Essence of Educational Tour Essay

NARRATIVE REPORT â€Å"The World is a book and those who do not travel read only a page†Ã¢â‚¬â€St. Augustine. Educational Tour is part of the students’ journey towards learning. Learning is not only limited inside the four (4) walls of the classroom, because we learn best when we are exposed to new experiences and things around us. I, for one, I’m looking at tours optimistically, that with the help of bringing the students’ outside, they tend to discover new things that they’re actually involved. During our educational tour dated September 11-13, we’ve gone to Cebu City, the Queen City of the South. I, together with my co-students who are second year, third year and fourth year witnessed how it was really great to be exposed in some schools around Cebu. We are there not only to merely have fun; rather we are there to learn lots of things that are in line with our chosen field or specializations. We’ve gone to different schools namely CNU (Cebu Normal University), Cebu Braille Center, SWU (Southwestern University). USJR (University of San Jose Recoletos), Saint Ezekiel Moreno Learning Center, Lapu-Lapu City Elementary School and Mandaue Sped Center. All of these schools provided all the needs that every student/pupil is to acquire as it is concern in educational system. During our visit, I was amazed on the facilities and services they provided to their students, in CNU (Cebu Normal University), they first introduced the history of where, how, and when did Cenu Normal University has started, its founder, its origin and how it evolves to become one of the best school around Cebu, they brought us to Cebu Braille Center and explained to us that they were not owning this center, but because they wanted to help those special children, they let this center be in their community and later then they would want to find ways and means to adopt this center as to be included in the Cebu Normal University Program. As I visit the center, I was very happy to saw how the students and pupils were trying their best to learn despite of their conditions, I was also touched by those teachers who render services to teach the students, and was greatly dumbfounded when I discovered that those visually impaired graduates of their very own center, were there to teach those s tudents like them also. There were different facilities that could be  found also, this facilities or resources were highly needed by the visually impaired learners, these were some of the resources found: a) perkins brailler, which is actually some sort of type writer for the visually impaired, b) perkins printer, c) vector voice gadget, that records the things that they should study, d) talking calculator, e) cane, f) Braille letters/cards. I observed that their materials involve sounds or voice as well as to touch. And I am still amazed how they can still manage to live life while smiling and I tend to cry knowing how brave and strong they were. The next school we visited was the Southwestern University wherein I’ve discovered a teacher teaching kindergarten and was able to realize that in order to catch the attention of your learner, you should make use of a teaching strategy, and the teaching strategy she actually used was playing guitar that introduces her lesson which was all about vowel let ters. I was really enjoyed looking at the teacher and the learners learning together. That was a kind of fulfilling moment on the part of the teacher. She was not only a teacher that time; she also became a singer and a guitarist. How wonderful to looked at the learners’ faces enjoying the lesson. Another school we visited was the University of San Jose University Recoletos and Saint Ezekiel Moreno Learning Center and they welcomed us warmly, there I’ve known Ma’am Joynalyn Ceballos who speaks about the courses offered in the school, the programs they have and the policies they practice to produce a good student. We also visited there library, and upon entering our jaw dropped for a while because of their library that was absolutely stunning. Their library was built properly, its structure that almost stops everyone who entered. They have their books on their second floor which looks like a compilation of books slightly closed to the roof. They also have their Laptop area, a kind of table that able you to charge your laptop when the need arises. They have also a book check and a machine that tends to give an alarm when the books you’ve borrowed were not checked properly by the book check machine. So, there’s no reason to lose their books there. And Mrs. Ma. Socorro L. Padilla, their Librarian explained this all. We also visited their Data Distribution center where all the internet connections are controlled, and I saw a huge kind of cabinet made of steel and iron and have talked to Sir Rodelo Acasio, their programmer and controller. I also interviewed Mrs. Concepcion Delos Reyes, the secretary of the College of  Education, and she told me that they have 20 faculties in the school both part time and full time. And in St. Ezekiel, we observed the Special Children having their program. I felt terribly moved by what I saw, because I can’t even imagine myself be in their position, I felt very happy an d somewhat like sad. Happy because they were given opportunity to be involved in that kind of event and also sad, knowing how hard it was to be in their situation. The next school we visited was Lapu-Lapu City Elementary School and observed a Special Education class as well as the different grade year levels, and I was able to witnessed how the gifted or the fast learner students could actually sang a full song with a fast beat even if they were still in grade 1. I therefore realized that the learners in grade1 have special gifts that actually beyond any normal children does have. Lastly, was the Mandue Sped Center, and Maria Delia Minoza the principal had a lecture or talked about Special Education, their special needs, the different kinds of special children, their capabilities and the services as a Sped Teacher should have in teaching different kinds of special children. She also added that SPED TEACHERS are just like Gaisano Mall, 1 store but has it all. Same as when you are a Sped Teacher, 1 classro om, but has all the intelligences of the special children that you should control. I was able to saw the bakery of the center, headed by Ma’am Carolina F. Ambray. She told me that the bakery was there to help the special children to knew how to bake, and she also added that the bakery was itself controlled by those children with Autism and disability. They were the one who bake, make some cookies, cakes and breads. They also have waving machine, a machine that creates or produces cloth such as shawl or bags made by abacca. And with all these, I was being surprised because just like us who do not have disability, special children were productive also in their own little way. All that I’ve discovered were never been this amazing. I was very surprised, amazed, grateful and with mixed emotions. Even from the very first moment to visit Cebu, I realized how important a teachers’ role is, how important the facilities takes part in the day to day life experiences of the learners, how the teaching strategies, teachings could actually build a better student and because of what I have seen with this educational tour, I realized how is it very hard to have a disability and impairment, that regards of your loss or limitation. There are still chances to become productive, we should  never criticize and instead we should reinforce, motivate and show to the special children that they really do belong just like us. DOCUMENTATION Cebu Normal University Cebu Braille Center Lapu-Lapu City Central Elementary School University of San Jose Recoletos Mandaue Sped Center These were the facilities found in the center; the center was teaching the students how to bake so that they would know to manipulate these objects. Because these objects were given by Japan group intended only for those learners with autism and any disabilities. Also, we have the waving machine; a machine used to create blankets, bags and shawl. In Mandau Sped Center, they were not only teaching the students to learn academics, rather they were there to support the skills and abilities of the students. Enriching the capabilities of each of them and tries to showcase all the needed learning that every Sped students should and must acquire. BEED-4 Of the 4 days tour, which part of the tour is educational or memorable to you? Of the 4 days tour, the part of the tour that I can say educational and memorable to me was when I able to visit the different universities/school around Cebu. I learned a lot, I discovered a lot and I realized a lot. I learned that educational tour was there not only for the benefit of having fun but, it is there to let you experienced a one of a kind journey that you could never experience when you were only inside the 4 walls of the classroom. I discovered that schools in Cebu City namely; Cebu Normal University, Southwestern University, University of San Jose Recoletos,  Lapu-Lapu City Central Elementary School, Cebu Braille Center and Mandaue Sped Center were a great school that enriches the knowledge and learning both normal students and special children. The universities provided a very edge-weapon towards excellence, and the evident fact of this were the facilities, structure, programs that the school were offering to produce a globally-competitive individual. From Cebu Normal University, which you could found the Cebu Braille Center, they caters different types of Special children whether visually impaired, hearing impaired and a lot more. They provided materials for these individuals to learn more, and that would help them be convenient enough in studying. In Southwestern University, where the teacher I have observed make used of the different techniques and strategies to make the kindergarten would really have fun in learning. In University of San Jose Recoletos wherein the facilities needed for the betterment of the learning were found, specifically the high-tech library that I could say that was absolutely conducive for learning, their Audio-visual room that looks like a theater, and the controlling unit of the internet connections made me feels terribly amazed. In Lapu-Lapu City Central Elementary School that the gifted students were found moved me because I can’t actually imagined that a grade 1 pupil could actually sang a song which was in a fast beat, and take note that they sang it from the beginning until it ends. And their I saw also the Special children who were mute and I was very happy to looked at them welcoming us. And the Madaue Sped Center that teaches not only in the academics but also enriches the capabilities of the students through sewing, baking and many more. They have a facility such as sewing machines, they have bakery exclusive only for children with autism and disability and they have also waving machine to vreate blanket, bags and shawl that were made purely in Abacca. Schools were there to educate the students, and if a school has a good quality of service, with a lot of facilities to be used in enriching the capabilities of the students, I know for sure that they could produce a student who can compete globally and will become a catalyst of the society. I was really amazed of what I have discovered during the tour, and I realized that being a teacher was not really an easy task to take, we may encounter different attitude, behaviors and values. And if we surpass these kinds of children successfully, I believe that we will become a teacher full of gratitude, understanding and  love towards our pupil. Even Sped Teachers because as what Ma’am Ma. Delia Minoza, Sped Teachers are just like Gaisano Mall, 1 store but has it all. In relation to Sped Teacher, 1 classroom but has all the behaviors to control. The experienced I had could never ever be erased and will always be a part of the journey that I’m going to take. Education is the key.

