English vs. Mother tongue as a medium of instruction Essay

I. Introduction Background of the Study Before we discuss the so-called Gullas bill or the proposed act strengthening and enhancing the use of English as a medium of instruction, let’s get a backgrounder on the state of education in the Philippines. For every 100 children that start grade one in our country, only 65 will reach Grade 6, the others having dropped out along the way (with 18 of the dropouts occurring between Grade 1 and Grade 2). What this means is that even before these children are 12 years old, more than one third of them are essentially condemned to poverty. That is not all. The net enrollment ratios have been steadily decreasing between 2003 and 2007, and for the Philippines, that has gone down from 90.3% to 83.2%. The quality of that education is abysmal. Only 26% or a little over  ¼ of 6th graders have a mastery of English, where mastery is defined as obtaining a score of 75% or higher in English, 31% of those students have a mastery of Math and 15% have a mastery of Science. And if that is abysmal, that means the quality of high school education has to be the pits because only 7% of them have mastery in English. 16% have mastery in Math†¦ 2% have mastery in Science. Even college does not help: only 2 to 7% of college graduates who apply for positions in BPOs show English mastery, and even then, they have to undergo another three months of training to increase their competence. This is where the Gullas bill comes in. The rationale of that bill is that if we want to have greater competence in English, and be in a position to take advantage, or compete in a globalized world, English must be used as the medium of instruction from Grade 3 onwards. Now everyone will agree that we need greater competence in English to be competitive in a globalized world. But educators or those who have done education research will disagree that using English as the medium of instruction will accomplish that goal. As a matter of fact, they point out that research findings are unequivocal, that to achieve greater mastery in English or Filipino, the most effective medium of instruction is in the child’s mother tongue that is her first language or the language spoken at home. Studies in country after country bear this out. Teaching in an official school language that is not the mother tongue is a major barrier in the child’s learning. In the Philippines, the experiment was conducted in Kalinga, where teachers use Kalinga to teach children from Grades 1 to 3 to read and write. It is also the medium of instruction for teaching other subjects, including Filipino and English. Out of the 10 districts in the Kalinga division, the Lubuagan district topped the 2006 national achievement test Grade 3 reading test for both English and Filipino, with mean scores of 76.55% and 76.45 respectively, which indicates mastery. The Tinglayan district came in a far second, registered only 63.89% and 53.58%. The Gullas bill has very good intentions. But, as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Statement of the Problem 1. Between the two medium of instruction, which is effective? 2. Do you agree that English is effective as a medium of instruction? 3. Do you believe that English is a barrier in child’s learning? Significance of the Study Our study determines whether the English or the mother tongue is the effective medium of instruction, to determine the affectivity of English as medium of instruction and give justice to the belief of English as a barrier in child’s earning. Scope and Limitations This particular study focuses on the topic â€Å"English versus mother tongue as a medium of instruction. This study will also explore the issue of whether the English or mother tongue is an effective medium of instruction Operational Definition of Terms English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca. Gullas Bill is the proposed act strengthening and enhancing the use of English as a medium of instruction, let’s get a backgrounder on the state of education in the Philippines. Medium of Instruction is the language used by the teacher to teach. Teaching the language, or educational content, through the target language increases the amount of exposure the learner gets to it, and the opportunities they have to communicate in it, and therefore to develop their control of it. Mother tongue one’s native language; the language learned by children and passed from one generation to the next II. Methodology A. Sampling Who are your respondents? Students who are English majors Elementary students who already undergone mother tongue subjects

Once upon a time Essay

These ‘mechanical birds’ are books, with many ‘wings’, meaning pages. The body shrieking without pain is laughter and the eyes melting are the reader’s tears. â€Å"Model T is a room with the lock inside – A key is turned to free the world For movement, so quick there is a film To watch for anything missed†. These seventh and eighth stanzas are talking about a car. This is simple as Raine refers to â€Å"Model T†, a well-known car. Raine says it is a room because you go inside of the car and you are away from the outside world. You need a key to turn the car on and off and to lock the car. As you read on, you can see some of the poet’s influences for his writing. Raine is participating in a very ancient poetic ancient tradition. If you look at the poem as a series of riddles to be deciphered by the reader, then that takes us back centuries to the riddle poems in Anglo Saxon literature. In stanzas 10-13, the following lines are- â€Å"In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps, That snores when you pick it up. If the ghost cries, they carry it To their lips and soothe it to sleep with sounds. And yet they wake it up deliberately, by tickling it with a finger†. This is a reference to a phone, a ‘haunted apparatus†. If it cries- ‘rings’, we pick it up to our lips and ‘soothe it to sleep with sounds’, meaning we speak into it. If we tickle it with a finger, we dial into it. The following lines have possibly the most bizarre descriptions of the whole poem- â€Å"Only the young are allowed to suffer Openly. Adults go to a punishment room With water but nothing to eat. They lock the door and suffer the noises Alone. No one is exempt And everyone’s pain has a different smell†. These are probably the hardest stanzas in the poem, but with some hard thinking, the lines all make sense- A â€Å"punishment room with just water† is a bathroom. When Raine writes, â€Å"only the young are allowed to suffer openly† he is talking about a baby getting their nappies changed in the open. Yet, us adults have to go to the bathroom and suffer our pain alone. Raine has written three exceptional stanzas, nobody really thinks about their own or other people’s daily use of the toilet. It is generally unspoken about and could almost be seen as a taboo subject, not to be raised in public. The last two stanzas end on a peaceful note- â€Å"At night when all the colours die, They hide in pairs And read about themselves – In colour, with their eyelids shut†. This is a normal full day seen in the Martian’s eyes. It has now come to an end, reading about yourself in colour with your eyes shut, is quite obviously understood as dreaming. These two poems both share one very significant subject which links them together overall, but it is important to state first the similarities and differences between each person’s work. Gabriel Okara seems to feel strongly about the idea of such falseness in our mannerisms and ways of speaking in everyday western life, as it is not like the hospitable place his homeland was. Gabriel Okara seems to be speaking from his own mind, about how he feels about this environment. Craig Raine has been born and bred in England, and doesn’t talk about a strange westernised country like Gabriel Okara, but about life on this planet in general. Craig Raine does not seem to be annoyed at our everyday customs (or if he is, he hides it in his wording very well), merely humoured at how humans generally structure their lives. With Gabriel Okara’s style of writing, there are no riddles to unveil and his poem is structured very differently in contrast to Craig Raine’s. Okara simply starts with â€Å"Once upon a time, son†, which is straightforward enough, rather than â€Å"Caxton’s are mechanical birds with wings†, which can baffle most readers. Gabriel Okara is quite dark about the ‘cold’ place he has come to, not at all like his native Nigeria. He certainly did not intend to humour the readers. I think that Raine wrote this poem to give his mind a rest from the real world. Perhaps he wrote it for pleasure and humor. I think this would be an enjoyable type of poem to write. Raine wanted his readers to be humored, to see life through somebody else’s eyes, who has never seen life on Earth before. Also, the Martian seems merely bemused by human life and our everyday rituals. Mysteriously, the Martian never discusses what life on his planet was like, unlike Gabriel Okara whom describes the warmth he used to experience before. However, despite these many differences, the poets come together on one extremely important subject. It is, the way we take our lives for granted while others, unsuspectingly wander around feeling confused at all the social and physical complexities of the strange and alien world around them. The poets both write about separate characters commenting on their experience in another place, and not feeling at ease with it as the other members of the population are. It is true that one poem is quite dark and the other is lighthearted, the stanzas and couplets are differently placed, the wording is different etc, but overall, the characters in question are both feeling out of place and confused about all the common perplexities. They comment on life on this Earth we experience every day and take for granted. We hardly notice how a car may sound to an outsider or how â€Å"It was nice having you here today with us† could hurt a guest or client who knows you didn’t mean what you said. We are all so accustomed to our lives; we do not think much of how it may seem to anybody else who has never been in that state of environment.

