My Life Stage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My Life Stage - Essay Example Personally, as a student of 21 years and in a foreign country, can be considered to be in this phase following migration to a new country that is away from home and following attempts to take a job away from their parents. The above shows my attempts, according to Levinson, to establish independence away from my parents and away from my comfort zone, in which emotional, attitudinal, and physical attachment as new relationships are established. As a student studying abroad, this phase is evident as parents and all familial ties are left in the mother nation as one seeks independence a classic application in real life. In addition, Levinson talks of the transitional stage, where one makes choices in his or her own life that may alter their means of living although not drastically. This is considered a transition as one makes choices for himself aside from parental decisions that have been made since childhood. As a foreign student, am left me in a position to make crucial life-changing decisions for myself as opposed to living with the parents, who tend to make all the important decisions. In conclusion, as a 21-year-old student my life clearly illustrates the Levinson model quite well due to severance of dependency and attachment on familial basis, as well as decision-making. As a result, the Levinson perspective evidences one as a young adult in the transitional phase from dependence to

Time Warner Beta Essay Example for Free

Time Warner Beta Essay Introduction – Definition of Beta Beta, which is represented by the Greek symbol, is also denoted as the Beta Coefficient and is identified as the slope of the linear regression of the portfolio in which within a specific period or point served as benchmark. (Risk Management,) Beta is the assessment of the market risk or ‘volatility’ of the stock. With this, it may help investors to make the right decisions when investing stocks because of some fluctuations in price of the stocks. (Beta: Gauging Price Fluctuations, July 29, 2005) Volatility which is the measure of the uncertainty or risks accompanied in investing due to fluctuation of the prices is determined its relativity by approximating its Beta. Volatility is associated with security’s value which means that when the investment is said to having a higher volatility, there is a bigger potential of security’s value for expansion over a larger range. Thus implying that within a shorter period of time, price of the security can vary significantly. On the contrary, a lower volatility insinuates that the fluctuation in security’s value is unnoticeable; however there are small alterations of the value within a stable range of time. (Volatility,) With that, Beta being the measurement of volatility, it offers meaningful significance to the market risk compared to the greater market. Furthermore, Beta is used for comparison along with the other stock, estimating the overall volatility of the return of the security in contradiction of the return in the market. Computation of Beta ÃŽ ²   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In investment and finance, Beta is the connection or the coefficient of a portfolio or an individual stock in contrast to the market all together. So as to compute for the beta, the regression analysis is used. The Beta of an asset is calculated using the formula: where in, ra is the gauge of yield profit of the asset; and rp is the evaluation of the rate of the yield profit of the portfolio of which the asset is a component. (Beta Coefficient,) Furthermore, the cost equity of a company can be projected using the Capital Asset Pricing Model in which the operation of equity beta of the company and again, equity beta is the operation of both the weight and asset risk. This is calculated using the formula: where in, KE is the cost of equity of the company, RF is the rate of return on a risk free investment also known as the risk-free rate, RM is the market portfolio return, and ÃŽ ²E is the equity beta which is computed: which is derived from this formula: , and the formula of a Firm Value (V) Firm Value (V) = Debt Value (D) + Equity Value (E)(Beta Coefficient,)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Applying this entire concept in chosen business which is the Time Warner, the world’s largest media company, had beta of greater than 1 which indicates that the price of security will be more volatile than the market. This means that the investors accept the additional risk accompanied to attain the possibility of more rewards. The Time Warner had a fixed exchange rate during their merger with the AOL. The conditions contain include the 1.5 shares of AOL Time Warner would be given to the Time Warner for each share their stock and America Online shareholders will get one share of AOL Time Warner stock for every share of stocks that the America Online owns.(Dignan, 10 Jan 2000 ) Using the Charts in Beta, investors could observe the fluctuations and changes in the charts, its opening, closing prices and the high and low points in a specific period of time (Time Warner Inc.,). References Beta Coefficient [Electronic Version]. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://www.answers.com/Beta. Beta: Gauging Price Fluctuations [Electronic (July 29, 2005). Version]. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/01/102401.asp. Dignan, L. (10 Jan 2000 ). AOL, Time Warner tout broadband future, synergy [Electronic Version]. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,2076198,00.htm. Risk Management [Electronic Version]. Retrieved May 22, 2007 from http://www.tradetrek.com/Education/risk_management.asp. Time Warner Inc. [Electronic Version]. Retrieved May 24, 2007 from http://finance.yahoo.com/charts#chart1:symbol=twx;range=1d;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;logscale=on;source=undefined. Volatility [Electronic Version]. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://www.answers.com/volatility.

Strategies Learner Used Facilitate Learning In Workplace

Strategies Learner Used Facilitate Learning In Workplace The aim of this assignment is to reflect on and analyse, strategies used to facilitate learning with a newly qualified member of staff in the authors working environment. The new member of staff will be referred to as the student during this assignment. This paper will show how one particular teaching session relates to theories of learning. Reflection has been defined by Taylor ( 2000 ) as : The throwing back of thoughts and memories, in cognitive acts such as thinking, contemplation, meditation and any other form of attentive consideration, in order to make sense of them, and so make contextually appropriate changes if the required. However, the definitions from Boyd Fales ( 1983 ) and Dewey ( 1996 ), who considers that it is purposeful activity in thinking about an experience, through which learning takes place. Boyd and Fales focus more on self development. Here reflection does not only add to our knowledge but challenges the concepts and theories we hold. Furthermore as a result we dont see more, we see differently. The reflective process is at least to some degree conscious, but may not be verbalized. The author also, believes and agrees with John (2004), that reflection are often triggered by feelings and greatly influences decision making. This emphasises the importance of reflection in practice. The English National Board (ENB) and the Department of Health (DOH) 2001 defined a mentor as: denoting the role of the nurse, midwife or health visitor who facilitates learning and supervises and assesses students in practice setting would seem to be the most appropriate one to use. DOH (2001) identified that mentors need to possess a wide range of skills and to undergo a more robust preparation in order to equip students for their working life in todays modernised, demanding National Health Services (NHS). Although this is the definition that illustrate the entirety of the mentoring role. The author feels this definition gives a somewhat very cold and clinical approach to being a mentor and prefers the following definition by Morton-Cooper and Palmer (2000) who states A mentor is someone who provides an enabling relationship that facilitates anothers personal growth towards competent practice and high standard making the learning experience an enjoyable and mentally fulfilling. Thi s definition encompasses the emotional and personal part of the relationship, whether positive or negative, which the author feels is of utmost importance for a beneficial learning experience for both the learner and the mentor. In ICU, all new members of staff must have completed four weeks of supernumerary period to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to safely look after a critically ill patient. In planning to teach my student, The author need to accomplish three important aims as discussed by Wong et al, 1998; Conway and McMillan, 2000; (Cited in Jackson and Mannix 2001 p270), Provide student with the opportunity to develop their clinical skills; Integrate theory and practice; and, Assist their socialization into nursing. Prior to undertaking teaching of the student, the author ensured that the student had set a realistic goals and clear learning objectives and also, encouraged to question things that was not clear or difficult to understand. After much consideration based on the students learning needs, it was reciprocally agreed that the skill of zeroing of CVP and Arterial line would be one of the essential skills taught in ICU. The learner expressed the need to learn this particular skills, a nd Rogers (1996) views that learning is accomplished when a person feel a need, makes effort to meet that need, and feels satisfaction with the result of his effort. The student appeared keen to learn, and Hinchcliff (2001), views motivation as the major factor that encourages students to learn, and Oliver and Endersby (1994), sees motivation as one of the most basic conditions for learning. Motivation is heavily influenced by need, and Gross (2005) believes that how the motives underpinning behaviour are interpreted, depend upon the position of the work of a theorist or psychologist. Maslow (1970), while theorising human need, recognised that only when the needs lower down in the hierarchy are satisfied, the higher need will be met. The Intensive Care Unit is often very busy and stressful, and within the role of educator the author was very aware that the learner needed time away from the unit to unwind, as she could be very easily become over tired. On reflection this connects with the evaluation process of Gibbs reflective cycle, in ascertaining what was good about the experience. The Intensive Care Unit has its own coffee lounge away from the unit where tea and coffee is provided. Frequent breaks, comfortable chairs, a television, and availability of refreshments are what Rogers, (cited in Downie 2003) views as necessary for providing human comfort and resulting in meeting physiological needs. Maslows theory made a significant contribution of humanist thinking and the self actualization. The learning outcomes developed from our discussion were for the student to; Increase knowledge of zeroing CVP/Arterial Lines; Prepare resources and equipment correctly with minimal prompting or assistance; Carrying out the procedure using aseptic technique, efficiently and record the nursing procedure in the care plan or patient record. In order to do this, the author needed to look at the nature of the learning process. It is therefore crucial when setting out to undertake a mentoring role that there is an understanding of the way the adults learn. Learning can be defined formally as the act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skills (Conner, 1997). Facilitation of learning is defined by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) as a well-planned learning opportunity with the provision to coach and support students (RCN, 2002). This is supported by the Department of Health (DOH), which adds that facilitation of learning allows students to develop opportunities to identify experiences that meet their learning needs (DOH, 2001). Facilitation of adult learning is described by Banning (Cited on Warren 2010) as the ideas and theories that are accredited to prior experiences which need to be complemented by interaction and adult-orientated strategies. A successful mentor is able to transform previous experiences via experimental learning, enabling the student to make sense and learn from the experiences gained. However, facilitating student learning is not always easy in practice. Garrison et al (2004) remind us that while teaching the nursing leaders of the future, we do so in chaotic setting which is, in effect, an unhelpful learning environment. More recently, Swinny and Brady (2010) found that, on a ward setting, mentors have difficulty finding time to teach because of the busy and demanding nature of clinical environment. The premise that a student must have the desire to learn in order that learning that can take place seems obvious, but there are many elements of learning that can affect the desire to learn (Hinhcliff, 2001). Motivation is a major factor that manages students to further their knowledge. (Hinhcliff, 2001), and (Oliver and Endersby, 1994) support this view by believing motivation to be, one of the most basic conditions for learning to take place. An understanding of some theories is helpful to a mentor as it provides them with an opportunity to examine their own beliefs and assumptions about people, knowledge, motivation, environment, assessment and other factors necessary with learning (Nicklin and Kenworthy, 2000). Learning help us move from novice to expert and allow us to gain new knowledge and ability. (Benner, 1984). These theories provide framework for studying the processes associated with learning. Learning theories of behaviourism, cognitivism and humanism have attempted to provide explanation about learning that apply to people in general. In order to see the full potential in learning, knowledge of such theories is crucial to the success of the individual learner. Behaviourism argue that nearly all behaviour is learned. It is based on what is refered to as stimulus /response learning and originates with the russian psychologist, Pavlovs work with the dogs whereby he linked one stimulus meat powder to a second st imulus, the sound of a bell. This produced a salivation response and ultimately the dogs would salivate at the sound of the bell even in the absence of the meat powder. This experimentation produced Pavlovs theory of Classical Conditioning (McKenna 1995). The social learning theory developed by Albert Bandura could be useful within the affective areas of nursing in as much as the mentor behaves in ways he wants the learner to imitate, as a role modelling (Knowles, 1990). He stressed the importance of modelling other behaviours, which is known as observational learning (cited by Bahn, 2001). Because it encompasses attention, memory and motivation, social learning theory spans both cognitive and behavioural frameworks. Humanism developed during the 1950s and 1960s as an alternative to psychoanalysis and behaviourism, movements which until then dominated psychology. This perspective emphasises the importance of self. It advocates student centred learning related to each ones own unique experiences, Teachers are seen as facilitators of learning, rather than the expert handing down knowledge and understanding (Quinn, 2000). A day was planned in advance when the teaching would take place. The author had met on several occasions with the student therefore an introduction had been made. The author felt that effective communication is essential to facilitate learning, therefore adapted a friendly and approachable manner. This view is supported by McKimm, J. (2007) who believes the learner is able to express their views and make errors when a sociable atmosphere is set and maintained. McKimm, J. (2007) also discusses the concept of teaching by humiliation and the author is very aware from past experience, of the negative effect of power relations, and so becoming more sensitive to the needs of the student. As a good example, the student had seen the procedure of zeroing the CVP line, carried out previously as a part of the daily routine with the mentor/author but had neither performed it nor understood the relevance of it. i i

