History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 28

History - Assignment Example Counterculture refers to a group whose beliefs are different from those of the common majority (Misiroglu, Gina p 24). The Free Speech Movement at the University of California: A socially fortunate group of students started identifying themselves as having different interests with regard to the requirements of practices and interests of the university’s corporate sponsors. The Beatles: New cultural forms emerged to oppose the old cultures. The Beatles rock band is an example of such cultural forms that rapidly evolved to mold and reflect the youth’s cultures emphasis on experimentation and change. The hippies: the hippie counterculture’s primary tenet was that life was all about being happy, and not about what others thought they should be. They did not consider the consequences that their actions bore. They sought to replace the dominant mainstream with a Utopian society. Countercultural ideas were embraced differently by different groups. Student movements viewed these ideas as platforms for airing their concerns. They aimed for an overhaul of the current systems that ran schools. The black power appreciated the countercultural ideas. They felt that they had been oppressed for long and wished to mitigate racism. They sought for equal opportunities in the new systems. The new left (activists, educators, et al) utilized confrontational tactics to break the older ideologies. They were concerned with antiwar, feminist, and ecological issues. The anti-Vietnam war groups opposed the Vietnam War. They used countercultural ideas to expose a deep schism within the American

British Airways Logistics and Operations Management Assignment

British Airways Logistics and Operations Management - Assignment Example Some of the respective areas where the organization has ventured include investing in latest modern technology that has since brought considerable improvement in terms of flexibility, dependability, quality and cost (Greasley 2013). Thesis statement: British Airways has implemented innovative approaches in its logistics and operations management. Communication and coordination technology According to Greasley, (2013), for an effective and efficient coordination, an airline company must consider reliable communication systems, which are made available at the control towers or throughout other respective departments. The British airways has invested heavily in technological personnel and the expatriates responsible for the management for the flight operations, dispatch of cargo to and from the airport, ground maintenance staff and members who assist the passengers with the reservation amongst other issues. Firstly, the organization has put in place integrations of information systems t o the center of control that facilitates coordination and effective communication throughout all the branches. For instance, the automation improves dissemination of information relevant both at the internal operations and to external operations. Consider personnel such as air traffic controller, the pilot on board and the rest of the colleagues who are actively involved with maintenance at the hangers. The use of information systems allows them to have faster exchange of data or any other relevant information more rapidly and efficiently. Through the integration of the information systems, British Airways has succeeded in reduction of miscommunication either from the center to the centers of controls or, the employees of the other departments since the information is available in real time to almost all the relevant bodies concerned. Moreover, automation has also led to economical advantages such as conservation of fuel, proper usage of time and appropriate time management through effective planning of cargo handling. This process of operations has successfully led to the total improvement of returns based on reception of new cargo on transit and those under dispatch (Slack et al 2011). Automated flight dispatch British Airways has an automated flying dispatch intercepted through special tracking device systems in almost all its active flights. The flight dispatch systems have enabled efficient conservation of flight fuel through the modern planning mechanisms. The use of this technology helps in the moderation of navigation of planes automatically. Moreover, such systems are interconnected to the flight management system on board a craft and are capable of calculating the flight speed based on the weight of the plane and the current atmospheric pressure thorough cost indexing. In addition, through the vertical integrations of the minima, the system is able to locate fuel-efficient routes of the planes. In this case, the automated flight dispatch help in econ omizing fuels by avoiding extended duration of waiting before a plane is dispatched. The use of global positioning systems has also helped in the control of winds and turbulence associated with international flights (Christopher 2011). Resource management system The British airline has implemented a resource management system that incorporates intelligent technologies to enable all people involved in this organization to access and

The Esoc Board Essay Example for Free

The Esoc Board Essay As mentioned in Lecture 3 and the textbook, most logic circuits today are built using programmable logic devices (PLDs). These devices allow circuits to be built directly onto single chips, without the need for interconnection of separate, single purpose ICs. The eSOC II (electronic System-on-a-Chip) board is designed to allow a direct interface between the Quartus II software and the Altera Cyclone II EP2C8 FPGA. The board provides an interface to the chip, along with supporting interface hardware. Details about the construction and use of the eSOC II board are available in the eSOC II Users Guide supplied with the board. The following is a summary of data taken from that Guide. The eSOC II board is shown in Figure 1 (taken from the User Guide from Arches Computing Systems). The board contains the Altera FPGA (in the center), a 24 MHz clock source (U8 to the left of the FPGA), and numerous input switches and output displays. Figure 1 – eSOC II Board (from User Guide September 6, 2006) There are three types of input switches, single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) toggle switches (S1 and S2), debounced push-button (SPST) switches (DB0 and DB1), and non-debounced push-button switches (B0 – B3). Bouncing is a mechanical effect where a switch rapidly alternates between â€Å"on† and â€Å"off† when pressed as the metal contacts make and break connection as the parts â€Å"bounce† off each other. A debounced switch is designed so that any closure produces a single on to off or off to on indication. The output features include red LEDs (RED0 – RED7), green LEDs (GRN0 – GRN7) and two seven-segment displays (Digit0 and Digit1). The FPGA uses a random access memory (RAM) technology. This will be explained in a later course, for now the key concept is that a program is stored and maintained only as long as the power is applied (like a document you forget to save, the data disappears when the power is removed). This means that every time the eSOC II board is turned off, the program in the FPGA is lost. There is a method to save a program using a different type of memory that is on the board. This memory, U3, stores the program even after power is removed. This feature will be explored in a later course.

