Learning teams

A key feature of learning is to work within a team environment. The student may find themselves working in a team environment comprised of students of different gender, political and religious beliefs, ages and life experiences etc. It is well recognized within the literature that the interdependence of the knowledge, skills and competencies across group members can lead to innovative problem-solving and active learning. Groups are a part of social life.Each of us is a member of many different groups (Bennis & Shepherd, 1956). Before my social work course I had not really thought about all the different types of groups that exist as having a similar structure, and as going through similar processes, whether it be a group of professionals conferencing on a topic, a study group, a committee determining policy changes, or sporting group discussing next weeks strategy of play (Forsythe, 1990, 1998). Many of the groups that a person is a member of can impact greatly on their lives  œ either positively or negatively.On reflection I can see how being placed into a group, instead of choosing one myself to be in one, would represent many group formations in the professional world. In the workforce people are often put into teams without having a choice. So it seems that becoming a member of a group without actively participating in the formation has some real world practicalities. Learning in small groups is very powerful. The development of trust and communication within a group is what leads to the creation of a â€Å"team† mentality. Collaborative learning has helped me to break down problems such as understanding a theory, and to look at it from different angles. I believe this has given me a much more comprehensive understanding of class materials.Learning in a team was productive given the problem-based learning approach that we took in class. Active learning methods such as challenging ourselves by asking open-ended questions (i.e., those that cannot be answered just with a Yes/No); having a small group (less than 7) that allowed for deliberations that could be voted upon within a timely manner; and our teacher took on a ‘facilitator† role to encourage us to discover our own solutions, as opposed to a â€Å"mug-and-jug† approach which would have set the teacher up as the â€Å"expert† there to â€Å"fill us with knowledge†.I found that I had to take much more responsibility for my learning experiences, and that I was accountable to the group to achieve the goals and tasks that were delegated to me. I can understand how the use of problem-based learning can enhance content knowledge and cultivate the creation of communication skills as well as those of solving dilemmas and problems and developing a sense of self-directed learning skill (c.f., Hendry, Lyon, Prosser, & Sze, 2006). I like the real world application of the process to solve problems encountered on a day-to-day basis.Effectively changi ng roles with my teacher meant I had to take on much more responsibility in order to meet my education goals, and ironically I found this empowering and found myself more motivated to complete assignments. My sense of accomplishment was phenomenal as I achieved outcomes that at first seem like great mountains of problems. I expect this experience to enable me to continue a successful life of life-long learning.Having problems that our team set ourselves drive our learning was a unique experience. Inquiry-based learning has greatly improved my learning experience as compared to the didactic system. I agree with Schmidt that, â€Å"PBL provides an environment in which students can draw upon prior knowledge, learn within the real-world context, and reinforce the knowledge through independent and small group work† (www.samdford.edu., 2006). I feel I have â€Å"learnt to learn† and look forward to using these cognitive problem-solving tools more in my life and education.Ref erencesBennis, W.G. & Shepherd, H.A. (1956) A theory of group development. HumanRelations, 9, 415-437.Forsyth, D.R. (1990, 1998) Group dynamics. Brooks/Cole Publishing: Pacific Grove.Hendry, G.D., Lyon, PM, Prosser, M, & Sze, D. (2006) Conceptions of problem-based learning:The perspectives of students entering a problem-based medical program. Medical Teacher,28(6), 573 – 575.www.samford.edu (2006). Background of Problem-Based Learning. Retrieved January 8, 2008,from http://www.samford.edu/ctls/pbl_background.html

Punjab -The Gateway to Serenity

Pakistan is a multicultural society when you visit its urban centers especially Karachi but in the rural areas, it is certainly influenced by one culture and that is the culture of Pakistan first and then the province in which the village is situated. The province of Punjab, one of the largest provinces, has the riches village life and for a first time visitor to Pakistan, it is best to start with Punjab to learn more about village life. People in villages speak the native language of the province and not Urdu, which is the native language of Pakistan. While people understand Urdu, they would prefer to communicate in the regional language. They are very hospitable and what makes them endearing to a visitor is their spontaneity and unaffected behavior. They welcome guests with open arms but are very rigid about their own moral and social codes. Since most of them follow the Islamic religion, they prefer the moral code that comes with being a Muslim. There are no large or small restaurants in the villages. If there is anything even remotely close to a restaurant that's what they call a hotel where they serve food on wooden seats or charpoi (a bed made of jute). Women are expected to dress modestly and most girls are married off very young. Men are not the sole breadwinners and women are allowed to work in the fields with the men. In fact more women choose to work than stay at home. Schools are few and quality of education is low. These schools are run by the state but children still manage to gain required primary education from these schools. Village life in Pakistan is rich and there are many cottage industries that provide most of the handicrafts that are even exported to western countries.

Management Theories by Morgan, Fayol and Taylor Research Paper

Management Theories by Morgan, Fayol and Taylor - Research Paper Example The Fourteen principles that have been set down by Fayol are discussed in detail below: Specialization of Labor: Fayol’s first important principle was aimed at the specialization of labor. This is a very important aspect of management and needs to be taken into consideration while managing people. This is an important aspect of management. Specialization encourages continuous improvement in the skills and involves the development of improvements in methods. This is very beneficial for the companies and provides the company with better-skilled individuals, which in turn improves productivity. Authority: Authority plays a very important role in management and is very essential in managing people. It focuses on the right to give orders and show authority. Giving authority to a person means giving the person the right to do things. Also, a responsibility normally arises where a person is given the authority. Discipline: The next aspect is discipline this mainly deals with the idea of ensuring there is no slacking, bending of rules, and that all employees are obedient and respectful in the organization. It is essential that employees must obey and respect the rules that are prevalent in the organization. If there is effective leadership within an organization and a clear understanding between management and workers in regards to the organization’s rules, the discipline will be at the optimum level. Unity of Command: Unity of command refers to a situation where every employee has just one boss. This is essential to ensure management of the people is not confused between the needs of different people at different time. This plays a very important role as if every employee has just one boss, the employees will be more productive if the command is from one superior to avoid any confusions in the final outcome. Unity of Direction: Unity of direction is the next important aspect in the 14 principles by Fayol. This is very important just like the unity of command as if one person leads the team, all the planning is made by a single mind and the leading is much simpler since the team members need to work according to the plan.

International Organizations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Organizations - Assignment Example In addition, the IGOs influence the issues of peace and security such that they are deals with inter-nations conflicts and enhance the resolution process s of conflict between states that in return reflect towards improved international security and peace. International non-governmental organizations act as an important watchdog over issues concerning peace and security globally and have a limited capability and strength to enforce international peace and security because of their financial dependence on the respective governments. The NGOs influence the issue of security and peace by forwarding recommendations of new measures in the international agenda on peace and security and constant pressure on the actors to act on the new approach towards a peaceful and secure globe. The multinational organizations are non-profit organization, which operate independently whereby the forces under their command are recruited from various nations that are used to keep peace in nations having civi l wars. Consequently, the multinational have a considerable strength and capability towards the achievement of international peace and security. Hover, these organizations are limited by their dependency on the various nations to provide them with troops. The multinational organizations have achieved the restoration of peace in nation experiencing civil wars for example in Haiti. Development Development is a general term used to describe the growth of a nation in terms of economy, and infrastructure. The various actors contribute to the development issues in different ways and capabilities. The state organizations has the highest percentage in ensuring development because it is responsible too... The paper tells that international organizations refer to an organization that has a global scope in the issues it deals with and operate on international basis. The various international organizations including states, intergovernmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations compromise of issue areas with diversified and relative strengths and influence towards the actors. International Peace and Security is an issue that deals with the measures taken by the states to ensure that the world is not under the attack from terrorists located in designated nations. The various actors towards international peace and security present various strength and influence towards attaining the common goal of protecting the world against attacks and peaceful correlation of different states. Development is a general term used to describe the growth of a nation in terms of economy, and infrastructure. The various actors contribute to the development issues in different ways and capabilities. The state organizations has the highest percentage in ensuring development because it is responsible too coordinate all the development strategies pioneered by the other actors such as NGOs, IGOs and multinational organizations. The human right issue is a main international issue whereby all the actors take responsibility in ensuring that it is upheld. The state organizations have a considerable strength in ensuring that the human rights are upheld. As a result, the state organizations set the bills on human rights.

