How to Write an Effective Thesis for a Comparative Essay

No matter what your major, there's usually no escape from English literature and composition classes and a compare-contrast essay assignment. Many students get nervous when their professors ask them to write an essay about the similarities and differences between two or more texts or ideas, especially when writing the thesis for the essay; however, writing a thesis for a compare-contrast essay is not as difficult as you may think.InstructionsRead the assignment sheet carefully before you begin so you can follow the professor's instructions exactly. Each professor usually has his own idiosyncrasies, so underline everything the professor expects you to include in the thesis. While writing the thesis, refer back to the underlined notes. 2Make a list of similarities and differences between the texts, ideas or events.Sponsored Links Simple Project TemplateYes. It's easy. Nothing to install. Try it Free! www.smartsheet.comNarrow down similarities and differences to specific ideas to avoid writing a compare-contrast thesis that is too broad. For example the compare-contrast thesis, â€Å"The media depict people in different roles compared to the realities of the general population,† is too general.Begin your statement with words like whereas, while, even though, and although to suggest a contrasting element will follow. For example: Although the media depict most women as housewives and stay-at-home mothers, in reality many women work full time and put their children in daycare.Make sure the thesis for a compare and contrast essay compares and contrasts two or more ideas. One of the most common basic ways to write a thesis statement for a compare contrast essay is as follows: While Jane Austin's novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† underscores themes of pride, prejudice and women and marriage, and Mary Shelly's story â€Å"Frankenstein† reveals themes of madness, the sublime, and justice, it is apparent by juxtaposing these two novels that most women during the early 19th century felt trapped in a patriarchal society that restricted the roles of women, especially in marriage. 6Familiarize yourself with literary devices other than theme for compare and contrast essays. Rhetorical devices such as allegory, characterization, climax, symbolism, foreshadowing, figurative language, simile, imagery, irony, metaphor, motifs, personification, tone and other devices can add interest to a thesis statement for a compare-contrast essay.Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_5012335_write-statement-compare-contrast-essay.html#ixzz2rPnmEClT

Leadership Program Case

I had spent about 3 months in my new Job at JP Morgan, Singapore, as a business analyst in the clearing and settlement project management team. I was handling a critical and high-budget project spanning over 4 different locations. Pleased with my work and the team player attributes I had shown in the few months, my Executive Director called me into his cabin and offered me an additional responsibility. He said that he had started an â€Å"Offshore Test Centre (ETC)† initiative and he felt that it deed a manager and a leader to get it streamlined and functioning well.In addition to my work as an analyst in my project, I would be given the manager position for the ETC team. Thinking that it would be a great opportunity to hone my team leadership skills, I accepted. The ETC or the Offshore Test Centre was a team of consultants from Polaris who were working for JP Morgan. The team comprised of 4 people from Iambi and 3 people from Hydrated, in India, 1 person in London, I-J and 2 people in North America. I was situated in Singapore. When, I officially took over, I was made aware of the problems immediately.The person who was leading the team before me had little experience in the clearing and settlement technology area and was not able to provide the required level of expertise. He was let go and I was the replacement manager. The main issues I encountered were: 1 . ) It was a new team and until now there had been no one to structure it or establish any guidelines. There was no team cohesion and feeling of camaraderie within the am was absent. 2. ) The members had not received any training or formal knowledge sessions related to technology and business. . ) There was no recognition for the team as it hadn't been able to carve a niche for itself. The technology team did their own quality testing as there was no trust and hence no dependency. 4. ) They already had a team leader at offshore who was handling the administration activities for Polaris, and he hand led the leaves, appraisal and allocation for the team members. I started off by making a formal introduction via email and video conferencing to ensure that everyone in different time zones was included.We had a good initial knowledge transfer session where I shared my knowledge in the areas of work and my vision for the team. The team members gave me an idea of the kind of work they had been doing in the past and the processes and flows and also what their goals and expectations were. During the week, I set up one-on-one meetings with every individual and spoke at length. I kept the tone informal and lowly but steadily, people opened up and spoke about the issues they encountered and offered solutions as well.I established a weekly reporting process, where I consolidated the tasks completed by each member and sent it to the senior management. This improved the visibility of our team. I made sure, with the help of my director that the process was more streamlined and all the enhance ments and change releases went through our team first for quality assurance. This not only created a healthy dependency between the technology, management and the test team, but also helped open dialogues between the teams making the collaboration stronger.Most importantly, I set up training sessions every alternate day and made sure I received feedback and summarization on the sessions from the members. I initially did face some negative reactions to the changes from some of the team members, especially from the offshore leader. But eventually, as we made progress and the positive implications became clear, I started receiving positive feedbacks and my team claimed that it was much happier with their radioactivity.We started catering to diverse teams and technology, and in the process I had learn the new business and technology as well for the order matching and celebration team. Best part was, that the team was now recognized among the top management as one of the efficient qualit y assurance team as our delivery defects were substantially reduced by over 40%. My Executive director was happy as the both technology and management team both felt that the entire system was now benefiting from this step.

Guest Loyalty Programs

Implementing a Guest Loyalty Program is a form of building a loyal client base, and also enticing new guests to patronize a particular business establishment. The inclusion of Guest Loyalty Programs is part of managing a business establishment that aims to develop   sound and desirable relationships with its clients and take advantage of their worth for the business, such as added revenue. Primarily, Guest Loyalty Programs attract guests and encourages them to return for more offers and services. (Otwell & Davis, 2005) Moreover, guests who frequent business establishments are awarded benefits and advantages in order to show appreciation for their loyalty and patronage through the Loyalty Program Guest Loyalty Programs come in different forms. For instance, businesses allow guests who frequent their establishments to earn advantage points for their every visit in the establishment. These points allow them to redeem added services and offers that fit their most pressing needs. These benefits include for example health and relaxation services such as spa treatment services and a day at the gym programs for luxury hotels, food discounts, freebies and gift certificates for restaurants, etc. while others include complimentary full course meals of breakfast, lunch, or dinner buffets, etc. In order to gain a better understanding of Guest Loyalty Programs, several examples that are widely used at present in business establishments shall be compared and contrasted in the following paragraphs. Visible Results Limited has launched an innovation for the purpose of Loyalty Programs, called the Graphicardâ„ ¢. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is a form of a loyalty card the exceeds the standards of ordinary membership cards that we know of. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is digitized and it incorporates elements of technology that make it easier to use and track down accumulated points as well as the corresponding benefits that shall be granted to the client. For every transaction in the particular establishment that a client makes, it is reflected on the face of the card. Moreover, as the client accumulates more points, the benefits and advantages granted to him are also reflected on the face of the card. (Visible Results, 2006) The good thing about it is that it updates itself for every transaction, it shows value for every transaction that the client makes, it utilizes a pointing system that is needed to establishing the particular Loyalty Program, it is much more enticing than other Loyalty Programs because it employs high technology, which represents the current trend, and it also accumulates all the benefits and services that are incurred during a specific period of time, with the client’s continuous patronage. Another example of a Guest Loyalty Program is one that is employed by the Carnival Cruise Lines. It also implements subscriptions for a membership card called the â€Å"Platinum† card wherein a client gets to be a member of the â€Å"Carnival Concierge Club.† Upon membership, the client is automatically granted specific and identified benefits and services that he may enjoy while aboard the ship. Benefits and services include personalized club items such as stationeries, priority laundry services and dinner reservations, etc. (Carnival Cruise Lines, 2006) The similarity between the Graphicardâ„ ¢ and the loyalty program implemented by Carnival Cruise Lines is that they both grant benefits and services to their clients. However, the difference lies on how clients are included in the program and what benefits and services shall be granted to them. For instance, the Graphicardâ„ ¢ shall be given to clients and the benefits and services that they receive shall depend on how often they use the card. On the other hand, the loyalty program of Carnival Cruise Lines shall only be awarded to clients who have sailed with their ships for over ten times and the benefits and services that shall be granted to them is fixed and applies for all. Some industry best practices that businesses employ include personalized loyalty programs that allows clients to get involved with how they become members of loyalty programs (such as personalizing membership card themes and mode of payments, etc.), partnership marketing or an business establishment’s links to other establishments and organization in order to provide benefits and services for clients wherever they are, â€Å"green† marketing or a business establishment’s involvement with nature that allows him to establish a socially responsibly image and reputation,   and digitized types of membership. (Pearson, 2007) Business establishments are able to implement different types of guest loyalty programs. Rewards Loyalty Programs allow customers to earn points for their every transaction. Accumulated points are redeemed through rewards that the business establishment shall grant to their clients. Rebate Loyalty Programs provide for gift checks or cards that the client is able to redeem during the next transaction. Usually rebate checks and cards are granted to clients if they reach a certain amount throughout their course of spending within the business establishment. Loyalty Programs that show appreciation to the continued patronage of their clients are not granted in monetary form. They are usually non-monetary benefits and services such as complimentary meals in restaurants, room upgrades in hotels, etc. Partnership Loyalty Programs are benefits or services awarded to clients that are provided for by the business’ partner establishment. For valued guests who have proved their loyalty to the business establishment, the loyalty program by affinity is implemented, such that benefits and services are additions to preview rewards and bonuses. (Summers) Guest Loyalty Programs are successful if it encourages clients to purchase or patronize services and offers provided by a business establishment. After the client’s primary experience, he is convinced to return to the particular business establishment. Basically, loyalty programs are successful for the obvious facts that they attract many clients, not only to the point of attracting them but also in making them stay. Moreover, successful loyalty programs are those, which encourage clients to spend more, thus, increasing the revenue of the business establishment. (Customer Service Point) The advantages of employing different approaches in Guest Loyalty Programs is that it motivates clients who have already been a member long before, to learn more and explore about the new offerings of the business establishment. Moreover, innovations are appreciated by clients because of the efforts that business establishments do to satisfy their clients. Generally, people are always encourage to try things that are new to them, so introducing innovative loyalty programs shall motivate them to continue patronizing the services that business establishments provide. The disadvantage is that, perhaps, new members who have been part of the previous loyalty program might get discouraged if the system of gaining points and earning rewards, without having them to accumulate points in order to gain rewards, is changed ever so often. In addition, membership cards that are needed to be renewed for the changes in loyalty programs might become costly for clients who have to pay for the membership again. (De Weaver, 2002) References Carnival Cruise Lines. (2006). â€Å"Carnival Cruise Lines Rolls Out New Past Guest Loyalty Program.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Carnival Cruise Lines. Customer Service Point. (2008). â€Å"Loyalty Programs Characteristics.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Customer Service Point. Website: http://www.customerservicepoint.com/loyalty-programs-characteristics.html De Weaver, G. (2002). â€Å"The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Loyalty Programs.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from B&T Today. Website:   http://www.bandt.com.au/news/6a/0c010f6a.asp Otwell, K. & Davis, D. (2005). â€Å"Guest Loyalty Programs for the Vacation Rental Industry.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visual Data Systems. Website: http://www.vdsys.com/presentations/garezfest.pdf Pearson, B. â€Å"The Global Loyalty Infusion: Best Practices and Innovations Around the World.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Penton Media, Inc. Website: http://chiefmarketer.com/cm_report/global_loyalty_0211/index.html Summers, J. (2008). â€Å"Five Types of Loyalty Programs: Which is Right For You?† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Restaurant Coaching Solutions. Website: http://restaurantcoachingsolutions.com/five-types-of-loyalty-programs-which-is-right-for-you/ Visible Results. (2006). â€Å"Graphicardâ„ ¢.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visible Results Limited. Website: http://www.visibleresults.com/loyalty/graphicard.htm                  

