Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Introduction to York Essays

Introduction to York Essays Introduction to York Essay Introduction to York Essay The aim of this project is to prove or disprove if York is a Regional Shopping Centre. To prove or disprove this theory. I have set out a set of hypothesis, that are what make up a Regional Business Centre. By the end of the project depending on weather York has met enough of the requirement, I will be able to conclude if York is infact a, Regional Business Centre.York is situated in North Yorkshire on the east coast of the UK (see fig 1.0). York has excellent motorway links to all regions of the UK. York by train is simple, excellent rail links bring you from London, Edinburgh, and Manchester in around 2 hours. Situated midway between Edinburgh and London. York is within comfortable travelling times of most regions in the UK. Travelling to York by train is probably the easiest of all, situated on the east coast main line, in the centre, it is home to the train company GNER, York has rail links to all major cities. My task is to find out if your is a regional shopping centre (RSC), t o do this I will be examining the central business district (CBD) and completing the analysis of certain hypotheses to determine my final thoughts.Although York is a relatively small city, its is historical, and houses over 2000 shops, which means that it pulls in a lot of tourists which will be shopping and also pulls people in just for shopping purposes. York also has one of thepedestrianized zones in the UK, adding to the safety of the tourist and shoppers in York. The city boasts many good places of interest, ranging from museums, galleries, restraunts and shops. One of the main geographical features of York is the two rivers it is based on, the rive Ouse and the river Foss (left). The Ouse, being the main river, has many boat trips and even boat hire available everyday, on a regular time basis. Some more of Yorks features include:York Castle Museum, Eye of YorkEnglands most popular museum of everyday lifeYork Minster, DeangateLargest medieval cathedral in northern Europe, compl eted in 1472 after 250 years construction. (1st picture)National Railway Museum, Leeman RoadA collection of engines, trams, paintings and photographs supported by special exhibitions and interactive displays.Cliffords Tower, Tower Street13th Century Keep of York Castle, offering great views across the city. (2nd picture)Jorvik Viking Centre, CoppergateTake a time-car journey back 1,000 years to a reconstruction of the Viking city of Jorvik, (York).Resources that I have used to complete my tasks.Books To find out about York and the people it attracts I used some books to research background information on the city, and up-to-date information on the sort of businesses in and around York.Worksheets Taken from school these sheets help to focus me on the task that is at hand.Computer/Internet Up-to-the-minute and fast to look something up, make computers one of the best ways to find maps and/or background information about Yorks CBD.Leaflets that can be acquires from just walking aro und town or looking in a tourist information centre, will help to recognise where main interest points are in York.Fieldwork notebook this notebook contains all of the information that our group recovered from the day of fieldwork.Hypothesis 1.) Most shops in the CBD are comparison stores.I would expect to find the most shops in York to be comparison. On Coney Street(fig 1.3 and 2.0) and fig we found that all but two or three shops, which were bakeries, were comparison, (as shown in fig 2.0). Coney Street seems to be used as the main source of comparison shops in York as the other main street in York (parliament street) is used mainly for services. Coney Street is ideally suited for comparison shops because of its size and shape. It is very long and so allows more shops to fit, but it is quite narrow so u can get from one shop to another easily. There are many comparison shops in Coney street because the rent prices for the street are so high, and therefore the companies that rent properties in the area must be successful and therefore have a high profit margin, to do this they need to sell high order good, which is what comparison shops do.The shops in the area must also consider that in order for them to be successful, and therefore be able to afford the rent prices they must aim to cater for the targeted age group, from our questionnaires, we found that the majority of people were under 25, this is why most of the shops would be where people of 25 and under would visit. Looking at other Regional shopping centres, such as Leeds and Manchester, and many shopping villages aswell the shops found on Coney Street are usually found in many other regional shopping centres, these are chain stores. Coney Street serves its purpose as a main street in a regional shopping centreHypothesis 2.) Most people shopping in the CBD are from outside YorkI wouldnt expect many of the people in the Yorks centre to be from the centre of York, and I would expect that there would be quite a number of people from out side of York. On the day we did the fieldwork the weather was bad, it was cold, wet and slightly windy. We thought that because of this people wouldnt be out as much, and if they were they would be moving fast to avoid the rain. Tourists would be at an inside attraction rather than out site seeing.If the weather had been different and it had been a day with good weather, I would have thought that there would be more people out, with people sitting on benches and lingering, but they could not do this when we were doing the fieldwork because it was raining an so the benches were wet. Once started interviewing people we noticed that many people did not want to take part, we came to the conclusion that this was because thy did not want to stop, because of the weather, and that they did not want to get wet. Many of the shoppers did come from York but there were still a few from outside of York. I think that there were more people from York because they w ere on their lunch break, as the fieldwork took place at 1pm, and that tourists would be at an indoor attraction because of the poor weather. Although shown by our figures most people visit daily to York, I would have thought that you would pay weekly or even less visits to Yorks CBD if it were to be a RSC.Hypothesis 3.) Most people will travel to York by car.I think that most people will have been travelling to York by car, as the weather was bad and people will not want to get wet whilst walking or waiting for public transport. Even if the day was sunny I would still expect most people to come by car as they need something to carry home their shopping in. There are many car parks in and around town and this provides relatively easy parking.From our questionnaires we decided that people were prepared from about a 1-1/2 hour radius around York. Our results showed different as we found that not nearly as many people came by car as we expected in fact less than 1/4 travelled to York b y car, although this was still a large section of the people. With more people walking than using a car. Although at this time of day it may have been explain as people being at work or collage, people who would travel by car, were not out on the streets.Hypothesis 4.) The CBD will have many traffic restrictions.I think that there will be a lot of traffic restrictions in York city centre as if there were not, the amount of pedestrians mixing with a lot of cars would end up with accidents. This would make shops less accessible too. We did traffic counts by having one person stand on each side of the road, one person tallies down the amount of traffic going left, the other the amount of traffic going right, we did this for a set amount of time (10 minutes). Keeping the traffic count down with traffic restrictions makes the consumers feel safer and encourages them to explore more shops, thus spending more money. From our research we were right about the traffic restrictions there were virtually no vehicles that passed us in the 10-minute period that we were recording. All shopping centres should have strict traffic restriction, as they prevent accidents and encourage sales.Hypothesis 5.) The flow of pedestrians will be towards the CBDThe direction of travel at the time we were investigating could have been mixed between morning shoppers leaving and afternoon shoppers arriving, the time was 1pm. I would have thought that at this time though, most people would be travelling to the city centre, for lunch, or just to the main areas of comparison shops just for bargain hunting. We did a pedestrian count in the same way that we did the traffic flow count. There was only a slight difference in direction, this could because of the above mentioned reason or it could be because the centre of York is accessible I two different directions as you can circle around onto another street to explore more shops. As it was a dull day people may have been moving to get out of the rai n in no particular direction.Hypothesis 6.)The advantages of shopping in the CBD overcome the DisadvantagesI would expect advantages of shopping in York to overcome the disadvantages. I know from experience that York is often very fully, if the disadvantages out weighed the advantages this would not be the case and York would almost certainly not be as big a city as it is. In the questionnaire there were questions about the pros and cons of York. Many of the cons were from locals about parking, this is why park and ride has been introduces from outside of the CBD, but a lot of the tourist didnt have cons. The advantages were recorded and most of them were about cleanliness. There always seems to be someone cleaning, said one woman. There are scarabs going around York each day, these are miniature dustbin vans.EvaluationOn the day the weather was not to good, it was a dull, wet, and windy day. This meant that a lot of people were rushing and so avoided answering our questionnaires. T he weather will have had a large effect on the pedestrian and vehicle counts and the questionnaire answers.The day, was a weekday, so many people will have been at work, and the time was 1-3pm this is usually a lunch break, meaning that this played havoc with the pedestrian flow, and direction of travel, as people were rushing back and forth from cafes and snack shops, in their lunch break. If I were to repeat this task, I would come on a Saturday, at either an earlier or later time, this would account for people on lunch breaks and the people working would be cut down, as it was a weekend. I would try to come on a day where the weather was better as well, a sunny, dry day where people would be lingering on benches and such, and would be more prepared to answer questionnaires.The weather played a key factor in our investigation, and should not be overlooked, there is no doubt that humidity and other weather factors such as pressure effect people, behaviour patterns alter dramaticall y depending on what the weather is like, or indeed a countries climate. As it was cold on the day we were in town people seemed to be moving in set directions and not wandering about too much, but on the day that I repeated the experiment in my local shopping area in Acomb, people were seen to be stopping to look in shop windows and walking back wards and forwards with no planned motion or direction.There were also faults in the way we collected some of the data, in the way that when we were collecting data on the environmental survey, we had to give opinions on certain factors of the city, this data is obviously subjective but we had to give it a number to rate it, therefore changing it into objective data, this was hard because not everybody had the same views and we had to average out, thus making our results in accurate.Another problem was our questionnaires, this wouldnt have been such a problem if it wasnt for the bad weather, the results we did get were rushed, and most peopl e did not want to answer any questionnaires, because they did not want to get wet. Even though we had an umbrella people still did not feel like stopping.People who stopped were mostly tourists or old people, as everyone else was in a rush because of lunchtime.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Language and Citizenship

