Managing Job Design and Flexibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Job Design and Flexibility - Essay Example   Right from the data collection and analytics of job information to incorporating dynamics into static job design documents, several challenges mar the success of job design as a useful management tool in today’s competitive environment. Impartial ratings by supervisors and non-familiarity on the part of incumbents worsen the effectiveness of job design. As a result, HR practitioners have to rethink the ways of job design in terms of various approaches which include all the essential components of work as well as worker characteristics. Background Flexibility and innovation have been the talk of the town lately in business. With the introduction of new activities every day in business practices, it has become a pre-requisite to change the structure and contents of jobs so as to make them compatible with the current job demands. This feat encounters numerous challenges and hurdles in terms of analytical hiccups and consensus building between people supplying information for job designs. As such, identification and removal of such shortcomings in the inception stages of job design are crucial to the human resources and organizational success. This paper allows making an attempt into finding out what challenges or threats are posed in front of HR practitioners when job design is the task. The discussion extends further to recommend the choices which these HR practitioners can adopt in tackling those challenges. The paper will commence with an introduction of job design and its components. Factors affecting job design have also been discussed in brevity to equip the reader with a thorough understanding of the background and enable him to correlate the recommendations well with the initial problem. Challenges of job design in terms of static job analysis output documents, more emphasis of a job designing on work rather than the worker, behavioral challenges in job design, reliability and validity issues in data collection techniques and the trade-off betwe en generalist and specific work design have been elaborated upon in detail. The four approaches to job design will form the basis of knowledge and future comparison for recommendations. Findings Objective of the paper The objective of the assignment is to delve deep into the job design aspect of human resource management by identifying and elaborating upon its probable challenges and available remedies to handle those challenges. Building upon the basic knowledge of job design, the primary task is to critically examine the topic of job design by highlighting how it has become ineffective and obsolete in today’s business scenario.  

Our appearance Essay Example for Free

Our appearance Essay Our appearance, the way we dress, etc. , reflects who we are. It is therefore important to be consistent in the style we adopt through our lives. By juliettebr our appearance, the way we dress, etc. , reflects who we are. It is therefore important to be consistent In the style we adopt through our lives. The way we dress says a lot about our personality. It can reflect our lifestyle, t can show our music taste etc.. A good appearance can favor our popularity and It can even improve our self-esteem. Hoaever, does the way we look really reflect our ersonality? And If we arent consistent in our style, does It make us different people? On the one hand, when we dont kncr. l someone we automatically judge someone just by their appearance. A wise person once said: *You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We make up an opinion about the person and most of the time we can say whether someone is nice or not. This opinion can be true, but it can also be harmful when we think its a prejudgment. On the other hand. ou cant judge a book by its cover. The same as with persons. Wearing a black jacket with spikes will not turn someone toa gothic. and wearing old-fashioned clothes will not turn someone in a grandparent. Everyone has to develop their style during life because that will make us unique, In summary, we have to give the people around us an idea of who we are so we just have to be ourselves and mirror our personality in the way we dress, There is nothing wrong with n ot being consistent in our style, but we have to be sure that Our appearance iS the real us.

Animal Abuse and Cruelty to Animals Essay -- essays research papers

In years of humanity's existence, the role of the animals can be considered as one of the factors that have greatly shaped human culture. The contribution of the animals to society is of much importance as it has generously benefited the people since the distant past. Animals have always been a source of food, clothing, and subservient workforce for humankind. These animals have also taken part in the religious customs, either for religious sacrifices or worshiping, done way back the earliest times. Moreover, People have long been reliant on their unique contributions to balance out nature and the much needed companionship that they provide. Truly, animals have taken an influential part in the continuous struggle of mankind for survival. Through the years, animals have still been used for the same purposes and means that benefited mankind. But in attune with the continuously developing world, innovative ideas and radical thinking accordingly emerged. With these breakthroughs, the thought of recognizing animals as sentient beings and not mere possessions only have started to unfold. Although it was supposed that such thinking has began as a system of belief back in the Indus Valley Civilization, it was not until the early 1800?s when the first deliberate approach in promoting the animal interests was done (Cruelty to Animals, 2001). Since then, the deed of imposing cruelty to animals has been considered as one of the major moral disputes ever dealt with in the society. The moralistic justification of such acts is often immoral, unjust and offensive. It generally refers to a treatment that causes unacceptable suffering or harm to animals (Cruelty to animals, 2001). Although having similar moral grounds for opposin... ... is really happening to the animals. These encouragements have greatly helped in demolishing animal abuse in different parts of the world. But contrastingly, such developments appear to be deficient in the Philippines. Although various organizations have also been established here in the country that struggle for same purposes, still abuse of animals is still widely practiced by Filipinos. The government has also hardly given appropriate attention to such immoral problems in the society. Conceivably, Filipinos lack the awareness and willingness to engage themselves to such campaigns. I just do hope that the continuous cruelty to animals, not only here but as well as in every part of the world, be eventually put to end. After all, mankind?s continued existence is partly owed to these animals and it is but proper only that we give them befitting respect and valuing. Animal Abuse and Cruelty to Animals Essay -- essays research papers In years of humanity's existence, the role of the animals can be considered as one of the factors that have greatly shaped human culture. The contribution of the animals to society is of much importance as it has generously benefited the people since the distant past. Animals have always been a source of food, clothing, and subservient workforce for humankind. These animals have also taken part in the religious customs, either for religious sacrifices or worshiping, done way back the earliest times. Moreover, People have long been reliant on their unique contributions to balance out nature and the much needed companionship that they provide. Truly, animals have taken an influential part in the continuous struggle of mankind for survival. Through the years, animals have still been used for the same purposes and means that benefited mankind. But in attune with the continuously developing world, innovative ideas and radical thinking accordingly emerged. With these breakthroughs, the thought of recognizing animals as sentient beings and not mere possessions only have started to unfold. Although it was supposed that such thinking has began as a system of belief back in the Indus Valley Civilization, it was not until the early 1800?s when the first deliberate approach in promoting the animal interests was done (Cruelty to Animals, 2001). Since then, the deed of imposing cruelty to animals has been considered as one of the major moral disputes ever dealt with in the society. The moralistic justification of such acts is often immoral, unjust and offensive. It generally refers to a treatment that causes unacceptable suffering or harm to animals (Cruelty to animals, 2001). Although having similar moral grounds for opposin... ... is really happening to the animals. These encouragements have greatly helped in demolishing animal abuse in different parts of the world. But contrastingly, such developments appear to be deficient in the Philippines. Although various organizations have also been established here in the country that struggle for same purposes, still abuse of animals is still widely practiced by Filipinos. The government has also hardly given appropriate attention to such immoral problems in the society. Conceivably, Filipinos lack the awareness and willingness to engage themselves to such campaigns. I just do hope that the continuous cruelty to animals, not only here but as well as in every part of the world, be eventually put to end. After all, mankind?s continued existence is partly owed to these animals and it is but proper only that we give them befitting respect and valuing.

