Critically discuss and analyse 2012 London Olympic play in their Essay

Critically discuss and analyse 2012 London Olympic play in their capacity to generate social, cultural, economic and tourism impacts - Essay Example Hosting the Olympic Games has also been something that many countries want to be associated with especially when it comes to hosting (Tcha 2004, p. 312). The history of the Olympics back to Athenian period, where they are thought to have originated from (Veraros, Kasimati & Dawson 2004, p. 749-50). Since then, the competitions have developed and increased in the number of sporting events and the manner in which the competitions are organized. The Olympic Games are usually held after every four years, compared to other sporting events that in most cases take place on a biennial basis. Organization of the Olympic Games is a mandate of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a body that was initiated in 1894 with current headquarters in Britain. Currently, many countries across the world dream of hosting the Olympic games after the time required, there is always a lot of bidding for hosting rights of the sporting event. The motivation to host these events is usually preceded by the thought of perceived benefits that the events pose to the state (Caporale, Economou & Philippas, 2008, p. 10; Berman, Brooks & Davidson 2000, p. 785). Previously, statistics and records compiled at the end of the Olympic Games show that in spite of the huge costs incurred in preparations for hosting of the events, there are huge benefits derived from successful Olympic Games. The 2012 Summer Olympics were also commonly referred to as the 2012, and were a major international multi-sport event that were held and celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic games. These events took place in the London capital in the United Kingdom in the 2012 and attracted more than 200 nations with over 10, 000 athletes taking part in the different athletics categories. Following a successful bid, London was able to outwit other fierce rivals in the hosting process that included Russia’s Moscow, the New York City of United

Introduction to Project Managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to Project Managment - Assignment Example In this scenario our project main responsibility involves installation of artificial ice rinks. For this reason we will manage and plan the overall project for the enhanced performance. The main aim and objective of this project is to present a better handling, management and support for the establishment of the winter themed event at the new holiday park. For this project we are aimed to offer better facilities of project management and handling for the better performance of the overall project. In this scenario we are indentured to complete the project with the given cost and time based constraints. This will offer us a better opportunity for the overall successful completion of project. Here we will also encourage the project HR for the showing their best performance for a great deal of enhanced and successful project completion. In this project we are having a number of main project stockholders. In this scenario main project stockholders are having main intention for the project successful completion with the minimum disturbance to local residential areas. Here below I have outlined some of main project stockholders: There are lots of risks involved in every project. Here successful project management is about the effective management and handling of main project activities and tasks on time. This project for the Ice Rinks is also having some of main project risks and issues those are outlined below: Budgetary Risks: There is a number of project cost and budgetary risks at any project in case of our project for installation artificial ice rinks is also involving some of main project cost based risks. This project is going to held for 2 days. In this short time period we can take risks regarding effective resource availability. For this reason we need to invest in great deal of much better way. This can lead to overall high cost of effective project management that can cause overall project

Discrimination Of Sexual Minorities In The Workplace

Discrimination Of Sexual Minorities In The Workplace Qualified, hardworking Americans are denied job opportunities, fired or otherwise discriminated against just because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) (Human Right Campaign). Even with the passing and enforcement of employment anti-discrimination laws, statistics show that persons with minority status such as people of color, persons with disabilities and women continue to experience discrimination in the workplace, particularly sexual minorities LGBT persons (Niles Harris-Bowlsbey, 2005). LGBT individuals who are also ethnic minorities are at an even greater disadvantage, with African American transgender people faring the worst (Grant, Mottet, Tanis, Harrison, Keisling, 2001). To date, no federal law exists which consistently protects LGBT individuals from discriminatory practices in the workplace. It is still legal in 29 states to discriminate against employees and job applicants based on their sexual orientation, and legal in 38 states to discriminate based on gender identity (Human Rights Campaign). Within the state of Florida, there are no provisions in place which formally address discrimination based on gender identity; however a Florida court ruled that a person with Gender Identity Disorder (gender dysphoria) is within the disability coverage under the Florida Human Rights Act, as well as sections of the act that proscribe discrimination based on perceived disability. There is no state-wide non-discrimination law that protects individuals based on sexual orientation (Human Rights Campaign). Vocational psychology researchers, practitioners, and LGBT advocates have made significant attempts to call attention to the vocational concerns and needs of both ethnic and sexual minority groups. Over the past few decades, work discrimination has become a topic of interest in the fast growing literature regarding the vocational issues and challenges of LGBT persons (Chung, 2001; Gedro, 2009; Loo Rocco, 2009; ONeil, McWhirter, Cerezo, 2008). Work Discrimination Chung (2001) defined work discrimination as, unfair and negative treatment of workers or job applicants based on personal attributes that are irrelevant to job performance (Chung, 2001,p. 34) and proposed a conceptual framework that describes work discrimination along three dimensions: a) formal versus informal, b) perceived versus real, and c) potential versus encountered. Formal discrimination refers to institutional policies or decisions that influence ones employment status, job assignment, and compensation. Informal discrimination refers to workplace behaviors or environments that are unwelcoming. Perceived discrimination refers to acts perceived to be discriminatory; whereas, real discrimination is based in actuality/reality. Potential discrimination refers to discrimination that could occur if a persons LGBT identity is either revealed or assumed. Encountered discrimination refers to discriminatory acts one experiences. Findings from Research on Work Discrimination against LGBT persons Following is a brief overview of some of the recent research findings on work discrimination of LGBT individuals. In their report entitled Bias in the Workplace, Badgett, Lau, Sears, and Ho (2007) summarized research findings about employment discrimination of LGBT persons from four different kinds of studies throughout the United States. Surveys of LGBT persons experiences with workplace discrimination (self-reports and co-worker perceptions), revealed that 16% to 68% of LGB persons reported experiencing employment discrimination, with 57% of transgender persons reporting the same. A significant number of heterosexual co-workers also reported witnessing sexual orientation discrimination in the work place against their LGBT peers. Of note, 12% to 13% of respondents in specific occupations (e.g., the legal profession) reported witnessing anti-gay discrimination in employment. An analysis of employment discrimination complaints filed with governmental agencies in states where discrimin ation based on sexual orientation is prohibited, findings revealed that LGB persons filed complaints at rates similar to women and racial minorities (e.g., people of color). An analysis of wage differentials between LGBT and heterosexual workers revealed that gay men earn 10% to 32% less than heterosexual men with similar qualifications and that transgender persons reported higher rates of unemployment (6% to 60% were unemployed) with incredibly small earnings (22% 64% of the employed earned less than $25,000 per year). Finally, findings from controlled experiments where researchers compare treatment of LGBT people and treatment of heterosexuals by presenting hypothetical scenarios in which research participants interact with the actual or hypothetical people who are coded as gay or straight also revealed significant discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the workplace. According to the American Psychological Association (2011), those who self-identify as LGBT are particularly vulnerable to being socioeconomically disadvantaged; this is important as socioeconomic status is inextricably linked to LGBT persons rights and overall well-being. Although LGBT persons tend to be more educated in comparison to the general population, research suggests that they make significantly less money than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. In 2009, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force published the preliminary findings of their National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS). A staggering 97% of survey participants reported experiencing mistreatment, harassment, or discrimination in some form on their jobs, which included privacy invasion (48% said supervisors/coworkers shared information about me inappropriately and 41% said I was asked questions about my transgender and surgical status), verbal abuse (48% said I was referred to be the wrong pronoun, repeatedly and on purpose), and physical or sexual assault (7% said I was a victim of sexual assault at work and 6% said I was a victim of sexual assault at work). Survey respondents also reported experiencing unemployment at twice the rate of the population, with 47% having experienced an adverse job outcome being fired, not hired or denied a promotion at some point in their careers due to their gender identity. Simi lar findings were reported in the NTDS official report, Injustice at Every Turn. Other significant findings were that 57% of participants reported trying to avoid discrimination by keeping their gender or gender transition a secret, and 71% by delaying the transition. Sixteen percent reported that they had to resort to work in the underground economy to earn income (e.g., prostitution or selling drugs). Unemployed respondents reported experiencing devastating outcomes, including double the homelessness, 85% more incarceration, and increased negative health outcomes, including twice the rate of HIV infection and nearly twice the rate of current drug use to self-medicate/cope in comparison to their employed LGBT counterparts (Ramos, Badgett, Sears, 2011). Frye (2001) argued that transgender persons are regular targets of workplace discrimination even more systematically than their LGB counterparts. In an attempt to ensure professional survival and avoid discrimination, many LGB employees choose not to come out at work; however because transgender persons may possess physical and behavioral characteristics that clearly identify them as transgendered at some point in their lives (mainly during gender transition), they are more susceptible to having their sexual minority status revealed against their will (being outed). More so than LGB individuals, transgender persons are frequently targets of hate crimes because of their visibility (Frye, 2001). How/ Why Work Discrimination is related or important to career counseling. In the United States, a dominant career-related belief is that the individual controls his or her own career destiny (Niles Harris-Bowlsbey, 2005, p. 1); however, individual control is always exercised within a context that varies based on the degree to which it supports ones career goals. In the case of LGBT persons, factors such as heterosexism, socioeconomic status, and racism may restrict access to certain occupational opportunities. Work discrimination in any form can have a profound effect on ones career path and development (Neary, 2010). LGBT people face a complex set of choices that are unique to them because of their sexual minority status (Gedro, 2009, p. 54). Many of them have to confront exclusion from certain types of jobs, such as elementary school teachers and child care workers; physical assault, verbal harassment and abuse, destruction of property, ridicule, trans-phobic jokes, unfair work schedules, workplace sabotage, and restriction to their careers (Kirk Belov ics, 2008, p.32 as cited in Neary, 2010). In the case of transgender individuals, concerns about personal safety while at work preclude the focus on career interests (Neary, 2010). Because of the large amount of energy it requires to integrate a positive gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender identity, as well as cope with discrimination (within and outside of the workplace), career development for such persons to be postponed, hindered, or misdirected (Alderson, 2003 as cited in Gedro, 2009, p.56; Haley, 2004). Pepper and Lorah (2008) identified 3 major problems related to the job search process an integral part of career development which poses several challenges for transgender persons: 1) potential loss of work history, 2) navigating the job interview process (many struggle with confidence and self-esteem issues), and 3) if an employer asks about work experience under another name. Although slightly different, such challenges may be generalized to LGB job-applicants as well. Helping LGBT clients prepare for these problems is essential in assisting them in their career choice and job search efforts (Neary, 2010). Work discrimination also has a significant impact on LGBT persons mental state, with the most common psychological issues include increased levels of stress and anxiety, depression, lack of self-confidence, drug and alcohol dependency (Neary, 2010), and attempted suicide (Grant et. al., 2011). Implications Suggested Interventions for Career Counselors Like all other clients, the LGBT client may require help with career planning, self-assessment, career exploration, career or job transitions, job search strategies etcetera (Neary, 2010; ONeil et. al., 2008). Career counselors working with sexual minorities need to create a LGBT-positive/affirming counseling environment, in which clients are free to explore their personal needs, interests and values in a safe place. Such an environment includes tangible and process-related forms of support and affirmation (e.g., displaying quarterly newsletters from the America Psychological Associations Division 44 and other reading materials or paying careful attention to unique aspects of assessment interpretation) for LGBT clients. Intake forms should encourage them to note their gender presentation, and gender-neutral washrooms should be made available (ONeil et. al., 2008). Counselors and other helping professionals involved in the career development process of LGBT individuals should ensure that they develop relevant multicultural knowledge, skills and awareness for conducting culturally appropriate career discussions, realizing that more traditional approaches will likely be ineffective with this particular population. (Niles Harris-Bowlsbey, 2001). When a LGBT client presents for career counseling, counselors should assess whether they are competent to provide the services requested (ONeil, et. al., 2008). It is also imperative that career counselors assess their personal biases, stereotypes, and assumptions about the LGBT client presenting for counseling. A client-centered approach is recommended given that the issue of trust building is critical with the LGBT population. From a narrative perspective, adopting a stance of informed not knowing will allow the LGBT client the best chance to share their story about their career and life in their own wo rds. Following, the counselor and client collaborate to deconstruct the cultural narratives of gender and heterosexism that promote negative messages and replace them with a more accurate and affirming narrative (Neary, 2010). In the case of personal dislike to LGBT individuals, ONeil et. al., (2008) advised that counselors refer the client to another professional, receive continuing education and supervision, and engage in personal exploration of the topic as a means to prepare for future clients with similar concerns. The career counselors ability to provide effective services to their LGBT clients will be improved by staying current with the relevant literature (ONeil et. al., 2008). Career counselors are encouraged to help improve cultural sensitivity where their clients are concerned; this can be achieved by using appropriate names, pronouns and other terminology preferred by their LGBT clients to help validate their identity. Career counselors should also make it a point to educate themselves about the different legal issues experienced by their clients and investigate any written workplace policies that may hold relevance to LGBT individuals, such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ONeil et. al., 2008; Human Rights Campaign). Further, career counselors should identify and attend to all of the salient aspects of the clients identity, as clients may identify themselves with an array of sociocultural backgrounds. This is especially important for transgender clients who not only suffer discrimination in the workplace, but in almost every aspect of their lives: education, housing, public accommodations, receiving update identification documents, and health care (Ramos, Badgett, Sears, 2011). Pope (1995) as cited in Gedro (2009) outlined four useful interventions for career counselors working in their work with sexual minorities. Pope suggests a discussion about discrimination interventions (exploring the nature and extent of discrimination and any resources available to the client should he or she chose to change their job or career), dual-career couples (e.g., Do you openly reveal the relationship at work?), overcoming internalized transphobia or homophobia with the client (many sexual minority clients possess an intense self-hatred and loathing), as well as supporting LGBT role models (particularly those who do not work in safe occupation). Finally, career counselors are also strongly encouraged to serve as advocates for their LGBT clients. One author noted that a weakness in the field is the reluctance or inability to see career counselors as change agents who can help not only individuals to change but systems to change as well (Hanson, 2003 as cited in ONeil, 2008, p. 299). Neary (2010) cited Muniz and Thomas (2006) five strategies in organization settings that career counselors can use to help cultivate an affirmative LGBT work environment. They include: 1) setting up the context advocating in the workplace for anti-discrimination and harassment policies, 2) preparing for resistance taking steps to make the concerns and needs of the LGBT population more visible, 3) leadership commitment gaining commitment and support from the leadership/management of organization, 4) becoming familiar with or launching affinity and/or resource groups for LGBT persons, and 5) continued learning additional diversity training (Near y, 2010). The Human Rights Campaign Foundation provides a 5-step checklist for advocating for the rights of transgender persons, and the NCTEs list of 52 Things You Can Do for Transgender Equity, is also a useful guide for initiating social advocacy (ONeil, et. al., 2008).

