Monday, September 30, 2019

Demographic and Environmental Timeline- Italy Essay

Historical Changes–Defeat and abdication of Napoleon; Formation of the Congress of Vienna. Birth & Death Rates–Death rates and birth rates were both high and fluctuated rapidly according to natural events, such as drought and disease, to produce a relatively constant and young population. Stage 2 1900 Environmental Impacts—Environmentally, the impact hasn’t really began, however, the building and use of coal operated factories has begun a slow rise in air pollution as well as in the water run-off. Historical Changes– The Industrial Revolution began and that encouraged progression into this stage. There was more urbanization, which encouraged families to be created. (Pearson Education, 2013) Birth & Death Rates–This stage leads to a fall in death rates and an increase in population Stage 3 1948 Environmental Impacts—The use of fracking is beginning throughout all of Italy, and most European countries, therefore beginning issues with fertile soil and water tributaries. Historical Changes— Italy joined the Axis powers in World War II, falling into a bloody Civil War in 1943, with the Fascist faction finally defeated in the spring of 1945. Birth & Death Rates–The population moves towards stability through a decline in the birth rate. Stage 4 1970Â  Environmental Impact–Hydraulic Fracturing is still being used as a way to increase flow rate of natural resources. This practice has been accused of killing animals. (Krishna, 2012) Historical Changes– Italy became an integral member of NATO and the European Economic Community Changing Population Sizes—Population at this time is beginning to stabilize. Birth & Death Rates–Birth and Death rates are both low, leading to a total population which is high and stable. Stage 5 2000 Italy is still in Stage 4. References Krishna, K. (2012, March 7). Study suggests hydro-fracking is killing farm animals, pets | Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March12/FrackingAnimals.html Pearson Education. (2013, October 3). Italy: History, Geography, Government, & Culture | Infoplease.com. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.infoplease.com/country/italy.html?pageno=1

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How Aerial Travel and Cabin Pressure Adversely Affects the Human Body Essay

The idea of humans traveling to the Moon or other areas out side of the Earth’s orbit is mostly scientific. However, when astronauts remain in space, having to re-balance the body to suit less or no gravity compared to the Earth could bring about many changes to the body. Scientists have found that the time required for recovery depends on the time spent in zero-gravity conditions. The longer one stays off of the Earth’s surface, the more damage can be caused. Strictly speaking, even a trip in an Airplane would require safety precautions to minimize damage to the body of this. For example, cabin pressure increased to maintain balance and prevent feeling different to a lower pressure. This essay will consist of two sections. The first will be of flight effects within the Earth’s hemisphere, and how to perhaps prevent damage to the body. The second, and longer section deals with space travel through Zero-gravity and effects of weightlessness on the body and the cou nter-measures to prevent damage to the body. Section 1, flight effects on the passengers, specifically dealing with cabin pressure: Airplanes fly at the cruising altitude of around 33’000 feet, or approximately 10’000 meters. Because the cruising altitude has a cabin pressure lower than air pressure on ground or even under sea-level, the oxygen availability is less and gases within the body expand. This causes the oxygen saturation level of the blood to reduce, which can lead to mild hypoxia, the reduced supply of oxygen to the tissues around the body. Due to the effects of hypoxia, alcohol consumption would affect the brain much more than it would on Earth. As the aircraft makes its decent back to Earth, air must be allowed to flow into the middle of the ear to equalize pressure differences. Passengers often can feel this change in air pressure. People with ear, nose and sinus infections are usually advised to avoid flying because of these changes in air pressure. Air travel in airplanes has less thank 20% humidity. This causes discomfort to the eyes, mouth and nose but does not risk the passenger’s health. This discomfort can be prevented by drinking liquids (water recommended) before and during the flight, and using skin moisturizers. Also passengers with short-sightedness or long-sightedness are advised to wear eye-glasses rather than contact lenses during flight as the contact lenses may dry out. In order to avoid de-hydration, passengers should drink non- alcoholic beverages. Section 2, how traveling through space affects humans Astronauts often experience â€Å"Zero- Gravity† during their travels through space. This zero gravity or micro gravity can bring about health concern to the body if astronauts remain in space for a long period of time. It would be much healthier for crews to live under artificial gravity. In order to prevent any biological changes in the body when experiencing zero gravity, scientists recommend a force of artificial gravity equal to a third of the Earth’s level of gravity. However, scientists still haven’t research affects of artificial gravity on humans but they know for a fact and there is an imbalance in the body due to the shifts of gravity levels. Artificial gravity prevents physiological changes from occurring. In zero-gravity, the body deteriorates. It takes less muscle to move around, so after a long period of time in space, muscles weaken so the body bends. Because there is no tension in space, muscles relax and after a while they atrophy as a result of disuse and eventually disappear. To prevent the fracture of bones, limbs and muscles, all space shuttles give the opportunity for astronauts to do rigorous exercise everyday to keep the muscles strong. Staying in Zero-gravity for months causes bones to lose mass and get thinner, as they are not carrying any weight. This means astronauts must go through rigorous trainings in the spacecraft everyday in order to keep muscle and bone strength. â€Å"When a great deal of the crew’s precious time in space is spent exercising rather than doing science, money and potential knowledge are being squandered for the sake of health. It is a sacrifice, but a necessary one1† In space, receptors in the inner ear allow humans to sense direction. In space, ear receptors don’t receive the same cues and the mind gets used to ignoring the inner ear’s feelings about balance. Hand-eye coordination, posture and balance are all affected by the disorientation of the mind. When astronauts return to earth, they are often â€Å"overwhelmed by dizziness† and have difficulty in maintaining balance. An example of the mind adapting to the new gravity less surroundings would be with Shannon Lucid, who was on board the Russian space Station MIR for six months. The astronaut said â€Å"You just sort of get used to floating around† but we also know that floating around is not all that astronauts do- they must resist the effects of micro gravity on the body. Also, no gravity means no resistance from growing, so some astronauts return to earth some 6 inches taller than when they left. It is only after a few months that they grow down/ shrink back to normal height. This is because of the unloading of spinal discs- because of lack of gravity, the discs in the spine are not holding up or don anything, so they tend to stretch rather than contract. Traveling through micro gravity causes bodily fluids to shift from the lower body to the cephalic area (head), and so people’s faces tend to swell and become rounder than they are on earth. When the brain senses a higher amount of blood than usual, it interprets the situation that there is now an overall increase in the total volume of fluids in the body. The brain responds by triggering the excretion of fluids, making astronauts prone to dehydration. Also, the fluid redistribution can shrink legs as the bones are weaker. These fluids pass through the kidneys, causing kidney filtration rate to increase, bone loss can cause Kidney stones. Fluids that leave the body include calcium loss and bone demineralization. The loss of blood plasma causes temporary Anemia upon the return to Earth. Some crew members get â€Å"space anemia.† Scientists are concerned about the affects of catching this disease on over all crew performance. Blood volume may decrease by 10 percent. The increase of fluids in the head causes the same feeling as when one has a cold and feels blocked in. in space astronauts begin to lose their sense of taste, causing the craving for strong flavorings in the food such as horseradish, mustard and taco sauce. Fluid loss, lack of exercise and diminished appetite cause weight loss as astronauts tend not to eat as much as they would on earth. Meals and exercise are planned to prevent excessive loss. Zero-gravity affects the cardio-vascular system. On earth we must cope with gravity, which sustains or slows down the blood-flow. In zero gravity, there is no gravity force, causing the heart to slow down due to the decreased demands of blood as it travels more freely. The immune system in the body is also affected by weightlessness. In space, one is exposed to illness as the immune response lowers and numbers of anti-bodies decrease after a long exposure to micro gravity. Approximately half of all astronauts are affected by this unpleasant syndrome which affects nausea, headache, lethargy and sweating (taken from NASA sources). Also, minor effects of weightlessness on the body include puffiness in the face, flatulence, weight loss, nasal congestion and often sleeping disturbances. Upon returning to earth, recovery time depends on the duration of stay in space. Muscles are weak and the body is not used to gravity forces, (causing them to feel dizzy) and so some astronauts are taken back in stretchers. This shows why astronauts need to be â€Å"at the peak of fitness.† If in the near future the human race would build space stations as tourist resorts, some would prefer hotels with zero-gravity and some would want partial gravity, which would bring about competition like hotels on earth, which would drive prices low. As gravity affects all biological, physical and chemical processes on earth, building an International Space Station gives new opportunity to study a world without gravity and its affect on animals and other living organisms. Observing the weightlessness effect on these living organisms could teach scientists about biological processes on earth, such as aging and osteoporosis. In the end, we can see that human travel through space is safer under artificial gravity when compared to astronauts being exposed to weightlessness, micro gravity or zero gravity (all three mean the same). Most of the problems mentioned such as fluid loss and muscle deterioration would not cause problems as long as the crew remained in a weightless environment. Remaining in a zero-gravity environment for over a long period of time could cause problems, however. In 1987, in the later stages of his 326-day mission, Russian Yuri Romanenko was fatigued both physically and mentally due to traveling through space. The majority of his day was spent sleeping regaining strength, in the meantime his bones were deteriorating. Some say if many like Romanenko stayed in space for much longer, he may not have survived re-entry to the Earth. Returning to Earth could cause problems as the body is much weaker due to demineralization and atrophy of the bones and shortage of red blood cells. Oneâ€℠¢s balance must now again be readjusted causing many astronauts to feel dizzy when back to a strong â€Å"g† force gravity on earth. Whether or not the large amount of time and money spent on keeping astronauts fit during space flight is worth the scientific findings is debatable. Physiological effects need to be prevented as much a possible. Again, this is usually prevented by rigorous exercise and micro gravity could still be a danger to the astronaut’s health. Many scientists believe that the benefits of transporting/sending out machines (robots) and humans to space, despite the health issues, are nothing compared to the huge benefit that society will receive. Humans will not be perfectly suited to living in a weightless environment, but that won’t stop Astrobiologists and many other research firms like NASA from exploring space. The many benefits of space exploration such as technological knowledge and inspiration easily outweigh the negative aspects. Bibliography: Sources were from Newspapers, CDs, web sites and a large extract of a book in one of the web-pages. Most web sites accessed on the 11th December 2003 and 9th January 2004. 1) http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=adapt02 2) www.permanent.com/s-nograv.htm 3) http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php%3fpage=adapt02 4) www.spacefuture.com/habitat/zerog.shtml 5) http://mos.org/cst/article/77/6.html 6) http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/spacestation/basics/why.html 7) www.relaxincomfort.com/zerogravity_benefits.html 8) http://experts.about.com/q/2540/2677459.htm 9) www.uclas.ac.uk/facs/science/physastr/courses/space/ssyear1/sc1201.htm 10) http://www.who.int/ith/chapter02_01.html 11) Definitions from Microsoft Encarta 2003 Premium Suite CD 12) http://library.thinkquest.org/2606/Environmental_problems/water_pollution_-_effects.html (used for first idea of project) 1 http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php%3fpage=adapt02

