The Firm Movie Review - 1645 Words

About thE movie The Firm is a 1993 legal thriller directed by Sydney Pollack, and starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, and David Strathairn. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Firm by author John Grisham. Plot Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is a young man with a promising future in law. About to graduate from Harvard Law School, he is approached by Bendini, Lambert amp; Locke, The Firm, and made an offer he cannot refuse. He and his wife, Abigail Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), move to Memphis, where The Firm is located. Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman) becomes his mentor at The Firm. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, including a house and car, he is at first totally†¦show more content†¦In actuality, in most US states this privilege only applies to crimes that have already been committed. The privilege does not apply if a lawyer knows that his client either is committing or will commit a crime. Accepting that he will not be allowed to practice law anywhere again, he swindles $10 million from the mob law firm, along with receiving $1 million of a promised $2 million from the FBI for his cooperation. After an extended manhunt involving the police, the firms lawyers, and hired t hugs courtesy of the Morolto family, Mitch escapes with Abby (and his brother Ray) to the Caribbean. In the film, apparently in order to preserve the protagonists personal integrity, Mitch steals no money from the Firm. Instead, he exposes a systematic overbilling scheme by the firm, thus driving a wedge between the mob (which in essence becomes complicit with Mitch) and its law firm (in the book, there is only one sentence that refers to overbilling). He receives a smaller amount of money from the FBI, which he gives to Ray, allowing him to disappear. This alters the character of the Mitch McDeere created by Grisham. Rather than capitalizing on his circumstances for personal gain, as in the book, the movies McDeere ends up battered and bruised, but with his integrity and professional ethics intact. Mitch also makes the FBI have toShow MoreRelatedSupply and Demand and Profit959 Words   |  4 Pagesorder to increase profit accurately. Firms or industries can increase profit in two ways: firms or industries can take advantage of a market with increasing demand, or firms or industries can find a way to lower the total costs of production. When demand within a market increases, the equilibrium price of the product increases along with the quantity sold at the equilibrium price. If the market structure is a perfect competition, an increase in demand allows firms or industries to raise the priceRead MoreMarketing and Honda Cr-v1405 Words   |  6 PagesMarket Strategies for the New CR-V Jayne Diaz BUS 620: Managerial Marketing Professor David Kalicharan February 6, 2012 Honda’s Market Strategies for the New CR-V The 2012 Honda CR-V recently came out with a commercial that spoofed the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The advertising and marketing strategies for this product will be analyzed in this paper. To begin, the paper will discuss some of the benefits that were highlighted about the new CR-V within the commercial. Next, marketRead MorePorter s Five Forces Framework992 Words   |  4 Pagesindustry in terms of its profitability. The most unattractive industry would be one approaching pure competition, in which available profits for all firms are driven to normal profit levels. The five-forces perspective is associated with its originator, Michael E. Porter of Harvard University. This framework was first published in Harvard Business Review in 1979. Each industry generates profits, and the industry competes against 5 competitive forces for the profits. If left unchecked, the industry’sRead More Casablanca as Political Propaganda Essay1082 Words   |  5 PagesCasablanca debuted in 1942, shortly following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States entrance into World War Two, although there was plenty of anti-Nazism sentiment, the movie fueled these feelings. There is pro-Allied forces propaganda to support the war, from the scene with La Marseillaise, to the characters of Renault and Rick, and to the last scene. Although the majority of the French patriots were elated to sing their national anthem, it created tension with the German soldiersRead MoreA Familiar History : Corporate History And Employee Identification1525 Words   |  7 Pagesin family firms Badr Hadrioui (# 9761519) Mark Bellison lives in an alternate world where people haven’t developed the ability to lie and are thus unacquainted with fibs, noble lies, white lies, deceit, half-truths, and all sorts of dishonesty. In a world free of falsehoods, fiction is impossible and thus the entire movie industry consists in history lectures and depressingly blunt commercials. This is the premise of the 2009 movie The Invention of Lying. The assumption made in this movie, howeverRead MoreInside Job Movie Review1111 Words   |  5 PagesMovie Review of â€Å"INSIDE JOB† â€Å"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man s needs, but not every man s greed,† said Mahatma Gandhi and this is somewhat the crux of this movie. Inside Job is directed by Charles Ferguson, and it highlights the reasons and the consequences of the global financial crisis of 2008. This movie is basically related to recession that was caused by the inefficiency of the industry and the unfavourable banking practices. The director has conducted several interviews andRead MoreFilm Review: Shrek1061 Words   |  4 PagesShrek, a Movie for both Kids and Adults Cartoons are generally intended for children. There are adult cartoons but most of the animated movies are directed at kids because they make it easy to produce fantasies and make heroes children can associate themselves with. Latest developments in graphics and cinematic technology, however, can turn cartoons into real-like images. A good example of a film that displays this technology is Disneys Shrek (2001). Shrek is a cartoon but its makers used latestRead MoreEssay1224 Words   |  5 PagesMovie Review: Equilibrium 1 Movie Review: Equilibrium The movie Equilibrium is an excellent movie to relate to our Introduction to Sociology class. Equilibrium follows the life of John Preston, an elite member of a military team used to locate and destroy all things considered â€Å"sensory stimulating†. In this society all citizens are forced to take drugs that suppress all feeling and emotion. The reason for this is the leader â€Å"father† of this society believes emotion is the cause ofRead MoreLong Term Investment Decisions1308 Words   |  6 Pages Long-Term Investment Decisions (Course title) (Date) Introduction Long term capital decisions involve choosing how to finance long term projects. For a movie rental company, such decisions would include opening new shops in new markets or buying new machinery that would improve the firm’s technology. Before making such decisions, a firm has to do an analysis of the returns that the new project would bring against the cost outlay of the project. There are several ways of doing such an analysisRead MoreBlockbuster Analysis : Blockbuster Llc1616 Words   |  7 Pagesexperience was helpful in inventory activities and in determining which genres of films were the most saleable and rentable. Soon shares in the firm were purchased by a firm called Waste Management, which then initiated the company’s expansion, believing in the on-product model of the firm which then had mass appeal (Hyatt, 2003). Waste Management then purchased the firm and its franchises. After an almost-merger with Viacom, as the company’s share prices fell, Bloc kbuster was then purchased by Viacom in

Classical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning - 883 Words

The study of behaviorist psychology have allowed us to understand how we subconsciously engage in the learning process. As demonstrated by notably experiments conducted by Ivan Pavlov, B.F Skinner, and various others, our learning process can be--and normally is--significantly influenced by the social and physical world around us. Two particular examples of this are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. â€Å"Classical conditioning occurs when a natural stimulus produces a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces a response† (Schacter). For example, in horror movies suspenseful music tends to precede dramatic events. If you get scared during horror movies, your fear is a natural response to the horror (the stimulus). When music (unconditioned stimulus) is paired with the horror, the music becomes a conditioned stimulus. So when we you hear the music, we feel a sense of fear. (Another example will be provided later on to elaborate on this c oncept). On the other hand, operant conditioning is â€Å"a type of learning in which the consequences of an organism’s behavior determine whether it will be repeated in the future† (Schacter). For example, being put on a time out will decrease the probability of a particular behavior, while being given an allowance for washing the dishes will increase the probability of that behavior. From studying these learning processes, various institutions in our society have begun utilizing them in their marketingShow MoreRelatedClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1204 Words   |  5 Pagesknown as classical conditioning and operant conditioning. These forms of learning are very practical and can be seen and used in everyday life. Classical and operant conditioning are different forms of learning which have importance in everyday life and can be found in advertising, PTSD, and even lifestyle changes. To fully understand the importance of classical and operant conditioning, it is important to first understand what they are and how they are different. Classical conditioningRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1492 Words   |  6 Pages To expand upon the concepts of the two forms of conditioning listed above, three additional principals not previously listed for the sake of convenience are present in both forms of conditioning; these three principals-extinction, spontaneous recovery, and stimulus discrimination-are among the number of basic principals of conditioning that are found in most forms of conditioning. To explain, Extinction refers to the process by which the steady weakening or diminishment of a conditioned responseRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1249 Words   |  5 Pagestwo stimuli or a behavior and a learned stimulus. Associative learning is divided in to two central techniques, classical conditioning and operant condition. Classical and operant conditioning are basic methods of learning and conditioning is used to adapt a behavior or association through a stimuli or consequence (Ciccarelli, 2012). While classical conditioning and operant conditioning are key elements in associative learning, they have significant differences. A clear contrast between the two theoriesRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1693 Words   |  7 Pagesexamples of their work, as well as an exploration into the advantages and disadvantages that some of these approaches possess. Behaviourism is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviours are attained through conditioning. Behaviourists believe conditioning occurs when we interact with the environment and that the environment we are in determines the way we respond to a stimulus. The behaviourist approach believes we learn behaviours through association between response and consequenceRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning913 Words   |  4 PagesClassical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning There are two learning processes that are used, classical condition and operant conditioning. One learning process used is classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. I found two TV commercials that are excellent examples for classical conditioning. The first commercial I found is an Old Spice commercialRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1146 Words   |  5 Pageslearning is known as conditioning. Conditioning stresses the relationship between stimuli and responses. The two types of conditioning found are Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning. As stated before, learning may occur in different ways but Classical and Operant conditioning are two of several theories on learning which take the behaviorist approach. â€Å"Classical conditioning is an association of one event with another that results in a pattern of behavior.† Operant conditioning however, is â€Å"learningRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning959 Words   |  4 Pagesthrough the experience of something. Two important associative learning styles that I learned that grasped my attention are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. These forms of learning are used everyday, and with that, people can categorize their certain behavior into places in which they fall in. The first type of associative learning is classical conditioning, which was discovered by Ivan Pavlov during an experiment. It is a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associatedRead MoreClassical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning1189 Words   |  5 Pagessimilarities between Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning? Many people believe that Classical and Operant are similar. Several people don’t know what the similarities and differences of Classical and Operant are, several people think it is the same learning method, which in this case I’m going to compare and contrast each behavior and give you information about each one, so you could have a better understanding of each method and what they do. Classical and Operant are very similar to eachRead MoreBehaviorism And Classical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning Essay1504 Words   |  7 Pagesfounders of the theory who are John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner. However, the information will foc us more on their early education and known achievements. Furthermore, you will find different theories regarding behaviorism such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In order to understand the difference and similarities between the two of them examples have been provided. To fully comprehend in what Behaviorism consists of, modern applications examples of the theory have been also includedRead MoreClassical Conditioning Vs. Operant Conditioning Essay1088 Words   |  5 Pages 1. a) Define Classical Conditioning and Behaviorism. b) Identify the two major characteristics that distinguish classical conditioning from operant conditioning. Classical Conditioning is a type of learning process of an individual when they come in contact with certain stimuli. According to Pavlov, a Russian psychologist, he developed several experiments on learning and he discovered that classical condition is the basic form of learning for an individual. However, according to Pavlov, behaviorism

