How should we live

Introduction As a consequence of global warming and human activity, some countries across the world are likely to encounter high river water levels in the nearest future. There also going to be increased levels of river degradation and in the present day, river degradation is a significant issue of natural resource management that is facing such a country as Australia (Brierley, et al, 2002).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on How should we live? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In relation to the issue of high river water levels, Samuels et al (2006) point out that, rather than fighting and engaging in the control of flood hazards â€Å"with ever higher dikes, new management styles focus on understanding and managing flood risk† (Samuels, 2006, p.142). Taking the case of the Netherlands, for instance, there is embodying of this policy approach by a national policy referred to as â€Å"Room for River† (De Groot, 2010). The objective of this national policy is to ensure creation of additional space for water storage and this is carried out by engaging in relocating dikes â€Å"land inwards or constructing side channels† (De Groot, 2010, p.89). In an effort to ensure combining of a bigger discharge capacity with other functions, in most cases, go together with recreation, nature conservation and river restoration (Van Stokkom, 2005). There has been well documentation of public support for â€Å"Room for River† policies and this support is found out to be high. To this overall finding, it has been pointed out that public support to specific â€Å"Room for River† measures may not be higher, like in the case when these involve removing trees (De Groot de Groot, 2009). The special interest in this paper is to gain insight into the factors which may give an explanation to the level of people in adhering to â€Å"Room for River policy†. The question that com es is; does the adherence that people have correlate with their general ethics on nature, with the way they utilize the river, their good judgment of place, with their age, or with no any of these? Within this scope of factors, the special interest in the paper will lie in people’s ethics with nature. Is what people believe about the suitable relationship between humans and nature give a reflection in the opinions they have on more solid policies such as Room for River?Advertising Looking for report on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this paper, there is going to be an assessment of where levels of adherence to river management styles resonate with public environmental ethics and the paper will reflect on the Australian situation. Human/Nature relationships and river meanings The human/nature relationship images are a portion of wider â€Å"visions of nature† concepts as given descriptio n to by Van den Born et al (2001). These researchers give a distinction between three components. The first component is images of nature, the second is nature values and the third is images of relationship. All these components give a reflection of the issues which are subject to debate that has been held by the environmental ethicists. Therefore, as Van de Born (2008) point out, the empirical study about the visions of nature that the lay people have can be referred to as empirical philosophy. A large number of philosophers call these â€Å"basic attitudes† (Zweers, 2000) or â€Å"world views† (Norton, 1991).Such views do not essentially need to be a well developed philosophy, they can as well be several assumptions that â€Å"the respondents hardly ever recognize or think about† (Norton, 1991, p.20). The human/nature relationship images are formed on the basis of the philosophical categorization in to the â€Å"Mastery over nature, Stewardship of nature, par tnership with nature and Participation in nature† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). Considering â€Å"Mastery over nature†, people stand above nature and they may utilize in the way they like, unfettered by ethical chains. Looking at â€Å"Stewardship of nature†, people are charged with the responsibility to care for nature towards the generations to come or God. Even if this image â€Å"is less anthropocentric, Stewardship resembles the Master in the positioning of human beings above nature† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). Looking at â€Å"Partnership with nature’, this is considered as a metaphor for a relationship that is equal between nature and the human beings; they operate jointly in a dynamic process of mutual development. It is pointed out that â€Å"in the most ecopocentric image, Participation in nature, human beings are part of nature in the sense that the connectedness with nature gives meaning to the Participant’s life† (De Groot, 2010, p .91).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on How should we live? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The studies that were previously conducted on â€Å"Visions of Nature† were based on open ended as well as structured interviews and the Human Nature Scale indicates that the Dutch do discard â€Å"Mastery over Nature† and accept â€Å"Stewardship over Nature† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). However, this Stewardship becomes a different variant from the traditional variant; rather than putting human beings above nature; the respondents engage in adhering to a Steward that is a portion of nature. They seem to undertake combination of â€Å"Participation with Stewardship† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). It is pointed out that even if the interviews conducted in Canada by De Groot and Van de Born (2003) made confirmation of such findings, still much has not been known regarding the images people have of relations hip in the rest of the Western World (De Groot, 2010). When looking for other studies in this field of empirical work presented by some environmental ethicists, you find such studies conducted by people like Norton (1991), Minteer and Mannings (1999) and Berghofer et al (2008) and all of them indicate that basically â€Å"Nature-friendly ethics prevail among the Western population† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). The most well-known is the â€Å"New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) presented which undertakes the measurement of the ecological worldviews (De Groot de Groot, 2009). Even if the extensive utilization of this scale has offered much insight in to the ecological beliefs across the world, this scale basically draws out levels of anthropocentricism, â€Å"ranging from Mastery to Stewardship† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). The respondents can just engage in agreeing or disagreeing to this representation that is not wide of environmental ethics with no whichever differentiation in th e ecocentric alternatives. This is quite a big deficit