Assessment in Special Education Essay

Abstract Sometimes the general education program alone is not able to meet the needs of a child with disabilities, and he/she may be able to receive special education services. The evaluation process can be a very difficult task when trying to identify if the child qualifies for special education, schools often have a pre-referral intervention process. The most prominent approached used today is the â€Å"response-to-Intervention† or RTI. Special Education teachers face many challenges when trying to meet the needs of special needs students in their classrooms. Methods of evaluation are a big concern and challenge for educators of special needs students today. In addition, meeting everyone’s needs is a difficult task to accomplish because of students’ diverse abilities in the classroom. This research paper will explore the different methods of assessment in special education programs and the best practices to help this children achieve their potential in an appropriate setting. Testing and assessment is an ongoing process with children in special education programs. Some of these assessments include, developmental assessments, screening tests, individual intelligence tests, individual academic achievement tests, adaptive behavior scales, behavior rating scales, curriculum-based assessments, end-of-grade, end-of-course, and alternate assessments. Comprehensive assessment of individual students requires the use of multiple data sources. These sources may also include standardized tests, informal measures, observations, student self-reports, parent reports, and progress monitoring data from response-to-intervention (RTI) approaches (NJCLD, 2005). The main purpose of a comprehensive assessment in the special education field is to accurately identify the strengths and needs of the students to help them be successful during their school years and there after. Legislation has played a big role in the shift towards functional assessment. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is also known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act has played a big role in this matter. The IDEA legislation â€Å"needed to assure that students with disabilities receive free appropriate public education (FAPE) and the related services and support the need to achieve† (Jeffords 1). IDEA was created to make sure that disabled children are receiving fair and equal education and support. This act has several parts to it which include providing grants, funds early intervention services, and supports research and professional development programs. The No Child Left Behind Act: Impact on the Assessment of Special Education Student. After the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) moved into our schools there is a great deal of controversy that questions whether the act implemented by President George W. Bush is helping or hurting an already suffering school system. There are many dimensions of the NCLB act that have been questioned over the past decade; the fair assessment of students with disabilities is one of them. As the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (NCFOT) reported, the public relations aspect of this act is strong. Prior to the Individuals with Disability Education Act of 1997 (IDEA) students in special education were exempt from participating in the statewide testing. However, the IDEA advocated that all students including those with special learning difficulties should be able to participate in testing. (Cahalan, 2003). Legislative Overview of Laws Protecting Special Education Students On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the NCLB act. In this act the federal government was for the first time in the history of the Department of Education putting an act into effect that would penalize schools that failed to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP). The AYP is a measuring system in which the federal government will look at the progress of the local government and school systems to decide whether or not that school, along with its teachers and students, has progressed and provided a high-quality education (Goldhaber, 2002). Through the NCLB act schools are held accountable for failing test scores and failure to improve their class average from one year to the next. The longer the school fails to meet required scores, the more the school will be held accountable, and the greater the consequence. For instance, a school that is unable to make their desired AYP and has not improved a significant amount within five years will then be subject to reconstruction. This reconstruction could include the government completely taking over the school and hiring new teachers and  teacher staff, leaving many teachers and staff unemployed (Goldhaber, 2002). Teachers and students in the special education department do have some laws however that helps them make testing less stressful. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 required that accommodations must be made for students with learning disabilities in order to be able to participate in the assessment (Cahalan, 2003). However, this leaves the question of what can be used as accommodations. Accommodations could include things such as test schedules and setting of the test, along with the format of the presentation. Also used to help the special education students and teachers is the individualized education plan (IEP). The Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) of 1991 would set into effect the idea of an IEP. An IEP is a plan that is set by a group of individuals that work closely with the student to design the educational format that is most appropriate for him/her (Cahalan, 2003). This does not take into account the type of disorder the student has but simply the student themselves. The individualized attention that is given with this plan provides the student with the correct instruction needed to be successful in education. These groups of individuals include the teacher, parent, school psychologist and anyone else that is closely related to the education of this student. The IEP members are, in most states, responsible in deciding which accommodations are important for each individual student (Cahalan, 2003). They, however, are not a part of deciding what accommodations will be provided for each student during the NCLB assessment. The laws described here were all implemented with the same goal in mind; to protect special education students and be sure their quality of education is the same as all other students. However some of these laws, including the NCLB, must be altered in order to truly give special needs students the education and assessment they deserve. Best Practices in Assessment of Special Education Students Students in special education programs should be included in the statewide assessments, as the IDEA of 1997 states. The IDEA also states that accommodations should be made to be sure that the student is able to fully understand the materials they are asked (Cahalan, 2003). There are four categories of test accommodations, presentation, response, timing, and  setting (Cahalan, 2003). Presentation is simply visual aids that help the student fully understand the context. These do not alter the questions of the test; they simply make it accessible for the students. Presentation accommodations include Braille, large-print, sign language interpreter, or reducing the number of questions per page (Cahalan, 2003). These simple accommodations make test taking less stressful, and therefore the material is better understandable by the student. However, no state has reported using them in their statewide assessments since the inception of the NCLB. In a study of over one thousand students it was found that using a video presentation to help understand the test showed a significant increase in their achievement (Cahalan, 2003). So why is the educational department not using these modifications that help so much? Another form of accommodation used in special education testing is response. It may be as simple as giving an oral response instead of a written one or it may mean that the test is dictated to the student by a recorder. These accommodations in no way alters the response that is given or received, it is still the same question being asked. Results have shown that by providing a reader special education students showed a significant improvement in their test score (Cahalan, 2003). The last two accommodations are setting and timing. The timing could include any extra time needed, breaks during the exam, or spreading the testing out through a few days instead of taking it all in one day. And the final accommodation is setting, which could include special furniture, lighting, or an individualized testing area (Cahalan, 2003). Even though there was no evidence to prove that setting and timing are important accommodations, it is well known that many special education students are tested in private rooms with more time. These accommodations should be accessible for special education students that need them to better their test taking skills. However, many states do not allow such accommodations to be made due to the misconceived conception that they change the contents of the test when in actuality they do not in any way alter the questions asked. BEST PRACTICES IN ASSESSMENT HANDOUT †¢Create a shared mission and goals statement that reflects an emphasis on student learning. †¢Focus on collaboration and teamwork. Faculty members must agree on assessment goals for planning to be meaningful. They may have to rise to a higher level of collaboration than may have been traditionally practiced in most departments. Collaboration within the department, across departments, and with higher administration will facilitate the best outcomes from assessment planning. All constituents must recognize that assessment skills must be developed and that colleagues can assist each other by sharing practices and strategies. †¢Clarify the purpose of assessment. Assessment can serve dual purposes: Assessment can promote student learning or provide evidence for accountability requirements through an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses. Wherever possible, students should experience a direct, positive benefit from their participation in assessment activities. †¢Identify clear, measurable, and developmental student learning †¢OUTCOMES. Explicit identification of learning expectations facilitates the department’s coherence about their GOALS. Sharing those expectations explicitly with students can provide an effective learning scaffold on which students can build their experiences and render effective performance. †¢Use multiple MEASURES and sources consistent with resources. Effective assessment planning can only occur when properly supported with appropriate time, money, and recognition for good work. The expansiveness of the assessment plan will depend on those resources. As resources permit, additional MEASURES can be added to planning. These MEASURES address variations in learning style, differences in types of learning, and interests from varied stakeholders. †¢Implement continuous assessment with clear, manageable timelines. Better assessment practice involves spreading out assessment activity throughout the year and across years rather than conducting a marathon short-term assessment effort in a single year. Projecting a schedule of regular formal reviews can facilitate appropriate interim activity. †¢Help students succeed on assessment tasks. Students will fare best in assessment activities when faculty make expectations explicit, provide detailed instructions, and offer samples or models of successful performance. They will benefit most with opportunities to practice prior to assessment and when given detailed feedback about the quality of their performance. †¢Interpret and use assessment results appropriately. Assessment should be a stimulus for growth, renewal, and improvement, not an action that generates data to ensure positive outcomes. Linking funding to assessment outcomes may encourage artificial results. Assessment data should not be used for personnel decisions. If cross-institution comparisons are inevitable, care should be taken to ensure comparisons