Free

Freedom, strength, relief EssayGuilty, freedom, strength, relief. As soon as the judge said this single, amazingly powerful word, these forget feelings rushed through me. I had finally got my revenge. The confusion lead me to let out tearful sighs of joy and sudden outcries of relief. The man who had made my adult livelihood a misery and ruined my teenage memories didnt have any domination over my thoughts or feelings anymore. From way out ahead with the prosecution I felt sitisfy that no other innocent teenager or harmless(prenominal) child would have to worry about this particular evil, pathetic man ever going near him or her again. It had taken twenty years for me to work up the courage to prosecute but it was worth it. My personality is now like it was, Im outgoing, less sensitive and Ive learnt to trust people. I just hope no one has to go through what I did. When my pay back sent me to Lowood boarding school afterward average results in my first year at a state school , I found it difficult to make new friends because firstly the clothes that my mother insisted I wore at weekends were not the most fashionable and the fact that I was the weakest academically in my class resulted in low self esteem.So I was thirteen and had few friends so to speak of. I could only assume that it was because of the introvert personality, my mother always said I had. She implied that my shortage of friends was a inheritable condition, snapping at me the few whiles I complained, I was never short of friends, that problem must have come from your fathers side of the family. I didnt have a good relationship with my mother or father making it hard to tell them anything especially about the abuse I was about to suffer.It was the week of my ordinal birthday, towards the end of my second term at Lowood when I heard the inauspicious words for the first time. Can Amelia Brown please report to the headmasters office. I sat at my desk startled as the whole class turned the ir perfect heads of neatly plaited hair towards me. All I saw was a handful of glaring eyes and disgusted expressions as the teacher not thinking of the humiliation I was going through informed the class I would be deficient certain lessons to go to remedial classes.I nervously hurried from the back of the classroom to the door keeping my stinging eyes focused straight in front of me apart from the when I felt a cold, trembling hand gently touching my arm. I quickly glanced passel to see a some nervous but appreciated smile from a girl hiding behind her enormous glasses. The courage of the unfortunate girl inspired me and by the time I reached the pixilateded doorway I felt less isolated mentally.But the stiffness of the door handle meant that I struggled to open the beautifully carved, arch shaped door making me once again, embarrassed to be who I was, helpless, thick Amelia Brown. Once I had left the classroom I shamefully proceeded down the long, gloomy corridor, walking past various portraits and photos of past headmasters and scholars. Their stern expressions encouraged me to walk faster. It was a lovely day but the small windows close to the high school ceiling only attempted to let in the sunshine, they didnt succeed.

An Information Technology System For a School Essay Example for Free

An Information Technology System For a School Essay analysisTo aid in investigation of the problem, two interviews were carried out. One was with the shoal principal, and the other with the school administrator.In preparation of the interviews a list of topics for discussion was drawn up, and include these distinguishpoints* What the tonic arranging hopes to achieve, exactly.* The problems in the current system.* The methods currently employed to input data into the system.* The information that is inevitable per file cabinet, i.e., for each student what fields will befool to be input. * The format of the inevitable output.* The volume of data expected, e.g., how many students ar expected to enroll, or how many new teachers will be required.* Any computer hardw be or software constraints, such as the new system only being able to run with a particular in operation(p) system.audience 1This interview was with the schools principal, Mrs. Monica Stakich. It alikek place in her office, on appointment, and was as sweep upsQ Mrs. Stakich, your school has built up quite a reputation of excellence over the years as shown by its grades. How do you intend to maintain this?A Well, the school has always prided itself on its academic achievements, and this is due to our students being dedicated in their studies, which shows itself in the pukka grades. We will be fine if we can continue this trend.Q You are shifting to new custom-built premises and are also expanding your range of activities offered. Why relieve oneself you made this decision?A We are changing our status to an authorized A level Center. As such, we will need the appropriate facilities to meet the requirements for this standard. Also, the school expects a significant increase in enrolments at both O and A Levels, so the space is needed to provide for these new students.Q How many students do you currently cod in your institution? And how many do you expect to enroll in the future?A The sch ool currently caters to a population of around 2500 students, but we expect an influx of around 1000 students next year.Q How do you access a file of a student or a teacher? Do you find it yourself on your computer or does the secretary do it for you?A I can access files of both students and customers from my own PC, as well as any other file, such as stationery, electricity bills, etc. But I must also focus more on the task of running the school itself, so I usually let my secretary handle all the files. She herself gets these files from the school system administrator. I only check a file myself if we need to consider carefully the person, or file in question, for example a teacher for an important position.Q Thank you very frequently for your time, Mrs. Stakich.A Youre welcome.Analysis of the InterviewThe interview, on analysis, showed the school to be result-driven, as indicated by the Headmistresss comments. But more importantly, it also showed that she did non focus on the file input and retrieval system in particular herself, and on the schools information system in general. The actual file control and handling was carried out by the system administrator, who could provide us with insight of the current systems lamings.Interview 2An interview was arranged with Mr. Mark Glasse, the system administrator, in his office.It proceeded as followsQ How long have you been working here, Mr. Glasse?A Its been around four years since I started wok for the school.Q How many times has the system been updated since you started work?A Weve updated thrice so far.Q What changes had been made during these updates?A Well, formerly we had to increase our disc space to around 10 GB to cope with increased student information on Health Cards, as was required by a new Government law. Another time we had to modify our input procedure, it being too manual, with almost unnecessary paperwork involved, so we had to purchase new input devices.And there was also the time when we had to call in a professional security company to install anti-hacking programs when our database was actually hacked into.Q What input devices do you work with? How is output shown?A I use a keyboard, a mouse, a web-camera and a scanner as input devices. Output is displayed on a monitor, or on a plotter as is appropriate. And, of course, I often have to print out some files using a laser printer.Q And your system constellation?A I use a Pentium 2, 333 MHz Processor, with 32 MB RAM, 4 GB hard disk with Windows 98 as my operating system. I also have other software such as MS Visual Studio and MS Office 2000 installed on my computer.Q Mr. Glasse, what is the general procedure that you follow if you were asked to, for example, update a file?A First of all, I would have to get an approved notice