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Modeling Retail Chain Expansion and Maturity †MyAssignmenthelp.com

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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Project Guidance Format for M.B.A. Essay Example

Project Guidance Format for M.B.A. Essay Example Project Guidance Format for M.B.A. Essay Project Guidance Format for M.B.A. Essay A Project Report on â€Å" â€Å" At Company name Submitted to University of Pune In Partial Fulfilment of Degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 201-/1- By Student Name [pic] [college name] DECLARATION I, the undersigned honestly declare that, this Project Report entitled â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬  is a genuine and bonafide project prepared by me in partial fulfilment of degree of Master of Business Administration of University of Pune. The Project work is original and the conclusions drawn herein are based on the data collected and analyzed by me. To best of my knowledge, the matter presented in this project has not been submitted and award of any degree, diploma or membership either to this or any other Institute or University. Place: Pune Date: (Sign Name student) â€Å"Certificate on company’s letterhead† CERTIFICATE This is to certify that (Name of the Student) a student of (Name of the college) perusing MBA under Pune University has successfully completed a project on (title of the project) in (name of the department) for the period of . weeks that is from (start date) to (end date) in partial fulfilment of requirements of Degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. We have found him /her to be dedicated and sincere. Signature (Name designation) Date: (Seal of the company) INDEX |Sr. No. |CONTENTS |Page No. | |1 |ACKNOWLEDGMENT | | |2 |LIST OF TABLES | | |3 |LIST OF FIGURES | | |4 CHAPTER I | | |5 |CHAPTER II | | |6 |CHAPTER III | | |7 |CHAPTER IV | | |8 |CHAPTER V | | |9 |BIBLIOGRAPHY | | |10 |ANNEXURE | | ACKNOWLEDGMENT I express great pleasure in introducing my project entitled â€Å"-â€Å"is a successful outcome of co-operation of many entities. This the platform , where I would like to express my gratitude to all those, who were directly or indirectly involved in completion of this study. I take this opportunity to express my most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Mr : Tables may be more or less depending upon the tables in each chapter . They should be in minimum words They should indicate scope of the study They should drive the research Project 6. Research Hypotheses The point should cover the following: A Hypothesis is a tentative generalization – the validity of which remains to be tested. Specify research hypotheses that you wish to investigate in this study. They should be clear, specific precise. They should state the relationship of variables. They should be simple They should be limited in scope. They should be testable statements. They should be in minimum number 7. Scope of the Study The point should cover the following: Specific mention should be made of the rational scope of the research problem of the project, such as: Geographical scope of the study. The topical scope of the study. The functional scope of the study Chapter II Profile of the Organization This is the second chapter of the project, which should en velop the following points : 2. 1 Current status of the company 2. 2 Future plans of the Organization 2. 3 Any other relevant information of the Organization The detail descriptions of these points are as under: 2. 1 Current status of the company The Point should cover the following: Current market position of company should be given. Current financial positions of company should be given Reasons for profit/loss should be discussed. Marketing strategies should be listed. 2. Future plans of the Organization The point should cover the following: Future plans of company if any should be specified 2. 3 Any other relevant information of the Organization. This point should cover the following: Any other relevant information regarding the company should be given. Chapter III Research Design and Methodology A good research design ensures against wasteful expenditure of time, money and energy. Thus chapter should contain information on the following points : 3. 1 Sampling Design 3. 2 Source and methods of Data collection 3. 3 Methods of data analysis and statistical Techniques 3. 4 Key concepts and definitions 3. 5 Limination of the Study The detail description of these points are as under : 3. 1 Sampling Design This point should cover the following: Define population with reference to project Sampling unit should be specified Sampling frame should be defined Sample size should be defined Sampling Procedure Statistically /Judgement should be defined Know the budgetary constraints. Understand sampling errors. An explanation of the determination of size and type of sample will also be necessary Proposals not requiring a sample selection should specify their strategy appropriately and describe the rationale. 3. 2 Source and methods of Data collection This point should cover the following : The different types of data that are proposed to be gathered and to be used sho uld be specifically mentioned. Data collection methods may be as: Sources of Primary Data collection ? Observation, ? Field Observation ? Interview schedule, ? Questionnaire, ? Discussion, Sources of secondary data collection : ? Abstract database, ? Full text database, ? Online database, ? Unpublished database, The sources for each type of data and the tools and techniques that will be used for collecting different types of data should be specified. 3. 3 Methods of data analysis and statistical Techniques : The point should cover the following Different types of data analysis techniques used in the research project should be specifically mentioned. Such as: ? Basic analytical tools, which include Tabular Analysis, Graphical Analysis, Percentage Analysis, or Ratio Analysis etc. should be specified. ? Project students can use some advanced techniques in the project for data analysis which includes Regression Analysis, Multivariate Analyses, ANOVA etc. , Should be specified. 3. 4 K ey concepts and definitions: This point should cover the following: If some special technical terms used in the research project, those terms should be defined clearly. 3. 6 Lamination of the Study This point should cover the following: Major limitations of the study should be specified. Chapter IV Data Presentation, Analysis and interpretation This chapter should contain information on the following points: 4. 1 Getting data ready for analysis 4. 2 Data analysis 4. 3 Interpretation of results 4. 4 Discussion on results derived 4. 5 Research Questions Answered The detail description of these points is as under: 4. 1 Getting data ready for analysis Editing data Handling blank responses Coding data Categorizing data Creating data file Programming 4. 2 Data analysis Present data in tabular forms : i. Frequency table ii. Response tables iii. Contingency tables iv. Unvaried tables v. Bivariate tables vi. Statistical tables vii. Time series tables All tables should have technical features, such as : i. Table Number ii. Title of the table iii. Captions ( columns Heading) iv. Stubs( Row heading) v. Table Body vi. Head Body vii. Foot Note Feel for the data (Optional) depending on type of data 1. Use Basic of statistics such as i. Frequencies ii. Mean iii. Standard Deviation iv. Coefficient of Variation v. Correlation vi. ANOVA ii. Etc. 2. Get the basic findings / inferences. 4. 1 Interpretation of results Feel what findings / results are Mean what findings say Read whink and present the inference 4. 2 Discussion on results derived : Link the objectives with results of the data Implications of findings Personal perspective of the students on derived results 4. 3 Research Questions Answered: Feel the research questions are answered Draw and Develop conclusions or generalisations Chapter V Findings and Suggestions This chapter should cover the following : 1. Main Findings 2. Policy Suggestions 3. Scope for further research 1. Main Findings Findings are st atements of factual information based upon the data analysis List all the major findings of the project serially Put the findings in sequence of the study 2. Policy Suggestions Policy Suggestions or Recommendations should flow from the findings They should be very rational and practical They should be specific They should be indicative 3. Scope for further research Project study should indicate scope for further research III) Terminal Items : This point should cover the following points : 1. Bibliography 2. Appendices Questionnaires or Interview Schedules Complex Tables Technical Note 3. Glossary terms 4. Index Bibliography : A bibliography is the listing of the work that is relevant to the main topic of the research interest arranged in the alphabetical order of the last names of the author (s). A reference list is a subset of the bibliography, which includes details of all the citation used in the literature survey and elsewhere in the report, arranged again, in the alphabetical order of the last names of the author(s). At least three modes of referencing are followed in the business research. These are based on the format provided in the publication manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), (2001), the Chicago Manual Style (1993), and the Turabian style (1996). Each of these style specifies with examples, how books, journals, newspapers, dissertations and other documentation materials are to be referenced in the manuscript. Since the APA format is followed for referencing by many journals in the management area, the monograph will highlight the distinctions in how books, journals, newspapers, dissertations and other documentation materials are referenced using APA format as specimen referencing format below : Book by single Author : 1. Benni, Basavaraj, S. , (2005) Dairy Cooperative Management and Practice, Rawat Publication, Jaipur Book by more than one author : 1. Krishnaswamy, K. N. , Appa, Iyer, Sivakumar, Mathirajan. M. , 2006), Management Research Methodology : Integration of Principles, Methods and Techniques, Pearson Education, New Delhi. More than one Book by the same author : 1. Roy, A. , (1998a) Chaos theory, McMillan Publishing Enterprise, New York. 2. Roy, A. , (1998b) Classic Chaos, McMillan Publishing Enterprise, New York. M ore than one Book by the same author : 1. Pennathur, A. , Leong, F. T. , Schuster, K (Eds), (1998), Style and substance of thinking, Paradise Publishers, New York. Chapter in the edited book : 1. Benni, Basavaraj, S. , (2007), Infrastructural Development and Regional Disparity – A Comparative District Level Analysis in Karnataka, in Dash L. N. (Ed ) Economics of Infrastructure, Regal Publication, New Delhi. Journal Article : 1. Benni, Basavaraj, S. , (2006), Sugar Factory Efficiency Measurement : Application of Data Envelopment Analysis – A New Insight for Managers, Paradigm, The Research Journal of Institute for Management and Technology, Vol. X, No. 2, July – December. Conference Proceedings Publication : 1. Benni, Basavaraj, S. , (2007), Status of Public Services in Karnataka – A Comparative District Level Analysis, in Shahu, A. , (Ed), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Services Management, Oxford Brookes University IIMT New Delhi . Doctoral Dissertation : 1. Benni, Basavaraj, S. (2001), Dairy Co-Operative Societies in Karnataka, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Karnatak University, Dharwad. Paper presentation at conference : 1. Benni, Basavaraj, S. , (2004, August 27th to 29th), Empowering Decision Making Capacity of Global Corporate Managers through Econometric Tools, paper presented a for â€Å"Best Research Paper Competition† in 16th Annual Management Education Convention, conducted by Association of Indian Management Schools, Goa. Government Publication : 1. Ministry of Law, Government of India, (1960), The Copyright Act, 14 of 1957, Delhi Unpublished Manuscript : 1. Pringle, P. S. , (1991), Training and Development in 90s, unpublished manuscript, Southern Illinos University, Diamondale, IL.

