Business Ethics and Starbucks Essay

1. Starbucks demonstrates a new focus on business ethics and social responsibility by providing health care benefits to their employees, giving to the welfare of the needy, and also by packaging their goods in recycling materials along with any other practices that are beneficial to the company. Starbucks has also demonstrated by improving their dealings with their customers as well as their suppliers. Although this may not bring in additional revenues, the ethical businesses are better recognized and there durability is greater.As long as Starbucks can continue to gain trust in the customers, it will allow them to have a strong bond with them also. 2. I feel that Starbucks has been concerned with social responsibility in its overall corporate strategy because for one reason it is a popular business and it helps the image of the company to care about the community and the environment. Other reasons Starbucks were so concerned was because of the negative impact on the company. Starbucks has always been engaged in responsible business practice since they first started their operation and they have always spent a lot of time defending their image as well. Several small coffee shops were put out of business due to the clustering strategy. Starbucks decided to refocus their strategy after the 2009-2009 recession. Several locations were closed because of the lack of performance due to the economic depression. Because of Starbucks dedication to their employees and suppliers, they were able to earn their loyalty. However Starbucks were also concerned with social responsibility because it affected all parties involved. The company did achieve social responsibility by taking steps to follow certain guidelines and being involved in the community, which is very important to the company since ethical companies tend to do better in the long run. 3. I think Starbucks has both grown rapidly and mainly because it does provide products and an environment that customers want. Most people don’t know anything about the ethical and social responsibility that Starbucks engage in unless they research their websites. I feel that Starbucks success was due to its strong brand image that had been built over the years. Consumers purchased these products from Starbucks because of the good taste. However people were concerned about being ethical and social responsible when running a business, especially when consumers wanted to enjoy what they were consuming without having to worry about how the products are labored. This company also grew large due to several charity campaigns; such as the partnership between Starbucks and the project Red to raise money for different events. By being a large buyer of Fair Trade certified coffee, in spite of the high cost, they continued to grow as the purpose of fair trades that promotes a better working condition and greater incentives for the mmanufacturers. Starbucks does not only offer quality coffee to its customers, they also have a great atmosphere of the coffee shop. They have given back to the community and earned their trust as well as respect from their customers.

Financial Analysis Sample Questions

Question 1 VMA Limited is a supplier of office equipment in Newport. The company is also listed on the London stock exchange. The traditional company has a board of directors comprising two executive directors and two non-executive directors. It also has two sub-committees, which are the audit committee and nomination committee. The Audit committee is made up of two non-executive directors whilst the nomination committee is made up of two executive directors and one non-executive director. Currently, Sir Williams, the CEO, is responsible for remuneration of the directors. The board of directors is planning to bid for a contract amounting to ? 5million for the provision of office equipment to government schools across Newport for the next five years. However the directors are worried about the company’s liquidity position as this might affect the chances of securing the contract. As the management trainee with a MBA, you have been tasked by the board to prepare a bid proposal based on the following financial information: Additional notes: . Administration expenses include ? 290,000 which is depreciation of non current assets during the year. 2. The company sold an asset which had a net book value of ? 310,000 for ? 80,000. 3. During the year the entity acquired non-current assets costing ? 1,900,000. 4. A dividend of ? 700,000 was declared during the year. Required Preparation of report addressed to the board of directors which includes the following: (a) Stateme nt of Cashflows and its evaluation; (30%) (b) An assessment of the company’s working capital management and; (10%) c) An evaluation of the company’s compliance with the corporate governance code. (10%) Total 50% Question 2 Kapoor Limited is a company that manufactures plastic watches in Chennai. The start-up has been in operation for six months and does not have a decent budgetary system in place. The company owners have asked you to set up a modern budgetary system for the company based on the following information: Additional information: 1. Ninety per cent of the monthly sales for cash. the remainder will be sold on credit, the receivables settling one month after sales 2. Wages are paid sixty percent during the month in which they are earned, forty per cent in the month following. 3. Variable overhead is paid in the month in which it is incurred. 4. Material costs are paid two months after the material is used in production 5. The company will purchase a new pick up truck for ? 14,000 in August. The present truck will be sold in the same month for ? 4,500. 6. The company intends to pay the insurance premium amounting to ? 5,000 in two equal instalments in the month of June and August 7. The depreciation charge of ? 1,000 a month is included in the Fixed overhead. 8. The cash balance on 1 June 2009 is expected to be ? 3,000 in hand. Required Prepare a report to the owners which should include the following: (a) The process of setting up a budgetary system and its significance to the company; (16%) (b) A cash budget for each of the two months commencing 1 June 2009. (24%) (c) An assessment of how to evaluate which customers should receive credit and how of much should be offered. (10%) Total 50%

Ansel Adams life and two analysis of his photographs Essay

Ansel Adams was born February 20, 1902, in San Francisco, California. Ansel took an interest in music at an early age. He taught himself how to play the piano and enjoyed the surroundings of nature. In 1916, he and his parents went on a trip to Yosemite National Park where he received his first camera, the Kodak Box Brownie. His first photographs recorded their vacation. Ansel fell in love with Yosemite National Park and would return every summer. He worked four summers as the caretaker of the park’s club headquarters. During this time, he became an expert mountaineer and conservationist and gained vast of experience as a landscape photographer. Ansel struggled between two professions, photography and music. In 1920, he decided to become a concert pianist. For seven years he gave piano lessons and concerts. After viewing Paul Strand’s wonderful work, Adams decided to switch careers to photography. A short time later, he joined â€Å"f/64†, a group dedicated to the concept of photography that looked like photography, not like an imitation of other art forms. Ansel stands as one of America’s greatest landscape photographers. His career was punctuated with countless elegant, handsomely composed, and technically flawless photographs of outstanding natural landscapes. His strength as an artist is largely attributed to his diligent investigation of the methods of photography, developing a careful darkroom technique of exposure and development he called the Zone System. In each of his images, Adams aimed to vary the range of tones from rich black to whitest white in order to achieve perfect photographic clarity. His reputation has been firmly established by exhibitions in virtually every major American art museum, three Guggenheim Fellowships and a score of publications. One of Ansel’s landscape photographs is Forest of Aspen. Forest of Aspen is an excellent example of chiaroscuro. The focal point is the tree on the left side that looks as if it is illuminated by the sun. Ansel was good at producing black and white photographs that had the whitest whites all the way to pitch black. The tree is a bright white while the rest of the photograph is a variety of grays and blacks. There are several skinny tree trunks behind the bright tree extending to the top and width of the photograph. Some grey leaves can be seen at the vary top of the photograph making the bright tree look like a younger tree. Between the skinny tree  trunks there is black space. The skinny tree trunks are a variety of grays starting from light gray to black as they retreat out of sight. Just to the left of the bright tree there is another tree a bit smaller. This tree isn’t bright, but rather a light gray. Small gray and black shrubbery occupies the lower portion of th e photograph. When looking at this photograph, one wonders how the sun seems to shine only on the small tree located on the left. Another photograph taken by Ansel Adams is Moonrise, CA 1966. This is another example of chiaroscuro. This photograph is looking at the campus of UC Berkeley and the sky. The top of the photo till midway is pitch black. Then in the middle but a little to the left is a small white circle which is the moon. Below the moon is a small section of sky that is still lit up. This section of sky contains scattered clouds. Under the skyline there are silhouettes of several buildings and trees. Some of the buildings details can be seen while others are black. The lower section of the photo is hard to make out. There appears to be a car in the lower right section indicating a possible parking lot. This photo shows excellent representation of the transforming sky from day to night. Ansel captured this transformation in mid-form. The sky contains both the pitch black night sky and the bright white sky with scattered clouds. Ansel Adams was a man who loved photography. He showed this love through countless studies he did with photography. No one could print his negatives the same way he could. Ansel was the best black and white photographer of his time. The ranges of black and white he could print were outstanding. I thought the film that we watched was very dry and dull but the photographs that Ansel Adams took were amazing. He truly was an artist. I have worked a little bit with black and white photography and the variety of color he got from his negatives was truly incredible. I have respect for Ansel because he loved photography. He showed this love through his photographs; and when he died in 1984, he arranged for all his photographs and negatives to go to the University of Arizona. Now his negatives can be observed and even reprinted to help the study of photography continue. This shows that he was a very giving person. He did whatever he could to help advance photography. He even  tested and pro moted the Polaroid Land camera, which he sent over 3,000 memos to Polaroid. Ansel Adams was dedicated to photography.

