Praxis Statement :: Education Teacher Essays

Praxis Statement When I first decided to be a teacher I had many thoughts and opinions about teaching and education. Some of my thoughts and opinions have stayed them same; however, many have changed from the discussions and readings in LL ED 411 and 480. When I first decided that I wanted to be a teacher I thought that most students learned in the same manner. I also thought that the teacher should have power over the classroom. Likewise, I thought that technology should not be used in the classroom--except to type papers. I now know that there is not much truth to my ideas and thoughts because my thoughts were shaped only from my experiences. My experiences are narrow because they were shaped from the problems in schools and the old ideas that teachers still have. Now that I have learned the other sides to these problems I know that my thoughts about teaching and education are not fully developed. One of the ideas that I have learned is that all students learn in different ways and teachers need to teach to their needs. This is described with an analogy in Finding Freedom. The analogy used is, â€Å" . . . anyone would laugh themselves silly at the thought that children with different body sizes ought to be made to wear the same size clothes . . .† (Hinchey, 67). We would laugh if someone said all children should wear the same size clothing, yet teachers are still teaching students all in the same way. Some students learn from lecturing and memorizing, whereas others learn from examples and trial and error. Finding Freedom states that teachers need to modify work for students so that they can learn the material (Hinchey, 11). Delpit also states, â€Å"Some of the [black students] even learned how to read, but none of them as quickly as my white students. I was doing the same thing for all of my kids--what was the problem?† (Delpit, 13). Before reading these two statements as well as others and discussing them in class I thought that almost all students learned in the same way. I thought this because I learned from lecturing, memorizing, and a few examples. I figured that if I could learn in that way and most of my peers learned in that way then most students could. Praxis Statement :: Education Teacher Essays Praxis Statement When I first decided to be a teacher I had many thoughts and opinions about teaching and education. Some of my thoughts and opinions have stayed them same; however, many have changed from the discussions and readings in LL ED 411 and 480. When I first decided that I wanted to be a teacher I thought that most students learned in the same manner. I also thought that the teacher should have power over the classroom. Likewise, I thought that technology should not be used in the classroom--except to type papers. I now know that there is not much truth to my ideas and thoughts because my thoughts were shaped only from my experiences. My experiences are narrow because they were shaped from the problems in schools and the old ideas that teachers still have. Now that I have learned the other sides to these problems I know that my thoughts about teaching and education are not fully developed. One of the ideas that I have learned is that all students learn in different ways and teachers need to teach to their needs. This is described with an analogy in Finding Freedom. The analogy used is, â€Å" . . . anyone would laugh themselves silly at the thought that children with different body sizes ought to be made to wear the same size clothes . . .† (Hinchey, 67). We would laugh if someone said all children should wear the same size clothing, yet teachers are still teaching students all in the same way. Some students learn from lecturing and memorizing, whereas others learn from examples and trial and error. Finding Freedom states that teachers need to modify work for students so that they can learn the material (Hinchey, 11). Delpit also states, â€Å"Some of the [black students] even learned how to read, but none of them as quickly as my white students. I was doing the same thing for all of my kids--what was the problem?† (Delpit, 13). Before reading these two statements as well as others and discussing them in class I thought that almost all students learned in the same way. I thought this because I learned from lecturing, memorizing, and a few examples. I figured that if I could learn in that way and most of my peers learned in that way then most students could.

Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Mont Blanc” Essay

The Prelude is an auto-biographical, epic poem by William Wordsworth, ‘Mont Blanc’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a much shorter poem, however it correlates closely to a passage from Wordsworth’s epic where he describes a walking trip he took to Mont Blanc. There are some startling similarities between the two pieces, but at the same time there are sharp contrasts in the way that the scene is represented and the poets have conflicting views on what this beautiful landscape means to them. A key theme in romantic poetry is a connection with the natural world, if we look at the ways that Shelley and Wordsworth represent nature in their work then some interesting contrasts can be seen. The Prelude, subtitled ‘Growth of a Poet’s Mind’, is a narrative poem, showing us the events in Wordsworth’s life that have shaped his way of thinking and his views on nature and existence. The poem was written in blank verse, this form was reserved for epics and grand poems. Right away this unrhymed form, and the iambic pentameter which it follows, lend the poem a grand and sweeping feel, creating a sense of importance and gravitas. This passage is split into three sections; a broad description of the mountain and the vale below it, a strictly narrative passage where Wordsworth tells of how he and his friend were lost upon the mountain and crossed the Alps without realising, and finally a lyric interruption or ‘hymn’ (Romantic Writings p123 ) to ‘Imagination’ (The Prelude, Book Sixth l525). First the speaker describes the setting, the natural world around him and how it effects his emotions, then he returns to the narrative, telling us of the event that has caused him to relay us this tale and finally he conveys to us the moral implications of the event and how it has shaped his ‘poets mind’. In the first section the landscape is described as ‘wondrous’ (TP l456) the glacier as ‘a motionless display of mighty waves’ (l459) but the speaker is ‘grieved’ (l453) by what he sees, the ‘souless image’ (l454) of the mountain is not as beautiful or as wondrous as the ‘living thought'(l455) in the minds eye. The imagery used to personify the mountain and its natural beauty is epic and grand. Winter is like a ‘tamed lion’ (l466), ferocious,  dangerous, but sedate and controlled, creeping down the mountain with a stately pace. The pace of the poem quickens as the stretch of narrative begins’Descending by the beaten road that ledRight to a rivulet’s edge, and there broke off.’ (l503-4)The shorter words, repetition of plosive and hard sounds, internal partial rhymes (‘led’ ‘edge’) and the lack of imagery increase the tempo of this section. The tripping and jumpy sound of the lines, contrasts quite sharply with the earlier flowing sentences and sweeping descriptive passages. The metre helps to create the feeling of ascending the mountain, it also lends the setting a sense of desolation and emptiness; there are rocks and streams and tracks but little else. This creates a sharp comparison with the beauty of the valley below. Finally this change in style also helps to create a build-up of anticipation before the anti-climax of realising that they have ‘cross’d the Alps’ (l524) unknowingly. As they are told that all their remaining ‘course was downwards, with the current of the stream’ (l519) the young men’s spirits flow downwards with it, as nature mirrors the emotions of the individuals viewing it. ‘Imagination!'(l525)†¦ ‘ I recognise thy glory’ (l532). Underwhelmed by what the real world has to offer, the narrator can look back and see that imagination can usurp such disappointments. The ‘invisible world, doth Greatness make abode’ (l536), imagination can keep an individual in ‘hope that can never die’ (l540), and these lines seem to be saying that this transcends nature, that the human mind can imagine nature in all its perfection which can overcome the disappointments of the real world, and ‘Greatness’ capitalised along with ‘thy glory’ and the hymn-like nature of this passage suggest imagination gifted by a higher power. This point is where Shelley and Wordsworth’s treatments of Mont Blanc differ greatly. ‘Mont Blanc’ by Shelley is also written in Iambic Pentameter, lending it the same grand and solemn air as The Prelude. There is some rhyme throughout the poem although it is irregular, this helps to draw attention to certain lines, and phrases. Lines 25 – 28 form a rhyming couplet. Previous to this, the poem has spoken of ‘an old and solemn harmony’ (‘Mont Blanc’ l24), this  couplet is that ‘harmony’. The rhyme and prosaic language lends this passage a lilting quality, emphasising the beauty and majesty of the nature it describes, ‘earthly rainbows’ (l25) and ‘aethereal waterfall’ (l26). When the rhyme breaks on the next line a pause is created, changing the atmosphere. ‘Wraps all in its own deep eternity’ (l29). Shelley has created a dichotomy to describe nature, the savage, awful power against the serene, calm and solitude. Shelley said that the poem â€Å"rests its claim to approbation on an attempt to imitate the untamable wildness and inaccessible solemnity† (Oxford World’s Classics edition (2003), the Preface to History of a Six Weeks’ Tour by Mary and P. B. Shelley). The speaker finds the landscape beautiful, like Wordsworth, but also sees a much darker savagery in the mountain. Regal metaphors are littered throughout the