Friday, November 22, 2019

5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives

5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives 5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives 5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives By Mark Nichol When two or more words team up to describe something, they’re usually hyphenated to make their symbiotic relationship clear. Each of the following sentences contains a phrasal adjective that should be linked with one or more hyphens; each example is followed by a brief discussion and a revision. 1. Their affair wasn’t exactly the best kept secret. This sentence refers to a secret that is the best kept, not a kept secret that is better than any other, so link the phrasal adjective together: â€Å"Their affair wasn’t exactly the best-kept secret.† 2. The company conducted an information security risk assessment earlier this year. What type of assessment occurred? A risk assessment about information security, or an assessment about information-security risk? Either analysis is correct, but at least one hyphen is required, no matter which interpretation is favored: â€Å"The company conducted an information-security risk assessment earlier this year† and â€Å"The company conducted an information-security-risk assessment earlier this year.† (Both work, but the former alternative is simpler.) 3. Smith is widely revered for being the most high profile member of the Mormon faith in America. This sentence seems to imply that of all the profile members of the Mormon church, Smith is the one most intoxicated by drugs. A hyphen linking high and profile eliminates any confusion about the meaning of the statement: â€Å"Smith is widely revered for being the most high-profile member of the Mormon faith in America.† 4. The rare book dealer has been in business for as long as I can remember. Does this sentence refer to one of the few book dealers or to a dealer in rare books? The latter reading is more likely, but eliminate doubt by hyphenating rare and book: â€Å"The rare-book dealer has been in business for as long as I can remember.† 5. We analyzed the entire play on a scene by scene basis. The phrasal adjective â€Å"scene by scene† should be hyphenated: â€Å"We analyzed the entire play on a scene-by-scene basis.† (Alternatively, simplify the sentence to â€Å"We analyzed the entire play scene by scene†; try this approach for time frames, too, as by replacing â€Å"on an annual basis† with annually.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?15 Types of DocumentsThe "Pied" in The Pied Piper

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Answering questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answering questions - Essay Example The object of knowledge is on that which altogether is real. In contrast, the object of belief is on one which is real and not real (Plato et al. 181; par. 477e). Thrasymachus makes two assertions regarding what is just or right. He points out that justice is the action of serving the interest of a stronger one. It is an advantage of the strong. He also adds that just actions are those that obey the state’s law (Plato and Grube, 15; par. 338c). Glaucon takes up the argument from Thrasymachus in terms of defining justice in a contrasting way. Glaucon points out that justice is a compromise between fear and advantage. People comprehend that being unjust is usually to their advantage; nevertheless, they fear being a victim of injustice. Hence, if one could act in an unjust manner and not suffer consequences, one could (Plato and Grube, 38; par. 358e). Plato describes the ideal city as one based on human virtue and justice. An ideal city is a form of political and social organization that allows individuals to maximize their potentials. The ideal city has three classes of people; the guardians, the auxiliaries and the producers. The leaders and citizens must have courage, wisdom, justice and moderation. This will allow individuals to serve their citizens and live according to the universal truths and laws. The role of the ideal city is to preserve and protect the universal principles. In plato’s ideal city, the guardians serve to protect and lead. There is a division of labor in his ideal city hence enables the satisfaction of the needs of the community. Each man should be given the best job in which he is suited in for. This will ensure productivity in the ideal city (Plato and Grube, 105; par. 412c). It is imperative for the ideal ruler to understand the forms. When one understands the forms, the soul reaches an understanding that is far beyond the thought stage. An ideal ruler should understand the true

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Complete Persepolis and The Sand Child Essay

The Complete Persepolis and The Sand Child - Essay Example In comparison to the first book of Tahar Ben Jelloun’s trilogy, The Sand Child, it talks about the story of a young girl, Zahra, who is raised as a man, Ahmed. As her father’s eagerness to have a son as his heir arises, it has been decided that the 8th kid will be a son. Zahra’s identity crisis emerges since her early years when the natural emotions of a girl come into surface. As she conceals her true identity in accordance to her father’s image, a tyrant figure, she becomes distorted as she realizes and enjoys the advantages of being a man but at the same time empathizes with the society’s cruelty to women – her true identity. This paper compares and contrasts the most important theme in the two novels – identity. In Search of Identity Marjane, being a daughter to liberal parents, grows up as someone who thinks outside the box. In the early part of the first book, The Story of a Childhood, she has conversations with an imaginary frie nd that looks like God and tells him that she would be the ‘last prophet.† She announces one day in school that she would be it but all laugh at her and her parents have been Last Name 3 summoned to discuss the incident. Her parents instantly defend her to her teachers. In this scene, it will be noticed that Marjane’s parents do not succumb to the Islamic doctrine, which gives a good background on Marjane’s character and defines their family as modern. ... As a result, she rebels on the deeply-rooted Islamic society and professes herself of being different. It is explained that she wears her veil sideways with her sneakers on, giving a punk image, which makes the Guardians of the Revolution question her. â€Å"The reason for my shame and for the Revolution is the same: the difference between social classes. (Persepolis, 33) In this quote, Marjane rebels on the idealism of her parent’s political stance and the reality of their social class. She realizes the class divisions at a very early age when she discovers that Mehri, her maid, cannot be with the man she in in love with due to their class difference. She feels a great deal of disagreement in herself from this fact, which affects makes her identity revolt from the class conflicts. Marjane’s life is a study of inconsistencies and contradictions. She is torn between her â€Å"avant garde† lifestyle and her family’s loyalty to their motherland and everythin g it entails. Her parents have been fighting for the poor for the longest time and yet they also have been holding on to their class distinction. She strongly defines herself as someone born in a religious heritage yet her family is secular. These contradictions during her coming of age make her feel a sense of disenfranchisement from the only land she knows. As the story progresses, Marjane finds her identity in the midst of all political chaos. As she continuously enjoys the privileges of her Last Name 4 family’s she finds herself in rebellion towards those fanatics of the current Shah regime. She hits her principal for trying to take her jewelry from her and proclaims the truth behind the lies her professor is professing to her