Swot Analysis And Its Importance In Developing Marketing Essay

Swot Analysis And Its Importance In Developing Marketing Essay Faced with a constantly changing environment, each business unit needs to develop a marketing information system (MkIS) that is capable of tracking trends and developments within the marketplace. Each trend or development can then be categorized as an opportunity or a threat, and an assessment made of the feasibility and action needed if the organization is either to capitalize upon the opportunity or minimize the impact of the threat. Although SWOT analysis is one of the best-known and most frequently used tools within the strategic planning process, the quality of the outputs often suffer because of the relatively superficial manner in which it is conducted. There are several ways in which SWOT analyses can be made more rigorous, and therefore more strategically useful. STRENGTHS: Areas of (distinctive) competence that: Must always be looked at relative to the competition If managed properly, is the basis for competitive advantage Derive from the marketing asset base WEAKNESSES: Areas of relative disadvantage that: Indicate priorities for marketing improvement Highlight the areas and strategies that the planner should avoid THREATS: Trends within the environment with potentially negative impacts that: Increase the risks of a strategy Hinder the implementation of strategy Increase the resources required Reduce performance expectations OPPORTUNITIES: Environmental trends with positive outcomes that offer scope for higher levels of performance if pursued effectively: Highlight new areas for competitive advantage 2) SWOT ANALYSIS IS THEREFORE DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE TWO PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES: 1) To separate meaningful data from that which is merely interesting 2) To discover what management must do to exploit its distinctive competencies within each of the market segments both now and in the longer term. However, in examining opportunities and threats, the reader needs to recognize that they can never be viewed as absolutes. What might appear at first sight to be an opportunity may not be so when examined against the organizations resources, its culture, the expectations of its stakeholders, the strategies available, or the feasibility of implementing the strategy. At the risk of oversimplification, however, the purpose of strategy formulation is to develop a strategy which will take advantage of the opportunities and overcome or circumvent the threats. For our purposes, an opportunity can be seen as any sector of the market in which the company would enjoy a competitive advantage. These opportunities can then be assessed according to their attractiveness and the organizations probability of success in this area; The probability of success is influenced by several factors, but most obviously by the extent to which the organizations strengths, and in particular its distinctive competences, match the key success requirements for operating effectively in the target market and exceed those of its competitors. Competence by itself is rarely sufficient in anything more than the short term since, given time, competitive forces will erode this competence. 2.1) IDENTIFYING STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Our primary concern within this stage is with the ways in which organizations can most clearly identify their current position and the nature of their marketing capability. It is against the background of the picture that emerges from this analysis that the marketing planner should then be in a far better position to begin the process of deciding upon the detail of the organizations future direction and the ways in which strategy is to be formulated. The starting point in this process of strategic and marketing analysis involves a detailed marketing audit and review of marketing effectiveness. Together, the two techniques are designed to provide the strategist with a clear understanding of: à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ The organizations current market position à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ The nature of environmental opportunities and threats à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ The organizations ability to cope with the demands of this environment. The results of this analysis are then incorporated in a statement of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), and subsequently a measure of capability. Although in many markets it is often a relatively simple process to identify a whole series of environmental opportunities, few organizations have the ability or the competences needed to capitalize upon more than a small number of these. Each business needs therefore to evaluate on a regular basis its strengths and weaknesses. Each factor is rated by management or an outside consultant according to whether it is a fundamental strength, a marginal strength, a neutral factor, a marginal weakness, or a fundamental weakness. By linking these ratings, a general picture of the organizations principal strengths and weaknesses emerges. Of course, not all of these factors are of equal importance either in an absolute sense or when it comes to succeeding with a specific business opportunity. Because of this, each factor should also be given a rating (high, medium or low) either for the business as a whole or for a particular marketing opportunity. Combining performance and importance levels in this way injects a greater sense of perspective to the analysis and leads to four possibilities emerging; in the form of a performance-importance matrix. Another way of looking at issues of performance and importance involves focusing specifically upon the organizations performance relative to the competition. On the basis of this sort of analysis it should be apparent that, even when a business has a major strength in a particular area, this strength does not invariably translate into a competitive advantage. There are several possible explanations for this, the two most prominent of which are that it may not be a competence that is of any real importance to customers, or that it is an area in which competitors are at least equally strong. It follows from this that, in order to benefit from the strength, it must be relatively greater than that of the competitor. Having identified the organizations weaknesses, the strategist needs to return to consider again the relative importance of these weaknesses. There is often little to be gained from overcoming all of the organizations weaknesses, since some are unimportant and the amount of effort needed to convert them to a strength would quite simply not be repaid. Equally, some strength is of little real strategic value and to use them in anything other than a peripheral way is likely to prove of little real value. Recognizing this, the marketing planner should focus upon those areas of opportunity in which the firm currently has major strengths or where, because of the size of the opportunity and the potential returns, it is likely to prove cost-effective in acquiring or developing new areas of strength. In order to make better use of the SWOT framework, Mr. Piercy proposes five guidelines: 1) Focus the SWOT upon a particular issue or element, such as a specific product market, a customer segment, a competitor, or the individual elements of the marketing mix. 2) Use the SWOT analysis as a mechanism for developing a shared vision for planning. This can be done by pooling ideas from a number of sources and achieving a team consensus about the future and the important issues. 3) The kind of corporate-level strategy pursued by the company 4) Business level strategy of the company and its nature. 5) Company Strategy and its control and structure for achieving that strategy 2.2)  [1]  SWOT ANALYSIS AND MACRO ENVIRONMENT FOR DECISION MAKERS Many changes from the macro environment have the potential to cripple even the best of strategies and must therefore be watched. Managers should note any changes in the environmental factors as conducive to innovation. Potential changes in exchange rates, especially unanticipated large ones, central bank policies that raise interest rates, and taxation laws, along with demographic and socio political changes, all have the potential to impact firm strategies. Managers should examine them carefully for potential threats and opportunities. In particular, they should examine the potential impact of changes in tax policies concerning the Internet. This analysis of a firms current performance, appraisal of its business model, appraisal of its competitors business models, analysis of industry attractiveness, assessment of its macro environment, projection of the evolution of the Internet, and a forecast of its environmental changes is sometimes called a strengths and weaknesses, opportuniti es, and threats (SWOT) analysis. After an analysis of where the firm is now, a manager may also decide not to pursue profits as previously planned but to hone the firms capabilities to fit another firms portfolio of capabilities so that it can be acquired by the other firm. On