Identifying, Organizing, and Analyzing Your Sources Essay

Each statement below contains a logical fallacy. Identify the fallacy and briefly explain, in one or two sentences, why it is an error in reasoning. 1. Mabel is not qualified to lead the school board because she used to drink liquor in her 20s. †¢ Ad hominem: committed by attacking the person who’s making an argument, rather than the argument itself. One of the most common fallacies, it is a direct attack on a person’s character rather than focusing on his or her arguments. Stating that Mabel used to drink that why she is not qualified it a person attack. 2. A child can be either an athlete or a good student. †¢ Either/Or: An oversimplification that assumingly reduces several alternatives to a mere binary opposition, basically means you only have two choices. You only have two choices of being a athlete or a good student. You can choose to be bad student if you wanted. 3. Any change in health care will lead to socialism; we don’t want to live in a socialist country, so we can’t reform health care. †¢ Slippery Slope (Bad Precedent): assuming that a proposed step will set off an uncontrollable chain of undesirable events. Changing health will lead to socialism is an extreme statement. 4. All teenagers text while they drive; therefore, we should raise the driving age to 21. †¢ Hasty Generalization: drawing conclusions from too little of evidence and often relying on stereotypes. Say all teenager text and drive, well some teenager don’t have a car and/or a cell phone. 5. If we don’t all drive hybrid cars, the world will end in the next decade because of environmental damage. †¢ Slippery Slope (Bad Precedent): assuming that a proposed step will set off an uncontrollable chain of undesirable events. That an extreme statement stating that the world will end because we’ll don’t drive hybrid. 6. Senator Range has been seen entering a strip club; therefore, his economic reforms are not plausible. †¢ Ad hominem: committed by attacking the person who’s making an argument, rather than the argument itself. One of the most common fallacies, it is a direct attack on a person’s character rather than focusing on his or her arguments. In this case strip club makes the senator economic reform wrong it a personal attack, degrading his character which will degrade his reforms as mediocre  or of no value to the public. 7. Everyone else is getting rid of TV, so we should too. †¢ Bandwagon: Just because everyone is doing it doesn’t make it right. We used to think that our planet was flat. 8. Because of the recent shootings in schools and theaters, we can conclude that these are inherently dangerous places that need more regulation. †¢ Begging the Question: an argument is held to be true because of practical truths and common sense. Common sense is sometimes correct, but all too many times all too commonly incorrect. 9. If you want a successful child, you should enroll him or her in as many early learning classes as possible. †¢ Creating false needs: emotional proof appeals to what people value and think they need. Advertisers often create a false sense of need in order to sell a product. 10. Music education is useless because it just teaches kids how to play music. †¢ Begging the question: restating the premise in the conclusion rather than disproving. Choose your answers from these eight fallacies. Note: Some of these will be used more than once. †¢ Begging the question †¢ Either-or †¢ Slippery slope †¢ Ad hominem †¢ Creating false needs †¢ Red herring †¢ Hasty generalization †¢ Bandwagon

Htm100 – Assignment 1 – Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries

Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries Name School HTM 100 Professor Name February 3, 2013 Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries The hospitality industry is a very lucrative and rewarding career choice. Choosing a career in this field is not for the faint at heart. A career in this industry requires an individual that is ambitious, self-motivated, and has a charismatic personality. However, the hard work comes with many personal and financial rewards. Hospitality covers all careers that can come underneath the lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, transportation, and tourism.However, this paper will go in depth explaining the role of general management, growth of employment, and human resource practices that should be used when hiring within the lodging and food and beverage industries. The management careers that are available in the lodging and the food and beverage industries are general manager, director of food and beverage, executive hous ekeeper, director of security, executive chef and quite a few more. The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar a year business, and having excellent management and support staff is critical to the success of the business.Management is a very important key factor within the lodging and the food and beverage industries. This is why having an excellent General Manager is so critical to the success of the many organizations that exist within the lodging and food and beverage industry. A General Manager or (GM) has broad, overall responsibility for a business or organization. A General Manager has the power to hire, fire, or promote employees. A manager may be responsible for one functional area, however the General Manager is responsible for all areas.A General Manager is responsible for higher level planning than a manager. A General Manager is often responsible for the overall strategic planning and direction of the company or organization and leaves the day-to-day managemen t of the various functions to the managers (F. John Reh, 2013). In the lodging industry the General Manager or (GM) is responsible for making sure all facets of the hotel or lodging structure is running properly. They must provide owners with a reasonable return on investment, keep guest satisfied and returning, and keep employees happy.This may seem easy, but because there are so many interpersonal transactions and because hotels are open every day, all day, the complexities of operating become challenge that the general manager must face and overcome. The GM not only focuses on leading and operating the hotel departments but also on aspects of the infrastructure, from room atmosphere to security (Walker, 2013). If a restaurant is inside of a hotel, then the food and beverage division is overseen by the general manager of the hotel.In this scenario the person that runs the food and beverage division is referred to as the director of food and beverage. In this case, the director rep orts to the general manager of the hotel. However, if there is a free standing restaurant, bar, or lounge; there is a general manager who is responsible for the entire operations of that establishment. If the restaurant, bar, or lounge is a freestanding establishment, the owner will sometimes double as the general manager and do the job on their own without hiring someone.Sometimes owners will hire an individual to fill the job as General Manager, especially if they have invested in a restaurant and do not have any experience in how to run it properly. If the food and beverage establishment is located within a hotel even though the general manager is responsible for all aspects of the hotel, as stated earlier, the GM depends on the director of food and beverages to run this division. The director of food and beverage has many job duties and is responsible for the efficient and effective operation of the following departments: * Kitchen/Catering/Banquet * Restaurants/Room Service/Min ibars Lounges/Bars/Stewarding When taking all of the above areas in consideration, it could be stated that it could be harder to oversee the food and beverage division within hotel than in a freestanding restaurant. This is because a freestanding restaurant does not have to oversee room service and minibars that are located in the guest rooms. When reviewing all of the departments that a general manager is responsible for within the lodging and the food and beverage industries, it would make one wonder what is the overall growth rate within this industry. As far as restaurants are concerned, growth is looking strong for this year.According to the National Restaurant Association, many private sector jobs were added in the fourth quarter of 2012. â€Å"Two days after a Commerce Department release that showed real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted for the first time in more than three years, the latest jobs report boosted economic spirits with stronger than expected private sect or hiring in the fourth quarter of 2012. Despite the mixed signals, the underlying fundamentals of the economy remain positive, which points toward an improving business environment in 2013 (National Restaurant Association, 2013).The restaurant industry is not the only one that has a pleasant future. The hotel industry also seems to have a bright and optimistic future. Look at what the Bureau of Labor Statistics had to say. â€Å"The vast majority of workers in the hospitality industry — more than eight out of 10 in 2004 — were employed in service and administrative support  positions. Employment of hotel, motel and resort desk clerks is expected to grow faster than some other occupations in the industry. Hotels also employ many workers in part-time and seasonal jobs. Hospitality industry fear not!Despite an unemployment rate that’s higher than the national average, hotel jobs and hospitality jobs are actually on the rise. Projected to grow 17. 7% through 201 4, the most popular hotel jobs and hospitality jobs continue to be waiters and waitresses. Oh, and the employment rate for hospitality jobs is at an all-time high as well† (AOL JOBS, 2013). Now that it has been established that the lodging and food and beverage industries have made it through the recession and is a strong and growing industry; what does a general manager do to make sure they are hiring the best possible employees?Many may think that anyone can work in the hospitality industry, but nothing is further from the truth. The hospitality industry requires an individual that is hard working, flexible, and a warm, confident personality. These are the following attributes a general manager should look for when hiring a potential employee. * Communication – when interviewing look for eye contact and well-formed answers to interview questions. * Multi-Tasking – look for examples from their past work indicate an ability to multi-task by asking two or three pr onged questions that relate to slightly different topics. Attitude – look for a candidate that smiles and provides answers to questions that hint at optimism. * Flexibility – look for open-minded candidates who can explain to you why flexibility is important. The above qualities are exactly what an employee needs to possess in order to be an asset to the hiring organization. In conclusion, the lodging and food and beverage industries are very challenging but lucrative industries.Both industries have made it through the recession and now that people are starting to travel and eat out more it is more imperative than ever that this industry has quality employees to keep their guest happy and the industry moving forward. One of the areas of importance is that organizations in this industry hire general managers that are able to keep their business successful by doing the most important part of hospitality which is keeping their guest happy. It is also imperative that the g eneral managers make the proper hiring choices when filling positions within their organization.If all facets of the business are met, this can ensure the length and prosperity of the lodging and food and beverage industries. References . AOL JOBS. (2013). Hospitality & hotel jobs outlook. Retrieved from http://jobs. aol. com/hospitality-jobs/ F. John Reh. (2013). General manager. Retrieved from http://management. about. com/od/policiesandprocedures/g/gm1. htm Labor Systems Job Center. (2013). What makes a good hospitality employee? Retrieved from http://blog. laborsystems. com/2010/12/01/what-makes-a-good-hospitality-employe