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Pesticides and their environmental impact Essay

Introduction Pesticides are chemicals or organic substances that have been designed to prevent pests, weeds or diseases in agricultural production and other places where public health is of paramount importance. Pesticides are very important in agricultural production because they control vermin that would otherwise lead production losses during growth and the storage. (Hond, Frank et.al.2003). Various researches have continued to indicate that farmers stand to loose about a third of the crop field if pesticides are not used as a control measure. This would have catastrophic effect on food security across the globe. Thus pesticides play a major role in food production. However the handling and the usage of the pesticides has continued to have long lasting effect on the environment including the flora and fauna. (Hamilton D & Crossley S   2004). Since 2500 BC farmers used biological means to control various pests. It was the safest method even though not the most effective. The farm products treated by biological pesticides  Ã‚   did not have any side effects to the consumers who used these products. However after the agrarian revolution, an increasing number of farmers started using artificial pesticides that were more suitable for the increased scale of agricultural production. (Hond, Frank et.al.2003).   There are different types of pesticides depending on the target pests; insecticides help to control insects, bactericide control bacteria and fungicides control fungi. We also have synthetic pesticides that are artificially produced in factories. DDT is always listed as one of the most effective pesticides yet the most environmental destructive which led to its eventual ban in 1939 in over 98 countries. (Hond, Frank et.al.2003). Environmental Effects The environment is always contaminated when pesticides are applied on crops. During the process of application it has been known that some amounts of pesticides vaporize and are later deposited in the soil or other waterways by rainfall. (Hamilton D & Crossley S   2004). Pesticides present in ground water or drinking water has great impact and is both costly and problematic to control. For example the total concentration of pesticide residues in many ground water supplies in the EU countries exceeds the maximum permissible concentration. In the US the situation is the same and research done on about 68,000 wells revealed that about 9,000 of these wells were indeed contaminated with the residues, which exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency standards (EPA) for water meant for drinking. (Hond, Frank et.al.2003) Contaminated water is very harmful to animals, vital microorganisms in the soil, and extremely dangerous for the marine ecosystem. (Hond, Frank et.al.2003) Pesticides and Wildlife Wildlife by nature do not discriminate in their eating and drinking habits, thus when the pesticides residues find their way to the areas where the wildlife is bound to exist then it poses great danger as they may lead to a slow but sure death of the animals. A very good example is the death of flamingoes and other bird species in the Kenyan lake Nakuru. These deaths were as a result of the excessive use of pesticides in the upstream waterway that feed the lake with water. (Watson, D 2004).   Greater effects have also been recorded amongst various bee and bird species that are very important in the pollination processes. A good example of this effect was also recorded in the US and Europe between 1950 and 1970 when the dramatic decline in the population of the birds of prey was attributed to the organochlorine pesticide that was POPs. The use of DDT was found to break down to DDE, chemical that was responsible for the cause of eggshell thinning that resulted to the crushing of the eggs leading to the failure of the breeding cycle of the birds of prey that also included the fish-eating birds. http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/campaigns/food-and-agriculture/pesticides/ Another pesticide aspect that has led to the decline in the bird populations is when they have reduced the existence of certain weeds in various arable fields. The weeds play a very significant role in providing the birds with seeds and insects for food, thus when they are decimated then it affects the bird’s food chain. The great decline of the grey partridge is directly attributed to the use of herbicides that change the availability of the food supply.  Ã‚   http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/campaigns/food-and-agriculture/pesticides/ Until recently a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide called cypermethrin was commonly used in sheep dips across the UK and had adverse effect on the environment. The greatest impact was realized in the marine life where a vast number of various aquatic invertebrates were killed. http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/campaigns/food-and-agriculture/pesticides/ In fish the residues are consumed resulting to the bioaccumulation of the pesticides in the birds of prey that eat this fish. Such pesticides as dieldrin   and aldrin were directly blamed for the decline in the deaths and population decline of birds of prey. However it is worth noting that in areas where the usage of the chemicals is prohibited the population of the birds species has recorded remarkable increase. http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/campaigns/food-and-agriculture/pesticides/ Health Effects Workers in the manufacturing companies are at great dangers of developing various other complications while handling the manufacturing processes. Sometimes the workers lack adequate protection and are therefore exposed to the chemicals that are highly carcinogenic. Farmers and other pesticide handlers are the most exposed people to the dangers of the pesticides. (Watson, D 2004). Organophosphates are less harmful to the environment  Ã‚   compared to organ chlorine pesticides. The pesticides can cause abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, nausea, as well as skin and eye problems. When pesticides are used for a long time they can also cause respiratory problems, memory disorder, cancer, neurological deficit and in women who are exposed so much to the pesticides it can cause miscarriages and birth defects when pregnant. (Walter A. et.al.2005) Consumers Most of the crops planted by big scale farmers are very harmful to the consumers because these farmers use the pesticides for cultivation processes. Fruits and vegetables contain the pesticides residues making them harmful to the consumers. Due to these residues, the maximum Residue limits has recommended some standards for individual pesticides food to be used. The EPA has set tolerances that detect the toxicity of the residues and amount of pesticide application that remain in food before it is marketed and prepared. The tolerance level is obtained using scientific assessments that manufactures are required to produce before a particular pesticide can be registered. (Walter A. et.al.2005) The study published in 1993 showed that the infants and children are exposed to pesticides through their diet, while in the US the study shows that pesticide residues in food cause causes of cancer. (Watson, D 2004). The pesticide residue has been a major concern in the US making it possible in 1996 to begin a program known as United States Department of Agriculture to allow its food to be tested for different types of pesticides. The program allowed the test of different vegetables and fruits commonly eaten for example: Apple, Lettuce, Pears and Oranges. To avoid the entire health problem, the consumer can wash, peel, cook and even trim the fat from meat and eat variety of food to avoid long-term exposure to pesticide. The consumer is also advised to buy organic food. (Walter A. et.al.2005) Pesticides are generally exposed to the general public some of the pesticides are very harmful and because they lack proper handling instructions pose great dangers not only to the users but also to the public at large. According to various studies, various pesticides have severe effects on young children and cause leukemia. Organophosphate can cause infliction to the nerve cells and may lead to low birth weights. This is because when pregnant women are exposed to the pesticides they have a very high chance of affecting the uterus and the child carried in the womb. (Walter A. et.al.2005)   With the development of new technology most pesticides are becoming obsolete and other better methods are being used as form of pest control such technologies are being developed in such countries as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Mexico. To reduce health and environmental risks, biological and botanical methods are being  Ã‚   developed and applicators are advised to adopt other methods other than the use of chemical pesticides. For example farming methods like polyculture where by you grow multiple types of plants or even planting crops where the pests that damage the plants do not exist (crop rotation) if not you can adopt the US style of spraying the pests with hot water or the release of natural predators. Interfering with insect’s production can be accomplished by sterilizing males so that there is no production of the off springs. All this methods have been achieved in Indonesia and Sweden thus making their environment very friendly not only to human beings but also to their crops and animals. (Hond, Frank et.al.2003). Conclusion Pesticides have been of great use especially in the production of food to sustain the ever-increasing world population. Most of the pesticides have significant side effects on the environment and have continued to cause untold damage to the ecosystem. In the developed world the governments have continued to institute very strict measures that have seen the banning of the usage most of such products. The producers realizing the challenges they face in these regions have opted to switch their operations to the third world countries where the regimes lack the necessary infrastructure or legislation to control the use of the said products. Thus the dangers have been shifted from the first worlds to the poor third world countries, which are left to bear the brunt of the pesticides. First world countries have the responsibility of protecting the world from the effects of the pesticides because they are the largest producers.    Work cited Hamilton, Denis; Crossley, Stephen (2004). Pesticide residues in food and drinking water. J. Wiley. Hond, Frank et.al. (2003). Pesticides: problems, improvements, alternatives. Blackwell Science. Pesticides-and-the-environment: Retrieved on 11th April from http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/campaigns/food-and-agriculture/pesticides/ Walter A. Alarcon, et.al. (2005) Pesticides and the Environment. â€Å"Acute Illnesses Associated With Pesticide Exposure at Schools†. Journal of the American Medical Association Watson, David H. (2004). Pesticide, veterinary and other in food residues: woodhead Publishing