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 13

Marketing - Essay Example My understanding of insurance and reinsurance companies, pension, stock exchanges, leasing and lending companies was also increased. In addition, marketing knowledge enable me to know different ways that I can use to create value, and not just products. In addition to the above lessons, at the end of the chapter I appreciated the role of technology which has shaped marketing and in the end, affected the financial service delivery positively. This happened because the marketers identified essential issues like the product element, place and time, process and productivity and quality. I also learned on the financial service environment. I learnt three main lessons; first I developed knowledge on essential external influences that affect the financial services. These include global financial crisis like high risk lending and US led systematic disaster (Madura, 2010, 31). Second, I learnt to appreciate the roles of the environment scanning in the marketing of financial services. The majo r roles include, encouraging the competitors, avoiding credit crisis, to address the externalities and protecting the investor. I learnt that these can easily be done through systematic methods that are used in the analysis of the macro environment for financial investments. The analysis can only be done on political, socio-cultural, economic and technological variables. Lastly, I gained knowledge on how to integrate a stakeholder perspective into environment scanning. This is because markets are only concerned with coming up with strategies that can ensure success in financial services. Therefore, environmental scanning is essential in establishing the most suitable place for financial investments. These lessons have enabled me to developing coping strategies and skills. For sure, I can now face predicaments and challenges wholeheartedly because I know a change in tactics will be enough to propel me through the course. I can now analyse different situations and give judgment based on the context. Lessons on the market mix and financial services were equally necessary. This is because I gained insight on the management of the customer relationship. This I realized can only be undertaken by managing people, price, product promotion and place. Thus, to the service mix, I got to know that other 4ps of process, people and physical evidence must form part. This knowledge further increased my understanding of the way financial institutions like banks win the trust of their customers. Indeed I learnt that it is only through market mix that they can promote their core and augmented services like internet banking and loans. I have increased my management and leadership skills (Madura, 2010, 35). I now know that, as a good leader, I must be a manager of myself, and a leader of people around me. I have developed strong understanding skills, and now I accept ideas and view of the significant others provided that they are consistent with my standards and values. Indeed I h ad knowledge on branding. However, I did not know how I can build and sustain financial branding. Thus, lectures on the same subject were necessary as part of my course plan. Certainly, I know appreciate how branding theory applies to the marketing of financial services. Secondly, I now appreciate the way branding contributes to the promotion of the financial service

Religion and Theology Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religion and Theology Questions - Assignment Example In Jainism, dharma refers to the eternal law which all of its followers must adopt thereby becoming indifferent of the material senses of the world. It promotes a sense of self-denial and nonviolence. Karma, more than being just a principle, is a way of preventing sins in Jainism (Andrea & Overfield, 2012). Karma in Jainism also acquires a physical and material exists within the soul rather than being the consequence of an action. In Buddhism, dharma refers to the law of righteousness, especially as it was taught by Buddha himself. Dharma in Buddhism characterizes that universal law of nature that spans the mundane and extra-mundane, engendering the duties of Man as realizing through meditation as did the Buddha (Andrea & Overfield, 2012). In Buddhism, Karma not merely relies on one’s actions but also on the intention behind any action. As such, Karma explains the causal relationship between the various actions and the kind of next life which leads to. While the basic concept of dharma is the same in all three traditions, Hindus understand it as a natural law that governs social relations and responsibilities. On the other hand, dharma in Buddhism refers to the teachings of Buddha as well as the mental states experienced by Man. These include all the impulses and conscious thoughts. Further, the concept of karma differs in Hinduism and Jainism whereby karma in Hinduism does not occupy an existential state within the soul whereas it occupies a material state within one’s soul in Jainism. 2. Being monotheistic religions, there is one God in all three Abrahamic religions although the concept of God differs in each of these. As noted by Neusner, Chilton & Graham (2002), Christians and Muslims rely on cumulative knowledge of God as added on by each additional scripture. Jews, however, rely on a dual knowledge of God through oral and written Torah.  

Week 3 Discussion Questions and Participation Questions Essay - 1

Week 3 Discussion Questions and Participation Questions - Essay Example When a firm uses product differentiation the market structure of the firm is monopolistic competition. Examples of firms that use product differentiation are fast food companies such as McDonalds and Burger King. I believe that my firm could not benefit from product differentiation due to its integration to a perfect competition marketplace. Product differentiation would be an added cost that would not provide the firm with any added benefits. I agree that competition in price and services can be as effective as price strategies. Proving a top customer service can improve the customer retention rate of the company. Quality products that last a long time help companies built a good reputation which increases sales in the long run. Since they are not able to achieve economic profits in the long run corporations prefer to use non price competition. There are dangers associated with price competition such as price wars. The use of non price factors such as marketing campaigns can improve the demand for the product without having to reduce the price. A way to maintain the ability to be the sole participation in the marketplace companies can the legal protection that comes from obtaining a patent. A patent protects a company’s product for 17 years. Patents are utilized a lot in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to the massive amounts of money these firms invest in R&D they need patent protection to be able to get a return on their investment. A patent is the best way to achieve legal protection that allows a firm to participate in a monopoly marketplace. Despite the fact monopolist can charge any price they want due to the lack of competition the monopolist structure is still subject to the law of supply and demand. I do not agree with the statement that monopolist raise price until customers are not willing to pay more. A lot of monopolists exist to serve a social purpose. For example the utilities companies often have regional

Analyse the business situation facing KuIuIa.com from a marketing Essay

Analyse the business situation facing KuIuIa.com from a marketing point of view - Essay Example Its advertising campaigns were designed to influence human psychology and impacts of its visual and textual content is linked to human behaviour. Thus, its advertisement that makes common man, a super hero was hugely appealing for local population. Though it has networked with car rental firms, it needs to create wider linkages with other facilities to ensure customers convenience. Kululu.com faces serious threat from new competitors, especially from SAA or South African Airways which has largest market share. As such, Kululu.com must adopt flexible strategies to meet new challenges and exploit internal capabilities vis-a-vis customer relationship, sustainable business practices, diversification, acquisition, new product development and its linkages with its parent companies to gain competitive advantage. Ansoff’s matric promotes four growth strategies for gaining competitive advantage: market penetration; market development; diversification; and new product development. It sh ould therefore analyse different strategies of growth (Solomon et al., 2012). Both Comair and British Airways have huge credibility across the globe. With increasing competition, it must evolve new products and services and develop strategic business linkages with its parents’ company so that they can share database of customers with ease. Recommendations It should further enhance its customer services and develop an organizational culture that empowers employees. By increasing the number of customer service agents it would be able to provide passengers with improved personal service and emotional support and security at the time of crisis. It should increase frequency of destination-to-destination flights to maintain its popularity. Specialized short haul flights... †¢ It should increase frequency of destination-to-destination flights to maintain its popularity. Specialized short haul flights are increasingly being preferred by people who are frequent fliers. With its low cost strategy, it would attract more small and medium business class. †¢ As a growth strategy, leveraging partnership across different fields that may complement its wider business objectives is hugely critical issue that needs to be incorporated within its business strategy. Thus, it should forge alliances with hotels, resorts, tour operators and event managers so that it can constantly provide its customers with new ways to benefit and enjoy unique experience. Offering integrated packages would attract more families for vacations and encourage small and medium businesses to take its employees for work-cum relaxation programs. †¢ It should promote sustainable business practice and introduce attractive offers to its customers which would be able to give them a chance to travel in BA and Comair flights. It could be in terms of number of flights or frequency of fliers to particular destination which would make customers eligible for bonus points that could earn them discount tickets in BA and Comair. This would significantly increase customer database and help it to maintain its competitive advantage.