Data entry in banking Essay Example For Students

Data entry in banking Essay The effectivity of informations entry plays an of import function in banking sector, which is one of the most of import sectors of Australian concern. The bank controls the pecuniary policies and co-ordinates between investors and borrowers. The state fiscal stableness depends on right coverage system, following with International Financial Reporting System ( IFRS ) criterions and reputable banking system. The information analysis aid bank to measure public presentation of each subdivision either in the metropoliss or in distant countries, which helps direction to offer services to clients in different parts harmonizing to their demands. This will heighten trust and long-run concern relationship with the consumers. Today Bankss offer broad scope of services and merchandises to the community, which includes different types of histories, place loans, insurances, recognition card services and retirement programs. In this competitory environment, informations analysis plays a critical function to a draw decision based on the efficiency. The information is recorded in two different ways either manual or electronically. There are many advantage and disadvantage of both systems. Harmonizing to Queensland Government ( Business.qld.gov.au, 2014 ) many little concern still prefer informations entry as a manual systems, nevertheless most endeavors preferred to follow electronic informations entry system. It is believed that electronic system is easier to enter information and studies can be prepared in different formats with graphical presentation. Both systems have their pros and cons in regard to its usage. Many little concerns use a simple, paper-based record maintaining system. The proprietor believes that it is less expensive to get down with. Datas can be corrected easy and minimizes the hazard of dual entry. As the information is recorded on paper therefore reduces the hazard of loss, corrupted information hazard is minimal and no demand to update accounting package for informations analysis. The little concern endeavors have besides noticed that manual informations and grosss can easy be stored in each month booklets, which correspond to monthly fiscal statement. At the same clip, concern income can be verified through bank statement. As all record is stored manually, it will be easier to bring forth for audit or revenue enhancement intent. On the other manus little concerns are traveling toward electronic informations entry system because they noticed that the manual informations entry requires intensive labour, clip consuming, and opportunities to lose record over period of clip, need storage infinite and stationary cost. Small concerns that had non adopted electronic system, are happening difficult to compare their public presentations to other endeavors of similar industry. Therefore happening it difficult to describe harmonizing to IFRS criterion. Most of medium to big concerns have adopted electronic informations entry system, because it bring forth studies as required by the direction to do speedy quality base determinations. The popularity of electronic system has grown over a period of clip, due to its efficiency, less storage infinite and automatically runs sums and generates concern study in short clip. New accounting software’s are introduced to enter concern minutess ( input and end product ) , employee inside informations, and stock on manus and plus inside informations. These studies help direction to keep safe work topographic point for staff, develop regular preventive care plan for equipment’s and reduces hazard of WHS and fire jeopardy in the workplace. The software’s besides support to bring forth orders, bills, staff paysheet and stock list studies for revenue enhancement intents. As this package saves elaborate information, so backup storage of this information is of import and necessary records are safely stored and on a regular basis backed up. All day-to-day backups’ with of import records are stored in a secured location in instance of fire, larceny or a natural catastrophe. Atomic Bomb EssayOther country that may impact indirectly employees are the ballad out of the office country, quality of the equipment, airing system may impact employees public presentation. If the office is congested, hapless airing and old on the job equipment, it lowers productiveness and increase banking mistake. As an hearer, it is noticed that most of online client services occupations are exported to overseas due to take down labor cost. Due to this displacement, there is likeliness of more informations entry mistakes. Non-English speech production states, where native talker could do errors in pass oning with client therefore compromise bank’s repute, supplying most of these services. ( Rtdonline.com, 2014 ) . Other large hazard in switching informations entry concern to overseas may take to transgress the confidentiality of the client, personal inside informations which may come across to different intelligence bureaus or a terrorist administration may endanger client safety. In this competitory environment, informations analysis plays a critical function to a draw decision based on the efficiency. The information is processed by manual and computerized system. In manual informations entry system, all the information is processed by manus, the users of this system may hold better apprehension of concern dealing, but to run into the challenges of the modern concern universe, computerised system has a great importance.. With the execution e-business, the Bankss have improved and automated many of its procedures, which had further enhanced their productiveness. The alone ‘Cloud backup’ calculating system provides installation to hive away informations on line.The debut of Oracle package helped Westpac to present its concern services to International criterions by supplying fiscal results in shortest clip and has resulted in cut downing operational and administrative cost. It is recommended that the bank should concentrate on supplying a healthy working environment for the staff, which will assist them bettering their work efficiency. The preparation plans besides play an of import function in bettering staff public presentation. The bank should besides see the privateness and ethical issues, while outsourcing the concern. Mentions: Barwick, H. , 2014.Westpac Australia apologises for on-line banking issues. Computerworld. Available at: lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.computerworld.com.au/article/536984/westpac_australia_apologises_online_banking_issues/ gt ; . Business.qld.gov.au, 2014.Electronic and manual record maintaining | Queensland Government. Available at: lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.business.qld.gov.au/business/starting/starting-a-business/record-keeping-business/electronic-manual-record-keeping gt ; . International Business Times, 2012.$ 10 Million Bank Error Puts ‘Runaway Millionaire’ on Trial. Available at: lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //au.ibtimes.com/articles/341135/20120515/bank-error-million-westpac.htm # .U1m2IvmSxqU gt ; . Istart.co.nz, 2014.Westpac sees 376 % ROI from Oracle E-Business. Available at: lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.istart.co.nz/index/HM20/PC0/PVC197/EX23019/CS25052 gt ; . Rtdonline.com, 2014.HOW TO MINIMIZE CLERICAL ERRORS IN Banking. Available at: lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rtdonline.com/BMA/BSM/16.html gt ; . 1

Prejudice Essays (788 words) - Discrimination, Prejudice

Prejudice Matchmaker.com: Sign up now for a free trial. Date Smarter! Prejudice When a person hears the word prejudice, he or she might think it only refers to the racial prejudice often found between those with light skin and those with dark skin. However, prejudice runs much deeper than a person's color. Prejudice is found between gender, religion, cultural and geographical background, and race. People have discriminated against others based upon these attributes from the beginning of time. Prejudice has become a complex problem in our society today and much of our world's history is based upon such hatred. In the 1600's, white men used Africans as slaves and treated them as if they were not human. "Colored" people were not even allowed to use the same drinking fountains as white people until the mid-1900's. Hitler and his men killed over five million people because they were Jewish or were not their definition of "normal." The Ku Klux Klan exists today and openly professes its hatred towards Jews and colored people. Our society is riddled with such hatred based upon peoples' beliefs and origins and it seems millions are fighting each other for no relevant reason at all. I do believe that we can greatly reduce the amount of prejudice in our world today, yet I do not think that it will ever completely go away. Society has seemingly come to except all races, religions, and genders, and supposedly has achieved "political correctness," yet there will forever be individuals who discriminate based upon these issues. These individuals often form large groups that recruit new members to enforce their hatred of those with a certain religion or skin tone. Obviously, no one can tell these people that they cannot have their own opinions or beliefs, for they have the right to hate whomever they like. However, I believe we need to raise our children to accept all people, no matter what god they do or do not believe in or what color skin they may have. If children are raised around people who are not the same as they are, then they will most likely not think anything different of people who do not look the same as them or believe what they believe. If we raise our children to believe all people are equal from the start, then prejudice will slowly disintegrate over time. We, as the human race, need to focus on not judging people before we know them for who they are. Today, there are so many different people in this world that stereotypes are almost always incorrect, as many people choose not to be followers, but to be individuals. I know many white people who, if they see a young black male standing on the corner, wearing a certain type of clothing, will discern that he is in a gang and has intentions of hurting others. How could someone say such a thing when all they have seen is one's appearance? The boy standing there could be a great student in school who helps others and plans to become someone important in the future. Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Caucasians, and all other ethnic groups need to look past each other's physical attributes and start looking inside a person to see who they truly are. After all, personalities do not lie on the outside of one's body, but in one's mind. I believe people need to stop "following the crowd" and form their own opinions. I am very sure that few members of the Ku Klux Klan originally felt as if whites are superior to all other races. They simply felt as if they would fit in better and would be more popular or on a higher level if they believed such ideas. As the Klan gained members, it became more powerful and an increasing number of people felt as if their lives would be improved if they joined the group. Parents and schools need to teach children that people need to have courtesy and kindness towards others, no matter what. People join these racist and religiously biased groups because they feel it will make their lives better, not caring about the others who will be affected by their hatred. Parents need to instill in their children the value of one treating others as they, themselves, would like to be treated truly are. If everyone in this world had respect for one another, we would live in peace and be able to let others believe in what they wish and accept that everyone is different. I believe it all comes down to parents teaching their

Find Out What It Means to Be on Academic Probation

Find Out What It Means to Be on Academic Probation Academic probation is the most common term colleges and universities use to indicate that a student is not making the academic progress the institution requires for graduation. Academic probation often means that a students grades and/or GPA are not high enough to continue in school if his grades or GPA do not improve. Someone can be placed on academic probation for a variety of reasons, although all will be academic in nature. Nonacademic offenses could lead to disciplinary probation. No form of probation is good, as it could result in a students suspension or expulsion. What Leads to Academic Probation? A school may put a student on academic probation because of her cumulative GPA or because of her GPA in the classes required for her major. A single semester of poor grades could also lead to academic probation. Perhaps even direr: A student may end up on academic probation if he fails to meet the standards of any financial aid he is receiving- it all depends on the schools rules and what is required to remain in good academic standing. Even if a student thinks she is doing well in school, she should familiarize herself with any GPA standards she must meet, whether for her major, scholarships, an honors program, or basic academic requirements. The best strategy, of course, is to avoid any issues in the first place rather than unexpectedly ending up on probation and having to work out of it. How to Respond to Academic Probation If a student does end up on academic probation, dont panic. Being placed on academic probation is usually not the same as being asked to leave college. Students are given a probationary period- often a semester- to demonstrate that they can indeed make successful academic progress. To do so, students may need to increase their GPA by a certain amount, pass all of their classes, or meet other requirements, as determined by their school. While there will certainly be pressure to succeed- failing to boost grades or meet certain standards could result in suspension or expulsion- there are several things a student can do to make the most of this second chance. First, be clear on what is required to stay in school. The specific steps of a students academic probation, as well as how long the probationary period will last, should be outlined in the notification the student received from her school. If its unclear as to what steps to take to move out of academic probation, the student should ask as many people as possible until she finds out the information he needs. Once its clear what lies ahead, its important to ask a key question: Are there any changes the student needs to make in her day-to-day life to ensure she reaches her academic goals? For example, if the student can cut back on some extracurricular activities, social commitments, or work hours to increase study time, she may want to do so. She should ask an adviser or a trusted mentor for resource recommendations like a study group or individual tutor because extra support can go a long way in a high-stakes situation.

