Maritime Students Perception on School Related activities Essay

School activities are very important for the students and for the school. For the students, because they gain new skills and motivation. It’s a real chance for them to enjoy school and choose to do something they are really interested and passionate about, and therefore their motivation for learning and their motivation for their teachers and the school increase. It makes them relate academic knowledge to the practical experience, which leads to a better understanding of their own abilities, talents, and career goals and for the school because as studies shows that such participation provides marginal students an opportunity to create a positive and voluntary connection to their school also. Involvement in extracurricular activities may support the at-risk student by maintaining, enhancing, and strengthening the student-school connection therefore decreases dropout School activities at St. Therese MTC – Colleges are often held when there is a celebration it’s either a school celebration (like foundation day), national or international. These were held most especially for the enjoyment of the students and for them to fulfill their potentials. But these activities often cancels classes. We cannot hide the fact some students are not participating in the school activities thus, they take the cancellation of classes as an opportunity for them to go out and do whatever they want that commonly results into bad things like drinking alcohols, taking drugs and other vices. While some considers it as a burden for it adds to there payment. Some consider it mainly as a disruption of classes and a delay to their learning. While some consider it very important and take the opportunity to express and discover themselves, enjoy and boost their potentials. Every person have varying perception on things especially on things that they really do not know about. And everytime there is an activity students make a different perception about it. Either good or bad. These perceptions are very important in the part of the organizers and to the facilitators for it makes them know if the activity was successful or not and what will they do to make it more successful so that they could apply it the next time they conduct the same activity. Maritime Courses here in the Philippines are at high cost. Though many are still taking it because of high demand in the market and higher salary rate especially on international voyages where one earns dollar, many of the maritime students are coming from families having low Socio Economic Status (SES). Still they pursue even though they get through loans and depts hoping that when their children graduate and get onboard ships they can easily pay all their depts and raise their life’s situation. Every centavo and Peso is important. It is a product of blood and sweat of those who earned it. That’s why in every centavo and a peso increase in the accounts of the student adds to the burden of their family. Rumors were heard every time there is an activity and everytime the statement of account were released. Some say that another payment is added to the school fee. While some say that the payment was worth it. For these reasons that triggered the researchers to conduct this study to further find out and discuss the real perception of maritime students on school related activities and create a guidelines on what and how to conduct the activities the maritime students want. Statement of the Problem This research aims to find out what are the perceptions of maritime students towards school related activities. Consequently, this research study seeks answers to the following questions: 1. What are the school related activities of ST-MTCC engaged by Maritime students when classified as to course and year level? 2. What are the perceptions of Maritime students on school related activities when classified as to course and year level? 3. How to conduct the activities that the students want? 4. Is there a significant difference on the perception of the maritime students to school related activities when classified as to course and year level? Objectives of the study This research main objectives is to determine and discuss the main perception of Maritime students about the school related activities. Furthermore it aims to: 1. Determine the school related activities of ST-MTCC students when classified as to course and year level. 2. Determine the perception of Maritime students on school related activities when classified as to course and year level. 3. Determine how to conduct the activities that the students want. 3. Find out the significant difference of the students on school related activities when classifies as to course and year level. Hypotheses Based on the foregoing statements, the hypotheses are advanced: H0 There is no significant difference on the perception of the Maritime students on school related activities when classifies as to course and year level. H1 There is a significant difference the perception of the Maritime students on school related activities when classifies as to course and year level. Definition of Terms Activities – things being done for leisure, fun or learning (Meriam Websters Dictionary) In this study activities refers to the school related activities participated by the ST-MTCC Maritime students. BSMar E – (Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering) In this study BSMar E refers to the Maritime course that focuses on studying the works and obligations of the Engine Department onboard ship. BSMT – (Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation) In this study BSMT refers to the Maritime course that focuses on studying the works and obligations of the Deck Department onboard ship. Maritime Students– in this study maritime students refers to students taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMar E) courses. Perception – the act or faculty of perceiving , or apprehending by means or of the mind; understanding. In this study perception refers to the understanding of the students about the school related activities. School – an institution for the teaching of children (Meriam Websters Dictionary) In this study school refers to St. Therese MTC- Colleges (ST-MTCC), Tigbauan Site. Year level – in this study, year level refers to the level achieved in school by which the respondents are enrolled in. Significance of the study The conduct and result of this study will bring benefits to the following: School Administration – the significant result Made from this study will serve as guide to the Student Affairs Office, Office of the Students Services, Student Executive Council, and other activity implementing departments and bodies of the school. Students – The significant result of this study would help the students enjoy the activities and satisfy their expectations as the result of this research were applied. Future Researches – this study was highly recommended to have a further study on the same topic. Scope and Limitations of the Study The descriptive study will be conducted to find out the perception of the maritime students on school related activities. This study will involve 310 students who are taking Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and Bachelor of Science Marine Engineering (BSMarE) SY 2012-2013. The participants will be selected randomly and will be classified according to course and year level. The data to be used in this study will be gathered by the researchers. The Antecedent Variable will be the respondents’ course and year level and the School Related activities classified into in and out campus activities The dependent variable to be treated in this study will be the perception of the maritime students on school related activities. This study will be conducted at St. Therese MTC-Colleges in Tigbauan, Iloilo on June-October 2013. The descriptive statistics to be used in this study will be the mean and mean standard deviation. The inferential statistics to be used will be the Mann Whitney U test for independent samples, Kruskal Wallis H Test, and Spearman Rho to determine the perception of the students in school related activities. All levels of significance will be set at 0.05 alpha. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software (SPSS) version 16.0 will be used to process the data. Chapter II Review of Related Literature Key Concepts on Benefits of Co-curricular Activities Activities Support the Academic Mission of Schools School Activities are not a diversion but rather an extension of a good educational program. Students who participate in activity programs tend to have higher grade-point averages, better attendance records, lower dropout rates and fewer discipline problems than students generally. Activities are inherently Educational Activity programs provide valuable lessons for practical situations – teamwork, sportsmanship, winning and losing, and hard work. Through participation in activity programs, students learn self-discipline, build self-confidence and develop skills to handle competitive situations. These are qualities the public expects schools to produce in students so that they become responsible adults and productive citizens. Activities Are Privileges, Attendance Is Required School districts typically define extracurricular activities as privileges; students earn the right to participate by complying with school rules and regulations. These typically include rules on school and class attendance. Annandale High School in Virginia, for example, has an extracurricular activities participation policy that requires students to attend all scheduled classes on the day of a competition or activity to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities on that day Outreach Activities Outreach activities are designed to strengthen the relationship between a school system and the surrounding town groups or businesses. Outreach activities invite students to become more active members of their community as well as encourage community members to become part of the school community. Activities Foster Success in Later Life Participation in school activities is often a predictor of later success – in a career and becoming a contributing member of society. Students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 49% more likely to use drugs and 37% more likely to become teen parents than those who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular school activities are often important to adolescent students, and they have many benefits. Students learn how to lead through student government or how to play a musical instrument, or take on the responsibility of teamwork in sports, while maintaining their academics. The challenge of balancing these competing responsibilities is an opportunity for students to grow and mature. Educators have studied the relationship between class attendance and extracurricular activities, and many schools set policy in these areas. Foreign Studies A 2010 study of a western Nebraska school district found a correlation between a student’s extracurricular activities and her attendance record. The study concluded that students who participated in extracurricular activities had a higher rate of school attendance than students who did not participate. It used data from 2007-08 and 2008-09 pertaining to 275 of the district’s high school graduates. A University of Massachusetts educator studied middle and high school students and how certain school-related factors — including extracurricular activities and school attendance — affected their eventual completion of a college degree. The study concluded that a student’s good