Essay --

Subway is the largest single branded international sandwich fast food restaurant franchise. They primarily sell submarine sandwiches and salads. They are the fastest growing franchises in the world with 40735 restaurants in 102 countries. Subway was started by an ambitious 17 year old high school graduate, Fred Deluca , in 1965. He started this business partly because he needed money to aid his education fees. Fred Deluca approached his friend, Dr. Buck, to borrow a thousand dollars to start the business. They eventually became business partners and opened Pete’s Super Submarines. They opened a second outlet and they changed the name to SUBWAY, coloured bright yellow. This is to attract more customers with their company’s name. Background information The Subway story started in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut during August. 17 year old Fred DeLuca dreamed of becoming a medical doctor. He was in need of money as he had to pay for his tuition so he worked in a hardware store. He could only afford lunch at McDonald’s even though he had his salary. This gave him an idea of running a fast-food venture that provides better and healthier food. He got the solution during his family barbecue in a conversation with a family friend, Dr. Peter Buck. Peter then loaned him a $1000 which was enough to open a shop in Bridgeport, which was named Pete’s Submarine after Peter Buck. But it was later changed to Pete’s Subway as the transportation system was nearby in New York. In 1966, Fred and Peter made enough money to open a second store, but they knew it was in a poor location. They found a better location and it was opened till today. Fred continued attending his college while running Subway at the same time. By 1973, he and Buck managed to ha... ... their stores within few miles because it is much more convenient. Demographic: Subway segment their market demographically by providing different foods. For example, Subway in India does not have beef and Subway in Malaysia does not have pork because of their religion and beliefs. Psychographic: Subway is able to segment their market on eating habits. Health conscious people are more likely to buy Subway as it is fresh rather than buying a burger which is oily and unhealthy. Behavioral: Subway knows that busy people, parties and events need food. That is why they provide catering services. Positioning Strategy Subway's strategy is making their food as fresh as possible. They bake their breads fresh daily, they offer more ingredient than any other of their competitor and their customers can customize their own sandwich which gives them more freedom of choice.

Humanitarianism and Universalism essays

Humanitarianism and Universalism essays In the article Women and Cultural Universals, Martha Nussbaum discusses about basic human capabilities that should be granted to every human being regardless of their sex, race, or religion. However, a problem arises with reaching such basic rights since every nation has their own definition of this matter. In order for these basic human capabilities to be accepted throughout the world, nations ought to reach a generalized consensus on what rights an average human should have, rights that ought to transcend cultural traditions and religious barriers. All in all, the point of Nussbaums basic human capabilities list is to put forward something that people from many different traditions, with many different fuller conceptions of good, can agree on, as the necessary basis for pursuing their good life (462). There is a similarity of this ideology with Mary Kaldors global humanitarian approach. Even though both ideologies attempt to stabilize certain situations in troubled nations, th ey have different approaches. Nussbaum believes that her list of basic human capabilities should be implemented into every nation, especially those nations that are currently violating the rights of their inhabitants. By having a uniform rule throughout the world, nations will lose their specific identity in the world stage. Part of a nations strength and power comes from the richness of old traditions that truly symbolize that nation and their inhabitants. Kaldors global humanitarian approach calls for nations to unite under a common cause to solve a problem. These nations would still maintain their identity, but they would have to accept a basic human capabilities list and form their own views based on that list. Some readers may consider that Nussbaums list will not lead to universalism, but a generalized idea of a global humanitarian approach. This humanitarian app...

Free Essays on Indigenous Persons

Charter Schools for American Indians  · Introduction In this article we looked at the school system and how it is not working for the Native Americans in it. So, in hopes to find something that would work for them, charter schools were brought into the public eye of the Native Americans. There was a â€Å"narrowness of the system that controls the education process.† (1972) They need a change and this type of classroom was felt to be able to give that attention to heritage and culture. â€Å"The charter school movement is a reform through which American Indians can gain back their sovereignty.† â€Å"Not to look at what we each necessarily but how we teach it. â€Å"These schools are what the Native American people had been asking for over a century.†(2000) The author of this piece gives us enlightenment on the subject of charter schools. He introduces us to a teacher who is in the chater school system and lets her shed light on what we are gearing up for. She tells us the factors that go into a classroom and she tells us what she expects in a classroom. What we aren’t told is how is this working for the student (in student opinion) and what exactly could happen if this style took over for Indigenous persons? To make change is success enough. To improve relations between the students, teachers, and community is of importance. To become sensitive to students and families needs in a school system is another goal. There are many goals for and to change. There are many questions to get answers to and many more classrooms to look at. When we talk of education reform we talk about what is needed for testing. What we need to be looking at is are the students learning in a school designed to be rich in culture and in sensitivity. Are the skills needed for testing in public schools being surpassed in this specialized environment?  · Argument Indigenous students will learn in an environment that... Free Essays on Indigenous Persons Free Essays on Indigenous Persons Charter Schools for American Indians  · Introduction In this article we looked at the school system and how it is not working for the Native Americans in it. So, in hopes to find something that would work for them, charter schools were brought into the public eye of the Native Americans. There was a â€Å"narrowness of the system that controls the education process.† (1972) They need a change and this type of classroom was felt to be able to give that attention to heritage and culture. â€Å"The charter school movement is a reform through which American Indians can gain back their sovereignty.† â€Å"Not to look at what we each necessarily but how we teach it. â€Å"These schools are what the Native American people had been asking for over a century.†(2000) The author of this piece gives us enlightenment on the subject of charter schools. He introduces us to a teacher who is in the chater school system and lets her shed light on what we are gearing up for. She tells us the factors that go into a classroom and she tells us what she expects in a classroom. What we aren’t told is how is this working for the student (in student opinion) and what exactly could happen if this style took over for Indigenous persons? To make change is success enough. To improve relations between the students, teachers, and community is of importance. To become sensitive to students and families needs in a school system is another goal. There are many goals for and to change. There are many questions to get answers to and many more classrooms to look at. When we talk of education reform we talk about what is needed for testing. What we need to be looking at is are the students learning in a school designed to be rich in culture and in sensitivity. Are the skills needed for testing in public schools being surpassed in this specialized environment?  · Argument Indigenous students will learn in an environment that...

How To Create A Compelling Five Paragraph Essay

How To Create A Compelling Five Paragraph Essay How To Create A Compelling Five Paragraph Essay Essays have become increasingly common in a students mandatory curriculum. A student will encounter essays in most classes, but especially in the social sciences. Essays are also essential in the college application process. Basically essays will be a part of student life in your college career. It is important to know the steps to write a basic 5 paragraph essay. This is important when you are taking a timed essay test. Having the knowledge of how to outline will a lot for more time to create the body of the essay. Step one: The first step in creating an effective 5 paragraph essay is to make a compelling opening statement that will grab the readers attention. Avoid just making an intent statement. It would be more interesting to begin your essay with an interesting fact or an attention-grabbing statement. Step two: The second part of your five paragraph essay should be an explanation of your opening statement. This is where you would explain any details about the beginning of your essay. This will be the step that will transition to the thesis of your essay. It is important to have good flow in developing your essay. To have the proper flow, you need to be able to build to naturally flowing into the thesis statement. Step three: The third step in building a quality 5 paragraph essay is to make a clear. And to create an attention-grabbing thesis statement. The thesis statement is a sentence that will declare the purpose of the essay and enlightens the reader as to the particular topic being addressed. The thesis sentence will make your point of view clear to the reader. Be sure that your thesis sentence is direct and explain the topic at hand completely Step four: The fourth element of a five paragraph essay is the body. This is where the majority of your information will be presented to the reader. The information in the body will revolve around your thesis statement. The body of the essay will express evidence to support your thesis statement. This part of the essay should be approximately three paragraphs in length if you are indeed writing a five paragraph essay. Each paragraph should state a fact that reflects your thesis. When you transition from one paragraph to another use words to link them together such as furthermore, as a result, moreover, in fact, etc. Step five: The fifth and final part of your essay is the conclusion. This is the part of the essay that will summarize the facts stated in the essay and will restate the thesis, and its highlights within the essay. This part of the five paragraph essay will revisit the important details in your writing and wrap it up.