Business Writing

Why every applicant must submit a personal statement: Your personal statement is an important part of your application for admission. It provides you with the opportunity to discuss aspects of your life that may not be apparent from information provided on your application, transcripts, or the Writing Skills Assessment. Please answer all of the topics that pertain to you. If only part of a topic pertains to you, answer that part. The topics are in four numbered sections. Similarly, your statement should be organized into sections, with each section numbered.Such presentation makes it easier for the reviewers to read and assess your statement. Tips †¢Be specific. †¢Don't spend your time telling us such things as â€Å"I've always wanted to attend the Foster School because I want a business degree. † It is a legitimate comment but does not tell us anything distinctive about you. †¢You define what â€Å"experience† means to you: something insignificant to ot hers may have had particular significance for you. †¢Be aware that many applicants write about similar topics so consider how yours is unique. †¢Long does not mean better and there is no need to embellish.We do not expect to read something earth shattering in every personal statement. †¢When you address the cultural awareness question, we want to know what has affected your perspective and what awareness you would bring to the Foster School community. We are interested in the depth of your perceptions and experiences. †¢Proofread, proofread, and proofread. †¢Extra spacing counts towards your alloted word count. Describe any personal or economic hardships or barriers you have had to overcome and explain how they affected your education. Be specific about when you encountered these hardships and how long they lasted.1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement. You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. In the cont ext of your life experience, describe your understanding of cultural differences, how this awareness was acquired, and how it affected you. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement. You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. Write about any experience you have had that demonstrates your leadership skills. Examples could be taken from: employment, community service, student organizations, or similar situations.Be specific about when you had these experience(s) and how long they lasted. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement. You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. How has the educational background of your parents/legal guardians influenced your own education, especially your decision to go to college? What kind of support did you receive in making and pursuing the decision to go to college? Please tell us if you are among the first generation in your family to go to college. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. Petition Fill out an explanation (430 words max. ) as to why a degree in Business is necessary to your educational/career pursuits. 430 words left of 430 for degree plan petition. You must enter a petition with your degree plan and it can't be more than 430 words total. My life at Harvard summer school was quite different from that in China. Pressure from the schoolwork and cultural difference make me feel overwhelmed during the first week. In my literature lecture, I strongly realize the distinctive writing styles based on the cultural difference.Before I did not follow the American linear pattern of placing a thesis statement and expressed my main idea at the end of my essay. Sometimes I would get lost and fail to establish the whole structure for my essay. After realizing this blind point, I went to the Widener library every night for materials on how to develop essay-writing skills. In order to adjust myself to high –college writing quality, I visited the Harvard college writing center every week and worked with my tutor Jennifer to revise my paper repeatedly. Her constructive feedback for correction inspires me to work harder for my Literature class.Every time she let me read the whole essay out loud, then pointed mistakes I made in order to help me with the most effective way of revising. Moreover, the small size of my lecture means everyone has the opportunity to get involved in class discussion and group work. Professor Elizabeth encourages critical thinking and cultivates an open and exciting atmosphere for which I can express my ideas freely. Thus I participated a lot in class, since I am able to get instant and helpful feedback from our professor and my classmates. Gradually, I have achieved great improvement on my writing ad a college student Personal StatementWhy every applicant must submit a personal statement: Your personal statement is an important part of your application for admission. It provides you with the opportunity to discuss aspects of your life that may not be apparent from information provided on your application, transcripts, or the Writing Skills Assessment. Please answer all of the topics that pertain to you. If only part of a topic pertains to you, answer that part. The topics are in four numbered sections. Similarly, your statement should be organized into sections, with each section numbered.Such presentation makes it easier for the reviewers to read and assess your statement. Tips †¢Be specific. †¢Don't spend your time telling us such things as â€Å"I've always wanted to attend the Foster School because I want a business degree. † It is a legitimate comment but does not tell us anything distinctive about you. †¢You define what â€Å"experience† means to you: something insignificant to others may have had particular significance for you. â € ¢Be aware that many applicants write about similar topics so consider how yours is unique. †¢Long does not mean better and there is no need to embellish.We do not expect to read something earth shattering in every personal statement. †¢When you address the cultural awareness question, we want to know what has affected your perspective and what awareness you would bring to the Foster School community. We are interested in the depth of your perceptions and experiences. †¢Proofread, proofread, and proofread. †¢Extra spacing counts towards your alloted word count. Describe any personal or economic hardships or barriers you have had to overcome and explain how they affected your education. Be specific about when you encountered these hardships and how long they lasted.1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement. You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. In the context of your life experience, describe your understand ing of cultural differences, how this awareness was acquired, and how it affected you. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement. You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. Write about any experience you have had that demonstrates your leadership skills. Examples could be taken from: employment, community service, student organizations, or similar situations.Be specific about when you had these experience(s) and how long they lasted. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement. You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. How has the educational background of your parents/legal guardians influenced your own education, especially your decision to go to college? What kind of support did you receive in making and pursuing the decision to go to college? Please tell us if you are among the first generation in your family to go to college. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total. Petition Fill out an explanation (430 words max. ) as to why a degree in Business is necessary to your educational/career pursuits. 430 words left of 430 for degree plan petition. You must enter a petition with your degree plan and it can't be more than 430 words total. My life at Harvard summer school was quite different from that in China. Pressure from the schoolwork and cultural difference make me feel overwhelmed during the first week. In my literature lecture, I strongly realize the distinctive writing styles based on the cultural difference.Before I did not follow the American linear pattern of placing a thesis statement and expressed my main idea at the end of my essay. Sometimes I would get lost and fail to establish the whole structure for my essay. After realizing this blind point, I went to the Widener library every night for materials on how to develop essay-writing skills. In order to adjust m yself to high –college writing quality, I visited the Harvard college writing center every week and worked with my tutor Jennifer to revise my paper repeatedly. Her constructive feedback for correction inspires me to work harder for my Literature class.Every time she let me read the whole essay out loud, then pointed mistakes I made in order to help me with the most effective way of revising. Moreover, the small size of my lecture means everyone has the opportunity to get involved in class discussion and group work. Professor Elizabeth encourages critical thinking and cultivates an open and exciting atmosphere for which I can express my ideas freely. Thus I participated a lot in class, since I am able to get instant and helpful feedback from our professor and my classmates. Gradually, I have achieved great improvement on my writing ad a college student Business Writing Personal StatementWhy every applicant must submit a personal statement: Your personal statement is an important part of your application for admission. It provides you with the opportunity to discuss aspects of your life that may not be apparent from information provided on your application, transcripts, or the Writing Skills Assessment.Please answer all of the topics that pertain to you. If only part of a topic pertains to you, answer that part. The topics are in four numbered sections. Similarly, your statement should be organized into sections, with each section numbered. Such presentation makes it easier for the reviewers to read and assess your statement.Tips†¢Be specific. †¢Don't spend your time telling us such things as â€Å"I've always wanted to attend the Foster School because I want a business degree.† It is a legitimate comment but does not tell us anything distinctive about you. †¢You define what â€Å"experience† means to you: something insi gnificant to others may have had particular significance for you. †¢Be aware that many applicants write about similar topics so consider how yours is unique. †¢Long does not mean better and there is no need to embellish. We do not expect to read something earth shattering in every personal statement. †¢When you address the cultural awareness question, we want to know what has affected your perspective and what awareness you would bring to the Foster School community. We are interested in the depth of your perceptions and experiences. †¢Proofread, proofread, and proofread.†¢Extra spacing counts towards your alloted word count.Describe any personal or economic hardships or barriers you have had to overcome and explain how they affected your education. Be specific about when you encountered these hardships and how long they lasted. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words tota l.In the context of your life experience, describe your understanding of cultural differences, how this awareness was acquired, and how it affected you. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total.Write about any experience you have had that demonstrates your leadership skills. Examples could be taken from: employment, community service, student organizations, or similar situations. Be specific about when you had these experience(s) and how long they lasted. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total.How has the educational background of your parents/legal guardians influenced your own education, especially your decision to go to college? What kind of support did you receive in making and pursuing the decision to go to college? Please tell us if you are among the first generation in your family to go to col lege. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total.Petition Fill out an explanation (430 words max.) as to why a degree in Business is necessary to your educational/career pursuits. 430 words left of 430 for degree plan petition.You must enter a petition with your degree plan and it can't be more than 430 words total. My life at Harvard summer school was quite different from that in China. Pressure from the schoolwork and cultural difference make me feel overwhelmed during the first week. In my literature lecture, I strongly  realize the distinctive writing styles based on the cultural difference. Before I did not follow the American linear pattern of placing a thesis statement and expressed my main idea at the end of my essay. Sometimes I would get lost and fail to establish the whole structure for my essay. After realizing this blind point, I went to the Widener library every night for materi als on how to develop essay-writing skills.In order to adjust myself to high –college writing quality, I visited the Harvard college writing center every week and worked with my tutor Jennifer to revise my paper repeatedly. Her constructive feedback for correction inspires me to work harder for my Literature class. Every time she let me read the whole essay out loud, then pointed mistakes I made in order to help me with the most effective way of revising.Moreover, the small size of my lecture means everyone has the opportunity to get involved in class discussion and group work. Professor Elizabeth encourages critical thinking and cultivates an open and exciting atmosphere for which I can express my ideas freely. Thus I participated a lot in class, since I am able to get instant and helpful feedback from our professor and my classmates. Gradually, I have achieved great improvement on my writing ad a college student Personal StatementWhy every applicant must submit a personal s tatement: Your personal statement is an important part of your application for admission. It provides you with the opportunity to discuss aspects of your life that may not be apparent from information provided on your application, transcripts, or the Writing Skills Assessment.Please answer all of the topics that pertain to you. If only part of a topic pertains to you, answer that part. The topics are in four numbered sections. Similarly, your statement should be organized into sections, with each section numbered. Such presentation makes it easier for the reviewers to read and assess your statement.Tips †¢Be specific. †¢Don't spend your time telling us such things as â€Å"I've always wanted to attend the Foster School because I want a business degree.† It is a legitimate comment but does not tell us anything distinctive about you. †¢You define what â€Å"experience† means to you: something insignificant to others may have had particular significance for you. †¢Be aware that many applicants write about similar topics so consider how yours is unique. †¢Long does not mean better and there is no need to embellish. We do not expect to read something earth shattering in every personal statement. †¢When you address the cultural awareness question, we want to know what has affected your perspective and what awareness you would bring to the Foster School community. We are interested in the depth of your perceptions and experiences. †¢Proofread, proofread, and proofread.†¢Extra spacing counts towards your alloted word count. Describe any personal or economic hardships or barriers you have had to overcome and explain how they affected your education. Be specific about when you encountered these hardships and how long they lasted. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total.In the context of your life experience, describe your und erstanding of cultural differences, how this awareness was acquired, and how it affected you. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total.Write about any experience you have had that demonstrates your leadership skills. Examples could be taken from: employment, community service, student organizations, or similar situations. Be specific about when you had these experience(s) and how long they lasted. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement.You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total.How has the educational background of your parents/legal guardians influenced your own education, especially your decision to go to college? What kind of support did you receive in making and pursuing the decision to go to college? Please tell us if you are among the first generation in your family to go to college. 1000 words left of 1000 for entire personal statement .You must enter a personal statement and it can't be more than 1000 words total.PetitionFill out an explanation (430 words max.) as to why a degree in Business is necessary to your educational/career pursuits. 430 words left of 430 for degree plan petition.You must enter a petition with your degree plan and it can't be more than 430 words total. My life at Harvard summer school was quite different from that in China. Pressure from the schoolwork and cultural difference make me feel overwhelmed during the first week. In my literature lecture, I strongly realize the distinctive writing styles based on the cultural difference. Before I did not follow the American linear pattern of placing a thesis statement and expressed my main idea at the end of my essay. Sometimes I would get lost and fail to establish the whole structure for my essay. After realizing this blind point, I went to the Widener library every night for materials on how to develop essay-writing skills.In order to adjust m yself to high –college writing quality, I visited the Harvard college writing center every week and worked with my tutor Jennifer to revise my paper repeatedly. Her constructive feedback for correction inspires me to work harder for my Literature class. Every time she let me read the whole essay out loud, then pointed mistakes I made in order to help me with the most effective way of revising.Moreover, the small size of my lecture means everyone has the opportunity to get involved in class discussion and group work. Professor Elizabeth encourages critical thinking  and cultivates an open and exciting atmosphere for which I can express my ideas freely. Thus I participated a lot in class, since I am able to get instant and helpful feedback from our professor and my classmates. Gradually, I have achieved great improvement on my writing ad a college student

Important Dates in American History Essay

Mayflower Compact When the pilgrims first arrived to America, the Mayflower Compact, as it is known now, was created. This was the foundation for the Plymouth colonies. To establish colonies, they would first need to obtain a patent from the King of England. However, the need to maintain a society was of great importance, therefore, the Mayflower Compact was established as a social contract. It was signed by all 41 men on the Mayflower. Revolutionary war The revolutionary war is a story that surrounds America’s founding concept; freedom. America, from 1775 – 1783, fought a vicious battle against England. The English sought to control America; they did everything they could to weaken America, such as placing soldiers in their homes and expecting them to provide for him. Eventually, the war broke out. However, after a fierce battle, we were granted our freedom, and our forefathers tale and sacrifice is one that we acknowledge with pride. WWI World War I started as a spark and ended as an explosion like no other. After the assassination of Arch-duke Franz Ferdinand, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria declared a strike against Serbia. However, sticking with the theme of American History, America did not enter the war until later when Germany began sinking American submarines. the U.S. Congress declared war on the sixth of April, 1917. The Great Depression On October of 1929, the stock market crashed, devastating 40% of the value of common stock. The stock market continued to fall until people lost their jobs and life-savings. During this period, Franklin Roosevelt took the lead as president and introduce the policy known as the ‘New Deal’. This policy created intuitive legislative ideas and helped production of goods and prices, however, this was not enough to end the depression. The WPA was created in order to provide jobs; 9 million people gained positions from this program, and later, the Social Security Act of 1935. Both the New Deal and WWII are ideas of how the Great Depression came to a halt. McCarthyism McCarthyism is a shameful period of American History. A fear of the spread of communism led to blackmail. During the 1940’s, McCarthy, a senator, claimed to know the names of over 200 card-carrying communist in the U.S.. This began a hunt for infiltrators. Writers were often named communist sympathizers and were often unable to continue working. However, in more serious cases, some were jailed for refusing to give the names of communists. The media could not stand-up to McCarthy in fear that they, like three-hundred others, would be blacklisted. Resources: Plymouth.org – Mayflower Compact CIA.gov – Revolutionary War PBS.org – WWI Historylearningsite.co.uk – America and WWI