Descriptive Essay - The Meadow -- Descriptive Essay, Descriptive Writin

The Meadow      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On a crisp autumn afternoon, I sat idly under an enormous oak tree watching as a whirlwind whisked across the rolling hills of   the meadow.   As it passed by me, the whirlwind scooped up a dormant pile of leaves lying next to the oak tree.   The leaves appeared to come alive twisting, turning, and dancing about the meadow.   They were sporting their new fall colors of red, orange, brown, and yellow.  Ã‚   The brittle autumn leaves seemed to be having a party.   As the party moved out of sight, I began to think about the last time I visited the meadow.   The memories of my last visit are vivid with relaxed and peaceful thoughts   motivated by the images, scents, and sounds of the meadow.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The beauty of the meadow in the summer is unequaled.   My memories contained many images of this special place.   Snow covered mountains extend high above the heavens; thus, setting the backdrop to the meadow.   Wildflowers speckled the base of the mountain becoming more abundant   near the babbling brook.   The brook ran through the midd...

Assessing Writing Skills in a Communicative Paradigm Essay

Communicative Language Testing is intended to assess learners’ ability to using the target language in real life situations. Its now ten years since Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been introduced in secondary English curriculum of Bangladesh. Therefore, the test of English at the SSC level is now facing the challenges of assessing learners’ communicative skills. This study looks at the existing model of the SSC English test and explores the possibilities of incorporating a more communicatively based test format. The study is carried out on the basis of an evaluation of the test items on writing skills set in the SSC test papers. It also explores the views of Bangladeshi secondary English teachers and internationally renowned Language Testing Experts. In this paper, it is argued that, though secondary English education in Bangladesh has stepped into a communicative era ten years back, the current SSC test is not in accordance with the curriculum objectives. It is found that the test items on writing lack both validity and reliability. Suggestions made for improving the current SSC test include: defining the purpose of communication in English for SSC level learners, drafting test specifications, setting test items which are more relevant to a communicative purpose, and developing a marking scheme to mark the subjective items. Introduction The concept of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has had much influence in the fields of English language teaching, curriculum and test design. Since the 1970s, there have been considerable developments in the area of language testing. Various theories and practical testing models have evolved following the concept of communicative competence. Bangladesh has introduced a communicative English curriculum at its secondary education sector. However, the aims and objectives of the communicative curriculum can never be achieved without a testing system that assesses the communicative ability of learners. This paper looks at the existing Secondary School Certificate (SSC) English examination to identify the elements of communicative testing in it and examines the suitability of this testing system to the curriculum goals. The study involves a critical analysis of the current SSC test. It also explores the views of Bangladeshi secondary English teachers and two internationally renowned language testing experts on the SSC test and investigates the ways of making it more communicatively based. Background of English Language Teaching (ELT) in Bangladesh The teaching of English in Bangladesh has a long history that traces back to the colonial era. However, the British models of teaching English continued to influence the ELT scenario of post-colonial Bengal even after the colonial rule was over in 1947. Since then the grammar translation method continued to influence the ELT scenario as the most dominant teaching method in the Indian subcontinent. After the independence of Bangladesh (1971), several attempts were made to re-design ELT sector with little or no success. In 1990, a four year ELT project called Orientation of Secondary School Teachers for Teaching English in Bangladesh (OSSTTEB) was jointly launched by the Government of Bangladesh and DFID, UK to improve English Language Teaching and Learning at secondary level. This project revised, adapted and revamped the secondary English curriculum (Hoque, 1999). In 1997, a major step was initiated with the introduction of English Language Teaching Improvement Project (ELTIP). The project started working with a view to improving the communicative competence of the secondary level learners. Under this project, a communicative curriculum, revised text books and newly written Teachers’ Guides (TGs) were developed and some 30 thousand English teachers, test administrators, and markers were trained. The SSC examination The SSC is the first public examination in Bangladesh that learners sit for after 10 years of schooling. Students take English as a compulsory subject at this level. The examination is administered countrywide through the seven Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE). The question papers are set by the respective BISE independently following the national curriculum and syllabus of National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB). The syllabus document of NCTB explicitly recommends a testing system that is in keeping with the spirits of CLT. The new syllabus document for classes 9-10 (NCTB 1999: 135) mentions, â€Å"Until and unless a suitable public examination is devised that tests English language skills rather than students’ ability to memorise and copy without understanding, the aims and objectives of the syllabus can never be realised.† Moreover samples of question papers were provided in the TGs and Teachers were encouraged to follow the test models. Research Questions This study is concerned with the following research questions: 1. How are students’ writing skills tested by the existing SSC English examinations? 2. To what extent are these test items communicatively based? 3. What do Bangladeshi teachers and the international testing experts think of the current SSC English examination? 4. How can the SSC examination be improved to reflect the goals stated in the national curriculum and syllabus document? Research methodology The approach to this resaerch belongs to the interpretative epistemology which argues that knowledge, in social research, is concerned not with generalization, prediction and control but with interpretation, meaning and illumination (Usher, 1996: 12). The approach here is guided by the belief that reality is a complex phenomenon which does not admit orderly events or simple cause-effect relationship. The data used is not only concerned with facts but also with values. In looking at a testing system which is comparatively new in the context of Bangladesh, it is admitted that reality is a human construct. The aim here is to explore perspectives and shared meanings (Wellington, 2000: 16) and the data used here is qualitative. The research procedure uses three different sources for collecting data and involves three steps. They are: a) a critical evaluation of the SSC English test format, b) collecting the views of Bangladeshi English teachers through questionnaires and, c) interviewing the two Australian testing experts based at Melbourne Univeristy. The evaluation of SSC examination includes a close analysis of the existing SSC test papers, syllabus document and marking criteria. The questionnaire attempts to explore the values and attitudes of secondary English teachers in relation to the SSC English testing system. The interviews with the language testing experts are intended to generate valuable ideas that could be applicable in improving the testing system of SSC. The development of modern language testing The development of modern language testing occurred in three historical phases prior to and during the 1970s. These three periods are- the scientific era, the psychometric-structuralist era and the integrative sociolinguistic era Spolsky (1978:5). According to Spolsky, the pre-scientific era was characterised by a lack of concern for statistical matters or for such notions as objectivity and reliability in language testing whereas the psychometric-structuralist period was concerned with tests that focus on discrete item tests. In fact, the psychometric-structuralist approach provided the basis for the flourishing of the standardised language test with its emphasis on discrete structure point items. However, discrete point tests were also criticised for being insufficient indicators of language proficiency (Oller 1979: 212). Language testing was directed to global tests in the 1970s, which opened up the psycholinguistic-sociolinguistic era (Weir, 1988: 3). This format of global and in tegrative tests (such as cloze) gained theoretical support from many researchers. Davies distinguishes four important types of language tests on the basis of their function or use- achievement tests, proficiency tests, aptitude tests and diagnostic tests (Davies and Allan 1977: 46-7). While achievement tests are concerned with assessing what has been learned of a known syllabus, proficiency tests are based on assessing the learning of either a known or unknown syllabus. The concept of communicative competence The idea of communicative language teaching emerged in the 1970s following Hymes’ theory of communicative competence, which greatly emphasised learners’ ability to use language in context, particularly, in terms of social demands of performance (McNamara, 2000: 116). Hymes believes that knowing a language is more than knowing its rules. Once Hymes proposed the idea of communicative competence, it was expanded in various ways during the following two decades. The term competence was interpreted in many different ways by researchers. To some it simply means the ability to ‘communicate’; to others it means the social rules of language use; and to yet other, it refers to a set of abilities including knowledge of linguistics, socio-linguistics and discourse rules (Bachman & Palmar, 1984: 34). However, the basic idea of communicative competence remains the ability to use language appropriately, both receptively and productively, in real situations (Kiato, et al. 1996: 1) The development of communicative language testing The idea of communicative testing was developed on the basis of Hymes’ two dimensional model of communicative competence that comprises a linguistic and a sociolinguistic element. Davies et al. gives the following definition of communicative language tests: Communicative tests are tests of communicative skills, typically used in contradistinction to tests of grammatical knowledge. Such tests often claim to operationalise theories of communicative competence, although the form they take will depend on which dimension they choose to emphasise, be it specificity to context, authenticity of materials or the simulation of real life performance.   (Davies et al. 1999: 26) Harrison mentions three ingredients which distinguishes a communicative language test from other tests. He argues: 1. A communicative test should assess language used for a purpose beyond itself. 2. A communicative test should depend on the bridging of an information gap. It has to propose a language using purpose which can be fulfilled by the communicative skill so far acquired by the learners. 