Monday, September 30, 2019

Willy Loman

The American Dream is the idea that with hard work and perseverance, anyone can succeed in America, the land of opportunity.   However, as time went by, the idea of the American Dream came to mean working to buy material possessions, and no matter how hard someone works, there is always more to buy.   As people struggle to achieve the American Dream, companies downsize and fire people who have given their lives to that company.   Capitalism in America causes a very few people to gain wealth while the rest of society just continues to struggle. The unforgettable Willy Loman and his family demonstrate the dangers and downright destructive forces of capitalism.   Willy Loman has simply unrealistic expectations of his own life and his family members.   He does not face his own flaws and just cannot seem to get ahead.   Willy Loman shows the dangers of getting too wrapped up in the very values of capitalism such as the idea that money equals character and material possessions defines self-worth. As Willy continues to be unsuccessful, he feels more and more inadequate and depressed.   He is courted by the grand idea of the American Dream without understanding that it is almost unattainable for many.   He suffers from this system as well as his own inability to change the dream or to cope with the unrealistic nature of the dream.   Capitalism kills his American Dream. Willy raises his children by transferring his own unrealistic version of the dream to them in myriad ways.   Willy’s focus in raising his children is that they be both attractive and popular. By raising his children this way, they never learn any skills that will sustain them in life.   In fact, they learn really the opposite of capitalism in making the effort to get ahead. Biff, who thinks he is above it all because he is so popular and well-liked that he doesn’t devote any time to schoolwork and ends up flunking high school math.   He doesn’t make it up in summer school so he cannot go to college.   He actually ends up stealing from his boss, and is basically floundering in the world.   He, like his father, always has grandiose ideas about success.   Happy, on the other hand, turns out another way.   Happy believes that Bill Oliver (the boss Biff stole from) will lend them money for one of their half-baked plans about selling sporting goods.   He is completely unrealistic and has no ambition.   Happy is well-liked, especially by women, but spends all his time trying to â€Å"score.† No effort is devoted to actually getting a job or being self-sufficient.   Because Willy is so focused on the idea that his children will achieve the American Dream, he teaches them horrible values.   When Biff steals a football, Willy praises him.   When Biff flunks math, he ignores the fact that Biff cheated.   He pumps up their self-esteem so much that they cannot hold down jobs.   They cannot seem to stoop to taking orders from anyone.   And Willy cannot seem to avoid making these false promises to them. For example as he tells his boys, â€Å"the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates a personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want.   You take me, for instance.   I never have to wait in line to see a buyer.   â€Å"Willy Loman is here!†Ã‚   That’s all they have to know and I go right through.† (Miller 33)   However, he is a salesman for the same company who lets him go without a second thought, as he becomes less useful to them.   Willy is not preparing his children for a world of capitalistic corporate downsizing and such. He pumps his children up for life but goes way too far in avoiding the truth.   When Biff talks about working for Bill Oliver, he says, â€Å"How the hell did I ever get the idea I was a salesman there?   I even believed myself that I’d been a salesman for him!   And then he gave me one look and –I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life had been!   We’ve been talking in a dream for fifteen years. I was a shipping clerk† (Miller 104).   In this quote Biff summarizes the idea that Willy has filled them both full of hot air, to the point that they cannot even live in the â€Å"real† world.   Biff cannot even admit that he was only a lowly clerk and so he ends up getting angry and stealing from his own boss.   Willy has not allowed the boys to truly see reality. Another capitalistic idea presented is that everyone must work and work in this world to provide for their families, to keep them in the newest things.   However, people never really get to see the benefits of all their hard work.   As a society, most families are in debt for everything they â€Å"own,† and they never get to see the end product of that.   As Willy says, Figure it out.   Work a lifetime to pay off a house.   You finally own it, and there’s nobody left to live in it† (Miller 15). By the time Willy works enough years in his life to pay off the house and the stuff in it, the kids are grown and he is on the verge of retirement.   And as he says, â€Å"I gotta be at it ten, twelve hours a day† (Miller 37).   He works so hard to provide for his family but never actually gets to spend time with them because he is always working to pay for all that stuff.   In a capitalistic world, things are made to be replaced and to keep their owners paying on them.   â€Å"Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it is broken. I just finished paying for the car and it's on its last leg (Miller 36). The same idea is expressed again by Willy in talking with Linda about the refrigerator.   They are discussing the expensive General Electric which functions well versus the cheaper Hastings model that they bought.   â€Å"Whoever heard of a Hastings refrigerator?   Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it’s broken!   I’m always in a race with the junkyard!   I just finished paying for the care and it’s on its last legs.   The refrigerator consumes belts like a goddam maniac. They time those things.   They time them so when you finally paid for them, they’re used up† (Miller 73).   Like the products that are all around him, Willy is also used up himself, and his company will prove this by letting him go after his dedication all these years. The idea that everyone must work really hard and advance their way up the ladder in order to make a good living is also presented.   â€Å"To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two-week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off.   And always to have to get ahead of the next fella.   And still—that’s how you build a future† (Miller 22). Ben and Charley are both presented as foils to this idea, and Willy is depressed that he does not live the lifestyle of either of these men, but he â€Å"missed the boat† so to speak.   These men both kind of â€Å"luck† into things as is often the case in a capitalistic society.   Many times, it makes no difference how hard one works or how liked he is or anything else; it is about being in the right place at the right time. People can be discarded in this capitalistic world when they no longer serve their â€Å"purpose.†Ã‚   Willy is fired after devoting his life to the company with the horrible epithet of capitalism, â€Å"business is business.†(Miller 80).     Willy has given his adult life to sales for this company, and when he is no longer â€Å"useful† to them, he is fired.   â€Å"[Y]ou can't eat the orange and throw the peel away — a man is not a piece of fruit!† (Miller 82) The Wagner Company has sucked the life out of him and then fired him, discarding him like a useless piece of orange rind.   â€Å"I don't say he's a great man. Willie Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person† (Miller 56). Linda is making a statement to America here about the way workers are treated in such a capitalistic society.   When everyone wants to â€Å"get ahead,† humanity is lost.   Willy is a person, and he deserves to be treated like one.   â€Å"He works for a company thirty-six years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away† (Miller 56). Humanity is lost.   Workers should have pensions for devoting their lives to a company.   As he says to Charley, â€Å"you end up worth more dead than alive† (Miller 76).   His life insurance policy left to his family will provide better for them than he ever could.   This again, is the sadness of many corporate lives when they have reached the end of their â€Å"usefulness† according to the powers that be. Willy even has grandiose ideas about his own funeral and his importance in this dehumanized world.   Willy has given his life for the business, and feels that his funeral will be spectacular.   All the people he sold to will be there.   People from all over New England will attend because he was so well-liked but in reality, no one attends—his family and Charley. In all, Willy Loman was destroyed by the capitalistic society.   Capitalism kept him working in a job to â€Å"keep up with the Jones’† he was able to buy all the things that society sells to us with the idea that they are indispensable.   He devotes his life to his job in sales, never spending much time with his family because he was always on the road.   In the end, what does he have to show for it?   Nothing.   His boys are not productive and suffer from false illusions of their own.   He kills himself so that his life insurance policy will provide for his family.   Arthur Miller provides this play is a kind of indictment on the way the world is progressing today, particularly America.   He provides Willy Loman as a sort of tragic hero who wants to hold to some of the â€Å"old† ideas but is continually beaten down by the new trends.   Capitalism kills the American Dream. Works Cited Miller, Arthur, Death of a Salesman, Penguin Books, Middlesex England, 1949.                  