from someone in an authoritative position, for example the Headmistress, or the Head Administrator. This note would be attached to a Modification Form showing details of the file that needs to be updated. The authorization slip has to be filed into a drawer in my desk, and I just have to access the file using the code precondition on the Form and change the required fields. I have the Menu on my Desktop, Mrs. Stakich and I are the only ones who know the Password so Ive never thought about changing it, once in the records I go to the Search Command to call up the file in question, and make the changes required. On exiting the database, I go have to acquire out another form, a Proof Form, as it is known as, to acknowledge my action. This form then returns to the top-level to the individual who initially authorized it.Q How often do errors arrive using this procedure?A As you can see, the system is designed in such a way that carrying out the procedure makes it prone to errors. Were hush up lucky to have a few students and teachers, basically scummy files is what I mean to say, which do not have to be updated too often, so they arent too many mistakes. Even if there ar e, they can easily be located and corrected due to the small size of our database.Q OK, now what about the plus points of this system? For example, is it easy to use? Is it tackual? Do you feel that you yourself are performing at an optimum level with this system?A Ill have to venture this question over. Yes, for sure it is easy to use. I just have to type in an identifier code for each record, and the particular record is searched for and displayed. Its that simple. I dont think its efficient though. As the number of files increases the system takes longer and longer to search the database to produce the results I was looking for. It only follows that I myself feel I am under-performing at my job, as some time will definitely be wasted in waiting for results.Q Are you satisfied with the system performing only these functions?A Yes, I am. I would like it to be faster though, and even up-to-date, technologically speaking.Q Thank you, Mr. Glasse, for your cooperation. Youve been a great help.A The pleasure was all mine.Analysis of the InterviewThis interview was more enlightening than the one with Mrs. Stakich, for we were able to focus on the technical side of the schools database system. Certain glaring shortcomings of the current system came to light, such as a very limited database size, as indicated by the system being upgraded the first time. This further tells us that the system itself, with all its components, is out-of-date. In such a state, it may also be incompatible with other systems, should it be craved to connect to these for data exchange purposes. Another significant weakness is the fact that the threesome upgrade was for security reasons, which means that the Password Protection was initially low.Mr. Glasse also said that it takes longer to search for a required field if there are many records this is only fair, but there arent too many records right now, so we can expect the system to have some sort of unidimensional search function in o peration, unsuitable for large databases. The program, although performing just a few main functions, is slow, again pointing to its near obsoleteness. Its low productivity has an effect on the human element involved, as Mr. Glasse himself feels as if he has not fully achieved his full potential. Lack of motivation could cause further falls in productivity. The system also has standard input devices (mouse and keyboard), as well as standard output devices (printer, scanner and plotter), needed to process data and produce the desired results. The system also runs on a fairly fast processor, as given by the computers configuration. However it is unlikely that the system uses any of the other software packages (apart from the Windows 98 operating system) so these, as powerful as they are, arent being utilized.MAIN WEAKNESSES OF CURRENT SYSTEMBased on the knowledge gained in these interviews, it is practicable to finalize the main shortcomings of the system currently in use* Small disk space.The disk space employ for storage of data is relatively small as it needed to be upgraded beforehand. With all the new enrolments expected, as well as other related increases, such as electricity and water, teachers salaries, etc the available disk space will not be sufficient.* Poor security level.Security forms an important part of any system, and the fact that the database was hacked into shows just how weak security rattling is. The password used seems to be outdated and it is likely that people other than those authorized know it. Laxed security is especially important here as we are dealing with the personal records of students and teachers, not to mention important transactions such as total fees received, expenses, and so on. So security, despite being of paramount importance, isnt given the priority it should be.* InconvenienceThe normal procedure to accomplish a single task is lengthy and time-consuming. It also involves unnecessary paperwork. This would exhibit i tself as delays in processing, as a single instruction would have to be passed through many stages before being received by the sender once again as feedback.* Basic obsoleteness.As seen from the interview, Mr. Glasse uses a relatively fast processor. Despite this speed, we still find that the speed of running the system is slow especially when new records are added. This means that the components of the system itself are slow and outdated. This weakness especially comes into focus when we consider the fact that nowadays systems are rarely independent. One system has to be connected to at least one more system, with data exchange taking place between these. However, if their speeds are not compatible they will not be able to function at their optimum level. If the system were to exchange information over the Internet then this incompatibility could become a problem.OBJECTIVES OF THE upstart SYSTEM1) To provide quick access to the files in the database. Many files will now be in the system and it is necessary that they be reached quickly.2) To maintain a higher level of security. This ensures that the database is viewed and controlled only by those who have the proper authority to do so.3) To minimize red tape involved in making changes to the records. The earlier system involved a lot of paperwork and proved to be costly in terms of time (therefore money), so this new system aims to reduce that by quickly and efficiently processing an instruction.4) To be user-friendly. Step-by-step guidance ensures that the user can easily find his way around the database to perform the desired task.A Flowchart of how data would be passed along the new system is as followsSYSTEM REQUIREMENTSStandard input devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a scanner and a web-camera will be needed for this system to operate (the mouse and keyboard are the main ones, the others for inputting photos and such graphics). Output devices will be plotters and printers. ironware The CPU requirem ent for this system include at least 100 MHz Pentium processor and 16 MB RAM.Software It is necessary to have an operating system such as Windows 98 as well as MS Visual Basic program installed, as this is the front-end program to be used for this system, with Access 7.0 being the back-end program.The user will be Mr. Glasse, and his computer already exceeds the requirements for this system to function efficiently. His IT skills will also be relevant since he already has MS Office 97 installed he will already know the basics behind Access 7.0 and should find no problem in debut the data.It must be remembered that the system to be developed is intended to replace the outdated system in current use. The current system is slow, inefficient and incompatible. Its relief will be better than it in all these respects, and should bring the database up to the level of technology today.

