Business Research Method – Volkswagen.Doc

I. Rational II. Situational Analysis III. Theoretical background IV. Conceptual Model V. Research Design VI. Sources I. Rational: According to James R. Healey (2011), reporter for USA Today, customers have lost confidence in Volkswagen’s quality. Volkswagen has been subjected to a real loss in the perception of its customers regarding its cars quality. This situation results mainly from a quality problem. In fact, according to Marty Padgett (May 14, 2007), for the website  www. thecarconnection. om: â€Å"The CEO of Volkswagen of America admits the company generated a lot of ‘venom’ with the massive quality problems it experienced earlier this decade. † This position is emphasized by a Hallmark representative who observed: â€Å"Volkswagen representatives point out that the company's scores are improving, which is true. But so is almost everyone else's. Shame on us that we haven't moved up the ranking. † Volkswagen had difficulty recognizing the pr oblem as evinced by Trahan’s 2010 position on this matter. He was effectively thinking that the brand did better that it got credit for.Nevertheless, according to James R. Healey (2011), for USA Today, the company now seems to be taking the problem seriously since the beginning of 2011. â€Å"We have some trouble in IQS that we have to fix† remarked Trahan earlier this year. In the 2011 IQS, Volkswagen owners reported an average of 131 problems per 100 cars, putting the company into a tie with Mini for 29th  among 32 brands. The best was Lexus at 73/100, and the worst was Dodge at 137/100. Volkswagen’s score in 2010 was slightly worse than Dodge’s in 2011 at 135/100. That said, the company is still struggling to improve his score.According to the 2010 IQS report, Volkswagen score was only slightly worse than the 2011 one, with 135 problems per 100 cars. Historically, Volkswagen has been known for the quality of its cars; quality is measured by a carâ₠¬â„¢s reliability and its ability to make life easier for owners. To improve Volkswagen’s IQS score and thus reverse the trend in the US, the brand should reevaluate its quality standards that originally established its reputation. By doing so, Volkswagen could maintain its leading position in Europe while improving its market share in the US. This could enable the company to remain the most profitable automotive brand.What position should Volkswagen take on the current quality situation? What are the causes of such loss? What departments should Volkswagen restructure to avoid the quality problems? II. Situational Analysis: The brand has always been known for its reliable cars. Jason Chavis (2010), contributor for the website www. ehow. com, easily stressed it out by reminding that, throughout the eighties and the early nineties, Volkswagen was plagued by a number of quality control issues, particularly in its American market. This resulted in a new goal for the company. Volk swagen wanted people to know that driving was fun again.The famous â€Å"die deutsche Qualitat† motto results from this. Nevertheless, things have changed; the quality of Volkswagen products is recently decreasing. The Volkswagen Annual Report 2010 made obvious that Volkswagen does not really realize that its Quality Assurance is not as reliable as it used to be. The report clearly explains that the aim of Volkswagen is â€Å"to secure a pole position in terms of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty†. The problem is that Volkswagen needs to do more than securing a pole position. Volkswagen needs to reach this position. For instance, the J. D. Power – a ebsite providing consumers information by using consumer satisfaction data collected to help them in their buying decisions – and Associates 2011 Initial Quality Survey illustrates this situation quite well: Volkswagen reports 131 problems per 100 vehicles. This is very close to the last one, Dodge, with 137. To make a good comparison, Lexus is first with 73 problems per 100 vehicles. This situation is stressed by the fact that people seem not to trust Volkswagen anymore. As we can easily see in the Consumer Reports' 2011 Car Brand Perception Survey, Volkswagen has received one of the worst ratings.The results are given in a chart on wich figures are aggregates, reflecting a brand's total perception level across seven areas. Volkswagen received one of the worst ratings, with an overall score of only 19. To compare, the lowest rating is given to Isuzu with 2 and the best rating is for Toyota with 147. Volkswagen does effectively not seem to have the image it used to have: the image of all German car manufacturers. Nevertheless, despite all these problems, the German car manufacturer’s Annual Report 2010 shows the willingness of the brand to keep the customers in the heart of the its decision.Although, Volkswagen says in this report that its competitive advantages are not secu red through product quality and appeal alone. The brand reminds the theory following which customers’ loyalty to a specific brand is also influenced by the quality of service they receive. After-sales and customer service in the Volkswagen Group focuses primarily on establishing and maintaining long-term relationships with customers and partners worldwide. Its aim is to captivate customers with their outstanding commitment to good service combined with Volkswagen’s high quality standards.But, as explained before, these standards are not that high. In fact, the current situation is that customers do not trust Volkswagen quality as they used to. This is due to a lot of reported quality problems. Nevertheless the brand has now taken into account this issue and now understands that it has to enhance the quality of their cars. According to www. businessdictionary. com, the brand image is developed over time through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme and is authen ticated through the consumers’ direct experience.To summarize the situation, the downswing in the perception of Volkswagen brand image is due to the last part of this definition. The company has failed to make the consumers enjoy the experience of having a Volkswagen car. As explained before, this is mainly due to the high number of problems experienced by consumers. In order to improve their brand image, the company has to improve its IQS score, which would prove to the consumer that Volkswagen cars are as reliable as they used to be, which would consequently improve the company’s brand image. III.Theoretical background: According to Narasimhan, Ram, Mendez and David (2001) and the Wacker Theory (1989) on quality and evaluative judgment  «Product’s improved quality will take several periods of good performance before customers will recognize its performance as being related to quality†. This means that customers’ point of view regarding brandsâ⠂¬â„¢ quality will not change overnight. It will takes time to prove them that things have changed because customers are more and more dubious and because it takes time to have feedbacks concerning quality.That said quality is not the only factor when it comes to purchasing a car. Indeed, according to Nadia Huitzilin Jimenez Torres (October 2007) from the Universidad de Burgos  «Consumer purchasing decisions relating to foreign products are influenced by economic, psychological and sociological factors ». a. The economic factor: According to the neoclassical school of thought, consumers are rational. They make buying decisions toward getting the most out of everything. They just take into factor the economy of use, convenience, efficiency in use, dependability in use and finally improvement in earnings.Nevertheless in practice, these elements aren’t the only ones used or often poorly applied. Indeed, psychological and sociological factors are also used when making a buyin g decision. b. The psychological factor: Psychological factors affect the way consumers think and behave while making a buying decision. For example some consumers do compulsive purchases because of their mood, which often are completely irrational. According to Black, Donald W. (2007), Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is characterized by excessive shopping cognitions and buying behavior that leads to distress or impairment. . The sociological factor: This factor is highly important for companies for whom brand image result from reputation. In fact many consumers from all around the world base their buying decision upon stereotypes. Sander Gilman (1985) argued that stereotypes are representations that are not accurate, but a projection of one to another. According to this definition the fact that many people believe that â€Å"Germans make good products† is a stereotype. This phenomenon might result to a biased representation of a product quality.A company can benefit from th e good image of another brand because they both are from the same country. This proves that the county’s reputation helps consumers to discriminate between firms and products they are not familiar with. Consumers can also be influenced by social factor. One can buy a product from the same brand his idol or friends wear because he wants to look like him or them. This is also true with word of mouth, which makes people like or dislike products. As we have seen many factors influence the perception of quality.This diagram summarizes the steps that a consumer follow when analyzing a brand’s quality: [pic] The reputation results from the level of advertising and the brand’s reputation. Added to the perceived monetary price and the consumer’s perceived features of the good, it results to the consumer perceived quality of the product. IV. Conceptual model : [pic] Hypothesis: 1. The more adapted the communication message, the greater the brand ______image is 2. T he better the reputation, the greater the brand image is 3.The better the anterior experience with the product, the greater ______the brand image is 4. The better the media planning, the greater the brand image is V. Research Design a. Nature of proof: A correlational study seems the most adapted in this situation. This will allow us to delineate the important variables associated with the problem. These variables are the communication, the reputation, the customer’s anterior experience. We want to know how the potential and the already granted customers think of Volkswagen. It is now obvious that the study will be a descriptive one. . Unit of analysis: We want to know how many of the population would be interested in buying a Volkswagen car, depending on their opinion about the brand. Thus, we decided to stratify our sample in three groups: country, sex and age. c. Sampling: Stratified sample: [pic] d. Interference of the researcher As the study is a correlational one, this will take place in the same natural environment in which employees normally function, thus in noncontrived settings. Moreover, this kind of study is conducted with minimal interference of the researcher, such as manipulation of variables.According to all these elements, we clearly face a field experiment. e. Source of data & data collection methods: In order to get the most accurate sources, the sources that matched as good as possible, we will use primary data. To collect them, we have prepared one interview, one questionnaire and two observations. The first one, the interview, deals with the variable of the communication; the second one, the questionnaire, is taking care of the reputation; the two last ones deal with the previous experience of customers and the communication. f.Managerial implications: g. Gantt-chart: 1. The more adapted the communication message, the greater the brand image is. Interview : 1) Age / Sex / Nationality / Occupation 2) Do you currently own a Volkswag en  ? If yes  : Why have you bought one  ? If no  : have you own one in the past  ? – If yes  : Why have you changed  ? – If no : Why  ? 3) Have you ever seen a Volkswagen advertisement  ? If yes  : on which media did you see it  ? Do you remember it well  ? Do you remember what was the message communicated during the advert  ? If yes : Did you feel concern by it ?Do you think there could be a better ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccmessage (open question) ccccccccccccccccc Did that make you want to own one  (open question  : why  ? ) ? If no  : for what reason do you think you have never seen one  ? What did you think about Volkswagen 5 years ago ? [pic] Observing 1. Observation of the number of returns in the selected country 2. Number of person who has replaced their Volkswagen by another Volkswagen VI. Sources: – Marty Padgett (May 14, 2007), VW Focused on Prices, Quality, http://www. thecarconnection. com/news/1014959_vw-focus ed-on-prices-quality; James R. Healey (2011), VW: We know you're nervous, but our quality is improving http://content. usatoday. com/communities/driveon/post/2011/08/vw-quality-problems-warranty-costs–/1 – Jason Chavis (2010), History of the Volkswagen Brand http://www. ehow. com/facts_4966661_history-volkswagen-brand. html – The Volkswagen Annual Report (2010), http://www. volkswagenag. com/content/vwcorp/content/en/homepage. html – Syvetril Perryman (2011), J. D. Power Associates 2011 Initial Quality Survey http://businesscenter. jdpower. com/news/pressrelease. aspx? ID=2011089 Consumer Reports' 2011 (January 2011), Car Brand Perception Survey http://www. consumerreports. org/cro/cars/new-cars/news/2011/01/2011-car-brand-perception-survey/overview/index. htm – Narasimhan, Ram, Mendez, David (2001), Wacker Theory (1989), Strategic aspects of quality: A theoretical analysishttp://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3796/is_200101/ai_n8943712/? tag=co ntent;col1 – Nadia Huitzilin Jimenez Torres (October 2007), The purchase of foreign products: The role of firm’s country-of-origin reputation, consumer ethnocentrism, animosity and trust http://www3. va. es/empresa/uploads/dt_13_07. pdf – Sander L. Gilman (1985), Difference and pathology: stereotypes of sexuality, race and madness – Black, Donald W. (February 2007), A review of compulsive buying disorder http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1805733/? tool=pmcentrez – Uma Sekaran & Roger Bougie (2009), Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach – Janine Frauendorf (2006), Customer processes in business-to-business service transactions

