Social media and Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social media and Democracy - Essay Example Political activists use the internet hubs to spread the news of their parties and news of the election. Political activism on the internet has risen all over the world since the 9/11 attack in America. Activists against terror attacks are particularly spreading the word through the internet. The inception of Facebook into the internet has helped and made the activists get a bigger platform to express their views. Popular news networks such as CNN and BBC have Facebook accounts with more than 33million Facebook likes combined. The news networks use the media outlet to communicate the latest news to their fans. The use of social media has made it easy and faster for the news to reach people rather than waiting for prime time to get the news. During the American election season of 2008, new technologies that enabled individuals to participate in online communities’ discussions emerged (Yamamoto, 2010 p. 609). Facebook was very popular by this time, and most politicians used it to pass the message to their supporters. Arguments and trending topics of the political nature were popular among the sites. Twitter is a social network that is more of a mini-blogging site. Individuals can communicate and lay out their thoughts to their followers. Politicians and business people have Twitter accounts where they share news with their followers (Jewitt, 2009 p. 232). Popular news networks are on Twitter that they use to communicate any breaking news. Twitter is a good platform for news networks to convey their messages to people. The 2012 elections in America had a huge coverage on Twitter. There was sharing of opinions, and the use of the hashtag made it easier to reach a large group of people. Politicians shared their agendas for the nation, and it was of big help to them. Twitter increases the popularity of an individual, hence spreading more news countrywide and worldwide. The war and accident

Cities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cities - Essay Example Therefore to fulfill these requirements people come together and build a city where they facilitate every possible requirement of human nature. What makes a place a city are the people who live there, their interactions and activities. It’s not only perceived as a gathering of millions of people but also by the constructions and infrastructure designed for man’s feasibility and convenience. Kevin Lynch describes an environmental image in three components: identity, structure and the meaning. The identity for which the city is known and distinguished, the structure- how it is build and designed and then the meaning is the relation people have with it (Lynch, 1960). In 18000 only 3% of the world population lived in the urban areas; However, by 1900, 14% were urbanites. With time the percentage increased and today we have urbanized the maximum possible earth and with the rate of population increasing the entire world would be urbanized soon. Cities are known as a place of opportunities where money, services employment are centralized. In rural areas it is difficult for people to achieve the requirements the way they can in cities. Living in cities facilitates people with numerous opportunities, luxuries and diversities like transportation, education and jobs. It is an established place where one can actually promote his way towards success. Business generates the demand of labor which eventually results in employment to bag money. People in rural areas have low income and huge families to make both ends meet they need money for which they belief city is a better place. For instance a farmer or a fisherman might not pull that money in a rural area as compared to that he can in city (Scott, 1981). City provides them with the opportunity of variety of jobs to all calipers of people. A reason to this is also the population density in urban areas, more people have numerous demands

Algorithm to Enhance Radio Wave Propagation Strength

Algorithm to Enhance Radio Wave Propagation Strength A New Algorithm to Enhance Radio Wave Propagation Strength in Dead Spots for Cellular Mobile WiFi Downloads Using Cloud Networks Signal loss is a major problem for cellular wireless devices, resulting in dropped calls and failure in downloading data. Our research uses a combination of different interaction models to provide an easy interface to replace traditional control methods for maintaining signal levels. The lossy WiFi wave propagation around and within buildings is studied utilizing college buildings at the University of Bridgeport (UB) campus in Bridgeport CT. These buildings serve as good experimental settings because they exemplify typical signal dead spots, locations where little to no WiFi signal is available. In this paper, we investigate path loss propagation inside and outside buildings and we identify and categorize these problems. We then apply our path loss propagation algorithmic models to show that signal strength is significantly improved when compared to existing algorithms. Finally, we show the efficiency of our model and explain the specifics of our algorithm. Cellular Mobile Communication keeps growing so fast on the market worldwide so that they become our everyday companions. Over the last twenty years, globally, Mobile Communication users have raised a specifically rich multimedia service which forces telecommunication vendors as well as the operators to set significant efforts in order to fulfill client’s needs. The use of Wi-Fi for internet is widely increasing especially in mobile devices where Wi-Fi enabled, which gives results in expanding hotspots, and user acceptance also grows. Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) presented its research about global mobile data traffic, and VNI research indicated that this traffic will increase 18-fold from 2011 to 2016, and will reach 10.8 exabytes per month. Recent technologists and mobile industries never viewed the roles for Wi-Fi in the new phones networks. The changes in the mobile and the offloading data traffic to Wi-Fi can and it plays the significant role to avoid clogged networ ks are realized by mobile operators [12]. From all these we conclude that the key component of the information security is the data transfer and it’s daily importance in our life. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) gained high acceleration, the reason of the necessity to pre-evaluate signals that are transmitted under Line-of-Sight (LOS) and /or none (NLOS) radio wave propagation in the indoor environments. These transmissions have main problem which is the difficulty to predict indoor radio wave propagations because of the invisibility between the transmitter and the receiver [15]. Related work Yuko MIURA, et. al. [1] proposed a propagation model which accurately predicts outdoor-to-indoor propagation loss; this model depends on the angle dependency of the losses with the paths that penetrate the indoor area. Radio waves transmitted from the base station first propagate outdoors to the building’s external wall. Next, the radio waves penetrate the structure’s external wall. Last, the penetration waves propagate inside the building for the receiver. Outdoor-to-indoor propagation loss is estimated by predicting the propagation losses of those three parts. The losses of those three propagation processes might be calculated individually, and the path loss between base station and mobile station is usually expressed since the amount of these losses in dB [1]. Greg Durgin et. al. [2] developed measurement-based path loss for propagation prediction; these measurements aided the development of outdoor-to-indoor communication systems for wireless internet access, wirele ss cable distribution, and wireless local loops. Iskandar et. al. [3] evaluated the propagation loss as a function of elevation and azimuth angels, and observed the link budget in the estimation to the required transmitted power at several transmission rates of IMT-2000. Gerd Wà ¶lfle et. al. [4] proposed a new concept called dominant model in which focuses on the dominant paths between transmitter and receiver for the planning of wireless networks. [4] Prepared a comparison between cellular or WLAN in urban considering indoors either direct ray or ray tracing propagation and urban city centers in multi-floor buildings. Oliver Stà ¤bler et. al. [5] presented a deterministic approach for the evaluation of 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks in urban and indoor, beside evaluated the signal levels in the expected MIMO capacity. N. Faruk et. al. [6] conducted measurements at 203.25 MHz and 583.25 MHz frequencies along ten routes in Ilorin City, in order to fit the measured data wi th lognormal propagation loss, [6] used least square regression method, and investigated the behavior of the TV signals in the same environment in building penetration loss across the routes. Thomas Schwengler, et. al. [7] presented propagation at 5.725 GHz – 5.825 GHz within the U.S Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band. Measured propagation path loss in a residential area at 5.8 GHz. Separated the data sets into line of sight (LOS) and non-line of sight (NLOS), as much as obtained noteworthy results since propagation models were designed for cellular and PCs use at lower frequency and narrow-band channels. Sheryl L. Howard et. al. [8] presented the use of error-control coding (ECC) which used in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in order to determine the energy efficiency of ECC in WSNs. As much as derived an expression for critical distance dCR, where the decoder’s energy consumption per bit equals the transmit energy savings per bit, also showed that in crowded environments and office buildings dCR dropped significantly to 3m or greater at 10 GHz without considering the interference. Alyosha Molnar, et. al. [9] presented 900 MHz, ultra-low power RF transceiver for wireless WSNs, and demonstrated them to communicate over 16 meters through walls at a bit rate of 20 kbps. Jun Wang et. al. [10] used an adaptive back-off strategy to achieve fairly uniform cluster head distribution across the network. References Yuko MIURA, Yasuhiro ODA, and Tokio TAGA, Outdoor-To-Indoor Propagation Modeling with The Identification of Path Passing Through Wall Openings, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc. 3-5 Hikari-no-oka, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa, 239-8536, Japan, 0-7803-7589-0/02/$17.00  ©2002 IEEE. Greg Durgin, Theodore S. Rappaport, Hao Xu, Measurements and Models for Radio Path Loss and Penetration Loss In and Around Homes and Trees at 5.85 GHz, IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. 46, No. 11, November 1998. Iskandar and Shigeru Shimamoto, Prediction of Propagation Path Loss for Stratospheric Platforms Mobile Communications in Urban Site LOS/NLOS Environment, pp. 5643-5648, 1-4244-0355-3/06/$20.00 (c) 2006 IEEE. Gerd Wà ¶lfle, Renà © Wahl, Pascal Wildbolz, and Philipp Wertz, Dominant Path Prediction Model for Indoor and Urban Scenarios, AWE Communications GmbH, Otto-Lilienthal-Str. 36, 71034 Boeblingen, Germany, www.awe-communications.com. Oliver Stà ¤bler, Reiner Hoppe, Gerd Wà ¶lfle, Thomas Hager, Timm Herrmann, Consideration of MIMO in the Planning of LTE Networks in Urban and Indoor Scenarios, AWE Communications GmbH Otto-Lilienthal-Straße 36, 71034 Bà ¶blingen, Germany. N. Faruk, A. A. Ayeni, Y. A. Adediran, Characterization Of Propagation Path Loss at VHF/UHF Bands for Ilorin City, Nigeria, Nigerian Journal of Technology (NIJOTECH) Vol. 32. No. 2. July 2013, pp. 253-265Copyright © Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, ISSN 1115-8443. www.nijotech.com. Thomas Schwengler, and Mike Gilbert, Propagation Models at 5.8 GHz –Path Loss Building Penetration, U S WEST Advanced Technologies, Boulder, CO 80303. Tel. e-mail respectively: 303-541-6052, [emailprotected] and 303-541-6257, [emailprotected]. Sheryl L. Howard, Christian Schlegel and Kris Iniewski, Error Control Coding in Low-Power Wireless Sensor Networks: When is ECC Energy-Efà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cient, Dept. of Electrical Computer Engineering University of Alberta Edmonton, AB Canada T6G 2V4 Email: sheryl,schlegel,[emailprotected]. Alyosha Molnar, Benson Lu, Steven Lanzisera, Ben W. Cook and Kristofer S. J. Pister, An Ultra-low Power 900 MHz RF Transceiver for Wireless Sensor Networks, IEEE 2004 CUSTOM INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CONFERENCE, 0-7803-8495-4/04/$20.00 02004 IEEE. Jun Wang, Yong-Tao Cao, Jun-Yuan Xie, CCF and Shi-Fu Chen, Energy Efficient Backoff Hierarchical Clustering Algorithms for Multi-Hop Wireless Sensor Networks, JOURNAL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 26(2): 283{291 Mar. 2011. DOI 10.1007/s11390011-1131-x, 2011 Springer Science +Business Media, LLC Science Press, China. Mar. 2011, Vol.26, No.2.