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Taylorism Is An Outmoded And Outdated Form Of Technical Control Essay Example for Free

Taylorism Is An Outmoded And Outdated Form Of Technical Control Essay Perfected by Henry Ford, Taylorism was developed in the early 20th Century and was a revolutionary outlook on scientific management. Its aim was to make the workplace a science, taking all control away from the worker and placing total power in the hands of management. By observing workers behaviour and how long it was taking for tasks to be completed he believed he could say how much an average worker could produce under optimum conditions. Using this he devised a means of detailing a division of labour in time-and-motion studies and a wage system based on performance. At the time and throughout the last century Taylorism was and has been the only way to manage, but is it now outdated and irrelevant. I hope to be able to provide some of the arguments for and against this viewpoint and give examples of Taylorism. First, what exactly is Taylorism? Simply Taylorism is the breaking down of the production process into simple, menial tasks to the extent that even the most unskilled worker can be efficient. He researched these methods knowing that management lacked the knowledge to maximise production and that workers were not efficient. Taylor spoke about rewarding good men i.e. good employees, with higher pay for completing tasks or working harder. He called for scoring and ranking workers, thus posing the argument: how can one compare someone who is really good at a given task against someone who is good at another task? The two individuals may well be very good at what they do; however, it quite often requires a mix of these talents to produce a quality product or service. Taylor also aimed to transfer the control of the work process away from the individual worker and instead have the work performed in a way that is detailed by management who train the worker and share all the responsibilities. He used pig-iron handlers during the American-Spanish war to test his theories. He picked the four best workers and, in exchange for a higher wage, asked them to work under a managers orders. The manager had complete control, telling them when they could have a break, when to pick up more iron, how much to lift etc. The experiment was a resounding success; with one man Schmidt working at a constant 47.5 tonnes a day. This was used to show that Taylorism could work. However it could be argued that the experiment was fixed as it used workers who were mentally sluggish and therefore, by their nature, were more likely to follow orders than to think for themselves. Nevertheless Taylorism became the standard for businesses worldwide and this led to a clockwork world of tasks timed to the hundredth of a minute for standardized factories, machines and the de-humanising of men and women. A man named Braverman argued in his book in the 70s that because of Taylor and Ford, more and more jobs became and are becoming deskilled and de-humanised and the thought processes are being taken over by managers and programmed into machines (Braverman 1974). This raises a very important point about Taylorism; it makes processes so precise and repetitive that humans are being turned into machines. In this state as machines, humans are very easy to control and so it could be argued that Taylorism, whilst being effective as a production method, is also designed to control the workforce and thus highly skilled workers threaten labour control. Read more:Â  Scientific Management Taylorism Such early 20th century thought is being practised not only in business, but in the schools as well where students, like workers, are be scored and ranked. Now we have moved to a system where this ranking and grading of students and schools is of such importance that they are no longer run by teachers, but managed by managers to improve efficiency. Whilst not being a strict example of Taylorism, it shows how Taylors ideas have changed the way people think in that people now assume anything and everything can be ranked. Whilst on the subject of culture changes that have been influenced by Taylor, it can be argued that Taylorism has led to gender differences. Women have been, at least they were, categorized into certain jobs; mainly clerical and secretarial. This may not be as true today with many high-powered businesswomen in the world but, especially in the 60s, this was true. Taylorism is scientific management but how scientific is it? In Websters book there is a case where a businessman complained about how slow his secretary worked and asked, How many times a minute should she be able to open and close a file drawer? The workers handbooks answer would be Exactly 25 times. Times for other open and close operations would be .04 minutes for opening and closing a folder, and .026 minutes for opening a standard centre desk drawer (Webster, J 1990). Another example of the scientific nature of Taylorism can be seen in UPS, the parcel company. Management have said that workers should walk at 3ft per second, packages should be carried under the left arm and that drivers should step into the van with their right foot first whilst holding the keys in the middle finger of the right hand. These are two classic and blatant time-and-motion pigeonholing that leads to the de-humanizing of the worker. This pigeonholing can be classically seen in some of todays big business, especially in fast-food chains. McDonalds, the most classically discussed example, where there is absolutely no autonomy for the worker; they have no option about what to do. Machines are set to cook quarter-pounders in 107 seconds and fries in 150 seconds. Guns exist that put exactly the same amount of sauce in each burger and fill the drinks to the right level. All the worker has to do is put it together and place in a bag. Even the bagging process is Taylorised; workers must place the goods in the bag in the correct order. Ritzer sees McDonalds as a paradigm of efficiency that has led to a consumer being able to go into any McDonalds in the world and expect the same service and the same product. This very tedious monotonous work has very little job satisfaction and so to keep the worker motivated McDonalds have used Taylors idea about incentives. McDonalds have a star system which rewards hard working individuals with stars. These stars are worn on the name badge to show the consumer that they are a noted worker. More importantly it develops a friendly rivalry within the store as workers compete to win stars. This leads to more productive and efficient workers. Some workers can take this to extremes however. A friend of mine started in McDonalds and almost straight away was working up to two hours overtime on closing shifts. He earned his stars very quickly as well as employee of the month two months in a row and within 8 months was promoted to floor manager. This is, in my view, a slightly extreme case as he is naturally a hard worker but shows how hard work is rewarded in McDonalds. The efficiency of McDonalds and its ability to retain workers has made it a very successful multinational company. Leidner argues in his book that the drive for efficiency within McDonalds has led to inefficiency for the consumer as it turns them into involuntary unpaid labour because they have to queue for the food, clear their own rubbish away etc. For McDonalds to be as efficient as it is, it must offer a very restricted menu so that deliveries and production can be streamlined. This leads to a loss for the consumer who can only expect a very small choice from McDonalds. In the beginning this may have been a problem but now people go to McDonalds and expect a burger, fries and a drink which are the same every time. Despite these critiques of Taylorism there are authors who believe that Taylorism is as relevant today as it ever was. Taksa argues in her 1992 article that Taylor and his ideas are still useful in resolving todays management issues especially as firms are larger these days. The limiting of verbal exchange due to written instructions means that the teaching mangers are also under as much control as the workers from the planning group (Taksa,1992). This is especially useful in the large firms of today where middle management can be very large and therefore they must be put under the same controls as the workers. Many firms however are extremely efficient and successful without adopting Taylorist methods. It can be argued that Taylorism is not suitable for every type of business. An example of this is Dixons, where I used to work, where if any type of technical control would greatly hinder the sales of goods and insurance. The salesperson must have the freedom to react to the customers situation and what they say. There would be no way of, for example, telling sales staff that this type of person must have this product or that the sale must be complete in x minutes. It would be impossible to implement as, unlike McDonalds, every customer is different with different needs and without talking these needs cannot be ascertained to result in the sale of a product. Even shops are individual, while common theme run from shop to shop, where products are placed and how they are displayed is up to the mangers discretion and not controlled by main management. So to conclude; Taylorism is a very restrictive practise which leads to the de-humanising of the worker and complete management control. However it is an extremely efficient and productive system. I would say that in certain business environments, like McDonalds, it is the only way to manage that would produce effective results. However nowadays individuals require job satisfaction out of their roles and to that end Taylorism is outdated as it allows no sort of autonomy and thus make working very dull. To that end I cannot conclude either way; Taylorism is very effective in the food sector where customers are indistinguishable from each other but would be highly ineffective once individuals needs must be catered for. Bibliography Braverman, H.: Labour And Monopoly Capital: The Degradation Of Work In The 20th Century, 1974. Monthly Review Press, NY Leidner, R: Fast Food, Fast Talk, 1993. University Of California Press Ritzer, G: The McDonaldisation Of Society, 1993. Pine Forge Press Taksa, L: Scientific Management: Technique Or Cultural Ideology?. Webster, J: Office Automation, 1990. Harvester Wheatsheaf

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Analysis of Platos The Republic Essay -- Philosophy Religion Essays

