Saturday, August 31, 2019
Mixed-sex education Essay
Coeducation, also known as Mixed-sex education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution under same roof. Most of the older institutions of higher education were reserved for the male students but now changed their policies to become coeducational. The first co educational institute of higher education was Oberlin College in United States, which was established in 1833. In 1844, Hillsdale College became the second college to admit mixed-sex classes to four-year degree programs. The University of Iowa became the first coeducational public or state university in the United States in 1855. We have co education in many of our universities, a few colleges and some English type schools. It is mostly not available in most of our degree colleges up to intermediate level. Co education gives useful training to boys and girls to work together. While studying side by side in different classes, they learn to co operate for common aims and purposes. After completing their education, they can easily join different professions together. They can work together for common national aims and scientific research centres. Co education is good as it develops self confidence. Boys and girls studying together can discuss their subjects and can help each other in understanding them well. Co education can make boys and girls competitive with each other in studies. Both can try to learn more and do better in discussions and examinations. Co education can save some institutions and can save money and in such a developing country like Pakistan. At present, Pakistani govt. is not in the position to afford electricity for separate institutions for girls. Yet, co education has some disadvantages. First, it is totally against our religion. The system of co-education is not good in the Islamic States of the world. This system has been produced by the non-Muslim states. The concept of Hijab is not there, but in our religion Islam, Hijab (parda) is clearly ordered as presented in the Holy Quran in Surah Nisa. Meeting, talks, relations and other non-islamic tasks between the males and females (Muslim na-mahram) is prohibited in Islam. â⬠A famous Hadith, â⬠When a na- mahram man and woman are standing alone, the third one is evil (Ebleese) among themâ⬠. Finally, I will conclude that coeducation has some advantages as well as disadvantages. It is necessary to make a proper use of co education in our institutions of higher learning. It is possible to get the benefits of co education and avoid most of the disadvantages.
She Never Lies
The whole room goes silent. This is what I've been waiting for. See this is what its like at my school, to fit in you either act yourself and if that's good enough you're lucky, if not some serious sucking up is to be done. And that's what Joanne did. I, myself, I'm an outgoing, semi-confident girl and I care about how I look and appear towards others. Basically I just like to have fun. Now Joanne and I are in the same class and have a bit of a giggle now and then. We are essentially best friends. Well we used to be anyway. Right, I'll start from the beginning; Joanne was just a shy, self-conscious girl who underestimated herself but was perfect how she was because all her friends, including me, loved her very much. Then they came along. Basically they are the other people in our drama club. Most of them are older than we are and most of us have fun and fit in as we are, she would as well if she didn't think she had to change herself to be ââ¬Ëaccepted'. I'll explain to you what she does, especially around older guys. See when she's around guys she forgets that any of her girly friends exist and it's just like she thinks she doesn't need us around them, just because she likes being the centre of attention. To get the older girls to like her she sucks up to them as much as she can it's just unbelievable. We, her original friends, hate the new her, and just cannot stand it. Last week everyone in the drama club were getting all excited because we had been invited to a summer party in the holidays at a guys house. All us girls were planning what to wear and how we should do our hair, blah blah blah, stuff like that. Joanne on the other hand, couldn't care less about our little girly chats and goes off with the boys yet again, and just abandons us. Now it's starting to get out of hand. After a few days of being ignored I thought I would stand up to her and calmly explain what she's done. She denies it all, takes everything I say the wrong way and puts everything out of proportion and turns everything around so that it's all about her. Which it really isn't. I just wish that all her ââ¬Ënew friends' knew what she was really like and what she says about them behind their backs. I want to tell them all, but they will never believe me. To them, she is innocent. Finally Joanne is not in school, probably ââ¬Ëill'. That means that me and my best best mate, Lucy, get to talk to our drama club in private at our last get together before the summer. Sorted. The only problems we could conjure up by doing this is: A ââ¬â them believing us, and B ââ¬â them ending up hating us for saying such things about Joanne in the first place. We took that risk and went for it. They didn't seem too hateful they understood our reasoning, and the fact we have known her for longer and we made a deal. They get her drunk at the party and get it all out of her, if not then we are in for complete humiliation. This will be interesting. The summer was great just my friends and I. Obviously that didn't include Joanne, she was way too busy ââ¬Ëdoing drama' or whatever excuse she could think of. We all knew she was with them. In the end, we just didn't bother calling her to meet up because we knew she would have other arrangements. A few days before the party some of the drama guys asked me, Lucy and some others if we wanted to meet up. They said that it was important plus they hadn't seen us in ages, but we soon realised that was just a white lie to get us to come out. So naturally we accepted and went to the park. It was fun hanging out with everyone again, Friday was looking better and better to me. After I got home from my fun and exhausting day, I find that I am ambushed by texts and calls from Joanne. She was having a go at me for going out with ââ¬Ëher' friends without her. I just ignored her because I thought she was being a bit of a hypocrite to be honest, and by that time I'd had enough. The deal looked more promising by the minute. It's Friday, and I am so eager for tonight to begin. I manage to control myself and go out shopping for a new outfit with Lucy. Clearly that took us all day, so when I got home it was time to make myself gorgeous. It took me just over an hour to get ready, just in time to leave for the center of town to meet my best guy friend, Craig. Somehow we managed to get a lift from the head of drama club, so we were happy. In the car I was so excited it was unbelievable. Throughout the last few day I have been informing everyone of what happened after I met up with ââ¬ËJoanne's' friends, they know everything she said. I reckon it's all on for tonight. Ever since all this Joanne malarkey started, I've never been able to understand why she does it. Why she doesn't just be herself. Whether she's forgotten her old friends, or just forgotten how she used to be. It just doesn't make sense. By the time we arrived, Joanne was already there. Laughing, flirting and just being who she wasn't. I was surprised that she noticed I'd arrived, oh my mistake she hadn't. The only person she had noticed was Craig, I wanted to hit her so much. When the other girls arrived we decided to spike all her drinks until she blabs, so from then on her drinks weren't all innocent and clean, they had been spiked. Only with a little alcohol though. Halfway through the night she was completely wasted. This was our opportunity to show everyone what Joanne's like, and to have our laugh. One person can only do this stunt, and that person was Daniel. Daniel is the best looking guy in our drama club and absolutely every girl at some point in her life will fancy the pants off him, and for Joanne this was the point in her life. Daniel decided to go with the casual approach, and casually asked her what she thought of drama club and everyone at the party. The bomb had been set off. Once she started she couldn't stop. She thought the girls were bitchy and annoying, and obviously not as good looking as her. The boys were mainly fit but full of themselves and have massive egos. So basically, she doesn't like anyone there. Although she surprised me when she said the only people she did like were the girls in her year, i.e. my friends and I, and of course she liked Daniel. She explained that she only hung around with the older guys because she was just a tad bit desperate!! I couldn't wait until the next day. For the next few days I have to say Joanne was hated by nearly everyone. I felt quite bad about what me and Lucy did, telling everyone Joanne was evil. In some ways though I'm happy because she's started to go back to her old self when she didn't know the drama club, now everyone gets to be friends with the real her. Not that the older people want to be, that would be just me and the girls. After a month or so the drama club started to warm up to Joanne and her normal self. Future parties will never be able to live up to the drama from that party, it was proper immense. I suppose that's what drama is all about, isn't it?!
Friday, August 30, 2019
Property, Plant And Equipment Essay
Items of property, plant, and equipment should be recognised as assets when it is probable that: [IAS 16.7] it is probable that the future economic benefits associated with the asset will flow to the entity, and the cost of the asset can be measured reliably. This recognition principle is applied to all property, plant, and equipment costs at the time they are incurred. These costs include costs incurred initially to acquire or construct an item of property, plant and equipment and costs incurred subsequently to add to, replace part of, or service it. IAS 16 does not prescribe the unit of measure for recognition ââ¬â what constitutes an item of property, plant, and equipment. [IAS 16.9] Note, however, that if the cost model is used (see below) each part of an item of property, plant, and equipment with a cost that is significant in relation to the total cost of the item must be depreciated separately. [IAS 16.43] IAS 16 recognises that parts of some items of property, plant, and equipment may require replacement at regular intervals. The carrying amount of an item of property, plant, and equipment will include the cost of replacing theà part of such an item when that cost is incurred if the recognition criteria (future benefits and measurement reliability) are met. The carrying amount of those parts that are replaced is derecognised in accordance with the derecognition provisions of IAS 16.67-72. [IAS 16.13] Also, continued operation of an item of property, plant, and equipment (for example, an aircraft) may require regular major inspections for faults regardless of whether parts of the item are replaced. When each major inspection is performed, its cost is recognised in the carrying amount of the item of property, plant, and equipment as a replacement if the recognition criteria are satisfied. If necessary, the estimated cost of a future similar inspection may be used as an indication of what the cost of the existing inspection component was when the item was acquired or constructed. [IAS 16.14] Initial Measurement An item of property, plant and equipment should initially be recorded at cost. [IAS 16.15] Cost includes all costs necessary to bring the asset to working condition for its intended use. This would include not only its original purchase price but also costs of site preparation, delivery and handling, installation, related professional fees for architects and engineers, and the estimated cost of dismantling and removing the asset and restoring the site (see IAS 37, Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets). [IAS 16.16-17] If payment for an item of property, plant, and equipment is deferred, interest at a market rate must be recognised or imputed. [IAS 16.23] If an asset is acquired in exchange for another asset (whether similar or dissimilar in nature), the cost will be measured at the fair value unless (a) the exchange transaction lacks commercial substance or (b) the fair value of neither the asset received nor the asset given up is reliably measurable. If the acquired item is not measured at fair value, its cost is measured at the carrying amount of the asset given up. [IAS 16.24] Measurement Subsequent to Initial Recognition IAS 16 permits two accounting models: Cost Model. The asset is carried at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment. [IAS 16.30] Revaluation Model. The asset is carried at a revalued amount, being its fair value at the date of revaluation lessà subsequent depreciation and impairment, provided that fair value can be measured reliably. [IAS 16.31] The Revaluation Model Under the revaluation model, revaluations should be carried out regularly, so that the carrying amount of an asset does not differ materially from its fair value at the balance sheet date. [IAS 16.31] If an item is revalued, the entire class of assets to which that asset belongs should be revalued. [IAS 16.36] Revalued assets are depreciated in the same way as under the cost model (see below). If a revaluation results in an increase in value, it should be credited to other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity under the heading ââ¬Å"revaluation surplusâ⬠unless it represents the reversal of a revaluation decrease of the same asset previously recognised as an expense, in which case it should be recognised as income. [IAS 16.39] A decrease arising as a result of a revaluation should be recognised as an expense to the extent that it exceeds any amount previously credited to the revaluation surplus relating to the same asset. [IAS 16.40] When a revalued asset is disposed of, any revaluation surplus may be transferred directly to retained earnings, or it may be left in equity under the heading revaluation surplus. The transfer to retained earnings should not be made through the income statement (that is, no ââ¬Å"recyclingâ⬠through profit or loss). [IAS 16.41] Depreciation (Cost and Revaluation Models) For all depreciable assets: The depreciable amount (cost less residual value) should be allocated on a systematic basis over the assetââ¬â¢s useful life [IAS 16.50]. The residual value and the useful life of an asset should be reviewed at least at each financial year-end and, if expectations differ from previous estimates, any change is accounted for prospectively as a change in estimate under IAS 8. [IAS 16.51] The depreciation method used should reflect the pattern in which the assetââ¬â¢s economic benefits are consumed by the entity [IAS 16.60]; The depreciation method should be reviewed at least annually and, if the pattern of consumption of benefits has changed, the depreciation method should be changed prospectively as a change in estimate under IAS 8. [IAS 16.61] Depreciation should be charged to the income statement, unless it is included in the carrying amount of another asset [IAS 16.48]. Depreciationà begins when the asset is available for use and continues until the asset is derecognised, even if it is idle. [IAS 16.55] Recoverability of the Carrying Amount IAS 36 requires impairment testing and, if necessary, recognition for property, plant, and equipment. An item of property, plant, or equipment shall not be carried at more than recoverable amount. Recoverable amount is the higher of an assetââ¬â¢s fair value less costs to sell and its value in use. Any claim for compensation from third parties for impairment is included in profit or loss when the claim becomes receivable. [IAS 16.65] Derecogniton (Retirements and Disposals) An asset should be removed from the balance sheet on disposal or when it is withdrawn from use and no future economic benefits are expected from its disposal. The gain or loss on disposal is the difference between the proceeds and the carrying amount and should be recognised in the income statement. [IAS 16.67-71] If an entity rents some assets and then ceases to rent them, the assets should be transferred to inventories at their carrying amounts as they become held for sale in the ordinary course of business. [IAS 16.68A] Disclosure For each class of property, plant, and equipment, disclose: [IAS 16.73] basis for measuring carrying amount à depreciation method(s) used useful lives or depreciation rates gross carrying amount and accumulated depreciation and impairment losses reconciliation of the carrying amount at the beginning and the end of the period, showing: additions disposals acquisitions through business combinations revaluation increases or decreases impairment losses reversals of impairment losses depreciation net foreign exchange differences on translation other movements Also disclose: [IAS 16.74] restrictions on title expenditures to construct property, plant, and equipment during the period contractual commitments to acquire property, plant, and equipment compensation from third parties for items of property, plant, and equipment that were impaired, lost or given up that is included in profit or loss If property, plant, and equipment is stated at revalued amounts, certain additional disclosures are required: [IAS 16.77] the effective date of the revaluation whether an independent valuer was involved the methods and significant assumptions used in estimating fair values the extent to which fair values were determined directly by reference to observable prices in an active market or recent market transactions on armââ¬â¢s length terms or were estimated using other valuation techniques for each revalued class of property, the carrying amount that would have been recognised had the assets been carried under the cost model the revaluation surplus, including changes during the period and any restrictions on the distribution of the balance to shareholders
