Friday, December 27, 2019

Virgin Atlantic Airways Founded In 1984 - 2104 Words

Virgin Atlantic Airways, founded in 1984, has grown rapidly to become one of the UK’s largest airline carriers and now serves 31 destinations worldwide. Well known for pioneering many service innovations and setting new standards for the airline industry, Virgin Atlantic continues to expand. But despite their growth the airline still remains customer focused, with an emphasis on value for money, unique offerings and high quality service. http://www.capitalcapture.com/Libraries/Documents/CC_CaseStudy_VirginAtlantic.pdf Atlantic Airlines Limited, is a British airline company owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group (51%) and Singapore Airlines(49%). Virgin group is the creator of more than 300 branded companies globally, and employs†¦show more content†¦Considering the fact that the airline industry is characterized by the presence of a few carriers and many suppliers vying for business, it comes as no surprise that the power of the suppliers is low and the ai rlines have the upper hand in their interactions with the suppliers. Further, even in cases such as the supply of jet fuel, the carriers like Virgin Atlantic have a distinct advantage, as this fuel is expensive and a premium product meaning that there are not too many buyers for it making Virgin Atlantic a favored customer for the aviation fuel companies. .(http://managementstudyguide.com/porters-five-forces-analysis-of-virgin-atlantic.htm) There’s a lot of talk about culture in organisations, and it seems to me a bit ethereal. It’s hard to describe, but a culture is very real. It’s about â€Å"the way we do things around here† and there really is a right or wrong Virgin Atlantic way to do things. But you can only maintain any culture through hard work. We recognise that having a meaningful dialogue with our people is vital to our culture and to the success of the organisation - but it is really very hard to do. It’s easy to think about how a manager can have a conversation with a team member and how that could lead to improved success for the individual or team. We can help our managers to develop the skills to have those conversations in an effective, authentic and Virgin Atlantic way. But it’s also about having a dialogueShow MoreRelatedCase Study : Virgin Atlantic Airways1538 Words   |  7 Pages The company I chose to write about is Virgin Atlantic Airways. Since it was founded in 1984, Virgin Atlantic Airways has become Britain’s second largest airline carrier serving the world’s major cities. A British airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways is owned by Sir Richard Branson and Singapore Airlines. It is part of the Virgin Group of establishments. Virgin Atlantic has experienced vast popularity, a winning top business, consumer and trade awards from around the globe. The airline has establishedRead MoreThe Roles and Resposibilies of the Line Mangers in Virgin Atlantics Human Resource Management998 Words   |  4 Pages | | | |Since it was founded in 1984, Virgin Atlantic Airways has become Britain’s second largest carrier serving the world’s major | |cities. Now based at London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports and Manchester airport, it operates long haul services to thirty | |destinations world-wideRead MoreCase Study Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic1780 Words   |  8 PagesCase Study Coursework LEADERSHIP and ORGANISATIONS BABA SDL 2012-13’B’ Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair This case examines two organisations that have many similarities as well as a number of significant differences. The essential technology and systems behind each organisation may be very similar, but the nature and style of management and its consequent impact on the way people working in these organisations think, feel and behave have created very different organisational cultures. So what areRead MoreVirgin Atlantic Strategy5661 Words   |  23 PagesMANAGEMENT AND LAW School of Management MSc Programmes Module Leader: Dr. Laura A. Costanzo Academic Year: 2010-2011 |Industry |European Airline Industry | |Company |Virgin Atlantic Airways | STRATEGY MODULE COURSEWORK |Student URN |MSc Programme |Surname First Name | |6098320 |Management InformationRead MoreStrategic Management and Virgin Atlantic Essay2840 Words   |  12 PagesQuestion 1 Virgin group limited is world largest british multinational company founded by Richard branson.it has various core business like travel,entertainment and life style and it includes 400 companies world wide. Virgin Groups date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding company; however Virgins business and trading activities date to the 1970s. The net worth of Virgin Group as of September 2008 was  £5.01 billion. Virgin Group operates fromRead MoreVirgin Atlantic1994 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Virgin Atlantic Airways (VAA) was set up in 1984 to provide a competitive alternative for business and leisure passengers on long-haul routes between the UK and major destinations. It was founded by Virgin group management and in few decades time it became prominent figure in UK airline business. It has grown steadily over past 25 years and now serves 30 destinations in US, Africa, Asia from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow (Palmer, 2012). Currently Virgin Atlantic is managedRead MoreVirgin Atlantic Marketing Management4539 Words   |  19 Pagescreate a report on Virgin Atlantic that should evaluate current practice of Virgin Atlantic and make recommendations that could help the company grow. This report will also include a Marketing Plan for Virgin Atlantic. In this report there will be an evaluation of their marketing practices including the marketing mix, with reference to theories and the current practices of Virgin Atlantic. 1.1 Company overview ‘Since it was founded almost twenty years ago, Virgin Atlantic Airways has become Britain’sRead MoreAnalyzing Richard Branson Essay1465 Words   |  6 Pagesextroverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving human being. From his autobiography, Losing My Virginity its clear that Branson is action oriented, enthusiastic and seems to work well in an every changing environment. When he was 15 years old he founded a magazine called Student with another classmate. They worked non-stop for years to make the magazine successful. His intuition was clear even at that young age. He talks about the work they put in, not to make money in the short run, but justRead MoreRichard Branson Essay example1472 Words   |  6 Pagesextroverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving human being. From his autobiography, Losing My Virginity its clear that Branson is action oriented, enthusiastic and seems to work well in an every changing environment. When he was 15 years old he founded a magazine called Student with another classmate. They worked non-stop for years to make the magazine successful. His intuition was clear even at that young age. He talks about the work they put in, not to make money in the short run, but justRead MoreEntrepreneurs and Revolution in the Airline Industry1311 Words   |  6 Pagesfood and drink, narrow and free seating and no loyalty schemes so that in return the airline can offer cheaper fares to the consumer. This style of low cost airlines caught on and appealed to other entrepreneurs, one being Freddie Laker, who founded Laker Airways in the UK around the mid 1960’s. It took him over 11 years of escaping government laws and regulations but finally introduced his transatlantic Skytrain that flew from Gatwick to New York (Herb Kelleher Biography, 2008). One of Freddie’s biggest

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot Essay...

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot The poetry of the modernist movement is characterized by an emphasis on the alienation of the individual from the broader community in which he or she exists. In the works of T. S. Eliot, this alienation is expressed as a symptom of spiritual and moral decay within communities, societies, and entire civilizations. Eliot’s modernism, which was strongly influenced by his conversion to Anglo-Catholicism, is a harsh critique of the pervasive self-obsession of the modern secular world. In any discussion of modernist poetry, it is crucial to remember that technology was advancing at a rapid pace during the beginning of the twentieth century. Mechanical inventions, from electric†¦show more content†¦In this regard, he represents the pathetic everyman of the modern world. Prufrock is a cowardly, narcissistic, neurotic cipher of a person. He is spiritually bankrupt, and therefore alienated from everyone around him. The poem itself, which superficially appears to be no more than a random accumulation of stream-of-consciousness images, is Prufrock’s secret confession of his own feelings of shame, worthlessness and inadequacy. The first stanza, which is an un-translated quotation of Dante, is from a scene in the Inferno when one of the damned, consumed in a column of fire, reveals information to Dante that he would hesitate to disclose if not for his certainty that no one else will ever learn it (Cousineau). His certainty is based on the fact that no one has ever escaped from his depth of the inferno. Likewise, Prufrock confesses his innermost thoughts and neuroses only because he believes that none of his social circle will ever learn his secrets. The repetition of the lines â€Å"In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo† sets a tone of ennui. The reader can envision upper-class matrons strolling through a museum, prattling about Renaissance art because they have nothing better to discuss. With this existential image, Eliot presents modern life as an incessant parade of days and nights spent in idle chatter. Because people no longer have any meaningful connections to one another,Show MoreRelatedThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot Essay914 Words   |  4 PagesT.S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† draws attention to the idea that time is of the essence. On the surface, Prufrock is portrayed as a man who is incapable of making decisions and lacks self-confidence. This is evident through his passive nature, where he continuously delays having to talk to women because he believes there is enough time. Written in the era of modernism, the reader is cap able of unraveling that the poem’s true purpose was not only to show Prufrock’s inability toRead MoreThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot Essay1156 Words   |  5 Pages S. Eliot was the dominant force in twentieth-century British and American poetry. With poems such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, he introduced an edgy, disenchanted, utterly contemporary version of French Symbolism to the English-speaking world. Most poets recognize that in producing a sensational poetic work, many concerns arise with the use of various literary tools to convey ideas, opinions or simply an observation. Through vivid imagery and metaphors, TS Elliot in his â€Å"The Love SongRead Moreâ€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† by T.S. Eliot is a widely studied and analyzed modernist1300 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† by T.S. Eliot is a widely studied and analyzed modernist poem. This poem is one that many high school students are subjected to, leading to an overall displeasure for â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.† However, those that revisit the poem are more inclined to enjoy and analyze the poem, finding an interest in the character of J. Alfred Prufrock. Charles C. Walcutt is one of the many individuals fueled to provide a deeper analysis of this text and in his contributionRead MoreT.S. Eliot - the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Preludes - Modernism1143 Words   |  5 PagesHow has Eliot used both conventional and Modernist poetic techniques to represent his Modernist concerns? The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Preludes expresses Eliot’s Modernist concerns about the lack of morals and values in modern society through the use of personas within the urban landscape and the urban society. Modern man’s lifestyle of repetition of trivial tasks and the lack of meaningful things in life is represented and emphasised through the use of alliteration, metaphor, fragmentationRead MoreA Competitive Analysis of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1014 Words   |  4 Pageswere T.S. Eliot who wrote his very well-known poem, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† (1915), and F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote his famous novel, The Great Gatsby (1925). Both Eliot and Fitzgerald criticized the spiritual emptiness in their society by revealing their characters inability to communicate, to love, and to see the truth about their own lives. Eliot and Fitzgeralds characters are unable to communicate because of their spiritual emptiness. In T.S. Eliots â€Å"The Love Song of J. AlfredRead MoreAnalysis Of The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1386 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Love Song of T.S Eliot† In â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† the reader can clearly understand that T.S Eliot is straightforward as one can get within a poem. In the beginning of the poem, one can infer that Prufrock is being used as a facade to convey Eliot’s inner self who is an introvert that doesn’t quite fit in with the modern day society. â€Å"Prufrock† sees his personal life as a burden that he cannot mend while he tries to conform into the middle class society that everyone views asRead More T.S Eliot’s Preludes and The Love Song of J.Alfred. Prufrock, are examples1059 Words   |  5 PagesT.S Eliot’s Preludes and The Love Song of J.Alfred. Prufrock, are examples of modernist poetry which illustrate the concerns of modernist poets. Explain how the poetry you have studied reflects some of the major concerns of its context? In your answer refer closely to two poems by T.S. Eliot. T.S Eliot’s Preludes and The Love Song of J.Alfred. Prufrock, are examples of modernist poetry which illustrate the concerns of modernist poets. The modern era, which lasted between 1885 to 1940Read MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1647 Words   |  7 Pagescan be seen in T.S. Eliot’s work The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The main character, Prufrock, plans to ask the woman he loves the overwhelming question of marriage, but due to his pessimistic outlook, he became hesitant and self conscious. Surges of insecurity arise, and instead of proposing his love, Prufrock delays the question and spends the night talking nonsense to avoid the situation. In the end, Prufrock’s insecurities and fear of rejection alter his feelings of love into a sense ofRead MoreThe Long Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot822 Words   |  3 PagesT.S. Eliot characterizes his speaker in â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† based on his own personal experiences. In 1915, Eliot wrote one of his most famous poems as a skeptic (Schneider 1103). He constantly questioned the meaning of human life an d the reasons why human beings were created at all. In the same way, Prufrock also has a difficult time in finding the purpose of his long life. The speaker of this poem takes the reader on a journey so that maybe the listener can aid him in findingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1371 Words   |  6 PagesThe dramatic monologue, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, is a short poem written by the Nobel Prize winner, and scholar T.S. Eliot. He wrote this poem and published it in the Poetry Magazine in 1915, while he was still in college at Washington University in St. Louis. Eliot is one of the most important English- language writers of the 20th century, and he lived in St Louis at an early age being raised by his mother. His mother was both loving and manipulative, and from that, a lonely and strict