Immigration and Employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Immigration and Employment - Essay Example (Castle & Miller, 2003) First it is important that we defined both terms as used, "cultural mosaic" is mostly used to refer to multiculturalism that is used to mean many diverse culture in a place or in an area where diverse culture relates together peacefully. the concept is used to contrast the melting pot term which is used to imply the "ingredients" in the pot which are people with diverse cultures melting together to fuse and form one identity. The two ideas are very different from each other, however the Canadian concept is seen as a more positive especially when it comes to employment and immigrants working in the country. (Castle & Miller, 2003) Canada is a country which is obviously multicultural due to many immigrants that have immigrated to the country over the years. Canada is well known all over the world for being among the most liberal, democratic and welcoming countries in the whole world. It's as a vibrant mosaic of diverse culture where different people resides and work together peaceful. It is estimated that 16% of the total Canadian population of 30 million are first-generation immigrants. The Canadian government is dedicated to a guiding principle of diversity which is designed to preserve and improve the diverse cultural heritage of the Canadians, whilst attempting to attain equality in the social, cultural political and economic issues of Canada. (Castle & Miller, 2003) The "melting pot" is designed to imply homogeneous society development where people with diverse cultural backgrounds are put together to create a multi-ethnic society. as Northrop Frye a literary philosopher observes, Canadian students have been conditioned from the early stage to think of themselves as citizen of a nation with uncertain identity, with a unclear past and a dangerous future on the other hand children in America are conditioned from very early stage to believe in themselves that they are citizens of a the greatest nation in the world. (Castle & Miller, 2003) Many people who have settled in Canada and America always have some kind of reference about the two countries. While those settled in the United States talk of the similarities they share those in Canada talk about the differences. Probably this is because of the in the United States people are expected to adopt to the culture in the United States while in Canada people are the Canadian respect and value the differences. Canada has always been a mosaic country, as explained by sociology historian Castle & Miller (2003) who termed Canada as "a vertical mosaic" and the mosaic term keeps being used because immigrants are encouraged to maintain their culture when in the country. Though both countries have a history of immigrants the two countries have had different policies towards same issues. In the beginning American believed in creating a nation which favoured unity and individual rights, where unity of the nation was more important than the diversity of individuals. While in Canada the country encouraged a system which was based on ethnic particularly with the emphasis of the French culture and French language. (Castle & Miller, 2003) Effects on employment As pertaining employment of immigrants in Canada which is a central social issue

The JIM CROW system of racial segregation was really an attmept by Essay

The JIM CROW system of racial segregation was really an attmept by White Southerners to replace slavery - Essay Example When a country oppresses its people, the tendency is for the people to rebel against the government. This has happened many times already in different parts of the world; take for example the rebellion of Mujahidin against the Russian invasion of 1970s. Once an occupation does not have the mandate of the populace, what happens next is for the society to impose its interest against the power holder. This is the dynamics in most democratic societies. What happens when a society imposes values which should be imposed on the people to begin with? The Jim Crow laws aimed to segregate the whites from the African Americans while preserving equality. It may sound so ironic, but the United States of America did its best to separate the essential public services of blacks to those of the whites. African Americans were not allowed to take the same public transportation, they could not use the same bathroom and most of all they could not go to the same schools. Even the military segregated the African Americans from the white soldiers (Cooper 97). This is a clear violation of the rights of African Americans for freedom and equality. There is no way that equality could be achieved by isolating some people from the rest of the society. Equality is something that could be achieved if everyone is treated without biased of the society. In the case of the Jim Crow laws, blacks were not treated like humans. It’s as if the African Americans were not capable of doing the things that white people could do. While the whites argued that this is a way to forward racial co-existence, the way Jim Crow system of laws is applied prove that it was just an attempt by White Southerners to replace slavery. The facilities given to the blacks were either sub-par or non-working. Public services for blacks such as educational facilities are not as good as the

Wage differences in Urban Informal Sector of China Essay

Wage differences in Urban Informal Sector of China - Essay Example Though the study of migration is not new in economics, the study considered in this context is important due to the wage differences between urban and rural areas and the informal sector of the urban areas. In this study of migration of China, the household was recognised regarding migration. Instead of number of people migrated to urban areas, the households migrated are been registered in China. Out of urban-urban, rural -rural migrations, the rural -urban migration exposed the wage differences issue. 1 The migration from rural to urban is so much important as it was assumed that the hukou system of 1950s was proposed to tie the farmers to the land. This is for supplying low cost agricultural products to the industrial sector. This restricted the mobility of the people during the great famine during s1960s. The farmers depended on collective farming and the opportunity cost for migration was very high. The migration was made easy and speeded up when china started economic reforms in 1978. 2 The urban informal sector of developing countries like China absorbs who cannot find productive employment. If this point is ignored, it can be stated that it will contribute to employment and income generation. The legal status of the activities of the companies in the informal sector will fall outside the reach of the government regulations. This is due to the size of the companies having less than 10 employees and usage of simple and traditional technology. In China the government is limited to administrative resources tend to focus on large scale operations. The minimum wage legislation is enforced only in large scale establishments and informal sector was out of the reach of that legislation. One more reason for non implementation is that the companies seize to exist when the legislation is implemented. This needs the study of the determinants of employment in the urban informal sector in China. The size of the labour force of urban informal sector is due to the interactions wi thin the economy as a whole. The absorption capacity rural areas regarding labour decides the migration and wage differences in the system. Though the urban informal sector is less in wages than the formal sector, the migration continues due to the still lesser wages in the rural areas. The urban informal sector absorbs very poor people as labour. As the sector provides income continuously without security, the poor and semi qualified people are absorbed by this sector. Particularly unskilled labour are employed and their lack of skills result in lower wages. 4. Effects of Informal Sector In the globalisation and economic reforms period the countries like china are catching up the opportunities of trade and development. International specialisation has become more effective during the period of specialisation and the liberalisation resulted in lowering the transport costs. The informal sectors discussed the macroeconomic role of labour reallocation. This analysed the effects of economic growth, production and trade patterns. This included the analysis of wages and there existed a substantial difference between the wages of formal and informal sectors. This resulted in the differences in the effects of formal and informal sectors on macro economic effects. The simulation regarding the allocation of workers, has put them across low and

Potato Tuber Lab Essay Example for Free

Potato Tuber Lab Essay Introduction: Osmosis is a form of diffusion in which water diffuses through a selectively permeable membrane from a region of high concentration to a region of lower concentration. This form of diffusion takes place when the molecules in high concentration are too large to move through the membrane. Three factors that determine cell membrane permeability are shape, size, and polarity. For this experiment, it must be kept in mind that sucrose is not permeable to the cell membrane, for it is too large to pass through. The cell membrane functions to protect, separate, and regulate what goes in and out of a cell. It also allows cells to control their internal chemical environment and the availability of important materials. In a hypertonic solution, there is a greater concentration of solute inside a cell compared to another solution (water will flow from out of the potato cells and the mass will decrease). In a hypotonic solution, there is a lower concentration of solute compared to another solution (water will flow into the potato cells and the mass will increase). In this potato tuber lab experiment, the weight of each potato tuber after being sliced into thin disks and rinsed was taken and recorded. The potato disks were then individually placed in sucrose solutions for exactly an hour, each cup being swirled every ten minutes. At the end of the hour, each group of potato tuber slices was weighed a second time to determine if there was a change in mass due to the sucrose solution. The percent change in weight among the different potato tubings was determined in order to confirm or deny our hypotheses. My null hypothesis was that the potato would not be affected by the sucrose solution, the osmotic concentration would neither increase nor decrease, therefore there would be no change in mass seen. My alternate hypothesis was that the potato would be affected by the sucrose solution (final mass) by having a higher or a lower osmotic concentration than the initial mass, therefore there will be a change in mass seen. Results: The initial weight of the sliced potato tubers ranged from 4.4g to 5.4g. The final weight of the sliced and soaked potato tubers ranged from 3.6g to 5.7g. These results show that the 0.1 solution of sucrose was hypotonic, causing the sliced potato pieces to gain mass, as to where the remaining solutions of sucrose (.00, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) were hypertonic, causing the sliced potato pieces to lose mass. This shows that the potato tubers were affected by the sucrose solutions. This conclusion is represented in the graph given below. Discussion: The purpose of this experiment was to determine the osmotic concentration of sucrose within the potato tuber slices. Upon coming up with the final results of the experiment, the osmotic concentration of sucrose was calculated to be .06M. For this experiment, an isotonic solution will have a molarity of .06M, as the best fit line hits the x axis at .06M. In comparison, a hypotonic solution will have a concentration ranging from 0 M to .06M, and a hypertonic solution will have a concentration ranging from .06M or higher. This caused me to accept the alternate hypothesis and reject the null hypothesis; therefore, the potato was affected by the sucrose solution as we saw a change in mass of the potato tuber slices.