System enginnering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

System enginnering - Essay Example While artistic concepts have been retained from pre enlightenment period, analytical concepts of engineering are modern. One of the systems engineering principles that Griffin applies in his paper is maintenance of â€Å"integrity of the system† to ensure purpose (Leffingwell and Widrig, p. 69). This is expressed in his argument that failure is inevitable in processes and cannot be controlled by â€Å"additional processes, safety measures and alerts† (Griffins, p. 5). Consequently, high level of integrity, both in a system’s development process and in the system’s components is essential in successful systems engineering (Griffins, p. 5, 7). This further identifies the principle of identification and management of systems’ needs, instead of establishing control measures to protect and sustain a system (Griffins, p. 5). Griffins’ definition of system’s engineering (p. 6) also identifies the system’s principles of identifying the problem to be solved and client’s needs from the system. He achieves this by identifying the engineering scope that involves satisfying specifications under constraints. He also addresses principles such as developments of, and adherence to plans, exploration of alternatives, and validation of processes through the scientific approach of process analysis (Griffins, p. 5-7; Leffingwell and

Good life two additional philosophical Research Paper

Good life two additional philosophical - Research Paper Example No one is therefore born good or evil, virtuous or the opposite, because everyone becomes virtuous only by virtue of deed. In fact, for Aristotle, â€Å"By doing the acts we do in our transactions with other men we become just or unjust† (II.1). Thus, no one can be called just or unjust unless he proves this through his dealings with his fellowmen. This alone presupposes that what Aristotle meant by a good life is a life of moral or virtuous action towards one’s fellowman. Moreover, for Aristotle, â€Å"happiness† is doing something for the sake of doing it and never for a particular purpose. The Greek philosopher defines â€Å"happiness† as the â€Å"end of the things we do, which we desire for its own sake† (Aristotle I.2). Aristotle, therefore, gives us a very strict definition of happiness, equating it with something that is desired just for itself. This therefore does not translate as money, career, friends and family because these things are not desired for themselves but for the happiness that they can give us. For Aristotle, happiness is virtue and the only way to attain it is by living the virtuous life, or the good life. The good life is therefore â€Å"the good and noble performance of [a man’s function which is based on a rational principle]† (Aristotle I.7). From this statement of Aristotle’s, not everyone can attain true happiness because the fulfillment of a good and noble purpose as a rational being cannot possibly be performed by all people. Therefore, the good life can only be had by those who live the virtuous and noble life according to rational principles. If, therefore, one is a teacher, then he must teach virtuously for that is what a good and noble life means to him, and so this life brings him happiness. For Aristotle, the good or virtuous life can only be had if one understands the meaning of virtue. According to the Nicomachean Ethics, virtue seeks â€Å"the

Explain what is meant by supply chain risk management and how Essay

Explain what is meant by supply chain risk management and how organizations mitigate supply chain risks. Use two examples of companies to illustrate your answer - Essay Example o another point with the objective of creating net value, creating a economical infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, to make tally supply with demand and measuring performance globally (Chopra and Meindl, 2001). A good supply chain management aids the organizations to fulfil the demand of market at right time. It helps the organizations, how they should procure the raw materials for manufacturing and distribute the finished goods into the market for sales with minimizing the cost and the time of delivery (Hugos, 2003). A well planning supply chain management aids the organization to increase profit by minimizing the cost of transport of goods from one point to another point. Even though, a strong management in supply chain helps the organization to maintain a good relationship with both suppliers and consumers. However, a risk can be encountered in supply chain, and this risk can be avoided with the help of supply chain risk management (Burt, Starling and Dobler, 2003). It is implementation of strategies to control both daily and incomparable risks along the supply chain footed on repeating risk evaluation with the purpose of reducing vulnerability and guarantee stability (Brindley, 2004). Supply chain risk management helps to decrease the supply chain liability with the help of Holistic approach, which includes all stakeholders of supply chain, and discovers and analyses the risk of breakdown point inside the supply chain. The risks related to supply chain could be finance, logistics, inventory and many more that can be related with the risk management of supply chain. The main objective of SCRM is to identify the problem and to provide logical solution to overcome the risk in supply chain of any organization (Handfield and McCormack, 2008). A supply chain may not be as dynamic or perplexing as capital markets, yet regarding the matter of overseeing supply chain risk the test is, ostensibly, could be as imposing as overseeing risk for instruments,

Geography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Geography - Assignment Example The first phase in weathering of rocks is fracturing, which entails the formation of joints and cracks. Jointing a means through which rocks yield to both external and internal stresses including tectonic movements, contraction and expansion as a result of chemical or physical changes. Joints in rocks result from cooling or when pressure on their rock surface gets offloaded through erosion. Joints facilitate weathering by creating free space weathering agents, which increasing the surface area of rocks exposed to agents of physical or chemical weathering (Spellman, 2009). â€Å"They play an important part in rock weathering as zones of weakness and water movement† (Spellman, 2009, p.96). A slope failure refers to the collapsing of a slope caused by weakened stability of the earth in the event of an earthquake or heavy downpour. In most cases, slope failure often catches people unaware when it happens near residential areas causing high fatality rates. In order to determine whether a building lot is safe, it is important to assess slope failure factors such as gravity, physical properties of slope materials, and level of saturation of the area. Assessing all these factors would reveal the level of safety of the building

What does it mean to say of a piece of instrumental music that it has Essay

What does it mean to say of a piece of instrumental music that it has certain emotional qualities - Essay Example A musical instrument being an expression of emotion in a persona or number of characters, the listener is right to imagine, in accordance with the nature and development of the music, a persona undergoing an emotion or series of emotions, or a number of characters doing so. Hence, it can be said that the idea that the emotional qualities of music are such that they are liable to induce an emotional response in the listener. This liability in a musical instrument need not be thought of as a disposition of the emotional quality of a piece of music to arouse a corresponding emotion in listeners who perceive the quality. When it comes to the use of musical instruments, a very great deal depends on the correct conception of the emotions. A common view is the so-called cognitive theory of the emotions, which is adhered to by the principal of philosophical sceptic about music’s ability to arouse emotions of the garden variety. The cognitive theory exists in many forms, which differ in both the number and nature of the elements of which emotions are said to be composed. What is definitive of the theory is that it represents each type of emotion as being defined by a particular kind of proposition or thought plus some combinations of bodily sensations, he donic tones, and feelings. Therefore, when the emotion is experienced, prompted by something perceived, imagined, or thought about, it will have a real or imaginary object upon which it is directed, the emotion being about this intentional object (Lippman, 46). Scepticism about pure instrumental music’s ability to stimulate extra-musical emotions in a listener in an artistically relevant manner arises at once from the fact that music is a non-representational form of art, presenting no scenes or actions that the listener might respond to emotionally as the viewer of a film or the reader of a novel might. Although instrumental music is extremely limited in its imitative capacity, it may nevertheless produce all the effects of imitation. Instrumental music can excite different dispositions, but it cannot imitate them. Furthermore, instrumental music has certain instrumental intrinsic qualities of an emotional nature and that these qualities excite corresponding feelings in the listener. Instrumental music, it is claimed, operates at the emotional level by some systems of resemblances. Such psychological manifestations of emotional state are an extremely important stimulus in interpersonal interaction; sensitivity to them and interpretation of them are essential social skills. However, to explain emotional response to instrumental music as occurring solely in terms of iconic resemblances between features of the music and physical expressions of emotion, is under-representing the complexity of the response to this aspect of the music. Therefore, whatever the philosophical or semantic concerns, the implication of the much preceding evidence remains that we process emotion in musical sounds, whether vocal or instrumental, in the same way as vocalizations of affective state. The acoustic signals used in the production and perception of emotion in instrumental music appear to be the same as those used in vocal utterances, such as high intensity and harsh timbre for anger, low intensity and tempo and slow vibrato for sadness, whilst variation in timing and intensity typifies fear (Cochrane, Fantini & Scherer, 58) . The processing and production of instrumental music involves important social-emotional capabilities which can be evidenced by studies of performance of music by individuals with Williams syndrome, and autism. A well-known feature of

Commentery Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Commentery - Thesis Example The king was then considered to be the guardian of the country and the rise of the parliament was obstructed for a very long time as a result of this theory of the Divine-Right of the king. The powers of the king and the institution of monarchy in England and other parts of Europe have been extremely pronounced and have maintained a strong hold on the public imagination. The king often worked in conjunction with religious authorities of the day so as to maintain monarchical control over the kingdom and over the minds of the people. Through the ages, the institution of monarchy sought to perpetuate itself through discourses that brought in several ideas such as the divine and the social. There have been occasions on which this dissent has translated itself into great violence. One of the greatest instances of this is the execution of the king in England in the seventeenth century by the Puritan regime. The French revolution can be considered to be the culmination of the bourgeoisie so ciety’s resistance against monarchy (New Tensions in the Western Political Tradition: Absolutism and Parliament 23-4). The French revolution then can be considered to be one of the most important moments in the history of Europe where the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity were considered. These then influenced to a great extent the rise of democracy and the state as an institution of the modern society. The Divine Right theories that were talked of during the medieval ages were then looked upon as something that prevented the transfer of power into the hands of the common people. As explained earlier, the French Revolution led to the displacement of the ideals of monarchy. The importance of this lies in the fact that the overthrow of monarchy was accompanied by a great many changes in the social structures of that period. The complicity of the church in the control that was exercised