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Life Span (Human Development)fe Span (Human Development) Essay
Life Span (Human Development)fe Span (Human Development) - Essay Example The basic theoretical issues in regard to this include: Issue 1: Is development active or reactive? Issue 2: Is development continuous or discontinuous? The mechanistic model believes that human development results from responses to stimuli, and the organismic model considers human development as a response that occurs from internal activeness. The five theoretical perspectives include psychoanalytic approach, learning theory, cognitive theory, contextual perspective, and evolutionary approach, which are further discussed in the following section (Chapter Two, n.d., pp.23-25). Cognitive developmental theories ââ¬â This theory reflects on the development of reasoning and logical development of human beings from the time of their birth to infancy to the stage of adolescence. A key focus is concerned with the role that human culture and teaching processes have on human beings. Learning theories ââ¬â This theory emphasizes on the theories that are learned by human beings over time, through observations and experiences clearing the understanding of individuals of values, expectancies, and goals. Cultural theory ââ¬â This theory focuses on bringing out the culturally diverse world around human beings reflecting on the development of human beings that is based upon the guidance offered by the nature of culture. Social role theory ââ¬â This theory emphasizes on the development of human beings in the context of social life. This determines the multiple social roles that human beings play in their lives over their development. Systems theory ââ¬â This theory develops an understanding of the different elements in the system of human life that are interdependent on each other. Self-regulation and self-organization are guided by the behaviours of such elements. The debate of nature versus nature in relation to growth and development of human beings has been in
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 98
Assignment Example It also helps you to mature as a person because of your experience. However the drawbacks may include certain challenges such as applying for visa or migration issues (Accounting Internships Abroad, 2014). I think I belong to the Generation Y as I am born in this century. If I want to start my own restaurant, I would market it to others in my generational group through the use of internet. I will market my restaurant on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as the people of my generation are usually active on these sites. I think that people of my generation would find fast food such as pizzas, burgers, French-fries, sandwiches, steaks, coffees, mock tails, etc. appealing, and therefore I would have such a menu that attracts the people of my generation. Baby Boomer Generation is the largest generation and contains about 80 million people. The people of this generation were born after the World War II, in between the period of 1946 to 1964. It is the oldest generation and its people are currently retired. As the people of this generation were born during the period of war they suffered a lot but due to advancement in technology, education and aid provided by the government, these people developed as a prosperous generation. The people of this generation were born in the period of 1960 to 1980 and contain about 46 million people. The children of this generation were the first ones to used Computers, Cell phones, Cable, Television, Fax machine, Videogames, etc. The people of this generation are focused on their goals and are independence of their families. They make their own decisions as they are often raised by divorced parents. With the advancement of media and journalism in this generation, they are taught to hold differences based on religion, race, caste and class. The people of this generation are born in the period of 1980 to 2000 and are
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Immunology in Biotechnology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Immunology in Biotechnology - Essay Example have distinguished different kind of inflammation like: Granulomatous inflammation, Fibrinous inflammation, purulent inflammation, serous inflammation etc. and each of these are associated with particular kind of diseases or infection. These observations of type of inflammation related to particular disease or infection facilitated development of new diagnostic procedure for identification of disease and similarly by understanding mechanistic aspect of inflammation in particular disease opens new vista of new treatment. strategies. 2. Explain the structure of a virus. How does it differ from bacteria? Are antibiotics effective against viral infections? Why or why not? Answer the question posed on the cover of the December, 2004 issue of Scientific American ââ¬Å"Are Viruses Alive?â⬠Explain why this is an important question. Virus contains nucleic acid, surrounded by a protective layer of protein, which is called capsid. It also possesses a lipid layer that is derived from the membrane e of the host. They differ from bacteria in the presence of cell wall. Most bacteria have a rigid cell wall, followed by cell membrane and a cytosol. A bacterium possesses all the information needed for reproduction viz., the DNA. Whereas, in the case of the virus it may or may not have an outermost layer called envelope and it also posses a core genetic material which can be either DNA or RNA. Anti bacterial antibiotics are not effective against Viruses as the target molecules for anti bacterial antibiotics are different or absent in viruses, like cell wall (Penicillin ), Ribosome (tetracycline), Transcription (Rifampicin) etc. But there are several anti viral antibiotics are available in market which effectively kills the viruses. The viruses are consider to be a in between of living and non living world as it multiplie s but with the help of host. But now it is clearly demonstrated that viruses are living organism and its become model system to understand what is the minimum
Monday, August 26, 2019
You decide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
You decide - Essay Example According to the Turkish Cultural Foundation (2011), he obtained a masterââ¬â¢s degree on the art of sculpture from Hacettepe University (2005) and completed his PhD with proficiency in arts (2009). Currently, he is based in Ankara mainly specializing in sculpture and video art. The principle message of this artwork is to highlight on the fact that how human made tools, representing science and technology, attempt to mould our natural world in an amusing but thought provoking way. The visual appearance of the artwork is surrealistic and illusive (please see the Appendix). Color combination is most important. The color of wood and other common, dull colors like black and brown gives the clothespin (which acts like a sort of central character) a real life tool. However, its size gives rise to a surrealist impression. The landscape below and around is green, and the background of the park is utterly pleasant. The combination of the clothespin and the crest of green earth gives the visual art a humorous, illusive, yet thought provoking look. As a whole, the presentation appears to be whimsical. But the technical aspects are quite complicated since the artist aims at using the space around the object in a peculiar way. There is only one object in the visual text, but the modeling of the landscape and other parts of the greenery around the artwork cleverly utilize space. In answering the question that how the elements in the image convey the message; we have to recapitulate the message itself. The message emphasizes the fact that human made tools, representing science and technology, attempt to mould our natural world in a funny but thought provoking way. The main object of the visual text, the clothespin, is the most important conveyor of this idea. The clothespin has normal appearance, looks, colors, and shape. However, it has a very big size. This anomaly regarding size shows how humans boast of their
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Final exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6
Final exam - Assignment Example The people in power do not have to be favored by the laws in the community, but the laws should support all. A community that practices justice and instills knowledge to its citizens will prosper, unlike a community, which does not. Knowledge is the key to good and outstanding leadership because knowledge carries with it all the right virtues. Protagoras is very communitarian and anti-individual. He argues in the case of justice that to live together we must act politically, respect others, realize our compulsion to others and act justly. The harmony of all this things will only be achieved by education. Political and social skills need to be taught to uphold justice and ethics. If a city decides an issue to be just and okay, then the facts are just and fine for it, so long as it reserves the opinions. Cicero in his time focused mostly on defending the Roman Republic. Democracy is seen in a community when justice is agreed upon jointly. Protagoras responds by giving a lengthy speech about the creation of the world. He states that indeed virtue is teachable since political systems believe that all citizens can have virtue. Likewise, criminal justice systems are based on the view that citizens can be reformed or taught to be virtuous. It is hard to be good, but it is also impossible to be good all the time. This is because human beings are forced to behave badly by some circumstances in life. This situation implies to ignorance as shown by Protagoras. He states that the only evil is a lack of knowledge and behave badly while knowing what is good. Protagoras has accepted that wisdom, restraint, justice, courage and sanctity all mean virtue and morality are other names for knowledge. This means that virtue can be taught. Platosââ¬â¢ philosophical ideas about justice were intelligible, static matter, accessible to the mind and not to the senses. His ideas provide the lone dependable standard for knowledge and good judgment. A person
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Same Idea, Different Medium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Same Idea, Different Medium - Essay Example Some victims of plagiarism have the reason that, actually their work is not plagiarized, but contain common knowledge while others are purely lazy to the extent that they plagiarize through ââ¬Å"copy and pasteâ⬠from an internet source. This paper analyzes and relates two articles; the in-class essay and the internet object (IO) that address the issue of plagiarism by focusing on two different examples. The article ââ¬Å"Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Ageâ⬠by Trip Gabriel, which appeared in ââ¬Å"The New York Timesâ⬠in August 1, 2010 was the in-class essay while the article ââ¬Å"The Plagiaristââ¬â¢s Taleâ⬠by Lizzie Widdicombe, which was featured in ââ¬Å"The New Yorkerâ⬠in February 13, 2012 is the internet object. Gabriel in her article ââ¬Å"Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Ageâ⬠writes about various students in learning institutions who have plagiarized their works from the internet (Gabriel, 2010). Consequent ly, Widdicombe in her article ââ¬Å"The Plagiaristââ¬â¢s Taleâ⬠has analyzed a fiction novel tiled ââ¬Å"Assassin of Secretsâ⬠by Quentin Roman, which was highly plagiarized from other fiction novels (Widdicombe, 2012). In both instances, the plagiarists, who are the students and the fiction novel author, did not formally acknowledge the source of information. The in-class essay by Widdicombe and the ââ¬Å"internet objectâ⬠(IO) by Gabriel relate in that they both entail cases of plagiarism on two different levels; professional and academics. On one level, the in-class essay depicts plagiarism in a mass-market publishing while on the other level; the (IO) essay shows plagiarism in college academics. In essence, Widdicombe discusses how the author Quentin Rowan plagiarized his works from many different sources during his earlier writing career. Moreover, the article by Gabriel depicts how various students plagiarized their college assignments from the internet. W iddicombe portrays how a professional author, Rowan, becomes mediocre in the field of fiction writing through copying excerpts from other published novels, without giving any credits (Widdicombe, 2012). Gabriel on her part presents a description on how college students knowingly or unknowingly copy and paste essays from internet sources, also without giving credits (Gabriel, 2010). Gabriel in the (IO) article presents three cases of plagiarism by students from different institutions. The students are ignorant of their ill act since they are not aware of the importance of giving credit or citing borrowed words. Gabriel asserts that educators have discovered that students who use online information do not put into consideration originality, intellectual property and copyright issues. This is because in the digital technology, to ââ¬Å"copy pasteâ⬠is very easy. Widdicombe in the in-class article presents a case of plagiarism by Rowan, particularly in his novel ââ¬Å"Assassins o f Secretsâ⬠. Rowan was accused of including in his book more than thirty cases of plagiarism. Interestingly Rowan admitted that he had taken excerpts from books by different authors while the students admitted copying and pasting from online sources. Academic assignments by students can be scrutinized for plagiarism through using a plagiarism software, however, the same is not possible for novels, and as a result, editors have to read manuscripts word by word if plagiarism is to be detected (Widdicombe, 2012). In many instances editors, discovered copied texts in
Friday, August 23, 2019
Guido of Arezzo A change in Music History Research Paper