Sunday, September 29, 2019

ERP Implementation Project Essay

Rolls Royce is one of those pioneers global companies which they have facilities in the most of the world countries, many suppliers, partners and huge base of customers all over the world, moreover as the most pioneers global organisations actions to avoid the hypercompetitive in the global market, globalization and many challenges Rolls Royce decided in 1998 to change its organizational strategies to be more flexible and more response to the customers’ demands which that need to flatten its organizational structure hierarchy and turn to be process oriented rather than functional oriented so they divided the company into two business units the first one called customer focused business unit (CFBU) which there all the orders and sales deals comes and where all focused on customers’ needs to achieve best sales and second one called operation business unit (OBU) which there is the production of products to fulfill other units demands, Executive group who managed all the un its and all decisions come from them to be distributed to whole company staff. Rolls Royce has recognized that changes of its organizational strategies, aspiration and plans in growths over all the world will not be supported by the legacy resources planning systems which it owned them and the difficulty of theses systems to be fixed and development and because the important of the information technology and the internet to create process oriented business environment and how much is effective to transfer the organization from rigid structure to be more flexible, so Rolls Royce decided to sign partnership with electronic data service company (EDS) to find for it modern business solution system for the data information management and resources planning to be more flexible and modify of its requirements which is in its turn decided to implement the SAP enterprise resources planning system (ERP) on operation business unit (OBU) and in my point of view the step that sign with outsourcing partner to find solution to specific issue like what Rolls Royce did with EDS and outsourcing the IT solutions issue one of one of the steps have done by Rolls Royce to overcome the complications of the ERP implementation and let it just focusing on the its field of engines manufacturing. Important steps has done by outsourcing the implementation project to specialized company because Rolls Royce has realised the fact that this kind of projects on huge  organisation are risky, any error in implementation will lead to huge money losing, many practical examples prove that, like the fail in implementation ERP system cost DELL 10 $ billions just to scrap it, moreover this kind of systems very expensive to remove it or to retrieve the data from it or even to modify it, the customization for this kind of systems is very expensive, this kind of system need high integration between departments, peoples and users because in truth the ERP system need board organisational transformation process specially in the organisation management model , organisation structure , management style and culture and particularly to staff so the organisation must be ready to implement the ERP system, ready to change which Rose Royce was ready to this transformation and there is integration betw een department instead the success implementation will make the company get all the benefits and advantages of this kind of the systems like process automotive and the quick access of up to date and timely management information which give the organisation competitive advantage which the Rolls Royce one of those organisations want to achieve that’s advantage so it was critical to the Rolls Royce to achieve success ERP project implementation, so they forming project team to implement the ERP system in success fashion, this team consist outsourcing specialists from external company EDS , which EDS itself has specialized on SAP system , SAP consultants and internal managers and staff have good experience with cross-functional business relationships and experience on the old systems, all of them will corporate to achieve the project implementation success. As any complicated projects of implementation, the Rolls Royce ERP project implementation faced some problems can be grouped into three area of culture, business and technical. Culture problems we can conclude it in sentence of the people are afraid of what they do not understand, as unexpectedly the new system faced resistance from the people in spite of the new system do the same functions or better than the legacy one has, so the project team decided to increase the original plan period because they need more time to illustrate them the advantages of the new system and how will do positive effects on the department and the company as whole, moreover they need to make the people integrate and to train them how to use it in effective way they tried to make the accept it as new work environment practices through educational plan to educate the staff in the new system  which the plan consists , presentation , demonstration , information delivery and expert training moreover the team trained around 10000 employees in the organization, the project team strategy realised that important to accept the system and turn them to new environment practices which cons ider significant to running the system in success way and to create proper integration between the departments to achieve the advantages of the new system unless the ERP system will not add value or competitive advantage if the users not integrate between each other’s, for that the project team take all the time required to overcome this problem . The Technical problems had raised in the implementation project is the data and how much this data important and valuable to the organization in hand and the high cost of retrieve, transfer and storing these date in new system server in other hand, also the fairs to lose the valuable data on the old system servers and the difficulty to retrieve the data from the old system which its stored there in sensitive format moreover the possibility of the data duplication all of these problems the team success to solve it with lowest cost to achieve that the project team in some special area of the old system they kept it running until they can phased it out by the new system then they have built interface bridge between the old system and new system, like when they kept the computer aided design (CAD) used by Rolls Royce the same. Rolls Royce ERP implementation project is success practices case study for complicated and costly projects as the ERP implementation project, as we noted from this case study the project implementation require organization willingness to change on its organisational structure, the pepole integration between different departments is vital factor to achieve success fashion of implementation, ERP system modification and customization are costly and expensive that lead us to said that the ERP implementation projects is term of organisation processes, organisation style, organisation fashion, organisation pepole integration, organisation pepole practices modification not system customization, the organisation realization of complications of implementation the system lead it to form expert project teams to achieve success implementation even by outsourcing service unless will be error in implementation which that disaster as we read in the paper real disaster examples of error ERP implanta tion and how its cost the organisation billions, in finally when the organisation decide to implement  the ERP system it must be ready and able to define the main core businesses requires the ERP system then the organisation can deiced which of ERP modules is fit to the organisation need. References Yasuf, Y., Gunasekaran, A. & Abthorpe, M., 2004. Enterprise information systems project implementation: A case study of ERP in Rolls-Royce. International Journal of Production Economics, 87 (3), pp.251-266. ,

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Are Goverments Efforts in Curbing GreenHpuse Emissions Enough Essay

Are Goverments Efforts in Curbing GreenHpuse Emissions Enough - Essay Example The paper tells that many governments worldwide are putting in efforts to curb the emission of greenhouse gases is evident and promising. The efforts are there to see. But there is another factor that is not just equally but more disturbing. Since 1970’s the emission of green house gases worldwide has roughly doubled and with the current efforts and policies, it is believed to go up by 70% by 2050. The two major contributors of greenhouse gases are USA and China. USA and China account for nearly 44% of the total carbon dioxide production on the planet. China is responsible for 23% of the total carbon dioxide production while USA accounts for 21%. According to the Fifth U.S. Climate Action Report, there has been a 17% increase in the emissions of the greenhouse gases in the US during 1990-2007. Emission of greenhouse gases in China is increasing even more rapidly. From 1992 to 2002, there has been a 56% increase in the emission and since it has doubled. Going by the current pac e, the emissions are expected to double or triple by 2025. This is a clear indicator again, that the efforts of the 2 main contributors of greenhouse gas emissions are falling short by a long margin. The above holds good for the governments of other countries too. France and Britain have openly admitted that the goal to bring down emissions by 20% by 2020 is very low. Also the efficiency goal of improving by 20% by 2020 set by European Union has a big problem. According to the European Commission only half the 10% of improvement in efficiency will be achieved. (The Economist, 2011). Slovenia has adopted numerous plans to curb the emission of greenhouse gases but has failed to abide by its commitment to Kyoto obligations. Karl Erjavec, Slovenia’s Environment Minister, had said in 2009 government session that the requirements of the Kyoto obligations were not met. In 2009, Slovenia’s carbon dioxide emissions were 1m kilo tonnes more than the Kyoto limit (EVROPA, 2009). I t is now clear that irrespective of numerous initiatives and efforts, there has been a rapid increase in the greenhouse gases worldwide. This goes to prove that the efforts of the government in curbing the emission of greenhouses gases are not enough. There is an urgent need for Governments of all nations to take up this seriously and starting working towards reducing the greenhouse gas emissions before it is too late and the changes become irreversible. There are various reasons and challenges why governments have not been able to take strong actions and enforce stricter laws to prevent emission of green house gases. As said,

Friday, September 27, 2019

HYPNOTHERAPY & NEURO LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING Essay

HYPNOTHERAPY & NEURO LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING - Essay Example When a person actually realizes where he wants to be in life, his dream will come true. Pillar three is about behaviour flexibility. To achieve an outcome, the person behaves in a certain manner. If this behavior pattern is nonproductive, it should be changed. This adaptability of the behaviour enhances the chances of the person to accomplish the desired results. Neurological levels help to understand the overall process of personal change issues. It identifies the best time and the best place to make necessary changes in a person which enables him to achieve success. The idea of capability focuses on talents, skills, resources, strategies and abilities that guide our behaviour and enables us to take the required action. The capabilities should be analysed properly so that we can deliberately make use of it whenever required. The values and beliefs in our lives influence the way that we act and think. If we think negatively about our performance of certain activity, we are bound to fell. If we develop the required skills, self-confidence will increase. This will have a positive impact on the perceived belief and will make necessary changes in limited beliefs. Making a change in one neurological level impacts overall neurological hierocracy in shape or form. For example if we join a group who gossips about our close friend, we will feel guilty. Our behaviour will contradict our personal value system concerning respect and integrity. This will down our character as a person from our own perspective. . The ‘map’ is referred to our mind or a person’s perception while; the ‘territory’ is about the impression of external fact or reality. However, this perception of external reality is only one possible interpretation. NLP does not view a person as defective or wrong. If the person is not good at one activity, they may be worthwhile at getting lost or discovering alternative routes to follow. NLP focuses on positive self-worth of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Opportunity Analysis of New Business Venture 03067 Essay

Opportunity Analysis of New Business Venture 03067 - Essay Example A major advantage of the photography business is the low barriers to entry. Additionally, the capital investments are also low as compared to other conventional business sectors. The manpower requirements are also little. Major investments in such a business category are primarily incurred in respect of technology such as procurement of highly efficient cameras (Bowman, 2012). The current paper analyses the feasibility of the new business venture ‘Clickpix’. Clickpix would be a professional photography studio, which expertises in still photography. The company would provide photography services for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate parties, baby shower and so on. It would also provide non occasional casual photography services. Apart from providing the photographs through albums and mails, the company would also provide services such as engraving and imprinting photographs upon different materials such as tiles, clothes, showpiece items, key rings, wall clocks, coffee mugs. Photo framing services in different and unique forms would also be provided. The company would facilitate its clients with customized photography and photo presentation services. Clickpix aims to specialize in portrait photography. The business would be to set up at a prime location in the city of Ottawa. Ottawa consists of the most ed ucated population of Canada and is considered to be the nation’s cultural hub. The standard of living in the nation is seen to be high leading to elevated income earning potency. Due to the existence of such high standards of living, residents of the city are used to luxurious living. Such factors are likely to create more opportunities for the growth of Clickpix as the spending power of the target population especially on luxury products and services is considerably high (Pomfret, 2013). Every business plan requires careful opportunity analysis so that suitable techniques can be