King Henry I :: essays papers

King Henry I The death of King Henry I in 1135 put Henry II on the path to the throne of England. Henry II lavish youth kept him sheltered from society only allowing him to have a couple friends. One of his life long friends soon became a burden because of differences in opinions about religion. Henry's intelligence and persistency from birth led him to be crowned King of England. The appointment of Thomas Becket to Archbishop by Henry II started the trend of conflict between the two over the separation of church and state. Henry II, the first of the Plantagents was the son of Geoffrey Plantagent and Matilda, daughter of Henry I. In 1152 Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine, the ex-wife of Louis VII of France. With this marriage, Henry gained considerable amounts of land in France. In 1153 Henry returned to England after his stay in France and forced Stephens to name him the heir of the throne. Henry immediately appointed his long-term friend Thomas Becket, English Chancellor, to be Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket accepted the job of Archbishop in 1162 but he did it with some reluctance. Becket's unkind heart soon became a thorn in Henry's side.(Hay 107) By 1163, Becket had already defied Henry in one of his decisions. He challenged his former friend in his vehement to dismantle the ecclesiastical courts. Becket became an ardent defender of the interests of the church. Becket's hard-nosed attitude towards defending the Church of England showed just how important the church was to England. "The affairs between Henry and Becket became a highly colored by their personal relationships."("Henry II") Their life long friendship was the only thing that kept the two on the same side. Another strong disagreement came between the two on the status of "criminous clerics." These were members of the clergy who had committed civil crimes. The crimes ranged from theft to assault and even murder. This became a total embarrassment to the church. Henry sought to have the members tried in the royal court, as would others who committed such crimes. Becket insisted that they only be tried in the clerical courts. The disagreement became a heated battle between the two. Becket stood firm on his belief that the matter should not be brought to a higher court.

Cross cultural differences in personality

Cross cultural differences in personality The aim of the work is to critically evaluate the evidence of cross cultural differences in personality and to come to the relevant conclusion, whether such differences exist and what impact they create on various sides of the personality life activity.IntroductionNumerous studies have been conducted to research the cross cultural differences of various aspects in personality behavior – starting from psychological side, and ending with the difference in business leadership and online and computer attitudes; however there is still a question – whether these the results of these studies are relevant and is it possible to assume that cross cultural differences exist – or based on the older economic theories, all personalities have similar behavioral patterns which are not different across cultures? Cross cultural personality studiesThe experimental researches conducted in the area of cross cultural differences in personality have found that people behave in different and various ways, in distinction from the basic economic theory that the phenomenon of personality is traditionally common across different ethnic groups. When one endeavors to discover the reasons and cores of this controversy, it appears that the great extent of impact is created by the social environment people live in. this is why cultural element in defining the reasons of cross cultural differences is essential in this study and in personality differences as such.If one takes two different regions of the globe and considers the differences between these two regions as well as the changes in the personality which occur under these two different environments, as well as the differences between the personalities traditionally found in both societies, they will not only be geographically distant, but also culturally which will ultimately define these or those behavioral patterns accepted in this or that society under research. (Brandts, Saijo & Schram, 2004) Researches show that there are significant differences in traits between different ethnic groups and between the countries.It will be interesting to take New Zealand and international sample as an example and critically evaluate the methods and evidences of the cross cultural differences found in this study; it is also essential to critically evaluate the evidence acquired in laboratory tests of cross cultural differences. In order to make the New Zealand study relevant, the three different groups of respondents were taken – New Zealand respondents were divided into Europeans, Maori and Pacific Islanders, with the addition of the absolutely different ethnic groups from South Africa and Australia.It is stated that there have been revealed significant differences in the personality traits both on the New Zealand and on the international level. The largest differences at the international level were notices in the aspects of agreeableness, neuroticism and e xtraversion. In terms of the inner New Zealand groups the principal cross cultural personality differences were discovered in those traits which are usually determining for job performance – conscientiousness and neuroticism. (Allen, 2001) Evaluation of the theoriesIn the cultural dimension several theories have been created to explain the differences between the personalities in the cross cultural aspect. Considering these theories critically, it should be assumed that they have not been created without any reason, and there have existed solid grounds to assume that depending on what culture of origin is the source of social patterns for the personality, it is possible to define the basic criteria of personality characteristics. For example, the theory created by Markus & Kitayama (1991) states that ‘the cultures endow individuals with different principles that influence behavior.‘ The author of this theory argued that one of the cultural dimensions is always mea sured through the line of individualism versus collectivism, and these traits should be included into the set of basic characteristics peculiar of the personality in the cross cultural perspective. one dimension of national culture is measured along a continuum from ‘collectivism' to ‘individualism,' defining societies in which the interest of the group prevails over the interest of the individual as ‘collectivistic', and those in which the interest of the individual prevails over the interest of the group as individualistic†. (Allen, 2001)While the traditions and the history of this or that country or ethnic group may be characterized by being either individualistic or collectivist, it is possible to reasonably assume that cross cultural personality differences exist (if one takes an example of the US being an individualistic country and promoting individual values versus collectivist ones, while the countries of Eastern Asia for example, promote opposite va lues, it becomes clear that even it were the only feature of differences between personalities, it would prove the assumption that these differences exist and would also lead to the discovery of the new ones).Critical evaluation of the methodologies There is a five factor model which is used for the evaluation of the cross cultural personality differences, and it has also been objectively created on the basis of the knowledge about the basic personal characteristics which define personal behavior and reaction. the five-factor model comprised of five global personality traits, commonly referred to as the Big Five, now enjoys wide acceptance as the most comprehensive and parsimonious model of the structure of personality.The Big Five traits are most commonly referred to as: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Evaluating the evidence of cross cultural personality differences, one may find in literary sources that just described Big F ive Model has also been based on the reasonable assumptions as for the existence of these differences. It was based on the English lexicon and Western culture, and this was the first theory to raise the concern as for the cross cultural generalisability.It was noted that if the environment is capable of impacting personality, these five model structures would not be found in all cultures. The presence of different aspects of the Big Five model would depend on the culture under research. Personality assessments are culturally generalisable to enable cross-cultural comparisons, and also to ensure their fairness in the multicultural societies. (Barrick & Mount, 1991)However many questions in relation to these study and the relevance and reliability of these results arise – for example, whether the group respondents were of the same social group (age, profession, interests, career, family status etc), and were the researches conducted in the similar surroundings and situations. O n the other hand, if we assume that in order to create such perfect ideal surrounding laboratory tests would be the most appropriate ones, there are stil doubts whether these tests are reliable and can roduce rleevant results.(Ones & Andersen, 2002) For example, if we take the case with the research of the cross cultural personality differences in New Zealand, Research into the cross-cultural generalisability of personality structure has been conducted through factor analytic studies of personality descriptors in foreign languages. It has also been studied through the translation of personality assessments and comparison of the resulting factor structure with the United States normative structure.Analyses of personality descriptors in foreign languages have typically identified five factors. However, the five personality factors rarely correspond with the original five factors based on United States samples. This lack of correspondence is likely to arise because personality trait de scriptors rarely translate directly between languages. However, the finding that lexical studies typically identify five, or close to five, personality factors is considered as evidence for the cross-cultural generalisability of personality structure.(Barrick & Mount, 1991) The translation of questionnaire items can, however, present problems as some trait adjectives do not have direct translations. Despite this limitation, research has attempted to gauge the cross-cultural replicability of personality structure through the translation of personality assessments. Sometimes the cross cultural variability was viewed thrugh the six different assessments, but the five assessment model was still found the most appropriate as letting to find the bigger number of similarities in languages.Despite the already described limitations, it has still be found that Big Five model of personality structure was replicated through the diverse cultures through both lexical and questionnaire methods. Th e existence of such model is not necessarily translated into the endorsement or rejection of various traits and behavioral patterns, and is equivalent across the cultures. This critical evaluation of the methods gives certain doubts as for the reliability of the existing evidence of cross cultural diversity across various ethnic groups.Yet these methods are widely used for the research of these differences. The disadvantages of the international research in cross cultural personality difference are numerous, and this is why they should be always looked at critically. For example, with the facet personality trait level, it is difficult to generalise the findings across previous studies, because ‘different personality assessments vary according to the number of and names given to the lower level traits'.(McAdams, 1992) As far as the United States is the leader of conducting these researches, the bigger part of them is devoted to the personality differences within the ethnic grou ps living in the US, but does it give solid grounds to assume that this cultural difference is similar in other ethnic groups all over the world? :Probably in order to receive reliable results in cross cultural studies it is essential to determine whether ethnic groups (even in the present study of New Zealand) are differentiated through commonly used personality asessments.It is also interesting to note, that in order to eliminate these language problems and to check the reliability of the tests and methods, it is appropriate to conduct a research across English-speaking countries, which will give the basis for assuming, whether these test methodologies are workable within the frames of the similar language between the ethnic groups under research. Speaking about laboratory tests, there is a number of certain limitations which can prevent the reader and the researcher from normal judging and evaluation of the results.While the results of any recent studies in cross cultural persona lity differences are held as being sensational and are represented without any account of the limitations, thus making the public consider cross cultural identity differences be crucial in the determining of the behavioral patterns, and letting other importantr factors remain unnoticed, there are the measurements which should be performed or taken into account while reading any such evidence and study, which will ultimately lead to the conclusion of the importance of the given results and their reliability.These are the partner and the stranger condition, and the number of games played through the study in the laboratory conditions. In some studies, authors found that under partner condition, the contribution rate was lower, whereas others found the opposite results. These conditions had an effect on the contribution rate based on their research, this is why it is often necessary not to differentiate these two conditions and to evaluate the evidence of any cross cultural research wi thout this differentiation.(Goldberg, Sweeney & Hughes, 1998) In some studies, participants only played the game once, and in other studies they played the game following an infinitely repeated fashion, typically with 10 rounds. Theoretically speaking, the contribution rate of the last round of the infinitely repeated games is equivalent to the one in the one-shot game, given the same strategy the participants could apply. Thus, these data from respective condition is comparable.Reading the study conducted in New Zealand, the first question arises in connection with the choice of participants; it was the correct step to define the gender, age and country of residence for each respondent; however, in this case the identification of the ethnic group is only available for the New Zealand inner groups, and is not specified for the international groups participated in the study.On the one hand, it may decrease the reliability of the acquired results; on the other hand, at the internation al level the results of the research do not need to be specified in terms of the specific ethnic group and give only general definitions as for the cross cultural personality difference; but again – without this specification is there any guarantee that the international group has been chosen correctly and carried the general characteristics of the wide ethnic group and is not narrowed by some small ethnic grouping, thus making the cultural difference too significant?The five traits model is also used in other cross cultural studies, and it is stated that ‘The Five Factor Model of personality is a universally valid taxonomy of traits. ‘ (McAdams, 1992) The analysis of the 33 countries and the studies of the cross cultural personality difference among these countries have allowed the researchers to come to the conclusion that this model is the most appropriate through the similar studies, and even with the account of the criticism given earlier in this work, it app ears that many studies use it as the basic method for research.This also gives the basis for doubts and critical evaluation of the reliability of the results provided by these studies; if the method used in most of them is the same and it presupposes certain limitations and even bias, thus the question is also whether these studies can be considered to be reliable. (Ones & Andersen, 2002 The beneficial side of the New Zealand approach is in the fact that it actually uses two different methods of evaluation which may potentially increase the reliability of the acquired results.Personality traits were measured using the 15 Factor Questionnaire Plus (15FQ+), a self-report personality assessment. This assessment is widely used within New Zealand, as well as internationally, and was designed specifically for personnel assessment and selection purposes. The 15FQ+ was completed by the respondents in either a pencil-and-paper format or in a computerised format. Qualified test administrators conducted the assessments following a standardised procedure and testing conditions.The assessment had no time limit, but respondents were provided with a guide of how long the assessment should take. In distinction from other studies, which mostly use one method, and which is mostly the Big Five Model (Triandis, 2002; Markus & Kitayama, 1991), the use of the two different methods certainly increases reliability and relevance of the research results. Another study (Allen, 2001) suggested that the use of the 15FQ+ tests was within the range of the reasonable validity and thus had good internal consistency.The reliability coefficients of this method were ranging from . 77 to . 89 which is essential for the tests of such kind. No information has been found as for the Five Model tests, and it should be suggested that the wide use of this method does not give any reliable basis to assume that this methodology is the best for the evaluation of these cross cultural personality differences .The results which were acquired through the research, tell the reader that out of the five basic traits, suspiciousness was the one which displayed the highest difference across the three international group of respondents, with South Africa showing the highest scores; however with the accounting of the previous criticism of the Big Five Model it is possible to assume that these results should be re-checked with the use of other methodologies, as well as with the specification of the exact ethnic group at the international level.(Barrick & Mount, 1991) Conclusion Based on the previous assumptions the following conclusions may be derived out of the information available: 1. The Laboratory tests of the cross cultural personality differences are deprived of real life connection and the participants of these studies are already assimilated thus the results of these studies cannot be supposed to be reliable. 2. The use of the Big Five model should be combined with the use of other metho dologies to produce relevant results.It is suggested, that further research is conducted within the framework of several different methodologies, and it is assumed that the results acquired through the similar studies but with the use of different methods will produce the results which are different from those in previous researches. It is suggested that the most important studies are carried out again but with different respondents and different surroundings with the account of the criticism in the present paper.The studies which exist at present, especially those using only one Big Five model of research, should be re-visited and re-considered in the light of the modern realia and the requirements towards such experiments. It is suggested that laboratory studies are excluded from the sphere of cross cultural personality studies. Works cited Allen, J. Review of Measurement of Ethnicity – Classification and Issues. Classifications and Standards Section, New Zealand, 2001. Bar rick, M. R. & Mount, M. K.‘The Big Five Personality Dimensions: A Meta-Analysis'. Personnel Psychology, 44 (1991): 1-26 Brandts, J. , Saijo, T. & Schram, A. ‘How Universal is Behavior? A Four Country Comparison. ‘ Public Choice 119 (2004): 381-424 Goldberg, L. R. , Sweeney, D. & Hughes, J. E. ‘Demographic Variables and Personality: The Effects of Gender, Age, Education, and Ethnic/ Racial Status on Self-Descriptions of Personality Attributes'. Personality and Individual Difference 24 (1998): 393-403 Markus. H. R. & Kitayama, S. ‘Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion and Motivation'.Psychological Review 98 (1991): 224-253 McAdams, D. P. ‘The Five-Factor Model in Personality: A Critical Appraisal'. Journal of Personality 60 (1992): 329-361 Ones, D. S. & Andersen, N. ‘Gender and Ethnic Group Differences in Personality Scales in Selection: Some British Data. ‘ Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 75 (20 02): 255-276 Triandis, H. C. ‘The Self and Social Behavior in Differing Cultural Contexts'. Psychological Review 96 (1989): 506-520