Critical Lens Essay Quote Essay

Nicholas Cage once said that, â€Å"I like flawed characters because somewhere in them I see more of the truth.† This quotes means that characters are much more unrealistic when they are perfect. Characters with flaws give the reader a more accurate view of humanity because all people have flaws. The short story â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† by James Hurst and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe are two works of literature that support this quote. In both of these works, it is evident that the two main characters from both stories both have very tragic flaws. These make the story more interesting to read because after reading it reveals the true nature of mankind. â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† by James Hurst shows that the narrator of the story has tragic flaws and being embarrassed of his disabled brother so he teaches him to walk. This short story is about the narrator trying to teach his disabled brother Doodle to walk because he is embarrassed to be related to someone who cannot walk. The narrator eventually strains his brother to do more than walking. This short story supports the quote because the narrator is taking pride into training his little brother to walk because he is embarrassed to have a brother who can’t walk. The narrator pushes his brother into using his legs and walk. In the story it switches from person to person from person to self. The author’s use of Characterization and conflict help to set the mood of the story. These literary elements help set the mood of the story which makes it more interesting to read as well as showing we can get too much pride over something. In conclusion an imperfect narrator or one with tragic flaws makes the story more interesting to the reader. It also reveals truth that people do not think of the consequences of what they are doing. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allen Poe shows that the narrator of the story wants to finally get his revenge on a man who has pride in his wine. This short story is about a man who wants to seek revenge on his friend Fortunato because of his great pride in wine. This short story supports the quote â€Å"I like flawed characters because somewhere in them I see more of the truth.† Because the narrator of the story wants to seek revenge on a man  named Fortunato by using reverse psychology to get his drunk and then murdering him. Everything in the story was planned by the narrator. The author’s use of setting and suspense helped the reader feel like they were in the story as well as makes it more interesting and reveals the truth that all humans are all revengeful at some point. In conclusion the narrator of this story is imperfect which makes this story more interesting. In conclusion, the quote by Nicolas Cage â€Å" I like flawed characters because somewhere in them I see more of the truth.† means that characters are more realistic when they are not perfect. The titles â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† and â€Å"The cask of Amontillado† both support this idea. â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† supports this quote because the narrator of the story is embarrassed to be with his brother Doodle because he is unable to walk. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† also supports this quote because the narrator of the story is imperfect because he is using reverse psychology to kill the man named Fortunato. This issue can connect to the real world because not only are characters from stories imperfect but people are also imperfect and have many flaws which is what makes us human beings.

Managing Diversity Essay

Various literatures indicate that managing diversity within today’s labor force has become a primary concern for companies and organizations today. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), compared with the labor force of past decades, today’s labor force is older, more racially and ethnically diverse, and composed of more women. Over the next decade, the labor force will become even more racially and ethnically diverse (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Non-Hispanic whites made up 67.5 percent of the U.S. labor force in 2010 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), projects that this group will compose 62.3 percent of the labor force in 2020, a decline of 5.2 percent. By 2020, the Hispanic, Asian, and African American labor force are all supposed to make up 18.6, 5.7, and 12.0 percent, respectively (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). The only way that diversity can be managed successfully is in an organizational culture that va lues diversity (Sidel, 2009). According to Kulik and Roberson (2009), when an organization values diversity, the people work better together. If people don’t work well together, the organization does not work well (Kulik & Roberson, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to explain the difference between the terms managing diversity and valuing diversity, and the four key components that make up diversity management. Differences between Managing Diversity and Valuing Diversity In order to better understand how diversity management fits into an organizational culture that values diversity, certain distinctions must first be made. One must know the difference between diversity management and culture of diversity. Diversity management involves establishing long term goals to develop, promote, and utilize the skills of a diverse workforce (Marquis, Lim, & Scott, 2008). By culture of diversity, it is meant that an institutional environment is built on the values of fairness, diversity, mutual respect, understand, and cooperation (Loden & Rosener, 1991). A culture that values diversity emphasizes the importance of employees of different races, cultures, ages, genders, sexual orientations, values, beliefs, ethics, and abilities to work together effectively (Lussier, 2012). Diversity Management with an Emphasis on Valuing Diversity There are four main aspects of diversity management are the support of top management, diversity leadership, policies and procedures, and diversity  training (Lussier, 2012). There must be an emphasis of valuing diversity into each of the four aspects of diversity management: management support, diversity leadership, policies, and training. Management Support Diversity management begins with support from top management. While valuing diversity most often begins at the bottom in organizations, it must involve those at the top if it is to succeed long term (Loden & Rosener, 1991). Fostering the right organizational culture is one of the most important responsibilities of a chief executive (McDermott, 2001). Billings-Harris and Anderson (2010) state: The CEO’s understanding and willingness to engage and challenge the organization’s leaders with respect to the vision, business strategy, financials, goals, and objectives are critical for survival. This is no less true for the CEO’s involvement with the inclusion and diversity strategy. When led effectively, these initiatives are embedded in the overall strategy and can act as one of a few powerful people-focused catalysts that drive business results. (p.28) Cox (2001), asserts that to ensure management support in diversity initiatives, an organization should create a separate senior executive position focused on diversity objectives. This diversity director should be involved in all aspects of the firm and should attempt to make diversity an overall business requirement (Cox, 2001). Loden and Rosener (1991) state that once diversity is accepted as an organizational value, a new set of assumptions begins to operate within the organization, and that these assumptions are based on the positive contributions that diversity is perceived to offer. As part of a long-term strategy aimed at changing the corporate culture, many executives participate in team building sessions and other activities designed to encourage open dialogue among employees about diversity issues (Lod en & Rosener, 1991). Diversity Leadership The second key aspect to diversity management is diversity leadership. Leaders should be able to influence employees to work toward the organization’s objectives (Lussier, 2012). The organization’s leadership should cultivate a mindset that acknowledges that diversity requires long-term cultural change and interprets diversity to include all people (Loden, 1996). Loden (1996) states that rhetorical statements advocating  diversity will not by themselves motivate change, and extensive leadership involvement is needed to help diffuse the principles of diversity throughout the organization and into the attitudes of employees. This involvement requires time and energy on the part of senior leaders and is the most significant sign that diversity is a high priority in an organization (Loden, 1996). Policies and Procedures Policies and procedures of an organization regarding diversity make up the third aspect of diversity management. â€Å"EEO is a legalistic response to workplace discrimination originally mandated by law. Affirmative action programs are outgrowths of equal employment law.† (Loden & Rosener, 1991) Loden and Rosener (1991) conclude that while these programs have led to changes in the composition of the labor force, they have not been linked to an organizational culture change. They state that valuing diversity builds on the basic premise of equal employment law and affirmative action, and that by focusing on the quality of the work environment, valuing diversity moves beyond affirmative action (Loden & Rosener, 1991). It acknowledges that hiring and promoting diverse people does not automatically lead to mutual respect, cooperation, and true integration (Loden & Rosener, 1991). Diversity Training The last aspect of diversity management is diversity training, also sometimes referred to as awareness training. Diversity training programs aim to make people more aware of the issues and the opportunities that exist in reducing differential treatment, including awareness of attitudes behaviors, and biases (Morrison, 1992). According to Morrison (1992), focusing on theories, principles, demographic changes, and organizational benefits of increased diversity is common in diversity training, but it is unlikely to cause individuals to examine their personal values, attitudes, and behaviors. Diversity education is not achieved by one or two workshops, but requires a consistent, continuous effort to understand diversity concepts (Thomas, 2005). Diversity or awareness training for most organizations should consist of three major steps: (1) Begin with leadership education. (2) Follow up with general manager and employee education about stereotyping and the dimensions of diversity. (3) Continue with ongoing seminars in  managing diversity as a vital resource, understanding the dimensions of diversity, career development/efficacy of training for diverse employees, and so on (Loden & Rosener, 1991, p. 204). Accountability for Diversity Even though it is not one of the four main aspects of diversity management, it is important to talk about rewarding behavior that values diversity. As efforts to create the culture of diversity evolve, Morrison (1992) states that the three most commonly revised administrative procedures to hold employees accountable are performance evaluations and resulting financial rewards, succession planning, and promotion systems. Employees and management at all levels should be held accountable for nurturing a culture that values diversity, and responsibility must be distributed throughout the organization if diversity goals are to be achieved (Morrison, 1992). Even in cases where employees do not personally endorse the philosophy, their workplace behavior should still be expected to support this change (Loden & Rosener, 1991). Conclusions In conclusion, diversity management does not focus on recruitment and hiring practices. Recruitment and hiring polices, such as Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action, are short term objectives and do not address organizational growth and development (Marquis, Lim, & Scott, 2008). Diversity management is a long term focus on developing and utilizing the skills of a divorce labor force and focuses on striving to achieve organizational objectives while creating a positive work environment (Marquis, Lim, & Scott, 2008). However, diversity management is only effective if the culture of the organization values diversity (Sidel, 2009). An emphasis on valuing diversity needs to be implemented and supported by top management, and the leaders of an organization need to cultivate the belief and value of diversity (Loden, 1996). Programs and policies must go above and beyond the minimum legal requirements for recruitment and selection (Loden & Rosener, 1991). Training and awareness programs should include education about differences in beliefs, cultures, and opinions (Morrison, 1992).

Accounting for Defined-Benefit Schemes under IAS 19, Segmental Research Paper

Accounting for Defined-Benefit Schemes under IAS 19, Segmental Reporting - Research Paper Example There were some recent changes made in IAS 19 during June 2011 by the IASB and it has a significant impact on the accounting procedures to be followed by the entities regarding defined benefit schemes in the form of pension funds. The time was just right for these changes to take place because it was long awaited by people for IASB to make such changes. One of such change in the accounting of defined benefit plans is the recognition of changes in pension-related liabilities or assets to the immediate effect. Only Other Comprehensive Income (OCI) will include the actuarial profit or loss of an entity now. Previously there was another option of including such profit or loss in the income statement or making use of corridor approach by allowing deferred recognition of such profits and losses. This change can have a significant effect on the entities using the corridor approach by increasing the volatility in its balance sheets. The recent revision of IAS 19 reduces the complexity regarding the requirement of different accounting treatments to be followed in case of amendments in the plan or its curtailment. The accounting treatment of service costs in past whether it is vested or unvested is now aligned together. Costs related to defined benefit schemes are now required to be segregated into three different components, namely, service costs which should be presented in profit and loss statement, finance cost which includes the net interest of liability of defined benefit schemes and re-measurements that are to be included in OCI.

