Issues in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issues in Education - Essay Example However, there are a number of cracks in the ladder which need to be looked at in detail. As Laurence J. Peter puts it, â€Å"Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices.† People learn how to read and write and become literate, but are far from being educated. This is so because of the mechanical setup of learning which exists in every school and college today, where rote learning and high scores are given preference over innovation and brainstorming. Practical projects are eliminated to make way for innumerous assignments and teachers are only concerned with work completion, being least bothered about whether their students are actually learning something. ‘Good education is not to follow the pages of a workbook. It’s following the workbook that’s within the child!’ (Christoph Schiebold). This thoughtful quote beautifully sums up all the major issues surrounding the education of children all around the globe. Educating a child is not merely about teaching him/her the alphabets or the number system. It’s about developing children’s minds to bring out the best in them, to help them identify and nurture their talents, to prepare them to face the world by arming them with the flawless knowledge about the right and the wrong, the good and the bad. Unfortunately, education has just been reduced to a lame system of mugging up some facts and representing them flawlessly in the examinations to score handsome marks. ‘One of the biggest fallouts of this system of education is that it completely annihilates any imagination that the child may possess.’ (Meenakshi Narang) Education is not limited to the classroom or the school premises. It is a never ending and an all encompassing process. As Oscar Wilde put it, â€Å"You can never be overdressed or overeducated.† Thus, the teachers and professors who are given the responsibility to educate a child should consider themselves priv ileged and not burdened. They are like the forbearers of the flames of our future, and how bright these flames may shine is completely dependent on them. However, this is easier said than done. Those days are long gone when education was considered akin to prayer and teachers were worshipped like Gods. Today, education is nothing more than a booming business and the teachers are mere employees of this large enterprise for whom all that matters is their paycheck at the end of each month. Neither are they any divine people nor do they worship their work. Needless to say, they aren’t concerned whether a future Picasso or Einstein is under their care; all they are concerned about is their job and how to complete it as fast as they can. Good teachers are like gems in a bag full of pebbles; extremely rare and tiresome to discover! However, they are indispensable for providing a befitting education to our children. ‘What really makes a difference, what matters more than the cl ass size or the textbook, the teaching method or the technology, or even the curriculum, is the quality of the teacher’(Newsweek). If the person who is teaching the children does not have the qualities of patience, open mindedness and understanding, then even the best schools and the fattest paychecks cannot guarantee the successful education of a child. A teacher, who understands his pupils, inspires them and makes them open up their minds and hearts to the world outside is the one who really educates them. As they say, if the roots are strong, the plant grows into a healthy tree. Similarly, if a teacher has what it takes to truly educate a child, he/she can build a gentleman out of a farm boy, no matter what tools he/she has at his/her disposal. Opponents of this theory claim that these issues are minor and baseless and are

WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2 Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2 - Annotated Bibliography Example The first section comprises of various facts about the state and its economy, which new entrants in the Indian market ought to know (Fischer, 2012). The second section Fischer highlights pitfalls which numerous multinational investors usually encounter and how to avoid them (Fischer, 2012). This is because Indian culture is entirely diverse from both the western and American regions (Fischer, 2012). Therefore, the source will be of vital importance in supporting arguments concerning the uniqueness of Indian market besides other multinational corporations that have failed in the region (Fischer, 2012). This source comprises of literature written by diverse experts in their respective fields. Varma and Budhwar in their work provide comprehensive information meant to guide diverse investors who may wish to invest in India. This is via outlining prospects and pitfalls, which they ought to evade. Aspects highlighted in this book embrace economic development, critical negotiation skills, opportunities and business culture (Varma & Budhwar, 2010). In this study, the source will avail adequate information concerning multinational investment in India besides general information concerning economy and pitfalls, which new entrants ought to evade (Varma & Budhwar, 2010). In addition, it will also support arguments regarding critical negotiation skills (Varma & Budhwar, 2010). Uppal and Mishra outlines diverse aspects that comprise Indian environment, which new entrants ought to consider so that they may succeed. This is because the Indian business environment is extremely diverse from other regions in the world, for instance, the West (Uppal & Mishra, 2009). Some of the aspects highlighted in this source encompass new deregulated policies especially in accounting, auditing and reorientation of the centrally monitored fiscal to market oriented (Uppal &

