Philosophy of Education Essay

It was Chesterton, an English essayist, who once said that â€Å"the most practical thing about a man is his view of the universe – his philosophy† (Hocking 4).   Man’s philosophy is generally referred to as the sum of all his beliefs and views about the world which guide his actions.   His beliefs comprise all those judgments, whether they are based on convictions or impressions, which he habitually lives by. During the pre-service education and throughout the teaching career, teachers will have to face up to what it means to live and to teach in a society that gives the individual freedom to hold different beliefs and values.   In this society there seems to be no single â€Å"right† way of thinking about and doing things in education.   How teachers deal with school matters – objectives, contents, and methods – depend very much on their own individual beliefs and values.   They should be willing to take responsibility for giving their own answers to many problems they will meet in their classrooms regarding goals and values, and ways of teaching their students. 1. Organizing your classroom & materials. The teacher in the classroom is a veritable manager.   The success of the activities in the classroom depends on the ability of the teacher as classroom manager.   He is at the helm of all activities, and these activities will succeed depending on how well he can steer and guide them properly.   One of the most difficult problems that confront a beginning teacher is classroom management.   Unfortunately, he does not learn techniques of proper classroom management from books.   He merely gets suggestions on how to mange a class, but there is nothing like teaching experience that will really teach him all the tricks of classroom management. Hence, classroom management is one of the main concerns of teachers, administrators, and parents.  Ã‚   If the school is to live up to the community’s expectation that it is a learning-producing enterprise, the individual classrooms which comprise the school must contribute to the school’s educational productivity. Learning is the central goal of the total school operation, and teaching is the school’s basic production technique.   Effective teaching and effective learning take place in well-managed classrooms. When class time is consumed by management problems, students are the losers, for little real learning takes place.   As every teacher knows, good classroom management is one of the strongest influences on academic learning. 2. Choosing rules & procedures. A well managed classroom is hardly possible without laws, regulations, and conventions.   The classroom in itself is a society and needs its own rules and regulations to keep peace and harmony within it.   Certain classroom activities can be made automatic in the sense that they can be performed without much thought, especially when they have become habitual.   Such activities, we say, have become routinized.   It is apparent that routinizing classroom rules and procedures can help the teacher a lot in classroom management.   There are no hard-and-fast rules as to which activities can be reduced to routine.   Routinizing would depend on such factors as size of the class, the nature of students, materials available, arrangement of equipment, and the like. There are certain advantages in routinizing classroom rules and procedures and these are economy in time and effort, prevent confusion, and promote learning activity.   Much time is wasted on administrative activities that are not handled in a well-organized manner.   Activities that are repeatedly done may well be routinized so that pupils will know exactly what should be done. Some disadvantages should, however, be mentioned if routine factors are overmechanized.   If every little activity in the classroom is mechanized, no room for initiative is left to the pupils.   They may behave like automatons and certainly creativity is destroyed.   The teacher is reduced to an autocratic general and the pupils are regimented soldiers who merely wait for the chief’s signal or command.   Such a situation leads to blind obedience and acceptance of rules and procedures.   This type of atmosphere must be avoided by the teacher. Certain classroom rules and procedure, though, can be routinized so that more time can be devoted or allotted to more significant activities.   Among these activities are the roll calls, seating, handling materials and devices, classroom courtesies, and responses to the bell signals. The main goal here is to save time and effort.   Pupils should be made to understand and learn the value of time.   The old saying that time is gold should be clearly impressed on the minds of children. 3. Managing student work. One aspect of classroom management deals with managing student work.   The teacher takes full charge of the learning situation should manipulate the learner and the situation to produce the desired learning.   Managing implies arranging the learning situation so that the learner comes face to face with the stimulating problem.   While it is true that most teaching tends to foster teacher domination, manipulation, an intervention rather than the development of a genuine helping relationship, teachers can learn to dominate less and get students to participate more.   It is good practice for teachers not to repeat their questions, answer their own questions, or repeat answers of students. Some teachers tend to be autocratic or authoritarian.   Experience and research findings show that democratic teachers produce better learning results than those who dominate, control, or manipulate learning situations.   Teachers should determine the psychological needs of their students and adapt their teaching styles accordingly.   The teacher who encourages a two-way communication in the classroom insures a favorable teaching-learning climate.   To understand better the complexities of learning and classroom behavior, classrooms must be pupil centered rather than teacher centered. 4. Getting off to a good start. Getting off a good start requires careful attention to how teacher’s teach rules and procedures to their classes.   The tone of the class is set by the personal disposition that a teacher displays.   A teacher should bring a cheerful, pleasant and confident disposition to the classroom.   Once inside the room, a teacher’s face must be lit with joy to brighten the atmosphere.   Then, a teacher should take the necessary time during the first day of class to describe carefully your expectations for behavior and work.   Teachers should not be in a hurry to get started on content activities that teaching good behavior is neglected.   Rather, combine learning about procedures, rules, and course requirements with your initial content activities in order to build the foundation for the whole year program. 