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Digital Forensic Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Digital Forensic Tools - Essay Example Likewise, anomalous space extraction will enhance capabilities of network administrators for PCA based methods. Moreover, network wide correlation analysis of amplitude and frequency that is also a subset of this methodology will determine overall transmission of data packets initiating from these distributed networks. After the identification of the root cause or source of the worm, the next step is to identify the infected nodes as well. Network administrator will use a specialized tool capable of all the mentioned technological methods, as manual work will consume a lot of time and in some cases it becomes impossible to detect unknown patterns that are located deep down the network layers. The name of the tool is ‘Wireshark’, as it has advanced facilities and features that will analyze network traffic packet by packet and will provide in-depth analysis (Scalisi 2010). By using this ‘Wireshark’ tool, the first step a network administrator will take is the identification of traffic type or port types that will be the focus area. Likewise, the second step will be associated with capturing data packets on all ports that are available on the network (Scalisi 2010). However, the Network Forensic Analysis Tool (NFAT) provides playback actions for investigations an electronic crime or hacking activity. NFAT targets users, hosts and protocols along with content analysis as well. In spite of all these features, NFAT does not support overall detection of live network traffic. Consequently, ‘Wireshark’ will differentiate unknown network patters by analyzing each port so that statistics related to each data packet can be identified. The third task will be to trace the source from where the attack has been initiated.... Network administrator will use a specialized tool capable of all the mentioned technological methods, as manual work will consume a lot of time and in some cases it becomes impossible to detect unknown patterns that are located deep down the network layers. The name of the tool is ‘Wireshark’, as it has advanced facilities and features that will analyze network traffic packet by packet and will provide in-depth analysis (Scalisi 2010). By using this ‘Wireshark’ tool, the first step a network administrator will take is the identification of traffic type or port types that will be the focus area. Likewise, the second step will be associated with capturing data packets on all ports that are available on the network (Scalisi 2010). However, the Network Forensic Analysis Tool (NFAT) provides playback actions for investigations an electronic crime or hacking activity. NFAT targets users, hosts and protocols along with content analysis as well. In spite of all thes e features, NFAT does not support overall detection of live network traffic. Consequently, ‘Wireshark’ will differentiate unknown network patters by analyzing each port so that statistics related to each data packet can be identified. The third task will be to trace the source from where the attack has been initiated. Likewise, network administrators have to focus on two areas i.e. record routes and time stamps. Moreover, these two fields are also considered by network administrators to address routing issues that may occur.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Balanced Reading Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Balanced Reading Program - Essay Example Such issues have been addressed and overcome by the introduction of a balanced literacy program. The balanced reading approach offers effective techniques for enhancing reading, writing, listening, viewing and speaking skills of the students through its literacy program. According to Cohen and Cowen (2007): â€Å""The primary goal of a balanced literacy program is to teach reading, not as a skill broken into isolated steps, but as a lifelong learning process that promotes higher order thinking, problem solving and reasoning† (Pp. 37). The basic components of a Balanced Literacy Program include: Reading Alouds, Shared Reading, Guided reading, Independent Reading, Modeled/ Shared writing, Interactive Writing, and Independent Writing. The essential components of a Balanced Reading Program, on the other hand include: explicit instruction and practice in essential academic learning requirements which includes phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and thinking skills and strategies etc; Response to reading through writing, discussion and drama; Classroom environment i.e. conducting activities individually or in small groups, focusing on thinking and learning and problem-solving, as well as student interaction; High expectations, clear standards and continuous evaluation; Use of variety of materials such as fiction, non-fiction, and other popular genres; and Daily Reading which includes shared reading, reading to students by teachers, guided reading, and independent reading practice (Holcomb, 2004). This article on â€Å"IQ, Phonological Awareness and Continuous-naming Speed Related to Dutch Poor Decoding Childrens Performance on Two Word Identification Tests" by Kees van den Bos deals with the word identification variables and reading-related variables of intelligence, phonological awareness and continuous naming speed. For the purpose of this study, a series of experiments were conducted on children aged between 10 and 12 years who had poor

Monday, September 23, 2019

What Caused the Current Economic Crisis Term Paper

What Caused the Current Economic Crisis - Term Paper Example This meant the very foundations on which our principles and understanding of the whole economic system was based on were shaken and jolted to an extent that people lost confidence in its integrity. It raised questions that directly pointed fingers on the functioning of the global financial markets. The whole crisis began when the US investors lost confidence in the value of sub-prime mortgages resulting in an adverse liquidity crisis. In fear of the effects of the looming liquidity crisis, the US Federal Bank injected huge sums of capital, liquid money, into financial markets in an attempt to prevent several hundred thousand businesses and individuals from declaring bankruptcy. By the end of September of the following year, the economic crisis had worsened as its negative effects started to crash stock markets on all the continents. This made investment highly volatile and investors lost millions of dollars overnight as this continued to spread further. A pinnacle was reached where c onsumer confidence was at its lowest in fear of the inevitable outcomes. Analyses reveal that at a more fundamental level the economic crisis could be attributed to the diligence of massive global imbalances. These imbalances were the outcomes of long periods of excessively loose monetary policy in the major advance economies during the early part of this decade. A major factor in this was the significant increase in the budget deficit of the United States, while at the same time the accumulation of huge amounts of surpluses in Asia, particularly in China and the oil exporting countries of Middle East. The current account balance of US in 2008 as a percent of its GDP was -4.7%, and for China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and UAE was 10%, 28.9%, 6.1% and 15.8% respectively. This showed that even after billions of revenue for the Western Giant United States, the global net flow of money was directed towards the Eastern part. This imbalance was ever growing as the Economic power was slowly and gradually shifting from the West to the East. Experts stated that these imbalances were seen as the consequence of the relative inflexibility of the currency regimes in China and other such countries. According to Portes (2009), prevailing global macroeconomic imbalances were the major underlying cause of the crisis. The gap between the saving-investment function was extensive and this gap was only widening with time since developing countries started relying more heavily on developed economies to provide for their development expenditures. The immediate impacts of these huge cross-border financial flows were seen on the financial intermediation process. (Mohan, 2009) As stated earlier the monetary policy of US was also a contributing factor to the financial crisis of 2008. To understand this we have to visualize the dot com bubble burst in the early 2000’s. This resulted in a reduction of the interest rates and consistent ease in the monetary policy of US and other advanced economies. These rates maintained as low as 1 per cent in US during the period 2003-2004. This gave ample opportunity for new businesses to thrive in the country and huge investments were made during the first half of the decade. Figure 1 clearly demonstrates that during 2008 the effective federal fund rate in the US was around 1 per cent margin. This relatively loose monetary policy meant that transactions were being done on a credit basis more than ever in the history of the country. The effects of this were visible in the credit crunch of 2007 that eventually combined with other factors to bring about the economic crisis. The growing demand from the US consumers and its increasing reliance on cheap consumer goods being imported from Asian countries, mainly China,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Adolescent Student Attitudes Towards Mathematics Essay

Adolescent Student Attitudes Towards Mathematics - Essay Example Mathematics not only helps one individual in building his skills but also teaches one individual how to use them in his practical life. Keeping the importance of mathematics in mind this subject is compulsory in almost all sorts of education systems. As this subject is compulsory for everyone some students face difficulties while studying it while some do not. However the subject of Mathematics is considered the most difficult one by the students too. The pace of learning of a student depends on many factors. A student's attention should be focused on the topic he is learning. The attitude of learner and the environment in which he is studying are the major factors of his learning process. In this article, I would further discuss the attitude of students and their environment and background in detail to find out the reasons of changing attitudes of students towards mathematics. Students' background means the situations and conditions of their daily routine and their relation to their home. In contrast, the attitude of the students talks about their awareness, approach and feelings about mathematics. It is observed that the situations in the home make the base of the students' future formal learning either strong or weak. A student always needs his mother, who is known to be the first teacher of a child, to help and guide him in solving complex mathematics topics and questions. The understanding, feeling and concerns of students' also play a magnificent role in their progress of learning a particular subject. The pace of learning and level of understanding of a particular subject can be determined and assessed properly if these factors are kept in mind. Many researches have evaluated the result that students' personal and family background contribute to a great extent in the accomplishment of their goals including their success in mathematics. The changing attitudes of students towards mathematics and other studies also depend on their social life. Certain questions must be answered to understand why their attitude changes. Q1: Are their any resources available for the students at their home If so what are they and if not what would be the effect How does it affect their attitudes Home has been verified to be the greatest support for the students to carry good marks along with the willingness to study further and more efficiently. The environment provided to the student greatly influences the student to focus on his studies. Mathematics, being a complex subject for the students, requires attention and time. A student having an educational environment at home is observed to be more competent in his studies than the student having a less-educated environment around him. The learning opportunities, physical and mental relaxation and the peaceful environment of home play a great role in the success of a learner. A number of researches have already shown the positive relationship of learning accomplishments and home issues. The availability of books makes the first impression and acts as the first motivation for the student to work hard in his studies. The students follow the path of their parents and elders. Although books are believed to be the fundamental learni ng resources, other support stuff are thought as supplements which provide ease in the learning particularly that of mathematics. Such materials are calculators, computers, laptops, dictionaries, guidebooks and study tables. The educational qualification of parents also affects the students' academic life. If the parents are well educated and know the importance of education they would always emphasize on the students' learning. Mathematics needs a lot of attention and

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The essence of human being, The Grand Inquisitor, Brother Karamozovs Essay Example for Free