Cost Estimation Practice in Construction Companies Research Proposal

Cost Estimation Practice in Construction Companies - Research Proposal Example These costs will be collected from a variety of existing real construction companies. There is inherent risk involved in all construction companies and the rate of bankruptcy in construction industry is relatively higher than in any other type of business endeavor. For any construction company to succeed or fail, the role played by quality estimation and results reliability cannot be underestimated. The final project will therefore give a description of the estimating as well as the tendering process. This process is divided into various stages that begin with acquisition of tender documents and ends with the tender submission. This project will significantly make use of computerized calculations due to the complexity of a number of formulations involved. Furthermore, this will help in data condensation and minimal use of paper work to reduce on time, human error and financial costs. Lack of proper cost estimation in construction industry is probably one of the most contentious business issues in Kuwait than in many other countries in the world. This is putting into consideration that this sector supports a very large portion of the Kuwaiti economy being among the largest industries in Kuwait, and its negligence therefore would result into a major drawback in the country’s economic growth. Provision of coherent and cogent cost estimation is vital since the larger an industry gets, the more likely chances are that cost fatalities will be incurred. This project will give a description of the estimation process within the construction companies in Kuwait and the associated problems, beginning with acquisition of tendering documents to the actual submission of the tender. It will also give and explain some examples of indirect as well as direct estimation problems. Â  

Folio paper-cloud computing foe E-learning Assignment

Folio paper-cloud computing foe E-learning - Assignment Example In the recent day context, the concept of cloud computing has gained significant amount of interest due to the advantages that the companies are able to acquire by the utilisation of cloud computing. Certain recent survey reports state that in the global market, about 74 percent of the companies are utilising cloud computing services (Sharma, 2012). These companies include several hotel groups which utilise the cloud computing techniques to enhance their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems (Babcock, 2011). Apart from hotels, there are several other companies which utilise the cloud computing techniques for their business operations. A few of the major companies among them have been mentioned below: It is worth mentioning that Amazon has introduced the latest version of cloud computing application known as the EC2 cloud compute. The EC2 is a quite efficient in providing web services that enable the user to utilise the available resources effectively (PRLOG, 2011). Microsoft, which is one of the giant IT companies, has been providing certain cloud computing services to the business enterprises as well. These services, provided by Microsoft to the business enterprises give security to stored data of the enterprises (PRLOG, 2011). Another significant company that provides cloud computing services is Apple. The icloud services rendered by Apple to its customers provide facilities to the user to store files and documents which can be accessed quite easily (PRLOG, 2011). Several research groups have been formed by different companies for carrying out the research works on cloud computing. It is worth mentioning that Microsoft is one of the major companies which has formed a research group for cloud computing. The research group of Microsoft includes Sameh Elnikety, Allen Galler, Christian Geuer-Pollmann, Yuxiong He, Navendu Jain, Jim Larus, and Ravi Pandya. Apart from Microsoft, another significant research group has been developed by IEEE Computer

Auditing failures and quantitative measurement of materiality Essay

Auditing failures and quantitative measurement of materiality judgement - Essay Example This may be resulting due to the intentional or unintentional involvement of the auditor in accepting serious misstatements from the company professionals. Large number of factors can be defined as the causes of the audit failure. However, broadly following four categories engulf almost all aspects of audit failure. First and foremost is the failure on the part of the auditor to ensure the compliance of reporting financial statement with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or standards of audit. An evidence in the survey reported that nearly 49% of the audit failure resulted due to inability of the auditor to fully comply with the GAAP and GAAS rules. For example, Ernst & Young in USA has recent been charged to pay around USD two million for violating PCAAOB rules of auditing in the audit of its client Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, 2012). In the referred case, E&Y remained the external auditor of the company for nearly 20 years and financial statement of 2008 is found to have clear distortion from GAAP rules. The second reason that results in the failure of audit include the due involvement of the auditor. This results when auditor issues due report that warrants compliance of the financial statement with the set standards and principles. ... d penalizes the auditor for the reason that failure ultimately results due to the lacking on the auditor’s part (Peursem, Zhou, Flood, and Buttimore, 2007). It is evident that auditors’ firms usually end up paying the penalty without agreeing or denying the charges (Peursem, Zhou, Flood, and Buttimore, 2007; United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 2013). The third aspect of the audit failure results when an auditor intentionally or intentionally ignores the investigation requiring component of the financial statement due to having some financial interest in the organization. In almost all cases of the audit fraud, the auditors are investigated for supporting fraud in lieu of having direct and indirect financial interest in the organization or negligence. According to the Peursem, Zhou, Flood, and Buttimore, (2007) with respect to the case of Adelphia, Deloitte had a financial interest in the company as it was largest and long terms standing in the clientele li st of the Pittsburgh office of Deloitte. The case of GTGI also faced this issue when auditor relied heavily on the information provision by the management representatives. Auditor in this case ignored the need of giving exploratory assessment to the revenue and other related components of the financial statement. Finally, the most common aspect of effect is having some personal relationship with the client or entity for which the auditor is providing a service. Such relationships result in impacting the audit activity than having normal business relationship in independency. For instance, Peursem, Zhou, Flood, and Buttimore, (2007) have reported the case of Adelphia also claimed that many partners of the audit firm had a relationship with Adelphia and the family member of the management of the

Security analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Security analysis - Essay Example fund managers from the United Kingdom have made efforts to invest in China since its economic growth rate is significantly higher compared to other countries in the world. It is imperative to note that investment fund managers are driven by the potential rate of return from a given region, and this is the motivating factor for choosing an investment destination. One of the advantages of investing in China is the magnitude presented in the potential of its market. Foreign ventures and businesses set up investments in order to serve a local market. The market size and growth rate opportunities are some of the key factors in the determination of an investment destination. Essentially, investors target unexploited markets that are of a significant size with potential for growth. Therefore, countries that have large markets and growth potential are viable investment destinations. The Chinese population of over one billion people offers a large market for any industrial products (Malkiel et al., 2010). In fact, the huge population has a great consumption potential that can be harnessed for business gain. In the recent past, the purchasing power of the Chinese population has also increased significantly, scaling up the uptake of goods and services. Therefore, the large population of the Chinese region attracts fund managers to invest in the region due to the potentially huge market that population offers. Imperatively, China is a prime location for any investor to pump financial resources into as the prospect of getting a market for the goods and services produced is high. The infrastructural development of a region has an influence on the economic growth of the place. The availability of roads, waterways and other forms of transport is a critical consideration in the evaluation of an investment destination. The Chinese administration has made significant investments in the transport infrastructure. In fact, popular investment destinations in China such as Beijing,

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Essay Example for Free

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Essay In Cold Blood: A True Account of Multiple Murder and Its Consequences by Truman Capote details the social arena that molded Dick Hickock and Perry Smith into criminals and killers.   The author wrote of how Hickock was brought up in a loving home with a stable family but suffered from mental illness.   Perry on the other hand, had alcoholic parents in a very unloving atmosphere, uneducated and suffered from depression.   Each was influenced by society differently but the result was the same.    The author details their stories from the beginning of their criminal history up to their execution for the murder of the Clutter family.   The question is, was Perry a â€Å"natural born killer†. In an article in Psychology Today there is evidence that activity or lack of in the prefrontal cortex of the brain region are associated with acts of murder.   This prefrontal cortex activity is also associated with a wide range of behaviors such as risk taking, rule breaking, aggression and impulsivity that can lead to violence.   This evidence has a great value in maybe creating a way for society to possibly point out problem individuals and possible treatment or prevention of criminal activity such as murder.   The article goes on to say that perhaps this is a way to point to biological differences or the possibility of natural born killers (Raine 10). In some ways Truman Capote could relate to Perry because both had terrible experiences growing up. The author was intrigued as to why Perry would go on to kill and he didn’t. Capote wrote that possible social consequences made the difference possibly grooming Perry to be a killer and some professionals agree sociologist are not satisfied with the explanations that are rooted in biology and personality.   They point to the perspective of symbolic interaction that each of us interprets life through symbols that we learn (Henslin 133).   Sociologist Edwin Sutherland stressed that people learn deviance.   He uses the term differential association to indicate that we learn to deviate or to conform to society’s norms mostly by the people we associate with.   But if this is correct then why does some with the same interaction kill and others do not?   In my opinion there are people who are born natural killers.   It is something that is innate within some individuals and is nurtured by society to its final display.   In my belief some individuals will be born a killer and some will not.   Society takes this innate trait and shapes them even more, or even less, towards the direction of their innate features.   The degree of their actions is my proof.   Take hunting some individuals can hunt and some cannot.   This is an example of the innate trait for killing expressed in killing for food rather than killing another human. Degree is how society grooms each killer, the hunter and the murderer, to their final â€Å"ends†.   Because traits are passed from parent to child that is why some societies are prone to have more killers than others and what degree the acts are committed is influenced by each of the societies they live in.  Ã‚   The degree of the trait is what society uses for determining how wrong the act is and how that individual will be punished.   Evil is solely influenced and decided by the society one lives in.   Killing is inevitable for some individuals; it is to what degree that makes the difference. Reference: Capote, Truman.   In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its    Consequences.   New York: Signet Books, 1965. Henslin, James M.   Essentials of Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach.   Boston:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Allyn and Bacon, 2000. Raine, A.   Natural born Killers?   Psychology Today 28(1), p.10, 1995 Jan/Feb.