poem the spring of the river is ‘a secret throne’ (l17), the mountains around Mont Blanc are its ‘subjects’ (l62) and the river is ‘majestic’ (l123). The imagery used here emphasises the power of the mountain and its splendour. In the third stanza where the speaker ponders on the creation of the mountain an unusual rhyming scheme is used. From lines 72 to 83 the scheme is ABCCADBDEFFE. While there is no distinct pattern the rhymes seem to gradually slot together, creating a feeling of increasing momentum, this places great emphasis on the final quatrain which directly addresses the mountain itself ‘Thou hast a voice, great Mountain'(l80). This random and unordered rhyme mirrors the unpredictability of the natural forces it describes, emphasising Shelley’s point that the ‘wilderness’ (l76) has no pre determined pattern or plan, asking the reader, like the mountain, to refute the ‘large codes of fraud’ (l81) that credit a greater design with its creation. The beginning of the fourth stanza from lines 84 to 95 are concerned not with Mont Blanc itself but the cyclic nature of life and death. This whole section is one long sentence, filled with lists ‘the fields, the lakes, the forests and the streams’ (l84), uses of the words ‘and’ ‘that, and an ever increasing intensity caused by the language. We move from ‘forests’ to ‘rain’ then ‘fiery flood and hurricane’ (l87). Strings of alliteration keep increasing the pace of this passage ‘future leaf and flower’ (l90), ‘that  detested trance’ (l91), ‘works and ways’ (l92) as finally it builds to a crescendo ‘Are born and die;’ (l95). Now the punctuation forces a pause and the following hard sounds and spondees of ‘revolve, subside’ put huge emphasis on this line as an ending point. Like the cycles of life and nature that this passage describes the momentum ke eps building with great fury and passion until eventually it stops and subsides. Similar imagery can be found to relate the two poems, both, for example, mention eagles in a setting of isolation, ‘A desert peopled by the storms alone, save when the eagle†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (MBl67-8), ‘The eagle soareth in the element’ (TPl463), this shows that both poets have taken things from the natural world to create a certain atmosphere. Shelley and Wordsworth have used a variety of metaphoric imagery to relay the aesthetic wonder of the mountain, interestingly both have used other images from nature to define it, ‘Winter like a tamed lion’ (TPl466), ‘brood of pines around thee clinging, children of elder time’ (MBl20-1), ‘glaciers creep like snakes that watch their prey’ (MBl100-1). While both seem to keep the scene completely natural, there is a much darker edge to the descriptions in ‘Mont Blanc’. The writing in The Prelude, while in the same form as ‘Mont Blanc’ is more stately and controlled; Shelley has tried to infuse his verse with more passion, to reflect his feelings on the wildness of the natural world. The tempo in ‘Mont Blanc’ seems to ebb and flow with the subjects that are touched upon, whereas in The Prelude, except for the narrative passage of the mountain climb, the progress is constant and measured. Nature is clearly awe-inspiring to the narrators in both poems but the way they feel about nature’s relationship with human thought seems to be intrinsically different. Two sections that stand out when comparing the poems are the ones which describe the infinite scope of the mountain when compared to the human mind. ‘Some say that gleams of a remoter world visit the soul in sleep’ (MBl48-9)’when the light of sense goes out in flashes that have shewn to us the invisible world’ (TPl535-6)Shelley believes that a remoter world is the  realm of imagination, that only those who are ‘wise, and great’ (MBl82) can reach while in a state of ‘trance sublime’ (MBl34). That nature has the power to help you understand the perceiving mind, you realise that the process of thought, like the water cycle of the mountain, or the circle of life, though invisible, is very real, and that this understanding can help us realise that any other ‘power dwells apart’, ‘inaccessible’ (MBl96-7). Wordsworth gleans quite a different feeling from his experiences in the mountain. Imagination can transcend nature; the natural world can never match the ‘infinitude’ (TPl539) of the human mind. Bibliography Asbee, Sue (2001) Approaching Poetry, The Open University’Mont Blanc’, P B Shelley (referred to as MB)The Prelude, W Wordsworth (referred to as TP)Bygrave, S (1996) Romantic Writings, RoutledgeOwens , W, R and Johnson, H (1998) Romantic Writings: An Anthology, The Open UniversityShelley, P, B and Mary (1817) History of a Six Weeks’ Tour, Oxford World’s Classics 2003 edition

Compare and contrast the aims and methods of Trait Theory Essay