An investigation of the relationship between CSR strategies and public Essay

An investigation of the relationship between CSR strategies and public affairs in Hungary - Essay Example International guidelines, corporate best practices and a large volume of professional literature have together created the system which today is referred to as CSR. The relationship between CSR and public affairs (PA) has not been sufficiently studied (Nelson, 2008). This seems to be attributed to the fact that the world is coping with a number of complex global and local problems like poverty, population increase, the lack of drinking water, etc. and overcoming these problem poses an increasing challenge for nation states. The sustainability of the economic, social and natural environment is indispensable for the long-term, value creating operation of businesses (Nelson, 2008). As a result of these phenomena and processes, the interests and responsibilities of the state meet the interests related to the sustainable operation of businesses. According to Kargaci-Kovats (2012), CSR is still considered a novelty in Hungary. While, CSR was already a known concept in the country, its popularity gained momentum following the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum in 1990 when the forum made CSR one of their topics or agenda for discussion (Lakatos, 2013). The value of public affairs in CSR relates to the decree passed in 2006 in Hungary with the Promotion of Employers’ Social Responsibility alongside the creation of the National Council of Sustainable Development as supported by the Parliament, its delegates and business as well as science, civic, abd religious representatives. Through the council, various functions were considered. The first function refers to its role in informing the Government about sustainability risks in different proposed legislation and second, the council also takes part in supposting the national sustainability strategies (Lakatos, 2013). Even with political support and sufficient business engagem ent, there is still insufficient elaboration and clarity for Hungarian organizations on what CSR actually covers (Lakatos,

The Best of Intentions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Best of Intentions - Case Study Example Some of the key issues include the following: Business decisions which are made based on race or gender rather than an evaluation of strong or best performance Discriminatory clients or customers influence decision making in the AgFunds company. The issue of minorities is evident with the company having low expectations for blacks becoming successful. The company has made little effort in reforming customer attitudes and supporting their previous minority representatives Racial and cultural differences strongly influence company decisions which show racial biases. Analysis and explanation of decisions will be made based on expert discussions. Researchers agree that Cynthia should offer Steve the job. According to Humphreys et al (2002), Cynthia should give Steve a good list of prospects after finding out the clients. These clients assume that she will not send to them a representative that under performs. Therefore, clients will be more open to Steve. Also, Cynthia needs to act as St eve’s sponsor through working with Steve but at the same time work with others to communicate the high expectations she has for him. This effort may not be successful though because Peter Jones, Cynthia’s boss, believes that the clients are not yet ready for a black person to become their representative. That is why he shows unwillingness to risk proving that he is wrong. Therefore, Peter is denying Steve a chance to prove himself in a cross cultural environment. According to Morris (Humphreys et al, 2002), Cynthia should offer Steve a job because he has the right qualities and he is the best qualified candidate. He states that if Cynthia allows discriminating clients to influence her decision to hire Steve, it may put the AgFunds Company at risk of a discrimination claim. He proposes that strong performance could be a great equalizer in the organizational culture. In this case, some prospective clients may be in need a high performer irrespective of race or gender bec ause the district has been losing customers for fifteen years. Again this might not be possible because of Peter’s paternalism which is rather offensive and lack of effort by the company to change the attitude of customers. Also, the company lacks support to previous representatives considered as minorities. Based on these facts, the causes of lack of effective communication across cultures is the clients’ unchanging attitude and the lack of support and mentorship for representatives from the black minority. Koehn & Leung (Humphreys et al, 2002) work in collaboration on research examining ethical problems that arise during cross cultural interactions. Koehn is for the opinion that Cynthia should offer the job to Steve if she thinks she is the right person. She says that Steve may be in a better position than other sales representatives at AgFunds to handle the Arkansas farmers. This is based on several studies that have shown that minorities who were being treated as o utsiders have often outperformed others in handling difficult and stressful situations. However, this might not apply in this case because Peter with other district managers may be already set to push Cynthia into not hiring Steve. Koehn’s and Leung’s research give an example of gender bias in decision making where male executives have over the years argued that female employees should not be given international postings. They argue that nationals

Comparing Two Penetration Testing Methodologies. Penetration Testing Dissertation

Comparing Two Penetration Testing Methodologies. Penetration Testing versus Vulnerability Assessment - Dissertation Example Penetration testing methodology explains the roadmap by defining the practical ideas and practices that have been proven and have to be applied with great care so as to ensure that the security system is assessed correctly. This penetration testing process can be conducted either independently or as an IT security part of risk management included in regular lifecycle development such as Microsoft SDLC. It is important to consider that a product’s security depends on both the IT environment related factors and the specific security practices. This includes appropriate security requirements implementation, risk analysis performance, modeling threat, reviews on code, and security measurements that are operational. PenTest is regarded as the final and the most aggressive means of security assessment practiced by professionals who are best qualified either without or with prior information on the system being examined. This process can be used in the assessment of all the infrastru cture components of IT including network devices, applications, communication medium, operating systems, human psychology as well as physical security. The penetration testing output normally includes a report that is usually divided into sections that are filled with information on the weaknesses identified in system’s current state and the section is then followed by the appropriate counter measures and the possible recommendations. This means that penetration testing methodological process offers benefits that are extensive to the pentester ensuring a better understanding and enabling a critical analysis of the integrity of the existing defenses in every testing stage (McGraw, 1999, p. 45) Penetration Testing versus Vulnerability Assessment Since the start of the rapid growth of the IT security industry, there has been an increase in the intensive diversity numbers when it comes to understanding as well as practicing the most suitable security assessment processes and term inologies. That trend has not left out non-commercial organizations and companies who in most cases confuse or misinterpret the process and regard the process as contradicting specific security assessment types. Vulnerability assessment is regarded as the process through which both the external and the internal security controls are assessed through the identification of the threats that may result in serous exposure of the assets of a given organization. This infrastructure process technically evaluates the points indicating existing defenses risks and goes ahead to recommend as well as prioritize the possible strategies that can be applicable for remediation. A vulnerability assessment carried out internally offers a securing assurance for the internal systems while the assessment conducted externally demonstrates the perimeter defenses security. In both this testing, each network asset undergoes a rigorous testing that is normally against attack vectors that are multiple in an ef fort to identify threats that are unattended to and try to justify the reactive measures. Depending on the assessment type, unique sets of tools, processes and techniques used in the testing are followed in order to identify and detect information assets vulnerability in a fashion that is automated. This is easily accomplished through the use of a vulnerability management podium that is integrated enabling it to manage vulnerabilities database that

Research entry on John Rawls Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Entry on John Rawls - Research Paper Example On November 24, 2002, the entire American nation encountered the sad demise of John Bordley Rawls. Rawls acquired his dignified professorship degree of James Bryant Conant University from the Harvard University (Wenar 1). He also successfully attained his achievement of Fulbright fellowship at Christ Church, Oxford. Rawls also got several awards of honor and admiration for his services for America. Being truly deserving, Rawls was given Schock Prize for his Logic and philosophical intellect. In 1999, he was given a Medal of recognition for keeping up the spirit of American democracy. Two famous theories of Rawls are ‘Theory of Justice’ and ‘Law of People’. Rawls believed that there was no valid existence of conflict between equality and justice. He tried his level best to clear the opposing pictures of freedom and equality that were developed within the assumptive minds of people. Via his theory of Justice, in 1971, Rawls tried to recreate the prevailing concepts of equality and freedom, and explained to the entire nation that both of the notions have overlying attributes. Both are not perpendicular, in fact they run parallel to each other (Iep.utm.edu 1). Both can together generate an intense power of union that would always have utter fair and just consequences. This theory unfortunately did not bring out much impactful effects as expected. Practically, it wasn’t that balanced and one claim always out ruled the other. Late during his career, Rawls perceived the devastating impact of the international politics those days. Therefore, he outlined the ‘Law of People’ and stated that people having moral values are either ‘liberal’ or ‘decent’ (Wenar 1). He could foresee the excruciating consequences of decent minorities if ways of handling politics were not changed. Law of People was to protect the rights of participation of minorities in the elections as the political scenario was targeting the deprivation of decent people from

Ethical Issues and Application of Ethics Theories Case Study

Ethical Issues and Application of Ethics Theories - Case Study Example Similarly, Carly also wants to show the work of young artists in his museum as it was a success in a museum in London. This will affect both Z museum and Carly as a successful show will increase the rating of the museum and will help them become a popular place. Similarly, Carly will also benefit by controlling a successful museum as his standing and worth will increase. The other stakeholder in the case is Jeremy Q. Jeremy Q is going donate a good sum of money to museum in an attempt to increase recognition in the corporate sector, which will give him chance to attract a corporate sponsorship for his collections. So, he may also be affected greatly by the success of the show. M's will also not remain unaffected by the show. They have been forced to become a stakeholder by the persuasion of Jeremy and Carly. Both have offered them to use their services in future if they sponsor the show. This means future financial gains for M's if show becomes a success. Similarly, young painters wi ll get exposure and there may be a change that the success of their painting in the show may lead them to fame. These were some of the stakeholders and how ethical or operational issues impact these stakeholders. According to Manuel Velasquez, Teleology theory states that what make an action good or wrong are the consequences of that action. For example, a "right action" always leads to right consequences and vice versa. In our case, all the stakeholders were working for their own benefits. For example, Jeremy wanted publicity and corporate sponsorship for his collections. Similarly M's wanted more business opportunities in the future and Carly wanted to enhance his reputation. In surge of their own benefits, all the stakeholders were working for the success of Z museum. However, according to Teleology theory, this self-interest is justified as long as the final target is achieved, that is the success of Z museum. However, if the Museum fails to put on a great show, the actions of these stakeholders would be classified as unethical or wrong actions, as suggested by this theory. Similarly, Manuel Velasquez defines Deontology theory as "it is not the consequences but the motivation behind thes e actions that determine the actions right or wrong". In our case everyone was lacking the real spirit and working for their self-interest or personal success (2009). Hence, their actions, according to deontology theory were wrong as they were not working for the success of the Museum, which was the main target, but instead everyone was seeking growth in his own personal stature. However, one cannot classify this behavior as truly negative behavior. According to Shaw, egoism theory sets the personal achievement and pleasure as the main goal for one's actions. The behavior of the stakeholders can be justified if their actions are viewed in the light of this theory. The director was working for his growth in reputation, Jeremy for his publicity, M's for future business. All of them were indirectly putting their efforts for the success of the show at the Museum. Their actions are justified by the egoism and Teleogical theories but, their actions cannot be considered as totally ethical under deontology (2005). In order to analyze the costs and benefits of these actions to Z