Friday, September 27, 2019

Teaching of Advanced Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Teaching of Advanced Mathematics - Essay Example But before that, we must delve further into the importance of the questioning mechanism, thus I shall bring out opinions presented by established mathematicians in relation to this study, as applied to classroom teaching of Mathematics. Ainley, J. as mentioned above, interprets her findings about questioning techniques, on the premise that, when, applied to classroom study, everytime the teacher asks a question, it merely implies her underlying desire in testing the student's learning outcome. Therefore, a teacher's questioning style is described as "guess what is in my mind" tactics. Some of the frequent techniques of mathematical questioning range from using open questions, not commenting on answers but waiting for more, bringing in other people, collecting a range of responses on the board, seeking agreement, alternatives and dissent, using or not using "hands-up", using names to generate particular response, remaining silent until something else is said, and eventually all effort s culminating towards a successful learning outcome. Jim Smith, in his article "Questioning Questioning" (1986) in the same study as Ainley, advises to maintain a balance between saying too much so that things become repetitive, to saying nothing at all. Suggesting that students be encouraged to talk enthusiastically about how they have helped other students, be allowed to interrupt teachers with relevant questions, and thereby, enable them to take part in the scheme by Skemp called "relational" learning (1976 & 1993), which is a flexible methodology that imparts in the student, a genuine interest in the deeper aspects of learning Mathematics, not only through methods and formulae but also by developing in them the much-needed grasping power to form powerful connections, interpretations, eliminate unnecessary fear of complex figures and symbols (such as surds, integrands, graphs, tables, etc.) and a chain of unbroken knowledge to further advance their learning capabilities. Both mathematicians have affirmed the potent power of "testing" methodologies over simple "seeking" questions. As discussed in relevant examples above, upon our own close introspection, we can find that several of these questioning techniques are already followed by us in enhancing day-to-day learning activities whatever be the subject of study. In the course lesson example mentioned in this paper, I have designed my scheme to accommodate this very school of thought. In an effort to understand the constructive ideas behind methods of questioning, we have at our disposal, a

Thursday, September 26, 2019

PNC Financial Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PNC Financial Service - Essay Example Value creation for creating a system that would ensure the level of productivity and integrity ultimately needed, so that the customer base would be able to see their own bottom line continue to grow and prosper. With many banks, large and small, finding it harder to survive in the current economic state, PNC Bank would seek to stay within the realm of effective and responsible banking practices. According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, while reiterated the current state of affairs within the banking community, in regard to PNC itself, "Still, the region's biggest bank will remain disciplined and resist making "stupid," risky loans, Mr. Rohr Said during a Barclays Capitol investor conference in New York City," (Sabatini, 2010). With the statement in itself that would work toward the concern of meeting investors expectations of being able to trust the solvency of the institutions that they seek to do business with. Going on further to state that, "Mr.

The West Side Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The West Side Story - Essay Example But for everything to be alright, there was a very high price to pay, and that is Tony’s death. The West Side Story was a musical that borrowed the concept of Romeo and Juliet. It had the same plot line. There were lovers who wanted to be together despite their differences. They succeeded only to fail in living together since they died together. Of course the stories wouldn’t be that much similar or else it won’t be successful anymore. The West Side Story was a story of two rival gangs, same as Romeo and Juliet’s two rival families. It was set in Manhattan, New York. During the time the story was finalized, gang violence was rampant. It was very timely and it intrigued the public because it had a relevant social issue. The West Side Story was not just a tragedy because of the dark mood and depressing final act that it had. It was also a story about how triumph can have a very high price. In this case, it was death. With Tony’s death, the rival gangs joined together realizing what hate and anger can do to them. When Maria declared that â€Å"all of (them) killed him, not with bullets or guns, but with hate. (And now she) can kill too because now (she) has hate,† it made them realize the alarming situation of how every one of them can die because of their hatred towards each other. And this hatred is not even something that has enough bearing. They were just fighting because they had different racial backgrounds. They have different beliefs and perspectives. The hatred was passed on from one generation to another. When Anita tried to send Tony a message, she was almost raped by the Tony’s group. She was treated with disrespect and because of this, she sent out a distorted message. Instead of warning them that Chino is looking to kill Tony with a gun, she blurted out that Maria was killed by Chino in a fit of jealousy and rage. And this caused Tony to seek out Chino and his death. Anita was touched by hatred because of what was done to her. Something that could have been prevented if only she was treated with respect. But as Tony felt that it will be alright in the end, it did become alright. When the members of both gangs joined together to carry Tony’s body, it symbolizes intersecting of racial differences to repent and have peace with each other. This plot line is still powerful even up to these times. This is a story about racial differences. It tells us what biases and prejudice can do to us. It is still a significant social issue until today. It is still a challenge for some people to accept another race as part of a group or a team. Gangs are street groups. They are created to protect their territories, places where they grew up, places where they are comfortable with. Of course, as any other person, if your personal space is threatened, you fight for you. This is the same for gangs. They fight for their space. They believe that only one group can stay in one place. But because p eople cannot compromise and because hatred is set so deep in their hearts, people die. The characters in the story signify the different personas that are involved in street gangs. There are the leaders, their successors, the followers and their women. The women are not muses of the gangs. They are not direct members of the gang. They are only associated with the gang members by blood or by relationship. They may be a sister, cousin or girlfriend. But even if they are not members of the gang, they still get involved in whatever conflicts there are between the gangs. Since they are associated with the members by blood or relationship, it is believed that their loyalty will be with their own. As Chino said to Maria when her brother was killed by Tony, she should â€Å"stick with (her) own kind.† That was the thought process of someone whose racial belief is

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Employee Performance Appraisal & Mitivation and Incentives Essay - 3

Employee Performance Appraisal & Mitivation and Incentives - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Oman Insurance Company (OIC) is a huge company whose total assets are in excess of DH 3.2 Billion and paid-up capital of DH 243.75 Million. It provides its customer with a variety and type of insurances and the security they need. The process of performance appraisal system in OIC consists of the following steps. Predesigned performance appraisal forms are distributed to respective line managers before the end of the year. The performance appraisal form contains various key success factors that have been identified for the performance of a certain position. These key success factors include both capabilities and competencies personal and work-related. Managers fill these form by ranking the employees on a scale of 6-10 based upon performance throughout the year, where 6 being lowest and 10 highest. The line manager has the discussion with the employee about the ranking identifying his strengths and weakness areas. An employee can give his own opinion as we ll and ask to change his rankings. If line manager disagrees he can contact HR manager. Based on the performance appraisal the development plan of an employee is formulated by the employee and the line manager in the form of SMART objectives for the next year. After developing the career path for the employee the action plan to achieve those goals e.g. training etc. are decided. In the end, these filled forms are sent to the HR manager, who updates the file of each employee for appropriate action such as compensation and benefit etc.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Iker Casillass Girlfriend Sara Carbonero and Real Madrids Dressing Assignment

Iker Casillass Girlfriend Sara Carbonero and Real Madrids Dressing Room Scandal - Assignment Example This research tells that Iker revealed much of the team’s information to Sara, which she reported to her channel. This helped her to grab the attention of the viewers as well as the readers but it definitely had a negative impact on the career of Iker. According to the management team, what Iker did was unethical and therefore it made him sit on the bench for almost half of the season as the result of which the performance of â€Å"Real Madrid† suffered. The Media in this situation played a very critical role. Sara Carbonero and Iker Casillas were accused several times of leaking the information from the team’s locker room to the media that Sara worked for, but the media made the situation worse by broadcasting it and making it available for the competitors of the â€Å"Spain’s Football Team† and â€Å"Real Madrid†. The media on several occasions exposed some controversial information such as the weakened relationships between players or the views of management on the poor performance of any specific team player. Every time the media Sara worked for broadcasted any such news it created an atmosphere of distrust in the team’s dressing room, affecting the relationships of the players to some extent. Team players clashed because of the media issue. There have also been occasions when Iker thought about leaving the club that has been the most important part of his life. One of the sources also revealed that Iker was so close to leaving the club due to all the issues created by the media, but he changed his mind at the very last moment. Audiences become informed or misinformed by many channels and so do journalists as well. Ethical practice is important for media as it holds the power of influencing a large number of people. Although the fundamental rights of a citizen in Spain also include the right to know information, when it comes to journalists, they must use their right of expression within certain limitations.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Macro economics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Macro economics - Coursework Example For instance, this will help boost the manufacturing sector which has faced competition from other countries such as china and the United States. One of the major benefits of the increased growth in exports is reduction in unemployment. Many individuals will be in a position to find jobs in most sectors in the economy due to increased demand of goods and services. Sectors that have been dormant for many years will be revived as a result of increased exports. By increasing exports, the UK will ensure that the cost of these exports is substantially reduced and the quality is enhanced. For example, The UK can achieve to reduce the cost of its exports by reducing the wages. When this happens, the UK will become attractive to other countries, and this will lead to more exports. In addition, by increasing the exports and making them cheaper and of higher quality, the UK will ensure that the population buys local products as opposed to relying on imports. The increase in domestic demand is important for economic growth. Increase in exports will also make the UK currency more valuable compared to other countries in the global economy. If the UK is importing more than exporting, it simply means that it selling its currency in order to buy the foreign currency so that it can import the goods and services. This has the effect of making the exports more expensive and making the imports cheap. In the end, domestic buyers will be encouraged to buy from outside markets. However, when exports are made cheaper, the currency becomes strong, making the UK competitive in the global market. Local manufacturers and service providers are therefore likely to find overseas markets when the currency is strong. Finally, increases in exports and reduction in imports will have a major effective on innovation and creativity. Local firms and individuals will be encouraged to enhance the quality of existing

