases. In the UAE, it is likely, for example, that the students’ primary and secondary schooling was characterised by rote learning and the quest for a single correct answer, non-transparent and poorly conceived assessment practices, and vast social inequities within the student base, and between students and their often socially and economically disadvantaged teachers. Norms, expectations, and demands learned in this context can be dif? cult to dislodge in subsequent institutions which place a premium on the exploration of problems and solutions, independent and critical thinking skills, and academic integrity. If plagiarism is not de? ned or academic processes made explicit, then such students will ? nd it impossible to reach the standards that are suddenly and (to them) inexplicably imposed on them. Pedagogical approaches may also contribute to the prevalence of plagiarism. Current methodologies place much more emphasis on collaboration and group work, with a greater weight given to out-of-class projects and portfolios at the expense of formal exams. The result is that the line between collaboration and cheating during assessed tasks is blurred, and if this is not explicitly dealt with by assessors, it will inevitably EBS 3,3 170 result in misunderstandings as to what is acceptable. Also, students are more likely to justify cheating if the coursework or assignments they were given were too hard, poorly scaffolded, or based on unreasonable expectations of their abilities (Naidoo, 2008), and plagiarism will be made easier if the assignments are not constructed carefully so that stock answers cannot be copied from the internet (Wood, 2004). However, the institutional context plays perhaps the most critical role. For example, unclear and uncommunicated institutional policies with vague de?  nitions of plagiarism can affect the incidence of plagiarism, as can the application of those policies (McCabe et al. , 2002). Some aspects of an organization may unwittingly encourage plagiarism. For example, in contrast to schools, tertiary education institutions in the UAE do not typically award top grades to large numbers of students, and there is evidence to suggest that students justify using ghostwriters in such an environment because they believe they deserve better grades (Croucher, 2009). An often overlooked but crucial aspect of deterring and detecting plagiarism is the application of institutional policies by teachers. One survey of 800 American academics at 16 institutions found that 40 percent never reported incidents of plagiarism while a further 54 percent did so only seldomly, even though the evidence suggested they must have received plagiarised work (McCabe, 1993 cited in Schneider, 1999). There are many reasons why teachers may be reluctant to report plagiarism. Teachers may feel the potential penalties for students are too high (Auer and Krupar, 2001). They may also be wary of making false accusations which potentially undermine their own professional status. Some teachers object to taking on the role of detective or enforcer as it undermines the mentor-student relationship (Schneider, 1999; Park, 2004) while others may not have the time to make an extra effort to uncover plagiarism and follow it up (Park, 2004). It may also be that some teachers, especially teachers of content subjects where the focus is less on form and more on ideas, may not have suf? ciently developed skills to detect plagiarism. Hyland (2001) found that even teachers who detect plagiarism may use indirect feedback when dealing with plagiarism (for example, comments in the margins such as â€Å"Are these your own words?†) which can lead to miscommunication with the student about what is acceptable. With so many factors at play, the responsibilities of teachers must be clearly codi? ed if any institutional initiative is to have any success. Plagiarism and ESOL/EFL English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts may be more prone to infringements of academic integrity because students lack the English skills to understand the coursework and so may feel that plagiarism offers the only solution (Hyland, 2001; Liu, 2005). Moreover, the cultural conditioning of English as a second language (ESL) and EFL students has been cited as another contributing factor. Moder (1995 cited in Lackie and D’Angelo-Long, 2004, p. 38) suggests that some societies, including those in the Middle East, â€Å"value memorization and imitation as the mark of an educated person† which may mean that plagiarism is viewed as being less signi? cant. Liu (2005, p. 239) disagrees with the notion of cultural conditioning, however, claiming that â€Å"it is  based on incorrect information and is presented often via unwarranted jumps in reasoning and con? ation of separate issues. † More pertinently, perhaps, she goes on to argue that: [. . . ] even if we concede that such cultural conditioning indeed exists to some extent, we still cannot say for sure that it is the main reason that ESOL students plagiarize. There are many other factors that may motivate ESOL students from many L1 backgrounds to plagiarize, including a lack of adequate pro? ciency, lack of task speci?c writing skills, and of course, the urge to cheat (p. 239). Dealing with plagiarism ESOL students, then, whether or not cultural conditioning is accepted as an underlying factor in plagiarism, may still have greater