Familial Genetic Testing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Familial Genetic Testing Assignment - Essay Example Genetic and environmental factors are responsible for occurrence of type 1 diabetes. Even though the exact causes are not yet known, many factors that relates to biological body structure or to a person’s external environment have been associated with risks of type 1 diabetes. Genetic factors to type 1 diabetes relates to HLA genes in the body. The genes form complexes among themselves and help the body’s immune system to distinguish between body’s proteins and foreign proteins to the body. The immune system then destroys foreign proteins. Certain complexes of these genes however fail to distinguish the proteins and leads to destruction of insulin. The percentage of type 1 diabetes incidences that result from the genetic factor is however low because only five percent of people with the gene complexes suffers from the complication (Genetic Home Reference 1). Probability of suffering from the complication, based on genes also supports the theory of genetic cause. This is because a person whose close relative suffers from type 1 diabetes has a six percent chance of being a victim while a person who does not have a close relative suffering from the complication has as low as 0.05 percent of being a victim (National Health Services 1). Other factors such as â€Å"viral infections, nutritional exposures, perinatal factors, childhood growth† among other environmental factors have been associated with the disease as moderators (Eisenbarth 267). Major symptoms of the type 1 diabetes are a feeling of itchiness around genital areas, impaired vision, muscle pain, and skin infection. Based on the role of genes and environmental factors, genetic factors account for a significant percentage of the symptoms than environmental factors. This is because of the secondary scope of environmental factors to the symptoms. Urine test and blood test exist for confirming diagnosis based on observed symptoms. There is no curative treatment for type

The Changing Role of International Banking Dissertation

The Changing Role of International Banking - Dissertation Example These developments, unlike before when they were only restricted to the availability of trade credit with impromptu financing sovereigns, now extends well beyond this to define the changing role of the international banks in development finance. The international banking industry, through its penetrating operations and services in the developing countries, has now extended its services offered to the developing countries with the realization of efficient operating infrastructure, local agencies and smaller branches which have now grown to form part of the local banking industries of the developing countries. The international banking industry now performs series of financial transactions with the local banks in the developing world. They provide, to many industries and companies, a reliable gateway through which organizations, sovereigns, banks and other financial institutions perform foreign exchange and related derivatives, transfer funds, borrow money and invest their profits. The new role played by the international banks to the developing countries have created financial instability in the developing countries with their over reliance on the international banks. This calls for a redefinition of the policies guarding the relationships between the international banking industry and the local banks of the developing countries. Even though the coordination of policy of late has majorly focuses on the liquidity provision collaboration, financial scholars, participants of the market and policy makers have the need to focus on the long-term reevaluation and assessment that concerns the stringency that the financial regulation faces and the effects... The international banking industry, through its penetrating operations and services in the developing countries, has now extended its services offered to the developing countries with the realization of efficient operating infrastructure, local agencies and smaller branches which have now grown to form part of the local banking industries of the developing countries. The international banking industry now performs series of financial transactions with the local banks in the developing world. They provide, to many industries and companies, a reliable gateway through which organizations, sovereigns, banks and other financial institutions perform foreign exchange and related derivatives, transfer funds, borrow money and invest their profits.The new role played by the international banks to the developing countries have created financial instability in the developing countries with their over reliance on the international banks. This calls for a redefinition of the policies guarding the relationships between the international banking industry and the local banks of the developing countries. Even though the coordination of policy of late has majorly focuses on the liquidity provision collaboration, financial scholars, participants of the market and policy makers have the need to focus on the long-term reevaluation and assessment that concerns the stringency that the financial regulation faces and the effects of asset markets to the stability and independence of the financial industry.

Saving abandoned pets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Saving abandoned pets - Essay Example For instance, in the process of walking a dog, the guardian, alongside that pet gets fresh air, exercise and also social interaction. Pets offer the much needed companion to the elderly who in most cases, lacks enough social interaction. Some pets have been approved as special therapy animals, especially dogs so that they are used for visiting confined people (Person 21). Pet therapy has been designed so that the animals used aids in achieving certain social, physical, emotional and cognitive goals among patients. Despite these perceived benefits, several; instances have been reported over incidences where pets are abandoned by their guardians for various reasons. This paper examines some of the reasons why pets are often abandoned and some of the ways in which they can be saved and assisted to live their lives effectively after such incidences. Abandoned pets are those pets, which for various reasons; they have been cast off by their owners deliberately or inadvertently. In some cases, it happens when the particular owner passes on or when the pet in question tend to grow too large or is disruptive (Aronin 57). The 2007-2008 financial crisis forced many pets to be abandoned by their owners citing increased costs for their effective upkeep. Some pet owners are often left with the option of abandoning their beloved animals when their homes are foreclosed. On one hand, the animals can be left alone in the property or other owner decides to drop them at animal shelters so that they are not left on the cold. Some of these abandoned pets are discovered at the end of the foreclosure course (Aronin 79). The animals that are lucky to be found are often in extremely poor conditions after they are forced to go without some of the basic resources like food and shelter. Other reasons why pets are abandoned include demolitions because of government policies or averting natural disasters. In such instances, pet owners often decide to

The Future of Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Future of Computing - Research Paper Example We have computers, which are operating our robots’ working tirelessly. There is a need in the digital interfacing. In future, multi-touch inputs will replace the most of the buttons (Kaku 2010). These multi-touch inputs are computer operated and provide an ease at home or at work. Well most of the places are such automatic that these places will be equipped with sensors that are able to detect bogy temperature and help maintain it. Similarly, future technology will include mood sensors that can help maintain a certain mood (Kaku 2010). There will be a microprocessor in everything, for example, in our bedrooms that will keep us updated about our health and in our bathrooms and even our walls. Transportation will be incomplete without a microprocessor. Power management will be done by using digital means in transports as well as in our homes and work places (Schwartz, et al 2006). In future, switches will be replaced by sensors that will work according to our need. Everything in the world will be digitized and people will be thinking about constructing their homes in air rather than on earth. There will be an involvement of a microprocessor in our transportation. Microprocessor will control the function of a vehicle. Speed will be controlled by a simple voice command and air conditioning will depend on our body temperature, sensed by the car (Kaku 2010). The computer-controlled vehicles will be as much efficient as the computers will be. The global positioning system will be efficient enough to automatically update the shortest route. Vehicle’s windshield will be a screen too, to guide the driver about the drive and the route. The computer-controlled solar panels mounted on the vehicle will provide with enough power that the car will store the excess power (Kaku 2010). The stored power will be used at nighttime. The concept of driverless cars will be implemented to enhance the secure drive. In future, there will be a lot of flights. People will have their personal airplanes. In order to avoid accidents a computer controlled communication system will be generated that will help reduce the accidents. The communication system will be able to draw the smallest path after communicating to other airplanes (Kaku 2010). The flights will be much safer and alternative sources of energy will be utilized. Today one of the major issues we are facing is Terrorism and sometimes there exists a lack of security, which makes itself a reason for the death of many people. In future, there will be no terrorist activities as computer communication technologies are much advanced as compared to the modern age (Schwartz, et al 2006). Such technologies will verify a person’s identity several times through cameras. The entrance of each building will be such made that it can detect a person and scan him for any inappropriate material. The systems will be at airports, which will save a lot of time and money. Railway and air tickets are equipped wit h a microprocessor that will indicate the customer about his seat or compartment and there will be less management required (Kaku 2010). Today we are able to send and receive money in minutes by using internet and some other sources (Pountain 2001). In future, this can be done by using mobile phone and voice commands and some other secure features as retina scan and finger print scan are employed to send and recei

What Defines Success in Social Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What Defines Success in Social Commerce - Essay Example This has propagated the emergence of a global economy, e-commerce, and e-business in the formulation of the modern business strategies thus promoting economic development. Ideally, the invention of internet and networking services generated integration of information and communications technology in the global market thus fostering business relationships between countries, organizations, and even individuals (Pearson Education, Inc., 2010). Indeed, since the electronic technologies are in the verge of continued advancement, we can confidently anticipate that their use in the supply chain will lead to increased e-business and globalization. However, is unfortunate that many small and medium businesses are yet to understand the significance of e-commerce and equally make no effort to engage in it (Manzoor, 2010). Actually, there is continued misunderstanding on the difference between e-business with e-commerce despite the fact that e-commerce has been in application for over 40 years s ince the invention of the electronic transmission of messages. Most assuredly, the advancements in internet and web-based technologies establish the clear distinction between traditional markets and modern markets, which host e-commerce. Factually, e-commerce incorporates the two-way communication between the consumer and the suppliers as well as supporting the business relations between corporations. Indeed, e-commerce involves all aspects of trade including marketing, ordering, and supply (Manzoor, 2010). More so, it also supports both physical and intangible trading as well enabling the payments for goods offered. In addition, e-commerce supports electronic provision of services such as after sales support or on-line legal advice. E-commerce uses the internet and social networking technologies to do business and is thus available everywhere and every time within an internet hub. Notably, e-commerce significantly increases the global market base as customers can access products fr om different locations in the world (Oracle, 2012). Furthermore, e-commerce promotes personalization in the market by enabling businesspersons to pass their messages to the target markets and target individuals in the context of purchasing and rendering payment. It is also flexible in that it allows customers to change the product or service in line with their tastes, preferences, and purchasing power. Most significantly, is the fact that e-commerce is universal in that its standards apply equally across all nations in the world. Nevertheless, there have always been challenges in defining e-commerce. However, the most acceptable definition of e-commerce refers to a wide range of online business activities for products and services across the world. Ideally, e-commerce equally refers to any electronically interaction for purposes of business (Goel, 2007). It is specifically business in the internet though a computer-mediated network and incorporates no physical interaction. Moreover, it entails the sharing of business information, using networks to conduct business, and maintaining business interactions. Notable, there is a misconception between e-commerce and e-business. However, the two are quite different in that e-business do not include commercial transaction or cross boundaries business interactions. Nevertheless, e-business and e-commerce interact where internal business systems connect with suppliers. Most assuredly, e-commerce is increasingly becoming a social commerce. Indeed, social commerce and e-commerce rely on one another. Social commerce uses electronic commerce and relies on interactions