The Womens Sports Foundation Essay Example for Free

The Womens Sports Foundation Essay There are initiatives in place to try and improve the number of women in senior roles. For example, the UK Strategy for Women and Sport (a three year plan that aims to increase the number of women leaders in sport by changing the culture of sport), the Sport Coach Delivery plan. The government has also developed a plan, which aims to 50% female representation on all public bodies (inclusive of all sporting bodies). The effectiveness of these proposals is yet to be discovered. Womens Sport In The Media  Since the growth of womens sport and sport in general, the main way of communicating with the general public has been through the media. Recently there has been a large increase in the different types of media available, apart from the traditional newspaper; there has been an increase in the number of specialist magazines available and numerous Internet websites available to display sporting results, match fixtures and other such information. However, even with the expansion of the media, coverage of womens sport is grossly neglected. Womens sport is rarely shown (with exception to large sports events such as the Olympics) and when it shown their accomplishments is rarely celebrated, instead their private life is often the topic.  Television Radio  The main terrestrial channels and satellite channels rarely show womens sports events; mens sport is often prioritised over womens. For example, in 1993, womens sport only made up 0.5% to 6% of the overall coverage of sports on television and even when female sport was covered, action shots were rare. Newspapers  Newspapers also have a long history of under-representation of womens sport. It is quite common to find absolutely few or no mention of female sports within many newspapers sports section (this is regardless of whether they are a broadsheet newspaper or a tabloid). This can be exemplified by a study between December 2000 to January 2001, which was conducted by The Womens Sport Foundation. After the analysis of 49 different issues of newspapers, they found that out of 701 pages of sports reports, there were 1,564 photographs of men in comparison to just 36 of women. This meant that overall; womens coverage was just 2.3%. The media overall has the ability to define and shape the views of women in sport. Often the coverage that female competitors receive, concentrates on their femininity and treats them as sexual objects rather than a powerful sportsperson. This type of coverage has the effect of undermining womens sports in general, and in limiting the amount of sponsorship that top female athletes receive. The Womens Sports Foundation (WSF) was created in 1984, by women who were concerned by the lack of representation women received in the world of sport. It is funded by the government body Sport England, however since May 2003, the Pentland Group Plc has sponsored them. The aim of the Womens Sports Foundation is to increase the profile of women within many sporting roles. This has been partly achieved by: The National Action Plan for Women and Girls Sport and Physical Activity this was designed to encourage sporting organisations to identify targets and implement actions that would help to address the imbalance between the two genders. The Women into High Performance Coaching Project this was a three-year pilot scheme, (established in 2000 by the foundation and Sports Coach UK) that was created to develop women into senior coaching positions.  The WSF also aims to increase the number of women and girls that are participating in sport.

The Concept Of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Commerce Essay