Airasia Xs Business Environment Tourism Essay

Airasia Xs Business Environment Tourism Essay X targeted the less disposable income travelers who overlooked by traditional airlines even by some low cost carriers. The low price of ticket and abundant of destination network provided travelers more opportunities to fly. Moreover, X explored the new technology to reduce transaction cost for travelers – the cell phone sales of ticket. As Asia’s economic grew, people from Asia have higher spending power and they will select air transportation to travel more frequent than before. X should cater to a broader passengers segment across different needs categories. Back to a short time after the inception of X, the Malaysia Transport Ministry even refused to release the air route from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney for X in order to protect Malaysia Airlines which is the national airline. Afterward, X prepared for IPO but did not want to be list on the KLSE. Due to worry about the Malaysia government could slow down some of X’s expansion and continue to refuse some routes a pplication. X put off the IPO till the end of 2011 and early of 2012. AirAsia X’s industry environment Although the entry barrier of airline industry is high such as huge capital requirement and governmental legal barriers, low cost long haul carriers are suffering strong competition. On one hand, most of low cost long haul carriers are launched by their parent company. For example, X is a sister company of AirAsia, Scoot Airline is a subsidiary of Singapore Airline. They can enter the industry because of the background of their parent company. On the other hand, the cost of aircraft, fuel and airport is the majority expense in airline company, the high bargain power of suppliers gave much pressure to them. Train and ship are the substitutes of airline, but they are hardly to take place of low cost long haul airline. Even though the price is more expensive than bus and ship, low cost long haul carriers provide variable, efficient and convenient transport service. Sometimes, l ow threat of substitutes indicates high competition in the industry. In Southeast Asia market, Jetstar from Australia and Scoot from Singapore are the main competitors of X. Jetstar is the earliest company to operated low cost model of them, it has much experience about low cost control. It has huge fleet and good quality service. Its fatal weakness is the highest ticket price provided among the three companies. Scoot is a new low cost long haul carrier in 2012. It has narrow route network and higher price than X. However, it has absolute cost advantages in route from Singapore to Australia currently. Compared to them, X has the lowest average ticket price and the largest passenger load. AirAsia X’s Strategy X successfully integrated low cost model in every organizational activities. It sharply griped the true needs of lower disposable income customers to attract new customer segments and created value to customers around low cost. Primary activities Activities Description In bound logistics Although X formally separated from AirAsia, they still jointly purchase important resources such as aircraft and fuel. It will strengthen their bargaining power towards suppliers. X reduced costly investment in terminal or non-airplane related infrastructure help to decrease the cost of flight for passengers. Meanwhile, X pays much attention to flight safety. It has a high standard aircraft maintenance team.

Electoral College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Electoral College - Essay Example Pelayo was elected by his Visigothic nobles before becoming king of Asturias and Pepin the Sort was also elected by his Frankish nobles so as to become the first Carolingian king (Wedgewood 29-36). In the Holy Roman Empire, the King of the Romans was selected by the college of prince electors from the late Middle Ages until 1792 when the last election took place (Wedgewood 29-36). The Church in the West left electoral power exclusively to the College of Canons of the Cathedral Church. In the case of the Pope, selection is left to the exclusive authority of the College of Cardinals since 1059. Currently, the United States of America is the best illustration of a society that uses the Electoral College System to indirectly elect the president and the vice president (Sabato 20-35). Framers of the Unites States’ Constitution devised the Electoral College as procedure to indirectly elect the president by the people. The Constitutional Convention came up with so various methods of selecting the president which included selection of the president by the Congress; selection of the president by the State Legislature; selection of the president through direct popular vote (Kolodny 45-65). These procedures were rejected for various reasons such as threats of power bargaining and corruption (Longley and Pierce 12-17). Finally, the convention settled for the indirect method of election of the president through the Electoral College and this procedure was stipulated in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States (Kolodny 45-65). The article on the Electoral College has undergone several amendments in 1880, 1804 (12th Amendment) and in 1876. The last amendment to the Electoral College was made through the 23rd Amendment which gave the District of Columbia the right to vote for three electors just as the residents of other states

Individual Case Study Assessment ( Faslane case study ) Essay

Individual Case Study Assessment ( Faslane case study ) - Essay Example Despite the fact that it is an installation by the Ministry of Defense, it is managed by Babcock Marine which is a part of Babcock International. The paper uses various theories and models to identify changes and differences between earlier management and current outsourced management. It also presents an analytical report on the case study about the leadership styles, the organizational structure and the processes of change as demonstrated in the study. The major objective is to show the changes that took place at Faslane before and after 2002, the drivers and resistors to the change, the organizational structure and the leadership styles with the use of various model and theories formulated as a guide. Faslane Case Analysis Qn. 1 The strategic change context in 2002 at the start of the change process at Faslane can be identified by the use of the change kaleidoscope by Balogun and Hope Hailey and the analysis on factors of change by Lewin Forcefield (David 2005). The strategy invol ves keys issues on change management which include strategy matters, context matters, inertia and resistance and leadership matters. Strategy matters identify need for change, context matter define the right approach to change as determined by circumstance, inertia identifies the existing ways of doing things that results to resisting change and leadership matters portray good leadership at all levels of an organization(David 2005). In diagnosing the change context, the types of change, the context of change is given as well as the Forcefield analysis is given. Strategic change context in Faslane identified four types of change including adaptation, reconstruction, revolution and evolution. The revolution changes involved a clear strategic direction, combining symbolic levers, various styles of managing change, monitoring and working with different aspect of existing culture. On the other side, evolution changes which were both transformational and incremental involved clear strateg ic vision, continuous change and commitment, identifying targets, winning minds and sustained management attitudes(Sadler, 2003). The change kaleidoscope designed by Balogun and Hope Hailey identifies the factors that necessitate change and the contextual features of change. In application to the case study of Faslane, this model is essential in describing the strategic change in 2002. Firstly, Faslane was originally run by the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Navy who decided that they needed to cut their management costs as well as improve their operational effectiveness. As a result, they established partnering arrangements with industrial firm Babcock Marine in 2002, which was then under John Howie. This brings out the need for the change and the contextual feature of time. The scope of the change at Faslane was highly transformational based on the changes in the working personnel, the human resources allocations of time, cultural influences and gradual nature of implementation (Wickham & Wickham, 2008). Secondly, the firm had to shift and obtain different management at the beginning who were conversant with organizational structure change from both marine and navy sides as well as do extensive research and study. The diversity had to be altered and the attitude of the employees towards change was influenced when they noted that it was for the best in the long run. Other factors that were considered included the capability of the management to effect change, the capacity to

International Trading Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Trading - Term Paper Example Peace and stability, interdependence and spread of ideals viable for business expansion are threatened thus reducing the country’s real Gross Domestic product (GDP).Low GDP implies low investments which implies low incomes thus devoting little saving for business expansions. This has devastating macro-economic effects on aggregate demand thus threatening job creation in a country. Trade barriers also reduce benefits accrued to consumers and limits production efficiency due to low competition. Low quality products supplied to the market lowers utility for consumers. Question Two Allowing international trade in Canada will mean it will import bicycles. The reasons are that the imports are cheaper than the exports due to comparative advantage. In a real world situation, black markets situations may result threatening the survival of domestic industries. The producers and manufactures of bicycles in Canada will suffer as rational consumers will obviously go for the cheaper importe d bicycles than their own expensive ones. This will reduce demand for bicycles thus reducing profits. This will later threaten jobs and incomes firms will be earning. In addition, the government will have to suffer economically in importing bicycles, subsidizing them or even meeting the higher cost as a result of inflation. On the other hand, consumers will benefit as they will find imported bicycles cheaper than their own home-made thus benefiting from income and substitution effects. Generally, the loss will be greater than gains due to additional social costs associated inflation, market imperfections and allocative inefficiencies. Question Three Comparative advantage has numerous gains. First, it enables a country to specialise in production of a certain products and services due low cost of factor inputs. It also leads to high quality products and high-knowledge services than their competitors in the market. This leads to an improvement in allocative efficiency and economic wel fare. It also makes a country to gain from international trade skills, knowledge and technology and can set standards in the international markets. It has high chances of creating monopolistic market situations due high costs of production its competitors. This can make it set prices and reap all the supernormal profits. It is noted that there will be production and consumption gains from comparative advantage as consumers will spend less in maximizing their utilities. If a country has an absolute advantage in all goods, first, there will be no trade. This implies that in the long run, trade deficits due to lack of new tastes and preferences. Through trade, all countries will benefit due to comparative advantages. However, in the real world it is difficult to encounter such an ideal economic situation. Question four. Factor prices are unequal because of the following reasons. First, population pressure on land causes the margin of cultivation to be pushed out. As agricultural yield increases, its prices sour higher due to higher manufacturing costs. Second, the differences between a country’s factor inputs, tastes and preferences, could cause a difference in prices of goods and services. For instances, a country’s expenditure patterns might be different from another due to income and factor inequalities. Third, the means of production (state of technology) could have greater magnitudes

U08d1, u08d2, u08d3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U08d1, u08d2, u08d3 - Coursework Example The Sun is not  massive  enough to ever evolve into a black hole; it will end its life in about 4.5 billion years as a white dwarf  star. But, in case if the Sun's mass was suddenly collapsed into a black hole then Earth's orbit then if a one  solar mass  black hole were to suddenly replace the Sun at the center of our solar system, the orbits of the planets would not change. This is because the physical laws that determine the orbital motion of the Earth depend only on the actual mass of the Sun, and not on whether it is distributed within a sphere (like the Sun) or at a point (like a black hole). 2. "There are 1011 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers." —Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate When we think of an astronomical number – we probably think of a sum thatâ€℠¢s almost beyond human comprehension. We probably refer to huge numbers as astronomical because of the vast and seemingly infinite universe. But the universe may not be as big as it seems when compared to something like the national debt. This quote has been said towards the backhanded critique of government. Furthermore,  we can say that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the universe and each galaxy containing around 1 trillion stars. That’s 1 x 10^23 or 100 sextillion stars in the universe. Hence this comparison is done against the size of the national deficit. It's a good point, and economics can provide some slightly more familiar analogies to people grappling with large numbers than trying to contemplate entire galaxies. The important point here is not that high finance is catching up with the sciences; it’s that the numbers we encounter everywhere in daily life are growing steadily larger. While the consumer was busy saving, the Federal U. S. governmen t was piling on debt at a much greater pace. In fact, during Q2 of 2008 Washington accumulated debt at a 24.4% annual rate! Therefore, even though households and state and local governments have hopefully begun to learn their lessons; D.C. still managed to increase the overall level of non-financial debt in the U.S. to a record $35.45 trillion.† 3. Picture of the week How are the stars formed within the nebula? What is causing these dramatic pillars? What thoughts and reactions do you have to the pictures and their descriptions? All stars are formed from nebulae (the plural of nebula). Nebula is a term for a cloud of gas, and stars form from gas. Many nebulae or stars form from the  gravitational collapse  of gas in the  interstellar medium. As the material collapses under its own weight, massive stars may form in the center, and their  ultra violet radiation ionizes  the surrounding gas, making it visible at optical  wavelengths. Star formation  is the process b y which dense parts of  molecular clouds  collapse into a ball of  plasma  to form a  star. These eerie, dark pillar-like structures are actually columns of cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust that are also incubators for new stars. The pillars protrude from the interior wall of a dark molecular cloud like stalagmites from the floor of a cavern. They are part of the "Eagle Nebula" M16, a nearby star-forming region 7,000 light-years away in the