Formal Characteristics

SOC/120: Evolution of Formal Organizations Due: 12/11/2011 Nancy Keta The way that I will conduct my research is to first explain how formal organizations have evolved over the past century. Second, what differences were there in organizations a century ago, and compare to today’s organizations. And lastly I will also tell of the trends in today’s formal organizations in modern society. I will describe how each of the characteristics for formal organizations will need to evolve or change in Micah’s organization to be more open and flexible. And I will give an overall prediction based on my research on how organizations like Micah’s may evolve in the future. The evolution of formal organizations over the past century has changed due to the advances in technology and politics. There will always be changes in organizations as time passes and goes on; it can be influences from the outside world like consumers, or inside forces such as productivity. The outside influences are always changing due to the consumer and ever changing market is demanding a service or product every time they feel there is a need for something new, or something that they may desire. Making the companies aware of these desires and demands is a key factor in determining what needs to take place within the organization and turn them into being productive. Organizations that were here years ago did have all the advancements and technology as they do now. If you think about it most upper management handled just about everything in writing and managed tasks according to manual and procedures. Technology today has increased the speed of processing information and completed various other tasks that management had to do manually or by hand. Computers and the internet were here about 10 years ago, but not 100 years ago, but even 10 years ago many things had to be done by hand. The speed of technology has increased quickly and we are no longer waiting for the internet to connect thru dial up services; we have advancements in technology that connect us to the internet in a matter of a second. Medical equipment in today’s world uses software that will calculate birthdates and sex of fetuses, and can show us what an unborn child may look like at the time of being in the womb. There was not even a thought of this technology a century ago; people went ff old wise tales to find out what the sex of the child was. Looking at the medical coding field that has erupted in education institutions, technology is taking over the personal side of things, pretty soon there will be only machines working rather than humans. In many companies, this has already taken place; many positions that were previously filled by humans have beco me computer automated. In today’s world the advancement of technology is leading the way, getting jobs done faster and more efficient than the way they have been done when our predecessors were in the work force. From the stand point of a formal organization it is important to understand that most factors of the organization are built on traditions; some methods of doing business have been the same way for many years. Work methods are not as modern because everything stays the same and not much improvement has been made with this type of organization. Many believe that a formal organization is an old way of thinking, and these organizations are opposed to the new way of thinking which is more modern and technologically driven. Formal organizations often have a set standard or rule book in which their business is conducted and ran. Organization is key and highly important within a formal organization. When assessing the ladder of leaders within a bureaucratic organization, it is important to picture or a pyramid type order. Within the pyramid format, everyone has a supervisor that they report to and have to answer to. This pyramid is constructed with supervisors being at the top of the pyramid and employees are at the bottom. Within this pyramid each person has designated tasks, and job expectations. Generally a person can see how relationships between co-workers are minimal to maximize work ethic and cut down on fraternization of employees. Within a bureaucratic organization communication is left on an impersonal note consisting of email, telephone, or letters. It seems that â€Å"succession planning† is becoming a major trend among major corporations. Many companies are strategically planning processes and corporate policies. This is not just for the upper ranks; this is becoming a proactive management of the corporation’s entire talent pool. Leadership development, integrating with talent management, and career development programs, succession planning is going beyond the reactionary replacement of employees. Effective succession planning is making it possible for the success of a organizations talent, on demand, and as needed, right now and in the future. The biggest hindrances to organizations are time and resources. It seems that the day to day challenges of running these companies over power the organization’s ability to effectively engage in succession planning. Many other obstacles occur when management feels threatened because they are asked to train their successors; this is also in addition to being able to predict the needs of the company in the company in the future. Many places do not have the internal career development programs to help employees take over available positions in the future or have clear career pathways defined. Being able to identify internal candidates with the right skills, experience, and abilities to handle various needs is a big challenge for many organizations. Connecting the collection and retrieval of such data enabled the implementation of succession planning activities. Identifying these skills and abilities needed for various positions, and relaying this information to the workforce, organizations have the ability to proactively recruit internal talent, and employees are enabled to manage their own careers within the company. In the execution of these actions employee retention and morale seem to be higher and the company is better off and more profitable in the long hall. More organizations are beginning to realize that there is a need for the developing some type of succession planning. With the upcoming need to have new managers ready to assume positions because of massive numbers of baby boomers retiring, companies need to move and act fast. Citations: * GROOMING SUCCESSORS. Full Text Available By: Heffes, Ellen M. Financial Executive, Sep2002, Vol. 18 Issue 6, p21-24, 4p, 4 Color Photographs * MANAGEMENT BY WONDERING ALOUD. Full Text Available By: Galagan, Patricia. Training & Development Journal, Jun86, Vol. 0 Issue 6, p4, 1p * Organizing for Decision Support System Support: The End-User Services Alternative. Full Text Available By: Watson, Hugh J. ; Carr, Houston H. Journal of Management Information Systems, Summer87, Vol. 4 Issue 1, p83-95, 13p * Renewal Through Reorganization: The Value of Inconsistencies Between Formal and Informal Organization. Full Text Available By: Gulati, Ranjay; Puranam, Phanish. Organization Science, Mar/Apr2009, Vol. 20 Issue 2, p422-440, 19p, 3 Diagrams, 2 Charts, 5 Graphs