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Crooks isolation in Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Crooks isolation in Of Mice and Men Essay 1. The person who influenced Crooks to be isolated is his dad. When Crooks was a kid, he did play with some white kids. However, although those white kids were pretty nice, Crooks dad didnt allow him to do, as Crooks said, My ol man didnt like that. Thus, when Crooks was growing up, he was increasingly aware of that there exist a boundary between black people and white people that is hard to go across. As he found that there wasnt another colored family for miles around and now there aint a colored man on this ranch, Crooks felt himself isolated because there were no black people whom he could communicate with, as he stated in the story, If I say something, why its just a nigger sayin it. Furthermore, the white workers on the ranch also played a major role of influencing Crooks to be isolated. They discriminated him, thought Crooks stink and didnt allow Crooks to play cards together with them. This would enhance Crooks feeling of isolation. Therefore, both of Crooks dad and the white people on the ranch influenced Crooks to feel isolated and lived alone in a shed. 2. If I were Crooks, I would feel the same way as Crooks did: lonely, frustrated and helpless, just like a single man walking on the boundless desert. Whenever I am unhappy or sad, nobody talks to me and give me comforts. Crooks said, A guy needs somebody-to be near him A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Thats true. This unhealthy mental state will make me feel more and more miserable; and also think that life is hopeless. Thats true. If human beings avoid communications with each other, then the life becomes boring and meaningless. Being lonely or isolated is not the nature of a person. Why does George feel bad after killing Lennie? Thats because George lost a friend whom he was used to for a long time and a sudden feeling of lonely came to his heart. So, being lonely and isolated will affect not only my emotions but also my life in a negative way. 3. When I was in elementary school, there was one student in our class who lost three fingers in a car accident at six. However, such an unlucky boy didnt get any support from us. Instead, nobody wanted to do homework with him because he couldnt write words quickly; nobody liked to play sports with him because he couldnt even hold a ball in his hands; nobody would like to make friends with him because they felt embarrassed of staying with a handicapped person. Even one day he fell onto the group, nobody came to give him a hand. He never told us his name. I could notice that he felt isolated and rejected from the entire class. He usually just sat silently at one corner of the classroom in the back. After one year, he quit school and no one cared about that. While reading this chapter, Crooks life on the ranch reminds me of the real-life situation happened on that boy who felt lonely and isolated.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Applications of Reference Checks in Selection Process

Applications of Reference Checks in Selection Process Discuss the reasons for carrying out reference checks and the effective ways to conduct it during the selection process. Based on numerous assessment methods available on hiring employees, reference checks are deemed vital as it is seen as a powerful tool that generates and gathers useful reports of knowledge on any applicant’s previous working history in terms of their accomplishment and history. A successful reference guiding process depends almost heavily on the principle which is based on behavioral consistency. This simply is because it is believed to be the most reliable principle based on analyzing and forecasting the future behavior of applicants in terms of job performance and also based on previous behavioral working history. Not only does this method guarantees choosing future candidates with a strong background of history in terms of previous history of job-related performances, referencing checking aids managers to determine and exclude future candidates that are known to have histories of inappropriate and unacceptable workplace related behaviors. References that are properly condu cted according to standard operating procedures aid organizationsin verifying successful job predictions and determining the right qualifications that helps put everything in place in order to make sure the selected organization manages to get the right person to fill in the job vacancy. This is important as by failing to obtain the right future employee will result in a lot of lost in terms of finance, time and the fact of maybe having to face a lawsuit for dismissing the candidate prematurely. A reference check which is well structured is a well-organized evaluation of a candidates previous job work-related performances. This is based upon exchanging dialogs with previous co-workers of the future candidate. Like any other pre-employment interviews, reference checking is at its optimum levels when it is coordinated to be structured perfectly along with the integration of thoughts into the potential hiring process. A well-structured check is almost a hundred percent, if not more successful than carrying out an informal conversation with the candidate’s previous co-workers. This is because it helps to gather useful information that will boost the hiring manager’s confidence based upon the results that he or she will obtain and at the same time, a well-organized referencing check will help to enhance any legal dispute that may occur in the near future. The following are the multiple options that can be structured besides the standard ‘having a casual conver sation’ .This can be shaped to be a successful tool that can easily be made to assess candidates with ease. But before that, what are some of the purposes of having to conduct references check you may ask? Well, one of the most important steps of planning process is to determine various purpose of having a reference check. This will help in 2 major ways; Firstly, this will help aid the various types of information that needs to be collected and stored and secondly, the process that will be conducted in order to obtain it . The data that is collected from reference checks may ultimately serve three different means. First and foremost, it helps to verify the truth behind the initial information that has been given by the candidates during their interview, on their application forms and lastly on their resume. Next, the data collected by reference checks helps in unveiling signs of undesirable and unacceptable previous history of behavioral work pattern. Last but not least, this method helps to determine the amount of development that the future candidate may require in terms of setting up future extra training to help fill in the ‘training-gap’ in order for the candidate to help achieve the goals and vision of the hiring organization. Now, back to the examples of various means of reference checks; Job related, the aim is to concentrate on the candidate’s abilities to perform the task and job that are stated along the lines from the statement of merit criteria. Organizing the check over this criterion gives a more detailed forecast of future job abilities .Observation, any information that is going to be provided by a referee has to be based on experience or observation or previously working with the candidate. This allows the referee to utilize his experience to further support the candidate by commenting on the abilities and performance of the candidate from their previous job. Standardize, A set of standard equal questions are asked toward all referees in all appointment procedures. This method ensures that there is a fair ‘playing field’ for all candidates and that they are respected and treated as one, equally. Behavioral focused, Almost all reference checks becomes more liberal and any jud gementing errors are greatly reduced simply by focusing on behaviors that are work-related. By asking proper questions and differentiating proper information with skills ensures that any fraudulent image pictured by the candidates is gunned down. Legal Defense, This has developed to become one of the greatest aspect that should be considered by all firms simply to be at the right side of the law and to be protected just incase of any unforeseen circumstances in the future. A detailed and proper reference check will help enable any organization to ensure that they uphold the requirements met by the government in their respective region. Reference checking is deemed as one of the final steps before actually considering hiring an actual candidate and it is important if not more important compared to the previous steps of the initial selection stages. It is vital that the outcome of this step is dealt directly with the ability of the candidate to perform the job required to do accordingly. It is important to plan basic questions that will allow you to ask the referee of the applicants and questions that will be directed directly to the applicants as well. Moreover, if the organization is dealing with more than 1 candidate, then specific questions should be prepared before hand as it will help to clarify any problems specifically towards each and every candidate respectively. As always, it is always better to prepare beforehand so that the time is saved and everything is checked before making the final decision. In order to conduct a proper standard of record keeping, its almost advisable to create a reference form that will include the name of the interviewer, the name of the candidate, the time and date , position that the applicant is applying for and last but not least, their previous workplace name. A standard set of questions should be included as well and the form should have sufficient space for addition notes that you will take down during their response to the questions that will be asked. One of the effective ways to conduct referencing checks is to conduct an interview with the potential candidates. Questions should be asked like they are asked in any other interviews regarding their pass experiences, ask questions regarding to their ability of carrying out the job given, their general thoughts on the job ,the output that they are willing to commit to , the ability to work with other employees regardless of their gender or race, their ability to get along with higher ranked employees who might not be easy going etc. Bear in mind that the reason is to extract vital information from the potential candidate. A clear picture of the candidate’s strengths and weakness should be gathered as the interview is conducted in order to finalized the referencing check. A referee that is brought in maybe interviewed as well in order to get a clear picture of the candidate’s pass job related experience and behavior. Another common step in conducting a referencing check is by verifying their education background. If the job scope requires a candidate with a strong education background, then it is almost required to firstly, contact the school register system in order to verify the validity of the certification. Next, it is important to contact the university or college of the candidate to verify their higher education degree. The last step to conduct a successful referencing checks is to hire an investigation team to conduct a criminal record search on the potential candidate. As mentioned earlier, a job with a higher job scope that will allow future employees to deal directly with customers definitely requires a proper security. Any applicant to the desired job should be required to sign off a waiver of any claims regarding the final outcome of the investigation. If say the background check comes back positive, then it should be forwarded to the organization’s legal counsel team for them to determine if the candidate is fit for the job or n ot . To summarize it, I feel that the importance of conducting referencing checks during any selection process is extremely vital. Not only will this allow any organization to employ the most suitable candidates for the job posting but it will help to prevent any organization from losing money in terms of facing law suits or time , in terms of conducting extra unnecessary training to fill In the training gaps that are require to carry out the initial job postings. There are several issues regarding this step in recent days and one of the main factors is that former employees especially in developed countries are almost reluctant to comment on their previous workers as they fear facing potential lawsuits. I believe, that in order to get the perfect candidate for the job, smaller companies , or in fact companies that works around their clients hand-in-hand which requires employees to enter their home , office etc. ( as in technicians, teachers , etc ) should consider outsourcing their refer ence checks to external companies in order for their future employees to be checked thoroughly from every aspect.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Social Reference Groups Family Roles And Status Media Essay