when putting into consideration the ecocentric ethics as drawn out in earlier Human Nature studies and the â€Å"generally high scores on intrinsic value statements† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). The other scale is the â€Å"Connectedness to Nature Scale† presented by Mayer and Frantz (2004). The focus of this scale is more on ecocentric end of the spectrum. Even if their statements match with the experiences and affections in nature to a large extent which makes up a central theme in the ecocentric relationships, this scale is not used in measuring the environmental ethics.Advertising Looking for report on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A study which takes both ends of the spectrum in to account is the one that was conducted by Thomson and Barton (1994) into ecocentrism and anthropocentrism. These researchers point out that â€Å"to ecocentrics nature has a spiritual dimension and intrinsic value that is reflected in their experiences in nature and feelings about natural settings† (Thomson and Barton, 1994, p.149). They engage in combining images of nature and values to capture a worldview concerning the position of human beings in nature. In such sense, the study conducted by Thompson and Barton (1994) can be considered as the â€Å"forerunner of HaN-scale studies† (De Groot, 2010, p.91). Besides ecocentrism and anthropocentricism, the HaN-scale as well fills in the â€Å"middle ground† between both ends by drawing out â€Å"Stewardship of nature† and â€Å"Partnership with nature† (De Groot, 2010). Other than the images of relationship, there can be expectation of large number o f other factors to undertake prediction and explanation of the adherences to flood risk management. In looking for variables that are supposed to be considered, the interpretative exploration carried out by Davenport and Anderson (2005) became an important base because of the inductive character it has. On the basis of semi-structured interviews, these researchers draw a distinction between four meanings which the members of the community members in Nebraska attribute to the Niobrara River, that is â€Å"a river as sustenance, as nature, as tonic and as identity† (Davenport and Anderson, 2005, p.625). Considering â€Å"River as sustenance†, this ascertains the river as being a source of water that greatly is coveted and scarce and as economic revenue. Considering â€Å"River as a tonic†, this suggests the river as being â€Å"good for mind, body and soul† (De Groot, 2010, p.92). On the other hand, â€Å"River as nature† gives expression of the appr eciation of the respondents for the ecology and ‘river as identity’ ties the river to the sense of people of who they are. In an effort to undertake adaption of these four river meanings to the North Western European situation, â€Å"’river as sustenance’ was dropped because previous interviews suggested that this aspect of the river played a minor role in the personal lives of river residents† (De Groot, 2010, p.92). They rarely lingered over the reliance they have on the river for water supply or over the economic activities that are linked to the river. In connection to the study conducted by Buijs (2009) as well as that conducted by De Groot and De Groot (2009), there was inclusion of questions instead and this was for the reason of its noticeable relatedness to river management. The river meanings presented by Davenport and Anderson are a product of â€Å"Grounded theory† approach which began from â€Å"Sense of Place† theories (D e Groot, 2010). This implies that the meanings â€Å"river as nature† as well as â€Å"river as tonic† do not have a theoretical grounding. In order to undertake expression of the theoretical background in a better way, De Groot (2010) made a decision to give names to meanings basing on the theories that were used; â€Å"Sense of Place†, â€Å"Leisure experiences† and â€Å"Visions of Nature† (De Groot, 2010, p.92). Sense of Place, Leisure experiences and Visions of Nature The measurement of leisure experiences were carried out on the basis of the topology of Elands and Lengkeek (2000). The leisure experiences are considered as â€Å"a confrontation with out-other-ness, a play with what is masked in everyday life† (De Groot, 2010, p.93). Typology can be viewed as a continuum which runs â€Å"from experience in which the difference between out-other-ness and everyday is rather small† to those where the ‘other’ is rather un known and inaccessible† (De Groot, 2010, p.93). Because both river management styles bring about a different landscape and hence different opportunities for particular leisure experiences, there is expectation of this topology to correlate with the adherence to the styles of management. Moreover, the â€Å"Sense of Place† or â€Å"SOP† is a portion of the literature that is fragmented on human beings and spatial settings consisting of other concepts like place meaning, place attachment and place identity. Even if a large number of scholars engaged in studying the attachment to the urban environment, among these, there are those that engage in studying a more rural setting, in an outdoor recreation setting, or a river (De Groot, 2010). The indicators that are utilized in the industry are on the basis of the â€Å"Sense of Place-scale† presented by Jorgensen and Stedman (2001) that gave a definition of the Sense of Place as â€Å"the meaning attached to spa tial setting by a person or group (Jorgensen and Stedman, 2001, p.233). They carry out the measurement of the â€Å"Sense of Place† in three dimensions which are; identity, attachment and dependence. It is important to note that â€Å"sense of Place† overlaps partially with leisure experiences. As on one hand strong attachment to a place is clearly the basis of dedication, on the other hand, the other experiences can be considered as being more â€Å"moderate or very light forms of Sense of Place† (De Groot, 2010, p.93). Basing on the study that was undertaken by Buijs (2009), there is expectation of Sense of Place to correlate in a negative way with the adherences to â€Å"Room for River† and this is for the reason that this measure impacts more â€Å"on the identity of the riverine place† (De Groot, 2010, p.93). In addition, the preceding experience with flooding, â€Å"the likelihood of having one’s house flooded and the safety perceptio n are expected to influence the adherence to flood risk management† (De Groot, 2010, p.93). Making discovery of this correlation directly is easy after the occurrence of a flood; this is for the reason that, in situations like these, reinforcement support of dikes among the affected residents is high in general. However, the studies conducted previously on the subject of risk perceptions of river floods indicate that the risk perception of the public is usually low and mostly in the Netherlands (De Groot, 2010). Management Styles Going towards the interrelationships