An Analysis of The Republic The Republic is an examination of the "Good Life"; the harmony reached by applying pure reason and justice. The ideas and arguments of Plato center on the social settings of an ideal republic - those that lead each person to the most perfect possible life for him. Socrates was Plato's early mentor in real life. As a tribute to his teacher, Plato uses Socrates in several of his works and dialogues. Socrates moderates the discussion throughout, as Plato's mouthpiece. Through Socrates' powerful and brilliant questions and explanations on a series of topics, the reader comes to understand what Plato's model society would look like. The basic plan of the Republic is to draw an analogy between the operation of society as a whole and the life of any individual human being. In this paper I will present Plato’s argument that the soul is divides into three parts. I will examine what these parts are, and I will also explain his arguments behind this conclusion. Finally, I will desc ribe how Plato relates the three parts of the soul to a city the different social classes within that city. Plato supposed that people exhibit the same features, and perform the same functions that city-states do. Applying the analogy in this way presumes that each of us, like the state, is a complex whole made up of several distinct parts, each of which has its own proper role. But Plato argued that there is evidence of this in our everyday experience. When faced with choices about what to do, we commonly feel the tug of many different impulses drawing us in different directions all at once, and the most natural explanation for this situ... ...is own desires rather than his subjects needs is not virtuous. Second, a person in the military, who is supposed to be courageous may desert his fellow troops in fear. Third, many common people commit crimes, and create conflict within the community. None of these people are virtuous. However, this is exactly what Plato was getting at. Plato believes that when each of these classes performs its own role and does not try to take over any other class, the entire city as a whole will operate smoothly, showing the harmony that is genuine justice. (ln 433e) What makes the Republic such an important and interesting piece of literature is that by examining what brings true justice and harmony to the world, we can therefore understand all of the virtues by considering how each is placed within the organization of an ideal city.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 6. SWITZERLAND