3. A communicative test should represent an encounter. The situation at the end of it should be different from what it was at the beginning, and this means that there has to be some sequence within the test. (Harrison, 1983: 77-8) Competence Vs performance There have been debates among the researchers regarding the nature and function of communicative tests. One issue of controversy was how to specify the components of communicative competence and to relate them in measuring performances. Another complication arose as the terms ‘competence’ and ‘performance’ were used differently by various researchers suggesting important distinctions between them. Chomsky (1965) claimed that ‘competence’ refers to the linguistic system which an ideal native speaker has internalized whereas ‘performance’ is mainly concerned with the psychological factors that are involved in the perception and production of speech. Later Hymes (1972) explicitly, and Campbell and Wales (1970) implicitly proposed a broader notion of communicative competence in which they included grammatical competence as well as contextual or sociolinguistic competence. They, however, adopted the distinction between communicative ‘competence’ and ‘performance’. According to Canale and Swain (1980: 3) ‘competence’ refers to knowledge of grammar and other aspects of language while ‘performance’ refers to actual use. For the language testing researchers it was difficult to determine an ideal test model, which could be valid and reliable enough to test communicative competence. They were concerned with what performances for task based activities need to be devised in order to assess learners’ communicative competence. The most discussed answer to this query is the one provided by Canale and Swain (1980) who, in their influential work ‘Approaches to Second Language Testing’ specified four aspects of knowledge or competence- grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence, strategic competence and discourse competence. What makes good communicative tests? Though a communicative language test intents to measure how students use language in real life, it is difficult to set a task that can measure communicative competence in real contexts. Ellison (2001: 44) argues that testing by its very nature is artificial and unless we are to follow an examinee around all the time noting how he/she deals with the target language in all situations, we necessarily have a less than real situation. However, it should be the aim of the test setter to try and complement real situations as much as possible. Referring to the difficulty of identifying the elements of communicative testing Morrow (1991) states: The essential question which a communicative test must answer is whether or not (or how well) a candidate can use language to communicate meanings. But ‘communicate meanings’ is very elusive criterion indeed on which to base judgment. (Morrow, 1991: 112) There have been attempts to develop a model for communicative competence and valid tests of its components. Bachman and Palmer (1984: 35) describe three approaches: the skill-component approach, communicative approach and measurement approach to specify what language tests measure. Offering a detailed interpretation of the Canale-Swain communicative approach, Bachman and Palmer specify some factors (trait factors, modal factors, method factors) that should be considered while designing a performance test. Having examined the structure of a model which encompasses these three factors, Skehan (1991: 9) regarded it as ‘being of pivotal importance in influencing the language testing theories and practices throughout the 1990s.’ Later Bachman went further as he offered important distinctions between task-based and construct-based approaches to test design. He explained: The procedures for design, development, and use of language tests must incorporate both a specification of the assessment task to be included and definition of the abilities to be assessed. (Bachman, 2000: 456) Task based language assessment gave rise to two questions: a) How real-life task types are identified, selected and characterized and how pedagogic or assessment tasks are related to these (Bachman, 2000: 459) . The discussion of different approaches to language testing are concerned with their strengths and limitations in terms of the criteria of validity and reliability. Validity in language testing is about whether a test can measure what it is intended to measure. Other arguments regarding the test validity include the question of content relevance and representativeness, task difficulty etc. Reliability refers to the extent to which test scores are consistent. Assessing second language writing Assessment of second language writing has been discussed on the basis of two different approaches: objective test of writing and direct test of writing. Objective tests claim to test writing through verbal reasoning, error recognition and other measures that have been shown fairly highly with measured writing ability (Lyons, 1991: 5). In direct tests of writing, actual samples of students’ writings are assessed. In fact, direct tests of writing have won the support of many researchers as they engage students with more communicative and creative task types. However, this approach has also been criticised for lacking reliability. Despite their problems with reliability, direct tests are still very popular in many academic settings throughout the world. Kiato et al. (1996: 2) refer to some typical problems of testing writing. They point out that testing writing objectively may not necessarily reflect the way it is used by the students in the real world. On the other hand, testing of writing in a way that reflects how the students use writing in real world is difficult to evaluate objectively and the test setters has less control over the writing tasks. However, they argue that the ability to write should involve six component skills- grammatical ability, lexical ability, mechanical ability, stylistic skills, organisational skills and judgment of appropriacy. Among the writing tasks they find useful are: gap filling, form completion, making corrections, letter and essay writing. Weir (1988: 63-4) offers an elaborate discussion on both indirect (objective) and direct tests and distinguishes the two types. He argues that writing can be divided into discrete elements such as grammar, vocabulary and punctuation etc. and these elements are tested separately by the use of objective tests. He suggested that both productive and receptive skills can be broken down in to levels of grammar and lexis according to a discrete point framework and objective tasks such as cloze, selective deletion, gap filling etc. can be designed for testing reading with writing. Weir describes the direct test of writing as a more integrative test which tests a candidate’s ability to perform certain of the functional tasks required in the performance of duties in the target situation. Research on writing involving both native speakers and second language are also concerned with basic studies of the nature of writing process in order to relate them to the validity of writing test tasks. Some of the questions concerned are: 1. To what extent is performance influenced by the amount of prior knowledge that writers have about the topic that they are asked to write about in a test? 2. Does it make a difference how the writing task is specified on the test paper? 3. Do different types of tasks produce significant difference in the performance of learners in a writing test? (Read, 1991: 77) Johns (1991: 171) suggests three criteria for academic testing of writing- (1) use of reading for writing assessment: testing for audience awareness, (2) exploitation of common writing genres: argumentation and problem solution, and (3) testing of subject matter, conceptual control and planning. He insists that reading and writing be combined to give a more authentic context for testing writing for academic purpose. He says: Because reading and writing are interconnected at all academic levels, it seems unprofessional and certainly unacademic to test writing without the genuine interactivity that reading provides. (Johns, 19991: 176) Literature on testing has suggested different strategies to cope with the problem of making direct writing tasks. The problem with these tasks is they are very difficult to mark as the marking of such tasks is somewhat subjective. One solution suggested by many testing experts is to use an analytical marking scheme to help make the marking consistent. Murphy (1979: 19) outlined the nature of a marking scheme demanded by the Associated Examining Boards, â€Å"A marking scheme is a comprehensive document indicating the explicit criteria against which candidate’s answers will be judged; it enables the examiners to relate particular marks to answers of specified quality.† There have been discussions on two types of marking for free writing tasks- impressionistic and analytic. However there are arguments over what valid and reliable measures of writing can be used and what might be the relationship of these measures to overall impressionistic quality rating. The TOFEL examination included a direct writing measure (Connor, 1991: 216) in 1986 for the test of written English that was marked holistically (TOFEL test of written English guide 1989). A great deal of research was conducted by the Educational Testing Service into the development and validation of a measure to assess communicative competence in writing (Bridgman Carlson, 1983; Carlson et al. 1985). A holistic scoring guide was developed to mark two general topics-comparison/contrast and describing a graph that had six levels and included syntactic and rhetorical criteria. The Test of Written English Scoring Guidelines (1989) identified the following criteria of a written task. An essay in the highest category is- well organized and well developed, effectively addressed the writing task, uses appropriate details to support or illustrate ideas, shows unity, coherence and progression, displays consistent facility in the use of language, and demonstrates syntactic variety and appropriate word choice. (The Test of Written English Scoring Guidelines, 989) The marking scheme suggested by ELTIP to help teachers assess writing compositions is made on the basis of five criteria- grammar, vocabulary, mechanical accuracy, communication and content. A Marking scheme like this shows how developments in language testing research are providing models to cope with the challenges of marking writing tasks. The SSC Curriculum, syllabus and the test The SSC is the school leaving public examination for grad 10 students. English is a compulsory subject at this level and the test of English is an achievement test in kind. The test is designed to test reading and writing skills only as there is no provision of testing listening and speaking skills. The NCTB syllabus of English focuses on the development of the four skills through learner-centred activities within meaningful contexts. It gives importance to choosing contexts which reflect actual social situations outside the classroom and make the learning of English ‘relevant, interesting and enjoyable’. It is expected as per the syllabus that students should achieve an ‘elementary to intermediate command of the four language skills’ by the end of secondary level. The curriculum document specifies the objective and purposes of learning English as it states: English needs to be recognised as an essential work-oriented skill that is needed if the employment, development and educational needs of the country are to be met successfully. Increased communicative competence in English, therefore, constitutes a vital skill for learners at this stage. (SSC Syllabus Document, 1999, NCTB: 136) Terminal competencies in four skills are specified in the NCTB syllabus. The competencies for writing skills for grade 10 are defined as follows: Students should be able to- a) write simple dialogues, formal and informal letters including letters of application and reports. b) demonstrate imagination and creativity in appropriate writing forms. c) fill in the forms (i.e. job applications etc.) and write a curriculum vitae d) plan and organise the above tasks efficiently so as to communicate ideas and facts clearly, accurately and with relevance to the topic. e) take notes and dictations f) use different punctuation and geographical devices appropriately.