Characteristics of a Metropolitan

Characteristics of a MetropolitanABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper is to understand what Groningen appropriates as a mini-metropolis urban center. The first tone of voice is to find the meaning of the metropolis from a variety of sources, the second step of searching for data close to Groningen and the third step is to compare between the two data.In the end is at a conclusion that the metropolis are not only associated with the factor number of population, field and sparing of a metropolis, but a related metropolis of a character which is owned by the urban center.So Groningen with all matters and functions and its ability to further aim its compliance is said to be a mini-metropolis city.Metropolis CharacteristicsMetropolitan is a term used to describe a relatively large urban area, two of the size of area, population, and the scale of economic and social activity. While the etymology, said metropolitan (noun) or metropolis (adjective) is derived from the Ancient Greek la nguage, which the excogitate meter means mother, and the word polis means city. (Wackerman, 2000)In general, the metropolitan ignore also be defined as a large residential center that consists of a large city and some(a) in the ring area with one or more major cities that serve as a point of contact (hub) to the towns in the surrounding areas. A metropolitan area is an agglomeration of several settlements, settlements should not be the city, but the overall homunculus a unity in nature activities and lead to the city center (a large city that is the core) that can be seen from the flow of labor and commercial activities.According Goheen (in Bourne, ed. 1971), City / Metropolitan District is an urban area with a population characteristic that stand out in comparison with the surrounding countryside. This term is used to give a more precise picture of the nitty-gritty and concentration of the population in a large area, which in turn can show the magnitude of the centers of the main settlements in the country. In general, the metropolitan field can be defined as large, with economic and social unity integrated and characterize the activity of the city.The characteristics of the Metropolitan of several aspects such as the amount of population, economic activities, mobility, activities of the population, and the structure of the region.1. The amount of the total populationThe magnitude of population becomes a major consideration in determining the aspects of the definition of a metropolitan. However, some urban experts set different limits for the determination of the minimum number of metropolitan area population.2. Economic activityIn the metropolitan area occurs agglomeration residential areas and jobs. That is, the metropolitan area is an urban area with a specializing in social and economic activities function. The economic specialization is the industrial and services heavenss. Industrial activities and services is the dominant sector in the growing metropolitan region. Economic activities that take place in the metropolitan area is heterogeneous and has a role as a profound / center of economic activities on a regional scale, both within the province or state and national scope.Growth and development of the urban economy are the driving factors behind the metropolitan and will continue to affect the prospects of the future metropolis. In fact, metropolitan anywhere carry out the functions of the national economy, which is a very significant contribution to the whole country. Metropolitan supposedly satisfactory to play a role and function in accordance with its share in national economic development. On the other hand, the role of the national economy must be balanced with the metropolitan economy comparable level and is able to also write a decent life for the citizens of the metropolitan community itself. Metropolitan should be able to create jobs and income level sufficient for muckle to be able to survive and even enjoy life in the metropolitan environment. The income levels are generally far exceeds the metropolitan cities and other areas as well as rural, and the main attraction for the current metropolitan population who are looking for work and a decent life. Surely thither must be interpreted into account that the level of public spending in general metropolitan also much higher than the city and other areas.3. Mobility of peoples activitiesOne characteristic of the metropolitan area is shown in the form of ease of mobility by Angotti (1993) seen in 3 forms (Winarso et al, 2006), namelya. Occupational mobility (mobility appointment), characterized by the ease with which people play workplace without having to move residence because of the many types and variations of jobs available.b. Housing Mobility (Residential Mobility), occurs in line with the mobility of the workplace.c. Mobility trip (Trip Mobility), occurs because of the mobility of the workplace and residence.4. Structure RegionsB highroadly speaking there are two kinds of physical form metropolis that shapes the metropolis spread (dispersed) and the shape of the metropolis centered (concentrated). To spread the metropolis consists of the metropolis spreads and galactic metropolis. As for the centralized metropolis comprises centered metropolis, metropolitan and metropolitan ring star (jayadinata, 1986 221-226).The Mini MetropolisThere is a definition of a mini metropolis of Dr. turncock Kurz, where he was a major in Mannheim, Mannheim as the city he called mini-metropolis. Not because of its large size, not too big for its population, but because of Mannheim managed properly so that this city we can eat, hold out and work.Geographically, the city is located between two rivers, providing public transport links and good shopping center, and a center of culture, science, research and creativity.In other words, Dr. Peter Kurz said that in this town people can feel the balance of life and comfort of staying in MannheimGroningen CharacteristicsGroningen is the main municipality as well as the jacket crown city of the province in the Netherlands. Groningen is the largest city in blue Netherlands, so Groningen is the regional power of the northern Netherlands.When viewing a map of the Netherlands, it appears that groningen is downtown for northern Dutch region, and there are no other major city within a radius of or so 150 kilometers from Groningen. Apart from being the heavy(p) of the province of Groningen is also a historical and geographical center of Groningen is also a center of trade since the end of the 15th century.The existence of the center of the city of Groningen Martini tower is a symbol of power and later with the establishment of the University of Groningen in 1614 with the development of the city of Groningen now has about 50,000 students (25% deari total population), it is seen that the Groningen become an important educational center for the Netherlands. In addition to being the city with a ratio of the number of students that a lot of the population, the city of Groningen also a leading city in terms of innovation, research development, and entrepreneurshipFigure 1. Netherland Map (Steen, 2015)Population in GroningenGroningen as a province has a population of 579.036 residents, and as a Municipality of Groningen has a population of 189.991 residents, which means the city of Groningen has 33% of the total population in the province of Groningen (Steen, 2015).Table 1. composition of the population of the cities in netherland (Steen, 2015)20002009Amsterdam731,288 (44,4%)755,605 (49.5%)Rotterdam592,673 (40,0%)587,134 (46,9%)The Hague441,094 (40,1%)481,864 (47,3%)Utrecht233,667 (29,8%)299,891 (31,5%)Groningen173,139 (16,5%)184,227 (19,7%)Netherlands15,863,950 (17.5%)16.485.787 (19.9%)Note ( % ) = % of allochtoon = 1 or more parents born abroadFrom the population compotition table, we can see that Groningen become the 5th largest city in population in cities in Netherland, although there is a significant difference in the population of western part of the Netherland cityEconomic activityAccording to data from the World Bank and the outside(a) Monetary Fund, the Netherlands is the 18th largest economy in the world in 2012. GDP per capita Approximately $ 43.404 makes netherland one of the richest countries in the world.Netherlands has a large natural gas reserves northern sea areas, but most of the production is from onshore wells and natural gas produced from the Groningen province, Consumption of natural gas in the Netherlands is only about 2/3 of its production, while the rest is exported. Netherlands iscurrently the fifth largest exporter of natural gas in the world.Figure 2. Largest Gas Fields In The World(http//www.energy-pedia.com/ intelligence