Free Essays on Buddha

Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal western sense. The basic Buddhist teachings are straightforward: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. This enables people to realize and utilize the teachings in order to transform their experience and be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of wisdom and compassion. There are different forms of Buddhism throughout different cultures, but all traditions are usually characterized by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and by the practice of meditation. The word â€Å"Buddha† is a title, not a name. It means â€Å"one who is awake†. It was first given to a man who was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal 2,500 years ago. Siddharta was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. According to the traditional story he had an understanding that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death. After consistent meditation he sat down beneath a pipal tree and vowed that â€Å"flesh may wither, blood may dry up, but I shall not rise from this spot until Enlightenment has been won†. After forty days, the Buddha finally attained enlightenment. During the remaining 45 years of his life he traveled through much of northern India, spreading his teaching of the way to enlightenment. The teaching is known in the East as the Buddha-dharma: the teaching of the enlightened one. The Buddha was not a God and he made no claim to divinity, and Buddhists see him as a guide who can lead one to enlightenment. Buddhism sees life as a process of constant change, and its ... Free Essays on Buddha Free Essays on Buddha Charles Hallmark "Buddhism V. Newdism" Buddhism is unlike most other religions. The founder of it is not a god, a savior, but simply a man who walked among men and freed himself from attachment and suffering. "Buddha's" name was Guatama Sakyamuni and he is the founder of what its followers call the Dharma. The origins of Buddhism lye in Indian religion. The religion is supposed to embody the personal transcendence of a person's inner world. Guatama left behind his wife, son, and finely furbished home in Kapilavashtu to seek enlightenment. It was the sight of suffering that encouraged him and at the onset of his journey his day's sages that discouraged him. He became despaired by the sages and their doctrines. Then one night Guatama Sakyamuni (or Siddartha Gautama) put him under a trance at which point he discovered enlightenment and became Buddha. Presently, this faith continues to inspire, redirect, and focus members of society. Buddhism improves the livelihood of most people although "new Buddhists" values are disconcord with those of their faith. My purpose of writing this paper is two fold: to make a reasonable argument of the contribution Buddhism has made and the beliefs a person who truly follows the doctrine should have. Buddhists believe that Nirvana is the Supreme Reality or truth that liberates us from suffering. God is considered to me an ephemeral, limited concept that fades and coincides with the cycle of life and death. Nirvana is an end to the cycle of life and death and its very meaning cannot be put into words. The mundane earth, the world that we see, is entirely an illusion of suffering. The path of disillusionment is compassion for everything. The doctrine carries a set of four (4) noble truths and seven (7) steps on the path. The four noble truths consist of truth of suffering, origin of suffering, extinction of suffering, and the path that leads to the extinction of suffering. There... Free Essays on buddha Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal western sense. The basic Buddhist teachings are straightforward: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. This enables people to realize and utilize the teachings in order to transform their experience and be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of wisdom and compassion. There are different forms of Buddhism throughout different cultures, but all traditions are usually characterized by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and by the practice of meditation. The word â€Å"Buddha† is a title, not a name. It means â€Å"one who is awake†. It was first given to a man who was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal 2,500 years ago. Siddharta was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. According to the traditional story he had an understanding that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death. After consistent meditation he sat down beneath a pipal tree and vowed that â€Å"flesh may wither, blood may dry up, but I shall not rise from this spot until Enlightenment has been won†. After forty days, the Buddha finally attained enlightenment. During the remaining 45 years of his life he traveled through much of northern India, spreading his teaching of the way to enlightenment. The teaching is known in the East as the Buddha-dharma: the teaching of the enlightened one. The Buddha was not a God and he made no claim to divinity, and Buddhists see him as a guide who can lead one to enlightenment. Buddhism sees life as a process of constant change, and its ... Free Essays on Buddha BIRTH In times long past, fully twenty-five hundred years ago, where are now the border-lands between Nepal and the northern parts of the provinces of Oudh and North Bihar, there were a number of little kingdoms inhabited by different races of people, each ruled over by its own Raja or King. One of these little kingdoms which lay some distance north of the present-day town of Gorakhpore, on the north side of the river Rapti, was the land of a race called the Sakyas, the king who ruled over them at that time being called Suddhodana. The family to which King Suddhodana of the Sakyas belonged was called the Gotama family, so that his full name was King Suddhodana Gotama; and the name of the chief city in his kingdom where he had his chief palace, was Kapilavatthu. This King Suddhodana had a chief queen whose name was Mahamaya. And after they had lived together for some time in married happiness, the Queen became aware that the day was drawing near when she should bring forth a child. So, before time came upon her, she asked her husband to give her leave to go and pay a visit to her own people who belonged to a city not very far away called Devadaha. King Suddhodana very willingly granted his chief Queen her wish, and sent out his men with orders to prepare the way for her, and do everything needed to make the journey to her father's house a pleasant and comfortable one for her. Now half way between Kapilavatthu and the town of Devadaha there was a very fine forest garden called Lumbini where the people of both places used to go in the hot weather to enjoy the cool shade of the great Sal trees of which there were many in the grove. Here in the month of May, these great trees were covered from top to bottom with lovely blossoms. In among their long branches flew many kinds of birds singing their sweetest songs so that the whole air was full of the sound of their warbling. And over and through the myriads of flowers, swarms of bee...

More Than and Less Than in Spanish

More Than and Less Than in Spanish Spanish has two common ways of saying more than and two corresponding ways of saying less than - but they dont mean the same thing to a native Spanish speaker and arent interchangeable. Tip for Remembering the Rule on More Than and Less Than Both ms que and ms de are usually translated as more than, while menos que and menos de typically are translated as less than. Menos de is also frequently translated as fewer than. Fortunately, the basic rule for remembering which to use is simple: Ms de and menos de normally are used before numbers. (If you like mnemonic devices, think D for digit.) Ms que and menos que are used in making comparisons. (Think K for comparison.) Some examples of ms de and menos de: Pronto vamos a ver el aceite a ms de cinco euros por litro. (Soon were going to see oilat more than 5 euros per liter.)El estudio dice que las mujeres necesitan ms de un hombre para ser felices. (The study says women need more than one man in order to be happy.) ¿Es posible sentir amor por ms de una persona? (Is it possible to feel love toward more than one person? Note that while una can mean a, it also is the feminine form of the number one.)Las temperaturas mà ­nimas descendieron a menos de cero grados. (The low temperatures fell to less than zero degrees.)Hay muchos alimentos con menos de 100 calorà ­as. (There are many foods with fewer than 100 calories.)Adquirir una vivienda de menos de un millà ³n de pesos en la Ciudad de Mà ©xico es complicado, pero no imposible. (Purchasing a home for less on than a million pesos in Mexico City is complicated but not impossible.) Here are some examples of comparisons using que: Nadie te ama ms que yo. (Nobody loves you more than I do.)Eres mucho ms que tus sentimientos. (You are much more than your feelings.)Gano menos que ella. (I earn less than she does.)Yo estaba ms feliz que un nià ±o con juguete nuevo. (I was happier than a boy with a new toy.)Me duele ms que antes. (This hurts me more than before.)Soy blogger y sà ©Ã‚  mucho ms que si fuera polà ­tica. (Im a blogger and I know much more  than if I were a politician.)Se necesitan ms manos que trabajen y menos gente que critique. (Needed are more hands that work and fewer people who criticize.) Note that a comparison takes the following form: Subject verb more/less than subject verbSujeto verbo ms/menos que sujeto verbo More Examples of More Than and Less Than However, in both Spanish and English, the noun and/or verb in the second part of the sentence can be implied rather than stated explicitly. In the final sentences given, for example, both the noun and verb are omitted in the second half. This hurts me more than before (Me duele ms que antes) has the same meaning as This hurts me more than it hurt me before (Me duele ms que me dolà ­a antes). If you cant readily expand a sentence to such a form, then there is no comparison being made. Here are some more examples using ms de and menos de. Note how these sentences cant be restructured the same way a comparison can: La Wikipedia tiene ms de 100.000 artà ­culos. (The Wikipedia has more than 100,000 articles.)El estudiante promedio necesita ms de cuatro aà ±os para obtener su tà ­tulo. (The average student needs more than four years to earn his or her degree.)Son menos de las cinco de la tarde. (It is not yet 5 p.m.)Menos de uno de cada tres espaà ±oles con derecho a voto apoya el tratado. (Fewer than one out of three Spaniards with the right to vote support the treaty.) In those rare cases where ms de or menos de isnt followed by a number, de usually can be translated as of or about, never than. Le deseo muchos aà ±os ms de felicidad. (I wish you many more years of happiness.)Quiero saber ms de los dinosaurios. (I want to know more about dinosaurs.)Nike Air: un poco menos de dolor. (eslogan publicitario) (Nike Air: A little less hurt. (advertising slogan) An Exception to the Number Rule Where a comparison is being made, ms que can be followed by a number. Example: Tiene ms dinero que diez reyes, he has more money than 10 kings. To use de in the just-given example would be nonsensical (unless rey were a unit of money). There are a very few cases, however, where the distinction between ms de and ms que can eliminate an ambiguity thats present in the English more than. Take, for example, a sentence such as he can eat more than a horse. The sentence could be translated to Spanish in two ways, depending on what is meant in English: Puede comer ms que un caballo. (He can eat more than a horse can eat.)Puede comer ms de un caballo. (He can eat a greater amount of food than eating a horse.) The first example above is a comparison, while the second is not.