Geography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Geography - Assignment Example The first phase in weathering of rocks is fracturing, which entails the formation of joints and cracks. Jointing a means through which rocks yield to both external and internal stresses including tectonic movements, contraction and expansion as a result of chemical or physical changes. Joints in rocks result from cooling or when pressure on their rock surface gets offloaded through erosion. Joints facilitate weathering by creating free space weathering agents, which increasing the surface area of rocks exposed to agents of physical or chemical weathering (Spellman, 2009). â€Å"They play an important part in rock weathering as zones of weakness and water movement† (Spellman, 2009, p.96). A slope failure refers to the collapsing of a slope caused by weakened stability of the earth in the event of an earthquake or heavy downpour. In most cases, slope failure often catches people unaware when it happens near residential areas causing high fatality rates. In order to determine whether a building lot is safe, it is important to assess slope failure factors such as gravity, physical properties of slope materials, and level of saturation of the area. Assessing all these factors would reveal the level of safety of the building

Commentery Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Commentery - Thesis Example The king was then considered to be the guardian of the country and the rise of the parliament was obstructed for a very long time as a result of this theory of the Divine-Right of the king. The powers of the king and the institution of monarchy in England and other parts of Europe have been extremely pronounced and have maintained a strong hold on the public imagination. The king often worked in conjunction with religious authorities of the day so as to maintain monarchical control over the kingdom and over the minds of the people. Through the ages, the institution of monarchy sought to perpetuate itself through discourses that brought in several ideas such as the divine and the social. There have been occasions on which this dissent has translated itself into great violence. One of the greatest instances of this is the execution of the king in England in the seventeenth century by the Puritan regime. The French revolution can be considered to be the culmination of the bourgeoisie so ciety’s resistance against monarchy (New Tensions in the Western Political Tradition: Absolutism and Parliament 23-4). The French revolution then can be considered to be one of the most important moments in the history of Europe where the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity were considered. These then influenced to a great extent the rise of democracy and the state as an institution of the modern society. The Divine Right theories that were talked of during the medieval ages were then looked upon as something that prevented the transfer of power into the hands of the common people. As explained earlier, the French Revolution led to the displacement of the ideals of monarchy. The importance of this lies in the fact that the overthrow of monarchy was accompanied by a great many changes in the social structures of that period. The complicity of the church in the control that was exercised

Where we were, Where we are, Where we going Essay Example for Free

Where we were, Where we are, Where we going Essay Introduction In the aftermath of major scandals and bailouts in the United States, the world`s and the public’s confidence in public corporations, has been shaken. With the publicized scandals of Enron and other corporations in the United States, the faith in public corporations fell as fast as the stock market. Investors had no confidence in corporations or in their boards. Measures needed to be taken to form regulations to provide stronger accountability, to prevent these types of scandals from happening and to rebuild the confidence of investors. Corporate governance of publicly traded companies was no longer an option, it became a must. The public and the media demanded laws to protect future investors and shareholders (Colley, Jr, Doyle, Logan, Stettinius, 2005). With most of the world’s financial markets in crisis and recession, the public has become much more aware of corporate executive compensation plans. Executive compensation has been an on-going issue for many years. There has been a great amount of controversy over how executives’ pay structure is designed and who judges, oversees and determines executives’ pay. As the scales get tipped on what executives are getting paid versus employee standard wages, the public is always on the watch for the next corporate scandal. Boards are always challenged by what executives’ pay should be based off of; this could be performance, industry standards or percentage of revenue. Boards need to determine the base salary, benefits or short term and long term options that will be offered (Colley, Jr, Doyle, Logan, Stettinius, 2005). This paper will look at the past trends of executive compensation that lacked disclosure and transparency, current trends that are being used today in pay in the United States and Canada and future trends that should be used when it comes to executive compensation and executive pay methods. This paper will also give some recommendations that Canada should adopt. Past Trends in Executive Compensation From the â€Å"original opening of the New York Stock exchange in 1792 executive compensation† (Bruvik Whitney Gibson, 2011, p. 74) existed. In the early 1900’s stock options of stock awards, stock purchases, stock appreciation rights (cash bonuses) and freestanding dividend equivalents were formed (Bruvik Whitney Gibson, 2011) and still exist today. During this time executive compensation was very private and did not have transparency or regulations. It was not until the market crashed in 1913 that the public was becoming more aware of executive inflated wages, and compensation for executives. In 1933 Securities Act legislation was passed that required disclosure of stock sales to the public. Then came the introduction of laws that limited â€Å"fringes† (perks) this made executive compensation more transparent and created more awareness for the public. But in 1983 Ronald Regan’s administration dropped regulations and this changed the level of transparency once again and this would eventually lead to indiscretions in executive pay. This caused an artificial rise in stock market values and increased misuse of stock options thus the elevation of executive’s salaries. The United States Government`s lower marginal tax to 33%, which changed the quality of management, because as long an executives increased shareholders wealth the salaries of executives had very little regulations (Bruvik Whitney Gibson, 2011). In 2001 the Enron scandal, executives inflated their earnings and overvalued their stock prices when they knew the company was going under. Senior executives cashed their stock options profiting while investor and employees of Enron lost everything. The numerous corporate scandals such as Enron, Jack Welsh CEO of General Electric, TYCO, and WorldCom created distrust in public corporations and â€Å"cost investors billions† (Bruvik Whitney Gibson, 2011, p. 78). In order to increase confidence in public firms, a change was needed in regulations and legislation. This led to the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. SOX focused on corporate governance issues within a firm and led to rules of practice for boards of directors. Although SOX does not have mandates for executive compensation it does address how the compensation committee should be independent and how they should govern themselves. This has become very critical legislation to aid in ethical practices in public corporation executive compensation (Bruvik Whitney Gibson, 2011). Current Trends in Executive Compensation The main foundation of executive compensation has not changed, it is designed to attract, inspire, motivate and in the end retain the superior talent in the management world. In 2008 a government fund TARP was â€Å"created to purchase troubled assets from financial institutions† (Bruvik Whitney Gibson, 2011, p. 79). TARP funds put restrictions on executive compensation by; restricting paying out bonuses, limiting the â€Å"Golden Parachutes†, denial of benefits and used clawbacks if executive compensation was based on misleading statements (Bruvik Whitney Gibson, 2011). In order to receive TARP funding, firms have to practice the US mandatory â€Å"Say on Pay† which was implemented in January 2011. The United Kingdom has also implemented the â€Å"Say on Pay† concept. The â€Å"Say on Pay† is a concept that â€Å"shareholders should be given a nonbinding vote on board of director’s recommendations on executive pay† (Mangen Magnan, 2012, p. 86). â€Å"Say on Pay† concept â€Å"increases shareholders activism within when it comes to the pay policies and practices† (Geddes, n.d, p. 22). Current trends for public corporations for executive pay is to use polices and committees that structure the compensation. This pay should be transparent and increase the long-term shareholder value. Stock option incentives should be restrictive, meaning they cannot be sold for a set amount of years or until after resignation. Corporations have still not restricted the pay of top executives and the total compensation is still quite elevated compared to that of the regular employee. A great number of firms feel that to retain good quality CEO’s some pay incentives have to be competitive. Corporations feel that â€Å"superior incentives for executives (and traders whose actions can substantially impact an organization) to manage firms in investors longer-term interest† (Romano Bhagat, 2009, p. 1). Corporations continue to struggle with the balance of reward based compensation that ensures future results and increases shareholders wealth in the short and long term (Colley, Jr, Doyle, Logan, Stettinius, 2005). Executive compensation packages will continue to need to be governed by compensation committees to hold the confidence of the public, shareholders and the market. How Canada Measures Up As discussed earlier the United States along with United Kingdom has adopted the mandatory practice of â€Å"Say on Pay† which has increased shareholder involvement in the pay structure of their executives. Canada has not implemented this practice to be mandatory, even though it is, recommended as the best practices for firms. The five big banks in Canada have adopted the â€Å"Say on Pay† methodology (Mangen Magnan, 2012). In January 2012 the Huffington Post stated that Canadian CEO`s are reluctant to discuss that executive compensation has got out of hand in Canada. The article discusses that executives` incomes have continued to increase even though the wages of average Canadians have remained stationary. The article interviewed Fraser Institute’s Niels Veldhuis and he stated â€Å"When you call for a policy that limits CEO pay what you are doing is you’re signaling that we’re going to have even more regulations on how businesses operate here in Canada, and unfortunately, that will cause businesses to relocate or locate elsewhere† (Mendleson, 2012). One could make the assumption that because Canada does not have the volume or the stability that the United States does in the their corporations, that Canada is not implementing stronger regulations because of fear of losing what they have already and want to attract more corporations to Canada. At this time Canada uses a principles-based approach to governance in which standards are set and corporations are encouraged to meet them. Compared to the United States that uses a rules-based approach that requires corporations to meet the practices and legislation (Milne, 2006). In Canada the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) was formed to promote to good governance practices and recently the CCGG released the 2013 executive compensation principles. Corporations need to hold to the following principles: 1. A significant component of executive compensation should be â€Å"at risk† and based on performance. 2. Performance should be based on key business metrics that are aligned with corporate strategy and the period during which risks are being assumed. 3. Executives should build equity in the company to align their interests with those of shareholders. 4. A company may choose to offer pensions, benefits and severance and change-of-control entitlements. When such perquisites are offered, the company should ensure that the benefit entitlements are not excessive. 5. Compensation structure should be simple and easily understood by management, the board and shareholders. 6. Boards and shareholders should actively engage with each other and consider each other’s perspective on executive compensation matters (Moncrieff, 2012). The principles above are the best practices for boards and corporations and are recognized to be the superior standards, but as of yet Canada does not rules or regulations to enforce these practices. The Canadian government at this point has no plan to put caps on executive compensation. At this point the Canada`s tax laws are not in line with the compensation governance and reform is needed (Geddes, n.d). Future Trends for Executive Compensation Corporations, shareholders and boards are faced with meeting higher standards when it comes to executive compensation. This will mean adopting the â€Å"Say on Pay† and this trend is what is needed. Compensation committees must remain independent, transparent and must continue to ensure their programs attract, retain and motivate executive talent. Committees must ensure they are paying for performance that ensures long term profitability and value for both executives and shareholders (Stikeman Elliott, 2009). Recommendations for Canada Canada needs to focus on moving towards rules and regulations and not principles and guidelines. Canada will need to reform their standards to be more unified with the rest of the world`s expectations. If Canada wants to attract more corporations to develop in Canada then they need to be the benchmark of standards and practices and set even higher rules and regulations to maintain level, of integrity. Executive compensation could become out of hand and it cannot just be the banks that maintain the higher standards. Canada needs to adopt the â€Å"Say on Pay† and make it mandatory and also move to regulations that are superior to SOX and align the tax laws to levels that keep up with executive compensation packages. Canada needs to embrace being the ethical governance leaders. Conclusion There will always be unethical practices in executive compensation packages and it is not likely to decrease as long as there is competition and the need to retain talented CEO`s, but Canadian businesses can set higher benchmark when it comes to corporate governance, executive compensation and our regulations and practices for boards of directors. We have to remain ethical, transparent and continue to disclose. This is the only way we are going maintain the public and shareholders confidence and continue to attract investors to invest. References Bruvik, K., Whitney Gibson, J. (2011). The past, presentand future of executive compensation. Business Studies Journal, 3(1), pp. 69-83. Colley, Jr, J. L., Doyle, J. L., Logan, W. G., Stettinius, W. (2005). What is Corporate Goverance? New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill. Geddes, G. (n.d). Executive pay packages: Compensation planning in light of increased scrutiny. Retrieved 02 08, 2013, from Gowlings: http://www.gowlings.com/knowledgeCentre/publicationPDFs/Executive%20Pay%20Packages%20Compensation%20Planning.pdf Mangen, C., Magnan, M. (2012). Say on Pay: A wolf in sheeps clothing? Academy Of Management Perspectives, 26(2), pp. 86-104. Mendleson, R. (2012, 01 04). Canada CEO Compensation: Companies Hesitant To Debate Executive Pay. Retrieved 02 08, 2013, from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/04/canada-ceo-compensation-companies-resist-debate_n_1183800.html Milne, J. A. (2006, May). Good corporate governance, good performance. Benefits Compensation Digest, 43(5), 3 4-38. Moncrieff, J. (2012, December 18). CCGG Releases 2013 principles of executive compensation. Retrieved 02 08, 2013, from Canadian Securities Law: http://www.canadiansecuritieslaw.com/2012/12/articles/corporate-governance/ccgg-releases-2013-principles-of-executive-compensation/ Romano, R., Bhagat, S. (2009). Reforming executive compensation: Focusing and committing to the long-term. Faculty Scholarship Series. Stikeman Elliott. (2009). Topics and trends in executive compensation: wealth accumulation analysis. Retrieved 02 08, 2013, from Canadian Securities Law: http://www.canadiansecuritieslaw.com/2009/05/articles/continuous-timely-disclosure/topics-and-trends-in-executive-compensation-wealth-accumulation-analysis/