AS I DROVE HOME, I WASN'T PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO the road that shimmered wetly in the sun. I was thinking about the flood of information Jacob had shared with me, trying to sort it out, to force it all to make sense. Despite the overload, I felt lighter. Seeing Jacob smile, having all the secrets thrashed out . . . it didn't make things perfect, but it made them better. I was right to have gone. Jacob needed me. And obviously, I thought as I squinted into the glare, there was no danger. It came out of nowhere. One minute there was nothing but bright highway in my rearview mirror. The next minute, the sun was glinting off a silver Volvo right on my tail. â€Å"Aw, crap,† I whimpered. I considered pulling over. But I was too much of a coward to face him right away. I'd been counting on some prep time . . . and having Charlie nearby as a buffer. At least that would force him to keep his voice down. The Volvo followed inches behind me. I kept my eyes on the road ahead. Chicken through and through, I drove straight to Angela's without once meeting the gaze I could feel burning a hole in my mirror. He followed me until I pulled to the curb in front of the Webers' house. He didn't stop, and I didn't look up as he passed. I didn't want to see the expression on his face. I ran up the short concrete walk to Angela's door as soon as he was out of sight. Ben answered the door before I could finish knocking, like he'd been standing right behind it. â€Å"Hey, Bella!† he said, surprised. â€Å"Hi, Ben. Er, is Angela here?† I wondered if Angela had forgotten our plans, and cringed at the thought of going home early. â€Å"Sure,† Ben said just as Angela called, â€Å"Bella!† and appeared at the top of the stairs. Ben peered around me as we both heard the sound of a car on the road; the sound didn't scare me – this engine stuttered to a stop, followed by the loud pop of a backfire. Nothing like the purr of the Volvo. This must be the visitor Ben had been waiting for. â€Å"Austin's here,† Ben said as Angela reached his side. A horn honked on the street. â€Å"I'll see you later,† Ben promised. â€Å"Miss you already.† He threw his arm around Angela's neck and pulled her face down to his height so that he could kiss her enthusiastically. After a second of this, Austin honked again. â€Å"‘Bye, Ang! Love you!† Ben shouted as he dashed past me. Angela swayed, her face slightly pink, then recovered herself and waved until Ben and Austin were out of sight. Then she turned to me and grinned ruefully. â€Å"Thank you for doing this, Bella,† she said. â€Å"From the bottom of my heart. Not only are you saving my hands from permanent injury, you also just spared me two long hours of a plot-less, badly dubbed martial arts film.† She sighed in relief. â€Å"Happy to be of service.† I was feeling a bit less panicked, able to breathe a little more evenly. It felt so ordinary here. Angela's easy human dramas were oddly reassuring. It was nice to know that life was normal somewhere. I followed Angela up the stairs to her room. She kicked toys out of the way as she went. The house was unusually quiet. â€Å"Where's your family?† â€Å"My parents took the twins to a birthday party in Port Angeles. I can't believe you're really going to help me with this. Ben's pretending he has tendonitis.† She made a face. â€Å"I don't mind at all,† I said, and then I walked into Angela's room and saw the stacks of waiting envelopes. â€Å"Oh!† I gasped. Angela turned to look at me, apologies in her eyes. I could see why she'd been putting this off, and why Ben had weaseled out. â€Å"I thought you were exaggerating,† I admitted. â€Å"I wish. Are you sure you want to do this?† â€Å"Put me to work. I've got all day.† Angela divided a pile in half and put her mother's address book between us on her desk. For a while we concentrated, and there was just the sound of our pens scratching quietly across the paper. â€Å"What's Edward doing tonight?† she asked after a few minutes. My pen dug into the envelope I was working on. â€Å"Emmet's home for the weekend. They're supposed to be hiking.† â€Å"You say that like you're not sure.† I shrugged. â€Å"You're lucky Edward has his brothers for all the hiking and camping. I don't know what I'd do if Ben didn't have Austin for the guy stuff.† â€Å"Yeah, the outdoors thing is not really for me. And there's no way I'd ever be able to keep up.† Angela laughed. â€Å"I prefer the indoors myself.† Angela rolled her eyes at me. â€Å"See you at school,† I said with a nervous laugh. She sighed. â€Å"See you.† I was jumpy on the way out to my truck, but the street was empty. I spent the whole drive glancing anxiously in all my mirrors, but there was never any sign of the silver car. His car was not in front of the house, either, though that meant little. â€Å"Bella?† Charlie called when I opened the front door. â€Å"Hey, Dad.† I found him in the living room, in front of the TV. â€Å"So, how was your day?† â€Å"Good,† I said. Might as well tell him everything – he'd hear it from Billy soon enough. Besides, it would make him happy. â€Å"They didn't need me at work, so I went down to La Push.† There wasn't enough surprise in his face. Billy had already talked to him. â€Å"How's Jacob?† Charlie asked, attempting to sound indifferent. â€Å"Good,† I said, just as casual. â€Å"You get over to the Webers'?† â€Å"Yep. We got all her announcements addressed.† â€Å"That's nice.† Charlie smiled a wide smile. He was strangely focused, considering that there was a game on. â€Å"I'm glad you spent some time with your friends today.† â€Å"Me, too.† I ambled toward the kitchen, looking for busy work. Unfortunately, Charlie had already cleaned up his lunch. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the bright patch of light the sun made on the floor. But I knew I couldn't delay this forever. â€Å"I'm going to go study,† I announced glumly as I headed up the stairs. â€Å"See you later,† Charlie called after me. If I survive, I thought to myself. I shut my bedroom door carefully before I turned to face my room. Of course he was there. He stood against the wall across from me, in the shadow beside the open window. His face was hard and his posture tense. He glared at me wordlessly. I cringed, waiting for the torrent, but it didn't come. He just continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak. â€Å"Hi,† I finally said. His face could have been carved from stone. I counted to a hundred in my head, but there was no change. â€Å"Er . . . so, I'm still alive,† I began. A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression didn't change. â€Å"No harm done,† I insisted with a shrug. He moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand. â€Å"Bella,† he whispered. â€Å"Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line today? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?† I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night. â€Å"You can't!† I said too loudly. I worked to modulate the volume of my voice so Charlie wouldn't hear, but I wanted to shout the words. â€Å"Edward, they'd use any excuse for a fight. They'd love that. You can't ever break the rules!† â€Å"Maybe they aren't the only ones who would enjoy a fight.† â€Å"Don't you start,† I snapped. â€Å"You made the treaty – you stick to it.† â€Å"If he'd hurt you -â€Å" â€Å"Enough!† I cut him off. â€Å"There's nothing to worry about. Jacob isn't dangerous.† â€Å"Bella.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"You aren't exactly the best judge of what is or isn't dangerous.† â€Å"I know I don't have to worry about Jake. And neither do you.† He ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall, and I hated the space between us. I took a deep breath, and crossed the room. He didn't move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next to the warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through the window, his skin felt especially icy. He seemed like ice, too, frozen the way he was. â€Å"I'm sorry I made you anxious,† I muttered. He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around my waist. â€Å"Anxious is a bit of an understatement,† he murmured. â€Å"It was a very long day.† â€Å"You weren't supposed to know about it,† I reminded him. â€Å"I thought you'd be hunting longer.† I looked up at his face, at his defensive eyes; I hadn't noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were too dark. The rings under them were deep purple. I frowned in disapproval. â€Å"When Alice saw you disappear, I came back,† he explained. â€Å"You shouldn't have done that. Now you'll have to go away again.† My frown intensified. â€Å"I can wait.† â€Å"That's ridiculous. I mean, I know she couldn't see me with Jacob, but you should have known -â€Å" â€Å"But I didn't,† he broke in. â€Å"And you can't expect me to let you -â€Å" â€Å"Oh, yes, I can,† I interrupted him. â€Å"That's exactly what I expect -â€Å" â€Å"This won't happen again.† â€Å"That's right! Because you're not going to overreact next time.† â€Å"Because there isn't going to be a next time.† â€Å"I understand when you have to leave, even if I don't like it -â€Å" â€Å"That's not the same. I'm not risking my life.† â€Å"Neither am I.† â€Å"Werewolves constitute a risk.† â€Å"I disagree.† â€Å"I'm not negotiating this, Bella.† â€Å"Neither am I.† His hands were in fists again. I could feel them against my back. The words popped out thoughtlessly. â€Å"Is this really just about my safety?† â€Å"What do you mean?† he demanded. â€Å"You aren't . . .† Angela's theory seemed sillier now than before. It was hard to finish the thought. â€Å"I mean, you know better than to be jealous, right?† He raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Do I?† â€Å"Be serious.† â€Å"Easily – there's nothing remotely humorous about this.† I frowned suspiciously. â€Å"Or . . . is this something else altogether? Some vampires-and-werewolves-are- always-enemies nonsense? Is this just a testosterone-fueled -â€Å" His eyes blazed. â€Å"This is only about you. All I care is that you're safe.† The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt. â€Å"Okay,† I sighed. â€Å"I believe that. But I want you to know something – when it comes to all this enemies nonsense, I'm out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are . . . well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much longer than that. The love of my existence. I don't care who's a werewolf and who's a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party, too.