Language and Citizenship Language and Citizenship Language and Citizenship By Maeve Maddox Most countries have an â€Å"official† language. Several have more than one. Government business and schools are conducted in the official language. Official documents are printed in the official language. Knowledge of the country’s official language is usually one of the stated requirements for citizenship. For example, here are some language requirements I found in naturalization guidelines available on the web: Canada Be able to communicate in one of Canada’s official languages. France Provide proof of adequate knowledge of the French language. Germany Be able to speak German to B1 standard in the Common European Framework of Reference. Mexico Prove knowledge of Spanish and Mexican history. UK Be able to communicate in English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic to an acceptable degree. USA Pass an English test Just how stringently the language requirement is enforced varies from place to place. Knowledge of Japanese is not specifically mentioned in the guidelines I found on line, but because an applicant for citizenship must complete the process entirely in Japanese, it’s unlikely that anyone could achieve citizenship without considerable fluency in the language. The UK has only recently required applicants for citizenship to provide proof they can speak the local language at the B1 level; the outcry against the stiffer requirements is still in progress. A speaker at the B1 level can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. can deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling in an area where the language is spoken. can produce simple connected text on topics that are familiar or of personal interest. can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Under a new rule, Canada now requires something similar to the European B1: â€Å"applicants [for citizenship] must provide objective evidence that they meet the language requirement, achieving the Canadian Language Benchmark/Niveau de compà ©tence linguistique canadien 4 speaking and listening, when they file their application.† The United States government, on the other hand, is not only very generous in providing test waivers, but it doesn’t provide much of a test to those who can’t claim exemption. A new citizen commenting at the Business Week site describes his experience: I prepared for three months for this exam. [] For the reading part of the exam, I was asked to read the following sentence: Today is a sunny day. For the writing part of the exam, I was asked to write the following words: Today is a sunny day. [] I was flat out insulted. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect immigrants who plan to spend the rest of their lives in a country to learn to speak the country’s language of government and education. 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 General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Story Writing 101Words That Begin with Q

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Efforts Put in by Roosevelt in the Building of the United States Case Study

The Efforts Put in by Roosevelt in the Building of the United States - Case Study Example Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in the year 1882 on the 30th of January in Hyde Park which is located in the city of New York. He was the son of James and Sara Roosevelt. He studies at Harvard College and studied law at the Columbia Law School. He was a lawyer by profession. He got married to Anna Eleanor in the year 1905. Franklin Roosevelt entered politics following the footsteps of his cousin, President Theodore Roosevelt. He was a Democrat and became actively involved in politics. In the year 1910 and again in 1912, he became elected as a member of the Senate of New York. In the year 1913, he was given the role of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy by President Wilson. He played a crucial part in the preparedness of the forces of the United States for the First World War. He was known for his hard work and strength that he put in for the completion of his roles by the members of the Democratic Party. Owing to his good position in the party, in the year 1920, he was nominated for the position of the Vice President by the Democratic Party (WhiteHouse.gov; Miller Center). The year 1921 was a difficult year for Roosevelt as he was diagnosed with the crippling disease of polio. With the assistance of his loved ones as well as self-motivation and courage, Roosevelt managed to rise from the illness and recover. He gained his strength and joined politics again in the year 1928. His success upon his return could be assessed by the fact that he became the Governor of New York in the same year.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