Concept of Love Essay Example for Free

Concept of Love Essay Love is a complex emotion of attachment and sometimes obsession. It cannot be classified so easily, though; it cannot be stuffed into a social concept and left there. Some people search for what seems their whole lifetime for love, whereas others may seem to fall in and out of love on a regular basis. Of course, people can love many things, but the love between two people is unique and special. It is a feeling of trust and wholeness. Love is rarely defined because everyone experiences it differently. What one person thinks is love, another may think is craze or vice versa. How does one know he or she is in love? How is it possible to distinguish between the love of romance and the love shared between friends? In order to understand love, people need to first understand the two major types of love which can be described as romantic love and friendship love. People often define romantic love based on its difference from friendship love. Would you kiss your best friend? Perhaps, but it is not necessarily the things you do with your romantic partner that makes your love spark. Romantic lovers are usually on each other’s minds all the time. Couples make large life decisions based on their romantic partners because they cannot imagine life without those people. Romantic love guides a person’s mind and can sometimes cloud it as to what the right decisions might be. After all, romantic love can be extremely selfless. Friendship love can often turn into romantic love, as it has many times throughout history, but the birth of romantic love between friends will often kill the love of friendship. In other words, friends who become romantic lovers rarely can go back to being â€Å"just friends. Why is it that romantic love is so overpowering? The love of friendship can be very strong, but it is the emotional intensity of romantic love that forever changes the simplicity of the love between friends. Friendship love does not have all the same guidelines that romantic love seems to have. Each friend couple may have a unique kind of love between each other. Friendship love is best described as a warm feeling between people. Girlfriends may have different friendship love for each other than a male and female friend pair may have; the same for male friends. Male and Female friends may sometimes undergo a lot of pressure from other friends and family to turn their friendship love into romantic love, which doesn’t always work. There is a line that friends may cross over, and to know that line is to know the difference between romantic and friendship love. Friends have complete trust for someone and naturally want to be around him/her. People who love each other want to make each other happy; they want to be there as confidants, helpers, and company. Friendship love is often compared to the love between siblings as well. In many cases, a sibling is just as good a friend as any. Society will not accept romantic love between relatives, but friendship love is encouraged and an amazing aspect to have. Everybody experiences love in a different way and may not agree with the concepts that it is dealt with. In the end, it does not matter whether or not the kind of love someone feels fits into any category. Love is personal, and the important thing is, is that it makes people happy and feels cared for. Whether people have romantic or friendship love, love is meant to mean that it is an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment, and a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection.