† He stared at me silently through narrowed eyes. â€Å"Switzerland,† I repeated again for emphasis. He frowned at me, and then sighed. â€Å"Bella . . . ,† he began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in disgust. â€Å"What now?† â€Å"Well . . . don't be offended, but you smell like a dog,† he told me. And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the fight was over. For now. Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and so he was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a mountain lion problem. We'd come to no agreement on the werewolf issue, but I didn't feel guilty calling Jake – during my brief window of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home before climbing back in through my window – to let him know I'd be coming over on Saturday again. It wasn't sneaking around. Edward knew how I felt. And if he broke my truck again, then I'd have Jacob pick me up. Forks was neutral, just like Switzerland – just like me. So when I got off work Thursday and it was Alice rather than Edward waiting for me in the Volvo, I was not suspicious at first. The passenger door was open, and music I didn't recognize was shaking the frame when the bass played. â€Å"Hey, Alice,† I shouted over the wailing as I climbed in. â€Å"Where's your brother?† She was singing along to the song, her voice an octave higher than the melody, weaving through it with a complicated harmony. She nodded at me, ignoring my question as she concentrated on the music. I shut my door and put my hands over my ears. She grinned, and turned the volume down until it was just background. Then she hit the locks and the gas in the same second. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked, starting to feel uneasy. â€Å"Where is Edward?† She shrugged. â€Å"They left early.† â€Å"Oh.† I tried to control the absurd disappointment. If he left early, that meant he'd be back sooner, I reminded myself. â€Å"All the boys went, and we're having a slumber party!† she announced in a trilling, singsong voice. â€Å"A slumber party?† I repeated, the suspicion finally settling in. â€Å"Aren't you excited?† she crowed. I met her animated gaze for a long second. â€Å"You're kidnapping me, aren't you?† She laughed and nodded. â€Å"Till Saturday. Esme cleared it with Charlie; you're staying with me two nights, and I will drive you to and from school tomorrow.† I turned my face to the window, my teeth grinding together. â€Å"Sorry,† Alice said, not sounding in the least bit penitent. â€Å"He paid me off.† â€Å"How?† I hissed through my teeth. â€Å"The Porsche. It's exactly like the one I stole in Italy.† She sighed happily. â€Å"I'm not supposed to drive it around Forks, but if you want, we could see how long it takes to get from here to L.A. – I bet I could have you back by midnight.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"I think I'll pass,† I sighed, repressing a shudder. We wound, always too fast, down the long drive. Alice pulled around to the garage, and I quickly looked over the cars. Emmett's big jeep was there, with a shiny canary yellow Porsche between it and Rosalie's red convertible. Alice hopped out gracefully and went to stroke her hand along the length of her bribe. â€Å"Pretty, isn't it?† â€Å"Pretty over-the-top,† I grumbled, incredulous. â€Å"He gave you that just for two days of holding me hostage?† Alice made a face. A second later, comprehension came and I gasped in horror. â€Å"It's for every time he's gone, isn't it?† She nodded. I slammed my door and stomped toward the house. She danced along next to me, still unrepentant. â€Å"Alice, don't you think this is just a little bit controlling? Just a tiny bit psychotic, maybe?† â€Å"Not really.† She sniffed. â€Å"You don't seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. Especially when I can't see them. Edward has no way to know if you're safe. You shouldn't be so reckless.† My voice turned acidic. â€Å"Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior.† Alice laughed. â€Å"I'll give you a pedicure and everything,† she promised. It wasn't so bad, except for the fact that I was being held against my will. Esme brought Italian food – the good stuff, all the way from Port Angeles – and Alice was prepared with my favorite movies. Even Rosalie was there, quietly in the background. Alice did insist on the pedicure, and I wondered if she was working from a list – maybe something she'd compiled from watching bad sitcoms. â€Å"How late do you want to stay up?† she asked when my toenails were glistening a bloody red. Her enthusiasm remained untouched by my mood. â€Å"I don't want to stay up. We have school in the morning.† She pouted. â€Å"Where am I supposed to sleep, anyway?† I measured the couch with my eyes. It was a little short. â€Å"Can't you just keep me under surveillance at my house?† â€Å"What kind of a slumber party would that be?† Alice shook her head in exasperation. â€Å"You're sleeping in Edward's room.† I sighed. His black leather sofa was longer than this one. Actually, the gold carpet in his room was probably thick enough that the floor wouldn't be half bad either. â€Å"Can I go back to my place to get my things, at least?† She grinned. â€Å"Already taken care of.† â€Å"Am I allowed to use your phone?† â€Å"Charlie knows where you are.† â€Å"I wasn't going to call Charlie.† I frowned. â€Å"Apparently, I have some plans to cancel.† â€Å"Oh.† She deliberated. â€Å"I'm not sure about that.† â€Å"Alice!† I whined loudly. â€Å"C'mon!† â€Å"Okay, okay,† she said, flitting from the room. She was back in half a second, cell phone in hand. â€Å"He didn't specifically prohibit this . . . ,† she murmured to herself as she handed it to me. I dialed Jacob's number, hoping he wasn't out running with his friends tonight. Luck was with me – Jacob was the one to answer. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Hey, Jake, it's me.† Alice watched me with expressionless eyes for a second, before she turned and went to sit between Rosalie and Esme on the sofa. â€Å"Hi, Bella,† Jacob said, suddenly cautious. â€Å"What's up?† â€Å"Nothing good. I can't come over Saturday after all.† It was silent for a minute. â€Å"Stupid bloodsucker,† he finally muttered. â€Å"I thought he was leaving. Can't you have a life when he's gone? Or does he lock you in a coffin?† I laughed. â€Å"I don't think that's funny.† â€Å"I'm only laughing because you're close,† I told him. â€Å"But he's going to be here Saturday, so it doesn't matter.† â€Å"Will he be feeding there in Forks, then?† Jacob asked cuttingly. â€Å"No.† I didn't let myself get irritated with him. I wasn't that far from being as angry as he was. â€Å"He left early.† â€Å"Oh. Well, hey, come over now, then,† he said with sudden enthusiasm. â€Å"It's not that late. Or I'll come up to Charlie's.† â€Å"I wish. I'm not at Charlie's,† I said sourly. â€Å"I'm kind of being held prisoner.† He was silent as that sunk in, and then he growled. â€Å"We'll come and get you,† he promised in a flat voice, slipping automatically into a plural. A chill slid down my spine, but I answered in a light and teasing voice. â€Å"Tempting. I have been tortured – Alice painted my toenails.† â€Å"I'm serious.† â€Å"Don't be. They're just trying to keep me safe.† He growled again. â€Å"I know it's silly, but their hearts are in the right place.† â€Å"Their hearts!† he scoffed. â€Å"Sorry about Saturday,† I apologized. â€Å"I've got to hit the sack† – the couch, I corrected mentally – â€Å"but I'll call you again soon.† â€Å"Are you sure they'll let you?† he asked in a scathing tone. â€Å"Not completely.† I sighed. â€Å"‘Night, Jake.† â€Å"See you around.† Alice was abruptly at my side, her hand held out for the phone, but I was already dialing. She saw the number. â€Å"I don't think he'll have his phone on him,† she said. â€Å"I'll leave a message.† The phone rang four times, followed by a beep. There was no greeting. â€Å"You are in trouble,† I said slowly, emphasizing each word. â€Å"Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home.† I snapped the phone shut and placed it in her waiting hand. â€Å"I'm done.† She grinned. â€Å"This hostage stuff is fun.† â€Å"I'm going to sleep now,† I announced, heading for the stairs. Alice tagged along. â€Å"Alice,† I sighed. â€Å"I'm not going to sneak out. You would know if I was planning to, and you'd catch me if I tried.† â€Å"I'm just going to show you where your things are,† she said innocently. Edward's room was at the farthest end of the third floor hallway, hard to mistake even when the huge house had been less familiar. But when I switched the light on, I paused in confusion. Had I picked the wrong door? Alice giggled. It was the same room, I realized quickly; the furniture had just been rearranged. The couch was pushed to the north wall and the stereo shoved up against the vast shelves of CDs – to make room for the colossal bed that now dominated the central space. The southern wall of glass reflected the scene back like a mirror, making it look twice as bad. It matched. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter than the walls; the frame was black, made of intricately patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound in vines up the tall posts and formed a bowery lattice overhead. My pajamas were folded neatly on the foot of the bed, my bag of toiletries to one side. â€Å"What the hell is all this?† I spluttered. â€Å"You didn't really think he would make you sleep on the couch, did you?† I mumbled unintelligibly as I stalked forward to snatch my things off the bed. â€Å"I'll give you some privacy,† Alice laughed. â€Å"See you in the morning.† After my teeth were brushed and I was dressed, I grabbed a puffy feather pillow off the huge bed and dragged the gold cover to the couch. I knew I was being silly, but I didn't care. Porsches as bribes and king- sized beds in houses where nobody slept – it was beyond irritating. I flipped off the lights and curled up on the sofa, wondering if I was too annoyed to sleep. In the dark, the glass wall was no longer a black mirror, doubling the room. The light of the moon brightened the clouds outside the window. As my eyes adjusted, I could see the diffused glow highlighting the tops of the trees, and glinting off a small slice of the river. I watched the silver light, waiting for my eyes to get heavy. There was a light knock on the door. â€Å"What, Alice?† I hissed. I was on the defensive, imagining her amusement when she saw my makeshift bed. â€Å"It's me,† Rosalie said softly, opening the door enough that I could see the silver glow touch her perfect face. â€Å"Can I come in?†