Introduction to Business Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Introduction to Business Law - Case Study Example The other party (Nuriya) cannot perform work that is significantly different than what is expected. Concerning the Act mentioned above, but in section 17 of Part II, applies to this situation and will be specially applied to this case as well. Throughout most of this remaining piece the Unfair Contract Terms will be abbreviated as â€Å"UCT† for convenience. It may appear that Nuriya did not conduct work that was unexpected of Flavio and Marco because they read the contract and made a payment that all agreed upon at that time was pertaining to the contract mentioned. Both Flavio and Marco did in fact â€Å"insist† on differences before agreement of the contract was made and those two made it clear that Nuriya should make these changes, the reasonable individual(s) would have known that Nuriya did not want to make such changes. The reason this is so is because Nuriya had added the clause â€Å"The agreement will be carried out under the conditions set up on Nuriyas previous communication.† The addition of this clause undoubtedly changes the conditions of the contract and if the other parties knowingly reads and made payment to this particular change then any payments to Nuriya would likely imply an understanding of the contract by Flavio and Marco. The other party (Nuriya) has not performed differently than what is expected. As per Schedule Two of the UCT Act (1977) â€Å"whether the customer knew or ought reasonably to have known of the existence and the extent of the term (having regard, among other things, to any custom of the trade and any previous course of dealing between the parties) is relevant here. More plainly, the contract possessed new language, and quite arguably Flavio and Marco should have known the new conditions written, and that signing the contract and additionally making a first payment to Nuriya after signing the contract would

United States and the neo-Gramscian perspectives Essay

United States and the neo-Gramscian perspectives - Essay Example The United States is an interesting case as explained through neo-Gramscian perspective. The model is able to evaluate American policies and their motivation, including their impact on the global arena. There is valuable insight offered with respect to the American behavior in international relations and how to understand and deal with it as a hegemon. This paper will explore the United States from the neo-Gramscian perspective. For this purpose a brief discourse on the theoretical model will be included, with a brief discussion of hegemony from different perspectives as well as the stability and the neo-Gramscian thought and its challenges. This paper will cover the theoretical discussions on power structural, the declinist school of thought, and the concepts of unipolarity and multipolarity. The concept of hegemony emerged out of the integration of the world system on the strength of global economic and political developments. As members of the system struggle and compete in order to navigate its intricacies, players adopt policies that promote and advance their interests. Successful players become dominant within a process that many thinkers consider as social in terms of formation. These players are able to exploit the system to perpetuate its status. Antonio Gramsci, the Italian thinker, provided one of the most important bases to this thought by capturing the dynamics of this process. His position holds that hegemony pertains to the process in which a hegemon is able to exploit the world system for its own purposes. This is achieved through the consent of the dominated class who act for programmes that benefit the hegemon although they may not always be in their best interests.2 This Gramscian perspective is important in the sense that it implies a dominance that is not based on brute force or coercion. Rather, it is viewed as a result of manipulation, with the dominant player(s) orchestrating events and strategies in such a way that subordinate

Pascal and the Probability Theory Research Paper

Pascal and the Probability Theory - Research Paper Example His father introduced him to Mathematics when he was 15 years old. Despite this fact, he had started making discoveries in geometry as early as 12 years. Come 1939, his family moved to Rouen after his father was appointed a tax collector. His creativity was exhibited at this point, whereby; he was able to invent a calculator so as to make his father’s work easier during his day to day endeavors. Later in 1647, Pascal conducted and wrote about experiments concerning vacuums, but many scientists disregarded the existence of vacuums. For instance, the great French philosopher Rene Descartes visited Pascal for 2 days and disagreed with him concerning the vacuum. In a letter Descartes wrote to Huygens after this encounter, he asserts that â€Å"Pascal had too much vacuum in his head†1. This did not deter him from pursuing mathematics and science; in 1653, he published a treatise on the equilibrium of Liquids. Pascal later invented â€Å"Pascal’s Triangle†, a tr iangular array of numbers which solves mathematical problems. He would later become interested in probability after a gambling question was projected to him. In correspondence with another great scientist Fermat, they were able to solve the problem of points; how to divide stakes in a game of dice if the game is incomplete. Pascal almost lost his life in 1654, and this affected him psychologically to the point of being a staunch Christian. Even after setting the ground for the theory of probability, Pascal quit Mathematics to pursue a quieter Christain life in a monastery in Paris. He never married. He succumbed in 1662 to malignant stomach ulcers. Introduction Even from an early age, Pascal was curious about natural occurrences, and he formulated experiments to study these occurrences. Pascal studied fluids, pure and applied sciences, pressure and machines, among other scientific principles. While still a teenager in 1642, Pascal had begun ground-breaking work on calculating machin es. At first, his attempts failed, but he finally managed to invent the mechanical calculator three years later2. This simply shows that Pascal was able to invent scientific principles from an earlier age. However, one of Pascal’s greatest invention is in the field of Mathematics is the â€Å"Theory of Probability†, a theory that is centered on estimating and calculating the chance of doing something. For example, if 6 men are playing dice, what is the chance that each of them can win the game? And if at all two are eliminated, what is the chance that each of the remaining four will win the game? Probability centers on such occurrences. The theory of probability was advanced so as to prove the fact that chance can be mathematically calculated accurately. Various facets in the modern world apply probability. This is not just in mathematics courses, but it is also applicable in the practical courses like genetics, quantum mechanics, kinetic theory of gases, industrial qu ality control and insurance.This paper dwells on the history of the probability theory, and how Pascal contributed to this theory, and how his findings were shaped by other great scientists who were also researching on the theory. Pascal’s involvement with probability dates back to 1654 when another scientist, Chevalier challenged him to solve a puzzle which at that time was known as â€Å"the problem of points†. This problem had been posed in the late 1400s and no one had managed to solve it for a period of 200 years. The problem was that; how the stakes of a chance game should be divided

PC Specification Instructions and Requirements Essay Example for Free

PC Specification Instructions and Requirements Essay For the specified case study, create a summary of user requirements and a PC Specifications Table in Microsoft Word 2010. A copy of that case study appears at the bottom of this document. This Word 2010 document will include a two-paragraph summary that classifies the user type and identifies the PC category(ies) that will be recommended and Word tables that identify and contain the hardware and software requirements to meet the selected case study requirements. Students are expected to conduct external research to adequately address all aspects of the assignment requirements. Any outside sources should be correctly cited in APA style at the end of the table. Students will need to include specific requirements from the case study to show why each item is being recommended. Each element listed below must be incorporated into the assignment – omissions will result in loss of points. This project is valued at 14 possible points and the final total of points will be adjusted in the rubric after it is graded to reflect 14 possible points for this project. Writing Quality for the Two Page Narrative * Grammar, Verb Tenses, Pronoun Use, Spelling, Punctuation, and Writing Competency. *Remember: spell-check, then proofread. Better yet, have a friend or colleague read it before submitting it. Read it out loud to yourself. * Remember: there is not their, your is not youre, its is not its, too is not to or two, site is not cite, and who should be used after an individual, not that. For example, the person WHO made the speech not the person THAT made the speech. * In a professional paper one does not use contractions (doesnt, dont, etc.) and one does not use the personal you or your. Use the impersonal as I have in the previous sentence. It is more business-like than saying, Also in a professional paper you dont use contractions. * Use the impersonal as in the sentence immediately above. It is more business-like than saying, Also in a professional paper you dont use contractions. Requirement| Points Allocated| Comments| Set normal text to Arial, 12 point.| 0.25| This is the font in normal paragraphs. Heading and title fonts may be a larger size.| Title Page which shows title and authors (students) name.| 0.25| The title must be, â€Å"PC Specification for_[insert user name]†| Write a brief 2-paragraph narrative that categorizes the user type, identifies the category of PC (s) required, and summarizes your recommendations. | 0.5| Two well-written, concise and organized paragraphs not to exceed one-half a page.| Create a table that shows the various required hardware components. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Input Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Output Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Communication Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Storage Devices – Externa l (including portable) storage devices and show which specific user requirements are met * Other Peripheral Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Hardware Table.†| Create a table that shows the various required system unit features. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Processor – Include type and clock speed and state how processor type and clock speed meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case * RAM – Include type and amount and state how RAM type and amount meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case * Adapter Cards – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Ports – Include types, how many of each type, and show which specific user requirements are met * Storage Devices – Identify internal system unit storage devices, size of hard drive, and state how each storage device and the hard drive size recommended meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"System Unit Features Table.†| Create a table that shows the various required Application Software. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Identify types, recommend specific product names, and show which specific user requirements are met| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Application Software Table.†| Create a table shows that the various required System Software. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Operating System – Identify a specific operating system and version * Utility Programs – Include a comprehensive list and state how each utility program meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"System Software Table.†| Create a table that shows the required Internet connectivity and Web-hosted applications and services. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Identify the specific type of ISP that should be used for Internet connectivity * Identify the specific Web services that should be used * State how the ISP type and Web services that were identified meets specific user’s requirements in the case study| 1.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Internet Connectivity Web Services Table.†| TOTAL:| 10| | The final total will be scaled to reflect 14 possible points. PC Specification Mini Case Your office has outgrown its old desktop machines and is in the market for new PCs, but would like some guidance on what to purchase. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) wants to ensure that the office obtains PC machines that meet the requirements stated below. You, as the IT Procurement Officer for your small educational company, have been tasked by the CIO to procure 5 PCs. The CIO has defined some capabilities that the PCs will need to have to ensure optimal performance. These tasks and system needs are collectively the office’s requirements. The requirements are as follows: 1. Create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and send and receive email 2. Participate in online chat rooms to include video conferences, web courses and forums (the CIO is a part-time professor at a local university) 3. Create and edit audio and video files and share video and audio files via emails, bulletin boards and in chat rooms 4. Create small databases to manage all audio, video and photo data 5. Take high quality digital photos and videos and download them to the PC as well as scan and edit the photos. 6. Print documents to include photo quality color printing 7. Save documents to pdf and other image formats 8. Transfer information (audio, video and photos) between PC machines 9. Manage the CIO’s schedule by using an online calendar and day planner 10. Utilize the internet to make online purchases, conduct banking services and research new audio, video and photo editing methods using a broadband service. 11. Connect all required peripheral devices you deem necessary to the system unit 12. Protect the PC and all components from dirty electrical power including under voltage (brownout or blackout) and overvoltage (power surge or spike) 13. Manage and protect the system, data, and information while working on the Internet including scanning all incoming emails, email attachments, and files downloaded from Web-based sources; firewall, virus and spyware (security) protection; and checking websites for phishing and fraudulent activities

