English Term Paper Essay

I. Introduction: Technology is people using tool, resources, and processes to solve problems or extend their capabilities. Technology has existed as long as people have existed. It is always changing and never tends to stand still. Through the use of technology, a student can easily get the corresponding feedback for his works. He makes use of technology in getting correct answers and start solving again. The integration of technology results to a more student-centered education. It serves as an instrument on gaining access and manipulating information where students become actively involved in the process of learning. It is very obvious that the people especially students of our generation are now attached to computers, specifically to those computer games that are famous nowadays. Instead of reading books or browsing the net for school reports, we can’t deny that student tends to go online or play the computer first. Computer games are video games played on a general-purpose personal  computers rather than a dedicated video game console or arcade machine. It is very evident that a lot of students are developing bad habits that are caused by those computer games with violence as the main theme of the game. Most of the time, students keep on spending large amount of time in front of the computer doing unnecessary things, specifically playing computer games which usually leads into being a computer addict. Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse dependency consequences. Computer games addiction has no physical component or objective diagnosis, but many of the consequences are similar to alcoholism or drug addiction. This type of addiction mostly affects the behavior of a person which may lead to a more serious case. Computer games addict mostly isolate themselves from normal human contacts. They change a lot and begin to ignore the others. An addict sometimes gets bankrupted or broke due to spending a lot for their vices. They also begin to be detached from their own families and violence is being spotted already. II. Objectives and Questions: This research aims to: 1. Know different computer games that the students are getting addicted to. 2. Identify the effects of computer games to the studies of the students. 3. Provide or suggest different ways to avoid computer games. This research aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the effects of computer games to the studies and characters of the students? 2. What are the possible solutions that can help the students avoid computer games? 3. What are the different computer games that the students are getting addicted to? 4. What are the ways to prevent computer addiction? 5. Why can’t students resist playing computer games? III. Significance of the Study: In this study, we can help the students know the effects of computer games to their study habits and also their daily lives. Also to let them know the effects of getting addicted to it, the time they spent in front of the computer may be reduced. The time for more productive activities will be recognized and study habits may be more successful. We also wish to let people learn in this study to control their computer addiction and let them have the knowledge to know the advantages and disadvantages of computer games. IV. Scope and Delimitation This study only covers students from the high school department of St. Mary’s College of Meycauayan, school year 2012 – 2013. Our group will be doing surveys from random students of the said department. This research only aims to help students reduce or prevent their unwavering love for those computer games which somehow distracts their study habits. We do hope that this research could help them. V. Terminologies 1. Technology – a capability given by the practical application of knowledge 2. Addiction – is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse dependency consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. 3. D.O.T.A – Defense of the Ancients (DotA) is a multiplayer online battle arena mod for the video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the â€Å"Aeon of Strife† map for StarCraft. The objective of the scenario is for each team to destroy the opponents’ Ancients, heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map. 4. Violence – the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against a person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. Chapter II: Review of Related Literature I. Related Literature â€Å"Nowadays, Googling and Facebooking are the most common daily activities in our society. 16 out of 16 first year students surveyed by the researchers at Mapua Institute of Technology said that they always do Googling and Facebooking. The huge time that collegestudents waste increases.Computer Addiction 4Students aside from doing school project also try to update with  the celebrity gossips andvisit the sites where they can easily find news about favorite celebrities and reading magazines.Sometimes they are obsessed with glamorous life of celebrities that make them forget what they should do as students. The addicted students always feel anxious or depressed when their computer time is shortened and they also easily become angry when being disturbed(Derevensky & Gupta, 2004). Students tend to surf the net first and gather many info on news,celebrity gossip, and organizing data, which is too much that not all of the information can beused (Derevensky & Gupta, 2004). Internet addiction disorder refers to the problematic use of the Internet, including thevarious aspects of its technology, such as electronic mail (e-mail) and the World Wide Web(American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Students nowadays do have a known disorder, whichis the IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder). They may not be able to know that they have thisdisorder until they realized that playing or using computer is more prioritized than doing schoolworks. Students get so obsessed with online gaming like Defense of the Ancient, Left for Dead,Cabal, etc. that they tend to sacrifice their academic sides just to go to computer shops and play,not noticing the time while using the computer (Sharples, 2009;Self-Help: Computer Addiction,2008). According to the survey conducted by the researchers at Mapua Institute of Technology, 9out of 16 students are at risk of being hooked with the computer games and have academicfailure for the first quarter of school year 2009-2010. They make conscious efforts just to be withtheir computers and continue failing. Also for the fact that they miss events or opportunities withfamily and friends also with non-computer related tasks because of the time spent on theComputer Addiction 5computer.† â€Å"Computer games addiction is not a physical disease or mental illness. It does not have an entry of its own in the DSM-IV. It describes a behavior that has become increasingly familiar with the rise of computer game popularity. A person with this type of addiction sets aside practically all other activities in favor of playing computer games almost endlessly.†

European Coffee Industry

Research Paper –Europe Coffee Industry Assignment 5-2 Prepared for Professor Harold Bashor MBA 727-F3FF International Business Management October 24th, 2012 Prepared by IRELAND Coffee is a very important product in Ireland. Specialty coffee shops such as Starbucks and other local companies such as Insomnia have helped create strong growth in the industry. From a competition standpoint, Nestle’ continues to dominate the industry in Ireland with a 42% market share in 2011 (www. Euromonitor. om, 2012). â€Å"Nestle’ has managed to maintain its leadership due to its exposure within the fast growing coffee pods area and its widespread offering of price and volume promotions (www. Euromonitor. com, 2012)†. The two domestic players in the industry are Bewley’s and Robert Roberts. Both increased sales shares in 2011, 9% and 5% respectively. The primary market for each of these companies is fresh coffee. The economic downturn in 2008 has hurt the industry as consumers have cut back spending.A 40% increase in the composite price of coffee from the International Coffee Organization in 2011 also hurt demand. The price increases are similar to those seen in many commodity prices. Coffee in particular is facing an increasing demand while supply in 2011 was slowed by a poor Colombian harvest, heavy rains, and issues in Brazil. As you can see from the chart below, the coffee industry in Ireland is very dependent on imports with nearly 90% of it coming from other European countries.This table illustrates the high percentage finished coffee imports into Ireland. Expressed in green coffee equivalent, 2010 green coffee imports were only 42% of the volume of the finished product imports (roasted + soluble). Total coffee imports of all forms into Ireland increased from 8. 746 tons green coffee equivalent in 2009 to 9. 780 tons in 20109 (+11,8%). The vast majority of Ireland’s soluble coffee imports (almost 88% in 2010) came from the United K ingdom.The Netherlands (6,7%) and Poland (2,8) supplied most of the remainder. In 2010 the UK represented 68% of Ireland’s roasted coffee imports. The second largest supplier – at a considerable distance – was Germany (20% in 2010). COFFEE CONSUMPTION Reference List Hill, C. (2011). International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, pg. 49. World Coffee Trade Chart. Retrieved 10/20/12 from http://www. ico. org/trade_e. asp Coffee in Ireland. Retrieved 10/21/12 from http://www. euromonitor. com/coffee-in-ireland/report