The essence of human being, The Grand Inquisitor, Brother Karamozovs Essay The essence of human being Since ancient times by different scientists have tried to give a precise definition of the nature of man. The concept of human nature extremely broad, it can be used to describe not only the greatness and strength of a man, but also weakness and disadvantages. Human nature is unique in its contradictory unity of the material and the spiritual sides. However, with this concept, we can only see the contradictions in tragic way of human nature. A man cannot jump out of him/her body shell, and forget about it. Man is able to realize the contradictions of his nature, to understand that it belongs to the conflicting worlds the world of freedom and the world of necessary physical needs. Not everyone can middle between spiritual and material things. Hence, nobody can find what more important thing is for human being. In legend of Grand Inquisitor, on the main characters, Grand Inquisitor discussed about human nature, he gave own explanation. According to Grand Inquisitor points, the human nature is weak, rebel, materialist, and does not want to possess freedom. However, it is very difficult to give exact definition of human nature, because it depends on individual and every person has own way life. The most important thing in the world is earthly bread. Grand inquisitor said that people cannot live without material things. If somebody gave earthly bread mankind would follow him/her. Even though, there are people who value only heavenly bread; they cannot live without earthly bread, as freedom cannot feed them. Grand Inquisitor said that even if adherents of Jesus will be free. Followers cannot live without satisfying physical needs and they will look for the materialists. These free men will be dependent on materialists, because they do not have anything. Mankind will do anything for earthly bread. Possession of material things brings a satisfaction for people. However if humanity does not possess such satisfaction, then they can destroy everything for a piece of bread. At the end, mankind will proclaim that all actions were done for the common good. The second point is freedom, that it is the most difficult burden for human nature. Grand Inquisitor said that people try to find a tutor in order to he/she was responsible for their actions. In return, people will bow down before him/her, because tutor eliminates because he/she saves people from worries of the decision-making. Moreover, Grand Inquisitor believed that the searching of tutelage is the need for general obedience of humanity. It means that people always will find object of worship. People will destroy each other for their gods, because of everyone thinks that his/her God is the best. Finally, people do not want to make decision by themselves, because eventually they will be charged with actions. The third point is that human nature is weak. Grand Inquisitor believed that not everyone can withstand a spiritual freedom. Since, people try to quickly pass the freedom to those who soothe their consciences. Only a few will be able to live free as a simple human happiness and freedom of conscience are not compatible. For achievement of human happiness, people often deceive, betray and even kill, thus forgetting about the basic moral principles. The fourth point, that humanity is made a rebel. Grand Inquisitor believed that people will always revolt, because they always desire something. if somebody satisfies their wishes, then they will give up him/her. Accordingly, earthly bread, the most important is partially true. People cannot live without satisfying physical needs. People are created so that their body requires constant energy. If people do not have basic living conditions, they will do everything to achieve the goal. If people physical provide their basic needs such as food, clothing, and dwelling, they can think about other things. Consequently, the next step is spiritual self-development. Unfortunately, not all develop themselves, because some people think that possession of wealth is the development of humankind. Freedom is the hardest thing for human nature. Furthermore, people do not want to care, make decision by themselves. It means that most of people do not want to bear responsibility. Thus, there is a prejudice about responsibility. Many people believe that the responsibility is the obligation for a certain action. The duty is when people are forced to do something without desire by external factors or other people. Accordingly, responsibility is own desire of real understanding that things which happens in life. Every human being can be obligatory and at the same time irresponsible. It means that, when every person takes a job position, he/she has certain functions and duties. For example, a cook in the student cafeteria has own responsibilities and functions. Chef can cook unpalatable or undercooked food, but nevertheless he/she has fulfilled him/her obligation. Hence, everyone can perform own duties and functions, however do own job irresponsibly. Every man is weak or strong in own way, it depends on the person. When a person is born, his soul as glass, clear and transparent. All the good and bad (Grand Inquisitor’s points of human being) traits are laid in man. With time the glass gets dirty and dusty, also the soul become dirty and dusty, but some souls stay in pure condition. Moreover, not all souls can clear themselves from mud and dust. Purity of the soul is an attribute of morally the strongest people. Unfortunately, not everyone is born and can be a strong morally. That’s why, some people are susceptible to defects such as material things, lies, betrayal, and so on. Development of defects in human soul depends on the external and internal factors. For example, manifestation of soul disadvantages may occur due to bad upbringing. If the parents are not paying enough attention to own child, do not develop in him/her the moral qualities or maybe even the parents themselves do not have any moral character thus being an example to own child. In broad terms, a person can be described as creature possessing the will, the mind, the higher senses, ability to communicate and work. However, to give a more precise definition of the essence of man is very difficult, because it depends on individual. Grand Inquisitor did good and logical points about human nature, but if these points really describe the essence of every person, then a society, which Grand Inquisitor wanted create, would exist until to the present day. The essence of human nature depends on many factors, for example moral principles, perception and understanding of world, beliefs, aspirations and so on. Consequently, the nature of humanity depends on way of life that every person chooses in life.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Effect Of Plagiarism In University

Effect Of Plagiarism In University Plagiarism is to use someone elses words or idea without acknowledging the source. With the development of globalization process, more and more students choose to study aboard. Different education background precipitate plagiarism becoming more serious. Since the diploma from international university has become more valued by most people, resulting in a large number of people to study abroad is not in order to acquire knowledge, but in exchange for a diploma. This lead to a lot of students who are at the low foundation choose to study abroad, but limited academic competence and can not be independently completed the task of assignment, then they would use plagiarism complete it. According to that plagiarism is becoming more common in university. Another reason of plagiarism is that some students lack of understanding on foreign universities plagiarism discipline, therefore during the process of finishing the assignment the mistake may be happened. In short, plagiarism is a very serious issue in the academic writing. To avoid plagiarism, students must complete understand what the plagiarism is, and the cause of plagiarism. Only understanding the cause and effect could prevent it. There are many reasons for the cause of plagiarism. Moreover it has several negative effects on students and education system. Causes Do not understand plagiarism First of all, sometimes students do not realize that they are plagiarizing, because sometimes the inaccurate language can be regard as plagiarism. There is one way to avoid plagiarism is using the quotation marks around the copy words, and also need to add the authors name and publish year. But improper quote is a kind of plagiarism. When a direct quote is used, the quotation mark must be put in. If not, even if the reference is provided. This situation could cause the writer be accused of trying claim another persons work as his own (http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/plagiarism/). Even the quote is completely correct; overuse of direct quotations can lead a poor mark on the assignment. So its not a good choice to use too many quotations. That is why students need to use paraphrase and summary in academic writing task. An unfortunate thing is for the international students, especially the students from the non-English speaking countries. English as their second language they can not use it as well as their first language, so paraphrase and summary may make trouble in their writing. Students may use some sources full of complex sentence structure. To paraphrase those sentences is hard to organize words as well as the original one. That may make some students thinking their own work cannot compare and they may choose to copy the original source or just change some words of them, but use its primordial structure. (Kuhn 1957) To avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing, not only should the original words be changed, but also the sentence structure of the newly paraphrased text must be different from that of the original ( Roig, 2001) . According to that, students do not really understand it maybe plagiarizing. Inaccurate referencing In addition, inaccurate referencing could also cause the plagiarism. It includes five forms. (http://www.uea.ac.uk/plagiarism/understanding_plagiarism). Firstly reference must be clear to readers exactly which parts of essay draw on which scholars work. Simply including a bibliography at the end of assignment does not help the reader to distinguish which is own work and which is drawn from other scholars. Secondly using misleading reference is not allowed. Students can not forge references or include ones that they have not read. When students do not read the original but find it quoted in others article, it must indicate both the original text and the one they found. If only the original was acknowledged which is falsification. Third one, the ideas, theories, findings, etc of others are failed to attribute. Even there is no exact words quoted, it is still another scholars work that need to be acknowledged with a reference. Fourth one, the images, diagrams, tables etc should be also referenced in the same way as words. Even if the information in the presentation has been reworked, it also should be acknowledged where the data come from. The last but not least, on occasion students use some source without reference because they think it is a common knowledge, but sometimes the assuming is incorrect and it must actually be ascribed a certain individual or individuals. All in all, incomplete or inaccurate references can lead to plagiarism. Students need to check all references thoroughly when proofreading to ensure that no errors have been made. All references should be complete so that they can be traced by the reader. ( http://www.uea.ac.uk/plagiarism/plagiarism_forms5) Pressure According to famous research (Patrick G 1998), pressure is the strongest factor lead to possibility of plagiarism or cheating. The main kinds of pressure are grade pressure, time pressure, and task pressure. These three kinds of pressure are not isolated, for example, in many conditions without some time restraint the likeliness of feeling task pressure was reduced. (1) Grade pressure means academic pressures to a certain extent. When the students study in a university, they will face this pressure. Getting a degree is not a simple thing. To finish the assignment is quite a hard work and sometimes may get a low mark or even worse after a long period effort, after that student perhaps feels awful. Moreover going to study with an awful feeling can not achieve a satisfactory result. Then students will find themselves in the cycle. (https://www.york.ac.uk/students/support/health/problems/academic-pressures/) When students in this situation probably choose plagiarize to get a better mark to avoid it. (2) Time pressure -Students are often juggling conflicting constraints on the time they allocate to study due to working part-time or an active sporting or social life. Spending a significant amount of time undertaking paid employment whilst studying at university can present challenging situations which are likely to cause students to resort to plagiarism. Although there is no causal link between plagiarism and students being employed, evidence has found that students face increasing pressure to work whilst studying full time, putting them at risk of academic dishonesty or intentional omission of references as they make choices between allocating time between study and work.(Powell. L 2012) Time pressure maybe a excuse for students but it does exist. (3) Task pressure Task pressure relates to the number and types of assignments a student is struggling to complete during a given time period.(Patrick G 1998) Sometimes students will be given many assignments by different tutors but need to finish them in a short time. There is one more pressure need to be statement. The whole education system pressure The number of undergraduate and graduate students has been growing in almost every country around the world and those who enter the system stay for a longer time. (Just consider how much time it takes to get a Ph.D.) The personal investment is greater, as is the competition. In addition, there are more countries trying to move into the big leagues of academia, which adds even more pressure to the whole system.(Ivan Pacheco 2011). This pressure provokes the plagiarism in the academic field. more:http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/the_world_view/is_academic_corruption_on_the_rise#ixzz24z8KBAk9 Negative attitude Final cause is the negative attitude. Personal attitudes determine success or failure. The students with negative attitude could effect their academic motivation. If the academic motivation went to the negative part, students will lose their learning interests. When students lose it they will cost more time on enjoying college life, such as go parties or anticipate other activities, and when they pick up books they would feel sleepy. It is necessary to consider how these students can pass the exam? The majority of students may choose cheating in the exam or even pay someone to write the essay or just copy and paste others work then add a reference list at the end. Besides the student, even the professors are drawn into cheating issues. A professor at Columbia Universitys Teachers College who was propelled into the national spotlight when a noose was found on her office door last fall has been found to have plagiarized the work of a former colleague and two former students, the college has announced. (KAREN W. ARENSON and ELISSA GOOTMAN 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/education/21prof.html?_r=1adxnnl=1pagewanted=alladxnnlx=1346065286-naQLgtFv9vk7661DOblX1Q). Academic research is tough and endless. If the professors feel too eager to succeed or finish the tasks given by university, they may choose a closer way to succeed by plagiarism. To sum up above mentioned, plagiarism include two main types, Unintentional plagiarism and intentional plagiarism. Plagiarism is not allowed whatever the reason is. Effects Respect The first effect of plagiarism is this behavior is disrespectful to the original author. It is so rude to use anothers idea without referencing. Taking the exact words of another person without attribution is just like stealing a car from another person (Janice Moulton and George Robinson, Smith College, 2002). Michelle Langley (2010) claims that A student who has copied the work of another person is not showing respect for his own creative and intellectual potential. It also shows that he does not care about maintaining personal integrity. (http://www.ehow.com/facts_5472037_effect-plagiarism-students.html#ixzz24md4DHE4) Worsen academic environment Plagiarism tarnished the academic purity. When many students cheating in university, the whole learning environment will be affected then make the situation worse. When one student pass the assignment through plagiarism successful, and people around him know this news, they may try it. Then more and more students will find it is easy to finish assignment by plagiarism. That will make the number of people who plagiarism rise continue. That is minority students plagiarize cause plagiarism rife. It is certainly effect the whole academic environment in the university. Even in the famous university Oxford can not avoid it Plagiarism could threaten the value of a degree from Oxford University as students increasingly copy large slabs of work from the internet and submit it as their own, the university has warned.(Alexandra Smith 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/mar/15/highereducation.news) That is plagiarism produce plagiarism. Academic corruption The third effect is plagiarism make academic corruption on the rise. (Ivan Pacheco 2011) Plagiarism is one main part of academic corruption. (Michael Agelasto, 2004). According to that, when plagiarism is becoming more serious , it will be accompanied by the academic corruption. The fact is that the number of students in the UK who plagiarized is rising. (BBC news) That leads to academic corruption become more serious. For example, China now is experiencing the most serious academic corruption in recent years. In Chinese university, students finish the course work in the selected course by copy and paste from internet will not receive a punishment. And if one student finishes his/her assignment, the others will copy his/her work. Also it will be not a big deal in Chinese university. Those things make situation worse. Punishment Students will receive a stiff penalty when they were caught in plagiarism. In educational institutions, particularly universities and colleges, treat plagiarism as a serious problem of academic purity. They admonish their students of serious results for plagiarizing the assignment of others. Maybe different colleges and universities have different discipline on plagiarism. There are four common penalty always be used by Our Lady of the Lake College. (1)Lowering a students grade on the assignment (2)Giving the student a failing grade on the assignment (3)Lowering the students overall course grade (4)Giving the student a failing grade in the course (http://www.ololcollege.edu/archive_material/plagiarism_project/Penalties_Plagiarism1.html) Loss of Degree or Job University students who were accused plagiarism College students who commit plagiarism face the loss of their degrees upon discovery of the offense. College faculty members who plagiarize the work of other scholars face serious consequences as well. Professors who commit plagiarism may lose tenure and face even if being the loss of their jobs and damaging reputations. An academic found guilty of plagiarism faces the permanent loss of her credibility as a scholar. Plagiarism also may damage the reputation of schools as places of learning and intellectual inquiry. Damaged Relationships Plagiarism poisons the relationship between students and teachers by undermining the mutual trust that is an important element of the learning process. Widespread incidents of plagiarism, such as students taking work from the Internet and presenting it as their own, force teachers to act as police investigators, constantly searching for wrongdoing. All students become suspect in such an environment, and learning becomes impossible. Suspicion and mistrust replace intellectual curiosity and trust. Plagiarism also damages relationships between students who plagiarize and those who earn their grades honestly. Lack of Critical Thinking When students or instructors present others work as their own, they fail to develop and use critical thinking skills, which are necessary for learning and success in life. Financial Aid Continued receipt of federal financial aid is based upon a certain percentage of successfully completed course work. Students who receive Fs or who are suspended for entire semesters will likely be affected in financial aid eligibility. Private scholarship eligibility could also be affected. Reputation Schools maintain student records, and instructors share information informally. Students who are caught plagiarizing may develop reputations as cheaters. Teachers will likely scrutinize students with reputations more carefully than other students. All in all, effects of plagiarism can conclude into two main parts. Effects on education and students. Conclusion