Affirmative Action Essays - Social Inequality, Free Essays

Affirmative Action The state shall not discriminate, or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. The previous statement is the unedited text of the operative part of Proposition 209, the California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), that passed November fifth by a percentage of 54 to 46. Though the initiative does not actually mention affirmative action, Californians feel affirmative action may be coming to an end. Will the decision of Proposition 209 have a great impact on colleges and universities? We will soon find out. We do know that affirmative action in colleges and universities has a long history of controversy sparked by the 1978 Bakke case and seems to be far from over with the recent vote on proposition 209. The Supreme Courts 1978 decision in the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke has been the basis for most college affirmative action programs. The case involved a white man, Allen Bakke, who applied for admission to, and was rejected by California University at Davis Medical School in 1973 and 1974. The university had an affirmative action program to accept sixteen Black, Hispanic, and Asian students for every 100 entering. Allen Bakke objected when he found out that he had been turned down while minorities students with lower college grades and MCAT scores had been admitted under the universitys affirmative action program. The court then had been divided between four justices in favor of admitting Bakke on the basis that the quota affirmative Maloney 2 action plan had violated Title Four of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, four Justices against admitting Bakke, and Justice Powell, the swing vote. Justice Powell declared that Allen Bakke would be admitted to the medical school because the University of Californias affirmative action plan had violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In Justice Powells opinion, the Fourteenth Amendment must be interpreted to protect everyone (McWhirter). The Bakke decision has sparked many anti-affirmative action movements, the latest being Proposition 209. Backing the California Civil Rights Initiative, proponents feel it is time to end race and sex-based quotas, preferences and set-asides now governing state employment, contracts and education. Launching a two million dollar television campaign to support the ballot measure, Robert Dole and the Republican Party made proposition 209 the centerpiece in their push for Californias 54 electoral votes (Lesher). Bob Dole states, If affirmative action means quotas, set- asides and other preferences that favor individuals simply because they happen to belong to certain groups, thats were I draw the line (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights Initiative). Agreeing with Dole, Governor Pete Wilson states that Mandating and practicing inequality cannot bring equality (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights ! Initiative). Another defender of proposition 209 and affirmative action is House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In a interview with Gingrich, he boldly states that people who want some kind of quota based on racial background should be forced to debate in public their version of America. I would make clear that I oppose Maloney 3 quotas explicitly because I favor an integrated America (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights Initiative). United States Senator, Phil Gramm, also opposes affirmative action resolutely declaring that if I become President, quotas and set-asides are finished in America (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights Initiative). Opposing the measure, California college students and other affirmative action supporters protest to sustain variety and diversity. The first incident occurred when 500 students from University of California Berkeley met on Sprous Hall steps, the evening after the election and seized the Campanile clock tower. Some students chained themselves inside. The same day as the as the Berkeley incident, 300 students from the University of California Santa Cruz surrounded and picketed the Student Service Building, effectively closing the financial aid and registrars office. Police made no arrests. On November seventh, 100 students from San Francisco State caused a commotion by blocking 19th Avenue, a main thoroughfare (WALLACE and MARCUM ).

Learning Team Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Plan and Essay

Learning Team Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Plan and Presentation - Essay Example Hastings, an industry expert noted that â€Å"we are becoming like them in doing some originals and they are becoming more like us in creating an on-demand interface like HBO Go," which allows viewers to watch channels on the Web and on mobile and tabulate devices† (Coyle, 2012). This comment however is not without merit because close analysis in the industry shows that online video is going that way. Already, Netflix, the dominant player in the online video industry premiered its first scripted show Lilyhammer and House of Cards which was originally aired on Fox (Coyle, 2012). Hulu also premiered its own documentary show Battleground in February followed by Up to Speed which is a documentary about the ignored monuments of American cities (Coyle, 2012). Even Yahoo which was originally known as a search engine and email provider launched Electric City an animation series produced and voiced by Tom Hanks. Netflix, the industry leader is already operating under the assumption tha t TV and internet is converging with TV networks already experimenting on of going online for its shows to be seen in the internet and handheld mobile devices (Coyle, 2012). ... Branding As a brand, Hulu was previously known to be a free internet movie provider whose content were supported solely by advertisement. Its transition from free internet movie provider to paid subscription albeit first was met with resistance (Sandoval, 2009) was however overcome where Hulu is now known as one of the leading provider of internet videos. While Hulu have made decent strides in the internet video industry, its brand is not yet that established compared to its competitor Yahoo who is capitalizing on its existing audience base. Thus, it is highly recommended that Hulu should diversify and create more original content that is patently produced and owned by the company for the brand to be known among consumers. It is also recommended that the company should advertise itself more to increase the presence of the brand. Hulu’s brand presence should also not be limited in North America but extend it abroad including the rising market in Asia if it intends to go global. Positioning The online video market uses the internet as its platform which is global in reach and cost efficient. Having this reach to anywhere in the world for as long as there is an internet connection spells a different economics for industry players because of the sheer volume of its potential market. Unlike in traditional broadcast TV whose immediate reach is limited to one geographical location such as the United States, internet video can reach other countries simultaneously without having its shows or content syndicated to a third party just for the content to be shown outside the territory of its original location. At present, Hulu is limited to US customers and is not able to other regions particularly in emerging market such as Asia. This limitation is

Event Leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Event Leadership - Research Paper Example The role of the event producer is a major one and usually inter-links with the event manager. In an event management company the role of the event producer is a representative who is the lead producer of the event who evaluates the supplies, vendors, number of staffs and subcontractors who will work on the event. Together they become the production team (Matthews 2007). Event manager: The event manager has an overlapping role of administration, coordination, marketing, and managing legal, risks or ethical issues. The event manager either supports or is the same as the event producer. He has similar responsibilities in the production of the special event depending on the width and breadth of the event (Goldblatt 2004). Administrating contractor: This is the person or organization responsible for recruiting the staffs necessary for carrying out the tasks during the event. The event producer sometimes take on the task of hiring, training, and firing of personnel involved in the team but is not directly responsible for contracting them. The event producer pays for them and even provides the technical expertise to effectively coordinate the activities but the staffs remain under the supervision of the contractor. Directors: These individuals are those who are the stakeholders such as the financiers, organizations, individuals or officials who are paying for the event. They usually have direct influence over the flow of the event, its successful production and its completion. They are in essence the "boss". Legal representatives: Sometimes the nature of the event requires intervention from public organizations which are external to the event such as the government, police department, fire brigade department and officials. To ensure that the event complies with local policies and procedures, state, provincial or federal laws, legal representatives may be recruited to guide the event producer in this arena (Goldblatt

Childrens products Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Childrens products - Essay Example It is for this reason that 8% teenagers of the United States have some portion of their money invested in futures and stocks (Lindstorm, 2004). Almost 20% have their personal checking accounts and 70% love using a credit card if the parents allow it (Lindstorm, 2004). It is hard to argue that global kids segment does not exist when this generation spends over $150 billion a year. And that is not it, they also control another $150 billion through influencing what their parents are buying for them. Martin Lindstorm writes in Brainchild that the money which the new generation is spending is unprecedented, which is why every marketing director needs to allot money for this niche (Sudworth, Cray and Russel, 2007). The 21st century is full of information overload. The new generation is being fed a steady diet of information 24 seven. This information is changing the way they perceive the world and shaping their behavior. The global kids segment is the product of technological advancements. They use mouse, computer screens, smart phones, tablets and other gadgets to see the world. Toddlers now understand icons before they can even start to read. Smart phone manufacturers and app developers specifically target their marketing strategies to toddlers. They can play with the smart phone, listen to the funny sounds but they do not know that the icons and marketing tactics are targeting their subconscious and effecting their decision-making behaviors. The new generation thinks in terms of megabytes and screen resolutions the same way the previous generation used to think in terms of memorizing football scores and doing wheelies on bicycles (Lindstorm, 2004). If the marketing directors need to target global kids’ segment they need to think the way this generation thinks. They need to understand that the new generation is very different from the older generation because they have no hindrances in fully embracing the digital media. Electronic media has