Telecommunications and wireless technology Assignment

Telecommunications and wireless technology - Assignment Example The scope of technology and communication is not limited to any particular field or scope, rather it has helped making different sectors more easy to work with. Information system is an entire concept which is based on the implementation and installing of the information system in the organizations and networks for the benefit of fast working and easy execution of tasks. Literature Review: The journey of modern communication can be stretched back to the days when the communication means were slowly being transformed from wired communication to wireless ones. The wireless concept was a totally new idea which provided the people with more options in terms of the remote facility, usage of the mobile phones on the go, better services, and many more functionalities that were simply not provided by the wired telephone networks. This wireless technology came in form of 1st generation technologies formally known as the 1.G. these standards were specified by a centralized body known as the In ternational telecommunication Union (I.T.U), which looks into the matters of communication and networks and aims for further advancements and developments. I .T.U is a centralized body that looks into various aspects of the overall communication technologies promoting safer communications, specifying rules and regulations, dedicating channels and frequencies, providing platforms for further research, collaborating with other mega partners towards improvements of the communication technologies and also ensuring that the communication technologies are incorporated into other fields for the purpose of welfare of mankind and society. The first generation technology was formally known as the AMPS technology(Arokiamary 2009) which is acronym for Advanced Mobile Phone Services, these services were characteristic of being analogue in nature, facilitating limited number of customers across a dedicated channel, and with limited or no secure mechanism for protecting the privacy and data of the customers. Another characteristic of this concept was its limitation to mere voice traffic and being void of the data communications. To bring about advancements in the concept of wireless means of communication, a step forward was taken in form of migration towards second generation technologies which were formally known as the 2.G, which again was being parented by the I.T.U. The 2nd Generation technologies were meant for overcoming all the short comings that were there in the 1st generation technologies in form of the limited capacity, limited channel and customer entertaining, less secure means of operations. All this was overcome by transferring the overall concept to digital transmission and relying on the digital signal in contrast to the analogue signals which were largely in practice in the predecessor technological servicing entity. Few of the features of the second generation technologies included digital transmission, higher frequency bands, more secure algorithms adopt ion for the purpose of improved functioning and secure services, along with the using of channels and coding techniques that made the overall process of communication easy not just for the subscribers but the service providers as well. Some of the major concepts and entities of the second generation technologies include the usage of G.S.M (Global Systems for Mobile Communications), G.P.R.S (General

Essay on Finance Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Finance Law - Essay Example As in the case of Salomon Vs Salomon, the court held that the two were separate entities. Walter therefore has the fiduciary duty to negotiate on behalf of the company while putting the interest of the company first. 1b. (i) According to the signed document that constituted the contract, the interest rate on the loan is 8%. Eight percent is therefore the appropriate interest rate that should be legally charged on SE Pty Ltd. Charging any rate lower or higher than the agreed rate as per the contract constitute a breach of contract and is therefore unacceptable and illegal. The company can as a result sue the bank for breaching the term of the contract and demand damages or refund for any loss that might have been attributed to the breach (Keenan & Riches, 2007). SE Pty Ltd can thus legally insist that the interest be calculated at 8% rate. (II) There would be legal ground for the company to obtain compensation if it could not insist on the loan calculation at 8%. In the legal suit aga inst the bank, the company would contend that the calculation of interest at 11% interest made them incur additional cost and this hindered their operations. The bank would then be faced with the duty of determining the amount of compensation to award for the losses caused to the company. Moreover, SE Pty Ltd could argue that a cardinal term of the contract was breached whose impact can be determined financially. 1c. According to the banking law, the bank has a right to combine accounts without permission of the customer so long as the accounts are held in the same capacity. It was therefore in order for the bank to combine the loan account and current account because they all belong to the same company. In addition, the customer (SE Pty Ltd) owes the bank some debt. This verdict will be similar to the previous case of Garnet Vs McKewan 1872 in which the bank combined the accounts without customers permission (Hudson, 2009). On the other hand, it would be illegal for the bank to com bine the personal saving account of Walter with those of the company because the accounts belong to different owners. The saving account of Walter is completely separate from that of the company and can therefore not be combined. A similar case was in Salomon Vs Salomon in which the separate identity was ruled (Salomon, 1961). 1d. The bank promise to accept only seven installments is unenforceable as they are inconsistent with the terms of the contract signed by the parties. Despite the promise, the bank could still claim that SE Pty Ltd pays the full amount of the loan and interest charges. The promise is only admissible at the goodwill of the bank and is not; legally binding. Moreover, the promise was oral hence; it cannot bar the bank from executing the original contract agreement. Q2a. Walter cannot be forced by the bank to sell his land in Bundoora to pay the loan of $ 1 million. This is because the loan was not Walter’s personal loan but was for the company. Moreover, t he land in Bundoora is not the property of the company. The case of Salomon vs Salomon in which the separation of the property to that of the owners was determined. However, the land at Bundoora can only be sold if Walter has some financial debt to the company. The amount will however be limited to the extent of the debt Walter owes the company (Proctor, 2010). Q2b. The

Mendietas Gender Examinations and Her Place as a Woman and as an Case Study

Mendietas Gender Examinations and Her Place as a Woman and as an Artist - Case Study Example Ana Mendieta, a Cuban American artist most famous for her performance art and earth-body sculptures, documents through photography her more memorable art such as the series of performances from 1972, the â€Å"Facial Hair Transplants.† In these performances, a male student, Morty Sklar, shaves his beard and moustache while Mendieta applies the pieces of hair to her face. Through these satirical transferals of hair to her own face, she in effect assumes the symbols of male power. In one of the portraits, â€Å"bearded,† she reveals herself as an earnest Amish farmer. In another photograph, she is outfitted with a curled moustache complete with gold hoop earrings, so she appears as a mischievous, devilish pirate. What these photographs show are Mendieta’s gender examinations as she strives to find her place as a woman and as an artist. As contemporary photographers continue their ongoing dialogue of the difference between photographs as documents and photographs as pictures, I believe that Mendieta’s photographs can be defined as a document and as a picture both. A document is defined as a bounded physical representation of the body of information designed with the capacity and usually the intent to communicate. A document may manifest symbolic, diagrammatic or sensory-representational information. Given that the original presentation of Mendieta’s piece was a performance and then captured via photograph, her â€Å"faces† can be considered as the physical representation of the information Mendieta’s is trying to capture, that she is able to assume the symbols of male power as she tries to understand her place in the art world.

Use of Software Engineering Principles in Ensuring the Forensic Research Proposal

Use of Software Engineering Principles in Ensuring the Forensic Integrity of Digital Forensics - Research Proposal Example The methodologies and principles will be reviewed using a mixed research approach. Qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used in different stages of the study. Software engineering is part of software development. It works using distinct activities or phases with the intentions of improving management and planning. Software engineering methodologies and principles include the specific artifacts and deliverables created and completed in order to maintain or develop an application. Some of the most common methodologies in software engineering are prototyping, waterfall, iterative and incremental development, rapid application development, spiral development and extreme programming (Khurana, 2007). A software development process is a set of practices, methods, transformations and actions used to affirm and obtain software and its associated products. Information technology specialists have used many software development approaches. In most of the cases, a developmental or management team prefers a combination of approaches. Traditional methodologies such as waterfall have distinct phases known as software development lifecycle. Software engineers have discussed the issue of the organization of software development in order to deliver cheap, fast and better solutions for years. The best software engineering principle and methodology is the one that provides the power to choose and react fittingly and expeditiously to various changes within its environment (Watson & Jones, 2013). The methodology should also have an ability to be imposed within its surrounding. The suitable principle or methodology should also be flexible. Different methodologies can be used during the software engineering process of digital forensic software. Digital forensic software helps in investigating computer crimes. The software development process of this software is a very delicate, and

Goal Statement for a master program Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Goal for a master program - Personal Statement Example My initial plan was to delve into a career in finance or marketing which were potentially interesting at that time, prior to the financial global crisis. However, after I transferred to George Mason University (GMU), I decided that Biology major is a better fit for me. A career in biology gives opportunities in the areas of research, health care, environmental management and conservation, and even in education, where I am more enthusiastic in. I am duly organized, determined, consistently a high academic achiever. The awards and accolades from GMU speak of my personal discipline and intellectual talent. I prefer analyzing data, looking at a big picture than doing research at a lab. I am fluent in English and Vietnamese; proficient in using the Microsoft Office Suite program and a reliable team worker. Studying at GMU was a great and rewarding experience. The academic institution is just exemplary and the professors are all inspiringly impressive. The interactions with my professors and my friends made me want to come back and pursue higher education. My original plan was to apply for a master program in Biology at GMU. However, I inadvertently missed the application deadline so I opt to study for a certificate program in Bioinformatics instead. I believe that this is one of the few certificate programs at GMU that has the option which allows students to take additional courses to earn a master degree after finishing the certificate program. Likewise, it is one’s personal contention that Bioinformatics will give me more selections and opportunities for future career paths. As I have had professional experience working as a pharmacy technician, the program is appropriately applicable and can be used to further my craft. More importantly, I could be given more privileges in terms of working with either public or private scientific research institutes, hospitals, manufacturing organizations of

Call of the Wild Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Call of the Wild - Essay Example Curly was the victim who was set upon by the rest of the pack when she could not get up on her feet. Buck learned one of the most valuable lessons in his life which the narrator records as; ‘The scene often came back to Buck to trouble him in his sleep. So that was the way. No fair play. Once down, that was the end of you. Well, he would see to it that he never went down.’ (London 13). This is an allegory on Social Darwinism. Buck’s survival depends on himself as his environment practices a system of laissez faire. He transforms to survive. Buck learns to steal food to compensate for his meager rations. The narration says; ‘ It marked his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death. It marked, further, the decay or going to pieces of his moral nature, a vain thing and a handicap in the ruthless struggle for existence.’(London 16). Buck steals food from his species and man alike. It is his competition for survival. When Buck steals food from his fellow compatriots, he is competing within his society of dogs. Buck competes with the different society of man too. This illustrates Social Darwinism. Buck retains his inherent genes which are unchanged with the passage of timeless generations. This is evidence that London supports neo-Darwinism. The narration says; ‘They (the ancestors) quickened the old life within him, and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks.’ (London 17). However, London contradicts himself when he writes that; ‘His (Buck’s) newborn cunning gave him poise and control.’(London 17). Buck’s newborn cunning has evolved by the process of Social Darwinism in responses to his social environment. Buck shows his hereditary traits in the hunt for the snowshoe rabbit. The narration says; ‘All that stirring of old instincts which at stated periods drives men out from the