attendance — not skipping classes or school — had a positive correlation to college degree completion. Additionally, the study concluded that the more a student participated in school-sponsored extracurricular activities, the more likely he was to complete a bachelor’s degree. The study also tested these results across racial lines and found that attendance was equally important to future completion of the bachelor’s degree regardless of the student’s race or ethnicity. A Harvard Educational Review article in 2002 found that participation in extracurricular activities in high school appears to be one of the few interventions that benefit low-status, disadvantaged students – those less well served by traditional educational programs – as much or more than their more advantaged peers. In telephone interviews of a national sample of teens in 2001, more than half (54%) said they wouldn’t watch so much TV or play video games if they had other things to do after school. The same survey found that more than half of teens wish there were more community or neighborhood-based programs available after school, and two- thirds of those surveyed said they would participate in such programs if they were available. Bonnie Barber and her colleagues, contributors to the 2005 book, Organized Activities as Developmental Contexts for Children and Adolescents, concluded that making diverse clubs and activities available to a wide range of students is important. The opportunity to embed one’s identity in multiple extracurricular contexts and to experience multiple competencies facilitates attachment to school and adjustment. Activity participation is also linked to affiliation with peers who are academically focused. Adolescents can benefit from this synergistic system when they have opportunities to participate in diverse activities. A Minnesota State High  School League survey of 300 Minnesota high schools showed that the average GPA of a student-athlete was 2.84, compared with 2.68 for the average student, and that student-athletes missed an average of only 7.4 days of school each year, compared with 8.8 for the average student. (Trevor Born. High Standard for GPA, in Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 14, 2007.) Participation in extra-curricular activities provides all students – including students from disadvantaged backgrounds, minorities and those with otherwise less than distinguished academic achievements in high school – a measurable and meaningful gain in their college admissions test scores according to researchers Howard T.Everson and Roger E. Millsap, writing for the College Entrance Examination Board in 2005. In a 2006 research project published by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), it was found that 18-25 years old who participate in sports activities while in high school were more likely than nonparticipants to be engaged in volunteering, regular volunteering, registering to vote, voting in the 2000 election, feeling comfortable speaking in a public setting, and watching news (especially sport news) more closely than non-participants. An extensive study commissioned by the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association found, in that Canadian province in 2006, an average of 78.3% of Alberta’s top corporate CEOs and Members of the Legislative Assembly had participated in interschool sports. Nearly 80% indicated that being involved in school sports significantly, extensively or moderately complemented their career development and/or academic 5 pursuits. This same study pointed out that normal participation rate of students in high school sports is around 30 to 35%. The corporate and political leaders surveyed in Alberta (see above) cited the following benefits associated with their involvement in high school athletics: teamwork, discipline, goal setting, leadership, independence, self confidence, stress relief, character development and personal growth, fair play, and acceptance of others. From a cost standpoint, activity programs are an exceptional bargain when matched against the overall school district’s education budget. Researcher Richard Learner, writing in Promoting Positive Youth Development through Community After-School Programs, found that informal educational and developmentally supportive experiences offered to young people in the context of after-school or community-based programs are a potent source of resources  increasing the probability of positive development among youth. In 2003, the Journal of Adolescent Research reported that extracurricular activity participation is linked to lower rates of dropping out of school, greater civic involvement and higher levels of academic achievement. Moreover, research tracking participation from eighth through twelfth grades and examining outcomes in the postsecondary years concluded that consistent participation has positive effects that last over a moderate length of time. Extracurricular activities stand out from other aspects of adolescents’ lives at school because, according to the Winter 2005 issue of the Journal of Leisure Research, they provide opportunities to develop initiative and allow youth to learn emotional competencies and develop new social skills. A study conducted by Boston University, and published in Adolescence, Winter 2001, reported on a survey of 1,115 Massachusetts high school students. Survey results indicated that athletes were significantly less likely to use cocaine and psychedelics, and less likely to smoke cigarettes. Researchers writing in 2004 in the American Journal of Health Behavior conducted an examination of cross-sectional data from a nationally representative sample of high school students enrolled in public high schools in the U.S. They showed that students participating in organized sports were 25 percent less likely to be current cigarette smokers Stephanie Gerstenblith and her fellow researchers, writing in the 2005 book, Organized Activities as Developmental Contexts for Children and Adolescents state, â€Å"Just as schools with efficient procedures and structure have been found to have positive outcomes, our findings indicate that participants in after school programs with these qualities experience reductions in rebellious behavior and increases in intentions not to use drugs.† In 1985, the NFHS sponsored a national survey of high school principals and nearly 7,000 high school students in all 50 states. The survey, funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment in Indianapolis, was conducted by Indiana University in cooperation with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Following are the results of that survey. 10 95 percent believed that participation in activities teaches valuable lessons to students that cannot be learned in a regular class routine. 99 percent agreed that participation in activities promotes citizenship 95 percent agreed that activity programs contribute to the development of â€Å"school  spirit† among the student body. 76 percent said they believe the demand made on students’ time by activities is not excessive. 72 percent said there is strong support for school activity programs from parents and the community at large. Students who compete in high school activity programs make higher grades and have better attendance. A study of nearly 22,000 students conducted by a University of Colorado professor for the Colorado High School Activities Association which was released in the fall of 1999 indicates students who participate in some form of interscholastic activities have â€Å"significantly higher† grade-point averages than students who do not. Data obtained from the spring 1997 study by Dr. Kevin J. McCarthy revealed student participants in Jefferson County high schools had an overall grade-point average of 3.093 on a 4.0 scale, while the GPA for non-participants was 2.444. Jefferson County School District, the state’s largest school district, has matched the academic success of its students with success on the playing field. The 16 district schools have won a combined 39 state championships in the 1990s in sports, while its music programs consistently bring home â€Å"superior† ratings. Nancy Darling, et al., writing in the 2005 Journal of Leisure Research notes that extracurricular activities allow youth to form new connections with peers and acquire social capital. They are one of the few contexts, outside of the classroom, where adolescents regularly come in contact with adults to whom they are not related. Students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 49% more likely to use drugs and 37% more likely to become teen parents than those who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities (United States Department of Education. No Child Left Behind: The facts about 21st Century Learning. Washington, DC: 2002.) On June 23, 2000, then President Bill Clinton issued an Executive Memorandum directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to work together to identify and report within 90 days on â€Å"strategies to promote better health for our nation’s youth through physical activity and fitness.† The resulting report entitled â€Å"Promoting Better Health for Young People through Physical Activity and Sports was released in November 2000 and stated that â€Å"enhancing 7 efforts to promote participation in physical activity and sports among young people is a critical national priority.† Of the 60 students listed in the May 14, 1998, USA Today’s All-USA High School Academic First, Second and Third Teams and the 51 who earned honorable mention, 75 percent were involved in sports, speech, music or debate. The 29th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools of September 1997 reflects an increase in perceptions about the value of co curricular activities. In 1978, 45 percent of the public, judged extracurricular activities to be very important. That figure fell to 31 percent in 1984. In 1985, the figure was 39 percent and jumped to 63 percent in the 1997 poll. The 1997 poll also asked about the emphasis placed on such sports as football and basketball. Fifty-three percent of the respondents believed the current emphasis was about right. In a survey of 4,800 high school students in March 1995, the Minnesota State High School League found that 91 percent of them said students who participate in school activities tend to be school leaders and role models; 92 percent said that participation in school activities provides an opportunity not found in a regular classroom setting to develop self-discipline. Adolescent Time Use, Risky Behavior, and Outcomes: An Analysis of National Data, issued in September 1995, by the Department of Health and Human Services found that students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 57 percent more likely to have dropped out of school by the time they would have been seniors; 49 percent more likely to have used drugs; 37 percent more likely to have become teen parents; 35 percent more likely to have smoked cigarettes; and 27 percent more likely to have been arrested than those who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities. A study by Search Institute in 1995 indicates that co curricular activities play a central role in students’ healthy development. Yet too many schools are finding it necessary to cut these programs for budgetary reasons. With asset building as a focus, these programs are not peripheral to the school’s mission, but important components of a comprehensive strategy. In the March 1997 issue of School Counselor, 123 students involved in interscholastic soccer are analyzed. Results indicate that activity participation does not harm and may