that exist between the â€Å"public environmental ethics as well as adherences to the management styles, it is realized that there is a correlation between Mastery and dike reinforcement and on the other hand, a correlation exists between Guardianship and the sustainable style. This matches with the hypothesis that is made which give a presumption that the two management styles are formed on the basis of a differe nt ethic. Basing on what is held by the public, a fundamental change occurs within a flood risk management at a time of having a shift from one style to the other style. It is also pointed out that no Prediction is made by image of Participation of any style and on the hand; the image of Partner has a negative correlation with dike reinforcement. This gives room for having another hypothesis that makes a presumption that environmental ethics are not quite significant in carrying out the prediction of the public adherence to policy. It is stated in this hypothesis by Norton (1991) that â€Å"weak anthropocentrists can reach the same policy objective as the ecocentrics† (Norton, 1991, p.20). Basing on theory, more ecocentric river policies are very imaginable. However, it may here have been that the descriptions given to the two management styles â€Å"do not relate readily enough to the wordings of Partnership and Participation items† (De Groot, 2010, p.105). For carryi ng out the interpretation of such conclusions, it is imperative to take into consideration the low explanatory power of the two regression analyses. In addition, the ethics of the public are among the several variable that carry out the prediction of the adherence to each style of river management; like â€Å"recreation experiences, the place of the residence and the age of the respondents† (De Groot, 2010, p.105). Considering the case of Australia, river degradation is a significant issue of natural resource management that is currently facing Australia. For instance, it was found out that about eighty five percent of the river length that was assessed by the â€Å"National Land and Water Resources Audit† was affected by catchment disturbance. Moreover, it was found out that more than 50 percent of the rivers that were assessed are affected by the changes to riverine habitat (Brierley, et al, 2002). Under normal circumstances, the work of catchment rehabilitation in t his country has been carried out by the community groups having limited skills as well as resources in regard to priority are identification fro rehabilitation investment The resources for the work of river rehabilitation are limited and there are competing demands for these resources (Brierley, et al, 2002). There is need to have tools in order for them to help in making decisions on which area to undertake application of resources and effort to realize the highest effectiveness in regard to river rehabilitation. The â€Å"River styles† was set up out of a â€Å"Land Water Australia funded project carried out by Macquarie University in response to the need for a framework that linked reliable knowledge of the nature of different river types and biophysical attributes within catchments† (Brierley, et al, 2002, p.91). â€Å"River Styles† offers a biophysical template for river management which is directly suited to â€Å"structure and function of the Australia Rivers† (Brierley, et al, 2002, p.91). It offers a â€Å"baseline geomorphic assessment of river character, behavior and condition, and is based on the premise that effective management strategies must ‘work with nature’† (Brierley, et al, 2002, p.92). Conclusion In conclusion it can be pointed out that; it has been realized that following climate change that has brought about the problem of global warming, the countries in several parts of the world have a likelihood of being faced with extremely high river water levels in the shortest time to come. Moreover, sustainability comes up as a main international policy driver, bringing in different approach to flood defense. It has been found out that, instead of fighting and engaging in the control of flood hazards with ever higher dikes, the focus of the new management styles is put on having knowledge about and managing the risk of posed by floods. In the Netherlands, there has been well documentation of publ ic support for â€Å"Room for River† policies and this support is found out to be high. To this overall finding, it has been pointed out that public support to specific â€Å"Room for River† measures may not be higher, like in the case when these involve removing trees For the reason that the more ecocentric images of the relationship such as Participation and Partnership are as well well-liked among people, the river managers have a concrete basis in attempting to ensure incorporation of more ecocentric values in their long-standing policies and move beyond comparatively incremental and technical room for river policies that prevail at present day. Explorations like these ones are supposed to be carried out in a way which ensures inclusion of the civilians from the very start in order for the parties to jointly engage in learning from one another in a process that is open. It is important for us as individuals in engage in fruitful activities that can help as to effec tively deal with the environmental problems that come up. It is important for us to emulate what others are doing elsewhere to be able to apply it in our own context. The problems of river flooding and river degradation are facing several countries across the world, Australia being among them. Since these problems are predicted to intensify in the near future, it is important that appropriate measures be taken urgently in order to curb the situation. References Berghofer, U., Rozzi, R. Jax, K., 2008, ‘Local versus Global Knowledge: Diverse Perspectives on Nature in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve’, Environmental Ethics Vol.30, pp. 273-294. Brierley, G., Fryirs, K., Outhet, D. Massey, C.,2002, Application of the River Styles framework as a basis for river management in New South Wales, Australia. Applied Geography, vo.22,no.1, pp.91–122. Buijs, A. E., 2009. ‘Public support for river restoration. A mixed-method study into local residents support for and fra ming of river management and ecological restoration in the Dutch floodplains’ Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 90, pp.2680-2689. Davenport, A. D. H. Anderson, 2005, ‘Getting from Sense of Place to Place-Based Management; An Interpretive Investigation of Place Meanings and Perceptions of Landscape Change’, Society and Natural Resources, vol. 18, pp.625-641. De Groot, M., 2010, Humans and nature: public visions on their interrelationship, Academic press, New York. De Groot, M. W. T. De Groot, 2009, ‘Room for River’ measures and public visions in the Netherlands: A survey on river perceptions among riverside residents’, Water Resources Research 45. De Groot, W. T. R. J. G. Van den Born, 2003, ‘Visions of Nature and landscape type preferences: an exploration in the Netherlands’ Landscape and Urban planning, Vol. 63, pp. 127-138. Elands, B. J. Lengkeek, 2000, Typical Tourists: Research into the theoretical and methodological f oundations of a typology of tourism and recreation experiences. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden,. Jorgensen, B. S. R. C. Stedman, 2001, ‘Sense of Place as an Attitude: Lakeshore Owners Attitudes toward their Properties’ Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol.2, pp. 233-248. Mayer, F. S. C. Frantz, 2004, ‘The Connectedness to Nature Scale: A measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 24, pp. 503-515. Minteer, B. A. R. E. Manning, 1999, ‘Pragmatism in Environmental Ethics: Democracy, Pluralism, and the Management of Nature’ Environmental Ethics, vol. 21, no.2, pp.191-208. Norton, B. G., 1991, Toward Unity among Environmentalists, Oxford University Press,. Oxford. Samuels, P., F. Klijn J. Dijkman, 2006, ‘An analysis of the current practice of policies on river flood risk management in different countries’, Irrigation and drainage, Vol.5, pp. 141-150. Thompson, S. C. M . A. Barton, 1994, ‘Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Environment’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 14, pp. 149-157. Van den Born, R. J. G., 2008, ‘Rethinking Nature: Visions of Nature of a Dutch public’, Environmental Values, Vol. 17, No.1, pp. 83-110. Van Stokkom, H. T. C., 2005, ‘Flood Defense in The Netherlands. A new Era, a New Approach’, Water International, Vol. 30 no.1, pp. 76-87. Zweers, W., 2000, Participating with nature. Outline for an Ecologization of our Worldview, International books, Utrecht. This report on How should we live? was written and submitted by user Adam D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Cranberry Morpheme Definition and Examples

Cranberry Morpheme Definition and Examples In morphology, a cranberry morpheme is a  morpheme (that is, a word element, like the cran- of cranberry) that occurs in only one word. Also called a unique morph(eme), blocked morpheme, and leftover morpheme. Similarly, a cranberry word is a word that occurs in only one phrase, such as the word intents in the phrase all intents and purposes. The term cranberry morpheme was coined by American linguist Leonard Bloomfield in Language (1933). These are other closely related and sometimes confused terms with cranberry morpheme: Bound Morpheme and Free MorphemeComplex WordIdiomRoot Compound and Synthetic Compound Examples and Observations The bound morphemes in neo-classical compounds have an identifiable meaning, but there are also morphemes that have no clear meaning. In the word cranberry, the part berry is identifiable, and this makes us interpret the word cranberry as denoting a particular kind of berry. Yet, cran- has no particular meaning. . . . This phenomenon of cranberry morphemes is widespread, and is to be expected since complex words can lexicalize and thus survive, even though one of their constituent morphemes has disappeared from the lexicon. . . .Cranberry morphemes like English cran- . . . thus form a problem for an exclusively meaning-based definition of the notion morpheme.(Geert Booij, The Grammar of Words: An Introduction to Morphology, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2007) Morphemes and Meaning Is it possible for a bound morpheme to be so limited in its distribution that it occurs in just one complex word? The answer is yes. This is almost true, for example, of the morpheme leg- read in legible . . .: at least in everyday vocabulary, it is found in only one other word, namely illegible, the negative counterpart of legible. And it is absolutely true of the morphemes cran-, huckle- and gorm- in cranberry, huckleberry and gormless. . . . A name commonly given to such bound morpheme is cranberry morpheme. Cranberry morphemes are more than just a curiosity, because they reinforce the difficulty of tying morphemes tightly to meaning. . . . (You may have noticed, too, that although blackberries are indeed blackish, strawberries have nothing obvious to do with straw; so, even if straw- in strawberry is not a cranberry morpheme, it does not by itself make any predictable semantic contribution in this word.)(Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy, An Introduction to English Morphology: Words and Their Structure. Edinburgh University Press, 2002) Is Cran- Truly a Cranberry Morpheme? [Peter] Hook reported that cran itself was not a cranberry morpheme: he had seen cranberry harvesting and could vouch for the abundance of cranes as spectator-participants in the process, hence the term cranberry.(Probal Dasgupta, Rephrasing the Question of Complex Predicates in Bangla: A Biaxial Approach. Annual Review of South Asian Languages and Linguistics: 2012, ed. by Rajendra Singh and Shishir Bhattacharja. Walter de Gruyter, 2012) The Once-Over An example [of a cranberry word], from many, is the word once-over. If you give someone or something the once-over you make a quick inspection, with a view to deciding on the merits of the person or whatever it may be. The word once-over clearly makes a semantic contribution to the expressions in which it occurs; its meaning, presumably, is quick inspection. To this extent, give someone/something the once-over is interpreted in accordance with the dictionary meaning of once-over. On the other hand, once-over is not freely available to occupy the N-slot of a noun phrase; the word is virtually restricted to occurring in the cited phrase. (Note, in this connection, the virtually obligatory use of the definite determiner.) The phrase, along with its conventional meaning, has to be learned as such.(John R. Taylor, The Mental Corpus: How Language is Represented in the Mind. Oxford University Press, 2012) More Examples of Cranberry Morphemes (or Bound Roots) The morphemes luke-, cran-, -ept, and -kempt . . . appear only in lukewarm, cranberry, inept, and unkempt. We dont use the term lukecold, nor do we use cran- anywhere other than attacked to berry, and we dont ever say He is an inept writer, but she is very ept, or Her hair looked kempt. So the rules that attach un- to -kempt or luke- to warm are not productive; they derive only these words. We will also define morphemes such as cran-, luke-, -ept, and -kempt as bound roots because they cannot stand alone as free morphemes and because they dont occur as affixes in other English words.(Kristin Denham and Anne Lobeck, Linguistics for Everyone. Wadsworth, 2010)