Definition and Examples of Prewriting Strategies

Definition and Examples of Prewriting Strategies In composition, the term prewriting refers to  any activity that helps a writer think about a topic, determine a purpose, analyze an audience, and prepare to write. Prewriting is closely related to the art of invention in classical rhetoric. The objective of  prewriting, according to Roger Caswell and Brenda Mahler, is  to prepare students for writing by allowing them to discover what they know and what else they need to know. Prewriting invites exploration and promotes the motivation to write (Strategies for Teaching Writing, 2004). Because various kinds of writing (such as note-taking,  listing, and freewriting) usually occur during this stage of the writing process, the term  prewriting  is somewhat misleading. A number of teachers and researchers prefer the term exploratory writing. See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: Writing ProcessComposingDiscovery Strategies (Heuristics)FocusingGeorge Carlin on Finding Something to Write AboutYour Writing: Private and Public Types of Prewriting Activities BrainstormingClusteringFreewriting Journalists QuestionsJournal WritingListingOutlinePentadReading Examples and Observations Prewriting is  the getting ready to write stage. The traditional notion that writers have a topic completely thought out and ready to flow onto the page is ridiculous. Writers begin tentatively- talking, reading, brainstorming- to see what they know and in what direction they want to go. -Gail Tompkins, Rod Campbell, and David Green,  Literacy for the 21st Century. Pearson Australia, 2010Prewriting involves anything you do to help yourself decide what your central idea is or what details, examples, reasons, or content you will include. Freewriting, brainstorming, and clustering . . . are types of prewriting. Thinking, talking to other people, reading related material, outlining or organizing ideas- all are forms of prewriting. Obviously, you can prewrite at any time in the writing process. Whenever you want to think up new material, simply stop what you are doing and start using one of [these] techniques... -Stephen McDonald and William Salomone, The Writers Response, 5th ed. Wad sworth, 2012 The Aims of PrewritingUsually, the prewriting activities help you find a good topic, narrow topics that are too broad, and look at purpose. You should finish the prewriting activities with at least a sentence and a list. Or you may have something as formal as a three-part thesis sentence and a fully developed outline. Either way, youll have laid the groundwork. -Sharon Sorenson, Websters New World Student Writing Handbook. Wiley, 2010 Prewriting as a Method of DiscoveryJeannette Harris stresses prewriting while stating that discovery occurs throughout the composing process, even in revision, when the writer is still retrieving additional information, making further connections, recognizing emerging patterns [Expressive Discourse, 15]. In prewriting as well as free-writing and keeping journals, ideas and forms are discovered by provoking memory. In addition, the personal nature of much prewriting and freewriting serve as an affirmation that the memory of the student writer has a valid place in the writing classroom. -Janine Rider, The Writers Book of Memory: An Interdisciplinary Study for Writing Teachers. Routledge, 1995 Prewriting and Revising[P]rewriting plans are not carved in stone; they are simply tools for generating and organizing ideas. Writers frequently change their minds as they write, eliminating some details, adding and changing others. Thats why some writers say that prewriting is a misnomer; they return to their plans over and over during all stages of the writing process, often revising and adjusting the plans as they go. -Lori Jamison Rog,  Marvelous Minilessons for Teaching Intermediate Writing. International Reading Association, 2011

Corporate Social Responsibility (Business Ethics) Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility (Business Ethics) - Essay Example Barnard (1938) had similar argument in mind when he said: "It seems to me inevitable that the struggle to maintain co-operation among men should as surely destroy some men morally as battle destroys them physically." (p.278) Such moral beliefs and values gave birth to the organized concept of CSR. Interestingly not everyone feels the same way. While many support the concept of CSR, there are some thinkers including the well-known economist, Milton Friedman who did not agree with the idea of investing in community work. We shall discuss Friedman later in the paper with greater detail. Ethics has always been an integral part of the way human beings are expected to think and behave. For this reason, it has entered the field of business and commerce as well. Many philosophers have posed the question: "why does a person behave ethically". In the same vein, we can ask, why must a firm behave ethically The answer can come from religious, moral as well as purely capitalist sources. It is believed that man is expected to behave ethically because it is the "divine command", one's duty, or in the words of Kant, an action is considered right only when it is based on a sense of duty. Hence there can be many reasons for explaining the expectation of ethical approach. People like Benjamin Franklin who were more morally inclined felt that "business is the pursuit of virtue". That is however a very simplistic way of explaining the expectation of ethics and may not be easily accepted by capitalistic circles. Jackall (1988) on the other hand feels that there is no real morality ex isting in the firm. The morality we find in a modern firm is based on "that right thing" which people above you want from you. Corporate social responsibility, while it may be immensely critical, doesn't always come with a serious concern for better image in the country. It is usually connected with a desire to perform better in the financial area. In other words, financial gains are an important concern when CSR is being adopted. In many cases, it has been expected to lead to higher market share. We must make it clear here that these are expectations and actual effects may differ from firm to firm. Some studies have some that in many firms, managers are more likely to adopt and integrate CSR in company's motto and policies if this investment is likely to result in monetary benefits. Managers are willing to invest in CSR related projects because it is expected to result in better financial health and greater monetary situation for the firm. Lydenberg et al. (1986) maintain that "Companies fight hard for even a small percentage gain in market share for their products. If and when corporate managers become con vinced that their company's social record affects market share, they will be forced to take social initiatives seriously." Social responsibility has also become a buzzword because of the availability of large variety of similar goods. When a product comes into the market, it has to fight very hard for consumer's attention because there are several other rival goods competing for the same. A marketing and design consultant (Neuborne, 1991) states: "There was a time when you bought a product just for its price or performance...but with the number of products

Universal Access to Healthcare in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Universal Access to Healthcare in the USA - Essay Example Typically, investing in telemedicine can enable more people to access healthcare costs while at the same time saving on transportation costs. In this program, people can communicate with healthcare providers without having to physically go to the clinic. The program focuses on establishing a mobile strategy in healthcare companies. Further, it includes digital clinics that can be accessed through mobile phones and computers, which will make this mobile strategy easier. Â  The program looked at costs of implementing a mobile strategy and digital health clinics and weighed this cost against the relevant transport costs that will be saved after transformation of the system. In addition, the benefit of the improvement of health care due to the resultant increase in health care access was added to the advantage of reduced transportation costs (Aspe.hhs.gov, 2015). Â  Telemedicine has not only improved access to health care but has reduced costs and improved the quality of healthcare (Aspe.hhs.gov, 2015). However, there were disparities in access between the access in rural and urban areas which was attributed to the inequalities in information.

MKTG 315 Pre-test Essay Example for Free

MKTG 315 Pre-test Essay 1. President Obamas health care plan requires all U.S. citizens to purchase a minimum amount of health insurance or be fined 2. Suppose that from January 2011 to January 2012, the inflation rate was 6 percent 3. Fill out the table according the demographic information for each group 4. Which of the following approaches to innovation is Google Inc. using when it allows researchers to devote 20 percent of their time to pursuing their own ideas and projects? Can be D. 5. Examine the advertisement below to determine who the target market is for the product. Then, select as many descriptors that fit the qualities of that target market. 6. The local Pro Hardware store has recently run a number of ads featuring women doing household repairs and holds monthly workshops for women on basic home repair techniques. It has evidently not been lost on Pro Hardware that: B. Personal traits tend to vary in the U.S by region 7. Today, many infants are exposed from birth to technology such as Smartphones, laptops, netbooks, and tablets. In fact, Fisher-Price and LeapFrog do research into how infants and young toddlers interact with screens and touchscreens. 8. Research that attempts to expand the frontiers of knowledge but is not aimed at a specific, pragmatic problem is called: Basic research 9. Which of the following is an example of demographic information? C. Single, 18-25 year olds 10. When a coal mining company lobbies Congress for changes in environmental laws and regulations that result in the construction of more coal-burning power plants, the company has engaged in: Post Test 1. Match the product with the ethnic group it most likely targets. African American A new urban clothing line directed at young adults, Hispanic American Clean and fruity scented room freshener in a colorful container Asian American Brand new electronic device charger that also acts as a keyboard for the nearest charging device, Any ethnicity A package of flank steak, 2. Sharon is 60 years old and expects to continue working through her sixties. She lost a significant portion of her retirement savings during the recession. Sharon is a: Baby boomer 3.Randy is a sales rep at Speedy Printing. When Danyka expresses an interest in purchasing a new, high-speed copy machine for her office, Randy tells her that Speedy Printing requires all users of its copy machines to purchase all their paper and toner from the company as well. Fortunately, Danyka is well-versed in business legislation and informs Randy that his companys policy is in violation of the: Incorrect. Among other things, the Clayton Act prohibits tying contracts (which require the buyer of one product to also buy another item in the line). 4. Match the American value with the product that most addresses that value. Self-sufficiency A book on year round vegetable garden management., Upward mobility BMW offers an entry-level sedan for much less than its super-luxury models Work Ethic ., Debit card that rounds up to the nearest dollar and puts the rounded change into a savings account., Conformity . Walmart offers everyday low prices for everyone 5. Joseph has an idea for a startup that will offer a mobile device that will also function as a social media hub, music center, and digital wallet. His idea is to offer slick designs in brilliant colors that shoppers can either subscribe to monthly or pay as they go for data access. Select all of the target market factors Joseph needs to consider as he finalizes design and designs on promotion strategies. a. Ethnicity b. How social media use has changed the way people communicate c. Consumer Privacy d. Purchasing power e. Size of the population f. Age demographic g. State Laws h. Inflation Answer 1: Correct. Answer 2: Correct. Answer 3: Correct. Answer 4: Correct. Answer 5: Incorrect. Answer 6: Correct. Answer 7: Incorrect. Answer 8: Incorrect. 6. A local bank has developed a new line of credit with a lower interest rate and large lines of credit. Of the following, what considerations will the bank have to take into account before granting a line of credit to an applicant? a. Recession b. Consumer income c. Competition d. Inflation e. Ethnicity f. Purchasing Power Answer 1: Correct. Answer 2: Correct. Answer 3: Incorrect. Answer 4: Incorrect. Answer 5: Incorrect. Answer 6: Correct. 7. Why are Asian Americans sometimes called a marketers dream? 8. Component lifestyles: Incorrect. Component lifestyles encompass a much wider range of interests (and needs) than traditional lifestyles. Increased buying power has also contributed to the evolution of component lifestyles. d. have developed because consumers can choose from a growing number of goods and services. 9. From the following, choose all of the following are methods companies are using to stimulate innovation. a. Enlisting the web b. Increasing efficiency c. Talking to early adopters d. Using marketing research e. Building scenarios Answer 1: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 2: Incorrect. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 3: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 4: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 5: Incorrect. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepren eurs. 10. After learning that many of its customers were shopping at a nearby health-food store for grass-fed beef and organic milk, REF:-Price Grocers began stocking more organic items. REF:-Price Grocers adjusted its marketing strategy based on: Environment management Chapter 5: Pre-Test The Pilcher Company manufactures tents and other canvas goods in its two factories, located in Kentucky and West Virginia. Seven years ago, Pilcher began exporting its goods to several countries in Latin America, and sales have been very good. At least 25% of Pilchers revenue comes from its foreign sales. The Pilcher Company can probably best be characterized as a _____ multinational corporation. a. first-stage b. second-stage c. third-stage d. fourth-stage e. fifth-stage Mari is in Brazil for a vacation and has stumbled upon the most beautiful Brazilian cedar chest inlaid with Brauna wood veneers. She desperately wants the trunk, but isnt sure how much it actually costs. The shopkeeper is asking her for 2500 reals (the Brazilian currency). Maris husband knows that the exchange rate to the U.S. dollar is about 0.5 USD for 1 real. Calculate the cost of the trunk in U.S. dollars. $ Select all of the following that are true about globalization. a. Globalization has cost millions of Americans their jobs, particularly those in the manufacturing and tech industries. b. Globalization encourages political as well as economic freedom. c. Job outsourcing has decreased with globalization. d. Globalization raises the living standards of people in countries that embrace it. e. U.S. white-collar jobs are immune to being outsourced because they require a native speaker of English. 4. Select the table with the rest of the G-20 Member countries. Australia Japan Brazil Germany Turkey India Russia United Kingdom (or England) Saudi Arabia United States [or USA] 5, Select the methods of entering the Global Marketplace to the appropriate level of risk on the spectrum. Exporting Licensing and Franchising Contract Manufacturing Joint Venture Direct Investment 6. In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan Come alive with the Pepsi Generation came out as Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead. The managers at Pepsi evidently overlooked the importance of _____ factors in global marketing. a. demographic b. political c. technological d. cultural e. economic Incorrect. Language is a central part of culture and has created problems for many companies entering foreign markets. 7. Pillsbury advertisements on Indian television depict the familiar Doughboy pressing his palms together and bowing in the traditional Indian greeting. Pillsbury obviously understands the rewards of _____ marketing. a. sales b. guerilla c. regional d. global e. green 8. A Vietnamese textile factory sells its goods in the United States at a price 40% less than that charged in Vietnam. The textile factory may be engaging in: a. boycotting. b. price gouging. c. dumping. d. bouncing. e. countertrading 9. Campbells watercress and duck gizzard soup (which is popular in China) and Frito-Lays shrimp-flavored potato chip (sold in Thailand), are examples of: a. product standardization. b. promotion adaptation. c. product adaptation. d. competitive pricing. e. product invention. Incorrect. In the context of global marketing, product invention can be taken to mean either creating a new product for a market or drastically changing an existing product. Mercosur is the largest Latin American trade agreement, created in 1991 to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, peoples, and currency in South America. Select all of the following countries that are part of Mercosur. a. Venezuela b. Mexico c. Brazil d. Costa Rica e. Peru f. Uruguay Chapter 5: Post-test 1. Dynamo Industries spent $10 million on equipment in its new South Korean facilities last year, but only $3 million on labor. It is safe to say that Dynamos operations in South Korea a. are capital intensive. b. greatly increase employment in South Korea. c. are underfinanced. d. are labor intensive. e. have probably cost many South Koreans their jobs. 2. Match the company description with the stage of global business development. WRONG 3. The Camay soap you buy at your local grocery store is virtually the same as the Camay soap offered for sale in Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and Taiwan. Procter Gamble has moved toward _____ with this product. a. contract manufacturing b. global marketing standardization c. product adaptation d. competitive advantage e. product myopia After class one day, your friend Miguel says that he can foresee a time in the not too distant future when the European Union (EU) will essentially become the United States of Europe. Based on what youve read in your textbook, you: a. agree, because the EU has purchasing power almost equal to that of the United States. b. disagree, because the political instability in Europe will never allow that to happen. c. agree, because the EU is already the largest economy in the world. d. disagree, because Europes diverse languages and national cultures will make it almost impossible for marketers to develop single European products for generic European consumers. e. agree, because over the past few years labor productivity in the EU has equaled or exceeded that of the United States. Fill in the blanks of the paragraph using the drop down menu to select the choice that best fits each blank. Wilmaris build your own homemade cupcake business is booming. She has received inquiries from all over the world about retailing her Foolproof Bakery Style Cupcake Baker toaster oven and her wide range of cupcake mixes, fillings, and frosting, which are Production adaptation for a global market. Wilmari knows that she has to make sure her electronics work in foreign outlets and shes been researching retailers, distributors, and even flavors that other countries my enjoy. Wilmaris E-commerce distribution is helping her make her first steps towards having a global business. For now, however, Wilmari directs all the international inquiries to her website, where her customers can use Currency exchange to order sets or mixes, as well as see the cost of international shipping. Wilmari also has a Money back guarantee that she offers only domestic customers, just in case there are regulations in other countries. For now, the web is her easiest road into the global market, but Wilmaris research and diligence should enable her to be one of the few small promotion adaptations located in the United States! 6. Right Wedding dress designers change white to red for Chinese customers. Culture, PG offers single use sizes of deodorant in India for much less than full size deodorants in the U.S. Economic Factors, Google is sued by a doctor in France for libel when search results for his name brought up an old malpractice suit that he had served time for. Legal and Political Factors, Up-and-coming diamond retailer Hearts of Fire fights with larger companies for limited diamonds from Africa. Natural Resources 7. Langdon Farms sends milk to Yinkers, a Canadian cheese maker; in payment, Yinkers sends Langdon Farms cheddar and Swiss cheese, which Langdon Farms in turn markets in the United States. Langdon Farms and Yinkers are engaging in: a. price fixing. b. dumping. c. countertrading. d. a quota system. e. bribery 8. Select all of the following that are product adaptation. a. Offering ketchup sized packets of Pantene 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner in Bolivia for 5 cents. b. Campbells offering duck gizzard soup in China. c. Dunkin Donuts selling green tea donuts in Korea. d. HM offering fringed burquas in Dubai. 9. Martin just gave a business presentation where he emphasized benefits to the bottom line, that his company would provide strong service support, and the products guarantee. Where is Martin giving his presentation? a. Sweden b. Germany c. Japan d. Hungary e. Peru Incorrect. These are all characteristics listed for giving successful business presentations in Germany. 10.Plast-eet, a Vermont manufacturer of plastic eating utensils, sells its products to Misha, who has an office in New York City. Plast-eet takes its money from Misha and goes away happy. Misha, in turn, sells the products to buyers in several African countries and keeps the revenues. Misha is most likely a(n): a. buyer for export. b. export broker. c. buyer for import. d. venture capitalist. e. export agent