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Morality of Management Earnings free essay sample

The term â€Å"Earnings Management† is a form of â€Å"number smoothing† used by a company’s management to manipulate or influence the companys earnings to match a pre-determined dollar amount. This is done in an attempt to keep financials stable, as opposed to showing financial fluctuations. When a company appears to be stable it has a greater chance of attracting investors, which in turn demands higher share prices. When a company is able to have higher share prices, the more likely they are to draw new investors. Likewise, a company that has low share prices is often a reflection of a company that is not doing well financially (Investopedia, 2009, para 2). Often, companies perform abusive earnings management practices in an effort to â€Å"make the numbers† (Inevestopedia, 2009, para 4). In order to do this, management may be tempted to â€Å"make up† numbers as a means of drawing investors or to make their company appear financially stronger tha n what it actually is. The methods used in earnings management can be varied, and may be done through manipulation of financial numbers or operating procedures (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 84). In a study conducted by the National Association of Accountants, a questionnaire was prepared which described 13 observed earnings management situations (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 83). Below are five listed generalizations that can be made by the study findings regarding short-term earnings management practices. 1. Respondents of the survey felt that earnings management practices utilizing accounting methods to be less acceptable than methods of operating procedure manipulation (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 84). Manipulation of operations can include something as simple as pushing shipping to the last day of the fiscal quarter or asking customers to take early delivery of goods (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). Another example is when companies make â€Å"Unusually  attractive terms to customers† or â€Å"Deferring necessary expenditures to a subsequent year† (Rosenzweig Fischer, 1994, para 5). According to survey responses, practitioners had fewer ethical dilemmas when using operational earnings management tactics compared to those involving accounting methods (Rosenzweig Fischer, 1994, para 7). 2. When it came to accounting, survey respondents felt that increasing earnings reports to be less acceptable than the decreasing of earnings reports (As quoted by Gibson, pg. 84). Managers appear to be more comfortable in reducing the overall company profit when reserves show elevated numbers (As cited by Gibson, p. 85). It would seem that management might assume that if their reserve numbers are high, then reducing them to show lessor profitability acceptable. If the money is genuinely there, then what is the harm in reducing the profit amount to meet a designated number? However, when it came to reporting profit increases, managers were hesitant in determining what earnings management methods would be ethical and which would not. 3. Generalization #3 is similar to generalization number two where ethics are concerned. Respondents felt that if earnings management tactics were kept small that it was more acceptable than if the effects were large (As cited by Gibson, p. 84). When manipulations of numbers or operating procedures are kept to smaller changes, managers seem to feel it more justifiable and acceptable. For instance, if management were asked to show an increase of sales by $12,000.00, such manipulations would be more ethical than if asked to increase sales by $120,000.00. Likewise, if production costs were delayed for advertising to meet a quarterly budget it would be more acceptable than if production costs for advertising were delayed to meet the end of year fiscal budget. This also ties in to generalization #4, the time period of the end effect. 4. Time periods play a large part in determining how ethical earnings management practices are. As described above, when asked to alter numbers or operating procedures in an effort to make quarterly forecasts, managers seemed to feel this practice to be more acceptable. When asked to alter numbers or operating procedures for annual reports, however, the line between ethical and questionable is blurred. 47% of respondents to the survey felt that earnings management practices that were made to meet an interim quarterly budget to be ethical, while only 41% felt that such manipulations in order to make an annual budget to be ethically sound (As  cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). 5. When asked whether it was acceptable to offer special extended credit terms to customers in an attempt to increase profits, only 43% of survey respondents felt the practice to be ethical. However, when asked if the same end result would be ethical if achieved through ordering overtime to ship as much product as possible at years-end, 74% of respondents felt this manipulation to be ethical (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). A staggering 80% of survey respondents felt that selling excess assets as a means of realizing a profit to be ethical, while only 16% felt it would be questionable (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). Short-term earnings management procedures, while questionable, are often legal. The alteration of financial information in an attempt to meet budgets or as a way to show profitability is often alluring and an â€Å"easy† way to draw investors. Managers who use earnings management tactics must take into consideration the impact such actions may have with key stakeholders (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 86). When numbers are skewed favorably, it gives stakeholders a false sense of security in their investments. Companies who engage in short-term earnings management practices often set themselves up for losses over time. When numbers are adjusted to make a quarterly or yearly dollar amount, chances are the following quarter will find the company in the negative. Such practices are rarely foolproof and care must be taken when making earnings management practice decisions. Focusing on long-term earnings management practices are ultimately more favorable, but in order to be effective management must remain committed to consistent operational procedures. Forecasting the product needs of customers and looking ahead are key strategies for keeping sales income at a consistent level. Waiting until the last minute to offer customers generous credit terms in an effort to boost end of year or quarterly sales is a short-term answer at best. Looking at the purchase history of customers and integrating theses sales number into future budgets should help alleviate the need to resort to last minute scrambling to make budget targets.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Montessori the Human Tendencies Essay Example