Should a Woman Be More Educated

SHOULD A WOMAN BE MORE EDUCATED THAN A MAN OR SHOULD A MAN BE MORE EDUCATED THAN A WOMAN? August 13, 2012 SHOULD A WOMAN BE MORE EDUCATED THAN A MAN OR SHOULD A MAN BE MORE EDUCATED THAN A WOMAN? Thesis: Education is the key to success and therefore every woman or a man should be equally allowed to be educated if they so desire, the reason is society achieves more with both educated women and men and also educated women can make a family stronger whiles educated men can influence the nation with their leadership skills and enthusiasm.Another reason is that women are like role models in their homes and also in the eyes of their children. Their passion and love they have for their children is so unique that nothing can stop a mother’s love and care for children and society. I. Keeping a girl child in the kitchen as some societies do and some cultures accept is not a better way to raise a great generation, For as the saying goes, educating a woman will help you raise a nation but educating a man will help you give good counsel. II. It is true that men are known as the head of the family yet without an educated woman in the house, the house is always empty.III. Research have proven that at a time when women are consistently outperforming men in college enrollment and completion, women tend to value higher education more highly than men do and believe it has had a more positive impact on their lives, according to the results of a survey that was released in march 2010 by the Pew Research Center. IV. Some part of this world do not agree that a woman should be educated especially where I come from In Africa called Ghana, the belief is that a woman’s place is in the kitchen and the man needs to be more educated but I on’t agree to that and my stand in this argument is that â€Å"The woman should be more educated or equally educated because the pride of a nation is how their women are educated as well as the men. The public seems to be undecided ab out the impact of changes in the gender makeup of the student body. A majority of people surveyed welcomed the fact that more women than men were graduating from college and this makes me happy as woman because society makes us feel like we belong to the kitchen but not to be highly educated in some parts of the world. .Conclusion: I believe that everyone should be given the chance to a higher education regardless of culture traits, country or tribal differences, for when you raise a woman, you have raised a nation, even though men still take their positions in the home as the leaders and the decision makers, without an educated woman, a house will collapse and loose its sense of great direction. REF: http://chronicle. com/article/Women-Value-Higher-Education/12871http://www. statcan. gc. ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11542-eng. htm http://www. good. is/post/women-make-less-than-men-at-every-education-level/

Cross-Cultural Determinants of Employee Motivation in Starbucks Company

Introduction Starbucks has served as a milestone in the coffee industry and is a massive organization in terms of people employed and stores owned. At the current time it has revenue of $10.7 billion and owns 16,850 shops in 40 countries. Starbucks is clearly the world’s top coffee retailer, it employs 137,000 employees or â€Å"partners† as it likes to call them. Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, considers that ‘the tip of success in Starbucks is not coffee but employees’. He constantly builds upon the working experience of employees, providing chances of promotion, and treating workers as working partners is their way to operate sustainability. He firmly believes that the spirit of Starbucks is employees and feels honored about the value of Starbucks employees. Many theorists believe that â€Å"it is necessary to have a perfect education and training policy for better performance in a company† (Michelli, 2006). Despite serving in many countries, Starbucks h as a similar organizational structure; as a result, it does not take into account the cross cultural determinants. It has been criticized for its approach; also because, employees of some countries like UK are not as satisfied as employees from Poland and Germany, thus Starbucks must make use of cross-cultural determinants in order to improve its management methords. One of the most proficient theory, the Hofstede theory states that the motivational factors of every country are different and thus must be looked into before a company, such as Starbucks sets its motivational methods. Along with Hoftsede it talks about Management and Motivation in reference to the Grid/Group Theory by Douglas, which strives to classify different cultures in relation to being hierarchist, individualist, egalitarian and fatalist. It also talks about the ‘Cultural Theory’ and ‘Organizational Theory’ in relation to Starbucks. This research attempts to access these theories in ref erence to Starbucks, and its motivational methods across nations. It looks at a comparison between the way Starbucks company treats or must treat its employees across UK, Poland and Germany. Brief Overview The Starbucks Company is a vast and well constructed multi-national, which serves in 40 countries. It has to keep in mind various cross-cultural determinant while bringing in its motivational schemes. However, it has been criticized for not taking into account, cross-cultural determinants when building its management cultural across countries. It is often assessed, that the employees of countries like UK, seem to be less motivated than employees from Poland and Germany. This paper talks about all possible schemes in relation to motivational theories, that can be adopted by Starbucks,chiefly the Hofstede theory. The factors of this theory are highly relevant and can be implemented in various ways to improve performance. The first factor, Power distance can be defined as â€Å"the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally† (Hofstede 1991, p. 28). UK and Germany, are ranked as a low power distance society, where the relationship between bosses and subordinated is of interdependence, treating each worker equally and calling them ‘partners’. There, the managers of Starbucks are likely to place a greater importance on labors’ rights as compared to managers in Poland, which ranks as a high power distance country. However, in Poland there is a hierarchical social system, thus, it is said that their ‘ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat’. Another factor of the Hofstede theory is Masculinity, the dominant values in society being material success versus femininity, caring for others and the quality of life. UK, Poland and Germany, are Masculine societies, driven by competition, achievement and financial success. In these countries, people’s performance is highly valued and people ‘live in order to work’. Starbucks too, beliefs in monetary based appraisals, it spends $300 million, on their employees’ welfare, much more than ‘they do on coffee beans’. Starbucks even gave its UK staff shares worth around ?4 million in their employee share scheme ‘Bean Stock’, followed by a Christmas cash bonus to staff worth ?1.5 million. Uncertainty Avoidance, is another of Hofstede’s theories, it classifies countries into being high in Uncertainty Avoidance; having strict rules and resistance to changes like Germany and Poland and low in Uncertainty Avoidance; having fewer rules and being welcome to changes like UK. This is an important factor to look into a country when bringing in new innovations, and the planning of how the change has to be implemented. Managers of UK can bring in new ideas easily and with more enthusiasm while managers in Germany and Poland have to bring in changes subtely because people resist from breaking orthodox norms uneasy. Starbucks went through many changes when it merged with Giornale, it was welcoming to his employees’ involvement and included them in every change, by 1987, and employees at Starbucks had begun buying into the changes. The theory includes a comparison between countries which have more, individualism everyone is expected to look after themselves and their immediate family against collectivism, and cultures in which people are bound into strong and cohesive groups. UK, Germany and Poland, are individualistic societies, where the route to happiness is through individual accomplishment. Here the company, in order to motivate its employees has to come up with schemes to provide them and their families’ advantages. The culture in Starbucks is of mutual advantage, thus workers usually do a fruitful job but all these factors must be kept in mind. Understanding all the cross-cultural determinants including these is crucial for a company which serves such a wide range of cultures; their observation along with development on these lines, must all be looked into, in order to bring out the best results. Another theory is the Cultural Theory’ which talks about the importance of culture, stating that is is too ‘important to be left undefined and unrefined, and analysts need a deeper awareness of the anthropological and sociological frameworks’ when refining their management attitudes. It outlines the effect on culture in relation to common objectives, employee motivation and loyalty. Setting of roles, leadership, innovation, setting incentives, tolerance and accountability. The setting of the corporate cultural is extremely subjective of the countries cultural as a whole. The Grid/Group theory is another theory based on cultural determinants, created by Mary Douglas, in 1996. It strives to study cultural relativism, which can be increased through a classification system taking into account ‘moral system, worldviews and ideologies’. This classification is built into two axes, based on individualism versus collectivism, including isolate/fatalist, hierarchist, individualist and sectarian groups. Each type is based on different classifications, power paradigms, moral values and individuality. In this paper, it is used to analyze, the classification of different cultures, such as UK, Germany and Poland into these categories, observing where their general workers fall, taking into account their employee, culture, market and forms of hierarchy. The paper also talks about Organizational Culture Theory which is based on performance, ‘organization effectiveness, employee commitment, employee satisfaction, culture type, culture strength and culture congruence’. This theory is talked about in relation to Poland, Germany and UK; assessing them based on all these assesses their management and motivational factors. Even though Starbucks operates in different countries, its organization culture is often the same. This can be a harmful strategy, as due to differing cultural determinants, the company must change its strategies relatively. If this is not done, the motivation of employees can be lowered and the management can fail to do its job. Thus, this paper talks about all these theories and the possibilities that they provide to Starbucks, in modifying its strategies based on varying cross-cultural determinants. Objective This paper is set to analyze and evaluate the cross cultural determinants of Poland, UK and Germany, in order to find out the best ways to motivate the employees of those countries. It attempts to Find out the cross cultural determinants of these societies and the way the employees of these countries are treated. Methodology The Prime methodology used will be questionnaires that will be filled out by Starbucks employees across these countries. The questionnaire will be based on the Organizational Energy Questionnaire from ‘fully charged’ written by Heike Bruch, which is an instrument to measure a company’s energy state. The questions will include if the employees like what they do, do not have much drive feel relaxed in their job, feel angry in their job, feel enthusiastic in their jobs, have no desire to make something happen, speculate about the real intentions of management, have real care about company’s fate, are efficient in conducting work, behave in destructive manner, go out of their way to make company succeed and if they feel discouraged in their jobs. All these questions will convey about the general state of employees and their will be a separate questionnaire to observe the importance of cross-cultural determinants. References Heike Bruch and Bernd Vogel (2011). Fully Charged. United States of America: Harvard Business School Publishing. HOFSTEDE THEORY- Poland, (2011) [online]. [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . Penny Bassett (2004). CHINESE AND AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS’ CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY, Victoria University. Jim Boyer (2009). Understanding Hofstede’s Theory to Motivate Cross Cultural Employees. Business Insider [online]. (2011) [Accessed 6 May 2012]. Available from: Nicholson, N (1998) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organizational Behavior Blackwell, pp 215 Hoovers [online]. [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . Starbucks Coffee [online]. [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . V S RAMA RAO (2009). The Hofstede Studies [online]. [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . Cultural Dimensions Theory [online]. (2010) [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . Zoe Wood (2010). Starbucks’ staff set to get free shares in incentive scheme. 19 December 2010. Starbucks [online]. [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . Employee Benefits [online]. (2011) [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . Projects [online]. (2011) [Accessed 2012]. Available from: . York Universit y [online]. (2011) [Accessed 2012]. Available from: .