The Concept Of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Commerce Essay The concept of OCB has been implemented in organizations for their effective functioning and has promoted such behavior in public and private organizations, but in educational education institution OCB is still an unfamiliar concept. Thus, OCB is a useful term to describe voluntary teacher behavior that go Extra Mile to help students and colleagues to succeed. Thus, the study of OCB and effectiveness of teachers is vital so as to motivate them to do beyond of their formal duties and making effectiveness/performance of teachers as required for the betterment of institution. Thus, teachers in well functioning education institutions consistently go beyond the minimum expectations of formal job descriptions and contracts, hence, demonstrating goodwill, smooth functioning and efficiency of education institutions. Thus teachers in universities with high citizenship take it upon themselves to voluntare innovative suggestions, sponsor extra-curricular activities and serve on new comities and seminars more related to their studies. Moreover, teachers help students on their own time, stay after university to help students if necessary and resist the temptation to give students busy in work. Organizational citizenship behavior in universities provides a serious educational context in which teachers are rarely absent, make effective use of their time, work collaborately and emphasize on professional activities which results in increase of their effectiveness and directly influence the performance of teachers. The term OCB was first introduced by Bateman and Organ (1973). Background of the study. Organ (1988) originally coined the term organization citizenship behavior (OCB) and defined them as individual behavior that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization. Also the willingness of the participant to go beyond the formal requirements of their position has been recognized as an essential component of the effective organization. Thus, OCBs can be said to lubricate the social machinery of the organization. Organ (1988) provided a multidimensional scale of OCB. The scale consists of five dimensions that make up the OCB construct the five dimensions are: Altruism: It is the behavior directed at helping a specific person at work (e.g. coworkers or supervisor). For example, altruism involves activities such as volunteering to assist a coworker with a project in you are not directly involves activities, or without being asked, assisting new employees. Compliance: Generalized compliance is employee conscientiousness that surpass enforceable work standards. For example, generalized compliance involves activities such as doing more than what is required to meet minimum task requirements or offering specific ideas to solve organizational problems without being asked. Sportsmanship: Sportsmanship is the tolerance of nuisances on the job (e.g. when employee endure impositions or inconveniences without compliant). Sportsmanship involves activities such not complaining or making huge issues out of minor problems or inconveniences. Courtesy: Courtesy is the act of touching the base with others before taking actions or making decisions that would affect their work (e.g. issuing reminders to coworkers, giving coworkers advance notice and passing along information). Civic Virtue: Civic virtue is the active participation and involvement of employees in company affairs and includes activities such as attending meetings, responding to messages and keeping up with organizational issues. As an example of different conceptualizations of OCB Statement of the problem. Teaching effectiveness is a major goal of education. It is recognized that teaching effectiveness has a far-fetched effect on the overall educational programme. Teachers competence refer to the behavior while teaching in a class. Effective teachers use pupils time differently than the less effective ones. Effective teachers spend more time in academic activities and teaching learning process. They inculcate the ideas into the minds of the students by applying various teaching strategies for this purpose they become humorists and witty in the classroom. They concentrate on communication skills. They focus on the subject matter and monitor the overall educational activities in classroom specifically and in the educational institution in general effectiveness in the sence that optimal results or near to such is obtained on the part of the pupils we in Pakistan are divided into different types of educational systems i.e. Government run, private and Madrassas or Maktabs. The teaching stan dard is different. Their evaluation criterion is also different. More conveniently, the curriculum and examination system are not the same. Due to these reasons the effectiveness need to be evaluated and its relationship with organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). But as an individual each of the employee, whether he/she is a teacher or not, must be able to show the most favourable results in their respective fields. Different approaches are followed to assess effectiveness. It is conditional to the concerned field for which the employees contribution is judged. The variables or yardsticks may be different; the ultimate purpose is the same Effectiveness. Similar is the case with measuring organizational citizenship behaviour Objectives of the study. The main objective of this study is to find out any relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and effectiveness of university teachers. Finding on job or internal factors that influence a teacher organizational citizenship behavior and his/her effectiveness. The extent of personal growth and overall integrity provided by the institution. Giving recommendations for further improvement. 1.4 Scope of the study A teacher can be effective if he/she gets out of the job what he wants to get. There is a close relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and effectiveness (teaching). Falling standard of education is common now a days. So one may blame the teachers responsible for the deterioration of education teachers may be termed responsible but identification of the facts of their job, which sometimes lead the teachers towards ineffectiveness is also the responsibility of the system. These facts belong to both the external and internal environments of the teachers this study will help in the finding of such factors. CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE Organizational citizenship behaviors and performance has actually the subject matter of numerous research scholars. They have conducted various research studies and collections. The views of the various research scholars regarding organizational citizenship behavior and performance are enumerated as under. 2.1 Employee Behavior and Job Performance. Rotundo and Sacket (2000, P. 66) defined job performance as those actions and behaviors that are under control of the individuals and that contribute to the achievement of the organizations objectives. In higher education setting, Regoxs (2003) finds support for the relationship between OCB and the performance of university teachers, and in turns of students professional motivation and self confidence. His finding suggest that university teacher OCB may be associated with the quality of the teaching learning processes, however, that association is a unpublished to date. Most of the early research on OCB focused on its antecedents. More recently, increasing attention has been paid to the consequences of OCB (Padaskoff, et al.,2000). Finding from this line of research indicate that OCB has important consequences for both the organization and individual employee (Podaskoff, et al.,2000). At the organizational level, studies indicate that OCB I related to organization effectiveness (Podsakoff, Ahearne, and Mackenzie, 1997; Podsakoff and Mackenzie, 1994; Walz and Wiehoff, 1996). At the individual level, OCB has been found to affect supervisory evaluations of employee performance (Podaskoff, Mackenzie and Hui, 1993) reward recommendations . Katz (1964) states that three basic types of employee behaviors are critical for the overall effectiveness of any organization. People must be induced to remain within the system. People must carry out their role assignment in a dependable fashion. There must be innovative and spontaneous activity in achieving organizational objectives that goes beyond the role specifications. Behaviors (2) and (3) are the examples of Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) (Organ, 1988) other examples of OCB are willingness to give time helping others who have work-related problems, taking steps to prevent problems with other worker and obeying organization rules, regulations and procedures even when no one is watching. Postulating that OCB may lead to positive outcomes such as high organizational performance and low turnover, researcher have investigated key antecedents of OCB (e.g Moorman, 1991; Organ and Konvovsky 1996; Podsakoff et al., 1990; Smith et al., 1983). Gregory Murphy et al., (2002) made a study to examine the role of OCB as a component of job performance. Participants comprised 41 human-service workers, who completed a job satisfaction questionnaire and were rated for their organizational citizenship, as well as being measured on three discretionary organizational participant behaviours job satisfaction correlated significantly with organizational citizenship behavior (Correlations ranged from + 0.40 to 0.67). 2.2 Factors Effecting the Organizational Behavior. Carol C. Bienstock, et al., (2003) have investigated that OCB links human resource management policies to desired service employee performance, enhancing customer perceptions of service quality and organizational financial outcomes. Furthermore, it demonstrates that these behaviors results in more effective service delivery to an organizational standards and enhance customer perceptions of service quality. Aaron Cohen, et al., (2004) were find the relationship between the dimensions of professionalism (profession as referred, sence of calling autonomy) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) was direct or mediated by variables representing justice perceptions (distributive justice, international justice, and formal procedures). Respondents were 1,0.35 registered nurses in four public hospitals in northern isreal. Supervisors in each medical unit at the hospitals provided data strongly supported the mediated model, namely the relationship between professionalism and OCB was mediated by variables representing justice in the workplace. The mediated effect as stronger for jewish nurses than for non-jewish nurses and for nurses with academic education in comparison to nurses with a non-academic educational several implications are drawn for the continuing examination of OCB. Carmen Barroso Castro, et al., (2004) have analyzed the effect of the service company employee behavior on customer perceptions of the quality of services received, and the consequent company performance. Organizational citizenship behavior has been recognized as relevant behavior of some employee, but its role regarding customer perceptions and company profitability remains unexplored. Beginning with a brief review of the conceptual background of the organizational citizenship behavior, service quality, and its consequence, this paper proposes a model to test these relationships empirically. Daniel J. Comeau et al., (2005) have conducted experiment on how the interaction of interdependence work environment and employee personality affect organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Structural interdependence, as defined by levels of tasks and goal interdependence, was manipulated in the laboratory setting to determine the effect on individual level OCB. Also, a regression analysis was utilized to determine whether interdependence could act as a moderator for the relationship between the personality variable agree bleness and OCB and conscientiousness and OCB. Ferry Koster et al., (2006) have conducted a survey and gathered data from 674 employees nine organizations scales are constructed using multiple group method. OLS regression is used to test the hypothesis, which contribute to the literature on OCB by examining how this kind of behavior is affected by the behavior of the supervisors and coworkers and this article also focus on horizontal and vertical dimensions of cooperative behavior simultaneously. Jose Varela Gonzalez, et al., (2006) have shown the relationship between organization service orientation (OSO), contact employee job satisfaction and organization citizenship behavior (OCB). For this they have carried a survey of 149 hotels firms which provides eimperical evidence about the positive effect of the OSO on employee job satisfaction and citizenship behavior in the hospitality industry. Soumend Biswas et al., (2007) indicated the relationship between psychological climate and employee performance, in the Indian environment that includes organization citizenship behavior (OCB) and job satisfaction as mediating variables. Data were taken from 357 managerial employees in the manufacturing and service sector to analyze the relationship. The result supports the hypothesis that individuals perceptions of the psychological climate in the organization has a significant positive impact on his/her willingness to engage in OCBs, as well as on his/her job satisfaction levels. Further, OCB and job satisfaction levels have a significant impact on individuals performance. Jawahar, I.M and Dean Carr (2007) conducted and survey to measure conscientiousness and contextual performance of professional employees. Data of 158 professional employees were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and moderate hierarchical analysis was used to test hither to untested hypothesis. This study makes several contributions. For instance, it extends Motowildo et al., theory to include subjective measures of situational conditions as factor that interact with personality to influence contextual performance the study responds to lepline et als call for theory based attempts to identify variable that have different relationships across the dimensions of contextual performance. Drawing on individual difference and social exchange perspectives this study theorized and found that perceived organizational supports moderates the relationship between conscientiousness and organization directed contextual performance and that the quality of the leader member exchange experience moderates the relationship between conscientiousness and supervisor directed contextual performance. EVIJ, Hetty et a., (2007) examined the relationship between personality and three types of OCBs (Organizational Citizenship Behaviors), and to test for the potential moderating effects of team leader effectiveness on the relationship between personality and OCBs. Hypothesis were test with data from 268 teachers of secondary schools. The result indicate that extroverts and teachers open for experience engage more in OCBs towards their school than introverts and teachers less open for experience do. Teachers that are more conscientious score higher on OCBs towards students. That fits with the idea that being conscientious is being careful and responsible. Teachers with introverts and neurotic personalities become more engage in OCBs than extroverts and emotionally stable teachers do when they appreciate their team leader effectiveness. Omer Torlak and Umut Koc (2007) has made a study in which they examined the relationship between the materialistic attitudes of sales people working in pharmaceutical and household white goods and furniture (HWGF) sectors and their OCB. A total of 199 sales people who work for pharmaceutical and HWGF sectors in Eskischir, Turkey were surveyed. The questionnaire consisted of two scales to measure materialistic tendencies and OCB, respectively. The results of the study early indicate that materialistic attitude is one of the antecedents that have a negative impact on OCB. There are negative correlations between all dimensions of OCB and materialistic attitude. Manrique de Lara, PZ et al., (2007) have examined the relationship between an unfavourable attitudinal environment and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) the proposed model suggests that organization anomic (OA) acts as a moderator of that link, and thus OA interacts with unfavourable attitudes and OCB by tightening their theoretical negative association. Data collected from 154 non teaching staff at a Spanish public university. Accessibility of the individual email accounts was similar for all employees. E-mail asking for collaboration were sent in two phases. A questionnaire was posted on the university interanet and could be accessed by clicking on a link in the e-mails multiple hierarchical regression results support the moderating role of OA of the unfavourable attitude OCB link because the unfavourable attitudes towards coworkers and towards the boss as-a-person among employees with compared with high OA, have a stronger negative relationship with OCB. OA moderation exis ted, but to varying degrees, between attitudes toward. Ones job and some dimensions of OCB (OCBI, and OCBI client). OA also intensified the unpredicted positive relationship between attitudes toward bosss performance and OCB. No moderating influences were observed in the case of attitudes toward oneself and toward clients (students). R. Gert et al., (2007) has conducted a survey of the development of the knowledge sharing and the role of knowledge sharing in predicting turnover intensions of registered professional nurses. A literature study was conducted to determine the concepts and activities linked to knowledge sharing in order to compile the questionnaire. The questionnaire was factor analyzed in order to determine the factor structure of the instrument. Thereafter, the construct of knowledge sharing was introduced together with organization culture and various proposed mediating variables, namely organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior and job satisfaction, as well as various demographic variables to develop a predictive model of turnover intentions through applying general linear modeling. A cross sectional field survey design was used with a sample of 530 registered professional nurses in south Africa. A significant negative relationship was found between knowledge sharing behavior and turnover intentions. Furthermore, knowledge sharing interaction with organization culture in a final model where all the selected mediating and demographic variables were simultaneously entered into the equation to predict turnover intentions. Kim, Sangmook (2006) the main theme of this study is to investigate whether the distinct classes of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) such as altruism and generalized compliance are shown in the Korean context, and whether public service motivation, job satisfaction and organizational commitment are predictors of OCB in Korean civil servants. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is applied to survey data of 1584 civil servants in Korea to examine the relationship between predictors and two dimensions of OCB. This analyzed the effect of public service motivation on OCB, and shows that public service motivation emerges as a more significant predictor of OCB in the public sector of Korea. It contributes to enhancing the applicability and meaningfulness of the concept of OCB across different cultures. Juliana D. Lilly et al., (2006) have made a study on the effect that work locus of control has on perceptions of trust, perceived organizational support, procedural justice and interactional justice. Data were collected from 679 alumi of a university in the southwestern USA. Regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used to test a series of hypotheses. The result indicate that work locus of control has a significant positive relationship on all variables. Perceived organizational support fully mediated the relationship between the work locus of control and perceptions of both procedural and interacional justice. Organizational trust fully mediated the relationship between work locus of control and interactional justice, but only partially mediated the relationship between work locus of control and procedural justice. 2.3 Perception Regarding OCB Caroline Aube et al., (2007) have conducted a research on that perceived organizational support (POS) is positively and significantly correlated with affective and normative commitment. The sample data includes 249 prison employees, that is by questionnaires. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis also support the moderating effect of locus of control and work autonomy with regard to the relationship between POS and affective commitment. This study highlights the importance of providing support to employees in order to faster their affective and normative commitment to the organization. Moreover, the results provide evidence in favour of managerial interventions aimed at enhancing perceived control and consequently, minimizing the negative effects of a lack of organization support on employees affective commitment. In addition to taking into account here dimensions of organizational commitment, this study underlines personality and job design factors that can modulate the relationship between POS and organizational commitment. Joo Y. Jung et al., (2008) have explore the relationship between the organizational culture (Organizational Citizenship Behavior OCB), TQM practice and organizational performance of the manquiladora companies. A structural equation modeling based on a cross sectional survey (N = 230) is conducted. As multinational companies (MNCs) implement innovative management methodology such as TQM practices, their organizational culture elements play significant roles towards the outcome. The organizational culture, represented by OCB, significantly impacts how TQM is managed and implemented. Furthermore, the result point out soft TQM elements have more significant impact than hard TQM element towards firms performance. The findings suggest that management should also focus on the intrinsic motivations of employees represented by OCB rather than the role emphasis on training and education. 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY `The previous chapter shows that a lot of research has been carried out in the past to study the relationship f organizational citizenship behavior with different variables. Here is another attempt to evaluate the correlation between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and effectiveness of teachers a case study of University of Peshawar this chapter consists of population, sampling, sources of data collection, method for gathering data and statistical analysis. 3.1 Purpose of the Study As stated earlier the main purpose of the study is to find out the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and effectiveness of university teachers. 3.2 Population All teachers working in University of Peshawar constitute the population for this research study. 3.3 Sampling Sampling is a process of selecting a sufficient number of elements from the population, (i.e. sample), so that a study of the sample and understanding of its properties or characteristics would make it possible for us to generalize such properties or characteristics to the population elements for example sample statistic X (the sample mean) and S (standard deviation) are used as estimates of the population parameter m and d . 3.4 Stratified Random Sampling Method As its name implies, involves a process of stratification or segregation, followed by random selection of subjects from each stratum. The population is first divided into mutual exclusive i.e. each of the groups should be internally homogenous and externally different from one another, groups that are relevant, appropriate and meaningful in the context of the study and subjects are selected randomly from each stratum. In the present research case a proportionate stratified random sample is used because there is a probability that the population frame of different stratum may be the same sample and the same percentage of population is taken. For the purpose of collecting data the University of Peshawar having faculties of Arts and Humanities, Islamic and oriented studies, life and environmental sciences, management and information sciences, numerical and physical sciences and faculty of social sciences have been considered as a stratum. Employees of each strata have been selected thro ugh stratified random sample for the comparative study. 3.5 Hypothesis Null Hypothesis: Ho: Teachers have OCB and teachers have not OCB are equally effective. Alternative Hypothesis (HA): Teachers have OCB is more effective than teachers have not OCB. 3.6 Research Tools/Instruments The following two instruments will be used and utilized for collecting and gathered data. They are: Questionnaire Observation check list 3.7 Test Statistic Sometimes, the actual measurement or counts of individual or objects are either not available, or accurate assessment is not possible, they are then arranged in order according to some characteristics of interest. Such an ordered arrangement is called a ranking and the order given to an individual or object is called its rank. The correlation between such sets of ranking is known as Rank correlation. By formula: Where di = xi yi xi is the first observation yi is the 2nd observation It is known as spearmans coefficient of Rank correlation. has the least value and is zero when the numbers are incomplete agreement. i.e. When they are in complete disagreement attains the maximum value equal to rs = -1 for = In case any tied observation is found the formula becomes. r = Where xi and yi are ranks given to two objects. ÃŽÂ £ stands for summation/sum x stands for organizational citizenship behavior-OCB y stands for effectiveness of teaching n stands for number of observation. LITERATURE CITED Bateman and Organ (1973). Employee Psyche, International Journal of Manpower, Vol 27, pp. 728 Bateman and Organ (1973). Employee Psyche, International Journal of Manpower, Vol 27, pp. 728 B. Soumendu, V. Arup (2007) Psychological climate and individual performance in India: test of mediated model, Employee Relations, Vol. 29, No.5 C. Aaron, K. Yardena (2004) Professionalism and OCB: An eimperical examination among isreali nurses Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 19 No. 9 C.B. Carmen, A.M. Armario, R.M. David (2004) The Influence of employee organizational Citizenship behavior on customer loyality. Internal Journal of Service Industry Management Vol. 15 No. 1 C.J. Daniel, G.L. Richard (2005) Structural Interdependence, Personality and organizational citizenship behavior: An examination of personal environment interaction, Personal Review, Vol. 34 No. 3. G. Teresa, G.V. Jose (2006) Structural relationships between organizational service orientation, contact employee job satisfaction and citizenship behavior, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 17 No. 1. H. Soonkwan, J.Y. Joo (2008) Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), TQM and performance at the maquiladora, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, VOl. 25 J. Everd, R. Gert (2007) The development of a knowledge sharing construct to predict turnover intentions, Aslib proceedings New Information Jawahar I.M, C. Dean (2007) Conscientiousness and contextual performance, the compensatory effects of perceived organizational support and leader member exchange, Journal of Management Psychology, Vol. 22 No. 4. Katz (1964) Effects of Organizational Citizen Ship, Management Research News, Vol. 5 K, Sungmook (2006) Public service motivation and organizational citizenship behavior, International Journal of Manpower, Vol 27, pp. 728 K. Ferry, S. Karin (2006) Organizational citizens or reciprocal relationships: An eimperical comparison Personal Review, Vol. 35 No. 5 Lara.de, R. Espino (2007) Organizational anomie as moderator of the relationship between an unfavourable attitudinal environment and citizenship behavior (OCB): An eimperical study among university administration and service personal, Personal Review, Vol. 36 No. 6 M. Gregory, A. James, K. Neville (2002) Job satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship behavior: A study of Australian human service professionals Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 17 No. 4 P. 288 M. Gregory, A. James, K. Neville (2002) Job satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship behavior: A study of Australian human service professionals Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 17 No. 4 P. 288 Organ (1988) Concepts of Organisational Behaviour , Employee Relations, Vol. 29, T. Omer, K. Unut (2007) Materialistic attitude as an antecedent of organizational citizenship behavior, Management Research News, Vol. 30 No. 8