across comparable institutions (benchmarking). †¢Evaluate your assessment practices. Results from assessment activity should be evaluated to address their reliability, validity, and utility. Poor student performance can reflect limited learning or an ill-designed assessment process. Examining how effectively the assessment strategy meets departmental needs is a critical step in the evolution of the department plan. (Retrieved from www. caspercollege. edu/assessment/downloads/best_practices. pdf) The Effect of NCLB Assessments on Special Education Programs When the Department of Education was asked how they intend to insure that special education students will not be forced to take tests that are above their intelligence level under the NCLB act, they could not give a real solution. They simply said that there are accommodations available, and if the student’s disability is severe to the point that the accommodations will not help, there are alternate tests they can take (Education Week, 2003). However, the problem with this is that there is no clear definition as to who is able to receive these accommodations and who is able to receive the alternate assessment. Who decides this? And how handicapped must a student be in order to receive an alternate assessment? Even though special education students are not at the same intelligence level as their peers they are still placed in the same test group as them. The NCLB act does not include in its AYP percentage the failing percentage rate of special education students in each given population. Therefore, teachers and school administration are trying to make up for the percentage loss in special education departments. Some teachers are now, for the first time, being held accountable for failing test scores. This, in effect, causes teachers to alter their curriculum and teach to the test? (Goldhaber, 2002). By teaching to the test students are missing out on important curriculum information that may be overlooked completely or presented in short educational lecture in the middle of teaching test taking skills and other information that may be found on the assessments. Possible Improvement to the Assessment and Accountability. To improve the NCLB act we must first know what is wrong with the act. While the idea of leaving no child behind in education is a good plan, there are still a few loop holes that the president’s act needs to clear up. The students that are placed in the special education setting are usually there because they have a disability or are below average in their cognitive abilities. In order to be fair to these students the government must be sure that they have the same quality education as all other students, but the government must also realize that the curriculum of the material they are learning may in some cases be drastically different. With this knowledge, it must then be known that to accurately and fairly assess special education students the assessments must be built with the correct accommodations. In order for this to happen, those who design the tests must develop an exam that meets the needs of the student, and not the needs of the disorder. In other words, do not test a student as an autistic child but first look at their individual advantages and disadvantages according to each test taking skill. Some students may simply need more time, while others will need more time along with a person to read to them and interpret some larger word usage. It is all based on the student’s individual needs (Cahalan, 2003). In other words the decisions of the accommodations should be made by people that know the student on a personal level, and know what accommodations are present in their current education setting. As stated before, with some assessments the IEP will meet to determine what accommodations will be made for the students in that assessment, However, this is not the case in the NCLB assessments; but it should be. Those who are teaching and raising the child should be a part of the process of determining how the child is assessed and what accommodations are necessary (Washington, 2003). It is important for the education of future special education students that the Department of Education take into consideration the possible reforms that were suggested by many local government and teachers surrounding them. Improvements can be made to the assessment of special education, and should be made to be sure that all students are receiving a fair and adequate education. Disproportionate identification of minorities in some special education categories: When speaking of the learning disabled, minorities, one must consider some dimensions to the issue of assessment within a particularly specialized light. This special population reflects both the learning disabled (LD) and the minority that they belong to. This is largely the case within a practical context, although as the literature points out, pre-considerations must be afforded for minority students. To begin with, it is important to look at the many variables that exist within the aforementioned components. These components include English as a Second Language (ESL), socioeconomic level and finally the impact this has on teaching the learning disabled in a classroom setting and more specifically when employing the assistance of a translator. Curriculum-based assessment is hampered with some biases that can affect these students (Dolson, 1984). A child’s race and ethnicity significantly influence the child’s probability of being misidentified, misclassified, and inappropriately placed in special education programs. Research shows the relationship between race and ethnicity and other variables for students’ placement in special education classes. Variables such as language, poverty, assessment practices, systemic issues, and professional development opportunities for teachers have been cited as factors that play a role in disproportionate representation (emstac. org). Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds should be able to receive an excellent and appropriate education. Some students are not included in special education programs, even though they have a disability that is affecting their ability to learn and they need special education help. Some CLD populations are also significantly under-represented in programs for the gifted and/or talented. In these instances, CLD groups are considered under-represented because the proportion of students from certain ethnic or racial groups who receive special services are significantly less than the number of these same students in the overall school population (U. S. Department of Education, 2004). Facts: †¢ Hispanics are under-identified within certain disability categories compared to their White peers (U. S. Department of Education, 2006). †¢ Asian/Pacific Islander students are actually less likely to be identified for special education services than other CLD populations (NABE, 2002). There are a number of possible action steps school personnel can take to ensure that individual assessments are conducted in a culturally responsive and nondiscriminatory manner (Klotz & Canter 2006). Recommendations include: †¢Allowing more time. Assessments of students from diverse backgrounds require more time to gather important background information and allow for alternative and flexible procedures. †¢Gathering extensive background information. To provide a context for the evaluation, conduct a review of all available background information including: school attendance, family structure, household changes and moves, and medical, developmental, and educational histories. †¢Utilizing student progress monitoring data from Response-to-Intervention (RtI) or problem-solving processes. Data generated from a process that determines if the child responds to scientific evidence-based interventions should be included in a comprehensive evaluation. The National Research Council on Minority Representation in Special Education recommended the use of data from a systematic problem-solving process measuring the student’s response to high quality interventions (National Research Council, 2002, pp. 7-8). †¢Addressing the role of language. Determining the need for and conducting dual language assessments are essential steps in an evaluation process. This includes determining the student’s language history (i. e. , ages that the student spoke and heard various languages), dominance (i. e. , greatest language proficiency), and preference (i. e. , the language the student prefers to speak). †¢ Using nonverbal and alternative assessment strategies. When assessing students from CLD backgrounds, use standardized nonverbal cognitive and translated tests (when available in the target language). Additional assessment techniques, including curriculum-based assessments, test-teach-test strategies and in-direct sources of data, such as teacher and parent reports, portfolios, work samples, teacher/student checklists, informal interviews and observations, and classroom test scores are also helpful in completing an accurate, comprehensive evaluation (NEA, 2007). Bibliography Bush, President George W. (December 3, 2004). Bipartisan Special Education Reform Bill. Retrieved from http://www. ed. gov/news/newsletters/extracredit/ 2004/12/1203. html Cahalan, C. & Morgan, D. L. (2003). Review of state policy for high stakes testing of students with disabilities on high school exit exams. Educational Testing Service. Department of Education. (2003). Title I ? Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged; Proposed Rule. (34 CFR Part 200). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office. Dolson, David P. (1985). â€Å"The Effect of Spanish Home Language Use on the Scholastic Performance of Hispanic Pupils. † Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, V. 6, No. 2,50. Fair Test. (2005). The National Center for Fair & Open Testing. Retrieved from http://www. fairtest. org on October 12, 2011 Goldhaber, D. (2002). What might go wrong with the accountability measures of the? No Child Left Behind Act? The Urban Institute. IDEA Partnership. http://www. ideapartnership. org Klot z, M. B. & Canter, A. (2006). Culturally Competent Assessment and Consultation. Retrieved October 2011 from: http://www.naspcenter. org/principals/Culturally%20Competent%20Assessment%20and%20Consultation%20NASSP. pdf. Improving accountability for limited English proficient and special education students under the No Child Left Behind Act. (2003). Washington Area School Study Council. National Association of School Psychology. (2007). The Truth in Labeling: Disproportionality Special Education. Retrieved from www. nea. org/books on October 15, 2011. National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. (2001a). Issues in learning disabilities: Assessment and diagnosis. In Collective perspectives on issues affecting learning disabilities (2nd ed. , pp. 55–61). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. (Original work published 1987) National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. (2005). Responsiveness to intervention and learning disabilities. Available from www. ldonline. org/njcld. National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. (2007). The documentation disconnect for students with learning disabilities: Improving access to postsecondary disability services. Available from www. ldonline. org/njcld National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems. (Fall 2005). Cultural considerations and challenges in response-to-intervention models. An NCCRESt position statement. Retrieved October 2011 From http://www. nccrest. org/PDFs/rti. pdf? v_document_name=Culturally%20Responsive%20RTI. No educator left behind: Testing special education students. (2003). Retrieved October 15, 2011, from http://www. education-world. com/a_issues/NELB/NELB025. shtml Olson, L. (2004). Data show schools making progress on federal goals. Education Week, 24, 24-28. Retrieved from http://www. edweek. org Tomes, H. Ph. D. (2004). In public interest: Are we really leaving no child behind? American Psychologist, 35, 31-35. Retrieved from www. apa. org on October 15, 2011 U. S. Department of Education. (2004). Twenty-fourth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC: Author.