The Optimist’s Daughter

The old saying â€Å"The home is where the heart is† takes on a special meaning in Eudora Welty's, The Optimist's Daughter. In this short novel, the death of Judge McKelva prompts Laurel and Fay, who are his daughter and wife, to connect with their own homes. A home is a place where one can restore themselves because it gives one a sense of comfort. Home is where people generally feel accepted, regardless of their moods, feelings, or decisions. It is a safe haven where both Laurel and Fay can be truthful with themselves and one another. In other words, home is the obvious place to go when in a time of crisis and change. For Laurel, the town of Mount Salus is her home. For Fay, home is in the town of Madrid, where her extended family likely meets the same needs for Fay as the house does for Laurel. When reviewing the events of Eudora Welty's life at the time of writing this novel, it will also become clear that, for Welty, home is both Mississippi and her writing. Laurel is a grown woman, living in Chicago, who returns to her hometown of Mount Salus, Mississippi, when her father dies. While it may seem that Chicago is now her permanent home, the reader soon realizes that the house in which she was raised in still very much indeed her home. When Fay decides to stay with her family for a few days after the funeral, Laurel has the opportunity to spend some time alone in the house before Fay takes full possession of it. In her privacy and silence, Laurel begins to grieve more seriously than she did while in public at the funeral. There are objects in the house, such as the clock, books, letters, and her father's desk, that bring back memories that are intimately attached to one or both of her parents. She becomes sad because the clock has stopped, and she knows this for a fact because nobody has wound it since her father last fixed it (Welty 73). Although it may seem like a minor detail, this stopped clock signifies both her father's absence and the reality that her time with her family and in her home has come to an end. Her grief is projected onto household objects because they represent the life she once cherished. Similarly, the books remind her of her parents' habit of reading to each other, a precious memory that she both savors and grieves over. In one passage, Laurel blends her memories of the books with the overall feeling of family, which, she feels, infuses the house. She ran her finger in a loving track across Eric Brighteyes and Jane Eyre, The Last Days of Pompeii and Carry On, Jeeves. Shoulder to shoulder, they had long since made their own family. For every book here she had heard their voices, father's and mother's† (Welty 118). Laurel also feels a connection to the house, and thus to her past, in household activities such as gardening. Her mother was an avid gardener (Welty 53), and her father tended to the flowers after his wife's passing, so it is fitting that, as part of Laurel's process of connecting with her past, she should take up the task one last time. The activity of gardening helps her to feel comfortable and close to her parents, as she participates in the rhythm of the household as she remembers it. On another level, Laurel is tending her own â€Å"inner garden† in the sense that she is connecting with her own identity. Her mother loved flowers so much that she named her daughter after one, and now that the mother is dead, the daughter is caring for the mother's flowers (Welty 27). In the house, Laurel finds herself so deeply in touch with her past that she can actually hear the voices of the people she has loved and lost. She hears her mother's voice when she is in the garden, â€Å"Laurel went on pulling weeds. Her mother's voice came back with each weed she reached for, and its name with it. ‘Ironweed. ‘ ‘Just chickweed. ‘ ‘Here comes that miserable old vine! ‘† (Welty 107). Later, in a moment of remembering the pain she felt when she lost her husband in World War II, Laurel hears his voice grieving for their lost future together. Welty writes, † ‘I wanted it! ‘ Phil cried. His voice rose with the wind in the night and went around the house and around the house. It became a roar. ‘I wanted it! ‘† (155). There is no other place besides her own home that Laurel can experience such personal revelations and be given the opportunity to confront her pain from the past and make peace with it. The bond that she has with her home is so deep that she can overcome many obstacles and emotional problems in time. Only at home is she truly able to bare her heart and hear what she needs to hear to heal herself. However, to ultimately make peace with her past and her present, she must become â€Å"one† with the significance of the house so she can take it with her wherever she goes. Incredibly, Laurel is able to do so. Fay is originally from Madrid, Texas, which is a small, low-income town. Although Welty never takes the reader to Madrid, the remarks and personalities of the Chisom family offer some idea as to what kind of place it is. It seems to lack all the charm and warmth of Laurel's hometown of Mount Salus, yet for Fay it is nonetheless her home. In Mount Salus, Fay clearly feels out of her element and becomes extremely rude and insecure. The reader can only imagine whether or not she acts the same way when she is in the comfort of her own hometown, or if she acts the same way. Nevertheless, in Fay's new community of Mount Salus, she is disrespectful, self-absorbed, and rowdy (Welty 64, 85). Fay does not appreciate the home and the possessions of her late husband than she does his friends and family. In fact, she never makes an effort to understand Laurel's grief or her need to be in the house for a few days. Fay's insistence on returning with her family for a visit after the funeral could possibly reveal that Madrid is the only place in which Fay feels secure. Fay is anxious to go back with them, insisting that she needs to be among people who â€Å"speak her language. † In other words, Fay, much like Laurel, needs to go where she feels understood either by others or by herself. In Mount Salus, Fay feels displaced, and her insecurity takes on many ugly forms, such as her tendency to disrespect Becky's memory and to deny her own family back in Madrid (Welty 152). Laurel imagines, â€Å"Very likely, making a scene was, for Fay, like home. Fay had brought scenes to the hospital-and here, to the house† (Welty 131). Laurel understands that Fay's horrible behavior is an apparent sign of her need to feel at home. Fay tries too hard to appear as though she believes that Judge McKelva's home is truly her own, but she never convinces anyone, including herself. At the time Eudora Welty wrote this story, she was grieving the loss of her mother. In fact, the reader can see that the book is dedicated to C. A. W. (Chestina Andrews Welty), which reveals that this work is closely connected to the author's own personal loss (Marrs 228). The autobiographical elements in the novel are numerous, and are especially prominent in the parallels between Becky's background and that of Welty's mother (Marrs 229). Other elements pay respect to Welty's happy childhood and the loving marriage her parents enjoyed. Through Laurel, Welty honors her mother and also works through some of the pain and the issues surrounding the death of a loving parent. Laurel's personal journey to make peace with her past in order to make sense of her future certainly mirrors the author's own struggles. Welty differs from Laurel in the sense that Laurel lives far from her hometown, while Welty lived in Mississippi, where she was born, until her death (Marrs 232). For Laurel, however, the climax of her journey comes from the house. In the absence of a house that holds all of her childhood memories, Welty wrote this book. Welty works through some of her grief in her writing, which is as meaningful to her as the house is to Laurel. Welty comments on Laurel's love of her past, â€Å"Firelight and warmth-that was what her memory gave her† (Westling 159). Laurel, Fay, and Welty are all working toward such comfort in a difficult time during the course of The Optimist's Daughter. In very difficult times, confronted with emotion and uncertainty, people often long to return to the comfort and security of their childhood homes. Fay and Laurel find the havens they need by going back to their homes. Laurel is ultimately able to take a piece of that firelight and warmth with her back to Chicago, because she has finally succeeded in making her heart and her home one.

Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Outline Example Upon recruitment, players in the two industries must establish viable strategies for retaining the skilled employees. Players in the hospitality and tourism industry should develop career promotional campaigns as a method of attracting and retaining skilled employees (Australian Government, 2015, p.29). The companies, through the campaign programs, can enlighten prospective employees the career opportunities and growth programs the industry can offer. Players in the tourism sector should advocate the inclusion of tourism education in the curriculum of the system (Shakeela, Breakey, & Ruhanen, 2012, p.35). Education creates awareness and encourages youths to pursue further training in fields related to the industry. To bridge the gap of skilled labor shortage during the peak season, the hospitality, and tourism companies should incorporate outsourcing as an intervention measure (Davidson & Wang, 2011, p.239). Hiring of qualified employees during the peak season in hotels and tourism agencies lead to enhanced efficiency in handling the influx of tourism. Outsourcing is relatively cheap and convenient because the companies do not need to incur the high cost of labor during low season. Hotel and Tourism companies need to strategize on the method of recruiting new employees into the industry. The recruits must possess the necessary qualifications in terms of academia for the jobs, as this will influence directly on performance (Hui-O & Hsin-Wei, 2011, p.205). Companies must evaluate what skills they are in need of prior to recruitment. Besides the skills, attitude and capability of the newcomers need require thorough vetting to ascertain their suitability for the industry. Adjustment of remuneration packages for the skilled workforce in the hotel and tourism industry is instrumental in the retention of employees (Daft, 2010, p.310). Salaries and allowances

How Can Service Firms Incorporate Strategies to Improve Customer Thesis

How Can Service Firms Incorporate Strategies to Improve Customer Engagement Using Online Media - Thesis Example The study revealed that fierce competition in the recent era and escalating consumer desires have generated a climate where â€Å"quality† is considered to be the chief strategic variable for enhancing consumer satisfaction and consequently the profitability of the service providers. According to the report findings as a lot of service firms opposing for a restricted number of prospective consumers, their relevant marketing and consumer engagement strategies should consist of methods on how to compete successfully from their rivals. As no firm can meet up every consumer each requirement, all company ought to decide which ability sets it possesses and stress on those proficiency. A law firm having expertise in bankruptcy law will strain its aptitude to customers looking for assistance in reorganizing their debts. Aside these, consumers engagement strategies of the service firms indicated that Social media has rapidly become one of the main efficient marketing tools for service firms. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr provide companies latest outlets to widen their messages to a global audience. Professional networking sites such as LinkedIn allow marketers and sales staff to connect with potential consumers’ dependent on work familiarity and ind ustry position. Emergence of social media has resulted to a fundamental shift in the way of businesses of the service firms of every size engaged with their customers.

Rewards Managemnet of Apple Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rewards Managemnet of Apple Inc - Essay Example It shows the different kinds of rewards structures and the way each of them contributes towards enhancing employee motivation and performance and in what ways too. The various arguments presented by the researchers on the subject are presented in the critical analysis of the literature review. The rewards and compensation structure of Apple Inc has been provided in the light of the literature review and comparisons are provided against the same. Finally recommendations are provided as to the changes or modifications can be brought about in the reward structure in Apple based on the drawbacks of loopholes which follows from the analysis Introduction- Company background The successful corporate leaders have increasingly recognized the fact that their basis of competitive advantage in the market is their human resource or their people. They have also acknowledged the fact that organizations must emphasize on managing their human resource with greater importance as work environments rema in extremely dynamic and keeps changing with great pace. In this context the role of reward management for motivating and inspiring employees to deliver their best contributions in the organization cannot be ignored. The case of Apple Inc is discussed in length in this project. Apple Inc is a multinational corporation based in the United States that producing and marketing consumer electronic goods, computer softwares as well as personal products. The company is well known for producing iPods, iPhones and iPads. The company operates through 357 different retail stores across 10 different locations and is rated as one of the largest global publicly traded organizations. It also accounts for the largest technology company in the world market in terms of profits and revenues. The basis on which the company’s human resource management strategies are built is its recognition of the crucial importance of organizational structures and the people or the human resource which comprises this structure. The strategy demonstrates a complete response to competence, creativity, competencies and constraints which individuals carry with them or create at the workplace. In all its human resource strategies the company seeks to assure superior performance of employees and this is achieved through high end compensation and rewards management system. The idea is to create a workforce which is highly motivated to perform to the best of their abilities in the organization consequently providing a competitive edge for the organization in the market. Literature review on rewards management theory The theories on motivation and rewards management primarily distinguish between the two main kinds of rewards, which are categorized as being extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards are in the form of money or other verbal reinforcements which are mediated from outside the individuals while intrinsic rewards are those which are mediated within the individuals or persons. Researchers consider a person to be intrinsically motivated to conduct an activity if there are apparently no rewards associated apart from the work activity itself. In fact all the theories of motivation considering the two kinds of rewards as developed by researchers and practitioners consider or assume the fact that the resulting effects on