Physical Weathering, Erosion and Mass Wasting Essay

Physical Weathering, Erosion and Mass Wasting - Essay Example Organisms, water and air may be needed for weathering to occur. Weathering happens without motion which separates it from another geological process called erosion. Erosion involves motion wherein various agents like water, wind and gravity brings the soil particles from one place to another (Campbell and Claridge 99). Weathering may be done in two ways: chemical weathering and physical weathering. Chemical weathering requires the interaction between the atoms and molecules of air, water and other chemical substances to breakdown the rock into finer particles. On the other hand, physical weathering needs the heat, ice, water and pressure to mechanically breakdown the rocks without any chemical reactions involved (Denecke and Carr 433). After weathering, the rock particles mix with the organic matter on the ground to form soil. The minerals found on the soil depend upon the source materials which are the rocks. The soil coming from one type of source material may be deficient in other kinds of minerals which are required for healthy plants to grow (Campbell and Claridge 92). Usually, the broken sedimentary rocks are fertile soil because of the rich organic materials they contain. Many of the landforms contain fertile soil because weathering is accompanied by erosion and deposition (Denecke and Carr 621). Big rocks are usually broken down into smaller rocks by mechanical weathering or physical weathering first. Afterwards, chemical weathering may occur due to the chemical substances that are exposed after the physical weathering (Craghan 161). That is how physical weathering is so important. There are many kinds of mechanical weathering: abrasion, frost weathering, water weathering, thermal expansion, action of organisms, plant root growth, crystallization and pressure release (Schaetzl and Anderson 227). Abrasion occurs when the wind blows some rough rock fragments and those particles grind the stones and pebbles through fast action (741). On the other hand, fro st weathering occurs when low temperature exists and water turns to ice. The water inside the cracks of rocks will repeatedly expand when it freezes causing the rocks to break (238). Water weathering is different as it does not involve very low temperature. As water passes by the cracks of the rocks, it washes the minerals causing the stones to split into fragments (232). Thermal expansion occurs due to the changes in temperature and affected by the heat of the sun causing the rocks to repeatedly contract and expands in various levels until they become fragments. The thermal stress causes the binding agent in the rocks to weaken that leads to particle separation. The big difference between the temperatures of day and night causes incredible stress to the rocks giving them continuous contraction and expansion until they break into pieces (Campbell and Claridge 110). The action of organisms like elephants stepping on the rocks cause stress that breaks the rocks into finer particles (9 4). Plant root growth leads to physical separation of rock particles as the roots push through the cracks as they grow (92). Crystallization occurs as an event of physical weathering in dry environments when water vapor is trapped and form crystals in dissolved minerals inside the rocks. As those crystals form and increase in size, the rocks expand causing them to slowly crack until they disintegrate (100). For pressure release, it happens when the top rocks are