Financial Reporting Problem Essay Example for Free

Financial Reporting Problem Essay Abstract In this paper we will discuss Walmart’s Balance sheet and Income Statement. We will analyze the company’s total assets at the end of the most recent annual reporting year and to why it is important. We then will talk about the company’s total assets, how much cash and cash equivalents did the company have, as well as, the amount of accounts payable at the most recent year, and from the previous year. What the company’s net revenues are from the last three annual reporting periods, the change in dollars in the company’s net income from the most recent annual reporting period to the previous annual reporting period. We will talk about the company’s total assets at the end of the most recent year and the previous year from the annual reporting period. Lastly, we will discuss as to what information that has been obtained within this paper that would be important to a potential investor, employee and so forth. Financial Reporting Problem, Part 1 Total Assets The total assets for Wal-Mart as of January 31, 2013 were $203,105,000. The reason this is important for a company or business to know, is so the business can have a better understanding of how much the company is worth. Knowing how much a company is worth is beneficial because the assets can be used as collateral for a loan. Also knowing the assets and comparing total assets to previous years can show if a company is growing and expanding or shrinking. For Wal-Mart, the comparison from the previous year shows that the total assets increased. As of January 31, 2012 the company showed total assets of $193,406,000. With the comparison from January 31, 2012 to the current figure from January 31, 2013 Wal-Mart grew and/or expanded in total assets by 9,699,000. Cash and Cash Equivalent The total cash and cash equivalent for the end of the year for Wal-Mart as of January 31, 2013 is 7,781,000. Knowing the total cash and cash equivalent will help the company to know how much the company has to spend. No organization has the intention of spending more money then what the company has available. If a company has very low cash or cash equivalent then the company will need to consider if a loan is needed. In consideration for a loan total expenses needs to be considered. If a company like Wal-Mart has enough cash to pay all expenses then a loan isnt needed, but if the expense exceeds the cash then a loan is needed. Also another factor to consider on getting a loan is if the money coming into the company will be enough to pay the loan back. Accounts Payable The accounts payable for the end of the most recent annual reporting period that ended January 31, 2013 is 1,061,000. Knowing the accounts payable helps a company to know one of the companies expenses. This is important because if the companies accounts payable are higher than the money coming in, that could be a problem for the business. Comparing to previous years accounts payable can show many different problems or benefits for the business. Net Revenues Walmart Inc. net revenues from the last three annual reporting periods are as follows; On January 31st, 2011 in the amount of $421,849,000. On January 31st, 2012 the net revenues were; $446,950,000 and on January 31st, 2013 it totaled to the amount of $469,162,000. From looking at the reports Walmart Inc. has had an increased from 2011 to 2012 in the amount of $25,101,000 and from 2012 to 2013 has increased to $22,212,000. Net Revenue helps account for certain price reductions, adjustments and refunds. This is necessary to get the general measure of the real top line rather than the bottom line. Net Income Looking at Walmart’s income statement from the net income of 2013 on January 31st it totaled in $16,999,000. The change from 2012 and 2013 is a increase in $1,300,000. The net income from 2012 is $15,699,000. From looking at the statement and seeing that there is a loss due to nonredeemable and redeemable non-controlling interest the company has lost net income by 16,998,000 within 2013 but in 2012 only had a 609,000 difference, and in 2011 had a 1,289,000 difference from 2013. When it comes to Net Income it is closely followed and play a huge role in ratio analysis. Shareholders take a close look at the net income due to their compensation of the company. If a business is not generating enough profit, the values of shares fall. It is important to know that net income does not measure to how much cash a company has earned during a given period. Change in Dollars of Net Income The change in dollars of Walmart’s net income from 2013 is 16,999,000 and from 2012 it is only a million dollar difference of 15,999,000. Total Assets in Recent Year from Annual Reporting Wal-Mart has reported its accounting period for fiscal year 2013; accounting period ends on January 31st of each year. Wal-Mart’s current total of assets as of fiscal year 2013 is $203,105,000.00. Wal-Mart continues to grow in consecutive years with an average increase in assets of $10,000,000 dollars a year for the past five years. The earnings per share have increased 10.6 percent increasing their shares to $5.02. The company has made earnings in addition of $22 billion make it a $ 466 billion dollar corporation. It is with no doubt that the success of the corporation continues on the rise. The corporation owns 4,000 locations in the United States alone adding $10 billion alone in net sales. Further from generating income and investing in growth and assets Wal-Mart has always researched and invested in ways to reduce expenses and operating costs. Strategies such as training front line and middle managers in operating cost reductions and implementing sales and inventory syste ms have greatly reduced operating costs in the current successful years. Total Assets from Previous Annual Report In fiscal year 2012, Wal-Mart had a total of earning of $15.8 billion  with a closing total of net sales of $443.9 billion. Since 1992 Wal-Mart has made and increased a total net worth of sales of $400 billion dollars. The corporation strategy for 2012 was to continue to invest in growth and re-enforce in what separates them from their competitors, their low incomparable low merchandise prices. A very unique idea that required greater investments and growth was that of creating a merchandise corporation to the public that provided a one stop be all shopping store. The corporation concentrated in providing its customers a broad assortment of merchandise which provided customers in a sense a time saving tool in a high tempo life style generation. Wal-Mart’s obvious and epic success of how effective and efficient their corporation strategies are. In addition Wal-Mart continues to re-invest in its online market and expanding its online strategy. Important Information Wal-Mart received a total of $332 million in common stock in the year of 2013 alone. In 2012 Wal-Mart returned dividends to its investors worth $60 billion in shares. A high number of their investors are Wal-Mart associates averaging an increased percentage of stocks by the yearly. A yearly accounting period of accounting provides the corporation’s accounting state which in return provides transparency to its current investors and a corporate overview of potential new investors. Internally Wal-Mart benefits from these reports in projecting new investments. Strategic Management can influence how much can be reinvested while at the same time have oversight of how expenses, employee and associate management, and operating costs have to be considered before any over spending incurs. Overall an accounting report is essentially the backbone of a corporation. The accounting structure requires having a solid foundation in a corporation in order to have a successful business. Accountin g is the measurement of how much a business fails or it is successful. References http://c46b2bcc0db5865f5a76-91c2ff8eba65983a1c33d367b8503d02.r78.cf2.rackcdn.com/88/2d/4fdf67184a359fdef07b1c3f4732/2013-annual-report-for-walmart-stores-inc_130221024708579502.pdf