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 34

Assignment - Essay Example verage of mean score given by peers to students from private schools is higher than that of students from public schools as far as values are concerned. However, further comments can only be made after application of advanced statistical tools like hypothesis testing which may help to reveal if there is any significant statistical difference between the average score from two populations (public and private schools). According to Jain and Sandhu, skewness is the measure of asymmetry in the distribution of population and tells if the mean, mode and median are equal and quartiles are at equal distance from median (3.2). The distribution pattern of the data as seen from the histogram revealed that scores given by peers to both the public schools and private schools are moderately positively skewed having skewness of 0.934 and 0.754 respectively. This suggests that the data is not evenly distributed on both sides of the mean for both public and private schools. The positive skewness conf irmed that majority of the students both from public and private schools were given mean score by peers less than or on the average score and very few were given scores higher than the average. Looking at the distribution pattern between the two histograms, we see that number of students that scored higher than average score is greater for private schools than the public schools. The box plot for the mean score given by peers revealed that there were four outliers for public schools and three outliers from private schools towards the upper side of box plot. This suggested that nearly equal number of students from public and private were given outstanding score by peers (closer to 5). According to Cook and Upton, median divide the order population data into two groups whereas quartiles divide the population into four groups with first quartile (lowest 25%), second quartile (lowest 50%) and third quartile indicating lowest 75% of the population group (53). In this section, statistical

Debating Globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Debating Globalisation - Essay Example Stiglitz, in his 2002 book â€Å"Globalization and its Discontents,† argues that globalisation can be a â€Å"force of good,† but it has to be â€Å"radically rethought† (Stiglitz, 2002: ix-x), particularly after being mismanaged by three global institutions, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the WB, and the IMF, that made globalization a deceitful tool for the advancement of developed countries. This paper critically assesses his views on globalization. It argues that Stiglitz provides compelling evidence that globalization has failed, because the main international institutions that were supposed to manage it failed as well; however, he neglects social, cultural and religious factors that are important in making globalization work and his suggestions are not entirely workable. For the WTO, WB, and IMF, globalisation works, because it has economically integrated countries and enabled the â€Å"free flow† of goods, services, information, and capital all over the world. On the one hand, Stiglitz agrees, because he provides an economic perspective when he defines globalisation as â€Å"the removal of barriers to free trade and the closer integration of national economies† (2002: ix). ... He provides the examples of East Asian countries, which before the interventions from the IMF, were making globalisation work for them (Stiglitz, 2004: 203). They did this by exporting to other countries, closing the technological gap, and then ensuring that the fruits of globalisation were equitably distributed among their citizens (Stiglitz, 2004: 203). East Asian governments took an active role in managing the economy, which was far from the tenets of rapid liberalisation, privatisation, and deregulation of the IMF and WTO (Stiglitz, 2002, 2007). These governments managed the slow transition to deregulation and protected key industries. At the same time, they also provide safety nets for those who will be disadvantaged by free trade (Stiglitz, 2002, 2007). On the other hand, Stiglitz’s positive understanding of globalisation changed after serving the WB and the IMF. In an interview led by Stern (2006), Stiglitz remembers asserting to the WB that he will represent the intere sts of the developing countries and not the WB: â€Å"When I accepted the job, I said that I would do it only if I could be a spokesperson for the developing countries, not for the World Bank.† He believes that he took the job, because he would be free to express himself as an economist, and not as an advocate and public relations personnel of the WB. He underlines that his â€Å"effectiveness as a chief economist depended on people believing it was my analysis† (Stern, 2006). Within the organisation, however, Stiglitz gathers evidence that prove the contrary to the belief that the world is flat and that globalisation works. His analysis showed that

Can be on anything to do with microbiology (you can chose the topic) Article - 1

Can be on anything to do with microbiology (you can chose the topic) - Article Example The greatest microbial risks are because of ingestion of water contaminated with animal or human feces. Other sources of contamination are waste water discharges. Children under 5 years of age are the most affected population with these infectious diseases. Common diseases which are transmissible by water are cholera, typhoid and bacillary dysentery. Cholera is caused by gram negative rods Vibrio cholerae which are facultative anerobes. The organisms are aquatic bacteria and their distribution depends on sodium and temperature of the water. The incubation period of the disease is 1-3 days and the disease is characterised by acute and intense diarrhoea leading to dehydration. Cholera is associated with high mortality if not treated timely. Infection due to Vibrio cholera is dependent on adhesion of the cells of the bacteria to the mucous membrane of the intestine and production of cholera toxin. Cholera is very famous for its pandemics. The genes responsible for toxin production are h arbored in the CTX? segment (7–9.7 kb) of the chromosome. The strains of the organism are common in the environment, especially is estuaries. Non-culturable but viable bacteria are responsible for episodic nature and the sudden appearance of violent cholera outbreaks, followed by a rapid slowing down.

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Ibn Sinna - Essay Example Ibn Sina’s supreme work includes the monumental Al Qanun, the Canon and Kitab-al-Shifa (The Book of Healing). The Canon discusses medical completely in order to classify all the present medical knowledge.  While, Kitab-al-Shifa being a philosophical encyclopedia, covers huge areas of knowledge from philosophy to science. The Sheikh al-Ra’is Sharaf al-Mulk Abu Ali al-Husayn Abd Allah al-Hasan Ali Ibn Sina, generally known as Avicenna, is among the most celebrated and original Muslim philosophers in the history of philosophy (Al Naqib, 1993). He is the actual creator of a scholastic system in the Islamic world and is described as the leader of Islamic philosophy. The most famous works of Avicenna are on philosophy and medicine. His philosophical visions have intrigued the interest of Western thinkers over a number of centuries, and his writings have been among the most significant sources in philosophy. His other major contributions were in the fields of metaphysics, poetry, animal physiology, minerals, rhetoric, and mechanics of solids, Arabic syntax and meteorology (Ahmed, 1990). Ibn Sina birth took place in the village of Afshana in the surrounding areas of Bukhara, now known as in Uzbekistan, in 980 AD (370 AH) in an Islamic family interested in intellectual sciences and philosophy which proved to be extremely influential later in his life (Al Naqib, 1993). His early schooling was done in Bukhara and became knowledgeable in the study of the Quran and various sciences by the age of ten.  His teacher, Abu Abdallah Natili, a renowned philosopher, taught him logic and many other subjects (Ahmed, 1990). Furthermore, he began reading philosophy by studying numerous Greek, Muslim and other books related to this subject. He accomplished a degree of expertise in medicine at a very young age due to which he gained immense popularity. After curing the King of Bukhara, Nooh Ibn Mansoor, at the age of 17, he was

Program Evaluation Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Program Evaluation Design - Assignment Example onvert it’s mission and vision into reality by increasing the awareness about pancreatic cancer, concentrating on advanced research, obtaining sustained support from government, supporting the patients with pancreatic cancers and their families. The organization propagates the feel that everyone should fight and end pancreatic cancer. This program evaluation design follows a descriptive study design. According to an article Project Star (2006), descriptive study design enables to find out whether the chosen program is operating as planned, it provides feedback about the program implementation and progress, find out whether the program is producing the desired output, find out whether the goals and objectives have been achieved. Hence this report intends to adopt descriptive evaluation design to evaluate the community outreach program of the chosen non profit organization. The stakeholders responsible for the success of this organization are the volunteers, healthcare professionals, researchers, survivors and donors. By their active involvement, these people are creating a difference in the community of pancreatic cancer. According to the official website of this organization, â€Å"the majority of cancer research is paid for by the federal government and that †¦ U.S. Senators and Representatives get to decide how much is spent each year† (www.pancan.org). The major corporate stakeholders are Z Gallerie, Tempur Pedic and Hockey. Apart from these there are 75 other affiliates who assist in the initiatives of the organization and it’s community outreach program. The organization also undertakes efforts to increase federal research funding through advocacy efforts in National Cancer Institute and in Washington. The community outreach program has been the most active program of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network organization. According to an article in the official website, â€Å"The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network started as a small volunteer effort to