Whistle Blowing

A whistleblower is someone that raises a concern about a wrongdoing that is happening in their company or organization. There are many things that the whistleblower can reveal such as the breaking of laws, exposing fraud, corruption, or health and safety violations. These allegations can expressed to the people that run the company or organization and they can be expressed to the outside world such as the media or law enforcement. The whistleblower normally faces reprisal from their company, related organizations, or sometimes from the law.Whistle blowing happens when people get caught between business and social responsibility. They have to decide what is best for the business and what is best for the world. In the Insider Big tobacco denies that nicotine is an addictive drug. Jeff Wigand is a tobacco executive and has to decide whether or not give an interview with 60 minutes about cigarettes and if nicotine is and addictive drug or not. Jeff signed a confidentiality agreement with his company saying that he will not disclose any information about nicotine.Even though he is fired and receives death threats, Jeff decides to give the interview and whistle blow on his company by exposing the facts about nicotine that his company was hiding. There are three elements in whistle blowing and when these elements are combined they make whistle blowing very bitter and distaste full. They are dissent, accusation, and breach of loyalty. Dissent is a disagreement with a superior or the majority which can be hard to do in a work environment.Whistle blowing’s dissent is shedding light on a risk and assigning responsibility for the risk. The whistleblower also accuses someone of who is often higher on the corporate ladder than him. When he accuses this person it is like he calls that person a foul and that gets the strongest reaction from that person and they try to defend themselves. The whistleblower is calling out his own colleagues and this is seen as a breach of loyalty because he has certain obligations to his colleagues and this loyalty is put against the public interest.There are many different views on when it is appropriate to whistle blow. Michael McFarland uses a study by Simon, Powers, and Gunneman that there are four factors that must be present in order to morally require someone to go and help another person. They are that there is a critical need for the help, is within the â€Å"network of social relations† which means a person duty to family, friends and so on, the ability to help without damage to self, and the lack of other sources of help.McFarland states suggests that engineers should be held to a higher standard of social responsibility than ordinary individuals but the responsibility should be dispersed among all of the members of the engineering society instead of just an individual engineer. He uses the example of Kitty Genovese. Kitty was murdered and many people in her apartment building either watched or list ened and did nothing. It has been argued that had the neighbors banned together they could have prevented the murder. McFarland uses this example to show that when no other sources of help are available that engineers should take responsibility by banding together.McFarland encourages engineers to change their thinking of individual responsibility to the responsibility of the engineering profession on a broader level. Richard De George states that loyalty to the company is the most important thing for a person to have. He gives three requirements for a person to have permissibility to whistle blow which are as follows. If harm to the public will be serous and considerable, if the person informs their superiors of the problem and nothing is done, and if the person informs everyone above them on the cooperate ladder and nothing is done.George also gives requirements for when whistle blowing is a moral obligation of a person. They include the three previously stated requirements and th at the person has documentation about their concern and that there is strong evidence that making their concerns know to the public will stop the problem. This seems like good criteria for a person to whistle blow but this approach can take a long time to complete because sometimes informing all the people above the whistleblower on the cooperate ladder can be an extensive process. This caused the Challenger disaster.The shuttle that was launched prior to the challenger had many time because of weather and mechanical factors. NASA did not want delay the launch of the Challenger so the launch pad could be refurbished on time and so it would launch at the same time as President Reagan gave his State of the Union address. The Challenger uses solid rocket boosters with solid fuel to overcome Earth’s gravity. These boosters are assembled with four segments that are held together by two O rings. The O rings keep hot gas from escaping from the motor.Heat putty is used to separate th e rubber rings and the hot gases. Engineers discover that the O rings may not be able to keep the boosters sealed at temperatures lower than 40o F and they brought this up to their superiors. The superiors disagreed and thought that the O rings would hold regardless of the temperature. The night before the launch the temperature dropped greatly below the safety limits of the O rings. Ice formed on the pad and some fell on a booster cooling it to 28o F causing the seal to fail. The shuttle was launched and fifty nine seconds later the shuttle exploded.Had the engineers whistle blowed instead of bringing up the problem all of their superiors then the shuttle may have not launched. While they did not have enough low temperature data to prove that it was dangerous to launch, they also did not have enough data to prove that it was safe enough to launch. Had they gone to the media there may have been enough public support against the launch for NASA to delay it. We will never know. What w e do know is that informing all of the engineer’s superiors took too long and the engineers did not have enough time to try and find another way to stop the shuttle launch.The National Society of Professional Engineers’ Code of Ethics for engineers has six fundamental cannons that state that for engineers to fulfill their professional duties they must, hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, perform services only in areas of their competence, issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner, act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, avoid deceptive acts, and conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.The first principle states that an engineer has the duty to the public’s safety, health and welfare before a duty to a client or employer. This keeps an engineer protected in the event of whistle blowing. Some c odes even go as far as disciplining or revoking the engineer’s license if the engineer fails to report something that the engineer knew was not in the public’s best interest.Having this principle in the Code of Ethics has help justify whistle blowing by engineers and has the courts often side with engineer, overruling confidentiality agreements and duties to employers that in the past would have prevented the engineer from speaking out. I believe that whistle blowing is a necessary part of being an engineer. It gives the engineer some power over the company or organization that has hired them.If the company fears that the engineer may go and tell the public things that the company does that are harmful to the public, the company will try to avoid doing things that are harmful to the public. While whistle blowing is often times distasteful and hard to do, it is often a necessity. There are companies in the world that only care about making a profit and do not worry abou t the public’s health.These companies need the help of engineers to design their projects which gives the engineers insight that the public will not have. While the engineers have loyalty to the company that they work for, it is also the engineers’ duty to the public to make sure that the company acts in the public’s best interest. And if the engineers can not convince the company that what they are doing is wrong, then it is time to bring the act to the public’s attention. Whistle Blowing A whistleblower is someone that raises a concern about a wrongdoing that is happening in their company or organization. There are many things that the whistleblower can reveal such as the breaking of laws, exposing fraud, corruption, or health and safety violations. These allegations can expressed to the people that run the company or organization and they can be expressed to the outside world such as the media or law enforcement. The whistleblower normally faces reprisal from their company, related organizations, or sometimes from the law.Whistle blowing happens when people get caught between business and social responsibility. They have to decide what is best for the business and what is best for the world. In the Insider Big tobacco denies that nicotine is an addictive drug. Jeff Wigand is a tobacco executive and has to decide whether or not give an interview with 60 minutes about cigarettes and if nicotine is and addictive drug or not. Jeff signed a confidentiality agreement with his company saying that he will not disclose any information about nicotine.Even though he is fired and receives death threats, Jeff decides to give the interview and whistle blow on his company by exposing the facts about nicotine that his company was hiding. There are three elements in whistle blowing and when these elements are combined they make whistle blowing very bitter and distaste full. They are dissent, accusation, and breach of loyalty. Dissent is a disagreement with a superior or the majority which can be hard to do in a work environment.Whistle blowing’s dissent is shedding light on a risk and assigning responsibility for the risk. The whistleblower also accuses someone of who is often higher on the corporate ladder than him. When he accuses this person it is like he calls that person a foul and that gets the strongest reaction from that person and they try to defend themselves. The whistleblower is calling out his own colleagues and this is seen as a breach of loyalty because he has certain obligations to his colleagues and this loyalty is put against the public interest.There are many different views on when it is appropriate to whistle blow. Michael McFarland uses a study by Simon, Powers, and Gunneman that there are four factors that must be present in order to morally require someone to go and help another person. They are that there is a critical need for the help, is within the â€Å"network of social relations† which means a person duty to family, friends and so on, the ability to help without damage to self, and the lack of other sources of help.McFarland states suggests that engineers should be held to a higher standard of social responsibility than ordinary individuals but the responsibility should be dispersed among all of the members of the engineering society instead of just an individual engineer. He uses the example of Kitty Genovese. Kitty was murdered and many people in her apartment building either watched or list ened and did nothing. It has been argued that had the neighbors banned together they could have prevented the murder. McFarland uses this example to show that when no other sources of help are available that engineers should take responsibility by banding together.McFarland encourages engineers to change their thinking of individual responsibility to the responsibility of the engineering profession on a broader level. Richard De George states that loyalty to the company is the most important thing for a person to have. He gives three requirements for a person to have permissibility to whistle blow which are as follows. If harm to the public will be serous and considerable, if the person informs their superiors of the problem and nothing is done, and if the person informs everyone above them on the cooperate ladder and nothing is done.George also gives requirements for when whistle blowing is a moral obligation of a person. They include the three previously stated requirements and th at the person has documentation about their concern and that there is strong evidence that making their concerns know to the public will stop the problem. This seems like good criteria for a person to whistle blow but this approach can take a long time to complete because sometimes informing all the people above the whistleblower on the cooperate ladder can be an extensive process. This caused the Challenger disaster.The shuttle that was launched prior to the challenger had many time because of weather and mechanical factors. NASA did not want delay the launch of the Challenger so the launch pad could be refurbished on time and so it would launch at the same time as President Reagan gave his State of the Union address. The Challenger uses solid rocket boosters with solid fuel to overcome Earth’s gravity. These boosters are assembled with four segments that are held together by two O rings. The O rings keep hot gas from escaping from the motor.Heat putty is used to separate th e rubber rings and the hot gases. Engineers discover that the O rings may not be able to keep the boosters sealed at temperatures lower than 40o F and they brought this up to their superiors. The superiors disagreed and thought that the O rings would hold regardless of the temperature. The night before the launch the temperature dropped greatly below the safety limits of the O rings. Ice formed on the pad and some fell on a booster cooling it to 28o F causing the seal to fail. The shuttle was launched and fifty nine seconds later the shuttle exploded.Had the engineers whistle blowed instead of bringing up the problem all of their superiors then the shuttle may have not launched. While they did not have enough low temperature data to prove that it was dangerous to launch, they also did not have enough data to prove that it was safe enough to launch. Had they gone to the media there may have been enough public support against the launch for NASA to delay it. We will never know. What w e do know is that informing all of the engineer’s superiors took too long and the engineers did not have enough time to try and find another way to stop the shuttle launch.The National Society of Professional Engineers’ Code of Ethics for engineers has six fundamental cannons that state that for engineers to fulfill their professional duties they must, hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, perform services only in areas of their competence, issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner, act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, avoid deceptive acts, and conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.The first principle states that an engineer has the duty to the public’s safety, health and welfare before a duty to a client or employer. This keeps an engineer protected in the event of whistle blowing. Some c odes even go as far as disciplining or revoking the engineer’s license if the engineer fails to report something that the engineer knew was not in the public’s best interest.Having this principle in the Code of Ethics has help justify whistle blowing by engineers and has the courts often side with engineer, overruling confidentiality agreements and duties to employers that in the past would have prevented the engineer from speaking out. I believe that whistle blowing is a necessary part of being an engineer. It gives the engineer some power over the company or organization that has hired them.If the company fears that the engineer may go and tell the public things that the company does that are harmful to the public, the company will try to avoid doing things that are harmful to the public. While whistle blowing is often times distasteful and hard to do, it is often a necessity. There are companies in the world that only care about making a profit and do not worry abou t the public’s health.These companies need the help of engineers to design their projects which gives the engineers insight that the public will not have. While the engineers have loyalty to the company that they work for, it is also the engineers’ duty to the public to make sure that the company acts in the public’s best interest. And if the engineers can not convince the company that what they are doing is wrong, then it is time to bring the act to the public’s attention.