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Most works of fiction borrow from historical events. Therefore, for anyone to understand a particular work of literature, he/she has to be familiar with its historical context. â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being† is a novel set in Czechoslovak. This means that it would help the reader if he/she has an understanding of Czechoslovak’s history.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Unbearable Lightness of Being specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Milan Kundera the author of this book disagrees with this notion. The author maintains that the events that transpire in his novel do not necessarily reflect the history of Czechoslovak. Even if this was the case, there is still an undeniable relationship between history and fiction in â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being†. This paper will explore this relationship in a detailed manner. Kundera, the author of â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being† has previously dismissed the notion that all history can be explained rationally. The author had lived through the dictatorship of the Soviet Union. In his opinion, the absurdities and cruelties he encountered when this regime came to force, could not be explained rationally. For instance, he questioned the drive behind Russia’s bid for world domination. His argument was that there were no prior events or circumstances that could help explain the rationale behind Russia’s actions. The author believes history is basically made of existential situations. Following the author’s way of thinking, there is a way to describe Soviet Czechoslovak existentially. It can be defined by its location, political situation, historical background, communist influence, and culture. Therefore, the circumstances faced by most of the characters in â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being† coincide with the above definitions. For instance, submission to Soviet authority, flig ht from political intolerance, and self-exile are all circumstances that can be easily related to Czechoslovak’s history. In his book, Kundera notes that incase the French Revolution was to happen again, Robespierre’s contribution would be compromised. This is because the circumstances surrounding this revolution have been belittled by authors and historians. Kundera quips that â€Å"years of revolution have turned into mere words, theories, and discussions†¦frightening no one† (Kundera 4). The author is wrong by making this assumption. Robespierre is not dead and gone. The only thing Robespierre has done is to assume different forms. To some he is a hero and yet to others he is a frightening villain who goes around cutting off people’s heads. Whenever a historical turmoil is over, the people who come after it has happened can only approach it from a historical perspective.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if w e can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The same is true of the Czechoslovak in â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness†. The author had a firsthand experience with the situation when it happened. Therefore, his â€Å"fiction† cannot be likened to that of a today’s author on the same subject. This is probably why Kundera felt that literature and history could not be compatible. For instance, the author feels that literature either overstates or understates history. His claim that Robespierre is two different entities is understandable. The Robespierre who â€Å"occurs only once in history† is very hard to locate (Kundera 4). However, many other variations of the character only mislead actual history. Kundera argues that one cannot rely on fiction to be an accurate representation of history. This is because when everybody is busy condemning those who colluded with the Nazi, a new breed of the â€Å"Nazi† is currently unde r formation. The only difference is that fiction and history cannot recognize it as it happens. All the main characters in this novel can also relate to history in the course of their â€Å"lightness†. The main character, Tomas, is a surgeon who lives his life through a controversial moral code. Tereza, the woman he subsequently falls in love with also struggles with her lightness of being. Sabina, Tomas’ mistress is a free spirited woman who later is separated with the pair. All these characters’ lives are disrupted by the events that transpire in Czechoslovak. Whenever an author creates characters, he/she does so by either drawing from personal experiences or by inference. Therefore, it is likely that Kundera’s characters were sourced from his personal experiences. This would directly imply that they have some relevance in relation to his history. The characters in this novel are interwoven with the ideas of lightness and weight. These ideas are develop ed in great depth throughout the book. The philosophy behind â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being† was something the author must have encountered around the time this book was published. If this was the case, this philosophy most likely had some ties to the history of the time. This is true because other authors during this period also addressed this philosophy of weight and lightness. It is likely that there are certain factors that made this philosophy relevant in Czechoslovak at that time. This would tie the subject matter of this book to the history of this country. When Joseph Stalin died, the situation in the Soviet Union began to change. The existent totalitarian authority started to relax gradually. During this time, open protests that were challenging the policies of the Soviet Union began rising. This demand for reform came to a climax when a leader of the Communist Party in Czechoslovak was deposed in 1967. Alexander Dubcek replaced the overthrown leader and imm ediately began a campaign to change policies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Unbearable Lightness of Being specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This wave of reforms continued until the Soviet tanks invaded Prague in 1968. Soon after, the totalitarian policies began being reinstated. Kundera was himself against a totalitarian government. â€Å"The Joke† is a novel published by Kundera and it featured subtle criticisms of communism. He was also opposed to the censorship employed by the system. At one point, he urged his fellow writers not to submit to censorship. In addition, he was an active member of intellectual groups that protested against the Soviet rule. The Soviet Union responded to Kundera’s actions by revoking his publishing rights. The authorities also gave him a chance to go on a self-exile. He eventually went to a self-exile in France where he continued to write. He later attributed his sel f-exile to hopelessness. Before this second invasion of 1967, the war against totalitarianism was almost won. However, when the military tanks showed up, the hope of ever gaining freedom waned. It is apparent that the concerns expressed in â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being† are reflective of the situation in Czechoslovak in the 1960s. During this period, the Soviet Union’s grip on Czechoslovak was too strong to be challenged. This might have prompted several individuals to lack their meaning of existence. Therefore, like most of Kundera’s characters, most citizens were experiencing the â€Å"unbearable lightness of being†. Moreover, just like in the book some of them fled while others chose to fight this feeling. During the time when Soviet Union’s rule flourished in Czechoslovak, the debate on self-exile was rife. There were those who felt that instead of exiling themselves, they had the option of staying behind and fighting. The argument be hind this action was that by leaving, one lost his/her authenticity. There were also those who felt that it was possible to continue the fight even when they were in exile. Kundera seems to justify his choice to go to exile through this book. He faced counter arguments from his fellow intellects at the time like Jan Patocka and Vaclav Havel. The two were opposed to self-exile. It has been argued that â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being† was a justification of Kundera’s personal choices. When this question was forwarded to the author, he admitted that the characters in this book represent his â€Å"unrealized possibilities†. However, he was quick to clarify that the book is not by any means a â€Å"confession† but an investigation into the human life. All this argument proves that the situation in Czechoslovak had an immense influence on the subject matter of this book. â€Å"The Unbearable Lightness of Being† is a valid reaction to historical e vents. Kundera’s beliefs were themselves heavily influenced by circumstances in history. The author was seemingly aware of the implications history had on his literature. This is why he argued that events in history should not compromise any individual’s capacity to make well-informed choices. The author argues that overreliance in history can lead people to flawed judgments.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The fiction used in this book is closely related to historical facts. The author uses this relationship to help show that even when faced by lightness of being, one can still achieve authenticity. The book strongly suggests that authenticity cannot be tested by either oppression or totalitarianism (Kundera 224). The author of this novel tries to avoid being tied to historical facts. However, he still manages to deliver the facts about lightness of being while leaning on history Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, New York, NY: Harper, 2004. Print.

NaN, Infinity, and Divide by Zero in VB.NET

NaN, Infinity, and Divide by Zero in VB.NET Beginning programming books usually include this warning: Dont divide by zero! Youll get a runtime error! Things have changed in VB.NET. Although there are more programming options and the calculation is more accurate, it isnt always easy to see why things happen the way they do. Here, we learn how to handle division by zero using VB.NETs structured error handling. And along the way, we also cover the new VB.NET constants: NaN, Infinity, and Epsilon. What Happens If You Run 'Divide By Zero' in VB.NET If you run a divide by zero scenario in VB.NET, you get this result: Dim a, b, c As Double a 1 : b 0 c a / b Console.WriteLine( _ Have math rules _ vbCrLf _ been repealed? _ vbCrLf _ Division by zero _ vbCrLf _ must be possible!) So whats going on here? The answer is that VB.NET actually gives you the mathematically correct answer. Mathematically, you can divide by zero, but what you get is infinity. Dim a, b, c As Double a 1 : b 0 c a / b Console.WriteLine( _ The answer is: _ c) Displays: The answer is: infinity The value infinity isnt too useful for most business applications. (Unless the CEO is wondering what the upper limit on his stock bonus is.) But it does keep your applications from crashing on a runtime exception like less powerful languages do. VB.NET gives you even more flexibility by even allowing you to perform calculations. Check this out: Dim a, b, c As Double a 1 : b 0 c a / b c c 1 Infinity plus 1 is still infinity To remain mathematically correct, VB.NET gives you the answer NaN (Not a Number) for some calculations such as 0 / 0. Dim a, b, c As Double a 0 : b 0 c a / b Console.WriteLine( _ The answer is: _ c) Displays: The answer is: NaN VB.NET can also tell the difference between positive infinity and negative infinity: Dim a1, a2, b, c As Double a1 1 : a2 -1 : b 0 If (a1 / b) (a2 / b) Then _ Console.WriteLine( _ Postive infinity is _ vbCrLf _ greater than _ vbCrLf _ negative infinity.) In addition to PositiveInfinity and NegativeInfinity, VB.NET also provides Epsilon, the smallest positive Double value greater than zero. Keep in mind that all of these new capabilities of VB.NET are only available with floating point (Double or Single) data types. And this flexibility can lead to some Try-Catch-Finally (structured error handling) confusion. For example, the .NET code above runs without throwing any kind of exception, so coding it inside a Try-Catch-Finally block wont help. To test for a divide by zero, you would have to code a test something like: If c.ToString Infinity Then ... Even if you code the program (using Integer instead of Single or Double types), you still get an Overflow Exception, not a Divide by Zero exception. If you search the web for other technical help, you will notice that the examples all test for OverflowException. .NET actually has the DivideByZeroException as a legitimate type. But if the code never triggers the exception, when will you ever see this elusive error? When You'll See DivideByZeroException As it turns out, Microsofts MSDN page about Try-Catch-Finally blocks actually uses a divide by zero examples to illustrate how to code them. But theres a subtle catch that they dont explain. Their code looks like this: Dim a As Integer 0 Dim b As Integer 0 Dim c As Integer 0 Try   Ã‚  Ã‚  a b \ c Catch exc As Exception   Ã‚  Ã‚  Console.WriteLine(A run-time error occurred) Finally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Console.ReadLine() End Try This code does trigger an actual divide by zero exception. But why does this code trigger the exception and nothing weve coded before does? And what is Microsoft not explaining? Notice that the operation they use is not divide (/), its integer divide (\)! (Other Microsoft examples actually declare the variables as Integer.) As it turns out, integer calculation is the only case that actually throws that exception. It would have been nice if Microsoft (and the other pages that copy  their code) explained that little detail.

Dinosaur Exhibits at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

Dinosaur Exhibits at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Name: Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Address: 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, OK Phone Number: 405-325-4712 Ticket Prices: $5 for adults, $3 for children age 6 to 17 Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Sunday Web Site: Oklahoma Museum of Natural History    About the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History: Two ancient battles punctuate the Hall of Ancient Life at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The centerpiece of this exhibit is a fight to the death between Saurophaganax and Apatosaurus (both specimens of which were unearthed in the Oklahoma panhandle), while nearby, a pack of Deinonychus surround a much bigger Tenontosaurus. This hall also features numerous other fossils, including one of the most complete Pentaceratops skeletons in the world (the skull of which is verified as World’s Largest by the Guinness Book of World Records). The dinosaur and prehistoric life galleries at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History are arranged chronologically, leading visitors past specimens from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras (this last part of the hall features a nine-foot-tall Woolly Mammoth, also dug up in Oklahoma, and a Smilodon, or Saber-Toothed Tiger). One innovative feature here is the Dinovator, an elevator you can take to look that Apatosaurus skull right in its bony eyes!

Leading in the Darkness and the Light - Answers Essay

Leading in the Darkness and the Light - Answers - Essay Example As the rescue went on, the miners demonstrated different forms of leadership. First, there was evidence of servant leadership as one of the miners who was a trained paramedic went about helping his colleagues and giving advice on what they should do. That demonstrated empathy, which is a characteristic of servant leaders (Northouse 220). Also, the shift foreman demonstrated servant leadership as he made sure he was the last to come up. The miner that used humor demonstrated transformational leadership as he tried to motivate the rest and keep their morale up (Northouse 186). The pastor demonstrated authentic leadership as he remained hopeful and kept their hope up during the time. Above the ground, there was a demonstration of various forms of leadership. President Pinera demonstrated authentic leadership as demonstrated by his optimism and commitment to the rescue (Humphrey 259). Mining Minister Golborne, on his part, proved to be a servant leader. That was evident from the empathy he showed towards the trapped miners as he spent most of the time at the site. Engineer Sougarret led the drilling project. In the process, he enabled creativity as his team sought different ways to locate the miners. He thus demonstrated transformational leadership. Unlike the case of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, the miners’ crisis in Chile saw the government take responsibility. The President and his Mining Minister took over the rescue operation as contrasted to the US situation where the Government left that to someone else. Unlike the US cases where the operation moved from one solution to the other, the Chilean rescue had some organization and control. There was a plan A, and B. They had a plan and knew the steps they would take. To keep things running, the mining Minister was ever present at the site and the President made an appearance from time to time. That was not the case in the case of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.  