Oil Spills Clean-up Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7750 words

Oil Spills Clean-up Technology - Research Paper Example Proactive measures ought to be taken to prevent such catastrophes from occurring. Some of the accidents are caused by the neglect of the management and other members transporting the oil. The BP Company for instance has been one of the current culprits of oil spill. Reports indicated that the company was aiming at reducing the cost of operation and therefore had poor methods that would have been used to prevent oil spills. Other companies that have been caught in the same incidence include the Union Carbide in India. The company was concerned with the issues of cutting on the cost of operation. In the process, it failed to repair and maintain the gas cylinders leading to leakage of gases. The negative effects of this were death of thousands of people. It would therefore be imperative to have ways that would be used to prevent these incidences from occurring. Punitive measures should be used to ensure that the responsible companies pay for the damage caused. This may include confiscat ion of their certificates of operation until such companies can show their readiness to prevent the situation. The following discussion will focus on the oil spill cleaning techniques, limitations and classification. Literature review Current oil spill cleaning techniques There are a number of oil spill cleaning techniques, which have been used for decades to address this problem. These methods however differ in terms of cost, the effects on the environment, flora and fauna, and complexity. The other main determining factor of the technique to use include whether the oil spill has taken place in the deep sea or near the shore. The following are some of the current methods, which are used to clean oil spills: 1. In-situ burning of oil This is one of the most common techniques... This essay stresses that major oil spills have been blamed on poor strategies used by the management to deal with the problem. Some of the policies that are stipulated are poor due to the need to cut down the cost of operation. Some of the companies that have been blamed for such poor policies include the BP Company. Due to the 2007/08 economic turmoil, the company management was in the process of cutting down cost of operation. As a result, this led to the problems, which have been witnessed. It is for this reason that some of these companies need to be punished. Other methods that would also be used in to prevent oil spills include regular check of machinery and the piping systems. This is done for the purpose of preventing of detecting any anomalies on such machines. Any leaks should be repaired immediately they are detected. Any loose valves ought to be tightened to prevent any spills. However, majority of the companies fail to address this issue due to the current the current co mpetition in the world of business. The high demand for oil and other related products prevents the management to take the safety precautions. This paper makes a conclusion that the bottom-line is that there is no effective method, which can effectively address the issue of cleaning the oil spills. For that reason, there is need for more innovation in order to have such methods. The current ones are not only expensive but also lead to major environmental problems. All measures ought to be taken to prevent the oil spills since the cost of such catastrophes are high.

Supply Chain Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supply Chain Development - Essay Example The supply management handles all these activities in addition to coordination of all the partners in the supply chain channel. As the world advances and more goods and services are being demanded by the ever increasing population in the whole world, there is need to put up systems that are both efficient and effective to aid in this conversion of products and consequent supply to the final consumer. The construction supply chain is one of the local supply chains; it involves the design and construction of building structures. Numerous supply chains all around the world have been developed to cater for the needs of the consumers in that chain. The world is under a great threat due to effects of environmental degradation that has lead to numerous negative effects such as global warming, climatic change, deforestations and desertification, polar ice melting, loss in the scenic beauty of the landscape, increase of tropical and other diseases, creation of huge dumping sites that lead to air, water and land pollution affecting the human, plant and animal life in general. Due to this pollution the human population is under threat. There is need to diversify and intensify any or all activity geared to reversing these hazardous effects. According to Friedman (2008), there is need for greening supply chains. This has been brought about by increased media attention; additional regulation and research by the scientific society showing that human activity directly influence the climatic changes. These human activities are the core business in supply chains. Some of the ways of improving the supply chain include; Maximizing the utilization of materials and machines The material and machines form the core of every supply chain. Raw material are used virtually everywhere. In construction various raw material and machines are used to design and construct different structures to be used by various entrepreneurs running the supply chains. All waste must be reduced by improving the construction material utilization, there is great need to evaluate every material be used in the supply chain construction and evaluate its importance, its effects to the environment and the by product or the waste. For example if plastic bags are used to pack different construction materials e.g. cement, Then within a short periods the whole environment will be littered with plastic bags, proper material utilization not only lead to reduction of environmental degradation but also lead to increased profit margin by the construction company. Machine effectiveness The effectiveness of various machines to convert goods/raw materials to finished product also affects the supply chain. Effective machines lead to greater efficiency in conversion of goods to finished product. Different construction materials undergo transformation before be used in design and construction. Because these materials are used in large quantities, there is need to use machines that will reduce any wastes as the waste generated by these processes generally effect the environment in the long run. Technological advancement Embracing technological changes is another method of championing improvement in the supply

Macro Econ Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macro Econ - Assignment Example Therefore, scarcity will limit individuals on the basis of limited income, manpower and natural resources, and this puts a limit to the amount of products people have at their disposal. An economy’s income must be equal to its spending so as to ensure that there is a favorable balance of payments in the economy. For every buyer of a product there must be a seller, and this means that GDP, which is utilized in measuring the levels of expenditure and incomes must be equal. If the expenditures are more than the incomes, there is unfavorable balance of payments, and this implies that the economy is falling apart. The GDP deflator is used to measure the tracks of all new products that are produced domestically and represents the total worth of products produced in an economy in a specific period. The GDP deflator will measure the ratio of current price GDP to the real GDP and will show how much the change in GDP from the specific year relies on the changes in prices of products. The consumer price index (CPI) is used to study the total output of the economy, and it is a cost of living indicator and measures the total cost of products purchased by consumers I a country. It helps in determining the purchasing power currency has and compares this to past years to see determine the status of the economy. Higher savings lead to higher standards of living because savings are the chief source of capital, which is to some extent the backbone of an economy. Savings will refer to accumulated funds, and this implies that an entrepreneur can use these funds to make an investment in the future. For example, when starting up a new venture, an entrepreneur will either use their savings or borrow from various institutions so as to fund the start up. If people could consume everything and not save, it implies that there will be no funds to be used in future in the event that an investment opportunity comes up. Moreover, when an

Bodhisattva in relation to a discussion of love in Buddhism Essay Example for Free