Montessori the Human Tendencies Paper The Human Tendencies â€Å"The love of activity, the yearning for freedom, the urge for obedience, the impulse to confirm to laws which are at the heart of all creation – these qualities make man the unparalleled work of Nature† (Montessori, M. , From Childhood To Adolescence, 1973) Discuss the eight human tendencies as developed by Dr. Montessori and her followers. Show how children show these tendencies during the three main stages of development. Discuss how you think knowledge of human tendencies helps us when educating children. Give examples to support your answer ******************************** One of the greatest discoveries made by Dr. Montessori was that all humans love certain tendencies of behaviour patterns. No matter where we live, no matter what our culture or ethnicity, we all follow the same natural laws that lead us to act or react in specific ways. We are all driven to communicate, socialise, initiate, explore, move, be exact, concentrate, repeat, discover order, achieve independence, personalise perfection, control ourselves and our work. Human tendencies are present at all ages of our lives but some are stronger than others during different development periods. The tendencies also vary in the way and strength in which they appear in different people but they all exist. And it is these tendencies which guide our development; which direct us to take or not to take a given action. What does Dr. Montessori mean by the word â€Å"Tendency†? A dictionary definition of the word is â€Å"A predisposition to think, act, behave or proceed in a particular way† (Oxford English Dictionary). Dr. Montessori noted that it was important that the correct environment was provided for each stage in order to allow the tendencies to be fulfilled. We will write a custom essay sample on Montessori the Human Tendencies specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Montessori the Human Tendencies specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Montessori the Human Tendencies specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Human tendencies are creative impulses that guide human beings in the development of broad potentialities. Dr. Montessori believed that children are born with incredible learning potential and a desire to explore, discover and learn about their world. She believed that all children are born with potentialities, the ability to crawl, to walk, to talk etc. It is the human tendencies that guide them to these potentials. What are the â€Å"Human Tendencies†? Dr. Montessori identified eight areas: Exploration: This is the human tendency to explore and find out about our world and universe. [pic] Children are naturally curious and love to use their senses to learn more about the world around them. Our life around us is filled with sounds, scents, textures, tastes and colours. In the first stage children explore their immediate environment. As a baby the first few months you can explore by hearing sounds and seeing colours. As you grow exploration comes by tasting different foods, feeling different textures. A child likes to explore with his hands more than anything. – 12 years old the child explores by going out or by researching. This age of child loves exploring nature, going to the woods or going to the sea. As they grow they find more interest in searching the internet to increase their knowledge and they start to have a greater interest in personal and sexual relationships.. They explore society to try to find their own role in life. â€Å"There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be f ound around them, in a real forest†. Maria Montessori  (1870 1952) Source: From Childhood to Adolescence (page 19) Orientation: This is the human tendency to want to know where we are in space, in time and in the structures of nature and of society. [pic] When a young child enters a new environment they often want to explore, look at and touch all around them. But they still look for familiar people like their Mom or Dad. As they grow they enjoy knowing where they live (their address, country and continent on a map). They also like to know where they stand with regards to social roles. They demand very clear guidelines and rules. Order: This is the human tendency to create orderly surroundings which is apparent in nature and which we have brought more thoroughly into our homes, business and everyday life. [pic] Children under 6 years of age have a very strong sense of order. They like to be neat or have things in order. It does not matter if it his toys, clothes, shoes, everything should be in the right place according to his mind. As they grow they lose some of the order but they still shine through with order in their homework. Eg. Mathematics, Chemistry etc. People prefer order to chaos and confusion. Order brings predictability and security. Order is essential to proper orientation. Work/Activity: This is a human tendency, to be active and seek satisfaction form work. People generally like to stay busy. For children, movement can be enjoyed for its own sake, rather than always having a goal or end product in mind. Even children who have very little to play with will find ways to be active through games, songs, dance, and pretend play. Humans feel worthwhile through their work. Work leads to a feeling of accomplishment and self-respect. [pic] Maria Montessori believed that it was through work that a child constructed his true self, free of defect or misbehavior. Repetition: This occurs when a child repeats a task over and over again, until they become familiar with it. Like an infant trying to lift his head over and over again until he gets it, and learns how to control his muscles. They then see the environment from a totally different view. [pic] Often it is with the intent to master the task, but even after mastery occurs, a child may continue to repeat the activity for the sheer pleasure of doing so. Older children can do the same with a ball. They repeat and repeat the same task until they improve their ball handling skills. Exactitude/Precision: Exactitude allows children to know how to know when perfection is achieved. [pic] This is the human mathematical mind that leads us into exciting scientific discoveries based on precise detailed observation. Have you ever seen a child get upset because something was put back in the wrong place? They are quite precise in the way they pick things up, in the way they describe things and in the way they notice details. Older kids may put precision into their school work by doing science work or chemistry projects. Instinctively humans seek to precise in their work, doing something exactly right brings enormous satisfaction. Communication: Humans delight in conveying thoughts, feelings, and information to each other. [pic] New born babies can not talk but they still communicate with us. They cry when something is wrong eg. a dirty nappy. They smile when they are happy eg. when you play with them. As times passes they learn to communicate with their hands and with an absorbent mind they learn to pick up the language in 1. 5 to 2 years. School kids aged 6 – 12 communicate through play dates with friends, telling us all that happened at school and through social outlets and team sports. Older kids like to learn something different. Their communication forms are different; it is more linked to phones, texting, computers and other forms of social media eg. facebook. Various types of communication include the written and spoken word, touch, facial expressions, gestures, art, music, dance and media. Communication is an essential human need; it is the link of understanding between people, both face-to-face and from generation to generation. Imagination: This is truly the characteristic that sets us apart from animals. We are able to visualize events that have not yet occurred; we are able to feel and xpress emotions that are not tangible. We can imagine something that exists only in our minds, and then take the steps to make it happen. e. g A child in the first stage can imagine playing as a doctor and having his toys as his patients. [pic] As they grow they can imagine that they grow up to be a doctor. The fire of imagination drives the child to seek knowledge with a huge thirst. It is an important part of the Mont essori Method, both for the 6 – 12 years old and the older teenager, to present the imagination with exciting facts. We often forget that imagination is a force for the discovery of truth. The mind is not a passive thing, but a devouring flame, never in repose, always in action†. Maria Montessori  (1870 1952) Source: The Absorbent Mind, Chapter, Through Culture and the Imagination, 1988) Once we are aware of the underlying that compels human development we will recognise them everywhere. The tendencies of humans are what compel babies to put everything they find into their mouths. They are the reasons that a young child wants to know how things are made and why children are filled with wonder when they enter a forest. They are the reason for our appreciation of a beautiful painting or a finely crafted piece of furniture; we recognise the repetition that went into the mastery and finally the reflection of a difficult skill. The prepared environment is built around these tendencies. Because of this, Montessori teachers do not need to force the student to work, the children are naturally drawn to the materials. For example the environment is safe and secure, filled only with the items that can be touched and manipulated by the child. When these basic human needs, these basic tendencies of human behavior are understood and respected, children become what Dr. Montessori called â€Å"normalized. † They have a sense of internal peace, joy, tranquility, happiness. They can concentrate. They can choose something to work on and complete the work they set out do. They have self-discipline/self-control, are independent, and are secure within themselves. They have a positive, balanced self-image, have healthy self-esteem, and are aware and considerate of others. They are the person we would all like to be. â€Å"In order to understand the child so as to be able to educate him, we must know life in its entirety† (Montessori, M. , unpublished lecture, London 1937) Bibliography Clare Healy Walls- At The Heart of Montessori 1 – Core Principles Original Writing Ltd, Dublin 2008, ISBN 978-1-906018-64-1 Clare Healy Walls At The Heart of Montessori 2 – Core Principles In Action Original Writing Ltd, Dublin 2008, ISBN 978-1-906018-65-8 Clare Healy Walls At The Heart of Montessori 4 – The Pre School Child (3 – 6 yrs) Original Writing Ltd, Dublin 2008, ISBN 978-1-906018-67-2 Clare Healy Walls Montessori in a Nutshell Hello Montessori Ireland, 2007, ISBN 978-09557168-0-5 The internet was also used as an aid in completing this essay.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

American transformed timeline for the years 1780 to 1850

American expansionism has a huge impact to the world power position held by the country today. The adventure is now deeply rooted in foreign relations. Historically, various periods related to the American foreign relations growth include cold war, territorial expansionism and Vietnam War. According to Divine (2002), the end of U.S. struggle in conflict of dictating imperialists brought about the War with inhabitants in the aim of improving or expanding land resources, which went on from the later eighteenth century until the 1900s.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on American transformed timeline for the years 1780 to 1850 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More America began growing prosperously as an industrial country during the 1780 to 1850; therefore, the expansionism played an enormous part in determining the US foreign relations. On the word of Divine (2002), the increases in economical demands such as the industrial supplies was one of the route cause of impartial Americas search for the international markets especially for clearance of surpluses. Unlike the French and British governments who involved traditional empires, the Americans implemented the imperialism or the open markets to enhance economical potentials and boost the economy. Imperialism therefore assisted America to accommodate external relations for extra foreign financial support and stronger relations. Strategy to accommodate foreign relations especially during the 1780 to 1850 was in the aim of capturing novel markets and venture into new niches as opposed to supporting human constitutional rights or democracy. In understanding the meaning and emergence of expansionism, there is need to understand the experiences of people in eighteenth-century and the manifestos their leader made concerning foreign relations. The American expansionism is highly justifiable as a domesticated plan and therefore was of great significan ce to the residence during the pre-colonial era or because partially it represented progress (Divine, 2002). It was a vision many had anticipated because it would domesticate and equalize the rule of law to norms status of civilization such as, getting rid of the upheaval status of Civil War. The Americans were in full support because of believing that work and life would have a better meaning. The growth of a country especially the establishment of the constitution emerged from the existence of peace even decades before the war. The American vision for democracy or a unified nation in pursuit of better destiny is therefore a major contributor to the vision of expansionism. In the 1780 to 1850 era Americans had the expansionism vision in the context of territorial growth and to most leaders or potential kings, the new American territories meant higher opportunities to gunner stronger individual heroic resourcefulness and successes in battles as opposed to the economical success.Adve rtising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While the era forced the domestic expansionism, many other great minds had a different view and embraced a more antagonistic expansionism involving foreign relations. Majority of the Americans still had expansion plans even after the Wars and are the current viable expansionists because of establishing bigger commercial empires. The aggressiveness of economists advocated for a worldwide practice of economical growth as opposed to the expansionism expressed by the aggressive private armies in support of filibustering. The government due to its failure to arrest or sanction perpetrators arguably supported the Wars. The main aim was to gain the territorial concession but the need for physical advantage became perplexing or mystifying among most Americans, and eventually there was need for finding governed Patent Intentions. The law therefore brought in enthusiasm for territorial expansion in a more sensible manner. According to Brinkley (2007), even before the civil war, there were debates among politicians on territorial expansionism, where by some were in support for while others were against expansionism for one reason or another. The establishment of the laws therefore had a major contribution to expansionism. References Brinkley, A. (2007). American History: A Survey, 12th Ed. Vol. 1 New York: McGraw- Hill Press Divine, R. A. (2002). America past and present, London, England: Longman press. This research paper on American transformed timeline for the years 1780 to 1850 was written and submitted by user Jocelyn King to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