Comparing Sources in Ethnomusicology Research Paper

Comparing Sources in Ethnomusicology - Research Paper Example In 1948, a Dutch, Jaap Kunst coined the term â€Å"ethnomusicology† which would emphasize the role of culture in the study of world music (Frishkopf, 13). Ethnomusicology referred to the study of any music outside the European art tradition and all varieties of music found in one locale.Ethnomusicology is a highly inter-disciplinary field yet all ethnomusicologists share a common foundation in approaches and methods, namely; understanding music as a social practice, taking a global approach to music, engaging in ethnographic fieldwork(Frishkopf, 16). This research paper provides a description of three articles from the journal for ethnomusicology, its subject and characterizes the ethnological approaches that each author demonstrates. The field of ethnomusicology has expanded rapidly that it now includes almost any type of human activity that can be related in some manner to what may be termed as music. Michael Frishkopf approaches the issue of ethnomusicology using a compilation of essays by various ethnomusicologist that concentrate on many of the contemporary concerns. This includes nine topical sections discussed herein. The essays offer approaches to theoretical frameworks, insights and research that connect with current methods in diverse disciplines. Works from developing areas of focus have been â€Å"consulted and fully integrated in research methodologies especially gender issues, cultural studies, history, linguistics, religion and political science† (Frishkopf, 31). Tourism studies are relatively new in ethnomusicology. The concept of cultural tourism has become a major force in the contemporary music scenes. Some researchers identify cultural tourism as vital to the continuation of traditional practices and renewal of traditional musical styles and forms. He explores how families use festivals to create, preserve and represent their unique identity (Frishkopf, 50). The concept of commodification and consumption applied to music involves the

Discuss healthcare systems organizational structure, financing, Assignment

Discuss healthcare systems organizational structure, financing, mission, vision, philosophy, and values - Assignment Example ciety as a whole and how the overall healthcare system is linked with other sectors of the economy to support and bolster the overall good of the society. (Skolnik, 2012, p.52) It is therefore clearly established that the overall goals, mission and vision of a healthcare system shall be focused upon delivering good health and generating and allocating financial resources fairly. The financial resources of the healthcare system therefore either are generated through the public funds or through public-private partnership arrangements along with self-funding through patients. It is however, critical to understand that overall organizational structure can also result into the restriction of the access to the healthcare providers. (Andersen, Vedsted, Olesen, Bro, & Ndergaard,2011). The concept of gatekeeping into the overall organizational structure of healthcare system is resulting into a change in the overall relationship between the healthcare providers and the patients. Since one of the components of the organizational structure is service delivery it is therefore critical that organizational structure shall not be the restricting factor in the overall delivery of efficient and effective healthcare services to the patients. Andersen, R. S., Vedsted, P., Olesen, F., Bro, F., & Ndergaard, J. S. (2011). Does the organizational structure of health care systems influence care-seeking decisions?A qualitative analysis of Danish cancer patients’ refl ections on care-seeking. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care,

Types and Characteristics of Muscles Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Types and Characteristics of Muscles - Lab Report Example The muscle tissue has the capability of relaxing and contracting hence; bringing about movement in various parts of the body. These movements include the heart beat and movements within the abdominal region. Muscle tissues also help the veins and lymph system to enable the circulation of blood in the body. This is normally achieved by the cardiac muscle tissue. The skeletal muscle tissue is involved in respiration (Marieb & Hoehn, 2008). These muscles also enhance the movement of tissues which allow an individual to make various facial expressions. In this category, there are three types of muscle tissue, which include the smooth muscle tissue, cardiac muscle tissue and the skeletal muscle tissue. There are several similarities and differences which are considered when comparing smooth and skeletal muscles. In both muscles, the reactions are mainly caused by impulses in the membrane and the augmenting of intracellular calcium ions. They also gain their energy from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (Marieb & Hoehn, 2008). On the other hand, the smooth muscles relax and contract slowly as compared to the skeletal muscles. It is also observed that the smooth muscles have the ability to change their length without any change in tautness. However, this is not the case in the skeletal muscles. The contraction of a muscle usually takes place in a strategic manner. This is explained in the sliding filament theory. When an electrical impulse moves to the sarcolemma through the motor neurone, the neurotransmitters diffuse across the neuromuscular junction and bind the receptors in the muscle cell membrane. This facilitates depolarization hence; the calcium ions move out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and bond with troponin on the actin filaments. This also facilitates the movement of tropomyosin and the myosin head binds to the actin filament. This facilitates contraction of the muscle. The neuromuscular junction is the region where the axons of motor nerves meet the muscle

Music and Mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Music and Mind - Essay Example This paper aims at presenting further research in addition to those previously covered in recitations and lectures. It also aims at presenting new and more challenging ideas to critically understand the subject. Similar to language, music is a manifestation of the human spirit. Music practitioners have been able to convey messages to mankind that would have otherwise been impossible to convey. Music integrates the mind, body and spirit. Music has both beneficial and non-beneficial effects on the human brain. These effects could either be instant or even long lasting. Some effects of music are improving verbal IQ and evoking some colors in the mind. Music also said to help one see happy faces all round. Music and behavior has been previously researched using researches like the Mozart effect. This effect involves a brief effort that is passive with a transient effect. It states that if a person listens briefly to something, they receive a long-term benefit on their lives1. Some people also tend to think that listening to music for young children helps solve their problems. Music has also had transfer effects involving learning of a single task that influences the learning of another. On transfer effects of cognition, it has been found that learning how to listen to music results to an increased reading score. Those who listened to music achieved a better pitch as well as phonemic awareness. It was therefore confirmed that transfer effects did influence the learning to read that involved sounding out words2. Several reports have also shown that music making increases creativity. Under Neuromusical Research, it has been discovered that the human brain has enough ability to respond as well as participate in music. Music is a trait of mankind that is species-specific. The musical brain starts operating at birth where it persists throughout a person’s life. This has been

Key leadership principles, 5 Levels of listening, 4 developmental Essay

Key leadership principles, 5 Levels of listening, 4 developmental stages of empathic listening - Essay Example Going through the section on habit five, Covey asserts that even though individuals are always taken through other aspects of communication such as reading, writing and speaking, listening is similarly of great significance. According to Covey, any communication process involves five levels of listening. The first level is ignoring, which is characterized by not really paying attention to the perceptions of the other party, and that the practice of pretending is the second level of listening. Covey emphasizes that the aspect of hearing only a few positions, which is known as selective listening is the third level of listening and that attentive listening that is characterized by taking note of one’s energy on the words being said is the fourth level. The author strongly believes that in as much as people are able to make sense of the perceptions of others when they go through the four levels of listening highlighted above, there is need to practice emphatic listening, which is essentially skill based and truncated from both character and the relationship that exists between the parties at hand. Emphatic listening is of great significance in communication because it focuses on listening with intent to understand rather than concentrating on the how to reply, control and manipulate the conversation (Covey 248). Similarly, Covey holds the opinion that emphatic listening is far-reaching in communication, as it enables the parties involved to look inside their frames of reference and see through the worlds of each other, thereby understanding how each party feels instead of exhibiting sympathy. The author recommends that emphatic listening should make use of the ears, eyes and the heart and though it has often been put forward that s uch an approach makes individuals more susceptible to manipulation, it is important, as it provides accurate data to work with. To demonstrate how productive emphatic listening is during

Music and Mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Music and Mind - Essay Example This paper aims at presenting further research in addition to those previously covered in recitations and lectures. It also aims at presenting new and more challenging ideas to critically understand the subject. Similar to language, music is a manifestation of the human spirit. Music practitioners have been able to convey messages to mankind that would have otherwise been impossible to convey. Music integrates the mind, body and spirit. Music has both beneficial and non-beneficial effects on the human brain. These effects could either be instant or even long lasting. Some effects of music are improving verbal IQ and evoking some colors in the mind. Music also said to help one see happy faces all round. Music and behavior has been previously researched using researches like the Mozart effect. This effect involves a brief effort that is passive with a transient effect. It states that if a person listens briefly to something, they receive a long-term benefit on their lives1. Some people also tend to think that listening to music for young children helps solve their problems. Music has also had transfer effects involving learning of a single task that influences the learning of another. On transfer effects of cognition, it has been found that learning how to listen to music results to an increased reading score. Those who listened to music achieved a better pitch as well as phonemic awareness. It was therefore confirmed that transfer effects did influence the learning to read that involved sounding out words2. Several reports have also shown that music making increases creativity. Under Neuromusical Research, it has been discovered that the human brain has enough ability to respond as well as participate in music. Music is a trait of mankind that is species-specific. The musical brain starts operating at birth where it persists throughout a person’s life. This has been

History and interior design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History and interior design - Essay Example ............................................................................10 Churchill War Rooms museum..............................................................................................12 Restoring old museums...........................................................................................................11 Modern Interior.......................................................................................................................12 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..13 Bibliography†¦.........................................................................................................................14 Interior design has been able to establish history by its temporary qualities and emphasis on uniqueness in its practice. Although many have come out to define interior decor the right definition has not yet been established and there is a likelihood of never been a rightful answer (Britow, 1996, p.74). Interior decor in London has always been used to celebrate and mark history made in the country. How interior works can be understood by answering the question why interior design and this has made interior decor emerge as a tool to understand history. An approach has to be formed between history and interior to allow movement or change in establishing the interior. The concept of interior history is understood as a process that is taking place at a particular stage. The main idea of re-writing history today is to change people’s perception that interior design can only take place in enclosed spaces. This platform offers designers and student designers certain connection on the inside and outside connection. When people talk about interior design they only consider the interior form and leave out the design found outside. The interior design used on a building has always been influenced by technological advances resulting to rapid urbanization and deprivation of culture and regional identity. Interior designers sit in committees and attend world conferences to share and learn better concepts to incorporate in their work (Martin, 2009, p.72). Today this is not the case buildings that also have no enclosure are undergoing interior decoration. Therefore overtime the history of interior design has changed with establishments being analysed on the interior and exterior (McKellar & Sparke, 2004, p.135). One good example is the Millennium Dome museums found in London a major attraction and visited by many due to their interior designs. The interior designs are tools used to write history and explain some circumstances in the past. Take an example the millennium dome museum built to celebrate the end of the 20th century and to welcome the 21st century. Millennium dome museum had the interior and exterior design laid out by several designers. The museum had the material used on its exterior durable and resistance. The outside fabric has a reflective blue coating giving it a beautiful appearance. The museum at night reflections is very beautiful because the light fittings were strategically installed round the dome-shape museum. The good-lining fabric was meant to render good colour rendering. Today the millennium dome museum is widely known for its exterior design and attracts a number of visitors. (The image below shows the exterior design of the Millennium Dome museum from a bird view and on the right is the interior view of the museum) Most of the museums in London have a great exhibition of interior

The crucial elements of gothic horror Essay Example for Free

The crucial elements of gothic horror Essay Gothic horror first started to appear in the early C19th. Gothic was applied later on by renaissance and enlightenment negatively to mean medieval critics because it was considered barbaric. As the centuries went past the term gothic was no longer the meaning of a negative connotation so it was used to refer an ancient past in a nostalgic way. At the end of the C18th the gothic movement had changed from enlightenment rationalism to horror, darkness and elements from the dark realm. The gothic movement is still but mostly horror. Common motifs used in gothic horror stories are murder, suicide, torture, madness, lycanthropy, ghosts, vampires, demons, poltergeists, demonic pacts, diabolic possession/ exorcism, witchcraft and voodoo. Im going to analyse Napoleon and the spectre, The goblins who stole a sexton and The signalman. Napoleon and the spectre is written by Charlotte Bronte, the goblins who stole a sexton and the signalman are both written by Charles Dickens. At the starting point of the Napoleon and the Spectre story Bronte already mentions that theres something or someone in Napoleons room; she writes: . in a few minutes the emperor felt his pillow becoming hard, and he got up to shake it. As he did so a slight rustling noise was heard near the bed-head. But it stops as Napoleon lies down. This indicates that a ghost is in the room and the mysterious noises also indicate that the presence of a ghost is possible. Ghosts and mysterious noises are crucial elements of gothic horror because theyre inhumane things so people are scared of them and mysterious noises are linked to ghosts, ghosts are one of the common motifs used in gothic horror. Napoleon responds to a deep groan from a closet in the corner of the apartment by crying Whos there? Speak or Ill blow your brains out. A short sharp laugh is the reply to this threat and a dead silence follows. Again this indicates that there is a ghostly presence and the dead silence is a crucial gothic element because this creates tension. When Napoleon opens the closet another rustling noise was heard but nothing was there, also indicates a ghostly presence. Bronte is describing ghostly effects. When the candlelight is obscured by a black opaque shadow another gothic element (darkness) is brought in. Darkness is another crucial gothic element because some of the common motifs used in gothic horror are associated with darkness such as vampires: they come out at night, witchcraft: witches wear black clothes etc.