Foreign and Traditional Music Fused Together Essay Example for Free

Foreign and Traditional Music Fused Together Essay The United States is certainly one of the most diverse countries in the world from a cultural perspective. Capable of speaking 300 languages, the Native Americans were the early settlers of the American land. Hundred years after that, the Europeans, Africans, Asians and other ethnic race from across the globe arrived and settled in America. These migrations have contributed greatly to the patchwork of modern day American Society. Carrying not only their belonging and property, various cultures from around the world merge with one another through friendships and inter marriages of races. Through these racial interactions, various cultures took different shape and evolve into what we known today. To examine and describe them all would take years to accomplish and tedious since culture co exist with time, it evolve as time goes by. This paper would then focus on two dominant races and their respective cultures, namely, Hispanic and Caucasian. Since culture is a vast term to explore, this paper would then focus on the musical culture of Hispanic and Caucasian race. It would focus on how foreign cultures have influenced the growth and development of traditional music. Hispanic and Caucasian culture have influenced each other throughout history. It is often said that both cultures were the patchwork of different cultures put together during the colonial times. Hispanic culture basically speaks or pertains to a larger community that is comprised of different subgroups, such as Mexicans Americans, Cuban Americans and other races that originated from the Latin American continent. Caucasian or American culture is also a patchwork of different cultures originating from various parts of the world. This was brought by immense immigration during 17th up to 21st century and spread, through interactions with various races. This is the basic theme that these two cultures share together and its music, architecture and literature are deeply influenced by foreign culture. The land of America became a melting pot for these two cultures, a place for previous identities to be melted down together with other cultures to create an integrated, uniform society. Their culture was not forgotten; it was just shaped through the influence of foreign culture. E: Hispanic Culture Since the 17th century, Hispanic people have been living in the United States. Some of them were forced to come as slaves and those who could afford the expenses of immigration settled in the United States driven by the opportunity presented by the new found land. Though years have passed since the colonial times, most of them still cannot forget the trademarks of their former masters. Aside from their native language, most of them could speak the Spanish language and to some extent has been incorporated in their native language as well. Another characteristic of Hispanic culture that was influenced by the Spanish regime is the mestizo lifestyle (Gallarga, 2007). The term Mestizo describe Latin American whose lifestyle combine ideas, values, practices and other cultural elements both European and indigenous (rural and urban) of origin (Latin American Culture, 2008). Aspects of the mestizo lifestyle are widely diffused in the musical culture of Latin America. Violin, guitar and other stringed instruments are of mestizo origin (Garfias, 1996). Over time, these instruments were combined to those of traditional instruments being used by the people to create new ensemble types. Rural band from villages started to include playing the guitar, vilhuela, one or two violins and a harp. This kind of ensemble was an example of the changes that were brought by mestizo lifestyle. Additionally, hemiola, a common feature in Latin America music originated or a product of mestizo lifestyle (Mintzer, 2005). A hemiola is the simultaneous or sequential juxtaposition of duple and triple and rhythmic patterns with a moderate or quick 6/8 meter. This kind of rhythmic pattern is present in different musical performances of Mexicans, singers in Chile, and other Latin American performers (Mintzer, 2005). Not only in music does this mestizo trend is present but also in dances genres such as contra dance, waltz and the polka. March based music was widely diffused so as Catholics songs and processionals. Dance drama was another feature of the mestizo musical life. Being influence by 16th century missionaries, people in the rural and also in urban areas perform dance drama to honor individuals who are connected to local history, myth, legend and religious stories (Musical Migrations, 2002). Accompanied by local ensembles and dance genres, drama like this gave new kind of entertainment and meaning to rural town festivals throughout Latin American Aside from the Spanish Language, the musical style that was heavily influenced by the mestizo trend attributed greatly to the creation or identity of a Hispanic musical culture. Though different in use and meanings, Mexicans, Cubans, Chileans and other individual of Latin Americans origins, could understand each other through these customs. Moreover, this musical trend has become a tool of understanding and unification for these groups of people in a foreign land. Caucasian or American Culture Just like the musical lifestyle of the Hispanic, the performing arts in the United States began to incorporate wider groups of people (American Root Music, 2008). For instance, the Latin American dances such as tango from Argentina and rumba from Cuba during the 1900 and 1940. The afro-Cuban mambo was the first step in incorporating jazz music with Latin elements and was later on refined by the Brazilian bossa nova singers (Jones, 1999). There are also the African American communities who greatly contributed and refined jazz music. There are also innovative Americans who incorporated both foreign music and traditional American music to create unique music style. Aaron Copland, for example, developed a unique musical style through incorporating certain jazz elements with American folk music (Five 20th century American composers: 1900-2000, 2002). Influenced heavily by traditional Greek dances, Isadora Duncan redefined the rigidity of classical ballet and promoted self expression, resulting into an expressive and free form kind of dance (Marcus, 2007). These innovations and fusions probably lead to the creation of the Broadway musical. Unlike the Hispanic musical culture, American music was not the product of colonial times but was the result of immigration of various races in the United States. They brought their culture to this place without the intention of changing or creating music genre or style but to serve as a remembrance of their family and native land. It was for this sake that foreign musical style and other foreign cultures were introduced to American people. New musical genres and styles were a mere product of racial interactions. If clearly analyzed, this new musical genre or style removed boundaries and limitations imposed by racial differences. For instance, it is a well known fact that the African American community was discriminated and received less recognition from American society since their origin implied the idea of being a slave. However, when it comes to jazz music, contributions from performers like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and other African American jazz-blues singers were recognized and accepted by white and black audiences alike (Titon, 1995). Whether it was a European, American or other race, their performances were cheered and enjoyed by thousands of people. Through music, people forgot their differences and simply enjoyed the beat and melody produced by the performers in front of them. Performing arts in the United States representsed the acceptance not only of these people but also their culture. F: Similarities of Hispanic and Caucasian Culture Based on the facts presented thus far, it could be said that both cultures, when it comes to their musical trend and lifestyle were heavily influenced by foreign subjects. Hispanic music reached new heights during the Spanish rule. Elements of European and Spanish music were introduced to the traditional style of Mexican, Cuban and to the rest of Latin American. It gave new meaning to entertainment and performances reached greater heights. On the other hand, the Caucasian musical culture was refined through racial interaction that was the product of immense immigration that occurred during the 17th up to 20th century. Most traditional styles of music evolved and took greater form when they were incorporated with foreign elements (Titon, 1995). Another similarity that these two culture share in the music world is that their music were usually directed or composed for religious practices. In Hispanic culture, festivals were always accompanied by performances that always involved characters and values taken from religious stories. These performances were a direct influence of Spanish missionaries trying to convert local people. On the other hand, early religious sects in Native American such as the Ephrata, Cloister, the Shakers and the Moravians have produced music that somehow grow and influence other people outside their communities. One example of this was shaker melody entitled â€Å"Tis the gift to be simple† which was used by the composer Aaron Copland in one of his plays and which instantly became famous. The Moravians, who were considered as the most prolific and sophisticated when it comes into their music eventually helped in recreating instrumental music that was used in Old world German culture. Though it was quickly forgotten when the jazz and other musical trend came in during the early 1900’s, it proves that early music developed and was influenced by religion of early times (Jones, 1999). Difference between Hispanic and Caucasian music One significant difference between Hispanic and Caucasian music lies on the foreign influence that they received. Hispanic music was the result of long Spanish rule that they experience during the colonial times. A Hispanic performance was characterized by Spanish style of music and was later on refined through incorporating traditional and foreign music. It was only the Spaniards that introduced the European style of music to these people. On the other hand Caucasian music was the result of immense interactions of various races living in America. Some musical culture was able to make it way into the American society and was adhere by the people. There are other musical cultures that were adopted by American performers and incorporate them into their works that resulted in some unique and different kind of music style. Second difference that these two have lies on the venue of their performances. Most Hispanic performer took their shows on the street and urban areas. Performances on these places are always characterized by loud music and cheery audiences. Public performances were the product of festival shows that was always played during festivities and continued in big cities. As it develop Caucasian music reach greater heights in theatre or stage plays. Most broadways musical for an instance was perform on large theatre house and places commonly located on large cities like New York. Lastly, the difference of these two culture lies on how they perform their music. Hispanic based music is well known through their colorful sound that is always accompanied by different instruments. This kind of performance started in festivals and was later on carried through streets by artist who seeks fame and fortune. Caucasian on the other hand is mostly highlighted by the use of different genre of music and dance style to create one stage performance. Broadway musical for an instance used rock and roll genre to capture the heart of young audiences who have been introduced to this kind of music genre during their early years. Use in Classroom Education Using these similarities and differences, instructors could create a surrounding in which learning could be easy and comfortable both for Hispanic and Caucasian students. First, they could create music lessons that would break down cultural differences that exist not only Hispanics and Caucasians but also to other ethnic race. Second, it is possible that social relationship could foster and grow through incorporating music in their daily life. Lastly, through music, it is possible that children could recognize and acknowledge the importance of their cultural heritage. Children nowadays tend to forget their history and culture which is unfortunate. Personal and Professional Relevance Since culture is a vast topic to be covered, it was best that this paper concentrated on each culture’s music history. The first thing that needed to be researched was the influence of foreign music to Hispanic and Caucasian traditional music. The primary tool that was used to gather the necessary data was the Internet. Up-to-date articles and journals can be found in the internet and it saved substantial time researching using this rather than going to huge places such as the library. The books that were used for this paper were accessed through an online directory for textbooks. Since the paper was set to discuss foreign influence on traditional music of Hispanics and Caucasians, the research began through a search of sources that explained the influence of foreign interventions and immigration, since it will clearly show how the traditional music of each culture was changed and developed when foreign factors exerted their impact. The article â€Å"Latino music: A View of Its Diversity and Strength† by Dr. Garfias summarized the important facts about Hispanic music and provided a detailed explanation about the influence of Spanish rule in Hispanic countries. The book â€Å"Blues People: Negro Music in White America† by Titon gave a detailed explanation about the influence of African American music and how Jazz developed in the United States of America. Since this paper was set to discuss the influence of foreign music to Hispanic and Caucasian traditional music, sources that contained useful information were saved for the purpose. To be able to review them carefully, information that may be useful were highlighted and were noted down in a sheet of paper. For organizational ease, the information were outlined just like how the task was outlined. For teaching reference, this report has set a new meaning for being a teacher. The profession of teaching does not exclusively lie on the need to produce a lesson plan that would cater to the educational needs of the students. Being a teacher also means that one must some how create an atmosphere and environment that would enable the student to enjoy learning and would support the growth of social relationships. This realization was brought by the cultural differences that exist not only between Hispanic and Caucasian students but between other races. Cultural differences somehow impede the growth of education and social relationships of students if not managed systematically. Being able to manage cultural differences is also a way of promoting effective inclusion. Positive interactions among teachers, as well as students, contribute to a sense of school and classroom community. Inclusive schools seek to encourage collaboration among teachers for the purposes of planning, teaching, and supporting students. With adequate support, collaborative teaching leads to positive outcomes for learners in heterogeneously grouped classes (Cipani, 1995). Implementing effective teaching collaborations, however, is time-consuming and complex. Teachers often express concern about changes in their roles and responsibilities; differences in teaching style and philosophical orientation; and logistical issues, such as scheduling, planning time, and resource allocation. There are a number of school-wide strategies to support collaboration, including (a) developing and adopting a set of rules, responsibilities, and privileges pertaining to collaboration, (b) providing teachers with designated time for co-planning and reflection, and (c) offering preservice and inservice training in collaboration. In all of these collaborative efforts, understanding culture is a critical backdrop that the teacher must fully comprehend (Cipani, 1995). G:References American Root Music. Retrieved on May 2, 2008 from Public Broadcasting Services: http://www. pbs. org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_itc_historical_background. html. Cipani, E. (1995). Inclusive education: What do we know and what do we still have to learn? Exceptional Children, 61, 498 – 500. Galarraga, J. (2007). Hispanic-American Culture and health. Retrieved May 2, 2008 on http://www. case. edu/med/epidbio/mphp439/Hispanic_Healthcare. pdf Garfias, Dr. R. (1996). Latino music: A View of Its Diversity and Strength. Retrieved May 3, 2008 on http://www. pps. k12. or. us/depts-c/mc-me/be-hi-mu. pdf. Five 20th century American composers: 1900-2000. Retrieved may 3, 2008 from Boisestates: http://music. boisestate. edu/mus100/american_music. htm Jones, L. (1999). Blues People: Negro Music in White America Latin American Culture. Retrieved May 2, 2008 from Ipedia: http://www. ipedia. net/information/Latin+American+culture. Marcus, K. (2007). Music and American Culture. Retrieved May 2, 2008 on http://www. blackwell-compass. com/media? id=pdfs_HICO_Sample_Article . Mintzer, R. (2005). Latino Americans in Sports, Film, Music, and Government: Trailblazers (Hispanic Heritage) Musical Migrations: Transnationalism and Cultural Hybridity in Latin America, Volume I. (2002) . Titon, J. T. (1995). Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis (Cultural Studies of the United States)