motivation than their ? rst language counterparts to take and use the ideas and words of others in their own assignments. Ironically, plagiarism by ESOL students is also far more likely to be detected because of more prominent differences in language level and tone between copied and original work. Degrees of plagiarism Intuitively, plagiarism varies in its severity in a way that cheating (e. g. using crib sheets or having someone else take a test for you) does not. It can consist of minor lapses, for example, when original material is poorly paraphrased but the source is acknowledged, through deliberately copying parts of a text without citing the source, to submitting work from an online paper mill (Roig, 1997). Critical factors in determining the severity of the plagiarism include the intention behind the plagiarism (was it deliberate or accidental? ), the amount of material that has been plagiarised, the inclusion of the source in the list of references, the degree to which the plagiarised material differs from the source (an indication at an attempt to paraphrase), the time the student has spent in tertiary education, and whether it is the ? rst, second, or subsequent occurrence. Given the wide variation in the seriousness of plagiarism and the developmental process students must undergo to assimilate the norms of academic writing, it is clear that the appearance of plagiarised material is not always a deliberate attempt to cheat. For example, students are often poor at paraphrasing and may not be fully aware that this could be construed as plagiarism. Roig (1999) gave English-speaking undergraduate students a two-sentence paragraph to paraphrase and found that between 41 and 68 percent of the responses contained strings of at least ? ve words or more copied from the original. These results clearly back up the claim that plagiarism may indicate a de? cit in appropriate skills and not intentional academic dishonesty. Towards an institutional response to plagiarism In many educational institutions, plagiarism is seen largely as a teacher/student problem. If plagiarism is detected, then the teacher makes a decision as to whether to escalate the case for possible punitive action. The plagiarism is seen either as morally wrong or as a â€Å"crime† – the breaking of a rule that has inevitable consequences (Blum, 2009). Unfortunately, dealing with plagiarism in this way can result in decisions which are reactive, emotive, and which are made informally on an ad hoc basis, thus inviting inequity and inconsistency. When the focus is directed towards punishment, there may be little maturation in terms of academic integrity for the student concerned, or for those who watch their classmate’s fate from the sidelines. Academic endeavour must take place within an institutional culture that routinely recognises and reinforces the value of academic integrity so that all stakeholders are obliged to proactively follow and uphold best practice in order to reduce the impact of the contributing factors discussed above. This requires the establishment of an institutional response to plagiarism that is comprehensive, appropriate, fair, developmental, transparent, and educative. 171 EBS 3,3 Park (2004, p. 294) describes such an institutional framework for dealing with plagiarism that was developed by a working party at Lancaster University in consultation with staff and with reference to experience and the literature: The working party sought to move the plagiarism discourse beyond just detection and punishment and to situate and embed it in a cohesive framework that tackles the root causes as well as the symptoms of plagiarism as a family of behaviours. 172 The key elements underpinning this framework were consistency and transparency. These were ensured by the explicit codi? cation of stakeholder responsibilities, procedures, and penalties. In order for such a framework to be implemented effectively, Park (2004, p. 296) noted that â€Å"all stakeholders within the institution must understand and appreciate why the framework is necessary and how it protects their own interests. † A case study Park (2004, pp. 295-9) nominated a number of central pillars that lend validity and effectiveness to any such institutional framework. These included transparency, ownership by stakeholders, student engagement, academic integrity, framing the initiative to ensure compatibility with the culture of the institution, focus on prevention and deterrence, and the supportive and developmental nature of the framework. These pillars provide excellent reference points for the approach taken in one department in a college in the UAE and allow us to examine the viability and ef? cacy of such a framework for the local context. The Education Department at Abu Dhabi Women’s College (ADWC) has addressed its concerns with academic honesty in a concerted, collaborative, and multi-faceted fashion. As teacher educators, the faculty in this department are intent on producing future academics. Much like politicians, words, information, and the generation of ideas are the very foundation of our professional lives, so we regard it as essential that the â€Å"rules† of using these appropriately are disseminated, understood, and followed at all times by all of our students. To this end, we have established and adhere to a set of policies and practices at all levels that support and facilitate