Getting Into College :: essays research papers

Getting Into College Life is like an enormous theatrical performance, each person having the leading role, ready to determine his/her destiny. For each event in your life, you can reflect upon a stimulus, a cause. Yet there are so many events, so many years, days, hours, seconds in one's life. Which is the one, that one moment in time which knowingly or unknowingly changed your life to lead you to be just that, you? For many, it is impossible to pinpoint that moment. Yet for others, that time, place, and situation sits implanted in their mind like a snapshot in time. Picture, if you will, a plump young boy of age ten. Never before had he, been exposed to life outside his fifth grade classroom and his immediate family. Timid and shy, he decided he had listened to his mother's continuous nagging for the last time. That weekend, he would do as she said and "just go" to see an audition for the community's production of the musical Oliver. He arrived on time, the hustle and bustle of signing in all very new to him. There was no way he would actually get up on stage and sing for that skinny man with the clear acrylic braces showing on his teeth who was seated at the piano. Yet, he had struck a deal with his mom to wait and observe, leaving at any time he felt he wanted to. Twenty minutes later, he watched his mother from a different perspective: just a dot in a sea of other mothers sitting in the audience. As he stood in that group of ten youngsters, his meager vocabulary could not describe the fear in his body. didn't know what a mark on his life the next few moments would make when he sang his heart out to the skinny man. How would he have known that that "man" would be known to him as , his music director for the next six years. Together, they would fine tune the natural talent buried in his vocal chords and dramatically build confidence. That fear once known to him on that stage would come no more. Nervous he was, but afraid he was not when he auditioned for The King and I a few months later. After landing a main role, he set his sights on the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury and their production of Bright Lights, again another success. To everyone who knew him, it only seemed natural for him to continue. So why didn't he? Why, for three straight long years did he bury his talent for singing and acting?

My Trip to Italy Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

My Trip to Italy I stood in the town square of the small village. Like any other normal day, people were going about their day-to-day business. Old men sat on a wooden bench beneath a large tree and predicted this year’s crop. Women shared town gossip as they shopped for groceries, and children sucked on lollipops while they played along the cobblestone streets. However, unlike any other day, the whole crowd had stopped in unison and darted their eyes in my direction, their full attention on me. I heard hushed whispers as I passed by the crowd, â€Å"Americano!† â€Å"Oh mio Dio, guarda com’à ¨ alto!† I lowered my head as I thought to myself, â€Å"What the hell am I doing here? I’m in a country where I don’t know the language or the culture, and I have another nine and a half months until I go home!† I didn’t know it then, but those nine and a half months that lay in front of me would be the experience that would challenge my views and goals a nd help shape the person I am today. My journey started when I came to the conclusion that, after high school, I wanted (and needed) a break. My senior year had been less than perfect, as I didn’t apply myself, was lazy, partied, and lost my parents’ trust and respect. I was a man without direction or a purpose, and knew that college would be just like high school but with more parties and less parental supervision. I quickly decided that instead of going straight to college, I would take a year off and participate in an exchange program. I’m part Italian, and I’ve always had a desire to trace my roots and to experience Italy and â€Å"la dolce vita† or â€Å"the sweet life.† When I signed the papers to go to Italy for the exchange program, I pictured myself lying in a hammock on a beach, surrounded by three... ...unfair when I left, suddenly became people when I returned. I suddenly realized their good intentions and how they had sacrificed so much so that I would be able to educate and better myself. I made time for friends, and went out of my way to acknowledge and help people who I wouldn’t have noticed before. I fully appreciated everything in my life, and all the things I had taken for granted suddenly became important and meaningful. Katharine Butler Hathaway once said, â€Å"A person needs at intervals to separate from family and companions and go to new places. One must go without familiars in order to be open to influences, to change.† In doing this, I broadened my horizons and changed my outlook on life. Now, as I move on to college, I am leaving my family and friends again to educate and better myself so that I am prepared to walk down any path on the road of life.