Self Efficacy Among Academically Low And High Achievers

Self Efficacy Among Academically Low And High Achievers The present study aims to assess the relationship of mindfulness with self-efficacy among academically low and high achievers as Confidence and belief in achieving goals is a good predictor of success. Mindfulness is an inherent state of consciousness that differs among individuals for a variety of reasons and that can be changed by individual. The definition of mindfulness points out that it is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment (Kabat-zinn, 2003). It is considered a capacity available to everyone, although individuals differ in their tendency to be mindful (Brown Ryan, 2003) When students can learn to be fully present they can increase the quality of their learning performance by being more focused and become better able to deal with stressful situations and through their increased learning they can achieve considerably high grades (Langer, 1993). When a student is mindful he/she becomes able to approach learning situations from a novel perspective while drawing upon previously learned material. They can learn the material and are better able to relate it with their previous knowledge (Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989) Mindfulness is an element of consciousness that is characterized by a heightened state of awareness in which an individual is attentive to being in the present moment. This enhanced attention to and awareness of current experience or present reality has been shown to be associated with enhanced self-awareness, self-regulated behaviors, and positive emotional states. (Brown, Kirk Richard, 2003) Attention plays a role in a students life to achieve high grades if they pay proper attention at the appropriate time. To be in a state of mindfulness in reference to academics we mean conscious awareness in which the individual is aware of the context and content of information. Increasing mindful awareness can deepen and broaden the understanding of the context and content of the subjects. Attention is a complex construct and is related to a variety of cognitive processes (e.g., perception, memory, planning, and speech) (Mirsky, Fantie, Tatman, 1995; Zimmerman Leclercq, 2002). Because of its centrality in the education it is of significant importance. The individual have tendency and opportunity to continually process information from various perspectives and it helps in increasing levels of creativity and knowledge. When students use mindfulness in their learning processes they utilize creativity, experience cognitive flexibility and are thus able to better use information and retain that information for a longer period of time (Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989; Thornton McEntee, 1995). More recent studies in education have revealed a sharp increase in memory and creativity for mindful treatment groups (Langer, 1997). It has been observed that mindful learners are more mentally present and active (Langer, 1993). They plan what they will learn and the strategies they will use and they control and self-regulate their learning. As readers, they use strategies to organize, elaborate on, and evaluate text (Paris, Wasik, Turner, 1996). They integrate what they learn in school texts with their personal experiences to actively construct their own meanings and ideas and to use them in flexible ways. For the reasons that they are more constructive and give meanings to world according to their understandings thats why they are considered to be more real and are original thinkers. More mindful individuals are generally perceived as being more genuine than less mindful individuals and this has been shown to increase positive effect (Langer Moldoveneu 2000). Attention is the foundation of better retention of information and better cognitive functions in our life style (Cooley Morris, 1990), where multitasking has become the norm. Children also are multitasking as they face information overload due to watching hours of television, playing video games, surfing on internet, doing their home works and preparing for their exams etc. Developmental research indicates that childrens attention to specific information depends upon the importance they place on the information and that children in later stages of development are better able to logically control their selective attention (Wright Vliestra, 1975). In a study of mindfulness practice by Richart and Perkins (2000) in the classroom and took an example of a math lesson from a traditional didactic instructional classroom and a mindful constructivist classroom where students had more freedom to explore answers on their own. Second grade students were given the following problem: There are 26 sheep and 10 goats on a ship. How old is the captain? 88% of the students from the traditional classroom setting answered 36. Not one student commented that the question did not make any sense although they averaged in the 85th percentile on the tests. In contrast nearly a third of the students in the more mindful constructivist classroom questioned the sense of problem. (p29) In order for children to learn in the classroom they must be able to focus their attention. Mindfulness affects the grades in such a way that if the student present in the class is not paying attention to the lecture being delivered, then the understanding of the syllabus will not be as easy as it wouldve been had he/she been paying attention hence clearing concepts and asking questions to understand the confusions hence mindfulness is necessary for achieving academic achievements. The more mindful the student in the class, the better is his achievement. In one of the studies by Langer, Hefferman, Keiester, (1988) mindfulness in the workplace showed increase in creativity, decreased burnout and greater enjoyment of tasks Researchers in social psychology have also found benefits of mindfulness in a range of areas including increased creativity, increased productivity in the workplace (Park, 1990), increased attention (Langer Bodner, 1995), greater liking of a task (Langer et al., in press), and use a lot of effective learning methods (Langer Piper, 1987; Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989; Langer, 1997). Education is an area that often seems to prosper in mindlessness. Traditionally, children have been taught to memorize course content and view what is being offered in the classroom from the teachers perspective. Children need to make sense of what they learn instead of solely memorizing facts. In the educational context other mindful manipulations have involved asking students to make material more meaningful for themselves, compared to groups asked to memorize it (Lieberman Langer, 1997). As students memorize most of the things that they do not understand. They do not pay attention to clear their concepts and just learn it by rote. As we know that material learned by rote memory has no personal meaning. Many problems are not solved because many students think in automatic and habitual ways. This automatic mode of thought is called mindlessness. The cost of mindless thinking is significant because it limits our ability to make good decisions (Langer, 1997) As discussed earlier that the mindful students retained the information better, for a longer period of time and was able to utilize it in more creative ways. Perspective should be taken into consideration because it brings out better performance (Lieberman Langer, 1997). Almost all of the facts most of people learned in school were taught to us in a perspective-free way that encourages mindless use of the information because it does not occur to us to question it again. In contrast, information presented in the mindful, perspective-taking condition was learned better by high school students, even though they had to deal with more information. In this way mindful teaching practices can have a mark effect on student learning and it also shows that students who learn mindfully can retain the information better. Individuals develop patterns of stress response from birth through continued interaction with the environment. Young (1995) acknowledges that educators today recognize that students are suffering from stress in very different ways than a decade ago. The literature indicates that children are under a great deal of external pressure both at home and in school, resulting in many of the same physiological symptoms of distress as adults (Miller McCormick, 1991). While much of the research on children and stress was conducted two decades ago, available research indicates that environmental stress negatively affects children. In a study seven and eight year olds were studied for two to four years, researchers found that increase in stressful life events were related to decrease in ratings of academic performance, though unrelated to ratings of social behaviors (Kiselica, Baker, Thomas Reedy 1994). Mindful teachings and mindful learning by the students can decrease this stress. Academic achievement Academic achievement is defined as excellence in academic disciplines, in class. Loe Fieldman, (2007) define academic performance as ones ability to complete class work and homework and they define academic underachievement as problem in learning and applying knowledge including earning poor grades. As this study is in Pakistani perspective so we first need to know the Pakistani educational system. There are two main types of schools in Pakistan government and private. In both school types, almost always, the formal education system comprises of 5 years of primary, 3 years of middle, 2 years high (Metric/GCSE) and 2 years of higher secondary schooling (FA/FSc. O level/A level). While similar in their educational structures, the two school-types differ in terms of financing and regulation. Public schools are schools that are provided by state and federal funding. Schools are heavily dependent on the state, although in recent years the system has become considerably decentralized and responsibility for the delivery and management of education has shifted to the districts. The government provides free education till primary although government primary schooling is mandated to be tuition-free and there are nominal fees in middle and high school. Most of the Government schools are single-sex schools (exceptions occur when schools are coeducational up till primary after which they be come single-sex). (Monazza, 2009) Some of the major problems faced by public schools include limited financial resources, poor quality of content and a greater demand for education amongst parents of school-aged children. Pakistans public schools are overcrowded and underfunded. In Public schools classes are often overcrowded. As Class size is a factor that can cause various difficulties in understanding the lecture. The smaller the class size, the more attention each individual student will receive. In a smaller class, child will get personal attention (Grace, 2007). Class size effect the attention student seeks from the teacher as well as he pays in understanding the concepts. Sometimes due to larger class size, students cannot see the blackboard. They then lose their interest in the lecture being delivered, get engaged in gossips with their friends and other activities. And so by wasting their precious time their grades in class gradually decrease. Another reason is that in our schools generally is no concept of s eats rotation due to which the pupils who are less competent always try to sit at the back rows of the class. They become habitual back benchers and the ones who are more competent and capable always try to grab seats in the front rows. As a result teachers pay more attention to them, consequently making them able to remain attentive and engaged in class lessons and activities resulting in higher grades. Since learning is more personal and responsibility is more on the shoulders of the students, education requires students to monitor and regulate their own learning. In order to achieve goals students should have mindfulness i.e. paying attention to the studies and self-efficacy beliefs that will lead to achievement of goals. Students can help themselves by focusing more on what they are studying and it would lead enhance their learning performance/meaningful learning and hence they can better deal with stressful situations. Self-efficacy on the other hand involves confidence in achieving goals and it also in return helps decrease academic stress. Students perceptions of their abilities contribute to their self-esteem, confidence and ultimately to the level of motivation towards their studies are related to educational achievement. Attention is related to motivational processes (Parasurman, 1998; Zimmerman Leclercq, 2002). When student is motivated they will form beliefs about what they can do and set goals for themselves and hence pay more attention to their studies and will eventually lead to academic achievement. Self-efficacy suggests to peoples beliefs about their abilities to perform a task successfully at selected levels (Bandura, 1986, 1997). It influence the choices one makes and the courses of action one performs and so Self efficacy can also be explained as a belief in ones capabilities to organize and perform the tasks required to deal with the future situations (Bandura, in press, p. 2). These beliefs of personal proficiency effect behavior in several ways. Individuals typically select tasks and activities in which they feel capable and avoid those in which they do not. Students who are confident in their ability to manage, perform, and regulate their task performance at a designated level of competence are representing high self- efficacy. The construct of self-efficacy helps in explaining the findings that the behavior of individuals is not always perfectly predicted from their capability to complete a specific task but how a person believes they will perform is often more importa nt. According to Bandura academic self-efficacy is grounded in self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977). According to this theory, it is an individuals self-confidence in his/her ability to manage and carry out a given course of action to resolve a problem or achieve a task (Eccles Wigfield, 2002, p. 110). Academic self-efficacy refers to ones belief that one can successfully achieve at a designated level on an educational task or get a specific academic goal and it is positively related to academic achievement (Bandura, 1997; Eccles Wigfield, 2002; Elias Loomis, 2002; Gresham, 1988; Linnenbrink Pintrich, 2002; Schunk Pajares, 2002). Self-efficacy theory suggests that academic self-efficacy may differ in strength as a function of problem solving. Some individuals may believe they are most efficient on difficult tasks, while others only on easier tasks. Ones self-efficacy has a great influence over ones choice of action, the kind of effort one spends, and how much one is able to keep that effort in the face of difficulty (Bandura, 1986, 1997; Schunk, 1995). Thus, self-efficacy beliefs have been found to influence students approach, their academic grades, their engagement in an activity, and how planned they may be while doing a task (Pajares Johnson, 1996; Pajares Miller, 1994, 1995). Therefore, Self-efficacy is supposed to effect performance via the influence on task perception. Each task achievement is assessed as a threat or a challenge, and persons with high self-efficacy beliefs are more likely to evaluate the tasks as a challenge (Chemers, Hu, and Garcia, 2001; Lazarus and Folkman, 1984; Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). That is, the degree to which a person feels confident about his or her capability to handle a given situation affects whether a certain task is supposed as stressful or threatening, rather than as a challenge. When a task is assessed as a challenge, one is more likely to select an effective coping strategy and to carry on the task. Self-efficacy also influences performance, confidence and self belief. Individuals with high self-efficacy practice challenging targets (Locke Latham, 1990), do their best, search for new solutions, and carry on in difficult task; this behavior leads to the improvement of actual ability and to goal achievement (Tuckman Sexton,1992). On the other hand, individuals with low self-efficacy practice lower levels of performance. Doubt and uncertainty during task performance weaken their concentration, and they give up easily when faced with difficult tasks. This process adversely affects the development of actual ability, which is reflected in lower achievement (Tuckman Sexton, 1992). A research suggests that high self-efficacy produces a feeling of calmness when approaching difficult tasks while low self-efficacy may result in an individual perceiving a task as more difficult than reality, which, in turn, may create anxiety, stress and a narrower idea on how best to approach the resolving of a problem or activity (Eccles, 2005). Students self-efficacy beliefs also seem to be considerably associated to the stress and their academic performance (Lane Lane, 2001). Therefore, lesser the stress better will be the performance and more a student will be motivated and more the stress the poor will be the performance and student will be less motivated. Moreover researches show that self-efficacy beliefs have positive effects on student motivation and achievement (Pintrich De Groot, 1990; Zimmerman, Bandura Martinez-Pons, 1992; Pajares Miller, 1994). Self-efficacy beliefs can determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves, and behave. Consequently motivation is improved when students recognize that they are making improvement in learning or feel they are competent enough of handling the task. In turn, as students make effort to do the tasks and become more  skillful they develop a sense of self-efficacy for performing well (Schunk, 1991). Self-efficacy beliefs play a key role in the self-regulation of mot ivation (Bandura 1994). According to Bandura, people motivate themselves and they form beliefs about what they can do, they set goals for themselves and plan courses of action designed to understand valued futures. Individuals who have a high sense of self-efficacy for accomplishing a task work harder and persist longer when they come across difficulties, whereas those who do not feel efficacious may give up or avoid a task (Schunk 1991). . Those who are more competent seem to set higher performance goals, get rid of faulty strategies more quickly, find out solutions in the face of difficulties and work more accurately than those with lower efficacy. Students who are confident in their capability to organize and achieve task performance are showing high self- efficacy. Whereas, students who are uncertain about their ability to successfully complete a task often participate less readily, do not work as hard, and give up quickly when faced with difficulty. Due to repeated failures in the classroom, it was hypothesized that students may feel that they cannot adequately perform certain behaviors and tasks to achieve a desired outcome. The resultant negative outcome may be lower academic self-efficacy. (Bong Skaalvick, 2003; Eccles Wigfield, 2002; Elias Loomis, 2002; Gresham, 1988; Schunk Pajares, 2002; Wentzel, 1999). However, negative self-efficacy could also disappoint a student and cause a student to fail in their personal or professional activities. Thus, students may face stress which may negatively impact academic achievement. Self-efficacy and stress are closely related concepts. According to a research by Zajacova, Lynch Espenshade investigates the joint effects of academic self-efficacy and stress on the academic performance. The survey was used as an instrument to measure the level of academic self-efficacy. The results suggest that academic self-efficacy is a more healthy and consistent predictor than stress of academic success. Self-efficacy is a better predictor of academic success than stress. Studies suggest that both academic stress and self-efficacy have some effect on academic outcomes, and there is some evidence that self-efficacy may be a better predictor (Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). Self efficacy and stress joint influence as determinants of academic success in schools/college. In a study by Hackett, Betz, Casas, and Rocha-Singh, (1992) identified both stress and academic self-efficacy as predictors of good grades. Good grades were associated with low perceived stress and high self-efficacy. In case of education, self-efficacy is seen to be related with effort, persistence and achievement. In one of the research by Chemers, Hu Garcia (2001), shown that children with higher self-efficacy strived for longer periods and used more useful problem solving strategies than students with lower self-efficacy. Therefore, self-efficacy changes the way a student works in order to get good grades and becomes more experienced and accurate about getting good grades in class and they keep on comparing themselves with their peers. Furthermore, classrooms that allow for extensive social comparisons (with the performance of other students) tend to lower self-efficacy of students whose performances are viewed as deficient when compared to others. People with low self-efficacy may believe that things are tougher than they really are, a belief that promote stress, narrow vision of how best to solve a problem. High self-efficacy, on the other hand, helps to create feelings of calmness in approaching difficult tasks and activities. As a result, self-efficacy beliefs are strong determinants and predictors of the level of achievement that individuals finally attain. The relationship between gender and self efficacy has also been a focus of the previous researches. It is assumed that Girls often outperform than boys. However, it is reported that males are tend to be more confident than females in academic areas related to mathematics, science and technology despite the fact that achievement differences in these areas are diminishing (Fuller, Hua Snyder, 1994). While in areas related to language, arts both male and female students exhibits similar confidence and this is also a truth that girls typically are high achievers (Pajares, in press) Keeping the above literature in view the rationale behind this research is to find the relationship between mindfulness and self efficacy among academically low and high achievers. There are a number of factors that may affect students achievement. These may include personal characteristics such as confidence in their abilities and attention they pay while studying. Confidence and belief in achieving goals is a good predictor of success. An increased academic self-efficacy may encourage the students confidence in utilizing his/her abilities to understand the course content, and achieve high grades. Simultaneously being mindful in the classroom can increase students ability to keep their attention which increases learning and academic performance. Moreover study will also allow the readers to understand that high achieving students might have different motivation to study than low achievers and that they are able to organize their study materials and study habits more efficiently. Act ive and independent engagement in the learning process might be more favorable to achievement than a passive and instructor dependent one. Although a lot of work is done on self efficacy and mindfulness in the education field but the lack of research in reference to Pakistan provided a rationale for examining the relationship between mindfulness and self efficacy. The research also investigates that which of these factors are characteristics of high-achieving and low-achieving students in the hope that the outcomes can be utilized to enhance student performance in the future. HYPOTHESES On the basis of the literature review the hypotheses formulated are: There exists a positive/significant correlation between mindfulness and self-efficacy among students. Students who are academically high achievers will perform high on mindfulness and self efficacy as compared to academically low achievers. Method The present study was conducted to find out the Relationship between mindfulness and self-efficacy among academically low and high achievers Participants In the present study convenient sampling technique was used. The sample consisted of 70 students out of which 35 were girls and 35 were boys within the age range of 13 -16 studying in 9th and 10th grades at government schools. Co relational research design was used. Inclusion criteria The participants selected for the research were low and high achievers. Above 70% were considered as high graders and below 50% were considered as low graders. Girls who were above 70% were taken as high achievers and boys who were below 50% were taken as low achievers. The students of age ranging from 13-16 years were included in the study. The sample was collected from government schools to maintain the consistency. Exclusion criteria Students who were average i.e. between 50% 70% were excluded from the study. Also girls below 70% and boys above 50% were excluded from the study. Students suffering from any physical and mental disability to answer were also not part of the study. Instruments The data was gathered by the use of the mindfulness based self efficacy scale and Toronto mindfulness scale. Demographic data sheet Demographic questionnaire (see appendix C) was designed by the researcher for this study to provide descriptive information about the participants name(optional), age, gender, grade, school, hobbies, their grades in last class, their personal evaluation of grades and their participation in co curricular activities and in sports. Academic achievement The academic achievements of the child were screened through his/her examination record in the previous class. Academic achievement was accessed in form of grades that student got. The divisions of grades according to the percentages are given below: Grade A Above 70% Grade B 60-70% Grade C 50-60% Grade D 40-50% Mindfulness Based Self Efficacy Scale (Cayoun Freestun 2004) Self efficacy was measured by mindfulness based self efficacy scale (See Appendix D) The MSES is a 35-item scale and consists of 7 subscales of self efficacy, each containing 5 items. Behavior (items 1, 8, 15, 22, 29), Cognition (items 2, 9, 16, 23, 30), Interoception (items 3, 10, 17, 24, 31), Affect (items 4, 11, 18, 25, 32), Interpersonal (items 5, 12, 19, 26, 33), Avoidance (items 6, 13, 20, 27, 34), Mindfulness (items 7, 14, 21, 28, 35). To calculate self-efficacy, 18 items must be scored in reverse. These are: 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 34, 35. High scores indicate high self efficacy and low scores indicate the low levels of self efficacy. The cronbachs alpha reliability of the scale was 0.71. There was no cultural bias item in the questionnaire. This scale is valid and reliable. Participants were asked to evaluate their perception of self-efficacy on a 5-point Likert-type scale (0= not at all, 4=completely). The estimated time to complete the instrument was 10-15 minutes approximately. Scale was administered in English. No special permission was taken from the researcher as questionnaire was easily available on internet. Toronto mindfulness scale (Lau, Bishop, Segal, Buis, Anderson, Carlson, Shapiro, Carmody, Abbey, Devins, 2006) Toronto mindfulness scale (TMS) (See Appendix D) consists of 13-items. This instrument has two-factors Curiosity and Decentering. For the curiosity score following items are summed 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13. For the Decentering score following items are summed 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11. All items were written in positively keyed direction. The cronbachs alpha reliability of the scale was 0.72. The items of Factor 1 (Curiosity) reflect an attitude of wanting to learn more about ones experiences e.g. I was curious to see what my mind was up to from moment to moment .The items of Factor 2 (Decentering) reflect a shift from identify personally with thoughts and feelings to relating to ones experience in a wider field of awareness e.g. I was aware of my thoughts and feelings without over identifying with them. Each item was rated on 5 point likert scale (0=not at all, 4=very much). The estimated time to complete the instrument was 8-10 minutes. Questionnaire was easily available on internet. There was no cultural bias item in the questionnaire. Scale was administered in English and is a reliable and valid scale. Procedures Before starting the data collection, a pilot study was conducted on a sample of 7 students. It was done to check the reliability and validity of the instruments and to determine the time needed to complete the instruments to assess the self efficacy and mindfulness in students by the researcher. The results of the present study indicated that the reliability of MSES was .71 (See Appendix E) and the reliability of the TMS was .72 (See Appendix E). This indicated that the scales are reliable. After doing the pilot study the data was collected from 35 girls and 35 boys. The research was conducted in F.G Girls Public High School Lalazar, F.G Girls High School No 2 Iqbal Road and F.G Technical School for Boys. All the schools were taken from Rawalpindi. Participation was voluntarily and data was collected in the classrooms. After the approval of the principal students were contacted. Participants were then provided with a consent form (see appendix A). In order to participate in the study it was required that they confirm consent by signing it. After participants agreed to the consent form, instructions were provided followed by an administration of both the MSES and TMS scales. Data collection was completed in about six or seven days. Average time taken by an individual was 20-25 minutes. It took about 30-35 minutes in each class due to instructions given to children, in distribution and collection of questionnaires. A little difficulty was faced by the students to comprehend the questions like I was more invested in just watching my experiences as they arose. Than in figuring out what they could mean. But later on it was resolved by the researcher. The data was analyzed with the help of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS Version 13.0). For the purpose of analyzing Pearson correlation was used. And to see the difference of low and high achievers regarding variables of self efficacy and mindfulness in data independent sample t-test was applied. Results The study was conducted to find out the relationship between self efficacy and mindfulness among low and high achievers. A sample of 70 students (both girls and boys=35) within age range of (13-16). The sample was collected from 3 government schools of Rawalpindi and questionnaires were administered. Then the data collected was analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS Version 13.0). Descriptive statistics were computed for demographic characteristics of the participants. For this purpose Pearson correlation was used. And also to see the difference of low and high achievers regarding variables of self efficacy and mindfulness in data independent sample t-test was applied. Cross tabulation was also applied on the academic achievement of the students according to the ranges of self-efficacy. Table 1 Frequency and Percentage of participants according to demographic variables of gender, age, grade and academic achievement (N=70) Variable Label Frequency(f) Percentage (%) Gender Girl

