Macroeconomics and Microeconomics - Microfinance Research Paper

Macroeconomics and Microeconomics - Microfinance - Research Paper Example The paper focuses on microfinance activities meeting the cause of women in the countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana. Microfinance in Kenya ACCA (2011) states that the microfinance activities in Kenya got its foothold in '80s but it expanded rapidly after Microfinance Intermediaries Act came into force in the year 2006. The microfinance intermediaries (MFIs) operate under regulatory framework called Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). As per EIU, Kenya offers one of the best business environments for MFIs. Reece (2011) describes about the organizational power of women in Kenya who without enough government help are building financial resources and security for them. As such, only 20 percent of the population in Kenya is in the position to open a bank account or do any transaction with the banks. Rose Olouch, a village woman, is quite vocal in stating that Kenyan women are capable of empowering themselves. She leads the group of 20 women who among themselves save, loan and cont ribute towards group insurance fund to meet emergencies. Women dominate in decision making process with regard to village and home finances. Small savings and loan groups provide basic level of financing to the low-income groups. Such groups meet monthly to carry out essential activities maintaining a strict discipline in the gathering. The Women’s Enterprise Development Institute (WEDI) is the largest organization serving some 20,000 clients. The WEDI's operations are based on the managed-ASCA model. Women take loan from the ASCA. Each member contributes Ksh100 as monthly saving and they can withdraw it on notice. Members are eligible for the dividend at the end of the year. The ASCA does charge management fees depending upon the funds handled. At least 45% of WEDI groups operate in areas with population density of 200 persons per square km. Further, most of the WEDI groups operate in the areas where poverty incidence is between 20 and 40 percent of the population. Johnson, et al. argues that decentralized models have advantages in reaching poorer and remote areas. WEDI client portfolio includes women from the poorest strata of the society. WEDI’s clients are involved in the activities of farming and producing cash crops such as coffee, beans. They also run retail shops in and indulge into buying and selling of fruits and cereals. Usually, women clients save nearly Ksh 100 per month and take the benefit of small loans from WEDI. WEDI generates enough income from the loans offered so as to sustain its operational expenses (Johnson, Malkamak, and Wanjau, p.11) The Women’s Enterprise Development Company Ltd (WEDCO) is another NGO Microfinance institution operating in the Kenya. Women in rural areas are offered credits by them for their small business activities. WEDCO provides loans for varied purpose including school fees loans and to meet other contingencies. WEDCO serves approximately 12,000 clients in a large geographical area (Johnson, Malkamak, & Wanjau, p.10). Status of Microfinance in South Africa The Microfinance market in South Africa started in the '80s and then it was made up of NGOs and for-profit companies. Until at least 1994 microfinance market in South Africa had a few commercial and not-for-profit lenders but there after microfinance mark

Sears Case Study Essay Example for Free

Sears Case Study Essay Sears is our nation’s fourth largest retailer. With over 4,000 stores in the United States and Canada, Sears has grown from its humble beginnings. Sears is a leader in apparel, home appliances, home, lawn and garden, tools, automotive repair, maintenance, and electronics. Sears also provides home service, serving 11 million service calls yearly. Richard Sears founded Sears as a mail order company and it grew to be one of the largest retailers. He opened the first department store in Chicago in 1925. Sears found success and by 1928 three more stores had opened. Now Sears employs 249,000 employees and it has grown quickly. In 2005, Sears merged with K-Mart and has helped both evolve and the merger proved to be both successful and positive. Although they have faced challenges along the way they have been able to gain a large market share because of their product mix, quality services, products, and solutions. No matter what difficulties they have faced Sears has been a leader in the retail industry and they will strive to be sure that doesn’t change. Sears has come a long way from its beginnings as a catalog. Sears has many unique attributes that make it a place that people want to shop. Despite their great accomplishment and striving to become one the largest and most competitive retailers, Sears is facing several key issues. Sears must reevaluate their internal and external environment in order to implement the changes and solutions necessary to get Sears back to where it needs to be. Company Analysis Organization and Leadership Sears has an overall good practical structure. This has definitely been key to their success because they are able to tailor their products to their customers needs using an integrated cost leadership/differentiation strategy. Sear is competing in a very competitive industry and if they follow through with their differentiated strategy they will continue to improve. Sears was able to pursue low cost and provide differentiation to their customers. Rosa Corporate Financial Position Sears financial position is currently improving. They are dealing with not only a let down on their fourth quarter losses but the sales have decreased as well in both their department stores and Kmart unit. To deal with their losses they are in the process of selling 11 stores to make up for their finances which has made their stocks go up at 19% (MarketWatch, 2012). If they sell these properties they could earn around $270 million in proceeds. It could go either way though since when sales decrease selling assets may not be the right way to bring in growth in the future. Also if they follow their plan of moving Sears Hometown and Outlet stores they could bring in between $400 million to $500 million of proceeds during the third fiscal quarter (SHLD: Nasdaq, 2012). Sears net income has dropped continually year after year from $235. M to a mere $133. 0m. One reason being is the percentage of sales has been more focused on the SGA (Sales General Administration) costs which has made it go from 23. 69% to 24. 09% (SHLD:Nasdaq GS, 2012). Core Competency The main core competency would have to be in there customer service. They offer great service to their customers which has gave them a comp etitive advantage against competitors. They use this to differentiate themselves from competition. They have built up a good customer base. They make sure they have their best associates available for customers especially through peak hours. Although, things could be a little different in terms of bargaining power from product to product, Sears has the advantage of being a top retailer and leads the way with relative bargaining power. As the number one home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, and home electronics, Sears has established deep roots in their line of business. Sears remains honest with their customers and provides high-quality products at bargain prices. As a result of long, developed relationships with suppliers, Sears has the ability to buy in high volumes and sell for less. With this in mind, the power of suppliers is a similar story within Sears’ industry environment. It varies from supplier to supplier due to Sears’ product variety and differentiation. In the retail industry, suppliers tend to have very little power. Sears has a high standard for quality, especially in its line of household appliances, so suppliers that don’t meet these standards are of no interest. Additionally, Sears has been working with its suppliers for a very long time, so they have gained the right amount of bargaining power to ensure low prices and good quality products and services.