Guido of Arezzo A change in Music History - Research Paper Example For a 10 year period from approximately 1015 to the time he left Pompey, there is very little documented reference to his life. (Adduci) He left the Monastery in 1025 because of his undocumented (musical) differences.The church wanted to maintain the oral tradition. They were threatened by innovation. Losing control over the chants would give more power to the people to compose. The church had recognized a sort of power by forbidding any composition other than church composition. After leaving Pompey, he went to Arezzo where he was given a job as teacher in the cathedral and possibly regain his previous job as cantor. He lived there until his death until 1050. During this time he wrote treatises, his famous hand and changed the staff system of notation.Music notation in the 10th century was complicated and not comprehensible to the majority of the catholic monks. It was mostly an oral tradition that was common in most cultures. In the Hebrew Torah, the voice rises and lowers accordin g to a notation that is learned through oral tradition today. The use of lines and dots was common to the Greeks also. The neumes could only be read by a select few. It was highly improbable that the chants of the Northern cathedrals were recognizable by Rome. As they only indicated the direction of the voice, the sound of the chant changed depending on the region of the church. The same chant sung in Northern Europe would not sound the same as it would in Rome. The neumes showed the inflection and descent of the voice.... He lived there until his death until 1050. During this time he wrote treatises, his famous hand and changed the staff system of notation. Music notation in the 10th century was complicated and non comprehensible to the majority of the catholic monks. It was mostly an oral tradition that was common in most cultures. In the Hebrew Torah, the voice rises and lowers according to a notation that is learned through oral tradition today. The use of lines and dots was common to the Greeks also. The neumes could only be read by a select few. It was highly improbable that the chants of the Northern cathedrals were recognizable by Rome. As they only indicated the direction of the voice, the sound of the chant changed depending on the region of the church. The same chant sung in Northern Europe would not sound the same as it would in Rome. The neumes showed the inflection and descent of the voice. The development of early church notation lead towards fewer and fewer monks chanting. As the church grew there were fewer men to pass on the oral tradition. The first illustration shows the lines of the neumes. Guido d'Arrezo A change in Musical History Early notation of pre d'Azzero church chants were signs above the words. The inflection of the voice were indicated by complicated, non standardized notation which had been used for generation upon generation. There are factures which must be taken into consideration as to the difficulty of the form of notation. The chanting was only allowed to be performed by the Church. Each chant was passed from one generation to another. The notation was based on the inflection of the voice not on changes of tone. Church documents were limited due to fewer and
Women Characters in Othello and The Rover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Women Characters in Othello and The Rover - Essay Example The plays ââ¬Å"Othelloâ⬠by William Shakespeare and ââ¬Å"The Roverâ⬠by Aphra Behn bear the essence of their time and most importantly both these contemporary plays have emerged beyond their time, captivating some of the most recent post-modern interpretations and feministic bent of perception has been poignant in their purview. Role of Women in the Plays ââ¬Å"Othelloâ⬠and ââ¬Å"The Roverâ⬠Against the Context of the Male Dominated Society In order to discuss the alternative role of women in the plays that has evolved from a male ââ¬âdominated society, it is essential to judge the genre of both the works as the nature of the plays shall evidently determine the perspective from which the women and her empowerment as an alternative factor in a society dominated by masculine facades are presented. It is noteworthy that the play, ââ¬Å"Othelloâ⬠by William Shakespeare is out and out a tragedy, where Desdemona, the victim and the wife of Othello falls prey into the trap of misunderstanding and false infidelity from her husbandââ¬â¢s end. On the other hand, ââ¬Å"The Roverâ⬠by Aphra Behn is a very popular Restoration Comedy where there are multiple plots and intriguingly all of them contain women as a pivot to the plot development. In ââ¬Å"Othelloâ⬠Shakespeare has tried to portray a strong Venetian patriarchal society where the women are viewed as an object of possession, an entity of subjugation, a temptress and a whore but at the same platform they are also viewed as powerless creatures falling into the omnipotent and all-pervasive clutches of destiny designed by men themselves. The three women character Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca are seen at the outset of the play respecting men almost to the point of worshipping them. But Desdemonaââ¬â¢s tragic trajectory definitely serves as a lesson to the other women and Desdemona as well. Emilia is seen evolving out as a power centre in the play after the tragic con sequence of Desdemona and by the climax of the play, women characters in the play are shown internalising societyââ¬â¢s expectations about them. On the same platform they were shown to subjugate under and accept the male authority, behaving the way men want them to react and that seems ââ¬Ënaturalââ¬â¢ to them and to the readers. But in their private moments, they are seen evolving as an alternative power centre in the male dominated society, ââ¬ËNay, we must think men are not godsââ¬â¢ (Shakespeare, 2008). The evolution or the transformation of women characters and the kind of language and actions of women characters incorporated in the plot of the play ââ¬Å"Othelloâ⬠by Shakespeare indicate that Shakespeareââ¬â¢s three women characters although seem subservient but the women characters in the play exhibit a role that indicates a step tentative of approach towards an egalitarian society. This is achieved by the female characters of the play by coming out of the conventional role allotted to the women by men folk of the society. The play ââ¬Å"The Roverâ⬠is an excellent piece of restoration comedy which was written in two halves and the first part is divided into five plots. There is a definite and pertinent feministic bent within the plot of the play which is displayed through fragmented instances and incidents in the play pertaining to women, vulnerable to rape. Also the tragic consequence of Angellica after being jilted by Wilmore, it becomes quite obvious that Behn used the platform of comedy to launch a protest movement against the powerless status of women in her society. Every plot of the play has a women character subjugated to injustice and misery in the play. And all these women characters simultaneously try to break free the conventional role assigned to them by the society to evolve out as peer and sometimes superior to the men in the play. For
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Jonathan Wild â⬠Henry Fielding Essay Example for Free
Jonathan Wild ââ¬â Henry Fielding Essay The History of the life of Jonathan Wild is the philosophical disposition of a criminal in a right sense belonging to the group of ââ¬Å"Thief Takersâ⬠, he emerged as one of the ââ¬Å"Greatest manâ⬠in the world of Crime. With the irony as a tool and a satirical disposition, English novelist Henry Fieldings bought the real Jonathan Wild into his words who was great but goodness was not his vocation and caliber. Jonathan Wild belonged to the genre of Thieve Takers of London. Thieve takers were the ordinary men and women who were rewarded by the police man if they successfully capture highwaymen or law breakers and hand over them to the police or prosecute them themselves. Majority of them were men and they find this work very lucrative. The rates of each Highwaymen, coiners and burglars were worth ? 40 and additional ? 100 was rewarded to them if the crime was committed within the range of five miles of Charing Cross. Jonathan Wild was the most popular and clever of all thief takers at his contemporary period. In the beginning of the eighteenth century he had caught and put before the magistrate many criminals of London. Besides, he would also help in recovering the stolen goods and would demand hefty sum from them. His disposition towards crime created before him an image of a respected citizen in front of not only the authorities but also of whole of London. This attitude in him narrator defined as ââ¬Å"Greatnessâ⬠, but what nobody knew behind his Greatness lies a most clever and hard-core criminal and a thief. Here the complexity in the nature of protagonist comes in as confined within his nature was a hidden ââ¬Å"bad manâ⬠. The recovery of the stolen goods was the part of his great plan. He build up his own empire, with several gangs who had their bases in several districts of London. These gangs had the only business of robbing and pick pocketing. He had also set up specialized gangs for looting churches, gangs over prostitutes, gangs who used to collect protection money from but he never came forward to head the gang but only give them direction. Anyone found neglecting his work or cheated him was immediately reported to police with solid evidences and witnesses who were themselves Wildââ¬â¢s man and in return Wild would get cash reward, therefore narrator abruptly described him as not ââ¬Å"Good. â⬠He was a great hypocrite and was so clever that he always go himself scotch free as no one could prove him guilty. He always would show his gratitude to those who would favor him and show his loyalty towards him and would go to any extent to punish those who would show disloyalty towards them. He would also give protection to those who would seek his to escape from law but also in several cases would himself hand these very people to the authorities not found worthy of him or if get tired. He would never handle the stolen goods himself but had large warehouses where the goods can be altered or repaired and would himself pass the information about the travelers to highwayman. Authorities had complete knowledge about all his illegal activities but were not able to lay their hands on him because of lack of proof. But as there is an end of every bad man, Wild end had also come near and he was finally arrested and given death sentence. Fielding showed Wilde as a courageous soul. At Newgate prison he asked prison clergyman about the ââ¬Å"Theological consequencesâ⬠of suicide, as he attempted to kill himself by drinking laudanum. Fielding crafted Wild as a bold character with preposterous energy and unswerving disposition. As said by Claude Rawson ââ¬Å"We must not however omit one circumstance, as it serves to show the most admirable conservation of character in our hero to his last moment, which was, that whilst the ordinary was busy in his ejaculations, Wilde in the midst of the Shower of Stones, which played upon him, applied his hands to the Parsons pocketr, and emptied it of his bottle screw, which he carried out in the world with his hand. ââ¬Å"(Rawson, pg 75). Jonathan Wilde was bold, and had a very strong attitude that he remained with it until the death which narrator aptly termed ââ¬Å"Conservation of Character. â⬠, and truly he was. Works Cited Julien Rawson Claude, The Cambridge Companion to Henry Fielding, Cambridge University Press, 2007. Fielding, Julien Rawson Claude, Bree Linda, Jonathan Wild, Oxford University Press, 2003.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Analysis Of Constructed Stereotypes In Skin English Literature Essay
Analysis Of Constructed Stereotypes In Skin English Literature Essay Having done extensive research on the biography of the author, Naomi Iizuka, one can conclude that the availability of written scholarly documentation about her life and work is sparse. The author is a recent voice in the world of the American playwright; she attained her MFA degree in Playwriting in 1992, at the age of 27.à [1]à Naomi Iizukas family background sheds an interesting light on the politics of a multi cultural society, which is accordingly represented in SKIN. Her mother is an American of Spanish descent and Naomis father a Japanese banker. She studied Classics and Literature at Yale University and she received her MFA degree from the University of California San Diego. Naomi Iizuka is part of the legacy of American writers of the 1990s who are primarily looking to write on experiences of a multi-ethnic, poly-sexual, multi-class and intergenerational society (Krasner 2005, p. 549). According to Berson, Naomi Iizuka is fascinated by the subterranean worlds of renegades like the homeless kids in Polaroid Stories or by outcasts like Jones in SKIN or by vagabond characters in Tattoo Girl (Berson 1998, p.1). Theatre needs to surprises her, such as plays that are not strictly realistic and filled with mythical elements that allow to reappraise the relationship with reality. Naomis writing style in the Berson article is described as one that matches a furious emotional intense with a floating lyricism, vivid grunginess and acerbic humor(Berson 1998, p.1). Iizuka found her inspiration for SKIN in the surrounding of San Diego at the end of the twentieth century. The environment offers a mix of a desert town, a Navy town and a border town (Chambers 2002, p. 55). The play focuses on two protagonist characters, Jones and Mary. Jones is a young man who works in a factory and Mary is Joness disloyal lover and the mother of their child. They desperately attempt to make sense of and try to transcend the suffocating environment in which they live. The constant opposition between the isolation of Mary and Jones and the crowded suburban sprawl, reflect a tragic setting. Being confronted with their limited opportunities and the inhibiting effects urban life and poverty, Jones and Mary find refuge in drugs, alcohol, violence and sex. Through different scenes the hopeless situation is vividly described. The play is very strong in transferring an unspoken, not explicit but overwhelming sense that the inhabitants of the town are surrounded and controlled. They feel oppressed, living in a totalitarian social system which exerts silencing, control and alienation. SKIN is a tragic play and ends with Jones stabbing Mary to death. SKIN focuses to a large extent on the figure of Jones who is suffering as an individual in this totalitarian society. Since Jones is of mixed descent it is possible to analyze the play based on collective racial stereotypes. Borderlands and Stereotypes When reading the play SKIN, the reader is bound by the existing stereotypes related to race, ethnicity and gender. The aim of this paper is to analyze the stereotypes which correlate with white American authority, with people from Chicano ethnical background and with troublesome interracial relations. Although the play makes no clear indications of location, there are several indications that the scene is geographically set near the U.S. Mexican border. Gloria Anzaldà ºa describes in her book Borderlands, La Frontera the notion of a borderland as a vague and undetermined place where los atravesados like, among other denominations, the mongrel, the mulato or the half-breed live (Anzaldà ºa 2007, p. 25). SKIN is a contemporary play which portrays the concept of white superiority using the stereotype, the collective image, of American political and cultural domination in a crowded suburban environment. The white American ruler is presented though the presence of Police enforcers and military Navy men and they comply with the image of the oppressor, specifically oppressing Jones. Anzaldà ºa describes how the Border Patrol hide behind buildings, like a local McDonalds, and act like hunters with powerful night vision devices (Anzaldà ºa 2007 p.33-34). This is reflected in the second scene of the play SKIN, where the Police are described as sly and invisible in their black and white machine (Iizuka 2000, p. 164). Jones is the main protagonist in the narrative, and he is most probably a half-breed. He does not have a Latino name, his full name is Sean Jones and he has a Social Security number which makes him legal U.S. resident (Iizuka 2000, p. 165). Jones most likely has a white American mother; he refers to her death in scene twenty eight when she died [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] she looked like a white, plastic doll. (Iizuka 2000, p. 194) Since Jones is of mixed race he is confronted with an internal strife of multiple personalities, making him insecure an indecisive (Anzaldà ºa 2007, p.99-100). He is not part of the dominant white American culture and he does not fully belong to the Latino society. Jones difficult position can be proved by different scenes. He is, in multiple scenes, harassed by the Police, treated aggressively by the Navy men and he is explicitly subdued in his