fragments essays

fragments essays FRAGMENTS Fragments, is an experimental performance that is not based on a specific plot or theme, so the building up to a major climax through out the performance was not very clear, however each scene had a minor climax. People who watched the performance would realize that it had a lot of tempo and rhythm. Tempo and rhythm were very clear in the performance, at times it was slow and at other times it was fast. Naji used a lot of ways to speed up the tempo. For instance there was no pauses in between scenes. There was always something happening on stage, the character Lina and her twin were always in between the scenes. They kind of linked one scene to another and in the same time they were adding a new impression, they added to the visual picturization of the stage at times, for instance when the actors where dancing between the audience they were dancing behind they wall in their boxes. In the performance their were a lot of scenes and each scene was consistent with a different tempo and rhythm. There was the twins scene, hands scene, aquarium scene, the metamorphisis scene, wolves, chains, bags, dream, and name scene. Speed varied at times from slow to fast and that was very effective in creating variety and sustaining the audiences attention. In the first 10 minutes of the performance, movement on stage was slow, the characters came out on stage with the same rhythm, they came out slowly and stood in their positions. The metamorphosis from fetus (weak body position) to wolf (strong body position) was also slow, and this can be considered as an external technique which affects climax. That slow beginning enabled the audience to adjust their eyes and concentration on what is happening on stage and it helped in capturing their full attention. In the wolves scenes the tempo and rhythm was in general very fast, although sudden changes of speed was used, like for ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Lex Mercatoria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Lex Mercatoria - Essay Example In Europe Lex Mercatoria contained procedures and traditions which were familiar to the merchants and dealers. The contemporary Lex Mercatoria discovers its potency in the national rule, as stated by Thomas Charbonneau (1998): "It is not surprising that the strongest advocates of the new law merchant are from civil law jurisdictions where general legal principles constitute the primary source of law and specialized courts have long handled commercial disputes at an intermediary level of the legal system. Nor is it astonishing that the most virulent critics of Lex Mercatoria and delocalization are steeped in the common law tradition of narrow rules and holdings, where decisional law is the foremost source of law and courts are its oracles." (pg37) Regarding the Lex Mercatoria there is some difficulty to understand as to what Lex Mercatoria contents are, but it is certainly described as the rule managed among the dealers and the foreign officers, part of it being authentic rule and the rest of it being the substantiation and the course of actions. The Lex Mercatoria is described as the set of laws; generally lots of definitions are related to the Lex Mercatoria and the national law. Dissimilarity between Law Mercatoria and national law might be made on the basis of a self-governing and an authoritativeness concept. The self governing concept examines that the Lex Mercatoria has an independent nature, which is autonomous from several methods of regulation. Goldman B (1986) defined Lex Mercatoria as "A set of general principles, and customary rules spontaneously referred to or elaborated in the framework of international trade, without reference to a particular national system of law."(pg116) The advocates of the Lex Mercatoria do not entirely have the same opinion regarding the source from where the Lex Mercatoria is taken, or concerning the comparative significance of the sources is observed as something which is acceptable. There is an extensive gap linking the sources for instance average figure indenture and the characteristics of commercial regulation. Mostly the people regard Lex Mercatoria as content because it is described as a law among the merchants and their dealers. The Lex Mercatoria is regarded as a list of rules rather than a method. There are various rules related to the Lex Mercatoria which makes it an autonomous system of laws. The set of laws are articulated more distinctively; in any case they cannot be originated from any universal simplification of nationwide laws. Critical analysis of Lex Mercatoria: The UNIDOT principle of Lex Mercatoria describes the means to create universal set of laws of global profitable agreement. The UNIDROIT principle gives the foremost sign that there is a physically powerful inter link among the UNIDROIT principle and the Lex Mercatoria. The UNIDROITS's duty of conquering the inadequacy of local rules for the declaration of the global dealing and trade by making a latest Lex Mercatoria was highlighted in the report of the UNIDROIT. The fundamental objective of this plan was to expand a compilation of rule and set of laws comprising of the Lex Mercatoria. Berger defined the Lex Mercatoria is relation to the UNIDROIT principles as: "An internationally useful method of construction inspired

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Corporate Financial Reporting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate Financial Reporting - Assignment Example Suncor energy inc. declared force majeure under a contractual obligation, suspended and ceased its operations as a result of a political unrest. Since there has been no resolution of the political situation at the end of second quarter of the year 2012, an impairment test was conducted in the company’s assets in Syria. Consequently, the company identified after-tax impairment charges and write downs worth $694 million. The impairment losses identified were recorded as part of depletion, depreciation, amortization and impairment expense and were charged against property plant, and equipment ($604 million) as well as other current assets worth $23 million. Thereafter the company wrote off the remaining Syrian receivables in Syria for $67 million. Previously in December 2011, receivables worth of $64 million were written off. In 2012 (4th quarter), the company received risk mitigation proceeds worth $300 million that were associated with its Syrian operations. After the proceeds were received, the impairment test was conducted in December 31, 2012, implementing the value-in-use methodology. Unexpected cash flow approach was adopted by the company which was based on the year end reserves data of 2011 which were updated with three scenarios for the company’s best estimate of price realizations as well as remaining revenues. The scenarios represent: recommencement of operations in a year, recommencement of operations is 5 years, total loss. The scenarios where the companies recommence their operations include repayment of the risk mitigation proceeds according to the terms within the agreement. The scenarios were weighted equally on the basis of the company’s best estimate and were valued according to the risk adjusted discount rate of 19%. On the basis of this assessment, the company identified an impairment reversal worth $177 million which were related to the company’s

Sunday, November 17, 2019

HRM function Essay Example for Free

HRM function Essay Flexible working patterns have advantages and disadvantages that impact not only on individuals but also on the business and the economy as a whole. Although flexible working practices and part-time working provide opportunities for people may otherwise be excluded from the workplace, individuals can feel insecure in such employment, particularly if they are constantly working on short-term contracts. There is also evidence that part-time or flexible workers receive less training than their full-time counterparts. In these circumstances individuals can feel their contribution is undervalued. In turn, insecurities and frustrations experienced by part-time staff may affect their job satisfaction and, ultimately, their performance. This then impacts on the organisation, as it has to manage higher staff turnover rates. One solution that may overcome this is that if we think of our lives as inside-out doughnuts, with a core in the middle (the essentials of life) and the bounded space on the outside as our opportunities, workers can achieve satisfaction in other areas of our lives, even if the workers jobs are unfulfilling. APPENDICE 3 HRM plays a part in enabling Asda to improve its overall competitiveness in the market place. In the last decade of the twentieth century, we saw a transformation in the way companies like Asda started dealing with the people who were their employees. Instead of seeking to get the best out of people just for the sake of the business- i. e. to help it achieve its objectives- the new emphasis termed Human Resource Management (HRM) was that people would only work their best for the company if the company gave priority to identifying and seeking to meet the personal needs and objectives of its employees. This distinction is very subtle- but it is an important distinction to understand. A second important change in people management was a recognition that people work was not just the responsibility of the HR department. It is the responsibility of all managers in Asda- supported by HRM specialists. Increasingly, responsibility for recruitment, selection, appraisal and training is carried out by managers who work on an ongoing basis with employees rather than by a specialist in a centralised HRM function. A third key change in people management was that HRM was given a great deal more status in Asda. Instead of being something carried on at lower levels of the business, HRM is now recognised as a key strategic area of the business (i. e. one that needs to be given priority in organisational planning involving senior managers). Overall, HRM plays a vital part in Asda and many other businesses alike. If it recruits the right people with the skills and experience needed for the job, the business will run smoothly but if it doesnt then they will need to recruit some other people costing a lot of money for advertising, training, etc costing the business a high labour turnover rate. If it is to strive in the market place, not only does it need to meet the needs of the customers, but also of employees. If staff are motivated and incredibly fluent in their line of work, they would produce a quality service and production meaning that more people would want to shop at Asda.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Annette Lareau: Annotated Bibliography