America Paper :: essays research papers

You know the feeling. You can’t turn on the big game without one. You can’t listen to your stereo system without one. DVD? Nope! Where is the damn thing? I’m holding three, but they’re not the right one. The â€Å"remote† always seem to be just that†¦ remote.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your typical American can have anywhere from four to six to eight remotes to control any number of electronic machines. Just looking at them and trying to comprehend their function is utterly overwhelming. The sizes differ just as much as the items they control. Line the remotes up on a coffee table and they almost look like a squadron of high-powered military aircraft on the deck of an aircraft carrier capable of who knows what with all those buttons. Funny thing is the remote is almost as important to our peaceful, domestic well being as those aircraft are to our peaceful, domestic national safety. And of all the impressive aircraft we have at our disposal here in America, I think the remote is most like the stealth fighter because we’re always fighting to find it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Take the television remote for instance. It is the king of importance and is always the hardest to find. You end up missing the first quarter of the big game because you’ve torn up the whole house looking for the now invisible remote. What happened to the stereo remote? Is it under the couch cushion or the couch itself? Is it even in the room? The other remotes don’t help because you need the specific one for the specific electronic machine. Funny thing is, despite all of their individual features, they all share one certain function: getting lost, or â€Å"going stealth† as I call it, and then the search is on for one of the many. Many Americans don’t even look at it as odd behavior to have what seems like an infinite number of remotes. Look at the many electronic machines that have remotes: TV’s, VCR’s, DVD players, CD players, stereo systems, garage doors, window blinds, car security systems, even some gas fireplaces come with remote control units! Some day every item we buy will be remote controlled in some way. For some this is a good thing, but I’m not so sure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What are we doing? More importantly, what are the remotes doing to us? By using remotes we end up removing ourselves from contact with the things we own and enjoy.

Learning Team Role Identificatiion Paper

Running head: LEARNING TEAM ROLE IDENTIFICATION PAPER Learning team role identification paper Tiffany Burrage, Tami Bereki, John Kuespert, Tim Poninski University of Phoenix Interdisciplinary Capstone course GEN/480 Inga Parker Jul 04, 2010 Learning team role identification paper One of the factors that make Justice Inc such a unique organization is the various skills each member has. Each member has a particular job title based off of his or her educations, experience, as well as his or her skills. Tim Poninski is the consultant of the organization.Tim’s job is to provide recommendations, facilitation, and training on the development, management, and technological aspects of organization quality improvement efforts at all levels. This is done for Justice Inc as well as out organizations that Justice Inc is consulting with. Tim has expertise and specialties in all aspects of the criminal justice field; therefore Tim is responsible for keeping organizations abreast of any and a ll changes in the criminal justice field. John Kuespert is the president of the company.John’s responsibilities are to establish the direction for the development and administration of the organizations quality improvement efforts. John consults with peers throughout the organization on a number of different issues. Maintains and develop an environment of continual improvement in all aspects of the organization. John makes sure that organizations that Justice Inc consults for is satisfied with the services rendered. John also oversees the organizations operations to make sure production efficiency, quality, service, and cost effective management of resources.John is responsible for day to day operation in the organization. Tiffany Burrage is the vice president of the organization. Tiffany’s responsibilities are to oversee all aspects of the organization. This includes but is not limited to improvement efforts, which deals with developing and administrating programs. Ti ffany’s also is responsible for assuring all employees receive training and coaching. Establishing strategic plans, policies and procedures at all levels for Justice Inc, as well as outside organizations. Tiffany makes sure that the improvements meet or exceed the needs of internal and external customers.Tami Bereki is the auditor of the organization. Tami responsibilities are to primarily evaluate financial information and put in order financial reports for internal and external organizations. Tami also maintains record of resources, liabilities; profit and loss, tax liabilities, as well as other financial activities with thin an organization. Analyze organizations operations, improvement, cost, revenues, financial commitments and obligations. Tami also is responsible for projecting future revenues and expenses and provides advice for organizations.