Facebook Revenue Sources Essay Example for Free

Facebook Revenue Sources Essay Facebook Revenues Up to $700 Million in 2009, On Track Towards $1.1 Billion in 2010 Facebook is tight-lipped about its revenue numbers, which is typical of private companies. The most it has said publicly is that it became â€Å"free cash-flow positive† as of last September. At the time, we estimated it was set to bring in around $550 million for the year in revenues based on previous reports that we and others had heard, and from our own calculations. But how did the year actually end? Somewhat higher. And sources estimate the company could make between $1 billion and $1.1 billion in total revenue this year. It ended 2008 making between $280 million and $300 million, according to many reports. The company’s revenues likely reached between $600 million and $700 million for 2009, according to a variety of industry sources we spoke with. The estimates match what we heard in September, which was that $550 million was looking too low – 2009 was clearly a big year for the company in terms of building its business, as we’ve been covering. The company has been roughly doubling its revenues every year — 2007 came in at $150 million. We expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future, making Facebook a multi-billion dollar company within the next few years. The question is becoming how Facebook can hit the inflection point where its revenues increase much more quickly. Of course, it is not commenting on this story, except to provide the following statement: Facebook is a private company, and we do not publicly disclose our financial results. We understand there is a great deal of interest and curiosity in our past and potential financial performance. However, external attempts to forecast revenue are fundamentally speculative and should be treated as such. We’re focused on building our business to be successful over the long-term. 2009 Revenue How did Facebook make money last year? By growing multiple revenue sources, mostly around advertising. Here’s the revenue we estimate for each component, followed by our analysis. Note that the 2009 run-rate numbers in the table circulated went around the financial community last summer, and were publicly reported by investor-blogger Fred Wilson and Business Insider. We’ll get into the 2010 projections further down. Want more updates from Inside Facebook on Facebook revenues? Sign up here to be notified of future reports. Brand Advertising: Facebook’s internal sales force made a big push here throughout the year, building on past efforts. It made very public entreaties to advertisers with many millions in budgets, like its big presentation to Madison Avenue last year. There, it also announced a deal where Nielsen started providing better advertising data to help firms track campaign results. Facebook also continued to upgrade Pages and its home page advertising units, testing out a range of new features like engagement sampling ads. Meanwhile, the site grew to more than 350 million monthly active users at the end of 2009 from 150 million or so at the beginning of the year — that’s a lot of new eyeballs for advertisers to try to reach. Out of those users, around 100 million were in the US and another 100 million were in Europe: These two markets are where brand advertising br ings in the most money. Brand ads revenue also expanded for a couple more reasons we’ll get into below. Between what we’ve heard from sources and our estimates, we think this category increased considerably over the course of the year, from the $125 million rumor in July to roughly $225 million by the end of the year. The bigger question is if major advertisers are starting to spend more than â€Å"experimental† budgets on Facebook, and according to sources this just started to happen over the course of last year. Microsoft Advertising: Revenue in this area is not clear. Microsoft has been running banner advertising on Facebook for years, one of the perks of its which it started doing when it made a strategic investment in the company. But the two ended the international component a year early, on January 1 of 2010, instead of the same time next year. While that obviously won’t impact Facebook’s 2009 revenue, we also hear that it already took over a sizable portion of Micr osoft’s ad inventory during 2009. Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter suggest that the July rumor about Microsoft $150 million number is half wrong, in the sense that it is gross revenue, including Microsoft’s cut. So Facebook’s would have been significantly less — the exact percentage it would get is not known, as revenue sharing terms have never been disclosed for the deal. Virtual Goods: This number is especially confusing, in part because Facebook accounts for branded virtual goods as part of brand advertising. Virtual goods revenue source, in terms of Facebook’s accounting practice, only means direct  Credits sales. The result is that the revenue source is significantly lower than what many have expected, coming in potentially as low as $10 million, according to sources familiar with the matter. While the Facebook gift shop has appeared to be popular with users, Credits has otherwise been in testing mode throughout the year. The use of the virtual currency in third-party applications has been minimal, and that only started changing in December. Most industry sources have estimated revenue for virtual goods at around $75 million for the year, which has roughly corresponded with the July rumors and followed from previous estimates for gift store revenue. Certainly, Facebook’s accounting method — which we don’t have many details on — alters some part of that estimate. But outside rumors and estimates have been bullish because social games and other applications brought in hundreds of millions to developers on the Facebook platform last year. At $10 million a year, the gift shop would be bringing in $25,000 a day, which seems extremely low considering the size of the Facebook audience. But, Facebook has promoted virtual gifts pretty lightly over the past couple of years. Performance Advertising: As the biggest success so far in terms of monetization, we believe performance advertising grew by roughly $150 million above the July rumors, and for a few reasons. FarmVille, Zynga’s hit farming game, saw sharp traffic growth after launching in June, partly because the company aggressively advertised on Facebook. Other social gaming companies followed suit. Social games accounted for a substantial minority of all spending on performance advertising, according to sources — between a third and half, some say. However, other types of performance-focused advertisers, including direct marketers and local businesses, also increased their spending, from what many in the industry have said. Growth was especially strong growth in international markets, in part because companies like Techlightenment, TBG London, Tradimax and 77 Agency began using Facebook’s advertising API to sell ads in bulk. These companies are based in Europe, and used Facebook’s precise ad-targeting features to reach users across the fast-growing region’s diversity of nationalities and languages. However, Facebook has rolled out its advertising API program more slowly than we’ve been expecting in general. 2010 Revenue Estimates Overall, we expect many of the same advertising trends to continue. Brand and  self-serve advertising should increase — but so will virtual goods revenue. A wide variety of sources we spoke to expect Facebook to pass $1 billion in revenue this year, possibly reaching $1.1 billion. This is significant growth, but likely still the start of the hockey stick. Here’s a quick look at what’s happening now. Note that these estimates are very rough, and based on our understanding of the market and conversations with sources — we don’t have enough data on Facebook’s traffic to model each revenue stream. Brand Advertising: Facebook is continuing to invest in its sales team here, opening new offices in the US and abroad, and cutting deals with regional advertising agencies in other parts of the world. Its traffic appears to still be growing — although how much is a big question for the year. The result is that ad inventory and the value to big b rands will likely continue to increase, potentially to $350 million, we believe. We don’t think big brands will switch major offline or portal budgets to Facebook en masse this year, but we’ll see more money coming over, with the big budgets likely to follow later. Microsoft Advertising: It’s hard to see Facebook maintaining much Microsoft advertising, because it can now monetize better on its own. It may maintain a token amount in some markets. Microsoft won’t mind about losing Facebook here, because it already has a big strategic investment in the company that will only get more valuable as Facebook builds its own business. And, Microsoft has other deals, like Bing within Facebook, and search ads to go along with the search engine. Virtual Goods: More than ever, Facebook is making Credits a more relevant part of its developer platform. We’ve been covering in detail as the company has recently gotten most big developers using the virtual currency as an option; it has also gotten one, CrowdStar, using Credits exclusively. One way it has done this is by giving games that use Credits prominence within the Facebook interface, appearing in the â€Å"suggested† window of its Games Dashboard, for example. We’ve also been hearing rumors — for months — about Facebook making Credits the mandatory, exclusive virtual currency in applications. It’s not clear that this will happen, and everything we’ve heard coming out of the company suggests no big decisions have been made yet. In fact, our understanding is that Facebook will continue to try to focus on advertising this year. Still, we expect Facebook to start to figure out how to tap into the virtual goods business in a big way. It takes 30% of Credits revenue, so  any developers it funnels through Credits will make it money. Performance Advertising: Social games need to advertise now more than ever to reach Facebook users, due to new inhibitions on viral growth, and more competitors. They’re going to be spending more on Facebook than they have been. So will many other types of performance advertising. Some, from our understanding, have figured out ways of getting a good return on their advertising investment, making additional advertising a way for them to make more money. Facebook’s ongoing efforts to build features for the Ads API, the development of third-party tools providers, and interest from more advertisers should bring this category continue to grow well, past half a billion and possibly towards $600 million. Conclusion: Look for the Most Revenue Growth After 2010 While many people have questioned Facebook’s ability to make money, it is innovating in multiple areas, in ways that we believe will work for the long-term. Brand and performance advertising benefit from being targeted on users’ real-life data, from appearing in Facebook’s engagement-rich environment, and from reaching its hundreds of millions of users. The company will, in our view, gradually chip away at brand advertising spending on other big web sites, including Yahoo and MySpace. The optimistic case for Facebook, in terms of its brand advertising revenue, is that it will get most of this advertising and bring it alone up into the billions range, eventually. Performance should also continue to expand. We expect social gaming as well as a wide variety of performance advertisers and local businesses to help the company make more money here for many years to come. This ecosystem could mature to look something like search engine marketing. Google’s AdWords and other contextual ads appear to be better than Facebook in terms of reaching users looking to buy things; some industries are struggling to make money on Facebook, including travel and insurance companies, from what we hear. We’re not prepared to make an estimate for how big this revenue source might become in future years, except to say that it looks the most promising out of any. Beyond 2010, Credits could potentially expand beyond Facebook apps. Facebook intends to have it be a virtual currency on the site for now, but many have speculated it could turn Credits into a web-wide virtual currency, and integrate it with Connect so other web  sites could include it as a payment option. That is possible — it’s an idea that’s been floating around for years. Some have also speculated that Facebook is going to get deeper into the payments business, instead of partnering with other payment service providers who currently manage Credit purchases. But in order to do payments itself, it would have to build out a PayPal-sized backend to support this. Right now, it uses PayPal, mobile payments from Zong, and direct payments via credit cards, instead. All in all, Facebook’s future looks good, in terms of its ability to continue growing revenues. We’ll of course keep tracking everything closely.