enhance academic performance. Male athletes showed in-season improvements in academic performance. Ralph McNeal (1995) showed that different kinds of  activities have varying abilities to control school dropout rates. He concluded that students who participate in athletics, fine-arts activities, and academic organizations were an estimated 1.7, 1.2, and 1.15 times, respectively, less likely to drop out than those who did not participate. Athletic participation reduces the probability of school dropouts by approximately 40 percent. For example, the probability that the typical person in the sample would drop out of school is .0487, but if this same person participated in athletics, the estimated probability would be .0299. The impact of fine-arts participation for the typical person’s estimated probability is reduced from .0487 to .0415, or 15 percent. Silliker and Quirk (1997) investigated the academic improvement of students who participated in extracurricular activities. In this case, they looked at male and female high school students who participated in interscholastic soccer and who did not engage in another sport or major activity at the conclusion of the soccer season. They discovered that female participants in season maintained a GPA of 87.7 mean (M) with a 5.6 standard deviation (SD). Out of season these statistics dropped to 87.5 M with a 6.4 SD. The male participants in season maintained a GPA of 84.7 M with a 7.5 SD, and out of season their GPAs dropped to 83.8 M with an 8.7 SD. These data show that participants had significantly higher GPAs in season than out of season. The girls earned higher GPAs than did the boys, but the boys’ GPAs rose significantly in season versus out of season. The study supports the belief that involvement in athletics for high school students does not endanger, and may enhance, academic performance. Susan Gerber (1996) also found that extracurricular participation is not detrimental to student performance and that participation in these types of activities promotes greater academic achievement. In addition, she discovered that participation in school-related activities was more strongly associated with achievement than was participation in activities outside of school. Herbert Marsh (1992) compared predicted outcomes for students who did not participate in extracurricular activities with those of students who were moderately active. He found that this difference in participation level is associated with outcome differences of .582 SD in social self-concept and .390 SD in academic self-concept. He concluded that the effects of participation on social and academic self-concepts are significant. Evidently, participation  in extracurricular activities, even those not obviously associated with academic achievement, leads to increased commitment to school and school values, which leads indirectly to increased academic success. William Camp (1990) studied the effects of participation in activities on overall student success in school, as measured by grades, while controlling for the effects of other variables that could reasonably affect those grades. He used the symbol b* to represent standardized regression coefficients calculated in his structural analysis. He found that students’ activity levels produced a positive, significant effect on academic achievement (b* = .122). Particularly interesting in his study was the fact that this effect was more than twice as great as that of study habits (b* = .055), which are generally regarded as an important causal variable of academic achievement. John Mahoney and Robert Cairns (1997) indicated that engagement in school extracurricular activities is linked to decreasing rates of early school dropouts in both boys and girls. They discovered that such participation provides marginal students an opportunity to create a positive and voluntary connection to their school. Conversely, other strategies typically used to address the needs of at-risk students, such as school dropout prevention programs and remedial education, focus on the deficits of students and serve as a catalyst in the formation of deviant groups. The researchers strongly believe that involvement in extracurricular activities may support the at-risk student by maintaining, enhancing, and strengthening the student-school connection. Theoretical Framework This study is anchored to the Theory of Involvement that has been proposed by Astin (1984). According to the theory, students learn more the more they are involved in both the academic and social aspects of the collegiate experience. An involved student is one who devotes considerable energy to academics, spends much time on campus, participates actively in student organizations and activities, and interacts often with faculty. Based on the 1984 report, Involvement in Learning, student involvement takes the form of participation in academically related activities, out of class activities, and interactions with faculty, staff, and peers. Activities related to academics could include: attending class prepared for discussion and the day’s lesson; participating in study groups; and/or membership in academic  honor programs or societies, career-related organizations, and performance groups in the arts. Involvement in outside-of-class, or co-curricular activities, could include campus based student organizations, college athletic or intramural sports, employment on-campus, and volunteer service experiences. Involvement with peers and faculty/staff include those relationships where learning takes place beyond classroom settings: serving as a teaching or research assistant, talking with faculty during office hours, assisting in a laboratory or a fine arts production. Different from the role of the student in Astin’s earlier â€Å"input-process-output† model (Pascarella, 1991, P.50), where the student is passively developed by the faculty and by university programs, this theory posits that the student plays an integral role in determining his or her own degree of involvement in college classes, extracurricular activities and social activities. Of course, the more quality resources available, the more likely those students who are involved will grow or develop. Therefore, faculty interaction both inside and outside the classroom and high quality university programs and polices reflective of institutional commitment to student learning are necessary for student growth. Astin states that the quality and quantity of the student’s involvement will influence the amount of student learning and development (Astin, 1984, p.297). True involvement requires the investment of energy in academic, relationships and activities related to the campus and the amount of energy invested will vary greatly depending on the student’s interests and goals, as well as the student’s other commitments. The most important institutional resource, therefore, is student time: the extent to which students can be involved in the educational development is tempered by how involved they are with family friends, jobs, and other outside activities (p.301). There are several practical applications resulting from this theory, but Astin states that the most important to teaching is that instructors are encouraged to take the focus off the course content and their own technique and put it on their students. Astin states that the intended end of institutional and pedagogical practices is to achieve maximum student involvement and learning; to do that instructors cannot focus solely on technique but must also be aware of how motivated students are and how much time and energy they are devoting to the learning process (p.305). According to Astin, his theory of involvement has an advantage over traditional pedagogical approaches because it focuses on the motivation and behavior of the student. Therefore all institutional policies and practices can be judged by the degree of involvement they foster in student. Also, all faculty, from instructors to counselors, can work with the same goal in mind, unifying their energies into making the students more involved in the college environment and therefore better learners (p.307). Astin also discusses the benefits to students of staying connected to the campus environment by living in campus-related housing, attending college full-time rather than part-time, studying with other students on campus, and working at jobs on campus. Based on the stated theories, the study is conducted and has the following variables as shown in Figure 1.( The research paradigm ) The research paradigm of the study is presented in Figure 1. Figure 1.Research Paradigm. The paradigm shows the relationships of the antecedent variable, Course and year level and the in and out campus activities to the dependent variable, Perception of the maritime students on school related activities. Chapter 3 Research Design and Methodology Research Design This study will use descriptive method of research consisting of qualitative research as it seeks to determine the perception of the maritime students on school related activities Respondents/Sample This study will involve 310 students who are taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMar E), S.Y. 2013-2014. The sampling method to be used for this study will be the simple random sampling because students from each course with varying year levels will be included as respondents of the study. Table 1. Profile of Respondents Course and year level Total population Number of respondents Percentage BSMT 1 195 44 23% BSMT 2 192 43 23% BSMT 3 184 42 23% BSMar E 1 299 68 23% BSMarE 2 255 58 23% BSMar E 3 243 55 23% 1368 310 2.3% Table 1 shows the number of respondents as classified as to course and year Instrument This study will use the researcher-made questionnaire based on the paradigm of this study that the researcher has gathered and subject for validation by the experts. There will be two parts of the instrument: Part One will be the personal information of the respondents such as course and year level. Part Two is the questionnaire which will gather data relative to the perception of the maritime students on school related activities. Data-Gathering Procedure Permission to conduct the study will be secured from the Dean of Maritime Studies of St. Therese MTC – Colleges Tigbauan. The researchers will personally distribute the questionnaires which will be filled out by the respondents in their respective classrooms. After which, these will be retrieved and reviewed fro completeness of data. The data obtained will be culled, encoded, analyzed, and interpreted. Data Analyses Procedure All data gathered will be computer-processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS).The descriptive statistics to be used will be the mean and standard deviation to determine the perception of the students on school related activities. The inferential analytical tools to be utilized will be the t- test for independent samples to determine differences that would exist in course and year level with the outreach activities; analysis of variance (AnoVa) for antecedent samples to determine differences that would exist in course and year level with the school activities; Spearman Rho the perception of the maritime students on school related activities Finally, the level of significance for the analysis was set at 0.05 alpha. The bases for interpretation of the trainings (SSO/SSA), company support, self-preparedness, onboard preparation and measures and national/international coordinationand measures will be as follows: Mean ScaleQualitative Description 3.25 – 4.00Highly effective 2.50 – 3.24effective 1.75 – 2.49moderately effective 1.00 – 1.74less effective