Introduction to business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Introduction to business - Essay Example In addition, by collaborating with Recycling, Stonyfield Farm will have an opportunity to reach out to the community on the importance of conserving the environment by recycling used products. On the other hand, recycling will benefit significantly from the partnership in that by using request and recommendations made by Stonyfield Farm, they will acquire more plastic waste. As a result, there will be more raw materials for the manufacture of their recycled products. More products translate to more revenue and lesser environmental degradation. All these benefits will be in line with the company’s zero waste initiative. Moreover, Recycling will incur fewer costs in procuring the waste products as the yoghurt maker already has a plan on how the containers can be collected. This is because; Stonyfield itself is in a partnership with Whole Foods. Whole Foods has a â€Å"Gimme 5 program† in which, yoghurt containers are dropped in Gimme 5 bins for collection (stonyfield Farm , par. 4). To get a larger market share for their products, recycling could make use of various strategies such as making discounts. Discounts on recycled shavers and toothbrushes would attract more consumers to purchase and use their products. This is because they would be more affordable to the general public as compared to normally manufactured products. Also, the company could utilize catchy taglines to advertise their products on commercials aired on T.V. These include â€Å"waste free shaving† and â€Å"Waste brushing,† and would catch the attention of consumers and interest them. In addition, Recycling could educate the public on the importance of conserving the environment. Recycling as a way of conserving it, would make recycled products appealing to all those who heed the message of environmental consciousness. To market, its shavers and tooth brushes, Recycling could also get endorsement from international

Intellectual property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Intellectual property - Essay Example The mentioned sections will attempt to elaborate the legal ground that all businesses in the county have concerning their innovations and creativity that involves business ideologies. The preparation of this report gives a solution to Mr. William Lowie, referred to as Mr. L concerning ownership rights for one of his products in the UK market. The report is also in correspondence with the requisitions of the Supervising Solicitor, Hannah Littlemore. The client, Mr. L is the proprietor of a company called WL Ltd based in Weyford. Mr. L, a British citizen set the company up about five years ago; he owns 95 percent of the shares, and his wife the other 5%. Both Mr. L and his wife are full-time employees of WL Limited. The firm specializes in designing and manufacturing quality products for DIYers. The company is small, but thriving, and has grown substantially in terms of turnover and profit over the last few years. Mr. L designed on of his best-selling products called the Lowie Handibelt. The product is a leather belt with holes and pockets for tools, and with a useful attachment that allows a drill to be used without getting it out of the belt. The Handibelt is made by skilled employees in WL Ltd.’s workshops and went on sale about 18 months ago. WL Ltd sells mainly by mail order and through independent DIY shops in the UK. Sales of the Handibelt have been good and have increased steadily since its launch. The product got a particular boost four months ago when it won an award for Best New DIY Product. About a week ago, Mr. L received an e-mail from a friend, Joe Pennington, congratulating him on WL Ltd.’s deal with Whitesfield Plc. that had apparently allowed the Handibelt to go into mass production and to be sold in major DIY chains. Mr. L was puzzled, as he has no deal with Whitesfield, and had never had any contact with them. He has, however, started to receive letters from people claiming to have bought a Handibelt been disappointed by its low quality.

Rab Ne bana di Jodi analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rab Ne bana di Jodi analysis - Essay Example Rab Ne bana di Jodi analysis Being somewhat reserved and anxious not to displease the beautiful young woman, he tried to be as good a husband to her as he can be. But he is not very successful in establishing a good relationship with her and a distance begins to creep in; the once vivacious young woman become morose and withdrawn after the death of her father. Finally, in desperation, Surinder, with the help of his somewhat radical hairdresser friend, assumes an alter ego – one that appears much younger due to his style of dressing. As Surinder, he grants permission to his young wife to join dance classes in order to enter a dance competition and during the first session, he presents himself to her as her partner for the dance competition. Throughout the rest of the film, he preserve his dual identity – of the straightforward, somewhat boring and staid husband in a kurta pyjama versus the dashing young man dressed in tight jeans and T-shirts, named Raj. The first scene where Raj finds himself paire d to his wife and discovers that she does not recognize him with his changed appearance and style of dressing is one of the most important scenes in the film. This leads on to several sequences where Raj slowly gains the young woman’s confidence and ultimately finds out how much affection and regard she holds for her husband. He is dressed in tight jeans and a T shirt, which he is uncomfortable wearing, but his anxiety to observe his wife and what she is doing overpower his discomfort.

Carters Bakery Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Carters Bakery Business Report - Essay Example Hill (2005) describes operations management as â€Å"the field of study that focuses on the effective planning, scheduling, use and control of a manufacturing or service organization through the study of concepts that affects the organization†. (Hill, 2005) This business report presents an analytical analysis of Carter’s bakery business in terms in production, management and selling. The report will look at the areas that should be improved in the business. Operations management is very important in any business organization. The main aim of undertaking operation management should be to increase productivity, reduce costs of productions, and enhance flexibility to match customer requirements and at the same time improve quality and customer care services. (Ruffini, et al, 2000) As business organizations formulates plans and ways of dealing with the business opportunities and daily challenges that come up within the business environment, it is important that the business formulates a system which is able to produce quality services and products in required amounts and within the required time frame. In relation to Carter bakery, the operations were not well formulated and market research carried out was not enough to give them enough information about the market. Designing the business system starts with developing product. Development of a product entails determining the features and characteristics of a good product to be sold. When designing a product it is important that the customer needs should be incorporated in the designing process. The facilities and tools which will be used in product production are in this category. Also information system that is required in monitoring and controlling the performance of the product are included in this stage of designing. As Slack et al, (2007) points out manufacturing process of a business or a company are integral part of the designing process and will determine the failure or the success of the business

Online Store Vs. Physical Store Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online Store Vs. Physical Store - Assignment Example All products further fall into categories for different markets. For instance, music accessories are sorted by price range in order to direct buyers to products that are willing to spend certain amounts. With the online store, one has the opportunity of shopping through a personal account. Personal accounts allow one the comfort of shopping without worrying about carrying along a credit card or cash. This is made possible by the available options of saving one’s payment information. In addition to this, accounts offer the opportunity of receiving news about new offers and discounts from the company through emails. In a physical store, one only gets to learn about discounts through publicly placed advertisements that are temporary and dependent on one’s location. Online stores save an immense amount of time for shoppers. People do not need to queue in order to check out. Queues can become tediously long especially during peak times. Moreover, the time it takes for differ ent customers to finish shopping is unrelated to the amount of products bought. The process of checking out at the online store is simplified to a few clicks within the site’s pages. In addition to this, burden of travelling in order to make a purchase is eliminated. The Express.com online store, for example, ships products directly to the customer free on certain purchases. What does the ‘brick and mortar’ store offer that the virtual store cannot? When customers shop at a physical Wal-Mart store, they have the opportunity to select products that they need in their actual forms. Certain aspects about the product may instantaneously affect the choice to make a purchase. One may realize that the size or the appearance of a product is not precisely, what you would want if you were in direct contact with it. At the store’s website, one only gets the chance to select the product based on visual appearances displayed online. There is a possibility of purchasing something only to realize it does not precisely match your preferences. For instance, one cannot try to fit a new piece of attire at Express’s online store, but this is possible at the physical store. This, hence, means that there is a risk of purchasing a cloth that does not fit your size. Furthermore, one may not be able to seek immediate assistance from store attendants when shopping online. Questions about a product have to be sought independently or at a time cost if one chooses to make phone calls to consult the customer support team. This slows down the buying process. Shopping at the physical store also allows one to access products instantly as opposed to the online store, where shipment has to be made over a certain period. One has the chance to interact with other buyers at the physical store, as opposed to an online situation where there will never be a chance of seeing other shoppers. Such interaction with fellow shoppers can help in gaining information about ce rtain products, for example, when trying to choose an appropriate book. Again, some products are not deliverable to certain locations if purchased online, for example, groceries. Thus, it requires one to travel physically to the store. Finally, at the physical store, one has the additional option of using cash to pay for shopping bills. If shopping is online, the only options available involve electronic money transfers. What