Case Study Bodegas Torres Commerce Essay

Case Study Bodegas Torres Commerce Essay Bodegas Torres is a Spanish wine factory created in 1870 by two brothers, Jaime and Miguel Torres. The company gave priority to quality and innovation. After the two brothers died, it was the turn of Miguels son, Juan, to run the company. He started to product brandies which was the first innovation of the company. In 1932, Miguel, Juans son, succeeded to his father after his death. With the help of his wife Margarita, Miguel worked hard to reduce his lack of experience regarding wine. Since 1870, five generations of the Torres family were able to make a place among the wine world. The first modest operation, located near the Vilafrance Penedà ¨s appellation Penedà ¨s in Catalonia, has quickly made a name and reputation despite heavy events (phylloxera crisis, civil war). Subsequently, the Bodegua Torres took possession of other vineyards in the appellations of Conca de Barbera, Toro, Jumilla, Ribera del Duero, Priorat and more recently in Rioja. However, it was not until 1979 that Miguel Torres decides to acquire a small area of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹100 hectares in the Curico Valley in Chile. Descendant of Jaime Torres, so he moved between the valleys of Colchagua and Maule, south of Santiago, becoming the first investor in Chiles wine industry. Since then, the area has flourished and is now 445 hectares. Miguel Torres has also exported its wine to the United States, California, where he founded in 1986 Marimar Estates.. Marimar Torres, his sister , about her adventure in California where she managed the first Marimar Estate Vineyard in 1986. Over time, the small family business has turned into an empire, while still retaining its prestigious reputation and the exceptional quality of its products. Over the years, the company was rewarded at many times for its products like in 1979 (winner of the Great Wine Marathon) or in 1991 (gold medal received for the Milmanda Wine). Every year, the company gets a medal for one of its products. The most recent one is in 2011 (Gold medal received for the De Casta 2010 at Mondial du Rosà © 2011). The Strategy of the company The first strategy of the company was to sell high quality price at a high price because people associate quality with price. But over the years, the company tried to change this image and offered to its customers acceptable quality wine at a moderate price. It is obvious that Bodegas Torres is still producing high quality wine but you can find all the type of wine you want according to your budget. After having strengthen its position in Spain, the company went abroad and started to export its products in several countries. Products are characterized by a commitment to the family, the love of the vine and its fruit that has passed from generation to generation to become one of the most important wineries, which meant it became a company export represented in more than 140 countries. The first exports of the company date back to the 40s, and have continued to grow since then. The group closed the year 2010 with a C. A. EUR 205 million, an increase of 11.5% compared to 2009. This resu lt is mainly due to the increase in exports, which ranks the top wine producers exporting Spanish sparkling wine not alone in AOC. Torres exports represent 72% of sales. The latter increased to countries such as Finland, Canada, Norway and Russia. But the real breakthrough for the group occurred in China. After 30 years of commercial, wine sales to that country rose 40% in 2010. The group became the first company that distributes wine directly. China Torres charged in the last year 16.16 million EUR. As an example, the group sold under their brand of wine Mas La Plana, 1000 cases of 12 bottles in China, with a production of 10,000 cases. In 1997, the company signed for the establishment of a Joint-Venture in China with the   Zhangjiakou Great Wall Torres Winery Co. Ltd. Torres group is also known for its innovations. The alcohol-free wine is one of its flagship products that perfectly matches the new fashion market for aesthetic and health, according to the Chairman of the group. The research department of the company is very active and successful. The company always tries to find better ways of production or new products that may be a good fit for new customers. The structure of the company The company Bodegas Torres has always tried to change its structure according to the market, the trend and changing environment. Managers always thought that each department had to be run by an expert in his area. Many of the executives have started their career within the company which allow them to acquire a good experience of the products and the market. But the competition of the market is fierce and the company had to hire a more professional staff with university degrees. In order to adapt its management strategy, the company was restructured in 1991 with the aim of setting up responsibilities and level of hierarchy. But according to employees and executives, this restructuration was too confusing. After a meeting with all the executives, the company found out that there was a lack of communication between several departments and that some responsibilities were not clearly defined. To fix the situation, Bodegas Torres defined very clearly the different department which are the following ones: The production department: wine production and in charge of the vineyard. The wine and the brandy are divided by sections of the production process. Each member of the team has a clear task. The administrative and financial department: divided into smaller divisions like accounting, treasury and management control, this department is responsible for the control of investments, payments and more. The human resources department: very important for the company, this department is in charge of training as well as payroll. This department aims at keeping the employee updated to new processes or more. The organization and system department: created in 1993, this department has a role of control regarding processes and internal auditing. The marketing department: divided into smaller divisions like sales, exports and public relations, this department is taking care of the companys customers wherever they are in the world. We can easily say that the company has been able to define a clear structure in order to ensure a better communication between departments. The corporate culture The company benefits from a strong corporate culture based on family values and has been transmitted from generation to generation and is very important for the well-being of the company. The corporate culture of the company can be summarize in several points: A strong history: the company has been created in 1870 and is producing wine since then. So it has been more than two centuries that the Torres family has been working on the same products. Each member of the family has been an executive or a manager. Bodegas Torres went through many difficulties like the civil war but the company is still operating. A culture of authenticity: like we said in the previous point, the company produces wine for the past two centuries. They can be called expert in wine producing. They developed their own process of production and care about the quality of their products. Everyone in the company share values of knowledge and quality. The family experience: the Torres family is running the company since its creation. The management is based on these values. Everything is done to keep the family business on. Even if the company sets up objectives, communication and respect are two values that workers have to remember each day. The social responsibility: respecting the environment is very important especially because their raw materials are seeds and earth. The company has developed its own label in order to show its customers that the family cares about the environment as well as its employees. Bodegas key challenges This part of the paper is about identifying the challenges or problems that the company may or will face in the future. With the increasing globalization of economic activities and the introduction of the European single market for the free movement of goods and services, employees and shareholders, business leaders, whether multinationals or exporters are increasingly faced with the demands of international management, which is necessarily accompanied intercultural management. Multicultural Management and diversity Bodegas Torres knows very well the notion of exportation and deals with it in a very efficient way. Usually speaking, when a company wants to develop its international business, it is often necessary to relocate its production, management and marketing. To do this, the company develops foreign subsidiaries, and the problem of cultural differences appear between the employees of the subsidiary, which are mostly native and parent, which is managed by nationals. The main difficulty encountered by these multinational companies is the harmonization of the various business practices. A subsidiary established abroad together different personalities, different language. It is essential to understand how management organizes in a subsidiary. The company has an entity in California, in China and in Chile which implies specificities in terms of values. In order to identify the differences, we will use the Hofstede model based of 4 criteria which are: Power Distance: When it is high, it means, for H, the main characteristics following: the power is a social base, and the economic and social relations are marked by inequality and dependence. Individualism versus Collectivism: Individualism, in contrast to the sense of community is marked by the importance of personal responsibility, individual initiative and respect for privacy, strictly distinguished professional life. Individual interests are privileged in the functioning of organizations. Masculinity versus Femininity: Masculinity is characterized by the following: assertiveness, lack of modesty, the emphasis on success, money and external image, ambition and the desire for personal fulfillment. In opposition, femininity means in particular the emphasis on the relational harmony, rather than assertiveness: femininity is the search for consensus and harmony, the importance of human relationships. Uncertainty Avoidance: It means the willingness to risk guarantee, which can be expressed by the elements following: anxiety of the future, fear of change and difference, preference for stable and rigid structures, and possibly for the gerontocracy, the concern establish procedures clear, precise and detailed to avoid hazards. This criteria will be applied to Spain, United States and China in order to better understand the cultural differences which may help us to highlight management threats but also opportunities. Spain Power Distance: with a score of 57 points, the power distance is relatively high. It mean that the hierarchy is respected by workers and that it is permitted to get advantages if you have a high position. It is important for employees to get feedback from their boss in order to keep their motivation high. Individualism versus collectivism: with a score of 51 points, it means that, contrary to its European colleagues, Spain is based on collectivism. Teamwork is really important for Spanish workers and almost natural. It is easier for them to be motivated when they work with other people as a team. Masculinity versus femininity: the score of 42 points means that companies and employees are not motivated by competition, achievement and success  [1]  . Children are taught to care about others and to always search for a consensus. It is important for Spanish managers to get feedback from its subordinates in order to make decisions and to improve the work environment. Uncertainty avoidance: the score of 86 means that the country doesnt like uncertainty. People like to have rules, and the changes lead to stress. It is important for Spanish people to respect rules because they work as a reference for every type of situation. United States of America Power Distance: with a score of 40 which can be considered as  «Ã‚  low  Ã‚ », United States is based on equal rights and freedom. Unlike Europe, the hierachy is the the same. Even if managers are weel-defined in the organization, they are always accessible. Feedbacks from bother managers and employees are important. Individualism versus collectivism: with a high score of 91, we can easily say that the United States is an individualist country. It means that people have to work for themselves, care for themselves and also for relatives. There is no we in the American society but mainly I. In business, employees have to be reliable and autonomous. Masculinity versus femininity: with a score of 62, the country can be seen as masculine. The main value that is taught in school and appreciated in business is always go for the best or always try your best. American people live to work because their life depend on it. Uncertainty avoidance: with a score of 46, we can say that American people are not afraid of changes and may consider them as challenges. American workers like new idea and are opened to changes in their work environment. China Power Distance: with a score of 80, we can say that in China, inequalities are acceptable. Also, the notion of hierarchy is very strong which imply an important respect of superiors. Everyone should stay at is place and there is no room for initiatives. Individualism versus collectivism: with a low score of 20, we can say that China is a strong collectivist country. People think a lot about others like colleagues or relatives and after they think about themselves. But the score also mean a weak commitment to the company they work for. Masculinity versus femininity: with a score of 66, we can say that China is a masculine society. Work and success is really important and many people may sacrifice their families to get advancement in their work. Uncertainty avoidance: with a low score of 30, Chinese people are used to uncertainty. One of the biggest one is the language which is full of ambiguities. Moreover, Chinese workers are very entrepreneurial which is a good asset for their country. Bodegas Torres has entities in these countries are will face difficulties in the management. It is difficult to deal with different employees expectations, rules and feelings. Managers have to adapt their management strategies in order to get the best of their employees. The relationship between the employees and the company has to be strong in order to be successful. Each entities must follow Bodegas Torres values but adjust its way of doing things to the country. Corporate culture and globalization As we said before, Bodegas Torres benefits from a strong corporate culture. Basically, a corporate culture can be defined as the specific elements that explain the basics of how an entity works. It is, in a sense, a by-product of national culture and therefore a set of valuesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹, myths, rituals, taboos and symbols shared by the majority of employees. Corporate culture is a key variable to explain the daily life and the strategic choices made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹by business. The key challenge for the company here is whether staying a family business or going global. A Family Business Bodegas Torres has always been a family business. In terms of ownership it means that there is a focus on the interest of the company which is owned by the family. People are really passionate for the company and want to work hard to make it more successful. It implies, obviously, a high level of motivation. As a family business, the knowledge and secret know-hows can be highlighted and promoted in order to keep the brand image strong. Being a family business also means that profits are re-invested in the company and not given to shareholders or other stakeholders. In terms of HR Management, we can say that a family business is focused on a good communication system and a higher level of motivation. Communication is very important and if people talk to the other as family members, it is easier to communication without fear of hurting someone or more. Moreover, people working for the family business have a better understanding of the background which generate a higher commitment. To finish with HR, a family business may answer several of the Maslows needs theory. Being a family business is also a benefit in terms of positioning. Bodegas Torres products are high quality and the brand image is strong because the family owns the vineyard. Over the years, the company won many awards and medals for its products and it may seem difficult for new employees to understand this culture. Regarding the finance, the situation of the company is good as it is and both in operating and financial activities. Moreover, expansion is compatible with a family management strategy. The company has all the key to keep its success up but there is also an opportunity to go global. Going Global There are a lot opportunities to go global for a business such as Bodegas Torres. If we analyze the strengths of the company we can see that its growth strategy was a success so far and that it financing situation in good. The company also created a marketing department which will allow the company to better understand the market and offer an appropriate answer to customers needs. In terms of opportunities, the wine market is changing. In 2011, the United States has become the largest consumer of wine in the world ahead of Italy and France, according to a study conducted for Vinexpo Asia Pacific, the exhibition of wine and spirits to be held from May 29 to 31 in Hong Kong. The United States is in first place in the volume consumed (28 million hectoliters to 311.3 million cases of 12 bottles), with an expected growth of around 10% between 2011 and 2015, according to the study conducted in partnership with ISWR the British cabinet. The market is changing a people tend to see wine in a different way and not as a French specificity anymore. The companys new structure enables an internationalization because other companies like competitors are working the same way. The efficiency is higher because all tasks and responsibilities are well defined. Moreover, the RD department is a competitive advantage that the company must use in order to launch new products on the market on a regular basis. Bodegas Torres is facing a choice that will affect its structure and future. The company has to analyze both opportunities in order to make the right decision. We can consider that both choices are opportunities. Intercultural Management and Motivation Motivation is the set of factors determining the action and behavior of an individual to achieve a goal or perform an activity. It is the combination of all the reasons conscious or unconscious, collective and individual, that encourage the individual to act in a team. This is one of the challenges of the managerial function. In our case, the problem is how to motivation people if they dont have the same drivers. It is important first to analyze the needs of employees wherever they are from. For that we can use the Maslows theory. It offers a systematic approach to the needs of the working man and prioritizes different levels in a pyramid. Maslow believed that human behavior is dictated by the needs, man is instinctive, biological and fundamental. Five groups of needs are distinguished: physiological needs, the need for safety, ,the need for social, the need for esteem, the need of self-actualization. According to the country, people will give a different priority to the needs. It is the role of managers to understand this dimension. Beside Maslows work, we can find that Herzberg also worked on the motivation. He connects the motivation and satisfaction at work and uses a common assumption in all theories of need: the unfulfilled need is motivation. Herzberg distinguish two kinds of needs: those that are common to all living beings and those that are specific to humans. Only the latter are a source of motivation, hygiene needs, as soon they are fulfilled they reduce dissatisfaction and are therefore more motivating. Some examples of hygiene needs would be supervision, inter-personal relations, money, status or security. According to this theory, Bodegas Torres should be design a specific management strategy for overseas in order to create a safe and good work environment. Another important point, which is common to all countries is how the work is rewarded. The same rewards do not seem to motivate the same way. Everyone has a clear idea of what constitutes a just reward for his work. It determines what is right by comparing it brings (qualification, effort, experience) and it receives (status, salary) that others provide and receive. When he feels inequality (more or less) between the contributions from its rewards and of those to whom he compares himself, he tries to reduce because it produces a feeling of frustration or guilt either. Every country has its own system of reward and managers should be careful to equity. For example in the united states which is an individualist society, the reward wont be the same as in Spain which is a collectivist country. Recommendations Regarding our analysis, we have few recommendations for Bodegas Torres in order to deal with the globalization and its effects. Analyzing every culture they work with. The Hofstede model is really useful to understand the different cultures around the world. Understanding a culture helps to understand people you work with. It is important to for managers to understand a culture so he can behave in a proper way and dont do any mistake that could lead to a conflict. People dont react the same way depending on the country and a new management strategy has to be designed in order to lead teams in an efficient way. Keeping the family business Many companies try to go global because they see opportunities of growth and reduced costs. But higher costs are not systemically bad. The family business of the Torres family is profitable and its financial situation is healthy contrary to many other firms who rely on debts. Moreover, the brand image which is highly appreciated and well-known will suffer from an over-internationalization. Creating a motivating work environment by analyzing needs in every country A motivating work environment is a competitive advantage over competitors. If employees are motivated and committed to the company, their work will be better and the company will benefit from it. In order to do so, managers and executives must analyze the needs of employees and try to link them to the companys objectives. Gathering people around ethic and values The better way to gather people is to make them share specific values or even a corporate culture. Employees must put their differences aside and focus on the common culture. The company may use the history of the Torres family as an example. Conclusion