Criminal Justice Paper

In order to succeed at something so selective and challenging you must understand the cause and truly feel the duty it brings to you. Those that possess the characteristics for becoming a police officer could not do anything but be a police officer, its something you're born with and that you feel. It chooses you, you do not choose it. For many in this world the thought of crime scares them. It brings out the fear Of violence, drugs, and the images of some Of the worst places or scariest people this world has to offer. It gives officers of law enforcement it gives the Houghton of opportunity to make a difference.The times in which most run away, officers of law enforcement run towards. To be a police officer it is not about the paycheck, it is not about the power it gives to you over another citizen. Its the ability to make a difference and impact society, the ability to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Being a police officer is not something you chose to do; it is someth ing that chooses you. It's not just a job, it's a lifestyle, its not just a paycheck but a way of life, those that are destined to become police officers don't â€Å"turn it off' after their shift is over, hey don't call out sick, and they don't work regular hours.Police officers sacrifice; they sacrifice their time off, time with family and friends, but most of all they sacrifice themselves and their own well being for the good of those in which they vow to protect and serve, they sacrifice through every single way possible and in some cases they make the ultimate sacrifice. The life of a police officer is not for the faint of heart. It's not for someone who doesn't fully feel and know in their heart that there is no other profession or road of life they could be on other than that of an officer of the law.Ever since I was a child have been infatuated with the police and law. Remember as a child running around my grandparents neighborhood playing â€Å"reliever† with my fri ends and always wanting to be the team tasked with capturing the other kids, or riding our bikes around the neighborhood pretending to pull one another over and issuing fake tickets, sometimes even arresting each other and using the cheap plastic handcuffs from the drugstore to put the â€Å"suspect† into custody.One of my most vivid memories and the one I believe captured my attention to truly make me feel that coming a police officer was the life path I was destined to take was watching cops with my grandmother. I remember fondly sitting on my grandfathers lay-z-boy becoming instantly fascinated with the different traffic stops and dispute calls the police would perform. I remember every episode, I would become so engrossed with what was happening and the different calls the officers would go on that I would imagine was with them and going along as a fellow officer assisting in the arrests.Throughout my life, my opinions and personality changed. Every three years it seemed I was a totally efferent person than the one before, but one thing that always remained was that wanted to be involved in law enforcement in one way or another, I wanted to be a part of the brotherhood and to make a difference, I knew that had the ability both intellectually and integrity wise to get through law school and become a lawyer but knew from a young age sitting in an office wasn't what I wanted to do, I wanted to impact my community in a positive way through law enforcement, I wanted to be down on the street, in the thick of it. Anted to see and handle the crime and the thugs first hand; I wanted to be he face Of law enforcement. The characteristics of the job that made most people deflect away are what attracted me the most. The long hours, the threat of danger and adrenaline rushes, even the middle class pay grades, they all intrigued me and made me want this type of lifestyle even more.As I got older looked into law enforcement more and more and with much more scrutiny and detail, I heard the positives and negatives, the risks and the rewards, and the one thing that always stuck out in my mind was the fact that no matter what I heard or what learned about the career, never lost interest. I never became deterred, I always carried myself as someone who wanted a future career in law enforcement. While some of my friends got into trouble growing up and during high school I made sure to keep my nose clean.I always spoke to everyone with respect and a professional tone, I took my part time jobs seriously and I made good impressions on all those that I met. Felt, and still do feel, that you cannot make a leader, leaders are born. I firmly believe the same goes for police officers, you cannot take anyone and transform them into a police officer, you can only hope that those that possess the qualities of police officer realize their gift and pursue the career.This mentality has driven me to change myself physically, mentally, and it has also caused me to change the views of those around me. When I was younger and I brought up the fact that I would like to become a police officer my parents were not thrilled. They did not want me to spend my career in danger handling the worst people that society has to offer. They wanted me, like most parents, to become a doctor or lawyer, have a comfortable life both financially and personal safety wise. Knew that was better suited for being a police officer out on the street.I did not care about the money or social sacrifices I would have to make, but most importantly I did not value my personal safety over those that looked up to me, this I believe is a huge quality and characteristic of police officers, to wake up every day and know that you may have to lay down your life in order to protect a complete stranger, not everyone could do this. I learned that I possessed this quality during my years as a high school athlete, I played goalie for my high school lacrosse team.I played a different positi on prior to high school but my freshman year the captains came to the am and asked for someone to step up and play goalie, I was the only one in my class to raise my hand. In all of sports, a lacrosse goalie is ranked as one of the top 3 most dangerous positions because the solid rubber ball in the sport travels at a speed of 80 to 95 MPH. The goalie wears almost no pads other than a helmet, chest pad, gloves, and an athletic cup. Throughout a season a goalie suffers severe contusions all over their body and on top of this, they are the last line of defense for their team.The position is a high risk- low reward position. If the team wins, they overlook your saves and focus on he players who scored the winning goal but if you lose everyone looks at you for the amount of goals you let in. Most importantly the position is chaotic, hectic, loud, and fast paced and you need to make a decision quickly. The average goalie has . 2 seconds to make a decision during a game. Therefore you must possess the ability to think quickly on your feet, read, evaluate, and act on a situation extremely fast. This is a huge characteristic of a being a police officer. New that the position was not for everyone, if it was easy everyone would do it was my philosophy, did not question why no one else raised their hand hat day at tryouts but rather did the job knowing that others relied on me. The same applies for that of a police officer. Police officers don't consider the dangers of the job they do, the risks they take every day and the low rewards that come with the job. The greatest reward is something no one else can see, it's something you feel. It's knowing that you are part of select brotherhood of others that do everything they can, and then some, to make the world safer.There are many different forms of law enforcement in the world. I have chosen to pursue the route of a field officer, someone who goes out and tops crime first hand. I have looked at becoming a lawyer or someone who is a part of the processing aspect of law and the one field of law enforcement that speaks to me and attracts me above all others is that of a field officer, or police officer. I have said before that those that are police Officers do not know why they wish to be a police officer, they just know that it is something that has chosen them.I have looked at the different law enforcement agencies on all levels from federal to state to local. Have narrowed it down to two different possible agencies that am pursing and hoping to be employed tit, these are, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Delaware State Police. The FBI is on the federal level while the ADS is on the state level. Each have their own responsibilities, mission statements, duties, and specialized departments within. Before I pursue a career with either of these departments I am attending college and receiving a bachelors degree in â€Å"Criminal Justice†.After college commencement I will be enlisting in the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and serving my country on the national level as a united States Marine Officer for 4 to 6 years of my life. I have chosen the Marines because they claim to be the best. Their motto is ‘The few, the Proud, the Marines†. This has always struck me in a positive, almost challenging way. Other military organizations ask you to join them giving you a list of opportunities and rewards they can give you.The Marine Corps challenge you to join them, they tell you what you can do for them and earn for yourself in the process, they offer the hardest and longest training process out of all the military services and, just like the ADS, they claim to be the best organization out there. Eve always wanted to be a part of the best unit can be. Always wanted to be the best of the best. Feel that there is no other option then to push yourself to the Max and to never Stop trying to get better at everything you possibly can. Eel that obt aining a college degree and becoming an officer in the Marine Corps will help separate me from others in the selection processes of both the FBI and the ADS. Both of these organizations have rigorous and intense selection processes taking on average at least a year to go through both select candidates for specialized training to transform them into effective and capable tools of law enforcement. Eel whole heartedly that the Marine Corps will help prepare me for the discipline and training will endure during the selection process and training periods of both the FBI and the ADS, should I be accepted into these organizations.The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, is a federal police organization that focuses on neutralizing and preventing crime that are too large and diverse for police agencies on the local and state levels. Their mission statement is, â€Å"To protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the crimin al laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, mission statement, 201 2) The FBI has numerous specialized units; in fact, it's safe to say that they are nothing but specialized units that all work together under one name and for the same cause, to protect the United States. The FBI has field units in security, SWAT, drug enforcement, national security, air security. They also have law units that investigate and chase down some of the country's worst criminals; they sometimes go global in order to track threats against the United States.You can be a linguist and handle language barriers, field agents, they also have a hostage rescue team. The FBI selection process is unbelievably intense there are seven steps to the process. There is the online application process which is the first step and gets your name in the system along with your accomp lishments and attributes. Then comes the written test portion which covers your situational judgment skills along with your logical reasoning skills. The second phase Of testing includes a written paper testing portion along with an interview from a anal of FBI board members.The next phase is a conditional letter which must be written by a member of the FBI board and approved, giving you permission to continue and take the physical testing portion of the selection process. This tests your ability to run in both a sprint and a timed mile run and do sit-up and pushup in timed fashion. If you complete and pass these qualifications you are submitted to go through a thorough background check by the FBI and if everything in your background check checks out you are submitted to go through a medical examination to see if you are in proper hysterical health to be an agent in the FBI.The selection process for the FBI is rigorous, in depth, and competitive. They select only the best candidates and those that they think will perform the job to the best of their abilities to help out the bureau in every way possible. The Delaware State Police, ADS, is a state level organization that specializes in the governing three counties in the state of Delaware. Unlike other state police agencies, the ADS not only patrol high ways and enforce traffic violations, they also handle all other police priorities that local police agencies handle as well.The average Delaware State Trooper on a typical day will handle traffic violations and answer domestic dispute calls. They handle crimes ranging from felonies to misdemeanors. The ADS have canine units, detectives, undercover units, scuba units, SWAT units, air units, and patrol officers. As a Delaware State Trooper you can be a part of any of these units as long as you apply and pass the testing for each. The mission of the ADS is, â€Å"To enhance the quality of life for all Delaware citizens and visitors by providing professional, compe tent, and compassionate law enforcement services. Delaware State Police, Mission Statement, 2012). Like the FBI, the ADS selection process is insanely rigorous and intense, it takes roughly a year to complete and over 1000 applicants apply and out of those, only 23 are selected to become Delaware State Troopers (Tap. 1st class Jewell, A. 2012). The selection process contains a written process after being accepted from an online application. Once the written process is done an oral board interview is conducted.If you pass that you are then submitted to the physical fitness portion of the selection process and tested on your ability to reform sit-ups, pushup, and a timed mile run. If you pass the physical fitness portion you are then submitted to undergo a polygraph exam and fill out a background investigation packet while also being investigated by the police department's investigation unit and interview teams. If all of this is completed and you pass, the ADS will decide on whether or not to admit you to the Delaware State Police Training Academy located in Dover, Delaware.In review of both of these organizations have decided that I will pursue a career with the Delaware State Police as primary career source and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a secondary career source, as I reviewed and compared both of these organizations have sided with the ADS because of their primary cause which is helping make the community safer on more of a local and state level rather than focusing on a national level. Want to help the people in my community and perform the tasks and duties that are required of the Delaware State Police more so than the Federal Bureau of Investigations.I have failed to list the pay grades of both of the organizations as in my personal beliefs I do not feel that is important, in becoming a ember of law enforcement, such a police officer, it is not about the money. Police officers do the job because it is a calling, the fact that the job pays you is a bonus, police officers don't go into work because of the paycheck they go into work every day with the intentions of doing something good for the community and impacting it in a positive way, they chose this career not because of the pay but because they wouldn't be able to do anything else.If you hear the call Of law enforcement there is no escaping it, you must answer it and until you do so you will not feel fully and truly satisfied. This isn't just a bob but a lifestyle. As stated above, I plan on obtaining a 4 year bachelors degree in criminal justice and serving 4 to 6 years in the SUMS. I feel that taking this route before pursuing my career as a Delaware State Trooper will better prepare me both mentally and physically for my tasks as a police officer, as it will also help me standout in the selection process.I have also gone on multiple â€Å"ride-along† with the Delaware State Police and seen firsthand the day to day calls and activities of a State Trooper. Th is career has called me and I am in the process of answering it, one step at a time. Eve kept my nose clean and stayed out of trouble, I will not jeopardize myself and my future career with reckless behavior. â€Å"If it was easy, everyone would do it'- unknown, that quote sums up my entire attitude towards life, I choose to perform the jobs, duties, and tasks that most do not wish to perform. Eel it as my duty and a sense of guilt comes over me when I do not fully undergo and take down these tasks. Believe this is the mentality most police officers and those that have heard the calling feel. The undoubted need and want to help, they undertake the jobs that most would not. In times of peril it is the police, firemen, paramedics, and military personnel that run toward the danger. This is something that cannot be explained by anyone in any of these fields; it is something that is understood as special and unique to a certain breed of individual.Police officers don't question the thou ght of chasing an armed suspect down a dark alley, they just do. Firemen don't wonder why they go into a burning building as others run out, they just do. Paramedics and military personnel don't realize that they are saving lives by risking their own well being, they just do. The sense and feelings of being in one of these positions cannot be explained, many of times my parents, family members, and friends have asked me, â€Å"Tom why do you want to be a Marine? Or Police Officer? And every time I tell them the exact same thing, â€Å"If you have to ask me, you wouldn't understand†. No one besides a police officer understands why they do it, risk their lives for complete strangers for low amounts of pay, long hours, and low social rewards. They don't do it for any of the reasons above, they do it because it's their duty, it's who they are, and it's ingrained in heir blood and DNA The ability to be a police officer is a unique and special trait; it's not just a career but a l ifestyle.

Medical Ethics4 essays

Medical Ethics4 essays Medical Ethics Bioethics comprise every possible aspect of health care, medical, moral, social, political, religious, legal and financial? (Weiss 3). This includes the questions raised by new research. It takes a look at the results of that research that is used on patients. It takes into consideration contemporary ideas of personal freedom and human dignity. It deals with growth in medical services available in the United States and the sky rocketing cost. Bioethics also deals with the medical advances in technology that has reshaped traditional medical ethics. Medical ethics have changed drastically over a period of years. From old commandments to new commandments, guidelines that provide structural framework, classic experiments that challenge that framework, or even how things are defined in medical ethics.Medical progress goes on, and the perils of progress must be heeded? (Leone 165). Changing times have in turn changed our codes of ethics. There are five old commandments of et hics and five new commandments of ethics. These commandments come from many years of heavily advised dictates from various people. A commandment by definition is, ... a dictate or a strongly advised piece of advice? (Halsey 201). The first traditional commandment is, Treat all human life as of equal worth? (Singer 190). This statement is very difficult to follow; almost no person believes this statement whole-heartedly. The statement makes more sense on paper or just being heard, but its application in life is almost impossible to ensure. In comparison to the first old ethic, the first new ethic states,Recognize that the worth of human life varies? (Singer 190). This statement allows for variation and livability in society. It gives way for someone to say, if a person is a vegetable, has no vital capabilities, this person's life is of no worth anymore. Without this sort of change in today's advancing civilization, it would make it ethically wrong topull ...

