The Role of Fdi in India

FDI Policy in India FDI as defined in Dictionary of Economics (Graham Bannock et. al) is investment in a foreign country through the acquisition of a local company or the establishment there of an operation on a new (Greenfield) site. To put in simple words, FDI refers to capital inflows from abroad that is invested in or to enhance the production capacity of the economy. [3] Foreign Investment in India is governed by the FDI policy announced by the Government of India and the provision of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999.The Reserve Bank of India (‘RBI’) in this regard had issued a notification,[4] which contains the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or issue of security by a person resident outside India) Regulations, 2000. This notification has been amended from time to time. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India is the nodal agency for motoring and reviewing the FDI policy on continued basis and changes in sectoral policy/ sect oral equity cap. The FDI policy is notified through Press Notes by the Secretariat for Industrial Assistance (SIA), Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).The foreign investors are free to invest in India, except few sectors/activities, where prior approval from the RBI or Foreign Investment Promotion Board (‘FIPB’) would be required. FDI Policy with Regard to Retailing in India It will be prudent to look into Press Note 4 of 2006 issued by DIPP and consolidated FDI Policy issued in October 2010[5] which provide the sector specific guidelines for FDI with regard to the conduct of trading activities. a) FDI up to 100% for cash and carry wholesale trading and export trading allowed under the automatic route. ) FDI up to 51 % with prior Government approval (i. e. FIPB) for retail trade of ‘Single Brand’ products, subject to Press Note 3 (2006 Series)[6]. c) FDI is not permitted in Multi Brand Retailing in India. Entry Options For Foreign Players prior to FDI Policy Although prior to Jan 24, 2006, FDI was not authorised in retailing, most general players had been operating in the country. Some of entrance routes used by them have been discussed in sum as below:- 1. Franchise AgreementsIt is an easiest track to come in the Indian market. In franchising and commission agents’ services, FDI (unless otherwise prohibited) is allowed with the approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the Foreign Exchange Management Act. This is a most usual mode for entrance of quick food bondage opposite a world. Apart from quick food bondage identical to Pizza Hut, players such as Lacoste, Mango, Nike as good as Marks as good as Spencer, have entered Indian marketplace by this route. 2. Cash And Carry Wholesale Trading 00% FDI is allowed in wholesale trading which involves building of a large distribution infrastructure to assist local manufacturers. [7] The wholesaler deals only with smaller retailers and not Consumers. Metro AG of Germany was the first significant global player to enter India through this route. 3. Strategic Licensing Agreements Some foreign brands give exclusive licences and distribution rights to Indian companies. Through these rights, Indian companies can either sell it through their own stores, or enter into shop-in-shop arrangements or distribute the brands to franchisees.Mango, the Spanish apparel brand has entered India through this route with an agreement with Piramyd, Mumbai, SPAR entered into a similar agreement with Radhakrishna Foodlands Pvt. Ltd 4. Manufacturing and Wholly Owned Subsidiaries. The foreign brands such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, etc. that have wholly-owned subsidiaries in manufacturing are treated as Indian companies and are, therefore, allowed to do retail. These companies have been authorised to sell products to Indian consumers by franchising, internal distributors, existent Indian retailers, own outlets, etc.For instance, Nike entered through an exclusive licen sing agreement with Sierra Enterprises but now has a wholly owned subsidiary, Nike India Private Limited. FDI in Single Brand Retail The Government has not categorically defined the meaning of â€Å"Single Brand† anywhere neither in any of its circulars nor any notifications. In single-brand retail, FDI up to 51 per cent is allowed, subject to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval and subject to the conditions mentioned in Press Note 3[8] that (a) only single brand products would be sold (i. . , retail of goods of multi-brand even if produced by the same manufacturer would not be allowed), (b) products should be sold under the same brand internationally, (c) single-brand product retail would only cover products which are branded during manufacturing and (d) any addition to product categories to be sold under â€Å"single-brand† would require fresh approval from the government. While the phrase ‘single brand’ has not been defined, it implies th at foreign companies would be allowed to sell goods sold internationally under a ‘single brand’, viz. Reebok, Nokia, Adidas. Retailing of goods of multiple brands, even if such products were produced by the same manufacturer, would not be allowed. Going a step further, we examine the concept of ‘single brand’ and the associated conditions: FDI in ‘Single brand’ retail implies that a retail store with foreign investment can only sell one brand. For example, if Adidas were to obtain permission to retail its flagship brand in India, those retail outlets could only sell products under the Adidas brand and not the Reebok brand, for which separate permission is required.If granted permission, Adidas could sell products under the Reebok brand in separate outlets. what is a ‘brand’? Brands could be classified as products and multiple products, or could be manufacturer brands and own-label brands. Assume that a company owns two leading inte rnational brands in the footwear industry – say ‘A’ and ‘R’. If the corporate were to obtain permission to retail its brand in India with a local partner, it would need to specify which of the brands it would sell.A reading of the government release indicates that A and R would need separate approvals, separate legal entities, and may be even separate stores in which to operate in India. However, it should be noted that the retailers would be able to sell multiple products under the same brand, e. g. , a product range under brand ‘A’ Further, it appears that the same joint venture partners could operate various brands, but under separate legal entities Now, taking an example of a large departmental grocery chain, prima facie it appears that it would not be able to enter India.These chains would, typically, source products and, thereafter, brand it under their private labels. Since the regulations require the products to be branded at the manufacturing stage, this model may not work. The regulations appear to discourage own-label products and appear to be tilted heavily towards the foreign manufacturer brands There is ambiguity in the interpretation of the term ‘single brand’. The existing policy does not clearly codify whether retailing of goods with sub-brands bunched under a major parent brand can be considered as single-brand retailing and, accordingly, eligible for 51 per cent FDI.Additionally, the question on whether co-branded goods (specifically branded as such at the time of manufacturing) would qualify as single brand retail trading remains unanswered. FDI in Multi Brand Retail The government has also not defined the term Multi Brand. FDI in Multi Brand retail implies that a retail store with a foreign investment can sell multiple brands under one roof. In July 2010, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce circulated a discussion paper[11] on allowing FDI in multi-brand retail.The paper doesn’t suggest any upper limit on FDI in multi-brand retail. If implemented, it would open the doors for global retail giants to enter and establish their footprints on the retail landscape of India. Opening up FDI in multi-brand retail will mean that global retailers including Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco can open stores offering a range of household items and grocery directly to consumers in the same way as the ubiquitous ’kirana’ store. Foreign Investor’s Concern Regarding FDI Policy in IndiaFor those brands which adopt the franchising route as a matter of policy, the current FDI Policy will not make any difference. They would have preferred that the Government liberalize rules for maximizing their royalty and franchise fees. They must still rely on innovative structuring of franchise arrangements to maximize their returns. Consumer durable majors such as LG and Samsung, which have exclusive franchisee owned stores, are u nlikely to shift from the preferred route right away.For those companies which choose to adopt the route of 51% partnership, they must tie up with a local partner. The key is finding a partner which is reliable and who can also teach a trick or two about the domestic market and the Indian consumer. Currently, the organized retail sector is dominated by the likes of large business groups which decided to diversify into retail to cash in on the boom in the sector – corporates such as Tata through its brand Westside, RPG Group through Foodworld, Pantaloon of the Raheja Group and Shopper’s Stop.Do foreign investors look to tie up with an existing retailer or look to others not necessarily in the business but looking to diversify, as many business groups are doing? An arrangement in the short to medium term may work wonders but what happens if the Government decides to further liberalize the regulations as it is currently contemplating? Will the foreign investor terminate t he agreement with Indian partner and trade in market without him?Either way, the foreign investor must negotiate its joint venture agreements carefully, with an option for a buy-out of the Indian partner’s share if and when regulations so permit. They must also be aware of the regulation which states that once a foreign company enters into a technical or financial collaboration with an Indian partner, it cannot enter into another joint venture with another Indian company or set up its own subsidiary in the ‘same’ field’ without the first partner’s consent if the joint venture agreement does not provide for a ‘conflict of interest’ clause.In effect, it means that foreign brand owners must be extremely careful whom they choose as partners and the brand they introduce in India. The first brand could also be their last if they do not negotiate the strategic arrangement diligently. Concerns for the Government for only Partially Allowing FDI in Retail Sector A number of concerns were expressed with regard to partial opening of the retail sector for FDI.The Hon’ble Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, in its 90th Report, on ‘Foreign and Domestic Investment in Retail Sector’, laid in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on 8 June, 2009, had made an in-depth study on the subject and identified a number of issues related to FDI in the retail sector. These included: It would lead to unfair competition and ultimately result in large-scale exit of domestic retailers, especially the small family managed outlets, leading to large scale displacement of persons employed in the retail sector.Further, as the manufacturing sector has not been growing fast enough, the persons displaced from the retail sector would not be absorbed there. Another concern is that the Indian retail sector, particularly organized retail, is still under-developed and in a nascent stage and that, therefore, it is important that the domestic retail sector is allowed to grow and consolidate first, before opening this sector to foreign investors. Antagonists of FDI in retail sector oppose the same on various grounds, like, hat the entry of large global retailers such as Wal-Mart would kill local shops and millions of jobs, since the unorganized retail sector employs an enormous percentage of Indian population after the agriculture sector; secondly that the global retailers would conspire and exercise monopolistic power to raise prices and monopolistic (big buying) power to reduce the prices received by the suppliers; thirdly, it would lead to asymmetrical growth in cities, causing discontent and social tension elsewhere.Hence, both the consumers and the suppliers would lose, while the profit margins of such retail chains would go up. LIMITATIONS OF   THE PRESENT SETUP Infrastructure There has been a lack of investment in the logistics of the retail chain, leading to an inefficient market mech anism. Though India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables (about 180 million MT), it has a very limited integrated cold-chain infrastructure, with only 5386 stand-alone cold storages, having a total capacity of 23. 