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Help Improve own and team practice in schools Essay

The ability to reflect on one’s own practice is crucial because you can evaluate your effectiveness and assess how well you think you are doing and identify any areas that need improvement or development. 1.1 Take a note of children and young people’s responses to own practice My placement is working with year 4 children who I engage with well and I get the general impression from their responses to my interaction with them that they enjoy working with me and that I assist their development. I had written feedback from one of the Teaching Assistants I work with and she has written; â€Å"Juley gets on well with the staff and has a natural rapport with the children†. This evidence supports my own belief that my practice is at the right level and style for 8 and 9 year old children. One of the more articulate children in my class said to me a 2 weeks ago â€Å"I really like working with you Miss. Hickman, you make maths fun†. One of the children I work with a lot who struggles with concentrating for any length of time asked me to help them read their book as I have done on a number of occasions. I asked him why he wanted me to help and he replied â€Å"I like how you explain things â€Å". My responses to any of the children when I sit down to work with them is always positive with lots of smiling and leaning in to me and at the beginning or end of class the children often come up to me to show me something or tell me something about their weekend which demonstrates to me that the children enjoy interacting with me. 1.2 Ask for constructive feedback on own practice from colleagues For this part of the assignment I produced a document which requested feedback from the Year 4 teacher I mainly work with and the TA I spend a lot of time working with. I handed this in last week and I collected the report this week when I attended school for my placement. I have included the two completed forms in this report . Read more:  Teamwork in Schools Essay The Year 4 teacher who I work mostly with also gave me a good feedback report including the comments â€Å"Excellent group and 1-2-1 work† and â€Å"great support to less able children†. The only development area he has highlighted is â€Å"to work with G&T (Gifted and talented) children more† which when I spoke to him he stated that this was not a failing on my part but down to him allocating me such groups to work with and he has written on the form in relation to  this goal â€Å"Teacher driven† so I know it is for him to allocate to me in the future. Again I am very encouraged by his feedback on the form and in person and this indicates to me that I am performing well and in the right manner. 1.3 Take notes of responses to own practice from others The Teaching Assistant gave me very positive feedback, including stating â€Å"She is very capable and willing to carry out any task give to her† and she also wrote â€Å"Juley gets on well with the staff and has a natural rapport with the children†. I am very pleased with this feedback which she has based on examples which she has given in her report. I feel I am performing to the best of my ability and the positive comments give me much encouragement that I am performing my role well and this motivates me to continue in the same vein. She did not highlight any areas for development but when I spoke to her she suggested that in order for me to get a wide range of experience I sometimes attend school for the afternoon sessions as this is when the children do other activities such as art and science which would be good experience for me. I currently only attend on morning sessions and hence my only experience with regards to subject matter is literacy and maths. I shall make a point next term of changing the sessions I attend to widen my experience and develop myself further. 1.4 Evaluate all aspects of own practice See attached job description and marked areas evaluating my performance. Section 2 Be able to improve own practice 2.2 Describe the importance of continuing professional development Continuing professional development (CPD) is almost always crucial in any position in any industry. In order to perform to the best of your ability as a school staff member a key aim should be CPD. This ensures that knowledge is developed and kept up to date and ones skills are honed and built upon. Within education teaching techniques are always changing and evolving and CPD assists in a fundamental way with keeping up to date with these changes. If a school promotes CPD then it is likely that it, as an institution, regularly reviews procedures and practices in vital areas such as safeguarding and Health and Safety. From an individual’s perspective being proactive in ones CPD gives a sense of achievement and confidence will be  instilled. This makes for a good and proficient teaching assistant who is prepared to seek feedback from colleagues and amend or change their own practices accordingly. In terms of an individual developing their career CPD is essential as investing in this demonstrates that there is an interest in progressing and developing the role. It is crucial that a written record is kept of one’s professional development in a file with dates, names of courses, certificates, appraisals and other relevant information. Appraisals are an essential part of CPD and are a way of identifying strengths, areas to improve and ways to improve. It can identify goals and targets which can then be worked towards and development measured using the SMART model. Section 3 Understand the work of the team 3.1 Describe why team work is important in schools In all areas of working life team work is of great importance. Team work means that a shared sense of purpose is felt and a common purpose is identified. This bonds individuals into a team and creates the ideal scenario for success and achievement. The identification and understanding of an individual’s role and that of the other team member’s roles is crucial as is the recognition of how the different roles complement each other and work together. Regular meetings with regards to roles and aims of the team are a very important part of the process of working as a team. The meetings enable the team to prioritise ways of working together, it enables the team to reflect on progress to date and to set new goals and identify other ways of getting the best out of being a team. A successful team can be represented by various characteristics which include respect for one another, a sense of purpose, commitment to the aims of the team which are demonstrated every day by each team member and regular communication between team members. Another very positive factor of a good team with members getting on well together is that it provides a good role model for children, they will recognise the respect the adults have for each other. 3.2 Describe the purpose and objectives of the team in which they work. The main purpose of team work is: -To promote children’s learning and behaviour. – To share both experiences and acquired knowledge in order to achieve better results with teaching and supporting children. -To promote equal opportunities and positive attitudes and to support diversity. – To provide a safe emotional environment for children. – To motivate children to use their full intellectual potential. – To support and respect one another. -To foster the good relationships and links already created with the local community and families. Within a work role it is highly likely that you will in fact be a member of a number of teams and they will have different specific objectives such as supporting a named child or to give general support within a specific class. However it is usually the case that the more general objectives of all the different teams have at least some, if not all, of the objectives listed above. 3.3 Describe own role and responsibilities and those of others in the team. Within any team in any industry it is crucial that each team member understands their own role, how it fits in with the team and other team members as well as understanding the role of other team members. Communication is a vital role for all team members and being able to liaise and interact with each other makes for a highly functioning team. All team members should feel that their opinion is valued and regular meetings enable the exchange of ideas and promote team objectives and create a sense of unity. Meetings also give a good idea of how what you are doing fits in with the school or team as a whole. The role of a Teaching Assistant is to work under the guidance and instruction of the teaching staff. Most work is carried out within the classroom during lessons but very importantly before lessons with preparation and the clearing up after classes. The support of specific pupils who may have special needs is also a key responsibility and working either one to one or in a small group is common place and key. This role description is a supporting role and different to that of a teacher whose main responsibilities include developing lesson plans, teaching, assessing pupils and tracking their development and fostering an atmosphere of learning, promoting essential personal character traits and setting a  good role model for pupils to emulate and aspire to. 3.4 Describe the importance of respecting the skills and expertise of other practitioners It is very important to respect the skills and expertise of other practitioners as it enables the development of good working relationships. The recognition that all team members bring something different but equally vital to the team is a core element to a successful team as is the acknowledgement that individuals can in turn learn from colleagues and thus develop. By listening to others, respect is demonstrated and usually reciprocated and in turn nurtures good working relationships. If all team members have the qualities of self-respect, self-esteem, confidence and the ability to do their role competently then the foundations of the team are strong and the performance enhanced. The fundamental point to be always kept in the forefront is that in order to have good working relationships with other team members you need to show that their opinions and expertise are considered, listened to and respected. A point to note however is that one should challenge and debate any opinions that one does not agree with as healthy debate is both rewarding and productive producing new ideas and solutions to problems. Section 4 Be able to support the work of the team 4.1 Support the purpose and objectives of the team The aims at Kingston Park Primary school are clearly laid out in the prospectus and on their website. These are â€Å"We aim to work together to provide a happy, caring, secure, stimulating learning environment in which children are treated as individuals, enabling them to become independent learners, with respect for each other, pride in themselves and in our school community. We provide a range of extended curriculum activities to develop the whole child and promote self-esteem and personal development â€Å" These aims cascade down to all levels and are seen in the purpose and objectives of the team in which I have been working at the school. Within my role I support many of these such as promoting positive behaviour by demonstrating consistent good behaviour myself, creating stimulating learning environments by preparing materials for use in class and ensuring a secure environment always being mindful of health and safety issues. I always try to promote a positive professional attitude whilst at school. I demonstrate a strong work ethic by always asking the TA’s if there is anything I can do and show  willingness to do even the most basic of tasks because it ultimately supports the schools objectives. I have attended every placement day I have said I would attend and have always been punctual and smart. 4.2 Carry out own role and responsibilities within the team. My role and responsibilities within the team include: – Supporting teaching and learning in the classroom. For example teaching a small group of less able children how to do multiplication in maths using the grid method. – Provide general support to the teacher in the organisation and management of the pupils and classroom. For example I set up the tables for the lessons by putting out the books and materials needed and ensure the children are sat at the correct tables. – Promote the inclusion of all pupils ensuring they have equal opportunities to learn and develop. For example last week I took two students for whom English was their second language and read a book with them and helped them write sentences about the book. They needed more focused help and would not have understood the tasks in the larger classroom setting. – To be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of the children. For example when there was a fire alarm I assisted in getting all the children in the class safely out of the building. A typical morning on placement involves the following: – Liaising with the teacher to find out the running order of the morning, what the lesson will involve and ways in which I can assist. – Setting up the tables with any equipment – Liaising with the TA to establish if there are any tasks to do – Working with a small group of less able children with maths or literacy – Working 1-2-1 with an individual child perhaps listening to them read or helping them with addition – Writing up in the relevant document the progress of the child I have been working with and giving the teacher feedback on their progress. – Clearing up after lessons and doing any admin. tasks allocated to me including mounting work on backing paper, putting up a display or filing work. Throughout all of these tasks good communication is key and I feel I communicate and interact well with the children and staff alike. Overall my placement allows me to support the purpose and objectives of the  team in a professional and helpful way and I promote the team ethos needed to work successfully in the school environment. 4.3 Communicate clearly with team members and others, making sure they have the information they need. Communication is a key skill in my role as a volunteer in school and my ability to communicate well contributes to and supports the work of the team. When I am given a task to carry out by one of the teachers or Teaching Assistants I will always ask questions if I am unsure or if I need to clarify something. I am often given the task to take a less able group of children in maths or literacy and not only communicate with the children well but also feedback how the children have done at the end of the lesson. I also work on a one to one basis with individual children and then not only feedback their performance to the staff but also write up about their progress in their books and in the official pupils record sheets. This good communication is essential for the team to be able to monitor children’s progress and then plan for the future. 4.4 Interact with others in a way that supports good team work My interaction with staff at all levels has been excellent to date. I have liaised effectively with staff from the Deputy Head to the kitchen staff and caretaker and have been able to support the school team in many small ways through this interaction. One example was whilst in the staff room on a break a few of the Teaching Assistants were folding up raffle tickets, of which there were hundreds, to put in the bowl for the Christmas raffle draw. I offered to help with this in order to get more tickets folded and did this on my coffee break. This interaction supported the school team and I was thanked by a few other staff members for volunteering. 4.5 Identify and suggest ways in which the team could improve its work, challenging existing practice where necessary. I have not yet identified an issue whereby I felt the need to suggest ways in which the team could improve its work. I do now feel confident enough to do so should the situation arise and I will submit a learning journal to evidence this as and when I have encountered the situation. 4.6 See attached case studies. 4.7 Seek advice and support from relevant people when needed. See learning journal