5. Planning & conducting instruction. Just as good classroom management enhances instruction by helping to create a good environment for learning, so too does effective instruction contribute to well-managed classroom.   With the change of emphasis on educational objectives, with the inclusion of more outcomes learning, with the focus on the child as the most important factor in the educational process, the concept of conducting instruction has likewise diversified and broadened.   In recent years, newer and more informal methods of instruction have come about.   Current practices have gradually replaced the undesirable features of so-called lesson hearing instruction.   This is due in part to the gradual acceptance of the newer philosophy of education, i.e. education is not merely a process of learning facts and storing knowledge, but it is concerned with the many sided development of the individual – social, emotional, and mental- including he ability to meet social needs. 6. Managing cooperative learning groups. Cooperative learning in mathematics is essential if math teachers are to promote the goals of problem-solving competency, ability to communicate mathematically, ability to reason mathematically, valuing of mathematics, and self-confidence in one’s ability to apply mathematics, and self-confidence in one’s ability to apply mathematical knowledge to new problem situations in one’s world.   Although competitive and individualistic assignments should at times be given (even though they place students in the role of being passive recipients of information), the dominant goal structure in math should be cooperative. There are a number of fairly simple ways teachers may begin to use cooperative learning in mathematics classes, including having students turn to their partners to decide on an answer to a question or having students work in pairs to check each other’s homework, involves far more than simply assigning students to groups and telling them  to work together. The teacher’s role in structuring learning situations cooperatively involves clearly specifying the objectives for the lesson, placing students in learning groups and providing appropriate materials, clearly explaining the cooperative goal structure and learning task, monitoring students as they work, and evaluating students` performance.   Teaching students the required interpersonal and small-group skills can be done simultaneously with teaching academic material.   In order to sustain the long-term implementation and in-classroom help and assistance needed to gain expertise in cooperative learning, teachers need support groups made up of colleagues who are also committed to mastering cooperative learning. 7. Maintaining appropriate student behavior. A number of educators have formulated some suggestions on ways to maintain good classroom student behavior.   The suggestions range from how to encourage students to behave and how to develop and maintain a positive approach to classroom management.   Some of these suggestions commonly used in the classrooms are: (1) Act as if you expect students to be orderly from the first day on; (2) Expect everyone’s attention before starting to teach.   Stop when there is noise.   Don’t teach over individual or group chatter ;(3) don’t talk too much as after a while, you lose the students` attention.   Involve the students in activities, ask questions, pose problems, etc. ;(4)   Hold students accountable for abiding by rules. 8. Communication skills for teachers. Making a lesson presentation basically requires mastery and understanding of goals, skills and criteria for effective communication.   Communication skills is also at the very core of effective teaching.   As most teacher would agree that to communicate well is to teach well.   In the skillful use of the question more than anything else lies the fine art of teaching; for in it we have the guide to clear and vivid ideas, and the quick spur to imagination, the stimulus to thought, the incentive to action. 9. Managing problem behavior. It has been stressed time and again that good classroom discipline is indispensable to an effective learning situation.   All teachers, old or young, old or new in the service, are faced with problems of discipline. It is true that some teachers can maintain better discipline than can others. It is suggested that the best approach should be positive rather than negative.   The best measure should be preventive rather than remedial.   â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,† so the saying goes.   This adage is exactly what should guide the teacher.   Knowing the possible causes of disciplinary problems, the teacher should strive to eliminate them. 10. Managing special groups. One of the special challenges a teacher should face is managing special groups successfully.   Of course, these groups have an impact on the management of student behavior as well as on instruction.   Experience have proven that attempting to cope with these special groups by using many different assignments, providing an individualized, self-paced program, or using small group instruction extensively in secondary school increases the complexity of classroom management, requires a great deal of planning and preparation, and require instructional materials that are not readily available.   So, rather than altering the instructional approach, experienced teachers provide for different levels of student ability by supplementing their whole-class instruction with limited use of special materials, activities , assignments, and small group work. So, to the question of which administrative procedure is most effective in managing special groups, only one answer can be given.   All ca n be effective if used with discretion and with the right children. Conclusion The teacher’s total philosophy of life cannot be separated from his philosophy of education, his learning theory, and his methods of teaching.   In other words, how he thinks about his work and the way he performs his functions as a teacher are derived from what he believes about the nature of the world, knowledge, and values. In philosophical terms, his world-view lies in the realm of the metaphysical, his knowledge-view in the epistemological, and his values in the axiological.   These are the philosophies which teachers consciously or unconsciously deal with in the teaching world. Every committed teacher tries to work out his own philosophy of education, clarifies his beliefs and ideals to make his teaching meaningful to himself and to his students.   Without a philosophy of education, the teacher will be easily swayed by fads in education.   Because his life and work involve making choices and decisions, the teacher cannot avoid having a philosophy.   Even when courses of study are dictated, he always has the freedom to decide how he will teach and to select the contents and methods of teaching.