The Challenges Facing The Cultural Diversity

These yearss cultural diverseness plays a important function in a company. The standards know aparting these groups include race, geographic footing, civilisation, gender, age, functional or educational background, physical and cognitive competency, linguistic communication, life styles, beliefs, cultural background, economic class, tenancy with the organisation and sexual penchant. As a MNC works in a planetary market it must be ready to observe all possible alterations in the planetary environment and it has to be able to pass on and accommodate the individuality of the company to them. For illustration in India adult females ‘s will non work for dark so they have to pull off clip for their convenience. The company ca n't offer quality merchandises or services to the clients if it does n't understand and take in history the impact that the civilization has in all the procedures. Workers normally think that their behaviour has n't got any influence on the concluding merchandise or service, but to be effectual, every portion must hold a clear vision of the company and a clear mission on it. The societal, political and enterprise construction depends on everyone in the company, so the internal country and the human resources, one of the most of import countries of a company, must be developed with the remainder of the company to accomplish their ends. The misinterpretation and ignoring of different civilizations, linguistic communication and historical background lead to catastrophes in the field of puting up transnational concern. To avoid this, a general cognition of another state ‘s civilization and history is indispensable. So general cultural cognition, if coupled with bias and prejudgement, is an obstruction to effectual planetary direction. 2.1 Communication and linguistic communication barriers One chief challenge under civilization is linguistic communication barriers. Communication is necessary for direction. Yet communicating relies upon a common linguistic communication, a status that does non be in many planetary concern state of affairss and that is when the jobs start. The most marked mark of the linguistic communication barrier at work can be found in the relationship between a transnational parent company and its web of planetary subordinates. Several factors contribute to the trouble of accomplishing and prolonging effectual communications and a productive, collaborative relationship. Even if an employee is comparatively competent in the linguistic communication of the other party, loss of rhetorical accomplishments is ever present as the usage of wit, symbolism, sensitiveness, dialogue, persuasion and motive requires a really high degree of eloquence. 2.2 Attitudes towards Appointments and Deadlines In America, Americans were give rigorous obeisance to clip committednesss and it was a basic rule of professionalism and polite behaviour. Because everything tends to be purely scheduled, delaies in one assignment or deadline can hold a serious rippling consequence on a coworker or client ‘s other work committednesss. But for illustration: The more flexible and open-ended attack to clip of Indian and Sri Lankan concerns civilization can make tensenesss and inauspicious feelings on American opposite numbers3. MNC Workforce DiversityMultinational Companies ( MNC ) had to confront a figure of new challenges in their day-to-day concern over the past twosome of old ages. Globalization changed assorted things for planetary participants. In general MNC construction shows a focal point on their chief resources and sections like finance, engineering, selling, gross revenues and production, because they want to hold a big figure of clients and to gain net income. A immense challenge MNC have to pull off is their workforce diverseness. The milepost research by Hofstede with 116,000 recruits of IBM, a elephantine MNC in 50 states and 3 parts recognized four cultural values in the workplace: Individualism-collectivism, Power difference, Uncertainty turning away and masculinity-femininity. For illustration: the United States was the greatest and Guatemala was lowest in individuality. Malaysia was the highest and Austria was the lowest in the power distance values. Greece was the highest and Singapore was the lowest in the uncertainness turning away values. Japan was the highest and Sweden was the lowest in the maleness values. There have been important sum of intercultural and cross-cultural surveies with these cultural values, and some surveies demonstrated the relationship between communicating manners with some of these values. Because of this diverseness one of the cardinal success factors of MNC is the enlisting and choice of human resources who offer valuable singularity. These persons are organizing the values and beliefs of a concern. There are two cardinal challenges within planetary HRM specifically constructing planetary corporate civilizations and developing planetary leaders that have to be mastered in order to pull off diverseness and be successful in the planetary concern milieus.Pull offing diverseness in MNC during HRMTo pull off workforce diverseness in MNC it ‘s a challenge for the human resource direction to put up a planetary corporate civilization. To acknowledge with the corporate civilization of the company is the most important thing for the work force. That is why constructing a planetary corporate civilization is one of the most of import challenges for Multinational Companies. Employee behaviour is perchance the most critical challenge that transnational organisations have to cover with. In Multinational Companies there is a immense potency of struggles, because of its diverse personalities. As a consequence of this anxiousnesss will originate among employees. Persons try to accommodate their behaviours to suit the demands of a peculiar environment. In order to accommodate to the environment, persons sacrifice their individualisms to suit in with their new co-ops. Persons become incorporated into the civilization of an organisation when they are successfully understood into the workplace. Successful cultural version reduces members ‘ anxiousness, function struggle, and purposes to go forth. Additionally, successful version increases organisational duty, occupation satisfaction, assurance, and occupation acquaintance every bit good as successful socialization and constitution of relationship.4. Challenges of Working across Culture4.1Stereotyping They are normally deceits and inaccuracies fixed in false conjectures and faulty analysis. Normally this rating is seen in a negative position. The challenges to organisations are to admit differences in positive footings. Power battles and can be the consequence of pigeonholing in organisations. For illustration, puting adult females, who stereotypically have had lower position than work forces in society ; in senior direction places create position incongruence in the heads of many of the people. This can root complexnesss in the leader/subordinate relationship and can root power differences in a concern. This is done in such a manner that affiliates of minority groups may happen it difficult to utilize influence over determination procedures in the organisation. 4.2 Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism consequences when directors identify the differences in civilizations – but have a leaning to believe that their civilization and their manner of making things is the right manner, their manner of making things is the lone manner and the best manner. Any difference from their civilization or from their manner of making things is seen as â€Å" deformation † or as a â€Å" error † or as â€Å" Incorrect manner † . Most people have the leaning to prosecute ethnocentrism. Americans, Nipponese, Chinese, Germans, Gallic, Scandinavians, and Russians are more prone to ethnocentrism than other civilizations – when compared to other Asians, Latin Americans, British, Australians, Africans and Indians. 4.3Informal Integration Informal groups play a important function in any concern. They influence both the success of the concern and the calling success of persons. Entire quality programs depend to a great extent on employee part and informal webs can greatly impact this procedure. Informal groups are influenced by factors such as common linguistic communication, perceived societal similarity, and ethnocentrism. These corporate webs are critical for communicating in organisations. It has been found that race has a major consequence on corporate networking. This is non amazing as you would anticipate people to hold a penchant for interaction with members of one ‘s ain civilization group, particularly in an informal context. 4.4 Parochial Attitude Parochial attitude refers to a individual ‘s incapableness to see cultural diverseness. This is precisely the contrary of ethnocentrism. Directors who are sent overseas often fitting people who are besides dressed in suits and talk their linguistic communication – this prompts them to ignore all other cultural differences and do them experience that all others are â€Å" merely like us † . In today ‘s concern Earth, most people are disposed to dress likewise – in suits or other expressions and speak in English, but this does non bespeak that all people have the same civilization – but people frequently merely see the surface and believe that the other individual portions the same cultural values. Directors from US/UK frequently tend to expose a strong parochial attitude – chiefly because the people with whom they relate on regular footing can talk English and are dressed likewise in suits or western frocks..

Socialization is done when children follow the footsteps Essay

Socialization can be referred to as the process by where adults and children learn from each other. It is often said that socialization begins at home and this is true because it is the responsibility of the family to teach children from a very early age the norms and values of society. It is the process by which they learn right from wrong. Socialization is done when children follow the footsteps of their parents, teachers or older siblings. Socialization never really stops because all through life, people learn new things and they are never knowledgeable enough to know everything. During this process of socialization children develop a sense of self and become their own person. They become unique and have a distinct personality. Individuals develop their potential and learn culture through this process of socialization. Humans are unlike any other species and they need to learn things and how to survive. It is important for humans to learn their culture for it is a part of who they are. We learn by internalizing which is the process when people take norms values beliefs and language as their own and accept them as their own. Importance of socialization Socialization is important for many reasons: It helps a person become who they really are. It provides the basics for a person to learn about their culture and their way of behavior. Socialization helps people discover their talents and they find out that they are really good at something and they enjoy that. Through socialization children can develop as a person and acquire normal social graces. Children need to feel cared for and loved so when parents take time out for their children and teach them values and norms this helps them to develop properly. Learn ways on how to think talk and actions that are important for social living Is a way by which the society can pass culture along to the next generation We achieve harmony and are able to it into society We develop skills and learn not to always act on instinct It avoids isolation and improper development of children It allows us to develop our potential to develop or maximize skills We develop proper learning Agents of socialization The family is a major agent of socialization. It gives individuals their first experience, earliest and deepest experience to relationships and their exposure to the way of life. The family also teaches their own about the social and physical environment and teaches them to follow it. Children learn from the type of environment that elders create. The family also gives children a social place when it comes to religion race or culture. This makes up the child’s self-concept. The family are the ones responsible to teach children manners, respect and obedience. They cannot allow their children to go to school without teaching them how to talk to older people with respect or how to obey when told to do something. The school also plays a role in the socialization of children. The school is a port way for children to learn about their ancestors and to teach them of the way people behaved in the older times compared to the way they behave now. They learn how society is connected to race and gender. The school is their first experience to bureaucracy. This means that the school prepares them for the future because it runs on a time schedule and is governed by rules. This is helpful because it prepares them for when they get a job. It is also proven that schools mold children into gender roles. School also open opportunities or children to join peer groups in which they meet people with similar interests or talents. The mass media is also an agent of socialization. The mass media provides a vast amount of information to a huge audience at the same time. It is proven to have a great impact on the behavior and attitude of children. The media is also a port way for people to learn about different cultures and to meet people of different race and ethnicity. The media can inspire people to achieve access and to follow their dreams. Children will view successful people on the television and aspire to be like them. This is a good thing because children will have ambition. Theories on socialization George Herbert Mead: He developed a theory on social behaviorism. It explained how a person’s personality can be affected by social experience. He saw the power that environment had when it came to shaping behavior. He studied inward thinking. His main concept was self. He described this as the part of a person’s personality composed of self- awareness and self- image. He considered that self only develops when people interact with others. He said that humans care what others think of them and that is what they think of themselves as well. Lawrence Kohlberg: He studied how people distinguish between right and wrong. At an early age for children, they think that whatever feel good to them is right. Another aspect of his is that teenagers in the adolescent stage lose their selfishness and learn to act according to what parents tell them and by the rules of their school. He also said that individuals learn not to argue with what is legal or right. Jean Piaget: he studied human cognition. This refers to how people think. He wondered how children made sense of the world. He described the way children made their way through life based on what they thought of it. Piaget believed that biological maturation and increasing social experience was reflected by human behavior. He stated four stages of cognitive development which included sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. Sigmund Freud: He studied mental disorder and personality. He believed that biology played a major role in the way people develop. He said that the human personality had three parts which include: The id which represents the innate human drives, this would be the human life and death instincts, the ego which refers to the internalized cultural values and norms and the ego which he considered resolved the competition between the restraints of the superego and the demands of the id. . Family Basic Concepts Family is a group of people who are closely related to each other by blood, adaption or marriage. The family is considered the basic unit of society. A family is considered to be the people who will always be there for you, no matter the situation you are involved in. Whenever in need of something the first place you run to is home. You are confident that there you can be safe and that there will be the people you can depend on. The family is the group of people who play a significant role in an individual’s life. Bonds within a family are considered kinship. Within every society there are families, however the views of people and whom they consider to be their family may vary depending on historical changes and culture. Family of orientation refers to when individuals are born into a family that includes parents and siblings living together. This plays an important role in socialization. A family of procreation is when adults decide to start their own family either naturally or through adaption. Marriage is an important aspect when considering starting a family. Marriage is a legal union between two people who commit to each other and this involves economic cooperation, sexual activity and childbearing. Children born out of marriage are considered to be illegitimate. Global Variations Types of families: Extended family: Is a family that includes more than three generations living in the same household. Everyone is connected by blood. Nuclear family: A family that includes a mother, father and their children living under the same roof. Sibling household: This is a family that an older brother or sister is the one in charge of the rest of children. They are required to be the parents and take care of the younger ones. Reconstituted family: This is a family type formed by the combination of two single- parent families. Single- parent family: Is a family type that involves one parent taking care of the household. Marriage patterns This refers to the way in which individuals are required to marry: Endogamy: This refers to marriage between people of the same social category. This limits marriage prospects to other people of the same gender, social class or race. Exogamy: This is when people of different social class get married. This type of marriage promotes cultural diffusion and builds alliances. Monogamy: This is marriage between two people. Polygamy: This is a type of marriage that unites two or more people. Polygyny: This refers to marriage of one man to two or more women. Polyandry: This refers to marriage of one woman to two or more men. Residential Patterns This talks about where a couple resides after being married: Patrilocality: This pattern refers to when the married couple lives with or close to the husband’s parents or family. Matrilocality: This is when the married couple lives close by or with the wife’s family. Neolocality: This refers to when the married couple live in a new place away from any side of their families. Patterns of Decent This refers to a system families used to trace their kinship over generations. Patrilineal descent: This is when individuals trace their kinship through men. This is when sons are the ones who inherit or get property passed on to them by their fathers. Matrilineal descent: This is a system used to trace kinship through women. This is when mothers pass on property or inheritance to their daughters. Bilateral Descent: in order to promote gender equality, this system traces kinship through both men and women. Theoretical Analysis of the Family Functions of the family Structural and functional analysis: Socialization: The teaching of right from wrong to children. Regulation of sexual activity: Every culture tries to regulate sexual activity in order to maintain property rights and kinship organization. Social Placement: Families try to maintain social organization in order to confer their social identity. Material, emotional and financial security: Families provide financial assistance, physical protection and emotional support. Inequality and the family: Social- Conflict analysis Property and Inheritance: Identifying heirs in order to transmit property. Patriarchy: This is how men own women as their sexual and economic property. Racial and ethnic inequality: Families promote people marry others like themselves. Stages of Family Life This is the way how a family evolves. Courtship: Is when partners get to know each other and see if they are compatible. Settling in: This involves romantic love where partners fall in love with each other and usually plan to marry or not. Child rearing: This is the raising of children on the right path showing them love and kindness. The family in later life: This is when people stay married but for the final years of their marriage they return to living with only one spouse. Transitions and problems in family They are many things that break up the family: Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage. Causes: Individualism is on the rise: This is when family members stop spending as much time with each other. Romantic love often subsides: When sexual passion fades this is when relationships fade. Women are now less dependent on men: Women leave unhappy marriages because wives are now not financially dependent on husbands. Many of today’s marriages are stressful: Most families face the problem of not having enough time or energy for family. Divorce is socially acceptable: Divorce is no longer being discouraged. Legally, a divorce is easier to get: Now divorces are easy to get as long as the couple says the marriage has fail. References Macionis John J., Sociology- (13th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009

ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

ART - Essay Example In this case, one can definitely say that the painting is not at all beautiful. On the other hand, if the painter uses same color shades all over the body parts, that painting can be considered as a beautiful one. In short, color combination plays an important role in deciding whether an artwork is good or bad. Different societies perceive beauty differently. For example, earrings, bracelets, chains, bangles etc are considered as beauty enhancing materials in some societies whereas in other societies, such things are not at all considered so. For example, David Beckham wears an earring in one ear. For many British and European people, that earring is definitely enhancing the beauty of David Beckham. â€Å"According to the BBC, "more lads than ever are buying jewellery - not for their girlfriends, but for themselves. Experts think it is because they are being influenced by famous kings of Bling, like David Beckham and rappers† (To pierce? Why pierce? He pierced). It is not necessary that an Indian or Chinese may consider the earring of Beckham as a beauty enhancing ornament. Many people do believe that earring enhance the beauty of females rather than that of the males. In short, beauty is highly individualistic and subjective and the perceptions of it vary from societies to

Financial accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Financial accounting - Assignment Example In addition, through integrity, external auditors are required to avoid conflicts of interest when making their reports. In this way, their judgment will be imperative to the shareholders, directors, banks and other users of the audited reports. Question 2 One of the major factors to consider before investing in the biotechnology company is the profitability of the company. Through the audited financial reports, an investor will note the amount of profits and divided paid to the shareholders. In this way, an investor is at a good position to make an appropriate decision before investing in the company. Secondly, an investor should know the sources of finance adopted by the company. Companies that have wide range of sources of finance have a higher probability to survive in the current competitive business arena. Similarly, through various sources of finance, the concept of business as a going on concern is guaranteed since the company is financially stable. Another vital aspect that as an investor I will need to know is the management of the company. If the company has a strong management and auditing team and policies, it implies that financial position of the company is good thus guaranteeing high returns to the shareholders. Likewise, it is fundamental to have adequate information on the strategic plans of the company. For instance, if the company is focused at being acquired by another major company, it may result to an expansion of its services thus generating more returns. On the other hand, a company with unclear plans may fail in future thus making it unviable to invest in. Question 3 One of the recent major accounting scandals is the one that involved Olympus, a Japanese based firm that specializes in the production and selling of medical equipments and cameras. According to New York based prosecutors, Chan Ming Fon, one of the company executives was engaged in covering more than $1.7 billion losses thus providing false information to the auditors. The funds that were illegally acquired by the executives together with other seven employees were transferred to unknown financial institutions through the wire transfer. According to the FBI, Chan notified the auditors that the company funds were held in the form of Japanese bonds while in the real sense they were used to repay a loan through a firm that was under the control of Olympus. The whistle blower of this scandal was Michael Woodford soon after he was fired as British CEO in 2011. To prevent such a scandal, I suggest that auditors would seek more details and prove of all the information provided by the company. It would be also imperative for the government to intervene by bringing on board external auditors at the initial stages when the fraud was detected. Question 4 Taking into consideration that accrual accounting matches the revenue generated with the expenses incurred within a specific period of time, I would first take the bank statements that depicts the cash collecti on and payments for the first six months the period that my clients want to be audited. In the same way, I would separate the invoices and the bills that are covered in the first six months. This will be followed by comparing whether the sales incurred in the first six months are inline with the expenses incurred within the same period. According to accrual accounting, selling products on credit may result to future revenue streams that may affect the current financial position of the company (Barry and Jamie 11). To avoid this scenario, I would treat all the credit sales within the first six months as account receivables. For example, computers that were repaired

Contermporary Issues For Business and Society Essay

Contermporary Issues For Business and Society - Essay Example Users of Enron’s financial information assumed that the information availed was factual, reliable and could be used for sound decision-making. Enron scandal is the biggest audit failure and the largest bankruptcy reorganization in the American history. It is also the company that went down very fast and is the most known company in the world for its audit failure. This research seeks to analyze the causes of its failure and its consequences. When the Enron scandal was revealed, confidence in the capital market went down, careers of people were destroyed, and lead to bankruptcy, economic loss, and erosion of public confidence and trust in the audit profession. Corporate managers are expected to maximize shareholders’ returns and increase business value. They have a responsibility to present the true picture of their organizations to the public, shareholders, employees, and the government. Businesses follow ethics in presenting their financial information. Business ethics are a set of rules and precepts required in the preparation and reporting of financial information. They are set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and include professional behavior, integrity, objective, confidentiality and professional competence and due care. However, they are not always followed and the financial information is sometimes manipulated. Several organizations have been in the news manipulating financial information and reporting it instead of the true information. Such organizations include Enron, Lehman Brothers, WorldCom, and South Sea Bubble. Responsible management is important to ensure the success of an organization. The management has a role on implementing internal controls in the organization to prevent financial loss and frauds. It prevents embezzlement, asset misappropriation that could lead to loss of reputation,

Mangerial skills and communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mangerial skills and communication - Essay Example Furthermore, our society depends on the goods and services provided by the organizations these individuals manage. Each of us is influences by the actions of managers every day in different capacities, because we encounter organizations every day. Our experiences may be as students in a college, patients in a hospital, customers of a business, or citizens of a state. Managers play a vital and crucial role in almost every type of organization. All the organizations are guided and directed by the decisions of one or more individuals who are designated managers. In other words, managers can be considered as the backbones of every organization. In this regard, it is the responsibility of managers to manage their work, their employees and workers, in order to ensure successful proceedings in the organization. In specific, a number of factors are responsible for the effectiveness of a manger. Particularly, interpersonal skills play a vital and crucial role in the efficiency and efficacy of the managers. In this paper, we will try to focus on couple of interpersonal skills that can facilitate the worki ng of managers in an efficient manner, especially the communication competence and intercultural communication. (Williams, pp. 31-32, 2001) It is very important that the term interpersonal skill should be understood and discussed in the paper, which will perform as the basis of our study. In this regard, during social communications and interactions, communicative algorithms play an important role that have been referred as interpersonal skills, which facilitate and impact significantly on results. Within business organizations, social communication and interactions is the major tool that is utilized by managers to operate and manage the employees in business organizations. In other words, interpersonal skills can be referred as an art that is used at the time of interacting with one another. It has been