6 million MT. , 80% of this is used only for potatoes.The chain is highly fragmented and hence, perishable horticultural commodities find it difficult to link to distant markets, including overseas markets, round the year. Storage infrastructure is necessary for carrying over the agricultural produce from production periods to the rest of the year and to prevent distress sales. Lack of adequate storage facilities cause heavy losses to farmers in terms of wastage in quality and quantity of produce in general. Though FDI is permitted in cold-chain to the extent of 100%, through the automatic route, in the absence of FDI in retailing; FDI flow to the sector has not been significant.Intermediaries dominate the value chain Intermediaries often flout mandi nor ms and their pricing lacks transparency. Wholesale regulated markets, governed by State APMC Acts, have developed a monopolistic and non-transparent character. According to some reports, Indian farmers realize only 1/3rd of the total price paid by the final consumer, as against 2/3rd by farmers in nations with a higher share of organized retail. Improper Public Distribution System (â€Å"PDS†) There is a big question mark on the efficacy of the public procurement and PDS set-up and the bill on food subsidies is rising.In spite of such heavy subsidies, overall food based inflation has been a matter of great concern. The absence of a ‘farm-to-fork’ retail supply system has led to the ultimate customers paying a premium for shortages and a charge for wastages. No Global Reach The Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (â€Å"MSME†) sector has also suffered due to lack of branding and lack of avenues to reach out to the vast world markets. While India has continued to provide emphasis on the development of MSME sector, the share of unorganised sector in overall manufacturing has declined from 34. % in 1999-2000 to 30. 3% in 2007-08[12]. This has largely been due to the inability of this sector to access latest technology and improve its marketing interface. Rationale behind Allowing FDI in Retail Sector FDI can be a powerful catalyst to spur competition in the retail industry, due to the current scenario of low competition and poor productivity. The policy of single-brand retail was adopted to allow Indian consumers access to foreign brands. Since Indians spend a lot of money shopping abroad, this policy enables them to spend the same money on the same goods in India.FDI in single-brand retailing was permitted in 2006, up to 51 per cent of ownership. Between then and May 2010, a total of 94 proposals have been received. Of these, 57 proposals have been approved. An FDI inflow of US$196. 46 million under the category of single brand retailing w as received between April 2006 and September 2010, comprising 0. 16 per cent of the total FDI inflows during the period. Retail stocks rose by as much as 5%. Shares of Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd ended 4. 84% up at Rs 441 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.Shares of Shopper’s Stop Ltd rose 2. 02% and Trent Ltd, 3. 19%. The exchange’s key index rose 173. 04 points, or 0. 99%, to 17,614. 48. But this is very less as compared to what it would have been had FDI upto 100% been allowed in India for single brand. The policy of allowing 100% FDI in single brand retail can benefit both the foreign retailer and the Indian partner – foreign players get local market knowledge, while Indian companies can access global best management practices, designs and technological knowhow.By partially opening this sector, the government was able to reduce the pressure from its trading partners in bilateral/ multilateral negotiations and could demonstrate India’s intentions in liberal ising this sector in a phased manner. Permitting foreign investment in food-based retailing is likely to ensure adequate flow of capital into the country & its productive use, in a manner likely to promote the welfare of all sections of society, particularly farmers and consumers.It would also help bring about improvements in farmer income & agricultural growth and assist in lowering consumer prices inflation. Apart from this, by allowing FDI in retail trade, India will significantly flourish in terms of quality standards and consumer expectations, since the inflow of FDI in retail sector is bound to pull up the quality standards and cost-competitiveness of Indian producers in all the segments. It is therefore obvious that we should not only permit but encourage FDI in retail trade.Lastly, it is to be noted that the Indian Council of Research in International Economic Relations (ICRIER), a premier economic think tank of the country, which was appointed to look into the impact of BIG capital in the retail sector, has projected the worth of Indian retail sector to reach $496 billion by 2011-12 and ICRIER has also come to conclusion that investment of ‘big’ money (large corporates and FDI) in the retail sector would in the long run not harm interests of small, traditional, retailers.In light of the above, it can be safely concluded that allowing healthy FDI in the retail sector would not only lead to a substantial surge in the country’s GDP and overall economic development, but would inter alia also help in integrating the Indian retail market with that of the global retail market in addition to providing not just employment but a better paying employment, which the unorganized sector (kirana and other small time retailing shops) have undoubtedly failed to provide to the masses employed in them.Industrial organisations such as CII, FICCI, US-India Business Council (USIBC), the American Chamber of Commerce in India, The Retail Association of In dia (RAI) and Shopping Centers Association of India (a 44 member association of Indian multi-brand retailers and shopping malls) favour a phased approach toward liberalising FDI in multi-brand retailing, and most of them agree with considering a cap of 49-51 per cent to start with.The international retail players such as Walmart, Carrefour, Metro, IKEA, and TESCO share the same view and insist on a clear path towards 100 per cent opening up in near future. Large multinational retailers such as US-based Walmart, Germany’s Metro AG and Woolworths Ltd, the largest Australian retailer that operates in wholesale cash-and-carry ventures in India, have been demanding liberalisation of FDI rules on multi-brand retail for some time. Thus, as a matter of fact FDI in the buzzing Indian retail sector should not just be freely allowed but per contra should be significantly encouraged.Allowing FDI in multi brand retail can bring about Supply Chain Improvement, Investment in Technology, Man power and Skill development,Tourism Development, Greater Sourcing From India, Upgradation in Agriculture, Efficient Small and Medium Scale Industries, Growth in market size and Benefits to government through greater GDP, tax income and employment generation. Prerequisites before allowing FDI in Multi Brand Retail and Lifting Cap of Single Brand Retail FDI in multi-brand retailing must be dealt cautiously as it has direct impact on a large chunk of population.Left alone foreign capital will seek ways through which it can only multiply itself, and unthinking application of capital for profit, given our peculiar socio-economic conditions, may spell doom and deepen the gap between the rich and the poor. Thus the proliferation of foreign capital into multi-brand retailing needs to be anchored in such a way that it results in a win-win situation for India. This can be done by integrating into the rules and regulations for FDI in multi-brand retailing certain inbuilt safety valves.For exam ple FDI in multi –brand retailing can be allowed in a calibrated manner with social safeguards so that the effect of possible labour dislocation can be analyzed and policy fine tuned accordingly. To ensure that the foreign investors make a genuine contribution to the development of infrastructure and logistics, it can be stipulated that a percentage of FDI should be spent towards building up of back end infrastructure, logistics or agro processing units.Reconstituting the poverty stricken and stagnating rural sphere into a forward moving and prosperous rural sphere can be one of the justifications for introducing FDI in multi-brand retailing. To actualize this goal it can be stipulated that at least 50% of the jobs in the retail outlet should be reserved for rural youth and that a certain amount of farm produce be procured from the poor farmers. Similarly to develop our small and medium enterprise (SME), it can also be stipulated that a minimum percentage of manufactured prod ucts be sourced from the SME sector in India.PDS is still in many ways the life line of the people living below the poverty line. To ensure that the system is not weakened the government may reserve the right to procure a certain amount of food grains for replenishing the buffer. To protect the interest of small retailers the government may also put in place an exclusive regulatory framework. It will ensure that the retailing giants do resort to predatory pricing or acquire monopolistic tendencies. Besides, the government and RBI need to evolve suitable policies to enable the retailers in the unorganized sector to expand and improve their efficiencies.If Government is allowing FDI, it must do it in a calibrated fashion because it is politically sensitive and link it (with) up some caveat from creating some back-end infrastructure. Further, To take care of the concerns of the Government before allowing 100% FDI in Single Brand Retail and Multi- Brand Retail, the following recommendat ions are being proposed :- Preparation of a legal and regulatory framework and enforcement mechanism to ensure that large retailers are not able to dislocate small retailers by unfair means.Extension of institutional credit, at lower rates, by public sector banks, to help improve efficiencies of small retailers; undertaking of proactive programme for assisting small retailers to upgrade themselves. Enactment of a National Shopping Mall Regulation Act to regulate the fiscal and social aspects of the entire retail sector. Formulation of a Model Central Law regarding FDI of Retail Sector Important highlights of Economic Outlook 2011-12 Agriculture grew at 6. 6% in 2010-11. This year’s monsoon is projected to be in the range of 90 to 96 per cent, based on which Agriculture sector is pegged to grow at 3. % in 2011-12! Industry grew at 7. 9% in 2010-11. Projected to grow at 7. 1% in 2011-12 Services grew at 9. 4% in 2009-10. Projected to grow at 10. 0% in 2011-12 Investment rate pr ojected at 36. 4% in 2010-11 and 36. 7% in 2011-12 Domestic savings rate as ratio of GDP projected at 33. 8% in 2010-11 & 34. 0% in 2011-12 Current Account deficit is $44. 3 billion (2. 6% of GDP) in 2010-11 and projected at $54. 0 billion (2. 7% of GDP) in 2011-12 Merchandise trade deficit is $ 130. 5 billion or 7. 59% of the GDP in 2010-11 and projected at $154. 0 billion or 7. % of GDP in 2011-12 Invisibles trade surplus is $ 86. 2 billion or 5. 0% of the GDP in 2010-11 and projected at $100. 0 billion or 5. 0% in 2011-12 Capital flows at $61. 9 billion in 2010-11 and projected at $72. 0 billion in 2011-12 FDI inflows projected at $35 billion in 2011/12 against the level of $23. 4 billion in 2010-11 FII inflows projected to be $14 billion which is less than half that of the last year i. e $30. 3 billion Accretion to reserves was $15. 2 billion in 2010-11. Projected at $18. 0 billion in 2011-12 Inflation rate would continue to be at 9 per cent in the month of July-October 2011.The re will be some relief starting from November and will decline to 6. 5% in March 2012. Foreign direct investment; net (BoP; US dollar) in India The Foreign direct investment; net (BoP; US dollar) in India was last reported at 11008159606. 75 in 2010, according to a World Bank report released in 2011. The Foreign direct investment; net (BoP; US dollar) in India was 19668790288. 40 in 2009, according to a World Bank report, published in 2010. The Foreign direct investment; net (BoP; US dollar) in India was reported at 24149749829. 71 in 2008, according to the World Bank.Foreign direct investment is net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows total net, that is, net FDI in the reporting economy from foreign sources less net FDI by the reporting economy to the rest of the world. Data are in current U. S. dollars.This page includes a historical data chart, news and forecast for Foreign direct investment; net (BoP; US dollar) in India. India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for more than half of India's output with less than one third of its labour force. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1997, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. Total 933. 2 100 2705. 0 100 231530. 1 100