Case study remedial writing programme

Case study remedial writing programme The purpose of this study programme is to determine if students from the elementary level of Hin Hua High School (Chinese Independent School) improved in their ability to write in English after having studied specifically developed curriculum. The 7-hour remedial programme is to be conducted once the academic department releases the final assessment grades. Fifteen students with the lowest score were selected using the criterion method to undergo the remedial programme. the importance of all six major aspects of writing measured in the English Test which comprises mainly punctuation, grammar and usage, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style. It is believed by attending the remedial programme selected students would be able to show the ability to make and articulate judgments by taking position on an issue or problem. Besides sustaining a position by focusing on the topic throughout the writing. They are alson expected to develop a position by presenting support or evidence using specific details and make inferences based on support or evidence. Most importantly, they should be able to organize and present ideas in a logical way by logically grouping and sequencing ideas. Hence communicate clearly by using language effectively and by observing the conventions of standard written English INTRODUCTION As a language teacher, I often select writing tasks from language textbooks to help students improve their writing ability. Behaviorists, communicative, cognitive, and discourse theories could influence writing approaches in language textbooks. Each theoretical framework has provided us with a better understanding of the multiple dimensions and purposes of teaching writing. A review of the developments in writing pedagogy leads us to conclude that we could teach writing as a means to improve linguistic, rhetorical and communicative competence or as a discovery and cognitive process. The writing tasks that we select from language textbooks and assign to students could reflect one or some of these pedagogical purposes. As teachers, we need to question and understand the pedagogical assumptions of textbook writing tasks so that we can select tasks that will help our students become confident writers and independent thinkers. Primary students entering the secondary school level (high School) are challenged not only to learn new content in the disciplines but also to communicate this. A significant number of students will not have adequate academic literacy levels to be able to do this successfully (Jones and Bonanno, 1995 (1). Atlhough traditionally students were expected to develop academic literacy skills without any explicit teaching of these skills, schools now recognize the increasingly diverse backgrounds of their student populations and have put in place mechanisms for helping students develop their academic literacy. These have included the establishment of literacy and learning units as well as the requirement for school curricula to address the teaching of writing skills including communication skills. English Learning Centre of Hin Hua High School Klang, like other literacy and learning units, has been involved in a number of collaborative projects with teachers involved in teaching Junior One to integrate the teaching of communication skills into the curriculum (Webb et al, 1995, Taylor and Drury, 1996). These initiatives have resulted in the development of new teaching materials and approaches as well as new practices of assessment and feedback. However, as subject area curricula are being adapted to computer-based forms of learning, it is also necessary to consider how the teaching of communication skills can be integrated into these programs or how the teaching of communication skills can be contextualized within the learning of subject area knowledge. With the current demand for propheciuency in English Language great importance has been given to developing programs to instill good writing modes to the elementary learners which aims to help students become successful editors of their own writing. 1.1 LITERATURE REVIEW Writing skills have been identified as to improve students thinking. Moffett and a few others have developed cognitively sequenced curricula for elementary and secondary writing, college composition, when it is sequenced at all, tends to rely on structural or rhetorical arrangements, which are neither sequential nor cumulative. Progressions from word to sentence to paragraph to theme confuse quantitative with qualitative growth, while rhetorical sequences confront students with cognitive problems of different but equal complexity. In short, from a cognitive perspective, most writing instruction in higher education is consistent with that in secondary education: what Stephen Judy described as Advanced Hodgepodge in high school gives way to Arrogant Hodgepodge in college. A large and growing body of research, however, shows that cognitive development follows a hierarchical sequence of stages and suggests that a curriculum can be sequentially organized to promote cognitive development. Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives provides some essential connections between the cognitive abilities we expect of college students and a curriculum that can stimulate those abilities Blooms Taxonomy is one solution to the cognitive hodgepodge of the writing curriculum. It allows us to sequence instruction and assignments in ways that speak directly to students developmental needs. From least to most complex, For writing instruction the taxonomy provides a flexible model of what happens cognitively in the learning process Bloom described a six stage sequence: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. (See Figure 1) Figure 1.0 The flow chart of Blooms Taxonomy At each new level, thought processes build on and encompass previous levels. Implicit in this structure is the assumption of an ascending scale of difficulty and comprehensiveness. Thinking at the comprehension level is more demanding than at the knowledge level; cognitive problems requiring synthesis or evaluation encompass all the preceding levels. A review of Blooms definitions for each taxonomic level suggests what such a cognitively-based writing course might entail. Although the focus of each level is cognitive, rhetorical issues of audience and purpose are equally appropriate and can be specified for any assignment. Most of all, the taxonomy allows us to contemplate the value and feasibility of a cognition-based curriculum in writing. Such a curriculum would reflect the hierarchical relations of the various thought processes and would help to control for cognitive complexity in writing and thinking about distorting natural discourse. In this form, writing or writing-intensive courses would systematically develop students thinking skills rather than leaving them to chance or, worse, blunting the writers still-developing ability to explore and express ideas. In short, a cognition-based curriculum ensures that students participate fully in using writing as a mode of learning. 2.0 INTENDED PURPOSE The remedial programme is targeted for the elementary learners who are in the process of upgrading their writing skills to the pre -intermediate level. A total of 15 students are selected from the age group of 13 years old based on the final semester examination results. The examination basically structured in accordance to the textbook currently used in the school curriculum ,New Opportunities (Pearson Longman-Cambridge). Basically the (Stiggins to highlight achievement differences between and among students to produce a , 1994). School systems might want to classify students in this way so that they can be enhance their competency level even further. The major reason for using a norm-referenced test (NRT) is to classify students. NRTs are designed on dependable rank order of students across a continuum of achievement from high achievers to low achievers be properly placed in remedial or gifted programs. These types of tests are also used to help teachers select students for differe nt ability level reading or mathematics instructional groups. As the selected students fall under the below average group in Paper 1(Writing Assessment) whereby there are two parts that the had to complete here: SECTION A Notes Expansion and SECTION B Continuous Writing (Choose one topic out of five given) From the academic analysis it was found that majority students failed in Section B where it consists of 25% of the total marks of 40% of the Writing paper. Thus they are required to attend a 7 hour remedial programme to improve their writing skills by at least 85%. FINAL SEMESTER : PAPER 1 RESULTS (40%) NAME CLASS SECTION (15%) SECTION B (25%) 1 LIM WAI MENG ELEMENTARY 8 8 2 CAROLINE TAN ELEMENTARY 7 7 3 CHONG YOKE LAN ELEMENTARY 9 6 4 LIM CHEN PHANG ELEMENTARY 8 6 5 LEE AI VIN ELEMENTARY 8 7 6 SOO HUI YING ELEMENTARY 5 5 7 TAN KUI ROU ELEMENTARY 6 8 8. TEE WAN RU ELEMENTARY 5 9 9 NG JIA JI ELEMENTARY 9 7 10 LIM SHAO YI ELEMENTARY 9 4 11 KELVIN LAI ELEMENTARY 6 8 12 TAN MAY LI ELEMENTARY 8 8 13 TOO MEI LING ELEMENTARY 5 5 14 LIM TAI YONG ELEMENTARY 6 9 15 TEO JOYCELYN ELEMENTARY 7 6 Table 1 REMEDIAL PROGRAMME STUDENTS NAME LIST 3.0 PURPOSE OF REMEDIAL WRITING PROGRAMME The reasons for the remedial program to be initiated is to better the learners in their writing skills and strengthen it so that they have all capabilities to be promoted to the next level but due to certain minute factors they fail to adhere to the standards of the pre-intermediate level. Thus these students are carefully selected using the criterion method to undergo the 7 hour remedial programme. In order to drill and motivate these students in the remedial programme an enriching lesson plan is formulated to create a positive outcome at the end of the the 7 hour remedial programme. The purposes for emphasizing writing skills are to produce who can comprehend teaching and learning in a positive mental attributes. There is a wide body of research suggesting that assessing students written performance is a valuable undertaking. Not only is an instructor able to help a students progress, but also the instructor can facilitate the learning process and the learning outcomes by being aware of student performance throughout the academic session. Purpose for teaching writing Writing for Language Practice Writing for Rhetorical Practice Writing for communication Writing as a Discovery and a Cognitive process Figure 2.0: The Purpose for Teaching Writing Undeniably, 3R skills are important and necessary in daily living. They are also needed to support the development of a knowledge-based economy. Recognizing these needs, the school has initiated and implemented programmes to identify students who have not mastered the 3Rs. These programmes are designed to specifically address and overcome the inability of students to master the 3Rs. This is in line with the essentialism which instills students with academic knowledge and character development. Among the programmes that have been implemented in schools are the Early Inter ­vention Reading and Writing Class, Basic Skills for Reading, Writing and Counting Programme and the Literacy and Numeracy Programme at Level One. 3.1 Sub-skills of Writing Besides drilling and enriching the remedial learners with the core writing skills , there are also exposed to the importance of sub-skills in their learning such as: I Manipulating the script of the language: handwriting, spelling and punctuation. II Expressing grammatical [syntactic and morphological] relationships at the sentence level III Expressing information or knowledge in writing: explicitly implicitly IV Enrichment of Vocabulary PART B 4.0 Objectives of the 7-hour remedial programme The main aim in introducing and implementing the remedial programme particularly in the aspect of writing skills is to mainly: to develop competencies in writing skills among learners to move from a teacher-centered didactic model to a student-centered constructivist model to acquire the ability to write in a more clear, concise and acceptable manner 5.0 Instructional Design : Using the ADDIE Model to Build Writing Competency Among Remedial Learners Table 2.0 ADDIEs Model 5.1 Framework The generic term for the five-phase instructional design model consisting of Analysis,Design,Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.   Each step has an outcome that feeds into the next step in the sequence.   There are probably over 100+ different variations of the generic ADDIE model. Instructional design aim for a learner -centered rather than a traditional teacher-centered approach to instruction, so that effective learning can take place. This means that every component of the instruction is governed by the learning outcomes, which have been determined after a thorough analysis of the learners needs. This phases sometimes overlap and can be interrelated; however they provide a dynamic, flexible guideline for developing effective and efficient instruction. Figure 3.0 Instructional Design: Using the ADDIE Model 5.2 ADDIES Theory The ADDIE instruction model for this desin is outlined by Smith and Ragan(1995) in their book entitiled Instructional design. The focus is n 5 points Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. From this theory the analysis has proved that there was a need to conduct remedial programme for the elementary low scorers where an opportunty was given to learn and develop basic essay writing skills. 6.0 Remedial Education Programme In Malaysia, the importance of remedial education gained attention in the 1960s. Results of a pilot project in nine schools between 1967 and 1970 showed a need for remedial education, especially for pupils in rural areas. This paved the way for remedial education programmes in primary schools. The pioneers in the field attended a two-year intensive course on remedial education in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, a national series of seminars and workshops on remedial teaching were organized. With the exception of small schools or under-enrolled schools, every school is allocated one remedial education teacher. At the school level, a Remedial Education Committee is formed, comprising the headmaster, remedial education teacher, class teacher, subject teacher, resource centre coordinator, and other teachers as members. The introduction of a new curriculum for primary schools in 1983 implied a return to the basics in education. The ultimate goal was to ensure that no pupil is illiterate by the year 2000. The implementation of the remedial education programme for children in Primary 1-3 is to ensure that they master the 3Rs. Children who have been recommended for remedial education are required to attend remedial classes. As of 1999, 54,000 primary school children have undergone the intervention programme. In addition to improving and enhancing teacher development, the Malaysian government also works towards improving the curriculum at school to meet the changing needs of the economy. During the Fourth Malaysia Plan, the primary school curriculum was revised with the aim of providing and establishing a firm education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. This led to the development of a new curriculum emphasizing the 3Rs. Studies looking at the returns to education in Malaysia have found positive results in those who have had some form of formal education, thereby providing support to the government guidelines on the primary curriculum which emphasizes the acquisition of basic skills.Education in Malaysia , changing very rapidly responding to the emerging focus of lifelong learning; the growing emphasis on learning; as opposed to reaching and the development of the new delivery systems 6.1 The Educational, Philosophical and Psychological foundation Elementary education shall aim to develop the spiritual, moral, mental and physical capabilities of the child, provide him with experiences in the democratic way of life, and inculcate ideas and attitude necessary for enlightened, patriotic, upright and useful citizenship. To achieve these objectives, elementary education curriculum shall provide for the: inculcation of spiritual and civic values and the development of a good citizen based on an abiding faith in God and genuine love of country; training of the young citizen in his rights, duties and responsibilities in a democratic society for active participation, in a progressive and productive home and community life; development of basic understanding about Malaysian culture, the desirable tradition and virtues of our people as essential requisites in attaining national consciousness and solidarity; teaching of basic health knowledge and the formation of desirable health habits and practices; development of functional literacy in English as basic tools for further learning; and acquisition of fundamental knowledge, attitudes, habits, and skills in science, civics, culture, history, geography, mathematics, arts, and home economics and livelihood education and their intelligent application in appropriate life situations. The Elementary Basic Education Curriculum focuses on the tool learning areas for an adequate development of competencies for learning how to learn.    The goal of Instructional design is to support the cognitive processes that result in learning (McGriff). The expected outcome of instructional design is to provide knowledge and skills to people. The three major learning theories are Constructivism, Behaviorism, and Cognitive. Instructional Design is based on constructivist principles. Instructional design is associated with instructional systems development (Leshin et al, 1992). An Instructional System is the arrangement of resources and procedures to promote learning (Berger and Kam). 6.2 Programme Design: ADDIE Model ADDIE is a general-purpose model, which can be used to create instructional products and program design. ADDIE is the acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate and summarizes the five steps in the Instructional Design process. The instructional designer makes decisions critical to ensuring the effectiveness of the educational experience in each phase of the process. In accordance with the process improvement model, the five phases are a loop, with the improvement of learning outcomes as the goal. Dick and Carey and Kemp (Kemp, et .al, 1998) expanded the ADDIE Model into nine elements. The Dick and Carey Model uses a Reductionist approach in breaking instruction down into smaller segments targeting sub skills. The learner is required to master of sub skills, which are aggregated to achieve overall skill mastery and learned behavior. It provides a systematic approach to curriculum and program design. Teaching is essentially a philosophical endeavor and therefore educational activity can be conceived within the context of a philosophy or worldview. The curricukum refelects the art and craft of teaching. Educational technology can provide diversity of thinking regarding curriculum and instruction which would be curriculum theorizing. 6.2.1 Analysis Basically the nature of the students whom the remedial programme to be conducted are students who learn English Language as a second language. They are originally from Chinese speaking families with a minimum exposure to English Language. Due to the expectation of the school and the educational needs in adhering English as one of the core subjects in school these students are required to have in depth knowledge and skill in it. All of them have been educated in the Chinese primary school education system. Based on the final semester examination results 15 students are selected to undergo remedial programme as they fall in the border line cases .The students acquire poor writing skills, while being able to construct sentences fairly well, they seem to have great difficulty in organizing and developing their ideas into the form of an essay that has an introduction, body and conclusion. In order to promote these students to the next level that is the pre-intermediate phase from their origin elementary level the English Language Department found it vital for them to attend a 7-hour remedial programme in order to find solution to this situation. All of them need to further develop their writing skills in term of cohesion and coherence; time and practice. 6.2.2 Design The main design goal for our programme would be on the cognitive strategies of being able to develop an idea for writing since all of them com e from a very similar background and have basic sentence writing skills. Besides the development of language in the mechanics of sentence construction such as syntax, grammar, structure, etc given priority. R.Gagne(1965) divided learning into 5 categories: Verbal or declarative knowledge, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes and psychomotor skills. The learning goals are also in connection to these categories to try to put educational value behind our goals. At the same time the goal also reflects competences outlines by Benjamin Bloom (Bloom,1956). These include: Knowledge, Conprehension , Application, Analysis, Synthesis an Evaluation. These give our goals validity whereby competencies are incorporated in bringing about concrete task for learners that we assign in order to achieve their goals. Hence in the evaluation phase, we can use this aspect to find out the validity and the accomplishment of the learners in implementing the programme. Learning Goals and Type of Learning OBJECTIVE STANDARD GAGNES DOMAIN BLOOMS TAXANOMY Learners will identify an essay topic and 3 sub-topics Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Cognitive strategies Synthesis Learners will be able to write a 3 paragraph essay with an introduction, 2 sub topics to include their opinions, ideas and conclusion Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Declaration Knowledge Intellectual Skills Synthesis Evaluation Application Learners will be able to use the library and Handouts to research printed information on their topics Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Procedural knowledge (declaration knowledge) Knowledge Learners will be able to use proper mechanics of grammar syntax Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Intellectual Skills Application Learners will be able to present their topics in class Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Declaration knowledge Comprehension Table 3.0 Learning Goals and Type of Learning 6.2.3 Development In order to establish a approachable remedial programme for the elementary learners , we English teachers have developed a remedial programme which will undertake a 7 hour learning process. The teachers from the same level have brainstormed and come up with a course content for the 7-hour teaching and learning programme. The teachers from the same teaching level are the best person to create the lesson as they deal with the same competency level of students all the time and are considered experts in their area. Besides this, they will be able to make he printed and computer materials and added step of getting the right content for the level. On top of that since they have already been teaching in the same scope so they will be undoubtedly familiar in the process of teaching and guiding the learners in order to make the remedial programme a success. 6.2.3.(1) Procedure The remedial programme would be in the English medium since the main objective is to improve writing skills among elementary learners. The programme consists of 6 regular sessions and followed by a review and a test day. Each hour is scheduled to be conducted for 60 minutes ***Details on the whole programme given on Part D 6.2.4 Implementation Further to the development to the development the teachers would be equipped with intact course content for he programme. The module would be prepared in balance with the time frame allotted for the programme. Any teacher who is selected for this task should be ready to undertake the teaching process based on the scheme that has been prepared. Al l 15 students will be instructed to attend the programme for 7 hours. These are the various aspect of implementation emphasized in the learning process: Approaches Discovery and guided discovery- instructional techniques Observation-modeling examples by teachers Guided participation cooperation of teachers and learners in a task Strategy instruction Direct Explanation Self Instruction Training Dyadic Instruction Table 4.0 Learning Process Implementation 6.2.5 Evaluation The evaluation phase consists of two parts: formative and summative. Formative evaluation is present in each stage of the ADDIE process. Summative evaluation consists of tests designed for domain specific criterion-related referenced items and providing opportunities for feedback from the users. Primarily the evaluation is done in two parts. The first phase will be the evaluation of student work based on the objectives in the Learning goals and type of learning listed above. Students will be rated by their teacher based on the A,B,C,F criteria set by the English Department. An A is excellent work, B is average, and C will mean student needs improvement. An F would mean that student failed the writing assessment with below 60% of mark. Students will be evaluated at each stage of the course. The department will use this evaluation in order to find out how they might need to modify the programme in the future. A summative evaluation will be conducted as outlined by Smith and Ragan(1999,p.352). Those authors explain that in order to evaluate the effectiveness, appeal, and efficiency of instruction, a collection, analysis and summary of data on students ia essential. In our designed programme an exam is built to access students of their mastery on the abilities taught during the programme.Students are to show their capabilities in their understanding and knowledge taught to them by completing the set of homework targeted to them. Students will be graded on from 1 to 5 for their abilities in each of the following sections: Student name Student able to choose a topic n sub-topics Student able to use handouts information Student able to complete the essay Score dated from 1 to 5 1 : poor 2 : Able to understand the writing concept with some guidance 3 : Able to complete the task with help and support 4 : Able to understand the concept and complete the task individually A pre-test and post-test can measure how well learners achieved the learning objectives. However, it usually takes more time and effort to measure things such as whether the learners will use their training. This evaluation phase can extend for months. Upon completion of the programme the students feedback will be collected to further gauge the success of the programme. Questions are also answered on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is low and 5 is high. The standard questions constructed are as below: Were you satisfied with the content of this course? Were you able to understand the teachers explanation? Were you able to put into practice elements that you learnt? Did you fond the course interesting? On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your general feeling about the course? PART C 7.0 REVIEWERS COMMENTS Below is the summary of the feedback received from two of the Senior Teachers from the English Language Department of Hin Hua High School regarding the 7hour remedial programme on writing skills. Reviewer 1: Mdm Annaletchumy Reviewer 2: Ms Sastina The strengths and weaknesses of the newly developed Remedial Programme for Elementary Students Strengths 1. Learning by actively participating in group discussion 2. Encouraging students to construct their own ideas and knowledge of the topic 3. Student-centered rather than teacher or subject-centered 4. Teaching aid contributed to students visualization on the topic given 5. Suitable to students development level 6. Group work enables students to self express, to be self-confident and self- awareness 7. Encourage teacher to develop students creative thinking abilities 8. Emphasizing the concept of group work and peer evaluation where no student Is left behind 9. Encouraging the co-operation among students and teacher positively 10. Enables student to have a positive mindset in creative writing Weaknesses 1. Unsuitability of activities for crowded room 2. Lack of materials used as aid for pre-writing task 3. Lack of teachers evaluation on the first phase of writing 4. Certain task may take more time than the planned time 5. Peer evaluation on writing inappropriate approach for elementary learners 8.0 Summary of Review Summarized below are some of the accomplishments and challenges I personally went through in construction the remedial programme: 8.1 Strengths 8.1.1 Improved students attitude and motivation Students are mentally prepared to participate in the programme because students agree to a particular pace, workload, and learning environment from the beginning. 8.1.2 Creating Learning Communities: Classes function as teach communities both teacher and their students benefit in both social and academic areas from working with each other over a entire programme. 8.1.3 Eliminating Stigma of Dependency: The concept group work and peer evaluation removed the stigma of being too dependent on the teacher Writing materials. 8.2 Weaknesses 8.2.1 Students participation Some learners will not contribute in due to the lack of interest o