Statement of Facts

This case in Fenton, Missouri involves 17 yrs. old Christopher Simmons born in 1993. Charles Benjamin and John Tessmer were Christopher Simmons friends and accomplices. Christopher Simmons planned and committed a capital murder along with Charles Benjamin. The plan was to commit burglary and murder by breaking and entering, tying up Shirley Crook, and tossing her off a bridge. The three boys met at 2am in the morning however, Tessmer then dropped out of the plan. Simmons and Benjamin broke into Mrs. Crook's home, bound her hands and covered her eyes. They put Mrs. Crook in a minivan drove her to a state park and threw her off a bridge. Once the case was brought to trial court, the evidence was solid and overwhelming. Simmons had confessed to the murder, performed a videotaped reenactment at the crime scene, and there was testimony from John Tessmer against him that showed premeditation. After the crime Christopher discussed the plot in advance and later bragged about the crime. After 2 hours of investigation Christopher broke down and confessed. At trial the State introduced Simmons confession and the videotaped reenactment of the crime, along with testimony that Simmons discussed the crime in advance and him bragging to fellow classmates about it later. The defense called no witnesses due to the evidence and confession. The jury having returned a verdict of murder, the trial proceeded to the penalty phase. The jury returned a guilty verdict. The jury recommended a death sentence in which the trial court imposed despite Christopher not having a criminal background. The State charged Simmons with burglary, kidnaping, stealing, and murder in the first degree. Simmons was 17 at the time of the crime. He was outside the criminal jurisdiction of Missouri’s juvenile court system. Charles Benjamin and was 15 years old and John Tessmer was 16 years old. The State later charged Tessmer with conspiracy, but dropped the charge in exchange for his testimony against Simmons. The jury recommended the death penalty after finding the State had proved each of the three aggravating factors submitted to it. Accepting the jury’s recommendation, the trial judge imposed the death penalty. Defense counsel reminded the jurors that juveniles of Simmons age couldn’t drink, serve on juries, or even see certain movies, because â€Å"the legislatures have wisely decided that individuals of a certain age aren’t responsible enough. Defense counsel argued that Simmons age should make a huge difference to the jurors in deciding just exactly what sort of punishment to make. Procedural History At eh age of 17, Christopher Simmons along with partner Charles Benjamin planed and killed Shirley Crook. After, he turned 18 he was sentenced to death. Christopher processed a direct appeal and subsequent petitions for state and federal post convictions relief but was rejected. Simmons filed a new petition for state post convection relief arguing that Atkins v. Virginia reasoning established that the constitution prohibits the execution of a juvenile who was under the 18 when he committed the crime. The Supreme Court agreed in favor of Simmons and abandons the death sentence in agreement of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Issues Does the Eighth Amendment prohibit the execution of juveniles who commit capital crimes prior to turning 18 years of age? Arguments For Roper * Currently, juries are very careful when they decide whether a 16 or 17 year old should be given the death penalty. When sentences are made, the jury considers the defendant’s age and other relevant information. Since only one juvenile has been executed in Missouri, this shows that juries only use the death penalty for the worst offenders. * Since 1989, only Indiana, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming have changed their laws to make it impossible for 16 and 17 year olds to get the death penalty. The previous amount of states was not enough show the nation agrees on this issue. * The Supreme Court case that ruled against using the death penalty for the mentally retarded Atkins v. Virginia should not be compared to this case. Sixteen and seventeen year old offenders should not be placed in the same category with the mentally retarded. Juries should decide in each individual case whether a juvenile was mature enough to take responsibility for a crime. * Some crimes are so horrible that the death penalty is the only appropriate sentence. It is better for society to remove the worst criminals with the death penalty. Using the death penalty will also discourage other youth from committing crimes. Arguments For Simmons * In many cases, juries are overwhelmed by how horrible the crimes are that some juveniles commit. It is a problem, then, for juries to consider the maturity of a juvenile in each individual case, because the crime itself may make it difficult for the juries to be fair. The juries may get distracted by the crime and not consider the offender’s age as an explanation for the crime. * A national consensus has developed in which the majority of states do not support the use of the death penalty for juveniles. Currently, 30 states prohibit the juvenile death penalty, and 12 of those states have banned the death penalty completely. In addition, since 1989, five states that previously allowed the juvenile death penalty have banned its use. Most other countries in the world disapprove of using the death penalty on juvenile offenders. The United States is one of the only countries in the world that still allows the execution of juveniles. There is a clear global opinion that the death penalty is too strong a punishment for offenders under the age of 18. * There is research that shows that adolescents do not have the maturity and judgment necessary to fully weigh decisions and control their impulses. Brain research shows that the brain is not fully developed until adulthood. Our society has decided that age 18 is an important turning point. The majority of states do not allow people under the age of 18 to vote, serve on juries, or marry without their parents’ permission. It makes sense then that 18 should also be the age when a person can be held fully responsible for committing a crime. Judgment The United States Supreme Court judgment in the Roper v. Simmons cases ruled in favor of Simmons. The United States Supreme Court said, â€Å"that sentencing a minor to death was indeed cruel and unusual punishment and voided against the 8th amendment†. The United States Supreme Court overturned the ruling that was established in Sanford v. Kentucky case that took place in 1989, in which the court decided that minors could be subject to the death sentence only if the charges warrant execution. Christopher was sentenced to life in prison with out the possibility of parole. Holding The Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid obligation of the death penalty on offenders who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed. Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed and the United States overruled the Atkins v. Virginia case and Simmons original sentence. Rule Of Law Or Legal Principles Applied The 8th amendment is prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Any amendment is an unchanging statue. Therefore the case itself or whatever the ruling is has to change if proven justified. Reasoning The Missouri Court voted 6 to 3 that he should receive the death penalty. They believed if he was older and committed murder it would just get worse f rom there. The lawyers argued that this was unfair punishment for a boy who couldn’t see an R rated movie. The Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 that executing a minor is cruel and unusual punishment. Society didn’t like the view of executing children. What he did was wrong but at the same time he is still a child and should be treated like one. If they had executed him society would have a negative aspect on the criminal justice system. Additional Comments I think Christopher Simmons deserve the death penalty. Despite he background and rough up bringing that doesn’t give you the right to kill an innocent lady for no reason. Due to the planning and precision behind the murder he deserves to die. His intentions from the beginning were for her to die and die painfully. Tying her up and throwing her off the bridge requires a lot of hatred and regards for humanity. Despite his confessing to the murder Chris didn’t feel remorseful for the family or his actions. My opinions would be different if he had a mental disorder, suffered more serious child neglect or maybe Shirley harmed his family in retaliation he killed her. Other wise Chris actions are similar to the James Holmes massacre and the Newtown shooting. All three deserve to die slow in my opinion.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold and the Stranger Essay