the other hand, a firm whose exit strategy had been to be acquired, with no intention of ever making profits, may decide that it now wants to become profitable after all. In all these cases, a firm has decided to move into new areas. It is now intent on doing certain things that it had not done before. If moving into these new areas requires entirely new capabilities, the objective to do so is sometimes referred to as a firms strategic intent. WAL-MART 3) COMPANY HISTORY AND ITS FOUNDERVISION 2Samuel Moore Walton, the billionaire boy scout of Bentonville, Arkansas, built an empire on a fervid belief in value, pioneered by ideas like empowerment, and revolutionized retailing in the process. Dead at 74 after a long fight with cancer, he did not invent the discount department store, although it hardly seems possible that he didnt. He grabbed hold of the leading edge of retailing in 1962 and never let go, creating a value-powered merchandising machine that seems certain to outlive his memory.. In 1994, the still-young company earned $2.3 billion on sales of $67 billion. A $1,650 investment in 100 Wal-Mart shares in 1970, when they began trading, is worth $3 million today. He taught American business that the vast amount of American people want value. He saw the future, and he helped make the future. According to a retail executive, while Walton was one of the great showmen of retailing, if he had been a television preacher hed have become Pope. As a manager he applied such concepts as a flat organization, empowerment, and gain-sharing long before any one gave them those names. In the 1950s, he shared information and profits with all employees. He ingested as much data as he could to get close to the customer and closer to the competition. He stressed flexibility and action over deliberation. Wal-Mart is ultimately a monument to consumers: it has saved them billions. Sam Walton truly believed that nothing happens until a customer walks into a store with a purpose, buys some thing, and walks out. His philosophy was simple: satisfy the customer. Operating nearly 2,000 stores in 47 states, Wal-Mart remains the leader in the discount store industry. In addition, with over 400 Sams Clubs, Wal-Mart is a major factor in the Warehouse Club industry. Combining general merchandise and groceries, Supercenters represent the companys fastest growing segment, with 65 to 70 stores planned in fiscal 1995 on a base of 68. Walton long ago wanted manufacturers to see themselves, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers as parts of a single customer-focused process rather than as participants in a series of transactions. He personally and permanently altered the relationship between manufacturers and retailers, which has historically been, to put it politely, antagonistic. About five years ago he asked Procter Gamble executives to view a focus group of Wal-Mart executives talking about their prickly relationship with the packaged-goods company. It was sobering. His strategy clearly was that we ought to be able to work together to lower the costs of both the manufacturer and the distributor and get lower costs for consumers. Walton got both sides to focus on distribution costs and how to cut them. Wal-Mart linked PG with its computers to allow automatic reordering, thus avoiding bulges in order cycles. With better coordination of buying, PG could plan more consistent manufacturing runs, rationalize distribution, and lower its costs, passing on some of the savings. This systematic approach is now in broad use throughout the industry. Walton has been described as a visionary, and he clearly was that. His vision was apparent in 1956 as a Ben Franklin variety store owner. To lure one of his first store managers, Bob Bogle, away from the state health depart ment, Walton showed him the books and offered to pay him 25 percent of the stores net profit in addition to salary. 4) STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF WAL-MARTS SUCCESS-WAL-MARTS COMPETITIVE CAPABILITIES 4.1) Competitive Environmental Change Rivals are constantly changing their strategies and such changes, especially new game strategies, have to be watched very carefully. A firm is said to pursue a new game strategy if by performing value chain, value shop, or value configuration activities that differ from what the dominant logic of the industry dictates, or by performing the same activities differently than the logic dictates, the firm is able to offer superior customer value. Wal-Marts early strategies were new game strategies. It decided to move into small towns, saturate adjoining towns with stores, build distribution centers, and improve logistics, with an empowering culture and information technology to match. This allowed Wal-Mart to achieve high economies of scale and bargaining power over its suppliers. This in turn allowed the firm to offer its customers lower prices than its competitors. 3Low-cost operations as the result of a combination of high productivity, low over heads, low labour costs, better purchasing skills, a limited product range, or low-cost distribution. Amongst those to have achieved this are the low-cost supermarket chains. 4The global, or single brand, enables a product to adapt to new international opportunities. Travellers abroad, whether businessmen or tourists, are more likely to buy a brand they know and trust as it reduces the risk of the purchase. The greater the development of international media, the greater the opportunities for the single brand. The advent of Sky television and the increasing international coverage of satellite transmissions are examples of this widening reach. When a brand goes international, it can attract the interest of large retailers involved worldwide and successfully implemented by the like Wal-Mart to attract international customers. The global brand, having acquired a wider international presence and awareness, provides a lever for entering other markets. Be assumed to be: to maintain continued growth in the US and to extend domination internationally in targeted markets, including the Americas and Continental Europe. Its corporate objective is to achieve an annual growth above the average gained by the food retail industry in general, and above the average annual growth rate achieved by Wal-Mart over the last three years. An annual turnover growth rate of 5 per cent above in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ation with pro ¬Ã‚ ts of 7 per cent might be set. Additional objectives (or targets) might be to increase customer loyalty as measured by customer repeat shopping visits to Wal-Mart outlets. Wal-Marts international marketing plan would cover the basic framework outlined in Table 9.1. It should indicate the groups business mission and associated corporate objectives. Thus, the Wal-Mart business mission could be assumed to be: to maintain continued growth in the US and to extend domination internationally in targeted markets, including the Americas and Continental Europe. Its corporate objective is to achieve an annual growth above the average gained by the food retail industry in general, and above the average annual growth rate achieved by Wal-Mart over the last three years. An annual turnover growth rate of 5 per cent above in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ation with pro ¬Ã‚ ts of 7 per cent might be set. Additional objectives (or targets) might be to increase customer loyalty as measured by customer repeat shopping visits to Wal-Mart outlets. 4.2) SWOT ANALYSIS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  [5]  Strengths This Company has reputation of value for your money, convenience and a wide range of production all in one store. This company is famous among the world over customer with respect to value the customers money and providing vides range of goods of different categories. This Company has increased its market share very sharply with in few years the years both domestically and through acquisition globally. For example, it purchased the UK based Company ASDA engaged in the business of retailing. The Wal-Mart has a very powerful strength in incorporating information technology in its business. This is very simple way in which the company operates its logistic operations efficiently in international market and also able to procure goods on timely basis. The Wal-Mart basic aim to improve its HRM department and hired the best people in their profession. Talent is key to Wal-Marts business, and its invests time and resources into the training and retention of its people. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Weaknesses This is the fact that company is weak in some area of human resource management where it runs on vast span of control. The company sold the products of many products sector like clothing, food, electronics, etc and there is no flexibility to focus on some sector of economy as its competitors do their business. The Company claimed that it operates on a global basis but this is the fact that it has a presence in few other countries. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Opportunities It has the opportunity to take over, merge with or from of organization who are operated on the world basis and focus on Europe and Asian Markets. The Stores are only in a few countries and opportunity exists to expand in large consumer markets India and China. New locations and stores types are mobbing from large super centres to local malls. Continued strategy for the opening of large super centers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Threats AS this Company claimed that its brand name is No. 1 among the retailing business. On the other hand you are the target of competitors whether they are from local business market or from international market. As the company operate in international business market then there is a probability that the Company will face political and social problems in countries where this operate. Intense price competition in a threat. 5) CONCLUSION Completing a SWOT would have identified the threat as a focus on immigration and the possibility of lost crops due to un-harvested products. That threat turned to a weakness for those organizations that did not develop alternative strategies. For those who made the investments in increased mechanical harvesting, no business interruption occurred. For those who waited, it became a competitive disadvantage. Being able to forecast changes in the market and business will lead to insight regarding potential issues and opportunities to be faced in the future. The insights gained from engaging in this forecasting exercise can then be used to create plans of action to deal with the issues before they can have detrimental effects on the functioning of the business. Although SWOT analysis is a potentially useful input to the strategic planning process, in practice it often suffers from a number of weaknesses. Amongst the most common of these is that: à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ The planner fails to relate strengths and weaknesses to critical success factors à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ Strengths and weaknesses are seen in absolute terms rather than in relation to the competition à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ The elements of the analysis are insufficiently specific à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ Competitors capabilities are underestimated and/or misunderstood à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ The focus is upon marketing-specific issues rather than reflecting a broader company perspective à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ Emphasis is placed largely upon the hard or quantifiable elements and fails to take account of managerial attitudes, cultures, capabilities and competencies. SWOT analysis can also be made more effective by thinking: à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ To what extent has the relative importance of the various elements been identified? à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ To what extent have the implications of each of the elements been examined? à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ To what extent does the management team really recognize the significance of the elements? à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¡ To what extent have attempts been made in the past to manage the SWOT analysis outcomes proactively?

equalization :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The intent of this paper is to explain the equalization program and Atlantic accord. First, what is equalization, why does the program exist, and how is it calculated? Are there problems with today’s equalization program? Next, what is the Atlantic accord and generic solution and why has it been an issue in the past six months? What were the offers the federal government gave Newfoundland and what was finally accepted by Newfoundland’s provincial government? Finally, what do the future hold? Can the Atlantic accord deal affect the equalization sustainability? What are the other equalization formula, policy options? These are the issues that this paper will try and address.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Equalization? The equalization program has its roots in the Rowell–Sirois report of 1940 and in 1950 James M. Buchanan defined payments that the federal government made to â€Å"weaker† provinces as equalization payments. Canada implemented the equalization program in 1957 and has been making unconditional grants since then. Today the department of financial Canada defines equalization as a: â€Å"Federal transfer program that allows provinces, regardless of their ability to raise revenue to provide roughly comparable levels of services at roughly comparable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  levels of taxation. Eligibility to receive equalization funding is determined by a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  formula measuring each province’s revenue – raising capacity against five –   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  province standard.† Note: The five provinces are British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. Equalization is so important that it has been acknowledged within the Constitution:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Parliament and the government of Canada are committed to the principle of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  making equalization payments to ensure that provincial governments have   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  sufficient revenues to provide reasonably comparable levels of public services at   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  reasonably comparable levels of taxation.† However, equalization today is not the same as in 1957 due to updating and renewing (Equalization is renewed every 5 years). The Principle idea that all citizens within Canada should have the same quality of public goods no matter what the provincial government’s revenue capabilities are remains the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why Equalization?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several reasons why Canada has adopted the equalization program. First, there are the vertical and horizontal imbalances between provinces and country. Next, Canadian provinces have a strong preference for provincial autonomy. Third, there is need for economical and political equity between provinces. Finally, equalization is needed for economic labour mobility efficiency within the feudalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first step in understanding why Canada has an equalization program is to understand what is meant by vertical and horizontal imbalances.

Animal and Human Nature in Steinbecks Of Mice and Men Essay

Animal and Human Nature in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relationship between animal nature and human nature in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a major theme throughout the work. Lennie and Candy are connected with animals via their various individual characteristics, such as physical appearance, mental capacity, or emotional maturity. Other characters, such as Curley and Carlson, demonstrate their animal-like natures in their interactions with others. Despite the obvious connection between the human natures and animal natures of the characters in the work, some of the characters attempt to rise above their bestial nature by dreaming and seeking companionship. Lennie is perhaps the most obvious example of an animal-like character. The very first description of Lennie is as "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws" (Steinbeck 2). This opening description of Lennie immediately connects him with a large animal, and for the rest of the novel, whenever his name is mentioned, the reader instinctively pictures a big, bear-like man. Lennie is also likened to a dog, just a few pages later, when he is compared to a "terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master" (Steinbeck 9). This connection is further emphasized when, at the novelà ­s end, Lennie is shot with the same gun and in the same way as Candy's dog was shot earlier in the novel. Lennie is also connected with animals in his mental capacity and preferences. His "simplemindedness as well as his attraction to animals, especially the rabbits and the puppy, would seem to fix him as animal-like" (Johnson 16). Candy is identified... ...to live together as a family. Candy and Crooks eagerly volunteer to join George and Lennie in their dream in hopes that they can contribute to the welfare of the group and act as one unit, one family. George already shows this kind of selflessness throughout the book in his looking out for Lennie, and, likewise, Lennie's looking out for George. These characters escape their primal, animalistic tendencies to fend for themselves and chose to help each other. Of Mice and Men presents many interesting connections between the animal natures and human natures of its characters. Though most characters display characteristics that could qualify them as bestial, only a few exhibit the drive to rise above this base level of existence and distinguish themselves from their animal nature.    Works Cited: Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1937.