A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tan Essay -- American Literature

"A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan In the story "A Pair of Tickets," by Amy Tan, a woman by the name of Jing-mei struggles with her identity as a Chinese female. Throughout her childhood, she "vigorously denied" (857) that she had any Chinese under her skin. Then her mother dies when Jing-Mei is in her 30's, and only three months after her father receives a letter from her twin daughters, Jing-Mei's half sisters. It is when Jing-mei hears her sisters are alive, that she and her dad take a trip overseas to meet her relatives and finally unites with her sisters. This story focuses on a woman's philosophical struggle to accept her true identity. The protagonist of the story is Jing-mei. She is a flat character who turns out to be dynamic. Throughout her life, she has been very stubborn about accepting her identity. An example of this is when she explains, "I was 15 and had a vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever under my skin" (857). She shows her dynamic characteristic at the end of the story when she finally does accept her heritage. The main conflict of this story is Jing-mei's struggle between accepting her identity based on her heritage and not on a personal image. There is no real order in which this conflict is clarified, because the climax and resolution come about at the same time. The conflict is internal due to the fact that she cannot accept her true identity. The climax comes when she finally meets her twin sisters and says, "I get beyond the gate, we run toward each other, all three of us embracing, all hesitations and expectations forgotten" (870). It is then that the resolution comes into play and "After all these years, it can finally be let go" (870). It is at that point, when she can finally a... ...Also an important quote is when she says, "But today I realize I've never really known what it means to be Chinese. I am thirty-six years old" (857). Even though she was in her 30's and still had that identity crisis, it was uplifting knowing that all it took for her to resolve that conflict was one meeting with her sisters. The story "A Pair of tickets" examines a woman who has grown up with American influence all her life and struggles to accept her true identity. Through the story you can see Jing-mei struggles with her identity for over 30 years, but it finally is resolved once she is able to meet her twin sisters that have been missing from her life for over 30 years. Works Cited Tan, Amy. â€Å"A Pair of Tickets.† The Longman Anthology of Short Fiction. Compact Edition. Ed. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2001.

Divorce :: essays research papers

Some say time heals all wounds, and I would have to agree with them in some situations. When I was eight or nine, I went through something I thought I would never get over. My parents divorced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They had been fighting for awhile, but I never thought that they would actually separate. Then the day after New Years my mom left. I was in shock. My older brother left with her. So it was only my dad, younger brother, and me at the house now. My mom moved into a hotel for awhile, before finding an apartment. My older brother just moved out all together, he did not want to deal with things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was very tense between everyone for a long time. My parents did not actually divorce until a year after they separated. It was a bitter dispute. They fought for every little thing they could get. The fight became very expensive, forcing my dad to move my brother and I from our large home in suburbia to an apartment in the city. My mom also moved but she moved further away, in fact all the way down to Texas City from Dallas (where we used to live).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not too long after that the custody battles started. I think this was what was hardest on my brother and me. My mom was awarded custody first, forcing my brother and me to move after being in a new school and all for only three months. After about a year and a couple moves my dad was awarded custody. For the next few years my brother and me bounced from house to house, new school to new school, having to start fresh each time. Finally after about five years of fighting my parents came to a compromise. They separated my brother and me. I moved in with my dad in Houston, and my brother moved in with my mom in Dallas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have now lived with my dad for about three or four years. It was hard adjusting at first, but once I had life has become better. My brother took awhile to adjust also.

Teachers Behavioral Attitude and Its Effect on Students Academic Performance

Section 1 1. 0 Introduction Learning is a lifetime process. Continues learning equips one as a student with a larger mastery of knowledge, a broader understanding of facts, a larger repository of wisdom, and a better insight on life that will make better individual responsible and upright human beings. On process of learning, students or learner is the center of education. Studying their different aspects of a student and their ways on attaining such goals will be of great impotance. As such, the extent of student’s learning in academics may be determined by the grades a student earns for a period of learning. It is believed that a grade is a primary indicator of such learning. If a learner earns high grades it is concluded that they may also have learned a lot while low grades indicate lesser learning. However, many experiences and studies found out that there are also several factors that would account for the grades. No single factor can be definitely pointed out as predicting grades. It has been interplay of so many factors – gender, daily allowance, social status, time and interest. In fact, almost all of existing environmental and personal factors are a variable of academic performance. Measuring of academic performance of students is challenging since student performance is a product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. However, base on Bradley's (1978) hypothesis that the individual are motivated to take credit for their successes and to deny responsibility for their failures in order to protect or enhance their self-esteem. Hence Bradley notes that students’ rating is a function of both their attitude and the interaction between them and their teachers. This may be in the sense as suggested by Meighan (1978) that the students perceived teaching as more important than learning and teachers' activity as more central than pupils'. This of course contradicts the official rhetoric of educational writing and debate that makes the claims for the pupils' welfare as the central focus, Meicghan argues further(Meighan 1978,86). Goos (1982) also found out that many students over the years develop a negative attitude not only to school and subject materials, but also to teachers in general. Such students often find it difficult to relate to teachers and more often they attribute many of their difficulties to â€Å"poor teaching† and â€Å"rotten Instructors† (Goos 1982,121). Base on the above assertions, this study therefore aims at finding the factors, which are responsible for student’s inelastic behavior towards study along with identifying those factors, which help a student to make progress in his studies with specific emphasis on teachers’ behavioral attitudes as it affects students’ academic performance. . 1 statement of problem On attaining Independence status as a nation in 1960 what seemed a major concern to most Nigerian leaders then was how education would be accessible to all citizens of the newly created nation. Education was seen as the necessary instrument immediately and essentially for the consolidation of the independence, for securing the new nation against neocolonialism and for making workable the newly establishe d self government in a multi-ethnic society. Mass education, at least to the level of literacy, was also seen by the Nigerian leaders to be necessary to create a proper foundation for a democratic government (Best, 1984) The desire to use education for nation building was (and is still) very compelling and so much was the faith in education that the schools of the nation were not only meant for political socialization but also for other social functions like education and for economic growth. Despite the commendable motives which seemed to justify the very â€Å"high cost of the expanded education programmed of the late Nigeria, most Command schools in Nigeria are not really effective engines for the diverse functions for which they are set up. The performance of the schools as attested to by the academic performances of the students especially at the secondary school level have been rather very disappointing. The situation actually tends towards threatening the future of the schools. Apart from command schools, the reports of the many studies and surveys (for example, the 1980-1984 Statistics of Education by the Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos report published in the Times Publication (Nigeria) of September 15, 2006 and the one in the Nigerian Guardian of February 2, 2009) and the many recent editorials in many Nigerian dairy newspapers all point to the academic performances of Nigerian secondary school students which have been on the decline for some times now. This declining trend has become a concern for the researcher. As a matter of fact many soldiers living in the Barracks would rather prefer to enroll their children in to civilian schools than to send them to command schools at a relatively cheaper rate. The failure of command schools is thus indicating that the health and the well-being of the future of these schools may be in jeopardy. It therefore becomes a concern to the researcher as to the reason why students’ performance have been in continuous decline despite the improvements and advances learning facilities that are now available in our age. Although the researcher may not be able to cover a larger portion of the subject matter’ he however hopes that this study will expose him to a larger scope for future research. 1. 2purpose of study During the past several years a number of valuable studies have been added to existing body of knowledge developing various models to assess the student performance however most of the studies relied on the advanced developed societies as their setting. This study therefore aims at 1. Determining the factors that affect the academic performance of secondary school student specifically in our context and particularly in Command secondary schools. 2. Determining the effects of teachers’ behavioral attitude on academic performance of students. 3. Determine to prefer possible ways in which students’ academic performance can be improved through a healthy teacher-student relationship. 4. And finally to quantify the relationship between the different factors that are considered responsible or affecting the students’ performance and also providing bases for further researches regarding student performance. . 3scope of study This study focuses on investigating teachers' behavioral attitude and its effects on students’ academic performance. The scope of this work will be limited to three command secondary schools in Lagos. A survey will be conducted to collect information and responses of students, and teachers regarding factors affecting their p erformance. However it should be understood that the researchers would not by any means try to cover all the ariables that can influenced students’ academic performance hence the focus is on investigating teachers’ behavioral attitudes and how it can affect the education and performance of students according to needs and requirements. Literatures will also be reviewed on different factors that are expected to influence the student performance. 1. 4Significance The major contribution of this study lies in the demonstration of a large impact of the role of teachers on students’ performance. The researcher also believes that by focusing on different factors that influence students' performance, this will help teachers to improve on students’ academic performance by creating a healthy students-teachers relationship This study will also act as an antidote for the researcher who hopes to be a lecturer in command schools in future hence it will guide him on how to develop his character so as to make relevant impact on the students whom he will be opportune to teach. It will also serve as an addition to existing literatures in the library 1. 5Limitation of Studies As it is often said, â€Å"there is no perfect research† so it may likely be with this research work. It is important to note that there are several factors that can affect a students’ academic performance. To embark on such a scope of work is still beyond the researcher’s capacity at this level hence only a single factor among the numerous factors that affects students academic performance will be researched into. Base on this the researcher will have to recommend other areas for other people to research into or may have to further research into them in the future. It is also possible that some of the factors that have received significant attention in existing literatures will prove to be only weakly related to student performance in this study. Section 2 2. 0 Literature Review 2. 1 Introduction Education is the most essential factor and the pride of every nation. As such the future of any country is greatly determined by the quality of its educational sector. But it is rather unfortunate that the educational system of Nigeria today seem to have been just a caricature of what it ought to be. This has been blamed on a number of factors such as poor instructional strategies by the teachers. That is, the students probably perceived teachers' instructional strategies or generally the teacher-pupil relationship or inter action through the medium of instruction more importantly for their academic success than any other school-related factor presented to them. The emotional climate for learning provided by the teacher whether in the attitude or considered by the student will be more highly valued than any other factor in the school which may have effect on the academic achievement. Hence the researcher will in this chapter review literatures on factors that affect students performance. 2. 2 Students-Teachers Relationship and effects on Academic Performance All of the research reviews support the hypothesis that student performance depends on different socio-economic, psychological, environmental factors. The findings of research studies focused that student performance is affected by different factors such as learning abilities because new paradigm about learning assumes that all students can and should learn at higher levels but it should not be considered as constraint because there are other factors like race, gender, sex that can affect student’s performance. (Hansen, Joe 2000). Some of the authors even tried to explain the link between students achievements, economic circumstances and the risk of becoming a drop-out that proved to be positive (Goldman, N. Haney, W. , and Koffler, McDill, E. , 1989, Levin, H. , 1986) B. A Chansarkar and A. Mishaeloudis (2001), explained the effects of age, qualification distance from learning place etc. on student performance. On the contrary, Yvonne argue that the performance of students on the module is not affected by such factors as age, sex and place of residence but is associated with qualification in quantitative subjects. It is als o found that those who live near the school perform better than other students. Yvonne Beaumont Walters, kola soyibo,(1998) further elaborated that student performance is very much dependent on socio economic back ground as per their statement, High school students’ level of performance is with statistically significant differences, linked to their gender, grade level, school location, school type, student type and socio-economic background. Kirby, Winston et al. (2002) focused on student’s impatience (his time-discount behavior) that influences his own academic performance. Goethe found out that weak students do better when grouped with other weak students. As implied by Zajonc’s analysis of older siblings (1976,27) it shows that students’ performance improves if they are with the students of their own kind. There are often different results by gender, (Hoxby’2000, 96). Sacerdote (2001) finds that grades are higher when students have unusually academically strong room-mates. The results of Zimmerman (1999, 2001) were somewhat contradictory to Goethe idea but again it proved that students performance depends on number of different factors, it says that weak peers might reduce the grades of middling or strong students. (Alexander, Gur et al. 974; Fraser, Beamn et al. 1977) explained that some of the practices adopted by college administration in higher education like residential colleges or organized study groups also help to increases performance. Keeping in view all of the variables discussed by authors one discovers that they are just uncountable factors and projections that have been made regarding students academic performance. Again Maclean's (1966) claim is consisted with this view in the statement that poor teaching methods and too much emphasis on unrealistic curricular objectives and contents may cause emotional block to learning. . 3 School Characteristics that Affects Students Academic Performance School-related characteristics which seem to have been ranked more highly than any other, is inade quate resource materials for teaching. Although this group of characteristics was ranked as number one by the many authors this nevertheless is an indication that the respondents of this study perceived this group of characteristics as the one that affect pupil academic performance the most. Inadequate resource materials for teaching are indeed a major problem in Nigeria. A Nigerian Times Publication of September 15, 1990 reported findings of a research commissioned by the World Bank and the British Overseas Development Administration stating that many institutions in Nigeria do not make available to school pupils textbooks, appropriate reading materials, library and laboratory facilities. The perception of a situation of this nature as having the most effect on pupil academic performance or as responsible for the high rate of academic failures among students is supported by Maclean's (1966, 32) who claim that difficulties expressed by failing students may be due to lack of material information for learning. A supposedly learning environment devoid of necessary learning materials will definitely result into learning difficulty and hence failure by the learner. Section 3 3. 0 Methodology 3. 1Introduction In this chapter the researcher will present the method that will be used in the course of this work. Amongst which is the population, sampling, procedure, validity, methods of data analysis and the administration of instruments. The researcher will use the descriptive method to gather data on how the behavioral attitude of teachers can affects the academic performance of students. To achieve his goal, the researcher will employ both the primary and secondary methods of data collection. For the primary method, questionnaires will be developed and distributed amongst teachers and students of three selected school in the army command secondary schools. Meanwhile, the secondary method of data collection will be based on review of literature in the libraries. Views of various authors will be examined and analyzed so as to understand their opinions on the subject matter. 3. 2 Research Instruments In order to sample the opinions of the targeted audience, the researcher will employ the primary method of data collection. Interview questions will be framed and questionnaires designed by the researcher and modified by the supervisor to sort the desired goal. A total of 120 questionnaires will be designed to sample the opinions of respondents. The questionnaires will be distributed in equal proportion to both teachers and students of the three selected command secondary schools in Lagos. Meanwhile the oral interview will be conducted only among the principles of these schools. 3. 3 Research Designs The questionnaires will be divided into three major parts. The first part will aim at collecting personal data of the respondents. The second part will contain major questions demanding for the respondents’ opinions on the subject matter. The questionnaire will comprise both structured and unstructured questions. The unstructured (open-ended) questions will enable the respondents to freely express their own opinions without being guided by anyone. 3. 4Administration of the Instrument Being a soldier who has lived and served in some of these schools, the researcher has obtained permission from the authorities that are to carry out this research work in command secondary schools. The principles of these schools and some teachers have also promise to give their maximum support to enable the researcher achieve his goal hence; the researcher will personally with the assistance of the principles administer the questionnaires to the respondents. 3. 5 Validity and Reliability of the Instrument. To ensure the authenticity and credibility of the instruments, the researcher with the assistance of the supervisor will carefully and designed the instrument so as to enable the respondents to express their minds without biases. 3. 6 Population of Study The population of study in this work will constitute of three selected ommand secondary schools in Lagos among who are students, teachers, and the principles. It this these group of person whose opinions will be sample in this work. 3. 7 Population Sampling The researcher will target one hundred and twenty (120) persons from the three selected schools. Out of the total population, the researcher will sample the opinions of t en(10) teachers including the principal of each of the schools. Meanwhile the rest of the questionnaires will be served only to final class students of the schools- thirty (30) questionnaires to each class of the three schools. The researcher believes that these classes of persons are mature enough and so will be able to respond to the questions wisely. REFERENCES Bacharach, S. B. Bauer, 1986. The work, environment and the school. Teachers College Record. USA Winner Press. Best, J. H. 1984 Reforming America's schools: the high risks of failure. USA. Teachers College Bradley, G. W. 1978. Self-serving biases in the attribution process: a re-examination of the fact or fiction question. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Chansarkar B. A. and A. Michaeloudis 2001. Student profiles and factors affecting performance New Jessie math. educ. sci. technol. Int. Gordon c. Winston, David 2000. Student Performance and Student Growth as measure of success: New Orleans, Louisiana. The American Educational Research Association, Little, L. F. and Thompson, R. 1983. Truancy: how parents and teachers contribute. ________ Lockheed, M. E. and Komenan, A. 1989. Teaching quality and student achievement in Africa: the case of Nigeria and Swaziland. Nigeria. Emann Press Ltd MacLean, I. C. 1966. Child Guidance and the School. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd. Marsh, H. W, 1985. Self-serving effect (bias? ) in academic attribution: its relationship to academic achievement and self-concept. Journal of Educational Psychology in Nigeria. Meighan, R. 1978. A pupils' eye view of teaching performance. Educational Review. Nigeria. National Open University. Okebukola, P. A. and Jegede, O. J. 1989. Determinants of occupational stress among teachers in Nigeria. Ilorin. Educational Studies Dpt Reinhart, M. H. 1976. Children -in conflict: education strategies for the emotionally disturbed and behaviourally disordered child. Mosby, St. Louis. Sacerdote, Bruce. 2001. Peer effects with random assignment: results for dartmouth roommates The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol12 Rowe, K. J. and Sykes, J. 1959. The impact of professional development on teachers self conception. Teaching and Teacher Education. Kenya. Max Inc. Thompson, S. and Standfort, D. (1975). Student attendance and absenteeism. The Practioner Wehlace, G. G. and Rutter, R. A. 1985 . Dropping out: how much do school contribute to the problem. Teachers College Record. U. S. A. Boxter Press