Developmental psychology Essay

Developmental psychology is a field that studies the different stages of development of human psychology. There are many different models of development – theory of cognitive development by Jean Piaget, psychosexual stages of Sigmund Freud, stages of ego development by Jane Loevinger, model of hierarchical complexity by Michael Commons, stages of faith development by James W. Fowler, stages of psychosocial development by Erik Erikson, stages of moral development by Lawrence Kohlberg, hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow, etc. Erik Erikson formulated the stages of psychosocial development as an extension of Freud’s stages of psychosexual development. Erikson proposed eight stages of normal human development: Infancy Toddler Pre-school School Adolescence Young adulthood Middle adulthood Late adulthood The primary conflict in infancy or oral sensory age (birth to 12-18 months) is between trust and mistrust. In the toddler or muscular anal age (18 months to 3 years) stage, there is a conflict between autonomy and shame; initiative and guilt in the pre-school or locomotor (3 to 6 years) stage; industry and inferiority in the school latency (6 to 12 years) age; identity and role confusion in the adolescence (12 to 18 years) stage; intimacy and isolation during young adulthood (19 to 40 years); generativity and stagnation in middle adulthood (40 to 65 years); and ego integrity and despair in late adulthood (65 to death). In the first stage a baby is totally dependent on its parents and it is up to the parents to develop a relationship of trust between the child and themselves. Such a child will grow up to be a more secure individual. During the second stage children grain more personal control over their lives such as fetching things for themselves, toilet training and asking for what they want. Play is an important component of the third stage. During the fourth stage children develop sense of accomplishment and pride. In the adolescent stage children are learning to be independent and they attempt to gain a sense of ‘self’. In the sixth and the seventh stages people explore relationships through family, friends and career. The last stage is one retrospection and contemplation. The central element of the psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson is that of ego identity. This identity develops gradually through social interactions. All the conflicts in the different stages of life lead to what is also known as ego quality or ego strength. While Erik Erikson developed the model of Sigmund Frued, Lawrence Kohlberg extended the theory of cognitive development of Jean Piaget. In Kohlberg’s model there are three levels of moral development – pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. Obedience, punishment and self-interest are the main preoccupations in the pre-conventional level. The central questions at this level are, â€Å"How to avoid punishment?† and â€Å"What do I get from this?† Social norms and conformation to authority are the main concerns of the conventional stage. At this level people aspire to fulfil social roles. People are driven by approval and/or disapproval of the group that belong to. It becomes important for them to follow rules and conform to dictums and laws. Being accepted by the group is the most important concern during this level. Universal laws and ethics are more important than group-based laws and ethics in the post-conventional stage. This stage is otherwise known as the principled level. At this stage laws are not considered to be rigid or irrevocable. They are thought to be social contracts that entail varied views and opinions. The keywords of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development are – obedience, self-interest, conformity, law and order, human rights and universal human ethics. The mental stages of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development are designed to meet certain criteria: On a qualitative level, they are different ways of thinking. They are structured wholes. The progress of the stages is an invariant sequence. They are hierarchical. They are universal across cultures. Kohlberg uses these stages to explain other cognitive forms, particularly the ability to take roles. In the pre-conventional stage children do not know that there are other viewpoints on every subject. They accept the viewpoint only of the authority figure. They recognize different opinions and viewpoints in the second stage but gravitate towards those views that they themselves hold. People become concerned with the feelings of others during the third and fourth stages.   During the last two stages their worldview expands to include people from other communities and groups. They can identify with the opinions and feelings of ‘other’ people because no law considered absolute and give. Law is a construct and a contract. Kohlberg’s theory has been used in education to help children become active participants in their own moral development. Children are encouraged to discuss and debate moral issues and reach to conclusions on their own. One of the major criticisms of this theory lies with post-conventional stage. Critics have felt that it would be dangerous for people to place their individual values over group values and would be disruptive to communities. Carol Gilligan criticises the theory on the basis that it is totally male oriented and the women have a different path of moral development. Male development emphasizes authority while women emphasize affiliation. Erikson and Kohlberg have both provided important theories that expand on the theories of their predecessors. Erikson’s theory emphasizes social interactions while Kohlberg’s theory emphasises individual ideas and rights. Erikson’s ego identity finds fruition in a life of social interactions while Kohlberg’s ego identity transcends itself and group identities. The latter attributes only normative value to laws and dictums. REFERENCES: Erikson, E.H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: Norton. Erikson, E.H. (1963). Childhood and Society. (2nd ed.). New York: Norton. Carver, C.S. & Scheir, M.F. (2000). Perspectives on Personality. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Kohlberg, Lawrence (1981). Essays on Moral Development, Vol. I: The Philosophy of Moral Development. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.

Intro to Business Essay

FRANCHISE Case Study Questions: 1) Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of opening a franchise. (6 marks) The benefits of opening a franchise is that the franchisor would provide support, assistance and training; they would have a recognized name and products and; opening the franchise would be a reduced risk to the franchisee. The drawbacks of opening a franchise is that there would be restrictions on operations as the franchisee would have to follow the franchisor’s rules and regulations; must pay franchise fees and the percentage of sales to the franchisor and; there would be a loss of management control, prices, wages or even innovation. 2) Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of running this franchise with a partner rather than doing it on your own. The benefits/advantages of running this franchise with a partner would be; It would be fairly easy to start the partnership with an agreement between two people; It would be easier to raise more capital than a sole proprietorship; We would have greater skills and expertise with two of us as partners and; flexibility to support and help each other. The drawbacks/disadvantages of running this franchise with a partner would be; there could be conflicts or disagreements with a partner; we would be sharing the profits and; there could be difficulty in leaving or ending the partnership. 3) List 6 key characteristics that you and your partner will have to display in order to be successful in this entrepreneur endeavor. The key characteristics that my partner and I would have to display to be successful in our entrepreneur endeavor would be, to be: Ambitious, committed, self-confident, energetic, passionate, creative, passionate, determined and risk takers. 4) List 6 stakeholders and discuss how they are impacted by your business. 1.Employees – my business would create jobs Customers – my business would be a convenience of another franchise available Suppliers – my business would give suppliers more business Government – my business would pay taxes (business and employee, etc) to help the economy Local Community – to create a better local economy of having a business Environment – to be environmentally responsible by using reduce, reuse and recycle FRANCHISE Case Study 1: Intro to Business 5) Using your knowledge of demand and supply theory. Draw a market for Dominos Pizza with demand (BLUE Line) and supply (RED Line) equilibrium assuming the average price customer pays for a Domino’s pizza is $9 and sells an average 500 units a week. (2 marks) Dominos Pizza – Supply and Demand in One (1) Week UNITS The pizza market is highly competitive and competitors prices impact and demand. On your diagram, draw the shift in demand that will result from new low price $5 hot and ready pizza offer by its competitor Little Caesar’s. Discuss the impact on Domino’s (in terms of its price and profits) . (2 marks) Due to the low price of the competition (Little Caesars) means Dominos pizza’s Demand Curve will DECREASE (GREEN Line) which means the profits will decrease along with the demand for Domino’s higher priced pizza. 6) As a local franchise, using your knowledge of the promotional mix, describe 4 tactics/strategies from the promotional mix that you could use to promote your local store. Be sure to explain how it will increase sales. (4 marks) 1. Personal Selling – to use a sales person to assist customers in making a purchase 2. Advertising – using different media channels to build awareness of the product 3. Public Relations – to create a good image of the company & product through publicity and sponsorship 4. Sales Promotion – to stimulate sales through coupons, discounts, contests & special offers 7) Make 2 recommendations to Domino’s Pizza Corporate on how the marketing mix could be changed in order to meet customer needs and continue to grow the company. (4 marks) The Marketing Mix is a blend of product offering, pricing, promotional methods and distribution system that brings a specific group of consumers superior value. My two recommendations to Dominos Pizza Corporate would be concerning the ‘Product’ to make smaller personal sized pizzas and my second recommendation would concern ‘Pricing’ to have a special introductory low price to attract customers, to the new personal sized pizza. My recommendations would meet the more ‘healthy = smaller sized portions’ of food to the healthy minded customer – and this would help with the growth of the company.