The Personality And Academic Achievement

The Personality And Academic Achievement ABSTRACT Chemistry achievement is one of the major interests of educators. Educational psychologists have been always concerned to identify the factors that affect students achievement. The emphasis continued to change and shift from one aspect to the other from time to time. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of students personality and attitude on Chemistry achievement. Data were collected by self-prepared survey instrument. The opinions of personally approached 780 secondary school students of government, semi-government and private school sectors were surveyed through stratified random sampling. Data was analyzed by calculating mean, and by applying one way ANOVA. The results revealed that Gender, Family Type, School sectors, Parents Education, and Choice of Course have significant effect on chemistry achievement. Findings of study also revealed that out of five sub-factors of personality, the two sub-factors (Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience) effect signific antly on students having 50-80% marks achievement in chemistry. From 81-90% the significant determinant of chemistry achievement is the sub-factor Achievement Motivation and above 90% marks the significant predictor of Chemistry Achievement is sub-factor Motivation. The research will benefit Educators, Curriculum developers, Teacher, Parents and students. Findings of the factors influencing academic achievement will help educators to develop fair academic curricula that can compensate for known weaknesses a student might carry in the classroom, and those that can nurture a students strengths. Keywords: Attitude towards chemistry; Personality traits; Chemistry Achievement; Openness to experience; Conscientiousness; Motivation; Achievement Motivation. Introduction Academic achievement represents the understanding of the student about different concepts and skills developed in different subjects. In most of the countries, parents usually desire that their children show high level of academic achievement which sets a lot of burden on children, teachers, schools and in general the whole education system. Thus the whole education system revolves round the academic achievement of students so, the schools set a lot of time for helping students to achieve high grades. Academic achievement may be influenced by different factors like intelligence, study habits, and attitudes of students, socio economic status, motivation, opportunities, and different characteristics of their personality. Academic achievement is considered as a core standard to measure students total potential and capabilities of learning. Hence academic achievement occupies a very vital place in our education as well as in the learning process. Achievement is the major outcome of education, the level to which a student, teacher has accomplished their educational goals. According to Crow and Crow (1964) academic achievement is reflected by the extent to which a skill or knowledge has been acquired by a person from the training imparted to him. Previous studies in science education revealed that students at all levels struggle to learn chemistry, but most of them remain unsuccessful (Herron, 1975; Nakhleh, 1992; Sawrey, 1990). Knowledge of the factors that influence academic success has important implications for learning and education. Academic success is strongly influenced by individual differences in personality and attitude. Literature Review Personality and Academic Achievement: Personality is the basic area of study for psychologists. Hall and Lindzey (1991) state that personality may be defined in terms of characteristics or abilities, that are highly representative of an individual and is an important part of the overall impression created on others. According to Pervin, and John (2005) Personality comprises of unique set of characteristics that define an individual feelings, way of thinking, and behavior. Personality is a person set of relatively stable characteristics that account patterns of behavior, in various situations each individual in some ways is different and in some ways is unique. There is much concern about the science achievement of the students in high schools recently. Accordingly a strong emphasis is currently placed on improving the quality of science education (Morrel Lederman, 1998). A widely used personality model, McCrae and Costas NEO Five Factor Model, or Big Five Model (1990), comprises of Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience and Agreeableness. Recent studies show that Big Five traits measurement is powerful enough to explain a moderate percentage of the variance in academic achievement (Blickle, 1996; Rolfhus Ackerman, 1999). The relationship between Extraversion and academic achievement shows that Extravert students perform better in primary schools where as introverts perform well in secondary schools and university (Eysenck Cookson, 1969). Introverts are benefited in written exams, while extraverts have an advantage in oral exams (Chamorro- Premuzic Furnham, 2003a; Furnham Medhurst, 1995). Table 2.1: Characteristics of Big Five Personality Traits Big five traits Characteristics Sample Items Extraversion Impulsive, Ambitious, Social, Caring, optimistic, Confident I learn more through cooperating and discussing with my classmates. Agreeableness Friendly, helping, trusting, Kind, Cooperative Kindhearted, Supportive. I realize that helping my classmates in chemistry benefits me. Conscientiousness Hardworking, Motivated, well organized, dutiful, achievement-oriented I strive to achieve excellence in everything I do. Neuroticism Nervous, Sensitive, disturbed, confuse, distract I cannot understand the imaginary concept of Chemistry. Openness to Experience Open-minded, Inventive, Curious, Imaginative, Innovative I am always willing to accept the new experiences of Chemistry. Neuroticism is the condition of fear, nervousness in stressful conditions i.e., exams (Hembree, 1988; Siepp, 1991). Neuroticism leads to poor self-concept (Wells Matthews, 1994) and low self-estimated intelligence (Furnham, Chamorro-Premuzic, and Moutafi, under review). Chamorro-Premuzie and Furnham (2003) found that Neuroticism may impair academic achievement or has no significant associations with academic achievement (Puklek Levpu[scaron] [caron] ek Zupan[caron] i[caron] 2009a).Openness to experience is significant predictor of academic achievement(Bratko et al., 2006; Laidra et al., 2007). Openness to experience and agreeableness are positively related to academic achievement (Lounsbury et al., 2003; Farsides Woodfield, 2003). Researchers have shown significant associations between Conscientiousness and academic achievement in school (Noftle Robins, 2007) because careful, organized, hardworking, and achievement-oriented students may expect to succeed in academic settings. Attitude and Academic Achievement Osborne et al. (2003) state that attitudes are the feelings, beliefs, and values held about an object, in terms of chemistry may be enthusiasm about chemistry, perceptions of chemistry, and the contribution of chemistry to society or scientists. Thus attitude play a vital role in fostering long-lasting learning and to determine students academic achievement. Affective characteristics are considered as an important domain of attitude so in this study we select seven affective characteristics that are motivation, interest, confidence, enjoyment, importance, anxiety and achievement motivation. Table.2.2: Characteristics of Affective Domain of Attitude Scale Description Sample Item Enjoyment Fascinating, Exciting, Fun, Interesting, Attractive, Captivating Chemistry lessons are interesting and fun to study. Anxiety Worry, Nervous, Fear, Confuse, Uncomfortable Chemistry usually makes me feel uncomfortable, nervous and confused. Importance Useful, beneficial, Advantageous, Helpful, Aware Chemistry is useful if the topics are connected with our daily life. Interest Aware, Curious, Like, I am interested to know about the new researches in chemistry. Motivation Inspiration, Reinforcement, Stimulation, Encouragement When I fail in Chemistry course, it encourages me to try much harder to do well in Chemistry. Confidence Success, Sureness, Sef-reliance I am sure I can learn and can do advance work in Chemistry Achievement Motivation Extent to which students are motivated to achieve their goals. I get good grades in Chemistry than any other subject. An examination of literature on attitude and chemistry achievement reveals conflicting results (Shibley et al., 2003; Turner and Lindsay, 2003). While some claim a low correlation between attitude and achievement, others claim the two are strongly positively correlated. Wei-nburghs (1995) meta-analysis of the research suggests that there is only a moderate relation between attitude and achievement. Previous researches show the effect of affective characteristics of attitude on academic achievement. Skaalvik and Rankin (1995), Egitimidergisi, (2007) found that motivation is correlated with academic achievement. Academic achievement is most likely to occur when learning is self-directed and students are motivated (Ryan, Connell, Deci, 1985). Furthermore, researchers have found that motivation leads to engagement in academic tasks, which is related to achievement (DeCharms, 1984; Dweck, 1986). Interest is an individual predisposition and a psychological state of mind, which is important for cognitive engagement, learning, and achievement (Ainley, Hidi, Berndorff, 2002; Pintrich Schunk, 2002). Krapp approach interest in two different point of views, Personal and situational interest. Personal interest is topic-specific, persists over time (Schiefele 1991). However, situational interest is aroused as a function of the interestingness of the event or object and it is also changeab le and partially under the control of teachers (Schraw, Flowerday, Lehman 2001). Interest is related to students devotion, goals, and depth of learning (Hidi Renninger, 2006). Interests increase when students feel competent, so even if students are not initially interested in a subject or activity, they may develop interests as they experience success. (Stipek, 2002). Whitfield (1979) reported chemistry and physics as the least enjoyable subject. Analysis indicates that there is significant mean difference between Grade 9 and Grade 10 students attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject on enjoyment and importance dimensions (Can Boz, 2012). Achievement motivation is correlated with academic achievement (Camara, 1986). Individuals academic achievement depends not only on their motivation to achieve but also on whether they expect to achieve and whether they fear failure. Students work hard when they perceive a reasonable chance to succeed than when they perceive a goal to be o ut of reach (Atkinson, 1964). Demographics (Gender, School Sector, Parents Qualification, Choice of Course) and Academic Achievement: Previous studies demonstrate that achievement in science is gender dependent. Male and female students achievement in science is significantly correlated (Schibeci and Riley 1986, Weinburgh 1995). Previous research revealed that boys outperform girls in science in most countries (Pinchas 1988, Wang Staver 1995). Gender differences in science achievement test scores have not typically been large when compared. However, recent studies on gender differences in science achievement reported a change in pattern, thus reporting either no gender differences (Ventura 1992, Calsambis 1995) or girls outperforming boys in science (Young and Fraser 1990, Soyibo 1999). Fraser-Abder (1990) investigated the effects of gender, school-type (single-sex or coeducational schools, private denominational or government schools), parental occupation, and socioeconomic status on science achievement in Trinidad. Fraser-Abder found that girls scored significantly higher than boys on the science test. Zappala ( 2002) argue that the type of school a child attends influences academic achievement. Schools according to Sentamu (2003) are social institutions in which groups of individuals are brought together to share educational experiences and such interactions may breed positive or negative influences on learners. Parents education is positively related to students academic achievement. This is supported by Dills (2006) and Owens (1999). Considine and Zappala (2002) Kwesiga (2002) reveal that School sector (public or private) is linked to academic performance of students. Parents who scaffold learning experiences and provide support to their children when needed early in childrens lives may prepare their children for school entry and provide basis for them to benefit from educational activities (Pianta Egeland, 1994; Pianta et al., 1990; Pianta et al., 1997). Parents own behavior as well as joint family activities have been shown to influence childrens academic motivation and behavior ( Chen, Lee Stevenson, 1996; De Garmo, Forgatch Martinez, 1999; Grolnick Slowiaczek, 1994; Heiss, 1996). Authoritative parenting, has positive effects on how students approach the demands they face in school (Bradley et al., 2000; Gutman Eccles, 1999). Interest and attitude of learners towards the subject plays a decisive role for the success of the learner. Students choose course by their interest are believed to be highly motivated to learn than students placed in a department without their interest. High motivation is a factor which can lead students to a better achievement. Studies done by different authors disclosed that motivated students perform better academically than unmotivated ones (Bank and Finlapson, 1980; Broussard and Garrison, 2004; Sandra, 2002). Significance of the Study Attitude towards Chemistry and personality traits vary over time and effect academic achievement of students in different ways. Previous studies show that attitudes and personality towards Chemistry achievement are cultural dependent. Culture varies between and within countries. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume large number of variations in students achievement in chemistry reported from different parts of the world. Gender role varies in different cultures; it is therefore likely that chemistry achievement is gender dependent. Chemistry achievement is one of the major interests of educators. Although being not very frequent affective characteristics are studied together with personality and achievement in chemistry education. However studies based on Affective Characteristics and Achievement or on Personality and Achievement is found separately but combine study of all these three factors is not found in chemistry education. Prior research has established that both personality traits and attitude are associated with academic achievement. However, not much is known about the joint influence of personality traits and attitude on learners Chemistry academic achievement. In the current study, researcher sought to fill in this gap in the literature by directly examining the relationship between personality, attitude and academic achievement. Three major research questions were investigated: (1) what is the relationship between secondary school science students Big 5 personality traits and affective characteristics of attitude on their Chemistry academic achievement? (2) How demographic factors (age, gender, family type, school sector, choice of course and educational levels of parents) influence Chemistry academic achievement of secondary school science students. (3) Are the Affective Characteristics of Attitude depends on each other? Methods Development and Validation of Instrument To investigate the aim of this study, the first step was to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire for measuring students personality trait and attitudes toward chemistry achievement. Rather than translating an attitude and personality questionnaire among those available in literature, we constructed a new questionnaire, in order to be more relevant to the curriculum and conditions applied in the Pakistan schools. The questionnaire was prepared on the basis of Likert scale type. It was prepared by keeping in view different aspects of the problem. All participants completed a 37-statement investigator-developed questionnaire. The Questionnaire includes six demographic variables as well as two factors (Personality Attitude). Six demographic variables are included that elicits respondents background information. All participants were asked to rate each item using a five-point scale where a 5 represented strongly agree and a 1 represented strongly disagree. The ratings for all statement on each scale are summed, and a higher score indicates more obvious trait characteristics. All items were written in a structured alternative format design to reduce the tendency to give socially desirable responses (Harter, 1982). The pilot testing was done on a sample of 50 students. The reliability of the research instrument was 0.84 and level of difficulty of questionnaire was moderate. Procedures The authors obtained authorization from school administrators to conduct the study. Through individual meeting communications were provided to the school counselors (or classroom teachers) to explain the purpose of this study and the research instrument. Students were recruited through voluntary participation. There were 780 students who participate in this study. The investigators administered the Questionnaire to consenting students either during classes. Before administering the survey, the purpose of the study and the procedures to complete the Questionnaire were explained to the students. Students understanding of the survey was verified and questions about the survey were answered. Data Analyses Quantitative analysis was performed with the help of SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Mean and one way ANOVA was applied on the data to investigate questionnaire in terms of personality traits and attitudes toward chemistry. Effect of Gender and Family Type on Students Chemistry Achievement Figure 1 illustrates a significant effect of Gender and Family Type on students Chemistry Achievement. Figure indicates that Male students have the mean value 3.66 and are high achievers in chemistry as compare to female students having mean value 3.60, while students belongs to Nuclear Family have the mean value 3.65 and are high achievers in chemistry as compare to students who belongs to Joint family system having mean value 3.62. Figure 1: Mean values of Class, Gender and Family Type on the basis of secondary school students Chemistry Achievement. Effect of School Sector on Students Chemistry Achievement Figure 2 shows a significant effect of School Sector on students Chemistry Achievement. Figure indicates that the Private school show highest mean value 4.14 of Chemistry Achievement while the Government School show lowest mean value 2.78 of Chemistry Achievement and Semi-Government School show moderate mean value 3.98 of Chemistry Achievement. Figure 2 shows Mean values of School Sector on the basis secondary school students Chemistry Achievement. Effect of Father Qualification on students Chemistry Achievement Figure 3 indicates that the students whose Father qualification is Masters show highest mean value 4.17 of Chemistry Achievement and the students whose fathers are Uneducated show lowest mean value 2.34 of Chemistry Achievement as compare to the students whose father qualifications is Matric, Intermediate, Graduation and Masters. Figure 3 illustrates a positive significant effect of Father Qualification on secondary school students Chemistry Achievement. Figure 3 shows Mean values Father Qualification based on secondary school students Chemistry Achievement. Effect of Mother Qualification on Students Chemistry Achievement Figure 4 indicates that the students whose mother qualification is Masters show highest mean value 4.21 of Chemistry Achievement and the students whose mothers are Uneducated show lowest mean value 2.37 of Chemistry Achievement as compare to the students whose mother qualifications are Matric, Intermediate, Graduation and Masters. Figure 4 illustrates a positive significant effect of Mother Qualification on secondary school students Chemistry Achievement. Figure 4 shows Mean values of Mother Qualification on the basis of Secondary School students Chemistry Achievement. Effect of Choice of Course on Students Chemistry Achievement Figure 5 illustrates a significant effect of Choice of Course on Students Chemistry Achievement. Figure indicates that the students who choose chemistry for Better Academic Accomplishment show highest mean value 3.93 of Chemistry Achievement and the students who choose chemistry Out of Interest show lowest mean value 3.36 of Chemistry Achievement. Figure 5 shows Mean values of Choice of Course based on secondary school students Chemistry Achievement. Sum of Squares (df ) Mean Square F-values (p-values) Post hoc (p-values) 51%-60%Vs. 61%-70% 51%-60%Vs. 71%-80% 91%-100%Vs. 50% below 50% 91%-100% Vs. 51%-60% 91%-100% Vs.61%-70% 91%-100% Vs. 71%-80% Extraversion Between group 2.445 (5) 0.489 1.136 (0.340) Within group 333.101 (774) 0.430 Agreeableness Between group 5.249 (5) 1.050 2.196 (0.053) Within group 369.982 (774) 0.478 Conscientiousness Between group 8.395 5 1.679 4.180 (0.001) -0.2453 (0.015) -0.2992 (0.001) Within group 310.866 (774) 0.402 Neuroticism Between group 4.343 (5) 0.869 1.485 (0.192) Within group 452.680 (774) 0.585 Openness to Experience Between group 10.273 (5) 2.055 3.661 (0.003) -0.55686 (0.009) -0.34645 (0.048) -0.31730 (0.042) -0.38241 (0.005) Within group 434.327 (774) 0.561 -0.15460 (0.017) Personality Between group 2.616 (5) 0.523 3.044 (0.010) Within group 133.024 (774) 0.172 Table 3: One way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc for multiple comparisons of Chemistry Achievement on secondary school students Personality trait Effect of Personality Traits on Students Chemistry Achievement Table 3 indicates that there is no significant effect of secondary school students Personality trait Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism on Chemistry Achievement. Table 3 also reveals that there is significant effect of secondary school students Personality trait Conscientiousness on Chemistry Achievement. From the Tukey Post Hoc Test of Multiple Comparisons reveals that the students who got marks 61%-70% and 71%-80% show more Conscientiousness that the students who got 51%-60% marks. Table 3 also specifies that there is significant effect of secondary school students Personality trait Openness to Experience on Chemistry Achievement.Tukey Post Hoc Test of Multiple Comparisons reveals that the students who got marks 50% below 50%, 51%-60%, 61%-70% and 71%-80% show more Openness to Experience than the students who got 91%-100% marks. Table 3 also illustrates that there is significant effect of secondary school students Personality on Chemistry Achievement.Tukey Post Hoc Test of Multiple Comparisons reveals that the students who got marks 71%-80% show more Personality than the students who got marks 51%-60%. Sum of Squares (df ) Mean Square F-values (p-values) Post hoc (p-values) 81%-90% Vs.51%-60% 81%-90%Vs. 61%-70% 91%-100%Vs. 50% below 50% 91%-100% Vs.61%-70% 91%-100% Vs. 71%-80% Interest Between group 3.199 (5) 0.640 0.857 (0.510) Within group 577.815 (774) 0.747 Motivation Between group 12.250 (5) 2.450 3.923 (0.002) -0.61783 (0.005) -0.33498 (0.042) -0.36734 (0.015) Within group 483.388 (774) 0.625 Enjoyment Between group 5.923 (5) 1.185 1.197 (0.309) Within group 766.010 (774) 0.990 Confidence Between group 4.141 (5) 0.828 1.790 (0.112) Within group 358.069 (774) 0.463 Importance Between group 2.379 (5) 0.476 0.832 (0.527) ) Within group 442.382 (774) 0.572 Anxiety Between group 5.907 (5) 1.181 1.419 (0.215) Within group 644.330 (774) 0.832 Achievement Motivation Between group 12.150 (5) 2.430 3.637 (0.003) 0.36081 (0.015) 0.28473 (0.033) Within group 517.194 (774) 0.668 Attitude Between group 1.168 (5) 0.234 0.671 (0.646) Within group 269.496 (774) 0.348 Table 4: One way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc for multiple comparisons of Chemistry Achievement on secondary school students Affective Characteristics of Attitude Effect of Attitude on Students Chemistry Achievement Table 4 also indicates that there is no significant effect of secondary school students Interest, Enjoyment, Confidence, Importance, and Anxiety of Chemistry lessons. Table 4 indicates that there is significant effect of secondary school students Motivation towards Chemistry on Chemistry Achievement. Tukey Post Hoc Test of Multiple Comparisons it is evident that the students who got marks 91-100% show more Motivation as compare to students who got 50% below 50%, 61%-70% and 71%-80% marks. Table 4 illustrates that there is significant effect of secondary school students Achievement Motivation towards Chemistry on Chemistry Achievement.Tukey Post Hoc Test of Multiple Comparisons revealed that there is significant effect of secondary school students Achievement Motivation on Chemistry Achievement. The students who got marks 81%-90% show more Achievement Motivation than the students who got 51%-60% and 61%-70% marks. Table indicates that there is no significant effect of secondary school students Attitude towards Chemistry on Chemistry Achievement. Inter-relationship between different sub-factors of affective attitude Variable r- value Sig. Enjoyment and Interest 0.765 0.000 Interest and Motivation 0.694 0.000 Interest and Confidence 0.623 0.000 Interest and Importance 0.574 0.574 Interest and Anxiety 0.031 0.389 Interest and Achievement Motivation 0.666 0.000 Motivation and Enjoyment 0.566 0.000 Motivation and Confidence 0.824 0.000 Motivation and Importance 0.476 0.000 Motivation and Anxiety 0.014 0.687 Motivation and Achievement Motivation 0.464 0.000 Confidence and Importance 0.500 0.000 Confidence and Anxiety 0.009 0.793 Confidence and Achievement Motivation 0.445 0.000 Importance and Anxiety 0.008 0.834 Importance and Achievement Motivation 0.407 0.000 Anxiety and Achievement Motivation 0.196 0.000 Table 1 shows that r-ratio (0.765) SO, there is strong positive relationship between secondary school students Interest in chemistry and students Enjoyment in learning chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.694) indicates strong positive relationship between secondary school students Interest in chemistry and students Motivation in learning chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.623) illustrate the strong positive relationship between secondary school students Interest in chemistry and students Confidence in learning chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.574) is not significant at pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤0.05 level of significance and there is no significant relationship between secondary school students Interest in chemistry and they do not know the Importance of chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.031) is not significant at pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤0.05 level of significance so,there is no significant relationship between secondary school students Interest in chemistry and their Anxiety about chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.666) il lustrate the strong positive relationship between secondary school students Interest in chemistry and students Achievement Motivation about chemistry lessons. Table 1 also shows that r-ratio (0.566) shows the moderate positive relationship between secondary school students Motivation about chemistry and students Enjoyment of chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.824) represents strong positive relationship between secondary school students Motivation about chemistry and students and Confidence about chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.476) shows the intermediate positive relationship between secondary school students Motivation about chemistry and Importance of chemistry lessons. r-ratio (0.014) is not significant at pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤0.05 level of significance So, it is evident that there is no significant relationship between secon