Wheres Reality Going? :: Thermodynamics Humanity Essays

Where's Reality Going? In Layman's terms the first and second laws of Thermodynamics state that there is a finite amount of energy in the universe and as this energy is always reorganizing itself a certain amount always becomes less organized. Therefore, the rate of disorganization is always greater than the rate of organization. The universe is constantly becoming less and less organized. At this rate the dissipation, the disorganization of all energy is inevitable. Though these laws ensure our bodily death the eternity of our energy is also guaranteed. But this guarantee does not comfort humans who crave the organization of matter. This obsession with organization originates in an obsession with a search for meaning. Humans tell stories of the end existence, as we know it, in an attempt to find a pattern of organization to the universe. Behind every story of existence is a desire to separate the human, to find the meaning of humanity. It seems an innate quality of all forms of life to desire to maintain bodily life. For the conscious human mind this desire is translated into the desire for immortality. The only form of life that humans know is through contained energy: the physical body. So we cling to this body as if its death ensures the death of our whole being, energy included. But, as the first and second laws of thermodynamics teach, there is a certain amount of energy in the world that is always changing form, but never changing in quantity. This seems to ensure an existence after the body perishes. But still, humans dread death. This fear seems too great to be a result of a fear of the unknown. More deeply, this fear of death is a fear of disorganization: the dispersion of our selves, a lack of meaning to the self. In death, our conscious selves are not organized in a condensed, formed matter. It is near impossible to assign meaning to that which is dispersed, everywhere. Humans think of meaning as a quality that one form has over another. To humans, something is meaningful if it is not ordinary. The problem with finding meaning in death is that if an essence is completely dispersed in death then it is in everything, and cannot be set aside, cannot be out of the ordinary, cannot embody something that is more qualitative than another something. The Random House Dictionary defines meaning as, " (1) what is intended to be expressed or indicated.