Ups and downs of Jaguar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ups and downs of Jaguar - Essay Example In congestions, most people leave their vehicles on when stationery. This leads to the inefficient use of engines and is a waste of petrol or diesel, which as we all know, we cannot afford at the earth’s current environmental state. Waste of time and energy. Congestion is nothing but a waste of people’s time and energy. Whether they are travelling to and from work or for any other reason, it only tires and stresses everyone out. Wear and tear to roads. Due to the standstill traffic, Congestion causes a lot of wear and tear to the roads as opposed to if there is free flowing traffic. Damage to health. Congestion causes a lot of damage to people’s physical and mental health due to breathing in pollutants and being stressed out due to the congestion. (bized.co.uk) Jaguar also produces the Externality of pollution, which as discussed above, is a strain on people’s health as well as is supposed to be a cause of Global Warming. In our current state, we cannot af ford to cause any more damage to the earth. JAGUAR: The Production Process Jaguar has developed a complete vehicle recycling program, around design-for-recycling guidelines, increased use of recycled material, and reducing hazardous materials, as part of their production process. They have taken this measure, due increased environmental awareness and an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint. . By means of this program, car manufacturers and importers of new cars in the United Kingdom take back vehicles that they put on the market at the end of their life ensuring that they are treated in an environmentally responsible fashion. This reduces the impact of negative externalities on the nation. The De-pollution process: Jaguar is working hard to remove its negative externalities by going... The most obvious way for the Government to levy some sort of control over negative externalities such as pollution, is to set a limit for every production house with regards to how much they can pollute. Crossing over the set pollution limit will give them a fine. This will lead production houses to opt for more green or environmental friendly production machinery and invariably help in reducing the negative externalities. The government must also take care to help reduce externalities like congestion. To do this they must improve the country’s public transport system and encourage people to use it rather than all of them taking out their cars. Also, they must launch campaigns that encourage car pooling and such. These measures, though quite little can effectively help curb pollution and congestion. Effectiveness of Externality Control Jaguar has taken into account the negative externalities in terms of pollution and wastage and has taken steps to negate them to a certain extent. By undertaking the de-polluting process for cars that they have introduced, they are ensuring that they do something for the environment. Also, this shows a good step towards environmentalism and shows that as an organization, Jaguar is not just interested in making profits. The measures that they have taken seem to be effective and will guide the way to a better, greener way of living. Jaguar has grown from strength to strength and has moved from Britain to India, but they know what they are doing and how it will benefit them as well as the environment.

EMG muscle activity in various rehabilitation exercises Research Proposal

EMG muscle activity in various rehabilitation exercises - Research Proposal Example In their analysis, the pressure an individual suffers on the joint of his or her knees is four times the body weight of an individual (Rubin, 2000; Sing, 2012). This is an indication that an everyday pressure on the knees can result to pain (Vogt, 2011). However, there are a number of muscle activities or exercises that can help in the reduction of this knee joint pain. This research aims at identifying these exercises and coming up with information that explains their effectiveness in the reduction of pain within the knees of an individual. This research will use the quantitative methods of data collection. The specific method to be used is the electromyography (Creswell, 2003). Electromyography is a diagnostic procedure that medical experts use for purposes of assessing the health of individual muscles, and the nerve cells which have the capability of controlling the motor neurons. The EMG relies on the motor neurons for purposes of transmitting signals that have the capability of causing muscles to contract (Pons, 2013). The EMG will thereafter transmit these signals into sounds, graphs and numerical values which a specialist will interpret. It is these results that the researcher will use in analyzing and coming up with a conclusion on the best exercise that can be used for purposes of controlling and treating knee joint pains (Subic, 2000). This research will help in understanding this concept of knee joint pains. It will identify different exercises that can be used for purposes of reducing knee pains. In this regard, this research is important because its recommendations can be used for purposes of treating pains on the joints of a