Dead Poets Society :: essays research papers

The spine twisting movie that should be used as a role model to all parents would be Dead Poet’s Society. This movie gives parents a lesson in adolescent parenting skills. Skills that are usually over looked by every parent. Pushing your child you may have thought was good to a point, pushes some kids to the thought of suicide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This movie is about Welton an all boys college preparatory school for the rich. Mr. Keating who is the new English teacher there, was once a student there also. He enters the class room with a different style of teaching. While other teachers were stiff neck and had a conventional style of teaching, Keating came in with a style that was unorthodox and the other teachers feared this. He came into the class room preaching â€Å"Carpe Diem† which means seize the day. He taught the kids to be free thinkers, and ways to read poetry deeper that just the words. The biggest thing that he introduced his students to was the Dead Poet’s Society, an organization that sucked the bone marrow out of life was started with Keating himself and ended when he graduated. The students were intrigued and started this secret society as soon as they could. The students soon realized the true meaning of poetry. They were able to be come better poets and interpreters of the tr ue meaning of poetry. The students start to realize that this is there life and their parents cannot make all there decisions. Once one of the students realize this he has a tragic accident. Mr. Keating is fired because the administration blamed him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neil Perry was a student at Welton. He was very fortunate to go there, his parents made some great sacrifices. In return for the sacrifices his parents had to make, his father felt it was necessary to make his decisions for him. Mr. Perry would not allow Neil to participate in any extra-curricular activities. Neil went behind his fathers back and auditioned for a play, and received the lead role. He needed a letter of approval from his father, so Neil wrote it himself. Once his father found out he flipper and said, â€Å"Neil I will not allow you to ruin this great opportunity to be an actor, what are you stupid.† Mr. Perry also told his son that he must drop out of the play the day before its premiere.

Free Essays: The Charater of Odysseus of Homers Odyssey :: Odyssey essays

The Charater of Odysseus of Homer's Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most admired classical hero is most certainly Odysseus, the mythological Grecian subject of Homer's epic tale, The Odyssey.   This legendary figure displays excessive amounts of brains and muscle, seeming almost superhuman at times.   He embodies the ideals Homeric Greeks aspired to: manly valor, loyalty, piety, and intelligence.   The popularity of Odysseus transcends time.   To this day he remains greatly admired as both a hero and an ordinary man who must deal with great adventures and retrieving the life he once had.   For twenty years Odysseus overcame each obstacle the gods handed to him.   He was always respectful to the gods, acknowledging their control of fate and realizing that he needed help if he was to ever get back to Ithaca and his beloved family.   He showed keen observation, instinct, and caution.   He is great at disguises, capable of concealing his feelings, and a fast, inventive liar: heroic qualities that got him through his adversities.   Odysseus is also very human, and the reader can see these many qualities as well.   He is often moved to tears.   He makes mistakes, gets himself into tricky situations, and loses his temper.   We see him play not only a hero but also a husband, father, and son.   He takes on the very human roles of athlete, warrior, sailor, storyteller, carpenter, beggar, and lover.   He vividly displays human qualities like brutality and boldness, while being sensitive and shy at the same time.   It is these human qualities that people can relate to.   While he is no doubt a hero, Odysseus is also viewed as a modern man, the pragmatic survivor.   He must struggle, suffer, and deal with the inescapable fate handed down to him from the great beings atop Mt. Olympus. The average human can relate to Odysseus' human qualities, while admiring him for the heroic traits they can only hope to attain, making him so popular.   Odysseus has the skills, strength, and intelligence to qualify him as a hero, yet he still possess the emotional constraints of a human, which together enable him to survive the chaotic disorder of his adventure.   His journey was rich with people and places and totally unpredictable, just as life is for everybody.   From ancient Greeks to today's reader, it is easy to commiserate with Odysseus while at the same time idolize him for dealing with life as it came at him.