Honeypot Site

Attractive scenery Attractive scenery Castleton Castleton lies towards the north of the National Park. It is 10 miles from Buxton, 16 miles from Sheffield and 27 miles from Stockport. This makes it easy to visit from larger towns that are located near to the national park. It’s located in Derbyshire at the bottom of the Pennine range. Castleton Castleton lies towards the north of the National Park. It is 10 miles from Buxton, 16 miles from Sheffield and 27 miles from Stockport. This makes it easy to visit from larger towns that are located near to the national park.It’s located in Derbyshire at the bottom of the Pennine range. Why is Castleton a honeypot site? Why is Castleton a honeypot site? Case study: Castleton Case study: Castleton ? Tourist attractions Tourist attractions Jewellery shops within the village Jewellery shops within the village Blue John mine, caverns Blue John mine, caverns Attractive scenery Attractive scenery Easy access via roads Easy access via r oads Mam Tour Mam Tour Facts about Castleton Facts about Castleton Population: 649 people (2001 census)Jobs: Unlike villages in many rural parts of Britain, the population of Castleton is greater now than it was 50 years ago. Although there are still a number of farmers in the area, many of the population are now commuters, quarry workers or earn their living from tourism. Services for residents * 3 small shops * Mobile green grocer visits once a week * Police house within the village * Church in the village * Village Hall * Mobile library available once a week * Petrol stations * Pubs Services for visitors * 7 B&B’s * 4 hotels 4 camp sites * Youth hostel * Numerous tourist shops * Cafes * A visitor centre Castleton is also popular as a base for touring in the National Park and for active sports such as climbing, caving, pony trekking, hang gliding, cycling and walking. There are several Outdoor Pursuits centres nearby. Impacts of tourism Impacts of tourism * Erosion of the m any footpaths around the area, especially Winnats Pass and the footpath to Mam Tor, has been the subject of a detailed study. * Congestion in the village is a problem to locals and visitors.There is a large car park, with space for coaches, and public toilets but at peak times (Summer Sundays or during the Garland ceremony) the parking provision is not enough and the congestion spoils the character of the village and affects its enjoyment by all. * More jobs have been created thanks to the tourism industry. * Because there is an increase in employment there will therefore, be a reduction on the crime rates * Jobs are created. Therefore people have more money to spend on local goods and services. Multiplier effect – by creating a factory and providing new jobs, the local economy grows by more than the original cash injection * Second homes: Many wealthy urban dwellers buy second homes in the countryside. The Peak District is surrounded by large settlements e. g. Manchester, Sh effield and Derby so this phenomenon has happened here as well. This can cause house inflation, rural depopulation and service decline. * Seasonal employment: Tourism tends to be at its highest during late spring, summer and early autumn.Because of the decline during the winter, many locals will lose their jobs during the quieter periods. Management Management * Improvements such as surfacing paths in local stone or re-routing certain paths have been undertaken. * The importance of tourism to the local economy needs to be balanced against the danger of over-commercialisation. More and bigger car parks may increase visitor numbers and create even more problems * An increasing number of litter bins have been provided throughout the village. Increasing the amount of bus routes will tackle the problem of an excessive number of cars * Adding more ‘double yellow’ lines will mean that there will be less parking in inconvenient places for residents. * Redistribution of tourists : There are a number of locations in the Peak District that are honeypot locations e. g. Castleton and Bakewell. One suggested solutions has been to promote other villages and destinations to try and redistribute the number of tourists. * Improved signage and education: Some tourists drop litter, leave gates open. etc.With improved information signs and also better education of the problems it causes, some problems can be reduced Residents and tourists Conflicts between different groups of people in Castleton Conflicts between different groups of people in Castleton Unsurprisingly the largest amount of conflict that has arisen in Castleton is between local residents and tourists. One of the largest reasons behind this is traffic. With a high concentration of tourists come a great amount of vehicles these can cause traffic jams along the villages country roads this can delay the ease of travel for local residents.Pollution from cars is also a big element to the conflict pollution can have a harmful effect on the peak district and its wildlife. Another conflict between tourist and locals is the amount of noise. Living in a quaint Derbyshire village residents want to live in a peaceful environment however having large groups of tourists means there will be a large amount of noise pollution which can be disruptive to their way of life. Another conflict between tourists and local residents is the carelessness of some tourists who drop litter around the village.Residents want visitors to respect their home village and keep it clean and tidy however this wish is often ignored and upsets residents. There are many other smaller conflicts between the locals and tourists that occur in Castleton. Issues like tourists peering into gardens and cottages causes conflicts because locals want privacy. Now that tourists have the right to roam, there can often be conflicts between landowners and tourists, over where people can walk and what they can do.Farmers and tourists Farmer s and tourists may come into conflict because litter dropped by tourists may harm livestock (animals), the noise created by tourists and vehicles may disturb animals, especially during lambing periods. Tourists may also leave footpaths and damage crops or leave gates open and allow animals to escape. Tourists may be annoyed by farmers because on restrictions of their right to roam and aggressive animals. Farm traffic may also cause traffic jams and delay tourists.