Techniques of research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Techniques of research - Essay Example Kim, A.-H. et al. â€Å"Graphic Organizers and Their Effects on the Reading Comprehension of Students with LD: A Synthesis of Research.† Journal of Learning Disabilities 37.2 (2004) : 105-118. 16 July 2011. This peer reviewed article examines the effects of graphic organizers on reading comprehension for those students facing the problems of learning disabilities. This article compares the standardized reading comprehension with the reading comprehension with the use of graphic organizers such as semantic organizers, cognitive mapping. The article concludes that the use of graphic organizers have improved reading comprehension overall for students with learning disabilities. This article is taken from Journal of Learning Disabilities, which is considerably recognized for its authentic and reliable work throughout the academic world. In addition, it is available at Sage Publication, again which prefers to publish reliable piece of work. This article provides the basic informati on relating to the research work. The use of graphic organizers for reading comprehension for students with learning disabilities; considerably fulfills the required need of information on the topic. DiCecco, V. M., and M. M. Gleason. â€Å"Using Graphic Organizers to Attain Relational Knowledge From Expository Text.† Journal of Learning Disabilities 35.4 (2002) : 306-320. 19 July 2011. This article focuses on the implications of the expository text. For this purpose, this research is carried out on K-12 participants in order to assess the potency of the graphic organizers as a comprehension tool. By highlighting the key concerns relating to graphic organizers, the researchers try to examine the effects of graphic organizers under treatment and control conditions. The results support the use of graphic organizers for students with learning disabilities to increase their relational knowledge from expository textbooks. When factual knowledge was analyzed via multiple choice que stions and tests, the results mention no difference found between control and treatment conditions. This article belongs to the Journal of Learning Disabilities and is collectively published by Hammill Institute on Disabilities and Sage publication. Being a peer reviewed article, it consists of primary research over the use of graphic organizers on K-12 students . This article provides primary research over the use of graphic organizers. By clearly highlighting the difference of reading comprehension and relational knowledge, this article has facilitated in the broader understanding of the concept of graphic organizers. McCoy, J. D., and L. R. Ketterlin-Geller. â€Å"Rethinking Instructional Delivery for Diverse Student Populations: Serving All Learners with Concept-Based Instruction.† Intervention in School and Clinic 40.2 (2004) : 88-95. 19 July 2011. This article takes into account the role of teachers in assisting students to learn complex content during classes. The stud ents face the problems of studying facts without reaching the larger contexts. For that purpose, research at the University of Oregon concludes that if the teacher takes responsibility for explaining and identifying the concept within the parameters of course materials, students will be considerably relieved with above mentioned problems. At the same time, using the functional taxonomy, teachers can practically assess the realistic performance of

Indiana Geology and Landscapes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Indiana Geology and Landscapes - Assignment Example The ice sheets carried with them sediments, which were a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and stones. When warmer weather finally arrived this mixed silt was left behind as the ice retreated north. arrived the advanced into Indiana and as outwash sand and gravel when the ice melted. The more uneven original bedrock was filled in with this accumulated debris finally producing a gently rolling, somewhat monotonous according to some, landscape. Â  There are hills and areas of higher land, as are shown in the relief map below but this is simply because these parts of the sedimentary rocks, which include limestone, dolomite, shale, sandstone, and siltstone, although they tip to the south west, were always higher in elevation than the intrusive ice sheets. This is especially so in the northeast of the state, although the highest point is actually in the south in Wayne County, near to the state’s eastern border. The rock there is the oldest in date, being from more than 440 million years ago. according to Indiana University, Department of Earth Sciences ( undated). Â  The same researchers state that the youngest rocks, mostly sandstone with some shale, coal, and limestone, referred to as the McLeansboro Group. This difference in the bedrock explains in part differences in the visible and invisible landscape. The dissolving of rocks such as limestone leads to karst landscapes with sinkholes and caves as in the Mitchell Plateau in Southern Indiana, as described by The Nature Conservancy, 2012. Stream rise and also disappear among a rolling landscape. The same site describes the Muscatatuck area with similar results from the dissolving of the bedrock, but in this case, the rocks concerned date from the Silurian and Devonian ages. ( See figure 4 ). Â  

Research methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Research methods - Assignment Example In addition, this project will generate both employment and wealth. On behalf of the Ministry of transport and the sponsor Ministry of finance, the project will be implemented in two phases with various contracts, under the supervision of the Saudi railways organisation. The civil works in charge of the construction of civil works for the route such as earth work and bridges has been awarded to one Consortium of four contractors, three Saudi companies and one Chinese company. The work started in April 2009 for a total period of three years and total value of 6.5 billion Saudi Riyal. The construction of four passenger stations was awarded to one Saudi-Turkish Consortium of two companies, Jeddah central and King Abdullah Economic City awarded to Saudi consortium of two companies. The trains and railway infrastructure and systems that encompasses all civil and infrastructure work that was not included in phase one, procurement of rolling stock, tracks and systems, in addition to operation and maintenance of the transportation system for a period of 12 years after commissioning. This contract was awarded to Saudi-Spanish Consortium in January 2012 for a total of 34 months. The Operation Control Centre (OCC) located in the area of the Jeddah Station will ensure and control a high level of safety and security through monitoring by several integrated systems, the automatic train traffic control and security functions, telecommunications network in order to provide radio contact between train and ground, providing on board and on ground security systems with many functions and services. The Supervisory Control and Data Control that will monitor the power supply systems , a Closed Circuit Television system that will be used to monitor the whole railway line and building security systems. The minimum spacing between the trains is set at four minutes and according to

Summary of Margaret Newman's and Rosemarie Parse's Grand Theories of Essay

Summary of Margaret Newman's and Rosemarie Parse's Grand Theories of Nursing - Essay Example The development of grand nursing theories helped to distinguish the discipline from the medical model, catalysed the extensive growth of nursing knowledge, and provided a framework for organizing nursing knowledge and nurse education curricula. Further, grand theories offer an alternative to practising solely on the basis of tradition or intuition, thus helping to professionalize nursing practice. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to summarise Margaret Newman’s and Rosemarie Parse’s grand nursing theories, examining their aim, their application to patient care and nursing, their key elements, and their strengths and weaknesses. Margaret Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness Margaret Newman’s 1990 theory of health as expanding consciousness arose from her insights on long-term illness. She believed that through the invalid’s expansion of consciousness, they gained a deeper appreciation for life and more meaningful relation ships. This abstract model required recognition of the life pattern, acceptance of illness as part of the life pattern, and health as an expansion of consciousness. The pattern of expanding consciousness evolves irrespective of the form or direction it may take. Through this realization, illness and disease lose their demoralizing power (Rich, 2011). The theorist believed that the focus of nursing is on the nurse-patient relationship. Pattern-recognition is the key element of nursing practice and interventions. The more expanded the consciousness of the nurses, the more readily they are able to enter a transformative relationship with clients, to help the latter regain health by minimizing disease and emphasizing health (Newman, 1999). The purpose of this theory of health as expanding consciousness, is to underscore the human experiences of transformation through time and space to a more highly organized pattern of the whole. Newman’s perspective of health and illness as a un itary process moving through variations of order-disorder, was built on Rogers’ 1970 life process model with a holistic and unitary view of humans, and from Young’s idea of the acceleration of evolution of consciousness. According to Newman, consciousness pertained to all information of a system that related to its capacity to interact with its environment. â€Å"Consciousness as the essence of all things that exist, including humans† (Kim, 2006, p.297), is a part of time and space, and is reflected in movement. Newman’s theory considers health as a synthesis of the fusion of disease and non-disease, that is health consists of both wellness and illness. Disease and nondisease form â€Å"a larger wholeness that takes on a new and different form that is not diminished by illness† (Rich, 2011, p.290); this health creates a more inclusive consciousness. Therefore, the key characteristics of Newman’s theoryare: Health includes illness or patholgy ; these pathological conditions are a manifestation of the total pattern of the individual; the pattern of the individual that eventually establishes itself as pathology existed as a primary feature before the occurrence of structural or functional changes; by removing the pathology the individual’s pattern cannot be changed; â€Å"if becoming ill is the only way an individual’s pattern can manifest itself, then that is health for that person†

In what ways and to what extent do networks and social capital Essay

In what ways and to what extent do networks and social capital influence and support entrepreneurs - Essay Example The discussion would begin with a brief overview on the entrepreneurship approaches with respect to the social network, which would further lead to the detailed discussion on social networks and theories. Further, several theories on social capital and network would be evaluated to understand their significance in entrepreneurship. The contribution of family for the creation of social capital would be also analyzed here in details. Finally the essay would be concluded stating the entrepreneurial traits and its role in the present global business scenario. An increasing trend of embedding the business decisions in the social structures, by the entrepreneurs, has been increasingly noticed these days. So a structural approach has been used to understand how the entrepreneurs utilize the social relations to acquire resources or suggestions for floating a venture or business. It goes without saying that for establishing a business, an entrepreneur requires to have various resources and co ntacts during different phases. Based on the structural approach, it has also been understood that irrespective of the cultural differences, entrepreneurs approach their social relations in the same way to acquire resources. ... This definition is also applicable for those who take over an existing venture, to start a business. The concept of social network focuses on the relationship between the entrepreneurs and those who provide resources to them for establishing the business. The entrepreneurs must have the set of skills and knowledge to test the networks and resources before utilizing them, but they also need to complement those resources by producing and delivering the goods and services for them. The entrepreneurs also get the access to the knowledge, support and distribution channel with the help of social networks. The availability of such resources helps the new firm to attain a sustainable growth. However, social networks are not permanent and they can be stimulated according to the different requirements. In order to fit the needs of the enterprise, the entrepreneur consider both the distant and close networks, with respect to the business decisions. Family members also play a critical role in ca se of entrepreneurship, as they also offer different kinds of help inform of assets or finances (Thornton, and Flynn, 2003, p. 401-402). Social networks are gaining importance among the business owners or entrepreneurs because they assist the start up firms with information, new business opportunities, advices, and various other forms of resources. The entrepreneurs to some extent are depended on these social networks which includes their personal relationship for problem solving and decision-making functions. The development of the social capital is also the outcome of establishing strong social networks. The social capital derived from the networks consist of the resources that is obtained from