Montessori method of education Essay

Dr. Maria Montessori is the laminitis of the Montessori method of instruction. She started her foremost schoolroom â€Å"Casa dei Bambini† or Children’s House in 1907. Montessori method of instruction stresses the importance of esteeming kids – â€Å"Help me to assist myself† . Montessori instruction celebrates its hundredth twelvemonth in 2007. The ends of a Montessori instruction were to develop centripetal preparation. linguistic communication acquisition. arithmetic. physical instruction. practical life accomplishments and abstract thought through the instruction of the whole kid and the integrating of the household into the early instruction system. Montessori began her educational experiences by working with particular demands kids. At the clip of Montessori. particular needs kids were thought of as a â€Å"lost cause† . They could non larn how to go members of society because intelligence was fixed. She strongly opposed to the perceptual experiences on cognitive abilities of these kids at the clip. and believed that they could larn how to go members of society through particular learning techniques that utilized centripetal instruction and hands-on experience. Her purpose was to learn kids faculty members through practical life experiences and to â€Å"†¦to develop the whole personality of the kid through motor. sensory. and rational activity† ( Hainstock. 1997. 35 ) . Montessori – The Montessori schoolroom is a meticulously prepared environment designed specifically to run into the demands of the kid both physically and emotionally. One facet of the prepared environment includes the Practical Life activities. Many Practical Life activities are tasks the kid sees routinely performed in the place. They each serve a meaningful intent as the kid Masterss each piece of work such as binding places. pouring H2O. brushing. or run uping and cookery. Through Practical Life activities. a kid will besides develop and polish societal accomplishments. These accomplishments developed through Practical Life construct self-esteem. finding and independency. The pupil learns to take attention of him and the surrounding environment. Maria Montessori explains in. The Discovery of the Child. â€Å"Through practical life exercisings of this kind the kids develop a true ‘social feeling. ’ for they are working in the environment of the community in which they live† ( 5. pg. 97 ) . Additionally. all right motor accomplishments are improved through usage of the Practical Life stuffs. Through repeated undertakings which enable a kid to polish concentration. coordination. independency. and order. a child’s sense of self-worth grows. The Practical Life accomplishments are an indispensable constituent in the Montessori schoolroom. Not merely do they supply a nexus between place and school for the new Montessori pupil. but they provide a foundation for life-long love of While looking rather simple and insistent. Practical Life activities are extremely purposeful. A kid engaged in such activities demonstrates high degrees of concentration. sense of order. and polish of all right motor accomplishments. Besides. they show a sense of independency through caring for oneself and the environment. Furthermore. they show respect for schoolmates and instructors and develop a sense of pride. Not merely are these accomplishments and qualities necessary to come on in the Montessori schoolroom. but they are besides needed as an single develops into maturity. Practical Life activities can be divided into six chief classs. First. are Preliminary Exercises which assist in making modus operandi and order in the environment and are requirements for other activities. How to a axial rotation a mat. transport a chair. or how to open and shut a door are illustrations of Preliminary Exercises. Practical life exercisings besides include Fundamental Skills such as pouring. spooning. or tonging. As with all lessons in the Montessori schoolroom. these activities follow a consecutive order and ideally. each lesson builds upon the last. Another class is Care of Self. Activities such as rinsing custodies. buttoning. or binding shoe laces assist the kid to go physically independent. Care of Environment is another class affecting activities such as brushing. irrigating. cleansing. etc. Control of Movement is an country of Practical Life which encompasses lessons such as walking the Line and the Silence Game. Additionally. societal Grace and Courtesy lessons are introduced to the kid. These may include lessons on how to state please and thank you. disrupting person. or presenting friends and familiarities. Montessori stressed the relationship of these exercisings to the general felicity and good being of the kid. â€Å"A kid who becomes a maestro of his Acts of the Apostless through long and repeated exercisings [ of practical life ] . and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged. is a kid filled with wellness and joy and remarkable for his composure and discipline† ( The Discovery the Child. 5. pg. 93 ) . Changing types of presentations can be used by the instructor to present Practical Life activities. First is a corporate debut given the kids at one time. This could include proper table manners. how to disrupt person. how to talk with an inside voice. or how to turn the page of a book. Another method is a group presentation given to a little assemblage of kids. The last method of debut is Individual. given merely to one kid at a clip. Montessori believed the prepared environment is straight correlated to the child’s development. The schoolroom is a specifically designed country arranged entirely for the kids. There should be a assortment of motion and activity and all work operates together through the subjects. Montessori besides believed in the importance of aesthetically delighting schoolrooms. Children respond well to beauty. order. and quality in their environment. Through the Practical Life activities in the Montessori schoolroom. a kid non merely learns concentration. coordination. independency and order. but besides how to interact with others and derive an apprehension and grasp of the environment. The kid begins to construct himself from within while larning to handle him and others with regard and self-respect. These apprehensions finally prepare the kid for entry into society and a life-time of self-respect and self-worthiness. Practical Life activities in the Montessori schoolroom finally provide the foundation for success in all countries of life. Movement – Montessori said- â€Å"one of the greatest errors of our twenty-four hours is to believe of motion by itself. as something apart from the higher functions† ( The absorbent head. pg 151 ) – it is non every bit clear as to how scientists and instructors have failed to observe the supreme importance of activity in the edifice up of the adult male to adult male be! It was during the clip of Dr Maria Montessori who felt it was clip to stress more on â€Å"movement† in educational theory – Mental development must be connected with motion. Like man’s nervous system is divided into three parts-BrainSense organs- collect feeling and go through them to the encephalonMuscles – the nervousnesss transmits nervous energy to the musculuss and this energy controls the motions of the musculuss. Motion is the concluding consequence to which the working of all these delicate mechanisms leads up and it is because of motion that personality can show itself ( The absorbent head. pg 148 ) ! The great philosophers must utilize address or composing to convey his thoughts and this involves muscular motion. What would be the value of his ideas if he gave them no look? This he can merely make by doing usage of his musculuss. Psychologists regard the musculuss as a portion of the