Thursday, September 19, 2019

One of Womens First Individuals in Society :: Essays Papers

One of Women's First Individuals in Society "There have been others also, just as true and devoted to the cause-I wish I could name every one-but with such women consecrating their lives, FAILURE IS IMPOSSIBLE." -Susan B. Anthony12 This remarkable Quaker women from Adams, Massachusetts was born on February 15, 1820. Her home life, as a child was not extraordinary, she lead a regular life. However, what she became in adult life challenges some curiosity.1 She was an American reformer and well recognized leader worldwide. The work, in which Anthony devoted her life to, perhaps her most memorable contribution, was her struggle with striving for women’s rights. What was it about Susan B. Anthony that made her a strong, persuasive, dignified individual of the nineteenth century society? After becoming headmaster of the Kenyon boarding school, when Eunice Kenyon fell sick, Anthony had her first taste of freedom. Anthony would no longer bow to the authority of others.2 It was at this very moment where she decide to set her- self apart from other women and become an individual who fought for universal rights. Some may have asked themselves why? "Not because she was robbed of her personal identity and independence, but because she had experienced a progression into independence that she became to see as essential for all women."3 The spark, which lit Anthony’s fire, began in 1852 in Albany, New York while attending a temperance rally where she quickly learned that she would not be permitted to speak because she was simply just a women. Now setting out to conquer her destiny, Anthony over the next several years would not only fight for women’s suffrage, but for universal suffrage as well. She combated the low income of women by "... pioneering for economic independence."4 "Any property, real or personal, which any married women now owns, or which may come to her by descent, etc., shall be her sole and separate property, not subject to control or interference by her husband."5 American Anti-Slavery Society, Women’s Loyal League, the National Woman Suffrage Association, a nd the International Council of Women are all organizations in which Anthony became affiliated. She was also an activist for pro-life. Anthony was not alone in her vie for women’s right’s. After years of suppression in her own corner of the world and contending in her own separate struggles, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was united with Anthony. Anthony had long awaited this day.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway Essay -- essays research pape

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ernest Hemingway's novel, To Have and Have Not, is about a man named Harry. Harry is a fisherman, and when he goes fishing he brings along a black man named Wesley. Eddy, who is a rummy, and Mr. Johnson who chartered Harry's boat also accompanied him on one of his fishing expeditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On this fishing journey that Harry and all of his colleague's had taken, Harry said to Mr. Johnson, "I think you're going to have a chance to fight one today." About that time Mr. Johnson had a fish on his line. He kept on pulling on the fishing line and giving it slack. For a few moments, they all thought that the fish mighty be dead, but after he got off of the line they knew that Mr. Johnson had messed up and let the a great fish get away.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second fish that Mr. Johnson snagged was a black marlin. He fought and fought with the fish until his arms went numb. After a couple of minutes, the fish took the rod, the real, and the line. Harry wanted Mr. Johnson to pay for the tackle that he lost, but Mr. Johnson ran off without paying.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After all of his troubles with Mr. Johnson, Harry went to Donovan’s and had a drink, and purchased a drink for Frankie. Frankie called himself a businessman, and he would always say "Me Frankie; much politics." Frankie set it up so that Harry and a guy named Mr. Singer could meet to talk about a new job for Harry. They meet at the Perla. Mr. Singer was a nice looking Chink. He wanted to know about H...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Lady Macbeth, Macbeths One-of-a-Kind Woman Essay -- Macbeth essays

Macbeth's One-of-a-Kind Woman      Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare's Macbeth portrays the indomitable, manipulative character of Lady Macbeth through bold, sinister actions. Her character will be the subject of this essay.    Lily B. Campbell in her volume of criticism, Shakespeare's Tragic Heroes: Slaves of Passion, examines the effect of sin on the life of the first lady:    Act v presents swiftly and relentlessly the results of passion, of the passion which has become mortal sin. First it is Lady Macbeth that we see enduring the fate of the sinful in whom fear and remorse have already begun to effect the punishment for evil. That Shakespeare chose to manifest Lady Macbeth's melancholy as a disturbance in her sleep shows that he was a student of the moral philosophy of the time, for as we have seen earlier, all the accounts of fear are concerned with the effect of fear on sleep. (232)    In Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley interprets Lady Macbeth's character through her speech:    'The milk of human kindness' and the 'illness' that should attend ambition are cruder concepts, in Lady Macbeth's mouth, than they now seem to be. She is not saying her husband is too kind a man for this business, and with too healthy a spirit; 'kindness' means human nature, and Macbeth's is not mature or manly, has not learnt the necessary hardness of the world. Her husband is in a sense her child, fed with the milk which is natural to her, and when the word recurs in the Senecan speech which follows, she calls on the spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, schemes of murder, to turn her milk to gall. She will feed him on that to produce an appropriate response, as the armed men in the tale sprang from the sowing of dragon's teeth... ...Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1972.    Knights, L.C. "Macbeth." Shakespeare: The Tragedies. A Collectiion of Critical Essays. Alfred Harbage, ed. Englewwod Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.    Mack, Maynard. Everybody's Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Siddons, Sarah. "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth." The Life of Mrs. Siddons. Thomas Campbell. London: Effingham Wilson, 1834. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Salary Surveys