Psychologists seek to explain and formulate why people behave differently in everyday common situations and to define individual differences in terms of the knowledge gained and it structure. Personality can be defined as an individual’s characteristic qualities of thought, emotion and behaviour when interacting with their social environment. Traits are ‘relatively enduring ways in which an individual differs from another’ (Butt 2012, p. 46). Eysenck’s trait theory has it origins in the psychometric tradition of measurement; while Kelly’s personal construct theory adopts a phenomenological approach. The aims and methods of both theories will be critically compared and contrasted outlining their theoretical perspectives and the knowledge that each produce. By focusing on individual differences their different methodological approaches will be assessed in terms of their objective and subjective roles, highlighting that each have influential findings bu t don’t completely give a complete account of all personality phenomena. (Butt, 2012) Eysenck’s (1953) Trait theory adopts a nomothetic approach that classifies personality dimensions to measure and describe the individual differences of personality. It’s based on the assumption that individuals can be characterised by certain personal attributes or traits that in turn influence behaviour. Descriptions of traits have their foundation in everyday language used to describe human behaviour; trait theory draws on the histrionic usage of traits in vocabulary such as ancient Greek typology. This usage is used to support evidence of, ‘constitutional and biological factors that are indicated through personality traits’ (Butt, 2004). Eysenck used factor analysis to establish cluster traits using questionnaires (Eysenck’s Personality Inventory) proposing that two high order factors could account for the clustering profile obtained, extraversion vs introversion and neuroticism vs stability, he later added and third psychoticism vs superego. Each factor has second order traits established from ‘factor analytic studies’ (Butt, 2012, p.50) to describe more fully individual characteristics or tendencies. Eysenck believed biology could  explain the individual differences of personality, that causal factors at a neurological level in the cortical and autonomic arousal systems influence an individual’s temperament and behaviour. ‘The purpose of personality theory is not to capture the idiosyncratic nature of the individual’ (Butt, 2012, p.47), but used as an indicator of how a person is likely to react in certain situations. Eysenck acknowledges that it’s not only biology that influences behaviour, but our past experiences and learning can also have an influence on current reactions to different stimuli. However trait theorists tend to view personality from a deterministic perspective, as stable and enduring and don’t take into consideration the behavioural and attitude changes that people experience over time (Butt, 2012). Kelly’s (1955) personal construct theory, which is a form of phenomenology; views personality as idiosyncratic phenomena that can not be measured, as each individual adopts a unique way of making sense of their world. Each person is seen as a composition of personal world views or constructs that are based on unique experiences. Individuals construct others behaviour in terms of their own subjective viewpoint. Kelly proposed we act like scientists, who form theories and assumptions about ourselves, others and the world. By inquiry and testing out the uncertainties of our assumptions we produce further inquiry that is an ongoing lifelong cycle. Based on the cognitive approach, it is these constructs or schemas Kelly theorises that provide the basis of our reactions and behaviour (Butt, 2012). Both Eysenck and Kelly aimed to produce theories that have a clinical application, Eysenck sought to use his theory for clinical diagnosis in response to discredited psychiatric classifications, while Kelly who practised as a psychotherapist sought to facilitate therapeutic change through learning and self awareness. Eysenck viewed ‘classification as a fundamental part of scientific study’ (Eysenck and Rachman, cited in Butt, 2012, p.48), Kelly placed no importance on the psychometric tradition of assessment; the emphasis of his approach is on ‘recognising the value of examining the unique cognitive constructs of an individual’s world view and the self’ (Butt, 2012. p. 47). Kelly’s emphasis was on self-determination and problem solving rather than the diagnostic standardised dimensions used  by trait theories. Where trait theory seeks to discover societal norms and how we all differ in relation to them, personal construct theory places no importance on making individual comparisons through personality dimensions. Butt (2004) states that ‘trait theory does not account for the richness of personality in the way that personal construct theory can’. Trait theory would propose that behaviour is biologically controlled and therefore consistently predictable, which excludes the potential for change, while personal construct theory views constructs as being flexible and fluid and therefore open to change, even through individuals might actively resist the difficulty of change (Butt, 2012). Mischel (as cited in Butt, 2012) a student of Kelly’s questioned trait theories deterministic view of behaviour consistency, arguing that behaviour was a diverse phenomenon influenced by social stimuli; that people will behave differently according to the situation they find themselves in. Results from Zimbardo’s (1975) prison experiment would suggest that social situations can exert an influencing effect on behaviour. Skinner (1974), (as cited in Butt, 2012) proposed that traits can not explain behaviour; they only provide a description, not an explanation of behaviour that simply identifies regular patterns of behaviour, or a ‘cycle of redescription’ (Butt, 2004. p.3) Mischel also points out that traits are implicit personality theories based on subjective perceptions of the individual being rated, or a perception of others which