Learning to Live with Diabetes Essay

Learning to live with diabetes – integrating an illness or objectifying a disease The article was focused on the learning process of patients who had been diagnosed with diabetes and how they worked to modify their lifestyle to cope with their illness. They had to learn how manage their diets, measure their blood sugar and administer insulin injections (some of them did anyway). Some patients placed a heavy reliance on measuring their sugar with a meter and ate and injected based on what the meter said. Others focused on eating based on how they felt, supplementing their planned meals with small snacks when they were feeling hungry or sluggish. They were all well educated by the same program, but each of them dealt with their illness differently as they each experienced, and dealt with, their disease in different ways. I have known many people with diabetes, and I have come to understand the level of change that the disease involves. People with diabetes have to, in many cases, relearn how to live their life. I have been overweight for years, and despite my efforts towards eating better and exercising more often I have struggled to control my weight. If I have learned nothing else from this struggle, it is that a change in lifestyle is difficult to make and even more difficult to maintain long-term as old habits tend to reassert themselves. I would find the transition of planning my meals, carrying snacks and testing my blood sugar to be a difficult habit to establish. Diabetics are taught to eat roughly the same calories; with the same balance of fats, carbs, and proteins; at the same times each day. I sometimes go a whole day without eating and then overeat because I am too hungry. My habits put me at risk for developing diabetes, I would be so much healthier if I took these topics to heart in my personal life. As a nurse, I may well be training people how to cope with a new diagnosis of diabetes. While a treatment plan would certainly be developed, it would be part of my job to help a patient implement it. The biggest part of that job, in my opinion, is helping a person make a successful transition in their lifestyle. They would need education, someone to answer their questions, and provide support (especially when bringing families on board to help with a treatment plan). The most important thing I have taken away from this is that each person will experience their disease differently, and will (naturally) cope with these problems differently. Diabetes affects people of all races, nationalities and social strata; and I will need to be mindful of this as I help people with managing this illness. References KNECK A A Â ° . , KLANG B. & FAGERBERG I . (2012) Learning to live with diabetes – integrating an illness or objectifying a disease. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(11), 2486–2495.

A Comparative Study of Human Resource Practices and Job Satisfaction in Public Healthcare Organisations in United Kingdom and Pakistan

Identification of important issues that determine job satisfaction of nurse may allow managers to develop strategies to increase job satisfaction nursing staff. The problem of the current quantitative research was to examine and compare the nurses’ job satisfaction at public healthcare organisations in U.K. and Pakistan.The purpose of the current study was to determine whether there were differences between factors and level of job satisfaction among nurses at two hospitals. The current quantitative research data were collected by using the Index Work Satisfaction (IWS) questionnaires (Stamps 1997). The sample for the current research was nurses who were employed in NHS and PIMS hospitals.For this study, a survey will be utilised as the primary method of acquiring the research data. The questionnaire will be comprised of closed-ended questions to get an accurate and complete data.The sample will consist of 53 employees from public healthcare service providers in United Kingdom and Pakistan. The sample of employees will be chosen randomly, however, the research will attempt to get a wide range of individuals.The findings revealed that nurses are dissatisfied with the amount of paper work required, lack of time to deliver quality care, administration who are perceived to be out of touch with daily problems, and lack of involvement in policy decision making. Different components that influence job satisfaction between NHS and PIMS nurses were also reported.NHS nurses reported twice as many dissatisfiers than PIMS nurses. The overall job satisfaction indicated that work satisfaction on both the NHS and PIMS hospitals is fairly low, according to Index of Work Satisfaction. However, PIMS has a higher level of job satisfaction than NHS.There is no better time than the present to analyse job satisfaction among professional nurses, especially those working in specialised units in hospitals, because of the changes and chaos occurring in the current environment.Num erous factors have affected the profession of nursing over the last five years. The driving force behind these factors is the economics of health care. The rising cost of health care has caused hospitals and other healthcare agencies to restructure their nursing care delivery systems.Simultaneously, technological advances have necessitated more sophisticated and complex care, acuity of patients has risen, and the length of stay in acute care facilities has dramatically been reduced (Murphy, Roch, Pepicello, & Murphy 1997).Past studies of job satisfaction among professional nurses have demonstrated relationships among satisfaction and positive and negative behaviours. High satisfaction is associated with positive behaviours such as high productivity, teamwork, and high morale, while low satisfaction is associated with negative behaviours such as absenteeism, high turnover rates, and conflict among employees (Boumans & Landerweerd 1994).Job satisfaction encompasses not only the worker s' adaptation to the organisation, but also what their work means to them and ways in which they and the organisation might adapt to their needs. Nurse managers need to assess the satisfaction of their employees, not to gain a sense of work satisfaction, but to gain knowledge that can be used to assist them and the organisation to create more meaningful and more satisfying jobs (Stamps 1997).The issue of job satisfaction has become more important to both employers of nurses and nurse employees since the beginning of health care reform and changes in the delivery of nursing care that have caused frustration and chaos among the staff nurses who are delivering the care to the patients.Managed care has changed the health care environment by putting economic constraints on hospitals. This has affected the nursing profession because the third party payers are dictating how nurses deliver care (Moore 1997).With the restructuring of nursing care delivery systems, nurses are working with dif ferent staff mixes and different staffing levels. With the increased use of unlicensed personnel, nurses have greater supervisory requirements to ensure quality care (Moore 1997).Many professional nurses have not been well prepared to manage their increasing supervisory responsibilities in the current healthcare environment. When employees are ill equipped for their jobs, dissatisfaction and ultimately negative behaviours result (Murphy et al. 1997).A study conducted by Shindul-Rothschild and Duffy, (1996) looked at nurses' views on health care reform and the practice of nursing. She found that nurses who experienced restructuring, downsizing, and the increased use of unlicensed personnel express concerns with decreased quality of nursing care. These nurses are required to do more with fewer resources so they cannot accomplish all the tasks and supervision that they are required to do.The nurses report they are taking care of more complex patients due to the seriousness of their ill nesses, but they have less time to practice nursing due the increased supervisory responsibilities. Thus, they report it has become difficult to provide high quality care to patients with the resources available and this is decreasing their job satisfaction (Corey-Lisle, Tarzian, Cohen, & Trinkoff 1999).The supply and demand of professional nurses has frequently been out of balance. According to Brewer (1997) when there is a nursing shortage, nurses are required to work long hours with an insufficient number of staff, ultimately leading to burnout and job dissatisfaction.She predicted that with the turmoil of the health care environment, another nursing shortage would occur in the near future (Brewer 1997). Critical care units have a particularly difficult time recruiting and retaining nurses in such times to fill their positions.Job satisfaction may vary depending on work settings. There has been no research comparing job satisfaction between developed and undeveloped countries pub lic healthcare providers.UK nurses have lower patient to staff ratios, fewer unlicensed personnel, no licensed practical nurses, and rely on modern technology like hemodynamic monitoring to help monitor patients. Pakistani nurses must supervise more licensed practical nurses and unlicensed personnel, lack hemodynamic monitoring assistance, and have a larger number of patients per staff member.Job satisfaction has incredible significance to the health care system. When employees are satisfied, productivity and morale increase. When employees are dissatisfied, employers encounter negative behaviours. Employees may decide to leave, morale and productivity decrease, absenteeism and tardiness increase, and conflict is more prevalent (Williams 1990).All of these factors have considerable implication for organisations. Low quality, absenteeism and the need to retrain and orient new employees add significant issues to organisations. Even more important are the effects these behaviours can h ave on patient outcomes. If the morale and productivity levels are low and stress levels are high, an increase in patient and staff injuries is likely (Wunderlich et al., 1996).Nurse administrators and managers need to be aware of job satisfaction because of its impact on morale, budget, productivity, and staff and patient injuries. Nurse administrators and managers can be proactive and develop strategies to assist in increasing job satisfaction among nurses. Nurse managers on specialty units need to assess job satisfaction closely because of the added difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified professional nurses for these units.Public Healthcare Organisations within UK and Pakistan The government organisations namely as National Health Service in UK and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Pakistan, are the subjects of this dissertation. The part of study was based in the PIMS, which is one of the largest health public organisations in Pakistan. There were three main reaso ns for selecting this organisation for the study:1) Like several other large health public organisations (in Pakistan), PIMS has a well defined organisational structure comprised of a voluntary advisory board, paid employees and community based volunteers. Also, its general vision about the health care delivery, staffing pattern and range of salary, benefits and employee development activities are similar to other health public organisations. Hence, the lessons learnt from this organisation could be applied to other health public organisations.2) PIMS started providing community based primary health care services from mid 1980s. In a short period, it showed a significant improvement in health indicators in northern areas and its strategy of community participation in program planning and implementation became a model for other public organisations as well as private.Several public organisations adapted PIMS' strategy either fully or in part. Based on the lessons learnt from PIMS, th e government decided to include its philosophy of community involvement in health care delivery in its national health policy and also invited PIMS to help the government health department in replicating its strategy in the government setting (PIMS, 2007).PIMS' strategic direction and operational approaches have become a model for many other organisations working in the health sector in Pakistan. Thus, it was expected that the lessons learnt from this study in the PIMS would receive due attention by other public organisations as well as the government sector, resulting in wider acceptability and benefit.3) PIMS' keen interest in improving its performance further by conducting organisational research was also one of the reasons for selecting it as a study site. In this regard, a research agenda developed in consultation with the PIMS senior staff members was shared with the investigator before conceptualisation of this study.Based on the mutual need and the interest of PIMS and the i nvestigator, the research topic was finalised. Considering PIMS' serious interest in the topic it was expected that the research findings will be utilised by the organisation to develop better human resource management policies resulting in more efficient use of their resources and effective health care delivery to the communities in its program areas.Health Sector in PakistanPakistan a low-income country (http://www.worldbank.org.pk). The rural-urban division is sharp, as are the disparities between the rich and poor. According to the National Human Development Report (http://www.un.org.pk), almost one third of the people of Pakistan, mainly in rural areas, live below the official poverty line (income of less than US dollar a day per household).Inadequate social services and the high rate of population growth perpetuate poverty and the unequal distribution of wealth (http://www.oxfam.org.uk). The socio-economic indicators are worse than most of the countries in South Asia. United N ation's Human Development Index (http://www.unfpa.org) puts Pakistan at number 142 (out of 177).Each year the Pakistani government (federal and provincial combined) spends around GBP 5.0 per capita on education and GBP 2,5 per capita on health (2001 figures based on average exchange rate for GBP).Compared to this, the national expenditure on health per capita is around GBP 9.0, indicating a huge role of private and other health care providers (mainly NGOs), which cover around 76% of the total per capita health care expenditure (http://www.emro.who.int).There are not enough schools, health facilities or houses. The average number of people living in a house is seven; and half the population live in one-room housing units, with inadequate basic utilities, such as water, sanitation and electricity. Access to education and health services is limited, especially in the rural areas, and women and girls are at a particular disadvantage (http://www.oxfam.org.uk). Â  