Globalization of one commodity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization of one commodity - Essay Example Instead, it is referred as the integration of commodities and labor markets among others. It has been ascertained that the nature pertaining to commodities along with commoditization within the global economies has greatly addressed the human societal structure. Further observations have revealed that complexity along with interconnectedness related to the global economy assists in the development of the analytical techniques (Cronon 97-130). In this regard, it has been assumed that these particular techniques will accelerate the trade between the multinational companies. The study related to the commodity chain basically offers solution to numerous globalization problems. It has been defined that â€Å"commodity chains are tools that enable one to study the operation of global capitalism beyond the territorial confines of the national economy† (Collins 1-2). The commodity chain assists in having a better understanding of the global connections. It further helps in the distrib ution of profits amidst the various commodities chain being framed. This study intends to discuss an important early phase i.e. early 20th century and prior in globalization related to a commodity i.e. coffee. The study will focus on evaluating the trend of progression of coffee as a globally used commodity that has viewed a major development within the past two centuries and beyond. In the era of 16th century, the Muslim coffee industry emerged with the arrival of the Europeans which facilitated in the ‘The Making of a Global commodity Out of Arabia’. It was in the year 1718 that coffee was transported to America from Europe. Correspondingly, it has been observed that the Dutch had forced the Javanese for production of coffee within the Asian colony. Later on, Amsterdam was transformed as the leading coffee ‘entrepot’ worldwide for centuries. It has been further revealed about globalization of coffee that the British were the first to provide coffee to Americans (Rivali

US embassy safety after the 1998 US embassy bombings in Tanzania and Essay

US embassy safety after the 1998 US embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya - Essay Example The Foreign policies of countries are seen to generally be made up and designed in order to help protect that country's national interests, national security, ideological goals, and economic prosperity.However it is common knowlegde that that can occur only and only in the result which would be of peaceful cooperation and interaction with other nations, and to the contrary through exploitation and ultimately War. One can easily assume that foreign policies are as old and ancient as the society of humans itself. The century known as the twenthieth century has seen a fast rise in the importance and the need of foreign policies, with every nation in the world now having the means, methods and ability of being able to interact with one another in some form. There fore it is vital that one keeps a close check on the bills and formal agreements that are passed between various countries. And the kind of effects that those bills and other agreements have on the relationship and over all view s and feelings of the people belonging to those countries.This should be done so that devestating attackes and other tragedies can be avoided based on the effects of certain agreements and bills. Some agrrements and decisions taken on the basis of foreign polivy often cause the economy of either one or both countries involved to go down this in turn takes down the level of employment and ultimatley effects the quality of life for general public. This causes hatred and anger in the hearts of the people towards the people of the othercoutry and drastic expression of such hatred takes the shape of suicide and mass destruction bombings. One take on a foreign policy move which effected relationships between countries can be seen through the implementation of the Trade and lifting of trade barriers, as trade amongst coutries is the number one means of interaction there fore it holds great importance in the formation of zforeign policies. The Bill in questin here is the implementation of NAFTA. The terms and conditions of NAFTA have long been the basis form shaping the relationships between the United States and its neighbouring countries. Some highlights of NAFTA are given below. Approved in November 1993 and brought into effect on 1 January 1994 NAFTA or the North American Free Trade Agreement a trilateral agreement holds Canada, Mexico and the United States as its members. Its approval will see a Drastic change in the economics of these three nations. NAFTA basically draws rules and guidelines between Mexico, Canada and the United States for the elimination of trade barriers regarding goods and originating from within North America. Barriers such as Health and safety standards, import taxes and import/export laws. NAFTA aims at gradually reducing these barriers to the extent of making them non-existent between the member nations. It called of majority of the tariffs and remove restrictions from major categories such as motor vehicles, computers, textiles and agriculture. HISTORY AND ADDITIONS: Provisions regarding Investment restrictions between the three countries also saw removal and intellectual property safety saw new heights (patents, copy writes and trademarks). It being trilateral means that all stipulations equally applying on all members. Further more provisions regarding the protection of labor, workers and the environment were added later on to the agreement. This gave rise to the formation of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). Founded on the basis of concerns from the environmentalists that companies would either relocate to Mexico or that the United States would lower its standards if all three countries

Animal Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Animal Behaviour Essay Animals and their behaviour has been fascinating to behold and even more incredible to experience. Humans have been intrigued at how the most basic creatures can do the most complex things. Ethology or the scientific study of animal behaviour is responsible for numerous breakthroughs in the understanding of the animal world, and in turn the human one. Animal behaviour can range from being altruistic, to funny, to being lessons in teamwork and commitment. Dolphins have been observed to help sick or injured animals, swimming under them for hours at a time and pulling them to the surface so they can breathe. Male emperor penguins form a huddle during the cold and dark winter months where from tens to thousands of penguins lean on each other and gradually shift positions to obtain maximum warmth from the core of the huddle. Geese fly in a V formation as a flock to increase flight efficiency by 71% compared to one goose flying alone. Malaysian ants blow themselves up into a thousand bits of organic dust if they sense a threat to their colony. Elephants are known to mourn their dead. They stand around the body for days and pay respects to the dead elephant by touching their trunks to its body. Many animals, from earthworms to apes, are capable of learned behavior. They can alter their instinctive behavior by drawing on past experiences. With the help of technology, today scientists are able to find out much more about animal behaviour and the ways animals interact. If scientists in the Smithsonian can teach orangutans simple language using computers they can also find out if other animals think like humans. The knowledge they gain will help save wildlife and prevent endangered species from disappearing. So lets hear it for the creepies and crawlies, the slimies and furries who have successfully learnt to establish and protect territories, find food and water, court, mate, reproduce, nurture their young, and play in a mind-boggling array of conditions far beyond our fragile human capacity. â€Å"God gave unto the animals wisdom past our power to see: Each knows innately how to live. Which we must learn laboriously†.