Monopolies Must be Eliminated in America :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Monopolies Must be Eliminated in America      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this day and age, competition (to a certain extent) is considered healthy and, in many instances, encouraged.   Every day, adults and teenagers alike struggle to outdo other well-qualified applicants in the job market.   Even children as young as four years old can be found competing on the little league field.   As one can see, competition is an integral part of everyday life; however, what happens when competition ceases to exist?   It wouldn’t be very challenging or rewarding if an applicant received every job for which he applied.   And a child wouldn’t enjoy playing baseball against himself.   Even though it is hard to imagine a world without competition, there are a number of American media businesses that have no or relatively little competition in the market.   In the best interest of the public, monopolies, as these competition-less companies are called, need to be eliminated immediately.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Ben H. Bagdikian, monopolies form for two main reasons: money and influence.   It is common sense that the company with a very large number of consumers is going to produce more revenue than the small, independently owned business with a lesser number of customers.   The advertising agency Backer Spielvogel Bates recently conducted a four-year study of 2,746 companies.   This study showed that the companies with 1.5 times the sales of their nearest challengers were 52 percent more cost-effective.   Also, it is important to recognize the fact that influence also plays a key role in the motives of monopolistic companies.   It is believed that if a certain company can have a marked influence over the public’s news, ideas and culture, then this corporation will have a much better chance of wielding a significant amount of influence over the public concerning government issues.   If this certain media company can manipulate all public ideas and information, it only makes sense that this business will also make a considerable difference when it comes to political news (Bagdikian 1997). I agree with Bagdikian when he states that monopolies form due to a want for money and a need for power by influencing the public.   It is an undeniable fact that money and power influence people in numerous ways.   In an attempt to be the best, I believe that many companies simply came to the conclusion that they would have to â€Å"crush† any attempts that were made by a competing company.

Leadership Succession

Is it necessary for Citigroup to have a leadership succession plan? Why? Leadership succession planning is very important from two perspectives. First of all, it helps to select highly-potential candidates, who have strong leadership abilities and possess all necessary qualities to assume high administrative positions in the future. Besides, leadership succession plan also includes the measures on giving a wide range of learning, training and development opportunities for such individuals in order to improve their professional performance, proficiency, managerial abilities, leadership skills, and so on.Undoubtedly, if Citigroup does not pay attention on the situation around Sandy Weill right now, the company’s risk to be left without an effective leader will be increasing. Sandy Weill is a man over 70, and at this age his professional abilities as an executive can get worse at any time. That is why, I suppose, there is an urgent vital need for the company to select and start p reparing someone who would be able to succeed Mr. Weill.2. Who should have the responsibility of preparing a succession plan?For large organizations and corporations specialists suggest establishing special Leadership Planning Boards, which would carry out the main activities on leadership succession planning. Such activities have to include identifying critical positions, establishing criteria and identifying the best candidates (at least two for one position), reviewing and monitoring their professional progress and personal development, interviewing and evaluating every candidate and coming up with some conclusions and suggestions.Undoubtedly, such departments as Business Human Resources Units or Corporate Human Resources Departments have to be also involved in leadership succession planning process. They have to assist Leadership Planning Boards and give all necessary information about potential candidates. Top managers from Board of Directors or Chief Officers have to take all the responsibilities on supervising and controlling the effectiveness of leadership succession planning process (Tennessee Valley Authority, 2000).3. Should the succession plan include insiders? Outsiders? Or both?I think that it is preferable for any company or organization to select the candidates from the insiders. If there are qualified and talented managers, who worked and had opportunity to develop together with the company for some time, they are certainly better aware of the specifics of company’s business, strategies of management, organizational culture and traditions, etc. Moreover, they could already win some reputation and respect of the employees; therefore, they are potentially effective leaders or top managers.But there can be a situation when there are good outside candidates, who had no experience of working with the company. In such case, I suppose, it is necessary not only to interview such candidates and estimate their potential effectiveness, but also in volve them into business activities of the company as soon as possible. I strongly believe that working closely with the leaders and learning more and more from them is a key factor for good performance of any successor.4. Why do executives such as Weill avoid the succession issue?I think that Mr. Weill can have some personal reasons for doing this. Possibly, he does not take leadership succession as a reality or does not want someone to be on his back. Maybe he assumes any succession plan as the necessity of his resignation or as a sign of lack of trust from his colleagues. There’s also probability that he is trying to avoid all succession plan initiatives in order to prove own competence and uniqueness.Nevertheless, I believe that this situation is not a typical one, especially for such huge organizations as Citigroup. Usually, top managers and executives demonstrate concern about their organizations and get actively involved in succession planning. They can point on some p ossible successors, work with them, train and promote them in order to prepare such candidates for taking higher positions and make them understand, what the organization requires to remain successful.References:Leadership/Succession Planning. (2000) Tennessee Valley Authority. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from: . Ritter, J. (2003, April 15) Succession Planning: A Tool for Success. The Galt Global Review. Galt Western Personnel Ltd. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from: .

Functionalist theories Essay

The functionalist theory posits that the society is composed of interconnected parts which function like a social system. In a society, there are parts that work in a similar manner the human body works as a system made of different organs. The ‘organs’ of a society are the social institutions that are set up to work together to ensure that the society runs smoothly. Such institutions include schools and family set ups. Levin (2009, para 3) defines functionalism as â€Å"the doctrine that what makes something a thought, desire, pain (or any other type of mental state) depends not on its internal constitution, but solely on its function. † As such, functionalism theories describe the mental state as a function of behavior, stimulation of senses or other states of the mind. For instance, it is possible to say that pain results from injury in the body thus symbolizing that something is not functioning as expected and therefore the body desires to be out of the painful state. The functionalist theory is not restricted to creatures that have a mental state and can be applicable in silicon-based conditions. That is why the different states of mind can be said to be multiply realized. Physical states as well as non-physical states are viewed as able to cause a specific mental state. This is why Levin (2009) finds functionalism being similar to dualism. Under functionalism theories, there are theories that the mental states are said to give a description of what our mental state descriptions mean. Other theories under functionalism provide that mental states can be characterized according to facts proved through scientific experimentations. Different social scientists have made different contributions to the functionalist theory. Aristotle is among the earliest ancestors of functionalism. Aristotle came up with the theory of the soul where he argued that the soul of a human being cannot exist independent of the body and thus the soul forms the natural part of the entire human body. The soul is therefore a combination of powers that help the body to express itself. The human body as a system functions to enable survival (living) as well as to reason thereby acting as necessary. Aristotle therefore finds the soul as a part of the human body which cannot be separated. In addition, the soul empowers the body to live as well as perceive stimuli with subsequent action. Hobbes (1651) is also recognized as one of the important contributors to functionalism. Hobbes takes a mechanistic approach of the state of mind by arguing that human reasoning is comparable to arithmetic computation with adherence to arithmetic rules. Hobbes proceeds to argue that human reasoning as a function is not restricted to human minds only and instead physical systems also possess the capacity to carry out reasoning. As such, machines are able to carry out the functions that are similar to that of a reasoning mind. Levin (2009) cites that Hobbes arguments were accepted in the twentieth century where social scientists realized that different physical creatures can perform the thinking function since thinking per se is controlled by functions similar to computation. Jean Piaget is an influential social scientist who had a functionalist view. Piaget (1896-1980) was a developmental psychologist who looked into the thinking in children. Piaget posited that new born have reflexes that are responsible for behavior control in other species throughout life. The reflexes in infants enable adaptation thus they are replaced by complex schemes as the infant grows. Assimilation processes occur to enable the environment match with the individual’s cognitive structures. On the other hand, an accommodation process involves the cognitive structures being modified to adapt changes in the environment. Piaget therefore came up with four cognitive development stages. These include sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational phase and formal operational phase (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). It is therefore evident that complexity of behaviors is hierarchical and so are the adaptation mechanisms. Social scientists have contributed significantly to current learning theory by forming the basis for development of schooling programs that are accommodative of human beings at all stages of life. Piaget’s theory for instance is the foundational theory for pre-school programs as well as programs for primary school students. In addition, the theory also provides a basis for constructivist learning (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). Aristotle’s and Hobbes’s theories are foundational to behaviorism whether logical or machine state. All these have expanded the field of cognitive psychology. Indeed, functionalist theories will remain invaluable in psychology as evidenced by the usefulness of the functionalist theories developed by Aristotle, Hobbes and Piaget. At the same time, the theories will remain debatable as long as social scientists continue with their endeavor to understand human mind and behavior. Functionalist theories will also be at the center of understanding the psychology of learning. References Huitt, W. , and Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved 19, July 2010 from http://www. edpsycinteractive. org/topics/cogsys/piaget. html Levin, J. (2009). Functionalism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 19, July 2010 from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/functionalism/