cardinal nervous system ( works as a whole to set adult male in relation with his milieus ) and this whole setup of Brain. Senses and Muscles is called – the system of relationship- it puts adult male in touch with his universe ( populating or non life and with other people ) and without its aid a adult male could hold no contact with his milieus or his chaps. The vegetive systems merely help their proprietor to turn and be. It is the system of relationship which puts him into contact with the universe! There is nil in the universe which plays no portion in the cosmopolitan economic system. and if we are endowed with religious wealths. with aesthetic feelings and a refined scruples. it is non for ourselves. but so that these gifts shall be used for the benefit of all. and take their topographic point in the cosmopolitan economic system of religious life. Nature has given us many abilities and these must be developed and used. We know that for the enjoyment of good wellness. bosom. lungs and stomache must all work together. We must use the same regulation to the system of relationship. the cardinal nervous system†¦ . . if we have a encephalon. sense variety meats and musculuss. all these must collaborate. The system must exercise itself in all its parts. none of them being neglected for illustration we want to stand out in encephalon p ower but to win in this we must include the other sides excessively. To hone any given activity â€Å"movement† will be needed as the last phase of the rhythm. In other words a higher spiritualty can be reached merely through action and this is the point of position from which motion has to be judged. one of the greatest errors of our twenty-four hours is to believe of motion by itself. as something apart from the higher maps. we think of our musculuss as variety meats to be used merely for wellness intents. We â€Å"take exercise† or make â€Å"gymnastics† to maintain ourselves fit. to do us take a breath or to eat or kip better. It is an mistake which has been taken over by the schools. It is merely as though a great prince were being made the retainer of the shepherd. The prince – the muscular system –is merely being used to assist the vegetive life. Such premises will take to enquiry†¦there comes about a separation between the life of motion and the life of idea. Since the kid has a organic structure and mind both. games must be included in the course of study so as to avoid pretermiting any portion of n ature’s proviso. To maintain believing about the head on one manus and the organic structure on other manus is to interrupt the continuity that should reign between them. This keeps action off from thought. The true intent of motion is to function the terminals of being – that is the development of the head ( The absorbent head. pg 151 ) . All motion has most intricate and delicate machinery. but in adult male none of it is established at birth. It has to be formed and perfected by the child’s activity in the universe. Movement and activity are natural maps of childhood and acquisition comes through them. Activity becomes progressively of import to development. It is the motion that starts the intellect working†¦ Till now all pedagogues have thought of motion and the muscular system as AIDSs to respiration. or to circulation. or as a agency of constructing up physical beef up our new construct the position is taken that motion has great importance in mental development itself. provided that the action which occurs is connected with the mental activity traveling on. Both mental and religious growing are fostered by this. without which neither upper limit advancement nor maximal wellness ( speech production of the head ) can be. A kid is a inventor. He is an formless splendid being in hunt of his ain signifier. For illustration in the development of address. we see a turning power of understanding travel side by side with an drawn-out usage of those musculuss by which he forms sounds and words. Observations made on kids – the universe overconfirms that the kid uses his motions to widen his apprehension. Movement helps in development of head and this finds renewed look in farther motion and activity ( The absorbent head. pg 154 ) . The kid additions experience through exercisings and motion. He coordinates his ain motion and records the emotions he experiences in coming into contact with the external universe. The importance of physical activity or motion in a psychic development should be emphasized. The kid has an internal power to convey about cordinations. which he creates himself. and one time these have begun to be he goes on honing them by pattern. He himself is clearly one of the chief originative factors in their production. The motions the kid acquires are non chosen randomly but are fixed. In the sense that each returns out of a peculiar period of development. When the kid begins to travel. his head being able to absorb. has already taken in his milieus. He Is directed by a cryptic power. great and fantastic that he incarnates small by small. In this manner. he becomes a adult male. He does it with his custodies. by experience. foremost in drama so through work. The custodies are the instruments of man’s intelligence. He constructs his mind measure by measure boulder clay it becomes possessed of memory. the power to understand and the ability to believe. â€Å"The child’s head can get civilization at a much earlier age than is by and large supposed. but his manner of taking in cognition is by certain sorts of activity which involves movement†¦ . † ( Montessori notes ) It is really interesting to analyze the mechanical development of motion. non merely because of its elaborateness but because each of the stages it passes through is clearly seeable. Man’s pes can be studied from three points of position: the psysiological. the biological and the anatomical and all of them are most interesting. The manus is in direct connexion with the man’s psyche. but besides with different ways of life that work forces have adopted on the Earth in different topographic points and at different times. The accomplishments of man’s manus are bound up with the development of his head. and in the visible radiation of history we see it connected with the development of civilisation. The custodies of adult male express his idea and from the clip of his first visual aspect upon the Earth hints of his handicraft besides appear in the records of history. Hence. the development of manual accomplishment keeps gait with mental development. We are told that St. Francis of Assisi – possibly the simplest and purest of human psyches used to state – â€Å"Look at these great hills! They are the walls of our temple and the aspiration of our Black Marias! † ( The absorbent head. pg 163 ) The truth is that when a free spirit exists. it has to happen itself in some signifier of work and for this custodies are needed. ( The absorbent head. pg 163 ) The manus are connected with mental life. allows the head to uncover itself and enables the whole being to come in into particular relationship with its environment. His custodies under the counsel of his intellect transform this environment and therefore enable him to carry through his mission in the universe. The instruction of the motions is really complex. as it must match to all coordinated motions which the kid has to set up in his physiological being. The kid if left without counsel is disorderly in his motions and these disorderly motions are the particular features of the small kid. The kid is seeking the exercisings in these motions which will form and organize the motions that are utile to a adult male. The kid follows direction/instructions and if his motions are made a small definite so the kid grows quiet and contended and becomes an active worker. a being