Flight of the Frisbee Essay examples -- essays research papers

Abstract Spinning objects such as Frisbees possess unique flying characteristics. They are in essence spinning wings gliding in mid-air propelled by the forces of torque and aerodynamic lift. The relationship between Newton’s Laws of Motion and the flight of the Frisbee will be discussed. This paper will attempt to highlight and show the different physical motions involved behind the spinning edge of the Frisbee and the similar forces it shares with other heavier winged objects. Lastly, how major improvements in the redesign of the Frisbee contributed to its increased stability and precision in its flight in the air. The Flight of the Frisbee Objects that fly are designed to push air down. The momentum of the air going down is what causes Frisbees or winged objects to travel skyward. This type of force acting on a flying disk is typically known as the â€Å"aerodynamic lift† (Bloomfield, 1999, p. 132). Consider a flying kite, which in essence is also a winged object. When a kite’s flat bottom surfaces are angled into the wind, air gets pushed down and the kite glides upward. Kites must rely on the wind to keep it suspended in mid-air, while flying birds and insects utilize their muscular flapping motions to maintain their flight in motion. Airplanes rely on spinning propellers and turbine fans to provide adequate momentum for take off from the runway. With flying Frisbees, that momentum is generated primarily by the tossing power of the human arm and wrist motion. The Frisbee’s course of flight is â€Å"directly related to the torque or twist force† applied by the individual throwing the flying disk (Fisher & Phillips, 2003, p. 12). To narrow down more on the details involved in the flight of the Frisbee, there are four fundamental forces that affect a flying Frisbee: lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Aerodynamic lift acting on the Frisbee is considered a positive force, and happens when â€Å"the Frisbee pushes down on the air, the air pushes upward on the Frisbee† (Bloomfield, 1999, p. 132). This in turn causes the air pressure under the disk to be higher than the air pressure over the top of the disk, thereby creating the effect of an upward air vacuum. In order for a Frisbee to fly straight and stay in the air, its center of aerodynamic lift must remain near its center of gravity over a wide range of airspeeds and angles of attack. Thrust is the oth... ...the plane of the disk. A sharp ridge at the upper edge separates the airflow at the leading edge. These ridges act as spoilers to create turbulent airflow, which confines the center of lift to the center of the disk. The result is an aerial disk that flies better and farther than the Frisbee. In conclusion, the Frisbee is an effective studying tool for introducing and examining the basic principles involved in the mechanics of flying winged objects. Newton’s Laws of Motion is reiterated throughout its design processes, while its application can be closely observed in its real three-dimensional form. References Ashley, S. (1995, August). Flying farther than a Frisbee. Sports Technology for Air, Land, and Tee, 89-90. Retrieved October 20, 2004, from InfoTrac database. Bloomfield, L. A. (1999, April). The flight of the Frisbee. Scientific American, 280, 132-133. Retrieved October 20, 2004, from EBSCOhost database. Fisher, D., & Phillips, T. (2003, April). Launch a Frisbee into orbit. The Technology Teacher, 10-15. Retrieved October 20, 2004, from InfoTrac database. Nye, B. (2001, July 1). The flight of the Frisbee. Time, 52. Retrieved October 20, 2004, from InfoTrac database.

Group Analysis of Two Poems Sharing the Same Topic Essay

Group Analysis of Two Poems Sharing the Same Topic: Cockroaches Morley in his poem â€Å"Nursery Rhymes for the Tenderhearted† and Wild in his poem entitled â€Å"Roaches† constitute two distinct tones through their use of imagery and perspective. Morley’s tone toward roaches is whimsical while Wild’s attitude is bleak. Morley lighthearted entertaining poem is more to depict his own personal fear of the cockroaches, which is an example of his own perspective. Wild’s message is the opposite, he forces the fear upon the reader, he causes the reader to be scared with the imagery that he uses. In the first poem Morley takes a whimsical look at the common kitchen cockroach through images of its leaving behind evidence on its nightly visits, using words and phrases that give the reader an almost benevolent picture of what most people detest. The speaker addresses the roach directly, personifying it. The images are of the roach snacking and playing in the kitchen: â€Å"reclining on the cheese,† â€Å"browsing among the tea leaves,† â€Å"trekking on the biscuits,† â€Å"drowsing in the sugar bowl,†. Just how any normal person would encounter a cockroach, Morley depicts the poem as if it were his own encounter. One can tell that the speaker/Morley doesn’t have such a gruesome perspective towards the cockroaches. Wild’s viewpoint of roaches contradicts Morley’s by validating the cockroach’s misaligned reputation through dark diction and nightmarish images, making the reader uncomfortably aware of its eeriness. Unlike Morley’s friendly roach who raids the kitchen at night, Wild’s creepy roaches take possession of human beings invading their bodies. This roach, as opposed to Morley’s, is eating disgusting gunk in the bathroom that no person would ever consider to be a meal, something so noxious. Look more:  first poem for you kim addonizio analysis essay The roaches begin to take over his body, †nibbling his toes,† â€Å"probing in his veins,† and â€Å"scrambling up his throat† in the same way that roaches take over the sewers in the dark of night â€Å"crouched like lions in the ledges of sewers† â€Å"black eyes in the darkness†. Wild places the roaches in a position that makes the reader squeamish and uneasy, he makes you build up this picture in your head that not that these creatures are only two inches long but that they are some type of demon. Wild leaves this image on a reader that sets the tone to be terrifying, as if when you were to stumble upon a cockroach in the restroom, you basically walked into your own death sentence. While Morley paints this pretty picture that they are nothing but harmless creatures, and misunderstood.