Beauty essay & Health

Numerous documents and articles criticize and downplay physical beauty. Credible, educated sources encouraging physical beauty are few and far between. Society fetishly discredits standards and beliefs Marilyn Monroe established. Media reporters emphasize Marilyn wore a size 16. By today’s standards, a size 16 is obese. These reports fail to inform audiences a size 16 at that time is comparable to a size 3 today.Health warnings accompany hair bleaching, tanning, and weight control. Political influences attempt to change opinions regarding physical beauty.Political correctness regarding physical beauty standards controls words used by the media. Words used by the media have no impact on reality. Looks do matter. Physical attractiveness and weight management opens realities regarding career, relationships, luck, court decisions, and better health care. Physical appearances determine first impressions. Vision senses override audible senses. Political influences imply obesity is s ocially acceptable. An overweight person gives the impression of increased risk for injuries and insurance claims in the workplace.Before job applicants say the first words, an unchangeable opinion formed in the interviewers mind. Political correctness portrayed by media reporters or women’s groups does not change perceptions of an obese person. Blonds attract more attention, therefore more customers. People seeking potential dates or marriage partners gives priority to their identity, not research. Individuals are perceived by the appearance of his or her mate. Personal priorities determine individual opinions of physical beauty. Contradiction describing physical beauty is everywhere.Career objectives, goals of attracting certain marriage partners, and other life decisions determine which research and statistics regarding physical attractiveness accepted. External physical appearances visually display personal lifestyle choices. People who prioritize excellent or improved he alth disregard research stating extra body weight is healthier than being thin. Proportionate weight results from selecting healthy food choices and participation in effective cardio exercise. People walking around with 12% body fat and visible muscles live a significantly different lifestyle than someone weighing 115 pounds.Athletic people avoid restaurants, eat clean foods, and organize his or her life around exercise and proper nutrition. Someone concerned with weight management and general health keeps his or her calories low and exercise moderately. Athletic lifestyles are too intense for ordinary individuals with average goals. Friends are selected or rejected based on their visible lifestyles. A person’s weight is an advertisement of daily living habits. Society views weight as a measure of physical appearance. Body image acceptance is often translated as a measure of self esteem, happiness and self-worth.People wishing to change his or her weight desire to change thei r priorities. Anorexia nervosa inevitably shows up every time physical appearance is mentioned. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness. Physical appearance plays very little part in anorexia. People obsessively refusing to eat are acting out a fear relevant to obesity from his or her past. Perhaps someone remembered from childhood developed a drug problem. Weight gain triggered the drug problem. Depriving the physical body of food has nothing in common with dieting down to 95 or 100 pounds.The media and psychologists attempt to associate the two behaviors. They have nothing in common. Media, psychologists, and investigative reporters imply eating disorders is a desire to become thin. Society pushes theories implying thinness is unattractive. Physicians and dieticians emphasize weight is determined by genes and hereditary. These findings are to discourage eating disorders. Verbally, this logic may be accepted. In actual behavior, the idea is rejected. A self confident person remains un changed by outside influences.Self confidence encourages behavior resulting in pleasant physical appearance. No one obtains above average looks by accident. Extremely attractive people stir up negative emotions from others. â€Å"Beauty draws as much hostility as it does desire. Other women hate you. If you are not available or interested, men hate you too. Beauty makes other people who are insecure about their own looks resentful, which erects a barrier that can be difficult to bridge† (Shriver, 2006). Beautiful women constantly receive make-up tips, suggestions to change their hair or fashion advice.Secure people ignore such suggestions. Self esteem is hardly affected by advice, insults and any media program. Fitness industries would close. Society’s opinions are ever changing regarding perception of physical beauty. Changeable opinions are verbal. Reactions physically attractive people receive remain focused. Reactions to physical attractiveness are never planned. G entlemen offering their seat to an attractive lady, smiles, heads turning, stares, insults, envy, and unplanned facial expressions are true constant perceptions of physical beauty.Marilyn Monroe symbolizes beauty. Extremist groups continuously seek ways to alter the perception of Marilyn Monroe’s physical characteristics. Research attempts to alter behavior emphasizing health risks. Health scares do not change actual behavior. The reality to change what is accepted as physical beauty never changes. Notes; Lionel, Shriver, (8/16/2006) The Curse of Beauty, Daily Manuel. http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&db=nfh&AN=21963650&site=ehost-live