The eNotes Blog Prose, Poetry, and Macaroni Seattles Lit Crawl2016

Prose, Poetry, and Macaroni Seattles Lit Crawl2016 Lit Crawl is Seattle, WAs biggest and baddest annual event of poetry and prose readings. With 15 venues, 35 readings, and 5 phases, Lit Crawl is a massive uplift of local voices and art, as well as the perfect niche for a literary nerd. We  went to the first four  phases, and were blown away by the showcase of talent. In case you missed live documenting the event on our Instagram,  weve recapped some highlights. First up  was the Poetry Northwest  reading in downtown Seattle at a place called Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum. Folio is housed in the same building as the YMCA Central Branch Building; as poet Jane Wong mentioned, you could smell the chlorine of the YMCA pool from the small library we were in. This aquatic touch was fitting, because the president of the Seattle Cephalopod Appreciation Society and my former professor, Sierra Nelson, read first. Then Megan Snyder-Camp read her nature-filled prose poetry, followed by a reading by Jane Wong, author of the poetry collection Over Pour. We hopped on the light rail  and made our  way over for  Phase 2 at  the next venue, Vermillion- a bar that doubles as an arcade and art gallery (score!). This reading was hosted by Natasha Marin, creator of the Reparations Project, which encourages white people to support people of color in their communities. This reading featured a number of emotionally provocative, local poets, including Robert Lashley, Imani Sims, Anastacia Renee, Quenton Baker, Sakara Remmu, and Andy Yun. Even though the room was PACKED (most audience members could barely see the performers) their voices were powerful enough to keep the audience  engaged. The performers focused a lot on themes of being a person of color  in American systems and breaking down white fragility and guilt. Jessica Mooney, Neal Thompson  (top); Jean Burnet, Jeanine Walker  (bottom) For Phase 3 we  walked a block away to the Cheap Beer and Prose series of Lit Crawl. Cheap Beer and Prose is often done at Hugo House, but this time it was held at the Velocity DanceCenter. Jean Burnet, Jessica Mooney, and Neal Thompson, read from their short story collections and memoirs  while the hilarious Jeanine Walker hosted. For the final phase (for us) we went back to Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar and saw Steph Kesey present her series Hey There, Macaroni to an audience for the first time. The series went through the phases of love and rejection by means of animated  macaroni GIFs. It was an eye-opening and genuine collection that was originally meant as an act of love for her close  friend’s experiences with love and loss. Kesey plans to drop her  macaroni GIFs for the whole world to enjoy on January 1  (follow her progress on Instagram). Did you attend this years Seattle Lit Crawl? Wed love to hear your experiences in the comments below!

mail vs femail communication styles essays

mail vs femail communication styles essays You say the glass is half-empty; I say the glass is half full. This is the way people communicate daily on a personal level or professional level. Effective communication however, is the ultimate key. As we know, communication is carried on all over the world, in many different languages, slangs, and dialects that have developed over time through the communication process. Perhaps the most obvious difference in achieving effective communication is seen in any culture, or race between males and females. Though not as obvious or radical as two different languages, it is a difference that can be equated to such. Males and females have definite different communication styles, and as a result, we respond differently under various professional, social, and personal situations. Like the book title implies, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" we are very different. We are not from different planets, but why does it seem that way? We are raised under different norms. Is it wrong that we raise our boys and girls differently? That is a question that stems back many years and cannot be answered in this paper. Historic traditions instilled inside all of us that are unconsciously passed down through generation after generation, makes us the people that we are. The key word is UNCONSCIOUSLY. It is part of our culture to treat the sexes differently. In most cultures women have been raised to be more passive than men, and this trait usually sticks with them all through life. From grade school on up, women have been the quiet ones. In school, guys were the ones being loud and obnoxious (remember throwing rocks and dirt at the girls.) Little did they know, that was the male way of saying "I am here, notice me", or "I really like you." Girls would respond with a smile to the guys or say "he is so stupid" to her friends. They use this as a shield for their real feelings and a w ...

Stereotypes of Italian Americans in Film and Television

Stereotypes of Italian Americans in Film and Television Italian Americans  may be European in ancestry, but they were not always treated as white in the United States, as the pervasive stereotypes about them demonstrate. Not only did Italian immigrants to America face employment discrimination in their adopted homeland, but they also faced violence by whites who viewed them as â€Å"different.† Because of their once marginalized status in this country, ethnic stereotypes of Italians persist in film and television. On the big and small screen, alike, Italian Americans are all too often portrayed as mobsters, thugs and peasants hawking spaghetti sauce. While Italian Americans have made great strides in U.S. society, their characterization in popular culture remains stereotypical and troublesome. Mobsters Fewer than .0025 percent of Italian Americans are involved in organized crime, according to the  Italian American News website. But one would be hard-pressed to know that from watching Hollywood television shows and movies, where just about every Italian family has mob ties. In addition to films such as â€Å"The Godfather,† â€Å"Goodfellas,† â€Å"Casino† and â€Å"Donnie Brasco,† television shows such as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Sopranos,† â€Å"Growing Up Gotti† and â€Å"Mob Wives† have perpetuated the idea that Italian Americans and organized crime go hand-in-hand. While many of these films and shows  have won critical praise, they do little to complicate the image Italian Americans have in popular culture. Food-Making  Peasants Italian cuisine is among the most popular in the United States. Accordingly, a number of television commercials depict Italians and Italian  Americans flipping pizzas, stirring tomato sauce and squashing grapes. In many of these commercials, Italian Americans are portrayed as heavily accented, robust peasants. The Italian American News website describes how a Ragu commercial features â€Å"several elderly, overweight Italian American women in housedresses [who] are so delighted with Ragu’s meat sauce that they turn somersaults and play leapfrog in a meadow.† An undue amount of food ads portray Italian women as â€Å"elderly, overweight housewives and grandmothers wearing black dresses, housecoats or aprons,† the site reports. â€Å"Jersey Shore† When MTV reality series â€Å"Jersey Shore† debuted, it became a pop culture sensation. Viewers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds faithfully tuned in to watch the group of mostly Italian American friends hit the bar scene, work out at the gym, tan and do laundry. But  prominent Italian-Americans protested  that the bouffant-haired stars of the show- self-described Guidos and Guidettes- were spreading  negative stereotypes about Italians. Joy Behar,  co-host of ABC’s â€Å"The View,† said that â€Å"Jersey Shore† did not represent her culture. â€Å"I do have a master’s degree, so a person like me is rather annoyed with a show like that because I went to college, you know, to better myself, and then these idiots come out and make Italians look bad,† she said. â€Å"It’s awful. They should go to Firenze and Rome and Milano and see what Italians really did in this world. It’s irritating.† Bigoted Thugs Anyone familiar with Spike Lee’s films knows that he has persistently depicted Italian Americans as dangerous, racist thugs from New York City’s working class. Italian Americans such as these can be found in a number of Spike Lee films, most notably â€Å"Jungle Fever,† â€Å"Do The Right Thing† and â€Å"Summer of Sam.† When Lee criticized Django Unchained  director Quentin Tarantino for turning slavery into a spaghetti Western,  Italian groups called him a hypocrite because of the thread of anti-Italian bias that runs through his films, they said. â€Å"When it comes to Italian Americans, Spike Lee has never done the right thing,† said Andre DiMino, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition. â€Å"One wonders if Spike Lee is indeed a racist who hates Italians and why he harbors a grudge.† One Voice voted Lee into its Hall of Shame because of his portrayals of Italian Americans. In particular, the group criticized â€Å"Summer of Sam† because the movie â€Å"descends into a panoply of negative character portrayals, with Italian Americans as mobsters, drug dealers, drug addicts, racists, deviants, buffoons, bimbos, and sex-crazed fiends.†