Essays --

Annotated Bibliography Agars, M. D. (2004). Reconsidering the Impact of Gender Stereotypes on the Advancement of Women in Organizations. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28(2), 103-111. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2004.00127.x This article reveals the disparities in the workplace due to gender stereotypes favoring men over women in executive positions. Women have a much more difficult path to obtain executive positions, and maintain them. This article helps by showing the number of high-level women in fortune 500 companies. U.S. Department of Labor indicates that women occupy more positions in executive and managerial roles. However, with closer examination of Fortune 500 companies, only two women occupy the position of CEO opposed to their original statement of 45%. Gere, J., & Helwig, C. C. (2012). Young adults’ attitudes and reasoning about gender roles in The family context. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36(3), 301313.doi:10.1177/0361684312444272 This study shows that even though the roles of men and women in society and the workplace have experienced a lot of change in the past few decades, there has been very little change in the family dynamic of men and women and the roles that society expects each to assume. The study wanted to examine the attitudes that women and men have about what their domestic responsibilities. When ask about supporting equal role divisions, women were more likely to base their reasoning on morality, and men were more likely to rely on what they believe to be socially accepted. In contrast, stereotypes regarding women’s roles, and social responsibility regarding men’s traditional roles were used to support the maintenance of traditional role divisions. Goswami, S., & Gupta, H. N. (2012). Percepti... ...ation over a five-year period to observe how minority ethnic women's workplace experiences differ from mainstream counterparts. The analysis results reveal the ongoing nature of multiple discriminations faced by minority ethnic women. Tachibana, C. (2012). Diversity: Promoting New Perspectives. Science, 337(6092), 367-370. doi:10.1126/science.opms.r1200120 The article looks at the importance of diversity in fields of science such as engineering, and mathematics careers as a way to activate innovation. We will use this article to help explain that it is important for the presence of women to be increase in male dominated fields. Also, the article urges the need for adequate child care for working mothers and the need to change some formal career requirements to accommodate female professionals who traditionally bear more of the responsibilities for child care.

Grolsch Beer Advertisement Essay -- Advertising Marketing

Grolsch Beer: Using the Artistic Approach The advertisement for Grolsch beer, taken from the May 28, 1998 issue of Rolling Stone features Vincent Van Gogh’s Self-portrait. Grolsch beer uses three important components of argument (ethos, pathos, logos) to support their claim. However, logos is the most important because the audience must be able to logically interpret the ad. The advertisement connects with the audience by appealing to the reader’s logic of art history, while establishing a reputation of quality and credibility with the Grolsch name. Relying heavily on logos, the makers of this advertisement depend on the readers knowledge of the history of art and specifically of Van Gogh. The main text of the advertisement states, " The same bold taste since the days when body piercing meant cutting off an ear." Obviously the latter portion of this statement suggests a link to Van Gogh cutting off his own ear. Van Gogh’s Self-portrait symbolizes his missing ear by only showing his left one. For the audience to fully understand this, they must have some prior knowledge of the Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh. Grolsch beer creates its logos by relying on the wit of the reader. For example, a pun is used with the word "bold" in describing the beer that may also be making a reference to the fact that Van Gogh was a very bold artist. In order for the audience to be captured by this ad, they must be able to recognize that it is a pun, and that it is the punch line that identifies Grolsch beer with the reader. While much of the ad relies on the reader’s knowledge of art, the ad also relies heavily on logical claims. The first is the claim of fact: Grolsch beer has existed since 1615 and because this statement cannot ... ...robably have taken some course in school to know something about Van Gogh. Therefore, the familiarity that people have with Van Gogh enables them to interpret the underlying meaning of the word "bold". When the ad is read it is quite easy to see that "bold" is describing the taste of the beer. Furthermore, the deeper meaning of the word "bold" is related to Van Gogh and his artwork. With many of his works banned from art galleries, Van Gogh was considered one of the boldest artists of his time. Relating the bold taste to the boldness of Van Gogh creates a sense of knowledge in the reader, thereupon giving the reader a feeling of "Hey! I’ve actually learned something." Now the individual feels intelligent because he has interpreted the ad. I believe the ad’s ability to create this feeling in the audience is what makes it such a well-thought out advertisement.

The Meansure of a Man (A Closer Look at Five Great Men) :: essays research papers

How does one determine the measure of a man? His accomplishments? His ancestry? His financial worth? Or do we look deep into the heart and soul of that man and determine the weight of his values, his dreams and what he has stood for in the grand scheme of things?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We will appraise the lives of six important figures in the shaping of our country. With this evaluation, we risk becoming critic and judge, but in an attempt to go beyond those things both tangible and measurable, perhaps we will be forgiven.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas Jefferson called him, â€Å"†¦a wise, a good and a great man.† Patrick Henry, when asked who he thought was the greatest man in Congress, replied, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ if you speak of solid information and sound judgment, Colonel Washington is the greatest man on that floor.† Despite his height and noble bearing, Washington was a quiet man who pondered long before decisions. Even with little schooling, he was an avid student of math and science. At a very early age, he was aware and respectful of decorum and manners. At 13, he copied the one hundred and ten â€Å"Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversations,† and lived by them. His mathematical and science skills coupled with attributes of respect, responsibility and strength secured him a position as a surveyor in Virginia at only sixteen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These same qualities, planted as deeply into his soul as the trees on his father’s farm, are what gave him the courage and perseverance to plunge headlong into a life filled with some of the greatest achievements in American history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At 20 years old, Washington was plodding through one thousand miles of snow, swimming ice-clogged rivers and dodging the bullets of angry Native Americans only to carry a warning message to an unwelcoming French commander in the Ohio River Valley. He was shot once, and walked one hundred miles when his horse got too weak to go on. But he finished the task laid before him. In this first mission, courage and perseverance were metals he earned to wear on his heart.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Two years later he commanded the British army in the French and Indian War. As Lieutenant Colonel of the Virginia forces, he captured twenty-one French and killed ten, loosing only one man in the process. In this, he added two metals, strength and wisdom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Military battles dominated Washington’s years, and the battles both won and lost created the warp and weft of the fabric of his life.

The Da Vinci Code and the Last Supper

When it comes to world-famous paintings, Leonardo Dad Vine's â€Å"Last Supper† is always on the top of the list. What is it that, even now, 500 years after its creation in 1498, makes â€Å"Last Supper† such a mysterious and conspiracy-laden painting? First, there is a level of mystery surrounding its creator, Leonardo Dad Vinci. Not only was Dad Vinci an influential painter, he was also an engineer, sculptor, designer, and scientist. His ingenious concepts in many subjects and technological inventions were so advanced for the 14th to 1 5th century technology that even some 20th-century inventors, like he Wright brothers, pulled from his work.There have been a lot of theories on Dad Vine's life and on his paintings and it is believed that â€Å"Last Supper† contained hidden messages, which Dad Vinci encoded in the painting himself. This essay will examine what these theories are and how they are counter argued by scholars and art historians. Although there have been many fiction novels about Dad Vine's â€Å"Last Supper†, Dan Brown's novel The Dad Vinci Code, published in 2004, garnered an enormous amount of support from the world wide readers. It brought up a huge scandal on Jesus that, e and Mary Magdalene were lovers and in fact there was a child (or children) between them.In the novel, a secret group, â€Å"Prior of Soon,† protects the descendants of Jesus until today. Dad Vinci, as a member of â€Å"Prior of Soon†, was aware of the truth about Jesus and Mary so he encoded this secret in â€Å"Last Supper† to send out the message . â€Å"The Dad Vinci Code† changed some of its readers' beliefs toward their religion, but scholars say this novel is merely based on fiction. In the words of Renaissance art expert Elizabeth Pillion, â€Å"†¦ It is severely flawed. As a reader of fiction, I think it is a tremendously entertaining view' . The Dad Vinci Code† says that, in Dad Vine's â€Å"Last S upper†, the figure sitting on the right side of Jesus is obviously a female person; the figure does not have a beard like rest of the disciples and the figure's hand is placed closest to Jesus' right hand, suggesting that the two are physically close. Scholars argue that there have been a lot of paintings on the subject of the Last Supper, and it had been common to depict John next to Jesus and beardless. Disco did Boniness's â€Å"Last Supper† from the early 14th century portrayed John in similar ways.In Disco's â€Å"Last Supper,† John is sitting on the left side of Jesus, beardless and leaning on Jesus. Domenici Grandchild's version of â€Å"Last Supper† also has the same description of John, in which he is sitting on the left side of Jesus, leaning on the shoulders. Why do John's illustrations share these similarities, when all these paintings were created over a century apart from each other? The Bible has all the answers. John is known to as Jesus' m ost beloved disciple; in fact, the Bible specifically refers to John as â€Å"the disciple, the one whom Jesus loved†¦ [John 20:2;], and this phrase appears our times throughout the Gospel of John . The Bible describes the scene at the Last Supper with specific details of the position of John and Jesus; â€Å"It is the Beloved Disciple who, while reclining beside Jesus at the Last Supper, asks Jesus, after being requested by Peter to do so, who it is that will betray him† [John 13:23-25]. Both Disco and Garlanding were absolutely correct in terms of the position of Jesus and John according to the Bible and the appearance of John is also similar in both paintings.These three painters' versions of â€Å"Last Supper† are not the only paintings n the same subject; in fact, the earliest depiction of the last supper occurs in the frescos of the Catacomb of Rome from the 6th century . There were some conventions created when many painters drew the â€Å"Last Supperâ₠¬  over the centuries, and Leonardo Dad Vinci was simply following these conventions in accordance with both the Bible and earlier â€Å"Last Supper† depictions created by other painters.Dan Brown's â€Å"the Dad Vinci Code† disregarded the facts about these traditions, yet described Leonardo â€Å"Last Supper† as if everything started from it; therefore, the readers are biased with this faulty concept. Another argument made by Dan Brown has to do with SST. Peter, who is sitting next to the female figure. The novel's interpretation of SST. Peter is that he was against the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene; therefore, he was illustrated showing a sign of execution on the female figure's neck, and he is holding a knife with his right hand as a threat.The author says that Dad Vinci wouldn't have drawn these features unless they meant something, but scholars argue differently. Iconography is one of the characteristics of Renaissance arts, which includes symbolism in the paintings . Pewter's holding a knife at the Last Supper is actually a Christian symbol, foreseeing of the event followed by the Last Supper. In Disco's painting, it is observed that there are a lot of knives present on the table. Although Peter is not holding a knife in this painting, the knives serve as symbolism.It is more obvious in Grandchild's â€Å"Last Supper,† in which Peter is actually holding a knife in his right hand. Contrary to Dan Brown's explanation, it does not look like Peter is threatening someone else. The reference to Pewter's knife appears in the Bible. When Judas showed up with soldiers to arrest Jesus, Peter fought back and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant, named Mulches [John 18:10]. By illustrating Peter with a knife in his hand, it serves as foreshadowing of a future event.It is wrong to say that, because Peter is holding a knife in the painting, it has a meaning of threatening other person, but it serves as a symbolism off future event. What appears to be Pewter's showing an execution gesture on John's neck is, in fact, a misinterpretation made by â€Å"the Dad Vinci Code†. As discussed above, the Bible has some specific details on the ignitions of Peter and John. â€Å"It is the Beloved Disciple who, while reclining beside Jesus at the Last Supper, asks Jesus, after being requested by Peter to do so, who it is that will betray him† [John 13:23-25].Leonardo Dad Vine's â€Å"Last Supper† is describing the scene of Pewter's requesting John to ask Jesus. Dan Brown's explanation of the gesture of Peter is misleading for its readers; therefore, it is only a fictional setting and it should not be taken seriously. Dan Brown was very clever to use Leonardo Dad Vinci as the theme of the book, and he fact that everyone loves to believe a worldwide conspiracy made â€Å"the Dad Vinci Code† very successful fiction novel.It is remarkable how a novel can have so much impact on the wo rldwide reader's views, even on religion, although this particular example shows how dangerous in can be. The readers who do not have much knowledge in art history or religious history can easily be biased with these fictional interpretations mentioned above. When reading these kinds of novels, it is the reader's responsibility to be open-minded and seek the truth themselves instead of being fully influenced by the author.