How is inclusion understoodan examination of different approaches to Essay - 1

How is inclusion understoodan examination of different approaches to meeting diverse needs - Essay Example vely developed in countries with different cultural and moral beliefs; The above questions are related to the following facts: the level at which social inclusion is supported by the government of a particular country is depended not only on the willingness of the political parties involved to face the specific problem but also on the level at which the relevant policies will be accepted by the local society. Current paper focuses on the social inclusion policies developed in Britain during the 21st century; emphasis is given on teenage mothers and the terms under which their inclusion in the British society is promoted. It is concluded that the position of British governments in regard to the specific issue has not been standardized being depended by the social conditions of each particular period; however, it is clear that the Labour party has been more supportive to teenage mothers compared to the Conservatives who emphasize on the moral aspects of the particular problem. The poli cies developed in Britain for the social inclusion of teenage mothers during the 21st century are analyzed by referring primarily to the concept of social inclusion – as a reflection of the social relationships and ethics of modern societies. The concept of social inclusion, as an element of social policies of governments worldwide has been explained using different approaches. In accordance with Munck (2005) the social inclusion should be considered as the result of globalization; it is noted that through the establishment of ‘global cities’ – ‘like New York, Tokyo, London, Paris’ (Munck 2005, p.33) new modes of life were developed; moreover, not all people have been able to align their daily activities with the new style of life; the exclusion of certain people of these cities, which was developed gradually, led to a series of severe social problems and turbulences which could be confronted only by developing effective social inclusion policies. From another point of

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Future Trends of Human Resource Essay Example for Free

Future Trends of Human Resource Essay 1. Introduction What does the human resource information system look like in the future? It is hard to find an accurate answer for me. Every year, thousands of HRIS specialists trying to predict the future trends of HRIS and, of course, their prediction differ. However, despite of what prediction they had made, I think social media will play an important role in next few years. In this paper, I will try to discuss what social media means to human resource and discuss three major players in the fieldFacebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. 2. Social Network Site vs. HR According to the 2011 Kelly Services Global employees Index research, published by the famous human resource service organization Kelly Services, social network site is becoming the â€Å"edge tool† in the future workplace. According to the research, social network site (SNS) is changing the way of life and work. It expanded its function from only entertaining to boosting working efficiency and enhancing the success rate of job applying. The research shows that over 80% of workforce is using SNS every day, while over 60% of workforce considers it as a work booster. According to the research, a lot of employees think they can develop an instant synchronized â€Å"expert tank†, from which they can acquire relative knowledge, skill and experience, so that they will be support by experts wherever, whenever. They also regard SNS as a pipe cleaner of the networking. By using SNS, they can manage their networking just within few clicks. It is a cost efficiency and personalized way. In addition, they also use SNS to relieve work pressure. According to the research, SNS is now penetrating to the area of traditional recruiting. The advantage of it includes no limits of time and space, cost efficiency and high reliability. The research indicated that over 90% active job seekers are now using SNS at least once per week. It also indicated that job seekers who age below 25 are more willing to use SNS as a tool to find job, while who age over 35 are more possible to find a job by using it. The research suggests that company should pay attention to what SNS may change the future workplace. According to the research, the most common worries toward SNS are affecting productivity, occupying internet and threating the information security. It also report that there are a lot of companies are now start using SNS to recruit, manage market, promote public relation and guide career development by setting new policies and using latest antivirus technics. 3. Facebook Facebook is a SNS launched in February 2004, owned and operated by Facebook, Inc. By the time of October 2012, Facebook has over one billion active users, more than half of them using Facebook on a mobile device. According to the research, 23% of Facebook users check their account 5 times or more per day. By the time of May 2012, Facebook received more than 1.6 billion visits per week. There are over 1,000,000 links shared on Facebook every 20 minutes. If you regard Facebook merely as an entertaining SNS, you will be absolutely wrong. In the era of internet, Facebook is now developing different social platforms. It transforms its function from just connecting and entertaining people to job bank and social synergy. By Facebook recently launched job applying app â€Å"Jobvite†, people can find, refer, and match jobs to friends with Jobvite’s proprietary matching technology, providing better access to opportunities for job seekers and more quality hires for employers. Users can connect and apply to jobs completely within Facebook; and they can see their status in the hiring process at any time, creating a positive, transparent relationship for companies and candidates. By using another job applying app â€Å"jobandtalent†, users can discover and leverage their existing Facebook network to find job opportunities and stand out to top companies. Jobandtalent claimed that they are working with world top companies like Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and Google. The fact is that the data stored on Facebook not only including job relate area, but also including other areas, such as daily life. Employer can acquire 360-degree background information of candidates via Facebook. â€Å"It is easy to track record of candidates on Facebook. These records may imply personal interests, personality and other attributes† Said an HR specialist, â€Å"Traditional resumes are monotonous, like masks, but these records are alive and we can totally tell a difference.† It is not surprisingly true. Tell me if I wrong, if the records of a candidate show that he use the â€Å"f† word all the time, dare you or dare you not hire him? Job applicants like him will lose his opportunity from the beginning. Facebook is now challenging LinkedIn by this advantage. According to the survey conducted by Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost half of companies are now using Facebook in their recruitment process, such as Boeing and Dell. They use Facebook not only for job posting, but also for background investigation. However, research shows that there are different between social media behavior and real life behavior. It is to be studied whether it is reliable to investigate candidates via SNS. 4. LinkedIn LinkedIn is a SNS for professional people. Launched on May 5th, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. By the time of June 2012, LinkedIn reports more than 175,000,000 users in more than 200 countries. Monster is one of three largest job posting web site, however, its financial report showed a significant decline in business revenue. According to the market analyst, because of the blooming of LinkedIn, companies like Monster are losing market share in a large scale. Just like Facebook, LinkedIn founded upon the theory of Six Degrees of Separation. Also it was not designed for recruiting; LinkedIn became the major way to recruit in the U.S. by the time of 2006 and achieve profitability. LinkedIn is known as its high accurate matching rate. It can even â€Å"push† eligible candidates to employers by preset standard. According to the co-founder Reid Hoffman, it is more and more important for people to utilize their networking in the future. If you want to change you r job every two or three years, you have to maintain your networking to find new opportunities. SNS is the easiest way to do it. You don’t have to make call after call and desperate to find topic to cottoning up, you don’t have to visit people with gifts door after door. The only thing you have to do is just within few clicks, and you can make connection with people you want to. In his opinion, the value of LinkedIn is â€Å"concentrate in the value moment†. Also Facebook has more user base and more stickiness; it is not safe to say that LinkedIn is losing the game. The orientation of these two web-sites is different. The business scope of Facebook is wide and the â€Å"killer app† of it is social game and â€Å"Share†, while LinkedIn concentrate in professional occupations. In a way, the overlap of these two web-sites is small. People regard Facebook as â€Å"individual† and LinkedIn as â€Å"professional†. Compare to strong interaction of Facebook, LinkedIn is not that strong. However, this weak interaction as â€Å"professional community† is where it value lies. For the user of LinkedIn, log in every day and post threats is meaningless and way far from the identity of professional, it will only imply that you are not in the working status. In other word, user stickiness makes little sense for LinkedIn. In addition, compared to Facebook, LinkedIn is a real-name, high quality user concentrated SNS. In other word, the user group is rich and high-educated middle-aged professions. This user group is known as high business value. According to the statistics from Quantcast, in the United States, the proportion of user over 35 is over 70%, the proportion of user with bachelor or above education is over 75% and the proportion of user with over $100,000 incomes is over 39%, compared to Facebook with only 32%, 53% and 32% (Chart 1). Chart1 Demographic Analysis of Facebook and LinkedIn What’s more, in business related area, LinkedIn is highly recognized than Facebook. According to a research conducted by Jobvite, in job applicants who are now using or will use SNS to find jobs, more than 95% indicate that they will choose LinkedIn. Only 59% chose Facebook and 42% chose Twitter. In people who already find a job by using SNS, 89% of them used LinkedIn, 28% used Facebook. To sum up, although Facebook is now challenging LinkedIn in professional SNS area, LinkedIn is still No.1 in the field. 5. Twitter Twitter is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as tweets. Launched in July, 2006, the service rapidly gained worldwide popularity. By the time of 2012, over 500,000,000 active users generating over 340,000,000 tweets per day and handling over 1,600,000,000 search queries per day. Twitter has been described as â€Å"the SMS of the Internet† Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter has its own characteristics. Firstly, there is a limit of characters for each tweet. You can only send up to 140 characters in one tweet. This limit made information fragmented. This kind of fragmented information eliminated the time of reading, and by this elimination user can spread their thought more accurately and more efficiency. Secondly, you don’t have to get â€Å"approval† to follow somebody. This character makes Twitter more like a broadcasting station. Users could follow the Twitter of their favorite celebrity, brand and company to acquire latest trend. Likewise, the later will use Twitter to improve public relation to the target user group. Thirdly, most of user write and read tweets by using mobile devices. That means you will get first hand news via Twitter. An interesting statistic shows that within Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter has second largest influence of commercial both in B2B and B2C. Facebook has the largest influence of B2C commercial while LinkedIn has the largest influence of B2B commercial (Chart 2). Chart 2 Influences in Commercial For human resource, Twitter has two major functions. The first function is to use Twitter to improve company image. More and more companies now hiring Twitter specialist to manage company Twitter. The other is to recruit. Compare to Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter is more cost saving, speedy and simple. According to William Fisher, the founder of job searching web site TwitJobSearch, there are more than 340,000 jobs posting in Twitter per month. TwitJobSearch release two appsJob-Deck and TweetDeck. Users can sort and find job posting related tweets by using these two apps. 6. Cites http://recruiting.jobvite.com/company/press-releases/2011/jobvite-launches-social-job-app-on-facebook-to-power-referral-hiring/ http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2011/10/03/5822750.htm