agency/netherlands/exxonmobil-to-continue-to-tap-the- enormous-resources-at-the-slochteren-field-for-another-50-more- eld)Employment DataBased on data up to April 2012, Groningen pro viding 135 537 jobs during the two years in which the growth 3010 = 2.3%. And Groningen has 15 909 firms, with over 2 years experience growth in 1417 = 9.8%.This shows that Groningen has good economic growth in terms of the number of jobs available. According to data from 2009 recorded that the ratio of the number of people who work for 1000 residents, Groningen ranks 3rd in the Netherlands the number of 730 jobs per 1,000 residents. This means th culture/recreationat is above the national average of 490 jobs per 1,000 Netherland residentTabel 2. Employment Growth per-Sector 2009 2011 (Steen, 2015)Employment Growth 2009- 2011agriculture0.10%industry5.20%utilities2.30%++construction4.30%trade12.30%restaurants, hotels4.20%transport, communication8.00%finance1.50%business services18.40%+government8.80%education9.90%+health20.70%culture/recreation4.50%+Mobility of peoples activitiesThe city of Groningen has been recognized as a Word Cycling City, this is because 57% of trips in the cit y is done by using a bicycle vehicle. Transport fundament in the city has been designed well so convenient for cyclists. In 2000, Groningen was elected as Fiedsstad 2002 The Top Bike City of The Netherlands for 2002.The transport system in the city center provides priorities for bicycles and pedestrians, by making traffic cirlulation prohibiting private vehicles into the inner city, inner city divided by 4 zones A, B, C, D. So that private vehicles can not be moved from zone A to B through the middle of town but directed at the ring road towards the road first. so although the distance A to B near as be felt far as having to turn first.RailGroningen has three train stations, namely station Groningen,There are three stations in Groningen, Groningen Europapark and Groningen Noord. The main train station has regular services to almost all major cities in the Netherlands (served by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen and Arriva) as well as other European cities.BusGroningen has inter-city bus t ransportation and inter-state bus which flies to several cities in the Netherlands and Germany. It also has a special bus transportation routes within the city groningen that connects several areas in the city groningenCONCLUSIONThere are diverse opinions of experts on the definition and characteristics of a metropolis, where many describe as a city with a high population and high-income economy, with pomp owned a city.Groningen, with a population of only about 200,000 residents but has a soul and spirit as a mini-metropolis city, Why a mini metropolis, not as a metropolis? I mobilise this is just a comparison of size alone. Groningen has a very compact design and the city continues to grow but never leave its cohesiveness. As a cultural center, education center and a regional economic center in the northern Netherlands, with all its facilities and functions, Groningen has played a role as an harming city, good for work, interesting place to visit, and certainly comfortable place to live.If I may suggest, I would say that the Groningen like a towering lighthouse and incandescence brightly, illuminating the surrounding areas.Referenceshttp//www.energy-pedia.com/news/netherlands/exxonmobil-to-continue-to-tap-the-enormous-resources-at-the-slochteren-field-for-another-50-more-yearshttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Netherlandshttp//www.cbs.nlhttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groningenhttp//gemeente.groningen.nl/https//www.scribd.com/doc/50565637/The-city-of-Groningen-has-been-described-as-a-mini-metropolis-Is-this-justifiablehttp//www.cityoftalent.nl/http//www.ob-peter-kurz.de/data/minimetropolis.pdf

Sociological Perspectives On Education

Sociological Perspectives On trainingDuring the nineteenth century the asylum fathers of Sociology such as Marx, Comte and Durkheim, wanted to accomplish their political objectives by using scientific methods. They wanted people to be convinced of the validity of their views and felt that the outstrip way to achieve this would be to go about this in the most effective way by means of natural science and research methods. Sociologists and then tried to explain how the social schema worked. One of the main atomic number 18as within a social form is culture. All children between the matures of five and Sixteen ar obliged to attend school, and during term time school children spend over half their waking hours in the classroom. Education in Britain is free and is provided by the well-being state, it is also compulsory, parents who do not send their child to school are breaking the law. According to sociologists in order to select a fully surgery society the members would idea lly have to be educated to carry out their role within that society, or society may fall a vocalization. This establish result include a brief get wind at the history of education and how it has developed into the schema we now have today. This essay leave also look at two sociological theories on education Functionalist and red ink,. Within each of these theories this essay will also highlight three main perspectives social class, sexual activity and ethnicity.The 1944 Education Act was a significant piece of social and welfare legislation, it required Local Education Authorities to provide state-funded education for pupils, up to the eld of 15, that incorporated, to quote, instruction and training as may be desirable in view of their different ages, abilities and aptitudes. The act was devised by Conservative MP Rab Butler (1902-1982), from this came the grounding of the tripartite system which comprised of Grammar schools for the more academic pupil, Secondary Modern s chools for a more practical, non-academic style of education and Technical schools for specialist practical education. Pupils had to take an testing called the 11-Plus and the result of this indicated which type of school the child would be allocated to. Secondary education now became free for all and the school- sledding age rose to 15. The tripartite system could be seen as a way of dividing classes, as it was ordinarily the children from more affluent families that passed the 11-plus inquiry. (Bell, 2004 MOC Murray, 2009).In 1965 comprehensive schooling was recommended by the Labour disposal in document called the Circular 10/65. The new comprehensive system suited children of all abilities in contrast to the tripartite system. The school leaving age was raised to 16 in 1973. The comprehensive system aimed to eradicate the class divide from the British education system. (Bell, 2004 MOC Murray, 2009).The 1988 Education Act saw the introduction to the internal Curriculum. All education in state funded school was to be made the same and made sure that all school children received the same direct of education. Compulsory subjects were introduced which included maths, English, science and religious education. The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) was introduced to replace O-levels and the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE). This was another way of onerous to make state education classless. (Bell, 2004 MOC Murray, 2009).Over the years theories of education have been in and out of fashion this was mostly due to which political party was in power at the time and the state of the economy as the two are very much linked. During the 1950s Functionalism was the dominant force within sociology. During the contend the education system had been neglected and was seen as been in a pretty poor state. By the 1970s, structural tensions, inflation, economic stagnation and unemployment, meant that Marxism and other critical theories interchangeab le Feminism and anti-authoritarian Liberals became far more influential. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)The education system was undemocratic, unequal and unfair. Marxists like Raymond Boudon argued that positional theory determined educational success or failure, he is well-known for his studies into of the role of education on social mobility. It was your position in the class structure that gave you an advantage, or a disadvantage, in the competitive world of education. as yet for Pierre Bourdieu, the working class lacked what he referred to as cultural capital without which they were doomed to failure. Cultural capital included the valuable cultural experiences of foreign travel, museums, line of business and the possession of a sophisticated register and middle class norms and values. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)The functionalist perspective was the dominant theoretical approach in the sociology of educa tion until the 1960s. When considering education functionalists usually ask questions such as What are the functions of education? What part does it play in maintaining society? What are the relationships between education and other elements of our social system?A typical functionalist response to such questions sees education as transmitting societys norms and values, for example a child that learns to respect the rules at school he will learn to respect societys rules as an adult. Functionalists believe that various parts of society work together for the mutual benefit of society as a unit of measurement so therefore education and the economy go hand in hand and school is preparation for the world of work. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope, 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)Emile Durkheim was one of the founding fathers of sociology and provided the basic modelling for functionalist view of education. He believed that for society to operate efficiently individuals must develop a sen se of belonging to something wider than their immediate situation. The education system plays an burning(prenominal) part of this process. In particular, the teaching of history enables children to see the link between themselves and the wider society. Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist who further developed Durkheims ideas. He argued that in novel industrial societies education performs an important socialising function. Education helps to ensure the continuity of norms and values through transmitting the culture of society to new generations. Parsons saw the school as a twain between the family and the wider society. Within the family the childs status is fixed at birth but in wider society new status is achieved through work, friendships and relationships. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)Parsons also saw that schools prepared children for their roles in adult society through the selection process. Students are assessed and sorted in t erms of their abilities and this helps to allocate them to appropriate occupations. Students are also allocated certain(prenominal) occupations in relation to what sex they are, typically girls would be seen as going into more stereotypically feminine roles such as secretaries, hairdressers, beauticians, nurses /care givers or homemakers whereas boys would be seen as going into more stereotypically masculine roles such as doctors, builders, mechanics, plumbers or firemen. Boys are also seen as being more scientific than girls. moreover many of these roles are now being integrated by twain sexes. Conversely the roles of being care-givers and homemakers are still seen as being innate in females. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)The Marxist perspective on education differs from that of the functionalist. In Marxs words the ruling class rule also as thinkers, as producers of ideas. These ideas justify their position, conceal their true stemma of thei r power and disguise their exploitation of the subject class. A French Marxist philosopher called Louis Althusser argued that no class can hold power for long simply by the use of force. The use of ideas provide a much more useful means of control. He also argued that the education system in modern multiplication has taken over the role of the church as the main agency for ideological control. In the past people accepted their status in intent and saw it as being Gods will. Nowadays however people tend to accept their status and role within society from the way in which they have been educated. The upper and middle classes are primed to become the ruling class and the owners of industry, the lower classes are primed to become the workforce. They are taught to accept their future exploitation. Althusser argues that political orientation in capitalist society is fundamental to social control. He sees the educational process as essentially ideological. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hop e , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)For Bowles and Gintis, the education system propagated a hidden curriculum where the working classes learnt to know their place, to obey rules and were also socialised to accept that inequality was natural and inevitable. They also claim that education legitimates social inequality by broadcasting the myth that it offers everyone an equal chance. It follows that people who achieve high qualifications deserve their success. So in other words education is seen as a reinforcing stimulus system, those who work hard and gain a good education will have access to the top jobs. Bowles and Gintis stated that Education reproduces inequality by justifying prefer and attributing poverty to personal failure. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)Both Marxists and functionalists have been criticised for seeing people as being nothing more than creatures of the social system, thus Bowles and Gintis see teachers as the agents of capi tal the students as its victims and their situations being shaped by factors which are out of their control. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)In modern day Britain there is a general consensus of effect that education should be based on equal opportunities. Everyone should have an equal right to develop their abilities to the full regardless of their age, class, ethnicity or gender. However there is pass by evidence that in educational terms those who have certain social characteristics are more likely to achieve better results than others, so this shows that there is a distinct relationship between social class and educational attainment. Throughout the twentieth century there is evidence to show that the higher an individuals social class, the more likely they are to have a greater number and higher level of educational qualifications. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)Gender has always been an issue in education. Should both sexes take the same subjects? Do both sexes have the same abilities and aptitude? The introduction of the 1944 Education Act was concerned with enabling free and equal education for all. However there is still a worry that discrimination against girls still takes place throughout the educational system. To feminists this is a reflection of the patriarchal nature of modern industrial society. The school curriculum has become increasingly similar for boys and girls. However, where choice is available, there is still a tendency for girls to choose some subjects and boys others. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008) on that point is no concrete evidence within the education system to prove whether a students ethnicity has any effect on their examination results. Statistics on school leavers and their examination results are a snapshot at one point in time. Individuals may want to catch up on their education once leaving school by attending local colleges. There is evidence to show that ethnic minorities are likely to do this. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)The Swann Report (1985), officially called Education for All, was a government report advocating a multicultural education system for all schools, regardless of institutions, location, age-range or ethnicity for staff/pupils. The report provided clear data on ethnicity and educational attainment, discovering that racism had a causal effect on the educational experiences of black children in the UK.(Griffiths and Hope, 2000).The statistics shown in the Swann Report were drawn from local authorities with a high ethnic concentration. So therefore it could be said that they werent a true depiction of ethnic educational attainment throughout the whole of the awkward. However due to mass immigration into this country in the last five years some children who come from different ethnic backgrounds are at a disadvantage due to cultural language barriers. (Browne, K, 2005 Griffiths Hope , 2000 Haralambus Holburn, 2008)This essay included a brief look at the history of education and how it has developed into the system we now have today. It also looked at two sociological theories on education Functionalist and Marxist. The feminist perspective was touched upon when relating education to gender. Within each of these theories essay highlighted three main perspectives social class, gender and ethnicity. To conclude there are still many barriers to gaining a good education for some of the children in this country due to their class, social stratification, gender or ethnicity. The rich are more likely to get better grades and job opportunities. However some children / young adults may cross the divide and become better educated and move to a high class as an educated adult.