Behaviourist and Humanist Approaches to Learning

Behaviourist and Humanist Approaches to Learning The means and style by which material is delivered to a learner depends upon a number of factors, not least of which are the traditions of the environment in which they are being presented. The aim of this essay is to explore both behaviourist and humanist approaches to learning and whether there is a place for the latter in a military environment. The behaviourist approach to learning is traditionally used in both military and school environments: it was the main theory from the 1940s to the 1970s. The ideas that give it its foundation are the experiments that were conducted by Ivan Pavlov; these experiments enabled him to influence the behaviour of dogs with the use of external stimuli – an example of this is salivation at the sound of a bell in anticipation of the arrival of food. This was labelled ‘Classical Conditioning’. It was argued that this sort of conditioning plays a big part in human learning, particularly with regard to physiological functioning (i.e. salivation at the sound of a bell) or emotion (i.e. fears and phobias). James Watson embraced these ideas and was the first to use the term ‘behaviourism’. He believed that it was vital, in order to understand human behaviour and therefore learning, for one to adopt a scientifically measurable approach. He argued that all human behaviour is governed by conditioned responses and as such can be controlled and modified to suit any given purpose. He even went as far as to say that he could train any child to fulfil any job in society as long as he was healthy, as he believed that â€Å" there is nothing from within to develop† (1928). Both Watson and Pavlov thought â€Å"that the simultaneous occurrence of events is sufficient to bring about learning† and is â€Å"ordinarily referred to as the contiguity explanation† (Lefrancois 1994). In other words, the sound of a bell will induce salivation in dogs in anticipation of receiving food, once one is associated with the other; the salivation will occur at the sound of a bell after a while, even if there is no food given to the animal. Thorndike saw this in a different way believing that the effect of the response led learning to occur (termed the Law of Effect). He argued that a learner would repeat responses that brought positive results and that behaviour would be modified through a process of trial and error. This idea is what is known as the reinforcement approach which was further developed by B.F.Skinner. He stated that when reinforcement of any response occurs, it will be repeated and that this can enable control to be gained over people. These r einforcements can either be positive or negative – reward or punishment. He fully explored the relationship between responses and reinforcement and concluded that reinforcement brought about learning. This view is referred to as operant conditioning. Skinner contended that for learning to be effective it needed to be tackled in small stages, it needed to be logical/sequential, it needed to be based on prior knowledge, that the desired behaviour needed to be rewarded regularly in the initial stages and that reinforcement of the required or desired behaviour should happen immediately that it occurs. â€Å"†¦Skinner urges educators to focus on reinforcing student success rather than punishing student failure† and that â€Å"†¦reinforcement for appropriate responses is consistent and immediate, and learned behaviours are maintained by intermittent reinforcement schedules† (Ormrod 2004). As we can see, there is no place for feelings and individual thoughts in behaviourist theory. It is only concerned with what can be observed and it contends that evidence gathered through experiments indicates that there are a number of principles which can be applied to learning and that if these were adopted, the process would be made easier. They are the Law of Effect, the Law of Contiguity, the Law of Exercise (repeating an action or behaviour) and the Law of Reinforcement. The problem with this is that behaviourism provides only a very limited and mechanistic or mechanical way of looking at the process of learning, which is far too simple. It takes little to no account of the learner as an individual and assumes that the learner is passive and has no exercise of free will; it does not allow for differences in individuals and it can be manipulative if the provider wishes to use it in this way. By contrast, humanist thinkers such as Maslow and Rogers asked themselves what is it that makes us human. They approached their studies from a completely different angle and looked upon humanity as innately positive, as opposed to previous ideas which apparently painted life in a very dower and pessimistic manner. Rather than concentrating their studies on those who are suffering form illness, they looked at the behaviour of healthy people –â€Å"when you select out for careful study very fine and healthy people†¦you get a very different view of mankind† (Maslow 1971). The humanist approach encourages people to exercise free will in their lives, allowing them to be individuals in their own right and to highlight everything that is positive about them. This enables any given individual to have the opportunity to achieve their maximum possible potential in whatever they choose to do. They contend that purely scientific methods of studying behaviour are inadequate in assessing any human being (Chapter 6 The Humanistic Approach). Maslow presented his studies in the form of a ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ which indicates that all humans work towards satisfying or attaining their perceived needs â€Å"as a ladder of human achievement that must be climbed† (Trigg 2004). This is laid out in the form of a pyramid with each type of need building from the other while being closely interwoven with each other. At the base is the Physiological type which includes basic needs like air, food, water, shelter and sleep; the next type is Safety or Security which is concerned with stability and a feeling of being protected from harm; this leads on to the type which encompasses Belonging and Love which covers relationships with our family and our peers; the fourth level is that of Esteem which deals with issues of achievement, recognition and respect. Maslow separated these and grouped them together and termed them ‘deficiency needs’ or ‘D-motives’ stressing that a lack of fulfilment in an area will cause a person to act to remedy the problem. He felt that the pyramid was the best way to represent this system as people seemed to challenge themselves to achieve and work their way through the types to achieve their full potential; their motivation was to get better and reach their needs leading onto the next level, similar to the way in which a person who is learning a musical instrument will strive hard to achieve the next grade or a computer gamer will keep trying until he achieves the next level. The final type of needs are called ‘growth needs’, ‘being needs’ or ‘B-motives’ by Maslow. Once the initial needs described above are met, the need for the development within the individual becomes the prime driving force. This is described as Self Actualisation within the pyramid: subsequent versions of the hierarchy included more complex subdivisions within this type of need which serve to break down the areas of personal achievement into smaller categories. Maslow (1968) describes this growth as â€Å"†¦a rewarding and exciting process†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which continues to increase as the person develops throughout their life. Rogers holds similar views to Maslow when looking at the concept of self actualisation. He believes that humans are able to push themselves to achieve their full potential and that each and every person is unique in their ideas about themselves. They hold their own image of themselves in their minds in terms of how they see themselves, how much value they perceive themselves as having and how they would like to develop in the future. â€Å"Whether one calls it a growth tendency, a drive towards self-actualisation, or a forward-moving directional tendency, it is the mainspring of life†¦ it is the urge to expand, extend, become autonomous, develop, mature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rogers 1961). He believed that every individual has the ability to solve their own problems and that his role as a therapist was one of being some kind of ‘facilitator’ to aid the individuals thought processes and progress towards resolving their issues. Each ‘facilitator’ needs to displa y honesty, empathy and respect towards those whom he is trying to help. This environment is controlled by the individual who is being helped and Rogers believed that this was the only environment in which genuine learning could take place. Rogers went on to apply these principles to education. ‘Student centred learning’ enables individuals to take responsibility for their learning; the way that the teacher interacts with their class is crucial in the development of an environment that will encourage learning to take place: â€Å"†¦the facilitation of learning rests upon certain attitudinal qualities which exist in the personal relationship between the facilitator and learner† (Rogers 1969). They need to ensure that there are sufficient resources in place to aid the students, that they themselves are prepared to be a living resource and that they are prepared to act as a learner themselves within the classroom. As an idea, this is an alien concept to many teachers, even today. The idea of not being at the head of the class, dictating the direction that the learning is taking is frightening to a good number of educators. The traditional approach to teaching is being firmly challenged here with me mbers of the profession being asked to look at their methods, critically appraise them and react accordingly. The focus in this environment is the student not the teacher and it is â€Å"a system of providing learning which has the student at its heart† (Brandes and Ginnis 1986). Rogers (1984) sums this supportive environment up by commenting that â€Å"person centred education is much like my rose garden – it needs a caring environment to sustain its beauty.† This sort of approach in the classroom can be very effective as long as both the staff and the pupils enter into the process wholeheartedly. There are many different activities that can focus on the student as an individual in order to allow them to develop and grow as individuals and learn from each other. Initially it is important for the group to set out ground rules so that every individual is aware of how the process works and to ensure that all of the group feel comfortable with the approach that is being taken. These ground rules can include things like not interrupting or talking over the top of someone when they are speaking, thus encouraging every individual to have respect for the others. Once the group have agreed to these ground rules, every activity can be approached with individuals having the same expectations of each other. It is important to note that if there are any new arrivals to the group, these need revisiting to ensure that the newcomer also feels a sense of ownership for them. Group activities where everyone has the opportunity to learn are extremely valuable; examples that I have used are mind mapping (brainstorming), problem solving, open discussion and the circle. The great strength of the circle is that everyone can see and hear everyone else; each person, including the facilitator is on the same level and can physically be regarded as being the same – a listener and a learner. The topic of discussion or the theme that is being addressed can then be opened up to the group; each person has the opportunity to speak if they wish to, with the way that this is organised being decided prior to the circle forming. Sometimes hands up can be used, at other times one person in the group can be placed as a chairperson or even a pencil case or ruler could be passed from the person who is speaking to the next person to speak. This way of organising the group allows each person to feel that they can contribute if they wish to and quieter people can also be in volved by the facilitator in order to broaden their horizons. It also encourages students to listen to and take notice of the views of others even if they ultimately reject them as not being for them. It encourages people to be open with each other without fear of being laughed at, shouted down or humiliated because of what they think or say. It does take a while to get used to this system of learning but it has huge benefits for all those who are open to it. It allows the student to appreciate and develop their own views through consideration of others, broadening their outlook in the process. I have heard the expression ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought of it like that’ during circle time on many occasions. Circle time can also be used to feedback from small group discussions and research that has been undertaken outside the classroom. Role plays are another excellent way of finding out what a small group have understood about a particular topic, through the content of their offering to the rest of the class. Not only does this allow the students to express themselves in their own way but it also encourages different styles of learners to flourish in the classroom and further encourages students to learn from one another. Clearly the teacher or facilitator needs to be comfortable with this process as it is taking place and retain their authority within the classroom. This is a difficult balance to find and is one which some people find it almost impossible to do. Within the traditional school environment this sort of approach is unheard of due to the seemingly unstructured and undisciplined way of tackling any work. Military establishments may have the same views due to the highly disciplined nature of what the soldiers are trained to do. However, the question remains as to whether this sort of humanistic approach can work in that environment. It would seem that whether the approach would work would depend upon the nature of what the learner was attempting to learn and where he is attempting to learn it. The military have traditionally relied upon the behaviourist model as it best suits their purpose. The instructors can employ both positive and negative reinforcement to train the soldiers to do what they have to in the field of battle or ‘theatre of war’. Soldiers do not have time to think about how to reload a weapon or whether it is right to fire when they are in the middle of a battle zone. The way that they are taught reflects the arena in which they will have to perform their set tasks; reloading a weapon today is far easier than it was in the days of muskets, but soldiers still have to be disciplined and keep their heads in difficult pressurised situations. Being taught in a mechanised fashion will help them as tasks will become second nature due to the consistent repetition that has taken place on the training ground. My father could still tell me how to strip down, clean, oil and rebuild his weapon in every detail some 20 years after having left the armed forces. This can also be said of manoeuvres that are vital to the survival of a unit of men. They are ‘drummed’ into the minds of the soldiers so that they are become an automatic reaction to a given stimulus. This could ultimately save their lives and the lives of those around them. An example of this is the reaction to a very loud bang in a public house one day while I was enjoying a drink with my two brothers in law, both then in the Army; they had just returned from Northern Ireland when this incident happened. The loud bang went off and I looked around to find them both on the floor tight up against the skirting boards on opposite sides of the room. This was a conditioned response to the loud bang and was as a result of their extensive survival and battle training. Much of military training cannot afford to co ncern itself with the individual needs of each of the soldiers – it must simplify the learning so that the whole reacts (as far as possible) in a predicable way. In short, when an order is given it is obeyed immediately, without fail. There would however seem to be a place for the humanistic approach within the modern military environment too. Within the confines of a classroom, when conducting classes which are concerned with basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and IT there may well be an opportunity to utilise this type of learning strategy. Everyone likes their opinion to be taken notice of, to feel that they are contributing and to be listened to. Those who are undertaking officer training are required to problem solve – this can be done using this different approach and will allow the learner to express themselves as they are doing so. Individuals need to be given the opportunity to develop themselves to the best of their ability and this needs to be facilitated in all environments of learning, including the military. There is a place for freedom of expression, in the right place at the right time. It would seem that there would need to be strong leadership in order that these sorts of methods coul d be introduced and continue to be used in a military environment, as their implementation would involve a change in long held and established practises. There also needs to be an acknowledgement â€Å"that traditional training approaches, which place an emphasis on replication or imitative learning, are unsuited to fostering the longer term individual and organisational development outcomes required by a significantly changed operational environment† (Thomas 2006). Catering for the individual strengths and needs of individual soldiers can foster a greater sense of loyalty in them and an even greater motivation to succeed not only for themselves but their fellow men. This is particularly important in this rapidly changing modern technological world. In the modern military environment, there would seem to be a place for both the traditional behaviourist and the humanist approaches to learning. Given that all those involved understand that certain situations require different methods of teaching to be employed and accept that from the outset, there is no reason why both cannot be employed. All soldiers understand the need to obey orders and that certain tasks will need to be done like an automaton in order for them to be successful in what they do. It is essential that there is also an acknowledgement that there is a place for people to want to achieve the best that they can within their environment as an individual, as well as for the collective. As Rogers (1980) explains â€Å"the actualising tendency can be thwarted or warped, but cannot be destroyed without destroying the organism.† It is also important to note that â€Å"†¦with this self-actualisation, individuals can engender life long learning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ki el 1999). There are many differing ways that people learn and it is up to different organisations to adopt the method or methods that are best suited to bring them success in their field. That does not negate the need however, for all providers to reflect upon and modify their methods to best effect from time to time. The military have hundreds of years to tradition to fall back on, but need to ‘move with the times’ and accept that the humanist approach in certain areas of their educational provision can be of benefit to both individuals and the military as a whole. Bibliography Chapter 6 The Humanistic Approach Brandes, D. Ginnis, P. 1986 A Guide to Student-Centred Learning Oxford: Basil Blackwood Lefrancois, G.R. 1994 from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Maslow, A. 1971 The Farther Reaches of Human Nature New York: Viking Maslow, A. 1968 Towards a Psychology of Being (2nd Ed) New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold Ormrod, J.E. 2004 Human Learning (4th Ed) from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Rogers, C.R.R. 1961 On Becoming a Person Boston: Houghton Mifflin Rogers, C.R.R. 1969 Freedom to Learn Columbus, Ohio: Charles E Merrill Publishing Rogers, C.R.R. 1980 A Way of Being Boston: Houghton Mifflin Watson, J.B. 1928 The Psychological Care of Infant and Child from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Rogers, C.R.R. 1984 from Frieberg, H.J. 1999 Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming: Lessons Learned Alexandria Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Kiel, J.M. 1999 Reshaping Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to Reflect Todays Educational and Managerial Philosophies Journal of Instructional Psychology, Vol. 26 Thomas, K 2006 Leadership Development in the Military: Bridging Theory and Practice International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 6(2-4) Trigg, A.B. 2004 Deriving the Engel Curve: Pierre Bordieu and the Social Critique of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Review of Social Economy, Vol.62