relation with the Manager. Angel however, does not accept Jones as a full Latino member. In scene 28 Angel is very explicit, he shouts to Jones man, shut up. you dont know me [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] you dont see me every day. you dont know how I live my life so shut the fuck up. (Iizuka 2000, p. 194). SKIN introduces stereotypes that can be linked to the theory of the Mexican philosopher Josà © Vasconcelos. His philosophy in opposition to the racial purity policy that white America practices, his theory is about inclusivity, a mixture of races (Anzaldà ºa 2007, p. 99). This is hinted in the person of Marys girl. Whereas in every adult scene there is a fierce metaphorical use of the opposition between black and white, where black is mostly related to silence, closing of the eyes, the vastness and invisibility of the desert at night and very important the colors used to describe the Police car. It is Marys girl who is able to project a multi-color world. A good example is available in scene fourteen when Marys girl speaks: when I close my eyes, I see red and purple an orange and yellow and blue. I see so many colors moving and sparkly like lights at night. (Iizuka 2000, p. 183). Iizuka uses many images to highlight that the individual is controlled, isolated and alienated from the social environment. Although Jones and Mary are legal U.S. residents, they are not portrayed as legitimate inhabitants. They are constantly being controlled by an authority like the Police or the Navy. Whenever the Police are introduced into the scenes they are represented as if they were constantly nearby and waiting. Scene nineteen provides a good illustration: and then the Police slide out of the dark like they have been forever there, invisible, waiting for a sign. (Iizuka 2000, p.187). Skin Color and the Construction of Stereotypes The play contains several stereotypes related to racial discrimination and white supremacy. Jones is being racially fixated by the white authority. It is already in the second scene that, without any obvious reason, the police is requesting to see some form of identification from Jones. The police is very provocative towards Jones. The same approach and the more elaborated construction of the negative characteristics related to Mexican stereotyping can be experienced in scene ten. In this scene, the manager has a general image of Jones and his people which comes down to this: [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] thats the thing with you people, you think you can screw around, make babies [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦], you seem to think taxpayers like myself are going to bail you out and support you and yours forever. (Iizuka 2000, p.179). Referring to Bhabhas concept of ambivalence of the stereotype of the other, otherness is at once an object of derision and at once an object of desire (Bhabha 1994, p. 67). There is only one instance in the play where this important aspect of ambivalence in stereotypical identity can be found. In scene eleven the cholo, which is a denomination for a Mexican person from mixed descent, is crystallizing the element of desire. [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] and the skin on his back is brown [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] he is a handsome young god, and the crowd moves up close to him [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] hungry for something they do not know [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] (Iizuka 2000, p. 181) this elaboration portrays the beauty of the dark skin and it emphasizes Bhabhas notion of ambivalence. More specifically, it is the dark color of the skin that at once activates fixity and fantasy, mastery and pleasure, and thus plays a contradictory role in the ideological construction of otherness (Bhabha 1994, p. 66-78). The essay written by Bhabha, The Other Question, highlights two other important aspects of racial differentiation by skin color. The first one is related to the economic supremacy of white people and the visibility of skin as reinforcing the crucial recognition of difference (Bhabha 1994, p.79). Richness and whiteness are inversely described by the poverty of Jones. In scene nine Jones describes his inability to make lots of money: its hard, mary. I dont know how people make it. I dont know the secret. here its not much of anything. (Iizuka 2000, p. 179). The image of Joness low hierarchical position is strengthened by the subsequent scene ten where he performs a basic job feeding a machine and the Manager is supervising him. It is salient in this play that the dominant, white American, group is nameless. Iizuka decided not to give names to the people in a hierarchical superior position. They are called Police Man, Navy Man, Manager, Man or Employee. The reader gets the impression that these unnamed people can all be categorized in one dominant group with the same oppressive acts towards Jones. This singularity allows to bridge the racial discussion to the definition of ethnicity minus one as proposed in the essay who is Ethnic? by Werner Sollors. Meaning that ethnicity is universal and ethnicity minus one excludes the dominant group. In the play SKIN, the dominant group is obviously white and wealthy America. Throughout the play all the white actors behave similarly, they are oppressive and aggressive towards Jones and hence affirm their white dominant identity (Sollors 1995, p. 22). Scene thirty two I wanted to peel off my skin, and fold it up, and put it in a box. I wanted to disappear (Iizuka 2000, p.198). The way Jones narrates about skin, he confirms the importance of whiteness of skin in the American society. This emphasizes that the visibility of skin reinforces the recognition of difference and hence acts as a signifier of discrimination (Bhabha 1994, p.79). Furthermore Bhabhas essay explains that the stereotypes attributed with skin color remain a sign of cultural and political inferiority (Bhabha 1994, p.80). This reasoning is omnipresent in the play. In SKIN, Naomi Iizuka is able to reflect the longevity or fixity aspect of stereotypes. Since government has institutionalized its Civilizing Mission during the colonial period, the racial stereotypical discourse has become prejudicial and discriminatory (Bhabha 1994, p. 83). By implementing strategies of hierarchization and marginalization, colonial societies could be managed. What Bhabha is putting forward in the essay, is that knowledge on the ethnic group and the stereotypical generalization make the consideration of discriminatory and authoritarian forms of political control appropriate. The same concept can be found in SKIN. It are the Police and the Navy Men that are always present to provide surveillance and discipline through violent and oppressive harassment, and thus wield political control over the non-white and marginal community. Additional imagery to emphasize American, and white, superiority is portrayed in scene twenty six when Jones is looking to buy a weapon in the Gun Mart store. The Employee describes the gun as follow: [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] u.s. made. superior craftsmanship. feel. see. [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] or the description of the knife [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] made in germany. superior craftsmanship. cuts through anything. [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] (Iizuka 2000, p.192). Conclusion SKIN, proves to be a complex and layered play in terms of prevalent stereotypes. A superficial reading at first would make the reader conclude that Jones is a Latino living in a bordertown. However, when analyzing the different hints in the play, the reader comes to the notion that Jones is a mulato. Based on Gloria Anzaldà ºas analysis and representation of the mulato living near the U.S. Mexican international border, Joness is isolated between two colliding cultures which confuse his identity. SKIN emphasizes the harsh and hopeless life in the borderland. Naomi Iizuka exposes the reader to the oppressive and dominant approach of white America towards Jones. Through a polarized version of racial stereotyping, the play allows to apply the analytical concepts of ambivalence and fixity from Bhabhas essay The Other Question. Naomi Iizuka confirms through the character of Jones, who is isolated and living in a controlled environment, that racial prejudices and determination by the end of the nineties remained unchangeable. Nevertheless by introducing Marys daughter, who is able to see a colored world instead of a purely black and white one, Naomi projects her hope that future generations can disengage from the dominant, white and racial pure American culture and create an inclusive multi-cultural society.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Economic Impact of Pollution: Article Analysis
Economic Impact of Pollution: Article Analysis Luis Andre Talavera Nunez CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS An analysis of Peter Caiââ¬â¢s article: ââ¬Å"Iron ore the victim in Beijings smog crackdown in the Businessâ⬠Published the 26th of February ââ¬â 2015 in the website businessspectator.com.au EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Peter Caiââ¬â¢s article analyses the economic impact of the pollution produced by the steel factories in China and their repercussion in the steel market and the iron ore prices. The article takes as an example the city of Hebei, one of the most important steel producer centres of China, which suffers one of the most critical pollution levels of its history. The provinceââ¬â¢s strategic location close to Beijing, the Chinese capital is a contributor factor to the increment of smog in the metropolitan area. The social pressure that arises from this issue is forcing the government to take drastic decisions with potential socio-economic impacts. New environmental standards were created in order to regulate the emissions. The new policies have the power to shut down any factory that does not meet the minimum standards. This is creating a lot of pressure on the industry and forcing the steel makers to reduce output and, in some cases, to update their assets. This new policies come in line with the Chinese economy slow down and the reduction of demand for the steel and its main resource, the iron ore. This has generated a crisis in the steel manufacturing industry that has seen a reduction of revenue and an increase of the operational cost in the last year. There is a potential risk of massive plants shut downs due to an important number of the steel makers wonââ¬â¢t be able to afford the high cost that an update represents. This is also a consequence of poor government regulations during the economic boom that did not stimulate the companies to reinvest the capital in new and cleaner technologies when the revenue was higher. The social pressure has forced the government to take strong policies orientated to reduce the steel production capacity with the aim to minimize and control the toxic emissions. This represents a massive economic impact for the government which will be affected by lower tax revenue and potential increase of unemployment. INTRODUCTION The Hebei province, well known as the biggest steel producer in China and the second worldwide, contributor of the 22.5 percent of the national steel output is facing a critical time. The reports demonstrate a fall of 0.6 percent from the total steel production in 2014 in comparison to the 2013 figures and Chinaââ¬â¢s total production is expected to drop 1.07% to 814 million tonnes by 2015. (Stanway, 2015; the Australian, 2015). The main reason for this crisis is the reduction in demand for the Chinese market and the new environmental policies that restrict the operation of plants that exceed the new emission standards (Li 2013). This environmental issue has situated the province within the top 10 most contaminated cities in China and has been affected peopleââ¬â¢s health critically reducing life expectancy by five years (Cai P., 2015; Stanway, 2015). As a consequence, there is a strong social pressure that request fast solutions to a problem that seems not to have a sustainabl e solution in the short term. This article address the following issues: The economic impact of the reduction of steel productionââ¬â¢s output in the province of Hebei and its repercussion on the steel and iron prices in the short and medium term. The impact of the new environmental policies that force the shutdown of steelââ¬â¢s factories that donââ¬â¢t meet the minimum emission standards. Reduction in the demand of steel, impact on the government revenue and increment in the unemployment rate. ECONOMIC THEORIES One of the most important parts of the article is the dynamic of the Chinese steel market and its influence in the iron global supply. In the last decade the Chinese demand and supply for steel have been growing consistently driven by the strong urbanization process (World Steel Association 2014). However, this figure is changing rapidly due to Chinaââ¬â¢s growth slowdown and a shift towards an economic model orientated to consumption and less steel dependent. The performance indicators demonstrate that the Chinese steel markets not in shape (Serapio. 2014), face serious issues related to competitiveness, productivity, efficient logistics, infrastructure and technology. The chart below explains the relation between Supply and Demand during the last 7 years and the reduction in market growth as result of the deceleration. Figure 1 ââ¬â Source: EYGM Limited. 2014. The effect of the reduction in steel demand has been reflected in lower steel prices as result of the existing excess of the capacity. The steel producers have no other option than become more competitive, orientating their efforts to improve productivity and reduce costs in order to maximize the profits. According Agrawal (EYGM Limited. 2014), this highly competitive scenario will lead to a flatter marginal cost curve along the productive sector, reducing the breach between the competitors. This means that any fluctuation in the market variables will affect most of the participants evenly. THE PARTICIPATION OF THE GOVERNMENT What is the position of the government? The Chinese government is facing two major issues. According Elliott (EYGM Limited. 2015), the two major contributor factors are the critical contamination levels in most of the major cities around the country as product of the poor regulation policy to the steel market and the socio economic pressure to maintain an industry that provides generous tax income and maintain low unemployment levels. As result of social pressure the government decided to apply new regulation policies with the aim to reduce the actual steel production capacity. The new industrial emission standards give the government the tools to shut down the plants that donââ¬â¢t meet the new environmental requirements (Jiabao, Li. 2013). The article mentions that the pollution reduction technologies are expensive and under the current steel prices and many of the current steel producers are not going to be able to afford the investment. This exemplifies a clear normative economic, where the government identify a problem and prescribe solutions based on facts. Un-employment is an additional impact that has to be managed by the government. According Caiââ¬â¢s article, ââ¬Å"the new industrial policy could cost 200,000 direct jobs as well as another 400,000 indirect positionsâ⬠. In the short term the chances of a rapid migration towards a cleaner and environmental friendly industry are almost impossible due to the economic situation that the China is facing at the moment.. Here is where the government must evaluate different tools like tax incentives in order to stimulate the migration to cleaner industries in the medium term. One fact that was not mentioned in the article is that the government possesses participation in some factories; these factories receive incentives that allow them to operate even in loss with the aim to maintain levels of employment. This creates a clear dead weight loss for the government (EYGM Limited. 