Australian Gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Australian Gas - Essay Example Dividends during that time have grown from 52 cents per share to 63 cents per share (93 cents per share in 2005 which includes a special 30 cent dividend). That is approximately 5% dividend growth per year. Earnings per share (excluding extraordinary items) during the last three years has grown from 73 cents per share in 2003 to 79 in 2004 and 84 cents per share in 2005 (the last year full figures are available), which is an average growth rate of just over 7% per year. Underlying profit (excluding significant items) grew from $351 million to $386 million just over 6% growth for the year. EBIT remained steady at approximately 13.6% of funds employed. Total liabilities dropped from $3.4 billion to $2.6 billion a 22% drop. The debt to equity ratio dropped significantly dropping from over 40% in 2004 to approximately 27% in 2005. The price to earnings ratio during the last three years has remained relatively stable as well. In February 2003 the stock was trading at about 10.00 per share and had earnings of 73 cents that gave it a P/E of approximately 14. In February 2004 the stock was trading at just over 11.00 per share and had earnings of 79 which kept the P/E very close to 14 and in February of 2005 the stock was trading at approximately 13.25 per share and had earnings of 84 cents. This caused the P/E to jump slightly to approximately 16 which was still well within the average P/E of other gas and electric companies. RISKSThere are a myriad of risk factors for this company, including (but not limited to): rates being set by the regulatory board that are not in line with company expectations, a vote by shareholders that halts the planned divestiture of AGL energy and AGL infrastructure into two separate entities, the ongoing environmental investigations and standards that need to be met and of course a more consistent weather pattern that lowers the demand for electricity or natural gas.The rates that are currently being considered are in line with industry standards and though there are a number of rate revisions being considered by the regulatory commission the company feels that the recent trend has been for the governing board to take a light approach, not a heavy handed approach to rate increases. This bodes well for the company.The divestiture of AGL energy into a separate entity is viewed by most experts to be a good decision and profitable for the shareholders. Recent surveys show that the majority of shareholders are planning to vote for the divestiture and subsequent merger at the shareholders meeting in October 2006. The company is committed to a clean environment and recently began to draw up plans for the

Analysis of Aiding Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Aiding Violence - Essay Example Any foreign investor with an African dream must look at the tragic events at Rwanda, before planning to set his foot on the African soil. People can build a country and people can break it--how the latter course takes shape-- Rwanda is the latest example. When negative forces rule the roost in a country, a host of issues crop up, some are excavated from the history, some react to the current conditions. Rwanda stood engulfed in inequality, exclusion, and humiliation and those enterprises which established themselves in Rwanda, with the hope of doing something constructive for the people, were bewildered and utterly failed, overwhelmed by the ruthless violence. They were frustrated and defeated and all developmental and welfare activities came to a dead end. Killing each other flourished as the predominant industry! What were the factors that lead to the inner-humiliation of Rwanda, and the unprecedented genocide, which the world watched as if it had no concern? Developmental activities, even in a peaceful and well-governed country, create heartburning and severe tensions. The impact of materialistic civilization make the people believe that they are in a competitive race and they must win, even if that means trampling the interests of others. Any developmental project must be preceded by a program to educate the people, through the print and electronic media and ground realities explained to them as for the intended purpose of the project and its benefits as a whole to the Nation. This was not done in Rwanda. The inexperienced rulers played in to the hands of the developmental agencies, and conflicts began to take shape. The conflicts ignored over a period, lead to the mass conflagration. In this 1994 genocide, 1,000,000 lost their lives. It was not one country attacking the other country. It was a civil-war, even though indirect support to various factions fighting could not be ruled out. But the basic question is, why this happened in the 20th

Carbon based pollutants Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Carbon based pollutants - Research Paper Example This paper will first focus on CO2 emissions discussing its negative impact on health. Then, the paper focusing on the government’s role in reducing CO2 emissions will discuss the Caps and Trade policy of the US government and the American New Clean Energy and Security Act. Among the various detrimental greenhouse gases, CO2 is the one that has the most virility. Although, on a molecule-for-molecule basis, methane is a more intense greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but as it is present only in small quantities, its effect is minimal when compared to CO2. (Schobert, 2002). CO2 levels have shown an uphill path due to rampant industrialization that started in the 19th century. With economics deciding the fate of a country as well as of an individual, Industrialization acted as a ‘catalyst’ for economics as well as environmental degradation. â€Å"Humans have been modifying the environment through processes associated with industrialization...One of the most important results of these activities has been increased emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)† (Berliner, 2004). The common medical fact is humans have to exhale CO2, as high exposure of CO2 and build up of it in the human body will kill the person. However, CO2, emitted from the ind ustries as well as fuel based vehicles, are physically as well as mentally harming humans, other living beings and also the environment. The high exposure of CO2 will affect or injure the human’s organs including heart, lungs, etc causing many diseases like lung diseases, breathing problems, cancers and even death. The results of a study covering few heart patients from Boston showed that, carbon pollutants particularly from traffic exhausts was found to increase ST-segment depression, a condition in which there is a reduction in the hearts ability to conduct electricity. â€Å"When levels of black carbon and particulates in the air

Analysing Amazon Website From The Usability Point Of View Dissertation

Analysing Amazon Website From The Usability Point Of View - Dissertation Example Literature Review 3. Research Methodology and Design 3.1 Tools Employed in Evidence Gathering 3.2 Questionnaires 3.3 Interviews 3.4 Observations 4. Implementation 4.1 Visual Appeal of Amazon 4.2 Homepage of Amazon.com 4.3 Log-in Screen 4.4 Shipping to Multiple Addresses 4.5 Learn Availability of Products 4.6 Product Search and Satisfaction 4.7 Reliability and Uptime 4.8 Product Pages 4.9 Integration with International Websites 4.9.1 Co-Branding with Multiple Retailers 4.9.2 The Help Centre 4.9.3 Usability Support for People with Disabilities 5. Evaluation 5.1 The Suggested Solutions 5.2 Limitations of Suggested Solutions 5.3 Works Comparison 6. Conclusion 6.1 Thesis Overview 6.2 Future Works References Appendices 1. Introduction 1.1 Project Overview As the internet has evolved and more industries saw the potential money that could be earned from this platform, shopping and retail companies were not as well left out. An industry that allows internet users to sit in the comfort of thei r own home and use their personal computers to buy goods was created. Throughout the years, there have been various challenges and opportunities that have confronted this industry that ultimately led to the demise of most of them. One company has stood the test of time throughout the various technological and market changes that have confronted e-commerce. That company is amazon.com. From a modest start as an online retailer, it is now a market leader in online retailing. In this project, attention is being paid to the in-depth analysis of amazon.com as an online retail giant, with the primary focus being on the usability of the website from the perspective of the user. This is achieved by analysing existing literature on amazon.com and the conducting of surveys on sample users of the...Limiting factors that affect the usability of amazon.com will be discussed and recommendations made according to the opinions generated from cross-section of the website’s users. As the intern et has evolved and more industries saw the potential money that could be earned from this platform, shopping and retail companies were not as well left out. An industry that allows internet users to sit in the comfort of their own home and use their personal computers to buy goods was created. Throughout the years, there have been various challenges and opportunities that have confronted this industry that ultimately led to the demise of most of them. One company has stood the test of time throughout the various technological and market changes that have confronted e-commerce. That company is amazon.com. From a modest start as an online retailer, it is now a market leader in online retailing. In this project, attention is being paid to the in-depth analysis of amazon.com as an online retail giant, with the primary focus being on the usability of the website from the perspective of the user. This is achieved by analysing existing literature on amazon.com and the conducting of surveys on sample users of the website. Upon these conclusions will be drawn the site’s usability, the challenges that face it and recommendations made on the way forward.

A critical appraisal of the 2011 E.coli outbreak of food poisoning in Germany Essay Example for Free