Thursday, November 14, 2019

malvo case, death penalty :: essays research papers fc

Malvo Case: Beltway Sniper Issue: Should minors be put to death for the crimes they commit? Relevance to Case At Hand: Malvo was 17 when him and his accomplice (Muhammad) killed more than four people in a sniping spree. I believe that Malvo’s major influence was Muhammad, 41. Malvo did most of the shooting, but as an adolescent it may not seem fair to be put to death. As a minor, it is so easy to get manipulated and peer pressured into doing things that occur only because their maturity level has not developed. At ages 16-17 a juvenile is still immature and does things without realizing the seriousness of the consequences. At the same time there are juveniles that are leaders of gangs and have a lot of criminal intent on injuring or permanently harming others. How can we separate the children that do not know the seriousness of crimes they have done, from children that matured a lot faster and know the seriousness in everything they have done? Research Findings: It is a tough decision when it comes to determining whether a juvenile should be put to death or not. Research has also claimed that the human brain is not fully developed, specifically the frontal lobe, until the early 20’s. (Cassel, 03) All of our sources of organization, planning, strategizing, judgment, reasoning, and impulse control is not fully complete till the ages of 21 or 22(Cassel, O3). Malvo was 17 at the time of the murders and very easily persuaded by Muhammad. Should he be accountable for his mistakes by death or is it possible that a weekly dose of counseling and jail time be seen as a better punishment for him. â€Å"Adolescents as a group, even at the age of 16-17, are more impulsive than adults. They underestimate risks and overvalue short-term benefits. They are more susceptible to stress, more emotionally volatile, and less capable of controlling their emotions than adults.†(Cooperman, 04) If a child is raised around violence then it’s likely for the child to engage in violent behavior. This also depends how the violence is staged in front of the child. In this case, Malvo was taught violence rather than just seeing it second hand. This makes it more likely for Malvo to do violence acts, but how much of this is really his fault? He is still a minor and has not reached any stage of maturity.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Advantages and disadvantages of taking curriculum packages from the centre as mere proposals and not prescriptions in Zimbbwe Essay