SOAS - University of London Essay Example for Free

SOAS University of London Essay 1. Introduction Barclays PLC is one of the celebrated multinational bank holding companies, which has had a comprehensive international commercial impact in the worldwide. The first Barclays Bank was established on Lombard Street, London in 1862 (Barclays PLC Annual Report 2009), the group total income attained 32.292 million pounds in 2011. This report mainly analyses the environment and strategies of Barclays plc. Vision, Mission and value Vision: Barclays wants to set up an integrated universal banking model, possess diversification by business, geography, client and funding, as well as maintain an unremitting focus on customers and clients. Mission: Barclays Bank aims to â€Å"assistance people achieve their ambitions with right methods† (Barclays.com). Value: As Antony Jenkins, Chief Executive of Barclays Group (Barclays.com) represented, their corporate goal is to become a ‘Go-To’ bank for all stakeholders by setting up their own mode of thinking, working and acting in order to guarantee that consumers’ and clients’ demands are the central of operations. 2. Formal organization Barclays PLC partitioned into four major areas. Barclays Capital (BC) has the highest percentage of total income in the last decade compared to the other branches. BC is the investment banking department, offering clients a full scope of solutions to cater to their strategic advisory, financing and risk management needs. In September 2008, the financial crisis resulted in the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holding Inc  (LBHI), which BC then purchased and incorporated into the investment department, which lead in turn to a substantial increase in BC’s business and impact. Barclays Corporate provides integrated banking solutions to large corporate and financial organization internationally. Barclays Wealth focuses on private and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, fiduciary services and brokerage. Investment Management was sold on 1st December 2009. However it used to manage the Group’s economic interest in Blackrock, Inc and the residual elements relating to Barclays Global Inve stors. Organizational structures Barclays implements the functional structure and product and geographical structure. Leadership is partitioned into three main sections: Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Chief Executive. The Board’s primary duty is to advance the long-term success by creating and delivering sustainable shareholder value. In setting and supervising the performance of strategy, the Board schedules ensure that the system is efficiently and highly administrable. Furthermore, the accurate risk management and regulatory oversight process of the Board are the center of organization, which delivers growth in a controlled and sustainable way. The Board of Directors includes Group Chairman, Chief Executive and non-executive Directors (Barclays Annual Report 2011 p13), their duty is to advise and constructively challenge management and supervise the success of the company. The Board representatives have obligations to the â€Å"day-to-day management of the Group to the Chief Executive† (Barclays Annual report 2011), who is turn in accountable for ensuring that the company is operating efficiently while conforming to the strategy and risk to the requirements. Barclays’ hierarchy clearly delegates responsibility for the management for all tasks. Utilizing functional organization encouraged specialized management and work efficiency, each department performance its functions. Furthermore, district directors are â€Å"responsible for the operation of the division and may be accountable for its profitability† (Hannagan T. 2008 p279), in overseas markets. The latter structure provides adequate control of wide-ranging areas of business and applies to employees with different qualifications, experiences and backgrounds. This structure avoids  over-centralization to a certain extent, allowing it to fit into different markets, due to the f act that the Group must rely on individuals to take actions to improve operations rather than handing down directives. 3. The Environment analysis PESTEL analysis PESTEL framework helps managers to categorize external impacts into six main areas and understand the key drivers of change to adjust the strategy. (Johnson,G. Scholes, K. 2009) Political: The Financial Times (Norris. F 2012) indicated that Barclays had been involved in a political storm owing to suspicion surrounding is manipulation of the London Interbank offered rate (LIBOR). LIBOR is one of the benchmark rates that form the operational bedrock of futures contracts, bulk commodity trading, individual consumption loans and Secured Line of credit. The action of Barclays may affect the policies of Central Banks, for instance Swiss National Bank, Bank of England and European Central Bank (ECB). The outside pressure might threaten the reputation of Barclays, which may encounter extensive lawsuit from the world’s largest banking groups as a result (Treanor J. 30.10.2013). Economic: â€Å"Market conditions in 2011 were particularly difficult as investors’ nervousness over global economic growth prospects grew and concerns about the fiscal deficit of certain Euro-zone countries became acute.† (Marcus Agius Group Chairman 2011) Since the economic resurgence impacted the share prices of banks by the Euro-zone debt crisis, Euro-group leaders committing to a system of enforceable fiscal rules for the repayment of their debt. Moreover, the action of the ECB to provide liquidity support to banks has helped boost confidence and the European downturn has shown a moderate upward trend. Social: Bob Diamond (Barclays Annual Report 2011) mentioned that banks need to become better citizens, not only because out of a sense of pure philanthropy, but also in order to deliver real commercial benefits in a way that creates actual value for society. Moreover, Barclays became the title sponsor of Barclays Premier League and Barclays Singapore Open Golf since 2004 and 2011 respectively. Technological: Barclays has strengthened the programming of IT system for effective, accurate and humanized services. Barclays chief Antony Jenkins has used several presentations to the public to announce his company’s great use of IT techniques that might prevent a ‘colossal mistake’ that would abolish 1,700 operating posts. (Treanor 2013) Environment: Barclays assists renewable energy firms in accessing finance from the capital markets and offers advisory services across the sector. In Ireland (Barclays Annual Report 2010 p27), Barclays has supported the erection of onshore wind farms and has played a strategic financing role in vital energy infrastructure project. Legal: UK promulgated Banking Act at 2009, strengthened the protection of depositors, formulated the bankruptcy institution, improved the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and remedied the institutional deficiency. To sum up, according to the PESTEL, the external impacts such as economic resurgence, social status, legal protection and world investment system are conductive to the further development, since the position and role of Barclays are relatively stable. 4. The strategic fit between the organization and environment Capital strategy and risk management are the core components of Barclays PLC, which aims to achieve the maximization of shareholder’s value. Barclays provides a feasible service by offering sufficient financial support to cover the Group’s existing and forecasted business requirements and correlative risks (Barclays Annual Report 2011 p41). The finance department guarantees that the Group and its legal subsidiaries possess sufficient capital and analyzes the possible hazards that may arise under the stressed conditions. Furthermore, the post-supervision department supports Barclays’ service rating, Group growth, environment changes and market. Risk management is highlighted by the Barclays PLC as one of its most important strategies. Its task is to: Identify and profile the significant risks of management’s new policies, ensure the operability of infrastructure to sustain the business growth, thereby pledging the financial returns remain feasibly deliverable under a range of business situations. â€Å"Optimize risk return decisions by taking them as closely as possible to the business, while establishing  strong and independent review and challenge structure.†(Barclays PLC Annual report 2010) Help executives and advisers improve and explain the further development and market positioning of the Group. (Murphy. D.2007) Porter 5 forces Porter’s diamond focuses on the internal impacts of market by analyzing the level of threats, suggests the inherent reasons why some nations are more competitive than others. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The main suppliers to Barclays are equipment and technology services corporations. However, the bargaining power of these suppliers only represents a medium level of risk. The strategies are covered under building appropriate, strong and stable relationships with suppliers. Bargaining Power of Customers: Customers focus on the future benefits, appropriate human resource of the specific services and probable risks; hence they need some comparison with other banks that also provide the similar banking products. The power represents a medium level of risk. Threat of new entrants: Banking industry is an active business, and as such new entrance into the field could strongly influence the performance of Barclays on different levels, resulting in policy changes. Therefore, new entrants represent an area of high risk. Barclays’ strategies for mitigating this risk emphasize four points: guaranteeing the stability of each branch, enhancing capital usage efficiency, ensuring service quality, and pledging long-time running. Threat of Substitutes: Banking products have homologous functions with diverse emphasis. Consequently, this threat is low for the banking industry. Competitive Rivalry between Existing Players: This item includes regulatory risk and new products development. Regulatory risk arises from an inability to comply completely with the laws, regulations or criterion applicable especially to the financial services industry, such as general changes in regulatory policy, competition and pricing conditions, non-performing loan ratio and local consumers or depositor compensation. This bargaining power is at a high level. To summarize, Barclays should focus on the new entrants and existing competition by improve service and products quality, increase diversity  index, in order to promote market expansion. 5. Recommendations To preserve their position as the market leader, according to the analysis, Barclays needs to monitor the impact of regulatory changes. That might restrict the company’s project activities, results in the growing accounting cost and may impact the overall income of the Group as well as its social impact. In addition, introducing a non- risk leverage assessment system based on the value chain and risk management, available for evaluate the feasibility of the strategies and capital budgeting. Moreover, Barclays must improve their credit rating, as the scandal directly affected the investors’ psychology and the risk perceived by the public, resulting in a crisis of confidence. 6.1 References Barclays (2009) Barclays Annual Report 2009 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/annualreport09.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2010] Barclays PLC Official website Available at: http://www.barclays.co.uk Norris, F. (2012) The New York Times: ‘Bank’s Ability to Rig Rates Shows Need for Change.’[Online] Available at: http://www.cn.nytimes.com [Accessed 12th July 2012] Johnson, G., Scholes, K.,(2009) Exploring Corporate Strategy, London; FT. Prentice Hall. pp65. Treanor, J. (2013) The Guardian: ‘Barclays assisting with investigation into currency market manipulation’, [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/30/barclays-cooperating-investigation-manipulation-currency-markets [Accessed 30th October 2013] Barclays (2011) Barclays Annual Report 2011 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/annualreport11.pdf [Accessed 08th March 2012] Treanor, J. (2013) The Guardian: ‘Barclays warned of ‘colossal mistake’ with plan to cut 1,700 branch jobs’. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/nov/14/barclays-warned-mistake-cut-17 00-branch-jobs [Accessed 14th November 2013] Barclays (2010) Barclays Annual Report 2010 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/ammia;report10.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2011] Hannagan, T.,(2008). Management- concepts Practices, London: FT Prentice Hall. PP279 Murphy. D.,(2009). Understand Risk: The Theory and Practice of Financial Risk Management, London: Chapman Hall/CRC. PP39-46 6.2 Bibliography Ackrill M. Hannah L. (2011) Barclays: The Business of Banking, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Alan, M. (2008) The Oxford Handbook of International Business. New York: Oxford University Press. Campbell, D. Stonehouse, G. Houston, B. (2008) Business Strategy. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd Press. Economist: www.economist.com Observer: www.theguardian.com Barclays (2012) Barclays Annual Report 2012 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/ammia;report12.pdf [Accessed 8th March 2013]

Nurture debate in relation to the development of an individual Essay Example for Free