Budget Management Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Budget Management Analysis - Research Paper Example Thirdly, the research paper will state the primary stakeholders of the hospital and their views towards redesigning of the facility and its associated budget. In the last section, the research paper will state the risks involved in pursuing the redesigning of the facility and the risks of not redesigning the hospital. Facility redesign According to the studies conducted by Sawyer (2009), facility is the space whereby employees of an organization carry out their respective duties while design refers to the layout or the architecture of the mentioned space. Sawyer (2009) further stated that facility’s design is an integral component of the operations of an organization because it determines the results of the production process and it goes a long way in meeting employees’ needs. Designing of a facility is usually aimed at ensuring that there is smooth flow of information, and work material within an organization’s space to enable operations to proceed smoothly. Saw yer (2009) stated that a good design of a facility is usually able to integrate employees’ needs, work materials, as well as machinery in a single and effective system. The designing and redesigning of a hospital facility usually takes into consideration various factors such as safety within the facility, the ease of movement and communication, space utilization, material handling, and the impact on employees’ satisfaction and morale. ... he estimated budget for redesigning the facility is presented in the table below: Item Estimated cost($) Architecture’s fee 1500 Constructor’s fee 2000 Construction materials 3000 Purchase of new items 4000 Total 10,500 It is assumed that the facility to be redesigned is the general ward that holds patients with less severe medical cases and therefore the facility does not entail numerous complexities. Moreover, the nurses’ lounge is also located in this general ward. The construction fee is only $2000 and it includes the cost of labor. The amount is considerable small because the work involved will be less, as it will just involve a makeover. The hospital will separately purchase the construction materials listed by the constructor in order to avoid an excess or exaggerated budget arising from the inflated prices by the constructor. The materials will include things such as paints, timber, nails, pipes, cables, and cement, among others. Redesigning the facility will also involve putting in place new items that support the new design, and hence the $4000 budget, which will cover for items such as curtains, beddings that match with the new wall paintings. Other items that will be purchased include new computers, furniture, and communication systems that will be installed at the nurses’ lounge. The total budget for the entire project will be $10,500, which is a considerable amount but it is likely to give the hospital good returns on their investment. Management goals that will be supported by the expenditure It is of essence to note that the redesigning of the facility was implemented because of a management decision that was earlier made. Therefore, redesigning of the facility supports certain management goals that also have an impact of the financial

SWOT Analysis of Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SWOT Analysis of Organization - Essay Example Opportunities are those external environmental conditions favorable towards the organization. This can help the organizational to achieve its objectives. Whereas, threats are also external factors which may act as a preventing measure against achieving organizational growth. SWOT analysis is a technique that helps in identifying key factors. It also helps the organization in developing plans to tackle such scenario in future. Apple, Inc. is one of the oldest companies in field of designing and manufacturing computers. In the present day, they also manufacture and design mobile phones, portable music players, and also related accessories. Apple, along with their manufacturing part also provides Macintosh operating system software, internet software, multimedia software, business application software and also wireless connectivity services. The motto of Apple is ‘Think Different’. It was founded in the year 1976. It’s headquarter is situated in Cupertino, California. Apple’s operation focuses mainly on software products, computer products and communication products. Its retail business generation is carried forward through 215 retail business stores and also their dedicated website. Apple always backs innovation and its strengths have been the creation of integrated products and along with the development of user friendly software. The high quality of the product makes a big positive difference for Apple. Unique design, stylish looks like iPod Nano, light weight materials are all diverse feature of Apple. Ease of use is also a bright feature of Apple. Aggressive campaigning and commercials are also part of Apple’s strengths. Apple has a competitive advantage by embedding a closed community. Apple has other strengths as well like strong and healthy balance sheets, integration of their entire solution, innovation like iPod, iPhone,

Critique Of Difficulties For Students Studying Abroad English Language Essay

Critique Of Difficulties For Students Studying Abroad English Language Essay Introduction The article, Cultural Variations: Difficulties for Students Studying Abroad, was written by Ballard and Clandchy, in 1984. The authors describe three kinds of difficulties which students studying abroad have to face, different styles of thinking, learning, writing and presenting ideas. They also point out that if overseas students want to have a good studying and living condition, they must try to change their thinking, learning and writing style into critical and analytical approach in order to adjust to the western country. Generally the viewpoints are good, but there are some weaknesses about examples which should be re-evaluated. Summary To the first question-different style of thinking, the authors observe that culture variation lead students with different context think for different purposes. This phenomenon is not only for the different languages, but also culture background. An example about a Japanese student studying at Australia is given to support this view. He was a good student who had studied Economics for two years in Tokyo before coming to Australia. However he even could not pass the exam and mistook the meaning of his essay question because of different thinking style. When he was able to see the problem and adapted to the Australian thinking pattern, he became a promising student again. The authors second main point is different styles of learning. They present three kinds of learning method: reproductive approach, analytical approach and speculative approach. Different students from different culture background are used to their own ways of learning. When they come to a new academic environment, it is hard for them to develop a critical and hypothesising attitude towards