Essay example --

INTRODUCTION: HISTORY OF KSE: Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) is currently the biggest and most liquid stock exchange in Pakistan, which was established on September 18, 1947. It was incorporated on March 10, 1949. In the start only five companies were listed with a total paid up capital of Rs. 37 million. (ksestocks.com/AboutKSE, 2014) The first index introduced in KSE was based on fifty companies and was called KSE 50 Index. With the passage of time, KSE 100 index was introduced on November 1, 1991 because there was a need of a real representative index and computer based trading activities due to the growth in number of listed companies and trading activities. Karachi Automated Trading System (KATS) was introduced in 2002 for the purpose of computerized trading in stock exchange. The capacity of KATS was 1.0 million trades per day and the ability to provide connectivity to an unlimited number of users. After that the other to indexes was also introduced, named KSE 30 Index and KMI 30 Index to deal with the needs of investors of KSE. KSE 100 INDEX: The KSE-100 Index was introduced i...

psychology and learning Essay -- essays research papers

There are many different kinds of ways that people and animals learn. People can adjust the way they learn to the different situations in which they are learning and what they have to learn. One form of learning is known as conditioning. Conditioning emphasises the relationship between stimuli and responses. The two types of conditioning found are Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning. Learning may occur in different ways. Psychologists have distinguished between different types of learning, these being Observational Learning and Insight Learning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Classical conditioning refers to a simple form of learning, which occurs through the repeated association of two or more different stimuli. Learning is only said to have occurred once a particular stimulus always produces a response which it did not previously produce. Classical conditioning involves an unconditioned stimulus and an unconditioned response, as well as a conditioned stimulus and a conditioned response. The unconditioned stimulus is any stimulus, which consistently produces a naturally occurring, automatic response. The unconditioned response is a reflexive and involuntary response, which occurs as a result of the unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus is the stimulus that is neutral at the beginning of the conditioning process and does not produce the unconditioned response. But through repeated association with the conditioned stimulus, triggers the same response as the unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned response is the learned respo nse that is brought forth by the conditioned stimulus. The conditioned response occurs after the conditioned stimulus has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus. An example of classical conditioning is when a person walks past a certain house each day and every time is attacked by a large dog. They then associate that house with the dog and avoid walking past there again. In this example the unconditioned stimulus is the dog, the unconditioned response is fear, the conditioned stimulus is the house, and the conditioned response is avoidance of the house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Operant conditioning is the learning process in which the likelihood of a particular behavior occurring is determined by the consequences of that behavior. It is based on the assumption that a person or animal will tend to re... ...ng it long enough to reach the banana. After many futile attempts to reach the banana with his hands, the Chimp then tried other solutions, which included using each stick independently to reach the banana. Failing once again the chimp sat down with the two sticks in his hands, appearing as though he had given up. But then, seeing that both sticks could be put together to make one long stick (insightful experience), the Chimpanzee placed the small stick a little way inside of the larger one and was able to reach the banana and pull it toward himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many differences and similarities between each of these learning processes. For example, classical conditioning involves only involuntary or reflex responses where as operant conditioning involves both involuntary and voluntary reflexes. These different learning processes can be used independently in many different situations. Where Classical conditioning may be more effective in one situation it may be useless in another. For this reason each of these learning processes, Classical and operant conditioning, and observational and insight learning are each as important and effective as the other.