Is Ethics Natural or Learned Behavior?

Human beings have an innate ethical sense that urges them to make predictable choices. Although most people believe their actions are guided by logic and reason, reason often acts only as a way to justify these choices. Ethics is a learned behavior, a behavior that starts from childhood. Every individual has choices in life. And everyone’s perception of right and wrong may not be the same. This discussion will be based on is ethics natural or learned behavior? The ability to speak allows people to come up with rationales which support what are genetically driven decisions. Even though genetics may play a part, I believe ethics is a learned behavior. In understanding ethics, we must first realize that pretense and dissimulation are rooted in our genes. As part of the prehistoric mechanism for survival, human beings unfortunately identify with lying and manipulating. Lying and cheating are believed by too many to be legitimate tools in the quest to achieve selfish ends (www. ethicseducation. com). Despite this truth, as we learned as children, cooperation is actually the better way to achieve individual success therefore ethics can definitely be learned. The history of ethical thought is in this regard a record of attempts to promote communal behavior in order to ensure stability within a group. Many middle and high school students today will tell you that they themselves determine, as does every other individual, the standards of right and wrong. Students will resist the notion that they owe anything to anyone, or that they have any absolute obligation toward society. They recognize that wrongs can be done, but have a very difficult time judging their own actions to be wrong. There is an underlying attitude of: nothing I do can be truly wrong because I am ultimately the final judge of what is right and wrong for me. Ethics is about the individual. The fact that students can be taught to be tolerant of different opinions and see that a variance of viewpoints can be legitimate contradicts the belief that ethics is a natural occurrence. In some instances moral behavior can be natural. Recent studies have shown that dolphins and other marine mammals, chimpanzees, apes, monkeys and even dogs possess a moral sense, and display many of the behaviors considered basic to most normative human ethical standards. Equality, reciprocity, even altruism, have been detected and recorded among these animals, as well as treachery, deceit and manipulation. In fact, a kind of what goes around comes around golden rule is fundamental to the social relationships of most primates. This being said, there must be some sort of social instinct rooted in our genes. Man is driven by innate genetic forces and is capable of making thoughtful assessments of what is happening. Ethics investigates how we can evaluate our behavior in terms of right and wrong, good and bad.