The industrial development in Japan after World War II Essay

The industrial development in Japan after World War II - Essay Example Japan is said to be the principal trading and technologically manufacturing country of the world. Prior to the world war II Japan was the center of an empire that at times included Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria, much of eastern China, southern Sakhalin Island, and the Marshall and Mariana islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean.After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the new government launched a determined drive to establish a modern industrial economy anchored in Western science and technology. Modern systems of education and banking were created. The government financed and operated new manufacturing, mining, and transportation ventures, and as they became commercially viable it sold them to private interests. Continued government support led to the development after the 1890s of large-scale, family-based enterprises (zaibatsu) in banking, transportation, and heavy industries related to armament production. Vigorous private initiative prompted consumer industries such as textiles.During th e 1920s and 1930s, Japan's industries grew steadily in variety and technical maturity. Manufactured goods such as cement, steel, bicycles, simple industrial machinery, chemical fertilizers, and processed foods gained in importance. Electric power generation also increased sharply during this period. Notwithstanding these developments, the Japanese economy on the eve of World War II was still backward in many respects. Sophisticated machinery, chemicals, and refined metals had to be imported.... Two million of its people had died in the war, a third of them civilians. Air raids had devastated its cities, and at least 13 million Japanese were homeless. Industry was at a standstill, and even farm output had declined. Many Japanese wore rags and were half-starved. All were mentally and physically exhausted. For the first time in its history, Japan was a conquered nation occupied by a foreign power. Nowadays, we can see a novel Japan excruciating with energy and ambitions. Its economy is counted among the top most economies of the world. The population has become affluent and the country's main islands are connected together with a network of tunnels and bridges bullet trains keep on running at a speed of around 195 kilometers per hour. Prosperity created new challenges, however. The price for Japan's success included explosive urban growth and overcrowding, water and air pollution, and damage to many of the nation's scenic treasures. Hills were hacked down for factory sites or home-sites, while mountains were defaced by highways to accommodate city tourists. For a time, Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain peak almost disappeared from sight because of smog created by factories and cars. Today, that smog is gone, thanks to some of the world's most rigorous standards for auto emissions and industrial air pollution. In other areas, Japan still struggles to balance development with environmental protection. It was once predicted that Japan would become the world's largest economy by 2000, but the picture has changed dramatically. Japan's real-estate and stock markets collapsed in 1989-92, beginning the longest recession since World War II. The economy remains weak despite tax cuts and massive government spending. Yet export-oriented Japan still runs a

Automotive Technologies and the Environment Research Paper

Automotive Technologies and the Environment - Research Paper Example The automobiles are the prime cause of creating more carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbon. Whereas, the diesel engines are infamous for black smoke and gas turbines for the emission of soot, due to such reasons the automobiles are termed as one of the major sources of air pollution (Blarigan 1-19). Advancement in technologies has led to the creation of more dependence on vehicles for individuals’ primary means of transportation. As a result, the demand for vehicles has reached a new height in recent times, which in turn would increase the adverse effect on the environment. In this regard, traditional internal combustion technology will require fundamental development in order to achieve less emission of pollutants. Moreover, there is a major propensity that the adverse impacts of greenhouse gases can create multifaceted obligations if traditional internal combustion technology is being used (Ogden, Williams and Larson 7-27). Correspondingly, a prudent remedial measure can be achieved through an effective use of advanced technologies in the field of automotive engine and fuel technology, which will create less dependence on petroleum (Richard, â€Å"5 Technologies that Make Internal Combustion Engines Better†). Technology plays an imperative role in improving internal combustion technology through utilizing fuel saving technologies in the engines, along with direct injection, cylinder deactivation, turbochargers and variable valve timing and lift. Alternative automotive technologies can be referred to the advancement in the traditional internal combustion system through an increasing use of alternative fuel such as hydrogen, biodiesel and more effective technologies such as electrical and fuel cell vehicles. Effective use of alternative automotive technologies can act as a pioneering factor in reducing the emission of CO2 and energy

Astronomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Astronomy - Essay Example Agnostic individuals do not believe a higher power created the universe. The Big Bang Theory is given as evidence that the Earth and surrounding galaxies were created due to pure science. Hydrogen and helium combined to enact an explosion that after of billions of years created Earth and intelligent life. The agnostic individual also believes that this is Earth’s springtime, when considered in terms of seasons. Everything eventually dies, including the Earth and Sun. It might take billions of years, but the universe will keep dying and renewing at only a predictable rate. Agnostics believe in science due to the provability. The do not believe in a higher power due to lack of proof. Atheists believe no higher power exists. The universe was the results of trivial consequence of cosmic evolution. The stars, moon, planets, and so forth were all created by accident. Human evolution is also considered a lucky fluke by Atheists. No omniscient being could have created the Earth, because the scientific proof shows otherwise. Unlike the agnostic that does not believe because lack of evidence, Atheists believes no higher power ever existed. The astronomy findings and other science are often touted as proof of their beliefs. Intelligent Design is the new compromise that Christians, Islam, Judaism, and even Eastern religions have made about a higher power creating the universe. Basically an Intelligent Design example is of building blocks. When an individual take building blocks with the alphabet or numbers and throw them on the floor, rarely if any design can be determined. The universe is too complex for it to have left to chance. Evolution, according to Intelligent Design, would never occur without being manipulated by a higher power. Christians, Muslims, and Jews believe that God created the universe in six days. Adam and Eve mentioned in these religious texts. These individuals will not even consider astronomy due to the conflict with their belief. Religious

Automotive Technologies and the Environment Research Paper

Automotive Technologies and the Environment - Research Paper Example The automobiles are the prime cause of creating more carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbon. Whereas, the diesel engines are infamous for black smoke and gas turbines for the emission of soot, due to such reasons the automobiles are termed as one of the major sources of air pollution (Blarigan 1-19). Advancement in technologies has led to the creation of more dependence on vehicles for individuals’ primary means of transportation. As a result, the demand for vehicles has reached a new height in recent times, which in turn would increase the adverse effect on the environment. In this regard, traditional internal combustion technology will require fundamental development in order to achieve less emission of pollutants. Moreover, there is a major propensity that the adverse impacts of greenhouse gases can create multifaceted obligations if traditional internal combustion technology is being used (Ogden, Williams and Larson 7-27). Correspondingly, a prudent remedial measure can be achieved through an effective use of advanced technologies in the field of automotive engine and fuel technology, which will create less dependence on petroleum (Richard, â€Å"5 Technologies that Make Internal Combustion Engines Better†). Technology plays an imperative role in improving internal combustion technology through utilizing fuel saving technologies in the engines, along with direct injection, cylinder deactivation, turbochargers and variable valve timing and lift. Alternative automotive technologies can be referred to the advancement in the traditional internal combustion system through an increasing use of alternative fuel such as hydrogen, biodiesel and more effective technologies such as electrical and fuel cell vehicles. Effective use of alternative automotive technologies can act as a pioneering factor in reducing the emission of CO2 and energy

Racing Neighbors Cause Crashing Communities Essay Example for Free

Racing Neighbors Cause Crashing Communities Essay Many neighborhoods face serious community problems because of certain factors and they have a certain effect on the people living in the communities. I live around a community where there are a lot of car street races which happen on a regular basis and it creates major chaos over the weekends. Seems like it is not a major issue, however, these street races cause major trouble to all the neighbors as it creates noise, causes accidents, creates trouble for all the stores around, for people travelling at night and so on. Every weekend, a specific parking lot in the town of Farmingdale is filled with Hot Rods, college students, high school students and even adults, not to mention, cops too. This is a huge parking lot outside a mall which has plenty of room for cars and is connected to a highway-route 110. It is the main attraction for guys and girls with hot rods. I heard a lot of stories about this location and about the races taking place there every weekend so I decided to take a look for myself before I could believe any of this. One night, I made a trip to this famous parking lot! At first, when I got to the parking lot, all I saw was a few random cars parked with some guys standing around them and talking to each other in groups. I parked my car there and stopped to watch what happens. I was extremely curious because I had only heard of these kind of scenes in movies and never thought it would be the reality. A little after 11pm, a group of cars came into the parking lot with extremely loud exhaust pipes and loud music. As they revved up the engines my adrenaline started pumping. I could not believe what my eyes saw. A large number of cars drove in and parked there. There were people of all different age groups coming in from high school students, to college students and even elderly men around the age of forty who wanted to show off their hot rods. Soon after, some drivers including female drives took their cars out into the driveway and started drifting and performing rolling burnouts to get the crowd excited. I stepped out of my car and stood there to watc h. These people were enjoying themselves with loud music, alcohol, dancing with girls and screaming and shouting. I was shocked when a few high school kids approached me to ask me  about my car because these kids were 9th graders who had sneaked out of their houses at midnight with their parents cars for these races. After around half an hour, a group of cars revved up their engines and started moving towards route 110 so I decided to follow. Once we got onto route 110 they start driving like crazy people over speeding and cutting lanes and eventually turned onto a street off route 110. This lane was completely isolated and there were barely any cars parked there so they lined up their cars there and made a roadblock at the two ends of the lane and started having drag races which made a lot of sound and obviously called in for cops. This is where the major problems from these races start. Once the cops come in, chaos occurs. These guys get into their cars and started racing off from these race sites in all different directions to avoid getting caught. They go onto the main roads and over speed causing accidents not only for themselves but even other innocent people. They also disturb so many people’s sleep at night with all the noise they create. They get into accidents, get caught and pay fines, cause trouble to other drivers on the road and so on. This is a major community problem as it attracts a lot of students in the community from not only colleges but also high schools. These kids have illegal modifications on their cars which adds to money in the black market. It also encourages many others to join this racing league which leads to accidents and deaths. There is a lot of illegal betting and gambling, underage drinking, over speeding and many such laws broken which cause serious community problems every weekend and according to me this should be checked and stopped as soon as possible!