Academic Writing Essay

My interest in International Relations and my decision to continue my education in this field is the outcome of my profound interest in Asian studies. Majoring in History of India, during my final year I became especially interested in the sphere of International Relations and Foreign Policy of India, writing my thesis on Indian Foreign Policy during Nehru’s Government and Indian-Chinese relations. Two trips to India 1997 and 1998 allowed me to become better acquainted with this country, refine my knowledge of Hindi and collect unique data for my research. This unforgettable experience convinced me that I had made the right choice of study, leading me to apply for a PhD Degree so as to extend my research in this field. I have so far completed two years of the PhD program at St. Petersburg State University. My dissertation aims at disclosing those problems which still hinder the process of normalization between the two Asian countries, India and China, reflecting on how Indian scholars perceive these issues. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay Thus my research covers both Regional Studies and field of International Relations as a global world system where these two countries play an important role. My presentation of a paper on Indo-Chinese Relations in 1980s at the international conference â€Å"East Asia – St. Petersburg – Europe: inter-civilization contacts and perspectives on economic cooperation† held in St. Petersburg a year ago gave me the opportunity to meet many outstanding researchers, including my referee, Marcia Ristaino, who encouraged me to continue my studies focusing specifically on International Relations and Regional Studies. For that reason I applied and was accepted to the MA Program in International Relations and European Studies at Central European University in Budapest with a scholarship from Soros foundation. The courses I am taking here will provide me with a sound background in theoretical issues in International Relations. The reason of why I am applying for another Master’s Degree is that the CEU program, despite its theoretical strength, has very few courses directly related to my major interest, Regional Studies and conflict resolution and peacekeeping. For this reason I would like to deepen my practical understanding of International Relations and relate it to a more focused concentration on conflict analysis and resolution through the program of the Carleton University. I am aware of the high reputation of your school and the excellent Master’s program that you offer at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. I believe it will certainly help me with my research and career objectives either through work in diplomatic service or at an international organization where I will be able to apply my knowledge and skills obtained through studies at your University. Courses such as Conflict Analysis, International Mediation and Conflict Resolution and International Organizations in International Affairs will be very helpful for my analyzing of the problems in the South Asian subcontinent and beyond it and will allow me to deeper understand the reasons for numerous interstate and intrastate conflicts that persist in the region. Moreover these courses will be of particular relevance to my career plans which are to find employment with UN or a similar institution in the field of conflict resolution and peacekeeping. The possibility to combine theoretical studies with practical skills in conflict analysis and resolution at the Carleton University will enable me to become a good specialist who will be able to contribute to the common cause of peace in the world. I am eager to become a professional orientalist, as I believe this field of study will always be important in the changing world where Asian countries such as India and China play significant roles in the international arena. MA at the Carleton University would be a precious experience both in terms of my academic and professional career. I hope you will give me the opportunity to realize my ambition. (A CEU Student – reproduced here with kind permission) Sample #2 Having majored in literary studies (world literature) as an undergraduate, I would now like to concentrate on English and American literature. I am especially interested in nineteenth-century literature, women’s literature, Anglo-Saxon poetry, and folklore and folk literature. My personal literary projects have involved some combination of these subjects. For the oral section of my comprehensive exams, I specialized in nineteenth century novels by and about women. The relation ship between â€Å"high† and folk literature became the subject for my honors essay, which examined Toni Morrison’s use of classical, biblical, African, and Afro-American folk tradition in her novel. I plan to work further on this essay, treating Morrison’s other novels and perhaps preparing a paper suitable for publication. In my studies toward a doctoral degree, I hope to examine more closely the relationship between high and folk literature. My junior year and private studies of Anglo-Saxon language and literature have caused me to consider the question of where the divisions between folklore, folk literature, and high literature lie. Should I attend your school, I would like to resume my studies of Anglo-Saxon poetry, with special attention to its folk elements. Writing poetry also figures prominently in my academic and professional goals. I have just begun submitting to the smaller journals with some success and am gradually building a working manuscript for a collection. The dominant theme of this collection relies on poems that draw from classical, biblical, and folk traditions, as well as everyday experience, in order to celebrate the process of giving and taking life, whether literal or figurative. My poetry draws from and influences my academic studies. Much of what I read and study finds a place in my creative work as subject. At the same time, I study the art of literature by taking part in the creative process, experimenting with the tools used by other authors in the past. In terms of a career, I see myself teaching literature, writing criticism, and going into editing or publishing poetry. Doctoral studies would be valuable to me in several ways. First, your teaching assistantship program would provide me with the practical teaching experience I am eager to acquire. Further, earning a Ph. D. in English and American literature would advance my other two career goals by adding to my skills, both critical and creative, in working with language. Ultimately, however, I see the Ph. D. as an end in itself, as well as a professional stepping-stone; I enjoy studying literature for its own sake and would like to continue my studies on the level demanded by the Ph. D. program. The following is a shortened sample SOP (with technical details removed. ) Expert comments at the end of the paragraphs point out important features. After one year’s work experience as a research technician at [redacted], one of the US’s leading research institutes, I want to return to academic study and undertake graduate studies in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at the University of [redacted]. Stating what you are doing now and what you are applying for is a simple, direct way of starting an SOP. After graduating with a first class degree from [redacted], University of [redacted], I felt I should gain some practical experience working in a research environment to gain first-hand knowledge of what the life of a research scientist entails. I have loved every minute of my work: especially the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge projects and discuss ideas with senior biologists. I soon realized that, although I enjoy handling the complex equipment and processing the results, I am not going to be satisfied with carrying out routine procedures under the direction of others. I want to be part of the team that directs the course of the project. My senior colleagues have encouraged my ambition and feel that I have the potential for graduate studies. Notice how the student tries to analyze the reasons for her choices. My love of biology started in high school. We had a young and enthusiastic teacher, Mrs [redacted], who took us on field trips and visits. She made sure we did as much practical work as was feasible, and demonstrated experiments that we hadn’t the equipment or time to do ourselves. She also encouraged us to read. I remember the impact reading Maynard Smith’s The Theory of Evolution had on me: I wanted to be able to explain such important ideas as clearly as he did. Quite naturally my first thoughts about a future career tended towards teaching – I wanted to be another Mrs [redacted]. It is good to explain how you became interested in your subject. However, don’t go too far back! Notice that a specific example helps create interest. At undergraduate level, my interests became more focused. Although physiology and ecology came easy to me, it was biochemistry and cell biology that really captured my interest. We were fortunate to have good laboratories and excellent professors. I found that cell biology was an interdisciplinary undertaking: today you need a foundation in chemistry, physics and even IT to be at the forefront in this subject. This interdisciplinary aspect of the subject suits my abilities well. I have always performed well in all science subjects and find it challenging to apply the knowledge to practical problems. For this reason I chose to undertake a project in my final year on the behavior of protein molecules in high energy fields at [redacted]. The scientists at [redacted] were impressed with my practical skills and were happy to give me a recommendation that led to my present job. Details of courses and projects help to show focus. (This student went on to describe another important college project. She also gave a full description of her current scientific work. ) Many people have asked me why I did not proceed directly to graduate studies after graduating. The answer is that I wanted to make sure that I had chosen the right subject and the right place before embarking on a course of study that would involve many years of my life. The one-year gap has also given me time to work with the local Natural History Society: we take families on Sunday trips to the nearby National Park to help create awareness about environmental issues. I have also been a member and organizer of the [redacted] Film Society: we watch and discuss films from all over the world. I am looking forward to furthering my interest in film in the [redacted] Film club, at your university, and I also hope to use my passion for teaching in the [redacted] Social Outreach program. Explain the reasons for any unusual features of your career (taking a year out, poor performance, etc.). Include social and extracurricular activities to show balance in your life or because they are relevant to the course. In selecting the University of [redacted] I have been influenced by the way your research program addresses biological questions at the levels of molecule, gene and cell. I am particularly looking forward to such courses as Developmental Biology and Bioinformatics. I am also excited to interact with Professors [redacted] and [redacted] whose work is closest to what I want to pursue for the original research component of the MS degree. I have been corresponding with [redacted], a current student, from whom I have learned about the collaborative environment at [redacted] where I will interact with talented students, teachers and industry professionals. I believe that I will be able to contribute to and learn from the academically challenging environment at the University of [redacted]. Statement of Purpose(SOP) Name: ***** Major: Master of Science in Computer Science(MS in Computer Science) â€Å"Time and tide wait for no man†, this we all know. Having done an inspiring four-year course in Computer Science Engineering. I would like to put to use this knowledge to do my PhD in Computer Science. This would give me the leading edge in technology and the practical low-down and the information I require. For the past few decades man is advancing in to the unknown realms of science and technology. This advancement is to make life easy and to increase human comfort at home and at work and I would like to be an integral part of such betterment. For this, research would be of prime importance with hands on experience in real time Applications accompanied by in-depth knowledge of the subject. Technology,today,means power in the widest sense of tem and merely the power of mind. And it is this power potential that has given it the status it now enjoys. Right from my childhood I had a strong inclination to be a Compute Science Engineer. My interest in the subject has grown with each passing year and it has reached where even PhD will not quench my thirst for knowledge. I have come to terms with the fact that there is an enormous proportion of subject to be assimilated. I want to take up a research oriented course for my career. A natural aptitude for mathematics, a sense of logic, analytical ability, capacity for diligent work and high academic credentials secured me a place in Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women. The four years curriculum exposed me to the entire gamut of computer courses thus laying a strong foundation for both my Hardware and Software fundamentals. My main areas of interest were Computer Graphics and Multimedia. I enjoyed the course in Networks and Operating Systems. My interest in Graphics and Database led me to prepare eye-catching illustrations to explain the electronic models. I have developed many Software programs in C, Unix , Java. My final year project was Enterprise Resources Planning Procurement Process System, under CMC Limited, A TATA Enterprise. The project was completed in a period of 3 months using Java, J2EE as front End and Oracle as the back End. The field of application of technology is what interests me the most. I want to acquire the learning that will enable me to contribute to the development pf a new software, which can improve efficiency and accuracy of work in varied sphere. Digital Processing is already transforming the world of Communications. My ambition is to work at the forefront of the technology with the ability to find innovative solutions to the changing needs. You might ask as to why a degree from United States of America only. Since 1994 computers have been out performing automobiles in terms of units sold annually in the U. S. A. All in all computers contributed nearly 10% of United States of America GDP. The United Sates of America is way ahead of any other nation in computer technology, manufacture and sales and would thus provide me the best infrastructure and know-how currently available. Besides, it is a country where Science and Technology is a way to achieve social progress and where improving human life’s very important. All these factors coupled together make the United States of America an ideal place to pursue my further studies. The distinguished faculty and excellent facilities at your university make its graduation program ideally suited to my professional goals. Your University provides me a dynamic atmosphere, which will shape me to be a thinker and a learner. The flexibility of the curriculum will give me the broad-based education I need to widen the scope of my knowledge and skills. The diversity of the student’s body will open my mind to new influences, new ideas and new ways of doing things. The world is literally becoming a global village where opportunities for work are transcending physical space. With the Cyberspace connections, Indian knowledge workers are increasingly contributing to the global work force. The international education will give me the training and the caliber to meet the global clients. I look forward to being an active contributing member of the student community at your University. Continuous progress is the key to life. And for progress, knowledge and proper guidance are essentials. I am sure, the quality knowledge and impeccable guidance will mould me to be in the learning mode all my life opening the way for constant growth as a person and a professional STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Respected