Succession and Failure; Case Study

Succession and Failure; Case Study Introduction In very business activity there is always an act of succession that is initiated by the business owners, organization’s board of directors or the organization’s management (Carver Oliver, 2002). The succession may take several forms or be triggered by quite number of reasons.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Succession and Failure; Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance there might arise a need to change the existing staff to get more efficient ones or the desire to change the operations of a business entity. Whatever the reason or nature of succession the outcome is always a success or failure. It becomes so disappointing when a business entity initiates plans to make adjustments for the company and the ultimate outcome turns out to be a dilemma for the organization. More disappointing is when the most reliable employees of an organization leave an organization due to th e reasons that could be controlled by the management of the company or measures that could have been taken in advance were not taken. Successful business organizations look into employees’ welfare more importantly and determine what they want from the organization for them to perform better. In addition, the appropriate strategies are formulated and implemented that can increase the firm’s competitive advantage in the market as well meeting the employees’ needs to retain them in their organization (Handy, 1985). Our case study here is the Tiverton media company that has spent substantial amounts of money in management, development and succession process. However, what it has received is a shock since after all these huge expenditures the heirs have left the company. Situation analysis of Tiverton Media Company Tiverton Company has had reputable image and excellent progress since it was formed under its competent Chief Executive Officer, Norman Windom. Operating in the media industry, a very challenging environment and characterized by stiff competition due to emerging technology and changing consumer needs, the company has successfully maintained its competitive position and secured itself a large share in the market (Ashforth Humphrey, 1995). As a matter of fact the company’s progress or success cannot be compared with its failures. It has achieved a lot since it was founded and increased its marketing outlets through the expertise of its marketing personnel.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The sudden misfortune befalling the company came as a surprise since no body expected such a successful company like Tiverton to receive such a huge dilemma. The company was making huge profits since even after investing $7 billion in a certain show that was linked to one of the Tiverton’s client, the company admits th at the profits it were likely to make were so negligible compared to the company’s profitability. The company’s success is primarily attributed to its highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable staff. The leading and most famous artists are associated with Tiverton and this is one of the reasons that the company has been able to meet customer expectations over the years. Better understanding of the field an employee is working in is good for the betterment of the organization he/she serves. This makes him/her understand the products that should be offered to the target customers and how they should be offered (Carver Oliver, 2002). This is very clear in the situation of Tiverton Company that besides its CEO not having much knowledge about the changing consumer needs that is the popular music, he relies on the judge of managerial talent Sean Kinnane, to handle the task. Some of the successful strategies adopted by Liverton to maintain its success No business entity can survive in the industry without proper and workable strategies. This is due to the competition that is posed by the organization’s business rivals. The strategies are also aimed at revenue maximization and cost minimization (Handy, 1985). One characteristic feature of Liverton is its ability to determine what it requires to do to remain in the industry.Having in place the executives with the right credentials can save an organization greatly. Aleph Records’ manager, Derek Solomon is said to have supervised every client’s career aspects right from the beginning until the final stage of the client’s exit from the stage. This shows how committed the company’s staff is towards offering high quality services to the clients. Many performers confessed that it was Derek who made them maintain their regular visits to the Aleph Records. Even after becoming the CEO, his relationship is said to have remained as good as before with artists. Matters related to cost cutting and financial matters were handled by Sean who was too smart in that particular area. The company’s investment decisions and expansionary plans lied in this particular area. This is attributed to specialization and proper delegation of duties in the organization. The other strategy applied by the Liverton was customer outsourcing (Avery, 2004). For instance after the acquiring of Aleph Records in the year 1995, there was a kind of restructuring in marketing that saw the offering of repackaged recordings to one of the largest Compact-disc (CD) club. This would enable the club sell the CDs to the late-night TV viewers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Succession and Failure; Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The other area where the company paid much attention was development of its personnel. It is quite challenging for an organization to achieve without paying attention to its workin g staff. Efficiency personnel lead to high quality services and higher level of customer satisfaction (Ashforth Humphrey, 1995). The improvement of the personnel efficiency is enhanced through training and development. This can be confirmed from the way the succession exercise was carried out in Aleph. The eight successors for the Aleph’s top eight positions were supposed to undergo thorough assessment test after which they would be exposed to executive education programin a leading business college in a fort-night every year. In addition, they would each be assigned a mentor and a coach for one year plus other extra training. This is an indication of how the company is willing to spend on its staff to improve its operational performance. The implications in the Liverton Company and reasons for its dilemma Despite successful operations and performance in Liverton Company, the company is implicated with a number of issues. The leadership structure of the company seems to be t hreatening the smooth operations of the company. Any company that has some wrangles on the part of its leadership arm is likely to become extinct in the industry (Carver Oliver, 2002). The troubles in the Liverton company stems from the top arm of the organization. The CEO is not playing his duties and responsibilities as expected of him. He does not recognize the opinions or listens to other associates of the company. His focus is dictating what ought to be done in the company and the manner in which it should be done. When the managerial talent judge, Sean Kinnane brings proposal for Broadway show, the top man disregards him and does seem to appreciate the efforts of Sean. Considering the Sean’s credentials and the contribution he has made for the company, this was the worst expected reaction from his senior. Mr. Norman did not even want to discuss the idea with the judge. In his view, as it has been observed that Sean was unreliable and his ideas could not be trusted. Bui lding trust and respect amongst the leaders or members of a particular organization is very essential for the survival of that organization (Handy, 1985). The CEO’s reaction shows lack of respect towards other associates of the company whether junior or senior. Running an organization or doing business means carrying out things collectively and facilitating the discussion of key issues and opinions that are likely to affect the future of the business. Mr. Norman’s organization neglects the employees and he can be identified as the main cause for this. One of the employees’ expectations is the motivation that may come in many forms (Ashforth Humphrey, 1995). An employee may be motivated through rewards, for instance promotion. This is not the case in Liverton Companyand if it is happening, it is carried out through unfair means.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is reported that Sean Kinnane should have become the heir for Aleph Records long time ago but even at the moment he does seem to be near to the position. From the information that has been availed, Sean possesses all the required experience and qualification yet he is not considered for the position. Besides, the contribution he has made for the company is sufficient enough to earn him a promotion. According to human resource management, promotions are based on performance. In addition, Sean attends one of the most important section of the department, finance and investment that determines the future and the growth of the firm. In contrary the section is headed by an old man, though having made some achievements his credentials is questionable. The dissatisfaction is not being felt by the Sean alone since there are other colleagues in his camp who are being oppressed the same way. Despite becoming aware that Seane could do well than Derek since his talents had become more advance d than those of Derek, Norman recognized that Sean needed some more exposure and polishing before attaining Derek’s standards. The only reward that Seane got was to be assigned duties outside his routine. It is always advisable to adhere to specialization rules when assigning or delegating duties to employees. People do well in their areas of specialization and disorganized delegation of duties may bring out undesired results to the organization (Avery, 2004). Norman’s actions can bring out several queries as to whether he understands the rules of management. For instance on a day before Sean and his colleagues showed Liverton their backs, they had been ferried in a stretch town alongside other colleagues where they had ben instructed by the CEO to go and check out a band from Wolverhampton, England by the name Skivvies. This is like abuse of somebody’s profession as well as his rights bearing in mind that the roles played by Sean in the organization. This was o ne of the final actions that triggered the Sean’s exit from the company after they declared that enough was enough and they could not bear any more oppression in the company. Outcome of the Sean’s exit and his colleagues Sean had been known as an important machine for the company. This is something that the CEO who was the root cause for their exit could not deny. The story of the heirs’ walkout spread all over. With the departure of the Sean and his associates, the future of Aleph and Liverton as a whole was at stake. Yes the succession took place but was followed by absolute failure. That is why the company is said to be in dilemma. It is quite interesting that the overall cause of the trouble is the person who should be providing solutions to the problems facing the company. Norman was so touched that he had to introduce the topic to the board meeting the following month. The corporate image of the company took a drastic change immediately after the departure of five associates and as one of the directors admits during the meeting, the company’s stock price had dropped significantly. Some directors are very bitter with the action to an extend of admitting they are not sure of the fate of the next associates they would appoint. Recommendation Every problem has a solution. However, the problem facing Liverton is so severe and it needs an immediate action. Since the problem is well known, appropriate recommendations are advisable. The damage to the company has already occurred and the information spread to the public domain. The board of directors and shareholders can provide a lasting solution to save the company from collapsing through changing the management structure of the company (Carver Oliver, 2002). This will mean taking rid of Norman and Derek completely and make replacements for the same. This is because as pointed out by one of the directors the replacement of the five associates might just follow the same route like th e one followed by Sean and his fellow associates. The manager’s weaknesses have been observed in several occasions and it is not clear whether he can be entrusted with the over all responsibilities of running the company again. Even if the company will experience some loopholes after the dismissal of the key management that is the CEO and Derek, it will only be in the short-run and the company can peak again. Alternatively, the board might get rid of the two associates and reinstate the five associates who have left the company since the person who had for along time been oppressing them is no longer there. This is due to the fact it is well known to the public that Sean was the key to success for Liverton and once reinstated he can restore their confidence. The other solution to the problem at hand is amendment of company’s constitution to change its policies especially the ones concerning the relationship between the employees themselves. This will prevent such a pro blem from occurring in future. Conclusion The corporate relationship between the employees, management staff and the manager of an organization is so crucial for the survival of the organization (Avery, 2004). There comes a major problem when there are wrangles between the key management staff. The severity of the problem becomes worse when an influencing or well performing member of the staff leaves the organization as it happened in the case of Liverton. The company is left suspending not knowing the next step to take to restore its corporate image. The management should always learn to instill better management and personnel practices amongst itself to improve the performance of the company (Handy, 1985). However, the organization’s board of directors should not hesitate in taking action against one of the key management staff that might be a problem in the management of the organization regardless of his/her leadership position. References Ashforth, B. Humphrey, R. (1995 ). Emotions in the workplace: A reappraisal. Human Relations, 48(2), 97-121. Avery, G. C. (2004). Understanding Leadership. London: Sage Publishers. Carver, J. Oliver, C. (2002). Corporate boards that create value: Governing corporate performance from the boardroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Handy, C. (1985). Understanding organizations. Middlesex: Penguin.

buy custom School Performance essay

buy custom School Performance essay Race, ethnicity, culture, and identity play a role in the academic welfare of all students. Our socialization as ethnic and racial beings starts early in life and most of this socialization takes place in the course of compulsory years of schooling and even goes further during college years and beyond. Some students are straddles- students who understand the functions of both dominant nondominant cultural capital and value and embrace skills to participate in multiple cultural environments including mainstream society, their school environments, and their respective ethnoracial communities- are the ones capable of performing well in schools. On the other hand, resisters- students who are opposed to adopting white attitudes, behaviors and speech- are not performing well hence, leading to the question on what should be done to improve performance among resisters. In order for teacher to help oppositional/resister students, they should encourage them to start socializing with students from all races, cultures, and social classes. They should view themselves as performers, with high ability to succeed. This is because the view that only white students are capable of doing well has been a key factor towards poor performance. Teachers should help resister students to change their perspectives towards white students and start interacting with them in every aspect not only regarding education, but in all spheres of life. Educational policies that encourage interaction and exchange of ideas freely among all students should be implemented. By implementing them, they will better help these children in areas where they are vulnerable. This is because, while resister students might be willing to adopt and go beyond white cultures, there are several factors which prevent them including fear, and the feeling of inferior. They view themselves as being inferior without ability or potential to succeed like white students. Thus, since it is now apparent that resister student fails because they are tied and operate within their own surroundings with no need of adopting culture from other societies; teachers should look for appropriate means through which they will help resister go beyond their borders and learn new ideas from whites. This will enable them to improve their performance and see them competing favorably with white, and other students. Buy custom School Performance essay