International Entrepreneurship Leading To Greater Cultural Understanding Commerce Essay

International Entrepreneurship Leading To Greater Cultural Understanding Commerce raiseGlobalization of the world food market brings tonic possibilities as well as enormous hurdles for both established and young craftes. With the emergence of international enterprisership, entrepreneurs atomic number 18 concentrating on specific relinquishs that they face operating in complex environments affected by diverse national cultures and institutional influences (Johanson Vahlne, 2009). New planetary entrepreneurs depend on global networks for resources, diffusion, and designs for growth. International entrepreneurs ingest that success in a new marketplace requires agility, ingenuity, and certainty with a global viewpoint to acquire sustain baron. Thus, global thought is beneficial since strange business clients can choose ideas, products, and services from many countries and cultures. However, entering into a contradictory environment and culture can also make an obstacle psy chologically in and of itself for the individual international entrepreneur (Mitchell et al., 2002). This paper will examine two beas that focus on the importance of ethnical judgment in international entrepreneurship. The first will comprise of how entrepreneurs who expand into international markets must know how to think globally in order to design and stick with strategies for different nations as a business ventures into an uncertain market. The second part will explore how psychological adaptation of the individual entering a foreign culture is interconnected with the international entrepreneur.Entrepreneurs can expand their business by participating in the global market as every year thousands of depressed business enterprises are actively engaged in the international field. International entrepreneurship studies pass started to focus on specific topics that confront entrepreneurs as they expand their new ventures (Zahra, Korri, Yu, 2005). The definition of internation al entrepreneurship in this paper will focus on the member of creatively discovering and exploiting opportunities that lie outside of a firms domestic markets in the go toking of competitive payoff (Zahra George, 2002) crosswise national borders, to create future goods and services (Oviatt McDougall, 2005). This meaning incorporates the process aspect of international entrepreneurship, which focuses on a central issue of why some individuals exploit international opportunities while others equally well placed do not act on them (Zahra, Korri, Yu, 2005). Globalization is a process fuelled by increasing cross border flows of goods, services, money, people, information, and culture (Held et al., 1999, p. 16). However, the use of this term will refer to Guillns (2001) definition of globalization as a process leaders to greater interdependence and mutual awareness among participants in general. Guilln (2001) combines the understanding of globalization as the intensification of co nsciousness of the world as a whole, and as the distribution of practices, values and technology that kick in an influence on peoples lives cosmopolitan (Guilln, 2001).Noticing opportunities is normally more knotty in international settings, and the level of question that the potential entrepreneur must undergo will also be greater. Entrepreneurs able to function successfully in international settings may be both more consummate at noticing opportunities and have a greater capacity to endure the question associated with international entrepreneurship (Lu Beaamish, 2001). Noticing opportunities is normally more difficult in international settings, and the level of suspicion that the potential entrepreneur must endure will also be greater (Coviello, 2006).Oviatt and McDougall (2005) emphasized that international entrepreneurs display the intention to compete in denary topical anaesthetices at the inception of the firm to exploit existing international opportunities and woul d have the intention to do so when they started their firms (McNaughton, 2003). Starting a firm is a difficult process under the best of circumstances. International business scholars have traditionally argued that internationalization is difficult because firms had to overcome a liability of foreignness, although Johanson and Vahlne (2009) have recently screw that being part of an effective network and prior knowledge can greatly accelerate the international entrepreneurship process. This liability of foreignness was based on the detail that firms and entrepreneurs lacked knowledge nearly doing business in other countries, which meant they had to endure the costs of instruction and the discomfort of uncertainty (Lu Beaamish 2001). However, by positioning themselves in relevant networks, or because of their past experience, many entrepreneurs have high levels of appendageal knowledge about foreign markets. In this manner, the traditional approaches for dealing with the liabili ty of foreignness of either imitating local firms or by transferring unique organizational or managerial competences to their foreign unit (Sapienza et al., 2006) have been supplemented with a knowledge component, which is more related to uncertainty. There has been an quotation that firms could go about to internationalize sooner and Sapienza et al. (2006, p. 915) suggest that the earlier a firm internationalizes, the more deeply imprinted its dynamic capability for exploiting opportunities in foreign markets will be. Others have pointed out the benefits of internationalizing earlier, or at least exporting at an earlier stage (Kundu Katz 2003). This may be because although there is a cost to learning, early entrants begin this process sooner (Autio, Sapienza, Almeida, 2000) and at least some suggest they should do this before they actually start the firm (Coviello, 2006).An entrepreneur who would like to take advantage of international markets may have to study a foreign langua ge, may have lived abroad and may be face with culture shock. Entrepreneurs must realize their companys competitive advantage such as technology, price, financial superiority, or marketing, product innovation, an efficient distribution network or possession of exclusive information about the foreign market (Sapienza et al., 2006). Declining market check intos at home may cause entrepreneurs to seek foreign markets to help their business. favored global entrepreneurs should have the following characteristics a global vision, international management experience, innovative marketing or technology processes, a strong international business network, and effective organizational coordination worldwide (Lee, Peng, Barney, 2007).When global opportunities occur, entrepreneurs are likely more open-minded about internationalizing. The advantage of international trade is that a companys market is expanded much and growth prospects are greatly raised. Other advantages include minimizing seas onal slumps, reducing idle capacity, getting knowledgeable about products not sold in target markets, technology used in other countries, and learning about other cultures (Johnson, Lenartowicz, Apud, 2006). Before going to a foreign market, it is essential to study the unique culture of the potential consumers. Concepts of how the product is used, psychographics, demographics, and political norms as well as legal normally differ from an entrepreneurs home country (Miller Parkhe, 2002). De Tienne Chandler (2004) suggest that entrepreneurs must ensure five factors relative to the country and cultures that the business venture will inhabit. First, they must study foreign government regulations patent, import regulations, trademark laws, and copyright that affect their products. Second, they must know political climate kindred between business and government or public attitudes and political events in a given country affect foreign business transactions. Third, they must consider i nfrastructure packaging, distribution system, and shipping of their export product. Fourth, they must research distribution channels accepted trade both retail and wholesale, service charges and normal commissions, distribution agreements and laws pertain to agency. And fifth, they must study