La Vita E Bella

lAira G. ManaloAugust 31, 2012 COM31Mr. Edgar Garnace Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella) I believe that being free is a matter of choice. We are free because we want to be defined not by other people but ourselves. We make choices together with the thought of making a choice for the good of everyone. We exist not for other people to tie strings on our hands and feet and do the manipulation. I don’t exactly know what to feel about this film. It was a good laugh and a painful thing for me at the same time.Guido (Roberto Benigni) is such an optimistic human being, a positive father to his son Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini) and a loving husband to his wife Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), who he treated like a princess if I may have to mention. As for me, being a person who freaks out when things don’t go right, I have perfectly seen how Guido made life beautiful for his son and wife. It hurts me to see him hiding the truth from his son by reinventing the things that happens inside t he concentration camp.In the midst of that threatening situation, Guido manipulated his world and made life beautiful for him and his family. I think that is the very essence of the film, making life perfect for you, even if it really isn’t for the entire world. It is important that we find beauty even in the darkest and cruelest of places. Dora amazed me too. I will not forget how she willingly set foot into that train containing all Jewish people. I can see how strong her love is for her husband and son that she can give up her life just to be with them.I have seen her change from a spoiled girl who fell into Guido’s arms and turned out into someone braver and stronger, someone who thinks not much of her own sake anymore. This is where I would now start relating it to Existentialism. The very core of this philosophy is that â€Å"Existence precedes Essence†. It emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent uni verse and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s own doings. It is just so ironic for me that a person like Guido is living in a world where freedom is the rarest of all terms.The Nazis have defined what living should mean for them, which I also think is very contradicting to the center value of Existentialism, which is freedom. A person defines himself and what he wants to make of himself. No one could ever define him as a person but only what he wants him to be. The Jews in this movie let the Nazis define the world for them, though I know they are left with no other choice but to keep responding to what these people want them to do, because if not, they will cease to exist.This is what Sartre called â€Å"Quietism. † The poor Jews let the Nazis decide for them because they are afraid to die, to get hurt, even if being shot to death while fighting for freedom would be a better death than be degraded by people of other race, in my o pinion. I have seen an authentic person in Guido. In his quiet ways he defined the world for himself. He fought for what he thinks is right and there he exercised his freedom.He tried to fight his way out of the hellish camp if not for himself but for his family, and this he thinks is right not for himself but also for those other people with him. Life is beautiful. It will be if you want it to be. When things are not going right for me, I know ranting won’t make them all right. I know that I always have the choice. I would always remember Guido who has found beauty in the ugliest of places. Because the man who can accept all the barriers and restrictions in life and is not afraid of them is free.

Sustainability in america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sustainability in america - Essay Example Decrease in the availability of resources prevents anticipated growth of various economies meaning that sustainable development is a prerequisite to economic growth. The changing interest of consumers is also one of the good indicators revealing necessity of sustainability within economic growth (Figge, 2005). Sustainability is defined by considering conditions through which countries view production and manufacturing processes in relation to products, such perception leads to increased production based on responsibility. Organizations are currently considering the act of being strategic towards sustainable development while at the same time making choices on lucrative processes capable of contributing positively towards more sustainable society (Figge, 2005). The aim is to avoid the risks associated with destruction and at the same time pursue profitable dynamics. In developed nations many dynamics affecting quality of life such as the environment are not possible to measure using m arket dynamics. This is since there is possibility that ensures such parameters lose value in the occurrence of economic growth. Therefore, any initiative of sustainable development should encompass the three dimensions of environmental, economic and social aspects. There is rapid growth in environmental problems all over the world which could be attributed to rapid increase in population growth making a lot of strain within the environment as well as natural resources. Several domains contribute to environmental degradation some of which include; industrial pollution, deforestation, land degradation and urbanization amongst others. There is eminent overexploitation of the country’s resources making environmental pollution one of the biggest threats facing life on the planet earth today. Statistics given by World Health Organization Estimates that about two million people die every year out of air pollution besides those who suffer ailments and diseases caused by the same. Th e twentieth and twenty first centuries recorded considerable growth in environmental degradation activities (Figge, 2005). Part 1: How does the environmental policymaking process work? Policy making process in America depends on society’s desire for change. Every legislative action must gain public support since such action boosts political incentives within development plan. Public support can be obtained through organized groups and media. Policy cycle in the United States begins with proposal on a course of action, which is followed by law enactment and finally various actions capable of providing successful implementation of the law. Re-evaluation of the policy takes place after quite some time for purposes of assessing whether it has achieved intended goals, costs and if any change is necessary. Major environmental regulators in the US include; EPA, Interior department, USDA and Fish and Wildlife service (Figge, 2005). Organizations around the world are required to meet the needs of their current consumers without jeopardizing the ability of other generations to efficiently meet their needs. Organizations are required to adopt responsible policies for their operations following the nature of impact it can have on the entire society. At the same time there is need for business corporations to apply principles of sustainability in all their business operations. Such activities reflect organization’

Psychological Perspectives from the Movie Girl, Interrupted Essay

Psychological Perspectives from the Movie Girl, Interrupted - Essay Example Although there are several characters in the movie showing symptoms of different types of mental disorders, this paper will only focus its discussion only to one mental illness, the â€Å"borderline personality disorder (BPD)†. Primarily, this paper intends to compare this movie against the real manifestations of BPD if these were properly presented. Secondly, this paper would try to relate the title of the movie to the plot of the movie. Thus, at the end of the day, after reading this paper, it is expected that the readers must have learned some good knowledge about â€Å"borderline personality disorder† since this paper will highlight the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of BPD, a favorable input for this psychology class. The summary of the plot begins to revolve around the main character in the person of Susanna Kaysen (portrayed by Winona Ryder), â€Å"a young girl of eighteen, raised in an unstable environment starting with her parents† (Filme para 2013). â€Å"Her mother showed signs of mood swings while her father showed very inappropriate aggression† (Filme  Ã‚  2013). Her life was not like that of any other ordinary normal eighteen years old would experience. Susanna was portrayed to display â€Å"damaging behaviors like stormy relationships with her parents and dangerous activities like having sexual activity with many men in a day† (Filma 2013). She was also shown â€Å"to display self-destructive behaviors when she attempted to commit suicide by drinking aspirin and a bottle of vodka which caused her to be put in a mental institution† (Filme   2013).  