Bodhisattva in relation to a discussion of love in Buddhism Essay In chapter three of â€Å"Dimensions of Love: East West† by James A. Mohler, titled, â€Å"When he (Bodhisattva) exerts himself for the good of others, he should be filled with love and love alone without any admixture of self-interest†, we see how one who has set out on a quest to become a successful Bodhisattva must incorporate love for others (Mohler, 1975). The very soul of the Bodhisattva is devoted to the spreading of love in his fellow men. In the coming paragraphs, light shall be shed upon the intricacies involved in the responsibilities that one finds himself subjected to when he chooses to travel on the path of the Bodhisattva. The analysis performed shall be in the light of the third chapter of the book as mentioned above while elaborating upon the various aspects of the Mahayana Bodhisattva. As we go along with the summarization and analysis of the article, we shall observe the factors that are of primary importance to the Mahayana Bodhisattva and what the life of the Mahayana Bodhisattva dictates. Karuna dictates a side of the code of conduct that Buddha presented known as ahimsa. It is no surprise that the presence of Karuna is in multiple religions and mostly in ones that originated around the same time as did Buddhism and Jainism. It is believed that this element of uniformity may have become prevalent as a result of the movement to discourage the growing bloodshed of that time. The essence of Karuna is to make sure that any element that can encourage or can potentially lead to the encouraging of harm is not promoted under any circumstances. Ahimsa is a unique method of resistance that is incorporated in Kural as well as in Buddhism and in all religions it remains an ideology that speaks of replying to adversity with a unique passive resistance that is composed of exercising good in reply to evil when subjected to evil. So much so that Tiruvalluvar suggests that since all souls are equal, hence pain inflicted by one upon another is nothing but pain inflicted on one’s self. This ideology revolves around the concept of â€Å"self-giving† According to Mahayana Buddhism, the ultimate achievement of inner peace is only possible once one has committed one’s self to serving others and the singular purpose of one’s life has become the spreading of love and peace amongst others. It can be seen how this approach results in the attainment of inner peace for one. The path of success for the bodhisattva does not revolve around any segment of society but unanimously declares that all segments of society, whether drenched in riches or dwelling in the bowels of evil, are to be helped in their journey through life and towards salvation. To the bodhisattva, his very existence makes him responsible to save the people in the world from misery and pain (Rinchen, 1997). Yet modern day religious scholars often argue that the degree of significance that Mahayana Buddhism places on Karuna down plays the element of intelligence. Not only is Mahayana Buddhism shown as an approach to life, but in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, it is also given form and shape in the Goddess of Mercy Kuan-yin. Kuan-yin is a goddess of mercy in the sense that she looks down upon the world with sympathy for the less fortunate. So much so that according to an ancient Chinese proverb, it is believed that a goddess of mercy dwells in every home. In order to become a bodhisattva that is complete in his being, it is necessary to commit one’s being and one’s life to the bringing of peace and love to others. The bodhisattva is not one whose comprehension of the world around him is dictated by the degree of affluence or hardship that it holds. The bodhisattva is oblivious to such worldly factors in his beliefs and his world exists for the bringing of peace and tranquility to the worried and the pained around him. The bodhisattva does not differentiate between the beggar and the king and helps anybody who karma leads to him. They choose to stay indifferent of infatuation, loathing and recklessness in order to develop virtue within their being. Even the very prayer of the bodhisattva does not center around the person saying the prayer himself/herself but on the extent to which he can be of service to the people around him/her and lead them through the path to inner peace. The bodhisattva prays for the inner illumination of others once he/she has achieved it. The desire of the bodhisattva is only to bring others to the path of inner illumination and nirvana. In this quest, the bodhisattva does not refrain from undergoing any form of pain or discomfort. If the bodhisattva must, then he/she will gladly suffer through pain and torture if it can bring another person peace and tranquility. This aspect is dominant to such a significant degree that the bodhisattva does not even choose to give his family and his own being the comfort and the satisfaction that he chooses to ensure for those who come to him for help and assistance and for the enlightenment that he has achieved. The love of a mother holds monumental importance in the universe, and it is the nature of this very love that the Bodhisattva holds for all he beings around him (Beliefnet, 2008). To the common man, freedom and information are two of the most important elements of success in his life, however, to the bodhisattva, all these and similar elements remain little significance once he has achieved the complete incorporation of Karuna in his being. Needless to say, the bodhisattva feels the pain that the people around him feel and chooses to commit his being to the eradication of that pain. He considers himself to be of no more respect than the people around him and sees all the people as his equal. He does not consider his world in the perception of his own being but chooses to perceive it in the perception of the people around him. The two foundations of the perception that the Bodhisattva chooses to incorporate in his being are that firstly, he never treats people with bias or prejudice but chooses to treat everybody equally as he sets about to take away the misery and pain from their lives. Secondly, the Bodhisattva does not treat anybody in a way that they would not appreciate, but in a way that would make them comfortable and make them feel warm and welcomed in the discovery of their path to nirvana. Until and unless all the people in the world are relieved of the pain and misery that they suffer, the bodhisattva never accepts the ultimate blessing of nirvana even though it has been bestowed upon him. He believes that his true happiness will be brought by allowing the people around him to gain access to relief from suffering. He refuses to accept nirvana as his state of mind until he has eradicated pain and suffering from the world and he chooses to spend the entirety of his life in the pursuit of this quest. For the bodhisattva, the consuming of flesh is another matter upon which he exercises very rigorous rules. It is believed in ahimsa that the reincarnation of a man who consumes the flesh of other living entities will be in the form of carnivorous animals. Beliefs related to the discouraging of the consumption of flesh are the most strongest in eastern traditions like Jainism and Buddhism. The quest for taking away the suffering from all beings at the cost of giving away one’s own comfort is the most primary of priorities for the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva does not turn his back from hard times and does not feel scared of or threatened from adverse circumstances or situations that may cause any discomfort or harm to the bodhisattva. He is always willing to sacrifice himself so that others may have a better development of their soul. The bodhisattva vows and dedicates his life to fighting against all forms of pain, discomfort, evil and sin that plague the people of the world he has been made responsible for by the inner peace that he has achieved. To the Bodhisattva, the people who are spending their lives in the thirst for wealth and are engaging every instant of their limited life in the race to acquire worldly possessions and to satisfy worldly desires are people who are in the need of the Bodhisattva the most. It is these people that the Bodhisattva tries to save and tries to bring them to peace of heart and realization and achievement of nirvana. Hence, it is the singular presence of all of God’s creations that the Bodhisattva gives room to in his heart. His mind and heart continue to contemplate how he can be of service to the people who are ailed with the perplexities of the material world and are lost in the pain and misery that the world captivates them in. To the Bodhisattva, the only purpose in life is to bring deliverance to these sick souls. In this quest, the Bodhisattva is willing to sacrifice his life and his property if the time calls for it. Not only is the Mahayana Bodhisattva willing to sacrifice his very life but he does not refrain from sacrificing every possession that he holds to his name if he can rid somebody of pain and discomfort by doing so. A person who chooses to enter Mahayana Bodhisattva works on six aspects of his person (Essortment, 2008). These six aspects include that of generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom. Generosity is a trait not very commonly found in human kind, the unselfish desire, to put others wants, needs, requirements and satisfaction before one’s own. One always searches for personal gain, a means to benefit oneself. But according to Buddhist teachings the potential to benefit ones self and by doing this, in turn benefiting countless others. This is the teachings of Buddhism, the need for self actualization in the form of selflessness, working for the good of others, concerning oneself with providing solutions for other suffering from the infliction of various situations. Ethics and moralistic virtue is one of the components of the 6 Perfections. Knowing the difference between right and wrong, good and evil and being able to hold a veneer of control over oneself, that is what Buddhism preaches. Patience corresponds to anger, and anger dominates a person’s actions in negative aspects. Therefore once again a veneer of calmness must at any cost take over the sensation of effused anger. Patience gives an aspect of happiness and peace. Effort is the driving force to achieve something this virtue is highly required to join the prestigious Bodhisattva. The reason for this is that in order to join, there are many virtues one must possess and if not possess then must procure within oneself, and for this relentless effort is required. Another key aspect that the Mahayana Bodhisattva spends time upon is Meditation. Meditation is the key for ultimate focus. Calm concentration helps one and heals others surrounding him. Distraction places a hurdle in focusing on things important, but meditation clears the mind of all else and focuses on what is required. Concentration creates clairvoyant abilities and provides focus on virtuous deeds. Besides mediation, knowledge and wisdom are the ultimate amalgamation of the other five perfections. To concern oneself in knowing taking precautions where necessary and controlling what when and where is the capability of wisdom. The Mahayana Bodhisattva believes that it is his purpose in life to ensure that the people who are happy always have smiles in their heart, that all the people who are plagued with disease find health and strength once more, that everybody finds the path to deliverance, that anybody who sets out on a journey reaches his destination safely and in time (Exotic India, 1998). All in all, the Mahayana Bodhisattva desires to take away all the pain in the world for his own self and replace it with nothing except joy and pure happiness. From the above elaboration of what the Mahayana Bodhisattva holds dear to himself, we can infer that the very establishment and fundamentals of Buddhism are based upon compassion. This compassion is unique in the sense that it is entirely selfless and comes from a soul that does not hold any concern for its own well being but believes that the completion of its existence will only be possible once it has spent its entire life in the quest for bringing peace and deliverance to the pained and troubled people of the world. The life of the Mahayana Bodhisattva is one plagued with pain and suffering from the apparent view of the person. But the fact of the matter remains that it is in this suffering and pain that the Mahayana Bodhisattva finds comfort. He finds comfort in knowing that he has given his share of happiness to somebody else and has therefore completed the purpose of his existence. Hence, we can conclude that attainment of material laurels is the least of concerns for the observer of Buddhism. In fact, Buddhism concentrates more on bringing sanctuary to people who are caught up in the web of the world and are suffering pain and misery because of it. Therefore, having become drenched in his responsibilities as a Mahayana Bodhisattva, the person becomes a reincarnation of the Buddha himself. References Beliefnet. (2008). What Mahayana Buddhists Believe . Retrieved February 13, 2009, from beliefnet. com: http://www. beliefnet. com/Faiths/2001/06/What-Mahayana-Buddhists-Believe. aspx Essortment. (2008). What is Bodhisattva? Retrieved February 13, 2009, from essortment. com: http://www. essortment. com/all/whatisbodhisat_rfld. htm Exotic India. (1998, October 27). The Bodhisattva Ideal. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from kheper. net: http://www. kheper. net/topics/Buddhism/bodhisattva. htm Mohler, J. (1975). Dimensions of love, East and West. Doubleday. Rinchen, G. (1997). The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. Snow Lion Publications.