Death Marches of the Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Death Marches of the Holocaust - Essay Example fall into enemy hands alive to tell their stories to Allied and Soviet liberators (2) The SS thought they needed prisoners to maintain production of armaments wherever possible (3) Some SS leaders, including Himmler, believed irrationally that they could use Jewish concentration camp prisoners as hostages to bargain for a separate peace in the west that would guarantee the survival of the Nazi regime (Holocaust Encyclopedia). Thus, one is clear that the Germans prevented the prisoners escaping from the concentration camps, and if anybody attempts to escape or protest against this injustice, they would either be severely tortured or killed. Evacuation The evacuation of the soldiers was so brutal that thousands of prisoners were forced to move through a worst climate. According to Yehuda Bauer, on January 18, 1945, about 66,020 â€Å"†¦starving prisoners were marched out of the camp shivering in the bitter winter cold dressed in the now familiar thin, striped clothed and wearing, for the most part, only wooden shoes or sandals where their feet were not covered in rags† (Bauer 1). The words of Bauer exactly portray the picture of the Death marches. He further adds that the prisoners were treated as animals and â€Å"were either forced to march on foot, driven relentlessly and senselessly through the snow-covered countryside, beaten and starved, anyone lagging behind would shot without mercy; or they were herded, 80 to 100 persons or more, onto uncovered railway cars without water or food for days on end† (Bauer 1). Historical analysis reveals that the Death Marches continued for about four months till the defeat of the Germans. After effect of the evacuation As stated earlier, the Death Marches, as the names symbolizes, were really marches of death. Jennifer Rosenberg... This essay discusses that the evacuation of the soldiers was so brutal that thousands of prisoners were forced to move through the worst climate. On January 18, 1945, about 66,020 â€Å"†¦starving prisoners were marched out of the camp shivering in the bitter winter cold dressed in the now familiar thin, striped clothed and wearing, for the most part, only wooden shoes or sandals where their feet were not covered in rags†. The words of Bauer exactly portray the picture of the Death marches. He further adds that the prisoners were treated as animals and â€Å"were either forced to march on foot, driven relentlessly and senselessly through the snow-covered countryside, beaten and starved, anyone lagging behind would shot without mercy; or they were herded, 80 to 100 persons or more, onto uncovered railway cars without water or food for days on end†. Historical analysis reveals that the Death Marches continued for about four months till the defeat of the Germans. Some of the studies have identified that even after the death marches still there remained about 70000 prisoners in the concentration camps. It has also been identified that at least a quarter of a million prisoners were sent on death marches which lasted for weeks and hundreds of kilometers. The death marches continued to the very day of German fall. It was unparallel in history that majority of the survivors are of the opinion that it would be better to be killed in the gas chambers than undergoing all these tortures. Thus it unearths the fate of the prisoners in the Death Marches.

See the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

See the attachment - Essay Example If these resources are overexploited, then the future generation will be adversely affected. The OPEC members agreed to these issues since they were after conservation of the environment. The comprehensive energy policy aimed at reducing the dependence on imported oil in US. This was meant to create flexibility in the sources of energy. In the case of the government, the policy was very popular as well. The government encourages the various stakeholders to implement the policy in their best way. This is meant to increase the measures of safeguarding the environment. These factors are quite important as the government subsidizes the various projects involved in environment conservation. Following the suggested measures by the OPEC members, US are likely to be dependent on the solar energy to some large extent as compared to Israel. The Bright Source wishes to construct the largest solar energy project that has never been developed in California. This project will assist in substituting the oil energy in US. The impact of technology in US is also likely to affect the final decisions that are made by the OPEC leaders. These issues are significant at maintaining the environment for the future generation to

The Role of Learner Self Assessment in the IB PYP classrooms Assignment

The Role of Learner Self Assessment in the IB PYP classrooms - Assignment Example In the wake of this discussion, researchers have suggested that effective assessment at all levels of education holds the key to realising the aim of childhood. In the school set up, there are different kinds of assessment and assessments are conducted for different reasons and at different times. Students at the early stage of education have several areas of their education that is worth assessing. These diverse areas of assessment help in giving well resourced and comprehensive reports about individual students – their weaknesses, their strengths, their progress and projections for their future. In this regard, The Cedarville University (2010) admonishes that â€Å"understanding ones' skills, interests, abilities, personality, and values is important when considering any next step after obtaining a high school diploma.† This is to say that a lot of assessment has to be carried out on the student at the very beginning so that a comprehensive data can be obtained as to who the student really when he gets to the higher level. This topic, â€Å"The Role of Learner Self Assessment in the IB PYP classrooms† has therefore been chosen to help find the relationship between childhood education and effective assessment at the primary level. As there remains diverse forms of assessment, an emphasis will be laid on self-assessment at the primary level of education to discover how the phenomenon can be helpful in producing an all round student. Defining Assessment Assessment is a very broad aspect of school education and comes with several explanations and definitions. Kizlit (2011) defines assessment as â€Å"a process by which information is obtained relative to some known objective or goal.† CyberSleuth-Kids, an online educational journal on the other hand, sees assessment as â€Å"the process of documenting, often times in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.† The Northwestern Science Health University (2010) al so explains that â€Å"Assessment is an ongoing process of setting high expectations for student learning, measuring progress toward established learning outcomes, and providing a basis for reflection, discussion and feedback to improve University academic programs.† To sum all the definitions up, it can be deduced that assessment is the practice of gathering necessary information about a person through the use of a measurable device for decision making. The decision making in the school environment has mostly got to do with student academic standing, student behaviour, student interest, student talent, skills, and knowledge among other factors. A common device that is used to gather needed information about students is test. There are some closely linked terminologies or components of education that have some relation with assessment though these are different from assessment. As already mentioned, test is one of these components. Measurement and evaluation are the others. D rawing the distinction between these components, Kizlit (2011) notes that measurement is refers to â€Å"the process by which the attributes or dimensions of some physical object are determined.†

The Hunger Games Movie Essay Example for Free

The Hunger Games Movie Essay The Hunger Games book and movie are great. Well, if you have seen them you clearly see that the movie and the book’s plots are relatively similar, but there are a few differences between the movie and the book. Although they bear some seeming variances, the similarities between the Hunger Games book and the Hunger Games movie are pronounced. To begin, the Hunger Games movie is a very interesting movie that is modified in order to clarify several concepts that cannot be presented as they were written by Suzanne Collins. To interpret this idea, the Hunger Games movie was altered so the viewers could understand many ideas that Suzanne Collins wrote, but could not be incorporated into the movie in the same way. For example, the idea that the items and the obstacles in the arena were created and controlled by the Gamemakers is depicted in the movie when the Gamemakers create graphics of mutations and then drag them to where they want to place them. Once they are released, the mutations come to life in the arena. On the contrary, the Hunger Games book contains the original content and ideas; however, the Hunger Games movie contains slightly different content and does not represent the same intentions. In other words, the Hunger Games book had no modifications made to it because it has the original material. To illustrate this point, in the book, as Madge bids farewell to Katniss before she leaves to the Capitol, she gives Katniss the mockingjay pin so she can wear it as the token from her district in the Games. However this concept was modified and in the movie someone who appears to be Greasy Sae gives Katniss the mockingjay pin. Then, Katniss gave the pin to Primrose as a symbol of protection at the reaping. As Primrose says farewell to her sister, she returns the pin to her as a sign of protection as well. These two gestures are clearly different, when Madge gives Katniss the pin it is with the intention that the pin will be her token from her district in the Games, with the intention that Katniss will show pride in her district. Meanwhile, Primrose gives Katniss the pin with the intention that the pin will protect her during the Games. More importantly, the Hunger  Games boo k and the Hunger Games movie contain unquestionable similarities. â€Å"May the odds be ever in your favor.† This famous phrase that Suzanne Collins wrote in the book appears throughout the movie. This phrase was portrayed in the book as words people would joke about, but in reality they realized that it was very devastating, for in fact the odds were not in their favor. The idea of how this phrase was viewed in the book was delicately portrayed in the movie when Gale told Katniss his name was in the reaping forty-two times. Not only was this a devastating amount of times because he was eighteen, but because he took out tesserae for his siblings, so they would not have to risk their chances of being chosen to participate in the Games, and his mom. Furthermore, the producer of the Hunger Games movie carefully depicted Cinna as he was described by Suzanne Collins in the book. In the book, Katniss contemplated, â€Å"I’m taken aback by how normal he looks. Most of the stylists they interview on television are so dyed, stenciled, and surgically altered they’re grotesque. But Cinn a’s close-cropped hair appears to be its natural shade of brown. He’s in a simple black shirt and pants. The only concession to self-alteration seems to be metallic gold eyeliner that has been applied with a light hand.† The producer of the movie did an outstanding job portraying Cinna. In the movie, the stylists and the civilians of the Capitol dress absurd. They had colored hair, crazy hair styles, strange wardrobes, unnatural skin colors, and a more than necessary amount of makeup on. Meanwhile in the movie, Cinna dressed casually, meaning no crazy wardrobes or crazy hair, simply just a layer of metallic gold eyeliner. He was portrayed exactly like this in both the movie and the book. In addition, the producer did a tremendous job creating the seam environment on the reaping day, as it resembles what Suzanne Collins wrote in the book about the seam on the reaping day. Collins wrote from Katniss’ perspective saying, â€Å"But today the black cinder streets are empty. Shutters on the squat gray houses are closed. Our house is almost at the the edge of the seam. I only have to pass a few gates to reach the scruffy field called the Meadow. Separating, the Meadow from the woods, in fact enclosi ng all of District 12, is a high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops.† The scenes in the movie that show the seam during the morning of the reaping day resemble this description from the book. It was important for the producer of the movie to capture the essence that the  reaping day causes. The reaping is not a happy or joyful event it is very depressing and devastating, therefore it was crucial for Suzanne Collins to describe the day of the reaping as deserted and to describe everyone as keeping to themselves on this day. The movie captured the mood and tone that the reaping day was very depressing. While some differences between the Hunger Games book and the Hunger Games movie are evident, the similarities are striking. The Hunger Games movie was slightly altered to incorporate and express the same ideas expressed in the book. However, the Hunger Games book contains the original material that was interpreted into the movie with different intentions. Despite having these differences, the similarities between these two topics are that they both exhibit that the odds are not in their favor, they both portray Cinna as normal dressed and casual, and in the movie, and the seam resembles and captures the mood and tone of the seam that Suzanne Collins wrote about in the book. It is evident that the Hunger Games book and the Hunger Games movie contain more similarities than differences because the only differences were concepts and ideas that needed modification.