will reflect biased prejudices of the sociocultural environment. He highlights a study were observers allocated the same traits to both strangers and those they new well, indicating ‘fundamental attribution error’ (Butt, 2004), which suggests that observers attribute over generalised traits that are not valid. This raises the issue of trait objectivity, by highlighting the subjective nature of evaluation that challenges the concept of trait structure, along with the validity and reliability of factor analysis (Butt, 2012). It would appear that the objectivity of trait theory comes into question and therefore the methods it employs. The argument of patterns of similarity verses uniqueness and the approaches they adopt either nomothetic (universally general) or idiographic (individually unique) is a relevant  area, as individual differences has traditionally set out to identify the universal dimensions of individuals. Eysenck used the nomothetic approach of factor analysis, which correlates clusters of traits that have been established through the use of subjective questionnaires and ratings. He addresses the criticism that factor analysis is prone to unreliable incongruent practitioner results stating that ‘universal agreement and correlation is strong support for his statistical method’ (Eysenck and Stanley, as cited in Butt, 2012, p. 51). His measurement techniques provide objective data that can be used to draw comparisons across wide populations and provide a structure in which categorical typology can be conducted. However his factor analysis would appear to be used more in marketing and ‘occupational rather than clinical psychology’ (Butt, 2012). Mischel stated ‘that the only thing objective about personality inventories was their administration and scoring’ (Butt, 2004). Alternatively the idiographic data gathered by personal construct theory produces subjective results that can not be generalised and therefore applied to our understanding of traits or people as a whole (Butt, 2012). Mischel concluded that personality testing only produces self-concepts and personal concepts and more appropriate idiographic measures should be employed like Kelly’s (1955) repertory grid, which helps to assess an individuals personal constructs. The repertory grid was devised by Kelly to elicit how individuals categorise constructs by comparing and contrasting experiences and events, allowing participants to access and assess personal meanings through construing. Individuals construe others behaviour in terms of their own subjective viewpoint. The results produced by repertory grid, can be subjected to factor or cluster analysis but only in terms of the individual meaning rather than a universal interpretation similar to Eysenck’s. Salmon (as cited in, Butt 2012) adopted Kelly’s theories of individual differences and integrates his philosophy and methods into learning in schools. She criticises the ‘market model of education’, which she states â₠¬Ëœdelivers packages of knowledge’ that measures and classifies children through tests and examinations, which removes the ‘individuality of the individual’, creating hierarchies of ability. Like Kelly she argues that learning should be more interactive and intersubjective, that children need  to engage in debate in order to formulate and challenge their own implicit constructs. She believed that it is only by the acknowledgment of existing constructs that personal development can occur, through methods such as Kelly’s repertory grid. By adopting personal construct philosophy, she developed the Salmon line, which seeks to draw out the implicit by empowering students to define the idiosyncratic meaning of their personal expectations around academic progress. Salmon believed that the use of these phenomenological methods instead of the generalised preset formats of trait theory, offered access to ‘living material’ of understanding, which encourages learning and change. (Salmon1994, as cited in Butt 2012, p. 59) Salmon also highlights the hierarchical nature of learning, that educational success is based on the testing and grading students through examinations. From a Kelliyan philosophy, hierarchical structures are unbeneficial; his emphasis is on the understanding of objects rather than labelling or comparison. Hierachical structures raise the issue of power relations that Kelly points to within trait theory and most psychometric methods. As with learning environments, power can be exerted by those who administer measurement tools and how they exert the knowledge that is gained. Trait theory because of its diagnostic emphasis has been criticised due to the pathologising nature of negative diagnosis. Richards (2002) highlights ‘reification where methodology ascribes an unwarranted description to an individual or object’ (p. 254). It could be argued that personal construct methods such as the repertory grid and the Salmon line eliminate the labelling of individuals by traits, by assisting them to identify their own personal constructs and meanings and therefore avoiding power relations (Butt, 2012). Hollway (2012) highlights the importance of agency-structure dualism when considering experimental methodology. Eysenck’s proposes that traits have their explanations in innate biological factors, which would suggest that agency has little or no influence on behaviour and that social factors are irrelevant, suggesting that personality is fixed. Personal construct theory