Annette Lareau: Annotated Bibliography Critical Annotated Bibliography of key texts focused on  Annette Lareaus reserach Social researchers have stressed the importance of understanding the social stratification and its impact on children and parents as a whole (Lareau A, 1999). Annette Lareau is a professor of Sociology at University of Pennsylvania. She achieved her PhD in Sociology from University of California, Berkley.   Her ground- breaking research involves, investigating questions like the influence of social stratification on families.   She has done substantial fieldwork examining the lives of American people. She has focused on the impact of social structural forces, parenting styles like concerted cultivation, educational inequalities and if they participate towards shaping vital aspects of childrens lives.   She has written many books and articles stressing on how class can make or break families present and future. Her work contributes to broaden our understanding towards the class system. The body of Annette Lareaus work that I have chosen assesses vital issues in American society, which effects children, parents and families as a whole.   It discusses vital issues like the role of class system in middle class, working class and poor families in raising their children, their daily lives, varying parenting styles and their role in childrens present and future prospects. Lareau, A., 2011. Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. University of California Press. Annette Lareaus book Unequal Childhoods with an update a decade later is a step forward in comprehending the importance of learning and understanding the impact of class system on family lives and parenting styles in African American and White families and is an excellent effort to fill in the gap in relevant research studies. She investigated how parental practices differ among White, Black, middle class, working class and poor families and the role it plays in shaping childrens future conclusively. Annette showed that class system plays a vital role in American families lives and uncovered the practices involved in reproduction of inequalities in the society. The author performed in-depth studies with 12 different families using participant observation as her studying approach providing detailed information about the families. Children participating in the study were aged 9-10 years old.   As part of the research, the author with the support of her assistants spent about one month with the families and gathered detailed information about them.   The research involved following the participants to afterschool activities, doctors visit and spent time at their homes. A key point that Lareaus ethnographic study showed is a particular parenting approach called concerted cultivation.   While visiting participant families, she observed that Black and White middle class families are very much involved in facilitating their children to achieve their goals.   They encourage, inspire and monitor their childrens academic achievements and play an active role in their lives. These parents were always interested in listening to their childrens voice and did not discourage them to show their opinions.   As a result, these children became more confident in speaking their minds, which helped them to develop their overall confidence, self-esteem and development.   In contrast, the rearing style of children belonging to working class and poor families in both Black and White families were limited due to lack of resources.   They relied on schools to take care of their children and gave their children extra time to play.   She contrasted these two parenting approaches and discovered that both of these parenting styles were beneficial, but children belonging to middle class were more successful in schools. She argues that African American families face racial discrimination in many areas e.g. employment and live in racially segregated neighbourhoods but interestingly,   White and African-American middle class families follow the same parenting style and there was no observation of racial discrimination. An exclusive point that Lareau observed was the conversational differences between parents and children e.g. children from middle class families were mostly involved in engaging conversations with adults, which helped these children to gain confidence.   Whereas, the parents of children from working and poor families showed authority and the children mostly showed compliance and rarely participated in engaging conversations with adults.   These differences show how middle class children acquire confidence and grasp the ability to demand whereas working class children are not very demanding. In conclusion, this study showed that class matters more than race but provided limited discussion on the impact of race in childrens lives and their future and lacks the information on the role of extended families in middle class young adults. Lareau recognises that there is a gap in studying the effects of class in childrens lives, positive parenting strategies and inequality due to class and therefore calls for   in-depth research in this field. Lareau has performed a review on her study by visiting the families again.  Ã‚   Children involved in the study are now young adults.   She interviewed these young adults their siblings and parents.   Lareau discovered that the importance of social class, she had observed when these children were younger (10yrs) old developed with time. Middle class parents kept playing an active role in their childrens lives despite them moving away from their homes.   These young adults continued seeking parents guidance. Their parents were massively involved in handling situations to increase their growth potential. On the contrary, parents belonging to working class and poor families considered their children now grown ups and the young adults agreed to this view.   Extended families play an important role in shaping children belonging to working class and poor family children. In conclusion, middle class children accomplished more educational achievements than the working class and poor family kids. Parenting styles shape childrens lives as they grow into young adults to prepare them for independent successful lives. Overall, an excellent and enlightening study. Lareau, A., 2002. Invisible inequality: Social class and childrearing in black families and white families. American sociological review, pp.747-776. This research studies the effects of social class, culture, race and their interaction by investigating the function and contribution of social class system in children ages of 7-10 years old. Using an ethnographic data, Lareau aims to study the associations and connections among Black and White parents, their children and distinctions in childrearing techniques.   She found that class differences are more noticeable than racial differences and that parenting styles are a way to reproduce class-based advantages. Lareau compares two different parenting approaches to learn and report their benefits and disadvantages. Middle class parents encouraged their children to be highly involved in extracurricular activities using a concerted paradigm to stimulate and develop their talents and capabilities. On the contrary, working class parents used the childrearing method called accomplishment of natural growth paradigm.   This method involves providing, love and care for the children, givi ng them a lot of freedom and unregulated recreation time and space. As a result, Lareau observed that middle class children found it easy to adapt to the school environment, as they followed the same expectations and structured activities at home. These parents encouraged, praised and respected their childrens wishes and these positive elements were an ongoing feature of middle class families. Lareau argues that the range of activities influence family lives. The importance of structured activities results in weak family and social bonds. The author points out that as middle class children were so busy participating in after school activities they barely had any time to visit their extended families. However, this study involved limited; discussion about childrens relationship with extended families e.g. grandparents. Another important point that Laruea raised in this research is the use of language. She observed that middle class children engaged in healthy discussions with their parents and other professionals whereas, working class and poor families did not involve in continued discussions frequently with their parents.   All parents and children were involved in having conversations with professionals, but middle class children were more skilful in holding conversations with others.   The study shows that socioeconomic status can influence social connections. Children from working and poor family background has a wider range of social connections in compare to the middle class children. The author showed, that race does not seem to have a great impact in shaping childrens lives.   Although Black parents were increasingly worried about their childrens lives outside due to racial problems. In conclusion, this is an enlightening ethnographical study, with expressive and illuminative data, but as it is concentrated on a small sample therefore; it is very difficult to generalise the results to public. Lareau, A., 2000. Social class and the daily lives of children, A study from the United States. Childhood, 7(2), pp.155-171. Laurae strived to explore the social class differences by designing and performing a detailed and comprehensive study in comparison to studies performed in the past where childrens research was limited to the contexts of schools and families.   Childrens out of school activities have a significant influence on middle class parents lives.   The author provides a detailed account of how parents felt when they had to make time to take their children to participate in out of school activities. This article aims to investigate the function of social class in moulding and forming daily lives of children. This study discusses three main issues, what shapes childhood, rhythm and pace of life and to what extent parents and childrens lives interact with each other. The author collected detailed ethnographic data of children aged 7-10 years old.   Eighty children participated in this study from African American or White families over the period of 3 years.   The author aimed to observe the associations between children and parents in their daily lives. The study took place in North-eastern metropolis and Midwestern community in a white working class neighbourhood. The study involved interviews from all mothers and most fathers and childrens classroom observations. While observing children from middle and working class families, Lareau found that their lives are very different from each other.   Middle class boys occupied themselves in structured activities arranged by their parents/carers and focused on developing new skills.   Whereas, working class boys spent their time participating in informal activities e.g. free play, visiting kin and hanging out. Working class boys were much more social then middle class boys.  Ã‚   She revealed that both parenting approaches has benefits and drawbacks.   This research-studied boy in more detail than girls and some gender differences were observed e.g. girls were encouraged to participate in gymnastics rather than football.   The author states that covering aspects of race, gender and class can also show us if there is any link between these categories. The research reports that African American people has a fear of being subject to discrimination from White people and encouraged their children to be friends with black children which confirms the racial inequalities in the society. The result showed that children from middle class families spent time in structured activities organised by adults.   The foundations of these activities are skill development and public performances, which may result in knowledge enhancement.   The structures of these activities were very similar to school activities; therefore, attending school was a similar but not exclusive experience for these middle children. Observing the working class children shows a different picture.   These children do not follow a structural system in their lives; they do find organised and structured activities somewhat difficult. They liked to hang out and visit their extended families.   Lareau claims that race does not play a sufficient role but the role of class differences are clear in the daily lives of children. Overall, this is a fantastic detailed ethnographical study, which uses only a small sample of participants from limited sides of community and the author did not mention the methods employed to examine the collected data set.   Weininger, E.B., Lareau, A. and Conley, D., 2015. What Money Does not buy: Class Resources and Childrens Participation in Organized Extracurricular Activities. Social Forces, 94(2), pp.479-503. In this study Lareau et al, aimed to examine an important question of significance, which is class position in the society and its effects on childrens lives. In the past researchers have concentrated on family resources and school characteristics.   The authors stepped up this research by moving towards how children spent their time in after school activities and whether race and class differences influence childrens lives.   They concentrated on the belief that middle class parents involvement in their childrens lives encourages them to participate in structured afterschool activities, which consequently leads to future success. This research deployed a large national data set to analyse the influence of class.   The sample is restricted to Black and White children.   The children participated in this study were only chosen from private or public schools.   The author employed longitudinal survey data and time diaries collected in 2002-2003 in order to get comprehensive list of childrens activities within the course of 24-hour periods. Lareau et al aimed to investigate class differences and stated that parents from all social groups consider childrens participation in extracurricular activities vital, but some parents face challenges and constraints for example transportation or lack of time. Another key point that they revealed in this study is that parents approaches to childrearing are different due to social class.   Middle class parents practice concerted cultivation parenting style and encourage their children to participate in after school activities to support them to enhance their academic and career goals and aspirations. Observing the working class and poor families revealed that they prioritise their focus on their childrens protection and let them participate in informal play and give them space.  Ã‚   The study-employed good confound control to get robust results. The Lareau et al argues that average American children are spending approximately 4 hours weekly engaging in extracurricular activities, but children from middle class engage in a lot more activities.   Their mothers are more educated and they have resources to support their children to participate in more extracurricular activities.   The study showed that childrens engagement in extracurricular activities are related to positive results in education and employment. The authors explored the question, whether it is just the class inequalities, which differentiates families decision for their children to participate in extracurricular activities or is there a link with cultural values, as well? The authors identifies that socioeconomic status of families has a direct impact on how children spend their time after school. Due to high expenditures childrens participation in afterschool activities varied for e.g. people living in small cities and rural areas spent less money on childrens extracurricular activities less than families living in larger cities. The results of this study states that it is not just the materialistic resources, which matters maternal education, demographic characteristics e.g., gender, age, race other factors like work, labour market and cultural aspects they are all important.   The study does not discuss whether atypical childrens participation in extracurricular activities was any different from typically developing children. The study is restricted to Black and White American families. The study reveals that socioeconomic status matters, but just removing these barriers is not a guarantee that children will enrol in extracurricular activities.   Cultural aspects also influences how much time and money parents spend on children to participate in these activities. Weininger, E.B. and Lareau, A., 2009. Paradoxical pathways: An ethnographic extension of Kohns findings on class and childrearing. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), pp.680-695. Class division is a vital topic of research in family studies.   A few studies have focused on its influence on family lives.   Reflecting on detailed interviews the authors aimed to extend Melvin Kohns study on childrearing standards by investigating parental responsibilities to autonomy and conformity. The study provided effective theoretical and empirical background of Melvin Kohns research studies on social stratification.   Using a secondary data, which involved 88 children aged 8-10 years old selected randomly. The participants were children from two elementary school classrooms.   The study-involved even number of American Black and White children but only involved a small number of Hispanics and Asians.   Although, it would have been useful to employ even number of all races as Hispanics and Asians are important part of American society. Lareau et al found that parents from middle class families encouraged their children to have self-control and self-direction and the results are consistent with Kohns research. It is difficult to conclude a general connection between class, self-direction and conformity The author raised the issue of variation in parental values on extracurricular activities for children. The author observed variation in values across different economic class of the families.   Middle class families were keen to expose their children to successful life chances and options while keeping them under supervision, which enhanced childrens self-esteem, self-confidence, self-worth and helped them to do well in their present and future.   Working and poor class families on the other hand did not give much importance to send their children for leisure activities.   They used their resources to provide and protect their children and they let their children develop naturally. The study shows a complicated picture of child rearing and emphasizes the need to understand parental values and parental behaviours in detail. It will be a step forward to continue to study the influence of social stratification on families. Conclusion: Annette Lareau has contributed immensely in the field of sociology.   She has ingrained herself researching American families in order to investigate how social inequality continue to sustain itself and is passed on generation after generation. The key texts are current and are grounded in sociology and psychology. The common thread in these studies are the impact of class and the role of parenting in childrens lives. There are commonalities among the texts such as middle class parents use concerted parenting styles by providing opportunities, supervised learning experiences to their children for their best interest, and do well. She has worked hard with American, families to show how class differences and children rearing techniques differ from working class to middle class and poor families and the impact of these differences on childrens future prospects. She showed that parenting is not as simple as saying that bad parents raise their children ineffectively and good parents raise children who are successful in their lives. It is much more complex. While investigating the class inequalities in American families Lareau study regarding working-class families is very influential.   Her research with working class reveals that class reflects cultural and economic variations.   Lareaus approaches of researching with children and families are very ambitious and effective.   She employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches in her research for the results to be robust.   Her research helps us to understand the effects of class and race on children in middle, working and poor class families. These studies show new light to sociologists, social scientists, and anthropologists, a new direction towards learning how race, culture and parenting fuse together and play a role in shaping childrens lives.   The author identifies the importance of both parenting styles but the author does not describe which one is more effective, when it interacts with race. These studies raise an important question. Do middle class parents work harder in supporting their children in school and teach them how to deal with racism than working and poor families?   Race and class inequalities can make childrens lives much more difficult and their future insecure. Social scientists can carry her research forward by focusing on which parental approach is more beneficial for children and how class and race interacts. Bibliography: Lareau, A., 2011. Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. Univ of California Press. Lareau, A., 2002. Invisible inequality: Social class and childrearing in black families and white families. American sociological review, pp.747-776. Lareau, A., 2000. Social class and the daily lives of children, A study from the United States. Childhood, 7(2), pp.155-171. Lareau, A. and Horvat, E.M., 1999. Moments of social inclusion and exclusion race, class, and cultural capital in family-school relationships. Sociology of education, pp.37-53. Weininger, E.B., Lareau, A. and Conley, D., 2015. What Money Does not buy: Class Resources and Childrens Participation in Organized Extracurricular Activities. Social Forces, 94(2), pp.479-503. Weininger, E.B., and Lareau, A., 2009. Paradoxical pathways: An ethnographic extension of Kohns findings on class and childrearing. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), pp.680-695. http://currents.ucsc.edu/05-06/11-28/lareau.asp Education and Stratification in Developing Countries: A Review of Theories and Research Annual Review of Sociology Vol.27:1-504 (Volume publication date August 2001) DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.77 Education and Stratification in Developing Countries: A Review of Theories and Research Annual Review of Sociology Vol.27:1-504 (Volume publication date August 2001) DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.77