Managing asmall business Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing asmall business - Dissertation Example While this study will focus on all important aspects of managing a halal business, management techniques and business practices related to the successful operation of a local, small halal foods store will be the primary interest of this study. The focus of this research will be one such local Halal food shop serving both Muslims and general halal food purchasers, Marhaba. 2.3 What will the general topic area be, and can you give us a general overview of the developments to date in this area? What is already known about the area/industry/issue? The academic focus of this dissertation will be management. Specifically, this dissertation will analyse the management techniques and business stratigies employed by Marhaba, a local halal foods shop, to appeal to their unique customer base: Muslims seeking to purchase halal food. The specific industry being studied will be the local halal foods industry, and the specific organization to be considered will be Marhaba shop. Before a basic liter ature review can be conducted, halal food needs to be defined. The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council describes halal food in specific terms by saying, â€Å"Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life,† (IFANCA). The IFANCA goes on to describe some common haram foods, such as pork, alcohol, and birds of prey. The idea of halal comes from the Al-Baqara of the Quran, which says, †O, ye men! Eat of what is in the earth lawful and wholesome and follow not the footsteps of Satan; for verily he is an open enemy to you,† (Quran). According to a recent report conducted by the government of Canada, the 1.6 billion Muslims currently alive are the engine behind a growing $580 billion halal food market. This report gives an encouraging take on the market saying, â€Å"There is strong commercial potential for halal certified produc ts, with consumers looking for safe, genuinely certified and diversified halal products,† (Canada 2008, 4). This promising market data shows that the market is growing, and remains already large. While a local halal grocer will only take in a miniscule fraction of this \market, a growing market is encouraging for any business, no matter the size. One of the biggest concerns for any management is whether or not the current customer base will be there in the future. Bubbles pop, booms die, and fads fade, yet a true niche market will serve a business for years. (please write source These sentences were not drawn from a source, this is using common knowledge which is acceptable according to MLA standards. If you were citing specific bubbles or niche markets you would need to cite this, but in this context, these sentences are just a general introduction to the main point.)The question facing halal food shops across the UK is will the European Muslim population remain as large as i t has been in the future, or will this population dwindle in size? According to a 2011 article by Steve Doughtry for the Daily Mail, the answer to this question is no. According to Doughtry, the UK will have 5.5 million Muslims within 20 years, forecasting England to have more Muslims than Kuwait in the year 2030. While these statistics certainly draw up an immigration conversation, in terms of the halal foods industry, they couldn’

The effects of mobile devices on cybersecurity Essay

The effects of mobile devices on cybersecurity - Essay Example The development of the mobile technology has significantly changed the way people live. It played a notable role in making modern life convenient and flexible. The mobile technology grew rapidly that it took hardly ten years to enter the mainstream use, and, when compared to the growth of telephones this growth was unusually fast. According to Cisco’s 2013 global mobile data forecast (2014), today the number of mobile devices equals the number of humans on the planet. The mobile technology fact sheet published by the Pew Research Center (2014) indicates that 90% of American adults own a cell phone, 58% of them own a smartphone, 32% own an e-reader, and 42% own a tablet computer. It is interesting to note that 67% of cell phone users check their phones frequently for calls, messages, or other alerts when while their phones do not ring or vibrate. There are another 44% of cell users sleeping with their phones next to the bed so as to make sure that they do not miss any call, mes sage, or update. The fact sheet also reflects that 29% of cell users consider their cell phone as â€Å"something they cannot imagine living without† (The mobile technology fact sheet, Pew Research Center, 2014). The term cybersecurity refers to the process of providing security to devices such as computers, cell phones, smartphones, and tablets, as well as the whole internet. In the current world, promoting cybersecurity is of great importance because modern people increasingly depend on computer networks to store and transfer their confidential data/information. Magid (2014) says that since such sensitive personal data is exposed to computer networks, hackers or other cyber criminals may intrude into the privacy of network users and empty their bank account if proper cybersecurity measures are not in place. Business enterprises are no exception to such cyber challenges. Hence,

The personalities of the contenders Essay Example for Free

The personalities of the contenders Essay How significant were the personalities of the contenders to succeed Lenin in accounting for Stalin’s defeat of his opponents in the years 1924-29? Lenins death on the 21st January 1924 caused huge sadness across the country. After Lenins death, everyone was eagerly waiting to know who would be the next leader of Russia. In the years after Lenins death, there was no clear successor to his leadership. However, when Lenin was leader, Trotsky was always there for him, and he played a huge role in the Civil War, therefore everyone thought he would become Lenins successor. However, as well as Trotsky there were other significant contenders, such as Stalin, Bukharin, Zinoviev and Kamenev which created a huge power struggle. I believe that the personalities of the contenders were significant in this struggle. However, other factors such as ideological battles, removal of opponents by Stalin and the consolidated powerbases also had an effect. The personalities of all were all extremely different by a great margin. The most likely to win, Trotsky was intellectually gifted which greatly benefitted him. He was also a great military leader and had good organisational skills. Trotsky has a few strong disadvantages to his personality though. His late arrival to the Bolshevik party could be interpret Trotsky as an unloyal character while his arrogance due to his intelligence made him quite a few different enemies in the Bolshevik party. Trotsky’s arrogance led to his defeat as he vastly underestimated Stalin and the threat he posed, while also decreasing his inner party support. At the time Trotsky would be clear favourite to win but his poor characteristics let him down. The next contender and winner of the battle for power was Joseph Stalin. An underdog and one of the least likely looking people to win, Stalin played his cards well and to his advantage. Being a Bolshevik from the beginning supported the fact that Stalin was a loyal Bolshevik which was a strength of his personality. Stalin being a cunning character was another strength of his and was a contributing factor to the defeat of his enemies as he was easily able to manipulate and outplay them. His ruthlessness and his ability to easily gain support due to his position and authority to promote them also benefitted greatly to the defeat of his enemies. He had a major weakness and thorn in his side though and that was Lenin’s opinion of him. The ability to easily manipulate Stalin was also a major disadvantage for him. While Stalin didn’t look it, he had just as big  of a chance as Trotsky due to his nature. Another contender in the race for leadership was the â€Å"Golden boy† known as Bukharin. Bukharin was possessed one of the best personalities of the party and his traits and strengths such as his incorruptibility and honest and well natured manner were good aspects about him. His â€Å"Golden boy† title was also helpful as it represented how liked he was by Lenin before his death. His intellectuality also benefitted him greatly and he was often referred to as the brains of the Bolsheviks. Bukharin’s main weakness though was that he ha d no ambition and he was too young. These factors led to a small support for Bukharin while his right-wing views also cut out some votes for him. Another contender, Zinoviev possessed good strengths such as being a good speaker and being good friends with Lenin. These would essentially give Zinoviev a right to the leadership of the party. He was involved little in the civil war though and his dislikeable and vain nature did little to help him gain the support he needed which was why he teamed up with the last contender Kamenev. Kamenev was also a friend of Lenin but compared to Zinoviev was from a working class background which would have benefitted him greatly due to the say and respect he would have. Kamenev had little influence though and was too uninspirational greatly denting his chances Therefore, what we can infer from the personalities and strengths of each other contenders was that Stalin cleverly manipulated and took advantage of each contenders weaknesses which led to him becoming leader. Stalin would also use the past to his advantage e.g. Zinoviev’s poor revolutionary record or Trotsky’s past allegia nces. Stalin would also use the personalities of other contenders to his advantage e.g. Trotsky’s arrogance or the fact that Bukharin has no ambition. There were also many other factors that led to Stalin’s victory though. Another way in which Stalin won was the removal of opponents by Stalin. Stalin slowly but surely took out each of his opponents carefully and concisely. Stalin removed Trotsky by creating the Triumvirate with Kamenev and Zinoviev. Stalin carefully destroyed Trotsky’s reputation with Zinoviev and Kamenev with things such as questioning his loyalty to Lenin, destroying his influence by questioning his ‘Bonapartism’ ideology and question his activities leading up to the revolution. Stalin also made Trotsky miss the funeral of Lenin, shocking the party and destroying Trotsky’s influence by a huge chunk. When Stalin had taken care of Trotsky,  he then took care of Zinoviev and Kamenev by splitting the Triumvirate and creating the Duumvirate with Bukharin. With Zinoviev and Kamenev in decline due to the influence they had in the defeat of Trotsky, Stalin easily defeated them. When that had happened Stalin quickly turned against Bukharin and with his growing inf luence Stalin removed him from the race for leadership. At the end of everything, Stalin had removed all opponents and this was a big factor in determining Stalin’s victory due to the fact that it had removed all of the people in the way of Stalin becoming leader of the Bolsheviks. Another way Stalin took power was by increasing his influence by never actually taking a side. While everyone was on either a left-wing or right-wing stance, Stalin remained neutral as to not damage his influence with members of either side. This way Stalin would face less opposition due to him not going against a large opposition of the party. His stance on things such as the NEP also came to his advantage and he both agreed and disagreed with it at different times. Stalin also took a neutral view on how fast Russia should industrialise, he personally however took a left wing view towards this.