competition number of competitors in target nations and their market share, as well as their price, place, product and promotion. Additionally, they must find market size of their product stability, size, country by country, and know what nations are markets expanding, opening, maturing, or declining (De Tienne Chandler, 2004). Eventually, entrepreneurs must understand culture of their products. Small businesses can study international cultures by business travel, participating in training programs, reading the current literature, and undertaking formal educational programs. Small business, who wants to sell product on a worldwide basis must realize different standardization in each country. I n some cases, goods must be adapted for different local markets if it is to be accepted and consumer goods always require much more adaptation (Johanson Vahlne, 2009).One issue related to international opportunity is why individuals in home countries are not the ones that take action on these opportunities, which would seem logical, as they are better positioned to notice. This question is especially important because research indicates that local firms usually have higher levels of exploit than do foreign firms (Miller Parkhe, 2002). While the matter of liability of foreignness is present in some cases, this relates to firms competing in the same industry. Thus, when locals begin to pursue the foreign firm, they may in fact end up with higher levels of performance, because of factors such as lower lawsuit awards (Mezias, 2002). However, national average levels of entrepreneurship to uncertainty, opportunity, and cognition uncertainty avoidance are not identical across countries (Hofstede, 2001). This suggests that although it is possible that both a local and foreigner notice a specific opportunity at the same time, the local may not act for both the fear of failure and stigma attached to that failure in certain cultures (Lee, Peng, Barney, 2007). Thus, the potential entrepreneur must also be willing to endure the uncertainty associated with acting on these opportunities.To gain insight into effective professional task performance across cultures, an understanding of effective communication and psychological adaptation has to be complemented by an exploration of the effect of culture on task process. Over the last a few(prenominal) years studies on cross cultural competencies in different professional fields have started to emerge.Examining the relationship between national culture and entrepreneurship is an important emergent subject matter in international entrepreneurship (Hayton, George, Zahra, 2002). The sociological viewpoint on entrepreneurship proposes that entrepreneurs are intertwined in a social framework and their cognitive process and demeanors are shaped by the interactions between the environment and entrepreneur (Zahr, Korri, Yu, 2005). There is also evidence of the impact of national cultural values on the characteristics and behaviour of individual entrepreneurs (Mitchell et al., 2002). Mitchell et al. (2002) confirmed that entrepreneurs share a set of cultural values, regardless of their national origin or cultural background. However, it appears that whilst some core values are share across different countries and cultures, some of the behaviours of individual entrepreneurs reflect the value system of their respected national culture.With regards to adaptation in international entrepreneurship, entering into a foreign environment is not a transition for the business venture alone. The actors, international entrepreneurs, involved are also plunging into same the foreign environment (Hofstede, 2001). Enterin g a new culture means commencing to share a pattern of thinking, feeling, reacting, and problem-solving (Saee, 1999). Cross-cultural psychology argues that unfamiliar cultural territory negatively affects an individuals affective, both the sense making and cognitive mechanisms, and undermines the appropriateness and effectiveness of their behavioural responses (Maznevski Lane, 2004). This happens when individuals are unable to accurately discriminate and interpret the alien cultural environment, nor explain or predict the behaviour of people with different cultural backgrounds (Maznevski Lane, 2004). Evidence suggests that exposure to a foreign cultural environment can cause culture shock, a psychological condition which adversely affects psychological and affective states (Johnson et al., 2006). Saee (1999) contends that opportunity identification competencies developed in an entrepreneurs home cultural environment may not be sufficient to perceive a high level of entrepreneuria l self-efficacy about performing the task of identifying opportunities across borders and cultures.Cross-cultural studies have explored the challenges that a foreign cultural environment poses to gentleman behaviour, cognition, and professional performance. Human behaviour is considered the coping mechanism that individuals consequently develop. Some researchers suggest that building this coping mechanism, in individuals, amounts to developing a global lookout or cultural intelligence (Maznevski Lane, 2004 Early Mosakowski, 2004). According to Maznevski and Lane (2004, p. 172), a global mindset is the ability to develop and interpret criteria for personal and business performance that are independent from the assumptions of a single country, culture, or context then to adequately implement those in different countries, cultures, and contexts. Cultural intelligence is seen as the ability to interpret the foreigners behaviour the way the foreigners countryman would (Earley Mosako wsi, 2004). Cross-cultural competence is defined as the appropriateness and effectiveness of ones behaviour in a foreign cultural environment (Mitchell et al., 2000). Psychological adaptation is considered the centre point of personal traits and attributes that help generate internal responses in an unfamiliar environment by managing stress (Saee, 1999). Successful adaptation to a host cultural environment requires the abilities to be mindful, to tolerate ambiguity, and the ability to explain and make accurate predictions of strangers behaviour (Saee, 1999). This also includes the levels of anxiety and uncertainty that affect the intercultural encounter (Saee, 1999).CONCLUSIONInternational entrepreneurs actually face greater uncertainty than is generally common in more established businesses, which benefit from learning and experience, because international entrepreneurship is about the implementation of a new innovative business. There is an uncertainty to entrepreneurship and the role it plays in initiating the process. Mitchell et al., (2000) observes that entrepreneurial action is a result of overcoming and palsy that is caused by the uncertainty that precedes the entrepreneurial act. Guilln (2001) adds that the key concept that entrepreneurs create new combinations, which become the innovations that are the engine of economic growth. The entrepreneur is likely to see the opportunity as relatively certain. This is important with regards to international entrepreneurship in that exploiting an international opportunity requires more than dealing with operational certainty there is also a high level of cultural uncertainty that the entrepreneur has to endure to ensure the new ventures prosperity. The volume of research on international entrepreneurship supports the notion that a geological period of domestic development is no longer necessary for many firms and that international entrepreneurship is possible at the time the firm is established or shortly the reafter. However, stipulation must be taken with respect to the foreign culture a venture will go into and the psychological affects upon the entrepreneurs joining in the venture.Effective operation in the globalised economy requires that entrepreneurs develop new skills and competencies. Some of these skills and competences are needed to deal with national and regional cultural differences that are becoming intense with the length of globalisation (De Tienne Chandler, 2004). (Authors) believe that current and future international entrepreneurs need to develop cross-cultural competence to successfully identify business opportunities.