US Government Interest Groups Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

US Government Interest Groups - Research Paper Example Economic interest groups safeguard some sort economic merit for their members and are the most common kind of special interest groups. In capitalist societies like America, money occupies a central position, and thus economic groups are many and very influential. Economic groups are well financed as members are willing to part with money with the hope of garnering greater political benefit. Economic groups operate to attain private goods where only members of the group will enjoy (Paddock, 2005). Â  Business groups seek to influence the government on policies regarding the economy and business. For instance, the National Manufacturers Association operates to limit the government regulation in the manufacturing industry in America (Miller, nd). Â  A labor group represents unions that operate to enhance the wages and promote favorable working conditions for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled employees. AFL-CIO is one of the biggest labor groups in America. Â  An agricultural group represents the interests of farmers and farm businesses. The National Farmers’ Union is the interest group that represents small-scale farmers while American Farm Bureau Federation represents the interests of large-scale farmers. Â  These are official groups that formulate ground rules for a certain profession, monitor practices, and foster standards of conduct. For instance, American Psychological Association safeguards regulate and foster the rights of psychologists. Â  This group plays an enormous task in governing drugs prescription, influencing drug authorization, as well as monitoring the price and disbursement of pharmaceuticals. An example of Interest groups and prescription drugs is the Food and Drug Administration. Â  

Innovation and Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Innovation and Change - Research Paper Example Change is often taking place in an organization based on the innovations in product, process or strategy. Radical and incremental innovations are usually taking place in the organizational world. Both radical and incremental innovations have the ability to cause huge changes in the organizational world. This paper analyses the importance of innovations and changes in the corporate world. Introduction According to Bordia, et al (2005), â€Å"Innovation is the ability to define and develop new products and services and deliver them to market. It is the fundamental source of value creation in companies and an important enabler of competitive advantage†(Bordia, et al, 2005, p.1). On the other hand Anjani, & Dhanapal (2011) defined organizational Change as a multifaceted process which is much more complex than human behavior. In their opinion, individuals are prone to organizational changes and have a normal inclination to react in the same way towards the type of organizational ch anges (Anjani, & Dhanapal, 2011, p.103). In any case it is a fact that change is inevitable in business or organizational world since science and technology are advancing rapidly. Traditional business principles have given way for innovative business strategies as competition is growing day by day in the business sectors. In fact the whole concept of business has been changed from domestic circles to international circles as a result of globalization and liberalization. It is impossible for a prominent organization to think about doing business only in the domestic circles and survive in the market. As the market is getting increasingly globalized, competition from external players is growing day by day. Changes in business strategies become inevitable under the above context. Innovation triggers many changes in organizations. Many of the traditional business principles have given way for modern business strategies as a result of the innovations in the organizational world. Structur al, functional, managerial, cultural and strategic changes are taking place in modern organizations because of the rapid growth of innovation taking place in and around the organizations. Findings According to Susman et al., (2006) Innovation usually takes place based on products, processes and markets (e.g., new ways to serve customers (Susman et al., 2006, p.16). many people have the illusion that innovation means the development of new products alone. In fact the development of new processes and new business strategies are examples of innovation. Innovations based on products The story of Apple Company is the most relevant example to learn more about how well innovative products change the fortunes of a sick organization. In the 80’s and 90’s Apple struggled to survive in the market because of the heavy competition from arch rival Microsoft. However, during at the beginning of 2000, Apple bounced back from the verge of destruction with the help of its innovative â⠂¬Å"I† series products such as ipod, iphones, ipad, imac, itouch, itunes etc. All these products provided new experiences to the consumers all over the world and many people started to visualize Apple as the most important technological company in the world. Pfizer is another company which used innovative products for the sustainment of their growth. For example, Viagra is a revolutionary product introduced by Pfizer to cater the needs of sexually impotent people. Pfizer

Contemporary Issues in business and management Essay

Contemporary Issues in business and management - Essay Example Sustainability refers to the voluntary activities of the company, which show that it is committed to environmental and social concerns, according to the ways it administers its operations and in its dealings with its stakeholders (Van Marrewjk & Verre, 2003). This paper will discuss the challenges encountered by the leaders of the organization, in their attempts to incorporate CSR, and particularly that related to the impacts of their business activities, in the light of the models, theory and the analytical tools related to CSR, change and innovation management and leadership. Further, the paper will evaluate the ways in which companies are going green, giving some examples. The era for applauding the economic prosperity of corporations as a stand-alone area has ended, as corporations, societies, governments and agencies are questioning the impacts of corporate activities and actions (Orlitzky, Schmidt and Rynes, 2003). This change of outlook requires firms to redirect and split their attention towards increasing its economic performance, while at the same time filling the position of good corporate citizen. Filling these positions requires companies to keep in touch with global trends on maintaining commitment to the two major goal areas; meeting private and public needs (Henderson, 2007). These new demands have forced corporations to review their rules, frameworks, and business models. Among the most responsible companies, it is a daily practice to review short and long-term plans, so as to stay safe and at the front line in the rapidly changing world. There has been a change in the way that companies consider their place, paying reference to local an d global stakeholders (Holcomb, Upchurch and Okumus, 2007). There has also been a change in the management of the relationships maintained between companies and its stakeholders, particularly with customers, suppliers, investors,