Social Reference Groups Family Roles And Status Media Essay Nowadays, there are more and more products available in the market, often supported by advertising and strong communication. The objective of the study of consumer behaviour or more precisely the customer, is to understand how people buy and consume. This analysis is very complex because each individual is unique and versatile, so not always faithful. In addition, there are many factors you have to take into consideration and there are often uncontrollable. So the actions of buyers are quite difficult to predict. For that you have to understand: What they are What they do What they think How they decide and act According to Schiffman Kanuk, consumer behaviour is principally about the search, the purchase, the use, the evaluation and the disposal of the product and service that they assume will please they needs. Moreover they are some buyer characteristics and psychology, which influence their buyer behaviour. They are four important categories: Cultural: culture, subculture, social class Social: reference groups, family, roles and status Personal: age, life cycle stage, occupation, economic situation, lifestyle, personality and self concept Psychological: motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes Here we will analyse in which way people are influenced by their psychological need, with their personal and social self-concept. But we will also see the possible influence of the symbolic consumption, the reference group influence and also the cultural group influences. First we have to understand the meaning of these words. Self concept: totality of the individuals thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object (Rosenberg 1979) According to Burns and Rosenberg, real self is associated with how a person apprehends herself; ideal self is associated with how a person desire to apprehend herself and finally social self is associated with how a person introduces herself to the others. There are at least two reasons: the self-esteem and self consistency (Epstein 1980) The first is associated with the penchant for the search of experiences that reinforce the self-concept. The second is the penchant for someone to act constantly with her view of herself. These two notions could be rival. Symbolic consumption: According to Levy, it is associated with the penchant of the consumer to concentrate on the meanings, apart from the real physical aspect of tangible objects. This is more a social tool who to communicate between the individual and his references (Grubb and Grathwohl, 1967). If you want that your product or brand act as an emblem it has to be culturally spread and shared (Dittmar, 1992). Reference group: A reference group is the group, which forms a comparison or a reference in their attitudes or behaviour. You can be a member or not, but anyway it has an influence, great or no on your opinions, values or attitudes. According to Hebert Hyman, it also means that you use your group as a point of reference in deciding your preferences and believes. The size can be variable, small to very large like political party or religious institution. Cultural group: Culture is what a person of a society learns from family and other important institutions. It could be some: beliefs, values or customs. (Kotler, 1996). By culture you mean societys personality as the language, laws, religions, food customs, music, artà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Culture is something you acquire. So cultural group is people who shared a same culture, and you can have three levels of subjective culture: Supranational National Group (e.g.: families, friends, shopping group) IN WHICH WAY PEOPLE ARE INFLUENCED? As we have seen before, a consumer can be influence by some factors like personal, psychological or social characteristics. First, the personal characteristics are particular to one person: Age and life cycle (according to the Royal Bank of Scotland it exists 5 life cycle stage segments: youth, getting started, builders, accumulators and preservers) Occupation, which influence the goods and services who are buying by a consumer. Economic situation (personal income, interest rates, savings) Lifestyle: activities (work, hobbies), interests (food, fashion), opinions (business, products) Personality: multi-trait approach (five-factor model), single-trait approach (consumer ethnocentrism, need for cognition, consumers need for uniqueness) Self-concept: self-image The self-concept is a multidimensional assembly (Hamm and Cunfiff, 1969; Hughes and Guerrero, 1971; Guttman, 1973) that allows people to judge them in many circumstances of social situations. :aspects_of_self_concept_002-17.gif (Hunter 2012) Broad aspects of self-concept PERSONAL SELF-CONCEPT Self-concept is often linked to the brand personality (Levy 1959, Sirgy 1982), because people usually buy a brand they think they are matching with (Dent-Read Szokolsky, 1993; Zalthman, 1997). The aim is for the consumer to fraternize with the brand. Landon (1974) thinks that people are interested in brands that fit their self-concept and personality. E.g.: Body Shop: justice and equity Brand personality, according to Jennifer Aaker is the characteristics, which are accompanied with a brand. E.g.: Pepsi is seen as young while Coca-Cola is seen as real and honest According to Kardes et al (2011), if the main goal of the marketers is to do brand awareness, then they have to cultivate a communication with real self-concept. We can take LOreal with is slogan Because Im worth it or Apple with Im a Mac or Im a PC. To the contrary if they want to change beliefs about the brand, they have to focus on ideal self-concepts. For example: US Armys slogan Be all you can be; Pateck Philippe Who will you be in the next 24 hours?) But does the brand personality really count? According to Freling, Crosno and Henard (2011) they have demonstrate in one test the effectiveness of their system based on three constituents: favourability, originality and clarity. These are directly related to the purchase decision. Attributes of products can lead to a characteristic identity for a person. For example, a teenager his with fashion jacket, which is making him self-confident, and permit to feel like a cool guy. Most of the people are carrying about some of their objects that make them what they are. And sometimes if you loose them you feel like you have lost a piece of you. We can take the example of someone who would have been robbed; very often he will have the impression of being raped. It is the same with the natural catastrophes where the people feel very depressed or are experiencing a decrease of their sense of self. Another example is in Ireland nowadays, a tradition wants that people are buried with some of their very important values objects. So we can say that the products can influence the self-concept we use and have. Russel Belk has widely contributed to the development of the extended self-notion, but William James is at the origin of the conviction that the objects we have can help the construction of our identity and that people are thanks to what they have. His physical and psychological aspect does not only define the person but also his wife and his children or the house and clothes he owns. Another example could be the automobile, according to Banning (1996), for a lot of Americans it is a valuable piece of they self. They are spending a lot of time taking care of their car. Other people are decorating their office with personal items or pictures. They also like according to Tian and Belk (2005) people like to express their personality through objects they have on their desk as mobile phone or notebook. Some people think that they could not live without these technologies. They are like a part of their brains. Moreover, the choices of the aspects you decide to affirm in the workplace demonstrate the way you are arbitrating between home and work borders. Most of the products you have are independent from your physical aspect (except from the haircut, tattooà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we can also talk about diet and plastic surgery). By buying a certain product you can show your singularity. According to Tian et al, the research of the singularity shows the need that people have to develop and improve their social and self-personality thanks to the purchase and use of products. It allows them to make a distinction from those who are buying other products. Due to this need marketers have developed the personalized purchases (e.g. Converse, Nike or some shop where you can do your own tee-shirt). Some objects have become indispensable, like mobile phone that are permitting people to be connected with the others, but also for the adolescent to feel more adult. SOCIAL SELF-CONCEPT According to Whyte, the possession of an innovative property demonstrates the model of the interpersonal communication. With his example about the air conditioner, he says that social conformity is very high in America. So when people are exchanging with their neighbours about their new purchase it animates them to do the same purchase. Nowadays, there are the same things in residential sphere with swimming pools, trampolines, and television satelliteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Whyte also talk about the corporate norms, which stimulate conventionality in offices. Moreover, the word of mouth (viral marketing can be associated with it) is one of the most relevant things in influencing people, in a bad or a good way. People are widely influences by their relatives and people they are seeing like friends, work partners and journalists for example. As they are submerging by advertising the informal power is even stronger and often decisive. According to Charles Cooley, self-concept is directly related to the intercommunication with other people. :The_looking_glass_self.png Consumers are influenced by their culture. It could be seen as the personality of a certain society. As a human being, culture is made by some proper characteristics like demography, norms, art or traditions. It is not easy for a person of a society to certainly define how his culture is. According to Michael Solomon, as we dont face another type of culture or environment, it is difficult to realize what are the differences about the clothes, foods and way of interacting with each other. According to McCracken, a lot of significations in our everyday life products are developed by our culture. They are giving symbolic qualities to products consistent to our culture through advertising. E.g. Calvin Klein with is ads about thinness. It exists some different rituals according to the country: Wedding ceremony for the Jewish New years celebration in France Senior high school prom in America Moreover, people can also be influenced by subcultures. They possess the same value systems established on shared life experiences. There are some characteristics as race and origins. It exists 4 important subcultures in America: Hispanic African American Asian Mature consumers For example they have common characteristics like for American Hispanics (Mexican, Cubans, Costa Ricans): Shopping is something they do in family, they are willing to buy some goods of good quality (generics are not preferred), they are brand loyal and like companies who are interested in them. We can also talk about another subculture: age, with for example the Generation Y (born 1982-2000) who are willing to use more internet than newspapers, use a lot text messaging and spend time on online social networks. :3690640303001.png Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) The reference groups are groups that can form a comparison or a reference in forming attitudes of behaviour. It can be also aspirational, informal, primary and secondary or symbolic. With the reference groups we face new way of behaviours and lifestyles, but it also inspire our attitudes and self-concept. Moreover it can develop ways of pressure to conform to our group, it could influence our products and brand choices. It can be some rock stars, professional athletes, opinion leaders or group like for example Vocalpoint, a community for moms. Celebrities endorsement is usually use in advertising to convince the consumer to choose this brand. Very often, the consumer is not even aware of the behavioural influence of the group. This is especially true is the development of social networks like Facebook, Twitter or forum where consumers talk about their experiences. You are influenced, as this is a relevant aspect of your social life. But for that you have to share the same interests. (Michener Wasserman, 1995). Kathryn Mercurio and Mark Forehand (2011) have shown that when you are watching a television ad that makes you think about your reference group, it is easier for you to remember it. It exists different types of groups like shopping, work, consumer-action, friendship or virtual groups. Shopping group could decrease the risk of your purchase thanks to the opinion of the others. Consumer-action group is for example who are fighting for a cause like Greenpeace. Concerning the friendship group, we could say that its one of those who have the most important influence on purchases with the family one. They are often more trustful with their friends than the marketers. According to Emmanuel Rosen(2002), more than 43% of the people who are travelling have made their choices of planes and hotels thanks to the advice of their friends and family. So people are very attentive to their advices, also for clothes, for the brands their purchase but also for the magazines and the films they will choose. According to Tobi Elkin (2011), the influence of the peer is the first motive in the shopping behaviour of the teenage girls. Even if they are price-conscious and attentive to interesting deal, the most important thing is that their friends and family agree with their purchase decision. With the appearance and development of Internet, virtual groups are borne. Hoegg et al (2006) recognized five types: Blogs Wikis Podcasts Social networks Social bookmarking This kind of online activity has totally changes the ways people are influenced; it has a relevant role with brand connections. Because people can easily learn about the brand they like and people are sharing recommendations for brand through these sites. Finally they are a lot of ways whereby the consumer is influenced. It could be by discussing the product, or by the pressure of the peer, by imitation or by the influence of social media. We have seen that a reference group can have a wide influence on people, principally by playing an informational role. They could also have an utilitarian influence, because people are looking for acceptance and approval. Reference groups can also be value-expressive, because they are ready to conform to the group due to the psychological need to be part of the group. They can compare their selves to the others. (Schiffman et al., 2008). According to Saul Kassin, Steven Fein and Hazel Markus (2010), we all are animate by the actions of other people. (E.g.: when someone is laughing you are often tempted to laugh too or for the musicians who are putting some of their money to encourage people to donate). Consumer conformity is when people change their behaviour to adapt to the other consumers (e.g.: compliance or private acceptance). According to Solomon Asch(1951), during a study when the judgement of a person is in conflict with the opinion of most of the other participants, he generally changes is mind even if they are wrong. There is also the anti-conformist who is willing to stop buying a brand when it is too popular (e.g.: Apple) CONCLUSION To conclude, we can say that self-concept is not just about our essential values or interests but it is also about people who are around us like family, friends, intimate relationship and group of interest. (William James, 1980). Self-concept can be related to social connections with our peers, our families or even with our reference groups. They are often using the reaction of other people to construct their opinion and themselves but also by using social comparisons. So the personal and social concept is closely related to the symbolic consumption, reference groups and social groups. Relationships are something very relevant for the construction of themselves. We have also seen that we are more willing to process the information that is consistent with our self-concept and that our self-image could be multiple (family self, friend self, student self).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