Nurture debate in relation to the development of an individual Essay The major debate concerning nature and nurture has been going on for decades and is still unresolved. Many people like to believe what we have inherited and our genes are what make us unique (the way we are and how we develop). Other people believe that the way we are raised and our experiences, that make us the way we are and how we grow. Physically the way we are built and look can be mainly due to nature. The genes that we inherit from our parents make the way of we look. For example, people say ‘Don’t you look like your mother?’ Genetic inheritance can define our eye colour (blue or hazel), whether we have straight or curly hair or how small we might be. We could also inherit certain genetic diseases which can seriously impact on our health. Though, we can still make decisions on how we look and how we change our appearance. There are multiple different cosmetic procedures available to alter our look. How we choose to live out our life and the choices that we make can have an influence on how we look. For ex, constantly eating junk food and not doing any exercising could lead to obesity. The environment that we are raised in and the experiences we go through can influence our health which contributes to physical growth. An ex of how nature and nurture can affect our physical growth is; we might carry genes that could lead us to be in danger of developing type 2 diabetes, but if we were to eat a healthy diet and get ample exercise , we might not develop the disease. Nature: Jades mother’s childhood was very unlike to what it is today, her life could have been called a difficult life, and her mother was bought up on her own by her own mother as her father died when she was 6 months old. As she grew up without a father figure in her life she closed herself off emotionally from males in general. Jades mother grew up around a lot of uncles and aunts so she was always well looked by her family. Jade grew very close to her gran over the years as she wasn’t getting the attention she wanted off her mother, as she had gotten remarried she had become very distant. When her gran died jades mother was very alone, she hardly ever spoke to her mother apart from at meal times and after she’d get in from being out with her friends. This got increasingly more awkward as time went on as the new husband never showed her any kindness so her mother stayed out  to avoid the arguments. Nurture: Where jades mother spent a lot of time in hospital during her life she was also slower to develop as a person as she wasn’t with her friends often enough to have developed personality traits. As she got older she started staying out overnight and going to parties where there would be lots of alcohol, drugs and sex. She also began hanging out with the older boys and girls; this meant that she was developing at a much faster rate than what she would normally have done. The environment that the she was raised in was very tranquil, peaceful and gentle neighbourhood; there was barely ever any trouble around where she grew up. Nevertheless as she got older she began to get more curious about the rough area’s around where she lived later on during her life she found herself surround by people who lived in these rough areas. This altered the way she saw her own life and what she has been taking for granted. Evaluate how the nature and nurture debate in may affect the p hysical, intellectual, emotional and social development of two life stages of the development of your chosen family member Nature As each cell in the body contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, one chromosome from each pair is inherited from your mother and one is inherited from your father. These chromosomes contain the genes you inherit from your parents. There may be different forms of the same gene. These different forms are called alleles. For example, for the gene that determines eye colour, there may be an allele for green eyes and an allele for hazel eyes. You may inherit a hazel allele from your mother and a green allele from your father. In this instance, you will end up with hazel eyes because hazel is the dominant allele. Those different forms of genes are caused by changes in the DNA coding. The same holds true for medical conditions, there may be a faulty gene that would result in a medical condition, and a normal version that might not cause any health anomalies. If your child ends up with a medical condition it will depend on certain biological factors including: What genes they inherit, whether the gene for that condition is dominant or recessive, their environment, including any treatment they may receive a genetic disease or  disorder is the consequence of changes, or mutations, in an individual’s DNA. A mutation is an alteration in the letters (DNA sequence) that makes up a gene. It’s more commonly referred to as a â€Å"spelling† mistake. Gene codes for proteins, the molecules that carry out majority of the work, perform most life functions, and make up the majority of cellular structures. When a gene is mutated so that its protein product can no longer carry out its normal function, a disorder can result. Genetic diseases can be inherited because they are mutations in the germ cells in the body the cells involved in passing genetic information from parents to offspring. Genetic diseases can also result from changes in DNA in somatic cells, or cells in the body that are not germ cells. Some genetic diseases are called Mendelian disorders they are caused by mutations that occur in the DNA sequence of a single gene. These are normally rare diseases; such as Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis. Many genetic diseases are multifactorial—they are caused by mutations in several genes compounded by environmental factors. Some examples of these are heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Adolescence: Physical Social development: Nurture affected the physical and social development of Katherine’s mother Emma. During her adolescence phase Emma thought that she’d have to change the way she looked to fit into society (as she was obese). Emma began to blame herself and others because of the way she looked, she has had to face a ton of criticism from her close family and some friends; as they used to say stuff like â€Å"you’ve got such a pretty face but if you lost a bit of weight you’d be so much better off†. Throughout this time Emma looked towards the rest of her friends for acceptance which meant that to fit in with them she had to have the same stuff that everyone else had (clothes, technology etc.). This was obviously very difficult because of the fact she was quite overweight she couldn’t purchase the same type of clothes that her friends wore; this made her stand out of the crowd which gave her that extra  attention that she didn’t want. Emma spent a lot of time trying to fit in during her teenage years but she found out being herself was more important than losing who she was just to fit in. Emma stayed up late chatting with her friends. A lack of sleep could also affect our body; it would increase blood pressure and cholesterol level, increase stress hormones, etc. Sleep is really important, at this age as she should be having at least 7-9 hours of sleep. Intellectual development: Nature affected Emma intellectually throughout this period as Emma wasn’t really sure on what type of career she wanted to do, however after some thought she decided she wanted to that pursue a career that would evolve helping the elderly. She accomplished in getting a job whilst being at school as this would help her to develop some new skills and allow her to make her own money, although she knew that wasn’t the career path she wanted to stay in. Emma also began to volunteer at a care home; this is what helped her to decide on what career path she wanted to go down. Emotional development: Nurture also affected Emma emotionally during her adolescence; Emma had poor self-image and low self-esteem. She also began to resent her friends and her mother as they both wanted her to be someone that she was not, when it was clear that she was never going to be able to keep the act up forever. During adolescence Emma began to question her own self-worth as some friends were also making snide little comments whilst her back was turned. Emma began to hang around with men as she went into this life stage as she thought that they were a lot less cruel. The boys accepted her more as part of their group so she began to build up her self-image up again, giving her more confidence and self-belief. Adulthood: Physical development: Emma was affected by nature during her adulthood. During her adulthood she discovered that she was at risk of developing a variety of different genetic diseases (diabetes type one, lung cancer, breast cancer, asthma etc.). Emma  also discovered that she may not be able to have children of her own because she has Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which sometimes genetic. If any relatives, such as your mother, sister or aunt, have PCOS then the risk of you developing it is often a greater chance than usual. As she began to get older her hair began to get darker and she began to get grey bits through her hair, she also has had more problems with her teeth as they are falling out or being damaged due to decay. As she got older she also began to put on weight as her metabolism started slowing down. During this life stage Emma became pregnant with Katherine and there were some complications during the birth as she had to have caesarean due to preeclampsia. Intellectual development: Emma was less influenced by nature as an adult as she can make her own choices and decision. When she was deciding on what course is she was going take after finishing secondary school, she knew what she wanted to do after volunteering in elderly care home. When she turned 20 Emma got her first job in a care home she was working double shifts because of the love that she had grown towards her job. After working in a care home for the terminally ill, my mother decided that she wanted a change her job outlook and she started working in a domestic abuse centre for women. When Emma became pregnant with me she started doing hairdressing from home. This was more of a hobby for my mother as she would only do family or close friends. She had had to give up her job at domestic abuse centre because it would have meant putting Katherine in danger and the people at the centre wouldn’t allow it. Emotional development Social development: Emma was both emotionally and socially affected by nurture. Emma was influenced by friends and new work colleagues in adulthood, as you grow more work connections as you get older. Emotionally she began to ponder about life as a teenager, and recognized that the choices she made were the best for her. When Emma reached this life stage she found love and spent 20 years with Katherine’s father which ended after attempting to save their relationship for 2 years. Their relationship had been very successful for 18 years, but after Emma’s mother died he began to try to control her. Emma found it very difficult to deal with after her mother died as she had a few  regrets about the way their relationship ended. Emotionally Emma also found out that after her mother died that she could inherit a variety of genetic diseases. This made it hard for Emma to focus on the positives after splitting up with my father and her mother dying. Socially Emma relied on her friends a lot more as she got older as her family didn’t really contact her after her mother had died. Emma had several best friends that were there to support after her relationship had ended and her mother had died.