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

GE Turbines and Balanced Scorecard Essay

A balance scorecard is essential for developing a healthy business growing place. It is a vital key for defining the goals and targets of a company as well as the vision, mission and the SWOTT Analysis. A balanced scorecard is, â€Å"A set of measures that are directly linked to a company’s strategy: financial performance, customer knowledge, internal business processes, and learning and growth† (Pearce & Robinson, 2013, p. 194). This company will relate the in-building turbines values, mission, vision and SWOTT Analysis with the four perspectives of the scorecard (financial performance, customer knowledge, internal business process, and learning and growth. Financial Perspective/Shareholder Value A strong and well defined vision and mission statement will facilitate this company to achieve its target. The objectives of the in-building turbines should be implemented as a daily routine so as to increase the performance of the company. The first and foremost responsibility of a company is to seek its customer satisfaction, benefit utilization, increased net revenues and also to achieve financial stability. GE being a financially stable company already gives this new product line a head start for the investors to trust this product. In order to evaluate the financial stability of a company, one should calculate the Operating cost, Earnings per share, growth revenue & return on interest and capital. The shareholders of GE should be very excited for this new line because if it is as successful as hoped for, the stock for the shareholders could see multiple splits happening for GE stock in the near future. These splits will double the already invested, as well as lower the cost per share for new investors. Customer Value Perspective The customers will determine the success of the company. Customer satisfaction must remain at the top of the list for this company in order to see it grow in both demand and profitability for GE and their shareholders.  With the approach of letting the customer have constant monitoring capabilities during the fabricating process of their turbine orders, the more the customer will be engaged with the company and satisfied with the product. This type of approach should also increase the image for the turbines in the market. there must be consistency in the value & quality of the product. It’s the responsibly of GE and their new division to generate awareness in the public and should also offer benefits to those customers who believe in the product during its infancy. The in-building turbine company will also implement a survey board on the website in order to constantly better themselves based on the customer’s desires. The company will monitor their stock share value in the market constantly. By doing this it will allow for GE to offer special promotions on the turbine purchases, with discount percentages for all customers if the shares are constantly moving upward. This will be a way to gather the attention of new customers by introducing this program to them. When the new company and employees’ performance reviews by the customers are favorable for a long enough period of time, it could mean the turbine company is strong enough to hold its position alone in the market and do nothing but strengthen GE’s already established position there. If the reviews from the survey system are poor, the turbine company will have a chance to address the issues and still have to lean on GE for support with their structuring and financing. Process/Internal Operations Perspective Strategic planning is necessary to deliver the turbines to the customers. It should be done in accordance with the customer’s needs for energy conservation and desires of lower energy bills. In order to improve the business efficiencies, market value as well as the current position; one should have an effective strategic management team to overcome all the resistance from the energy providers. The most important thing is to define the purpose or intention of the strategy, this will lead a company smoothly towards its goals. The goals highlight the vision and mission statement of the company. GE’s plan with this new company is to show the world they are the new innovation in green energy through normal daily routines. For the satisfactory outcome of the company the strategic objectives and goals should be monitored on a daily basis. The company will set its objective, as  well as start down a path to be followed while keeping in mind the values and interest of the customers without fail. There will be a tool or set of measurements which may be used to measure the targets, public interest, share value in the market, and budget in hand. In the company’s strategic planning, the surveys will be done constantly so they will be able to change daily to critique their new company to the desires of the customers. GE will be providing excessive financial aid to this company to constantly monitor and aggressively attack the market with this new product through marketing, distribution, and any other means necessary. These turbines will make paying for energy easier on every customer who desires lower bills. GE feels that with this new product, all it will take is for the first customer to experience the difference they can make in attacking inflation. Learning and Growth Perspective The learning and growth process is considered as an extremely important aspect in the balance scorecard, this perspective focuses on the growth and prosperity of the company as well as the learning of internal and external public needs. â€Å"Learning† in accordance with this turbine company is to learn about the attitudes of the internal employees and external customers. This technique of Balance Scorecard will help the company to maintain its position in the market and also bring technological changes. The technological changes are being implemented from the initial launch of this product. GE is able to use their influence to create a technology that hopefully will take the competition years to catch up with. The surveys will provide valuable information to achieve the organization’s mission to constantly learn and improve their product and how the company is operating. The strategic planning should focus on employee training to have competent employees who constantly develop their skills and ultimately provide benefits to the company. For the in-building turbine company, the strategic objective will bring constant improvements in the company. The improvements will be in the form of new technology in the company, constant recruitment of the deserving candidates with retaining the highly skilled workers, as well as letting the customers know the company is always working on the suggestions they provided to increase the organization’s trust and customer circle. The organization will develop a strategy in order to provide more benefits to the customers such as online purchasing and billing for the turbines, letting the customer overlook the fabricating process, constantly introducing new advancements with the products and services, and introducing attractive packages and offers like the discounts for the customers for helping keep the shareholders interested in this type of energy production. The success of the company depends on its vision and mission statement. The best way to attain the targets and goals of the company is to have a strategic plan which can effectively explain and deliver the objectives of the company. The achievements and goals of the company will be easily measured. The well-balanced business will develop the balance scorecard, which is the most significant technique to achieve all targets for GE’s new organization. The balance scorecard’s four perspectives defined here are: Financial perspective, Customer perspective, internal process, and Learning and Growth. With each perspective, the company will define the strategic objectives, performance measures, targets and initiatives. References: Budget. (2014). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/budget Buhrman, M. (2014). Energy rates could increase after storm. Retrieved from http://russellville.thv11.com/news/news/111997-entergy-rates-could-increase-after-storm Lorette, K. (2014). Importance of Product Packaging in Marketing. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-product-packaging-marketing-648.html Product Focus. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.productfocus.com/pricing_how_to_price.php What is Carbon Fiber? (2014). Retrieved from http://www.dragonplate.com/sections/technology.asp Strategic Management Insight (Sep 03 2013). Retrieved from http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/mission-statements/general-electric-mission-statement.html Balanced Scorecard Institute (2009) Balanced Scorecard Basics. Retrieved Sept. 19, 2014 from http://www.balancedscorecard.org/BSCResources/AbouttheBalancedScorecard/tabid/55/Default.aspx Pearce, J. A. & Robinson, R. B. (2013). Strategic management: Planning for Domestic and Global Competition (13th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Rhetorical Analysisi of a Technology