Counselling and Guidance in Education

Counselling and Guidance in Education Guidance simply means instruction or direction. As a dictionary definition, â€Å"Guidance† means; help and advice about how to do something or about how to deal with problems connected with your work, education, or personal relationships. This term is strongly related with the profession of education as it is apparent from these definitions. For that reason a loose definition of â€Å"Guidance† specifically about education can be stated as â€Å"Information that is provided by the coach or teacher for the client to assist the learning of skills more effectively†. A term similar to guidance but different in some ways is called â€Å"Counseling†. The ACA (1997), adopted â€Å"Counseling† as the application of mental health, psychological, or human development principles, which are carried out through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systematic intervention strategies that address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology. Gustad, John W. Berdie, Ralph F. (1953), defined Counseling as a learning-centered process, carried on face to face in a relax environment . In this atmosphere a professionally competent counselor, seeks to aid the client by the appropriate methods to the clients needs. The aim of this process is to learn more about himself and accept himself and have an idea about how to put such understanding into effect in relation to more clearly perceived, realistically defined aims. Thus, at the end of this process, the client may become a happier and more productive member of his society. According to Sears, Susan Jones Coy, Doris Rhea. (1991), in the educational aspect, Counseling could be defined as assisting students to make them gain skills or competencies in some important domains such as personal-social, educational, and career domains. The counseling in schools should include allocating significant amounts of time to promote or team-teach developmental learning activities in the classrooms. In the school context, in order to manage efficient counseling to the students some issues should be emphasized highly in the counseling programs. For instance; Personal-Social Skills, Career Development Skills and Educational Skills of the students should be examined in detailed and carefully. Furthermore, while counselors trying to aid the students, they also must consult with parents, teachers, other educators, and various community agencies with the aim of to help these students to deal with more serious personal and educational problems, both individually and in small groups.( Sears, Susan Jones Coy, Doris Rhea,1991) Although today â€Å"Counseling Guidance† is an essence in any grade of the school, actually it is a relatively new aspect of education when the vast experience in the field of teaching is compared. Jesse B. Davis, first men who provided a systematical school guidance program as a curriculum into an English course achieve it only at the beginning of the 20th century. This late appearance of counseling can be explained by the pioneers and followers statements. Davis reasons his achievement after his being backed by a non-partisan school board in which Sears and Coy (1991) agreed by emphasizing the influence of the nature of school systems and principals and other administrators belief about counseling, in their article â€Å"The Scope of Practice of the Secondary School Counselor†. When School Counseling term first used in the early 1900s, it was actually referring to â€Å"Vocational Guidance†. Lambie (2004) states that this guidance was more like todays â€Å"Career Counseling† with a focus on the transition from school to work, giving importance to an appropriate client occupation match. It was just an enhancement for the post-school vocational adjustments of young people as Super (1955) indicated. What he did is mentioned in â€Å"School Counselor Job Description† (Garland, 2008); â€Å"In 1907, Jesse B. Davis became the principal of a high school and encouraged the school English teachers to use compositions and lessons to relate career interests, develop character, and avoid behavioral problems. From that grew systematic guidance programs, which later evolved into comprehensive school counseling programs that address three basic domains: academic development, career development, and personal/social development†. According to Schmidt (2003) Frank Parsons, who is generally referenced as the â€Å"Father of Guidance† was also focusing on supporting the youngs transition into a suitable vocation on the basis of a mutual benefit between the youngs desires and abilities and an occupations requirements and environment when he first opened his guidance clinic in Boston in January,1908. Parsons in his book â€Å"Choosing a Vocation† expressed his aim in guidance in three principles; A clear understanding of yourself, your interests, skills, aptitudes, ambitions, resources, limitations, and their causes. Knowledge of the requirements and conditions of success, advantages and disadvantages, compensation, opportunities, and prospects of different lines of work. True reasoning on the relation of these two groups of facts. Lambie (2004) states that E.G. Williamson expanded Parsons vocation guidance principles and created the â€Å"Trait and Factor theory† which was the first guidance and counseling theory in the 1930s. This theory simply means matching of personal abilities and aptitudes and job factors like salary and atmosphere and this type of counseling is known as â€Å"Directive† or â€Å"Counselor-Centered†. Later in his book â€Å"How to Counsel Students† (1939), Williamson expressed that he and his colleagues were associated with their directive or counselor-centered approach to school counseling. According to this approach, school counselors need to provide students with information and gather facts to influence and motivate at the same time. According to Lambie (2004) this directive administrative style of working with students is still an expectation of school counselors in the settings where school counselors expected to enable desired student behavior with mini mal input or contextual influence. According to what Burnham (2003) stated; as a historical fact until World War I which gave more reasons to test individuals, the term heavily used was â€Å"Guidance†. However after the Great Depression â€Å"Counseling† became a widely known term by all educators. As the time of World War II came, The U.S. government requested assistance from counselors for selecting military and industrial specialist which created a greater emphasis on psychological testing from then on. And that directly influenced school guidance in the end. Until 1940s, when Carl Rogers wrote the book â€Å"Counseling and Psychotherapy: New Concepts in Practice†, there was not such a great effect on the development of the counseling profession and modern counseling approaches as Schmidt (2003) stated. Until World War II, Freuds psychoanalytic therapy and Williamsons directive approach were the only foundational theoretical models. According to DeCarvolho(1990) Rogers psychological humanism movement appeared as a response to the mechanical reductionistic view of people which is extended by psychoanalytic and behavioral theories. As Dewey (2007) stated; Rogers practiced non-directive or person-centered therapy contrary to his predecessor and in this therapy the client determined his or her own direction of change. Dewey (2007) also stated that in his works Rogers first used the term â€Å"client† and later simply â€Å"person† instead of using â€Å"patient† as he was implying the voluntary search of his client s for a helping relationship other than an involuntary relationship. Cobia Henderson (2003, as cited in Lambie,2004)expressed that following the inception of Rogers work, the term guidance began to be replaced in the literature by counseling, within which guidance is encapsulated. What is certain from Bardhoshi (2009) is that throughout the century-long history of the profession of school counseling, school counselors roles have expanded and changed according to the focuses of each decade. However, in order to make counseling process effective almost always these two methods have been offered: individual or group counseling. There are some practical differences between these two types in the branch of school counseling. Basically, individual counseling is a relationship in which a counselor seeks to help children understand and accept themselves. It provides an opportunity for children to explore their feelings, abilities, and interests so that they make maximum use of their potential. On the other hand, group counseling is used for a wide range of student concerns and interests most of which are related with development like; making friends, being comfortable with physical changes, emotional decisions, and learning problem-solving skills.(Burnham,2003) In this article, we aim to compare these two methods in detail to find the better/superior style. As a matter of fact, both of these counseling types have some advantages disadvantages compared to the other one; however the frequency of use of them shows only a matter of preference. In the article â€Å"Understanding Individual and Group Counseling†(2009) it is mentioned that â€Å"Individual Counseling† is a type of counseling which aids people to make clear their concerns, investigate the results they have tried before, and at the end, assist them to find new strategies to deal with their problems. Learning new problem-solving or coping skills, increasing self-understanding, exploring life patterns, and gaining a better sense of how their surroundings influence them could be included in the individual counseling process. In a more educational aspect, individual counseling also could be defined as a collaborative process in which a unique, confidential helping relationship is developed between a counselor and a willing client (student). In this relationship, the role of the professional counselor is a facilitator to assist the student to have more accurate knowledge about him/herself and the world around him/her. In a cooperative way, both the counselor and student tries to explore the student s emotions and behaviors, relationships with others, choices and decisions, as well as the students s current situation. In individual counseling processes, at first, it is necessary that the counselor should collect some personal, intellectual and emotional information about the students. It will be quite helpful to the counselor, in order to decide which counseling strategies will be most appropriate and beneficial for the students. Moreover, in this process, new ambitions could be formed.( Understanding Individual and Group Counseling,2009). Murthy(2003) also suggests a list of features a counselor for individuals should have, like knowing; The details about the client including the people who are the most influential people on his/her life and problems itself, The social and cultural background of the client About the treatment Special techniques to facilitate a good communication, to improve motivation and problem solving skills and to provide support And having; A warm, genuine, understanding and caring attitude Good communication skills Respect for the client Objectivity On the other hand in the book of â€Å"Individual and group counseling in schools†(Dustin,Ehly,1989) the components of an effective individual counseling listed as the followings; Establishing a baseline Specificity in behavioral description, goal setting, and evaluation Contracting for behavioral change Using reinforcement procedures to strengthen behaviors Using extinction/ignoring to weaken behaviors Training students to monitor their own change programs As Cuizon(2009) stated there are several advantages of individual counseling. In individual counseling, counselors have an opportunity to employ with separated problems and they care for just one client at a time. Also, it is much easier for counselor to work out the information which was collected beforehand, apply the most appropriate and efficient treatment to the client and decide on the target attitude which needs to be enhanced. In individual counseling there may not be misrepresentations about the thoughts and behaviors of the client compared to group counseling. Depending on the decisions he makes, the client has a great power to change his own life for the much better. He is the center and most important element in this process which means that he can control his behavior and that the level of commitment and his being ambitious to work will dictate how successful he will be in developing new behaviors that clearly communicate his needs. According to Burnham(2003) individual counseling has some reasons of being so popular. The fundamental reason is the most of the schools being structured on classes and classroom teachers and teachers tendency to release one student at a time to be less disruptive. Another reason of popularity of individual counseling is the impression of being more practical and easy to schedule. For the last, the tendency of counselor training programs towards preferring individual counseling by illustrating theories, techniques, and etc. through individual processes. There are also some researches that are indicating the superiority of individual counseling over group counseling from some aspects. Aughinbaugh(1968) in his book claims that relying heavily on group instead of individual counseling resulted from the increases in the junior college enrollment which created a shortage of qualified guidance personnel. As a result of a â€Å"two-year research study†, the group of students counseled individually was rated significantly higher by their counselors in growth in self-understanding compared to other two control group. However this research also indicates that compared to group counseled students, individually counseled students didnt show any significant difference in persistence, academic achievement, or goal motivation. The real significant difference was between these two counseled groups and the 3rd group consisting of the students who are not assigned to either group or individual counseling sessions. Aughinbaugh(1968) concludes t hat as long as special attention is paid to counseling, students benefit regardless of the method. Aside having some advantages, individual counseling has some disadvantages. According to Simmerman(2007) in general, individual counseling sessions are economically less efficient than group therapy. Because of the lack of non-partial observers, role playing is limited to the individual and the therapist. Moreover compared to a group setting, likelihood of therapy sessions to fall into a rut where progress is stalled is higher. On the other hand, there is also another type of counseling named as Group counseling. Gwendolyn Cuizon (2009) states that, Group Counseling which is forwarded by William Glasser is more correspondents with the Control Theory later named as Choice Theory. According to this theory, the reason of all the living creatures controlling their behaviours is to accomplish their need for satisfaction in some of these five areas such as survival, to belong and be loved by others, to have power and importance, freedom and independence, and to have fun. Love and belongingness are the most significant ones among them. This kind of feeling is promoted with the help of the group counseling. Group counseling has great influence on the feeling of being connected to others. Tricia Ellis-Christensen (2003), claims that Group counseling is a form of therapy, which establishes a viewpoint that people benefit from shared experiences.. While a therapist usually carries out group counseling, actually the contributions of other members in the group are considered quite valuable, for most of the people in the group, more or less share similar issues or experiences. In the Group counseling, the individuals take place that are experiencing some difficulties related with the personal, educational, social, vocational issues which they hope to solve. ( Corey Corey, 1992). In group counseling process, the focus could be the aims such as relating better to their families, becoming organized, or relaxing in the presence of supervisors at work the person achieved. Gladding, Samuel T. (1994) says that, in starting group counseling, making decisions in advance is a vital issue. In other words; the first step in this process is pregroup planning. In order to relinquish productive and pragmatic results for participants, at first leaders should design groups. Objectives, membership, rules, time, place, and dynamics are the most important considerations in this process. Gladding, Samuel T. (1994) states that rules to control the people in the groups should be few brief and clear, so that counseling groups run in the best way. If there are a great many of rules, there will be a tendency in some members to forget some of these rules. Also, if the rules are not so clear, some of them will be definitely broken by some of the members In group counseling, â€Å"the time and place† are quite significant issues. Gladding, (1994) says that â€Å"Although counseling groups vary, members need a specific, consistent time and place to meet. Most groups meet for one and one half to two hours each week for 12 to 16 sessions. The meeting room should be quiet and inviting and away from other activities. Groups work best when chairs are arranged in circles where everyone feels a sense of equality with one another and the flow of communication is enhanced† (Gladding, 1994). Childers Couch, 1989 states that the group leaders have also quite significant role in this process. Effective group leaders should investigate potential members before they accept them. In the group counseling, the ideal group size is 8 to 12.By this way; members have a chance to express themselves without forming into subgroups. Feedback and explanation can be utilized by leaders; as a result they can immediately clarify and correct misunderstandings. According to Corey Corey, (1992), Some important variable techniques should be employed by leaders of effective counseling groups .In the below there are the most important ones among the many techniques: Active Listening: In this technique leaders should be sensitive to the language, tone, and nonverbal gestures surrounding members messages; Linking: with the help of this one, leaders help members recognize their similarities; Blocking: Leaders keep unfocused members from disrupting the group by either redirecting them or preventing them from monopolizing conversations Summarizing: In this technique leaders assist members recognize what has occurred and how the group and its members have changed. Apart from these techniques above , there are also other vital skills such as Empathy, personal warmth, courage, flexibility, inquiry, encouragement, and the ability to confront. Vivian V. Ripley, Gary E. Goodnough states there are also some strategies which are quite successful in planning and implementing group counseling. They strongly believe that when these strategies were implemented correctly and effectively, the solutions will be rather helpful for the students. Briefly, they name the strategies as Logistical Strategies (School Structure and Student Need) Developing Awareness, Policy Considerations, Access to Students, Counselor Planning and Preparation Group Procedures, Counselor Preparation Co-leaders. Group counseling has a great many of advantages to assist the people to resolve their problems. One of the main principals of group counseling is the idea that dealing with specific issues may cause isolation, and also the person could feel himself alone while facing or dealing with his problems. Group counselings aim is to cancel out this isolation feeling by forming an atmosphere where the people with almost same problems could come together and share their thoughts feelings or difficulties. Thus, people could realize that these problems are not singular to one person.and this will be quite helpful to person to handle his problems more easily.( Tricia Ellis-Christensen (2003)) Gladding, Samuel T. (1994) claims that people have natural tendency to gather in groups for mutually beneficial purposes., individuals carry out their goals and also much more innovative and productive ways having an interaction other group members with the help of the groups. He also asserts that, without involving in groups surviving would be impossible for the people.. Gwendolyn Cuizon(2009),says that â€Å"Group counseling is better than individual counseling when it comes to developing new behaviors that clearly communicate their needs and help in attaining fulfillment in the reality. Group therapy considers the key elements of what the group are looking for and what will make their life better, what the group will do to bring about what they want and how they are able to make alternative options and come up with common plan.† He also claims that with the help of the Group counseling members have a great opportunity to learn with and from other people in the group .and also they could be able to recognize their own ways of thoughts and behaviors, as well as those of others. Attitudes and behavior patterns that are limiting and difficult to see in self could be seen by other people. In order to receive genuine support, honest feedback, and useful alternatives from peers a group is a quite a good chance. Besides the advantages of group counseling, according to the some researcher, there are also disadvantages of this counseling type. For instance, Gwendolyn Cuizon (2009),mentions that the movement and involvement of the group members could be insufficient in group counseling. Reflecting too many feelings and listening to too many long stories could be a problem for both the leaders and the other members in the group. There is also an option that the group leader couldnt use enough creative techniques to get and hold the attention of the group members. When techniques arent supported with theory and focusing the group sessions arent focused sufficiently, the productivity and the efficiency of the group counseling dramatically decreases. As all the researchers stated the use of these counseling types is a matter of preference. Etc. etc.. In schools, counseling to the students should be carried out both individually and in small groups. Counselors, in schools, must always allot some time for counseling students about their personal-social problems. Moreover, in some cases, counselors may need to utilize newer theoretical approaches, such as brief therapy, in order to be as effective as possible in a limited number of sessions.( Sears, Susan Jones Coy, Doris Rhea,1991)