Literature Review On The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Literature Review On The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay The hospitality industry is experiencing growth even in times of recession. Between 2004 and 2014, the hospitality industry is expected to add 17 percent in wage and salary employment (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006-07). A growing demand of hospitality workers can be translated into a growing need of hospitality educational programs to adequately prepare the workforce to meet present and future demands in this enormous industry. Programs need to provide an education that improves the employability of the hospitality graduates. However, employability of the future graduates will not increase until and unless they convincingly demonstrate the skills and competencies required in the workplace. In an education program, students develop skills and competencies through courses in various subject areas. In that aspect, the hospitality curriculum needs to prioritize the subject areas according to the perceived importance of the industry practitioners, and this prioritization has to be up-to-date to reflect the changing needs of the industry. Although curriculum of hospitality and tourism programs have been examined in a plethora of research studies, little attention is given to hospitality programs housed in accredited colleges of business. Because of the limitations obligated by the accrediting bodies, important aspects of the curriculum such as course offerings, and credits become restricted to certain extent. As a result, there is a need to evaluate the curriculum of such programs separately from other hospitality and tourism management programs such as the independent ones and those housed in various different colleges. Gursoy and Swanger (2004) investigated the curriculum of a hospitality and tourism management program housed in an accredited college of business. As part of their study, they ranked hospitality subject areas according to the perceptions of hospitality professionals, identified any gaps between the perceptions and the current curriculum and suggested a model of curriculum for hospitality programs in accredited colleges of Business. However, hospitality curriculum needs to be ongoing and relevant to the current industry needs and expectations. Also, the changing nature of the industry calls for recent graduates to reflect the changes and challenges of the industry. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to replicate Gursoy and Swangers (2004) study, and provide an updated ranking of the hospitality subject areas. In addition, the changing needs of the hospitality industry is highlighted through a comparison of their 2004 ranking with the current ranking of hospitality subject areas a ccording to hospitality professionals perceptions. As such, likely changes to the 2004 curriculum model are suggested based on the findings of this study. The specific research questions that will be answered through this study are: What are the current perceptions of industry professionals regarding the importance of course subject areas? Are there any significant changes in the perceptions of industry professionals in the last five years? Are there any gaps between the industry needs within the changing operational environment and the current hospitality curriculum? Literature Review Hospitality students have often been criticized for having unrealistic expectations of the types of responsibilities they may be given and consequently the types of skills they will be expected to exercise on entering the hospitality industry (Purcell and Quinn, 1996). At the same time, the industry often discounted a students formal qualifications on the grounds of lack of experience and frequently we hear the complaint that students are overqualified but under experienced for even entry level management positions (Raybould Wilkins, 2005). In order to bridge this gap, the hospitality programs underwent several changes in its content, focus, and structure. In 1996, Formica published a study of tourism and hospitality education in Europe and America that examined programs and future trends. In his study, he argued that there was an international movement that supported the emancipation of hospitality education from its vocational base to an academic field of inquiry. Formicas claim was later supported by Morrison and OMahony (2003) in their case study regarding the liberation of hospitality management education. Rappole (2000) stated that programs have shifted from a home-economics focus towards a business-related one and Chathoth and Sharma (2007) noted this as the likely reason behind the change in curricular structure of hospitality programs in the United States. Most programs in the 1980s and early 1990s were geared towards developing the operational skills of the students, but during the past decade, universities were focusing on both operational and management-related courses as part of the curriculum (Chathoth Sharma 2007; Rappo le, 2000).   Developing a hospitality curriculum broadly involve three major components: substantive knowledge, skills, and values (Dopson and Tas, 2004). While operational issues such as working knowledge of hospitality services were important (Kay and Russette 2000), managerial and behavioral issues such as managerial skills were often considered to be more important (Okeiyi, Finely and Postel 1994).  Thus, the hospitality curriculum should not only teach the students in crucial operational skills but also facilitate them to learn and demonstrate the art of management.   To accomplish this purpose, it was necessary to incorporate the perspectives of the industry professionals into the hospitality curriculum. This was basically achieved in two ways. First, regular industry professionals were invited to visit classrooms as guest lecturers and industry experts, or to participate in executive education programs, as part of the curriculum review process (Lefever Withiam, 1998). Second, comp etency models were devised through which industry practitioners ranked the competencies and content areas most important in the workplace. Educators then made a strong note of these important competencies, and likewise incorporated them into the curriculum. In the course of time, a wide number of studies were undertaken regarding identifying and ranking competencies of hospitality graduates. One of the first competency based studies in hospitality was undertaken by Buergermeister (1983) where he found human relation skills and attitudes to be a very important area for hospitality graduates. Among others, Tas (1988) put forward a hospitality curriculum by identifying 36 skills college graduates expected to possess from surveying general managers of 75 hotels. While, most competency based studies in hospitality management focused solely on the perceptions of the hospitality industry practitioners (Ashley et al. 1995; Breiter and Clements, 1996; Kriegl, 2000) a few incorporated the perspectives of educators along with the industry practitioners (Su et al. 1997; Tsai et al. 2006) and a few even added the perspectives of students to the group (Enz et al. 1993; Okeiyi et al.1994). Among the studies from the industrys perspective, the majority focused on either the hotel industry itself (Tas 1988; Siu 1998; Kay and Russette, 2000; Tesone and Ricci, 2006) or the overall hospitality industry (Ashley et al. 1995; Breiter and Clements, 1996), with a few focusing solely on other sectors such as the food service sector (Horng Lu, 2006; Okeiyi et al. 1994). Notable works in the competency-based approach include Chung-Herrera, Enz, and Lankaus (2003) presentation of an industry specific and future based leadership competency model. In their study, they identified and ranked 99 key hospitality work related competencies. In another case, Nelson and Dopson (2001) compared hotel managers, human resource specialists, and hospitality alumnis perceptions of competencies necessary for success in the hospitality field. Eventually, Dopson and Nelson (2003) ranked 37 course content areas using the same three groups, and found several differences in their perceived importance of those course content areas. Competency models were developed as a descriptive tool to identify, categorize and summarize competencies that might be relevant to perform a specific job effectively in an organization (Chung-Herrera et al., 2003). However, these competency models are often broad and generic in nature and lacks emphasis on specific hospitality skills. Employers, who generally do not want narrowly trained graduates, recognize the importance of generic competencies (Harvey, et. al., 1997). Raybould and Wilkins (2005) integrated a generic skill framework to rank important skill areas of hospitality graduates from both employers and students perspectives. However, the nature of hospitality workplace, demands mastery of both generic skill sets and hospitality specific skill sets. In that aspect, taking into account hospitality subject areas, and course content areas, provides an extensive representation of the skills and knowledge graduates will require at the workplace. Chung (2000) laid out an effective plan for reforming the hotel management curriculum of Korean universities based on required competencies of hotel employees and career success in the hotel industry. Their study found significant relationships between competencies required of hotel employees and hotel management courses of universities, between competencies required of hotel employees and career success in the hotel industry, between hotel management courses of universities and career success in the hotel industry, and last but not the least between hotel management courses of universities and their contribution to career development in the hotel industry. While this method might be easier for the industry practitioners to identify with, it might be difficult for educators to reform a programs curriculum based on such models because of the broad and diverse nature of such competencies. Since, there is a significant relationship between competencies required of hotel employees and ho tel management courses of universities, in this regard, it makes more sense if the industry practitioners rank the actual subject areas and course content areas offered in the curriculum. However, the subject areas and course content areas in the hospitality program might be difficult for industry practitioners to identify with especially if they are not graduates of hospitality programs. In this regard, the concerned school has to rank the subject areas from the perspectives of their own alumni, who are now established hospitality industry professionals so that they can easily identify the subject areas and relate them to their skill requirements in the workplace. Keeping the hospitality curricula rigorous, relevant, and current to the industry trends seems to be a clear concern of the hospitality practitioners. According to Dopson and Tas (2004) the biggest challenge for hospitality educators today is to determine clear objectives for the curriculum that takes care of the constantly changing needs of the industry. In that aspect, it is of utmost importance to close the gap between what is taught to students and what the industry expects of the students being hired (Dopsan and Tas 2004; Okeyi et al. 1994). Therefore, in addition to being an industry and faculty driven process, curriculum development needs to incorporate the changing needs of the industry, and foster innovation. In short, the process needs to be ongoing (Dopson and Tas, 2004). Methods The purpose of this study was to identify hospitality subject areas and rank them according to the perceptions of hospitality industry professionals. In addition the current perceptions of industry professionals regarding hospitality subject areas were to be compared to their perceptions five years ago to reflect the changing requirements of the industry. For gathering data from industry professionals, the same survey instrument developed using a four-step process by Gursoy and Swanger (2004) was used. The four steps included conducting a series of focus groups, developing the survey instrument to systematically measure the perceived importance of the course subject areas by industry and to investigate the gaps between hospitality curriculum and industry needs based on the findings of the focus groups, pre-testing the instrument on a sample of industry professionals using an on-line survey method and last but not the least revising and finalizing the instruments based on the pre-test results. Based on the feedback received by Gursoy and Swanger (2004) from their respondents, the survey instrument was modified in 2009. For the purpose of comparison only the common subject areas between the 2004 and 2009 surveys were retained. The final instrument was employed to collect data on hospitality industry professionals perceptions of the importance of the course subject areas. Development of the Survey Instrument The procedures recommended by Churchill (1979) and DeVellis (1991) were followed for developing the survey instrument. Initially, an item pool containing a total of 39 subject matter variables were developed or identified from the literature, current hospitality curriculum, and from a series of five focus groups conducted with the advisory board members, restaurant executives, hotel executives, university alumni, and hospitality educators. The content validity of the items that were identified from the focus groups and from the literature was assessed by ten faculty members. The faculty members feedback on content and understandability was gathered based on which the items were modified to enhance their clarity, readability, and content validity. Based on the same process any redundancy in the scale items was removed to improve the proposed scale. After the content validity check, it was pre-tested using an on-line survey method involving 50 industry professionals. The survey instrument was modified one last time based on the pre-test. Each variable was measured using a 5-point Likert scale (5=extremely important, 1= not important at all) as to their importance for success in the hospitality industry. The final version of the 2004 survey instrument consisted of four parts 40 subject matter variables, 128 course content variables, demographic information, and information regarding the performance of the company the respondent was part of. For this study, only the part that deals with the subject areas and demographic information are considered. In 2009 some changes were made based on the feedback received from the participants of Gursoy and Swangers 2004 study REPEAT. While the 2004 survey dealt with 40 subject areas, the 2009 one had only 33. 