English language student teachers pedagogical content knowledge

English language student teachers pedagogical content knowledge My study aims to analyze the relationship between English language student teachers pedagogical content knowledge learnt from the university coursework and their practice of teaching during the practicum in schools. By pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) here, I mean the knowledge to teach English as a second language at secondary level. The focus of my study is to find out what PCK student teachers learn during their English language teaching course at the university and how they apply that knowledge in the classroom during the practice teaching. In this literature review I discus the concept of teacher education programmes, the practicum, link between theory and the practicum, gaps between theory and the practicum, how to strengthen the link between theory and the practicum and brief review of research on practicum in teacher education and English language teacher education programmes. In the end I state the aim of my study and the potential research questions. The purpose of this literature review is to provide an introduction to and grounding for my study. 2. Teacher Education Programmes Teacher education programs are designed and organized to train prospective and in-service teachers. These programmes educate teachers to teach at various levels of education such as pre-primary, primary, elementary, secondary and higher secondary levels. Two common types of teacher education programmes are pre-service teacher education which is also called initial teacher education (ITE) and in-service education and training (INSET). Initial teacher education prepares the new trainee teachers to teach at different levels whereas in-service teacher education provides training to the already working teachers. (Although there is a conceptual difference between the concepts teacher education and teacher training, in this document I will be using both these concepts in the same meaning. Generally in this document, teacher education or teacher training means pre-service teacher education. If I talk about in-service education of teachers, it will be mentioned in the text). Aldrich (1990) says that teacher education programmes are important to prepare future teachers to develop their professional competencies. Laczko-Kerr and Berliner (2002) argue that university teacher preparation courses prepare better quality teachers. The objective of the teacher education programme is to equip student teachers with a set of competencies to teach in the school context (Banks et al. 2001), to cope with the complexity of challenges in their everyday teaching work (Cheng, 2010). The challenge is to help student teachers put their learning from the teacher education programme into practice. Most teacher education programmes include different components: general education; subject-matter studies; foundation of education studies; methods studies; and field experience (i.e. teaching practice) (Stuart Tatto 2000; Zeichner Gore 1990). The general education, foundation courses and methods studies comprise the theoretical component whereas field experiences focus on the practical component of teacher education programmes. Korthagen et al (2006) argue that teacher education finds itself in a difficult position in the 21st century. He presents three reasons for dissatisfaction with the teacher education programmes. First reason is the irrelevance of teacher preparation for the reality of everyday practice in schools. It has generated pressure on teacher educators to rethink about the structure and practices of teacher education. Secondly, research evidence during the final decade of 20th century shows that new teachers appear to face severe problems during their first period in the profession. Wideen, Mayer-Smith, Moon (1998) also supported this view and said that the transfer from theory (presented and learnt during teacher education courses) to practice in schools is often meager. Thirdly, new concepts of teaching and leaning have emerged and developed overtime. Constructivist (Williams Burden, 1997; Roberts, 1998; Arends, 2004; Osterman Kottkamp, 2004) and social constructivist views (Roberts, 199 8; Beck Kosnik, 2006) have dominated the theory and practice of teaching and learning. These views argue for learner-centered approaches to learning and teaching and challenge the traditional practices in teacher education. It poses challenges for teacher educators. Teacher educators have attempted to respond to this challenging phenomenon to fulfill the demand of producing effective teachers in the 21st century. Zeichner (2010) argues that the old paradigm of teacher education where academic knowledge is viewed as the authoritative source of knowledge about teaching needs to be changed to the one where there is interlink among academic, practitioner and community expertise. As knowledge is constructed and shared by learners in constructivism and social constructivism, he argues that this new epistemology of teacher education will create expanded learning opportunities for prospective teachers that will better prepare them to be successful in enacting complex teaching practices (Zeichner 2010, p. 89). Darling-Hammond, Hammerness, Grossman, Rust Shulman, 2005) concluded that research on effective teacher education programs shows that where field experiences are carefully linked with coursework and carefully mentored, teacher educators are better able to accomplish their goals in preparing teachers to successfully enact complex teaching practices. In view of the complexity of the teaching-learning process Korthagen, et al. argue that the most basic problem which is still not being addressed adequately in teacher education programmes is how to connect theory and practice in such a way that teachers would be able to handle the problems of everyday teaching through theory-guided action (Korthagen, et al. 2006, p. 1021). My research focuses on the issue of analyzing the link between theory and practice of English language teacher education in the context of Pakistan. This analysis will help to understand what student teachers learn during coursework at the university, how they learn it and how they put that learning into practice during thee practicum. In the next part I discus the concept of practicum. 3. The Practicum Practicum (also termed as teaching practice/internship/induction or field experiences) may be defines as learning by doing (Schà ¶n 1987), learning from action (Hutton 1989) or work-based learning (Foster and Stephenson 1998). Stanton Giles (1989, 180) define the practicum as field experiences that focus on professional practice and activities that are explicitly focused on pre-professional practice. The ultimate goal of the practicum is to let student teachers demonstrate specific competencies that they are expected to have mastered at different stages in their pre-service stage (Yan, 2010) Practicum placements in schools are considered to be a significant component of pre-service teachers education program (Touchon Gwyn-Paquette, 2003; Leishem 2008). Practicum plays a major role in student teachers learning. Much of what teachers need to learn must be learned in and from practice rather than in preparing for practice (Ball Cohen, 1999; Hammerness, Darling-Hammond, Bransford, 2005). Teaching practice provides opportunities for student teachers to develop a contextualized understanding of the complexities. It also provides opportunities to develop classroom management skills, lesson planning and the ability to interact with students (Richards Crookes, 1988; Farrell, 2001). According to Huling (1997), practicum experiences offer teacher candidates a place to observe and work with real students, teachers, and curriculum in natural settings (p.1). Student teachers are able to apply their theoretical knowledge in the real classroom setting. Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin (1996) note that professional development opportunities are criticized for being non-contextual and isolated from the world of practice. Practicum in teacher education programmes provides opportunities of practice in the context of school. Zeichner (2006 p. 333) says that extended teaching practice can give the student teachers exposure to practices of experienced teachers. Student teachers may observe experienced teachers and can learn from their practices. It can also develop interaction among student teachers and the other school teachers. It is clear form the above that practicum is an important component of teacher education programmes. It not only provides opportunities for applying the theoretical knowledge the strudent teachers have gained from the teacher education institutions but also develops a sense of professionalism in them. It introduces the teaching profession to the prospective teachers. They can also interact with experienced teachers and can learn from them. 3.1. Linking Theory and the Practicum (Korthagen Kessels, (1999) argue that in application of theory model of pre-service teacher education in the United States, prospective teachers are supposed to learn theories at the university and then go to schools to practice or apply what they learned on campus. (Darling_Hammond (2006, p. 307) observes that one of the perennial dilemmas of teacher education is how to integrate theoretically based knowledge that has traditionally been taught in university classrooms with the experience based knowledge that has traditionally been located in the practice of teachers and the realities of classrooms and schools. Zeichner (2010, p. 90) also supports the view that one of the most difficult tasks is to strengthen the connections between what our student teachers do in their school and community placements and the rest of their teacher education program. The inter-relationship of theoretical knowledge and practicum is further elaborated by Lewis (2007). He uses the terms conjunction and disjunction to refer to the presence or absence of the relationship between what is taught in teacher education and what is practiced in schools. By conjunction, he means that there is no clash between the knowledge gained in teacher education institutions and what is to be practiced by trainee teachers in schools. Lewis argues that disjunction or the difference between university advocated practice and what actually occurs in schools, presents the prospective teacher with a dilemma. He quotes a student teacher who in doing the practicum in school who says: the course at university emphasizes engagement and use of constructivist oriented activities however the majority of classes I am doing have teaching that is fairly teacher oriented and content focused (Lewis 2007, p. 6). This type of confusion may be common in a number of contexts. It may happen when teacher education institutions do not take into account the contextual factors in schools. Russell (1988) identifies three types of tensions in theory-practice relationship: firstly is between campus-based course work and school-based relevance; secondly, between child and teacher-centered approaches; and finally, between what a student teacher can be told and what that person does in the classroom. Such tensions can be addressed by carefully designing and implementing the teacher education courses keeping in view the context of real school teaching and student teachers previous experiences. 3.2. Gaps between Theory and the Practicum Lack of connection between campus-based teacher education courses and field experiences has been a perennial problem in teacher education programs (Bullough et al., 1997, 1999; Zeichner, 2007, 2010). Studies show that student teachers feel there is a lack of connection between the teacher education programme and the school-based teaching experiences (Hobson et al. 2008, 414). Different reasons may be attributed to the gap between theoretical and the practical component of teacher education programmes. Ashcroft Griffiths (1989) say that it is very hard to preserve the unity of theory and practice during a short teaching practice period in schools. It is very common that cooperating teachers in schools know very little about the methods courses the student teachers have completed on campus and the course teachers in the university know very little about the specific practices used in the classroom where student teachers are placed. (Zeichner, 2010). Lack of well planned supervision and guidance on the part of cooperating teachers may also lead to disconnect between what the students have learnt and what they actually practice. It is often assumed that good teaching practices are caught rather than taught (Darling-Hammond, 2009). Zeichner and Tabachnick (1981) found that many newly learnt teaching theories or conceptions developed during teacher education programmes are diluted by the initial confrontation during their teaching practice and it raises doubts whether insights from teacher education had actually been achieved (Cole Knowles, 1993). As a result of the falling short of the expected practice of the theoretical knowledge, the student teachers may adapt to the common habit of teachers to consider teacher education too theoretical and useless (Elliot, 1991). Sometimes, the courses taught at the university may not be context specific to prepare teachers. In Australian context, Commonwealth Department of Education, Science Training (2002, p. 104) reported that the theoretical components of teacher education programmes are distant, irrelevant and inaccessible. The disconnect may be in various types like the disconnect between university coursework and the teaching context, gap or lack of cooperation between the student teachers and the supervisors or/and cooperating teachers, conflict between student teachers perceived competencies and their actual performance in the practicum etc. The gaps need to be minimized if teacher educators want to produce effective teachers for complex teaching tasks. In the next part I discuss how to minimize the gaps and strengthen the link between theory and the practicum. 