Kochansak and Aksan

IntroductionCompliance is a word described as the willingness of a person to follow an instruction from another person at a given time. It is a major concern of children’s parents and teachers because compliance will help a child follow simple orders at home by his or her parents and follow rules and regulations in the school.BodyThere are two kinds of compliance according to the book of Kochanska and Aksan, the â€Å"situational compliance† and the â€Å"committed or receptive compliance†; however these kinds of compliance have various distinctions. Situational compliance is based on an expectation of reward and punishment that is why a child obeys the parent even without the sincere commitment and obligation because the child is either afraid of the punishment for not obeying or the child is eager of the reward for obeying. On the other hand committed or receptive compliance is based on the child’s willingness to cooperate; it is of his or her freewill t o do what is asked for him or her to do. Furthermore, the committed or receptive compliance is the more advanced form of compliance and it is associated with the child’s internalization.In the compliance study of Kochanska and Aksan they found out that children found it easier to comply with â€Å"don’t touch† instructions that â€Å"clean up† instructions. The development of compliance is of important value because of its role in the internalization of a child’s moral value, self-control, autonomy and socialization. The second and the third year of a persons life is important for developing these skills, the child’s ability to develop self-regulation starts at this age.This skill of a child comes along with the cognitive capability to understand commands made by their parents and the ability to carry the commands. And there is such a time that when a child becomes more able to comply he or she would be less willing to comply, a function of the child’s increasing autonomy. As the child grows older, he or she becomes more cooperative but with an increasing skill in the use of negotiation strategies, this is to get what he or she wants (Kochanska 1995).In another study it shows that fathers are more direct in their request for compliance; let’s say for example a father will say â€Å"pick up your toys† directly to the child, in this way the children are likely to oblige because of the authority over them. On the other hand mothers are more indirect and more affectionate with regards to their requests for compliance, and they make use of bargain system to make the child obey to what they are requesting; for example mothers would say â€Å"please go to bed now†, â€Å"if you clean your room I will buy the toy that you want†, these are some of the requests mothers make. In this manner the children will likely to comply with their mothers request because of the reward waiting for them or th e affection that they felt (1995).Proposed explanationThere are various thoughts that I want to propose in the findings of Kochanska and Aksan; why the children find it easier to comply with the â€Å"don’t touch† instructions than â€Å"cleaning up† instructions. The reasons I think are as follows.A. it is easier to command a child not to touch things rather than cleaning things up because children do not want to be manipulated and given instructions as of to fix things or to clean things up.B. another aspect is because children thinks it is better not to touch things rather than to bother fixing them and putting them in place after because it is a lot of work to do. Children are of course some kind of lazy and they think that these little tasks are big deal and that they cannot do it.C. Third aspect of this is that children make use of the bargain system to get what they want; for example they would only clean things up if they are given a reward for the task they did. This is situational compliance, in which the child is expecting for something in return for the price of complying.Test DesignWith regards to the proposed explanations above, a test is to be designed to be able to test if the proposed explanations are true or not and if the explanations are accurate or not.In this test we are going to need 20 children of the same age, children who are in the pre-school because children of this stage are more able to comply but less willing to comply. The children would be asked to do 2 things also, either to â€Å"fix their toys and get a reward† or just simply â€Å"sit down and play†. In this way we would be able to know if the children wanted to comply with things because they are going to get something out of it, more likely a situation compliance or if children just simply comply with things because it is what they wanted to do or what we call committed compliance. We ought to ask the 20 children individually which of th e choices they want to oblige.This study aims to know if children of this stage are more of a situation compliance or committed compliance, and this also aims to measure the willingness of the children to comply with little tasks.In the end of the study we would be able to know if the proposed explanations are true if more children fixed their toys for the reward they are going to get.Reference:1. Kochanska, G., Aksan, N.,   (1995). Mother–child mutually positiveaffect, the quality of child compliance to requests andprohibitions, and maternal control as correlates of early internalization.2. Kochanska, G., Aksan, N., & Koenig, A. L. ( 1995). A longitudinalstudy of the roots of preschoolers’ conscience: Committed complianceand emerging internalization. Child Development, 66,1752–1769.

Is the Internet Changing our Social Lives

Is the Internet Changing our Social Lives Introduction The following argumentative essay is on whether the internet is changing our social lives or not. Internet has become an important component of every day operations and it is imperative to ensure that there is awareness about its influence and effects on people and human relationships.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is the Internet Changing our Social Lives? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This argument takes considers that internet has indeed affected the social lives of people all over the world. The first part of this essay presents instances where the internet has changed social lives positively or negatively. Internet has changed the social interactions of modern day world in a dynamic way and has improved the relations and friendships that were in existence and increased more contacts that are individual. Is The Internet Changing Our Social Lives? Internet has changed lives in that it has affecte d social relationships for bad or for good. The instance where it has improved relationships is through consistent communication through the social networks such as face book, MySpace and twitter. However, internet has affected relationships and people negatively especially school children through the cyber bullying activities that happen on the internet. â€Å"There have been cases of cyber bullying where some individuals impersonate someone and use their profile and images to pose as someone else† (Anonymous 4). When people see the image in the profile they believe it is the picture of the real person. This type of bullying has affected some of the children whose images have been used to bully others negatively. This has led to some of the parents developing interest in the intricacies of social networking by wanting to know how to deal with cybercrime as well as ensure that the cyber criminals who use the internet to bully others have been punished. â€Å"The internet has affected people’s privacy as personal information can be accessed by friends through hacking into people’s social network accounts† (Anonymous 4). The internet privacy is critical in enhancing ones life and self-confidence. Infringing on people’s privacy has led to reduced self-esteem by sharing personal information with people who may use it against the individual. Internet has changed social lives in undermining individual’s need for privacy. â€Å"Although the social media has features that guarantee users’ privacy there are many instances where friends share individual personal information† (Anonymous 4). Privacy over the internet is not guaranteed and any material posted over the internet should be intended for public exposure. Instances of people being hurt due to unnecessary exposure to the unintended audience have affected relationships and self esteem negatively.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, people can use a person’s image to create a phony account to harass and commit crime over the internet. While the real person whose image is in use may be unaware of it, it will affect how other people perceive such a person as well as any physical relationships that such a person has. â€Å"It has also affected the relationships between parents and their children as parents have to be more vigilant on the way their children use the internet† (Anonymous 4). This is because internet enables children to access malicious contents such as pornography and exposes children to prowling adults who predate children seeking ways of exploiting them. Parents are enrolling in social media courses where they are taught how to monitor their children’s use of the internet. â€Å"Some parents have even installed spyware software on their family computers to monitor their childrenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s use of the internet† (Anonymous 4). The internet especially the social media has also affected lives of people by giving them a sense of belonging. â€Å"This sense of belonging comes through the communities offered through the internet, where people can express themselves, assert their values, and influence agendas of those communities† (Orenstei 3). The internet has therefore become a way of building self-esteem, engaging in activities that have influence on the individual. The internet forums provided by twitter have created families and social groups. People nowadays twit about the country, their favorite shop, their car and any issue, which they feel is affecting them. In fact, twitter to some people has become part of their daily activity and they cannot afford to spend a day without twitting. This shows that the internet is a major component of social existence. The internet has also changed lives in the sense that people can nowadays interrelate with ot hers who are in different places and countries and consider them as friends. â€Å"It is interesting that internet websites such as Face book and MySpace provide opportunities where people can meet new people and faces and interact with them as if they have met them before (Orenstei 2).† This shows that the internet has changed the social sphere by increasing the acceptance of people who are at different places. The internet has improved social networks by creating forums where people with similar interests can interconnect and discuss ideas (Dunbar 2). Such forums are usually medical forums where people who suffer from certain ailments can discuss different therapies that they undertake and their methods of coping with those ailments. On the negative side, there are social networks or groups that interlink criminals and act as a forum where people can engage in crime as well as brainstorm ideas on how to commit criminal activities.Advertising We will write a custom e ssay sample on Is the Internet Changing our Social Lives? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The other factor of the internet is that the social networks interlinks professionals and people who have similar career background to keep themselves abreast with the changes that may be happening in their industry. LinkedIn has specialized in networking professionals in similar fields. They can even brainstorm on how to handle such changes. The internet has brought another interesting concept of being alone but not lonely. In the modern world most of the people spend time on their personal computers working on projects or doing some of their work on computers. To feel interconnected with the rest of the world even when one is alone, the social network enables the individuals to talk and chat with other people as if they are together. â€Å"The internet has brought togetherness of people who are apart yet they are close† (Dunbar 3). This has en hanced relationships that would otherwise end if the individuals were not in constant communication. The internet has increased interconnectedness of people by ensuring that they develop new friends and relationships through the internet. â€Å"The internet has affected the social lives of individuals negatively by having many people maximize the time that they spend on the internet rather than on real life relationships† (Dunbar 3). This has led to the deterioration of the relationships as people rarely have real life relationships. Others have argued that even though the internet interconnects with many people all over the world the relationships are not affected. People can only interrelate with at most one hundred and fifty persons who are within the social circles of an individual. This implies that even if people develop new relationships on the internet they loose the previous physical relationships that they had developed previously. â€Å"Out of the one hundred and fifty close friends that people interrelate with some are relatives who are not online† (Dunbar 4). Therefore, in reality the social networks do not allow one to get more than one hundred and fifty people. If one increased friends on the social networks, it implies that he/she has to lose close friends who are not on the internet as well as relationships. The other aspect of critical importance is that having internet-based relationships alienates one from real and tangible relationships, which are critical to human existence. â€Å"The social relationships contribute to the development of the individual’s social life† (Dunbar 4). Internet relationships cannot in anyway provide social support in matters that require emotional contact, closeness or financial support, which is what real relationships provide.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion While the companies that have allowed people to interrelate through the internet have made millions of money, it is likely that they are going to make even more money as more people access the internet and work using computers. The social networks are not only available using computer but also through cell phones making internet an important aspect of daily living. The social media and the internet in general have influenced relationships and interactions of people by determining whom they interact with and how they interact. Most importantly, people have to be aware of how to use it to enhance social relationships rather than destroy relationships. Anonymous. As Bullies Go Digital, Parents Play Catch-Up. May. 2012.Web. Anonymous. MySpace, Face book and Other Social Networking Sites: Hot Today, Gone Tomorrow? September. 2011. Web. Dunbar, Robin. You’ve Got to Have (150) Friends. October. 2010. Web. Orenstei, Peggy. I Tweet, Therefore I Am. August. 2010. Web.