11 subject areas were removed from the 2004 survey, while 4 subject matters were added based on the received feedback, in the 2009 survey. The subject areas that were taken out of the 2009 survey instrume nt are: Fundamentals of Cooking, Math, Accounting, Economics for Decision Making, Tourism, Gaming/Casino Operation, Distribution Channels, Secondary Revenue Management, Beverage Management, Destination Management, and Dining Room Service Management. The subject areas that were added to the 2009 study are: International Tourism, Public Relations, Convention and Meeting Planning, and Food and Beverage Management. For the comparison, the 29 common areas between the 2009 and 2004 surveys were considered. Data Collection A self-administered survey questionnaire was mailed to the selected sample of industry professionals. An individually signed cover letter containing the name and address of the respondent was included with each questionnaire, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. A reminder was sent after 3 weeks, to increase the number of responses. Data Analysis Descriptive Analysis was undertaken to rank the means of the respective variables from the survey. Independent samples t-tests were carried out to compare the 2009 rankings to the 2004 ones. All the data analysis was performed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18. Results The survey was sent to a total of 2340 target participants. 369 responses were returned, resulting in an acceptable response rate of 15.8%. Profile of the Respondents: The demographic characteristics of gender, present position and company, education level, ethnicity, type of property, and size of the property were included in this study in an effort to provide a descriptive profile of the survey respondents. Gender: The survey asked the participants to indicate their gender (male or female). Out of 369, 358 respondents indicated their gender. The number of male respondents was 177 (49.4%) while female respondents were 179 (50.6%). Present Position/Name of Company: Over 180 different companies were represented in the study. Regarding present work positions, the respondents provided more than 200 different positions or titles, which were grouped into 15 categories based on their similarities. Some of the dominating categories included Sales/Marketing with 42 responses (11.4%), Finance/Accounting with 29 (7.9%), General Manager and Human Resource each with 28 (7.6%), Chairman/President/CEO/CFO/COO and Business Owners each with 16 (4.3%), Educator/Teacher/Trainer with 13 (3.5%), Other Managers (restaurant, FB, convention, events, store, regional, training, guest services, other departments) with 43 (11.7%), and Retired/Unemployed with 26 (7.1%). Besides these major categories, there was an Other category for the grouping of many positions that were listed less than 3 times and did not readily fit into another group, such as Attorney. Education Level: Out of 355 individuals who provided education level information, 298 indicated they have a bachelors degree (80.8%); 38 have a graduate degree (10.3%); 17 did some graduate level work (4.6%); 1 individual was a high school graduate (1.6%), and 1 person indicated other (1.6%). Ethnicity: Of the 352 respondents who indicated their ethnicity, 328 (93.2%), circled Caucasian/White; 10 (2.8%) circled Asian American/Pacific Islander; 8 (2.3%) circled Hispanic/Latino; 3 selected Black/African American; 1 (0.3%) circled American Indian/Alaska Native; and 2 (.6%) circled other. Size of Property: For lodging properties information regarding the number of rooms in the hotel was collected and for restaurants, number of seats information was gathered. If respondents worked in neither a lodging property nor a restaurant, they were asked to provide size information using other appropriate measures. Of the 195 individuals who responded to the survey, 92 provided the number of rooms information, 34 provided the number of seats information, and 69 provided the size information by reporting other measures such as total revenue, number of employees, square footage, and others. Of the 92 managers who provided the number of rooms, 2 (2.2%) indicated the property had less than 75 rooms, 17 (18.5%) indicated the property had 75 to 149 rooms, 18 (19.6%) had 150 to 299 rooms, 29 (31.5%) had 300 to 500 rooms, and 26 (28.3%) indicated the property had more than 500 rooms. Most of the individuals who reported managing more than 500 rooms were regional managers, vice presidents, or presidents and CEOs of hotel corporations. Of the 34 managers who provided number of seats information, 6 (17.6%) indicated the restaurant had less than 100 seats, 13 (38.2%) indicated the restaurant had 100 to 199 seats, 8 (23.5%) had 200 to 300 seats, and 7 (20.6%) indicated the restaurant had more than 300 seats. A good number of the individuals who reported managing more than 300 seats were regional managers, vice presidents, or presidents and CEOs of restaurant corporations. Due to the diverse array of survey respondents, a great many different types of responses were received regarding measure of size. Thus, among the 69 respondents who chose, other in the measure of size category, measures such as square footage of convention/conference/meeting/banquet space, number of restaurants/stores/units, number of employees, number of hotels, amount of revenue generated, number of locations, number of accounts, and various others. In addition some respondents provided multiple measures of size. Type of Property: 188 responses were recorded regarding the type of property the respondents were affiliated with. Of those, 99 (52.7%) selected lodging, 27 (14.4%) circled restaurants, 16 (8.5%) indicated managed services, and 39 (20.8%) selected other types which included vending, marketing/advertising, airlines, associations, distribution/suppliers, cruise lines casinos, clubs retail/convenience stores, cruise lines, health care, real estate/property development, banking/finance, and consulting. Type of Ownership: In the Type of Ownership category 225 responses were recorded. Of them, 124 (55.1) properties were company owned, 68 (30.2%) were independently owned, and 33 (14.7%) were franchised. Ranking and Comparison Results The 33 course subject areas were ranked in the order of importance by the industry professionals. The ranking is provided in table 1. The top ten subject areas are Leadership, Internships/industry experience, Preparation for Industry Employment, Ethics, Overview of the Hospitality Industry, Revenue/Asset Management, Hospitality Management and Organization, Hospitality Operations Analysis, Foodservice Operations and Controls, Computer/Information Technology. The results were compared to Gursoy and Swangers 2004 survey results. Results show that 10 out of 29 hospitality subject areas Hospitality Management and Organization, Principles of Marketing, Hospitality Marketing Strategy, Hospitality Operations Analysis, Ethics, Strategic Management, Service Management, Revenue/Asset Management, Study Abroad, and Innovation and Product Development are significantly different compared to the 2004 rankings. Discussion A look at the two ranking tables (2004 and 2009) reveal that highly important subject areas which were quite consistent in their perceived importance among industry practitioners include leadership, Internships/industry experience, Preparation for Industry Employment, Overview of Hospitality Industry, Foodservice Operations and Controls, and Computer/Information Technology. Leadership, the highest rated subject area, especially has been rated as one of the most important skills deemed of hospitality graduates a number of times in hospitality literature (Okeiyi et al. 1994; Breiter and Clements, 1996; Siu 1998; Kay and Russette, 2000; Kriegl 2000; Nelson and Dopson, 2001). There were some major changes in the rankings over a period of 5 years. The ranking of Ethics went down from 1 to 4, service management from 10 to 18, Principles of Marketing from 12 to 19, and Hospitality Marketing Strategy from 14 to 20. On the other hand, Revenue/Asset Management went up 14 places to number 6, and Finance from number 18 to 13. Finance, accounting, and related skills were recognized as very important by hospitality employers in various studies (Getty et al., 1991; Umbriet, 1992; Ashley et al. 1995; Nelson Dopson, 2001; Agut et al. 2003) in the past. In that aspect, this improvement in ranking of finance and related areas is consistent with past literature. As mentioned before, t-tests revealed significant differences in means between 2009 rankings and 2004 rankings in 10 out of the 29 subject areas. 8 of those 10 subject areas had significantly higher means in 2004 compared to 2009. These areas include Hospitality Management and Organization, Principles of Marketing, Hospitality Marketing Strategy, Hospitality Operations Analysis, Ethics, Strategic Management, Service Management, and Innovation and Product Development. Ethics, especially, showed a very significantly high decrease in means (t (670.079) = -5.116, p = .000). Time and again, ethics has been recognized as the most important skill in the hospitality workplace (Enz et al., 1993; Nelson Dopson, 2001; Gursoy Swanger, 2004). This significant decrease in the ranking of ethics shows that it is not quite deemed as important in the hospitality workplace as it used to be. This decrease in importance can be accounted to two reasons. Firstly, following the wake of Enron, WorldCom, an d Adelphia corporate scandals that shook the business community in early years of this new millennium, audit firms were increasingly putting a lot of emphasis on having stringent audit practices. Consequently, businesses all over the world were paying special attention to preventing corporate fraud through promoting ethical practices within the organization. This has increased the demand for ethics, as a top level competency/skill/subject area deemed of recent graduates in the workplace during the time period of Gursoy and Swangers (2004) study. However, the increased emphasis coming out of the shock the business community received from the corporate scandals has faded away a little as time went by. Moreover, business schools all over the world have been producing much better graduates reflecting ethical preparedness in response to those corporate scandals and the increased pressure from the business community. This can be demonstrated by the increased importance on ethics posed by universities in response to industry pressure. MBA programs that require students to take a course dedicated to business and society issues have increased dramatically over time: 34% in 2001 to 63% in 2007, and to 69% in 2009 (Aspen Institute CBE, 2010). In the accreditation standards of AACSB, formulated in 2003, an increased emphasis on ethics was made, and schools were mandated to integrate ethics across the curriculum to meet the accreditation standards, although there was no requirement of a standalone ethics course in the curriculum (Swanson, Fisher, 2009). Having received better prepared graduates, it can be argued that the business community no longer rate ethics as important as it rated in 2004 because they are more content now compared to six years ago. Secondly, the prolonged economic downturn has caused the business community to put more weight on other skills/subject areas. Consequently, this shifted the importance on other areas such as leadership and financial competencies, which diminished the relative importance of ethics. Also, in the beginning years of the economic downturn, firms were under shock, and had to operate under strict financial conditions prompting them to avoid any unnecessary lawsuits which might cause them to be ultra protective. Thus, they were in need of better ethically prepared employees, which are reflected in the 2004 rankings. Moving away from ethics, marketing related subject areas were also rated significantly less important in 2009 compared to 2004. 11.4% of the 2009 respondents were associated with Sales/Marketing compared to 8.9% in 2004. In this regard, it was expected that the ranking of marketing related subject areas would improve, but the results are contrasting indicating that the importance of marketing related subject have indeed gone down. According to IBISWorld industry reports, the overall lodging industry showed positive growth in revenue from 2004 to 2007. However, the report also showed huge decrease in revenue growth in 2008 and 2009. Especially in 2009, revenue decreased by as much as 9.4% for hotel and motel industry, consistent with the projections made in 2008 (IBISWorld, 2010a). This decrease in growth has caused the hospitality industry to be ultra-protective of their expenses. As a result, there has been a decrease in the importance of marketing oriented subject areas, which acco unts for a good chunk of costs in hospitality industry. The same reason can be cited for the significant decrease in hospitality operations subject area. A better argument can be presented from the employment perspective. Because of the sudden economic downturn in the lodging industry, it can be argued that firms have reduced their hiring practices in areas that greatly add to the cost of the hotels such as marketing, operations, and innovations and product development. Same holds true for managerial level positions, which accounts for the decrease in the perceived importance of subject areas such as service management, strategic management, and management and organization. However, reflected in our analysis, it can be pointed out that firms are looking for leaders, who can think out of the box, and bail them out of the financial crisis, which accounts for the high perceived rating of leadership subject area. Especially, it can be argued that hospitality firms are looking for employ ees who can lead from the front and make their decisions, instead of relying on other people such as the managers. Thus, it can be argued that, hospitality firms are trying to cut down the costs of employing specialized managers by trying to promote leadership qualities on their regular employees. The subject areas that showed significantly higher means in 2009 compared to 2004 include Revenue/Asset Management and Study Abroad, which were both highly significant (p Suggested Curriculum Model Gursoy and Swanger (2004) suggested an industry driven model of a hospitality curriculum for programs housed in accredited college of business. Based on our study, some suggestions and improvements are offered to make the semester-based model more rigorous, relevant, and up-to-date. The model of hospitality curriculum was developed based on three different components: business core requirements, hospitality core requirements, and hospitality electives incorporating the ranked subject matter by hospitality industry professionals. Based on the limitations regarding number of credits in the hospitality program and on the suggestions from the focus groups and advisory boards, some subject areas, such as ethics and leadership, were embedded throughout the curriculum. The curriculum model did not embed those subject matters in the business cores and in the general education cores as business core and general education core classes were outside the hospitality programs locus of control. The Senior-level hospitality capstone course integrated all curriculum areas in the program. Subject matters with a mean ranking of 2.0 or lower were suggested to be part of elective courses and were recommended for Sophomore or Junior level. Like the 2004 model, learning a second lang uage (M = 1.76) and studying abroad (M = 1.50) were not deemed essential for success in the industry by the professionals surveyed and hence were not included in the model. Similarly, Entrepreneurship (M = 2.34) and Real Estate/Property Development (M = 1.61) courses, which were thought to be as part of other electives under a different department or program in business, were kept outside the curriculum model. For the 2009 model, electives such as Destination Manag