The internet has become the new recreational area of the present and upcoming generations. Discourse communities have evolved greatly over time allowing users to redesign computer mediated communication. Each discourse community is made possible by the use of unique commonplaces where shared values and goals are identified. Active. com facilitates communication among athletes in our nation. Their community emphasizes competition, healthy nutrition and training. Through the use of this discourse community, athletes can take part of a team outside the local environment.In 1998, the Active Network began as an online registration site for tournaments. The company mission is â€Å"to enhance the life of individuals worldwide through technology and marketing solutions that enable and encourage participation† (Dave Alberga). The network now process more than one million transactions of events each year (â€Å"Hystory†). Registration, sales, and donations are processed online w hich allows for paperless transactions, making for a more cost effective and environmentally friendly option.According to journalist S. Marks comment on this discourse community, â€Å"It's among the Web's best tickets to sports and fitness event registration, fitness advice, and more†. In the case of a charity event and fundraisers, members habitually make a decision to participate for the sole cause of serving. This allows members to support a certain event of interest in which they might not be physically participating in, but might offer their support through donations and promotional support through online networking. Members of Active. om may take advantage of numerous tools offered to assist in enhancing athletic performance and improving overall health and fitness. Diet plans are customized for specific fitness and performance goals. There are also various fitness calculators included, ranging from those that calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) to pace rate and maximum he art rate. More in dept nutritional and training support is available through customized programs tailored to an individual’s current status and goals. However, these supplemental services are not free of charge.Training advice, tips and moral support is provided without a fee among the discourse community. The operators of the website provide members with daily advice which may be linked on other discourse community feeds such as Facebook or Twitter. Newsletters are also available via e-mail providing updated information on training trends, athletic event, nutritional and injury prevention tips. There is also advice for other outdoor activities such as camping and fishing which further encourages physical activity and well being.The shared goals of the discourse community: competition, healthy nutrition, and training ultimately form the foundation for overall wellness achieved through physical activity. Online training logs are ideal for logging and tracking fitness and athle tic performance when working towards a goal or seeking overall improvement. The website is fashioned in such manner as to persuade the community to take part in sports and to seek further resources available through subscriptions for sale which are upgraded versions of the free tools offered.Provided that a member desires to have unlimited access to the vast benefits offered by Active. com, it can be acquired at the monthly rate of $9. 99/plus tax. The site is a strong athletic community which uses related advertising as a means to promote the discourse community shared goals and values. The services for sale may be of benefit to novices or athletes who have hit plateau and are seeking expert guidance for reaching their goals, otherwise the free services should suffice member’s needs. The online community unites professional athletes, beginners and fans from different parts of the nation.Users can create their own blogs which provides fans with the ability to keep track of pr ofessionals’ athletes within the community. Others that aspire to become professionals can be discovered by trainers in the same manner. The discourse community endows its members with valuable insight, including updated information, tips, and testimonials by expert coaches, trainers and professional athletes within a specific sport of interest. Members of the community value physical fitness, many of them inspiring to reach and maintain a certain level wellness.Therefore, advice from experienced athletes within the same field of interest is particularly valued within the community. Information shared among members is comprised of tournament instructions, fundraisers and charity events. When users begin a blog page, they often describe and elaborate on their personal experiences, achievements and obstacles encountered during their passionate involvement in a particular sport or activity. Language plays a crucial role in communicating among members when considering the diversi ty in sports lingo and terminology. The lingo used by the members of the discourse community might encourage individuals hat are familiar with the terminology to join and interact with other likeminded individuals. On the other hand, those who are unfamiliar with the sports lingo may be a bit hesitant in joining the discourse community. BMI, fartlek and ratio numeration used to denote training intervals are examples of sports lingo found in this discourse community. However, Active. com does offer various glossaries, articles and newsletters which allow for familiarization of specified terminology. Beginner and â€Å"newbie† selections are available for those just getting started within a particular sport.Members of the discourse community are encouraged to use sports lingo while active members of the site, this facilitates transition from novice to intermediate and so forth. People of the discourse community may browse for a team to join, a sports camp or retreat to register for or simply network with people nationwide with similar athletic interests. Millions of members visit Active. com each year to learn improvement techniques of the sport practiced and explore the website as this offers infinite number of activities available for members (â€Å"Our Communities Connect People with Things they Love to Do†).The benefits of the discourse community includes a facilitated activity calendar for athletic events where athletes are able to record times of previous competitions making their performance trends available for viewing by other community members. Members involved in this discourse community have the ability to create an online identity by creating a profile. Users are allowed to describe their interest on their profiles and write their plans which are referred to as their â€Å"status†. Blogs created by each member have the potential to inspire and motivate the rest of the community to reach and achieve their fitness/athletic goals.T he discourse community shapes the identity of users by allowing them to identify with the context of the web page at the same time the users fit into place in blogs and tournaments of their level of training. By uploading video format and pictures, members may generate a dynamic space allowing communication through a more visual means. Members of the community typically upload pictures of themselves, as well as, pictures of previous competitions in which they participated in. Occasionally, some people will upload pictures of their children participating in sports.The site is welcoming to people of all body types, genders and racial/ethnic groups. Profile pictures of members as posted vary from the very athletic physique to the not so athletic. Fans are capable of following blogs by bookmarking members or creating online friends. The friendship created among users often resembles that of a coworker which post and answer each other’s blogs. If a member is interested on having a closer friendship, private messages can be sent to arrange for chatting or other activities.The users are allowed a display name or real name along with a picture or an avatar character representation. A URL web address is provided which can be accessed by members and nonmembers of the community. The language of the discourse community is to be understood among its like minded members of the community. Common places regarding to the role of each member in the community plays are described on the website. Each member is assigned a level according to points accumulated, mimicking recognition given to professional athletes by assigned nicknames coined by fans and coaches.The lowest level is called â€Å"rookie† with zero starts, and the highest level is called â€Å"we’re not worthy† which has five starts. The starts and points are awarded by initiating posting and by replying helpful answers. The points can be interchanged by prizes to include free training subsc ription from the site. The website operates under appropriate vocabulary etiquette. Comments, posts, and blogs that do not attach to the agreed etiquette behaviors are erased by the operators of the website. The primary commonplace of the discourse community is the logo of the website followed by the common place of each particular group.Due to the wide variety of sports that the website offers, the names of the sports are displayed as a list to avoid confusion among disciplines. The main page of the website displays several pictures and related links to associated articles while the member’s and groups profiles have a plain white background with one or two pictures. People’s reasons for participating in an online community may vary from person to person. Some reasons may include convenience, a broader community network which includes participants of all levels and practicality of services and tools offered online.People functioning under unusual agendas might benefit from the online space as they have the conveniences of simply logging in from any available computer with internet connectivity. This kind of convenience allows for staying current with blog friends, as well as keeping up to par with current community news and online feeds (Uwe Matzat). Members who belong to an athletic team may communicate, plan and schedule an event through this network of communication. This kind of discourse community may also be the perfect motivational tool for a novice of prospective athlete.People of all walks of life may find inspiration and support from this community since it is comprised of a diverse target population. The social status of the target audience is primarily middle class to upper class and the age targeted might vary according to articles, blogs, and groups that member belong to. For example, a mother of a family might find joy reading articles related to getting her children more involved in outdoor activities that involve the whole family , such as camping. In the same manner a teenage boy may find it more appealing to participate in group events such as marathon running.Residential and non-residential training camps are available for children and adult alike. A residential training camp consists of lodging for training session lasting more than one day, whereas non-residential involves a one day session. This unique social form of networking allows for athletes of all levels to come together in sharing advice, anecdotes and experiences related to a common athletic interest. The website ideology shapes people to be better athletes and eat healthy as the affinity group ideology is based on competition, healthy nutrition and training. Enthusiastic and inspirational individuals are found within the numerous communities which promote and support physical activity and wellness through participation in the various existent sports.Works CitedDave Alberga. â€Å"About Active Network†. 2008. Active Network. Accessed Oc tober 15, 2010 from http://mediakit. activenetwork. com/About_Active_Network. htm â€Å"History†. 2010. Active Network. Accessed October 15, 2010 from http://www. activenetwork. com/about/corporate-overview/history. htm Susan J Marks. â€Å"Clicks and misses†. 2002.Bloomer Business Week. Accessed October 16, 2010 from http://www. businessweek. com/technology/content/apr2002/tc20020419_3319. htm â€Å"Our Communities Connect People with Things they Love to Do†. 2010. Active Network. Accessed October 15, 2010 from http://www. activenetwork. com/online-communities. htm Uwe Matzat. â€Å"Reducing problems of sociability in online communities: Integrating online communication with offline interaction†. 2010. American Behavioral Scientist. Accessed October 16, 2010 from http://www. umatzat. net/matzat_ABS. pdf