Are we living in a therapy culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Are we living in a therapy culture - Essay Example The different types of general problems are also increasing for employees day by day. According to Furedi (2003), the therapy concepts are not linked with dilemmas that are peculiar or indifferent states of mind of the individuals. Therapy is being taken as dealing with dilemmas that are common and state of minds that are being observed in normal human beings on a usual basis. There was a time therapy was considered as typically being applied on some unique cases but now every human being is gradually becoming prone to therapies. The states such as depression, stress, anxieties that are general, different types of phobia, and shyness are some of the common problems that are faced by majority of the individuals (Howard 2005). The author Furedi (2003) also discusses that the individual experiences that are faced are being categorized as medical and psychological issues and this may directly relate with the emotional mind set of the individuals. Therapy concepts are not just visiting psychologists and having chat sessions with them, therapy is becoming an inbuilt concept in society that is making mandatory compulsions on individuals for remaining competitive in the society and cope up with realities of life. Therapeutic claim making has become one of the most interesting debates currently. Furedi (2003) suggests that individuals are mostly interested in acknowledgements that state that they need formal recognitions and approaches to cure themselves. The society pressurizes the individuals to consult psychologists and counsellors to have sessions and discuss about their problems so that their therapy sessions can start with them. Cameron (2000) argues in his book that people are ready to make therapy claims very easily by observing their conditions. It the psychological thought that they have developed that they may get well if they take up therapy sessions for

Globalisation - int business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Globalisation - int business - Essay Example On account of such transformations taking place on a massive scale the concept of globalization has also been described by many as the end of mankind’s ideological evolution (Cazdyn and Szeman, 2011: 25; Herod, 2009: 39); of renewable natural resources (Brauch et al., 2009: 679); as well as the end of the world – thus inciting controversies; both - within and beyond the academic and literary circles. As the process of globalization intensifies, the debates, controversies and criticisms surrounding the same are likely to grow simultaneously. This paper aims to discuss various key aspects of globalization beginning from the general definitions of the term to the key features, impacts and implications, theoretical underpinnings of the concept, and criticisms as well as counterviews surrounding it. Definitions: The term globalization has been defined differently by different authors. ... in Glenn, 2012 p. 46). Ohmae (1992) defines the term merely as "the onset of the borderless world" (p.14) According to Friedman (1999) globalization is "the inexorable integration of markets, nation-states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before- in a way that is enabling individuals, corporations and nation-states to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper, and cheaper than ever before, and in a way that is also producing a powerful backlash from those brutalized or left behind by this new system... Globalization means the spread of a free-market capitalism to virtually every country in the world" (p.7-8). As observed from the above definitions, the concept of globalization is diverse and encompasses a wide range of issues and aspects within its gamut, thus indicating its vast outreach and scope. It can be deduced that globalization is a trans-border process fuelled by technological developments and impacting simultaneous changes in political, social, economic, an d cultural structures worldwide. The key features of globalization, based on the definitions provided above, are described in the following section. Key features: Some of the key features of globalization include liberalization of international trade, privatization and deregulation of markets and trade policies, global integration of humanity, compression of spatial dimensions, etc. to name a few. Liberalization of international trade: The liberalization of global trade and the increase in cross-border trade is one of the key characteristics of globalization. There is a significant rise in international trade due to liberalization of international trade policies. The liberalization of

Altenative for Unemployment or Housing Policy Assignment

Altenative for Unemployment or Housing Policy - Assignment Example As time went by, the country was able to provide employment opportunities to an extent to the people but due to recent recession the country got into unemployed circumstances. The past seven decades showed the country with unpleasant unemployment crisis. In the year 2009, around 15.6 million of the people were left unemployed and around one-third of the people were jobless for the past six months. The circumstances were so severe during the same year that approximately 9.3 million people got involved into part time jobs because full-time jobs were not available. In spite of creation of approximately 200,000 jobs in the year 2009 the above situation still remains the same (Estevao & Tsounta, â€Å"IMF Working Paper†). The employment situation of the USA is quite severe and the government needs to develop strong policies in order to remove unemployment that has taken a place in the nation. Moreover, the private sectors are also unable to facilitate jobs in comparison to the numb er of jobs that are required by the nation. In order to get through the situation of unemployment the nation should provide financial relief to the state. Moreover, it should also provide certain amount of relief to those employees who lost their jobs due to recession by giving them the right job opportunity. Brief Overview of Issue Area The recession that took place in the year 2007 had a massive effect in the employment market of the USA. The number of unemployed people was estimated to be around by 8.5 million in 2007. Huge losses in jobs also continued in the year 2008. The problem of unemployment increased nearly by 750000 per month in the year 2009. The problem of unemployment had a negative effect on the economy of the USA. In the year 2011, there were around 46% of people who were unemployed. The people of America had faced this problem for the next 27 weeks from the time they were unemployed. The analysts revealed that there were jobless people especially in the manufacturi ng sector. There were around 2 million people who lost their jobs since the start of recession, till the year 2010. However, the statistics of labor market related to job availability have increased recently from the past two or three months. The recent data for employment as of the month of April 2012 reveals that the nonfarm payroll policy for employees increased approximately by 115000. On the other hand, the number of people who were without a job had a minimum change of around 8.1%. The problem of unemployment has unequal effects on the economy of the USA. The effect creates a mismatch between the skilled labor force and the need of laborers at various organizations. The number of low-skilled laborers especially those who are studying in schools have increased unevenly (Estevao & Tsounta, â€Å"IMF Working Paper†;† BLS Bureau of Labour Statistics U.S. Department of Labour, â€Å"The Employment Situation —April 2012†; Shimer, â€Å"Why Is the U. S. Un employment Rate So Much Lower?†). Policy Discussion The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is mainly focused on developing the administrative system of Employment Creation Program. The program is mainly known as EB-5. The EB-5 program was mainly developed in order to sponsor the immigration

Motivating employees Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Motivating employees - Assignment Example Motivation has also been known to improve the efficiency of the employees as they will not depend only on extrinsic factors to spur them into action. Instead, they will perform their best because of the intrinsic satisfaction they have attained from using their capabilities to meet set company objectives. This will increase productivity, reduce cost of operations and improve on the overall efficacy of the employees. The profitability of a company is mainly gauged by accomplishing the goals and objectives of the company. Through motivation, workers will be able to achieve this by proper utilization of the available resources, enhancing cohesion within the workplace, giving the employees a chance to work towards common goals. This is in addition to allowing skills and capabilities to be exposed by creating an opportunity for every employee to showcase their skills under different scenarios (Pritchard and Ashwood 6). With a stable workforce, clients are assured of efficient and quick services, effective response to their claims and suggestions as well as proper treatment from the employees. With motivated personnel, these goals are easy to

Negative impacts of tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Negative impacts of tourism - Essay Example (Smith, 2006) Currently, it is approximated that tourism contributes to 10% of global income with at least 10% of the world workforce earning their daily bread from the sector. Viewed as ‘manna from heaven’ most analysts perceive tourisms as a way of balancing foreign trade and as a source of foreign exchange with minimal discussion on the negative challenges it’s associated with. The discussion in this paper will mainly focus on the negative challenges of tourism with deep analysis on language, religion, customs and tradition, drawing examples from various countries known as tourist destinations across the globe. P.62 One of the strongest signs of negative impacts to tourism is on language spoken by the residents. Most communities staying in areas frequently visited by tourists have lost their original language and have instead adopted languages spoken by most tourists, mainly English. For example, the official language of city of Mumbai is Marathi. Current statistics indicate that only 42% of the populace can fluently speak the language. Apart from Hindi, which is also an official language in Mumbai, English is currently regarded as the most prevalent. As business tourism is on the upsurge, English is widely spoken in various professional workforce and commercial communication. (Desai, 2004 p.41) As business tourist increase in number, Bombay Hindi, a pidgin comprising of English, Hindi and Marathi was developed to ease communication. Changes in language have also been associated with the behavior and attitudes amongst the locals. Tourism also results in imposing of the tourist’s language amongst the locals. Malindi, which is one of the coastal towns in Kenya, known for some of the best beaches in world and often visited by tourists is another example of an area where tourism led to degradation of local language. Originally, residents used to speak Kiswahili before being invaded by