Learning Is A Continuous Process Education Essay

Learning Is A Continuous Process Education Essay It is said that Ignorance is Bliss. If that be the case, one may wonder why people seek knowledge. This is because Knowledge is Power. That is why everyone is in pursuit of knowledge. Acquiring / up gradation of knowledge is known as learning. Learning is a continuous cyclic process. It starts from what one knows. It goes towards what one wants to know. The cycle is as shown below [1] In the process of learning, one picks up from what others know and some times one learns from ones own experience. Many times the success in life comes through learning new skills, knowledge, capabilities and attitudes. If we narrow our concern to the success of learning process in educational institutions, the success cannot be measured as a simple parameter. The success may be seen immediately or it may be felt at a later date. Success may be felt by an individual or it may be felt by the society. In many societies, education is seen as cost center and not as profit center. Governments in the world spend huge sums of money to educate their population. Generally these investments are made currently with an eye on future generations of the society. All along lifetime of mankind, education and continuous up- gradation of knowledge have been contributing to development of society. In a broad sense the following parameters can form the basis of measuring the success of learning: Knowledge gained Skills up-gradation Decision making capability Attitudinal change Ability to shoulder responsibility Problem solving capability Judgmental capability II LEARNING PROCESS Many principles are used to accelerate learning process [2]. Learning style depends on students preferences, students information processing capability, personality, social interaction tendencies, cultural diversity in the learning place and instructional methods. It may be difficult to model learning process precisely. There is a lot of disagreement between the educators and psychologists in the understanding of learning process. However, they agree that learning can be explained by the combination of two approaches namely, behaviorism and cognitive theory. Some of the principles that affect learning are readiness, exercise, effect, primacy, intensity, recency and perception. The factors that affect perception are physical organism, basic need, goals and values, self concept, time and opportunity and element of threat. There are four levels of learning namely, Rote learning, understanding, application and correlation. Higher levels of learning take place in cognitive domain, affecti ve domain and psychomotor domain. However, any knowledge / skill learnt are liable to be forgotten if not used regularly. There are methods for retention of what is learnt. The methods are praise, recall by association, favorable attitudes, meaningful repetition and leaning with all senses. Learning or acquiring of knowledge, skill etc are aimed at enhancing a persons decision making capability, problem solving ability, judgmental capabilities, ability to shoulder responsibilities and above all confidence of that person. Since learning is an important aspect of students lives, it becomes all the more important for us (teachers) to concentrate on different learning processes and various teaching methods that can bring about the required change in the students for maximum benefits. From the understanding of learning process, we understand that teaching involves transfer of knowledge, belief, skill, understanding, experience, values and preferences from the teacher to the taught. While undertaking any teaching assignment, the teacher is interested in knowing he sure methods of success in achieving the required goal of transfer of knowledge etc. There is no specific fool-proof method for available for the same. The success depends on the subject taught and methods employed. If one method has failed, the teacher must find another that can facilitate transfer of maximum information. In short, teaching is not considered to be a science and it is recognized as an Art. III PEDAGOGIES Different pedagogies are used for teaching different subjects. The well known, time tested standard and traditional pedagogies are chalk and talk, demonstration, tutorials, experiments and questions. But it has been found that these pedagogies fall short of expectations. So, there have been efforts to identify more effective novel strategies for teaching. We shall discuss some of the novel pedagogies and some of e-learning methods. Recent pedagogies include Role play, learn while you play, Learn through games, promoting Lateral thinking, Discovery learning, Cooperative learning, Case studies and Peer teaching. More recent methods are e-learning and m-learning pedagogies. We shall discuss each of these in detail. 3.1 Role Play Role play as a pedagogy has been in use for some time now [3]. It has been recognized as an effective learning tool especially for development of attitudinal skills. It exposes the participants to different views / perspectives for the same situation. All the participants may have gone through the theory of situations and how to react to such situations. However, in practice, one may find himself / herself wanting. Role play lets the participants go through the experience and to understand what different people may think / do at the same situation. In a role play a scenario is explained through a brief given to set of players. Each player may have been given different responsibilities and with different goals / objectives. There may be roles with conflicting interests as in the real life scenario. As the players play out the scenario, the possible obstacles in any ones plan are unfolded. Each one learns about the others ideas and each player gains more insight in to real life situati on. The result is the rich experience gained by all. 3.2 Learn while you play This pedagogy is use in use since kindergarten scheme of education is in vogue. This pedagogy is used mainly to help children get out of their homesickness in to a system of education. The system is use from 19 Century [4]. The pedagogy is useful in making even the reluctant child to join his / her friends in learning the basics of language / numbers. It has been found to be very effective across large societies. One of the reasons for this pedagogy to be successful is that it makes learning an interesting activity. It can possibly be beneficial if the same pedagogy is extended o higher learning also, specifically for learning skills. 3.3 Learn through games This pedagogy is very much useful for learning management skills. This is practiced in many International Schools of management [5,6]. It was started in 1958. It seeks to initiate reactions (management decisions) from students in a simulated environment. The game(s) can be played by a group of students across the table or it can be played over the Internet. Assisted learning is possible with the teacher providing necessary inputs so the student makes correct decisions. A good example is TOC V6 that can be played over the Internet [7]. The game lets the students to create a company, operate railway lines, plan routes and tariffs, plan advertisement and management strategies based on simulated results. In this game, the player is expected to make management decisions in the spheres of personnel, business planning, marketing and financial management. 3.4 Lateral Thinking The term Lateral Thinking was invented in the year 1967 by Edward De Bono [8]. It lets the students to think out of the box. The practice has been found to be useful in many situations. The website by the author is very useful in understanding the full capabilities of the practice of lateral thinking. In any situation, one can find the way out by simply thinking differently. As an approach, it is beneficial for all students to be encouraged in the art of lateral thinking as they are likely to face different problems than the ones for which they are prepared now. Good example of lateral thinking is the game of crossword. It tries to find an answer to a seemingly difficult statement. 3.5 Discovery Learning It is a good tool to let the students learn new concepts simply by discovering them. It is originally proposed by Jerome Bruner [9]. Discovery Learning is a method of inquiry-based instruction, discovery learning believes that it is best for learners to discover facts and relationships for themselves. This pedagogy allows knowledge to be constructed by the students themselves. In this method, the learner discovers the facts from their past experience and existing knowledge [10]. David Kolb has suggested an experimental learning model in 1984 [11] as shown below. Seymour Papert, a Professor from MIT has said You cant teach people everything they need to know. The best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it [12]. Learning orientations are found to happen in four different domains, namely, Behavior, cognitive, humanist and social domains. Out of these, cognition and recognition are mental processes that get sharpened by learning. Cognition is a complicated process that extends beyond what one sees or hears or smells. It provides understanding and association. For example, when we hear background music, we are able to identify the song and also any event / memory associated with it. 3.6 Case studies In this pedagogy, a single person or a group of persons study a situation or case in the real world. That is, they study a real time problem. It is expected that the person or group is involved in extensive research about the problem. Case studies are very helpful in the fields of Business or medicine. Case studies are useful in bringing out the correlations between events. Many times, case studies are also useful in suggesting suitable ways out of any situation. It helps the participants to weigh the pros and cons of different approaches towards the solution to any problem on hand. The benefits of this pedagogy and the approaches are many [13]. Free samples of case studies are also available [14, 15, 16, 17, and 18]. 3.7 Peer Teaching This has been found to be very effective in teaching students with mixed capabilities. This strategy exploits the advent of ICT (Information Communication Technology) in the field of education. In an UNESCO study conducted at Malaysia, it has been found that this pedagogy is very helpful for students in learning [19]. This strategy has been identified as hands On, Heads On, Hearts On strategy. There are many benefits of this strategy as this makes it possible for the learning to continue beyond the classroom and the examinations. It encourages collaboration among the students. But it must be borne in mind that a good student may not always be a good teacher. Main reason for this strategy to be effective is that we tend to remember [20]: 10% of what we hear 15% of what we see 20% of what we hear and see 60% of what we do 80% of what is done actively with reflection; 90% of what we teach others IV RECENT TRENDS Recent pedagogies are e-learning and m-learning using more of ICT. These strategies are more suited for teaching knowledge or concepts. However, for teaching skills, ones personal experience is the best teacher. For example, one cannot learn to swim from any amount of conceptual teaching from any one. One can learn swimming simply by jumping in to a water body and picking up the nuances of swimming. An analysis of e-learning initiatives of Colleges of Technology shows that majority of the staff members here use prepared study material and starting and maintaining discussion forum in websites. Some of the staff also uses power point presentations for transferring knowledge. However, there are some more e-learning pedagogies that can be made use of. We shall discuss them in detail. 4.1 Animation Animation uses the language of pictures. It is easy to convey a concept through an image than through verbose statements. Image captures the attention of viewers better than the ability of a lecturer to capture the attention of the listener. There are many 2D or 3D animation pictures available for teaching different subjects. It is possible to make the students understand certain time-related concepts better with animation than by regular classroom lecture. Many organizations are involved in development of animation pictures for teaching different subjects. 4.2 Simulation Software Many times, especially in design, it may not be possible to build a particular product and then test it. It may be costly and there may be other problems. So, it becomes advantageous if we can simulate a design and test the same in simulation. More over, a product / design that may give certain results under certain conditions, may give varied results under different conditions. While it may be possible to calculate / extrapolate the current situation, simulation helps the person to find the result without having to create the conditions physically. There are soft wares available for simulating various parameters and finding the results. The student can test his / her design under different conditions. Many simulation packages are available for teaching different subjects. 4.3 Video Lectures This is another method where the student is made to listen to the lectures by an eminent person in a field. The lectures by a reputed person are recorded and are available as video lectures. There are many such lectures available in the Internet [21]. The well known lecture series from Professors of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are available for free down load on any technical subject. These lectures are expected to offer to the student the much needed variety of view on the subject. It must be understood such lectures, though available, are not suited for developing practical skills. 4.4 Audio- visual (AV) lectures These are slightly different from the video lectures. These are useful with additional voice-over. That is, there are practical demonstrations with supporting voice -over instructions. The additional instructions are very helpful in enhancing the understanding of the subject. There are many available, mainly for learning different languages. However, there are a series of AV volumes available for Physical Exercises by Jane Fonda. 4.5 Screen casting and POD casting Some times screencasting helps easy understanding of some subjects [22]. A screen cast is the capture of the computer screen along with accompanying audio (of the teacher) and distributed. It can be viewed through the LAN in screen cast or it can be distributed through mobile network in POD cast. It can be considered to be representation of computer screen over a period of time. It captures changes in the screen for each action. The student, even if he / she has not been attentive in the class to appreciate all the minute points can learn them leisurely at home at a later time. 4.6 Virtual Learning Virtual Reality is the latest technique. It allows the user to experience a simulated Virtual environment in the computer. It calls for use of many gadgets associated with imaginary environments. It helps the student to gain the experience of any situation without having to go through the rigmarole of creating the environment. This is driven by stringent computing power requirements. V CONCLUSION We have considered many pedagogies that can be used in your classroom. After studying all these options, one may wonder if the pedagogy used by that person is the best one. However, it must be borne in mind that a particular pedagogy may be well suited for teaching a particular subject. The same pedagogy may not suit well for teaching other subject. The suitability of the pedagogy is dependent on the following parameters: The subject taught Students capability to understand Students interest to learn Nuances involved in learning that subject The learning environment Compulsion / incentives in learning that subject Language proficiency of teacher and taught We have considered different pedagogies and their relative merits. Only after practice of each of them one can come to a conclusion if it is well suited for any subject. VI References http://www.in-corporate.eu/images/diagrams/learning-process.gif http://www.dynamicflight.com/ Blanter A Blanter , Allee (1997) Applications in Education In the Art of play : Helping Adults reclaim imagination and spontaneity Philadelphia: Bruner/Mazel Taylor Francis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten sbaweb.wayne.edu/~absel/bkl/vol17/17ck.pdf http://www.cmu.edu/corporate/news/2007/features/mgmt%20game.shtml Carnegie Mellon University http://tocgame.sr1.fi/ www.edwdebono.com/debono/lateral.htm Bruner, J.S. (1967). On knowing: Essays for the left hand. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learning-bruner.html Kolb DA 1984. Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall. http://www.papert.org/ http://www.studygs.net/casestudy.htm www.Caseplace.org www.intel.com/business/casestudies/all/index.html http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/company_list.php http://www.schroeder-inc.com/casestudy.html http://ucs.ist.psu.edu/default.asp Tan Tee Hwa, Student Peer Teaching Strategy, Malaysia, UNESCO, Bangkok (2009) ISBN 978-92-9223-251-1 (Print version), ISBN 978-92-9223-252-8 (Electronic version) http://ceupromed.ucol.mx/sptss/introduction.htm www.youtube.com www.educause.edu/eli

Marriage and Power in Othello Essay -- GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Oth