The legal field in the United States is constantly changing. Assisting attorneys is no longer a one title job. An attorney can call his or her assistant a paralegal, a legal assistant, a legal secretary, and so on and so forth. The process to become an attorney’s assistant is also changing. Many attorneys in the United States prefer to hire paralegals. The American Bar Association defines a paralegal as â€Å"a person, qualified by education, training, or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which the lawyer is responsible† (American Bar Association, 1997). This broad definition allows a great variant in the salary paid to a paralegal. An entry level paralegal in Knoxville, Tennessee can expect to earn $35,000 per year according to www. salary. com. An entry level paralegal is defined as a paralegal with 0-2 years experience, and may or may not possess an Associate’s Degree in paralegal studies. In comparison, a Paralegal with five or more years experience and a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn $55,000 per year. The salary ranges throughout the state of Tennessee for paralegals are standard. This is not the case throughout the United States. Each state within the United States must account for cost of living. The cost of living in Southern California is significantly higher per year than the cost of living in Tennessee. The salaries that are paid to employees need to reflect this cost of living, at least to some degree. According to www. salary. com, an entry level paralegal in San Diego, CA can expect to earn $40,000 per year. A paralegal with five or more years of experience and a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn $70,000 per year. Cost of living is not the only reason for differences in pay based on region. Competition, education, and demand for certain positions also plays a part in the salary an employee can expect to earn. For example, in San Diego, CA major universities offer paralegal programs at the bachelor’s degree level. Because of this attorneys expect to hire the best educated paralegal, and a paralegal with only an associates degree will not be able to compete for jobs effectively in this region. In contrast, Tennessee does not offer very many paralegal programs at the bachelor’s degree level. The majority of paralegal programs in Tennessee are either certificate programs or associate’s degree programs. Population plays a major role in salary variants. The population of Knoxville, Tennessee does not require as many attorneys. The attorneys that do work in Knoxville, Tennessee most likely do not have the same work load as those attorneys who work in San Diego, California and do not need the same level of support form a paralegal. This also causes these attorneys to hire paralegals at a lower wage. The amount of money a person living in Knoxville, Tennessee can afford to pay an attorney is also less. Since attorneys in Knoxville, Tennessee earn less than attorneys in San Diego, California, the paralegals will also earn less. Another factor that affects the salary a paralegal will receive is area of law. A paralegal working for the US Attorney’s office in Knoxville, Tennessee can expect to make the same salary as a paralegal working for a private practice attorney in San Diego, California, educating and experience being equal. However, that same paralegal working for the US Attorney’s office in San Diego, California can expect to earn $5 more per hour than he or she did working in the same capacity in Knoxville, Tennessee. The area of law that a paralegal chooses to work in has a major impact on the salary received. By obtaining a bachelor’s degree and a graduate level paralegal certificate, obtaining a competitive salary in Knoxville, Tennessee has been disappointing compared to the salaries available in San Diego, California. However, due to the lower cost of living, a lower salary is acceptable. Holding a bachelor’s degree and a graduate level paralegal certificate also assists a paralegal in competing more effectively for the jobs that are available in Knoxville, Tennessee. The majority of the paralegals in Knoxville, Tennessee only possess an Associates degree in paralegal studies or relevant experience. These paralegals consistently earn less than a paralegal with a higher level of education, which is fair under the circumstances. Paralegals who have achieved a lesser amount of education can have a tendency to resent the inconsistencies in salary. Many of these paralegals feel that they are doing the same job as the more educated paralegal and should be receiving equal compensation. However, through further investigation one would conclude that a more highly educated paralegal will be allowed to conduct more research, write briefs, and work with minimal attorney supervision. This is in stark contrast to a paralegal with a lower level of education. In order to adjust for the inconsistencies in pay, an organization will usually offer bonuses for extra work put in as well as promotions. It is common practice to promote a paralegal with years of experience even if that paralegal is lacking in education. The promotion rate for a paralegal with a lower level of education may be on a slower timeline than that of a paralegal with a higher level of education, but this is an attempt to minimize the inconsistencies in salary. Receiving an adequate salary for a paralegal can be a complicated task. Many factors exist that provide for inconsistencies in salary. The region of the country a paralegal lives in, the type of law the paralegal works in, the amount of experience the paralegal has, and the level of education a paralegal has obtained all play a role in determining how much a paralegal should be paid. Reviewing the education programs available at the American Association for Paralegal Education will assist paralegals in receiving the highest possible salary throughout their career.

Introduction to Issues in Literature and Culture Essay

Course Description and Objectives This course critically examines various literary themes in twentieth and early twenty first century novels, plays and poetry. These texts are fictionalized representations of circumstances in which fear, ignorance, and misunderstanding have shaped our sense of modern history and contemporary culture. They give voice and offer claims of identity to those in society who have traditionally remained socially and often economically marginalized, mostly women, the poor, and people of colour. You also will learn the methods of developing an effective thesis and supporting evidence for a literary analysis essay. Required Texts Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Choy, Wayson. The Jade Peony Headrick, Paul. A Method for Writing Essays about Literature Yousafzai, Malala. I Am Malala. Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the Life Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men Course Notes for ENGL 101 Important: Notes about the course literature and class weekly reading questions will be posted on the Weekly Outline section of Moodle on FIC’s website, http://learning.fraseric.ca. This material must be reviewed before coming to class. You must log in using your FIC username and password. Assessment 15% Reading Quizzes 10%Proposal and First Draft of Literary Analysis Essay (1250-1500 words) 20% Revised Draft of Literary Analysis Essay 20%Mid-Term Exam 25%Final Exam 10%Attendance and Participation Grading Scale// A+ = 95-100% A = 90-94% A- = 85-89% B+ = 80-84% B = 75-79% B- = 70-74% C+ = 65-69% C = 60-64% C- = 55-59% D = 50-54% F = 0-49% Reading Quizzes Completing all assigned reading is essential to being successful in the course. There will be a short reading quiz after the completion of certain works of literature. These quizzes will be straightforward for students who have completed the reading assignments and have participated in class activities and discussions. Missed quizzes cannot be made up. Essay Proposals and Outlines An essay proposal outline must be submitted before essays are due. These proposals, about one page in length, should summarize the stance of your essay, and present a detailed outline of the essay’s structure (details TBA). Feedback will be offered to help ensure successful completion of the essays. Essays Much of your grade depends on the successful completion of your literary analysis papers, which should be original scholarly interpretations of the assigned literature. All essays must be typed, using correct English grammar and MLA format. E-mail submissions of essays will not be accepted unless they are prearranged with the instructor, and a printed copy also must be submitted at the next class meeting. Late essays may be marked down by at least one letter grade. Essays more than one week late may not be accepted. You will be given extensive comments on your first draft of your essays and essay proposals, and you are expected to incorporate the instructor’s feedback into your final drafts. Exams The mid-term and final exams for this course will be administered in class and will consist of short questions, passage analyses, and short essays. You will be given more information about these exams throughout the semester. Attendance and Participation You are expected to attend all class meetings. You will spend a great deal of the class in response groups or work teams with peers, and the absence of one member can make progress on projects difficult. A number of activities conducted in response groups must be submitted as homework. Attendance records will be kept; students are required to maintain at least an 80% attendance rate. If you fail to attend class in the first week of the semester, this will count as a double absence on your participation grade. Plagiarism and Academic Honesty The ideas put into your written assignments must be your own. The ideas of others must be documented in MLA style. Plagiarized work will be failed and can even result in an F for the entire course. Issue of plagiarism and academic honesty as well as methods of MLA documentation will be covered during the early weeks of the semester. Academic Advising FIC provides academic advising to all students, free of charge. FIC runs study skills tutorials and peer review to help students become more effective writers, from planning and organizing a paper, to writing and proofreading it. These tutorials and reviews are a valuable resource for any student, and you are encouraged to attend these sessions. Scheduling for academic advice and weekly peer tutoring will be posted on the FIC student portal during the first two weeks of the semester. Class Schedule (subject to change) Week One: Tues, May 6/ Thurs, May 8 Course Introduction Read: Begin Jade Peony Read: Method For, Chapt.1 Week Two: Tues, May 13/ Thurs, May 15 Read: Continue Jade Peony Read: Method For Writing, Chapt. 2 Week Three: Tues, May 20/ Thurs, May 22 Read: Complete Jade Peony Read: Begin The Narrative (Douglas) Read: Method For Writing, Chapt. 3 (pp. 27-33 and 40-43) Sample Essay #1 (p.98-100) Week Four: Tues, May 27/ Thurs, May 29 Read: Continue The Narrative Read: Method For Writing, Chapt. 4 Sample Essay #2 (pp.106.109) Week Five: Tues, June 3/ Thurs, June 5 Read: Complete The Narrative Week Six: Tues, June 10 / Thurs, June 12 Read: Begin I Am Malala Plan for Literary Analysis Essay due Week Seven: Tues, June 17 Thurs, June 19 Read: Continue I Am Malala Mid-Term Exam Week Eight: Tues, June 24/ Thurs, June 26 Read: Complete I Am Malala First draft of Literary Analysis Essay due Week Nine: Tues, July 1 / Thurs, July 3 Read: Begin Of Mice Week Ten: Tues, July 8/ Thurs, July 10 Read: Complete Of Mice Week Eleven: Tues, July 15/ Thurs, July 17 Read: Things Fall Apart Week Twelve: Tues, July 22/ Thurs, July 24 Read: Continue Things Fall Apart Revised draft of Literary Analysis Essay due Week Thirteen: Tues, July 29 /Thurs, July 31 Read: Complete Things Fall Apart Course Review Final Exam (date TBA)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