The Heart of John Proctor essays

The Heart of John Proctor essays The play, The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller. It is a play about the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. Millers motivation to write this play came from his own experience with McCarthyism, which was basically blaming people for something they had no factual proof of. The main character in The Crucible is John Proctor. Proctor is very strong willed, brave, and honest. Throughout the entire play, John Proctor showed that he was a strong willed man. He showed this in the beginning of the play by saying to Abigail, I will cut off my hand before Ill ever reach for you again (839). He had relations with Abigail earlier and he knew that the right thing to do was to let her go. He displayed his strong will when he refused to let his wife die because of his own sins. He would do anything to save her life. Proctor said to Mary Warren, My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me! (862). Proctor also was determined to prove that the witch trials were a lie. Abigail told him exactly what happened so he knew the truth. Proctor also knew all those people had died for no reason at all. Proctor was also a very brave man. He was determined to prove Abigail and the girls wrong. He knew it was wrong that innocent people were dying. He showed bravery when he stood up for his wife and admitted to adultery in order to save her life. Even though the confession would ruin his name, he was brave enough to admit his sin. The bravest thing that Proctor did in the play was choosing death over life. At first, he said, I want my life (884). He confessed to witchcraft, and then he realized he would have lost his name even if he lived. He was brave enough to die and leave with a good name and die proud. John Proctor made some mistakes in the play, but in the en ...

Pronouncing the LL of Spanish

Pronouncing the LL of Spanish More than any other letter combination, the ll of Spanish has a sound that varies with region. Even within one country, its sound can vary. The sound youre most likely to hear for the ll (and the sound youll hear in our​ audio lesson on the ll sound) is similar to the y of yellow. So in much of the Spanish-speaking world, there is no difference between the sound of the ll and of the y when it is used as a consonant. And if you pronounce the ll that way, you will be understood everywhere. In some areas, the ll sounds like the lli in million, so that calle would be pronounced something like CALL-yeh. Also common is pronouncing the ll something like the s in measure (sometimes called the zh sound), although perhaps a bit softer, and in some areas somewhat similar to the g sound of wage but softened a bit. Rarely, it can even have an sh sound. In these areas, the sounds of ll and y are differentiated. Sentences youll hear in the audio lesson are Llà ©venos al centro (take us downtown) and Ella no est en la calle (she isnt in the street).

Teaching of Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teaching of Psychology - Essay Example To understand the mind and its complications is not simple. But there have been attempts and many successful ones. In fact, the interpretation of the psyche has developed as a formal academic discipline - 'Psychology'. Psychology is an extensive field amd its ambit is an amalgam of research and teaching. Teaching of psychology becomes very significant in the contemporary individualistic and collective notions of this multi-cultural global society. Teaching is a very responsible activity. The teacher's words can make or mar perspectives. Therefore it requires a thorough expertise on the subject matter as well as the ability to put across the subject effectively. In the area of psychology, the teacher generally has to balance between his/her role of a psychologist and a teacher. The 'how of learning' becomes very important in the teaching of psychology. This is because it has to tread the path of commonalities differences, the impact of culture as well as the benefits and challenges that human diversity brings to relationships and communities. Psychology teaching should be a journey of insight, emotions and imagination. It is very important for the teacher to foster the development of independent, critical thought, evaluative skills, depth of learning, to explore ideas and questions. Teaching of psychology is better performed through demonstration.

Does a diasporic identity erase, alter, re-creat or negate this Essay

Does a diasporic identity erase, alter, re-creat or negate this obsession with chinea obvious in much of 20 century chinese literature - Essay Example Chinese authors have bared their souls through printed text that clearly displays divergent views about what it is about China that makes it citizens so resilient, yet willing to submit to a status quo element that maintains the continuity of the good and bad sides of Chinese society. C.T. Hsia has made strong assertions in the article, â€Å"Obsession with China: The Moral Burden of Modern Chinese Literature†. To truly understand Hsia’s views, it is essential that we carefully analyze key excerpts of the article. Note the following: â€Å"What distinguishes the â€Å"modern† phase of Chinese literature from the traditional phase is rather its burden of moral contemplation: its obsessive concern with China as a nation afflicted with a spiritual disease and therefore unable to strengthen itself or change its set ways of inhumanity.† Chinese citizens operating from a diasporic identity clearly feel it is their duty to articulate the horrors that occur in china concerning oppression of and human rights abuses against Chinese citizens. Theoretically, where traditional Chinese literature required and in many cases demanded compliance from Chinese authors in representing China as the government would have the world see it instead of how it was operating in reality, Chinese citizens in the diaspora are articulating chilling excerpts of life under oppressive regimes. Surprisingly, the proponents of traditional Chinese literature represented the lower social classes in many cases. Modern authors of Chinese literature are working feverishly to bring the lower classes to the realization that they must voice their displeasure about human rights abuses that affect them and if these atrocities do not affect them, the modern authors are sparing no expense to change that reality, as the lower class citizens will have to be en listed in any successful