Comparison of The Judges House versus The Signalman :: essays research papers

I think that mystery stories are so popular with people today, and with the last couple of generations because they are so intriguing. The author tries to give the story an element of surprise and also put twists in the tails to keep the reader guessing. Rather than just watching a film it allows the reader to build up their own imagination and interpret the story in their own way. The author will also try to integrate a ghost or spirit into the story, whether it be physically there or just psychologically, this gives the sense of mystery and usually results in the protagonist of the story dying. During the Victorian era mystery stories were especially popular, this was due to television and cinema not being in existence, so people had enliven themselves in other ways, in this case with books. In Victorian times religion was cogent and people believed in God more than people today, this meant that people thought what happen in mystery stories was very plausible. However with the adva ncement of science, people regard mystery stories as fully fictional, conversely some individuals and groups do still believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits. The two stories, ?The Judges House? and ?The Signalman? have atmosphere built up through the setting of the story as well as other things including the characters and also the dialogue. First of all, the judge?s house has a very weird sort of setting. It is set in a large, old house with high windows and tall walls, basically a very stereotypical sort of house for a mystery story. However this decrepit house is situated in the middle of a community, with a wide array of people and vehicles there. This sort of area you would expect to be safe, however this could have given Malcolm Malcolmson, the protagonist, a false sense of security as the house has high walls isolating it from the rest of the community. The author describes the house as ?a fortified house than an ordinary dwelling? this suggests that it was not just a few fences around the house, rather iron bars on windows and large iron gates, these are the things you would stereotypically relate to this type of story. ?The Signalman? is not the kind of setting you would expect for a story of this nature, it is set on a railway cutting which is far from stereotypical however a railway cutting could be seen as an industrial area which can be associated with gloominess, fog and smoke. Comparison of The Judges House versus The Signalman :: essays research papers I think that mystery stories are so popular with people today, and with the last couple of generations because they are so intriguing. The author tries to give the story an element of surprise and also put twists in the tails to keep the reader guessing. Rather than just watching a film it allows the reader to build up their own imagination and interpret the story in their own way. The author will also try to integrate a ghost or spirit into the story, whether it be physically there or just psychologically, this gives the sense of mystery and usually results in the protagonist of the story dying. During the Victorian era mystery stories were especially popular, this was due to television and cinema not being in existence, so people had enliven themselves in other ways, in this case with books. In Victorian times religion was cogent and people believed in God more than people today, this meant that people thought what happen in mystery stories was very plausible. However with the adva ncement of science, people regard mystery stories as fully fictional, conversely some individuals and groups do still believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits. The two stories, ?The Judges House? and ?The Signalman? have atmosphere built up through the setting of the story as well as other things including the characters and also the dialogue. First of all, the judge?s house has a very weird sort of setting. It is set in a large, old house with high windows and tall walls, basically a very stereotypical sort of house for a mystery story. However this decrepit house is situated in the middle of a community, with a wide array of people and vehicles there. This sort of area you would expect to be safe, however this could have given Malcolm Malcolmson, the protagonist, a false sense of security as the house has high walls isolating it from the rest of the community. The author describes the house as ?a fortified house than an ordinary dwelling? this suggests that it was not just a few fences around the house, rather iron bars on windows and large iron gates, these are the things you would stereotypically relate to this type of story. ?The Signalman? is not the kind of setting you would expect for a story of this nature, it is set on a railway cutting which is far from stereotypical however a railway cutting could be seen as an industrial area which can be associated with gloominess, fog and smoke.