composure and full of joy. This instruction of motions is one of the chief factors in bring forthing that outward v isual aspect of â€Å"discipline† to be found in the â€Å"children’s house† . ( Montessori notes ) Importance of motion: –Movement leads to:Muscle development. both all right and gross – demand freedom for motion to take topographic point Stimulates the headStimulates the sensesDevelops concentrationDevelops independencyDevelops assurance ( through agility/balance and co-ordination ) Develops subject and willDevelops linguistic communicationLeads to standardizationConsequences in a healthy organic structure and headEmotional and rational development through motion: – Emotions are the impacting mental phases. organized by external thoughts of state of affairss and ever move while accompanied by bodily and mental exhilaration. However. when we talk about emotional development in kids. we find that kids show a broad scope of emotional reactions. Sometimes they are excited and ebullient and at other times they are down and sullen and some other clip they are merely angry. throwing fits. We find assorted sunglassess of emotions in them even at an early age. The word emotion originates from the Latin word â€Å" Emovere† which means to be excited. So. an emotion implies that province of head which excites a individual when adult male is influenced by emotion he gets aroused and his natural province of equilibrium is lost. Pattern of emotional development – if we have to understand the emotions of a kid of school age. it is indispensable to take into consideration his emotional development during the early old ages. Sometimes. freshly born babies behave as though they are violently aroused. If such vigorous behaviour means the strength of his feelings. so we must reason that emotional experiences can be as intense during this early period as at any ulterior phase of growing. Again we see that a new born kid is comparatively unresponsive to many stimulations which are likely to elicit him in later phases. Children are capable of rich and varied emotional experiences in the class of their development till they are grownups. Children from birth to 2 old ages go through a assortment of emotions and goes through many emotional experiences that may act upon his attitude towards life. Studies show that at birth there are general exhilarations largely refering his hungriness and amenitiess. after 2-3 months the kid shows definite marks of hurt along with delectation. By 6 months with his exposure of different sorts of stimulations the kid starts demoing other sunglassess of emotions like hurt or uncomfortablenesss develops into fright. disgust and choler. With the satisfaction of his demands he feels delighted and by the clip kid completes one twelvemonth this delectation differentiates itself from fondness. the kid recognizes emotions in others and responds to it clearly. But his emotions are non so strong as respect to joy and felicity when he turns one as they are at the age of 2. Therefore we conclude that by the terminal of 2nd twelvemonth the kid has already developed assorted emotions and feelings. Factors impacting emotional development – There are many factors that affect the emotional development among kids. the major 1s are – Fatigue – tired and exhausted kidIll wellnessOrder of birthIntelligenceEnvironmentParental attitudes The child’s emotions are still pure of contrasts. He loves because he takes in. because nature orders him to make so. And what he takes and absorbs to do it a portion of his ain life. so as to make his ain being ( The secret of childhood. pg 80 ) . The kid follows the adults and the words of a adult are supernatural stimulations. The kid is enchanted and fascinated by his actions and words. What the grown up Tells him remains engraved in his head like words incised by a chisel on a rock. The grownup should number and mensurate all his words before the kid. for the kid is hungry to take from him. he is an collector of love. The developing kid non merely acquires the modules of adult male: strength. intelligence. linguistic communication. but at the same clip. he adapts the being he is building to the conditions of the universe about him. The kid has a different relation to his environment from ours. The things he sees are non merely remembered ; they form portion of his psyche. He incarnates in himself all in the universe about him that his eyes see and his ears hear. In us the same things produce no alteration but a kid is transformed by them. This critical sort of memory which absorbs is called â€Å" Mneme† . In this procedure of soaking up. acquisition. geting. accommodating the kid is building non merely physically but emotionally or psychic as good. The minute the kid understands his environment he learns to work and accommodate to it and so further wants to get the hang in it which leads to alterations consequently. In this complete procedure the undermentioned emotions are built ; Self esteemAssuranceFeeling of capablenessSense of accomplishmentTherefore. kids enjoy procedure non purpose!The distinguishable difference between adult male and carnal – Montessori tends to follow a different point of view from many modern psychologists. Most of the psychologists place great accent upon the â€Å"inherited inclinations to behavior† which adult male has in common with animate beings. They maintain that everything we do is based on the natural impulses of human act. Therefore ; the love of cognition is but the sublimed inherent aptitude of wonder. For Montessori. she believes that adult male differs from carnal creative activity non merely in grade but besides in sort. She states that the most important thing about the kid development is non natural inclinations that are in common with animate beings. but the capacity to ground which distinguishes us from them. Here. she is non seeking to deny or minimize the significances of their findings. but she is stating that these simple psychic forces are merely a portion of the inquiry and a lesser portion. her strong belief is – â€Å"Animals have simply to rouse their inherent aptitudes towards their specified behaviour and their psychic life is limited to this. But in adult male there is other fact –the creative activity of human intelligence ( Montessori. notes ) . Unlike adult male. one can foretell the behaviour of animate beings. whereas for adult male. what he will make in the hereafter. no 1 can state. â€Å"For adult male there is no limit† ( Montessori notes ) . Man is a rational animate being to be most â€Å"like to God† whose image we are made. Man entirely possesses â€Å"that capable and god-like ground which enables us to make what no animate being has of all time achieved –i. e. to lift to a consciousness of our being i. e. ego consciousness. to the cognition that â€Å"I am I† . It is with this gift of ground or mind as foundation that we are able to construct our single characters. How shortly does a kid Begin to ground? Harmonizing to Montessori. it begins every bit early as a babe where the kid starts from nil. Its ground revolves round his internal working like a small bud. developing and presuming concrete signifier from the images it absorbs from the environment. Harmonizing to Montessori at her talk in 1944. it was stated that the first twelvemonth of a child’s life is the period where greatest psychic activity can develop by the human being. This is apparent because we know that the encephalon is one thing that is active during the first twelvemonth. That the ground why the caput of a one twelvemonth old has doubled in size since its Born. At the 3rd twelvemonth. its encephalon is already half that of the adult- at four old ages eight –tenths of its ultimate size. Montessori farther elaborated that it is during the first period