Sri Lankan fashion designers

Sri Lankan fashion designers 2.1 Sri Lankan amateur fashion designers don’t have a proper platform to showcase their talents. Though many Sri Lankan designers have got lot of talent in this industry, only a very few people are recognized by the society as professional fashion designers. This is mainly due to the unavailability of a platform for amateur fashion designers to showcase their talents. Most of the amateur fashion designers are still trying to thrive in this rapidly changing market while facing many problems. 2.2 Sri Lankan amateur fashion designers don’t have a proper platform that gives the authority to sell their designs. So far most of the amateur fashion designers have collections of their own designs that they’re unable to launch. This is mainly due to the unavailability of a proper platform. Furthermore, the other problem that they face is they don’t get a proper value to their designs even if they somehow manage to launch their designs to the public. This problem can be solved if there was a platform where they can exhibit their designs and sell those. 2.3 Amateur fashion designers in Sri Lanka have less awareness about the industry. Most of the amateur fashion designers in Sri Lanka don’t receive a proper education about the industry. Although they have the talent, creativity and innovativeness their designing is not up to standards because the knowledge they have about the industry is poor. A proper platform, which would allow them to read and self-study about the trends and the industry, will help them develop their creativity. It will help them to create their own standards and as a whole it will aid in flourishing Sri Lankan fashion industry, 2.4 Amateur fashion designers may not have enough resources or a capital to manufacture their designs (Financial problems) Even thou these fashion designers got new innovative designs they don’t have a proper way to manufacture these designs due to financial problems or they couldn’t find a manufacturer to manufacture. But if they have a platform where they can contact with entrepreneurs and manufactures, they can manufacture there designs and will have a chance to sell them to the public. 2.5 Amateur fashion designers in Sri Lanka are having lack of knowledge about fashion designing. Most of the amateur fashion designers don’t have good background knowledge about fashion designing techniques. They are good at drowning but it’s not quite enough for a standard fashion design. This is a huge impact to the fashion industry because the designs which these amateurs come up with are not up to the standard. 2.6 Low knowledge transfer between Professional fashion designers and amateur fashion designers. Undoubtedly, there are talented professional designers in Sri Lanka with years of experience. Lack of a proper platform causes them to hold their knowledge to themselves without sharing. Such platform will help in developing the fashion designers knowledge on fashion and designing and will also help to give an idea to the society about fashion. 2.7 There is no proper platform that people who like fashion designing can share their ideas or information with others. ( International opportunities are not communicated properly ) It is seen now that the more and more Sri Lankan fashion is connecting with the international events that happen. The British council and the AOD (Academy of Design) in Sri Lanka are in the mission of taking the Sri Lankan fashion industry to a global scale.(Mendis, 2011) But the opportunity is limited to a certain number of people who will get to know about the news, certainly the students at AOD. The events that are targeted in global scale needs to be communicated to the whole country and there is no common place to share the news about such events. Thus, the international opportunities are missed by lot of talented people. When it comes to sponsors or the people who are interested in fashion, mostly they are not updated about the latest trends. Therefore they have less idea on what type of designs they should invest on. This is mainly due to the lack of knowledge and knowledge transfers. Being the single largest industry in the country, Theapparel industryof Sri Lanka employs about 15% of the countrys workforce, accounting for about half of the countrys total exports, and Sri Lanka is among the topapparel-producing countries in the world relative to its population Sri Lanka Design Festival 2009 – A huge boost for countrys apparel industry.Daily Mirror. 19 November 2009. No value to the designs ‘The fashion design industry in Sri Lanka was almost non-existent about three years ago whereas today the local stores are earning around US Dollar 10 million annually. The local retailers of the local fashion labels have the potential to reach US Dollar 500 million in the next few years’ [1]. Fashion has taken on a new element in the local market with a number of Sri Lankan designers aspiring to become big names in the business of fashion with potential of turnovers topping US$500 million. The local retailers of the local fashion labels have the potential to touch US$500 million in the next two years, Ajai V. Singh, founder of the Colombo Fashion Week, told the Business Times. Drucker (2000) cited in [4] proclaims entrepreneurship as comprising of five parameters: creating new markets, delivering value to customer, providing something new, changing customer value, and process innovation. In the same vein, entrepreneur has been identified as ‘an individual responsible for the process of creating new value’ (an innovation and/or a new organisation) [5]. Designs can be made in one day but giving them a proper value is not as easy as such, getting a proper value to a design is one of the most important thing that needs but yet amateur fashion designers fails at this. Being the newbie to the market amateur fashion designers have to compare their designs with the professional designers, cause of this the value of the design is decreases. Because of this the market value of the product all so decreases. When these designs came into actual products the value of the product get decrease case of having no proper value to the design. Couldn’t manufacturer and sell them http://smallbusiness.chron.com/sell-fashion-idea-13207.html http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/break-into-fashion-industry.html Due to the cyclical nature of the industry, typically when assistance is needed, out-sourcing operations (e.g. pattern making or machining) is the preferred option with most designers having dedicated contractors who work for them during particular phases in the production cycle [8]. No market for products http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219578 Fashion is a blooming market in Sri Lanka, everyone tries to get in to this market with some sort of a product. Most of them are not willing to stay long, they just need to sell whatever they got and quit. Because of this the market is huge. Everyone sells their products at a cheap rate without even considering the actual market price of their products. Because of this the market is scrambled and when it comes to an amateur fashion designer who plans to stay here for a long and to get a proper brand name to their products comes up with an huge problem, cause the market doesn’t needs a proper brand or a proper value to their products cause of these short time market sellers. Hard to find manufacturers cause these people are not the big order manufacturers http://searchingforstyle.com/2012/10/fashion-101-how-to-find-a-manufacturer/ Believe it or not finding a good manufacturer is probably the second biggest challenge whenstartinga fashion company, second only to successfully wholesaling your product. I know of many, many production nightmares, and now I am adamant that a good, reliable manufacturer is essential to start a fashion company. Basically, you can’t really start selling, or even promoting your company without solid manufacturing, unless you plan on making the production runs yourself. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, thesamplesyou show to buyers must be close to identical to the ones you will be delivering when they place an order. If you are making delicate bias-cut chiffon dresses, you need to make sure that you can find a factory who will be able to make them as nicely as you can make them in your studio. Secondly, you cannot cost a garmentwithoutknowing how much it will cost in production. I have tried to do this before (with another company), it was a disaster. You usually can’t guess how much it will cost in production, and you must have accurate production prices to properly calculate your wholesale or retail prices. Advisers is vital but not here Reference [19] defines creativity as ‘divergent thinking to conceive new ideas’. Creativity is frequently a defining feature of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship research has produced increasing evidence that personal and professional networks are crucial in both founding and nurturing new ventures. Hence entrepreneurs who can rely on broad and diverse networks tend to be more successful [4], [6], [21]. networks and relationships as core to the concept of social capital [14]. The dominant assumption of the strategy-oriented literature is that success is primarily dependent upon the entrepreneur’s ability to develop and execute effective strategies [22]. On the one hand, fashion design is typically portrayed as ‘tied to the individual and his or her creativity’. On the other hand, ‘circumstances that allow design to occur within a commercial context are predominantly social’ [8]. With the industry now blooming in the wake of a number of students passing out as designers with capabilities of competing even on a global scale, a new industry has awoken. The fashion design industry in Sri Lanka was almost non-existent about three years ago whereas today these stores are earning around US$10 million annually. Knowledge transfer is one of the vital aspects of perfecting an industry. Even to develop fashion industry they need to share their knowledge between each other. Not everyone has a degree on fashion designing. Few of them have degrees related to fashion designing while many others design their designs for the instints of them or for fun and because of their designing talent. And also there are only few institutes which offer fashion designing degrees and not everyone is wealthy enough to have such a degree. No platform where everything in one place. Share the knowledge they gathered with each other

1787: The Grand Convension by Clinton Rossiter :: essays research papers

The book I reviewed was 1787: The Grand Convention by Clinton Rossiter. In it he Breaks down before during and after the convention into four parts: The Setting, The Men, The Event, and The Consequences. In the Beginning Mr. Rossiter sets up for us a country that was going trough sever growing pains was without some serious help would not become the world power that it is today. The congressional form of common government that was formed during the Articles of Confederation, though not a failure, where not a success either. In order to finish what had begun with the revolution the great minds and characters of that time must band together and set aside the many differences they had in order to become one powerful government instead of a band of bickering siblings. Although Mr. Rossiter states that they did not come to Philadelphia because they all agreed they wanted to form a new structure for they government, they did feel that something had to be done or else the country that they fought so hard for to become free, would fail. Set up for the readers also were the wonderful and easy to understand breakup of all the men who were going to the convention. All of which were well-to-do men with businesses, prior political experience, and degrees from various University’s from all over the New World. As going over the names and descriptions of the Framers of the Constitution we are forced to agree with the author and others as well who say this group is the crà ¨me de la crà ¨me of the political business and military world like Washington, Hamilton, Madison, and Franklin. I must also admit though that those names were the only ones I had heard and recognized. What this book is good for it to fill in many of the spots that were missing in High School and Elementary school classes. The people who are only given 1 paragraph or a few sentences in to describe their personalities come to life in this book. For which we all must applaud Mr. Rossiter for being able to piece this pivotal moment in our history so well from notes and letters taken from the great men of this era. By far the most important part of this book was the description of the event itself that went on for many months from May 14th to September 17th.

Reaction to Film Brainwashing 101 :: essays research papers

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, defines documentary as: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consisting of, concerning, or based on documents. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter, as in a book or film. Academicbias.com is the website to which viewers are directed for more information about the film. On this site, it is stated, â€Å"In this cutting exposà ©, documentary filmmakers Maloney, Browning and Greenberg shine a light on political correctness, academic bias, student censorship--even administrative cover-ups of death threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This positioning of the movie presents that it is, in fact, a documentary. My belief is that, based on definition 2 above, the movie is not a documentary, but instead a good example of the ‘the facts speak for themselves’ actually means ‘the facts, as I have carefully arranged them, support my position.’ Evan Maloney, the filmmaker, is clearly working in the style of Michael Moore. The film utilizes satire throughout – evidence the old â€Å"Popularity† instructional film where overdubbing is used. Interviews are presented offering only on side of the issue. Surprise attempts at interviewers for comic relief are sprung on unsuspecting university officials. Subtle visual effects, such as student Charles Mitchell sitting with an American flag blanket behind him are used. Ultimately, what happened in the editing process of ‘Brainwashing 101’ is a complete unknown. Farhenhype 911 demonstrated how Michael Moore had edited President Bush’s address to the â€Å"haves, and have mores†, when in fact, the setting was a charity benefit at which Al Gore was also present. Given the style of the movie, I believe editing was used for key advantage. The movie purports to address political correctness, academic bias and student censorship. I believe that the movie does do this, and utilizing real examples works to create legitimacy for the move. In an admittedly unscientific search of the Internet about this movie, I found a fair number of positive reactions to the film. So some people do find the movie convincing, as people do with Michael Moore movies. To academic bias, a long section of the film is devoted the teaching of economics and which theories of economics should be taught. As presented in the movie, by virtue of being taught, different theories represent a bias in and of itself. Student Charles Mitchell makes the unusual statement that Marxist study is a â€Å"value judgment.† To me, this is not a new breakthrough in thought: it could be argued that all education, throughout history, has been biased based on what has been taught.