A critical appraisal of the 2011 E.coli outbreak of food poisoning in Germany Essay A critical appraisal of the 2011 E.coli outbreak of food poisoning in Germany Introduction            E. coli is an abbreviation that stands for Escherichia coli which is a rod shaped, facultative, Gram negative bacterium. This bacterium is very common in the lower intestines of warm blooded animals. Although not all types E.coli bacterium are harmful, there are some stains that are known to cause serious food poisoning in human beings. The harmless E.coli strains are components of normal flora and produce vitamin k2. Moreover, they are important to humans because they inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines (Bill Clark 2012:74). The gut flora is made up of 0.1% of E.coli and other related bacteria and is mainly transmitted through fecal-oral means. Many of E.coli cells can only survive for a short time outside the body making them good indicator organisms for testing environmental samples of fecal infection. However, recent research has discovered some strains of the E.coli bacteria that can survive for long periods of time outside the body.            The first case of E.coli outbreak in Germany was reported between May and June in 2011 and was largely concentrated in the northern parts of the country. According to German health officials, the foodborne illness was caused by a new strain of the E.coli bacteria known as O104:H4. The disease was mainly characterized by a number of complications like hemolytic-uremic syndrome  (HUS) and bloody diarrhea (Lan Reeves 2002:84). The high number of deaths was mainly caused by hemolytic-uremic syndromes which require quick treatment. Initially, the outbreak was believed to have been caused by a strain of E.coli known as enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) but future research found that the outbreak was in fact caused by enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). Moreover, this strain of E.coli was found to have the ability to produce Shiga toxins. Initial epidemiological research had suggested that vegetables were the main source of infection. More specifically, the German agricultural mi nisters identified one organic farm in Bienenbà ¼ttel as the most likely source of the infection. As a means of controlling the outbreak, the German government ordered for its immediate closure. Despite the fact that laboratories in Bienenbà ¼ttel did not detect the E.coli bacteria in produce, one laboratory in North Rhine-Westphalia later established that the outbreak strain was in fact present in packaged sprouts from the suspected farm. On June 30th 2011, fenugreek seed imported from Egypt were announced as the most likely source of the outbreak by the German  Bundesinstitut fà ¼r Risikobewertung (BfR)  (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Todar 2012: 29). The German E.coli outbreak affected 3,950 people in total and caused 51 deaths in the country alone. Other countries that were affected by the outbreak include the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland and Canada (Bill Clark 2012: 93). At the beginning of the E.coli outbreak , the German authorities claimed that the bacterium was most likely to have originated from Spain. Without carrying out any tests, the German health officials claimed that the O104 E.coli strain was most likely to have originated from cucumbers imported from Spain. However, future tests revealed that Spanish greenhouses were not the source of the E.coli strain responsible for the outbreak. This claim by the German officials provoked protests by the Spanish government because it made the country lose about 200 million USD per week in agricultural exports.            The 2011 E.coli outbreak in Germany was the worst ever recorded case of shiga toxin producing Escherichia Coli outbreak in the world. The outbreak started on May 8th and was declared over by the German health officials on July 4th the same year. The outbreak could have been more serious if the government did not alert the public to avoid consuming foods from areas suspected to be the likely source of the bacteria. In 2011, Germany encountered the biggest episode of Stec cases ever recorded: what added up to 3,842 cases were accounted for, incorporating 2,987 instances of research facility affirmed E. coli gastroenteritis with 18 passings and 855 instances of hemolytic uremic syndrome (Hus) that prompted 35 lethal conclusions (Lan Reeves 2002:93). The episode began on May 8, topped on May 22, and was proclaimed fulfilled by July 4. One could contend that open health measures halted the pandemic by alarming individuals to maintain a strategic distance from the utili zation of debased sustenance, yet it is likewise conceivable that the plague ceased on the grounds that polluted sustenances were no more present in the business sectors. The procedure has been openly scrutinized for being too moderate and for beginning false press advertisements joining cucumbers and not sprouts to the episode. Reflectively, this feedback must be seen with some control. In the beginning of the episode, the average reporting times for Hus cases were 8 days to analysis, in the ballpark of 10 days to illuminate the nearby health section, and around the range of 12 days for showing up for the Robert Koch Institute (Rki) (3). In a U.S. study on E. coli O157 contaminations, a normal reporting time of 7 days was attained. There are two purposes behind the slower reporting process in Germany (Ihssen et al 2010:83) Germany has a less-brought together open health framework, and these cases introduced with an abnormal profile, facing medical practitioners with another clinica l substance. An early epidemiological examination comprised of a case-control study including 26 mature people hospitalized with Hus. Univariate dissection connected just the utilization of sprouts with sickness. Notwithstanding, no sprout cautioning was issued at the start of the episode, since stand out quarter of the patients recalled having depleted sprouts. Next was an accomplice investigation of 177 subjects who had consumed at a solitary restaurant, prompting 33 instances of affirmed Stec the runs. As per the restaurant formula, every one of the 31 cases that could be questioned had depleted uncooked sprouts. An arrangement of natural and follow back and follow send examinations by the German assignment gathering recognized an assembly of Swedish guests who had depleted a sprout mixture. This finding indicated a sprout maker in easier Saxony, Germany, where in May one-third of the workers fell sick, with some of them contaminated with the pestilence strain O104:h4 (Lan Reeve s 2002:102). The following pieces in this perplex were the wholesalers served by this grow maker, joining further groups to sprouts. Strikingly, the German sprout maker had a seed supplier that could be joined to 15 instances of O104:h4 contaminations in Bordeaux, France. These cases were clearly additionally connected with sprout utilization. The beat field gel electrophoresis example of the French disconnects was indistinguishable to that from the German flare-up however unique in relation to those of preoutbreak reference O104 strains, prescribing a solitary source clonal episode, predictable with the epidemiological confirmation. On 10 June, sprouts of fenugreek seeds foreign made from Egypt were declared by the German powers as the offender wellspring of sullying in this episode. On the other hand, none of the sprout mixtures (seeds) tried positive for O104:h4.            The force of the study of disease transmission contrasted and a microbiological methodology was highlighted by the failure to develop the scourge strain from any of the examined sprouts or from the sprout seeds which were taken from the handling chain. Growth of the strain was just conceivable in a couple of situations where back defilement was quite likely, for example, an opened bundle of sprouts from a family unit with illness. Because of the practically all around utilized society based identification routines for plagues, this disappointment speaks to an observation issue for health and sustenance security dominant voices as a rule. The issue could be brought on by the low irresistible measurements of the pathogen, its rot in nourishment at the minute of examination, or a particular physiological state of microbes characterized as suitable however nonculturable (VBNC). Numerous diverse bacterial species, incorporating E. coli, enter this Vbnc state as a reacti on to distressing ecological conditions (Ihssen et al 2010:125). Microbes in the Vbnc state dont develop on microbiological media however recapture cultivability when revived after stretch alleviation. In fact, O104:h4 entered this Vbnc state when presented to supplement poor conditions, poisonous amassings of copper particles, or faucet water. Soothing the anxiety by copper particle chelating encouraged the revival of O104:h4. Be that as it may, these trials ought to be translated with forethought, since there is so far no immediate confirm that E.coli O104:h4 is found in the VBNC state in nature.            The epidemiological investigation of first fundamentally sustenance borne tainting gets to be much more troublesome when the starting pathogen transmission by means of the evolved way of life is traded by human-to-human transmission. Human-to-human transmission is known to happen in the ballpark of 20% of families with an O157:h7 essential patient. Optional family transmission from mature person patients was likewise prescribed for O104:h4 contaminations in France and The Netherlands, fundamentally dependent upon the perception of deferred onset contrasted with the brooding time of 7 to 9 days for O104:h4 contaminations. Optional transmissions were additionally reported in Hessen, Germany, which is arranged outside of the primary plague center in northern Germany (Todar 2012:38). The study recorded transmission in families, the healing facility, and the microbiological research center.            Health officials in Germany faced a lot of difficulties in isolating the causative organism mainly due to its versatile nature. Based on the investigations carried out during the German epidemic, there are two major distinct pathotypes of the E.coli bacteria namely enteroaggregative E.coli (EAEC and enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) E.coli. It becomes even more difficult to control the E.coli bacteria if the virulence genes are located in the mobile elements of the DNA. Based on this, E. coli outbreaks in Germany, Oregon and Michigan are not the last. This calls for the microbiological community to carryout more research and ensure that the E.coli strains are sequenced on time and in an open way (Peter et al 2011:84). In Germany, the annotation of the E.coli strain responsible for the outbreak was carried out in a community-wide approach through the use of the internet. It brought together bioinformaticians from all corners of the world working day and night to sequence the genomes. Some of the international health organizations that were involved in handling the outbreak were the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the world health organization (WHO). The main role of a UK Local Authority based Environmental Health Practitioner would have been control the spread of the bacteria by isolating all infected animals and farm produce. Lessons from the 2011 E.coli outbreak in Germany            There are a number of lessons that can be learnt from the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany. To begin with, there is need to come up with more safe ways of growing foods especially fruits and vegetables. The investigations into the cause of the 2011 E. coli outbreak established the presence of certain strains of the bacteria in a number of vegetables and not on sprouts alone. This raised the question of E. coli prevalence in the European fresh produce (Russo 2003:4). The second lesson that can be learnt from the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany is the need for better communication incase any harmful bacteria are found in foods. After the E. coli outbreak, the German government came under a lot of criticism for taking too long to announce the outbreak. The government took too long before it took the report to the Roberth Koch Institute (RKI) (Todar 2012:83). Many of the infections and deaths that resulted from the outbreak could have been avoided had the government w arned the people on time. Based on this, it is important for governments all over the world to have an efficient E.coli surveillance and warning system. The final lesson that can be learnt from the E.coli epidemic in Germany is the need to ensure food safety both nationally and internationally. Despite the fact that the 2011 epidemic was concentrated in one area, it had global impacts. According to investigations, the sprout seeds found in the implicated farm were found to have originated from Asia, southern Europe and Germany. It is important for countries to raise food safety standards mostly in free markets like the European Union. References Benzer S 1961, ‘On the Topography of the Genetic Fine Structure’,  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A Bill Marler Marler Clark 2012,’German E. coli O104:H4 Outbreak – $2.84 Billion in Human Damage’  : Food Poison Journal Connolly, Allison 2008)’  Ã¢â‚¬ËœE. Coli Outbreak Kills One More Patient as Source Eludes Investigators’, Bloomberg Ihssen J, Kowarik M, Dilettoso S, Tanner C, Wacker M, Thà ¶ny-Meyer L. 2010,’Production of glycoprotein vaccines in Escherichia coli’, Microbial Cell Factories Lawrence JG, Ochman H, 1998, ‘Molecular archaeology of the Escherichia coli genome’.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. Lan R, Reeves PR 2002, ‘Escherichia coli in disguise: molecular origins of Shigella’,  Microbes Infect. Lee SY 1996, ‘High cell-density culture of Escherichia coli’,  Trends BiotechnolPeter Walker, Adam Gabbatt and agencies 2011,’E coli: European commissioner suggests  £135m payout for farmers | World news’,  The Guardian Russo E 2003,  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe birth of biotechnology’,  Nature Todar, K.2012,’Pathogenic  E. coli’.  Online Textbook of Bacteriology. University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Bacteriology Source document