Smithsonian Digital Libraries provided various materials for its user which are Databases, Exhibitions and Collections. These materials are very useful to researchers as it provide accurate and reliable information. Besides that, it also provides the collection of online books range from Art, History and Culture. Database is a collection of data to search materials easily. Smithsonian Digital Libraries provides databases such as Taxonomic Literature II which are a selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types. In addition, other available database is Smithsonian Research Online that itemized a set of services to the research community both within and outside the Smithsonian Institution. Other examples of databases available are listed as below. †¢ Example of Databases in Smithsonian Digital Libraries: o Taxonomic Literature II o Smithsonian Research Online o Index Animalium o Trade Literature Through exhibitions in Smithsonian Digital Libraries enable users to explore the rich variety of topics, images and materials featured in online exhibition. On the other hand, the current exhibition allows users to view the display of the latest exhibitions as the date and location are being stated. Besides that, National Museum of American History curators created the panel to offer users with reproductions of the world’s greatest pieces such as illustrations from rare books and document from the travelling exhibition column. †¢ Examples of Exhibitions in Smithsonian Digital Libraries: o Online Exhibition o Current Exhibition o Travelling Exhibition o Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web Smithsonian Digital Libraries range from various type of collection. One of the collections is Caldwe... ...for its users. For educational purposes, user can easily access through the three main type of collection that have been provided. Researchers and scientist are being supply with current periodicals and professional society publications. In addition, with the existence of online books, user will acquire the same information as the printed book. On the other hand, user can also view the exhibition on interesting topic as Smithsonian Digital Libraries offers various type of exhibition such as online and travel exhibition. There are no broken links in this digital library. †¢ Link All the listed hyperlinks in Smithsonian Digital Libraries are well-functioning as it takes user to the accurate information. The link contains in this library were involve only internal link. For example, if user clicks on either one of the link, the tab will be open through the same page.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Journal Reading :: essays research papers

Introduction: Journaling is a powerful thing; there are many different uses for a Journal, everything from personal thoughts to keeping an expedition written down for later resource. Many people don’t use Journals which is unfortunate, my focus in this paper is to show the different areas of Journaling and to possibly make it a part of your life. Thesis: My thesis statement is to show the importance of journaling in leadership and other positions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Getting started, it doesn’t take much to get started, all you need is a pen or pencil, preferably a pencil incase you need to change something, but a wise teacher once told me that his mom asked him a very interesting question, â€Å" What do you use on crossword puzzles, a pen or a pencil,† she then later stated â€Å" I always do mine in pen,† now the reason behind her always doing it in pen is so you know you did it write the first time, and you feel confident in that. The next thing you would or should need is something to write on, this can be anything from a purchased store journal to napkin from a restaurant, although having a booklet of napkins may seem absurd, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s something to take your thoughts down on. The other thing that you should have is a positive attitude, trust me it is helpful in all aspects of life, a great man once said, â€Å" The greatest discovery of my generation is that hum an being can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind by William James.† (Pg.88 John Maxwell The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a leader). That’s about all it should take to start a effective journal, so stay focused as we will be going through the Purpose of Journaling. The first area I would like to delve into is the thinking aspect of Journaling. I don’t know about you, but I like to think, it makes me feel like I’m the smartest man in the world. I took this class called Practicum Seminar Leadership and for the class we had to go on a solo trip for about 3 days, by ourselves, and I thought a lot while I was out there and I wish I had, had a journal to keep all my thoughts down in, because some of them were lost, but I came out of there with a deep understanding of what it means to be positive.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Outline for Common Elements in African Societies Essay

I.Introduction a.My speech is on common elements I found in African societies. Among these are animism, Bantu language, and their political organization. b.The importance of this to Islam is that some African states converted to Islam, which brought Africa into a more Eurasian system of trade, and introduced them to new religious ideas, and political organization. II.Animism a.It was common among African societies to believe in Animism, which is a belief in natural forces as gods. It also provided a model for ethical behavior, and well rounded concepts of good and evil. They believed in a creator deity who did their work through lesser spirits. b.Families, lineages, and clans all played important roles; especially the deceased ancestors. They were believed to be a link to the spiritual world. c.Although the beliefs are generally the same in Animism throughout the different societies, their rituals are unique and different from one another. III.Bantu language a.The movement of Bantu speaking people gave a general linguistic base throughout much of Africa. b.The only society that had a non-Bantu language was the Yourba. IV.Political Organization a.African societies were all either a hierarchy, or a stateless society. A hierarchy is an organization in which people are ranked one above the other according to status. A stateless society is a society that is not governed by a state, and there is little authority. V.Conclusion a.In conclusion, Animism and Bantu language were the common elements found in African societies. b.Again, the conversion of some African states to Islam brought Africa into a more Eurasian system of trade, and introduced them to new religious ideas, and political organization.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Our National Flag

There is no king without a crown. Similarly, there is no nation without a flag of its own. When India was under the British rule, there was no national flag of India. The people then became free. India became an independent country in 1947. Since the date of her independence, India has a national flag of her own. National Flag is a sacred thing for all. It stands for the mother land. When we honour our national flag it is considered as an honour to the country or our motherland. Similarly, any dishonor to our national flag is treated as a dishonor to our country.Our national flag is called Triranga. Because it contains three different colours such as saffron, white and green. Three stripes of these three colours remain horizontal. The upper part of the flag is of saffron colour. The middle part is white. The lower part is green. On the middle of white part there is a wheel or Chakra in the model of the Dharma Chakra of the noble emperor Ashoka the Great. The flag originally belonged to the Indian National Congress. In 1931 when this flag was adopted, it had a spinning wheel on the middle.But when it was chosen to be our national flag, the spinning wheel was replaced by the Dharma Chakra of Ashoka. It is a sin to consider the national flag as a piece of ordinary cloth. The flag has great meaning and significance. Saffron stands for sacrifice and selfless devotion. White colour indicates truth, purity and simplicity. The green colour stands for freshness and creative energy. The wheel indicates activity and progress through the path of justice, liberty and brotherhood. It also indicates peace. The people of India hoist the National Flag on 15th August and 26th January every year.They stand up under the flag and sing the National Anthem and pay honour to the Country. They vow to keep up her ideals. The National Flag is kept hoisted on all days of the year on the top of the government buildings and Courts. When a very important person of our country passes away, th e National Flag is brought down half mast. The National flag is also hoisted on the buildings of the Indian Embassy in foreign countries. The National Flag-of India is a sacred thing for all the Indians irrespective of caste, colour, and religion. At any cost, we have to keep its prestige.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