High School and Lateness Essay

This paper is a review on lateness in public schools, which has posed a major problem to school administrators in Delta State, Nigeria; especially at the primary and secondary school levels. The author delimited his focus on students, staff and supporting staff in the school system. The salient point is that, lateness to schools plagues school administrators, bringing about inefficiencies at work by way of administration. Therefore, this paper highlights the meaning, causes and effects of lateness to schools as related to the school administrator in Delta State, Nigeria. The study also highlighted various remedies to the sordid situation. This review will therefore help school administrators alleviate lateness, a hydra-headed monster plaguing schools in Delta State, Nigeria, and as such bring about easy administration of schools in the region. Key words: Lateness, school administrators, discipline, environment, punctuality. INTRODUCTION Amongst other components of any organisation, human beings are the most difficult to manage. Folks pose the most problems to administrators anywhere in the world, not excluding school organisations as learning factories in Delta State, Nigeria. Many authors have posited as a matter of fact that, it is easier to manage the financial and material components of any organisation than to manage the human component. They insinuate that â€Å"it is easier to manage even animals than to manage human beings† (Nakpodia, 2006; Peretomode, 1991; Peretomode, 2001; Ubogu, 2004; Emore, 2005; Ukoshi, 2004). Thus, in the school system, the school head, which is usually the headmaster/headmistress or the principal, is confronted with numerous problems posed by staff and/or students. These problems include: sleeping on duty, negative attitude to tasks, lack of motivation to tasks, sexual harassment, theft, quarrelling, malice, jealousy, envy, absenteeism, lateness, etc. But Lauby (2009) stated clearly that: ‘As a Human Resource professional, I have dealt with a plethora of employee issues: sleeping on the job, theft, sexual harassment†¦ but I have found over the years, that there is one issue that plagues managers more than all these other issues combined†¦ attendance and punctuality. That is, people not showing up at all†¦ people not showing up on time. It could thus be deduced from the excerpt that in the school system, which is the focus of this paper, both staff’s and students’/pupils’ lateness to school pose the greatest problems to school administrators in Delta State. What then is lateness? DEFINITION OF LATENESS Literally, the term â€Å"lateness† implies a situation where an individual arrives after the proper, scheduled or usual th time (Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, 5 ed. , 1995). Furthermore, Lauby (2009) puts it as a term used *Corresponding author. E-mail: kosdaf80@yahoo. com. Tel: +2347033941918. Nakpodia and Dafiaghor 59 to describe â€Å"people not showing up on time†. Breeze et al. (2010) contributed by saying that, lateness is synonymous with â€Å"tardiness†, which implies being slow to act or slow to respond, thus not meeting up with proper or usual timing. It is obvious therefore that, lateness could be seen as a system of network breakdown (Peretomode, 1991), a situation of not meeting up with programme†¦ a function of time†¦ time is the criteria and determinant of lateness. Having therefore known the meaning of lateness, the causes of lateness should be highlighted. CAUSES OF LATENESS There are numerous causes of lateness to school. Amongst others, the following are the major causes of lateness to school. Going late to bed This is one of the major causes of lateness to school. Going late to bed could result in waking up late, as could be deduced from the literal meaning of the saying â€Å"early to bed early to rise†. Watching films and late-night movies The individual involved in watching films and home videos may be so captivated and hypnotised by it that, he/she forgets that he/she has to be in school; and at sudden realisation, he/she hurries off and likely may not be punctual (Ukoshi, 2004). The habit of waking up late Some folks find more pleasure in early morning sleep than the overnight sleep. These kind of people always wake up late to hurry off to school but most times, situation may not really be in their favour, thus they are irresistibly late to school. Distance/Location of school The further the location of the school from the student/pupil or staff, the more distractions, obstacles, friends to say high to, hold-ups to beat, go-slows, etc are there that tend to hinder his/her punctuality to school. For instance, consider a situation where an individual working in DELSU Secondary School, Abraka, leaves Eku or Igun every day for work. This individual is likely not to be punctual when compared with some one of the same status living in Abraka, possibly even close to the school; he is more likely to be punctual because the level of distraction would be lesser. Keeping friends of different status Friends and acquaintances that are not of the same status with an individual tend not to understand the responsibilities of the individual, most especially those of lower status. For instance, a teacher spending most of the leisure time with a motorcyclist; the motorcyclist is likely not to motivate the teacher in the aspect of punctuality as compared with a fellow teacher. Engagement in untimely domestic chores/activities These activities are necessary but doing them at a wrong timing is what cause lateness to school. In some cases, most parents even oblige their wards to help carry their goods to the market and other such kind of chores before going to school. Activities like these inevitably cause lateness to school, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Furthermore, Oghuvwu (2008) concurred to this when he opined that â€Å"lateness is common as a result of students’ involvement by parents†. Innate anxiety level Most people always have that relax mind in anything they do; they do not even care if they are running late or not; they just do not beat that their relax temple or mood of doing things. Even when a little hurry could make them punctual, they prefer to be late than beat their innate temple; this is a glaring situation. Family background In some cases, the habit of lateness is being copied from family members. For instance, the child that sees the father always going late to work could also either voluntarily or involuntarily learn the habit, thus go to school late also. This is supported by Peretomode (2001) and Egbule (2004), when they elaborated the concept of NATURE-NURTURE as it affects an individual’s habits. Cultural background We live in a society where the culture does not frown at, or rather say anything about punctuality as ethics in a work environment, thus to most individuals, punctuality is not really a serious matter, compared with how punctuality is being perceived in Western cultures and developed countries (Breeze et al. , 2010). 60 Int. J. Sci. Technol. Educ. Res Religious background Every individual in this world is loyal or faithful to one religion or the other. Even the atheist is loyal to his own beliefs, thus he/she is his/her own religion. Individuals tend to swallow hook, line and sinker, whatever their religious leaders teach, and those which the religious teacher does not teach is considered less or not important by them. The salient point is that, if religions frown at lateness, it would reduce; and if they do not speak of it or speak encouraging it (they may say, no matter what happens, God will always favour you); the tendency is that lateness would be on the increase, most especially in Delta State, Nigeria, Africa, where religion is tenaciously adhered to because of the fear of witchcraft and wizardry (African Science). Lack of functional and effective punctuality policy Obviously, individuals could come late to school, if they perceive that there are no consequences to it. It is a consensus that â€Å"if black man no see strong thing, e no they hear†. This consensus is more pronounced in Delta State, Nigeria, where the probability of misdemeanour and stubbornness is high. Furthermore, school head’s fairness or equal treatment between different subjects, as perceived by individuals, could cause lateness. Individuals are likely to be more punctual, if they perceive obvious â€Å"rule of law† in terms of punctuality (Clackmannanshire Council Online, 2010). Too much body care and excessive facial/body makeup In some cases, individuals are obsessed by their appearance to the detriment of timely engagements in school. Oghuvwu (2008) agreed to this when he opined that â€Å"lateness is common among females more than males†. This could be as a result of the fact that, females require more time for their body and facial care and make up. EFFECTS OF LATENESS TO SCHOOL There are various effects of lateness to school. Many writers have pinpointed many of these effects. Amongst others, some are outlined and briefly discussed as follows. Lateness disorganises and causes distraction to the individual and the whole system The individual that came late to school is both a problem to him/herself, fellow students, teacher, and others in the school system†¦ he/she walks in when teaching is going on†¦ both teachers and students turn to look at him/her†¦ the system and flow is distracted and distorted†¦ he/she thinks where do I start from to catch up?.. asks a fellow student â€Å"is he just starting?.. how long has be been teaching?.. what has he/she taught?†¦ let me see your note. From this simple analogy, it is glaring that the late comer is both a problem him/herself and the entire school system. In addition, according to â€Å"Clackmannashire Council Online†, â€Å"lateness is disruptive to the individual and to the work of the class and may be an early warning of other difficulties†. Lateness inhibits the process of achieving the goals of the school The basic reason for the human component is to enable easy achievement of the goals and objectives of establishing the school. Thus, if the employers’ goal is to make money, and the individual’s contribution to the organisation could bring the school N20 per h. If he/she then comes 30 min late every day, thus N10 is lost every day as a result of lateness. The point is that as small as this, multiplied by the days of the years and a good number of employees with this habit†¦ this would be a very great loss to the school. Thus, Ali (2007) clearly posited that â€Å"†¦ showing up 10 min late could add up to lots of lost revenue for the company (school) and the individual. † Furthermore, ETC’s (2009) attendance and punctuality policy clearly states that â€Å"regular and punctual attendance is of paramount importance in ensuring that all students have full access to the curriculum†¦ valuable learning time is lost when students are absent or late†. Lateness leads to absenteeism and general failure in life Pupils/students and/or staff could sometimes feel the extent of their lateness and very often they just decide to be absent. This has a very great effect on the individual’s academic and other achievements. According to Ali (2007), this could lead to loss of confidence and engagement in premature sexual activity for students, leading to pregnancy, resulting in a phenomenon called storm and stress among adolescents. Also, Catt F found out that â€Å"it is always the same group of people showing up early and the same group of people showing up late†. REMEDIES TO LATENESS 1. Schools should operate strict functional punctuality policy. One of the major responsibilities of the school head is to implement policies and/or even possibly make some†¦ as whatever happens in the system would be credited or blamed upon him. Thus, the school head Nakpodia and Dafiaghor 61 needs to carry out the function of maintaining punctuality policy without favouritism. 2. Staff and students in the school system should be sensitised and made aware of the effects of lateness to them and the entire school system, and also the benefits of punctuality to them first and then to the entire school system. This should be carried out by both school heads, governmental and non-governmental agencies, religious bodies, and other such bodies and individuals. 3. The school administrator must teach punctuality by example†¦ he/she must act as a model for all to copy. 4. School administrators should impose compulsory beginning and closing of the day meeting of staff and students. In the meetings, there should be strict attendance register. 5. School administrators should build in staff and students, the virtue of â€Å"time-consciousness†. For instance, putting wall clocks in conspicuous locations for all to see could instil the time-consciousness attitude in individuals in the school. 6. As an individual, try to be 15 min early to school, as this could help you make friends and say hello to alreadymade friends; get one’s self prepared for the day’s activity; possibly even read a book, and most importantly could help make up for unforeseen causes of lateness, and still be punctual. 7. There should also be activities /acts to motivate and reinforce punctuality. For instance, awarding prizes for punctuality could go a long way in enhancing punctuality. 8. Parents and school administrators should join efforts in enhancing punctuality. UK Government (2010) stipulated that â€Å"on the first day absence, contact should be made with parents of the child to find out why the child is absent†. 9. Truancy patrol†¦ is a situation where members of the community are sensitised to seize or report students found outside the school environment after stipulated times. In this kind of situation, the pupil would likely be punctual since the only convenient environment would be that of the school†¦ if he/she comes late, would be punished†¦ he is then forced to come early. 10. Parents involving students in domestic activities should be mindful of punctuality. 11. Government on its part, should improve transportation and other economic activities in the country†¦ as some students walk/trek to school, as a result of fair†¦ even those that have the fair, sometimes no transport service or no good roads, causing hold-ups and go-slows. help identify and proffer solutions to this quality and disturbing problem that could lead to students’ drop-out from school, and also inefficiency and ineffectiveness on the part of the school administrators, by way of school administration and management; knowing fully well that lateness could be reduced by providing free education counselling and discipline among students, in addition to the use of electronic systems, truancy sweep by school heads. It should also be noted that, lateness is common among female students, and as such they should be of more concern to the school administrator in Delta State. Finally, the remedy to any situation is in the situation; thus, the school administrator, should study the peculiar situation and respond as the situation suggests. The fact is no two situations are the same, no matter how similar. REFERENCES Ali M (2007). Attendance and Punctuality cost companies big money. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://bizconvering. com/business-law/attendance-andpunctuality. cost†¦ Breeze S, Woosh C, Batt C, Fine M (2010). â€Å"How to be punctual†. WikiHow: thehow to manual that you can edit. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. wikihow. com/Be-Punctual. Catt F (2010). The lateness game: Coincidence or equilibrium? Retrieved 20th September, 2010 from: http://expertvoices. nsdl. org/cornell-info204/2010/02/27/the-game-ofpunctuality-coincidence-or-equilibrium/. Clackmannanshire Council Online (2010). Attendance and Punctuality (Secondary Schools). Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. clacksweb. org. uk/learning/attendanceandpunctualityss/ Egbule JF (2004). Readings in Educational Psychology. Owerri: Barlos Publishers, pp. 234-241. Emore C (2005). â€Å"Causes of students’ lateness to school in Uvwie L. G. A. of Delta State. † Unpublished Post Graduate Diploma in Education Project, Abraka, Delta State University. ETC (2009). Attendance and punctuality policy. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. etc. org/attendanceandpunctuality/policy/†¦ Lauby S (2009). Attendance and Punctuality. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. hrbartender. com/2009/comp/attendancepunctuality/. Nakpodia ED (2006). Educational Administration: A new approach. Warri: Jonokase, pp. 66-72. Oghuvwu PE (2008). â€Å"Absenteeism and lateness among secondary school students in Nigeria: Profiling causes and solutions. † Academic Leadership. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. academicleadership. org/empirical_research/384. shtml. Online J. , 6: 3. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English (1995). 5th ed. , Oxford: University Press. Peretomode VF (1991). Educational Administration: Applied concepts and theoretical perspectives for students and practitioners. Lagos: Joja Educational Research and Publishers, pp. 25-26. Peretomode VF (2001). Sociology of Education: An introductory text for Nigerian undergraduates, 2nd ed. Lagos: Obaroh and Ogbinaka. Ubogu RE (2004). â€Å"The causes of absenteeism and dropout among secondary school students in Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State. Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, Abraka: Delta State University. UK Government (2010). Fourteen approaches to improving attendance. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. education. gov. uk. Ukoshi RE (2004). â€Å"Absenteeism in Nigeria work organisation: A comparative study of private and public organisation in Ondo State. † Unpublished M. B. A. Thesis, Benin: University of Benin.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Return on Investment MBA Education Funding Essay