Comparing the Women in Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young M

Characterization of Women in Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses    Joyce's depiction of women is characterized by a high degree of literary self-consciousness, perhaps even more so than in the rest of his work. The self-consciousness emerges as an awareness of both genre and linguistic expectations. contrasting highly self-conscious, isolated literary men (or men with literary aspirations) with women who follow more romantic models, even stereotypes. In Dubliners, Joyce utilizes a clichà ©d story of doomed love ending in death-physical or spiritual-in "A Painful Case" and "The Dead." The former holds far more to these conventions and can be read as a precursor to the more sophisticated techniques in the latter, which draws the reader's attention to the clichà © only to redirect it. Nevertheless, it is Joyce's handiwork here, his subversion of genre, that takes the main stage, and the women in the stories do fade into the background. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, he again literalizes a stereotype, the Madonna/whore binary , showing women as nuns, long-suffering wives, or prostitutes. But this division also serves to highlight one of Stephen Dedalus's primary battles, between Ireland and exile, family and freedom, which results in a call to writing away from domestic responsibility. Ulysses, and especially "Penelope," seems to escape these because it is precisely against genre-there was no preexisting "in-bed monologue" genre-but it is the most conscious and critical of feminine linguistic construction. "Female" words (through letters to Bloom) are the constant aural background in Bloom's mind, but he fixates on them precisely because of their "bad writing" (4.414), a... ...him as Molly thinks about him in the present and, most importantly, well after Joyce wrote about him, in the eternal lines of "Penelope."    Works Cited and Consulted Bidwell, Bruce and Linda Heffer. The Joycean Way: A Topographic Guide to Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Johns Hopkins: Baltimore, 1981. Gifford, Don. Joyce Annotated: Notes for Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. University of California: Berkeley, 1982. Joyce, James. Dubliners. Penguin Books: New York, 1975. Peake, C.H. James Joyce: The Citizen and the Artist. Stanford University: Stanford, 1977. Tindall, William York. A Reader's Guide to James Joyce. Noonday Press: New York, 1959. Walzl, Florence L. "Dubliners." A Companion Study to James Joyce. Ed. Zack Bowen and James F. Carens. Greenwood Press: London, 1984   

What I Believe In †Beliefs that Frame My Outlook on the World

We humans are entitled to have our own beliefs. These beliefs serve as our guiding principles in living our lives. They also help in building and framing our outlook towards the world we live in and towards our relationships with other people. Our beliefs can determine our character and can give reasons as to how we should live our lives every single day. What I personally believe in is actually very simple and basic. I believe in the power of doing something good to other people. For some reason, I grew up believing that if I do an act of goodness, life would be good to me as well.It is not as if I am asking or expecting for something in return every time I do something good. It is not that way. I just believe that showing an act of kindness and concern to others adds meaning into my life and it helps me feel good as well. This belief had helped me gain a better outlook in life. It feels good to receive a sincere smile from other people and even strangers whom I try to help – whether it is just a tiny gesture of offering a seat in the bus or picking up something that they have dropped.For me, an act of goodness – whether great or small – makes life more fulfilling. It warms the heart and makes the world seem happier and safer. I believe that a person can never be wrong if he chooses to do whatever is good. There are many opportunities for us to show an act of goodness every single day if we just look around – helping an elderly cross the street, donating something to the charity, participating in an environmental project, volunteering at a community centre and offering our companionship to someone who is in need of a friend; and many others.Even without exerting any conscious effort, I know that there are still a lot of ways for me to do something good like being patient while waiting in line at the fast food counter, being nice to the waiters and waitresses in restaurants, saying â€Å"thank you† to that security guard that opens and closes the door for me at the bank and by simply saying â€Å"I’m sorry† and â€Å"Please† all the time. I consider patience and good manners as virtues that I need to practice everyday in order to instil them in my character.Imagine if every person on earth would attempt to do an act of goodness everyday. There would probably be lesser troubles for people. The world can become a better place and we can set good examples to the younger generation. Whether we accept it or not, choosing to do what is good and showing kindness to others can go a long way. By doing so, we are already uplifting, inspiring and helping others in ways we can never quite expect. It is like touching other people’s lives and giving them hope that goodness still exists and there are ways to spread it out to the others.From another perspective, I believe that doing something good everyday of my life will help me have a good life as well. I have this idea in my mind that doin g acts of goodness all the time has its paybacks. As I have mentioned earlier, this is not associated with me asking for something in return. It simply means that I believe that there is such a thing as good karma. It is like leaving the rest to the forces of nature that exist or to fate; or to our Creator. It does not really matter which, what or who is responsible for the payback.All I know is that in life, goodness has its own price. As long as I am a good person, I can expect pleasant things to come my way. Life has its own twists and turns and this is something that is known to all of us. Sometimes, things do not always turn out as expected. I have experienced this to a great extent. While I am at my life’s mission of spreading goodness to others, one of the people whom I helped had betrayed me. This person has hurt me and despite of the good things I have done for him, he chose to pay me back with betrayal and deception.Another instance was when I decided to join a very worthy cause. I ended up being accused of something I did not do. I became a victim of injustice. Despite of all the help and effort I exerted for that particular project, I was accused of being on the negative side. Indeed, both experiences had been extremely disappointing and yes, painful to some extent. I would be a hypocrite if I would say that these specific events in my life did not shake my belief. In fact, there were days when I asked myself if I should continue being good to those who had hurt, betrayed and accused me.Is it still worth it to believe in the power of goodness? Should I continue believing that goodness can conquer all the negative things in this world? I was taken aback at how people can easily use and judge others. However, later on, I came to a realization that every person goes through several challenges and trials in his lifetime. That is the essence of living. My beliefs are my guiding principles on how I would live my life; but I should not expect other people to also believe whatever it is that I believe in; or expect them to follow my principles.Each person is unique and has his own beliefs. There will be times when the act of goodness that I do will not be reciprocated. That is my challenge and it is something that I should learn to accept. I also have to acknowledge the fact that people do not act and think alike all the time. Things will not always go my way or turn out as expected. The outcomes of my beliefs can either be favourable or unfavourable. Still, there is nothing wrong with believing that â€Å"goodness equates to goodness† regardless of everything. Thus I still believe in the power of doing good things to others.In conclusion to this personal insight, I simply want to state that our belief gives meaning to our existence and moulds our character. In my case, I find fulfilment and pleasure in doing something good to others – like showing some concern, expressing love or extending an act of kindness. I know that there will be times when my belief will be tested or challenged and I can easily lose my grip. However, as long as I know that what I believe in is right and just, life will find a way to pay me back. References http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=4538138&ps=sa

Boiler Room

Boiler Room Boiler room is a story about a college dropout name of Seth. He likes the feeling of earning fast money, therefore he decided to quit school and start an underground casino in his apartment with a few of his friends. However, his father, who is a federal judge, finds out about the casino. His father then commends him to close down the casino and search for a real job. Seth wants to regain respect and approval from his father, and fortunately he got introduce to a stockbroker company J. T. Marlin. Seth has a great talent in this job and he becomes the best trainee in the firm. He works under the senior brokers, and starting to adapt to the â€Å"Always be closing† philosophy, which means he never take no as the answer and will keep convincing the customers until he objective is reached. Very soon, Seth becoming a successful broker and neglect all the unethical issues he is committing. He not only sells stocks to the rich â€Å"whales†, he also drags the poor workers that can barely afford a new house into the scam. Unfortunately, Seth discovers the truth about the numerous stocks sold by the firm and realizes J. T. Marlin is a boiler room that sells non-profitable stocks. And start to realize that all these times he is forcing customers to buy something that they don’t want or cannot afford. There are quite a few of unethical dilemmas throughout the movie. First of all, Seth and his firm are selling non-profitable stocks to rich people that are interested in high return investment. Moreover, J. T. Marlin teaches their employees to tell untrue statement about the stock and the company in order to attract the clients’ interest toward the stocks. The drug that helps infants to develop is one of the examples they mention in the movie. Also, at the middle of the movie, once the brokers see the rip increase, they will try to push the customers even harder in order to make a fortune for themselves. Furthermore, the more skillful Seth becomes, the more we can see Seth is using different powerful persuasive techniques in order to catch the attention of the clients. On the other hand, it is very unethical for Seth to drag the poor people into buy stock that will never be profitable, because they are selling stock for companies that don’t exist. However, there is still an ethical side of Seth. For example, he tries to protect his father from losing his job due to try to help Seth from trying to get back J. T. Marlin. He also agrees to work with the FBI to raid J. T. Marlin so that no more victims will fall into their scams. And most of all he helps Harry, the poor investor, to get his life saving back in the end. So it is nice to see Seth changes his mind and try to become clean in the end.