How Historical Architecture Elements Have Been Destroyed

How historical architecture elements have been destroyed in the buildings of Lass Vegas Lass Vegas is a city in the state of Nevada and the city is extremely populous and internationally known for the fine dining, gaming and shopping (Stern, Peggy and Alan 13). Lass Vegas proclaims itself as the world's capital of entertainments due to its famous hotels combined with casinos. It may seem like all the great architecture of the world is gathered in one place: there's Venice, Caesar Palace, Luxury, New York and Camelot Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and etc.Directly low the Eiffel Tower, cicadas buzz in branches of the Roman pines that overlook the waters of an Italian lake. Suddenly, the waters burst into song: the voices of Andrea Bacilli and Cline Don rise into the warm night air and spectacular fountains sway in time to the music. Fifteen minutes later, the fountains are dancing to Elvis. ( Hollies, Edward) All these revolution of the themed casino hotel building took place in the sass, when casino owners such as Steve Wynn and Sheldon G Delano realized that Vegas didn't have to be Just about gambling.If they could turn Vegas into a loudly destination in its own right, they figured, then they could attract all sorts of people – folks from Out East, families, and so on, who would never have dreamed have coming before. And if they could attract those regular respectable folks, then they could attract regular money, too. But the architectural design used in the majority of the buildings in Lass Vegas is just a total replication of the ancient architectural design from various part of the world (Stern, Peggy and Alan 13).This meaner that most of its modern architectural design is a complete abstraction of the original design. The Lass Vegas hotels with the ancient architecture theme may have the similar fade of the ancient building but they are essentially still the modernism buildings. The ancient architectural buildings emphasi ze 3 elements like aesthetic, function and structure. All these three elements should marry together. The Lass Vegas buildings are like most of the modernism buildings which emphasize the space.Space is deified in the modernism thus replaced the position of the symbol, bringing the architect to give up the combination of architecture and painting, sculpture, images, and no longer pursuit the symbol. Modernist international style of â€Å"less is more† from Miss van deer Roe as the representative to the simple and rapid industrialization nature adapted to the needs of the times, has swept the world. (Wick) As we all know Lass Vegas is an extremely commercialese city where advertising, signs and construction of the symbol itself is as important as the position, which has also become one of the images of the city of Lass Vegas.Extensive use of neon at night makes the city showing a completely different image. This is a naked commercialism table. Billboards, similar to the tradem ark signs, neon signs, all this kind of exaggeration, mixed nightclub style architecture are not cohesive with the ancient style architecture. The Lass Vegas hotels mimicking the ancient style architecture buildings and at the same time mixed these entire modern commercial decorations extremely destroyed the classical style and the classical atheistic elements of the ancient architecture.In the book LEARNING FROM LASS VEGAS, the author Robert Venture divided the symbolism of the local building into two types: a Decorated Duck, or decorate shed or huts. Long Island duck, Aberdeen (designed like a duck store) is a erect symbol of the space of the building. The Duck is a building that has so reduced itself in importance that it has actually become the sign. According to Venture, most modern architecture are basically UN-admitted Ducks. The real hypocrisy for Venture was that â€Å"†¦ Odder architecture always demonstrated what it was by setting itself against what it wasn't. â₠¬  But a duck is a duck. The overall structure of the way submerged in the shape of an elephant. Decorated huts are ordinary buildings with local giant billboards and markers. He describes functional boring architecture, auteur to the point of being difficult to recall, but carries a surface with applique © ornamental symbols. The billboard is higher than the construction, in addition to the front facade, the back facade of the building seems to be no style.These billboards has become a symbol rich architectural language of the local business, on the other hand the building seems to be reduced only with the symbols of asylum. The buildings in the Lass Vegas with the ancient building look are Just the mixed of these two types. These hotels Just used the ancient building as a symbol of the space of the alluding. In S. Maria del Priority, as Venture, Scott Brown, and Ignore wrote of Lass Vegas, â€Å"architecture is a shelter with symbols on it. † (90) The designs of the anci ent architecture are Just working like a shell or out shape.The essential elements are no longer inside of these buildings. With these ancient architecture shell, the hotels added the giant billboards to the front fade which is a total conflict with the classic style made all the ancient styles buildings more liked the cartoon type of architecture. The classical aesthetics have been destroyed by these cartoon type. In the eighteenth century Europe, however, aesthetics was a discipline in formation. (Irene Small, 18) The classical styles of the ancient architecture here became only a giant decoration of the hotels.The elements of these building no longer emphasis on performance of the structure and function but on symbolic significance and the billboard, markers dominate the space. Luxury Hotel is a very prominent building in Lass Vegas strip due to its sheer size and the architectural construction design. The hotel is named after ancient city in Egypt. It was built with a unique Egy ptian concept. Its structural design is perceived to be a pelvic of the Gaza pyramids in Egypt with huge sphinxes at the front of the building. The interior design of the building is a copy of the Egyptian artifacts, form it golden materials to the sculptures.This is according to the Evolve Simpson who was the main architect of the Luxury building (Stern, Peggy and Alan 14) the building is Just a replica of the ancient pyramid in Egypt because its exterior design is composed of a black glass that encases the metal frame hollow structure. The inside of the building opens up to the largest open hall in the world, it's lavishly decorate with very many productions of the Egyptian painting and artifacts which give the building a sense of ancient times. During the night, very powerful spotlights shoot straight from the building to the air.These spotlights are even visible from space (Vinegar, 28). The Luxury Hotel, which was actually opened in the 1993, had a very magnificent theme of an ancient Egypt, when compared to the original pyramid but the architectural design borrows a lot of the modern technology while still trying to maintain the structural design of the original pyramid. Paris Lass Vegas is another building with a omelet imitation of the original architectural work. The building is located at the strip of the Lass Vegas. Its theme is the city of Paris in France.It's a 541 foot tall replication of the Eiffel tower, in a shape of a Montpellier balloon. It has a two-third size Arc De triumphed, which is a replica of the La Fontanne deer. Surging the architectural planning, the Eiffel scale model was supposed to be built to the full model. That is to the same height like original tower in Paris France. But the airport was to close and tower had to be shrunk. The Eiffel tower of Lass Vegas is in the scale f 1 in comparison to the original tower in Paris France. The Lass Vegas tower has another unique architectural difference from the original tower.The back l eg of the Eiffel tower come down through the ceiling into the casino floor. The Eiffel tower has a very significant structural deviation from the original tower. The tower is only 165 meters with about 5000 tons of welded steel and stands. This is about half the size of the original which is about 320 meters tall. This is a same height as of an 81 – story building. Furthermore, the Eiffel tower of France consists of a structure that made up f puddle iron that weight approximately 7300 tones, while the rest of the structure is made of nonmetallic components, which weights a approximately 10000 tones.This demonstrates the economy of design which is much different with the Eiffel tower of Lass Vegas. Venetian hotel stands at the site where one of the famous old buildings used to stand. The Sand Building was restructured during the time when Lass Vegas was moving onwards in the field of architectural designs. The Sand buildings artistic design was altered and replaced with roman architectural design, which gave the Venetian building carved stone columns in the open lobby. Again these are Just the copy of the fade of the ancient architectural.Caesar Palace Casino in Lass Vegas was constructed in 1965. The hotel was named Caesar Palace because the owner though that the name would evoke the thoughts of the loyalty because of the roman general Julius Caesar. The architectural design of the hotel had a roman architectural touch and a theme, signaling both ancient decadence and sophistication. The roman architecture framed the entrance with spraying fountains and may replicas of detailed roman statues all around the building. The idea of replicating the ancient roman architectural design was to make every guest to the hotel feel like a Caesar.This ancient ideology is also represented by the absence of an apostrophe in the Caesar Palace, which meant that it is a place of many Caesar and not one. The Caesar Palace Just represents a fade of original architectural bu ilding design of the Romans. Lass Vegas has bee accused by critics as being uncultured, heartless metropolis with remarkably little patience with any architecturally outdated building in the city, which include its own historical building sites. Visiting the end of the Fremont Street one experience digress en walking past the hulking shell of Minneapolis. , without being aware of hope the building once represented.However the building has lost its original aesthetic value and visitors have shown little to no interest in the building. The building has been into Fremont square as a part of the revitalization efforts. The ancient beauty and aesthetic value of the building has bee replaced with an animation of the modern architectural design. The building of the Caesar palace mimic all these ancient elements like arch and column mostly in a decoration way. The ancient Rome use Arches which were made of stones or bricks and placed on top of each other in a way that it can form and an arc h and hold weight upon itself.Also in the Rome the arches were used to hold the massive weight of the dome. The arches in Caesar palace's ceiling works mostly Just as the decorating to resemble the ancient Rome building style and offer a glimpse into the ancient Roman buildings almost two thousand years ago. In fact, the hotel mainly used the columns from which originated from the Greek architecture. For the material, the ancient roman mainly used concrete and blocks. But the modern construction materials of the hotel are nothing similar to the brick and concrete walls.The hotel used the modern day technological materials and were built using the state of art architectural technology (Bourns, 1 53) same like the Luxury hotel. The pyramid is used by the totally different material from the original ancient building with the giant glass. The fancy version of the sphinx, totally different scale of the building, all made these Lass Vegas pyramid more like a children's park like buildings while the classical architectural pay attention to building as a whole. The four cascades in addition to the roof should be carved like a sculpture.In Lass Vega's extreme commercial environment, Buildings are made rapid, shallow and vulgar. In order to compete in this marketplace, a casino needs a virtual edge that fulfills the old role of the sign. The buildings are often renovated to get the glossy fades. In 1998, Steve Wynn transformed an image of the Italian Bellagio resort into drizzling fountains and â€Å"historic† two-story building facades, while in 1999, Circus Circus Corporation realized the Mandalay Bays Southeast Asian theme by bringing in 2700 tons of a sand. Buildings in Lass Vegas are in relentless change.The outlooks of the building are mostly concerned in these Vegas buildings but not the structure. The ancient buildings emphasize the structure and that's how they can stand there for over thousands of year. The sturdiness is a very important character of th e ancient buildings while in the Lass Vega's buildings these elements are no longer important. In fact, Vanity and fragility of modern architecture are criticized in Xavier Delver ‘s urban forms urban forms. Lass Vegas is the modern commercial city with visual propaganda in the business repose and business needs.The benefits of social, economic, and visual impact largely affect the form and the shape of the buildings. The vision becomes an important factor of a way to attract eyeballs. Maybe that's why they are mimicking the famous architecture in the world. But the essential elements of the architecture are totally lost in these commercial buildings in which the only logic is for the profit. The purpose of business is to make money; the purpose of commercial buildings is to service to make money. The buildings in Lass Vegas mimicking the famous architecture designs are Just the visual construction of the commercials.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Cognitive Development Essay