Outbreak of the Marburg Virus :: History Journal Medical Essays

Report from Uige Province I have now been working in Angola as a medical relief agent for three months. It is only recently that people have started talking about a possible outbreak of the Marburg virus here in the Uige Province in Northern Angola. We fear the worst as this disease, a deadly but rare hemorrhagic fever related to the Ebola virus, has many similar symptoms to other infectious diseases such as Malaria or typhoid fever making it difficult to diagnose. After incubating for five to twenty-one days, the disease comes on swiftly with symptoms such as fever, chills, muscular tenderness and headache.1 The fifth day of infection is marked by the appearance of discolored spots and raised bumps around the chest, stomach and back area. Other symptoms at this stage include vomiting, chest pains, nausea, and diarrhea.2 These symptoms quickly become more severe resulting in jaundice, severe weight loss, inflammation of the pancreas, shock, liver failure, and multi-organ dysfunction3. Typically lasting 3-9 days, if a person does survive this period, the recovery process is prolonged, oftentimes marked with recurrent hepatitis, inflammation of the spinal cord, eyes, and parotid gland, transverse myelitis, and orchitis.4 This is worrisome, as in the region where I am currently working there is little room in the local hospital and very limited funds. If the outbreak grows it can only cause more fatalities due to our lack of resources. As of now, only sporadic cases have been reported since the last Marburg virus outbreak in Druba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 19985. We can only hope for limited spread of infection, as there is no cure or vaccine for this deadly virus. December 17th, 2004 As of now, there have been 34 reported cases of what might be the Marburg virus and 34 deaths thus resulting in a 100% fatality rating. Currently the outbreak here in Angola is the worst epidemic of any kind of hemorrhagic fever and is continuing to infect as the number of cases increases around 3% each day.6 Fortunately WHO, the World Health Organization, has sent operatives to investigate if, in fact, the virus that is spreading is the Marburg virus and not another hemorrhagic virus. The whole staff at the hospital is becoming nervous, as we are particularly vulnerable to infection.