There are several views of curriculum that many involved have encountered. One view is that the curriculum must be a prescription; it should tell educators and all involved what to do, how to do it and in what order. Another view is that a curriculum is just a mere proposal; there is room for modifications and other provisions. In Zimbabwe, the national curriculum comes from the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU), which is the Centre, where specialist curricularists develop it. The curriculum is distributed as a package to the provinces and districts then lastly to the schools where it is to be implemented by educators. This exposition seeks to identify some of the advantages and disadvantages of taking such packages as proposals and not as prescriptions in Zimbabwe. Stenhouse (1975) defines curriculum as â€Å"†¦ an attempt to communicate the essential principles and features of an educational proposal in such a form that it is open to critical scrutiny and capable of effective translation into practice†. He suggests that a curriculum is rather like a recipe in cookery. A curriculum, like the recipe for a dish, is first imagined as a possibility, then the subject of an experiment. The recipe offered publicly is in a sense a report on the experiment. Similarly, a curriculum should be grounded in practice. It is an attempt to describe the work observed in classrooms so that it is well communicated to teachers and learners. So, within limits, if a recipe can be changed and varied according to taste so can a curriculum (Stenhouse 1975: 4-5). This definition focuses more on the process of teaching and learning, the angle from which this discourse unfolds. One advantage of taking a curriculum package as a proposal is that teachers are empowered professionally resulting in greater academic growth. Stenhouse (1975) is of the idea that the proposal is not to be regarded as an unqualified recommendation but rather as a provisional specification, implying that it should not limit the freedom and creativity of both teachers and students. In Zimbabwe, such an approach can be widely accepted because educators can expect, even invite negotiation and transaction, and use their practical situational knowledge for implementation and for modifying the original package according to the demands and resources of their specific localities. Using this approach in Zimbabwe where we find different ethnicities with unique customs, beliefs and lifestyles, makes the learning experience meaningful and relevant allowing learners to gain a sense of ownership of their education. This expansive exposure, which also directly involves the local community, is beneficial to the learner in that it equips one to be a well-rounded and adaptable member of society. More so, and associated with the above, given the uniqueness of each school and classroom setting in Zimbabwe, the scripted curriculum is not always appropriate for all learners. Some students sometimes have difficulty accessing areas of the curriculum that can be challenging. Taken as a proposal, it is an advantage for the teacher to be able to modify teaching approach, take note of the leaners’ differences and make sure that everyone catered for. The curriculum’s success highly depends on the methods of instruction put in place by the teachers. A curriculum therefore â€Å"†¦ is a way of translating any educational idea into a hypothesis testable in practice. It invites critical testing rather than acceptance† (Stenhouse (1975:144). Thus in this sense, a curriculum is not a package of materials or a syllabus of ground to be covered but simply a guideline on the practice of teaching. As such, the major disadvantage of the proposal approach is that it rests upon the quality of teachers. There is need for highly qualified teachers who are able to modify curriculum. There will be severe consequences on what could happen educationally if the teacher is inadequately trained. Zimbabwe is highly dependent on untrained teachers to fill the void left by professionals opting to work abroad.Gatawa(1990) contends that if the curriculum package is taken as a proposal, there is a high probability that teachers will only teach what they know, ignoring the major objectives of the document all together. This means there is no guarantee that national goals will be achieved because the curriculum will be too localized and in turn produces students with limited marketability. Invariably so, Gatawa (1990) is of the view that there will be too many curricula in one education system, making it virtually impossible for learners to transfer from one school to another. Eunitah et al (2013) contend that in developing educational contexts like Zimbabwe, it is premature to do away with centrally prescribed curricula in order to accomplish uniformity in the provision of education. This implies that developing countries like Zimbabwe need a centralised curriculum system to determine levels of academic growth and educational development. Financially, the proposal approach is not viable because institutions have to continually replace curriculum material or buy material to suit a particular teacher’s desire (Lawton, 1980). Taking the curriculum package as a proposal does not work in this context so the prescription approach is therefore more suitable. In light of the above, one advantage of taking a curriculum package as a prescription is that the syllabus content is decided upon centrally and is based upon the goals and philosophy of the nation (Gatawa, 1990) . This means there is uniformity in what is being taught so learners can easily adapt if there is need for a transfer. There is also uniformity in that learners taking the same subjects sit for the same examinations and one examination board like ZIMSEC, as in the Zimbabwean context, is responsible. Entry requirements for universities and colleges can be centrally determined and parity can be ensured. Lawton (1980) is also of the view that the prescriptive approach to curriculum implementation satisfies the political need for a system of accountability. In Zimbabwe, there are considerably more government educational institutions than private ones so when the ‘prescription’ is explicitly stuck to, educators can account for the resources invested in the education sector by the state. More so, a prescriptive approach to the curriculum package makes sure that the Ministry of Education approves all textbooks used. Where teachers are minimally trained, as is the case with temporary teachers in Zimbabwe, the prescriptive curriculum tells the teacher what to teach, how to teach it and the materials to use in the process. Maravanyika (1982) is of the view that it makes standards and expectations about what should be taught and learnt clear to everyone. A prescribed curriculum therefore makes progress and attainment measurable and comparable on a national scale .That way, underperformance is easily dealt with while success can be modeled and shared. To this end, the prescriptive slant is more effective as it limits deviations that may otherwise be of no relevance, come examination time. However, taking a curriculum package as a prescription undermines what Lawton (1980) terms a ‘†¦teachers’ legitimate desire for professional autonomy†¦.’.This means the prescriptive slant is too restrictive and assumes that the user is incapable of making a good curriculum. This scuppers teacher development because it does not allow for research. The educator is limited to giving the prescribed instruction that generally stresses content, mainly knowledge, at the expense of the development of attitudes and skills. In Zimbabwe, learners are chiefly taught to pass examinations rather than to master and develop lifelong skills (Ndawi and Maravanyika, 2011). There is a scramble for certificates with little regard for the development and demonstration of productive skills. The education system is therefore suffering instead of developing. Above all, the prescriptive approach also overlooks the possible differences in the availability of resources. It assumes that educational institutions have the same facilities; learners are similar and operate in the same circumstances (Tanner and Tanner, 1975). This is clearly not the case in Zimbabwe, rural schools are traditionally underfunded and the infrastructure is either temporary or dilapidated. This is the reason why most rural based schools tend to perform poorly compared to urban schools. Curriculum implementation should take socio-geographical learner diversity into consideration, the essence of which involves addressing the needs of different learners at different institutions. In summation, the proposal approach fosters lifelong learning and independent thinking but is exhaustive in terms of skills and resources. The prescriptive method is also beneficial and even more appropriate in Zimbabwe’s examination oriented system.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Divorce (effects of divorce) Essay