Deaf People And Sign Language

Deaf People And Sign Language In 2002 approximately 1,000,000 people over five years of age were functionally Deaf in the United States (Gallaudet Research Institute). Used by the Deaf and hearing impaired, American Sign Language (ASL) has its own culture, grammar rules, syntax, and is used to communicate with one another and express themselves. Despite popular belief there is not one universal sign language. There are more than seventy different recognized signed languages used in the world (Myths Facts). Next to English and Spanish, American Sign Language is the third most widely used language in the United States (Facts About Deafness). Due to the increased use of the language the Deaf community has changed of the years and allowed the Deaf to adapt to a hearing world. Deafness should be welcomed and embraced as a way of life. It is thought to have been believed that Fray Pedro Ponce de Leon (1529-1584) a Spanish monk was the first to have taught Deaf students by representing objects with signs (Deafness). The first official written down form of sign is though to have to been founded in the sixteenth century by, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Geronimo Cardano, a physician of Padua, in northern Italy, proclaimed that Deaf people could be taught to understand written combinations of symbols by associating them with the thing they represented. The first book on teaching sign language to Deaf people that contained the manual alphabet was published in 1620 by Juan Pablo de Bonet (History of Sign Language). Over 100 years after the first sign language book was published the first school for the Deaf, Virginia School for the Deaf, opened in the 1780s; however, it closed only a year after opening (Oldest School for the Deaf in the US). 37 years later the second and oldest permanent school for the Deaf (The American School for the Deaf (ASD)) in North America was founded and opened in Hartford, Connecticut by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Laurent Clerc (1785-1869), and Mason F. Cogswell (1761-1830) in 1817. (Message from the Executive Director). Soon After, Schools opened in New York in 1818, in Pennsylvania in 1820, Kentucky in 1823, Ohio in 1827, Virginia in 1838, and Indiana in 1843. Within forty years of the opening of the Hartford school, twenty had been established altogether, and, by the turn of the century, more than fifty. (Through Deaf Eyes . Deaf Life . The Formation of a Community | PBS). The American School for the Deaf is still open and running; however, Over 80% of school aged children are being educated in the public school system (Various Statistics). Over 16 million people in the United States are hard of hearing or are profoundly Deaf ( Deafness). Out of these numbers only seven percent of kids were born into hearing families. Out of 1,000 births two or three children will be born Deaf or hard of hearing (Deaf About Deafness). This creates challenges for the parents of Deaf children. How do they communicate to their children? How will their children fit in? How will they learn? What will become of their children? Some will tell parents to look into cochlear implants and hearing aids, granted the family can afford them. Others will suggest the parents learn sign language. What ever the family decides it will bring about different challenges. One of the most important things parents need to no it that Deafness is rarely genetic. Most Deaf people have hearing pare nts and will give birth to hearing children (Myths Facts). Though being Deaf can cause challenges in ones life, science and todays technology has made many advances in how the Deaf can live with less difficulty. One of the must obvious adaptions the Deaf have is Sign Language. Though it is not the same everywhere, sign has allowed Deaf to communicate with the world. One can not live without some type of communication or humanity would not function properly. American Sign Language is primarily used in North America and Canada and is thought to have been derived from French Sign Language (American Sign Language). One might wonder what happens when the Deaf go out into public, how will they communicate with hearing people? Sometimes the Deaf will have an interpreter come with them for they can communicate with those who do not know American Sign Language. Being an interpreter has become much harder than in the previous years. As of June 30, 2009, all hearing candidates for [EIPA (educator interpretation performance assessment) (Interview)] certification must have at least an associates degree, in any field, in order to take the performance exams. This requirement is expected to increase to a ba chelors degree by 2012 (Becoming An Interpreter For The Deaf). Salary outlook on Sign interpreters depends on experience and educational outlook. After passing the EIPA test one usually applies to a school district. During these five years one can take special classes for specific fields of signing (e.g. nursing or law). During this time interpreters can charge 60 dollars per hour with a minimum of two hours. After getting a degree in specialty signing one can charge 100 dollars per hour with a minimum of two hours. With constant learning, the job of an interpret is constant but very satisfying (interview). One example of this may be nursing or interpretation for theater. Most of the time the Deaf can not attend theater events for obvious reasons, they can not hear the actors! Some theaters may bring in sign interpreters for a number of shows for the Deaf can experience live theater. This also benefits the company, bring in extra business. Other companies are also trying to increase business by creating Deaf friendly deals. One example is cell phone offering texting only plans for the Deaf. Why pay for calls if you have no use for them? This works out for both parties, the cell phone companies earn business and the Deaf get instant communication. One might wonder how the Deaf can use landline phones. A device called teletypewriter allows the Deaf to use landline phones and call hearing or other Deaf people. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ When hooked up to a phone or analog jack, allows for the typing of messages back and forth between text telephones. Anybody can call in to a TTY phone (presumably to a hard of hearing or Deaf person) (Need to know what a TTY is). One might wonder how the Deaf know when the phone is ringing. Todays technology has given the Deaf a hand up on this. Today the Deaf and Hard of Hearing can now set up a light system in their house to alert them to when something, the phone is one example, is going off. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦smoke detectors, phones and alarm clocks can all be converted to feature deaf-friendly flashing lights or very loud alarms, and even vibrating mechanisms that shake the bed or buzz in the occupants pocket (Sound and Fury Deaf Culture Living with Deafness). Another way technology has helped the Deaf is in TV. Obviously they can not hear the TV, or may have difficulty in doing so. Since 1972 TV shows have been available with closed captioning allowing the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to watch TV by reading what the actors are saying by means of text on the TV screen (Sound and Fury Deaf Culture Living with Deafness). Usually the deaf can not go to the movies, but new technologies are in development that allow the deaf to have special panels to allow them to read captions during normal movie viewings. One example of this is WGBHs Rear-Window Captioning System (Sound and Fury Deaf Culture Living with Deafness). These technological advances have made life just a little bit easier for the deaf to live comfortably. Technology may be helping the Deaf but is also causing controversy. The cochlear implant was first introduced in the early 1980s and allows the deaf to hear. In simplest form cochlear implants attach to the head by the use of a magnet and send electronic messages to the nerves in the inner ear (Cochlear Implants). Though normally welcomed by the hearing, the deaf do not approve of the surgery. Most deaf people view Cochlear Implants as robbing the deaf of their personality and that they do not need to be fixed. Also the implants have been noted to be destroying deaf culture. (How Do Deaf People Feel About Cochlear Implants) Most dont see the Deaf as having a culture, but they do and it has it own rules, guidelines and rules for acceptance. The Dictionary of American Sign Language by William Stokoe, Carl Croneberg, and Dorothy Casterline was the first to bring the though of the deaf having their own culture (Deaf Culture). In Deaf culture there are rules of behavior one needs to follow in order to fit in, including: eye contact, facial and body expression, and a number of other things. If one doesnt follow them, or breaks these rules they can be seen as rude. (Deaf Culture) The Deaf have many differences in what they deem as rude and this also goes to hearing culture too. One example of this is how they great one another. While hearing normally shake hands when being introduced a lot of deaf people hug. This may come across as strange to the hearing but its quite normal in their community. Another thing wild accepted in the Deaf community is being straightforward. Hearing people tend to dance around problems or beat around the bush; however, the Deaf are very blunt or straightforward (Some Differences between Deaf and Hearing Worlds.) They do not see this as being blunt; this is just part of their culture. If one plans on being part of the Deaf community they must be prepared for this, and be prepaid to do the same. The Deaf expect this and it is not considered rude. Another thing those who are in entering the Deaf community must expect is how the Deaf use time, known as Deaf time. Before technology allowed deaf people to communicate easier the deaf would spend long periods of time together, and goodbyes were longer. This still holds true to this day. While hearing people usually have quick goodbyes the deaf are considered to have long good-byes (Some Insight on the Differences between Hearing and Deaf Culture). The Deaf have come far in a short amount of time; theyve developed a language, a culture, and found many adaptations to the hearing world. Theyve got their own way of living, and have overcome many obstacles. Knowing American Sign Language and being part of the Deaf Community is rewarding and has changed the world as a whole. It has given a voice to those who do not hear, and has opened a new world to those who have inspired to be part of it. Deafness is not a handicap, just a different way people live and should be embraced.