academic honesty. Institutional/departmental level The HCT, of which ADWC is only one of 16, institutionally mandates the prevention and sanctioning of plagiarism and related offences. Consequences of infringements of these rules are outlined in of?cial policies, Student Handbooks (see for example, HCT, 2008), contracts signed by students at the commencement of their studies, and reinforced by administrative staff and faculty at every student meeting and examination session held throughout the student’s academic career at HCT. From these guidelines, the Education Division throughout the colleges has documented standards and procedures that address academic honesty in its assessment handbooks – one that is distributed to all education students and the other, more comprehensive and speci?c, that is used by all education faculty. This shared written documentation enables best practice in assessment to be disseminated and followed, provides the underlying philosophy and approach for the division as a whole, and addresses academic honesty both directly and indirectly to better support student writing and make plagiarism a less viable or attractive option. The assessment handbooks re? ect the developmental curricular approach of the division as a whole, and so specify the type, nature, and expectations for assessments at each level to scaffold the students’ ability to produce increasingly sophisticated and original work. Ensuring that requirements are reasonable and documented minimises the students’ need to seek help through illegitimate means. These handbooks are the basis of communication within the ADWC Education Department on all matters regarding assessment and have served to ensure a common approach and understanding. Insights gained by instructors in their daily interactions with students and their submissions inevitably reveal general dif?culties facing students, which are then examined in regular formal and informal meetings to brainstorm and implement further strategies that may be useful. The ongoing concern at faculty level with issues of academic honesty is mirrored in the systematic recycling of warnings, information, and explicit instructions to students. As a department, the theft or misappropriation of ideas and words has been, and continues to be, addressed as professionally offensive and inappropriate. Initiatives suggested by Education Department faculty as well as colleagues in other departments and colleges are pursued vigorously. One recent example has been the provision of workshops by library staff on research skills and academic procedures. The plagiarism detection software, Turnitin, was originally adopted by the department as both a defence against plagiarism and a tool to help students protect themselves against accidental plagiarism. This proved to be very effective, but unfortunately access to this subsequently became unavailable. Now, suspicious text samples are input into search engines and all assignments are run through SafeAssign, a plagiarism checker in Blackboard (the online course management system). These have proved to be acceptable alternatives. As Braumoeller and Gaines (2001) found in their study, â€Å"the deterrent effects of actually checking for plagiarism are quite impressive (p. 836). † The departmental approach has included a series of mandatory workshops and masterclasses on academic writing and plagiarism for all students in slightly altered learning contexts designed to motivate, encourage participation, and focus attention. It should be noted that the relatively small size of the department (one chair, six faculty, and fewer than 80 students) makes shared understandings, uniform dissemination of information, and infraction detection much easier and more likely than in a bigger department where students are not familiar to every teacher. Course level Academic writing skills are an important component of all education courses. Referencing skills are taught explicitly in a speci? c course during the students’ ? rst semester, and then constantly reinforced and recycled throughout the programme. The education programmes at the HCT are based on re?  ective practice. This means that assignments are contextualised and require the application rather than the regurgitation of theory, so copying from previously submitted work or in any way buying or commissioning a paper cannot be so easily accomplished as theory has to ? t the student’s individual circumstances. In addition, the student’s right to submit and receive feedback on a ? rst draft of every paper (Assessment Handbook, 2009, p. 7) allows plagiarism, deliberate, or accidental; to be detected and remediated at an earlier stage before punishment becomes the only option. The feedback and scaffolding policy (pp.53-5), which outlines the form and scope of feedback to be given, draws instructor attention to both macro and micro features of the submission, so any attempt to use words or ideas from an external source should be revealed at least a week before ? nal submission. Dealing with plagiarism 173 EBS 3,3 All students submitting assignments in the Education Division are required to sign a declaration on their cover page that the work is entirely their own and all sources have been acknowledged (Assessment Handbook, 2009, p. 47). This provides a ? nal reminder that academic honesty is expected and will be monitored. Faculty responsibilities