tasks. A Singapore undergraduate, a Japanese MA student and an Indian PhD students comments proved that the variety of learning style make them unfit. An Indonesian postgraduate also suffered with the studying problem when she moved to Western university. Once she switched her thinking and learning approach and began to ask questions, she was successful. Moving on to the third style main pointstyle of writing and presenting ideas, the authors refer to Kaplans research. He argues that there are five independent patterns for writing: English pattern, Romance and Russian pattern, Semitic pattern and Oriental pattern (cited in Kaplan). Each pattern has its own characteristic. For example, English pattern is a linear one, moving from main opinions directly to examples, which is totally different from Oriental pattern, indirectly, circling round the main ideas for avoiding making an ultimate conclusion. Critique In the article, Ballard and Clanchy point out that Asian student should exert critical thinking to adjust to the Western learning system. Though the authors viewpoints were raised in 1984, I agree with it to a large degree. But there is no example about Chinese students in the article and many examples are not powerful enough to support their view. Overseas students lack critical thinking, even today Though the article was written in 1984, generally its views are good, many of which are still valid today. Back to Chinese traditional culture, the thinking and learning style are different from that of western countries. In China, we were used to absorb what teacher said, and never doubted whether it was right or not. Because in our eyes, teachers duty is to preach, teach and disabuse, so they must be exactly right (Patrick Huang, 2009). If someone is doubtful of teachers words or theories on the book, he will be regarded as not respecting teachers or crazy. When I came to the UK, what I felt on the lectures made me to recognise the learning style is different from China. Whenever, British students feel a question got them, they would put up their hands, though in my mind, the question was easy. On the lectures, it is can be often heard from a teacher: Are you all happy with that? It is the time that the teacher wants to get some feedbacks from his students, whether they understand his lecture or not. Most of the time, some British student will shout out what make him confused. But to our Chinese, though the question is really hard, we would read some reference books rather than to raise it up on the lecture, because there is a high-self-esteem ideology in our mind. I will feel shame if all of the other classmates understand the question, but me. Examples are not powerful enough As mentioned above, the authors ideas are generally good, but the examples used in the article are not convincing evidence to function as the authors expect. Firstly, the examples in the article are not enough in quantity and quality. In my opinion, a questionnaire about whether different culture context have different learning style and comparison between Asian students and Australian students should be done in Ballard and Clanchys investigation. An example like Biemans and Mil raised in their research is expected: 25 Chinese students and 16 Dutch students were divided into two groups respectively. Most Chinese students have the characteristics that reflect a reproduction-directed and an undirected learning style, while the Dutch students as a group do not demonstrate any one particular learning style (Biemans and Mil, 2008). In addition, the evidence is not relevant to Chinese students. According to Ku at el, the most common difficulties For Chinese students are associated with language ability, academic performance, and social adjustment (Ku at el. 2001). It is thus clear, besides critical thinking and learning strategy, language ability is another obstacle which limits Chinese students progress. Another weakness is the analysis Ballard and Clanchys did is not deep going. To the Chinese style of learning, it must be retrospect to the fundamental education for children. I have read a funny story about a Chinese couple, taking 3 year-old son, visited their American friends who had 3 children. When these children played the building block, the Chinese child often asked his mother to help him, while these American children never did that. Oppositely they were happy to help their new friends solve the problem. At dinner, these American children were happy to see the guests using chopsticks, so they copied the actions to eat food. Whereas the Chinese kid did not want to eat by himself, just shouting: mom feed me, mom feed me The Chinese lady had no choice but feed him. It is an example in our daily life, yet we can get more information and think deeply rather than the superficial meanings. Sometimes we consider kindergarten or primary school is where fundamental education begins. W ell actually parent is childrens first teacher whose teaching style effects initiatory learning style of the kids. In my opinion, most Chinese parents like to teach their children hand by hand. Just like my parents, when I was young, they checked up my homework every day and told me to remember the equations or formulae time after time. Western country parents will not do that, because they think that is the teachers work. They just tell the children to learn by themselves. So when children step in schools, they would be used to the ways of learning from their parents. And also the teachers, under different culture context, teach their students with different ways. These factors lead students to form the habit of how to learn and not adapt to other style of learning. Just like the authors mentioned, we cannot say which learning method is superior to the others. Reproductive style lay emphasis on memorisation and imitation, which, I think, is suitable for primary schools study, not for high school or university, because it prepares students for bigger tasks ahead. But when they go to study abroad, normally western countries, the speculative style of learning, such as, group discussion, questionnaire, makes them uncomfortable. Otherwise, with the combination of eastern and western culture, more and more universities of the eastern countries have begun to attach importance to analytical and speculative learning style and encourage students to ask questions. Conclusion When a western university takes over an overseas student, I think, his marks and English level must be both good enough. Maybe only the way of learning and thinking is different from that he acquired in his country. What he needs to do first is to learn how to ask questions. Never be shy! And then try to use critical and analytical views to do the different tasks. When he breaks through these main points, everything will go well. He can prove he is excellent both in his country and abroad.