Friday, November 8, 2019

Essay on Women in Science and Technology

Essay on Women in Science and Technology Essay on Women in Science and Technology Essay on Women in Science and TechnologyThe era of globalization and rapid technological development has changed people’s lives dramatically. Science and technology play an extremely important role in the contemporary society. Government in developed and developing countries recognize the importance of the development of ST sphere. The roles of men and women have changed dramatically in the contemporary society.   Women have got more freedom to express themselves and take active part in the development of technologies, despite the fact that there are still problems in this sphere.   As stated in the report   by the United Nations(2011) called   Applying a Gender Lens to Science, Technology and Innovation, : â€Å"There is also need for recognition of the importance of applying a â€Å"gender lens† to STI for development. Indeed, STI policies and programmes will not be effective, equitable and sustainable unless the gender lens is applied so as to reflect the ai ms, concerns, situation and abilities of both women and men† (11). People realize the gender equality is one of the components of healthy society and true development is impossible without it.   Only understanding of contribution women can make to the development of science and technology can bring positive impact on the development of this sphere.At the present moment all over the world, with small exceptions, women take an active social role and demonstrate their abilities in a lot of spheres. Nowadays women are active in good production industry, natural-resources management, educational sphere, community management. Women occupy different positions in these spheres and professions in the spheres mentioned above are mostly considered to be female ones . Big percentage of women work in the medical industry, as well. In the developing countries women are also often involved in agricultural sphere and take part in the production of food, selling it and farming.   In additi on, most of women have additional burden, such as home work and care about the members of the family.  Despite the growing temps of technological development and   popularity of feminism, women   do not still possess equal position in the society.   â€Å"Although women and girls make up approximately 50 per cent of the global population, they have access to much less than half of the resources in terms of technology, financing, land, training and education, and information† (Applying a Gender Lens to Science, Technology and Innovation, 12). A lot specialists believe that true progress and development are not possible without women’s active participation in these processes.   The gender lens would be an essential contribution to the development of STI sphere and would enable people to meet the global changes.   â€Å"UNESCO figures reveal that in 121 countries with available data, women comprise 29 percent of   researchers but there were big disparities among regions. For example, in Latin America and the Caribbean, 46 percent of researchers are female and Argentina, Cuba, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela have achieved gender parity. In Asia, women constitute only 18 percent of researchers overall. India and Japan have 13 percent female researchers and South Korea has 15 percent. In Africa women comprised about 33 percent of researchers† (UNESCO 2009). These numbers show that women’s participation in STI is very low.   Even in the countries with comparatively high rates, women’s participation does not make even 50 per cent.   These results show that gender inequality still exists in this sphere and it is necessary to pay scrupulous attention to this problem. The Baltic countries show the best results in this sphere. Women’s engagement in STI is comparatively high and is often higher than 50 percents. Among such countries are Lithuania (68.3  %), Estonia, Estonia (63.9%),   Bulgaria (63.8  %), and Latvia (63.2  %) (Human Resources in Science and Technology). The experience of these countries can become a valuable help for other countries which want to establish gender equality in the sphere of science and technology.The history shows a lot of examples of great input made by women to the development of STI. It is hard to overestimate the role of women in the development of different sphere. Scientific and industrial field, as well as other technological industries are influenced and dominated by men. Despite the fact that there are women who have played an important role in the development of STI industry, their names are rarely mentioned.   For example, Ada Byron King, the daughter of the famous Lord Byron, became the first computer programmer. She also was a prominent mathematician. Unfortunately, her name is rarely mentioned in the history of the development of the computer industry and when people speak about this sphere they remember the names of famous male specialis ts. Earlier history also contains data about the famous female specialists in science and technology, but their names are even less remembered than Ada Byron King’s name. Hypatia, a Egyptian mathematician who lived in 400s made great contribution to the development of science. Maria Gaetana Agnesi made a great contribution to the science by her work in differential calculus in 1700s. Sofia Kovalevskaya worked in 1800s in Russia. Her contribution to the development of astronomy and mathematics is hard to overestimate. From recent history, it is worth to mention Grace Hopper, a PhD in mathematics. She became one of leaders on the field of software development and made a great contribution to the development of new programming techniques. â€Å"A true visionary, Dr. Hopper received many awards for her work, including ironically the Data Processing Management Associations Man-of-the-Year award† (Abrams). Grace Hopper became the first to recognize possible profits people could have from the use of computers and she did a lot to put her ideas into practice. She realized that making the computers easier in use would increase their popularity among ordinary people. In this way she made her contribution to the computer revolution and made computers more available.   This case illustrates not only women’s ability to achieve high results in the sphere of science and technologies. It also demonstrates the way female brain works. In contrast to men, who think about complicated schemas and complex technologies, women take into account the sphere of application and use technology more available for people. â€Å"Recent research has found that men are seduced by the technology itself. They tend to get into the faster-race-car syndrome, bragging about the size of their discs or the speed of their microprocessors. Women tend to take a more practical approach. They generally think that machines are meant to be used, and dont really care about whats insi de the box. They just want it to work, and to get things done† (Abrams).In the interesting study performed by the Center for Children and Technology specialists tried to find the difference between male and female approaches to technological advances. The participants of the experiment, both – men and women – were asked to described the perfect machine of the future. Results showed that machines proposed by men were designed in order to get their owners to expand control and to become more powerful. The machines designed by women had an intention to help people and to make their life easier.These differences in approaches to technological innovations show basic difference between male and female approaches in life. Men want to expand their influence and women are ready to adapt technologies and make their use easier and more comfortable for people. That is the reason men are more likely to invent new things and women are more likely to improve things which alread y exist. This division does not make men superior to women nor vice versa. It means that men and women possess different types of knowledge and skills and best results can be achieved in their combination. Until present moment women were underestimated in the computer industry. Little female IT specialists took part in the development of the hardware and software. â€Å"On the business side, a recent US Department of Labor study reports that women are not successfully moving beyond mid-management boundaries in this industry in fact, theres been only a 3% gain in the past 10 years â€Å" (Abrams).   Women are not presented in major CEOs and in the biggest companies which produce computers.The National Assessments on Gender and STI report states that women still have worse access to information and technologies in comparison to men.   Women’s role in the technological development is still badly defined. Technological resources are scantly used to support women’s ac tivities and occupation. In addition, the percentage of women in science and technology is very low (Gender Equality in the Knowledge Society).   â€Å"Women remain severely under-represented in engineering, physics and computer science - less than 30% in most countries – while the numbers of women working in these fields are also declining† (Gender Equality in the Knowledge Society).   In addition, women have less access to different resources, which would help them to take leadership position and have active influence on social processes. Women usually have lower access to finances, property, education and technology. This is very true from the developing countries, but in the   developed counties this tendency is also actual.   This can be explained by several reasons. Generally, women who try to enter technology profession experience same difficulties as women trying to enter other fields.   These difficulties include gender prejudgments, lack of female role models, difficulties in brining into line professional and personal responsibilities.     Gender prejudgments assume common belief that women have less talents and inclinations when it comes to technologies and science.  Ã‚   In addition, economic status and political power also play an important role in female parity in science and technology. Men occupy high position in the society and politics and have access to the distribution of resources. They influence the distribution of social roles, as well, and, naturally, they try to save status quo with male dominance in different spheres, and science and technology are not an exception. What is notable, women in the countries with good health care and childcare have more chances to enter the sphere of science and technology. In addition, countries where gender equality is considered to be the necessary component of the healthy society women also have more chances for normal self-expression in different fields.  Ã‚   Gende r equality usually assumes â€Å"the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men† (OSAGI, 2001).   This equality should result in â€Å"equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and for contributing to, and benefiting from, economic, social, cultural and political development† (ILO, 2007). This equality assumes not only shared duties, but also equal access to resources and participation in their distribution.   Nowadays, access to property is not enough for the equality .In the era of information, access to information can be even more important than access to property. Property distribution is important but it will not resolve the problem completely till women do not have equal access to information and technological resources.The problems with gender inequality and lack of professional opportunities for women in STI sphere are especially evident in the developing countries. There are different steps which may help to resolve the problem. Informational policy is very important. Giving men and women necessary information concerning the problem can help to resolve it. Education should become another strong factor which influences the distribution of social roles and positions. It is necessary to make sure that women in the developing countries have equal with men access to quality education.   Boys and girls have usually equal access to primary and secondary education, but the situation changes when it comes to higher education. Some changes in the curriculum would be useful to help girls and women to get more information about the STI sphere and create necessary conditions for their further employment in this sphere. In a lot of developing countries women have less access to higher education and it is necessary to   put all possible effort to change the situation for better. As mentioned above, good healthcare and mother care become those factors which help to create better career opportunities for women . So, the development of healthcare and mother care systems will also contribute to the creating of better career opportunities for women.Better informing and collecting precise statistics data can also make a contribution to the development of gender equality in science and technology. Information and statistical data will show areas where the problems still exist and specialists will have an opportunity to pay more attention to these spheres. After distinguishing problematic zones, it will be possible to find out possible reasons of low female participation and think about possible means to resolve these problems.   Popularization of the women who make an important contribution to STI would also help to reduce the gender gap in this sphere.   Mass media can help to pursue this goal.Women play an important role in a lot of spheres in   the contemporary society. They make great contribution to the development and improvement of life in a lot of spheres. Unfortunately, science and technology are the spheres where women do not have equal possibilities with men. There are a lot of possible explanations of this inequality, but gender bios, prejudices and unequal distribution of resources are among the main ones. Gender inequality in STI is more common in the developing countries. There are different ways to deal with the problem. Proper monitoring, proper informing and creating necessary work conditions should improve the situation in this field.   Gender equality and normal work conditions for both, men and women are the characteristics of any normal society and it is necessary to pay attention to the problem of gender inequality in science and technology because this can be beneficial for the development of these spheres.