A Thousand Acres vs. King Lear Essay

After watching both films, A Thousand Acres made in 2007 starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange and Jason Robards and King Lear made in 2008 starring Ian McKellen, Frances Barber and Kieran Bew, I decidedly liked A Thousand Acres much better. Mostly for it’s acting, and the modernism of the story line. (Although, a King Lear re-make is in production currently and will star Al Pacino as King Lear, so my opinion is subject to change.) There are many similarities between the two movies. Both movies have a father with three daughters, whom are trying to leave something to them. Larry Cook is deciding how to split his land amongst his daughters, where as King Lear is deciding how to split his kingdom amongst his three daughters. Larry, is Lear. Ginny is Goneral, Rose is Regan and the favourite and youngest daughters, Caroline is Cordelia. Harold Clark, a family friend of Larry, is the portrayal of the Earl of Gloucester, King Lears friend. His two sons are Edgar and Edmund, and Harold’s two son’s are Loren and Jess. Though there is a lacking of the comical aspect in A Thousand Acres, that is put in King Lear, the story lines are still very similar. The viewpoint is similar – coming from the eldest daughter Ginny(A Thousand Acres) and the eldest daughter Goneril(King Lear.) King Lear – divides his kingdom amongst his daughters based on who loves him the most, Larry gives the largest portion of his land to the most loving daughter as well. In each family and storyline, the youngest daughter rebels against their father and ends up leaving, getting nothing from their father. After each father gives up their power/land, they both go mental without it, and both end up in horrible situations that end up with their youngest (and previously most favoured) daughter coming to the rescue. Though there are many similarities, the movies differ in many, many ways. For example: Ginny brings up the fact her father molested her aswell as her sister Rose, where as Goneril feels nothing but love and admiration for her father. The love is portrayed more innocent and wholesome. Ginny shows how  you could hate her father, for the fact he molested her as a child. King Lear is told from a male perspective, Shakespeare didn’t have a female mentality especially not back in that age, not portrayed atleast in this movie. A Thousand Acres is written by a female, and this is why there is a different, more twisted perspective. A female view as well as a males, as she wrote it later on mirroring this novel, she got to put her own ‘two cents’ in. King Lear is a changed man at the end of the movie. He goes from being a horrible tyrant, to a changed man. Larry? Not so much. He remains a dispicable man, solely caring about his possessions, power and money, who’s attitudes and beliefs never change. Because of the fact that the movies are in two different perspectives, they have different themes. Though both hold a theme about the abuse of power, and a theme of abusive family relationships, as well as father daughter relationships – they differ in what the main themes are. A Thousand Acres is about living life to it’s fullest and for yourself, where as, the main theme of King Lear is family and power. Another difference is the fact the town thought that the daughters of Larry were cruel to him, where in fact they weren’t. He was respected by his town. King Lear was also a very respected ruler of his lands. However, nobody suspects King Lear’s daughter’s of being cruel to him.

Benchmarking and Value Chain Analysis

According to Oakland (113) and Patterson article found online, bench marking involves the activities that are carried out in an organization that involves procedures used to compare the results that the organization is producing with the means and processes used. A bench mark is like the targets that an organization would want to achieve in its operations to enable it make progress as far as its growth and development is concerned which either could be within or outside the organization (Dale 77).A benchmark for an organization should be something that adds value to the organization’s performance and as an end result benefit all the employees’ of the organization and its customers. Meaning that if the identified changes are carried out it will help the organization achieve some if not all of its activities (Howell 135). An example of a business that has achieved the maximum benefits from benchmarking is General Electric. General Electric has achieved bench mark on talen t management strategy.The strategy of General Electric on how they manage talents is by the way they prioritize the jobs they give and how they focus on ‘game changers’. They are the top recruitment firm when it comes to recruiting personnel from the military (Sullivan). On the other hand, businesses and firms should make comparative advantages and should be able to have shareholder values. In order to do these, businesses and firms separate systems in different value-generating activities. And within every activity, a goal is set that the level of value should always exceed the cost of doing these activities.This whole process is known to be value chain analysis. In order to have more advantage that other businesses, a firm should be able to utilize a cost advantage and differentiation. Cost advantage happens when the cost of a value chain is reduced better than other competitors. Differentiation, on the other hand, is the uniqueness of a particular value chain of firm from the other firms (â€Å"The Value Chain. †). An example of a firm that has achieved the maximum benefits from value chain analysis is the computer producing company Apple.Although, the computers they sell are high priced, they still mange to achieve the cost advantage among other computer brands by being number four in the sales of computers in the year 2008. Another thing is that Apple computers also achieved the differentiation among other computer brands. Apple computers are really unique in many ways, because they produce their own components for this computer that no other companies can produce. Thus, Apple has achieved value chain in their computers.

A view from a bridge work book Essay Example for Free

A view from a bridge work book Essay ? Dear Miss Fisher, I have finished reading a view from a bridge & put notes on the power point sheets however I then looked back on it & realised it was illegible! So I wrote it up here, is that ok I’m sorry for the inconvenience, & it won’t happen again. Sorry again, Daisy 🙂 A view from the bridge. 15th September. Research tasks: Who was Arthur Miller? Find autobiographical information about the playwright. Arthur Miller, playwright from New York, became a journalist, worked with Italian immigrants during WWII. Which gave him an outlook Into the Sicilian dreams & inspiration for â€Å"A View From The Bridge. † Miller’s first play flopped, but his second; â€Å"All My Sons† was a massive success. He divorced his first wife in 1961 & married Marilyn Munroe, the reason for this is unknown as apparently they were never really in love & divorced in 1963, it is thought Monroe married him for intelligence & milled married Monroe for beauty, Miller then wrote a play â€Å"After The Fall† that is thought to be based on their relationship. Miller died in 2005. Which other plays has Arthur miller written? Do they have any common themes? â€Å"After The Fall†, â€Å"The Prince†, â€Å"The Archbishop’s Ceiling†, â€Å"The Clock†, â€Å"Broken Glass†, â€Å"All My Sons†, â€Å"Death Of A Salesman†, â€Å"Crucible†. A common theme of Arthur Miller’s play was the examining of an individual in relation to their authority; this means the plays are often considered political. Where is Brooklyn? What was it like in the 1940’s? Who lived & worked there? What sort of environment was it? What’s it like now? Brooklyn is a borough of New York; in the 1940s it had a large Italian population due to the ports near the bridge. Brooklyn was split in two it had the middle class areas such as Flatbush & working class areas like Red Hook, the setting for â€Å"A View The Bridge. † In the mid to late 1940s Brooklyn was enjoying a good period the gang violence was, all though easily noticed, small. As Brooklyn reached the end of the 1940s the borough began a period of decline & by the early 1950s gangsters were ripe & until the 1980s it was classed as a bad place to live. People from all over Europe lived & worked in Brooklyn it also had a large African-American community. Brooklyn now has a safer & cleaner track record with very little gang violence & a large business district the 3rd largest in New York State. Which groups of people immigrated to the United States in the 1940’s? What was life like for them when they arrived? The main groups of people immigrating to the United States in the 1940s were European, particularly Italians & Russians. When they first arrived life would be tough they would usually leave their homelands with nothing & have to find jobs & work quickly so they could live out their own â€Å"American Dream†. Find out as much as you can about Italian-American communities†¦ Which television programmes & films include Italian-American characters? How do they talk? Is this community stereotyped? What values can you identify in this community? The most famous film on Italian-Americans would probably be â€Å"Scarface† a movie based on Italian-American gangster Al Capone, the Italian-American community is stereotyped as a very tight family, which it represents in gangs or mobs, the Italian-American dialect is varied through out Brooklyn, Bugs Bunny has an accent based on the Flatbush dialect. Wikipedia – â€Å"Italian Americans are higher in the rate & degree of the tensing & rising of (oh) & (aeh) than that of Jewish American New Yorkers. † The values of the communities of Italian Americans seem as though they all run everything as a family business, & a tight knit friendship group. What is a ‘tragedy’? Find out the main features or conventions of this type of play. Make sure you go right back to Greek tragedy. A Greek tragedy is a form of art portraying human suffering causing audience pleasure this form has been modernised to usually end a play in a death where all characters end in despair, or worse off than they were at the beginning. Alfieri’s first speech. What have we learnt about the people who live in Red Hook? We have learnt from the opening speech from Alfieri that Red Hook was the slum of Brooklyn & the gullet of New York, Red Hook is portrayed as very violent with no care for the law, but it is now ore civilised & getting better, people are no longer as scared as they were, as Alfieri says: â€Å"I no longer feel the need to keep a gun† It shows Red Hook at one time was extremely intimidating & bad but now much better. Alfieri goes onto mention how his relatives often tell him not to get involved with cases, this shows the Italian-American-tight knit-family-like-ness & how his business seems to be everyone’s business. What does Alfieri mean when he says â€Å"justice is very important† here? When Alfieri says â€Å"justice is very important here† he is using a bit of sarcasm he is commenting on how people do feel justice is important but their own personal justice not the government’s justice. & How people can commit murder believing it is all right because of there own justice. However you feel a sense of irony as he is a lawyer speaking & he is discussing justice that he may well deal with in court. The fact he is a lawyer also shows there is work for lawyers in Red Hook so some sort of governed justice is important. Now the people â€Å"settle for half† instead of using a gun for justice, what does that mean? Alfieri’s comment â€Å"now the people settle for half† is commenting on now that Red Hook has been cleaned up a bit his services a called on more & although it means the person against the allegations may not be killed he will be brought to governed justice & possible face prison. Eddie’s story is not like the ‘petty troubles of the poor. ‘ Why might he come to see Alfieri? Eddie’s story is not like the petty troubles of the poor because we realise through out the book that aside from the immigrants in his house being illegal, they have actually done nothing wrong & although his allegations against Rodolfo being gay are also wrong, it is not illegal to be gay. Alfieri also deals mainly in family squabbles, evictions & compensation cases, but Eddie’s is different because it’s more about jealousy & revenge. A view from a bridge work book. (2017, Oct 08).