Personal Narrative: What Real Friendship Is Essay -- essays research p

When you were still in the kindergarten, friends were the people who romped about with you, played mischievous tricks upon everyone. When you were getting bigger, perhaps at primary school, friends were the people who helped you in your homework, who sung with you at the school choir. Had you forgotten them? Had you betrayed them? Are you a good friend to your friends? A true friend would always tell you the truth, be you best partner when you need him, most of all, support you. It is not right to act suspiciously in front of your friends. Not long ago, my friends were very busy planning a birthday surprise for me. They stopped talking when I drew near and whispered when I was within earshot. They put their work hastily away when I asked what it was. Their act was so suspicious that my curiosity grew. I tried to expose their scheme. I tried to peep into their drawers when they were away at recess. At the end, everyone lost his patience and interest and my friends blamed me. â€Å"It’s all your fault!† Yes, that’s true. I had spoiled their plans, but their motives were suspect with me. Good friends are the people who forgive your mistakes, who stop you from making mistakes and help you when you do. Friends are the people who help you, who offer support and tell you the truth when you need to hear it. Once, my friend Aggie and I had attended a duet contest. We tried different styles and different songs, but none of those satisfied us. I was upset and wanted to give up, but Aggie encouraged me. Finally, we chose the most suitable piece of music for the competition. We practiced and practiced and practiced. Sometimes we only practiced for an hour, while we usually practiced a whole day, kept repeating the same phrase again, again and... ...missed her. Aggie never acknowledged the letter with words, but she did with her behavior. We went from acting like awkward acquaintances to being the friends — and soul mates─,─, that we once were. She began to write me more and more and our conversations went back to the gossipy notes we used to have that made us laugh. She included me in her life and we began a new relationship─,─, a very honest and real relationship. Now it is with laughter and joy. It is hard to believe that after all the years of separation and all that we have been through, how close Aggie and I have become again. Friends are the people who understand you, who walk beside you, who make a difference in your life. They stick with you and stand by you. They hold your hand and watch you live. You learn from them and rely on them. Your life is not the same without them.

Effective Speakers Essay

President William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States is a prime example of what it means to be an effective speaker. Although George H. W. Bush and Bob Dole were highly qualified opponents in the 1992 and 1996 elections, it was Clinton’s presentation skills and ability to work an audience that earned him his back-to-back terms in office. President Clinton â€Å"owned the room† from the beginning of his first presidential debate. Upon being asked his first question, Clinton walked up to the lady seeking answers, squared his shoulders toward her, looked her straight in the eye, and asked her to repeat her name. As soon as she responded with her name, Clinton repeated her name back to her and answered her question passionately and confidently. (Koegel, 2007, p. 06-07). Effective speakers can walk into a room, take the audience by surprise, and deliver a presentation that is both passionate and natural. A presenter does not have to be perfect, nor does the audience expect him or her to be so. According to Henninger (2010), making a mistake, forgetting a segment of your speech, or falling speechless for a moment is okay as long as your presentation has value. An effective speaker knows how to avoid gestures and facial expressions that point out his or her mistakes. Public speaking skills are not inherited. It is a talent and a technique that has become second hand to a speaker through a great deal of practice. Can anyone be an effective speaker? The answer to this question is yes; with sufficient knowledge, tools, and practice, anyone can stand up and â€Å"own the room. † Be Organized An exceptional presenter is one who is organized and an organized presentation is one that has a developed structure. The average human being has a very small attention span; therefore a speaker’s best speech is one that is short and to the point. At most, a good presentation only needs two or three main points. That’s really all the audience wants to hear anyway (Henninger, 2010). The audience is also more obligated to listen to a presenter who looks organized. First impressions are crucial when a presenter is trying to sell his or her ideas, services, or products. Thirty seconds of floundering before the audience can send a negative signal that suggests that the presenter is unprepared and can also create question as to whether or not the presenter is even confident in what it is he or she is trying to promote (Koegel, 2007, p. 45-46). A speaker only gets one impression, so he or she should strive to make it a positive one by looking and being organized. Speak Passionately A presenter must be passionate about his or her topic in order for the presentation to be persuasive. If a presenter is not passionate about the topic, then why should the audience even care about it? Many presenters are guilty of delivering lengthy presentations that painstakingly reinforce their topic. According to communication experts, the time on a presentation should be slimmed down and the energy should be boosted up (Layman, 2011). A presenter should be aware of his or her voice when