Marriage and Power in Othello  Ã‚   There is more to Shakespeare’s Othello than just the characters in the play. There is a message of power, and who has it, as well as the ones that want it. Two of the central characters in the play are both married. Their "love" for each other is questionable. The message that Shakespeare is sending is not really about "love", but about the power that one holds in the marriage. Two of the main characters in the play are Othello and Iago. Othello who is married to Desdemona, and Iago who is married to Emilia. Both marriages have some similarities as well as some dissimilarities. First to understand the marriages of these four complex people, it is important to find out who these people really are. From that we can understand their actions. The main character, Othello, is a very interesting character. He is bold is every wear. He is an insecure person. His only experiences are the ones that he has had on the battlefield. He is a General who is a strong willed and is demanding, in his own way. He is socially inexperienced, and you can tell by the marriage that is apparent. The way that Othello treats Desdemona. You almost feel as if he has a kind of control over her. When Othello thought and suspected that Desdemona was having an affair, he confronts her. That is then followed by her death. [scene 5 act 2]Desdemona "O banish me, my lord, but kill me not!Othello: Down, strumpet! Desdemona: Kill me tomorrow, let me live tonight. Othello: Nay if you strive- Desdemona: But half an hour! Desdemona: But while I say one prayer!- Othello then proceeds to strangle Desdemona. He was best described as " one that loved not wisely, but too well." It almost seemed as if he had so much love and trusted D... ...Iago and Emilia is as much as a mystery as are the motives of Iago. However it is evident that Emilia loves Iago and tries to make him happy as much as she possibly can. For example when she takes Desdemona’s handkerchief, in attempt to plot with Iago, against Othello. Emilia is a quiet character, however at the end she admits to what she knows, and ultimately it gets her killed. Both marriages portray the role of woman. Both Emilia and Desdemona are under the control of their husbands. They were almost forbidden to speak up. Shakespeare is trying to show that that notion of "love", is not all that it is intended to be. Up until the end of her life, Desdemona defended her husband [act 4 scene 2] "I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.""O, heaven forgive us!". It seems as in all of Shakespeare plays, love always end in a tragedy. This proves to be true in Othello. Marriage and Power in Othello Essay -- GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Oth Marriage and Power in Othello  Ã‚   There is more to Shakespeare’s Othello than just the characters in the play. There is a message of power, and who has it, as well as the ones that want it. Two of the central characters in the play are both married. Their "love" for each other is questionable. The message that Shakespeare is sending is not really about "love", but about the power that one holds in the marriage. Two of the main characters in the play are Othello and Iago. Othello who is married to Desdemona, and Iago who is married to Emilia. Both marriages have some similarities as well as some dissimilarities. First to understand the marriages of these four complex people, it is important to find out who these people really are. From that we can understand their actions. The main character, Othello, is a very interesting character. He is bold is every wear. He is an insecure person. His only experiences are the ones that he has had on the battlefield. He is a General who is a strong willed and is demanding, in his own way. He is socially inexperienced, and you can tell by the marriage that is apparent. The way that Othello treats Desdemona. You almost feel as if he has a kind of control over her. When Othello thought and suspected that Desdemona was having an affair, he confronts her. That is then followed by her death. [scene 5 act 2]Desdemona "O banish me, my lord, but kill me not!Othello: Down, strumpet! Desdemona: Kill me tomorrow, let me live tonight. Othello: Nay if you strive- Desdemona: But half an hour! Desdemona: But while I say one prayer!- Othello then proceeds to strangle Desdemona. He was best described as " one that loved not wisely, but too well." It almost seemed as if he had so much love and trusted D... ...Iago and Emilia is as much as a mystery as are the motives of Iago. However it is evident that Emilia loves Iago and tries to make him happy as much as she possibly can. For example when she takes Desdemona’s handkerchief, in attempt to plot with Iago, against Othello. Emilia is a quiet character, however at the end she admits to what she knows, and ultimately it gets her killed. Both marriages portray the role of woman. Both Emilia and Desdemona are under the control of their husbands. They were almost forbidden to speak up. Shakespeare is trying to show that that notion of "love", is not all that it is intended to be. Up until the end of her life, Desdemona defended her husband [act 4 scene 2] "I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.""O, heaven forgive us!". It seems as in all of Shakespeare plays, love always end in a tragedy. This proves to be true in Othello.

Dangers of Buying Bottled Water Essay -- Food

Water Consider bottled water, have you ever wondered why you bring yourself to spend two to five dollars on a simple bottle of water? Water is one our earth’s very resources, should it be legal to have to purchase water at all? Wouldn’t you consider water a human right? According to TIME, Nestle’ makes $2.2 billion a year off of bottled water. This company and many like it are taking groundwater from local communities at little to no cost, and selling it at inflated prices as â€Å"purified† water. In the state of Michigan, citizens are protesting the outflow of water. They are claiming that groundwater levels are dangerously dropping and becoming unhealthy. When groundwater begins to drop to an unhealthy level that community must begin rationing out water to some how maintain the levels. This leaves children thirsty and mothers frantically trying to find ways to supply such a necessity to their families. It is not fair that these companies, like Nestle’, are permitted to withdraw 210 million gallons of water a year to sell at a profit that is yet to be figured. In this process, sta...

The Lottery: Examples Of Literary Terms, And A Journal Entry Essay

A. 1) The tone, mood or atmosphere in the story begins with that of happiness and euphoria, by setting us up with a wonderful day that most everyone would enjoy. (Quote: â€Å"The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [pg147] ) However, later on in the story, it takes a different tone, and by the very end the tone is that of panic, disdain and fear. (Quote: â€Å"‘It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,’ Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.† [pg 155] ) 2) The conflict in this story is person versus environment (society) And to a lesser extent, person versus person. (Quotes: â€Å"I tell you it wasn’t fair, you didn’t give him time enough to chose. Everybody saw that.† [pg154] â€Å"‘Be a good sport, Tessie,’ Mrs. Delecroix called, and Mrs’ Graves said, â€Å"‘All of us took the same chance.’†[pg153] ) 3) The point of view is semi-omniscient. 4) One example of foreshadowing in this story is when Tessie is late to the draw and everyone is picking on her, this shows you that she is more of a main character and that she is going to come up later in the story. (Quote: â€Å"She came hurriedly into the square†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœClean forgot what day it was’† [pg150] ) Another example is when she gets picked the for the first draw, this again shows us that she is going to come up later in the story again with an important part. And it also re-assures us that the previous foreshadowing was true. (Quote: â€Å"People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson...

Comparison of the first chapters of Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations Essay

In the first chapter of Great Expectations, Dickens uses first person narrative to present a retrospective account of the narrator’s formative experiences. The narrator has obviously matured and learnt much since his days as a young boy, and he recounts his innocent imagination with some humour and disdain: â€Å"My first fancies regarding what they were like, were unreasonably derived from their tombstones.† Here Dickens uses authorial control to present a pitiful account of a lonely, orphaned boy; â€Å"and that Philip Pirrip, late of the parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried.† And the fact that he mentions his parents death in the second paragraph shows just how significantly this has affected the young boy’s life. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen also uses authorial control to immediately inform the reader of the central theme of the book, and establish a humorous, ironic tone. This is done through the famous first line: â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.† but unlike Dicken’s first person narration, Austen separates herself completely from the mind and viewpoint of the characters, using dialogue to show her contempt for the social expectation of marriage: â€Å"‘Oh! Single, my dear to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!'† Austen presents Mrs Bennet as a personification of the first sentence of the book, and uses humour and irony to satirise and mock her. Another comparison between the two first chapters is that Dickens is very descriptive in his opening paragraphs: â€Å"Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles at sea.† whereas Austen does not give any background information on the characters and where they live until the end. At the end of the chapter Austen describes Mr and Mrs Bennet: â€Å"Mr Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice.† and: â€Å"Mrs Bennet was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and certain temper.† This authorial comment tells the reader exactly how to interpret the conversation they have just read, and it also presents a contrast between the two books: as Dickens uses pathos to make the reader pity Pip, Austen makes no attempt to make her central characters likeable. Finally both authors use binary opposition to emphasize the attributes of the different characters. For example in Great Expectations, Dickens contrasts the young, innocent Pip against the old and experienced nature of the escaped convict. When Pip meets the old man he lets his fearful imagination take hold of him: â€Å"‘O! Don’t cut my throat sir,'† I plead in terror. ‘Pray don’t do it, sir.'† which shows just how little understanding of the world Pip has. In Pride and Prejudice Mr Bennet’s mildly sarcastic statements are lost on Mrs Bennet, who’s over enthusiasm makes her oblivious to Mr Bennet’s mocking tone: â€Å"Mr Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.† The disparity between them is amusing, but it is also ironic, as the reader’s first view of marriage in a novel about finding marital happiness is one of a mismatc hed couple that cannot communicate.