International Business and Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Business and Anthropology - Essay Example A further development of this notion sheds light on the vast applications of anthropology and how the theories, concepts, and knowledge of this discipline can assist the operations of international business. Even though, the amalgamation of international business and anthropology may appear to be a novel concept to the masses, the role of industrial and cultural anthropologists in organizations can be traced back to as early as the 1930s (Hamada 2; Ferraro 10). Ferraro and Andreatta define cultural anthropology as a systematic study of the similarities and differences between cultures on the basis of various features and characteristics (10). Accordingly, the research process for cultural anthropology is classified under the categories of basic research and applied research in accordance with the design which governs other subjects of social science (Ferraro and Andreatta 19). Kedia and Willigen state that career opportunities for anthropologists within the context of international b usiness are endless with a special focus on employee development, growth and training prospects (251). A cultural anthropologist can opt for a range of positions within a business organization such as international business consultant, cross-cultural consultant, international economic development worker and an international human resources manager amongst several others (Ferraro and Andreatta 19). Of utmost importance to international business is applied anthropology which aims to comprehensively prepare and effectively equip practitioners with relevant perspectives, theories and learning of anthropology to ensure that this knowledge is applied for uncovering the solutions to the problems of the real world (Peoples and Bailey 412). Kedia and Willigen identify three key capabilities and proficiencies that anthropologists can promote within an organization to maximize value, these areas are classified as; 1) vast scope of knowledge and information about culture and its related concept s, 2) expertise in ethnography and its application and 3) focused knowledge regarding specific cultures such as the ability to communicate with various groups of individuals (251). While the first two components that have been identified in the aforementioned discussion are indeed important in business operations, the anthropological expertise that is most relevant within the context of international business is a practitioner’s ability to understand, examine and communicate with individuals belonging to a variety of cultures. Kedia and Willigen understand the dynamics which have led to the globalization of business and how these observations translate to business activity and organizational performance, for example, strategic actions that are taken to enhance a company’s ability to reach its aims, goals, and objectives such as a plan for expansion in another country has several anthropological implications (257). In order to successfully expand its operations in anoth er country, an organization must examine the distinct needs of its business landscape by employing the services of a cultural anthropologist.