KTSP: Teaching English As A Foreign Language

KTSP: Teaching English As A Foreign Language In the course of history since 1945 (Independence Year), the national curriculum of Indonesia had undergone changed into several times, namely in 1947, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1975, 1984, 1994, 2004 and the latest curriculum of KTSP 2006 (best understood as School Based Currriculum), those amendments are logically consequences of political issue, government system, social cultural, economic, science and technology changes in the living of state community (Soekisno, 2007, para. 1). Therefore, the curriculum as a set of educational plans should be developed dynamically in accordance with the demands and changes that occur in society. All Indonesias national curriculums were designed based on the same foundation, namely Pancasila (Philosophical foundation of the Indonesian Republic) and the 1945 constitution, the principal differences among those curriculums were only on emphasizing of educational goals and approaches to realize it. Continuing to improve the quality of education in order commensurate with others development countries, Indonesian government has made various changes, and continues to review the implementation of education in Indonesia. As known, the National Education Standards of Indonesia (BSNP) had regulated through Government Regulation (PP) No. 19 Year 2005 set eight contents of the Standards of Education, specifically Content Standard, Standard Process, Graduates Competency Standards, Educators Standards and Education Workforce, Infrastructure Standards , Management Standards, Financial Standards and Evaluation Standards. Simultaneously through that Government Regulation No.19 year 2005 affected to the direction of Indonesian curriculum development policies to implement its Content Standard (SK) and Graduate Competency Standard (SKL) where then being established through the Regulation of The Minister of National Education: Number 22, 23, 24 year 2006. These three regulations then further elaborated to be KTSP (School Based Curriculum) which is built and developed by each educational unit or school in Indonesia. According to Azumardi Azra (2006) explained that the changes in education in Indonesia means that there are two new paradigms emerged in education, shifting the orientation of the policy where previously being centralized to decentralized, then national education is more oriented to the learning process rather than results. Decentralized system means to implement the new breakthrough of School-Based Curriculum where much known as KTSP in Indonesia. KTSP which is then translated to be School-Based Curriculum (SBC), this kind of curriculum replaced its predecessor of Competence Based Curriculum (KBK) 2004. Mulyasa (2008) viewed nearly in every turn of the Ministry of Education will probably changes the curriculum. Its change of curriculum had implicated and affected the national education system of Indonesia; it had not only affected the learning climate in the classroom, as well as the readiness of the principal and subject teachers in effort to understand and apply the practice. In addition, Sutrisno Nuryanto (2008) viewed that the implementation has not optimally practice as a sequence of educational perpetrators who think KTSP differ with KBK. Meanwhile Suhadi (2006) argued in such of that assumption due to a priory attitudes and psychological resistance against the changes. Whereas the changes enhancing the operational practice of curriculum which are developed and implemented by each schools consisting of their own respective goals, local content perspectives, educational calendar and syllabus. KTSP which was being mandated by Ministry of National Education Indonesia (MoNE) through The National Education Standard Institution (BSNP) means to reinforce the implementation of its predecessor (read: KBK), it implies that KTSP still put pressure on developing students competencies, according to Fasli Bachruddin (2007) said that KTSP implementation will not be undergoing through a public test, because this curriculum has been tested through KBK which was being applied by several schools in a pilot project before the born of KTSP. This is then a following-up toward curriculum change in the context of regional autonomy and decentralization of education programmed by the government of Indonesia. The implementation of this curriculum is focused on three dimensions of students enrichment of knowledge (cognitive), attitude formation (affective) and behavior (psychomotor). On KTSP the school and teacher have an authority to decide the educational goals based on their own schools perspective, in other words, teacher have duties on: (1) construct and formulate the proper goal, (2) choose and construct the right lesson material according to the needs, interest and children development phase, (3) using various methods and teaching media, (4) and construct the program and the right evaluation. A curriculum should be made systematically and detail, which will ease the teacher on its implementation. However, KTSP faces major challenges related to integrate of local information, national, and international. Combining these integrations may only be solved by having resources which are prepared ahead of time, not by the teachers who prepared instantly through a variety of curriculum development assistance programs. More dangerous if the schools eventually just offered cheat or trace the guidelines were offered by National Education Standard (BSNP). If so, SBC will create the instant schools, stunted creativity while its very contrary to the mandate of the KTSP. Some of the reasons behind the needs for this research include (1) KTSP implementation needs to be evaluated simultaneously through qualitatively and quantitatively, and (2) the results of that evaluation can be made as the basic information for all policy decisions relate to educational elements in Riau Province especially at Indragiri Hilir Regency. Research Problem However, having launched on 2006, there were many issues discussed by experts and parties whose responsible for education, particularly in the implementation of School Based Curriculum (KTSP) which has inadequate human resources whose capable to interpret even elaborate it into the practice of educational unit , incompleteness of the supporting facilities of its implementation, the teachers do not understand KTSP as a whole, both in terms of concept and its implementation in schools and even still busy using the previous theory in the process of teaching and learning in classroom. In accordance with the principal of KTSP, all levels and types of education in Indonesia must develop their own curriculum based on their potential areas and students. This is supported by Minister of National Education Regulation No. 22 of 2006 on the Content Standards, as well as Minister of National Education Regulation No. 23 of 2006 on Graduates Competency Standards (SKL), these regulations mandate to the schools in order being required to prepare their own curriculum. However, this policy is not accompanied by teachers readiness even understanding, these generate the confusion among them while applying the KTSP. As informed by Curriculum Center 2010, the monitoring noticed about the implementation of KTSP has been conducted mostly in large areas, although majority of them still adopting from existing model of curriculum. Hopefully, with technical assistances that undertaken by various parties affect to the success of its development and helping their understanding on the concept and philosophy, and then encourage them to develop based on their respective conditions. There are always the various obstacles occurred during realizing the empowerment of schools and its KTSP, at the first, lack of ability is the main construct, by creating the development of staffs capabilities while providing technical assistance to particular regions could lead them to learn by doing. The instability of funding for the dissemination and socialization of KTSP causes Curriculum Center also experienced substantial cost-cutting measures, it impacts the perfect planning that has been initially organized became severely hampered in its implementation and also make the distrusting between local to Curriculum Center. But the best spirit of area in welcoming this new curriculum to be highly efficacious drug for the Curriculum Center to do the best in accordance with the appropriate quality needs, potentials and regional particularities. The Implementation of a new curriculum would potentially fail if it was be imprudent to consider the strength of human resources. As stated by Francis Hunkins (2004) argued that one reason may miscarry a new curriculum is that implementation has not been considered critical in curriculum development, further asserted that frequently new and innovative programs are blunted at classroom doors (p. 298). So, a new curriculum that is scientifically well may not necessarily be implemented or will be blunt its scientific in the classroom practice. Therefore, any problems arise due to the implementation of KTSP supposed to comprise more serious concern of Indonesian Government, especially Indonesian Ministry of National Education. Things that must be considered such as the following: Improving teachers quality and understanding toward relevant concepts of KTSP implementation. Providing such of facilities and infrastructure that can support the successful of KTSP implementation. Simultaneously help every educational unit in developing KTSP. Evaluating its process at provincial level to local district and regions. Whatever the responses from the concerning person/social in regard to the implementation of KTSP, school and teacher are the central to implement this school based curriculum, they themselves are potentially to overcome any weaknesses occur, if not it will be in vain. As suggested by Nana (2001) no matter on how good the curriculum is, but the results are highly dependent on what is being done by teachers and pupils in the classroom. It means the success of education through curriculum reformation will ultimately be determined by teacher as an executor of the curriculum, and school as a learning provider. Research Objectives This study aims to see how the implementation of School-Based Curriculum (Initialized as KTSP) in Junior High Schools and Senior High Schools as well as Madrasah at Riau province Indonesia, specifically it will be conducted in one part of Riau Province namely Indragiri Hilir Regency. Particularly the objective of this study is to assess the status of KTSP implementation in dimensions of context, input, process and product. To figure out the extent to which KTSP has been being implementing in High Schools and Madrasah To investigate the complexities of its implementation during 4 years running To find out the supporting facilities served by national and local government in its implementation Overall purpose of this study is to see the implementation of the KTSP in terms of context, input, process and product. Significance of the Study The result of this study will obtain some of the practical benefits as follows: The policy recommendations to Indonesian Ministry of Education (especially for Indragiri Hilir Ministry of Education) based on the objectives data that will be resulted at the end of the study. Information to the public (stakeholder and parents) For basic development of relevant curriculum materials accordance with local potentials and teacher competency standard. As reference to the theoretical basis for the development of KTSP paradigm based on schools potential needs on respect to its planning, implementation, and evaluation. Research Questions In overall objectives, this study will formulate the research questions based on the evaluation model of curriculum developed by Stufflebeam (1972); those are Context, Input, Process and Product. Thus the research questions are formulated as the following: Dimension of Context How do the English teachers at Indragiri Hilir Regency develop their own curriculum based on schools desires, students needs and local needs? How do they implement and integrate all aspects of KTSP to their lesson plan and teaching? Dimension of Input How the entire of KTSP documentation (Lesson Plan, teachers, curriculum development material, supporting facilities, infrastructure and media) have been held completely in every Junior High School, Senior High Schools and Madrasah at Indragiri Hilir Regency Riau? How does the Indragiri Hilir Education Ministry assists the schools to develop their teachers capability in developing and implementing KTSP? Dimension of Process How is the implementation of KTSP in Junior High School, Senior High Schools and Madrasah at Indragiri Hilir Regency Riau? How do they (Schools and teachers) evaluate its implementation? Dimension of Product How are the results of KTSP implementation? How the effect of KTSP implementation to students competence in English (Impact of teachers creativities in designing their own curriculum development) CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Literature Review As the latest curriculum on 2006 which is derived from KBK (CBC-Competence-Based Curriculum 2004), KTSP becomes a new breakthrough in the history of Indonesian education curriculum, which to progress its development to down-top approach. Contextually, KTSP develop by any groups or committees of the education unit or school/madrasah those under coordination and supervision of the National Indonesian Education Ministry and Local Indonesian Education Ministry. It emphasizes on developing the ability to perform competences and tasks with specific standards, so the results affect the students on mastery of a set of specific knowledge competencies, and values used in many fields of life. Indeed, KTSP is the curriculum that reflects the knowledge, skills and attitudes and also refers to the concept of education in turning to improve students potentiality optimally. Moreover, according to historical records, following the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, the Dutch language was replaced by English as the first foreign language, and has been recognized as such in Indonesia since 1955 (Alisjabana, 1976; de Han, 2003 as cited in Mochtar Marhum, n.d.). Since the 1980s, English has been considered to be the most important foreign language in Indonesia. The governments and communitys interest in English has been growing since the early 1990s (Alwasilah, 1997). This position of English can be traced from government documents on the results of Parliaments meetings. In the GBHN (The Guidelines of the State Policy) 1983 and 1988, foreign language policy was not incorporated. However, in the GBHN 1993, the policy on foreign languages, particularly English, was clearly stipulated. The policy related to the use and mastery of English. In 1988, Government Regulation No. 55, 56 and 57/1988 changing Government Regulation No. 28, 29/990 was introduced. It confirmed the use of English in schools. Moreover, Government Regulation of No 57/1957/1988 confirmed the use of English as a foreign language and as a means of communication in the university. Subsequently, it was incorporated into Government Regulation No 60/1999 on the use of English in all higher education. Alwasilah (1997) suggested that the need for mastery of English in the globalization era was absolutely necessary. In addition, it would be ideal if the mastery of English became the mastery of second language (p. 89). Yet, the unique of this KTSP hopefully bring the new education model to the success of Indonesian education. The development of a KTSP is a new phenomenon for the school community in Indonesia, consequently, in