2014). The government subsidies are illustrated in the graph below: Figure 2 ââ¬â Deadweight loss of government subsidy in the steel market. P1 is the original market price for the steel and Q1 is the original demand. Pc is the price that the consumer pays after the subsidy whilst Ps is the real price including the subsidy. Qs is the quantity of steel produced as result of the subsidy, this represent inefficient production. The area highlighted in red represents the deadweight loss to that the society pays as product of the government subsidy. CONCLUSION Caiââ¬â¢s article highlights the complex situation that the Chinese steel market is facing these days, as well as, the economic, environmental and social repercussion of its reduction capacity and the roll of the government in the market regulation. The article makes reference to production figures that can be easily tracked and verified in diverse economic reports. There are two points that the article doesnââ¬â¢t cover in deep. The subsidies of the government to some steel makers and how this affects the supply and the effect of the Iron Ore price fluctuations in the Chinese steel market. Itââ¬â¢s clear that the social pressure is changing the traditional political Chinese scenario, characterized by their authoritarian decision making at the moment to approve and put in practice government interest policies. The demand for a better air quality reflects a new scenario where the politicians are willing to listen and negotiate. The short term solution of shutting down factories that donââ¬â¢t meet the environmental standards is only a policy that can alleviate the current contamination but does not provide a sustainable solution to the underlying problems: Maintain the competitiveness of Chinese market under optimal environmental standards. Reduce unemployment and also guarantee the resources that the country required to continue growing sustainably. The priority in a long term is to promote the development of more environmental friendly industries that can produce the high end products that China will require in the future. However, this is a big risk considering the investment and time required to transform an industry that has been considered one of the most traditional and important in China. REFERENCES Cai, P. (2015). ââ¬Å"Iron ore the victim in Beijingââ¬â¢s smog crackdownâ⬠. Business spectator. Retrieved from http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/2/26/china/iron-ore-victim-beijings-smog-crackdown. EY Limited (2014). ââ¬Å"Global steel 2014, planning to profit from opportunity: preparing for future demandâ⬠. Retrieved from http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY_-_Global_steel_2014/$FILE/EY-Global-steel-2014.pdf The Australian (2015). ââ¬Å"Chinaââ¬â¢s steel production to fallâ⬠. Retrieved from: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/chinas-steel-production-to-fall/story-e6frg9df-1227208363291 Serapio, Manolo. 2014 ââ¬Å"China steel demand shrinks for first time in 14 years as slowdown stingsâ⬠à http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-china-steel-idUSKCN0HK0Z320140925 Stanway, David. 2015. ââ¬Å"Steel output dips 0.6 pct in Chinas Hebei in 2014â⬠à http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/26/china-steel-hebei-idUSL4N0V51DK20150126 World Steel Association. 2014. ââ¬Å"World Steel in figures 2014â⬠à http://www.worldsteel.org/dms/internetDocumentList/bookshop/World-Steel-in-Figures-2014/document/World%20Steel%20in%20Figures%202014%20Final.pdf EYGM Limited. 2015. ââ¬Å"Global steel 2014 Planning to profi t from opportunity: preparing for future demandâ⬠à http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY_-_Global_steel_2014/$FILE/EY-Global-steel-2014.pdf Jiabao, Li. 2013 ââ¬Å"Plant shutdowns likely as emission standards kick inâ⬠à http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-03/15/content_16310734.htm American Economic Review. 1997à http://www.swlearning.com/ibc/hall/pdf/CH1a_hl.pdf
Monday, August 19, 2019
19th Century Theories in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment Essay
19th Century Theories in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment "I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him?" These words said by Friedrich Nietzsche encompass the theories present in Dostoevsky's nineteenth century novel, Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky, living a life of suffering himself, created the character of Raskolnikov with the preconceptions of his own sorrowful and struggling life. Throughout his exile in Siberia from 1849-1859, his sentiments of suffering, sorrow, and the common man surfaced and heightened, inspiring him to begin writing Crime and Punishment in 1859. The main motif in this novel is that of suffering. It is apparent that all characters, major and minor, experience some sort of internal or external affliction. The overall theme of the work is that all mortal men suffer, and that salvation can not be obtained unless this anguish is present. Dostoevsky's protagonist, Raskolnikov, must evolve and realize this fact to overcome his conflicts and reach the salvation of peace and tranquillity. Volumes and volumes of critique can be written on where this suffering originated, but Dostoevsky's main concentration and focus is not where, but why suffering must exist and how this suffering can be overcome. This is seen from the fact that throughout the six sections of the novel, only one section is focused on the origin of the torment - the Crime, and the remaining five sections are concentrated on Raskolnikov's path to overcoming this anguish - the Punishment. By focusing solely on the punishment, the internal an... ... all serve a justified purpose in benefiting his moral and rational states. He overcomes the common man through the salvation he obtains from this linear evolution of trials. He suffers not from Marxist classes, but from internal struggle, excluding him as a member of the proletariat, or common man. Though not physically or emotionally fit to survive, his confession becomes his salvation, his survival, and his disclaimer in the Darwin theory of surviving. The common man may survive because he is fit to survive, but Raskolnikov survives because he chooses to survive. Unlike Freud's theory that the everyday man lives his life through his ego, Raskolnikov makes his decisions based on his superego, doing things not just because it would be rational, but because that it the way it should be done. So then, "Is Raskolnikov a Superman?" Yes.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
The Self-confidence of Jane in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay
In the Webster's online dictionary, self-confidence is defined as confidence in oneself and in one's powers and abilities. A famous quote by Jim Loehr says, "With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights; Without confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond your grasp." Confidence in yourself does not come without effort. One must believe in themselves, and not let someone change their beliefs. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane shows self-confidence throughout the novel, by possessing a sense of self-worth, dignity, and a trust in God. At the beginning of the novel while Jane is living under her aunt, Mrs. Reed, she is treated disrespectfully and cruelly. She accuses Jane of being deceitful and a troublesome girl in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the master of Lowood School. Jane is so hurt by this accusation that she cannot stop herself from defending her well being, and she stands up to her aunt. She knows she is being treated disrespectful and has much more self-worth than ...
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Demand & Forecasting
DEMAND & FORCASTING Founded as a single store in 1960, Dominoââ¬â¢s Pizza today stands as the recognized world leader in pizza delivery. From the beginning, we have been dedicated to the best of service, quality products and delivery excellence. They currently have over 9000 stores worldwide, all dedicated to providing great-tasting pizza delivered directly to your door or available for carryout. They have pioneered the pizza delivery business, and sell more than 400 million pizzas worldwide every year.Dominoââ¬â¢s Pizza is recognized as a Megabrand by Advertising Age magazine, and has been named ââ¬Å"Chain of the Yearâ⬠by Pizza Today, the leading publication of the pizza industry, three times (Dominos). Metuchen is a very small town in Middlesex County, NJ. It is located right in the middle of Edison, NJ. It is only 2. 76 square miles with a population of over 13000. The median income is around $90000. There is approximately 5300 household consisting of 2. 56 people. A nd 30% of the population is under 18 years old (US Census). This can be interpreted as there are mostly families with kids in this community.Currently, there are no fast food pizza stores or any other fast food restaurants in the town. Edison does have many restaurants including two Dominos, one in South Edison and one in North Edison. However, neither of them delivers to Metuchen. The only direct competitor in the area is Pizza Hut. Metuchenites often get to know their local merchants and get personalized service they find missing at large chain stores in the nearby shopping malls Metuchen). Based on the Metuchen demographic information, I chose the following variables: households, income, and price of complimentary goods.I believe households to be more relevant than population based on the fact that the town consists of families with one or more children. A household will consume one or more pies per visit. And people with children are more likely to buy fast food. I chose to use income because income along with the fluctuation of price is a major factor for the demand of pizza. Also we used the variable for the price of the complimentary good Soda. People almost always buy soda or some other drink with their pizza. Although, there are some family owned competitors, I did not include them in this analysis because they are a ifferent type of pizza store. Dominos specializes in fast food delivery. And many of the family owned does not. VARIABLES Year| Qd| price/pie| soda/ liter| population| households| Income| 2010| 125000| 5| 1| 13,574| 5,249| 88,241| 2011| 127000| 5. 49| 1. 25| 13,648| 5,376| 91365| 2012| 129000| 5. 99| 1. 5| 13795| 5491| 94,410| Elasticity refers to the magnitude and the direction quantity demanded changes in response to a percentage change in the variable. Based on the information collected, we determined that all of the variables are inelastic. The price elasticity is 0. 163 and the price elasticity of soda is 0. 64. This means that the c hange in price will result in a lesser percentage change in quantity. Basically this shows that the fluctuation in price will not affect the demand too much. This is also true for the income. The income elasticity is 0. 452. This shows that if income increases, the demand for pizza will increase at a lower rate also. When price goes up, the Qd will go down based on the disposable income of the families. The income is high enough to withstand the price increase. This is also true for the number of households. Household elasticity is 0. 661. ELASTICITY rice/pie| soda/ liter| population| households| Income| 0. 163| 0. 064| 2. 935| 0. 661| 0. 452| 0. 173| 0. 079| 1. 462| 0. 736| 0. 473| Inelastic| Inelastic| Elastic| Inelastic| Inelastic| Smoothing techniques assumes that a repetitive underlying pattern can be found in the historical values of the variable being forecasted. The moving average is calculated by taking an average of past observations. The more observations included, the gr eater the smoothing effect. It gives the same weight to all the observations. The exponential model allows you to determine the weight of the observation between 0 and 1.Below we used four different smoothing techniques to forecasts the demand for pizza for years 2013-2015. The four models show the demand to be between 127500 and 128500. DEMAND FORECAST Year| Actual Demand| 5 year Moving Average| 3 year Moving Average| Exponential Smoothing w=0. 9| Exponential Smoothing w=0. 3| 2007| 126000| à | à | 126000| 126000| 2008| 129000| à | à | 126000| 126000| 2009| 131000| à | à | 128700| 126900| 2010| 125000| à | 128667| 130770| 128130| 2011| 127000| à | 128333| 125577| 127191| 2012| 129000| 127600| 127667| 126858| 127134| 2013| 128300| 128200| 127000| 128786| 127694| 014| 128100| 128060| 128100| 128349| 127876| 2015| à | 127480| 128467| 128125| 127943| The root mean square error is used to evaluate the accuracy of the forecasting model. The lower RMSE means the estimate is more accurate. RMSE RMSE| à | 811| 1933| 2790| 2377| Based on the RMSE for each of the estimates, I would estimate the 3 year moving average to be the best estimate. Although the 5 year moving average has a lower RMSE, I donââ¬â¢t think it is an accurate estimate because there are not enough years to get an accurate estimate. Based on the information collected, we could open a Dominos in the community and expect to do well.The forecast for demand of pizza seems to fluctuate between 127500 and 128500. Although the forecasts seems pretty stable, it doesnââ¬â¢t look like there will be too much growth unless the number of households and income have a larger increase that previously. The inelasticity of variables shows me that as price goes up, there will be a smaller decrease in quantity demanded. However, the income and the number of households are also inelastic. As incomes and households grow, so will the quantity demanded by a smaller increase. The price elasticity is sm aller than the income and household elasticity.So overall the quantity demanded should increase. WORKS CITED United States Census Bureau, US department of commerce, retrieved October 22, 2012 from http://quickfacts. census. gov/qfd/states/34/3445690. html Income Tax List, retrieved October 27, 2012 from http://www. incometaxlist. com/new-jersey-income-tax-by-zip-code-33. htm Dominoââ¬â¢s Pizza, retrieved October 27, 2012 from http://phx. corporate-ir. net/phoenix. zhtml? c=135383&p=irol-homeprofile Borough of Metuchen, retrieved October 23, 2012 from http://www. metuchennj. org/brochure1999. pdf
Labour Disputes Case