Athletics and the Effect on Academics Essay Example for Free

Athletics and the Effect on Academics Essay The purpose of this research proposal is to determine if extracurricular activities such as sports has a positive or negative affect on junior high student’s academic achievement. I will discuss past research that has been conducted and their results as well articles written on the topic. I will also discuss my research method and how it will be implemented in order to see how previous research compares to my school. This research will be conducted with students in the 6th through the 8th grade. As a teacher and a coach I have wondered if there is any correlation between students academic success while they were part of a sports program. I know that as a former student-athlete in junior high and high school I was motivated to maintain a certain grade level in order to participate in any type of sport. I recently attended my son’s parent meeting for his freshman basketball team and learned that according to IHSA rules a student can fail two classes and still participate in their sport. That is a topic of discussion for another time but it did spark my curiosity to see if my students at the junior high level worked harder to stay eligible during their sport season and not so hard during their off –season. It should be stated that at my school a student has to maintain a 70% to participate and this is checked on a weekly basis. It would seem that ever since sports has become part of our schools environment there has been a debate about the effects of athletic participation on academic achievement. I believe now more than ever it has become a more relevant issue because of the budget restraints in our country’s schools. The school boards often find it easy to cut athletic programs because they do not see the value it has in the academic arena. It is important for our administrators to know these effects of athletics on academics before they would decide to cut or retain these athletic programs. This particular research proposal would focus on junior high students that are both male and female at J. W. Eater in Rantoul Illinois. Our demographics are about evenly split between both Caucasian and African American students, the African American student being slight higher, with a smaller percent of Hispanics. It should also be noted that there are a high number, close to 80%, of these students whose families fall below the poverty line; therefore there is a high number of kids that are on the free or reduced lunch plan. In addition to the research that will be conducted at Eater Junior High there will also be some information from other articles and studies that have been done in research journals. I feel these articles and studies will provide a clearer picture as to the positive effect of athletic participation and academic achievement. I found an article that supports the theory that athletic participation can help at-risk students and other students who have academic problems. Since we have several at-risk students because of our demographics in Rantoul this article seem to relate. In this article it states that educators believe that athletic participation reduces the chance of school dropout by approximately forty percent. It argues that extracurricular participation decreases this chance because it gives those at-risk students a chance to create positive connections to the school system. Involvement in these activities was perceived by educators to support these at-risk students by maintaining, enhancing and strengthening the student to school connection (Holloway, J. H. 2000). Although we don’t have the dropout problem as say our high school, athletics is a connection to the next level of education and can provide motivation to stay in school. A research article I found that involves using a questionnaire, as I intend to use with my research proposal, measures academic achievement between athletes and non-athletes on the 8th grade level (Stegman, M. Stephens, L. 2000). Both the athletes and the non-athletes were invited to participate and each was provided with a questionnaire. Both groups also gave the researchers permission to view their academic scores. They found that the results showed the students who participated in sports had the higher academic scores versus those who chose not to participate in sports. Although the sample size wasn’t that large the results tend to lean in favor of athletics enforcing academics. Another case I found was interesting in that it examined over 25,000 students along with their teachers and parents (Jordan, W. 1999). The research’s author, Will Jordan, shows how the results point out that African American students have a higher rate of academic achievement as a whole when they are in involved in extracurricular activities such as sports. The only draw back to this research is that it only involves African Americans, however Mr.  Jordon does note that previous research did show similar results for other races that were researched. The majority of its data is received from the National Educational Longitudinal Study, and this is used to measure the data against a system that is already in place to decide how effective extracurricular activities are to a student’s academic success. Another case that was conducted by Thomas Herbert centers on the study of 8 different student athletes that had been identified as gifted in junior high for 120 days (Herbert, T. 1995). As my own son was in the gifted program this was also an interesting study. By observing and using questionnaires, and looking at their academic scores, the conclusion Mr. Herbert came to was that they all had a strong academic record along with positive self-esteem. Mr. Herbert’s rationale is that they gained these positive attributes through their involvement in playing competitive sports. Just like in Mr. Jordon’s research, Mr. Herbert’s research also had limitations. In this case these students were from the inner city, therefore it would not be an accurate example of society as a whole or in comparison to J.  W. Eater. These are three research cases that weigh in favor of athletics helping promote academics. However in order to be able to conduct a research proposal that is fair you have to look at both sides and there are some articles that shows some negative correlations between academics and sports. One such article was written by Mr. Glenn Cook that is based on his prior experiences working with student athletes. Mr. Cook suggests that today’s society has placed more emphasis on athletics than they do academics (Cook, G. 2003). He feels because of this shift, students are not having the academic success they would otherwise had if athletics wasn’t involved. He feel that the students are not being pushed to achieve the most from their academics because they are being given a â€Å"pass† so to speak because of the time involved with their particular sport. A Mr. William Bainbridge writes a similar article taking the stance that athletics is hindering the academic part of school (Bainbridge, W. 2004). His point of view is that the culture is so enamored with the likes of athletes such as Kobe Bryant or Dwight Howard who skip college and go straight to the NBA. He feels this is a deterrent for the kid who wants to go to college and graduate. Although I see the points in both Mr. Cook and Mr. Bainbridge opinions, they are just that, an opinion. An actual research article that helps support their opinion was conducted by Ms. Leah Bucknavage and a Mr. Frank Worrell where their research shows a negative correlation between athletics and academics (Bucknavage, L. Worrell, F. 2005). The research indicated that some students who participated in an intramural sport actually showed a decline in academic achievement. It should be noted that a limitation to this research is that it is based on an intramural sport as opposed to a regular sports team that requires tryouts in order to make the team and participate which requires more time and commitment. Within the majority of research I found supporting the positive effects between athletics and academics, it could easily be argued that athletics helps promote academic achievement in students. Through my research proposal I would hope to find that my results held with the status quo. In my research proposal I will be using student questionnaires as this seems to a popular method used by other researcher into this topic. I would also be looking at the student’s grades in all subject areas pre and post their participation in their sport, along with their ISAT scores from when the started participating as early as the 6th grade through their 8th grade career. I would want to see, at the minimum, that their grades were passing and consistent over this period of time. I plan on looking at J. W. Eater junior high on a grade-by-grade level. The esearch will be done in the form of questionnaires for each grade that the students will have to fill out themselves. The survey instrument used in this research will be designed to determine whether or not the activities that junior high students choose have an effect on their academic achievement and will be based on a four point Likert-scale, with 1 meaning â€Å"I agree;† 2 meaning â€Å"I somewhat agree;† 3 meaning â€Å"I somewhat disagree;† and 4 meaning, â€Å"I disagree;†. A personal data sheet that also request demographic data will be included along with the survey. These demographic answers will be reported in percentages and charts. The questions in the non-demographic part of the survey will generally be about their attitudes towards school and learning in general. They will also be asked if they currently play, have played or plan on playing a sport in junior high. The questionnaire will see if there is a correlation between participating in athletics and their expectation of themselves. Because the questionnaire will have both convergent and divergent questions I will be able to get a better result as to the correlation of athletic participation and the self-expectations. Their current grades and ISAT scores will also be recorded. The goal is to compare the scores, both pre and post, and questionnaire results with those of the non-extracurricular participant and see if the data supports the hypothesis that athletics promotes academics. As a potential future administrator this is information that I would like to have access to in my potential school in order to determine the value of sports or extracurricular activities. Although I feel there is a positive correlation between sports and academics, I have to put the educational part of school first and foremost. If I were to see that the academic part of my students schooling is being affected by extracurricular activities then I would have to make adjustment to those activities. This could be done in cutting an activity altogether or creating other opportunities to help the student-athlete be successful. I think this project has reinforced my belief that if set up properly within the school environment, then there is a positive correlation between extracurricular activities and academics. I think its up to each administrator to do what is in the best interest for his or her school and students.