that the human being grows chiefly in intelligence: the remainder of its growing during this period. being low-level to this developing psychic life. The three features we can detect about a kid during this period are – The kid creates his ain head –Since intelligence is what distinguishes adult male from all other animate beings. the first feature is the creative activity of intelligence. As said before he foremost constructs himself by absorbing everything from the environment by his unconscious head. With these countless feelings. the kid continues to construct his witting intelligence. Montessori said ; to construct up this witting intelligence. the work of the manus plays an of im port and indispensable portion. The intelligence builds its ain instrument –Second fact is while building his ain intelligence he besides begins to build his ain bodily instruments of look. The child’s power of motion will develop in subordination to this superior purpose i. e. of psychic development. Its activity will non be confined within the narrow bounds of natural behaviour. but will work as an instrument of a free moral agent. His ageless fate is placed within his ain custodies. Fantastic adaptative powers of the kid –The 3rd feature of this period. are the fantastic adaptative power possessed by the kid. Montessori illustrated this point by comparing adult male to animate beings. Example – if a cat is born in France. England or India. it would mew merely the same manner wherever it grows up. However for a kid he will talk Gallic in France. English in England and Hindi or any other idiom in India. This is because of its â€Å"inner construction† . Motion and mental assimilation leads to integrating of personality – The kid constructs himself through motion. The value of motion goes deeper that merely assisting in acquisition of cognition. It involves the development of child’s personality -in 1st twelvemonth babe establishes his physical his physical development through motion. He learns to utilize his limbs and whole organic structure to transport out motions such as creeping. standing and walking and sometimes running. In the following few old ages he refines his gross motor accomplishments through motion. He continues to develop his all right motor accomplishments through activities that involve motions. As the kid interacts with his environment. he absorbs the environment into his psychic life. Through repeated usage of stuffs in the environment he learns to compare. discriminate. differentiate and justice the qualities of the stuffs. As the kid additions experience through exercisings and motions. he co-ordinates his ain motion and records the emotions he experienced in coming into contact with the external universe. He learns self aid accomplishments. taking and sharing. This is the societal and emotional development of the kid. It is besides non sufficient to let kids to larn without giving him the chance to work or research with the stuffs. When kids work with the stuffs. it involves originative motion. When learning kids. it is non sufficient for them to hear the things which we wish him to larn. â€Å"We must give no more to oculus & A ; ear than we give to the hand† ( Montessori notes ) For illustration. in learning kids. the thought of dimension. it is no good to demo them a diagram of objects of assorted sizes. alternatively we need to supply kids with concrete stuffs such as the gnarled cylinder. tap tower. brown stepss. long rods and knobbles cylinders. They must be given the chance to research and experiment with the stuffs. This is so with all Montessori stuffs whether it is the four operations in arithmetic. parts of address or acquisition of lands and H2O. It ever involves motion. The kid as an single nowadayss two facets –the centre and the fringe. The centre is seen as the innermost bastion of the personality from which action returns. At this centre the kid increases his mental powers by seeking out esthesis and motion which takes topographic point at the 2nd portion of his personality i. vitamin E at the fringe. The fringe is that portion of the child’s personality which comes in contact with the external universe. It involves the senses. motions and the outward manifestations of his pick. Through uninterrupted interaction of the centre and the fringe. the head of the kid develops and expands. The directress should be concerned with the fringe as it is that portion of the kid that is accessible to her. The other methods of learning purposes at acquiring to the centre straight. The teacher’s concern is to feed the fringe. The instructor prepares the environment that meets the child’s inner demands and in his geographic expedition of the stuffs. he abstracts thoughts from them. As both centre and fringe interacts. the kid builds his head. The objects in the environment can non be chosen at random. Each stuff possesses an thought or concept to be realized. non to be announced by the instructor. At the kid explore with the stuffs. this concept/idea become presented. In pattern. we frequently find that even if the directress has prepared the environment and presented the stuffs to the kids. at that place do non look to be a chink of the centre and the fringe. The kid does non look to be interested and his act seems to be in a disorderly mode. Harmonizing to Montessori. the reply to this losing nexus is the â€Å"Point of Contact† . To explicate this. Montessori used the illustration of learning the grasp of music. If the instructor tries to play music forenoon boulder clay dark and kids are allowed to travel approximately to travel about anyhow and anyplace in a disorderly mode. there is a deficiency of contact. To decide this job. the musculuss. which move. should travel in response to the musical beat therefore set uping a psychic span between the psyche of the kid and the external world of music. The minute the kid understands that there exists the connexion ( i. vitamin E between the music and his motion ) . so the point of contact is established. So if the music changes its beat. so the kid becomes cognizant of it and changes his motion consequently. and he is on the route to hone himself. This world may be either material or religious ; but motion must ever attach to the kid at any rate. Let’s expression at an illustration to understand how the point of contact aid development. In their presenting of the sensory stuffs. kids were given new sounds. new forms etc. The chief intent of it is non merely convey new sounds. new forms but to convey order into this new feeling. The trouble or the mistake that the kid is to detect and understand must be isolated in a individual piece of stuff. For illustration the long rods will show to the kid merely a fluctuation in length and non in coloring material and design. Such isolation will assist child concentrate on the job more readily. It is through this method. that it leads the kid to be interested in dimension. and develop him to detect them in the universe about. Montessori calls her material â€Å"keys to the Universe† –it is of import to constantly retrieve that it is through this point of contact limited and precisely but existent work. helps the kid to cite the head to inquire at big in phantasy to something existent which opens up a new tract. With younger kids. nevertheless. it was observed that the exercisings in practical life will play an of import portion. but ever the point of contact will be established through motion. An illustration was to acquire up from a chair and carry it from one topographic point to another without any sound. The kids would be presented this construct of self flawlessness and would seek to make the same as it corresponds to his psyche. Again. we see the truth of Montessori’s axiom that â€Å"education begins through movement† .