Literature Review on performance management systems and their links Essay

Literature Review on performance management systems and their links with rewards plans - Essay Example That debate has been carried on for centuries and has been reinforced in the equity and tournament theories of motivation. This paper will evaluate the significance of monetary rewards and then go on to discuss the concept of equity in pay. The paper will also discuss the importance of non-monetary rewards as well as performance management as a good creator of motivation. The paper will conclude with discussing the importance of intrinsic motivation. Some of the greatest theorists like F. W. Taylor, Abraham Maslow and Herzberg have all emphasized the significance of monetary rewards. Taylor’s view is rather conservative in that he believes that money is the sole motivator of human work. He believed in the idea of the ‘economic man’, and said that people were only motivated by self-interest. Taylor, therefore, gave much importance to the idea of pay-per-piece, because he said that this would enhance the speed of work. This theory meshes in well with the research of Armstrong (2006). Armstrong (2006) conducted an extensive research on the relationship between pay and the performance of the employee. The following table shows the interrelationship between performance ratings and pay ranges. This empirical research conducted by Armstrong (2006) illustrates the positive relationship between the two variables and holds evidence to the fact that pay really does impact performance. However, pay is not the only source of return for workers, especially nowadays. Other form of non-cash rewards are used commonly by many firms to enhance motivation. Zeidner (2010) reports that gift cards or certificates are the most popular form of non-cash rewards and are used by 38% of the companies today. This is followed by other forms of rewards including merchandise (19%), dinners (19%), special trips (19%), trophies or plaques (18%), top-performer listings (12%), honorary sales clubs (7%) and special parking spots (2%). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is recognized as one

Negative impacts of tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Negative impacts of tourism - Essay Example (Smith, 2006) Currently, it is approximated that tourism contributes to 10% of global income with at least 10% of the world workforce earning their daily bread from the sector. Viewed as ‘manna from heaven’ most analysts perceive tourisms as a way of balancing foreign trade and as a source of foreign exchange with minimal discussion on the negative challenges it’s associated with. The discussion in this paper will mainly focus on the negative challenges of tourism with deep analysis on language, religion, customs and tradition, drawing examples from various countries known as tourist destinations across the globe. P.62 One of the strongest signs of negative impacts to tourism is on language spoken by the residents. Most communities staying in areas frequently visited by tourists have lost their original language and have instead adopted languages spoken by most tourists, mainly English. For example, the official language of city of Mumbai is Marathi. Current statistics indicate that only 42% of the populace can fluently speak the language. Apart from Hindi, which is also an official language in Mumbai, English is currently regarded as the most prevalent. As business tourism is on the upsurge, English is widely spoken in various professional workforce and commercial communication. (Desai, 2004 p.41) As business tourist increase in number, Bombay Hindi, a pidgin comprising of English, Hindi and Marathi was developed to ease communication. Changes in language have also been associated with the behavior and attitudes amongst the locals. Tourism also results in imposing of the tourist’s language amongst the locals. Malindi, which is one of the coastal towns in Kenya, known for some of the best beaches in world and often visited by tourists is another example of an area where tourism led to degradation of local language. Originally, residents used to speak Kiswahili before being invaded by

The Application of Operant Conditioning Techniques in a Secondary Classroom Essay Example for Free

The Application of Operant Conditioning Techniques in a Secondary Classroom Essay The Application Of Operant Conditioning Techniques In A Secondary Classroom Background A plethora of Studies have reported the effectiveness of operant conditioning techniques in altering the behavior of children in a number of different situations. There has been many studies in which teacher-supplied consequences have had effects on preschool and elementary school children in a regular classroom, but almost none in the secondary schooling classrooms. The results of these studies were that in smaller classrooms, students’ behavior improved with consequences given by the teacher. McAllister, Stachowiak, Baer, and Conderman now take a look at the effects of these consequences on a larger scale. This study sought to take an entire class of secondary school students and apply teacher-supplied consequences for misbehavior to discover if the behavior of the students improved. Methods The subjects consisted of 51 students ranging in age from 16-19 years, who all had similar I. Q. s and economic backgrounds. The experimental group consisted of 25 students (12 boys and 13 girls), Where as the control group consisted of 26 students (13 boys and 13 girls). Also, The experimental class was 70 minutes long and the control class was 60 minutes long. The teacher was a 23-year-old female who held a bachelors degree in education. She had one year’s experience in teaching secondary level English. The basic design of the experiment was a pretest-posttest control group design combined with the use of a multiple baseline technique in the experimental class. The behaviors chosen to be targeted were Inappropriate talking and turning around due to the fact that these behaviors had a high rate of occurrence. Inappropriate talking was classified as any vocal behavior portrayed by a student without the teacher’s permission. Also, any vocal behavior required that the student raise his or her hand before speaking, unless engaged in a group discussion. Inappropriate turning around was classified as any turning-around behavior in which the student turned more than 90 degrees away from the front of the room. An exception to this was when a student was required to turn around to distribute papers to their classmates as directed by the teacher. The observations were recorded for the experimental class using a sequentially numbered, 70-box table for each behavior. The observations of the control class were recorded using a similar, 60-box table. If either of the target behaviors occurred during any minute interval of time, it was recorded by placing a check mark in the corresponding box for that interval. Any further occurrences of the target behavior during the same time interval were not recorded. Thus, each time interval represented whether or not the behavior had occurred during the time interval opposed to the number of occurrences. A daily quantified measurement of each behavior was obtained by dividing the number of checked time intervals by the total number of intervals in that class period, which gave us a percentage of intervals in which the behavior occurred at least once. The baseline condition lasted for 28 days in which the teacher was asked to behave in her usual manner. The Average reliability for talking behavior was 90. 49% in the experimental class, and 89. 49% in the control class. Average reliability for turning behavior was 94. 27% in the experimental class and 90. 98 in the control class. Also, two aspects of the teacher’s behavior were recorded. The average reliability for teacher reprimand behavior was 92. 78% in the experimental class and 94. 84% in the control class. Average reliability for teacher praise behavior was 98. 85% in the experimental class and 97. 65% in the control class. The first experimental condition began in the experimental class on the 28th day. The teacher was to attempt to disapprove of all instances of inappropriate talking behavior whenever they occurred in a direct and verbal manner. The teacher was also asked not to threaten students with or apply other consequences such as keeping them after class or sending them to the office. In addition to these guidelines, the teacher was also asked to praise the entire class with remarks like â€Å"thank you for being so cooperative today†. The second experimental condition took place after the first one had been in effect in the experimental class for 26 days and had markedly reduced talking behavior. In this condition, the contingent social consequences for talking behavior were continued as well as implementing the same system of consequences for turning behavior. Results Inappropriate talking behavior during the baseline condition in the experimental class and the control class yielded similar results (25. 3% in the experimental class, and 23. 81% in the control class). On day 28 when the first experimental condition was implemented, inappropriate talking behavior immediately reduced. This decrease continued as time went on and finally stabilized at a level below 5%. At the same time, the control class continued to portray its previous level of inappropriate talking behavior. Inappropriate turning behavior during the baseline condition in the experimental class and control class was slowly increasing (15. 13% in the experimental class, and 14. 45% in the control class). On day 54 when the second experimental condition was implemented, the inappropriate turning behavior also began to decrease. This behavior continued to decrease during the remaining days of the study. The number of times the teacher reprimanded students for inappropriate behavior during the baseline period were 25. 76% in the experimental class and 22. 23% in the control class. During the first experimental condition, the teacher disapproved an average of 93. 33% of inappropriate talking behavior. During the second experimental condition, the teacher disapproved an average of 95. 0 % of inappropriate turning behavior. Conclusions The results clearly portray that by the teacher’s actions of praise and disapproval, she was able to reduce the amount of inappropriate talking behavior as well as the amount of inappropriate turning behavior. In reprimanding the students in a more direct manner, using names and calling the students out for misbehaving, the teacher was able to make a deeper impact on the student for his or her actions. Also, in taking away consequences such as staying after class, the teacher removed fear from the tudents and instead implemented proper behavior. The teacher also used praise to decrease the amount of inappropriate behavior of her students. She would say things like â€Å"what a great class today† or â€Å"you guys were on your best behavior today† to make the students feel good about being on their best behavior.