Social cognition is dealing with thoughts and beliefs about the social world. Social cognition allows the focus about oneself and people. Some aspect examples are thoughts, desires, and emotions. Social-cognitive development understanding can be a positive achievement for a child in child development. Social cognitive development allows a child to explore and figure out how things work. Jean Piaget had thoughts about how development is a â€Å"general process† and it allows children to have way of thinking that is useful bout the development of social cognition. Piaget suggested that during infancy, reality begins primarily at the start of the child and his or her actions actions and the outside environment. From this starting point, development proceeds both inward, allowing children to gain a better understanding of themselves, and outward, allowing them to gain a better understanding of the broader world. (Siegler, 2005) Social cognitive development is view in a way that children do not learn from influences of the environment but can often learn and use behavior due to their own personal thoughts, motivation, feelings and actions. While observing children, something to think about are consequences and examples of setting performance goals. This can be a great way to set up boundaries for children. Also these are just a few example of how social cognitive theory function. This theory can also be split up into three different but equally valid components: observational learning, self-efficacy and self- regulation. (Wood, 1989) â€Å"Observational learning is the process of learning through observing, imitating and reflecting from the behavior of others. In most cases, observational learning occurs when someone examines the actions of another and reflects upon the other and their consequences† (Ngai, 2007). Depending on the type of consequence in the action that was performed, the child that is observing can imitate that behavior. The child observing can perform the behavior in a positive or negative way. Observational learning can be seen as reinforcement but it is self-reinforcement that the child can perform. An example is a group of 4 and 5 year olds are experimenting in the dramatic play area and another child comes along to interact with the group that had been watching their interactions from afar. That child is most likely to follow their ways and choices because he has observed it. In second component of social cognitive theory is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief that a child is capable to perform task successfully and complete the task as well. Self-efficacy in a child’s view can take place and their actions can be affected by past experiences or from prior knowledge they have gained. Self-efficacy is not a strong trait component but is affected by experiences and past successes while performing the specific task. â€Å"Self- efficacy is also influenced by perceiving others performing the task, verbal persuasion, encouragement and one’s physical and/or mental state† (Wood, 1989) . An example is a child that sets a goal for them to achieve and they reach that goal. They then have that self- fulfillment. There can be a down side and the low self- esteem can come in if a child does not reach the goal intended. The last component of the social cognitive theory is self-regulation. Self- Regulation is to apply the learning principles and adjusting to the behavior that was learned. Self- regulation involves two things. Observation and then actions should be compared. When a child meets the behavior intended or if the behavior is exceeded then they can feel this self-reward fulfillment. It is a way to manage one’s own behavior with little external influences. An example of self- regulation is the dos and don’ts for a child. For a child, the ‘dos’ include doing things or finishing things they really do not want to do. ‘Don’ts’ include stopping themself from doing something they want to do. Children deal with ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ in very different ways. (Wood, 1989) Piaget stated that young children and their way of thinking are characterized by egocentrism. He also stated that children can have difficulty in separating their own perspective from that of what they observe from others. Preschool children can often conclude that the way that other children or people think or feel or wish exactly what they do, which is common in their social-cognitive understanding. â€Å"Subsequent research has demonstrated that Piaget somewhat underestimated young children’s perspective-taking abilities. His work did identify a central challenge in any social-cognitive activity which is separating one’s own viewpoint from that of others† (Ngai, 2007). When it comes to young children, there are two important tasks they are capable of facing. One is learning how to communicate. Children can have a hard time expressing how they feel or what they want. Sometimes children express how they feel only through their emotions instead of using their words. The next hard thing children are capable of facing is learning how to think about themselves and the social world around them. Children can be one sided and only want what they want and not think about any consequence that can occur in the environment around them. The more that they communicate in language the better their social cognition can develop and grow. This also allows for more peer and social interactions. A goal for early child development that continues to grow and that is important is that children are continuing to develop and are able to role play with other children and subconsciously they are actively constructing their own knowledge. In social learning theory, behavior can be explained in a three-ways. The first theory is called dynamic theory. This is when influences in the environment, personal factors and behavior that is performed will continue to interact. Something basic in the social learning theory is that children learn from their experiences and they also learn from their observations and actions of the other children or people around them. â€Å"Like Piaget, in the 1970s, Albert Bandura published a comprehensive framework for understanding human behavior, based on a cognitive formulation which he named the social cognitive theory† (Valkenburg, 2004). Children that have special needs or cognitive impairment should be able to have the same privileges as children that do not have any special needs. They can be successful in school and live normal fulfilling lives. They may just need a bit of individual help in learning new things. Children with special needs or cognitive impairment may need extra time, things repeated to them and the right kind of modeling behavior to help them learn the skills they need to know to live a normal fulfilling life. Practice can help them master these skills that may seem simple but are difficult to those children. Skills that may seem simple and easy to people without disabilities can be done with people with cognitive impairment. Skills such as learning appropriate hygiene, how to be safe and how to use manners are made possible. Encouragement should be promoted to these children that have a social impairment because independence can be learned, they can have progress in their development and they are learning new skills. Keep in mind that patience is required and any extra time needed. The same things can apply to the children that have special needs but their scenarios will be a little different because we will not know specific kind of need needs to be addressed. Children that have special needs can gain the same credibility. It is best if educators and parents collaborate to help children with cognitive impairment. Children with learning disabilities may experience difficulties encoding and interpreting social cues. They may be less competent than non-disabled students in understanding and interpreting social cues. Children with learning disabilities may also experience difficulty with development process of social cognition, wherein the variety of solutions proposed by these children is less than that of their normative comparison peers. â€Å"For instance, in studies involving roleplaying measures of social problem-solving skills, children and adolescents with learning disabilities may experience more difficulty with generating alternative solutions to hypothetical social situations than their peers without learning disabilities (Tur-Kaspa, 2002). Toro, Weissberg, Guare, and Liebenstein (1990) obtained a similar finding when they compared the social problem solving skills of children with learning disabilities to non-learning disabled peers† (Ngai, 2007). When simple tasks are broken down into steps that may seem more simple, this will children that have a social impairment learn easier. An example is something as simple as getting dressed. If steps are explained to the child like first put your shirt on, button it, put you pants on and then put on your belt. When the belt is on, then it is time for socks and shoes. These repeating steps can be demonstrated verbally and physically to help the child with the social impairment learn the skill. It is encouraged to give positive praise and support for the child as well. Always give positive praise from any attempt. â€Å"This process, referred to as task analysis, can be used to teach proper hygiene techniques, household chores, or any other skills† (Ngai, 2007). Parents can also be a part of the support process. Parents can stay involved in their child’s academic learning. Parents should be knowledgeable about stuff that goes on I the classroom and try to find activities or different ways to reinforce learning at home. If a child is learning new shapes or colors, parents can take their child on a walk and point out different shapes to ask the child if they know what it is. The same activity can apply with colors. Working together with the child ad being on the same page as the educator can benefit the child greatly. (Ngai, 2007) â€Å"Social activities in the community can serve as a valuable learning tool as well. Children with cognitive impairment can model the behavior of their peers, improve social skills, experience new and different settings and most importantly, have fun. To support the child’s success, family members and the professionals providing services to the child should work together to understand the child’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests† (Ngai, 2007). This is called collaboration, which any school should be responsible for doing with all families and communities. The down fall for my chosen theory can be how much society are changing and the ups and downs to it. In today’s world many negative issues are arising and no matter how much we shield our children they still can learn from their environment. Some children are exposed to too much violence, drugs and negativity that they may carry that with them to a school setting. When they do, this is brought on other children that may not know about these things and now they are finding out about it because of that one child that has been exposed to it. Things that used to be innocent such as cartoons, Disney movies, toys, dolls, and music are all being contaminated by selfish people in the society today. Things are also so fast paced where everything seems to be rushed. Parents do not have the time for their children that should be dedicated to them. An example is during homework help. If a parent is in a rush to get something else done and are trying to help their child out with homework, that parent is more likely to give their child the answers the allowing their child to use and develop their social cognition. Another issue I feel that may arise is the lack of support from educators. Along with an increase in teachers comes growing classrooms. Children are already lacking that one on one support from their educators. People are having more and more children which means our nation is growing in population. Children will suffer more because they will have a lack of material and less teacher interaction time. Where I currently work, the director accepts more and more children because she is so interested in gaining more money. In this change, the children are hurting socially emotionally because they are transitioning into older classrooms at a younger age and are forced to mature much more quickly. Like Piaget’s theory and model he broke down different stages as to how children change and the way they think during that stage. In some of the stages there are large age gaps where children should have the time to develop appropriately. If the population continues to rise and children are forced to mature much faster than they should, than the question is are they going to be socially ready t advance to their next level in school and will their social cognition be where it should be considering there are no disabilities of any kind?