Pros and Cons of Social Networking Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pros and Cons of Social Networking - Term Paper Example They are many who declare them to be beneficial for the society, while there are almost as many others who condemn their use, stating that the risks clearly outweigh the advantages. Thus, it is better to hear both sides of the story before drawing up our own conclusions. Individuals in favor of social networking present an argument that to those with access to computers and the internet, social networking sites are of great advantage. Online interactions encourage both long and short distance communication with friends and family, help people in gaining important skills regarding use of computers, and provide a medium that promotes creativity and innovation through instant messaging, blogs, photo sharing, event and product advertising and numerous other different services among its users. Not only that but it brings together people with a common interest, profession or even with computer skills and help them overcome their social worries, by creating suitable opportunities and provid ing exposure to fresh ideas and thoughts. (Coyle and Vaughn, 2008) It is also a great stage of communication for those who are unable to express themselves in person. The development and expansion of social networking sites has brought about great benefits for the society. For students, it is a medium to discuss educational topics of all sorts such as career and educational planning and allows them to communicate with more experienced students around the globe. It has also brought about benefits in the field of health by dealing with life altering diseases, alcoholism, drug addiction, weight loss etc. by interacting people having similar issues and providing them guidance and... The development and expansion of social networking sites has brought about great benefits for the society. For students, it is a medium to discuss educational topics of all sorts such as career and educational planning and allows them to communicate with more experienced students around the globe. It has also brought about benefits in the field of health by dealing with life altering diseases, alcoholism, drug addiction, weight loss etc. by interacting people having similar issues and providing them guidance and encouragement. Election campaigns throughout the world have received an unprecedented edge when they took the help of social networking. Some might think of it as insignificant but these sites do bring a significantly positive effect on the person standing in the election. The best example that springs to our mind are the 2008 election of Barrack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, in which he depended heavily upon social sites such as Facebook to gain popularit y among the masses, especially the younger generation. Businesses and organizations have also realized that the use of social networking to promote their objectives can help them gain a competitive edge over their rivals in the market. (Ally, 2011) Moreover, there are some who say, and I myself have to agree with them, that the internet is making an impressive contribution in helping to bring about world peace. Well, if I had a dozen Facebook or Twitter friends living in a certain country, I would think twice about invading it?

Sustainability in Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sustainability in Practice - Essay Example Corporations position, align and strengthen themselves around the change, experience, missed opportunities and learn from the wasted resources. Due to the various changes in the business environment, sustainability of enterprises is entirely relevant to the modern corporations. Glover (2001) believes that the changing space and environment may have adverse impacts on the performance of the organization. As such, initiating and designing more integrated sustainability practices by the organization is an important element in remaining competitive. The long-term success is the primary focus of every business of which the sustainability strategies serve to support. Pugh and Mayle (2009) explain that sustainability is quite critical in building a competitive 21st-century organization. However, the long-term success focused by the various firms comes through treating sustainability with great efforts in incorporating strategic changes and innovations in the business. According to Goodall (2012), companies that view change as a form of significant adaptation in ensuring sustainability apply a strategic approach called change management. Change Management is a focused, principled and a disciplined framework that considers all the dimensions of the enterprise that critically influences the aspects of change and innovation within the dynamic business environment. Ferrell et al. (2015) explains that, change management approach identifies what needs to be fixed, aligned and engaged to realize the projected success. Arguably, the method or the model takes the best part of the behavioral thinking at the organization. The management makes the most vital decisions and uses design concepts to craft the roadmaps that address all issues surrounding the successes of the corporation. In fact, Feireiss (2008) supports the idea that sustainability theory rotate on the framework of integrated decision-making in ensuring the

Power point presentations PowerPoint Presentation

Power point presentations - PowerPoint Presentation Example PowerPoint format has limited ability to accommodate relatively large information per slide. Besides, the graphical and statistical holds marginal content, which encourages bulleting form of presentation (Doumont 67). PowerPoint is criticized for its inability to allow for faster information transfers, and bogging down of the viewers or presented following the saturation of the slides. According to Tufte (5-6) in his theory referred to as â€Å"cognitive style of PowerPoint†, he asserts that the biggest crime leveled against bulleting presentation is the ability and tendency to â€Å"dilute thoughts†. He criticized PowerPoint because bullets were profound of disorganizing speakers while encouraging generic, simplistic and superficial thinking, which in turn ‘make us stupid’. The same sentiment were echoed by Harvard Business Review, by indicating that bullet statements are incomplete as it fails to state the critical assumptions as well as leaving the relationship unspecified. PowerPoint presents data in a monolithic manner which is historically outlined in a basic linear relationship and is generally acceptable. However, given the complexity of the results, the outcomes should be determined in a more complex multi-linear relationship. PowerPoint presents limited ideas and concepts which potentially limits the smooth flow of information. Tufte proceed by pointing out that in general, all the slides used by PowerPoint have a limited rate of information transfers compared to formal talk since a normal slide can only show a maximum of forty words, which only constitute eight seconds of any reading material (Tufte 16). Though this may be a significant tool of jarring the memory and organizing talks, the content is inadequate in case of a complex budget argument, solving non-linear multifaceted issues and intricate problems. In conclusion, the adoption of cognitive style of bullet presentation in our learning institutions is a

Analysis of Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers judgment Essay

Analysis of Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers judgment - Essay Example In the final judgment the House of Lords noted the words of Lord Wolf in A v B and C when he said, ‘for our part we would observe that the fact that an individual has achieved prominence on the public stage does not mean that his private life can be laid bare by the media. We do not see why it should necessarily be in the public interest that an individual who has been adopted as a role model, without seeking this distinction, should be demonstrated to have feet of clay.’1 The facts of the case are necessary for an appreciable understanding of this pronouncement. Following the publication of articles with accompanying photographs showcasing model Naomi Campbell’s therapy and attendance at Narcotic’s Anonymous meetings, Campbell filed a complaint in the High Court for damages for invasion of privacy. The High Court found in her favor. On appeal to the Court of Appeal the High Court’s judgment was reversed and the Court of Appeal found that on the facts, ‘that since Ms Campbell had courted publicity and gone out of her way to promote a drug-free media image, the Mirror was entitled to put the record straight, irrespective of the methods it used to uncover the story. The Appeal Court judges decided that "therapy" did not qualify for legal protection in the same way as treatment by a doctor, and that publication of the details of Ms Campbells therapy was necessary to lend the story credibility.’2 On appeal to the House of Lords, the Court of Appeal’s findings were rejected and the High Court’s ruling was upheld. The House substantiated its findings by striking a balance between privacy and freedom of expression as contained in Articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. 3 Lord Hope, in delivering his opinion for the House of Lords said of the Court of Appeal’s findings, ‘they