Conflict Resulting From the Negative Effects of Rigid Societal Expectations in A Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus Everyone has felt the pressure of societal expectations during their lifetime. The negative effects society brings on one’s life can lead to a feeling of rejection towards the people who do not conform to meet those standards. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Albert Camus, author of The Stranger, both construct the external moral conflict of society versus the protagonist in order to critique the way society fails to accept the moral values of the people who differ from the norm. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez emphasizes the central conflict of society versus the protagonist, based on beliefs and values, through the controversy leading up to the murder of Santiago Nasar, which is based on family honor and pre-marital sex. When Pedro and Pablo Vicario ask their sister, Angela Vicario, who had stolen her virginity, her response is described as â€Å"She only took the time necessary to say the name †¦ and she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence has already been written. ‘Santiago Nasar,’ she said†(47). Describing Angela’s response as â€Å"only took the time necessary† indicates that she is trying to put the blame on Santiago, making him a scapegoat, in order to protect the true man who took her virginity before marriage. In the Latin American society, where the setting of the novella takes place, it is not acceptable for a woman to have pre-marital sex due to the beliefs and morals of Catholics. Santiago is represented as the butterfly â€Å"whose sentence had already been written†. Even though there is no evidence Santiago took Angela’s virginity, it is the twin’s duty to protect their sister. Therefore, Pedro and Pablo Vicario set out to kill the man who had stolen their sister’s virginity, Santiago Nasar, in order to protect their family. The twins tell everyone in town about their plan to murder Santiago, but the people in the community doubt their intentions: â€Å"twenty-two people declared they had heard everything said, and they all coincided in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them†(51). The people in the town who â€Å"[coincide] in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them† shows how oblivious the townspeople act owards a societal member’s life. Society looks past at the fact that a murder is about to occur, but focuses on the purpose; family honor, which is highly respected. Since it is unacceptable for a female to have sex before marriage, Santiago is viewed in a negative light by society because he is accused of taking the virginity of an unmarried woman. The debate surrounding Santiago’s death highlights the conflict between society and the protagonist, where Santiago is a man who is accused of committing an act that society does not accept. Albert Camus, in The Stranger, constructs the protagonist, Monsieur Meursault, as a man who has absurdist morals and values, which society does not accept. Meursault has an intimate relationship with Marie Cardona, a former typist, but the connection does not go beyond a physical attraction; â€Å"she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her† (41). By Meursault stating â€Å"it didn’t mean anything† and â€Å"I probably didn’t love her† highlights his absurdist views on life; he believes life contains no purpose, thus he cannot love Marie because loving Marie would give life a purpose, which Meursault does not believe. He simply associates with Marie, because he likes being around her. There is no need for an emotional connection because the physical appearance of her is satisfying enough. Absurdism is not accepted in society therefore it does not accept Meursault. He is an outsider in a world he did not choose. Meursault is a man who does not show his emotions very well, but instead focuses on his physical need; â€Å"I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† (65). Meursault saying â€Å"that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† emphasizes the simplistic life he live—a life without meaning. Showing emotions would signify a life with purpose, which Meursault does not believe. The Algerian society, in which the novella takes place, does not accept the type of lifestyle Meursault lives and believes every life should be lived with a purpose. Society’s expectations clash with Meursault’s values because his beliefs and outlooks on life are not accepted by society, which sets up the external conflict between the two. In the external conflict between society and the protagonist, Garcia Marquez emphasizes the negative effects society has on a person who goes against the social norm by showing the biased opinions towards the Pedro and Pablo Vicario regarding Santiago’s murder. After brutally stabbing Santiago to death, the Vicario twins sprint to the church to inform the priest of their barbaric act; â€Å"Both were exhausted from the barbarous work of death, and their clothes and arms were soaked and their faces smeared with sweat and still living blood but the priest recalled the surrender as an act of great dignity†(49). The priest calling the murder â€Å"an act of great dignity† shows how, in the Latin American society, family honor is highly valued, no matter how far it is taken. Even though the twins have committed the worst crime imaginable, it is acceptable because it was done in order to protect their family. Pedro and Pablo Vicario are viewed as meeting expectations, as opposed to Santiago, who fails to follow them. When the crime was brought to court, the twins had already won before it even started; â€Å"The lawyer stood by the thesis of the homicide in legitimate defense of honor, which was upheld by the court in good faith, and the twins declared at the end of the trial that they would have done it again a thousand times over for the same reason† (48). The lawyer stating the homicide as a â€Å"legitimate defense of honor† verifies that society values family honor over a man’s life. The court case represents the conflict of society against Santiago and since he goes against society’s values, Santiago ends up dying, indicating society’s victory. The twins do not receive any severe punishment, because of their intentions to protect their family. Through Santiago’s death, Garcia Marquez stresses the harmful effects society can have on someone whose beliefs differ from societal standards. Camus constructs Meursault’s trial to critique society’s lack of acceptance towards the people who do not meet expectations. Throughout the court case, Meursault is quickly judged by the prosecutor due to his actions concerning his mother’s death, â€Å"He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not one of my moral principles that governs men’s hearts, was within my reach† (101). The prosecutor bluntly stating that Meursault â€Å"didn’t have a soul† and is incapable of having â€Å"moral principles that governs men’s hearts† highlights how society does not understand Meursault’s morals and values, thus critiques his character and neglects him. Meursault is looked down upon because of how he acted on the day of Maman’s funeral. He does not express feelings towards his mother’s death because he is an absurdist and believes death is inevitable. Society believes that there is purpose to every societal member’s life, and since Meursault shares absurdist views, he is not accepted by society. To close his final argument against Meursault, the prosecutor states, â€Å" ‘I ask you for this man’s head†¦never as strongly as today have I felt this painful duty made easier, light, clearer by the certain knowledge of a sacred imperative and by the horror I feel when I look into a man’s face and all I see is a monster. † (102). The whole trial is based around Meursault’s character, and him being called â€Å"a monster† stresses the fact that society is unwilling to accept anyone who does not follow the expectations. Meursault does not share the same views that society wants, and as a result, he is rejected because of his moral values. By asking â€Å"for this m an’s head† the prosecutor shows how society neglects the people who share different views and therefore want them out of society completely. Camus uses the trial and Meursault’s crime to emphasize the external conflict of society versus the protagonist, Meursault, to demonstrate how society does not accept people who share different moral values. The negative effects society has on the people who do not meet expectations are emphasized through the external conflict, based of moral values, between the protagonist and society in the Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus. Both novellas show the harmful consequence faced by the protagonist, who do not conform to societal expectations, which evidently resulted in death.

Essay Writing Fashion’s Role in the Construction of Social Identities Essay

Fashion always played a big role in culture and personal identifying. It remains the main point in characterizing appearance and social status of the individual. As a cult, fashion always was a subject of interest on historical, sociological and cultural analysis. People always want to have a distinct way to characterize themselves within their appearance. During all the history of fashion its role in personal development remains very important and actual. This paper will deal with the concepts and ideas of fashion as an industry and social identity. First of all it is a crucial need to define the term â€Å"social identity†. Turner during his research stated, that this is a portion of an individual self-concept which is derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group. (Turner, 1986). It also predicts actual social behaviors in the groups according to their status and legitimacy in the intergroup environment (Taijafel, 1979). Regarding fashion as a symbolic way to express style and cultural identity, it also makes an impact on other levels of the social ladder. Choosing the look and appearance, person visualizes his or her identity. Nevertheless it can be not so concrete and even artificial. That is why sometimes prejudices upon different styles of clothing can generate negative and dramatic views of the society. Teenagers and other social groups have different ways of expressing themselves, and the main reason is to feel unique and belonging to certain areas and groups of interests. â€Å"People, sometime interact with objects, in this case garments, as if they are humans, sometimes because they want to show to others what they believe they represent† (Adelman, 2008). That is true, that cloth dictates a lifestyle of a person and visualizes his or her attitudes towards every aspect of the lifestyle. It also gives a reason to stereotype a look with distinct views and ideas. It can even cause a chaos in the society on a very large scale. The materials which are worn and carried on the body are obvious and with these, people create â€Å"social contacts† involved in the unstable interaction between the body and the outside world (Joyce, 2005;Turner, 1980). According to Crave and Bovone, dressing itself affects and reflects perceptions and attitudes towards â€Å"self† and has distinct characters acting as material objects, due to immediate contact with the body. It also acts as a filter between a person and the whole surrounding of a social world (Crane & Bovone, 2006). Speaking about fashion as a code, it should be regarded as a part of the social processes of discrimination, namely the reproduction of hierarchy`s position and prestige in a deeply unequal society. (Arvantidou, 2008). Gender identity and its development fully stand on the social constructs of garment and fashion is one of the factors of this cause. Fashion industry sometime is considered as a process of social discrimination and reproduction of hierarchy and prestige in one or another society. Most of teenagers have some difficulties with their own identities. Acting as a part of society, youth tries to dress in the way as the similar crowd does or a group of interests. Some individuals dress in different way – to show their uniqueness. Stereotypes and social thinking formulate according to changing fashion and appearance. The body as a changeable but visible outer limit of the self, as it formulates and operates Experience . It interacts with person’s actions and external environment of the society. Body, due to fashion, is regarded as a part of natural and intergroup relations. Our appearances and the human body are viewed as a symbol of society and historical period as it is characterized by it. On the example of the female body it is better seen because of cultural symbols preservation. The traditional costumes, all along human history, showed an appearance as a part of social identifying. In many parts of the world, women and men express a national idea and way of thinking. Patterns, garments as well as fabrics always meant particular qualities and features of a nation and country. National costumes changed the way of history, as it changed our way of thinking and our society. Nowadays there is a tendency to globalization. That is why there is no need in self-identification as one nation. Multiple national costumes, today play only decorative and historical role on festivals and other artistic and cultural events. Nevertheless, mass culture can dictate not only the look of a whole nation but also of an individual in his environment. Body and appearance are regarded as an individual. With a help of garments, jewellery and cosmetics a person can change his or her body and his or her individuality in the mind of other people. As garment is used to blur the boundaries of the body, it can blur some features in personal characteristics (Fisher & Loren, 2003). Every feature has a distinct stereotype and it varies in different counties and interest groups. Garments are not actual fixed elements that play the role of cloth to cover the body of a formed identity. They mostly formulate social identities that are expressed and naturalized in the body. Cloth and style itself characterizes mass way to express themselves as individuals. On the example of Twiggy we can see how social thinking changes towards human Looks and ideals. This icon of style in sixties changed human perception of beauty. She showed another way of expressing an identity and acting as a model. Before this, models where more feminine and sexy, but she made a first step in a new way of fashion appearance. Since then more and more models have androgenic look that attracts the public eye. Fashion reflects and even predicts concepts and ideas of the society. It is a cultural product with thousands of forms. The look transposes different concepts that are implied via the whole body of a person that wears it. It leads to a change of concerns of representation of and individual according to the change of his or her look. Fashion can express hidden personality to make an artificial appearance of the wearer. Cloth differentiates social groups according to their status, position, interests and creeds. To sum up it can be said that fashion has its unique role in formatting social thinking As it leads to changing people’s behaviour. A Person is judged upon the material, jewellery and cosmetics on her or his body. Stereotypes can lead to an individual status improve, but also can make harm. People try to discover themselves as personalities as early as it is possible, to take place in a particular niche of the society. In another way a person can be cut of society because of his or her look. Certain lifestyles and ways of thinking also depend on appearance that is why it is important to observe cloth as a part of social development. â€Å"You are what you wear† – this quote is true for every aspect of the human life and interactions of social groups. Due to this fact, every person regards him or herself as a part of a society and a part of a distinct environment.