A Beginners Guide to Economic Indicators

A Beginners Guide to Economic Indicators An economic indicator is simply any economic statistic, such as the unemployment rate, GDP, or the inflation rate, which indicate how well the economy is doing and how well the economy is going to do in the future. As shown in the article How Markets Use Information To Set Prices investors use all the information at their disposal to make decisions. If a set of economic indicators suggest that the economy is going to do better or worse in the future than they had previously expected, they may decide to change their investing strategy. To understand economic indicators, we must understand the ways in which economic indicators differ. There are three major attributes each economic indicator has: Three Attributes of Economic Indicators Relation to the Business Cycle / EconomyEconomic Indicators can have one of three different relationships to the economy:Procyclic: A procyclic (or procyclical) economic indicator is one that moves in the same direction as the economy. So if the economy is doing well, this number is usually increasing, whereas if were in a recession this indicator is decreasing. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is an example of a procyclic economic indicator.Countercyclic: A countercyclic (or countercyclical) economic indicator is one that moves in the opposite direction as the economy. The unemployment rate gets larger as the economy gets worse so it is a countercyclic economic indicator.Acyclic: An acyclic economic indicator is one that has no relation to the health of the economy and is generally of little use. The number of home runs the Montreal Expos hit in a year generally has no relationship to the health of the economy, so we could say it is an acyclic economic indicator.Frequency of the Dat aIn most countries, GDP figures are released quarterly (every three months) while the unemployment rate is released monthly. Some economic indicators, such as the Dow Jones Index, are available immediately and change every minute. TimingEconomic Indicators can be leading, lagging, or coincident which indicates the timing of their changes relative to how the economy as a whole changes.Three Timing Types of Economic IndicatorsLeading: Leading economic indicators are indicators which change before the economy changes. Stock market returns are a leading indicator, as the stock market usually begins to decline before the economy declines and they improve before the economy begins to pull out of a recession. Leading economic indicators are the most important type for investors as they help predict what the economy will be like in the future.Lagged: A lagged economic indicator is one that does not change direction until a few quarters after the economy does. The unemployment rate is a lagged economic indicator as unemployment tends to increase for 2 or 3 quarters after the economy starts to improve.Coincident: A coincident economic indicator is one that simply moves at the same time the economy does. The Gross Domest ic Product is a coincident indicator. Â   Many different groups collect and publish economic indicators, but the most important American collection of economic indicators is published by the United States Congress. Their Economic Indicators are published monthly and are available for download in PDF and TEXT formats. The indicators fall into seven broad categories: Total Output, Income, and SpendingEmployment, Unemployment, and WagesProduction and Business ActivityPricesMoney, Credit, and Security MarketsFederal FinanceInternational Statistics Each of the statistics in these categories helps create a picture of the performance of the economy and how the economy is likely to do in the future. Total Output, Income, and Spending These tend to be the broadest measures of economic performance and include such statistics as: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) [quarterly]Real GDP [quarterly]Implicit Price Deflator for GDP [quarterly]Business Output [quarterly]National Income [quarterly]Consumption Expenditure [quarterly]Corporate Profits[quarterly]Real Gross Private Domestic Investment[quarterly] The Gross Domestic Product is used to measure economic activity and thus is both procyclical and a coincident economic indicator. The Implicit Price Deflator is a measure of inflation. Inflation is procyclical as it tends to rise during booms and falls during periods of economic weakness. Measures of inflation are also coincident indicators. Consumption and consumer spending are also procyclical and coincident. Employment, Unemployment, and Wages These statistics cover how strong the labor market is and they include the following: The Unemployment Rate [monthly]Level of Civilian Employment[monthly]Average Weekly Hours, Hourly Earnings, and Weekly Earnings[monthly]Labor Productivity [quarterly] The unemployment rate is a lagged, countercyclical statistic. The level of civilian employment measures how many people are working so it is procyclic. Unlike the unemployment rate, it is a coincident economic indicator. Production and Business Activity These statistics cover how much businesses are producing and the level of new construction in the economy: Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization [monthly]New Construction [monthly]New Private Housing and Vacancy Rates [monthly]Business Sales and Inventories [monthly]Manufacturers Shipments, Inventories, and Orders [monthly] Changes in business inventories is an important leading economic indicator as they indicate changes in consumer demand. New construction including new home construction is another procyclical leading indicator which is watched closely by investors. A slowdown in the housing market during a boom often indicates that a recession is coming, whereas a rise in the new housing market during a recession usually means that there are better times ahead. Prices This category includes both the prices consumers pay as well as the prices businesses pay for raw materials and include: Producer Prices [monthly]Consumer Prices [monthly]Prices Received And Paid By Farmers [monthly] These measures are all measures of changes in the price level and thus measure inflation. Inflation is procyclical and a coincident economic indicator. Money, Credit, and Security Markets These statistics measure the amount of money in the economy as well as interest rates and include: Money Stock (M1, M2, and M3) [monthly]Bank Credit at All Commercial Banks [monthly]Consumer Credit [monthly]Interest Rates and Bond Yields [weekly and monthly]Stock Prices and Yields [weekly and monthly] Nominal interest rates are influenced by inflation, so like inflation, they tend to be procyclical and a coincident economic indicator. Stock market returns are also procyclical but they are a leading indicator of economic performance. Federal Finance These are measures of government spending and government deficits and debts: Federal Receipts (Revenue)[yearly]Federal Outlays (Expenses) [yearly]Federal Debt [yearly] Governments generally try to stimulate the economy during recessions and to do so they increase spending without raising taxes. This causes both government spending and government debt to rise during a recession, so they are countercyclical economic indicators. They tend to be coincident to the business cycle. International Trade These are a measure of how much the country is exporting and how much they are importing: Industrial Production and Consumer Prices of Major Industrial CountriesU.S. International Trade In Goods and ServicesU.S. International Transactions When times are good people tend to spend more money on both domestic and imported goods. The level of exports tends not to change much during the business cycle. So the balance of trade (or net exports) is countercyclical as imports outweigh exports during boom periods. Measures of international trade tend to be coincident economic indicators. While we cannot predict the future perfectly, economic indicators help us understand where we are and where we are going.

Critical Evaluation of Descartes Principle of Proofs of Existence of Essay - 94

Critical Evaluation of Descartes Principle of Proofs of Existence of God - Essay Example Descartes studies about God were to show that God is not a deceiver, and he aims to bring a clear perception in our minds. In his ontological arguments, Descartes gives two arguments about the existence of God. He sets to prove the existence of God in these two arguments. In his first argument, Descartes states that God is a perfect being and that to exist than not to exist is the perfect thing and God must therefore exist. These were properly based on his early dreams and he set out to document them. The Descartes second argument is the most complex of the two. In his publications, he distinctively sets out two forms of reality. In believing that his thoughts were innate, Descartes thought that his perceptions and the way he sees God should not be objected. He points out that God is an infinite being and that reality come in the forms of infinite, modal and finite. Descartes sees God as existing in infinite reality. He further asserts that all substances by virtue of their existence posses’ finite formal reality and that all ideas that occur in any phase of thought posses the modal form of reality. Ideas, as he puts that have a form of reality which, when they are put in relation to the objects that they represent must have an objective form of reality. He further points out that these objective realities are of three forms, which mirror the formal realities dependent on the amount of reality contained in the object that those ideas represent. Basing his ideas on objective reality, Descartes argues using his inner reasoning that God is an objective finite being. He further bases his ideas on inner logical thoughts to state that something can come from nothing. On this basis, Descartes arrived at two major principles: One of the attacks on the philosophy of Descartes about God concerns the use of God in order to justify distinctions in his idea of perceptions.

Film Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Making - Essay Example The popularity of the movement spread across the continent to discover the most unlikely host in the United States of America (Marie & Newpert, 2003, pp.1-7). The movement found ample support from the Czech Republic as well. This incredible film movement broke the barriers created by main stream commercial movies as well as transformed the darkish orthodox believes which had been carried over through the dark ages of feudalism, medievalism, & ecclesiasticism. Paris was perhaps the darkest city during the history of the Second World War. The German censorship on films & theatres meant that the French citizens could not get a taste of global cinema in any form what so ever. Barring a few exceptional directors like Jean Renoir & Rene Clair, the French audience had to quench their artistic aspirations by witnessing below par domestic films. For the younger generation of people like Eric Rohmer & Alain Resnais, this dearth in film shipment equaled to a hover cast of brutal fascist ideolog y. This taboo & restriction later turned out to be the source of inspiration for the new wave film makers. To this younger age band born around 1925-30, which would later consist of most of the directors of the new wave, films happened to be the centre of their universe & a sanctuary secluded from the ruthless realities of the outer world. (Marie & Newpert, 2003, pp.7-15) The end of the war & the liberation of France brought along an enormous desire for self expression, open interaction, & cooperation. Discussion of films became a part of the regular discourse. Film journals like the L’Ecran Francais, became an epicenter for great authors like Andre Bazin to familiarize their viewpoints & convey their unbridled panache for films. Bazin approached films as a true form of art, which deserved extensive scrutiny. His viewpoints often put him at loggerheads with the leftist writers who were hell bent on solely evaluating the political standpoints of a film (Marie & Newpert, 2003, pp.10-17). The pioneers, who vividly read film journals, now began to set up film clubs all over the French territory. Future stalwarts like Claude Chabrol, & Alain Resnais were precisely benefitted from these little film clubs. By witnessing hundreds of films they came face to face with art of film making. Eric Rohmer was another avid audience of the film clubs. He invited Rivette & Godard to join him & the trio began to write articles, journals, & discourses on world cinema. The most important film journal came out in 1951, & was named La Cahiers du Cinema, which was published by Andre Bazin & Jacques Doniol- Valcroze. Bazin was nothing less than a father figure to the young crop of film enthusiasts (Ostrowska, 2008, pp.126-138). Henri Langlois deeply believed that watching silent films was the best way to intermingle with the art of cinema. As an end result, the new wave directors had great faith in film makers like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and D.W. Griffith & Erich von St roheim (Ostrowska, 2008, pp.126-138). The Italian neo realistic movement also had a huge impact upon the outcome of the new wave movement. The young French aspirants were

It is an article for my experimental economy class to summary Essay - 1

It is an article for my experimental economy class to summary - Essay Example Economists and none-economists students were selected for the study. The study was done in form of an experiment that required decision making within a period of about 30 minutes. It required the division of $10 in multiples of $0.50 between two people; a proposer and a responder. The proposer was to propose the division and the responder to decide if the division was acceptable or not. From the study conducted by Carter John and Irons Michael it is noted that economists generally accept less from others and keep more to themselves as compared to the none-economists. When another variable that helps to identify freshman economists and freshman non- economists was added, the freshman economists were still found to hold to the perspective of accepting less from others and keeping more. Therefore economists are born and not man-made. A third variable was also added to differentiate between the senior economists and the senior none-economists. This was meant to bring out any effects on the behavior of the economists as a result of learning economics. There were no clear learning effects realized from the experiment. Therefore, learning does not change the behavior of economists. The freshman economist and the senior economist all held the same perspective: They accept less and keep more to themselves (Carter and Irons 173). It was also realized that the choice of economics major students to major in economics was strongly related to their behavior. It was also found out that the economists were not only skilled in self interest calculation as facilitated by their deductive reasoning needed to recognize and decide on opportunities for economic gain. Economists are better at the type of thought processes that are related to rationality. They were able to give good figure of what a responder should accept and what a proposer should propose so as to maximize their monetary wealth keeping in mind that their partners