Educational Policies of Nigeria and South Korea Essay Example for Free

Educational Policies of Nigeria and South Korea Essay Education has been the corner stone of the success of every economy. In terms of those countries which have been colonized and have adopted a government that was highly repressive in nature, one could significantly argue that such would post an effect to how education was being delivered, the degree of excellence of the aforementioned, the demands of the market and the availability of jobs, and finally its effects to the economy. This paper focuses on the educational history and policies of Nigeria and South Korea in relation to the British military government of the Nigerians and the Japanese occupation and the American military government of the South Koreans. These policies and norms are then significantly related to their employment systems and its effect on their economy. The objectives of this essay are the following: 1. To establish a brief account of the educational policies and norms of Nigeria and South Korean and significantly identify its relationship to the military government. 2. To significantly identify the effects of the educational policies and norms in relation to the availability of jobs to the citizens and consequently the continuous demands of the market for such jobs; and finally 3. To know the effects of educational excellence, jobs availability and demands to the sustainable development of an economy. Review of Related Literature Education and Military Government in Nigeria One of the major constitutional changes that happened to the government of Nigeria was in 1953, a few years after the World War II. Such a change took effect through the London Conference attended by both Nigerian and Colonial officials which places the country under the rule of a Governor General, having the aforementioned the leader of the three principle regions of the country. Such a change of the name of positions was a way for the British regime to increase the autonomous powers of the country thereby making education vested at the local level, which is in accordance with the aim of unifying the region (Patterson, 1955, p. 94). Education, other than representation and taxation was one of the autonomous areas of governance that is designated to the central government. As such it is with this respect that the government had ordered that the youth of Nigeria regardless of any region should be given sound and uniform standards of performance (p. 95). The objective of this educational policy is to have the youth fully prepared on their primary and secondary education so as to enable them to take higher education both inside and outside of the country. Within the new constitution, 34 subjects or areas of concern were given to the federal government to oversee. In addition with this, 14 subject areas were also created and delegated to the federal government to be administered to individual regions. Consequently, it has also been perceived that the successful implementation of these subjects could only happen if the individuals administering these areas were competent enough, hence resulting to the very high standards were implemented by the government in terms of employee recruitment (p. 5). Such a drive for the development of skills for the Nigerian youth resulted to the perceived shortness in terms of trained senior administrators and other technicians for various government and technical posts for the country. The federal government perceived that the shortage could only be remedied through higher education and long experience of the youth. At the end of 1953, it has been perceived that 5,000 senior service positions were available in which 3,300 of them were taken by overseas personnels or the expatriates. Only 800 positions are given to Nigerians, and there were still 900 positions more that were vacant (World Bank, 1955, p. 23). The drive of the British Government to improve the education in Nigeria resulted to the establishment of a program for development for African Territories under the British Crown. The program which was called the Colonial Development and Welfare Schemes was inaugurated in 1945 in which required the British Government to contribute 23,000,000 pounds sterling for ten years that would enable the country to develop and another loan of 26-500,000 pounds sterling that would be used to fund a number of projects including education and other research facilities (Patterson, 1955, p. 97). The result of such an effort on the end of the British Government paved the way for a consuming ambition among young Nigerians to be associated with the Government and take a number of white collar jobs (p. 8). Technical Education in Nigeria Technical education is placed as one of the major projects of the Ten-Year Plan for Development and Welfare for the post-war Nigeria. Institutions that would cater to technical skills, trade, and handicrafts were created after the Second World War. For instance, the Technical Institute of Yaba, the first center that was created outside Lagos offered three full-time and two part-time programs and special short courses. These skills were those relating to junior and senior technical and also teacher training. For a four-year education, the country had been offering instructions in wood working, drafting, sub-professional engineering, commerce and printing to those students who have completed eight years of primary education and have already passed a special entrance examination. The senior technical course offered by the institute focused on courses in electrical, mathematical and civil engineering, architectural assistance and economics. Consequently, there were also teacher-training programs which offer a two-year course to prepare teachers for handicraft centers and secondary school craft courses (World Bank, 1955, p. 582-583). On the other hand, the Trade Centers at Yaba aimed to produce skilled craftsmen by offering courses which range from two to five years. The students primarily learned on an apprenticeship basis after which they have already familiarized themselves with the tools of the trade and have learned to do simple tasks; consequently academic instructions were given to the students averages one day every week. After the students have already gained the skills that are necessary, they were contacted by the trade center to go to large cities in order to work. Part of the educational system was also the refusal to accept new students until a new class graduates. As such, the intake and output for some courses happened only once in every five years. For the first five years of the operation of the Yaba Centre, there were only 85 students who had graduated while 18 were dismissed and 13 of them resigned (p. 84). The Weakness of the Nigerian Education One major weaknesses of the Nigerian education was the inclination to have all areas of the Government to have properly staffed and well-trained individuals; as such resulting in having schools to have its own standards and specializations and independence from other educational efforts. Such an act resulted at times to the replication of jobs or over specialization on some skills, which were often criticized to prevent holistic development. It has been argued by some scholars that schools that were operated by the departments of governments had the inclination to emphasize subjects that were too technical up to the extent of neglecting certain subjects such as English, Mathematics and the Social Sciences. As such, some students after graduating from departmental schools normally look for jobs that they believed will be necessary for their employment rather than their abilities and interests (Patterson, 1955, p. 7-98). In effect of this, the inclination towards education had been something that was relative to that of available employment. Outside the market, it had been perceived that education had no value and in the long run, had stimulated little demand to the public. It is with this respect that competition among available jobs had been perceived to be very keen wherein the colonial Nigeria has clustered to commercial areas within the region (Davis and Kalu-Nwiwu, 2001, p. 1). It could also be significantly noted that education for women during the post-war Nigeria had also been problematic as although there were already several domestic science centers that were established, very few of them remained in actual operation. As such, the education of women had been lagging in the country. The education that was provided to women were those solely with regard to food preparation, sewing, cleaning, general sanitation and elementary skills in nursing (World Bank, 1955, p. 588).