Virtual Reality And Its Impact On Society Information Technology Essay

Virtual Reality And Its Impact On Society Information Technology Essay Technology has transformed peoples perception of the world by either creating new environments for them to traverse, or by providing them passage to corners of the earth they will never otherwise visit in their entire lifetimes. Virtual reality, briefly defined as an environment that is computer-simulated, has transcended social and geographical barriers ever since its applications have been increasingly used by everyday people. Whereas before it was limited only to labyrinth and high-cost applications availed of by expert users, virtual reality has now broadened its breadth to encompass the general public which optimizes the Internet to configure, share and create virtual communities benefitting society in the areas of education, law enforcement, medicine and industries. Defining Virtual Reality Virtual reality is an environment which is computer-simulated, and the simulation could be that of an imaginary world, or a real one (Gajera, n.d.). Virtual reality environments are mainly three-dimensional visual experiences that are displayed either on a screener through special or stereoscopic displays, and enhanced by sensory information such as sounds that emanate from headphones or speakers (Gajera, n.d., p. 3). There are modern applications that provide force feedback or tactile information, which are generally used for gaming and medical applications. To experience this, multi-modal devices such as the omni directional treadmill, the Polhemus boom arm, or a wired glove is used, as in Figure 1 at Appendix Page (Gajera, n.d.). Michael R. Heim, in his book entitled, The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality, has named seven applications of virtual reality: network communication, full-body immersion, telepresence, immersion, artificiality, interaction and simulation (Gajera, n.d.). In light of these, a virtual environment may be defined as a digital space in which a users activities are monitored, and his or her surroundings rendered, or digitally composed and displayed to the senses, in accordance with those activities (Fox, Arena and Bailenson, 2009, p. 95). According to Jesse Fox, Dylan Arena, and Jeremy N. Bailenson, the critical element of the most fascinating virtual reality experiences is the hindering real, sensory impressions; a users senses are engaged in the virtual world, with the body consigned to a reality engine, as in Figure 1 at Appendix Page (Fox, Arena and Bailenson, 2009, p. 95). Technically, the virtual reality system uses both software and hardware which allow developers to produce virtual reality systems (Riva, 2009). The hardware elements receive inputs coming from devices that are manipulated by the user, and sends multi-sensory output to generate an imagery of a virtual world (Riva, 2009, p. 337). Meanwhile, the software element of a virtual reality system does not really create the virtual world. Rather, there is a separate software which projects the virtual world through the use of the virtual reality software system (Riva, 2009, p. 337). Hence, a virtual reality system is made up of a graphic rendering system, a database construction and virtual object modeling software (337), and the input and output tools (Riva, 2009). The Impact of Virtual Reality on Society Virtual Reality has taken the world by storm, and is now tagged as the next dominant technological development. In the same way as the Internet, virtual reality was created for a specific purpose but modern technology has made it more versatile. At first, virtual reality was conceptualized as a new medium of entertainment; but as time passed, it has found more useful uses from providing online education, to applications in the medical field and giving hope to people with terminal diseases. Currently, virtual reality is used in (i) businesses, specifically in the presentation of graphs and charts, (ii) industries like the automotive industrys manufacturing arm, (iii) military for simulations and training, (iv) medical field for treatments of various ailments and disorders, and (v) education, specifically in laboratories, online education and virtual museums (Fortune City, 2010). It is foreseen that in the future, virtual reality will further enhance training at medical schools, comme rcial airlines, the Air Force, and will even be utilized by clothing manufacturers in the form of virtual reality shopping (Fortune City, 2010). Education Educators and scientists have joined forces all throughout the U.S. to establish virtual reality education to students and teachers alike, through the use of head-mounted displays (HMD), Immersawalls, ImmersaDesks and Cave Automated Virtual Environments (CAVEs), see Figure 3 at Appendix Page (Rusch, Sherman and Thakkar, 2002, p. 205). CAVE has a standard size of 10 x 10 x 10 space and has a floor, ceiling and three walls. Students utilizing this system don stereographic glasses which intensify images, and use a CAVE wand to assist that user as, i.e., molecule, or pedestrian, or fish, in navigating the virtual environment (Rusch, Sherman and Thakkar, 2002, p. 205). This is just a birds eye view of the role that virtual reality will play in education. Despite the fact that there are a good number of educational applications of virtual reality being availed of in the U.S. these days, the development of virtual reality has not yet achieved its maximum potential in the classroom (Rusch, Sherman and Thakkar, 2002, p. 205). The field of Career Technical Education has begun to benefit from virtual reality. Students can explore operating rooms, submarines, a prototype car, airplane cockpits, biotech laboratories, crime scenes and agricultural farms without having to travel, through the use of virtual reality (Ausburn and Ausburn, 2008). Again, through the use of CAVEs and HMDs, students are provided with three-dimensional simulations to give them a sense of being there' (Ausburn and Ausburn, 2008, p. 43). A good number of careers necessitate learning that will allow individuals to safely carry out their tasks amid dangerous circumstances. Because virtual reality is supremely realistic, it enables the student to benefit from active involvement with accurate and intricate visual scenes (Ausburn and Ausburn, 2008). Hence, training programs utilize virtual reality for railway and mining operations, dangerous driving scenarios, handling of hazardous materials, nuclear energy, marine exploration, space and aviation exploration, emergency medical operations, firefighting, military and law enforcement (Ausburn and Ausburn, 2008). The aim of these training programs is to teach students how to efficiently and effectively respond under high-cost, high-risk and complex circumstances, without damaging equipment and endangering personnel while still at training. Educational programs for courses like spray painting, bio-technology, aircraft maintenance, crime scene investigation and forensics, (44) engineering, dentistry, surgical technology and welding also benefit from virtual technology. Because the technology is still fairly new, CAVEs are expensive to avail of. Moreover, it is also expensive to implement and sustain, because of the specialized skills that are needed to set it up and maintain it. Nevertheless, as technology continues to evolve, there is much promise for virtual reality systems that may be used through laptops or desktops, utilizing special software that are based on JAVA, Flash and QuickTime technologies (Ausburn and Ausburn, 2008). Figure 4 illustrates how virtual reality may be accessed from a web system (Ottoson and Holmdahl, 2007). Because of the benefits offered by virtual reality technologies, there is a high degree of enthusiasm surrounding it in the world of the academe. Figure 5 summarizes the benefits of virtual reality in education. Law Enforcement Taking its cue from the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. has been innovating on taking protective measures preserve the security of its citizenry. One effective way of doing this is through the use virtual reality for training and intelligence gathering purposes. The U.S. intelligence community has been using virtual reality to simulate actual battlefields in the future, utilizing cyber weapons for initiating attacks against terrorists and other potential adversaries (Wilson, 2008, p. 4). Military use of virtual technology is efficient and effective in training personnel manage better under potentially risky scenarios. Participants utilize avatars in virtual environments that simulate, i.e., a checkpoint in Iraq, or a New York subway tunnel subjected to terroristic chemical attacks (Wilson, 2008). The downside is that a study conducted in 2007 showed that American firms are not ready to take the lead in embracing Web 2.0 technology which is the foundation of virtual technology in the years to come. The leaders in this area are (i) India, with plans of escalating their virtual reality investments by 80%, (ii) Asia-Pacific companies, by 69%, (iii) European companies, by 65%, (iv) Chinese companies, by 64%, (v) North American companies, by 64%, and (v) Latin American companies, by 62% (Wilson, 2008, p. 4). Number one in the list, India, has been showing a strong economic presence in the global markets. Figure 6 indicates its industry production forecast until 2012 (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010). The implication here is whether the U.S. can protect its citizens if its virtual reality servers and communication systems were operated by another country very much possible, by an enemy nation. Under wraps in the virtual reality program of the military is Sentient Worldwide Simulation, which will depict mass casualty events, that not only need military action but medical interventions as well. Hence, this program includes virtual reality hospital rooms that emulate military and civilian facilities, populated by avatars representing victims, casualties, nurses, the National Coast Guard and other first responders. Other training simulation modules are Urban Resolve, for urban war fighting in Baghdad in the year 2015, with over two million simulated objects (Wilson, 2008, p. 5). In addition to this, Noble Resolve is being developed, which is a training exercise covering homeland security scenarios in the event of a terroristic attack (Wilson, 2008, p. 5). Meanwhile, police unites utilize virtual reality programs such as the Meggitt Training System which teaches basic firearms skills and responses in both shoot/dont shoot decision making (Griffith, 2009). The Los Angeles Police Department uses the IES Milo System; the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police Department uses the Advanced Interactive Systems; and, the Phelps County Sheriffs Department uses the IVR-300. Most of these systems permit multiple students in the virtual environment (Griffith, 2009). Medicine Techniques in virtual reality are increasingly being utilized in medical education, treatment and diagnosis (Yellowlees, 2009). Early adoptions of virtual reality in the field of medicine pertained to representation of intricate data emanating from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) (Yellowlees, 2009). Recently, virtual reality has been applied to virtual colonoscopy in which information from contrast enhanced abdominal CT scan is utilized to present a fly-through of the colon which is then used for screening for colon cancer (Yellowlees, 2009). Phobias and post-traumatic stress disorders are also being treated now using virtual reality, Figures 7 and 8 illustrate virtual environments for the treatment of agoraphobia (Cà ¡rdenas, Munoz, Gonzà ¡lez, and Uribarren, 2006). In particular, training for medical students are enhanced by the use of a virtual psychosis environment, wherein they have the opportunity to experience visual and auditory hallucinations of schizophrenic patients (Yellowlees, 2009). As mentioned earlier, indispensable training may be provided by virtual reality for mass casualty, as well as for disaster response and medical emergencies. Although it has been found out that the use of standardized patients for training such as these were more effective because of the realism element, virtual reality simulations were more cost-effective, it was also advantageous in the sense that the simulations may be repeated unlimitedly, so that skills may be practiced and mastered (Yellowlees, 2009). Virtual reality has been used in other areas of medicine like in chemotherapy distraction intervention, providing leisure time opportunities for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, brain damage rehabilitation for stroke victims, smoking cessation, physical therapy, autism, mental retardation and other relevant areas. Business Marketing efforts for businesses have been greatly enhanced by virtual reality. Business owners can now advertise their products over various multi-media, and depict a 360-degree image of products that they are manufacturing, marketing and selling. Websites have been high-tech critical missions for Top 500 companies, triggering a competition on virtual reality advertising (Kassaye, 2006). Figure 9 depicts a chart tracing these new breed of competitors and how they fare through their communication objectives (Kassaye, 2006). Meanwhile, virtual reality is also useful for the manufacturing process, because layout planning for assembly systems and machines require more data than the basis geometry (Okulicz, 2004). Moreover, 3D CAD Systems are not effective for plotting out production processes, and virtual reality has no restrictions as the two aforementioned processes (Okulicz,2004). In addition to this, virtual reality provides semi-immersive and/or interactive immersive visualization that is essential for the visual estimation of each manufacturing process (Okulicz, 2004). With some slight overlap with the aforementioned field of Education, virtual reality platforms are valuable in training and education for businesses. For instance, developing, testing and operating sophisticated machinery and fixing it under tight tire pressure when it malfunctions are some skills that employees in the industries have to master (Blumel, Termath and Haase, 2009). Companies benefit from investing in learning platforms like the Fraunhoffer IFF Learning Platform which utilizes virtual reality in customizing training modules to suit its end users levels of knowledge through configuration (Blumel, Termath and Haase, 2009). Virtual Reality in the field of business encompasses a much broader scope, and development in this area is anticipated to be quick and impressive. Conclusion People have benefited from virtual reality in more ways than one, attesting to the fact that the it has positively impacted society in general. Education has been enhanced by virtual reality, and students have been provided a new dimension of learning that prepares them for their chosen careers more efficiently. Meanwhile, security measures being adopted by the government have been highlighted with modern technology, especially virtual reality. Police and military forces can now be trained for highly-dangerous scenarios, without actually exposing them to great risks. On the other hand, the medical field has furthered its growth due to the advent of virtual reality. Of the advantages of virtual reality, this is one of the most significant because of its potential in asisting scientists discover life-saving technologies and techniques. Lastly, business enterprises also benefit from virtual technology, to enable organizations to compete more in international markets. Virtual reality has a long way to go, and more benefits are anticipated for humankind. IRTUAL REALITY 8 Appendix Page Figure 1 Virtual Reality (Images from Google) VIRTUAL REALITY 9 Figure 2 Virtual Environment (Gajera, n.d.) VIRTUAL REALITY 10 Figure 3 Virtual Reality in Education (Rusch, Sherman Thakkar, 2002) Figure 4 Virtual Reality and the Web System (Ottoson and Holmdahl, 2007) VIRTUAL REALITY 11 Figure 5 Benefits of Virtual Reality in Education (Blumel and Hasse, 2009) VIRTUAL REALITY 12 Figure 6 Industry Performance History and Forecast, India (Economic Intelligence Unit, 2010) Forecast summary (% unless otherwise indicated) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Real GDP growth 8.8 8.6 8.8 8.7 8.6 8.6 Industrial production growth 10.9 8.4 9 8 7.9 7.9 Unemployment rate (av) 10.8 10.6 10.6 10.4 10.1 9.7 Consumer price inflation (av) 11.7 6.5 5.2 5.2 5.9 5.6 Consumer price inflation (end-period) 7.4 5.8 5.2 5.5 5.7 5.5 Short-term interbank rate 12.4 13.4 13.5 13.2 13.2 13.2 Govt balance (% of GDP) -5.5 -5.3 -5 -4.3 -4.1 -3.5 Exports of goods fob (US$ bn) 208.3 231.6 257.9 291.4 328.9 371.3 Imports of goods fob (US$ bn) -334.9 -373.7 -429.2 -498.6 -578.9 -677.4 Current-account balance (US$ bn) -32.5 -36.8 -42.7 -50.5 -51.1 -55.2 Current-account balance (% of GDP) -2.1 -2.1 -2.1 -2.1 -1.8 -1.7 Total foreign debt (year-end; US$ bn) 237.9 256.9 280.4 308.5 337.9 367.4 Exchange rate Rs:US$ (av) 46.14 46.53 45.43 44.1 43.1 42 Exchange rate Rs:US$ (end-period) 46.34 45.98 44.77 43.6 42.55 41.45 Exchange rate Rs: ¥100 (av) 49.24 52.73 51.77 50.84 50.12 48.84 Exchange rate Rs:à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ (av) 64.28 60.12 54.06 50.72 49.13 47.88 (c) Economist Intelligence Unit 2010 VIRTUAL REALITY 13 Figure 7 Virtual Environment No. 1 for Agoraphobia (Cà ¡rdenas, et al., 2006) Figure 8 virtual environment number 2 for agoraphobia VIRTUAL REALITY 14 Figure 9 New Breed of Competitors Using Virtual Reality (Kassaye, 2006). VIRTUAL REALITY 15