Labour Disputes: A look at the TKM unrest Introduction: Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited (TKM) was a joint venture, established in 1997, between Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota), Japanââ¬â¢s largest car company and the second-largest car manufacturer in the world, and the Kirloskar Group of India. Toyota holds an 89% equity stake and while the Kirloskar Group holds the remaining 11%. Toyota has over 400 acres of land in its Bidadi plant and less than half of the land has been utilised so far even though its plant's capacity is about 60,000 units per annum. Toyota has invested nearly 15 billion INR in the plant. Some of its most famous brands such as Camry, Innova and Corolla are the end products of this plant. The plant had a total workforce of 2,378 out of which around 1,550 employees belonged to the Employee Union. Toyota's plant has witnessed labour unrest in 2001 and again in 2002 hitting the production of their vehicles leading to a ban of the strike by the Government. Below, we discuss the various reasons, which led to the clashes between the management and the employees of TKM. This highlights the growing number of instances of clashes between the employees and the management of companies in India, which is often guided by external parties such as trade unions and political parties. Aim: To understand â⬠¢ The importance of HR policies adopted by the organization to prevent labor unrest at the workplace. â⬠¢ The role of trade unions, political parties etc in upsetting the work culture in a company. The Issue: On January 08, 2006, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited (TKM) announced an indefinite lockout of its vehicle manufacturing plant at Bidadi located near Bangalore, Karnataka. The company claimed to have forced to resort to such a decision following a continuous strike by their employee union for third day in a row. The Toyota-Kirloskar union affiliated to the Center of Trade Union (CITU) Jan 9, 2006 demanded that the Government prosecute the management, which had declared an indefinite lockout of the local unit for violating a section of the Industrial dispute act . On January 06, 2006, the Employee Union went on strike with the demand to reinstate three dismissed employees, ten suspended employees, and improve the work condition at the plant. According to company sources, these employees were dismissed and suspended based on disciplinary issues. TKM declared that it would not rehire those employees culminating in the strike and lockout. The company said that the striking workers were threatening to blowup LPG gas cylinders in the company premises, obstructing the outward movement of manufactured vehicles, illegally stopping production, and manhandling other workers, who were not part of the Employee Union, to strike. The Employee Union said that these employees were dismissed because they were active members of the trade union and the company was unhappy with the union activities. They further added that the working environment at the plant was not conducive and the work hours were longer than the standard. The issue scaled further in the event of the Company representatives failing to appear before the Labor Commissioner on January 09, 2006 for dispute resolution with the union. The company reasoned that they feared adverse reactions from the aggressive union members. Though, the company appealed for two weeks time to appear before the Labor Commissioner so that situation could become stable, they were given time only till January 12, 2006. The Employee Union with the back up of CITU and other unions demanded the intervention of the state government to help resolve the dispute in their favor. TKM continued with partial production of vehicles with the help of non-unionized workers and the management staff who were specially trained for these kinds of emergencies. Irrespective of this, the company incurred huge production losses due to reduction in output by 60%. The Employee Union withdrew their strike following a Government Order on January 21, 2006, which was against the strike The Company lifted the lockout on January 21, 2006 stating that it was responding to the request from workers who eager to return to work. Aftermath: The unrest had other impacts as the Toyota spokesperson said that the company would rethink its recent decision to build a second car manufacturing plant in the state. These sorts of incidents will definitely hamper the Governmentââ¬â¢s efforts to bring in foreign direct investments to the country. This in turn would affect the growth rate, employability and GDP of the country. Discussion: Industrial disputes are costly and damaging to companies and employees alike. The policy formulations should be such that it is strong enough to avoid conflicts or resolve it successfully. Though it is not possible to avoid conflicts, a system can be built in, which guidelines a proper conflict resolution management. In the above case, a proper conflict resolution management system would have solved the issue well within the company rather than involving external parties and escalating the problem thereby resulting in huge production losses & wasted mandates. The HR policies and the top management support should be such as to minimise the chance of a grievance turning into dispute, there by avoiding the influence of external parties in disturbing the peaceful working environment. Either of the parties who participate in a conflict resolution procedure should come with an open mind, without any baggage that hampers the setting. They should be ready to trust each other and believe in the efforts taken by either of them in solving the dispute. The management must give the participating institution its right place in the managerial organisation of the undertaking and implementing the policies of the undertaking. The labour, on the other hand, must also whole heartedly co-operate with the management through its trade unions. A committee can be formed by the management with the whole hearted co-operation of the workers. The board can involve an equal amount of participation from the employees as well as the management. The board can meet at a timely interval and discuss grievances before them turning into disputes. Issues related to work hours, remuneration, productivity, etc can have a say in the board meetings. Policies are made for all the areas of an organisation at the top level which give impetus for growth, discipline, productivity of an industry or business. These policies act as management guidelines to the functional heads who can discharge their responsibilities with clarity. Policies cover the areas of human relations like: policies regarding motivation, morale, communication, leadership, styles, grievance procedure, disciplinary procedure employee counseling etc. These policies also cover the areas of industrial relations like Union recognition, union representation, collective bargaining, prevention and settlement of industrial disputes, participative management etc . Voices ââ¬Å"Central trade unions are still relevant, mainly for the unorganised sector. Internal unions should not have a narrow view on this. They should be aware of the problems of their brothersâ⬠¦ â⬠-AITUC national secretary D L Sachdev. ââ¬Å"An ITI pass-out in TKM gets around Rs 15,000 a month, while outside the company he'll only make Rs 4,000 or so. Not just the money, but even in terms of facilities, we offer the best. â⬠-K K Swamy, deputy managing director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor. ââ¬Å"We have requested the government to intervene in the matter immediately and prohibit the lockout declared by the management which is illegal. The government should prosecute the management for violating labour laws and issue immediate relief to the dismissed employees such as reinstatement and payment of wages during the dismissed period. â⬠-Meenakshi Sundaram, General Secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Union, Bangalore, in 2006. ââ¬Å"How long can we put up with unruly behaviour? We would like to restore normalcy as soon as possible, but at the same time, we would not like to compromise on discipline. â⬠-A. R Shankar, General Manager, Corporate Planning Division, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited, in 2006. There are another 11 people suspended by the management and we fear they may also be dismissed. We are officially supposed to work for eight hours but we are overworked sometimes. And we are treated in such a way, that we canââ¬â¢t even take a bathroom break when we want. â⬠-R. Ravi, Union Joint Secretary, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Employees Unions, in 2006. Conclusion While India boasts the best in class labour irrespective of the colour of the collar, what worries the industry are the regulations in terms of access to this valuable resource. The trade unions are not favouring the demand of the industry to improve labour legislations. While trade unions are of opinion that it would result in labour mismanagement, the industry states that the labour reforms are essential considering the frequent situational changes in the business scenario. According to Management experts, the success story of the software industry indicates how far our country can achieve if not restricted by controls. Bibliography: Ramanathan, Kalyana. ââ¬Å"India: Is Labour Trouble Resurfacing? â⬠Rediff 06 August 2005. 01 March 2007. â⬠¹http://www. rediff. com/money/2005/aug/06spec. tmâ⬠º ââ¬Å"Essential Conditions in Successful Working of WPMâ⬠CiteMan Network 08 November 2006. 25 February 2007. â⬠¹http://www. citeman. com/essential-conditions-in-successful-working-of-wpmâ⬠º ââ¬Å"Industrial Disputesâ⬠Business Link 25 February 2007. â⬠¹http://www. businesslink. gov. uk/bdotg/action/layer? r. l1=1073858787&topicId =1074045599&r. l2=1074207487&r. s=tlâ⬠º ââ¬Å"Labour Unrestâ⬠CiteMan Network 05 April 2007. 26 February 2007. â⬠¹http://www. citehr. com/25642-labour-unrest. htmlâ⬠º ââ¬Å"Toyota Talks Failâ⬠The Financial Express 17 January 2006. 27 February 2007. â⬠¹http://www. financialexpress. com/fe_full_ story. php? content_id=114765â⬠º
Friday, August 16, 2019
A short story – The tranquil night wind
The tranquil night wind whistled gently, puffing though the strands of my hair as I slept. The luminous amber streetlights outside twitched as they projected a silhouette of tall, lofty trees prancing in the serene wind through my windows onto me. The sky was clear and the stars were easily visible as they twinkled through the night. After a day of unbearable heat and hard work done, I was in a very satisfying sleep but had awoken through instinct where I had felt that something was irritating me. I felt like I had forgotten to do something and my brain wouldnââ¬â¢t stop reminding, but what was it reminding me? Thatââ¬â¢s the question. I tried to ignore it but my mind wouldnââ¬â¢t stop sensing a feel of discomfort. I finally decided to get up and try to resolve the matter and investigate what was going on. I approached my door and just before I went to grasp the door handle I felt a slight shock run through the palm of my right hand. I abruptly pulled away and froze for a minute. It was dark and gloomy in my room so I decided to turn on the lights. With caution I flicked on the light switch and was surprised to not feel any more shocks. the luminous light bulb from the ceiling of my room glistened so luminously that I went blind for a few seconds and I just stood there rubbing my eyelids as they couldnââ¬â¢t cope with the sudden illumination of the room. Feel quite dizzy, I continued to attempt to open the door. I vigilantly stretched out to reach for the door handle again and this time I successfully held it firmly without any shocks. Maybe it was just my mind playing up with me? I mean, it was 3am in the morning and I wasnââ¬â¢t feeling too bothered as I investigated what felt wrong. I twisted the door handle but it didnââ¬â¢t open. I tried to twist it open again but it didnââ¬â¢t seem to open. At this point I was furious; I took a deep breath and pinched myself to make sure this wasnââ¬â¢t just another horrid dream, unfortunately it wasnââ¬â¢t. I took a big step back away from my door and charged towards it whilst I firmly clutched the handle and dragged it mightily. It still didnââ¬â¢t open. I roared in fury. I screamed for my parents but I got no reply. I repeated but this time for my siblings but I stood there without a response. No words could explain the rage I was in. I shrieked once more and I irately jolted my door which countered with a massive bruise to my foot . I fell to my feet with my head on the ground, tears recklessly flowing down my face. This wasnââ¬â¢t the day for someone to mess with me, not at all. I got back up on my feet and as I loomed towards the window, I heard a whisper which said ââ¬Å"itââ¬â¢s just you and meâ⬠in a sonorous demonic voice followed by an awkward cackle. I brusquely stopped and jumped with fear. I hastily dived under my bed and snatched the broad metal pole I had hidden under there. I got back up and spent 2 or so minutes inspecting my room looking to see if by any chance it was anyone. Was it my conscience? Was it something outside? Or was it really some sort of spectre really talking to me? I scuttled to my open window and took a pro longed gaze outside to see if anyone was outâ⬠¦there was nobody. It was an opaque, pitch black night with the white stars twinkling above. The roads were ever so quiet. Who would be out at this time? I guess I did hear something after all, 3am in the morning and my mind seems to be playing with me; I couldnââ¬â¢t even open the door to go and get some water or anything else refreshing. I turned away from the window to retry the door againâ⬠¦and I heard a really deafening thump. I jerked in fright and my heart was thumping so hard that I could see it beating out of my t shirt. I gradually rotated myself towards the direction of the noise with my heart in my hands. All four windows in my room had pounded shut. Coincidence? Iââ¬â¢m starting not to think so. I stood there in awkward silence for a good 5 minutes. Why me? I stepped foot to approach the windows and the lights flicked off. I squealed worse than those in an intense horror movie; this wasnââ¬â¢t no movie this was reality and I donââ¬â¢t know what was happening. I couldnââ¬â¢t see anything but a slight shadow of something behind me, shortly after that I felt a cold, icy hand on my shoulder. As I turned around, my vision instantly went blurry and I couldnââ¬â¢t see much but I could see something similar to a white spirit with gleaming red eyes. I fainted.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
How Stressed Children Are in a Primary School Essay
The recent publication of a Cambridge research paper on high stress levels amongst UK primary school children made national headlines. It told parents of an uncomfortable truth that primary classrooms are not the places of fun and learning that typifies an idealistic notion of education in the UK. It spoke of stress, anxiety and worry in classrooms, where children show signs of distress due to high expectations, excessive workloads and having to shoulder unrealistic responsibilities. But just how accurate is this picture? Is it possible to expect young children to understand the complexities of the manifestations of stress and the inaccuracies of self-appraisal given possible low levels of emotional literacy? This paper explores how feasible it is to collect accurate data from children about their own stress and evaluates how such information can be collected. It concludes that there are a variety of ways of gaining information about stress from children, some better than others, but leaves no doubt that children can be ideal subjects for such research if the design and execution of the study is given due consideration. The world of primary education, it would seem, from anecdotal evidence from parents of primary school pupils, is not what it used to be. Clichà ©s such as ââ¬Ëits not like it was in my days!ââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëschool was much easier and more fun in the olden days!ââ¬â¢ can often be heard echoing across parents groups in schoolà yards or in local supermarkets. But is school such a difficult place for children today? A recent paper, published by a Cambridge University research group would suggest that life in a primary school is not as stress free as most parents would want to assume. In order to help understand this uncomfortable notion, this paper will explore whether children are capable of giving accurate information about their stress levels and how this could be collected. Stress research is a well established field spanning eight decades, from Walter Cannonââ¬â¢s seminal work in 1927 on flight and flight, to Mark Kovacsââ¬â¢ recent paper on ââ¬ËStress in the Workplaceââ¬â¢, (Kovacs 2007). It fact it seems that there are very few areas of modern life that stress research has not touched upon. In relation to everyday activities, research covers stress at work (eg Kovacs 2007, McCarthy & Sheehan,1996), stress in the street (Brennan,1993), paradoxically there has been studies around stress in leisure activities (Noakes 1991) and crucially for this paper, stress in school environments (eg Williams & Gersch, 2004; Murray and Harrison, 2005 and the recently published Cambridge Primary Review paper 2007). The subject base for stress research has also been highly eclectic, ranging from stress in the elderly (Hodgson, Freedman &, Granger, 2004), to stress at birth and even stress levels in individuals not yet born, (Graham, Heim, Goodman, Miller and Nemeroff 1999). There is a case to be argued however, that very much like the Freudian theory of psychosexual development, there appears to be a relative ââ¬Ëhiatus of interestââ¬â¢ in the levels of stress in children between the ages of 6 and 11. This crucial period of education covers the majority of Key Stage 1 and all of Key Stage 2 and it would seem to be a pivotal juncture in a childââ¬â¢s education. It is in this period that most children will be structuring their leaning patterns and assimilating vast amounts of knowledge in all areas of the school both academic and social. It could be considered somewhat remarkable therefore that there is relatively less stress research done in education at this age. It is particularly pertinent when we consider that this active period of learning is then brought to a close with the mandatory Key Stage 2 SAT papers. It is perhaps this singular event that indicates, for most pupils, their rights of passage into the world of secondary education where structured exams and revision regimes are rife. So why is it that research during this ââ¬ËLatency Periodââ¬â¢ (Freud 1905d) of a childââ¬â¢s educationalà development is so