Can Domestic Violence Be A Learnt Behaviour Social Work Essay

Can Domestic Violence Be A Learnt Behaviour Social Work Essay In this chapter the researcher will be researching if Domestic violence is a learnt behaviour. There are many different theories as to why men are more violent than women. These theories include biological theories, which focus on hormonal patterns and aggression; psychological theories, which focus on personality types and disorders; psychoanalysis, which looks at projection and displacement and sociological theories, which focus on concepts grounded in interpersonal, collective, institutional, structural or societal processes (Hearn 1998: 17).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biological explanation suggests that women are understandably less violent than men. Maccoby and Jacklin (1975) explain how women show anger and their relationship towards men are different to men, which indicate that problems are resolved without any violence behaviour.   Biological theories explain how violence is occurred between male and female, this can be due to their chromosomes, hormones, genetics and territoriality. Following the consideration of biological explanation, into the researcher pathological theory. This theory explains the abuser is suffering from a pathological condition; this condition can be related on psychiatric illness or issues from temper of one or both partners. (Hague Malos, 1993; Johnson 1995) This theory was accepted in the 1970s when violence became very popular in families and caused many problems and issues. The United States carried out a study and focused on abused families they found that mothers were discrete of their violence from their children. Gayford (1978) cited in Johnson in 1995 researched that women that have been physically abused have a degree of incompetence. The person responsible for being an abuser are said to be weak, pathological jealous men that are lacking in low self esteem and are experiencing anxiety especially about their manliness. Hague Malos (1993) argue that these issues are still current in psychiatry and psychology; these issues have risen from the individual and not have been able to success through in their relationship (Hague M alos 1993). Finally the researcher explored social learning theory. Johnson 1995 analysed a theory called Social learning theory, this theory explains men being an abuser towards women as a learned behaviour. OLeary (1989) states that violence is taught violence, family members use this role if the family is stressed, has an aggressive personality style. The key features that trigger violence are martial trouble, alcohol abuse, when these factor emerge violence is likely to take place. Marsden (1997) also looked into this theory and argued OLeary statement he suggested the men who are violent in the adulthood were often abused whilst being children. The children became psychologically disturbed and observed the fathers behaviour that repeatedly battered them. Marsden (1997) also studied that if young girls that were also physically abused in their childhood may also think it is norm behaviour and may find themselves in vulnerable position with their partners. Another alternative theory also sugg ests that violence can be learned through life, by neighbours, gangs or certain professions for example police force and the army this can be reflected as the sub- culture model (Hague and Malos, 1993) In a cross culture study of family violence Hague (1997) found that some cultures had some family values and beliefs that highlight aggression and violence. In some family background wife beating and children beating is considered to be allowed in certain groups. Abusers often find themselves a part of a cycle, copying behaviour from their own fathers that had abused their mothers in their Muslim environment. As a result children learn this abusive behaviour and start to abuse their own wives, thinking and accepting this behaviour as normal. This is found to be an important aim because the longer the Muslim community allows abuse; the longer it will be observed and rein act from father to son, from generation to generation this will continue in a continuous cycle (Hague Malos 2003) Anand (2003) research and recognized that mainly women experienced domestic violence in their own homes, and it is due to men being responsible for this behaviour. It has been shown an increasing recognition that living, growing and observing in an environment of violence can lead to effects on children in their development, either to deal with direct abuse, observed violence to their mothers or have had a change in the atmosphere and environment of their home. While there is no consistent reaction to living with domestic violence, Friedberg (2000) highlights those children who have lived in the background of domestic violence may have mild mental health issues, compared to children from a non-violent home. The Department of Health framework working Together to Safeguard Children document (1999) states, prolonged and/or regular exposure to domestic violence can have a serious impact on a childs development and emotional well-being (section 2.21). Domestic violence has showed an influ ence on a wider prospective for children of behavioural, physical and psychological scale line that could affect young children that have experienced this matter may result domestic violence on a short period of time or a longer term. Humphreys (2004) stated that different children react to different situations in a different way. Childrens behaviour responds to life experience of domestic violence are difficult and will vary according to a mass of factors that may influence the level of impact on their physical and mental well-being. These factors include: age, gender, race, disability, sexuality, relationship with main carer and siblings and individual children having a coping mechanism and survival strategies. Humphreys (2004) further outlines that young children between the ages of 3-5years old are more likely to have or show physical symptoms of the anxiety and distress, these children may present these fears by different behaviour and emotionally. When children start to become in their adolescent stage they may try to ignore the memories of past behaviour by turning to drugs for comfort, early marriage or pregnancy, running away, or draw attention by becoming a criminal. Boys and girls are shown to deal with experiences in different ways. A gender role can be stereotypical and may influence children to deal differently. According to Lupton and Gillespie (1994) and Hester et al (2000) Muslim children that are born with a disability may influence the impact of domestic violence, a woman who is pregnant and facing domestic violence may contribute the relation to the disability. Marsden (1978) researched and linked those children that were traumatised and witnessed domestic violence in the home children with show signs of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a type of continuing anxiety disorder following experience of a traumatic event. It is thought that a lack of incorporation from an early of secure attachment relationship can lead to long term cognitive, emotional and social difficulties during later childhood and adult life (Marsden 1978). According to Mernessi (1991), many children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect express insecure attachment patterns. Domestic violence may affect the parents to maintain a consistent relationship with their children and this will lead to further behaviour pattern (Mernessi 1991). Friedberg (2000) does a further study and finds that young children facing day to day life with domestic violence are less likely to have close physical contact with their parents and such parents are unaware of their behaviours and start to show negative signals. Domestic violence is also linked with high levels of child neglect and criticism. The type of relationship a mother gives a child may have an affected by additional factors in the situation of domestic violence such as physical injury, depression, drug and alcohol use and separation due to mother leaving or child running away. Violence and abusive father figures have been seen to be more distress, less physically attached, and use more negative control techniques such as physical punishment and verbal abuse, when having the responsibility to being a the primary carer role ( Friedberg 2000). When a woman is being abused not only is her parenting ability and her relationships with her children likely to be affected; there is also a higher possibility that children may be abused. Clark (2000) researched that domestic violence and child abuse occur together in 45-70% of cases; as a result domestic violence is now alleged to be a vital indicator of risk of harm to children, with the male naturally also the childs abuser. In some conditions women have used violence themselves but this is usually to prevent harsher action from their partner (Presscott Letko 1997). Research carried out (Shostack 2001) states that children who are abused physically and/or sexually and observe domestic violence are twice as much abused and show huge amount of distress. (Shostack 2001) states that children that witness violence to their mothers can have a more of an impact to their lifestyle rather than their own abuse having an impact to their behaviour. Not all theories can provide adequate answers, but when several theories are combined to provide a multi explanation, it presents a clearer picture of why Muslim men are more violent than women. These factors can include violence in Muslim community, family relationship, cultural norms and values, growing up in a Muslim society, the personality of the individual who miss-use substances, these factors may all merge to an explanation where violent behaviour is much more likely to happen (Ainsworth 2000).