Singapore Education Essay Example for Free

Singapore Education Essay Singapore is one of Asia’s great success stories, transforming itself from a developing country to a modern industrial economy in one generation. During the last decade, Singapore’s education system has remained consistently at or near the top of most major world education ranking systems. This chapter examines how this â€Å"tiny red dot† on the map has achieved and sustained so much, so quickly. From Singapore’s beginning, education has been seen as central to building both the economy and the nation. The objective was to serve as the engine of human capital to drive economic growth. The ability of the government to successfully match supply with demand of education and skills is a major source of Singapore’s competitive advantage. Other elements in its success include a clear vision and belief in the centrality of education for students and the nation; persistent political leadership and alignment between policy and practice; a focus on building teacher and leadership capacity to deliver reforms at the school level; ambitious standards and assessments; and a culture of continuous improvement and future orientation that benchmarks educational practices against the best in the world. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 160  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES INTRODUCTION When Singapore became independent in 1965, it was a poor, small (about 700 km2), tropical island with few natural resources, little fresh water, rapid population growth, substandard housing and recurring con? ict among the ethnic and religious groups that made up its population. At that time there was no compulsory education and only a small number of high school and college graduates and skilled workers. Today, Singapore is a gleaming global hub of trade, ? nance and transportation. Its transformation â€Å"from third world to ? rst† in one generation is one of Asia’s great success stories (Yew, 2000). All children in Singapore receive a minimum of 10 years of education in one of the country’s 360 schools. Singapore’s students were among the top in the world in mathematics and science on the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. They came fourth in literacy in the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Their excellence is further underlined by the fact that Singapore was one of the top-performing countries in the 2009 PISA survey (Table 7. 1 and Figure 7. 1), the ? rst PISA survey in which it participated. Singapore was rated as one of the best performing education systems in a 2007 McKinsey study of teachers (Barber and Mourshed, 2007), and was rated ? rst in the 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (IMD, 2007) for having an education system that best meets the needs of a competitive economy. At the higher education level, the National University of Singapore was ranked 34th in the world and 4th in Asia in the Times  Higher Education Supplement Rankings of World Universities in 2010 (Times Higher Education Supplement, 2010). How has this little red dot on the map, as Singaporeans frequently refer to their country, a nation that is not even 50 years old, evolved from a backwater undeveloped economy into a world economic and educational leader in such a short period of time? What education policies and practices has Singapore employed? And are the lessons from Singapore’s experience relevant for other countries? This chapter attempts to provide some answers to these questions. First, however, we look at the broader context. Table 7. 1 Singapore’s mean scores on reading, mathematics and science scales in PISA PISA 2000 PISA 2003 PISA 2006 PISA 2009 Mean score Mean score Mean score Mean score Reading 526 Mathematics 562 Science 542 Source: OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Volume I, What Students Know and Can Do: Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science, OECD Publishing. 1? 2? http://dx. doi. org/10. 1787/888932366731 Under British colonial rule, from 1819 onwards, Singapore developed as a major seaport at the mouth of the Malacca Straits, on the shipping lanes between Britain, India and China. During this period, it attracted large  numbers of immigrants, primarily from southern China, India and the Malay Archipelago. At independence from Britain in 1959 and then separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore had no assets other than its deepwater port. There was no real economy, no defence, and simmering tensions with neighbouring countries. Moreover, it had to import most of its food, water and energy. The Republic of Singapore seemed an unlikely candidate to become a world-class economic and educational powerhouse. The risks facing this nation at birth – the sense of political and economic vulnerability to larger countries and  global changes – created a sense of urgency which in? uences policy to this day. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s ? rst Prime Minister, set out two overarching goals: to build a modern economy and to create a sense of Singaporean national identity. He recruited the best and brightest people into his early government and sought to promote economic growth and job creation. In the 1960s, the emphasis was on attracting labour-intensive foreign manufacturing to provide jobs for its low-skilled workforce. In the 1970s and 1980s, a shift to more skill-intensive manufacturing led to an emphasis on technical ?  elds. From the mid-1990s on, Singapore has sought to become a player in the global knowledge economy, encouraging more research- and innovation-intensive industry and seeking to attract scientists and scienti? c companies from around the globe. The results of the government’s economic policies have been stunning – rapid economic growth to reach developed country levels and a per capita income in 2009 estimated at current market prices to be about SGP 52 000 (USD 39 000). One of the so- called Asian Tigers, Singapore is a free market, business-friendly and globally-oriented economy, shaped by an  active and interventionist government. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES  © OECD 2010 161 The government of Singapore is a highly ef? cient, honest and ? exible meritocracy with a strong focus on integrated strategic planning and detailed execution. â€Å"Dream, Design, Deliver† aptly characterises its approach to policy development and implementation. Singapore’s small size and political stability (the same People’s Action Party has  ruled Singapore since Independence) have kept the vision of making Singapore a great global city constant, but have also enabled it to be versatile in responding to rapidly changing environments. With a small limited domestic market, Singapore has had to become highly integrated in the global economy. To survive several global recessions and the ever-present uncertainties of the global economy, continuous innovation has been essential. With respect to Lee Kuan Yew’s second goal of nation-building, early race riots led to a profound commitment to creating a multi-racial and multi-ethnic society. At independence, Singapore had multiple religious groups (Buddhist, Muslim, Taoist, Hindu and Christian); multiple ethnic groups (Singapore’s population is about 74% Chinese, 13% Malay, 9% Indian and 3% other); and no common language. Nor did it have a common school system or a common curriculum. A series of measures were gradually put in place to realise the Singapore pledge: â€Å"One united people regardless of race, language or religion†. Singapore recognises and teaches four of? cial languages – Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil – although English is the language of government and, since 1978, the medium of instruction in  schools. 1 Two years of compulsory national service unite different ethnic groups, as does the policy of mixing each group within the government-built housing where most Singaporeans live. This has helped avoid the racial and ethnic segregation that af? icts many countries. Schools play a major role in inculcating Singaporean values and character, and civic and moral education play a major role in schools. Honesty, commitment to excellence, teamwork, discipline, loyalty, humility, national pride and an emphasis on the common good have been instilled throughout government and society. Lacking other resources, human resources were and still are seen as the island republic’s most precious asset. Education was seen, from the beginning, as central to building both the economy and the nation. Its job was to deliver the human capital engine for economic growth and to create a sense of Singaporean identity. The economic goals of education have given education policy a very pragmatic bent and a strong focus on scienti? c and technical ?elds. Singapore’s education system has evolved over the past 40 years in tandem with the changing economy. SINGAPORE’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: THE PATH TO BECOMING A LEARNING NATION. Over the past 40 years, Singapore has been able to raise its education level from one similar to that of many developing countries to match the best in the OECD. The current system did not emerge perfectly-formed, but has developed in three broad phases as it was adapted to changing circumstances and ideas: Survival-driven phase: 1959 to 1978 According to then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the aim of Singaporean education in its early days was to â€Å"produce a good man and a useful citizen†. This ? rst phase of education has been dubbed the â€Å"survival-driven† phase. In the  late 1950s, 70% of GDP was from port and warehousing activities. This was not enough to sustain, let alone grow, the economy which was suffering from high population growth and signi? cant unemployment. The government decided that there was a need to expand the industrial base and, because of the small size of the domestic market, to make it export-oriented. It set about trying to attract foreign manufacturers who needed low-skilled labour (e. g. textiles, garments, wood products), both to provide jobs and to gain expertise. Prior to independence, only the af? uent were educated. At independence, most of Singapore’s two million people were illiterate and unskilled. Therefore the focus of this â€Å"survival† period was on expanding basic education as quickly as possible. Schools were built rapidly. Teachers were recruited on a large scale. The schools that had been established by different ethnic groups were merged into a single Singaporean education system. A bilingual policy was introduced so that all children would learn both their own language and English. A textbook agency was created to provide textbooks. The expansion was so rapid that universal primary education was attained in 1965  and universal lower secondary by the early 1970s. By the end of the â€Å"survival-driven phase†, Singapore had created a national system of public education. However, the quality of education was not very high. In the early 1970s, out of every 1 000 pupils entering primary grade one, only 444 reached secondary grade four after 10 years. And of these, only 350 (35% of the cohort) gained three or more passes in O-level examinations. A signi? cant report by Dutch economic advisor Dr Albert Winsemius estimated that every year between 1970 and 1975, Singapore would be short of 500 engineers and 1 000 technical  workers and would have a severe shortage of people with management skills (Lee, et al. , 2008). The oil crisis 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 162  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES of 1973 and the increasing competition from other Asian countries for low-skilled, labour-intensive industry led to a growing realisation that Singapore’s comparative advantage was eroding and that it needed to evolve to a higher-skill economy. However, a large number of policy changes and changes of ministers for education caused  confusion. Teacher morale was low and there was considerable attrition. Although there were attempts to expand vocational education, it had low status and was viewed as a dumping ground. In 1979, a watershed education report highlighted the high dropout rates and low standards and ushered in the next phase of reform (Goh, 1979). Ef? ciency-driven phase: 1979 to 1996 During this phase of education, the focus shifted. The government’s economic strategy was to move Singapore from a third-league, labour-intensive economy to a second-league, capital and skill-intensive country. So in January 1979, a new education system was introduced. Singapore moved away from its earlier one-size-? ts-all approach to schooling that would create multiple pathways for students in order to reduce the drop-out rate, improve quality and produce the more technically-skilled labour force needed to achieve the new economic goals. Streaming (tracking) based on academic ability was introduced, starting in elementary schools, with the goal of â€Å"enabling all students to reach their potential while recognising that all students do not grow academically at the same pace† (Ho Peng,  interview conducted for this report). Students could have more time, for example, to complete different stages of schooling. The multiple pathways included three types of high school: i) academic high schools, which prepared students for college; ii) polytechnic high schools that focused on advanced occupational and technical training and that could also lead to college; and iii) technical institutes that focused on occupational and technical training for the lowest ? fth of students. The Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore was established to produce high-quality textbooks and instructional materials for the different pathways. While streaming was unpopular when it was introduced, drop-out rates did, in fact, decline signi? cantly: by 1986, only 6% of students were leaving school with fewer than 10 years of education. 2 The range of efforts to raise standards also yielded results: performance in the O-level English examinations went from a 60% failure rate to a 90% pass rate by 1984, and by 1995 Singapore led the world in mathematics and science on TIMSS. As Singapore sought to attract companies with a more sophisticated technological base (e. g. silicon wafers, computers), a major goal of this second phase was to produce technical workers at all levels. Concerned about the low status of blue-collar jobs, from 1992 Singapore invested signi? cantly in the Institute for Technical Education (ITE; Box 7. 