Tennysons Princess - The Womans Cause Is Mans :: Tennyson Princess Essays

The Woman's Cause Is Man's Alfred Lord Tennyson, the author of The Princess, 1847, was born as the fourth of twelve children on August 6th, 1809, in Somersby, Lincolnshire to George and Elizabeth Tennyson. In 1827 he began his higher education at Trinity College, Cambridge; where he won university prizes for his poetry and became involved in an undergraduate club, The Apostles, which greatly influenced his life and later works. Tennyson died on October 6, 1892 at the age of 83 years after enjoying a delayed but satisfying and profitable literary career (Everett) The Princess was the work that turned Tennyson's struggling career around and laid the foundation for his continued success and ultimate acclaim as the Poet and Prophet of the Victorian era. The composition of The Princess was a lengthy process beginning in 1839 and culminating in its publication in 1847. Tennyson's works, in general and The Princess, in particular are representative of the Victorian era and the societal quest for self-identification. During this time period there existed a strong desire to understand and in some cases, remake male/female relations. Many of Tennyson's works deal with this Victorian issue - "The Woman's Cause is Man's" is one example of a literary attempt to define a social issue. The Victorian era also highly prized the value of self-control, which was considered the defining quality of masculinity (Riede).   Due to the influences of industrialization during this time period and the residual class distinctions of previous time periods, this work addresses the male/female issue as it relates to middle and upper class men and women and does not attempt to include the issues facing men and women of the working class, which were distinctly different. "The Woman's Cause is Man's" is an excerpt from the long narrative poem, The Princess. The story is set in a fairy-tale realm and deals with the effort to establish a women's college. Interestingly, the very first British institution of higher education for women, Queen's College in London, was opened the year following the publication of The Princess. The story's heroine, Princess Ida, has sworn never to marry and has dedicated her life to the founding of a women's college. The Prince, on the other hand, is determined to win the Princess and to convince her that her efforts on behalf of feminists are futile.

New Products :: essays research papers

Chapter 1 Intuition has no place in the scientific process of new product- False Major obstacle of innovation is fear of change and certainty it brings- True Strategy and the identification is the first stage- True Basic task of a business is consumer satisfaction / profit Newness of a product is determined by consumer Product includes: All of the above Short Answer: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is a new product and who decides if a product is new? a.Good or service that is perceived b the target market as different and better than others- the consumer decides if the product is new. When the product has sold enough, made enough profit, established a strong toehold in a new market, and effectively thwarted a particular competitor. Chapter 2 New product development process ends at the evaluation process- True Best ideation comes from identifying problems for business and consumers - True Comprehensive business analysis emphasizes profitability- True Benchmarking as guidelines – True Every new product starts out as a concept The development phase is concerned with all of the above Important consideration with product development must be the consumer 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why must the marketing department’s new product efforts be supported by the firm’s corporate strategy? a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make sure the product fits the company’s mission- make sure they are going in the same direction Chapter 3 Platform concept cannot be used successfully with services or brands- False PIC - allows delegation, permits financing, and calls for personal assignments- True Core compacies serve as a logical starting point- True Technology is the single most important factor in new product development- False Goals are long term targets, objectives are short term – True The PIC should flow from and be consistent with mission statement McDonalds uses golden arches in order to add tangibility PIC utilizes all the following except employment policies Which of the following categories would a firm want to dominant its portfolio- pearls 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What’s the purpose and value of product platform planning? Chapter 4 Common thread in providing a unique safe environment where criticism is not allowed- T New product only comes into being when it’s successful- True Technology is always a starting point for new product- False An inventor tends to be all of the above New product is born when successful in the market place Marketing perspective, new product development efforts should be begin- benefit Useful development in user orientated ideation involves identifying lead users 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Who are lead users and why are they important? a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Out in front, trendsetters- at the leading edge of the trend, have the best understanding of the problems faced, and expect to gain significantly from solutions to those problems.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Essay

11. a. Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Before-tax cash flow $(500,000) $52,500 $47,500 $35,500 $530,500 Tax cost (7,875) (7,125) (5,325) (4,575) After-tax cash flow 44,625 40,375 30,175 525,925 Discount factor (7%) .935 .873 .816 .763 Present value $(500,000) $41,724 $35,247 $24,623 $401,281 NPV $2,875 Investor W should make the investment because NPV is positive. b. Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Before-tax cash flow $(500,000) $52,500 $47,500 $35,500 $530,500 Tax cost (10,500) (9,500) (7,100) (6,100) After-tax cash flow 42,000 38,000 28,400 524,400 Discount factor (7%) .935 .873 .816 .763 Present value $(500,000) $39,270 $33,174 $23,174 $400,117 NPV $(4,265) Investor W should not make the investment because NPV is negative. c. Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Before-tax cash flow $(500,000) $52,500 $47,500 $35,500 $530,500 Tax cost (5,250) (4,750) (8,875) (7,625) After-tax cash flow 47,250 42,750 26,625 522,875 Discount factor (7%) .935 .873 .816 .763 Present value $(500,000) $44,179 $37,321 $21,726 $398,954 NPV $2,180 Investor W should make the investment because NPV is positive. 16. a. Opportunity 1: Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Taxable income (loss) $(8,000) $5,000 $20,000 Marginal tax rate .40 .40 .40 Tax $(3,200) $2,000 $8,000 Before-tax cash flow $(8,000) $5,000 $20,000 Tax (cost) or savings 3,200(2,000) (8,000) Net cash flow $(4,800) $3,000 $12,000 Discount factor (12%) .893 .797 Present value $(4,800) $2,679 $9,564 NPV $7,443 Opportunity 2: Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Taxable income $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 Marginal tax rate .40 .40 .40 Tax $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 Before-tax cash flow $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 Tax (cost) or savings (2,000) (2,000) (2,000) Net cash flow $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 Discount factor (12%) .893 .797 Present value $3,050 $2,679 $2,391 NPV $8,120 Firm E should choose opportunity 2. b. Opportunity 1: Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Taxable income (loss) $(8,000) $5,000 $20,000 Marginal tax rate .15 .15 .15 Tax $(1,200) $750 $3,000 Before-tax cash flow $(8,000) $5,000 $20,000 Tax (cost) or savings 1,200 (750) (3,000) Net cash flow $(6,800) $4,250 $17,000 Discount factor (12%) .893 .797 Present value $(6,800) $3,795 $13,549 NPV $10,544 Opportunity 2: Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Taxable income $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 Marginal tax rate .15 .15 .15 Tax $750 $750 $750 Before-tax cash flow $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 Tax (cost) or savings (750) (750) (750) Net cash flow $4,250 $4,250 $4,250 Discount factor (12%) .893 .797 Present value $4,250 $3,795 $3,387 NPV $11,432 Firm E should choose opportunity 2. c. Opportunity 1: Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Taxable income (loss) $(8,000) $5,000 $20,000 Marginal tax rate .40 .15 .15 Tax $(3,200) $750 $3,000 Before-tax cash flow $(8,000) $5,000 $20,000 Tax (cost) or savings 3,200 (750) (3,000) Net cash flow $(4,800) $4,250 $17,000 Discount factor (12%) .893 .797 Present value $(4,800) $3,795 $13,549 NPV $12,544 Opportunity 2: Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Taxable income $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 Marginal tax rate .40 .15 .15 Tax $2,000 $750 $750 Before-tax cash flow $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 Tax (cost) or savings (2,000) (750) (750) Net cash flow $3,000 $4,250 $4,250 Discount factor (12%) .893 .797 Present value $3,000 $3,795 $3,387 NPV $10,182 Firm E should choose opportunity 1. 1. a. (1) Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Before-tax salary/income $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 Marginal tax rate .25 .40 .40 Tax on income $20,000 $32,000 $32,000 After-tax cash flow $60,000 $48,000 $48,000 Discount factor (8%) .926 .857 Present value $60,000 $44,448 $41,136 NPV of salary received by Mrs. X $145,584 (2) Before-tax payment /deduction $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 Marginal tax rate .34 .34 .34 Tax savings from deduction $27,200 $27,200 $27,200 After-tax cost $(52,800) $(52,800) $(52,800) Discount factor (8%) .926 .857 Present value $(52,800) $(48,893) $(45,250) NPV of salary cost to Firm B $(146,943) b. (1) Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Before-tax salary/income $140,000 $50,000 $50,000 Marginal tax rate .25 .40 .40 Tax on income $35,000 $20,000 $20,000 After-tax cash flow $105,000 $30,000 $30,000 Discount factor (8%) .926 .857 Present value $105,000 $27,780 $25,710 NPV of salary received by Mrs. X $158,490 (2) Before-tax payment /deduction $140,000 $50,000 $50,000 Marginal tax rate .34 .34 .34 Tax savings from deduction $47,600 $17,000 $17,000 After-tax cost $(92,400) $(33,000) $(33,000) Discount factor (8%) .926 .857 Present value $(92,400) $(30,558) $(28,281) NPV of salary cost to Firm B $(151,239) c. Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Before-tax payment /deduction $140,000 $45,000 $45,000 Marginal tax rate .34 .34 .34 Tax savings from deduction $47,600 $15,300 $15,300 After-tax cost $(92,400) $(29,700) $(29,700) Discount factor (8%) .926 .857 Present value $(92,400) $(27,502) $(25,423) NPV of salary cost to Firm B $(145,325) This proposal is superior (has less cost) to Firm B than its original offer. d. Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Before-tax salary/income $140,000 $45,000 $45,000 Marginal tax rate .25 .40 .40 Tax on income $35,000 $18,000 $18,000 After-tax cash flow $105,000 $27,000 $27,000 Discount factor (8%) .926 .857 Present value $105,000 $25,002 $23,139 NPV of salary received by Mrs. X $153,141 Mrs. X should accept this counterproposal because it has a greater NPV than Firm B’s original offer.