Gang Leader for a Day Essay

In the book, Gang draw for a Day, a rogue sociologist turbulently dives into the lives of whizz of Chicagos toughest accommodate projects in an attempt to develop an perceptivity as to how the urban impoverished lived. doneout the text it receives clear that a pass progress of arms paradigm is being reflected. A booking society is based on well-disposed inequality, in which some individuals benefit and blow up to a greater extent(prenominal) than separates, which t closedowns to lead to conflict and thus qualify. This is evident both in the lodgement projects where a ingroup known as the B wishing Kings require over and in addition in the surrounding localitys where the more elect(ip) citizens, including persons from the authors university, shy away from associating with the nearby unfortunate black nearby public, thus creating crazy communities. In the text the author, Sudhir Venkatesh, observes how elites use their post to control the less powerful.This is e vident in the Robert Taylor Homes, where the Black Kings profit from medicine gross gross sales that control the corporation, man the rest of the families atomic number 18 struggling to survive. There change surface reckon to be hierarchies inwardly a hierarchy. For example, inside the Black Kings gang on that point were leading much(prenominal) as a firearm known as J.T., who would make thousands in profits from commanding others and then at that place were young teenage men who genuinely sold the medicates and b arly earned marginal lock (256).Aside from the dose sale employees, other workers much(prenominal) as those who ran shops or did menial work from their high rises were too controlled by the gangs, who would use fear manoeuvre to implement assorted taxes upon them. Clearly the bulk of the society is being controlled by the pump and upper-class from surrounding neighborhoods and also the gangs in the lower-class society, creating genial inequality. How perpetually, conflict and change do appear by the end of the book when the Chicago trapping ascendancy along with President Clinton decides to demolish Robert Taylor Homes in hopes of eliminating the hierarchy of gangs and stimulating a more prosperous society (269-270).There are galore(postnominal) different accompanimentors presented in the text that lead to the disadvantage of leanness, including cordial, institutional, stinting, and political influences. The limpid social influences were the relationships between and within the gangs. Although members within the gang act as a family, always protecting each other, the members who werent as fortunate to be society of their inner circle were treated un securely, much(prenominal)(prenominal) as C-Note (62). Since gangs took over the deprived confederation, they had control over who was allowed to move up in the social ladder and who was non. Since the community was filled with violence, thefts, dose abuse, and prost itutes, people tended non to trust each other, which would explain wherefore it must bemuse been so nasty for the citizens to keep steady relationships and jobs (105).If on that point was no trust within relationships, all the way it would be clayey to make yourself known in the community as a by rights and honor adequate person who can care a job. I believe it was because of these seismic relationships that so m all persons in Robert Taylor Homes had to give to menial work as their bloodline of income. Institutions such as work, school, and hospitals also influenced the keep of poverty. For example, the police baulkd to patrol Robert Taylor Homes because they believed it was too unsound and thither were only two social-service centers for or so twenty thousand children (37). Similarly, hospitals rarely ever responded to shootings in the neighborhood and when children dropped out of school there wasnt much encouragement to push back them stomach in.The lack of pu blic avail was clearly a factor in creating and maintaining poverty since the citizens had a lack of resources to free themselves from their difficulties. Furthermore, even if the police or other institutions were present, they were highly f truthed. This is evident in the fact the plastered police would raid gang circumstancesies and drop off their belongings, openly violating the law themselves (231). If cops displayed law breaking, how could they require their citizens to dutifully follow the law? some other flawed institution was the Chicago Housing Authority, which demolished public housing to interchange it with recreation (262). Not only did they scud away the only homes the silly had, simply also ineffectively relocated them to a community where they could thrive. single of the main economic problems that many people, particularly gangs, in Robert Taylor confront was the fact that they didnt want to affair in their status for entry-level jobs because in many cases , gang drawing cards make furthermost more than they would acquit if they worked minimum wage jobs (72). Many of the gang leaders such as J.T. held the false belief that the do drugs rescue was useful for the community, since it redistributed the drug addicts money patronage into the community via the gangs bounty (115). However, the drug frugality is non a abiding or lucrative economy compared to your average jobs because it was clearly very hard for people to soak up ahead in gangs, thus no one ever had a fair shot of earning more money in their life span.Nevertheless, the accompaniment can tend to be a grey area of debate since a lot of the residents did attempt to hold wage-earning jobs but continued to get determined off (60). In this case, the underground economy of drug sales may accommodate been the only choice for residents looking for an income. other way the gangs play into the economic situation is when there are drive by shootings, in which case parents w ould have to take time off from work to substantiation home with their kids (105). This further goes to show the ban widespread effects of gangs on urban, poor communities in that their illegal drug sales or shootings sustained the low SES of parents with factual jobs.The political economy of outlaw capitalism evident in the text is other flawed institution creating poverty (37). As touched upon earlier, if the government allows certain communities to digest these underground social systems where only one group benefits, then the community entrust obviously continue to be seriously balanced. The majority of the community will be fighting for a means of income while the various gangs benefit from the only riches available. Another political flaw is that members of the community were told how to vote. It appeared that the gangs had a misconstrued depiction of how to go about political reform. Their fancy of responsible select was to gather in meetings and choose the alderma n who would trounce keep the police away from their drug economy, there was no discussion of platform, no list of vital issues (77). The lack of knowledge of real political issues was ultimately baneful to the community as a livelong, as the cycle of outlaw capitalism would just continue to rule Robert Taylor.As mentioned before, Robert Taylor was severely run by gangs, leading to various social factors such as marginalization, alienation, disempowerment, and social Darwinism to overtake the community. Robert Taylor residents were marginalized by the gangs within their community and also as a whole by the larger community through government neglect and vicious rumors to sacrifice them from the more elite neighborhoods (36). This ties in to the disempowerment in Robert Taylor, which is highly evident in the gangs where there are leaders who control drug dealers, squatters, foot soldiers, etc. (50-51). In this hierarchy, if a member of the gang disobeys the rules, such as by wit hholding money, then the leader will disempower that individual, forbidding them to sell drugs for a week or even a month in effect, decreasing their income.Similarly, social Darwinism is evident in drug dealers because the butt is essentially based off of the idea that those who are fittest or most able will thrive while the say weak are left to die. For instance, if drug dealers are fearful they could be shot, if mothers refuse to sell their bodies, they could have no sustenance for their children that week. in time residents with real, marketplace jobs are subjected to this theory, as none of their jobs are very stable and they could succumb to an absence of income at any time. I believe it is both a kitchen-gardening of poverty and a lack of resources that are responsible for the deviant look and poverty in Robert Taylor. Clearly there is a high lack of resources, such as the police or hospital who wont respond to calls in the neighborhood (37, 48). For example, if there are no police then gangs can get away with beating each other up instead of letting the law handle it (226).Yet at the very(prenominal) time it is the gangs who encourage the younger coevals to begin part of their culture, instilling unwarranted behaviors in them from a young age (258). Due to the absence of government assistance programs for the poor, citizens grew up with the belief that they were infinitely reflect to poverty. In effect, they developed traits that would benefit their lifestyle, such as the drug economy, but did not bother developing skills that would extend beyond their culture of poverty, such as an education. Even when residents had a chance to make a better life for themselves and escape the projects, they would become lonely and move back (248). It is because of this insistent neglect from society that the residents develop feelings of impuissance and marginality, ultimately leading to a culture of poverty.In the text, the author was able to get a very personal brainstorm into the lives of those living in the projects, something that definitely spread out the sociological depiction of poverty (43-44). However, the fact that he failed to inform the university of what he was doing or follow any reporting requirements was not very ethical of him in getting his research (119). Before becoming part of the lives of gang members, he should have become informed on the fact that there is no research-client confidentiality for academic researchers (186). His lack of pursual of this knowledge was immoral because he could have jeopardized the lives of Robert Taylor residents if he ever had to testify against them. One line the author should not have crossed was becoming a gang leader for a day, making what was supposed to be a research-client relationship outlying(prenominal) too casual. It is the fact that he knowingly crossed the line from observer to player on multiple occasions by hearing jokes, sharing a beer, and give someone a dollar that made his methods unethical (107).