Band of Brothers Essay Example for Free

Band of Brothers Essay The book title, â€Å"Band of Brothers,† by Stephen E. Ambrose is a book that shares the risky undertaking and hazardous experience that the United States Army had to go through in World War 2. Bravery is an understatement when describing the men of East Company’s personalities. The book really helps the reader describe the relationships and friendships that were either directly or indirectly developed as a result of going to war. From the extremely brutal training, to the depths of enemy territory, these men developed a brotherhood that only can come about as a result of extreme situations such as preparing and training for war, as well as World War 2 itself. This book not only describes Easy Company but other military veterans or active service members can relate to the situations described in the book. First of all, the book’s title describes things very accurately. Like most military divisions, Easy Company which was a part of the 101st Airborne Division in the Army, had to go through an exhausting basic training course in Camp Toccoa in Georgia. This alone is going to establish bonds and friendships among the young men participating in this training, whether they are looking for a buddy or not. Much of Easy Company already had an unspoken brotherhood before they even came into basic training. Many of these men had grown up in the terrible time of the depression and many of them had something in common. During Easy Company’s time in basic training, they not only had to compete with their selves, but with other militaries. â€Å"A day or so before leaving Toccoa, Colonel Sink read an article in the Reader’s Digest that said a Japanese Army battalion had set a world record for marching endurance by covering 100 miles down the Malayan Peninsula in seventy-two hours. (p. 28)† Colonel Sink wanted to top the Japanese’s achievement so he ordered his men to do better. This was a very miserable journey and test for Easy Company but they accomplished more than the Japanese Army had. War in itself is a competition but this book also examines with detail, the miniature competitions that occurred during World War 2. This march helped bring the soldiers together even closer and it also gave them the confidence and conditioning they needed to go into the brutal battles of World War 2. Most importantly, trust develops between these men because they are confident that they have well trained soldiers going into battle with them and not people that are going to drag their feet. â€Å"They were prepared to die for each other; more important, they were prepared to kill for each other (Pg. 1). The first battle which was the invasion of Normandy proved to be an eye opener that would just only strengthen the bond and brotherhood that Easy Company had. The pure terror of landing in Normandy and facing the Nazi German in a low vision area was at this point, the ultimate test to see if the training they bared in Camp Toccoa was good enough. With bullets flying and loud bangs disrupting their hearing, many of the men could not locate the rest of the group. Winters helped to organize and reunite a few men so they could have a better chance against the Germans by sticking together. Even though men were lost, Lieutenant Winters proved in a small victory that Easy Company was a highly trained group of soldiers that could get the job done in defeating the Nazis. Winters achieved this with a small group of soldiers as well. â€Å"The attack was a unique example of a small, well-led assault force overcoming and routing a much larger defending force in prepared positions (Pg. 84). † Even though this gruesome battle was an eye opener to the horrors of war, Easy Company’s soldiers were described as confident, had a will to survive and a sense of pride. Band of Brothers. (2017, Feb 03).

Classic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classic - Essay Example In music there are many degrees of classic works. While the most recognizable are those works by Beethoven and Mozart, most people would agree that the music of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones is classic as well. I believe in the future people will look back and recognize Michael Jackson’s work as classic, as well as Madonna, Bruce Springstein, and even Dr. Dre or Jay Z. I believe these musicians might be slightly derided in the current critical climate as they are in a sense too modern and popular to be acknowledged by critics. Defining what is truly classic is a very difficult concept. While Mark Twain defined the term as, â€Å"Something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read,† it seems that there is much more to the term. First, it’s important to distinguish between what is classic, and classical music. Classical music refers to a genre of music and is different from the term that defines ‘classic’ on other sense of culture. It seems that Classical music is both classic in any sense of the word, but also historic and exemplary. One might also argue that it is possible for Classical music to be bad, as long as it is written in the classical style; however, by its very nature a classic is not ‘bad’ in the critical sense. It seems that what is deemed a classic is genre defining or style breaking. In this sense, it is often difficult to determine if something is a classic upon its release as it requires time to determine how the film or music or ar t will hold up and how many other artists it will influence. It’s quite possible that a number of things that have been made over the last century with immediate appeal didn’t withstand time as they lacked eternal qualities that make a work truly classic. This idea is true of all elements of art and culture, including music and literature. Things that are considered classic are Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. It is both moving and powerful, as

Explain what managing human resources means Essay

Explain what managing human resources means - Essay Example ty of employees ensures that an organization has diverse and has a useful knowledge base to ensure that the company puts a competitive edge to her competitors. Diversity in an organization can be achieved by ensuring that the employees and other staff working within and throughout an organization are a representation of the wider society. Human resource management (HRM) is the unit within an organization that deals with the workforce. It can be said to be the process of managing the workforce of an organization. It provides guidelines on how people are to work. An effective HRM ensure that the workforce is effective and productive for the overall accomplishment of the objective and goals of an organization (Bell, 2011 p. 30). It helps in full utilization of employees through a comprehensive and strategic management of the people as well as the working environment. An organization relies on good HRM to have a strong and effective team of employees. HRM aims at ensuring that the company remains loyal to the employees by making them feel the job there are doing is part of their personal life. Research has shown that HRM is the heartbeat of any organization; over eighty percent of the company success is attributed from the activities and skills of human resources. These activities include how the company attracts employe es, how it trains and develops them and finally how effective is it in retaining the quality workforce. HRM helps the organization create a good environment for employees to work in as well as ensure there is respect and dignity between employer and employees. The main responsibility of HRM in an organization whether small or large corporate bodies is the welfare of the workforce. It must ensure that there is relatively low turnover of employees as this make the company waste a lot of resources ad can even lead to stagnated growth in case of a technical organization. It inspires and motivates employees to reduce turnover. This could be through

The letter of Galileo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The letter of Galileo - Essay Example What Galileo is up to and what is he trying to say? In the letter Galileo states that his discovery regarding the solar system was unique. People who went against him doubted that his discoveries would upset nature and jeopardize science. Galileo in the letter tried to emphasize that discoveries based on truth helps in the growth in knowledge. With the passage of time his discoveries were considered to be correct by other eminent scientist. Galileo suggests that his book must be destroyed if any disparity is found between his views regarding Copernican system and the Church. (Galilei) A war began between science and Christianity. Europeans discovered they were residing in a world and era of ever growing opportunities. The Church no longer held its power over the truth owing to the reformation. The knowledge gained from university courses was no longer considered sufficient and it was time for natural philosophers to get their worth (Ede and Cormack, 103). In modern world scientists t hroughout the globe possesses variety of belief with respect to different religions. Some scientists claim that both religion and science are different entities and both are equally important in one’s life. ... Both are independent by their own nature and discover separate realms. The methods of both science and religion are similar and they both can help in enhancing each other. Religion offers a philosophical structure required to do science. Galileo always believed that science and religion is constantly in war with each other. Galileo’s discovery that earth orbits the sun was strongly denied by Church because they were ignorant about science. The Church was against the ideas of Galileo because they could never relate religion with science. Galileo along with his discoveries wrote that his discoveries never contradicted with Bible. Christians argue that according to Bible, science is younger than Earth. They believe that science or religion either of the one must be wrong or deny the fact that these two entities can ever reconcile with each other. If science is unable to find any natural mechanism for any particular event or phenomena then many people believe that behind the cause of the event is some supernatural force and that is God. But after few years when scientist discovers a natural mechanism which clarify the event, then the existence of god becomes questionable. (Stewart, 107-110) Difference between Science and Religion Religious belief was a hindrance to the progress of science during the Galileo’s period of time. A heated disparity aroused regarding the understandings of some of the verses in the Bible especially from lyrical sections of the Psalms. If it was imagined that these scriptures should be read as science rather than poetry then it could have be easily interpreted that Earth was centrally located in the universe. Galileo agreed with the theories of Copernicus that this ideology was

In the movie lions for lambs write an essay of argument in which you

In the movie lions for lambs write an of argument in which you assert your position on Americas future if the population continues to avoid involvement in politics and public affairs - Essay Example Despite the presence of many followers in political rallies conducted by popular political figures, there are more individuals – on the back end – who couldn’t care less, are less concerned and would just like to go on with their normal routine of getting on with their personal, family and work lives and not be bothered by other issues which are â€Å"not really their problem†. But what about the overall picture? Americas future is certainly doomed if it continues to avoid involvement in politics and public affairs, hence, it is recommended that more active participation should take place among its citizenry. This is exactly the subject that is brought forward in the movie Lions for Lambs, a 2007 movie directed by Robert Redford. From the movie’s title, you wouldn’t have the faintest idea what the movie is really about unless you get to see the film from beginning to end. Some argue that the film is preachy is more ways than one since it is a hackneyed topic (about war) and the discussions between Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise) and the popular journalist Janine Roth (Meryl Streep), plus the dialogues between Professor Stephen Malley (Robert Redford) and his students Todd, Arian and Ernest seem to just go on and on in circles. Nevertheless, the film’s climax when Arian and Ernest stand up bravely to meet their end in enemy territory is the film’s saving grace, and is remarkably one of the film’s more unforgettable highlights. In spite of the film’s flaws, the issue of apathy in society is a significant concern which this movie raises and which actually requires urgent attention. In the face of the seemingly never-ending battle for supremacy in these Middle East territories, the US still continues to forge on with the arms race and assert its continuing existence in the region. The war issue has become an everyday fare with regards to the