Power point presentations PowerPoint Presentation

Power point presentations - PowerPoint Presentation Example PowerPoint format has limited ability to accommodate relatively large information per slide. Besides, the graphical and statistical holds marginal content, which encourages bulleting form of presentation (Doumont 67). PowerPoint is criticized for its inability to allow for faster information transfers, and bogging down of the viewers or presented following the saturation of the slides. According to Tufte (5-6) in his theory referred to as â€Å"cognitive style of PowerPoint†, he asserts that the biggest crime leveled against bulleting presentation is the ability and tendency to â€Å"dilute thoughts†. He criticized PowerPoint because bullets were profound of disorganizing speakers while encouraging generic, simplistic and superficial thinking, which in turn ‘make us stupid’. The same sentiment were echoed by Harvard Business Review, by indicating that bullet statements are incomplete as it fails to state the critical assumptions as well as leaving the relationship unspecified. PowerPoint presents data in a monolithic manner which is historically outlined in a basic linear relationship and is generally acceptable. However, given the complexity of the results, the outcomes should be determined in a more complex multi-linear relationship. PowerPoint presents limited ideas and concepts which potentially limits the smooth flow of information. Tufte proceed by pointing out that in general, all the slides used by PowerPoint have a limited rate of information transfers compared to formal talk since a normal slide can only show a maximum of forty words, which only constitute eight seconds of any reading material (Tufte 16). Though this may be a significant tool of jarring the memory and organizing talks, the content is inadequate in case of a complex budget argument, solving non-linear multifaceted issues and intricate problems. In conclusion, the adoption of cognitive style of bullet presentation in our learning institutions is a

Why do we do school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Why do we do school - Essay Example oday, an individual does not necessarily require a degree to make money because the contemporary age is full of opportunities using which people can establish their own businesses and make much more money than what they can by becoming employed in other companies. However, doing business in the 21st century requires much more knowledge, and different kinds of talents and competencies that make it much more complex than what one needed to do business in the gone ages. Today, if a person has a lot of money granted to him by the parents but the person himself is not educated, it is quite likely that the person would be caught in the net of frauds laid by other smarter and more educated people. In the present age, it is even more important to have the skills to survive and thrive personally as well as as a businessman in a dynamic and increasingly multicultural society than to have money. Schools today serve the very purpose of inculcating these skills in the students in a whole range of ways e.g. by teaching them foreign languages, business administration and management, and advanced accounting techniques and softwares etcetera. Schools have proved their importance already by helping nations rise because of the quality of education imparted by them. â€Å"When the economies of Japan, Korea, Thailand, and other East Asian countries were growing at rates so fast that they were predicted to surpass the U.S. economy within short periods of time, the education system was often blamed for the nation’s seeming loss of competitive advantage† (Hanushek, n.d., p. 141). We do schools to grow intellectually as well as socially so that we can live a happy and prosperous life in the challenging environment of the contemporary age. In the highly competitive society of the present age, getting a degree from a school is only one of the factors that increase an individual’s chances of getting employed. There are thousands of people in the society who have the degrees and are still

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†.

Teenage Suicide Essay -- Teenage Suicide Essays

Teenage suicide has become a critical, national problem the extent of which is mind boggling. From 1980 to 1992 the rate of suicides involving persons from the ages of 10-14 years old has increased by 120 percent, and has increased 28.3 percent when involving persons from the ages of 15-19 years old (Suicide 451). More recently in a poll of 3,210 high-school honor students, a stunning one-quarter have seriously considered suicide (Eaton 15). Suicides have been proven to be one of the leading causes of death among teens, falling second only to accidents (Roberts 45). This data, however, may be inaccurate, being that deaths labeled accidental may have actually been teen suicides. Also, many families may not want to report suicides or suicide attempts for the fear of embarrassment. Nevertheless, there is extensive proof that suicide attempts and/or successes are on the rise among teenagers, and numerous groups have devoted themselves to establishing a cause to this epidemic. The one si milarity that all of these different groups seem to agree on is that there is not one single theory that explains the growing phenomenon of teenage suicide. However, a number of factors seem to be common among â€Å"at-risk teens,† factors that, if given the right set of circumstances, could put them in jeopardy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of and seemingly the most common of these factors is depression. According to the National Association for Mental Health, nearly 20 percent of those who receive care for depression in hospitals and clinics are under the age of eighteen (Leder 31). Everyone has different reasons for being depressed and the extent of that depression will also vary from person to person. Some common causes of depression that have been found to lead to suicide attempts are not feeling loved and/or understood, the feeling of rejection, trouble with friends and family, or the feeling of being â€Å"no good.† A loss, (as in the death of a loved one, divorce, or the breakup up with a boyfriend/girlfriend) Has also been found to link depression and suicide (Leder 34).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychologists and doctors have also realized that having numerous psychological problems, known as â€Å"conduct disorders,† causes teens to have impulsive behavior. This impulsive behavior can cause them to act violent... ... a sense of identity is often pretty shacked and fragile during adolescence, feelings of not being worth much in one’s parents eyes won’t help a young person’s self-esteem. In extreme cases the adolescent may look upon himself, as being despicable and worthless, and learn to hate himself, when he is unable able to reach their goals (Hafen 95). The Youth Suicide National Center feels that â€Å"few of them [adolescents] have found ways of dealing with the lack of self esteem and when these feelings overwhelm them, they believe there is something very wrong with them.† (qtd. in Hafen 23).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After reading numerous books and articles, the plain, but simple truth is that no one knows exactly why teenagers kill themselves. Psychiatrists have, however, reached the conclusion that in a society where adolescents have been exposed to many adult pressures and stresses, they may not be able to cope. Some of the most common causes of stress revolve around family situations, social problems, depression, developmental factors, and other factors associated with adolescents. It is this unbearable stress that leads them to the act of suicide.

Essay --

Mission and Values RNOH mission is, Royal National Orthopedic Hospital works to provide its patients and families the best care possible through state of the art technology. Through emphasis on education, this facility will continue to attract and develop junior medical staff by providing a critical mass of high quality routine work as part of our academic strategy. RNOH will uphold and monitor all agreements with other providers for a range of clinical support services that support stand-alone services. Their vision is to continuously expand on their national benchmarking to international benchmarking to demonstrate world class services. Royal National Orthopedic Hospital will maintain strong contract management arrangements with the NHS Trusts while creating bonds with alternative providers through academics and services. Long-term Goals & Short-term Goals NHS Trust organization is a divisional level structure. National and local strategies are being implemented to continue the development of high performance in the measurement of clinical, academic, financial, and patient experiences. In this division level, quality and service improvements are implemented and executed and will constantly be updated to ensure continuous cycle of effectiveness and efficiency. ("Royal National Orthopaedic,") Corporate-level strategies within Royal National Orthopedic Hospital are internal. Besides financial, executives and managers must strategies within their sector; staff motivation at work, support from immediate managers, and always putting patients first. The organization is design to put clinical leadership at the heart of the hospital to keep values in all aspects of our business and ensuring they are adhered to and implement new ways o... ...s. RNOH, to stay ahead of other organizations will need to build on its social media exposure. Recommendations to building social exposure would be to build a network community whether it is on Facebook or Twitter. Using these sites, facilities can create hashtags for campaigns and help with awareness and presence. This community will allow updated posts linking these posts to other channels. Another option is forum outreach which would give relevant information about local or specific issues. Another way this organization keeps its competitive edge is that RNOH signed a â€Å"three-year contract with Spire Healthcare to run the PPU at its Stanmore site in London. Doing this helps to improve existing private patient services and drive up revenue. In late 2011 executive saw significant uplifts in private patient revenue being achieved.† ("Response to competition," 2013)