and input All faculty in the Education Department, regardless of their course allocation, consider themselves teachers of English. This is not only because we each have ESL teaching quali? cations and experience (obviously an advantage), but also because we recognise the importance of language as the vehicle for idea generation and transmission. Language is inseparable from the content area in which those ideas are conceived and manipulated. This can be a very different orientation to that of colleagues in other departments whose subject area specialisation takes precedence. Our more holistic approach means that we explicitly teach both content and the language elements with which to express that content to students who may be struggling with the unfamiliarity of both. It also means that we take our role as defenders of academic integrity very seriously and vigilantly monitor and check student output. As professional ESL teacher educators, we strive to be models of effective language use as well as successful proponents of academic scholarship, so ongoing instruction in both is a routine aspect of teaching and learning in the department. This increased student awareness of appropriate academic writing processes reduces their motivation to misappropriate text written by others. The cultural and social aspects of plagiarism are also given attention by faculty. In a society that places less value on individuality than it does on cooperation and social cohesion, it is important for students to understand that they have not only the right, but the responsibility, to turn down requests for assistance from peers. Faculty not only explain this, but also explain to students how to respond assertively with friends or relatives asking for inappropriate help. Without this, no amount of education or punishment can ever be successful. Student involvement Education students are required to be active participants in their own learning. Because all assessment processes are documented and transparent, they have the ability to question and ask for clari? cation on any aspect that they do not understand. All expectations or consequences are addressed in multiple ways, so ignorance is no defence for malpractice. Submissions of ? rst drafts are perhaps the most critical aspect for students. Although these are universally permitted and scheduled, they are never awarded a mark and are not always actually demanded, so it is up to the student to take advantage of their right to pre-submission feedback. An appropriate framework? The Education Department at ADWC values academic honesty very highly and has organized its procedures and practices accordingly. The very infrequent occurrence of plagiarism is testimony to the effectiveness of: . proactive strategizing; . clear documentation; . reasonable and appropriate expectations; 174 . . . . . awareness raising; sustained faculty vigilance and involvement; support for the development of student skills and cognitive growth; decreased student opportunity and motivation to cheat; and the pervasive sense of professional identity and responsibility that characterise departmental efforts on this issue at all levels. Dealing with plagiarism 175 The work done in this department is thus an arguably successful attempt to â€Å"devise a student plagiarism framework that best suits [our] own culture and circumstances†.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Linear Time Structure of the Western World Essays -- Sociology, Cultur

Thanks to the linear time structure of the western world, time is no longer infinite. People of our culture constantly have to stress over rushing to arrive at an appointment on time, turning in an assignment by a particular day, or having a prepared meal on the table at 5 o’clock on the dot. As days are filled with schedules dictated by time, the time itself just seems to slip away. This passing of linear time creates the worry that life is too short and this generates the concern about death, especially about what happens when one dies. In the western world, we as a people are highly conscious of milestones measuring passing time as these marks signal the approach of the enigmatic death and remind us that our time is limited. Before diving into this argument, it is interesting to understand the origin of this time structure in our society. The western world’s idea of linear time comes from the Hebraic influence on the culture. Outside of the Judeo-Christian sphere many cultures developed abiding by circular time which is based on natural cycles and happenings, such as the movement of planets. Circular time embeds people into the natural world -- linear time allows people to follow their separate path and with this comes the ability to dominate. By following this time structure people can be free to understand history and progress (â€Å"Chapter VII: Western Culture and Its Sources†). It is quite ironic, then, that a structure that was once meant to liberate people has caused suffocation. This linear time structure has made time no longer seem infinite. This framework emphasizes a chronological order -- with time, of course, neatly organized into little intervals. This is drastically different from circular time which never ends ... ...intless if we do not know what the unavoidable death will bring. In the western society, our linear time structure has caused us to habitually separate time into intervals that consistently continue. The pressure these milestones place on people is enormous -- we are demanded to live life a certain way as there is always a time limit, even on the length of time we have in this world. Although these constraints tend to create the worry that life may not have meaning and bring with them the mystery of death, one must learn to emotionally separate oneself from this structure. Time as we have defined it is merely a human invention; aging and curiousness about the future are natural human instincts but when a man-made structure begins to cast a shadow of doubt on life’s meaning one must take a step back a realize that there is more to life than the ticking of a clock.