A commitment to science and rationality and their application in Essay

A commitment to science and rationality and their application in public policy was a defining characteristic of modernity - Essay Example Positivism was founded upon the belief that society (civilisation) is progressing ever forward, and that the social scientist can study society, provide a more accurate understanding of how society works, and ultimately provide a rational means of overcoming existing social problems and ills by using scientific methods. Social scientists were interested in promoting a positive view of the social order, and in providing positive interventions in social life to make things better. This required systematic study of existing social problems, and the development of a wide range of techniques and strategies to deal with issues relating to schooling, poverty and family life.Under the rubric of positive reform, a wide variety of "experts" - medical, doctors, psychiatrists, health workers, teachers, criminal justice officials and social workers - began to devise "scientific" ways to raise children better, to professionalise parenting, to deal with personal troubles and individual deficiencies , to deal with young offenders and generally to engineer wide scale social reform. The development of positivism was related to efforts to adopt natural science methods and concepts in the study of society. Positivism is based on the idea of a scientific understanding of crime and criminality. It assumes that there is a distinction between the "normal" and the "deviant" and attempts to study the specific factors that give rise to deviant or criminal behaviour. Behaviour is a reflection of certain influences on a person, whether biological, psychological, or social in nature. It is believed that offenders vary: individual differences exist between offenders and these in turn can be measured and classified in some way. The focus of analysis therefore is on the nature and characteristics of the offender, rather than on the criminal act. The positivist approach is directed towards the treatment of offenders. Offending behaviour is analysed in terms of factors or forces beyond the conscious control of the individual. Since each individual offender is different from all others, treatment must be individualised. One strand of scientific research attempted to provide biological explanations for criminal behaviour; the other focused on psychological factors associated with criminality. Biological positivism Biological positivism was first popularised through the work of Lombroso. Borrowing heavily from evolutionary theories, Lombroso attempted to distinguish different types of human individuals, and to classify them on the basis of racial and biological difference. In a form of "criminal anthropology", the argument here was that a general theory of crime can be developed on the basis of measurable physical differences between the criminal and the no criminal. For Lombroso, the criminal was born, not made. The idea of a "born criminal" reflected the notion that crime is the result of something essential to the nature of the individual criminal. The emphasis on biological factors in explanations of crime was reflected in a number of subsequent studies. The study conducted on 355 male inmates of Pentridge

The letter of Galileo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The letter of Galileo - Essay Example What Galileo is up to and what is he trying to say? In the letter Galileo states that his discovery regarding the solar system was unique. People who went against him doubted that his discoveries would upset nature and jeopardize science. Galileo in the letter tried to emphasize that discoveries based on truth helps in the growth in knowledge. With the passage of time his discoveries were considered to be correct by other eminent scientist. Galileo suggests that his book must be destroyed if any disparity is found between his views regarding Copernican system and the Church. (Galilei) A war began between science and Christianity. Europeans discovered they were residing in a world and era of ever growing opportunities. The Church no longer held its power over the truth owing to the reformation. The knowledge gained from university courses was no longer considered sufficient and it was time for natural philosophers to get their worth (Ede and Cormack, 103). In modern world scientists t hroughout the globe possesses variety of belief with respect to different religions. Some scientists claim that both religion and science are different entities and both are equally important in one’s life. ... Both are independent by their own nature and discover separate realms. The methods of both science and religion are similar and they both can help in enhancing each other. Religion offers a philosophical structure required to do science. Galileo always believed that science and religion is constantly in war with each other. Galileo’s discovery that earth orbits the sun was strongly denied by Church because they were ignorant about science. The Church was against the ideas of Galileo because they could never relate religion with science. Galileo along with his discoveries wrote that his discoveries never contradicted with Bible. Christians argue that according to Bible, science is younger than Earth. They believe that science or religion either of the one must be wrong or deny the fact that these two entities can ever reconcile with each other. If science is unable to find any natural mechanism for any particular event or phenomena then many people believe that behind the cause of the event is some supernatural force and that is God. But after few years when scientist discovers a natural mechanism which clarify the event, then the existence of god becomes questionable. (Stewart, 107-110) Difference between Science and Religion Religious belief was a hindrance to the progress of science during the Galileo’s period of time. A heated disparity aroused regarding the understandings of some of the verses in the Bible especially from lyrical sections of the Psalms. If it was imagined that these scriptures should be read as science rather than poetry then it could have be easily interpreted that Earth was centrally located in the universe. Galileo agreed with the theories of Copernicus that this ideology was

A commitment to science and rationality and their application in Essay

A commitment to science and rationality and their application in public policy was a defining characteristic of modernity - Essay Example Positivism was founded upon the belief that society (civilisation) is progressing ever forward, and that the social scientist can study society, provide a more accurate understanding of how society works, and ultimately provide a rational means of overcoming existing social problems and ills by using scientific methods. Social scientists were interested in promoting a positive view of the social order, and in providing positive interventions in social life to make things better. This required systematic study of existing social problems, and the development of a wide range of techniques and strategies to deal with issues relating to schooling, poverty and family life.Under the rubric of positive reform, a wide variety of "experts" - medical, doctors, psychiatrists, health workers, teachers, criminal justice officials and social workers - began to devise "scientific" ways to raise children better, to professionalise parenting, to deal with personal troubles and individual deficiencies , to deal with young offenders and generally to engineer wide scale social reform. The development of positivism was related to efforts to adopt natural science methods and concepts in the study of society. Positivism is based on the idea of a scientific understanding of crime and criminality. It assumes that there is a distinction between the "normal" and the "deviant" and attempts to study the specific factors that give rise to deviant or criminal behaviour. Behaviour is a reflection of certain influences on a person, whether biological, psychological, or social in nature. It is believed that offenders vary: individual differences exist between offenders and these in turn can be measured and classified in some way. The focus of analysis therefore is on the nature and characteristics of the offender, rather than on the criminal act. The positivist approach is directed towards the treatment of offenders. Offending behaviour is analysed in terms of factors or forces beyond the conscious control of the individual. Since each individual offender is different from all others, treatment must be individualised. One strand of scientific research attempted to provide biological explanations for criminal behaviour; the other focused on psychological factors associated with criminality. Biological positivism Biological positivism was first popularised through the work of Lombroso. Borrowing heavily from evolutionary theories, Lombroso attempted to distinguish different types of human individuals, and to classify them on the basis of racial and biological difference. In a form of "criminal anthropology", the argument here was that a general theory of crime can be developed on the basis of measurable physical differences between the criminal and the no criminal. For Lombroso, the criminal was born, not made. The idea of a "born criminal" reflected the notion that crime is the result of something essential to the nature of the individual criminal. The emphasis on biological factors in explanations of crime was reflected in a number of subsequent studies. The study conducted on 355 male inmates of Pentridge

Television as the Substitute Good Essay Example for Free

Television as the Substitute Good Essay Studying the conditions, it can be understood that the television set is a substitute good of the television repairmen. Meaning, if the cost of hiring repairmen goes up, the demand for television sets will rise (Piana 2005). Although this may seem counter-intuitive, it makes much more sense when the problem is closely observed. Firstly, we take only in consideration the two goods given: repairmen and television sets. It does not follow that television sets have an absolute need of repairmen for the industry to survive. When a television set breaks, hiring a repairman is not the only option. The second option is the second good itself. People have the option to simply buy a new television set. It is true that the market of repairmen is dependent on the demand for television sets but the scenario asks for the opposite. The market of television sets does not rely on the demand of repairmen. Overall, we can say that the increase of repairmen cost per hour will increase the quantity of new television sets sold. If the cost of television repairmen becomes too high, people will have the tendency to buy new sets instead of hiring repairmen. Of course, this scenario relies on the condition that other goods in the market are not considered. If we take into consideration goods that rival the television such as computers and what not, then the market for television sets may go down with the repairmen. However, the problem must be limited to the given and all other factors cannot be applied. Since television and repairmen are the only ones to be considered, then the prediction above is more or less acceptable.