the early stage of its implementation some obstacles were found in a number of schools. The freedom of schools to create their own curriculum which is relevant with the needs of students cannot be fully implemented (Harry Burhanudin, 2008). The general model of it which is being developed as a model and fully adopted by a number of schools has tended to cause a similar curriculum among schools as to what was being implemented in the centralistic era. The change in the role of schools from curriculum implementer to curriculum developer has made the school community confused. The capacity of school community to analyze the conditions and needs of the students and implement them in school curriculum needs to be further improved. Therefore, school assistance through professional development programs provided for the head teachers and teachers in the context of this kind of school based curriculum is still considered important for several years to come. In line with the school assistance, capacity building of the educational management in autonomous regions (regency/municipality) managing the curriculum development still remains to be completed A number of studies have been carried out to investigate its implementation, in a previous study conducted on 2008 where located in Jambi province of Indonesia revealed (Sutrisno Nuryanto, 2008) that KTSP to all levels (Elementary Schools, Junior and Senior High Schools) having less applicable in term of (a) KTSP developmental preparation, (b) syllabus development, (c) teachers self development, (d) integrated learning, (e) local content development, (f) outcomes assessment, and (g) report process (p. 27). As such the issue above, implementation in this context leads to the true readiness of Jambi province in anticipating of changes toward educational paradigm from a previously centralized to decentralized. For example, KTSP which was launched on the late 2006 more emphasis on school autonomy through developing their own curriculum according to local needs and wisdoms, means Indonesian curricula is no longer centralized nationally and it is mandated on Indonesian Regulation No. 22 legislated in 1999 by the republic of Indonesia (R.I). Regarding local government, decentralization implies that the authority to implement and manage education shall be transferred from the national government to local districts or municipal government levels. At this point Sutrisno Nuryanto (1998) also asserted that the teachers rules as facilitator in KTSP elements have not been working as the schools and committees expectations. Furthermore, on different angle reported as the following: The real condition shows that the paradigm shift is not necessarily accompanied by better result. A number of problems still advance in Jambi while on level of provinces, cities and countries. First, not all sectors which are directed to educational policy have human resources competent to formulate the technical policy and its implementation. Second, the increasingly of dominant political intervention in determining of policy and implementation, contextually in line with the trend of autonomy, bureaucratic chain is very closely possible to having dominantly power to education. (Sutrisno Nuryanto, 1998 p. 24). In a sense, it is important to consider the argument rose on where the KTSP developed, Endo viewed from this perspective that KTSP is similar to the concept of School-Based Curriculum Development (SBCD) in Australia which had begun to set on the mid-1970s, the discourse was in essence of giving more freedom in determining the curricula by the schools members (Endo, 1997). SBCD has several characteristics that are generally similar to SBC development in Indonesia, proved on through the participation of teachers, participation of the whole or part of school staffs; range of activities including selection (choice of a number of alternative curriculum), adaptation (modification of existing curriculum), and creation (designing a new curriculum); responsibilities transformation from centralist to decentralist (not terminating of responsibilities) and a continuation process among the community and stake-holders (to assist teachers and schools). Other studies have indicated, however, Indonesian KTSP is not derived from SBCD in Australia, such on this argument Wachyu (2009) argued KTSP is having the differentials factors from SBCD in Australia, KTSP is an integrated curriculum combining between the Top-Down and Bottom-Up approach that was being confirmed in USPN (Legislation of Indonesian National Education Standard) on chapter X, article 36 and 37, USPN revealed that Indonesian curriculum development is based on National Education Standard (SNP) and considerately pay attention on learners potential diversities, schools diversities and local needs. In Chapter 38 also states that the structure and framework of the curriculum of primary and secondary schools are determined by the government. Therefore, KTSP divided into core (subjects are tested nationally) and local subjects that are developed by each educational unit based on the assessment of its potential, including the content to develop learners personality and potential based on his interest in the form of extra-curricular activities. While SBCD in Australia tend to apply bottom-up approach, the entire process and the stages of curriculum based on the potential school. As confirmed by Skillbeck (1991) that School based curriculum is a process when some or all members of a school take part on planning, implementation, and evaluation on the aspects or elements of the curriculum (Sklill beck, 1991, as cited in Wachyu, 2009, p. 2). Decentralized curriculum; such of designing, implementing and controlling (evaluation and improvement) carried out through locally by each educational unit, teachers who design its curriculum working together with experts, schools committee/madrasah and others part of society. KTSP development could include all components of the curriculum or some only, instead of compilation can be done by a group or all teachers with regard to the needs of each school in accordance with the conditions in each educational unit or its surrounding communities. KTSP will be more meaningful because of the different situations in a certain local condition that lead to the fulfillment of needs, demands and local development. It will produce a variety of design but more easily to understand, mastered and implemented by teachers due to their involvement in expanding KTSP. Particularly the center of curriculum by Indonesian Education Ministry (2007) has pointed out also the advantages and its shortcomings, the advantages are taking on (1) KTSP is accordance with the needs, conditions, and on diversities which every local communities have, auto assist in developing society, (2) more easily to carry out due to the designs that have been prepared by teachers considering the local factors that really support to develop. Instead, it has also several shortcomings, (1) not all teachers have the expertise or skills in curriculum development then, not every local schools have the teachers or an expert that proficiently in developing such of it, (2) contently localized, the graduate can be lack of ability to participate the national competitiveness, (3) various designs that lead to the complexity of monitoring and evaluating in term of national learning outcomes, (4) transferring students from certain schools to another schools can cause difficulties (Center for the Development of Curriculum, 2007). Recent reports have noted, researched by Wachyu Sundayana (2009), a number of 60 English teachers from junior and senior high schools spread of 24 regencies and cities in West Java Indonesia were being selected, most teachers who participated in this study had trained and socialized about KTSP. He organized the research questions on (1) How are English teachers understanding about KTSP, (2) How are their perceptions on the development of KTSP, (3) What complexities were raising during implementing and developing its curriculum. This study showed the development of KTSP in every unit of educations especially junior high schools and MTs (Madrasah) in West Java are still not in line with the stages of development as suggested in the guidelines of BSNP (Institution of National Education Standard). Data collection showed most teachers (74%) know what KTSP was, but they were not clear to what function they have in practice, implement and develop KTSP, for the same reason Faizah and Ismono studied for investigating the readiness of chemistry teachers (Bangkalan district of Madura), according to their finding that Chemistry teachers from five schools were not ready to apply, the percentage just reached on 60% (Faizah Ismono, 2008, as cited in Yuli Eko Siswono, n.d). Simultaneously with the finding of Wachyu Sundayana study, the complexities on its implementation concluded as follows: (1) lack of supporting facilities of the schools, (2) incompleteness of KTSP guidance that received by teachers, (3) KTSP guideline was not detailed and clear, (4) teachers understanding on KTSP documents. These data are consistent with the finding of research conducted by Miftahul Jannah (2008) showing about teachers abilities are low in developing syllabus and lesson plan, most of respondents (75%) stated about their inabilities in developing syllabus but just copying and duplicating the examples from BSNP without having a preliminary investigation throughout students potentials and schools needs. Most of interviewing respondents admit to their complexities in making a good syllabus and lesson plan lines with the students and schools needs. This fact showed that teachers having a great plague to develop among the stage on SBC (Miftahul Jannah, 2008, as cited in Wa chyu Sundayana, 2009. p. 7). Regarding Riau province, whole schools on current educational year 2009/2010 are progressing to adapt KTSP, such socialization have always done, it felt as complexity because the entire process of being centralize to decentralize doesnt much understand by some teachers, referring to the function of teachers on KTSP, teachers are together with schools members to develop KTSP based on students potential and local needs (UUD No. 20 year 2003/article 37). In fact, it is of utmost importance to examine what we could learn from prior and present efforts to bring about the strategies that are currently progressed by BSNP to help every educational unit in developing its curriculum. Harianti (2008) explained although the authority of national curriculum development has changed. It is not making a sense for curriculum center to lose their jobs, the task change progressively to assist schools to prepare their own respective curricula. Furthermore, she points out the job responsibility is not seem to be easy, nowadays, there are a large number of schools in Indonesia contains 43.461 (elementary schools), 12.731 (junior high schools), 4.499 (senior high school) and 2.655 (vocational high schools), yet, not including Early Childhood education, Extraordinary Schools and Madrasah. It does not allow for curriculum center helps one by one, there should be a strategy then schools can develop their own curricula (para. 2). The expectation is that they can develop a curriculum, becoming true backbone in improving local human resources through education in national or even in international competitiveness. Empowerment the schools and community in developing KTSP done through a technical assistance, both at the provincial level as well as at the level of district/city, at the provincial level expected to present a TPK (Curriculum Development Team) whose responsibility to provide the information and give assistances on the development of KTSP to TPK at the level district. Empowerment at the provincial level such as Riau is concentrated in the area of curriculum development till the teams performing evaluation and monitoring its implementation based on their own respective regions, beside at the district level is concentrated on the ability of the team to perform in school curriculum development assistance. KTSP where commonly known as school based curriculum gone to be discussed for a long, the broad study of Marsh Collin et.al (1990) on their final finding of School based curriculum development had suggested through sub of specifics SBCD issues: The key actors involved in political decisions about schooling in their respective countries tend to use several terms to describe or promote their efforts. Such term include quality of schooling, school-improvement, school-focused improvement, self-managing school, and many others. Be that as it may, there are a number of interesting issues about SBCD and (its synonyms) which are currently of considerable interest and are likely to remain so in the immediate future. They include: The role of parents and students in decision making Financial management by schools Professional development for teachers Teacher appraisal School evaluation Pressure of tightening central control (As cited in Marsh Colin, et.al, 1990, pp. 206-207) There are always the various obstacles occurred in realizing the empowerment of schools and its KTSP, at the first, lack of ability is the main construct, by creating the development of staffs capabilities while providing technical assistance to particular regions could lead them to learn by doing. The instability of funding for the dissemination and socialization of KTSP causes Curriculum Center also experienced substantial cost-cutting measures, it impacts the perfect planning that has been initially organized became severely hampered in its implementation and also make the distrusting between local to Curriculum Center. But the best spirit of area in welcoming this new curriculum to be highly efficacious drug for the Curriculum Center to do the best in accordance with the appropriate quality needs, potentials and regional particularities. As informed by Curriculum Center (2010), the monitoring noticed about the implementation of KTSP has been conducted mostly in large areas, although majority of them still adopting from existing model of curriculum. Hopefully, with technical assistances that undertaken by various parties affect to the success of its development and helping their understanding on the concept and philosophy, and then encourage them to develop based on their respective conditions. Furthermore, the Curriculum center toward its official website released about the uniqueness of KTSP implementation in term of schools needs diversities, Although the two junior high schools are located in the adjacent neighborhood but it was very much different pupils conditions. The A school whose current learners come from upper and middle class of socio-economic with having high academic achievement, all of them want to continue on to university. On the other hand, the B school whose majorities of learners come from disadvantaged of socio-economic, plan to graduate soon and earning money is a primary goal of schooling. Both of these two schools will develop a very different curriculum. School A will focus on studies with higher order thinking that enables learners to have high academic thinking in leading them to continue university. While school B will enrich the subjects with several activities that cultivate the skills to work so that learners feel a sense of great beneficial skills after graduating from school B. There a lot of researchers have investigated about KTSP. Specifically on its implementation, based on the reviewing above some researchers had focused on the effectiveness on its evaluation based on the real phenomenon which occurred in the real situation of the schools, the writer although cannot find the way of th