views this dualism as complimentary, where the individual is viewed in the context of the societal environment in which they are constructed. Kelly  proposes that individuals have some degree of agency because structure partly restricts through social construction and therefore have an ability to initiate change. While individuals can change their social and individual constructs, social structure clearly has an influence on behaviour. Salmon shows through examples of learning and the application of the salmon line, the interaction between agency and structure. She highlighted that ‘knowledge is never neutral it comes with the interests and concerns of a particular siociocultural source’ (Salmon, as cited in Butt, 2012, p. 59), clearly indicating how societal influences impact on the agency of individuals (Butt, 2012). Both trait theory and personal construct theory seek to gain an understanding and explain why individuals act in terms of individual differences. Eysenck and Rachman’s trait theory adopts a nomothetic approach using psychometric testing to measure personality traits. Kelly’s personal construct theory emphasise the uniqueness of individuals, seeking to understand how individuals construct their subjective world views, based on their own experiences. Using phenomenological methods they produce detailed accounts of individual personalities that avoid comparisons, with an emphasis on interpretation rather than scientific explanation, in contrast to the psychometric tradition which sets out to discover societal norms and use these to explain individual differences (Butt, 2012). Eysenck outlines personality in terms of dimensions which reflect the underlying biological basis of personality. Personal construct theory recognises the ability for change unlike trait theory and uses idiographic methods such as the repertory grid and the Salmon line to enable chance to occur, through the interaction of personal agency and social structures. Salmon showed how personal construct theory can be implemented into clinical practice, however a complete theory of personality would need to encompass, structure, psychopathology and change, it would appear that both theories have areas of development in both theory building and testing. References: Butt, T. (2012). Individual differences In Hollway, W., Lucey, H., Phoenix, A., and Lewis, G. (eds). Social Psychology Matters (p.1-22). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Butt, T. (2004). Understanding people, Basingstoke and New York, Palgrave MacMillan. Richards, G. (2002). Putting psychology in its place, Hove, Psychology press.

My Life Plan Essay

My dream is to serve members of the community in the medical field as a Radiology Technician with care, compassion, and knowledge. I have had many influences from medicine, from past jobs as well as past experiences. I have worked in pharmacy as well as general medicine, internal medicine and orthopedics. My most significant influence to strive for a career in the medical field was by personal experience. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer at age 1. There were many, many doctors, nurses, radiologists, radiology technicians and medical personnel that assisted us in our long journey towards good health. Each of these had a huge impact on my life, now it is my turn to give back. In order to achieve my goal, my first challenge was to enroll in school. I have been out of college for over twenty years now; this was a huge decision, not just for me but for my whole family. My husband is also in medicine, he is a pharmacy technician and systems analyst at the hospital in the pharmacy department. Our girls, ages 17 and 9 are very active in school activities as well as sports and music; this meant they would have to take on more responsibilities at home. I am now in my first semester back in school. Just taking the first steps have been personally motivating as well as fulfilling. I know that any goals I set for myself are now within reach, regardless of whether they are long term or short term goals. I have set the bar high for myself, wanting to get A’s in all of my classes. Once my pre-requisites are complete, my next goal is to get into the Radiology Technician Program. Once I am there, I want to graduate with my Associates Degree as a Radiology Technician. I have my heart set on a career as a Radiology Technician. I want to help people as I have been helped by others. I want to be able to excel at my career, but also to provide the art of healing with compassion and care. I want to be able to help each patient with understanding, empathy, respect, kindness and thoughtfulness. I know that I can do this. I have confidence in myself that if I want this bad enough, I can complete all of the tasks in front of me to get there. I believe in myself and my family believes in me. I have support from friends that have gone back to college later in life that are now successful in their own careers. They are now a model to follow. Having my short term and long terms goals mapped out makes me aware of how important it is to achieve each goal. No matter how small or insignificant each goal is, each is a stepping stone to the next. If I miss a step, I can go back, but it will take me longer to get to my next goal. This â€Å"road map† will help me in all aspects of my life, school, family and career. I can keep adding goals to my list, keeping certain to achieve and master what lies ahead.