Adverse trend and data management Essay

Data accessibility is a necessity in the health care system. â€Å"Data management is the process of controlling the collection, storage, retrieval, and use of data to optimize accuracy and utility while safeguarding integrity† (Hebda & Czar, 2013, p.65). Nursing informatics has changed the accessibility of data and decision-making process. Nursing Informatics is the â€Å"science and practice (that) integrates nursing, its information and knowledge, with management of information and communication technologies to promote the health of people, families, and communities worldwide† (IMIA Special Interest Group on Nursing Informatics 2009). Technology has changed the way information is collected and shared. Interoperability allows to entities computer or human to share data while not changing and maintaining the original meaning data. This paper will discuss how adverse trend may occur and why to investigate further. The data needed to collect, the source, and why that dat a is needed. List of description of data collections methods, how the data affects the adverse trend, explain how the use of technology is used, and a description of the regulatory factors. Adverse trends lead to severe medical errors. A trend that frequently occurs is inconsistency of patient’s knowledge of the dosages or names of their home medications. Frequently on admission when questioning patients they do not recall the name of the medication or dosage. Patient’s that are on methadone need to maintain their dose to decrease with draw symptoms knowing the dosage is important. After reading and learning about other hospitals and having a mater patient index that gives a complete view of the patient’s history. Developing a master patient index that had interoperability to communicate with other pharmacies and clinicians. Master patient index is a database that lists all identifiers to one patient  using all information systems. Using this system would allow access to all patient information. Having access to all patient information would allow you to see the current medications and dosages the patients are taking. This access increases patient safety. In order to initiate a master patient index program the data that would be needed is patient first and last name, social security number, birth dates, and driver license number. Information needed goes beyond demographic information and social security number. Creating a master patient index can decrease errors, view patient history, increase time efficiency, and improve accuracy. Through the master patient index accessing patient medications from pharmacies allows nurses to know the current medications patient’s are taking, and increasing safety. There are many issues of safety acknowledging medication allergies, and contraindication of medications with current medication. The master patient index is highly security, business integrity and confidential. As in any facility HIPPA is the only legal issue. Accessing patient’s records should only be on a need to know basis. Hospital staff that access patient’s record that should not are reprimanded according to the facility hospital. The increasing change in technology has allowed for data accessed at a finger touch. The increasing access can help save a patient life. Data management is helpful in decreasing medical errors, quicker documentation, increasing patient safety, and assist in decision-making process. Data management can assist in recognizing trends, and help create a new nursing process. Master patient index would create a current record of patient’s history for all facilities to view. If a patient came into the hospital unable to speak accessing their health record the master patient index would allow physicians to view the patient medications, allergies, vitals, and retrieval patient’s visits. Reference: Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of Informatics for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals (5th ed.). : Pearson Education, Inc. Sewell, J., & Thead, L. (2013). Informatics and Nursing: Opportunities and Challeges (4th ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. http://www.amia.org/programs/working-groups/nursing-informatics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/healthcare.pdf

I Am Ot Esther

In the novel â€Å"I am not Esther†, by Fleur Beale, a character I admired was Kirby. I admired her because she kept strong after her mum abandoned her, she helped Maggie and developed a strong relationship with her, and she left The Fellowship to find her mum and get her life back again. Firstly, I admired Kirby because she stayed strong when her mother abandoned her. Kirby was a complete mess about what happened, but she stayed strong as best as she could and tried get on with the change of lifestyle that was made to her.Kirby did find it hard, but she found a way to deal with it and not be so depressed. Maggie and Daniel helped with this, as Kirby felt less alone with their kindness. â€Å"I'm Kirby, I yelled. I'm not Esther for God's Sake! â€Å". This shows that Kirby is staying true to herself and staying strong with who she really is and that she will not let them change her identity completely. Another reason why I admired Kirby is because she helped Maggie become a happier child and she developed a strong relationship with her.The first time Kirby observed the Pilgrim family praying, Maggie stood out to Kirby because of how young she was, also by seeing how upset it made Maggie when they prayed, and Kirby knew it was wrong and felt sorry for her. Kirby then started to spend more time with Maggie and develop a bond between them, which made the two of them happier and stronger together. â€Å"Come along princess. Come and show me how to get into these funny clothes. This is showing that Kirby is wanting to start a good relationship with Maggie, and that she wants Maggie to be a happier child living with their religious ways. Lastly, I admired Kirby because she left The Fellowship to go find her mum because she knew that living with the Pilgrim family was not what she wanted, and she knew that she needed to be with her mother. Kirby was happy to announce that she would be leaving The Fellowship to return to her mother.She knew it was the right t hing to do, but that meant she was expelled from The Church and that Kirby would be dead to them all. Kirby knew that she would not become Esther Pilgrim, and that she knew deep down inside that she was Kirby Greenland. â€Å"Let's get out of here! † This is what Kirby says to Daniel when The Church kick them both out after they both decide to leave The Fellowship. This is showing that Kirby is eager to escape from The Fellowship, and get her old life back with her mother and other family me†¦

Crime and Hand Unemployment Rate Essay

Many contemporary macro-level theories of criminal behavior and empirical tudies pf crime rates address the relationship between economic factor and crime. Relationship between economic circumstances such as wage inflation and unemployment to criminal activity is the main subject matter of this study. Wage inflation and unemployment taken as predictors of crime rates. Unemployment and inflation are two intricately linked economic concept. In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time and it is also erosion in the purchasing power of money. And unemployment occurs when a person is able to and willing to work but urrently without work. Unemployment is usually measured using the unemployment rate which is defined as the percentage of those in the labor for who are unemployed. One causes of unemployment is inflation. Over the years there has been a number of economists trying to interpret the relationship between the concepts of inflation and unemployment. This relationship is also known as the Phillips curve. Phillips curve is an inverse relationship between rate of unemployment and rate of increase in money wages. The higher the rate of unemployment, the lower the rate of wage inflation. In other words, there is a radeoff between wage inflation and unemployment lead to a problem that individual do such a thing Just to endure it. It means that if you are unemployed you will do anything to earn and to survive for everyday living. For this, some people tend to commit crimes especially crime against property. It is a common observation of many countries that unemployment rates and all crime rates are positively associated but negatively in the wage inflation.

Book Report About Oliver Twist English Literature Essay

Book Report About Oliver Twist English Literature Essay The title of the book is very easy to explain. It called Oliver Twist because it tells the life story of Oliver. Further reveals the title that the book goes about a certain person called Oliver Twist. However a link from the title to the theme is hard to find in first stand. After reading the book you can link the title to the theme. Setting The book Oliver Twist was written in the  Victorian period(1838). The story took place at the time that their where a lot of social problems in England. (19th century) The social problems are relevant for understanding the story. And his development of the plot. I give you underneath a few examples: The characteristics found in the book: – In the book is a big difference between social classes. The rich people are more important and have more power than the poor people. The high social class looks down on the low class.   For example: when Nancy comes into Rose Maylies house, the people there are disgusted of Nancy and they donâ€⠄¢t trust her, because she’s poor and filthy. Also, because Oliver Twist is an orphan and has no money, his future is already determined. He has to live in poverty and work in a workhouse and he can’t do things he likes. The society actually determines everything.   – Men are superior to women. Men think women only have a couple of purposes. Women can’t have an opinion. In the book, Nancy does everything the men say she has to do, she obeys them. The men look down upon women. So the poor women are the most discriminated. There is a patriarchal society. –  An intrusive author. Charles Dickens sometimes ‘talks’ to you in the book, tells a bit of the story and comments.   – The setting is realistic and reflects feelings. In the poor neighborhood, there’s almost always rain and mud and dirt but when Oliver Twist is with Rose Maylie, the sun shines and everything seems beautiful and right(because he’s happy). Summ ary Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse. Oliver’s mother died when she was giving birth to him so he became an orphan. Oliver spends the first nine years of his life in the orphanage. In the orphanage, they gave him the name Oliver Twist. One day Oliver is sent by Mr. Bumble(a horrible man) to a coffin maker. There he also wasn’t treated well and so he ran away to London. In London he met Nancy, Fagin and Bill Sikes. Bill and Fagin wanted to make a criminal out of Oliver. One day Oliver had to break into a large house with Sikes. They got caught. Bill Sikes and his helper had the chance to ran away. But Oliver who was shot got back to the large house. Rose Maylie took care of him. Meanwhile, Nancy learned about Oliver’s past. She went to Mr. Brownlow (a nice man who had taken care of Oliver before) and Rose to tell them about Oliver’s history. It turned out that Oliver’s identity was found. He had a half-brother with the name Monks. He was a crimin al. Monks didn’t want anyone to know that Oliver and He where half-brothers, because otherwise he needed to share the inherited money. Meanwhile, Fagin found out that Nancy had helped Oliver and that she had told everything to Rose and Mr. Brownlow. For that Nancy got killed by her own lover Bill Sikes. After killing Nancy Bill Sikes ran away. The rest of the bad guys and Fagin got caught. Eventually Oliver was adopted by Mr. Brownlow and they bought a house close to Rose.

How mobile learning is used by students as part of their learning Essay

How mobile learning is used by students as part of their learning practice And to what extend does it provide new opportunities for teaching and learning in terms of access and flexibility - Essay Example In other words, m-learning reduces the restriction of the location of learning with the general portable devices’ mobility. The use of the mobile technologies elicits interesting queries as scholars examine the effectiveness of learning and teaching in this digital age. In real sense, mobile technologies enhance and extend learning across diverse groups of people. Currently, almost all people use and own at least one form of mobile devices. Such people not only own and use the devices but also invest some considerable amount of time, resources, and efforts in choosing, purchasing, customizing, as well as exploiting them. Most of these handled devices are an expression of part of even much of the values, identity, individuality, and affiliations of their owners via their choice as well as use. The devices are ubiquitous and pervasive, unobtrusive and conspicuous, taken to granted and noteworthy in lives of majority of the people. This explains why m-learning is more than e-learning using mobile devices as it also hints the possibility of leveraging the devices of learners and this can take education to new spaces, places, and modes (Traxler 2011, p. 4-5). For clarification, mobile learning is the use of handheld and mobile information technology devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet PC technologies, as well as laptops in learning and teaching activities (Prensky 2001a, p. 1). As the internet and computers become vital tools of education, the technologies become increasingly portable, effective, easy to use, as well as affordable. This offers numerous opportunities for broadening the access and participation to information and communication technologies, and specifically to the internet (Campbell 2005, p. 32). The mobile devices like PDAs and mobile phones are more reasonably priced in comparison to desktop computers, thus