Spatial Rhythm and Poetic Invention in William Carlos Williams Sunday

William Carlos Williams was fascinated by the ways in which living organisms and inert matter occupy space--how they move in it, or cannot move, are cramped or allowed to roam freely--and how the space inside organisms and matter is charted, perceived, and manipulated. Williams's preoccupation with actual space in the material world is paralleled by his formal experimentations with the placement of words on the page. "Without invention nothing is well spaced" (P 50), Williams writes at the beginning of "Sunday in the Park," raising the question, what does "well spaced" mean for Williams? How can the world and how can poetry be well spaced? The aim of this paper is to look at the relationship between Williams's use of what I will call spatial rhythms and the vision of poetry that emerges in "Sunday in the Park"--a section of Paterson particularly important for thinking about Williams's late poetic style because it contains the famous section beginning "The descent beckons / as the asc ent beckoned," marking Williams's invention of the triadic stanza with "variable foot," a form he would begin to use frequently in the 1950's. My hope is to offer a new perspective on Williams's poetics by showing how it is rooted in a conception of space, both external and internal or biological, that is constantly moving in a rhythmic fashion. Although William Carlos Williams's epic poem, Paterson, is about the city of Paterson and a man, also named Paterson, who is that city, the actual physical space of that city tends to be elusive throughout the poem, becoming most concrete in the second Book, "Sunday in the Park," which, however, does not deal with the city itself, but with the park above it. The park is both a part of the city of Paterson (... ...s: A New World Naked (McGraw-Hill, 1981), 462-63 and 466-67.[Hit the "back" button on the upper left hand corner of your browser to return to the text] 4. Mariani, 462-63.[Hit the "back" button on the upper left hand corner of your browser to return to the text] 5. Kenneth Burke, "The Thinking of the Body" in Language as Symbolic Action (Berkeley: U of California P, 1966), 340-41.[Hit the "back" button on the upper left hand corner of your browser to return to the text] 6. The last two descending sequences I have quoted †¹ the first beginning with "She was married with empty words" and the second with "The descent beckons" †¹ are also reminiscent of Marcel Duchamp's "Nude Descending Staircase." On Williams's interest in cubism and in Duchamp in particular, see Reed Whittemore, William Carlos Williams: Poet from Jersey (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1975), 113-124.

Adults with Learning Disabilities Essays -- Technology Education Essay

Adults with Learning Disabilities The field has not quite reached consensus on definitions of LD, and there are professionals as well as members of the public who do not understand them or believe they exist. For example, in a Roper (1995) survey of 1,200 adults, 85% associated LD with mental retardation 66% with deafness, and 60% with blindness. In Rocco's (1997) research, faculty "questioned the existence of certain conditions or if they existed, the appropriateness of classifying the condition as a disability" (p. 158). However, most definitions describe learning disabilities as a group of disorders that affect the ability to acquire and use listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or math skills (Gerber and Reiff 1994; National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center 1995a; National Center for Learning Disabilities 1997). These difficulties vary in severity, may persist across the lifespan, and may affect one or more areas of a person's life, including learning, work, and social and emotional fun ctioning. Federal regulations for implementing the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act use the term "specific learning disabilities" disorders in one or more central nervous system processes involved in perceiving, understanding, and using verbal or nonverbal information (Gerber and Reiff 1994). "Specific" indicates that the disability affects only certain learning processes. Although adults with LD consistently describe being labeled as stupid or slow learners (Brown, Druck, and Corcoran in Gerber and Reiff 1994), they usually have average or above average intelligence. People with learning disabilities are the largest segment of the disability population, and growing numbers of col... ..., DC: NALLD, 1995b. (ED 387 988) Reiff, H. B.; Ginsberg, R.; and Gerber, P. J. "New Perspectives on Teaching from Successful Adults with Learning Disabilities." Remedial and Special Education 16, no. 1 (January 1995): 29-37. (EJ 497 555) Riviere, A. Assistive Technology: Meeting the Needs of Adults with Learning Disabilities. Washington, DC: NALLD, 1996. (ED 401 686) Rocco, T. S. "Hesitating to Disclose." In Proceedings of the 16th Annual Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, edited by S. J. Levine, pp. 157-163. East Lansing: Michigan State University, October 1997. Roper Starch Worldwide, Inc. Learning Disabilities and the American Public. Roper Starch Worldwide, Inc, 1995. (ED 389 101) Telander, J. E. "The Adjustment of Learning Disabled Adults." Ph.D. diss., Biola University, 1994. (ED 372 586)

Oedipus The King and the Existence of Man :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus The King and the Existence of Man      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the beginning of time, man has used various methods on which to pass down stories, beliefs, and myths which explain different aspects of life. From oral tradition, to pictographs, to clay tablets, and onto paper, all compose the world of literature. Literature has always been an infinite realm of ideas, morals, and trains of thought.   Although the sphere of literature is encircled with extreme diversity of thought, its core is focused on one theme: man. All literature carries with itself three main characteristics: it is written by man, for man, and about man. Oedipus the King, the great Greek tragedy by the unparalleled philosopher, Sophocles, is no exception to literature's domain. It deals with one king, Oedipus, and his plight to avenge the death of his predecessor, King Laios. In his determined search to find the murderer, he establishes a proclamation which would demand the banishment and even the death of the murderer. In his ironic action, the reader discovers that this murderer that Oedipus is so determined to discover is none other than Oedipus himself. In adhesion to the definition of literature, this tragic plot reveals to the reader three main commentaries about the nature of man: man cannot escape his past, pride is the sin which leads man to greater evils, and although the life of man is in itself a positive good, there will always be a shadow of terrible tragedy that falls across it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All throughout literature, many works have portrayed characters who carry with them a dark and gloomy past, and try to tear this shameful history of their lives from the books of their life. Unfortunately, this is impossible due to the fact that the past is a precursor to the present which, in turn, determines one's future. It is one's past that makes one what he or she is today. For example, if an individual committed ruthless acts such as theft or murder, was not caught by the law, and later realizes that that particular aspect of his or her life has caused them great grief and regret, he or she will make the effort to change and become a new individual. Let us say that individual becomes Oedipus The King and the Existence of Man :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex Oedipus The King and the Existence of Man      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the beginning of time, man has used various methods on which to pass down stories, beliefs, and myths which explain different aspects of life. From oral tradition, to pictographs, to clay tablets, and onto paper, all compose the world of literature. Literature has always been an infinite realm of ideas, morals, and trains of thought.   Although the sphere of literature is encircled with extreme diversity of thought, its core is focused on one theme: man. All literature carries with itself three main characteristics: it is written by man, for man, and about man. Oedipus the King, the great Greek tragedy by the unparalleled philosopher, Sophocles, is no exception to literature's domain. It deals with one king, Oedipus, and his plight to avenge the death of his predecessor, King Laios. In his determined search to find the murderer, he establishes a proclamation which would demand the banishment and even the death of the murderer. In his ironic action, the reader discovers that this murderer that Oedipus is so determined to discover is none other than Oedipus himself. In adhesion to the definition of literature, this tragic plot reveals to the reader three main commentaries about the nature of man: man cannot escape his past, pride is the sin which leads man to greater evils, and although the life of man is in itself a positive good, there will always be a shadow of terrible tragedy that falls across it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All throughout literature, many works have portrayed characters who carry with them a dark and gloomy past, and try to tear this shameful history of their lives from the books of their life. Unfortunately, this is impossible due to the fact that the past is a precursor to the present which, in turn, determines one's future. It is one's past that makes one what he or she is today. For example, if an individual committed ruthless acts such as theft or murder, was not caught by the law, and later realizes that that particular aspect of his or her life has caused them great grief and regret, he or she will make the effort to change and become a new individual. Let us say that individual becomes