2). With a number of campuses around the city, the ITE provides high-quality technical and vocational education, with high-tech facilities and amenities that are comparable to those of modern universities elsewhere. Each technical ? eld is advised by industries in that sector to keep it current with changing demands and new technologies. New programmes can be built for multinational companies looking to locate in Singapore. There has been strong market demand for ITE graduates, and it is possible for the top graduates from the ITE to go on to polytechnics and then to university. As a result of these changes, the image and attractiveness of vocational education vastly improved. At the top end of the technical workforce, the number of university and polytechnic places was also expanded during this period to increase the pool of scientists and engineers. Ability-based, aspiration-driven phase: 1997 to the present day By the early 1990s, the ef?ciency-driven education system had yielded clear results. But, as became clear during the Asian ? nancial crisis of 1997, the world economy was shifting to a global knowledge economy. The competitive framework of nations was being rede? ned and national progress would increasingly be determined by the discovery and application of new and marketable ideas. The growth of the global knowledge economy required a paradigm shift in Singapore’s education system towards a focus on innovation, creativity and research. A key instrument as Singapore intentionally navigated towards the global knowledge economy has been the  government Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A* Star), which provides generous funding for research and aims to attract top scientists and scienti? c companies. One million foreign nationals with scienti? c, technical or managerial skills have been encouraged to work in Singapore in international corporations and in higher education. Singapore’s three universities, and especially the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, have research partnerships with leading universities around the world with a focus in selected ? elds,  including bioinformatics, information sciences and medical technologies. At the school level, Singapore created a new educational vision, â€Å"Thinking Schools, Learning Nation†. This major milestone in Singapore’s education journey recognised Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong’s belief that â€Å"A nation’s wealth in the 21st century will depend on the capacity of its people to learn† (Goh, 1979). â€Å"Thinking Schools 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES  © OECD 2010 163 represented a vision of a school system that can develop creative thinking skills, lifelong learning passion and nationalistic commitment in the young. Learning nation is a vision of learning as a national culture, where creativity and innovation ? ourish at every level of society† (Lee et al. , 2008). Thinking Schools, Learning Nation encompassed a wide range of initiatives over a number of years that were designed to tailor education to the abilities and interests of students, to provide more ? exibility and choice for students and to transform the structures of education. Career paths and incentives for teachers were revamped  and teacher education upgraded, as described in more detail later. Curricula and assessment changes put greater emphasis on project work and creative thinking. A major resource commitment, involving three successive master plans, was made to information and communication technology (ICT) as an enabler of new kinds of self-directed and collaborative learning. A broader array of subject matter courses was created for students and a portfolio of different types of schools has been encouraged, specialising in arts, mathematics and science, and sports, as well as a number of independent schools. â€Å"We need a mountain range of excellence, not just one peak, to inspire all our young to ? nd their passions and climb as far as they can,† explained Tharman Shanmugaratnam, then minister for Education (cited in Lee et al. , 2008). Major changes were also made in the management of schools. Moving away from the centralised top-down system of control, schools were organised into geographic clusters and given more autonomy. Cluster Superintendents – successful former principals – were appointed to mentor others and to promote innovation. Along with greater autonomy came new forms of accountability. The old inspection system was abolished and replaced with a school excellence model. It was felt that no single accountability model could ? t all schools. Each school therefore sets its own goals and annually assesses its progress towards them against nine functional areas: ? ve â€Å"enablers†, as well as four results areas in academic performance (Ng, 2008). 3 Every six years there is an external review by the School Appraisal Branch of the ministry of Education. Greater autonomy for schools also led to a laser-like focus on identifying and developing highly effective school leaders who can lead school transformation. This is also described in more detail later. In 2004, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong introduced the idea of â€Å"Teach Less, Learn More† as the next step under the Thinking Schools, Learning Nation umbrella. Its aim was to open up more â€Å"white space† in the curriculum to engage students more deeply in learning. Despite the system’s widely-recognised successes, learners were still seen as too passive, overloaded with content, driven to perform, but not necessarily inspired. Teach Less, Learn More aims to â€Å"touch the hearts and engage the minds of learners by promoting a different learning paradigm in  which there is less dependence on rote learning, repetitive tests and instruction, and more on engaged learning, discovery through experiences, differentiated teaching, learning of lifelong skills, and the building of character through innovative and effective teaching approaches and strategies. † (Ho Peng, interview conducted for this report) Further moves in this direction were made in 2008 with an envisioning exercise that led to Curriculum 2015. According to Ho Peng, Director General of Education in the Singapore ministry of Education, this review asserted that the Singapore education system had strong holding power and important strengths in literacy, mathematics and science, and that these should remain. However, it needed to do better on the soft skills that enable future learning. In addition, â€Å"the overload of information has put a premium on the ability to do critical analysis. Working across cultures will require language skills and a larger world view† (Ng, 2008). A review of primary schools in 2009 focused on the question of how each child’s learning can be driven by their innate curiosity and love of play. Art, music and physical education (PE) are also being enhanced in the curriculum. Finally, Curriculum 2015 re-emphasises that education must be rooted in values: â€Å"Without a moral and ethical compass, all learning will come to nought. We must rebalance content, skills and character development to achieve a more holistic education,† (Ng, 2008). Current structure In Singapore’s education system today, students receive six years of primary education, and four to ? ve years of secondary education, followed by two years at junior college, polytechnic or the Institute for Technical Education. (Figure 7. 1). 4 Primary education consists of a four-year foundation stage during which all students follow a common curriculum that emphasises English, mother-tongue language and mathematics. Science is introduced from primary 3. Other subjects taught in primary school are civics and moral education, social studies, health, physical education, art and music. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 164  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES Source: Singapore Ministry of Education website: www. moe. gov. sg/education/. †¢ Figure 7. 1 †¢ Singapore’s education system organisation Specialised Schools For students who can bene? t from a more customised and practice-based curriculum Privately- funded Schools determine their own curriculum and provide more options for Singapore students (4-6 years) Universties (3 4years for undergraduates) Workplace GCE â€Å"A† Level/Other Quali? cation Polytechnics (3 years) (Diploma) Alternative Quali? cations Integrated Programme combines Secondary and JC education without an intermediate national examination (4-6 years) Junior Colleges/ Centralised Institute. (2-3 years) (GCE â€Å"A† Level) Intitutes of Technical Education (1-2 years) (Nitec/Higher Nitec) Special Education Schools provide EITHER Mainstream curriculum whith programmes catering to students’ special needs OR Customised special education curriculum (4-6 years) Direct Admission to JCs/Polytechnics JCs and polythechnics have autonomy in admitting some students GCE â€Å"O† Level Sec N (A) GCE ’N’ Level Secondary: Express course (4 years) Government/Government-aided Schools †¢ Mainstream schools †¢ Autonomous Schools whith enhanced niches programmes †¢ Independent Schools whith greater autonomy in  programmes and operations Specialised Independent Schools For students with talents in speci? C areas Privately-funded Schools Priovide more options for Singapore students Special Education For students with special needs Direct Admission to Secondary Schools Independent Schools, Autonomous Schools, mainstream schools whith niches of excellence, and schools offering the Integrated Programme have autonomy in admission of some of their students Specialised Independent Schools and Privately- funded Schools have full autonomy in students admission Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Primary Schools (6 years) All students follow a broad-based mainstream curriculum. Some schools offer niche programmes such as in aesthetics, sports and gifted education Specialised Independent Schools with specialised programmes to develop students’ talents in speci? cs areas (4-6 years) Secondary: Normal (Academic) Course [N(A)] (5 years) Secondary: Normal (Technical) Course [N(T)] (4 years) Vocational Course (1- 4 years) 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES  © OECD 2010 165. Streaming, which was a key feature of the Singapore education system, was designed to allow students to progress at their own pace from primary 5 onwards. However, in 2008, streaming was replaced with subject-based banding. At the end of primary 6, all students sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination in English, mathematics, mother- tongue language and science. Based on the results of this examination, students are admitted to an express (60% of students), normal academic (25%) or normal technical (15%) course in secondary school. Students in the express course follow a four-year programme culminating in the general certi?  cate of education (GCE) O-level exam. Students in the normal academic course follow a four-year course to GCE N-level and may sit for O-levels in year ? ve (Figure 7. 2). The normal technical programme prepares students for technical higher education, jobs or the postsecondary ITE after a four-year programme leading to the GCE-N level. In recent years, more choice has been offered to students in secondary school, with a wider range of subjects at O-level and elective modules. Students who are clearly of university calibre may study in Integrated Programme Schools where they can  skip O-levels; this arrangement allows them to engage in broader learning experiences that develop their leadership potential and capacity for creative thinking. There is now more horizontal mobility between courses, and students who do well are allowed to transfer between streams. The ratio among streams is further enhanced with students being able to follow subjects from a different stream. Schools specialising in sports, art and mathematics and science are also available, as well as a small number of independent schools. After 10 years of general education, students go to post-secondary education, either junior colleges (31% of  students), polytechnics (43%) or ITE (22%). Academically inclined students can take A-levels during this period and then proceed to university. Students may also take diploma courses in technical or business subjects at polytechnics. Many polytechnic graduates who have done well also go on to university. Students with GCE O- or N-levels can take skill-based certi? cates in technical or vocational subjects at ITE. Outstanding ITE graduates can also go on to polytechnics or universities. About 25% of a cohort goes on to university in Singapore (the number of places will rise to 30% in 2015). Many students also go abroad to university. SINGAPORE’S SUCCESS IN EDUCATION Singapore has pursued its vision of a high-quality education system over a long period of time and has accomplished signi? cant improvements at each stage of its journey. What are some of the key features that have helped Singapore become so successful? A forward-looking, integrated planning system In modern Singapore, education has consistently been the building block for economic and national development. As Prime Minister Goh Chok Thong famously stated: â€Å"The wealth of a nation lies in its people. † Since the founding of the republic, the high value placed on education as the key to economic development and national cohesion in a country with no natural resources is evident in the statements of Singapore’s senior leaders. But the statements about â€Å"nurturing every child† are not just political rhetoric. They have been accompanied by willingness at each stage to invest considerable ? nancial resources in education. Education spending rose to 3. 6% of GDP in 2010, approximately 20% of total government expenditure and second only to defence (Annex 7. A). The linkage to economic development is tight and is driven from the top of the government. As Singapore evolved from an economy based on port and warehousing activities, through a low-wage, labour-intensive manufacturing economy, and then to a more capital and skill-intensive industry and ? nally to its current focus on knowledge- intensive industrial clusters, the education system was expected to ramp up the quality of its education and the supply of speci? c skills needed to make Singapore globally competitive. Singapore has a uniquely integrated system of planning. The Manpower ministry works with various economic agencies (such as the Economic Development Board) responsible for promoting speci? c industry groups to identify critical manpower needs and project demands for future skills. These are then fed back both into pre-employment training and continuing education and training. In other countries, labour and education markets make these adjustments slowly over time, but the Singapore government believes that its manpower planning approach helps students to move faster into growing sectors, reduces oversupply in areas of declining demand more quickly, and  targets public funds more ef? ciently for post-secondary education. The ministry of Education and the institutions of higher and post-secondary education then use these skill projections to inform their own education planning, especially for universities, polytechnics and technical institutes. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 166  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES In short, the ability of the government to successfully manage supply and demand of education and skills is a major  source of Singapore’s competitive advantage. As Singapore seeks to become a global scienti? c hub, it is bringing together all aspects of the government – the ? nance ministry, economic development board, manpower ministry, education ministry, urban and environmental planning bodies, housing and immigration authorities – to create the next platform for Singapore’s growth. Singapore demonstrates strong alignment among policies and practices. One of the most striking things on visiting Singapore is that wherever one visits – whether the ministries of manpower, national development, community  development, or education or the universities, technical institutes, or schools – he or she hears the same clear focus on the same bold outcomes: careful attention to implementation and evaluation, and orientation towards the future. â€Å"Milestone† courses bring together top of? cials from all the ministries to create a shared understanding of national goals. And a focus on effective implementation is shared throughout government. Because of the value placed on human resource development and the understanding of its critical relationship to economic development, Singapore’s government provides a very clear vision of what is needed in education. This means that the ministry of Education can then design the policies and implement the practices that will meet this vision. Close links between policy implementers, researchers and educators At the institutional level, both policy coherence and implementation consistency are brought about by the very close tripartite relationship between the ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education (NIE, the country’s only educator training institution), and the schools. The ministry is responsible for policy development, while NIE conducts research and provides pre-servic.