THE HOLOCAUST Essay -- Essays Papers

THE HOLOCAUST The Holocaust was the mass annihilation of the European Jews by the National Socialist Party (Nazi) of Germany from 1933 to 1945. In The War of the Jews, Dawidowicz explains the conditions that made anti-Semitism politically acceptable. The Germans of the nineteenth century "inherited a Christian-inspired popular and intellectual anti-Semitism that depicted Jews as foreigners- a state within a state- killers of Christ, well poisoners, and a cause of every misfortune, whether natural, economic, or political. The forces of naturalism, Volkist theory, bogus racial science, and fear of modernity reinforced and built upon this foundation." 1 The impact of the Holocaust has greatly affected the society of the past and the present. These feelings were fortified by Nazi propaganda blaming the Jews for everything from Germany’s loss of World War I to the depression that followed. "A raving lunatic, a comic-strip character, a political absurdity. Yet his voice mesmerized millions, ‘a guttural thunder,’ according to Heiden, ‘the very epitome of power, firmness, command and will.’ "2 Adolph Hitler is remembered as the founder and leader of the Nazi party. Hitler was born in Austria on April 20, 1889 to an abusive half Jewish and a mother who breast-fed him until the age of five. As Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Hitler was responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews.3 "Hitler’s ideas about the Jews were at the center of his mental world. They shaped his worldview and his political ambitions, forming the matrix of his ideology and the ineradicable core of National Socialist doctrine. They determined the anti-Jewish policies of the German dict atorship from 1933 to 1945, and they furni... ....203. 9. See Dawidowicz, p.206. 10. See Dawidowicz, p.207. 11. See Dawidowicz, p.209. 12. George Eisen, Children and Play in the Holocaust (Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1988) p. 13. 13. See Rosenburg, Myers, p.428 14. See Rosenburg, Myers, p.433 15. See Rosenburg, Myers, p.434 16. George M. Kren, Leon Rappoport, The Holocaust and the Crisis of Human Behavior (New York: Holmes and Meier Publishers, Inc., 1980) p.127 17. See Rosenburg, Myers, p.434 18. See Kren, Rappoport, p.127 19. See Kren, Rappoport, p.85 20. See Kren, Rappoport, p.128 21. See Kren, Rappoport, p.128 22. See Kren, Rappoport, p.125. 23. See Kren, Rappoport, pp.126-127. 24. See Eisen, p.12 25. See Eisen, p.13 26. See Eisen, p.13 27. See Rosenburg, Myers, p.433 28. See Rosenburg, p.434