MLA ARGUMENT RESEARCH PAPER ON CIVIL WAR IN LIBERA Dissertation

MLA ARGUMENT RESEARCH PAPER ON CIVIL WAR IN LIBERA - Dissertation Example Thus, their attack by the America Liberians is totally uncalled for. Adebajo has this to write about the America-Liberians, â€Å"This coastal settler elite established a corrupt, nepotistic system that excluded and oppressed the sixteen main â€Å"up-country† indigenous ethnic groups: the Bassa, Belle, Dei, Gbandi, Gio, Gola, Grebo, Kissi, Kpelle, Krahn, Kru, Loma, Mandingo, Mano, Mende, and Vai† (21). The America-Liberians â€Å"waged several wars against the indigenous peoples of Liberia whom they overran and subjugated as menials.† (Bassey & Oshita 111). The America Liberians are actually the force behind the series of unrest in Liberia as the injustice in the land forced Liberians to react. This is not as if the Liberians were right for staging a civil war in the first place, but the fact remains that the America Liberians should not have targeted innocent people. â€Å"Even though Liberia was established because of the ‘love of liberty’, the h istory of this country has been characterized by different and ugly experiences: political repression, lack of rule of law, social exclusion and deprivation, economic mismanagement, and poor governance.

Resturant project (re-write) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Resturant project (re-write) - Essay Example Finally, ways to address the challenges will be discussed. Several factors play their role in the success and growth of a restaurant like convenience of location for the customers, an appealing menu, sufficient funds, good management, recruitment of competent staff, and proper scheduling. Management needs adequate amount of inventory, budget operational expenses, and cost effective supplies to make a restaurant prosper and its business profitable. An efficient information system helps the management achieve this. Information systems are definitely any organization’s backbone since they offer information that users can use to enhance their efficiency and productivity at work. Users also use information systems to have quick access to the data needed for making such decisions as the items to be restocked or excluding a drink from the menu because it does not sell. Information systems play a critical role in the management of a restaurant’s daily functions. Managers can us e adequate information systems to keep track of the sales and expenses to help a company minimize its costs and plan for the future costs well in advance. The owner and the CEO of the Favorite Greek restaurant is George. George operates the whole business and is the major decision maker. Kitchen is managed by the chef. The chef oversees how cooks prepare the meals, performs inventory checks, and places the order for drinks and food items with the suppliers. An assistant manager runs the entire restaurant which includes developing schedules for the servers, dealing with the complaints of the customers, and closing the restaurant at night. Orders are taken and meals are served to the customers by the waiters and waitresses. The Favorite Greek restaurant founded in May 2008 exists on George Street, Peterborough, ON. This restaurant that offers lunch and dinner has 14 employees in total. The restaurant also contains a bar to serve different sorts of drinks and alcoholic beverages to the customers. Many customers visit the restaurant on major events and festivals in the town, and the business of the restaurant flourishes. Customers get a great dining experience at the Favorite Greek restaurant. It is an ideal place to visit because of its vibrant ambiance, variety of meals, and friendly staff members. Both locals and tourists can easily access the restaurant since it is located in the heart of downtown Peterborough. Emergency Plan: There is no 100 per cent guarantee that the information is safe. The manager of the Favorite Greek seriously considers this fact and has therefore made an emergency plan that would help the restaurant operate during crisis. For low risk issues like water damage to a device of the server, the other two are usable till it is repaired by the software provider. In case the system completely collapses, they immediately approach the POS software provider for help. It is unfortunate that support personnel take a day to analyze the problem becau se of which, operations can halt and business can stop temporarily. Because of this, the only option the Favorite Greek restaurant has is to rung in orders and use the old fashioned way to tally the expenses. Expenses and receipts are necessarily recorded by hand till the problem is fixed by the POS provider. Advantages: Using POS software is advantages in numerous ways. It is not only user-friendly, but it tracks all placed orders and the most

Outsourcing and Manufacturing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Outsourcing and Manufacturing - Assignment Example In addition, labor shortages in the manufacturing industry may compel them to outsource their services. This is mostly evident in china where most individuals are opting to remain in the rural areas due to the rising costs in urban areas (Loyalka, 2012). The fact that their population is fast aging is also a compelling factor for manufacturing industries in the country to outsource. For America to succeed, it ought to educate most of its students mostly in science, engineering, math, and technology (Malone, 2012). This is because most of the manufacturing positions are lacking applicants due to unavailability of the necessary skills required to partake those manufacturing jobs. Moreover, for a manager to succeed in the 21st century, they ought to have a good working relation with their employees to enable them fish out and solve any arising problems. The managers also ought to be on the lookout for any sign of labor shortage or increased cost of production that might bring their organization down. Where need be, the managers should outsource some of the services that they find expensive for their companies to