Lung Cancer Essay -- essays research papers fc

There are two different types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. It is all depending on the size of what the cells look like under a microscope. Both of these types of lung cancer can grow differently which leads to them both being treated differently. Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common of the two and it usually grows fairly slow. There are three main types of non-small cell lung cancer and they are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Small cell cancer is the least common and it grows fairly rapid and it can easily spread to other organs in the body (Cavendish, p.946). Usually cells grow and divide at a specific pace that keeps the body working healthy but sometimes the cells start to divide at an uncontrollably pace. When the cells grow too much they make a tumor. The cells in this tumor are cancer cells and when the cancer cells are in the lungs, they eat away at the lungs, which leads to killing someone. Some people that might get cancer are people who smoke cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, and people who get close to radon, asbestos, and pollution. In most people that cancer, the cancer cells are not found until it is in the later stages. Only 15% of the people that get cancer get it found in the early stages. When someone is found that they have cancer, they have at the most, five years to live. It matters if the cancer cells have gotten to the local lymph nodes or elsewhere. Most people figure out they have cancer by pure accident. They will go in to get an x-ray or CAT scan for something else and figure out they have cancer (http://my.webmd.com). There are many different symptoms for lung cancer. Most of them do something with breathing or something to do with their mouth. Some of the symptoms are; a cough that doesn’t go away, chest pain that is sometimes aggravated by deep breathing, hoarse sounding voice, weight loss or loss of appetite, bloody spit, shortness of breathe, fever with no known reason, recurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, and wheezing (http://my.webmd.com). There is a lot of ways for Lung Cancer to be diagnosed. A CT (Computed Tomography) scan will tell the exact size, shape, and position of the tumor. A MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) will help tell where the cancer is going to spread. A PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan traces a... ...dy from the outside, and it is focused on the cancer. The other kind is brachytherapy, which a small pellet of radioactive material is placed directly into the cancer or an airway near it. I think that lung cancer is very severe. I thought that this report would be very good for me to do because a lot of people are going to know someone with lung cancer and if someone close to me gets lung cancer, then I will know what they are going threw. I may even get lung cancer someday and if I do, then I will know what my possibilities of living and what to do to help myself. I learned a lot while doing this report and I think that lung cancer and all other kind of cancers are a big deal and everything should learn all they can about them. Bibliography Encyclopedia of Family Health, volume 8, Marshall Cavendish, 1998, pp. 974 – 978 Johnston, Lorraine, Lung Cancer: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Options, O'Reilly & Associates, 2001 National Cancer Institute, What You Need to Know About Lung Cancer, 2000, http://my.webmd.com, May 16, 2001. The World Book Encyclopedia, volume 3, Scott Fetzer, 1998, pp. 167 – 174 Types of Treatment, 2000, http://www.cancer.org, May 16,2001

Athletes are Overpaid

Athletes are indeed overpaid. According to the â€Å"May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates†, chief executives, managers, legislators, public relations persons, farmers, ranchers, educators, real estate brokers, hospital managers, and other â€Å"management occupations† only earn approximately â€Å"$40.60 per hour† (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.).The same is also true for agents of artists and athletes, logisticians, financial analysts, and other â€Å"business and financial operations occupations† who only receives about â€Å"26.87 per hour† (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.).Similarly, software engineers, systems analyst, computer programmers, and other workers who belong to the category, â€Å"computer and mathematical science occupations† only get â€Å"$33.21 per hour† (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.).Even landscape architects and civil engineers just get â€Å"$31.14 hourly † (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.). In addition to that, food scientists, economists, psychologists are only paid â€Å"$26.59† (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.). Substance abuse counselors and mental health counselors get even much lower since they are only paid â€Å"$17.87 hourly† (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.).This means that people who have the aforementioned occupations earn only about $40,000 – $90,000 annually (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.). Meanwhile, athletes earn millions; in fact, â€Å"an average NBA player†, for instance earns â€Å"$2.2 million† (CBS Interactive Inc., 1997, n.p.).Farmers for instance play a large role in feeding people, hospital managers contribute largely in saving lives, financial analysts help a lot in making the economy flourish, engineers and architectures build shelters which is one of man’s basic need as well, mental health counselors/psychologists he lp people keep their sanity, while logisticians ensure the security of the country and yet these employees are only receive about $40,000 – $90,000 annually (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.).Considering that athletes are paid for punching someone, running, shooting/kicking a ball, etc or for entertainment’s sake only and taking into consideration that they are not even playing a role in saving people’s lives or their job does not even require too much intelligence or thinking (unlike other people for instance educators, doctors, etc) yet these athletes receive extremely high salaries, then this only means that indeed, â€Å"athletes are overpaid† (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, n.p.).ReferencesCBS Interactive Inc. (1997). Blacks Top Salary List of NBA Players.Retrieved November 24, 2008 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n3_v93/ai_20097766U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2007). Wage by Area and Occupation. Retrieved Novem ber 24, 2008 from   http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm  

Is There Too Much Sex on T.V?

Is there too much explicit sex on T. V? Over the past century, television has changed quite alot. Contents that was once seen as being inappropriate and outrageous, is now on everyday television. Recently, sex has become the main focus on our television screens. Many people think it is bad for young people’s health but others may say it is an appropriate way of advertising and attracting viewers and readers. Sexual scenes and images can lead people to a very wrong conclusion of how they should look and act. Television producers claim that what they are broadcasting is appropriate but many young people do end up watching women and men who all have perfect bodies. Body image is a major issue in the UK and according to a survey from 2008, 44% of women express negative feelings about both individual body parts and their bodies as a whole. If this is an adult’s view of their body, then the images in the media are affecting girls and even boys from our own generation on a much higher level, leaving many young people with very low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Reasons to support the views that there is too much explicit sex on TV is that some people feel that sex on television has become acceptable and is being broadcasted in ‘soaps' and other programs during the day. Carolyn Teasley, a journalist said, â€Å"Soap operas have bored me recently, it was becoming harder to tell who had slept with whom anyway. † This quote shows that some people have became bored and lost interest in programs because they no longer care about an interesting story, or plot, only the advertisement of sex. Sex on TV can also influence children in a huge way, many teenagers have admitted to having underage sex because they have felt pressured from the television and the programmess that they watch. However, in the programmes, the teenagers do not see the dangers and consequences of sex. They only see a directors perception of an interesting scene. This can cause underage people to get sexually transmitted diseases and also underage pregnancy. Some people find sex or even the implementation of sex quite boring and not very interesting, they also don't see it as it being an important part of relationship between two people who truly love each other. Some choose to change the channel when there is a scene of a male and female undressing. Most people say that they would rather read an interesting story than see sex displayed on television. Most couples have admitted to feeling insecure when watching sex on television because the actors have perfect bodies and look a certain way and they do not. Adding to this most people, especially elderly people can feel uncomfortable watching sex scenes on television. On the other hand, some people feel that sex on television isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. For example some people feel that sex on TV can benefit children. The UK has one of the worst teenage pregnancy rates in the developed world, simply because children are not being taught enough at school about sex. A channel 4 programme called â€Å"the sex education show† teaches children about sex in an appropriate manor, also the show is shown at later hours so no young children can see. Another point that can be made is that most parents complain and say there is too much sex on TV and their young child is exposed to the sexual behavior on the TV. However, sky and some freeview boxes have a parental control with a pin code to view only certain channels and it is up to the parent which programmes their child can watch, if they chose to let their child watch a programme of a sexual nature, then they have no right to comment and say it is not appropriate because the child has been given its parents discretion. Another advantage is the income that is made from these programmes and movies. Most programmes that have high ratings are of a sexual nature. Statistics show that more people watch shows with sexual content such as ‘Friends', ‘two and a half men' and ‘scrubs'. A leading journalist for the guardian said â€Å"As time goes by television broadens its horizons and opens up new doors. Television draws in audiences by portraying what's on people's minds and what's going on around them. People will continue to be attracted to money and sex on television,† Although many people think sex on TV is bad, the majority of people agree that is it also a good thing. To conclude, my opinion on the amount of sex on TV is acceptable. I feel that programmes of a sexual nature are shown at an appropriate time. I also feel that sex on TV does help educate young children, because young children can make up insane rumours about things involving sex and seeing the truth on TV can reasure the child of what is right and wrong. In addition I think it is the responsibility of the parent to decide what they are allowing their children to be exposed to, they shouldnt let their child watch the programme if they do not think it is suitable or appropriate for their age.