Is marriage no more than the result of voluntary agreements between two private individuals? Is the lack of detail concerning marriage arrangements causing all the divorce debates? Does divorce cause problems or solve them? Why is marriage such a religious experience and divorce such a legal experience? Why do marriages take place under the eyes of God while divorces take place under the eyes of the law? I believe that it was because of my parents’ divorce that I have chosen to tackle such a controversial topic. In many ways, I am in search of my own opinion. My parents divorced through the no-fault system. My dad decided it was time to move on to another life I guess. The no-fault divorce is a form of divorce granted without blame being sought or established. Sometimes, I try to think of how my life would have turned out if they were still together. I wonder if life would be any better. However, there are other days when I thank God for putting me through such troubling times; without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. What troubles me with marriage/divorce issues is that one is dealt with while the other lies on the floor. Today, we discuss marriage, and we discuss divorce, but never both at the same time. Should we push premarital counseling, or should we make divorce harder? Why must we discuss one or the other and not both? There are so many questions concerning marriage and divorce, and that is why I’m writing to you. I hope to answer some questions you may have. Though you may not form an opinion about no-fault divorce, you should finish this article with a little satisfaction, knowing that you’ve seen both sides of the issue. There are many people who have spoken out about no-fault divorce and family relationships, but I will focus on two. In â€Å"The Divorce Debate,† Maggie Gallagher, a scholar at the Institute for American Values, tries to answer the question: â€Å"What, if anything, can we do about the fact that at least half of our marriages fail?† In another article, â€Å"The Making of a Divorce Culture,† Barbara Dafoe Whitehead discusses the idea that, â€Å"Divorce has  become an American way of life only as a result of recent and revolutionary change.† I was very turned-off by Gallagher’s article. First, it starts off with what the author thinks should be a shared assumption; the assumption stated that divorce is harmful for children. Not everyone believes that. She goes on by asking, â€Å"What†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦can we do?† Gallagher continues with her article by putting down other states because of their divorce stipulations. She says that they are not working. Yes, she did back that statement up with information from Judith Wallerstein’s book, Second Chance, and statistics from the Journal of Marriage and Family, but they were buried  between the many instances in which she shared the views of her opposition. The way she recognized the reasoning behind the â€Å"speedy spouse disposal† or â€Å"delayed backlash† was a nice touch. Unfortunately, Gallagher was so involved with trying to show the other side of things, she forgot to give the reasoning behind her own ideas. Through the entire article, she used negative words or phrases to express her feelings on divorce; they include: harmful, delayed backlash, speedy spouse removal, eliminating, marital wrongdoing, dissolve a marriage, bitter conflict, unhappy marriages, bleak times, punishments, messy and irrelevant, and torment. However, she never once suggested a solution for the problem of divorce. How can one argue with the ideas of others, if that person has no argument of their own? After reading the article, I was pretty confident that the author had not personally been through a divorce of her own. This alone, caused me to question her. I felt that a more personal article involving some of her own experiences would have been more convincing. I realized that she was writing with a logical approach, but I believe an emotional one would have been better. Divorce is a topic that touches every person in so many different ways. If the article would have reached to the heart, it would have been more persuasive. Though I am unhappy with the way the topic was approached, I am sure that the  essay was not quickly written. Their was a lot of research involved in this article. Gallagher explained how different states came up with different solutions for divorce. She discussed the no-fault divorce and the waiting period before a divorce. Her statistic was a great bonus. Divorce is certainly a great topic for debate as we head into the new millennium. There are many assumptions made about divorce, both shared and unshared. Some people believe that divorce is always a bad thing, no matter what the situation. Others believe it’s a matter of what is best for the children (if there are any). Gallagher challenges the assumption that â€Å"no-fault [will]†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.remake divorce into a kinder, gentler institution. Whitehead’s article was more impressive. In the second paragraph of the article, Whitehead uses a set of statistics to point out how â€Å"divorce [has] moved from the margins to the mainstream of American life in the space of three decades.† However, statistics are not her only form of support. In her fifth paragraph, she starts to explain the new ideas that have come along with the revolution. She begins to explain how people today believe that there is a â€Å"moral obligation to look after oneself.† She elaborates on the statement through several of the following paragraphs. Whitehead discusses â€Å"divorce as the working out of an inner life experience.† In paragraph sixteen, she writes about no-fault divorce. Around paragraph 22, divorce is looked at as a cause for some the economical changes in society. She ends her article with this statement: â€Å"Divorce in America is not unique, but what we have made of divorce is uniquely American.† The essay made several assumptions. One assumption she expanded on was one that discussed how society is becoming more in-tune with the idea of self-gratification. Though not everyone may agree, I do. More and more people are worrying about themselves and what will happen to them in specific situations, rather than worrying about what will happen to everyone involved. One of the more recognizable assumptions made was one discussing how divorce has hurt children. This seems to be an assumption shared by many. Children of broken homes are deeply affected by divorce. The main question I want to pursue is this: â€Å"Is no-fault divorce an easy way out, or is a healthy way of resolving difficult marriages?† In the article â€Å"Abolish No-Fault Divorce?,† Representative Dalman expresses her position when she states, â€Å"Two people take the vows of marriage, but under no-fault divorce laws, only one can dissolve the commitment. It’s easier to end a marriage than it is to break a contract for buying a household appliance. Disposable marriage cheapens the commitment and degrades our vows of fidelity and lifelong love.