Spain and World War Two :: WWII World War 2 Essays

Spain and World War Two Spain was officially a nonbelligerent state, throughout the Second World War. Stemming from three long years of civil war, starting in 1936 and ending in 1939, just as the world was picking sides for the Second World War. At this time Spain was destitute, her people starving, and generally tired of war. Leaning toward the Nazis, because of past help, and basic ideals, yet dependent on English, and American aide, Spain invented the nonbelligerent state. Spain remained uninvolved during World War Two because of Spanish honor, the personality of Francisco Franco, and it was not in Spain’s bet interest to enter the war. As a general rule, Spanish people feel rigidly bound by their sense of honor. This is one major conflict inherent between the Spanish people and entering the war. First Spain had no appreciable quarrel with any country involved in the war, save the Russians. The Russians had given aide the defeated Republicans during the Spanish civil war; the Russians were consequently despised. Whereas the Germans had helped Franco into power, by sending men, planes, and officers to help the war effort, therefor they were close allies. To further complicate things Germany began the war a friend of the Russians. As for the Allies, General Franco had received some military training in France, under the guidance of Marshals Petain, and Foch, who had been badly humiliated by the Nazis. And stemming from his time in France he developed a great respect for the military traditions of the French. Therefore helping the Nazis would be to stab the French in the back. An idea repugnant to General Franco "No Sp anish hidalgo would have done that."1 (A hidalgo is a child that inherits nothing from the family their life choices being the church, or soldering.) Concerning the Americans and British, Spain had absolutely no argument with them at all. The Americans and English were sending valuable raw materials to Spain in an effort to keep her neutral.2 So as a whole the Spanish people felt torn, they didn't want to help the Germans because they were allied with an enemy, and fighting a friend. Furthermore Spain did not want to fight America or Britain. To compound things further Spain did owe Germany. They had helped Franco to power by supplying soldiers, pilots, and machines while he lead his troops to victory over the republicans of Spain.

Ethical Issues and Issues of Sensitivity in Sociological Research Essay

Ethical Issues and Issues of Sensitivity in Sociological Research Ethical issues are the considerations that can have an important influence on the research process. They are moral principles- beliefs about what is right and wrong, which often guide research. Sociological associations in many countries have a set of ethical guidelines for conducting research. There are six main ethical issues; I will explore them below. Sensitive issues are issues that need to be dealt with tactfully because of their subject matter. This could include subjects such as death, health issues, sex etc. These are potentially sensitive subjects as the people being researched may have had an unpleasant situation with them. The first ethical issue I will investigate is "informed consent". This is the idea that those the researchers are studying should be given the opportunity to agree or refuse to participate in the research. This means covert observation could not take place, as this involves not letting people know they are being observed. Informed consent means that the researcher must provide information about the aims of the research, what the conduct of the research involves and the purpose to which the research will be put. This issue was raised when James Patrick did his research on "A Glasgow Gang Observed". This involved him becoming part of a "gang", only one member of the gang knew he was a researcher undercover. From spending time with the group, he gained information about what they did, what their attitudes were and how far they were willing to go e.g. breaking the law. This research did not involve informed consent, as the majority of ... ...o depends on what sort of person the researcher is, are they highly principled? Or are they willing to cut a few corners to make their research easier or more accurate? How strict a researcher is can definitely benefit/ruin their research. Telling the complete truth to participants about the research could undermine the research or cause research problems, as if the participants know they are being observed it could cause them to act very differently. A lot of issues are not straightforward, some conflict and often need a great deal of thought put into them. To do completely accurate and valid research, the balance between respecting participants' privacy, not deceiving them, being careful not to put them at risk of harm and making sure the data collected is true has to be right, and this is a difficult balance to get.

Miss Lonelyhearts

The focus of Miss Lonelyhearts begins with the American Dream and the frailty of the people whose lives have been spent trying to achieve the American Dream, only to have lost everything during the Depression.   West paints the American Dream as an illusion, one that seems unachievable, particularly after reading the many letters written to him.   The letters depress him.   Miss Lonelyhearts starts to believe that there is no true happiness, no true love in the world. He seeks out companionship as a physical release, but nothing more.   This depression leads Miss Lonelyhearts to search for something that may bring good in the world, and turns to Christ.   Through Miss Lonelyhearts, West is addressing a central dilemma facing modern man; having abandoned God, where do people turn to for answers? Turning to Christ does not seem to provide resolve for Miss Lonelyhearts, as he even feels that he and the world fail at religion.   He initially turns to Christ when his boss, Shrike, mocks him by writing a prayer that compares Miss Lonelyhearts to Christ.   Miss Lonelyhearts thinks that perhaps Christ can help him to help these people, but knows that ultimately the suffering of others will be more than he can bear. He knows that he is not Christ, although he tries desperately to emulate the Christian faith, through the sacrifice of a lamb, which doesn’t work.   Miss Lonelyhearts is trying to find order in a chaotic world.   The world exists as one in which faith should have the ability to save people, but it won’t.   Miss Lonelyhearts creates this order in a manner to deal with the chaos and depression.   Miss Lonelyhearts believes that it is this very modern world that is killing itself. Miss Lonelyhearts does not attach emotion to people or relationships.   The other people in his life are there for a purpose.   Betty represents the order that he thinks that he and the world need.   Emotion is not something that Miss Lonelyhearts displays in any way other than when he is angry.   He appears to be trying to get himself out of his current situation, but the depression of his readers suggests to him that there is no hope, only despair.   Christ could not provide a way out for him and turns instead to sex.   His admission that he does not believe in Christ appears to come from his refusal to acknowledge the sin in his own life. Even with women and during sex, it is not as though he longs for their companionship or is even excited by their presence.   It seems as though it is just another task in his day.   It is a physical release.   The people who write to Miss Lonelyhearts did not represent a world where love could exist.   Rather, they represented a world where hearts get broken and dreams vanish. Miss Lonelyhearts lets the world beat him down.   His boss is never kind or reassuring.   His coworkers mock him and remind him that he must not be a man, given the position that he works in.   Even punched in a bar, he does not retreat, but barely even notices.   He is emasculated by Mary and others, as he retreats further and further into himself and his world. When all else fails, Miss Lonelyhearts removes himself to the country in one more attempt to free himself from this suffering.   His retreat is also to nature, as nature may help the world heal itself.   His suffering is revealed in his illness in the country.   As he endures his suffering it is reminiscent of Christ.   He endures the suffering and takes on the suffering of others.   In his illness, he realizes that even leaving his job would not relieve him of this suffering, because it is now part of him.   This suffering is leaving him numb.   He even begins to feel like stone. His three day illness is representative of the death of Christ. Miss Lonelyhearts returns to the city a stronger man, ready to face his battle.   He seems resigned to accept Christ into his life, seems to know that his suffering is nearly over.   His religious experience joins him with God and makes him faithful, ready to embrace life.  Ã‚   Miss Lonelyhearts decision to embrace God and life brings him the peace he needs that frees him from the suffering of his life. The Christian faith plays a major role in Miss Lonelyhearts.   Miss Lonelyhearts displays his obsession with Christ with the picture of Christ that is hung on his walls.   He takes the disorder of the world and tries to create a cross with it.   He tries to reproduce the sacrifice of Christ by sacrificing a lamb.   Ultimately, Miss Lonelyhearts fails his mission and he feels he has failed most of his life.   His failed sacrifice of the lamb represents the failure of religion in the modern world and the failure of Miss Lonelyhearts to live up to the Christian faith.   The stone, as used by Miss Lonelyhearts to sacrifice the lamb, is a repetitive theme in the novel. Miss Lonelyhearts speaks of the relevance of stone to him when he states that man breaks stones â€Å"desperately, almost as if they know that the stones would someday break them.†Ã‚   Stones and rocks are also used to illustrate the cold nature of the world in which Miss Lonelyhearts lives.   His emotionless state is like that of a stone.   When he returns from the country, feeling like a stone, suggests that he feels stronger than he has ever felt before. Miss Lonelyhearts relationship with women is detached as is his relationship to the world.   Miss Lonelyhearts' brutal assault on Mrs. Doyle's face, â€Å"He kept hitting her until she stopped trying to hold him, then he ran out of the house.†Ã‚   Miss Lonelyhearts Christian mission is obscured by the oppression of those he tries to help.   His brutality towards Mrs. Doyle is the result of his repressed emotions and her voicing of his unspoken sexual feelings.   Mrs. Doyle had called Miss Lonelyhearts a fairy, again emasculating the man he was supposed to be. Miss Lonelyhearts is repulsed by individuals he views as grotesque, and finds himself driven toward violence in their presence.  Ã‚   His response to these individuals reveals the violence that he feels toward those that mock him or bully him.   The way in which they mock him, calling him a â€Å"leper licker,† leaves him feeling unsuitable for human kind. The manner in which female writers are discussed, as though they should be raped to teach them a lesson, combined with Miss Lonelyhearts's name, continuously remind us of his   emasculation. Miss Lonelyhearts is virtually a female writer himself, by name and his position as an advice columnist.   Miss Lonelyhearts is not treated like a male.   Even the women in his life can be cruel and overbearing.   Miss Lonelyhearts continued emasculation contributes to his anger and depression. Miss Lonelyhearts's job was considered to be a joke, an effort to laugh at the expense of   the victims of the world.   Miss Lonelyhearts considers himself to be a victim also.   He feels that he has been victimized professionally.   Because of Shrikes strong willed nature and his mockery of Miss Lonelyhearts faith, he feels that he is unable to provide any meaningful answers to the people who write to him for help.   This makes him the loneliest of all. The environment undergoes many transformations, as Miss Lonelyhearts reveals himself. Initially, Miss Lonelyhearts maintains a sterile environment, always seeking order in his world. The reveal shows a man who is struggling more than his writers would have known.   His is not a sinless world.   He was always seeking redemption from something and seeking redemption for others who suffered.   Miss Lonelyhearts is representative of the disillusionment that can be found in the American dream and the broken promises of religion, and society as a whole. The victims who write to Miss Lonelyhearts have dreams and wishes of a better life.   They have no resources to accomplish their dreams and no ability to work toward them, and their condition weakens.  Ã‚   He asserts that even their faith cannot help them, as his Christ dream could not help him.   His redemption, in the end, seems as simple as giving up as it does finding his faith. In an attempt to offer salvation to the crippling throng of humanity that writes him daily in the advice column of a big city newspaper, Miss Lonelyhearts became a self-anointed crucifixion figure, who dies tragically at the hands of someone he tried so desperately to help.   Having abandoned God, the newspaper has replaced traditional modes of seeking solace and compassion. Weighed in the balances of human suffering, the newspaper is found wanting. Religion that once provided man with some sense of security has been replaced by a hollow media.