As change happens, we can take the fact that Masters of Business Administration degree is still a constant to embrace. In between the complex setting, a modern manager must still do what managers in every past era had to do in order to become successful. Recently, the once-lonely voices of demur have advanced into choruses of recrimination when the practical value of an MBA degree is in question. They say that MBA curricula are inaccessible with the real world desires, claiming that the degree is over-hyped and many programs have a culture which turns a blind eye to deceit. If businesses follow the naysayers’ advice, $100,000 tuition fee or the crucial decision to pay huge bucks to hire an MBA might start to look like less of a sound investment (CBS MoneyWatch, 2007). My decision to obtaining an MBA is not only personal, but also professional. The pursuit of an MBA degree is surrounded by many negative connotations. Questions arise regarding whether or not the pursuit will increase the Pay range of a person with an MBA versus a person without an MBA. Simmering and Wilcox identified 5 factors that largely affect the decision to pursue an MBA graduate degree. The five factors centre around the career exploration opportunities, personal prestige associated with the MBA, goals for improving and developing interpersonal skills, increasing career mobility and entrepreneurial aspirations. The Graduate Management Admission Council survey carried out by Simmering and Wilcox, discovered that that the MBA Class of 2012 had 69% into mid-level jobs, with 21% taking entry-level positions, 8% taking senior-level spots, and 1% taking the executive positions. This is considerably worse when compared to last year, where only 17 percent of the class went to entry- level spots, while 14 percent of the total went into senior-level jobs, and only 3 percent accounted the executive position (Lavelle,  2013).Housing market crash will impact on the value and positions or jobs that an individual with an MBA graduate degree will get. For instance, since 2007, the economy has played a huge part in not only downturn and fluctuations, but also landing jobs. In MBA class of 2011, the average full time salary for MBAs that were employed was $79806, a year over a year decrease of 5.4% or $4,533, not including the inflation (Brewer & Brewer, 2012). The Graduate Management Admission Council survey also calculated the return on investment and considered it ‘Stellar’. The alumni recouped a third of their B school investment within a year of graduation, 100% 4 years out, doubling the monetary value after 10 good years. On statistics, if a person obtains an MBA is not a full guarantee to getting an executive level spot after graduating. It is more of investing that has the highest probability of paying off over time. The survey as it pertains to the return on investment is simply looking at the B schools, which solely would imply the A schools return on investments is speedier and higher. Therefore, it might not be the actual degree rather the school that a person obtains his or her MBA degree which will impact on his or her potential income. For instance, I can refer to my cousin as a good example of the impact of obtaining an MBA. She studied at Princeton University for her master’s degree and after her graduat ion it took her 3 years to get employed. She found that because she was younger and the degree program which she chose, was actually intimidating to older managements. She also encountered remarks of her being â€Å"too qualified† for all jobs. It became so frustrating for her. Similarly, so many people reason that an ‘A school’ master’s degree means an automatic employment with high salaries, which is not usually the case. My investment decision will be based on the returns I get. The payback period for my accounting occupation will for instance be; payback period is obviously between 3 and 4 years as the identical initial outlay is $110,000 which is between $90,000 and $170,000. For exact period, Payback period for my desired occupation = 3years + ($110,000 – $90,000) / $79,806 = 3 years + $20,000/$50,000 = 3 years and 4.8 months. The NPV for my accounting occupational will be; Net Present Value @ 12%; Years 1 2 3 4 Net Cash flow (NCF) $000 20 30 40 50 Cost of Capital @ 12% 0.893 0.797 0.712 0.636 Present Value $000 17.86 23.91 28.48 31.8 5 70 0.567 39.69 141, 74. Net Present Value = $141,740 – $110,000 = $31,740. The IRR for my accounting occupational will be; Internal rate of return = positive rate + (positive NPV / (positive NPV + negative NPV)) x range of rates = 20% + ($2,880 / ($2,880 + $10,860)) x (25% – 20%) = 20% + ($2,880 / $13,740) x 5% = 20% + (0.21 x 5) = 20% + 1.05 = 21.05% Internal rate of return for my desired occupation= 21.05% and is a good one since it is greater than cost of capital. A main factor that most objectionable to an MBA is the monetary cost of obtaining the degree. Tuition fee can range from $30000 to $ 50000 per annum. Other expenses raises the cost to about $85,000 yearly, implying the cost of about $170000 in two years. Although the cost for an MBA may be quite high, according to a statistics by the Graduate Management Admission Council, the average package for an MBA in the last ten years was $110000, which is up from the average of $87,000 in 2007. The average salary of graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in 2011 was $48351. The difference between an MBA and Bachelor’s is an increase of 195% or $45649. The ‘return on investment’ is 171.7 %, using the cost of $170000 from and the average increase of salary over a bachelor’s degree for a ten year period (Lavelle,  2013). Different people have varying reasons as per MBA value, when it is about obtaining it. The reason I have for obtaining an MBA is personal and is something that I have always wanted in my life. It may not be of benefit to me in my current job in terms of earnings potential income, but I believe it will make me more marketable if I decide to change careers or companies. Many statics show a path of MBA negativity from a viewpoint of new graduates without careers versus those with careers, those with who are employed and are from the a-schools versus the b-schools. I believe MBA is of more benefit to those individuals who have a career and are looking for new career change or looking to moving up in their own personal companies. If a person is feeling stagnant in his or her career, then getting an MBA will be the excellent way to take himself or herself to the next level. For most people an MBA will open up more new opportunities, whether it is a career that will makes more sense for your life and skills or a career that will promote you to a better position within your company. The act of getting an MBA shows that you are serious about your potential to succeed and other people are most likely see you in a higher regard because of undertaking such an action. For most people, MBA continue to be the building block of ultimate success. References Brewer, Kristen L.; Brewer Peggy D. (2012). Influencing variables and perceptions regarding MBA degree programs. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. CBS Money Watch. (2007).Five hard truths about the MBA. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-51170538/five-hard-truths-about-the-mba/ Lavelle, L.  (2013).  Bloomberg business week: the MBA’s value? Debatable.  Retrieved fromhttp://www.businessweek.com/bschools/blogs/mba_admissions/archives/2014/11/the_mbas_value_debatable.html Source document