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Analysis of Abraham Lincoln’s House Divided Speech

The House Divided speech took place on June 16, 1858 in Springfield, Illinois. It was recited by Abraham Lincoln as he accepted the Republican Party nomination as a representative of the United States Senate. The primary issue throughout the course of this speech was the heavily controversial issue of slavery. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed; this act allowed citizens of new territories would decide whether or not they should have slavery, which could also be defined as â€Å"popular sovereignty. † This caused great opposition throughout the country and later led to the founding of the Republican Party. Lincoln’s perspective on slavery was that it should stay in the Southern states only, where it would either not spread or die out, but the Kansas-Nebraska Act made the anti-slavery adherents enraged. To make matters worse, a new debate was added in 1857 – the Dred Scott case, which ruled that the Congress couldn’t prevent slavery from new territories. As agitation continued to stir, Abraham Lincoln – as mentioned above – delivered his House Divided speech to establish his beliefs toward slavery and to differentiate himself from Stephen Douglas and the rest of the seemingly corrupt governmental judgments and transactions. A House divided against itself cannot stand. † Lincoln warned that the nation could not survive being half-slave and half-free; he believes that it can only be one or the other, and makes a bold statement that he expects the division will eventually cease. He then impressed upon a theory of pro-slavery forces wanting to spread bondage across the land and indicted popular sovereignty as a terrible guarantee of slavery’s endurance in the country’s free regions and, eventually, the entire region. Although these laws were made by different men, Lincoln claimed that the results fitted perfectly to create a policy to endorse the expansion of slavery – a policy that the Republicans would fight. Following this speech, the table was set for a series of heavy debates between Lincoln and Douglas. Lincoln’s â€Å"House Divided† Speech against Douglas cemented his name in the national mind and paved the way for his successful run for president, which was the premonition of a monumental and dangerous Civil War between those going against slavery and those who endorsed it.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Movie Analysis Mindwalk s Mindwalk - 1197 Words

Film Analysis: Mindwalk The film Mindwalk consisted of three main characters. Two of the main characters, Jack and Thomas were previous acquaintances. Thomas takes Jack for a stroll around Mont Saint-Michel. While talking philosophically about life, they meet a woman named Sonia who happens to be an ex-physicist turned philosopher who lives on the island. The three main characters spend their day walking around the island talking about theory, politics, science, and many philosophical topics. To me, this film really opened my mind to the problems of the world and the different perspectives people have of these problems. When watching this film I felt as though each character had such a fascinating perspective of their own, but was also†¦show more content†¦If not, they’re not. It’s as simple as that. If it works it’s good. Period.† (Amadeus, Bernt. 1990. Mindwalk. Paramount.). His perspective of social and structural issues is one that stems from a pragmatic point of vie w, this could be seen in a way to defend his way of thinking in a position of power. Jack’s views of the worldly problems contain the conflict perspective in the sense that he believes people are shaped by power and coercion. Often, his perspective is tested by the two other main characters Thomas and Sonia. Sonia, coming from a holistic view of physics and the environment, led the conversations to systems theory and philosophical paths the most out of all three main characters. Sonia personifies both the functionalist perspective and feminist perspective, â€Å"Functionalists posit that society and its parts are structured to provide social order and maintain stability. Aspects of society that appear dysfunctional, seemingly contribute to a decrease in social order or integration†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Witt 2016:16). Both the functionalist and conflict perspectives analyze society-wide patterns of behavior. Emile Durkheim is most associated with this perspective, â€Å"Durkheim wa s concerned about what happens when the influence of society declines, resulting in a weakened social integration† (Witt 2016:12). 2 Similar to Emile