Cold Equations

1. ) What does the pilot want? To save the girl. 2. ) Is the pilot likely to succeed? Most likely not because by doing so he would kill others. 3. )What does the sister want? She wants to live. 4. ) Is the sister likely to succeed? I doubt it cause of there being a law and there seems theers no other way then her diying. 5. ) What does the government want? For the girl to be thrown off the ship. 6. ) Is the government likely to succeed? I belive so. 7. ) What should happen? The girl should be saved. 8. ) What will happen? The girl will most likely die. 9. )Is the pilot a â€Å"good† person or a â€Å"bad† person?Explain. The pio;t is a good person because he truly wants to save the girl but under the surcanstances he knows he can’t. 10. ) Is the sister a â€Å"good† person or a â€Å"bad† person? Explain. The sister is a good person because over all she didn’t mean to have all this happen to her she was just innocent to the knowlage of the la w. 11. ) Is the government â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad†? Explain. It is good it is just doing what it has to do . 12. ) What does the title refer to? It mearns that all the math is saying that he girl must die even though its not very just. 13. ) Is this story scary? Sad? Funny? Something else? Explain.I think it is sasd because of a iniocent girl having to die. 14. ) What does the author want me to think or feel? I geuss sad. 15. ) What is the central idea of this story? That this girl is a stole away but theres not enough fuel to carry them all safely so they must throw here overboard even it its not very humanly . 16. ) What might different people do in this situation? Mabey if it was a different pilot he would have already thrown her into spaceor mabey found away to save her. If it was a different girl she may have just accepted what she did an go overboared or she could have found away to save herself.

Family of Origin Essay

Families have always been considered as the basic unit of life. For the longest time, it has been noted that the kind of lifestyle families have are based on their ability to adapt to the environment, and how we were raised. The culture and traditions practiced for as long as I remember were clear representations of the generations that my family has surpassed. I must say that my family was not as ideal as it may seem. Numerous problems were experienced and there were conflicts in terms of ideas. Unlike any other child, I was exposed to the realities of life at the tender age of seven. As a child, I developed a strong bond with my grandmother, which became extremely difficult from my end when she passed away. I was seven years old at that time, and my brother was four. To compensate for her loss, my brother and I became closer with each other. However, the death of our grandmother left numerous issues, which tarnished our relationship with our father. Eventually, he left and never came back. The last time I heard from him was through a letter sent when I was thirteen. To compensate for what happened, my mother had to work extra hours. This struggle made it more possible for us to bond with her accordingly. My brother and I were more comfortable being by ourselves at home, and would become disappointed when our mother had to come home from work. I believe that this feeling was formed through the experience we had with her. For real and imaginative reasons, our mother would always have numerous grounds to hit us. This was really heartbreaking, for our impression about our mother was starting to fall apart. It was as if my brother and I were her personal punching bags that helped relieved her stress and anger. I believe that no person in their right state of mind would be amenable with such set up. Yes, I know that my family is as dysfunctional as it seems. However, there is more to that. Aside from the numerous beatings my brother and I receive from our mother, she is also an alcoholic. In addition to this, her habitual vice has been accompanied by rage, and paranoia making it more difficult to understand my mother. Eventually, my life was headed for more problems when my brother broke his news. He admitted to me that he was gay, and preferred men over women. This revelation affected me in the most possible manner, for I formed numerous queries in my mind. I felt that my brother betrayed me with his confession, giving him more reasons to be with my mother. My brother and I grew up together, and the bond we had was really strong. However, his confession became the reason for me to doubt myself. I feared that I may also be gay, because of the kind of relationship I had with my brother. Fortunately, I was able to stick with my male side and become the man that I am now. However, coping with the said information also became difficult from my end. It was the first time that I had to face problems on my own. With my brother’s revelation, I did not know what else to do or whom to turn to. Such instances allowed me to just turn to alcohol and drugs. The kind of comfort provided by such vices allowed me to temporarily forget about the realities in my life and enjoy. In so doing, the small amount of time given to forget my problems allowed me to still keep my sanity. Â  From a young child, I experienced being abandoned and physically abused by someone close to me; being given the vice to lean to served to be helpful emotionally yet morally degrading. Similarly, my sister also experienced difficulties while growing up. She was born six years after my grandmother passed away, so she was spared of the heartache experienced when our father left us. As a girl, my sister was given stipulations and expectations deemed from women. She would always get into heated arguments with my mother in terms of the responsibilities she had at home. As second to my mother, she was expected to cook the food, clean the house, and take care of the family. Basically all of the responsibilities that my mother should have done for us were passed on to my younger sister. These responsibilities forced my sister to grow and mature immediately and miss out a lot in her life. Unlike people her age, my sister was not free to do whatever she wanted. Before she could do what she wanted, like meet with friends, she had to make sure that all responsibilities have been accomplished. To many, the life my sister had was an epitome of responsibility, however, it was the other way around. Unlike typical families, our family was based on what the elders deemed from us. As much as possible, the orders of the elders should be followed immediately before anything else. In so doing, we did not have the right to question the kind of responsibility they put on our shoulders. The kind of actions they had towards us was not something that we could take for granted, for it was a belief the elderly should always be followed. In the same manner, our freedom to express ourselves was also limited. I would take this factor as the reason for my brother’s identity crisis. Although we grew up together, he had numerous queries that I was unaware of. As we grew older, he was able to form a differentiation of himself. The bond we formed after the family tragedy led him to continually find himself, and I the process learn to accept reality. I know that there came a time in my brother’s life that he wanted to fight the beliefs that were being formed in his mind. However, his true identity could not be hidden anymore. Admitting his true identity became the very reason for him to accept himself wholeheartedly and at the same time, gain the respect from others. Moreover, the Emotional System attributed for my family was complicated. Unlike normal families, I had to derive inspiration and strength from my siblings. It was evident that I had a mother; however, she was different from the others. The levels of differentiation were evident in our family, for we were our own individuals as well. In terms of Family Projection, I consider my family to be the best example. Each family has their own similarities and differences. There are families that go beyond what is expected of them. However, my family is focused on the realities of life. It was never hidden that I came from a dysfunctional family. My grandmother served as a pillar of strength and wisdom in the family, and her death led to the end of everything. I consider my father’s abandonment to be the start of family projection. In my own regard, I believe that my mother wanted to show the world that we were still an intact family regardless of the fact that the family was dysfunctional and incomplete. However, this goal led her to express the lack of maturity in her life. Instead of setting a good example to us, my mother opted to do things on her own. I completely understand that my mother also wanted someone to be there for her during times of need, but she did them differently. Some of the responsibilities were passed on to my sister for she was out most of the time. This prompted my sister to grow up and become a mature individual. What is disheartening is the fact that the people are being led to believe that our mother was taking care of us. Unaware to people, my siblings and I had to make sure that we were able to keep the family intact in whatever means possible. As mentioned earlier, my father abandoned us when our grandmother left. I believe that unresolved issues, called Triangles, may be attributed to such. What was disheartening was the fact that the triangles grew and grew as time passed by. The reasons for our mother’s behavior were never disclosed to us, aside from all of the other problems that came with it. In so doing, my brother’s confession about his identity was also considered as a triangle. Triangles are considered to be the unresolved issues between people, and I must say that this was the triangle between us, brothers. Similarly, rubber fences were also evident in my family. Rubber fences were considered to be the different approaches used in holding on to people as much as possible, which can portray a role in culture. I must say that my grandmother served as the rubber fence in my life and that of my brother’s. Both of us mourned her death, and even remembered her in every way possible. Through our own way, we would do everything we can to practice the teachings she provided us when we were younger. In this regard, she would be with us no matter where we were and who we become. Although our family was dysfunctional, family roles were still very evident. As mentioned earlier, my sister was tasked to take care of all the responsibilities at home, while my mother was out working. In addition to this, my sister was not even spared of all the heartaches when my mother came home drunk. The emotional distress this brought the family may also be considered as a reason for us to alter our familial roles. Regardless of our birth orders, my siblings and I would run for help and expect each other to be there for each other. It was our belief that the three of us would be the only ones together in the end. I was right. Looking back at the kind of life I had, I must say that my views towards family of origin were changed. Â  A typical family comprised of responsible parents, relatives, and children. All had their own role to play in society, and work together in order to make the family work. However, mine was different. The family was dysfunctional, and there were numerous problems that came our way, however, we were able to cope with them even if entailed much from our end. Life may have different ways to express realities and family origins. However, I believe that I am still lucky for being given such family. Through the numerous experiences I had, I was able to develop myself further and work out to be better. Life is short, and I could still make a difference regardless of all the heartaches provided.