delivering a speech. If one’s tone is droning and monotone, then the presenter can likely expect to look out into an audience that is either asleep or captivated with something other than the presentation on point. Speak up, speak from the heart, and speak with conviction. In keeping with Koegel (2007), a presenter’s voice is an outward expression of his or her passion. Engage the Audience A powerful speaker is one who can engage his or her audience. People do not particularly care to sit silently through an exhaustive presentation. Most audiences want to participate and be a part of it. One way to engage with the audience is to encourage audience participation. Meet with the audience before the presentation, learn a few of their names, and listen to comments that are being made. When delivering the presentation, the presenter can address these comments and call on audience members by name. Addressing the audience’s issues and demonstrating that time was taken to know them by name builds a relationship with the audience. It is significantly important to make eye contact with the audience as well. By looking people in the eye, a presenter enhances two-way communication as well as encourages and establishes trust and a congenial give and take relationship (Downey, 2011). Many speakers have been given the advice at one time or another to find an inanimate object, such as the wall in the back of the room, and focus in on it when delivering a presentation. By looking over the audience, the presenter can alleviate the anxiety that he or she may be experiencing, correct? Unfortunately, the wall in the back of the room is not going to be the one making the business decisions that day. The audience makes the decisions and if a speaker cannot talk to the audience, then the audience will more than likely seek business with someone who can. Act Natural An exceptional speaker always appears natural. If the speaker looks confidant and relaxed, then the audience will be relaxed. A presenter should stray from giving formal presentations overflowing with facts and statistics; try leaning towards a style that is more conversational, engaging, and full of illustrative stories and current events that relate to one’s topic. Telling a story or beginning a presentation with an anecdote is a good way to break the ice, ease a presenter’s anxiety, and engage the audience at the same time because telling stories is something that comes naturally to humans. However, be sure that the story or anecdote flows with the topic on point. An effective presentation should not sound scripted. Writing out the presentation is okay, but the speaker must then fight the temptation to read it word for word. The written word does not flow nor does it have the same approach as the spoken word. If a presenter feels obligated to write out his or her presentation and follow scripts, then he or she should be sure to lose the official tone and write in the manner that he or she speaks (Koegel, 2007, p. 122). Understand the Audience An effective speaker is one who can connect with his or her audience. According to Koegel (2007), understanding the business, issues, and concerns of the audience is an excellent way to achieve this goal. Before pitching a sales presentation, a presenter should research and thoroughly understand his audience. There are a number of ways one can achieve this, such as researching the company’s website to understand a firm’s morals, beliefs and objectives or another option would be to speak with employees within the organization prior to a meeting. As you present, you should look for opportunities to add value. Researching and understanding your audience is imperative and can present opportunities in which value can be added. An organization is more likely to listen and do business with a speaker who has demonstrated his or her knowledge of the company more so than a salesperson whose only preference is to acquire another sale. Once a speaker becomes familiar with the wants and needs of the audience, the presentation becomes much easier to craft (Mackay, 2011). Practice to Improve Humans are creatures of habit. The human body seeks comfort when placed in an uncomfortable situation. An example of this can be putting one’s hands in his or her pockets or looking down towards the floor. These minute gestures speak on behalf of the presenter and inform the audience that the speaker is uneasy about something. Without practice, a speaker cannot improve on these habits. There are many opportunities during the day to put into practice various speaking techniques. These skills should be practiced during one’s daily routine and not in â€Å"live† win-or-lose situations (Koegel, 2007, p. 6). If a speaker is in need of further assistance, he or she can hire a presentation coach. Effective speaking is not something one inherits at birth; it is a talent that is achieved through hard work and consistent practice. There is no reason to feel ashamed for asking for external help. Baseball great Hank Aaron batted cross handed until a batting coach corrected his style that led him to break Babe Ruth’s home run record. To Aaron and his colleagues, his hitting style before was satisfactory, yet it is often easier and beneficial to receive constructive criticism from outsiders instead of one’s own employees or colleagues (Porro, 2011). The point of this story is that even when someone is good at something already, that person is still not perfect. Practice, whether it is on one’s own time or through the assistance of a presentation coach, may not make a presenter a perfect speaker, but it opens the door for improvement and will make delivering a speech second nature to the presenter. By allowing one’s self to practice these techniques, it is then that the speaker becomes effective.