under represented? It could be because it now appears to be a relatively settled period in a childââ¬â¢s educational life. It may be that in most areas of the UK, the predominantly two-tier education system has removed a major period of transition half way through this phase of schooling. This process of downsizing transitions eradicated a well defined cause of stress in pupils and exaggerated difficulties in coping (Rudduck.J, 2004; Lohaus. A, 2004). However could it also be argued that models of stress and theories for coping with traumatic events are not comprehensive enough to cover this very specific area of childrenââ¬â¢s development in such settings? It is important therefore to explore how adult models of stress address environmental and personal issues and whether these can be attributed to children in a primary classroom. Stress models for adults Modern stress research has placed itself firmly within the interactionist perspective characterized largely by Lazarus and Folkman (1984). Their model for the possible development of stress explores the essential thought processes that occur in any given situation and the judgments the individual makes in assessing their own ability to cope with the demands placed upon them at any one time. This ââ¬Ëappraisalââ¬â¢ and subsequent stress levels are governed primarily by recollecting previous performances and the effectiveness of learned coping strategies in similar situations. It seems clear then that by using the interactionist model, there may be opportunities to provide greater opportunities to understand childrenââ¬â¢s stress in the classroom. In order to fully explore this area, it seems pertinent to start by delving into specific models of stress that add to our knowledge about its development in adults and explore whether these could be used with children in a primary s chool environment. One such model that may be relevant to this paper was developed by Palmer, Cooper and Thomas (2001) who looked at stress in the workplace. This model proposes that there are six contributors to the development and/or the management of stress levels in and around most places of work. These mitigating factors include work/environmental demands, support, change and the workerââ¬â¢s role within the ââ¬Ëcompanyââ¬â¢ (see below). It would seem on first inspection that this is truly an adult model of stress as it is located in adult world of work. However asà there do not appear to be any established or substantial research as yet, to determine the difference between ââ¬Ëworkââ¬â¢ being in an office, a factory or a shop and ââ¬Ëworkââ¬â¢ as in a classroom, it could be argued that if the ââ¬Ëclassroomââ¬â¢ was seen as a workplace and pupils considered ââ¬Ëemployeesââ¬â¢, Palmer et alââ¬â¢s model does have some relevance. Below is Palmer et alââ¬â¢s mo del as published in the ââ¬ËHealth Education Journalââ¬â¢ 2001. Figure 1: Palmer, Cooper and Thomasââ¬â¢s model of stress in the work place (2001) A Stress model for children? Using the key structure of this model, it is possible to transpose details into a new representation that may be appropriate to help explore stress in children in a school situation. This process of transformation can largely be done by ââ¬Ëtranslatingââ¬â¢ words and terminology used in the flowchart above into words relevant and applicable to similar aspects of a school environment. A typical example of this would be that the reference to ââ¬Ëemployeesââ¬â¢ would need to read ââ¬Ëpupilsââ¬â¢. Perhaps the more difficult aspect of this translation relates to its exploration of ââ¬Ënegative outcomesââ¬â¢. It is clear that increased and sustained stress levels in children is less likely to lead to coronary heart disease or RSI in the short term than it would in adults, so perhaps more pertinent aspects of this section of the model would relate to an escalation in poor behaviours or higher absenteeism. Table 1 below shows a complete translation of Palmer et alâ⠬â¢s terminology using this ideology. Once this translation of meaning has been established then it appears that this model does provide some insight into possible factors that may contribute to stress levels in children. Further exploration of Palmer, Cooper and Thomasââ¬â¢s model would establish how these factors would impact upon the individual and at the whole school level. Table 2 on page 7 shows how Palmer et alââ¬â¢s structure would apply to a school model. It seems clear that there is a probable link between stress levels of a child in the classroom and organisational dysfunctions in the structure of the classroom and possibly to aspects of the whole school. This new model also shows where possible stressors come from for the pupil and how this could be managed to alleviate higher levels of stress across a school environment. It could be argued that a central difficulty in attributing the interactionist perspective model of stress to children is flawed by the intrinsic tenet of the model. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) believe that the essential tool of stress appraisal is the ability to reflect on past experiences to determine the individualââ¬â¢s ability to cope with the current situation. How then, does this model apply to young children whose experiences are more limited than those of an adult? Does this lack of experience allow a young child the ability to accurately evaluate past experiences against pastà performances? An example of this could be when pupils are required to complete the Key Stage 1 SAT papers. Even though teachers will have tried to prepare each pupil with several practices in answering unfamiliar maths and literacy booklets, the actual test is unfamiliar due to the heightened expectations of the day itself. How are pupils able to reflect on past experiences of this? Perhaps the best that can be achieved is the familiarity with the style of the test but not necessarily with the SAT day itself. If this is the case, when the interactionist perspective is extrapolated to Key Stage 2 SATs it is likely that a bad experience in the Key Stage 1 SAT papers will affect perceptions of performance during the SAT tests in Year 6. Using this model, it must be argued that in order to achieve better results in Key Stage 2 SATs, there is a case to be made to enhance the positive experiences of sitting formal tests at an earlier age. This could be achieved by either taking away the pressure to achieve in Year 2 or indeed use these tests and tasks to give the pupils positive experiences to build upon. It is likely that a bad experience in Year 2 increases the likelihood of future failures or anxieties. To facilitate this process the model outlined in table 2 above could be used to facilitate good practice, improve support mechanisms, strengthen positive relationships and encourage a greater ability to handle change. This may also have a positive impact on the pupils and the whole school in the long term. The adaptation of Palmer, Cooper and Thomasââ¬â¢s model will allow a school practitioner the opportunity to affect whole school social dynamics by focusing upon the ââ¬Ëpotential hazardsââ¬â¢ and being pro -active in offsetting the negative impact they can have on a school environment. But how successful have primary schools been so far in this role? Stress in the classroom In October 2007 the Cambridge Primary Review explored life in a primary classroom from a childââ¬â¢s perspective. The process of data collection, which took place between January and March 2007, collected evidence from a whole range of professionals in the primary education sector as well as people drawn from the wider community. These subjects included children themselves, who are referred to as ââ¬Ëwitnessesââ¬â¢ in the paper. In total there were nine Community locations in different parts of England, culminating in a total ofà 87 witness sessions, attended by over 750 people. This is clearly an important piece of research that cuts across cultural boundaries and local government differences. It would seem that this research is an amalgamation of collective thought, however there may be some difficulties with interviewing subjects such as children which will be explored in greater detail below. However such research conclusions cannot go unnoticed for long and immediately after its publication in academic circles, their conclusions made national headlines. It was this research that spawned a raft of emotive headlines across all forms of media in the UK. Articles fronted by ââ¬ËChildren ââ¬Ëstressed and depressedââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËPrimary Cause for concernââ¬â¢ were used offering direct quotes about what causes children such stress, citing: ââ¬Å"the gloomy tenor of ââ¬Ëwhat you hear on the newsââ¬â¢ or by a generalised fear of strangers, burglars and street violence.â⬠ITN webpage ââ¬â Friday 12th October 07:05 am Furthermore articles in the media were concluding that: ââ¬Ë â⬠¦our young children are anxious, badly behaved, stressed, depressed and obsessed with the cult of celebrityââ¬â¢ Garner, 2007 page 1 These emotive and somewhat generalized media headlines, alongside the Cambridgeââ¬â¢s research papers demonstrate that there appears to be a high level of stress and depression in primary classrooms, but there is also a lot of anxiety in the ââ¬Ëmediaââ¬â¢ at the possibility of there being stress and depression in the classroom. These headlines echo Maysââ¬â¢ conclusions who observed in his paper in ââ¬ËStresses in Childrenââ¬â¢ (1996): ââ¬Ë there is still much to frighten, to frustrate and to intimidate a growing childââ¬â¢ (page 41) But just how successful are research methods and models of stress in helping to clarify and explain possible sources of stress in the primary classroom? Is it possible to accurately measure stress in children given some of the constraints of data collection? Perhaps more importantly are children able to understand the complexity of stress responses and have sufficient levels of emotional literacy to be able to accurately describe whether they are stressed or not? It seems a foregone conclusion, in stress research, that the respondent themselves is able to understand what stress is and how it affects them and to be able to recognise when they are stressed or not in given circumstances. It seems that collecting stress data from children is fraught with implicit difficulties. However, this should not deter such research being completed; it means only that the data collected may need a greater level of analysis and more rigorous reflection to be able to make any real conclusions. Collecting Stress data from Children There are two key difficulties with any stress research, both of which are applicable when exploring stress in children. The first central problem is that there is an absence of a common definition of stress and this makes research difficult due to the amorphous nature of how stress can manifest itself in different individuals (Ramsden 2007a). The second, somewhat related difficulty is that the vocabulary used to describe stress is often used loosely or interchangeably. It is not uncommon to read in books and research papers subsequent paragraphs using terms such as stress, anxiety, and worry to describe similar aspects of this phenomenon. Furthermore there is a central need to take care when referring to stress in terms of how it would change a personââ¬â¢s demeanor and/ or thought patterns. Stress research refers to stress as both a definition and a symptom. This can be somewhat overcome by trying to establish key differences in terms of relating anxiety as a symptom of stress, in very much the same way as references are made to headaches, depression and irrational thought, all of which may be as a direct result of the stress a person is under. However some research is now suggesting that stress, anxiety and depression are indeed co-variants and the inter-relationship and synonymous presence of all of these problemsà together may indeed be: ââ¬Ë the rule rather than the exception.ââ¬â¢ Compass and Hammem (1996)pg 242 If this comorbidity of anxiety, depression and stress has such strong bonds, then trying to ascertain what the differences are between these manifestations may be an impossible task. If this is the case then the interactionist perspective may indeed be the significant filter that holds such research together. By taking the essence of the Lazarus and Folkman (1984) model, the reason why a person feels they canââ¬â¢t cope is of secondary importance to the fact that they feel they canââ¬â¢t cope with current demands. Furthermore if such feelings of helplessness are born out of, or are exacerbated by, depressive tendencies then this is irrelevant to the basic fact that the individual feels they canââ¬â¢t cope with demands and therefore will be stressed. This tenet must then hold true for stress research into children. It does not seem to matter why the child feels stressed, the fact that they do, means that they are! That is, provided that they understand what feeling stressed i s, which falls back to the central difficulty of how effectively can you measure a phenomenon such as stress within a child when a child may not understand the phenomenon themselves? However, this then leads onto another dilemma. If it can be demonstrated that the children at the centre of the research have obtained a sufficient level of emotional literacy to determine what being stressed feels like, then to collect stress data in children, a methodological choice between two specific models needs to be made. The first strategy for collecting data uses the principle underlined by Selye (1934) that stress is a biological response to the environment and therefore it is possible to use biometric measures such as blood pressure and galvanic skin responses An alternative model such as that proposed by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) uses reflective self analysis to determine the individualââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëperceptionââ¬â¢ of their own stress. This second method can be collected in a number of ways but perhaps the most basic, but not necessarily the most simplistic, is either through questionnaires and/or interviewing the individual themselves. Before these qualitative methods areà discussed it is important to explore the more quantitative methods of data collection in children. Some of these discussion points can be found in Ramsden (2007b) which explores variations in data collection in greater detail, however it does not elucidate how they can be utilized with children and therefore it is worth touching on some of those points again but with specific reference for research with children. Biometric data collection in children If the argument is that children do not have the experiential capability to understand what stress is and the ability to describe accurately how they are feeling, or indeed able to recognise when they are stressed, then it seems plausible to assume that a more standardized, less subjective and fundamentally, a less reflective method of data collection is needed. In terms of stress research, the collection of such ââ¬Ëclinicalââ¬â¢ information must revolve around measuring biological responses rather than a childââ¬â¢s ability to tell the researcher when they are feeling stressed, and how this is different to when they are not feeling stressed. This biological method of data collection has its foundation in some of the earliest research into stress. Some of the very first experiments into the stress response were conducted by Hans Selye (1907-1982), an endocrinologist who conducted his work largely in the first half of the Twentieth Century. In his studies, he used biometric measurements from laboratory rats to determine the level of stress they were under. Selye, who was later given the accolade of the first person to define stress, referred to it as: â⬠a non-specific (i.e. common) result of any demand on the body, whether the effect be mental or somaticâ⬠page 32 (Selye1936) His definition may well have some value here. If we take the stance that young children are indeed unable to identify accurately what stress is, then we should be measuring this ââ¬Ënon-specificââ¬â¢ demand on the body in a purely biological way. It would seem plausible then that by observing children in a primary school throughout a typical day or week, and by taking regularà measurements, there may be a case to correlate variations in biological states at certain times of the day. Collecting data such as changes in blood pressure, pulse rates and sweating may give an insight into times when the body is under stress and when the child is calmer and more relaxed. This information could then be matched with events, observations and activities and correlated to show changes in responses to situations encountered. Using this method it should be relatively easy to find out whether participation in SAT tests or some other social situations, that blood pressure, pulse rates and GSR increase to reflect the physical, and by default, the emotional state of the child, and therefore conclude that this was or was not a stressful event for them. There may be a problem with this type of research however. Apart from some of the ethical difficulties, there is a crucial observation to be made. It could be argued that for children, the actual process of data collection may affect their stress levels. It could also be surmised that the actual method of data collection can be as stressful as the event in itself and therefore eradicate any impartiality in the result. There may be echoes here of the ââ¬ËHawthorne effectââ¬â¢ (Roethlisberger & Dickson, 1939). Although a concept that has been applied to business models, it is worth exploring a little here. First established by Elton Mayo, Fritz Roethlisberge r and William J. Dickson who saw it as: ââ¬Ëa temporary change to behavior or performance in response to a change in the environmental conditions.