Ethics of Marketing to Schools in America Essay

Public schools across America are struggling with their budgets and looking to outside corporations for help. Conveniently, private corporations realize the potential buying power of students and have decided that elementary schools are the best channel to reach them. It has become routine for corporations to market there products in schools, and in exchange these schools receive various financial benefits. This new partnership has become the focus of much controversy as 80% of Americans feel that corporations should have no place in schools (). The two most cited concerns are the health of children and the growing commercialization of schools. This paper looks at this issue in detail by answering the following two questions. Is it ethical for corporations to market products in schools? What is the most socially responsible course of action for corporations to take? This paper will use a utilitarian and distributive justice framework to prove that marketing in schools is unethical and propose that the most ethical arrangement is to make schools commercial-free zones. This paper will also discuss the issue of corporate social responsibility through shareholder and stakeholder lenses to prove that there is a strong business case for corporations to? Children in schools are marketed to in a variety of ways. Schools can participate in incentive programs where a school receives funds to take part in a specific activity such as collecting box tops (). Some corporations offer free educational materials to schools that promote their corporate message. Pepsi encourages a â€Å"thirst for knowledge† on a popular textbook cover(). Each year over half of the students in schools in the United States receive free textbook covers(). McDonalds, Burger King and Dominos sponsor reading projects in schools with free meals(). Other schools receive free electronic equipment like computers and satellites for participating in programs like channel one. This is an arrangement where school receive free electronic equipment for having their students watch a 10 minute broadcast of which 2 minutes are corporate sponsored commercials (). All of these marketing techniques pose there own unique ethical dilemmas, however the most controversial type of marketing in schools today is the use of exclusive agreements. This is when corporations give schools a percentage of their profits in exchange for the right to be the sole provider of a product or a service(). The most prominent example of this is the soft drink company, Coca-Cola and their exclusive distribution rights with schools. As a result, Coca-Cola advertisements have become the most visible types of advertisements in schools today (). A US National School Health Policies study found that students could purchase soft drinks in 60% of elementary schools and 83% of middle schools (). Of these schools over 85% were under an exclusive contract with the Coca-Cola company (). For the aforementioned reasons the remainder of this paper will use the soft drink giant Coca Cola as a symbol to make it easier to understand the larger debate of marketing in elementary schools. A deontological framework can not determine whether this issue is ethical or unethical. In 1990 under $100 million was spent on advertising targeted at kids, just a decade later that number was up more than twenty times to over $2 billion (). This large increase in spending indicates that there is a strong motivation for corporations to market to youth. One way to determine if marketing in schools is ethical is to deconstruct these motivations through a deontological framework. The motivation for companies to market in schools could be a philanthropic opportunity to contribute to education. However, I do not believe this because companies like Coca-Cola make schools sign exclusive agreements, which means that they block competition and are profitable. I believe the main motive for companies to market to youth is to make money. Marketing to students in schools is an effective strategy as it reaps both short and long term rewards. Children in elementary schools have a lot of spending power. Kids ages 4-12 spend $40 billion each year (). Furthermore, these same kids influence $600 billion of household spending (). It is wise for companies to try to earn a share of this large market. Surprisingly, the sales of sodas in schools account for a miniscule slice of soda sales worldwide, less than 1 percent of soda’s 66billion dollar industry (). Clearly profit in the short run is not the main motivating factor for companies like Coca-Cola. Marketing in public elementary school promises long run benefits. Soft drink companies can create brand loyalty with their consumers at an early age. In other words, they foster and retain a captive audience for its products. If you consider the cutthroat competition among soft drink makers for customers, this brand loyalty becomes a vital business pursuit. A deontological framework can better help us deconstruct the ehics of marketing to youth purely for financial reasons. Specifically, this paper will employ some of W. D. Ross’ duties. It can be argued that marketing in schools violates the duty of non-malefiicence (to do no harm). Some children will substitute a nutritious meal for a sugar laden soda. That is harmful to their health. Marketing in schools also violates the duty of gratitude. It does not thank customers for their business by protecting their health. Instead, companies like Coca-Cola continue to aggressively market their unhealthy product to vulnerable youth. On the other hand, if one considers a corporation a person, then a corporation fulfils Ross’s duty of self-improvement by marketing in schools. It improves its own condition by increasing its profits in the short and the long run. Additionally, if a company honestly abides by the contract it signs with a school then it is upholding Ross’s duty of fidelity. The framework of deontology is inadequate to determine the ethics of marketing in schools because it presents us with conflicting duties and no hierarchy to put them into. There is an incompatible difference between the various duties. However, this situation did not become controversial simply because some believe that a corporation might have bad ethics, instead people are worried about the consequences of marketing in schools. A utilitarian framework shows us that marketing in schools is unethical. Marketing in elementary school is controversial because it offers many direct benefits to schools, but negatively impact students. Through a utilitarian framework this paper will deconstruct the pros and cons of the scenario to determine whether marketing in schools is ethical. This paper will conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine what results in the greatest good for the greatest number of people. The main players that benefit in this scenario are schools, shareholders of the Coca-Cola company, and employees. All of these players benefit in financial terms. Vending machines are a valuable source of revenue for schools. They support programs that might otherwise go unfunded. Elementary schools have reason to be concerned about their finances, the state of California cut the elementary school budget by $10 billion dollars in 2003 (). If a school district signs an exclusive contract with a soft-drink company it can generate an additional $3 million per year (). School districts receive all of this money for virtually no additional work on there part. This is why the cliche that: â€Å"one day our schools will have all the money they need, and the Air Force will have to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber† could become true (). Company shareholders benefit in the long run if we assume that marketing in schools create brand loyalty among consumers. Company employees also benefit from the sales of sodas in schools, simply because their company is continuing to be competitive in the marketplace and provide work for them. However, the positive impact of selling sodas in schools impacts company employees considerably less than other players in this scenario, because these employees will not be receiving a pay raise as a result of this practice. While there are some positive effects of marketing in schools, I feel that the cons greatly outweigh the benefits. Students bear the burden of the negative effects of marketing in schools. Marketing to youth perpetrates problems of childhood obesity, materialism, eating disorders, violence, and family stress (). This is especially problematic because children are more cognitively immature and prone to believe that products marketed in school carry their school’s endorsement. For instance, if a school sells soda it signifies that it is acceptable to consume drinks that are high in sugar and have poor nutritional quality. A child’s health is not an acceptable trade-off for increased revenues. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in America. One-quarter of children in the United States are overweight which means they are at risk for lifelong health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cavities (). Competitors also suffer in this scenario because ? exclusive agreements’ create a monopoly on a school and therefore promote unfair competition and can charge whatever price they want. The difficulty of examining ethics from a utilitarian perspective is that is impossible to predict the future. It is not clear how much the financial revenue schools gain from executive agreements helps them to fulfill their purpose of teaching. It is also not clear how high the correlation is between marketing in schools and negative outcomes like obesity. What is known is that most of the negative consequences (and there are a lot of them) fall on the shoulders of the students. Having the burden of this issue fall on the shoulders of millions of students nationwide is bad for society as a whole. Children need to be educated in a healthy atmosphere so that they can become productive members of society one day. It is detrimental to the future if children are not provided with the best learning environment possible. The best learning environment possible is one that is free from commercial influences. The Distributive Justice framework shows that monopolies are unethical. According to John Rawls we should determine ethical dilemmas like whether marketing in schools is ethical by making the decision from behind a â€Å"veil of ignorance. † The distributive justice framework tries to ensure that the interests of the worst off in society are considered. According to this theory, students well-being should be put before business interests because students are the most vulnerable group in this scenario. However, there is an inherent conflict of interest within this framework. Corporations believe that marketing in schools is ethical because they are exercising their 1st amendment right to free speech. Everybody has this right, thus they are utilizing the equal liberty principle: equal rights to liberties as long as all may be provided such liberties. The problem is that not even all corporations are being provided the liberty of free speech. As previously mentioned Coca Cola has an exclusive agreement with 85% of elementary schools in America, this is just a nice way to say that Coca Cola has a monopoly on the elementary school market (). Companies that engage in exclusive distributive contracts are trying to block competitors. They can not justify this action on the ground that they need to do this to spur innovation, they want a monopoly so they can control the school market. Thus the difference principle comes into play because the inequality that these companies are creating in the market place needs to be addressed. The most ethical thing to do is to make schools commercial free zones. Marketing in schools is unethical. The most ethical thing to do is to make elementary schools commercial-free zones. Students should be able to pursue learning free of commercial influences and pressures. Eighty percent of adults in the United States agree that schools should be commercial-free zones as well (). While this may be the most ethical course of action, it seems highly unlikely as marketing in schools has become entrenched. Schools continually need more money and the government is unable to provide it. If marketing in schools must continue at the very least it should be regulated. It does not seem probable that the industry will regulate itself, so it should be subject to more government oversight. Right now there is very little the government has done to restrict marketing in schools. Laws forbidding it are perceived to be a breach of the 1st amendment. A study found that only nineteen states currently have statues or regulations that address school-related commercial activities (). This number includes states that have statues that encourage commercial activities. The government should establish an independent commission to regulate marketing in public schools. This agency should make regulations that encourage schools to provide a healthy learning environment for students. The agency could regulate the sale of foods high in fat, sodium, and sugars. For example, it could decide that vending machines can not be stocked with sodas; however juices (100%) and water could still be sold. There would be greater social acceptance of this issue if it were implemented more appropriately. The business case for CSR prevails. This paper has established that the most ethical thing for corporations to do is to stop marketing to students in schools, or at the very least to regulate what they market to children. If a company were to stop marketing to children for the aforementioned ethical considerations it would be following a normative line of reasoning. The company would be interested in doing the right thing for society with little regard for how the proposition would effect its own bottom line. While I would applaud its efforts on a moral basis, this would be a very poor reason to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility. There needs to be a business incentive for corporations to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility. A company has to be successful financially if it is going to survive in the long run. However, there is always a business case for corporate social responsibility with respect to companies that sell consumer products. In the long run the closer a company aligns with the values of society the more successful it will be. Good ethics and good business are mutually reinforcing. In this case 80% of society wants commercial-free schools or at least commercialism that is regulated. It is socially responsible for a company to accommodate the wishes of society because it is in their long run interest to build a good reputation. A company like Coca-cola may be more successful at recruiting, retaining, and engaging with its employees and customers if it demonstrates that it is socially responsible. Critics might argue that this is just mere â€Å"window dressing. † However, a good reputation leads to higher sales in the long run. Both shareholder and stakeholder frameworks would support the business case for corporate social responsibility in this scenario. Milton Freidman is an advocate of the shareholder theory which maintains that a companies corporate social responsibility is to maximize profits without breaking the law or violating basic rules of society. Coca-Cola is not breaking any laws by marketing in schools, it is merely exercising its first amendment right to free speech. It is also not violating any social norms, children get to choose whether they want to buy unhealthy products. On one hand it may seem that Freidman would say that corporations should continue to market in schools because they are making a profit and therefore helping society. However Freidman would agree that companies need to balance there short term gains against their long-term interest. In this case, Freidman would advocate for the restriction of marketing in schools because it is in the long run self-interest of the company because companies like Coca-Cola needs to reassure their customers that they care about them. . An alternative approach to corporate social responsibility is the stakeholder theory. This theory maintains that companies should balance the interests of all stakeholders involved. In this scenario the stakeholders would be the students (customers), parents, teachers, corporations, suppliers, employees, shareholders, and society. Students are harmed by marketing in schools because marketing is correlated with problems like obesity and materialism. On the other hand these same students benefit because their schools are receiving additional funding for programs. Parents suffer because they have less control over what their children are exposed to, and it could undermine their values. Shareholders may benefit in the short run from marketing in schools, but in the long run the values of the company must be aligned with society if it is going to succeed. Therefore, the stakeholder theory would advocate a business case for Corporate Social Responsibility as well: to limit marketing in schools. Marketing in schools is a complex issue with many players. In this case, students are the most important players because schools are public institutions and schools are supposed to make students a top priority. Marketing in schools can not stop on its own, it needs to be either strictly prohibited or at the very least limited by the government.