Plato’s Three Parts of The Soul Essay

As the founder of the first university and considered the most powerful thinker in history Plato believed that the soul was made of three parts. The Three Parts of the Soul in Plato’s Republic and Phaedrus are mans Appetite (Black Horse on Left), Spirited (White Horse on Right), and Reason (Charioteer). Each part of the soul has it’s own virtue as well as its own vice. Temperance is the virtue of Appetite, Courage the virtue of Spirit, and Wisdom is the virtue of Reason. It was Plato’s belief that goodness and justice come from the correct balance of the Three Parts of the Soul. We will uncover the perfect balance of the soul According to Plato and how goodness and justice come form this balance. Known as our animal side the appetitive part of the soul includes a myriad of desires for different pleasures, comforts, physical satisfaction, and bodily ease. Temperance, which is the virtue of the appetite, is ones ability to exhibit moderation and self-restraint when indulging in life’s pleasures. The good and just practice temperance while the evil and unjust practice lust, greed, and gluttony, commonly referred to as the Vice of the appetitive part of the soul. There are so many appetites that Plato does not mention all of them, but he does say that they can often be in conflict with each other. In the republic the workers and artisans were in this category. The ugly black horse on the left represents the appetitive element of the soul. The spirited part of the soul or hot-blooded part is where we get our source of action. This is the part of the soul that will get angry if we feel an injustice is being done. It is also the part of us that loves facing and overcoming challenges, the part that loves victory, challenge, and winning. Courage, which is the virtue of the spirited element of the soul, enables the soldier to stand and fight as well as control the lower class consisting of merchants, artisans and peasants. The souls source of action derives from courage and enables the appetitive part of the soul to exhibit moderation and self-restraint keeping us good and just. Anger and envy are the vices of the spirited part of the soul. When anger and envy take control gluttony, lust, and greed will soon follow. The spirited element of the soul is represented by the noble white horse on the right. The last and most important element of the soul according to Plato is reason. This is the part of the soul that thinks, looks ahead, analyzes, rationally weighs options and tries to decide what is best for us overall. It was Plato’s belief that the rational part of the soul convinces the spirited part of the soul to control the appetitive part of the soul. This is the only way one could achieve balance and harmony. The rulers and philosophers were amongst the most rational people in the republic. The charioteer represents our mind and conscious awareness that is guiding the horses and chariot. The charioteer should be in charge of the whole system deciding about when to give each horse it rein or when to hold it back. The horses should not govern the whole system; the whole system should be run by the rational decisions of the charioteer. Plato believed this was the perfect balance of the soul and would lead to harmonization and happiness of the soul creating a good and just person.