Human Trafficking Human Smuggling

Human Trafficking Human Smuggling Nearly all countries in the world face the challenge of human trafficking and human smuggling whether as a country of transit, origin or destinations for the victims (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). Human trafficking and human smuggling have become a global problem of recent. The investigative agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approximated that 600000 to 800000 people are trafficked and smuggled annually across the international borders (Department of State, 2006). Additionally; the estimation shows that a significant number of people are trafficked and smuggled within the boundaries of their country. The United States is the final destination country for the trafficked, according to the US Department of State (Department of State, 2006). There are various reasons why people carry out human trafficking and human smuggling. Some of the reasons include labor and sexual exploitation among others (Tena, 2010). Most of the victims are enticed with false promises from their homes and instead enforced into activities such as prostitution, forced labor and domestic servitude to name but a few (Jac- Kucharski, 2012). Additionally, politicians have become part and parcel in the discussion of such activities as a result of the nature of the phenomenon (Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2013). The non-profit organization and government agencies have had the responsibility to deal with the victims of such actions. Due to the similarities between the two crimes, both have been confused by the public. What are the differences between human trafficking and human smuggling? What are the measures taken by DHS to stop or mitigate both crimes? Differences between human trafficking and human smuggling Human trafficking and human smuggling are different activities in the United States, and these terms cannot be interchanged. Human trafficking is a grave human rights violation and a serious crime that revolves around exploitation of people. Human trafficking can be defined as sex trafficking in the sense that commercial sex activities are forcefully induced, coercion, fraud or rather a state in which the victims who are forcibly persuaded in such acts are below 18-years old (Jakobsson Kotsadam, 2013). Additionally, it can be defined as harboring, recruiting, transporting, providing or obtaining an individual for hard labor activities forcefully, or through fraud or coercion for objection to involuntary slavery, debt bondage or peonage (Tripp Mcmahon, 2016). On the other hand, human smuggling revolves around the transportation of people and can be defined as the act of importing individuals into a country through careful avoidance of immigration laws (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). Such activities include importing illegal aliens into the country and harboring unlawful aliens illegally in the country. Moreover, in some situations, smuggling may involve rape, murder or assault either sexually of physically (Department of State, 2006). Measures established by the Department of Homeland Security to stop or mitigate both crimes The investigative agencies in the Department of Homeland Security in the United States which are responsible for curbing human smuggling and human trafficking include the Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Immigration (Tena, 2010). The ICE cooperates within its law implementation partners in fighting the global infrastructure that is involved in human trafficking and smuggling (ICE, 2013). The ICE achieves this mission by using its experts and authorities, disrobing away profit incentives and assets, cooperating with foreign partners and the United States for the purpose of attacking worldwide network as well as working with global non-governmental organizations for the identification, rescuing and providing assistance to the smuggling victims. The ICE agency has embarked on the determined strategy in fighting human smuggling and trafficking. For instance, the ICE is pursuing investigations which are intelligence-driven for the purpose of targeting large-scale human smuggling organizations irrespective of their location of operations (ICE, 2013). There is specifically located emphasis on the smuggling rings that helps in posing the risk of the national security, threaten lives and engage in violence, extortion, hostage-taking, and abuse. Additionally, there is proper coordination between the ICE and partners at U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the purpose of ensuring hostile investigations and prosecution of the smuggling cases along the country borders. Moreover, the ICE is targeting all the links that are associated with smuggling activities past the direct smugglers (ICE, 2014). Precisely, the ICE aims at targeting the foreign organizers and recruiters, the fake document dealers and transportation, and employment networks who gain from the alien smuggling in the United States. Besides, the ICE aims at pursuing the legislation to raise the penalties beside organized smugglers and offer further criminal offenses to ensure enhancement of discoursing spotters who help criminals in smuggling aliens and contraband (ICE, 2014). The ICE discovered that for successful investigations and prosecuting traffickers, the victims must be steady and free from intimidation and fear to be real witnesses (Tena, 2010). There is equality in the placement of value on the identification and the salvage of victims and the traffickers prosecution. The ICE has many security duty victims or witnesss coordinators who cooperate with the NGOs for the purpose of providing victim services (Tripp Mcmahon, 2016). Moreover, the short-term immigration relief is given to the certified trafficking victims in continued presence status form. The ICE has developed practical initiatives that aim at criticizing the infrastructure that provides support to the smuggling organizations and the assets acquired from the criminal activities. Such activities include snatching vehicles, goods, currency and armaments among others (ICE, 2014). This initiative has played a significant role in fighting human trafficking and smuggling. The ICE has issued the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, which is one of the tools used in fighting human trafficking and smuggling, a notice to the owners of properties that have been recognized to be used in facilitating the human trafficking and smuggling aliens (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). This tool is very significant in the sense that various managers do not take into account the acceleration of criminal acts on their personal properties or the companys resources. The secretary of the Department of Homeland Security made an announcement about the proposals to the Customs Enforcement and immigration during the annual meeting. The annual meeting was held at the White House by the Presidents Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking (ICE, 2013). Some of the proposals made included the extension of the period of the significant immigration description for the people who are not citizens of the United States. Additionally, they would give vital constancy as well as better support to the victims of human trafficking and smuggling as they carry out further investigations of the traffickers. This is part of the victim-centered approach of the department in fighting against human trafficking. In 2010, The Department Homeland Security came up with the Blue Campaign to act as the voice of the unified Department in fighting human trafficking and smuggling (DHS, n.d). The Blue Campaign came up with a resolution that there be human trafficking awareness training in cooperated into the major training courses at the institutions such as the Federal Law Enforcing Training Centers (DHS, n.d). This could be substantial because a greater percentage of federal law enforcement agencies who participate in Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) acquire skills and tools that help in curbing the human trafficking and smuggling and respond accordingly (DHS, n.d). On a daily basis, the employees of the DHS search for the pointers and causes of human trafficking during their line of duty. Also, the employees of the ICE carry out investigations on human trafficking cases as well as providing support to the victims through the victim awareness programs (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). Besides, the employees in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency cooperate with the airline workers to curb human trafficking through the use of the Blue Lightning Initiative (CBP, n.d). Additionally, the airline personnel together with the support of the agencies make sure that products and properties acquired through forced labor from foreign countries do not find their way in the United States supply chain. The citizenship and the Immigration agencies perform their duty of ensuring that the qualified victims of trafficking who are not citizens of the United States have accessibility to needed immigration qualifications for the trafficking victims (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). Moreover, the Blue Campaign ensures there is the empowerment of communities for the purpose of curbing human trafficking and smuggling through the formation of partnerships, coming up with public awareness, creation, and dissemination of resources and free tool which are used countrywide in curbing human trafficking and smuggling (DHS, n.d). In conclusion, human trafficking, and human smuggling is a global issue which calls for every country to participate in the fighting process. The countries should come up with more measures that can be used to do away with human trafficking and smuggling completely. For that reason, different agencies and tools should be put in place worldwide to be used in fighting human trafficking and smuggling. References Jac-Kucharski, A. (2012). The Determinants of Human Trafficking: A US Case Study. International Migration, 50(6), 150-165. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2012.00777.x Jakobsson, N., Kotsadam, A. (2013). The law and economics of international sex slavery: Prostitution laws and trafficking for sexual exploitation. European Journal of Law and Economics, 35(1), 87-107. doi:10.1007/s10657-011-9232-0 United States Customs Border Protection Agency, (n.d). Blue Lightning Initiative. Retrieved January 24, 2017, from https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/human-trafficking/blue-lightning United States Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). Blue Campaign. Retrieved January 18, 2017, from https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign United States Department of State, (2006). Factsheet: Distinctions between human smuggling and human trafficking. Retrieved December 16, 2016, from http://www.state.gov/m/ds/hstcenter/90434.htm United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (2013). Human trafficking and smuggling. Retrieved January 16, 2017, from https://www.ice.gov/factsheets/human-trafficking United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (2014). ERO Annual Report: FY 2013 ICE immigration removals. Retrieved January 23, 2017, from https://www.ice.gov/doclib/about/offices/ero/pdf/2013-ice-immigration-removals.pdf Tena, M. (2010, September 30). Modern day slavery in the U.S.-Mexican territory: Human trafficking at the border. Retrieved January 18, 2017, from http://catcher.sandiego.edu/items/peacestudies/Border_Brief_FINAL_BW_oct4_10.pdf Tripp, T. M., Mcmahon-howard, J. (2016). Perception vs. reality: The relationship between organized crime and human trafficking in metropolitan Atlanta. American Journal of Criminal Justice: AJCJ, 41(4), 732-764. doi:10.1007/s12103-015-9315-5

Will Computer Growth Ever Slow Down :: Essays Papers

Will Computer Growth Ever Slow Down It all started in 1930, when Vannevar Bush created what he called a â€Å"differential analyzer† for what amounted to simple calculations (Epstein 919). Who knew then that this simple technology would evolve into something as diverse and complex as it has today? These machines and the plethora of technology that surrounds them continue to be produced and improved upon at a phenomenal, almost break-neck, and somewhat frustrating pace for consumers. We are left to wonder if and when the computer industry will ever slow down; and what are the repercussions if it does not? Will there be any jobs left for the human race? Or perhaps there could be some frightening future in store for us if artificial intelligence gets less artificial and more intelligent. Questions upon questions continue to surface as the computer era continues to rage on, leading to one significant query: will this computer revolution ever slow down? Since the 80’s, a massive shift in our country’s industry has occurred. Almost any and every aspect of this great nation and other nations’ industry has become saturated with computer technology. From automated teller machines, to robots that build our cars for us, every warehouse on earth seems to have an â€Å"electronic buddy† helping their production. Beginning with ideas to assist us and leading to something much greater, we have become dependant on machines to do a great variety of tasks for us. With such enormous human interest and demand for products that will do our work for us, there are companies that will do much of anything to create or I prove upon a marketable product. What is known as one of the largest industries in the world, c9omputers gross†¦(annual net income) Ranking among the car industries of the world, which gross†¦(annual net income) So it would seem that the greatest force pushing this industry is money. And with money companies need to utilize whatever edge is available. In the United States, and other countries alike, that edge would be innovation. With the large amount of college graduates, (computer science majors graduating college) and the occasional genius, these companies have the resources to continually create a great product, keeping ideas as fresh as possible. In part this is why the computers we had a couple of years ago or even a few months ago, are deemed obsolete.