Goldratts The Goal Essay -- Goldratt Goal Bottleneck Essays

Goldratts The GoalThe Goal by Goldratt is a book about the Theory of Constraints, TOC. It is about the bearing of manufacturing facilities. It deals with bottlenecks that are the manufacturing constraints and the variability that creates them. The book states that a manufacturing composition cannot run at 100% and that you cannot balance the assembly line. It seems that your efforts for efficiency must(prenominal) be focused on the worst bottleneck. The loss caused by a bottleneck is a loss for the entire system. Focusing on improving the throughput of the bottleneck increases the flow for the entire manufacturing line. If in that respect is a bottleneck, then all other areas are capable of excess capacity. Dont try to improve non-bottlenecks, as it is a waste of clipping and effort. The TOC integrates into Total Quality Management, TQM, except for one main theory. TQM supports continuous improvement of the system while the TOC does not support continuous improvement of every pr ocess. The TOC says that we must focus on the constraint.Q What is the Theory of Constraints about? A Developed by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt, TOC states that any system has at least one constraint. Otherwise, it would be generating an infinite number of output. Bearing this in mind, TOC is easily explained through use of the chain analogy - a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If we look upon our organization as a chain, where each department is a link in the chain, what constrains our organization from achieving its goal? Only through addressing the weakest link, the constraint, can substantial improvements be made. In other words, if the constraint dictates the pace of an organizations ability to achieve its goal, it makes sense that addressing the constraint will allow the organization to achieve a substantial rate of throughput faster. on that point are five steps in applying TOC 1.Identify the systems constraints. Of necessity this included prioritization so that just the ones that really limit system progress toward the goal. 2.Decide how to travail the systems constraints. Once we have pertinacious how to manage the constraints within the system, how about the majority of the resources that are not constraints? The answer is that we manage them so that they just provide what is postulate to match the output of the constrained resources. We NEVER let them supply mo... ...achine was running and an operator on your line was to set it up if it went down, you could take your break at your convenience. A few months went by and new coaches were hired. They decided they wanted to closely monitor the operator to see when they took their breaks and for how long. The decision was made to stop the machines when you go on your break and/or lunch. The new coach obviously wanted to make a good impression and bring something new to the table. They changed our staggered breaks to scheduled breaks. The results after a few weeks showed production was down and efficiency was at a record low. It showed machines were not running at full capacity for a tour. Immediately their superiors decided we would go back to the staggered lunches and breaks. The downtime was then reduced and our departmental efficiency went up. They realized it was not as important to monitor the person, as it was to have the machine running. like a shot I know this does not stand up to the problems Alex and his staff faced with UniCo but this is what I face everyday. I found a case turn over that was used at the TOC World 2000 Seminar in St. Paul MN last year. I thought I would include it for your enjoyment

A Murderers Journey Through The Works Of Dostoyevsky And Poe :: essays research papers fc

A Murderers Journey Through The Works of Dostoyevsky and Poe     Some people believe that closely murderers have a mental illness whichcauses them to commit their crime. This belief is strongly disagreed with bythe authors Edgar Allan Poe and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Crime and Punishment, TheTell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat,and The Cask of Amontillado are genuinely similarin this contradiction. Each murderer takes a specific journey that has beenillustrated in each case. The psychological make-up of each murderer shows thathe is a normal person up to the point at which something compels him to committhis horrible crime, and after that his conscience usually leads to his owndownfall.     Before the murder has been committed the caseful is a regular humanbeing. In most cases the characters that end up carrying through with thiscrime are above average people. Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment is "... quite an extraordinarily handsome young man ..." (Crime and Punishment, pg.21)Raskolnikov is a very gifted university student, with a very good talent forfiguring people out. Raskolinikov takes great pride and awe for his family. Onreceiving a letter from his mother     ...he quickly raised the letter to his lips and kissed it then he spenta long time poring over the mitt on the envelope, over the small,slanting handwriting, so familiar and dear to him, of his mother who had oncetaught him to read and write. (Crime and Punishment, pg.47)Raskolnikovs mother, who taught him how to read and write did this job quitewell. This resulted in a very gifted and brilliant university student. Thispoint is illustrated throughout the novel from the planning and carrying out ofthe murder, to interactions with the police.      The narrator from the short story "The Black Cat" describes his"tenderness of disembodied spirit was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of hiscompanion s." ("The Black Cat", pg.390) He is quite a regular human being who is"...especially hearty of animals..." ("The Black Cat", pg.390) The narrator alsohas a great wife whom he describes as being quite similar to himself, whichshows that he must be quite normal if a good woman chooses to marry him. Muchalike is the narrator from the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart". Again thischaracter is beat of love. The victim of his crime had done no wrong and forthat the narrator "...loved the old man." ("The Tell-Tale Heart", pg.384) Thenarrator shows the same brilliance in planning the crime that Raskolnikovexhibits. hoi polloi with great intelligence, great lives, possessions and friendsmust be normal people.