The History Of Down Syndrome Social Work Essay

The History Of Down Syndrome Social Work Essay This paper looks at the various theories that explain social interactions within the society, such as the gaze model. Other theories are the social model, the medical model and the stigma theory. These theories provide guidance into understanding the various interactions between the disabled and normal individuals within the community. Another name for the Down syndrome phenomenon is trisomy 21. This condition occurs when there is an extra copy of chromosome number 21 in the body system of an individual. Shildrick (2009) denotes that this condition causes a change in the body make of a child, and this leads to facial disfigurement. This article takes a closer look at the impact of the Down syndrome phenomenon. It analyzes the issues that affect the social construction of people with disabilities, and in this case, children with the Down syndrome phenomenon. This paper analyzes a variety of theoretical frameworks that explain the behavior of people in regard to the disabled. It synthesis these theories, into various ideologies of inclusion, and helps in answering the question on whether children whose face are disfigured due to the Down syndrome condition are included in the affairs of the society. This paper defines, and critically examines issues surrounding the social constructions of the disabled. Amongst the issues identified are, social identity, facial disfigurement, disability and the notion of the Down syndrome. DePoy et al (2011) denotes that facial disfigurement occurs when the face of a child takes another form, which is against the normal. It changes the appearance of a person, and the condition has a direct influence on an individuals perception in the society. Social identity refers to the attitude, or perception that a group in the society, views another person or themselves. Social identity emanates from an individual self-conception. DePoy et al further denotes that this perception of self, results to an individual placing him or herself to a specific social group (2011). John Turner and Henri Tajfel developed the theory of social identity, and they did this after studying the behavior of the society towards the disabled people (Tajfel, 1982). The theory denotes that social identity is a process that provides guidance on how people behave, within a group or in relation to others. Frances (2004) observes that people within a social group interact by looking at their status in the society. Frances further denotes that the rich tend to interact with the rich, and the disabled tend to interact with the disabled (2004). Their condition in the society gives them the legitimacy to belong to a particular group. According to the social identity theory, the social environment forces the disabled to withdraw from the various social activities within the community (Frances, 2004). This is because of stigma and discrimination. For instance, children with facial disfigurements will be unable to engage effectively with their peers, either in games or classes. DePoy et al (2011) observes that this is because of the various social groups formed within the society, and these children are unable to fit amongst them. Selikowitz (1997) denotes that disability arises out of the emotional, physical or mental impairment of an individuals body condition. Facial disfigurement amongst children with the Down syndrome phenomenon is an example of a physical disability. Selikowitz further denotes that Down syndrome is the main cause of disability amongst children (1997). Pueschel (2006) observes that during the 20th century, children with the element of the Down syndrome were housed in special institutions, and special houses. This is because of the various discriminative policies followed by the government or the society. This had an impact on their exclusion in the society. This changed in the 1960s with the emergence of the Civil rights movements, whose purpose was to advocate for the rights of children with the Down syndrome condition. To rectify this problem in United States of America, Kathryn McGee formed the National Association of Down Syndrome (Marini et al, 2012). The main goal of the institution was to advocate for the various rights of children with the Down syndrome problem, and ensure their inclusion in the society (Marini et al, 2012). The formation of these associations is an element of the social model theory. The theory denotes that problems that arise out of the disability of an individual are created by the society. The society is characterized by the presence of social groups, which enhance the notion of self-identity. To help disfigured children, it is essential to use social mechanisms such as peer groups, and civil associations to advocate for the rights of the disabled. The surrounding community must initiate environmental procedures that will protect children suffering from the Down syndrome condition. This will ensure their participation in all events of their social lives, minimizing the rate of stigma and discrimination that these children suffer from. This theory makes it possible for a change in the perception of the society towards these children. These changes occur in the cultural beliefs, and ideological perceptions. Davis (2006) denotes that the theory recognizes the specific rights of disabled children, and advocates for various measures that will ensure these children are well protected, and included within the society. Lansdown (1997) denotes that the social model theory advocates for the abolishment of negative stereotyping. It does this through lobbying and holding sensitization conferences to educate people on the various misconceptions about the disabled children. By doing this, they aim to influence their inclusion in the various social affairs of the community. However, medical model theorists argue that disability arises out of the medical malfunctioning of an individuals body. To these theorists, the facial disfigurement of a child is a medical problem, and it requires a medical solution. The medical theorists advocate for surgery, and psychological treatment to improve the facial conditions of these children. The theory lobbys for a health care policy that will address issues that arise because of problems faced by children whose faces are disfigured due to the Down syndrome condition (Marinelli et al, 1991). A good example of such a policy is the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists guidance on the procedures of screening pregnant women. This is to identify whether the children they carry will suffer from the Down syndrome condition. According to this model, for children with abnormal facial characteristics to participate effectively in the social environment, they must undergo surgery. This will correct their facial defects. Mojo et al, (2010) denotes that surgery plays an important role in reducing the facial features of a child with the Down syndrome condition. He further denotes that this leads to a reduction in discrimination, and social stigma because their faces are corrected to the normal (Mojo et al, 2010). The use of plastic surgery to correct the facial condition of disabled children is controversial. The European Down Syndrome society advocates against its use. According to the society, children with the Down syndrome condition must find acceptance in the society despite their abnormality. In as much as surgery is important, it is essential to enact social policies that will make these children gain acceptance in the society. This is because not every people can afford to the high costs associated wit h surgery. On this note, it is a moral responsibility for the society to implement measures that will lead to the inclusion of the disabled in the society. This includes enacting policies that will ensure they get better and quality education that compare to their peers. The policies should create special sports and recreational facilities whose main objective is to enable these children to participate in the various social activities of the society. The European Down syndrome society denotes that through surgery, the medical institutions accelerate discrimination and the stigma that these children suffer from. Bluhm et al (2009) denotes that these children will became aware of their medical problems, and this will result to their withdrawal from the community. On this note, instead of accelerating the inclusion of these people into the society, surgery has made them to suffer exclusion. Stigma is an issue that arises in this article. Stigma is a disapproval or discontentment of an individual by observing the various characteristics upon the person that makes them different from other members of the society. Stigma emanates from the opinions of other people towards people with disability, and these opinions can either be right or wrong. By critically analyzing the medical model, children with facial disfigurement suffer from stigma. Rennie (2001) denotes that this is the reason as to why the medical model advocates for surgery, in order to correct their facial conditions. Correcting their conditions will make them integrate within the community, and rectify their low self-esteem. They will manage to involve themselves in various social activities, and these results to their inclusion in the society. According to Erving Goffman, stigma is a behavior and reaction of people, towards another person who does not possess the same identity as theirs. Erving Goffman denotes that there are three different kinds of social stigma, and he names them as (Tremain, 2005); Deviation that occurs due to an individuals behavior, such as alcohol addiction and drug use. Stigma arising from negative ethnicity, and stereotyping. This may either emanate from religion, and or cultural influences. Stigma may arise out of medical conditions that cause external deformations. In this category are people suffering from the Down syndrome phenomenon. Due to stigma, children suffering from the Down syndrome phenomenon are unable to interact freely within the society. This is because of the facial disfigurements, which cause their peers to view them as outsiders. Due to stigma, the notion of negative labeling arises. It creates a sense of us vs. them; as a result, these children cannot fully interact within the society. Their condition makes it impossible for the society to fully accept them, and include them in all aspects of their affairs. These activities can either be social, political, religious or even economic. Tremain (2005) denotes that the gaze theory depicts these children as either worthy or unworthy of societal support. These supports may take the form of home care treatments, special privileges such as the enactment of affirmative actions in employment and school facilities, etc. The gaze theory measures the ability of children with facial disfigurements by their level of interaction in the society (Tremain, 2005). After measuring the abilities of individuals with the Down syndrome problem, the gaze theory then offers a solution to their problems. This solution is based on the acceptance of a disabled person that he or she is unable to survive without the assistance of the community (Mojo et al, 2010). Tremain (2005) observes that when a disabled person insists on his ability to conduct his own affairs, the society leaves him alone. Tremain further denotes that these people will struggle to get the services they are entitled to, because of discrimination and stigma arising out of their refusal to give some of their rights for purposes of gaining acceptance (2005). Bluhm et al denotes that this situation leads to the exclusion of the concerned disabled person in the social affairs of the community (2009). Gaze theory can also refer to the manner in which an individual looks at images of a person, in a visual medium, and thereafter make a comparison to the same individual on a visual text. Under the gaze theory, there are social codes that regulate the way in which a person ought to look like (Bluhm et al, 2009). These codes are strictly regulated by culture. For instance, if a person avoids another persons gaze, it might reflect a sign of nervousness, fear or lack of confidence. Children whose faces are disfigured cannot properly maintain a gaze (Bluhm et al, 2009). The society looks at them as weaklings, and individuals who lack self-esteem and confidence. Basing on this, they are unable to interact fully within a society, and this affects their inclusion in the affairs of the society. Despite these challenges faced by people with the Down syndrome condition, there are a number of renowned persons who have defied stigma, and discrimination to make it in the society. Most of them are in the media, and particularly in the movie industry. An example is Andrea Friedman and Paula Sage. Paula Sage is a Scottish actress who won fame for her role in the movie After life. She won the BAFTA awards, as the best female actress of the season 2003 (Kulesz, 2011). She also won the title of the best actress in 2004 during the Bratislava International film festival. Andrea Friedman is also an actress, and has starred in movies such as Life Goes On; and the television series known as Family Guy. In 1996, Stephen Ginnz was the first actor with a Down syndrome problem to lead a motion picture production. As a result of this, Stephen Ginnz won numerous awards, among them includes, the Wasserman award for the best cinematography, the Warner Bros picture best film award, and the Martin Scorsese best film award. Stephen won all this awards in 1996 (Kulesz, 2011). Another actor is Tommy Jessop, who starred in the BBC drama known as Coming Down the Mountain. In 2008, Tommy won the Radar people of the year, human rights media award. He has also appeared in Holby city, Casualty, Doctors and Monroe. All this are British television series programs. In 2010, Tommy starred in the BBC television program, the Stone. Another notable figure is Pablo Pineda. He is a Spanish actor, who starred in the film, Yo Tambien (Kulesz, 2011). In the film, he takes the role of a university graduate, with the Down syndrome condition. Due to his role in the film, Pineda won the 2009 Silver Shell award. Thes e actors won these awards because of the recognition of their talents by their various viewers. This recognition denotes no matter how disable a person is, with talent, and hard work, he will gain acceptance within the society. To conclude on this paper, children with the Down syndrome condition face a lot of stigma and discrimination in the societal set up. Their peers view them as outsiders, as a result of this; they are unable to effectively participate in the various activities that their fellow children engage in. This leads to an element of exclusion, and not inclusion. Things are changing in the current century. Movements such as the European Down Syndrome association have emerged, and their main objective is to sensitize people on the various misconceptions they have regarding children with the Down syndrome phenomenon. PERSONAL REFLECTION ON DISABILITY THAT ARIZES FROM THE DOWN SYNDROME CONDITION: The notion that people who are disable cannot make it in society is false. These people are human beings, and need to live a normal life, just like normal people, who do not possess any form of malfunctioning in their body system. To help this people lead a normal life, it is important for the government and the society to work hand in hand in ensuring that the disabled manage to acquire social services, such as education, health services, etc. It is the discriminative tendencies, and the stigma that the society faces that make these children to feel as if they are no longer needed in the society. It is important for the government to enact policies that are effective in tackling the mentioned problems. On this note, to help these children feel as if they are part of the society, the government and all social groups in the community must work hand in hand for purposes of making life better for these children.