Determination Lesson Essay

The greatest lesson I have learned in my life thus far. I have found this to be true in most aspects of my life, for all of my growth and success has come as a result of determination and perseverance. No matter how desperate the situation may be, no matter how badly it seems I will succeed. While I had experience failures and hardships, this experience taught me the most valuable lessons, making me a stronger person and building the character which drives the individual I am today. I was raised in a small household and participated in many different things growing up. Since I was young, I have striven to achieve my goals; I call it a â€Å"determination to succeed.† Without a â€Å"determination to succeed,† giving up in life, when a situation seems impossible to overcome, becomes second nature. The methods one uses to overcome the challenges faced in life affects how one acquires success. For example, my ancestors did not overcome their struggle for equality without s elf-determination to better their lives. Thus, their lives have been an inspiration for me. The motivation to excel, though sometimes forgotten in my generation, is a quality that needs nourishment. My parents taught me that it takes hard work and to be successful. They pushed me to follow my dreams from a young age child which has carried over into my adulthood. Their guidance and belief in me gave me the strength to believe in myself, which I consider to be main reason I have experienced so much success in my life so far. I learned to go back to school to get my degree. Learning is a never-ending road, and I truly believe that I must continue to learn in order to improve and excel in my career, as well in all other areas of life. During my first year at Wayne County Community College I developed a passion for the field of associates of arts and associates of general study’s degree. I enjoyed learning about all my classes, but found that analyzing the two degrees that I’m within the school to ensure efficient operation is very exciting and motivating for me. Although the opportunity was present, I knew it would take hard work and a great deal of learning to understand how to be successful. The experience my desire to learn and motivations to succeed are constantly growing stronger. I want to take this characteristics into my graduate studies, so that I may continue to develop on a different level. I believe the knowledge and experience I will receive with an associate’s degree will give me the expertise I need to excel in my future career. My greatest achievements in life is undoubtedly my greatest failures in life. To learn from my mistakes which I have lived all my life and will continue to live by. All my life all other humans have made mistake. However unlike others, I have squeezed through these huge walls of mistakes and have come out as reformed individual, with a positive outlook on life. They say that experience is the best teacher and what better way to get experience than from my own mistakes. May it be in terms of academic, self-reform or even in helping others, I have made mistakes? But I have never let them overpower my confidence and perseverance to succeed in life. It is rightfully said that mistakes are the stepping stone for success. In my past, I have countless mistakes, and thus I assume that I am on the right path. The desire to do off beaten-path things takes away my fear of failure and lets me take risks without thinking about the outcome. I have always tried to remain consistent throughout my en tire academic life, but to err is human, and that I am. By this I mean to say that like others

Holmes and Longfellow

1. What metaphors does Holmes use to describe the ship in stanzas one and two of â€Å"Old Ironsides†? In the first stanza, he speaks of a meteor of the ocean air, which I assume compares the boat to a great and speedy force. In the second stanza, he says that the ship is the â€Å"eagle of the sea†, which compares it to the national bird and shows it’s strength and dignity. 2. In 1830, the 44-gun American warship Constitution, the inspiration for â€Å"Old Ironsides,† was scheduled to be scrapped – that is, stripped of everything valuable or reasonable. What proposal is put forth by Holmes, in the last stanza of his poem? It would be better for her to be put to sea and sunk. 3. What do you think Holmes wants the ship to symbolize? The ship symbolizes the strength, dignity, and pride of a nation. 4. The term, â€Å"Harpies,† in line 15 of â€Å"Old Ironsides† is an allusion to predatory flying creatures in Greek mythology, which have bodies of vultures and heads of women. The name meant â€Å"snatchers† or â€Å"robbers. † Why do you think that Holmes uses this allusion in his poem? Harpies would lure ships and men to their deaths and scavenge the ship, just as the people who are assigned to strip the boat. 5. In Longfellow's â€Å"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls,† how does the title foreshadow the fact the traveler will not return? The rising and falling of the tide shows a constant cycle of coming and going, just as the traveler will. 6. Do you think Longfellow's poem is about one specific traveler, or could it apply to all in general? Explain your answer. It applies to all because all travelers go through thw hardships of coming and going. . Personification is a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes. Cite an example of Longfellow's use of personification in â€Å"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls. † â€Å"The twilight darkens, curlew calls† 8. How does the division into stanzas reflect the passage of time in the poem? Example: Stanza One presents twilight darkening into night. What do st anzas two and three represent? Stanza two represents heavy darkness, and stanza three represents daybreak.

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Business Law - Essay Example The creation of the Australian law has been because of the decisions made by the Australian courts along with diverse laws that have been passed by the Parliament of Australia2. In the context of this case study, it can be assumed that both the elements i.e. intention as well as consideration needed for the formation of a contract exists. The main intention of Sally is to sell the bicycle to either Peter or Burt at a cost so that she can meet her outstanding accounts with the creditors and thus needs to make a payment of AU$4000 within the next few days. For a contract to be lawfully obligatory, it is quite necessary for consideration for a promise to exist3. Considerations from part of Peter can be established on the ground related to condition of the bike to be purchased and the free consent in between the two entities becoming a part of the contract. It is to be mentioned that a contract generally comes into subsistence when there are three elements present such as intention to be lawfully bound, agreement and formal execution in a deed. An agreement is attained in numerous ways such as after long and complex negotiation, by accommodating standard terms and conditions that have been set out in a document. An agreement can also be reached without expressly stated terms and when one party proposes to do something in return of an act. The basic method of attaining consent can describe as involving offer and acceptance. An offer must be complete, promissory and proposed to consequence in a contract if accepted. Acceptance needs to be made in an acceptable form4. Step Three: Rule of Law Applied To Facts The case involves numerous legal issues. One of the issues is related to the fact that the bike was delivered to Peter without his consent. For a contract, there must be agreement involving two parties5. The initial price of the bike was quoted to be AU$6000. However, Peter negotiated over the price and asked the bike for an amount of AU$4000. Sally agreed to sell the bike at AU$4000 to Peter. However, Peter refused to pay the specified amount. This can be considered as a legal issue. Peter is not supposed to alter his mind and thus must make decisions rationally. It is to be mentioned that the case presented cannot be considered as a contract since it does not meet the needs of contract. However, it can be stated that the element of agreement required for the formation of a contract can be established. In the context of the case, it has been identified that Sally did not take approval from Peter for purchasing the bike at an agreed upon price. She must not have delivered the bike without gaining any consent from Peter. Sally must state in written statement that she agrees to sell the bicycle to Peter at AU$4000 and Peter must state in written statement that he agrees to buy the bicycle at the price that he has agreed to pay. This will assist both the parties in eliminating any kind of confusions regarding the exchange of goods in the near f uture. Sally can claim that her business has an enforceable contract with Peter when he concurs to buy the bicycle at the amount that has been decided by both the parties. Step Four: Conclusion Contract can be stated as consent

SM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

SM - Essay Example Ryanair is one airline that has concentrated its services in Europe and looking into its history to date and its strategies, it is easy to deduce that it is one of Europe’s leading airlines especially in the low cost category. Statement of purpose This paper will look into the history of Ryanair and use particular critical incidents in the life of this airline to illustrate the strategic debates through some highlight on Mintzberg’s theory. The paper will also look into the key strategic decisions the company will have to make in order to achieve their strategic aspirations. Lastly, the company’s implementation challenges in the global market will be highlighted. Company’s history Ryanair, a low cost and low fares airline, has done tremendously well as compared to many airlines in Europe especially those that were established around the same time i.e. in the mid 1980s. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus and EasyJet have formed the closest rivals to Ryanair for years. It boasts of having yearly customer traffic of over 66.5 million from its humble beginnings of just 5000 passengers back in 1985 (Ryanair 2011). The projected traffic for 2010 was set by the management led by Michael O’Leary at over 70 million. ... ed with the airline’s appreciation of the fact that without sustainable expansion strategies it would be difficult to venture into the European sky and rule. Back in 1985 it had just one route i.e. Waterford to London with a single aircraft to handle it. The management at the time then proposed a purchase of a number of jet aircrafts that were faster and more efficient and therefore could handle more destinations on daily basis. Up until 1990 the company was growing at an impressive rate when all over sudden it started a downward trend (Pearce et al. 2003; Slack et al. 2007; Wheelen and, Hunger 2002). At the time many airlines had emerged in Europe with all sorts of products to offer and this had to some extent escaped the radar of Ryanair’s management. Critical incidents in the life of Ryanair and strategic paradoxes Ryanair’s history was immensely shaped by the losses and underperformance witnessed in the early 1990s. This situation caused the management at the time to change its strategies in dealing with the increasing market competition (Gregory & Marilyn 2004; Belobaba 2009; Hill and Jones 2009). The management first renewed their mission of being the leading low cost airline in Europe by focusing again on the cost of operations and fares charged by their competitors. It also concentrated its operations within secondary airports and plied shorter routes than before. In the turn of the 21st century the company found the need to invest in a newer fleet of aircrafts from Boeing that were to handle bigger capacity in terms of passengers and cargo coupled with longer flying distances. The airline website was another strategic alignment in the mid 1990s that opened a new advertising channel and customer interactive platform (Palmer & Ponsonby 2002; Mayer 2007;