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Civil Liberties essays

Civil Liberties essays What has happened to the U.S. is a confusion of terms. Liberty has been used to supplant freedom. The terrorists' acts were facilitated by the efforts of liberty groups. People dont want to have all those protective measures to get on an airplane. If checks are removed then it makes it easy for terrorists to be able to get on the planes. Our privacy is being invaded. So, the government backed off, and the terrorists walked through the opening. In order for the people to feel safe our civil liberties are going to need a trade off between privacy and security. President Bush's executive order authorizing military commissions to try foreign nationals suspected of terrorism is a shocking imposition of martial law that goes well beyond any measure previously upheld by U.S. courts. This order allows military officials within the United States to arrest aliens on mere suspicion of terrorism, without having to show probable cause. Then to try them entirely in secret; to use any evidence against them that military officials judge to have probative value, even if it is mere hearsay or illegally obtained. To convict them on simple preponderance of such evidence, rather than proof beyond a reasonable doubt; to convict them by a vote of two-thirds of the military judges, without a requirement of unanimity, much less trial by jury; and to sentence them to death, without appeal to the civilian courts. Bush officials have defended the order by citing the US Supreme Court's approval of President Roosevelt's decision in World War II to have Nazi sab oteurs captured, tried, and sentenced to death by a secret military tribunal, as punishment for attempting to smuggle explosives into Florida. The president bases his authority for this order only on his own previous executive order proclaiming a state of emergency. And these military courts can try not only persons legally recognized as "alien enemies," but also lawfully ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Presidents Elected Without Winning the Popular Vote

Presidents Elected Without Winning the Popular Vote Five U.S. presidents have taken office without winning the popular vote. In other words, they did not receive a plurality regarding the popular vote. They were elected, instead, by the Electoral College- or in the case of John Quincy Adams, by the House of Representatives after a tie in the electoral votes. They were: Donald J. Trump, who lost by 2.9 million votes to Hillary Clinton in the  2016 election.George W. Bush,  who lost by 543,816 votes to Al Gore in the  2000 election.Benjamin Harrison,  who lost by 95,713 votes to  Grover Cleveland  in 1888.Rutherford B. Hayes, who lost by 264,292 votes to Samuel J. Tilden in 1876.John Quincy Adams,  who lost by 44,804 votes to  Andrew Jackson  in 1824. Popular vs. Electoral Votes Presidential elections in the United States are not popular vote contests. The writers of the Constitution configured the process so that only the members of the House of Representatives would be elected by popular vote. The Senators were to be selected by state legislatures, and the president would be selected by the Electoral College. The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1913, making the election of senators to occur through popular vote. However, presidential elections still operate under the electoral system. The Electoral College is made up of representatives who are generally selected by the political parties at their state conventions. Most states except Nebraska and Maine follow a winner-take-all principle of electoral votes, meaning that whichever partys candidate wins a states popular vote for the presidency will win all of that states electoral votes. The minimum electoral votes a state can have is three, the sum of a states senators plus representatives: California has the most, with 55. The Twenty-Third Amendment gave the District of Columbia three electoral votes; it has neither senators nor representatives in Congress. Since states vary in population and many popular votes for different candidates can be quite close within an individual state, it makes sense that a candidate might win the popular vote across the entire United States but not win in the Electoral College. As a specific example, lets say the Electoral College is only made up of two states: Texas and Florida. Texas with its 38 votes goes entirely to a Republican candidate but the popular vote was very close, and the Democratic candidate was behind by a very small margin of only 10,000 votes. In the same year, Florida with its 29 votes goes entirely to the Democratic candidate, yet the margin for the Democratic win was much larger with the popular vote win by over 1 million votes This could result in a Republican win at the Electoral College even though when the votes between the two states are counted together, the Democrats won the popular vote. Calls for Reform In general, it is very rare for a president to win the popular vote yet lose the election. Although this has only happened five times in U.S. History, it has occurred twice in the current century. In 2016, Donald Trump lost the popular election by nearly 3 million votes, about 2% of the total votes cast. Discussion for reform of the Electoral College dates to the first years of the Constitution and has frequently been the topic of scholarly discussion. Defenders of the Electoral College argue that its violations of majority rule are an example of constitutional provisions that require super-majorities to take action. The Electoral College allows a minority to take an action- that is to select a president- and it is the only device of its kind in the Constitution. The primary way to change it is to amend the Constitution. Since the way states count votes can affect who wins and who loses, electoral reform is by its nature political: if a party is in power, the method used to get it there is not likely to be a target of change. Despite the current climate in that Democrats support change while Republicans do not, scholars believe that the situation is only temporarily one that swings towards one party or another: One proposal called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is a sub-national reform to the Electoral College in which states agree to commit their electoral votes, as a unit, to the winner of the aggregate, national vote.  Sixteen states have signed on to date, some of which are Republican-controlled. One major purpose of the Electoral College was to balance the power of the electorate so that votes in states with small populations would not (always) be overpowered by larger-populated states. Bipartisan action is required to make its reformation possible. Sources and Further Reading Bugh, Gary, ed. Electoral College Reform: Challenges and Possibilities. London: Routledge, 2010.Burin, Eric, ed. Picking the President: Understanding the Electoral College. University of North Dakota Digital Press, 2018.Colomer, Josep M. The Strategy and History of Electoral System Choice. The Handbook of Electoral System Choice. Ed. Colomer, Josep M. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2004. 3-78.Goldstein, Joshua H., and David A. Walker. The 2016 Presidential Election Popular-Electoral Vote Difference. Journal of Applied Business and Economics 19.9 (2017).Shaw, Daron R. The Methods Behind the Madness: Presidential Electoral College Strategies, 1988–1996. The Journal of Politics 61.4 (1999): 893-913.Virgin, Sheahan G. Competing Loyalties in Electoral Reform: An Analysis of the U.S. Electoral College. Electoral Studies 49 (2017): 38–48.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Inter-relationship between Structural Engineering and Architecture Essay

The Inter-relationship between Structural Engineering and Architecture - Essay Example Throughout human history, architects have ranged from learned men revered by royalty, to anonymous craftsmen rising through the ranks of guilds. Both have built castles, cathedrals, and chateaux. Until the last century, there were no schools of architecture, no building codes, etc. There were no ready-made building materials to purchase structures. Anyone could hang out a shingle as an architect, and did (Schekkerman). Barbacci (Barbacci) describes; traditionally, the architect was a master in control of all functional, structural, and aesthetic decisions; the method of construction; and the supervision of the building process. This tradition continued until the 19th century, where the complexity of the application of structural steel forced architects to deligate the matter to the structural engineers. The primary role of the architect as the overall builder was further diminished during the 20th century by the growth in complexity of building systems such as the passenger elevators (Schekkerman). Today, building human shelter is no longer a work of any single individual, rather by a group of specialists from various fields. Thus, building a shelter is already a collective effort amongst talents of a team. Architects now had to collaborate with mechanical and electrical engineers as well. Engineers in these disciplines were experts in their subject matter but not on buildings and could not assume the role of the architect. The need for people whose professional focus was on the design of buildings but whose education as engineers allowed them to master the technologies and materials in structural, mechanical, and electrical systems led to the emergence of architectural engineering as a new profession (Schekkerman). The relationship between practising architects and structural engineers is to achieve the common goal of creating a work of architecture. Yet the very roots of modern misconceptions about this process are that the conventional' architect purports to represent art while the conventional' engineer purports to represent science. This was not, however how the creators of Gothic Cathedrals saw it (Ardill).Circa 25 BCE, Vitruvius described the role of an architect as (Schekkerman): The ideal architect should be a man of letters, a mathematician, familiar with historical studies, a diligent of philosophy, acquainted with music, not ignorant of medicine, learned in the responses of jurisconsultis, familiar with astronomy andastronomical calculations. The architect has the vision; the structural engineer creates the reality. Engineers are artists grounded in concrete, steel, and glass (among other materials), and it is up to them to ensure that a building can be built as it was designed. Engineers work in close partnership with architects throughout the design process, and when analysing the finished product, it is often difficult to clearly define between the two professionals (Hagberg).The Architect has always been perceived as the "Artist". Most Architectural drawings can be a true work of art that has been affectionately created with a zealous eye for detail. The architect coordinates the entire design and ensures that from the aesthetic point of view his intentions are being conveyed with every