Flame of Hope :: Description Essays

Flame of Hope I was walking along Michigan Ave., in Grant Park, when I saw it across the street. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was a sculpture entitled Flame of Hope, by Leonardo Nierman. I know I’ve passed by this sculpture before, but I never really paid any attention to it. I don’t know why, but it caught my eye today. Maybe it was the break in the buildings, or the way the sun was reflecting off of it, but for whatever reason I was fixated. The sculpture is in between three buildings, right next to another sculpture. It seems as though the sculptures were placed there to give the people of Chicago something to look at other than buildings. The sculpture is made of shiny, silver, metal and has a very smooth surface. Because of the time of day and the way the sun has been reflecting off the sculpture, its surface is hot to touch. Some parts are hidden from the sun though, and no matter how hard the sun tries, it will never reach those areas. It’s like an unending game of tag where the sun is always it. Standing next to the sculpture, I’m reminded of how little I actually am. It’s a very humbling experience whenever one realizes how little a person really is when compared to the big picture. For some reason, that’s the feeling I got as I looked up at this shiny piece of metal. The flame is made up of several distorted shapes, both large and small, but in some way, they all fit together, like a j igsaw puzzle. All the shapes are not connected though, and there are places where you can look through and see the sky. It’s as if someone took a picture, and for one brief moment, the sky is frozen in time. There are so many angles and curves to this sculpture. It looks as though it's in continual motion; it intertwines within itself. Depending on where you stand, it can take on different shapes and personalities. From across the street, I could see a dancer. Her arms and legs flailing about to the ever-changing beat of the music that has captured her soul. The beautiful dancer is in continual movement; never stopping for a breath, she just keeps dancing. In between the buildings she moves, allowing anyone who wants to stop, to enjoy the show. Flame of Hope :: Description Essays Flame of Hope I was walking along Michigan Ave., in Grant Park, when I saw it across the street. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was a sculpture entitled Flame of Hope, by Leonardo Nierman. I know I’ve passed by this sculpture before, but I never really paid any attention to it. I don’t know why, but it caught my eye today. Maybe it was the break in the buildings, or the way the sun was reflecting off of it, but for whatever reason I was fixated. The sculpture is in between three buildings, right next to another sculpture. It seems as though the sculptures were placed there to give the people of Chicago something to look at other than buildings. The sculpture is made of shiny, silver, metal and has a very smooth surface. Because of the time of day and the way the sun has been reflecting off the sculpture, its surface is hot to touch. Some parts are hidden from the sun though, and no matter how hard the sun tries, it will never reach those areas. It’s like an unending game of tag where the sun is always it. Standing next to the sculpture, I’m reminded of how little I actually am. It’s a very humbling experience whenever one realizes how little a person really is when compared to the big picture. For some reason, that’s the feeling I got as I looked up at this shiny piece of metal. The flame is made up of several distorted shapes, both large and small, but in some way, they all fit together, like a j igsaw puzzle. All the shapes are not connected though, and there are places where you can look through and see the sky. It’s as if someone took a picture, and for one brief moment, the sky is frozen in time. There are so many angles and curves to this sculpture. It looks as though it's in continual motion; it intertwines within itself. Depending on where you stand, it can take on different shapes and personalities. From across the street, I could see a dancer. Her arms and legs flailing about to the ever-changing beat of the music that has captured her soul. The beautiful dancer is in continual movement; never stopping for a breath, she just keeps dancing. In between the buildings she moves, allowing anyone who wants to stop, to enjoy the show.

Education Essay

Step 1. Create a short answer (150-250 words) to each of the following questions. 1. How do social interactions among people in locales help define community?  2. How do schools help to shape the local boundaries of communities and the identity of community members?  3. Although schools and the communities they serve are closely entwined and community development is in the best interests of schools, why may school leaders be hesitant about involving schools and students in important community development roles? 4. Of all social institutions, why might schools be best placed to catalyze community development?  5. What are some likely results of school consolidation in a rural community or urban neighborhood?  6. Beyond the socially integrative functions, what distinct local economic roles might a school have in a rural community or urban neighborhood?  7. What characteristics of a well-planned school-community partnership project would indicate it is mutually beneficial?  8. How might a community or neighborhood development activity reinforce what is ta ught in the public school classroom?  9. What barriers might a community development organization expect to experience when seeking to partner with a public school or school district?  10. How can service learning and place-based education serve to facilitate a  viable schoolcommunity partnership and accomplishment of local community or neighborhood development needs? Step 2. Discuss your responses with a group of 4 or 5 classmates. SOAR ACTIVITY 15.1 SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Step 1. Contact your local elementary, middle and high schools. Step 2. Interview the principals about their partnerships with community organizations. Step 3. Have them describe each activity and assess the benefits to the school and community. Step 4. Compile a list of all the organizations and institutions involved with school programs. Step 5. As part of this project, prepare a list of recommendations for improving schoolcommunity partnerships in your area. LIFE Activity 15.1 Here are some examples of school-based service learning projects: 1. Drop-out prevention: A service-learning project focused on drop-out prevention might coordinate schools with local businesses to partner at-risk students with job shadowing and mentoring opportunities with local business leaders/members. These connections will help build bridges between schoolwork and work â€Å"in the real world,† and develop stronger ties between schools and local business, better meeting the needs of each while providing important opportunities to at-risk youth. 2. Subject-specific service-learning: Science and reading provide two examples of subjectspecific service-learning. Connecting college students majoring in science with schools to tutor K-12 students can create opportunities for hands-on learning during or after school hours. This might involve engaging in environmental projects, such as local water quality testing, cleaning of local stream or river beds, or wildlife conservation efforts. Similarly, college students majoring in language arts or reading might provide tutoring services during or after school for at-risk students, assist in running family literacy programs after school to engage parents in literacy efforts, and/or read to students at the elementary level. 2. Building school-community connections: Students plan a school-community day, in which school staff, community members, and students organize, run, and attend a school-community fair. The school can set up exhibits of student learning and projects students are engaged in that connect to the community. Community leaders can set up exhibits featuring ways they have been or would like to be involved with the school and with students. Local businesses might provide food and donate prizes or items for auction. Students at the school can perform music or showcase artwork. This would also be a good venue for team-building exercises between  community organizations and businesses and school staff and leaders, culminating in competitions with awards. These are only a few examples. We want to emphasize though that effective service learning projects are not â€Å"paint by the numbers† efforts, but are directly shaped by and responsive to the individual needs of local communities. That said, examples are useful, but ultimately your best guide is the community that lies before you. REFERENCE MATERIAL ON EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICELEARNING Syllabi: Literacy Tutoring: Principles and Practice (Syracuse University) http://www.compact.org/syllabi/syllabus.php?viewsyllabus=407 Service Learning in Higher Education (Vanderbilt University) http://www.compact.org/syllabi/syllabus.php?viewsyllabus=663 APPENDIX: Additional Resources to Learn about School-Community Partnerships for Community Development:  NOTE that the following descriptions have been taken directly from organization websites and have been only slightly modified, if at all. Associations, Organizations and Centers Center for Place-Based Education http://www.anei.org/pages/89_cpbe.cfm The Center for Place-based Education promotes community-based education programs. Its projects and programs encourage partnerships between students, teachers, and community members that strengthen and support student achievement, community vitality and a healthy environment. Coalition for Community Schools http://www.communityschools.org The Coalition for Community Schools represents an alliance of national, state and local organizations concerned with K-16 education, youth development, community planning, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy, as well as national, state and local community school networks. The Coalition advocates for community schools as a means to strengthen schools, families and communities and improve student learning. Rural School and Community Trust http://www.ruraledu.org The Rural School and Community Trust is a national nonprofit organization addressing the crucial relationship between good schools and thriving communities. It also serves as an information clearinghouse on issues concerning the relationship between schools and communities, especially in rural contexts. School of the 21st Century. Linking Communities, Families and Schools http://www.yale.edu/21c/index2.html Based at Yale University, the 21C program develops, researches, networks, and supervises an educational model that links communities, families, and schools by transforming the school into a year-round, multi-service center that is open from 6 in the morning until 7 at night. The core components are affordable, high-quality child care for preschool children, before- and afterschool programs for school-age children; and health services, referral services, support, and guidance for parents of young children. Schools and Communities http://www.enterprisecommunity.org/programs/schools_and_communities/ This webpage of Enterprise Community Partners documents and disseminates the nation’s current efforts to combine school reform and community development. Web-based Documents and Material Local Governments and Schools: A Community-Oriented Approach http://icma.org/documents/SGNReport.pdf (International City/County Management Association, Washington, DC , 2008) Provides local government managers with an understanding of the connections between school facility planning and local government management issues, with particular attention to avoiding the creation of large schools remotely sited from the community they serve. It offers multiple strategies for local governments and schools to bring their respective planning efforts together to take a more community-oriented approach to schools and reach multiple community goals-educational, environmental, economic, social, and fiscal. Eight case studies illustrate how communities across the U.S. have already succeeded in collaborating to create more communityoriented schools. Includes 95 references and an extensive list of additional online resources. 40p. Report NO: E-43527 Reconnecting Schools and Neighborhoods: An Introduction to School-Centered Community Revitalization http://www.practitionerresources.org/cache/documents/647/64701.pdf (Enterprise, Columbia, MD , 2007) Provides an introduction to school-centered community revitalization. Part 1 presents the case for integrating school improvement into community development, drawing on the academic research linking school and neighborhood quality as well as early results from school- centered community revitalization projects across the country. Part 2 presents the core components of school-centered community revitalization, including both school-based activities and neighborhood-based activities. The final part of the paper illustrates the diverse approaches currently being taken to improve schools and neighborhoods, drawing on the experiences of eight  school-centered community revitalization initiatives in five cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St. Paul. 30p. New Relationships With Schools. Organizations That Build Community by Connecting With Schools. Volumes One and Two  http://www.publicengagement.com/practices/publications/newrelationshipssmry.htm (Collaborative Communications Group for the Kettering Foundation, Nov 2004) Case studies of organizations that establish strong connections between communities and schools using many different entry points. Includes a profile of New School Better Neighborhoods, a nonprofit intermediary organization in Los Angeles that works to design schools that serve as centers of communities. The organization brings together community stakeholders to plan multiuse development that combines residential, recreational, and educational use of scarce land in densely populated urban areas. Schools, Community, and Development. Erasing the Boundaries http://www.practitionerresources.org/cache/documents/56274.pdf Proscio, Tony (The Enterprise Foundation, Columbia, MD, 2004) This describes the results of efforts in four neighborhoods in Baltimore, St. Louis, and Atlanta to connect community-based revitalization initiatives with school reform programs in the same neighborhoods. Chapters include: 1) Building and Learning Go Seperate Ways; 2) The SchoolCommunity Alliance in Practice; 3) The Developer as Educator; 4) Housing and Economic Development. 39p. Using Public Schools as Community-Development Tools: Strategies for Community-Based Developers http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/publications/communitydevelopment/W02-9_Chung.pdf Chung, Connie (Harvard University, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Cambridge, MA; Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. , 2002) This paper explores the use of public schools as tools for community and  economic development. As major place-based infrastructure and an integral part of the community fabric, public schools can have a profound impact on the social, economic, and physical character of a neighborhood. Addressing public schools, therefore, is a good point of entry for community-based developers to place their work in a comprehensive community-development context. The paper examines ways in which community-based developers can learn from, as well as contribute to, current community-based efforts, particularly in disinvested urban areas, to reinforce the link between public schools and neighborhoods. Furthermore, the paper considers the policy implications of including public schools in comprehensive development strategies, and asserts that reinforcing the link between public schools and neighborhoods is not only good education policy, but also good community-development policy and practice. An appendix presents contact information for organizations participating in school and community linkages. 55p.