A critical reflection essay on Islam Essay

Islam being the fastest growing religion, has adhered a lot of positive as well as negative attention from the media. Due to this vast media influence stereotypes in Islam have increased from terrorism, Muslims have been discriminated merely due to the negative outlook that North America has portrayed upon them. The media tends to entwine the truth and to make Muslims seem perilous. Having that simple coherence of one another will be the start to making a difference. Islam is one of the most inspiring religions in the world. It is practiced in many countries, including Northern Africa, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Iraq. Due to it being such a large religion, us people of the west tend to have a little understanding and knowledge about the religion. The very bitter truth is that not many people outside the religion can fully grasp their principles. With so many stereotypes being constantly circulated, it is very hard to get an evident picture about Islam both as a religion and as way of living. The first stereotype has to do with the jihad. Jihad literally means â€Å"The struggle in the path of God†, or â€Å"holy war†. This term unfortunately has been totally misunderstood and made to make it appear as though the Muslim people fight their way through all their problems. Jihad could mean ones spiritual struggle against infidels and does not always refer to actual violence. This pillar of faith has been completely turned around in order to portray Islam in a negative manner, which is surly something that we’ve adapted to through the media. Another stereotype is that women in the Muslim society are not treated equally or with respect. People feel this way because the women often wear a hijab which consists of a veil covering the head. This is actually a personal choice of the women, not a requirement. It was said in the Qu’ran that women and men were to be treated equally. By judging people too quickly we tend to forget to look inside rather then to make assumptions due to an appearance. Stereotypes such as the ones mentioned are absolutely biased and extremely unfair to the Muslim people. Many times, the media does not catch the side of the story where real people are being affected and influenced by what the society thinks and says about them. We seem to act as though we are more superior and that we are perfect and do not make mistakes. Just because some  people from a certain religion make a poor choice does not mean that everyone else is that religion is bound to as well. It is the same with the Muslim people. Just because there are terrorists who hurt themselves and those around them for selfish reasons, does not mean that every other Muslim is just as destructive. I feel that people need to be more open minded and try to do research and become more educated before judging and discriminating. If for once all religions saw eye to eye and did not try to put one another down then we would live in a much peaceful world. By not becoming educated, we basically take someone else’s opinion, or the medias and make it our own without looking deeper into the situation. If we just stop being selfish for just a moment, perhaps we can start again and try to live in harmony with our fellow human beings. During the past two weeks I have learned a lot about Islam, although I did know the basis of the religion people my family practices it. Although some of the thinks that I thought I knew turned out to be totally false I always thought the women never played a role in society and that the Muslim people really did have extremist views. After taking a closer look, I came to realize that I was not even close. It was so interesting and almost relieving to come to that realization that these people are simply misunderstood and are the victims of brutal discriminatory attacks. The biggest thing I learned from all this was not to judge a book by its cover. We can’t really have an opinion or pass judgment on a situation that we know nothing of. I realized now that people twist things in order to get a good story but as soon as people are educated about these matters, the media can no longer fool us into believing it all. Acting upon new knowledge, and most importantly correct knowledge is the way to see through the discrimination and look deep inside. Misconceptions and stereotypes about Islam and the Muslim community have increases majorly in the past couple of years. People have become too quick to judge and believe everything that the media tells them. Through knowledge and coherence about Islam and the Muslim people we would come to understand that it is all a simple misunderstanding and that really the Muslims are victims in this manifesto. We should not let others form opinions in our  head and to stay ignorant to the reality of the world. By doing this we save ourselves from becoming something that is not really human, but more so a robot that’s being controlled by the media, if we just stop and think for ourselves, we could live in harmony, and achieve world peace, a feeling that’s everlasting.

Asthma Essay Research Paper AsthmaWhat is Asthma

Asthma Essay, Research Paper Asthma What is Asthma? Asthma is a upset that affects 20 % of Australians in their childhood. It causes air passages to contract doing it hard to take a breath. Symptoms may include loss of breathe in cold conditions, wheezing and whistling. It may happen sporadically in sudden crisp onslaughts. When an onslaught occurs The musculuss around the air current pipe tighten shriveling the air passages. The air current pipe run alonging so crestless waves ( image ) and a mucous secretion called emotionlessness develops doing the cough to escalate and somewhat more painful. What are the Causes and Triggers for asthma? Attacks of Asthma occur due to a obstruction in the bronchial tubing. This obstruction consequences from a cramp that narrows the trachea doing take a breathing trouble for the sick person. Asthma Gun triggers are things that make Asthma worse. Usual triggers are # 8211 ; Respiratory infections eg. Colds, grippe, sore pharynxs and bronchitis Allergic reactions sometimes cause Asthma eg. Pollen, nutrients, dust, animate being pelt or some seed. Air thorns ( similar to Allergic reactions ) eg. Cigarette smoke, gases or dust. Excessive/strenuous exercising can do an Asthma onslaught. Emotional Stress can besides trip an Asthma onslaught. Symptoms of Asthma Symptoms include wheezing from the thorax or a little whistle is heard when inhaling. It # 8217 ; s even louder when expiring. Stringency of the thorax, lung and lung country are closely associated with Asthma. Treatment for asthma There is no remedy for Asthma but there are stairss that physicians take to assist alleviate the symptoms of Asthma. As a first measure physicians try to take or acquire the patient to avoid Asthma triggers such as # 8220 ; carnal dander # 8221 ; ( eg. Fur or hairs ) . These are really likely to trip an Asthma onslaught. Topographic points where animate beings dwell are advised to be kept clear of for a sick person. Since it is impossible to take or avoid all triggers there are medicines that can be tak en. Such as – Anti # 8211 ; Inflammatory Drugs: these cut down puffiness of the trachea and it # 8217 ; s liner. Oral Steroids # 8211 ; Orasone and Pediapred rapidly cut down redness during an onslaught. Inhaled medical specialties # 8211 ; such as cromoyln Na and inhaled corticoids maintain redness from flame uping up. Bronchodilators: loosen up the musculuss which have tightened around the trachea. Adrenergic bronchodilators ( # 8221 ; Beta 2 agonists # 8221 ; ) provide impermanent alleviation but do non handle redness. These are available as an Inhaler or a tablet signifier. Unfortunately the tablets are slower and have a few side affects. Theophylline is available in a liquid, capsule or tablet signifier. This drug has a long continuance of action doing it a really good soother for # 8220 ; dark clip # 8221 ; Asthma. Wayss of forestalling asthma There are no ways of forestalling Asthma because it is normally familial, allergically related or following a dosage of bronchitis, but there are ways to forestall it from flame uping up and turning into an onslaught. A sick person can be really careful about his or hers diet because the diet can greatly impact the Asthma. Due to allergic reactions etc. Staying off from pollens and carnal pelt settees down Asthma. The allergic reactions are the highest causes of Asthma. Make sure you ever have medicine with you such as Intal and Becotide. These preventive medical specialties will halt an onslaught occurring. Summery For an Asthma sick person external respiration can sometimes be a great trouble due to the fact that at any clip their air current pipe can shrivel due to redness, doing it really hard to take a breath. But with the right medicine eg. Inhalers and Theophylline their life can be much easier. If they besides stay off from triggers such as pollen, pelt and coffin nail smoke the air ways may non be so vulnerable. Even if you don # 8217 ; Ts have Asthma you should maintain an oculus out for the symptoms which are # 8211 ; thorax and lung stringency, wheezing and loss of breath particularly in cold conditions. 314

History of wool Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History of wool - Essay Example The origin of wool can be traced back in Asia Minor just like the story of human civilization. This happened during the Stone Age period, over 10,000 years ago. Sheep was used by the primitive man who lived on the Mesopotamian plain for shelter, clothing, and food. With time, man learned how to weave and spin, and woolen materials turned to be part of their riches. Romans, Persians, and Greeks distributed sheep over Europe between 3000 and 1000 B.C, which improved the breeds. King Henry VIII, who reigned between 1509 and 1547, seized the flocks of monasteries and gave them out to the court favorites (American Wool 2). The shepherds who were left unemployed were then sent to prison for failing to repay their debts. This was part of the incitement that led them to migrate into America. England through his Kings tried to discourage the wool industry in North America, however, some few sheep that had been smuggled there had multiplied into over 100,000 sheep by 1665. There was even a law passed by Massachusetts that required a young people to spin and weave. The American tradition and folklore grew together with the wool industry. The eldest unmarried daughters in the family were charged with the spinning duties, hence the name ‘spinster. They wound spun yarn on a reel that when a given yardage was arrived at, it made a popping sound. American Wool. "The History of Wool Fact Sheet." Division American Sheep Industry Association Inc. (2013): 1-2. Web. 28 January 2015.