influence :: essays papers

influence Small-minded administrators and authority figures like to speak in clichà ©s. All my life I heard the same trite line: â€Å" You can tell a lot about a person by the friends they keep.† The black sheep of the honors program, I hung out with the so-called â€Å" losers.† During my freshman year, not a day went by when a teacher or family member did not deride my closest friends and warn me that by hanging out with â€Å" bad seeds† I would fall into a downward spiral, never graduate college, and have a miserable life. They thought that they had me figured out. One day, while my ninth grade math teacher, Mr. Pedersen, was reviewing some math concepts with me, my friend Mariam ran by the classroom, stuck her head in the doorway, called out: â€Å" Hi Yassee, † and then ran away. Mr. Pedersen looked at me coldly and said with a scowl: â€Å" How can you call yourself an Honors student? A real honors student doesn’t associate with people like that!† I wanted to ask him how he could call himself a teacher; after all, a real teacher is supposed to want to help everyone. Instead, I sat silent, stunned by his ignorance and cruelty. He wanted me to drop my childhood friends simply because they didn’t place the same importance on schoolwork that I do. If he had thought before speaking, he would have realized that people like him, rather than people like my friends, are better able to turn good students into poor ones by discouraging them with ridiculous comments. I would never slight Mariam. One of my closest friends in freshman year, she was also a below average, non-college bound student. Many of the adults in my life, especially my parents and teachers, would look at those closest to me: Mariam, Alisa, Zena, Lianne, and Marvin, and ask how I could call these â€Å" low-life losers† my friends. But such questions show a lack of understanding of the nature of friendship. Friendship is unconditional and uncritical, based only on mutual respect and the ability to enjoy each other’ s company. These authority figures never saw the way one of us could do something outrageous, and the rest of us would joke about it for days. We could have fun doing absolutely nothing at all - because the company we provided each other with was enough.

A Look At Picasso :: essays research papers

Picasso’s Guernica is unique and unlike any other photograph or painting of a historical war scene. Historical photographs show scenes and capture moments in time, but when viewing them an intangible â€Å"wall† exists between the viewer and the photograph. The difference between photographs and original paintings is that the painting allows the viewer to break through the â€Å"wall† and actually experience the feelings and emotions expressed in the painting. â€Å"We only see what we look at and to look is act of choice.† (â€Å"Ways of Seeing† 8) â€Å"The photographer’s way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject, they are showing you what they want you to see.† (â€Å"Ways of Seeing† 10) Photographs are taken for a reason; there are many other angles or other scenes a photographer can choose from and it is up to the photographer to decide which one the viewer sees. In essence, the viewer only sees one aspect of the image captured with the lens of the camera. For example, â€Å"when only the head of a figure is visible in a picture which appeals to visual thinking—as distinguished, for example, from a news photograph which many make use of the sense of sight merely for the purpose of informing us of what went on in a certain place—that figure is always to be seen as being incomplete.† (Arnheim 11) The eye cannot continue beyond the borders of the photograph and the wholene ss of the picture is lost. In a painting, the artist has painted all of the elements to be seen simultaneously. â€Å"The spectator may need time to examine each element of the painting but whenever he reaches a conclusion the simultaneity of the whole painting is here to reverse or quality his conclusion.† (â€Å"Ways of Seeing† 26) A painting maintains its own authority, the painting does not capture momentary appearances it creates its’ own. In doing so the viewer becomes a part of the painting, when the viewer steps away from the painting he is no longer an influence or a part of the painting. Paintings can not be seen in two places at the same time, â€Å"when the camera reproduces a painting, it destroys the uniqueness of its image.† (â€Å"Ways of Seeing†13) The uniqueness is destroyed because the painting now travels to the spectator rather then the spectator to the painting. â€Å"The viewer, views it in his or her surroundings and it is influenced by their surroundings.

Mimosa :: essays research papers

Separation from their original home was one of the many past events that caused tensions and turmoil between a father and his two daughters. While each individuals thoughts about each other fluxuated between both positive and negative, one thing remained constant through out the progression of the poem, the ever enduring presence of religion, faith and its beliefs. Religion has always had a place in the life of Vito and his family, he had his own ways of using his faith to comfort himself as well as his own visions on what a heaven would be to him, while his daughter also held a strong faith in religion. Just as the weak Mimosa plant needs support to grow or face death, each of Vito’s daughters , especially Lucia, has attached themselves to a faith, a religion to support and help themselves through life. Vito like many, have found a place for his faith. He believed that a true heaven would be back in his homeland, back in the garden that he cared for so dearly. This garden in fact acted like his own garden of Eden. For his character was like that of the tender Mimosa plant, which when faced with the slightest touch or trouble from an outside source, would recoil its leaves and take a defense position close to the garden that it grew within. Vito would retreat to this garden to escape the troubles of the outside world when they became unbearable. He describes the garden to us as; “The garden that kept them little children even as adults;'; This could be taken as that it did not actually affect Vito physically young but rather it altered him mentally. He would become like Adam and Eve before evil and like that of a young child, all ignorant of all troubles. Complexity and all other dilemma’s that plagued their lives. So in this garden he would escape his troubles through the means of ignoring them and not acknowledging their existence and thus a bit closer to peace, and less degrees of separation between himself and his God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though his daughters once also joined him in his “light';, in essence his garden, it is said that his daughter, Lucia (an cleaver metaphor of Lucifer?) Is that of a luckless fallen angle, refusing to join him in his light. Lucifer himself was a fallen angle, and now Lucia clutches to