Graduate Admission Committee: My name is **** . I pursued my undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Engineering at MVSR Engineering College, Osmania University, India. I am planning to pursue my higher education and I really hope to get enrolled into the Masters program, for the term starting Spring ’08, at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In the following paragraphs I have summarized my educational background, motivation for graduate study and my areas of interest. Starting off with my academic’s, I completed my schooling in ****, Warangal, India. My school helped me develop better in the field of science, right from the initial stages, with different techno fests, science expos and I have secured 74% marks in 10’Th standard though I secured 86% in mathematics. Then I said to myself that I am a far better performing student than these marks suggest. Hence to prove my capability to myself I worked hard with sincerity and devotion and obtained valuable marks of 83% in my Board of Intermediate at Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Hyderabad, India. At very young age as a student in high school, computer for me was only a means of entrainment as I found it exciting to play games and generating various mathematical series and patterns thorough BASIC programming. I was dumbfounded to know that games are nothing but programs. Curious to know how to program I developed a serious interest in Computers. This keen interest in mathematics along with a strong liking for computers, and particularly programming, prompted me to choose engineering with Computer Science as my major. This decision gave me ample opportunity to consolidate my creative energies and harness my technical aptitude. Early in my undergraduate study I was introduced to basic programming languages of C, C++ and Java. I understood the key features of each language and realized that one was an improvement of the other. Java being the most powerful and robust language of all fascinated me the most. My first computer science project was â€Å"Core Banking†, which performs the operations of creating an account, assigning an account number and handling transactions involving deposits and withdrawals. This program was initially written in C++ following the concepts of object-oriented programming. Later I modified the same program with some improvements like adding a GUI interface using Java. During the second year of my undergraduate studies, I had an opportunity to visit an IT company of my father’s friend. It was here that I actually saw hundreds of computers connected to each other and performing several different operations. I had many questions on my mind – â€Å"How are computers connected and if connected, how can they be managed? † Curious to know the answers and following the advice of my uncle, I read some books on Windows Networking. I was fascinated by the concepts of Domain, Active Directory, Group Policy and DNS. In the third year of my engineering studies, I was introduced to the subject of Computer Networks. Already having a sound knowledge in practical computer networking, I was at ease with this subject. During this course, I learnt the software side of networking i. e.  how to actually implement and develop different servers. The sessions in the labs were devoted in developing programs like implementation of connection-oriented and connectionless Echo Servers, concurrent multithreaded File Transfer Server and Chat Server. Currently in my fourth year, area of Distributed Systems and especially Peer-to-Peer Systems are of great interest to me. I undertook a project in Galaxie Software Solutions as an intern to design and develop a E-Care system, is an Help Desk System which can overcome some of the disadvantages of the existing software. My work in Galaxie Software Solutions gave me solid practical knowledge of many technologies and concepts such as Java, Oracle, XML, Object-Oriented Design and Programming.. I have also presented a paper entitled â€Å"Cryptography† at Parikaran 2K7 – a National level technical fest. My predominant research interests have evolved into three categories that I believe are interconnected. The three areas of interest are Computer networks, Distributed systems and Information Security. I would be very eager to work in any of these areas or interrelated areas like Networking or Distributed Systems along with Information Security. I worked as a teaching assistant for juniors in C, C++ and Oracle programming. The teaching experience has helped me to communicate articulately and interact effectively with diversity of peers. During the last two years, besides the college academics I spent most of my time attending a number of extra-curricular workshops, seminars and conferences in different fields of computer science. I look forward to a career in research where I cannot only use my academic background to achieve my research goals but also make original contributions to my field of interest. I believe that graduate studies would provide me with the opportunities to attend advanced courses and would be the stepping-stone to my career in research. University of North Carolina at Charlotte suits my research interests because of its advanced academic curriculum and world-class research groups. I believe that it is the best environment for me to achieve my goals while gaining experience and exposure to a diverse student body and faculty. I believe that no other school provides students with the combination of culture, education and research environment, required for an overall personality development, as offered by your institution. Summarizing all written above, I believe that my serious intention for study, my projects, my certifications and strong academic background in various areas of Computer Science will be beneficial for my graduate studies and research. Attending your prestigious institution would give me an opportunity to receive high-level education under the guidance of prominent professors and excellent teachers. I would regard my admission to University of North Carolina at Charlotte not only as a great honor but also as a great responsibility and challenge to prove myself. Thank you for your time and consideration. High Regards, {NAME}. While reasoning my intentions to pursue MS in Computer Science at Oklahoma State University I would like to throw some light on my career till now, I always fancied myself with Computers right from my childhood and thought of becoming a Software Engineer got implanted in my mind at an early age. A career in Engineering seemed the most challenging and logical extension of my abilities. I was given training in the basics of the operation and the applications of the computers during my school days. From that day onwards until the 10th standard I was constantly being taught different concepts of computer in different levels. The various concepts that I am thorough with, in school, are Word, QBasic and C Fundamentals. Science has been my favorable subject right from my school days and has always been one among the toppers of my class. I have even represented my school in many competitions. I have been the member of the quiz team of our school that has won many competitions. After my higher secondary I was determined to secure for myself a position in the Information Technology field, which deals with the areas of Computers, Communications and Networks. To accomplish this I had to qualify in the EAMCET Entrance Exam for Andhra Pradesh, India. I secured a good rank in the examination and secured a seat in Computer Science Engineering in V. R. Siddhartha Engineering College, Affiliated to Nagarjuna University. At VRSEC I had the good fortune of having a well-compiled syllabus, which placed equal emphasis on theoretical fundamentals as well as practical applications. Subjects such as Computer organization, Digital Logic Design, Microprocessor Applications laid a solid foundation in the theoretical aspects of the subjects. Practical application aspects were introduced to me through subjects such as Object Oriented Programming concepts, Data Structures, Relational Database Management Systems, Internet technologies. The areas, which are of special interest to me centered on Computer communications, Software Engineering, E-Commerce applications. I am interested in learning more about encryption and artificial intelligence. My interest in Networks began when I read about the various application fields it could be used, in the Information Technology magazine. I am a regular reader of magazines such as IEEE-spectrum, potentials, chip, computer networks, and computer today, which enabled me to be in touch with the latest developments in information technology. At VRSEC I had the opportunity to interact with some of the best professors in our region. I had the opportunity to do alive project in BPL Mobile Ltd. Coimbattore and project title is Mobile High Usage Roaming Alert and the project is being implemented by the company people right now and the project is done in VB and Oracle. The next step in my career towards achieving my career goal is to pursue my Masters Program in Computer Science. I have done considerable research in this area to pursue my Higher education in a reputed University and with a good course curriculum. I found about the education in USA and its recognition. I have therefore applied to the OSU in USA. Also with some advice from my college senior who are in various colleges in USA I have opted for this College. The course MS in Computer Science. The course has been designed to give me insight into the world of academic and industrial computing research. By focusing on several currently active areas it affords me the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the topics of the course and in doing so, to develop the skills necessary to carry out innovative work with in the discipline of computing. I strongly believe that a software engineer should be instinctive, innovative, quick to adapt and adopt new technologies, which is only possible with solid foundation and profundity in his subjects. This entails and insightful and thorough understanding of the intricacies of the subject. That’s the reason why I am inclined towards MS in Computer Science. I am sure that with my interaction with the faculty and peers at your college will provide an ambience conducive for my transition from an undergraduate to a graduate. It is my strong belief that graduation from this institution will take me close to achieving my ultimate goal of becoming an efficient software engineer. While my sights are firmly set on graduation, it is my strong desire to pursue research program following my graduation. Computing Science plays an ever-increasing role in today’s society. Technological innovation has been one of the driving forces behind India’s rapid growth. It is therefore essential that every opportunity be afforded to talented Indian graduates to extend their education and skills in order to play an active role in managing the opportunities presented in the future. India is fast gaining a reputation for its computer industry and at the moment it is regarded as the centre for Software and as a result many of the top notch Multinational Corporations are establishing their contact centers in India. As a result an International Degree is focused to meet employment  opportunities with in the computing industry in India. Possible career opportunities for me in India include research and development roles in the development of new technologies such as software engineering, technical applications developers and consultants, network managers and other leading roles in computing industry. A fascination for Science & Technology and keen interest in the ever-growing world of technology motivated me to take up engineering. I choose to major in Electrical& Electronic Engineering with an intense urge to delve into the challenging field. During my under graduation program I learned the various fundamentals of Electrical& Electronics Engineering which together with practical course work reinforce interest. Right from my school, I had a penchant towards Mathematics, Science and research in general. This basic interest led me to take up Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as my major subjects in high school. As a part of my Physics project, I had constructed logic gates and simple latches using basic circuit elements. I was so astounded by the Power of Electrical & Electronics. This interest made me to take Electrical& Electronic Engineering. I would like to present my past performance as my credentials for my success in my future endeavors. My innate strength has been my quantitative and analytical abilities which instilled me a special interest for mathematical and physics. I had opted the same in my 10+2 with good marks. I was placed in the top 15% of one lakh who took engineering entrance examination. This performance helped me in getting admission into Sri Saradhi Institute of Engineering, Nuzvid, India. During the course of my undergraduate study I was exposed to various courses with applications like Electromagnetic field, Control systems, Power electronic, Electrical measurements, Linear Integrated Circuits, Electronics, Pulse and digital circuits, Computer methods in power system control, Digital Signal Processing, Power systems(1to 3), Electro mechanics(1 to 3) Micro processors & Micro Controllers, High voltage engineering, Modeling of power system components, Utilization of electrical energy enhanced my subject. I secured good results in my engineering. I was well versed in programming languages like C, C++ & Java. During my final year I decided to do project in Machine cutting using micro controller. From my kinder garden my medium of instruction is English. I had written GRE and got 1060 score, which adds to my English language proficiency. Excellence in any sphere of life can be achieved trough determination, hard work, preference and dedication. Yet lack of in depth knowledge of the subject leaves the conceptual skills incomplete. It in this concept that I would like to pursue a course that control system in your esteemed university. I am very much interested to do MS Computer Science in your esteemed college. I realize the need for me to study at the center stage of activity in these fields at your college in USA. My earnest desire to continue my future studies at your graduate school stems from that it is one of the top colleges in Ireland having fine record of academic excellence and is backed up by expert faculty and research facilities. The other reason why I want to study at your esteemed college is that it provides the kind of expose needed to broaden my thinking and indo any insular prejudices that might be still prevalent in me. Your college is a confluence of people from every nationality, religion and race. Overall development of the personality can be done and it helps me to broaden my concept from the narrower confines of nationalism to internationalism. I am clear as to my carrier aspiration. Educational I believe is a life long process. I there fore wish to pursue a doctoral degree after my MS and therefore combine research and teaching as carrier. I am fully aware that yours curriculum requires that I summon all my resources and I aver that I have the necessary commitment, intelligence and stamina to look forward to do it all. I am convinced that my study at your department would be meaningful and rewarding experience. I look forward to have a long and profitable association with your esteemed college. I especially thank you for giving me the opportunity given me to express about myself. Name : ******** Program Sought: MASTERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING Semester Sought: Fall 2012. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE There is a very famous adage, â€Å"If you think education is expensive, and then try ignorance†. I could not agree more. I believe research is necessary to acquire data and formulate theories, but it is just as important to know how to apply those theories and use that data in the real world. To be competent and competitive I will require a master’s degree. A master’s degree will give me the up-to-date tools and knowledge that is the need of the hour. It is after a good deal of self-evaluation that I have decided to pursue graduate studies.