† Divorce rates across the nation have soared since the implementation of no-fault divorce standards in the early 1970s. (Ager 1) Dalman continues her argument by following with, â€Å"Prevention is the best solution to any problem. While an educational program can’t prevent all divorce, it does lay the groundwork for stronger unions. Families educated about problem-solving skills have a better chance for successful relationships.† Ager has a different view. She says, â€Å"Human relationships are fragile and prone to disease. Not all marriages deserve to be saved, and I’d argue that divorce has redeemed more human spirits than it has doomed.† She then goes on to ask: â€Å"†¦.what about encouraging women to become financially self-sufficient before they become mothers? What about keeping better track of dead-beat dads? What about government-financed day care? What about training husbands and wives to enter divorce, for the sake of their children, not as a war but as a creative project for change?† These are all very good questions that must be considered when forming opinions on the no-fault divorce debate. One section of Ager’s article really caught my eye. It is as follows: â€Å"Even now, in households were divorce is taboo, children grow up learning the ways of love from moms and dads who never embrace, who rarely laugh together, who fail to demonstrate that arguments can end with compromise and forgiveness. These moms and dads become role models for bitterness, resignation or both. This is good for the kids? This teaches them commitment? No wonder commitment gets a bad rap, promising dullness and ache. Can mandated premarital counseling†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.help keep two people happily together until death? Chances are slim†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Premarital counseling can’t  hurt,  but it won’t train couples for marriage’s surprises any more than a flight attendant’s routine safety speech will prepare passengers for terror in the air. You gotta live it to know it.† Not only do individuals have opinions, but each state has come up with some ideas of their own. In â€Å"States Put Minor Speed Bumps In Divorce Path: No-Fault Backlash,† Ann Tyson discusses the decisions of some states. Several states require mandatory parenting classes and plans. In Iowa, for instance, it is required that parents take classes so that they may better understand the practical and emotional impact of divorce on children. In Michigan, it may be required to submit detailed parenting plans that cover issues such as visitation, discipline, and education. (Tyson 1-2) Delaying divorce is another topic discussed in Tyson’s article. Bills in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Idaho have required that marriage counseling and long waiting periods take place before divorce. In some states it is required to take a series of one-hour counseling sessions before divorce, while in other states, a one-year waiting period has been put into effect. (Tyson 2) Maybe the smart choice is strengthening marriage bonds. Tom McMillen, director of the Rocky Mountain Family Council in Denver, Colorado, said, â€Å"Marriage is not just a lifestyle choice, it’s a critical institution that allows our culture to move forward.† Some states such as Minnesota and Michigan agree with McMillen and have instituted premarital counseling, rather than pre-divorce counseling. We have to decide what is more important to our society. Research shows that divorced women suffer a drop in income ranging on average from 30 percent to 70 percent. More than half of all female-headed households with children live in poverty, compared with only 10 percent of all other families with children. Medical experts say that men who divorce are to experience greater health problems and higher rates of suicide than married men. Are these things devastating to our society, or do we need to look at the other side  of things? Without no-fault divorce, many people may become trapped in abusive relationships. There may be an increase in desertion. One spouse may be lead to use bribes or threats to win the consent of the other to end marriage, thus creating the return of blackmail under the old fault-based system. (Tyson 1-3) Maybe the topic isn’t the narrow one we perceive it to be. Maybe the topic evolves more around family itself. Midge Decter does an excellent job of discussing family in her article, â€Å"The Madness of the American Family.† She explains how a family compares with a rock, and not the Garden of Eden. A rock, can be far from a comfortable place to be. â€Å"But,† she says, â€Å"living on a rock keeps you out of the swamps†¦..The most dangerous of these swamps is a place of limitless and willfully defined individual freedom. The land of limitless freedom, as so many among us are now beginning to discover, turns out to be nothing other than the deep muck and mire of Self.† She continues, â€Å"The only escape from the swamp of Self is the instinctual and lifelong engagement in the fate of others.† Decter discusses how being in a family may not make you happy, but it makes you human. She goes on: â€Å"Together, marriage and parenthood are the rock on which human existence stands†¦.[and] No matter how ardently a young man and woman believe they wish to spend their lives with one another, and no matter how enthusiastically they greet the knowledge that they are to have a baby, they do not undertake either of these things in full knowledge of the commitment they are undertaking†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦they do not know that they are embarked upon a long, long, and sometimes arduous and even unpleasant journey.† (Decter 1-19) Marriage, family, and divorce, are three controversial topics that each person must deal with in their lifetime. The great thing about them is that we are each allowed to have our own opinions about them. Maybe you haven’t picked sides, and maybe you haven’t heard enough to make a stand, but hopefully this article has got you thinking. I myself have not yet chosen a position on the topic. No-fault divorce has such a complicated base. Each marital problem causes rise to newfound solutions concerning divorce. Every person comes up with their own opinions. Each state has its laws, its bills,  and its proposals to solve the problems concerning marriage and divorce. The nation finds such problems floating above its head, waiting for someone, or something, to take hold and decrease its power to control the people within it. Nevertheless, Dector reminds us not to get frustrated about such topics when she says, â€Å"All this should be a very simple matter; God knows, it’s been going on long enough. So why have we fallen into such a state of confusion?†