Goal Setting Theory

Research conducted in this field has indicated that there is a positive relationship between goal setting and performance outputs. The prime principles of the goal setting theory state that successful goal setting needs to be assessed on five dimensions: goal clarity, goal challenge, goal commitment, performance feedback, and task complexity. The insights Of the empirical studies discussed in this paper imply that when goal setting is done correctly and thoroughly throughout each stage, it leads to a significant increase in motivation.Various methods and strategies have been developed to complement the goal setting theory, an example being, the popular mnemonic acronym S. M. A. R. T. Which uses the words specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely to aid in eating effective goals. Goal setting theory is both measurable and quantifiable. Empirical evidence from both experimental and field settings have supported that the benefits (increase in employee performance, increase in employee motivation, increase in profits, etc. ) far outweigh the drawbacks (results from application error, organization costs, human resource efforts).Based off current research output and the abundance of research still conducted and revised on this theory, it can be concluded that the goal setting theory is an effective theory of motivation and, moving forward, will be a leader in workplace motivation in North America. INTRODUCTION According to Callus's employee study, workplace disengagement is an alarming issue around the world. In North America, the region with the highest ratio of engaged workers compared to the rest of the world, the proportion of engaged workers is only 29% (Gallup, 2011).In other words, the vast majority of workers are not reaching their full potential. This has significant implications to the economy, companies, and individuals. With the great deal of emphasis on productivity in today's marketplace, managers within organizations are constantly search ing for effective strategies in motivating staff to achieving organizational goals. The theory of motivation discussed in this paper will be the goal-setting theory, which is arguably one of the most dominant theories in the field of motivation with over a thousand articles and reviews published within the last 30 to 40 years (Lethal, 2006).The objective of this paper is to produce a summary and evaluation Of the goal setting theory of motivation. The paper will be divided into two sections. The first section will discuss the foundation of the theory along with its main tenets. The second section will provide real life examples of the theory application and critically examine the applicability of the theory in the North American managerial workplace supported by empirical work. FOUNDATION OF THEORY The foundation of the goal setting theory was first developed and refined by the American psychologist, Edwin Locke, in the 1 sass.Locke was inspired by the final cause in Arteriole's the ory of causality, which states â€Å"that for the sake of which† or can be defined as the end or purpose of something. Stemming from Aristotle theory, Locke continued to research on goal setting for thirty years. With the contribution of Locke and other scientists, this theory has now been popularized and become one of the most widely used horses regarding motivation. During Locker's primary research, he studied the relationship between goal setting variables and task performance.There were two major sets of initial studies conducted – the difficulty of the goal (difficult versus easy), and the specificity of the goal (specific versus vague) goals. He concluded that difficult goals led to higher performance than easy goals, given that the difficulty was within an attainable limit. His second conclusion was that specific goals were more effective than vague ones (Locke, 1968). Following Locker's study, Gary Lathe's research established animal conclusions in his workplac e – there was indeed a link between goal setting and workplace performance.Together, in 1990, they published their seminal work in a book called â€Å"A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance† (Locke & Lethal, 1990). Along with the two original characteristics of successful goal setting, three additional characteristics have been identified as crucial. The goal setting theory is now guided by five principles: goal clarity, goal challenge, goal commitment, performance feedback, and task complexity. The following paragraphs will briefly discuss each of the five principles and the supporting research.TENETS OF THE THEORY Research indicates that clear goals can reduce absenteeism, tardiness, and turnover, which all aid in increasing organizational productivity (Locke & Lethal, 2002). A clear goal is defined as being specific and measurable. As Locke mentions in his paper, when the goal is specific and measurable, it provides an external reference such as a time frame, which reduces overall ambiguity (Locke & Lethal, 2002). In six of the eight studies that Locke conducted, the level of performance was significantly higher in the group that was given a specific goal compared to the group that was given a vague goal.An example of a specific goal would be to â€Å"complete X amount in Y time† and a vague goal would be to â€Å"do your best†. Another primary issue researched on goal setting was the goal challenge or difficulty. In a meta-analysis of goal setting studies, easy goals were defined as those with greater than 50% probability of attainment and moderate goals being 16%-D% probability of attainment (Klein et al. , 1999). When participants were given these two types of goals, data indicated that, harder goals resulted in higher levels of performance (Klein et al. , 1999).Optimally, a goal should not be too difficult o a point where it is unattainable and motivation suffers (Bennett, 2009). However, overall on average, the perfor mance level in individuals with higher goals was still significantly higher than those with very easy goals (Klein et al. , 1999). This can be explained by the idea that high goals lead to high performance, which is associated with rewards, and rewards often result in high satisfaction. In other words, individuals are motivated by more difficult goals because of the anticipated accomplishment involved (Locke & Lethal, 2002).Goal commitment has been said to be a secondary characteristic cause it interacts with goal difficulty to produce performance. It has been found that commitment is crucial for difficult goals, but does not necessarily result in high performance when given an easy goal (Klein et al. , 1999). In a review of the literature, on average across all goal difficulty, it has been concluded that the higher the level of goal commitment, the higher the level of performance output (Klein et al. , 1999). Commitment to a goal can be increased when the goal is individually set o r when the individual agrees to the assigned goal.In environments with high group cohesion, goal ointment of individuals is also found to be high because of the strong influence of group norms (Locke & Lethal, 1991). Furthermore, self-efficacy is also a topic often discussed when relating to goal setting. Self-efficacy refers to an individual's judgment of their own ability to perform particular activities given their level of skill and ability (Bandeau, 1986). As this is a topic in and of itself, it is important to just note here that self-efficacy plays an important role in goal commitment.A higher level of self-efficacy in relation to goal attainment (I. E. If the individuals believes he can achieve the goal) exults in a higher level of goal commitment (Lethal & Locke 1991). Performance feedback is necessary for goal setting to be effective because it helps individuals gauge how well they are doing and the adjustments required for improvement. It has been found that when people k now they are below their target, they are most likely to increase their effort or devise a new strategy (Lethal & Locke, 1991 Feedback can be provided both during the process of achieving the goal or after the outcome.Additionally, feedback is also linked to increasing self-efficacy, which in turn leads to a higher performance (Lethal & Locke, 1991). Finally, in 1 996, Lethal examined the relationship between complex goals and performance levels. It was found that complex goals result in higher learning within individuals and thus led to a higher performance when compared to less complex goals. This can be explained by the idea that performance is not always achieved because of effort and persistence, but rather due to the cognitive understanding of the task and the development of various methods in solving the complex task (Lethal & Locke, 1991).Although this condition has to be addressed with care, complex tasks have been found to have an overall positive effect on reference level s (Lethal, 1996). THEORY IN ACTION The history of workplace motivation was initially driven by the belief that money was the primary source for employee motivation, but it was later found that various factors are motivators in determining workplace satisfaction, which is a predictor of job performance (Lethal, 2006).In the following decades, it will be crucial for leadership around the world to address the issue of workplace disengagement. In an organization, managers do not have the time and resources to constantly keep track of an employee's work or motivation. Most organizations use some form of goal setting in operation. Setting goals implies that there is a need or desire to attain a certain object or outcome (Locke & Lethal 2006). In essence, goals tell employees what needs to be accomplished and how much effort should be exerted.In the North American workplace, the direction of the goal setting theory appears to be an effective strategy in motivating staff to meeting organiza tional goals; this explains the abundant amount of evidence in us port of the theory and the various strategies constantly being developed. Based off of goal setting theory by Locke and Lethal, a popular mnemonic acronym developed for effective goal setting is S. M. A. R. T by George Doran. The outlined criteria for S. M. A. R. T. Goal setting states that goals should be specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-bound.There have been other variations of S. M. A. R. T. That are also interchangeable such as using â€Å"achievable† and â€Å"relevant† instead of â€Å"assignable† and â€Å"realistic†, respectively. These goal-setting criteria can all be linked back to the five principles summarized by Locke and Lethal and is a popular management strategy used in the workforce. The implications of new strategies and discoveries suggest that goal setting is not an innate attribute that individuals are born tit. It a skill that can be taught, learnt , and practiced.The resources required by an organization to train its employees on successful goal setting is practical and the return can be significant. Large organizations such as General Electric (GE) and Federal Express Company (Faded) have also implemented this theory in their organizations. GE applies goal setting theory in all levels of the organization and refers to goal setting as a key ingredient of their success. After a trial run, Faded found that employees had greater accountability, clearer expectations, and more precise feedback towards their jobs. The initiative was then executed throughout other departments in the organization.In Locke and Lathe's report, they found truck drivers saved the company $250,000 in 9 months when the logs loaded on the trucks were increased as a result of upping the assigned goals (Locke & Lethal, 2002). In 1967, it was found that, United Fund communities that set monetary goals higher than the previous year's performance raised more mon ey than communities that set goals lower than their previous years performance. More recent studies show, negotiators who have clear, challenging, and complex goals achieve higher profits than those with no goals (Locke &Lethal, 2002) and telecommunication employees that set specific high goals had higher job satisfaction and high performance (Locke & Lethal 2002). These are just a few empirical examples of successful goal setting evidence in this field. The goal setting theory is especially prominent in individualistic cultures such as North America. This can be explained by the notion that goals have the ability to function as a self-regulatory mechanism that helps individuals prioritize tasks; also why managers widely accept goal setting as a means to improve and sustain performance (Dublin, 2012).The insights to all he studies show that when goal setting is done correctly and thoroughly throughout each stage, it significantly increases motivation, which is then associated with n umerous other positive outcomes such as an increase in job satisfaction, an increase in organizational commitment, an increase in performance, and more (Locke & Lethal, 2002). Aside from the countless examples of goal setting successes, there are still some limitations and weaknesses of the theory. The goal setting theory cannot be applied in segments and because of that, the outcomes of the set goals can be different than the initial intent.For instance, if a goal is not clear (I. E. It does not address the specific and measurable outcome), it is easy for the individual to lose track of the goal and the goal may never be achieved. Another consequence of the goal being unclear, the performance feedback aspect of the goal can be difficult to execute because there is no measurable component and it will be challenging to determine the adjustments required. On the other hand, if the goal encompasses all five principles, but is too difficult, the individual will not be able to achieve it regardless. It may even result in a hindrance in motivation and performance.Apart from the error in application, some other weaknesses include: individuals setting too many goals and not being able to follow through, individuals concentrating on only one goal and losing sight of the others resulting in tunnel vision, and individuals focusing too much attention on the outcome and forgetting about the process (Lethal, 2004). There are various extensions of the goal setting theory that are beyond the scope of this paper. Advances in the research are currently leaning towards studying how other goal setting variables such as learning goals, goal framing, and subconscious goals, interact with reference (Lethal, 2004).