3.3. Strengthening the Link between Theory and the Practicum Darling-Hammond (2006) suggests that carefully constructed field experiences coordinated with campus courses are more influential and effective in supporting student teacher learning than the unguided and disconnected field experiences. Evidence shows that traditional and loosely planned and monitored model of field experiences may create obstacles in student teachers learning (Feiman-Nemser Buchmann, 1985; Zeichner, 1996). One way to prepare student teachers for actual classroom is simulative teaching in which simulations of classroom situation are enacted (Cohen, 1981). Simulative teaching sometimes proves to be a fallacy and student teachers may encounter with reality shock when teaching in actual classrooms (Korthagen et al. 2006, p. 1027). Zeichner (2010) suggests that some portion of the methods courses can be taught in partner schools to mediate the gaps between their campus courses and the students school experiences. The course tutors should deliver model lessons in the actual classroom in the partner schools where the student teachers are required to do the practice teaching. Ball Forzani (2009) also support the notion that clinical experiences should be the central focus of pre-service teacher education from which everything else in a program emanates. Cheng et al. (2010) examined theory-practice gap as perceived by student teachers in Hong Kong. On the basis of their findings, the researchers propose four strategies to close the gap and strengthen the link between theory and practice. They recommend: student teachers need to develop their own competencies and reflect on their pedagogical practice; promoting self leaning or independent learning; encouraging teacher educators to model lessons and; arranging study abroad programmes for non-native student teachers to some English speaking countries. Darling-Hammond (1994, 1999) Fullan et al. (1998) recommend more involvement of university faculty in the student teachers supervision so that they may get detailed feedback and guidance on the practicum experiences. Casey Howson (1993, 365) suggest a three-person teaching team who should meet to discuss goals and strategies and attempt to build a strong scaffolding for pre-service students. The team includes education professors, field supervisors, and cooperating teachers. Korthagen et al. (2006) argues for a close cooperation not only in the sense of school-university partnerships, but also in three-way cooperation among teachers in schools, teacher educators in universities, and those who are learning to teach. Goodlad (1990) also recommends including teacher candidates perspectives in the mentoring process. In the next part I review literature on how to improve the practicum in teacher education programmes. 4. Improving the Practicum Student teachers perceive the practicum to be the most valuable part of their teacher education for its strong influence on their views of the roles of teachers (Smith Snoek, 1996). Organizing and conducting well planned and effective practicum may better help teacher education institution to realize their objective of producing more effective teachers. There can be number of problems which reduce the effectiveness of the practicum. Yan and He (2010) identify six problems in the practicum as perceived by English language student teachers in Chinese EFL context. These are: tension between vision and reality, unreasonable schedule of the practicum, practicum schools distrust, lack of supervision, student teachers lack of motivation in preparing lessons plans and lack of sound assessment system. These problems are associated with organization of the practicum, role of supervisors, assessment system and level of motivation among student teachers to teach. As teacher educators, we will n eed to address such issues to make the practicum more effective. Some of the most significant factors which can contribute to improve the practicum in schools are school-university partnership, role of the faculty in preparing student teachers for the practicum and supervising their practice and support and cooperation of the cooperating teachers. I will discuss these separately. 4.1. School-University Partnership School-university partnership does not mean that schools are only the practice fields for student teachers. This view limits the collaboration and cooperation between schools and universities. (Korthagen et al. (2006) argues that common view of learning to teach includes the assumption that the university-based components of teacher preparation offer the theoretical underpinnings of teaching and that school teaching experience (practicum) offers a situation in which those previously learning principles of teaching are practiced. This view creates many difficulties, including the fact that the expertise of teaching practice is often assumed to reside largely in schools with teachers. Further Gorodetsky, Barak, and Hadari (2007) pointed out that even in the current wave of school-university partnerships in teacher education, colleges and universities continue to maintain hegemony over the construction and dissemination of knowledge, and schools remain in the position of practice fields where student teachers are to try out the practices provided by the university. This view implies that schools are always at the giving end. Why should the head teacher and the cooperating teachers spar enough time to mentor the student teachers and collaborate with the faculty supervisors if they are not involved in any other component of teacher education programmes? The exclusion of school teachers from designing and pedagogy of teacher education courses also limits the actual training needs of the student teachers and the scope of the practicum. The practicum in particular and teacher education programme in general can be strengthened if experienced school teachers are involved in the university programmes. Zeichner (2010) gives an example of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where teachers with evidence of a high level of competence in the classroom spend 2 years working in all aspects of the pre-service teacher education program, including student recruitment, general education, professional education sequence, ongoing program evaluation and renewal ef forts, and in supporting graduates in their early years of teaching. University faculty may also join the partner schools to teach the actual classroom for some period of time to refresh their knowledge of school teaching. This sort of useful partnership may help improving the practicum. 4.2. Role of the University Faculty in the Practicum In addition to working as course developers, course tutors, examiners, evaluators, managers etc. teacher educators serve as role models for the actual practice of the professional (Korthagen, Loughran, Lunenberg, 2005). This role model may be intentional or not. Loughran (1997) is of the view that modelling behaviour by the educator gives the student teachers an opportunity to experience and understand some likely outcomes of teaching. Research shows that explicit modelling of teacher educators can facilitate the translation into the student teachers own practice (Lunenberg, Korthagen Swennen 2007). Modelling is an effective tool to prepare student teachers for actual classroom teaching. The teacher educator can also deliver model lessons in the partner schools instead of creating simulative classrooms in the university. Supporting the concept of modelling, Russell (1999, p. 220) goes on to say that Universities generally, and university-based teacher educators particularly, have no right to recommend to teachers any teaching practices that they have not themselves used successfully at the university. Korthagen et al. (2006) argues that if teacher educators advocate some innovative practices that they do not model and explain in their own teacher education classrooms, teacher education reform will continue to elude us. University faculty can use modelling as a powerful strategy to prepare student teachers for the practicum. There can be some implications of model lessons as it may not be possible for trainee teachers to adapt themselves to the model lesson after some period of t ime. Furthermore, there may be more than one method of teaching the same lesson; sometimes it can be ridiculous to confine the student teachers to the method/methods used by the faculty in his/her model lesson. 4.3. Cooperating Teachers and the Practicum Support from cooperating teachers may be useful for student teachers during the practicum. But sometimes, cooperating teachers are overburdened because they also need to do their routine teaching and other school assignments simultaneously. In such a case it is likely that they do not take the practicum seriously and may not assist student teachers as they should have or would have wanted to help them. Guyton McIntyre (1990) emphasise the role of the cooperating teacher, who is most available, in developing student teachers practice. Farrell (2001) argues for support from the practicum school and cooperating teachers. He further contends that student teachers should be placed with competent cooperating teachers. If the cooperating teachers are not competent enough, they are likely to be less effective in student teachers development. Randall (1992) says that the cooperating teacher may heavily influence student teachers teaching styles through direct contact. He can provide on the s pot guidance to the student teacher. It is very common that cooperating teachers in schools know very little about the methods courses in the universities (Zeichner, 2010). Cooperating teachers need to be involved in the university courses and also trained by the university faculty for mentoring of the student teachers. It can help them perform their role more effectively in helping student teachers. In the next part I review research on the practicum in teacher education and English language teacher education and also argue for my proposed study. 5. Research on Practicum in Teacher Education and English Language Teacher Education Darling-Hammond (2006) states that there has been much discussion about the structure of teacher education programmes but there has been less discussion on what actually goes on in the teacher education courses and the clinical experiences that student teachers encounter and how the programmes add up to the knowledge and skills of the student teachers to prepare them for classroom. Yan (2010) argues that research on the practicum is mainly limited to general higher education programmes from the Western world, and the English language teaching practicum has received scarce attention. Little is known about how learners conceptualize their initial teaching experiences, and about what impact these experiences have on their professional development as teachers (Johnson 1996, 30) and what actually occurs during the practicum (Richards Crookes 1988; Freeman 1989). Snoek (1996) claimed that student teachers perceived the practicum to be the most valuable part of their teacher education for its strong influence on their views of the roles of teachers. Hodge et al. (2002) reported that the practicum had a positive impact on the student teachers attitude towards their work. Yan, (2010) contends that most second-language teacher preparation programmes simply assume that once pre-service teachers have completed their required coursework, they will be able to transfer their knowledge into effective classroom practices. It is, therefore, well worth investigating complexities and problems arising from the practicum to enhance its effect on student teachers professional growth and teacher education programmes. Cheng et al. (2010) examined the theory-practice gap by reporting a study that researched the inconsistencies between student teachers best teaching strategies and their most commonly employed ones. They conducted this study in the context of Hong Kong. A questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to generate data. Total 228 final year student teachers of 4 years B. Ed programme completed and returned the questionnaire. In addition to it, 31 Year 4 student teachers enrolled in these programmes participated in in-depth interviews. Findings revealed three main dimensions of consideration attributing to the inconsistencies in the conceptions of teaching: pre-training experiences of student teachers, teaching context of the partner school and student needs. These considerations lead to expansive or constraining impacts on the student teachers selections of teaching strategies. Nevertheless, teacher education programmes are expected to have an expansive impact on the student teachers conceptions of teaching as well as to help them overcome constraining impacts from other sources of influence. Koeppen (1998) observed that student teachers face multiple difficulties in classroom instruction as theory versus practice occurs. Her case study of a student teacher found that the student had problems in linking university courses and classroom context during the practicum. What the student had studied for example, planning instruction and modeling did not match the reality he found in school. This student teacher struggled to reconcile himself to the teacher-centered teaching he was doing which was totally against the theory of teacher-centered learning which he had learned in his course. In the context of Pakistan, no such study has been conducted on the link between theory and teaching practicum in English language teacher education. Keeping in view the above cited literature, the present study aims to analyze the link between English language student teachers pedagogical content knowledge learnt from the university coursework and their practice of teaching during the practicum in schools. By pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) here, I mean the knowledge to teach English as a second language at secondary level. The focus of my study is to find out what PCK student teachers learn during their English language teaching course at the university and how they apply that knowledge in the classroom during the practice teaching. I pose the following questions to achieve the aim of the study: What type of pedagogical content knowledge the student teachers learn during English language teaching course at a selected teacher education department in Pakistan? How and to what extent English language student teachers apply/practice their pedagogical content knowledge to teach during the practicum in schools? What is the relationship between student teachers pedagogical content knowledge and their practice of teaching English at secondary level in Pakistan?