Thursday, November 7, 2019

What Is Your ACT ID Where Can You Find It

What Is Your ACT ID Where Can You Find It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you take the ACT, you should be aware of your ACT ID number. Knowing this number will ensure that you and the colleges of your choosing have access to your scores. In this article, I’ll let you know how to find your ACT ID number, and I’ll detail why it’s important to know your ACT ID. What Is the ACT ID Number? When you first register for the ACT, an ID is assigned to your record. This identification number begins with a dash and is followed by eight digits. You’ll find your ACT ID on the bottom of your admission ticket and at the top of your Student Report. The ACT ID is used to match you with your ACT scores. The ACT no longer collects Social Security Numbers, so all students enter their ACT ID from their admission ticket on their answer document when they take the test. Make a note of your ACT ID. Save it on your phone or your computer. Why Do You Need an ACT ID? Your ACT ID number can help you or a college locate your ACT scores. In the event that a college doesn’t receive your scores, contact the admissions office at the college and provide the school with your name and ACT ID. Keep in mind colleges get score reports at different times. Some choose to download score reports as infrequently as every two weeks. If you choose to send your ACT scores to a college when you register, allow at least eight weeks after the test date for the college to confirm receipt of your scores. If you test outside of the US or Canada, allow 9-10 weeks. Additionally, if you accidentally entered the wrong college code, you can contact the admissions office with your name and ACT ID to ensure that the college receives your scores. The college codes you listed when you registered are shown on your score report, and you can look up college codes on the ACT website to see if they match the codes on your report. Furthermore, if you ever need your scores in the future, you can use your ACT ID to get them. If you didn’t register online, you can set up an ACT web account and get your scores online if you tested after the fall of 2007, but you’ll need to enter your ACT ID number to retrieve your scores. If you did register online, your scores will be automatically connected to your account; you won’t need to enter your ACT ID. Finally, you can request score reports online, or you can order score reports by mail or phone. Regular score reports cost $12 and $34 for archived reports. A report is archived if you tested before September 1, 2014. ACT ID Number FAQ Here are some answers to frequently asked questions related to the ACT ID. Do I Need an ACT ID to Send Scores From a Test I’ve Taken? No. Just log into your ACT web account, click â€Å"send scores,† and select the test date of the scores you want to send. Do I Need an ACT ID to Find My Scores Online If I Don’t Have an ACT Web Account? You can create a web account after you’ve taken the ACT, but your previous information and scores will only be included in your web account if you provide your ACT ID. However, you can still make an online request that previous scores be sent. How Can I Find My ACT ID If I Don’t Know It? If you don’t know your ACT ID, you can try to retrieve it by calling the ACT at 319-337-1270. The ACT agent may ask you for other identifying information like your address when you took the test and your test date. What’s Next? Are you about to sign up for the ACT? Get our tips and tricks for ACT registration. Check out this guide to learn more about how to send your ACT scores to colleges. Do you have any other questions about the ACT? Get our expert answers to frequently asked ACT questions. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

9 Ways to Say Goodbye in Italian

9 Ways to Say Goodbye in Italian You’ve learned that there’s more than just ciao  when it comes to greeting others in Italian, and now you want to know how to say bye when you leave (the ice cream shop) or un negozio (a store). Here are 9 ways to say goodbye. 1.  Arrivederci! - Goodbye! At the end of a conversation, you can simply say â€Å"arrivederci† and give a wave. While you might see the form â€Å"arrivederla† in textbooks, it’s often too formal- even to use with strangers- so you can stick with this form. On its own, it’s still very polite. 2.  A presto! - See you soon/Talk to you soon You could say this at the end of a friendly meeting with an acquaintance that you bumped into on the street or use it to end an email that you’ve written to a friend. It’s more generic in nature, so it’s great to use when you’re not sure when the next meeting will be. A similar generic phrase would be, â€Å"Alla prossima! - To the next time we meet!† 3.  A domani! - See you tomorrow! This phrase speaks for itself. You use it when you plan on seeing the next person the next day. Feel free to say it to a  barista you plan on seeing again tomorrow for your morning caffà ¨. 4. Ci vediamo presto - We’ll see each other soon This phrase is often used between friends who you plan on seeing later on. You may also hear â€Å"Ci sentiamo presto,†Ã‚  which means, â€Å"We’ll hear from each other soon.† 5. A risentirci  - Until our next meeting This farewell phrase is very formal. It’s often used in office/work language and at the end of phone calls as a polite closing form. The formal form of this phrase is, â€Å"A risentirla.† 6. Torni presto! - Come again soon! This is something you might hear from a friend you made while on your trip. It will most likely be followed by a hearty â€Å"buon viaggio! - have a good trip!†Ã‚  In the informal, it would be â€Å"Torna presto,†Ã‚  and you may even hear â€Å"Torna presto a trovarci! - Come again to visit us soon!† 7.  Mi à ¨ piaciuto molto  - I enjoyed myself very much While this isnt a traditional phrase for saying goodbye, it is a great one to use if you want to start wrapping up a social event, like a friend showing you around his or her city. If you want to add something extra, you can also say: â€Å"È stata una bella giornata/serata. - It was a beautiful day/night.† 8.  Buonanotte! - Goodnight! The best time to say â€Å"buonanotte† to someone is right before they’re going to bed. If you’re leaving a social situation and you want to wish someone a good night, it’s best to stick with â€Å"Buona serata,† which means, â€Å"Have a good evening.† 9.  Buon viaggio! - Have a good trip! This is a great phrase to use when someone tells you that they’re going on a trip or are returning back home. If you’re visiting Italy, it’s one that you’ll hear often once you announce that you’re returning home. The â€Å"buon noun† structure is used very often in Italian, and other phrases you’ll hear that help end conversations are: Buon proseguimento! - Enjoy the rest of (whatever action you were doing before the conversation started)!Buono studio! - Enjoy studying!Buon lavoro! - Enjoy working!Buona giornata! - Enjoy your day!Buona serata! - Enjoy your evening!Buon divertimento! - Have fun!Buon rientro! - Have a safe trip back home!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Criminology - Essay Example Despite the application and side effects of the drug under consideration, the entity has become a viable entity towards the sustenance of cultural affiliation. Drugs have been utilized to complete the achievement of a desired state whether hyperactive or eliminate a disease within the body. The entity has had the presentation to include the effects on the functioning of the body with the composition of the element. Some drugs are required to sustain the current body conditions while others applied to complete the achievement of a body state. Over the years, drugs have replaced traditional beliefs, and the presentation on outdated measures to achieve cure. The norm has become the sole position to deliver satisfaction to unsatisfactory health state. The advertisement of drugs and the effects of using the substance suggest that the features have been applied as products in daily living (Varian 2006). There is the desire to inform the public of the manufactured products and their value in completing satisfaction. Likewise, drugs present the similar provision in offering value to human living (Varian 2006). Like any other commodity, drugs are applied in completing lifestyle satisfaction. However, variable drugs hold varied side effects and may be applied differently. Despite the contribution made to societal living, drugs are advertised to inform the public of their