Application Architecture Essay

Strayer University: Piscataway In designing and building a payroll program for a large organization with offices spread across the country, which possesses quite a few changelings to overcome and must be done in a particular manner. Thus having the right application architecture is important where the design is concerned. Because the company has one large data center that each office connects to via a wide area network (WAN), hence the appropriate architecture for this solution would have to consist of a WAN diagram to be used in management of this project, along with system documentation, and information technology architecture documents to provide a visual representation of the network. A wide area networks (WANs) usually covers a large, physical area. And many WANs cover entire buildings, cities, states, or regions, thus the primary purpose of the WAN is to link together all the local area networks, of these other offices spread across the country. The Payroll program being used in this case study has been cent ered on having the proper application architecture that would be effective for the solution being deployed. It would take into consideration where each piece of equipment needs to be deployed and where its physical location should be sited and which is most effective for the organization. Thus an effective system would combine elements into an architecture, or design, that is flexible, cost-effective, technically sound, and able to support the information needs of the business. There would be a logical design of the payroll system into a physical structure, which would include hardware, software, network support, and processing methods. Therefore an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)Â  would have to be established in order to determine the strategies for using IT resources in the new payroll application. There would also be a supply chain management (SCM) and initial Cost and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), and this will come into effect when the final design stage is completed, and where certain decisions will be made that will have a major impact on the initial costs and TCO for the payr oll system. Cost estimates should also not be overlooked when final decisions are being made. There would also be consideration for scalability in reference to the new system ability to expand, change or downsize easily to meet the changing need of a business enterprise, if the need arises in the future. Besides all of this it would be important in implementing systems that are volume-rated, such as transaction processing systems that would have more than what it was designed to handle. Below is a global payroll core application which determines the organizational structure for payroll processing. This diagram shows the hierarchy of components in the organizational structure. Some software applications will include procedures for web integration, which would require an information system with applications. Thus a Web-centric architecture would avoid many of the connectivity and compatibility problems that typically arise when it comes online and users/employees start accessing it through the web. With the new system being put into place other legacy systems may need to be integrated with the new applications. Thus the interfacing of both would have to be consistent with the requirements to analyze different types of data formats and compatibility. Those implementing the new payroll system should know if the new application eventually will replace the legacy system. Potential ethical issues that could arise in connection with the new architecture are fundamentally associated with the emerging of the development of the new system. Where the concern would be the right away that the new payroll application has on the jobs that it may affect negatively and may replace the person/employees that use to do certain aspects of the legacy system. The idea that the new system would replace humans in many jobs, within the business may result in widespread job loss. To fully grasp the issues involved with computer ethics, it is important to consider the history of the organization being discussed for deployment of this solution. References Herold, R. (2010, June 22) Introduction to computer ethics. http://www.infosectoday.com/Articles/Intro_Computer_Ethics.htm Oracle: PeopleSoft Enterprise Global Payroll (n.d) Introducing the Core Application Architecture. http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E20215_01/hr91pbr1/eng/psbooks/hgpy/chapter.htm?File=hgpy/htm/hgpy04.htm

Studying Abroad and Learning Finance

studying abroad the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad and learning finance in different countries Research Paper The studying abroad is becoming a hot topic, which concerns by more and more parents. In this modern and competitive society, many wealthy families and even working families all will strive to work in order to save the cost of the tuition of their children’ overseas studying. When their children grow up and start to enter universities or even they are in primary schools, they will be sent to accept more professional knowledge in foreign and developed countries than the domestic.Because this situation happened, these parents, especially in developing countries, believe that foreign educational philosophy and methods are more advanced than their countries, a number of students choose study abroad has been growing in recent years. However, under this situation, we should think about whether studying abroad is suitable for these students. Moreover, as we k now that it is true that a large proportion of students will choose to study finance in foreign countries’ universities. So what advantages and disadvantages does studying finance in foreign countries have.Some people agree that children should conform to this trend and go to overseas to study as long as their families have enough economic ability. Finance could tell students how to manage and earn money, which might lead students to have a satisfied job and beautiful future. In contrary, I have a view that sending children to study abroad and choosing finance as major blindly is not a sensible decision. Depending on some reports, the number of children who go outside to study that will result in brain drain, in particular for some developing countries, like India and China. Studying finance lindly only causes that students lose the interesting and influences students’ schoolwork in universities. So this essay will discuss the benefits and weakness about studying abroa d and studying finance in different countries. First, there is no denying that overseas study and learning finance in foreign countries could bring a lot of demerits for us, but it is an effective and good way to train children’ the ability of independent living and studying that let children stay away from their parents and study in other countries. Although, at the beginning, many children will feel lonely and afraid hen they come to an unknown place, meet people of different races and speak another language for the first time, it is these experiences that could teach these international students how to develop themselves and careers in the future without the assistant from their parents. These hard and unforgettable experience will become a valuable wealth. Besides overseas learning can expand the children’s horizons. Basically, living a long time in foreign countries could result in children speaking the second language fluently and learn about another country†™s culture and custom deeply.Learning finance overseas that could allow students to better understand and use the knowledge of this subject. For example, in China, it is generally acknowledged that students can only learn some theoretical knowledge from textbooks. The more worrying thing is that university’s living is relaxing and wonderful for Chinese students. After they try to learn in high schools, pass the cruel entrance examination and enter the ranking top universities. The thing they do not know is that university education is more useful for their future than the learning from high schools.So this is the different point between Chinese and western education. It is important that professor will combine of practical and theoretical in foreign finance learning. For instance, universities will give a chance for students to use virtual money to buy and sell stocks to help students truly understand the stock market. In addition, the tuition of international students coul d develop local economies. For example, as we know that the financial crisis lead to the weakness of the US economy, the property market downturn and high unemployment. So education, especially education for international students, become a new ndustry in America. Secondly, it is obvious that studying finance will give us some demerits in diverse countries. For example, there are many differences in learning finance between at home and abroad. So these students need to understand, adapt to and solve this problem. As we know, it is more difficulty for international students to study in foreign countries than native students. This includes this subject finance. We could take the china as a typical example to prove it. In China, finance contains two parts: money banking and international finance. Interestingly, these parts re not called finance in foreign countries, where we learn corporate finance and asset price in finance classes . So if we would like to learn this subject well, we should abandon the domestic point of view and accept diverse foreign thinking. It is harder to give up our own original thoughts and views in mind for these transfer students. This adaptions could need a shorter time for some students who have strong ability. However, it also could be unfortunate for thous who need a long time to adapt, which will lead to students losing confidence and then dropping out.Moreover, international students should learn the business or finance environment at home and abroad. When they graduate from universities, they will naturally face the serious problem looking for jobs. If they would like to find satisfying jobs, they will need professional knowledge and rich work experience. As an international student, it is beneficial that they have many choices in looking for jobs at home or abroad. So we should not only learn basic knowledge well, but also understand the domestic and foreign economic dynamic, which is helpful for students to know what talents an d skills this market needs.Thus, we should learn about more financial news around the world. Besides, if international students choose develop their career at domestic, they will bear more pressure than domestic universities’ students. Overseas returnee will become their new name. Most of people also will have this view that they should have better performance and stronger understanding ability due to the special overseas studying experience. So they will get different treatment from superiors and friends. Finally, another disadvantage is that overseas studying could lead to brain drain. The analysis starts with a simple decomposition of the brain drain in two multiplicative components, the degree of openness of sending countries (measured by the average emigration rate) and the schooling gap (measured by the education level of emigrants compared with natives). †(Docquier, Fre ? de ? ric. Lohest, Olivier, and Marfouk, Abdeslam) As we know many students decide by themsel ves or with their parents to go abroad to learn knowledge in recent years, but when they finish their school work, they are faced with a confusing problem, that to stay or come back. However, they usually choose the former.Take an example as China. A number of students will choose stay in foreign countries to develop their career. Because, in the general, Chinese students prefer to study in some more strong and advanced countries rather than in China. The result is that these students will be attracted by sound medical facilities, advanced educational philosophy, excellent living environment and high-quality people. It is a truth that there will be more pressure and vulnerability in developing countries. So by comparing developing countries with developed countries, these advantages will lead to students stay at oreign countries to work and live. This is also a great help on their next generation of education. Once they make a decision to stay, which will mean their homeland will ha ve in vain spent money and teaching resources to train them in the past two decades. Because when they are young and strong labor, they will do any contribution for development of their mother countries. This will hinder these countries’ development in education, technology and economic. On the contrary, these international students will purchase something for daily life to pay tax and find obs to work, which all promote local economic development unconsciously. So many countries take measures to draw overseas students come back in order to avoid brain drain. For example, some developing countries will make some favorable policies to give overseas students convenient and provide various research funding. And for advanced countries, like America, use on technology immigration policies to attract outstanding talent. In this way, it is helpful to reduce the incidence of brain drain. In conclusion, everything has benefits and drawbacks. Under this situation that more and ore stud ents go abroad, overseas students and education communication will become a trend. So this essay explains these overseas students will meet what advantages and disadvantages separately, when they go to study and learn finance in different countries. I agree that every student does not go abroad blindly, and if they choose to study outside, every overseas students could overcome these difficulties, regardless of knowledge or living. It is more important that these students could gain related result, find satisfying jobs and beautiful life, after xperiencing special and hard learning. Besides I believe that most of people are patriots and all want to make a contribution for their country. So the phenomenon of brain drain will reduce, every countries’ economic and education career will make a great progress. Work Cited Nguyen, Chi Hong. â€Å"Brain Drain or Brain Gain? The Revitalization of a Slow Death† Can Tho University. (2005). Print. Docquier, Fre ? de ? ric. Lohest, Olivier, and Marfouk, Abdeslam. â€Å"Brain Drain in Developing countries†. Print Iredale, Robyn. â€Å"Tackling the Roots of the Brain Drain. † 12, 08(2003). Print.