Byzantine Art Essay

Early Christian art was highly influenced by religious, political, and cultural changes. In contrast to the classical, idealistic portrayal of man, Early Christian art took a much more stylized approach to the depiction of man, with a neglected attention to human anatomy. The subject matter of much of the art turned from secular to religious; Christianity to be more specific. Constantine was the last emperor of the Roman Empire to hold undivided power. Under his rule, Constantine created the Edict of Milan, granting religious tolerance to all religions. This was of particular importance to Christians, who had been previously persecuted due to their spiritual beliefs. Because of the Edict of Milan, many Christian buildings were erected in addition to the many secular buildings that were transformed into Christian buildings. These buildings housed countless numbers of priceless religious artworks. One such example is the Transfiguration of Christ mosaic located in Saint Catherineâ€⠄¢s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt. When Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), the Empire separated. Upon the division of the Roman Empire, Justinian, The Last Roman Emperor, held power over the Eastern Roman Empire from 527 to 565. Justinian was both a political and religious leader. Under his reign, many Christian buildings were constructed. Justinian often associated himself with Jesus Christ in the Byzantine artworks that these Christian buildings housed as a form of propaganda. The Orthodox Church now recognizes Justinian as a saint. Byzantine is a term used to describe eastern Mediterranean art from 330 to 1453, when the Turks conquered Constantinople (Strickland, 1992, p. 24). Mosaics were one of the most common forms of art during this period. They were intended to publicize the Christian creed through their religious subject matter (Strickland, 1992, p. 25). Byzantine mosaics are composed of small, colorful glass or stone squares and rectangles, called tesserae, embedded in wet cement or plaster. These tesserae were arranged in a manner through which they formed images. Typically, Byzantine mosaics are located on the walls and ceilings within a church apse and dome (Strickland, 1992, p. 25). The artists of these mosaics left the tesserae with jagged surfaces to create the sparkling, illuminated effect that distinguishes these mosaics  from those of other periods and places (Strickland, 1992, p. 25). The exteriors of Byzantine Christian structures were very plain in contrast to the elaborately decorated interiors. The awe-inspiring mosaics and icons brought the focus of the buildings to the interiors. Perhaps this was a method to spread the word of God by attracting people to come inside the buildings. Byzantine Emperor, Justinian, ordered the construction of he Monastery of the Transfiguration, more commonly known as Saint Catherine’s Monastery because the relics of Saint Catherine of Alexandria are said to have been inexplicably transported there, at the foot of Mount Moses (Wikipedia, 2006). The monastery houses the Chapel of the Burning Bush, which was ordered built by Constantine’s mother, Helena (Wikipedia, 2006). The Chapel of the Burning Bush is located at the site where Moses purportedly saw the burning bush (Wikipedia, 2006). Saint Catherine’s Monastery is now one of the oldest active monasteries in existence. The monastery survived Islamic dominance over the region due to a document that Mohammed supposedly signed himself, granting his protection over the monastery (Wikipedia, 2006). Saint Catherine’s Monastery allegedly gave Mohammed political asylum from his enemies (Wikipedia, 2006). In addition, a Fatimid mosque was built within the fortifications of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, thus creating further protection of the monastery from Islamic invasion (Wikipedia, 2006). Without the protection of Mohammed and the mosque, Saint Catherine’s Monastery would have been destroyed, and all of the irreplaceable artworks within its walls would have been lost. Byzantine mosaics contain many characteristics that distinguish them from the rest. The typical gold background of a Byzantine mosaic creates a sense of weightlessness within the figures, as if they are floating. Byzantine artists depicted sacred figures with halos, separating them from the other figures. With nude images having been forbidden, one can hardly make out the anatomy of the fully clothed figures. Though it is evident that symmetry was greatly appreciated, it is also evident that the mosaics lack perspective.  The figures depicted in the mosaics are flat and frontal facing with linear details. They are often slim with almond shaped faces and large eyes. The images depict little to no movement, creating a sense of stillness. These highly stylized Byzantine mosaics show disregard for Greco-Roman ideals. On an expedition set out by the University of Michigan in search of sites to excavate in the Near East, the staff spent five days at Saint Catherine’s Monastery (Forsyth, 1997). They discovered that the mosaics within the monastery had undergone little restoration since the time of Justinian (Forsyth, 1997). As a result, most of the works were in bad condition and on the verge of collapsing (Forsyth, 1997). Mosaic restorers came in to save the mosaics, which could have been lost forever (Forsyth, 1997). After they secured the mosaics, the restorers cleaned them (Forsyth, 1997). The mosaics now appear in their original state (Forsyth, 1997). One of the most known mosaics restored was the Transfiguration of Christ (Forsyth, 1997). The Transfiguration of Christ is located in the main church, Katholikon, in the apse over the high altar. The subject of this mosaic was an appropriate selection to portray in Saint Catherine’s Monastery because of its location at the foot of Mount Moses (Watson, 1999). In Christianity, the story claims that Jesus led three of his apostles, Peter, John, and James, to pray atop a mountain. It was here that Jesus transfigured, with his face shining like the sun and wearing bright white clothing. On both sides of Christ, Moses and Elijah appeared. Overhead, a brilliant cloud appeared, and God’s voice emerged from the cloud proclaiming, â€Å"This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.† It was then that Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah about his upcoming death. The artist of this mosaic is unknown because artists went unrecognized until much later. This mosaic is in the form of a triumphal arch, bordered by medallions occupying the busts of the twelve apostles, fifteen prophets, Longinus the Abbot, John the Deacon, two angels, and a Greek cross in the top, center (Watson, 1999). Jesus Christ is depicted in the center of the mosaic with black hair and beard. He was placed in an oval mandorla with a cross and a bright yellow circle depicting his illumination behind his head.  Rays of light are shown coming from Christ’s body. In addition to the mandorla depicting Christ’s holiness, this was done to make Christ the emphasis of the mosaic as well as to distinguish him from the other figures. Elijah is shown on one side of Christ, while Moses is shown on the other. Beneath Christ, Peter, John, and James are portrayed with awe (Watson, 1999). The Transfiguration of Christ contains all the elements of Byzantine mosaics. It has a bright gold background. The figures are dematerialized and one cannot tell which figures were intended to be floating and which are not. One can hardly make out the figures beneath the clothing and the only skin shown is on the figures’ faces, hands, and feet. All the figures were placed symmetrically around Christ, making him the focus of the mosaic. The halo and mandorla around Christ show his holiness. Only slight movement is shown through the figures’ poses. The figures are very flat, despite the attempts of the artist to show shadow and overlapping. All of the figures are slender with almond shaped heads and large eyes. One can hardly see perspective when observing this mosaic. In conclusion, religion, politics, and culture had a significant influence on The Transfiguration of Christ, and all Early Christian art for that matter. With the Edict of Milan legalizing Christianity, the focus of art turned from secular to religious, changing the course of art forever. The Edict of Milan made it possible for Christians to practice their spiritual beliefs openly, leading to Early Christian art. Early Christian art can be credited with the spread of Christianity. One might wonder if Christianity would be as prominent as it is today had it not been for these artworks, or would it have died off a long time ago. Without Early Christian art, one might wonder when or how today’s modern day art would have evolved.