ââ¬â¢ Roethlisberger & Dickson (1939)., page14 This definition is a salient one in this discussion. It could be argued that even if the outline of a study was not described to children, and even if the children were not aware that they were being studied so closely, there would be a difference in their day because at somepoint some interactions are needed to measure changes to their physiological state. This would be even more prevalent if these changes were happening alongside other stresses such as SAT tests. It seems therefore that by measuring a response, as Shaver (1981) highlighted, evokes close links with the Hawthorne principles. ââ¬ËAlmost no matter what experimental conditions were imposedâ⬠¦.the investigators had obviously influenced the subjectsââ¬â¢ behavior merely by studying that behavior.ââ¬â¢ Kelly Shaver p272 In order to measure stress in a primary classroom then, some continuous measurement needs to happen that can be compared to a baseline. This in itself could be problematic. For some children the basis of their stress and the source of their fears and anxieties may come from the school environment itself. If being in the school itself is a cause of high levels of stress, it would be very difficult to ascertain a baseline to measure relative changes to stress levels in the individual. Studies into autistic children in some school environments (Hiroshi 1991) show that for many individuals school can be one continuous bombardment of stressful events. Extensive studies into school phobia at the primary level (eg: Place, Hulsmeier, Davis and Taylor, 2002; King and Ollendick, 1989) also indicate that it would be very difficult to determine a relaxed state for a baseline. In order to address this quandary, one possible method of data collection would be to use a portable blood pressure (BP) kit for example that would pose less intrusive method that enables an individualââ¬â¢s BP to be taken automatically without the need to stop and prepare for the examination. But this in itself causes problems apart from the physical tightening process of blood pressure being taken, it also serves as a reminder that they are being observed. This could be offset however by having a period of acclimatization where the individual being measured would get used to such routines and this may normalize the influence of the measurements being taken. Studies using adults seem to suggest that repetetive BP monitoring does not interfere with the validity of the data (Georgiades, Lemne, De Faire, Lindvall, Fredrikson,1997; Steptoe and Cropley, 2000) but the evidence to suggest that this is the case in studies using children as subjects is not clear. In the absence of any certainlty as to whether collecting biometric data in children can provide reliable evidence, it is important to explore other ways of gathering primary data from children. Qualitative methods of data collection with children As discussed above, in order to collate qualitative evidence of stress in children, there needs to be a clear understanding of a childââ¬â¢s ability to know when they are feeling stressed as opposed to when they are feeling relaxed. Fortunately for the stress reasearcher in this field, there is now a plethora of commercial teaching materials available to schools on Emotional Health and Well-being. Furthermore with ââ¬ËBeing Healthyââ¬â¢ formally on the national agenda through the Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes (eg Every Child Matters: Change for Children. DfES publication -1110-2004), the PSCHE curriculum in the primary school seems full of opportunities for even the youngest of children to explore their own emotions. It can be said therefore, that pupils in todayââ¬â¢s primary schools are better equipped to discuss their emotional state than they have ever been. It seems fair to assume from this, that there only needs to be some basic ground work teaching to occur to give children the necessary vocabulary and a sense of introspection required to respond to stress-related questions and produce meaningful results. Nevertheless, even with this encouraging notion, it is important that the researcher does not lose sight of the influence they may have when trying to obtain childrenââ¬â¢s views. As with any socio-psychological research, and especially any involving children, ascertaining views on levels of stress or trying to clarify what causes stress does not lead to the adult influencing the responses or the conclusions the child makes about a given situation. This is of particular interest to stress research because of its important in the Lazarus and Folkman (1984) model of Cognitive Appraisal. It is vital, that that the child themself, determines whether a particular situation was stressful or not, rather than the adult implying to the child that it was. This effect is known as ââ¬ËPsychological Causalityââ¬â¢ and is important in stress research with children. Herbert describes this phenomenon as: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦the tendency in young children to attribute a psychological motive as a cause of eventsââ¬â¢ Herbert page 23 (1996) Although Psychological Causality is not usually associated with stress research, it is important to bear in mind that it may be a factor when determining sources of stress in the primary classroom. Especially if this research is conducted in and around other stresses such as SATs, school performances or parentsââ¬â¢ evenings. In order to clarify what these stresses are, further research into this field is needed and would help to clarify the influencing factors of data collection. The use of questionnaires One formal method of collecting quantitative information is the use of questionnaires. Perhaps their greatest strength is that it can provide a fair and rigorous structure to the questioning procedure. By handing out questionnaires to all the children, each child will have the opportunity to answer the same questions as everyone else. This rigidity also allows the researcher the ability to analyse statistically the evidence. The use of questionnaires for children is not uncommon and can provide a useful insight into many research areas. The use of a questionnaire as a method of collecting data from children is not without its difficulties however. The first point and perhaps the most salient is that formalising questions through prose has two basic problems. 1. Do the questions allow children the opportunity to give answers that are meaningful to the research question? 2. Will the wording of each question be interpreted by children in the way the researcher wanted them to be answered? Because of these two issues, It is very important therefore to focus on the wording of these questionnaires so that specific vocabulary such as stress, anxiety, worry and nervousness are not misconstrued by the reader and answered in different ways. It seems that once again a lack of a formal definition of stress hampers validity and structure in research design. It seems that compiling a flawless stress questionnaire is very difficult. Fife-Schaw (2000) takes this notion further: ââ¬ËDesigning the perfect questionnaire is probably impossibleââ¬â¢ Fife-Schaw pg159 Nevertheless, even with such limitations, a questionnaire may be useful in ascertaining information but will need some very careful planning. Bath and North East Somerset Council provide some helpful guidelines in their ââ¬ËChildren in Need Handbookââ¬â¢ on principles for using forms and questionnnaires with children and young people. This information offers advice suggesting that some feedback about the results are done ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦either immediately and/or at a later sessionââ¬â¢, but most importantly in the implementation of the questionnaire to: ââ¬ËAllow plenty of timeââ¬â¢ Bath and North East Somerset Council ââ¬ËChildren in Need Handbookââ¬â¢ (2007) page 47 Giving children enough time to read and process the questions raises a number of key issues, all of which may impact on the validity of the answers collected. Central to these difficulties is the childââ¬â¢s ability to reflect appropriately on their own changing emotional states and determine which events, if any, could be regarded as being under stress. It could be that this variance in what children understand about stress may invalidate results as it may be difficult to ascertain any consistency amongst the data. This could mean that some children need additional or supplementary support in answering the questions. If the questions need to be read out or explained to the child then this could influence how the child answers the question. An immediate concern to the researcher therefore, is whether the responses given reflect the childââ¬â¢s true feelings or ones that are dictated by the way the question is received? This difficulty in ascertaining consistency however may not be such a diffcult obstacle in collating data as it could be in other areas of research. Once again the Cognitive Appraisal model is able to lessen these problems. If the assumption is that all primary children have a ââ¬Ëbasicââ¬â¢ understanding of what stress is and how it affects them, then any referenceà to feeling anxious, stressed and or upset in a particular sitaution is pertinent to their ââ¬Ëassessmentââ¬â¢ and therefore their perception of the situation. This data can then be used qualitatively by the use of any ââ¬Ëthematic analysisââ¬â¢ technique to attribute feelings associated with the notion of stress, irrespective of the possible misuse of language by children. It seems that using markers or coding systems can help capture a variety of words used and still maintain an acceptable level of structure to the analysis of the data. The questionnaire may also need some modification in the format according to the childââ¬â¢s developmental stage (Sadock and Sadock 2000). Given all of these variables and constraints, perhaps the more flexible method of collecting data would be to talk to the children directly. Interviewing children Interviewing children needs careful handling. Chan highlights the difficulty children have when answering open ended questions such as ââ¬ËHow did you feel ?â⬠to unknown adults, indicating that many may respond with a passive response such as ââ¬Å"I donââ¬â¢t knowââ¬â¢, Chan (2005). Conversely in an interview scenario, Breakwell highlights the problem of ââ¬ËAcquiescence Response Biasââ¬â¢ (ARB) when asking children direct or closed questions such as ââ¬ËDid you feel stressed?ââ¬â¢ She feels that the ARB often leads a child to say ââ¬Å"Yesâ⬠to any question posed by an adult, irrespective of their own true feelings. Her advice however may not necessarily be helpful given Chanââ¬â¢s perspectives. Breakwell (2000) advises: ââ¬ËQuestions should be posed so that they are not open to a yes ââ¬â no responseââ¬â¢. Page 245 How then can a researcher obtain collectable data on levels of stress in children that has some validity? The answer to this may be by looking closer to the research subjects. The age of the child is going to be important and can affect the structure of the interview. In some cases it may be necessary to have an adult in with the researcher who can be used for moral support but the choice of the adult needs very careful thought. The ââ¬ËSave theà Childrenââ¬â¢ organization issue a very clear message about the sensitivity needed when choosing this person. ââ¬ËEnsure that adults are out of the way ââ¬â except for the translator and perhaps a project worker, teacher, or another adult that the child knows and trusts.ââ¬â¢ Taken from Save the Children/ ââ¬ËInterviewing childrenââ¬â¢ (2007) accessed on the web 17.11.07 In some cases however, especially where children are older and more confident in their social interactions, it may be sufficient to interview the child on their own but in a less formal and more relaxed environment. Furthermore, whether adults are present or not, the interviewer should not limit themselves to interviewing and/or questioning by the use of words alone. By structuring the communications around other activities it may be possible to elicit emotional responses through activities such as play, drawings or model building Gabarino and Stott (1989). Whatever the technique used to interview children, and whatever the age or developmental stage they may be at, it seems the central responsibility of the researcher is to make the child feel at ease with the information-giving process. It should be a central skill of the researcher to design an environment where natural, or as close to natural, observations can be made. The research design should take into account where children feel at ease in giving information to adults. It is fortunate for many pedagogical researchers that school environments are constantly interloped by adults seeking answers to questions. It would seem common in most Primary Classrooms that professionals such as Ofsted, Educational Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists are more of a visible part of the school environment than ever before. At least for research purposes, it seems that children are used to being observed by visitors in school in one capacity or another and where childrenââ¬â¢s voices are being sought over some issue on a regular basis. Conclusion It seems that those parental opinions voiced in the playground or in lines at the local supermarket echoing dismay that school is ââ¬Ënot what it used to beââ¬â¢ are correct on one level. Primary school environments today are more attuned to assessments being made and where adults conducting observations are more commonplace. Classrooms are regular hosts to a whole variety of adults making some evaluative judgments on one issue or another. Children are required to prove themselves in one academic discipline or another at all ages and where children are given numerous and onerous responsibilities in and out of a school environment. Stress in our society is pervasive, it touches the lives of almost everyone and it would seem that age is no barrier to stress being present, even in the youngest of subjects. Therefore if we need to consider whether children are suitable subject for stress research, it would seem that there is no reason why a well structured, ethically sound study on stress levels amongst children could not be carried out in any primary school. Children, it would seem, are well equipped in the modern primary classroom to cope with the rigors of such scrutiny. References Bath and North East Somerset Social & Housing Services (2007) ,Children in Need Handbook, P.O. Box 3343,Bath.BA1 2ZH Breakwell.,G.M(2000) Interviewing. Taken from Breakwell.G.M, Hammond.S and Fife-Schaw, C Research Methods in Psychology. Sage Publications Brennan.E, (1993) Street Stress, Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0643. Cannon. W, (1929). Bodily changes in pain, hunger, fear, and rage. New York: Appleton. Chan, R. 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